Rusted Sky

YouTube - Lord of the Rings in 5 seconds

Hobbits. Hmpf.

J.

YouTube - Barack Obama & the DC School Voucher Program

Barack Obama & the DC School Voucher Program: The president says he wants to do 'what's best for kids.' So why won't he save a proven program that helps low-income students?"

Unsustainable.

J.

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a title="Iran Launches Airstrikes on Iraqi Villages | Danger Room" href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/iran-launches-airstrikes-on-iraqi-villages/">Iran Launches Airstrikes on Iraqi Villages | Danger Room

Iranian aircraft attacked three villages inside Iraq over the weekend. The airstrikes — Iran’s first on Iraqi soil since the U.S. invasion — could complicate the Obama administration’s efforts to normalize relations with Tehran.

“The bombardments appeared to have targeted the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish separatist group which has launched attacks on Iran from rear-supply bases in the mountains of northern Iraq,” AFP reports. Iran has attacked the Kurdish group before, with artillery. But this is the first time the Iranians followed up, with assaults from the air.

Or will he go "Hey, not our problem - the Iraqis need to learn to deal with their neighbors. We will advise, but not take any action ourselves."

My bet is on the first.

j.

It's convenient, isn't it?

Bank of America, Citigroup, GMAC Need More Capital (Correct) - Bloomberg.com

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co. and GMAC LLC are among the companies judged to need additional capital according to results of regulators’ stress tests on the 19 largest U.S. banks.

Bank of America has the biggest shortfall, at $34 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Citigroup’s requirement for deeper reserves to offset potential losses over the coming two years is about $5 billion, people with knowledge of that bank’s results said. Wells Fargo requires about $15 billion, while GMAC’s need is $11.5 billion, one person said.

And I really don't think this is a good idea.

If you take a system that works, and then give it a good solid kick while both yanking out parts and adding other bits and pieces in various places, you're unlikely to end up with a system that produces what you're desiring... unless, that is, your desired system is something not resembling what you started out with.

While it’s unlikely to influence day-to-day operations, the government won’t be a “hands-off” investor and will take steps to ensure that management is “effective,” Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told lawmakers yesterday.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs today suggested that the Obama administration may seek management changes at some banks. Officials will want to “ensure that going forward they felt that the management was in place to remedy the situation and ensure long-term viability without continued government assistance,” he said.

What could POSSIBLY go wrong with having government take over BoA?

J.

Megan McArdle knows considerably more about banking and investment than most people. And she's worried.

The Price of the King's Shilling - Megan McArdle

Apparently, the $34 billion figure is good news because BAC has all those preferreds at Treasury that can be converted to common stock, leaving Treasury with $34 billion of common and $11 billion of preferreds. But Joe Weisenthal asks a good question:I

f this is how the conversion goes, and the bank does pay off the remaining $11 billion over the next year or so, are they considered to have repayed TARP? How does a bank that's taken the conversion ever actually repay the TARP?

This is troubling, because it's now clear that the worry many of us had at the time of the bank bailouts has come true: the government is using its intervention in the banking system to pressure banks to give special deals to the government's special friends.

(The government is apparently still taking the line that they are only intervening because the automakers are splendid, robust companies that got caught in a "perfect storm". If so, Chrysler must be stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, because owners have been playing "hot potato" with its dying brands for most of the last decade.)

Countries that use their banking systems this way don't get good results. If you're a fairly uncorrupt developed country, you get slower growth and bloated "critical" sectors that are usually more critical in providing campaign support, lavishly remunerated make-work jobs, and photo ops, than any products the public actually wants. Then, if something like Japan happens, you have a twenty-year "lost decade" while everyone pretends as hard as hard can be that everything is all right, in the sincere but misguided believe that wishing hard enough will make it so.

One of the things I learned a long time ago was that you couldn't fix something without knowing how it was supposed to operate correctly in the first place - and sometimes things just don't scale up (or down.) the way you expect. Obama's starting to act like an 'electrician' who doesn't know anything about electricity - but he took a flashlight apart once - who has to figure out the wiring AND plumbing systems for the Sears Tower in Chicago.

I wish I could feel confident that he's got a clue - but then again...

J.

American Home Sheild provides our home warranty. And we've been a bit dubious about having it - since the home is pretty well broken in, and all we really have to worry about is major trouble like the air conditioning breaking down. We've been expecting THAT - since the exterior units were ancient when we bought the house, but the inside units are in pretty good shape. We've had 'em come out every other year or so and add freon, but that's been it.

