Tea Party and Taxes

USA Today had an article on tax rates recently:

Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950

And as long as we're looking back at the good ol' 1950's:

John Boehner's America

The rich paid 90% tax rate in the 1950's

Hey, our taxes aren't that bad!

See No Evil, for Glenn Beck

I just love Television, and they have a tune for you, the blinding Glenn Beck.

OK, so Rush is deaf, Glenn is going blind... if Sean starts getting hoarse, maybe folks will begin to question their "leaders"?

Who's More Radioactive?

Nuclear Waste vs. Coal Waste.... which is worse? Most folks probably think coal waste is worse since we use so much of it compared to nuclear, it blows into the air we breathe, coal ash gets in the water we drink, and coal is generally seen as "dirty". And they're right, coal is a dirty business no matter how you look at it. But did you realize that coal waste has more radiation than nuclear waste does? Well, this article from Scientific American claims it to be so, and they seem to have the science to back it up.

"Among the surprising conclusions: the waste produced by coal plants is actually more radioactive than that generated by their nuclear counterparts. In fact, the fly ash emitted by a power plant—a by-product from burning coal for electricity—carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy."

Is it odd that the radiation around us is more likely to be from coal plants, than from all of the nuclear bomb tests and nuclear accidents over the years? This makes nuclear look even better, no?

Ounce-for-ounce, nuclear waste does have more radiation, but it is contained, while we just let the coal fires burn and spread radiation about the air and into "fly ash". I'm not saying nuclear is completely safe, but is it safer for us and the planet than coal? I'd have to say yes, and I'd have to say that we need to start building more nuclear plants now, because that's the cleanest & best way we have to make lots of energy for now.

Fusion, Come Here, We Need You

Energy woes.... from extraction to emissions, we all know that there has got to be a better way to make energy. I've long hoped that we could tap lightning, but power storage (batteries) may be too difficult to overcome. So, back to the wishing well for fusion, the holy grail of power. These guys are working on it:

"Livermore researchers are exploring the idea of a fusion-based system known as Laser Inertial Fusion Energy, or LIFE.

LIFE builds on technology developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and promises safe, carbon-free, and sustainable energy. LIFE offers many compelling advantages, either as a pure fusion energy source or as one that combines the best aspects of fusion and fission energy systems."

It's all a bit over my head, but we can hope...

Memorial Day Story

The UNC-Chapel Hill online library is fascinating, and I came across a great story that is fitting for Memorial Day. What do Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Dorsey, Kate Smith, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Otto Graham, and Ted Williams have in common? Naval Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill 1942-1945. Click through to read the story.

BonObama Meet Again

P043010PS-0100, originally uploaded by The White House.

Bono misses with a wild right hook, as Obama scoffs....

Update: @U2 has people writing captions for this photo.

I guess it should have been obvious... "Ow, my baaaaack!" U2 cancels North American leg of 360 Tour because of Bono's unexpected back surgery.

NA/ZI: Black on Beck

Comedian and Carolina Alumnus Lewis Black really had a go at the fascination Glenn Beck has with all things Nazi. Or is it the other way around, hmmm?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourette's
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

And here's his recent interview with UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp:

Bono 5-0

Bono turns 5-0 today.

Dang, brothr! (read about U2BROTHR's experience)

Wikipedia has a well-done Bono page, worth checking out if you've ever wondered how this singing shaman became the biggest rock star the world has ever known.

Oh, and the Washington Post has a special article for Bono's 50th, titled "Bono at 50: The Leader We Need". A sentence in the last paragraph begins, "Bono, like Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago...."

Test from Duffs Small Engine

Google Voice let's you embed voicemails into a website, like that's necessary. Still, it's geeky cool, and here's a shout for Duffs Small Engine out on Hwy 41, thanks for fixing my mower:

New Site in progress

It's still in the womb, but I needed to add a link to it, and this place works.
No, I'm not replacing the watts4u2 blog, this is a new site featuring my 3D and normal photography services. It's a mess, any suggestions are welcome!
https://sites.google.com/site/wattsonline/

The Winter of Hate

You remember the Summer of Love? Well, we have a new counterculture on our hands, and Glenn Beck is the new Abbie Hoffman. Check out Michael Lind's piece in Salon. A fascinating look at how the tables have been turned and the right is now the counterculture. And they're even stupider than the left was when they were the counterculture.... it's like they don't even know it!
I think Glenn Beck is crazy, sloppy with his facts, and he clings to a reality that is different from yours & mine. He's a PT Barnum-style huckster for 21st century politics. A Merry Prankster?

Catch the Buzz with Obama

8:28 am

▼

Watts Carr - Google Reader - Public - Muted

I know some folks don't like Obama always blaming Bush, but c'mon, sometimes things like this chart make it painfully clear... The stimulus bill worked, and Obama is doing a good job. I know that disappoints a lot of folks out there, but there you go!

Check this out - Organizing for America
Wondering what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has accomplished? Check this out:
This chart is clear. We know we have a long way to go, but we are on the road to recovery.Delete

Comment

Like

Not sure about the Buzz yet, but it sounds a heck of a lot better than Twitter, am I right?

Obama Takes All Comers

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/us/politics/30obama.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

I encourage all my friends to watch the video.... most fascinating political exchange in my memory.  I hope we get more opportunities for open debate like this.  Well done!

Watts

from the Droid
http://www.watts3d.com

What a Story

Amid the sorrow in Haiti, there are some amazing stories, and this is perhaps the most riveting 3:50 I've ever seen on the Nightly News, from Bill Neely of ITN.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy