December 2009
78 posts
Facebook Fugitive
From The Sydney Morning Herald-
An escaped prisoner who has been on the run in Britain for over three months has used Facebook to mock police who have continually failed to catch him despite his regular updates on the social networking site. Convicted burglar Craig “Lazie’ Lynch, 28, fled from Hollesley Bay prison near Suffolk in September and has continued to update his Facebook...
Don't Worry. Russia Has your Back.
From The AP-
Russia’s space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely. Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA,...
In The Year 2000.............
It is incredible how the world can change in ten years. This is a simple yet great piece from Foreign Policy Passport, and line after line I continually said to myself,
“WOW.”
On this day in 1999… -Lou Dobbs was a respected, middle-of-the-road journalist. -The prospect of achieving Middle East peace seemed imminent. -Beltway pundits believed Al Gore and George W. Bush were...
“To put it simply: this President is not interested in bellicose rhetoric, he is...”
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-White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, writing on the White House blog in response to Dick Cheney’s comments earlier today.
Good Bye to an Icon
today at 11:00 AM, NPR’s Carl Kasell went on the air to give his final news broadcast.
It lasted seven minutes, as most of his his newscasts do, and when he signed off, the news industry lost a pillar of journalistic integrity. He will still continue to score keep on NPR’S weekend comedy news show, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell me, but as for the hard news beginning at 5am, he says...
One Safe City
The I'm Going to Prison Tour
From The AP-
NEW ORLEANS – Lil Wayne emerged as a top-selling musician known for his clever wordplay and risque lyrics, but like rappers before him, he’s staring down a year behind bars at the peak of his career. The artist returned to his hometown of New Orleans for a performance Monday on what he’s calling his farewell tour. “I’m nothing without you,” he told the...
Terror in the Skies?
Nate Silver @ 538.com puts things in perspective…..
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics provides a wealth of statistical information on air traffic. For this exercise, I will look at both domestic flights within the US, and international flights whose origin or destination was within the United States. I will not look at flights that transported cargo and crew only. I will look at...
Who Loves Jesus Most??
From Pew Research-
Which of the 50 states has the most religious population? Since there are many ways to define “religious,” there is no single answer to this question. But to give a sense of how the states stack up, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life used polling data to rank them on four measures: the importance of religion in people’s...
Moving on Up
Twenty Four Wins- Eight Losses- Six Over time Losses
54 points (#1 in the NHL)
ESPN POWER RANKING- NUMBER 2 OUT OF 30
From ESPN-
“The Caps outscored the Devils and Sabres 9-3 to establish themselves as the beasts of the East. The Caps are rolling on both sides of the puck without top netminder Semyon Varlamov.”
Only in NYC....
Photo from Gawker-
In Washington, DC, the metro is efficient, clean, and tame as hell.
Their stated policies which are STRICTLY enforced are as follows;
NO FOOD
NO DRINK
NO SPITTING
NO ANIMALS
NO MUSIC
But in NYC, anything goes. Including raunchified sex. Granted, the subways are smelly and shady after hours, but hey- they’re fun.
T.I Leaves Prison Behind
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution-
Atlanta rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris Jr., was released from prison Tuesday morning after serving about 7 months at a low-security penitentiary in Forrest City, Ark. He is expected to serve the remainder of a reduced sentence in a correctional center near Fulton County Airport.
Harris’ attorney Steve Sadow, who confirmed Harris’ release, said...
It All Comes Down to This...
From AFP-
Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, gave Floyd Mayweather’s camp a take-it-or-leave-it final offer Sunday and set a Monday deadline to settle a blood test feud and salvage a boxing extravaganza. The final stumbling block to a March 13 showdown in Las Vegas that could be the biggest moneymaker in boxing history are demands for blood doping tests, something Mayweather says...
The Power of Incentives
From The BBC-
Israel is to become the first country to give donor card carriers a legal right to priority treatment if they should require an organ transplant. The law has been changed to try to boost donation rates, as there is a shortage for organs for donation. Partners and close relatives of those with signed donor cards will also move up the queue, The Lancet medical journal reports. ...
