Divers continued recovery efforts Friday at the scene where the I-35W bridge collapsed.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: MnDOT chose 'most cost efficient' of 3 options
In lay terms, they picked the cheapest fix. Bridge fell down. You get what you pay for.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Bridge Repair on the Cheap
Divers continued recovery efforts Friday at the scene where the I-35W bridge collapsed.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: MnDOT chose 'most cost efficient' of 3 options
In lay terms, they picked the cheapest fix. Bridge fell down. You get what you pay for.
Speaking of Van Gogh
Café Terrace at Night
Oil on canvas, 1888
A conservator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has discovered a "lost" Van Gogh painting; behind another painting, which he apparently painted over. Why did he do this?
In his early years, van Gogh often reused canvases or turned them over and painted on the other side to make the most of his limited funds. But by 1889, a year before his death, he was being supported by his brother. Van Gogh painted over "Wild Vegetation" not because he couldn't afford to buy another canvas but because Theo was slow to send along new canvases, according to MFA curator George Shackelford.
"He was so eager to paint that he wasn't willing to wait," said Shackelford. "We deduce he decided to sacrifice a picture, maybe of the ones that he had that he liked the least, and he painted straight over the very highly patterned design of the first canvas without introducing a layer of white. It's fantastically amazing."
Blogtopia* Roundup, Saturday, August 4, 2007
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
The Starry Night
Senate Democrats cave to Smirky McEavesdropper, give him even more power to wiretap, and unbelievably, put Serial Liar Alberto Gonzales in charge of oversight. 16 Democratic fools voted for this: thank heavens my Senators are more sane than these:
Evan Bayh (Indiana); Tom Carper (Delaware); Bob Casey (Pennsylvania); Kent Conrad (North Dakota); Dianne Feinstein (California); Daniel Inouye (Hawai‘i); Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota); Nancy Mary Landrieu (Louisiana); Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas); Claire McCaskill (Missouri); Barbara Mikulski (Maryland); Bill Nelson (Florida); Ben Nelson (Nebraska); Mark Pryor (Arkansas); Ken Salazar (Colorado); Jim Webb (Virginia).
Were they that desperate to go on vacation?
Wish you were at YearlyKos? (I do! Maybe next year.) TPM has videos of interviews with some of the attendees.
The Jose Padilla trial plods on; the government's evidence is so very weak that Padilla's attorneys put on no case. Not surprising since Bush's DOJ has a 29% conviction rate on terrorism prosecutions, compared to 93% elsewhere; they're all smoke and mirrors. Kind of like the entire Bush Administration. As Will S. said, all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
The Bush Administration killed a 4 cents a gallon gasoline tax in 2004 that would have gone to fixing the country's decaying roads and bridges. Heckuva job, George.
Speaking of Heckuva Job George, Monday is the 6th anniversary of the PDB that George ignored: "Bin Laden Determined To Strike In US". There'll be a blogswarm on the topic.
Main St. USA News, from BoingBoing: Bubblegum rocker Bobby Sherman has built a replica of Disney's Main St. USA in his backyard.
Since Congress, George W. Bush, and the Iraqi Parliament are all on vacation, I'm gong too. Posting will be rare for the next two weeks.
Sports Roundup, Saturday, August 4, 2007
Chad Finn loves loves loves Kevin Garnett:
I guess it's still just surreal that perhaps the most likable NBA superstar of the last decade is on the Celtics, and I'm still savoring the whole thing, four days after the trade. It's funny, I've been trying to explain how significant this is to the lapsed Celtics fans I know, and I just keep coming back to the same point: Kevin Garnett will restore Celtic Pride. I guarantee it. He is the perfect player in the perfect place at the perfect time. He's a superstar who plays with the hunger and desperation of a 12th man. He's maniacal about winning.
Soccer Hall of Fame gets smart, will have two women's teams in the Hall of Fame Game on August 26th when Hamm & Foudy are inducted. Hamm, Foudy and Carla Overbeck will all play in the game.
Washington Post with an article about and interview with Freddy Adu who is now in Portugal training with Benfica; Grant Wahl of SI also interviewed Freddy.
Former Boston College striker and New Hampshire native Charlie Davies happy in Sweden.
Welcome to Boston, Eric Gagne. We'll go Ga-Ga for you.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Diane Feinstein Votes Racist Leslie Southwick Through Judiciary Committee
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The Republicans have been lying to the Democrats for six years.
Their judicial nominees have been especially skilled at this. Both John Roberts and Samuel Alito said they would follow precedents; then they voted to throw out 35 years of civil rights jurisprudence and limit the time limit for damages for employment discrimination cases to six months. Congress just passed legislation to restore the law they passed so many years ago.
