In what's probably happened before, but never in the age of the Internet and rapid media reporting, identical twin boys in Florida were born not just in different years, but in different decades.
Margarita Velasco delivered the twins, Marcello, and Stephano, by C-section at Tampa General Hospital. Marcello was delivered just before midnight, at 11:59:37 PM. His younger twin, Stephano, was delivered just as the New Year began, at 12:00:02 AM. Marcello is left, above.
Unsurprisingly, Marcello was the last baby born at TGH in 2009. However, Stephano was not the first baby born at TGH in 2010. That honor went to Kaylan Ann McDaniel, who was delivered one second after midnight.
Juan Velasco, their father, says it's great that they have different birthdays, because each boy will get to have his own birthday party. However, they are still in intensive care because they were born about 10 weeks early. Doctors say they'll get to go home in about eight weeks.
Those who are sticklers for accuracy will note that in reality, the decade does not end until the end of 2010. Obviously, since a decade covers 10 years, the first decade would have be 1-10, which would then be extrapolated to mean the 2001 - 2010 is this decade.
Also, as is always the case for babies born this close to Christmas, they will be somewhat ripped off in terms of combination birthday / Christmas presents.
The Larimer County Sheriff has declared the "Balloon Boy" incident a hoax, that was designed in the hope of marketing the Heene Family for a reality television show sometime in the future. Charges have not yet been filed, but most likely will be.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said that among the charges being considered for Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi are three felonies: conspiracy between the husband and the wife to commit a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and an attempt to influence a public servant, the last of which carries a prison term of six years. They could also add filing a false report to the charges, which is a misdemeanor.
The nation stood transfixed on Thursday while authorities and media chased a flying saucer-shaped helium-filled balloon 50 miles from the Heenes' home to a soft landing. It was believed that six-year-old Falcon Heene was on the craft, but in reality he was not, and was later found hiding in a box in the attic of the family's garage.
After elation over the boy being safe died down, thoughts turned to a hoax. The Heene's case was not helped when, appearing on CNN, Falcon said the reason he did not respond to calls out to him, he said "You had said that we did this for the show," that's pretty telling. In fact, watch the video below, and see the evidence.
Additionally, more suspicions were raised when it became known the family had appeared twice on the ABC show "Wife Swap," and had pitched reality TV show ideas to TLC and the "Wife Swap" creators.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said at a news conference in Fort Collins, CO:
“It has been determined that this is a hoax, that it was a publicity stunt. We have evidence to indicate it was a publicity stunt done with the hope of marketing themselves to a realty television show sometime in the future.”
Authorities re-interviewed the family yesterday, as well as conduction searches of their computers, e-mail records and documents in their home. Alderden said the plan to launch a balloon and tell authorities that Falcon was aboard was made as long as two weeks ago.
Alderden added that child protective services would be reviewing the case and determining whether the Heene children are in any danger. Reportedly, all three children knew of the Thursday hoax.
Richard Heene added to the strangeness yesterday when, saying the family did not have cable to see what was being said about his family, he placed a box out in front of the house, telling reporters to place their questions in it.
Shaheed Wright, 25, of East Orange, New Jersey, told his 4-year-old son the baggies of white powder he stuck in his pocket during a brush with police were candy. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, they were actually baggies of cocaine.
Thinking they were candy, his son passed out the bags to his friends at day care. A teacher spotted a girl with a baggie in her mouth and called police after seeing the white powder.
The children were taken to a hospital, but none were injured. Wright was charged with four counts of child endangerment as well as the appropriate drug charges. At the same time, child-welfare authorities are investigating.
Watch this video. It shows a right-wing mom on CNN, so upset by the possibility that U.S. president Barack Obama might tell her children to stay in school and get a good education, that she starts bawling.
The fear is that Obama might brainwash their children into becoming liberals; however the brainwashing has actually occurred on the right, where right-winger have been brainwashed by the "politics of fear" into this sort of panicky, ridiculous behavior.
One thing these conservatives forget is that none other than their hero Ronald Reagan did the very same thing, talk to students in a similar speech. You didn't see liberals up in arms about that did you?
Also, JFK and George H. W. Bush did the same. What is the difference? The only thing that comes to mind is the obvious: race.
Or perhaps its what was shown in today's Doonesbury, where it was said there aren't enough reasonists to offset the crazies. Reasonists, as the strip says, believe in an evidence-based world, something these others don't:
Watch Reagan attempt his form of brainwashing below, in 1988:
In terms of the issue of overpopulation, the only possible news worse than this would be if Nadya Suleman announced another set of octuplets. The Duggar family has announced they are expecting another baby.
The lives of the Duggar family are detailed on the TLC show "18 Kids and Counting" (nee "17 Kids and Counting." Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are the parents, with 18 children, at least until now: Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, and Jordyn-Grace.
There is an obvious trend toward J-named Duggars there. This news comes only a few months after the eldest Duggar child, Josh, 21, announced that he and his new wife Anna are expecting their first child. One has to wonder if Anna is looking that possible devastation of her body in the future.
Michelle Duggar is 42, while Jim Bob is 44, if any are wondering about how much longer this can continue. Unfortunately for the world and natural resources being sucked into this one family in particular, the Duggars appear to have plenty of time to continue adding to their brood.
While obviously they are free to do what they want, one has to wonder why they continue to churn out kids. At any rate, they appeared on "The Today Show" and Michelle Duggar said:
“I love all of this, it is so fun. Anna and I will have babies five months apart. My mother and my sister were pregnant at the same time and it was really wonderful. The kids were really close and still are. I have a nephew who grew up with me, we’re just three months apart.”
