A Clear Violation of Freedom of the Press and Yet Only Silence From the Mainstream Media

More than 2 weeks ago a story broke about the FCC and their "study" of newsrooms. They are going to be putting people into newsrooms to see how stories get published. An FCC commisioner actually spoke up about this over 2 weeks ago and yet the press in this country, with the exception of Fox News, has been virtually silent on the subject. The FCC calls this a study. Research Design for the Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs. You can download and read it from this link. It is a long document (78 pages), but worth reading. Below is a short excerpt:

The most reliable way to collect this information is through personal contact with news media property staff or someone familiar with the staff. However this also presents challenges. It is important to identify and talk with people who are willing to provide demographic information about their respective property’s work force. Official inquiries of this type are normally directed to the Human Resources office, which often
refers such questions to the corporate office.

The whole document concerns how they will run their study and what they are studying. A lot of it has to do with typical liberal subjects such as minorities and how they are affected by the news. Below is some typical reading from the document:

The primary criteria used to select markets will be size and racial/ethnic diversity (including the
availability of news in multiple languages). Given the multi-national, racial and ethnic
composition of the United States, it is important that markets selected are representative of our
increasing diversity. Further, given the focus of the study and FCC’s particular interest in access
to CINs by minority and underserved populations, diversity of the selected markets is integral.

Page 25 of the document gives a list of most of the things this study is looking for.

The most important thing about this "study" is how it appears to focus on what news  stations are and are not reporting. The fact that they are checking up on what stories relate to certain groups is just plain scary. The FCC is in the business of granting broadcasting licenses, not directly controlling content. Even though this study is voluntary lets face it, who is going to say no to the guy who controls your broadcast license?

Another item of interest is their apparent curiosity about who is employed at those newsrooms. There are a lot of pages relating to the racial and ethnic make-up of these news stations. That is damned sure not the FCC's business.

One last item of concern is that the study involves newspapers in addition to broadcast news. The FCC has absolutely zero, zilch, nada, none, zip, authority over newspapers. This more than anything points directly to the government wanting total control of the media.

The really, really sad part is that the news organizations as a whole are not up in arms about this study and the potential consequences. This is direct government interference with the news media. It may be a study today, but we all know that tomorrow it will be the basis for some sort of legislation. This needs to be stopped now. You need to write to your Congressional Representative and your U.S. Senators and demand 2 things. One that the FCC stay out of the newsrooms and the news business and secondly ask them to hold hearings on where the idea and direction of this study came from. Is this simply some jackass in the FCC with a stupid and intrusive idea or is this coming from somewhere in the White House?

You can find and contact your Reps and Senators at the USA.Gov website. It took me less than 5 minutes to write to mine, I suggest you do the same. Then I suggest you contact your local media outlets and ask them why they are not screaming bloody murder about this so called study.

Folks, if the thought of the FCC putting folks into newsrooms to check up on how stories are selected and reported on, doesn’t scare you then you really need to move. The feds are quietly trying to take full control of the media here.  No matter how they spin it, this is a clear and present danger to our way of life. This reeks of “Pravda” and every other Soviet era communist controlled state media  [ If you have no clue what "Pravda" is, then you need to slap your teachers for failing to educate you properly ]. You need to be writing your Congressional reps and Senators today. If you don’t care, then you need to leave this country and go to Russia or Venezuela or Cuba.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled surfing.

Tim

For more good stuff visit my primary website.
Follow Tim on twitter @tl1000rzx2

Asus MeMo Pad HD7 first Impressions

So a few days back I received my shiny new MeMo pad from Newegg.com. I went the cheap route and bought an open box item for only $112.00. Not a bad deal at all. If you are looking for a mid-level, first time 7 inch tablet at a low price this one is definitely work looking into. Be aware that there are 2 versions of this device out there. Last year's version and the HD7 from this year. The new model is an ME173X. Keep that in mind when shopping online. You will see these MeMo pads really cheap, but always be aware that it is usually the ME172X, which has a slower processor.

