>> ^Mandtis:

"Approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees[3] and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel work in the Pentagon."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon
5200 out of about 26000...?? Not a chance I can believe that.


Well, every single word of the title is inaccurate or misleading. It's mind boggling really. The title is taken directly from MoxNews' post, so I don't blame gwiz. But let me try to make a clear list of everything wrong with the title.

1. "5200" - That was the complete number of names/e-mail addresses swept up under ICE project flicker. This was not an investigation into the DoD, but they came across several e-mail addresses that obviously belonged to the DoD. The Pentagon's investigative branch (DCIS) was informed of this and for some reason they checked only 3500 of those names, and of those 3500 found 264 DoD employees.

2. "Pentagon Employees" - No, they were investigating Department of Defense Employees and Contractors, the Pentagon is only one small part of the DoD. The DoD includes Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, DARPA, DIA, NSA, ect. According to Wikipedia there were over 2 million DoD employees in 2009. Plus an unknown number of contractors who are not counted as employees. Coup mentions that Contractors were part of the DCIS investigation at 1:08. So if DCIS did cross check the names against all DoD employees and Contractors, we're talking about basically the entire US Military Industrial Complex. "Pentagon employees" might be 1% of that.

3. "PURCHASED Child Pornography!" - 264 are the number of suspects who were employees or contractors of the DoD. You cannot assume that every suspect is guilty until proven innocent. Coup mentioned that fewer than 20% of them were fully investigated (so less than 52 people). He goes on to say "fewer still were prosecuted", and doesn't mention the total number found guilty.

I agree it's an outrage that they stopped the investigation before looking at the entire list, or completely investigating all of the matches. And it's good to see CNN putting pressure on them to reopen the investigation. But this MoxNews fellow is either completely unscrupulous in spreading misinformation to get views, or just not very smart.

>> ^Fusionaut:

It was fireworks! http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/03/3105511.htm?section=just
in


I'm guessing the fish are a coincidence due to the distance involved (they weren't next to each other; so to speak...).

Although, fireworks (or things like that) due make some sense. I wonder if there were any "town" shows as I saw mention of only revelers for fireworks (which seems highly unlikely to cause something like this; unless these birds have a form of mass hysteria, like humans).

The lightning sounded like a better idea, but they should be able to match it to the autopsies. It'll be better once they have a few thorough autopsies done and a good idea of "where" they died (altitude, in the general area or a slight wind carry). Maybe, even a sonic boom could be at play. A plane might be able to make one loud enough, but if it happened at 30k like proposed I'm unclear whether residents would even hear a sonic boom. Also, I'm unsure as to the strength of a thunderclap (as it's also a "sonic boom", to some degree--far different cause than speed, as in lightning's case it's temperature variants), can the thunder cause a "fish in a barrel type effect, especially if the birds were in a storm with rain or a "heavy" cloud structure.

Maybe they were stunned and the fall actually killed them. Hopefully, we find out quick. I always fine these large die-offs interesting as sometimes the causes can give us more insight into how our planet works. One (actually two, in the same place) that I can think of off the top of my head was a Human die-off.

It was from Lake Nyos, in northwest Cameroon. Lake Nyos is one of three "exploding lakes" here are two interesting articles about them, but there is a (it's a National Geographic show, I'm very unsure of the title, it's related to the BBC show, "Killer Lakes", I just put up here; at the bottom is the link for it), but I know Lake Nyos is included in it) show about it which is a must watch -- they figured out what was happening basically on accident as well (this was not even a theory before; now they're afraid there are "mega-pockets" which is talked about in a History Channel "Mega Disasters" episode (I think "Methane Explosion", though "Methane" is used for sure) -- if something happens at an "ocean geographic scale" it would kill a lot of people; it has the potential to be worse than Yellowstone, but we have absolutely no information on the likelihood of this occurring nor the size of such an event). Nyos killed roughly 3500 livestock and 1700 people, some of the villagers were 16 miles from the lake. One of the other lakes is in Cameroon and the other is in Rwanda.

Here are the Wikipedia links:

Limnic Eruptions or also known as Exploding Lakes -- think of them as being somewhat like a soda can with the lid popped off and some Mentos thrown in.

Second, Lake Nyos which killed a large amount of people in 1986 and left scientists baffled.

There are some media links at the bottom of the wiki articles.


Here is the BBC documentary I just put up for the sift (HORiZONS, BBC World); trust me it's an interesting watch. Make sure you have time to watch it as it comes in at a FULL episode and is 44 minutes long. This documentary talks about the 1986 disaster and the mystery surrounding it.

They'll get into the mechanics and also show the reason some scientists are scared this WILL happen again, but this time it might kill hundreds of thousands--maybe more...

>> ^bobknight33:

Loving someone enough to tell them that what they are doing is wrong is a good thing. Turning your head and letting wrong behavior continue doesn't help anyone.
Sadly the younger generation has been fed such a pack a moral lies that they don't know the difference between right and wrong.
For the most part what is morally right today was morally wrong 30 years ago. Has man obtained such wisdom in this short period of time to discount the wisdom of the past thousand years?
>> ^bareboards2:
What I find is that some Christians are quick to call it "evil" when more truly loving folk call it "compassion" and "acceptance of diversity."


"Believe me my boy, there is no grey. The world is either black or white!"

When you quote the bible, why do you call it the wisdom of the past thousand years? The bible was written around 300AD. And do you really think that a group of self-proclaimed holy-spirit-hearers 1700 years ago, or some group of clergymen more concerned with the exploitation of their flock than anything to do with love and compassion in 1100AD have the wisdom to judge how we ought to live our lives today?

A lot of the stuff that was considered morally upright 50 years ago is rightfully considered repugnant today.

The true wisdom doesn't lie in trying to find a framework of absolute, unchanging rules by which to live to the end of times. Rather it lies in recognizing that time changes things, and rules have to change with them and constantly be reassessed if they still apply.

The only two rules which I would consider fundamental in inter-personal relationships are:

• Don't treat people like objects (aka treat the other person as you yourself would like to be treated)


• My rights end where your rights begin and vice versa

And while we're at it - consider why the Old Testament is so pro fertility ("Go forth and multiply" or all the anti-homosexual rants). 3500 years ago small semitic tribes were being encouraged to grow rapidly to have a chance to survive in a hostile world where huge enemies where to the south (Egypt) and east (Babylonians/Sumerians) and whoever happened to live to the north at the time. All of whom regularly held their battles where the semitic tribes were living, and all of whom frequently raided the area for slaves. Rules devised for that kind of circumstances ought to no longer be regarded as dogma, in my opinion.

"The head is round so that your thoughts can change direction."
- Francis Picabia, 1922

Go see it this week.

Laemmle's Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA - (323) 848-3500

Yeardley
‎1hr 30min‎‎ - Rated R‎‎ - Drama‎
1:00 3:10 5:20 7:40 10:00pm

The landings are awesome when they engage reverse thrusters. It boggles the mind to see that behemoth come to a full stop and actually start backing up in a matter of only a 3500 feet.

>> ^xxovercastxx:
State Parks normally have very strict rules like this to protect the habitat. For example, here in NY you cannot camp within 100' of any trail or water source except at certain designated spots. You must use already-downed wood for camp fires and you can't have any fires above 3500' except during the winter.
The 'authorities' in this video were a little douchey, but I don't see anything wrong with the laws.


How could the authorities come off as good with these douche laws? I mean it would be like...having to enforce a ban on farts... All in all they did not try to cuss, threaten, arrest or grab the camera and smash it... (At least the official did not, the other guy was a bit more a douche...) I agree with you in principle... just sucks...

@blankfist This is not about police state Blank, this is about Oligarchy...

State Parks normally have very strict rules like this to protect the habitat. For example, here in NY you cannot camp within 100' of any trail or water source except at certain designated spots. You must use already-downed wood for camp fires and you can't have any fires above 3500' except during the winter.

The 'authorities' in this video were a little douchey, but I don't see anything wrong with the laws.

I don't see how this can possibly cost $200,000...
Maybe if it were bottom projection instead of top, or if the actual surface was of a custom transparent "slate" material, I would be impressed.

Here's some way-overboard estimates:
pool table - $3500
high-end graphics workstation - $4000
high-end (8000 lumen+) projector - $10,000
IR LED array - $100
high speed CCD cameras - $400
mounting hardware/wiring - $2000
full custom software (programming time) - $10,000

so that's $30k, not $200k.

My message to her: Good luck with that. Have fun having your credit score go into the toilet, and then you can cry and whine some more on YouTube when your wages do get garnished, and you're spending the majority of your free time riding the bus to work. That is of course if you can still afford a PC and an internet connection to do your complaining.

Why my attitude? Because I learned my own lesson 7 years ago, when I paid off $19,500 dollars of debt, $3000 of which was at 22% (cash advances) while the remainder was at 17.5% My minimum monthly payment was $330. I got myself into the mess, and I took responsibility and got myself out of it. Since then, I've been at 0 debt three times, heading to my fourth time this December. I raised my credit score to 830 out of 850, and I learned to be smart and frugal with my purchases. My only credit card has a $3500 limit at 7.25%, and I refuse to let them raise my limit. Sure, what the credit card companies do is bullshit, but when do you take responsibility for digging your own hole? You agreed to their terms, as stupid as they are, and borrowed the money. So instead, this fool is going to sit there like a child, forgoing any personal accountability, and hold her breath until she gets her way.

Sorry, but I hold nothing but contempt for people like this, as well as all those that were too greedy, and got fucked in the housing bust, and are now crying for their bailout. If I, of all people, was able to do it, then there's no excuse.

There is a saying, that Im too slack to google who said:
me thinks it was some big player in the hindu catalouge - a prince maybe...and well I fear I may be mixing hindu with buddist...but anyway

A religous leader said something like,

[Raaagh sic]
"Religion is like a canoe, once you have crossed the river, it would be fool to continue carrying the canoe"


I always loved that.

And I love this for the same reasons: all that "lotus", "harvest" stuff just confuses the issue. What the deep thinkers 3500 years ago ended upon has a wonderful sentiment,
'Though i observe humans and their scale and scope, I have to admit there are other scales and scopes. The only consistency I really observe is cycles, and...if I completely release myself from my surroundings I can imagine (whilst failing to comprehend) cycles, with scope, and scale, in the infinite'.

That I think, is where the humility comes in.

$3500 a day for rental? *terrible waste of $.

thats why i heart you SO mauz!
guys guys guys...
there is no need to bicker,there are 4500 religions on the PLANET.
why is everyone just picking on the semetic traid?
why not the religion where god is a neo-morphic turtle who holds the universe on its back?thats a good one to pick on.
attenborough clearly has a problem with christian dogma,and lets be honest,the book of genesis is pretty retarded by todays standards.maybe 3500 yrs ago it made a modecum of sense,today it just seems dumb.
then again most christians are totally unaware that the book of genesis is a metaphorical representation of the tree of life/tree of knowledge (da'ath).
would christian scholars keep that from their adherent believers?
noooooo that would be intellectually dishonest /snark.

doctrine and dogma should be examined and debated,and ultimately rejected if based on poor theology.it is the fundamentalist who cannot exercise this vital action,for to do so would,in essence,be rejecting god in their eyes.i believe attenborough was addressing these types of believers.
i also believe that some atheists are so confident in their own rational and feel so 100% positively RIGHT they too can come across with the fanaticism of a religious fundamentalist.
so let me give you the literal translation of "agnostic"..
it means "not-knowing".
speaking only for myself,i dont know.i may FEEL,i may THINK but ultimately..
i dont know.
the encounters i have with atheists,and being in the profession i am,i meet a LOT of atheists,the single most common thread is their abhorrance to religion and its inherent hypocrisies,contradictions,revisionist history and mind-numbing FEAR-mongering(semetic triad mostly).i cant necessarily disagree with them,because they are correct.the biggest problem i have had recently has been with the religious right.atheists just pepper me with questions,the religious right sends me subpeonas..talk about a WTF moment.
at the end of the day we are all agnostic,but boy o boy is it fun to poke at fundamentalists! so ends todays sermon..
dont forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses!

Curiosity is fine, but it is not wise to take every perspective seriously without checking how sound it is.

Look at what we are dealing with here:

"David Albert, a philosopher of physics and professor at Columbia University, who according to a Popular Science article, is "outraged at the final product," because the filmmakers interviewed him about quantum mechanics unrelated to consciousness or spirituality, and then edited the material in such a way that he feels misrepresented his views"

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-10/cult-science


You want to learn about quantum physics, then consult with PHYSICISTS, not a woman who thinks she is 3500 years old and makes a film to promote her cult.

You cant stop asking questions? then study real science and philosophy, from actual philosophers, and from reliable science sources. This video and the movie, and the movement behind it, are not reliable.

This is the same thing as that movie called the Secret. you gain absolutely nothing from it. Just because these films make you wonder and feel good, does not mean you have gained any truth or have expanded your perspectives. How can you expand it form something that is false and misleading?

Admitting one's ignorance about reality is great and should be applauded, but there is a reason why philosophers use the Socratic method, and scientists use the scientific method whenever a new idea comes along. The ideas presented here do not pass either of those tests.

Don't take this as an attack, I'm just trying to show you that this is not the content to stimulate your curiosity of things.

Any interest charged above say 10-20 percent is utterly outlandish and shouldn't be permitted. The damage it does to national economies is far greater then the benefit gained by those few wealthy enough to earn an "income" simply by lending money already accumulated.

High interest rates devalue money and fuel inflation. So a high interest credit card owned by some poor debted student or factory employee, who can't afford it in the first place, will indirectly devalue the income of hard a working "middle-class" person on the other side of the country, even if they the second guy has no debts at all. It essentially functions like a tax on money charged to everyone for the "privilege" of having an income, not by the governments (who might pave roads with at least SOME of the money), but by the privately owned, all for-profit banks that mostly just funnel it into corporate jets and executive holidays.

Over 3500%+ interest is absolutely ridiculous. No matter how small the sum.

Lol thats awesome but you can get a fantastic home theater setup for much.. much less.

For example, over the fall I redid my home theater setup for about $3500, that includes.

Samsung LN52A650 - perhaps the best mid-high range LCD tv's in 08. Got mine for a bit over $2100. The picture blows anything I've ever seen on a TV away, no matter the model or the price. Call me biased (it is my TV of choice) but next to some of the LCDs my friends have.. they all now want one lol.

Pioneer 1018AH Receiver - Simply amazing, this thing can hit +80db. Thats no '130db $1m powerhouse but for $300 it's stunning.

Polk Audio RM6880 5.1 speakers - I have frankly never heard anything better outside a $3000 Klipsh setup. Pricetag - $900

Samsung PD1500 blu-ray player - Mid-end but I felt no need to go better. Cost me around $150.

I tell you there isn't a single person in my entire neighborhood who hasn't stopped over to experience the setup and every last one had their mind blown. Just at 0db you cant hear yourself scream. I typically play movies at -20db and thats plenty loud enough.

So yea, you don't need a $1m setup for great home theater, course I'm sure it would sound simply amazing.