Can eTextbooks using iTunes U be far behind?
Story link.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Hero Royal Marine Saved 130 Soldiers by Rugby Tackling Suicide Bomber
A hero Royal Marine saved 130 soldiers from certain death when he rugby tackled a suicide attacker before he could detonate a huge motorcycle bomb.The 40-year-old Marine saw the Afghan insurgent reaching for a yellow detonator button on the bike and leapt into action to drag him away.
He foiled a cunningly planned attack in which the same motorcycle had been checked by the same troops just hours earlier when its panniers had been packed with potatoes instead of explosives.
The suicide bomb contained 70 kilograms of explosives and was so huge it would have destroyed everything within 180 metres and left a huge crater.
The 20-year-old Taliban fighter had driven it into the middle of a group of 130 Marines and Afghan Army soldiers.
He tried to set off the first of the two bombs but it failed to go off and the Marine was
alerted by the distinctive pop of the detonator.
He spotted wires running from the bulging saddlebags to another yellow button on the petrol tank and he hauled the bomber off the bike as he reached to press it.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
One Leg, All Marine...
They should have killed him while they had the chance.Marine Corporal Garrett Jones is back in combat, and he's mad as...well, you get the picture.
While on patrol with his unit, the 2/7 Marine Regiment in Iraq a little over a year ago, Cpl Jones remembers a flash and a cloud of smoke. He was thrown through the air into a sewage canal. After that, things got fuzzy. When he awoke, a chaplain informed him he'd lost his leg above the knee. Jones recalls saying, "I hear they make really good prosthetics."
Seventeen surgeries and a whole lot of physical therapy now behind him, the tough young corporal is back in battle with his buddies - this time in Afghanistan. He's one of a growing number of amputees who refuse to allow the loss of a limb to stop them from serving. And Jones recuperated in record time - a little under nine months after his injury, he was training to return to his unit. To do so, he had to prove himself all over again, going through all the same pre-deployment training as the others.
This is, after all, the Marine Corps. They don't play wait-up.
"My leg popped off a couple of times in the humvee scenario and once when I was leaving a range," Jones said. "I thought it was funny because 'How many guys walk around with combat loads and have a leg fall off?' I still did it to prove that I could deploy as an amputee."
It's that kind of spirit that enables him to endure the brutal operational tempo and primitive living conditions that his unit must endure in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. And being the first above-the-knee amputee to return to combat with his unit makes him a literal walking legend with his peers.
Jones recently submitted his paperwork to reenlist for another stint with the unit he loves. He also plans to represent the Marine corps this winter in another amazing display of toughness - a national snowboarding competition.
"I love being with the guys, the same people. I really do," Jones said. "If it wasn't for the guys in this unit, I wouldn't be here. It's an honor to serve with them and be in a place where many Marines don't get a chance to go."
Story link.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mini Nuke Power Plants to be onsale withing 5 Years
Using technology licensed from the U.S. government, an Arizona-based company is planning to bring a new generation of miniature nuclear reactors to market. The Hyperion Hydride Reactor is not much larger than a hot tub, is totally sealed and self-operating, has no moving parts and, beyond refueling, requires no maintenance of any sort. The reactor will output 27MW, enough to power a community of 20,000 homes, says Hyperion Energy, makers of the new reactor. The first models will roll off the assembly line in five years.Story link.
Obama Chief of Staff Wants Complusory Service for Youth
"the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service."
"[s]ome Republicans will squeal about individual freedom," ruling out any likelihood that they would let people opt out of universal citizen service.
Story link.
Found in the "No-Shit" Department Files
Nonprofit Eatery Can't Bring Home the Bacon
One World Cafe, where patrons set prices, has had trouble paying employees
The One World Cafe, in the last month, fired its long-time manager and the staff walked out in protest. Here, owner Denise Cerreta helps serve a customer's lunch on Friday. The restaurant's new chef, Giovanni Bouderbala, is working in the kitchen at right. (Scott Sommerdorf / The Salt Lake Tribune)
For nearly a year, Salt Lake City's One World Cafe - founded on the altruistic goal of letting customers set their own meal price - has been on a crash course with business reality.
In mid-October, employee paychecks bounced and the longtime manager was fired. Bo Dean's dismissal angered the rest of the staff enough that they walked out in protest.
Founder Denise Cerreta was forced to call a temporary staffing agency so she could serve customers.
Story link.
One World Cafe, where patrons set prices, has had trouble paying employeesThe One World Cafe, in the last month, fired its long-time manager and the staff walked out in protest. Here, owner Denise Cerreta helps serve a customer's lunch on Friday. The restaurant's new chef, Giovanni Bouderbala, is working in the kitchen at right. (Scott Sommerdorf / The Salt Lake Tribune)
For nearly a year, Salt Lake City's One World Cafe - founded on the altruistic goal of letting customers set their own meal price - has been on a crash course with business reality.
In mid-October, employee paychecks bounced and the longtime manager was fired. Bo Dean's dismissal angered the rest of the staff enough that they walked out in protest.
Founder Denise Cerreta was forced to call a temporary staffing agency so she could serve customers.
Story link.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Apocalypse When? Now!
8 post apocalyptic movies coming soon!
City of Ember
Looks like fun...
Autumn
It's a wobbler. Zombies=good but the movie itself seems a little shaky.
Chrysalis
Appears to be solid sci-fi fun.
