U.S. Gov Authorizes Commercial Use of Aerial Drones Within U.S.

Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

U.S. Gov Authorizes Commercial Use of Aerial Drones Within U.S.

31 December 2013

Brandy D. Anderson

In a move which the ACLU marks as worrisome, the US has authorized private parties to use aerial drones within the United States. On Monday, 30 December, the FAA chose six sites for unmanned aircraft research: Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Virgina.

The University of Alaska is scheduled to test monitoring and navigation with an emphasis on safety standards for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations. The State of Nevada is slated to concentrate on operation standards and certification requirements. New York’s Griffiss International Airport will focus on test and evaluation processes with an emphasis on researching the complexities of integrating the UAS into the congested, northeast airspace. The North Dakota Department of Commerce will research airworthiness testing and reliability while also incorporating human factors into their research. Texas A&M University will…

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Wishing You All A Very Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!

 

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Another Love Letter to Walt Whitman

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“The ‘I’ becomes We and I all in one”

by

Brandy Anderson

Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass offers a transformative experience for many readers. I was first introduced to Whitman’s writing as a teenager in high school and to say that I did not particularly take to it is an understatement. I listened to what the poem said, so I thought, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I thought it was boring, static, it didn’t speak to me. Nearly twenty years later, I was reintroduced to the very same poetry and suddenly the world changed. To say Walt Whitman has bettered my life is not an exaggeration although it may sound ridiculous to some. I thought my transformation was an isolated experience. As an experiment, I searched the internet using the words “Walt Whitman changed my life” to see if I could find others who experienced Whitman…

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Shelley Sunday: “Love’s Philosophy”

Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

So, since I love Shelley and I also love alliteration I’ve decided that, from now on, I shall have Shelley Saturdays and Shelley Sundays. We had “The Cloud” from P.B. Shelley yesterday, so today we’ll have one of my favourite readings I’ve heard for “Love’s Philosophy”.

 

 

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“When We Get Older, Our Hearts Die”

So true!

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“When We Get Older, Our Hearts Die”

Brandy Anderson 

So often, movies of the 80s are easily dismissed as silly teen angsty drivel that becomes irrelevant once a person leaves that painful adolescent period. This line of thinking is maintained by the misguided idea that many adults hold wherein they view teenage suffering as being somehow less or inferior to adult suffering. This is a particularly queer outlook when you consider that every adult was obviously once a teenager him/herself. As an early 30-something myself, I can honestly say that I still connect with many of the same movies that I did in my youth because that part of me still lives on. Maybe it doesn’t for some people, maybe they really do fall into that scary adult trap that Allison bleakly tells her fellow Breakfast Clubers  about in John Hughes’ 80s classic movie: “When you grow up, your heart dies”.

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Shelley for a Saturday

Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

It’s the wee hours on a Saturday morning and I think we could all do with some lovely Percy Shelley.

The Cloud

– Percy B. Shelley

   I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

         From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

         In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

         The sweet buds every one,

When rocked to rest on their mother’s breast,

         As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,

         And whiten the green plains under,

And then again I dissolve it in rain,

         And laugh as I pass in thunder.

   I sift the snow on the mountains below,

         And their great pines groan aghast;

And all the night ’tis my pillow white,

         While I sleep in the arms of the blast.

Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,

         Lightning…

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Obama Signs Bill Calling For Tougher Measures Against Sexual Assault In Military

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Obama Signs Bill Calling For Tougher Measures Against Sexual Assault In Military

December 26, 2013

Brandy Anderson

United States President Barack Obama signed a comprehensive defense bill today that includes new measures to prosecute and deter sexual assault cases in the U.S. Military. This bill marks a victory for Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who have been spearheading a movement to bring voices to the victims of military sexual assault.

According to Cruz and Gillibrand, “According to the Defense Department, 3,374 cases of unwanted sexual contact were reported last year, resulting in just 302 trials and 238 convictions. Moreover, the Defense Department estimates there were nearly 23,000 additional cases of unwanted sexual contact that went unreported. That means, in total, there were 26,000 incidents of unwanted sexual contact – a 37% increase over the previous year.”

Days before this bill was signed, Obama issued a statement…

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BENDER DOES CHRISTMAS

The title alone cracks me up! lol

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Have Yourself a Merry Bender Christmas

 by

Brandy Anderson

Most people primary know him as criminal John Bender from The Breakfast Club, but Judd Nelson has worn many hats. A quick look at imbd will show you that Nelson has never stopped working. In fact, Judd Nelson has a brand new holiday film that just debuted on Lifetime. In celebration, I thought this would be a good time to look at the surprising number of Christmas movies that Nelson has starred in. Whether playing a mobster “Wise Guy (Man)”, a cynical cop, a repressed but loving father, or the Big S Guy himself, Nelson has made more Christmas films than most of his contemporaries. I’m not ashamed to say that I heartily enjoy each and every one of these films.

First up:

SANTA, JR. (2002)

Okay, I won’t lie: this movie is crazy sappy and beyond heavy on the cheese…

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Vincent Price Xmas!

Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

Vincent Price’s “Sears Christmas Tree” from 1964. Apparently, this was part of a promotion that Sears did where celebrities would decorate a tree and then you could buy the same pieces to decorate your own tree in a similiar fashion. Pretty quirky, fun, and cool!

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