Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

whoo hoo

cbob

Its called weather

Jack

News from the world of sturgeons -

Spearers catch rare white sturgeon on the same day

FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Two lucky spearers have defied the odds and caught rare white sturgeon on the same day. Department of Natural Resources biologist Ron Bruch said about one in 10,000 lake sturgeon are white and until Tuesday none had been caught in more than 10 years.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_white_sturgeon.html?source=mypi

Jack -
The deniers, are really out of gas ..... When we see 2,000 sq. miles and 208 people, along with countless thousands of animals, all burn to death , and you guys can only muster
" weather ".
Let me teach you a new phrase " Mega Fires ". The Climate models at Goddard , have told us they were coming for a long long, time.

Geez...I know I live in a backwards rural area, but I didn't know I was still in the early 2000s, too! {Dexter hits SUBMIT using a new pc}...BUT...his daughter was visiting tonight and at least she has an iFone.

Cute video!

tt

C-Bob, what else is coming our way?

tt

sturge, hope you weren't one of those gigged rare whites cbob was talking about...

speaking of racial things,

"When it comes to covering corruption, is there a media double standard, one for weak black politicians and another for powerful white guys?"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kassfri20feb20,0,7144779.column

particularly like this line fro the link above, considering how many of our fine senators have had their way with the truth in the past and have done a little pay-to-play themselves....

"Who knows? The way the media has held Burris to account may establish a new baseline of tone and ferocity in news coverage."

Carol & Jamie -- Snowy Owl in Tennessee:

http://tinyurl.com/d99xl4

The More things CHANGE the More they Stay the same !
Cool Video - a no wardorbe changes

For all you weed lovers, you can grow your own in Michigan now...for medical purposes. That law passed in November election. I'll stick with my ripple and whatnot. You all don't know how I am that the weekend is here. Working with the same person 8hrs a day, 5 nights a week can get to a person. Especially when you don't have a whole lot in common with the other person. Run out of things to talk about.

Very cute video!

Here is a snowy owl on the front of this week's Vineyard paper.http://www.mvtimes.com/

ping, that is a cool video, but maybe craig's wardrobe has been the same all these years.... classic style. just because technology changes does not mean one has to be a beau brummel in the world of fashion.

This Wall Street guy screaming about "losers" is fascinating me. These cats are the ones who caused this catastrophe, who already got bailed out and rewarded. Now they are trying to turn it into class warfare.

From the beginning, the thrust of the conversation has been poor people and minorities buying homes. They became the public face of a long list of crimes against the American people: outsourcing, wage gouging, union busting, usury, market manipulation. And, much like the coal companies of old creating a feudal system in the company towns, the citizenry was "put in its place."

So many lies and such thick smoke screens.

Big business Republicans denigrate illegal immigrants out of one side of their mouths, and hire them for nothing with the other. They sell mortgages to each other in giant Ponzi schemes, then call the people who bought those same mortgages losers.

Those mortgages are but a drop in the ocean of corruption that led us here.

It's just like my old Forbes 400 friend once told me: "Rich people love recessions. That's when we buy up everything for pennies on the dollar."

http://www.mvtimes.com

GREAT photo, OSH!!!

I left out the word "Glad" in my post.

Craig
Good video and I'm also loving "Lost"this year too........

Smoke This Recession
It's simple: First we tax the booze. Then we legalize the pot. Done.

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Friday, February 20, 2009

Really now, could there be a better time to decriminalize/fully legalize pot? Or, more fully, to decriminalize pot, and then spread respectable pot shops and vending machines and dispensaries far and wide, instill quality control and decent oversight and then tax the living hell out of the glorious, stress-reducing goodness, as we stop wasting billions fighting its grand ubiquity and instead sink into profitable pools of warm, hazy progress? Don't you already know the answer?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/02/20/notes022009.DTL

Patsi- it is isn't it- Wished I'd seen him in person.
Corey- So sorry about your aunt. Hang in there.

"Big business Republicans denigrate illegal immigrants out of one side of their mouths, and hire them for nothing with the other. They sell mortgages to each other in giant Ponzi schemes, then call the people who bought those same mortgages losers."

Patsi
So true! I saw this 3 yrs ago while I was having my house built.My builder was a nice conservative Republican.Gary toed the conservative line in talking but in his building business much of the work was a done by illegal immigrants.Gary would tell me he just couldn't get Americans to work when really it was about cheap labor.....

Worried about global warming? Give up beef.

February 17, 2009, 3:34 pm
Meat and Global Warming
By Mark Bittman

A report from Science News(via Food Times) argues that beef produces 19 kilograms of CO2 for every kilogram served; that grass-fed beef is worse — yes, worse — for global warming than feed-lot beef; and that for every percentage reduction we make in meat consumption we’ll see a corresponding reduction in its contribution to global warming.
http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/meat-and-global-warming/?ref=dining

Republicans are the party of hypocrisy --their slogan should be --do as I say not as I do

Pres. Clinton weighs in this a.m.---Gives Pres. Obama an "A" grade for his 1st month in office.

He suggests that Obama should be more positive & hopeful when discussing the economy.

"I like trying to educate the Amer. people about the dimensions & scope of this economic crisis.

I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful & completely convinced we're gonna come through this."

Clinton places blame with the Reps. & Bush for the current housing crisis for failing to move sooner to avert it. Suggests that the worst damage occured during the Bush years--sub prime mortgages.

Defends his record re: Community Reinvestment Act.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/President44/story?id=6916695&page=1

The media is once again promoting fake news...the clown from CNBC is being congratulated for his rant --when it is based on factless drivel. But lots of time given to him and lots of props for his speaking out....

Ironically Howard Dean gave one of the best rebuttals to the baseless crap spewed by the floor trader Santelli --of course morning load wants him to run for office.

The worst of all this is the goopers are just playing games instead of trying to find honest solutions. The worst example is the clown from California and his budget for an open primary issue on the ballot (more money for a worthless election.)

Thanks, OSH. I wanna gonna take my Mom to see her tomorrow, but we are supposed to get a lot of snow tomorrow. It would be about a 3hr drive there. May have to wait until next weekend.

pogo

I did that and the data only goes to 2006 --hardly relevant today huh and they are still saying gas prices should go down if crude prices drop...and yet...

