Blue Star Chronicles

We all should be using compact flourescent lightbulbs, right? They will help reduce man made global warming, right? Michelle Malkin noticed this the other day

You know the energy bill that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law today? Tucked into the legislation is a provision that mandates the phase-out of the 125-year-old incandescent bulb in the next four to 12 years in favor of a new generation of trendy, supposedly energy-efficient Gorebulbs.

Isn’t that wonderful? the Feds are going to require their usage. Sure, you will save some money, as long as you do not break them. (note: I actually used CFL’s in most of my lamps at home)

My point here is not run down CFLs. If you want to use them, go for it. Just do not think you are really accomplishing “doing your part to solve man made global warming.” Cause you aren’t.

Remember when Australia decreed that all incandescent bulbs were to be gone by 2010, replaced with CFLs? And that by doing that, it was like removing 800,000 metric tons of CO2 from the air. Sounds like quite a bit? Nope. It equates to a savings of 0.21% of all Australian emission. 0.0003 percent for the entire world.

In other words, as the climahysterics push these kinds of measures, they are basically pushing feel good measures that accomplish nothing. So go buy some carbon offsets! Oh, wait, they do not really do anything, either.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) told Cybercast News Service Thursday that a provision in the new energy law that will effectively ban the use of the incandescent light bulb in the United States by 2020 was an appropriate exercise of federal power.

“Do you think it is the appropriate role of the federal government to effectively bar incandescent light bulbs in 2020 from American homes?” Cybercast News Service asked Reid. “Yes,” he said.

Isn’t the power of the federal government wonderful?

I’m typing on a German computer which interestingly is not like the standard English computer. So, typing a few sentence may take a while. I probably won’t be on the computer for the next couple of days and haven’t had a chance to get on one the last couple of days and now I’m on one that doesn’t speaka my language. Who would’a thought it!!!! Oh well, I just have to look at every other letter I type! lol

Meanwhile, while I’m struggling with this keyboard, enjoz Handel’s Messiah and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! from the land of Kris Krinkle and Weihnachten.

A very interesting development, which I am sure dhimmis around the world, such as Liberalus Americanus, are not particularly happy with

One of Al Qaeda’s senior theologians is calling on his followers to end their military jihad and saying the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a “catastrophe for all Muslims.”

In a serialized manifesto written from prison in Egypt, Sayyed Imam al-Sharif is blasting Osama bin Laden for deceiving the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and for insulting the Prophet Muhammad by comparing the September 11 attacks to the early raids of the Ansar warriors. The lapsed jihadist even calls for the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and his old comrade Ayman al-Zawahri.

The disclosures from Mr. Sharif, also known as Dr. Fadl and Abd al-Qadir ibn Abd al-Aziz, have already opened a rift at the highest levels of Al Qaeda. The group’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, a former associate of the defecting theologian in Egypt, personally mocked him last month in a video, remarking that he was unaware Egyptian prisons had fax machines. Meanwhile, leading Western analysts are saying the defection of Mr. Sharif indicates the beginning of the end for Al Qaeda.

Let’s just hope that last part is true.

The director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, Frank Cilluffo, said, “Here you have someone with the stature and credibility, who more or less wrote the book on jihadism and is oft cited by other jihadists, making the case against it. This is someone with the heft on legal and religious grounds to make the counter argument that we can’t.”

Not that we can necessarily believe someone like Sharif, but, it has always been said that it was going to take Muslims themselves to stop the violence. We can keep killing them and killing them, but they have to end the violence.

Happy Friday to all! It’s that time of the week again! Do you have an interesting post you want to share with everyone? The official Surrender Monkey of the Democratic Party says to do what the Lefties don’t, since they all have the same talking points: link it!

Surrendie is confused today. As a good liberal, he loves anthropogenic global warming, as its primary purpose as a policy issue is to reallocate money for little reason, not to mention harming business, especially that dreaded Big Oil. But, he also likes a good surrender, and he is wondering if he is going to have to surrender to the inevitable, to whit, that man made global warming is pretty much a hoax

Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called “consensus” on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.

