This article on my favorite online newspaper this morning as I woke up....
It seems that "Real I.D." is here and is law and it will affect everyone personally the next time they go to renew their drivers liscence.
This new identification card has lots more to it than this story tells about.
With this I.D. there is rumor that the card itself will contain a whole slew of information regarding your personal history...so much information that it is to be akin to "your entire life" on a card.
As this guy (link to article below) so elequently puts it, I guess most of that information is already available:
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0802/0802files.htm
So alot of information is already out there but I truly feel this card is a bit unnessicary. But according to a bunch of stories I have read in the past few years, it will be almost impossible to live a day to day life (traveling, banking ect) without one of these cards...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=607401
Click on link- above- for full story
Welcome to 1984....a few years late...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Spying on Americans....
How will you feel when one of these is in every single room of your personal dwelling and everywhere else you go for that matter...
Well if Mr. Bush gets his way with his push for his "spying program" this camera may soon become reality along with many more ominous spying tools to keep an eye on our every move....
The editorial below was just put forward in today's online New York Times and I felt it was important enough to recopy here in it's entirety.
In my opinion no matter what has happened since 911, our government does NOT have the right to dig into our personal business the way that our president wants to.
I have said before and I will say it again that what I see is our constitution and thus our individual rights and freedoms are being eroded more and more since this administration has been in office.
I have the deepest feeling that history will look back on this time as a time where great errors and miscarriages of liberty and justice and individual freedoms being eroded as one of the sadest and ugliest times in American history.
The America that our forefathers founded and the basis for which they created this once great nation are no longer valid, at least according to the current leadership of this Once Great Nation.
I feel very worried and sad for our future....
Read on for this very interesting editorial:
___________________________________________________________________
May 2, 2007
Editorial
Spying on Americans
For more than five years, President Bush authorized government spying on phone calls and e-mail to and from the United States without warrants. He rejected offers from Congress to update the electronic eavesdropping law, and stonewalled every attempt to investigate his spying program.
Suddenly, Mr. Bush is in a hurry. He has submitted a bill that would enact enormous, and enormously dangerous, changes to the 1978 law on eavesdropping. It would undermine the fundamental constitutional principle — over which there can be no negotiation or compromise — that the government must seek an individual warrant before spying on an American or someone living here legally.
To heighten the false urgency, the Bush administration will present this issue, as it has before, as a choice between catching terrorists before they act or blinding the intelligence agencies. But the administration has never offered evidence that the 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, hampered intelligence gathering after the 9/11 attacks. Mr. Bush simply said the law did not apply to him.
The director of national intelligence, Michael McConnell, said yesterday that the evidence of what is wrong with FISA was too secret to share with all Americans. That’s an all-too-familiar dodge.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who is familiar with the president’s spying program, has said that it could have been conducted legally. She even offered some sensible changes for FISA, but the administration and the Republican majority in the last Congress buried her bill.
Mr. Bush’s motivations for submitting this bill now seem obvious. The courts have rejected his claim that 9/11 gave him virtually unchecked powers, and he faces a Democratic majority in Congress that is willing to exercise its oversight responsibilities. That, presumably, is why his bill grants immunity to telecommunications companies that cooperated in five years of illegal eavesdropping. It also strips the power to hear claims against the spying program from all courts except the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which meets in secret.
According to the administration, the bill contains “long overdue” FISA modifications to account for changes in technology. The only example it offered was that an e-mail sent from one foreign country to another that happened to go through a computer in the United States might otherwise be missed. But Senator Feinstein had already included this fix in the bill Mr. Bush rejected.
Moreover, FISA has been updated dozens of times in the last 29 years. In 2000, Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden, who ran the National Security Agency then, said it “does not require amendment to accommodate new communications technologies.” And since 9/11, FISA has had six major amendments.
The measure would not update FISA; it would gut it. It would allow the government to collect vast amounts of data at will from American citizens’ e-mail and phone calls. The Center for National Security Studies said it might even be read to permit video surveillance without a warrant.
This is a dishonest measure, dishonestly presented, and Congress should reject it. Before making any new laws, Congress has to get to the truth about Mr. Bush’s spying program. (When asked at a Senate hearing yesterday if Mr. Bush still claims to have the power to ignore FISA when he thinks it is necessary, Mr. McConnell refused to answer.)
With clear answers — rather than fearmongering and stonewalling — there can finally be a real debate about amending FISA. It’s not clear whether that can happen under this president. Mr. Bush long ago lost all credibility in the area where this law lies: at the fulcrum of the balance between national security and civil liberties....
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
___________________________________________________________________
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Is the U.S.Power Grid close to Failing this Summer?
Can you imagine not having air conditioning on a 90 degree day with 100% humidity...
Not being able to watch your favorite episode of "American Idol"...
Not having "Fresh Brewed Coffee" ready and waiting when you jump out of bed...
An interesting article I just read has some good points to ponder in relation to some things we (our government) need to do in order to make sure that our electrical power grid does not fail this summer.....thus causing wide spread blackouts across the country.....and to help protect our grid from natural or manmade disasters.
From the article I just read:
___________________________________________________________________
Not only is the U.S. power grid overloaded, it is also outdated. When the American Society of Civil Engineers last issued its report card for U.S. infrastructure, it gave the grid a D. Last July one hundred thousand residents of Queens, New York were without power for nine sweltering days (PDF) as the local utility provider struggled to repair seven failed transformers whose average age was thirty-one years.
The U.S. power grid is vulnerable to external factors as well. Large storms can produce lasting outages, as can well-planned acts of sabotage. CFR homeland security expert Stephen E. Flynn worries that terrorists are honing such skills in Iraq and could soon begin applying them in the United States. In his book, The Edge of Disaster, Flynn argues the United States must construct a more resilient infrastructure.
___________________________________________________________________
Read on:
I feel we need to do something and take corrective course of actions such as what Europe is doing right now....
Otherwise it could prove to be a dark summer at times.......
I myself plan on stocking up on candles and coolers and sternos and batteries so I can have light and radio and be able to store my food and cook my meals.....
Also below I have included a link to an interesting article that gives a pretty good overview of the "power grid" and how it works....
A good day to all.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A Planet worth investigating?? A new Super Earth...
It seems scientests have found a planet surrounding a red dwarf star that could possibly harbor life as we know it (or as we do not know it). The planet is much bigger than the earth and orbits it's star much closer than the earth orbits the sun....but due to the cooler temperature associated with the red dwarf star....there seems to be the possibility that the planet could sustain life.......
It is a little over 20 light years away from us and it is being called "A Super Earth". It orbits a star in the constellation of Libra called "Gliese 581" which is one of the 100 closest stars to us.
Too bad that with our current technology this planet is beyond our reach in my lifetime. But for future generations that find a way to send either a manned or unmanned probe or spaceship to these outer reaches of space....it could be the discovery of a lifetime.
Read on for more on this discovery. The first link below is where I found the original article but the 2nd link has alot more information and is thus a bit more interesting:
It is a little over 20 light years away from us and it is being called "A Super Earth". It orbits a star in the constellation of Libra called "Gliese 581" which is one of the 100 closest stars to us.
Too bad that with our current technology this planet is beyond our reach in my lifetime. But for future generations that find a way to send either a manned or unmanned probe or spaceship to these outer reaches of space....it could be the discovery of a lifetime.
Read on for more on this discovery. The first link below is where I found the original article but the 2nd link has alot more information and is thus a bit more interesting:
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Runner hopes to log 1,079 miles in 23 days
Just saw this on the JS Online website.
I have to hand it to this guy....
He is doing something so cool.
I have hiked a portion of the Ice Age Trail but never even considered running any of it.
I will have to keep tabs on his expereince.
I wish him all the best and much success in his endevor...
I on the other hand have to start running again now that spring is here.
I took off for the winter as I really never found a good place to run indoors this winter and with the weather here in the winter and the ice and things....I really dont need to take a chance on injuring my ankle that I broke a few years back.
Click on link for more on this guy's running quest....
JS Online: Runner hopes to log 1,079 miles in 23 days
I have to hand it to this guy....
He is doing something so cool.
I have hiked a portion of the Ice Age Trail but never even considered running any of it.
I will have to keep tabs on his expereince.
I wish him all the best and much success in his endevor...
I on the other hand have to start running again now that spring is here.
I took off for the winter as I really never found a good place to run indoors this winter and with the weather here in the winter and the ice and things....I really dont need to take a chance on injuring my ankle that I broke a few years back.
Click on link for more on this guy's running quest....
JS Online: Runner hopes to log 1,079 miles in 23 days
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Internet Comes to the Deap Sea....
An interesting article I read this morning that I felt deserved to be passed on.
It talks about the steps scientists are taking to delve into the mysteries of the ocean...which cover 2/3 of our earth.....
Read on....
____________________________________________________________
On April 1, 2007, researchers completed an important step in constructing the first deep-sea cabled observatory in the continental United States.
In a multi-institution effort managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and funded by the National Science Foundation, 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cable were laid along the seafloor of Monterey Bay. This undersea cable will provide electrical power to scientific instruments, video cameras, and robots 900 meters (3,000 feet) below the ocean surface. It will also carry data from these instruments back to shore, for use by scientists and engineers around the world.
This cable is a key part of the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) observatory. When completed later this year, MARS will provide ocean scientists with 24-hour-a-day access to instruments and experiments in the deep sea. Instead of using submarines to carry researchers into the deep, the MARS observatory will use the latest computer and internet technology to bring information about the deep sea directly to researchers’ computers on shore.
Slightly thicker than a garden hose, the MARS cable is buried about three feet below the seafloor along most of its route, so that it will not be disturbed by boat anchors or fishing gear.
The cable itself contains a copper electrical conductor and strands of optical fiber. The copper conductor will transmit up to 10 kilowatts of power from a shore station at Moss Landing, California, to instruments on the seafloor. The optical fiber will carry up to two gigabits per second of data from these instruments back to researchers on shore. This will allow scientists to monitor and control their instruments 24 hours a day, and to get an unique view of how environmental conditions in the deep sea change over time.
Currently, almost all oceanographic instruments in the deep sea rely on batteries for power and store their data on hard disks or memory chips until they are brought back to the surface. With a continuous and uninterrupted power supply, instruments attached to the MARS observatory could remain on the seafloor for months or even years.
If anything goes wrong with these instruments, scientists will know immediately, and will be able to recover or reprogram them as necessary. This will allow ocean engineers to develop entirely new types of deep-sea instruments, undersea robots, and environmental monitoring systems.
At the seaward end of the MARS cable is a large steel frame about 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall and 4.6 meters (15 feet) on each side. This “trawl-resistant frame” will protect the electronic “guts” of the MARS observatory, which will serve as a computer network hub and electrical substation in the deep sea. The researchers hope to install these electronic components into the trawl-resistant frame in fall 2007.
After the electronics package is installed and tested, scientists from around the world will be able to attach their instruments to the observatory using underwater extension cords. These instruments will be carried down from the surface and plugged into the hub using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (tethered robot submarines).
In addition to supporting oceanographic research within Monterey Bay, MARS will serve as a testing ground for technology that will be used on even more ambitious deep-sea observatories. Such observatories will use thousands of kilometers of undersea cables to hook up dozens of seismographs and oceanographic monitoring stations. They will provide scientists with new views of seafloor life as well as a new understanding of the global tectonic processes that spawn earthquakes and tsunamis.
The MARS project was initiated in 2002 through $8 million in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) coupled with $1.75 million in funds from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The NSF also contributed an additional $2 million to meet permitting and homeland security requirements.
Components for the observatory are being designed and built by MBARI, the University of Washington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Nautronics Maripro, and Alcatel.
Reflecting on the effort that went into this installation, MBARI’s president and CEO Marcia McNutt comments, “After five years of hard work, MBARI is thrilled to bring the age of the internet to the deep ocean, so that we can understand, appreciate, and protect the two thirds of the planet that lies under the sea. We are grateful for the help of our talented partners and our visionary sponsors. MARS has truly been a team effort.”
___________________________________________________________________
How very cool. Lets hope that all this undersea cable and infastructure can hold up to the ravages of the sea. It is so cool to read about 21st century technology.