I heard on the radio that the guy who sells steroids in the movie "The Wrestler" just got arrested for selling steroids in real life. Irony, huh?

Getting back to Craig's topic from yesterday....Roland Burris. There's a part of me that laughs about him and this entire debacle. When MoJo and company say he's a "favorite" and mean because he's an easy joke target, I "get it."

Then we turn to Craig's topic today. The economy. Thinking about our future. Do we want Senator Burris in charge? Let's face it, the man is a clown. The trouble is, he is not the only one.

For that matter, taken as individuals, who WOULD we want to make decisions about each of our futures? Our children and grandchildren's futures? Senator Chambliss? Senator Shelby? Senator Reid?

Those kinds of thoughts make me thank God for senators like Ted Kennedy. Like Paul Wellstone. Senator Hillary Clinton. And those three are either gone from the senate, or taking their last lap. You have to wonder why we don't have more of them in Washington DC.

The Audit — February 19, 2009 06:05 PM
CNBC Editor: The People Are Revolting!

Santelli plays Mel Brooks playing Louis XVI

By Ryan Chittum
http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/cnbc_editor_the_people_are_rev.php

Tony- they say that bs about Americans not willing to work here too. The illegal aliens have totally damaged the islanders, thankfully many have left. Every time somebody tells me that I tell them they are full of shit, and to stop rationalizing your greed. They don't have a pat response to it yet

Do you all know about this? Just saw it however I am not familiar with this paper
The RAT hiding deep inside the stimulus billhttp://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/The-RAT-hiding-deep-inside-the-stimulus-bill-39805642.html

KGC -- Thanks for that link. This quote sums it up:

"We at The Audit have written repeatedly about the blame-the-homeowners meme that’s been so popular in misdirecting people away from the real culprits in the crisis: the financial-services boiler rooms that created all those junk mortgages and bundled them into crap securities for sale to all-too-trusting rubes (aka “clients”) around the world."

Craig...that video is hilarious. I think it's your best yet. And I don't even watch "Lost"

Patsi- well put!

Very interesting article, OSH....thanks for that heads up...

http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/The-RAT-hiding-deep-inside-the-stimulus-bill-39805642.html

KC, some of the EIA data are indeed limited to short timeframes - what specifically are you trying to find? I'll see if I can find it for you.

There was a story done that told how while BOA was laying off people they were lobbying Congress for more of those special Visa's that would allow overseas workers to come here and work for them at lower wages than they were paying those they laid off.

And its been like that for a long time now. Bring in foreign workers that will work for less then a American Citizen would.

Is it any wonder that our financial system is ready to collapse?

Everyone wants to blame the people who bought houses for this economic problem. While it is true that some bought more house then they could afford they did not cause this meltdown.

It was caused by those very Bankers and lenders who gave loans that they should not have.

The appraisers who gave appraisals that were bogus.

The ratings agencies who gave bogus ratings on the investments and Wall Street who sold them to everyone stupid enough to buy them as good investments.

Instead they blame the poor people, its so much easier than admitting they were to blame.

Like Bush who has no regrets since he didn't do anything wrong, according to him, neither did the Banks or the rest of those SOB's.

Screw them all.

Craig..... LOVE the video!
I've missed a few episodes of Lost and now I'm lost....

hey it's great to see some of you posting again.... Julia.... truebeliever..... Oregon Democrat.....

don1one..... I'm not usually here when you are.... but it's been a pleasure reading your posts.....

ETom...... Congrats on the apt. I LOVE owning my own property.....

LOVE the pics of the snowy owl.....

Pogo

I would like to know why with crude prices down...gas prices are going up...I rather doubt the answer is on that site

Morning.
The comment on beef is ironic, given that Americans were encouraged to eat more beef to help us out of the depression. It takes roughly 10 lbs of grain to make a pound of meat, so people started spending more.

To her dying day my grandmother was angry about how the government would buy, then shoot, cattle to take it out of the marketplace.

Want to help US jobs? Stop foreigners from working illegally on B-1 Visas. Companies are bringing in foreign workers on 90 day visas to program and do other white collar work. The visas are normally for sales or education, but they're being used to do regular work in skilled jobs like IT and engineering.

"Instead they blame the poor people, its so much easier than admitting they were to blame. Like Bush who has no regrets since he didn't do anything wrong, according to him, neither did the Banks or the rest of those SOB's. Screw them all."

Hear, hear, Anon!!!

(I'm surprised that asshat on CNBC didn't start shouting about "Welfare Queens," aren't you?

Craig,

Still thinking about the last thread. I've thought a lot about what you've been saying about Obama depleting Hillary's powers as SOS, but I keep thinking there's something going on that we're not seeing. I can't imagine otherwise. I can't see her or Bill letting him diss her. I think she'd be on a stage in front of the camera's saying 'Shame on you, Barack Obama!' (remember that?, one of my favorite moments in the campaign) :)

They evidently had an agreement up front (I can't imagine otherwise), but no telling what it was or is. But if public perception and appearance are important, then things seem to be going well. Because everything I read (aside from Morris) seems to indicate what a great job she's doing, and that her and Obama are a team. I just can't imagine that the Clintons aren't still in control of their roll in this, whether we can see it or not.

The Global Listening Tour
On Her First Trip as Secretary of State, Clinton Shows How She'll Attempt to Repair the U.S. Image Worldwide

"Everywhere she has gone in Asia, Clinton has tried to highlight some of the tangible ways that the Obama administration hopes to be different from its predecessor: a commitment to address climate change, the appointment of a Middle East peace envoy, a refocusing on Afghanistan and an effort to reach out to longtime U.S. antagonists such as Iran, North Korea and Burma,

....there are few better ambassadors for a listening tour than Clinton. And not because she has already conducted one -- the famous trip through New York state a decade ago when she contemplated a run for the U.S. Senate -- but because the world stage fits her like an old shoe...Clinton's operating style differs significantly from those of her immediate predecessors....Clinton has a politician's knack for words and a well-honed human touch....

"President Obama is so focused on our problems at home," Clinton added. "He's not going to be able to travel as much as he wants to." So, she said, it is important "that I get out and do as much travel as possible to send a message that he wants the world to hear.""
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021903471.html?hpid=topnews

Not caught up yet, but Patsi, that snowy owl is sooo cute! I don't think I've ever seen one. I haven't been to Tennessee since I was a teenager, but I remember well how beautiful it is there.

