Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

morning has broken:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtVoW7Gz-Ow&feature=fvst

Just thought I would get our day started off right. I feel a new sense of spiritual renewal. I hope it lasts throughtout the day.

I kind of doubt it since I heard that one of my nurses put in her resignation because she couldn't handle the stress anymore. She needs to learn how to better handle stree from me. It only took three vertebral compression fractures and uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. I guess that wasn't good enough for her. She wants to stay healthy.

ct, good morning and thank you for the lovely start.

Woo Hoo for ct.

Ahh.. Great Points Craig.

Specter is doing and saying things just to get elected. WOW what a surprise.
Hey - he has lots in common with our new President.
Only difference is Specter has a history.

and to respond to the Craig's post this morning...... Politics is such a silly game. Are there really grown ups running the show in Washington? I often ponder that.

from durwood's discussion on patton's boston reg
"What a great debut. Don Imus. who among his other philanthropic efforts brought the Intrepid Soldiers Fund to national interest and raised millions of dollars. His support for a cause moves mountains."

jamie, you outdid yourself with that piece of brilliant strategy..... now imus will be compelled to continue the good fight. as do all of us, imus does seem to take pleasure in pats on the head (as well as other places no doubt)

ping, ct and craig, give ole arlen a break.... he was being principled and philosophical and considering the best interest of his constituency (from his pov). he just was clumsy with his words.

imo, he was trying to say:
"to save the state i love from a nut ball's grasp, i'll fall on a political sword by risking the sobriquet of forever being called wishy-washy, disloyal, opportunist, switch-hitter and downright unprincipled"

yep, I think you covered the water there Pat.

patd.. You have a great way with words... sobriquet ?
OK - but good thing political swords do not have deadly consequences

where does this latest spectre of politcal bravery leave our lieblich lieberman?

and will olympia also ascend to dwell with the olympian gods of democracy?

stay tuned tomorrow for another rivetting story in the series of

as the world partys turn

oops, meant "as the world's party turns"

Fed Fights a Record Global Bank Run
By RANDALL W. FORSYTH
New data show authorities' response was equal to the crisis -- unlike in the 1930s.

But data just released by the Bank for International Settlements suggest that, if anything, the expansionary measures taken by the Fed (and in concert with the Treasury) were dwarfed by the record contraction in the global banking system brought on by the crisis.

According to the BIS, which acts as a central bank for central banks, total bank claims shrank by $1.8 trillion in the fourth quarter, or 5.4%, to $31 trillion. This was the largest decline ever recorded.

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB124095424166565355.html

Why wait until tomorrow?
Oh Obama will have completed 100 days at that point. Will as the poll's show he is as popular as most other Presidents.
Question - Why is the press pressing him still so much? Obama is right on track and his poll numbers in fact are nothing special - and that in and of it self may be telling?
The tingle is starting to wear off....but slowly as soon BO will have more then just broken Campaign promises to $account$ for... But as Specter voted he can stand next to BO in that role call when the day to pay arrives

America's Most Polluted Cities
Rebecca Ruiz, 04.29.09, 03:01 AM EDT
The counties and metro areas with the nation's poorest air quality.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/28/pollution-ozone-air-lifestyle-health-ozone-pollution.html

Self -serving..the epitome -- Rudeeee on CNN this morning saying Obama did not learn the lessons of 9/11

I'm thinking Rudee is the one who didn't learn anything
what a loser. (and money grubber)

That's what I love about you Ping, every morning up bright and early, you're lookin' for that pony under the day's pile of manure.

what!?... he just wants to get re-elected!?.....
now who woulda thunk that..... what a surprise.....

and of course we all know that primaries (and caucuses) ain't the general election..... the majority of people who bother to get their ass out of a chair and go vote in one aren't generally moderate....

all this having to please your base in your party in order to win the nomination is just so much stuck on stupid..... IMO.....

Why would he shoot himself in the foot like that by giving his motivation for switching? Clearly, he's going to have to play ball with the Dems until the election in 2010, if he has any hope winning. Was the lashing from the GOP too much for him to take? It's just weird. He's managed to taint himself for both parties.

Arlen Specter: How to destroy a 30-year career without really trying.

"all this having to please your base in your party in order to win the nomination is just so much stuck on stupid..... IMO....."

I think you're right about that, Renee. It makes for a lot of primary BS.

Cbob.... Ya look and if you do not find the pony then ya takes the pile of manure and sells it for fertilizer!!

BlueNd... Hey - the Dems have been after him also to come on over - He would have not made the change if the invitation was not out there. Barack needs to tone down the old gaurd like Nancy P, Harry R, Dodds... This is good for the party to bring some balance and another face to put in front of the camera - Barack - or someone - is very politically smart.

The Dems pulled him in as much as the Rep pushed him out

The thing I am MOST sick of: continual talk of Reagan's likability and popularity. I DESPISED his presidency. And you'd think I'd have given him a bit of a pass because I knew his daughter Maureen well and loved her. I think this is continued GOP (and in many cases, media) spin.

patsi, totally agree.
also why can't any of these nabobs remember that the same goofy ilk that almost did in the dems, ie the dixiecrats, are the same who are digging the gop's grave.

Compost Ping Compost

rr - The GOP base is so tiny, it's ready to tip over. At some point, isn't this just going to about who gets custody of the Republican brand?

Maybe this is the point in time when the Libertarian party becomes a viable 3rd party.

Folks on the right who don't like big gov't can join ranks as Libertarians, or, if they want a church-state, they can stay with the Republicans.

If Specter had moved to the Libertarian party, he probably wouldn't have been a player in 2010, either, but maybe it would've been a more honest choice.

ping - Ha! So the devil made him do it? Please. The man has a mind of his own & he let everyone know what was on it. He made a huge mistake because now nobody's gonna trust him.

Agree the Dems need to do something to mitigate the Pelosi/Reid factor. Not good for the party & as annoying as the far right. Both extremes = biting on tinfoil.

The continuing desintergration of the Wilkins Ice Shelf -

TROMSOE, Norway (Reuters) – An area of an Antarctic ice shelf almost the size of New York City has broken into icebergs this month after the collapse of an ice bridge widely blamed on global warming, a scientist said Tuesday.

http://tinyurl.com/c69saq

Patsi, I so much agree about Mr Reagan. It's as if, when he switched parties, that he became like a newly minted evangelist who casts aside all the lessons of a lifetime.

Boeing B-17 carries passengers over Seattle, back in time

How can I hitch a ride in the B-17?

The bomber will fly on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The flights leave hourly. The cost to fly is $430 per person. (Liberty Foundation members fly at a discounted $395. Some discount rates are available.)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/405602_bomber28.html?source=mypi

“Liberty Belle”

http://www.libertyfoundation.org/

Great nose art on this one.

"America's cybersecurity has been described as "broken" by one industry expert and as "childlike" by another."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8023793.stm

Blue.... the GOP base is the about the same as the Dem base...... 30%.....
the rest of us are independents and moderates.... and right now we're flocking to the Dem side....

when you consider Specter's recent bout with cancer and his age..... you have to wonder why he just simply didn't retire.....
I heard on NPR yesterday that he very much wanted to get some legislation passed on education and healthcare..... and if that's true..... I applaud his move heartily.....

Patsi.... primary BS.... remember all the hoops McCain, Romney and Rudi had to jump through to try to prove to the GOP base that they were conservative enough to be called..... conservatives....

and all that invoking of Ronnie Reagan in front of that plane... what a joke...

Jamie -
Some art for the 94th page :

http://www.montgomerycountybulls.com/uncle-sam-wants-you.jpg

mornin'

I know this may sound naive, but isn't it just possible that Specter switched BOTH to save his career AND to move away from a party he no longer felt he represented the ideals of and vice versa after 30 years of service?

When you represent a state that has 1.2 M more dem voters than Reps, and you're being challenged by a RW ideologue who almost beat you in the primary the last time, how is using the 2010 primary to try and effect change in the party even possible? NFW, that's how.

All this talk about principles and party labels for moderate politicians makes me laugh, as does trashing one of 3 Repugs who voted for the (aguably) largest "liberal" program we've seen in decades because by changing parties he can save his political ass. And really, does anyone in PA think he's any more an Obama Dem today than he was yesterday? I doubt it. He's pretty transparent, so what's the beef, really? Repugs know what they've lost and Dems know what they're getting.

Like it or not, this is a two party system, and the Liberatrian party is not viable in contested states like PA, so a princiled stand that ensures an electoral loss is just stupid. Tell it to Ron Paul - last I knew he still was a Repug, but his picture is next to the definition of Libertarian in the political dictionary.

Good for Specter for not being a dope, and as to the Repug party, which has driven itself off the cliff to the right I say fuggem, the chickens are coming home to roost.

Renee -- Yes, I heard that about the health care issue and Specter. Very much hope that's true. The insurance companies, drug industry and big health money suckers all have their tentacles so deeply embedded in Washington that I have about given up hope for anything real. But...guess you never know.

And that invoking of Reagan throughout the Republican primary was enough to turn the stomach.

Do any of them ever just retire? Besides Fritz Hollings, I mean.....

strom thurmond......byrd......kennedy.....specter......they never quit......

aha.....one of the RULES.......they dont give up power, you have to take it from them...............

And really, Reagan was no tthe only politician in recent memory to change parties - I seem to recall Hillary being a Goldwater Girl, and Norm Coleman was a Dem (and thank god he changed to the Repugs).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/nine-party-switches-made_n_192416.html

Jamie -
Forget the art above , here's one run through the Graphic Converter -

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6682/unclesam94th.jpg

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223876

Patd

Thank you but OSH is the one who gets all the praise for contacts. I'm the idea and research staff. :-) Speaking of which I just found a paragraph on another site dedicated to a deceased member of the 94th that totally substantiates the testimony of the two men we already have on the site as to location and condition of the prisoners they found and passed along to medical relief.

The big problem is trying to get this done by Memorial Day if humanely possible.

Sea, Jamie,

These pages appear to be a treasure trove of information about Sea's Dad's division and regiment:

http://www.angelfire.com/va2/worldwar2family/freddie2.html

Good to see the Sebelius nomination finally was confirmed.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/obamas-cabinet-is-now-complete/?hp

And the Repugs couldn't manage a total party line vote. Bond, Brownback, Gregg, Roberts, Voinovich, Snowe, Lugar, and Collins voted with the Dems to confirm her. Of course Specter, Sanders and Lieberman did so as well.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223912

CBob

I LOVE IT!!! OSH gives her okay and I'll use it for the next write up

Renee,

one could dispute your claim that the R's and the D's are about equal size. More like 21% claim the R brand now.

