Skip navigation

Halliburton Served U.S. Military Contaminated Water

And then they tried to cover it up. The company is denying the allegations even though they come from Halliburton employees. From the WaPo:

Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn’t get their company to inform camp residents, according to interviews and internal company documents.

Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails.

Water expert, Ben Carter, even resigned last April when Halliburton officials refused to take any action to inform the camp population. From his incident report:

It is my opinion that the water source is without question contaminated with numerous micro-organisms, including Coliform bacteria. There is little doubt that raw sewage is routinely dumped upstream of intake much less than the required 2 mile distance.

Therefore, it is my conclusion that chlorination of our water tanks while certainly beneficial is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure.

It’s good to know our troops are being taken care of, especially by the company that’s making our Vice President tens of millions of dollars.

How to Cook With Lava

Ever stranded on a volcanic island with nothing to eat but game hen and no way to cook it? Me neither. But if it ever did happen, you could create your very own lava oven! The Dolphin Bay Hotel has a series of instructions on how to create your own lava oven and cook in it.

Man Lifting Lava

Lava Oven

They also have an incredible set of lava photographs.

Man Photographing Lava

World Pyro Olympics

Now, this is my kind of sport. From the website:

The World Pyro Olympics is an annual international competition amongst the most prestigious fireworks companies in the world. Nine international participants will showcase the best of classical pyrotechnic displays. On the final eve of the event, the sky will be illuminated by the La Mancha Fellowship of Fire pyrotechnic display -a joint fireworks display from the nine countries and the organizer, La Mancha Pyro Productions.

Pyro Olympics

Pyro Olympics

Army Raises Top Age For Recruits: 35 to 42

Besides lowering test score requirements and increasing re-enlistment bonuses by $30,000, the army is increasing the top age for new recruits from 35 to 42 years of age after substantially missing their recruiting goals last year.


Double-Mouthed Fish From Nebraska

Fish with Two Mouths

From the great state of Nebraska comes Bob, the fish with two mouths! His name really isn’t Bob, but no one else named him and I felt like he needed a name. It is unknown whether the Simpson-like fish gained its two maws from genetic mutation or an injury, but it did get him into Harvard.

Incredible Lava Flows

Here’s your eye candy for the day. These are shots from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory take of the East Lae apuki lava delta collapse. You can find more stunning pictures on their website.

Lava Flow Lava Flow

Free 411 Service

CashI hate sounding like I’m advertising something, but this service seems pretty cool. I know I get tired of paying $1 every time I need to find a phone number. And it’s nearly impossible to find a phone book in public anymore. Now, you can just call 1-800-FREE411.

By listening to a 12 second advertisement, you can use the directory assistance for free. If calling a business number, the system offers you an advertisement targeting that business’ market and then asks if you would to connect to the business in the advertisement or the one you requested.

I hate using 411 because of how expensive it has gotten. It used to be twenty-five cents when it started on our LAN line in Omaha. Now it’s usually at least a buck, especially if calling from a cell phone. I hate commercials (sorry Dad), but I’d listen to the ad to save a dollar or two. Not too shabby for a free service.

(via Boing Boing)

Incredifur and… Something Else

Scot sent me this crazy video of a poor cat trying to get over a gate. Apparently, cats don’t always land on their feet.

Cat Jumping Over Fence

But then, I found this on the same site. I can’t even begin to describe it.

Zanger Bob

Oh, Newfoundland!

Christian Nudist Camp

Garden of EdenJ-Luv’s latest installment of crazy things on the web:

I love Quakers! Could there ever be anything as un-sexual as a Christian nudist camp?

And don’t miss the phenomenal ending on page 2:

Martin’s critics depict him as a religious fanatic whose criticisms of rival resorts are damaging the naturist industry. “We are not concerned about him taking our members,” said Elf Anderson, who conducts nude marriage ceremonies at other resorts. “But we are concerned about the impression he gives to the public about us.”

“We are all for wholesome family nudism — but he’s just way off the scale.”

Special thanks goes to Al Gore for inventing the internet, bringing laughter and glee into my otherwise mirthless workday.

Bush Lies About Wiretaps

In April of 2004, while George Bush was authorizing illegal wiretaps, he stated in a national speech that “a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed.” You can watch the video for yourself at ThinkProgress:

Bush Speech on Wiretaps

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

Brendan Nyhan has cataloged five of Bush’s speeches from 2004 to 2005 where he talks about the necessity of judicial approval for wiretaps, as well as all the White House fact sheets about them. Here are a couple of quotes from the speeches:

President Bush — April 19, 2004:

For years, law enforcement used so-called roving wire taps to investigate organized crime. You see, what that meant is if you got a wire tap by court order — and, by the way, everything you hear about requires court order, requires there to be permission from a FISA court, for example.

President Bush — July 20, 2005:

The Patriot Act helps us defeat our enemies while safeguarding civil liberties for all Americans. The judicial branch has a strong oversight role in the application of the Patriot Act. Law enforcement officers need a federal judge’s permission to wiretap a foreign terrorist’s phone, or to track his calls, or to search his property. Officers must meet strict standards to use any of the tools we’re talking about. And they are fully consistent with the Constitution of the United States.