Posted 2/28/2007 05:35:00 PM by Douglas

Airbus confirms they're gonna suck it.

PARIS - Airbus said it will cut 10,000 jobs over four years as part of a restructuring plan aimed at helping the planemaker overcome costly delays to its A380 superjumbo and the effects of a weaker U.S. dollar.

The European aircraft maker said it planned to offer to investors its Meaulte plant in France, Nordenham in Germany and Filton in Britain. It said it had already received bids.

I mean come on, let's be reasonable here. They've tried everything they can do, like instituting an illegal 40 hour work week. What's really horrible is that it isn't a publicly traded company (it is, but wait). . . . . it IS the public. The poor folks that pay taxes into this European Socialist nightmare are going to bear the price of the leadership of airbus, as George Will so graciously put it, "for deciding to build the wrong aircraft, then building it badly."

As I've said before, "if it ain't Boeing, I ain't going."

Posted 2/28/2007 05:05:00 PM by Douglas

Red light cameras. Once again, it ain't about safety, it's about money. This time, in Lubbock:

On Thursday, the Lubbock, Texas city council voted to delay installation of red light cameras after a local television station exposed the city's short timing of yellow lights at eight of the twelve intersections where the devices were to be installed.

"Many folks believe this is a money grab and then we found out through KCBD Television there's a discrepancy in timing," Councilman Gary Boren said, as quoted by KCBD.

Earlier this month, the station cited the rule-of-thumb that Lubbock City Engineer Jere Hart asserted as the basis for timing lights at city intersections. At most of the proposed camera intersections, Hart did not follow his own rule.

At 82nd and University, the 50 MPH speed limit suggests the need for a 5 second yellow, but it currently set at just 4.3 seconds. At 82nd and Frankford, the speed of traffic requires 4.5 seconds of yellow, but the public is only given 4.0. Milwaukee and 19th, a 55 MPH intersection, has a 4.4 second yellow when it should be 5.5. Parkway and Zenith has a 2.9 second yellow which is illegal under federal regulations mandating yellow times of no less than 3.0 seconds. Hart admitted the light should be 3.5 seconds.

Last year, before the news investigation, Hart assured city council members that he would not increase yellow times.

"Jere said, if [the red light camera program is] implemented, the public would prefer to have an increased amber cycle, but stated the program will not adjust the amber/yellow time," the city council's traffic commission minutes of September 19, 2006 read. "Jere stated enforcement would generate revenue, more so in the initial phase, then most likely receding in subsequent years."

The equation is clear: Longer yellow, safer intersection. Shorter yellow, more money for the money-grubbing whore of the state that doesn’t give two shits about your safety as long as their coffers are filled.

Labels: red light cameras

Posted 2/28/2007 05:01:00 PM by Douglas

Meet the F-22. Originally intended to build 750 airplanes, now the production run of only 180 drives the $70 Billion R&D plus production cost to about $390 Million per plane, and at 31,670lbs empty, that puts them right at $767 per ounce. So this plane would have been cheaper if it were made out of solid gold! But wait, there's more. There are some software bugs.

The Air Force on Tuesday said it is fixing technological glitches in roughly 87 F-22 Raptor fighter jets after several aircraft computer systems earlier this month were disabled mid-flight.

The six stealth fighter jets — built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and partner Boeing Co. — were participating in an inaugural 12-hour flight from Hawaii to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan on Feb. 10 when several aircraft computer systems experienced problems, an Air Force colonel said.

The computer glitches, which occurred as aircraft crossed the International Date Line, crippled navigation systems and hindered communications.

The incident was first reported on Feb. 12 by various media outlets. On Tuesday, the Air Force provided more details about the incident.

One pilot was able to contact contractor Lockheed Martin to troubleshoot the error during the flight, the Air Force said. Several pilots attempted to reboot the system with no success and returned to Hawaii with the help of aerial refueling tankers as a safety precaution.

Engineers were able to locate the problem within hours and fixed the glitch in a matter of days on the aircraft, according to the Air Force.

Lockheed Martin declined to provide further comment on additional costs of the upgrades.

You'd have to know that "what if we cross the International Dateline" has been one of my standard jokes ever since one of my perverse parents imparted it on me, but I have to ask the question that maybe the Air Force should have asked Lockheed: "What if we spend $70 Billion on a new aircraft and fly it across the International Dateline? We're cool right?"

Honestly, for that kind of money, you'd think someone would have thought of that before.

Posted 2/28/2007 05:00:00 PM by Douglas

Though it's not due to inflation, a million bucks just doesn't buy much anymore.

