Month: May 2006

Powerball winner losing home in auction

Powerball winner losing home in auction
David Lee Edwards, a laid-off laborer in 2001 when he won $42 million from a $295 million Powerball drawing in Kentucky and moved to Palm Beach Gardens, appears to have the kind of financial problems that he never should have faced again.

In what is the talk of the town, an unemployed man that won a Powerball jackpot may be broke again as his $1.2 million Florida home is scheduled to be on the auction block May 22, 2006.

Update: A court hearing is scheduled July 24 to determine the status of the heroin charge, according to the state attorney’s office. Update thanks to Julie ” According to the Palm Beach Comptroller online records search… David Edwards was not present for his status check yesterday and it has been re-scheduled for August 23.”

Last July, Edwards’ $1.2 million home was auctioned for $400,000.

And Saturday, July 14th 2007 much of the home’s contents will go on the auction block at a Riviera Beach warehouse where Edwards spent his final days in Palm Beach County.

Update: Auction Results

Update: Shawna released from jail

Update: Shawna back in jail

Update Felony Charges dropped against Shawna

Update Powerfall A good article that pulls the narrative together. Amy, the reporter, wanted to talk to Tiffani, but she refuses interviews. Thanks Julie for sending this.

How other Florida Lottery Winners also didn’t fare so well

Continue reading “Powerball winner losing home in auction”

Global warming weakens Pacific winds

Global warming weakens Pacific winds
Climate change is weakening a vast system of circulating winds that traverses the Pacific Ocean from coast to coast, say climate experts. Global warming has caused the system, which is crucial for monsoon rains in Southeast Asia and fisheries in South America, to decline since the advent of industrial times.

RealClimate » Climate Science

RealClimate » Climate Science

Thanks to an article from Bob Bopp, which pointed to this informative scientific blog, which handles the questions raised in the BBC story that we blogged on recently of the press alarmist coverage of scientififc papers and the potential public backlash.(See "How not to write a press release")

The press coverage of the paper mostly picked up on the very high end sensitivities (up to 11ºC) and often confused the notion of an equilibirum sensitivity with an actual prediction for 2100 and this lead to some pretty way-out headlines. I think all involved would agree that this was not a big step forward in the public understanding of science.

Will Europe become a Muslim State?

Commentary – Europe's Two Culture Wars
Nihilism rooted in skepticism, issuing in the bad faith of moral relativism and Western self-loathing, comforting itself with a vacuous humanitarianism: not only is this not marvelous, it has contributed to killing Europe demographically, and to paralyzing Europe in the face of an aggressive ideology aimed at the eradication of Western humanism in the name of a lethally distorted understanding of God’s will.

Pimpstar Rims

The PimpStar is a huge leap forward in the evolution of the wheel. With the PimpStar’s built-in full color LED lights, microprocessor and wireless modem, you can display virtually any image, including text, graphics, logos, and even digital photos! The included software allows you to create your own images and send them to each wheel individually or all wheels at the same time as you drive!

White House Correspondents Dinner

Even MSNBC’s in-house-liberal, Keith Olbermann admitted that Stephen Colbert had a tough act to follow, after George Bush was joined by Bush impersonator Steve Bridges at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner, as his inner monologue (Link). The silence after so many of his one-liners is almost embarrassing and brings back memories of the Don Imus debacle, when he tried roasting Bill Clinton at the same dinner. Don Imus expressed the same disappointment the next morning, about Colbert’s performance. Both of these entertainers shine in the interview format, but stand-up is not their forte, no matter how clever the material may be. But, see for yourself. Followed by Part 2. And Part3. The unintended consequence of this brilliant edgy satire from the new media’s news is pointed out in why John Stewart isn’t funny.

In their greed for higher ratings the old media News have drifted into entertainment arena and now it has come back to bite them. The Daily Show & Colbert Report have distilled the news sound-bite into laughs. This is how the short-attention-span, video-generation watch their on-demand news over the Internet. There is no time for reasoned-discourse and analysis in the WWF world of gotcha journalism. See how Colbert warms up for the Correspondents dinner with Bill Kristol as the appetizer. At least, there is C-span to fall back on.