And I'm an idiot. That was Eugene Levy.

Crap.

Now I'll go feel sad. And stupid.

I still remember sitting in my living room when I was a kid watching Second City TV and hearing Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) and Earl Camenbert (Harold Ramis) muddle their way through the "local" news. That was my first exposure to Harold Ramis, and every time I have seen him since has brought back that memory.

I'm sad that he won't be making new ones for me.

Well, yes. As it is now, the El-Cheapo(tm) 5 mW red laser pointer is subject to the same $10K penalty as the 2-Watt green laser.

So to use your analogy - it is as though we are treating NERF(tm) guns the same as hunting rifles.

Which is why I specifically differentiated between the two in my post. There's a difference between driving at a reasonable speed and speeding. There's a difference between talking and a jet engine. There a difference between a harmless act and a harmful act.

Is it necessary to prosecute everyone who aims a laser pointer at a plane, or only those who aim multiwatt devices at cockpit windows?

I've had moron teenagers point a red laser at me at night while driving. It was annoying, but it did not make me crash my car. And this was from approximately 100 ft, not 500 or 5000.

Okay, so an el-cheapo red laser pointer at a range of 500 ft (Aircraft on approach).

Daylight - Can the pilot even see it?

Night time. At 500 feet, is it even as bright as his instrument lights? Between dust and moisture vapor is the beam even still anywhere close to focused?

Yeah, I know people can go and by multi-watt green lasers that can pop balloons from 100 yards. But to say that an el-cheapo red light wielded with harmless intent should be subject to the same penalties as a multi-watt laser wielded with intent to disrupt/harm seems to be going the whole zero-tolerance BS route.

I'm curious. Has anyone ever actually caused harm in US airspace with a laser pointer yet? Or are we creating a crime around something that has never caused harm?

Sounds like fun. Except the part where if you report it in a way the overlords dislike, you go to jail for the rest of your life.

From Wikipedia (ya, I know...) on "Jet Fuel"

"Jet fuel is a clear to straw-colored fuel, based on either an unleaded kerosene (Jet A-1), or a naphtha-kerosene blend (Jet B). It is similar to diesel fuel, and can be used in either compression ignition engines or turbine engines. .... if it fails the purity and other quality tests for use on jet aircraft, it is sold to other ground-based users with less demanding requirements, like railroad engines."

So still not much of an event, other than to say "ooh, wow. Jet Fuel."

Well. As a last resort.
1) Change all of your user data that you can. Edit your profile so that all of the data is either blank, or not yours at all.
2) Edit your age down to below 13 years old. This may kick in automatic account privacy settings.
3) If none of this works, then look at the TOS and find things that they don't want you to do. (ie, Wikipedia freaks out if you mention suing them on any forum. A TOS might make it a violation to badmouth the parent company, or to solicit other users. You might think of creating a couple of throwaway accounts, and getting into a royal flamewar with your invisible clones. Call them really bad names. Threaten to sue them.)
4) Do not let number three go into the realm of anything illegal. Don't post porn in public fora. You simply want to make yourself unwelcome at this location.

awww awoah.....

It looks like she might be able to claim an exception under 27602(2) or (3):

27602. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver, a video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at a point forward of the back of the driver's seat, or is operating and the monitor, screen, or display is visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle.
      (b) Subdivision (a) does not apply to the following equipment when installed in a vehicle:
      (1) A vehicle information display.
      (2) A global positioning display.
      (3) A mapping display.
      (4) A visual display used to enhance or supplement the driver's view forward, behind, or to the sides of a motor vehicle for the purpose of maneuvering the vehicle.
      (5) A television receiver, video monitor, television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal, if that equipment satisfies one of the following requirements:
      (A) The equipment has an interlock device that, when the motor vehicle is driven, disables the equipment for all uses except as a visual display as described in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive.
      (B) The equipment is designed, operated, and configured in a manner that prevents the driver of the motor vehicle from viewing the television broadcast or video signal while operating the vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner.
      (6) A mobile digital terminal that is fitted with an opaque covering that does not allow the driver to view any part of the display while driving, even though the terminal may be operating, installed in a vehicle that is owned or operated by any of the following:
      (A) An electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (B) A gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (C) A sewer system corporation, as defined in Section 230.6 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (D) A telephone corporation, as defined in Section 234 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (E) A water corporation, as defined in Section 241 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (F) A local publicly owned electric utility, as defined in Section 224.3 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (G) A city, joint powers agency, or special district, if that local entity uses the vehicle solely in the provision of sewer service, gas service, water service, or wastewater service.
      (c) Subdivision (a) does not apply to a mobile digital terminal installed in an authorized emergency vehicle or to a motor vehicle providing emergency road service or roadside assistance.
      (d) Subdivision (a) does not apply to a mobile digital terminal installed in a vehicle when the vehicle is deployed in an emergency to respond to an interruption or impending interruption of electrical, natural gas, telephone, sewer, water, or wastewater service, and the vehicle is owned or operated by any of the
following:
      (1) An electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (2) A gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (3) A sewer system corporation, as defined in Section 230.6 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (4) A telephone corporation, as defined in Section 234 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (5) A water corporation, as defined in Section 241 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (6) A local publicly owned electric utility, as defined in Section 224.3 of the Public Utilities Code.
      (7) A city, joint powers agency, or special district, if that local entity uses the vehicle solely in the provision of sewer service, gas service, water service, or wastewater service.