"The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows the depth of the party's problems. Just 21 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as Republicans. That's the lowest since the fall of 1983, when just 19 percent identified themselves as Republicans. Party identification does fluctuate with events. But as a snapshot indicator, the latest figures highlight the impact of Obama's opening months on the Republican Party. From a high-water mark of 35 percent in the fall of 2003, Republicans have slid steadily to their present state of affairs."

sobriquet sounds so much nicer than nickname

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223893

Patsi,

Maureen was a totally beautiful human being and a great loss so young. Of course she got half her genes from Jane Wyman. :-)

I even liked Reagan most of the time as a person if not his Presidency or politics.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223906

Patsi,

Billions could be saved for the tax payers with a single payer system but that would be billions lost to the Insurance and Drug profiteers. The politicians are elected by the tax payers but they are owned by the profiteers ... guess who will win?

Signed: Cynics R Us

Jamie -
Let me know if you need anything else, resizing ............ anything.
I'll make Uncle Sam talk if want.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223917

Horsedooty

Unfortunately for the Republicans when most people hear the name of the party they think of those nutty callers to talk radio, the evangelical picket lines, and the wacko calling Obama an "Arab" during the campaign.

It is a sorry state that the Party of Lincoln then is more associated with the KKK now.

Bob, speaking of party stars, party on, dude.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/oldest-object-in-universe_n_192589.html

gop should get coleman to withdraw asap, stop holding franken hostage, which will relieve some of the pressure and impetus for the dems to continue to recruit and flip more whigs.

Sea,

And here are a couple more important pages about your Dad's unit:
http://www.criba.be/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=155
http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=100893

Based on his return address, he was in Hq Co, 1st Battalion, 301st Inf Regiment. The first link is about another fella also in Hq Co. It's quite possible that your Dad will remember this person.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223924

CBob

I think Uncle Sam talks too much already. :-)

I'm trying to think of a slogan to go with him. Maybe: "They took care of me - Take care of them."

Ol' Pat sees things pretty clearly sometimes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/buchanan-gop-a-heavily-wh_n_192532.html

As the saying goes, "You reap what you sow."

hey Ivy....
the first pair of rose breasted grosbeaks showed up at my feeders this morning...

Dooty.... I'm not surprised by that poll..... hopefully the economy will recover soon.... right now it's still Bush's recession..... but if it lingers for too long it will become Obama's.... that and the fact that the Dems carry both houses will make the GOP's poll numbers rise again.... as long as the GOP is courting the evangelical right, I want it to remain in the wilderness....

it looks like the Mexican swine flu is really the Ohio swine flu
http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2007/08/swine_flu_in_ohio.php

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223925

yeah, Jamie it's just killing me that they have ruined the good name of the GOP.

Renee, you may be right but the way things are going, Ping and his fellow R's could be out of power for at least the next 40 years. Possible that the R party could only be white southern Christers that want to be the American Taliban to use a phrase that Anon P uses.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/arlen-exspectorates.html#comment-223750

Flatus, there is some truth in all that IMHO. This does differ from the repug takeover in 1994 in certain respects - in '94 repugs rode a wave of voters being fed up with politics as usual and promised straight talk, common sense, fiscal restraint, and all that jazz - and they did not deliver what they had promised. Dems have been making incremental gains over the past 3 or 4 election cycles because they seem to be acting more like adults, aren't trying to make one thing while they sell another that the voters don't want to buy anyway, and are welcoming the changing face of our population to the party rather than making it clear that only the ideologically pure and the uber-patriotic are welcome. I think it makes for a more durable majority, as long as the economy turns around before the world as we know it ceases to exist.

Dooty... I've voted for nothing but Democrats since the 2000 election....
but I would never use words like "fascists".... "nazis".... or "American Taliban" to describe a fellow American with whom I had a political disagreement....

IMO.... it makes the extreme left look just as bad as the extreme right....

hey Carol.... I forgot to tell you that while looking at the picture of your river you posted last night..... I swear I could feel the fishing pole with the first tug of a bass on the line in my hands....

Democrats Moveon
Republicans Moveback

Jamie -
Every campaign of this sort needs a Propaganda poster :

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/5618/94thpropagandaposter.png

Flatus,
I'm going to pass those links from you onto Sea's email, in case she doesn't check in here for a while. I'm sure she'll be anxious to see them.

Pogo,

I just had a thought about the welcome some of us are giving Mr Specter. It's something like he shows up for a party, with a bouquet of flowers for the hostess, and is told, "Screw you, didn't you know it was BYOB."

Thank you, Chloe. :)

Yep, Flatus, true enough. As for me, I say, welcome in Arlen. Make yourself a drink if you'd like, and there are appetizers back in the kitchen. I think everyone here already knows you, so feel free to mingle. Oh, and excuse my manners - Thanks for coming.

.... it's done.
You're welcome Flatus. That is so nice of you to have done that research.

"I would never use words like "fascists".... "nazis".... or "American Taliban" to describe a fellow American with whom I had a political disagreement.."

