Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
04/28/2005 4:56:37 PM ||
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and the Corner - less spectacular than I would've imagined. We shoot 5 Gallon plastic water bottles with hollow-nose jacketed .45 mags in the desert with a LOT more spectacular fun. Maybe the beer....
:-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 20:17 Comments ||
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EFL:Could it be birds, Quince?
That's it, Sam! Birds, Sam! Birds!
BERLIN - Why are toads puffing up and spontaneously exploding in northern Europe? It began in a posh German neighborhood and has spread across the border into Denmark. It's left onlookers baffled, but one German scientist studying the splattered amphibian remains now has a theory: Hungry crows may be pecking out their livers. Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww!
The crows are clever," said Frank Mutschmann, a Berlin veterinarian who collected and tested specimens at the Hamburg pond. "They learn quickly from watching other crows how to get the livers." I believe it involves ripping the shit out of the toads.They're smart like that...
So far, more than 1,000 toad corpses have been found at a pond in Hamburg and in Denmark. But the pond water in Hamburg has been tested, and its quality is no better or worse than elsewhere in the city. The remains have been checked for a virus or bacteria, but none has been found. Based on the wounds, Mutschmann said, it appears that a bird pecks into the toad with its beak between the amphibian's chest and abdominal cavity, and the toad puffs itself up as a natural defense mechanism. Sounds like it works real well...
But, because the liver is missing and there's a hole in the toad's body, the blood vessels and lungs burst and the other organs ooze out, he said. Hmmmmmmmm. The liver's missing. Go ask those crows over there if they know anything about this...
Local environmental workers in Hamburg have described it as a scene out of a horror or science fiction movie, with the bloated frogs agonizing and twitching for several minutes, inflating like a balloon before suddenly bursting."It's horrible," biologist Heidi Mayerhoefer was quoted as telling the Hamburger Morgenpost daily."The toads burst, the entrails slide out. But the animal isn't immediately dead — they keep struggling for several minutes." Next on Fox; "When Toads Explode".
Other theories have been that horses on a nearby track infected them with a virus, or even that the toads are taking the selfless way out — sacrificing themselves by suicide to save others from overpopulation. The "Take One For The Team" theory...
Could hungry crows be a reasonable answer? "We haven't seen that. It might be, it might not be," said institute spokeswoman Janne Kloepper. "It's speculation," until it's observed, she said. Muldoon, get the Toad Squad on stakeout. Pronto.
PHILADELPHIA, April 28 (UPI) -- A semi-conscious 9-year-old Philadelphia boy was unable to tell police Thursday how he ended up hanging from a coat hook in his school's coatroom. Police spokesman Inspector William Colarulo said third grader Dominic Jones had an abrasion around one of his eyes, when a teacher found him Wednesday morning, but it was considered insignificant.
"It's not very big, only about the size of a fist. We have no idea how it got there."
Until the boy is able to speak, it remained unclear if he intentionally or accidentally got himself tangled on the hook, or if someone put him there, the Philadelphia Inquirer said Thursday.
In the City of Brotherly Love, home of Philly fan? Hell, it could be anyone, including his little sister!
The hook at the Samuel W. Pennypacker Elementary School is four feet from the ground. "One of the possibilities is that in order to hang up his coat, he had to jump up and couldn't get loose," said Paul Fink, a psychiatrist who serves as a consultant to the school district. "What I don't understand is why he couldn't yell out."
Don't get out much, do you Paul?
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2005 12:59:40 PM ||
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Yo Adrianne,
Lil Dominic got "bagged" down at the schoolyard.
I'm gonna go knock together a couple a coconuts...
Posted by: Rocky I ||
04/28/2005 13:20 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah, we had a "psychiatrist" at my elementry school too... Sister Mary Chokehold.
She would have figured this one out by morning snack and punishment meted out in time for lunch...
EFL:The ivory-billed woodpecker, long-thought extinct, has been spotted in a remote section of Arkansas for the first time in more than half a century, according to new report. Evidence of the bird's continued survival — documented by a team of researchers who published their findings in the journal Science Thursday — sent shock waves through the ornithological circles Thursday, with experts calling the find nothing short of a miracle.The previous confirmed sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker in continental North America occurred in 1944. Since then anecdotal reports have persisted, although the bird has been listed as one of six North American bird species suspected or known to have become extinct since 1880.
In an article published Thursday in the journal Science, however, a team of researchers, led by Cornell University's John Fitzpatrick, revealed that at least eight independent sightings of the bird have now been documented. In one case a video clip, though blurry, showed key features, including the size and markings consistent with the ivory-billed woodpecker, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
"We have conclusive proof that the ivory-billed woodpecker has survived into the 21st century," Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "We know that in the spring of 2004 there was at least one ivory-bill in this forest."
The Audubon Society's web site lists the ivory-billed woodpecker — officially known as Campephilus principalis — as "presumed extinct." It describes the bird as a large black and white woodpecker, surpassed only in size by the imperial woodpecker of Mexico. It can grow up to 48 centimetres long and weight 520 grams, with a wingspan of almost 84 centimetres. Males have a red crest, while females have a black head and crest.
"White wing patches and a stripe down the side of its neck continuing down its back distinguished it from the pileated woodpecker, the only bird that could have been confused with this species," the society said in its description of the bird. The bird is larger than a pileated woodpecker, which is similar in appearance, and has the black-and-while markings of the ivory-billed bird.
When flying, however, the ivory-billed woodpecker does not undulate like other woodpeckers, travelling instead more like a duck. Its drum is a single or double rap, and its sounds like "a toy trumpet repeated in a series or as a double note."
The sightings documented in Thursday's article each came from separate people or teams and occurred during the past two years within three kilometres of one another in the Big Woods region of Arkansas, which is marked by swamps and bottomland hardwood forests. Researchers could not determine how many individual birds were encountered during the sightings.
"It is a landmark rediscovery," Scott Simon, director of Arkansas chapter of The Nature Conservancy, said. "Finding the ivory-bill in Arkansas validates decades of great conservation work and represents an incredible story of hope for the future." The Nature Conservancy, which has protected a large segment of land in the area, reported that the first sighting came on Feb. 11, 2004, by George Sparling of Hot Springs, Ark.
After learning of the sighting, Tim Gallagher of Cornell and Bobby Harrison of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ark., travelled to the area with Mr. Sparling and also sighted the bird. Other sightings followed, including one on April 25, 2004, in which David Luneau of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock videotaped the bird taking off from the trunk of a tree.
Ms. Present said it is not surprising that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been able to stay out of sight for so long. "You have to think about its habitat," she said. "It's a huge bird, so it needs very large trees in order to nest. It requires old growth forests, places that were not logged. "And it resides in forests in wetlands, no less. These places are often accessible only by boat or helicopter."
As well, she said, the ivory-billed woodpecker is a shy bird by nature — unlike the closely related pileated woodpecker, which is more willing to come out around people — so it would also avoid human contact. At this stage, she said, it becomes "really critical" to protect the bird's habitat.
Throw a fence around Arkansas and kick the people out. I mean, it's not like we'd miss it or anything.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2005 12:37:31 PM ||
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But Steve, who'd visit Bubba's new library.
Oh, right. Sorry, back to what you were doing.
They tried a couple of years ago to find some in Georgia, with no success. (though there was anecdotal evidence there, too)
Glad they still exist.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/28/2005 13:13 Comments ||
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This is actually pretty amazing. For years, biology textbooks put the ivory billed woodpecker up there with the Dodo and the Passenger Pigeon as examples of extinction. Doubly interesting in that it is a *big* bird. What next?
#10
Very cool. And so many other species are being fruitful and multiplying: California Condors, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons (scourge of city pigeons, hurrah!), Eastern Bluebirds... even some plants thought to be extinct in my area have been discovered on land allowed to go back to nature. Pollution levels are down in the States, and energy efficiency and recycling continue to rise. More land is forested than has been in about 150 years, Florida is working on expanding its wetlands, Xeriscaping and gardening with native plants are fashionable. It's a good time to be Green (if one is honest, anyway).
Miss France 2004 has been stripped of her title for six months after posing for Playboy. The head of the committee that runs the contest said she was "dismayed and appalled" by the half-naked photos of Laetitia Bleger in the magazine. She said Miss France winners were barred from engaging in "licentious" behaviour for six years after winning the title. Miss France 1983 lost hers after posing as a pin-up for Paris Match magazine. A statement from the Miss France committee said: "Laetitia Bleger infringed on the rule forbidding the national winner from making herself available for licentious shots - either partially or fully nude." "We can't let this go," Miss France committee president Genevieve de Fontenay told AFP news agency before the decision was reached. "Miss France winners have a status to uphold and they know it." Miss Bleger was elected at the end of 2003 and was succeeded by the current holder, Cindy Fabre, last December.
Posted by: .com ||
04/28/2005 5:07:55 AM ||
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This is the best image of her (IMO) I can find on googly.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/28/2005 10:14 Comments ||
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yep
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 10:18 Comments ||
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Engaging in seedy behavior for money - I can think of nothing else that would more perfectly capture the essence of France. She should be regarded as a national treasure.
#10
Her semi-nude photos are all over usenet. Saw a couple last night but didn't understand the context.
Isn't six years past the end of the average model's career? Sounds a bit much to me. No nude during the 1 year contract sounds fair, not 6. No earning potential with 6.
Flash floods have killed at least 10 people in Yemen and destroyed acres of agricultural land in the poor Arab state, officials said yesterday. They said tens of houses were also destroyed by rushing water in the past two days after heavy rains lashed several parts of the country. "There has been a lot of damage to property due to heavy rain in the last week," one official said, adding that it was too early to provide accurate estimates of material damage.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Ladies and Germs, thats what they call a "shmal" if I remember my Arabic correctly. We attacked through one of those back in the first Gulf war. The Iraqis though our gunflashes from the M1's were lightning from the storm until their "antenna tanks" started blowing up. We loved the first shot kills on thermals from over 1km away.
I remember one of the guys in my track said "Oh Man, this looks like God is pissed".
#5
OS - yeah, that's the word I heard in SA. Mebbe shamal, too long ago.
In '92, Mike?
I was on the 9th floor, in '92, of the Tower Bldg, Core Area, Dhahran. Looking out the windows as that thing descended upon us was, well, it looked like the End of the World, lol! It was higher than the 10-story Tower building - and I'd guess the one in these pix isn't quite that high. What's fun is having a heavy fog as one comes in - you get a coating of 1/4 to 1/2 inch of mud all over everything outside. Everything. It's a trip cuz no one has an ice scraper, the perfect 1st pass removal tool, lol!
#9
#4 Ladies and Germs, thats what they call a "shmal" if I remember my Arabic correctly.
I thought it was "shahel" from my long ago travels in North Africa, Chad and Mauritania. That was 10 years ago and I still find dust in my clothes from that experience. But the neato part to this story was the BBC using photos taken by a jarhead gunny who happens to be female.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/28/2005 10:51 Comments ||
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In Lubbock Texas, this is a good day, people cook out on days like this, the rest of the time its really ugly out. I've seen it snow during storms like this....and people think West Texas is beautiful...yeah, in your rear view mirror.
Posted by: Live to Ride ||
04/28/2005 14:14 Comments ||
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There may be an element of myth to the desert part of this. I've been out in Australia's Great Sandy Desert in high winds and while you get a painful sandblasting, you don't get choking dust. In fact there is almost no dust. The dust requires disturbance of the ground by agriculture. So these kinds of sand/duststorms are a feature of marginal agricultural areas and not deserts (where there is no agriculture).
#12
I do hope some terrorist was scouting the base, only to turn around and see the giant wall of sand.
Posted by: Charles ||
04/28/2005 17:28 Comments ||
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phil b: not deserts huh? So all the KSA stories are lies?? Loose, silty sand is all that's required, in the right situations, and Saooodi has it just like other areas. Your comment about marginal farming (topsoil loss and drought) are correct, but all they do is replicate the great f*&king desert conditions. I've seen something similar (smaller tho') east of San Diego, near Imperial Cty line...it's the desert, man..
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 17:29 Comments ||
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Frank, having just researched the subject I can confirm my observations were correct. Dust storms do not originate in undisturbed desert like SA's Empty Quarter the world largest sand desert. They originate in arid agricultural areas such as found in parts of northern SA or areas that have been disturbed by other causes eg, mining. Here is a long but interesting article on the subject.
#16
Sheesh. I'm thinking things are not quite so simple. I wrote modeling software for the oil & gas industry for over 10 years. Even history-matching to at least 6 decimal places was no guarantee that the model would perform accurately over the lifespan of a field. Same for thermal modeling - there were always unknown and unanticipated factors which came into play after some unexpected threshold was crossed. Beware over-reliance on models is my point.
First, I offer 3 photos I took in SA during the Gulf War, 3-26-03. Use this map link for distances and visualization. The same sandstorm front that brought military operations to a total halt in Iraq was wreaking the same havoc even as far away as the Dhahran area of Saudi - and that's 400 miles from Dhahran (and I don't have any idea how far South of me that it extended) just to the Point of Departure in Kuwait, let's call it Umm Qasr, and easily 700 miles to Baghdad... Think this was caused by farmers? Bedu farmers? Really? It moved Northwest to Southeast. I can assure you that there is very little between Dhahran and Buraydah... Certainly not substantial farming. Think about it some more...
You will note that the visual range is just about 100 yds.
Regards the article, let's say they know what they know, but that may not be everything. Rummy said it better:
The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.
âFeb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
I will issue a memo to the Bedu to immediately cease and desist their farming activities in the desert outside the Dhahran - Dammam - Khobar triangle... and to stop scuffing with their feet when they walk. Obviously they caused this, this, this little dust-up.
;-)
#17
BTW, this is the petroleum center you heard about in the "Al Khobar Masscre" story where 21 infidels were slaughtered. The first two victims were security guards at Al Rashid Petroleum Centre. At the other end of the road in DSC00252, the third pic (looking in the opposite direction, about a mile behind the image POV), is where the high-rent Oasis Compound, where they ran to and did most of their killing, is located. Just background. As you were.
#21
.com, when you were doing that modelling, did you account for Chaos theory? My brother has been doing a lot of work on weather forecasting with the Meterology Dept. at his university, and says Chaos is the only thing that lets him come close.
#22
Wheager -
Jan-Jun 95, Prince Sultan AB at Al Kharj. One of our Saudi liason NCOs said that the shaamal was God's way of getting your attention.
Robert-
Only on 77 going past LTV Steel.*S*
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/28/2005 22:15 Comments ||
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tw - The time period was 70's-80's. The maturity of Chaos theory, as might be used in O&G modeling, was certainly neither mature nor accepted by the hardcore "These are the purse-strings of our company - don't fuck around!" management of the O&G giants.
You wrote code using accepted mathematical constants and formula and, customarily, your model had to successfully mirror known data, called history-matching. You lived by the simulation texts and your mathematical function references and company code libraries. What we would've given for an online compendium, such as the AMS Series. Sigh.
There was, also, the Not Invented Here rule. At Mobil they didn't use the same approaches as they did at SOHio or ARCO, for example. And I contracted at all of them at one time or another.
No, where $billions$ were concerned, it was strictly accepted / proven hard math, with each company building a library of "proven" routines which you strung together, modified, rewrote, etc, as needed. Eventually, every company had it's own proprietary models. The 6 (at that time) Saudi Royal Fields were modeled by Mobil - they had the Royal Contract, lol! Everybody developed custom 2D & 3D routines (matrix solvers) to calculate all sorts of goodies, such as the delta (change) of temp or pressure or viscosity between "cells" of the matrix in succeeding timesteps. Usually, the data requirements exceeded the computer's memory capacity, so you could only process N steps before you had to write a "restart" file. clear everything out, reload from the restart, and proceed another N timesteps. Rinse. Repeat.
The original Cray-1 only had .5MB of main memory, for example. I can tell you converting code between machines, with different word lengths, math libraries (there were even bugs in logarithm tables, etc, - a blasphemy, lol!), etc was a real trip.
I know I've over-killed my answer. Sigh. Sorry, lol!
Azerbaijan's GunAZ TV started broadcasting in the United States on Tuesday. the World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) Baku office told AssA-Irada. The channel, which will broadcast programs 24 hours a day, is owned by deputy chairman of the WAC on internation... (article abruptly ends)
Chinese archaeologists said newly found evidence proves that a valley of Qingjiang River, a tributary on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, might be one of the regions where Homo sapiens, or modern man, originated.
The finding challenges the "Out-of-Africa" hypothesis of modern human origins, according to which about 100,000 years ago modern humans originated in Africa, migrated to other continents, and replaced populations of archaic humans across the globe.
The finding comes from a large-scale excavation launched in the Qingjiang River Valley in 1980s when construction began on a range of hydropower stations on the Qingjiang River, a fellow researcher with the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Archaeologists discovered three human tooth fossils in one mountain cave in Mazhaping Village, in the Gaoping Township of Jianshi County, western Hubei Province, and found pieces of lithic technology and evidence of fire usage in Minor Cave in Banxia. There were similar findings in Nianyu Mountain and in Zhadong Cave in Banxia, all in Changyang Prefecture of the Qiangjiang River Valley.
A special research panel named the Jianshi Man research team has been set up to analyze the findings.
Zheng Shaohua, a member of the Jianshi man research team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, confirmed the tooth fossils belonged to humans dating back between 2.15 and 1.95 million years ago.
The archaeologists also found fossils of bone implements in the cultural strata at the ruins where the human tooth fossils were discovered.
The fossilized bone implements bear traces of human beating, testifying that humans, not apes, lived inside the mountain cave, said Qiu Zhanxiang, another member on the Jianshi Man research team.
The pieces of lithic technology and traces of human fire usage found in Minor Cave in Banxia were said to date back 130,000 years, the ruins of human fire usage in Nianyu Mountain were dated as 120, 000 years or 90,000 years old, while pieces of lithic technology and traces of fire usage found in Zhadong Cave in Banxia, were dated as 27,000 years old, said Professor Zheng.
Before these latest archaeological findings, Chinese archaeologists had found fossils of what is now known as Changyang Man in 1957 under the leadership of renowned Chinese paleoanthropologist Jia Lanpo. Changyang Man represents early Homo sapiens dating back 200,000 years.
The latest archaeological findings together with the earlier discovery of Changyang Man all prove there was continuity in Homo sapiens' development in China, said Liu Qingzhu, head of the Archaeology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"They are also of great significance to research on Paleolithic era in China and East Asia, and theories regarding multiple origins of mankind," said Liu.
Dating is the key here. It presumes that certain techniques are based on values that do not change with time. Miscellaneous techniques can yield some sort of agreement, but it is still a guess, although it may be a good guess. It is often corroborated by geologic stratification, but even that has some problems. For instance, under Table Top Mountain, AZ, several modern human skeletons were discovered in mid 1800's under a layer of lava that is normally considered to be a part of later miocene--to this day, I have to stipulate. No traces of introduction into layer have been found at the time of discovery. It would have been interesting to actually date these skeletons, but unfortunately, Smithsonian lost them about 1900. Ales Hrdlicka, at the time the boss there, did not like them anyway, heh. Not saying that the skeletons were really from miocene, but rather that there seem to be some glitches in stratification calibration and assumptions about erosion rates. Thusly, dating must be always considered only tentative and subject to revisions by default. Even when we have C14 RCD method available for finds belonging to the holocene, sometimes the results may be skewed a bit by mineralization or other processes.
Posted by: Sobiesky ||
04/28/2005 3:17:46 AM ||
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My first thought reading the first sentence was, "Oops, I'm wrong - there IS a way the Chinese can become even more arrogant and insufferable."
Of the claim there is doubt and research will develop some sort of consensus over time. One thing about which I have NO doubt is that proving this (and sticking with their stated conclusion, no matter what) will be very important to them. Where anyone else would likely think it a curiosity or be excited about the archaeological follow-up aspects and what might be learned, the Chinese will see it as some sort of "proof" of something or other.
Remember when the old Soviet Union used to fall all over themselves about claiming they had the "oldest living citizen"? Same fool's gold mentality. For example, I don't recall an "I Love Lucy" campaign from the Oldevai Gorge Chamber of Commerce... I have no doubt this will be a closely guarded site and all manner of silly-assed security will required, complete with political purity req's, of anyone who wishes to study what has been found.
There will be some fun fallout, I'm sure. They really got their panties in a twist about a year ago (IIRC) when archaeologists in what is now Cambodia found evidence of a bronze culture predating similar finds in China by hundreds of years. No detail which can be applied to shore up their vast collection of inferiority complexes is ever overlooked.
The western expanses of China were occupied by Caucasians long before the Chinese appeared. Even worse -- these Caucasians had some distinctly European artifacts.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/28/2005 7:47 Comments ||
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Lol, RC! Perfect example of their mentality. If they keep up these foolish games, they'll get us all killed someday, ala SARS.
#4
The 'out of Africa' scenario says all modern humans come from a very small population circa 100k years ago. The Africa part is little more than speculation based on the preponderance of fossils from that continent. In a few years when we get gene maps from enough people we could well have the answer by tracing back genetic similarities.
#5
There are, however, both DNA and fossil challenges to the Out of Africa theory (which posits that all living people are descended from a group of fully modern Homo sapiens who left their African homeland about 100,000 to 150,000 years ago). Analysis of the oldest DNA ever taken from skeletal remains, from the 60,000 year-old "Mungo Man" in Australia, show him to have a genetic lineage that is both older and distinct from the African line. Australian aborigines would thus descend from members of two migrations about forty millenia apart rather than a single one.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~allpoms/genetics4.html
The problem with all this is that Out of Africa is that it has become orthodoxy and not subject to challenge [any more than the Socialist/PC culture on campus]. If you look in one spot, you'll only find in one spot.
Then there is the problem of what constitutes the definition of 'modern human'. You can bet the goal posts will be moved if there is any evidence that starts to undermine the orthodoxy.
#6
Who cares? But if these guys ever start talking about having invented baseball or football then its war I tell you, war!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/28/2005 10:52 Comments ||
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#7
Phil_b, the map may still be misleading. There has been a large drop of population ~ 10,000 BCE, some previous lineages may not exist anymore and that is bound to skew the results.
Phavitch, "Long live the Brahmins of the Church of Scientism!"
Unfortunately, that is a fact. They do.
#11
Much less well know is that there appears to be a Y Chromosome Adam, of considerably more recent origin than Eve, from which all humans descend - Wikipedia
#12
PB - careful with Wiki as a source. I don't know squat to refute or corroborate that particular cite, but I've seen utter nonsense quoted on Wiki as "original-source-proof". Just a "salt-lick" warning, like Debka....
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 20:31 Comments ||
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#13
There will be many "truths" in this relatively new field. Then, someday, there will be truth. It's fun following the tech and the debates, heh. Much of it is statistical guesswork, such as the "molecular clock technique" - which may be an observation without factual foundation.
Just having fun watching the "experts" - who often differ - duke it out, heh. Brings new appreciation, IMO, for the fact that every "expert", no matter how confident or capable in articulating his/her idea (read: theory), is still just throwing spaghetti at the fridge door, hoping some will stick.
I don't have a dog in this hunt. Color me a voyeur in this one, lol!
#14
Frank, the wiki section that Phil liked to was swept verbatim from a Dutch Organic Chemistry site that is fairly good.
"A recent challenge to the Eve theory has been the observation that the mitochondria of sperm are sometimes passed to offspring. Still other evidence suggests that sperm and egg mitochondrial DNA may "recombine, or swap pieces of sequence with each other. So mitochondria may not be so pure a matrilineal marker as they were supposed when the theory was advanced. Depending on how frequently paternal inheritance and recombination occurred, as well as when they occurred, it may be that no Eve even existed. But scientists still disagree on whether these processes do occur, and if it turns out that they do, they may not occur frequently enough to make Eve or her identification impossible."
#17
no problem, Sobiesky - I just take contributor-driven tech/history sites with a "salt-lick" proviso
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 20:49 Comments ||
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#18
Point taken about Wiki. Here is a somewhat more authoritative source. It also explains why 'Eve' and 'Adam' necessarily exist, i.e. we all must have a common male and female ancestor.
#19
I find that evidence as exciting, and not just as a religious-basis thing.... the commonality of DNA is a pretty cool idea with where it runs to.
Nice cites, guys
Posted by: Larry the Cable Guy ||
04/28/2005 20:59 Comments ||
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#20
D'oh! pretty obviously that wasn't Larry. Less obvious due to the non-cynical nature is that it was me....damn
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 21:00 Comments ||
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NEW DELHI, April 28 (AFP) - European Aircraft giant Airbus Industrie has cried foul over state-run Air India's decision to buy 50 Boeing jets, saying it was denied a chance to show off its new A380 superjumbo, as analysts said politics influenced the decision. Airbus urged the Indian government to order a new tender after Air India approved Tuesday the purchase of up to 50 Boeing planes worth USD 7 billion, the US plane-maker's second big win this week. Air India's purchase decision capped a year of high-profile lobbying by Boeing and Airbus executives and politicians from the United States and Europe.
"We are not disappointed, but astonished. We were not given fair and equal treatment," Harwood Airbus Industrie vice president Nigel Harwood said. He said he would write to India's civil aviation ministry seeking reconsideration of Air India's approval of the decision to purchase the craft, including the yet-to-fly B787 Dreamliner, and ask for fresh tenders. Purchase of the Dreamliner, Boeing's vision of the next major trend in air travel, is subject to federal government approval. "The B787 is still on the drawing board. No one knows its performance capability," Kiran Rao, chief of Airbus Industrie in India, told AFP late Wednesday. "Delivery dates for B787 are still unknown. Airbus can't understand why the A380 was ignored when this was the only aircraft that shows profitability on long-range and ultra-long range routes," he added.
Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact there are only a few places in the world you can land that beast. And how can you say it "shows profitability" when it's only had one test flight so far?
Harwood said Airbus got no chance to make a presentation on its double-decker A380, the world's biggest passenger plane which had its maiden test flight Wednesday near Toulouse, France. "We were not given a chance to make a presentation on A380 whereas Boeing made their case on B787s, which will not fly before 2007. That goes contrary to tender conditionalities," the Press Trust of India quoted Harwood as saying while stamping his foot and pouting. "Only Airbus could have delivered all the aircraft in the timeframe" demanded by the state-run carrier in its own tender," Harwood said.
An Air India spokesman rejected Airbus's statements, saying while Boeing, General Electric and others made presentations, Airbus "at no stage made use of this opportunity."
Didn't even bother to make a presentation? How rude of them. How very Euro.
Analysts, meanwhile, said the decision may have been influenced by politics as India hopes it will lead to high-technology sales from other US firms and win US support on New Delhi's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council.
Works for me.
"India has made the United States happy with the Air India contract after it pleased the European Union last year with the Indian Airlines order," said professor Brahma Chellaney of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
Chellaney said the deal was part of a strategy to present a picture of healthy India-US relations which have been growing in the last few years. "Such huge contracts are decided at the political level and that's what has happened this time too," Chellaney told AFP.
Air India said it wants to buy eight B777-200 LR, 15 B777-300 ER and 27 B787 Dreamliner medium-capacity, long-range aircraft. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said Tuesday it would trust the company's board on which plane it wants. "There will undoubtedly be much speculation as to why Air India chose Boeing over Airbus," said Elizabeth Mills, an analyst with Global Insight in Britain. "The government has been keen to distance itself from the deal, arguing it has no involvement with the company, but the links India has with the US in terms of defence and more recently as a result of a new open-skies agreement may have had some impact." Mills and Chellaney also noted the choice of Boeing may be an attempt by India to balance relations between Europe and the United States after domestic state-run carrier Indian Airlines gave Airbus the order to supply 43 aircraft.
So Airbus assumed if they got last years order, they'd get this one as well.
An aviation expert, however, said it was the Dreamliner's specifications that tilted the order in favour of Boeing which also won a USD 5 billion wide-body jet order this week from Air Canada. Airbus was a strong contender for the Air India order given its capacity to fly around 550 passengers on long-haul flights.
But the smaller Dreamliner, although two years away from its first flight, "is an exceptional aircraft as it has the latest technology, high passenger comfort and offers great economic value from fuel efficiency," Hormuz P. Mama, editor of International Aerospace Magazine. "Air India has taken the right decision to meet its long-term requirements as the Dreamliner will cost less money once you fly it," Mama said. Boeing has said the Dreamliner will help Air-India save USD 300 million annually. At the same time, Mama said, "it will also help boost India-US relations."
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2005 1:52:51 PM ||
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#1
They'll probably be pissed about this too:
Air Canada inks deal with Boeing
The order for 32 jets, including 14 new Dreamliners, is worth at least US$6 billion. The planes will mainly service routes to Asia, the airline said
#2
I'm Boeing had a little helpful hint in their presentation to the Air India folks about the number of airports that could accomodate their plane (lots & lots of 'em worldwide) as opposed to how many could accomodate the competition (four, maybe...and none of 'em in India....).
Of course, the fact that they couldn't even bother to make a presentation didn't help, either. If the Euros keep this up, it's not going to be "the Ugly American" any more, but "the Ugly European".
#3
"India has made the United States happy with the Air India contract after it pleased the European Union last year with the Indian Airlines order," said professor Brahma Chellaney of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi
Sounds right. India's playing its hand masterfully. They're now in a superb geostrategic position as balancer to China and potential friend to the US, EU and Japan. They'll get their UNSC seat yet.
#6
The Europeans still can't get it out of their head that if you call somebody a "wog" one day, and then try to sell them something the next, that it is unfair for them to hold a grudge. "Mon Dieu! But we are talking business, now!" The French would also think it highly unfair that they then couldn't turn around and sell Pakistan shoulder-launched SAMs specifically designed to shoot down Airbuses without the Indians complaining. "Zee two things are not related! It ees strictly business."
#7
It has long been speculated that the domestic (Indian Airlines) and international (Air India) orders would be split like this (airbus + boeing).
It spreads the money around and builds relationships with all players.
You see the same thing in defence. India will buy submarines and fighters from Russia but will also buy them from France. It uses Russian tanks but artillery guns and anti-tank weapons from Sweden, missiles from France and Israel, UAVs from Israel etc.
India has learnt not to be dependent on one supplier. Even during the cold war, when most weapon systems were bought from Russia, it bought Mirage fighters from France, Sea Harriers and an Aircraft carrier from Great Britain.
Posted by: john ||
04/28/2005 18:32 Comments ||
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Britain will push for greater economic reform in Europe when it takes over the union's presidency later this year, British finance minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday. With just a week left before the May 5 general election and on the eve of the publication of his Labour party's business manifesto, Brown promised to make the case for a better functioning, more flexible and more open single market. "In our coming presidency of the European Union we will seek to bring all political parties together to work in unison for economic reform in Europe," Brown said, according to the text of his speech.
"The businesses I talk to do not want to look inwards but outwards to new markets and across the country and across all political parties they want a united consensus pressing for economic reform and surely this is in the British national interest." Britain takes over the rotating presidency of the EU in the second half of the year. Brown pledged to cut down on red tape that was hampering wealth creation. "Because 40 percent of major new regulations come from Europe, Britain has agreed with other countries to put regulatory reform at the heart of our EU presidency," he said.
Brown, seen as Prime Minister Tony Blair's most likely successor, said a returning Labour government would also push for a better trade relationship with the United States and the removal of regulatory and other barriers between America and Europe. He said that business must also wake up to the opportunities offered by fast-growing economies like China and India. "And in the fast expanding financial services, we will match the successful UK-China financial dialogue with a UK-India dialogue," Brown said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Former presidential candidate Al Gore accused Senate Republicans on Wednesday of carrying out the dirty work of right wing heretics bent on undermining the federal courts by seeking an end to Democratic judicial filibusters. He's getting better. He used the word "heretics" but what kind of heretics? Religious? Seems to me the Democrats use of the filibuster is boardering on un-constitutional.
Gore said the path to a quasi-Republican dictatorship is paved by an end to judicial filibusters. More like an end to Democrat obstructionism.
"Their grand design is an all-powerful executive using a weakened legislature to fashion a compliant judiciary in its own image," Gore told members of MoveOnPAC. Where does he get these ideas?
Gore warned that ending the Democrats' novel use of a 60-vote majority to defeat a handful of conservative court nominees would turn Americans over to merciless corporations and religious zealots. There it is! Religious Zealots! Merciless Corporations! and Bears, oh my!!
"America would face the twin dangers of an economic blueprint that eliminated most all of the safeguards and protections established for middle-class families throughout the 20th century and a complete revision of the historic insulation of the rule of law from sectarian dogma," Gore said. There is absolutely no way ending the filibuster on court judge nominations is going to do any damage at all, much less wht Howlin' Al espouses. What it may end is the practice liberal judges ignoring legisatures and de-facto making of laws.
Gore's protests nothwithstanding, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole set aside earlier misgivings and endorsed a move to abolish judicial filibusters. Dole said he preferred a negotiated settlement but concluded that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had the right to end what he called unconstitutional Democratic obstructionism. From Gore we get horror tales and moonbatery and from Dole sensible solutions. If Howlin' Al had his way the Courts would have handed him the election. He just can't get over the fact he's irrelevant. He was irrelevant as Vice-President (except when he cast the deciding vote to give immigrants who had never worked in this country and never paid into Social Security all the benefits of Social Security).
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/28/2005 10:58:16 AM ||
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#1
funny comments. al is relevant in that he could have been our nut-bat president when 9/11 happened...shudder!
#2
Which "religious zealots" is Algore taking about? The ones that Kerry visitied in Church and spoke at the pupit, the ones led by the Pope, or the ones led by the likes of Reverends (sic) Jackson and Sharpton. Frinst was on Laura Ingrahm this morning and said that he will force a vote next week on the judges. If you think Algore is spun up now, wait until the rules change in the Senate.
Right, Al, and if the president of Exxom left you a voicemail saying something about a possible contribution, you wouldn't even return the call.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/28/2005 14:46 Comments ||
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#4
Speaking of merciless corporations, Al, how's the new TV network going? How about the investment group?
If they don't do well, it's okay, because Blixie, Clarkie, Joe Wilson, and Scott Ritter are thinking about asking you to be the PR man at the Irrelevant Hall of Fame.
The United States and other countries have protested about the re-election of Zimbabwe to the UN's main human rights body, the Human Rights Commission.
Zimbabwe was one of 15 countries chosen by members of the UN's Economic and Social Council in New York. All but one were chosen by consensus. Critics say too many countries with appalling human rights records have been on the commission. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended it should be replaced.
Zimbabwe will sit on the UN Human Rights Commission for the next three years.
It was, like other candidates, put forward by its regional grouping - in this case the Africa group.
There were immediate protests from the United States, with the deputy US representative to the Economic and Social Council, William Brencick, accused Zimbabwe of maintaining repressive controls on political assembly and the media. He asked how they could expect Zimbabwe to support international human rights at the commission while it disregarded the rights of its own people.
Australia and Canada also objected. However, Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UN, Boniface Chidyausiku, said that when it came to human rights no country was beyond reproach.
The Human Rights Commission, based in Geneva, has been widely criticised because of the poor human rights records of many of its members. Kofi Annan has said that its declining credibility has cast a shadow on the UN's reputation as a whole. He has suggested that as part of wider UN reforms, the commission should be replaced by a smaller human rights council directly elected by the General Assembly.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2005 8:27:25 AM ||
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#1
Don't see a problem here. The opposition party to The Great Bob isn't really "human," so they have no rights.
NEW YORK, New York --- Media outlets around the globe panicked after learning that a Catholic had been elected as the new pope. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, has been described by the world media as a "hardline conservative" who believes in all major aspects of Catholic faith and doctrine.
"I can't believe the Catholic Church would do this," said an insider at CNN. "This guy doesn't believe in abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, or female priests. I was really anticipating that the Catholic Church was ready to elect a pope that was not a true Catholic. Someone far more flexible on these issues. You know. Like a Unitarian Church leader."
It seemed unusual that the media portrayed John Paul II as a compassionate and warm leader, while Benedict the XVI is described as a radical hardline conservative even though the two hold almost identical beliefs about the Church. A New York Times executive explained. "We all described John Paul II as a right-wing zealot when he was first elected in an attempt to promote hatred of Catholics and religion," said the executive. "Once he actually started to perform compassionate deeds and change the world for the better, we had to back off. Now we have an opportunity to slam this new pope as a hardline conservative. Most of our readers are too dumb to know that hardline conservative is just code for a devout Catholic. I'm still disappointed that our early smear tactics couldn't sway the Cardinals to select someone like John Kerry, Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton, three non-Catholics who would change the Church doctrine for the better. This is off the record, right?"
LiftPort Group, the space elevator companies, today announced plans for a carbon nanotube manufacturing plant, the company's first formal facility for production of the material on a commercial scale. Called LiftPort Nanotech, the new facility will also serve as the regional headquarters for the company, and represents the fruition of the company's three years of research and development efforts into carbon nanotubes, including partnering work with a variety of leading research institutions in the business and academic communities.
Set to open in June of this year, LiftPort Nanotech will be located in Millville, New Jersey, a community with a history in glass and plastics production. Both the City of Millville and the Cumberland County Empowerment Zone are partnering to provide $100,000 in initial seed money for the new facility.
LiftPort Nanotech will make and sell carbon nanotubes to glass, plastic and metal companies, which will in turn synthesize them into other stronger, lighter materials (also known as composites) for use in their applications. Already being used by industries such as automotive and aerospace manufacturing, carbon nanotube composites are lighter than fiberglass and have the potential to be up to 100 times stronger than steel.
"We are pleased that LiftPort has selected Millville as the location for its new manufacturing facility and regional headquarters," said Sandra Forosisky, Executive Director of the Cumberland Empowerment Zone. "Millville has a strong history in manufacturing, and we believe it is ideally suited for the emerging carbon nanotube industry." Mayor James Quinn from the City of Millville added, "LiftPort's presence will give Millville a competitive advantage in the emerging use of nanotube composites within our existing manufacturing base and its ability to attract additional manufacturing companies resulting in the creation of many new well paying jobs for our community."
"We selected Millville due both to its central location to key business centers on the East Coast, as well as its experienced workforce," said Michael Laine, president of LiftPort Group. "In addition, we selected the area because of its growing reputation for supporting the development of cutting edge technologies in a variety of arenas, such as low-cost, green energy."
Today's announcement represents the second major facility and first East Coast presence to be established by LiftPort Group, the Seattle-based company dedicated to the development of the first commercial elevator to space. The company was founded by Laine, one of the pioneers of the modern Space Elevator concept and the creator of the modern business model for building a commercial space elevator.
"We see the development of carbon nanotubes as critical to the building of the space elevator," said Laine. "Opening a commercial production facility enables us to generate revenues in the shorter term by meeting the growing market need for this material. At the same time, it enables us to conduct research and development in this arena for our longer term goal of a commercial space elevator."
A revolutionary way to send cargo into space, the space elevator (as proposed by LiftPort) will consist of a carbon nanotube composite ribbon stretching some 62,000 miles from earth to space. The elevator will be anchored to an offshore sea platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, and to a small counterweight in space. Mechanical lifters will move up and down the ribbon, carrying such items as satellites and solar power systems into space. More information can be obtained at the company's web site at www.liftport.com.
#2
We are just at the very first baby steps of a truly bizarre engineering revolution in more ways than one. For instance, a 1" rod of this material could provide the same structural strength to a high-rise building as the entire steel frame that is currently used. Even if a space elevator is impractical, replacing vast amounts of steel cable with a near-invisible ribbon has astounding weight and cost savings in innumerable situations. What about glass as hard as diamond? Diamond hard cutting edges that are just two or three molecules across? Etc., etc.
#3
Think how much more deadly those kite flying contests can be in Afghanistan, etc. with that kind of kite string... They won't have to coat the string with glass powder in order to de-head the random bystander. ;-)
#4
Carbon nanotubes--cool.
Elevator... prediction: It will get zapped before reaching the final destination. Hopefully, no one will be inside when this gets tested.
Physicists in the US have generated nuclear fusion in a simple, table-top device operating at room temperature. The device, built by Brian Naranjo, Jim Gimzewski and Seth Putterman at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), causes two deuterium nuclei to collide with each other and generate alpha particles, neutrons and energy (Nature 434 1115). The device could have applications as a portable neutron generator or in the propulsion systems for miniature spacecraft, but will not be useful as an energy source because it consumes more energy than it produces.
The experimental set-up consists of a centimetre-sized cylindrical crystal of lithium tantalate (LiTaO) surrounded by deuterium gas. This material is pryoelectric, which means that positive and negative charges build up on opposite faces of the crystal when it is heated. This creates an electric field that is high enough to ionize any deuterium atoms that stray near a tiny tungsten tip attached to the positively charged surface. These deuterium ions get repelled from the surface and are accelerated by the field towards an erbium deuteride target, where the fusion reactions take place.
The device currently emits about 900 neutrons every second, and the UCLA team say that it could be used as a "simple palm-sized neutron generator" if the output can be increased to about one million neutrons per second. Using tritium rather than deuterium in the target will increase the neutron yield by a factor of 250, says Naranjo, and optimizing the geometry and increasing the beam current should provide another factor of four.
#2
tres cool - methinks these boys will have "special" passports in the future
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 18:11 Comments ||
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but will not be useful as an energy source because it consumes more energy than it produces. If fusion is occuring then it certainly has the potential to be a net energy producer.
#5
"If fusion is occuring then it certainly has the potential to be a net energy producer."
How do you figure that? How does the word "fusion" justify "net energy producer"? "Hot" fusion hasn't become a "net energy producer" in the U.S. in 54 years and $14 billion of research.
This is also a bit like ethanol. The "net energy" has to take into account the full cost of producing the materials required. I'll bet that when they say it "will not be useful as an energy source because it consumes more energy than it produces" they are not even considering the energy used to produce the required crystal of lithium tantalate, deuterium, tritium, etc.
Posted by: Tom ||
04/28/2005 21:09 Comments ||
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The chief prosecutor of an UN-backed war crimes court in Sierra Leone has accused Charles Taylor, exiled former Liberian president, of masterminding an assassination attempt on the president of neighboring Guinea in January this year.
