The Roving Reporter Analysis: Gov. Jindal’s retelling of his record has gaps

By Melinda Deslatte


BATON ROUGE – The strategy for Gov. Bobby Jindal’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is partly based on a “tell them what you’ve done” approach. But touting his achievements back home could get him into muddy water quickly if anyone decides to look too deeply at the list.

Campaign aides made it clear as Jindal launched his campaign that they intend to highlight the governor’s leadership of Louisiana in his White House bid.
“This is not a guy who needs on-the-job training,” Jindal’s chief strategist Curt Anderson said in a messaging preview.
Indeed, Jindal has won a string of policy victories during his two terms as governor, making decisions that have sharply changed the face of state government, education and health care.
But in many instances, the impact of those changes remains uncertain or the story Jindal and his handlers tell about those changes skip a few critical points.

Few would disagree that Jindal’s overhaul of worker training programs and his dogged pursuit of business projects have brought new jobs to Louisiana. However, the state’s unemployment rate remains the nation’s sixth-highest, undercutting part of the narrative.
And the governor’s management of the state’s finances has produced dismal results, with repeated budget shortfalls that stretch on the horizon long after he’s gone.

One of Jindal’s regular talking points is about the size of Louisiana’s government.
“We did what they said could not be done — we shrank our government,” he said in his campaign kickoff speech Wednesday in Kenner. He added: “It was not easy. The big government crowd fought us every step of the way.”
He’s reduced the footprint of government, for certain. State government has 30,000 fewer workers, the lowest level in decades.

Stories of Jindal “cutting” the state budget by 26 percent are exaggerated, however.
Much of the multibillion-dollar drop in the state budget that the governor and his aides cite is tied to the loss of federal hurricane recovery dollars that artificially boosted state spending for a short period after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Jindal’s been less willing to do the difficult work of matching state government spending to annual income.
As he sought to protect his record against tax increases, Jindal — aided by lawmakers who agreed to the shell games — raided trust funds and savings accounts, sold state property and gave widespread amnesty to delinquent taxpayers to drum up short-term cash for the state budget.

He patched his way through year after year, rather than find permanent sources of new revenue for the state or cut the size of government to match the state’s revenue. That created perpetual cycles of budget troubles as the one-time dollars fell away and needed replacing to continue paying for services.
The next governor, to be elected this fall, will inherit a financial mess for which Jindal shares much of the credit.

Jindal’s leadership of Louisiana may be most noticeable in education and health care.
He’s pushed for expanded school choice across the state, boosting the number of charter schools and creating a statewide voucher program that allows students from low- to moderate-income families to use state tax dollars to go to private schools.

On health care, Jindal has turned over management of the state’s charity hospital system to private operators, transforming a Huey Long-era creation unique to Louisiana.
In many areas, uninsured patients report better access to specialty health care, shorter wait times and other improvements. But Louisiana is paying more for the privatized hospital system than it paid when LSU ran the facilities, and hospital managers have told lawmakers they'll be seeking further increases year after year.

Any criticism of Jindal’s time in office — or talk of the governor’s dismal approval ratings — is discarded by campaign leaders as sour grapes by entrenched bureaucracies.
“He didn’t run to be coronated most popular politician in the history of Louisiana. He ran to make a difference in the state,” Anderson said. “When you do that, you tick people off.”
Anderson added: “The results for the people of Louisiana, we would say, are superior.”

That’s a rosy story for a campaign, with some gaps.


EDITOR’S NOTE: Melinda Deslatte covers Louisiana politics for The Associated Press

 
 
The Roving Reporter                  G.

Ask Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
My father is plannig a trip to his home in Poland over the next holiday season, I am excited to see my family , and we will make multiple stops in Poland to visit most of the relatives, I will not have been to Poland in two years and it being the holiday season , will I be expected to have a gift from America for ever family member I see ?
I will visit upwards of 20 family members and I do not want to overpack the suitcases and use all my spending money . Do I have to bring everyone a gift ? Could I buy some of the gifts Poland ?I know it's a while away but I am already worried .
Thrifty Holiday
Dear Thrifty Holiday,
Whether it's holiday time or not, you definitely should come bearing gifts for each family member. Trust that just a small affordable memento from America will be treasured. 
Rather than fretting about the cost of these items, consider some options. First, talk to your father and ask him if you can pool your resources and purchase gifts as a family for everyone . Tell him how much you can comfortably contribute and ask him what he is able to give.
Make a list of all your family members . Think about what they may appreciate . You can select anything from American candy to miniature  likenesses of the Statue of Liberty, Mickey Mouse, or even small souvenir pins of the American flag they can wear on a tie or jacket.  Baseball caps with American team badges are always popular .  Virtually, anything made in America will be appreciated and it does not need to be expensive, just given with love.
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,

I am not attending my cousin's wedding next September . I will be in school on the west coast and the wedding is in Europe . I am not to bummed about missing it, but I do not know what to say to my cousin when I see him this summer . I wish him the best but I need to learn in college and be frugal during the time that he is planning his special day.
...I Do ...Not
Dear I Do ..Not ,
Start  by wholeheartedly congratulating your cousin on his upcoming wedding . Ask him about his bride and be interested . Make an effort to share his excitement about his upcoming   nuptials .
You have to be up-front about this, and tell  them that you are very disappointed that you won't be able to celebrate the day with them, in person. You can't take time from your studies and your budget is very tight as a student. But you will be thinking of them and will make it up to them another time.
 Make sure you call, text or email them your congratulations on the wedding day.
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
My friend "Carrie," recently joined a popular online dating site , after her husband decided he'd rather be single. Carrie met several interesting men on the site and after chatting with them a week or two, every single one of them asked her for money. She refused .
Finally one asked her to cash a check for him . He spent about a month setting her up to be comfortable doing this favor and she fell for it .
He said the bank took her money . The man said he would straighten it out , but of course, he failed to show up .
I want your help in exposing this supposedly reputable online dating site . It's a very bad place for single women to find true love . It is really a site for unscrupulous male thieves to prey on vulnerable woman .
Something needs to be done to put a stop to this abuse and hold these larcenous Lotharios accountable for their misdeeds .
What can we do ?
Angry Ann
Dear Angry Ann,
Your letter is very relevant. And I am going to make a statement about it because online dating scams are rife at this time. Anyone can be targeted. You just have to be looking for love, a search that causes you to be more vulnerable than usual. And love is the tool scammers use to pry open your bank account and strip you of your assets. Even the reputable online dating sites cannot guarantee the honesty of all users.
 By learning how to spot a scammer, you can protect yourself:
1. Note any age difference; Online dating scammers usually target people older than themselves.
2. Look for the following descriptions in their profile:
 *self employed, a professional (for example, an engineer) working overseas
 *a widower with a child (or just widowed)
 *they claim to live near you, in your country, currently away but will be returning soon.
3. Do a photo check. Save a copy of their profile picture. Use Google image search. Check the results. A scammer will steal an image off the internet.
4. Look closely at emails they send you. The scammer will send you an email which is full of inconsistencies, often getting their own name or your name wrong ( since they may be scamming several women at the same time). It will be badly written and repeat itself. Their command of your language deteriorates with time.
Watch for these other signs:
 *They make mistakes, in that their "story" begins to contradict itself here and there.
 *They mix pronouns (he/she, him/her).
5. Talk. Phone conversations can often unravel a fake. When you hear this person on the phone, note whether they have a slight accent and use awkward phrases; if their accent does not match their supposed origin, be suspicious.
If phoning, beware a cell phone number that does not match the area in which they claim to live. This often means that the person is not in the same country at all. Match the cell phone number and the area code with the state or province they claim to live in.
If you spot a number discrepancy, beware excuses. They may tell you they've just moved and didn't bother to change it yet.
6. Be suspicious of rapid escalation. If the person suggests that the communication switch to phone calls and texting asap, be alarmed. Then, if the phone calls and texting rapidly escalate in expressions of love and passion, be very alarmed. Remember, you have never met this person.
7. Watch out for the catch. When they think they have you on their hook, they reel you in. They will say they are on their way to be with you and start a new life together. But then out of the blue they will say they have a financial emergency. They will ask for money to be sent to them immediately to get them out of a fix or to invest in a guaranteed business deal.
Carrie should send all the personal information she has on these men to the managers of the dating website and register a complaint, letting them know that the reputation of their site is at risk and that they need to do a better job of vetting their clientele and keeping  these scams artist out .
The bottom line is 'PROTECT YOURSELF' and under no circumstances trust anyone or give/lend anyone money.
Maxy

Dear Maxy,
My 85-year-old mother seems to be a loving generous person .But I know her to be extremely self-centered. For example, I don't dare mention that I may be sick or have a problem because she will reply with a long list of her own complaints . Everything she says, every story she tells, is turned to make her look wonderful and important .
We recently had a family gathering and I made a toast to my sister-in-law and our children because they all had made important advancements in their carees and education . Before the toast was over, my mom piped up and said , "What about me"? and she proceeded to ramble on about herself .
I am writing, not to get advice, but rather to give it . I don't care how old you are ; don't hog the spotlight . Listen to your children and grandchildren and be interested in their lives . Because of my mother's narcissism, I have learned to be humble .
Because of my mother's self-centered attitude, I have learned to be more sensitive to others . Because of my mother's constant complaining, I have learned not to talk about my own aches and pains . I am sure that when she is gone, I will miss her. But the best thing she ever did for me was to teach me to be a better mother and grandmother by setting such a bad example for me. 
Thanks Maxy for letting me rant and get this off my chest.
The Good Daughter
Dear Good Daughter,
I am pleased you are not following in your mother's footsteps . If it helped just a little to rant and get it off your chest, my job is done. Not only do I try to answer questions, but I'm also a good
listener .
Note to readers :
When parents get to this age they are needy, both emotionally and physically, and they are usually very lonely, so it is difficult to know where to draw boundaries. When there is diminished mental capacity, it becomes even more stressful. They will prey upon their children emotionally, using guilt and illness.
Like most elderly people, this lady is too old to change. She will continue to complain to the end of her days. All a grown child can do is attempt to not fall victim to the guilt and the stress. And not allow an elderly, toxic relative to destroy their peace of mind or happiness.
Maxy

Tsarnaev Appologizes After Formal Death Sentence



Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has apologized to his victims in a federal court hearing where he was formally sentenced to death.

"I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering that I have caused you," he told the injured and bereaved.

Earlier on Wednesday, he remained impassive as victims lined up in court to condemn his "cowardly" actions.

Tsarnaev and his brother killed four and injured 264 when they bombed the finish line of the marathon in 2013. His older brother later died and Tsarnaev was sentenced to death last month but he was formally sentenced by the judge on Wednesday.

In his first statements since the start of the trial, the 21-year-old said he listened to all the victims' testimony and noted survivors' strength, patience and dignity. He thanked Allah and his lawyers.

Bombing victim Erika Brannock was among those who attended formal sentencing on Wednesday

But speaking outside the court following the sentencing, victim Lynne Julian said Tsarnaev's apology was hollow and insincere and that her sense of security is forever changed.
"I regret ever wanting to hear him speak," she said. "He showed no remorse."
Henry Borgard, who was walking home from work at the time of the bombing, said he forgives Tsarnaev.
"To hear he is sorry is enough for me. I hope he was genuine, I have no way of knowing that."

                      Opponents of the death penalty lined up outside the courthouse on Wednesday

Before Tsarnaev spoke in court, several of the injured and bereaved used what was the first opportunity for them to make public their feelings.Ed Fucarile, the father of Marc, who lost his right leg, said: "The first time I saw you in this courtroom, you were smirking at all the victims for your unspeakable cowardly act. You don't seem to be smirking today.''
The sister of Sean Collier, a police officer killed by the brothers in a shoot-out, called Tsarnaev a "leech abusing the privilege of American freedom".



            Bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory told Tsarnaev his actions made victims stronger

One woman, Rebekah Gregory, who worked in corporate housing and lost part of her leg in the bombings, told him she'd watched him "smirking" and "cracking jokes" with his attorneys during the trial.
As she spoke, she stared hard at him and looked only occasionally at her notes. She said she had not been destroyed by the attack. "You made us stronger," she told him.
She sounded almost triumphant as she spoke about her achievements such as working to overcome her injuries, since the bombings, and she concluded by saying to him: "So how's that for your victim impact statement?"
Bill Richard, father of eight-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest victim, said Tsarnaev could have stopped his brother on the morning of the attack.
"He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. This is all on him."
Seventeen people who lost legs in the attack were present in court. Many said they feared they were going to die.

It could be years until Tsarnaev's legal process is finished. Death penalty sentences in the US often take years to carry out, and there will be an appeal or many appeals. I wonder if  Tsarnaev will ever actually be executed. Perhaps living in constant fear is a more fitting punishment, a living hell. There is no real justice for his victims.

In the name of research, I checked the internet for sites offering bomb making instructions. There are a lot of them. A kid could make one out of items found in most homes and garages. Do we want them to learn how?  The information highway is as frightening as it is enlightening.

The Roving Reporter :Louisiana Gov. Jindal declares 2016 GOP candidacy

MELINDA DESLATTE Jun 24th NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana said Wednesday he was entering the 2016 presidential race and he began trying to distinguish himself in a field packed with better known rivals.
It's a long shot effort for an accomplished but overshadowed governor, and his prospects will depend in large measure on his continued courtship of evangelical voters. But several other contenders also are determined to win over that group.

"My name is Bobby Jindal, and I am running for president of the United States of America," he posted on his website. Short video clips showed Jindal and his wife, Supriya, talking to their three children about the campaign to come.
"Mommy and daddy have been thinking and talking a lot about this, and we have decided we are going to be running for president," he tells them.
The 44-year-old two-term governor planned a kickoff rally later Wednesday.
Aides discussed Jindal's plans to focus on social conservatives, as he has done for months in extensive travels, and highlight his reputation as a policy-seasoned leader.
Jindal intends to present himself as "the youngest candidate with the longest resume," citing an extensive background in public policy and government, strategist Curt Anderson said. Timmy Teepell, who was Jindal's chief of staff and ran his two races for governor, will be his campaign manager.

An Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants, Jindal can point to a political career filled with many unexpected achievements. He talked a governor into appointing him state health secretary when Jindal was 24, with little background in either health management or government. Jindal won election to Congress at 32 and became governor four years later.
Unpopular at home, Jindal waited until the state legislative session had ended and lawmakers found a way to close a $1.6 billion budget gap before he scheduled his presidential announcement. But he has been building his campaign for months with frequent trips to key presidential voting states, particularly Iowa, where he has focused on Christian conservatives.

Raised a Hindu but a convert to Catholicism as a teenager, Jindal has talked of his religious faith in small churches across Louisiana. As he readied his presidential campaign, the governor held a prayer rally in Baton Rouge, met pastors across several states and put out an executive order to grant special "religious freedom" protections to people in Louisiana who oppose same-sex marriage.
He is competing with several contenders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who also are trying to appeal to the same pool of evangelical voters.
Jindal has worked to showcase more of the policy wonk reputation that got him elected governor, rather than focusing on cultural issues.

He has drawn distinctions from other GOP contenders by noting he has published "detailed plans" on health care, defense, education and energy policy.
He has suggested governors are better equipped to become president because they have run state governments, balanced budgets and implemented policy. That's an argument, however, that other White House hopefuls are making or can: Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio, as well as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I will give you my thoughts  on this one , Mr. Humble  is unavailable and we all know what Witchy will tell him where to stick his  thumbs.    Here goes .

Jindal for President , REALLY! People check and see what he did to the state of Louisiana he used the office of Govenor for his purpose only. He used tax money to travel all over the United States just to work his way into the lime light in order to run for President. Its time we start electing Men or Women with military background and people that are True Americans. Having Jindal for President would be the biggest mistate this free country could bring upon itself.

Tea bags have a tiny brain with a massive virus named by scientists as foxlimbaughbeck
syndrome. It renders them unable to reason and recognize the truth.
Unfortunately there is no cure.




The Roving Reporter

Who is Bobby Jindal ??



Ask Maxy

 Dear Maxy,

I used o be best friends with a girl in middle school , and our moms became close friends as a result .Years later , we have grown apart , but we are still close friends . I am happy my mother has a confidante and partner in crime , but both mothers do not seem to understand that their daughters do not share he same bond . They think setting us on "play dates" of sorts will work to rekindle our friendship . We grew apart because of a difference in values and interests , and i am happy with the current amount of friends I have . I am always cordial to the daughter when I see her , but I find this maternal meddling frustrating . Is there anyway to politely tell my mother to get over the end of my middle school friendship ?
No Old Friends
Dear No Old Friends,
The direct approach is the best  approach . Talk to your  mother and tell her  that you are happy that she  and  the other  mom have  become  so close . Then point out that the same is not true  for you  and her  daughter and that is OK . The  two of you do not  share  the  same  values , interests or  friends , so neither of  you is  trying  to cultivate  a bond . Always soften any point you make to your mother by telling her you love her and appreciate all she does for you. But make it clear that she should live and let live. After all, you are a big girl now.
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I have a phobia of being on boats and my family has known about it for years . I get anxiety and panic at the thought of being on a boat . My other's new boyfriend has three boats and is in love with the sea . She constantly talks about how often we will be on boats in the summer . When I told her I would not be going , she decided I act this way because I get seasickness . It's incredibly frustrating to me that she trivializes my phobia and thinks a tablet can cure it . How do I make my mother realize I have a reason to not go on the boat while politely declining her boyfriend's invitations ?
Mal Voyage
Dear Mal Voyage ,
Your  mother is excited  about her life with her new beau and she isn't being sensitive to your problems at the moment . You know yourself better than anyone. Sit down with her in a quiet moment and tell her you need to talk to her about something important to you . Explain that you do not get seasick . Instead, you absolutely dread the idea of  going on the water in a boat.
There are two phobias at work here, Hydrophobia is fear of drowning in water...and this is tied to your fear of dying, which we all have in one form or another. The other phobia is called Amaxophobia, and this is a fear of being in certain forms of moving vehicles. I think a boat would qualify as a vehicle.
So, fear of dying in water and fear of being in an accident or situation you cannot control adds up to a fairly serious phobia that your mom needs to be informed about. Show her this letter, if you think it will help.
Also, you need to address your fears to help yourself. Try to think back to when you first became aware of this fear; what was the trigger? Identifying the cause will better help you to understand why you feel this way. Perhaps you witnessed, read or heard about somebody drowning or some other water/ boat related trauma, and this has stayed in your subconscious. Write down your thoughts/feelings about drowning and boating accidents and see if any patterns emerge. If you can't seem to get a handle on your fear, it would help to talk to a councilor who is an expert in phobias. The advantage of doing that is that your fear will not grow worse, as phobias tend to do if they go unaddressed. And in fact, you may overcome it.
Ask your mom to respect your wish to stay on land this summer .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I have recently made the decision to become a vegan due to ethical and healt reasons . Even though completely changing your diet is a difficult thing to do , the hardest thing has been communicating with other people about my new lifestyle . It has made it hard to go out for occasions with friends , due to the difficulty finding something to eat on the menu and constantly having to explain my new eating habits . Every time I have to explain my choice to become a vegan to others , I feel as if I am offending them on their food choices . I have enjoyed being a vegan so far and loves what it stands for , but it has caused such a rift in my social life that I do not know ho much longer I can keep it up .
How do I deal with others while maintaining my veganism ? 
Different Eater
Dear Different Eater ,
First of all, congratulations on making a personal, lifestyle choice and trying to stick to your principles. Stay with it if you truly believe in it. Your friends and family will gradually adjust to your choices.
In order to make your dining experience a little easier, before you agree to go to a particular restaurant, call and check out the  menu to see if there are any vegan offerings . On other occasions, suggest to your dining companions, restaurants  that cater to a broad  palate, so both you and they can enjoy the meal . Do not feel obligated to explain your food choices to anyone. Do you question theirs?
To reduce the amount of discussion you have in front of others about vegan menu options, you could speak to the waiter in advance, separately, so that you already know what options are available to you . When  you are  asked  about  your  new  way of  eating,  just say that it works for you. Bon appetit !
Maxy

