It's A. Weasel's Life

Mike (He who walks behind the [Iowa] rows) Huckabee

2007-11-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

April 30, 1975..The 31st Anniversary.. WAKE UP!!!!! Will we allow history to repeat itself?

2007-02-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Bumped from April 6 2006 for the upcoming Anniversary

As Conservatives continue to rip each other apart, and republican politicians in Congress become more and more incapable of standing up for conservative values and ideas, the Liberal Party is proving itself able to win without a majority.

We have got to get our shit together (NOW), or the answer to the title question will be yes.

This is what is important (a history refresher for any of you who may have forgotten, or were born after 1970 and never knew).

1. The Paris Peace Accords were signed on 27 January 1973, which officially ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict.

(Substitute Iraq 2009 or maybe 2007.)

2. All U.S. soldiers were ordered to leave (Vietnam) by March 29, 1973.

(Substitute Iraq 2009 or maybe 2007.)

3. 1973-74 Economic aid to South Vietnam continued (after being cut nearly in half).

(Not even the liberals will cut off all support, yet.)

At the same time, aid to North Vietnam from the USSR and China began to
increase, and with the US out, the two countries no longer saw the war as
significant to their U.S. relations.

(Substitute Syria and Iran for USSR & China.)

4. In December 1974, Congress completed passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974 that voted to cut off all military funding to the Saigon government and made unenforceable the peace terms negotiated by Nixon.

(Wait a year, then, hang them out to dry.)

5. On April 29, 1975 the U.S. launched Option IV, the largest helicopter evacuation in history.

(I don’t know if there will be anything left in Iraq to rescue.)

6. Saigon fell on April 30, 1975.

(And so it goes, 2 years and 1 month after US troops left South Vietnam.)

Please remember, the Democrats got us into that war and turned it into a disaster before handing it off to Nixon, who had no choice but to clean up the mess.

The Liberals in this Country have already sacrificed an entire Nation (Vietnam) to make the humiliation a political opponent complete and final.

And they will do it again if we let them.

They care nothing for this Country or its history. They wish to see it destroyed, one way or another.

Note to Republicans: It Takes Guts To Lead A Country.

The Vietnam timeline comes from

http://explainplease.com/j-s/Vietnam.html

One of many Vietnam resource sites on the web.

Highly Quotable Editorial “Mexican Standoff” from one of the founding Fathers of Country Rock… Charlie Daniels.

2006-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Charlie's Latest Trip to Iraq
I have loved the Man's music for 30 years, but the older I get the more I love the Man (and not in a gay way)

I know it’s “old” (1 month, so what), but there is some great stuff in here.

Stuff about Congress;

…if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas it (“in your face protests”) wouldn’t be happening. Where are you, you bunch of lilly livered, pantywaist, forked tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of The Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again?

Stuff about Pollsters;

And what ever happened to the polls guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain’t paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want something done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.

Stuff about the Antique Media;

One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people (except Christians) you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot and anything else they can think of to call you.
Well I’ve been pounded by the media before and I’m still rockin’ and rollin’ and when it comes to speaking the truth I fear not. And the truth is that the gutless, gonadless, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don’t have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the face reality.

Stuff on National Security;

…Somebody is going to cross that border with some kind of weapon of mass destruction and set it off in a major American city after which there will be a backlash such as this country has never experienced and the Capitol building in Washington will probably tilt as Congressmen and Senators rush to the other side of the issue.

And stuff on the thing that pisses me off the most;

And by the way, this is America, and our flag has stars and stripes. Please get that other one out of my face.
Pray for our troops
What do you think?
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
April 10, 2006

What a GREAT-GREAT Rant.

P. S. Check out his Latest post on Iraq;

Go Charlie Go

Go Tony, Go…. It’s about damn time Someone Stands up to Antique Media's Lies by Omission

2006-05-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, some one in the Bush Administration is calling these assholes out to the parking lot.

New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is starting off in a combative mode against the press by issuing detailed rebuttals to what he considers unfair coverage of Bush.

