Rusted Sky

That didn't, for once, get swept under the table.

Captain's Quarters

Faced with a clear example of vote fraud, the House has agreed to investigate .. itself. The day after Democratic leadership in the House attempted to nullify a completed floor vote, the Majority Leader had to issue an apology and agree to an extraordinary bipartisan panel to probe the actions of House leadership

And THESE are the folks who want control of the White House in 2008? (To be fair, so do the Republicans... and anyone else running for President.) But just how screwed up do the Democrats have to be before they knock themselves out of the political system altogether?

One commenter posted...

So where are all of the "there's no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on immigration" clowns now?

Good job sitting out the last election in order to "send a message". Well, the worthless, corrupt, incompetent, vile Democrats you allowed into office, just rigged a vote in order to shovel even more money at illegal immigrants.

Happy now? You really showed the Republicans.

So what's the plan for the next election, sit on the sidelines again, in order to let the Democrats steal additional votes?

Remember, brave Americans died in order for you to sit home on election day, so that you can "send a message" and allow leftwing idiots to vote unadulterated scum like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi into public office.

It'd almost be laughable... but remember, these are the folks who want to inflict universal health care on the US. Why does anyone think they'll be able to get THAT passed in an effective and efficient manner?

J.

That didn't, for once, get swept under the table.

Captain's Quarters

Faced with a clear example of vote fraud, the House has agreed to investigate .. itself. The day after Democratic leadership in the House attempted to nullify a completed floor vote, the Majority Leader had to issue an apology and agree to an extraordinary bipartisan panel to probe the actions of House leadership

And THESE are the folks who want control of the White House in 2008? (To be fair, so do the Republicans... and anyone else running for President.) But just how screwed up do the Democrats have to be before they knock themselves out of the political system altogether?

One commenter posted...

So where are all of the "there's no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on immigration" clowns now?

Good job sitting out the last election in order to "send a message". Well, the worthless, corrupt, incompetent, vile Democrats you allowed into office, just rigged a vote in order to shovel even more money at illegal immigrants.

Happy now? You really showed the Republicans.

So what's the plan for the next election, sit on the sidelines again, in order to let the Democrats steal additional votes?

Remember, brave Americans died in order for you to sit home on election day, so that you can "send a message" and allow leftwing idiots to vote unadulterated scum like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi into public office.

It'd almost be laughable... but remember, these are the folks who want to inflict universal health care on the US. Why does anyone think they'll be able to get THAT passed in an effective and efficient manner?

J.

You've got to give some Democrats credit. They're determined to see the Iraq effort go down in flames. So dedicated are some of them that they'll walk out on news that maybe things aren't so bad.

Townhall.com::The Good News is Bad News::By Cliff May

It’s tough being a member of Congress. Even if you’re in the majority, as is Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, you never know when your ears may be assaulted by outrageous and offensive ideas.
Like what? At a recent hearing of the Armed Services Committee, retired Gen. Jack Keane said “progress is being made” by U.S. military forces in Iraq; “We are on the offensive and we have the momentum,” he added. The freshman congresswoman was so distressed by these remarks that she got up and she walked out.

There was “only so much” she could take, she explained, so she “had to leave the room … after so much of the frustration of having to listen to what we listened to.” She said she was worried, too, that General Keane’s remarks “will in fact show up in the media and further divide this country.” Hey, that could happen!

As House Majority Whip James Clyburn suggested this week, success in Iraq also would be awkward for those who have bet their political chips on American failure.

To be precise, Clyburn said that it would be “a real big problem for us” should General Petraeus return to Washington next month and present a positive report on progress in Iraq. Moderate Democrats might listen and decide that for America to be defeated in Iraq by al-Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias is neither inevitable nor in the national interest. These same moderate Democrats also might decide that, for them, the national interest trumps the partisan interest.

J.

You've got to give some Democrats credit. They're determined to see the Iraq effort go down in flames. So dedicated are some of them that they'll walk out on news that maybe things aren't so bad.

Townhall.com::The Good News is Bad News::By Cliff May

It’s tough being a member of Congress. Even if you’re in the majority, as is Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, you never know when your ears may be assaulted by outrageous and offensive ideas.
Like what? At a recent hearing of the Armed Services Committee, retired Gen. Jack Keane said “progress is being made” by U.S. military forces in Iraq; “We are on the offensive and we have the momentum,” he added. The freshman congresswoman was so distressed by these remarks that she got up and she walked out.

There was “only so much” she could take, she explained, so she “had to leave the room … after so much of the frustration of having to listen to what we listened to.” She said she was worried, too, that General Keane’s remarks “will in fact show up in the media and further divide this country.” Hey, that could happen!

As House Majority Whip James Clyburn suggested this week, success in Iraq also would be awkward for those who have bet their political chips on American failure.

To be precise, Clyburn said that it would be “a real big problem for us” should General Petraeus return to Washington next month and present a positive report on progress in Iraq. Moderate Democrats might listen and decide that for America to be defeated in Iraq by al-Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias is neither inevitable nor in the national interest. These same moderate Democrats also might decide that, for them, the national interest trumps the partisan interest.

J.

