4168 Brave men and women are gone ...
Imagine ~ John lennon
Imagine ~ John lennon
Thursday, September 18, 2008
And I Quote
If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight.
~ George Gobal.
And I Quote
"Palin doesn't have any foreign policy credentials. You get a passport for the first time
in your life last year? I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the
experience to be president of the United States,"
in your life last year? I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the
experience to be president of the United States,"
~ Chuck Hagel, republican senator -
with a conscience?
with a conscience?
McPain Advisor Helped cause Crash
Gramm de-regulated what they now say needs regulating
Excerpt:
As the news broke of the Lehman Brothers meltdown and the rest of the latest financial crisis,
John McCain, speaking at a campaign rally in Florida on Monday, angrily declared,
"We will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street. This is a failure."
And in a statement, McCain called for greater "transparency and accountability" on Wall Street.
If McCain wants to hold someone accountable for the failure in transparency and accountability
that led to the current calamity, he should turn to his good friend and adviser, Phil Gramm.
the Senate banking committee, slipped a 262-page bill into a gargantuan, must-pass spending measure.
Gramm's legislation, written with the help of financial industry lobbyists, essentially removed
newfangled financial products called swaps from any regulation.
Confusing isn't it
"No, I don't. But that's not what she's running for.
Running a corporation is a different set of things."
I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation."
Running a corporation is a different set of things."
I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation."
~ former Hewlett-Packard head, now top McPain official Carly Fiorina
when asked if Barbie or Gramps could run a big corporation like she did,
Damn, it is confusing when a repugican tells the truth ... it happens so rarely that Hen's Teeth are more common!
Remember to wear your lapel pin!
Remember all the hoopla and noise about wearing a Flag lapel pin to show you were a 'true' patriot?!
Well, the True patriots do!
Cyber Attack
Carolina Naturally must be getting under the skins of the repugicans because for the last two days this blog has been under cyber-attack by some wing-nut hackers.
They are losing their minds trying to stop the blogging, but I know more tricks than they and every stunt they pull I counter - sometimes before they finish their attempts at disrupting this blog.
This little ol'blog vexing them that are paranoid. Who would have thought?!
They are losing their minds trying to stop the blogging, but I know more tricks than they and every stunt they pull I counter - sometimes before they finish their attempts at disrupting this blog.
This little ol'blog vexing them that are paranoid. Who would have thought?!
Hundreds of new spieces found on Great Barrier Reef
Marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new animal species on reefs in Australian waters, including brilliant soft corals and tiny crustaceans, according to findings released Thursday.
The creatures were found during expeditions run by the Australian chapter of CReefs, a global census of coral reefs that is one of several projects of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort to catalog all life in the oceans.
"People have been working at these places for a long time and still there are literally hundreds and hundreds of new species that no one has ever collected or described," said Julian Caley, a scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is helping to lead the research.
"So in that sense, it's very significant in that if we don't understand what biodiversity is out there, we don't have much of a chance of protecting it," he said.
The creatures were found during expeditions run by the Australian chapter of CReefs, a global census of coral reefs that is one of several projects of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort to catalog all life in the oceans.
"People have been working at these places for a long time and still there are literally hundreds and hundreds of new species that no one has ever collected or described," said Julian Caley, a scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is helping to lead the research.
"So in that sense, it's very significant in that if we don't understand what biodiversity is out there, we don't have much of a chance of protecting it," he said.
Wales eco-village allowed to stay
For five happy years they enjoyed simple lives in their straw and mud huts.
Generating their own power and growing their own food, they strived for self-sufficiency and thrived in homes that looked more suited to the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings.
Then a survey plane chanced upon the ‘lost tribe’… and they were plunged into a decade-long battle with officialdom. […]
With green issues now getting a more sympathetic hearing, the commune has been given planning approval for its roundhouses along with lavatories, agricultural buildings and workshops.
Study Finds Possible Biological Basis for Political Positions
People who startle easily in response to threatening images or loud sounds seem to have a biological predisposition to adopt conservative political positions on many hot-button social issues, according to unusual new research being published today.
