State 29 Blog To Call It Quits... This Time For Good?

Iowa's Shock Blogger State 29
To Cease Publishing...

Iowans have enjoyed State 29's scathing, off the wall, often provocative, occasionally hilarious, sometimes offensive, yet never dull posts. Mainstream Iowan had much common ground and were often humored with his tell-it-like-it-is, call-it-as-he-saw-it style. Mainstream Iowan often cross linked to the State 29 Blog when in agreement.

Thank you State 29!
Perhaps we'll meet in the eternal blogospheria...

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U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Right To Keep Handguns

Strikes Down Handgun Ban In Washington D.C.

For the first time in history, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the second amendment right to bear arms, and in the process, struck down a handgun ban in Washington D.C.
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Justice Scalia Writes Majority Opinion

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.

The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.

Scalia noted that the handgun is Americans' preferred weapon of self-defense in part because "it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police."
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Supreme Court Constitution Guns Firearms

Spanish Evolutionists Gone Mad... Gives Rights To Apes

Spanish Parliament Gives Rights To Apes
Zoos Could Be In Jeopardy

Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.

Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project.

Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden and breaking the new laws will become an offence under Spain's penal code.

Keeping an estimated 315 apes in Spanish zoos will not be illegal, but supporters of the bill say conditions will need to improve drastically in 70 percent of establishments to comply with the new law.
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Evolution Spain Apes Human Rights

Reasons For Domestic Oil Drilling NOW!

Zogby Poll: 74% Support Off-Shore Oil Drilling
59% of likely voters favor drilling in ANWR

Telephone survey finds 59% of likely voters favor drilling in ANWR; 25% of undecideds would be more likely to support McCain because he favors off-shore drilling

UTICA, New York – Three in four likely voters – 74% – support off-shore drilling for oil in U.S. coastal waters and more than half (59%) also favor drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a new Zogby International telephone poll shows.
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Energy Oil Economy

George Carlin Dies At Age 71

The Shock Comedian Was Vile, Profane, Stupid
Disrespectful, Immature, and Irreverent
(I Even Thought He Was Funny Until I Grew Up... )

George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at 71, leaves behind not only memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on those infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language.

Carlin breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" -- all of which are taboo on broadcast TV to this day.
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George Carlin Entertainment Comedy

A Hostile Takeover of Budweiser Begins

The King Of Beers Would No Longer Be American

Effects Would Be Felt Througout The USA

Budweiser beer, as American a product as baseball and apple pie, might soon acquire a Belgian taste.

InBev, a Belgium brewer, has started the process of acquiring Anheuser-Busch Inc., an American staple for nearly 150 years.
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Budweiser Beer

World's Population in 2012 - 12 Billion People

6.7 Billion In The World Today
6 Billion In 1999

The world's population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global community struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural resources, according to a new government projection. There are 6.7 billion people in the world today. The United States ranks third, with 304 million, behind China and India, according to projections released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

The world's population surpassed 6 billion in 1999, meaning it will take only 13 years to add a billion people.

By comparison, the number of people didn't reach 1 billion until 1800, said Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. It didn't reach 2 billion until 130 years later.
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Population demographics

Leaders Declare End Of Anglican Communion

Church Could Be Saved If Americans Repent

Hardline Church leaders have formally declared the end of the worldwide Anglican Communion, saying they can no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy.

The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, by claiming that he can no longer hold the Church together. They warned that the Church was gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation.

It could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining a homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, five years ago.
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Anglican Episcopalian Religion

Flood 2008 - Des Moines, Polk County Start Adding Flood Costs

$6 Million Dollars So Far For Des Moines Area

Early figures show Des Moines and Polk County have already racked up $6 million in flood-fighting expenses, an amount that one county official warned is "the tip of the iceberg."

"It would not surprise me to see that number quadruple," said A.J. Mumm, Polk County's emergency management coordinator. "It's a moving target, and it will continue to go upward."

The amount includes sand, clay and supplies, equipment and contractor services. It does not include overtime pay or tallies from Johnston, Pleasant Hill, West Des Moines and other cities where officials have not yet gathered the data.
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$2 Billion Initial Federal Aid Request For Iowa

President Bush said at the White House Tuesday that the federal government is moving to assist with flood damage, and he will travel to Iowa Thursday for a first-hand look.

Meanwhile, members of the Iowa congressional delegation said they expect that $2 billion in initial disaster relief money will be included in a supplemental spending bill pending in the House.
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Iowa Des Moines Flood

Flood 2008 - Consequences of Building On The Flood Plain

New Homes Built After Flooding In 1993
Holcomb Avenue In Des Moines

I recall driving on Holcomb Avenue in Des Moines recently and could not help but notice the newer homes that were built and the previous homes that were being torn down. During the Flood of '93 this street also was flooded. I could not understand why the new homes were built and people decided to live in a high risk area with a history of flooding. How many times will it need to flood before the residents become a little more cautious?

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North High School And The Birdland Area
Is It Time To Reconsider Closing The School?

Some supporters worry the school is on the brink of extinction and the floods might push it over the edge."Some will say, 'Why pour more money into it?' " said John Morrissey, president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association. "Others will think it needs to go to the front of the line for renovations. What will happen? Your guess is as good as mine."

Another flood is the latest challenge for North, Des Moines' smallest high school with a 2007 enrollment of about 1,100.

The building was considered for closure during a series of budget cutbacks in the 1990s and faced environmental issues when a toxic waste dump was discovered on the school's grounds in 1990.
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Iowa Flood

The Fury Of Nature Unleashed In Iowa

After The Floods Of 1993

The Iowa Floods Of 2008 Occurring Again
83 of 99 Counties in Iowa Are Disaster Areas

The flooding in Iowa is not "a once in a lifetime event, or that it would only occur every 500 years." This is what was told Iowans after the floods of 1993.

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Assessing The Costs...

The financial impact of almost three weeks of flooding and tornadoes will take months to assess, but business, farm and state leaders say it will likely be in the billions.

Losses will likely be greater than they were in 1993, experts say, when the damage and lost business from widespread flooding totaled about $2.1 billion, including a $1 billion hit to Iowa farmers.
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Iowa Flood

Marc Hansen Whines For Ramona Cunningham

Believes Ramona Rancor Reaches Unhealthy Level

Says Ramona Cunningham is not the worst person in the world...

Des Moines Register Columnist Marc Hansen has become a Basu wannabe. After months of weeping over the deportation proceedings of Iowa's famous SS Guard John Hansl, he has now taken up the cause of Ramona Cunningham. Apparently Hansen has empathy for the accused while disregarding victims. He evidently cannot understand why the Ramona's of this world are so despised and criticized.

The worst criticisms come from honorable women: Those who have broken through the glass ceiling in a respectable way. The women who have worked for and obtained their college degrees. The women who are honest and hardworking, those women who are qualified for their position and earn their salaries. Women who command respect, honor, dignity and trust...

Ramona will eventually have her trial. Many were not impressed with her testimony before the Legislature and her assertions that she felt she deserved to earn more money than the governor. I just read Judge Robert Pratt has rescheduled the trial of Ramona Cunningham for July 8.
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Get A Life, Marc Hansen...

Des Moines Register Iowa CIETC Scandal

Guantanamo Prisoners Can Challenge Their Detention

Gitmo Was Going To Be Shut Down Anyway
Hostages Of Terrorists Don't Have Rights...

The US Supreme Court Thursday ruled Guantanamo prisoners have the right to challenge their detention at the US military base in civilian courts, dealing a stiff rebuke to the Bush administration. "The laws and constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times," the court said in its historic ruling, for the third time in four years striking down the government's case for trying "war on terror" suspects in military tribunals.

"Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law," the court added, ruling that prisoners in the remote US jail in southern Cuba "have the constitutional privilege of habeas corpus."
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Guantanamo Gitmo War

Iowa's Flood Of 2008

Many Areas Worse Than The Flood Of '93

Central Iowa is bracing itself for another flood. Other places in the state are already are in trouble. With more 3 more inches of rain expected today, the Des Moines area is waiting for its turn. Some areas in Iowa are experience more flooding than occurred in 1993. Experts at that time said that kind of flooding only occurs every 500 years.

Saylorville Lake is overfull and has sent water rushing down the Des Moines River into the Des Moines downtown area and should reach the Des Moines metropolitan area about 10:00 am.

Des Moines Waterworks is confident the watersupply is safe. In 1993 floodwaters surged into the treatment plant and about 250,000 people were without water for weeks. Just heard on television that the Iowa Natioal Guard has been activated and sent to several areas.

The NCAA Track and Field Championships are scheduled to be held in Des Moines at Drake Stadium. Atheletes have already been moved out of Des Moines hotels because of the situation.

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Iowa Flood

We Reap What We Sow...

This Hypothetical Dialog Perspective Is From
An E-mail Forwarded To This Author

Dear God:

Why didn't you save the students and school children at the following schools:

Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, Amish Country, PA, Columbine High School, Moses Lake , Washington 2/2/96, Bethel , Alaska 2/19/97, Pearl , Mississippi 10/1/97, West Paducah , Kentucky 12/1/97, Stam P, Arkansas 12/15/97, Jonesboro , Arkansas 3/24/98 , Edinboro , Pennsylvania 4/24/98, Fayetteville , Tennessee 5/19/98, Springfield , Oregon 5/21/98, Richmond , Virginia 6/15/98, Littleton , Colorado 4/20/99 , Conyers , Georgia 5/20/99, Deming , New Mexico 11/19/99, Fort Gibson , Oklahoma 12/6/99, Santee, California 3/ 5/01, and El Cajon , California 3/22/01?

Sincerely,
A Concerned Student

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Reply:

Dear Concerned Student:

I am not allowed in schools.

Sincerely, God

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How did this get started?...

Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained She didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK...

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Then, Someone said you better not read the Bible in school, The Bible that says 'Thou shalt! Not kill, Thou shalt not steal,And love your neighbors as yourself,' And we said, OK...
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And the entertainment industry said, Let's make TV shows and movies that promote Profanity, Violence and Illicit Sex... And let's record music that encourages Rape, Drugs, Murder, Suicide, and Satanic themes.. And we said, Ok... It's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway, So go right ahead.
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Now we're asking ourselves Why our children have no conscience, Why they don't know right from wrong, And why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves. Undoubtedly, If we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with... "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

School Students Religion God College University

Meet Roadrunner, A New American Supercomputer

$133 Million Computer Performs A Petaflop:
One Thousand Trillion Calculations Per Second

An American military supercomputer, assembled from components originally designed for video game machines, has reached a long-sought-after computing milestone by processing more than 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second.

The high-performance computing goal, known as a petaflop — one thousand trillion calculations per second — has long been viewed as a crucial milestone by military, technical and scientific organizations in the United States, as well as a growing group including Japan, China and the European Union. All view supercomputing technology as a symbol of national economic competitiveness.

To put the performance of the machine in perspective, Thomas D'Agostino, the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said that if all six billion people on earth used hand calculators and performed calculations 24 hours a day and seven days a week, it would take them 46 years to do what the Roadrunner can in one day.
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Supercomputer Petaflop Technology