Definitive Proof PC Is Superior To Mac!

PWNED!

BREAKING NEWS: Three Alarm Fire Is Destroying Monte Carlo Casino In Las Vegas. (I'm Live Blogging The Story Now)

Courtesy of AP
Great slide show of images from the fire ...

It is VERY bad, and it looks like the casino may be destroyed. The fire is burning in 3 sections of the hotel/casino, and it's burning both horizontally and vertically. There is also lots of reports that the building is falling apart, and there is debris falling off of the building. The authorities aren't saying much, but the fire is reportedly out of control. You can't access any of the news sites here in Vegas because of the traffic. You can go to KXNT.COM to listen to a live broadcast of what's happening right now.


UPDATE:

Fire spread to a 4th section of the Monte Carlo.

UPDATE:

It looks like the fire department is starting to win the battle against the fire. It is much better than it was even 10 minutes ago.


UPDATE:

So far, no injuries. We can't confirm if there are workers trapped on the roof, but it seems unlikely now. There are firefighters on the roof of the Monte Carlo right now.

UPDATE:

Only the Monte Carlo is being evacuated ... no other hotels have been evacuated as has been reported nationally.

The fire in the west wing is contained, and the fire department is reporting that the south wing is nearly contained.

There were welders on the roof of the Monte Carlo before the fire broke out. We don't know if they are responsible for the fire yet.

The wall burning on the roof is a protective wall that prevents people from jumping off the building. Several of the suites below that wall have been destroyed.


UPDATE:

There is an iconic image on the TV right now. A firefighter is standing on a balcony breaking the door in from the outside while he is completely surrounded by flames on both sides and above him. Part of the frame of the suite collapsed around him, but he is ok. I'll try to find the image to post it.

UPDATE:

The fire is under control right now. The local CBS station (lasvegasnow.com) is ripping our local Fox affiliate (fox5vegas.com) for spreading doomsday rumors about mass evacuations at other casinos that was picked up nationally.

This was a bad fire that spread quickly in less than an hour, but Vegas has the nation's toughest fire codes. Fire walls are built in between floors to prevent fires from spreading, and our fire department deserves great praise for their reaction to the fire. It is a real testament to their professionalism, courage, and ability.

UPDATE:

Local CBS is citing an AP report that the rumors of the trapped employees was false.

The fire department will hold a press conference in a few minutes.

UPDATE:

Reports are coming in that the firefighters were focussed on battling the blaze on the 29th floor.

UPDATE:

Earlier I told you that local CBS ripped local Fox affiliate for false reporting. Local CBS then read an AP article that their were NO WORKERS trapped on the roof. However, the local Fox channel is saying they were rescued. We'll find out which is true when the fire department gives its press conference.

UPDATE:

Reporters are able to interview witnesses now on the ground, and they are stunned that the fire department was able to put the fire out. The pictures you see above and that you'll see in the next couple of days will not do the fire justice. Everything that is black in the pictures was at one point completely engulfed in flames. This fire burned very hot.

UPDATE:

Experts are saying that the fire looks worse than it actually ended up being, and that most of the damage is on the exterior of the building. I'm not so sure of that. I saw several suites burning on the inside of the building.

UPDATE:

One man hid inside a freezer for a couple of hours until the fire was under control.

UPDATE:

Fire Chief Steve Smith has given his press conference and he went over how many fire fighters responded (25 apparatuses), the evacuation, fire on upper floors, it was an exterior fire ... the fire did not penetrate far into the building, no rooms were completely destroyed (guess I was wrong), fire not completely out ... in a state of "knockdown", no injuries or casualties at all, was not an easy fire to deal with (they just made it look that way), stay off the strip, still investigating cause.

No word yet on whether workers were rescued or if it was false report.

UPDATE:

We have 4 local news channels here - 3, 5, 8, and 13. All are still reporting on the fire except for channel 3 who has gone back to running Days of Our Lives ... too funny.

UPDATE:

Oh great, the reporters are starting in with the 9/11 comparisons. They are saying that the firefighters "no doubt" thought about 9/11 as they were rushing up the stairs of the Monte Carlo. Give me a break.

UPDATE:

When the flames first started the patrons were not told to evacuate even though everyone heard fire alarms. The saw their resort on fire on the TVs and decided to evacuate on their own. The casino workers said they were investigating why the alarms were going off, but that everyone was safe. As the fire spread an official evacuation was ordered for the whole resort, and there was a problem with getting some gamblers away from their machines.

Everything is in mop up right now, and appears to be over. I'll continue to look for that image I told you about earlier, and confirmation on if anyone was ever trapped.

Paulbots Want Fredheads To Join Them

NEVER!!!!!!

UPDATE: Heath Ledger Funeral To Be Protested, NOT A Suicide

As I suspected yesterday, Heath did not commit suicide. At least according to the police and his family. I'm surprised everyone jumped all over that theory anyway. Whenever I hear of an overdose or suicide in which the pills were strewn all around the body I'm skeptical.

We were hoping to get more with the autopsy. As a side note, did you notice how quick we had an autopsy on Ledger as compared to Anna Nicole? Too bad the autopsy came back inconclusive, and more tests need to be done.

The most disturbing of the developments today is that the Westboro Baptist Church (known for protesting the funerals of US troops) will protest Ledger's funeral because of his role in Brokeback Mountain. Below is the flier from the "church."

Heath Ledger Dead At 28

This is a shame, and a little fishy. Heath is one of my favorite actors (except that whole Brokeback thing). They are calling it a suicide or overdose. Heath's last work will be as the Joker in the new Batman.

RIP

New Features

I've added a tabbed Yahoo and Reuters news feeds so you can get the news YOU want, and a Sports Illustrated model of the day widget. Enjoy and make sure to pass on any suggestions for the site.

Ron Paul Says Some Crazy Stuff In This Interview

Some highlights include him explaining why he has flip flopped on the border fence, Amber Alert is unconstitutional, the North American Union is real, it is not kidnapping to take a minor across state lines without the parents knowing, and tip toeing around the neo-Nazi money while denying giving part of Alex Jones' donation back.

Run time is 10 minutes.



To download the interview yourself go here. It's on the right hand side in podcasts.

I know I'll get emails about the border fence thing, but Paul has flip flopped on that several times. His website says he wants physical barriers on the border, but earlier this month he told Stossel he didn't like the border fence.

Also, his denying having any knowledge of returning campaign donations before was laughable. Here is the story.

Democrats Create 51st State To Vote In Primary

With 22 delegates I might add. If I were a Democrat living in the US I would be pissed off right now.

AP:

This year, for the first time, US expatriates who are Democrats can cast their ballots on the Internet in a presidential primary for people living outside the US.

Democrats Abroad, an official branch of the party representing overseas voters, will hold its first global presidential preference primary from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12, with expats selecting the candidate of their choice by Internet as well as fax, mail and in person at polling places in more than 100 countries.

So far so good right? No problem with citizens being able to vote from abroad. While voting in the primary is new ... voting in the general election is not. I assure you, this will get very good real soon.

"The online system is incredibly secure: That was one of our biggest goals," said Lindsey Reynolds, executive director of Democrats Abroad. "And it does allow access to folks who ordinarily wouldn't get to participate."

Incredibly secure? Online? As a network admin I can attest that this is a near impossibility. However, my co-host decided to take it one step further and really test the "security" of the Dems online system.

She was able to register with the party using the information of a 14 year old, and the address and phone number of a restaurant in another country. So far she has been accepted into the program. I wouldn't call that secure at all.

We did this live on the air during our broadcast tonight. They still may ask for additional information before she is finally approved so I will keep you updated over the next few days.

Meanwhile, it gets better.

Members get a personal identification number from Everyone Counts, the San Diego-based company running the online election. They can then use the number to log in and cast their ballots.

Their votes will be represented at the August Democratic National Convention by 22 delegates, who according to party rules get half a vote each for a total of 11. That's more than US territories get, but fewer than the least populous states, Wyoming and Alaska, which get 18 delegate votes each.

