Let The Insults To The System Begin

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Moussaoui, the infamous "20th" highjacker files an appeal to have a new trial. He claims to only be part of a second wave of attacks and that he had never met with lead hijacker Mohamed Atta or any of the other terrorists that carried out the 9/11 attacks. He requested a new trial to prove his innocence to the September attacks. His appeal was rejected.

Excerpts from the Washington Post -

Moussaoui Fails in Bid to Withdraw 9/11 Guilty Plea
By Jerry Markon - Washington Post Staff Writer - Tuesday, May 9, 2006; Page A16

Facing transfer to the nation's toughest federal prison, Zacarias Moussaoui served up what may be his final legal surprise yesterday: The al-Qaeda conspirator said he was not involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror plot after all and wants a new trial to prove it.

His efforts were immediately rejected by a federal judge.

In a motion in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Moussaoui sought to withdraw his guilty plea and be granted a new trial "to prove my innocence of the Sept. 11 plot.'' The filing came four days after he was sentenced to life in prison, a punishment determined by a jury that heard Moussaoui testify during a seven-week sentencing trial that he had planned to fly a fifth hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11.

Now, the French citizen says that testimony was "a complete fabrication.'' In an affidavit accompanying the motion, Moussaoui said he never met lead hijacker Mohamed Atta, didn't know the other 18 hijackers "or anything about their operation" and was taking flying lessons in the United States only to train for a second wave of attacks.

He also offered measured praise for the U.S. legal system he has spent the past four years attacking. Moussaoui said he lied on the stand because he assumed he would be executed "based on the emotions and anger toward me for the deaths on Sept. 11.'' But he was "extremely surprised" at the jury's verdict, he said, and now believes "it is possible I can receive a fair trial even with Americans as jurors.''
--
Even Moussaoui's attorneys acknowledged in a footnote yesterday that their motion could not be granted under federal rules, but they said they were filing it anyway "given their problematic relationship with Moussaoui."
--
Yesterday's motion was another twist in the case of Moussaoui, the only person convicted in the United States in connection with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to taking part in a broad al-Qaeda conspiracy to crash planes into U.S. buildings that led to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Read All>>

We all know how this system works, spare a life, and support a phalanx of lawyers, judges, court clerks, MSM journalists, liberal cause/sympathy supporters, and etc. This will be the first of many challenges and "insults" to the system.

Hey Zackie, do you think that claiming to have regret that you were picked up before you were able to fly a plane into the White House might make a nation of innocent people be hostile toward YOU?

Guess what; feel good that the system saved your life so that you can participate in a bizarre form of capitalism ... The American Legal System.

A Fish Out Of Water

In a world of his own ... David Blaine floats in his water-filled sphere.
Photo Credit: Brendan McDermid

The amazing David Blaine, was good, but not world record breaking. His performance stunt captivated the attention of New Yorkers and an East Coast television audience but in the end, he did not even get all of the chains and handcuffs off, his feet were still bound when he came out.

Excerpts from The Sydney Morning Hearld -

Blaine damaged
By Dylan Welch and David Braithwaite
May 9, 2006 - 11:16AM Sydney Australia Time

Illusionist David Blaine has been rescued by divers after failing to hold his breath underwater for a record breaking nine minutes.

Blaine managed to hold his breath for seven minutes, eight seconds before starting to shake and blow bubbles out of his mouth.

Blaine spent the past week submerged in a plastic sphere in New York City's Lincoln Square in preparation for his world-record attempt.

The Herald's New York correspondent, Mark Coultan, watched the two-hour US television special which climaxed with Blaine's stunt.

"He failed - he got to seven minutes, eight seconds,'' he told smh.com.au.
"He was a very sick puppy when he came out - it was horrible to watch, quite frankly.

"He started to shake after seven minutes and blow bubbles out of his mouth so they've gone in and got him.

"He wasn't exactly unconscious but he was losing it.
--
Yesterday Blaine described his seven days in a sphere of water as "horrific", saying he had never experienced pain like it before.

"I think the time has started to really take its toll on my body. It has started to become horrific in many, many ways.

