On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:
An Empirical Study
Abstract Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We theorize that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
Full test at the link. Foolish students, they forgot to ground the hat with a wire running down the body to a thumbtack in the heel of your shoe.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/10/2005 15:27 ||
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Duh. Everyone knows the only way to block brain signals is with panties.
#5
A pair of my used underwear will block out any signal in th electromagnetic spectrum. Please remit $49.95 to my paypal account and I will deliver to your doorstep your own personal signal blocker.
News with a French twist. I think I'm in love. Or something.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/10/2005 11:42 ||
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Hubba-hubba. I wonder if she is a good reporter. I like smart women.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/10/2005 12:28 Comments ||
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Heh, Steve. This is among the reasons I pay for this massive broadband connection. "Or something" hits pretty close to the mark, lol. I've been an atheist for 35+ years, but I'm reconsidering...
The Playboy bunny has a new look â and will soon be getting a new place to hop around in. Ears and noses were a-twitch Friday night when Italian designer Roberto Cavalli showed off his new designs for the world-famous bunny costume in Las Vegas, where Playboy (PLA) is building a casino-and-nightclub complex â its first "club" since the last Playboy Club in the United States closed in Lansing, Mich., in 1988.
"Reinterpreting the Playboy uniform has been an incredible project," Cavalli said in a press release. "Updating something so iconic with my own modern design sensibility has been a challenge â and one that I've really enjoyed."
#8
Well Sarge, its been 40 years, I guess I expected a bit more skin. Thongs maybe. I mean these aren't all that more risque than what the hooters girls wear sometimes.
Playboy is dying, they need a bigger buzz than this.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has described his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, as a puppy dog for United States imperialism.
Mr Chavez said Mr Fox had, as he put it, been left bleeding from last week's Summit of the Americas. At the meeting, the US and Mexico were unable to win backing for a resumption of talks on a regional trade pact. They faced opposition from five of the 34 countries attending, among them Venezuela and the host, Argentina. The other 29 nations - including Mexico - said they wanted to resume talks on a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in 2006.
Speaking before an audience of supporters and businessmen in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mr Chavez said: "How sad that the president of a people like the Mexicans lets himself become the puppy dog of the empire." The Mexican government has called in the Venezuelan Ambassador, Vladimir Villegas, for a meeting on Thursday to explain Mr Chavez's comments.
Earlier, Mexico and Argentina agreed to end their own row over the Summit of the Americas. Mr Fox - a conservative who has been close to Washington on trade issues - had accused left-wing President Nestor Kirchner of being a poor host only interested in his domestic political support. He said he was involved more with Argentines' image of the president than achieving a successful summit. But Mr Kirchner replied: "Mr Fox should worry about Mexico and let me take care of Argentine matters". The two countries' foreign ministries issued a joint statement on Wednesday attempting to calm the dispute, saying that their relations are "splendid".
Mr Chavez had great praise for his Argentine counterpart, who he said had wielded a sword of truth and reason during the summit discussions.
#1
According to the bill, Cossacks are to be sent for military service, as a rule, to military units with traditional Cossack names, to border units and the Internal Troops. Cossacks can also participate in the military and patriotic upbringing of young people, preventing and handling the consequences of emergency situations and natural disasters, guarding the state border and combating terrorism. The bill also defines the forms of Cossack societies: hamlet, village, town, district and host Cossack societies with a fixed number of members.
My wife, a Russian, watches Russian news by satellite. She says Putin is trying to reform the military. I guess this is what she means.
About 10 members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Alliance for Animal Rights Activists groups have staged a protest in front of the Australian Embassy in Moscow to mark the resumption of PETAâs international boycott of Australian wool, a MosNews correspondent reported.
Protestors with backsides covered in âbloodâ staged a lively rally to oppose the Australian wool industryâs refusal to embrace the landmark agreement between PETA U.S. and a prominent group of wool producers that would have resulted in an immediate reduction of lamb mutilations and the end of the international boycott campaign...
#3
For those who came in late- in the Australian sheep industry there is a perpetual problem of sheep being infested with blowfly maggots about the hindquarters in humid weather. The eggs are laid in a fold of skin which is soaked in urine and dung, and they soon burrow into the flesh. It is gruesome beyond imagining, and ultimately fatal.
So farmers remove said fold of skin, the area scars over, and the sheep is safe from flystrike for life. It is called mulesing, I have seen it done, and in minutes the lambs are feeding and getting on with life. It is performed for no other reason than the welfare of the sheep.
PETA is aware of all this, of course. This is just a dishonest attempt to attack the wool industry. And a bloody arse just what they deserve.
#4
When worlds trash mountains are full of non-degradable polyester winter coats you see these peta-maggots wearing to fur coat regions...(and fur degrades) will they atone for this crime by clubing a bio-degradable seal pup?
#5
Grunter, thanks for the info. PETA's at their old tricks again.
I just want to know how hardcore these "activists" were with the blood on their butts. Were they au naturel, or did they stain clothing? This time of year is pretty damn cold in Moscow (my little weather gauge says 2 celsius at about 3 pm local time).
Sure there's a bit of blood, it hurts the creature for an hour or two but it's the kindest thing to do - it stops them getting all infected and maggot-eaten.
Can't PETA see that? It's really ridiculous.
I see a link between Australia George Bush on Iraq and incurring the wrath of PETA
#8
Maybe they should turn this practice into a TV show, where the sheep display their scars with pride -- sort of like a tattoo. TLC, drop me a line if you're interested!
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
11/10/2005 11:50 Comments ||
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Forget animals, lets talk about human beings. I guess it would be something less than totally PC for the lefties to discuss infibulation, clitoridectomy, or ritual excision of the labia. Much handier to be born male in the "Horn of Africa" or Somaliland. Such a progress region.
