Posted 3/17/2012 09:18:00 PM by Douglas

Remember when America was the bastion of technology for the world? That was fun, wasn't it? Anyway, here's a great video of the brief but exciting life of a Space Shuttle solid rocket booster. 400 seconds of pure hell:



"Enhanced" sound should say "completely made up" sound. . .

Posted 3/15/2012 03:44:00 PM by Douglas

The Federal government is spending $54 million of your dollars over the next 12 weeks to get people to quit smoking. This might be a good idea if the tobacco companies weren't spending $27 million a day to get you to start.

An anti-smoking advocate praised the new effort.

"The campaign is long overdue," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"The scientific evidence is clear that highly charged ads depicting the health effects of smoking are among the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco use and reduce the number of kids who start to smoke," he said.

The CDC estimates that because of these ads, 500,000 people will try to stop smoking and about 50,000 will succeed.

That's good and all, and in a perfect work this wouldn't be so silly. But it gets dumber. How much does the Federal government spend each year on growing tobacco? Only $194 million in 2010.

Posted 3/11/2012 08:30:00 PM by Douglas

Holy crap, yo I think I broke my dick. Let this be a lesson to those that only thought they broke their dick, and let's give it up for Jaci, shall we?

Posted 3/04/2012 02:38:00 PM by Douglas

Buzludzha, Bulgaria. What a fascinating monument to a failed ideology.

Posted 3/03/2012 08:01:00 PM by Douglas

See, TxDOT can move an historic bridge, when they want to. Just not this one.

Posted 2/22/2012 05:52:00 PM by Douglas

NASA's got problems, and no center is feeling it as bad as KSC. What to do with all that launch hardware we don't need anymore?

“I have a lot of facilities that we, NASA, no longer need,” said Robert Cabana, Kennedy’s director and a four-time space shuttle flier. “I don’t have the money to maintain them, I don’t have the money to tear them down. They’re just going to sit and rot.”

Wow, what a lovely sentiment. What a fine coda to the greatest technological accomplishment in the history of the planet. Could it get worse? Sure it could:

To accommodate the rocket, workers have already torn down the big gray tower on one of the two space shuttle launch pads. Cabana said NASA recouped $621,000 from selling miles of copper wire stripped out of the 25-story structure.

Awesome! NASA's selling off parts of the launch center for scrap! How perfect!

Posted 2/22/2012 05:43:00 PM by Douglas

Fans, or should I say ex-fans of the band Sugarland were told that they were partially at fault for being under a stage that collapsed during a concert last year. Ex-fans because they're either no longer fond of Sugarland or they're dead.

Calling the powerful winds that toppled the stage on Aug. 13 an "act of God," Sugarland's attorneys said fair officials and Mid-America Sound Corp. were responsible for the stage setup, and that the fans voluntarily assumed risk by attending the show.

Huh? It's tragic that so many people were hurt and killed, and it's sad that the band is being sued because the event and the venue were mismanaged. But how is it the people's fault? I realize that every person is infinitely more responsible for their own well being than Sugarland is, but what "assumed risk" are they talking about? Is each person at the concert expected to review the structural drawings of the stage and calculate the wind loading to ensure it's stable?

"Some or all of the plaintiffs' claimed injuries resulted from their own fault," according to the band's response. Sugarland attorney James H. Milstone did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

So let me get this straight: There was an unexpected storm that blew over the stage, and the band's stance is "you should have known better and left?" Wow, what balls. If they had any sense at all, they would not be in Indiana in the first place, much less a Sugarland concert.

So I guess what Sugarland is really saying is that they need smarter fans. Or at least some that can run faster.

Posted 2/11/2012 02:38:00 PM by Douglas

Politicans should stay out of debates about Super Bowl commercials. I saw the one with Clint Eastwood for Chrysler and didn't think much of it. Actually, the only think I did think of was it made me wonder what's worse: A film made by Clint Eastwood in this century, or any vehicle made by the Chrysler company, ever, but that's a debate for another day. No, this debate comes from political strategists and canned ham Karl Rove. He says it's a pep talk for Obama's re-election.

The leadership of auto companies feel they need to do something to repay their political patronage. It is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising.

I think he's starting to believe his own bullshit. You could just as easily hear Clint say they need to change leadership, but that wouldn't fit in with Karl's squealing about the Democratic boogeyman he sees lurking in every corner. Someone needs to remind him who authored Detroit's bailout to GM and Chrysler. Hint: you used to work for him.

Posted 2/11/2012 02:32:00 PM by Douglas

I thought this birth control controversy was made up from the beginning. Glad someone finally got down to the root of the problem.

It's not about "access" and it's not about "insurance." It's because Americans, when paying even modest co-payments, choose to spend their money on other things. They prefer a new iPod to a "wellness visit" to the doctor. As the HHS unwittingly admits: "Often because of cost, Americans used preventive services at about half the recommended rate."

Remember, we're supposed to be worrying about skyrocketing health-care expenses. Doubling the number of wellness visits and free pills sounds great, but who's going to pay for it? There is a liberal dream that by mandating coverage the government can make something free.

"Access" is political double-speak for "getting someone else to pay for it." P.J. O'Rourke said it best during the Hillary-care debate back in the 90s: "if you think health care is expensive now, just wait 'till it's free."