January 2009
58 posts
Whisky Power! Distillery Unveils Scotch Green... →
Here’s something to raise a glass to: recently the Rothes consortium of whiskey and scotch distillers announced that they have partnered with Helius Energy to install a power plant fueled entirely by whiskey by-products. The completed plant will use biomass cogeneration to convert draff and pot ale from the distillery into 7.2 MW of electricity — enough to power 9,000 homes.
State Department To Blackwater: You're Fired,... →
$1.2 Billion Contract Won’t Be Renewed Following Iraqi Refusal to License U.S. Firm Blackwater has been fired by the State Department from its job protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq. Executives of the controversial U.S. security company were notified today by the State Department that its five-year, $1.2 billion contract for services in Iraq will not be renewed in May, U.S. officials tell ABC...
Super BowlTickets →
If you haven’t yet bought your Super Bowl tickets, get ‘em here.
Prices range from $1,631 (for a ticket in the upper corner) to $237,508 (for a fully catered luxury suite that seats 36).
Who Are The 11 Democrats Who Voted Against Obama’s... →
Yesterday, Republicans rebuffed President Obama’s efforts at bipartisanship by refusing to deliver a single vote in favor of his economic recovery bill. Many Republicans appear to be clinging to the strategy of Rush Limbaugh, who has openly declared his hope that Obama fails.
While Republicans stood united against Obama, 11 Democrats broke with the President. Although there were some concerns...
USPS May Cut Out Full Day Of Mail Delivery →
Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery, the postmaster general told Congress on Wednesday, in asking lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week. If the change happens, that doesn’t necessarily mean an end to Saturday mail delivery. Previous post office studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other...
Beeping Phone Cameras? →
House Resolution 414: Camera Phone Predator Alert Act.
Requires any mobile phone containing a digital camera to sound a tone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera’s phone.
Prohibits such a phone from being equipped with a means of disabling or silencing the tone. Treats the requirement as a consumer product safety standard and requires enforcement by the Consumer...
Security Check Point Toy at amazon.com →
I found this on Amazon today, this is a toy you can buy your kids. Who would have the audacity to come up with a toy like this. Make sure you read the great reviews. One way to fight back. Link: http://tinyurl.com/djsdpm
Obama's Secret Record Collection →
Inside the White House Record Library: Obama’s Secret Record Collection.
When Barack Obama moved into the White House on January 20th, he gained access to five chefs, a private bowling alley - and a killer collection of classic LPs. Stored in the basement of the executive mansion is the official White House Record Library: several hundred LPs…
How did it start?
During...
Vice President’s house now appears unobstructed on... →
From Think Progress
In 2005, Maureen Dowd noted that “if you use Google Earth’s database to see [former Vice President Cheney’s] official residence, the view is scrambled and obscured. You can view satellite photos of the White House, the Pentagon and the Capitol — but not of the Lord of the Underworld’s lair.” But Gawker reports today that as of last week (when Cheney left office), the overhead...
White House Web Site Insights
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Interesting article: Lots of little facts about the whitehouse.gov Website Code. For example:
The whitehouse.gov site uses IIS 6.0.
The whitehouse.gov site uses ASP.NET 2.0.
The whitehouse.gov site uses JQuery 1.2.6.
The whitehouse.gov site uses GZIP compression.
The whitehouse.gov site uses more GIFs than PNGs.
The whitehouse.gov site uses 5 stylesheets and 12 JavaScripts.
The...
Dutch government study: net effect of P2P use is... →
From ars tehnica:
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned a study by research company TNO about how much Dutch Internet users download music, movies, and games, and what the social and economic effects of this downloading are. This resulted in a nearly 150-page report (Dutch) with many tables of percentages in it. The report differentiates between paid and unpaid downloads and talks...
Blunt Honesty Returns to White House: President... →
President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration.
“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.
One White House...
The Famous Fingers Were Live, but Their Sound Was... →
Source: NYT It was not precisely lip-synching, but pretty close. The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the...
