HAWT action [hot ak-shuhn]

Web_geM: The Daily Show's Indecision 2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0500

Every once in a while, something pops up on the web that even
HAWT finds noteworthy. This is the series called Web_geM,
and it's gonna snuggle you into clapping, hitting refresh
and forwarding it on to everyone you know...

No day (Monday through Thursday) is complete without Howard Stern and the Daily Show. I'm going to be honest: the Daily Show's Indecision 2008 doesn't hold a torch to the Daily Show's Indecision 2004. I just don't think the correspondents are cutting it. Four years ago we had Steve Carell (The Office, Get Smart), Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report, Strangers With Candy), Rob Corddry (tons of things) and Ed Helms (The Office) covering the election brilliantly. Each night brought a delight. This year? Not so much.

One thing the Daily Show can still do is research and write. I've covered their successes here in other
Web_geM's, and I feel the need to call out their segment on the media's terribly biased coverage from Wednesday night. You don't want to miss this video.

JLF: I Endorse Obama/Biden

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:30:00 -0500

Johnny Lead Foot here, and I'm endorsing Obama/Biden for President of these United States...

John de Guzman, our fearless and sometimes-smelly leader, has yet to HAWTaction's endorsement for President, but I have no problem admitting that JLF, the best blogger, ever, is voting for Obama/Biden this election. I didn't post during the Democratic convention because it's boring to report that all the major speakers hit the right nails on the head. Now that iTunes has made all the speeches available for download, I'm sure I'll fly through them again and post comments on why I see a solid, reasonable platform of issues and actions there. Meanwhile, as the Rupublican convention continues, I realize, more and more, that the Republicans are making this election a joke.

For those of you who don't know, PBS is actually running coverage of all the speakers at the convention, not just the 10pm block the networks are broadcasting. I'm trying to get through the PBS broadcast from last night that culminated with Palin, and I'm about to pull the hair out of my head. These speakers (including Carly Fiorina, former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard and Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of EBay) are regurgitating such political garble-generic-jargon that I'm assuming it's a joke now. Of course I'm appalled by the shallow platform under McCain/Palin: McCain is threatening to "fight" the very Washington he has built, but I'm more appalled by the way these speakers are spinning the world to be a different place than we are living in.

Of all the speakers, I'm going to discuss the most charismatic. Former Governor of Massachusetts should have left even the most staunch Republicans scratching their heads.

Spain Continues to do Sassy Things

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0500

Back when HAWTaction was a hairless, blind newborn, I wrote a post about how Spain is Doing Sassy Things, covering Spain's surprising effort to utilize renewable energy. I grew up in Spain, so no one could be more surprised (and delighted) than me in these initiatives to lead the way with creative solar power options and other... sassy things. Turns out a few other things have popped out recently and it looks like Spain Continues to do Sassy Things.

First, Spain is taking on the auto industry. There was a formal speed limit in Spain when I grew up there (140 km/h on highways, 87 mph), but it took hitting 180 or 200 km/h to get any cop's attention. That's why I'm surprised at a report in Treehugger at the end of July that reported a trio of Spanish initiatives to change their automobile industry.

The country's energy minister is aiming to set the speed limit, nationwide, at 80km/h (50mph) to conserve gasoline. Spain also intends to save jet fuel by allowing passenger planes to take short-cuts over military airspace. In addition, they are introducing a pilot program to manufacture one million electric and hybrid cars. Before 2014, they intend to hand out (free) 49 million low energy light bulbs. Finally, in a move I can't applaud enough, they are expecting to limit air conditioning in public buildings to 26 degrees C (79 F). (They will also aim to limit heat in winter.) Nothing gets me more mad than going into a store that is over heated and/or over cooled. It's just a waste!

That's Spain taking things seriously. There is still more sass, though!

Tall Building: Burj Dubai... in Dubai... in Pictures

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I'm way into big buildings. They do a lot more for a city's character and future than most people recognize. So, I think it's HAWTaction [hot ak-shuhn] to keep tabs on new projects like the Burj Dubai... in Dubai... in Pictures, CCTV and TVCC Towers, Tokyo Sky Tree, Burj Dubai (Revisited), Dancing Towers, Dynamic Tower, Dubai Towers, The Lighthouse (Paris), The Lighthouse (Dubai), Antilla, London's Super Tower, Eiffel Tower, Shuffle Tower, Full Moon, Caspian Bay, Chicago Spire, Chicago's Aqua Tower, Infinity Tower, Teardrop, Christmas Tree or the Burj Dubai.

We have visited the Burj Dubai as the first Tall Building post: Tall Building: Burj Dubai... in Dubai. We have revisited progress on the building with Tall Building: Burj Dubai... in Dubai (Revisited). Now, our little baby's grown up. It's weeks away from reaching it's final peak, and there are a new crop of photos. Read the links above, then zip through these amazing pics.

Those buildings next to the Burj Dubai? They are plenty tall in their own right, but they look like lego projects next to this true monster.

Oh, there's more.

