PEBCAC

I’m fascinated by reptiles, Komodos in particular.

from cnn international:

An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.

Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, the park’s general manager Fransiskus Harum told CNN.

“The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons,” Harum said.

Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Komodo dragons, the world’s heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.

Despite their ungainly appearance, the carnivorous reptiles can run as fast as a dog in short bursts, jump up on their hind legs, and kill animals with a blow of their powerful tails.

Attacks on humans are rare, but Monday’s incident is the latest in a series in which the monster lizards — which have forked tongues and fearsome claws –have killed or injured people.

Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-year-old boy died after being mauled.

In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park — the dragons’ only natural habitat — had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued.

Park rangers also tell the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist who vanished leaving nothing but a pair of spectacles and a camera after an encounter with the dragons several years ago.

An endangered species, Komodo are believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild. Access to their habitat is restricted, but tourists can get permits to see them in the wild within the National Park.

All visitors are accompanied by rangers, about 70 of whom are deployed across the park’s 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean.

Despite a threat of poachers, Komodo dragon numbers are believed to have stabilized in recent years, bolstered by successful breeding campaigns in captivity.

On Monday, a zoo in Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java reported the arrival of 32 newborn Komodos after the babies all hatched in the past two weeks, the Jakarta Post reported.

from http://www.davis.house.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A measure introduced today in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House will offer choice and independence for people with disabilities.  The Community Choice Act, legislation sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), will bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of society and provide equal opportunity for employment and full involvement in community activities.   It allows people with disabilities who need an institutional level of care the choice of receiving their services and supports in their own communities, rather than in an institution.

“The legislation sends a message to the rest of Congress and to America:  We want real homes, not nursing homes,” said Harkin, one of the authors of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  “Our current system effectively forces people into institutions and requires them to impoverish themselves in order to become eligible for the assistance they need.  It is wrong – and this legislation changes it.”

“This legislation allows States and consumers to obtain more cost effective long-term services in the most appropriate setting for the individual. Individuals with disabilities will be able to chose between services in an institution or services at home permitting more independence, more dignity and reduced cost,” said Congressman Davis.  “Without any new entitlements, The Community Choice Act will allow the dollars to follow the person, and allow individuals, or their representatives, to choose where and how to best receive services and supports.”

Under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), individuals with disabilities have the right to choose to receive their long-term services and supports in the community, rather than in an institutional setting.  The Community Choice Act would amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act to make community-based attendant care services an alternative for Medicaid recipients who are “institutionally eligible” for nursing home care.

Disability advocates from around the country traveled to Washington today to rally with the lawmakers as they announced the introduction of the measure, which is supported by all of the major disability organizations.

I’m hoping to get an ‘update’ done over the weekend. Nonetheless, this blog is becoming irrelevant–it just feeds facebook. I think I might use it exclusively for video and status updates from my iPhone, just a place to document little pieces of my subconscious… kind of like Microserfs did. This will only further add to the ‘twitter’ing of the web and the eventual end of social networking. Glad to contribute.

First post from iPhone to wordpress blog.

Finally updated wordpress. The new admin interface is a major overhaul. However, I need to fix the broken things…over the weekend.

We’re still trying to reach the contractor to install the new range. It is being delivered on Monday. We’re really hoping to reach him before the weekend. It’s going to probably take two weekends–according to his estimate. So, time is of the essence.

We had the gutters cleaned, reattached and sealed today. Apparently, the expansion and contraction had worked several bolts loose and that was causing some of the problems. Nonetheless, it’s fixed now and all seems well.

We did our taxes last night, that was a little painful –to say the least.

Work is still all consuming and exhausting. I feel like I’m juggling a thousand projects at once. It also feels as though I’ve spent the entire past week in meetings. Today I managed to work on our SILC presentation some, so that was a relief and something new. Either way, I’m still tired and still dreaming about work almost everynight. Again, I’m thankful to work with such a talented staff.

Well, I’m whining again… boo-freakin-hoo. This too, will pass.

Well, we found an electric range today at Best Buy and bought it. It’s an ‘open box’ special and is being delivered on Tuesday morning-we hope. It will be nice to have a functioning kitchen, and with the addition of the butcher blocks, a little more counter space. However, I’m still nervous about the cost for everything. As I mentioned before, we were getting bids for the repairs…and we decided on someone today. It will be at least a couple of weeks before he’s probably available. Home ownership is a full-time investment and, again, there are other improvements I’d rather be spending money on. I hope it pays off. The mess of construction is going to stress me out.