Al-Qaida No. Two Leader killed in US Strike

The Canadian Press - FILE - This image from video released Jan. 23, 2009, by al-Malahim Media Foundation and provided by IntelCenter on Dec. 30, 2009, shows the leader of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula,  identified by the IntelCenter as Nasir al-Wahishi, in Yemen.


Al-Qaida on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 confirmed that al-Wahishi, its No. 2 figure and leader of its powerful Yemeni affiliate, was killed in a U.S. strike, making it the harshest blow to the global militant network since the killing of Osama bin Laden. (IntelCenter via AP, File)  

CAIRO - A U.S. airstrike has killed al-Qaida's second-most-powerful figure, the head of its Yemeni branch, dealing the terror network its biggest blow since the killing of Osama bin Laden at a time when it is vying with the Islamic State group for the mantle of global jihad.

Nasir al-Wahishi was the latest in a series of senior figures from al-Qaida's powerful Yemeni branch eliminated by U.S. drone attacks over the past five months, including its top ideologue and a senior military commander. The U.S. has intensified its campaign, trying to push back the group as it has captured new territory in Yemen by taking advantage of the southern Arabian nation's chronic chaos.


In confirming the killing of al-Wahishi in a June 9 drone attack, the White House said Tuesday that his death "removes from the battlefield an experienced terrorist leader and brings us closer to degrading and ultimately defeating these groups."
The U.S. activity against al-Qaida has not been limited to Yemen. Over the weekend, a U.S. airstrike in Libya targeted an al-Qaida-linked militant commander, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who led a 2013 attack on an Algerian gas complex that killed 35 hostages, including several Americans. U.S. officials are still trying to confirm whether he was killed in the raid.


Al-Wahishi was a former aide to bin Laden who, after the al-Qaida affiliate in Saudi Arabia was crushed in the mid-2000s, rebuilt it in his Yemeni homeland and turned it into the terror network's most dangerous branch. He also served as deputy to Ayman al-Zawahri, who succeeded bin Laden in 2011 as the network's leader. The U.S. had put a bounty of up to $10 million on al-Wahishi.
The Yemeni branch, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, claimed responsibility for January's attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people. It also attempted several direct attacks on the United States, including a botched 2009 plot to bomb an American passenger jet.


Al-Wahishi's death is a major loss for al-Qaida as it struggles to compete with the Islamic State group, an al-Qaida breakaway that has seized vast swaths of Syria and Iraq and spawned its own affiliates elsewhere in the region. The Islamic State group has also gained loyalists in Yemen in competition with al-Qaida.
Both groups are dedicated to bringing about Islamic rule by force, but al-Qaida does not recognize the IS group's self-styled caliphate and maintains the priority should be to wage jihad against America in order to drive it out of the Middle East.


Amid fierce competition with the Islamic State group for recruits and prestige across the Middle East, the successive blows to al-Qaida in Yemen have raised questions of whether they would only serve the Islamic State group as fighters from the al-Qaida affiliate defect and join IS ranks.
However, Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Defence of Democracies think-tank and managing editor of the Long War Journal, which chronicles the U.S. war on terror, predicted the impact would be limited to the short-term morale of the group's fighters and would not hurt its strength and strategy.
"The group will move on," Roggio said. "If you had a single strike that decapitated senior leaders and chopped off the top leaving it headless, then I would say fighters will look for a more organized group. But this was not the case. They were killed over time."


A senior operative in Yemen's al-Qaida affiliate eulogized al-Wahishi in a video statement released online Tuesday and said his deputy, Qassim al-Raimi, had been tapped to replace him.
"Our Muslim nation, one of your heroes and masters has departed to God," Khaled Batarfi said of al-Wahishi's killing in the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla, which al-Qaida captured in April. Two other militants also died in the strike, according to Yemeni security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media.
Al-Raimi, the new AQAP leader, is thought to have masterminded a 2010 plot in which bombs concealed in printers were shipped to the U.S. on cargo planes before being detected and defused. He is believed to direct training camps in Yemen's remote deserts and mountains, where he organizes cells and plans attacks.