Until this year. One compressor/condensor failed completely.

We called AHS(tb) and had Airmax, Inc come out. The tech went upstairs and down, found DC control voltage wasn't going to the external unit. He diagnosed a faulty control line, also that the condensor needed to be replacing. He wrote it all up, I paid and he left. I didn't hear anything from either AirMax or AHS(tb) - and late the next day called AHS(tb). They told me they denied the claim, weren't going to do anything, because the exterior unit was found with covers off, it looked like someone was rewiring the external unit, and it hadn't been maintained properly.

I disputed it - and they sent someone out for a free second opinion. The tech came out, looked at the unit, said he'd recommend replacement. He didn't check the upstairs unit, checked voltages and said they were good, said it was obvious the external unit needed to be replaced. I asked him twice if the upstairs unit needed to be checked, and he said no.

I called AHS(tb) two days later. The claim was denied. The technician reported the upstairs air filter was completely clogged, causing the failure of the external condensor. The external unit hadn't been properly maintained, w/professional cleaning and acid washing of the coils.

I reported what had actually gone on - but the end result is the same, the claim has been denied.

At this point, I'm writing a complaint to the BBB and cancelling our home warranty with AHS(tb). We've paid in good faith, and from what I've been able to find it's apparently rare that AHS(tb) actually pays for an air conditioning claim other than a freon recharge. All the tech has to state is that the unit hasn't been 'properly maintained', and you'll get denied. Sweet, eh? You're out a service fee AND your annual payment.

Any suggestions as to competent heating and air folks? I've been looking on Kudzu.com - and from the reviews it looks like Cool Masters and Atlanta HVAC are the top runners. Any opinions?

J.

Obama was a blank screen that people projected their fantasies on. And... the fantasy wasn't anywhere near the reality.

Barack Obama's rich supporters fear his tax plans show he's a class warrior - Telegraph

Wealthy Wall Street financiers and other business figures provided crucial support for Mr Obama during the election, backing him over the Republican candidate John McCain as the right leader to rescue the collapsing US economy.

But it is now dawning on many among them that Mr Obama was serious about his campaign trail promises to bring root and branch reform to corporate America - and that they were more than just election rhetoric.

They voted for 'change' expecting things would stay pretty much the same.

A top Obama fundraiser and hedge fund manager said: "I'm appalled at the anti-Wall Street rhetoric. It was OK on the campaign but now it's the real world. I'm surprised that Obama is turning out to be so left-wing. He's a real class warrior."

Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute, a free enterprise think tank, said Democrats in Congress were unnerved by the president's latest plan to raise $210 billion over 10 years from multinational corporations.

That's a great way to ensure their continuing support, isn't it?

Boston, Seattle and Silicon Valley, where Democrats dominate," Mr Edwards said. "Obama's tax plan is already cleaving him from his big corporate supporters," he said.

Mr Obama made no secret of his plans to raise taxes on the "working rich" (individuals earning more than $200,000) by imposing a top income tax rate of almost 40 per cent, and there is little surprise that those plans remain on track, even during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

But Democratic opposition is building in Congress to many of the President's proposals. A plan to reduce tax deductions for charitable gifts by richer people may have to be scrapped, because the charitable sector - which includes hospitals, museums and voluntary service groups - depends heavily on tax-deducted donations.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the 2010 elections. I'm thinking the Democrats are really going to see the result of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for - because you might get it."

J.

NASA Approves Partial Privatization of the Space Program - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

NASA's critics have long asked: Why does the space agency need to design and build its own rockets and spacecraft?
When the Justice Department or the Centers for Disease Control want to send employees somewhere, they don't specify the aircraft types, let alone design the airframes, engines and avionics. They just buy plane tickets.

Even the military finds it cheaper to use civilian aircraft for certain missions. So why should space transportation be any different?

NASA's beginning to agree. For the first time, after nearly a half century of building its own rockets and orbiters, it has approved the outsourcing of some of the equipment that enables its manned space missions to private contractors.

J.

Teaching a child wha's right and wrong starts at an early age. And all blathering about "well, 'right and wrong' are subjective, not objective" aside, there's things you don't do because you're going to get into a MASSIVE amount of trouble if you get caught - and being stupid almost assures you WILL be caught.

(You also don't spit into the wind, tug on Superman's cape, pull the mask of the ol' Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with Jim. But I digress.)

