- The search is underway in Washington state. Men across
the greater Skamania County area
should listen up because they could volunteer to be part of a rather unique
search. That search is to find a missing woman wearing nothing but a fanny pack
in the woods. According to Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox, a friend
reported 19-year-old Maureen Kelly missing in the early morning hours Monday.
Kelly, of Vancouver, Wash., was last seen walking away from a campsite at
Canyon Creek Campground to go on a "spiritual quest," Cox said. She
departed around 5 p.m. Sunday and in a scene natural (and au naturale)-loving
men everywhere would appreciate, she was only wearing a fanny pack, which had a
small knife and a compass inside and a few other survival items. However, not
wearing any clothes on a relatively mild night may have left Kelly unprepared
for the elements. "We had a fairly mild evening last night with
temperatures in the lower 50s," Cox said. "We have set up a command
post in the area and currently are utilizing ground search teams in the
immediate area in an attempt to locate her this morning." Skamania County
Sheriff's Office search teams are searching for Kelly in the most obvious
locations, but think about how much of a response there would be if the sheriff
were to show up at a news conference and announce that he needed help from the
public in locating a naked 19-year-old, free-spirited girl who is lost in the
woods. Anyone who wants to offer help that hasn’t yet been asked for can make
the trip to the campground from which Kelly disappeared, located in Gifford
Pinchot National Forest, about 60 miles northeast of Portland. While the area is
steep and mountainous with heavy timber and brush and it’s not known if she is on
a road or trail in the area, or if she is moving cross-country, searching for
naked girls is rarely a wasted pursuit……..
- Despite suggestions to the contrary, “Game Of Thrones” executive
writer and producer David Benioff
isn't buying claims that the HBO show will need to be stretched out to 10
series to prevent the risk of catching up with author George RR Martin's currently unfinished books. Martin is currently
penning his sixth book, “The Winds of Winter,” as well as the seventh (and
possibly last) novel in the series, “A Dream of Spring.” Meanwhile, Sunday
night’s season finale of “Game of Thrones” ended its story two-thirds of the
way through Martin's third book, “Fire and Ice.” There are still two books in
the series, “A Feast for Crows,” and “A Dance With Dragons,” that the show hasn’t yet delved into. Fans
and pundits have expressed concern that Martin won't have the sixth and seventh
books finished before the show catches up to the story, leading to speculation
that Benioff will have to stretch out some of the existing storylines in order
to prevent the conflict. "There is a ticking clock here. We can't
wait too long because of the kids. We have this wonderful cast, but we don’t
have an infinite amount of time,” Benioff
said. “We don’t want to become a show that outstays its welcome and
tries to turn each book into three seasons.” When asked about why extending one
of the next books in the series was such a bad idea, Benioff explained that the show’s tendency to always be moving ahead is
the reason. “Part of what we love about these books and the show is this
sense of momentum and building toward something,” he added. “If we tried to
turn this into a 10-season show we'd strangle the golden goose." Martin
has similarly expressed optimism that no such conflict will ever happen and is sure
that having a two-plus book buffer will give him the time he needs. “I think
the odds against that happening are very long. I still have a lead of several
gigantic books. If they include everything in the books, I don't think they're
going to catch up with me,” Martin concluded……..
- In the market for some rare and possibly illegal-to-own
animals? Don’t expect to buy them from
Montri Boonprom-on, a pet shop owner in Thailand who was arrested after police
found hundreds of protected animals, including rare lions, in his warehouse
near Bangkok. Police Col. Ek Ekasart announced that police found 14 albino
lions from Africa, hundreds of birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls, capuchin
monkeys and other species from overseas and Thailand during a raid on the
warehouse in a residential area of Bangkok's Klong Sam Wa district. Montri owns
an exotic pet shop at Bangkok's renowned Chatuchak weekend market, although it
likely won't be open for business any time soon with its owner facing charges
of possessing wildlife and carcasses and facing four years in jail and a fine
of $1,300. A hornbill and a leopard, both protected by Thai law, were
also found during the raid and both animals were scheduled to be delivered to
clients on Monday. "We have been monitoring the location for a few days
after the neighbors complained about the noise from the animals," Ek said.
