"FedEx
made $6 billion over the last three years and didn’t pay a dime in
federal income taxes, in part because the tax code subsidized its
purchase of new planes. This gave FedEx a huge tax subsidy worth $2.1
billion." Set asides brought to you by the same traitors in Congress who
force the U.S. Postal Service to pay Congress $5.5 billion in extortion
money just to stay in business. Thanks Bill Moyers for the list:
Regarding:
10 Corporate Tax Dodgers You Should Know About
billmoyers.com
|
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Bill Moyers on Corporate Tax Dodgers
First posted 7/3/14:
Thunderstorms?
First posted FB 7/1/14:
Ok, two things for locals, did you hear all the notices on TV today about the thunder storms? You'd think we were about to wash away. The one that ended up getting a great laugh at dinner was when they told us to stay away from windows. Thank goodness they saved lives all over the Truckee Meadows with that one! The other thing is for Renoites--is anyone else annoyed that we now have to pay $2.25 for extra bags or branch bundles that don't fit in the trash? Used to be we'd slip the guys a fiver once in a while, but now the trash folks require a sticker per item and those stickers cost bucks. The guys tell us they are being watched and are afraid to go against their bosses on this. Yesterday I heard all our recycled items are being sent to China (haven't verified it yet). That's been proven to be very bad economically and environmentally, and an inhumane strategy. Did we vote for this unsound business practice, is it another lamebrain plan by our city council, or is it the knuckleheads on the staff that came up with this unsound business practice?
Ok, two things for locals, did you hear all the notices on TV today about the thunder storms? You'd think we were about to wash away. The one that ended up getting a great laugh at dinner was when they told us to stay away from windows. Thank goodness they saved lives all over the Truckee Meadows with that one! The other thing is for Renoites--is anyone else annoyed that we now have to pay $2.25 for extra bags or branch bundles that don't fit in the trash? Used to be we'd slip the guys a fiver once in a while, but now the trash folks require a sticker per item and those stickers cost bucks. The guys tell us they are being watched and are afraid to go against their bosses on this. Yesterday I heard all our recycled items are being sent to China (haven't verified it yet). That's been proven to be very bad economically and environmentally, and an inhumane strategy. Did we vote for this unsound business practice, is it another lamebrain plan by our city council, or is it the knuckleheads on the staff that came up with this unsound business practice?
Katrina Vanden Heuvel Calls Out Bill Kristol
First posted FB 6/29/14:
Is
“This Week with George Stephanopoulos” burying their own lead? Why
isn’t their webpage even giving access to the round table? By far the
most newsworthy item on the show was Katrina Vanden Heuvel calling out
Bill Kristol: “The balance is off. For example, the President should go
to Congress if he is going to take military action in Iraq, and that
was a part of your interview, George. And I think,
we’re sitting here at a moment, when we’re talking about John Boehner,
but the central question about war and peace in this country, there is
no military solution to Iraq. And I have to say, sitting next to Bill
Kristol, I mean the architects of catastrophe that have cost this
country trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, there should be
accountability. If there are no regrets for the failed assumptions that
have so grievously wounded this nation, I don’t know what happened to
our politics and media accountability, but we need it Bill, because this
county should not go back to war. We don’t need armchair warriors, and
if you feel so strongly, you should, with all due respect, enlist in
the Iraqi army.” THANK YOU Ms. Vanden Heuvel for speaking the truth to a
megalomaniac neocon warmonger. I can't link you to the Roundtable,
because apparently "The Week" staff are in the bathroom hiding. But here
is a recent opinion piece by Ms. Vanden Heuvel: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/
Regarding:
 |
Cuckoos in the News Room
First posted FB 6/29/14:
Hey
ABC News, does everything in your world have to be an arms race? Title
is more revealing about the real cuckoos working in the media
entertainment industry, but still interesting story, if light: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/
Regarding:
 |
K-college Burnout Over Assessment
First posted 6/28/14:
Interesting,
I see some of the same problems in the NSHE system. Thankfully we have
made strides at fixing our equity where I teach, but other schools in
the system have not. Assessment remains something of a hoop dance,
countless new, meaningless hurdles that definitely cause us to loose
focus, and have absolutely NOTHING to do with helping our students to
succeed. Clearly this is a national phenomenon affecting K-college.
Regarding:
 |
Shell needs to stop drilling
First posted FB 6/28/14:
Ok,
let me be clear, I come from a proud family of oil people. My father,
uncle and grandfather all worked for Sinclair; all three remained loyal
and dedicated to oil until their last day. But my father had diversified
quite a bit by the time he retired with a stint as an drilling engineer
at the Nevada Test Site, and he was one of the first geothermal
engineers in the U.S. and for the State of Nevada.
Our generation, all of us, probably owe our standard a living and
college educations of our entire generation to the oil business. But its
done. Any oil company that has not figured out its time to diversify
and transition to solar, wind and any other sources of cleaner, more
renewable forms of energy that our engineers can develop is lost in a
time warp. The time for the oil industry has come and soon will be a
thing of the past. Time to evolve. Mother Earth has done everything
possible to make this clear to all thinking humans.
Regarding;
|
The View; Who Cares?
First posted in FB 6/27/14:
So
Sheri and somebody I've never heard of named Jenny (I think) are
leaving The View and their FB page asks who should replace them.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. How can they ever replace the chemistry of a cranky,
loveable renown comic, a bitchy conservative blonde married to a
football player, a ditzy Christian single Mom, and Barb? Well, the
obvious answer is don't. Find a new mix. The other obvious answer is another question: who
cares?
|
Burpee Seeds?
First posted on FB 6/25/14:
In
principle, I am not opposed the concept of GMOs (genetically modified
organisms). But we should have the right to know the pedigree of our
food so that we can responsibly manage our own health and welfare.
Frankly, virtually ALL of the varieties and many of the species that we
love today would not be possible without genetic modification
modification. This is a very basic tenet of understanding
anthropogenics and our role as creators and stewards of the planet. We
are indebted to Darwin and Wallace for our first steps toward a unifying
theory of evolution. Both were naturalists on independent voyages
sailing the world in the mid-1800s. Their field observations on their
respective voyages combined with their collective knowledge of
contemporary breeding experiments of domesticated species of plants and
animals led to their revolutionary theory of Natural Selection. Another
key hallmark leading to our basic understand of simple genetics stems
from Gregor Mendel's extremely important breeding experiments on peas.
These tests also occurred in the mid-1800s. For myself. Its hard to
fathom what our environments and our food would look like without their
early steps. My concerns with GMOs arise when geneticists, breeders and
chemists get into the lab and cross tobacco genes with tomatoes, are add
insecticide and pesticide genes into potatoes. I believe we should all
have a right to know what is in our food and in the air, water, soil and
lifeforms around us. Period.
