March 23, 2009
— DrewM Awesome!
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a proposal to the White House on Friday finding that global warming is endangering the public's health and welfare, according to several sources, a move that could have far-reaching implications for the nation's economy and environment...."This is historic news," said Frank O'Donnell, who heads the public watchdog group Clean Air Watch. "It will set the stage for the first-ever national limits on global warming pollution. And it is likely to help light a fire under Congress to get moving."
But business groups decried the move as an economic disaster.
"By moving forward with the endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, EPA is putting in motion a set of decisions that may have far-reaching unintended consequences," said Bill Kovacs, vice president of environment, technology and regulatory affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Specifically, once the finding is made, no matter how limited, some environmental groups will sue to make sure it is applied to all aspects of the Clean Air Act.
"This will mean that all infrastructure projects, including those under the president's stimulus initiative, will be subject to environmental review for greenhouse gases. Since not one of the projects has been subjected to that review, it is possible that the projects under the stimulus initiative will cease. This will be devastating to the economy."
Once again the giant shiny thing in the sky could not be reached for comment about the Earth's temperature.
Obama said he was getting politics out of science. Unfortunately he's simply replacing it with blind faith since the data surely doesn't support his 'scientific' positions.
The Chamber of Commerce guy is undoubtedly right, enviros will use this finding to tie anything they don't like up in the courts for a good long time. Aside from delays and costs, it will simply mean a great deal of normal activity will not be a matter for free people to decide individually or through their elected representatives but rather in courts.
What could go wrong?
*In fairness, I'm not absolutely convinced a President McCain wouldn't have done the same thing. I guess in this case 'elections' includes primaries.
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— DrewM Behold...The Bigdog.
The machine's creator, Boston Dynamics, has a motto — “dedicated to the way things move” — and that’s precisely what is both jarring and fascinating about its invention. Using a gasoline engine that emits an eerie lawnmower buzz, BigDog has animal-inspired articulated legs that absorb shock and recycle kinetic energy from one step to the next.Its robot brain, a sophisticated computer, controls locomotion sensors that adapt rapidly to the environment. The entire control system regulates, steers and navigates ground contact. A laser gyroscope keeps BigDog on his metal paws — even when the robot slips, stumbles or is kicked over.
Boston Dynamics says BigDog can run as fast as 4 miles per hour, walk slowly, lie down and climb slopes up to 35 degrees. BigDog's heightened sense can also survey the surrounding terrain and become alert to potential danger.
All told, the BigDog bears an uncanny resemblance to a living organic animal and not what it really is: A metal exo-skeleton moved by a hydraulic actuation system designed to carry over 300 pounds of equipment over ice, sand and rocky mountainsides.
Put a gun on that baby and you've really got something.
I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1st but based on the video below, it seems to be real. more...
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— Uncle Jimbo
JD has done a number of serious, sober documentaries on the war in Iraq, notably his Outside the Wire series. Baghdad Happens is not one of them.
That is not to say it is not well done or professional, it is just not your run of the mill war doc. Matter of fact in discussing his methodology JD said of the creative process. "I just thought what would PBS do, and then did the opposite". While Ken Burns might be appalled, you will be entertained. From the second the funk-a-fied background music kicks in, to your first glimpse of JD sitting at a bar, burning a cigarette, wearing mirrored shades and a fly suit any gangsta pimp would kill for, you know this will be no ordinary ride.
The title alludes to the fog of war and Murphy's law of combat stating no plan survives initial contact. In this case a simple trip to scarf up an insurgent leader gets derailed when Baghdad Happens in the form of a giant pool of raw sewage blocking the path. Contingencies are put into play, gut calls are made and the adventure begins. In the course of an afternoon they rescue a hostage who they fortuitously run across, engage in a gunfight with Shia militia men, and watchful eyes even yield the fat guy with a broken arm. Just like they drew it up. Baghdad Happens baby.
Don't let the irreverent tone fool you though. This film shows exactly how agile in mind and body our troops have to be in order to get through the Baghdad and make their mission Happen. So order your copy now and when it arrives, gather a few friends, crack a cold one and slap this latest treat in your DVD player. It will take you along for a look at how the best laid plans can't account for pools of sewage, so you just make your own luck.
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— DrewM A public-private partnership that relies on a lot more government money to finance the purchases.
In a lengthy fact sheet, the administration said it plans to use $75 billion to $100 billion from the government's existing $700 billion bailout program for this purpose, and it predicted participation from a broad array of investors ranging from pension funds and insurance companies to hedge funds.To achieve the goal of freeing up more lending, the program would entice private investors with low-cost loans provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve. The government would also shoulder the vast bulk of the risk.
In one example used in the fact sheet, the purchase of a batch of bad mortgage loans would see the private investor put up 6 percent of the cost with the rest provided by the government, with the FDIC covering 84 percent of the cost with a loan and the remaining 6 percent coming from funds from the $700 billion bailout program.