“The New York Times continues to ignore America’s economic progress,” blared the headline of an e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday by the White House press office.

Minutes earlier, another e-mail blasted CBS News, which has had an unusually rocky relationship with the White House since 2004, when CBS aired what turned out to be forged documents in a failed effort to question the president’s military service.

…..

“USA Today claims ‘poor, often minority’ Medicare beneficiaries are not enrolling in Medicare drug coverage,” the press office complained. “But by April, more than 70 percent of eligible African Americans, more than 70 percent of eligible Hispanics, and more than 75 percent of eligible Asian Americans are enrolled or have retiree drug coverage.”

Maybe if we’re lucky, and this fight gets loud enough someone in the “antique media” will start reporting it (not holding my breath).

In the meantime, spread the word, at least one person in this Administration is willing to stand up and point out that the leftist media in this Country has forgotten how to report the news, and has, instead, abused their power by controlling public opinion and attempting to overthrow a sitting Government of the United States.

Found on Ace of Spades HQ

Real Hells Angel on the Street

2006-05-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Every year, a bunch of us put on a Haunted House for the local food bank. It’s gotten pretty elaborate over the years with air props, better monsters and scenes. Because of this shared hobby (obsession) I’m signed on to several “home haunter” email lists and once in a while someone sends in some really funny stuff from the creepy zone.

Background:

There is a company called
Anatomical Chart co. that makes the display human skeletons you see in medical schools and classrooms (called Buckys). The first class ones sell for about $2,000, but you can get the rejects (very cool full size 4^th class) for $70 to $100. Haunters are always trying to animate these things to do stuff like sing and talk. A friend put one in a remote controlled wheel chair, ran it down the street and scared the hell out of people with it, funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

One of our Buckys (Buzz) customized with lure goo

Check out what this guy did with one of these, a remote controlled motorcycle and a sidewalk.
Freakin Hilarious

Forgive me Blog Father, for I have Sinned; It’s been more than two weeks since my last post.

2006-05-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? ….. sound of crickets.

Where the hell have I been? …. 2 weekends out of town on BPOE business (I am the Leading Knight of our local Elks Lodge);

First weekend we were at District Ritual Competition, our team finished 2^nd out of 7 teams, which was kind of a relief because we won District last year, competed at the State level and (for the first time in our Lodge’s 55+ year history) became the Oregon State Elks Ritual Champions, went on to Nationals in Reno and finished 7^th in the Nation (out of 2100 Lodges).

All of this stuff gets very expensive for the Lodge; imagine paying for 12 or 14 people to spend 4 days in Portland (250mi.) and the same people for 5 days (680mi.) in Reno. This year Nationals are in Orlando, Fla. so how spendy would that be (our estimate was 20 to 25 grand.

Second weekend we were at the State Elks Convention, where my lovely wife & I manned the hospitality room for 3 nights, handing free drinks and food out to high level Elks, State Legislators and the “Kings & Queens” of commerce. All in all, a very enjoyable 2 weeks.

On top of all of that, we have been trying to remodel a house my mother just bought here in town, so we can move her closer to us, she’s 84 (lives 52mi. away) and could use a little more help from her sons.

So that’s what I’ve been doing lately.

I’ll find something to rant and rave about tomorrow.

What kind of Political Animal are You?

2006-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Take this (very simple) political quiz to see where you are on the chart.
Yes this is old, very old in fact.
The basis for the quiz goes all the way back to 1969.

But it is still interesting.

My Score

Your PERSONAL issues Score is 40%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 70%.
(Please note: Scores falling on the Centrist border are counted as Centrist.)

History of the test.

Thanks to
Scoprius at Sandra K

Pray for the Fallen

2006-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

As I have said before, I have nothing but the highest respect and admiration for Mohammed and his family at Iraq the Model. Their Blog continues to be the most insightful and inspiring of the Iraqi web sites. Their courage and faith in their Country and it’s future is truelly amazing to see.

Now it seems they have become targets of the murderous cowards that prowl Baghdad’s streets.

Kill us, but you won't enslave us.