FOXNews.com - Study: Flush Toilets May Need to Be Disposed Of - Science News | Current Articles

"Most people can hardly imagine that other ways of handling human waste have ever existed," said study author Maj-Britt Quitzau, an environmental sociologist with the National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark. "But actually, systems did exist prior to the flushing toilet where human waste was collected within the cities and re-used in farming areas."

And another alternative, the 'earth closet' was mentioned. You or I might know it as an 'outhouse'. And having taken care of the sanitation needs of my family this last week, I'm rather comfortable with the cassette toilet concept, where materials are 'kept' for later emptying.

I see the flush toilet as a REAL good thing. Some, however, do not.

While drinking-water shortages plague millions in such places as India and in some African nations, Westerners continue to oppose alternatives to the flushing toilet.

Building flush-free toilets to satisfy the masses will not be simple and, unlike the composting toilet, may require mimicking toilets that flush and must be user-friendly, Quitzau said.

"This is not something which can be suddenly changed," she said. "Houses are built with respect to flushing toilets, not with respect to composting toilets requiring a collection chamber in the basement. Urban planners are taught about sewage systems and not sustainable toilet systems, where human urine and feces are collected and transported to farming areas."

So - banning flush toilets? Somehow, I think that'll be rejected by the majority of Americans.

(By the way, they tried an experiment out at the plant with a waterless urinal. The idea's a good one - but for some reason they didn't get a sufficient supply of the stuff that made it possible to BE waterless, so after the inital amount was gone, the urinals became quite fragrant. I'll go for a waterless urinal, but the feces needs to be flushed.)

J.

FOXNews.com - Study: Flush Toilets May Need to Be Disposed Of - Science News | Current Articles

"Most people can hardly imagine that other ways of handling human waste have ever existed," said study author Maj-Britt Quitzau, an environmental sociologist with the National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark. "But actually, systems did exist prior to the flushing toilet where human waste was collected within the cities and re-used in farming areas."

And another alternative, the 'earth closet' was mentioned. You or I might know it as an 'outhouse'. And having taken care of the sanitation needs of my family this last week, I'm rather comfortable with the cassette toilet concept, where materials are 'kept' for later emptying.

I see the flush toilet as a REAL good thing. Some, however, do not.

While drinking-water shortages plague millions in such places as India and in some African nations, Westerners continue to oppose alternatives to the flushing toilet.

Building flush-free toilets to satisfy the masses will not be simple and, unlike the composting toilet, may require mimicking toilets that flush and must be user-friendly, Quitzau said.

"This is not something which can be suddenly changed," she said. "Houses are built with respect to flushing toilets, not with respect to composting toilets requiring a collection chamber in the basement. Urban planners are taught about sewage systems and not sustainable toilet systems, where human urine and feces are collected and transported to farming areas."

So - banning flush toilets? Somehow, I think that'll be rejected by the majority of Americans.

(By the way, they tried an experiment out at the plant with a waterless urinal. The idea's a good one - but for some reason they didn't get a sufficient supply of the stuff that made it possible to BE waterless, so after the inital amount was gone, the urinals became quite fragrant. I'll go for a waterless urinal, but the feces needs to be flushed.)

J.

Long day back at work - I'm kind of tired tonight and intend to hit the sack early.

So, a few funny things...

Ridiculing the Jihad. With pink Burquas yet!

A Morocco Tourism Video? Nice beat. And boy, didn't they spray those jeans on her!

The Museum of Unworkable Devices and the
Basement Mechanic's Guide to Testing Perpetual Motion Machines...

And to close things off - Michael Yon's got some new stuff up. Hit his tip jar if you're so inclined - coverage like his isn't free.

And this pic - could that come from an SF movie or what?

Enjoy!

J.

Long day back at work - I'm kind of tired tonight and intend to hit the sack early.

So, a few funny things...

Ridiculing the Jihad. With pink Burquas yet!

A Morocco Tourism Video? Nice beat. And boy, didn't they spray those jeans on her!

The Museum of Unworkable Devices and the
Basement Mechanic's Guide to Testing Perpetual Motion Machines...

And to close things off - Michael Yon's got some new stuff up. Hit his tip jar if you're so inclined - coverage like his isn't free.

And this pic - could that come from an SF movie or what?

Enjoy!

J.

FOXNews.com - Most Americans: Ban Text Messaging While Driving - Technology News | News On Technology

NEW YORK — Close to 100 percent of Americans agree that text messaging while driving should be banned, according to a study released Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Driving's difficult enough when you've got your full attention on the road. Splitting it to text - well, why not just toss down a couple of beers, also? There's already been accidents because someone was texting instead of paying attention to their driving.

Hate to sound like an old fart here - but I don't especially care to be clobbered because someone decided they had to send a text message while driving.

J.

FOXNews.com - Most Americans: Ban Text Messaging While Driving - Technology News | News On Technology

NEW YORK — Close to 100 percent of Americans agree that text messaging while driving should be banned, according to a study released Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Driving's difficult enough when you've got your full attention on the road. Splitting it to text - well, why not just toss down a couple of beers, also? There's already been accidents because someone was texting instead of paying attention to their driving.

Hate to sound like an old fart here - but I don't especially care to be clobbered because someone decided they had to send a text message while driving.

J.

