FlightStats

FlightStats is a really useful site for anyone who travels by air frequently or has friends and relatives who do.

With FlightStats you can monitor domestic and international flight arrivals, departures and delays. Or you can see arrivals and departures by airport and a whole slew of other information, including a frequently updates map of airport delays in the U.S.

Any characteristic for any flight can be tracked with auotomatic emails or text messages on your cell phone. I have used it a few times now and found it very reliable and timely. They must tap into FAA Air Traffic Control system for information .

With the FlightAlert Feature you can receive:

-Status confirmation up to 3 hours prior to departure
-Notification if the flight is delayed by more than 30 minutes
-Notification if the flight is cancelled or diverted
-Arrival notification when the flight lands

You can also set it up as a handy Facebook application.

The only downside I found was the inability to change my password at will. If you forget it, they'll send you a new one, but I didn't find a facility to do it myself online.

I don't often recommend sites because there are so many of them,
but this one is very useful and easy to use. Try it.

A Taxpayer's Advice to Vermont Legislators

A slightly different version of this was published in The Colchester Sun on January 10, 2008.

Your comments, Senator Ginny Lyons, and Representatives John Zenie, Kristy Spengler, Jim Condon and Gaye Symington published in The Colchester Sun of January 3, 2008 portend the outcome of the second half of the Legislative biennium: Find more taxpayer dollars to spend on______ (fill in the blank).

The issues you mentioned include paying for, or "doing something about" health care, climate change remediation, energy efficiency and affordability, education and its funding, quality of Vermont life, economic development, affordable housing, workforce development, maintenance of highways and bridges, the circumferential highway, and developing a more robust public transportation system, among others. No one suggests spending fewer taxpayer dollars. Why not?

A reading of your columns would benefit from soft violins in the background to accompany the flowing rhetoric. However, snare drums and a few thumps on the bass drum would help. Missing from most comments is the harsh reality you face this session... where will the money come from to pay for all the services and improvements you hope to deliver?

How you plan to deal with these issues, as I read your comments, are by working together, providing leadership, homegrown ingenuity, promoting exercise and good eating habits, trend-setting, team work, supporting local businesses and farmers and diversified ideas. As valuable as these behavioral qualities may be in arriving at legislation, the harsh reality is most Vermont taxpayers want to pay less, not more, to live here.

Please heed our advice.Your best contribution and an example to struggling Vermonters would be a reduction in taxes, certainly not an increase. Please seriously consider reducing the size of our tax-supported programs that have taken on a life of their own. You have enabled government to grow too rapidly in the recent past, faster than any other New England state.

While probably too late this session, Governor Douglas, if truly serious about his affordability agenda, should submit a budget to you that is 3-5% less than spent last year. Expansive legislative thinking requiring more taxpayer dollars or redistribution of income to improve our already high quality of life should be off the table. Alas, because it's an election year, this cutback strategy is very likely not on your minds.

But if your Legislative leaders and the Governor can agree on a spending cap in advance of debating program details, you could reorient your thinking to less government, not more. I know the pressures on you will be enormous from all the special interest groups to increase spending. I sympathize with you in this regard, but the best approach to all of them is "we can't afford it."

Please, lawmakers, don't waste time fiddling with the world's climate this session. Arguing about global warming is a waste of your time and my tax dollars. Your debates can do nothing to change the dynamics of the earth. The only benefit might be for you to curry votes with certain constituencies.

Instead, support policies that promote a reliable energy supply. If you must have an expanded all-fuels conservation program, please fund it from the savings that are generated. That's much more equitable than redistributing income by levying surcharges on everyone's fuels to pay for energy conservation that benefits individuals.

Please don't fool around debating our carbon footprint. If you think that's important, more efficient use of energy and fuels will take care of that as a by-product. Don't scurry about trying to educate everyone about carbon credits and pollution trading schemes. There are as many drawbacks as benefits in that morass. And please, oh please, any mention of a carbon tax should fall into a black hole.

As an example of working together, how about a joint statement early in the session from the Legislative leadership about your shared priorities to set the tone?

Two final reminders... please spend less and go home early.

Homeland Security proposes delayed Real ID rollout | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

The debate will continue to rage, but the fundamental need for security and identification of people who live in the United States has not changed. The ACLU and privacy advocates will always oppose any ID program. So will the immigration (legal or otherwise) advocates. This effort wisely, recommended by the 9/11 Commission, should be implemented as soon as feasible. I find no compelling argument from the opponents.

I think the time has come for a national ID card. I see no harm in the information that it's proposed to contain. Identification of persons, with that ID having been verified by an authorized agency of government, is a valid need in any modern society, particularly one that is under attack and in a war with Radical Islamic terrorists who have shown themselves willing and able to kill thousands of us.

"Arguably the biggest change in the final rule is the timeline. States will generally have a larger chunk of time, broken into "milestones," to become compliant with the new standards. Earlier in the planning process, Homeland Security had envisioned requiring the IDs to be in place starting on May 11, 2008--and no later than 2013--unless states had applied for an extension.

The final rule dictates that by the end of 2009, states will have to complete certain checks on all residents who apply for driver's licenses, such as verifying against Homeland Security databases that the cardholders have legal immigration status and ensuring that the Social Security number provided matches with Social Security Administration records. States will also have to conduct background checks on motor vehicles employees "to ensure licenses are not issued by corrupt insiders."

By May 11, 2011, states are expected to have methods in place to verify that the identity documents provided by driver's license applicants, such as birth certificates, are valid. They'll also be expected to start issuing Real ID-compliant licenses by then, if not sooner.

