Three Men Arrested by FBI in NYC Terror Plot – ABC News

Terrorism is still a real threat

9/11 may have been 8 years ago, but the motivation and planning that led to that day still exists and “people” (they don’t even deserve to be called that) are out planning to kill Americans. I’m glad we caught this but I worry that one day we won’t catch a plot in time.

The FBI arrested three men overnight on charges they lied to federal agents during an investigation of a terror plot against New York City that authorities say was “the real deal.”

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electronic intercepts revealed Zazi had sent text messages suggesting, in code, the plot was nearing the attack stage. “The wedding cake is ready,” Zazi allegedly wrote.

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A computer belonging to Zazi showed he had researched baseball and football stadiums and sites used in the recent Fashion Week event in New York City

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A recipe for homemade explosives found on Zazi’s computer would have produced a bomb of the same size and type used in London, authorities said. The suicide bombers in London used backpacks and plastic containers to carry the explosive mixtures.

Serena meltdown

Serena Williams loses match because she couldn’t control her temper

Plain stupid – how do you lose it this bad? It was match point againsts Kim Clijsters. Then she gets a foot fault and then goes on a tirade against the line judge, cursing up a storm. The unsportsmanlike penalty point meant she lost the match!

The new Mass translations

The USCCB has a new site providing updates of the new translations of the Mass.

It also includes a draft text of the current translation. It will be the same Mass, just more faithful to the original Latin text – more reverent and sacred.

Les Paul, Guitar Innovator, Dies at 94

A sad day for guitar lovers.

Les Paul, the virtuoso guitarist and inventor whose solid-body electric guitar and recording studio innovations changed the course of 20th-century popular music, died Thursday in White Plains, N.Y. . He was 94.

Bill Clinton in Pyongyang

With Bill Clinton’s visit in Pyongyang The two women hostages were freed from N. Korea and are now on their way home – that’s great news! However, what are the consequences of this ransom being paid?

Claudia Rosett has a great article that answers this…

But the huge and disturbing question is, what else has Bill Clinton delivered? And to whom? The White House is calling Bill’s trip a “private mission,” but there are reports that Bill was met at the Pyongyang airport by North Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator,  Kim Kye Gwan – a curious choice of host if Clinton went only to discuss the two hostage journalists. Likewise, just how private is it when Clinton had a long talk with Kim Jong Il over a dinner hosted by North Korea’s National Defense Commission.

Will Skype go away?

EBay working on alternative software for Skype

If you use Skype, like I do, this could really be an impact.

In a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, eBay said it has started developing an alternative to the technology it currently licenses from Joltid.

The company noted its efforts might not be successful, however, and could lead to a “loss of functionality or customers even if successful.” Regardless, building such software will be costly, eBay said.

“If Skype was to lose the right to use the Joltid software as the result of the litigation, and if alternative software was not available, Skype would be severely and adversely affected and the continued operation of Skype’s business as currently conducted would likely not be possible,” eBay wrote in the filing.

Clunky clunker program

House triples ‘clunker’ cash, despite flaws

You can get $3500-$4500 for trading in a car that has bad gas mileage (the government of course decides this and I heard they’re still mucking with it)

… car dealerships said that the surge of interest has exposed a flawed payment structure and a computer system unable to process the amount of claims. The program requires dealers to extend money up front to consumers and then hope the government pays the dealers back.

And these people want to run our health-care sector.

“We are still taking information and titles from customers. We’re not processing the transactions because we’re not sure if we’re going to get paid,” the Texas car dealer said. “I would want to see something in writing that says we are guaranteed to get paid.”

Without final congressional action, dealers are left depending on the White House’s verbal reassurance the program will be solvent.

Gallery Furniture arsonist busted!

A man fired five years ago from Gallery Furniture has been arrested and charged with arson, accused of setting the fire that destroyed the large warehouse adjacent to store’s main location on the North Freeway in May.

Robert Carroll Gillham, 66, is charged with arson, a first-degree felony

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According to court documents, Gillham told several people, including his girlfriend, as early as last year that he was angry with McIngvale and wanted to burn the store.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms interviewed Gillham’s girlfriend, who told investigators that she loaned Gillham her red Dodge Stratus to go to the warehouse after he promised to use different license plates.