A nonprofit corporation formed to develop a futuristic commercial spaceport on a coastal prairie was dissolved by Brazoria County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. The 4-1 vote to dissolve the Gulf Coast Regional Spaceport Development Corp. was made without comment. Brazoria County Judge Joe King said afterward that officials were frustrated that almost no progress was ever made toward developing the facility.

I'm sure they got something for the money, right?

"They just sat there and sat there and studied it," King said.

"Studied it?" Why couldn't I have ever received a grant to study? It's not like they blew a lot of money, is it?

Over the years the corporation got about $1 million in planning grants through the state of Texas.

A Million dollars of Texas' money? Wow, that sucks. Since they didn't really do anything, I bet most of that money is still laying around, isn't it?

King said whatever money is left would be returned to the state.

How much that will be is uncertain, he said.

"I've heard three different figures," he said. They range from $72,000 to $113,000.

Those thievin' bastards should be forced to return the money.

Posted 2/26/2007 10:37:00 PM by Douglas

Shocker! The Feds are after the tobacco industry again. Yawn. Although this time I find a few things kind interesting. First off, I can't believe a Texas Senator is part of this. But I guess it makes sense, after they bellied up to the trough full of $17 Billion, they gotta dance with who brung them. But even more alarming, is that this bill is being authored by Senator Cornyn (R-Texas) and Senator Kennedy (D-runk). The language of the bill? Not so surprising.

The bill now pending would empower the FDA to regulate tobacco, to restrict tobacco advertising, to prevent sale of cigarettes to minors, to require stronger warning labels, to bar misrepresentation of tobacco's dangers, and to order removal of harmful ingredients from cigarettes.

And? Is that really any different than what the $5/pack is getting us now? I can't imagine how.

It really is truly incredible how once legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol are now receiving the super-villain status once reserved for illegal drugs.

Posted 2/26/2007 10:24:00 PM by Douglas

Nobody likes racial slurs, well, nobody 'cept rappers, but still, do you need a law?

Bernal is among Native Americans across the West fighting to excise "squaw" from the names of region's waterways, peaks and river valleys.

The 55 tribes of the Pacific Northwest say the "S-word," once commonly used when referring to an American Indian woman, is demeaning and never uttered on reservations.

They claim the term evokes the painful chapter in American history when Indian lands were confiscated and native peoples were subjugated by whites.

And when exactly did this chapter end? When they got casinos?

Posted 2/24/2007 12:52:00 PM by Douglas

Remember those charges against the Chippendale's in Lubbock? Turns out the DA just couldn't keep 'em up.

The Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney's Office rejected a dozen cases presented against eight Chippendales dancers and an owner and employee of Jake's Sport's Cafe.

According to a letter sent Thursday to Lubbock Police Chief Claude Jones, Criminal District Attorney Matt Powell wrote that officers "had probable cause to make the arrests and were justified in doing so.

"However, it is my opinion that justice would be better served in pursuing a Class C misdemeanor charge in Lubbock Municipal Court," Powell wrote.

So they'll probably plead to the misdemeanors and pay their fine. Pay their fines with unctuous, sweaty, $1 bills.

Posted 2/24/2007 12:43:00 PM by Douglas

Suck it Airbus:

United Parcel Service Inc., the last remaining customer for the Airbus A380 superjumbo freighter, said on Friday it reached an agreement for Airbus to push back delivery dates of the planes and left open its option to cancel the order outright.

UPS, the world's largest package delivery company, has been rethinking its order for 10 A380 freighters since October, when Airbus announced a third delay on the giant plane due to wiring problems, putting it two years behind schedule.

UPS's planes were originally scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012. The company did not say what new delivery dates it had agreed upon. It is set to make a final decision on the order before the end of this year, a UPS spokesman said.

Delays and cancellations play into the hands of U.S. rival Boeing Co. which is strongly marketing its revamped 747-8 jumbo freighter, its biggest plane and the nearest competitor to the mammoth A380.

Earlier this month, UPS ordered 27 of Boeing's smaller 767-300ER freighter aircraft, worth about $3.8 billion at list prices, in a move it said was not related to the review of its A380 order.

That's what happens when you make a bad plane, then make it badly.

Posted 2/20/2007 05:42:00 PM by Douglas

Forty Brazilian immigrants discovered in truck in South Texas. Will that many even fit in one truck?

HARLINGEN, Texas - Forty Brazilian immigrants were found loaded inside a stifling tractor-trailer about 75 miles north of the Mexican border, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

Border Patrol agents discovered the immigrants Saturday at a highway checkpoint in Falfurrias, officials said. A patrol dog alerted agents to the scent of people.

