Next Future Terrifying Technology Will Blow Your Mind

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Car Runs For 100 Years Without Refueling - The Thorium

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Emily's Abortion Video

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9/11 In A Nutshell

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Pres Obama Brilliantly Destroys a Loaded FOXNews Question

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See how car thieves are getting in

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man Animation Shot Build

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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Climate Change Debate

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Negotiation, Picard style

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The "gig" is up in Chattanooga...

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Power Japan Plus - Balancing the Energy Storage Equation

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Burn Notice/White Collar - What Grenade?

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LUCY - Official International Trailer (2014) [HD] Scarlett Johansson

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Monty Python Bunny Scene

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【HD】 Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki 広島風お好み焼きみたいなやつ

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How to make Japanese Fried Chicken ''Kara-age''

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http://www.territorialseed.com/product/wasabi/?r=NWGOOGA&gclid=CI_FwsaAo70CFbFaMgodwncAvQ

Wasabia japonica 'Daruma'

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http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dance-better-2014-3

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DigitalRev TV - London Special (Feat. 35mm vs. 50mm, Fuji X100S plus Ana...

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How To Make Crispy Pork Belly

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Pressed Belly of Pork - Gordon Ramsay

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http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/02/toms-kitchen-100-whole-wheat-bread-doesnt-suck-and-pretty-easy

Whole-Wheat Sourdough Bread

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Forgiving Martha

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Creamy Chanterelle Mushroom Soup

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A hearty and delicious fall soup. This soup gets better the longer it sits. Feel free to simmer it longer than 45 minutes even though it will still taste great when served right away!

• PREP TIME
  10 mins.
• COOK TIME
  45 mins.

• 1 TBS coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped
• 1 15 oz can organic navy beans (or any other white creamy bean)
• 3-4 cups organic vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup organic coconut milk
• 2 TBS low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
• a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup parsley, tough stems removed and diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes.
2. Add chanterelle mushrooms and cook for about 5-8 more minutes stirring often. Add in the beans and vegetable stock (start with 3 cups of veggie stock and add more if the soup is too thick) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Add in the tamari and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 25 minutes.
3. Carefully with an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the soup until most of it is smooth but leaving some chunks to add some texture.
4. Stir in the coconut milk salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 10 more minutes.
5. Serve the soup warm with a healthy pinch or two of minced parsley and more salt and pepper if necessary

Please use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. Always taste test as you go.

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Some recipes from YouTube.

Links

Fricassee of Chanterelles
Fresh Chanterelles with Shallots
Sauteed Garlicky Chanterelles
Lots of Chanterelle Mushroom Recipes
Chicken Thighs with Chanterelle Mushroom Sauce

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Asus VPN Setup

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Record-Setting Power, Reliability, and Efficiency in a Low Mass, Free-Piston Stirling Convertor

Technology developed through a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Ohio-based Sunpower, Inc., in partnership with NASA’s Glenn Research Center has resulted in the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC), an 80-watt free-piston Stirling power convertor that produces electric power from any source of heat. The ASC can be used in any application that requires conversion of heat into electric power with high efficiency and low mass.
The ASC provides a state-of-the-art power conversion system for potential future NASA deep space and planetary missions enabled or significantly enhanced by the application of radioisotope power systems. Other terrestrial applications being considered are a liquid-fueled, soldier-carried, portable power system and an efficient portable solar-to-electric convertor.
The ASC consists of a free-piston Stirling engine and an integral linear alternator that converts the piston reciprocating motion to electrical output. Weighing just 1.3 kg, the lightbulb-sized ASC has evolved to demonstrate 38-percent conversion efficiency, extended operation, and a twofold improvement in specific power over competing power sources. The higher efficiency reduces the amount of radioisotope material or fuel required by a factor of 4 or more, thereby decreasing costs.
Key technologies that enable high efficiency and low mass are hydrostatic gas bearings, moving-magnet linear alternators, high-frequency operation, high-temperature hot end materials and fabrication processes, and high-temperature, high-porosity regenerators.  The ASC is similar in design configuration and size to thousands of commercial terrestrial Sunpower cryocoolers. The company has produced five generations of ASC-related hardware, evolving the technology progressively with each build. ASCs have been running continuously in Glenn’s test facilities to demonstrate their ability to be used in generators. Glenn has contributed its expertise in reliability testing, materials assessment and risk reduction, and has provided access to unique facilities that have allowed for more than 165,000 hours of testing and operation on ASC research and experimental models, as well as the prototypes for flight.
ASC development, funded by the SBIR program, began in 2001 as one of 10 competitively awarded contracts intended to address the power conversion needs of future radioisotope power systems. The convertor efficiency and low mass objectives were met early in Phase 1, with continued technology refinement and improvement in Phases 2 and 3. These successes led to NASA’s decisions to accelerate development by increasing technical support from Glenn and subsequently integrating the ASC in 2007 as a critical component of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) being developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company for the Department of Energy. Dual opposed convertors are used in the ASRG to achieve balanced operation, and their use has led to more than a twofold increase in specific power when compared with radioisotope thermoelectric generators used in prior missions. The ASC’s small physical size, high conversion efficiency, capability for long-life operation, and high specific power make it a candidate for future deep space missions and military portable power systems. Potential space missions include providing electric power for deep space missions, surface rovers, and stationary power generators.
For more information, contact Office of Technology Partnerships and Planning, NASA Glenn Research Center, 216-433-3484 or TTP@grc.nasa.gov.

http://newslink.federallabs.org/2011/08/28/record-setting-power-reliability-and-efficiency-in-a-low-mass-free-piston-stirling-convertor/

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DLR team develops demonstrator of free-piston linear generator as range extender for EVs; technology transfer to Universal Motor Corp.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/dlr-20120220.html

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart have developed a demonstrator multi-fuel free-piston linear generator (FPLG, or Freikolbenlineargenerator, FKLG in German) as a range extender for electric vehicles. The FPLG comprises an internal combustion component, a linear generator and a gas spring; the researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of the technology on a test bench specifically developed for this purpose.

The free-piston linear generator works in a similar manner to a conventional combustion engine, but instead of converting the linear movement of the piston into the rotational movement of the crankshaft, it generates electricity directly. A fuel-air mix is ignited in the combustion chamber. This expands and pushes the piston towards the gas springs. These springs decelerate the piston movement and push it back. The linear generator converts the kinetic energy of the piston into electricity and this in turn powers the electric motor. 

Research on this type of drive unit has been fairly widespread. As one example, GM Global Technology Operations LLC and the Regents of the University of Michigan recently were recently awarded a US patent (Nº 8,261,860) for a plug-in series hybrid or range-extended electric vehicle powertrain using multiple free piston linear alternator (FPLA) engines. (Earlier post.) As another, researcher at the Nanjing University of Science & Technology has proposed a novel opposed-piston free-piston linear generator for use in series hybrid electric vehicles. (Earlier post.)
The DLR researchers says that through the installation of a gas spring in their system, they have now succeeded, for the first time, in operating such a system in a stable manner. The control system devised by the DLR engineers is able, for example, to control piston movement accurately to within one tenth of a millimeter. At the same time, it recognizes fluctuations in the combustion process and compensates for them.

The challenge here was to develop a particularly powerful mechanism with a highly dynamic control unit that regulates the complex interactions between the individual component.

—Ulrich Wagner, DLR Director of Energy and Transport

The core module operates at high efficiency even at partial load, with an indicated power of up to 35 kW per module; operating frequency is 40-50 Hz.

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WMAP Cold Spot

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http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/08/giant-interstel/

SALSA

3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (including seeds)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Stir all ingredients together. Refrigerate. Best to let marinate overnight. But several hours will suffice, if you can't wait to dig in! Serve chilled.

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Avocado and Tomato Salad

4 cups avocados, diced medium
2 cups grape tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups cucumbers, peeled and diced medium
1 cup red onion, diced small
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
fresh black pepper
Lettuce (if you want)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and top on a bed of lettuce (if desired)
Makes 8 servings
Calories 201.9 Total Fat 17.9 g Sodium 10.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 11.6 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 1.8 g

Jennie McDaniel Barker

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Kool Freaking Chicken

Disclosure: Add Catchup...This makes it my recipe' KFC = Kool Freaken Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
3 beaten eggs
4 tablespoons oil

For the coating

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Directions:

1. Sift together all the coating ingredients and place in a clean plastic bag. Coat each chicken piece first with the beaten egg, then with the flour mixture in the bag. Make sure you coat each piece completely with the flour.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Brown the chicken in oil slowly, uncovered. Once browned, cover the skillet and keeping frying on a very gentle heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Place on paper towels to drain out the excess oil.

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A Map of the Research Literature

A Map of the Research Literature

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35 Founding Father Quotes Conservative Christians Will Hate

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/04/35-founding-father-quotes-conservative-christians-will-hate/

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Cancer's Origins Revealed

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130814132445.htm

Cancer's Origins Revealed: Genetic Imprints and Signatures Left by DNA-Damaging Processes That Lead to Cancer Identified

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Hawaii Food

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hys-steak-house-honolulu-2#hrid:ftUOBvZBs0KXvMr61qGTHw

Waikiki Park Heights Hotel 2440 Kuhio Ave, Ste A Honolulu, HI 96815 Neighborhood: Waikiki (808) 922-5555 http://www.hyshawaii.com

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The Nexus 7 Review: Google's First Tablet Gets Benchmarked

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Fault Lines : Controlling the web