Al-Qaida has been able to make major gains in Yemen in recent months as the country is torn by war between Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their opponents, a mix of local militias, Sunni tribesmen and other backers of the president, Abed Rabbo Hadi Mansour, who was driven abroad by the fighting. Al-Qaida's militants have allied with some of the anti-Houthi forces in fighting the rebels. Batarfi said his group is fighting rebels and allied forces on 11 fronts.


The capture of Mukalla was the al-Qaida affiliate's biggest victory. It freed a number of prisoners, including Batarfi, before striking a power-sharing deal with local tribesmen.
But the victory in Mukalla has proved something of a death trap. Besides al-Wahishi, U.S. drone strikes in and around the city have killed the group's top military commander, Nasr al-Ansi, its most senior religious ideologue, Ibrahim al-Rubaish, and key operatives Mamoun Hatem and Khawlan al-Sanaani.


In recent years, U.S. strikes have also killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-Yemeni militant preacher who was a major recruiter for the group, and Saeed al-Shihri, an ex-Guantanamo detainee from Saudi Arabia who was al-Wahishi's deputy at the time.
The intensity of U.S. drone strikes comes despite the withdrawal earlier this year of U.S. counterterrorism personnel from the al-Annad air base in southern Yemen and the closure of the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Sanaa, because of the fighting. The Special Forces commandos at the base had played a key role in drone strikes and there had been major concerns that the withdrawal would undermine the fight against al-Qaida.


Al-Wahishi was known as bin Laden's "black box," keeping the al-Qaida leader's secrets. During the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, he fought alongside bin Laden at Tora Bora before the al-Qaida leader slipped across the border into Pakistan. Al-Wahishi fled to Iran, where he was detained and deported to Yemen in 2003.
He was among 23 al-Qaida militants who broke out of a detention facility in the Yemeni capital in February 2006. Three years later, al-Wahishi announced the creation of AQAP, which gathered together Yemeni and Saudi militants following a sweeping crackdown on the extremist group by Riyadh.

According to the U.S. government's "Wanted to Justice" program, al-Wahishi, was "responsible for approving targets, recruiting new members, allocating resources to training and attack planning, and tasking others to carry out attacks."

Unprovoked Shark Attacks at Oak Island....Eerily Similar to the 'Jaws' of Amity Island

OAK ISLAND, N.C. - Two young people vacationing in the beach town of Oak Island were swimming in waist-deep water when they lost limbs in separate life-threatening shark attacks, town officials said Monday.

A 12-year-old girl from Asheboro lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury, and a 16-year-old boy from Winston-Salem lost his left arm less than 90 minutes later and about 2 miles away late Sunday afternoon, officials said. The victims were each about 20 yards offshore, in waist-deep water.

Surgeons amputated the girl's left arm below her elbow, and she has tissue damage to her lower left leg. The boy's left arm was amputated below his left shoulder.
Both were in good condition Monday after being airlifted about 25 miles to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, said hospital spokeswoman Martha Harlan. Neither victim's name was released.
"Honestly they have a really long road ahead," said Brunswick County Emergency Services director Brian Watts.
Watts credited their survival to bystanders who helped to stanch their bleeding and the quick work of emergency personnel.
"Without that, we would have had a different outcome," he said.
The emergency call about the girl came in about 4:40 p.m., followed by a call about the boy at 5:51 p.m., local officials said.
Investigators said they didn't know whether the same shark attacked both victims, nor the size of the shark in either attack. Deputies using boats and helicopters to monitor the water after the attacks saw a 7-foot shark between where the incidents happened, Sheriff John Ingram said.
Oak Island is working with local law enforcement and the Shark Research Institute to locate the shark but wouldn't say what would happen if they find it, town manager Tim Holloman said.
"We're just monitoring right now," he said.
Sunday's attacks were the second and third in the area in less than a week. A 13-year-old girl suffered small lacerations on her foot from a shark bite Thursday in Ocean Isle Beach, about 15 miles to the west of Oak Island. Both are barrier islands just off the mainland.
There were 72 unprovoked shark attacks around the world in 2014, including 52 in the U.S., according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Three of the attacks, all in other countries, were fatal.
In Oak Island, witnesses described a frightening and chaotic scene among visitors enjoying one of the first busy weekends since public schools let out for the summer.
"I saw someone carry this girl (out of the water), and people were swarming around and trying to help," Steve Bouser, who was just beginning his weeklong vacation, told The Associated Press. "It was quite terrible."
The girl was bleeding heavily, and people applied makeshift tourniquets while asking her questions to try to keep her conscious.
It was "quite nightmarish," Bouser said.
Officials sent an all-terrain-vehicle and people with megaphones to get everyone out of the water after the attacks.
Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace told The Associated Press that the window of less than two hours between attacks didn't give workers enough time to close down the town's beaches, but they were closed after the second attack.
"Our local police ATVs and the sheriff's boat and helicopter patrolled immediately after the second one, getting everyone out of the water," Wallace said.
Wallace says that even if the beach had closed after the first attack, the order might not have reached the area where the second victim was bitten.
On Monday, the beaches were open. Officials urged caution but said they can't stop people from swimming.
"There's no way we're going to stop people from going into the water," said Watts, the county emergency manager. "There's really no way to control that."
Oak Island doesn't have lifeguards on the beach. Watts said all beaches in the county are within municipalities, which make the decision about whether to employ lifeguards.
Holloman encouraged swimmers to avoid people who are fishing, stay out of the water if they have bleeding cuts and not to swim in murky waters, or after a storm.
"Oak Island is still a safe place," Holloman said. "We're monitoring the situation. This is highly unusual."


 Thanx Yahoo

Over the past few years there have been reports of more frequent, unprovoked shark attacks and many of these are cluster attacks...( several in the same area in a short period of time). Scientists are searching for answers. Is it possible that we have depleted some of the fish species that sharks rely on  for sustenance and they are looking for new and easier food sources? That is a logical conclusion. We have fished so many aquatic species to the brink of extinction. The rising temperature of the oceans is rapidly killing off the smallest species of sea creatures like plankton, coral and krill and that resonates up the food chain. Sharks will do what sharks have to do to survive. If you saw 'Jaws' as a kid, I think you will be very cautious about going into the water at Oak Island.


Climate Change and the ocean:
As climate change has warmed the Earth, oceans have responded more slowly than land environments. But scientific research is finding that marine ecosystems can be far more sensitive to even the most modest temperature change.

Global warming caused by human activities that emit heat-trapping carbon dioxide has raised the average global temperature by about 1°F (0.6°C) over the past century. In the oceans, this change has only been about 0.18°F (0.1°C). This warming has occurred from the surface to a depth of about 2,300 feet (700 meters), where most marine life thrives.

Perhaps the ocean organism most vulnerable to temperature change is coral. There is evidence that reefs will bleach (eject their symbiotic algae) at even a slight persistent temperature rise. Bleaching slows coral growth, makes them susceptible to disease, and can lead to large-scale reef die-off.

Other organisms affected by temperature change include krill, an extremely important link at the base of the food chain. Research has shown that krill reproduce in significantly smaller numbers when ocean temperatures rise. This can have a cascading effect by disrupting the life cycle of krill eaters, such as penguins and seals—which in turn causes food shortages for higher predators.

Higher Sea Levels:

When water heats up, it expands. Thus, the most readily apparent consequence of higher sea temperatures is a rapid rise in sea level. Sea level rise causes inundation of coastal habitats for humans as well as plants and animals, shoreline erosion, and more powerful storm surges that can devastate low-lying areas.

Weather:

Many weather experts say we are already seeing the effects of higher ocean temperatures in the form of stronger and more frequent tropical storms and hurricanes/cyclones. Warmer surface water dissipates more readily into vapor, making it easier for small ocean storms to escalate into larger, more powerful systems.

These stronger storms can increase damage to human structures when they make landfall. They can also harm marine ecosystems like coral reefs and kelp forests. And an increase in storm frequency means less time for these sensitive habitats to recover.

Other Consequences:

Warmer sea temperatures are also associated with the spread of invasive species and marine diseases. The evolution of a stable marine habitat is dependent upon myriad factors, including water temperature. If an ecosystem becomes warmer, it can create an opportunity where outside species or bacteria can suddenly thrive where they were once excluded. This can lead to forced migrations and even species extinctions.

Warmer seas also lead to melting from below of polar ice shelves, compromising their structural integrity and leading to spectacular shelf collapses. Scientists also worry that warmer water could interrupt the so-called ocean conveyor belt, the system of global currents that is largely responsible for regulating Earth's temperature. Its collapse could trigger catastrophically rapid climate changes.

Will it continue ?

The only way to reduce ocean temperatures is to dramatically reign in our emission of greenhouse gases. However, even if we immediately dropped carbon dioxide emissions to zero, the gases we've already released would take decades or longer to dissipate.

Fastest Plane Ever Built

The SR-71 Blackbird is still the fastest plane that has ever flown and served an important role in history as a spy plane. Its first test flight was on December 22, 1964 and was never once hit by a missile during its 25 years of service. It’s just that fast. Though these awesome planes haven’t left the ground since before the turn of the century, they’re still worth all the recognition of being the fastest plane on Earth. Check out these amazing photos along with 15 interesting tidbits of the iconic SR-71 Blackbird.

1. The SR-71 Blackbird aircraft was built by Lockheed Martin and took its first flight in 1964. It was retired by NASA in 1999.

2. It is the fastest planes that ever took flight. The official fastest record it holds is 2,193.13 mph on July 1976. The photo above was taken right after it reached that record.

3. It earned its nickname “Blackbird” because of how stealthy it was. It was also extremely quiet inside the cockpit, according to pilot Richard Graham. “You could hear a pin drop. The view is spectacular, being able to see the curvature of the Earth and the black space above filled with stars."

4. The Blackbird was able to map terrain like a side-scanning sonar, aim a radar up to 45 degrees to the side, and interrupt enemy communication and radar signals.

5. It was built to fly up to Mach 3.4 speeds (approx. 2,500 mph on land).

Hillary and Jeb , On the Road to the White House...How are They Doing ?



Hillary and Jeb. They are the big beasts of the jungle. They have big names and have instant name recognition - not something that can be said for most of the other wannabe presidential candidates who are barely household names in their own house.
They also have some big money behind them. But as anyone knows - big can be powerful and awe-inspiring. It can also be clumsy and clunky.
Let's take Hillary first. There is a great line from the late Steve Jobs on the beauty of simplicity. He said "It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions."
Hillary's people are seeking to achieve something similar. They are desperate to present her as simple and straightforward - yet everything about her seems well, just a little bit complex and difficult.

She can be warm, attentive and engaging. She can be genuine, concerned, and has shown she has a sense of humor. She can take a poke from opponents and give as good as she gets, with a little tongue in cheek.
But through the distorting medium of TV, something happens. She can often seem defensive, or prickly or wary - and given the misogyny that she's often been subject to, perhaps that's understandable. But she's a candidate and needs to define herself on her own terms. So her advisers said, let's do the campaign differently this time. Just go ahead and meet ordinary people.
She got in a van and drove to Iowa - that state's caucus kicks off the presidential nomination roadshow - and it's where she faltered badly back in 2008. There would be no big rallies, just conversations. She'd meet a group of people sitting round a table, or chat with workers in a factory.

                                       

The cameras were invited to film some of these encounters. But then when she was between venues she went into a Mexican fast food outlet and wore dark dark glasses to appear as incognito as possible. So, 'not that keen to meet ordinary people', seemed to be the conclusion... when perhaps all she wanted was to eat a meal, with a modicum of privacy. And then there've been the persistent questions over the odd arrangements regarding her emails from when she was Secretary of State. Why was she on a private server?
Throw into the pot the millions of dollars raised from speeches by the Clintons - and well it just looks somewhat less than an Apple designed product .
And she's refusing to give any interviews to the media who are following her - and that has infuriated the press pack - which in turn is seeping into the coverage of her campaign thus far.

But then you look at Jeb Bush. No-one can say he hasn't given interviews. it's just that it took him five tries to work out his position on the invasion of Iraq, which of course was ordered by his big brother when he was president.
When first asked whether the US should have invaded the country, knowing what we know now, he said yes. But in the space of a few days, that answer became no. In another interview he straddled the fence on that issue.
Of course, we all misspeak at times and are sometimes caught on the hop by a question. But the invasion of Iraq?  He should take a stand, one way or another. I think everyone sort of expected him to waffle on that one.