The United States is not prepared to respond quickly if there is (sic) conflict between China and Taiwan and lacks a broad strategy for dealing with Chinaâs rise, a congressionally mandated commission said on Nov. 9.
The commission reaffirmed its skeptical view of Beijing, concluding that over the past year âthe trends in the U.S.-China relationship have negative implications for our long-term national economic and security interests.â
In its annual report, it urged Congress to impose an âimmediate across-the-board tariffâ on Chinese imports to force Beijing to strengthen significantly the value of its currency. For Congress it's always about money. China must have cut back on campaign contributions after their Gore contributions came to light.
The U.S.-China Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to examine the national security consequences of Americaâs economic ties with China.
Its views are controversial and generally more hard-line than the official U.S. position, which recently has focused on how Beijing can work with Washington as a responsible member of the international system.
The report, based on 14 hearings involving 150 witnesses and other research, said the combination of a U.S. policy of âstrategic ambiguityâ and Taiwanâs hesitation in responding to Chinaâs aggressive military buildup âsends a signal of ambivalence and weaknessâ to Beijing.
âThe U.S. government has not laid adequate groundwork to allow a rapid response to a provocation in the Taiwan Strait,â it said. âAlmost any possible scenario involving U.S. military support to Taiwan would require extensive political and military coordination with the Taiwan government and regional allies but the foundations for such coordination have not been laid.â
The commission said its âgreatest concern is that the United States has not developed a fundamental assessment of how American national interests are affected by our relationship with China.â
By contrast, âChinaâs leadership has a coordinated national strategy for dealing with the United States (and) is willing to achieve its goals through means that threaten many U.S. interests,â it said That's why their generals threaten to nuke our cities?
âThe United States must be prepared to respond more aggressively to Chinaâs behavior and actions when they run counter to our interests,â the commission stressed. Yeah, let's have Pace threated to nuke their cities.
The panel expressed particular concern that Washingtonâs failure to correct a worsening trade imbalance âconveys to the Chinese that the United States is either unable or unwilling to use its economic power to encourage proper adjustments.â Oh, ok we'll deficit them instead of nuking them.
But it argued that China is heavily dependent on selling its products in the American marketplace and this provides the United States with âenormous leverage to demand that China adopt greater reforms and abandon its mercantilist practices.â Oh, the ultimate weapon. Make the people who shaop at Wal-mart pay higher prices.
The commission described Chinaâs proliferation record as poor. U.S. sanctions on Chinese companies accused of selling technology to problem states have been ineffective because the penalties affect subsidiaries, not parent companies, it said. NO, they sell this stuff bvecause they are our enemy. What do you want to do? Start a war with them? Why not France, too?
#1
The trade imbalance thing reminds me of the German/France solution. Hug your enemy so tight economically that they don't dare go to war against you for frear of hurting themselves.
But of course China is the least rational of the Great Nations so the strategy may not work.
President George W. Bush met at the White House on Wednesday with the Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, ignoring objections from China 10 days before he makes an official visit to Beijing. The private meeting with the president and the first lady came one day after the Bush administration named China a serious violator of religious freedom in a report to Congress. *tweak²*
"We've made our views very clear when it comes to our support for religious freedom... And we will continue to speak out on those issues," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. It's the uber-sensitivity of others that amuses.
The Chinese government opposed Bush's meeting with the Dalai Lama. "The Dalai Lama is not a mere religious figure. He is a political refugee who has conducted activities splitting China and undermining national unity," said Chu Maoming, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington. "We are opposed to any invitation by any country extended to him. We are also opposed to any meetings with him." So don't meet with him. As for telling us who we can meet with, go fuck yourselves.
Wednesday's meeting was Bush's third with the Dalai Lama. Next week Bush is due to visit Beijing and hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Oh my, think he'll get a lecture from Master Hu (who is on first...)? Lol.
The Dalai Lama told reporters on Tuesday that talks between Tibetans and China have done little to ease a "very repressive" atmosphere in Chinese-ruled Tibet. The 70-year-old Buddhist spiritual leader, who is head of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in India, was visiting Washington for a conference on science and meditation. What the ChiComs don't like is that he isn't afraid to say what they don't approve of - and no one is more "sensitive" and petty than the ChiComs.
He fled to India after a failed uprising by Tibetans in 1959, nine years after China's People's Liberation Army marched into Tibet to establish communist rule. I do believe this is Revisionist Bullshit. IIRC, the Dalai Lama fled the Chinese invasion. Wikipedia sez: "The Dalai Lamas continued to rule in Tibet until the People's Republic of China took direct control of the region in 1959."
Gosh, even that's a toothless version, but certainly different than this BS. This Rooters punk is skirting the truth. So, did they threaten your access, Rooters? Lol.
The human rights record in China, where everything from critical Internet postings to publishing underground newspapers to religious worship can carry a stiff jail term, is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington. Careful Rooters, they might read this and decided telling the truth makes you dangerous, too.
#1
Anything that torques the ChiComs is generally good and the Dalai Lama always seemed like a decent sort. When he spoke in Austin, I didn't get to hear him, but it did make me wonder if the Dalai Lama wore Tony Lamas when he came to Texas.
Skopje, 10 Nov. (AKI) - The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM), as the tiny Balkan country is officially called, is now a step closer today towards joining the European Union, but despite jubilations in Skopje, the state's name - contested by Greece - remains a key obstacle on the road to Brussels. The European Commission recommended on Wednesday to the Council of ministers to grant Macedonia candidate status, but EU minister for enlargement Olli Rehn made clear that no deadlines were set.
âItâs difficult to predict when (membership) talks will begin, but in any case there is no promised deadlineâ, said Rehn.
