Friday, February 26, 2010

Unspun w/AnnaZ: A Whisper To A Scream w/Evan Coyne Maloney 2/26/2010 3pmE/Podcast / BlogTalkRadio


Talented and witty award-winning filmmaker (and geek extraordinaire) Evan Coyne Maloney joins me to discuss creativity and crazy in the 21st century. Check out his work at brain-terminal.com and the site of his feature-length film, Indoctrinate U.

Plus+
Today's Topics: Health Care Summit, Oh, Look at Chu!, the Republican Putz and Prince of the Week, and Read Between the Lines... Satire or Not.

Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP

Listen live here.


Show archives available here, podcasts available at iTunes here.


My Hero: (Video) Paul Ryan @ Health Care Summit: Hiding Spending Doesn't Reduce Spending

The looks on Obama's face throughout this are priceless.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Weep At The Breathtaking Stupidity: Energy Secretary Chu Says U.S. Must Decrease Energy Use

I can't even begin to comment sufficiently on this here, and will save the rant for the show this Friday. Until then, chew on this:

U.S. energy secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday that the U.S. must decrease its energy use to allow developing nations the room to grow, while emphasizing that prosperity doesn't have to come with a large carbon footprint.

"We believe we have to decrease our use of energy to allow headroom for the developing nations to grow their economies," Chu said in a speech in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.

"There is no law of physics that says prosperity is proportional to carbon emissions," Chu said.

Chu is visiting the U.A.E. Wednesday as part of a Middle East trip this week that has included a stop in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and that will take him to Qatar Thursday.

The U.A.E. is one of the world's highest carbon emitters -- and Abu Dhabi is a major oil producer -- but the Gulf nation is committed to diversifying its energy mix and is developing a peaceful nuclear energy program.

Yes, another Marxist loon whose salary we pay. Nice.

RIGZONE - Energy Secretary Chu Says U.S. Must Decrease Energy Use

UPDATED: Craziest Teacher In America, Or Conservative Satirist? :: Guns, teachers, and self-defense/Letter to Boston Globe

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


This letter to the paper is so insane, it has got to be a stealth writer.

It has to be.

Or, if this is an actual teacher... he must be fired for breathtaking insanity. (I'm off to Google the name.)
Current school security procedures lock down school populations in the event of armed assault. Some advocate abandoning this practice as it holds everyone in place, allowing a shooter easily to find victims.

An alternative to lockdown is immediate exodus via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages and makes it nearly impossible for the shooter to acquire preselected targets, it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety off-site more shrewdly and efficiently than others.

Schools should level playing fields, not intrinsically reward those more resourceful. A level barrel is fair to all fish.

Some propose overturning laws that made schools gun-free zones even for teachers who may be licensed to securely carry concealed firearms elsewhere. They argue that barring licensed-carry only ensures a defenseless, target-rich environment.

But as a progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime.

DOUG VAN GORDER
Quincy



Guns, teachers, and self-defense - The Boston Globe

Cartoon: Left-Wing Media on Austin Suicide Pilot Joe Stack (It's not too soon for this one!)


Time To Fire Him!: Beware of McCain's Freedom-Destroying Dietary Supplement Regulatory Bill

There are several stories floating around the "internets" about this boob's latest attempted government boondoggle.

Time for Sarah Palin to reconsider campaigning for him, and definitely time to send J.D. Hayworth some money.

He'll get my grape seed extract when he pries it from my cold dead hands.


Original stories:

Proposed Bill May Destroy Freedom of Access to Nutritional Supplements

and

- Beware of McCain's Freedom-Destroying Dietary Supplement Regulatory Bill

Another Green Dream Down The Drain: Calif. agency gives waterless urinals the flush

When I say they want us to live like the third world, it is unfortunately never hyperbole. Fortunately they have failed to convince Americans in general that we need to go back to our less sanitary roots.

