As of this writing, NORAD tracked Santa in Baltimore! Check out http://www.noradsanta.org for the latest Santa siting!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
American Airlines plane incidents at Chicago's O'Hare airport - CNN.com
More at CNN.com: “(CNN) -- A passenger jet preparing to take off from the airport skidded off the runway at Chicago, Illinois' O'Hare and another plane was forced to return there after engine problems were reported, officials said.
American Airlines Flight 1544 -- an MD-80 carrying 54 passengers and a crew of five -- was taxiing into takeoff position on Runway 22-L when it hit an icy patch, said airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.
No one was hurt, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
The left tires and the nose tires slid onto the grass next to the taxiway, she said.”
-- I can't remember a time when so many incidents of delays and accidents happened in such a small window of time. I wonder if this is tied to the poor maintainance spending of the airlines and the need for airport upgrades in general?
American Airlines Flight 1544 -- an MD-80 carrying 54 passengers and a crew of five -- was taxiing into takeoff position on Runway 22-L when it hit an icy patch, said airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.
No one was hurt, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
The left tires and the nose tires slid onto the grass next to the taxiway, she said.”
-- I can't remember a time when so many incidents of delays and accidents happened in such a small window of time. I wonder if this is tied to the poor maintainance spending of the airlines and the need for airport upgrades in general?
Denver Airport Three Hour Flight Delay - Christmas Eve
This is the second day of my Denver flight delay story. After not making UAL 7515, I managed to get a free room at the Marriot Residents Inn in nearby Aurora, CO. The next morning, I got up to get back to Denver Airport. This is that portion of the ordeal.
Denver Airport Three Hour Flight Delay - Day Two
This is the second day of my Denver flight delay story. After not making UAL 7515, I managed to get a free room at the Marriot Residents Inn in nearby Aurora, CO. The next morning, I got up to get back to Denver Airport.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Denver Airport Three Hour Flight Delay - Not On Flight
Well, after all that, the flight was so overbooked, and I was on standby, I did not get on. So, I've got to get a hotel room and stay in Denver for the night.
Denver Airport Three Hour Flight Delay - Bad Weather
As I upload this new video I am still at DIA - Denver International Airport - and Gate B56 where the flight to Atlanta, United 7515, was to have departed at 6:56, but will not leave until 10 PM. The reason: bad weather in Iowa
TasteBudPolitics.com - An Interesting Site Combining The Election and Eating
It's interesting who you meet at airports. A simple question I asked while at Denver Airport and to a person about a couple of buttons they had on their shoulder bag led me to this interesting site called "TasteBudPolitics.com."
Developed by Denver-based "Motive" (thanks for the info Taylor Woodward!) as a promotional product for Odoba Mexican Grill, the website is a cleaverly designed survey that asks you to answer some wacky but logical questions. For example, who of a set of cartoon icons would you want to be stuck on a desert island with? I picked Captain Kangaroo because he's got a boat so I can get off the island!
At any rate, the final outcome of the survey was that I was a "NACHO": an independent person who was most likely single! (Got that right!) I then cast my vote for Barack Obama, as did 55 percent of the people surveyed. But what's interesting is McCain won no state at all.
What was also interesting is that the candidates have designations: Barack Obama is a "TACO SALAD" whereas John McCain is a "NACHO" like me. A Taco Salad person is easy going and empathic, whereas a Nacho is one who kind of "does their own thing" without care of what others think. Hmm. Reads like me, again!
if you're wondering, Sarah Palin is "CHIPS and SALSA" and Joe Biden is a "QUESADILLA".
You've got to check this out. Ok. So it's after the election, but it's still fascinating. It cries for a video-blog component of some kind. Can you imagine asking these questions to random people?! That would be a hoot!
Hmm....
Developed by Denver-based "Motive" (thanks for the info Taylor Woodward!) as a promotional product for Odoba Mexican Grill, the website is a cleaverly designed survey that asks you to answer some wacky but logical questions. For example, who of a set of cartoon icons would you want to be stuck on a desert island with? I picked Captain Kangaroo because he's got a boat so I can get off the island!
At any rate, the final outcome of the survey was that I was a "NACHO": an independent person who was most likely single! (Got that right!) I then cast my vote for Barack Obama, as did 55 percent of the people surveyed. But what's interesting is McCain won no state at all.
What was also interesting is that the candidates have designations: Barack Obama is a "TACO SALAD" whereas John McCain is a "NACHO" like me. A Taco Salad person is easy going and empathic, whereas a Nacho is one who kind of "does their own thing" without care of what others think. Hmm. Reads like me, again!
if you're wondering, Sarah Palin is "CHIPS and SALSA" and Joe Biden is a "QUESADILLA".
You've got to check this out. Ok. So it's after the election, but it's still fascinating. It cries for a video-blog component of some kind. Can you imagine asking these questions to random people?! That would be a hoot!
Hmm....