Finding a son's lawbreaking 'amusing' isn't doing him any good.

Mom Outraged by Son's Arrest Reportedly Knew of His Web Stardom for Phone Threats - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

When a North Carolina woman accused the federal government last week of abusing the Patriot Act to imprison her teenage son for allegedly making bomb threats, the mother's allegation caused quite an uproar, including calls to free 16-year-old Ashton Lundeby.

But a new report by Wired News suggests that, not only was the teenager an online superstar in rogue tech communities for his prank phone calls, but his mother may have known all along that the boy was conspiring with others to make bomb threats.

On the bad side - he's REALLY screwed up his life. No do-overs, no second chances for phoned-in bomb threats... he's ruined his life.

An Australian college student who told Wired News that he tipped off the FBI about Ashton said Annette Lundeby knew exactly what her son was doing.

"His mother knew that he was making calls, because she'd come on the microphone when he was talking and tell him not to do any bomb threats because the house was going to get raided," the student told Wired News.

(By the way, this HAS been talked over with the little guy. Why? Well, for his birthday, he got a netbook. Cell phone, netbook - he's got much cooler toys than I did at that age!)

J.

Unless you're the US government. First, a quick explanation.

Hemorrhaging - Especially Uncle Sam « Maenianum Secundum

The Biblical-proportion deficit predictions we’ve been hearing about are based on spending targets, but more importantly, on receipt targets. If spending is more than budgeted, the deficits will be larger, but only if receipts come in as expected. If receipts are greater than expected, then the deficits will be smaller than predicted (that was the Reagan-era phenomenon). If receipts are lower than expected, then the deficit will be larger. If both are off, such as spending being more than budgeted, and receipts are less than predicted, the deficit death spiral will be enormous.

And that is exactly what is happening, at such an accelerated rate that the economy is contracting… for the first time in decades and decades.

In September 2008, many people saw the writing on the wall, and began preparing for a Democratic-controlled Congress and a Democrat in the Oval Office. Unlike the Carter dormancy period (the months leading up to his win and the months before he took the Oath of Office), business had no experience with which to forecast how a Democratic Congress and President would behave. This time, we knew.

In those months before Carter took office, it was as if no one could see that the train wreck was about to happen, but this time, especially since Obama's Chicago-style ideology was clear to anyone who'd read more than one book in their lives, businesses (and individuals) had a warning of the future train wreck.

Business began shedding workers immediately, and moving their investments/cash in preparation. The only thing that has been surprising is how quickly the train wreck occurred, and how large the death toll.

This was a much bigger train, and the conductor wasn't simply asleep at the wheel, he was purposely running the engine at full throttle.

But just how bad is it?

There's graphs at the link - they're pretty bad.

Apparently April 2009 receipts are down almost 40% from last year.

Not four percent - forty.

From BizzyBlog.Com

And the press doesn't seem to have caught on yet that something's been chopping on the money tree. You'd think that tax receipts being down that much would have been noticed, right?

I guess not - in Obama's fantasy-land where corporations and the rich can be tapped for everything they've got and then some. But in reality? It doesn't work that way. A business has to have a fair expectation of being able to STAY in business, and they've got to make a PROFIT to do so. Making it harder for businesses to stay in business, making it 'evil' to make a profit - well, they ain't in business because they couldn't make it on the government dole.

There are a thousand reasons why Federal receipts are down, but the one that is most interesting is the attitude towards government effect. Our attitude about how our government is doing can be good or bad, depending on how we side on the issues. If we feel that government is doing a good job, we’re more likely to prepare our tax returns and calculate our withholding based on an optimistic outcome (taking fewer risks). The reverse is also true: when we believe that the government is doing a bad job or mishandling our tax dollars, we will take riskier deductions on our tax return, as well as calculate our withholding in such a way as to prepare for a bad financial year (to hold back as much cash as possible), or with the intent to starve/punish the beast.

Whether intentional or not, the beast is being starved. If the Federal receipts continue to hemorrhage, the deficit predictions will be wildly understated. Unlike you and me, where we would reduce our spending in the face of lower receipts, the government, especially this government, will do no such thing.

Well - folks wanted 'change'. With luck, they'll have some left by the time Obama gets done.

J.

Deficits soar even with rosy assumptions in new Obama budget | McClatchy

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday projected 2009 and 2010 federal budget deficits far higher than it forecast just two and a half months ago, even as it continued to defy most experts and predict that the economy is headed for a strong comeback starting late this year.

