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September 30, 2006
Canada could see edge of Isaac
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Isaac strengthened into the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic season Saturday, and its winds could reach Canada early next week, forecasters said.At 5 p.m. ET, Isaac had top sustained winds near 80 mph, above the 74 mph threshold to become a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was expected to strengthen in the next day.
Isaac should stay east of Bermuda, but Nova Scotia and Newfoundland could feel the outer edges of the storm by Monday or Tuesday, forecasters said.
The ninth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was centered about 315 miles east of Bermuda and moving northwest near 10 mph. A turn to the north-northwest was expected by Sunday.
Hurricane-force winds extend 40 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds of at least 39 mph extended up to 125 miles from Isaac's center.
Canada? When was the last time you saw a hurricane reach Canada? But no! Global warming isn't real, it's all in our heads!
Found via CNN and check out more about the storms path at the NHC.
Posted by Dianne at 11:43 PM
Much Worse Than I Thought And I Didn't Think That Was Possible!
Seriously Foley is really sick! The actual transcript is much worse than I would have thought. WARNING: GRAPHIC NSFW!!!!
The people that knew about this and tried to cover it up really are horrible people!
Found via ABC News.
Posted by Dianne at 11:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Our "Esteemed" Governor Up To No Good...AGAIN!
"This is the most important letter I have ever written to you," Ehrlich wrote in the letter to contributors mailed this week. "That's why I've taken the extraordinary step of sending you a real dollar bill. . . . I don't expect you to keep this dollar. I'm asking that you return this dollar along with a contribution of $25 or more."DeLeaver said the campaign used the technique four years ago with no complaints.
"If there's an issue here, it's four years too late," she said.
But DeMarinis said the letter raises "multiple issues."
It is clearly illegal under Maryland law for candidates to give people money to garner their vote. The propriety of what Ehrlich did is less clear, he said.
The law also requires campaign expenditures to be made by check, and this involves cash, DeMarinis said.
The state attorney general's office is assisting with his inquiry, DeMarinis said.
Well what do you know, old Erlich is up to no good yet again! Not only did he break one set of laws, he actually broke two regarding campaign money. Plain and simple it's illegal to buy votes and it's illegal to pay for anything in cash. There's one and there two for you. Maybe this is why he needed all that tainted Abramoff money to buy this election, though he'll probably just as easily switch the old Diebold machines in his favor to "win", but I digress.
His defense is lame. Basically he argues that he got away with it four years ago so he should be allowed to continue to break the law with impunity now. Wow! What a great message to send out to criminals...It's ok to break the law as long as you can get away with it! I mean go ahead and commit murder or rape or whatever else you want to do, just know how to get away with it and if you get away with it once, it's ok to continue to commit your crimes because after all you did it once before! I just feel the moral values abounding with this man! More of those legendary Republican "moral values" that we always hear about, when in reality the only "values" they have are being indecent and they are anything but moral! They are only law breaking, generally miserable human beings devoid of souls. It just warms the heart doesn't it?
Read more over at AMERICAblog and check out the article in the Baltimore Sun.
Posted by Dianne at 7:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
More Alexisisms
Fingerwinkle = Fingernail
Posted by Dianne at 6:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Alexis' Shawl
When Alexis saw my shawl the other day she wanted one too. So instead of starting out on knitting her a hat like I had planned, I decided to make her a shawl instead. She picked the colors out herself from my yarn stash:
If you want to see pictures of the front check out Flickr. :O)
Posted by Dianne at 3:28 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
I'm At A Loss For Words
Seriously? How can your organization, who is supposed to be concerned solely with the welfare of children, put such a statement on their webpage given the charges and evidence against Foley? I'm at a loss for words. Sometimes the sheer audacity of people astounds me and coming from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children I would have expected much better.
Posted by Dianne at 10:19 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
And We Wake Up To Yet More News That Republicans Are A Duplicitous Bunch Of Sleazebags!
House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
So at least two of them already knew. Exactly how do you sleep at night when you are helping a pedophile cover up his misdeeds? Soulless is the only word that comes to mind, because decent people wouldn't be able to stomach such despicableness!
Found via the Washington Post.
Update: 9:37 am: There is more over at RollCall:
At least four Republican House Members, one senior GOP aide and a former top officer of the House were aware of the allegations about Foley that prompted the initial reporting regarding his e-mail contacts with a 16-year-old House page. They include: Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) and Reps. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.), as well as a senior aide to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and former Clerk of the House Jeff Trandahl.
Boehner says it isn't true, but he's such a fine upstanding citizen so we just have to take his word don't we?
Posted by Dianne at 9:29 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 29, 2006
Tim Mahoney
Tim Mahoney is the Democrat who is running in the Florida 16 against Mark Foley, or whatever other corrupt Republican they put in his place now I guess. Check out his website and if you live in that area vote for Tim Mahoney. He's the only logical choice and it's most definitely time for a change.
Posted by Dianne at 4:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
If You Aren't Guilty, Then Why Resign?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, resigned from Congress on Friday, effective immediately, in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former male page."I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent," he said in a statement issued by his office.