Deadland
Not sure about this yet. Post-apocalypse love stories are tough to pull off...
Mutant ChroniclesRon Pearlman, yep, definitely. This one is a go.
The Last Man
Looks interesting, adaption from a Marry Shelly book, but he production value is a bit suspect.
Link to movie trailer.
Wasteland
Too early to tell.
IMDB Link.
Full Article link.
City of Ember
Looks like fun...
Autumn
It's a wobbler. Zombies=good but the movie itself seems a little shaky.
Chrysalis
Appears to be solid sci-fi fun.
Deadland
Not sure about this yet. Post-apocalypse love stories are tough to pull off...
Mutant Chronicles
The Last Man
Looks interesting, adaption from a Marry Shelly book, but he production value is a bit suspect.
Link to movie trailer.
Wasteland
Too early to tell.
IMDB Link.
Full Article link.
Cute Picture, that's all.
A puppy sleeps under a US soldier’s hat and rifles in Baquba, in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. the U.S. Fights bad guys AND protects puppies!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I Hope This is Not the Start of Things to Come...
Lead from bullets could pose risk for game eaters
BISMARCK, North Dakota (AP) -- North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets.
Officials in North Dakota have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring.
Officials in North Dakota have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring.
The recommendation is based on a study released Wednesday that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents. Those who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no wild game.
The elevated lead levels were not considered dangerous, but North Dakota says pregnant women and children younger than 6 should avoid eating venison harvested using lead bullets.
Those groups are considered most at risk from lead poisoning, which can cause learning problems and convulsions, and in severe cases can lead to brain damage and death.
The study, conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department, is the first to connect lead traces in game with higher lead levels in the blood of game eaters, said Dr. Stephen Pickard, a CDC epidemiolgist who works with the state health department.
A separate study by Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources previously found that fragments from lead bullets spread as far as 18 inches away from the wound.
"Nobody was in trouble from the lead levels," Pickard said. However, "the effect was small but large enough to be a concern," he said.
Pickard said the study found "the more recent the consumption of wild game harvested with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood."
Officials in North Dakota and other states have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring, when a physician conducting tests using a CT scanner found lead in samples of donated deer meat.
The findings led North Dakota's health department to order food pantries to throw out donated venison. Some groups that organize venison donations have called such actions premature and unsupported by science.
Story link.
BISMARCK, North Dakota (AP) -- North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets.
Officials in North Dakota have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring.
Officials in North Dakota have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring.
The recommendation is based on a study released Wednesday that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents. Those who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no wild game.
The elevated lead levels were not considered dangerous, but North Dakota says pregnant women and children younger than 6 should avoid eating venison harvested using lead bullets.
Those groups are considered most at risk from lead poisoning, which can cause learning problems and convulsions, and in severe cases can lead to brain damage and death.
The study, conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department, is the first to connect lead traces in game with higher lead levels in the blood of game eaters, said Dr. Stephen Pickard, a CDC epidemiolgist who works with the state health department.
A separate study by Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources previously found that fragments from lead bullets spread as far as 18 inches away from the wound.
"Nobody was in trouble from the lead levels," Pickard said. However, "the effect was small but large enough to be a concern," he said.
Pickard said the study found "the more recent the consumption of wild game harvested with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood."
Officials in North Dakota and other states have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring, when a physician conducting tests using a CT scanner found lead in samples of donated deer meat.
The findings led North Dakota's health department to order food pantries to throw out donated venison. Some groups that organize venison donations have called such actions premature and unsupported by science.
Story link.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Political Science for Dummies
DEMOCRAT
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?
SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine.
Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US Government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegal.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?
SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine.
Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US Government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegal.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.
Monday, November 3, 2008
James Cameron's 3D Theaters
The prediction date is a little off for the new movies but it sounds awesome and they are getting closer to having it on the streets...
Best game Ever (With a Blimp!)
For our latest mission, we turned a little league baseball game in Hermosa Beach, California into a major league event.
In order to pull this mission off we worked with the commissioner of the Hermosa Beach Little League. The commissioner provided us with the names, numbers, and batting order of all of the players for both teams. He told us the 2 PM game between the Mudcats and the Lugnuts would be ideal for our mission, and allowed us to arrive early to set up all of our equipment. He was the only person involved with the league who knew what was going to happen. The players, coaches, and parents were kept completely in the dark.
The league’s games are six innings, and we planned our mission to unfold slowly, heightening with each passing inning. As the game started, the only unusual thing anyone could notice was a large truck parked just pass the outfield wall (housing our jumbotron to be revealed later.) All of the cameras remained hidden away.
Story link.Check out the rest of thier site, it is really fun stuff!
Blue Line PowerCost Monitor
As seen on FOX News, ABC, and CNN Online, the PowerCost Monitor™ is helping thousands of people across the United States and Canada save money on their electric bill.The PowerCost Monitor™ is a wireless energy monitor for your home. It can tell you at a glance how much electricity your home is using from moment-to-moment and in total. Why wait for your electricity bill when you can see what you are spending on electricity as you spend it!
Tests in Ontario and elsewhere have proven that householders who use real-time feedback can reduce electricity use by as much as five to 20 per cent. This is the advantage of having real-time feedback on your electricity.
Real-time feedback means real savings for you. Make the PowerCost Monitor™ a regular part of your daily household routine.
Cost: $149.99
Product link.
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