Republicans Delay Holder’s Approval - Want... →
Daylife/Reuters Pictures
Republicans on Wednesday delayed a confirmation vote on attorney general nominee Eric Holder, some demanding assurances he would not prosecute U.S. agents for torture if they thought their methods were in compliance with the law…
With questions about torture and other matters, Republicans invoked their right to delay for one week the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote...
Obama's whitehouse.gov nukes 2400-line Bush... →
The country’s new robots.txt file
Here’s a small and nerdy measure of the huge change in the executive branch of the US government today. Here’s the robots.txt file from whitehouse.gov yesterday:
User-agent: * Disallow: /cgi-bin Disallow: /search Disallow: /query.html Disallow: /omb/search Disallow: /omb/query.html Disallow: /expectmore/search Disallow: /expectmore/query.html...
The first couple dancing →
Publication date: 1/20/2009; 9:44:00 PM GMT. (corp version) US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle dance at the Neighborhood Ball January 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C., the first of ten inauguration balls
Inaugural Luncheon Recipes Available as Free... →
What Obama will be eating at the inauguration: Luncheon Menu.
At World Nut Daily, Joseph Farah has a request for... →
Many American Christians believe, as an article of faith, that we are to pray for the success of our leaders. It has become a sort of conventional wisdom among soft-minded believers. The biblical proof-text for this misguided way of thinking is Romans 13:1-4.
What could be more clear-cut? At face value, it would seem the Bible is telling us government is a God-ordained good and...
Patriotic Port-A-Potties →
Nice! Photo taken at the Lincoln Memorial.
Mississippi Paper Offers Apology for Its 'Gross... →
In a remarkable statement on day before the birthday holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. — and two days before the inauguration of Barack Obama — the Meridian (Miss.) Star has, in an editorial, offered an apology for its past coverage of civil rights issues. It closed: “There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south — acted with gross neglect by...
WatchTouchscreen Controlable Car Can Also Be Controlled Via iPhone
WatchSaturday Night Live skit: Gitmo’s going out of business sale!
Tweet by Snail Mail →
if you’re really desperate to tweet but don’t have internet access - you can tweet using snail mail. http://tweetbysnailmail.com/
The 43 Who Helped Make Bush The Worst Ever →
This item originally published in yesterday’s Progress Report.
Next week, “change is coming to America,” as President George W. Bush wraps up his tenure as one of the worst American presidents ever. He wasn’t able to accomplish such an ignominious feat all by himself, however; he had a great deal of help along the way. The Progress Report heralds the conclusion of the Bush...
Write Bush A Farewell Letter
The online community has been atwitter lately over Karl Rove’s decision to join the microblogging site Twitter; the former White House adviser already has more than 4,000 followers. In his latest tweets, Rove revealed that he’s putting together a letter-writing campaign to thank President Bush for his tenure. Yesterday he wrote:
Send a farewell letter to President Bush—Email...
Democrats sneak Net neutrality rules into... →
Democrats sneak Net neutrality rules into ‘stimulus’ bill Posted by Declan McCullagh The House Democrats’ $825 billion legislation released on Thursday was supposedly intended to “stimulate” the economy. Backers claimed that speedy approval was vital because the nation is in “a crisis not seen since the Great Depression” and “the economy is shutting...
PAUL KRUGMAN Op-Ed Forgive and Forget? →
By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: January 15, 2009
Last Sunday President-elect Barack Obama was asked whether he would seek an investigation of possible crimes by the Bush administration. “I don’t believe that anybody is above the law,” he responded, but “we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.”
I’m sorry, but if we don’t have an inquest into what happened during the Bush...
Three cups of brewed coffee a day 'triples risk of... →
Drinking just three cups of brewed coffee a day can triple the chances of suffering from hallucinations, researchers at Durham University have found.
Even moderate amounts of the stimulant can lead people to hear voices and see things that are not there, the researchers warn
They warn that “high caffeine users”, those who drink more than the equivalent of seven cups of instant...