In January 2012, two controversial pieces of legislation were making their way through the US Congress. SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Protect Intellectual Property Act, were meant to crack down on the illegal sharing of digital media. The bills were drafted on request of the content industry, Hollywood studios and major record labels. The online community rose up against the US government to speak out against SOPA, and the anti-online piracy bill was effectively killed off after the largest online protest in US history. But it was only one win in a long battle between US authorities and online users over internet regulation. SOPA and PIPA were just the latest in a long line of anti-piracy legislation US politicians have passed since the 1990s. "One of the things we are seeing which is a by-product of the digital age is, frankly, it's much easier to steal and to profit from the hard work of others," says Michael O'Leary, the executive vice-president for global policy at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The US government says it must be able to fight against piracy and cyber attacks. And that means imposing more restrictions online. But proposed legislation could seriously curb freedom of speech and privacy, threatening the internet as we know it. Can and should the internet be controlled? Who gets that power? How far will the US government go to gain power over the web? And will this mean the end of a free and global internet? Fault Lines looks at the fight for control of the web, life in the digital age and the threat to cyber freedom, asking if US authorities are increasingly trying to regulate user freedoms in the name of national and economic security.

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Researchers Develop Algorithm to Trace Source of Computer Virus, Epidemics, More

Want to trace the source of virus that has infected your computer? Researchers at a Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland have the answer. The scientists have devised software capable of tracing computer viruses back to their source. Beyond computer viruses, the software can also trace terror suspects, rumor-mongers and even infectious diseases back to their source. Pedro Pinto, one of the researchers, explained that the algorithm works by going through information in a reverse direction back to the original source. He said, “Using our method, we can find the source of all kinds of things circulating in a network just by 'listening' to a limited number of members of that network.” notes Sky News. The team behind the algorithm published their research in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters and tested their software on a known data maze to check if their research actually pinpoints the individuals behind the 9/11 attacks. "By reconstructing the message exchange inside the 9/11 terrorist network extracted from publicly released news, our system spit out the names of three potential suspects -- one of whom was found to be the mastermind of the attacks, according to the official inquiry," he said. The same algorithm can be applied to a list of contacts on Facebook and check who among those was the person who started a particular rumor. Similar principles can be applied to identify the source of spam emails, computer virus. The team also applied the algorithm to water and transport networks in South Africa and traced the source of a cholera outbreak as well. Pinto said, “By modeling the network of water circulation, rivers and human transports, we were able to pinpoint the place where the first cases appeared”. Update [12/08/2012 9:34 AM UTC] In a phone interview with IBTimes, Pinto explained that the triangulation method used for a cell phone user has been applied and to networks with nodes under this algorithm. Considering the system to be monitored as an interconnection of lot of nodes, around 15 to 20 percent nodes are to be monitored said Pinto. According to him the best connected nodes can be the point of observation and monitoring to achieve the best required results.

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http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20120726121512518

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http://hurcan-reikage.blogspot.com/

Found a new website about Japanese girl bands, they've put a lot of effort into it.

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Late Night Entry

l can't sleep.
I've an upset stomach. Breakfast was a corn tortilla with butter and cheese, and a regular tortilla also with butter and cheese.
Dinner was a sirloin roast with vegtables.

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Allegations are not evidence.
Hearsay is not evidence.
Unsubstantiated claims are not evidence.
Personal revelation is not evidence.
Anecdotes are not evidence.
Rumors are not evidence.
Wild speculation is not evidence.
Wishful thinking is not evidence.
Illogical conclusions are not evidence.
Disproved statements are not evidence.
Logical fallacies are not evidence.
Poorly designed/executed experiments are not evidence.
Experiments with inconclusive results are not evidence.
Experiments that are not and cannot be duplicated by others are not evidence.
Dreams are not evidence.
Hallucinations/delusions are not evidence.
Experiments whose methodology is not open for scrutiny are not evidence.
Data that requires a certain belief is not evidence.
Information that is only knowable by a privileged few is not evidence.
Information that cannot be falsified is not evidence.
Information that cannot be verified is not evidence.
Information that is ambiguous is not evidence.

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Great Zacuto Shootout, DSLRS vs 35mm Film Part 2. Sensitivity Video Review of new Panasonic HPX 370/371 by Phillip Bloom

Review of Panasonic HPX 370/371 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

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I just noticed if I copy files from my server to my desktop they transfer at about 1 MB/s, but if I copy them from the server to my new laptop they transfer at just under 6 MB/s. I always thought it was strange that the server was so slow but no matter what I did I could not get it to transfer any faster. Now it seems the problem has been the desktop all along.

Both the the desktop and the laptop have a wireless connection to the server, the desktop runs under Vista, and the laptop under Windows 7, can 7 be that more efficient than Vista?

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The Far Traveler: Purity Test

The Far Traveler: Purity Test

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Purity Test

The Republicans have their "Purity Test" now there is a proposal for a Democratic purity test, but it is even more stringent than the republican one; to qualify republicans had to past 8 out of 10 requirement the democratic test proposes meeting 10 out of 10. Here it is (from Daily Kos):

(1) We support the rights extended to Americans extended under the Constitution. All the rights. For all Americans.

(2) We support thoughtful, pragmatic solutions that protect American lives, American standards, and American pocketbooks. This includes finding solutions that don't require bombing anyone.

