Whooops -- managed to post this on the wrong side. Sorry!
An overly picky note on the vortex shots -- they are generally refeered to as von Kármán vortex sheets, after Theodore von Kármán (born Kármán Tódor).
NASA has some nifty shots of this phenomena as seen from orbit.
It does not appear that anyone here has mentioned Sam Hughes' How to Destroy the Earth. It's got a nice disclaimer in small type all the way at the bottom:
Usual "don't try this at home" disclaimers apply. I accept no responsibility for the destruction of Earth or any other celestial body
Sorry to miss this again, but I'm in Anaheim (yep, across the street from you know where) after retreat time at Big Sur. I guess I will have to wait for the world tour. Or at least a west coast appearance.
You know Patrick, it may just be me, but when I think of bikers in club colors running amok in the streets I tend to think of Harleys. The jousting looks cool, though, and one does wonder where you ride a pulse-jet powered bike.
Brooklyn really is different . . .
Interesting buildings. I do like the various kinds of modern, but all I could think of looking at the World Financial Center is "Now, let's get Claes Oldenburg to create a huge inflated longneck beer bottle for this to open".
On the news this morning I heard that for the first time the US imports as much ag products as it exports (based on value). One of the reasons is that China has becoming a net exporter of a variety of food products including corn (maize to you Brits and such). While the typical corn farm in China is small, the growers there are switching to high tech varieties that are higher quality (high protein or oil) rather than high quantity and work on a contract basis with export firms to ensure that there is a market that will reward that higher quality. The Chinese government is promoting an expanded processing industry and is raising quality standards for corn. They are also promising to import more corn -- a sure sign of which way things are tilting.
It's not barefoot peasants standing in rice paddies anymore. Songliao Plain, heart of the corn belt.
I've had my head between my knees, feeling such a fool for letting my hopes up yesterday. But the best response to this so far was posted by Fred Clark at Slacktivist last Saturday:
What if Bush wins (or, you know, gets reappointed)?
I will take comfort and inspiration from "the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives," as recounted in Jeremiah chapter 29:
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ... Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. ...
Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the Lord. ... "For I know the plans I have for you ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Dig in and plan for the long-term. Plant gardens. Plant trees. Pray for the peace of the city. Increase in number.
He also said to work to take back the Congress in '06, but I'm not there at this point.
I'm not familiar with this scenario Patrick, Surely this isn't that idea you nad that Bush could actually have gotten elected, allow the country to be attacked, then screw up wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while driving us back into a deficit? I'm sorry, but that won't fly. White supremacists from the future giving Robert Lee automatic weapons works, but not that mess of yours. Try again.
Mary Kay, depending on the state, you may be wrong.
One state that this is occurring in is Nevada (the case referred to in the story above). If the company or its employess was in any way considered a field registrar under Nevada law (and looking at that law, it would be difficult not to be), the choice to not turn in registration forms and selecting which to shred by party, would be the basis for multiple Class E felony charges. (Class E felonies usually result in county jail time and 1-4 years probation -- but it is a felony criminal record. You can generally get extraditon for felony chargers. Crossing state lines to escape a felony arrest is a federal crime. Multiple felonies in multiple states should trigger RICO. I could go on . . .)
Since no money changed hands between putative voter and registrar, and the registrar could not collect payment (depends on the state) for forms not turned in, fraud would probably not be an issue. False advertising might stick though.
Of course, this will not be a question at the debate tonight. I can dream, though . . .
Jon Carroll at SFGate.com indicates that tonight's debate may present a different kind of October Surprise: the Bush campaign coming clean about Cheney really being the evil one incarnate. Quoting Berkeley professor Alan Smithee:
Among these questions, suggests Smithee, is the very viability of monotheism itself. "If Cheney is the sole incarnation of evil, as many suggest, Satan's only representative on the earthly plane, then the Hindu and Buddhist communities are going to have to, as they say, go back to the old drawing board. This would be even more true if, during the debate, Cheney caused the earth to open up and John Edwards to fall from a precipice into the yawning jaws of Hades."
Experts agree, however, that such an outcome is unlikely. The Bush campaign understands that hints of any direct satanic connection at this point would be counterproductive. Even if Dick Cheney does indeed have the power to cause kine to sicken, probably he would not do that. The nation's kine ranchers would probably swing to the Democratic column.
On the other hand, if Cheney is joined onstage by a host of evil flying monkeys and other demons, polytheism is still very much in play. Indeed, the small groups of Democrats who do worship evil flying monkeys would see the manifestation as a gesture to their side, and flock to the polls in higher- than-usual numbers.
Hmm . . . sounds like it would be worth finding a friend with HDTV to watch the debate tonight.
I have no doubt that they would like to do this, and if given half a chance, will do this. The problem is that if one expects to catch someone up on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, the weather will not be good for this much longer (it's actually rather nice in Kabul right now, weatherwise) especially in the high country. The time to do this was earlier in the year.
IIRC, some American spokespersons in the region tried to float the story that there would be a "big push" this fall, and Pakistani military types shot it down, describing it as an American political move. They've been paying attention.
Of course, Patrick (considering the picture), an alternate motto here might be "Shooting from the Left" . . .
It's probably the cheapest effective combination, Gareth, considering that inexpensive tarps these days are almost universally blue.
Ah, Chuck, you must remember that nobody expects the Spanish Influenza!
(Sorry - couldn't resist)
Randall, congrats and prayers -- you'll need both.
The fact that Candide could be rewritten into both Forrest Gump and Candy says something about Voltaire, but I'm not sure what. Maybe one could write about Candide falling in among Aztec . . . naah, its probably been done, during the 1950's in black and white. By Ed Wood.
Having spent my Sunday afternoon and evening sucessfully buying a car, I'm nor sure how well formed or thoughtful any comment of mine will be right now as my right hand is sore from signing forms. To the best of my knowledge I signed no agreeements concerning cannibalism, Aztec or other, in or near the car during the lifetime of the loan. However, I dimly remember some language about my soul being immediately forfeit in exchange for an extended warranty . . .
I'm not sure if I have anything left, sacred or profane, to offer in exchange for Gmail. Thanks one way or the other.
Xopher: There's a joke about never having heartburn again in there, too, but I'm too tired.
Scroan. (I also called it Chicken Itza for years, until I met someone who had actually worked there.)
Obviously, I do not use a pseudonym -- I think I could come up with a better one than this. (I am actually the third male in a row in my family with the name -- I call it the familiy curse.) In my late teens i finally learned not to lie or even exagerrate too much. The simple truth is just easier to deal with over the long haul, despite the immediate tempations. Pseudonyms are just too complicated for me to live with.
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