The finding — certain to stir debate in the middle of a presidential campaign — suggests that people who are particularly sensitive to signals of visual and auditory threats also tend to adopt a more defensive stance on political issues, from immigration and gun control to defense spending and patriotism. People who are less sensitive to potential threats, by contrast, seem predisposed to adopt more liberal positions on those issues.
RIAA wants to fine lawyer who defends file-sharers for blogging about it
From the Danger Room blog:
The Recording Industry Association of America is declaring attorney-blogger Ray Beckerman a "vexatious" litigator and is seeking unspecified monetary sanctions to punish him in his defense of a New York woman accused of making copyrighted music available on the Kazaa file sharing system.Congratulations , Ray! First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Victory is around the corner.The RIAA said Beckerman, one of the nation's few attorneys who defends accused file sharers, "has maintained an anti-recording industry blog during the course of this case and has consistently posted virtually every one of his baseless motions on his blog seeking to bolster his public relations campaign and embarrass plaintiffs," the RIAA wrote (.pdf) in court briefs. "Such vexatious conduct demeans the integrity of these judicial proceedings and warrants this imposition of sanctions."
Lory Lybeck, a Washington state defense attorney leading a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing the RIAA of allegedly engaging in "sham" litigation tactics, said the RIAA's motion comes from the same organization that has sued about 30,000 people over the last five years for file sharing, some of them falsely. It's the same organization, he said, that has sued dead people, the elderly and even children -- all while using unlicensed investigators.
How SEC rule-exemptions led to the Wall Street collapse
Special exemptions from the SEC are in large part responsible for the huge build up in financial sector leverage over the past 4 years -- as well as the massive current unwindLee Pickard, former director, SEC trading and markets division, spits out the blunt truth: The current excess leverage now unwinding was the result of a purposeful SEC exemption given to five firms.
The events of the past year are not a mere accident, but are the results of a conscious and willful SEC decision to allow these firms to legally violate existing net capital rules that, in the past 30 years, had limited broker dealers debt-to-net capital ratio to 12-to-1. Instead, the 2004 exemption -- given only to 5 firms -- allowed them to leverage up 30 and even 40 to 1.
Who were the five that received this special exemption? You won't be surprised to learn that they were Goldman, Merrill, Lehman, Bear Stearns, and Morgan Stanley.
As Mr. Pickard points out that "The proof is in the pudding — three of the five broker-dealers have blown up."
Who owns America?
Want to know who owns America? Well, the following chart could give you a few clues!
Still think we own our own country?
| Foreign owners of US Treasury Securities (April 2008) | |
|---|---|
| Nation | billions of dollars |
| Japan | 592.2 |
| China, Mainland | 502 |
| United Kingdom | 251.4 |
| Oil Exporters | 153.9 |
| Brazil | 149.5 |
| Carib Bnkng Cntrs | 115.4 |
| Luxembourg | 84.8 |
| Hong Kong | 63.1 |
| Russia | 60.2 |
| Norway | 45.3 |
| Germany | 44 |
| Taiwan | 42.6 |
| Switzerland | 42.5 |
| Korea | 40.5 |
| Mexico | 38 |
| Singapore | 33.3 |
| Turkey | 31.1 |
| Thailand | 27.9 |
| Canada | 24 |
| Ireland | 18.5 |
| Netherlands | 15.5 |
| Sweden | 13.1 |
| Egypt | 12.7 |
| Belgium | 12.5 |
| Poland | 12.5 |
| Italy | 10.6 |
| India | 10.5 |
| All Other | 154.2 |
| Grand Total | 2601.8 |
Still think we own our own country?
New Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis opens
The new Interstate 35W bridge opened for traffic early Thursday, a little more than a year after the last one collapsed into the Mississippi River.
Traffic was heavy as a mix of cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses lined up to cross the new bridge, which reopens a major artery leading in and out of Minneapolis.
Many vehicles honked their horns and a few motorists waved flags as they made the first trip across the span.
The old bridge fell Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145 others.
The new $234 million bridge contains hundreds of sensors that will collect data.
