A few noteworthy items from Jeff at Side Salad...a smorgasbord of tidbits and tasty morsels:
"Here's something you don't see every day: a very, very cool Flash treatment of The Beatles' song "Get Back" that takes you to various perspectives on the street where they performed their final concert in 1969 on the rooftop of their Apple Records offices.
Take your time and drag your mouse around the displays. There are lots of hidden gems. Click on the red boxes to be taken to a new perspective."
(Have a look at the whole site...best on broadband)
A deeply disturbing link. I don't know what to say...it's just wrong.
Circus clown hurt in pie gag“It’s the circus, and anything can happen,” said spokeswoman Andrea Suponcic. “It’s an occupational hazard.”
A quick clown car Googling found this curiousity:
Subject: AIRBORNE CLOWN CAR INCURSION AVOIDANCE PRACTICES
Date: 02/10/03
Initiated by: AFS-306
AC No.: 20-97B
Change:
1. PURPOSE. This advisory circular (AC) provides recommended
operating procedures for avoiding airborne clown car (ACC)
incursions in congested airspace. Specifically, this AC provides
guidance on maneuvers and communications practices recommended for
clown car incidents. This AC is not mandatory and does not
constitute a regulation. It is issued for guidance purposes and
to outline acceptable clown car avoidance practices. In lieu of
following these guidelines without deviation, operators may elect
to follow alternative methods that have also been found acceptable
by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
2. CANCELLATION. AC 20-97A, Recursive Federal Guideline Decoding,
dated May 13, 1987, is cancelled.
3. RELATED REGULATIONS AND DOCUMENTS.
a. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR):
(1) Part 91, General Operating and Flight Rules.
(2) Part 23, Airworthiness Standards: Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and
Commuter Category Airplanes.
4. BACKGROUND.
a. The Federal Aviation Administration has received an alarming
number of reports of airborne clown cars in restricted airspace.
Clown cars are not necessarily forbidden from entering the National
Airspace System, provided that they meet applicable FAA airworthiness
guidelines and maintain appropriate VFR or IFR clearances. In many
cases, however, these bozos fail to establish two-way communications
before entering tower-controlled airspace, and there are reports of
clown cars operating within Class B airspace without appropriate
clearances. The FAA refuses to clown around with such serious
violations of airspace policy.
b. Although air-to-air ordnance is generally restricted to military
aircraft, the FAA has experimented with allowing limited air-to-air
armaments to be carried aboard civil aircraft for the purposes of
curtailing the waxing clown threat and handling other uncourteous VFR
pilots.
5. CLOWN INCURSION AVOIDANCE.
a. Identifying Clown Cars. Although, from a distance, clown cars
look much like other aircraft, they are easily recognizable by their
tasteless color schemes and distinct lack of wings. Many clown cars
carry public address horns and distribute a harmless chemical compound
sold under the trade name "Silly String" in flight. NOTE: authorized
clown cars are equipped with Mode-S transponders and must always
squawk 7776.
b. Tracking Clown Activity. Upon positively identifying a clown car,
airmen are asked to provide a report to the nearest Flight Service
Station, upon which an appropriate SIGMET will be issued for the area.
Local radar facilities shall attempt to identify and track the
reported clown activity, and provide Clown Traffic Advisories to local
VFR traffic.
c. ATC Clearances. When airborne clown activity has been reported
within 10 statute miles of a controlled airfield within the past six
hours, controllers shall advise all departing aircraft that clowns
are in the area. This advisory shall be given either on clearance
delivery or ground control contact (pre-taxi), or on tower contact
before takeoff, at the ATC facility's discretion.
6. CLOWN AVOIDANCE MANEUVERS. Clowns are a shifty and unpredictable
bunch, and as such, pilots are advised to apply sudden and random
maneuvers when in proximity to unlicensed airborne clowns. Pilots are
authorized to exceed pitch and bank limitations in clown car incursion
situations.
7. AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES. Authorization to carry and fire AIM-9
Sidewinder missiles at clown cars and rude VFR pilots, but not
obnoxious air traffic control facilities, is hereby granted.
8. ELEVATED CAUTION LEVEL. Having received credible reports of clown
activity, the Administration has raised the nationwide Clown
Caution Level to RED (Utter Panic). Better hide in your basement.
John R. Hall
Director, FAA Clown Control Committee