Foley, 52, had been considered a shoo-in for re-election until the e-mails surfaced in recent days.
Campaign aides had previously acknowledged that the Republican congressman e-mailed the former Capitol page five times, but had said there was nothing inappropriate about the exchange. The page was 16 at the time of the e-mail correspondence.
Foley's election opponent, Democrat Tim Mahoney, has called for an investigation.
The correspondence took place in August 2005 after the boy gave Foley a handwritten thank you note before returning to Louisiana.
Foley was running for re-election to a seventh term. He has represented his district, which includes West Palm Beach, since 1995. Florida Republicans could replace Foley on the ballot.
In his exchanges with the boy, Foley asked how old he was, what he wanted for his upcoming birthday, how he was doing after Hurricane Katrina and for a photo.
The e-mails were posted Friday on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's Web site after ABC News reported their existence. The group asked the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate the exchange Foley had with the boy, who served as a page for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Louisiana.
"The House of Representatives has an obligation to protect the teenagers who come to Congress to learn about the legislative process," the group wrote, adding that the committee, "must investigate any allegation that a page has been subjected to sexual advances by members of the House."
According to the CREW posting, the boy e-mailed a colleague in Alexander's office about Foley's e-mails, saying, "This freaked me out." On the request for a photo, the boy repeated the word "sick" 13 times.
He said Foley asked for his e-mail when the boy gave him a thank you card. The boy also said Foley wrote that he e-mailed another page.
"he's such a nice guy," Foley wrote about the other boy. "acts much older than his age...and hes in really great shape...i am just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey now heading to the gym...whats school like for you this year?"
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Shame on you Mr. Foley! If you aren't guilty (which I am sure you are) then why resign? Why not stand up for yourself? And why apologize to your family? I have a feeling there will be more than just the inappropriate emails and comments that have surfaced so far before this is over. Truly sick!
Found via CNN.
Update: 4:00 pm: What do you know!!! It DOES get worse!:
Hours earlier, ABC News had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former male pages who said the congressman, under the AOL Instant Messenger screen name Maf54, made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.
Who could have predicted?
Found via the ABC News Blotter.
If you truly believe that Republicans are really moral after all of the corruption, lying and down right despicableness that has gone on in the last 6 years then you really are completely insane and it speaks highly of your own character. There are too many instances of these occurrences and indiscretions and that's the fact of the matter.
Update: 4:18 pm: I've been thinking...In today's electronic age who is dumb enough to do this sort of thing via e-mail or text message? Putting it in writing period is just nuts! You are going to get caught and you're leaving a trail. It almost sounds like you want to get caught. Just a thought.
Update: 6:22 pm: And it gets worse! Check out some of the inappropriate conent over at AMERICAblog. I'm sorry, but there is no way you can spin the comment " Do I make you a little horny ?" into a positive light. Sick!!
Update: 6:39 pm: And even more inappropriate content via AMERICAblog.
The Republicans are trying to spin it that what Foley did was not wrong, but his mistake was that it's so close to the election that they can't get a decent candidate (which is an oxymoron given Republicans aren't decent to begin with) into the race. Not for once second do they think his pedophilic behavior is bad, it's just bad that he got caught! Yeah, that's morals for you.
Posted by Dianne at 3:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Can You Say Inappropriate?
GOP Rep. Mark Foley of Florida was caught initiating a rather creepy email exchange with a 16 year old boy, a former congressional page. The emails include Foley discussing what a great body a teenage friend of the boy had, and asking the boy for a "pic" - or "picture" in America Online "pick up" vernacular.
There seem to be an awful lot of bad people in the Republican party for them to be the party of "morals and ethics". This sort of thing seems to happen an awful lost for a bunch of people who are so "moral". I'm just saying. They are trying to spin the emails as harmless, but I'm with the kid who got them...It's creepy!
In the series of e-mails, obtained by ABC News, from Rep. Foley (R-FL) to the former page, Foley asks the young man how old he is, what he wants for his birthday and requests a photo of him.The concerned young man alerted congressional staffers to the e-mails. In one e-mail, the former page writes to a staffer, "Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out."
And this guy is the one in Congress that is in charge of Child Sex Offenders type legislation and such. Does anyone else see the pattern that is forming with Republicans in general in terms of appointing inappropriate people, to inappropriate jobs? Of course the right wing doesn't, but what else is new?
Found via the ABC News Blotter and AmericaBlog.
Posted by Dianne at 2:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test
I'm A Modern, Cool Nerd
65 % Nerd, 60% Geek, 34% Dork
For The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.
Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!
Congratulations!
What are you? Take the test here.
Found via Shakespeare's Sister.
Posted by Dianne at 1:54 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
2 Reported Tornadoes Touch Down in Anne Arundel County
Two apparent tornadoes touched down in Anne Arundel County last night, downing trees and power lines but causing no injuries, authorities said.The abundance of the damage occurred in the lower Magothy Beach area of Severna Park -- on North and South drives and Hemingway Lane, said Rhonda Wardlaw, a spokeswoman for Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens.
"We have two confirmed touchdowns," Wardlaw said.About 20 homes were damaged by downed trees -- 11 of those deemed uninhabitable, said Pam Jordan, a spokeswoman for the county emergency operations center. She said the Red Cross was assisting affected families with housing and other services.
