>Sacramento makes Forbes most miserable cities in the U.S. list

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Five California cities have made Forbes Magazine’s top ten list of most miserable cities: Vallejo, Sacramento, Modesto, Merced and Stockton.

via Most miserable city in the U.S.? Stockton resident begs to differ : KALW.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the governor of California at the end of 2003 amid a wave of optimism that his independent thinking and fresh ideas would revive a state stumbling after the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

The good vibes are a distant memory: The Governator exited office last month with the state facing a crippling checklist of problems including massive budget deficits, high unemployment, plunging home prices, rampant crime and sky-high taxes. Schwarzenegger’s approval ratings hit 22% last year, a record low for any sitting California governor.

California’s troubles helped it land eight of the 20 spots on our annual list of America’s Most Miserable Cities, with Stockton ranking first for the second time in three years.  …

We ranked each area on 10 factors, including unemployment over three years, tax rates (both sales and income), commute times, violent crime and how its pro sports teams have fared over the past three years. We added two housing metrics this year: the change in median home prices over three years, and foreclosure rates in 2010, as compiled by RealtyTrac. We also considered corruption based on convictions of public officials in each region, as tracked by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lastly, we factored in an index put together by Portland, Ore., researcher Bert Sperling that rates weather in each metro on factors relating to temperature, precipitation and humidity. …

No. 5 Sacramento, Calif.

No state taxes $50,000 of income like California, with a rate of 9.55% on incomes above that level for singles. Sacramento is a one-team sports town, and that team has been awful in recent years. The NBA’s Kings have won just 26% of their games the past two-plus seasons.

via Forbes

Don’t care about the Kings winning or not, but no jobs, high taxes, violent crime and bad weather … well, it is still a beautiful city, with live music, art and plenty of happy people.

 

>’Bigfoot’ filmmaker sues New Hampshire over free speech

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An amateur filmmaker who dressed as the mythical Bigfoot creature is suing the state of New Hampshire after park rangers told him to leave a mountain where he had been engaging with hikers.

Jonathan Doyle’s friends had been filming him on Mount Monadnock.

He argues the state’s requirement that he pay for a permit and get a $2m (£1.2m) insurance bond before he can film violates his free speech rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is backing Mr Doyle’s lawsuit.

“The underlying activities are humorous, but the principle’s important,” Jon Meyer, a lawyer representing Mr Doyle, told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

He added: “We don’t believe there’s any legitimate government role in regulation.”

New Hampshire state officials have not commented on the case.

‘Socially engaging’

Mr Doyle said no complaints were made to the state park service in 2009 when he first dressed as Bigfoot, traversed Mount Monadnock, then took off his costume and interviewed bystanders about what they had seen.

“People loved it. It was socially engaging,” the 30-year-old told AP.

But when Mr Doyle announced he would head back to the mountain on 19 September last year, Monadnock park manager Patrick Hummel brought it to the attention of his supervisor in an e-mail entitled “Bigfoot problem on Monadnock… not kidding”.

Mr Hummel then intercepted Mr Doyle during his next outting, barring the filmmaker and his friends from filming and requiring them to obtain a permit.

via BBC News – ‘Bigfoot’ filmmaker sues New Hampshire over free speech.

This is a test. If you can’t see the bigfoot in this picture, you may need a bigger screen or a different screen resolution setting. Or just press the “Ctrl” and the “-” key at the same time a few times if you are using Firefox as your web browser. Hold “Ctrl” and  “+” to go back the other way.

>’Bigfoot’ filmmaker sues New Hampshire over free speech

>

An amateur filmmaker who dressed as the mythical Bigfoot creature is suing the state of New Hampshire after park rangers told him to leave a mountain where he had been engaging with hikers.

Jonathan Doyle’s friends had been filming him on Mount Monadnock.

He argues the state’s requirement that he pay for a permit and get a $2m (£1.2m) insurance bond before he can film violates his free speech rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is backing Mr Doyle’s lawsuit.

“The underlying activities are humorous, but the principle’s important,” Jon Meyer, a lawyer representing Mr Doyle, told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

He added: “We don’t believe there’s any legitimate government role in regulation.”

New Hampshire state officials have not commented on the case.

‘Socially engaging’

Mr Doyle said no complaints were made to the state park service in 2009 when he first dressed as Bigfoot, traversed Mount Monadnock, then took off his costume and interviewed bystanders about what they had seen.

“People loved it. It was socially engaging,” the 30-year-old told AP.

But when Mr Doyle announced he would head back to the mountain on 19 September last year, Monadnock park manager Patrick Hummel brought it to the attention of his supervisor in an e-mail entitled “Bigfoot problem on Monadnock… not kidding”.

Mr Hummel then intercepted Mr Doyle during his next outting, barring the filmmaker and his friends from filming and requiring them to obtain a permit.

via BBC News – ‘Bigfoot’ filmmaker sues New Hampshire over free speech.

This is a test. If you can’t see the bigfoot in this picture, you may need a bigger screen or a different screen resolution setting. Or just press the “Ctrl” and the “-” key at the same time a few times if you are using Firefox as your web browser. Hold “Ctrl” and  “+” to go back the other way.

>New 9/11 helicopter video of Twin Towers released

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New video has emerged of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, shot by a police helicopter crew hoping in vain to rescue trapped office workers.

The video shows the aircraft hovering near the towers’ roofs, only to retreat as the first tower fell.

“The whole tower, it’s gone,” an officer is heard yelling. “They knocked the whole fricking thing down.”

It was released by a US government agency that investigated the collapse.

The airspace over the towers was closed to news helicopters on the morning of the attacks, so little video of the attacks from the air has emerged.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology obtained the video from the New York Police Department during its investigation into the structural collapse of the Twin Towers.

It was released by the NIST in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, but it was not clear who published it online.

More than 2,800 people were killed when hijackers crashed jets into the buildings.

The same morning, more were killed when hijackers crashed a jet into the Pentagon just outside Washington DC, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijackers flew a jet into the ground as passengers fought their way into the aircraft cabin in a bid to retake the plane.

via BBC News – New 9/11 helicopter video of Twin Towers released.

>New 9/11 helicopter video of Twin Towers released

>

New video has emerged of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, shot by a police helicopter crew hoping in vain to rescue trapped office workers.

The video shows the aircraft hovering near the towers’ roofs, only to retreat as the first tower fell.

“The whole tower, it’s gone,” an officer is heard yelling. “They knocked the whole fricking thing down.”

It was released by a US government agency that investigated the collapse.

The airspace over the towers was closed to news helicopters on the morning of the attacks, so little video of the attacks from the air has emerged.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology obtained the video from the New York Police Department during its investigation into the structural collapse of the Twin Towers.

It was released by the NIST in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, but it was not clear who published it online.

More than 2,800 people were killed when hijackers crashed jets into the buildings.

The same morning, more were killed when hijackers crashed a jet into the Pentagon just outside Washington DC, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijackers flew a jet into the ground as passengers fought their way into the aircraft cabin in a bid to retake the plane.

via BBC News – New 9/11 helicopter video of Twin Towers released.

>Mass Fish Death Fouls California Marina

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YouTube – Mass Fish Death Fouls California Marina.