The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007.

Even some in the establishment media now appear to be taking notice of the growing number of skeptical scientists. In October, the Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin conceded the obvious, writing that climate skeptics “appear to be expanding rather than shrinking.” Many scientists from around the world have dubbed 2007 as the year man-made global warming fears ‘bite the dust.’ In addition, many scientists who are also progressive environmentalists believe climate fear promotion has “co-opted” the green movement.

This blockbuster Senate report lists the scientists by name, country of residence, and academic/institutional affiliation. It also features their own words, biographies, and weblinks to their peer reviewed studies and original source materials as gathered from public statements, various news outlets, and websites in 2007. This new “consensus busters” report is poised to redefine the debate.

Well, I’m sure they are all in the pay of Big Oil, Big Coal, or the vast neocon conspiracy.

Check the rest of the story. Names are named, quotes are quoted. Climahysterics are getting their ad absurdem comments ready.

Gribbit is covering this story as well, over at Stop The ACLU and his site.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove.

Send a trackback to this post, but don’t forget to link it. Otherwise, Surrendie might pick your pocket and buy some trees.

It’s always interesting when reports are based on facts. It should be more interesting when the climahysterics respond with conjecture, reports from non-scientists at the United Nations, and fun invective

Global warming stopped? Surely not. What heresy is this? Haven’t we been told that the science of global warming is settled beyond doubt and that all that’s left to the so-called sceptics is the odd errant glacier that refuses to melt?

Aren’t we told that if we don’t act now rising temperatures will render most of the surface of the Earth uninhabitable within our lifetimes? But as we digest these apocalyptic comments, read the recent IPCC’s Synthesis report that says climate change could become irreversible. Witness the drama at Bali as news emerges that something is not quite right in the global warming camp.

With only few days remaining in 2007, the indications are the global temperature for this year is the same as that for 2006 – there has been no warming over the 12 months.

The hell you say!

The period 1980-98 was one of rapid warming – a temperature increase of about 0.5 degrees C (CO2 rose from 340ppm to 370ppm). But since then the global temperature has been flat (whilst the CO2 has relentlessly risen from 370ppm to 380ppm). This means that the global temperature today is about 0.3 deg less than it would have been had the rapid increase continued.

For the past decade the world has not warmed. Global warming has stopped. It’s not a viewpoint or a sceptic’s inaccuracy. It’s an observational fact. Clearly the world of the past 30 years is warmer than the previous decades and there is abundant evidence (in the northern hemisphere at least) that the world is responding to those elevated temperatures. But the evidence shows that global warming as such has ceased.

This, despite the fact that emissions from Kyoto signaturies increasing by an average of 21%. There has got to be another explanation. Of course, climahysterics will just say it is changing weather. Only when it gets warmer is it climate.

It couldn’t be because of natural processes, I’m sure, as the Earth and Sun just do not have the power of Man’s SUVs.

In all seriousness, I am glad that the author of the first article, David Whitehouse (who happens to have a PhD in Astrophysics, which is more then Al Gore has), says “I’m not sure. Research needs to be done.” Which, is also more then the climahysterics do, too.

OK, climahypocrites, deflect away! (Beth is probably going to make me pay for that picture :))

And 5 minutes later, he would be on a plane to some jihad location, I’m sure

The lawyer and parents of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh renewed their call to President Bush on Tuesday to commute his 20-year sentence and set him free.

Lindh, 27, was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 by U.S. forces sent to topple the Taliban after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was charged with conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists but pleaded guilty in 2002 to lesser offenses of supplying services to the now-defunct Taliban government.

Lindh had converted to Islam and went to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban against the Northern Alliance in 2001.

