Friday, March 23

Science Friday

Take a break from politics and enjoy some alternative reading...

Collision Detection has used science, physics, and rationality to disprove ghosts' material-lessness, vampires' mass existence, and zombies' actual existence. The piece is called "Ghosts, Vampires and Goblins: Cinema Fiction vs. Physics Reality." A short and enjoyable read. PDF here.

Really into science? To the point that you need merit badges to define who you are to other labrats that can't get a date? Then The Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique is for you! Check out the nifty badges they have. (Fortunately, I don't qualify for one ... and this may be reflected in a future college course.)

Scientists' fear and hatred of the Sun (as mentioned in a previous post) is more intense than I assumed. Because they blame our (America's) star for impacting a change in climate, astronomers are now trying to blow it up. Lucky for us (and unlucky for vampires), these moonlight-lovers (I know, the light from the moon comes as a reflection of the Sun's light.) are testing it out in virtual-world on a star about the size of Earth. It's only a matter of time before space-jockies send the Baldwins into space on a ruse with the purpose of blowing up the Sun. Videos here and here.

What do you do with the largest squid ever caught? Eat it, of course!

Thursday, March 22

On Pins & Needles

I am anxiously awaiting Apple's upgrade of the Mac mini to an Intel Core 2 Duo and their new line of outdated widescreen monitors. My goal is to create an information hub and mock movie theater. A 23" Apple flatscreen would do perfectly if there wasn't a $700 price tag on it.

Appleinsider says the next line of iMacs are undergoing substantial facelifts and will leave competitors in their tracks. I just hope users can control their Intel-based mac with the new iPhone. I'm sure somebody at Cupertino has come up with some nifty ideas.

Rumors say Mac OS 10.5 should be out soon.

The Sun's Hot Air

The radical group NASA (National Alliance of Scientific Amateurs) has provided a new explanation for global warming: The Sun. The group famous for its unstable employees who take long road trips in diapers to kidnap and murder women says that "direct measurements of light energy emitted by the sun, taken by satellites and other modern scientific techniques, suggest variations in the sun's activity influence Earth's long-term climate."

Their "science" comes from researching an 850 year-year period around the Nile river, measuring the Earth's temperature and water levels precisely marked by the Pharaohs. Their results suggest: "variations in the sun's ultraviolet energy cause adjustments in a climate pattern called the northern Annular Mode, which affects climate in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere during the winter. At sea level, this mode becomes the North Atlantic Oscillation, a large-scale seesaw in atmospheric mass that affects how air circulates over the Atlantic Ocean. During periods of high solar activity, the North Atlantic Oscillation's influence extends to the Indian Ocean. These adjustments may affect the distribution of air temperatures, which subsequently influence air circulation and rainfall at the Nile River's sources in eastern equatorial Africa. When solar activity is high, conditions are drier, and when it is low, conditions are wetter."

These overpaid Trekkies have some help from other researchers who found, in 1997, that solar radiation reaching the Earth was . 036 percent warmer than 11 years prior. This would increase the planet's temperature by 3.6 degrees over the next century. And who do you suspect was feeding us this hot air? The National Center for Atmospheric Research - a registered member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Even the star-hating media has hopped in bed with these kooks. BBC reports that the Sun is "at its most active for 300 years" and its effect "could be a more significant cause of global warming than the emissions of greenhouse gasses that are most often blamed." The Washington Times looks to Swiss and German scientists to rationalize their use of evil combustible engines. "The sun has been at its strongest over the past 60 years," the sun alarmists shouted between sips of Kool-Aid, which may be the cause of an enormous spike (.36 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past 20 years.

OK. I'm all for theories, but this is getting ridiculous. How could a ball of fire 93 million miles away effect the temperature of our globe? Some even say that the global warming on Mars is not a result of our greenhouse gasses. Tell me this, when did we find out Mars was warming? When we put a invaded the Martian planet and stuck a man-made robot on its surface. Coincidence? I think not. Humans - and most importantly Americans, are responsible for an increase in temperature, no matter how many of these space-junkies come forward with new evidence to the contrary.

