Due to the sequestration cuts, the FAA has decided to cut its air traffic controller staff by 10%. They are doing this by furloughing workers one out of every 10 work days. As a result, as much as 40% of flights are seeing some sort of delay. Meanwhile, the government is spending $890,000 per year on nothing: service fees for empty bank accounts. Continue reading “Government Spending and the FAA”
Author: chrismtwo
Every day I try to learn and experience new things. The infinite wonder of the universe provides endless opportunity for adventures. My favorite thing is to enjoy these adventures with friends, and to share my stories with others.
At the very core, all people are storytellers. Whether it is a full length motion picture or a chat over a cup of coffee, most of what makes up the human experience is the communication of ideas. For this reason, I am always looking for opportunities to write. I would like to share what I've seen with as many people as possible.
A Changing Climate
Every time you exhale, you are pumping out what the EPA has determined to be a pollutant “reasonably anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” Carbon dioxide (CO2) has an impact on global temperature and weather patterns and, along with water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, is considered a “greenhouse” gas. CO2 comes from a variety of sources, ranging from animals to cars, factories, and other sources of carbon combustion. The concentration of CO2 currently in the atmosphere is higher than it has been in the last 650,000 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Continue reading “A Changing Climate”
Global Warming U.N. Report
The U.N. has just released a new report on global warming which claims with 95% confidence that humans have caused over half global warming. This assertion comes at the same time that warming estimates have been revised down from the 2007 report. The report said that the hiatus in warming that has been observed in the past 15 years is the result of a natural variation and will not last. This study, like all studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was directed at policymakers around the globe. Continue reading “Global Warming U.N. Report”
What Will Tomorrow Bring?
The march of technology has been constantly picking up pace throughout the ages. In the past 100 years humans have discovered flight, space travel, and computers. The next 100 years are even more difficult to predict. Will it be a “great big beautiful tomorrow?” Continue reading “What Will Tomorrow Bring?”
Federal Police Power
As James Comey answers questions before Congress during his confirmation hearings, a renewed focus has come on the changing role of the FBI, especially since 9/11. As the role has expanded from federal law enforcement to counterterrorism, surveillance, and domestic intelligence gathering, many questions have arisen. Should the FBI use unmanned drones for surveillance, and to what extent? Can the FBI collect metadata on U.S. citizens without probable cause? Can the FBI read the content of emails after they “mature” to the 180 day rule? All of these questions were asked at the hearing. Continue reading “Federal Police Power”
Fear Itself
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” H.P. Lovecraft Continue reading “Fear Itself”
Fake Plastic Face
Cosmetic enhancement is very popular these days. From fake boobs to nose jobs, Americans spent $11.5 billion on 11 million cosmetic procedures in 2012. That makes this industry worth more than the NFL, which only made $9.5 billion in 2012. Continue reading “Fake Plastic Face”
The Changing Face of the American Family
Over the past 50+ years the U.S. has seen more female breadwinners, more single mothers, more divorces, more college degrees, more births out of wedlock, but less religion. In 2012, for the first time since records began in 1940, less than half (48.4%) of all households contained a husband and wife. The turn of the millennium marked the first time that less than a quarter (23.5%) of households had a married man and woman with one or more children. We’ve come a long way from a country where 45% of households were these nuclear families in 1960. Continue reading “The Changing Face of the American Family”
Eyewitness Misidentification and False Memories
A wise Jedi once said, “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.” He was right, and many innocent people have gone to jail because of this. Mistaken eyewitness testimony is the number one cause of innocent people ending up behind bars with 75% of all exonerations involving mistaken eyewitness testimony in the conviction, according to the Innocence Project. Continue reading “Eyewitness Misidentification and False Memories”
The Theory of Evolution
Scientists recently uncovered a fossil of a Homo erectus scull in current day Georgia (Asia). This discovery provides new clues into how humans developed. It suggests that a single species of Homo erectus left Africa and populated the globe. Homo erectus is the first species in the genus homo, which is believed to have evolved into Homo sapiens, the scientific name for the human species. Continue reading “The Theory of Evolution”
Ronin Pen 