“His only offense was serving in the army of Afghanistan,” his mother Marilyn Walker said at a news conference Tuesday. “He’s admitted this was a mistake on his part.”

Is there really any point in breaking the issue down? Conservatives understand it, and liberals sympathize with Mr. American Taliban, so, what would be the point?

Lindh attorney James Brosnahan said he filed a formal commutation petition with President Bush and new Attorney General Michael Mukasey. It’s the fourth such attempt by Brosnahan, who brokered the plea deal and 20-year sentence.

So, they accepted the plea deal and the sentence, and now they want a get out of jail free card? How soon till we get liberals demonstrating and signing petitions? I know he doesn’t have the pedigree of Mumia and Tookie, since, as far as we know, he hasn’t killed a cop or went on a killing spree, but, he was in the area when a CIA officer was killed. That has to count for something in Liberal World.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

Do you have an interesting post? Well, go ahead and leave a trackback, with a reciprocal link back to me.

I am speechless! Lynn Spears was considered a proper author for a parenting book by a so-called Christian publisher.

NEW YORK - Lynne Spears’ book about parenting has been delayed indefinitely, her publisher said Wednesday.

Lindsey Nobles, a spokeswoman for Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson Inc., said Wednesday that the memoir by the mother of Britney Spears was put on hold last week. She declined to comment on whether the delay was connected to the revelation that Spears’ 16-year-old daughter, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant.

“I can tell you that we are standing behind Lynne and supporting her decision to be with her family at this time,” Nobles told The Associated Press.

“Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World” was initially scheduled for release May 11, Mother’s Day. Spears, the mother of three children with ex-husband Jamie Spears, had been working with a Michigan-based freelancer since March on the memoir chronicling Spears’ experiences raising a family in the public eye.

Jamie Lynn Spears, star of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101″ and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine in its new issue that she’s expecting her first child and the father is boyfriend Casey Aldridge.

Nobles and representatives for Britney Spears said they did not know how Lynne Spears could be reached for comment about the status of her book.

C/P from Conservative Thoughts

During an interview on IsraelNationalRadio’s with Tovia Singer about the recent Bush Administration intelligence report on Iran’s nuclear capabilities Bolton and Singer had this interesting exchange about BDS in the State Department..

When Singer said he wanted to bring up the recent American intelligence report that downplayed the Iranian nuclear capabilities and brought great joy to Iran and to the left, Bolton said, “I don’t think we should call it an intelligence report, but rather a document of the Executive Branch. It was a highly-politicized document, written by some who are not even intelligence community professionals, but rather from the State Department… In theory, they all work for the President, but they don’t like his policies and they think that he’s too belligerent towards Iran - though my own personal view is that the President was not tough enough - and this paper was intended to undercut the Bush position. This report has put Bush’s policy on the bottom of the ocean.” (source)

This report has succeeded in exactly that. There is no way President Bush can effectively lobby the United Nations to deal with Iran and its nuclear program. Thanks to someone’s shortsighted, politically motivated actions, no action will be made against Iran for non-compliance with multiple United Nations resolutions.

Crossposted at Conservative Thoughts

The former is news. The latter is not (crossed at Pirate’s Cove)

Thick black smoke billowed from a fire Wednesday on the White House compound in the Executive Office Building.

The blaze appeared to be located near the ceremonial office of Vice President Dick Cheney on the second floor of the building. The vice president was across the street in his office in the West Wing of the White House.

Now, to DUmmie World (obviously, bad language involved. Ye have been warned, mateys!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Since Beth is in Germany and gave me the keys to her blog while she’s away, I decided to take advantage of the situation by writing this post to announce that today is my baby sister Beth’s birthday.

That’s Beth to our father’s right.

Beth is the youngest girl in the family, and I’ve always thought her name fits her - sweet and feminine. She might argue with that. She’s a funny, creative and hard working woman and the author of Blue Star Chronicles. She also is the mother of two wonderful young adults. You’ve read about them both here before.