That's the main issue with this program. By allowing 22 delegates representing around 6 million Americans outside of the US to participate in the national convention the Dems have effectively created a 51st state thats delegates will cast their votes at the national convention. That's a big problem, and completely unfair to other Democrat voters here in the US.

In the current atmosphere of our electoral process this could sway a whole election.

If you aren't familiar with politics ... delegates are the most important part of the primary process. They were selected to go to the national convention to choose which candidate will represent the party.

Rather than allow the expats votes to be counted with their home state's ... the Dems have created a previously nonexistent third party that will behave in every way as a 51st state. Thus, potentially tipping the scales in favor of one candidate over the others when that advantage has never existed before. With the hotly contested race the Dems have on their hands right now the 11 votes the 22 delegates get could be the difference.

In case you were wondering ... people can vote in the Dem primary from Iraq and Afghanistan. Given how easy it was for my co-host to sign up for the program with false information, how can we be sure some unsavory people won't screw with our elections from other countries?

For those of you worried about globalism ... this figurative 51st state will represent the rest of the world. It doesn't get more globalist than that.

U.S. & Iranian Navy Clash - Update: Video Added

This is still developing so we may get new information as time goes on.

Five Iranian boats threatened US warships, and said they were going to blow our ships up. The US Navy had just received the order to fire when the Iranians broke off their "attack."

Fox:

Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboats took threatening actions toward three U.S. Navy ships sailing in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, FOX News has confirmed.

The U.S. ships — a cruiser, a frigate and a destroyer — were passing through the strait en route to the Persian Gulf when they took defensive action to avoid striking the close by Iranian ships and armed their weapons, but neither side fired any shots.

The small Iranian boats reportedly came within 200 yards of the U.S. ships, and also threw boxes into the water ahead of the U.S. boats before speeding off. It could not immediately be determined what was in the boxes.

The Associated Press, citing an anonymous Pentagon official, said the incident occurred at about 5 a.m. local time Sunday.

"Five small boats were acting in a very aggressive way, charging the ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and causing our ships to take evasive maneuvers," the Pentagon official said.

"There were no injuries but there very well could have been," he said, adding that the Iranian boats turned away "literally at the very moment that U.S. forced were preparing to open fire" in self defense.

The AP source said he didn't have the precise transcript of communications that passed between the two forces, but the Iranians radioed something to the effect that "we're coming at you and you'll explode in a couple minutes."

I recently responded to a list making its way around the internet on the top 10 things Americans want. I made my own list of the REAL things Americans want, and both addressed the Iranian situation. I pointed out that the ball was in Iran's court. I wonder if the Revolutionary Guard commander will get another medal for this endeavor like he did when they illegally kidnapped the British sailors last year.

The REAL List Of The Top 10 Things Americans Want But Can't Have

There is a list that some nincumpoop made up that is circulating around the net that is alleging to list the supposed "top 10 things Americans want." It is, of course, 10 things that socialists and their liberal allies want ... not most Americans.

The list has made itself popular with the Diggbots (which is enough to discredit the list), and is spreading like wildfire amongst the online liberal community. It appears that Geekarmy.com is the original author of the list. Frankly, I find that hard to believe, but they cite no other source. I just have a hard time believing that a fellow geek would not put any effort into proper research. Usually, we geeks are great with facts. Not so in this case I'm afraid.

I will only list the 10 items below ... you will have to visit their site for the explanation of why each item made their list.

10. Marijuana Decriminalization.
9. Universal Health Care.
8. Stricter Campaign Finance Laws.
7. Equal Aid to Palestinians and Israelis.
6. Reducing Military Spending.
5. Increased Social Spending.
4. Acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol.
3. A Diplomatic Solution with Iran.
2. Pulling Troops out of Iraq.
1. The Impeachment of George W. Bush.

On top of that ridiculous list, that is not backed up by any solid facts, there is a special runner up to the list.

Jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court.

It's a hell of a list, isn't it? It looks a lot more like a the course syllabus for Socialism 101 than anything the average American would want.

The author does cite some some polls, but none of the polls they cite are not contradicted by other polls. Actually, there are usually more polls that say the opposite of what the author is claiming. I'd also like to point out that the author cites Zogby several times. Zogby is notorious for spinning his data to reflect his personal leftist point of view.

