Posts filed under ‘Musings’
Everyone Should Have Their Very Own Drone
Stanford University professor Francis Fukuyama built his very own drone, and not just because it would be a cool, guy-thing to do:
It is extremely easy to build a drone now that can do not just surveillance but can carry rather large payloads. If you want to see how large some of these planes get, check out this video of a model Airbus A380. I don’t have to spell out the implications of this. I want to have my drone before the government makes them illegal. The US has been fighting such low-tech enemies lately that we haven’t thought through the nature of a world in which lots of people have sophisticated drones, not just other countries but private individuals.
Here’s video of a test flight:
I like the way Fukuyama thinks. Since “police departments across the country are marshaling a new generation of remote-controlled airborne surveillance devices to be their eyes in the sky,” maybe we should all have our very own drone to keep an eye on police drones. At some point, with potentially thousands of drones flying around, it’s going to get silly. Drones watching drones watching drones.
Earthquake Activity — 2011
Did you know there were 9,323 earthquakes worldwide in 2011? Me either.
Here’s a fascinating video depicting 2011 in earthquake activity. It’s stunning how much activity centers around the western edge of what I believe is called the Pacific plate, i.e., the area immediately to the east of Japan, Indonesia and down to Australia.
Another thing that struck me are the aftershocks continuing to this day off the coast of Japan, triggered by that huge 9.0 earthquake there on March 11, 2011.
This is truly profound to see — the year of 2011 earthquakes plotted out on a orthographic (globe) map — ANIMATED WITH SOUND INTENSITY for each earthquake!!
(Via.)
Glen Campbell — Thank You For the “Wichita Lineman”
I saw a blurb on the CBS Morning News today about Glen Campbell. Unfortunately he has Alzheimer’s disease but, thank goodness, he’s doing well (knock on wood).
One of the tunes they played during the segment was a portion of “Wichita Lineman,” a song I hadn’t heard in years but I loved and still love. I just listened to it, sang along and teared up about six times and then I thought shoot, why don’t I put it up.
What a beautiful love song.
Whitney Houston Dead at Age 48
Whitney Houston has died. No details yet.
My sense is she had a very unhappy life.
I hope she’s at peace now.
Here she is singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991. Those pipes!
Love You Eric
I’m thinking of my brother Eric today.
Eric was a wildlife biologist, a recycling and save-the-environment freak, a guy who bicycled everywhere. He made his own set of bicycle tire chains so he could ride in the snow. He rode from Colorado to California and back.
He loved the Canyonlands in Utah.
He was a sweet, kind, sensitive soul. (Look at those eyes.) He never missed an opportunity to protest war or injustice. One of his biggest pet peeves was the amount of Our Tax Dollars we give to the Pentagon.
Eric suffered from depression from his mid-teens until the day of his death at age 32. He struggled to live. He gave it all he could.
On February 7, 1988 Eric drove into the mountains above Boulder and stuck a hose into the exhaust pipe of his car. We didn’t find him until two awful days later. His funeral was on February 14.
Love you Eric.
P.S. I know you thought the world was screwed up then. You should see it now. BIG hug.
The US Threatens Iran and Iran is Supposed to Shut Up and Take It
This would be our Tweet of the Day:
I hope a time comes when the United States gets off its high horse and stops thinking it can threaten other countries while simultaneously expecting the other country to shut up and take it.
Karen Handel Quits Komen Foundation
(Reuters) – A senior advisor to the breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure has resigned in the wake of a public outcry over the group’s decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control and abortion services.
Karen Handel, a Republican who once ran for governor of Georgia on a platform calling for defunding of Planned Parenthood, has stepped down from her role at the top U.S. breast cancer charity, the organization confirmed on Tuesday.
Here is a copy of her resignation letter.
She’ll probably slide into a high-powered, high-paying job at a conservative D.C. think tank, like the American Enterprise Institute or the Heritage Foundation.
Madonna Wants World Peace?
Madonna ended her Super Bowl half-time show tonight asking for world peace. World peace?
Yes,
WORLD PEACE
Radical liberal shit.
The crowd cheered.
The XLVI Super Bowl Stadium Was Built by Union Workers
Hey people, the Super Bowl is being played in stadium that was union made:
This weekend, millions of Americans will be in front of their televisions, watching the Patriots and Giants battle it out in Super Bowl XLVI. The game, undoubtedly one of the biggest sporting events of the year, is taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since its doors opened in 2008, the stadium has provided many economic benefits to the community and has hosted concerts, the NCAA Final Four, and many other events that have brought people and money into the city. Moreover, the project was constructed by Indiana’s Building Trades Unions through a Project Labor Agreement (PLA).
