Trust me on this...listen all the way to the end.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
General Bodenheimer's Keynote Address
Franklin, NC hosted a parade and ceremony marking the first Vietnam Veterans Day, and this video is the keynote address given by General F.P. Bodenheimer (ret), who keeps it short and to the point.
Press the HD Button for a better video resolution if you are on High-Speed Internet.
If you are interested, the rest of the ceremony is available elsewhere on Thunder Pig.
If you are interested, the rest of the ceremony is available elsewhere on Thunder Pig.
NC General Assembly 03-31-2009 Legislative Calender
I see that the General Assembly (portions, anyway) will be getting to work bright and early today to discover new ways to take our rights and our money...
| 9:30 AM | Sen. P. Berger | Press Room LB |
| 10:00 AM | JUDICIARY I (Senate) | 1027LB |
| 10:00 AM | JUDICIARY II (Senate) | 1124LB |
| 10:00 AM | JUDICIARY I (House) | 1228LB |
| 10:00 AM | JUDICIARY III (House) | 1425LB |
| 11:00 AM | COMMERCE (Senate) | 1027LB |
| 11:00 AM | AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT/NATURAL RESOURCES (Senate) | 544LOB |
| 11:00 AM | Session Convenes (House) | House Chamber |
| IMMED. AFTER SESSION | EDUCATION (House) | 643 |
| 12:00 PM | STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Senate) | 1124LB |
| 1:00 PM | FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS (House) | 1425LB |
| 1:00 PM | JUVENILE JUSTICE (House) | 415LOB |
| 1:00 PM | ALCOHOL BEVERAGE CONTROL (House) | 425LOB |
| 2:00 PM | WATER RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (House) | 1228LB |
| 2:00 PM | STATE GOVERNMENT/STATE PERSONNEL (House) | 424LOB |
| 3:00 PM | Session Convenes (Senate) | Senate Chamber |
| IMMED. AFTER SESSION | SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY (Senate) | 414LOB |
Monday, March 30, 2009
2009 Vietnam Veterans Day Ceremony in Franklin, NC
Updated with Parade Video
The below video playlist is of the ceremony held in downtown Franklin, NC to mark the first Vietnam Veterans Day, and is 7 videos long (the 8th is still processing and will be added as soon as it is finished) and comprises the entirety of events that took place after the parade on Saturday.
The parade can viewed here and here. My Town Franklin has coverage of the events, as does Beautiful Franklin. I suggest you give them a look.
The parade can viewed here and here. My Town Franklin has coverage of the events, as does Beautiful Franklin. I suggest you give them a look.
Honoring Corporal Jonathan Ayers
In loving memory of CPL Jonathan Ayers from DI=Dream Imagination on Vimeo.
Yesterday I had the distinct honor and privilege of attending the
ceremony honoring the valor of Cpl Jonathan Ayers and the presentation of the
posthumous award of the Silver Star to his family.
I expected a somber event, but it was instead, by direction of Cpl Ayers mother,Susan, it was a celebration of his life. Cpl Ayers served with Chosen Company, 1st Bn, (Airborne) 503rd Infantry of the 173rd ABCT in Afghanistan.
That company compiled an impressive combat record there, but at a cost. Over 60 of the Chosen were awarded Purple Hearts, 16 of them posthumously. Cpl Jonathan Ayers was killed in action in the battle of Wanat, where 9 Sky Soldiers lost their lives.
According to those who witnessed Cpl Ayers heroics, he epitomized the
nickname by which the battalion is known: The Rock.At another spot on the observation post, Spc. Jonathan Ayers laid
down continuous fire from an M-240 machine gun, despite drawing huge volumes of small-arms and RPG fire from the enemy.
At least 5 or 6 RPGs exploded all around him and he never even flinched. Those that saw what he did said, "He just kept rocking on that 240." The
survivors said it was the most heroic thing they'd ever seen. Like a
movie. They feel he saved their lives.He kept the enemy from getting
anywhere near COP.
Source: Blackfive
Our nation still produces heroes, and they are grown all around us.
CMOS Replacing CCD in Prosumer Camcorders
There's a rumor afoot suggesting that Canon will be ditching CCD and adopting CMOS chips for a new pro-level camcorder. Digital cameras and camcorders never been so indistinguishable.If the rumor is true, Canon will be adopting sub-35mm dSLR sensors (APS-C sized CMOS, or what you see in entry level dSLRs like the Rebel) into their elite camcorders. It's not a completely new idea. The Red One has long used a CMOS chip to record 4k video, and Canon makes use of a CMOS in the $1000ish Vixia. But with Canon choosing CMOS for a pro-level camcorder, it pretty much means that CCD (the preferred video chip format of the last several decades) is dead. (Once we saw dSLRs shooting 1080p, we knew this day wasn't far off.) As for the mystery cam itself...