Macedonia concluded the agreement on Stabilisation and Association with EU in May 2004 and officially submitted an application for membership, but a dispute with Greece over the state name has blocked further progress. After breaking away from former Yugoslavia in 1992, Macedonia was recognised and accepted into international organizations as FYRM, because Greece objected to the use of the name Macedonia. Athens claims the name hides pretensions to the territory in northern Greece which bears the same name, and Skopje authorities have done nothing to deter these accusations.
In fact, Macedonians often identify themselves with Alexander the Great, claiming him for themselves, though Macedonians, who are Slavs, hadnât even arrived in the Balkans in his time. The United Nations has mediated between Athens and Skopje for the past thirteen years to find a mutually acceptable solution, but no progress has been achieved.
This prompted Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to say last month that Skopje âcan move towards EU membership only if mutually acceptable solution is found, or under the name of FYRM. There is no other wayâ, Karamanlis said firmly. As a member of both EU and NATO, Greece has repeatedly pledged to block Macedoniaâs entrance into these organizations, unless a compromise was found.
This issue was not mentioned by Rehn, and Macedonian officials made no direct reference to the problem, so as not to spoil the good tidings from Brussels. âMacedonia has succeededâ, exclaimed Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski. âItâs now clear that we have European perspectiveâ, he added.
Even Javier Solana, EU official in charge of security and foreign policy, has warned that âMacedonia still has a long road ahead to EU membership. That road can be passed successfully only by joint efforts of all forcesâ, he said. Solana mediated in quelling an ethnic Albanian rebellion in Macedonia in 2001, which resulted in greater rights for the Albanians, who make 25 per cent of the countryâs two million population. To award Skopje leaders for their cooperativeness, the United States has recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name, despite protests from Athens. There were no signs from Brussels at the moment that EU was ready to follow suit.
I just know I'll hate myself for posting this, and us old timers know why
Posted by: Steve ||
11/10/2005 10:12 ||
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Someone needs to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Greeks. Worked up about the name? Ridiculous.
#4
Ok they let the Greek have that cheese name (Feta was it?), so let the Macedonians call themselves Macedonians. Itâs not they are going to move the border fence and swallow up the Greek Macedonia province. Greregum Phomong6307 Hit the nail on the head with the Mexico/New Mexico analogy. Maybe the Greeks can name the Province Kato' Macedonia? It basically means "Down Macedonia". Aris, just being helpful not spiteful and please correct my translation if wrong.
#2
By a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the board adopted a school calendar similar to the existing one that gives children days off on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Christian Good Friday and the Monday after Easter.
It's hard to say if this is a win or defeat. They won in the sense that they got the floor to debate the question of whether or that school boards will have to bow to the gods of fairness the minute any sun goddess demands equal time for holidays observed by 90+ percentage of the population. And God knows - the Muslims have always allowed for such openness and fainess in the countries they came from.
But they lost in the sense that those school board members who dissented will not be reelected - no matter how much money or mud CAIR throws. And so, once again, they push to hard and get pushed back.
I guess only time will tell if they lost the battle but won the war.
#4
WTF is "unfair" about putting holidays at that time the majority of the people want? No one is being dragged to church or synagogue. So you get April 4th off instead of March 1, big whoop.
This is nothing more than an attack on anything related to Chritianity or Judaism. My guess would be that there is a conflation of interests between the Muzzies and Atheists on this.
BTW I am an agnostic who thinks even if God exists, all organized religions are silly at best.
#5
Sky news in Australia reported it with a 'racist against Muslims' slant.
They quoted an inflamatory letter that said in effect : "shoot those violent scum pig dog muslims they can go back to the hellhole they came out of and they'd better like jew and christian hols while they are here'' (very loose reinvention but you get the idea).
Watch out because when they play the victim race card, that's when they lose the battle to WIN the WAR.
#6
"They said children could take days off for religious observances without being penalized."
Well, that's the point. About the calendar issue, people have forgotten that schools are essentially inventions of the local communities, and can reflect the preferences of the local communities. The push toward a "federalization" of our school system was (and is) favored by the Clintons and liberals everywhere who are naturally pushing for BIG GOVERNMENT. To centralize education is a mistake because every community is different, and needs to be managed by members of the community, not the feds. Therefore, if a Wisconsin school wanted to take 3 days off for a cheese celebration or some such thing, the community/school board could vote on that.
Get it? We want LESS government, not more.
By scheduling school calendars around religious holidays (when most students would be absent anyway) they are being fiscally responsible.
The continuing "secularization" of America is, in reality, a tool of the deconstructionists and is an attempt to thwart representative government.
Melinda Deslatte / Associated Press
BATON ROUGE -- A noticeable public rift has developed between Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana's black lawmakers at a critical time for a state struggling to recover from back-to-back hurricanes.
Disagreements have emerged over the types of hurricane recovery items that Blanco included in the special legislative session to deal with the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the items that she didn't put up for debate.
But the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus called attention to its displeasure this week when the group filed a lawsuit against Blanco, saying the governor didn't have the legal authority to slash $431 million in state spending by executive order. The caucus asked a judge to reverse those deep budget cuts that Blanco handed down Saturday.
The developments have added new wrinkles to a tense budget-cutting process in the Legislature and a special session that was supposed to be a significant stamp on hurricane recovery for Louisiana by Blanco and lawmakers.
The disputes cut into Blanco's traditional support from Democratic black lawmakers and put her at odds with many of the legislative leaders she helped select. Louisiana's governor has a heavy hand in choosing top leaders in the Legislature and committee chairman.
Blanco blamed the disputes on tough choices that must be made in a state grappling with a nearly $1 billion budget deficit and coping with a massive blow from natural disasters of an unprecedented scale.
