Wednesday, January 12, 2005

False Headlines

Drawing you in with lies…

The headline.

“U.S. Sends BA Flight Back to Britain."

From the body of the linked article.

"The plane was diverted back to London following a request from the U.S. authorities about a passenger they did not want to disembark,” the BA spokeswoman said.

The U.S. official said the United States requested the flight be diverted to Bangor, Maine, but British Airways asked for permission to return to London."

It figures that the story was filed by Reuters.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/12 at 01:41 PM
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Waa, Waa, Waa

Crying wolf to the wolves…

"Did you hear the one about the two guys arrested for telling lawyer jokes?

It happened this week to the founders of a group called Americans for Legal Reform, who were waiting in line to get into a Long Island courthouse.”

...a lawyer farther up the line Monday was not laughing.

He told them to pipe down, and when they did not, the lawyer reported the pair to court personnel, who charged them with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Fricking crybabies.

“Tell a lawyer joke, go to jail?"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/12 at 01:27 PM
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To Protect and Enslave

License, registration, proof of insurance, and your fingerprint, citizen…

The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin is implementing fingerprinting during traffic stops, for your protection of course, citizen.

"Police say it’s meant to protect you—in case the person they’re citing isn’t who they claim to be. But not everyone is sold on that explanation."

Include me in the “not everyone is sold” category.

“Police Begin Fingerprinting on Traffic Stops"

Via Billy Beck in a post titled “No Concept."

Posted by John Venlet on 01/12 at 04:55 AM
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Trite, Now?

California dreaming…

After the tsunami, the following headline almost seems trite.

“Death Toll Rises to 6 in Calif. Mudslide"

I would imagine that many in the world are ho, humming over that one and use of words such as “desperate,” “painstaking search,” and “four days of death and destruction.”

Via Google News.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/12 at 04:39 AM
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USS SAN FRANCISCO (SSN711) - UPDATE

High speed, uncharted underwater mountains, and submarines don’t mix…

The New York Times is reporting that the intensity of the underwater collision between the USS SAN FRANCISCO, and an uncharted undersea object, was more severe than originally reported, after obtaining emails sent by Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan, the commander of submarines in the Pacific. 

The number of injured crewmen was also underreported.  Almost half of the crew suffered some type of injury (60 of 137 crewmembers), and I would say that the entire crew is fortunate that they are not entombed in the boat on the bottom of the sea.

The NYT’s article also reports that the sub was traveling at a speed of approximately 30 knots, that’s “All Ahead Flank” in submarine parlance, which would not be unusual considering the sub was supposed to be in transit to Australia.

I’ve been in a couple, few, unusual underwater incidents during my time in the sub service, and I can appreciate the severity of just such a collision at “Flank” speed, and potential for total disaster, which this incident narrowly averted.

“E-Mail Shows Toll of Crash on Submarine and Sailors"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/12 at 04:20 AM
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