andrewtobin/test — Issue #20: TRUE 923: Tot Tats | Uniformly Stupid | Savannah | Advice? Sure.
Author: andrewtobin
Created: 2012-02-25 14:11:02+00:00
State: open

Sender: This is True
Received: 25/02/2012 2:01:29 PM

SINCE 1994 and reaching at least 42,639 subscribers, this is the 923rd
weekly issue of Randy Cassingham's...

THIS is TRUE: 19 February Copyright 2012 http://www.thisistrue.com
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I'D RATHER SUPPORT A CHARITY FOR MENTAL FITNESS: Peter Stevens was
sitting in his car in Cambridge, England, when a thief opened his back
door, grabbed his laptop computer, and ran. Stevens chased after him;
despite the thief's youth and head start, the 45-year-old Stevens
caught up with him after just 225m. The lad was too pooped to stop
Stevens from taking his computer back. "I was appalled by how unfit
this guy was," Stevens said. "I thought it would take a lot longer to
catch up with him." Because "it was such a lousy performance on the
thief's part and it made me worried about the fitness of youngsters,"
Stevens made a donation the next day to a charity that promotes
physical fitness. (RC/Cambridge News) ...Because next time, he wants a
challenge.

REALLY CAUSED A FLAP: Bird watchers in New Zealand were excited to spot a
new species of bird in Dannevirke. The new species looked like a
typical harrier hawk, but with bright red feathers. "Various people got
involved, like experts who thought maybe it was a new strain or a new
type of bird or whatever," said a spokesman for the local SPCA, "but
then feathers were being found and it was obvious somebody was actually
painting these hawks." Investigation tracked the spray-painting to
Grant Michael Teahan, 39, a dairy farmer, who was trapping the birds,
spray-painting them, and then letting them go again. Teahan was
convicted of two counts of ill-treating an animal; he was fined
NZ$5,000 (US$4,180), and he may have to pay as much as NZ$15,000 to
cover the cost of the investigation and trial. (RC/Manawatu Standard)
...But what about the new species of fish spotted in local reservoirs
-- red herrings?

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"I WANT TO BE A WRITER!"
We've heard that from so many people from so many walks of life.
Where to start: With people who make their full-time living
writing and publishing. Whether you're interested in art
publishing, poetry, publishing your own book, or getting into
textbook writing or even blogging, we have articles covering it:
http://www.PublishingWonk.com
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TATS FOR TOTS: After Malik Napier, 12, of Acworth, Ga., was hit by a car
and killed, his brother, Gaquan, 10, made a request. "My son came to me
and said, 'Mom, I want to get a tattoo with Malik on it, rest in
peace'," said his mother, Chuntera. "It made me feel good to know that
he wanted his brother on him." So, Chuntera took Gaquan to get a tattoo
with his brother's name and basketball jersey number. But Georgia law
prohibits tattoos on anyone under 18, and when school authorities
spotted the artwork, they called the police and Chuntera was arrested.
Police are also trying to locate the artist who gave Gaquan the tattoo,
but say Chuntera is refusing to cooperate. "What do I say to a child
who wants to remember his brother?" she says. "It's not like he was
asking me, 'Can I get Sponge Bob?'" But Acworth Chief of Police Michael
Wilkie disagrees. "The tragedy of this is that the child's tattoos are
some sort of memorial to a sibling who was lost in a car accident a few
years ago," he said. "It may be that professional or religious
counseling for their/her grief would be more helpful than anything."
(MS/ABC-TV) ...And here we thought "the tragedy" was the kid being
killed by a car.

THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE IN UNIFORM: Pinal County, Ariz., Sheriff Paul
Babeu, 43, has resigned as the Arizona campaign co-chair for Republican
presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, even though Babeu says it's
"completely false" that he threatened his now ex-boyfriend with
deportation if he revealed their sexual affair. Babeu now acknowledges
he is gay -- "In America, we celebrate our differences. That's what
makes America exceptional," he says -- but insists neither he nor his
lawyer threatened his ex-lover, known only as a Mexican named "Jose",
who was a campaign volunteer for Babeu's own political ambitions. Babeu
is running for Congress as a hard-line border security Republican.
(RC/Arizona Republic) ...Finally, a clear explanation of what
Republicans mean when they demand a "hard line" on illegal immigrants.

FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE: "Alaska Wildlife Chief Charged with Illegal
Hunting, Resigns" -- Anchorage Daily News headline

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS: MS-Mike Straw, RC-Randy Cassingham

DID YOU FIND an error? See http://www.thisistrue.com/errata.html

I HAVE A SPECIAL "GIFT" for you: see below. But before that....