Would-Be Terrorist Outed by His Dad
From NY Daily News-
The terror suspect who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane is the son of a Nigerian banker who alerted U.S. authorities to his “extreme religious views” months ago, it was reported Saturday. The father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a former minister and chairman of First Bank in Nigeria, is shocked that his son was even was allowed to fly to the U.S., family members...
Tricky Tricksters got Tricked
The DOWN-LOW on what was meant to be a Holliday terrorist attack
From TheDailyBeast-
An al Qaeda magazine published a how-to article in Yemen outlining similar terror techniques that marked the attempted Christmas Day bombing. Howard Altman reveals the chilling details. Nearly two months before Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly smuggled a home-made incendiary device onto Northwest Flight...
The Battle at Tora Bora
In December 2001, it appears that US forces searching for Osama Bin Laden were within 2,000 feet of him- yet he remains on the loose to this day.
What went wrong? Why?
Peter Bergen, the last western journalist to personally interview OBL, and the preeminent terrorism expert has re-created the epic battle, collecting sources from all sides, from the battle where OBL got away.
This is a Must...
Jesus, You There?
From RawStory-
A Gallup poll of Americans’ attitudes towards religion released on Christmas Eve found significant recent increases in those responding either that they have no religious preference, that religion is not very important in their lives, or that they believe religion “is largely old-fashioned or out of date.” Only 78% of Americans now identify as Christian, while...
The Lie of the Year Goes To.......
From The St.Petersburg Times-
Of all the falsehoods and distortions in the political discourse this year, one stood out from the rest. “Death panels.” The claim set political debate afire when it was made in August, raising issues from the role of government in health care to the bounds of acceptable political discussion. In a nod to the way technology has transformed politics, the...
Planning on Shoplifting? Watch Yourself.
From The Atlanta Journal Constitution-
Dunwoody Police are investigating the death Saturday of an alleged shoplifter after he was forcibly apprehended by Wal-Mart loss prevention officers. Marty Bridges, 38, was attempting to flee the store, at 4725 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., when the officers grabbed him, Dunwoody Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Carlson said. Another shopper intervened and a slight...
AT&T Haters?!
From GIZMODO-
Given carrier reputation and our own iPhone call drops, we were pretty surprised to discover, through careful testing in 12 markets, that AT&T’s has pretty consistently the fastest 3G network nationwide, followed closely—in downloads at least—by Verizon Wireless. Let’s get this straight right away: We didn’t test dropped voice calls, we didn’t test...
WatchMy boy Tim Kaine got PUnked by “Barry”
President Obama – identified as “Barry From D.C.” – called into news station WTOP’s “Ask The Governor” program this morning. After identifying himself to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (left), the president quipped that he had “some questions about traffic in Northern Virginia.” “But rather than go...
Watch Where you put That......
From Stars and Stripes-
The Army general commanding U.S. forces in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of prohibitions for personnel under his command. The policy, which went into effect Nov. 4, makes it possible to face punishment, including a court-martial and jail time, for becoming pregnant or impregnating a servicemember, according to the wording of the policy and confirmations...
Misinformer of 2009 is....Glenn Beck
From Media Matters-
Glenn Beck’s well of ridiculous was deep and poisonous before he launched his Fox News show, but the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States — and the permissive cheerleading of his Fox News honchos — uncorked the former Morning Zoo shock jock’s unique brand of vitriol, stage theatrics, and hyperbolic fright, making him an easy choice...
Jeff Sachs on Copenhagen
Two years of climate change negotiations have now ended in a farce in Copenhagen. Rather than grappling with complex issues, President Barack Obama decided instead to declare victory with a vague statement of principles agreed with four other countries. The remaining 187 were handed a fait accompli , which some accepted and others denounced. After the fact, the United Nations has argued that the...
“Lastly, as we near the eve of another Christmas, I wonder: What would have...”
–
-Chuck Norris
Obama Hates Jesus and women who spawn children from immaculate conception
As Doors Close, New Ones Open!
NYC’s top nightclub, SCORES, is looking to offer Tiger Woods a new gig. Noting his appreciation for cocktail waitresses and strippers, he might want to look into this.
“Dear Mr. Tiger Woods,
As the nation watches your endorsement deals collapse in the wake of your adultery scandal and doors have been closing on many sponsorships and opportunities, we would like to take this time to...