Last week our little and peaceful family was struck by the tragic loss of one of its members in a savage criminal act of assassination. The member we lost was my sister's husband who lived with their two little children in our house. He was a brilliant young doctor with a whole future awaiting him, the couple were the top graduates in their branch of specialty.

…..

He was not affiliated with any political party or movement and spent all his time working at the hospital or studying at home and he was dreaming of building a medical center for his specialty to serve the poor who cannot afford going to expensive private clinics.
We didn't know or anticipate that cruel times were waiting for a chance to assassinate the dream and kill the future.
It was the day he was celebrating the opening of a foundation that was going to offer essential services to the poor but the criminals were waiting for him to end his life with their evil bullets and to stab our family deep in the heart.

Condolences, prayers and words of support have poured in from all over the world.

Please read the rest of Mohammed’s post, and send your tears and prayers to his family.

May the Godless Savage Animals that committed this crime, burn today on Earth ….and forever in Hell.

WOW... I'm a Puss

2006-04-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Fun little "Evil" test that I (sadly) failed.

So much for my dreams of becoming a politician (just kidding, been there, done that)

You Are 46% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Thanks to Scorpius over at SondraK

Hilarious Fun Stuff from Dave at Garfield Ridge

2006-04-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is pretty self-explanatory.

Girls Gone Wild Released

Back Into Civilization

Thanks again to Dave at Garfield Ridge

What the Hell is THAT!

2006-04-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Iran's new "Flying Boat" as shown on Iranian TV.
Looks like a Boat.... flies like a Plane.

Comes complete with Life Guard Stand for....for beach safety

The "12 Monkeys" Scenario -- Life Imitates Art

2006-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Over the last 25 years (off & on) I have spent a lot of time in the environmental political trenches arguing;

1 For an individuals right to own property.

2 Against Government “takings”

3 Against the destruction of small “resource based” economies & communities.

4 Against “Illegal Wilderness” designation.

5 And against any group whose name begins with “The Friends of..” or “Save the…”.

My dealings with so-called “Environmental Groups” have run the gambit from, save the Spotted (one used to live in my barn) Owl, to the, “Rip down the dams” to save the Northwest (if we were serious, we wouldn’t EAT them) Salmon, to the, “Hell No, you can’t designate a “Wild River” (defacto Wilderness Area) through a town of 180 people.

I have always considered myself a Conservationist (Wise Use), but never a Preservationist (locking up all resources is a sure fire way to ensure their desperate destruction in the future).

In meetings I have had with people from these so-called “Environmental” Groups over the years, one thing has become clear, the modern “Environmental Movement” is no longer about “Clean Air & Clean Water”, it has disintegrated into nothing but a Socioeconomic Political Agenda, with the ultimate goal being; the complete collapse of social, governmental and economic systems on a global scale. If you take away a nation’s ability to feed, provide housing and jobs for its people, can there be any other result?

So what happens when Nations collapse? Starvation… Disease…Murder… and yes…genocide.

I have had the opportunity to talk with “Environmentalists” about what they consider to be the number one threat to our planet, and almost always, the answer is, “Human Overpopulation”. They will say that they don’t have an answer (yet) to this “Problem”, but it’s pretty clear, that there can only be one (the ultimate) solution.

Well, it seems, one of these “Mother Earth” freaks has finally, publicly, stated the answer to all our problems;

DOCTOR DOOM (sorry, not really that funny at all)

But there was a gravely disturbing side to that otherwise scientifically significant meeting, for I watched in amazement as a few hundred members of the Texas Academy of Science rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation to a speech that enthusiastically advocated the elimination of 90 percent of Earth's population by airborne Ebola. The speech was given by Dr. Eric R. Pianka , the University of Texas evolutionary ecologist and lizard expert who the Academy named the 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist.

........

Something curious occurred a minute before Pianka began speaking. An official of the Academy approached a video camera operator at the front of the auditorium and engaged him in animated conversation. The camera operator did not look pleased as he pointed the lens of the big camera to the ceiling and slowly walked away.