Dianne Feinstein has been claiming to be surprised and shocked that Roberts and Alito lied to her. But when she had a chance to keep another neo-Paleo-conservative off the Fifth Circuit, she blinked.
She voted to let racist Leslie Southwick's nomination proceed to the Senate. Because he said he would be good. Just like Roberts and Alito promised to follow precedent.
He said he wouldn't do it any more. And she believed him!
Feinstein said she decided to break with her party over Southwick because she had met him and determined he is a "qualified, circumspect person."
"I don't believe he's a racist. I don't believe I'm a racist. I believe he made a mistake," Feinstein said.
Dummy. Doesn't matter how often they lie to you. You still believe them! Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Call your Senator and ask him/her to vote against this joker. I'm going to ask Kerry & Kennedy to filibuster his ass:
Congressional Switchboard: Senate (202) 224-3121
hat tip to Dover Bitch at Hullabaloo: Here comes another one
See also: Americablog: Dianne Feinstein votes to confirm anti-gay anti-black bigot judge, saves nomination from certain death
Schadenfreude
Boston Globe: Clemens booed off mound after giving up eight runs
Yankees rally for eight runs in second after Clemens gets rocked
Anti-Abortion Nuts At It Again
An Ohio legislator, John Addams, (R-Looney Tunes), has introduced legislation that would bar a woman from getting an abortion without the father's consent. If she doesn't know who the father is, she would be required to give a list of her sexual partners, would then all be DNA tested to decide which man gets to decide whether she gets an abortion. Hey moron, if a guy doesn't want a woman to get an abortion, don't have sex. Or wear a condom. That's where the man's decision-making power begins and ends. Looney Tunes is a nice description for these sexist pigs.
The Consumerist: Proposed Legislation In Ohio Would Require Women To Get A Man's Permission To Have An Abortion
Corrente: Forced pregnancy loons on the march in the Ohio legislature
As Flo Kennedy said, if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.
The Mittwit Talks Down
A waitress in New Hampshire asked Romney about what he is going to do to help Americans pay health care costs. He gave her some platitudes and pointedly didn't ask her anything about her own situation. This reminds me of the 1992 debate where George H.W. Bush responded to the woman asking how the national debt had affected each of them personally. He blathered about his policy proposals. Clinton then walked right up to the woman and said "Tell me how it's affected you again." No wonder the Republican field is running scared from the YouTube debate. They'd have to answer tough questions from people who don't have cushy health care like they do, for one thing.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
How Many Bridges in Your State Are 'Structurally Deficient'?
A side view of the I35 W after it buckled into chunks.
(Kimberly Brown and Kelly Kahle)
MSNBC has posted a chart that shows bridges that are "structurally deficient" for all 50 states:
MSNBC: State by state: 'Deficient' and 'Obsolete' Bridges
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are the worst with over 50% of bridges "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete".
For Massachusetts, that's what 20 years of tax-cutting Republican governors gets you.
Manchester United Signs 9-Year-Old Phenom
Remember the name: Rhain Davis. He'll turn 10 in October, but he's already got a contract with Manchester United. Watch the video:
Bush Politicizes Minneapolis Bridge Collapse [Updated, below; Update Two]
The Chimperor is using his free cable time commenting on the Minneapolis bridge collapse to criticize Congress for not passing spending bills. He barely spoke on the bridge collapse. Of course, he doesn't really care about anyone. Psychopath.
Politicizing the bridge collapse less than 24 hours after happened. He is shameless.
Impeach his cold, lying ass.
UPDATE: RenaF at dailykos is far more eloquent than I: The Utter F---ing NERVE. She has a transcript of his absurd statements.
UPDATE 2: Somebody was counting: Bush used 139 words to address Minneapolis, then spent 509 words blaming the Democrats.
Politicizing the bridge collapse less than 24 hours after happened. He is shameless.
Impeach his cold, lying ass.
UPDATE: RenaF at dailykos is far more eloquent than I: The Utter F---ing NERVE. She has a transcript of his absurd statements.
UPDATE 2: Somebody was counting: Bush used 139 words to address Minneapolis, then spent 509 words blaming the Democrats.
Dodgers Fans Greet Barroid*
Fans boo the Giants' Barry Bonds as he takes to left field during the first inning Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
(Lori Shepler / LAT)
Brothers Adam, 26, (left) and Marcus Boyd, 30, of Palos Verdes wear their sentiments, directed at Barry Bonds, during the game on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
(Myung J. Chun / LAT)
Dodgers fans let Giants slugger Barry Bonds know their feelings during his seventh inning at-bat, which ended up as a bloop single.
(Myung J. Chun / LAT)
(Lori Shepler / LAT)
All photos are from this LATimes Photo Gallery.