"Every muscle doesn't just ache, it feels like a sharp shooting pain, like a knife being stabbed."

Blaine's skin had shrivelled and pruned, and he was concerned for his muscles, which had begun to atrophy.
--
Public interest in the spectacle was huge, with thousands of people flocking to the Lincoln Center in downtown Manhattan to stand in line and get a chance to make brief eye contact with the water-logged magician.

In a society increasingly weary of in-your-face reality television, it seems that Blaine's self-declared magic trick has been elevated to art.

Even president of the Lincoln Centre Reynold Levy, whose centre has played host to such performers as Placido Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma, is quick to jump on the Blaine bandwagon.
--
The Times reported comments by Ann Sheridan, who popped in to visit Blaine on Thursday night and drew comparisons with contentious New York public art project The Gates that covered Central Park in saffron last year.

"It's like The Gates ... nobody understands what The Gates meant, but everybody went and saw them."
Read All>>

It was fun but a little unfulfilling. Kinda' like a muffed magic trick. Great photo opportunity though!

60 Minutes Over-reaches On E85 Expose

"There are oil fields in Texas, and that is called their black gold. And I think Iowa, that's our green gold." Image Credit: CBS News

I know that CBS News and 60 Minutes think their hearts are in the right place but the piece they just ran on E85 had some very big flaws and the largest one wasn't the swipe they made at the "Big" oil companies.

First, they mentioned that California was somehow a model leading the conversion of gasoline stations to ones that carry E85 FlexFuel. California has ONLY four (4) ethanol capable fuel stations and three of them are for the exclusive use of the U. S. Government.

Second, there is the actual availability of "Corn" based ethanol; It is limited very limited given its current growing production.

Excerpts from CBS News -

The Ethanol Solution
Could Corn-Based Fuel Help End America's Dependence On Imported Oil?
May 7, 2006

60 Minutes traveled to Brazil to see how they made it work. Brazil had two problems: they grew more sugarcane than they could sell and their economy was being strangled by the high price of imported oil.

Making ethanol out of sugarcane solved both problems. In cities like Sao Paulo, with 18 million people, they call ethanol "álcool," and it’s sold at every gas station, right alongside gasoline.

Ethanol really took off in Brazil when "flex-fuel" cars went on sale four years ago. These cars gave drivers a choice: they can use gas, or ethanol, or any combination of the two. Because ethanol is cheaper, the law of supply and demand took care of the rest.

There’s already a substantial supply of ethanol here in the U.S., where the fuel is made from corn instead of sugar-cane.
--
But it's not a simple switch to make. Out of about 170,000 gas stations in the U.S., only 650 sell E85. And, the engines in conventional cars may not perform as well with E85, and could be damaged by it.

In Detroit, they’ve solved the car problem by making small modifications to a standard engine’s fuel-supply and injection systems. That produces the same kind of "flex-fuel" cars they’ve been selling in Brazil, and it doesn’t cost any more than a conventional car.

Flex-fuel autos adjust automatically to whatever's put in the tank – gas, ethanol, or any combination. You can convert a standard car into a flex-fuel vehicle, but you would need a skilled mechanic and some parts to do it.

And ethanol isn’t new to the auto business: the first Model T's ran on it.
--
Another board member, Polly Granzow, says, "There are oil fields in Texas, and that is called their black gold. And I think Iowa, that’s our green gold."

The folks at the plant showed 60 Minutes how they do it: huge trucks filled with corn come into the plant every day and unload their cargo into what is, in reality, an industrial-sized distillery.

In a maze of pipes and tanks, corn, water and yeast are mixed and fermented into beer. Operators keep track of everything on computers.

"In 48 hours, each fermenter will make about 15 percent volume beer," Plant manager Scott Dorow explains. It's not stuff you want to drink. "It's non-filtered, and, but it's very sweet-smelling. And you can definitely tell it's beer."

Then, under high temperatures, the mixture is distilled in a giant version of an old-fashioned corn-liquor still. What emerges at the end is ethanol, which is nearly pure alcohol. Trucks carry it to a nearby railroad line. For the farmers who own the plant, ethanol is more than just a new way to make money.