"It never can be a wonderful exercise when you start cutting things," the governor said Thursday. "I respect the fact that they're feeling a lot of pain."
Sen. Cleo Fields, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the caucus, said it wasn't spurred by specific items that Blanco cut -- reductions that spanned state agencies and removed spending for lawmakers' pet projects and dollars they get from grant funds often derided as "slush funds."
Blanco said she believed the core complaint of the black caucus was the $6 million cut to the grant funds.
Fields, D-Baton Rouge, said the Legislature is charged with spending money and balancing the budget. He said the governor can make certain cuts but exceeded her authority in the depth of the reductions she made based on incorrect advice from the state's attorney general.
A hearing on the lawsuit was set for Nov. 18. Lawmakers can undo the governor's budget cuts in the special session, but several said Blanco set a poor tone for a session where she pleaded for unity in reconstruction efforts after slashing the budget on her own.
"Personally, I just think it was a bad move on her part," Fields said.
Caucus members said the cuts meted out by Blanco could harm health care, social services and educational programs that are crucial for people already hurt by the hurricanes.
"We're talking about all of those things that go to the very people who need help the most," said Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, chairman of the black caucus.
Richmond said the state has trust funds it could tap and could make smaller spending cuts while Congress also continues to consider the types of federal aid it may give to Louisiana. The black caucus offered some modest cuts but didn't have a complete list of how it proposes dealing with the state's $959 million deficit.
Beyond the cuts, several black lawmakers disagree with Blanco's plans to revamp the New Orleans school system and take more authority away from the local school board. Many caucus members also were unhappy that the governor's framework for the special session didn't include housing for the displaced and more individual tax relief.
"There's no conversation about incentives for people to come back home," Richmond said.
Both the governor and the black caucus say the disagreements don't spell doom for the legislative session.
Blanco said she has continuing conversations with her legislative leadership, including members of the black caucus.
"We're not operating in a void," she said.
At a press conference Thursday, caucus members asked when they last spoke to the governor simply laughed -- but they pledged that they wanted to work with the governor on recovery efforts.
"I am still in support of the governor," said Sen. Sharon Broome, D-Baton Rouge. "But perhaps those individuals who may have been advising her in the process did not advise her wisely on inclusiveness."
"We're committed to recovery and rebuilding efforts as she is. We're just saying we want to be part of the team in that process," Broome said.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/10/2005 16:50 ||
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Many caucus members also were unhappy that the governor's framework for the special session didn't include housing for the displaced and more individual tax relief.
I see only one valid grievance here. "Tax relief" only applies to those who work.
By Richard Satran
NEW YORK (Reuters) - He pioneered mock television news 30 years ago and wrote a satirical book about becoming the 44th president of the United States. So when comedian Al Franken says he is considering a run for U.S. Senate you have to ask -- is he serious?
Probably. He needs another job, since it looks like his talk radio stint is gonna crash...
"The next thing I am doing is moving back home to Minnesota and getting involved in politics," Franken told Reuters in an interview at his Air America radio studio. "I'm looking at a run for Senate in 2008, but in the meantime I am focused on knitting together the progressive network in the upper Midwest."
It sounds serious. Franken is starting a national tour to promote his new book "The Truth (With Jokes)," which features the usual political satire that has made him a top-selling humor writer. A New York Times reviewer called it "an extended stump speech" for his political run." The heavily researched book tackles topics like Social Security reform, Iraq and the case of Terri Schiavo, which prompted a highly charged national debate on euthanasia earlier this year.
Still, for Franken, a one-liner is never far away. He skewers Republican leader Tom DeLay for saying proper medical care might have revived Schiavo as she remained in a vegetative state while politicians debated her fate. "In other words, given proper treatment, there was no reason Terri Schiavo couldn't live out her lifelong dream of being a Rockette," Franken quipped.
To launch his political career, he says he's moving to freezing-cold Minnesota in January, but that's no joke. That's his plan. He shrugs and shakes his head when asked whether wrestler Jesse Ventura's successful run for Minnesota governor inspired him. He prefers to talk about Paul Wellstone, the left-wing Democrat who died in a plane crash in the closing days of his 2002 campaign for a third term in the Senate.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/10/2005 11:54 ||
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It won't matter one bit. Once a joke, always a joke. Are we sure Franken's not on Rove's payroll?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/10/2005 13:10 Comments ||
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From one of the reviews: If you were a Bush voter, Al wants to set aside partisan bitterness and talk about the better future Americans can build together for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. (Generations beyond that will have to fend for themselves.) But first, Al must show you how Republican leaders are, at this very moment, betraying your trust and quite possibly lighting a Cuban cigar with a burning American flag or Bible.
Someone know what his chances are in Minn? The ratings for Air America in Minn-St Paul are: Fall 2004:.8, Winter 2004:.9, and Fall 2005:1.0. Does he have some hidden cult following that will rise up and elect him?
#5
Well he's got the right name. Al Franken, Al Qaida, Al Zarqawi, Al Zahar...etc. Al Franken sounds like a french-german native terrorist. Maybe al-Franken. A little humor unlike this grim fellow.
#8
I prefer "humorist" myself. That's Boston Globese for "comedian who isn't funny but is politically correct". Usually works outta Cambridge and/or Somerville. And there's a lot of them around here.
#9
I think that I was the one person who liked Stuart Smalley Saves His Family, or whatever it was called. The funny thing? I couldn't stand the SNL "Stuart Smalley" skits.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/10/2005 16:12 Comments ||
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#10
gotta give him credit...he's picked up on a unique form of self-fundraising. Just like Air America, his Senate bid will fail - but lots of really stupid people will send him money. I guess it's funny to him as he laughs all the way to the bank.
