April 9, 2013

DU can find something nice to say about Thatcher, but I've NEVER seen them praise ______

The New York Mets, for starters...In 10 years, I'm the only one who has had anything positive to say about them....

April 5, 2013

Today's reminder that humanity doesn't totally suck

Locals light up remote Peruvian airstrip for emergency night-flight

5 April 2013 Last updated at 06:01 ET Help

Residents of Contamana - a remote town in eastern Peru - came out in force on Wednesday when their local airstrip needed lighting for an emergency medical night-flight.

Hundreds of residents lined their vehicles up alongside the tarmac allowing a charter plane carrying three patients to take off.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22039813

April 5, 2013

Gun control: How a US liberal learned to love guns

Freelance writer Dan Baum is a self-described gun guy. But even though he has 15 firearms locked in a cabinet in his garage and loves an outing at the shooting range, he does not exactly fit the stereotype.

"I am a Jewish, liberal Democrat and a gun guy," he says, "which in the US is a very weird hybrid."

The writer, who grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Colorado, says he is representative of millions of ordinary gun-owning Americans.

He wants both sides of the gun control debate - the politicians who want background checks as well as the National Rifle Association, which opposes new regulations - to listen to what these "average gun guys" want.

For his new book Gun Guys: A Road Trip, Mr Baum travelled across the US and met a variety of gun owners, from those blasting automatic weapons in the desert to a school teacher hunting pigs.

He talked to the BBC about his attempt to explain his own and Americans' fascination with firearms.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22018736

April 5, 2013

US sub sinking 50 years ago led to safety changes

KITTERY, Maine (AP) — The first sign of trouble for the USS Thresher was a garbled message about a "minor difficulty" after the nuclear-powered submarine descended to about 1,000 feet on what was supposed to be a routine test dive off Cape Cod.

Minutes later, the crew of a rescue ship made out the ominous words "exceeding test depth" and listened as the sub disintegrated under the crushing pressure of the sea. Just like that, the Thresher was gone, along with 129 men.

Fifty years ago, the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history delivered a blow to national pride during the Cold War and became the impetus for safety improvements. To this day, some designers and maintenance personnel listen to an audio recording of a submarine disintegrating to underscore the importance of safety.

"We can never, ever let that happen again," said Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy, an engineer and former submariner who now serves as commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.

This weekend, hundreds who lost loved ones when the Thresher sank will gather at memorial events in Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine.

Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and based in Groton, Conn., the first-in-class Thresher was the world's most advanced fast attack submarine when it was commissioned in 1961.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-sub-sinking-50-years-ago-led-safety-063033693.html

April 2, 2013

Man held for 42 years in deadly Arizona hotel fire ordered freed from prison

Man held for 42 years in deadly Arizona hotel fire ordered freed from prison
Source: U.S.News

An Arizona man who has maintained for 42 years that he had nothing to do with a horrific hotel fire that killed more than two dozen people pleaded no contest Tuesday in a deal that sets aside his original conviction and frees him from prison.

"Welcome back, Mr. Taylor," Tucson Superior Court Judge Richard Fields said after accepting 59-year-old Louis Cuen Taylor's plea on Tuesday, reported The Arizona Daily Star. The plea deal gives him credit for time already served.

Taylor was just 16 years old when he was sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences for a fire that ripped through the Pioneer Hotel, a Tucson landmark that went up in flames in December 1970 while employees of an aircraft company were there for a Christmas party.


The only person to speak on behalf of the hotel victims on Tuesday was Paul D'Hedouville II, whose father was killed when he was 4


Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/02/17568019-man-held-for-42-years-in-deadly-arizona-hotel-fire-ordered-freed-from-prison?lite

April 2, 2013

Aryan Brotherhood of Texas: from prison gang to crime syndicate

In the space of two months Texas has been rocked by three apparently targeted killings, which have left police and the FBI hunting for suspects and local prosecutors fearing for their safety.

On 31 January Kaufman County's assistant district attorney, Mark Hasse, was shot five times in a parking lot near his courtroom office. Two months later district attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found dead in their home. Reports suggested 14 shots had been fired.

The deaths have thrown a spotlight on the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a white supremacist group identified by one anti-racist organisation as the most violent extremist group in the US.

