thanks to zero point radio for new ground zero archives! from clyde lewis: It is always difficult to end a Ground Zero radio show with unfinished business. That is exactly what happened when I tried to explain the fictitious predictive programming piece called “Black Jack.” While most of what I talked about sparked a flood of calls there was one e-mail I received that I couldn’t quite figure out.
The e-mail spoke of Pegasus the white horse and Cerberus the three headed dog who stands guard at the gates of hell. I read it on the air to see if anyone saw the significance. I said to everyone that I should get home to find out what this e-mail was about.
Coincidentally this e-mail came to me while I was talking about the Denver airport and the arrival of a seven ton statue of Anubis, the Egyptian God of death that now stands guard over the controversial airport.
from nytimes: Airports can be tense and testy places in the best of times. At Denver International Airport, you can add glow-in-the-dark eyes to the list of triggers for a traveler’s angst.
A statue of a giant male horse - electric-eyed, cobalt blue and anatomically correct - was installed in February 2008 on the roadway approach to the terminal, and it is freaking more than a few people out.
Haters of this work say that “Blue Mustang,” as it is formally known, by the artist Luis Jiménez (killed in 2006 when a section of the 9,000-pound fiberglass statue fell on him during construction), is frightening, or cursed by its role in Mr. Jiménez’s death, or both. Supporters say the 32-foot-tall horse is a triumph, if only as a declaration of Denver’s courage to go beyond easy-listening-style airport art that many cities use like visual Dramamine to soothe travelers’ nerves...
“It’s definitely achieved its purpose of being memorable,” said Rachel Hultin, a real-estate broker in Denver who started a page on Facebook last month to vent her horse anxieties, byebyebluemustang.com, and found herself at the center of the debate...
The original design called for a pull-off from the airport road, with benches and ample room to contemplate the statue from all angles. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, however, the parking area idea was shelved for security reasons. That makes “Blue Mustang” literally unapproachable...
“In the process of being personally attacked through e-mail, and through learning more about the piece, I’ve shifted gears from, ‘I don’t think it’s appropriate,’ to ‘Let’s try and understand it,’” she said.
update1: pilot whose gun fired suspended; no word on bullet's fate from charlotte observer: US Airways has grounded the pilot whose gun discharged accidentally during a flight from Denver to Charlotte over the weekend, the airline said Monday... Citing the ongoing investigation and security concerns, airline and federal officials remained tight-lipped Monday about many of the details surrounding the incident. They declined to discuss the damage to the plane, where the bullet struck and why the gun fired.
update2: bullet fired by pilot pierced cockpit wall from charlotte observer: A bullet fired by a US Airways pilot Saturday as his plane was preparing to land in Charlotte penetrated the left side of the cockpit and went through the aircraft’s fuselage. According to a report by Charlotte airport police and photos of the Airbus A319 jet, the bullet pierced the left side of cockpit’s wall and exited to the left of the aircraft’s nose. Although the fuselage was punctured, air safety experts said most planes can withstand such a breach and continue flying normally.
update3: US airways pilot identified; holster suspected in shooting from mcclatchy: The pilot who accidentally fired a pistol while his US Airways flight was landing last weekend in Charlotte has been identified as a 55-year-old former Air Force pilot who lives in Pittsburgh, Pa. The pilot, James Langenhahn, declined to discuss the shooting Thursday night. "As much as I'd like to talk about it," he said. "I can't right now."
related: police won't be outgunned from washington times: Some jurisdictions across the United States have been arming rank-and-file officers with high-powered assault rifles for a decade or more. But law-enforcement officials say that trend has accelerated in the last year because of greater numbers of shootouts, standoffs in which police were outgunned, rising officer deaths and mass shootings of civilians by heavily armed gunmen. "If you get into a firefight, you want to be the winner," said Scott Knight, police chief of Chaska, Minn., and chairman of the firearms committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "Our departments are moving to those weapons out of necessity across the country."
guns blaze & spray flies as guard runs harbor drill from star bulletin: With the crack of automatic weapons fire, three 25-foot Coast Guard boats surrounded an inflatable raft in Honolulu Harbor yesterday to the astonishment of by-standers at Aloha Tower. Chicago resident Art Urdiales initially thought the action was part of a "drug raid or something." Though only blank rounds were used, the realistic demonstration gave service members a chance to hone their anti-terrorism skills, officials said. It also showed off the prowess of Marine Safety and Security Team 91107 - created in response to the 2001 terrorist attacks, said Coast Guard Lt. John Titchen. MSST boats have a top speed of 54 mph and can fire at the engine of a boat threatening the harbor, he said.
terror drill preps alabama 1st responders from wtvm: Crazed mothers screamed for their children... Injured bystanders called for help, while others who were completely unresponsive laid there covered in blood. These were only a few of the scenarios facing first responders when they arrived at the scene of major terrorist attack...that was staged, by Russell County EMA officials.
florida hospitals conduct emergency drills from gainesville sun: Five Shands hospitals in the North Florida area will be conducting emergency drills Wednesday, the hospitals reported. The exercise at Shands AGH, Shands at the University of Florida, Shands Lake Shore, Shands Live Oak and Shands Starke will simulate a mass-casualty event associated with a nerve-agent release in a public area, according to a statement from the hospitals. Some of the hospitals involved in the drill will be setting up “decontamination areas” that are part of the exercise, officials noted.
saline conducts bio-terror response exercise from southern illinoisan: The Saline County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, along with the Egyptian Health Department, will conduct a Strategic National Stockpile Exercise Friday afternoon outside the Little Chapel Church just north of Harrisburg. The purpose of the exercise is to test the county’s cooperative plan to deliver and distribute medications in an emergency event such as a bio-terrorist attack.
drills aim to defuse bombs' threat at
denver's 'new world airport' from denver post: Federal explosives experts are training local police at DIA with new techniques for dealing with aviation dangers... This week's drills at DIA are part of a national effort to bring new techniques to local police squads for handling aviation bomb threats, said Patrick Tatman, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security explosive security specialist.
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