Economists scoffed at the latest administration predictions.

"If they keep playing this game, they're going to have real credibility problems," predicted Brian Bethune, the chief U.S. financial economist at IHS Global Insight, an economic research firm.

Credibility is pretty much the last thing that the Obama administration's worried about. They're convinced that they're untouchable for the next three election cycles - possibly longer, and that there's no POSSIBILITY of an organized movement to shove them out of power. They control the organizations, you see - the unions, ACORN, and the media - and he who controls the organizations controls the narrative.

Shape the narrative, and you have the control.

Are they right? Will the people actually let them FUBAR the economy? Guess we'll see - but with the tea parties, I'm not convinced that'd be the way to bet.

J.

And I liked it.

Warning - Here be Spoilers...

Okay?

There were a few scenes that didn't quite add up for me on it - the 'All Cadets To The Starships!' bit and the stuff going on in the hangar bay didn't work for me, but it was a decent background for what McCoy kept doing to Kirk to get him on board the Enterprise... (I always thought those hyposprays would hurt, based on my own experience with the jet injectors used in the military) and was pretty comical besides. The swollen hands... then the swollen tongue... wonder if Starfleet has malpractice coverage?

Other than that - boy, that was a fast two hours! Lots of iconic lines, lots of throwaway stuff you wouldn't really catch unless you were at least knowledgeable about the various series (anyone else catch the line about Admiral Archer's dog?) but worked ANYWAY - (Scotty using the dog as a test subject in interstellar teleportation which, um, hadn't shown up yet...) and then there was the final confrontation where Kirk (in the best tradition of Starfleet) offered to rescue the chief villain from certain death in a singularity - who then said he'd rather die than accept help.

Kirk shrugged. And ordered all weapons turned on the bad guy's ship.

There might be some who would take exception to this... but the bad guy had just killed 6 billion people, did in a whole lot of StarFleet ships, AND killed Kirk's dad. So - vengeance? Or simply making sure all the chunks of ship being eaten by the singularity were of a size to be easily consumed? (IE recycling... thus showing proper environmental sensitivities...)

I think it was simple recycling, myself. (grin)

All in all, it was a heck of a ride, and a VERY good reboot of the whole idea. Now we've got a 'young' crew, ready for new adventures, and those adventures aren't limited by the canon already established.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the DVD when it comes out - AND the next movie!

J.

THE CASUALTY CON - New York Post

THE most effective weapon terrorists have found to wield against us isn't the headline-grabbing suicide bomber or even the deadly roadside bomb, the IED.

Such weapons can harm us, but they can't stop us. Terror's super-weapon is the lie.

Lying about civilian casualties is the one sure way to impede or even halt US (or Israeli) operations, to force such tight restrictions on our troops that they can't win.

The casualty con's so effective as both propaganda and tactic that terrorists everywhere have adopted the technique. It's been so successful that our enemies long ago transitioned to the next phase: creating civilian casualties and blaming us.

Yeah. Right. So the damn narrative goes - and I'm tired of it. We're backed into a scenario in which there's NO way to win, and the only way to get out of it is to refuse to play the 'We so bad, we so sorry' game. The media sure won't bother to investigate - they KNOW the score.

Few journalists bother to investigate. If the Taliban, al Qaeda, Hezbollah or Hamas says it, it must be so. In Media Wonderland, terrorists never lie. Now every successful strike on a Taliban target generates the instant claim that the dead were all civilians.

And it isn't just the media who back the Taliban. The Obama administration -- a case study in instant foreign-policy ineptitude -- signs up, too.

This week, Taliban terrorists publicly beheaded three civilians in Afghanistan's Farah province, then herded women and children into compounds from which they fought government forces and US advisers.

With a vicious ground battle under way, the Talibs knew attack aircraft would appear. According to military sources, they set up the target. And, just in case, they slaughtered those women and children with grenades before any aircraft appeared. The entire massacre was a planned media event.

And who gets blamed? Not the Taliban. Before the smoke cleared, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was apologizing. (Apologizing is one thing this administration does with real enthusiasm.)

I guess part of the problem is that they really and truely DON'T believe the US is a force for good. They really DO believe that we're the problem - and if we just roll over everything will be right with the world.

(Shakes head.)