"Ethanol has been one of the best-kept secrets that is out there. We know it’s a good product. We know it's good for the economy. We know it’s good for the environment," says Granzow.
And more and more people are seeing it that way. To meet rising demand, the plant will expand to double its capacity by next year. But the farmers who run the place are already thinking beyond that: to a new process of making ethanol from cellulose, instead of corn. This would be much cheaper, because cellulose is found in everything from prairie grass to agricultural waste to wood chips.
--
Oil industry executives, taking heat from Congress over their multi-billion-dollar record profits, favor a different approach. They want to spend billions find to new sources of oil, which is more expensive to produce, instead of switching over to E85.
--
"It's my understanding that the petroleum industry in general says "ethanol — fine," but not in favor or E85. Is that true?" Rather asked.

"No, that's not correct," Cavaney replied. "The six largest refiners said that they support the E85 in their facilities as long as the mixture arrives and meets the government specifications for that. But we must understand that the market is exceptionally limited."
--
"What we don’t wanna do is over-promise to the American public what can be done with these alternative fuels, and then under-deliver," says Cavaney.

But some states, like California, are already moving to deliver E-85 to more gas stations by helping pay the cost of adding the E-85 pumps. Professor Kammen from Berkeley says the process would be a lot less expensive than the oil industry’s estimate of $200,000 per station, and wouldn’t take that long.

"The transition is pretty easy. It looks like its $30,000 to $40,000 per gas station to change over and have ethanol-dedicated pumps," he says.

"Are we talking three years? Five years? 20 years?" Rather asked.
"I think it's less than that, actually." Kammen replied. "I would bet that we will have enough ethanol stations within two to three years' time, at most.
Read All>>

Cellulose to ethanol conversion have not proven to be economically viable as yet for dedicated production (still a theory), plants are currently dedicated to corn which is in limited supply.

This from MAXINE post linked in preamble comments -

The entire 73.6 million acres of corn harvested in 2004 would supply only 15.5 days of gasoline replacement. There simply is not enough land available to produce enough corn or other crops for ethanol to make a significant dent in gasoline demand. Moreover, current environmental policy encourages taking agricultural land out of production, not expanding production. (ht: Henery Lamb)

MAXINE opines, you decide ... this report over-reaches!

Insane Blaine Is At It Again

American magician David Blaine floats inside a water-filled glass sphere where he is spending seven days and nights underwater at the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center in New York May 5, 2006. Blaine, who is now on his fifth day underwater, receives regular treatment for his skin from his medical team. At the end of the stunt titled 'Drowned Alive,' Blaine will attempt to hold his breath under water longer than any other human has ever accomplished. Photo Credits: REUTERS/Mike Segar, Brendan McDermid & AFP/Getty Images/File/Brad Barker

Noted street magician and performance artist David Blaine (most noted for being able to levitate oneself without appearent props ... on the street), becomes a fish for one week before he re-submerges himself for an attempt at a world record.

Excerpts from AFP via Yahoo! News -

David Blaine growing weak from breathtaking new stunt
Fri May 5, 1:48 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - US illusionist David Blaine, who has been submerged since Monday in a water-filled sphere in downtown New York, is growing weak and will receive medical attention over the weekend, his spokesman said.

"Doctors are concerned that he's weakening. They are going to work with him through the weekend, trying to stabilize both his diet and his training regimen," spokesman Pat Smith told AFP.

"His skin is peeling very badly on his hands. Those are our biggest concerns right now," Smith said.

The spokesman said Blaine, 33, is "telling the people 'I feel great,' ... and he's determined" to see his seven-day stunt through to the end.
--
Blaine said that after the week is up, he would come out and be handcuffed, wrapped in 150 pounds (68 kilos) of metal chains and dropped back inside the sphere.

He aims to hold his breath for about nine minutes, while escaping from the chains. The current world record for a human holding his breath is eight minutes and 58 seconds.
Read All>>

A Day Of Mourning At MAXINE

2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 16-18 (NIV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

May serenity and peace find all who are mourning a tremendous and irreplaceable loss on this day.