The last photo is of her graduation day.

Beth, we all wish you a wonderful birthday along with many many wonderful birthdays to come! Enjoy Germany and give the newlyweds a hug and kiss from all of us.
Happy birthday to Beth! Hope your day brings you joy and love.

And Beth - I hope you can get these photographs straightened out. I’ve been working on it for about an hour, and I can’t get them the right size. Sorry for my technological ignorance!

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Leo

SSgt. Mike Mills

On June 14, 2005 SSgt. Mike Mills’s life was forever changed. The HETT (Heavy Equipment Transport System) he was riding in was hit by an IED. The attack resulted a cracked clavicle and scapula bones, dislocate shoulder, broken left hip, 4 out of 5 bones broken in his foot and being set on fire. The driver in the truck behind him ran with a cooler of melted ice which he threw on Sgt. Mills to put him out.

He spent three months in the Brooks Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, TX with the injuries listed above plus 2nd, 3rd and deep tissue burns to 31% of the left side of his body. The first thing he remembers thinking after the attack was that his soldiers needed him and he needed to get back to them.

“Then the guilt set in about what I did to my family. I’ve totally screwed that up. Look at me, no don’t. I look hideous. How can I face my kids looking like this. They’ll be embarrassed to be seen with me. What if they won’t love me anymore? Speaking of love, my wife, oh my god. How can I expect her to stay with me. I’m not a man anymore. She’s not going to want be intimate with a freak. What if I can’t work, how do I support myself, my family.

I had the nightmares and couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t eating and was loosing weight. I didn’t really care. If I didn’t start eating, they where going to put the feeding tube back in. Who cares, I’ve totally screwed up my life anyways.”

But he found out just how much is wife loved him, when she stood by his side throughout the entire ordeal. She was there for every wound dressing and even learned how to change the dressings herself.

SSgt. Mike Mills now runs the site For The Veteran … By A Veteran in which he helps veterans, soldiers and their families find information they may not have been given after their medical discharge or retirement.

Some may say that Mike gave his country more than enough when he was severely maimed by an IED on that fateful day of June 14, 2005, but Mike continues to give to his fellow servicemen, as well as to his nation!

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Josh is dressed in his Lederhausen and has his bag sitting next to him. He’s ready to go to Germany to marry Michelle but they have a bad connection because they aren’t using MobileTalk. How will this all work out? Does Michelle know that Josh is on his way to Germany to marry her? Will Josh and his Lederhausen be waiting in Munich while Michelle waits in Frankfurt? Will this marriage ever happen and if it does will it work? Will there ever be any little Hans and Helgas? What will the next chapter be? We may never know if they don’t get a better phone service than those soft drink cans!

As you can see, keeping in touch with family and friends is very important. It may be especially important when those family and friends are living throughout the world.

This is my first effort at publishing a video. Yes, we had a few technical problems and yes, I stumbled over my words some, but after some effort we got a half way decent video together. The idea was so much better in my head. Now I just need to play with the programs a little more to figure things out a little better and I think we can get us a real show going here! Well, we like it anyway

So this is my first directorial effort, my husband’s first bonafide producing job and my Soldier Son and soon to be daughter-in-law’s first acting efforts. We shot it in one take, with bad lighting and a new camcorder none of us were familiar with (which explains why its a tad out of focus!).

The point is that Packet8 has a new voip international calling offer, Mobile Talk. There’s just no need to try to get your message across through a cup (or can) and string anymore. Mobile Talk beats most other international calling plans by about 90%. For instance, you can call Germany or Israel for 3 cents per minute. You can call England for 2 cents per minute. See what I mean? That actually costs less than the deal I currently have on my land line at home. It is a LOT less! Its super cheap AND those prices are for high quality digital phone calls. There are no connection fees, no data plan is needed, no calling card or PIN codes are needed and there are no hot spots required. The special rates are only available for calls originated within the United States to another country.