According to California Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Lindsay VanLaningham, the agency has removed all 56 waterless urinals at its 25-story headquarters in downtown Sacramento.

The building was touted by the state as the greenest high-rise in the nation when it opened in 2001.

But VanLaningham says CalEPA has received hundreds of complaints over the years about foul odors and wet floors. Maintenance costs also grew high.

The urinals were estimated to save 1 million gallons of water a year.

They have been replaced with new urinals that use just a half-gallon of water per flush.


Will they ever learn?

Calif. agency gives waterless urinals the flush

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Paging Al Gore: Snow Falling on Austin

Some on the biggest snow"flakes" I have ever seen.









Yes, very pretty... but I'm ready for my yearly global warming now (formerly known as s-u-m-m-e-r).

A Much-Needed Replay: Dennis Miller on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

This is still absolutely delicious.







YouTube - Dennis Miller on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Dallas Tea Party Invites Olbermann/Mocks All-White Line-up

I've never watched this Olbermann person's show... is he always so overly dramatic? (Also see this.)







YouTube - Dallas Tea Party Invites Olbermann look-a-likes at MSNBC

Weird: Canadian Nuke Scientist Vanishes With 'Absolutely No Trace'

Doesn't seem to be a kidnapping (by Tehran lol), which of course was the first thing that came to my mind, but it's super-odd nonetheless:

A Canadian nuclear scientist who has not been seen for more than a month has simply vanished, leaving "absolutely no trace at all," police say.

Lachlan Cranswick, 41, a physicist from the Chalk River Laboratories nuclear facility in Ottawa, was last seen on Jan. 18, when he left his job and boarded a bus to Deep River, his hometown along the Ottawa River with a population of roughly 4,300.

Later that day, or possibly the next morning, Cranswick took out the garbage -- and the single man described as a meticulous loner has not been seen since.

"It is open and there is nothing else we can do with it," said Const. Darin Faris, the Deep River police officer conducting the investigation. "Every bit of information, every lead that came in, everything ... has led us nowhere."

Faris said Cranswick's friends notified police of his disappearance six days after he was last seen, leading to fruitless searches of a 9-mile-long stretch of land along the Ottawa River. Helicopters, tracking dogs and civilians were unable to find a trace of the man.

Faris said investigators have no reason to believe Cranswick was targeted or that he was a victim of a crime.

"It's not like he's a reactor designer or that he knows how to use them," Faris told FoxNews.com. "He's not someone who, if you gave him highly enriched uranium, he could make a bomb. He's not that kind of person."

Investigators at first thought Cranswick had gotten lost while walking along several nearby trails, but every item he typically took on those trips -- at least two flashlights, a whistle and a GPS system -- was found in his unlocked home, along with his wallet, keys and passport.

"We don't believe he got lost," Faris said. "He's meticulous in all points of detail."

[snip]



FOXNews.com - Canadian Nuke Scientist Vanishes With 'Absolutely No Trace'

Great Cartoon featuring Eric Holder

In light of the news of how many terrorist reps we have in the Justice Dept (blogged here), this cartoon seems ripe for the reprise:



Monday, February 22, 2010

Chuck E. Cheese Alert ::: Pistol whipping at Toledo Chuck E. Cheese

Last week it was a fight that included a pregnant woman, this week it's this:

TOLEDO, OH -- One man was sent to the hospital Sunday night after a fight broke out at the Chuck E. Cheese's Restaurant in South Toledo.

The incident happened around 8:00 p.m. at the Airport Hwy. location. Customers near by say it started when one man was using an airhorn.

Patrons say a fight began between two men inside the restaurant and was quickly taken outside. One man was hit in the head with the butt of a gun. A few witnesses say they thought they heard at least one shot fired.

No names have been released at this time and police are still investigating the incident.


