I'll be back

Ok, I am now leaving for the weekend, I may or may not post in the mean time.
God speed to your ventures.

And in the mean time, here is an interesting story.
http://www.newsobserver.com/145/story/515756.html

Btw, it is cold here!!! Dude, there is Ice on the ground! In texas!!!

Dude!!!

Newspapers can't merge?

Story: "Suspicious about possible alliance among competitors, a federal judge barred The San Francisco Chronicle from consolidating some of its business operations with newspapers owned by MediaNews Group Inc.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued the temporary restraining order Tuesday, upon seeing a previously undisclosed memo saying that the Chronicle's parent company, Hearst Corp., intended to collaborate with the newspaper's rivals on Bay Area distribution and national advertising sales.
The judge ruled the deal would possibly violate antitrust laws."

Government violation of the free markets... How on earth does two newspapers merging create and anti-trust situation? Espessially with the access to the news over the internet, this is just a stupid ruling.

Sorry about the lack of posts recently, and there maybe over the next few days, as my Robotics team is going to compete at the state level this weekend. Pray for us, I'm sure we're going to need it.

Cool site

Cooking for Engineers is a website I found via the RabenStranger, and has caught my fancy.

Its essentially a cooking website, but with a more analytical view of the process and the outcome, rather then a focus on the ingredients and presentation.
I like it.

Quick question: Any one put up christmas lights yet?

PETA targets christmas, mistaken identity

Story: "The Rev. Jason Armstrong was confused by an e-mail this week from PETA, which admonished him for subjecting animals "to cruel treatment and danger," by forcing them into roles in the church's annual manger scene.
"We've never had live animals, so I just figured this was some spam thing," Armstrong said. "It's rough enough on us people standing out there in the cold. So we're definitely not using animals."

Jackie Vergerio, PETA's captive animals in entertainment specialist, said her organization tracks churches nationwide that use real animals in "living nativity scenes."
Seems the confusion started with the church's choice of phrase. PETA flagged Free Methodist's display as a "living nativity," and indeed, that's how the church describes it on its Web site.
...
In the letter to Armstrong, Vergerio shared some sad fates of previous nativity animals - like Brighty the donkey, snatched from a nativity scene in Virginia and beaten by three young men. Ernie the camel fled a creche in Maryland but was struck and killed by a car. Two sheep and a donkey had to be euthanized after a dog mauling at a manger scene in Virginia.
Free Methodist's display is peaceful, Armstrong said.
The congregation erects the stable. Members spread straw and don costumes. Some even dress as manger animals."

Ok... What PETA is doing protesting manger scenes is beyond me, but to notify a pastor via email? Crazy.
And I'm betting you would have a very hard time getting a camel to put in a manger in Alaska.

Makes me think...

Ok, so this is a photograph from Reuters. A former warrior here at Pushing Back the Frontiers of Ignorance, David, showed me the picture. I said
"Dude, that is such a photoshop hack job against Sheehan." (Ok, mildly embelished).
"Dude, its Reuters!"
"Dude, it is! Just like I said."
Me again: "Looks like a russian spelling. I knew the former commies were behind all the peace protests!"
"riight..."

Moseying right along...

University group fights Racsism

Story: "Looking to draw attention to what they call the "worst form of bigotry confronting America today," Boston University's College Republicans are circulating an application for a
"Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship" that requires applicants be at least 25 percent Caucasian.
"Did we do this to give a scholarship to white kids? Of course not," the scholarship reads. "Did we do it to trigger a discussion on what we believe to be the morally wrong practice of basing decisions in our schools and our jobs on racial preferences rather than merit? Absolutely.

"The scholarship, which is privately funded by the BUCR without the support of the university, is meant to raise awareness, group members say. BUCR member argue that racial preferences are a form of "bigotry." The group has a similar view on affirmative action.

"If you give out a white scholarship, it's racist, and if you give out a Hispanic scholarship, it is OK," the College of Arts and Sciences senior said. "It is the main point. We are not doing this scholarship as a white-supremacy scholarship."La Fuerza Co-Chair Sara-Marie Pons, who is also on the Admissions Student Diversity Board, said although she agrees with BUCR's claim that racial preference is "contradictory to our American ideals of freedom and equality," she feels American history justifies today's affirmative action." "

I love it. Finally, some attention to the racsism that exists in America, the affermative action system that helps people because of their skin color. Not only is it wrong, but its an insult that someone would need extra help, just because they are black.
$250 isn't much, but the point it makes is far greater.

