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Friday, January 16, 2009

News Morning News

Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 7:56 AM

The Latest on the Geese Crash: With lots of photos. And how can geese crash a plane anyway?

The Amanda Knox Trial: It begins, in public.

Keeping Up with the Gazans: More rockets, more bodies.

Sound Transit Gets Big Federal Grant: To connect UW, Capitol Hill, and downtown.

King County Stalled on Releasing Info on Financing of Qwest Field: Now it's getting fined more than $200,000, and maybe more than $800,000..

The Flooding Last Week in Pacific Could (Maybe) Have Been Avoided?: There's a faulty gauge that everyone already knew was faulty and did nothing about.

The Details on Gregoire's Stimulus Plan: Making use of the unemployment fund, for starters.

Pamela Anderson: Informing India that dogs cannot use condoms.

Splitting Up the 'group: Citigroup. And Bank of America bailout agreed upon.

Dear Teens: Nude photos of yourselves equals child porn.

Dear Boy George: Handcuffing your hooker equals jail time.

Andrew Wyeth, 91, Has Died: Painter of Christina's World.

The Czechs Apologize: For that art that has Europe's shorts in a bunch.

No More Free Whoppers: In exchange for dumping friends on Facebook.

Vitaminwater: Snake oil?

Putin Paints: And an art critic responds. (Via Artsjournal.)

The Tintin Fans: Very up in arms at the suggestion that their man is gay! (Via Artsjournal.)

Do you think this is what Kirk had in mind?

Comments (10) RSS

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Ummm...the remains of birds sucked into jet engines are called "snarge"? SNARGE?! What the fuck!

Posted by snargent pepper on January 16, 2009 at 8:23 AM

Obama should have that Sully guy show up on Tuesday and give him a medal.

There were no red passengers or blue passengers, etc. the investment in training pays off etc. etc. citizens and government can all act to face challenges etc. etc. there are always threats in our life today but if we keep ourselves together and calm and act as per our ideals, we are prepared and need not fear etc. etc.

Posted by PC on January 16, 2009 at 8:26 AM

And snarge is studied at the Smithsonian forensic ornithology lab. Like CSI for birds? I got to that paragraph and was mystified.

Posted by Lark Hawk on January 16, 2009 at 8:40 AM

CSI for DEAD birds, even!

Posted by snargent pepper on January 16, 2009 at 8:48 AM

Why not just put a very strong but fine mesh/screen in front of the fan blades so that the birds just get knocked off and don't get sucked in?

Posted by raindrop on January 16, 2009 at 9:24 AM

@5 this would impact the efficiency of the engines themselves as the mesh screen would cut down on the amount of air intake required to produce thrust. This should be obvious.

Posted by Not an engineer on January 16, 2009 at 10:49 AM

The risk factor from birds is still lower than your chance of having someone drop a rock through your windshield on the freeway.

Planes are still safer.

Posted by Will in Seattle on January 16, 2009 at 11:36 AM

@7
I can't remember who the comedian was that had a response to the belief that plane were safer than cars:

"... yeah, planes maybe safer than cars but if my car stalls I don't plunge 30,000 feet..."

Posted by Sad Comment on January 16, 2009 at 11:46 AM

The jet engines have a lot of rotors to suck air, which mixes with the fuel and burns it, which spins more rotors on the same shaft, to suck more air in, etc. If you are sucking giant birds in along with the air, you can jam the rotors, making the whole thing stop. Picture sticking a wooden spoon between the beaters on a hand mixer -- the thing will jam.

Bird blocking screens in front of the engines have been tried, but they screw up performance of the engines. Plus at speed they act more like the machine that cuts potatoes into french fries than like screens per se.

Posted by It slices; it dices; it juliennes fries on January 16, 2009 at 12:43 PM

Jen, I've really enjoyed your Morning News. Thank you.

Posted by Mrs Jarvie on January 17, 2009 at 1:03 AM