I'm not sure if you or Sea linked the Vineyard pictures, but they are great too.

don1one

Further irony is the grass fed beef (which is supposed to be better for you) is worse for the environment.

There are drugs and then there are drugs. Anderson Cooper just highlighted this horrific story on Twitter: A child fighting for her life because she wanted a drink of Sprite

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/20/all-she-wanted-was-a-soda/

I LOVE steak....

whenever Rick and I go to a restaurant..... I often order a steak and he whatever fish is on special..... wouldn't believe how many times the waiter/waitress automatically gives him the steak and me the fish.....

Chloe.... I agree with you.... I don't for a minute believe that both Bill and Hillary aren't masters of their own fate.....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202046

Chloe,

Well if nothing else, Hillary proved "she's got Seoul"

RR

Steak and old vine zin...me too.

Katherine,
After reading this, I'm stil not sure I understand it any better.....

Crude oil prices go
down, why not gas?

"But it is the overseas crude that goes into most of the gas made in the United States. So prices at the pump will probably keep going up no matter what happens to the benchmark price of crude oil...

We're going definitely over $2, and I bet we'll hit $2.50 before spring," said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service. "This is going to be an unusual year."
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/us/nat_ap_crude_oil_prices_go_down_why_not_gas_2009021518532208102

Oops, sorry the link didn't work
http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/The-RAT-hiding-deep-inside-the-stimulus-bill-39805642.html

KGC.... GMTA....
actually I haven't had a drop of wine to drink for 2 weeks..... won't mix it with cold and flu medicine..... stopped the medication a couple days ago..... I need to fix the wine problem starting tonight...... seven deadly zins.....YUM!

Pogo..... sorry to read about little P's basketball game.....

gas prices are almost $2 a gallon here in the northeast too.....

Seems to me it's the refiners, and not the suppliers, that set the price of gas.

Refineries did everything they could to put independent owners out of business a few years ago. So they control refinement, distribution, and final sale.

BTW, back on global warming. I think of heat as energy in the system, and storms as a way of distributing energy. So expect bigger, more sever storms, both highs and lows. Droughts, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, floods, wind and thunder. All during the 90s I noticed thunderstorms occurred further and further west in California.

Funny you should say that Jamie. I was just reading and article in the LA Times. Everywhere I turn, they're writing about Hillary. She must be doing something right.

Hillary Clinton in Seoul, focused on mysterious N. Korea
"Arriving in Seoul for security talks, Clinton said persistent signs within the secretive Pyongyang government suggest that a change of leadership might be at hand. She said the South Korean government has been especially concerned over what might be developing inside its impoverished northern neighbor."
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/02/20/news/fg-clinton-seoul20

"I don't for a minute believe that both Bill and Hillary aren't masters of their own fate....."

Renee, You got right to the heart of what I was trying to say. :)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202042

KC, An answer to that question would not be on that site. The only thing you'll find there is data that you can look at to try and determine which data factors seems to jibe with each other and which don't. Trying to ferret out the predictive data factors is difficult - and for a number of reasons. And don't one is onto something there.

The gas companies as I understand it set their prices at the pump based upon the wholesale price of gas from the refiners or the wholesalers who get their gas from the refiners. The available reserves for refining and the supply of refined petroleum - which affect the supply of the stuff and in turn affect demand, which ultimately determines price - are bigger factors in the price of gasoline at the pump than the price of crude as a single factor. All of this is subject to manipulation by the folks who pump the stuff out of the ground (e.g. OPEC) and sell it to refiners or middlemen who do, who (refiners) can also manipulate supply by manipulating the refining capacity they use - which currently hovers in the 85% range. I'm sure that some University or think tanks that watch this stuff have developed models that do a better job of predicting gas price based on weithing of the available data than my seat of the pants sense of this.

There has been a recent anomoly that I don't understand completely - following OPEC's production cutback, crude prices continued to fall - allegedly based on decreased worldwide demand for gasoline and other refined petroleum products, but fuel at the pump prices rebounded somewhat from around $1.75/gal. (regular) to $1.99/gal. In the past 3-4 months. Exxon (as an example only) would tell you that the price reflects the demand for the available refined product in the context of constrained supply. I'm skeptical for this reason - Exxon (again, as an example only) controls to a great extent all the steps in the refining process after the crude is purchased, and in some instances, literally from the ground up. So crude price and supply are the only things not under control of the large wholesalers (like Exxon, Chevron, BP, etc.). By restricting supply of the end product, the suppliers can drive demand up and can raise price.

chloe - Our largest supplier of Crude is Canada, and about 40% of our supply of crude is domestic. And crude prices are pretty consistent in NYMEX irrespective of its source, although there is some variation. The respective supplies imported from the top 15 importing countries (which comprises 86% of the imorted 60% of our total crude used) are reflected at the following link.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

OPEC is certainly the major player in the world oil market, but they don't set the price of crude in a vacuum.

Yep, as I've said before, I was born a skeptic and haven't gotten any less so with age.

renee, thanks - but it was preordained - they were outmanned at every position but one, and we were playing 4 6th & 7th graders (2 each) and one 8th grader who starts but doesn't stay in long, against a team of 5 8th graders. When we beat them the 2nd time we played them, it was on the strength of our budding superstar point guard who slashed inside and scred about 30 points - but they adjusted their defense to shut him down this time. We had 4 - yes, 4 - points in the first half. It was a good season for them - for a school of 75 kids total, coming in 2nd in the county in the regular season agains schools 2-4 times our size ain't terribly bad. And next year our entire team will be a year older, bigger and stronger.

Santelli is getting too much attention and not enough people pointing out that he is NOT Howard Beale and that he is wrong and frickin idiot

Thanks Pogo --
Exxon should change it's logo to a big pig

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202045

Patsi...

Yes I am.

From chloe's link -

"At the same time, refiners have seen the same headlines as everyone else about job losses and consumer spending. They've slashed production just to avoid taking losses on gasoline no one will buy. Result: Higher gas prices."

Speaking of oil prices - crude dropped below $38 yesterday.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/02/20/business/business-us-markets-oil.html?_r=1

Actually this article does a fairly good job of explaining what seems to be going on, at least from a supply-demand perspective.