Regarding:
Can You Trust Burpee Seeds?
www.chicagonow.com
|
Loaded Gun in the Toy Aisle
First posted on FB 6/25/14:
I have to say I found this on the Open Carry Texas page with this statement: "#guncontrolextremists
just won't get it through their sycophantic heads that criminals don't
obey laws. This felon had an illegal gun in Target, but these anti-gun
zealots are bullying Target to subject their customers to being victims
of these criminals without the ability to defend themselves." Now I
read the article and I got a whole other
sense of what went down. I suspect the man was guilty of being in South
Carolina while Black. If you look at his "felon" charge it could easily
have been that he got in a fight and then the cops piled on the
charges. He seem to have been lost in the system for four months ended
up with a felony. So there was apparently a man seen in the vicinity of
the toy section who was "black man walking around...appeared nervous and
fidgety." Well, so parts of South Carolina can be as racist as some
parts of Texas? What a surprise. Finally, please notice how the term
alleged is nowhere in the title or the story. The case is ironclad
because "Myrtle Beach Police have positively identified their suspect"
which smacks of...well, enough said. Come one Hollywood, could we
please have a couple of films to drive public sentiment and with it send
these racist gun-toting idiots back into their holes?
|
Ultima Ratio Reagan
First posted on FB 6/25/14:
To the neocons who want us to attack Iraq or Syria, or wherever it is today, I dedicate this poem by Howard Nemerov (1920-1991), born in NYC, who serve first as a pilot first in the Canadian Air Force in 1941 and then with U.S. Army Air Force in 1943 (the latter was also my father's branch of the service, although they served in different theaters).
The poem is entitled: "Ultima Ratio Reagan":
"The reason we do not learn from history is
Because we are not the people who learned last time.
Because we are not the same people as them
That fed our sons and honor to Vietnam
And dropped the burning money on their trees,
We know that we know better than they knew,
And history will not blame us if once again
The light at the end of the tunnel is the train."
To the neocons who want us to attack Iraq or Syria, or wherever it is today, I dedicate this poem by Howard Nemerov (1920-1991), born in NYC, who serve first as a pilot first in the Canadian Air Force in 1941 and then with U.S. Army Air Force in 1943 (the latter was also my father's branch of the service, although they served in different theaters).
The poem is entitled: "Ultima Ratio Reagan":
"The reason we do not learn from history is
Because we are not the people who learned last time.
Because we are not the same people as them
That fed our sons and honor to Vietnam
And dropped the burning money on their trees,
We know that we know better than they knew,
And history will not blame us if once again
The light at the end of the tunnel is the train."
Pro-fracking NPR
First posted on FB 6/25/14:
NPR
had business report correspondent today telling us there is more crude
oil in this country than there is refinery capacity and we need to build
up capacity to be able to export it. It was an unveiled
profracking/propipeline propoganda. Its all about oil, they said, the
answer to all our problems. So its not just the warmongers who are
neocons today, its public radio.
|
Keystone
First posted 6/18/14:
A lot of Americans still don't even know the corporate plan is to gut and pollute our continent in order to ship oil overseas. Meanwhile Monsanto is gaining control over much of our food supply and Nestle's is privatizing our clean water. Many don't care, others don't want to know. This is a struggle for our sovereignty, our basic way of life as free citizens and our human need to provide healthy, secure, viable lives for our children. We have to stop this corporate takeover of Congress--both Dems and GOPs are complicit. We need to find another path. That's why so many are leaving the two sellout parties and so many young people refuse to partake of the sellout parties.
Regarding 350.org FB photo 6/3/14:
https://www.facebook.com/350.org/photos/a.136077452707.110998.12185972707/10152424687857708/?type=1
A lot of Americans still don't even know the corporate plan is to gut and pollute our continent in order to ship oil overseas. Meanwhile Monsanto is gaining control over much of our food supply and Nestle's is privatizing our clean water. Many don't care, others don't want to know. This is a struggle for our sovereignty, our basic way of life as free citizens and our human need to provide healthy, secure, viable lives for our children. We have to stop this corporate takeover of Congress--both Dems and GOPs are complicit. We need to find another path. That's why so many are leaving the two sellout parties and so many young people refuse to partake of the sellout parties.
Regarding 350.org FB photo 6/3/14:
https://www.facebook.com/350.org/photos/a.136077452707.110998.12185972707/10152424687857708/?type=1
Attention Target Shoppers!
First posted on 6/12/14:
Attention Target shoppers! Ok if the open carry nutbunch in the diaper section of the store wasn't enough, when I wrote a check in Target today and the cashier asked me if I minded if he scanned my drivers license into their computer. Thanks for asking and NO THANKS! Hey, we know how Target protects our privacy and how secure their database is. Driver License in NV provides the following: driver's license number (of course), a reasonably accurate photo ID, birth date, physical address, demographics (gender, hair, eye color, height, weight mas o menos), signature, etc.). What could possibly go wrong?
Attention Target shoppers! Ok if the open carry nutbunch in the diaper section of the store wasn't enough, when I wrote a check in Target today and the cashier asked me if I minded if he scanned my drivers license into their computer. Thanks for asking and NO THANKS! Hey, we know how Target protects our privacy and how secure their database is. Driver License in NV provides the following: driver's license number (of course), a reasonably accurate photo ID, birth date, physical address, demographics (gender, hair, eye color, height, weight mas o menos), signature, etc.). What could possibly go wrong?
Reich on Private Prisons
First posted FB 6/10/14:
I
almost shared/posted a piece on how our number of prison inmates has
grown 700% so that capitalism has a slave labor force, but on the flip
side of that is a more positive note moving forward. We need to help
every young person get the job skills and more importantly the liberal
education they need to be productive members of society and to be good
citizens, to be able to raise families in a safe and healthy
environment. Thank you President Obama! Congress, won't you come to the
party too? We're watching, waiting, taking names and we vote!
Regarding Robert Reich 6/10/14 post : https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/809325925746672 |
Student Loan Refnancing
First posted on FB 6/8/14:
Student Loan Refinancing Floor Speech
youtube.com
I
used to be a skeptic about this issue. Heck I took out loans and paid
them back. But today is not like it was 25 years ago when I was
graduated. There will be no future for our young college graduates, they
will not be able to enter their chosen professions and raise young
families without refinancing. Please explain to me why the banks loan
each other money at a tiny fraction of what our young people borrow to
go to college. I dare you to do it with a straight face. Let's pay it
forward for our collective future.
 |
Yusuf Inducted to R&R Hall of Fame
First posted on FB 6/8/14:
Congratulations to Yusuf / Cat Stevens
for your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I still
remember listening to your haunting "Moon Shadow" on a summer evening
long ago--a dreary, haunting song for sure, but what teenager couldn't
relate? We all felt your presence Cat, that you were one of us. I
remember just where I was, the feel of the cool, still, desert night,
bright stars and a crescent moon with
bright city lights away on the horizon. I won't say exactly where we
were on that lonely night, sitting in a circle on a lawn of cool grass,
because we might be blamed for that big hole in the chain linked fence
just behind us. So I'll simply say we were visiting "Gary Dexter" which
was code for our inner circle of adolescents in the City of Sin so many
years ago ;) Today we can see how we've all changed, Yusuf. Some of
those who listened to your songs didn't make it to the new millennia.