This curious incident came to mind a few minutes later when Professor Pianka began his speech by explaining that the general public is not yet ready to hear what he was about to tell us. Because of many years of experience as a writer and editor, Pianka's strange introduction and the TV camera incident raised a red flag in my mind. Suddenly I forgot that I was a member of the Texas Academy of Science and chairman of its Environmental Science Section. Instead, I grabbed a notepad so I could take on the role of science reporter.

.........

Professor Pianka said the Earth as we know it will not survive without drastic measures. Then, and without presenting any data to justify this number, he asserted that the only feasible solution to saving the Earth is to reduce the population to 10 percent of the present number.

He then showed solutions for reducing the world's population in the form of a slide depicting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. War and famine would not do, he explained. Instead, disease offered the most efficient and fastest way to kill the billions that must soon die if the population crisis is to be solved.

Emphasis Mine

Everyone should read this article (through Drudge), and this, and this, and wake up to the fact that the monster (that will eat us all) is crawling out from under the bed.

Not that this one Professor would bring about the destruction of the Human Race, all by himself, but (as is pointed out in the second & third science articles) his “students/disciples” may be the ones to worry about.

......Maybe go rent “12 Monkeys” again, and see how the Human World ends.

Bull Shit -- Enough Said

2006-04-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have not posted anything about the Illegal Alien Marches going on all last week… cause….I’ve just been soooo pissed off about it…. and smarter people than me are jumping on it all over Net anyway.

......And I still don’t have anything to say, except what’s in the Title of this Post.

Energy Up Date

2006-04-03T11:07:00.001-07:00

Not every thing on the Energy Front needs to be "New, Bright & Shiney".

How about "Old, Black & Oily"

Commenter WickedPinto pointed out a glaring omission on my last post. A very robust and unbelievably available (as much as 250 to 300 years worth in this Country alone) source of energy – COAL.

Used with new efficient “clean burning” technologies, this domestic fuel should be right up there on top of the list for “transition (away from oil)” technologies.

The DOE NETL Turbine....Advances in these gasification-based systems are required to successfully commercialize technologies that will attain the near-zero emissions goals of the Clean Coal Technology Roadmap.

Now Hear This...

New jet fuel made from Coal.

"A new process using jet fuel made from coal could reduce oil dependence, and improve fuel performance in advanced aircraft."

Thanks to Wicked for reminding me of this "old school" energy source.

Bring It On --- If They Build it, People Will Buy It!

2006-03-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

Engineers are getting closer and closer to the day when, “normal” (non George Clooney $108,000 Tango) people will be able to buy reliable, efficient, competitively priced electric cars. This has been a passion of mine for over 30 years, and I have always believed that electric vehicles (cars, trains etc.) are the future of transportation in this Country.

The Lithium-Ion
Car

Altair Nanotechnologies plans to road test an advanced electric vehicle prototype.

The burning question on everyone’s mind when ever I write about this stuff is;

Where the hell are we supposed to get all this electricity to run these vehicles?

Well, how about;

Renewable Energy and “0-Consumption” Energy:

Photovoltaic Solar – Currently inefficient and costly, but advances in nano-materials are about to exponentially change all that.
Wind – Somewhat inefficient, but with enough of them, they could have a substantial impact on power generation. Take a look at what’s happening in Germany & Spain right now.
Tidal/Wave – Completely underutilized, this could have as much impact on the grid, as Hydropower did 80 years ago. It uses basically the same proven technology as Hydropower, and generating facilities could be built almost anywhere there are adequate tidal fluctuations.
Geothermal – Limited access, but still a good, clean way to generate electricity.
“Thermal Solar” – Again, completely underutilized, focus sunlight to make steam, use the steam to make electricity. This technology has been around forever (kinda). A friend and I built one of these in the '70s with 1' mirror tiles on a frame (kind of like an old satellite dish), an old pickup heater core and an old water heater. It made tons of instant steam (blew up once), but we never knew what to do with it.

Solar Thermal Solar Generators -- Solar Furnace in France generates 33,000 deg. cel.

Rendering of the Nevada Solar One facility.

Other Energy sources:

Nuclear – Never been a big fan, because of waste storage and the cost, but in climates that don’t have good access to the sun, I’m not opposed.
Fusion - Science Fiction – for now.
Hydrogen – As a direct transportation fuel, I think it’s stupid. Think about it; You set up a plant to make Hydrogen, so you can truck or pipe this highly volatile fuel to gas stations (that don’t exist, yet) to put in your fuel cell car to make electricity to drive down the road. Hmmmm. What if you set up a plant to make Hydrogen, and produce electricity right at the plant. This can be done right now without the added infrastructure.
Bio-Fuels – If they can make these fuels cost effective, they will make an excellent transition fuel, for people who can’t buy a new car. But, after that, just like Hydrogen, make it and use it to make electricity.

I know….There are a lot of other energy sources out there (like Methanol), but these are the ones I could think of, off the top of my pointed head, and we will always need some gasoline around (I refuse to convert my wife’s ’65 Mustang to electric).

As I have said before, there is no reason why we have to continue to burn gas & diesel to drive down the road in our “everyday” cars. We simply have to get off our butts now, and start building the generating capacity that will be needed in the near future.

Companies are getting close to producing the electric car people like me have been dreaming about for years……just have to wait a little longer.

When they build them…. We will buy them.

An Iraqi's Hope for Iraq

2006-03-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Mohammed’s blog (Iraq The Model), for some time now, and he always has good, well written inside (Iraq) commentary on his site, but his post today is exceptional.

Please read this.

The third anniversary...sacrifice, fear and hope.

Of course he has the obligatory “Moonbat troll” thing going on in his comment section, but that is to be expected I guess.

I’m getting sick and tired of people in my Country hoping and dreaming for Iraq to fail, just so they can get elected here.

A. Weasel

Haloscan Commenting

2006-03-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have never been a big fan of having to "sign in" in order to participate in something so;
I added Haloscan Commenting to this blog, I hope it works and stuff.
A. Weasel
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

“Furious George” Up Date (kinda)

2006-03-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

I have only been doing this blog thing for about a week now, but even I am aware that one should not put up a post written by someone else, when that someone else didn’t actually write it.

I know… I know…. This is old.

I get kinda slow with the political stuff sometimes (all that hand wringing, screaming & chest pounding gives me a headache).

But….

Apparently the blog post (by George Clooney at Huffingtonpost.com), that I referenced last Monday, was (wait…here it comes) NOT written by George.
It was simply a collection of “Clooney quotes” from other interviews.

Now George is hopping mad at Arianna Huffington for “abusing” him.

"She said some things that I won't share, but she did tell me that this could be bad for me - bad for my career. Well, screw you!" the movie star told me yesterday about a conversation he had with the doyenne of Huffingtonpost.com. "I'm not going to be threatened by Arianna Huffington!"

Clooney, in his only interview on the subject, took off the gloves in his fight with Huffington over a blog purportedly written by the "Syriana" Oscar-winner and posted on her Web site Monday.

"I feel abused," he said.

Yesterday, Clooney released an angry statement calling Huffington's methods "purposefully misleading," and she acknowledged that his so-called blog - slamming Dems who voted for the war in Iraq for fear of being labeled "liberal" - was actually compiled from Clooney's recent interviews with the UK's Guardian and CNN's Larry King.

Anyway, you can read the whole thing here;

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/400029p-338931c.html

Good Times….Good Times

A. Weasel

Have A Nice Day

2006-03-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

In 1968 Philip K. Dick wrote the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”. Set in the year 2021, it showed us a world where corporations created new life forms at will, and sometimes, people had to hunt them down and kill them.

In 1982 Director Ridley Scott turned this novel into the film “Blade Runner”, (arguably) one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever made. In Scott’s interpretation of the novel he takes the concept of commonplace genetic and nano-scale engineering a little further, by suggesting that these technologies will become so cheap and easy that virtually anyone will be able to create their own eyes, pets, servants or living oddities in little back alley stores.

Intense science turned into “fun art form”.