Police have something of a connection with Monrti, who was previously convicted
of wildlife trade. Thailand, aside from being the setting for the first “Hangover”
movie in the franchise that never should have been made, is a hub of the
international black market in protected animals. This could be due in part to
the fact that despite being a member of a convention regulating international
trade in endangered species, Thailand does not extend protection to many alien
species. Montri claims the lions were shipped legally to Bangkok from Africa
and were waiting to be moved to a zoo in Thailand's northeast. He didn’t have a
great explanation for why only 14 lions remained at his warehouse, while the
documents showed he had imported 16. Regardless, all of his animals were
confiscated and will be under the care of the Department of Natural Parks,
Wildlife and Plant Conservation……..
- Science has done done it again. Using lots of money at
boatloads of time, scientists have created a new "invisibility cloak" capable of making
a pet goldfish and a small cat vanish from plain sight. Sure, it’s a crude and
relatively simple device, but its developers say it marks a significant step
forward in the science of the unseen. They debuted their new creation in a
video showing a goldfish appearing as it swims out of a cloak submerged in its
tank. A second clip shows the lower half of a cat disappearing as it steps
inside a cloak placed on a table. All of this is that handiwork of researcher Baile
Zhang at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, who created the cloaks
from thin panels of glass that make objects invisible by bending light around
them. The cloaks are basic in that they only hide objects from certain angles
and in both videos, the cloaks themselves are partially visible. Still, they
are an upgrade over earlier versions that worked only with polarized light, or
with microwaves instead of the visible wavelengths that humans see in. Zhang
and his team wrote in their report that operators could adjust the cloaks to
make objects invisible from any line of sight, adding that the devices could
have "important security, entertainment, and surveillance
applications." The cloak for the goldfish is a clear hexagonal device that
was placed in a tank of water. When the fish swam into the cloak, it needed a
bit of encouragement to re-emerge. "When swimming inside the cloak, the
goldfish becomes invisible and does not block the scene of green plants behind
the cloak," the scientists wrote. That cloak is capable of hiding objects
from six different directions. The second cloak is a bit different, having been
designed to hide objects from a person stood directly in front or behind. To
test it, researchers projected an outdoor scene of plants and flowers onto a
screen and put the cloaking device in front. When the cat walked through and
sat in the cloak, its lower body vanished……..
- So much for future hall of famer Jason Kidd enjoying
retirement. Kidd, who ended a 19-season career during which he
made 10 All-Star appearances and led the NBA in assists five times by retiring Monday,
will
meet this week with Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King to pitch himself
as the team's next head coach. Kidd was originally slated to meet with King as
an open-ended discussion about potential employment with the Nets, but Kidd is
reportedly intent on convincing King that he is ready to make an immediate jump
into coaching after retiring last week. The Nets must agree because they have
reportedly added Kidd to the list of
candidates they're considering
to replace P.J. Carlesimo, who was terminated the day after Brooklyn's
first-round playoff elimination by
Chicago. The idea of a player – even a well-respected one who was often
referred to as a coach on the floor when he played – going directly into a head
coaching role does seem extreme, but Kidd's history with the team could aid his
cause. He led the Nets to two NBA Finals appearances when the franchise was
based in New Jersey and has a close relationship with star guard Deron Williams.
Still, a 40-year-old with no coaching experience would likely need a strong
cast of veteran assistants to support him. Indiana Pacers associate head coach
Brian Shaw is believed to be Brooklyn's leading candidate and is also scheduled
to interview with the Nets this week. Kidd retired as the second-leading assist
and steals man in NBA history and when asked prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals
about his potential as a head coach, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said
Kidd has the "intuitive skills" and overall ability to be
"really, really good" at coaching. Maybe sooner rather than
later………
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