Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Chevy Grand Prix of Snowboarding




Independent Truck Co. Visor Beanie, Ocean Pacific sunglasses, Trebark shirt, Grenade Frontline jacket, Bonfire Particle pants, Oakley Casing boots...

Labels:

Sunday, March 23, 2008

BBC's Top Gear #1!

Top Gear is the best auto program and is on the BBC America cable channel, brilliant!
I was introduced to this cult by a gift of the book, Crap Cars, by Top Gear magazine writer Richard Porter...
Hysterical!
Follow the trail of exploded burned up bits of cars and you come to this online gem, Sniff Petrol!
Some of their best work are the fake car adverts...

Thier coverage of Formula 1 is incomparable, as well as their constant skewering of driver "Crazy" David Coulthard and the Schumacher brothers, but for me the state of driving excitement is best summed up by this Toyota ad parody...

Labels:

Boycott China and Free Tibet!



Seriously, the Chinese need to stop their Gestapo tactics!
Boycott the upcoming Olympics and Free Tibet!

Labels:

Friday, March 21, 2008

The SciFi Channel? Boo that!


Why can't the SciFi Channel just show old science fiction movies? The real cool funky ones from the 1950s with all the thinly veiled Cold War weirdness? Why do they insist on playing their own craptacular stuff that is so weak? Can we just see flicks like Kronos?
Or... Them?
When World's Collide?
Things to Come?
This Island Earth?
Forbidden Planet?

Why make your own stupid junk when there is already great stuff out there not being shown?

Labels:

Sarah Jessica Snider?



OK, they sort of look alike, but... who would YOU rather wake up next to???

Labels:

Blame Abramhoff for Obama Passport-gate???

We get around, and we have 2 brains and 4 eyes, so we see things and remember them... A Wikipedia entry for the Unisys Corp. was changed, but we retained the original text for you to peruse below. The question not being asked in the news media is WHAT COMPANY DID THE FIRED STATE DEPT. CONTRACTORS WORK FOR?
and better yet, where were they? Not in Bangledesh we hope!
Privitizing and outsourcing is a mistake, a tragic greedy and stupid error.

First off...
www.unisys.com/eprise/main/admin/micro/doc/Unisys_Government_Wide_Aquisition_Contract_Center.pdf

"Hybrid Information Technology Services for State (HITSS)
Subcontractor to Edgesource, Contract Number: SAQMPD07D0068
Exp. 04/03/2012 • ADP systems development, support, maintenance andsecurity • Systems and software analysis and development • Local/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) support • Computer enter operations • Hardware/Software maintenance • Computer security • Support to the Travel Document Issuance Systems"

Second...
http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices/6981555-1.html

"MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 1997--Unisys Corp. Tuesday announced that its Federal Systems Division has been awarded a $15.7 million contract for program and systems support services from the Department of State, Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) to support compliance with the 1982 Foreign Missions Act."

Third...
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/bio.aspx?act=pro&ddlC=59

"As a result of Operation Ill Wind, Unisys pleaded guilty to an eight-count felony indictment, which included using fraud, bribery and illegal campaign contributions to obtain billions of dollars in defense contracts. Unisys' former vice president Charles Gardner, former executive Ralph Hughes, former defense consultant William Galvin and at least nine other Unisys employees and consultants were indicted and later pleaded guilty to charges of fraudulent practices in obtaining Pentagon contracts. More than a dozen former Unisys executives and defense consultants admitted to unlawful activities."

Fourth...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092301471_pf.html

"The FBI is investigating a major information technology firm with a $1.7 billion Department of Homeland Security contract after it allegedly failed to detect cyber break-ins traced to a Chinese-language Web site and then tried to cover up its deficiencies, according to congressional investigators. At the center of the probe is Unisys Corp., a company that in 2002 won a $1 billion deal to build, secure and manage the information technology networks for the Transportation Security Administration and DHS headquarters. In 2005, the company was awarded a $750 million follow-on contract."

OH, these guys are good!

Here's the ghost Wiki entry...

"In 2003 and 2004, Unisys retained influential lobbyist
Jack Abramoff, paying his firm $640,000 for his
services in those two years. In January 2006, Abramoff
pleaded guilty to five felony counts for various
crimes related to his federal lobbying activities,
though none of his crimes involved work on behalf of
Unisys. [6] The lobbying activities of Abramoff and
his associates are now the subject of a large federal
investigation.

In 2005, there was further trouble for the company
related to consulting work it was doing for the U.S.
Transportation and Security Administration. In
October, federal auditors announced that the company
had overbilled on the $1 to 3 billion contract for
almost 171,000 hours of labor and overtime. Unisys
denied wrongdoing. [7]

In 2007, the FBI began investigating Unisys for
allegedly botching its duties under a contract with
the United States Department of Homeland Security. A
number of security lapses supposedly occurred during a
period in which Unisys was supposed to be improving
the security of DHS networks, including incidents in
which data was transmitted to Chinese servers [8].
Unisys denies all charges, but would not comment on
details because of classified information.[9].

In 2007, Unisys also had to pay the Australian
Department Of Immigration and Citizenship large sums
of money due to numerous security breaches including a
volatile email sent by a staff member to the Secretary
Of Immigration.[citation needed] The Immigration
project was intended to be their red ribbon project in
the Asia-Pacific region and also was the project they
implemented in the hope of bringing themselves out of
default in the Asia-Pacific region.[citation needed]

In 2007, after 3 years of massive losses and
consecutive losing quarters, Unisys spun off one their
service divisions to remain in business. Since the
loss of Larry Weinbach the company has been in a free
fall. Its Blue Bell Headquarters is already on the
auction block and stands to bring in 100-150 million
dollars to help stem the blood loss. In other cost
cutting measures employees mileage reimbursements have
been slashed and wages frozen.

Outsourcing almost all administrative and technical
positions to India has led to the loss of more
customers."

UPDATE: The Stanley Co. and The Analysis Corp. are the contractors behind the Passport-gate Scandal... but it gets weirder with a CIA connection! From the Washington Times...

"TAC is a McLean-based information firm that has helped the State Department automate the Terrorist Watchlist over the last several years, the company’s Web site said. TAC’s Chief Executive Officer John O. Brennan is a former CIA agent who is an adviser to Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign."

Egads!

Labels:

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Remembering Flight 93


I was going through some photos and found this one that I took at the 5th year memorial service at the crash site of Flight 93 in Shanksville PA on 9-11-2006.

Labels:

Monday, March 17, 2008

"Urban" Fashion Trend Watch

I am sometimes aware and notice things while walking or driving around town. Some people have been making some interesting, non-conformist and maybe borderline irrational fashion statements. No, not the uber-ethnic `door knocker' earrings ladies swing around like ear axes, but XXL NASCAR jackets on otherwise hip-hop types, especially the black Dale Earnhardt #3 Chevy items that I have always been partial to. I also saw a few guys wearing hoodies with their hats on top of the hoods so thay can show off the logo on their hat. Interesting... but still kind of goofy looking. See you on the sidewalk looking silly!

Labels:

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The Plum Card?

Labels: