More TED Talks

As Puggling has posted before, TED puts on various presentations by famous (and not so famous) folk about very interesting topics, usually aimed at improving the world we live in.  Here is one such talk by a former Microsoft guy who has a HUGE variety of interests.  Topics range from penguin poo, to nuclear reactors to T. Rex bones.  Enjoy!

For a more serious topic on what needs to be done.  Bill Gates (you may have heard of him) gives a presentation on energy usage.

Too Fat to Fly? Yes, Fatty Deluxe, Yes.

Many fliers have had this same experience.  You arrive at your seat only to find that half of it is taken over by a person who is best described as "rotund."  What can you do?  You paid for a whole seat and only get half and the other half is taken up by mounds of Crisco.  Well, the debate over what to do with fat fliers has been mainly focused on the rights of the tubbo in question and there are two sides to this story.  Yes, it does suck that a person is too big to be in one seat, but the person in the seat next to them is equally, if not more, inconvenienced by the offending bulge.
Admitted fat guy and flier, Kevin Smith (who also is a director of funny films like Clerks and Mallrats and un-funny films like Jersey Girl), was recently kicked off a Southwest flight for being too fat.  This case highlights some of the complexities of this issue.  Smith claimed he could get the armrests of the seat down which means that he could fit in the seat.  This is an acceptable method of determining who is too big to fly and who can get their tons of fun on the plane.  If you can get the armrests down, you don't impede on the other passengers.  This is actually a serious issue.  Overloading an airplane can mean difficulties in take-off and landing and seriously hamper fuel efficiency.  As American waistlines have expanded, airlines have noticed that they use significantly more fuel.  So, how to know if you're too fat to fly?  Here is a simple list that will let you know:

1. You have been featured on a newscast, but they only showed you below the neck.
2. Your choice of fashion is consistently in the "muumuu" category.
3. You use one of those Jazzy scooters at Walmart and you are not handicapped.
4. You regard a flight of stairs as "daunting."
5. You have had multiple diabetes scares.

If you fit one or more of these above, you need to purchase two (or more) adjacent seats on an airplane and probably warn the pilot to really put the pedal to the metal on take-off because you Shamu, are a fat ass.

Cool Ideas on How the World is Changing

Goodbye Nuclear Weapons, See You in Iran!

Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council, with President Obama as its chairman, voted to strengthen the restrictions on nuclear technology, making it more difficult to convert peaceful applications into weapons programs.  This, however, is still a matter of enforcement which has been a persistent problem for the United Nations in the past; its coffee and doughnut budget has been exceeded for every year of its existence.  Iran is at the heart of this matter, even though President Obama was very general in his comments during the meeting, but glared at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because "he knows what he did." 

One Quarter of the Afghan Vote Was Cast by Pack of Wild Monkeys; Situation Dire

Well, Afghanistan, you've got a mess on your hands.  A lot of mess.  A quarter of your votes could be tainted!  That's Chicago bad.  The good/bad news is that this isn't the worst of your problems.  The top general in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has essentially stated that the situation is dire in the remote nation. 

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Avast!  Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day!  A day where people of all stripes can unleash their inner pirate and express their scurvy selves.  If you need any help, check out www.talklikeapirate.com for great ways to get in that pirate-y mood!  So, in observance of Talk Like a Pirate Day, let us get into character: arrrrrr!  Now, enjoy some pirate-y videos!

Imma Let You Finish Afghanistan, but Iran Had the Craziest Election of All Time

In what we can only imagine as a scene out of Michael Jackson's Bad, clashing rallies erupted in Iran.  Today, in Iran, is Quds Day which is a major day for the Iranian regime (not unlike ten cent wing day).  It is an occasion for people to show their support for the Palestinians and opposition to Israel.  This rally by the opposition is the first major one since July and there have been reports that former president Mohamad Khatami was attacked by the paramilitary group the Basij. 

No Missile Shield for You!

Today, the U.S. announced that it is scrapping the Bush era missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic and replacing it with a different system to first be deployed aboard ships and potentially then in Southern Europe.  This move will likely appeal to Russia who had vehemently opposed the Bush plan and liked to do some sabre rattling about it.  There is no word on whether or not this move was accompanied by a large shipment of vodka and beets to St. Petersburg. 

Health Care Reform Protests: Send Me Your Tired, Ignorant and Stupid.

With the recent town hall events of August and the bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee, health care reform is as contentious as ever.  People are mad and dammit, they aren't going to let ignorance get in their way!  So what are the critiques of universal health care?  People are claiming all sorts of things.  A big one is that this is socialism.  Socialism!  Just when you thought we'd defeated that back in the 80s, it rears it ugly head.  Another critique is that it will cost too much and another is that well, Obama is a fascist. 