"As soon as those agents opened the back of the trailer, they could just feel the heat coming from inside," said Border Patrol spokesman Oscar Saldana.

All dumb jokes aside, this is tragic. How horrible for these poor people.

Posted 2/20/2007 05:33:00 PM by Douglas

Tony Blair is pulling out on Bush. [no, I can't say that and NOT giggle like an 8th grader.]

Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, British media reported.

Blair will also tell the House of Commons during his regular weekly appearance before it that a total of about 3,000 British soldiers will have left southern Iraq by the end of 2007, if the security there is sufficient, the British Broadcasting Corp. and The Sun newspaper said, quoting government officials who weren't further identified.

The BBC said Blair was not expected to say when the rest of Britain's forces would leave Iraq. Currently, Britain has about 7,100 soldiers there.

Come on, Bush. You can't imagine the British to commit troops to your endeavours like they still matter in the world?!? It's not 1894 anymore.

Posted 2/20/2007 05:28:00 PM by Douglas

Well, at least he's a doctor. I'm sure it's better than most of the services that have been "restored" to New Orleans.

What is it about this picture makes me wonder if he's suddenly reconsidering his price structure?

Posted 2/20/2007 05:21:00 PM by Douglas

First class ticket to hell? Stealing a truck with the words Interfaith Ministries on it:

A Meals on Wheels truck, loaded to the brim with hot food for senior citizens, was stolen Monday from a north Harris County apartment complex parking lot.

"It is frustrating. I can't imagine what they would do with that truck," said David Roberts, director of senior nutrition services for Meals on Wheels.

Roberts said the driver had just started making deliveries on his route about 8:30 a.m. when the 2004 Chevrolet truck was stolen from the Northwood Villas Apartments at 5000 Aldine-Mail Route.

"Hopefully who ever took it won't keep it and will just leave it somewhere," Roberts said.

The truck is equipped with an insulated box to keep the meals hot and the vehicle should be easy to spot, said Lou Keels, communications manager for Interfaith Ministries. The vehicle is worth about $35,000.

"The words 'Interfaith Ministries' are painted across the truck in big black letters," Keels said.

Keels said the driver had just started making deliveries on a route that provides a hot lunch to 85 people.

The truck's engine must be left running to operate the heating equipment that keeps the meals hot.

"He made a delivery and when he came back the truck was gone," she said.

What in the corn-bread hell is this world coming to? What do you even do with food for 85 people, that you've stolen? That's not going to buy a lot of crack.

Posted 2/20/2007 05:15:00 PM by Douglas

Thank you for choosing Pappasito's, will that be Hepatitis A or Hepatitis B?

Hundreds of people are lining up today to get vaccinations after health officials warned that anyone who ate at a north Houston Pappasito's Cantina in late January or earlier this month may have been exposed to hepatitis A.

As of 9:30 a.m., 261 people had registered for vaccinations, said health district spokeswoman Sandy Kachur.

A health advisory was issued Sunday for those who ate at the Pappasito's at 15280 Interstate 45 North on Jan. 23-27; Jan. 30-31; and Feb. 1, 3, 7, 8 and 9. Officials know of only one infection involving the I-45 North restaurant, where a member of the waitstaff was diagnosed with the illness.

How do we know our food wasn't dropped in the toilet when we go out to eat? Sadly, we don't. It could happen anywhere, and Pappasito's may have a PR nightmare on their hands that they don't recover from. But still, if you think the sign in the bathroom that says "employees must wash hands before returning to work" is keeping poo-poo out of your salad, you better get ready for a life of boiling your food at home.

Posted 2/20/2007 05:09:00 PM by Douglas

Fear-mongering meteorological predictions abound.

The worst-case scenario for a large tornado striking Houston makes a hurricane look like high surf.

Spinning at 225 mph, the tornado touches down in southwest Houston, skirting the Astrodome and barreling through parts of River Oaks, Montrose and the Heights before exiting the city's northeast edge.

At the end of its run, the tornado will have killed as many as 23,700 people whose residences and business cannot withstand the deadly wind.

That's the conclusion of severe storm researchers using new data to model the effects of large tornadoes striking U.S. metropolitan areas such as Houston, Chicago and Dallas. The researchers say there is little data to know for sure how many people would die in urban structures in a large tornado.

Also predicted: If my aunt had a dick, she'd be my uncle!

When are these ass-hats weather-suits going to admit that their primary purpose in the universe is to scare the crap out of old people?

Posted 2/20/2007 05:08:00 PM by Douglas

More on Ron Paul, this time from the libertarians. [yeah, I know it's a FoxNews link, just suspend disbelief for a while.]