The Sierra Leone special court has already indicted Mr. Taylor on 17 counts of crimes against humanity for his role in supporting Sierra Leone's rebels in a war that caused tens of thousands of deaths. Mr. Taylor has yet to face trial.
The warlord-turned-president was at the centre of more than a decade of conflict in Liberia that spilled into neighboring West African countries. He agreed to step down as Liberia's president in 2003 when Nigeria offered him asylum to prevent further bloodshed as rebels surrounded Monrovia, the Liberian capital.
A special court document obtained by the Financial Times alleges that Mr. Taylor, who escaped detention in the US in 1985, has also broken the terms of his asylum in Nigeria by traveling to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, in February.
There, the document alleges he met collaborators including Francis Galawulo, a Liberian lawyer who has recently announced his ambitions to contest Liberia's presidential elections slated for October.
The document also alleges that Mr. Taylor's master plan includes toppling the government in Ivory Coast.
Both Guinea and Ivory Coast backed Liberian rebel movements that conquered swathes of the largely forested country.
Hardliners in the Ivory Coast government say Mr. Taylor and the government of Burkina Faso have supported Ivorian rebels in the west and the north of the country respectively.
Analysts say Guinea, which has a third of the world's known bauxite reserves, would provide Mr. Taylor with ample resources to fund a new war chest.
Mr. Taylor sustained his previous campaigns through the sales of timber and diamonds from Liberia and Sierra Leone. International investigators say he also laundered diamonds through al-Qaeda.
The special court has been lobbying hard for Mr. Taylor to be handed over for trial, but the Nigerian government says it can only do this when an elected Liberian government asks Nigeria to extradite him.
The Nigerian government said it would never have allowed Mr. Taylor to leave the port city of Calabar, where he is supposed to be held.
"There is not a single iota of truth in that allegation," Remi Oyo, presidential spokeswoman, said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/28/2005 3:46:50 PM ||
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An association of residents living near Paris's Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Wednesday denounced the noise pollution generated by the giant Airbus A380, after the new airliner's maiden flight. French acoustics expert Joel Ravenel, a member of the Advocnar group representing those who live near Charles de Gaulle, told AFP he had recorded a maximum sound level of 88 decibels just after the aircraft took off from near the south-western city of Toulouse. The figure makes the world's largest commercial jet "one of the loudest planes that will for decades fly over the heads of the four million people living in the area" outside Paris, Advocnar said in a statement. Ravenel said sound levels near Charles de Gaulle airport normally reached about 40 decibels. Journalists watching the Airbus A380's first flight at Toulouse airport, however, noted how quiet the take-off and landing had seemed. Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as the A380 touched down at the airport near Toulouse, home of the European aircraft maker Airbus Industrie, after a test flight of three hours and 54 minutes.
Posted by: seafarious ||
04/28/2005 9:46:33 AM ||
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#1
Journalists watching the Airbus A380's first flight at Toulouse airport, however, noted how quiet the take-off and landing had seemed.
These journalists were no doubt watching from an area perpendicular to the jet's direction of travel, where noise isn't likely to be the loudest. Stand at the front or back of the runway and that will change.
#2
I really don't understand the rationale behind this "superkolossalluftwagen". What would induce a prospective passenger to crowd into an airplane with 554 other people? The thing is a flying cruise ship without the amenities. Might be OK for first or business class, but it has to suck in coach if for no other reason than population density. How long is it going to take to load and unload this behemoth? This airgoing leviathan from the people who brought you the EU constitution seems destined for a guest shot on the History Channel's Engineering Disasters program. But then, I've always been partial to Boeing's passenger planes.
#3
than population density Speaking as someone who has done more long haul flights than I care to recall, the extra space the aircraft provides will more than compensate for the longer load and unload times.
#4
Only 88 decibels? Hell, that's probably quiet for this large thing! Guess the French never had a taste for Spinal Tap! And I guess none of their citizens live near an AFB...oh, yeah, a French AF? hah!
Posted by: BA ||
04/28/2005 10:18 Comments ||
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#5
First of all, last I heard there were only 4 runways in the world that could handle this blubber bus. Second, let me be the first to offer up my "dead pool" for its first crash as being in the month of October, 2005, for no particular reason. I figure six months before one of these beheamoths does a header. Any takers?
#6
phil-b you got it.
Not just load/unload the plane, but terminal space for the holding area, the baggage handling, the security inspection accompanying all the process, the parking and passenger drop offs. That doesn't include all the costs to modify existing airport facilities to address the physical demands this will induce to hubs that even 'want' such a beast on their tarmac.
Why does the entire concept seem to smell of the European view of the individual, treating them like baggage. Yep, one trip in steerage for most Americans will get them on Southwest tomarrow. However, it ought to go over well with the Chinese government, with whom the French have so much in common.
#7
Who wants to ride for long hours in something called a bus? Give me a Constellation or a TriStar. Airbus makes me think of Greyhound.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/28/2005 10:33 Comments ||
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#8
Let's not be snippy about our French brethern. They have feelings too.
However I must admit that I find the prospect of actually getting the thing off the ground while 554 people are trying to stuff everything they own into the overhead bins somewhat amusing.
Posted by: Michael ||
04/28/2005 10:33 Comments ||
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#9
This aircraft is the aviation equivalent of the dodo bird.
First of all, who pays for the torn runways, etc.? The heavier the aircraft, the quicker the run ways have to be repaired. translation: very high maintence costs.
Second, who wants to be stuck in a gate area with 800 other stranded passengers when there is a flight delay or cancellation? translation: cattle stampede.
Third, the Euros are known for their half-baked notions on aircraft design. Anyone remember the Concorde? translation: short-lived wet dream.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/28/2005 10:38 Comments ||
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#10
The overriding concern is cost per passenger-mile or ton-mile of freight. In that respect the A380 will have an advantage due to 50% greater payload but less than 50% greater fuel burn. It especially looks like a better freighter than the 747 since it doesn't have a tapered body.
Were not going to see the A380 shuttling between LA and SF or even LA and NY. It will be used primarily for the transpacific and Europe-Asia routes and a few for the trans-Atlantic routes. 550 passengers are not a problem. Current 747s carry 400 and the upgraded 747s will carry 500. In intra-Japan flights, 747s are configured with about 550 or 600 seats.
I think Boeing made a mistake by not quickly developing a stretched upper deck version of the 747 and locking up orders a few years before the A380 was ready for market.
Posted by: ed ||
04/28/2005 11:08 Comments ||
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#11
This plane and concept have serious problems. Aside from being a big terrorist target, it is going the wrong way for being big. People like more point-to-point travel, so that favors lots of routes with long range, but smaller planes. That gives you flexibility in routing and scheduling.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/28/2005 11:16 Comments ||
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#12
I thought this thing had the capacity potential for 800 passengers.
My understanding is the actual runways are not even the main concerns. It is the taxiways, staging areas, gate configurations and all other aspects of the "ballet" that takes place every day at ORD, LAX etc. This thing is close to a football field wide so when it comes gate time, its footprint is eating away at an airports most valuable real estate- gate position. (Metal stairs you walk down to the tarmac on are considered "bad form" for the international jet set!) Throw in delays, deicing, security considerations and you will see why the most profitable components of the battered airline industry are still found in standardized, repeatitive operations rather than trying to prepare for a unique "one off" design.
Also, from an accounting view, you can still run 2 747's a half an hour apart from/to the same destination and have a better bottom line than one of these crafts.
#13
88 decibels makes me sad.
I can barely hear the mime...
Posted by: A Sad French Clown ||
04/28/2005 11:31 Comments ||
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#14
The quote that noise levels at the airport are normally near 40 db is clearly idiotic. Even in unpopulated areas wind makes trees and brush rustle and typically results in 50 db or so.
As far as the 88 db reading, it seems to me it depends on where that reading took place. If it was in residential neighborhoods, that's a lot. An enclosed sports stadium might reach 90 db only a few times a year, after, say a game winning TD or HR.
#15
First of all, last I heard there were only 4 runways in the world that could handle this blubber bus.
Something just occurred to me: who is going to pay for airport upgrades at locations this thing is supposed to serve? Surely not Airbus. Instead of designing something that would require little to no change to existing facilities so as to minimize problems and expenditure, Airbus creates something which will require the airports served having to scrape up money somehow to fund improvements to their terminals in order to accomodate this grossly oversized A320.
#17
I'm curious if many similar complaints were made when Boeing rolled out the 747?
I'm no fan of Airbus by any means, but it seems to me that if you can haul more people cheaper that's going to be a big selling point to most major airlines. If you have a busy route and can fit more paying passengers into this beastie without having to add another flight that's a huge savings in time and money. Yes, there would likely be extra time requirements for security, maintenance, un/loading, etc., but I hardly believe it would be as much time as required for two smaller jets capable of transporting the same cargo.