The specs on the HD7 are as follows:

• 1.2 Ghz Quad Core processor
• 1gb DDR3 ram
• 16 gb of device storage
• MicroSD card slot for up to 32gb storage
• 1280x800 IPS display
• WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
• 5mp rear camera, 1.2mp front camera
• 10 hr battery life

The product comes with Android 4.2 but upgraded immediately to Android 4.2.2. The setup took only a few minutes and the device is surprisingly fast. It isn't a Nexus 7 by any means, but fairly close to last year's (2012) Nexus 7. It comes with most of the standard Google apps installed, such as Gmail, G+, etc. The main, and only advantage to this tablet over the Nexus 7 is the microSD card slot which allows you the luxury of being able to insert  as many microSD cards as you wish to save data. So storage is only limited by your budget on microSD cards. I installed at 8gb SanDisk that I had lying around and of course immediately realized I'll probably need at least a 32gb to store all my stuff.

The default home screen comes with the clock and weather app (accuweather widget) already setup. Kind of handy as it also has your alarm settings on it.

The Notification bar is super handy and allows you to control most functions such as WiFi, Bluetooth Power Saving, brightness and jump to system settings all from one point.

Battery life is pretty close to what is advertised. I watched several movies yesterday and used the device extensively to surf the web, check Google+ and at the end of roughly 8 hrs use I had about 33 percent battery life left.

In closing I would highly recommend this device for anyone wanting a very good tablet without blowing more than $150. They list for about $149 on most sites, but can be found for a bit less if you shop around. Amazon and Newegg usually have several "open box" items at much lower prices than list. I expect the price on these to further drop now that ASUS has introduced the HD 8 version.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled surfing.

Tim

For more good stuff visit my primary website.

Follow Tim on Twitter @tl1000rzx2

One more gratuitous screen shot:

The USS Forrestal heads to the Scrapyard, a few thoughts on a large piece of steel.

 

By now this great ship should be out in the Atlantic and heading south.
For those not familiar with the 1967 Gulf of Tonkin incident you should check out the video on YouTube. Those who have served in the Navy in the 70's or 80's have probably all seen it at least a dozen times.
Trial by Fire: A Carrier Fights For Life (1973)

The ship was known generally by several nicknames including "the FID" which comes from her ships motto "First In Defense" and of course also the "USS Zippo" and the "ForrestFire".
I spent the spring/summer/fall of 1982 on her visiting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean (via the Suez canal). I had a wonderful berthing area directly under the number two arresting cable and between the number  2 and number 3 arresting engines.  To this day I give credit to this ship for my ability to sleep anywhere no matter how much noise there is nearby. I remember distinctly the first time 70,000 lbs of F-4 Phantom landed on the flight deck which was literally my ceiling. It took a few days, but after awhile I no longer noticed the noise of the landings or the scream of the arresting cables sliding out as the aircraft were recovered. The compartment I slept in is right under where a huge hole was blown in the deck during the Gulf of Tonkin incident. That didn't worry me all that much because I was certain those mistakes made in '67 wouldn't be repeated again.
 It is indeed a sad day to think of this fine ship being scrapped. I almost hope a sudden storm forms in the Atlantic and swallows her up.  She doesn't belong in a scrapyard.

A little history/details of CV-59:

Forrestal was the first American aircraft carrier to be constructed with an angled flight deck, steam catapult, and an optical landing system, as opposed to having them installed after launching. Originally she was supposed to be named the USS United States, but was renamed as the design changed to incorporate the angle deck and other major design changes.

Class & type:	Forrestal- class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	59,650 tons standard; 81,101 tons full load
Length:	990 ft (300 m) at waterline; 1,067 ft (325 m) overall
Beam:	129 ft 4 in (39.42 m) ; 238 ft (72.5 m) extreme width
Draft:	37 ft (11 m)
Propulsion:	Steam turbines, 4 shafts; 260,000 shp (194 MW)
Speed:	33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement:	552 officers, 4,988 enlisted

She was launched in 1954 and commissioned in 1955. Below are a few shots of the construction.

 Forrestal made history in November 1963 when on the 8th, 21st and 22nd, LT James H. Flatley III and his crew members, LCDR "Smokey" Stovall and Aviation Machinist's Mate (Jets) 1st Class Ed Brennan, made 21 full-stop landings and takeoffs in a C-130 Hercules aboard the ship. The tests were conducted 500 miles (900 km) out in the North Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts. In so doing, Forrestal and the C-130 set a record for the largest and heaviest airplane landing on a Navy aircraft carrier. The Navy was trying to determine whether the big Hercules could serve as a "Super-COD", or "Carrier Onboard Delivery" aircraft. The problem was there was no aircraft which could replenish a carrier in mid-ocean. The Hercules was stable and reliable, and had a long cruising range and high payload. Below is a shot of the C-130 on board the Forrestal.

