Archive for July, 2006

Big Crumble update (part VI)

Big Crumble update (part VI)

| July 25, 2006 | Reply

The Big Dig Crumble news cycle keeps churning away…. MTA Chair Matt Amorello has filed a lawsuit to keep Gov. Romney from forcing his resignation. On the other hand, the other MTA board members had already filed suit against Amorello: Romney loyalists on the turnpike board also sued Amorello, claiming he has “improperly and illegally […]

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McKinney challenger guest-blogging at Winds of Change

McKinney challenger guest-blogging at Winds of Change

| July 25, 2006 | Reply

UPDATED (07/28/06): A new poll shows Johnson with a 25-pont lead over McKinney.  Boy, that was quick. UPDATED (07/25/06): I’ve made my contribution to Johnson; have you? Hank Johnson is running against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D, GA-4), who is one of the folks that makes me consider leaving the Democratic Party. Johnson forced McKinney into […]

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Link o’ the day

Link o’ the day

| July 24, 2006 | Reply

The Sydney Morning Herald has an interesting article about a curious location in China. This location contains a scaled-down replica of rugged terrain, “complete with snow-capped mountains, streams and valleys.” Here is a direct link to the location in China via Google Maps. The scale model is roughly 850 meters long by 700 meters wide […]

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Geeks in space!

Geeks in space!

| July 24, 2006 | Reply

UPDATED (07/24/06): Apparently, the documentary claims that Armstrong and Aldin saw a UFO as well. Hat-tip to Sploid. According to a new BBC documentary coming out — “Apollo 11: The Untold Story” — Neil Armstrong accidentally broke a switch for a circuit breaker on the lunar lander, then cannibalized a ball-point pen to close the […]

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The Big Crumble (part V)

The Big Crumble (part V)

| July 24, 2006 | Reply

The age-old dictum “Follow the money!” appears to apply to the Big Dig Crumble as well, and Aaron Margolis over at HubPolitics.com is doing just that. Margolis’s investigation starts with a few fascinating items: State Att’y General Tom Reilly was “pushing for a deal with Bechtel [one of the major contractors] that would have given […]

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The Big Crumble (part IV)

The Big Crumble (part IV)

| July 23, 2006 | Reply

UPDATED 07/24/06: Andrew Cline, editorial page editor for the New Hampshire Union Leader, proposes renaming the Big Dig after Melina Del Valle, the woman killed when a portion of the ceiling collapsed. ORIGINAL: The eastbound lanes of the Ted Williams Tunnel that were closed a few days ago have now been re-opened, but only for […]

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Pity the French

Pity the French

| July 23, 2006 | Reply

It’s bad enough that Lance Armstrong, an American, won the Tour de France seven (7!) times in a row, in spite of various attempts to allege doping. But now that Armstrong has finally retired, and the field is now wide open for France (or, at least, Europe) to reclaim the crown, guess who wins? Yep. […]

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Why more is not better: the caves of Lascaux

Why more is not better: the caves of Lascaux

| July 23, 2006 | Reply

One of my key principles in applying technology is that “more is not better.” Time Magazine has an excellent example of that, discussing the problems introduced by a change in climate control technology at the world-famous caves of Lascaux: Art restorer Rosalie Godin was overwhelmed for a very different reason when she was urgently called […]

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The choices Israel faces

The choices Israel faces

| July 23, 2006 | Reply

While I haven’t commented much on the newest war in the Middle East, I have continued to follow it closely, both because of my interest in military history and that fact that it could lead to, oh, significant global conflict. By and large, my sympathies are with Israel, which is surrounded by countries and terrorist […]

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More evidence of human-caused global warming

More evidence of human-caused global warming

| July 21, 2006 | Reply

England suffering throug a prolonged heat wave. Oh, wait — this was back in 1911. Nebraska turning into a desert. Oh, wait — this was 800 to 1,000 years ago. North Africa turning into a desert. Oh, wait — this was 5,500 to 7,300 years ago. I still blame Bush. Hat tip to Drudge Report, […]

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