She said he was gone about 45 minutes on the day of the fire and returned to say, “I’m OK, it’s done.”

She said he car smelled like gasoline when she got back in it later that night.

Arson investigators found melted red plastic and traces of gasoline in the northeast corner of the warehouse where the fire originated.

Court documents also show that police spoke to two men who said Gillham offered to pay them to burn the building or help him burn it. Gillham offered one $3,000 or $4,000 to set a fire.

On the day of the fire, two delivery drivers reported seeing a white man in a hoodie sweatshirt driving in a red car away from the area behind the warehouse where the fire began. The two witnesses said the driver squealed the tires and almost hit one of the men as he drove off, shortly before smoke appeared.

via Arrest made in Gallery Furniture fire | Breaking News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

Space Company to Slash 160 Houston Jobs

United Space Alliance layoff today

About 9,300 workers are currently employed at the company, which has offices in Houston and southern Florida, Carr said. The company is aiming to reduce personnel to 8,900 by slashing 160 jobs in Houston and the rest in Florida.

“After the shuttle, we have ongoing work with the International Space Station,” Carr said.

“There is life beyond shuttle for united alliance.”

The company is under contract with Ares launch vehicle and with the Orion crew vehicle, he said. Employees who survive the layoffs will be working on those projects.

Let’s get busy with the new stuff!

Former NFL quarterback McNair killed in Tennessee

Another shock death… this time Steve McNair. Tragic… he was such a great player. But of course, yes, died by gunshot.

Palin resigning as Alaska governor

Sarah Palin is stepping down. I’m sure this is so that she can go and spend more time in the lower 48 and get more exposure and give more speeches, etc. She can be more influential on the national circuit vs being the governor of a remote and small (by population) state. And of course so she can raise money for the presidential race in 2012. Not that I believe she’ll ever win – although I like her and her values and her energy, she’s probably a little to quirky and rough around the edges. We’ll see though.

What’s wrong with Obamacare

Lawmakers debate health ‘public option’

Obama and his Democratic cronies in Congress want to essentially take over providing medical coverage for all Americans, well illegal aliens probably too. This is a scary venture for freedom and constitutional lovers.  Although, this might seem like a noble plan – I mean who wouldn’t want everyone to be able to get free medicine – there are some serious concerns I have.

• First of all, there is no authority in the Constitution to do this. Yes, the Constitution explicitly gives powers to the Federal government and says those not provided are not allowed to be taken except for the States.
• Although Obama claims they don’t want to take over the healthcare of this country, they really do. This is really just socialized medicine in stealth. They say they just want to create a government insurance company and that you can keep your private one, everyone knows this is a ruse. A subsidized government insurance that doesn’t have to worry about profit will make the market untenable for private insurance companies and drive them out of business.
• This is essentially Medicare/Medicaid on steroids. If you think those programs are bloated and inefficient, get ready for a universal one. These programs are one of the biggest reasons we have budget deficits year after year and you want to make this 50 times bigger? Where is the money coming from to pay for this? Our society is already overtaxed and more taxes have shown to weaken the economy and make us more and more slaves of the government. Inflation will skyrocket, etc.
• If we have a universal healthcare system, undoubtedly there will be a massive government bureoucracy deciding who gets medicine, surgery, tests, etc based on who *they* think needs it. Scary stuff. Orwellian. Can you imagine the government telling you that grandma is too old for that catscan or that baby is too genetically inferior for neonatal care, etc? Euthanasia will abound. Abortions will be forced on babies in the womb with defects.
• Along those same lines, rationed care. Waiting lines and times will be long to see physicians and specialists, etc.
• There will be less good doctors and surgeons as their pay will have to be controlled by the government and thus reduced. Also, they’re decision making ability will be squashed and deferred to the governing body.
• It will never be able to be reversed. Once people become dependent on this, forget ever changing it if it shows to be a terrible idea.

I admit, I don’t know what the answer is to reduce cost, but surely this is not the answer. Usually as with most things in the market, competition is the way to reduce cost. Having a government run monopoly will eliminate competition.