(3) We support an America that has diversity in race, thought, background, and religion not out of some hazy idealism, but because it is our nation's greatest strength.

(4) We oppose torture in any form, in any place, at any time, for any reason.

(5) We support American business, and recognize that an unregulated market is an unfair market, an unstable market, and a market doomed to failure.

(6) We support American workers, and know that when workers are allowed to organize they make their jobs, their companies, and their nation stronger.

(7) We believe that the reputation of our nation is valuable and must be zealously guarded against those who place expediency ahead of law.

(8) We believe in spreading democracy and human rights to the rest of the world by vigorously upholding those ideals here at home.

(9) We believe that access to our government is not for sale. Not in the courthouse, not in the White House, and not in the legislature.

(10) We believe that the health of our planet is not a zero-sum game, not a game of "you go first," and not a game.

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I’d like a slate format computer, lots of connectivity, good hi-rez 7″ to 12″ (3:2 ratio) screen (1080p would be nice), multiple multi-core arm chips. The power of a desktop in a hand held system, with the ability to expand its capabilities cheaply and simply. I want a computer not so much a phone.

To work for me it has to be cheap to run, with a total yearly cost that’s under $100. It should be designed to use only open, non-proprietary software (and I should be able to chose the OS it runs), it should have no DRM of any kind. It should be reliable, modular, easy and cheap to repair, and designed to never become obsolete.

The main issue is that its internet connectivity should have immense throughput; each slate system should itself be a connected node on the internet that provides secure access to all the other systems in its range. You should be able to connect to any other slate system without going through a Sprint, AT&T, or other commercial network. Each slate system is part of a pervasive internet “cloud” that shares its connectivity and processing power.

I know it sounds improbable yet we have the capability to build it now, with its biggest technological issue being battery power.

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George Foreman Grill

My George Foreman Grill died.

Sending an email to customerservice@georgeforemancooking.com lets see what happens.

My George Foreman Grill died, for no apparent reason. It worked fine the last time I used it, I put it away and the next time I tried to use it, it would not even turn on. It is the 10th Anniversary model.

I like this grill; is there any reasonably priced way to get it fixed? Give me an option, such as a local shop in Austin Texas, or a parts list with instructions on testing and replacement of parts, or even some place I can ship it to where the total cost will be less than the $54.95 I paid for it.

I've put off buying another because of the difficulty I've preciously had, about 3 years ago, trying to get this grill fixed. If it can't be done I will never buy another of your products.

Please understand I am not angry or upset, I just really liked this grill; but it's against my policy to purchase products that are not well made, (product failure is an indicator of poor quality), and/or not well supported by their manufacturer. At the least if it is not possible to get this grill fixed give me a good reason to buy another, address the issue of reliability, and convince me you will in the future stand behind your products.

ed

Judy Jennings for State Board of Education District 10 Democratic Primary, March 2, 2010

Please vote for Judy Jennings, Cynthia Dunbar is trying to end public education in Texas.

Unlike incumbent Cynthia Dunbar, Sam Houston saw public education as a great boon. “No longer will the means of elementary learning be limited to those whose private resources are equal to the expense, but the road to distinction in every department of science and moral excellency, will be equally open to all,” he said. And the founders of Texas considered education so essential to “the rights and liberties of the people” that they charged our Legislature with establishing “an efficient system of public free schools” in our Constitution.

The Legislature, in turn, created the State Board of Education to set policy for public education in Texas. But lately, some board members have acted so irresponsibly that the Legislature actually considered stripping the board of many of its duties. The problem: too many members caught up in fighting “culture wars” at the expense of figuring out how to provide our children with an education that will prepare them for the challenges of this new century.

What would you do if your local school board trustee cared more about pursuing a personal agenda rather than seeing to the needs of your child's school? It's hard to imagine such a trustee getting re-elected in any school district in Texas, let alone the eighty-four ISDs that fall, in whole or in part, within the boundaries of SBOE District 10.

We need board members who will be guided by effective measures of what's working, not by ideology, pet peeves or partisanship. Dr. Judy Jennings will be just such a board member, well equipped to make important decisions about meeting the many needs of a diverse and growing state. Read more about Judy here.

“In effect, [Republican incumbent Cythina] Dunbar is on the board to sabotage public education. ... Dunbar should resign and leave the governing of this state's public schools to people who use them, serve them, care about them and understand that they are the future of Texas.”

NewEgg RMA

Edward Villarreal: Initial Question/Comment: RMA

 Ruby has joined this session!

 Connected with Ruby. Your reference number for this chat session is 576611.

 Hello my name is Ruby. How may I help you today?

Edward Villarreal: I was chatting with Linda, but session unexpecticly ended.

Ruby: I see. Would you like me to transfer the chat to her?

Edward Villarreal: I had sent a
Recertified: SanDisk 1.8" Black 4GB MP3 Player Sansa e260
Item #: N82E16855125116 back, and received it today.

Edward Villarreal: It died just after I reloaded music. No response, screen black, does not show up in Windows

Ruby: I am so sorry to hear that. Do you have the original retail box, UPC code and accessories for this item?

