Apr 16 2009
This week has seen an uproar across the web and from some in Congress over the publication of a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment regarding right-wing extremists. The part of the report that has been picked up on by conservatives appears on page 7 under the title ‘Disgruntled Military Veterans’. You can view the entire threat assessment here.
Continue Reading »
Apr 14 2009
True article, real response, but the intro contains falsehoods…
BotB Verdict
Average Number of Times Received Daily at MOAA: 1
An article from 2000 that caused quite a stir in the military community continues to come up from time to time. The article, entitled ‘Our GIs Earn Enough, was written by Cindy Williams, a columnist for the Washington Times can be read here.
Apr 12 2009
Author’s Note: BotB hopes that everyone had a safe and happy Easter holiday. This week’s Post comes to us a little later than normal due to family obligations. Unfortunately, on the world stage, this week was anything but peaceful or safe.
On to the news (for main source of each article, click on the title)…
Apr 08 2009
Every year on April 1st, the world takes a day off from reality and takes the time to show the ones they care about how much they mean to them by playing practical jokes and generally trying to trick them. The tradition is at least hundreds if not thousands of years old, depending on who you talk to about it. Some place the origin to when the Gregorian calendar came into wide use and those that stuck to the old system were considered fools. Other stories say that it started when King Charles IX changed the start of the French year from April 1 to January 1. Those that refused to change their ways still celebrated April 1 as the start of the new year. Whatever the true origin of the non-holiday, it has become pervasive world wide as a day of fun.
Some of the Best of 2009
Google’s AI Blogger – Google introduced a new program they had been working on ‘for several years’ that was the first ‘global-scale neuro-evolutionary learning cluster’. Basically an autonomous blogger and writer that created content based on what is going on at any given moment in the cyberverse. CADIE, as she is called, produced her own homepage full of esoteric content and horribly designed web pages. It was an interesting look into the strange side of the internet.
Upside Down Youtube – For a while, all videos at Youtube were flipped vertically and all the comments were upside down as well.
Qualcomm’s Wireless Convergence – Qualcomm introduced the next generation of wireless integration, which combined species of animals to show just how far the iPhone style gadget application and integration can take us. Images of the wolfpigeon, the sharkfalcon and the crocodeagle poked fun at the wireless expansion and provided great imagery.
UK’s Guardian Switches to Twitter Only Service – After 150 plus years in print, The Guardian announced that they were switching over to a tweeter only format. Another example of an AFD joke taking on the fads of the day.
Switzerland Calls for Mountain Cleaners – This one was just weird, but funny in its own way. Take the evaluation to find out if you meet the requirements to join the mountain cleaning team for some good laughs.
Humor Site Funny or Die acquired by Reba McEntire – As a regular visitor to FoD, this one got me worried for a second until I realized what day it was. I’ll stick with Will Farrel over Reba for my comedy thank you.
Car & Driver Reports Obama Urges Chevy & Dodge to Ditch NASCAR Funding – A Car & Driver prank story said President Obama is asking Chevy and Dodge to pull their sponsorship of NASCAR events to help save money with the restructuring. This one got hot fast and C&D had to deliver a statement that it was just a joke. The elements involved here of budgets, the President, NASCAR and the auto industry make this story the most likely to be spread as fact over the next couple of weeks.
Historical AFD Pranks
If you would like a good laugh and have some free time on your hands, check out the Museum of Hoaxes list of the top 100 April Fool’s Day hoaxes here.
My personal favorite is from 1998, when Burger King published an ad for their new ‘Left-Handed Whopper’, which spun out of control for years afterward and local restaurants were asking for it frequently or demanding a right handed burger for equality.
Motivations
Fun, nothing more. One day a year to take a break from reality isn’t asking too much really. But who wants to bet we see the Car & Driver one minus a disclaimer making the rounds in a few weeks? First one to forward that email to me gets a MOAA key chain and pocketknife!
Wikipedia’s April Fool’s Day Page
AprilFools.com
Google News Search for April Fool’s
Apr 07 2009
The United States Marine Corps is a proud and fierce power with a rich history dating back to the Continental Marines of 1775. With such a long history it is inevitable that myths and urban legends pop up from time to time. This article focuses on three of those items that are received most often in our inboxes here at MOAA.
