China is trying to hang with the big boys…

China is now the world’s biggest energy consumer, knocking the U.S. off a perch it held for more than a century, according to new data from the International Energy Agency.

China devoured a total of 2,252 million tons of oil equivalent last year, or about 4% more than the U.S., which burned through 2,170 million tons of oil equivalent. The oil-equivalent metric represents all forms of energy consumed, including crude oil, nuclear, coal, natural gas and renewable sources such as hydropower.

The U.S. is still by far the biggest energy consumer per capita.

Via the WSJ alerts.

Seriously though, given the population differences I do find it surprising that the United States leads China in per capita consumption.  I know better than thinking that China is more “green” than the U.S. so I can only conclude that it’s due to the fact that we have more “free time” to fire up the computers, televisions, boats & RV’s.  And the fact that we’re America!

OK, we allow crazy people with bombs and their shoes and fireworks strapped to their crotch on planes, but we put 6 year old girls on the “Do Not Fly” list? Was she carry a knitting needle on board (which is allowable, and which I’ve seen)? Did she look at a flight attendant wrong?

The father of a 6-year-old Ohio girl who turned up on the U.S. government’s terror watch list says the worst thing his daughter has ever done is probably been mean to her sister.

But Santhosh Thomas, a doctor from Westlake, Ohio, says he’s sure that’s not enough to land his 6-year-old Alyssa on the no-fly list of suspected terrorists. “She may have threatened her sister, but I don’t think that constitutes Homeland Security triggers,” he told CNN.

Federal authorities have acknowledged that such a no-fly list exists, but as a matter of national security, they won’t comment on whose names are on it nor why. “The watch lists are an important layer of security to prevent individuals with known or suspected ties to terrorism from flying,” an unnamed spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration told Fox News.

[read the full story]

This will probably get me put on “the list” for saying this, but our government is apparently ran by complete morons.  Is it really that hard to find competent people for the  job? Boy, do I feel safer now that this 6 year old girl can’t fly.

As this President’s Day rolls around I bet Honest Abe is rolling over in his grave due to some of the nonsense that’s going on in Washington D.C. in 2010.

Yesterday I heard that “professor” was a racial slur.  Really?  Derogatory in certain contexts, maybe.  But racist?  Give me a break.

Of course, this is coming from the political realm, so take that for what it is.

All I have to say is, GROW UP PEOPLE! If we don’t stop trying to turn everything into a pigment issue we’ll never achieve equality of any sort.  We may achieve an overall switch of perceived “racial superiority” (which is just a wrong idea to start with), but we will never have true equality until we no longer see people for their gender and/or the color of their skin. [Insert your own John Mayer remark here...and he reportedly says that he needs to grow up.]

But this is coming from a crazy mostly “white” male that no one listens to.  Go about your business.

Via SeaCoastOnline:

PORTSMOUTH — A pizza delivery person bringing an order to a city residence on Saturday was met by a naked man for the fourth time, say police.

According to the city’s public police log, at 5:42 p.m. on Sept. 26, police were called to a Holiday Drive residence where the delivery person said “when they deliver pizza there the resident comes to the door naked.” Police Lt. Rodney McQuate said the delivery person has encountered the naked resident during four different pizza deliveries, but did not wish to press charges.

So it’s apparently 4 strikes are you’re out in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  After the first time I’d be wary of showing up again. And after the second time I’d definitely not be coming back again. But maybe that’s just me.

a.k.a. Werewolf Action Days

For those of you who are interested in the 2009 Full Moon Dates so that you know when you can catch a Moonbow or when you need to beware of werewolves, here’s the list:

All times are Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

I just ran across the “Why I am now voting for Barack Obama” post on MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (a WordPress powered blog BTW) and almost fell out of my chair laughing.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the post:

• Any dollar, no matter how it’s wasted, is better spent by the government.  His most holy Barack will raise taxes on EVERYONE and we won’t have to worry about all that greed in society! He will make sure we have only what is needed for us and we won’t have to pay for any of it!
• Taxes are way too high. With his most holy Barack, taxes will initially go up and everyone will go broke. Without money to tax, taxes will come down! It’s so easy to figure this stuff out!
• As the dregs of society die off, there won’t be any more uninsured!
• We need to ban ALL drilling. No oil means no gas. No gas means no cars. No cars means no dependence on foreign oil. Won’t that be nice? No more wars for oil!

A 63-year-old Pennsylvania woman has given a new meaning to “packing for Disney World”.

Disney World security personnel reportedly discovered a … .32-caliber Beretta handgun had been loaded with seven live rounds in the magazine, but the chamber was empty.   Also found in (her) purse was a pair of scissors and a locked blade knife.

Maybe she was paranoid that the characters were out to get her or that the “magic” of Disney was going to add her to the previous three Disney World deaths over the past week and a half.

All I can say is that I’m glad that she wasn’t there when I was a few months ago.  And I’m glad that there’s obviously no “profiling” going on at Disney World.

During yesterday’s storm, a total of 3.4 inches of snowfall was measured at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Indianapolis.  So that means they were on target with their final 2-4″ prediction.  The low was off though, as it was 12 degrees when I woke up this morning and freakin’ freezin’.  (The coffee is about to go on.)

The forecast has changed yet again for tonight and tomorrow, with more snow and possibly some rain and freezing rain on the way.  Right now we have some “freezing fog” and have mostly ice left over from yesterday, so hopefully when it warms up tomorrow the ice will melt away.

No such luck on a decent “play snow”, but that usually doesn’t occur until January around here anyway.

(more…)

Via the Indy Star…

Two people said Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight or his hunting companion hit them with birdshot on two occasions last month.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think that it would be good advice to not go hunting with Coach Knight or Dick Cheney.  Boy wouldn’t those two be a pair?