The economy . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/business/economy/21econ.html?hp

. . . sigh.

on the lighter side.
who says florida has a mickey mouse court system? and here i thought it was just because it's overrun with lawyers... wonder how they can tell the difference... oh yeah, the mice are cuter.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/19/0219mice.html

hey, pat, watch those lawyer comments. :-))) I resemble that remark.

So why don't rats bite lawyers? Professional courtesy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/20/mileage-tax-considered-by_n_168506.html

Vehicle Mileage Tax - good lord - Orwellian aspects aside, what would the cost to refit all cars in the US with GPS transponders be I wonder, and how in hell could they do it? They couldn't even frickin' print enough vouchers for people to get converter boxes for the boneheaded mandated analog-digital changeover.

if we ever needed a ''there is nothing to fear but fear
itself ''speech from the president it is now '
what happened to hope and optimism'' it's all been gloom and doom from president obama since
he took office

"they were outmanned at every position but one, and we were playing 4 6th & 7th graders (2 each) and one 8th grader who starts but doesn't stay in long, against a team of 5 8th graders."

ROFL, pogo. I took my little "crew" of junior high football boys to the game one afternoon years ago....and as they piled out of the car, some of the other team walked by us on the way to the field....one of our guys said, "Holy $hit! Those guys have mustaches!"

AP, Booman is overreaching with respect to Pelosi comparing Bush's America to South Africa, Rwanda and Lebanon. She just said that the truth and reconcilation committee format and process were helpful in those areas. She might have been more right than wrong had she made that comparison, but she didn't.

Patsi, yeah, you get quite the size and maturity range in 12-14 year old boys. We're seeing fairly pronounced changes in LP and Mrs. P is having difficulty dealing with the fact that her baby is becoming a young man, complete with the hair and odors that come with that. We've got everything from kids you'd swear were no older than 10 and kids whose driver's licenses you're tempted to ask for on the teams. On our team alone, we have a height range of from about 4'10" to 5'8" - and our "big men" are a good 4-5 inches shorter (to say nothing of 30 pounds lighter than the big men from the bigger schools. Hell, I'm 5'11' and was looking one of the kids on one team straight in the eye.

lunch

"So why don't rats bite lawyers? Professional courtesy."

LOL Pogo.
Every profession is the target of jokes (especially politicians). Don't know why attorney's get more than their share of them. No one can get along without them (then maybe that's it, maybe people resent that fact). I sometimes have said to you I should never argue with an attorney, but what I honestly meant by that is that attorney's are way more knowledgable than me. I said it jokingly, and it may have sounded sarcastic, and I purposely left it sounding like that. But actually I have great respect for your profession, as I do doctors and most other fields. Thanks for being such a good sport about it.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202078

mqw, Good to see you back. It's been a while, unless I just missed it.

Maybe Obama will take Bill's advice, and come out with some more hopeful, optimistic comments. He's a work in progress and I'm sure things will continue to change.

What will Prez Obama say during next week's SOTU?

I don't think I've ever heard anything except the SOTU is "strong."

Is he gonna go with hopeful, on the rebound...?

Your thoughts?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202074

Pogo,

Just read the speedometers every two years when they get a smog check. Send the bill.

chloe, pogo,
At least you don't have a regular cartoon strip that features you.
I can't decide if I is dilbert or wally.

Jamie..... there's a cure for the so-called "Gossip Girls"...... it's called an "off button"...... cable news is not the "be all" of the world..... I've stopped watching most of it and it's made a huge difference in how I feel.....

BTW.... I'll ask again.... are you watching the series "Jockeys" on Animal Planet?...... it's a must see for any horse racing fan, IMO..... it's right up our alley, there, girl...... :0)

It called for the demolition of museums and libraries, contempt for women and the glorification of war, "the world's only hygiene".

It promoted "the beautiful ideas which kill" and claimed that beauty exists only in struggle - so why is the art world celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Futurist Manifesto?

Because when it appeared, on 20 February 1909, it was the first art manifesto of the 20th Century, paving the way for Vorticists, Surrealists, Dada-ists, and Situationists, as well as more recent cultural agitators like the Stuckists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7894877.stm

"Reaping the fruit planted by greed
By CARL HIAASEN

.......Developers have controlled state and county governments for so long that no Plan B exists. Lost and clueless, lawmakers desperately hack away at public budgets while clinging to the hope that boom times will return.

For good reason, Florida has become the poster child for America's fiscal disintegration. We stand at the top of the leaderboard in rising unemployment, foreclosures and, of course, mortgage fraud.

Where else could a man step out of prison and straight into a job peddling adjustable-rate home loans to buyers with virtually no credit?...."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/carl-hiaasen/story/903185.html

"kids whose driver's licenses you're tempted to ask for on the teams."

Pogo -- in that case, some of those boys had been held back a few years over time....we probably could have protested it, but what the heck...

"Come on. There is enough real news in the world without imitating a clique of snickering teens whispering around the hall lockers."

And when it comes to the Clintons, it becomes obsessive. I'm sick of Letterman's Clinton marriage-watch, too.

c'bob - Wouldn't it be funny if Prez Obama came out at the SOTU & told us to fasten our chinstraps?

GOP -- out of gas and out of ideas! Rap and now Lost....

I would like to make a correction.

President Obama is not giving a SOTU speech. He will be speaking before congress.

The SOTU is given at the end of each year and I for one look forward to this speech he will be giving to the members of Congress later this month.

I believe that it is next Tuesday if I'm not mistaken.

chloe, attorneys who aren't good natured about attorney jokes piss me off. In a nation founded on the concepts of laws and contracts, attorneys are a necessary evil. I don't know why people think so badly of us - as long ars there are real estate agents and investment bankers, we can't do better than third on the scum sucking bottom feeders list.

Jamie - if you're going to make reasonable suggestions, there's no place for you in government.

Nah, Pats, it's a small town, and we've seen these kids in rec ball for years. All these kids (well, most) are just early blooming man children.

Well, I shoulda listened when Thom Hartman said to invest in gold. Yeah, I know he was just acting as a paid shill, but dayum, gold topped $1000 an dounce today.

