Funny, funny picture

Dumbass Picture of the Day:
[Via Dispatches from the Culture Wars]

This was emailed to me with the caption “I sure wish someone would invent something to keep the sun out of my eyes.”

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Follow the link to see the very humorous, but oh so typical, picture.

Technorati Tags: General

Amazing time lapse of fires

by FlyingSinger
The Threat to Mt. Wilson:
[Via Cosmic Variance]

Some of you may have followed the threat to the historic Mt. Wilson observatory from the fires in Los Angeles earlier this month. Below is a fantastic time lapse video shot from one of the facilities on the mountain. You can see how close the fire came (though thankfully, the firefighters did a superb job in protecting observatory with targeted back burns to create firebreaks around the site).

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You can see how close the fires came to the observatory. It is fascinating to see how the fires and smoke change during the day, and night. If you watch the right side of the view, you can see Venus rise just before sunrise (first time at around 17 seconds).

It was very satisfying that the brave work of the firefighters saved this historic structure. I hope it does not have to face something similar anytime soon.

Technorati Tags: Environment, Science

Thanks for the memories

Obama Surrendered To the Commies!:
[Via Balloon Juice]

Prepare for a complete and total shit fit from the 101st Chairborne, because the US is canceling the construction of missile defense sites in Czech Republic and Poland.

I’ll wait for Larison’s take, but I will say this- what would you think if China or Russia were building missile sites in Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico? How do you think we would react to that?

BTW- Every time I think of missile defense I am reminded of the John Rogers classic from several years back- “I Miss Republicans.” His word-fu is strong.

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Kung-fu Monkey is one of my favorite sites, mainly because he is one of the guys behind Leverage. But I knew him from before he made it. I Miss Republicans is from 5 years ago. How little has changed!

Here is how it starts:

No, seriously. Remember Republicans? Sober men in suits, pipes, who’d nod thoughtfully over their latest tract on market-driven fiscal conservatism while grinding out the numbers on rocket science. Remember those serious-looking 1950′s-1960′s science guys in the movies — Republican to a one.

They were the grown-ups. They were the realists. Sure they were a bummer, maaaaan, but on the way to La Revolution you need somebody to remember where you parked the car. I was never one (nor a Democrat, really, more an agnostic libertarian big on the social contract, but we don’t have a party …), but I genuinely liked them.

How did they become the party of fairy dust and make believe? How did they become the anti-science guys? The anti-fact guys? The anti-logic guys?

I’m not talking McCain, Hagel, Snowe, or Lugar, here, the cool hard-ass Republicans who still operate in the real world. I’m talking specifically about the guys running the party right now.

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Read the rest to see what a non-partisan writer has to say about the lack of grown-ups. Lest we forget.

So we are going to stop working on a program that has mainly been a boon for the military-industrial complex, not for any actual ability to protect us. I’m sure we will find some other useless project for them to get their corporate welfare.

I doubt a Republican like Eisenhower could get elected today (he was one of the grown-ups) but he was certainly right in his warning:

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Technorati Tags: Politics

“The only appropriate response to people like this is open, mocking laughter.”

The Food Here Is Terrible and the Portions Are Too Small:

[Via Balloon Juice]

Some days I honestly think the current Republican party is little more than a long running Second City comedy sketch:

Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system.

Rep. Kevin Brady called for a government investigation into whether the government-run subway system adequately prepared for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services.

Seriously.

The Texas Republican on Wednesday released a letter he sent to Washington’s Metro system complaining that the taxpayer-funded subway system was unable to properly transport protesters to the rally to protest government spending and expansion.

The WaPo has more:

Rep. Kevin Brady ( R ) said an 80-year-old woman and her 60-year-old daughter were forced to walk and pay for a cab because the subway system was so crowded. He said he heard many complaints from people who traveled long distances to attend the event, which served to challenge some of President Obama’s signature policies.

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So, the anti-socialists were unhappy with having to take the private option. I agree that most of us would love to be able to have a public option to turn to.

And why was the public option supposedly unable to perform at the levels they wanted? Well an update provides the answer:

*** Update ***

It gets even better:

Back in July HR3288, a Transportation and HUD appropriations bill, came up for a vote. It included $150 million for emergency maintenance funding for the DC Metro.

Brady voted against it.

The only appropriate response to people like this is open, mocking laughter.

I concur.

Yep, the very guy who is complaining about the poor service voted against the money needed to provide the service. Apparently in the world he lives, public transportation requires no money in order to be work. It just is, like the sun and moon.

If you want something to work well, you have to pay for it. Not wanting to pay for it but wanting to use it anyway sounds very un-American to me. Sounds vaguely like some form of welfare.

How about instead of trying to spend tax-payer money on an investigation, he helps spend some money to fix the problem. Because, as i have heard from people who know, a home baseball game at rush hour for the Nationals can really screw up Metro. About the same number of people hit the subway and that happens fairly often.

Technorati Tags: Politics