I've been doing my damnest to support an increase in the Earth's temperature; I leave lights on in the house, support two wars that use ozone-killing gas-guzzling vehicles, and fuel planes that may get people to meetings on time but add significantly to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. I even start up my car ten minutes before I go to work ... in the summertime! My reason: I hate the cold. Not only do my fingers not function well when they're frozen, but I hear lots of homeless die in our big cities because they sleep in parks. Also, I care about the world's poor. With an increase in temperature, more farmland would become available in more northern areas, providing more space to grow corn, potatoes, and raise cattle for the world to eat. Most importantly, I hate the cold. Why do you think I go to the Caribbean for vacation instead of Canada?

Thankfully, we had an Internet creator, former president and movie star testify in front of Congress that these Sun theories are nonsense. "The planet has a fever," Al Gore said, "If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says, 'You have to intervene here' you say, 'Well I read a science fiction novel [see material above] that says this isn't important.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame-retardant." The image may be funny, but he is deadly serious. To combat a burning crib, the private-jet frequent flier suggests: an immediate freeze on greenhouse gas emissions, a ban on incandescent light bulbs, and a tax on carbon pollution. (And Democrats said they weren't going to raise taxes.)

With Gore and Co. leading the way, we can finally put to rest these bunk theories such as sun temperature and cyclical climate change and place the blame squarely where it needs to be - us. Because when crops are growing, I'm performing better at my job, and enjoying a beer on the warm Canadian beach, the Sun shouldn't get any of the credit. I am one of the many that are causing global warming and it will be a cold day in Pittsburgh before anyone can steal what I've worked so hard to accomplish.

Wednesday, March 21

Reading Assignments

Gordon Cucullu explains why the surge is working. Word one won't make it into the daily headlines of the ostrich media.

Sergeant Dave Thul, serving in al Asad, says the journey has been tolling, but it is necessary to "come home with honor."

Dick Morris, a man with an annoying voice and poor prediction skills, provides a rundown of the absurdity of "Gonzales-gate." Out of noninterest, I've decided not to follow the intricate details of the story.

Surge Update

The surge that Democrats guaranteed wouldn't work continues to show more and more improvement.

In Kem, Iraq, Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers "buddy up" to pull security. According to 1st Cav Captain Hequembourg, the villagers are getting friendlier and "the Iraqi Army is getting better every day."

Bill Roggio reports
that there are still approximately 2000 al Qaeda members in the Diyala province. General Petraeus sent 700 soldiers and 100 Strykers to combat the enemy, resulting in dozens of al Qaeda deaths.

For being one month into a long surge, we're not doing bad at all. The MNF-I commander has confidence. Sheiks formerly calling on their followers to fight the Americans are now encouraging their young men to join the Iraqi Army and police.

General Petraeus: "Less than half the al Qaeda leaders who were in Baghdad when this [surge] began are still in the city."

Not to be forgotten, quelling violence by Cav and 82nd force presence is one of the many ways leadership has designed to stop an insurgency. Infrastructure projects that benefit the normal Iraqi people are increasing. A hospital that couldn't be built because of al Qaeda control of the area has now resumed. (I wonder who in JCC-I/A cut the contract for that.)

In broader news, 70 percent of Iraqis polled approve of the new constitution, want Iraq to remain a unified country, and describe their life as "good." 69 percent expect the country to improve over the next year. And a hat tip to a free market: average household incomes have jumped by 60 percent in less than two years, 70 percent of of Iraqis say their enonomic situation is positive, and the use of cell phones, satellite dishes, and household appliances has increased by at least 58 percent. More numbers here.

And don't forget about our boys fighting the Talibanians in Afghanistan.

Tuesday, March 13

Pamela Hess On Iraq

Despite the unprofessional waterworks, Hess sets the record straight on Iraq.

Thursday, March 8

Protesters & Strykers

Protesters demonstrate against the shipment of Stryker infantry troop carriers to Iraq.