Well said Renee.

Right you are, Pogo. An ounce of pragmatism is worth a pound of bile.

Jamie -
The web masters at my dad's unit the 300th Engineers are pretty cracker jack.

You might ask them for help as well :
http://www.300thcombatengineersinwwii.com/index.html

"I would never use words like "fascists".... "nazis".... or "American Taliban" to describe a fellow American with whom I had a political disagreement.." Renee.

those terms are so unAmerican anyway
and stupid f--k is much more appropriate :)))))

KC, RFLMFAO!!!!

Wow, It just seems ironic that this article is coming out of MSNBC....

"The current spate of 100 days media coverage has the feel of the old adage, "Everything's been said, just not everyone has said it."

And yet, it's amazing how little attention we've given to what the Obama presidency looks like from 30,000 feet.

The lack of context these days, particularly in this current 24/7, attention deficit disorder news environment, is one of the sadder developments in Washington."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30460145/

Flatus, perzactly. And I've been accused of being a pragmatist by more than one person who knows me well. Of course I've been accused of being many other things I didn't necessarily agree with, but pragmatist - yeah, I can accept that.

Sign me up about the name calling, and lord knows I'm a sinner on this one.
But then I think of all the Republican judges that will be screwin' us for years to come, and it not's so easy to bite my tongue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress' decision to extend a key provision of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years is at the core of a case being argued before the Supreme Court.

The justices are hearing the final arguments of their term Wednesday in a dispute from Texas. At issue is a requirement that all or parts of 16 states with a history of discrimination in voting get approval from the Justice Department before they implement even the smallest changes in the way elections are held.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gxXoISX6uXS69SazeFN_NwxubzxgD97RVQTO0

.... me too KGC. That's much better.

... laughing with pogo, that is.

DeMint: We Lost Pennsylvania Because 'Forced Unionization' Caused Republicans To Flee

" ................. One of those people is Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who says the Republican party's hitting the sweet spot. He attributes the non-viability of the Republican party in state's like Pennsylvania to the fact that voters have fled "forced unionization" in the northeast for the safety and comfort of the southern motherland.

Seriously.

But don't mistake DeMint for a crank. He's actually a consummate optimist. He says "Pat Toomey, who is running in Pennsylvania, is one of the most maintream Americans I know." And surely all those diaspora northerners will repatriate Pennsylvania when they realize that the "mainstream" is on the rise and "forced unionization" will no longer beleaguer the tea-loving masses. "

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/demint-we-lost-pennsylvania-because-forced-unionization-caused-republicans-to-flee.php?ref=fp1

Chloe, Good posting on the frenzied inanity of the 100 day coverage. Leave aside the important, but largely tactical, focus on repairing the economy, and in the larger context we see under the Obama administration an America that is comfortable reflecting on who we are as a people. Is torture ever (or under what circumstances) consistent with our ideals? Is it right that a major segment of our population goes without adequate health care because they can't afford it? Can we act to avert long-term disaster resulting from global warming? Can we advance our interests by talking to those we have major disagreements with?

Only four months ago, these questions were off the table. Now we are having a relatively reasoned debate about them, and there is some hope that we can reach some answers built around a substantial consensus.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223893

Patsi -- It was Reagan who made me switch from GOP to DEM. I can't stand him -- to the point that I even refuse to call Washington National Airport by its "new" name. Sorry, I didin't have much use for Maureen or Michael either. Now Patti and Ron are cool -- but only because they rebelled.

Craig -- sometimes when your political party changes completely out from under you, it's better to switch than fight. If I'd stayed with the GOP back in the early 1980s, I would not have been able to change a thing about them. Most of my "gypsy moth" GOP friends have friends have made the switch. It's all fine.

The DEMs who left -- like Richard Shelby and Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Billy Tauzin, Ralph Hall -- they felt like they no longer had a place in the DEM party and the DEMs were not in the majority anymore so they made the switch to the GOP for career reasons. Tauzin to become a Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, Shelby to get a better committee assignment, Ralph Hall because his district was GOP. I still haven't figured out why Campbell left -- but I think he did get a better committee assignment as a result of the switch.

Switch happens.

Diarrhoea near epidemic in Bangladesh heatwave: clinic

Cases of diarrhoea in Dhaka are reaching epidemic
levels, a health expert warned Monday, as the Bangladeshi capital faced record temperatures, a severe water shortage and power cuts.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Diarrhoea_near_epidemic_in_Bangladesh_heatwave_clinic_999.html

Linked on that story, some very nice pictures and interview on a slightly more personal level. (Obama and one of his family too). Nice images and video. A complete slide will be on Whitehouse.gov later today. ( http://www.whitehouse.gov/ )
(...hitch, we have to sit through the commercial)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30452379#30452379

Cbob & Jamie- My dad thinks the Uncle Sam is great and likes the slogan too.

Flatus- Just spoke with my Dad. the first attempt at Orscholz was a "bad battle. I don't know who put it together but it was unprofessional" They even lost their Col. & his Lt. B had the greatest number of casualties.

My Dad said that he would have known everyone to some extent in Headquarters, he was in anti-tank and they all knew each other very well. Slept together etc. Maul & Meacham sound familiar, he knew right away Lt. Shoush. He did know Bhenke, he set mine fields and traps. He fell in one and was injured, Dad thinks he was sent home then.