Authorities were working last night to assess damage and had blocked off several streets while attempting to clear downed, but live, power lines and debris from roadways.
When Alexis and I ventured out to run some errands this morning we found tree limbs galore through out our journey. There is a big neighborhood near the main route that had part of it's white fence taken out by a very large downed tree limb. There was a house at the end of the street that lost a sizeable limb as well, but it doesn't appear to have done any damage.
The tornadoes themselves were in the area, but they did not visit our neighborhood, though as you can see in the quote above they did do quite a bit of damage nearby. We hung out in the basement about 30-45 minutes and then it was over. The rain continued, but the wind died down for the most part. The joys of a cold front, but the weather is lovely today.
Found via the Baltimore Sun.
Posted by Dianne at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
But No...They Didn't Know Him!
Abramoff team had 485 contacts with White HouseWASHINGTON (AP) -- Jack Abramoff had hundreds of contacts with White House officials, but they brought mixed results for the convicted lobbyist's clients, according to a congressional report.
The draft report of the House Government Reform Committee said the documents -- largely Abramoff's billing records and e-mails -- listed 485 lobbying contacts with White House officials over three years, including 10 with top Bush aide Karl Rove.
Anyone with half a brain knows that they knew Abramoff. Obviously the man had some power too. The Republicans go on to argue that he wasn't influential and blah, blah, blah, but hundreds of visits, some with Rove himself, prove that he was in the thick of things. You can deny it all you want, but you knew him and you did your dirty business with him too. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
Found via CNN News.
Posted by Dianne at 12:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 28, 2006
Flickr
For right now I am going to be putting pictures of Alexis privately on Flickr. If you're interested in being added to the list of those that can see then shoot me an email. I will be sending emails out to family and friends with the info soon.
Posted by Dianne at 7:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
To The Basement We Went
When I was reading Alexis her bedtime book I heard the wind kick up and then some. So before I laid her down I decided to check the weather channel to see if we had any warnings in our area and low and behold there was a tornado warning for Anne Arundel County! So I called the neighbors to make sure they knew as we headed down to our basement. Apparently there were reports of a tornado setting down somewhere in Severna Park around Route 2. Scary stuff! But the worst of it appears to be over for us. Let's hope!
Posted by Dianne at 7:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Muscadines
I was thrilled that Whole Food also had purple muscadines today as well! Alexis had never had them before, but she LOVES them! She is so her mother's child! ;o) When we were on vacation I found some green scuppernong muscadines at Conner's supermarket in Buxton, but they didn't have the purple variety, but low and behold today Whole Foods did! Yum!
Posted by Dianne at 5:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sugar Pumpkins
Whole Foods had local, organic sugar pumpkins, two of which are roasting in the oven as we speak! The other two we'll roast tomorrow or Saturday. And we're making roasted pumpkin seeds on a separate sheet right now! Yum!! I don't know what we're going to do yet (Alexis wants to make pumpkin cookies, and I think I want to make some pumpkin butter) but it smells heavenly! Maybe we'll just have to make both! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 3:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Aster
The Aster...Yet another flowering plant I had never heard of until today, yet fell in love with immediately upon seeing it at Whole Foods. I'm debating now whether to keep it inside on my table where I can enjoy every day, or plant it outside in my flower bed. I'm leaning toward inside right now. I guess maybe I should have gotten two! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 3:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Shawl
I've been itching to knit lately! I don't know what it is, maybe it's the cooler weather, but I just have had the urge to knit! So I decided to knit myself a shawl to throw on to go to the mailbox on a cold day or just throw around my shoulders around the house.
Click on the extended entry below to see the finished product...And yes I know I need to clean my mirror! ;o) The middle picture of the back of the shawl isn't the greatest given I had to raise my arms to get a picture of my back in the mirror. I think it turned out nicely overall. :O)
Now I'm going to knit Miss G a hat! :O)
Posted by Dianne at 12:28 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Pictures of Alexis
For right now there will be no more pictures of Alexis on the blog. The person who is copying my photographs went ahead and copied and pasted one with a watermark. So until I get the situation rectified I'm not posting any more pictures of her. I may go with a private Flickr! account like Gorillabuns and authorize family and friends to see the pictures only or take some other path I haven't decided. But for now Miss G will be private because she's 3 and to the person copying her pictures you don't know her! Even if you do think she's cute, you have no right! I just don't get some people!
Posted by Dianne at 12:01 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
September 27, 2006
Tropical Depression Nine
Posted by Dianne at 5:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Banned Books Week
I keep forgetting to point out that fact that it's "Banned Books Week"! Some of the books they have on the list are just insane! The most challenged books of the century can be found here.
Banning books has nothing to do with anything other than people trying to exert complete power over others. In short it's insane! If you don't like a book then don't read it! That doesn't mean that the rest of us can't read it and enjoy it if we want to.
Click on the button below to visit the American Library Association's webpage for more information"
Posted by Dianne at 3:12 PM | Comments (36) | TrackBack
You Tried, You Lost, Move On!