Personally I'd rather go with someone like Southwest flying 737s all over lots of routes so I can get where I want more directly and as cheaply as possible, but I can see the appeal of this monstrosity on longer, busier routes.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/28/2005 13:12 Comments ||
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#18
As several people commented, cost per passenger mile is going to be the deciding factor. But the actual cost per passenger mile is never the theoretical cost one gets based on dividing the operating costs by the number of passengers on a FULL plane. Part of the equation will be finding out how many routes have the paassenger demand to FILL the plane. Running an A380 "significantly" less than full will drive its costs up. Whether it can be consistently kept full will be determined in large part by how air travel develops in the future.
There's been a lot of debate as to whether the "hub model" that's been popular for the past 20 years is going to be the way air travel continues to develop. IF it is, then the A380 will be a major financial success. IF the trend is away from hubs to more of a "point to point" style of travel, then it will probably be a bust. Boeing is betting on the latter, Airbus on the former. Only time will prove which is right.
Posted by: Ralph ||
04/28/2005 13:47 Comments ||
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#19
The hub question's important for the longer term but it appears that in the short term the Airbus is basically designed to serve the Chinese market. Given France's dependence on state-promoted Airbus and other manufacturing exports, we can expect France to try to expand its "strategic relationship" with China even further in coming years.
Especially after the EU constitution crashes and burns on May 29. France will then be free to tell the Brits, Germans and scandinavians to piss off, and will deny any need to abide by export controls vis-a-vis China.
#20
let the frickin euros build it, a large pieces of its avionics is american...but it won't hear that in the press...its a dodo but american firms still get paid!
Posted by: Dan ||
04/28/2005 14:07 Comments ||
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#21
the cost to 'improve' airports is borne by the airport involved, usually aome sort of port authority (local taxes) and there is the FAA Airport Improvement Program that dishes out low cost loans or grant (federal taxes) so who pays for this pig to land in the U.S? We do.
so far i think only about 4 airports have stated that they are going to spend the $$ necessary to support operations. and the comments about delays and on the ground operations are only the tip of the iceberg. most runways are too close together to allow this beast to be cycled in with the rest of the aircraft, requiring a completing isolated landing sequence, making more delays. that's what we need, more delays! as a freighter however, especially if there was a 'reliever' airport that may be a different story. if i want cattle car conditions, i'll take southwest, at least there will not be a whole city packed in with me.
#22
Dar: I'm no fan of Airbus by any means, but it seems to me that if you can haul more people cheaper that's going to be a big selling point to most major airlines.
There is a need for this baby in selected time slots and a need for the Dreamliner in other time slots. Currently, 747's going across the Pacific are either over-booked or half-empty, depending on the time slot. They need the A380 for the overbooked (night) flights and the Dreamliner for the half-empty (day) flights. Look for ticket prices to plummet, as airline costs go down (assuming oil prices don't change).
#24
"Cost per passenger mile" is one thing....but you have to consider how much more time it's going to take to load the thing with passengers/luggage/cargo. A plane doesn't make you any money sittin' on the tarmac lookin' purty.
It's also a possible marketing bonus for the airlines that don't use it....as in, appeal to virtually everyone's desire to get off of the stupid thing as fast as possible. Do you want to arrive an hour earlier to the airport just to park your happy butt in a cramped seat with 800 other people? Personally, I don't.
Take into account how few airports can/will be able to accomodate the thing (China looks good, US & most of Europe probably not due to reluctance to spend the cash to accomodate one or two flights per day, Latin America not likely, big no on Africa, and Australia also highly unlikely), and it looks more & more like an Airbus ego trip. I'm thinking Concorde Mark II...without the beautiful design lines.
#25
I expect that if the A380 succeeds, Boeing will apply the lessons learned from the Dreamliner to a new plane designed to go head to head with the A380. Being first to market isn't everything - Airbus itself is evidence of this truism..
#26
Found this tidbit:
The first Airbus A380 technical manual, the ``Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning'' was released this month, providing data airport authorities and planners will need to make their airports capable of handling the double-deck jumbo jet.
One of the document's earliest readers was the U.S. General Accounting Office, which estimated that the 14 U.S. airports expected to service the A380 will have to spend $2.1 billion to upgrade terminals, runways, taxiways, etc. Airbus estimated the costs would be closer to half a billion dollars.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2005 14:51 Comments ||
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#27
The issue is this - airlines can't get any more time slots if they're overbooked, and can't not fly if they're underbooked (it's use it or lose it). This is why the A380 is necessary - to pack those extra passengers in, and the Dreamliner is also necessary - to make profitable flights in less desirable time slots.
#28
Steve, wow. I think that would just about kill it here in the states.
It's not too politically smart to spend billions to accomodate a foreign airliner in this economy. Especially one with ties to France.
Get the airport noise crowd allied with the "you're wasting our tax dollars" bunch, and this thing is DOA in the USA, folks. I don't care how much sense it may or may not make in the economic arena. The politicos ain't going to take a bullet for something like that.
#29
Sorry but if they resolve the noise issue then I'm all for the added competition from the A380. Boeing's incompetent execs would run that company into the ground were it not for competition from Airbus. More choice is a good thing, too. Bring it on.
#30
Lex, the only thing we'll learn about competitiveness is that Boeing would be a lot more "competitive" if we gave them subsidized loans like Airbus did.
They may not be really competitive, but they'll be "competitive."
This is one of the ways subsidized socialism drives out capitalism, even if it isn't best for the consumers or taxpayers.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
04/28/2005 17:02 Comments ||
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#31
PF: Lex, the only thing we'll learn about competitiveness is that Boeing would be a lot more "competitive" if we gave them subsidized loans like Airbus did.
In terms of featherbedding, Boeing's union has work rules that are as bad as or worse than Detroit's. Airbus serves to keep Boeing's union honest - Boeing's management can't just appease it and expect to stay in business. Boeing's employees need to experience the market discipline that the rest of us have been subjected to. (Note that keeping the cost of planes low helps to keep air fares low, as well).
#32
The Detroit analogy's apt. Imagine how shitty cars today would be if Detroit had not had its balls put to the flames by japanese competitors over the last three decades.
Yeah, yeah, I know the MoF subsidized Toyota and the other japanese mftrs, I know about import barriers, etc. I hear what you're saying about subsidies; Zoellick and the gang are fighting the good fight on that.
The bigger point here is that "national champion" economic strategies are bad for the nation. Let the French pretend otherwise if they like. Do your eally want us to follow them into the ditch?
#33
"national champion" economic strategies are bad for the nation. State sponsored enterprises of any form are almost always a dismal failure. Airbus is an exception primarily becuase Boeing got fat and lazy as a monopoly. When the Brazilians and a Canadian snowmobile manufacturer can succeed in the passenger aircraft market something is/was seriously wrong.
So right you are, call this the AirbusT. Major carriers utilize yield management, matching aircraft lift to demand. As Bob Crandall used to say, too many seats chasing too few passengers.
Don't underestimate the damage caused to airpot runways due to exceedingly heavy aircraft landings. Profit margins are so tight in this industry that no air carrier can afford to pay the ongoing cost of premature runway damage/repair.
I give it two years before the AirbusT.
Posted by: Dennis Kucinich ||
04/28/2005 19:53 Comments ||
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#35
Picture if you will....you are at the gate waiting, along with the hordes of passengers, for your outbound flight to be called, an A380 aircraft. Oops, the flight now has a mechanic problem and you and the masses are told to wait it out. Several hours pass and the horde is getting impatient considering that there are no alternative flights that can accomodate the vast number of stranded passengers.
This scenario will not be replayed very often before the flying public gets the message. Book a flight on a different sized aircraft.
Posted by: Dennis Kucinich ||
04/28/2005 19:59 Comments ||
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#36
Steve and DB: Some of these costs inherent in accomodating this aircraft are recurring, not one time fixed costs. And the cost incurred in accomodating this one aircraft will likely be bore by the particular carriers who used this aircraft (i.e., Southwest, and similar will resist the pooling of transportation tax when they are not the cause of the higher cost of airport maintenance).
Posted by: Sky King ||
04/28/2005 20:14 Comments ||
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#37
Several hours pass and the horde is getting impatient considering that there are no alternative flights that can accomodate the vast number of stranded passengers.
What I'm kinda wondering is if that behemoth can be totally evacuated safely in 90 seconds, per FAA rules, in the event of an emergency. What's more, if the injury rate during a demonstration of an emergency evac is higher than 4% (or somewhere near that number), that won't be looked upon kindly.