Graveyard of Empires: Well, Crap...

In a recent speech to foreign policy experts, former U.S. national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, warned that if the U.S. does not halt the Taliban insurgency, things in Afghanistan will quickly go pear shaped.  Well, shit.  While a laudable goal of installing credible institutions and making a real, functioning country, is one that is likely worth pursuing, it will be a difficult road.  For instance, it only took 300 special forces troops to bring down the Taliban in 2001.  That just goes to show that the government there had tenuous control at best and the amount of man power needed to eliminate an insurgency will be very high.

Like Scrabble? Like Beating the Crap Out of Your Unsuspecting Opponent?

Then this Scrabble strategy video is for you!  We here at Puggling came across this while spending some quality time at MentalFloss.com.  The general strategy in this video is how to play mind games and mess with your opponent and well, we here think this is a good way to win and piss off your friends.  We don't recommend this for family game night, unless you come from an ultra competitive family.  Enjoy!

Craziness. Kanye West is a Douchebag. Who Knew?

Brace yourselves everyone.  Kanye West is a douchebag.  It's shocking, but he is.  Beyonce has the greatest video of all time?  Really?  He has obviously not seen the video for Los Del Rio's mega hit, Macarena.  Or even Cotton Eyed Joe, by someone in a redneck outfit?  While Ms. Beyonce's video is a good video, (we saw no obvious flaws, the lighting was very nice) it does not even compare to Europe's The Final Countdown.  No way.  Never.

Consider This an Invitation to My Gangsta Nation...

After a long hiatus, Puggling is back!  A lot has changed in the world since we last were here.  There were some good times.  Afghanistan had it's first real election.  It also had it's first real epidemic of voter fraud too!  It's like a whole nation made up of Chicago!  During the August recess of Congress, people went apeshit over health care reform and we all learned that bacon was bad good for us.  But now we're back and ready to bring the fire!

Sarah Palin Resigns, Butchers Public Speaking...

Well, last Sunday, Sarah Palin has quit.  She gave a rambling, disjointed speech as a farewell to the people of Alaska.  She attacked the media, Hollywood, and her opponents.  The speech was so bad that Vanity Fair decided to copy edit it.  You can see the results here.  They are bad.  Very bad.  Red ink is everywhere and they even did fact checking.

Update: Iran Still Pissed About Election

Well, it looks like the rage of 1000 Suns in Iran over last month's election is still smoldering.  Top cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani criticized the hard liners in the Iranian government and called for the release of those arrested in the aftermath of the election.  He also said that doubts over the election have been raised and those doubts need to be resolved in order for this issue to be settled.  Since the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed that the election was valid, raising the spectre of doubts over the election is tantamount to challenging him.

You Leave for Two Weeks and So Much Happens....

First, before Puggling went on vacation Michael Jackson died and then while we were mourning our loss, Sarah Palin up and resigns from her post as governor of Alaska.  She must have been a personal friend of MJ and is now using this time to reflect on life and loss.

We here are not interested in necessarily what Ms. Palin's motives were, however we are more interested in what this means to the 2012 Presidential race.  While according to a Gallup poll, a good many Americans still see a political future for her.  However, the ethics complaints, the spat with David Letterman (while it appeared at the time that he lost this battle, he may have won the war) and the Baby Daddy drama with Levi Johnston have taken away from her appearance as a serious political entity. 

Michael Jackson: Hell, Even Iran Has Stopped Going Apeshit for a Minute...

Well, Michael Jackson has died.  In case you didn't hear.  He has always done his best work as a zombie so it is only natural to think that he will have a huge comeback now.  The news of his death has been everywhere.  It even appeared on CNBC's Kudlow Report with notorious bad tie wearer, Larry Kudlow.

Auto-Tune the News: Maddeningly Addicting

Puggling has recently discovered Auto-Tune the News and it is hilariously addictive.  One of our writers has been listening to this all day and still has not gotten tired of it.

Scandal! S.C. Governor Mark Sanford Ups the Bar

In a departure from our ongoing Iran coverage, Puggling is taking a look at the shenanigans of the South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford.  Sanford first made national news when he tried to refuse taking money from the stimulus package.  Most recently he was absent from S.C. for five days while apparently no one knew where he was.  What happened?  He was on a booty trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  For five days.  Over Father's Day weekend.  A perfect example of douchebaggery.

Iran Protests: What Do You Love About Your Police State?

While admitting (and then denying) election fraud has quickly become passé, crackdowns, beatdowns, and shutdowns are the new rage in Iran.  Today protests were stopped by masses of riot police and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that Iran will not yield to the pressures of the protests.  All this got us at Puggling wondering just what are the best things about living in a police state?