Construction of the stadium was funded by the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana taxpayers.
[...]
When asked about the appeal of using union craft labor on the massive project, Barney Levengood, the executive director of the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, said: “They’re trained. They go through an apprenticeship program. They have skills and are very incredibly safety-oriented.”
The use of Project Labor Agreements in the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium helped coordinate 1,500 professionals from multiple crafts, all working under the same rules. The result was the on-time and on-budget completion of the facility, which boasts a retractable roof, operational windows with views of the Indianapolis skyline, and state-of-the-art electrical, heating, cooling and plumbing systems.
Meanwhile, just last week, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (Republican, of course) signed a right to work for less law, which essentially busts unions and worker rights.
Now We Know Why the Glaciers Are Shrinking
Just kidding with that title but I wouldn’t put it past the Repubs to say climate change? What climate change? This is why the glaciers are shrinking:
Photo: Flickr User: Jose Tomas Moran
Chile: Man Arrested over Glacier Ice Theft
Police in the south of Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing ice from the Jorge Montt Glacier.
Officials in the town of Cochrane found five tonnes of ice in the back of his truck.
Scientists say the glacier, in the Patagonia region, is retreating faster than any other in Chile.
Police suspect the ice was destined for the capital, Santiago, to make gourmet ice cubes for use in upmarket bars and restaurants.
Good on the police in Chile!
About Those Frye Boot “Benchcrafters”
A friend gave me a pair of Frye shoes the other day. They came with a rustic cardboard tag advertising Frye’s as “Benchcrafted Since 1863:”
The first pair of Frye Boots were benchcrafted in 1863. What made them America’s best then still holds true today. Frye quality is timeless. Since 1863 Frye leather products have been benchcrafted from the finest full grain leather uppers and genuine leather…
So I’m thinking:
Not only that, but the address on the tag says:
The Frye Company, 160 Great Neck Road, Great Neck, New York 11021
Moving on, I imagine bent-over, gray-haired sweet old men wearing tiny wire-rimmed glasses who smell of leather dye working in Great Neck, New York benchcrafting away.
But then I look inside my new shoes and gosh golly gee, what do I see? “Made in China.”
Scathing Letter From a Freed Slave to his Former Owner
Powerful stuff:
In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdan Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdan — who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family — responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below (a letter which, according to newspapers at the time, he dictated).
✺ ✺ ✺ ✺ ✺
Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee
Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin’s to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.
I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, “Them colored people were slaves” down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.
Read the whole thing, all the way to the last paragraph, which is the best.
(I’m going to bookmark the blog where I found this letter: Letters of Note. Fantastic site.)
Oakland, CA Police Over Reacting to a Small Occupy Action There Tonight
At most, 1,000 Occupy Oakland protesters are taking action in Oakland, CA right now and the police are acting like it’s Pearl Harbor all over again. Watch the brave and intrepid citizen journalist WillFoReal broadcasting live here.
Far as I can tell, they’re arresting everyone.
Who are the police working for? The corporatocracy?
UPDATE:
For another good live feed, go here.
CNN Says CNN Has Breaking News About CNN’s News About CNN
CNN has breaking news tonight about CNN breaking news about CNN:
The “breaking news”on CNN is that CNN has news about CNN: It has aired the “last debate before the Florida primary.”
Stay tuned for more from CNN on CNN breaking news that CNN covers when CNN breaks CNN news.
375-Year-Old French Bank Cancels Debts of Paris’ Poor
This is a perfect story to read as I head out to do my volunteer time at the food bank:
Photo: Wikimedia
Just as France was being chastised for excessive national borrowing with a sovereign debt downgrade, thousands of lucky French people had their financial obligations forgiven after the country’s oldest bank decided to simply wipe their slate clean.
Granted, it’s a small slate. The 3,500 clients who benefitted from the bank’s largesse had debts of 150 euros or less (about $190) with the Crédit Municipal de Paris, also known as the “Mont-de-piété,” the bank of the poor, which has for centuries allowed the needy to get loans against their valuables—a kind of ethical pawnshop, or the original microlender. The small kindness was welcome for many.
“I’m very happy, it’s the first time I get something for nothing,” said Geneviève, an elegant woman in her fifties who was at the bank to get back a gold coin and a small wedding band she had pawned three years ago. “There came a point when I needed money. They’re not worth much but they’re important to me.”
The unexpected gift is a way for the bank to celebrate its 375th anniversary. The Crédit Municipal de Paris was created in 1637 by Théophraste Renaudot, a doctor, journalist and philanthropist who wanted to combat poverty by giving the needy access to fair banking.
