Tag: government

Start over

T NASA BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WACKY ASIAN DRIVERS? (FUNNY EYES)

From: snglist@snglist.msfc.nasa.gov
Subject: Women Drivers on Mars
Date: March 12, 2008 11:20:42 AM PDT
To: snglist@snglist.msfc.nasa.gov

NASA Science News for March 12, 2008
To celebrate Women’s History Month, an all-female team of scientists and engineers has taken control of Mars rover Spirit. Is Mars exploration different with women calling the shots? Find out in today’s story from Science@NASA.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/12mar_spiritday.htm?list80209

health care ain’t wack

I haven’t seen much Government Music Video. The first was the infamous Just Say No anti-drug one in ’85 in which hipsters like Herb Alpert urged us GenXers not to do cocaine. It was possible to see all the way through if impaired in some way.

There were also some examples of AdRoc from the military that I’ve banished from my mind.

Some time in the 1990s, kerebearus was partially responsible for some Government Music Video about nutrition and fitness for a local county here. I have memories of cute sixth graders chanting “NO PROTEIN POWDER! LOUDER!!!”

She refuses to have these digitized. So now we have something that kerebearus would also appreciate. Government Health Care Recruiting Furry Hip-Hop! YO WAASSSUUPPP GOV!

planetdracula are you pumpin’ yo fist in agreement?

Blame to the Exploding Aardvark.

Now that’s what I call mail fraud

Impersonating the U.S. Government? Yup. False Census mailer? Yup. Official-looking eagle and star logo? Yup. Aimed at seniors? Oh yeah.

This time the Rev. Lou Sheldon, chief huckster of the religious right, has really boned it. I reported it so far to the Census Bureau and the Post Office. Oddly there’s an article from last year about this from the SFGate site but no one is yet in jail.

cut for large scan

Area Homeless Man Clearly Seen As Cool Even By Cops

‘Prophet’ is back on street

Popular transient who was in confrontation with police is back in Lake Forest, on probation.

By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register

LAKE FOREST – Weeks after he was involved in a violent confrontation with police, a well-known transient known as “The Prophet” has been seen in the same area where deputies used Tasers, batons and beanbag shots to restrain the 265-pound man. Charles Barnes, 49, was released two weeks after police said the 6-foot, 6-inch-tall man took several items from a CVS Pharmacy near the intersection of El Toro Road and Rockfield Boulevard.

When Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrived to the area June 20, Barnes was wearing what appeared to be body armor constructed from pieces of traffic cones, magazines, plastics, and a hubcap strapped to his chest.

Barnes threw a bottle at officers as they arrived, said Lt. Don Barnes, chief of police services for Lake Forest. Officers used Tasers and beanbag shots to subdue “The Prophet,” but they had little effect because of the layers of clothing and material strapped to his body, Lt. Barnes said.

Officers said Barnes grabbed one deputy’s Taser and officers used batons to subdue him and force him to let go of it. When the popular transient was taken into custody, he was taken to a local hospital with cuts, bruises and what may have been a broken hand, Lt. Barnes said.

“The Prophet” was booked for robbery, but not for resisting arrest, Lt. Barnes said. “That was probably a decision that was made on the field by the deputies,” he said. Charges were not filed by the District Attorney’s Office regarding that incident.

Barnes remains on three years’ probation from an earlier charge of obstructing and intimidating a business and customers, which occurred June 4. Court records show that Barnes was arrested May 7 as well, and charged with resisting a police officer and obstructing and intimidating a business and customers. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years’ probation in that case.

“Our goal is to make sure the community is safe,” said Lt. Barnes. “We just don’t want to have another confrontation like we had last time.”

Government as TV Movie: Gonzo tries to strongarm Ashcroft

It’s not just that they insisted on violating the law and the Constitution. It’s not just that they tried to pressure the Attorney General to approve it when he had already refused. And it’s not just that they did it while he was ill and not acting as Attorney General.

They did it at night in his hospital room, causing the acting Attorney General and the director of the F.B.I. to go lights-and-siren through the nation’s capital and run upstairs to the hospital room and stop them.

And then tried to refuse a witness to the discussion afterwards.

And then, after Ashcroft had walked over the whole deal, they got what they wanted anyway because Gonzo got the job.

How close are we to a coup, anyway? Who’s got five bucks on it?

Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/washington/15cnd-attorneys.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

hezbollabaq boy

The gold standard for executive authority in this world is clear. If you’re the top guy, you get guarded by the U.S. Secret Service. This is the only explanation I can find for this picture. Here’s the leader of Hezbollah, fanatical turbanist group. He’s in full Iranian-style mullah/politician getup, but his guards look like Jean Reno Eurotrash versions of Dubbya’s heavies, all the way down to the dark glasses and the expensive suits.

The effect for me is more Bad Hip-Hop Video than Imposing World Leader, but I bet it plays well back home.

On a very special episode of “The X-Files”…

Delaware to test response to flu outbreak

By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau

DELHI — Don’t panic if you see officials wearing masks and gloves taking people into custody in Delhi. It’s just a pandemic-flu isolation and quarantine drill being staged by several Delaware County and state agencies.

Mandy Walsh, Delaware County Public Health preparedness program coordinator, said the drill will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday.

“We don’t want people to be alarmed,” Hamilton said. “We are just trying to be prepared.”

[ … ]

“The law-enforcement personnel will be wearing protective equipment,” Walsh said. “People may see unmarked cars driven by people with masks and gloves. They will be knocking on doors and serving orders.”

Walsh said the respirator masks cover the nose and mouth and have canisters on the sides, which give them the appearance of a gas mask. Some of the volunteers have been instructed to resist the court order, so people may see someone being taken from their home unwillingly and a scuffle may occur, Walsh said.

[…]

From http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2006/05/22/dt7.html via trinnitl

From New Scientist Technology, your ACME Inc. update

Human cannonballs

The old circus trick of firing a person from a cannon is being considered by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a way to get special forces, police officers and fire fighters onto the roofs of tall buildings in a hurry.

A ramp with side rails would be placed on the ground near the target building at an angle of about 80°. A (very brave) person would then sit in a chair, like a pilot’s ejection seat, attached to the ramp.

Compressed air from a cylinder underneath would be rapidly released to shoot the chair up the ramp’s guide rails. At the top the chair would come to an instant halt, leaving the person to fly up and over the edge of the roof, to hopefully land safely on top of the building.

Of course, the trick is to get the trajectory just right. But the DARPA patent suggests a computer could automatically devise the correct angle and speed of ascent. It also claims that a 4-metre-tall launcher could put a man on the top of a 5 storey building in less than 2 seconds. I think I’ll take the stairs.

Read the full patent here.

Source: http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9170-invention-human-cannonballs.html