Murray Waas Exclusive: Dick Cheney’s admissions to the CIA leak prosecutor and FBI
More at Murray Waas: “Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a still-highly confidential FBI report, admitted to federal investigators that he rewrote talking points for the press in July 2003 that made it much more likely that the role of then-covert CIA-officer Valerie Plame in sending her husband on a CIA-sponsored mission to Africa would come to light.
Cheney conceded during his interview with federal investigators that in drawing attention to Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s Africa trip reporters might also unmask her role as CIA officer.
Cheney denied to the investigators, however, that he had done anything on purpose that would lead to the outing of Plame as a covert CIA operative. But the investigators came away from their interview with Cheney believing that he had not given them a plausible explanation as to how he could focus attention on Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s trip without her CIA status also possibly publicly exposed. At the time, Plame was a covert CIA officer involved in preventing Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and Cheney’s office played a central role in exposing her and nullifying much of her work.”
-- The picture that is developing is one of a person - VP Richard Cheney - who was running a "shadow government" in the Bush Administration. Just what laws were broken is not clear at this point, but the pure smell of secrecy and lies is evident. The whole matter of how we got into Iraq is an open book for legal analysis.
Cheney conceded during his interview with federal investigators that in drawing attention to Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s Africa trip reporters might also unmask her role as CIA officer.
Cheney denied to the investigators, however, that he had done anything on purpose that would lead to the outing of Plame as a covert CIA operative. But the investigators came away from their interview with Cheney believing that he had not given them a plausible explanation as to how he could focus attention on Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s trip without her CIA status also possibly publicly exposed. At the time, Plame was a covert CIA officer involved in preventing Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and Cheney’s office played a central role in exposing her and nullifying much of her work.”
-- The picture that is developing is one of a person - VP Richard Cheney - who was running a "shadow government" in the Bush Administration. Just what laws were broken is not clear at this point, but the pure smell of secrecy and lies is evident. The whole matter of how we got into Iraq is an open book for legal analysis.
Russia orders 70 new nuclear missiles | World news | guardian.co.uk
More at the guardian.co.uk: “Russia is to increase sharply its production of strategic nuclear missiles, throwing down the gauntlet to the US president-elect, Barack Obama, who would have to deal with the Kremlin's response to US missile defence plans in Europe.
A senior government official in Moscow said the Russian military would commission 70 strategic missiles over the next three years. It was unclear whether sea-launched ballistic missiles were included in this figure, but military experts said it could represent up to a fourfold increase on the rate of production of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).”
-- This is a frightening development. I do hope we don't get into a military spending contest with the Russians. We can't afford it and I'm not sure it's the best way to go.
A senior government official in Moscow said the Russian military would commission 70 strategic missiles over the next three years. It was unclear whether sea-launched ballistic missiles were included in this figure, but military experts said it could represent up to a fourfold increase on the rate of production of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).”
-- This is a frightening development. I do hope we don't get into a military spending contest with the Russians. We can't afford it and I'm not sure it's the best way to go.
Home Sales Drop To 18-Year Low
More at Huff Post: “WASHINGTON — Sales of new homes fell in November to the slowest pace in nearly 18 years, while new home prices dropped by the biggest amount in eight months.
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that new home sales fell 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 407,000 units. That was a weaker performance than economists had expected and was the slowest sales pace since January 1991.
The median price of a new home sold in November was $220,400, a drop of 11.5 percent from the sales price a year ago. That was the biggest year-over-year price decline since a 12.7 percent fall in March of this year. The median is the point where half the homes sold for more and half for less.”
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that new home sales fell 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 407,000 units. That was a weaker performance than economists had expected and was the slowest sales pace since January 1991.
The median price of a new home sold in November was $220,400, a drop of 11.5 percent from the sales price a year ago. That was the biggest year-over-year price decline since a 12.7 percent fall in March of this year. The median is the point where half the homes sold for more and half for less.”
Thierry de la Villehuchet: Madoff Investor Dies After $1.4 Billion Lost
Did Thierry de la Villehuchet kill himself? - Huff Postt: “Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet was found sitting at his desk at about 8 a.m. with both wrists slashed, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said. A box cutter was found on the floor along with a bottle of sleeping pills on his desk. No suicide note was found...”
Obama Blagojevich Report: Team Claims Exoneration
More at Huff Post: “Barack Obama's chief counsel declared on Tuesday afternoon that only one member of the President-elect's staff -- incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel -- had any communications with embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his staff since Obama's election.
Emanuel's interactions, moreover, were not in any way improper, Obama's aides stressed, and the transition team was fully compliant both with the law and the U.S. Attorney's investigation into Blagojevich's alleged pay-for-play scheme.
"No one in the Obama circle was aware of what was going on in the governor's office until he was arrested," said Greg Craig, Obama's counsel. "They found out what the Governor was doing the same time the American public found out about it."”
Emanuel's interactions, moreover, were not in any way improper, Obama's aides stressed, and the transition team was fully compliant both with the law and the U.S. Attorney's investigation into Blagojevich's alleged pay-for-play scheme.
"No one in the Obama circle was aware of what was going on in the governor's office until he was arrested," said Greg Craig, Obama's counsel. "They found out what the Governor was doing the same time the American public found out about it."”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)