Maybe even a tipping point? It's hard to tell - but read the whole thing.

Michael Yon : Online Magazine � Blog Archive � Bread and a Circus, Part II of II

Other “Information Operations” were underway to not only show the people that food distribution had restarted but also that the Shia in fact had released the food for Baqubah. The distribution may have begun in fits and starts, but the information battle seemed to be a decisive win.

And so we started with 16 trucks, but before it was all over, they had sent 94 trucks of food to Baqubah. There was enough food, according to our Army, to feed 200,000 people for 30 days.

I recalled one of the bureaucrat’s comments, upon hearing that al Qaeda had scattered like rabbits out of Baqubah. He seemed at first not to believe that news, but once he got confirmation, he made a point to tell us what that news actually meant: if al Qaeda was done in Baqubah, al Qaeda was done in Iraq.

I've often wondered at the religious fevor that seems so prevalent among the Islamists. Are they murderous because of that fevor, or is the murderous impulse there already and they embrace jihad because it justifies it and gives them a chance to slaughter without responsibility or remorse? If you were given the chance to do something hidden in the darkest desires of your heart, without any bad coming to you for it... indeed, to even have people cheering you on while you do it... wouldn't it be a very powerful incentive to open up your darkest desires to the light of day?

I've also wondered if that might not be a factor behind the apparent desires of the Democrats to lose the war. They'll see it as a win - even if it results in massive casualties in Iraq. And who doesn't like feeling like they've 'won' something?

Sadly - in order for them to 'win', a whole lot of people are going to have to lose, and lose badly.

But - what if the Democrats, who've staked damn near everything on transforming Iraq into a loss for our country, were instead the ones to lose? In their frustration and anger, what would happen? What could they justify doing? Would their fevor match those of the Islamists who kill themselves wholesale for the chance to kill an American?

Am I questioning their patriotism? Well, yes. I've no doubt they see the world as they want to see it, and want to mod and mold it into something that'll make THEM feel good. But... what about everyone else? Will the first Iranian nuke test set off an orgasmic shiver in the hardcore left, at the idea that FINALLY the evil US will get what's coming to it? Or will it wake them up and make them realize that - while they might not be able to stand the center/right in this country, they've got a hell of a lot more in common with the center/right than with the hardcore Islamic community who would gleefully kill them in a heartbeat. (Unless, of course, their unsanity takes a rather suicidal bent, in which case all bets are off.)

In September we're going to see what progress the Surge has made. By what I'm seeing, the surge has already produced some very significant, very good effects. And I expect in September we're going to be faced with watching a lot of the anti-war Dems who are very, very beholden to Kos and that crowd either turn away from the 'We're losing, and there's not a damn thing we should do to prevent it - instead we're going to try to hasten the defeat" meme, or embrace it more feverently and gain the approval of the anti-war groups while losing the support of the moderates in the party.

Truly, we live in interesting times.

J.

Maybe even a tipping point? It's hard to tell - but read the whole thing.

Michael Yon : Online Magazine � Blog Archive � Bread and a Circus, Part II of II

Other “Information Operations” were underway to not only show the people that food distribution had restarted but also that the Shia in fact had released the food for Baqubah. The distribution may have begun in fits and starts, but the information battle seemed to be a decisive win.

And so we started with 16 trucks, but before it was all over, they had sent 94 trucks of food to Baqubah. There was enough food, according to our Army, to feed 200,000 people for 30 days.

I recalled one of the bureaucrat’s comments, upon hearing that al Qaeda had scattered like rabbits out of Baqubah. He seemed at first not to believe that news, but once he got confirmation, he made a point to tell us what that news actually meant: if al Qaeda was done in Baqubah, al Qaeda was done in Iraq.

I've often wondered at the religious fevor that seems so prevalent among the Islamists. Are they murderous because of that fevor, or is the murderous impulse there already and they embrace jihad because it justifies it and gives them a chance to slaughter without responsibility or remorse? If you were given the chance to do something hidden in the darkest desires of your heart, without any bad coming to you for it... indeed, to even have people cheering you on while you do it... wouldn't it be a very powerful incentive to open up your darkest desires to the light of day?

I've also wondered if that might not be a factor behind the apparent desires of the Democrats to lose the war. They'll see it as a win - even if it results in massive casualties in Iraq. And who doesn't like feeling like they've 'won' something?

Sadly - in order for them to 'win', a whole lot of people are going to have to lose, and lose badly.

But - what if the Democrats, who've staked damn near everything on transforming Iraq into a loss for our country, were instead the ones to lose? In their frustration and anger, what would happen? What could they justify doing? Would their fevor match those of the Islamists who kill themselves wholesale for the chance to kill an American?

Am I questioning their patriotism? Well, yes. I've no doubt they see the world as they want to see it, and want to mod and mold it into something that'll make THEM feel good. But... what about everyone else? Will the first Iranian nuke test set off an orgasmic shiver in the hardcore left, at the idea that FINALLY the evil US will get what's coming to it? Or will it wake them up and make them realize that - while they might not be able to stand the center/right in this country, they've got a hell of a lot more in common with the center/right than with the hardcore Islamic community who would gleefully kill them in a heartbeat. (Unless, of course, their unsanity takes a rather suicidal bent, in which case all bets are off.)

