Irony Can Be a Bear

Irony can be a bear...

H&R Block Inc. which provides tax advice to millions of Americans, made an embarrassing confession on Thursday. It goofed on its own taxes.

The company, which is in the middle of its make-or-break season preparing other people's tax returns, said it had underestimated its own "state effective income tax rate" in previous quarters — meaning it owes another $32 million in back taxes.

As a result, H&R Block said it would restate previously reported earnings going all the way back to 2004.

"It wasn't particularly material," said Alexander Paris, an analyst at Barrington Research in Chicago. "And it's not particularly unusual. A lot of companies are going back and reviewing their controls because of Sarbanes-Oxley and finding tax errors. But for a company like H&R Block, it was particularly embarrassing."

The problem compounds an already difficult situation for H&R Block. Earlier this year they experienced a loss of an estimated 250,000 customers due to issues stemming from software technology problems. Additionally, over the last couple of years home PC tax software and increased competition have eroded H&R Block's share in the tax preparation market.

Caring and Sharing Drugs

17 are arrested in drug sting, raid at Sharing & Caring Hands shelter. A few excerpts from the Star-Tribune story are below (bold emphasis is mine). KMSP news also had a great piece on this last night, even capturing one drug deal within the shelter on video.

Minneapolis police, after trying to work with Sharing & Caring Hands, moved in to stop what they called blatant drug dealing.

Unlike the other places that work with homeless people in Minneapolis, Sharing & Caring Hands has been on the Police Department's radar for a couple of years as a place where drug dealers easily do business.

Officers frequently would make an arrest or two if blatant drug dealing was seen on the street, but in the past couple of months undercover officers began building stronger cases against marijuana and crack cocaine dealers, said Sgt. Jeff Miller. Police also tried to work with the homeless shelter's founder, Mary Jo Copeland, but they said the problems persisted.

The drug dealing at Sharing & Caring Hands, 425 N. 7th St., had become so bad that last month four undercover officers made 14 drug buys from 13 different people in a few days, Miller said.

Miller said one of those arrested was an employee who directed an undercover officer to a drug dealer, but Copeland said the man didn't work there.

Miller said that Copeland hadn't done anything to prevent dealing and that dealers "pretty much had free rein." Other homeless shelters hire officers to work off-duty and that generally will scare away dealers, he said.

Copeland said she talked to police this summer and invested $10,000 in video surveillance equipment. She is hesitant to hire officers because they might scare away people in need and cause disruptions when they arrest dealers, she said.

The level of dealing was to the point where several staff members clearly were aware of it, he said. Police had asked the staff to call 911 if there were any problems, but few calls were made, he said. Other shelters have set up block clubs or crime watches.

The drug dealing "was the worst we've seen at any shelter downtown," Allen said.

Those in shelters are targeted by drug dealers because many who use these shelters have chemical dependency issues already and are easy marks. These dealers, like so many criminals, are disgusting predators, stalking the weakest and the most vulnerable. Most of the blame should lie with them. However, Copeland has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for her patrons. She is afraid that in providing that safety, it may scare others off. Perhaps those who would be scared off should be.

UPDATE: KMSP9 and AM1280 are both reporting the number of arrests at 20.

Regular Features

Several MOBsters run some type of regular feature -- Doug's "Friday Fun Quizzes", Nihilists' "Top 11 Lists", Mitch's "It Was 20 Years Ago, Parts I - MCMLXXVI", The Night Writer's "Friday Fundamental's in Film" series, my own Friday news of the lighter and stranger side, etc. I enjoy these regular features. They provide consistency and give the blog a certain character and identity. I now have a new favorite regular feature -- Hammerswing75's photo postings of French newcaster Melissa Theuriau. For those of us who don't have the property space or money to put up full satelite, keep them going.

Heavy Work = Light Blogging

But here's another bird story for Ben. This tale of bird bravery and heroism could be an inspiration to Aileron and Oiseau...

"Sunshine," a Pennsylvania man's pet macaw, took a dislike to a burglar breaking into its owner's apartment last month, according to The Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

According to a police affidavit, Sunshine not only drew blood but left a mark that led to a Williamsport man confessing to the bird-brained theft.

The police affidavit said Deeter's confession included an explanation of how, when drunk, he broke glass on the back door, entered Erb's apartment and tried to pet Sunshine, who bit down on his hand.

The bird-plagued burglar ran about trying to shake Sunshine off, police said, but the macaw had latched on and wasn't about to let go.