#11
I sat next to Franken at a bar in his home state of Minnesota. He was as obnoxious as one might expect. Everybody seemed to have the same opinion as myself that he was an arrogant, self-important prick. Alot of Moonbats in the Twin Sillies so his chances for nomination aren't out of the question.
A proposal to allow oil and gas drilling within 125 miles of the Florida Gulf Coast died in the U.S. House late Wednesday night, a victim of the budget-cutting battle raging there. Republican House leaders abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling. They feared that the controversy over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would jeopardize today's approval of a sweeping $54 billion budget-cutting bill. Rest at link.
Milk-pissing bastards. The only reason they're worth voting for is to keep the Dems out.
Posted by: ed ||
11/10/2005 07:50 ||
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Gotta pick your fight, but I hope they don't drop pressure on big oil to build new refineries.
#2
Last time I checked, it was the government that was a major factor in limiting both new refinery construction and (as you can see here) new oil drilling. "Big Oil" didn't have anything to do with it except for its usual role of being the punching bag for whatever stupid policy the government is pushing today.
Posted by: Phil ||
11/10/2005 8:37 Comments ||
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#3
Big governement should not be putting the pressure on anyone to do anything. If it shouldn't be done, make it a crime. If it should be done, Big government should get out of the way.
#5
I wonder if former US Secretary of State Baker, an attorney representing Exxon-Mobil and the Saudi gov't could shed any light on the topic. .... "punching bags" full of billions and billions of dollars.
#6
Back in '91-'92 I worked on a new, grass roots refinery for Mobil being built in Jurong, Singapore. It was built there for 2 reasons:
1. Mobil could not get the environmental permits to build it here in the US.
2. The crude being refined comes from Indonesia.
Oldspook, I have already e-mailed Bill Frist on a number of issues and this is one of them. I told him if he didn't have the guts to stand up to the Democrats to get out of Washington and that I would not vote for him for reelection. I think a lot of people did the same over the last 6 months because he declared he would not run again.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/10/2005 9:15 Comments ||
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#7
BS, you say that as if it has a bearing on whether we should be drilling in the United States or not. Part of the _reason_ oil prices have been so unstable, and (temporarily!) profits have been so high (but they'll only remain "profits" if they're not reinvested and the infrastructure wrecked by the storms _not_ rebuilt) is that oil drilling in the United States is so limited.
People like _you_ have caused the price instability and simultaneously you're using the excuse that it's produced profits for some companies (IF they decide to not rebuild) to continue with the policies that produce the price instabilities.
It's very hypocritical.
Posted by: Phil ||
11/10/2005 9:17 Comments ||
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#8
DB - I have also written to Frist. The failure to break the judicial filibuster was my last straw - that was a self-inflicted wound. Looks like the House is following suit.
OS - Political cowardice indeed. GOP the stupid party.
#9
Very disappointing. This means the Dems were able to pick off enough moderate Reps (10 to 15 or so) to block ANWR. I didn't think the Gulf drilling was going to fly, but the ANWR part looked better. Of course we'll have no role call so no way to figure out who caved.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2005 10:28 Comments ||
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#10
Fear not, gents -- the oil and gas will still be there when we decide we need it.
#12
So ... restart nuclear with pebble bed reactors that can't do a 3-mile island and....
Clone the syn-gas plant in the Dakotas across the US coal fields.
#13
The Gov of Alaska has said he would allow drilling adjacent to ANWR. He doesnt need Fed approval.
Frist is worthless. He thinks he has a shot at the Pres in '08. He does not have my vote.
The Repubs have left their vision behind. They act like Democrats in all things except their treatment of the military. For that I commend them. For everything else , they're just the same breed of Socialist as the Demos.
#14
The lone disenter here . . . drilling in Alaskan wilderness would really mess it up. Urban dwellers can't understand the value of wild lands, generally, but wilderness conservation is an old REPUBLICAN value. There are other places with untapped oil reserves in the US, that would present less problems and negative environmental impact, and Alaska could remain as it is.
#15
You might have a point, ex-lib, if you could demonstrate all the damage of the current Alaska drilling. In fact, the biggest problem with Alaska drilling was a drunken ship captain, not the drilling or piping.
OTOH I see no need to start more domestic drilling until we've drained everyone else's oil fields and begun to extract oil from the tar sands. Let the price rise until that becomes economically justifiable.
#16
You might have a point, ex-lib, if you could demonstrate all the damage of the current Alaska drilling. In fact, the biggest problem with Alaska drilling was a drunken ship captain, not the drilling or piping.
OTOH I see no need to start more domestic drilling until we've drained everyone else's oil fields and begun to extract oil from the tar sands. Let the price rise until that becomes economically justifiable.
#17
I recall a rumor that the major oil & gas companies weren't so keen on this bill because they have already committed their capital for exploration for the next 2 years or so and didn't want to be under pressure to drill in Alaska while the cost of drilling equipment is so high.
#18
How come there is not drilling off of the east coast? And the tar sands in Canada are already being drawn upon. There is a refinery dedicated to just that region. IIRC, they are going to build a nuke plant to power the refinery there.
#19
How come there is not drilling off of the east coast?
There's drilling off of the East Coast of Canada. The United States doesn't allow drilling off of the eastern or western _seaboards_.
Just in the Gulf, and there only from Texas through to Alabama. A couple well-placed hurricanes could (and this year, _did_) cause severe trouble.
Posted by: Phil ||
11/10/2005 14:24 Comments ||
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#20
Starting in January, there will be a number of pilot projects to extract oil from the Colorado shales. I'm usually one of the first to pour cold water on alternative energy projects, but a couple of the pilots sound promising, and remember there is more oil in those shales than entire worlds conventional oil reserves.
#21
Michelle Malkin's blog has a whole lot of letters people have sent to their Reps about this.
