Bryan Strawser

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Archives for 2004

Postponing the Elections

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I was going to write something about all of this paranoia about the elections and the possibility of a postponement, but SMASH has already said everything that I wanted to say:

EARLIER THIS WEEK, rumors of a plan to postpone elections in the event of a major terrorist attack set off a flurry of op-eds and conspiracy theories about nefarious plans to “steal” the election.

This is silly.

I expect our government to be working to ensure that we have fair, secure, and on-time elections. I certainly hope that they are thinking about what to do in the event that a major terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other calamity results in thousands of people being unable to vote.

I read alot of weblogs and news sources each day, and I’ve seen a huge slew of people who believe that this is nothing short of an attempt by Bush and his team to steal the election.

And, undoubtedly, these are the same people who would be complaining if Bush won because thousands of Democrats in New York and/or California couldn’t get to the polls because of a terrorist attack.

Calm down people.

Yeah, Ok…

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Al Jazeera has unveiled a code of ethics reports CNN:

Arabic satellite television channel al Jazeera, accused by Washington of graphic and anti-American conflict coverage, has unveiled a code of ethics it said would ensure balanced and sensitive reporting.

The Qatar-based channel defended its right Tuesday to report “the ugly face of war” but said the new guidelines would take account of Western and Arab sensitivities when considering whether to broadcast gory images of violence.

Code of Ethics.. Al Jazeera. Yeah, that’s an oxymoron.

A Day in the Life

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I was going to write a longish entry tonight about what my typical day is like.. but as I started to write it I discovered that I really can’t.

Not that I don’t want to share what happens, because it is interesting, but because to do it right would require me to write about things that I clearly can’t share, particularly right now with what I’m working on, and so this will have to wait until another day.

Sorry….

Restricted Airspace

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Philip Greenspun writes today about restricted airspace and flying near a Presidential Candidate last Friday:

Flying down to the Eastern Shore of Maryland on Friday I got a good preview of what life will be like for New England pilots should Kerry be elected. Flying over Connecticut on a magnetic heading of approximately 230 I was monitoring 121.5 megahertz, the standard emergency frequency. I heard the following call “Aircraft heading 230 at an altitude of approximately 4200′: This is the U.S. Air Force. You are in a restricted area and must immediately turn to a heading of 360 or you may be fired upon.” Note that the Air Force did not say where the plane was, not even which state. I assumed that this was a puny Cessna somewhere near York, Pennsylvania where Kerry and Edwards were doing a tour but could not rule out the possibility that it was my plane.

Definitely not something I’d want to hear while piloting an aircraft.

Life with the Hybrid

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I’m a geeky guy, so I have been tracking my mileage and the like on a spreadsheet to see if this Honda Civic Hybrid experiment is going to work out for me.

Some interesting stats so far:

  • Gallons of Gas: Down 43%
  • Cost of Gas: Down 53%

I’ve spent roughly $111 on gas in the last six weeks. Mind you, I have a 124 mile round trip to my office and back – and I’ve driven to Connecticut and New Hampshire during this time as well.

Not a bad deal so far.

Captain Patti is Home!

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After 427 days in the sandbox, Captain Patti is finally home.

One of my daily readings for the last six months or so has been the writings and thoughts of Patti’s Husband Tim, himself a retired Army Officer, on his weblog. He’s provided newslinks that most of the media has ignored, his thoughts and opinions, and – more bravely – shared some of his heart with all of us that read his weblog.

I’m happy to see that Captain Patti has made it home, and I hope the blog continues. If not, it’s been a great trip!