Saturday, July 10, 2010

All we did was welcome Al Gore to his new home. Why are people so upset?

All we did was welcome Al Gore to his new home. Why are people so upset?

Zoot suit riot



Since I just posted Candyman I thought I would post a music video that talked about the other side of the coin. Racial tensions simmered during the war and occasional broke into violence. White sailors and Latino men fought it out on the streets of Los Angles (some things don’t change much)

Actually WWII was very good for the rights of woman and Blacks in the US. Women were able to enter the workplace in force and prove themselves very capable. Blacks fought well in the Army and also became Aces. The US navy in 1941 didn’t consider Blacks to be good enough for combat duties and used them as cooks and stewards. The US army had somewhat better attitudes and eventually became one of the best employers for blacks in the US and was promoting them to leadership positions long before Corporate America did.

Candyman



Sorry I have not posted for a bit, more computer problems will likely have to change operating systems soon. Anyways a little listening pleasure and a song sure to get your foot tapping. This is a remake by Christina Aguilera of a song first done by the Andrew sisters. Also I have included a link to a interesting mix of Christina and Andrew Sisters. The remake by Christina is interesting because it also pays homage to the “Rosie the riveter” and the various pin up girls of WWII. Kudos to an art director that did their homework. I hope you enjoy both video’s.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Icarus Reborn



In this case flying closer to the sun helps!

While a 24hr flight is impressive, don’t expect a solar powered airliner anytime soon. Mind you if Air Canada had one they would still ding you for a “Fuel Surcharge”.
Future solar aircraft will likely be unmanned and used as flying antennas or as high endurance surveillance UAV’s loitering over battlefields and disaster zones. Like Airships though they will be vulnerable to weather.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The new kinder and cooler IDF



Soldiers on patrol in Hebron show a new technique to reduce tensions. They got in trouble for this when the video went viral. Militaries in democratic countries are struggling with the impact of the new generation and social media. This includes blogs and videos.

One of the issues concerning militaries and social media is “Opsec” short for “Operational Security” Many of the military forums self police in this manner, but once posted it is difficult to erase from the internet. Another issue is “Persec” short for “Personal security” which for the military means protecting serving members and their families from terrorist attacks, intimidation or from attempts to turn holders of sensitive posts into spies. In the Cold war “Persec” was used by both sides to prevent the other from knowing which units were where. Your average teenager and many adults could use a few lessons in “Persec” when it comes to posting stuff online.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Fly Guy



Our cat likes to do this late at night so he can torment us and get the fly or not. It wouldn't be so bad if he could kill the fly right away, but no he like to make the game last.

HST the gift that just keeps taking




Thanks Gordo, your brilliant idea just added .33 cents to my coffee break and .75 cents to my parking. Sounds like peanuts? Assuming a 220 day work year that’s $72.60 extra for coffee and $165.00 extra for parking a year. It should also add $140 to the repair of our hot tub. Man the underside of the table is looking good!

Now just don’t get me started on “Carbon Tax” ARRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you didn't sign the anti-HST petition then you should be paying double-double!!

UPDATE
Did you know they charge HST on the recycling deposit? Found this out when I got back from Superstore