Coke Submarine, drug runner ingenuity

Story: "U.S. Coast Guards have seized a submarine carrying 3.5 tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica and arrested three Colombians on board, the Costa Rican Coast Guard said on Sunday.
The submarine appeared to be a makeshift vessel unlike military submarines or those used by oceanographers. It could only submerge 6 feet under water, Costa Rican Coast Guard spokesman Jose Antonio Fallas told Reuters.
The 45-foot-long vessel was found last Wednesday near the remote Coco Island, southwest of the Central American mainland, and had traveled hundreds of miles from Colombia on its way to the United States."

That's pretty ingenous, hundreds of miles in a home made submarine.
Glad the USCG caught it.

Girls beheaded, but it was revenge

Story: "Prosecutors allege that he and two other defendants ordered the Oct. 29, 2005, murders of the girls as they walked to school on Sulawesi, the scene of religious clashes that left at least 1,000 people dead from 1998 to 2002.The men are being charged under Indonesia's tough anti-terrorism laws and face possible death sentences if convicted.
"I was indeed involved in the beheadings," said Hasanuddin, who goes by only one name, adding that he was motivated by anger "because authorities did nothing to avenge the massacres of Muslims."
Prosecutors said Hasanuddin was the ringleader — buying the machetes and plastic bags to put the girls' heads in — and leaving a handwritten note at the scene vowing more killings."

Evil... Kidnap 4 teenage girls off the street as they walk to school, one escapes, and slowly behead the other 3 with a machete, dump the heads into plastic bags and leave a note warning others? And all of this, for an alleged incedent that happened about 6 years ago!
What sick, evil mind takes three innocents off the streets, and beheads them because they are christian, 'uncovered' girls, and considers that justice for the incedent 6 years ago?

And in response:
""We are not cold-blooded killers," Hasanuddin, 34, told the Central Jakarta District Court. "We just wanted revenge.""

Right, that makes a huge difference. You still killed 3 innocent teenagers for no reason.

Thankfully, Indonesia is taking the hard line on its justice.

French lab messed up. Big time.

Story: "The French anti-doping lab that tested American cyclist Floyd Landis' urine samples made an "administrative error" when reporting its findings on his backup "B" sample, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Wednesday.

The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying the Chatenay-Malabry laboratory gave the wrong number in its report about Landis' second sample. Tests on the rider's two samples indicated that Landis had elevated levels of testosterone in his system when he won the Tour de France in July."

Man... Take someone's reputation, drag it through the mud, and then say later that it was a mess up? Landis has said the entire time he didn't do it, and no one believed him.
And the french didn't have a grudge that the Americans won for the 8th time?

Squirt Gun Policy

“Following zero-tolerance policies against weapons in schools, officials at a Kansas City, Mo., elementary school suspended a 6-year-old first-grader for 10 days for bringing an orange plastic squirt gun to school. According to the school district, the two-inch hollow bright-orange toy with no trigger was a simulated weapon.”

Okay, I get the weapon policy. We hear about it almost every day – some dumb kid brings a gun to school and kills people. So the policy is understandable.

However, isn’t the punishment a bit harsh? This guy’s six years old and the squirt gun was orange and triggerless! So maybe the gun would scare some people, or he may think it was okay to bring guns to school and the next day bring a real gun. But a ten days suspension? Back when I was in elementary, if you had something that you shouldn’t, the teacher would glare at you for a while and then take the item away, only to give it back at the end of the day or, for more extreme cases, the end of the school year. Surely it is more important to tell the kid that he violated the policy and take away the toy (which for the average six-year-old is unbearable) than to “reward” him with a ten day break?

DDL is a staff writer for Pushing Back the Frontiers of Ignorance

Article source: World Magazine, “Quick Takes”, Oct. 7 issue

Economy roars, nation prospers

Dow: "In late afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 93.09, or 0.77 percent, to 12,224.97. Blue chips hit a trading high of 12,228.01, putting them on track to finish above the closing high of 12,176.54 reached Wednesday."

New high, followed by more good news:

"Inflation at the wholesale level plunged at a record pace in October, led by big declines in the price of gasoline and new cars.
Wholesale prices fell 1.6 percent last month, tying the record decline set in October 2001, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. It was the second consecutive big decrease, following a 1.3 percent fall in September. "

How did this happen, despite 2 record setting hurricanes, record gas prices, and a war?
Tax cuts. Take the government out of the market, and the market grows.

Don't Mess with Texas: Town gets immigration right

Story: "Vandalism hit close to home this weekend for Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps.