Pistol whipping at Toledo Chuck E. Cheese : News : WNWO NBC24

Friday, February 19, 2010

Just Lovely! ::: Holder admits nine Obama Dept. of Justice officials worked for terrorist detainees, offers no details

Here's that hope and change we've been looking for.

Attorney General Eric Holder says nine Obama appointees in the Justice Department have represented or advocated for terrorist detainees before joining the Justice Department. But he does not reveal any names beyond the two officials whose work has already been publicly reported. And all the lawyers, according to Holder, are eligible to work on general detainee matters, even if there are specific parts of some cases they cannot be involved in.


Holder's admission comes in the form of an answer to a question posed last November by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley. Noting that one Obama appointee, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal, formerly represented Osama bin Laden's driver, and another appointee, Jennifer Daskal, previously advocated for detainees at Human Rights Watch, Grassley asked Holder to give the Senate Judiciary Committee "the names of political appointees in your department who represent detainees or who work for organizations advocating on their behalf…the cases or projects that these appointees work with respect to detainee prior to joining the Justice Department…and the cases or projects relating to detainees that have worked on since joining the Justice Department."


In his response, Holder has given Grassley almost nothing. He says nine Obama political appointees at the Justice Department have advocated on behalf of detainees, but did not identify any of the nine other than the two, Katyal and Daskal, whose names Grassley already knew. "To the best of our knowledge," Holder writes,


during their employment prior to joining the government, only five of the lawyers who serve as political appointees in those components represented detainees, and four others either contributed to amicus briefs in detainee-related cases or were otherwise involved in advocacy on behalf of detainees.


Holder says other Obama appointees, like Holder himself, came from law firms which represented detainees but did no work on behalf of the terrorist prisoners. But other than Katyal and Daskal, Holder does not reveal any names of any Obama appointees, nor does he mention the cases they worked on.


And what are they recused from, anyway? Very little. Holder writes that Katyal has not worked on any Guantanamo detainee matters but has participated in litigation involving detainees who continue to be detained at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan and in litigation involving [Ali Saleh Kahlah] al-Marri, who was detained on U.S. soil." As for Daskal, "she has generally worked on policy issues related to detainees," Holder writes. "Her detainee-related work has been fully consistent with advice she received from career department officials regarding her obligations."


As for everyone else, Holder lists no names and no cases, but in a paragraph filled with modifiers, he makes it clear that all the lawyers who had advocated for detainees are free to work on general detainee matters.


The senior Department officials referenced above, like other political appointees who are similarly situated, have recused from particular matters regarding specific detainees in which their former firms represent the detainee or another party and from decisions relating specifically to the dispositions of particular detainees represented by their former firms. These recusals pertain to decisions relating to particularmatters involving specific parties who are or have been represented by their former law firms within the relevant time period. However, as noted above, these senior officials have been authorized to participate in policy and legal decisions regarding detainee matters, in particular matters regarding specific detainees whom their prior employer did not represent, and in decisions relating to the disposition of such detainees. [emphasis added]


Finally, it is possible that there are more than nine political appointees who worked for detainees. Holder tells Grassley that he did not survey the Justice Department as a whole but instead canvassed several large offices within the organization.


Bottom line: Holder revealed no names beyond the two already publicly known. He revealed no cases from which Justice political appointees recused themselves. The letter, which will likely be interpreted on Capitol Hill as a thumb-your-nose statement, is sure to anger Republican senators more than satisfy them.



Holder admits nine Obama Dept. of Justice officials worked for terrorist detainees, offers no details | Washington Examiner

Unspun w/AnnaZ: Whatever You Do, Don't Quote Me! Gore, The Unabomber, and Joseph Stack: 3pE/Podcast

What do Al Gore, the Unabomber, and Joseph Stack have in common? The selective interest of the lamestream media, of course.

Plus! Texas starts a trend against the EPA's legal endrun and the continued climategate boondoggling of America.


Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP

Call-in number: (347) 327-9710





FR thread here:
Unspun w/AnnaZ: Whatever You Do, Don't Quote Me! Gore, The Unabomber, and Joseph Stack: 3pE/Podcast

Whatever You Do Dont Quote Me Gore The Unabomber and Joseph Stack 2/19/2010 - Unspun with AnnaZ on Blog Talk Radio

Great Video: Response to Olbermann: 'People of color' at Tea Parties + Dramatic Chipmunk!

Olbermann can really be quite the projecting twit. (See Olbermann Still Playing the Race Card for the background story if you missed it.)

Here's a glimpse of that elusive substance known as r-e-a-l-i-t-y.



(That montage isn't all encompassing either. Another example... Michael Williams, of the Texas Railroad Commission and Senate candidate, spoke at the Tax Day Tea Party rally in Austin last April [see Tea Party video link on the right if you need to].)


Bonus video... Olbermann is oh so serious about it it all.






Mischa Barton Does It Again... Why, Oh Why?

I have no idea where she shops.

And I'm starting to think that she maybe has a fun-house mirror in her room, the elooongating kind that makes one look super-thin.

(Then there's the summer dress in February with the huge clunky bag better suited for a business outfit. Just a mess all around.)


Mischa Barton

Oh boy.

Mischa Barton unveils new rockability hairdo after trip to the salon | Mail Online

Thursday, February 18, 2010

FReeper Finds Austin's Suicide Pilot's Manifesto?

Manifesto here: http://embeddedart.com/


Discovery here:
Small Plane Crashes into Office Building in Austin, Texas (close to small airport)


The rant ends like this:

I remember reading about the stock market crash before the “great” depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn’t it ironic how far we’ve come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn’t have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it’s “business-as-usual”. Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn’t that a clever, tidy solution.

As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.

I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.

I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

Joe Stack (1956-2010)

02/18/2010

Feminist Tries To Perpetuate Myth That She Is A Human

Hat-tip to NewsBusters for finding this soulless shrew.

Found this headline on my Yahoo! page this morning:

Canadian curler is five months pregnant

Great, I thought, a woman pursuing a physical career/activity despite societal claims that she is inhibited by her pregnancy. I dig.

And then I read the article. The first line reads,

"As with all curling teams, Team Canada features five member. Well, six if you really want to get technical with it."

Thank you, Chris Chase at Yahoo! Sports for perpetuating the myth that fetuses are people and that they are capable of Olympic curling.

Now since I haven't come across a myth that "fetuses" can curl, I'll presume she just really means the "myth" that "fetuses" are people. They ain't salami sandwiches, baby, and that's not myth or emotion, just s-c-i-e-n-c-e.

The writer apparently also wants to put an end to the myth that "feminists" have souls.

Quick hit: Yahoo! Sports perpetuating the "fetus is a person" myth. - Community

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Missing the Olympics? Here's the Video

Well, NBC has a pretty decent site with all the highlights and full video of some of the competing.

You'll have to install MS's "Silverlight" program, but it's pretty decent, didn't require a restart of anything, and runs relatively smoothly (even on my Mac).

Here's a direct link to US skater Evan Lysacek's second place finish in the men's figure skating short program from last night.

Video | Evan Lysacek finishes second | NBC Olympics

Videos: Palin on O'Reilly Discussing the Tea Party Movement/Special Needs - Feb 16 2010

I think she did a super job on both of these topics.










Friday, February 12, 2010

Ooh! ::: Judge: Seattle gun ban is illegal

Like dominoes they fall. Glad judges have learned how to read.

SEATTLE -- The law has sided with gun rights advocates who took the city of Seattle and former Mayor Greg Nickels to court over the city's gun ban.

King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer on Friday ruled in favor of the plaintiffs - the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Washington Arms Collectors, National Rifle Association and five individuals - and declared the city of Seattle's gun ban at public places is in direct violation of Washington state's firearm pre-emption law.