Later on I will make the REAL list of top 10 things Americans want, but I want to give short rebuttals to this other list.

10. Marijuana Decriminalization.

This is a spin at best, but not completely inaccurate. Most Americans do support reducing the criminal punishment for using small amounts of marijuana. However, most Americans do not support legalizing marijuana at all. Decriminalization was not the proper terminology to use since most Americans still want growing, selling, and using marijuana to be criminal. Nor would I classify that as a "top 10" want of the American people. There are better things to worry about ... unless you are a pot head, of course.

9. Universal Health Care.

Again ... spin. Most Americans do want an improvement in our health care system, but the polling is all over the place as to whether they want universal health care or not. While most Americans want the government to guarantee that everyone will have health care, this poll shows that only 36% support a completely rebuilt system. Universal health care is health care provided to everyone by the government, and paid for with taxes. It removes the option of choosing your plan, and often your doctor. There is a huge difference between guaranteeing everyone has health care (which we have for emergencies now anyway), and universal health care funded by your tax dollars.

8. Stricter Campaign Finance Laws.

Been there, done that, made things worse. It's called McCain/Feingold, and all it did was limit the constitutional rights of voters to express their support for a particular candidate. Those who support campaign finance reform are those who support censorship, and are threatened by a powerful group of people with a particular point of view that differs from theirs. Anytime you go against the Constitution ... expect trouble.

7. Equal Aid to Palestinians and Israelis.

This is a joke! In fact, it is not even close. The vast majority of Americans support Israel (59%), and do not want any money funneled to the Palestinian Authority. Only 15% of Americans are sympathetic to Palestinians according to Gallup. The highest percent of American sympathy for the Palestinian cause was 18% in 2004-2005. If Palestinian terrorists were to lose control over the people that number would change. Americans know who the enemy is.

6. Reducing Military Spending.

Yet another example of the author's personal opinion being superimposed upon the American public. You can take dozens of polls from the 90's through today, and get a myriad of answers. This is largely due to the ignorance of the civilian population in thinking that the military is the highest funded part of government. It's a pervasive myth, but a myth nonetheless.

We spend far more on unnecessary social programs than we do on defense, but if you break down the departments we pay more for social security than we do on the department of defense. The DOD is a close second to social security as individual departments. There is far more spending cuts available outside of defense that we should examine first. We must also keep in mind that we have several active military campaigns across the world right now, and the military is undergoing a massive modernization effort. Once the new equipment (fighters, aircraft carriers etc.) are in service the budget will go down again.

5. Increased Social Spending.

See above ... most Americans do NOT support higher taxes. It's not that we want more spending on social programs ... it's that we want the money the government already has taken from us spent on the RIGHT social programs.

4. Acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol.

Polls are useless on this question. They run the full gambit of support, or lack thereof, for Kyoto. It is important to note that Kyoto is more popular in the US than it is in the countries that signed the treaty. The US is performing far better than the Kyoto nations are in emissions, and many Kyoto countries are slamming Kyoto for actually harming the environment. Whether you are a greenie or not ... Kyoto is a bad idea all around. You have a better chance at saving the planet with current US policy than you do with Kyoto.

3. A Diplomatic Solution with Iran.

Everyone can agree with this one. No one wants another war. The population is simply split between those who will take action if a diplomatic solution becomes impossible, and those who won't. The ball is in Iran's court. They have got to stop their weapons program (permanently), stop fomenting terrorism, and stop getting into firefights with US troops inside Iraq. Our government will talk to anyone so long as they are not waging war against us, clandestine or otherwise.

2. Pulling Troops out of Iraq.

This could mean a thousand different things. Most Americans don't want an indefinite war. Nor do we want to remain in Iraq without the Iraqis stepping up. However, most Americans want to succeed in Iraq. Since the Iraqis are stepping up, and the surge has been a resounding success, nearly half of all Americans are optimistic. 51% of young people are optimistic about Iraq. Since the Iraqis are kicking the UN out of Iraq and asking us to stay indefinitely ... the point is moot.

1. The Impeachment of George W. Bush.

More fantasy and proof that the author of this list has BDS. 55% of Americans do not support impeachment. Not to mention the reasons given by the author are blatant lies. Bush did not mislead us into war with Iraq. Nor are the wiretaps illegal. Make sure you read the quote at the top of this page from Charles Duelfer saying that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program when we invaded.

The "runner up" desire of the American people is laughable, and doesn't deserve to be addressed. The notion that most Americans want to be under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court rather than the Constitution is nothing but pure anti-American fantasy.

Well, there you have it. The so called "top 10" list is not an accurate representation of the American population at all. My list will be, and I'll put my list up against any as a better overall representation for what the American people really want.

10. Ability To Get Medication Not Approved By The FDA.

I firmly believe that Americans want the choice to get drugs from Canada, and even Mexico. However, most Americans would only support this if the US would not face liability if the medication didn't work as advertised.

9. School Vouchers.

Parents have grown tired of being forced to send their kids to inferior schools that are more worried about attendance than academics. If a school is underperforming parents should have the right to change schools to ensure their child gets a quality education.

8. Politicians To Keep Campaign Promises.

Quite possibly the oldest desire of the American public is for politicians to actually follow through with their promises. It stretches across party lines, but the current situation with Congress highlights this desire perfectly. The Democrats abandoned all of their campaign promises (with the exception of raising the minimum wage ... for most places). Now they are the proud owners of the lowest congressional approval ratings in history.

7. Less Foreign Aid To Unfriendly Nations.

This is a constant source of agitation for the American public. We are fed up with our enemies getting all of our money. There are cases where attempts to buy peace with aid pays off, but there are other cases where there is a pattern of failure. Yet we continue to throw money at the problem expecting a different result (Palestine). That's the definition of insanity.

6. Seriously Reconsider Our Relationship With The UN.

We could lump this one with number seven above, but the UN is its own monster. There are 192 member nations in the UN, and only 47% are free countries. That statistic says a lot about the UN's conduct. They are anti-American, racist, hypocritical, and ineffective. Forget about their support for terrorists in recent conflicts, and refusal to act in others. Then there is the massive amount of criminal activity, and corruption that run rampant there.

We could talk for years about how the UN is not only not good for the US, but not good for the world. These truths are self-evident, and most Americans are sick and tired of footing the bill for an organization that spends its time working against our interests. The US and Japan fund just under half of the UN annually by themselves. That's 2 countries paying half the budget, and 190 paying the other half ... hardly fair. Not only are Americans tired of the UN, but Japan ready to draw a line in the sand as well. You also have Iraq kicking the UN out of their country next year.

5. Less Taxes.

If you feel that Americans want to increase their donations to the government, you are CRAZY! Libs constantly mess this one up. They will frequently say we aren't paying enough taxes right now, and when asked will provide a percentage of our income that they feel is "fair" taxation. Usually, they will throw out a number between 15-25%. Problem is that on average we send 40% of our income to the government in the form of various taxes.

The average family in the US makes around $50,000 a year according to the Census Bureau. That means that family will send $20,000 of their $50,000 income to the government. You'll be hard pressed to find an American who thinks it is acceptable for the average family to send $20,000 to the government every year.

4. An Honest, Unbiased Media.

The reason the new media is becoming so popular is because Americans know the MSM is undeniably slanted to the left. The MSM has had several scandals involving dishonesty in the past couple of years, and people are taking notice. The MSM coverage of Katrina, Rathergate, Reutersgate, and others showed that not only is the MSM getting a lot wrong, but they are flat out lying to us in many cases. I've heard liberals say that conservatives control the media, but the link above proves that wrong. Fox News is also frequently attacked, but they were just ruled the most fair news source on television. All we want is for liberal and conservative news outlets to tell us they are what they are. Stop pretending to be something they are not ... unbiased.

3. Get The Government Out Of Our Lives.

Contrary to what a few fringe groups would have you believe ... Americans do not want government telling them what to eat, what to drive, and what they can and can not say. Nor do they want government banning types of dogs, baseball bats, the circus, and Wal-Mart. We just want our government to behave as our founding fathers intended ... not as the monarchy our founding fathers rebelled against.

