What Happened? Air India

Best Ad Of The Year

Raw Footage of Air India Crash

Air India Crash

Not surprised at all considering Air India is one of the worst airlines in the world. I was unaware that Mangalore had international flights. This airport is so freaking tiny. Over shooting the runway, that could cause serious problems. Oh yes, the story:

(CNN) -- A plane crash in western India early Saturday has killed more than 160 passengers, an Indian official said.

V.S. Acharya, the home minister of India's Karnataka state, told CNN-IBN he thought about five or or six people had survived the crash.

The Air India plane was carrying 165 passengers and went down around 6:30 a.m. (9 p.m. ET Friday) near the Mangalore airport, CNN-IBN reported, citing an airline spokesman.

The plane burst into flames after overshooting the runway on a flight from Dubai, CNN-IBN reported.

Pretty scary to me considering I have been to that airport and flown to it my entire life when visiting my grandparents.

Obama Wants To Get Clean

Clean vehicles at least. He wants to set 2025 emission standards now. I feel like it's a little too soon and we should take steps to have cleaner vehicles. We don't know what technology that will develop in the next 15 years. The standards set today could be pedestrian in 2025.

Oil Platform Collapses

It can only go down from here for BP right? The rig that is. I'm sure BP's reputation can't go any lower.

The Birds

Absolute wildlife nightmare created by this oil spill

Gays Aren't People?

I hate it when people are treated as something less because of who they are. Stories like this really piss me off:

A judge in Malawi has imposed a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison with hard labour on a gay couple convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.

Unbelievable:

The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.

The British government, Malawi's largest donor, expressed its "dismay" at the sentences, but has not withdrawn aid.

The US state department, meanwhile, said the case was "a step backwards in the protection of human rights in Malawi".

Here's what this judge had to say:

Handing down sentence in the commercial capital, Blantyre, Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa told the pair: "I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example."

"We are sitting here to represent the Malawi society, which I do not believe is ready at this point in time to see its sons getting married to other sons or conducting engagement ceremonies," said the judge.

And outside the courtroom:

There were shouts of "You got what you deserve!" and "Fourteen years is not enough, they should get 50!"

I really have nothing to say. I'm not dismayed. It's beyond that. Somethings that happen on a day to day basis give you hope. Others, like this, make you shake your head, bury your head in your hands, and reflect about what is it about society that perpetuates these outlooks. In much of the western world, I believe we are moving beyond biases against race, creed, sexual orientation, or, at the very least, making a concerted effort to make progress. We must not leave our other brothers behind.

Obama on Financial Reform

I've been waiting for this all day:

Financial Reform

I know this is the post you all have been waiting for. Well, it's here! The Senate has passed the financial bill:

The Senate approved far-reaching new financial rules on Thursday aimed at preventing the risky behavior and regulatory failures that brought the economy to the brink of collapse two years ago and cost millions of Americans their jobs and savings.

Details:

In providing for the most profound remaking of financial regulations since the Great Depression, the legislation would create a new consumer-protection watchdog housed at the Federal Reserve to prevent abuse in mortgage, auto and credit card lending. It also would give the government power to wind down large failing financial firms and set up a council of federal overseers to police the financial landscape for risks to the global economy. Moreover, the legislation would establish oversight of the vast market in financial instruments known as derivatives, impose new restrictions on credit rating agencies and give shareholders a say in corporate affairs.

I thought we already had a consumer protection watch dog. I believe it's called the SEC. I guess this new watch dog will be doing a different job. I don't blame these companies for the meltdown. It's people's personal responsibilities to understand what they are getting into. Everyone has ripped adjustable rate mortgages and everything and no one has ripped the people who got these mortgages. Yes, the banks shouldn't have lent to these people. Once the rates went up, they were sure to default. However, the people needed to be more responsible. We as a nation have gotten out of control with our consumption and our idea of wealth. We don't just need financial reform, we need to reform the idea of finance on an individual level in this country.

Song of the Day: Way Down in a Hole by Tom Waits

Thanks to The Wire.

Heist!

The New York Times:

PARIS — A lone hooded man who squirmed through a broken window and evaded security alarms stole five paintings by Picasso, Matisse and other artists overnight Wednesday from the Paris Museum of Modern Art in a brash theft of art valued at $114 million to $127 million.

