New Addition to Blogroll: lifeofdunbar

Are you a government employee, federal or state?  If so, you will enjoy the reflections in the newest addition to Dreadnaught’s blogroll: lifeofdunbar

Sample:

This blog is for those who possess the faculties of reason yet somehow thrive in service to their country.

A respite for those who understand the government and who are frightened by that very fact.

Enjoy

yojoe out

Blogroll Addition: The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

If you have ever noted the myriad grammatical faux pas visited upon the signage across the country, this blog is for you: the “blog” of “unnecessary” quotation marks

Here is a prior post with a very unusual urinal sign.

yojoe out

Marine Corps Banns Access To Twitter, Facebook, And MySpace

The Marine Corps recently published MARADMIN 0458/09, entitled IMMEDIATE BAN OF INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (SNS) ON MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE NETWORK (MCEN) NIPRNET, which prohibits access,

TO INTERNET SNS FROM THE MCEN NIPRNET, INCLUDING OVER VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN) CONNECTIONS.

The SNS mentioned in the order include,

FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, AND TWITTER.

At first blush this may not appear to be a radical move by the Marine Corps.  After all, it is rational for an organization to ban the use of websites that are used exclusively for gossip about old high-school friends, taking useless quizzes, and online dating.

However, Admiral Mike Mullen, USN, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has his own Twitter account, entitled thejointstaff.

According to 10 USC 152(c), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “outranks all other offers of the armed forces.”  Thus, Admiral Mullen is the highest ranking member of the armed forces.  As the most senior military officer it would seem important for Marines to remain aware of what the Chairman has to say.

Steve McNair Dead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in downtown Nashville.

Blogroll Addition: The Lift

Dreadnaught has a new addition to the blogroll: The Lift.  The Lift covers legal issues concerning the fight against terrorism.  It is a great resource for information on Guantanamo Bay, detainees, and military commissions.  Please check it out.

yojoe out

Jonathan Lee Riches©To Be Named Most Litigious Man By The Guinness Book Of World Records

Jonathan Lee Riches©, or the JRL as he is known on Dreadnaught, is back in the news.  The inmate from Federal Correctional Institution Williamsburg, SC, is to be named the most litigious man by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Here are some of the JRL‘s lawsuits for your reading pleasure:

• Michael Vick
• Barry Bonds
• Wal-Mart
• President Bush
• The World Wide Web
• 50 Cent
• Iron Mike Tyson
• Ashlee Simpson
• Viagra, Cialis, Lavitra

yojoe out

President Clinton To Be Named Special Envoy To Haiti

From The Cable,

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be named a U.N. special envoy on Haiti this week, sources close to the United Nations tell The Cable.

A UN official confirmed to The Cable that there would be a formal announcement on this Tuesday.

The Clinton Foundation did not immediately respond to queries; nor did the White House.

yojoe out

Microsoft Windows 7 Available For A Limited Time

According to the great Wired blog Epicenter, Microsoft will offer a beta version of Windows 7 to the first 2.5 million people to visit the Windows 7 page.

Windows 7 will offer:

• Improved taskbar
• Jump Lists
• Internet Explorer 8
• Windows Live

Start looking for download times on Friday.  Good luck being among the first 2.5 million.

yojoe (in Windows mode) out

Odd Search Engine Term

It is interesting to see what search terms direct people to your blog. I actually had three occurrences of the following search term:

gay dating gastric bypass

Wow, what has this blog turned into?

Fleet Of Sunken World War I Ships In Maryland: Visible On Google Maps

Most people know about the Liberty Ships of World War II. These were the merchant vessels used to ship men and material to Britain, and to replace ships that had been torpedoed by German U-boats.
Lesser know, are the wooden steamships constructed by the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) for the same purpose during World War I.

Of 285 wooden EFC steamships built by August 1, 1920, at least 152 ended up in Mallows Bay within nine years. Today the remains of at least 30 percent of the entire EFC wooden steamship fleet still lie in the embayment, surrounded by derelict vessels of all kinds dating from the late 18th century through the 1980s.

Here is the link to the Google Maps version, below is a view of the ships.

Notre Dame USC First Half

ND had 9 total yards of offense in the first half. Not good Weis.

Election Day Lines In Alexandria VA

At 0550, the sun was at least thirty minutes away, but the line of people waiting to vote was already snaking around the block. At an elementary school in Alexandria, Virginia these Americans had risen early to exercise their right to choose their leader.

While there was no danger of violence or intimidation – or any of the myriad risks faced by others in the world when attempting to select a leader – it was, nonetheless, inspiring to be among your fellow citizens enjoying our most important right.

To the extent that polls are correct, it is likely that half the people in this line will cast ballots different from their neighbors. There was no division, just a group of neighbors being offered Cinnamon rolls and coffee for sale by the local group of Girl Scouts. We are all just trying to get that first cup of coffee down and participate on our democracy. No matter what the outcome, the civility with which we conduct ourselves while disagreeing about such fundamental issues demonstrates our strength as a people and nation.

This is a great day to be an American.

yojoe out

Penn State Over Ohio State

JoPa wins at Ohio State for the first time in 30 years.

Season 5 Of The Office

Season 5 of The Office, U.S. version, premiered on 28SEP08.

Pam’s rendering of Dwight.

yojoe out

H/T: Office Tally

O.J. Simpson On Trial

The LA Times has a page dedicated to the many trials of O.J. Simpson.

yojoe out

Pop, Soda, Or Coke: Which Word Do You Use?

The answer to this question is determined by where you were raised.  California you say soda.  Michigan you say pop.  Mississippi you say coke.

This according to the always compelling blog Strange Maps.  The map below shows the regional differences in the generic word used to refer soft drinks.

USC Football: Mark Sanchez To Start Against Virginia

According to ESPN,

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez went through his first full practice Monday since dislocating his left kneecap 17 days earlier, and appears on track to start Saturday’s season-opener at Virginia.

“Oh, I think so, absolutely. Especially mentally,” Sanchez said afterward, when asked if he believes he’s ready to play. “I feel good about it. If it were up to me, I’m in.”

Sanchez, the projected starter for Southern California, was carted off the practice field Aug. 8 after making a throw and landing awkwardly. X-rays and an MRI exam revealed no ligament, cartilage or bone damage. He had been jogging and throwing for over a week, but wore cleats for the first time Monday since being injured and did most of the work with the first team while wearing a sleeve and a brace on his injured knee.

The Trojans will play at Virginia on 30AUG08.  ABC will be sending Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire to cover the game.

The depth chart for Virginia looks like this:

OFFENSE
Pos No Name Ht Wt Yr

WR 20 Kevin Ogletree 6-2 189 Jr.
26 Cary Koch 6-0 192 Sr.

Judge Halverson: Misconduct Hearing Delayed By Health Problem

The misconduct hearing for Judge Elizabeth Halverson was delayed when she became ill in the middle of her testimony.  Apparently,

Judge Halverson suffered what her attorney called a “hypoglycemic” event this morning. Her attorney says the judge’s blood sugar level became low, and she was unable to continue her testimony.

Odd, Judge Halverson is the last person one would suspect to have a medical condition.  She appears to be the picture of health.

The hearing is set to resume on 14AUG08.  The judge also lost her bid for reelection.

For more on Judge Halverson see here and here.

yojoe out

Judge Elizabeth Halverson Faces Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission

Last year, the chief judge of the Nevada Supreme Court ordered Judge Elizabeth Halverson to be prohibited from entering the courthouse.  The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the chief judge exceeded her authority in banning Judge Halverson, but was correct in removing her from the criminal docket.  Judge Halverson had a number of complaints lodged against her, including:

• Bailiff complains judge makes him massage her feet and back
• Judge would put staff members under oath and ask them questions
• Judge put her husband under oath to ask if the house was clean
• Judge’s mother asked if the bailiff was her “servant”
• Judge fell asleep during her first criminal trial
• Judge spoke to criminal juries, outside the presence of accused and counsel for both parties
• berated lawyers for not contributing to her election fund (she dismisses this on the basis that no lawyers contributed so she could not be discriminating against any individuals)
• Judge would call staffer “the evil one,” “bitch,” “the elf,” and “the Antichrist”
• Judge fired her assistant Ileen Spooner, which resulted in a defamation suit against the judge

The current proceeding against Judge Halverson will determine if she is to be removed from the bench.  During the first day of the hearing, the bailiff testified,

“It made me feel very bad,” said Bailiff Jonny Jordan.

He says he did everything to keep his composure during his testimony, but it was not enough.

“I was robbed of my rights, my dignity, my dignity was taken, my dignity was taken, how would you feel if it happened to you,” said Jordan.

Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle then took the stand,

“I reached the point where I had judges refusing to attend meetings if she was going to be there because she was so disparaging to everyone and to the other judges,”

There will assuredly be more to come in this case.

yojoe out

Forum On Physics And Society: No Consensus On Global Warming

Forum on Physics and Society (FPS), a subdivision of the American Physical Society (APS) recently reversed its stance on human-induced global warming,

There is a considerable presence within the scientific community of people who do not agree with the IPCC conclusion that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are very probably likely to be primarily responsible for global warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution.

This changed stance coincides with a paper by Christopher Monckton of Brenchley, which posits,

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) concluded that anthropogenic CO₂ emissions probably caused more than half of the “global warming” of the past 50 years and would cause further rapid warming. However, global mean surface temperature has not risen since 1998 and may have fallen since late 2001. The present analysis suggests that the failure of the IPCC’s models to predict this and many other climatic phenomena arises from defects in its evaluation

Jason Taylor Traded To Washington Redskins

The Miami Dolphins have traded Jason Taylor to the Washington Redskins.

ASHBURN, Va. – Jason Taylor is leaving the only NFL team he has known, his wish to be traded to a contender granted on Sunday.

The Washington Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round selection in 2010 to acquire the six-time Pro Bowler, who had spent 11 seasons anchoring the Dolphins’ defense.

yojoe out