Joe the Plumber plunges deeper: ‘Military should... →
Continuing his reporting from Israel, Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher tried to clarify his remarks criticizing media coverage of war, in a new Pajamas TV segment. He said that citizens “don’t need to see what’s happening every day” in war and said that it should be up to the military to decide what the media learns about war:
WURZELBACHER: you don’t need to see what’s happening every day, that’s...
WatchEver Wondered How You would Fare in a 70MPH Head On Collision Driving a Smart Car?
Advisers say Obama preparing to close Gitmo →
Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama say one of his first duties in office will be to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. That executive order is expected during Obama’s first week on the job — and possibly on his first day, according to two transition team advisers. Both spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak...
Shoe Throwing Catching On
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The BBC is barely reporting on the tens of thousands of protests taking place in several UK cities. Nothing on TV that shows the size of the protests and only one story online, but at least it’s about what’s working: Shoe Throwing.
Protesters hurled shoes towards the US consulate in Edinburgh as a part of a protest against Israeli action in Gaza…. shoes, including ski-boots and clogs, and red...
Timothy Leary signed postcard from 1970 →
Timothy Leary wrote this postcard to his kids while on the lam in Egypt in 1970. It’s currently on eBay with a starting bid of $450. Here’s what Tim wrote:
Tripping around the Middle East grooving with the guerillas… New life, fabulous adventures. We are happy that you are happy. Love, Timothy.
Timothy Leary signed postcard from Egypt
Taco Bell Wedding: Couple Marry At Fast Food... →
Wedding bells meant Taco Bell for Paul and Caragh Brooks.
Customers inside the fast-food restaurant continued to order tacos and burritos as the couple sat Friday in an orange booth at Taco Bell and exchanged vows.
“It’s appropriate,” groom Paul Brooks said. “It’s an offbeat relationship.”
Employees displayed hot sauce packets labeled with the words...
John Conyers introduces bill creating commission... →
TPM notes that House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) has introduced legislation setting up a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties. The panel’s goal is to “establish a Blue Ribbon Commission comprised of experts outside government service to investigate the broad range of policies of the Bush administration that were undertaken by the Bush administration under...
Twitter’s Massive 2008: 752 Percent Growth →
From Mashable:
There’s little doubt that Twitter was one of the most talked about startups over the past year. But just how much did it grow in 2008? The final numbers are in, and according to Compete, they’re astounding: 752%, for a total of 4.43 million unique visitors in December.
After starting the year with only around 500,000 unique monthly visitors, Twitter saw its most dramatic growth in...
Report: 15 percent of South Carolina adults can't... →
The Greenville News highlights a report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics which estimates that 15% of S.C. adults are not literate enough to read a newspaper. Full story here.
Absinthe Lollipops! →
Lollyphile, makers of unusual suckers, offers absinthe lollipops. They’re around $2 each. No information on the thujone content, if any. Absinthe Lollipops
McConnell Urges Coleman To Fight On, Despite... →
On Monday, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified Democrat Al Franken as the victor in the U.S. Senate race recount, beating incumbent Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes. In a press conference the next day, however, Coleman rejected the Board’s ruling, vowing to wage a court battle to challenge the results. A trial will likely begin in 20 days, but “a Coleman lawyer said a decision may...
Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent →
There is no end to his talents. He can fix a toilet, advise a presidential candidate, write a blog, pitch digital TV converters, write a book, and now this: Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent.
The Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential campaign says he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com.
Samuel J....
Porn industry seeks federal bailout →
Larry Flynt is asking for a bailout. Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry.
“The take here is that everyone and their mother want to be bailed out from...
Big Bopper's casket to be auctioned
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The Big Bopper’s casket is to be auction on eBay in the next few weeks. The Big Bopper spent the last 50 years in the casket but was transferred to a new one last year. The metal casket is apparently in decent condition with just a bit of rust and water damage. It’s currently on display at the Texas Musicians Museum. From the Beaumont Enterprise:
Jay Richardson, the Bopper’s son,...
