Posted by Burnman On July - 5 - 2008
The foundations of George Washington’s childhood house have been found at Ferry Farm in Virginia, the setting of the legendary cherry tree story.
Wig curlers, a carnelian bead and a half million other artifacts were also part of the discovery, which will help scholars fill in large gaps in the story of the first U.S. president’s early life.
“When you look at the normal biographies of Washington, they start when he’s 23,” said David Muraca, who oversaw the excavation as director of archaeology at the George Washington Foundation, which owns Ferry Farm.
“This piece of the story is very difficult for historians to get their hands around,” he said. “This dig will let us start our stories much earlier.”
Read the complete article here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080702-gw-house.html
Posted by Burnman On July - 4 - 2008
I find it interesting that people celebrate their Freedom by supporting a communist economy…
Last summer, it was Chinese-made toys, pet food and meat that caused concern. This July 4th holiday, there are new worries about the overly explosive nature of its fireworks. This week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a report saying it found that nearly half of the shipments they inspected coming from China do not meet Federal safety guidelines. That’s especially worrying since, according the American Pyrotechnic Association, 98 percent of fireworks used in backyards and front lawns across America are manufactured in China. NEWSWEEK’s Caitlin McDevitt spoke with Scott Wolfson, a chief spokesman for the Commission about its findings and why this Independence Day could be more volatile than in previous years.
Read the complete article here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/144477
Posted by Burnman On July - 4 - 2008
Posted by Burnman On July - 3 - 2008
And the plot thickens:
Contract Contradicted State Dept.’s Public Stance
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 3, 2008; Page D01
Bush administration officials told Hunt Oil last summer that they did not object to its efforts to reach an oil deal with the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, even while the State Department was publicly expressing concern that such contracts could undermine a national Iraqi petroleum law, according to documents obtained by a House committee.
Last fall, after the deal was announced, the State Department said that it had tried to dissuade Hunt Oil from signing the contract with Kurdish regional authorities but that the company had proceeded “regardless of our advice.” Although Hunt Oil’s chief executive has been a major fundraiser for President Bush, the president said he knew nothing about the deal.
Read the full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/02/AR2008070203322_pf.html
Posted by Burnman On July - 3 - 2008
This article is definitely worth a read:
The latest battle in Google’s ongoing court battle with Viacom over YouTube copyright infringement is a glass half full or half empty situation. In the half full department, Google scored a legal victory as a judge shot down Viacom requests for the search giant’s search code and other critical intellectual property. In the half empty department, Google is being forced to turn over YouTube user histories to Viacom.
Complete article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9242&tag=nl.e539
Posted by Burnman On June - 26 - 2008
I’ve decided to make some changes to the website, as you may have noticed. I have almost finished the main page, and the new design should fit much better with the completed “TheBurnman.com” concept I have in my head. I am going to be focusing a lot of my energy towards public awareness campaigns for a variety of topics, and I will be using TheBurnman.com as a sort of portal to all of my collective projects. I do plan to draft a website complete with domain for some of the heavier projects, but there will be a little something of everything here.
I have a couple of pretty big ideas which I am fleshing out now, one of which I have been researching for a few weeks. I will release more information related to this project as things solidify, but if everything continues to go according to plan, then my excitement will begin to show as I post updates. Cryptic, I know, but the suspense will be well worth it. 
Posted by Burnman On June - 3 - 2008
Interesting Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post:
Wherever I go — from glittering dinner party to glittering dinner party — the famous and powerful people I meet (for such is my life) tell me how lucky I am to be a journalist in this the greatest of all presidential contests. I tell them, for I am wont to please, that this campaign is indeed great when, as history will record, it is not. I have come to loathe the campaign.
Read the rest of the article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/02/AR2008060202590_pf.html
Posted by Burnman On June - 3 - 2008
I took a walk today, brought my digital camera with me, and captured the wondrous splendor that is the Great Outdoors. I also shot some footage with my cellular phone’s pseudo-camera, and threw it in for good measure.
Observe the majesty!
Posted by Burnman On June - 2 - 2008
Let me take you on a journey through my sleep deprived ramblings detailing my recent acquisition of a video capture card, the resulting chaos, and my own little vlogathon.
Posted by Burnman On June - 2 - 2008
While at my sister’s Memorial Day cookout, I happened to look up and saw an amazing sight. Fortunately, I brought my video camera!
There are two large birds of prey represented in this video, one of which may be an American Bald Eagle.
I hope to have the video looked at by an expert for positive identification, and will update this description when more information is available. 