TT -
What can we expect ?

don1one - Summed it up :

" I think of heat as energy in the system, and storms as a way of distributing energy. "

An example of this, Marble Falls , Texas ....... June 2007

It rained 18 inches in 6 hours, this event wasn't a dying hurricane, or a tropical low . It was moisture flowing up from the Gulf like always, but because the system is getting more energy in it, it can carry more water. As these storms get more energy in them, they'll produce the same things as always, hail , straight line winds, tornadoes, lighting, etc.
But they'll be doing this :

" The tornado was classified as an F4 tornado with winds reaching up to 170 miles per hour. It cut a path of destruction four miles long and a half mile wide. "

That was 1 week ago, in Oklahoma, was it "weather" as my friend in Missouri claims ? Absolutely, but it was also an F4 half mile wide tornado appearing in the middle of Feb. Tornado season will come earlier, and stay later, "Tornado Alley" will move north, mile wide tornadoes will become more common.

Ten predictions about climate change that have come true

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1984755.ece

We are getting what we asked for,,,,,,The news from SNL,,,Letterman,,,,and all the others that have replaced,,the hard news commentateors,,,,,this is what I have been saying,,,there is no respect for any Political (not many) cos they have all turned into stand up comics,,,and the owners of the all the news stations love it ---$$$---that is why a Chris Mathew's can do what he does best now,,,,entertain,,,and slobber all over people,,,,they have dumb ed down the general public,,,,,and they we complain about the stupidity of the voters!!!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202086

RR----this is what I have done,,,,,and the better for it,,,,,,I don't even think about Morning Load,,,,CM, ,,or anyone on FoX just watch CNN for breaking news,,,,and they do a little more news and less entertainment,,,, Christiane Amanpour should have a prime time show,,,I think that she is the best all around news person out there??

I also have been compaing about the manipulation of crude prices and the cost to us at the pump,,,,,Jax defends them by ---saying that it's the way that the market operates,,,,and all is good,,,he passes on the price, of his services to his clients and,, they int turn pass it on to us,,this vicious circle has also contributed to the mess we are in,,,,,but what choice do we have,,,,,,I just did the same thing,,,and was invited to build a 1.5 mil,,,home for a client,,,,I justified it by saying that he can afford it,????? don't know if I will accept it ,,,cos I found out that he still owes a lot o $ to the Architect that recommended me??

Craig,,,,I have just read up on the last 2 day's and want to tell you that TM is looking like the top notch Blog that attracted me here,,,,Thanks.

Sea I loved that Owl link,,,,I will rotate that with some others,,on screen saver,,,it is a nice opening pic to look at,,,thaks

Patsi----forgot----I just can't tell you how much I agree,,,,,when Letterman has the power to make politicians cringe,,for not accepting an invitation or canceling,one like he did J M,,it is not funny to me!!

i nominate Lard for Scoop of the Week -- you were several days ahead of this AP analysis, on the case of HRC's campaign mode as SOTUS from the day she first stepped off the plane in Japan.,. http://tinyurl.com/b4ub6e

" Christiane Amanpour should have a prime time show,"

I agree!

That should be Christine,,,not Christiane

Solar - not to give you advice or anything, but I'd trat this one like it was a commercial project witha bank cutting the checks on a completion schedule. If that's not appropriate for whatever reason, at a minimum I'd get a substantial payment up front and only work on a pay as you go basis with someone who's already in the hole on the project - and before the frickin hole is even dug. Be very careful. Lotta people who "can afford it" can't.

But is there any journalist that will debate an issue like Jon Stewart or Don Imus? These are the only two in the US I've heard call politicians on an item and go back at them.

Listening to press pool in Canada, and the reporter mentioned how Canadian reporters figure out their own order and what questions to ask, while Gibbs does the thinking for US reporters.

and solar, it is Christiane. You were right to begin with.

Last night we pulled another 16 hr night doing high wire acts without a net,,,,we cut,,,place steel ( welded)for another floor at the build at down Chicago,,,they are the exit stairs,,,that you see by the elevators,,,,,I have to have total focus on the work cos it ,,,demands it,,,,,and that is how I intend to get myself out of this mess that the two party's created,,,,and I hope that Obamas team stay's focused on our problems about the economy,,,,so far ok,,,glad that he has the Clinton team in there to get the job done??

ps,,,,A third party is really needed ---want more proof,,,we need to get better quality of people, I used to like Rangel,, Barny F. even Daschle when he was Senate leader,,,,there is plenty of fault to the two party system, so---

Tony,,,,no more talk about 90 degree weather,,two night ago at 5 am it took me over an hour to get my frozen doors open on my trck,,,,,,U want some of me,??? :-))) Oh nice post that you have been doing,,,,and isn't it great to have Chloe back,,,,don't answer,,,,,,HELL YEAH!! later

Pogo,,,more ammunition for my atty friends,,,,,,thanks for the jks,,Chloe is right,,,,your a good egg. :-)

Solar, I try :-)

Friends say Kennedy may have months left

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/02/20/Friends_say_Kennedy_may_have_months_left/UPI-13131235155858/

Lardass....
thanks for that pbs link..... it's interesting to know that only the Democrats would talk to Frontline......

Solar.... I watch CNN a bit too..... maybe a half hour in the afternoon and usually the first half hour of Anderson Cooper's 360..... I don't watch morning television at all..... don't put my tv on until noontime..... I will watch if there's something special going on such as a press conference.... I get most of my news from listening to NPR while I weave.....

and yes.... I really like Christiane too....

RR,,,thanks,,,,,How is Rick Rick,,,are we ok?

RR----if you have cable and can get the Link Chanel 9410,,and the University Channel's from 9400 they provide news that no else does,,,and a trip around the world,,,they often visit a lot of diff country's and follow what is popular with their music,,,,,for instance I did' know that I like African Music,,,,don't understand a word,,,,,,,but I will give it a 10,,,cos itls easy to listen to,,,,and to dance to,,,( can't remember the name of that show) I think it was with Dick Clark,,,see you later,,,

Solar....
Rick and I are fine.... we both had the flu and I had a head banger of a cold.....
but I think I've rejoined the human race..... :)

we'll be here this week..... then head north to our condo.... where every year I take the laptop and regale this blog with stories about Rick's skiing and my hot tubbing...... I can't wait to feel those warm waters this year.....

