Living with bears XLV

Canada: This Mailman Gives the Greatest Excuse Of All Time For Not Delivering a Package, Bear hanging around Port Coquitlam home concerns residents

Massachusetts: Bear kills Chelmsford man's chickens, duck My sister's office is only 2 or 3 miles from there!

Today's news round-up

Good News

• California governor signs inmate sterilization ban
• Western Muslims, troubled, rally against extremism
• Small towns rescuing, restoring movie theaters
• Teacher gets 10 years in custody in student rape
• Hornets' Taylor banned from team activities
• Belgrade to host first Gay Pride parade since 2010
• Nigerian schoolgirl freed by extremists comes home
• Female UAE pilot 'leads strikes' on jihadists

Bad News

• Court tosses Air Force trainer's rape conviction
• Taliban behead 12 people in remote Afghan province
• Teen Worker Forced to Wear Homophobic Slur on Name Tag at Popular Taco Chain

Semi-random thoughts

• I sign few of the online petitions that I am presented with, because most of them are addressed to people who couldn't care less what the general public thinks about what they are doing. Almost all the ones that I do sign are addressed to businesses. But even some of those fail to gain my support. For instance, I got one addressed to a bank which asks that it absolve a co-signer of a loan from his responsibility to pay it, because the primary debtor died. No. Not even though this was a student loan, and the student was his daughter. He was not just "helping his daughter" take out the loan--he promised to pay off the loan if she didn't, for whatever reason. It makes no difference that federal student loans are forgiven in such circumstances. He made a deal, he has to stick to it. 
• It's amazing how many of my entertainer friends had pictures with Joan Rivers to post. 
• I got some spam titled, "Would you sleep with a Married Woman?" Of course I would. I sleep with my wife every night.
• I'm flabbergasted by the recent jump in readers of my glob from Japan and New Zealand. I haven't written anything about either country. 

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Muslim scholars present religious rebuttal to Islamic State
• Iraqi forces restoring control of besieged area in west: police chief
• Dashboard video shows shooting of unarmed driver It's good there was video, that the cop was fired, and that he was faces 20 years in jail.
• French, U.S. planes strike Islamic State, Britain to join coalition
• France introduces plain packs for smokes

Bad News

• Feds say transgender workers illegally fired It's bad they were fired, good that the EEOC is taking action.
• Iraqi woman activist killed by Islamic State

Animal headline of the day

Harpist's mellow tone soothes apes at St. Paul zoo

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Drill sergeant found guilty of sex assaults 
• Da Vinci masterpiece emerging in all its beauty
• Report: Admission of uninsured at hospitals dips
• Appeals court upholds Ohio ruling on early voting
• U.S. imposes financial sanctions on Islamist fighters
• L.A. City Council votes for minimum-wage hike to $15.37 at big hotels
• US strikes IS oil refineries in Syria
• Google Announces Plans to Cut Ties With ALEC

Bad News

• French hostage Herve Gourdel beheaded in Algeria

Happy National Punctuation Day!

It's National Punctuation Day. I'd link you to the official site, but it's exceeded its bandwidth. (Please notice how I properly used "it's" and "its" in that sentence.) So I'll just give you Victor Borge's punctuation routine.

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Denver area students walk out of school in protest
• Utah man pleads guilty to hate crime for threatening interracial family
• 2 men, 1 woman face charges in gay couple beating
• Federal prison population drops by roughly 4,800
• Arab Bank Liable for Supporting Terrorist Efforts, Jury Finds
• Spain scraps abortion plan, justice chief quits

Bad News

• Nadal's coach criticizes female Davis Cup captain He admitted he didn't know her capabilities, but he was still against her appointment. That is the definition of prejudice.
• New ISIS Recording Urges Muslims to Kill Civilians in US-Led Coalition Countries
• After ISIS’s Call, Frenchman Kidnapped, Threatened With Beheading
• Head of Serb church denounces gay pride march
• New Laos web decree bans criticism of government policy: media The only thing surprising about this is that they didn't have this before.
• Chinese court jails Uighur scholar for life for separatism

Animal headline of the day

Ohio college president backs skunk safety

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Thousands march in Moscow against Ukraine fighting
• Egypt court suspends top activist's jail sentence
• India court sends 13 men to jail over gang-rape of tribal woman
• Iraqi forces battle militants near Fallujah

Bad News

• Black prevails in Syria jihadist stronghold
• Turkey disappoints West with low-key role in IS fight
• California governor rejects bills to help men change diapers