Volume 2 Issue 7
February 11, 2003
Everyone Hide!
Panic, but don't panic, Anti-Valentine's continue, and big Presidential news
Make sure you see the "breaking" news under the Presidential section today...could be big, could be just a minor distraction.
Today, I'll deal with a story in this morning's Washington Post that has everyone jumping (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54212-2003Feb10.html - also appears below). The government is reminding folks to be prepared for a disaster/terror attack by doing normal things, like keeping 3 days of food (you better have 3 days of food in your house!) and water (admittedly a bit harder) around, as well as planning where to meet your family in case of an attack. All good advice, even for just normal disaster preparedness. Then there was this:
"They also recommended that families consider designating a room where they will gather in the event of such an attack, and have on hand duct tape and heavy plastic sheeting to seal it, as well as scissors, a manual can opener, blankets, flashlights, radios and spare batteries. The officials said they believe the al Qaeda terrorist network is particularly targeting New York and Washington.
Ranking officials of the Department of Homeland Security told reporters at a briefing that Americans must take some responsibility for protecting themselves, but stressed that people should not feel panicked or abandoned by the government."
Um...excuse me? Duct tape and heavy plastic sheeting? Ok, first, what the hell do they mean. Second, where does one obtain a "heavy plastic sheet" ? And third, is it really good to speculate that the government is abandoning people!?! This means the whole thing may be more serious than first thought, which folks in the government have been saying all week (see today's statements below). So now in addition to having the perpetual run on milk and toilet paper when it snows (which it now does almost daily here), I'm going to have people in front of me in line at the supermarket buying cases of water and rolls of Saran Wrap? Now, my home, and the homes of some of my co-workers I talked to today, is a tad drafty. In fact, most houses in DC, which were built before World War II, are probably suffering from draftiness, since it rarely gets cold enough to make homeowners do anything about it. I would estimate it would probably take about 20 rolls of "heavy plastic sheeting" to secure a room in my house. Oh well, guess I'll just have to hope the government won't abandon me.
I do understand the paradox the administration finds itself in: you want to inform people, but not panic them; give them information, but not too much unconfirmed information. Therefore, these warnings can be more frustrating then they can be helpful, except to Home Depot now that everyone is going to try and find their heavy plastic sheeting there. I think the biggest fear of the Bush administration is another large-scale attack, because it would confirm that all of their "reforms" haven't helped too much. Plus, it would show that we are not "winning" the war on terror, even as we face war in multiple other places (Iraq, North Korea, Germany, etc...). This is despite the fact that the administration has constantly said that it would not be able to prevent all attacks. My point is just to illustrate how difficult the war on Terror actually is, and to say it is valid to question whether we can handle it, along with Iraq and North Korea, while cutting taxes (and therefore government revenue) at the same time. Anyway, on to the rest of the insanity, starting with today's anti-valentine:
Anti-Valentine of the Day: A romance author discusses why all the crap about romance is bull -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31913-2003Feb5.html
Oh, and looking for a date? Check out the Harvard Alumni magazine -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54556-2003Feb10.html
Orange Alert: The CIA and FBI said again today that they view this current terror alert as the most dangerous in some time -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030211-704598.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/11/terrorism.congress /index.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56352-2003Feb11.html
AAAH! Get a plastic sheet and duct tape...quickly! The government wants everyone to prepare now...-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54212-2003Feb10.html
It's Oscar Time: The nominees were announced this morning. Here's a list -
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/oscars/2003nominations.htm l
And it's Time to attack Iraq: Most Americans now support a war in Iraq, but most don't want us to stay there to help rebuild the nation later. Therefore, I'm sure the Bushies will ensure we won't, which will lead to all hell breaking loose, and more terrorism against America. The most dangerous foreign policy in the history of the world...-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53997-2003Feb10.html
Tim Noah now supports a war however -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078396/
But the Europeans don't really think too highly of us now -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54107-2003Feb10.html
