jamotto

quote:The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Timothy J. Sutton, 22, of Springfield, Mo., died on July 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, where his HMMWV struck a land mine. Sutton was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.Link May you rest in peace...

quote:Originally posted by LostInSpace: "As he sort of went down, two of them sort of dropped on to him to hold him down, and the other one fired. I heard five shots."I'm just glad the cop didn't shoot his own partners.

quote:Originally posted by Darkling: Let's see, I'm a big time Movie Star, should I take 10 to 20 Million per movie for a couple of movies or take 100K to 500K per episode for 10 to 13 episodes? I think you can see why. well, with that example no I can't.

LOL!

quote:Originally posted by LostInSpace:

Oh, give them time I'm sure somebody will create custom patches for the game.

quote: "How long to re-fit?" -- Kirk "Eight weeks. But you don't have eight weeks, so I'll do it for you in two." -- Scotty "Do you always multiply your repair estimates by a factor of four?" -- Kirk "How else to maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?" -- Scotty "Your reputation is safe with me." -- Kirk as it is with all of us, Rest In Peace

quote:Originally posted by LostInSpace: Never heard of them. Will check them out.Here are the links. Filzip 7-Zip

Congrats! Andergum

quote:Originally posted by Race Bannon IV: First the game has no basis of football logic at all. heh, Madden 2003 was very good at doing that, also my personal favorite is the weird penalty calls, when the players in question never came within 10 yards of each other though that was somewhat offset by the frequent and complete impailment of players by feet, legs, arms, heads, torso's, etc etc that could range from laughable to down right painful to watch.

personally, I think that is a silly question, but that is just me Can never have too much of a good thing. Might have to add a second monitor

Privateer Gemini Gold This one is nearly Identical to the "Privateer Remake" above. They both are based off the VegaStrike engine and share much of the same code according to the website. The difference is that this is the "Purist Version". This game lacks all the fan made content that was added to Privateer remake. This version is not ready yet! They are just now seeking out beta testers.

I mainly use a Winzip clone (Filzip), If I really need a high compression ratio I use 7-Zip does a better job than WinRar.

Good lord, that was just wrong!

quote:Originally posted by LostInSpace: Why would anyone want to eat something like that. If the flavor is anything like it smells, bleh.Why would anyone put a cigarette in their mouth. If the flavor is anything like it smells, bleh!!

only needed to get as far as his self promoted title quote:world's most experienced rescuer

Anybody surprised?

It on average it costs 450 million per mission. It also costs about $10,000 per pound for the payload alone.

quote:Originally posted by Cc: Sorry,time to retire this beast.Its long past it's retirement age quote: At a million dollars per launch,I think we can do better. NASA was developing one, it got canned.

NASA Could Attempt Shuttle Launch Sunday quote:CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA said Thursday that it will not make another attempt to launch space shuttle Discovery until at least Sunday ÔÇö and even that is a "really optimistic good-luck scenario." ADVERTISEMENT Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said the space agency still probably faces several days of troubleshooting to figure out what caused the faulty fuel-gauge reading that forced the cancellation of Wednesday's launch. The only way the shuttle would be able to fly on Sunday is "if we go in and wiggle some wires and find a loose connection," said Hale, who conceded that was unlikely to work. Wednesday's liftoff would have been the first shuttle flight in 2 1/2 years since the grounding of the space program after the Columbia accident. With little more than two hours to go and the astronauts on-board, the flight was canceled because a fuel gauge read full when it should have read empty. Hale said the space agency had 12 engineering teams around the country trying to figure out why, but so far they haven't solved the problem. "I wish I had more answers for you," he said. He wouldn't rule out the chance of launching Discovery in July, and NASA officials have no immediate plans to move Discovery from the launch pad back to its hangar, which would require more days of delay. NASA has until the end of the month to send the shuttle and its seven astronauts to space on their 12-day mission or it must wait until September. The launch timing is dictated by both the position of the space station and NASA's desire to hold a daylight liftoff so it can photograph the spacecraft during its climb to orbit and watch out for possible damage. "I'm not ready to give up on a July window," Hale said. "We still have several days ahead of us." On Wednesday, shuttle managers found themselves on the defensive, explaining why they pressed ahead with the launch when the same type of potentially fatal problem with the fuel gauges cropped up during a fueling test just three months ago and was accepted as an "unexplained anomaly." The space agency requires all four of its hydrogen-fuel gauges to be working to ensure that the main engines shut off in space at just the right moment. If the engines shut down too soon or too late because of erroneous gauge readings, the results could be catastrophic. For instance, the engines could rupture if they kept running after the tank sprang a leak and ran out of fuel. Some engineers had pushed for further testing at the pad before committing to a liftoff, but were overruled by top managers who concluded that the replacement of cables, the electronics box and the tank itself was ample. However, even if NASA had conducted another fueling test in June, Hale said it's unclear whether the fuel gauge would have malfunctioned the way it did in a checkout test: Instead of showing an empty tank, the gauge kept showing full. The delayed launch came just a day after an embarrassing turn for NASA, when a plastic cockpit window cover fell off the shuttle and damaged its fragile thermal tiles before the spacecraft had even taken off. Wednesday's launch delay disappointed space buffs across the country. From Cape Canaveral, where congressmen and astronaut families had come to witness the awe-inspiring sight of a rocket launch, to museums coast to coast where schoolchildren had gathered, the postponement of the long-awaited return to space was disheartening. "I wanted to see it really, really, really bad," groaned 8-year-old Michael Schamtin of Sherwood, Ore., who had waited for liftoff at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. When the shuttle finally does take off, the astronauts will test new techniques for inspecting and repairing cracks and holes similar to the damage that doomed Columbia in 2003. In the 2 1/2 years since Columbia broke apart on its return to Earth, NASA has worked to fix its "safety culture," which the accident investigators concluded broke down during the flight. NASA also has concentrated on making the external fuel tank safer by reducing the risk that foam insulation, ice or other debris will break off at launch. The gauge that caused trouble on Wednesday is in the external fuel tank, but was unrelated to any of the safety modifications.If first you don't succeed.....