Two of my dearest high school friends were lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic
halfway between then and now. For those of us still here, today is a
time of reflection about those years at the "edge of darkness" as we
ponder what we may leave behind, "dreaming about the world as one" and
how we can help make our planet and our species whole. So Yusuf, I pray
moving forward you and I are (praise be to Allah) more inclined to sing
of hope than loss as we ask our brothers and sisters to "jump upon the
Peace Train."
|
CEOs cost more than Workers
First posted on FB 6/8/14:
Basic math: the more upper management is paid, the less there is to pay the employees who actually produce value for the corporation, be it manufactured or processed items or services. Meanwhile we end up subsidizing these same greedy corporations with our tax dollars through tax breaks, offsets, and a safety net for their employees who often can't make ends meet. This model is not economically viable or sustainable, and it risks our long term national security. It makes a tiny group uber rich while exploiting the rest of us. We need to speak out against subsidizing this failed, dysfunctional model. Tomorrow President Obama will announce an Executive Order to help college students to get out from under their suffocating debt. The Senate is schedule to debate legislation to put it into law, but characteristically Republicans are against it because it is funded by reducing tax breaks for the uber rich. Time to spam your Senators' communications lines: Senator Harry Reid and Senator Dean Heller, whose side are you on? Will you support a few fat cats who will spend the rest of they and their children's lives in luxury, no matter what happens? Or will you support our country by helping young Americans who are pursuing professional careers to get out of debt so they can help us grow our national economy? Will you help to give the younger generation a more promising future or will you continue to enable our economic decline?
Regarding the image and article on Jobs With Justice FB page 6/4/14:
https://www.facebook.com/jobswithjustice/photos/a.434191135678.209185.47712360678/10152156156300679/?type=1
Basic math: the more upper management is paid, the less there is to pay the employees who actually produce value for the corporation, be it manufactured or processed items or services. Meanwhile we end up subsidizing these same greedy corporations with our tax dollars through tax breaks, offsets, and a safety net for their employees who often can't make ends meet. This model is not economically viable or sustainable, and it risks our long term national security. It makes a tiny group uber rich while exploiting the rest of us. We need to speak out against subsidizing this failed, dysfunctional model. Tomorrow President Obama will announce an Executive Order to help college students to get out from under their suffocating debt. The Senate is schedule to debate legislation to put it into law, but characteristically Republicans are against it because it is funded by reducing tax breaks for the uber rich. Time to spam your Senators' communications lines: Senator Harry Reid and Senator Dean Heller, whose side are you on? Will you support a few fat cats who will spend the rest of they and their children's lives in luxury, no matter what happens? Or will you support our country by helping young Americans who are pursuing professional careers to get out of debt so they can help us grow our national economy? Will you help to give the younger generation a more promising future or will you continue to enable our economic decline?
Regarding the image and article on Jobs With Justice FB page 6/4/14:
Kiribati is drowing
First posted on FB 6/8/14:
Well Kiribati is an island the 1% won't buy up to seek refuge during the eminent sea level rise, because it will be uninhabitable in 20 years. Global climate change has already shrunk their habitable space, which in turn has triggered issues of overpopulation, clean water shortages, and their ability to raises their own food, etc. Fareed Zakaria spoke with Kiribati President Anote Tong today. I've linked to an abbreviated version of the interview. One of the most profound things I heard President Tong say was that the science indicates its already too late for them. Already they've purchased land in Fiji and eventually they'll have to emigrate. Imagine having to abandon your homeland because of the greed, ignorance and indifference of people on the other side of the world. This time its not a sloth trying to cross a busy road as tourists watch and photograph its peril while telling themselves they'll step in before its too late. This time is a society on the verge of extinction because we can't be bothered to change, because it doesn't affect us directly--yet.
Well Kiribati is an island the 1% won't buy up to seek refuge during the eminent sea level rise, because it will be uninhabitable in 20 years. Global climate change has already shrunk their habitable space, which in turn has triggered issues of overpopulation, clean water shortages, and their ability to raises their own food, etc. Fareed Zakaria spoke with Kiribati President Anote Tong today. I've linked to an abbreviated version of the interview. One of the most profound things I heard President Tong say was that the science indicates its already too late for them. Already they've purchased land in Fiji and eventually they'll have to emigrate. Imagine having to abandon your homeland because of the greed, ignorance and indifference of people on the other side of the world. This time its not a sloth trying to cross a busy road as tourists watch and photograph its peril while telling themselves they'll step in before its too late. This time is a society on the verge of extinction because we can't be bothered to change, because it doesn't affect us directly--yet.
Will this nation disappear off the map?
globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com
|
Letter for DNCC
First posted on FB 6/7/14:
Had
to share this, too funny. Maybe they didn't see my name because they
spelled it wrong? lol And the irony is that when you click on the link
it skips through to a donate now page. Yeah, leave it to the Democrats
to make this into a scam to score some cash!
Nancy Pelosi info@obamabiden.com via bounce.bluestatedigital.com 10:15 AM (38 minutes ago) You are receiving this message as an Obama for America supporter. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is solely responsible for the content of this message. You’re missing out on history: 491,373 people and counting have added their names calling for a Constitutional amendment to end Citizens United. But -- we don’t see your name. This is your chance to strike a crushing blow to a system that allows the Koch brothers and special interests to buy elections and drown out the voices of regular Americans. This is your chance to stand up for our democracy. Name: Juila Hammett PETITION SIGNATURE: PENDING >> We’re just 8,627 signatures short of hitting our goal of 500,000 signatures. Will you add your name now? http://dccc.org/Stop-Citizens-United signed Nancy Pelosi Hey, p.s. to Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman, do you remember how Obama blew off his gentlemen's agreement with John McCain to live by the Campaign Finance Reform rules as soon as he realized he could make more money from small donors? Yeah well, I do. If you want any credibility on this issue, you better lose the obamabiden.com branding. |
When the Birds Stop Singing
First posted on FB 6/5/14:
Just
had an ah ha moment. A storm cloud soared overhead, its not raining,
but its ominous. I just realized part of why it feels so ominous, the
birds stopped singing. They all went to bed early because of the cloud,
or so it seems. Creepy, unnatural not having birds singing. Never
thought about it that way.
|
Bill Moyers on Homeless Economics
First posted on FB 6/4/14:
Why
do we keep seeing these studies that seem to put a cost on human lives?
Ok, so the math doesn't even work to be a greedy, selfish 1% pig...so
what? Perhaps it doesn't make good economic sense from the standpoint of
our national interest to have a large low-skilled workforce living on
the edge. But does that really matter if the ruling class wants to
maintain a permanent underclass of mindless hegemonic, fear driven herd
of sheeple? Some places its not even legal to feed hungry people.
College is quickly becoming out of reach for the working middle-class,
which will ensure that low-skilled workforce well into the future. This
is the country we have built with our complacency.
Regarding Billmoyers.com post 5/28/14:
|
President Obama on Cleaner, Safer Energy
First posted in FB 5/31/14:
Thank you President Barack Obama
for taking another step in the right direction for our future: “One of
the best things we can do for our economy, or heath and our environment
is to lead the world in producing cleaner, safer energy…Every four
minutes another American home or business goes solar. Every panel is
pounded into place to a worker whose job cannot be shipped overseas…In
America we don’t have to choose between
the health of our children and the health of our economy. The old rules
may say we can’t protect our environment and promote economic growth at
the same time but in America we’ve always used technology to break the
old rules. As President and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our
children to a planet that is beyond fixing. The shift to a cleaner
energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will require tough choices
along the way. But a low carbon, clean energy economy can be an engine
of growth for decades to come. America will build that engine. America
will build the future, a future that’s cleaner, more prosperous and full
of good jobs. A future where we can look our kids in the eye and tell
them we did our part to leave them a safer, more stable world.”