#38
Many of these exact same points were brought up 35 years ago when the 747 first came out. People hated to fly on one because they knew it would take forever to get on and off, and their baggage might as well go by train. Many runways could not (and still can't) handle them. I'm not sure about the evacuation time, but the plane was huge.
So, if a competent company had introduced this, I would predict 3 years of teething trouble, then being a big money-maker. Of course, if introduced by a company that needs huge subsidies just to survive...
h/t Drudge. Lol. This is like Trotsky poking fun at Marx. US socialite and journalist Arianna Huffington is to launch a super blog featuring contributions by a host of her celebrity chums, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Norman Mailer. Tim Dowling got a preview
Wednesday April 27, 2005 Welcome!!!!! posted by "Huff" on Mon May 9 2005 at 09:00 PDT
Hi everybody! Allow me to introduce my innovative new publishing venture, a groundbreaking "group blog", where over 250 creative minds from every corner of my Rolodex weigh in on topics ranging from the political to the personal, and anything in between! Well, that's enough from me - let's blog!
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Great New Experiment in Democracy, posted by "Huff" on Mon May 9 at 09:02 PDT
The "blogosphere" is the biggest leap forward in journalism since the days of Tom Paine, a unique opportunity to tap directly into the cultural bloodstream. But I'm not here to put words in anyone's mouth, I'm just providing the megaphone!
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A New Kind of Communication, posted by "Huff" on Mon May 9 at 09:07 PDT
Instant, interactive, intelligent, informed; reaching out across the political spectrum. What? Did everybody forget their passwords already?
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I can't think of anything to say, posted by G Paltrow on Mon May 9 at 09:21 PDT
Arianna: its rlly uncool whn my cell rings during pilates. i said id post whn & if i had something to say. rt now im just too busy. stop bugging me.
Gwynniex
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Another Cutting Edge Contribution, posted by "Huff" on Mon May 9 at 09:23 PDT
Cantankerous, unafraid and always outspoken, that's Gwyneth (Paltrow) to a tee! You can expect to be hearing a lot more from her on Huffingtonpost.com, on a whole variety of subjects!
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Does anyone know how to get red wine stains out of a wool carpet? posted by NORMAN MAILER on Mon May 9 at 10:14 PDT
I'm screwed if my wife sees this. I'm not even supposed to drink in that room. I've been scrubbing but that just seems to spread the stain around. A quick answer would be most appreciated.
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I think I'm going to run for president, posted by WarrenBeatty on Mon May 9 at 10:39 PDT
You heard it here first, people. The official announcement will be on Jay Leno on Wednesday. Most of you know that I've been actively interested in politics for many years, but recent events in our country have finally made me realise that someone has got to take a stand. I know I can count on your support. Oh hang on, I've got a fridge being delivered that day. Forget about it.
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This is so blogciting, posted by Tina Brown on Mon May 9 at 11:04 PDT
Today we are entering a new paradigm: the energy and passion that I see on this mega-blog will ensure that it becomes not just the premiere electro-salon of the liberal elite, but the soul-search engine for the entire Alter-net. In today's fast-moving, cross-pollinating media perfect storm we don't always want considered essays or spelled-out arguments. Sometimes we just want to say "Bush sucks". Although his wife is really sweet.
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Re: Does anyone know how to get red wine stains out of a wool carpet? posted by BarryDillerCEO.IAC/InterActiveCrop on Mon May 9 at 11:17 PDT
pour white wine over it & then blot GENTLY with a clean cloth. Rinse with warm water & repeat until gone. Whatever you do, don't rub. Who's got a good sourdough bread recipe, btw? The last loaf I made was like a paving stone.
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I know I'm just providing the megaphone but. posted by "Huff" on Mon May 9 2005 at 11:34 PDT
perhaps I could suggest a topic? The president's proposals for private investment accounts are aimed at improving the long-term solvency of social security, but does it come at too high a price, namely sacrificing the commitment to guarantied benefits?
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Dear hopeless liberals, Posted by David "Axis of Evil" Frum on Mon May 9 2005 at 11:45 PDT
Unless you got to that stain right away, white wine ain't gonna do jack. You need BLEACH and plenty of it, and you need to rub hard. Hope this doesn't shatter your cosy little worldview.
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OH MY GOD ARIANNA Posted by G Paltrow on Mon May 9 2005 at 12:22 PDT
Did you just like take that text I sent you and post it on your stupid frigging blog? That was private! How dare you! Don't post this email either!
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Whoops! The fridge is coming today! Posted by WarrenBeatty on Mon May 9 2005 at 13:09 PDT
They just called. So I guess I can announce my candidacy on wed after all, but now I don't really feel like it. Hi Gwynnie! Hi Norman! What's everyone having for lunch?
comments 0 :: trackbacks 0 :: post a comment Deep Thought, as played by society's fluffers.
Posted by: .com ||
04/28/2005 5:02:25 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The only way these deep thoughts could get any deeper is if they get Streisand to contribute.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/28/2005 9:58 Comments ||
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#2
At least the blog doesn't convey Huff's annoying accent.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 10:07 Comments ||
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#3
Unless you got to that stain right away, white wine ainât gonna do jack. You need BLEACH and plenty of it, and you need to rub hard. Hope this doesnât shatter your cosy little worldview.
I like this, it sounds like a Rantburg post. Doesn't sound like Frum, really, though, and it's bad advice.
#4
Very funny. My insanity gets progressively worse, and some people see that as a source of humor. How mean spirited of you people!
Posted by: A. Huffington ||
04/28/2005 10:57 Comments ||
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#5
I, Miles Gloriosus,
I, slaughterer of thousands,
I, oppressor of the meek,
Subduer of the weak,
Degrader of the Greek,
Destroyer of the Turk,
Must hurry back to work.
#6
I'm glad she's doing this - I certainly don't get enough of the political/social/foreign policy views of actors, actresses, et al that never finished college and read/emote the words and thoughts of others
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2005 11:07 Comments ||
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#7
I seem to recall Warren Beatty from some b-flick decades ago, but Norman Mailer? Ariana Huffington? Who are these people, anyway?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Miss France 2004 has been stripped of her title for six months after posing for Playboy. The head of the committee that runs the contest said she was "dismayed and appalled" by the half-naked photos of Laetitia Bleger in the magazine. She said Miss France winners were barred from engaging in "licentious" behaviour for six years after winning the title. Miss France 1983 lost hers after posing as a pin-up for Paris Match magazine. A statement from the Miss France committee said: "Laetitia Bleger infringed on the rule forbidding the national winner from making herself available for licentious shots - either partially or fully nude." "We can't let this go," Miss France committee president Genevieve de Fontenay told AFP news agency before the decision was reached. "Miss France winners have a status to uphold and they know it." Miss Bleger was elected at the end of 2003 and was succeeded by the current holder, Cindy Fabre, last December.
Flash floods have killed at least 10 people in Yemen and destroyed acres of agricultural land in the poor Arab state, officials said yesterday. They said tens of houses were also destroyed by rushing water in the past two days after heavy rains lashed several parts of the country. "There has been a lot of damage to property due to heavy rain in the last week," one official said, adding that it was too early to provide accurate estimates of material damage.
Britain will push for greater economic reform in Europe when it takes over the union's presidency later this year, British finance minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday. With just a week left before the May 5 general election and on the eve of the publication of his Labour party's business manifesto, Brown promised to make the case for a better functioning, more flexible and more open single market. "In our coming presidency of the European Union we will seek to bring all political parties together to work in unison for economic reform in Europe," Brown said, according to the text of his speech. 
Former presidential candidate 
An association of residents living near Paris's Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Wednesday denounced the noise pollution generated by the giant Airbus A380, after the new airliner's maiden flight. French acoustics expert Joel Ravenel, a member of the Advocnar group representing those who live near Charles de Gaulle, told AFP he had recorded a maximum sound level of 88 decibels just after the aircraft took off from near the south-western city of Toulouse. The figure makes the world's largest commercial jet "one of the loudest planes that will for decades fly over the heads of the four million people living in the area" outside Paris, Advocnar said in a statement. Ravenel said sound levels near Charles de Gaulle airport normally reached about 40 decibels. Journalists watching the Airbus A380's first flight at Toulouse airport, however, noted how quiet the take-off and landing had seemed. Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as the A380 touched down at the airport near Toulouse, home of the European aircraft maker Airbus Industrie, after a test flight of three hours and 54 minutes.
US socialite and journalist Arianna Huffington is to launch a super blog featuring contributions by a host of her celebrity chums, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Norman Mailer. Tim Dowling got a preview 