"We are the country that hosts the damn UN."

Except Switzerland, Austria, and Kenya.

Geneva - "The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) is the second largest United Nations centre after the Headquarters in New York. UNOG is housed in the Palais des Nations, an outstanding testimony to twentieth century architecture, situated in a beautiful park overlooking Lake Geneva, with a splendid view of the Alps and, on a clear day, Mont Blanc.

The League of Nations was established in 1919 following the devastation caused by the First World War. It was decided to erect a building at par with the League’s aspirations for the creation of a more stable world. The Palais was erected between 1929 and 1938 and donations from Member States have largely contributed to its interior design.

The Palais stands in the 45-hectare Ariana Park among majestic trees many of which are over 100 years old. The City of Geneva has made the park available to the United Nations for its offices for as long as the United Nations exists."

Vienna - "Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is one of the four headquarters of the United Nations. The Vienna International Centre (VIC), commonly known as "UN City", was designed by Austrian architect Johann Staber and construction costs were borne by the host country. Opened on 23 August 1979, it has been rented to the United Nations for 99 years at a symbolic rate of 1 Austrian schilling (7 Euro cents) annually.

The VIC complex, which covers an area of 180,000 m, has extraterritorial status; it accommodates about 4,200 international civil servants from over 100 countries and its 14 conference rooms host an average of 2,000 conferences annually. Located at the Centre are the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), as well as a number of smaller UN Offices and entities.

On daily guided tours, visitors can learn about the work of the United Nations and experience the Vienna International Centre's striking architecture and vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Special programmes for children and school groups are available and visitors can also book a lecture or specialized tour on the art on display at the VIC."

Nairobi - "Established in 1996, the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) is the only UN Headquarters in Africa and in the global south. The United Nations compound is located in Gigiri, on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, which is said to enjoy an almost perfect climate with warm sunny days and cool evenings.

The UN presence in Kenya dates back to the 1950s when Kenya was still a colony of the United Kingdom. After Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the UN expanded its presence in the country, especially when it became host to the fledgling United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1973. Originally located at Uchumi House in the Nairobi city centre, UNEP was soon moved to the Kenyatta Conference Centre in 1974, before moving to its current location in Gigiri in 1975. In 1978, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, now known as United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) also joined UNEP in Gigiri.

The Visitors’ Service in Nairobi conducts guided tours on Mondays to Fridays, year-round. Visitors are briefed on the role of the United Nations as well as the functions of its funds, programmes and specialized agencies, especially those based in Nairobi. Special briefings by representatives of various UN offices in Kenya are also offered upon request. Following the briefing, visitors enjoy a walking tour of the complex which includes stops at various symbolic gifts donated to the UN, including the 1998 Bomb-blast Memorial Garden, which pays tribute to the innocent lives that were lost in 1998 when two US Embassies were bombed by terrorists in Kenya and Tanzania.

One of the main attractions of UNON is its bountiful lush green landscaped area. The 140-acre complex includes hundreds of indigenous plant species and a remarkable variety of wildlife, including monkeys and crested cranes, which can still be observed in the area in spite of the significant environmental transformations that have taken place in the last decades.

A visit to the New Office Facility, commonly referred to as NOF is a must-see. The newly constructed climate-neutral buildings (“Green Buildings”) house the headquarters of both UNEP and UN-Habitat. With 6,000 square meters of solar panels, energy saving lighting, natural ventilation systems and other green features, the office is designed to generate as much electricity as its 1,200 occupants consume. The buildings serve as a showcase of "green construction" and are among the first of their kind in sub-Saharan Africa."

Why?

The UN pays $1023/month per troop.

A Nepalese soldier earns ~$100/month. (http://nepalarmy.mil.np/salary.php)
(A Nepalese general earns ~$300/month.)

Provide 1280 peacekeepers. (http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/CMI18_E158_E163_2012_Nepalese_origin_supporting_information.pdf)
Cost approximately $128,000/month.
Receive compensation from UN of $1.3M. Profit > $1M/month.

Drive Me Crazy - Melissa Joan Hart.

Is it really a chance to grab power? If she can assert her will in this, does she become "a voice to be reckoned with"?

I saw a really mediocre movie once where it was asserted that when guys have an argument, they get it right out in the open, do a lot of chest beating, and then get to working together. Women on the other hand will play everything behind the scenes - cloaking it all in an air of civility while they sharpen their knives.

Since I saw that movie (ashamed to say I saw it, but if you happen to remember the reference go ahead and out yourself), I've notice that it's actually a very true statement.

Um. Yes and no.

The M1 Garand (arguably one of the most widely used assault rifles ever made) uses an 8-round clip. The clip is inserted into the magazine, and the clip is ejected from the magazine when the last round is fired.

The fact that over six million M1 rifles were manufactured and used in three wars (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) by American troops probably contributed significantly to the use of the word "clip" when in most cases what is intended is the word "magazine".