Wednesday, October 7, 2009
A War of Absurdity…
Two weeks ago I weighed in on our war in Afghanistan - “History shows why we should get out of Afghanistan” – This article, on the same subject, goes into more depth than I was able to within the confines of my word limit.
Scheer also points out facts showing al-Qaida is practically a non-presence in Afghanistan.
Every once in a while, a statistic just jumps out at you in a way that makes everything else you hear on a subject seem beside the point, if not downright absurd. That was my reaction to the recent statement of the president’s national security adviser, former Marine Gen. James Jones, concerning the size of the terrorist threat from Afghanistan:
“The al-Qaida presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.”
Less than 100! And he is basing his conservative estimate on the best intelligence data available to our government. That means that al-Qaida, for all practical purposes, does not exist in Afghanistan—so why are we having a big debate about sending even more troops to fight an enemy that has relocated elsewhere? Because of the blind belief, in the minds of those like John McCain, determined to “win” in Afghanistan, that if we don’t escalate, al-Qaida will inevitably come back.
Read the rest here via Truthdig
Photo Credit: Flickr/The U.S. Army
A stupid stunt by a stupid woman
Cops: Alabama mother had daughter, 13, ride in box atop minivan
Meet Jackie Knott. The Alabama woman, 37, is facing a child endangerment rap for allegedly having her teenage daughter ride in a cardboard box atop her minivan as it traveled along an interstate highway Saturday morning. Knott, pictured in the below Albertville Police Department mug shot, told cops that her 13-year-old daughter Haley was serving as a human paperweight to keep the box from falling off the vehicle (and careening down U.S. 431). While Knott explained that the box was too large to fit inside her van, it is unclear why she did not seek to simply flatten it in an effort to squeeze the box into her crowded vehicle. When stopped by cops, Knott, a Boaz, Alabama resident, noted that "the box was tied to the van with a clothes hanger," according to a police press release. That assurance did not sway cops, who arrested Knott in the shadow of a Tyson Foods poultry processing facility, according to an October 3 police report.
Photo and text via The Smoking Gun
Technorati Tags: child endangerment,stupid woman
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tree House for Serious Tree Huggers
There was a time “tree huggers” were an issue in Humboldt County. Nowadays you just don’t hear much about them. That is until I found this article in the WebUrbanist
Written by Urbanist
So you are really passionate about trees want to take your tree house adventures to the next level? These tree houses are not just amazing to behold but are actually complex protest structures. By locking onto and relying on the surrounding trees for support they prevent logging of large old-growth trees while providing an amazing living experience to their residents.
Pot smoking 'saved' Kevin Smith
The king of stoner moviemakers, Kevin Smith, never really smoked much marijuana until Seth Rogen talked him into it last summer, he says.
Now he sparks up at least three times a day and credits pot for helping him to dig his way out of a creative slump.
Not the sort of advice responsible parents, doctors or educators are likely to embrace, Smith told The Post's Don Kaplan, "I know you're supposed to tell kids not to do drugs, but, kids, do it! Do weed! Don't do the other stuff, but weed is good . . . What you want to do is what I did, build a movie empire and, at age 38, smoke it all away."
Smith is pushing his new book, "Shooting the S - - t With Kevin Smith," a project he claims he didn't even write because it's a transcription of SModcast, his regular podcast with pal Scott Mosier. "I did so little work to put this book together, but I did everything to make the podcast happen, so by virtue of that I am the author," he says.
Click here to read the rest at the New York Post online
33 Ways To Get And Keep Yourself Motivated
Being motivated is a wonderful state of your being. In that state your body leverages huge amounts of energy. Your emotional field is totally balanced, physically you’re able to climb the Everest and mentally you understand the whole Universe in a split of a second. I know you know the feeling. The good news is that you can re-create this state pretty much whenever you want. Here are 33 tips to help you get and stay motivated. By the way, if you’re into long lists, you may also check this one: 100 Ways To Live A Better Life.
1. Ignore The Unimportant
Learning to ignore is a fantastic lesson. Much more rewarding that you think. There must be an art of ignoring and they should teach it in universities. Spanning your focus in so many areas will only weaken you. Ignoring what’s unimportant will free up energy and help you stay focused and productive.
Click here to read the rest at Dragos Roua – The choice of a personal path
Technorati Tags: motivation
Monday, October 5, 2009
Now this is how to rob a bank
The G4S facility outside Stockholm that was spectacularly robbed
“Show you have a sense of humor by placing a bag outside the cops’ helicopter hanger with the word BOMB written on it. This will stop the police chasing you in the sky.
Scatter small sharp objects on the roads around the bank you’re targeting to slow down approaching police cars.
Rather than targeting a regular bank, choose a facility that stores banknotes for them.
Get schematics of the building.
Plan the raid for the day before people get paid, so there’ll be lots of cash kicking around.
Hover the chopper over the bank while your men abseil in.
Have a pilot so good that authorities suspect military experience.
Set off some minor explosions to get to the cash.
Chuckle at the cops as they try to get into the fortified building using a battering ram.
Leave all the staff unharmed.
Return to the helicopter and fly into the pre-dawn sky.
Land the chopper in a field.
Disappear into the woods with the loot.
Roll around in your money.”
thanks to The Punch for the above photo and article.
Roomba Art: vacuum versatility is arty
People love the Roomba. Why? Because it allows you to vacuum a room while sitting on the couch. Also because it seems more attainable than the Segway. And then a cat rode one, and it was glorious. Now comes something truly groundbreaking -- Roomba art. As far as we can tell, the trend started on a blog called Signal Theorist, who got the idea to set up a camera, turn off all the lights, and take a long-exposure photo of the Roomba's path as it "did its thing." The result looked like an awesomely psychedelic electrical spider web. Now more people are getting inspired to try variations on the same technique, and the creativity seems to be concentrated in the Flickr group, Roomba Art.
- The above image that started it all, via signaltheorist Technorati Tags: roomba art
Chief Red Cloud to Obama: Black Hills are not for sale
Chief Oliver Red Cloud, Lakota, issued a statement to President Obama requesting a meeting more than two weeks ago and is yet to receive a response. Chief Red Cloud, 90, told Obama the Black Hills are not -- and have never been -- for sale
Dear Mr. President:
I am the Itancan (chief) of the Oglala Lakota Band of the Great Sioux Nation and Chairman of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, the traditional governing body of the eight bands of the Lakota Nation.
The Lakota Nation entered into and has always abided by the provisions of the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868. However, the United States of America has repeatedly violated and unilaterally attempted to abrogate the Treaties in violation of accepted international standards and codified international treaty law.
Click here to read the rest at Censored News
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Gluttons for glory -- heroes for an obese nation
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 10/04/2009 10:27:17 AM PDT
For the first time since the Civil War, American life expectancy is projected to decrease, owing to the diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes, ultimately causing cardiovascular death.”
-- Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol.49-Issue 16
On July 4, 1993, eating for glory became a national competition. Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest paved the way for competitive eating. The contest was so popular, watching people “pig-out” went international in 1997.
The irony of competitive eating in a country where hundreds of thousands of people die each year from obesity-related causes, seems lost on the thousands who attend and view these contests. These events have been broadcast live on ESPN since 2004.
Click here to read the rest. Photo via Kinetic Carnival – The Coney Island Blog
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