Regarding Leagues of Conservation FB photo 5/31/14:
https://www.facebook.com/LCVoters/photos/a.10150212534859735.318967.16477459734/10152269294744735/?type=1
|
Veterans Deserve More
First posted on FB 5/30/14:
Regardless
of the double speak that this is a long term, chronic problem,
Americans want action now. We want every single case investigated and
ALL Veterans who are honorably discharged should be immediately signed
up for VA health care, no run around, no waiting lists. Period. This
isn't about protecting those at the top of any party affiliation. This
is about protecting those who fought for us, served with honor, and
sacrificed for our country. This despicable bureaucratic runaround has
to stop. I ask you my FB friends, to read this article and then share
your thoughts with your members of Congress and the President: http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/05/
Regarding Courthouse News Service courthousenews.com 5/25/14:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/05/25/68182.htm
Outstanding NC teacher leaves; implications for NV
First posted on FB 5/28/14:
Outstanding teacher reluctantly leaving North Carolina | NC Policy Watch
ncpolicywatch.com
From
the mid1990s to mid2000s Nevadans watched yet another boom/bust as
hundreds of thousands flocked to the Silver State for construction and
real estate flipping projects. They put a heavy burden on social
services and schools but we were in a happy hiring phase as business
built up to support the housing bubble. Then 2008 came, the real estate
bubble popped, and many of the carpetbaggers left mini
ghost town neighborhoods behind them. Unfortunately they also left
behind too many dumb clucks who still think we can fix the budget
deficit with belt tightening. There is no fat left in the college
system; I suspect there is little left in K-12. Over the last 5 years we
have suffered a serious brain drain as many talented young people left
our state for more stable economies. I read this NC article thinking
about NV. Unless the progressives and moderates wake up and stand up to
selfish and greedy members of the right, Nevada will be in the same
place as North Carolina. Look at the data, Nevada still drags at the
bottom in school funding and graduation rates. We need to stand for
education in NC and NV and everywhere else in America. Enough of dumbing
down our society. Incidentally maybe PLAN needs to build a "soapbox"
like this one in NC: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2013/11/14/
|
Big Tobacco Koc Brothers and the Tea Party
First posted in FB 5/25/14:
Very
interesting research. Koch brothers and big tobacco were behind the
so-called grassroots movement all the time. That's why they had funding
all the way. Let's hope those lulled into the movement wake up soon and
realize they were exploited by the 1%.
Window Lickers
First posted on FB 5/25/14:
Ok, I posted a couple of comments on or about the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America page today and then this evening in my thread there is a site called:" Window Lickers of Moms Demand Action" with a lot of pro-NFA/pro-gun spin and concerted push back against MDA. The "Window Lickers" created their page on May 2, 2014, one month after the second Ft. Hood shooting.
Ok, I posted a couple of comments on or about the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America page today and then this evening in my thread there is a site called:" Window Lickers of Moms Demand Action" with a lot of pro-NFA/pro-gun spin and concerted push back against MDA. The "Window Lickers" created their page on May 2, 2014, one month after the second Ft. Hood shooting.
Fast Growing Seattle
First posted on FB 5/22/14:
Fellow
Nevadans, in a strange sort of way, I find this graphic hopeful for our
state's future. Maybe now we can focus on recovery and sustainability,
and try to prevent another boom/bust economy?
Regarding the seattletimes.com post 5/22/14:
Nation's fastest growing big city? It's Seattle
blogs.seattletimes.com
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/fyi-guy/2014/05/22/census-seattle-is-the-fastest-growing-big-city-in-the-u-s/
Corporate Profit and Dishonesty
First posted on FB 5/22/14:
When
did intellectual property become only about corporate profit? Seems
whenever I hear the term on NPR it's some company whining about Chinese
hackers or two corporations duking it out. What happened to teaching
your children not to lie, steal or cheat? I think our loss of privacy a
la the internet is only one more step in this mission creep. BP not ever
having to tell us what toxins and carcinogens they dumped in the Gulf,
let alone the quantities of their secondary toxic spill is only one
example.
|
BOYCOTT SPREADSHEET
First posted on FB 5/19/14:
BOYCOTT!
Ok, I get so many boycott notices, how do we keep track? I'm going to
try to keep a list and make it publicly available and people can freely
comment on it. Anyone who wants to add info can message me or I'll give
you editing rights if I have a reasonable sense you are an honest type.
People like Ric Steinberger, Susan Yarnell, Jean Black Yarnell, Adrian A. Havas, Susan Carol Hoog, and other activists brothers and sisters who tend to post boycotts might want to go ahead and ask me to add them to the list. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/
|
Not in the News
First posted on FB 5/17/14:
Referring to US Uncut post 3/2/14:
https://www.facebook.com/usauncut/photos/a.190167221017767.44131.186219261412563/721420341225783/?type=1
Augh,
Bundy idiots get national news and Climate activists are arrested with
hardly a peep by the media. I guess people in President Rubio's home
state of Florida will have to drown before our nation wakes up.
|
Referring to US Uncut post 3/2/14:
Sabbatical Begins; What Am I Forgetting?
First posted on FB 5/13/14:
As
I look at my online teaching page, I see 10 research papers and 25
final essays ready to grade--final deadline for research papers is
tonight and for final essays is Wednesday night. ALL my hard copy paper
grading: done as of 3:40 pm yesterday at PHO Restaurant
my favorite grading hideaway. So given 30 online research papers, and
perhaps 100 online final essays, grades to calculate and post, then the
graduation promenade and I AM ON SABBATICAL FOR THE NEXT YEAR. What am I
forgetting? Right, empty the cat box and feed the cat.
|
Violence is Never the Answer
First posted on FB 4/18/14:
I
stand for peace. Violence is never the answer. These attacks on
Americans in Yemen by our government without due process were wrong.
Maybe the GOPs will make this an issue. Peace activists have been
complaining for three years about this. I am perfectly willing to let
those contrarians make hay on this so long as it fuels a public
conversation and hopefully ends the practice.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/
|
Off the Grid
First posted on FB 4/18/14:
I keep reading these pro-corporate anti-sustainable energy stories and it occurs to me that there needs to be a way to accept a certain amount of energy from the grid (as we all do) without having to be forced to pay fees to send your privately obtained energy back to the grid, or a way to turn off your connection to the grid when your power supply is sufficient.
I keep reading these pro-corporate anti-sustainable energy stories and it occurs to me that there needs to be a way to accept a certain amount of energy from the grid (as we all do) without having to be forced to pay fees to send your privately obtained energy back to the grid, or a way to turn off your connection to the grid when your power supply is sufficient.
Regarding the Thinkprogress.org story:
Pamphlets Ordering Ukraine Jews to "Register"
First posted on FB 4/18/14
"In
the year 2014, after all of the miles traveled and all of the journey
of history, this is not just intolerable, it is grotesque. It is beyond
unacceptable. And any of the people who engage in these activities, from
whatever party or whatever ideology or whatever place they crawled out
of, there is no place for that. And unanimously, every party today joins
in condemnation of that behavior.” ~ U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry:
 |
CO2 Hits Highest Point in 800,000 Years--Media Forgets to Post This News...Again
First posted on FB 4/14/14; As of this posting (11/18/14) they 13,763 signatures short.