The Sun-Gazette said a nearby witness heard "slamming" and Sunshine screeching at 3 p.m. — and a neighbor saw glass on the porch floor and called cops at around 6:30 p.m.

The burglar is lucky he didn't completely lose a finger or two.

Official Editorial Policy on Mohammed Cartoons

WaterCoolerWisdom fully endorses free speech. I do not believe that material should be withheld from publishing just because it may be religiously offensive to some. However, I have elected not to run the now infamous Mohammed cartoons.

I have come to this decision not because they are offensive and inflamatory -- in fact that's a plus. The refusual to publish also does not come out of fear of retribution. I have chosen not to publish the cartoons because, well, they just aren't very good. In fact most of them are downright crappy. Many have an unclear message and they look like they were drawn by a group of 6th graders.

Other than the "we're all out of virgins" one -- that one's pretty funny.

One of Those Weeks

It's been one of those crazy work weeks. Not much time to post or do much of anything else. I could really use an evening of unwinding at Keegan's. Hopefully, I can get caught up enough to make it down there.

They Like Me, They Really, Really Like Me

Well at least a couple of readers do. Our esteemed mayor of the MOB, Doug Williams from Bogus Gold payed WaterCoolerWisdom a very nice compliment today. I want to thank him for that. Doug put me in good company with three other excellent "rookie" blogs (Hammerswing75, Surly's Soap Box and Zatera UI). I'm not sure it's deserved, but it's definitely appreciated.

The Minnesota Organization of Blogs has to be unique. It's an association of bloggers, that actually gets together regularly in the real world not just in cyberspace. I've met a wide variety of intelligent and interesting people through the MOB, several of which I would consider friends. We have an organization with a brand and logo, awards, weekly get-togethers for trivia at Keegan's as well as larger events. The more experienced bloggers provide feedback and encouragement to newbies like myself and speak at events. There is a certain synergy that wouldn't exist without the organization. The end results, I believe are a greater number of engaged bloggers producing a better body of work.

I was toying with adding a marketing tag line. I was going to go with "A dozen readers can't be wrong", but now I can use "As mildly recommended by Bogus Gold."

Farris' Day Off an Exercise In Journalism or Jihad?

I missed this when it was first published on homelandsecurityus.com. I'm not familiar with this source but found a similar story on NewsMax.com, yesterday. Newbusters.org has more.

Remember Farris Hassan, the Florida teen who decided it would be interesting to take a little trip to Iraq on his own as a personal journalism project? As the story was reported, he was just a wacky school kid undertaking a courageous, but foolhardy adventure.

Details have now come out that show that there may have been more than a quest for a good story behind Hassan's motivation for the trip....

Farris Hassan, the 16-year-old Pine Crest student from Fort Lauderdale who left the comforts of his $4 million family home on December 11 for Iraq, claimed that he made the trip to put his lessons of his “immersion journalism” class into practice, and selected Iraq out of humanitarian concerns for the Iraqi people.

With all of the reporters covering the story, however, it appears that no one did any research into the background of the Hassan family, or made any attempts to verify the young man’s story. If they had, they might have been compelled to ask some very basic – but extremely important questions.

Even the most basic research found that Farris Hassan was NOT enrolled in any journalism class at Pine Crest.

Also, the school confirmed that the boy’s father, Dr. Redha Hassan not only knew of his son’s intended travels, but authorized his absence, which is inconsistent with his initial public statements.

Further, investigation found a number of other inconsistencies in the public statements made by Dr. Redha Hassan. Although it was initially reported that neither parent knew of the young boy’s intended travels, it was ultimately revealed that Dr. Hassan actually assisted his son. He admitted that he arranged for his son's flight into Baghdad through his political connections, even though he knew the grave risks to “foreigners” wandering the streets of Baghdad. [According to a January 2, 2005 CNN news story, Hassan's father said that he had helped his son get a visa into Iraq from Beirut.

Perhaps most importantly, research and investigation into Dr. Redha Hassan found that he was arrested by the FBI in 1985 for forging 2000 Iraqi passports and military I.D. cards and seeking to forge 2,000 more.

From Amsterdam, Hassan headed to Kuwait City, where he alleges that he tried to cross the Kuwait-Iraq border twice by taxi, but was turned away due to Iraqi elections. At that point, it appears that Hassan sought assistance from his father, who told Farris to travel to Beirut and stay with family friends. Obligingly, Farris spent ten days in Beirut, and while there, met with a media relations officer of the terrorist group Hezbollah at their Central Press Office. This meeting was arranged through the assistance of his hosts – the family’s friends.

Once again the privelaged media miss the real story behind the story either through laziness or an unwillingness to know the truth.