"If you hamper the war effort on one side, you automatically help out that of the other." -George Orwell

Daily Iraq Report

For those who care about what's going on in Operation Iraqi Freedom, check out the Daily Iraq Report, written by embedded reporter and blogger Bill Roggio.

I also suggest starting your morning with the Stars & Stripes Mideast Edition.

Take 17

Congressional Democrats have finally solidified their opinions and plan for the war in Iraq. After 16 previous resolutions, they now are presenting a plan that may help seal our defeat against a steadfast enemy. Speaker Pelosi & Co. are proposing that all combat troops be withdrawn by 2008, with the process accelerated if the Iraqi government does not meet specific deadlines.

Excellent. I'm glad to see that they can agree on something. However, according to that little piece of paper called the Constitution, (oh, and Joint Resolution 114 passed by Congress in 2002) the handling of this war is decided by the Commander in Chief - not by Congress.

Fortunately, the only step Democrats have any authority to take is to withhold funding from the bills they pass. Other than that, it's all fodder.

Just A Thought

If there's one thing I've noticed since I returned from Baghdad, it's the lack of discussion and care concerning our troops and mission in Iraq (or Afghanistan for that matter). Maybe this should have been obvious to me, but no civilians stateside openly discuss the progress, problems, or details of the ongoing war. Everyone has their opinions - many of them pessimistic - but it's as if there are not brave men and women in harms way fighting. Perhaps I expected too much. It is very obvious, however, that America (as mentioned in the previous post) is not at war. Our Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Sailors are at war, and the American public knows little about our experiences.

Just a thought.

Sunday, March 4

Must See Videos

Pat Dollard has posted videos of his experiences with Marines serving in Iraq. Here's the latest from his documentary "Young Americans." This chapter is called "Living With Snipers."

More videos here.

There's a picture of an excellent quote written on the wall of their outpost:
"America is not at war.
Marines are at war.
America is at the mall."

Thursday, March 1

All The Spin That's Fit To Print

Today's Stars & Stripes has an excellent article regarding the quick-reacting media and thier irresponsible reporting of the war in Iraq.
One widespread report — that 16 children were killed by a car bomb while playing soccer in downtown Ramadi — was offered up by Iraqi police sources and local tribal leaders. According the U.S. military, it is entirely false.

While insurgents have repeatedly used car bombs to kill Ramadi officials and civilians (15 people, mostly adults, died in a car bomb blast Monday), the U.S. military said no car bombings occurred in southeast Ramadi at the time of the reported soccer field bombing.

What did happen, they said, was that 31 men, women and children were injured when U.S. bomb disposal technicians conducted a “controlled detonation” of seized explosives and propane tanks and misjudged the size of the blast. The blast occurred around 5:30 p.m., and all but one of the injured were civilians.

“The blast was much larger than expected, shattering glass in surrounding buildings and injuring the civilians,” a U.S. news release read. The victims were struck by flying glass and debris; none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening.

Despite the fact that no soccer field bombing occurred, media across the globe seized on the story. Both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times carried quotes from the offices of President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemning the bombing. Maliki blamed “criminal gangs” for the “crime against children in their innocent playgrounds.”
How rich. The piece contiues.
There is also the possibility, however, that the false reports of a soccer field bombing were a calculated lie, the result of a breakneck news cycle increasingly used as a weapon in an information battle between militants, tribes and the U.S. military.

...

U.S. officials say they are constantly responding to false claims made by insurgents regarding collateral damage and the deaths of civilians. The enemy, they say, is intent on destroying a recently formed alliance between the U.S. military and more than a dozen local tribes in this provincial capital of 500,000.
Marine Captain Paul Duncan explains that this type of spread disinformation is aiding the enemy and hindering the coalition. How true.

One officer said that “it may be a matter of confusion, and it may be a matter of them making it up on purpose. He's just glad to see that the officials here are getting out in front. They’re dealing with the enemy on their own level.”

The Maverick's Running

No Surprise. But honestly, who announces their candidacy for the presidency on a late night talkshow?

Video here.