During 1982 when I was aboard her she looked like this:

A shot of CV-59 transiting the Suez canal. This was shot after 1982 because you can clearly see the shape of F-14 Tomcats on the deck. In 1982 we were the last ship in the Navy to cruise with F-4 Phantoms.

Last but not least here are a few shots of the ship in the Philadelphia shipyard. The first is the Forrestal and The Saratoga.

The last one here is of the stern, with some obvious rust. But you can still read the name. The boarding ladder that we used to come back aboard from the liberty boats is long gone.

Farewell Forrestal.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled surfing.

Tim

For more good stuff check out my primary website.

Follow Tim on twitter @tl1000rzx2

Those Chemtrails In The Sky Are....Just Contrails

British Bomber Contrails, WWII

There is a lot of talk on the Interweb about chemtrails. I have heard all sorts of theories over the last 10 years. Some folks have "proof" that the government is secretly doing this or that with chemicals. Now whether or not any of this is true is rather hard to say. We all have a natural distrust of the government but at the same time we must remember that it is generally run by incompetent twits who couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it. So I decided to look into this whole deal just a little bit.



It turns out that someone already did all my research for me and has thoroughly covered this topic at contrailscience.com.

But to simplify things for those who want the short story read on.
Contrails are caused by ALL aircraft at altitudes where the temperature is low and the moisture content adequate to form them. They are caused either by compressed air decompressing very rapidly or extremely hot exhaust cooling causing condensation about the exhaust particles. They can last for minutes or hrs, depending on wind conditions, air pressure, temperature, etc.

In the image below you can see an airliners forming contrails. Note that they form behind the aircraft because they take several fractions of a second to form. This is a clue, it is simply condensation. If it were a visible chemical being released from the aircraft the trail would form immediately behind the release point. If it were an invisible chemical being released then why wouldn't they simply release it at low pressure and at the same temperature as the outside air? After all, if they are really that clever, they simply couldn't be that stupid, could they? The separation is more clear in the second image.

Airliner forming contrails

You can clearly see the separation between the exhaust and the contrail forming in the image above.

Below are more images on contrails. They are not new and they are formed by both large and small aircraft.

B-17s forming contrails.

Politicians Nationwide Drooling Over Possible New Revenue Stream From Marijuana.

As  states like Colorado report a potential new revenue stream of $100 million per year from marijuana sales we are already beginning to see other states take notice. We don't even know how much Washington state is going to pull in, but odds are it will be a large chunk of change. Over in Rhode Island there is already a state senator proposing legislation to make marijuana legal. Of course he refers to "that kind of money could take care of  20% of the deficit we are running", probably as the drool spills from his mouth in anticipation of more state funds to blow.

I can see the eyes of politicians lighting up all over the United States as their tiny brains hear cha-ching! It will only be a matter of time before the feds want their piece of the pie also. I predict a federal tax on dope within 3 months of it being fully legal in at least 8 states. Then we can all watch as the politicians find new and innovative ways to waste their latest revenue stream. Seriously folks, just keep watching, it will be a fun and educational lesson in how the morons we elect spend new money like drunken sailors.

For the next several months or perhaps even the next year or so, keep track of what your state and federal representative's attitude is towards the legalization of pot. As the reports come in from Colorado and Washington watch and see how attitudes change. Whether you agree with it or not, that is not the issue here. What is the real issue is whether or not your representatives have any moral fiber whatsoever or will they do a sudden about face when it comes time to cashing in on the American taxpayers once again. Then sit back and watch how quickly this cash cow gets spent. I have no doubt it will generally be wasted on entitlement programs and of course on healthcare due to the repercussions of suddenly allowing folks to smoke dope, while at the same time forbidding tobacco products at every turn.

Much of this will all depend on which political party embraces the new taxes that will be created by legalization. The most likely ones, will of course, be the democrats as they will see this as another bit of "progressive" legislation while all the while really seeing it as a way to further tax the crap out of the American public. Be assured that should this become a primarily liberal agenda item, that the mainstream news media will be almost silent in their protests and coverage of this about face in politics. Sure, Fox news will have a lot of anti-drug coverage but they will be the only voice in the wilderness of today's network media.

Whether you agree or disagree on legalization, it is going to happen and believe me the circus is coming to town and the show will be spectacular.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled surfing.

Tim

For more good stuff visit my primary website.

Follow Tim on Twitter @tl1000rzx2