Referring to image posted on League of Conservation Voters
FB page:
The concentration of Carbon Dioxide--a greenhouse gas that drives climate change--just hit 402 parts per million last week. That's the highest level recorded in at least 800,000 years! http://bit.ly/1gg6qRi
This isn't just shocking, it's dangerous. But we can stop this trend today. Sign this petition telling the EPA to cut carbon pollution from power plants: http://bit.ly/1gg6pg5
Referring to image posted on League of Conservation Voters
FB page:
The concentration of Carbon Dioxide--a greenhouse gas that drives climate change--just hit 402 parts per million last week. That's the highest level recorded in at least 800,000 years! http://bit.ly/1gg6qRi
This isn't just shocking, it's dangerous. But we can stop this trend today. Sign this petition telling the EPA to cut carbon pollution from power plants: http://bit.ly/1gg6pg5
Curry Without Worry
First posted on FB 4/5/14:
Referring to post on "Curry Without Worry" FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/207424749284087/photos/a.760543393972217.1073741825.207424749284087/870472266312662/?type=1
So proud of my friend Shrawan Nepali. He has found a way to make a real difference in the world. I am truly honored to know him.
|
Referring to post on "Curry Without Worry" FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/207424749284087/photos/a.760543393972217.1073741825.207424749284087/870472266312662/?type=1
Thousands Protest in Montreal Against Higher Ed Cuts
First posted on FB 4/3/14:
Referring to link posted on US Uncut Timeline 4/3/14:
Referring to link posted on US Uncut Timeline 4/3/14:
 Happening NOW! Tens of thousands of students hit the streets of Montreal, Quebec to protest higher education budget cuts and increasing tuition. Police have declared the march illegal and have begun arrests. Canada's corporate media is failing to report this massive uprising. Share to support the students! #manif3avril VIDEO: http://bit.ly/1i56cwt
https://www.facebook.com/usauncut/photos/a.190167221017767.44131.186219261412563/736549516379532/?type=1
|
This Won't End Well
First posted on FB 3/28/14:
|
Came across this gem while doing some research on territoriality:
"Ethnic and Political Identities and Territorialities in the Post-Soviet Space" (1998).
Sorry to be so negative, but it leads me
to believe that this Ukraine/Russian conflict is unlikely to end well. I
really hope we don't get militarily involved: http://www.nuim.ie/staff/dpringle/
|
BP Confirms Oil Spill 3/25/14
First posted on FB 3/25/14
Referring to story posted in Chicago Tribune 3/25/14 entitled: "BP
confirms oil spill into Lake Michigan from Whiting refinery."
"...The spill comes amid years of legal challenges from federal officials and environmental groups that have forced BP to take extra steps to curb air and water pollution at the nation’s seventh-largest oil refinery. The Whiting plant remains one of the largest sources of industrial pollution discharged into Lake Michigan, according to federal records."  |
Teach Evolution Or Resign
First posted on FB 3/25/14:
I
learned yesterday that there is a teacher at a local charter high
school teaching APA science classes who is anti-evolution. She tells her
students that those "evolutionists claim.... but its not right because
its inconsistent with the bible." A number of the students cheer because
they don't want to believe it either. I am told she is otherwise a good
science teacher. My source is a couple of my
current students who took her classes a few years ago. They are good
students and I see no reason for them to want to misrepresent the facts.
I'm thinking I should tell someone but don't want this person to be
treated like a witch either. I just want her to teach the curriculum
without undermining the theoretical foundations of the life sciences.
|
What Should Be Done with ACA?
First posted on FB 3/22/14:
Universal Single Payer for all! To hell I say with the insurance industry, the Koch brothers and their lab dogs in Congress, and all the rest of the evil in the world.
Referring to image posted by Robert Reich 3/24/14:
https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/photos/a.404595876219681.103599.142474049098533/766422856703646/?type=1
Universal Single Payer for all! To hell I say with the insurance industry, the Koch brothers and their lab dogs in Congress, and all the rest of the evil in the world.
Referring to image posted by Robert Reich 3/24/14:
https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/photos/a.404595876219681.103599.142474049098533/766422856703646/?type=1
The Real Problem with Elected Officials
First Posted 3/16/14 on FB:
The real problem is most were not millionaires before running, they made that money through corruption and insider trading. They are the only group of Americans above the law, and it needs to stop.
Referring this image posted by "Being Liberal" FB page:
The real problem is most were not millionaires before running, they made that money through corruption and insider trading. They are the only group of Americans above the law, and it needs to stop.
Referring this image posted by "Being Liberal" FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/beingliberal.org/photos/pb.177486166274.-2207520000.1416334131./10152549247396275/?type=3&theater
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Students and Zombies
First posted on FB 3/15/14:
I have this terrific crop of students this year. Five are in an accelerated lab methods/archaeobotanical research class I created this semester. We spend all day Friday together. Each Friday they learn a different artifact class, sort/process samples or tours a local archaeology lab. Its quality time for them and me. Yesterday they worked on resume and I encouraged them to remember to apply for scholarships. On the front of the TMCC page right now is a link to scholarships with a link to a list of scholarships. A number of them are basically creative writing contests worth $1k-$1.5k which is a super lot for these students (for most students). The one that really appealed to them was writing about what you would do during a zombie apocalypse. Ok I get it, its trendy now--surprised its not trending to the right of this box as I write this. But what unnerved me was that two (not one) of my students admitted that they spent a lot of their time in their current mindless job (at the Gap) thinking about what to do if the zombies show up, where she would go, etc. And the other student said he thought about it a lot when he worked for Home Depot. So the competition is on, which is good for them. But this is what my brightest students are thinking in their mindless jobs--I think I now get what the zombie craze is all about.
I have this terrific crop of students this year. Five are in an accelerated lab methods/archaeobotanical research class I created this semester. We spend all day Friday together. Each Friday they learn a different artifact class, sort/process samples or tours a local archaeology lab. Its quality time for them and me. Yesterday they worked on resume and I encouraged them to remember to apply for scholarships. On the front of the TMCC page right now is a link to scholarships with a link to a list of scholarships. A number of them are basically creative writing contests worth $1k-$1.5k which is a super lot for these students (for most students). The one that really appealed to them was writing about what you would do during a zombie apocalypse. Ok I get it, its trendy now--surprised its not trending to the right of this box as I write this. But what unnerved me was that two (not one) of my students admitted that they spent a lot of their time in their current mindless job (at the Gap) thinking about what to do if the zombies show up, where she would go, etc. And the other student said he thought about it a lot when he worked for Home Depot. So the competition is on, which is good for them. But this is what my brightest students are thinking in their mindless jobs--I think I now get what the zombie craze is all about.
Anita Hill: American Women Remember
First posted on FB 3/14/14:
I think many of us were dumb struck in 1991 as we watched the Senate hearings for consideration of Clarence Thomas for SCJ and we saw some of the most powerful men in the Senate crucify Anita Hill. I will never forget who was on that Judicial Committee, and I have never been able to fully forgive Chairman Joe Biden for those hearings even though I admire him for many things he has done since then, in particular pushing through the Violence Against Women Act. Nevertheless the Senators' attacks on Anita Hill were a profound step backward for Civil Rights in our country that day. We sacrificed a woman's character, reputation, and career so that a man of inferior ability could be appointed. He has proven to be one of the worst, most ethnically challenged, and least thoughtful SCJs ever. Speaking on the Daily Show about what the Hearings really revealed, Anita Hill said: "What power dynamics look like, and also what to not have a representative body in the Senate actually results in. It results in processes that are being held that are just completely uninformed by the reality of peoples' lives." Members of the Judicial Committee all rallied behind Thomas in a bipartisan manner, acting like they had no idea what sexual harassment was or what it looked like. Yeah, right.
Related to:
I think many of us were dumb struck in 1991 as we watched the Senate hearings for consideration of Clarence Thomas for SCJ and we saw some of the most powerful men in the Senate crucify Anita Hill. I will never forget who was on that Judicial Committee, and I have never been able to fully forgive Chairman Joe Biden for those hearings even though I admire him for many things he has done since then, in particular pushing through the Violence Against Women Act. Nevertheless the Senators' attacks on Anita Hill were a profound step backward for Civil Rights in our country that day. We sacrificed a woman's character, reputation, and career so that a man of inferior ability could be appointed. He has proven to be one of the worst, most ethnically challenged, and least thoughtful SCJs ever. Speaking on the Daily Show about what the Hearings really revealed, Anita Hill said: "What power dynamics look like, and also what to not have a representative body in the Senate actually results in. It results in processes that are being held that are just completely uninformed by the reality of peoples' lives." Members of the Judicial Committee all rallied behind Thomas in a bipartisan manner, acting like they had no idea what sexual harassment was or what it looked like. Yeah, right.
Related to:
Duke Energy: Pollution Makes Economic Cents
First posted on FB 3/8/14:
Crazy cognitive dissonance. Why do we pay these companies to pollute?
Regarding this image posted 2/25/14:
reposted from: https://www.facebook.com/
Crazy cognitive dissonance. Why do we pay these companies to pollute?
Regarding this image posted 2/25/14:
reposted from: https://www.facebook.com/
Pro-Diplomacy in the Ukraine
First posted on FB 3/9/14:
Having watched McCain and Palin jump into the fray second guessing the Ukrainian crisis and then Cheney this morning, I am grateful for our collective wisdom to not have a Republican in the White House at this time. President Obama, this is not our fight. Walk away U.S.A. Let Merkel take the lead on resolving the Ukrainian crisis and we can support the will of the majority of Ukrainians, provide support for new elections, etc. When we lead with our military everyone gets hurt. Give diplomacy a try.
Having watched McCain and Palin jump into the fray second guessing the Ukrainian crisis and then Cheney this morning, I am grateful for our collective wisdom to not have a Republican in the White House at this time. President Obama, this is not our fight. Walk away U.S.A. Let Merkel take the lead on resolving the Ukrainian crisis and we can support the will of the majority of Ukrainians, provide support for new elections, etc. When we lead with our military everyone gets hurt. Give diplomacy a try.
Corporations: A Conspiracy of Greed and Corruption
First posted on FB 2/9/14:
In general I really hate conspiracy theories. This is not. This is a matter of a couple of financial corporations with a history of being on the wrong side of history, which are still in power. I will link their report below this banner which accurately reflects the sentiments of the recent JPM report: "The political systems in the periphery [of the Eurozone] were established in the aftermath of dictatorship, and were defined by that experience. Constitutions tend to show a strong socialist influence, reflecting the political strength that left wing parties gained after the defeat of fascism. Political systems around the periphery typically display several of the following features: weak executives; weak central states relative to regions; constitutional protection of labor rights; consensus building systems which foster political clientalism; and the right to protest if unwelcome changes are made to the political status quo. The shortcomings of this political legacy have been revealed by the crisis. Countries around the periphery have only been partially successful in producing fiscal and economic reform agendas, with governments constrained by constitutions (Portugal), powerful regions (Spain), and the rise of populist parties (Italy and Greece)."
Regarding image posted on "Another Angry Voice" FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/185180654855189/photos/a.389966974376555.89655.185180654855189/719089141464335/?type=1
In general I really hate conspiracy theories. This is not. This is a matter of a couple of financial corporations with a history of being on the wrong side of history, which are still in power. I will link their report below this banner which accurately reflects the sentiments of the recent JPM report: "The political systems in the periphery [of the Eurozone] were established in the aftermath of dictatorship, and were defined by that experience. Constitutions tend to show a strong socialist influence, reflecting the political strength that left wing parties gained after the defeat of fascism. Political systems around the periphery typically display several of the following features: weak executives; weak central states relative to regions; constitutional protection of labor rights; consensus building systems which foster political clientalism; and the right to protest if unwelcome changes are made to the political status quo. The shortcomings of this political legacy have been revealed by the crisis. Countries around the periphery have only been partially successful in producing fiscal and economic reform agendas, with governments constrained by constitutions (Portugal), powerful regions (Spain), and the rise of populist parties (Italy and Greece)."
Regarding image posted on "Another Angry Voice" FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/185180654855189/photos/a.389966974376555.89655.185180654855189/719089141464335/?type=1
The Russian Olympics
First posted on FB 2/8/14:
Am watching the video of the Olympics Grand Opening Ceremony last night. Am I the only one finding this opening alienating or at least alienated? I generally love the opening ceremonies and in general consider myself relatively worldly and pretty well rounded, but I have no idea what most of the images symbolize, even with the American anchors reading their explanations. Clearly this isn't about reaching out to the world and telling us a story about their cultural history and how we are all part of the same humanity (a common theme of the past), but was all about them and their trials and tribulations. Their opening speech was all about them and their great sacrifices and patience--so very introverted and such a disappointment. And the show is so less impressive that China, Australia or GB's, to name a few. Mostly dark, dreary, melancholy, disconnected, almost chaotic at times, perhaps that is accurate for Putin's Russia. Putin's $50b folly is what I am thinking so far. I'll keep watching, about half an hour left of the opening, here comes the flag. Friends, please tell me I'm wrong and help me to see the error of my misunderstandings.
Am watching the video of the Olympics Grand Opening Ceremony last night. Am I the only one finding this opening alienating or at least alienated? I generally love the opening ceremonies and in general consider myself relatively worldly and pretty well rounded, but I have no idea what most of the images symbolize, even with the American anchors reading their explanations. Clearly this isn't about reaching out to the world and telling us a story about their cultural history and how we are all part of the same humanity (a common theme of the past), but was all about them and their trials and tribulations. Their opening speech was all about them and their great sacrifices and patience--so very introverted and such a disappointment. And the show is so less impressive that China, Australia or GB's, to name a few. Mostly dark, dreary, melancholy, disconnected, almost chaotic at times, perhaps that is accurate for Putin's Russia. Putin's $50b folly is what I am thinking so far. I'll keep watching, about half an hour left of the opening, here comes the flag. Friends, please tell me I'm wrong and help me to see the error of my misunderstandings.