During a learning class held at C-SPAN's studios on Tuesday, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said he's "pretty much feeling" what you need to feel to run for President.Since losing the 2004 presidential election, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has been actively laying the groundwork to run again. These comments put him rhetorically one step closer.
KERRY: ". . . You just gotta make the judgment. You also have to make the judgment, which I’m pretty much feeling, I'm saying that I have something to say, I have some unfinished business from the last round, I don't like what they did, I don't like how they framed it, and I don't like what they're doing for the country today, and I think we can do better. . . "
If his polling numbers showed him having massive support, I'd say go for it, but under no circumstances do we need another neck and neck race! We can do better Mr. Kerry! You tried, you lost, so move on! We need someone else!
Found via the ABC News Political Radar.
Posted by Dianne at 2:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
My Budding Artist
People:
And a snowman!:
Not bad. :O)
Posted by Dianne at 2:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
No Wonder People Don't Understand Green
Forbes has an article out this month entitled "Don't Buy Green" which takes some valid concerns and spins them into unreasonable arguments as to why they think you shouldn't buy "green" items. TerraPass does a very good job of rebutting their ideas. My particular favorite quote is this one:
Instead let’s be hardnosed about this and just look at the economics of the issue. Ben & Jerry’s costs about twice as much per ounce as Breyers. Is this because it causes twice the environmental degradation as Breyers? Of course not. Ben and Jerry’s uses more expensive ingredients and carries a brand premium. Assuming demand for ice cream is reasonably elastic, shifting consumption to Ben & Jerry’s means less ice cream consumed overall, which means reduced environmental impact. Our conclusion: Buy the hippie frozen milk.
Say yes to "hippie frozen milk"! ;o)
Check it out at TerraPass.
Posted by Dianne at 2:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New Iraq NIE Won’t Be Released Until After Elections
At an event this morning, Harman disclosed the existence of a classified intelligence community report that gives a grim assessment of the situation in Iraq, and called for it to be shared with the American public — before the November elections.…Dr. Lawrence Korb, a former senior Defense Department official now with the liberal-progressive Center for American Progress, hasn’t seen the report but has discussed it with those who have. “It’s a very bleak picture of what’s going on in Iraq,” he said.
We know what is going on in Iraq is bleak. Our poor men and women over there are being asked to do the impossible in a situation that gets worse every day. My heart breaks for them! Bush is in denial, or is completely delusional, or possible even just so mean he doesn't give a damn!
The reality of the situation is that every single intelligence agency in America, all 16 of them, say that the war in Iraq is doing nothing but making up more of a terrorist target and encouraging terrorist activity, thus not making us safe at all. Did you catch that? Let's go over that again. EVERY SINGLE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY IN AMERICA...ALL 16 OF THEM! Not just one off by themselves...ALL OF THEM! You don't get any closer to consensus than that! That is the very definition of definitive!
So what's Bush and Company going to do about it? Are they going to own up to it? Are they going to try and rectify the situation?
Nope:
White House Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend acknowledged the existence of the report, but said it wouldn’t be available until January 2007:"My understanding is the planned release date, given the work that must be done to have it be comprehensive and complete, is January of ‘07. But I will tell you, that’s still quicker than most NIEs get done. The timing has got nothing to do with the election."
Sure it has nothing to do with the elections! And the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are standing next to me right now and we're getting ready to have a tea party!! This administration truly is the worst we've had in decades, if not EVER!! In the future Bush and his henchmen will be remembered as liars, barbarians and fools! This must stop!
Found via Think Progress.
Posted by Dianne at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Musharraf on the Daily Show
NEW YORK - Jon Stewart welcomed Pakistan's president to "The Daily Show" on Tuesday with tea and a Twinkie. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's tete-a-tete with Stewart on the Comedy Central program was even more unlikely than the much-anticipated meeting between Musharraf, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Bush, planned for Wednesday. As a gesture mirroring Pakistani hospitality, Stewart welcomed Musharraf with a cup of jasmine green tea, and offered the more American delicacy of a Twinkie. Musharraf chuckled and thanked the host, though Stewart promptly changed the subject."Where's Osama bin Laden?" he asked suddenly.
"I don't know," replied Musharraf. "You know where he is? You lead on, we'll follow you."
Musharraf's appearance on "The Daily Show," which was taped late Tuesday and was to air Tuesday evening, was the first time a sitting head of state appeared on the program, a show spokesman said. The comedy show, though, has frequently drawn major political figures, including former President Clinton last week.
The Pakistan president, who is on tour of the U.S., appeared on the program to promote his new memoir, "In the Line of Fire." The book has drawn headlines for, among other things, the Pakistan president's claim that after the Sept. 11 attacks he had no choice but to support the U.S. led war on terror groups or face an American "onslaught."
On balancing the wishes of the U.S. and Pakistan, which is largely anti-American, Musharraf told Stewart: "I've had to learn the art of tightrope-walking many times, and I think I've become quite an expert of that."
Stewart, himself, has also proven deft at balancing both humor and seriousness on "The Daily Show." At one point, he asked Musharraf if he had omitted any mention of the war in Iraq in his memoir because it has "gone so well."
