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Star dunes

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:14:12 GMT

clipped by: amgumen

Linear dune chains are usually generated roughly parallel to the dominant winds. It also seems to be true that linear dunes are built by stronger winds. This detailed astronaut photograph shows that smaller dunes, known as star dunes, are built on top of the linear dunes. Star dunes seem to form in weak wind regimes, in which winds blow from different directions in each season, resulting in characteristic “arms” snaking away from a central point. Some scientists therefore think the dunes in this image were generated in two earlier climatic phases, different from that of today. (1) During a phase when winds were stronger and dominantly from one direction (the south), major linear sand masses accumulated. (2) Later, when wind strengths declined, the star dunes formed. [Modern-day features known as wind streaks on the edge of the present erg (not shown), are younger than either the linear or star dunes, and show that present-day, sand-moving winds blow from the southwest.]

Comparing Bush vs Obama for the Nobel Prize

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:01:37 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Not even close.

Clip Source: www.intellectualconservative.com

Bush is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than Obama.

I think Bush is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize not because of Afghanistan or Iraq (although I do think Afghanistan and Iraq are ultimately better off without al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, respectively). I believe Bush is more deserving because he initiated the largest foreign aid humanitarian effort ever undertaken by a single country.

During his 2003 State of the Union Address, President Bush launched The President's Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).² He asked Congress to commit $15 billion over five years to this program.

According to a study released by Stanford University School of Medicine in April 2009, 1.2 million people (mostly in Africa) are alive who would have otherwise not been as a direct result of PEPFAR.

The policies of President Obama haven't saved a single life.

50 Beautiful Watercolor Paintings

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:39:01 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie
clipper's remarks: "Watercolor paintings are considered as a unique way to creatively represent dreams, illusions, emotions, and bright feelings using water-soluble pigments. This medium of art is still very popular nowadays, and therefore we have prepared a list of some really impressive watercolor artworks that will surely inspire you."

Clip Source: www.smashingmagazine.com

Beautiful Watercolor Paintings

Bouquet in the Window

Where Time Stands Still

Tags: watercolor, paintings

Hypocrisy Abounds at Climate Change Summit

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:23 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie
clipper's remarks: This hypocrisy will once again be on full display at the United Nations summit on climate change which will soon take place in Copenhagen. As world leaders gather to try to find ways for the rest of us to cut emissions, they themselves will be flown in private jets and driven in limos. So far more than twelve hundred limos have been ordered for the event with more expected, and according to airport officials in Copenhagen more than one hundred and forty private jets have already been chartered for the event in which the world is supposed to take a hard stand against emissions.

So as our fearless leaders gather to lecture the third world and normal citizens of western countries how they are killing the planet, they themselves will be creating more than forty thousand tonnes of emissions, which is the same amount a city of 500,000 would produce in the same amount of time. Sometimes irony and hypocrisy aren’t strong enough words.

Clip Source: www.copytaste.com

Clip Source: www.recycle.co.uk

One of the biggest problems with the issue of climate change is that many of those who are talking the most are actually doing the least to make changes in their own lives. This was evident in the past as hundreds of private jets were chartered to usher celebrities around for a concert raising money for climate change. Al Gore makes an Oscar winning documentary about global warming but lives in a mansion and routinely uses private jets and limos. Celebrities have been known for their hypocrisy for a long time, lecturing the rest of us to cut emissions while they hob knob around the globe in private jets and live in houses that have the carbon equivalent of a whole neighborhood.

As world leaders gather to try to find ways for the rest of us to cut emissions, they themselves will be flown in private jets and driven in limos.

So far more than twelve hundred limos have been ordered for the event with more expected

Tags: idiots, hypocrisy, stupid

Prisons Taking Work From Private Sector: Current Employees Laid Off

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:00:41 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: at an Otisville, N.Y. prison are continuing their jobs: producing solar panels

The insanity continues: “green jobs” are turning into “orange jumpsuit” jobs.

Unfortunately, most Americans remain unaware of the Federal Prison Industries’ (FPI) exploits. FPI employs cheap prison labor " compensating inmates at wages of between 23 cents and $1.15 an hour " to assemble products purchased by federal agencies under a mandatory source arrangement.