2. Fix Immigration.

It's a no brainer, I know. No matter what side of the issue you come down on ... you want it fixed ... NOW!

1. No More Bush Or Clinton In The White House.

Don't get me wrong ... I like President Bush, but we've had a Bush or Clinton in the White House for the past 2 decades. That's 20 years of the same ruling families, and now we face the very real possibility of another 8 years with Hillary. You also can't forget about a Jeb Bush run after Hillary's reign. Frankly, I think the two royal families of our political parties have succeeded in dividing our country in ways that would have been impossible otherwise. Half the country hates the Bushes, and half hates the Clintons. It's time to make a change, and let the healing begin.

Now THAT is a list most Americans can get behind. The previous list was made up by a hardcore lib, was biased, and full of falsehoods. I think mine was far more accurate, crossed party lines, and is truly the top 10 things Americans want the most. What do you think?

Shocker! Polls Were Right About Obama & Huckabee Winning Iowa.

We didn't really have a reason to doubt this year's polling, but I am surprised at how accurate the polls were for all candidates. Obama and Huckabee won't win their respective nominations, but it was a result we would have never expected several months ago.

UPDATE:

Biden to quit.

Same with Dodd.

The Government Wants Seniors To Come Out Of Retirement, & Work Off Their Tax Debt.

This is one of the most twisted stories circulating right now. The disgust will be compounded by the attitude of the article's author towards seniors losing their well deserved retirement.

AP:

The town is pushing a program that would let seniors work part-time, for $7 an hour, to help pay off some of their property taxes.

"People shouldn't have to sell their house, move away to a place with less taxes, leave behind their family and friends," said Town Supervisor Paul Feiner.

He envisions retired doctors mentoring schoolchildren, retired accountants helping with the town's finances, retired lawyers offering their services for a discount. But there are plenty of less-skilled jobs that need doing, he said.

Some of the "less-skilled" jobs just happen to be manual labor in some of the other states with programs like this.

You'll notice the tone of the article is one of compassion for seniors who are overburdened by their taxes. That tone is prevalent throughout the whole article, and is an attempt to seem compassionate for the poor seniors. Did anyone else catch the fact that they are only looking to pay the seniors $7 an hour. Isn't that less than minimum wage?

Naturally, several seniors were featured who thought the idea was a good way to pay down their debt. Hell, even the National Council on Aging said it was a good idea. How heartless, and moronic are all of these blithering idiots?

The entire article was how the seniors can't afford to pay the property taxes on the pittance they receive from social security, and therefore must be FORCED out of retirement to pay off the government. NOT ONE TIME was it even considered that the taxes was too damned high to begin with. Nor was it mentioned that it was the very same government charging excessive taxes to the seniors that also decimated those seniors' social security funds which put them in this bind to begin with.

Here's a suggestion to go: reduce the taxes on the seniors, and put a cap on the taxes so that the seniors can afford them with the funds they currently receive from social security. This is tantamount to slave labor. How dare they back seniors into a corner that leaves them with no choice but to come out of retirement and work for less than minimum wage. Seniors have worked their whole lives to be able to retire in peace. Not to forced into indentured servitude.

Music Industry Goes Too Far In Saying Music You Buy Is Not Yours

Figuratively of course.

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is saying it is illegal to copy music you've paid for. Problem is ... there is no such law. The record industry is trying to win a precedent case in order to go after millions of people who have transfered their CD's to their MP3 players by saying we've violated copyright law. I disagree.

WaPo:

In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.

Well slap my ass and call me Suzy! Since when has it been illegal to make a backup of your personal possessions? As long as you aren't distributing the material to others there should be no controversy.

"I couldn't believe it when I read that," says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. "The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation."

RIAA's hard-line position seems clear. Its Web site says: "If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings, you're stealing. You're breaking the law and you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages."

Any statements on the RIAA's website are irrelevant, and they should face charges for making false statements.

The bottom line is that MY music is MY property. Once I pay for it, it is mine to do with as I wish so long as I don't distribute it. Using the RIAA's logic ... one day it will be illegal for my wife to listen to my MP3's.