I have an article Dad wrote about Orsholz, will get it copied.

"Now we are having a relatively reasoned debate about them, and there is some hope that we can reach some answers built around a substantial consensus."

Joe,
You always ask the most important questions. Great post!

Swine Flu Is Evolution in Action
Anyone who thinks evolution is for the birds should not be afraid of swine flu. Because if there's no such thing as evolution, then there's no such thing as a new strain of swine flu infecting people.

For the rest of the population, concern is justified.

The rapid evolution of the influenza virus is an example of Nature at her most opportunistic. Viruses evolve by the same means as humans, plus they use tricks such as stealing genetic code from other viruses.

http://www.livescience.com/health/090428-swine-flu-viral-evolution.html

"Evolution in Action"

.. yep, things just keep on evolving. All we can do, is prepare for the changes (and hopefully read the signs, so we can see them coming).

Just lovin' the conversation here this morning. :)

I think this column by David Frum may have been posted yesterday - if so, I apologize and offer myself as a human sacrifice.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-frum/another-triumph-for-the-c_b_192534.html

"The Specter defection is too severe a catastrophe to qualify as a "wake-up call." His defection is the thing we needed the wake-up call to warn us against! For a long time, the loudest and most powerful voices in the conservative world have told us that people like Specter aren't real Republicans -- that they don't belong in the party. Now he's gone, and with him the last Republican leverage within any of the elected branches of government.

"For years, many in the conservative world have wished for an ideologically purer GOP. Their wish has been granted. Happy?"

If this gives Frum indigestion, it's OK with me. Thanks, Arlen, and welcome aboard.

Huge ice sheets melting faster, expert warns

"Antarctica and Greenland have been sleeping until now," she said. "Now they are awakening giants."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30460831/

Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier, ........... the world's fastest-flowing glacier.

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.fastglacier/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223964

CBob,

My dark humor side came out several years back when some evolution denier was rabbiting on about founding fathers and what would they think of government now blah blah.

I answered, "It wouldn't matter since they would all probably be dead within 72 hours from evolving mutated viruses".

I have never hidden the fact that I am a "yellow dog democrat."

American Taliban refers to the religious right that wants everyone to think like they do. Just like the Taliban.

chloe, we are particularly adept at reading the signs, once they tell us hat has happened. Makes planning for the past very predictable and comforting. Now as for reading the signs to plan for the future, that's a whole different ball of wax - and we really aren't so good at that.

But let's put this impending swine flu pandemic in perspective. We've seen it twice befor - 1918 and 1976, and hey, it's the flu.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/4/29/us_seasonal_flu_kills_13000_since.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

We've seen 91 cases and ONE death from swine flu in the U.S. so far. Seasonal flu has killed 13,000 here so far this year - and we can expect another 23,000 or so deaths by the end of the year from seasonal flu alone. We do all sorts of things to make ourselves feel like we're fighting the flu, but in the end, it's a virus, we can't do anything other than treat the symptoms once it's contracted, and hey, next year we'll have a vaccine against this year's strain. I'm not saying we shouldn't monitor it and do what we can to try and combat it, but really now, let's not lose our heads over something that isn't a bigger threat than the one we put up with year in and year out.

Time-lapse footage of the Jakobshavn Glacier -

Three cameras took pictures every 10 minutes from 13 May to 8 June 2007, then every hour for the next month, every six hours over the winter and once more every 10 minutes from 7 to 14 May 2008.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14956

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223948

What we could really use from all of these military folks is a barrage of communications to Kennedy, Kerry, Imus, and the Holocaust Museum indicating support of Liberator Status for the 94th.

In projects such as this the more voices saying "Atta Boy!" the more likely something will happen. That's why I want traffic and comments on the website.

Noise should come from a whole lot of voices speaking softly, not one voice speaking loudly.

Pogo, I wasn't really talking about the flu when I said things keep evolving. I was talking about everything. (you know how I'm always generalizing. :))

I was not only thinking of how we can find ways, as individuals, to work with nature and use it to our benefit, but can also enjoy the predictability of it. In all ways.

I'm not at all concerned about this new flu strain. But, actually, there is more we can now do than just treat the symptoms. The antivirals can shorten the length of the flu, and can actually prevent any symptoms at all, if you take it soon enough. Also, those flu shots are remarkable. Since I've been taking them, I've not gotten very sick at all. They may not be up to date, but it's a lot better than no shot at all.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223970

Or it could apply to the American left, who want everybody to think like they do.

I'm like Renee, in that name calling gets you no where. It and demonizing are bad habits of all wingnuts.
Also, there are more than 2 wings, politics is not bipolar.

Jack

"the religious right that wants everyone to think like they do."

I agree Doots. That's wrong.
But, it also seems true of most people. They want other people to think like they do too. :)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223971

Pogo,

Great comments. We just have to keep injecting sanity into the hysteria. Flu is always dangerous to somebody. Rarely is it dangerous to even a major percentage of everybody.

This one seems to weaken as it circles out from human to human transmission, with those closest to the initial animal to human transmission being the worst cases. It is a little more worrisome in that it attacks the young and healthy rather than the weakest humans. The medical types just have to keep an eye on it to make sure it isn't mutating into a more virulent human to human virus in the manner that the second wave of the 1918 Spanish flu did.