Jeb gets name recognition - but is cast under a constant shadow - from his presidential family

The other Republican hopefuls feared that the mere presence of Jeb Bush in the race would suck all the oxygen out of the room, leaving the rest of the pack gasping for breath and money. That just hasn't happened. He's already sacked his campaign manager before the campaign is even launched.
Maybe by next summer when the conventions come round, it will end up being Clinton versus Bush for 2016 - in a re-run of 1992 when Jeb's dad fought and lost to Hillary's husband.
So far, they're both showing quite a surprising capacity for self-harm. They both need a little coaching on keeping up appearances, at least until they are  in the White House. And maybe a lesson or two on how to develop a politician's Teflon skin , whereby, nothing sticks to their well polished images.

Bit of Fun...Eyeball Engineering

Eyeball Engineering

Your guess will be recorded when you let up on the mouse.

This is for all of the frustrated engineers out there.

There always seems to be a guy who can look at

something and tell you that a line or an angle is off.

Now you can try your skill at using "Your eyeball".

Your score comes up after 3 rounds. Fun!!!

http://woodgears.ca/eyeball <-------- a="" click="" link="" this="">

MY FAVORITE PHOTO BOMB

BIRTHDAY CAKE SENT TO EX HUSBAND

Rrriiiiinnnnggg, rrriiiinnnngg, 
 
'Hello?'

 'Hi honey. 
This is Daddy. 
Is Mommy near the phone?'


'No, Daddy. 
She's upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul.'

**
After a brief pause,Daddy says, 

'But honey, you haven't got an Uncle Paul.'

'Oh yes I do, and he's upstairs in the room with Mommy,
Right now.'

**

'Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do.
Put the phone down on the table, run upstairs
And knock on the bedroom door and shout to Mommy
That Daddy's car just pulled into the driveway.'

'Okay, Daddy, Just a minute.'
A few minutes later
The little girl comes back to the phone.
'I did it, Daddy.'

 'And what happened, honey?'
   
'Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of

bed with no clothes on and ran around

screaming.' Then she tripped over the rug, hit

her head on the dresser 
And now she isn't moving at all!'
 
'Oh my God!!!  What about your Uncle Paul?'
 
'He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too.
He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window 
And into the swimming pool. 
But I guess he didn't know that you took out the water 
Last week to clean it.

 He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he's dead.'
 
*Long Pause*

 
*Longer Pause*

*Even Longer Pause*

 
Then Daddy says,
 
'Swimming pool?  ...........

**Is this 486-5731?'**

33 Things America Should Know About Canada....Seriously

1. Our president is called a Prime Minister.

2. Baltimore, Maryland has more murders in a week than the entire nation of Canada does all year.

3. You don't have to be born in Canada to be Prime Minister.

4. Canadians do not find, "Say 'eh' for me," to be particularly funny.

5. Canada has rednecks, too.

6. We're a lot bigger than you, in land mass, but our population is considerably less. The populations of Los Angeles and New York City would be around 30 million people. The entire nation of Canada has around 32 million people. Due to the fact that most of our country is in the northern latitudes, we huddle close to the border, for warmth.

7. In the War of 1812, we kicked your butts. The reason why your Whitehouse is white is because we set fire to it and it was whitewashed to hide the damage (for propaganda purposes). Some Americans will say that THEY won the war. However, to win, a party must reach their objective. Your objective was to take over British North America (what Canada was called then), our goal was to stop you. You don't have any more northern territory along the Canada/US border than you did before 1812. So who won? (Alaska doesn't count, you BOUGHT that state from Russia.)

8. A form of baseball was played just outside of Toronto, Ontario three weeks before Alexander Doubleday played the 'first' game of baseball in your country.

9. We do not find the term "Canuck" derogatory, like Americans find "Yank" derogatory. It apparently originated during World War One. Your soldiers were call "doughboys" ours were called "Johnny Canucks". I think the British coined the term, but I'm not sure.

10. We are not "just like Americans", we have our own national identity, we just haven't figured out what it is, yet. Someone once said that, "Canadians are unarmed Americans with health care." That pretty much sums it up, I guess. We are internationally (but unofficially) known as the "World's Most Polite Nation."

11. Our national animal is the beaver. Sure it's just a rodent, but they're not even CLOSE to being extinct. You can still get money for beaver pelts. It is NOT our main unit of exchange, we have money, just like you.

12. We do not find the fact that American wear Canadian flag pins (so they can get better treatment in Europe) very amusing. So stop it.

13. We have Thanksgiving in October, so we don't look like copycats (it IS an American originated holiday, after all). However, we celebrate Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Passover and other holidays at the same time you do.

14. We were formed, as a nation, in 1867.

15. November the 11th is called Remembrance Day, up here. It is a day when all Canadians honour our war dead and the veterans who are still amongst us. Its significance is that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the Armistice was signed, ending World War One.

16. Not every Canadian speaks French. In fact, Canada is the only country where speaking French is not cool.

17. We spell words differently. Honour, valour, defence, neighbour, colour, centre and other words are from the British way of spelling. We also pronounce the last letter of the alphabet "zed", not "zee".

18. The Queen of England is not our national leader. She's' just a figure head and somebody to put on our money with the birds. (Some Royalists in Canada will have something different to say about his, but they're a minority.)

19. Our states are called Provinces. We even have three Territories.

20. We DO NOT have snow all year round. We DO NOT live in igloos. We DO NOT ride around on dog sleds.
We DO NOT have to check the back yard for polar bears, before we let our kids go out to play.

21. Many Canadians have never played hockey in their lives. There are many who do not like hockey.

22. Besides, our national sport is not hockey, its lacrosse. It's one of the few sports that originated on the North American continent, it was played by the Aboriginals.

23. We didn't invent hockey, we just made it better.

24. Even if an "American" team wins the Stanley Cup (the "World Series" of hockey) it doesn't matter to us, because all your best players are Canadian.

25. On the other hand, if a "Canadian" team wins the World Series we ignore the fact that all our baseball players are American.