Hat Tip: Surfergrrl (who really needs to get to Keegan's one of these Thursdays)

Now Bring 'em Here

UK - The Government has won the key vote on ID cards - it means the public will be forced to register for the cards.

It earlier won the first of three votes on controversial ID cards. It was on whether to make the cards compulsory, following further legislation.

The government compromise plan, put forward to avoid a Labour backbench rebellion, was passed without a vote.

The vote on ID cards was seen as one of the biggest tests of his authority since becoming Prime Minister.

A national (or even state level) compulsory ID cards would help a great deal in identifying those who are here illegally and would also be of great assitance in fighting voter fraud. Former Minnesota Safety Commissioner, Charlie Weaver, strongly supported a state ID card. The idea became part of Pawlenty's campaign platform in 2002, but he could not get enough legislative support to make ID cards a reality. I think it's time to resurrect the idea.

Another One of Those Days

It's another one of those work first, blog later days. I'll be back the am of 2/14. Thanks!

When Hook Met Hooker

From Beautiful Attrocities, via Little Green Footballs:

HOOK-handed cleric Abu Hamza cheated on his first wife with a HOOKER, The Sun can reveal.
And it was the fall-out from his fling that transformed terrorist “recruiting sergeant” Hamza — jailed for seven years yesterday — into a religious fanatic.

Jurors at his Old Bailey trial heard the menacing Muslim preacher declare: “Every brothel is a target, everybody who endorses them is a target.”

At the time of his affair Hamza, now 47, was in his 20s, wed to Briton Valerie Fleming and working as a bouncer at a sleazy club.

His guilty secret was revealed by a Sun investigation. And Valerie, 51, said: “I can confirm that one of the reasons our marriage broke up was my husband’s infidelity with a prostitute.”

This seems to follow a view that threads throughout fanatic Islam. A refusal to accept that the fault in temptation (or succumbing to it) comes from the human failing within. Therefore, the temptation itself must be to blame. The outlook becomes -- I'm too weak to resist temptation therefore I must obliterate that which tempts me.

Stronger Warnings Recommended for ADHD Drugs

Concerned about the risk of sudden death or serious injury associated with Ritalin and other stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a federal advisory panel says the drugs should carry the most serious type of warning label.

The surprise recommendation has caught the Food and Drug Administration off guard. The regulatory agency isn't obliged to follow the advice of its outside panels of experts but it generally does.

The FDA also may undertake short-term studies into the effect of the drugs on blood pressure, heart rate and the heart muscle itself, said Dr. Peter Gross, chairman of the FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory committee, which eventually did outline its thoughts on how to study the drugs.

When asked why he and his fellow advisers approved, albeit narrowly, a recommendation they hadn't been asked to consider, Gross said: "No. 1, because of the seriousness of the side effects — the sudden deaths. No. 2, there is a sense maybe the diagnosis of ADHD is being applied where it shouldn't be applied."

An FDA review of its own databases found reports of 25 deaths in children and adults treated with the increasingly popular medicines. The deaths occurred between 1999 and 2003. The review also detailed 54 cases of serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, hypertension, palpitations and arrhythmia.

Doctors prescribe the drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month. Among 12-year-old boys, 9.3 percent take ADHD drugs, according to a federal survey.

There are many people who genuinely need these drugs to function. However, sometimes they are used as an easy way out to change minor behavioral issues. These are serious drugs. Get opinions from multiple doctors, see specialists, do research, etc. before making the decision to go with stimulants such as these.

If They Didn't Have Enough Problems Already

Muslim led genocide in the Sudan; widespread famine in Zimbabwe due to
corruption and administrative ineptness; several other major conflicts throughout the continent; roughly a million malaria deaths per year, many preventable but for environmentalist's aggressive fight to maintain the global ban on DDT; Wide spread AID's; and now this hits the African continent:

LAGOS, Nigeria - The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected on a large commercial chicken farm in Nigeria — the first reported outbreak in Africa, the World Organization for Animal Health said Wednesday.

The outbreak appears to be restricted to birds, and no human infections have been reported, the Paris-based organization said.

Nigeria said the outbreak was on a farm in Jaji, a village in the northern state of Kaduna.

This is dire news, indeed.

What isn't Offensive?

I let out a big chuckle in the break-room this morning. Why? This letter in this morning's Strib...

Being overly sensitive

Might Star Tribune readers be allowed a look at the cartoons that sparked protests around the Muslim world?