In September we're going to see what progress the Surge has made. By what I'm seeing, the surge has already produced some very significant, very good effects. And I expect in September we're going to be faced with watching a lot of the anti-war Dems who are very, very beholden to Kos and that crowd either turn away from the 'We're losing, and there's not a damn thing we should do to prevent it - instead we're going to try to hasten the defeat" meme, or embrace it more feverently and gain the approval of the anti-war groups while losing the support of the moderates in the party.

Truly, we live in interesting times.

J.

Daily Express: The World's Greatest Newspaper :: News / Showbiz :: 4,000 people a week trying to leave UK

The country’s biggest foreign visa consultancy firm has revealed that applications have soared in the last seven months by 80 per cent to almost 4,000 a week. Ten years ago the figure was just 300 a week.

Most people are relocating within the Commonwealth – in Australia, Canada and South Africa. They are almost all young professionals and skilled workers aged 20-40.

And many cite their reason for wanting to quit as immigration to these shores – and the burden it is placing on their communities and local authorities. The dearth of good schools, spiralling house prices, rising crime and tax increases are also driving people away.

The British government needs to figure out something, quick. I'd hate to see the UK go third-world... But when the brains drain, something's gotta give.

J.

Daily Express: The World's Greatest Newspaper :: News / Showbiz :: 4,000 people a week trying to leave UK

The country’s biggest foreign visa consultancy firm has revealed that applications have soared in the last seven months by 80 per cent to almost 4,000 a week. Ten years ago the figure was just 300 a week.

Most people are relocating within the Commonwealth – in Australia, Canada and South Africa. They are almost all young professionals and skilled workers aged 20-40.

And many cite their reason for wanting to quit as immigration to these shores – and the burden it is placing on their communities and local authorities. The dearth of good schools, spiralling house prices, rising crime and tax increases are also driving people away.

The British government needs to figure out something, quick. I'd hate to see the UK go third-world... But when the brains drain, something's gotta give.

J.

You know, the two Muslim 'engineering students' supposedly going to college in South Florida who were caught speeding in the middle of the night on a (supposedly) long, straight road that leads directly to a Naval base...

With explosives in the back of their car.

Well, there's a lot of folks covering it, and it's starting to get kind of interesting. The FBI is really pushing on this, it would seem, and have already started calling the misunderstood 'yutes' terrorists. And an interview of a neighbor is rather interesting...

Riehl World View: Neighbor Drops The "T" Word On SC Suspects

I dunno - something just smells pretty damn fishy here.

J.

You know, the two Muslim 'engineering students' supposedly going to college in South Florida who were caught speeding in the middle of the night on a (supposedly) long, straight road that leads directly to a Naval base...

With explosives in the back of their car.

Well, there's a lot of folks covering it, and it's starting to get kind of interesting. The FBI is really pushing on this, it would seem, and have already started calling the misunderstood 'yutes' terrorists. And an interview of a neighbor is rather interesting...

Riehl World View: Neighbor Drops The "T" Word On SC Suspects

I dunno - something just smells pretty damn fishy here.

J.

And I think I agree with Gingrich...

Modern road to White House 'verges on insane,' says Gingrich - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Potential presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich on Tuesday blasted the modern-day road to the White House as too long, too expensive and verging on "insane."

I odn't know - if I were looking to make an electoral cycle as uninteresting as possible, I don't think I could find a better way than to drag it out for two years... except for making it run for 4.

I'm hoping soon that I'll be hearing something POSITIVE from the Democratic side. They need to understand Bush isn't going to run again, and presenting themselves as the Anti-Bush (especially with the Surge seeming to produce results) isn't going to automatically get votes. There's a lot more to being President than just being automatically against your predecessor's policies.

J.

And I think I agree with Gingrich...

Modern road to White House 'verges on insane,' says Gingrich - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Potential presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich on Tuesday blasted the modern-day road to the White House as too long, too expensive and verging on "insane."

I odn't know - if I were looking to make an electoral cycle as uninteresting as possible, I don't think I could find a better way than to drag it out for two years... except for making it run for 4.

I'm hoping soon that I'll be hearing something POSITIVE from the Democratic side. They need to understand Bush isn't going to run again, and presenting themselves as the Anti-Bush (especially with the Surge seeming to produce results) isn't going to automatically get votes. There's a lot more to being President than just being automatically against your predecessor's policies.

J.

Giant rubber band! � Comically Large Things

Of course, there's a lot of air resistance. Maybe if there'd been something like, oh, a five or ten lb. weight...

Well - take a look. How far do you think it should have gone?

J.

Giant rubber band! � Comically Large Things

Of course, there's a lot of air resistance. Maybe if there'd been something like, oh, a five or ten lb. weight...

Well - take a look. How far do you think it should have gone?

J.

Get a bit extra on your burger, and sue McD's...

Charleston Daily Mail

"We're interested in seeing McDonald's take responsibility and change a systemic quality control problem that endangers the lives of up to 12 million Americans with allergies," said Timothy Houston, the Morgantown lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

Houston said his clients were in Morgantown in October 2005 and stopped at the Star City McDonald's on the way home to Clarksburg. Jeromy Jackson was living with his mother at the time.