Musharraf again laughed, but said: "It has led certainly to more extremism and terrorism around the world."
To conclude the interview, Stewart put Musharraf on the "Seat of Heat," a new feature for the program in which red lights flash around the studio and the guest is asked a final question.
"George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden — be truthful — who would win a popular vote in Pakistan?" asked Stewart.
"I think they'll both lose miserably," replied Musharraf, an answer met with raucous laughter by the "Daily Show" audience.
Jon Stewart once again steps in and blends comedy with real news. He truly is excellent at what he does. Musharraf apparently did quite well and from what I've been reading and Jon Stewart meshed well. I haven't seen the episode yet, but it's on the TiVo upstairs and look forward to watching it this evening.
Found via Yahoo! News.
Posted by Dianne at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Last Knit: When Knitting Becomes Obsession
Hilarious!
Posted by Dianne at 10:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Catch It If You Can
Elizabeth Edwards is going to be on Oprah today. I've got my TiVo set! John and Cate will be with her as well. She has a new book out entitled Saving Graces and will be discussing that, along with her battle with breast cancer. Catch her apperance if you can! She's a remarkable woman, who I admire greatly!
Posted by Dianne at 10:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Playing With My New Software: "Pencil Sketch"
Posted by Dianne at 9:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Last Cucumber Blooms?
Yesterday when Alexis and I were outside playing I noticed that my cucumber plants are covered with blooms!
Hopefully we'll get a few more cucumbers in before the first frost. I think it's highly possible! :O)
Posted by Dianne at 8:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Agency blocked hurricane report
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes, the journal Nature reported Tuesday.The possibility that warming conditions may cause storms to become stronger has generated debate among climate and weather experts, particularly in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
In the new case, Nature said weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration part of the Commerce Department in February set up a seven-member panel to prepare a consensus report on the views of agency scientists about global warming and hurricanes.
According to Nature, a draft of the statement said that warming may be having an effect.
In May, when the report was expected to be released, panel chair Ants Leetmaa received an e-mail from a Commerce official saying the report needed to be made less technical and was not to be released, Nature reported.
This isn't surprising, but disappointing none the less. Global warming is real. The temperature spikes we are seeing now are unprecedented. Yes we have had natural temperature spikes throughout history, but they have never been this massive and all the pseudoscience in the world can not change those simple facts. These shifts cause changes in weather patterns, especially in terms of more massive and more destructive storms of all types, including hurricanes. We've been very lucky this year that we've had a relatively quiet hurricane season, but the Pacific has not been so lucky. The fact that the Bush administration likes to hide things that don't fit into their overly narrow and completely Neanderthalic world view is an abomination against our nation and clearly illustrates that he doesn't care about the people he's supposed to represent.
Found via Yahoo! News.
Posted by Dianne at 7:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 26, 2006
My Wonderful Husband Figured It Out!
My wonderful husband figured out the watermarking!
It takes a little tweaking, but it's doable! Yeah baby!
Posted by Dianne at 7:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
OK, Now I'm Just Ticked Off!
I took the plunge and got the photo editing software I've wanted for a while because I was all about watermarking my photographs, only to find out that it doesn't have a freaking watermark option! Ugh!! I should have bought Adobe Photo Shop Elements, but I didn't want it really. While the software I bought does everything I wanted it to do and more, but watermark, I'm still not happy! Now I'm just mad! Grrr!!
Posted by Dianne at 5:43 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Jon Stewart on Chris Wallace and the "Press"
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! He points out exactly that the right wing media is not actually looking at the facts of the matter, but just focusing on Clinton becoming angry. Of course he was angry! Faux News "correspondent" Chris Wallace (WTF? Didn't he used to work for a legitimate news source?) set out to make him angry. The brought him to the interview on one pretext, his Global Initiative which is doing great things across the globe, and then zinged him on something else, which by the way Clinton answered and backed up with FACTS! I know that's hard for some of the Ring Wingers to grasp, given they put no stock in facts, but that's the nuts and the blots right there. Facts always trump your "reality" because lies wrapped up in a ribbon don't become fact just because you want them to be!
Click on the picture above to see Jon's segment from last night. It's really sad when a "comedy" newcast has to tell the truth of the matter, because the real "press" is too busy jumping on the Kool-Aide bandwagon. Very sad indeed, but thank goodness Jon does what he does!
Found via Crooks and Liars.
Posted by Dianne at 4:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
At Least The Majority Of People Have A Brain
The Question posed by CNN in their poll today: "Before 9/11, which administration did more to pursue or kill Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist group?"
Results:
I guess all hope isn't lost, though we still have a lot of gullible people out there!
Posted by Dianne at 4:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Funny!