When you read about a vote in Congress that goes something like 412-1, odds are pretty good that the sole "nay" came from Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. He so consistently votes against widely popular bills, in fact, that the Washington Post recently gave him the moniker "Congressman 'No.'"

Um, that's DR. NO to you, snot-faced. Dr. Paul has delivered over 4,000 babies, in case you missed the last sound bite from his congressional campaign when he defeated someone's wet ass he spanked into breathing 30 years ago.

Paul recently announced his intentions to run for president in 2008. For the few of us who still care about limited government, individual rights, and a sensible foreign policy, Paul's candidacy is terrific news. Not because he's likely to win. He's a not-terribly-powerful Congressman who's a pariah in his own party – which also happens to be the minority party. Not the ideal presidential dossier.

Paul has already run for president once, on the Libertarian Party ticket. He returned to Congress as a Republican in 1996, even though the party machinery opposed him in the primary. He has since won re-election with progressively larger margins of victory, bucking the conventional wisdom about the political value of pork barrel spending and district patronage. Paul, for example, refuses to support federal farm subsidies, despite the fact that much of his district relies on agriculture. His constituents re-elect him anyway.

Paul's presence in the race is important because he'll put issues on the table that would otherwise be completely ignored. His presence in the primary debates alone will make them far more substantive and interesting than they've been in a generation. One example is the continuing disaster that is the drug war, which Paul rightly believes to be both immoral and unconstitutional. Paul also opposed the war in Iraq from its inception. Those two issues alone will differentiate him from every other candidate on the stage.

Face it. He's got no chance. But a strong Paul showing in New Hampshire might just show the knuckle dragging pollsters at the RNC that there really are some people out there concerned with the size of government, that people don't want that new government program. It's a start, I don't care what George Will says:

Paul, who really believes in limited government, will infiltrate that confabulation of sedate candidates in order, he says, to find out "how many real Republicans are left." This could be entertaining, meaning embarrassing.

Embarrassing for whom, you hectoring hack?

Posted 2/18/2007 05:32:00 PM by Douglas

Too funny.

Police arrested eight Chippendales dancers and three others during the first of three sold-out performances Friday, accusing them of violating the city's adult entertainment ordinance.

Officers raided Jake's Sports Cafe about 30 minutes after the show started and the venue was closed. They arrested the venue's manager, the show's promoter and the dancers' manager along with the dancers. Authorities say the dancers violated a city ordinance that bars contact between entertainers and patrons.

Who knew that kind of thing went down in Lubbock?

Posted 2/18/2007 05:30:00 PM by Douglas

Fascinating article from the Honorable Ron Paul on the dangers of our fiat dollar. There's only one way for our government to pay for everything: Inflation.

A country that is getting poorer cannot pay these bills with higher taxation nor can they find enough excess funds for the people to loan to the government. The only recourse is for the Federal Reserve to accommodate and monetize the federal debt, and that, of course, is inflation.

The Fed is going to run the presses non-stop to pay for the war, so if you've got any money in the bank, maybe you should consider getting hip-deep in debt. It's the only way to keep from getting the last digit knocked off your savings by poor policy. Of course, Mr. Ford is correct:

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." — Henry Ford

Sad, but true.

Labels: Federal reserve

Posted 2/17/2007 05:16:00 PM by Douglas

Law school: $50,000. Screwing people out of $1.9 Million? Priceless.

A federal judge has given final approval to a class-action settlement in a case accusing Allstate Corp. of discriminating against minority policyholders by using credit reports to set rates.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas approved the settlement Wednesday, saying the agreement calling for Allstate to change its rate-setting formula is "fair, reasonable and adequate."

What the hell would my credit score have to do with my insurance risk? I can see how they wouldn't be unrelated, but about as much as linking a baseball player's R(s)BI to his time in the 40. But here's the kicker:

The plaintiffs' lawyers were awarded $11.7 million for fees and expenses while the six named plaintiffs were given $5,000 each. [emphasis mine]

So poor, minority insurance customers are getting fucked by Allstate, just to turn around and get fucked by a bunch of bottom-feeding attorneys.

Justice, American Style!

Posted 2/13/2007 05:39:00 PM by Douglas

Looks like it's a done deal in New Braunfels, or as I like to call it, Nazi Germany!

The New Braunfels City Council gave final approval to rules limiting the size of coolers on the Guadalupe and Comal rivers and banning alcohol at several riverfront parks.

After listening to dozens of residents Monday night, mostly in opposition to the rules, the council voted 4-3 to limit tubers on the Comal to one six-pack-size cooler each and those on the Guadalupe to a 12-pack-size cooler.

