Category Archives: From my email

From my email

AAJA e-mail blast mentions — Michelle Malkin?!

Doth my eyes deceive me? Are there pigs flying outside? Has hell frozen over? Oops, scratch that last one, its scheduled to rain this weekend in L.A. Hee. :)

I was scrolling through my weekly AAJA email when I saw….they mentioned Michelle Malkin! WHOA. No, seriously, WHOA.

Michelle Malkin mention

Does this mean we might see Michelle finally on a UNITY or AAJA panel? Or will the opportunity for political diversity be met with silence — again? I guess only time will tell.

Full disclosure: I pitched another blogging panel, this time for UNITY (even though I don’t plan on going, I’m tired of traveling for conventions). I haven’t heard back yet on whether they like the idea.

‘Desperate Housewives’ offends Filipinos worldwide

Watch this video and you decide for yourself.

Is the line offensive to Filipinos? That silly joke has sparked a worldwide controversy – Filipinos all around the world are freaking out that Teri Hatcher made fun of Filipino medical schools. Here’s the email that is making the rounds (and landed in my inbox this afternoon): Continue reading →

Update on the blue whale mystery

So much for the domoic acid theory. This was in the work email tonight:

The Blue Whale necropsied at Pt. Mugu did not have any detectable levels of domoic acid in its system. We are still awaiting results from several other analyses, however this may be a case of animals feeding in the wrong place at the wrong time.

NOAA has opened an additional UME specifically for the recent Blue Whale strandings. Michelle Berman, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is the NOAA appointed on-site coordinator of this state-wide UME investigation.

Ms. Berman is also the coordinator of the open April 2007 UME, which indicated the status of the algal bloom occurring off the coast and domoic acid (DA) concentrations in the plankton were reported to be the worst ever recorded.

A UME is an unusual mortality event defined under the Marine Mammal Protection Act as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”

ALERT: NOAA continues to ask the public to notify the Marine Mammal Stranding Network of any floating whales seen in Southern California waters. Please contact the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History at 805-682-4711 ext. 157.

Bogus new laws email making the rounds

FYI: New California laws…
1. Carpool lane – 1st time $1068.50 starting 7/1/07 (The $271 posted
on the highway is old). Don’t do it again because 2nd time is going to be
double. 3rd time triple, and 4th time license suspended.
2. Incorrect lane change – $380. Don’t cross the lane on solid lines or intersections.
3. Block intersection – $485
4. Driving on the shoulder – $450
5. Cell phone use in the construction zone. – Double fine as of 07/01/07 .
(Cell phone use must be “hands free” while driving.)
6. Passengers over 18 not in their seatbelts – both passengers and drivers get tickets .
7. Speeders can only drive 3 miles above the limit.
8. DUI = JAIL (Stays on your driving record for 10 years!)
9. As of 07/01/07 cell phone use must be “hands free” while driving.
Ticket is $285. They will be looking for this like crazy – easy money for police department.

Has anyone else gotten this email? I found this in my interoffice mailbox and made note of it. I was going to check it out this morning, but it turns out, Snopes.com already did. I had mentioned it to Trinity this morning, but when I printed it out, I thought at least one of the “new laws” looked bogus — the one that said “Speeders can only drive 3 miles above the limit.” Right.

I’m sure the person at work who forwarded the email thought was legitimate — I think we were all vaguely aware of the “hands free” cell phone use law kicking in soon, but I don’t think any of us knew when it would be. Turns out it is July 1, but in 2008. Also, I’m sure the person at work who forwarded the email meant well, but it only takes a bit of Googling to figure out what’s real and what’s not.