Nobody's Watching
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
I found this WB pilot that I assume never made it to air on Saturday when I stumbled across this:
H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!! Now that the WB is no longer I doubt this will ever make it past YouTube, but it's funny! Check it out! :o)
Posted by Dianne at 3:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
QOTD: What Are You Listening To Tuesday Edition
"Too Little, Too Late" (Radio Version), JoJo, Too Little, Too Late - Single
"Go Be Young", Edwin McCain, Messenger
"Want To", Sugarland, Want To - Single
"Bring Me to Life", Evanescence, Fallen
"Lips of an Angel", Hinder, Extreme Behavior (iTunes Version)
"Far Away", Nickelback, All the Right Reasons
"Daughters", John Mayer, Heavier Things
"Acoustic #3", The Goo Goo Dolls, What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce
"100 Years", Five for Fighting, The Battle for Everything
"Crazy", Pat Green, Three Days
"Insensitive", Jann Arden, Living Under June
That's my current iTunes playlist that I play over and over. What are you listening to?
Posted by Dianne at 3:18 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Ban It Baby!
DALLAS (Reuters) - A Colorado city ban on smoking at workplaces and in public buildings may have sparked a steep decline in heart attacks, researchers reported on Monday. In the 18 months after a no-smoking ordinance took effect in Pueblo in 2003, hospital admissions for heart attacks for city residents dropped 27 percent, according to the study led by Dr. Carl Bartecchi, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver."Heart attack hospitalizations did not change significantly for residents of surrounding Pueblo County or in the comparison city of Colorado Springs, neither of which have non-smoking ordinances," said the American Heart Association, which published the study in its journal Circulation.
The association said this was further evidence of the damage wrought by secondhand smoke.
First off I have absolutely no problem with people smoking in their own homes, except of course if you're polluting your kids lungs, but I am a firm believer that smoking shoud be banned in public PERIOD! Yes it's your right to smoke, but it's also my right not to have to breathe your nasty cloud of toxins! And this study just goes to prove what logic should already tell you...Smoking makes you sick!
A local candidate for County Council named Tito Baca is planning to do something about this in Anne Arundel County:
ANNAPOLIS – Declaring the need to protect hospitality workers and customers from the deadly affects of secondhand smoke, Anne Arundel County Council Candidate A.J. “Tito” Baca will hold a press conference on Tuesday, September 26 at 3 p.m. at the Sly Fox Tavern on Church Circle calling for a county-wide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. As Councilman, Baca will pledge to immediately introduce a bill to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, the only exemption currently allowed in workplace smoking laws! . He wi ll also outline his proposals for addressing other urgent needs during the event.Baca, who teaches health, nutrition and physical education as an Associate Professor at Montgomery College and as an Adjunct Professor at Anne Arundel Community College, will call on other candidates to make the same pledge to protect workers’ health and allow customers a healthier and more enjoyable experience. Currently, four counties in Maryland have smoking bans for bars and restaurants – Prince George’s, Montgomery, Ho ward and Talbot. Charles County has a county-wide ban on smoking in restaurants. Baltimore City will hold a hearing later this fall on a city-wide smoking ban. Nationwide, 14 states and 200 jurisdictions currently have smoking bans for all bars and restaurants. Along the East Coast, from Maine to Washington D.C. to Delaware, Maryland is the only state without a smoking ban for bars and restaurants. Philadelphia’s Mayor signed its smoke-free bill last week.
He's having a press conference at 3 pm this afternoon to talk about his plan! Check it out if you get a chance.
Read more about the study on Yahoo! News and check out more about Mr. Baca on his official website.
Posted by Dianne at 1:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
This and That: Rambling In No Specific Order
Since we got home from the beach I've been in a funk. I think we all have. We're just dragging and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. I think we just need to move to the beach and stay there! ;o) Oh well.
This summer I was very disappointed/curious about our local farm produce stand not opening. They still have their sign up, but they never opened. The people who ran it were up there in years and were very sweet. I wonder if something happened to them? Perhaps they just decided not to do it anymore? Or maybe the drought this year did them in? I don't know, but I miss their fresh, local produce and I especially miss their okra. I'm sure there is another stand type place around here. I know there is one in Severna Park that I've passed before. I guess I need to venture over and see if they have anything that would interest me.
Speaking of interesting me, it's that time of year again for apples and pumpkins! Most specifically sugar pumpkins! What are sugar pumpkins you ask? Most pumpkins can be cooked, but sugar pumpkins are smaller pumpkins that are much sweeter than their full sized brothers and are also known as "pie" pumpkins. Some people say that they are the only pumpkin to use in baking and I specifically think they make the best pumpkin breads and cheesecakes! I haven't seen any yet this year and this is generally the time they start popping up.
The other day I "decorated" my front porch for fall complete with harvest corn on the door:
And somehow the stupid squirrels are getting up there to eat it! I FREAKING HATE SQUIRRELS!! Really what are they but giant rodents with fuzzy tails? They have absolutely no redeeming quality, other than being annoying!!
One good thing though is that Fall is here! I love this time of year! The air is starting to get crisp and the trees are beginning to change colors! I saw my first tree with changing leaves last week when I went to Ellicott City to the dentist:
Granted it's not the best picture, but what do you expect from a camera phone from a moving car? ;o) The point is that fall is starting to show it's beautiful colors!