Summary: People are pissed off.
One example: Speaker Hastert,
I am frankly appalled at your cowardly actions this morning. For years, our country has been dependent on foreign sources of oil; and as Katrina and Rita so aptly demonstrated, the vast majority of the country's refineries are located in one geographical region. Why, then, would anyone stand in the way of developing a new source of oil, in a new location?
The environmentalists' complaints are, quite frankly, bunk. First of all, drilling techniques are so advanced that drilling in ANWR will require, if I recall correctly, roughly 0.1% of the land, leaving 99.9% of it untouched. In addition, there is no guarantee that drilling will even harm the caribou; the population near Prudhoe Bay actually increased significantly after drilling began there.
Even if the caribou were harmed, Mr. Hastert, I must ask you: what's more important to you? Helping America become less dependent on foreign sources of oil and geographically diversifying America's own oil production, or caribou?
That should be an easy question to answer.
Mr. Hastert, I am furious. This country is perilously close to needing a new party - a Conservative Party - because all we have is Democrats who call themselves Republicans and radical leftists who call themselves Democrats. I am far from being the only person who is questioning why we even vote. Why should we put Republicans in the majority when they won't advance conservative principles?
And here's a hint, Mr. Hastert, in case you couldn't figure it out: America is far more important than caribou.
#23
The reason we are short of oil is because nobody checked it. The reason nobody checked it is because the oil is in Alaska and the dipsticks are in Washington, D.C.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/10/2005 20:02 Comments ||
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Saudi Religious Police have Collective Stroke -
Pilot was an Infidel American Woman
A Boeing 777 plane has landed at Heathrow Airport after completing a record-breaking non-stop flight. Piloted by American captain Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, the plane touched down in west London following a 12,000-mile easterly-heading flight from Hong Kong. The plane, carrying 35 passengers, beat the existing non-stop passenger airline record of 10,823 miles achieved by another Boeing 777.
Painted in Boeing's distinctive blue colours, the aircraft touched down at 1.13pm UK time after a flight of 22 hours and 42 minutes.
Three Heathrow fire crews shot a celebratory water spray over the aircraft as it taxied to a halt after a journey of 13,422 miles.
Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann
#2
Fabulous! Simply outstanding. Let's see Airbus equal such a feat.
Remember folks, the 777 (or Triple Seven, as it is affectionately known) was the first large scale commercial passenger aircraft in history to go directly from design to full scale build.
No small scale models or mock-ups. I seem to recall that even the wind-tunnel tests were done with computer simulations. This is a stupendous achievement in aviation manufacturing. To have this craft then go and set such a spectacular distance record is dramatic testimony to Yankee ingenuity.
And, yes, the woman pilot setting this record is just icing on the cake for all the Islamists to choke on over their mint tea. Much more importantly, Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann is a fantastic role model for all young girls everywhere.
Remember folks, the 777 (or Triple Seven, as it is affectionately known) was the first large scale commercial passenger aircraft in history to go directly from design to full scale build.
Actually, it was tried before with the snakebitten Convair 880:
http://www.airliners.net/articles/read.main?id=67
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/10/2005 19:22 Comments ||
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#4
Mike, I was referring to the 777's development and testing being wholly reliant upon CAD. While other planes may have gone straight from the drafting board to build, the 777's entire assembly and build was digitally modeled before construction.
This sort of "virtual engineering" represents quite an achievement.
Here's some excerpts from the Boeing web site:
The Boeing 777 is the first jetliner to be 100 percent digitally designed using three-dimensional computer graphics. Throughout the design process, the airplane was "pre-assembled" on the computer, eliminating the need for a costly, full-scale mock-up.
Through innovative applications of computing technology, the 777 program exceeded its goal of reducing change, error and rework by 50 percent. Parts and systems have fit together better than anticipated and at the highest level of quality. The first 777 was just .023 of an inch -- about the thickness of a playing card -- within perfect alignment while most airplane parts line up to within a half inch to each other.
My apologies, didn't read quite far enough - a fascinating story!
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/10/2005 21:17 Comments ||
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#7
The good news is the pilots could sleep the whole time and it would make no difference in the flight. There is really no reason why the entire cockpit needs to be in the front of the plane. At some point they are going to have to consider the price people would pay to be in the "pilot's seat" in a plane with a glass front like the B-29 had. Now, that would be first class.
#8
TF - I'm no pilot (dont even play one on TV) but I think pilots are going to want to be able to look out the window and *see* the runway when they land for a long time to come.
If only to make sure some idiot didn't leave a ceasna parked on the runway.
#1
Three percent of online U.S. seniors have created a blog and 17 percent have read someone else's blog, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Compare that to online 18- to 29-year-olds: Thirteen percent have created blogs and 32 percent have read someone else's blog, according to Pew.
Don't those numbers seem really low? If that's true, the impact from the internet has barely gotten started.
#3
I suspect that seniors did not grow up with computers and there are just not the numbers that use computers, therefore not as much blogging activity.
#4
but these numbers are for the ones who are already online. Unless they are just including those who only use the computer for e-mail and not the web I find that percentage amazing. What do they do? Maybe they don't realize they are reading "blogs".
EFL .....
Camenker was the second political figure from Newton to serve as the butt of a Comedy Central pseudo-newscast over the past two weeks. But while Camenker said he could take the joke, US Representative Barney Frank was not amused.
Frank, the nation's first openly gay congressman, was featured on the Oct. 27 ''The Colbert Report," a recent spinoff of ''The Daily Show." Host Stephen Colbert, the network's answer to Bill O'Reilly of Fox TV, interviewed him for the second installment of a 435-part series called ''Better Know A District."
''To sum up," Colbert intoned, ''you're left-handed, you're Jewish. But there is something else about you. And this is sort of the elephant in the room that I'm not naming, but as a journalist I feel like I have to name it. Um, you're a little overweight."
Colbert then asked Frank if his weight bothered his wife.
''I can honestly say to you whether or not I lose weight is of no concern whatsoever to my wife," said Frank, who though known for his quick wit didn't crack a smile during the interview.
''I was disappointed," said Frank, who called the show ''sub-Three Stooges." ''It was silly. I like political humor, but I found this really strange. His basic interview technique was to pretend he didn't know things. That wouldn't be funny in junior high school."
Camenker and Frank both acknowledged not knowing what they were getting into when they went on the shows.
One day after voters jilted the Seattle Monorail Project, its leaders moved to shut the agency down and sell unused land as quickly as possible.
"Transit's been killed. It's an execution," interim Executive Director John Haley said of Tuesday's vote, in which nearly two of three voters opposed the SMP's attempt to build a reduced, 10-mile line from West Seattle to Interbay. "But I respect the will of the voters, and they were crystal clear they want this project killed..."
...Q: Whose fault is it the project collapsed?
A: Murray blames mismanagement. He said SMP's June finance proposal (later abandoned) to collect $11 billion to pay off a $2 billion line was "outrageous," and board members overstated their ability to fund the route. "The problem was, they said they could build that system for the amount of money they said they'd raise," but SMP actually couldn't afford the 14-mile line it designed, with difficult water crossings and a tight fit through Seattle Center, he said...
#1
mass transit rarely pays its' own way, relying on massive subsidies. The San Diego Trolley is full most of the time, yet fares cover something like 33% of costs
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2005 10:06 Comments ||
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#2
The Chicago area has a regional transit authority. By law they have to raise 50% of their revenues at the farebox. I think they actually do, excepting some of the usual accounting tricks. The rest comes from a gas tax.
I've always been in favor of mass transit for everyone else, so that they'd get the hell off the road and let me get to where I need to go. :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2005 10:30 Comments ||
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#3
Seattle taxi drivers explained to me how the transit dept forced them to switch to natural gas but required buying it from a transit department station at twice the cost of equiv. gas. Massive fines and loss of taxi license if they didn't agree.
BUT they have no such requirement for their own equipment and have some of the most smokey buses in the west.
#1
I'm worried, though--the article notes that Weah is claiming fraud and his supporters are getting noisy Overnight, hundreds of Weah supporters gathered outside the headquarters of his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, chanting "No Weah, no peace."
Reuters news agency reports that UN peacekeepers used batons to break up a crowd of Weah activists.
Posted by: James ||
11/10/2005 13:01 Comments ||
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France seems to making progress in its campaign to be a moral authority in the world.
Rail passengers angry at service delays torched at least 26 train carriages near Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. Carriages were burnt at three different locations south of the city, causing 200m rand ($30m) worth of damage. The arson followed service delays reportedly caused by technical faults. A shortage of trains has now caused services on one route to be suspended.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the stationmaster. The trains that were delayed previously are now delayed a lot longer."
On Tuesday, passengers burnt four coaches after service delays apparently caused by the theft of electric cables.
Thandi Mlangeni, spokewoman for rail company Metrorail, said a signal fault at Midway in southern Johannesburg had brought trains to a halt. "Passengers started getting off the train and burning it," she said.
The disruption had a knock-on effect, leading to delays in the Kliptown and Nancefield regions of Soweto, where passengers also then began to torch trains.
Wednesday's arson left Metrorail with no trains to run from Midway, in southern Johannesburg, to the town of Vereeniging, Ms Mlangeni said. Commuters have been asked to use alternative means of transport. The Star newspaper reports that minibus taxi drivers were charging up to four times the regular fare to commuters stranded on Wednesday evening.
Metrorail trains provide an important link for commuters between central Johannesburg, Soweto, and other residential areas further south. Each train typically carries about 1,000 passengers.
#1
Thats exactly what I do when the METRO lags. In the US a similar occurrence would result in a gov't funding, emergency bus plan for the ridership, immediately followed by a raving, fully televised (CNN) demands from some communist caucus for Congressional Investigations of the rail company discrimination. Last week they got away with vandalizing the Blue Train. They are headlong into the abyss it would appear. Back to leather Cadillacs and foot trails for all.
#2
"angry at service delays torched train carriages...Service suspended...asked to use alternative means of transport...taxi drivers were charging up to four times the regular fare." RFSP strike again!
Health workers rushed Wednesday to contain an outbreak of acute diarrhea afflicting hundreds of earthquake survivors at a crowded, unsanitary camp on a soccer field here in the capital of Pakistan's part of Kashmir. Tent camps have sprung up in towns and cities across the region, housing local residents and people who fled distant villages that relief workers have struggled to reach. Most camps were set up with official sanction and have sanitary facilities. But others have grown haphazardly wherever people find space, such as the camp on the sports field next to the devastated university in Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistani Kashmir.
Since the quake, about 3,000 people have gravitated to the field. Living in tents, many barely a yard apart, they share a handful of clogged latrines and wash themselves above a stinking ditch of stagnant water. Humanity First, a German charity that provides health care at the camp, reported an alarming rise in acute diarrhea cases, including dysentery, in the past week. Dr. John Watson of the World Health Organization said more than 200 such cases had been reported at the camp in the past week — none fatal. Acute diarrhea can cause life-threatening dehydration and can indicate the presence of deadly illnesses like as cholera, but WHO officials said there was no immediate evidence of that at the camp.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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Liberia's top female politician took a strong early lead Wednesday in a presidential runoff as her millionaire soccer star opponent charged the vote was fraudulent, clouding elections that had raised hopes for peace in the war-ravaged country. Harvard-educated Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had 56.4 percent of Tuesday's vote with results in from 59 percent of polling stations across the country, the head of the National Election Commission said.
