The Latest on Missing Flight MH370

So after examining all the data collected so far authorities are now fairly convinced that the plane was deliberately diverted due to human action. This is based on a couple of details:

• The fact that the ACARS system was logged off (versus just being cut off) over 10 minutes before the transponder cut off (which happened right at an ATC handoff).
• Military primary radar returns showing a plane heading west over Malaysia shortly later and making course adjustments and possible drastic altitude changes.
• Satellite hand-shake pings going on for another 7+ hours

None of these are conclusive but the combination is extremely difficult to explain by any other scenario than a takeover by someone.

So based on the strength/timing of the last satellite ping, the satellite footprint, and remaining fuel authorities believe the plane went down somewhere near the two arcs shown below in red. People are referring to the two possible arcs as the Terrorism route (Northern arc) and the Suicide route (Southern arc).  [Note that the arcs represent the possible location of the plane at the last ping - not the flight path up to that point.]

The Northern arc is problematical due to the mountainous terrain and large amount of radar systems along all the national borders. So far no country in that area has reported any contacts that might match the plane's flight. And on the Southern arc there are very few radar installations except for Australia's JORN OTHR system which may not have been active during the flight.

More here:

Series of Errors by Malaysia Mounts, Complicating the Task of Finding Flight 370

The ongoing Prune.org thread

Map of the constrained area on the Southern arc

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:39 PM | Comments (596)
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That thread was getting a bit gamey, so how about an online "personality" quiz courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor?

FWIW, I got "You're sort of a cat person."

You are a bit of a dreamer, with wide-ranging interests, but with a tendency to misplace things and procrastinate. You don't mind being alone, and when you go to parties you usually end up having long conversations with just a few people. You tend to fret too much, but given a chance to reflect you are able to put things in perspective. (Or maybe we've got you completely wrong. This isn't really science, after all.)

And Open Thread.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:45 PM | Comments (269)
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more from WH: ObamaÂ’s bracket will be released Wed. the presidential bracket will be used for ACA messaging this year, WH says.

— E McMorris-Santoro (@EvanMcSan) March 16, 2014

I'm out of things to say.

Update: Wait, maybe I missed some sarcasm here or something.

@BrianFaughnan @JohnEkdahl theyÂ’re going to do an ACA msg along with POTUSÂ’ bracket. goal is to capitalize on traffic driven by bracket.

— E McMorris-Santoro (@EvanMcSan) March 16, 2014

Nope.

Posted by: JohnE. at 03:06 PM | Comments (642)
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We Politely Request That All Off-Topic or Political Comments Be Directed to the Thread Directly Below This One, Which Will Serve Officially as the Current "Active Conversation" Thread for All Discussions Not Related To This Topic.

Keep your damned thumbs off my avocados.

Many of you have done it. You poke through the huge pile of avocados, desperately looking for one that isn't baseball hard and several days from succulent, luscious, delightful guacamole. And you squeeze and prod and poke, ruining every single one you touch.

You know who you are.

Stop, and all will be forgiven.

Continue, and the wrath of the ALF will come down upon you. more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:00 PM | Comments (252)
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Here's your Open Thread to discuss politics and news for those of you not interested in the travel thread.

To get you started, the latest news from Venezuela continues to be bad.

People who want food need to get marked and then stand in outrageously long lines:
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Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:40 AM | Comments (157)
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Greetings traveling morons!

TodayÂ’s thread is brought to you by Thin Elvis:

Since I was in Vegas for a few days last week, I thought todayÂ’s Travel Thread should be about Spring Break locationsÂ… focusing on the Trashiest ones. In other words, the sorts of places young, hormone-driven ewoks might visit in order to learn the fine art of hobo hunting.

To get us started, this quiz, courtesy of How Stuff Works, will give you a chance to see just how much you know about Spring Break. (I got 15 out of 20, with a lot of guessing.)

I confess the entire concept of Spring Break (whose “season” has been underway for a few weeks nows) completely escaped my notice, both in college and in high school (seems like there’s a high school version, too, isn’t there?). Our family budget was pretty tight. We rarely took family vacations, so the idea of a vacation solely for us brat college kids was certainly not in the cards. My sister and I were usually working during school breaks, anyway.

But itÂ’s A Thing, apparently. And, a really Big Thing.

According to Mental Floss Spring Break got its start in Fort Lauderdale, much longer ago than I would have guessed:
more...

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Or the newest conspiracy theories that explain MH370.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 11:59 AM | Comments (361)
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Another Ides of March successfully navigated. Now, on to green beer day.

Posted by: andy at 03:34 AM | Comments (248)
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Today's open thread for all non-book discussions is brought to you by Private SNAFU:
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Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:53 AM | Comments (98)
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The Moron Meet-Up In Dublin Was A Huge Success

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Green Beer, Anyone?

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Tradition Irish Blessing

Faith and begorrah, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. With its emphasis on carousing, excessive drinking and vomiting, St. Paddy's Day is one of the three great moron-friendly holidays, the other two being the 4th of July (drinking and detonation of heavy ordinance ordnance) and Mardi Gras in Rio (drinking and scantily clad women).

So, other than downing pint after pint and throwing up on your shoes, what have the Irish ever done? Well, perhaps more than you'd think. This book, How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe, by Thomas Cahill, which is described as

the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task.

There are a number of one-star reviewers who point out some historical inaccuracies, namely, that manuscript copying wasn't going on only in Ireland, but also in monasteries in Gaul and other places on the continent as well. Also, that the Irish monks got their manuscripts from the Benedictines, who deserve better than to be completely ignored.

Another, more recent, book along these same lines is The Secret Gospel of Ireland: The Untold Story of How Science and Democracy Descended From a Remarkable Form of Christianity That Developed in Ancient Ireland by James and Leo Behan. It further details the contributions to western civilization that had their origin on the Emerald Isle.

Real Books

Moronette Anna Puma sent me this series of photos of actual books. You'd think books with titles such as Another Bullshit Night in Suck City and The Jewish-Japanese Sex & Cook Book and How to Raise Wolves would be photoshopped fakes, but as you can see from the links, they're apparently real books. Many of them, anyway.
more...

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