State of the Union, Part IV: 2004

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:00:00 -0500

As a countdown to Bush leaving the office of the President of these United States, we at HAWT will look back at his addresses to the Union in an 8-part series, starting with his Inaugural Address in 2001 and ending with his State of the Union in 2008.

"Political rhetoric." It is empty, hollow and is rarely followed through on. Of course, we all want schools to be better. We all want the economy to get better. We all want lower taxes, added safety. We all want those basic things that political contenders blabber about... and when they get into office, they continue to blabber. It seems like blabbering is politicking. Policy-making isn't politicking.

Knowing how everything has turned out for Bush's stay at the helm, let's look back at George Bush's choppy, poorly delivered political blabber. In this series, you will see cherry-picked excerpts of George W. Bush's speech. These are all his own words. There are some gems in here. A new entry in the series, State of the Union, will appear on the first of every month until January 1, 2009.

President George W. Bush
State of the Union
2004

"As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure."

"We've not come all this way -- through tragedy, and trial and war -- only to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same from us. In their efforts, their enterprise, and their character, the American people are showing that the state of our union is confident and strong."

JLF: Sarah Palin is a Disaster. McCain? Not Doing Well Either.

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0500

Johnny Lead Foot here, and I'm furious...

[To see Jenn Cloutier's comments on Palin, check out J.C.: Sarah Palin is the Best! She Should be President!]

I honestly don't know what I saw on Friday with John McCain. Did he really just pick someone with less experience than Obama to be his running mate? Did he really? Isn't that McCain's main argument as to why Obama isn't ready to be President? So, he picked someone with LESS THAN TWO YEARS' EXPERIENCE as the governor of Alaska to be his 2nd in command - one heart beat away from leading us? I still can't believe it.

It's also a hollow attempt to show the Republicans are diverse, too. "We aren't just white men! We've managed to brainwash non-white men! Look at this sex pot!" It screams of desperation, trying to pull the female vote. They saw the power and passion of the female vote with Hillary. The problem is, the female vote that fell in line with H. Clinton? They aren't interested in voting for a female Taliban leader.

J.C.: Sarah Palin is the Best! She Should be President!

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:20:00 -0500

[To see Johnny Lead Foot's comments on Palin, check out JLF: Sarah Palin is a Disaster. McCain? Not Doing Well Either.]

I know it's Saturday and this is the first weekend post, ever, on HAWTaction, but.... I.... like.... have to talk about how excited I am for John McCain's pick for his Vice President. I mean, I've already outlined why I think Obama's a terrible candidate, but now? [Click on my name in the column on the right to see my work.] With Sarah Palin on board? How can you NOT love this ticket!

I was as surprised as everyone else when McCain announced this news. Who was this foxy momma? She's so hot!!! She looks like Tina Fey, who I don't find to be that funny, and Elaine from Seinfeld, who I didn't find to be that funny, either. So hot! Maybe the reason no one knew who she was because she hasn't had much experience in, like, an elected position. Turns out she is from Alaska - which is like out in the Pacific, but north - where she's been Governor for almost two years. In that time, she has done many great things! First off, she had a baby! That means she got into office, got pregnant nine months into it, then had a pregnancy and took maternity leave. She was back to work three days after the baby's birth. Girl power!

Unfortunately, she's 42 and that probably lead to the complications where they found out that their child had Down syndrome while she was still pregnant. Boo. :-( But, the first thing I'll point out that's so great about Palin is that she doesn't believe in abortion, not even in the case of rape or incest. Did she kill the Down syndrome child in her belly? No. She had that baby and she is so proud of him that she had him up on the stage with the family on tv yesterday. She was such a good mom that it was like she had him as the family mascot! %-) She also had her children signing autographs, which is awesome!

Monthly Review & Update: August 2008

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0500

The last day of the month brings the Review and Update for the HAWT action [hot ak-shuhn] posts! We have a high volume of output here, and I want to walk you through the month's content.

Catch up on any story you missed (and Jason's comments)!

Posthumous Credit Card Bills

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:30:00 -0500

If it's Amex, it's all good. Any other institution? Anxiety kicsk in when I pick up the phone to fix/negotiate/arrange/change/complain/dispute something. Honestly? The systems are built to frustrate you, from the long menus to the in-the-box thinkers you finally talk to.

The first thing you do is put in your account number, which, in this day of emailed statements, is never anywhere to be found. I don't think "Account ending in 0203" has ever helped. Once you ferret that out and punch it in, it's repeated back to you, you approve.... then it asks you for your home phone number. Then a security code. Then it tosses a bunch of data your way, like your outstanding balance and due date. Then you explore a menu of options that are both generic and non-specific... eventually, a person, usually after sitting on the 0 button. The first thing they ask for? Your account number, phone number and security code. It's enough to drive you mad.

And they are programmed to be dumb. They read from their scripts like soul-less robots, immune from any urgency or frustration you may be experiencing. I've certainly had my share of yelling matches and threatening expletives.

Well, thanks to brother Alex, I was pointed in the direction of one FairLoanRate.com. They have an example of a conversation between a service representative (and manager) and a man who is informing them their client, his family member, had passed away.