Not likely. According to editor Anders Gyllenhaal, the paper doesn't publish offensive and "purposely sacrilegious" cartoons "just to prove that we can."

Not reported were other elements of the paper's religious inoffensiveness initiative -- which now curtails coverage of evolution, intelligent design, stem-cell research, homosexuality, pork and beef production, predestination and transsubstantiation. Saturday and Sunday papers have been discontinued, respecting Judeo-Christian traditions.

Gyllenhaal's remarks were cut short when the lights went out. It was not immediately known whether the power cut honored Amish or Gaian sensibilities.

PAUL ZORN, NORTHFIELD, MINN.

I laughed not only because it's well done, but hits on two truths. The Strib's hypocracy in dealing with religiously offensive material, and the fact that if we refuse to print that which is offensive to someone, we are left with a blank page. Which, in the Strib's case would be an approvement.

Did You Know?

If you Google SD63 and chili, you get 888 matches?
If you Google SD63 and "Chili Dinner" you get 289 matches?

What's all the buzz about?

Click here

Rumor is that there will be a big announcement at the SD63 Chili Dinner. If I can find out more I'll post an update.

UPDATE: I have it on good authority that the announcement will be that of a candidate officially throwing their hat into the ring in a US Representative race.

UPDATE II: My sources were a little premature in this. Stay tuned.

Syria: US No, KFC Yes

They helped in Russia and Eastern Europe to bring the Berlin wall down. They might even work in the middle east. Pershing missles? Well no doubt they helped, but the key to bringing non-western countries over may lie in something more "nefarious" -- blue jeans, rock 'n roll and coca-cola and fast food...

The U.S. flag serves as a doormat to an office and nearby merchants announce "we boycott American goods," but some Syrians can't seem to keep away from American fast food at the new KFC fried chicken restaurant. "

I oppose American politics totally, but what does food have to do with it? Politics is one thing, and food is something totally different," Tareq Mashnouk, a 26-year-old fashion designer, told Reuters.

KFC opened its first outlet in Damascus this month, becoming Syria's first fully licensed American food franchise. It belongs to Kuwait Food Co. (Americana), which owns and operates KFC and other American food chains like Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays throughout the Middle East.

"To be honest we were surprised they opened this American restaurant in the midst of our political situation," said Tareq Farzat, 25, adding that he liked his Chicken Burger Combo and would definitely return to KFC with his friend Kalam. A businessman welcomed the restaurant's arrival.
....

Besides, as the country worries about bird flu, surely KFC "examines its chicken before cooking it ... I trust KFC chicken more than any rotisserie," said Farzat.

It may be a while before the rock 'n roll and women in hip-hugger blue jeans hit the Arab streets, but the chain restaurants are a step towards western aculturization. All kidding aside, Syria's subtle shift towards privatization is a positive. The way to win the hearts and minds may be through the stomach, eyes and ears of the citizens. This is what the fundamentalist mullahs fear (and from their point of view, with reason), that western style democracy brings western style decadence or western style freedom (depending on the point of view).

Al-Qaeda Bomber Stopped Moments Before Attack

While this news article goes on to focus more on the day's trouble in Afghanistan, the following information is good news and is another great example of our forces doing tremendous work...

Security forces at the administration headquarters of northern Balkh province arrested a Mali national with explosives strapped to his body and a bomb in his mobile phone, governor Atta Mohammad told reporters.

Guards had been informed the man was a suspected attacker and stopped him in the garden of the offices in Mazar-i-Sharif city as he was about to enter the building where he had an appointment with the governor.

As they went to arrest him, he shouted "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Great) and tried to detonate his explosives, Mohammad said. "Nobody does this without Al-Qaeda," he said.

Local Politics, Blogging and Chili - What Could be Better

Every year, either for New Year's Day or the Superbowl, I whip up a big pot of chili. My recipe makes a pretty large batch so I usually freeze most of it to use throughout the late winter and early spring. This year, I made a little extra to share at this fantastic event:

14th Annual SD63 Chili Dinner Fundraiser
Blogosphere: Exposing Liberal Media Bias
February 7th, 2006 6:30 pm
Southwest Community Church
1501 W 54th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55419
$10 or FREE with $50 Refundable Contribution

Meet local Republican activists, bloggers, candidates and maybe more...

Guest speakers will be:

Jerry Plagge (SD63 Blog)
Andy Aplikowski (Residual Forces)
Gary Miller (Kennedy vs. The Machine)
Mitch Berg (Shot in the Dark)

If you're from the left, bring the Tums or Zantac -- because if the chili doesn't get your stomach churning, the speakers' topic surely will.