I Just Want Clean Water
First posted on FB 2/7/14:
Drop a banner with glitter on it and you're arrested as a terrorist; hold a sign at a corporate office and the FBI starts spying on you; Poison the water of 300,000 people and you are a job creator. We must all be IDLE NO MORE and OCCUPY our minds and the earth where we stand. In solidarity.
Regarding image from Disclose.tv FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/disclosetv/photos/a.10150447008155628.418304.211482380627/10152283538105628/?type=1
Drop a banner with glitter on it and you're arrested as a terrorist; hold a sign at a corporate office and the FBI starts spying on you; Poison the water of 300,000 people and you are a job creator. We must all be IDLE NO MORE and OCCUPY our minds and the earth where we stand. In solidarity.
Regarding image from Disclose.tv FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/disclosetv/photos/a.10150447008155628.418304.211482380627/10152283538105628/?type=1
Herb Block Remembered
First posted on FB 2/2/14:
Saw
a great HBO documentary on Herb Block today called "Herblock." Block
was an amazing political cartoonist (for those younger folks reading my
status line who may not remember him). I would dare say he was an
extremely patriotic and courageous journalist in his own artistic way.
Interesting that many who were interviewed seemed to give Colbert and
Stewart the mantle for carrying on his tradition and perhaps his style
of political satire. That would never had occurred to me, but I can see
it now. http://www.herbblockfoundation.org/
A Note from Uncle Harry
First posted on FB 1/27/14:
January 23, 2014
Dear Ms. Hammett:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.
As you know, on December 17, 2013, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (S. 1845). This bill would extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program by three months. It would also provide retroactive benefits to those that did not receive unemployment insurance due to the lapse of the program at the end of 2013. Sen. Reed also introduced an amendment (S.AMDT. 2631) to S. 1845 that would extend the EUC program for ten and a half months, instead of three, and would provide offsetting cuts elsewhere in the federal budget to pay for the extension.
On January 15, 2013, despite both receiving a majority of the vote, the ten and a half-month and three-month extensions of the EUC program nonetheless failed to garner enough votes to overcome Republican filibusters.
I was disappointed by the Republican decision to filibuster this vital program for millions of Americans in need of help them get through hard times. Today long-term unemployment is double what it was at any other time Congress has allowed emergency benefits to lapse. Yet Republicans refuse to even allow an up-or-down vote on a plan to restore benefits to almost 1.5 million Americans and their 2.3 million children.
With the Republican vote against the extension of unemployment benefits, almost 1.5 million Americans, including tens of thousands of veterans, will now lose their benefits. This comes at a time when 18,000 Nevadans are still looking for work and 2.3 million children have parents who are out of work. 70,000 people will lose their unemployment benefits every week until Congress acts.
I remain committed to bringing an extension of EUC benefits to the Senate floor as soon as it has garnered enough votes to overcome a filibuster.
Please be assured that I have noted your thoughts on extending the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
My best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
HARRY REID
United States Senator
HR:cs
January 23, 2014
Dear Ms. Hammett:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.
As you know, on December 17, 2013, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (S. 1845). This bill would extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program by three months. It would also provide retroactive benefits to those that did not receive unemployment insurance due to the lapse of the program at the end of 2013. Sen. Reed also introduced an amendment (S.AMDT. 2631) to S. 1845 that would extend the EUC program for ten and a half months, instead of three, and would provide offsetting cuts elsewhere in the federal budget to pay for the extension.
On January 15, 2013, despite both receiving a majority of the vote, the ten and a half-month and three-month extensions of the EUC program nonetheless failed to garner enough votes to overcome Republican filibusters.
I was disappointed by the Republican decision to filibuster this vital program for millions of Americans in need of help them get through hard times. Today long-term unemployment is double what it was at any other time Congress has allowed emergency benefits to lapse. Yet Republicans refuse to even allow an up-or-down vote on a plan to restore benefits to almost 1.5 million Americans and their 2.3 million children.
With the Republican vote against the extension of unemployment benefits, almost 1.5 million Americans, including tens of thousands of veterans, will now lose their benefits. This comes at a time when 18,000 Nevadans are still looking for work and 2.3 million children have parents who are out of work. 70,000 people will lose their unemployment benefits every week until Congress acts.
I remain committed to bringing an extension of EUC benefits to the Senate floor as soon as it has garnered enough votes to overcome a filibuster.
Please be assured that I have noted your thoughts on extending the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
My best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
HARRY REID
United States Senator
HR:cs
The Drought: Another Message from Mother Earth
First posted on FB 1/25/14:
I was in SoCal last week and saw for myself what it looks like in the Santa Monica Mountains of the Southern Coastal Range. In 30 years of research in the Coastal Mountains studying the relationship between people, plants, and fire management strategies I have never seen it this dry--even mid-summer. 2012 was officially the driest on record for California, which has a 119 year record. The litter load is dropping to the ground, which may be good in the long run if they can last without any idiot dropping a cigarette butt in the next several months, yeah right. Furthermore, 30 years ago there were Smokey the Ranger signs everywhere warning about the fire risk. I drove around the Santa Monicas for two days and didn't once see a sign--funding cuts?
You know those crazy right wingers than want to bring the end of the world by deregulating industry and pushing war with Muslims and all their other destructive ideas? Well sometimes I wonder if they will win against all good reason. Burning Hollywood and Malibu with all their liberals might be something the wingnuts would consider as another step in the right direction. Surely Westboro Baptist Church will throw a party.
Are we not enabling the apocalyptos by our unwillingness to be more assertive in demanding sustainable energy, economic and environmental policies? What gets me is that we Americans now have the technology and the know how, just not the will. And the band played on.
Regarding the League of Conservation's FB photo:
https://www.facebook.com/LCVoters/photos/a.10150212534859735.318967.16477459734/10152017315469735/?type=1
I was in SoCal last week and saw for myself what it looks like in the Santa Monica Mountains of the Southern Coastal Range. In 30 years of research in the Coastal Mountains studying the relationship between people, plants, and fire management strategies I have never seen it this dry--even mid-summer. 2012 was officially the driest on record for California, which has a 119 year record. The litter load is dropping to the ground, which may be good in the long run if they can last without any idiot dropping a cigarette butt in the next several months, yeah right. Furthermore, 30 years ago there were Smokey the Ranger signs everywhere warning about the fire risk. I drove around the Santa Monicas for two days and didn't once see a sign--funding cuts?
You know those crazy right wingers than want to bring the end of the world by deregulating industry and pushing war with Muslims and all their other destructive ideas? Well sometimes I wonder if they will win against all good reason. Burning Hollywood and Malibu with all their liberals might be something the wingnuts would consider as another step in the right direction. Surely Westboro Baptist Church will throw a party.
Are we not enabling the apocalyptos by our unwillingness to be more assertive in demanding sustainable energy, economic and environmental policies? What gets me is that we Americans now have the technology and the know how, just not the will. And the band played on.
