- Did you find a nice, shiny 9mm in your stocking or that long-desired AK-47 under the tree on Christmas morning? If so, you were not alone. America is in the middle of a major arms race - even if most of us don’t realize it - and December’s gun sales figures represent that startling reality. According to the latest FBI figures on background checks required to buy firearms, December has already been a record month for gun sales. Days before its end, December has already seen the number of background checks for gun purchases top the previous one-month record -- set only in November -- of 1,534,414 inquiries by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System also known as NICS. Nearly one-third of those background checks - just under half a million - were done in just the last six days before Christmas. Waiting until the week before Christmas to buy that Colt .45 for your loved one is a risky move, but more than 100,000 Americans not only waited until a week before Christmas, but waited until two days before the holiday. Two days before Christmas, NICS ran 102,222 background checks, which was the second-busiest day in history. Finding the current record holder doesn’t take much digging, lack Friday, the big shopping day following Thanksgiving, of this year has that distinction. Further elevating the gun run, the FBI doesn’t know how many guns were actually purchased in December because buyers often take home more than one gun. But most people pass the background checks. A mere 1.3 percent of the searches result in people being denied permission to buy a weapon, said FBI spokesman Steve Fischer. While the FBI does not have an official theory on the spike in gun sales, the gun-toting kooks of the National Rifle Association believe the figures indicate more people feel they need guns for self defense. "I think there's an increased realization that when something bad occurs, it's going to be between them and the criminal," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said. Oh, and the NRA says more Americans are participating in skeet shooting and other gun-related hobbies. All in all, a truly heartwarming holiday season…………
- Brilliant medical minds work for the British Heart Foundation. Evidence of their brilliance can be found simply by listening to their plea to the British government Thursday to follow Australia's lead and ban all eye-catching designs and branding from cigarette packs to stop young people being lured into smoking. Everyone knows the younger the person, the more likely they are to be lured in by a colorful, shiny package with bright graphics. Unless those graphics show a diseased, smoke-maligned lung in neon shades, that’s a problem. Australia is boldly taking the lead by becoming the first nation to introduce so-called "plain" packaging on tobacco products by the end of 2012. In place of colorful packaging, the bland designs will sport graphic health warnings about smoking. Attractive colors and logos will be banned. To prove the importance of such an effort in England, the British Heart Foundation charity conducted a survey on how tobacco product packaging affects children. The survey found that more than a quarter of young people make assumptions about the relative harm of cigarettes based on the packaging alone. For the project, BHF researchers surveyed more than 2,700 16-to-25 year-old smokers and non-smokers. They learned that three quarters of those who responded thought selling cigarettes in packs with no colorful brands or logos, and larger health warnings, would make it easier for people to smoke less or quit. Worse still, 16 percent said they would consider the pack design when deciding which cigarettes to buy and 12 percent said they would choose a brand because it was considered “cool.” Bearing in mind that half of all smokers will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease, now might be a solid time to rethink any factor that could lead to an increase in a person’s likelihood of smoking. World, join the BHF’s push for the introduction of plain packaging which has no eye-catching colors or brands but is mostly covered with graphic warnings about the health dangers of smoking. "As informed adults we know that smoking is a deadly addiction," said Betty McBride, BHF's director of policy and communications. "But young people are not always fully aware of the risks, and the power of branding holds more sway." ‘Nuff said, B………….
- Milwaukee Bucks forward Stephen Jackson, a.k.a. Captain Jack, is insane. Anyone who has seen Jackson’s act during his 11 years in the NBA would not argue with that assessment, even if their only memory is of his role swinging on innocent fans alongside then-teammate Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace) during their time with the Indiana Pacers, when they instigated the infamous “Brawl at the Palace” in which they stormed the stands and attacked a fan Artest believed had thrown a cup of beer at him during a game. Given Jackson’s insane reputation, it isn't the least bit surprising that he recently admitted to mentally checking out on the team he played for last season, Charlotte, after the Bobcats traded Gerald Wallace to Portland. Seeing his friend and teammate traded away didn’t sit well with Jackson and he made no attempt to hide that fact during an interview prior to the Bucks’ season opening in Charlotte Monday night. “When Gerald left, I really left,’’ Jackson said. “Considering what we did (getting to) the playoffs, and then all those changes. To take Gerald away really took a lot out of me. I still was trying to do my job as best I can, but it was a lot harder. When they got rid of Gerald, that let me know they didn’t want to win. I didn’t want to be part of a place like that.” Wallace was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night and Jackson was shipped out of town shortly thereafter. Those looking for an optimistic viewpoint on the situation can take solace in the fact that Jackson merely stopped trying or caring and didn’t go on a locker room rampage in which he trashed TVs, lockers, stereo equipment and lights. Maybe, just maybe, Captain Jack is maturing a bit………….
- Mud slides and mudflows of death: They aren't just a Southern California thing. Residents of a remote area in eastern Indonesia have some fast-moving mudflows of doom on their hands today after Mount Gamalama, located in the Molucca Islands, roared back to life this month with a powerful, non-fatal eruption. The eruption caused seismic activity in the area and coupled with days of heavy rains that triggered flows of cold lava, rocks and other debris, villagers near Ternate found themselves literally running for their lives as the mudflows slammed into villages near the base of the volcano. Four villagers were confirmed dead Wednesday and about 1,000 others have fled their homes, according to officials. Government spokesman Yusuf Sunnya confirmed the deaths and said more than a dozen others were hospitalized with injuries ranging from broken bones to head wounds. For the geographically ignorant, Indonesia is a sprawling archipelago with millions of people living on mountains or near fertile flood plains. Landslides and mudflows are common because of seasonal downpours that cause the disasters. Mixing in a volcano explosion just seems unfair and the thought of thousands of villagers frantically grabbing their most important possessions and running from their about-to-be destroyed homes is heartbreaking. Much sadder than wealthy SoCal snobs trying to figure out whether to go for their backup iPad or their alternate iPhone on their way to their $150,000 luxury can in the garage they will drive to escape the approaching mudslide or wildfire……………
- Guys who spend a fair amount of time dreaming about being married to Megan Fox should be aware of just what the job entails. Although the job is currently taken by Brian Austin Green, celebrity marriages rarely last long and odds are the spot on M. Fox’s arm will be open shortly. Those interested in the opportunity need to know what they’re in for and as an example, take Fox’s decision to have her famous Marilyn Monroe tattoo removed from her forearm via laser. Like commoners, celebrities get ink they later regret but unlike the little folks, famous people can afford to pay a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon to laser it off. Fox made the decision to have her tat lasered off, but there was a caveat. “After the first session Megan was freaking out over how badly it hurt," a source said of the tattoo removal process. "Her friend suggested a mouth guard to bite down on to help deal with the pain and protect her teeth." Hmm, an interesting idea. What’s a girl to do when she needs a mouth guard but has neither the time nor the interest in actually going out to buy one? That’s right, send her husband. Fox reportedly Green to a sporting goods store for a mouth guard. Depending on who you ask, tattoo removal is either one of the most painful experiences this side of a root canal or relatively minor pain. Other celebrities have walked this road before Fox, including Angelina Jolie, who covered up a dragon bearing the name of now ex-hubby Billy Bob Thornton with geographical coordinates of her children's birthplaces. Thinking before you ink would also help, but again, famous people are really no different than everyone else. In other words, a lot of them are idiots……………
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