You know, it's all so messed up on so many levels it'll take decades to clean up. IF it's even possible - if there were the will to do it. But for decades we've been teaching kids that the US ISN'T anything special, the media's been pushing hard the idea that WE are the bad guys.

I'm not sure the will is there. We're fragmented, divided. And it's hard to stand like that...

J.

Or bureaucrats - which may or may not be the same thing...

FDA Blasts General Mills Over Cheerios Claim - wcbstv.com

NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The Food and Drug Administration scolded the makers of Cheerios about the way they promote the cereal's health benefits. The FDA sent a letter of warning to General Mills accusing them of making unauthorized health claims.

Current boxes of Cheerios are touting what the company calls exciting news -- the cereal's ability to help lower cholesterol 10 percent in one month.

"My mother actually eats it every day, seven days a week for breakfast to lower her cholesterol," Staten Island resident Lauren Schwam said.

According to a letter from the FDA General Mills' advertising violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The agency said claims that Cheerios ingredients can lower cholesterol within a certain amount of time, all while providing cancer-fighting and heart-healthy benefits, essentially makes Cheerios "a drug" by their definition. And no drug in this country can be legally marketed without an approved new drug application.

J.

It's pretty much a given that if you're technologically ept you're going to eventually get a cell phone. And once you're with a carrier, you're probably going to stay with that carrier until they either goout of business or you're past the need for a cell phone.

So - the companies WANT your business. As such, you can get some pretty sweet phones for little layout. Sign a two-year contract, and you're set - you can pick out all sorts of phones.

Since I got the little guy and my lovely bride new cell phones recently, I've been looking at getting something myself. Their phones are too large, IMHO, but I wanted something that was fairly capable. I was thinking about getting a Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220, but couldn't bring myself to shell out about $150 for it, even if I'd get $100 back as a rebate. Then the price dropped - and I'd be able to get it for free, by sending in for a $50 rebate.

That was almost good enough... but just almost. I don't like rebates - I'd rather they not play games like that. My current phone was doing fine - no need for a rebate.

Then - I went to WalMart. And they had the phone I was looking for... for free. (Well, with a 2-year extension, and I was going to be extending anyway...)

Sign me up, Wally! I wasn't expecting to get one today - but so far I'm pretty satisfied with it. The camera's about as I expected, but the screen's NICE.

So if you're a TMobile subscriber, and your contrat's up for renewal, you might want to check this out.

BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 (T-Mobile) | LetsTalk.com

You'll be paying a monthly fee anyway - why not get a phone you'll like?

J.

I've been a blood donor for about... 36 years now. Total? I think about 60 pints, possibly more. Lately I've been giving what they call 'double reds' where they take out about two pints worth of red cells and separate them, then shove the plasma and platelets back into my vein.

Tried something different - the donor center said they needed platelets, so this time I gave a grand total of one unit (or pint equivalent) of red cells, a unit of platelets, and a unit of plasma. I think it's a trifle more than a pint in all, but they also had an IV going so it all balances out.

I've not had any real problems with giving blood, other than the one time I watched them put the needle in, so I wasn't expecting anything this time. But about an hour after it was finished, after I was home and about midway through my dinner, I started getting light-headed and had to go and get my feet up to help out with it... Delayed shock, I wonder? Or a reaction to the anti-coagulant they used? (There was a notification sheet about that, by the way...)

Well - I'll continue giving blood. Don't know about doing the platelet thing again, however. But we'll see. I believe it's worthwhile, and not difficult - so who knows?

J.

President Obama refuses to meet with Governor Gibbons about tourism comments - KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:.

Carson City - The Office of Governor Jim Gibbons was notified today that President Barack Obama has refused to meet with the Governor and key business leaders from Nevada. Governor Gibbons requested the meeting in a letter to President Obama so the President could address statements he made that were critical to Nevada and have caused economic damage to convention business and tourism business in the Silver State. Earlier this year, the President told an audience in Elkhart, Indiana, "You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime." That quote was seen by many as an insult to Las Vegas and as a message to companies across the Nation to stay away from Las Vegas for corporate meetings and conventions.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reports over 400 conventions and business meetings scheduled to take place in Las Vegas recently have cancelled. These cancelled events translate into 111,800 guests in Las Vegas and over 250,000 "room-nights". The cancelled conventions and meetings have cost the Las Vegas economy over $100-million, not including gaming revenue.

"I am disappointed at the hypocrisy shown by this Administration," Gibbons said, "President Obama is coming to Las Vegas later this month for a political fundraiser, but he will not help the struggling families in Las Vegas and Nevada who are out of work because of his reckless comments." Governor Gibbons noted, "President Obama is coming to Las Vegas to raise campaign cash for Senator Harry Reid, apparently our money is good enough for the President, but our tourism, jobs, and economic future are not." Gibbons added, "This is politics, pure and simple, President Obama stood for change, but all he has done is brought negative economic change to Nevada."

But when you're President? Then things are different. A minor comment can have repercussions FAR outside the immediate environment - and you've got no way to tell what's going to be inferred from an offhand remark.

The problem is - I think Obama cannot stand to be out of the spotlight. He's a political performer, and he's in the best venue possible. There's NO bigger stage possible!

But he hasn't figured out yet that his words have consequences, and it's very possible to be OVER-exposed on the public stage...

I think we're going to see more like this - where he makes a mistake, and then ignores the people trying to get him to correct it. Because one part of being an actor in the role of President is self-confidence. You DON'T make mistakes - it's part of the role. The possibility of error never crosses your mind, and if anyone suggest it... you ignore them, or have the media take them down.

It's been less than 6 months. The next few years should be real interesting, shouldn't they?

J.

I do not think they really understand the concept...

The Associated Press: Schwarzenegger's 3rd budget reform attempt flops

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to permanently fix California's "broken budget system." But three times now he has tried and failed to smooth out the state's roller coaster revenues.

Voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected his latest effort, a package of budget-balancing measures that he promised would provide a short-term patch for the current financial crisis and prevent further catastrophe in the future.

Instead, he now faces a $21.3 billion budget deficit and a budget system that has not changed a bit since he took office nearly six years ago.

This seems to be an unknown concept with states, and our government.

I believe the priorities should be as follows:

High:
Police/Fire/Emergency Services
Schools
Transportation infrastructure and maintenance.
Public Health (NOT to include addiction maintenance. Basic epidemiology and disease control? Certainly. Methadone clinics? No - those are low priority.)

Low:
Everything Else

And in times of fiscal stress - low-priority stuff gets chopped as needed.

It's really not a difficult concept - you have to separate 'need' from 'want' in your everyday budget. There isn't going to be enough money for everything you WANT, but there'd better be for what you NEED - and you've got to be able to tell the difference with some accuracy.

The government however, (state or federal) seems to have a bit of trouble with that...

Well, at least out in California the sheep are objecting to being skinned. We'll see if it spreads.

J.

Obama Approves Plans for U.S.-UAE Nuclear Power Deal - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

President Barack Obama has approved plans for the U.S. to help the United Arab Emirates become the first Arab nation with a nuclear power industry that will fuel the country's growing demand for electricity.
Obama's official backing of the pact, known as a "123 agreement," is praised by pro-business groups that say U.S. companies are now in the running for major construction work connected to the $41 billion project.Sigh.

I'm starting to think the folks in Washington are actually anticipating the shortages of power we're likely to experience once we shift off reliable fossil fuels and switch to 'green' sources like solar and wind.

I'm also thinking they're starting to emulate a masochist who REALLY enjoys being strangled slowly. Are we committing energy and economic slow-suffication suicide so our politically correct elite can get their rocks off?

(Because it sure doesn't seem like they're trying to avoid trouble either economically or on the energy front... in fact, they seem to be facilitating it rather eagerly... so you've got to wonder, do they get a thrill at the thought of rolling blackouts, or gas back up past $4 a gallon? You know THEY won't feel the pinch...)

J.

Ancient Gem-Studded Teeth Show Skill of Early Dentists

May 18, 2009—The glittering "grills" of some hip-hop stars aren't exactly unprecedented. Sophisticated dentistry allowed Native Americans to add bling to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, a new study says.

Ancient peoples of southern North America went to "dentists"—among the earliest known—to beautify their chompers with notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (such as the skull above, found in Chiapas, Mexico).

J.

Sobbing Kindergarteners Snubbed for Steelers? | NBC Washington#comments#comments

President Obama enjoys his new Steelers jersey after making children cry.

"We were going to the White House, but we couldn’t get in so I felt sad," 5-year-old Cameron Stine said.

Parents say they were just 10 minutes late for their scheduled tour. School officials say White House staff said they needed to get ready for the president's event with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, so they couldn't come in.

Our President. Classy - and compassionate. Aren't we lucky?