As CBS 11 first reported at 6 p.m. Saturday, the mayor discovered Friday morning vandals had spray painted "viva Mexico" on the side of his house.

By Saturday afternoon, the bright red letters had been blasted off with a high pressure wash, but some say the damage to community may be harder to fix. "

Shame, but what do you expect from people who are here illegally? It may or may not have been an illegal immigrant, but come on. Who else but citzen of Mexico would be painting this?

This was rather disturbing news to wake up to. I live less then an hour from this place, and if it could happen there, why not here?

So, how did the little haven of common sense react tonight?
"Leaders of this Dallas suburb unanimously approved tough new anti- immigration measures Monday evening, including one that makes English the official language.
In a series of unanimous votes, the city council also approved fines for landlords and businesses that deal with illegal immigrants, and decided to allow local authorities to screen suspects in police custody to see whether they are in the country illegally.

The votes were made in a room in City Hall packed with people who clapped as the votes were tallied in favor of the measures. In a parking lot outside, hundreds of protesters against the rules hoisted U.S. flags and sang the Pledge of Allegiance in English before the votes were taken."

The way they should, but attempting to enforce the laws that are on the books, as well as striking at another part of the problem, those who support the illegals.
Why having english as an official language is such a problem is beyond me, but it was a large issue in the debate.

What in tarnation...?

Story: "Student leaders at a community college voted to drop the Pledge of Allegiance after a tense meeting in which one flag-waving pledge supporter berated them as anti-American radicals.

Orange Coast College's student trustees voted Wednesday not to recognize the pledge, with three of the five board members saying it should be dropped from their meetings.

Board member Jason Ball argued that the pledge inspires nationalism, violates the separation between church and state with the phrase "under God," and is irrelevant to the business of student government. He cited a 2002 San Francisco federal appeals court ruling — later dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality — that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.

Sophomore Chris Belanger, one of several students who attended the meeting to support keeping the pledge, waved an American flag and accused the board of "radical views and anti-Americanism."

Yeah. Californa, land of the fruits, nuts and flakes.

Working together?

Story: "We both extended the hand of friendship, of partnership to solve the problems facing our country."
She was accompanied by Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House's second-ranking Democrat. Bush was accompanied by a stony-faced Vice President Dick Cheney."


Story: "Rep. Nancy Pelosi plans to sideline colleagues who are hawkish on national security in the Democratic leadership in the House.

Democratic Party sources said as House Speaker, Ms. Pelosi plans to block moves that would place hawks into important chairmanships. The sources said a key casualty would be Rep. Jane Harman, a six-term member of Congress who has cooperated with Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee.

"Nancy Pelosi wants total party discipline," a source in the Democratic Party leadership said. "If you played ball with the Republicans during this session, then you're not going to be given an important chair in the next session.""

Yeah. Thats how we work together to save the country. Try to stop the war on terror.

Republicans: Now 3 out of 4

Well, we lost the house yesterday by a 'Razr ' margin, and unfortunatly, we'll get to listen to Nancy Pelosi round the clock for a few weeks.

Couple of positives:
The house passed the immigration law already
Tax cuts are essentially non-negiotable, courtesy Bush.
The Senate and the president will hold the course on the War on Terror.

Bad:
Dems control the house!!!

Otherwise, conservatives control the West Wing, the Senate, and the courts.

3 out of 4 isn't bad.

Bush Speech, rd. 2

Finally got the cranky old uploading software to work.
Enjoy, its rather long.

Election results should all be in by morning. I'll comment on the results then.

Whats your plan?

Whats your plan? That was the war cry of Bushes speech last night, asking the liberals what the plan was, rather then just negative rhetoric.

So, I walked out of the arena last night, and found this batch of protesters, about 300 of them. Here's the vid.



Kinda anoying how the police busted us up...

Anyways, we're an unconstitutional country, conservative b@%#^@(!), and supporting a nazi regime.

All in a day's work. :D

President Speech at Reunion Arena

Last night, I had the great privlage of hearing President George W. Bush speak, live, at Reunion arena. For those of you who couldn't make it, yet would like to watch/hear it, I took video. Its rather shaky because I was zoomed in 120x, but you should be able to hear it.

I'm going to remember a few things frm the rally last night.
1. The absolute roar of the crowd when Rick Perry walked in to the arena, and then the deafening, incredibly loud cheer that lasted for quite a while when W came in.
2. Texas is the best state in the Union.
3. The worlds largest phone bank. (more on that later)
4. Texas is the greatest state in the Union.
5. Bush has returned to the base: Tax Cuts and the War on Terror. He was pushing the economy, the tax cuts, the patriot act, and the central battle ground in this current fight, Iraq. We are going to stay the course, we will not waver.