Mandatory source status means if a federal agency needs to purchase a product offered by FPI, the agency must buy it from FPI, even if the price is higher, the quality lower or the delivery longer than that of commercial products

FPI has used its competitive advantage for years to expand its business into such industries as furniture, vehicular components and textiles. Just recently we learned Traverse Bay Manufacturing Inc. a family-owned textile products business in northern Michigan, also is losing business to federal prisoners

Clip Source: www.mlive.com

By U.S. Reps. Pete Hoekstra
and Dave Camp
Special to The Press

The president recently held a “Jobs Summit” at the White House. Topping the agenda was the creation of “green jobs.” With the unemployment rate in Michigan hovering above 15 percent and the nation at 10 percent, a great deal of hope is being thrust upon the renewable energy industry and the promise of “green jobs.”

It appears, however, the administration is content with having those jobs performed by prisoners as opposed to law-abiding citizens.

President Barack Obama has started down the same road of the Clinton and Bush administrations by prioritizing the incarcerated population over the unemployed, and empowering the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons over free market job creators.

On the heels of news that United Solar Ovonic, a Rochester Hills-headquartered company and leader in production of solar panels, laid off approximately 80 of its workers at the company’s Greenville facility, we learned 160 prisoners

Tags: 0bama, current employees laid off, given to prisons, green jobs, u.s. reps. pete hoekstra and dave camp

Obama ends Bush-era National Prayer Day service at White House

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:49:33 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks:

Non-believers took heart at Obama's decision but urged him to go further.

"It's not his job to tell people to pray," David Silverman, national spokesman for the organization American Atheists, told CNN. "We are very happy he did away with the George W. Bush-era celebrations and party, but we wish he wouldn't do it at all."

Clip Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

May 7, 2009

For years, it's been a staple of the White House calendar.

On the first Thursday of May, dedicated as the National Day of Prayer, President George W. Bush hosted an ecumenical service in the East Room, a big public endorsement of evangelical Christians. (This event is different from the National Prayer Breakfast, held outside the White House gates every year on the first Thursday of February.)

President Obama opted not to have a service in the White House this year.

"Prayer is something that the president does every day," explained White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, adding that Obama will sign a proclamation to recognize the day. "I think the president understands, in his own life and in his family's life, the role that prayer plays."

President Truman signed the first National Prayer Day proclamation, and President Reagan made it a permanent occasion. Under Bush, the day was a political event, confirming a conviction that religion was a core tenet of Republican politics.

[Video]

Tags: freedom from religion, separation of church and state, barack orbama

History as the Monster and the balm of Gilead

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:30:07 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks: History is the monster. And there is no escape. You can't talk your way out of it--at every step we're confronted by our own laziness. It warps our stories, reduces beautiful and complicated narratives about race, sports, agency into cartoonish fairy tales. It's sad. I always thought that what we needed in this country wasn't so much cash payments, but some respect for history. Not history as an excuse for hamburgers, hot dogs and chips, but history as a way of understanding who we--despite ourselves-- really are.

And for African-Americans, history really is the balm in Gilead. I think a lot of us can come to some peace, can come to understand that whatever happened to us, there are limits on what anyone can do to make it right, and while those limits have to be pushed, some of this we're going to have to carry ourselves. And then with a even broader sense we can understand that our suffering is not singular, that it isn't the only suffering.

Clip Source: ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com

I don't think we get it. The bloodiest war in this country's history was fought over slavery. Two percent of the population died. There were four million blacks in the country at the time of the war, 200,000 of them fought in the Civil War. The mind reels at the price.

And then following that, government--at every level--spent a century going to incredible lengths to engineer a black peasant class. When we ask questions like "Why are we still talking about race?" or "Why are black people still lagging?" or "Why am I responsible for what my grandparents did?" When we use cheap phraseology like "Achievement Gap" or "No Excuses," terms that reassure our most basic convictions about this country, it's worth considering that African-Americans spent roughly 350 years in bondage--literal and then virtual. This new thing, this experiment, is only 50 years in the making,

Tags: u.s. history, slavery, african-american, and-still-i-rise

New HealthCare Quagmire: Dingy Just Rolled The Dice

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:13:28 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: 1. By breeching the historic dividing line between private and public plans now at 65, it opens the door for an expansion of Medicare to become just the single payer we are trying to stop.

2. How can you expand Medicare, potentially to tens of millions more people while cutting it by $500 billion?

3. The cuts in doctor and hospital reimbursement rates written into this bill will force hundreds of thousands of medical providers to refuse to treat Medicare patients. By applying these low reimbursements to patients 55-64, now, you are driving doctors out of the profession and discouraging others from entering it. A permanent scarcity of doctors will be the inevitable result.

4. The expansion of Medicaid to 150% of the poverty level imposes huge new financial burdens on states. It will cost Texas $3 billion, Pennsylvania $2 billion, California $2 billion, and Florida $1.3 billion. It will cost Arkansas and Louisiana $500 million each.

Clip Source: www.dickmorris.com

Faced with a massive center-right uprising, the Obama liberals have been forced to abandon a public option. But in doing so, they are throwing the Medicare program under the bus.

Already, we have been asking how you can treat a growing number of elderly with a Medicare program that this bill cuts by $500 billion dollars. Now, by adding tens of millions of people 55-64 to the program, it makes it even more financially untenable.

But the current proposal Reid is loudly trumpeting is horribly flawed as well.

It has all of the old flaws (minus the public option) in that the government, through the Secretary of Health, will decide who gets what treatment at what cost and will force rationing through an artificial scarcity on all people, particularly the elderly. And it still has such high premiums for young uninsured people that it will compete with student loans for the honor of being their number one headache.

But the compromise itself is flawed. Here’s why:

Tags: add 10s of millions to medicare, while cutting it by $500 billion, unfunded mandate, dingy care, that should fix it

Is this a Stargate ?......Photo from Norway

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:30:26 GMT

clipped by: leevardi

Clip Source: www.rumormillnews.com

UNBELIEVABLE PHOTO FROM NORWAY - IS THIS A STARGATE?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1234430/Mystery-spiral-blue-light-display-hovers-Norway.html

Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway

How the Mysterious Giant Spiral Happened. Sorry people, no alien invasions. Yet.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:42:08 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie
clipper's remarks: I'm sorry but this article is wrong. The light was actually caused by all the Taco Bell I ate.

Clip Source: gizmodo.com

It wasn't the fury of Thor or an alien portal or the Second Coming of Hey-Zeus. Here you have the explanation of the mysterious giant spiral that happened yesternight in Norway, computer simulation included.

[Video]

The video shows a rocket running out of fuel and spiraling out of control, which looks exactly like the photos and videos.

Clip Source: gizmodo.com

Norwegian astronomer Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard says it's 99.9% safe to say that it's a rocket out of control, while some newspapers and TV channels are quoting Russian military sources, confirming that this is a failed Bulava missile launched from a nuclear submarine in the White Sea.

The Norwegian defense has confirmed that, even while they have not admitted the failure, the Russian Navy alerted them about the tests prior to the giant spiral appearing in the skies. And if that wasn't enough to convince everyone, here are two images of the missile trails being blown away by the wind, at dawn:

Tags: mysterious giant spiral, not the fury of thor, not an alien portal, not the second coming of hey-zeus

Environmentalists seek to wipe out soft toilet paper - or at least put the skids to it

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:36:16 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie

Clip Source: www.extremerecycling.org

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

"They'll take my Ultra Soft Charmin only when they pry it from my cold, dead, aloe-smelling hands."

So Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups have pushed manufacturers such as Kimberly-Clark (Cottonelle) and Procter & Gamble (Charmin) to stop using wood from virgin forests to make tissue products.

Environmentalists said other countries — particularly in South America, Africa and Asia — seem to be OK with "soft enough."

Greenpeace has come up with a "toilet paper guide," which looks at recycled content and the use of chlorine bleaches.

Probably no surprise that brands with names such as Green Forest, 365, Earth Friendly, Natural Value and Seventh Generation scored the highest on the Greenpeace scale.

Bringing up the rear: Charmin, Cottonelle, Angel Soft and, of course, Quilted Northern, which sounds thick enough to keep someone warm on a cold night in Minnesota.

Clip Source: www.adpulp.com

Tags: stupid and sad, eco-idiocy

An Open letter to Mr. Obama

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:54:23 GMT

clipped by: dl211
clipper's remarks: You have filled your administration with people who hold the most outrageous, insane, and frightening views on everything from our climate to our animals and worst of all, the sexuality of our children. You plainly gravitate toward these radical sorts who have a view of America and the world that I and many other will simply never tolerate. Your intentions have been revealed, and they are divisive and destructive.

Do not attempt to distance yourself from the views of Van Jones, Cass Sunstein, and John Holdren. You don’t get a pass anymore. The buck stops with you. If you appointed them, then you believe what they believe. If you think they’re off-base and you disagree with them, then you shouldn’t hire them to do your laundry, let alone fill a cabinet-level position. If they’re on your team, then you’re okay with everything they’ve said and published – period. You’re the one who wanted the job, so stop crying about being unfairly aligned with crazy radical views.

