JakilaTheHun (99.93)

The Hunnish News Invasion, Blizzard Edition?

December 18, 2009 – Comments (15)

You have to pity yesterday's Hunnish News Invasion.  It didn't even get enough recs to make the day's top 5 blogs.  In spite of the tragic setback, the invasion moves on!

Here in Northern Virginia, we're supposed to get 5" to 10" of snow tonight, so maybe this can be the Hunnish News Blizzard just for today!

Here we go:

CIA Linked to Palestinian Torture

Link - The Guardian (UK)

It's always sad to read headlines like this as they come out of respected foreign news sources, but somehow, seem to not get mentioned in the mainstream American media.  This is absolutely disgraceful and while you could say that I'm mad about a lot of things going on via our government right now, I'm been particularly peeved by our assistance in this sort of stuff.  We should completely disassociate ourselves from the whole Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  We should play Switzerland and be as neutral as possible. This stuff does not help us in any way.

Iran's Government Will Not Last Full Term

Link - BBC

Interesting read.  

Kurdish Party to Stay in Turkish Parliament

Link - Al Jazeera

And I swear this is the last Middle Eastern news story I'm posting for the day.  

Housing Affordability Down, Even During Real Estate Slump

Link - Washington Post

Another interesting read, but what actually irks me are the quotes from the "Economist" of the National Association of Realtors at the end.  The National Association of Realtors just wants to let you know that YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST BUY NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE AND AFFORDABILITY IS GONE!  YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED TIME SO DON'T WAIT!!!  Of all the professional organizations in the United States, the National Association of Realtors is by far the most despicable. 

ICC Tolls Amongst Highest In the Nation

Link - Washington Post

This is an article about the extremely high tolls that will be collected on Maryland's "Intercounty Connector Highway", which will run from Interstate 95 (somewhere between DC and Baltimore) down to Interstate 270 near Rockville.  Why do I post this?  Because it showcases something I've been saying for awhile ... our highway system is heavily subsidized and the reason mass transit doesn't work very well in the United States is because our governments have launched a dedicate effort to fund the highway system at all costs.  

The ICC is a bit different.  In an age of massive budget deficits and traffic nightmares, the ICC is being built, and in order to fund it, they are having to require major tolls.  And yet, despite the astronomical tolls, it's still not enough to fund it!!!  So, this is part of the problem with our transportation system ... it encourages inefficiency and terrible environmental practices.  Instead of subsidizing highways, we should find a way to make the system (a) function more on market mechanisms and (b) expand mass transit.  

Metro Estimates $40 Million Shortfall

Link - Washington Post

Meanwhile, DC's rapid transit system is facing major shortfalls. And why?  Well; two reasons:  (1) the massive subsidies and government dedication to the highway system and (2) poor design. But the DC Metro system is actually about as close as you will find to a market-oriented transportation system in the United States.  But it can't really compete with subsidized highways.  I should also note that the term "major" is in the eyes of the beholder.  Notice that their "major shortfalls" are actually quite small compared to some of the astronomical costs we see being incurred by governments of all shapes and sizes right now.  A $40 million shortfall is almost close to "self funding" when it comes to the US transportation system. 

Perfect Female Face Dimensions Discovered

Link - BBC

In the WTF?!! department, I found this.  Uhhh ... why would any "researchers" waste their time trying to objectively determine the "perfect" female facial dimensions when such a thing is, by its nature, subjective and very much subject to cultural biases, trends, and of course ... the eye of the observer?

Cow Dung to Help Power Indian Province

Link -  Al Jazeera

I just post 'em; I don't make 'em up :)

That's all for this edition of the Hunnish News Edition.  Hopefully, you won't be stuck under 10" of snow like me over the weekend.  Or maybe that's what you want and in which case, I wish you all the best!