The paintings stolen:

The stolen works, part of the museum’s permanent collection, were “Dove With Green Peas” by Picasso, “La Pastorale” by Matisse, “Olive Tree Near l’Estaque” by Georges Braque, “Woman With a Fan” by Amedeo Modigliani and “Still Life With Chandeliers” by Fernand Léger.

I am deeply saddened by this development.

Legend on 360

Great interview with John Legend. This is only part of it. Earlier this week, I made a post about the pilot study on race.

Google TV

I love Google:

SAN FRANCISCO — Google recruited a solid lineup of high-tech companies on Thursday to help it introduce Google TV, a new service that merges the predictable world of television programming with the more chaotic expanse of the Web.
Related

Now it has to persuade the TV audience to turn the living room television into the newest on-ramp to the Internet.

Looking forward to what this is going to be like.

Bloody Bangkok

South Accuses North

I wonder if it's time for war.

Calderon Wants Immigration Reform

Preach it Felipe.

Mourinho On The Champions League Final

The world's greatest manager.

Introducing Rand Paul

He is Kentucky's Republican candidate for Senate who won the primary on a Tea Party platform.

Boiling Point

I wonder when there will be international intervention.

Faceblock

Pakistan has decided to block Facebook:

(CNN) -- Pakistan is blocking access to Facebook in response to an online group calling on people to draw the Prophet Mohammed, officials said Wednesday.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority issued the order a day before "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day," scheduled by a Facebook group with the same name.

"Obviously (the blocking of Facebook) is related to the objectionable material that was placed on Facebook. That is why it is blocked," said Khoram Ali Mehran of the telecommunication authority.

"We have blocked it for an indefinite amount of time. We are just following the government's instructions and the ruling of the Lahore High Court. If the government decides to unblock it, then that's what we will do," he said.

Everyone knows that I'm not a fan of the Pakistani government due to previous biases from being an Indian-American as well as their ignorance to the terrorists that are breeding in their territories. The censoring of sites only furthers this dislike.

Will They Do Me Like Malcolm?

Today would be Malcolm X's 85th birthday. Obviously, the former Nation of Islam leader is being remembered with articles like this:

"In the last years of their lives, they were starting to move toward one another," says David Howard-Pitney, who recounted the Capitol Hill meeting in his book "Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s."

"While Malcolm is moderating from his earlier position, King is becoming more militant," Pitney says.

More:

"It was his critique of America from the bottom up that was so shocking," says Young. "He was a young man with a Ph.D mind, but he was put out of school. He educated himself in jail by reading the dictionary."

A true visionary:

"King was a political revolutionary. Malcolm was a cultural revolutionary," Cone says. "Malcolm changed how black people thought about themselves. Before Malcolm came along, we were all Negroes. After Malcolm, he helped us become black."

The article is pretty interesting, I'll throw it up "On My Mind," so you all don't have to dig through this. Malcolm X was a very fascinating figure.

Kids Provide Magical Moments

Sometimes I hate kids, but sometimes I love them.

We Are Lebron

We Are LeBron Video - Watch more Funny Videos
Cleveland is desperate to keep Lebron. I don't blame them. He is their economy. Losing him would result in 5-10,000 less people going to the Q 41 times a year. This doesn't take into account the number of people who wouldn't be going downtown to watch at the bars. All the restaurants and bars would be devastated. Downtown Cleveland would look like...the rest of Cleveland.

Euro Dive

The Euro has been getting killed by recent concerns with Greece, Spain, and Portugal:

The euro slumped to a four-year low against the dollar on Tuesday as investors balked at a move by Germany to ban certain kinds of bearish trades against stocks and bonds.

I'm going to Spain in August and my dad asked me if he should buy Euros...when the Euro was at 1.43$/€. I told him the Euro was going to tank:

The euro fell as low as $1.2165 from $1.2384 Monday. The euro has declined 14.7% from the beginning of the year, when it fetched more than $1.43.

I hate it when I'm right.

Weed in Europe

Perhaps the reason that the Euro is lagging behind?

Sanctions on Iran

Landon Speaks

GM Cashes In

GM has reported its first quarterly profit since 2007:

Ten months after emerging from a government-orchestrated bankruptcy, General Motors Co. on Monday reported its first quarterly profit in three years, driven by dramatic cost reductions and improved global sales.