Imagine a world where the high school dropout ass-crack plumber down the street can create new life forms and nano-bots in his basement with nothing more than a 9th grade chemistry book and a $129.00 science kit from Radio Shack.

I have never been the kind of person to fear new technologies, or always think of the “worst case scenario” when some new break through or innovation comes along. I have always believed (for the most part) that the scientific community does a pretty good job of questioning and policing itself.

But, could these amazing technologies eventually become available to the masses?
If so, can we control what they might used for?

Have A Nice Day!
Actual Images of Nano Structures created with long strands of DNA and a new "cheap & easy" process.

Today I ran across this article on MIT’s Technology Review website;

Do-It-Yourself Nanotech by Kevin Bullis.

Paul Rothemund, a computer scientist at Caltech, with a background in biology, has developed a relatively inexpensive way to quickly design and build arbitrary shapes and patterns using DNA -- and, he says, it's simple enough for high-school students to use.

.....

"It's really spectacular work. I'm extremely excited about it," says William Shih, professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, who is now working to extend Rothemund's technique to building three-dimensional structures. Rothemund's work, he says, has taken the small field of DNA nanotechnology and "opened it up to becoming a mainstream tool by making it one or two orders of magnitude cheaper and easier to do."

Now, I understand the incredible opportunities here for education and innovation. But, I really have mixed feelings about this stuff, could we be (in some way) casually jogging into the worlds depicted in Dick’s novel or Scott’s (somewhat darker) film?

Hmmmmm.
Just wonderin
A. Weasel

Up Date;
Oh, and I forgot to mention,

"Designing each structure took about a week, according to Rothemund. After that, trillions of copies self-assemble in just a few hours -- this speed of production is one of the qualities that makes self-assembly so attractive."

Cool, they're self-replicating........ just like us.
I know...I know…They don’t actually reproduce, they assemble themselves.

A. Weasel

Engineering the Wet Pants

2006-03-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

Having worked in the Engineering field for 20+ years, I have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to design stuff like this, and I have the highest respect for those Engineers that really push the limits of functional design.

Now, having said that;

I love a good Roller Coaster, and I’ll get on one every chance I get.
But….I’m not sure I’d get on this “Devil Ride”.

With a record-breaking height of 420-feet and record-breaking speed of 120 mph, Top Thrill Dragster (I would have called it something like “Satan’s Last Laugh”) thrills riders this summer at Cedar Point in Ohio.

I'm sure this last picture is probably pretty common.

And I know I wouldn't care about the wet pants,
cause I'd be DEAD.

Ya gotta love the "Space Elevator"

2006-03-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Why?
Because it would lower the cost of getting stuff into space by 98%,
and it's just plain cool.

And..... it's gonna happen - here.

And here.

I have loved this idea since I was kid (the concept is a 111 years old)
but it was always a Sci-Fi fantasy because no material was strong enough to build the 62,000mi. space tether the elevator would run on. Then, in 1991, Sumio Iijima of the NEC Corporation discovered carbon nanotubes, and look out, science was off to the races.

I’m not sure about LiftPort Group and their “quest to build a space elevator by April 2018” (could be a tad bit ambitious), but who knows.

I just hope I live long enough to see it. Soooo Cooool.

A. Weasel

NERD ALERT!!!!

2006-03-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

If rou are thinking about buying a new PC you might want to wait a little & watch the prices closely.

A Wall Street analyst downgraded Advanced Micro Devices to "sell" from "buy" Monday, citing reports from Intel supply chain representatives that the chip giant was preparing to launch a price war.
"We heard from the (Intel) supply chain that Intel is beginning to slash pricing to regain market share, or at least stave off share losses,"

Price War... Price War....Goodie... Goodie!
A. Weasel

“Furious George” on the Rampage

2006-03-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Once again, The King Kong of self-importance lashes out at his own Party

From the Daily Dish

One more time, with feeling

The further these self-obsessed (and otherwise irrelevant) movie star types push the Democratic Party into the socialist abyss, the harder it becomes for them to win any election.

Still, I do like the “furious George” title.

A. Weasel

Billions and Billions of Reasons to Care

2006-03-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

We hear politicians talk about huge sums of money all the time, and their words generaly go in one ear and out the other. However, every once in a while all of us need to stop and really think about what these numbers mean.

Fun facts from an e-mail I recieved this morning.

Here's something thought provoking - be sure to read to the end, even if you've seen these 'billion' comparisons before .......
The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want the "politicians" spending your tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A.. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B.. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C.. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D.. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E.. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans - It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division;
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.

Interesting number, what does it mean?

Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516, 528.

Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1, 329,787 or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C.!!!...........................Are all your calculators broken????!!!! Maybe everyone should just flood their houses, then we can all be on the "big easy" street for the rest of our lives, and forget about working, and paying taxes and all that useless stuff!

Now I know that this money is not going to the "people" of New Orleans, but to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin, and we all know that they will spend it wisely. I expect to see some nice improvements to the State House and a new shiny Casino or 2 (or 6).

A. Weasel

Speaking Truth to Insanity - Follow up on a Must See Video

2006-03-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 21, one of the bravest women to come along in a very long time gave an interview on Al Jazeera television. This is a “must see video” for anyone who is trying to wrap their brain around the profound insanity that is Radical Islam.

The Woman’s name is Dr. Wafa Sultan, she is a Syrian-American psychiatrist living in Southern California.

The video comes via Ace & Ogre Gunner over at the Ace of Spades HQ Archives;

Now that you’ve watched the video, here’s the update;

From the NYT
For Muslim Who Says Violence Destroys Islam, Violent Threats

It seems that she (and presumably her family) have received death threats from all over the world in the last 2 weeks. It’s no great surprise that the Muslims who have allowed their Religious leaders to shape and twist them into suicidal psychopathic murderers and rapists would react to the truth this way, but it’s refreshing (and shocking) to hear public support for Dr. Sultan coming from sane Muslims around the world (watching the news, you wouldn’t think there were a lot of them around anymore).

From the NYT interview;

Dr. Wafa Sultan, "Knowledge has released me from this backward thinking. Somebody
has to help free the Muslim people from these wrong beliefs."

Perhaps her most provocative words on Al Jazeera were those comparing how the Jews and Muslims have reacted to adversity. Speaking of the Holocaust, she said, "The Jews have come from the tragedy and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror; with their work, not with their crying and yelling."

She went on, "We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people."

She concluded, "Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them."

Some one had to stand up and speak the truth.
I wish this brave woman all the luck in the world.

A. Weasel

Another Week, Another Breakthrough in Energy Tech

2006-03-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

As we should all know by now, using Hydrogen as a fuel for transportation has more than a few hoops to jump through before it can be considered viable, but every day some one gets another little piece of puzzle figured out.
GE says its new machine could make the hydrogen economy affordable, by slashing the cost of water-splitting technology.

Couple stuff like this with recent advances in battery technology and we may be able to start shedding this 3.4 kabilloin ton energy monkey that's hanging off our backs.

There is still a lot of work ahead for any of this to become practical, but we seem to be getting better at it every week. All we need to do now, is make a commitment as a nation to energy independence . This is the country that put human beings on the moon (in less then 10 years) 35 years ago with (relative) stone spears and bailing twine .

If we attack our present energy situation with the same sense of national pride, innovation and urgency as our parents generation did with respect to the moon, we could do this in short order, not 15 or 20 years, but 5 or 10.

All it takes is a National Will to make it so.

A. Weasel

OK..OK.. I'm trying out this blog thing

2006-03-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have been told many times on the blogs I lurk/comment (mostly lurk)
on that I should try having my own.

Sometimes the suggestion is polite and encouraging...
that's an good argument or link, do you have a blog?

Sometimes it's not...
HEY.... Get your own damn blog!

So, for better or worse I now have a blog of my own and I welcome myself to the blogosphere.

A. Weasel

It's A. Weasel's Life

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Speaking Truth to Insanity - Follow up on a Must See Video

Another Week, Another Breakthrough in Energy Tech

OK..OK.. I'm trying out this blog thing

The Lithium-Ion
Car