Edward Villarreal: It is getting expensive to return, if I have to do it again its almost 50% of the cost of item.

Edward Villarreal: yes
Ruby: We are willing to offer you a shipping label to cover the return shipping fee.

Ruby: Can you please verify your current shipping address?

Edward Villarreal: 13313 Fieldgate, Austin Tx. 78753

Edward Villarreal: That would be good.

Ruby: I have created a replacement RMA for you. Please remember to return the retail box and all accessories originally included with the item. A conformation email has been sent to the email address listed on your account with the return instructions. A second email will be sent to you within the next 24 hours with a prepaid UPS shipping label. Please print the label and tape it onto the outside of your returning package. This label does expire in 7 days, so please make sure you send this package as soon as possible or you may have to incur the return cost.

Austin Restaurants

I've always meant to try The Clay Pit, but things never seem to work out. Its one of those places where I don't want to go alone, and I just can't get anyone to go with me. Admittedly none of my friend like Indian, (what's wrong with them), but I love it. Someday.

Gore vs Cheney

Gore said he wished Cheney would have given President Obama more time
in office before criticizing national security policy. A stern critic
of Bush policy over the years, Gore told CNN's John Roberts that "I
waited for two years after I left office to make statements that were
critical, and then of policy."

IHOP

So disappointed.  I just ordered the Chicken Fried Steak at IHOP, what I got was about as far from steak as you could get.  It was a kind of fake steak, a formed meat substitute of some kind, if I had to guess I would estimate it's actual meat content at zero. It was on the verge of being disgusting. 

The sides that came with it were good, and the service better.  But overall I was not pleased, I will not be going back.

The Clueless Sheep

Fox viewers are misinformed more than users of any other media outlet. 

In other words, Fox News viewers are literally less informed about these basic facts. They have, put simply, been led to believe things that are simply not true. These poor dupes would have done better in this survey, statistically speaking, if they received no news at all and simply guessed whether the claims were accurate.

And, in addition to a fun bash-Fox-athon, I wanted to add that the PIPA study also documented that those who relied on newspapers as their primary news source were better informed than those who watched any of the television news broadcasts. The only folks more informed than newspaper readers were NPR listeners.

GOP Senator Opposes Using Stimulus Funding To Combat Pandemic Flu

Republicans continue to display a lack of foresight.

The painful truth about trainers: Are running shoes a waste of money?

Thrust enhancers, roll bars, microchips...the $20 billion running - shoe industry wants us to believe that the latest technologies will cushion every stride. Yet in this extract from his controversial new book, Christopher McDougall claims that injury rates for runners are actually on the rise, that everything we've been told about running shoes is wrong - and that it might even be better to go barefoot...

By CHRISTOPHER McDOUGALL

Last updated at 8:01 PM on 19th April 2009

Test

I can't seem to pull up my blog. I can edit it, but get a not found error message when I try to go to the page itself.

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Bush Speech

Christmas in Japan (日本語字幕）

Ninety-Nine Percent of Texas Science Professors Don't Believe in Intelligent Design

Texas Freedom Network posted to its Web site a study conducted by Dr. Raymond Eve, a professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Texas at Arlington, titled Evolution, Creationism & Public Schools: Surveying What Texas Scientists Think about Educating Our Kids in the 21st Century.
It reveals the results of a survey sent to biology and "biological anthropology" faculty members from "all 35 public universities plus the 15 largest private institutions in Texas," in which they were asked to take the following taste test: evolution or intelligent design?

Yamaha's RMAX non-military UAV

RMAX mounted a liquid-cooled 2-stroke, 246cc, horizontally-opposed twin-cylinder, crankcase reed valve intake engine rated at 21 hp.
The absolute base-model airframe suitable for agriculture, with a single GPS and the ability to fly only within sight, and no more than five metres above the ground costs US$86,000. The Aerial Photography version can fly up to 100 metres above the ground and costs between US$150,000 and US$230,000. There's a flight research model specced for universities with manual only flight mode, which sells for US$120,000 and none of the base stations and other niceties.

Then there's the 'hamburger-with-the-lot': the fully autonomous R-Max package which includes the ground station, antennas, computers, monitors and two complete autonomous airframes and a four camera system. The price tag is US$1,000,000.00.
The completely autonomous version enables the 'pilot' to watch what's happening from all four cameras at once while the RMAX goes about the flight plan it has been programmed with from the controlling computer. If the operator sees something they want to look at closely, they can override the plan to get closer and then resume the original flight plan or program a new one.

Operating at 10% the hourly rate of a manned helicopter means a whole range of new applications can be found for this new airborne capability.

AIG Continues to Waste Money After Bailout

October 7, 2008

Less than a week after the federal government committed $85 billion to bail out AIG, executives of the giant AIG insurance company headed for a week-long retreat at a luxury resort and spa, the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, California, Congressional investigators revealed today.