Right now common sense hygiene is more than adequate.

ooh, Jack, there I go again....you just said that.

"Flu is always dangerous to somebody. Rarely is it dangerous to even a major percentage of everybody."

... although being aware and cautious, can hardly be called hysteria.

If one of those rare deaths is your kid, your grand kid, a family member or friend, then it sure would hit home.

That's why I'm an independent. I can't be accused of being associated with nut cases on either side of the political spectrum. LOL! Spector swicthing sides to save his butt kinda makes what he did seem a lot less noble.

chloe - I knew you weren't, but your comment about signs just got me thinking about how we respond to the signs we see, and the flu seemed like a fairly good example. And I've taken the flu shots for the past 4 years and haven't gotten the flu either. Yea, the H1 and H3 strains, and others I'm sure, do respond some to antivirals, but we still mostly just treat symptoms and see bunches of deaths from them in those who contract the damned illness.

Jack, Olympia Snowe might just disagree with you on that opinion - at least as far as it relates to the modern Republican party. For a healthy political party, you are dead on.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223978

that is why they still make Fords and Chevys, at least for now. The religious right used to say something like "if you don't stand for something then you will stand for anything". I would say if you stand in the middle of the road you will likely be run over by a truck coming from one way or another.

Thaks jamie. Moderation in all things (except the stuff I really love and hate, of course)

Jack -
Post your site address for me.

Ha Corey! I don't think Spector is interested in being noble, just getting reelected. It's called savin' your butt.

HD, good one - wear safety orange. LOL (note the all caps - humor, not sarcasm). ;-)

Now I'll be evolving along to lunch and then to a track meet with LP if the weather cooperates - if not, I'll see you guys later this PM.

"I would say if you stand in the middle of the road you will likely be run over by a truck coming from one way or another."

I hear you Doots.
But what if you just stay off the road all together, and just make your own path?

Geothermal wells drilled, conference set for Thursday in Salida

By Ron Sering - Special to the Mail

Thermal gradient drilling began Monday for six holes to gather information about possible generation of electricity using geothermal energy in Chaffee County.

Personnel at Mount Princeton Geothermal LLC said the first hole will be on land owned by Taylor Adam east of the intersection of CR 289 and 290 at the bridge south of Deer Valley Ranch and west of Dead Horse Lake.

The drilling is the first in several events occurring this week regarding geothermal exploration.

http://themountainmail.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=16275&TM=42465.03

I heard a comedian ask "Why can't we live in a world where Coke and Pepsi can co-exist?" Restaurants either have Coke or they have Pepsi, not both.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223985

Pogo,

There is no such thing as moderation when it comes to liver and buttermilk. :-)

... 'cause everyone likes to choose a side Corey.

I'd rather have someone (especially a politician) tell us exactly how they feel about an issue, rather than to say "Well, if I was honest and told the people how I REALLY felt on this issue, I'd have lost the election!"

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223990

Chloe

What I see is a the wingnuts busy playing chicken with the cars and I'm on the shoulder and expected to cleanup the wreckage everytime.

Jack

Maybe they've 'gone along' for so long, they've forgotten how they 'really' feel (or just stopped thinking about it). You've got to admit Corey, there's very little reward from their party for free thinking.

"I'm on the shoulder and expected to cleanup the wreckage everytime."

Hey Jack, It's a tough job, but somebodies got to do it. :)

Corey

It is a sad fact, you won't loose an election by lying to the American people, in fact they demand to be lied to.

Tell them the truth and they will vote against you everytime.
It is the 80/20 rule 20% of the voters will vote qagainst ytou for your support on any issue. If you come out on 5 issues then 100% are against you. Well not quite but you get the idea.

Jack

.. it's all about survival.

... of the fittest.....there goes that pesky law of evolution again.

I know, Jack. I'd just prefer it the other way. :)

Sea,

I had mixed feelings about posting those links--I was fairly sure that he would remember some of the people, but, I was and am concerned that it may cause a depression on his part.

Please, if you sense that he's becoming depressed with this added information, consider taking him down for a visit at his local VA establishment; they are well equipped to evaluate and treat folks of all ages recalling the realities of war.

Bob

http://showyourgarden.blogspot.com/

KGC.... ROFL! I have no problem with snarkiness.... a matter of fact....
I LOVE it!....

hey in cross country skiing and hiking.... making one's own path is called.... bushwhacking.....

I've been getting the flu shot for about 10 yrs.... I thought I had what was a very bad cold this past February..... but after describing the symptoms to my doctor a few weeks ago.... she said in all likelihood I had the flu.... and as a diabetic, my immune system is considered compromised.... but it didn't come close to killing me....

Sea ,,,,just wanted to say that Im following all of the happenings with your Dad, and the 94th,,,,Dreams do come ture,,,sometimes,,I have let all of my friends know about it,,,,and have told my VA Doctor,,and office,,and the people at the VA hospital about it,,,,Im very happy for you,,,,and tell that kid of yours to pull his pants up HUh! ,,blue underwear ?? :-)

Chloe,,,and,,,Carol,,thanks for the notes,,,,Im Ok,,,just enjoying your great posts and you Carol,,,,,," you've come a long way baby" and I loved all of the pictures that you posted,,,specially the one with you that t he evolved one took,,you look just fine too me,,I would love to be there with you,,,looks great.