The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas started as a prison gang in the northern part of the Texas in the 1980s, but now has over 2,000 members both in and out of jail, engaged in a wide variety of criminal activities. In November, 34 members of the ABT were indicted on federal racketeering charges. Among the agencies involved in that prosecution was Kaufman County's district attorney's office....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/02/aryan-brotherhood-texas-prison-gang

April 2, 2013

Gov. Malloy Will Sign Bipartisan Gun Bill

Gov. Malloy said Tuesday he intends to sign the bipartisan gun bill legislative leaders negotiated in response to the Newtown massacre.

"I think it demonstrates once again that we can do things on a bipartisan basis in Connecticut that simply can't be gotten done in Washington or other state capitols. This is an historic movement on our part," said Malloy.

Both chambers of the state legislature will hold votes on the measure Wednesday, and easy passage is expected.

The gun package strengthens the state's assault weapons ban, bans the sale and purchase of large capacity magazines, and requires universal background checks on sales of firearm and ammunition. It also increases gun trafficking penalties and creates the first statewide 'dangerous weapon offender registry.' It also includes mental health and school security provisions.

"I think you can make an argument, a strong argument, that this is the toughest law passed anywhere in the country," said Malloy.

Malloy announced his support for the bill the day following a visit from Newtown families, who urged lawmakers to ban not only the sale and purchase but also the possession of magazines above 10 rounds. Under the new law, existing magazines would be 'grandfathered in' if owners registered them by Jan. 1, 2014. The ban on sale would be effective immediately.

"I advocated for a similar position as the families and continue to advocate for that position but we don't want to stop progress," said Malloy.

If enacted, this law would make Connecticut the third state to tighten gun regulations following the Sandy Hook shooting.

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-gun-bill-tough-0403-20130402,0,693207.story

A certain regular in this forum (who will remain unnamed) implied I was too lazy to post and discuss this in the RBKA group...No flames, snark or whatever; I just want to know two things:

1. Do you think this legislation will reduce the chances of another massacre, increase them, or have no effect at all?

2. If you had the power, what legislation would you propose to reduce the chances of another massacre?

April 2, 2013

Greece's neo-Nazi Golden Dawn goes global with political ambitions

Emboldened by its meteoric rise in Greece, the far-right Golden Dawn party is spreading its tentacles abroad, amid fears it is acting on its pledge to "create cells in every corner of the world". The extremist group, which forged links with British neo-Nazis when it was founded in the 1980s, has begun opening offices in Germany, Australia, Canada and the US.

The international push follows successive polls that show Golden Dawn entrenching its position as Greece's third, and fastest growing, political force. First catapulted into parliament with 18 MPs last year, the ultra-nationalists captured 11.5% support in a recent survey conducted by polling company Public Issue.

The group – whose logo resembles the swastika and whose members are prone to give Nazi salutes – has gone from strength to strength, promoting itself as the only force willing to take on the "rotten establishment". Amid rumours of backing from wealthy shipowners, it has succeeded in opening party offices across Greece.

It is also concentrating on spreading internationally, with news last month that it had opened an office in Germany and planned to set up branches in Australia. The party's spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, said it had decided to establish cells "wherever there are Greeks".

"People have understood that Chrysi Avgi [Golden Dawn] tells the truth," he told a Greek-language paper in Melbourne. "In our immediate sights and aims is the creation of an office and local organisation in Melbourne. In fact, very soon a visit of MPs to Australia is planned."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/01/greece-golden-dawn-global-ambitions

April 1, 2013

Fla. State Trooper fired for offering lawmaker break on speeding ticket

In a rarity among modern American jurisprudence, a state highway trooper has lost his job over a traffic ticket he didn't write — and now his fight has sparked a wider dispute over who gets preferential treatment for enforcing the law on the road. Does anyone need to guess that this happened in Florida?

The tale starts last November, when Florida Highway Patrol trooper Charles Swindle stopped state Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, for doing 87 mph in a 70 mph zone. McBurney was driving a Toyota with a license plate identifying him as a state lawmaker; after checking with his sergeant, Swindle told McBurney "I'm cutting you a break" and cited him only for lacking proof of insurance — a $10 ticket rather than a $280 one that McBurney could have faced.

According to Florida state investigators, Swindle did the same for another driver he pulled over at the same time, telling his dispatcher “I’m going to write (McBurney) a warning and be nice; I’m going to stroke him ’cause I didn’t see his insurance card."

But the episode bothered McBurney (who denied going 87 mph) so much that he wrote to Swindle's superiors on legislature letterhead, complaining that Swindle was favoring state officials. "If those who enforce our laws fail to meet the highest ethical standards, there is erosion of that confidence," McBurney wrote. "I am concerned that as Trooper Swindle acted in such fashion to me, that he would do so to any law-abiding citizen of our state."