In issuing the ruling, Shaffer wrote, "Seattle's Department of Parks and Recreation's Rule/Policy Number P 060-8.14 ("Firearms Rule") violates Washington law and on that basis, is null and void."

The city has been ordered to remove all signage banning weapons from public areas within 30 days.

Last June, Nickels issued an order banning guns on city facilities where children are likely to frequent. The places on the ban list include parks, playgrounds, community and environmental learning centers, sports fields and courts, swimming beaches, pools, water play areas, skate parks and golf courses.

The plaintiffs' complaint challenged Nickels' executive order, stating "ownership of firearm is a clearly protected right under the United States and Washington Constitutions."

The complaint also cited Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who issued an opinion in response to the city's ban, stating state laws "preempts a city's authority to adopt firearms law or regulations of applications of the general public."

SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb called Friday's ruling "a great victory for the rule of law and Washington citizens."

"It is also a victory for the Legislature," Gottlieb said, "because this case affirms the intent of lawmakers in 1983 to prevent cities like Seattle from creating a nightmare patchwork of conflicting and confusing firearms regulations."

City officials were not available for comment.

Of course not.

Judge: Seattle gun ban is illegal |
KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather
- Seattle, Washington
| Local & Regional

Today's Unspun w/AnnaZ: Hearts On Fire, The War Against Valentine's Day : Live at 3pmE or Podcast


Embrace commercialism, if only for who you'll irritate in the process!





Plus... Medina Meltdown, Super Bowl Ads Aftermath, Free Speech in Ohio, now you're an Enemy of the State care of the Justice Dept, and the politics of body scanning.


Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP

Call-in number: (347) 327-9710



Show archives available here, podcasts available at iTunes here.

Update ::: On second thought: Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish backtracks on letting teen be honored

Like I said before, you know you've lost it completely when pro-life groups and the ACLU are on the same side... against you.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Elisabeth Trisler, come on down.

The Shelby County teenager who won an oratory contest sponsored by the National Right to Life will be honored for her achievement on the Ohio House floor after all.

House Speaker Armond Budish's decision to keep the teen from receiving a resolution in the House chamber on Feb. 3 honoring her award had brought criticism from Ohio Right to Life officials, House Republicans and even the Ohio ACLU. Trisler had been scheduled to receive a resolution from Rep. John Adams, a Sidney Republican, before the House floor session began that day.

But Budish, a Beachwood Democrat, has rethought his decision and now hopes that Trisler can come to the House floor to pick up her resolution. Trisler won the National Right to Life Oratory Contest held in Charlotte last June.

Budish spokesman Keary McCarthy said Budish was concerned about "inaccurate" criticism that he was silencing the teen because she disagreed with his stance supporting abortion rights.

"We will go ahead with this presentation," McCarthy said. "We'd like to shoot for sometime next week depending on how the schedule looks."

McCarthy said Budish plans "a closer look at the guidelines" concerning who can be honored on the House floor in the future. Budish had originally said that Trisler would not be honored because her award was from a "politically sensitive" group, even though she qualified for the honor under House rules.

Ohio Right to Life executive director Mike Gonidakis said Budish called him to explain his change of heart.

"Blocking speech because you don't like what someone is saying or what they stand for goes against the very fabric of who we are as Americans," Gonidakis said in a press release. "And, while the speaker got there the hard way, at least he got there."

Public shaming can do that to ya.

On second thought: Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish backtracks on letting teen be honored | OPEN: Ohio Politics - cleveland.com

Enemy Of The State ::: Feds push for tracking cell phones/CNET

Hey... I think I've seen this one before.

Two years ago, when the FBI was stymied by a band of armed robbers known as the "Scarecrow Bandits" that had robbed more than 20 Texas banks, it came up with a novel method of locating the thieves.

FBI agents obtained logs from mobile phone companies corresponding to what their cellular towers had recorded at the time of a dozen different bank robberies in the Dallas area. The voluminous records showed that two phones had made calls around the time of all 12 heists, and that those phones belonged to men named Tony Hewitt and Corey Duffey. A jury eventually convicted the duo of multiple bank robbery and weapons charges.

Even though police are tapping into the locations of mobile phones thousands of times a year, the legal ground rules remain unclear, and federal privacy laws written a generation ago are ambiguous at best. On Friday, the first federal appeals court to consider the topic will hear oral arguments (PDF) in a case that could establish new standards for locating wireless devices.

In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.

Those claims have alarmed the ACLU and other civil liberties groups, which have opposed the Justice Department's request and plan to tell the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia that Americans' privacy deserves more protection and judicial oversight than what the administration has proposed.

"This is a critical question for privacy in the 21st century," says Kevin Bankston, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who will be arguing on Friday. "If the courts do side with the government, that means that everywhere we go, in the real world and online, will be an open book to the government unprotected by the Fourth Amendment."

[snip]


This needs way way more press. Too bad Bush didn't do it.

Oh Brother ::: Muslim-American body issues fatwa against airport body scanners

I hate to bring up the obvious... so I won't.

WASHINGTON: Some Muslim-American groups are supporting a fatwa issued by a body of Islamic scholars forbidding Muslims from going through full body scanners at airports, a media report said.

The Fiqh Council of North America issued the religious ruling this week that says going through the airport scanners would violate Islamic rules on modesty, Free Press reported.

"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women," reads the fatwa issued Tuesday. "Islam highly emphasises haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts."

After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit by a Muslim suspect from Nigeria, some US airports are now in the process of buying and using the body scanners to find explosives and other dangerous materials carried by terrorists.

But Muslim groups say the scanners, which show in graphic detail the outlines of a person's body, go against their religion. One option offered to passengers who don't want to use the scanners would be a pat down by a security guard. The Muslim groups are urging members to undergo those instead.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it endorses the fatwa. "We support the Fiqh Council's statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security," Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR was quoted as saying.

Currently, there are 40 full-body scanners at 19 airports in the US, including two in Detroit, said spokesman Jim Fotenos of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There are plans for 450 more body scanners in US airports, he said.

In a statement, the TSA said it is committed to keeping passengers safe and also protecting their privacy.

"TSA's mission is to keep the travelling public safe. Advanced imaging technologies are an important tool in a multi-layered security system to detect evolving threats such as improvised explosive devices.

"TSA's use of these technologies includes strong protections in place to safeguard passenger privacy. Screening images are automatically deleted, and the officer viewing the image will never see the passenger."

The TSA stressed that the body scanners are "optional to all passengers". Those who turn them down, "will receive equivalent screening that may include a physical pat-down, hand-wanding, and other technologies".

"Physical pat-downs are performed by transportation security Officers of the same sex as the passenger in a private screening area, if the passenger requests."

Body scanners "do not produce photos", the agency said. Rather, the images "look like chalk outlines".
I thought I heard a story saying the opposite this week... an Indian actor, Shah Khan, signed print-outs of his body scan at Heathrow airport.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Hilarious Valentine (from someecards.com)




It's a very irreverent site... be warned. =)
May your love for me not fade as quickly as your love for Obama | someecards.com

Sad. Alexander McQueen, Fashion Designer, Found Dead (Suicide, it seems)

Although I myself prefer American couture, this is quite a loss to the fashion world. He was definitely quite the trendsetter, and his creations trickled down through the world of design... and copy.

Apparently his mother died last week and that was tough on him. May he have peace.

Alexander McQueen Fall 2008




A slew of stories popping up online: alexander mcqueen - Google Search

How To Kill A Candidacy ::: Glenn Beck Radio with Debra Medina... a 9/11 truther?

A super simple "no" would have saved her, but apparently it was not to be.

I'm thinking Rick Perry is the happiest man in Texas today (and to think that just last night I was worried about him...lol).

And Glenn Beck is right here, at the end of the audio segment... if one believes that the government, our government, was in any way involved with 9/11, nothing ought to get in the way of working on proving it.

I like a healthy mistrust of government myself, but 9/11 was not the "inside job" some would like it to have been.




Well, that was the quickest upward and downward trajectory of a candidate I've seen in a while. God bless ya, Debra. But... yikes.

YouTube - Glenn Beck Radio: Debra Medina is a 9/11 truther?

The Punch? ::: Iran Revolution day protests: Islamic Republic now a nuclear state/DailyMail (Photos)

Their stunning punch to the West is... nuclear capabilities for peaceful ends? Oh. Okay.

  • Security forces fire tear gas and paint balls on opposition protesters
  • Internet connections attacked in Tehran as regime tries to foil opposition
  • Opposition leader attacked
Iran is now a 'nuclear state', President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced this morning.
He spoke as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Despite fears of violence, opposition supporters found themselves largely overwhelmed by the clerical regime and pro-government demonstrators.

The massive security clampdown appeared to succeed in preventing protesters from converging into a cohesive demonstrations.

Large numbers of riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militiamen, some on motorcycles, deployed in back streets near key squares and major avenues in the capital to move against protesters.

This morning Ahmadinejad announced to scores of cheering Iranians that the Islamic Republic is capable of producing weapons-grade uranium.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Azadi (Freedom) Square in southwestern Tehran today, marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution



Iran


azadi


Iranian security forces stand guard as crowds of Iranians gather to listen to President Ahmadinejad's address


Iranian women wave flags and a sign reading 'Down with USA' in Tehran today


President Ahmadinejad greets well wishers from his car, as he arrives at the rally


Today President Ahmadinejad announced that the Islamic Republic had produced its first batch of 20 per cent enriched uranium. He is pictured here at the Natanz nuclear plant

Today President Ahmadinejad announced that the Islamic Republic had produced its first batch of 20 per cent enriched uranium. He is pictured here at the Natanz nuclear plant


What's worse than a whole bunch of crazy people? A whole bunch of crazy people with nuclear weapons.

Wow ::: Meteorite Hits Mexico Leaving 30 Meter Crater in Ahuazotepec Municipality

Holy brimstone, Batman.

A meteorite has smashed into the ground in Mexico, leaving a 30 meter (100 feet) wide crater, reports said.

The meteorite impact was in the Ahuazotepec Municipality in Central Mexico between the cities of Puebla and Hidalgo.

The precise impact area of the meteorite was in a relatively unpopulated area and hit around 6.30pm local time, Mexican media said.

The Ahuazotepec, Mexico meteorite impact was so massive it broke windows in homes many kilometers from the epicenter and people reported buildings swaying and mass confusion. Other reports said the Mexico meteorite impactpartially damaged a road and a bridge.

The Mexican military was called in to lock down the area where the apparent space rock slammed into the ground.

Initial fears where that the impact was a aircraft crashing to the ground, but that report was later dismissed.

The Central Mexico meteorite event was witnessed by countless people in the region of the impact, with people as far away as Mexico City saying they saw the burning object enter the atmosphere.


Meteorite Hits Mexico Leaving 30 Meter Crater in Ahuazotepec Municipality | NEWSOLIO

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tomorrow's The 11th: Iran Mobilizes to Stifle Opposition Protests (Shutting down Gmail!)

Creepy people. And hopefully just loud-mouthed. Still, I would encourage gassing up your vehicle tonight, just in case.

BEIRUT—Iranian authorities deployed in force across Tehran Wednesday to conduct last-minute security sweeps and warn residents to refrain from joining antigovernment protests planned for Thursday.

The government typically orchestrates large, carnival-like rallies and demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Republic. For this year's events on Feb. 11, the day marking the culmination of the annual celebrations, opposition leaders have called for protesters to demonstrate against the regime. That has set the stage for clashes between authorities and demonstrators, who have taken to the streets repeatedly to protest the outcome of presidential elections in June.