Forgot about the tiebreaker
Man on Wire

Just one more

Im watching the link channel now,,,they have a bunch of young people talking about politcis ,,,,in captions,,they say " all the morticians in Senegal are the same (these are blk young men and women),,,they say are saying ,,"that no matter who is elected in Senegal Africa in general what matter for the people, that whoever is elected , will truly serve the people and their interests",,,,,,sound familiar,,,,on 9411 they have the evolution of complexity,,,,9412 connecting with the arts,,,just what Trail Mixers talk ,,,going about.,,lot of good stuff,,,and not time for it all,,,oh well.
going to get ready for work,,,,I though about Burt Lancaster,,,in that movie he did ,,,and worked for the circus,,doing a high wire act,,,,He was my favorite actor ,,,one of em ...any way.

http://www.t-rex-bbq.com/Dinner.html.....the home of chicken fried bacon

http://www.t-rex-bbq.com/Dinner.html

oops messed up the link

Mother Jones could have just checked in here. Headline: Marijuana now more popular than Republicans

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/02/legalizing-marijuana-now-more-popular-republican-party

".,. http://tinyurl.com/b4ub6e"

Craig -- My only quibble with that article and some others I've seen is that somebody must have given the writers the word "frenetic" and said "USE THIS!"

Frenetic has varying levels of meaning....and so it left an odd aftertaste...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202122

RR

Maybe you should ask for ID before sharing a tub. :-)

Oh Patsi,

You know there is a "word of the day" calendar on all their desks.

Lardo, Got your tiebreaker. We agree on everything except the actresses which means that we are probably going to be wrong on so many levels. :-)

I like to pick up those I think SHOULD win as opposed to those I think WILL win.

Jamie....
and why would that be....... hmmmmmm?...... LOL

Rick and I pick the first week of March because Mass schools are on vacation this week and NH schools are next week..... the ski area has made a ton of snow for school vacations..... but the week after is quiet as hell..... I usually have the hot tubs and the pools all to myself in the middle of the day.....

and that happened in Honolulu.....

""word of the day"

Ha -- Jamie -- thank God Craig's only word of the day is "cows."

Patsi,

If he starts saying "Bovine mastication" instead of "cud chewing" we will know he has received the memo.

In the land of Bovine, old steam locomotives used to go, "masticate, masticate...".

Working on a new site for my friends. Tell me if it's displaying correctly
Or any other advice.

The Downtown Art Market -
http://the-downtown-art-market.blogspot.com/

Well, good people, I've spent the afternoon trying in vain to research an arcane point that were it not so arcane could get rid of one very stupid lawsuit. My eyes are glazed over and my head feels as if is is stuffed with old dirty socks. And now it's time to hit the trail, pick up the kid and see what the weekend may have in store. Everyone have a good one.

Bob, the site looks good to me.

Thanks Pogo -

I forget this is a lot easier than it used to be. Thank god for widgets, and the wonderful widget workers, who build them.

I made the mistake of catching the first few minutes of Tweety and what a maroon -he thinks the idiot from the Chicago exchange is right. His idea of the choices for the problem was either you were stupid(and didn't know what you were signing) or a crook. What about people who lost their jobs -or when the cost of food, fuel etc went through the roof or people who got sick and their so called health insurance didn't cover the bills. Why people can't pay their bills is a lot more complicated then tweetydums two choices. The man should not be allowed on the air alone (or at all.)

Bob, I even became the first follower. :-) It does look nice.

Blogger goes into Beta ............... Now that was a train wreck for a few weeks.

CBob

The site is great. The blooming branch is lovely --what is that?

Looks good, C-Bob!

Watching Crawford clean the SPAM out of the thread with a digital ice pick, and a razor blade.

Ms. Cracker -
That's a Flowering Quince. It bloomed on the 1st of Feb. A new record.
And best of all when I took cuttings today I saw bees in it. 5 of them, more than I've seen at one time in over a year.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Flowering+Quince&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

KGC

It takes talent to fill an hour with empty, fast-talking, glib prattle.

I think I get angry at him because he is better than that when he wants to be. I've heard him give a truly thoughtful analysis of a situation or event. Of course if he did that regularly he would probably be on NPR or PBS not MSNBC.

Cracker -
They root like crazy from a cutting, and last a long time in water, several days ........

Jamie

I could not disagree with you more about Tweetydum.
He is nothing but a random comment generator. If he gets something right -I'd bet a million bucks -it is the result of work done by someone else. He is gutless and in my opinion revels in his narrow mindedness

He should have been an adult during the 1950's

We've been working on this market project for a while. To use it as a vehicle to knit the community together. Open every Sat . , May 3 till Halloween or there abouts.

CBob

Thanks --We've got a lot of daffodills coming and some tulip magnolias are starting to bloom but nothing as lovely as that.

The fellow that did the header art, has just done the graphics for a sign on the south side of this complex. It's just sweet, I can't post it yet, but it'll be 45 X 8 feet with neon trim.

The good thing about a Quince, they beat everything.
Even the Forcinthia.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/451370596_15cd76640e.jpg?v=0

Pretty funny joke

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2009/2/20/115640/844

Californian's urged to cut water usage by 20%

http://www.sacbee.com/1089/story/1640630.html

How about just evicting a few million people?

May I suggest that nobody flushes after #1 at the Oscar parties?

Haven't seen a single movie on the list.

John Ewards up for any documentary awards?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202112

"I have to have total focus on the work cos it ,,,demands it,,,,,and that is how I intend to get myself out of this mess that the two party's created,,,,and I hope that Obamas team stay's focused on our problems about the economy,,,,so far ok,,,glad that he has the Clinton team in there to get the job done??"

What a smart guy you are! I think you will work your way out of this mess because your determined and your willing to work hard.I still think a good work ethic can work wonders but I know there are many working people who don't make a fair wage and work every available hour and are still in deep trouble.I wish this country had the safety net for folks that many other countries like my second favorite country Australia has.Hell yes its nice to have Chloe back!Ok Ok,I can't talk about it being in the 90's here as its a chilly 57 now and going to 40 over night, its a nice night to light the fireplace though.Oh and I always enjoy your post's keep em coming Mr..Solar....