Jeromy did his part to make it known he didn't want cheese on the hamburgers because he is allergic, Houston said.

He told a worker through the ordering speaker and then two workers face-to-face at the pay and pick-up windows that he couldn't eat cheese, Houston said.

"By my count, he took at least five independent steps to make sure that thing had no cheese on it," Houston said. "And it did and almost cost him his life."

After getting the food, the three drove to Clarksburg and started to eat the food in a darkened room where they were going to watch a movie, Houston said.

Well, I feel for the guy... But it seems to me if he's known he's got this allergy for a long time, yet made a practice of buying from McDonald's before, to the point where he completely trusts the crew to correctly serve him something that could potentially kill him and chow down on it without looking to see if the deadly item was added, he's playing Russian Roulette with the cheese factor.

And really, a visual inspection would have taken what, three seconds? It's not like the cheese isn't noticeable, after all!

J.

Get a bit extra on your burger, and sue McD's...

Charleston Daily Mail

"We're interested in seeing McDonald's take responsibility and change a systemic quality control problem that endangers the lives of up to 12 million Americans with allergies," said Timothy Houston, the Morgantown lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

Houston said his clients were in Morgantown in October 2005 and stopped at the Star City McDonald's on the way home to Clarksburg. Jeromy Jackson was living with his mother at the time.

Jeromy did his part to make it known he didn't want cheese on the hamburgers because he is allergic, Houston said.

He told a worker through the ordering speaker and then two workers face-to-face at the pay and pick-up windows that he couldn't eat cheese, Houston said.

"By my count, he took at least five independent steps to make sure that thing had no cheese on it," Houston said. "And it did and almost cost him his life."

After getting the food, the three drove to Clarksburg and started to eat the food in a darkened room where they were going to watch a movie, Houston said.

Well, I feel for the guy... But it seems to me if he's known he's got this allergy for a long time, yet made a practice of buying from McDonald's before, to the point where he completely trusts the crew to correctly serve him something that could potentially kill him and chow down on it without looking to see if the deadly item was added, he's playing Russian Roulette with the cheese factor.

And really, a visual inspection would have taken what, three seconds? It's not like the cheese isn't noticeable, after all!

J.

WizbangTech - Minesweeper - The Movie

And it's just about what you'd expect!

Enjoy!

J.

WizbangTech - Minesweeper - The Movie

And it's just about what you'd expect!

Enjoy!

J.

Some are designed to keep people out. Some are designed to keep people in.

FOXNews.com - East German Border Guards Had 'Shoot-to-Kill' Orders to Stop Defections to West - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

BERLIN — Researchers have discovered a Cold War “shoot-to-kill” order in what amounts to the clearest evidence yet that East German troops were given a licence to fire on people fleeing to the West, the Times of London reported.

The written order, issued to Stasi secret service agents, states: “Don’t hesitate to use your weapon even when border breaches happen with women and children, which traitors have often exploited in the past.”

It was found by a researcher in a regional archive of Stasi documents in the city of Magdeburg. The existence of a shoot-to-kill policy has long been assumed, given that more than 1,100 people were killed trying to flee East Germany. Most were shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall and the border between East and West Germany between 1961, when the frontier was sealed with the construction of the Wall, and November 1989, when it fell.

You ever wonder why, if things were so wonderful there, it was necessary to have a wall keeping people IN? Cuba's got a wall too - only not a visible, tangible one.

If you ever wonder whether a country is repressive - see which way the people are going. For all the faults the US has, people try like hell to get here - legally or illegally. For all the supposed 'virtues' that NK or Cuba has, you don't see many people attempting to immigrate there.

Just a thought - but one that seems to be lost on a whole lot of folks who still seem very much in love with totalitarian regimes.

J.

Some are designed to keep people out. Some are designed to keep people in.

FOXNews.com - East German Border Guards Had 'Shoot-to-Kill' Orders to Stop Defections to West - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

BERLIN — Researchers have discovered a Cold War “shoot-to-kill” order in what amounts to the clearest evidence yet that East German troops were given a licence to fire on people fleeing to the West, the Times of London reported.

The written order, issued to Stasi secret service agents, states: “Don’t hesitate to use your weapon even when border breaches happen with women and children, which traitors have often exploited in the past.”

It was found by a researcher in a regional archive of Stasi documents in the city of Magdeburg. The existence of a shoot-to-kill policy has long been assumed, given that more than 1,100 people were killed trying to flee East Germany. Most were shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall and the border between East and West Germany between 1961, when the frontier was sealed with the construction of the Wall, and November 1989, when it fell.

You ever wonder why, if things were so wonderful there, it was necessary to have a wall keeping people IN? Cuba's got a wall too - only not a visible, tangible one.

If you ever wonder whether a country is repressive - see which way the people are going. For all the faults the US has, people try like hell to get here - legally or illegally. For all the supposed 'virtues' that NK or Cuba has, you don't see many people attempting to immigrate there.

Just a thought - but one that seems to be lost on a whole lot of folks who still seem very much in love with totalitarian regimes.

J.

Alan Rickman

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) (voice) .... Marvin

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) .... Severus Snape

The man's got talent, I'd say.