Miscellany

I've been fighting a bug off and on since just after Christmas. Finally went to the doctor on Friday. I rested over the weekend and am feeling a little better. The down side -- now I have to catch up from missing a day when the work load is very high. Not much time to blog, so I'm just going with a few random observations and notes:

I really didn't have a favorite in the Super Bowl. I started out rooting for the Steelers, but as the referees kept making error after error in the Steelers favor, I starting shifting towards rooting for Seattle. I didn't think it was a bad game. I like a defensive battle where first downs and points are at a premium. Mistakes become magnified as do big plays. Unfortunately, so do officiating mistakes. Bottom line, Pittsburgh came up with more big plays than Seattle, even though Seattle outplayed Pittsburgh.

I was happy for Jerome Bettis. He's one of those special players who never forgot that football, even high stakes NFL football, is still a game. He played with passion and intensity, but never lost his smile. He loved what he did and it showed.

Steelers guard, Alan Faneca, should have been the Superbowl MVP.

The Rolling Stones are done. Probably have been for a while. I saw them in concert in the mid-nineties and was not impressed then. The halftime show was an embarassment. Here's a tip for Keith and Ron - maybe your guitar parts should work together and actually have a melody rather than being random riffs and notes. If John McCain were in the audience, he would have had you locked up for violating the new "torture and abuse" policy.

This is Detroit, why bring in an import when there are plenty of great home-grown domestic models. I would much rather have seen an expanded version of Mowtown medley like was done before the game.

Aretha Franklin is one of my favorite female vocalist of all time. Aaron Neville is usually pretty good, too. Sadly, I think they both may be as done as The Stones. That arrangement may have been the worst rendition of the national anthem since Rosanne Barr.

The Super Bowl commercials weren't as good as recent years, but there were a few that stood out. Bud provided most of my favorites -- jr. clydesdale, sheep fan (streaker), hidden fridge, touch football game (Michelob) and grizzly. Others I liked were Ameriquest's medical misunderstanding with the defib paddles and the fly, careerbuilder's chimp ads, and Sprint's theft deterrent. Big loser -- Diet Pepsi. Those commercials and the "brown and bubbly" slogan were awful. To see the top ratings by demographic, go here.

On a more serious note....Where are the counter protests in the Islamic world? I don't want to hear CAIR cry out that they are being mischaracterised as fanatics and terrorists until the fanatacism and terrorism are denounced specifically. A few cartoons warrant protest, but the burning of property, blowing up buildings and beheadings are acceptable and even encouraged by Islam? Maybe threatening to chop off the arms legs and heads of those who depict you as people who support chopping off limbs and heads isn't the most persuasive counter argument.

Tuskegee Airmen In St. Paul Today

I caught some of this on KFAN this morning. I believe it was Mr. Hopson who was speaking. He recited much of the rich history of the Tuskegee Airmen, highlighting both the obstacles these dedicated heroes had to overcome and the successes they achieved. The fighter escort units of the Tuskegee Airmen were so disciplined and effective that they were frequently requested by white bomber units. Mr. Hopson gave a lot of credit to the more unsung members of the units, the maintenance crews, munitions crews and other support staff who went to tremendous lengths to keep the planes in the air on time and ready for combat.

The Tuskegee Airmen are in town to kick off their 2006 fundraiser to preserve history through the restoration of one of their red-tailed P51-C aircraft.

To donate, get directions, view pictures of the restoration in progress and read to more about the historic units of the Tuskegee Airmen visit:

redtail.org

From the site:

Several of the original Tuskegee Airmen (Kenneth Wofford, Joe Gomer and Vern Hopson) will be honored guests February 1st at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Hangar at Fleming Field in South St. Paul, MN. Join us as KFAN’s (AM 1130), Mike Morris and Chris Hawkey will broadcast live from 6AM – 9AM. Followed by Al Malmberg & Jack Rice (live from studio) of WCCO Radio 830 from 12PM – 3PM. This event is the 2006 fundraiser kickoff for the Red Tail Project (RTP). The Tuskegee Airmen were among the nearly 1,000 young black men who fought both racial prejudice and the German Luftwaffe in the famed 332nd fighter group, known for the distinctive “Red Tails” on the aircraft they flew so proudly. Joel Brown a member of the WWII Historical Reenactment Society presents a Living History Display complete with authentic WWII uniform and flying gear. At Joel Brown’s 332nd Fighter Group HQ you’ll find books, posters and trading cards. “Keeping the history alive of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.”

If you have time, run out to Fleming Field and check it out. Wish I could get away from work.