Link quote:WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unborn U.S. babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals, including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides, according to a report released on Thursday. Although the effects on the babies are not clear, the survey prompted several members of Congress to press for legislation that would strengthen controls on chemicals in the environment. The report by the Environmental Working Group is based on tests of 10 samples of umbilical-cord blood taken by the American Red Cross. They found an average of 287 contaminants in the blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and the Teflon chemical PFOA. "These 10 newborn babies ... were born polluted," said New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, who spoke a news conference about the findings on Thursday. "If ever we had proof that our nation's pollution laws aren't working, it's reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies who have not yet lived outside the womb," Slaughter, a Democrat, said. Cord blood reflects what the mother passes to the baby through the placenta. "Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical-cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests," the report said. Blood tests did not show how the chemicals got into the mothers' bodies, or what their effects might be on the babies. Among the chemicals found in the cord blood were methylmercury, produced by coal-fired power plants and certain industrial processes. People can breathe it in or eat it in seafood and it causes brain and nerve damage. Also found were polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are produced by burning gasoline and garbage and which may cause cancer; flame-retardant chemicals called polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans; and pesticides including DDT and chlordane. The same group analyzed the breast milk of mothers across the United States in 2003 and found varying levels of chemicals, including flame retardants known as PBDEs. This latest analysis also found PBDEs in cord blood. Slaughter had similar tests done on her own blood. "The stunning results show chemicals daily pumping through my vital organs that include PCBs that were banned decades ago as well as chemicals like Teflon that are currently under federal investigation," she said in remarks prepared for the news conference. "I have auto exhaust fumes, flame retardant chemicals, and in all, some 271 harmful substances pulsing through my veins. That's hardly the picture of health I had hoped for, but I've been living in an industrial society for over 70 years." The Government Accountability Office issued a report on Wednesday saying the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the powers it needs to fully regulate toxic chemicals. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act gives only "limited assurance" that new chemicals entering the market are safe and said the EPA only rarely assesses chemicals already on the market. "Today, chemicals are being used to make baby bottles, food packaging and other products that have never been fully evaluated for their health effects on children -- and some of these chemicals are turning up in our blood," said New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg (news, bio, voting record), who plans to co-sponsor a bill to require chemical manufacturers to provide data to the EPA on the health affects of their products.

I will be present.

Link quote:WASHINGTON - A budget proposal that could push thousands of military veterans out of state nursing homes is causing new worries in light of recently disclosed shortfalls in the Veterans Affairs budget. The proposal, which would set new eligibility rules for veterans to use state nursing homes, was originally viewed with skepticism by lawmakers when President Bush sent his fiscal 2006 budget to Congress in February. But nursing home operators fear it may find new support now that the VA is facing a $1.5 billion budget shortfall this year and an even larger one next year. "The homes in the state won't survive if they go through with this," said Bob Shaw, legislative director of the National Association of State Veterans Homes. Just before July Fourth, the House approved $975 million to meet the veterans health care shortfall this year, and the Senate approved $1.5 billion. The two are expected to work out the difference by the end of the month. "We're concerned that the VA budget, as the VA presents it, even if they get $1.5 billion or $975 million, is probably still vastly understating what their need is," Shaw said. Sen. Larry Craig (news, bio, voting record), R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said Tuesday that the White House is poised to ask Congress for $300 million more. He expressed frustration at the VA's shifting budget estimates. "The numbers keep going up," Craig said. "It is getting old." Bush had proposed restricting the VA's long-term care services to those veterans injured or disabled while on active duty, those with severe disabilities, those in need of care after a hospital stay and those requiring hospice or respite care. That proposal would apply to federally run or contracted facilities and could deny eligibility to 14,000 veterans now in state nursing homes, Shaw said. The VA pays states $59.36 per day, per veteran for nursing home care. The amount is updated annually, but cannot exceed 50 percent of the cost of care of the veteran. The tighter eligibility rules would mean fewer veterans to subsidize. The administration also proposed a one-year suspension of construction grants for states to build new veterans nursing homes. That proposal would have the most impact on Texas, which has bids to build two new homes and is considered to have the greatest need for additional veterans nursing homes. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson told a Senate committee in February that the proposed eligibility limits would save about $496 million in long-term care costs that would be redirected to veteran health care services. The proposed cuts come as the nation is experiencing a swell in aging veterans and increased demand for long-term care. The VA estimates the population of veterans 85 years or older enrolling for VA services will total about 681,400 in 2012, up from about 278,400 last year. House appropriators have said they disagree with the administration's proposed restrictions. They included a provision in spending legislation for next year directing the VA secretary to work with state nursing home officials to come up with "solutions that will give our veterans the best options for quality long-term care at the most reasonable cost to the taxpayer." But the state nursing home officials want lawmakers to require the VA to get congressional approval before imposing any restrictions on long-term care eligibility. State-operated veterans nursing homes date back to the Civil War, when states established the first homes to care for returning troops. Congress authorized payments to help maintain homes ÔÇö about 30 cents per day, per resident ÔÇö in 1888.

Link quote:CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers put a brief but embarrassing setback behind them as the countdown to the first space shuttle flight in 2 1/2 years entered its final hours Wednesday, with only predicted thunderstorms posing some concern. A temporary window cover fell off the shuttle and damaged thermal tiles near the tail Tuesday afternoon, just two hours after NASA declared Discovery ready to return the nation to space for the first time since the Columbia disaster. The mishap was an eerie reminder of the very thing that doomed Columbia ÔÇö damage to the spaceship's fragile thermal shield. Discovery and its crew of seven were set to blast off at 3:51 p.m. EDT on a flight to the international space station. "It should not impact the launch time right now," said David Mould, NASA's assistant administrator for public affairs. The lightweight plastic cover on one of Discovery's cockpit windows came loose while the spaceship was on the launch pad, falling more than 60 feet and striking a bulge in the fuselage, said Stephanie Stilson, the NASA manager in charge of Discovery's launch preparations. No one knows why the cover ÔÇö held in place with tape and weighing less than 2 pounds ÔÇö fell off, she said. The covers are used prior to launch to protect the windows while the shuttle is on the launch pad, then removed before liftoff. Two tiles on an aluminum panel were damaged, and the entire panel was replaced with a spare; Stilson called it a minor repair job. Space agency managers held one last meeting Tuesday to address lingering technical concerns and later pronounced Discovery ready to fly. "We have done everything that we know to do," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said afterward. The families of the seven astronauts killed during Columbia's catastrophic re-entry praised the accident investigators, a NASA oversight group and the space agency itself for defining and reducing the dangers. Like those who lost loved ones in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire and the Challenger launch explosion, the Columbia families said they grieve deeply "but know the exploration of space must go on." "We hope we have learned and will continue to learn from each of these accidents so that we will be as safe as we can be in this high-risk endeavor," they said in a statement. "Godspeed, Discovery." Discovery will be setting off on the 114th space shuttle flight in 24 years with a redesigned external fuel tank and nearly 50 other improvements made in the wake of the Columbia tragedy. A chunk of foam insulation the size of a carry-on suitcase fell off Columbia's fuel tank at liftoff and slammed into a reinforced carbon panel on the shuttle's wing, creating a hole that brought the spacecraft crashing down in pieces during its return to Earth on Feb. 1, 2003. During their 12-day flight, Discovery's astronauts will test various techniques for patching cracks and holes in the thermal shielding. The crew members also will try out a new 50-foot boom designed to give them a three-dimensional laser view of the wings and nose cap and help them find any damage caused by liftoff debris. That is on top of all the pictures of the spacecraft that will be taken by more than 100 cameras positioned around the launching site and aboard two planes and the shuttle itself. Until the window cover fell, NASA's only concern was the weather. Because of thunderstorms in the forecast, the chances of acceptable weather at launch time were put at 60 percent, down from 70 percent a day earlier. "We're just hoping that the weather gods are kind," Griffin said. "Weather's always out there. We'll just deal with it as it comes."

Has it been that long? Well, then they need to hurry it up