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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 03/24/2009 : 03:51:38
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We are all familiar with LA guv Bobby Jindal's (R - Exorcist) remark that such things as volcano monitoring was a waste of money that could be better applied to something smart -- like donating to the Republicans, maybe?. Well, Mt. Redoubt, up there around Palin's place is puking out ash like by the ton, and making him look more than somewhat the fool.
Fortunately, due to careful monitoring, people were able to get out of the way and aircraft is being directed around the cloud.
Whaddya think, Bobby?
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 04:45:38 [Permalink]
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Your tax dollars put to work by dedicated scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey who keep doing their jobs even when politicians decide to demean their work for a cheap sound bite.
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MY tax dollars? I don't give a shit about Alasaka or people that fly so why are my tax dollars, robbed from me at gun-point don't forget, being used to pay for stupid shit like this? I can find much better ways to spend my money thank you very much. Charity should be left to Faith Based institutions not stolen from me at gun point! |
-Chaloobi
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 04:57:12 [Permalink]
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Related article...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090324/ap_on_re_us/alaska_volcano_warning_system_2
Derided by some, Alaska volcano monitors spot on
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A month after Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal complained about wasteful spending in President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package — including money he sneered was for "something called 'volcano monitoring'" — Alaska pilots were grateful for such expenditures.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory was ready with warnings to flight officials when Alaska's Mount Redoubt blew, sending potentially deadly ash clouds north of Anchorage.
Readings from seismometers and atmospheric pressure sensors alerted scientists that an eruption had occurred. Weather radar confirmed the presence of an ash cloud that ascended more than 11 miles above sea level.
"Without instruments in the ground, we would not have been able to tell you this was coming," said John Power, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Volcano monitoring became a political issue when Jindal gave the Republican response to President Obama's message to Congress on the economic stimulus package. Jindal said the package was "larded with wasteful spending," including $140 million for volcano monitoring.
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Anchorage wrote Jindal and said volcano monitoring is a matter of life and death in his state. He made the point again after the latest eruptions.
"I sleep better knowing the scientists are at work at the AVO keeping track of this activity," he said by e-mail.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a joint program between the USGS, the University of Alaska and the state Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The observatory was formed in response to the 1986 eruption of Mount Augustine.
The observatory has a variety of tools to predict eruptions. As magma moves beneath a volcano before an eruption, it generates earthquakes, swells the surface of a mountain and sends out gases. The observatory samples gases, measures earthquake activity and watches for landscape deformities.
"Generally the earthquakes that are occurring at these volcanoes are too small to be felt unless you're standing right on the volcano," Power said.
Mount Redoubt, about 100 miles southwest of Alaska's largest city, first blew at night Sunday, and even after sunrise, was socked in by clouds, obscuring ash that that can clog a jet engine and knock aircraft from the sky.
Alaska Airlines on Monday canceled 19 flights because of the ash clouds. In-state carrier Era Aviation canceled four, and Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage kept 60 planes, including fighter jets, cargo aircraft and a 747 commercial plane, in shelters.
In a 1989 eruption, Redoubt sent ash high into the atmosphere and a KLM jet 150 miles away flew into the cloud. It's four engines quit and the jet with 231 passengers on board dropped more than 2 miles before the crew was able to restart all engines and land safely in Anchorage.
Volcanic ash has been used as an industrial abrasive and can injure skin, eyes and breathing passages. The far greater danger in Alaska, Power said, is to aircraft.
"Aircraft and ash really don't mix," he said. "It's the principal hazard that you see in Alaska. You can imagine flying an airplane into a sand blaster. That's what happens an airplane encounters an ash cloud."
The observatory works closely with the National Weather Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to alert pilots and airlines to the danger of ash.