Personal Post - Passing Of A Family Generation

Image Credit: ecj

Edmund Everett Jenks passed on at approximately 9:45 AM this Saturday morning, May 6th, 2006, of complications brought about from congestive heart failure.

He was 83, a loving father, a consistent and caring husband/partner, a loyal brother, an independent living human, a very good cook, a lover of all things Hawaii, an Elk, a member of the Navy during WWII, a really good salesman, a talented carpenter, a romantic, a fun namesake, a conservative voter with a ready opinion, a man who knew how to forgive, a great patriarch, and the last direct link to the Jenks family of his generation.

We believe he knew God and that God has received him in His domain. He passed away in peace and with little stress with a timing that had the knowledge and power of God written all over it.

Long Live Edmund Everett Jenks

Michael Yon - Dust "Up" At Camp Bastion

Camp Bastion by night. A calm before the storm. Photo Credit: Michael Yon

Over at Michael Yon: Online Magazine, Michael has posted a series of pictures that tell the story of a storm in Afghanistan. Michael, and his friend, Steve find themselves in the middle of an Afghani plain, at an encampment of tents when the weather turns. (a great piece of photojounalism, really).

Michael writes -

Camp Bastion, Afghanistan

On Camp Bastion, I walked outside and there it was: a tremendous dust storm boiling from the South. The storm brought at least two bolts of lightning and much cool air, followed by a hard, blowing rain. The dust turned to mud. The sky cleared. The air was nearly still. But off to the West, there it was again: a different dust storm rolling in, this one at a 90 degree angle from the first storm.
Visit & Enjoy>>

Cinco de Mayo - I'll Pass - Cinco no Mas!

Image Credit: Party 411

Great! A second day off from "being in the shadows" this week for illegal immigrants.

If ONLY the illegal immigrants were "in the shadows" as opposed to staging an occupation and highjacking our country's sovereignty. Besides, I thought they were here to work and make money? Not to bad ... a three day work week!

"Governator" Takes Credit For Big Bonds Passage

Image Credit: freelargephotos.com

An early morning surprise awaits the democratic voters in our "Golden State". Big bonds package (Stratagic Growth Plan) is voted on and passed in the State Assembly at 3:03 AM.

Excerpts from Bill Bradley's New West Notes (LA Weekley) -

Big Bonds Pass In Win For Arnold
By Bll Bradley - LA Weekley

In a major boost for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats -- if not for Democratic gubernatorial candidates Steve Westly and Phil Angelides -- the California Legislature passed the biggest infrastructure bonds package in history a few hours ago, $37 billion for the November ballot. “Today is a proud day for California,” declared Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. Actually, more like the middle of the night. Passage of the package in the Assembly came at 3:03 AM after earlier adoption by the Senate.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, who hosted most of the negotiating sessions in his office, said: “What was at stake was the future of the middle class. People were spending more time in their cars during the week than with their families.”

Not to be outdone, of course, in the general congratulatory air, the governor said: "First, let me thank the legislative leaders for all of their efforts to make the Strategic Growth Plan a reality. In January, I proposed the Strategic Growth Plan during my State of the State address. Everybody said it couldn't be done. Everybody said it was impossible to bring both parties together for such a historic undertaking. But we did it.”

Actually, it’s not entirely clear what Schwarzenegger did to make the massive transportation, flood control, and education facilities measure happen, although he did cancel his appearance at a San Bernardino fundraiser yesterday to remain in Sacramento. The deal was put together during more than a month of negotiations between the “Fab Four” legislative leaders, Perata and Nunez, and the Republican leaders, Dick Ackerman in the Senate and George Plescia in the Assembly. Outgoing Assembly Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was also very involved.
--
This time around, the legislative leaders followed Schwarzenegger’s own advice, issued upon the collapse of the March effort, to work among themselves to produce a deal. Aside from their role in paring down the size of the deal -- from $50 billion in March to $37 billion in May -- Republicans got little of their agenda into the package. No labor law revisions, no dams, limited relief from the California Environmental Quality Act on levee and bridge repair. The pay-as-you-go approach insisted upon by Assembly Republicans was abandoned, though the package does include $500 million as an immediate allocation.
--
Despite the evident downsizing of Arnold’s role in the process -- not to mention the major scaling back of the package and wholesale changes to his original proposal -- this is a win for him and a serious challenge for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
--
If Jerry Brown could turn around after the passage of Proposition 13 and become “Jerry Jarvis” -- working to implement the popular will expressed in an initiative he opposed on his way to a landslide 1978 re-election victory -- you can bet the farm that Arnold Schwarzenegger will have a field day with the passage of something he highlighted in his State of the State address.