The council also voted to restrict open containers from three riverfront parks and the last public tuber exit on the Comal.

So you can't get drunk on the river anymore. What a sad day for the State of Texas. Next thing ya know you can't ride a mechanical bull at Billy Bob's. Why not just outlaw an overheating car on US 83 between Menard and Eden in July? It would probably be more effective.

Labels: New Braunfels

Posted 2/13/2007 05:26:00 PM by Douglas

We're looking for the few, the proud, awe screw it, we need warm bodies.

The Army and Marine Corps are letting in more recruits with criminal records, including some with felony convictions, reflecting the increased pressure of five years of war and its mounting casualties.

According to data compiled by the Defense Department, the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors, including minor drug offenses, has grown since 2003. The Army granted more than double the number of waivers for felonies and misdemeanors in 2006 than it did in 2003. Some recruits may get more than one waiver.

Recruiters are desperate. What a sad statement of our nation's volunteer defense.

Posted 2/12/2007 05:15:00 PM by Douglas

Smokers pay taxes. Governments raise taxes on smokes. People quit smoking. Governments make less money.

Across the country, states are putting their own treasuries under pressure with anti-smoking policies and higher cigarette taxes. The better these measures work, the fewer smokers are left to pay; in 2005, states levied taxes on 2.8 billion fewer packs than just five years earlier.

Smoker taxes have been a small but critical source of cash in recent years, as all but a handful of states jacked up their tobacco taxes. Minnesota, for example, slapped an extra 75-cent charge on a pack of cigarettes to solve a budget problem two years ago; the state expects to collect about $451 million from smokers this year.

Ok, so even if EVERYONE quit smoking and there were no smoking related costs to the public health system, there would still be a huge shortage. The per pack INCOME has nothing to do with the guy the state's treating for emphysema. All this does for the State is a loss of income. Pretty soon they'll be $100 a pack, and some state legislator will think that's a great idea. Not to mention what it does to the pirating efforts from states with less than Draconian statutes.

Posted 2/12/2007 05:13:00 PM by Douglas

Don't break into a home in Texas.

Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio and Rep. Joe Driver of Garland have sponsored bills to have Texas join more than a dozen states with the so-called "Castle Doctrine," a sort of shoot-first, retreat-later approach to defending hearth, home, truck and business.

Essentially, the Castle Doctrine is born out of the common-law theory that a man's home is his castle and he has a right to defend it.

And although It would create a legal presumption that an intruder is there to cause death or great bodily harm and that victims have the right to use deadly force. He says current law in some instances imposes a duty to retreat before using potentially deadly force on an intruder.

Sucks to be an intruder looking down the barrel of a .357, but I have an easy remedy to that: KNOCK!

"I've lived in Texas 30-plus years and I would be astounded to hear of a Texas jury that convicted someone who blasted a guy who was in his house," Dowling said. "It would just be anathema to the culture down here."

Texas has some of the "broadest self defense" statues in the country, but does this give a blank check to shoot anyone in your home? No, it doesn't. Does it make it harder for the assailant's family to file wrongful death suit against you if you double-tap him in the face in your laundry room at 2:30 in the morning? Yes it does.

What I LOVE is the Left's ability to swallow, hook line and sinker the notion of "if you're not doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about" if an otherwise law abiding citizen is running a yellow light, yet that same presumption of innocence is lost if he shoots an intruder in his own home. The exact same logic applies to those breaking into houses: If you're not breaking into someone's house, you don't have anything to worry about.

Besides, shooting someone for no damn reason is already illegal.

"By God, the reasonable Texan never retreats."

Is it any reason I love this state?

Posted 2/08/2007 05:44:00 PM by Douglas

No one is going to celebrate the destruction of any American City, and I'm not alone in thinking what happened to New Orleans was horrible. But you can't make water flow uphill forever, and apparently most residents are waking up to discover just how far below sea level they really are.

New Orleans is a city on a knife's edge. A year and a half after Hurricane Katrina, an alarming number of residents are leaving or seriously thinking of getting out for good.

They have become fed up with the violence, the bureaucracy, the political finger-pointing, the sluggish rebuilding and the doubts about the safety of the levees.

"The mayor says, `Come back home. Every area should come back.' For what?" said Genevieve Bellow, who rebuilt her home in heavily damaged eastern New Orleans but has been unable to get anything done about the trash and abandoned apartment buildings in her neighborhood and may leave town. "I have no confidence in anything or anybody."