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-Chaloobi
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| Edited by - chaloobi on 03/24/2009 04:59:15 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
 Posted - 03/24/2009 : 06:42:41 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by chaloobi
MY tax dollars? I don't give a shit about Alasaka or people that fly so why are my tax dollars, robbed from me at gun-point don't forget, being used to pay for stupid shit like this? I can find much better ways to spend my money thank you very much. Charity should be left to Faith Based institutions not stolen from me at gun point! |
'Cause the technology will be that much better for when Mt. Messyouup erupts in Chaloobiville, saving your butt. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 07:35:55 [Permalink]
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| On a side note I was looking up famous volcanic eruptions last night - the kids are into volcanos these days - and I read about the year without a summer in 1816 (due to 1815 eruption in Indonesia) and the somewhat smaller Krakatoa eruption in 1883 and how they affected global climate. Big eruptions like these seem to be pretty common and I have to wonder what would happen if, given our current population, we had a year or two without a summer? For that matter, what would happen if the 100ft tsunamis caused by Krakatoa hit heavily populated areas today? The last tsunami was what, 30 feet? And 1/3 of a million people died? Or consider the eruption that producted Crater Lake Oregon 5.7k years ago that blasted out about 12 cubic miles of stuff (For reference, Krakatoa sent 4.5-5 cubic miles of stuff flying and St. Helens sent .67 cubic miles). What would that do to the US and world? This shit happens all the time. It's ironic people get so worried about asteroids, something that's much less frequent then big ass volcanic blasts. Our civilization has gotten so big so fast we've not had the opportunity to deal with a really big natural disaster. |
-Chaloobi
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 07:56:53 [Permalink]
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| The 100 ft tsunami would be localised more than the 2006 event, though the local damage would be much worse of course. A year without a summer would have socio-political impacts which would dwarf any tsunami damage. I fear what a super-famine would do to North Korea among other places. |
"...things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say." -Lucian on his book True History
"...They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time." -Lucian critical of early Christians c.166 AD From his book, De Morte Peregrini |
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River Otter
Skeptic Friend
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 08:01:54 [Permalink]
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Filthy, I love the title to this post! 
Jindal has  for brains, with the same ethics of his god.
This is the first I have heard about this volcano erupting. I'm going to pass this on. Thanks for sharing! |
I am not ashamed to confess that I am ignorant of what I do not know. -Cicero
Brother, You say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book. -Sagoyewatha,(Red Jacket) - Chief and great orator of the six nations. |
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JustMe
Skeptic Friend
64 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 08:33:05 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
We are all familiar with LA guv Bobby Jindal's (R - Exorcist) remark that such things as volcano monitoring was a waste of money that could be better applied to something smart -- like donating to the Republicans, maybe?. Well, Mt. Redoubt, up there around Palin's place is puking out ash like by the ton, and making him look more than somewhat the fool.
Fortunately, due to careful monitoring, people were able to get out of the way and aircraft is being directed around the cloud.
Whaddya think, Bobby?
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My favourite response to Jindal's originial volcano monitoring schtick was a columnist who conratulated him on having the cajones to take on Big Lava. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 12:35:45 [Permalink]
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Heh, just wait 'till the Yellowstone Caldera flips it's lid for what might be an already overdue encore. 
Are these politicians really that stupid -- um, rhetorical question. 
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 14:07:14 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by JustMe
My favourite response to Jindal's originial volcano monitoring schtick was a columnist who conratulated him on having the cajones to take on Big Lava. |
!
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 14:20:03 [Permalink]
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Maybe Bobby can exercise all around the volcano and drive out the Magma Demon.
It's to be remembered that Jindal is a sort of born again Catholic and buys the mythology en toto. He was beaten out of McCain's VP slot by an even more religiously insane, but a lot better looking, doodlebug -- who is currently under the volcanic gun.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 03:42:57 [Permalink]
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Well, it looks like the derision over Bobby's Bodacious Boner is spreading. | Jindal's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
Remember folks, ya heard it here first!
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 05:30:57 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
Well, it looks like the derision over Bobby's Bodacious Boner is spreading. | Jindal's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
Remember folks, ya heard it here first!
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I like Paul Krugman's comments on the GOP:
| The intellectual incoherence is stunning. Basically, the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The party of ideas has become the party of Beavis and Butthead. |
I think the value of Jindal's comment is in pointing out that the problem of governing by willful ignorance wasn't just with the Bush Administration. It's the whole damn party. They rely on ignorant American's to eat up the sound bites and get on the bandwaggon but occasionally, like with elusive WMDs, collapsing financial markets and now erupting volcanos, it comes around to bite them in the ass. |
-Chaloobi
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 08:46:10 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by chaloobi
I like Paul Krugman's comments on the GOP:| The intellectual incoherence is stunning. Basically, the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The party of ideas has become the party of Beavis and Butthead. |
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These Republicans need to evolve a better sense of humor, or at least pay some comic (maybe an unemployed Bush impressionist?) to write them zingers.
The problem for Jindal is that there is zero humor in "$140 million for something called volcano monitoring." All clunk, no zing.
Now, if President Obama's stimulus program had only included "$140 million for something called a probe to Uranus," Jindal might have had himself a comedy goldmine.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Open mouth, insert foot, close mouth, chew