How far we have come in just the last few years. When you think about it...it really is amazing!
It talks about the steps scientists are taking to delve into the mysteries of the ocean...which cover 2/3 of our earth.....
Read on....
____________________________________________________________
On April 1, 2007, researchers completed an important step in constructing the first deep-sea cabled observatory in the continental United States.
In a multi-institution effort managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and funded by the National Science Foundation, 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cable were laid along the seafloor of Monterey Bay. This undersea cable will provide electrical power to scientific instruments, video cameras, and robots 900 meters (3,000 feet) below the ocean surface. It will also carry data from these instruments back to shore, for use by scientists and engineers around the world.
This cable is a key part of the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) observatory. When completed later this year, MARS will provide ocean scientists with 24-hour-a-day access to instruments and experiments in the deep sea. Instead of using submarines to carry researchers into the deep, the MARS observatory will use the latest computer and internet technology to bring information about the deep sea directly to researchers’ computers on shore.
Slightly thicker than a garden hose, the MARS cable is buried about three feet below the seafloor along most of its route, so that it will not be disturbed by boat anchors or fishing gear.
The cable itself contains a copper electrical conductor and strands of optical fiber. The copper conductor will transmit up to 10 kilowatts of power from a shore station at Moss Landing, California, to instruments on the seafloor. The optical fiber will carry up to two gigabits per second of data from these instruments back to researchers on shore. This will allow scientists to monitor and control their instruments 24 hours a day, and to get an unique view of how environmental conditions in the deep sea change over time.
Currently, almost all oceanographic instruments in the deep sea rely on batteries for power and store their data on hard disks or memory chips until they are brought back to the surface. With a continuous and uninterrupted power supply, instruments attached to the MARS observatory could remain on the seafloor for months or even years.
If anything goes wrong with these instruments, scientists will know immediately, and will be able to recover or reprogram them as necessary. This will allow ocean engineers to develop entirely new types of deep-sea instruments, undersea robots, and environmental monitoring systems.
At the seaward end of the MARS cable is a large steel frame about 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall and 4.6 meters (15 feet) on each side. This “trawl-resistant frame” will protect the electronic “guts” of the MARS observatory, which will serve as a computer network hub and electrical substation in the deep sea. The researchers hope to install these electronic components into the trawl-resistant frame in fall 2007.
After the electronics package is installed and tested, scientists from around the world will be able to attach their instruments to the observatory using underwater extension cords. These instruments will be carried down from the surface and plugged into the hub using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (tethered robot submarines).
In addition to supporting oceanographic research within Monterey Bay, MARS will serve as a testing ground for technology that will be used on even more ambitious deep-sea observatories. Such observatories will use thousands of kilometers of undersea cables to hook up dozens of seismographs and oceanographic monitoring stations. They will provide scientists with new views of seafloor life as well as a new understanding of the global tectonic processes that spawn earthquakes and tsunamis.
The MARS project was initiated in 2002 through $8 million in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) coupled with $1.75 million in funds from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The NSF also contributed an additional $2 million to meet permitting and homeland security requirements.
Components for the observatory are being designed and built by MBARI, the University of Washington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Nautronics Maripro, and Alcatel.
Reflecting on the effort that went into this installation, MBARI’s president and CEO Marcia McNutt comments, “After five years of hard work, MBARI is thrilled to bring the age of the internet to the deep ocean, so that we can understand, appreciate, and protect the two thirds of the planet that lies under the sea. We are grateful for the help of our talented partners and our visionary sponsors. MARS has truly been a team effort.”
___________________________________________________________________
How very cool. Lets hope that all this undersea cable and infastructure can hold up to the ravages of the sea. It is so cool to read about 21st century technology.
How far we have come in just the last few years. When you think about it...it really is amazing!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Georgia Thompson-Ex-state official- freed
I always thought this woman was innocent.
It seems like a few federal judges agree with me....
JS Online: Ex-state official freed
Thank god the justice system still works....sometimes.
It seems like a few federal judges agree with me....
JS Online: Ex-state official freed
Thank god the justice system still works....sometimes.
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