Nor should you. Levees protect a lot of people from a lot of water all over the world, but NOLA is different. It's below sea level and surrounded on all sides by water. If a pile of Army Corps of Engineer dirt is the only thing keeping water out of your house, well, Katrina showed what happens when it doesn't. Why stick around and build your new life on hope? Hope on a government that has already failed a losing battle? I know, what if they threw a huge amount of money at the problem? That would help, right?

Blanco's Road Home program, born 10 months after the storm, has been vilified by politicians and civic leaders as too slow to distribute $7.5 billion in federal aid to buy out homeowners or help them rebuild. As of Feb. 5, Road Home had taken 105,739 applications and resolved only 532 cases, granting $33.8 million. At the current rate, Road Home would take more than 13 years to complete.

They can't even give money that's already allocated to residents to rebuild, and they expect those same people to calm down and trust the levees?

Katrina was a symptom, not the cause, of NOLA's problems. All the government money in the world is not going to sway rational people to put themselves, their families or business back into a sinking ship. Literally.

Sadly, sometimes nature destroys entire cities, like Pompeii, Kalapana, Indianola. Sometimes it makes sense to rebuild and sometimes it doesn't. Take the hint, New Orleans.

Labels: New Orleans

Posted 2/06/2007 05:28:00 PM by Douglas

The "Western White House" is obviously going to ebb and flow with the current Administration, so it's not surprising that any lame duck president's home town isn't going to suffer a bit, but I think the AP is way off this time. I've said it before and I'll say it again: He ain't from Texas. He's a carpet-bagger with a drawl. He's not from Crawford, either, a fact that the residents there will have to face long after his presidential library finds a college that will accept it.

CRAWFORD, Texas - Near the lone stoplight on Main Street, a for-sale sign hangs from a dusty window where a souvenir shop used to sell cufflinks, cowboy boots and denim shirts emblazoned "The Western White House."

Another gift store across the street is shuttered too, though a sign says it will reopen elsewhere. And the biggest souvenir shop in Crawford is reporting a drop in sales.

The Washington professionals have their polls, their focus groups and their newspaper editorials. But Crawford, the 700-person town where President Bush's ranch is located, has its trinket stores, and they have fallen on hard times, in what some say reflects the president's sinking popularity over the war in Iraq and a daunting influx of anti-war protesters.

If I know my small, Texas towns (and trust me, I do), I think Crawford will be OK. I bet most of Crawford's voting majority didn't want the headache of all this bullshit in the first place, so if they made a couple of bucks in the process, more power to them.

I will say that Jimmy Don Holmes is an excellent metal artist, and if you need some custom work done, he's your man. Stars over Texas does great work, and he was pouring a slab for his new shop last fall when I went through, so who knows what kind of stuff he's got up and running now. Tell him I sent you. I'm sure he remembers my pickup.

My obligatory Crawford picture, taken 11/06.

Posted 2/06/2007 05:05:00 PM by Douglas

How long does it take to drive from Houston to Orlando? 'Depends.

Accustomed to wearing astronaut diapers during the space shuttle's launch and return to Earth, Nowak wore them on the drive to Orlando so she would not have to make bathroom stops, police said.

This is only going to get weirder.

Posted 2/06/2007 04:24:00 PM by Douglas

Don't be fooled by the title, this guy really hates Macs.

They then perform a small comic vignette aimed at highlighting the differences between the two computers. So in one, the PC has a "nasty virus" that makes him sneeze like a plague victim; in another, he keeps freezing up and having to reboot. This is a subtle way of saying PCs are unreliable. Mitchell, incidentally, is wearing a nerdy, conservative suit throughout, while Webb is dressed in laid-back contemporary casual wear. This is a subtle way of saying Macs are cool.

Those are very annoying, and maybe true 10 years ago, but Mac possesses no such advantage today. Even in areas that could even possibly toss Mac an advantage, you've got to offset that with a pricetag easily three times that of a comparable Windows machine. Yeah, what's with this PC bullshit? Personal Computer? I've always hated that misnomer. A Mac is a Personal Computer, is it not? Why not call them "Mac and IBM" in the stupid commercials?

I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don't use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.