Saw Order of the Phoenix the other night. Nice condensation of a huge book into a fairly long film. Wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer, but that's as may be. I'm looking forward to the next two...

And for those who haven't yet figured it out ... well, let's just say Cho and Harry don't remain an item, okay? And it looks like Luna may be a slightly central character... as does Ginny Weasley...

Lucky Harry...! (Grin)

Makes me wonder, though - are the kids in the HP series going to be perpetually typecast?

Guess we'll see.

J.

Alan Rickman

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) (voice) .... Marvin

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) .... Severus Snape

The man's got talent, I'd say.

Saw Order of the Phoenix the other night. Nice condensation of a huge book into a fairly long film. Wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer, but that's as may be. I'm looking forward to the next two...

And for those who haven't yet figured it out ... well, let's just say Cho and Harry don't remain an item, okay? And it looks like Luna may be a slightly central character... as does Ginny Weasley...

Lucky Harry...! (Grin)

Makes me wonder, though - are the kids in the HP series going to be perpetually typecast?

Guess we'll see.

J.

Jamming systems play secret role in Iraq - CNN.com

CNN) -- A silent, invisible battle is being fought against roadside bombs in Iraq. Though the military doesn't like to advertise their use, electronic jamming systems are playing a key role in neutralizing the threat.

In WW2, the Norden bombsight was top secret. I suppose it could be argued the Germans knew about it - but we didn't go blather about the Norden's capabilities in the press and constantly remind the Germans and Japanese we had it.

Yeah, the bad guys know we use jammers. Isn't it great we've got a free media that can keep REMINDING them of that little tidbit?

J.

Jamming systems play secret role in Iraq - CNN.com

CNN) -- A silent, invisible battle is being fought against roadside bombs in Iraq. Though the military doesn't like to advertise their use, electronic jamming systems are playing a key role in neutralizing the threat.

In WW2, the Norden bombsight was top secret. I suppose it could be argued the Germans knew about it - but we didn't go blather about the Norden's capabilities in the press and constantly remind the Germans and Japanese we had it.

Yeah, the bad guys know we use jammers. Isn't it great we've got a free media that can keep REMINDING them of that little tidbit?

J.

The little guy is now in 4th grade. The summer passed a lot faster than I expected... but then, the years are going by faster too. It's time to be thinking about Halloween... don't know if we'll do much of anything scary or ambitious this year.

But overall - it's been a good year so far. 4th grade - school is still 'fun'. The kids are still friendly to each other, and the stresses of middle and high school are still quite a ways off. We'll see what happens... I'd like to keep him in this sort of environment until he graduates high school, but I don't know whether it's going to be possible or practical.

On the work front... we had a meeting today. Our site lead... in my observation he's stretched himself too thin. We have a trouble call queue that needs to be managed, and we've got one guy who does a great job at doing that and handling other things around the shop - but he's been put to work elsewhere. (It ain't me, by the way.) Instead, our site lead's trying to multitask - handle all the fires and concerns our shop has to deal with on a daily basis, AND try to handle the call queue, which takes a lot of concentration and attention to do it right. With a hundred and one things to handle and pulling him every which way, he's trying to juggle too much and stuff is dropping. When it does, he gets yelled at by the overall boss... and you know what flows downhill. Minor stuff becomes very large problems - and anything you do is likely to be wrong.

Delegation isn't his strong point. Don't know if I'm trusted enough to suggest he get Richard back in to handle the call queue - or make him see that he's chosen to overwork himself. He needs to shed some of his load, or we'll all suffer for it.

I've been thinking it may be time to move on. Don't really want to - I LIKE the folks out at the plant I have to take care of, and I can't hardly beat the schedule, but the atmosphere in the shop is not good... not good at all.

J.

The little guy is now in 4th grade. The summer passed a lot faster than I expected... but then, the years are going by faster too. It's time to be thinking about Halloween... don't know if we'll do much of anything scary or ambitious this year.

But overall - it's been a good year so far. 4th grade - school is still 'fun'. The kids are still friendly to each other, and the stresses of middle and high school are still quite a ways off. We'll see what happens... I'd like to keep him in this sort of environment until he graduates high school, but I don't know whether it's going to be possible or practical.

On the work front... we had a meeting today. Our site lead... in my observation he's stretched himself too thin. We have a trouble call queue that needs to be managed, and we've got one guy who does a great job at doing that and handling other things around the shop - but he's been put to work elsewhere. (It ain't me, by the way.) Instead, our site lead's trying to multitask - handle all the fires and concerns our shop has to deal with on a daily basis, AND try to handle the call queue, which takes a lot of concentration and attention to do it right. With a hundred and one things to handle and pulling him every which way, he's trying to juggle too much and stuff is dropping. When it does, he gets yelled at by the overall boss... and you know what flows downhill. Minor stuff becomes very large problems - and anything you do is likely to be wrong.

Delegation isn't his strong point. Don't know if I'm trusted enough to suggest he get Richard back in to handle the call queue - or make him see that he's chosen to overwork himself. He needs to shed some of his load, or we'll all suffer for it.

I've been thinking it may be time to move on. Don't really want to - I LIKE the folks out at the plant I have to take care of, and I can't hardly beat the schedule, but the atmosphere in the shop is not good... not good at all.