Bonds for the November Ballot
Transportation: $19.9725 billion
Housing: $2.850 billion
Education: $10.416 billion
Flood protection: $4.090 billion

Total: $37,328,500,000
Read All>>

For Arnold's part, he is taking credit by couching this as a vehicle to shore up our levees. Thank god that Arnie's no Mayor Nagin.

National Day Of Prayer

Image Credit: National Day Of Prayer

May 4, 2006 - America, Honor GOD.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)

"Freedom Five"

"Freedom Five" is a commitment to pray daily for our country. Pray for five minutes every day about these five centers of power and cultural influence:

Government - The government establishes and implements policies that have far-reaching consequences. From legislature to judicial to executive, actions and decisions of government can impact an entire society for generations.

Media - The media is the nation's most influential center of power. From news to entertainment, media shapes public attitudes, values and behaviors for good or for evil.

Education - Our schools and universities are our main institutions of learning today. Minds are shaped by the education process and the values communicated to students.

Church - The church is in a position to impact communities for eternity, as well as influence social change. The church is God's instrument and influence in the world.

Family - The family is the most immediate of the five centers of power and is one of America's greatest assets. Family is the most fundamental unit of society where values are formed and communicated every day.
(ht: Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena, CA)


Submission to Rulers and Masters

13 - Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 - or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 - For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 - Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 - Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
- 1 Peter 2:13-17 (NIV)

Of Ozone And Protocols

Anomalous temperature averages in Antarctica are illustrated in an undated illustration. The ozone layer is showing signs of recovering, thanks to a drop in ozone-depleting chemicals, but it is unlikely to stabilize at pre-1980 levels, researchers said on Wednesday. Image Credit: NASA/Handout/Reuters

Ozone measurements are improving and some scientists are very pleased.

Excerpts from Reuters via Yahoo! News -

Ozone layer shows signs of recovery: scientists
By Patricia Reaney - Wed May 3, 1:08 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The ozone layer is showing signs of recovering, thanks to a drop in ozone-depleting chemicals, but it is unlikely to stabilize at pre-1980 levels, researchers said on Wednesday.

Depletion of the earth's protective ozone layer is caused by the chemical action of chlorine and bromine released by man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in aerosol sprays and cooling equipment.

Ozone-depleting chemicals were banned by the 1987 Montreal Protocol which has now been ratified by 180 nations.

"We now have some confidence that the ozone layer is responding to the decreases in chlorine levels in the atmosphere due to the leveling off and decrease of CFCs," said Dr Betsy Weatherhead, of the University of Colorado in Boulder.

"Not only is the ozone layer getting better, we feel it is due to the Montreal Protocol," she added in an interview.
--
Despite the signs of recovery, Weatherhead, who reported the findings in the journal Nature, said people should still protect themselves from harmful ultraviolet rays.
--
Shifting temperatures, greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N20) and atmospheric dynamics, which can influence ozone levels, are going to change in the future, they added.

"Therefore we really don't think ozone is going to stabilize back to its pre-ozone-depleting-substance levels," Weatherhead said.

Volcanic activity on Earth also has an impact. The 1993 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines caused ozone levels to backslide for several years, according to the researchers.
Read All>>

Really, do you think that the Montreal Protocol success claim is valid in the face of such little evidence??

The truth is that this is a big system, Earth. This system has been around for millions and millions of years, yet WE humans feel that our little agreement is netting returns in 19 years, even though Mt. Pinatubo caused the ozone levels to "backslide".

Exactly how long have WE humans been able to measure changes in the ozone layer? Excuse me for being skeptical. Say 30 years, maybe? Okay!