Denver's municipal entertainment budget takes a big jump:
From the Rocky Mountain Snooze
"Denver police are stocking up on guns that fire a pepper spray-like substance instead of bullets - a less-lethal weapon used to disperse crowds - in advance of the Democratic National Convention."
The Mk IV is semi-automatic. Yup, gonna be a hot time in the old town.
Additionally, one can expect some aggressive panhandling to go with the "dancing in the streets".
The article says Gov Ritter has been "blocking out periods of time each week to help raise funds to put on the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August." Presumably so that when he makes calls from his office, he's "off duty" or "on break", and thus not in violation of laws forbidding use of state facilities for partisan political purposes. Or maybe he walks across the street and uses the phone at the Quorum bar. I'm sure it's all on the up-and-up since Mr Ritter was Denver DA before becoming governor and knows all the loopholes, arguing at one time that the State constitution does not apply to the City of Denver.
Last I looked, the jury was still out on that one although it's been successfully argued before.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Life at Work
Today I spent the entire day in a meeting on how to have more effective meetings.
It was very effective.
It was very effective.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Politics as usual
As I mentioned here earlier, the Irish, bless their collective souls, recently saved all Europe by voting down a backdoor attempt at a constitution, whose merits are subject to a good deal of debate.
A Romanian MEP (Euro-parliamentarian) was miffed at being unable to ascend to his rightful, lofty position.
I found this in The Devils Kitchen:
A Romanian MEP (Euro-parliamentarian) was miffed at being unable to ascend to his rightful, lofty position.
I found this in The Devils Kitchen:
Referenda and Democracy
The EU has now accumulated significant (bad) experiences with referenda.
It was very delicately yet effectively communicated by the Romanian social-democrat MEPs:
“The referendum in Ireland has demonstrated that direct democracy (by way of referendum) cannot ensure the progress of the European process.
The security, liberty and prosperity of hundreds of millions of European citizens ask for complex leadership actions, which cannot be appreciated by heterogeneous populations, from the point of view of the information level and the education one.
European integration is a process that must be conducted politically by the elected representatives of the European citizens.”Gee, it's good to know that our elected representatives don't have that kind of condescending opinion of us, now do they?
Fun with the news
Headline:
"France Poaches Top Climate Change Eurocrat"--headline, Financial Times, June 13
Wall St Journals tongue-in-cheek comment:
We Prefer Them Grilled
My comment:
What's wrong with burning at the stake?
"France Poaches Top Climate Change Eurocrat"--headline, Financial Times, June 13
Wall St Journals tongue-in-cheek comment:
We Prefer Them Grilled
My comment:
What's wrong with burning at the stake?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Fusion reactors
While the era of cold fusion in a plastic bucket in your basement is over, it appears that relatively low-budget work is proceeding in a promising manner.
Low budget is a relative term, but can be impressively affordable.
While the Polywell WB-7 looks to be about 2 feet cubic, plus the vacuun chamber, ion injectors, and associated support equipment, it also seems that if one of these units were to be scaled up to something beyond a laboratory curiosity, it would be rather too large for your basement, never mind the engine bay of your DeLorean.
Bummer.
Low budget is a relative term, but can be impressively affordable.
While the Polywell WB-7 looks to be about 2 feet cubic, plus the vacuun chamber, ion injectors, and associated support equipment, it also seems that if one of these units were to be scaled up to something beyond a laboratory curiosity, it would be rather too large for your basement, never mind the engine bay of your DeLorean.
Bummer.
Cars
I have always been a fan of the pocket rocket, a small car with a generous helping of motor, that can deliver the kind of performance full-sized cars can only dream about without a 6+ liter motor.
So here, courtesy of Tam, is probably the ultimate pocket rocket so far: a Smart car with a Suzuki Hyabusa engine. The Smart normally sports 70 hp, the Suzuki puts out 170. About halfway up the rpm range, the Smarts tires throw in the towel and light up. Impressive.
So here, courtesy of Tam, is probably the ultimate pocket rocket so far: a Smart car with a Suzuki Hyabusa engine. The Smart normally sports 70 hp, the Suzuki puts out 170. About halfway up the rpm range, the Smarts tires throw in the towel and light up. Impressive.
Friday, June 13, 2008
.50 BMG sniper rifle: $29.95
Got your attention? It got the governments. From a GAO report:
"A government study found that a used .50 caliber BMG sniper rifle can be purchased online for just $29.95"
Armed Canadian has the skinny on this one.
"A government study found that a used .50 caliber BMG sniper rifle can be purchased online for just $29.95"
Armed Canadian has the skinny on this one.
In the News
Back during the cold war, one frequently could see headlines in the Enquirer and its sibling publications that began with the words "Leading Russian Scientists...", and going on to describe earth-shaking advances that would shortly bring about utopia/fall of the west/whatever.
These stories, it turned out, originated with the same two Russian "scientists" every time. They would put together some far-fetched yarn, and perhaps an accompanying picture, and then the fun started. The KGB had friends in various papers all over the world, most of them rather small local rags who got their stories from the KGB the same was American papers get their news from AP. Notably, these stories went to a small paper in India, who would print anything handed to them without question. They reported, honestly, that "it has been reported that...", insert story here.
Note that the veracity of the report was not the issue, only that it had been reported.
The story next appears in an African paper, of similar repute, but now its "it has been widely reported that", since the story had now appeared on 2 continents. Lastly the National Enquirer would pick it up with all the notes about how widely the story has been reported, and put it on the front page.
The Democrats have caught on to this technique.
You've got to admit, with a willing press, it works.
These stories, it turned out, originated with the same two Russian "scientists" every time. They would put together some far-fetched yarn, and perhaps an accompanying picture, and then the fun started. The KGB had friends in various papers all over the world, most of them rather small local rags who got their stories from the KGB the same was American papers get their news from AP. Notably, these stories went to a small paper in India, who would print anything handed to them without question. They reported, honestly, that "it has been reported that...", insert story here.
Note that the veracity of the report was not the issue, only that it had been reported.
The story next appears in an African paper, of similar repute, but now its "it has been widely reported that", since the story had now appeared on 2 continents. Lastly the National Enquirer would pick it up with all the notes about how widely the story has been reported, and put it on the front page.
The Democrats have caught on to this technique.
You've got to admit, with a willing press, it works.
Up the Irish
Three cheers and a hoisted pint for the Irish!
The Irish today voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty, AKA the new European constitution. You may remember it as the one that runs 260-odd single-spaced pages and covers pretty much everything. When it was originally put forward for referendum across Europe, it was frequently rejected by the voters, much to the annoyance of the largely unelected bureaucracy who would be the biggest beneficiaries.
This time around, the thing was packaged as a treaty, which sometimes required only the signature of a nations PM to make it binding on the whole country. In Ireland, they put the treaty to a vote.
Bad idea.
Anyone who hands you a constitution that won't fit into 3 pages of single-spaced 12 point is trying to sell you something you don't really want to buy.
The Irish today voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty, AKA the new European constitution. You may remember it as the one that runs 260-odd single-spaced pages and covers pretty much everything. When it was originally put forward for referendum across Europe, it was frequently rejected by the voters, much to the annoyance of the largely unelected bureaucracy who would be the biggest beneficiaries.
This time around, the thing was packaged as a treaty, which sometimes required only the signature of a nations PM to make it binding on the whole country. In Ireland, they put the treaty to a vote.
Bad idea.
Anyone who hands you a constitution that won't fit into 3 pages of single-spaced 12 point is trying to sell you something you don't really want to buy.
Up the Irish
The Irish today voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty, AKA the new European constitution. You may remember it as the one that runs 260-odd single-spaced pages
Three cheers and a hoisted pint for the Irish!
Anyone who hands you a constitution that won't fit into 3 pages of single-spaced 12 point is trying to sell you something you don't really want to buy.
Three cheers and a hoisted pint for the Irish!
Anyone who hands you a constitution that won't fit into 3 pages of single-spaced 12 point is trying to sell you something you don't really want to buy.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Conspiricies
Eeeeevil conspiracies. I love a good conspiracy. I haven't seen a really good one since the "smoking bananas" hoax of the late 60s. Here's one in a darker vein, but I know there are better ones than that.
Here's mine, based on the one in the previous link:
It’s all part of the deal Bush made with the Clintons. He would prepare the camps, on the grounds that captured terrorists need to be kept somewhere, and when Hillary was sworn in (you don’t think they’d let Obama get the presidency, did you) the enemies of the state (of the trilateral commission, that is) would quietly disappear, and in return for his help, Bush would get a generous “retirement package” over and above what he would normally get. Hillary would then invoke those executive orders to disband congress and declare herself “president for life”, a title lost to the Dems since 1944.
OK, blogsters, internet meme time. Tag you’re it. Take a big hit off the ‘ol bong, and see if you can do better.
The North American Union one is off limits. Hillary doesn't want to be president of Mexico. They can just cast absentee ballots.
Here's mine, based on the one in the previous link:
It’s all part of the deal Bush made with the Clintons. He would prepare the camps, on the grounds that captured terrorists need to be kept somewhere, and when Hillary was sworn in (you don’t think they’d let Obama get the presidency, did you) the enemies of the state (of the trilateral commission, that is) would quietly disappear, and in return for his help, Bush would get a generous “retirement package” over and above what he would normally get. Hillary would then invoke those executive orders to disband congress and declare herself “president for life”, a title lost to the Dems since 1944.
OK, blogsters, internet meme time. Tag you’re it. Take a big hit off the ‘ol bong, and see if you can do better.
The North American Union one is off limits. Hillary doesn't want to be president of Mexico. They can just cast absentee ballots.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Libertarians
There's a nice post over on Samizdata on how awful the republican candidate is, and how the dumb republicans deserve to be punished for nominating him, complete with witty repartee from Libertarians around the US on how they will not give up their principles, even if it means the end of the world, or something near it.
Libertarians are like locusts who come out of the ground every 4 years, trash the political landscape, and disappear again. If they would work on their party a bit in the by-elections and start bringing forward some saner candidates. they'd do better in the general elections.
If you really want to elect a democrat to "teach the republicans a lesson", vote for McCain, "the least repulsive democrat running". If you really think that Obama, led by Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi, would be better, be honest and vote democratic.
Libertarians are like locusts who come out of the ground every 4 years, trash the political landscape, and disappear again. If they would work on their party a bit in the by-elections and start bringing forward some saner candidates. they'd do better in the general elections.
If you really want to elect a democrat to "teach the republicans a lesson", vote for McCain, "the least repulsive democrat running". If you really think that Obama, led by Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi, would be better, be honest and vote democratic.
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