Video may be coming later, YouTube is acting like a cranky old Jawa this morning. Yegads, that was awful... *re-rendering*

Saddam's verdict in, Iraqis dance

Story: "Thousands of Iraqis sang, danced and unleashed celebratory bursts of gunfire yesterday as Saddam Hussein finally faced the consequences of his tyrannical rule in a Baghdad courtroom.
Despite yesterday's verdict, hearings into a second case against Saddam, involving genocide against the Kurds in the 1980s, will continue and he may not face execution until the conclusion of proceedings next year.

Fears remain that Saddam loyalists behind the insurgency will take comfort that their inspiration could be alive for months. But Mr Maliki declared the Saddam "era" over. In an address to the nation he called for unity. He added: "The Iraqi martyrs now have the right to smile and celebrate a little by this death sentence against this criminal and his aides.

Mr Bush hailed the verdict as a "milestone" that represented a "move to democracy" for Iraq. The British Government welcomed the verdict but did not comment on the death sentence.
"Appalling crimes were committed by Saddam's regime," said Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary. "It is right that those accused of such crimes against the Iraqi people should face Iraqi justice."""

Very good... Justice is carried out, and the people rejoice.
Making progress in the War on Islamic Terrorism.

US Troops

Democrats have a history of insulting the troops.
Never forget what this sign is in response to.

 

Election Week: Dean moves further into the deep end

Story: "Let me think carefully about this," Dean said in a political riff reminiscent of his days as governor. "I think George Bush is the most incompetent president we've had in our lifetime. I mean, nobody would accuse President Nixon of being incompetent."
Dean was quick to point out that Nixon was dishonest, and that he wasn't endorsing that president's conduct in office. Still, he said Bush and his administration share some of characteristics of Nixon and his administration."I think there's a lot of similarities between Nixon and Agnew and Bush and Cheney," Dean said, referring to vice presidents Spiro Agnew - also forced to resign from office - and Vice President Richard Cheney.
"They're both using the IRS for political purposes. They're both spying on people they don't like and not just terrorists, but also American citizens. Neither one of them particularly believes in judicial rights. They've both been dishonest with the American people.""

Right, thats the kind of rhetoric that will win elections. Keep it up, and it will be helping the republican.

Election Week 06: Smear tactics in effect

Story: "Nevada's race for governor was barely a contest at all until it took a scandalous turn a few weeks ago, when a cocktail waitress accused Rep. Jim Gibbons of trying to sexually assault her in a parking garage after a night of drinking just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The lurid allegations in the closing weeks of the campaign have put the race back in play and put the one-time Republican front-runner on the defensive. Policy issues have taken a back seat to dueling news conferences, a burgeoning criminal investigation and a mystery over what exactly is on the parking garage's surveillance video.

Gibbons, a conservative five-term congressman from Reno and the only member in the House to have served in both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars, had held a nine-point lead in September
...
It was three weeks before Election Day when 32-year-old Chrissy Mazzeo made three 911 calls after leaving a Las Vegas restaurant where she had been drinking with a friend, the married congressman, his top adviser and others. Alternately breathless and laughing, the single mother who recently left the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino to work at the Bellagio hotel-casino told police that Gibbons grabbed her arms and tried to force himself on her.

Gibbons told police it "didn't happen." He said he walked Mazzeo toward her truck and helped her catch her balance after she tripped at the garage entrance. At a news conference with his wife at his side, insisted he had behaved like "an officer and a gentleman."

Mazzeo dropped the complaint the day after the alleged incident and told police it was because she did not want to start a media circus and "because of who he is."

But last week, Mazzeo, having retained a lawyer, called a news conference to claim she was threatened, pressured and offered money through an intermediary to change her story. Mazzeo said the intermediary was a friend who told her her life was in danger and "if you don't drop this, Chrissy, they will kill you, your baby and your family.""

1. DON'T HANG OUT WITH STRIPPERS IN A BAR, ESPESSIALLY IF YOUR MARRIED AND IN OFFICE.
2. This lady is nuts, I think she's looking for some fame and love from the democrats for crashing an honest man's election.
3. The democrats have not taken the time to examine the evidence. After all, its not the evidence that matters, but the seriousness of the charge that is the issue.
4. If this incedent really happened, why on earth did she drop the charges?

My prediction: Gibbons will still win, and he is definatly handling this the right way.