You May Have To Re-book that Trip to North Korea
From AFP-
SEOUL — North Korea plans to temporarily ban foreigners from entering the country, a move that could herald a visit by leader Kim Jong-Il to neighbouring China, a report said Wednesday.
South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing North Korean sources in China, said the ban would last from December 20 until early February.
It was unclear from the report if all foreign...
Lets Pray The Poor Don't Get Health Insurance
From The Hill-
Sens. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), along with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) will team up with a group of pastors and religious leaders for a “prayercast” organized by the socially conservative Family Research Council’s action group. The lawmakers will participate in a prayer service broadcast online on Wednesday evening to pray against...
“I ain’t gonna lie – if God said I could pick one person to be my father, I’d...”
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-P Diddy/Diddy/Puff Daddy
Talking to Playboy for their January/February double issue
Mississippi Circa 1953? PA Today?
From NPR-
The federal government has charged three top police officers in Shenandoah, Pa., with covering up evidence in the fatal beating last year of a Mexican immigrant.
Two white football players are in jail now for the attack, although the most serious charges against them were thrown out by a jury.
Federal prosecutors say that’s because police officers in the insular town knew the...
The Birth of the Domain Name
From NPR-
When you type a Web address into that little window — our personal favorite, npr.org, for example — you should give thanks to the man who made it so easy: Dr. Paul Mockapetris. In 1983, Mockapetris developed a protocol that associates strings of numbers with an easy-to-remember name. For instance, the IP address 216.35.221.77 is npr.org. You can type either one into your Internet...
When Johan Goes Home
From The NYT-
TOVAR, Venezuela — The residents here like to tell the story of how a scout, impressed by Johan Santana’s performance at a junior national tournament, drove 10 hours to this small coffee-growing town 6,400 feet up in the Andes to knock unannounced on his parents’ door. That scout was Andres Reiner of the Houston Astros, who soon after signed Santana. “Mr. Andres arrived — I didn’t...
The Reverse Tiger Affect
From The NYT-
As Tiger Woods’s major sponsors plot their own courses in the enlarging wake of multiple accusations of Woods’s marital infidelities, the PGA Tour and its players must also deal with the prospect of yet another protracted absence by its biggest rainmaker. “We need him out here because of sponsorships and just the awareness in our tour in general,” Steve Stricker told PGATour.com. ...
The Great Quandry
This is one of the most debated arguments among macro economists…What truly stimulates economies- Government spending or tax cuts?
Greg Mankiw, super star Harvard economist and former Bush economic advisor makes a case for tax cuts in this interesting NYT editorial.
Sometimes party dogma must be overcome.
Klezmer + Tango= No thanks?
From LA Times-
When Jordan Peimer booked an Argentine band that fuses Jewish Klezmer music with tango, he thought he had the perfect act to headline his “Fiesta Hanukkah” concert. “It is hard to imagine any band more fitting than Orquesta Kef,” says Mr. Peimer, the program’s director at the Skirball Cultural Center here. The event was designed to attract a Jewish...
WatchFox News forgot to call in their statisticians.
Margin of error “monkey shit ridiculous”
Should Linda McMahon Prepare for Pain?
From POLITICO-
Linda McMahon’s political career is just getting started, but already her Senate campaign is drawing notice for the bruised feelings and even broken bones of her opponents: an angry group of famous pro wrestlers who once worked for her. Some of the biggest superstars of recent decades are aiming their gift for trash talk directly at McMahon, a Republican who is a co-founder and...
Top Secret Grab Bag!
From The AP-
WASHINGTON— The White House instructed every federal agency on Tuesday to choose at least three collections of previously undisclosed “high value” government data and publish them on the Internet by the end of January, an ambitious order to make the administration as transparent as President Obama had promised it would be. It was not immediately clear what types of information...
WatchThe benefits of being Jewish? Presents from Republican Mormon senators!
From The NYT-
The canon of Hanukkah songs written by Mormon senators from Utah just got a little bigger. Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a solemn-faced Republican with a soft spot for Jews and a love of Barbra Streisand, has penned a catchy holiday tune, “Eight Days of Hanukkah.” The video was posted Tuesday night on Tablet, an...