TSA conducting random vehicle searches in Tennessee.
Via Oleg Volk. More commentary later, when I’m not trying to post from my phone.
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Update: Maybe not today,though. I’m still letting this percolate in my head as I try to figure out what I want to commit to pixels.
(h/t SayUncle)
Posted by Jake on October 20, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-american-gestapo-is-here/
When another independent scientist can replicate the results of your experiment. If those results cannot be replicated, then your experimental results are not valid. Additionally, your experiment must actually measure the mechanism you are claiming to test.
Apparently, Al Gore and (surprisingly) Bill Nye “the Science Guy” don’t seem to understand this, and had to resort to wholesale fabrication of experimental results to create a video supporting their claims. Anthony Watts at the blog Watt’s up with That? shows and explains, in a blog post with a series of experiments well documented on video, both how the experiment shown in Gore’s video (which he also critiques at the second link) would not show the mechanism he claims it illustrates, and how it could not have shown the results Gore claims.
I’m not going to analyze the results. You should go read and view the whole thing yourself. What I want to comment on is how Mr. Watts shows us how science really works.
First, he explains his theory and the reasoning behind the theory of why Gore’s experiment would not illustrate the mechanism it claims to illustrate. He then shows us, with video documentation, a rough but simple experiment the results of which support his theory and falsify Gore’s stated explanation.
Next, he duplicates (to the best of his ability given the lack of specific documentation available) Gore’s experiment, posting documentation of the equipment, methods, and apparatus he uses, and supported with unedited video documentation of the actual experiment and the results. Results which not only do not match the results of Gore’s experiment (as he predicted, and which also support his earlier theory about why Gore’s experiment wouldn’t do what Gore claimed), but actually show an opposite result. He runs the experiment more than once, adjusting one variable (time) from Gore’s experiment that he’s not sure about. He then runs the experiment and his earlier variations using different sensing equipment. He posts all of his methods and data for public examination and analysis. He explains his conclusions and his reasoning behind those conclusions.
Gore’s video is staged propaganda, claiming to be science while falsifying the results.
The post at Watt’s up with That? is science.
END OF LINE
(h/t A Conservative Shemale)
Posted by Jake on October 20, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-results-of-a-scientific-experiment-are-valid/
Seen on Facebook.
They have their own website, their own Facebook page, and lots of Google search hits, too. I haven’t looked too hard to see what’s parody, what’s snark, and what’s serious, I’m just passing these along. I have no idea if any of these are PBS supported.
END OF LINE
Posted by Jake on October 19, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/occupy-something-humor/
But, except in a few places, they are only in the hands of criminals.*
A man was shot several times in the back just before 6 p.m. on a lower level of an underground parking garage in the heart of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and UM Medical Center campus, police said.
The victim, who appeared to be in his mid-40s, is in critical but stable condition at a local hospital, said Detective Kevin Brown, a police spokesman. […]
The garage is open to the public and is commonly used by patients and visitors of the hospital, Fanning said.
Maryland is a “may-issue” state. I don’t know how easy it is for people to get carry permits in MD, but most may-issue states are very restrictive. Either way, it is extremely likely that the university prohibits any form of carry on campus. Like most such gun-free victim disarmament zones, the policy appears to be a dismal failure, and possibly a attractant for predatory criminals.
* I am not counting the police in this statement, not as any disparagement of the police, but because predatory crime almost never happens when the police are actually nearby. Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
[Source: Baltimore Sun article, retrieved 10/18/11]
(h/t TXGunGeek, from a comment at Shall Not Be Questioned)
Posted by Jake on October 18, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/guns-are-on-campus/
So, the campus “occupation” yesterday was more of a transient protest, it seems. Rather than camping out like the Wall Street or other big city groups, they apparently went home at the end of the evening yesterday. There was the same socialist idiocy we’re seeing at the other protests, but I did want to focus on one of the protesters from the Roanoke Times story I linked to above.
Starflower O’Sullivan, a Tech alumna, said the distribution of resources is skewed to the point that she and her husband, a campus dishwasher earning $19,000 a year, can’t afford to buy a house within a reasonable distance of his workplace.
That’s funny, because I managed to buy a house within a reasonable distance of my workplace (which is just off campus), and I only make about $25,000 a year – and I’m single. I bet you and your husband combined make significantly more than that. Maybe you should re-think your view of what is a “reasonable” distance. There’s at least one house for sale right down the street from me that you should be able to afford.
O’Sullivan and other protesters railed against the high wages of some faculty and administrators, such as President Charles Steger, and football coaches, in comparison with the low wages they said many other Tech employees earn.
Let’s think about that for a second. President Steger is the person ultimately responsible for every facet of the University’s operation. From academics and research to financial management to athletics to trash removal, anything and everything affecting the workings of a major university with 30,000 students and 1,300 academic staff is his responsibility. The education of those 30,000 students is ultimately his responsibility. The handling of major incidents, like the April 16 shootings, is ultimately his responsibility. The buck stops with him.
Your husband washes dishes. An honest and worthwhile job, and certainly one that needs doing, but your husband’s responsibility begins and ends with washing the dishes. He’s not even responsible for washing all the dishes on campus, just the ones in his dining hall (and maybe not even all of those, depending on which dining hall he works in and how many people they have washing dishes there).
President Steger has ultimate responsibility for overseeing the jobs of a couple of thousand people, including your husband. He has thousands of times the responsibility of your husband, and for this vastly greater responsibility he makes only about 40 times your husband’s salary.
Frank Beamer, the head football coach, manages a program that brought the university over $14 million in revenue in 2006 (the most recent numbers I found). For this, he earns a base salary of about $272,000. While he also does make about $1.8 million in incentives and appearance fees, my understanding is that those are either not paid by the university and are not guaranteed or consistent, or (in the case of the incentives) are performance based – if the team doesn’t do well, he makes less money, which would seem fair to me.
So, tell me again, who is really being underpaid?
END OF LINE
[Source: Roanoke Times article, retrieved 10/14/11]
Posted by Jake on October 14, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/virginia-tech-occupied-but-only-for-a-little-bit/
Update: Okay, looks like the original story I looked at was either wrong or poorly worded. The town protest is just on Saturday at 1400. The campus one is supposed to have started today at 1630.
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At the site of the planned protest (as published in today’s paper), at a few minutes after 1400hrs (the announced start time, again, according to today’s paper).
I half expected to see tumbleweed rolling down the sidewalk.
On the way back to work, I passed what might be the real site. There were maybe 5 or 6 people there. You might not be able to see it even on the full-size image, but there’s an 8.5″ x 11″ poster on one of the supports that says “99” something – I didn’t bother getting any closer to see for sure. After all, I had to get back to work.
We’ll see what the bird-cage-liner newspaper says later. I didn’t expect this one to be very substantial, anyway. I do wonder what the campus one will look like, since it doesn’t take much to tempt the students out of classes under normal circumstances, but I don’t plan on going there to find out.
END OF LINE
Posted by Jake on October 13, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/im-sorry-are-we-being-occupied/
From Roberta X:
“Mr. Franklin, Mr. Franklin, what sort of drain have we got?”
“A republic, madame, if you can keep it.”
And on that general line of thought, it occurs to me that the threat of administering caustic soda to politicians whenever they become so full of excrement that they’re of little use is not so bad an idea
Hmmm. Maybe, in this case, there really oughta be a law?
END OF LINE
Posted by Jake on October 13, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/quote-of-the-day-2011-10-13/
Occupy Wall Street Someplace A Shower Whatever is coming to my town. TWICE.
Occupy protests assembling in Roanoke, Blacksburg
Occupy Virginia Tech, one of several local economic protest groups formed recently, said students, staff and faculty will leave classes and jobs at 4:30p.m. today for a rally in front of the university’s War Memorial Chapel.
In a statement released Tuesday, Occupy Virginia Tech called the university part of “an education industry that replicates the irresponsible, unaccountable, and unethical practices of Wall Street.”
“[Virginia Tech] President [Charles] Steger makes $457,000 a year, while campus workers are paid poverty wages, and students graduate with outrageous amounts of student debt, in a hostile economic climate, with few job opportunities. Virginia Tech is a money making machine, and students are paying the price,” the statement said.
[…]
Occupy Blacksburg is holding a rally and march at 2 p.m. Saturday on the town’s College Avenue near The Cellar Restaurant.
“Some ‘Occupy’ protests have followed the lead of the Wall Street action and have camped out for an extended period in public areas. While supporting those actions, the Blacksburg event is designed to involve those who might not be able to commit to an ‘occupation,'” a news release from the group said.
Right next to/in front of my favourite restaurant, and right in the middle of my usual lunch hour, too.
Joy.
END OF LINE
[Source: Roanoke Times article, retrieved 10/13/11]
Posted by Jake on October 13, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/oh-joy/
My submission:
- In high school I worked at Scout Camp, in a hardware store, and in a comic book store.
- When my dad was laid off in the 80’s, the money my parents had set aside to put me through college was instead used to keep us fed and a roof over our heads. I went into debt to pay for college.
- During college, I worked part-time at various jobs; selling cell phones, doing shoe and leather repair, other retail jobs, and then working for an ambulance service.
- After 3 years where I performed poorly, I quit college to deal with personal issues.
- I have worked full-time ever since, as an EMT, an EMS dispatcher, phone tech support, a used-car salesman (I was too honest to be any good at that one), and now as a paralegal.
- I am currently paying my own way through college for an associates degree. No grants or loans, one class at a time as I can afford it, while still working full time.
- At the same time, I am still paying back my original school loans.
- I own my own home. I bought within my current means, and chose a home with a mortgage that is actually less per month than I could get an apartment for.
- I drive a 17 year old car that I own outright, with 220,000 miles on the original engine, and by taking care of it I will probably have it for another 2 or 3 years.
***
- I make just over $25k a year. After taxes, I take home about $1,500 a month.
- Out of that $1500, $600 goes towards my mortgage and another $500-$600 goes towards utilities, my school loans, and other bills. I have, on average, a total of $350 a month left for food, gas, and other expenses. That works out to about $11 a day.
- I am single, I live alone, and I work full-time. That means any home maintenance, including cleaning, has to be done either after work or on weekends. If I cook, I am the only one there to clean it up. If I cook when I get home, it’s too dark to do outside house work. If I do the work first, it may be 9:00 before I get to eat. Somehow, I manage to balance this, even when the weather forces me to do the outside housework during the week, but I eat a lot more fast food than I should.
- My computer is 4 years old, and is only that new because my previous computer stopped working and I had to have a computer for my classes.
***
- I don’t whine about how I deserve more. I don’t expect anyone to jump in and just give me anything.
- I work for my money, and I pay my taxes. I volunteer 8 hours a week minimum as an EMT.
I am the 53%
(h/t Weird and Pissed Off)
Posted by Jake on October 12, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/the-53-percent/
END OF LINE
Posted by Jake on October 12, 2011
https://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/the-won-percent/
Curses! Foiled Again! 