J.

2007 July 15 � strange maps

What if the land-water ratio were upside down?

Interesting cartographical finds at this site...

Enjoy!

J.

2007 July 15 � strange maps

What if the land-water ratio were upside down?

Interesting cartographical finds at this site...

Enjoy!

J.

WorldNetDaily: Bishop urges Christians to call God 'Allah'

Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

The Almighty is above such "discussion and bickering," he insisted.
Muskens points to Indonesia, where he served 30 years ago, as an example for Dutch churches. Christians in the Middle East also use the term Allah for God.

"Someone like me has prayed to Allah yang maha kuasa (Almighty God) for eight years in Indonesia and other priests for 20 or 30 years," Muskens said. "In the heart of the Eucharist, God is called Allah over there, so why can't we start doing that together?"

Damn. 6 years back, I was pretty certain that Islamic funadmentalism wouldn't gain any real footholds in the West. I didn't think that there would be folks who, in the name of accomodation and 'just trying to get along', would give in to it without even attempting to fight.

Mark Steyn has it right. "At what point do you stop?" If enough Islamic organizations raise a significant stink, would there be people advocating Dutch girls be forced into burquas?

Or should we simply dismantle our culture (with all it's faults, foibles and fantasies) and go wholly into a 7th-Century social order?

Islam's going to have to learn to coexist. And if that means calling 'God' 'God' instead of 'Allah' - if they believe it's the same deity then let them translate it in their own minds.

And coexistance doesn't mean giving in to every demand.

The Corner on National Review Online

"Hospital staff in the Lothians have been told not to eat at their desks to avoid offending Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. NHS Lothian has advised doctors and other health workers not to have working lunches during the 30-day fast, which begins next month. The health service's Equality and Diversity Officer sent an e-mail to all senior managers, giving guidance on religious tolerance."

There's really nothing more to say about this story at this point, so I'll just let it stand there as a symbol, both absurd and ominous, of the mess in which Britain now finds itself.

One bite at a time. Of course, it really helps if the elephant cuts off little bits of itself.

J.

WorldNetDaily: Bishop urges Christians to call God 'Allah'

Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

The Almighty is above such "discussion and bickering," he insisted.
Muskens points to Indonesia, where he served 30 years ago, as an example for Dutch churches. Christians in the Middle East also use the term Allah for God.

"Someone like me has prayed to Allah yang maha kuasa (Almighty God) for eight years in Indonesia and other priests for 20 or 30 years," Muskens said. "In the heart of the Eucharist, God is called Allah over there, so why can't we start doing that together?"

Damn. 6 years back, I was pretty certain that Islamic funadmentalism wouldn't gain any real footholds in the West. I didn't think that there would be folks who, in the name of accomodation and 'just trying to get along', would give in to it without even attempting to fight.

Mark Steyn has it right. "At what point do you stop?" If enough Islamic organizations raise a significant stink, would there be people advocating Dutch girls be forced into burquas?

Or should we simply dismantle our culture (with all it's faults, foibles and fantasies) and go wholly into a 7th-Century social order?

Islam's going to have to learn to coexist. And if that means calling 'God' 'God' instead of 'Allah' - if they believe it's the same deity then let them translate it in their own minds.

And coexistance doesn't mean giving in to every demand.

The Corner on National Review Online

"Hospital staff in the Lothians have been told not to eat at their desks to avoid offending Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. NHS Lothian has advised doctors and other health workers not to have working lunches during the 30-day fast, which begins next month. The health service's Equality and Diversity Officer sent an e-mail to all senior managers, giving guidance on religious tolerance."

There's really nothing more to say about this story at this point, so I'll just let it stand there as a symbol, both absurd and ominous, of the mess in which Britain now finds itself.

One bite at a time. Of course, it really helps if the elephant cuts off little bits of itself.

J.

Internet Archive: Details: What To Do In A Zombie Attack

AKA "There goes the Neigborhood".

Kind of snide and snarky, but fun in an odd way.

Enjoy!

J.

Internet Archive: Details: What To Do In A Zombie Attack

AKA "There goes the Neigborhood".

Kind of snide and snarky, but fun in an odd way.

Enjoy!

J.

Could be. You gotta wonder... well, no. I guess you don't. I'm just tossing this up because I thought it was curious. Nevada's never been seen as a 'must-win' state in the primaries, as far as I can remember - not like the NE states and Iowa.

Edwards Moving Staff Out of Nevada

WASHINGTON (AP) - Presidential hopeful John Edwards is moving staff out of Nevada to focus on other early voting states as he deals with limited resources and uncertainty about the Western state's prominence in deciding the Democratic nomination.

The Edwards campaign said Wednesday that the Nevada staffers were being relocated to New Hampshire, South Carolina and in particular Iowa, where he is hoping a victory will propel him to the nomination. The campaign would not disclose how many staffers were being moved and neither would Edwards in a telephone interview.

Any more, the elections are an endurance test - on the part of the audience as much as the candidate.

J.

Could be. You gotta wonder... well, no. I guess you don't. I'm just tossing this up because I thought it was curious. Nevada's never been seen as a 'must-win' state in the primaries, as far as I can remember - not like the NE states and Iowa.