Government officials, meanwhile, ratcheted up threats against any protests Thursday, vowing to confront demonstrators on the streets and calling for government supporters to turn out in large numbers. Iranian officials have branded protesters as agents of foreign powers.

The Iranian judiciary has handed down a number of harsh sentences against protesters arrested in previous demonstrations, including at least 10 pending death sentences.

More on Iran


Associated Press
An Iranian protestor held a picture of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a demonstration in front of the French Embassy in Tehran Tuesday.

Timeline: Upheaval in Iran
WSJ.com/Mideast: News, video, graphics
On Wednesday, semi-official news services and opposition Web sites reported last-minute attempts by police and plain-clothes militia to suppress antigovernment demonstrations.

Basij militia took over a large bus and taxi station in western Tehran, shutting it down and draping a banner over the terminal stating the area will serve as headquarters for security forces.

Iranian Web sites said the bus terminal would also be used by security forces coming in from the provinces to help suppress protests in the capital.

The government typically buses in large numbers of government supporters from outlying regions to Tehran to participate in rallies.

Meanwhile, human-rights groups in Iran reported late Wednesday that 19 mothers whose children were killed in previous post-election unrest, had been detained by authorities.

View Interactive

Timeline: Upheaval in Iran

Iranians have reported widespread service disruptions to Internet and text messaging services, though mobile phones appeared to be operating normally Wednesday.

Iran's telecommunications agency announced what it described as a permanent suspension of Google Inc.'s email services, saying instead that a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out. It wasn't clear late Wednesday what effect the order had on Google's email services in Iran.

Google didn't have an immediate comment about the announcement.

[snip]
I wonder how Twitter will fare.

Iran Mobilizes to Stifle Opposition Protests - WSJ.com

Oh Brother: Minnesota’s frozen turbines raise new doubts about wind power

It is always thus with these people.

In Minnesota, the wind is blowing but turbines aren’t turning. The machines, bought used from California and installed last fall, are completely frozen in place. Even on the windiest days, the blades sit at a standstill, producing no power. Why should anyone care? The problem highlights some of the less intuitive challenges associated with wind power — long considered to be the most feasible and cost effective source of renewable energy.

The likely culprit in Minnesota: frozen hydraulic fluid, unfit for the state’s brutally cold winters. As the temperature continues to drop, these fluids have started to thicken, turning into jelly. This is a big problem, considering how much the Midwest has spent on trying to become the U.S.’s wind power corridor. Wind power is already intermittent — the wind isn’t blowing at gale speeds all the time. But being knocked out of commission for an entire season? That could be a deal breaker.

That is, unless the problem can be fixed. The turbines, each more than 100 feet tall in 11 Minnesota cities, were purchased for $3.3 million — but now even more must be sent to retrofit them for the cold. The first stab at the problem will be to fix heating devices to the turbines to keep the fluid at the right temperature. But this will rob power from the turbines, maybe even negating their usefulness. There’s also a chance this solution won’t work at all.

As new sources of renewable energy are developed — like thin film and solar thermal, for example — more and more doubts about wind are coming to the fore. One of the biggest: the true meaning of energy “capacity.” When you say a turbine has a certain capacity, you’re saying it can produce that amount of energy when it is working under optimum conditions. But no turbine works at maximum capacity around the clock — the figure is misleading. In fact, many turbines operate far below capacity most of the time.

So when journalists write about the 735-megawatt wind installation at Horse Hollow — they should note that the 47,000 acre wind farm will probably generate less than a 300-megawatt coal, natural gas or nuclear plant. Coal and nuclear operate at above 85 percent of capacity on average. Wind installations operate at about 33 percent of its capacity on average. Horse Hollow only produces about 245 megawatts on a routine basis — a lot, but not as much as advertised.

[snip]







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