Joe Paterno Dies
Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85 after experiencing serious complications from lung-cancer treatment.
The health of Paterno, who had fought the disease for two months, had grown progressively worse after he recently broke his pelvis in a fall at his home in State College, Pa.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today,” said a statement from Paterno’s family, released Sunday, shortly after 10 a.m. ET. “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.
“He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been.
“His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.”
The day Paterno was fired from Penn State my husband said he thought Paterno would probably die soon because coaching there was his life. Turns out he was right.
Joe Paterno Reportedly Near Death
Paterno in Grave Condition
Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno is near death, a source confirmed to The Citizens’ Voice.
Paterno’s wife, Sue, summoned close friends and longtime staff members this afternoon to the State College hospital where Paterno has been undergoing treatments since last weekend.
Paterno wanted to see them and say a final goodbye, Sue told one of the staff members, the source said.
Paterno, diagnosed with cancer days after his Nov. 9 firing, has been weakened by radiation and chemotherapy treatments, a member of his family told the Voice.
Earlier this week I read an article written by a woman who’d recently interviewed Paterno (of course I can’t find it now). She said it was hard for him to speak because his lung function was so compromised by the lung cancer. That kind of shocked me because at the time of his diagnosis, we were told Paterno had a “treatable form of lung cancer.”
I take this as a warning to have more than one passion so I don’t keel over if my ability to pursue that one passion evaporates.
Tom Brady — Not Exactly a Fan of the Tiny House Movement
This is the just-completed new home of New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen.
It has 22,000 square feet and eight bedrooms, a six-car garage, a butler’s room, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with spa, a weight room and a wine cellar.
All that for three people (Brady and his wife have a young son).
This, on the other hand, is an aerial view of my 1,100 square foot house…probably equivalent to the size of Gisele’s closet.
It’s cozy and sunny and perfect I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Then again, it would be nice if a beach on the Pacific ocean was just outside the back door..
Gotta Love Dolly Parton
Quote of the day:
Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
“You’d be surprised to find out how much it costs to look this cheap.”
– Dolly Parton
Scott Walker, You’re a Weaselly Little Chicken S**t
No reason given? Use your imagination. How about something having to do with 1 million recall signatures?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Named U.S. Cultural Ambassador
I think this is great:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is about to embark on something possibly more far-reaching than even his legendary skyhook.
The U.S. State Department has announced that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been enlisted to serve as a global cultural ambassador and help with diplomatic efforts. That begins Sunday, Jan. 22, when Abdul-Jabbar plans to travel to Brazil to speak on a number of events mostly centering on education.
How refreshing to see someone other than a white Christian male representing our country.
Prescription Drug Deaths Kill More People Than Traffic Accidents
When I saw this headline, it stopped me in my tracks:
Surge In Prescription Drug Overdoses Causes Drug Induced Deaths To Top Motor Vehicle Fatalities
That is shocking.
Here are the details:
An analysis by the LA Times on 2009 death statistics reported by the CDC reveals that more American lives are being lost to prescription drugs than their illegal street counterparts and it is fueling the growth of drug induced deaths to previously unheard of numbers. Drug overdose surpassed the death toll from motor vehicle accidents, for the very first time on record, and claimed 39,147 lives. The report also found that commonly abused prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Soma and the newly popular Fentanyl, which has 100 times the pain killing abilities of morphine, cause more deaths than cocaine and heroin combined.
Nearly every cause of preventable death has declined in recent years, with the exception of drug overdose, which has doubled over the course of the past decade. The CDC has declared the situation a national epidemic, and it is reaching into all age demographics. Between 2000 and 2008, drug fatalities doubled among teens and young adults and tripled for those aged 50 to 69, with the highest number occurring for people in their 40s. Unsurprisingly, in those same years, drug overdose on prescription pain killers and anti anxiety medications more than tripled. It has been suggested that the reason these drugs are so lethal is because they are prescribed by trusted doctors, and patients using them do not understand the danger posed, as there is very little stigma attached to using them.
These numbers are three years old. I would imagine they’re even worse now. But just think, in 2009, 39,147 people died of a prescription drug overdose. 39,147 people! That’s terrible.
We started two wars over the deaths of 2,996 people on 9/11 but some 39,000+ people are dying every year due to prescription drugs? Why aren’t we declaring a war on that?
This is outrageous and so, so sad.
Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr.
I remember my father attending marches in Bloomington, Indiana during the civil rights movement in the 1960′s. I remember my parents being afraid of repercussions as a result of their activities, like a brick tossed through the front window or a bomb under their car. That kind of thing happened back then folks. White people who thought African-Americans should be treated equally were thought of as traitors, insurgents and terrorists.
