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Sep 12 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features

Featured Essays-

DocuDharma

Sep 12 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Pentagon attacks inspired war of ‘vengeance’: US

By Dan De Luce, AFP

43 mins ago

US military and political leaders on Sunday paid solemn tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and to troops who have waged a war of “vengeance” in the decade since.

“Lives ended in this place. Dreams were shattered. Futures were instantly altered. Hopes were tragically dashed,” Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a ceremony marking the day a hijacked airliner slammed into the Pentagon ten years ago.

Mullen, joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, said the attack inspired a new generation to join the armed forces as the country sought retribution against Al-Qaeda militants.

And how has ‘vengeance’ worked out for you?

Sep 11 2011

F1: Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Well, this is not likely to be exciting unless it rains, but at GP2 time it is merely hot and muggy.  This is the last of the 9 European races and after this they get really early or sleep in late.

The New York Times is asking the big questions which is another sign that the racing is almost over with Red Bull dominating for the second year in a row.  Scuderia Marlboro is talking about future directions and has given up on this year’s because Maranello is unable to master aerodynamics.

The last 7 races (including this one) are shaping up to be a contest of ‘the also rans’ and the field has stratified into 4 distinct groups with some fighting on the fringes-

  • Contenders– Red Bull, McLaren, Scuderia Marlboro
  • Wanna Bes– Mercedes, Renault
  • Bums– Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso
  • Field Fillers– Williams and the n00bs, Lotus, HRT, Virgin

Lotus is demanding better results next year.  I suppose we shall see.

Speed coverage starts at 7:30 am.  Pretty tables below.

Sep 11 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features

Featured Essays-

DocuDharma

Sep 11 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Nude Blacks’ bare all for rugby fun

By Gael Favennec, AFP

12 hrs ago

Stripping a defence took on a whole new meaning as an enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch the ‘Nude Blacks’ here on Saturday ahead of the World Cup clash between Argentina and England.

The Nude Blacks, a side made up of amateur players from New Zealand, do, as their name suggests, play with no clothes on.

“Our first game was in 2002 in the middle of a dunes on a beach. We were frozen. It started as a joke as part of a backpackers’ festival,” Ralph Davies, founder of the Nude Blacks, told AFP on Saturday.

Sep 10 2011

F1: Autodromo Nazionale Monza Qualifying

So what’s been happening these last two weeks?  I mean other than the commentators creaming their jeans over the new Senna and sucking up to Red Bull and Scuderia Marlboro and bad mouthing Hamilton and McLaren?

Not much, so this will be a short one.

Button is not moving to Marlboro Country.  Who wants a slower ride anyway?

India on October 30th may be canceled due to a tax dispute.  Seems India wants to collect taxes on 1/19th of team and driver yearly incomes.

Scuderia Marlboro is struggling in desperation, hyping the prospects of a 12 year old (A Twelve Year Old!) as a future driver, unable to master aerodynamics and whining for simpler and cheaper rules.

The rules committee will be enforcing a camber (tire slant) limit from Pirelli, but the Softs are still expected to wear quite quickly especially under full (heavy) fuel.

Why?  The Autodromo Nazionale is very straight and very fast which means that when you do have to slow down for corners you put a lot of stress on your brakes and tires.  The speed of the course also stresses engines (we had a Cosworth blow up in practice).  Teams will be running their lowest drag configurations and there are two, two, two Drag Reduction System zones.

This is supposed to make the teams more evenly matched.  I’ll believe it when I see it.

Surprises, not that I expect any, below.

Sep 10 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features

Featured Essays-

DocuDharma

Sep 10 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Battle for Libya not over yet, NTC warns

By Dominique Soguel, AFP

8 hrs ago

Libya’s de facto premier Mahmud Jibril warned in his first address in Tripoli that the hardest battles still lay ahead as fighters loyal to the new rulers closed in on Moamer Kadhafi’s hometown Friday.

World police body Interpol called for the fugitive Kadhafi’s arrest for alleged crimes against humanity, following a request by the International Criminal Court.

“The battle of liberation is not finished,” Jibril said late Thursday after National Transitional Council troops inching towards Bani Walid southeast of Tripoli came under rocket fire from old regime loyalists inside the oasis town.

Sep 09 2011

Tailgating

Hmm…

According to Zap2it, of the 5 major broadcast networks, only ABC is going to carry the Presidential Address on Jobs in front of a Joint Session of Congress.  Even MSNBC is saying that they’re going with a Tweety repeat.  Don’t blink, you might miss it.

The rest?  Entertainment Tonight, Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune.  In short, Local Programming.

I’ll allow you to ponder for a moment what that says about prospects for Electoral Victory in 2012.

NBC is going to be showing Football Night in America without Keith Olbermann and if you don’t care to watch that and are as television addicted as I, here is some other programming to accompany your Season Opening Kickoff party.

It’s the Hypnotoad-

“Television is a vast wasteland”

hypnotoad

It should be a fun game, Saints v. Packers– a repeat of last year’s Super Bowl.  If you want, you can discuss that below too.

Sep 09 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 37 stories.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Libya’s new PM warns toughest battles lie ahead

By Andrew Beatty, AFP

2 hrs 36 mins ago

Libya’s new de facto premier on Thursday used his first major address in Tripoli to warn that liberation was not yet complete and the hardest battles were yet to come.

Speaking in the capital for the first time since Moamer Kadhafi’s ouster, Mahmud Jibril laid out the stark challenges ahead for a nation reborn in the fire of a seven-month-long civil war.

If Libyans were expecting a triumphalist address two weeks after Kadhafi’s fall from power they would have been chastened.

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