Back in the dark ages of DOS, Macs were everyone's best friend. Everyone except translucent-skinned troglodytes that only left their parent's basement at night to traverse the landscape to their other subterranean lair of the computer lab, possibly to print out ASCII pr0n. These people were fluent in the mystic gnosticism of DOS and openly mocked your lack of understanding. They spoke in C prompts or binary and didn't need a GUI to edit source code. Those days are long gone. Mac won the battle of user friendly GUIs, but lost the war so graphically it would make Carthage look like Tampa. But I suppose iPods have infused Mac with fresh capital, so they're making another run at Windows. Good for them:

Cue 10 years of nasal bleating from Mac-likers who profess to like Macs not because they are fashionable, but because "they are just better". Mac owners often sneer that kind of defence back at you when you mock their silly, posturing contraptions, because in doing so, you have inadvertently put your finger on the dark fear haunting their feeble, quivering soul - that in some sense, they are a superficial semi-person assembled from packaging; an infinitely sad, second-rate replicant who doesn't really know what they are doing here, but feels vaguely significant and creative each time they gaze at their sleek designer machine. And the more deftly constructed and wittily argued their defence, the more terrified and wounded they secretly are.

Aside from crowing about sartorial differences, the adverts also make a big deal about PCs being associated with "work stuff" (Boo! Offices! Boo!), as opposed to Macs, which are apparently better at "fun stuff". How insecure is that? And how inaccurate? Better at "fun stuff", my arse. The only way to have fun with a Mac is to poke its insufferable owner in the eye.

Mac initially won out with people that wanted to actually use their computers instead of jacking around in the command shell. Windows won in the end because people would rather use their computers for a third of the cost, instead of convincing people how goddamned trendy they are.

Labels: Mac

Posted 2/05/2007 08:22:00 PM by Douglas

NASA's budget for 2008 was released today. Check out that Shuttle budget. $4 Billion in 08, $3.6 in 09 and 10, then it's to the boneyard.

I wonder if there's any pad in the budget for counseling for crazy-assed astronauts? Or bail.

Posted 2/05/2007 08:01:00 PM by Douglas

Let's get the "Houston, we have a problem" jokes out of the way already.

An astronaut drove 900 miles and donned a disguise to confront a woman she believed was her rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot, police said. She was arrested Monday and charged with attempted kidnapping and other counts.

U.S. Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak, 43, who flew last July on a shuttle mission to the international space station, was also charged with attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery. She was denied bail.

When she found out that Shipman was flying to Orlando from Houston, Nowak decided to confront her, according to the arrest affidavit. Nowak raced from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers so she wouldn't have to stop to urinate, authorities said.

During a check of the parking lot, an officer followed Nowak and watched her throw away a bag containing the wig and BB gun. They also found a steel mallet, a 4-inch folding knife, rubber tubing, $600 and garbage bags inside a bag Nowak was carrying when she was arrested, authorities said.

Inside Nowak's vehicle, which was parked at a nearby motel, authorities uncovered a pepper spray package, an unused BB-gun cartridge, latex gloves and e-mails between Shipman and Oefelein. They also found a letter "that indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein," an opened package for a buck knife, Shipman's home address and hand written directions to the address, the arrest affidavit said.

Of course, Wiki's already all over it. I'm sure there's going to be much more to come from this tomorrow. Safe to say, as far as NASA's concerned, she's not a flight risk.

Posted 2/03/2007 04:39:00 PM by Douglas

For credit line increase, press one.

President George W. Bush will request slightly more than $100 billion to cover war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of this year and an even larger amount for fiscal 2008 that begins on October 1, congressional sources said on Thursday.

Including other items, the request will total "a little over $100 billion," according to the Senate aide. That would come on top of $70 billion Congress already approved for the wars this year

At about $100 billion, the fiscal 2007 emergency request would be the biggest so far.

A $100 Billion here, a $100 Billion there, pretty soon you're going to start talking about real money. Where the hell is Andy when we need him?

Labels: debt ceiling

Posted 2/03/2007 04:29:00 PM by Douglas

February 3, 1959. The day the music died. Lots of stuff here, including the crash report and line by line speculations about Don McLean's American Pie.

Posted 2/02/2007 05:29:00 PM by Douglas

If you're going to bounce a check, set your fraud sights a little higher than pizza:

Deputies reported that Simpson, 46, was identified as the person who signed the name Jesse Robinson on a $122.25 check to Domino's Pizza on Jan. 18. The check paid for five large pizzas, six orders of chicken wings, five orders of cinnamon bread sticks and a two-liter bottle of soda, deputies reported.

When the delivery man returned to the Domino's on FM 2100, "management confirmed that the check was written from a bank that was no longer in business," deputies reported.

No shocker there, is there? Then there's this:

"Ms. Simpson told the deputy that she did not know why she was going to jail because she didn't think Domino's prosecuted for cases like this." the department said in a statement issued last week.

The excuse of the decade! "You can't take me to jail for the crime I committed because the victims of this particular crime don't prosecute for this kind of thing." I'm going to have to remember that one. It's better than the Jedi Mind Trick!

