Still distinct, but probably not for the reasons that you're thinking. The Morrisania section is a blight on the borough; it's a burned out shell and one of the worst sections of the City.

Gouverneur Morris's brother Lewis lobbied hard to make that area of the Bronx the next US Capitol. I suppose it would have turned out a little different if he had won...or maybe not.

Can't add much to that, SC. Except to add that the irony is, the biggest courthouse in the whole city is situated smack dab in the center of that neighborhood. There are a zillion cops surrounding that building constantly, and I STILL don't feel safe going into that neighborhood if I have to pay a ticket or something.

Geez, that must be a bad neighborhood.


TIS

To make an analogy you can understand, Tis:

It's like East L.A., with snow in the winter .

Snow in the winter? In L.A.?? Bite your tongue. Talk about panic in the streets.....carmageddon. It would be mass hysteria that's for sure.


TIS

UK School Uniforms

Reporting from Nailsea, England— Thanks to the movies, Americans who have never set foot in this country have a fair idea of what British schoolchildren look like.

From Harry Potter and his pals at Hogwarts to the glowing-eyed demon spawn of the '60s horror classic "Village of the Damned," the image is one of boys and girls neatly turned out in their matching school sweaters, trousers, skirts and ties.

But for some of today's non-magical, non-mutant students, a key piece of that picture is missing. Visit Nailsea School here in southwestern England, and about the only skirts you'll see are those on teachers; most of the girls on campus are required to dress like the boys, in standard-issue trousers, after the school amended its uniform policy this year to become a skirt-free zone....

I just read that Sinéad O'Connor piece. The vulgarity didn't shock me as much as her picture, so I looked her up on Wiki. Is she really only 44 years old?

Yikes!

Really? I would have guessed she was at least in her 50's.


On a more serious note, remember those three hikers that were jailed in Iran? They let the girl go a while back. Well I guess "Rat Face" (to use Afs' term) said the other two men would be released in the next couple days.

I can't imagine being locked up in a foreign country like Iran. How freekin' scary.


TIS

It's no worse than L.A. County lockup .

And you know this how? Been there?

Thank God I am not familiar with L.A. County, or any Jail. However at least they'd speak my language. Well, maybe not hu???

TIS

No!

But I was at the courthouse in Palm Springs once. My favorite Uncle in the whole world is retired in Palm Desert. I go see him every few years. About ten years ago, I took a ride with him to the Palm Springs courthouse to pay a ticket.

No gangbangers in Palm Springs. I think they even offered us a glass of wine and some brie while we were waiting .

updated 9/15/2011 9:09:33 AM ET:

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian passports will now have three gender options — male, female and indeterminate — under new guidelines to remove discrimination against transgender and intersex people, the government said Thursday.
Don't miss these Travel stories

Intersex people, who are biologically not entirely male or female, will be able to list their gender on passports as "X."

By Randolph E. Schmid

updated 9/15/2011 12:46:11 PM ET

WASHINGTON — In science fiction, amber preserved the DNA that allowed rebirth of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. In real life, amber preserved feathers that provide a new image of what dinosaurs looked like.

"Now, instead of scaly animals portrayed as usually drab creatures, we have solid evidence for a fluffy colored past," reports Mark A. Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Don't let Rick Perry hear you speak that blasphemy .

He ought to feel pretty comfortable with it since he is a dinosaur.

Stop the ride i want to get off.......

What's this about a satellite about the size of a school bus (they say 2 tons) about to hit earth in the next few days?? Don't know where or exactly when. They SAY it's likely to break up before it hits. Likely? Just make sure to keep your eyes to the sky.



TIS

What???! I try to keep on top of this stuff (spent many dozens of hours watching docs about it), but haven't heard a peep about this 'til now! Maybe the Mayans are right -- just over a year left I guess!

Calm down, no need to panic

Meteors have fallen before, and history shows there's not much to worry about.

This satellite will not remain the size of mini-bus once it hits the ground, and most chances are we're talking debris.

Either way tho, your chances of getting hit are slim to none, with emphasis on none.

You have more chances of getting bitten by a venomous snake.

So relax, take it easy

Not quite. I've heard the odds at 1 in 3,600; while that isn't a sure bet, it's not exactly as long a shot as I'd like to hear.

"They" aren't too sure about a lot ..... it is stated the satellite will land SOMEWHERE between 57°North and 57°South (really pinpointing it) and "they" won't know any better until two hours before it actually lands (not very comforting). About the only thing they're fairly confident of is it will land sometime on Saturday, Sept 24th.

From the There are more things in Heaven and earth Horatio ... file:

By Frank Jordans updated 2 hours 52 minutes ago

GENEVA — Scientists at the world's largest physics lab say they have clocked subatomic particles traveling faster than light, a feat that — if true — would break a fundamental pillar of science. The readings have so astounded researchers that they are asking others to independently verify the measurements before claiming an actual discovery.

"This would be such a sensational discovery if it were true that one has to treat it extremely carefully," said John Ellis, a theoretical physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, who was not involved in the experiment.

If 1 in 3,600 isn't comforting, then I don't know what is.

Number of people bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S per year: about 8000.

Number of people who have been injured by falling space junk: 0.

So yeah, let's hope noone gets hurt, but if you insist on being worried tomorrow, I suggest looking down instead of looking up.

Re the satellite the news is saying it'll hit today somewhere in the South Pacific. Duck & Cover.




TIS

It better not land anywhere near Yankee Stadium, Section 431B, Row 5

Well, I'll be damned! Didn't you just hear the news. They just announced that's exactly where it'll hit. You better not go.

Aaaa so you're not a real yankees fan! a real fan would've ended the sentence with "Yankee Stadium", period. But you only care about your seat, mister! to hell with the players, fans, and the rest of the stadium!

Care about my seat?? They're the worst seats in the place!
Was just narrowing down the exact point of impact. On my head.

Miami (CNN) -- Pieces of a defunct satellite that plummeted to Earth have settled, NASA said Saturday morning. The space agency said the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite "is down," according to the space agency's Twitter page. NASA said debris fell to Earth between 11:23 p.m. ET Friday and 1:09 a.m. ET Saturday, but it was not immediately clear where the pieces may have landed.
NASA said the satellite pierced through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, but the exact time and location were not known

(CNN) -- Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to vote and run for office in future municipal elections, King Abdullah announced Sunday.

In an address on Saudi state TV, the king said women will be allowed to nominate candidates for the next set of municipal elections. Although he did not use the word "vote," allowing women to take part in the nomination process would amount to voting within Saudi Arabia's system.

The country is holding municipal elections Thursday for the only the second time in nearly 50 years. The changes the king announced would go into effect for the next set of elections -- and it is unclear when those might take place.