LOS ANGELES - Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89. Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

"He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist," said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s show that echoed the original 1950s "Watch Mr. Wizard" series, which became a fond baby boomer memory.

In "Watch Mr. Wizard," which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he demonstrated experiments using household items.

"He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along," Jacobs said. "You were learning about the forces of nature."

Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said Jacobs, who recounted serving as a behind-the-scenes "science sidekick" to Herbert on the '80s "Mr. Wizard's World" that aired on the Nickelodeon channel.

When Jacobs would reach for beakers and flasks, Herbert would remind him that science didn't require special tools.

"'You could use a mayonnaise jar for that,'" Jacobs recalled being chided by Herbert. "He tried to bust the image of scientists and that science wasn't just for special people and places."

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When "Late Night with David Letterman" debuted in 1982, Herbert was among the first-night guests.

Born in Waconia, Minn., Herbert was a 1940 graduate of LaCrosse State Teachers College and served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. He worked as an actor, model and radio writer before starting "Watch Mr. Wizard" in Chicago on NBC.

The show moved to New York after several years.

He is survived by six children and stepchildren and by his second wife, Norma, his son-in-law said. A private funeral service was planned.

Merry Christmas!

I was recently given a lovely gift of maraschino cherries. I do love to eat them as is, but what else can you do with this many??



btw, these are from Frank. I'm glad he likes me best.

Frank is uber horny.





Discuss.

Use pix if necessary!

If you're going to add me, you can at least tell me why/how you found my journal.

Toodles!

I slept for about an hour.

Yeah.

doo be doo be doo
doo be doo be doo
doo be doo be doo
doo be doo be doo

Thanks, boomer88 for the present!

You New Jersey boys sure do spoil me!

Interesting news story:

Clifton Alexander Carter is a man with an unusual talent.

Authorities in Gwinnett County, Ga., are puzzled about how the 19-year-old man managed to conceal a loaded .25-caliber pistol between his buttocks.

"We don't know why he hid it there or how," said Gwinnett County Sheriff's spokesperson Stacey Kelley.

The cheeky reveal occurred Feb. 1 in the Gwinnett County jail after deputies had arrested Carter on an outstanding warrant from another county and were attempting to perform a patdown.

A deputy frisked Carter and felt that something was odd about the lower portion of the man's backside, Kelley said. Deputies conducted a more thorough body search and found the weapon between the man's buttocks.

According to the spokesperson, the firearm, which turned out to be stolen, was fully loaded. Kelly said the suspect must have hidden the gun on his body before his arrest.

Carter was charged with possession of weapon by a jail inmate, theft by receiving, carrying a pistol without a license and violation of probation.

Charges are pending against Carter in neighboring Barrow County for a separate incident. He is being held in the Gwinnett County jail without bond.

I learned today that it doesn't matter if your child vomits all over, you still have to get your hair cut and highlighted. I also learned that Frank has no patience when it comes to puzzles.

Interesting news story:

SMYRNA, Ga. - A mother has been arrested for throwing cans of beer at her children and beating her oldest son after he refused to roll joints for her, police said.


Beverly Fisher, 48, was arrested Wednesday after her 11-year-old son called police and told them that his intoxicated mother was in possession of drugs and threw beer at him, said Lt. Keith Zgonc of the Smyrna Police Department.

Marijuana and several beer cans were found in the home, he said.

The oldest son, 14, said his mother assaulted him after he refused to roll marijuana cigarettes for her, Zgonc said, and the 11-year-old had scratches from where Fisher had thrown a knife at him during an earlier incident.

Interesting news story:


HOUSTON -- A 16-year-old boy was charged with shooting his father in their southwest Harris County home Friday, Local 2 reported. The shooting was originally reported as a case of domestic abuse, but deputies said the boy apparently witnessed a sexual act between his parents and thought the father was abusing the mother.

Sheriff's deputies charged the boy with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony.

Detectives told Local 2 the mother and father were engaged in consensual sex when the shooting occurred at about 3:30 a.m. inside the family's home on Mira Monte near Corta.

Investigators said the couple's 11-year-old son woke up to his mother making loud noises.

"During the course of love making, the wife was evidently being somewhat loud … loud enough to where it woke the children up," Harris County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Mike Smith told Local 2.

The boy woke his brother, who then walked into his parent's bedroom and told his father, 43-year-old Jacob Hughes, to leave his mother alone.

Officials said that is when the teen shot his father in the arm.

Detectives originally told Local 2 that the son said he fired the gun as a way of defending his mother during an argument he thought she was having with his father.

"The children interpreted the noise as their mother being in danger," Smith said. "The 11-year-old went into the room, forcibly went into the room, to protect his mother. (The child) observed his parents making love and got the 16-year-old. The 16-year-old came back in and fired the shot."

After investigating previous problems at the home, officials said there have been previous reports of abuse in the family and that father had been charged and convicted of domestic violence.

Officials said the children feared their mother was being hurt due to their father's previous convictions for abuse and that is the reason the oldest son shot his father.

Authorities said they have not determined whether the mother was screaming for help.

"That is a very important question. I can see why you are asking that. We are trying to work that out right now. We are trying to decide if it was a passionate scream or was it a cry for help," Smith said.

Hughes was transported to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. He was released late Friday morning.

Officials said the couple has been married for 20 years.

Nothing to type about...so

Interesting news story:

KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon (CNN) -- An Oregon man is in custody on suspicion of trying to arrange a mass suicide on Valentine's Day via an Internet chat room, police said.

Police have arrested 26-year-old Gerald Krien of Klamath Falls, Oregon, on charges of solicitation to commit murder, Klamath County Sheriff Timothy Evinger said.

Investigators have seized Krien's computer, and authorities are trying to determine if the 32 people who appear to be involved in the pact are real and where to find them, Evinger said. The plan appears to include using webcams and the Internet to coordinate the suicides February 14, he said.

Authorities do not know if the agreement is legitimate or a hoax, but they are investigating because one of the parties is a mother who also plans to kill her two young children, Evinger said.

If the plan is not a hoax, the investigation could reveal that more than 32 people are involved, Evinger said.

"The scary part is with just a name and intent on the Web, you can draw in people worldwide," Evinger said. "It doesn't surprise me that we could be just scratching the surface ... the tip of the iceberg here."

Evinger said he would not disclose how those involved planned to carry out the suicides. However, he said there doesn't appear to be any religious motivation, as has been the case with cult suicides.

Interesting news story:

ALBANY, Georgia (AP) — A transvestite who pumped industrial silicone into other men to give them feminine features pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a man who suffered complications.

Stephen Thomas, 31, will serve five years in prison and 10 years on probation under the plea to felony involuntary manslaughter, which he entered Monday.

The plea was appropriate because those involved were willing participants and there was no intent to kill, Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Edwards said Friday.

The death of Andre Geter in December 2003 threw a spotlight on "pumping," a thriving underground practice among men living as women, particularly those who compete in beauty pageants and perform in drag shows.

While medical-grade silicone is sealed to prevent leaks and is sterile, the industrial version is not and can cause infections.

The silicone sealant that Thomas used on Geter is available in hardware stores.

Geter, 23, suffered convulsions and fell unconscious after receiving injections in the hips and buttocks during a "pumping party" in Albany. He died of blood poisoning a month later.

Three other men await trial on conspiracy charges. Edwards said the three provided rides to the parties and handed Thomas instruments during the procedures. In return, Thomas, who charged $300 to $400 for the injections, gave them free injections, the prosecutor said.

I'm bored, where the fuck is Leland when you need him?

Interesting news story:

A Grand Junction, Colo., couple is at the center of a developing controversy over disabilities that could become a national issue.

Tom and Christine Hutchinson wanted to open a day-care operation in their home, so they took CPR and first-aid courses required by the state of Colorado. They also submitted to background and medical checks and provided references. Their home was inspected and the submitted to in-home interviews about their backgrounds, college degrees, and child and family studies.

The state spent six months going through their qualifications before denying their license because of their disability.

The Hutchinsons are blind.

"The state's view is one of child safety. We don't believe they can have proper supervision in that setting," Liz McDonough, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, told The Denver Post.

The couple has filed suit against the Colorado Department of Human Services' Division of Child Care for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state law.

They said they aren't asking for the moon. They wouldn't take children under 3 and wouldn't have more than four children in their home at a time.

"We recognize our limitations. It's not like we're asking to be taxi drivers or policemen," Tom Hutchinson told the newspaper.

The head of the Colorado's chapter of the American Foundation for the Blind said its one of the most blatant cases of discrimination she's come across. Diane McGeorge is afraid the decision will set a precedent, if it's allowed the stand.

During the state investigation, concerns were raised about the Hutchinsons blindness and how they would administer medicine or whether their guide dog might bite the children.

The couple said that they addressed every concern, and still the state denied their application.

An attorney for the National Federal for the Blind who is handling their case said that the Colorado case is unique because the state turned them down because of their blindness -- not because of anything else.


I'd let Poptart watch my kids before a blind person. Now that IS sad.

I woke up at 7:38am and I can't go back to sleep.

WTF?

Interesting news story:

LAMAR, Colo. (AP) — A woman who told investigators she drowned her two children after receiving a sign from a spider was found not guilty by reason of insanity Monday and ordered to be committed to the state mental hospital for an indeterminate period.

Two defense psychiatrists and another testifying on behalf of prosecutors told a judge during an eight-hour hearing that Rebekah Amaya was insane at the time of the October 2003 drownings.

Amaya, who was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Grace Headlee, 4, and Gabriel Amaya, 5 months, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The psychiatrists said Amaya said she thought there were evil spirits in the house and in her children and that killing them would set them free.

She also told psychiatrists that Gabriel told her to kill him saying, "`Go ahead and do it mommy, get it done, get it done."'

Police say Amaya told them she killed the children after getting a sign from a spider that crawled across her hand.

Interesting news story for the day:

A Slovak man trapped in his car under an avalanche freed himself by drinking 60 bottles of beer and urinating on the snow to melt it.

Rescue teams found Richard Kral drunk and staggering along a mountain path four days after his Audi car was buried in the Slovak Tatra mountains.

He told them that after the avalanche, he had opened his car window and tried to dig his way out.

But as he dug with his hands, he realised the snow would fill his car before he managed to break through.

He had 60 half-litre bottles of beer in his car as he was going on holiday, and after cracking one open to think about the problem he realised he could urinate on the snow to melt it, local media reported.

He said: "I was scooping the snow from above me and packing it down below the window, and then I peed on it to melt it. It was hard and now my kidneys and liver hurt. But I'm glad the beer I took on holiday turned out to be useful and I managed to get out of there."

*pees all over*

ATHENS (Reuters) - A bus driver shuttling pupils to school in northern Greece shocked their parents when he put on a porn tape, say officials.

The incident on Tuesday in the town of Kilkis prompted dozens of complaints by parents who have asked the bus company to sack him.

"The driver said 'kids we've got porn, do you want to watch it'," one of the pupils told reporters on Thursday. "Everyone started shouting yes, yes and he just put in a tape and we watched it on the small TV screens on the bus."

The children were aged 12 to 15.

The bus company will meet on Friday to decide what action to take against the driver, local government officials said.