26. Stop asking if we know somebody in Canada when you find out we're Canadian. We DON'T know everybody in Canada.

27. We have no right to keep and bear arms. So leave your guns home if you're visiting, otherwise they'll be confiscated at the border. We have very strict gun laws, and fully automatic weapons are pretty much illegal. It almost takes an Act of God to get a licence to own a pistol. (This may be a contributing factor as to why we only have about 600 homicides a year, nation-wide.)

28. The border between Canada and the US holds the title of the "World's Longest Undefended Border".

29. Our side of Niagara Falls is nicer looking than your side. In fact, even when Americans use images of the Falls in advertising and movies, they film the Canadian side. It's called Horse Shoe Falls, by the way.

30. We own the North Pole, and therefore Santa Claus is Canadian. The internationally recognized mailing address for jolly old St. Nick is:
Santa Claus
North Pole
Canada
H0H 0H0

31. We call eskimos "Inuit", because that's what they call themselves.

32. That movie you thought was filmed in New York, or Seattle, or Chicago, or Los Angeles -- may have just been filmed in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto.

So there you have it. Now you just might know more about Canada than most Canadians do!

The End of the World as We Know it



John Lennon's Stolen Guitar Turns up 52 Years Later

John Lennon's long-lost guitar recently turned up in San Diego, and NBC 7's Gene Cubbison has unknowingly lived down the street from it. He shares the mysterious story of the notable guitar.

A San Diego man discovered the guitar he had unwittingly jammed on for the better part of 45 years once belonged to the legendary John Lennon, stolen from the Beatles in 1963.
The story of the long-lost guitar began in 1962, when Lennon and George Harrison picked up two, store-ordered Gibson J-160E in Liverpool. Lennon played his on tour for about 15 months, until it went missing after a pre-Christmas performance in London.
In 1969, it landed in the hands of John McCaw, a San Diego building contractor. McCaw told NBC 7 that a friend had unknowingly bought Lennon’s Gibson in a local music shop a couple of years earlier. That friend sold it to McCaw for about $175.
Forty-five years later — after decades of using it to teach his sons and strumming on it during amateur jam sessions — McCaw began to realize what he had.
"I went through a lot of different emotions," said McCaw. "The first one was excitement. Then started to be overwhelmed, realizing what we did have, what it meant and could mean to the world.”
The realization dawned on McCaw when he opened a 2012 issue of Guitar Aficionado last year and saw a picture of George Harrison’s guitar between the folds. It matched McCaw’s.

Wanting to confirm his hope, McCaw and his friends reached out to international experts to authenticate that the Gibson was once Lennon’s. It helped that Lennon had played the guitar roughly, leaving behind marks as he slapped and strummed hard behind the strings.
The scratches and scars led to a positive identification.
"Then it became a whole different piece. Before, it was a guitar. And after it was authenticated, it became a Holy Grail,” said McCaw. But from that Holy Grail, McCaw demanded no fame or fortune. Instead, he wanted to return it to the world at large.
"I think he's looking down,” said McCaw of Lennon. “I've felt that since Day One. And I think he'd say 'I knew this guitar would come back now me.' And now it has."
The Gibson's immaculate condition adds to the wonder of the find.McCaw’s friend and performing guitarist Marc Intravaia said McCaw took great care of the guitar, making sure it was never damaged.
"It ended up in the right person's hands,” said Intravaia. “And I think the world should be grateful to him that they now get to appreciate a piece of history exactly as it was in '63. It stepped right out of 1963. ‘Here you go. I'm back.'"
A confidential process steered Lennon’s guitar to the Grammy Museum Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. Currently, it is on display at the LBJ Presidential Museum in Texas, a part of the “Beatlemania” festival. It will go back to the Grammy Museum from next month through August.
McCaw told NBC 7 he is excited Beatles fans now have a place to pilgrimage to see the revered instrument.
"People are really excited about it, and understand what a great story it is. And so we want to keep that going — keep the positive going,” he said.
McCaw kept his amazing discovery under wraps until all the details were finalized. In the meantime, friends like Intravaia reveled in the find. A Beatlemaniac, Intravaia calls playing the guitar a spiritual, transformative experience.
“When we brought it to Carmel Del Mar Elementary and we shared it with the kids and they sang 'Imagine' as I was playing the guitar, we were all …” Intravaia trailed off, wiping tears from his eyes.


It is interesting that, in spite of Mr. McCaw's spiritual experience with this Holy Grail and in spite of  John Lennon looking down on him from above, he is selling his historic find.
Later this year, the guitar will go to a private auction house sale, where private collectors will get a chance to bid on a piece of history – starting in the upper six figures. A portion of those proceeds will go to Spirit Foundation Charities.

Found: Mystery Widower, Whose Moving Charity Shop Note Went Viral and Touched a Million Hearts

St Gemma's Hospice in Garforth has found the man who donated his deceased wife's dress and he's thrilled by the funds the hospice has raised after the note went viral.

 It all started with a post on the St Gemma's Hospice Facebook page. 

A widower who triggered a UK-wide social media search after a touching donation to a charity, thrift shop has been found. St Gemma's Hospice in Garforth England, launched an appeal to find the donor after he left his wife's wedding dress with a note wishing whoever bought the dress a marriage as happy as his own.

"We have found the kind gentleman who donated the beautiful vintage wedding dress to St Gemma’s Hospice this week," the charity shop wrote on Facebook this morning.
"He is over the moon that we are giving somebody the opportunity to buy the gorgeous gown on eBay. He is a big fan of St Gemma’s Hospice and is overwhelmed with the international attention that his late wife’s dress is generating.
"He is so happy and proud that the Hospice will benefit from funds raised by the auction of the dress. He wishes to remain anonymous and we fully respect his decision but he is watching the media frenzy with interest and thinks it is wonderful."
The mystery widower pinned a note to a beautiful 1950s wedding gown that was handed in to St Gemma’s Hospice Charity Shop.
The note reads:
I wish any lady who takes this dress to have a life with her loved one 56 years like I did happy years I was a lucky man to marry a lady like mine.
After the note went viral, the charity shop has put the dress on Ebay, where so far £499 ( around $1,000 ) has been bid for it.