RIP, NATO: Why is the US so intent on destroying the NATO alliance?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078389/
Looking for a new career, Saddam? Maybe Saddam Hussein can teach at Boston University in their "former dictators" program -
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/academy030211 .html
Dumb California SUV Drivers: Folks in a normally liberal area of Northern California are unsure what to do about their SUV's, which they actually think are safer then normal cars. As a note, during a recent snowstorm in DC, the TV showed their usual fare of traffic accidents. Every single one I saw involved an SUV -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/08/automobiles/08SUV.html
Space - why bother?: Gregg Easterbrook and Nathan Myrhrvold continue their discussion, this time on the risk of an asteroid hitting the earth -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078157/entry/2078339/
NASA no doubt looking for some good PR, today released photos of its new Mars Probe -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2748063.stm
Another discussion of possible Space Shuttle replacements -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/11/science/space/11OTHE.html
And what does it take to be an astronaut these days? "The Right Stuff" is a' changin -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/11/health/psychology/11RISK.h tml?8hpib
Breaking News - Look Who's Running for President: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry will undergo Prostate surgery to treat cancer tomorrow -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57252-2003Feb11.html
Look Who's Running for President: Howard Kurtz discusses the risk that the Dem candidates are taking by not engaging Sharpton -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51067-2003Feb10.html
Will Sharpton engage in Iowa? He's visiting there this week -
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/20461729. html
How to Run for President: The DLC (the "new" Democrats) have published their guide to getting elected -
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251193&kaid=12 7&subid=171
Look Who's Voting for President: Arizona will move it's primary to February 3, which for now is the first day after Iowa and New Hampshire. Arizona and South Dakota will hold their primaries on February 3, with Missouri likely to join them -
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0211primary11.html
The battle for the DC primary continues as well. The DC city council will hold a hearing on February 19, but the DC State Democratic Party yesterday refused to endorse the plan out of fear that their delegates will not be seated -
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030211-19980506.htm
GOP to Firefighters and Policemen - Go to Hell: Tom DeLay is getting heat for an anti-union letter he signed bashing police and firefighters -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54468-2003Feb10.html
Hello? Yeah, so about that meeting...*BOOM!*: George Bush would also like us to use fuel cells in our Cell Phones. This is a good possible solution, since the amount of things our phones and other electronic devices can do has begun to drain the ability of rechargeable batteries to keep them powered. But, do you really want to carry around a phone that is attached to a supply of methane or hydrogen?
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/FutureTech/fuelcell03 0211.html
As a reminder, here's the drawback to Hydrogen powered things -
http://www.vidicom-tv.com/phhburg2.jpg
People of the South - The damn war is over! You lost! Deal with it! There continues to be opposition to a statue of Lincoln being placed in Richmond. These people need to give it up! -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54429-2003Feb10.html
So you'll have to buy another computer soon: Gordon Moore, founder of Intel and author of Moore's Law, reaffirmed his theory this week. Moore's Law basically states that computing power will double every 2 years, which is why you have to buy a new computer about every 2 years on average. Moore says that the technical problems currently being encountered will be over come. Wow, an optimist and a dreamer! To show you how far technology has come since Moore introduced his theory in 1965, a small desktop 4 function (non-scientific) calculator that you can buy for a dollar today contains more computing power than the entire Apollo spacecraft that landed on the moon -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/biztech/02/11/moore.law.reut/in dex.html
Going to Mardi Gras...in Alabama? Mobile, AL holds the biggest Mardi Gras party outside of New Orleans every year -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/02/11/mobile.mar di.gras.ap/index.html
Eternal Rest...and a transfer station: The New Jersey Turnpike Authority and New Jersey Transit held services this week at a former Potter's field that they are going to move in order to build a new train station. This is not too uncommon in North Jersey, I remember a stretch of the Garden State Parkway where you see a cemetery on both sides, kinda freaks you out -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jer sey/5151633.htm
Have a great day!
Gregory S. Gadren
