[truth] obama style

Obama:

He cited the Koran as saying: "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."

That's interesting. There's an element to the Christian faith [and no doubt in the Muslim too] that if you know something to be true but you deliberately lie, especially when backsliding from your faith, you're headed for the hot place:

“I’ve always been a Christian,” the Illinois Democrat responded. “I have never practiced [Islam].”Note: The newspaper editors had to add the word, “Islam.”

In his autobiography, “Dreams From My Father,” Obama mentions studying the Quran. He was enrolled in two Jakarta schools as a Muslim. His teacher Tine Hahiyary said that she remembered that he had studied “mengaji” (recitation of the Quran).” Classmate Rony Amiris described Obama as being a very devout Muslim, saying, “Barry was previously quite religious in Islam.”

Another classmate, Emirsyah Satar, now the CEO of Garuda Indonesia, was quoted as saying, “He (Obama) was often in the prayer room wearing a ’sarong.’” (See Obama’s Education.) Yet, on his official campaign website, Obama has posted this statement, “Barack has never been a Muslim or practiced any other faith besides Christianity.”

Is this the sort of 'speak always the truth' he's referring to?

[wind turbine] at home in your front yard

Look what you could have today if you wanted.

[quick quiz] for the hell of it

1. Who quipped about recognizing old age when the policemen on the street look so young?

2. What was Richard Nixon's daughter's dog named?

3. What's the curved surface of water in a container referred to as?

4. What did Bernard Bosanquet invent - in India it's called a doosra?

5. What's a name for intricately carved wood panelling, especially a room made from this?

Answers

Seymour Hicks, Checkers, meniscus, googly or bosie, boiserie

[thought for the day] thursday evening

The condition upon which G-d hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.

[John Philpot Curran, 1790]

[cascade of failure] not a comedy of errors

So sad:

The plane's last automated messages detail a series of failures that end with its systems shutting down, suggesting the plane broke apart in the sky, according to the aviation industry official.

The pilot sent a manual signal at 11 p.m. local time Sunday saying he was flying through an area of black, electrically charged cumulonimbus clouds that come with violent winds and lightning.

Ten minutes later, a cascade of problems began: Automatic messages indicate the autopilot had disengaged, a key computer system switched to alternative power, and controls needed to keep the plane stable had been damaged. An alarm sounded indicating the deterioration of flight systems.

Three minutes after that, more automatic messages reported the failure of systems to monitor air speed, altitude and direction. Control of the main flight computer and wing spoilers failed as well.

The Tenerife disaster was not so much a cascading failure but a conjunction of independent circumstances or comedy of errors, equally as bad.

The former can be designed for to an extent; the latter is near-impossible to contend with.

[eu elections] conflict in terms

As this blog does not recognize the institution of the EU [as distinct from the EEC] and as Lisbon has not been ratified, then these elections are a sham and this humble blogger doesn’t intend to comment any further on them.

Thank you.