Wednesday February 15, 2012

ca1ic0cat's past comments

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    ca1ic0cat

    Yawn...meanwhile, in the real world...

    Posted in: British royal wedding guest list details emerge

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    ca1ic0cat

    I can't see anything wrong with a hanami party right now. People need some relief. As far as Ishihara's minions are concerned, maybe they should either join the party or the cleanup. Hanami parties I've been to are mostly harmless. At least the weather is better!

    Posted in: Park place

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    ca1ic0cat

    Both an assault rifle and a submachine gun are automatic weapons - "machine guns" in the common venacular. An assault rifle has selective fire - it can be switched between semi-automatic and full automatic. Other machine guns only fire in full auto.

    What everybody seems to be missing is that the latest tragedies have happened in countries with strict laws banning weapons, licensing others, etc. Maybe the laws don't stop the kooks?

    Posted in: 7 killed, 15 wounded in Dutch mall shooting

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    ca1ic0cat

    I agree that the cops are going above and beyond. The suits will help them keep radioactive dust from contaminating them but any radioactive energy will go right through. There are a lot of selfless people who are doing nasty jobs under dangerous circumstances. Thank you to all of them.

    Posted in: Searchers

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    ca1ic0cat

    Yanee is right, the only difference between the republicans and the democrats is who gets the money from the government.

    Taxes, fees, and property assessments (on which some taxes are based) are going up all the time. The only way the government is going to be able to reduce spending (and taxes, maybe) is to reduce the entitlement programs: social security, medicare, & medicade. That will cause howls from the elderly especially. And, since the elderly tend to vote, the politicians who do such a thing will not be re-elected. Then there's the subsidies for corporations, who are large doners to both sides. At least that's the theory. But now the government is out of cash. Will a crisis inspire courage?

    As far as printing more money goes that would just lead to more inflation and reduce the value of US debt held by foreign governments. The Chinese have already warned that they would not be impressed with such a move. The US treasury now kowtows to Beijing on that account. How times have changed.

    Posted in: No deal yet as possible government shutdown looms in U.S.

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    ca1ic0cat

    My understanding was that the elimination of CFC use way back when was supposed to have allowed the ozone to regenerate as the amount of CFCs were reduced and, eventually, eliminated. I guess that hasn't come true. Anybody know why?

    Posted in: Ozone layer faces record 40% loss over Arctic

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    ca1ic0cat

    Sounds like the rebels want to suck NATO farther into the quagmire. Bomb the heavy guns and kill civilians, bad news. Don't do the dirty work and the rebel "allies" complain. It's a can't win situation.

    Posted in: Libyan rebel leader says NATO isn't doing enough

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    ca1ic0cat

    It's good to see.

    Posted in: Pitching in

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    ca1ic0cat

    I would prefer a civilian court with full rights for the defendants. I know these guys are scum but if the US govt can take their rights away (the same way the terrorists took away the rights of their victims, of course) then what stops the government from taking away my rights? What about your rights? How do the people who support this claim to be patriots and sons of liberty?

    The real issue for a lot of the Gitmo detainees is that there isn't a good case (for some there is) to prove all of them have committed crimes. A tribunal is easier to control than a civilian court. It is also possible to stop publicity of the accused making comments about the US that would likely be less than favorable. And more likely that a death penalty would be carried out quickly.

    But a civilized country would respect the rights of the accused. The US is stooping to the level of the terrorists by doing it this way.

    Posted in: Sept 11 suspects to face U.S. military tribunals

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    ca1ic0cat

    It's tough to tell where the radiation will end up. Bioaccumulation is a problem. But if the water wasn't dumped then the workers can't get into the plant to repair the leaks. It's become a lesser of two evils kind of problem.

    Posted in: Japan says dumping radioactive water in ocean doesn't violate law

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    ca1ic0cat

    I don't really care how efficient neon or LEDs are (I've worked with the latter, I know) but Toyota is stopping production due to lack of parts and power. Turning this sign back on might be "cheerful" but it sends a message that there is no longer any need to conserve power. It's too bad that there isn't enough power but the quick solution is conservation. Pull any "wall wart" power supplies out of the wall if the device they are connected to isn't being used. Shut down your computer if you're not using it. Turn down or off electric heat, wear a sweater. People are out of work due to a lack of power. Do something to help out.

    Article Unavailable

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    ca1ic0cat

    I lean towards agreeing with NATO & the UN but I'm not sure that this intervention is any different than Iraq; except that US ground forces aren't being sent in. Yet. I would be happy to see Gadhafi gone. He is a nasty character, even compared to most dictators (which, all you Gadhafi supporters, Obama & Sarkozy aren't....) But is getting rid of every rotten government in the charter of the UN? by whose daffynition? Where does it end?

    Posted in: Gadhafi says leaders of airstrikes should go, not him

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    ca1ic0cat

    Willi is right, wind isn't competitive and isn't reliable. Solar is expensive and isn't on for half the day. Fossil fuel fouls the atmosphere. Nuclear? Doesn't bother me but some are in a lather. The best short term solution is conservation but people need to be convinced that they should make the effort. The best way to do that is hit them in the wallet. The problem is going to force a change in standard of living that people don't want to think about and politicians fear to mention. So we get platitudes instead of real action. Obama is a typical politician. Not a real leader at all.

    Posted in: Obama sets ambitious goal to reduce U.S. oil imports

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    ca1ic0cat

    TEPCO pretty much HAS to save 5 & 6, there isn't any other generating capacity to take up the slack. But yeah, 1 - 4 are scrap now. Very dangerous scrap.

    Chernobyl was a graphite moderated reactor. Basically fuel and control rods put in graphite cases. Once the graphite started to burn from the overheated fuel the heat from the fire took the radioactive particles high into the wind. Fortunately there is not that problem at the Dai Ichi plant. Water is a bit more controllable.

    Posted in: TEPCO to scrap 4 reactors at crippled nuclear plant; president hospitalized

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    ca1ic0cat

    As one wag put it, "We apologize for the interruption of NATO bombing in the Arab world. Service has now been restored."

    I agree that Gadhafi is pond scum and I would like to see him gone - which is what Britain and France are pushing for. But I have to wonder if the US has the capacity to intervene in straightening out the government in every despotic country. Is this just because there was an organized resistance that was going to be slaughtered? Maybe China should start to help. Oh, wait, they're part of the problem....

    I guess I agree with Obama on this but I'm not all that keen on stretching the budget even farther. Where does this end? The world wonders.

    Posted in: Obama defends U.S. military action in Libya

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    ca1ic0cat

    Yeah, the guys in Massachusetts did say it came from Japan. Not sure that it isn't from Canada instead. But the local press has been dead silent about the problem in Pickering even though that's right across the lake. Go figure.

    Posted in: Radiation in six U.S. states likely from Japan

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    ca1ic0cat

    Given the seriousness of the disaster I don't much care about what color cars are available. The dealers (stealers) are already increasing prices because of the "shortage." May as well send a car payment to disaster relief instead.

    Posted in: As Japan shutdowns drag on, auto crisis worsens

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    ca1ic0cat

    Cute kid. She seems to be coping with one of life's more difficult lessons rather well. Her parents should be proud.

    Posted in: Beautiful flower

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    ca1ic0cat

    I'm sure that the Japanese will do a good job working through the mess. From my experience the Japanese are tenacious and hard working. I imagine there will be a better job done than with Katrina.

    Posted in: 2 weeks after disaster, 27,000 dead or missing; gov't faces task of clearing rubble

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    ca1ic0cat

    Since a tsunami and earthquake of this magnitude are rather rare and given the lack of land suitable for building on in Japan I'm guessing that the towns will be rebuilt the same way Tokyo was after 1923. Still, I guess I'm not sure what I would do if I saw a ship sitting where my house used to be. It's an amazing and saddening photo.

    Posted in: Remains of the day

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