Timmy's WSJ op-ed announcing the plan is here.
You know, the government might have an easier time getting private money into the plan if it hadn't spent the last week demonizing the people with the money to participate and passing 90% retroactive taxes on unpopular groups. Just saying.
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— Gabriel Malor Another week begins; will President Chucklehead insult another foreign leader or mere Americans or both?
Also, will his prime-time news conference tomorrow be about Geithie's new plan to fix banks or the unveiling of Obamacare?
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March 22, 2009
— Open Blog After watching today's domestic bar fight, I had some thoughts. I tried to do some self-editing, but this is as long-winded as it typically is from me. Anyway...
Wow. We, the dextrosphere, are as fired up as IÂ’ve ever seen us, and thatÂ’s good. We should be- weÂ’re seeing a systemic, planned attack on the things that we hold dear, on the things that make our country what it is.
WeÂ’re seeing a domestic attack on our financial system- specifically, our ability to accumulate wealth. WeÂ’re seeing a domestic attack on our armed forces- an attempt to break the faith with the people who have kept the faith with us, no matter how ill-conceived their orders may have been. WeÂ’re seeing a domestic attack on our basic Constitutional rights- rights that are backed up by the law in practice and backed up by the rules of precedent.
WeÂ’re angry. WeÂ’re looking for a fight- whatever it decides to present itself as. Whether it be internecine war within this blog, or the Steele-Limbaugh dispute, or any of a number of that-pisses-me-off opportunities weÂ’ve had since the presidential election, we as conservatives are ready to fight. All we need is a mission and a target.
HereÂ’s where this post comes in- letÂ’s take a look at where we are and where we need to be in order to stop this nightmare in its tracks.
Posted with permission from Ace.
more...
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— Gabriel Malor Update: I agree with the commenters who think that Obama was just being cozy with Chirac, and hadn't actually forgotten who the President of France was. At the same time, this is a clear snub to Sarkozy and his pro-War on Terror policies (or at least, more pro-WOT than his predecessor). It's also slightly ridiculous for Bambi to claim to be looking forward to working with an out-of-power French leader, especially when he has made no visible effort to work with France's current one.
Original Post:
The actual President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been trying for months to get a sit-down with President Obama is not amused.
Le Figaro reports (Warning: French) that Obama sent the former leader of France a "very nice" letter, which included this idiotic comment:
"I am certain that we will be able to work together, in the coming four years, in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a safer world."
That sound you hear is me banging my head on the desk because I just don't know what to say. I mean, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!
Is this snub revenge for Sarkozy calling Obama's foreign policy "utterly immature" during the campaign? more...
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— Open Blog In light of what happened earlier today, IÂ’m calling out Dave in Texas for beingÂ…in Texas. What could possibly be more sick and wrong than that? Simply disgusting.
Meanwhile, CNN would like us to know that Superheroes Arise in Dark Times. The article attempts to create an analogy between the Great Depression and our current economic troubles using the rise in popularity of comic book/movie superheroes.
”America faces an economic calamity. Trouble brews in faraway lands. Sound familiar? More than 70 years ago, the very first superheroes debuted in the dire times of the Great Depression and the early years of World War II. Their names became legend -- Superman, Batman (or, as he was then known, the Bat-Man), Wonder Woman, Captain America -- and they're still with us today.”
Ok, IÂ’ll grant that superhero movies are popular at the moment (of course they were also popular over the past few years as well, during better times). However, take a look at this quote and see if you can spot anythingÂ…odd:
: "We were just emerging from the Depression," Robinson recalls. "Superman started in 1938. Batman started in 1939. So, we were just recovering."
So in a stretch that Mr. Fantastic would be proud of, the author of this article does his best to tie the pieces together. So the Great Depression gave rise to comic book heroes? Just as it was ending, nearly a decade after it started? Or could itÂ’ve been something else that mightÂ’ve started up around 1938 or 1939?
I canÂ’t think of anything offhand.
Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to xgenghisx@gmail.com. Otherwise send tips to Ace.
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— Gabriel Malor I wrote yesterday about Obama's pathetic interview on 60 Minutes, which will air tonight. More details are coming out:
His remarks came in a “60 Minutes” interview in which he was pressed by an incredulous Steve Kroft for laughing and chuckling several times while discussing the perilous state of the world’s economy.“You're sitting here. And you're— you are laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, ‘I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money—’ How do you deal with— I mean: explain. . .” Kroft asks at one point.
“Are you punch-drunk?” Kroft says.
“No, no. There's gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day,” Obama says, with a laugh.
You know what gets me through the day? Pretending that there isn't a tittering nincompoop in the White House.
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— DrewM So, how are your brackets doing?
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