Source: Gizmodo
Commentary
I have opted to go the CMOS route myself when looking at recording video because the resolution is getting better at a cheaper price in smaller packages than CCD Cameras.
These changes at the high end will be finding their way down to consumer cameras in the next few years, and already we are seeing casual video enthusiasts putting out online video that rivals the quality of the professional video makers...and before long, these people will begin to put together serious online newscasts that will be of better video quality than that of the local TV Stations, and better sourced by citizen journalists, for far less than it costs the professionals to do the same job.
We are witnessing the beginning phase of a technological revolution which will be as destructive to traditional video news sources as online bloggers and news sites have been to the print media.
The Legacy Media Prepares to Marginalize Glenn Beck
The Legacy Media have now noticed Glenn Beck, and you can be sure that the attack is just beginning. The New York Slimes, hater of Conservatives and Christians, has a piece up on Glenn Beck, and here is a portion:
He says that America is “on the road to socialism” and that “God and religion are under attack in the U.S.” He recently wondered aloud whether FEMA was setting up concentration camps, calling it a rumor that he was unable to debunk.
At the same time, though, he says he is an entertainer. “I’m a rodeo clown,” he said in an interview, adding with a coy smile, “It takes great skill.”
And like a rodeo clown, Mr. Beck incites critics to attack by dancing in front of them.
“There are absolutely historical precedents for what is happening with Beck,” said Tom Rosenstiel, the director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. “There was a lot of radio evangelism during the Depression. People were frustrated and frightened. There are a lot of scary parallels now.”
The conservative writer David Frum said Mr. Beck’s success “is a product of the collapse of conservatism as an organized political force, and the rise of conservatism as an alienated cultural sensibility.”
“It’s a show for people who feel they belong to an embattled minority that is disenfranchised and cut off,” he said.
Joel Cheatwood, a senior vice president for development at Fox News, said he thought Mr. Beck’s audience was a “somewhat disenfranchised” one. And, he added, “it’s a huge audience.”
Mr. Beck has used phrases like “we surround them,” invoked while speaking vaguely about people who do not share his discomfort with the “direction America is being taken in.”
Source: New York Slimes
Commentary
First, let me note that the New York Slimes calls David Frum a conservative. David Frum is not. He is, at best, a moderate Republican of the type that is destroying the Republican party. They are using him as their Stalking Horse...to plant the first seeds of doubt in their gullible readership, and to set the tone for how the rest of the legacy media cover this story. People like Glenn Beck are the people who are engaged in rebuilding our party by going back to the basic principles of conservatism.
Here are his nine principles, which are very conservative, and are boiled down to the very basic concepts:
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
And, as a kicker, here are the twelve values he promotes on his show, which are also very conservative in nature...
12 Values
Glenn Beck has taken the basis of conservatism and expressed them in a way that everyman can understand. You don't have to have a degree in Political Philosophy or English to understand them.
You don't even have to have graduated high school to understand them like Russell Kirk's Ten Conservative Principles that I use as a shorthand way of introducing people to conservatism, and what it generally stands for...now I have something that is, on a basic level of understanding, better.
So, watch as the legacy media and their allies in the progresswive-wing of the Democrat party begin to crank up their attacks on Glenn Beck ever so slightly, attempting to manipulate public opinion against Glenn Beck, who has become a very able spokesman for Social Conservatives in the past few months.
God has his hand on Glenn Beck, and those of us who are Christians need to have him in our prayers, and be mindful of the need to keep a spiritual shield around this man.
NC General Assembly 03-30-2009 Legislative Calender
I see that the week is starting slow for the thieves in the General Assembly...may their efforts to steal our money and our rights be even slower...
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (House) | House Chamber |
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (Senate) | Senate Chamber |
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Al Gore and Me: We Voted Last Night With Our Lights On!
I am pleased to report that Al Gore, like me, kept his lights on last night during Earth Hour!!!
So, either Al is with me, or is a hypocrite...
Since Earth Hour was recognized today, Saturday, March 28 from 8:30-9:30pm, I thought I’d see how the hypocritical, fear-mongering former Veep was celebrating at his home.
I pulled up to Al’s house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48pm – right in the middle of Earth Hour. I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on.
In fact, most of the windows were lit by the familiar blue-ish hue indicating that floor lamps and ceiling fixtures were off, but TV screens and computer monitors were hard at work. (In other words, his house looked the way most houses look about 1:45am when their inhabitants are distractedly watching “Cheaters” or “Chelsea Lately” reruns.)
The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion.
I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees.
The picture above is an example of the floodlights that were burning through Earth Hour, which is supposedly “lights off” time for those who get their rocks off by telling children that they will be burned alive because of the use of ventilators, refrigerators and cars. (The “312” is his address – 312 Lynnwood Blvd.)
If you’re unfamiliar, Earth Hour is where socialists and patchouli-dabbing tree-hugging hippies unite to dismiss electricity, fossil fuels and the modern conveniences that allow for historically unrivaled prosperity, longevity, health and quality of life throughout the world.
The John Batchelor Show 03-29-2009
It's Sunday night, and that means it's time for John Batchelor!
Here is his website.
The show starts at 7pm Eastern, and continues for six hours of the best radio you will find anywhere, as only John Batchelor can deliver it with his stable of experts...
And here is where you can listen to the show live online:
New York, WABC-AM 770 7-10PM ET;
Washington DC, WMAL-AM 630 7-9PM ET;
San Francisco, KSFO-AM 560;
Los Angeles,KFI-AM 640;
New York, WABC-AM 770 7-10PM ET;
Washington DC, WMAL-AM 630 7-9PM ET;
San Francisco, KSFO-AM 560;
Los Angeles,KFI-AM 640;
And here is where you can find the podcasts of the show: the first three hours, and the last three hours.
Schedule for Tonight: (all six hours are on the same link now)
The first two hours are below to whet your appetite:
Schedule for Tonight: (all six hours are on the same link now)
The first two hours are below to whet your appetite:
POTUS Goes to the G20.
705P ET: Alan Murray, Wall Street Journal, with Simon Constable, DowJones Newswire, re Gordon Brown's remarks in NY in expectation of the G20 meeting in London, re Tim Geithner's remarks on the new TARP protocol with regard the most troubled US banks. Treasury Maps New Regulatory Era
720P: Ann Marlowe, Wall Street Journal, Tunku Varadarajan, Hoover, with Simon Constable, DowJones Newswire, re the new plan from the Obama administration in Afghanistan. Obama Defines New Afghan Strategy Obama unveiled a strategy that devotes more resources to combat Afghan narcotics and boost development in Pakistan. Holbrooke holds back
735P: Professional Roundtable Jodi Schneider, CQ, Mona Charen, NRO, John Fund, Wall Street Journal, re Tim Geithner's peculiar week, re POTUS meets the bankers: Re the POTUS goes to Europe. Obama to Woo Public on Europe Trip
750P: Continued re the AIG flap goes away, or does it? Re Cap and Trade, or Healthcare for all? Senate Panel Clears $3.6 Trillion Budget Obama's fiscal agenda gained steam, as a Senate panel embraced a $3.6 trillion budget that Republicans complained would pile up a huge federal debt
805P: Caroline Salas, Bloomberg, with Simon Constable, DowJones Newswire, re Eat-What-You-Kill Bond Traders Rise From Wall Street Wreckage: Eat-What-You-Kill Bond Traders Rise From Wreckage (Update2) March ...
820P: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, re North Korea threatens to launch the missile, re Japan will shoot down missile parts, re Tom Geithner misspeaks re the dollar, re China wants a new world currency, why? Japan to Shoot Down Missile Debris835: Financial Professionals, with Tom Donlan, Barron's, John Tamny, RealClearMarkets.com, Simon Constable, Dow Jones, Aaron Task, Blame the Dollar For Worldwide Pain - Daniel Ben-Ami, Fund Strategy Is Geithner's Plan Too Big To Succeed? - Scott Jagow, Scratch Pad
850P: Continued, The Dangerous Banking-Witch Hunt - Camilla Cavendish, Times of London Treasury Is Mum Over TARP Funds
905P: Aaron Klein, WND, re the reports of the IAF air raid on a weapons convoy in the Sudan bound for Hamas in Gaza in January, re where and when the strike, and what response from Hamas, from Sudan, from Iran? Israel Disputes Soldiers' Accounts of Gaza Abuses
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