SAVANNAH UPDATE: I'm heading to Savannah this weekend, and what a great
place to have a Reader Gathering. We'll have a table THIS MONDAY --
February 27 -- starting at about 5:30 at Kevin Barry's Irish Pub, 117 W
River St. I'm not sure who all the special guests will be, but it will
for sure include my wife, Kit, as well as tech guru Leo Notenboom of
http://Ask-Leo.com and maybe others. Come by for a free Get Out of Hell
Free card and some fun conversation.

AS REQUESTED, I've put last week's story about the prisoner-made
alterations of the Vermont State Police seal, illustrated with photos
so you can see the alterations clearly. There's an update, too: the
investigation has been completed. http://www.ThisIsTrue.com/d-c7

THE FINAL TWO stories this week -- the zero tolerance for the kid who got
a tattoo and the Arizona sheriff -- are bringing a lot of comments (and
I had more to say about both too!), so I've put the stories and more on
my blog: http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-c8

I'M CERTAINLY NOT SURPRISED. I talked two years ago about an American war
hero -- a Medal of Honor recipient -- whose good name was being dragged
through the mud for really ugly reasons. I refer to Ed Freeman, a
Vietnam war chopper pilot who risked everything to save the lives of 14
fellow servicemen. Well, the pattern continues: his name is STILL being
used to promote racism. The full-of-B.S. meme is going around AGAIN,
and you need to know where to send people when they send it to you.
http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-c8 has the story, and an update. *sigh*

o o o

OK, NOW TO THE GIFT. A friend who is a career military man is retiring
soon. He's still pretty young, so he asked for some advice on what to
do next; he sees that I'm pretty successful, and he wants to be
successful too, in the next phase of his life.

His question was: how does he figure out what's really right for him,
for what he wants to do next? After all, I had an abrupt career change,
from the government sector to publishing. My reply was fairly detailed.
After sending it to my friend, I also sent it to the smaller of my two
Mastermind groups, asking for their feedback. Some of their responses:
"Wow!", "INNOVATIVE", "Thought provoking indeed!", "LOVED the article,
literally devoured the whole thing! (Okay, not quite literally, but you
know what I mean)", "What a great job Randy has done at capturing and
articulating all of this", and "This is HUGE gift." I thought I'd share
that gift with you, too.

The group gave some great feedback, asking me to expand on some things
which might not have been explained adequately, and there were several
questions. All of that went into fleshing out an essay I've titled
Planning for the Rest of Your Life, which is now posted on my blog:
http://www.thisistrue.com/d-ce

It's solid career (and life!) advice that will work for anyone.

By the way: the friend who asked about this the same guy who asked for
advice about becoming a writer. My answer to that is in the essay,
There's No Such Thing as Writer's Block, which you might remember.
That's linked from the new page.

o o o

SEVEN *MORE* STORIES: "Terrorist" found in Florida, but.... OK, what the
cops said about a robbery suspect they chased down is just, well,
BIZARRE! The most aggressive door-to-door salesman EVER is arrested;
you won't believe his sales pitch! State legislator proposes legalizing
marijuana -- so the state can sell it. Police ask man about his beaten
wife; he didn't do it, he insists -- a ghost did! Woman busted for
drunk driving says she couldn't do balance-related field sobriety tests
-- "not with her big boobies." Cop saves young boy's life ...and is
then hung out to dry by his department. You can still read all of these
stories: just ask for your upgrade to start with the 19 February issue.
http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html

THE LATEST POSTING TO JUMBO JOKE: But You, Dear Reader, Are Blameless!
(Or, "how America works lately.") http://www.JumboJoke.com

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Stay Green When You Travel, with Environmentally Friendly Hotels

The Box Canyon Lodge, Ouray Colorado: a 4-tree listing is
where you want to stay when visiting the San Juan Mountains.
Search for lodging that meets YOUR green needs at
http://www.EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com
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TEN YEARS AGO IN TRUE: Sometimes, childhood taunts come true in
unexpected ways: http://www.thisistrue.com/8050

And don't forget http://i.thisistrue.com for a new story every day on
your Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, or other web-enabled phone!

THIS WEEK'S HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE goes to William Lamers, who made dying a
LOT easier on us all (including those left grieving). For his story see
http://www.HonoraryUnsubscribe.com/william_lamers_jr.html

YOU CAN REALLY HELP TRUE: Send this issue (in its entirety, please) to a
friend with your personal recommendation. A friend told YOU about this
newsletter, right? Pass the favor on! Thanks.

I'M LITERALLY GIVING AWAY the secret to my business success in a free
home-study e-mail course: http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-mastermind

TIRED OF BEING TOLD WHERE TO GO? "Get Out of Hell Free" with our popular
and (in?)famous cards, created in response to a reader telling Randy he
was doomed. http://www.GOOHF.com

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