The purpose of the "smart bridge" technology isn't to warn of another impending disaster; it's to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla.
Let us hope the "smart bridge" thing really works.
Traffic was heavy as a mix of cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses lined up to cross the new bridge, which reopens a major artery leading in and out of Minneapolis.
Many vehicles honked their horns and a few motorists waved flags as they made the first trip across the span.
The old bridge fell Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145 others.
The new $234 million bridge contains hundreds of sensors that will collect data.
The purpose of the "smart bridge" technology isn't to warn of another impending disaster; it's to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla.
*****
Let us hope the "smart bridge" thing really works.
Ode To Joy
You knew Beethoven was a rebel and an outsider in the music scene back in the day didn't you?
But did you know he was a Hard Rocker ?!
Check out Odin's Court performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 4th Movement, Finale aka Ode To Joy.
But did you know he was a Hard Rocker ?!
Check out Odin's Court performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 4th Movement, Finale aka Ode To Joy.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
NTSB says the train engineer didn't brake before collision
The engineer of a commuter train ran through a red light and never hit his brakes in the final moments before last week's fatal collision with an oncoming freight train, authorities said.
As they sort through the many possible reasons why, investigators also said Tuesday that engineer Robert Sanchez was working an 11 1/2-hour split shift at the time of the crash.
"Split schedules are something of great concern to us," said Kitty Higgins, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. "But whether that played a role in the accident is much too early to say."
Sanchez, who was killed in the crash, began his shift at 6 a.m. Friday, took a nap during a 3 1/2-hour break and resumed duty at 2 p.m., officials said.
His train crashed about 2 1/2 hours later.
Twenty-five people were killed and more than 135 others injured.
As they sort through the many possible reasons why, investigators also said Tuesday that engineer Robert Sanchez was working an 11 1/2-hour split shift at the time of the crash.
"Split schedules are something of great concern to us," said Kitty Higgins, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. "But whether that played a role in the accident is much too early to say."
Sanchez, who was killed in the crash, began his shift at 6 a.m. Friday, took a nap during a 3 1/2-hour break and resumed duty at 2 p.m., officials said.
His train crashed about 2 1/2 hours later.
Twenty-five people were killed and more than 135 others injured.
AIG bailout upsets Republican lawmakers
You know it's bad when your own compatriots are questioning your sanity but that is exactly what is happening as republicans are saying 'WHOA, there Buddy!"
Key Republicans on Capitol Hill blasted the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve on Wednesday for orchestrating an $85 billion bailout of insurance giant American International Group, and the White House for not informing them of the plan. Meanwhile, Democrats blamed the Bush administration for the financial crisis, while the White House pointed a finger at Congress.
The criticism came a day after lawmakers were surprised by the news that taxpayers would again be called on to shore up a member of the struggling financial sector.
"Once again the Fed has put the taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars to bail out an institution that put greed ahead of responsibility and used their good name to take risky bets that did not pay off," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, a member of the Senate Banking Committee.
A spokesman for Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the committee, said the senator "profoundly disagrees with the decision to use taxpayer dollars to bail out a private company" and is upset the government has sent an inconsistent message to the markets by bailing out AIG after it just refused to save investment bank Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy.
"The American taxpayer should not be asked to unwillingly assume the inordinate risks that financial experts knowingly undertook, particularly when taxpayer exposure is increased by the ad hoc manner in which these bailouts have been engineered," said Shelby's aide, Jonathan Graffeo.
Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri complained about not getting a heads-up about the bailout and said House Republicans are struggling to "understand a coherent strategy" about which firms get rescued and which ones don't.
*****
Oops, your slip is showing!
Gone but not forgotten
An American Chinook helicopter crashed early Thursday in southern Iraq, killing seven U.S. soldiers, the military said.
A U.S. statement said the CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra when the incident occurred.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed that the helicopter had crashed.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
That makes 4167 Brave men and women gone! Dead because of the cabal's greed!
A U.S. statement said the CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra when the incident occurred.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed that the helicopter had crashed.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
*****
That makes 4167 Brave men and women gone! Dead because of the cabal's greed!
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