Incredible Volcano Eruptions

I found this via The Discovery Channel’s site:

Military Use of White Phosphorous

The 8-year-old’s skin was smoking from white phosphorus, a lethal chemical. Her hair was burned away. Her face, head, neck and arms were scorched yellow, pink and black.

When the doctors tried to scrape away the dead tissue, flames leapt out.

…

White phosphorus burns until it’s gone. It can burn right down to the bone.

…

U.S and NATO troops use white phosphorus to illuminate targets, create smoke screens and destroy old bunkers, but say they don’t use it as a weapon.

…

A U.S. military spokeswoman with NATO’s security force said military officials can’t be certain whether it was their own round or an enemy round that hit Razia’s house.

via Fox News (I know, I know)

Can anyone answer as to why we’re still using white phosphorous? I think there is far too little discussion on what types of weapons our military is allowed to use. We cry foul at the hint of torture during interrogation but say nothing when our military uses weapons that inflict far more damage than a tortuous interrogation.

In 1911, the Diamond Match Company released it’s patent on a type of match that does not use white phosphorous (WP)  in order to help stop the manufacture of the WP kind. WP was causing poisoning of workers that slowly destroyed the jawbone. The only cure: cut away the part that was diseased.

If nearly 100 years ago, the dangers were recognized why would we still think it ok to use against another human being, military or not?

Fervor of Hatred Toward Our President

Citing Fox News anchor Shepard Smith’s warning of hate-filled, “amped-up” Americans who are “taking the extra step and getting the gun out,” Frank Rich closed a recent OP-ED piece in the NY Times with this:

No matter. Last week it was business as usual, as Republican leaders nattered ad infinitum over the juvenile rivalry of Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich at the party’s big Washington fund-raiser. Few if any mentioned, let alone questioned, the ominous script delivered by the actor Jon Voight with the G.O.P. imprimatur at that same event. Voight’s devout wish was to “bring an end to this false prophet Obama.”

This kind of rhetoric, with its pseudo-Scriptural call to action, is toxic. It is getting louder each day of the Obama presidency. No one, not even Fox News viewers, can say they weren’t warned.

These are people who fear another terrorist attack, feel Obama is weakening our country and fail to see the irony in their fundamentalist approach to these issues.

Fundamentalists across the board are of the most dangerous breed. They belie reason in favor of oft-irrational feeling and thought. They are susceptible to fear mongering of the worst sort. In that vein of thought, fundamentalists Christians are no different than Islamists. Both groups are equally frightening.

Mandatory Public Online Profile?

I was tweaking my blog and installing a few plugins (including WordTwit) today when I got to thinking about online privacy. When the Internet first took hold people flocked to it, not only for the ease of finding information but also because it provided complete anonymity. We’ve seen a shift in the last several years toward exposing each and every aspect of our lives online and to total strangers and I think this is a reflection of our desire to be noticed and not to fade into the noise of the crowd.

It’s becoming increasingly easier for any organization to put together a complete physical and psychological profile based on the information that we freely provide through social networks without realizing the consequences down the line. On that same line of thought, I predict in the next 3-6 years we will see the creation of a mandatory national online profile much like social security cards. More on this later.

Palin vs. Letterman

If the media would forget about Gov. Sarah Palin, we would never have heard the Letterman joke about BRISTOL. The joke wasn’t even funny and now the media is giving more air time to someone who really should fade into the sunset.

Bah.

Post Wedding

The wedding was great. Reception great. I think I did ok with food this weekend. Very little snacking, so there’s that. Was up at 8:30 yesterday and 9 today. This trying to get up earlier is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I can’t believe I used to get up at 6 every day (weekday or not) and enjoy it. More to come.

Here we go again…

Once again, I’m starting fresh and attempting to find my voice. Decided to attempt a lifestyle change so why not restart my blog. Temporary theme in place? Check.

Out of bed: 7:15 a.m

Breakfast: 3 eggs with 1 slice of american cheese, 1 cup of coffee

Arrival at work: 9:25 a.m. (ouch)

Lunch: Small chicken cesear salad, 25 calorie vitamin water (orange flavored)

I’m now off to Jenn’s cousin’s wedding. rehearsal and dinner tonight, hanging with the in-laws and wedding tomorrow.