Quince--the apple in the Garden of Eden

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202029

Hi Kathy-Sea
I agree it is BS that Americans won't work! The problem here and around the country is they want us to work for a sub- standard wage and when we can't they get Illegals and house them 10 to a trailer and work them like modern day slaves! I have seen the vans pull up here in my little sub- division filled with illegals getting paid little to do some of the hardest work..It doesn't happen anymore because since the housing boom bust nothing is being built...I just drive around my neighborhood and see empty cement slabs where houses were going to be....We have about 20 foreclosures in my 100 house sub-division.....

tonyb39,
I think part of it is that they make it sound like only jobs picking crops are being taken. Jobs in construction, and if you count B-1 visas programming and engineering are also going to illegal workers.

Not to mention Bill Gates lobbying to get H1B visas rates raised through the roof for IT and electronics manufacturing jobs.

Don1one said: BTW, back on global warming. I think of heat as energy in the system, and storms as a way of distributing energy.

All right - that makes me remember one of the things I've been forgetting to ask (groan).

We capture the rays of the sun to use as energy, is it impossible to think of the heat in the atmosphere that so many like and I hate as another source of energy?

I thought it was announced several months agao that Fareed Zakaria and Christiane Amanpour were going to do a new show - either together or alternating.

Christiane Amanpour's husband was one of my favorites in Bill's administration, Jamie Rubin.

I have to get oot and aboot for my bp's sake. I'm taking this seriously - it's a pretty day toda, mid-60's.

Saturday night, Sunday, and Monday are supposed to revert to rain, really heavy with any luck. some have said maybe even 5" in places.

My nil works for one of the big wineries here and says that people were panicking before because of no rain and warm weather - they're only a little encouraged by the 5"+ we've had this February.

Maybe while I'm oot and aboot I'll remember something else I've wanted to write about!

Hi bethyboo,
If I understand your question, sure, kind of like a lake or reservoir is a source of water. The atmosphere doesn't create energy, but is a large storage source. Then you have little pockets of warm, and pockets that are cold, and energy being energy they try to mix and become normal.

If it weren't for air, everything would just leak out as soon as it hit.

Mind if I ask winery where? I'm amazed at how they get around.

Bethyboo

Fareed Zakaria has his show on Sunday morning GPS

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps/

Jamie - I know about his show and have been expecting something new with her. I just wondered if anyone else remembered that announcement. Maybe something is in the works - wouldn't that be nice?
I think at the time I posted a comment re msnbc was so far behind cnn - they don't care about people with real qualifications.

Don1 - the winery is out here in northern california in Sonoma County.

What I mean about heat - heat itself - isn't there some way to convert heat to energy that can be saved, just as the rays of the sun are saved?

One thing I've remembered is that I suspect that creep really thinks the "losers" are all the people who decided not to get in the big money games and steal money from those are are indeed losing in this economy. We could have done as the "smart" people like Madoff and Thain and all the ceo's etc - we had our chance!

I'm off to interact with living breathing flesh and blood people for the purpose of improving my health. Tv is off, machine is off.

Renee, Your upcoming condo trip sounds heavenly. I'll be looking forward to hearing about the skiing and hot tubbing. Enjoy the warm water. :)

CBob, Nice site! And love that flowering Quince. I'm going to look for one. Do they bloom for long?

Don, Love reading and trying to understand the stuff you're writing about energy and weather.

Renee, Your upcoming condo trip sounds heavenly. I'll be looking forward to hearing about the skiing and hot tubbing. Enjoy the warm water. :)

Obama nixes plan to tax motorists on mileage
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090221/D96FKPMG0.html

Bethy

Found an announcement from last November about Amanpour getting her own show this year, but it doesn't give a date

http://www.wowowow.com/post/christiane-amanpour-finally-get-her-own-show-cnn-147629

sorry Renee, guess I'm stuttering. I just don't know how these things happen. sigh

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: In (1839) The District of Columbia outlawed DUELING. I think it's still around in many states, they just changed the name!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pogo- In total agreement with you regards to Vehicle Milage Tax. How dare they even consider such a thing !

I didn't like the gps unit attached to every car. How dare they?

BTW, instead of storing energy, one of the more interesting suggestions was to darken the sky.
http://ncane.com/wuzp. I mentioned global dimming once before. The irony is that as we get rid of particulate pollution (ash and solid things) the worse global warming will get.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/stimulus-rhetoric-lost-in-time.html#comment-202170

"I think part of it is that they make it sound like only jobs picking crops are being taken."

Hi Don1
You make a valid point here,I didn't know different until I seen it with my own eyes...I see your coming to Florida,yes see some Manatee's there beautiful and gentle.I live close to the Inter-coastal waterway and I stop to watch them often they make me feel calm and serene like them...By the way,I'm really enjoying your posts,thank you....

It is very disheartening to see so many Republicans hoping for the President to fail..

Thanks tony,
You've talked me into it. I've been wanting to see them for a while.

And talk about FEARNESS – President Obama wins the all time out of the gate use of FEAR to drive a social agenda…. Now that is Change we can all feel at this time.
Posted by: Ping Pong | February 20, 2009 7:46 AM

Is "fearness" a word? Anyway, a social agenda is EXACTLY what is needed to help our ailing economy. A strong social sector is what will help reel in the excesses of capitalism run amok. A strong social sector does not stop capitalism; it does, in fact, facilitate it's pathway to a strong, equitable and ethical economic and social structure. Ping, you CANNOT divorce a social agenda from a capitalist monetary agenda. In a healthy economy they work in tandem to protect all sectors of political economy and social change. Let us not forget Adam Smith's classic statement in "The Wealth of Nations": "Wherever there is great property, there is great inequality. For one very rich man, there must be five hundred poor, and the influence of the few supposes the indigence of the many. "

Of course Adam Smith's statement was not a criticism of such inequity. On the contrary, he clearly laid out the vision that government and justice works to protect the affluence and power of the rich from the unruly common classes who have the unmitigated nerve to question the appropriateness of this economic, social and political power discrepancies between the rich and the commoners.