Justme,,,or is it you? ,,,,,,,You're hooked,,,it too late for you!!

A Specter is just another Politician,,,,that is not looking for what is best for the country,,or even his own State,,,I think that the if one member of a party is really tired of it's treatment of him,,,what makes him think that the party that he has been fighting against for over 29 years is going to respect him at all,,,,he is just going to have to kiss a lot of ass ,,,,,if he really cared he would join the independent party,,,,and grow it to the point or contention,,,,he would be joined by some pretty heave weight like Chucke Hagel,,,,M Bloomberg,,,,and others,,,,and would also attract many from the Dems,,,if they saw some future in it,,,along with most Americans,,,that are tired of the two party f---ing it all up for the rest,,,,,and on a personal level,,,,I don't get it ,,,,,with lots of $ and a short life ahead of him,,why he just doesn't go and enjoy t he rest of his life with family,,,and mother earth,,,,??

Thanks Jack -
Got you linked up.

Sturg -
I moved your cornfield out of the Atlantic Ocean.

Blonde -
You are no longer Location # 10.

Where the seeds went :

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&source=embed&msa=0&msid=115436378164938558964.000467f5f03aefa359e98&ll=37.0625,-95.677068&spn=29.081881,72.070313

"If this gives Frum indigestion, it's OK with me. "

LMAO! Ditto.

Jamie,

I think the number of hits is about to jump dramatically. Check"
www.tricare.org
www.militaryretired.us

CB,,,,,,been raining a lot here,,,and since Chloe challenged me to a Blue Hopi race,,,I changed the location of where I was going to plant them,,,I put them in a part that has had some thing growing on it for over 50 years,,,,and was once also a nursery ,,for a home and garden center,,,so Im happy to report that I have about 3,,,to 4 inches of growth,,,,,if I can get another 3,,,to 4,,,more inches I will be really excited HUH,,hahaha

Struge,,,,,on this Friday night line up at 9 pm,,,my time,,,, on Battles B. C.,,,,The battle of marathon (490 b.c.) in where the Greeks defeated the invading Persians, if recalled,,,,and before that at 7 p.m. ,,,is the (new ) Patton 360 ,,,,battle,,,,,,,after Patton is reprimanded for slapping a soldier (Bobby Knight style) for having battle fatigue ,,the show how in Italy,,,he led the 7th on to capture Palermo,,a,nd subsequently the conquest of Messina,,,

Solar.........I have to don my merry tuxedo friday night and go into the corner and do some "background" piano mongering......otherwise i'd cotch it......

the patton that is......i'm kinda familiar with marathon a good bit.......it's when the athenians started gettin' the big haid.......

"Blue Hopi race"

Solar, Buddy.... Good to see you here.
You have nothing to worry about, you've already won. I didn't plant until yesterday evening, about 6 (I bet you didn't know what a procrastinator I am). You already won Solar. Now that's some fast growing. I guess we can still race for the finished product. :) We may have to use yard sticks.

I'll take pictures for CBobs site when I get some growth started, which shouldn't take long.

pogo:

Just in case you don't dislike Mr. Boehner enough:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/29/boehner-rips-obama-agenda/

This guy really is a bone head. He is more fit for reality TV than he is for Congress.

(Although as I say that - I am starting to wonder what the difference is between those two...)

Flatus

They both now redirect to the Liberator site which is wonderful. My only question is does it interfere with those looking for tricare or retiree information?

I may be the last one in the ground. Every time I plan a day to go dig up a space to put them, the sky opens and water pours out of it.

Yesterday, I said to myself, "Self, you will dig tomorrow". Last night the lightning flashed and thunder crashed and today the clouds pouring out water are dotted directed over the freeway ...

downpour, dry, downpour dry, downpour, dry. It really confuses the window wipers: Flap Huh? Flap Huh? Flap Huh?

Sturg,,I tape ,,,them to so I can watch them a cple of times,,,I always find some info that I missed some thing the first time around.

Jamie,,,have been watching the Series of LIfe After Humans,,and,,don't agree with it,,,,I agree about the decay of everything that you see,,,and have always pictured it that way,,,

Humanity has evolved one sidedly,growing in technical power, without any comparable growth in moral integrity ,,,or progress in rational thinking,,,Imo,,,when we say,,speak in the manner that we do,,,,,that we came into this world,,,is not correct,,and leads us to try to conquer Mother Nature,,,We do not come into this world,,,,,we come out of it,,,as leaves from a tree..the universe,,Peoples,,,every individual is an expression of the whole real, of nature,,,,an unique action of the whole universe,,,,This fact is rarely,,if ever (this is my goal,,,always) experienced by most individuals ,,,,even those who know it to be true in theory do not sense (my main goal) or feel it,,,,but continue to be aware of themselves as isolated ,,,egos, inside bags of skin,,,,,we are all the ground root of things,,,all a part of IT,,we are IT,,,there is the taboo,,we are all a little bit s of gods,,,

But what I don't agree with is that it ,,is the end of humans,,,,we,,some of us will adapt,,we are very close (dna) to rodents,,,and will survive,,,but when will all of this happen is when we leave earth for a new home,,,,,our will to survive will make sure of this,,,,,but a very good series all in all.