J.

Update on Disney’s TOMORROWLAND Movie Starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

I’m in Las Vegas attending the press junket for the VERY funny Warner Bros. movie “The Hangover”. While I’ll have interviews with the cast and filmmakers in the coming days, screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore were just in our room and they gave us a brief update on the “Tomorrowland” movie they are writing for Disney.

According to the two writers, they are turning in a script in about three weeks to the studio and the film is set to star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as a character named Rip. Here’s what Scott Moore said about the movie, “His character’s name is Rip and he plays a present day test pilot who tests a plane and gets shot into the future and he is sort of a fish out of water in the future. So he has to figure out how everything works and along the way the people of the future don’t know who he is, so they think he is a bad guy bent on destroying the future. Rip is sort of on the run.”

He went on to call it, “a sci-fi/action/comedy. Disney had a lot of success with Pirates of the Caribbean, so this is their Pirates movie in space.”

When asked what kind of future it’s going to be he said, “Our goal of the vision of the future is that it’s the best future. It’s not post apocalyptic or dark and gritty – it’s everything you wish you could have. Every gadget, device and car…that’s what it’s like in this future. So the future is really great.”

/snark

Seriously - if they do it right it could be a whole lot of fun. And the Rock has turned into a rather interesting general-purpose movie star. A solid performer, to be sure... and one I'm willing to pay theater prices to see.

J.

IEEE Spectrum: 25 Microchips That Shook the World

Just think - without them, we'd be a whole lot less wired!

J.

Is it a Death Trap looking for a place to land?

Or, as was theorized in a comment - "I think the theory with the midget cars is; if you die on impact then there won't be any healthcare cost for your recovery."

I think I'll pass on getting a Smart Car. The risks and inconveniences seem to massively outweigh the benefits.

Of course, with Obama running the show we may have no choice.

J.

Jimmy Carter 2.

Is Obama Another Jimmy Carter? - Forbes.com

During the U.S. Presidential primaries last year, I had expressed my misgivings that Barack Obama might turn out to be another Jimmy Carter, whose confused thinking and soft image paved the way for the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The subsequent Iranian defiance of the U.S. and Carter's inability to deal effectively with the crisis in which Iranian students raided the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and held a number of U.S. diplomats hostage led to disillusionment with him in sections of the U.S. and to his failure to get re-elected in 1980. The strong line taken by him against the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet troops towards the end of 1979 did not help him in wiping out the image of a soft and confused president.

Obama reminds me of Jimmy Carter. an awful lot of people have put an awful lot of trust in him - and whether it is warranted or not, we're stuck with the poor sap for the next few years.

Maybe Obama will surprise us all - in a good way. I don't think he will - but...

J.

Happy Memorial Day.

J.

One of the most depressing books I've read recently, John McPhee's "The Curve of Binding Energy", details the life and education of Theodore B. Taylor, who was exceedingly inventive when it comes to nuclear weaponry.

Given a supply of enriched uranium hexafloride, and a couple thousand dollars worth of over-the-counter chemistry supplies, Taylor saw no difficulty at all in putting together a Hiroshima-level device.

Apparently North Korea has figured out what it takes also, judging by the incident on Memorial Day, and their new belligerent posture.

Coming on the heels of Obama announcing cuts in weapons systems, being conciliatory to our enemies and snubbing our friends - I'm not at all surprised that with the demonstration of a working nuclear weapon that NK is getting 'aggressive'. (I wonder if Obama is now congratulating himself on how smart he was to defund the Pacific missile shield?) We're cutting the F-22, cutting missile defense. I'm sure the North Korean military will gladly wait until we've got a full complement of F-35s up and operational...

Congratulations, all you folks who wanted 'change'. It's coming - and I don't think you're going to want it when it gets here.

Now, there's speculation that the aggression is condoned at least partially by China, with an eye on clearing the way towards possibly making a grab for Taiwan. I'm sure Obama would really be incensed at that, and issue a VERY strongly worded statement.

There's also speculation that Obama's being pushed - to see just how much they can get away with.

One way or another, the next month is going to be interesting. If NK makes an attack on the South, then all hell's going to break loose. If NK makes an attack on Japan, or tries to make an attack on the US - or goes after shipping - then it'll be very 'instructive' to see what Obama's response will be.

J.

With no accountability comes great spending...