"The affluence of the rich excites the indignation of the poor, who are often driven by want, and prompted by envy, to invade his possessions. It is only under the shelter of the civil magistrate that the owner of valuable property, which is acquired by the labour of many years, or perhaps of many generations, can sleep a single night in security. He is all the time surrounded by unknown enemies, whom, though he never provoked, he can never appease, and from the whose injustice he can be protected only by the powerful arm of the civil magistrate continually held up to chastise it. The acquisition of valuable and extensive property, therefore, necessarily requires the establishment of civil government.’ "

It is indeed so that the U.S. Constitution was created to create a standing army and to protect minority interests from majority mob rule. It sounds so good when we hear that. Of course, the minority that was being protected were the rich, capitalist, land owners (slave owners) and holders of capital for which the commoners had to pay dearly in terms of credit costs. Smith argues that the lesser among us are actually playing what is, and always should be, our role in a political economy that relies as much on the Rich as it does the Poor, and to question (or try to balance) some of these inherent inequalities is the enemy of capitalism and the political and social pecking order of privilege and power which is necessary to keep capitalism alive.

So, are "free markets" really "free"? Does capitalism continue to demand the acquiescence of the masses who really haven't offered their "consent" for such a morally bankrupt model that serves the insatiable wants of the money junkies and the power junkies.

Renee, you are a dear. Thanks for the congrats. I am nervous and excited. Looks like the new kitchen will be IKEA, though it isn't for sure. My ex is an architect and he has been designing layout and so forth. It'll be VERY cool. The apartment is in need of much work, including a new door that was necessary to force open because the previous owner locked the key in the door before she jumped off the balcony. The toilet is a disaster, and everything needs to be painted. Owning a piece of property of my own fits in with my belief that a mixed economy is the best way to go. :-)

Chloe -
They bloom for several weeks, mine are just getting going , and it's been 3 weeks since the first bloom.

AnCon -
They make " apples". Not many , but they make them.

My email inbox tonight :

Army,

This coming Monday I will be participating in the National Clean Energy Project Summit hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund in Washington, DC.

The event will be broadcast on the Pickens Plan website so you can follow the policy discussion - log on to http://www.pickensplan.com/summit at 10:15 am EST on Monday.

This event will feature a lot of people who know what they are talking about when it comes to energy policy - including John Podesta from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Climate Czar Carol Browner, Owens-Corning CEO Michael Thaman, American Electric Power President & CEO Mike Morris, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, and many others.

The forum will focus on modernizing and expanding the electricity grid, integrating energy efficiency and distributed generation into operation and regulation, rapidly increasing transmission capacity for renewable energy and reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil by examining short- and long-term solutions to replace foreign oil with domestic resources to fuel vehicles and trucks, including natural gas.

Join us by logging on to http://www.pickensplan.com/summit at 10:15 am EST on Monday.
-- Boone

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Shady Grove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT2VQeKZyHU

Jamie - thanks for that link! Maybe we should start bombarding cnn with demands that they get going on it!

I saw Jim Cramer talking with Barnicle today and he said we have to break the unions. That really pissed me off! Yeah, like the union members kept the auto makers from coming up with better cars!

ETom - congrats on your own place. I have never really thought of owning and am too old to start, but I see why you want to. I think you're gonna love it.

Don1 - I understand your point about wood and oil etc, but that's not what I'm talking about When the sun beats on a surface for a while, you can see the heat shimmering off the surface. If you can capture the energy in the motion of a shock absorber when a car bounces, what can't you capture the energy that causes the shimmer?

Okay, I was out for two hours, went to WalMart (KGC- there wasn't much traffic on 101 going to Rohnert Park at 5:30 - I was surprised.) I tooled around WM and bought a ton of pj's and socks for foster kids that a local mattress store is having, and then dropped them off. I went to Borders and checked it out and bought a book. I stopped and got a couple of Taco Bell tacos - no cheese - and cam home. I just checked my bp -
112.

I knew I was making a mistake by staying in so much but it took that link to the study about how it affects you physical well-being to make me realize it.

The problem is that I do enjoy my own company, and I dend to ignore my own nagging, but will listen to most people (but NOT my two sisters's!) so I am going to behave now.

I think I'm done for now.

It is very disheartening to see so many Republicans hoping for the President to fail..

Posted by: Oregon Democrat
------------------
I just want them to get out of the way. It's their failed economic theories that have got us here. The chickens from the Original VooDoo Economics, have turned into vultures on the way home to roost.

If you can capture the energy in the motion of a shock absorber when a car bounces, why can't you capture the energy that causes the shimmer?

Bethy -
Sunshine > Heats the earth > earth heats the air > air shimmers
When we put up a thermal solar collector, it captures what makes the air shimmer.

Here's something close to what you're talking about.

" Announced several years ago, the 3,280-foot Solar Tower is one of the most ambitious alternative energy projects on the planet: a renewable energy plant that pumps out the same power as a small reactor but is totally safe. If built, it will be nearly double the height of the world's tallest structure, the CN Tower in Canada.

The Solar Tower is hollow in the middle like a chimney. At its base is a solar collector -- a 25,000-acre, transparent circular skirt. The air under the collector is heated by the sun and funneled up the chimney by convection -- hot air rises. As it rises, the air accelerates to 35 mph, driving 32 wind turbines inside the tower, which generate electricity much like conventional wind farms. "

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/02/66694

another illuminating and substantive thread today. you guys are making my brain hurt. but i love it.

NEW THREAD

Cbob - I get it about capturing what makes the air shimmer. What I was wondering about was capturing the shimmer itself and I think you answered it
marvelously - mahvelously, dahling!

I am not much of a science person but love the idea behind science - observing, questioning, theorizing, experimentting, connecting, and proving. I understand the process, but simply cannot think in "science." I think in liberal arts, totally.

My bil, the doc, has been the strongest influence in my life re science. He loves it and can apply it to just about everything. People always told me we sweat to cool ourselves off - that meant nothing to me until he explained it. He bought a watermelon on a camping trip once and I complained we couldn't keep it cool.

He put it in a creek, put a t shirt over it, got it wet and kept pouring water on it as it dried up. The watermelon was cold.

So I think I've learned a little tiny bit and now I'm beginning to look at every motion and the enrgy behind it and in ahead of it. It's fun and I'll never be any good at it but at least I can enjoy looking at the world a little differently now. I wish I could look at it the way my bil looks at it.

My next way to annoy scientific people is to say I think we need a system of interconnecting canals all over the country, for flood control and drought relief. If they could build a canal the length of California, why can't they build smaller ones across the country. Many ancient cities used canals - didn't Beijing have a complex canal ystem?

Okay everybody - I'll shut up now. I just get excited when I think I've figured something out, no matter how small.

NEW THREAD