Minnesota Bridge Collapse
Photo: Heather Munro/Star Tribune, via Associated Press
CNN interviewed the Minnesota governor this morning, and he said well, this bridge did show structural issues in an inspection last year, but there are 80,000 other bridges in the country with the same level of deterioration; and that's not the worst ranking. Apparently there's a list of tens of thousands of other bridges that are even more structurally deficient.
ABC News says that more than a quarter -- 27% -- of the country's 600,000 bridges are structurally deficient:
According to the Center for International and Strategic Studies, more than a quarter of the country's bridges are structurally unstable. A federal report in 2005 said Minnesota's Interstate 35W bridge was structurally deficient and may need to be repaired.
Ron Beasley at Middle Earth Journal puts it this way:
[W]e should be looking at the revenue starved collapsing infrastructure of the United States. A much greater threat than al-Qaeda could ever be.
And why is our infrastructure revenue starved? It's the crazy Republican fetish for tax cuts. And the absolutely insane Iraq war, where we will spend more than a trillion dollars according to the Congressional Budget Office. Imagine if we had used that money to repair our crumbling infrastructure. Some people in Minneapolis might be alive today.
Newcastle to Sign Alan Smith
Looks like Newcastle has won the Alan Smith derby. Big Sam has added a lot of quality players since he took over: Alan Smith, Mark Viduka, Joey Barton, David Rozehnal and Geremi. Newcastle is one of those teams where you always wonder why they underperform so. This signing should make Alan Shearer happy.
Where will Obafemi Martins find a place in this strike team?
BBC Football: Magpies make successful Smith bid
The Magpies are in talks with the 26-year-old, who has been linked to a host of Premiership clubs, and it is believed the deal is worth £6m.
Smith could even make his Newcastle debut alongside former Leeds team-mate Mark Viduka in a pre-season friendly against Sampdoria on Sunday.
Goal.com: Alan Smith Set For Newcastle - Report
The future of Manchester United's England striker Alan Smith could soon be resolved with the Manchester Evening News reporting that United have accepted a £6 million offer from Premiership rivals Newcastle deal for the former Leeds man.
Somth, 26, is apparently due to hold talks today with Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce over personal terms.
A transfer could then be completed this week.
Guardian (uk): Newcastle agree £6m Smith fee
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Massive Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis
WaPo (AP): Bridge Falls Into Mississippi River
MINNEAPOLIS -- The entire span of an interstate bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour Wednesday, sending vehicles, tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.
The Interstate 35W bridge, a major link between Minneapolis and St. Paul, was in the midst of being repaired when it broke into several huge sections.
"There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river," Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman. "At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."
I heard a Minnesota-based Foxbot talking to Shepard Smith about the bridge collapse. She said, in essence, that she didn't know if this was a factor, but Minneapolis has been in the grip of a heatwave all summer. They quickly took her off the air!
The collapse is much more likely due to the fact that it's a 40 year old bridge (opened in 1967) which, when inspected in 2006, was found to have "cracks in bridge superstructure that needed attention."
Best comment on the bridge collapse, from commenter xxdr zombiexx at dailykos:
Things crumbling was a hallmark of Soviet-era incompetence and dereliction of duty.
Blogtopia* RoundUp, Wednesday August 1, 2007
flckr
The 2004 election was stolen; conveniently for the vote-thieving Republicans, ballots in 56 of 88 counties have been destroyed, in violation of a federal order to preserve them.
Senator Stevens has been trying to weasel his way out of charges his house renovations were a sweetheart deal by saying "My wife and I paid every bill that was presented to us". Of course, there were probably many things that went unbilled, if you know what I mean.
CNN has given Laura Ingraham Paula Zahn's slot until Mrs. Dan Senor (the
Speaking of Rummy, that psychopathic MF will testify in the Tilllman investigation by the House Oversight Committee today. I hope Henry Waxman rips him a new one. ACTION ALERT: Sign VoteVets petition to get Bush to release the Tillman documents he's covering up with a bogus executive privilege claim.
Home Depot (following Lowes) pulls its advertising from Bill O'Lielly's show. Or maybe they don't. Pressure is having an effect, for sure.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Baby Footballers
Must see collections of baby photos of famous footballers. Look for [Fat] Frank Lampard, Stevie G., Thierry Henry and Christiano Ronaldo.
Metric-March: PICSPAM: Footballers...when they were young (Part 1)
Metric-March: PICSPAM: Footballers...when they were young (Part 2)
hat tip to Who Ate All the Pies?
Metric-March: PICSPAM: Footballers...when they were young (Part 1)
Metric-March: PICSPAM: Footballers...when they were young (Part 2)
hat tip to Who Ate All the Pies?
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