Clip Source: www.catholic.org

Remove Kevin Jennings! An Open letter to Mr. Obama

As a mother and voter I demand that Kevin Jennings be removed from his position today.

I will not address you as Mr. President. I question whether you are fit to lead anyone. What I have learned today is the very last straw. I cannot even give you the benefit of the doubt any longer. Frankly, I feel foolish for ever being inclined to do so.

We have endured a great deal from you in one short year, and it is simply too much to bear any longer. You are clearly bent on taking our country down a road of unabashed immorality and debauchery no matter what the people think or say to the contrary. It is time for our elected leaders to take a bold initiative and curtail your abilities to do any further damage.

Tags: kevin, jennings, obama, safe, school, czar

How to break the Laws of Physics

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:52:44 GMT

clipped by: jay8h
clipper's remarks: A must read for those are for more government control.

Clip Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com

Gay marriage's inevitability in doubt

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:27:27 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie
clipper's remarks: To make the case for gay marriage, protests are counterproductive, persuasion is what’s necessary. Proposition 8 won because we, and I say "we" because I am part of the gay community, failed to make the case why gay marriage is good for society. The gay community needs NEW LEADERS for Christ's sake. We don't need useless morons like Perez Hilton and Adam Lambert opening up their mouths and spewing stupid nonsense. You don't make progress by screaming and yelling at the other side.

We should see a housecleaning at gay organizations and the selection of new leaders who refuse to demonize social conservatives, but seek to persuade them instead. Angry protests from the lot of vicious queens is useless. And until they wake up and understand this, forget about it.

Clip Source: www.politico.com

The same-sex marriage movement appears likely to end a banner year with a string of stinging defeats that opponents say have undermined a core proposition of the movement - that the acceptance of gay marriage is, sooner or later, inevitable.

After a year that saw laws allowing same-sex marriage expand from a lonely toehold in Massachusetts to five other states and, likely, the District of Columbia, the defeats have served at the least as a reality check to proponents of gay marriage.

A Maine referendum that was seen as the best chance for popular approval of same-sex marriage instead was soundly defeated. The state senate in liberal New York voted down a marriage bill by a margin - 38 to 24 - that stunned advocates and the state’s governor, who had predicted victory. And a same-sex marriage measure limped to the floor of the New Jersey state senate Thursday after squeaking out of committee over the opposition of prominent Democrats.

Tags: gay marriage

Breitbart Tears Media Matters a New.... well, you know.......

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:14:50 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Andrew Breitbart -- creator of BigGovernment -- unleashed a devastating Twitter attack best captured in the following string of tweets.

John Podesta, as puppetmaster of left, will you get your hands around FistGate & get to bottom of it: http://tinyurl.com/ycotzex @mmfa

EARACHE (Eric) BOEHLERT? You don’t find something stinky about this Obama Safe Sex Czar ‘Fisting for Teens’ story? http://tinyurl.com/ycotzex @mmfa

Perils of Not Vetting Prez, MCLVII: Creates SafeSchoolCzar & Appoints Fella Fixed on Teaching Fisting to Minors: http://tinyurl.com/ycotzex

MEDIAMUTTERS & EARACHE BOEHLERT are just brown with envy that we keep getting scoop after scoop! http://tinyurl.com/y8t8yvk @mmfa

MEDIAMUTTERS: Lets co-join our exploratory bodies & get 2 bottom of 'Fist4Teens' so we can get behind this mess. http://tinyurl.com/ycotzex

I added:

@andrewbreitbart The onus is on @mmfa to perform a deep-dive into this enema of the state.

Clip Source: directorblue.blogspot.com

'Fistgate' is the term being bandied about for the truly disgusting revelations around Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar.

In recent weeks, Kevin Jennings has been repeatedly linked to supporters of NAMBLA as well as a wide variety of shockingly explicit educational material aimed at schoolkids.

As usual, the "criminal front group known as Media Matters" (in the words of attorney Mark Levin and which I believe is the phrase they prefer), stepped up to the plate to defend Jennings against the well-deserved attacks.

Andrew Breitbart -- creator of BigGovernment -- unleashed a devastating Twitter attack best captured in the following string of tweets.

Tags: 0bamas safe schools czar, crime, democrats, msm, obama