Edwards Moving Staff Out of Nevada

WASHINGTON (AP) - Presidential hopeful John Edwards is moving staff out of Nevada to focus on other early voting states as he deals with limited resources and uncertainty about the Western state's prominence in deciding the Democratic nomination.

The Edwards campaign said Wednesday that the Nevada staffers were being relocated to New Hampshire, South Carolina and in particular Iowa, where he is hoping a victory will propel him to the nomination. The campaign would not disclose how many staffers were being moved and neither would Edwards in a telephone interview.

Any more, the elections are an endurance test - on the part of the audience as much as the candidate.

J.

YouTube - BadAss Marine

She called...

She called...

Blacks, Whites...wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philipenes, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitans, waitin' Hispanics y'all.

Please be paitent
Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezualean, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city
skyline when the twin towers still existed.
But still She called.

J.

YouTube - BadAss Marine

She called...

She called...

Blacks, Whites...wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philipenes, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitans, waitin' Hispanics y'all.

Please be paitent
Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezualean, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city
skyline when the twin towers still existed.
But still She called.

J.

Over at a friend's house last night, we got to talking about some rather odd stuff. The talk turned to power generation - and I remarked that if I were to win the lottery (currently up to $171 million) I'd see about putting some of it to bankrolling Robert Bussard's Electrostatic Fusion concept. It's a blue-sky idea that showed some real promise, and it'd be interesting to see what would happen if the project were fed with a firehose instead of a garden hose. ($30 millon or so guaranteed over 5 years, instead of $2 million on an iffy basis.)

I do think we need to get off oil ASAP - but our current political systems are such that waiting for goverment to do it all (or even partially) is foolish. Just look at how long it's taken to get drilling started in ANWR - or building either new refineries or additional capacity in existing ones, despite the fact that for many years we've been faced with limitations in our distilling and refining chains and an increased dependence on imported oil.

Yeah, it's fine to gripe and pontificate about it in Congress, but have you noticed that there's never any movement on the issue? Apparently the problems aren't important enough to actually SOLVE, as long as some political use can be made of them. (And our politicians preferences must be taken into account, as the cancelled wind farm off Kennebunkport proves. NIMBY isn't just a theoretical concept - it's a very real problem...)

One thing OTPU (who was there) mentioned was that at the present time it's just about economically feasible to take coal and oil shale and convert it into heavy crude. The process is, unfortunately, energy intensive to a point where breakeven is quite difficult. So - why not use a pebble bed reactor/generator system to provide the electricity? There's companies ready to build them - but the current political situation again is iffy.

Part of the problem is that just as the internet enables the generation of self-assembling expert systems, the same occurs with self-assembling 'idiot' systems. You see a lot of it on the political side of things, where it doesn't matter what FACTS are, FEELINGS are much more important, and immediate reaction to and alleviation of those feelings is much more important than whether the action is proper, well-considered, and appropriate for both the short and long term.

One term that was bandied about was 'radioactivity'. To you or I (or anyone knowledgeable about the subject) it's pretty clear there are degrees of radioactivity. We're familiar enough with the subject to understand the concept of the half-life, that there's radioactive elements in darn near everything (including a granite countertop) and that it's the dose that does the damage.

But not everyone does. Radiation isn't a binary sort of thing, in that if there's any sort of radioactivity around you're gonna die a horrible death. You have to factor in the half-life of the material, and something with a half-life of four or five hours is a heck of a lot worse to have around than something with a half-life of 4.5x10⁹ years.

However, it seems to some that half-life doesn't matter, and the longer the half-life the more proof there is that the stuff's deadly. There's degrees of radiation exposure, and what's considered safe in one circumstance would be considered dangerous in another.

Radiation and Nuclear Energy Interestingly, due to the substantial amounts of granite in their construction, many public buildings including Australia's Parliament House and New York Grand Central Station, would have some difficulty in getting a licence to operate if they were nuclear power stations.

One thing that just struck me... drop the price the Saudis get per barrel to a half or a third of what they get now - and what happens in the ME? The ramifications are interesting indeed...

Another idea that was bandied about were MHD generators. They weren't ready for prime time in the '60's, but with their ability to burn even the dirtiest coal, perhaps they should be looked at again. One thing that OTPU mentioned last night was that apparently scrubber residues and byproducts from current power plants are of significant value. And I found this...

Clean Coal Technology Byproducts as Treatment Chemicals for Hazardous Wastes

In the fall of 1994 the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) embarked upon a two-phase program for the evaluation of the use of by-products from three advanced clean coal technologies, which have been installed recently at U.S. coal-fired utility and cogeneration plants, as treatment chemicals for metal-laden hazardous wastes. Treaters of metal-laden hazardous wastes generally use inexpensive chemical by-products, such as the calcium oxide manufactured in the production of acetylene from calcium carbide, to provide alkalinity for stabilizing metal ions which are mobile under the more acidic conditions present in the untreated wastes. They may also include a cementitious material, such as portland cement, to encapsulate small particles of concentrated hazardous species. By-products from advanced clean coal technologies, which are now being installed throughout the electric power sector, contain high levels of both alkalinity and pozzolanicity.