By Dec. 1, 2014, all Americans under the age of 50 will be expected to present Real ID-compliant licenses when boarding airplanes and entering federal buildings. Exactly three years later, all Americans, regardless of age, will have to meet those requirements."

Homeland Security proposes delayed Real ID rollout Tech news blog - CNET News.com

The oil price | Peak nationalism | Economist.com

Well worth a read. The Economist has the right analysis about 'peak oil' and some of the reasons for the high prices we are paying. It's more about geography than geology.

"Worse, nowadays, new oil tends to be found in relatively inaccessible spots or in more unwieldy forms. That adds to the cost of extracting oil, because more engineers and more complex machinery are needed to exploit it—but the end of easy oil is a far remove from the jeremiads of peak-oilers. The gooey tar-sands of Canada contain almost as much oil as Saudi Arabia. Eventually, universities will churn out more geologists and shipyards more offshore platforms, though it will take a long time to make up for two decades of underinvestment."

Alaska Governor Believes Polar Bears not Threatened Species

Rational thinking from Alaska's governor to counter the 'save the polar bear' hysteria generated by climate change extremists.

"As a result of these efforts, polar bears are more numerous now than they were 40 years ago. The polar bear population in the southern Beaufort Sea off Alaska’s North Slope has been relatively stable for 20 years, according to a federal analysis."

The bears aren't disappearing or threatened in and around Alaska at this time.

Microsoft to offer Windows Home Server perks | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News.com

Service Pack 1 to the MS Home Server product to be available in the Spring

The Company With the Biggest Little Black Book - New York Times

The Company With the Biggest Little Black Book - New York Times

The story is a good one, but if I were a terrorist trying to wreak havoc in North America, finding and destroying the database or its network links would be a tempting target, although I'm certain there is heavy redundancy just to minimize this possibility.

Obama and Huckabee Win in Iowa

Mrs. Clinton cannot be pleased and Governor Romney may have a tough decision if he doesn't beat Governor Huckabee in NH. The media have focused enormous attention on Iowa, but in the scheme of things, the race is far from over because so much can happen between January and November. David Brooks writes an insightful analysis in today's NY Times.

I have a hard time saying President Huckabee, although he appeals to me because of his values, but both he and Obama are very short on foreign policy capacity. I suppose we could say the same about President (Governor) Bush and President (Governor) Clinton before they were elected.

"Sen. Barack Obama won a fiercely contested three-way race for the Democratic presidential contest in Iowa, bidding to make history as the first black U.S. president. Mike Huckabee got the Republican nod, buoyed by a huge turnout by evangelical Christians in the Iowa caucuses, as Iowa voters rewarded upstart candidates over the establishment's picks.

Former Sen. John Edwards looked to take second place and national front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton was a close third with nearly all precincts counted. A projected 220,000 Democrats -- a record -- participated in the nation's first nomination contest.

Both winners emphasized positive messages of hope and opportunity in an election that set records for turnout. While Mr. Obama was competitive throughout the contest, Mr. Huckabee's decisive win over Mitt Romney came after he was outspent by millions of dollars."

Vermont Youth Orchestra Association

Once again, as part of First Night celebration in Burlington, we were treated to a marvelous performance by the Vermont Youth Orchestra at the Flynn Theater. The VYOA is a Vermont treasure and if you have an opportunity to hear a live performance, don't miss it.

I have three grandsons who have been a part of VYO in the past few years, all playing violin, and the many performances have been wonderful and inspiring. These kids are enthusiastic musicians and are trained and encouraged by good conductors, including Troy Peters.

The VYO deserves and receives support form many people and organizations which encourage the young people to their best, which has included a performance at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and a tour of China in 2007.

Kudos... young people and adults alike!!

Vermont Youth Orchestra Association

Kenya's Post-Election Rioting Swells as Death Toll Climbs - WSJ.com

1655 01Jan2008: Here's an update from a Reuters story in the Edmonton (Canada) Journal suggesting that rioting may be out of control with 250+ reported dead.

"Some youths came to the church," said a local reporter from the scene. "They fought with the boys who were guarding it, but they were overpowered and the youths set fire to the church."

The explosion of violence in one of Africa's most stable democracies and strongest economies has shocked the world
and left Kenyans aghast as long-simmering tribal rivalries pitch communities against each other.

In Kenya we have yet another example of the widespread African calamity that will take generations to solve. Democratic government and capitalism have nary a chance in this cauldron of poverty created by family, tribal and ethnic loyalties.

We in America hold to freedom as the cornerstone of our governance system. In much of Africa freedom is more often subservient to power and corruption fueled by ignorance and hatred which creates the grinding poverty and disease. I fear progress will continue to be slow and painful as history has shown.

"Mr. Kibaki's supporters say he has turned Kenya's economy into an east African powerhouse, with an average growth rate of 5%. He won by a landslide in 2002, ending 24 years in power by the notoriously corrupt Daniel arap Moi. But Mr. Kibaki's antigraft campaign has largely been seen as a failure, and the country still struggles with tribalism and poverty.

The election violence had a tribal undertone in the slums, where youths shouted ethnic slurs. Mr. Kibaki, from the Kikuyu tribe, has been accused of maintaining the tribal patronage system of the Moi years. Mr. Odinga is a Luo, another major tribe. Tribal allegiances have always been a factor in elections in Kenya, where there are more than 40 tribes, and where candidates on the campaign trail are not above appealing to tribe in subtle as well as direct ways."