"Rooms at this resort can cost over $1,000 a night," Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said this morning as his committee continued its investigation of Wall Street and its CEOs.

AIG documents obtained by Waxman's investigators show the company paid more than $440,000 for the retreat, including nearly $200,000 for rooms, $150,000 for meals and $23,000 in spa charges.

A.I.G. Uses $61 Billion of Fed Loan

The American International Group said on Friday that it had already drawn down $61 billion of the $85 billion emergency bridge loan it received from the Federal Reserve two weeks ago...

Another AIG Resort "Junket": Top Execs Caught on Tape

After requesting another $40 billion dollars in loans, AIG sent top executives to a secret gathering at a luxury resort in Phoenix last week. Company officials confirmed the company spent an estimated $343,000 to sponsor the 2008 Asset Management Conference. A spokesperson said much of the cost would be recouped from product sponsors at the conference.

KMX -- AROUND THE LAKE

I really would like to get a trike. This one seems to have electric assist.

Palin on Ted Stevens: 'I have great respect for him'

Sarah Palin associated with known felon.

McCain Admits Sharing 'Common Philosophy' With Bush

So why is this gaff by John McCain not getting more airtime?

The Canidates

Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A.
Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Used Dodge Sprinter Price Range

Year                                          Price
Current Sprinter            $41,337 - $46,397
2008 Dodge Sprinter     $34,605 - $38,694
2007 Dodge Sprinter     $26,323 - $29,471
2006 Dodge Sprinter     $18,203 - $21,960
2005 Dodge Sprinter     $14,376 - $17,385
2004 Dodge Sprinter     $13,031 - $15,375
2003 Dodge Sprinter     $11,537 - $13,965

Rolling Stones Magazine's Story on John McCain

The make believe Maverick.

• VIDEO: Five Myths About John McCain

• The Double-Talk Express

• Mad Dog Palin: The Full Story

• Karl Rove's A-Team

Jack Cafferty Tells Us How He Really Feels About Sarah Palin

Palin's answer makes no sense.

Gallup Poll Bush Approval Ratings

CNN Documents Sarah Palin's Truthiness Problem

Palin Lies Yet Again!

Add one more lie to the list.

Quotes

I have to steal this line.

"Whatever the source of information you're referring to, you should only find it trustworthy to the degree its claims can be independently confirmed or corroborated."

Obama for President

Check out the rest of this post for some good reasons to vote for Obama.

Obama: Actually, I Think We Can

by hilzoy
I, too, endorse Obama for President, to no one's surprise. Since Katherine has already written a lot of what I would have wanted to say about his rhetoric, and since I've already talked about one of my most important reasons for supporting him, namely the fact that he got Iraq right from the outset, I'll say something about the peculiar idea that Barack Obama is all style and no substance. ...

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Whoopi to McCain: Do I have to worry about slavery again?

I have to say Whoopi is one of my favorite people.

Current Impeach Bush Poll

	Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment? * 716822 responses
	Yes, between the secret spying, the deceptions leading to war and more, there is plenty to justify putting him on trial. 89%
	No, like any president, he has made a few missteps, but nothing approaching "high crimes and misdemeanors." 4.2%
	No, the man has done absolutely nothing wrong. Impeachment would just be a political lynching. 4.6%
	I don't know. 2.1%

Alaska rallies against Sarah Palin

The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage; yet I have found no coverage of this event in the national media.

John McCain's ads are LIES. Here's the video proof.

I wish more time had been spent exploring the context of each lie. Not quite enough evidence is presented within the video itself.

Bush Administration vs Clinton Administration

Clinton:
During the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country's history, dropping crime rates in many places, and reduced welfare rolls. He proposed the first balanced budget in decades and achieved a budget surplus. As part of a plan to celebrate the millennium in 2000, Clinton called for a great national initiative to end racial discrimination. ^[2]

Bush:
* Outed an undercover CIA operative
* Lied to Congress and the American people to get into a war
* Disregarded intelligence estimates, and instead manufactured its own intelligence to support political goals
* Exerted political pressure to hide facts about climate change
* Fired U.S. Attorneys who wouldn't prosecute bogus vote fraud charges against Democrats, or who would prosecute vote fraud charges against Republicans[3]
* Tried to create a fourth branch of government, answerable to no one
* Defied Congressional subpoenas
* Destroyed documents that cannot, by law, be destroyed
* Violated its own rules on document declassification
* Authorized torture--or, as they like to call being bitten by dogs, being nearly drowned, and being sodomized and forced into homosexual acts, "aggressive interrogation"--in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and the Geneva Conventions.

Secret Killings in Iraq - Bob Woodward

This seems incredible.

Republican Small Town Values

P Z Myers' view of what Republicans really mean by "Small Town Values".