That letter launched an internal investigation, and two weeks ago, Swindle was fired for "conduct unbecoming a public employee." And now Swindle and his attorney have appealed his dismissal, contending the Florida Highway Patrol has an unwritten policy of letting state lawmakers off easy at traffic stops to avoid trouble come budget-writing time. The FHP denies that's the case, and has speeding tickets written to several lawmakers over the past few years to show it.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/trooper-fired-offering-florida-lawmaker-break-speeding-ticket-182456916.html

McBurney should eat a bag of dicks for this fuckwittery...

April 1, 2013

George Will's annual baseball quiz (his only redeeming characteristic)

EDIT: These are my own, unresearched answers, the real ones are at the link

As the unendurable monotony of the off-season ends, celebrate baseball’s return with mental calisthenics. Everyone knows it was former Atlanta Manager Dave Bristol who said, “Only trouble I ever had with chewing tobacco was that the orthodontist said my daughter was going to have to give it up because of her braces.” But do you know:

1. What pitcher in a 25-3 season had more complete games than home runs allowed?
Ron Guidry

2. What four players hit home runs in four decades?
Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield

3. What three players hit home runs as teenagers and after their 40th birthdays?
Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Pete Rose

4. What two teams lost a World Series after being one strike away from winning?
Boston (86) and Cleveland (97)

5. Which National League team has won the most World Series games?
Cardinals

6. Which four players won multiple MVP awards between 1940 and 1949?
Williams, Musial, DiMaggio, Enos Slaughter

7. Since the Cy Young Award began in 1956, what player won 25 or more games three times but never won the award?
Robin Roberts

8. Which team has had the most Cy Young winners?
Giants

9. Which four National League pitchers have won two consecutive Cy Young Awards?
Gibson, Maddux, Koufax, Lincecum

10. Who received the highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes in history?
Clemente

11. What four former MVPs have won the Manager of the Year awards?
Mike Scosicia, Frank Robinson, Don Baylor, Joe Torre

12. Of the 106 switch-hitters with at least 5,000 at bats, which two hit .300 or better from both sides?
Roberto Alomar, Robin Ventura

13. What switch-hitter holds the record of hitting home runs from both sides in 13 games?
Eddie Murray

14. Which two Hall of Fame second basemen were on the woeful (66-96) 1964 Houston Colt .45s?
Joe Morgan and Dick Groat

15. Who pitched no-hitters at ages 43 and 44?
Nolan Ryan

16. What Hall of Famer participated in 12 double plays in 1929 playing right field ?
Willie Keeler

17. Who led the majors in hits in the 1980s?
Don Mattingly

18. Who has the highest stolen base success percentage (minimum 500 attempts)?
Maury Wills

19. Who holds the record for most shutouts (69) by a left-handed pitcher?
Warren Spahn

20. Who is the only reliever who had a season with more saves than baserunners allowed?
Dennis Eckersley

21. What two third basemen have hit 400 home runs while playing third base?
Eddie Matthews, Mike Schmidt

22. What was the last World Series in which a pitcher on each team pitched three complete games?
1966

23. Which two all-time leaders in sacrifice flies were teammates in their prime years?
Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill

24. What pitchers threw the most one-hitters?
Bob Feller

25. Which Minnesota Twin won batting titles in his first two full seasons?
Tony Oliva

26. Which Hall of Fame pitcher retired the side with nine pitches and nine strikes, once in each league?
Hoyt Wilhelm

27. Which two players hit more than 400 home runs and more than 150 triples?
Willie Mays, Barry Bonds

28. Who hit more than 40 home runs and batted over .400 in the same season?
Rogers Hornsby

29. Among active players with 100 or more career home runs, which two have more walks than strikeouts?
Kevin Youkilis, Evan Longoria

30. What pair of teammates hit home runs in the same game the most times?
Ruth-Gehrig

31. How many Hall of Fame pitchers did Joe DiMaggio face during his 56-game hitting streak?
11

32. Who played on the losing team while setting the record for most RBIs (12) in a seven-game World Series?
Willie McCovey, 1962

Bonus Question: What Hall of Famer said, “The Mets just had their first .500-or-better April since July of 1992”?
--What is, "Shit Ralph Kiner says!"

answers at the link
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/hey_fans_take_swing_at_these_l1jwK1IJ5WhpXOJqa7jX4K