Scuttlebutt Pipeline

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HONOLULU - A dozen surfing protestors temporarily blocked the first-ever passenger ferry service among the Hawaiian islands as it tried to complete its second voyage, saying the craft could harm marine life.

Hours after the Hawaii Superferry’s maiden voyage from Honolulu to Maui and back, it was stalled for more than an hour outside Kauai’s Lihue harbor before Coast Guard patrol boats cleared away the surfers and escorted the 349-foot vessel to the dock. Cars were still being driven off the ferry when it was scheduled to be on its way back to Honolulu.

The four-deck, double-hulled ship, named Alakai, turned back from the Lihue harbor to the cheers of several hundred protesters beating drums and shouting Hawaiian chants along a seawall, witnesses said. The protestors, who paddled out to within a few yards of the ship, objected to the ferry’s failure to obtain an environmental impact report before launching.

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Typically I’m all for making one’s life easier, especially when it comes to one’s daily commute, but I find myself a bit chagrined with what’s going on here. Boats are a serious threat to marine life and in area where tourism threatens the local ecosystem on a daily and regular basis I can’t help but to see the addition of a ferry traveling back and forth as an unnecessary evil in this case. What really gets me is that this has launched despite not having followed the proper procedures and channels. Why? How was this allowed?

Ok, so I know that you’re probably already familiar with Wilmer Valderrama’s show on MTV, “Yo Momma,” but what you might not know is that MTV just recently started an online part to the show - it’s basically an enormous online bank of yo momma jokes and slams. Check it out at yomomma.tv and you can start battling other users around the world, or come check out their yomomma myspace page to meet other people that are just as interested in Yo Momma as you are.

Have you watched Yo Momma yet? If yes, what did you think of it? If you haven’t, why not?

LANSING, Mich. - A state forensics scientist who said she tested her husband’s underwear for DNA to determine if he was cheating on her has been fired.

Ann Chamberlain of Okemos testified in a March 7 divorce hearing that she ran the test last September on the underwear of Charles Gordon Jr. Asked by his attorney what she found, she answered: “Another female. It wasn’t me.”

She said during another hearing that she ran the test on her own time with expired chemicals that were set to be thrown away.

The Michigan State Police, which oversees the Lansing forensics laboratory where Chamberlain worked, announced Tuesday that it had fired her effective Aug. 16 after conducting an internal investigation into violations of department administrative policy.

State police policies dealing with the care and use of property state that “department supplies, materials or equipment shall not be used for any non-duty or non-department purpose.”

Chamberlain could not immediately be located for comment. A phone listed for Ann Chamberlain in Okemos was disconnected.

The 33-year-old scientist received an award for Outstanding Contribution to the Michigan State Police Biological Services in 2006 for her research and method development in embryonic/fetal DNA recovery, according to Forensic Science Consultants Inc., which lists her among the forensic scientists it employs.

Source

The sad thing is, I can’t help but to wonder what the outcome would have been if it had been the other way around. If it had been a man testing his wife’s fidelity would the fuss have been made? Would they have fired him? I can’t help but to speculate but a part of me highly suspects that had it been a man this would have been swept under the rug and laughed about on coffee breaks. Perhaps I’m far too cynical and mistrusting.

NEW YORK - Leona Helmsley, the cutthroat hotel magnate whose title as the “queen of mean” was sealed during a tax evasion case in which she was quoted as snarling “only little people pay taxes,” died Monday at age 87.

Helmsley died of heart failure at her summer home in Greenwich, Conn., said her publicist, Howard Rubenstein.

Already experienced in real estate before her marriage, Helmsley helped her husband Harry run a $5 billion empire that included managing the Empire State Building. She became a household name in 1989 when she was tried for tax evasion. The sensational trial included testimony from disgruntled employees who said she terrorized both the menial and the executive help at her homes and hotels.

That image of Helmsley as the “queen of mean” was sealed when a former housekeeper testified that she heard Helmsley say: “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.”

(Full Article)

Okay, so she wasn’t the nicest of people, that’s a given. But she was still an ideal role model for women of all ages. Why? Because during a time when women were still considered chattel this woman made a name in the finance world. And unlike Ivana Trump, she didn’t do it with her husband’s name and power either, she did this on her own. You have to respect that about her. You may not love Leona Helmsley, hell not many did, but she had a brass pair.

I’ve got a secret for you – it’s now easier than ever to get paid for blogging. This company, Blogging Ads, is offering money if you’ll join their network of bloggers and help them post tiny blog ads onto your personal blog with links to other sites. It’s easy, simple, and a quick way to make some money. I can’t think of any reason not to go and sign up right now.

If you’re a company looking to give your website an extra boost in the search engine rankings then you’ll certainly appreciate how easy it is to advertise on blogs. All you have to do is come up with an ad and Blogging Ads will let their network of bloggers spread the word about your company. Go ahead and check them out to find out what all the buzz is about and you can make some money or promote your company with the click of a mouse.