Presidential Fundraising Trips Leave Taxpayers With Hefty Tab - Political News - FOXNews.com

President Obama has the star power to raise millions of dollars for the candidates and organizations he graces with his stump speech.

But when the president hit the road Tuesday for a two-day fundraising tour to pack the party coffers, he also was racking up a $265,000 partisan bill for just one leg of the trip, according to a watchdog group -- part of which taxpayers, regardless of party affiliation, will have to pay.

Obama started out in Las Vegas, where he stumped that night for state Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. On Wednesday night he was to attend a two-tiered donor dinner for the Democratic Party in Los Angeles.

And it worked, pretty much. There was a bit of abuse - but as long as the member paid the card off nothing much was said. Being in the Orderly Room - we heard about the good stuff.

It's the real winners that I recall. The trip to Disney World, for a week at the top-end resorts. The new wardrobe, the houyse full of furniture, the wide-screen TV, the new car...

Some people just don't know how to handle a credit card. Admittedly my financial situation during the time wasn't great - but I always looked on that card as Not My Money. It had a specific purpose, and I wasn't going to use it for anything BUT that purpose.

But I'm starting to think that Obama never learned to control the spending of other people's money - and the way he's casually tossing around billions and trillions tends to confirm that.

Now the Obama gang is floating the idea of a VAT - which, depending on where you're getting your info from, would either take the place of income tax up to about the $100k mark, or be a supplement to the regular income tax code.

I believe this to be a SPECTACULARLY bad idea, akin to taking a critically wounded man NEEDING blood, and turning him into an involuntary blood donor. ("We're just taking a pint - what the hell are you whining about?")

But then - I'm not terribly good with money. I don't understand how overspending what's in my checking account will magically be made good if I spend 4x that amount. I don't believe I can still write checks just because the check pad isn't empty. I don't believe that credit cards are meant to be charged to the hilt, and then ignored. I'm obviously unsuited for government service...

And glad to be so.

But man, I sure wish Obama would put away the credit card. The more HE spends, the more WE will have to pay off, and the bill's getting higher by the minute!

J.

GOP takes aim at Obamas' NYC trip - Politico Staff - POLITICO.com

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama landed in New York Sunday afternoon, and after taking a helicopter from JFK into Manhattan, drove up the West Side Highway, where the northbound lanes were shut down by police for their visit, past Ground Zero, into the Village for dinner at the Village's Blue Hill restaurant. From there, they went north to Times Square, where they went to to see a production of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Belasco Theater on West 44 Street.

Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest read a statement from Obama: "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished."

Asked about the cost of the trip, which Republicans have criticized as indulgent, coming just ahead of the expected announcement of GM's bankruptcy filing on Monday, Josh Earnest told pool reporter Dave Michaels of the Dallas Morning News, that he "didn't anticipate being able to provide a cost estimate tonight."

And frankly, the way he's been putting debt on the credit card WE have to pay off, I'd be glad to see him off every day! Continual round-the-world trips on AF1 would be a lot cheaper than what he's done so far!

J.

The irony is... sweet.

Bomb found, defused aboard Iranian jet - Iran- msnbc.com

TEHRAN, Iran - Security personnel defused a homemade bomb found on an aircraft during a domestic flight in Iran late on Saturday, Iranian media said, two days after a mosque bombing killed 25 people in the country's southeast.

The device was defused after the Tehran-bound Kish Air aircraft with 131 passengers on board made an emergency landing in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

J.

Obama sure Sotomayor would restate 2001 comment - Yahoo! News

ASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday personally sought to deflect criticism of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who finds herself under intensifying scrutiny for saying in 2001 that a female Hispanic judge would often reach a better decision than a white male judge. "I'm sure she would have restated it," Obama flatly told NBC News, without indicating how he knew that.

The quote in question from Sotomayor has emerged as a rallying call for conservative critics who fear she will offer opinions from the bench based less on the rule of law and more on her life experience, ethnicity and gender. That issue is likely to play a central role in her Senate confirmation process.

She said in 2001: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." The remark was in the context her saying that "our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."

If so - how can IT be racist, but the first one NOT be? If not - then what was the purpose in pointing out gender and ethnicity in the first place?

We're supposed to have a classless (well, things are getting less classy by the day) society where gender and ethnicity don't matter. Sotomayor seems to be shoving the idea that not only is it IMPORTANT, some ethnicities and genders are more suited to the Bench than others.

Sorry - but that's just racist in my opinion.

J.