The Volcano Stadium

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0500

Architecture is just getting sassier and sassier. People like Calatrava, Herzog & de Meuron, Hadid, Gehry, Piano and Koolhaas have set a new standard. Beyond functional and beautiful, the building, itself, can be the reason someone visits the building. Heck, the bulding can even give a new lifeline to its city... check the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain or the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee.

This level of sophistication has reached international sporting stadiums. For some reason the two new baseball stadiums in NYC aren't doing anything "special." Internationally, though? Look at the Olympic Bird's Nest or Allianz Arena in Germany. And now... we have... Mexico’s Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Designed by the french architect company Massaud, this is the Volcano Stadium.

Awwwwwwww, yeah. There's a stadium in there. What happens when you walk through one of those little slots at the bottom of the "volcano?"

Yeah, Mars Has Moon

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0500

Mars. The Red Planet. The War Planet. All that. What people don't seem to know is that Mars has a moon. It's called Phobos, and it's just as inhabitable as our cheese-filled one.

Mars, our closest planet neighbor, was originally discovered a quadrillion years ago by the Ancient people who were bored at night and just looked up. It became a symbol to almost all cultures, including a symbol of the God of war for the Romans, Greeks and Sanskrit cultures; fire, war and destruction for the Babylons; Mangala in Hindu culture; Horus the Red for Ancient Egyptians; "the one who blushes" for the Hebrews; the God of faith for the Persians; and the fire symbol from the five elements for Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese.

With all of that staring and worshiping and doting, it wasn't until 1877, in the Naval Observatory in Washington D.C., that someone looked and said, "I see a moon off that red dude."

This is one of the first detailed photos of the moon, courtesy of Exxon Mobil. Wait... I mean NASA. Phobos, the God of Fear, is the son of Mars in Greek Mythology. First seen by Asaph Hall, Sr., Phobos is strange because it's really porous, it orbits closer to Mars than any other moon to its planet and is incredibly not reflective. Light hits this guy and gets sucked in. Essentially, it's more like an asteroid than a planet. It's also extremely NOT symmetrical. (It's also extremely NOT Mars' only moon.)

JLF: State of the Union, Part III: 2003. JLF's Response.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:00:00 -0500

Johnny Lead Foot here, and I'm taking on Bush's State of the Union...

John continues an 8-part series that explores President Bush's addresses to the U.S. population called State of The Union, from his first inaugural speech in 2001 to his State of the Union in 2008. John brilliantly pastes Bush's words. Just his words. He left it up to us to figure out what to make of them. I had to comment on our General's comments. Enjoy. The bold is necessary for my fury, especially since we're a few months out from Iraq's invasion.

Click on State of The Union (there, or to the right) to see all posts.

President George W. Bush
State of the Union
2003

"During this session of Congress, we have the duty to reform domestic programs vital to our country; we have the opportunity to save millions of lives abroad from a terrible disease. We will work for a prosperity that is broadly shared, and we will answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people." Except China, Iran, North Korea, poverty, energy crisis...

"...our faith is sure..." Our? Your? Both are questionable.

Web_geM: Hurricane Fay

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0500

Hurricane Fay may have caused flooding in Florida, but it certainly was gentle with its touch on the dangling state. (Compared to Katrina & Wilma.) The most interesting way to look at it, I say? At a macro and a micro level. Luckily for you readers, I have two videos to pull it in perspective for you, thanks to one of HAWT's favorite site, Live Leak.

Awwww, yeah.

First, the macro. This is a video from the International Space Station... up.. in space...

To capture this, the ISS was, luckily, in the right place with the camera at the right angle. The result is a unique shot of the giant water-pillow that was raining on the panhandle.

The second video takes on the micro, and it's amazing.

JLF: Bush's 11th Hour Manure Dump

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Johnny Lead Foot here, and I'm pissed...

We've had explosion after explosion during the Bush administration's run... including a fake war, outing a CIA agent, Katrina, walking away from Kyoto Protocol, ignoring the environment, a boom in energy company profits and prices, 9/11, two misled wars, approved torture, housing market collapse, looooooots of vacation time, government spying on its citizens... and on and on.

Well, the past 7.67 years might seem like a dream compared to the next 0.33 years. Upcoming, we have the 11th hour manure dump.

How Much Water is in That Pig?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0500

The Guardian runs a kick ass site. They have an entire section of their site dedicated to the environment and it's chock full of info. Within that ":environment umbrella," there is a section dedicated to water usage, and it's chock full of info. Again, it's total HAWTaction [hot ak-shuhn].

Water is used in this world like... well... like it grew on trees. We've covered the topic of water usage on this blog:

Saving The World. First Stop: Laundromat.
Desalinization? Meet Kamen. He Might Save the World.
Largest Pool in the World (Well... not REALLY relevant, but water related)

This post? We discuss water that goes into our food. Every crop needs to be watered and every animal needs to be fed. Just how much water is in the things we consume? The Guardian has put that hidden-water usage into perspective.

Yes, that's 140 liters (40 gallons) for every 125ml (4.25 ounces) of coffee. That's an efficiency of 0.089%.