Regarding the League of Conservation's FB photo:
https://www.facebook.com/LCVoters/photos/a.10150212534859735.318967.16477459734/10152017315469735/?type=1
Gay Marriage at the Rose Parade
First posted on 1/1/14:
This just in, there will be a gay marriage at the Rose Bowl Parade this morning and the homophobic arm of American Christians are going crazy on the Hallmark Channel FB page for broadcasting the parade in its entirety with no commercials. I think they are probably all subscribed to a couple of homophobic groups, i.e.: http://action.afa.net/
Regarding::
This just in, there will be a gay marriage at the Rose Bowl Parade this morning and the homophobic arm of American Christians are going crazy on the Hallmark Channel FB page for broadcasting the parade in its entirety with no commercials. I think they are probably all subscribed to a couple of homophobic groups, i.e.: http://action.afa.net/
Regarding::
War vs. Peace and Sustainable Security
First posted on FB 12/30/13:
I don't see why we continue to have wars. Wars are never good, or just or successful. Actions can be, especially if you lead in a positive, constructive and humane war. Let's review, how did we "win" WW2? We basically disarmed Germany and Japan. The H bomb was the icing on the cake after millions had lost their lives. Remember that the Great War to end all wars was WW1? Here's the toll: 65 million men mobilized, 8.5 million dead, 21 million wounded, 7.7 million POWs and missing aka 37 million (or half of all who served) were casualties. Then it was WW2: 60 million (2.5% of the human population) were killed. Then we got ourselves an military industry dedicated to perpetuating war and we have been practicing war ever since. Let's stop all these wars, take 10% of the current military budget and infuse it into education and our social network at home and then take another 10% and infuse it into education and welfare for people around the world, where the poorest, most needy people are. Then let's be known as a nation of helpers, the first in after a natural disaster, the safest because nobody hates us because we don't go around the world bullying and threatening people. THAT IS THE ONLY TRULY SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY. We have the resources at our fingertips, all we need to do is have the will.
Regarding:
I don't see why we continue to have wars. Wars are never good, or just or successful. Actions can be, especially if you lead in a positive, constructive and humane war. Let's review, how did we "win" WW2? We basically disarmed Germany and Japan. The H bomb was the icing on the cake after millions had lost their lives. Remember that the Great War to end all wars was WW1? Here's the toll: 65 million men mobilized, 8.5 million dead, 21 million wounded, 7.7 million POWs and missing aka 37 million (or half of all who served) were casualties. Then it was WW2: 60 million (2.5% of the human population) were killed. Then we got ourselves an military industry dedicated to perpetuating war and we have been practicing war ever since. Let's stop all these wars, take 10% of the current military budget and infuse it into education and our social network at home and then take another 10% and infuse it into education and welfare for people around the world, where the poorest, most needy people are. Then let's be known as a nation of helpers, the first in after a natural disaster, the safest because nobody hates us because we don't go around the world bullying and threatening people. THAT IS THE ONLY TRULY SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY. We have the resources at our fingertips, all we need to do is have the will.
Regarding:
NPR Cheerleading for Obama's So-called Economic Surge
First posted on FB 12/29/13:
Good morning, this morning NPR showed how they accentuate the positive by repeating Obama administration spin--not quite "how to lie with statistics" but certainly "how to find humor in numbers." So ROFL with this country's latest "surge"--and yes, this "surge" is way better than the first so-called "surge" announced by Bush administration when American troops handed out pallets of money (perhaps $1billion--nobody seems to know) in Iraq to bribe them into playing nice for a minute so we could duck out a side door, leaving their state in shambles thanks to our Neocon policies. Yes this so-called "surge" is way better. Can hardly wait for the next "surge" perhaps viewers of the State of the Union speech?
Regarding:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/
Good morning, this morning NPR showed how they accentuate the positive by repeating Obama administration spin--not quite "how to lie with statistics" but certainly "how to find humor in numbers." So ROFL with this country's latest "surge"--and yes, this "surge" is way better than the first so-called "surge" announced by Bush administration when American troops handed out pallets of money (perhaps $1billion--nobody seems to know) in Iraq to bribe them into playing nice for a minute so we could duck out a side door, leaving their state in shambles thanks to our Neocon policies. Yes this so-called "surge" is way better. Can hardly wait for the next "surge" perhaps viewers of the State of the Union speech?
Regarding:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/
Bill Moyers on Walmart, Money and the Occupy Movement
First posted on FB 12/18/13:
pure
evil, exploitation on every level, having their minimum wage employees
donate food to help their co-workers make it through the holidays while
their CEO with $20million salary authorizes cutting many employees'
hours so they won't have to give them benefits, forcing sweat shops to
exist around the world to make their stuff, taking huge tax cuts/breaks
from the feds to avoid paying their fair share, and not making a profit
on those protesting against them, the six Walmart heirs income is more
than 40% of Americans combined. If this is what capitalism looks like,
we need a better, more humane, more sustainable model.
The Bishop's Wife and Peace on Earth
First posted on FB 12/15/13:
Just watched one of my favorite holiday films, “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947) which ends with a wonderful sentiment. I only wish all so-called Christians (and everyone else for that matter) would heed its final words: "And we have even forgotten to hang up the stocking of the child born in the manger. It’s his birthday we’re celebrating. Don’t let’s ever forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most. Then let each put in their share: loving kindness, warm hearts, and the stretched out hand of tolerance, all the shiny gifts that make Peace on Earth." http://www.youtube.com/
Just watched one of my favorite holiday films, “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947) which ends with a wonderful sentiment. I only wish all so-called Christians (and everyone else for that matter) would heed its final words: "And we have even forgotten to hang up the stocking of the child born in the manger. It’s his birthday we’re celebrating. Don’t let’s ever forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most. Then let each put in their share: loving kindness, warm hearts, and the stretched out hand of tolerance, all the shiny gifts that make Peace on Earth." http://www.youtube.com/
Not my father's oil industry
First posted on FB 11/29/13:
This is not my father's oil industry. My father's father rose from mail room clerk to become an attorney who negotiate agreements for many new oil fields throughout the west and ultimately became V.P. of Sinclair Oil and Gas. Hammett, Wyoming is named after him. After WW2 both my father and uncle became petroleum engineers for Sinclair. Later my father transitioned to the the feds when geothermal energy began and helped write and enforce the regulations for the geothermal industry based on his strong commitment to a balance between energy development and environmental protection. Now corporate greed and political corruption have strangled all sense of balance. So long as people continue this path of greedy, selfish consumption and ignore our responsibilities as earth stewards we are doomed to degrade our environment and climate for humans and other life forms. Today, on this holiday set aside to capitalistic greed, what can you do to help green our green our world and make it more sustainable for all?
This is not my father's oil industry. My father's father rose from mail room clerk to become an attorney who negotiate agreements for many new oil fields throughout the west and ultimately became V.P. of Sinclair Oil and Gas. Hammett, Wyoming is named after him. After WW2 both my father and uncle became petroleum engineers for Sinclair. Later my father transitioned to the the feds when geothermal energy began and helped write and enforce the regulations for the geothermal industry based on his strong commitment to a balance between energy development and environmental protection. Now corporate greed and political corruption have strangled all sense of balance. So long as people continue this path of greedy, selfish consumption and ignore our responsibilities as earth stewards we are doomed to degrade our environment and climate for humans and other life forms. Today, on this holiday set aside to capitalistic greed, what can you do to help green our green our world and make it more sustainable for all?
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