I remember the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. So I think it’s repulsive that K-Mart is commemorating “MLKDAY” with a money-making sale. Nothing could be farther from what Dr. King fought for and nothing could be farther from what those who rallied with him stood for:
This is just shameful.
Go Broncos
I admit I’m a fair weather friend but…
go Broncos!
Oy.
I’m waiting for the halo over the stadium.
@10:25 p.m. ET: Denver 7, New England 42.
Oops. God must be busy. Maybe she’s thinking about the Thousands of Horses Abandoned by Owners Last Year:
Thousands of horses are being abandoned or tied up and left to starve, many by desperate owners unable to afford the costs of keeping them. A national crisis has seen Britain’s biggest horse charities under unprecedented pressure from the sheer number of animals needing their help.
Redwings – Britain’s biggest charity for abandoned horses – says the situation has reached breaking point. It has seen the number of cases soar from 160 horses in 2009 to 450 last year. So far this month it has taken in up to 10 a day. The charity, which can house 1,200 animals, is now full.
Final score: Denver 10, Patriots, 42.
@11:28 p.m. ET: The game “was over at halftime.”
Now I watch for days while Denver’s “liberal media” turn Tebow into a saint despite this loss…
On to next season!
Philadelphia Mayor Tells Constituents: “Don’t Act Like Idiots and Assholes”
I can’t say I’m all that familiar with Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter, but I like any politician who has the guts to cut through the spin and the gobbledygook:
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has some advice for his criminal constituents: don’t “act like idiots and a[ss]holes.”
A Tuesday night shooting in Philadelphia left three teenagers dead and Nutter fuming.
The outspoken mayor lashed out at the city’s youth and their parents as well as the murder suspect — all of whom shared responsibilty for the tragedy, according to Nutter.
“The first way to stop this kind of stuff is for young people to be home when they’re supposed to be home and for adults not to act like idiots and a–holes out in the streets of our city, shooting at kids in a car,” Nutter told Fox 29 on Tuesday.
“If you want to act like an idiot, if you want to be an a–hole, if you want to be a lowlife in this town, we will track you down like the dog that you are,” Nutter added, according to CBS Local News.
Philadelphia parents did not escape Nutter’s tongue-lashing.
“Parents have to know where their children are and what they are doing,” Nutter said, according to CBS Local News. “Their little butts should have either been in bed, getting ready for bed, or doing some homework.
Obviously the issue of inner-city crime is complicated but it’s good to hear this kind of talk now and then because my sense is people really hear it; they take it in and think about it. At least I hope that’s the case.
Anyway, you go Mayor Nutter!
Rolls Royce Sets 107-Year Sales Record
Ah yes, the 1%ers are doing very, very well indeed:
Rolls Royce Reports Most Sales Ever
Rolls Royce has reported its highest annual sales in its 107-year history for 2011.
The UK-based car company was successful at home, but its foreign market has grown considerably.
Customers in the Middle East are buying up the ultra-luxurious cars, and Saudi Arabia is the company’s fifth largest market, followed by the United Arab Emirates at fourth.
(Via.)
Here’s more:
The UAE and Saudi Arabia were the fourth and fifth biggest markets for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in 2011, the luxury vehicle maker said on Monday.
The company revealed record sales results for 2011 with a total of 3,538 cars sold globally, a 31 percent increase on the 2010 total of 2,711 cars.
The figure represents the best sales result in the company’s 107-year history; the previous record of 3,347 cars having been set in 1978 during the Silver Shadow II era.
Sales figures for the Middle East rose by 23 percent in the past year, the company said in a statement, adding that the UAE registered 32 percent growth.
Globally, China and the United States were the most significant individual markets for Rolls-Royce.
God Leads Tim Tebow to AFC Playoff Win
The Denver Broncos just won the first tier of the AFC playoff games with a 70+ yard run back after a pass from Tim Tebow.
Tebow, of course, did “The Tebow,”
Photo: AP
immediately afterward, embellishing it with a few fist bumps to the ground in a you-go-god-thank-you kind of way.
I thinks it’s the ultimate in arrogance on Tebow’s part (and the ultimate insult to god) if Tebow really believes god has so little to do that he’s hanging around on one guy’s shoulder (Tebow’s), helping him win a dang football game.
Come on.
A “12 Ounce Can of Tuna?”
I just opened a “12 oz. can of tuna.”
I know, I know, I know, the big thing these days is drowning government in a bathtub but what about this: I want to know why someone with more power than I have isn’t making sure that we actually get 12 ounces of tuna when we buy a can that says, ah, it’s a 12 ounce can of tuna.
I got 6 ounces of tuna and 6 ounces of water.