Posted 2/02/2007 05:24:00 PM by Douglas

Cancer vaccine soon to become Texas law.

Gov. Rick Perry signed an order today making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

By issuing an executive order, Perry apparently sidesteps opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way parents raise their children.

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade will have to get Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

This story is baffling for a number of reasons. First off, if it needs to be administered before the girls are sexually active, are we sure sixth grade is soon enough? Secondly, do those that oppose it really think that one shot is going to turn their daughters into whores overnight? Obviously parents would want to know the side effects and weigh the options, but who in their right mind would turn down an opportunity to (allegedly) prevent a type of cancer in their children? This is the part that I have trouble with:

Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.

At the stroke of his pen, Perry just made a Kazillion dollars for Merck & Co. Maybe that decision is in the best interest of the State, but if it's not, it looks really bad. And a political nightmare if we find out in three years from now that Gardasil has some horrible, irreversible side effect, like turning all these girls into Democrats.

Posted 2/02/2007 05:17:00 PM by Douglas

Notice how angry, argumentative, con-compliant and violent this woman isn't in this video. In a just world, her million dollar settlement would come from the cops own personal funds. Also weird that this is from a year ago, yet now getting a lot of attention (saw a clip on CNN today). Behold, the power of YouTube!

Posted 2/01/2007 05:56:00 PM by Douglas

Levee is an ancient French word for LEAVE!

One hundred twenty-two levees from Maryland to California are at risk of failing, according to a list released Thursday by the Army Corps of Engineers.

There could be danger to people who live in communities near some of the levees as well as a chance that they will have to pay more for insurance, said Butch Kinerney of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's national flood insurance program.

Communities near the levees have been notified that they have received an "unacceptable maintenance inspection rating." That means a levee has one or more problems, which can include movement of floodwalls, faulty culverts, animal burrows, erosion or tree growth, according to a statement released by the Corps.

I know it takes a lot to drive most people from their homes, but if the only thing standing between your floor and 4 feet of water is a pile of government dirt, maybe you should investigate a relocation.

Posted 2/01/2007 05:44:00 PM by Douglas

Chemistry 101: If you have to ask, "isopropyl alcohol" doesn't mean what you think it means.

At least two people have become intoxicated by drinking hand-sanitizing gels, a potentially deadly habit, doctors reported Wednesday.

A prison inmate and a hospitalitzed alcoholic both were treated for poisoning from the gels, which contain alcohol -- but not the same kind as found in beverages.

Weird, in that I've seen some hand sanitizers that say "60% ethyl alcohol" which is a great way to start your weekend. But then there's this:

"The Maryland Poison Center was called about a 49-year-old, usually calm prison inmate who was described as being 'red-eyed,' 'loony,' 'combative,' and 'intoxicated, lecturing everyone about life'," Dr. Suzanne Doyon of the Maryland Poison Center and Dr. Christopher Welsh of the University of Maryland School of Medicine wrote in one letter. [emphasis mine]

And? That's a good synopsis of every drunk I've ever had to wrestle with to obtain the karaoke microphone. What's the problem? We just don't want to hear Freebird again, OK, Flapjack?

Posted 2/01/2007 05:42:00 PM by Douglas

Molly's last column.

Congress must work for the people in the resolution of this fiasco. Ted Kennedy's proposal to control the money and tighten oversight is a welcome first step. And if Republicans want to continue to rubber-stamp this administration's idiotic "plans" and go against the will of the people, they should be thrown out as soon as possible, to join their recent colleagues.

Considering the nature of her illness, I suspect she didn't know this was her last column. If it were, I would expect it to contain instructions, possibly with much needed torches and pitchforks.

Posted 2/01/2007 05:39:00 PM by Douglas

Remember the secretary that allegedly stole the Coke trade secret and tried to sell them to Pepsi? It's getting weird:

A federal jury deliberating the fate of a former Coca-Cola secretary charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets from the beverage maker in an effort to sell them to Pepsi told a judge Thursday it is unable to make a decision.

"We are a hung jury, have taken several polls and we feel we are unable to reach a decision," the foreperson said in a note to U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester.

Forrester did not declare a mistrial. Instead, he told the jury to take another crack at reaching a verdict Friday in the case against Joya Williams.

The jury already has deliberated nine hours over two days.

The lawyers have had two years to distill their stories, so it barely sounds like the same case as the original story, but still, pretty nutty. This part got my attention:

The government says Williams was deeply in debt, unhappy in her job and seeking a big payday, so she embarked on the scheme to steal trade secrets.

That first part sounds like just about any American I've ever met.