George Weah had 43.6 percent. Weah, at a news conference held Wednesday as election commission chairwoman Frances Johnson-Morris was speaking to reporters elsewhere in the capital, charged poll workers had plans to stuff ballot boxes in Johnson-Sirleaf's favor. His allegations came despite U.N. assurances that the vote was clean. Initial results were being reported as they came in, often from remote areas. It could take up to two weeks for the final outcome to be known.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Indeed, there MUST be election fraud if the footballer comes in second to a woman with an education.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday demanded arrest of Mufti of Khargone Darul Uloom, who issued a fatwa anulling divorce decree by a court on the ground that the judge was a "non-Muslim".
Good idea. Toss him into the calaboose. India's a secular state.
The VHP workers, who staged protest and shouted slogans in front of Collectorate here, also alleged that the fatwa issued by Mufti Mohd Rafiq Qasmi amounted to an attack on judiciary and demanded his arrest within a week for committing "treachery with the nation".
I'm always a little suspicious about the level of mental activity of people who go around shouting slogans. But maybe that's just me...
The activists also submitted a memorandum to District Collector S K Pal. "If the administration fails to arrest the Mufti in next seven days, we will lock the doors of a madarasa being run by the Darul Uloom and intensify our protest," District VHP Secretary Santosh Joshi said. VHP demand arrest of Mufti for issuing fatwa
I'm also not real easy in my mind about storm troopers taking the law into their own hands.
Qasmi, following an appeal by one Anwar Khan against a divorce decree obtained by his wife Arjumand Bano from Sendhwa court, had reportedly issued the fatwa stating that only the husband had the right to pronounce talaq as per Islamic shariat and non-Muslim judge has no right to decide on divorce of Muslim couples. The Mufti had pronounced that as per the shariat, Khan was still Arjumand's husband and her second marriage, after procuring the court decree, was "illegal", sources said.
The mufti is an arrogant dimbulb who doesn't comprehend the idea of a secular state. The VHP is an organization of arrogant dimbulbs who're often equally unclear on the idea of a secular state. I guess they deserve each other.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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PESHAWAR: The amended Hasba Billâs presentation in the provincial assembly at a time when the October 8 earthquake has caused unprecedented loss to the province suggests that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government wants face saving in the public and wants to put the controversial bill into cold storage. Opponents and proponents of the bill believe the MMAâs timing clearly indicates the bill will not be considered immediately, at least not during the current session resuming on November 11. Sources said it was not on Fridayâs agenda distributed among assembly members before the Eid adjournment. âThe time chosen by the MMA indicates that it is currently not interested in passing the new bill and is simply saving its own skin,â a source said.
Sources said implementing the huge project, if it is passed, and paying the salaries of 24 district and 50 tehsil mohtasibs requires billion of rupees. âThe government would need Rs 12-14 billion per year to run the Hasba project,â a source said. At a time when the government already needs to spend billions on earthquake relief and rehabilitation, it is not in a position to finance the Hasba Act.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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The NWFP government has asked the federal government for 50 percent share in the President Relief Fund and financial aid received from abroad. Provincial Minister Sirajul Haq made the request speaking to journalists in Islamabad. Sirajul Haq said the federal government should also give NWFP half of the Rs 20 billion it announced as compensation. He also asked for the early settlement of the NFC award so that NWFP could begin the reconstruction process. Siraj said the provincial government was working for the rehabilitation of affected people on a priority basis.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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#2
I know we have to give something as we have to be *seen* to be helping but JEEZUS
Why does the Australian government have to spend $20 mill sending Aussie troops to help their rebuilding effort.
Spose they can spy while they're there but for goodness sake let Allan dig them out of their trouble if they think he's so great (may bees pee upon him)
LAHORE: A middle-aged labourer was killed by contaminated liquor, while his friend is in a critical condition. Muhammad Anwar of Chungh and his friend Asghar Kamal passed out after drinking locally made contaminated liquor on Wednesday. They were rushed to General Hospital where doctors pronounced Anwar dead. The body has been handed over to the family without autopsy.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2005 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
By Richard Satran 
A proposal to allow oil and gas drilling within 125 miles of the Florida Gulf Coast died in the U.S. House late Wednesday night, a victim of the budget-cutting battle raging there. Republican House leaders abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling. They feared that the controversy over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would jeopardize today's approval of a sweeping $54 billion budget-cutting bill.
Health workers rushed Wednesday to contain an outbreak of acute diarrhea afflicting hundreds of earthquake survivors at a crowded, unsanitary camp on a soccer field here in the capital of Pakistan's part of Kashmir. Tent camps have sprung up in towns and cities across the region, housing local residents and people who fled distant villages that relief workers have struggled to reach. Most camps were set up with official sanction and have sanitary facilities. But others have grown haphazardly wherever people find space, such as the camp on the sports field next to the devastated university in Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistani Kashmir.
Liberia's top female politician took a strong early lead Wednesday in a presidential runoff as her millionaire soccer star opponent charged the vote was fraudulent, clouding elections that had raised hopes for peace in the war-ravaged country. Harvard-educated Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had 56.4 percent of Tuesday's vote with results in from 59 percent of polling stations across the country, the head of the National Election Commission said. 
The NWFP government has asked the federal government for 50 percent share in the President Relief Fund and financial aid received from abroad. Provincial Minister 
LAHORE: A middle-aged labourer was killed by contaminated liquor, while his friend is in a critical condition. Muhammad Anwar of Chungh and his friend Asghar Kamal passed out after drinking locally made contaminated liquor on Wednesday. They were rushed to General Hospital where doctors pronounced Anwar dead. The body has been handed over to the family without autopsy.