GM made $863 million in the first three months of 2010, compared with a $6 billion loss a year earlier, a performance that surprised analysts who expected more modest results. Revenue grew 40% to $31.5 billion, and the company generated $1 billion in cash.

From Finance Chief Liddell:

"My mantra is to focus on the day job and the [initial public offering] will be successful," he said in an interview. That could happen anytime from a few months until next year, he said. "This is an industry where a lot of variables can change. There is no reward in my field for being overly optimistic."

This is not big news, it is HUGE news. We've seen a shift from GM from producing as many cars as possible to making quality cars that people want to buy. This has had a positive effect on revenues. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it's great to see GM move in a positive direction.

A Sick Comeback

14 run comeback for the one and only U.

Star Wars Wedding?

These people are real.

Background:

Hi my name is Holly Golightly,I have been a Mega Star Wars fan since June of 1977.

My career as an artist and Comicbook creator was very much influenced by the Star Wars' films.

When planning our wedding with my husband, Jim Balent, (a comicbook artist/ creator as well), we naturally chose a Star Wars theme because it is so close to our hearts.

I've always had a crush on Darth Vader...and am very drawn to the Slave Leia Golden Bikini-so of course I wanted that to be our wedding outfits.

I think it made the wedding even more unique- and no Daddy jokes please...I've heard them all!

Jim and I storyboarded our wedding and we are so happy on how our day and video came out!

Our day was even made more special with the Stormtroppers of Orlando FL 501st as escorts, Boba Fett giving me away and R2D2 as our ring-bearer.

I hope you enjoy watching the video half as much as we did getting married...make sure you stay past the credits for the blooper reel!

May the Force be With You...Always...

Holly Golightly

Wow.

Another Rant

To continue on what I already have said and to continue to praise David Cameron and Nick Clegg, it's just so novel to me that two parties of such differing view points are working together in order to pursue a great issue: the rectification of their country. I keep hearing the Democrats and Republicans arguing on different issues like financial reform, and it isn't about working together to get something done. It's about which side gets the most out of each decision that lawmakers make. The fighting between Democrats and Republicans is its own civil war. There are no dead bodies, but there is severe disagreement between two groups of people. Neither of these groups have America at heart. It's about what they can do for themselves and their constituencies. It's about their agenda and helping whoever can help them. It's not about America, and sadly, this is what politics have been in America.

MIT Might Be The One University I Don't Hate

Besides Michigan of course. Because of this:

An MIT-led team has designed an airplane that is estimated to use 70% less fuel than current planes while also reducing noise and emission of NOx. The design was one of two that the team, led by faculty from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, presented to NASA last month as part of a $2.1 million research contract to develop environmental and performance concepts that will help guide the agency’s aeronautics research over the next 25 years.

Welcome to awesome town. I hope these planes are made. It should significantly reduce travel costs and should make flying more economically viable, including the environmental toll.

The New World Order

Lula and Momo make a deal

More Travel Trouble

The Violence Continues

Shep's Universe caught on this story a while ago but there hasn't been a follow up in a while. The violence in Thailand has continued. This is an ongoing story that world leaders need to address. How many more people must die?

Detroit Strikes Again

A 7-year old girl was killed in a police raid:

(CNN) -- Police in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday expressed "profound sorrow" at the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl in a police raid.

Aiyana Jones was shot and killed by police executing a search warrant as part of a homicide investigation, Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee said in a statement.

Here's what the police said:

"As is common in these types of situations, the officers deployed a distractionary device commonly known as a flash bang," he said in the statement. "The purpose of the device is to temporarily disorient occupants of the house to make it easier for officers to safely gain control of anyone inside and secure the premise."

I am amazed by this city. This story seems so typical of the city, but it is so tragic in the scope of human civilization.

The Continued Effort

This is the story that won't go away:

Song of the Day: Holy Diver by Dio

Not even going to wait on this because word is that Dio has passed. He has been battling stomach cancer since late 2009. His health was said to have deteriorated recently. Today, Metal has lost a true legend. Of course, Holy Diver is today's song of the day:

RIP Dio.

He had not died when this was published, but he did on Sunday.