The ones the Republicans are worshipping seem to be the narrow insularity verging on xenophobia, the judgmental meddling in other people's affairs, the backward-looking reverence for the good old days (which actually weren't that good), the worship of ignorance, the easy way authority can personally intrude on people's lives without oversight, except by a coterie of good old boys. They seem to overlook the schools in neglect, the churches sprouting everywhere like poisonous mushrooms, the alcoholism, the spousal abuse, the kids who just want to get through high school and flee to a city where something is happening, the elderly piling up and outnumbering the young and being shuffled off to cheap complexes, the despair of people caught in dead-end menial jobs with few prospects for going beyond. That's also small town America, and when I hear a Republican singing the praises of small towns, I have visions of a walmartized wasteland where everyone goes to church. It's not good.

Vitamin Pill Magnate Matthias Rath Loses Case

Rath lost the libel suit he filed against UK newspaper The Guardian and Ben Goldacre.

"It’s just been publicly announced that the vitamin pill magnate Matthias Rath has pulled out of his gruelling legal case against me and the Guardian. He bought full page adverts denouncing Aids drugs while promoting his vitamin pills in South Africa, a country where hundreds of thousands die every year from Aids under an HIV denialist president and the population is ripe for miracle cures. I said his actions were highly worrying, in no uncertain terms. I believe I was right to do so.

This libel case has drawn on for over a year, with the writ hanging both in my toilet, and over my head. Although fighting it has been fascinating, and in many respects a great pleasure, it has also taken a phenomenal amount of my time, entirely unpaid, to deal with it. For the duration of the case I have also been silenced on the serious issues that Rath’s activities raise, the chapter on his work was pulled from my book, and I have been unable to comment on his further movements around the world.

This will now change, and I hope that other newspapers will have the sense to step outside of commercial allegiances and write about his activities, despite this single incident being one newspaper’s tussle. I genuinely believe that the madness of the South African government’s approach to Aids is one of the most important stories of our time."

Republicans and military men on John McCain

Well it seems they did lie.

New Ecuador constitution recognizes evolution

On September 28, the people of Ecuador will vote on a new constitution and that constitution is expected to gain easy approval. The new constitution includes a five article section granting rights to nature as a whole. The section refers to nature as Pachamama, a local pagan goddess, the equivalent to Mother Earth or Mother Nature in Anglo-American idiom. Nature has the right to "integral restoration" and people of any nationality can petition the courts in the name of nature. The government Ecuador is obligated to protect nature and prevent extinction or harmful alteration of ecosystems and natural cycles.

According to Reuters, 56 percent of Ecuadorans approve of the proposed document.

Chapter: Rights for Nature

Art. 1. Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution. Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognitions of rights for nature before the public organisms. The application and interpretation of these rights will follow the related principles established in the Constitution.

Art. 2. Nature has the right to an integral restoration. This integral restoration is independent of the obligation on natural and juridical persons or the State to indemnify the people and the collectives that depend on the natural systems.

In the cases of severe or permanent environmental impact, including the ones caused by the exploitation on non renewable natural resources, the State will establish the most efficient mechanisms for the restoration, and will adopt the adequate measures to eliminate or mitigate the harmful environmental consequences.

Art. 3. The State will motivate natural and juridical persons as well as collectives to protect nature; it will promote respect towards all the elements that form an ecosystem.

Art. 4. The State will apply precaution and restriction measures in all the activities that can lead to the extinction of species, the destruction of the ecosystems or the permanent alteration of the natural cycles.

The introduction of organisms and organic and inorganic material that can alter in a definitive way the national genetic patrimony is prohibited.

Art. 5. The persons, people, communities and nationalities will have the right to benefit from the environment and form natural wealth that will allow wellbeing.

The environmental services are cannot be appropriated; its production, provision, use and exploitation, will be regulated by the State.

McCain Former Rebel

Seems McCain is willing to do anything to be President.

Jon Stewart on Sarah Palin

Jon makes an excellent analysis of republican hypocrisy.

Rove said Wasilla was the second largest city in Alaska, which is a lie.

1 Anchorage 278,700
2 Fairbanks 31,142
3 Juneau 30,737
4 Wasilla 9,236

Questionable Content

"Fiery, electromagnetic destroyosaurs"

You know how sometimes you can't get a song out of your mind? Well it can happen with phrases too, fortunately it just doesn't last as long.

The Sarah Palin Church Video Part One

Looks like lying is not Sarah Palins main problem, insanity is.

Sarah Palin misled Republican supporters

The Governor of Alaska gave a misleading version of events over a controversial bridge project in her home state when she made her maiden speech as the presumptive nominee.

Mrs Palin told a cheering audience in Ohio that she had turned down an offer from the US Congress to build the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere", which would have connected Gravina Island with Ketchikan International, an airport in Alaska's southeast serving just 200,000 passengers a year. Mr McCain routinely cites the £100 million project as a symbol of wasteful central government spending.

As she introduced herself to Republicans and the American public on Friday, the virtually unknown Mrs Palin said: "I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress ... 'thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves."

However it emerged that in a 2006 interview with the Anchorage Daily News during her gubernatorial campaign, Mrs Palin had a different view of the bridge.

Asked "would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?" she replied: "Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

When Congressional funding was withdrawn because of an uproar in Washington about the expense of the project, she cancelled it, but in a regretful tone.

"Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island.

Palin lied about visiting Ireland as part of her foreign policy experience

She didn't visit Ireland, which is what the McCain-Palin campaign claimed to Politico's Ben Smith on Saturday. She had a short refueling stopover, which means at best her extensive Irish diplomacy amounted to buying a sweater and a beer mug in the Shannon airport.

Why does Sarah Palin's duty-free-diplomacy matter? Because John McCain, who is 72 and has had 4 bouts of cancer, just picked Sarah Palin to replace him as commander in chief should he die or be incapacitated in office.
Sarah Palin, in an effort to bolster her non-existent national security expertise, claimed she had visited 3 countries: Germany; Kuwait; and Ireland. Now we find out that one of those three, 33% of her experience, was pretty much a lie. Did the McCain campaign know that Palin basically lied to the media and the American people? Or did this Irish blogger do the vetting that the McCain campaign couldn't be bothered to do?

McCain’s Navy Air Mishaps

...The second occurred two years later. McCain had completed flight training and was deployed to the Mediterranean. “He was flying low one day when he decided to have some fun,” Leahy wrote. He dropped so low that he knocked down power lines over southern Spain, cutting off electricity in the area. McCain later referred to his own behavior as “daredevil clowning” and said he had created “a small international incident.”

The third came in 1965. McCain, stationed at Norfolk, flew solo in a Navy trainer plane to the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. On the way back his engine quit. McCain ejected, landed safely and the plane crashed into a wooded area.

Leahy wrote that McCain had a “desultory performance” in the air. On the face of it, the incident in Spain stands out as an example of rash, poor judgment. The other two also raise questions. How much was a problem with the equipment, how much was pilot error? What about McCain’s responses: What do they tell us about his temperament?

Sara Palin Lies in Her First Speech as McCain's Running Mate

Sarah Palin that in her first big appearance before a national audience - her introduction as McCain’s running mate - she decided to flat out lie about her accomplishments?






Republicans have been heavily touting Sarah Palin's reformist credentials, with her supposed opposition to Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere" as Exhibit A. But how hard did she really fight the project? Not very, it seems. Here's what she told the Anchorage Daily News on October 22, 2006, during the race for the governor's seat (via Nexis):

5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

So she was very much for the bridge and insisted that Alaska had to act quickly...

P.S. Here's a piece that Palin's special counsel, John Katz, wrote in March of this year for the Juneau Empire, assuring the Alaskan public that Palin was still very much in favor of earmarks, but sadly needed to scale back her requests somewhat (to "only" 31 earmarks this year—down from 54 last year) in response to "unwanted attention" from Congress and the press. 

--Bradford Plumer

On ABC’s This Week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) similarly argued that Palin is a reformer because she supposedly said, “I’m not going to build a Bridge to Nowhere.” This Week host George Stephanopoulos pointed out that Graham’s claim is false:

GRAHAM: To go in her state and say ‘I’m not going to build a bridge to nowhere’ — a $400 - $400 million appropriation that was passed by brute force in the Congress by two senior members of the congressional delegation, very powerful figures in Washington. And for her to say, ‘We’re not going to do this because its not necessary and its wasteful,’ to take on your own Republican party –

STEPHANOPOULOS: But Senator, she turned against that, only she campaigned for it in her 2006 race, and turned against it in 2007 only after it became a national joke.

The Bells of St. Mary: No 'under God' in Pledge of Allegiance

It appears that Gov. Palin does not know her history.

Headache

I have had a headache since I woke up this morning.

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Japanese Maple

Research Japanese Maples.

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Amish Autism Rate

The autism rate for U.S. children is 1 in 166, according to the federal
government. The autism rate for the Amish around Middlefield, Ohio, is 1 in 15,000, according to Dr. Heng Wang.

He means that literally: Of 15,000 Amish who live near Middlefield, Wang is aware of
just one who has autism. If that figure is anywhere near correct, the autism rate in that community is astonishingly low.

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Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Is a book by Jared M. Diamond, and just got on my must read list.

From Wikipedia.

"This book employs the comparative method to understand societal collapses to which environmental problems contribute"

Diamond lists eight factors which have historically contributed to the collapse of past societies:

1. Deforestation and habitat destruction
2. Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses)
3. Water management problems
4. Overhunting
5. Overfishing
6. Effects of introduced species on native species
7. Population growth
8. Increased per-capita impact of people

Further, he says four new factors may contribute to the weakening and collapse of present and future societies:

1. Human-caused climate change
2. Buildup of toxins in the environment
3. Energy shortages
4. Full human utilization of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity

The root problem in all but one of Diamond's factors leading to collapse is overpopulation relative to the practicable (as opposed to the ideal theoretical) carrying capacity of the environment.

Circular Halbach using 12 rare earth magnets - from gyroscope.com

Interesting Halbach array, I did not think about such a small circular array.

Large Brass Lecture Gyroscope - gyroscope.com

Wish I could afford this, nice toy.