Jamie, my guess is they'll probably return to normal shortly.

Chloe,,,,I did not measure them,,,just took a guess,,and might have added an inch,,,might be only 2-3 inches,,but the garden that I have,,,the people that had the house before us,,,,was in some sort of Garden club,,and was written up in articles...so I just plant anything right on the same spot and it grows,,,,all of this talk keeps me reminding me of Animal,,,he is the real D.C. farmer.

Solar,

While I agree with the adaptation part, we are animals and animals have gone extinct before when circumstances spiraled out of their control.

About 40,000 years ago, the human race got down to around 10,000 breeding pairs. It doesn't take a major crisis to wipe out 20,000 creatures. As has been mentioned in the flu discussion 36,000 here in the US annually is the norm.

Our spread all over the surface of the planet does help the survivability, but nothing is ever a guaranteed sure thing.

"I may be the last one in the ground."

You don't have a thing to worry about Jamie. I know how things grow there in your neck of the woods. You'll outgrow us all. :)

Yeah Solar, It would be nice to have animal control back, wouldn't it?

Well, if you've never looked for St Francis Ky, on a map , you've never looked at Ky.

Talk about stuck back up in the holler.

Google push pins don't always stay stuck either.

Jamie,,,,think of life as an of and on switch,,,,,if there are not humans around at a certain time,,,and all goes back to being primitive,,,,and just plant life survives and grows ,,that for us is just the off ,,but when the process of evolution starts again,,,the will be the on switch,,and life begins all over again,,,maybe we will get it right the next time,,,,but the humans ,,wit greeeeeen round eyes,,,that are looking down on the new hominids,,,,are going to be entertained by it all,,,,he maybe some of them are enjoying the show that we are putting on for them now?????,,,this is the real race,,,the race to get us out of here before we are sucked in by our sun,,,,and become part of another dying star,,,just the way things are,,,,but I wish that you would quit wishing for it to come about before it's time....I know that your are not,,,but we will make new cities that will accommodate the new,,,vast numbers of the human race,,,cites that will go up into the sky for hundreds of miles,,,and hundreds of miles wide,,,and enclosed,,,,we won't die off if the scientist have anything to do with it.

Chloe,,,yes AC was very good and had some nice post,,,he is a very caring person,,,,just the wrong name,,,he is very sensitive,,and left after a remark,,,,he forgot to suit up like Craig say;s with a suit of armor, but I think that he still lurks a lot

but I wish that you would quit wishing for it to come about before it's time....I know that your are not,,

Solar,

That isn't what I am wishing for. I'm wishing for mankind to smarten up enough to get procreation under control so that people will stop dying purely because they have outgrown their food supply or from pouring more and more pollutants into their environment. Infants don't deserve to die because the adults that are supposed to care for them are idiots.

Of course I also wish I was young, slender, beautiful and having a wild affair with Hugh Jackman. That isn't going to happen either. :-)

What the local papers have to say about Specter
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20090429_John_Baer__Arlen_s_slick__hide-saving_slide.html?cmpid=16339736

Jamie, easy come, easy go. :)

Michele Bachmann turns the stupid knob up just a little more :

Historian Michele Bachmann Blames FDR's "Hoot-Smalley" Tariffs For Great Depression

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/historian-michele-bachmann-blames-fdrs-hoot-smalley-tariffs-for-great-depression.php?ref=fp1

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/specters-selfserving-principle.html#comment-223893

AMEN! patsi...you nailed it.

So which President caused you, or me, the most hand-wringing and mental anguish? I though nobody would ever top Nixon...but then came Reagan with a ridiculous presidency, featuring all kinds of crazy stunts like bombing Tripoli, invading tiny Grenada, sending David Stockman onto national TV to say ketchup is a vegetable for kids' lunches---and not one, but two corkers: Star Wars ( a ridiculous missile-shield system that ALL scientists laughed at, until they realized the moron-in-charge was SERIOUS!---and then , of course, he gave us "trickle-down economy".
Well, then later came Bush43, and after 100 days out of office, I have bumped his failed presidency back a notch, and elevated that damned Reagan back into his deserved spot...#1...WORST PRESIDENT EVER.

But Inhofe invented stupid -

Inhofe: Specter's Switch Is "First Visible Evidence" Of GOP Comeback!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/inhofe-specters-switch-is-first-visible-evidence-of-gop-comeback.php

Quote of the Day
"In some ways it's liberating, though, in the sense that whether I'm a one-termer or a two-termer, the problems are big enough and fundamental enough that I can't sort of game it out... so in some ways you just kind of set aside the politics."

-- President Obama, in an interview with the New York Times Magazine, on how the size of the economic crisis has freed him politically.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/04/29/quote_of_the_day.html

ColoBob,
Thanks for the Bachmann link. I think there's some elephant flu making the rounds in Washington causing severe delirium. Inhofe has it also.

Flatus- Thank you for pointing that out. I told him of your concern and asked him if all this talk was depressing. He said "I don't do depressed. That was a long time ago and I don't spend too much time trying to figure it out. As long as we don't do it again anytime soon. Horseshoes has taken over"

Damn, Sea, you're carrying some good genes!

NEW THREAD

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/100day-lessons.html