In short there are a lot of things going on, but my mind is jumping from thing to thing. But I guess that is how life goes sometimes. I'm off to do laundry...Joy, joy! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 12:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Marylanders favor preservation
A broad cross-section of Marylanders favors steering most of the state's expected population growth over the next 25 years into already-existing communities and preserving more rural land than local officials are planning to do, according to a report to be released today. The report, summarizing a series of growth "visioning" workshops last spring, says participants generally agreed there should be a major shift in Maryland's land-use patterns, increasing development density inside the Baltimore and Washington beltways and along transit lines - in some cases beyond what current zoning allows - to spare forests and farmland from the bulldozer."People are looking for real solutions," said Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, one of the organizers of the workshops, dubbed "Reality Check Plus."
"People are tired of natural areas being paved over," she added, "tired of sitting in traffic, tired of overcrowded schools, tired of worrying that there won't be enough drinking water or that it's contaminated."
Just when I lose faith in the people of Maryland a story like this comes out and I see hope! Community groups such as this one work hard each and every day to better their surroundings, especially when politicians get caught up in the muck and grime of whatever it is they do, which appears to be making money for their cohorts.
Urban sprawl in this area is horrendous! One of the things I like most about the house we bought was that they didn't go in and clear out a forest to build it, instead they used an existing lot, whose house was outdated and worked from there. I think there should be more reusing land, instead of just striking out "fresh". You can either remodel existing structures, or start all over, but there is absolutely no need to destroy more land.
Found via Jamison from the Baltimore Sun.
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A Rare Kind of Food Bank
FORESTVILLE, Calif. — For most gardeners, spending a gorgeous Saturday morning harvesting basil and organic heirloom tomatoes is a life-enhancing experience. But for green thumbs at one particular garden — an innovative addition to a food bank for people with H.I.V. and AIDS — the life-embracing quality of a bountiful harvest is quite literal.“I’m not a California effete kind of person; it’s important to get the nutrition,” said Andrew Eckers, a 51-year-old volunteer gardener with a fondness for sorrel and pea shoots who, when the disease had him fully in its grip, spent eight years in a wheelchair. “But this is also pleasurable.”
Founded in 1999 to provide produce for people living with AIDS, the garden is part of what may well be the country’s hippest food bank, a place where the Alice Waters grow-your-own organic food ethic supplants gloomy institutional staples like American cheese and day-old bread.
While most people find little appeal in the typical food bank, this one “creates a place of beauty,” said Rachel Gardner, a retired chef from San Francisco who helps coordinate the volunteer work and gives nutrition and cooking classes for those the garden serves.
The garden, run by Food for Thought, a nonprofit organization, is overseen by horticulturalists from the nearby Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and many of its volunteers are H.I.V. patients who benefit from it. It brims with green beans and scallions but also obscure varieties of amaranth, an ancient Andean grain with flowing Rapunzel-like purple stalks. The fresh produce harvested by the volunteers is the food bank’s mainstay, though it also dispenses other groceries as well as vitamins.
I love this idea! It sort of goes along with the whole "plant an extra row" idea, though on a much bigger level and encompassing an entire food bank. And to top it off it's organic and we all know that's a thing that is near and dear to my own heart! What a wonderful program and what a wonderful idea! Kudos!
Found via the New York Times.
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The Actions Of A True American
Mr. Olbermann once again eqloqently says it all in a way that draws attention to the truth. Yet again Olbermann tells it exactly like it is about Bush saying exactly what needs to be said! Bravo Mr. Olbermann! Bravo!
Click on the picture above to view the video.
Via Crooks and Liars.
Posted by Dianne at 8:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 25, 2006
Global temperature highest in millennia
WASHINGTON - The planet's temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years, warming that has begun to affect plants and animals, researchers report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The Earth has been warming at a rate of 0.36 degree Fahrenheit per decade for the last 30 years, according to the research team led by James Hansen of
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.That brings the overall temperature to the warmest in the current interglacial period, which began about 12,000 years ago.
The researchers noted that a report in the journal Nature found that 1,700 plant, animal and insect species moved poleward at an average rate of about 4 miles per decade in the last half of the 20th century.
The warming has been stronger in the far north, where melting ice and snow expose darker land and rocks beneath allowing more warmth from the sun to be absorbed, and more over land than water.
Water changes temperature more slowly than land because of its great capacity to hold heat, but the researchers noted that the warming has been marked in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Those oceans have a major effect on climate and warming that could lead to more El Nino episodes affecting the weather.
"This evidence implies that we are getting close to dangerous levels of human-made pollution," Hansen said in a statement.
People who continue at this point to be in denial about global warming are just nuts. This isn't pretty and it isn't getting any better! We have to do something...And NOW!! This is very, very troubling and it should be one of our top priorities across the planet. This has nothing to do with politics, this has everything to do with survival!
Found via Yahoo! News.
Posted by Dianne at 7:23 PM | Comments (3)
Let's Take A Walk Down Memory Lane, Shall We?
FLASHBACK: Conservative Lawmakers Decried Clinton’s Attacks Against Osama As ‘Wag the Dog’In his interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, former President Bill Clinton noted that the political right, which now accuses him of not doing enough to stem the al Qaeda terrorist threat, criticized his 1998 missile strikes in Afghanistan as “wag the dog.”
