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POPSWoman tries to shoot down plane for being too noisy Now that's just plane crazy. The most surprising part of the story, is that the local police let her go on a $4,500 bond, once again proving that airport security is one big puppet show. While you and I were being searched for bottles of water, a 69 year old lady could walk right onto the runway of a municipal airport and shoot at landing aircraft.
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POPSScience Never Stops :-) This is an entertaining and fairly level headed “what the future will bring” piece. It covers the promise and perils of a pretty diverse set of topics: nuclear power, space travel, power transmission, aviation, food production, urban growth, race relations and even (sort-of) outsourcing.
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POPSGOP Consultant Killed in Plane Crash was Warned of Sabotage Connell was ordered to testify in the suit in October, and told a federal court that he had no involvement and knew of no plan to switch votes in Ohio in 2004. "He has flown his private plane for years without incident," Alexandrovna wrote. "I know he was going to DC last night, but I don't know why. He apparently ran out of gas, something I find hard to believe. I am not saying that this was a hit nor am I resigned to this being simply an accident either. I am no expert on aviation and cannot provide an opinion on the matter. What I am saying, however, is that given the context, this event needs to be examined carefully." ----- Connell had recently said he was afraid George Bush and Dick Cheney would "throw under the bus." Cliff Arnebeck had also previously alerted Attorney General Michael Mukasey to alleged threats from Karl Rove to Connell if he refused to "take the fall." http://www.alternet.org/rights/114674/
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POPSUK MP: USA Executions INHUMANE "I think the State has a right to exact retribution and in the worst cases that means paying with a life," he says today. "I still do believe in it – I switched my position because of several miscarriages of justice, not because of any change of heart. "However, I feel very strongly that if the State is going to kill someone, it should do it in a way that is as unlike murder as possible. It should be painless. "There's not an animal from a beetle to an elephant that you can kill without a series of protocols worked out scientifically to make sure the creature does not suffer. "Yet when it comes to capital punishment, we are far less concerned about whether it is humane or not. "I wanted to discover whether the science of killing offered an alternative." That is why Portillo, who has carved out a respected TV career for himself since leaving politics, finds himself at the grandly titled Centre for Man and Aviation in Soesterberg, Netherlands."
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POPSHummingbird Photos and Some Surprising Facts This incredible flying ability makes hummingbirds one of the most fascinating birds to watch. You'll catch sight of a wild hummingbird in the Americas -- anywhere from Alaska to Brazil. Some Mexican hummingbirds will migrate north for spring, flying up to 500 miles in 20 hours without a break . Hummingbirds almost never stop moving, and they spend nearly all of their time in the air. Their legs are so small and weak, they typically can't walk at all. But in the air, they're masters. Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 80 times a second, which creates the soft humming sound that earns them their name . Their heart can beat up to 1,300 times per minute while in flight . All of this lightning-fast beating takes its toll: Hummingbirds have to eat every couple of minutes. They consume enormous amounts of pollen, using a string-thin, long tongue to draw pollen out of deep flowers.
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POPSThe World's Greatest Aviation Innovations 9. The flying wing -- Yves Rossy keeps breaking records and defying expectations with his 8-foot-diameter, carbon composite flying wing. Last week he made a successful 13 minute, 125 mph trip across the English Channel. 10. Stealth aircraft -- What's cooler than a plane that can outsmart radar? Because the surfaces of a stealth are designed to absorb radio waves or reflect them away from the receiver, stealth planes can sneak in and sneak out undetected. Too bad they're so expensive: The 21 plane B-2 program cost over $45 billion. 11. Jetway -- Another one most of us don't think about is the long covered walkway the connects our departure gate with our plane. 12. Deicing -- Ice buildup is the cause of many fatal aircraft accidents, which is why applying monopropylene de-icing fluid to wings pre-flight has become standard operating procedure.
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POPSAll Clunkered Out Is anyone really surprised?! What an absolutely stupid program. This Administration at work. Please do not let them mess with your Health Care program. We have recently switched from one plan to another and are concerned about our future health care...but there is NO WAY I want those in Congress or in this Administration to be *helping me out*. :~(
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POPSWhile terrorists plot, the FAA parties I saw some undercover clips of the partying on Fox and heard this story. This all says a lot about the current culture and seriousness in the minds of those who are paid (nicely) to see that our citizens are safe while they fly in our skies. Forget the parties, the bonuses for CEOs and "managers"; instead let's pay the scanners, the mechanics, and builders of our planes what they're really worth.
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POPSMishaps mark John McCain's record as naval aviator McCain says he knows how to "win a war." Where did he learn this? He was the very bottom of his class (so he didn't learn it there), he crash three jets during peace-time (so he didn't learn it there), the explosion on the carrier was actually his panicking and dropping his bombs into a fire on the deck (so he didn't learn it there), he was downed and became a POW (so he didn't learn it there), the war he was in was Vietnam, the only war the U.S. ever lost (so he didn't learn it there). So where exactly did McCain acquire this great ability to "win a war?" I don't see it!
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POPSWe want the truth behind the 9/11 attacks
Something doesn’t make sense. 700+ engineers and architects, 200+ pilots and aviation professionals, 400+ professors all question the official account 9/11. http://patriotsquestion911.com/ 956 architectural and engineering professionals and 5,369 other supporters have signed the petition demanding of Congress a truly independent investigation. http://www.ae911truth.org/ These are not nutcases. These are highly educated infividuals who have expressed significant criticism of the 9/11 Commission Report or have made public statements that contradict the Report. Building 7 http://www.wtc7.net/ is a controlled implosion. This building was never touched by an airplane. The building fell straight down. The only way a building falls straight down into its own footprint is if the structure was carefully prepared to fall straight down. The U.S. government is asking us to believe something that defies physical laws. Don’t we want the truth? http://www.truthjihad.com/
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POPSCongress: No airplane cellphone calls Just a few problems. First, just because you turn off your cell phone for calls doesn't mean the camera doesn't still work. Second, if those loud and obnoxious people can't talk on the phone, isn't anyone worried that they will talk to you? Third, what about all the other loud and obnoxious behaviors one encounters on a plane? Will they ban babies next? Fourth, the first paragraph of the story said that cell phones are dangerous on planes, where is the evidence of that? And finally, are they going to extend the ban to those insanely expensive phones you can currently use on planes? Or are only the well to do allowed to be obnoxious on the phone?