I distinctly remember when this was happening, as I know several right wing neocons with big mouths, that were constantly spouting off about how Clinton was wrong. And this link below has a ton of direct quotes from the time from Republicans calling Clinton out for "wagging the dog". You can't change the facts and the facts were and continue to be that the Republicans don't care about we Americans...The Republicans only care about staying in power and it's high time they were removed from their perch!
Found via Think Progress.
Posted by Dianne at 7:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
‘Fact Sheet’ On Clinton Interview Gets It Wrong
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that neo-conservatives lie constantly to make their "point". Just because you call a giraffe a cow, doesn't make it an actual cow, it just makes you either a) a complete liar or b) insane...You take your pick! Granted Bin Laden hates America, but what has Bush done about? At least Clinton tried to take him out, but the Republicans at the time were all up in arms because he wasn't protecting our country, he was just trying to take "heat" off of himself due to the Lewinsky scandal. Had they shut the hell up back then, and let him do his thing this wouldn't have been an issue. And Mr. "I'm God Of The World" Bush hasn't done a damn thing to keep us safe, he just keeps stirring up the dust and making the world hate us more! I'm over it! I'm over him!!
Miniter says that Bin Laden was known to the Clinton administration after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. That’s true. What wasn’t known for several years was that Bin Laden had a terrorist network called al-Qaeda. The 9/11 Commission report makes that clear on page 341.
But then again reality isn't the Republicans strong suit. They thrive on fear and hate. They wouldn't know the truth if it slapped them in the face!
Read more via Think Progress.
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I Always Said That Movie Was Stupid, But Who Knew It Was Actually Evil Too?
This afternoon Alexis and I were sitting on the floor in the living room playing and I had the TV on in the background. I had picked what I thought was an innocuous enough show in one of those Child Star's Where Are They Now deals. We weren't really watching it, but when the they showed the clip from A Christmas Story where the kid sticks his tongue to a frozen flag pole, Alexis paid attention and freaked out!
Now I always hated that movie. I never saw the point to it, because quite frankly it was a stupid story and the acting sucked, but who knew it was actually evil too? Alexis proceeded to put her hand over her mouth and cry for the next hour. And just when you thought she was over it, she'd freak out again! But I guess it's good to know that she has good taste in movies and knows what is crap, but let's hope it doesn't cause another round of nightmares, because we didn't get any sleep last night due to the nightmares rearing their ugly little heads! Fingers crossed!
Posted by Dianne at 6:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Dolphin May Get a Prosthetic Tail
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The news from Indian River Lagoon was too familiar: another dolphin gravely injured because of human action.But marine scientist Steve McCulloch immediately saw this rescue was unique. The baby bottlenose dolphin lost her tail, but perhaps her life could be saved.
McCulloch, director of dolphin and whale research at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, decided to channel his anger into a solution.
The solution for the dolphin — dubbed Winter — may be a prosthetic tail. If the logistics can be worked out, Winter's prosthesis would be the first for a dolphin who lost its tail and the key joint that allows it to move in powerful up-and-down strokes.
“There's never been a dolphin like her,'' said Dana Zucker, chief operating officer of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which is now Winter's home.
A dolphin in Japan has a prosthesis, the first in the world, to replace a missing part of its tail.
Winter was a frail, dehydrated 3-month-old when she came to the animal rescue center in December. A fisherman found her tangled in the buoy line of a crab trap in Indian River Lagoon near Cape Canaveral. The line tightened around her tail as she tried to swim away, strangling the blood supply to her tail flukes.
“It looked like paper,'' Zucker said of Winter's tail. “Bit by bit over the weeks it just fell off.''
Winter was left with a rounded stump.
A team of more than 150 volunteers and veterinarians spent months nursing Winter back to health. Zucker and her family cuddled with Winter and fed her a special mix of infant formula and pureed fish in the aquarium's rescue pool.
Winter learned how to swim without her tail, amazing her handlers with a combination of moves that resemble an alligator's undulations and a shark's side-to-side tail swipes. She uses her flippers, normally employed for steering and braking, to get moving.
Many dolphins are injured every year due to negligent fishing nets. The amazing part about this story is the fact that the small dolphin, even though losing her tail, was able to persevere and learn to swim anyway! Sure she's not the fastest dolphin on the block and never will be, but she gets it done! And if they can figure out how to do a prosthesis tail on her it will be interesting to see how that will affect her swimming too.
Thanks to Jamison for the heads up on this article! Read more at LiveScience.com.
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Jon Stewart Slaps Down Robert Novak
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10 Things To Do To Go Green
The Times online has a great section called 10 Things To Do To Go Green, full of suggestions to help you get started! And there is more information than just ten suggestions...Check it out!
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September 23, 2006
Happy Autumnal Equinox
Fall is here! Yeah! Winter is just around the corner. I love this time of year!
Read more over at Wikipedia and ReligiousTolerance.org.
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Traveling In Style
One week ago today we left the beach. Around this time I was taking pictures of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. It's amazing how fast time passes!
Posted by Dianne at 10:13 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 22, 2006
New Picture Heart
From now on all pictures posted on this blog will have this heart stamped in a way that can not be erased or cropped without destroying the picture somewhere on them:
