Monday, April 20, 2009

Water Stuff

Two things of note--

CA representative scorches Arnold and asks for his resignation because he can't pull water out of his ass. Actually, because he cannot make water appear to satisfy the endangered species act, Delta food fish like smelt with heavy spring needs, fall flows for the almost extinct salmon, irrigate Central Valley farms and supply LA and San Diego with water from the Sacramanto and San Joaquin rivers. The state water laws and water rights were assigned when the state had 18,000,000 residents. Now it has 38,000,000, more crops like grapes and orchards which need constant water and less water to boot. Yes, conservation could help. Sacramento alone uses 280 gallons of water per person per day. The national average is about 150. Wastewater effluent is seldom treated to tertiary levels. If it were, it could be more easily used. There are a whole class of wastewater plants called WDRs where basically the water discharged evaporates or soaks into the ground. Could be used for reuse.

And really, how many people can CA supposrt with limited water resources? Grow up representative and realize that the problems are bigger than your district not having enough water.

In Texas, 20+ whooping cranes died because of drought. Not enough clean water to supply food. And too many water use rights to keep water flowing for wildlife. I won't even comment on how archaic water use laws are in this country. Wildlife is not even considered. Just Googlke Tulare Lake and see how well it was preserved, or ask why the river in Chicago had its flow sent to the Mississippi instead of Lake Michgan. I am sure the residents of lake Michigan will just love the grass carp as they migrate up the Mississippi drainage. Just like Lake Erie loved the lamprey as it came up the St. Lawrence Seaway.

rojo

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Who Knew?

Now this is really interesting stuff. We have no idea what endocrine disruptors do in the long run. WoW!

rojo
Saturday Thoughts

I know that while we have had many good chuckles over "teabagging" and 2M4M.com. Cooper Anderson's line about having a mouthful was classic, as was Dave Shuster's line about needing a Dick Armey. One thing the April 15th demonstrations did prove was that you could really raise a ruckus if you have a TV station for your propoganda. Fox did a great job fomenting opposition to the administration and organizing everything. They are very happy having a 30% audience of discontent. It allows them to sell advertising and they are a rabid 30% at that.

The demostrations were dissed because they did not have a central theme. They were incorrect about tax rates. They were doing the work of power barons who are very rich. They were angry white guys and their dames. States want to secede. Or split up. You name it, the criticisms piled on. One very common theme was anger and discontent. And it is about 30% of the US population. It doesn't take very long to get that to upper 30% or 40%. From there it no longer is just angry mobs, but a very viable political movement.

from Americablog today-

"It also cuts to the heart of the argument that Ariann Huffington makes about the Republicans possibly capitalizing on the populist anger around the country. The Democrats are dangerously close to crossing the line (if they have not already crossed) and losing the public."

It really doesn't matter if the movement is republican, conservative or libertarian. These are folks who are angry about not being in power, not feeling power (say what you will, but the ability of the right to make people feel related to rich folks and those in power and make it a populist movement that votes against its own best interest is phenomenal!!!!!) and they are willing to voice it and follow ANYONE who will LEAD them, even if it is againast themselves. They want Daddy to tell them it will be all right and that their Daddy will beat up anyone who does not love them.

And when these populists hear that there are bonuses for bank dudes who they know in their hearts did not earn the money and have caused them pain, they are willing to lash out. The uncoordinated spasm of the "teabagging" was manufactured and disjointed. All they really know in their heart of hearts is that they do not like (very vociferously) what is going on. They have a TV network, they have rallying points, all they need is a leader.

If the economic recovery does not happen fast (and it really shouldn't, it was long time in the making and has many factors to be corrected, if they all can), they will be angrier. It does not matter who caused it. They have a public mouthpiece. Fox really could care less. They know they have a captive audience and are playing to them. They know what schtick to lay down to keep it. All they need is a leader to coalesce that anger.

America needs more than anger!!!! It needs a plan. It needs a country based upon the love of others and truth and goodness. Mom and applepie really were symbols of love and fecundity. These are being blasted apart, yet are part of the country I love and envision.

Do not underestimate hate, as opposed to rational thought. The heart moves quickly and draws on symbols more than planning. The country I love and its possibilities can dissolve if the public foment ever finds an effective leader.

rojo

Thursday, April 16, 2009

A meme

Hell of a meme, my choices:

1986 Inductees

Buddy Holly–”Peggy Sue”

Chuck Berry–”Johnny B. Goode”

Elvis Presley–”Jailhouse Rock”

James Brown– Okay, the man is a pig, but the horns and his voice on the laughable title "Sex Machine" are funk at its best.

Jerry Lee Lewis–my first 45-"Great Balls of Fire"

Little Richard–”Tutti Frutti”

Ray Charles–Too many to mention

The Everly Brothers–”Wake Up Little Susie”, my 2nd 45.

1987 Inductees

Aretha Franklin–”Respect”

B. B. King–"My Little Angel", you should see her spread her wings.

Roy Orbison–”Pretty Woman”

Smokey Robinson–too many hits and my third album

1988 Inductees

Bob Dylan–"Tangled up in Blue"

The Beach Boys–Kill me now!

The Beatles–Oh my, where to start. How about the album side with "The Sun King" off of "Abbey Road"

The Supremes–”Stop! In the Name of Love”

1989 Inductees

Otis Redding–”(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”

Stevie Wonder–"Just Enough for the City"

The Rolling Stones–At one time the greatest Rock and Roll band ever. Now the greatest Geritol commercial. Sorry Mick, flailing old man arms with loose skin doesn't cut it. But "Live With Me" or "Bitch" or "Brown Sugar" or "Can't you Hear Me Knockin'".

1990 Inductees

Simon and Garfunkel–Eh, a good group to make chicks think you are cool

The Kinks–”Lola” or "Top of the Pops" or "(Lazing) on a Sunny Afternoon" or "Well-Respected Man About Town"

The Who–"I'm Mobile" or "Live at Leeds!" one of the best live albums ever!

1991 Inductees

Ike and Tina Turner–"Proud Mary"

The Byrds–so many songs so little time, "Wasn't Born to Follow", "Have you Seen Her Face" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"

1992 Inductees

Johnny Cash–I don't know his stuff that much

The Jimi Hendrix Experience–"Electric Ladyland"

The Yardbirds–“For Your Love” or "Shapes of Things". How many bands have had Clapton, Beck and Page?

1993 Inductees

Cream–"Crossroads"

Creedence Clearwater Revival–”Bad Moon Rising”

The Doors–a Berthold Brecht song, "The Alabama Song"

Van Morrison–"Cleaning Windows"!!!!! and many more

1994 Inductees

Bob Marley–"Lively Up Yourself"

Elton John–"Bennie and the Jets"

John Lennon–”Imagine”

Rod Stewart–"Cut Across Shorty"

The Animals–"House of the Rising Sun"

The Band–"Stage Fright"

The Grateful Dead–"Shakedown Street", "Scarlet Begonia", "Franklin's Tower", so many toones. Never has a band been more inspirational or self-indulgent. Depends on the day.

1995 Inductees

Frank Zappa–"Flower Punk", Mudshark", B'Wana Dick"

Janis Joplin–"MOve Over"

Led Zepplin–Golly, where to start. Without them there would be no metal.

Martha and the Vandellas–”Dancing in the Street.”

Neil Young–"The Loner", "Mr. Soul"

The Allman Brothers Band–"There's a Man Out There" best slide guitar around.

1996 Inductees

David Bowie–"Young Americans"

Gladys Knight and the Pips–I am sorry, I like them, but I cannot hear them anymore without thinking of the Gary Trudeau parody "The Midnight Train to Cranston"

Jefferson Airplane–"3/5 of a mile in ? seconds", the live version

Pink Floyd–"Several Small Furry Animals Grooving in a Cave with Some Picts" or "San Tropez"

The Velvet Underground–"Heroin" or "I'm Waiting for the Man"

1997 Inductees

Crosby Stills and Nash–"Suite for Judy Blue Eyes"

Joni Mitchell–"Free Man in Paris"

Parliament-Funkadelic– “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” or "Spotlight"

The Bee Gees–"Satuday Night Fever"

The Jackson Five–“ABC.”

1998 Inductees

Fleetwood Mac–"Oh Well"

Santana–The whole "Abraxas" album. one of the best albums ever!

The Eagles–who cares

The Mamas and The Papas–"Words of Love"

1999 Inductees

Billy Joel–"Village Green"

Bruce Springsteen–”Born to Run”

Dusty Springfield–”Son of a Preacher Man”

Paul McCartney–I have no idea what his solo career wrought

2000 Inductees

Bonnie Raitt–best slide guitarist in the league of Ry Cooder, Lowell George, Duane Allman. Anewer toone is "Gnawing on It"

Earth, Wind, and Fire–”Shining Star”

Eric Clapton–"Layla"

James Taylor–a duet with Dire Straits guitarist, "Sailing to Philadelphia"

2001 Inductees

Aerosmith–”Walk This Way”

Michael Jackson–Wow, many, many songs. His live "Billie Jean" was incredible.

Paul Simon–”Kodachrome”

Queen–”Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

Ritchie Valens–”La Bamba”

Steely Dan–too many to mention, but "My Rival", "Hey Nineteen", "FM" or "Cousin Dupree"

2002 Inductees

Ramones–“I Wanna Be Sedated”

Isaac Hayes–"Shaft"

Talking Heads–Go see the movie "Stop Making Sense" or rent the DVD and dance!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers–"American Girl"

2003 Inductees

AC/DC–who knows

Elvis Costello and the Attractions–"Watching the Detectives"

Righteous Brothers–”You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”

The Clash–"Lost in the Supermarket"

The Police–”Murder by Numbers”

2004 Inductees

Bob Seger–”on Mainstreet”

George Harrison–I don't know on his solo stuff

Jackson Browne–"Play, Just a Little Longer"

Prince–”1999”

ZZ Top–”Sharp Dressed Man”

Traffic–"Light or Leave Me Alone", "Feelin' Alright"

2005 Inductees

The Pretenders–"I went to Ohio and my town was gone"

U2–You know, I know no names of their toones. How bad is that, even though I can sing them when they are on the radio. and good, my my!

2006 Inductees

Black Sabbath–why, God, why

Blondie–“Rapture.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd–"Give me Three Steps"

Sex Pistols–cultural phenomenon

2007 Inductees

Patti Smith–Again the name escapes me, but the benediction "She is blessed among women" makes me break out in goosebumps no matter how many times I hear it.

R.E.M–“Losing My Religion”

Van Halen–”Beautiful Girls”

2008 Inductees

John Mellencamp–I don't know, "Fire and ??"

Madonna–"Ho;iday"

2009 Inductees

Jeff Beck–Oh My Gawd! Where to start. A veritable guitar god. His group with Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood and Rod Stewart were amazing. But "Train, Train" is probably my favorite.

Metallica–never heard them, honest.

and isn't Little Feat there somewhere. "Waiting for Columbus" is one of the best live albums ever!!!!!

rojo

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I had my first discussion yesterday with two people who are taking off work to go to "teabag" events today. They were complaining how the federal government raised their tax rates with the new administration and were taking their money. So I had to ask how much money they made. Reticent to tell me, I asked if they were between $75,000-150,000. Well, yes. Okay, I told them I know their income tax rates went down at least 10%. No, it did not and the federal government was going to feel their wrath. I asked them to use the Google. Ooops. Well, then it is the sales taxes that went up and the federal government will hear their wrath. So I had to ask who levies sales taxes. Is it the fed or the state? Well, then it is their property taxes that went up. I asked if that was the federal government, state or county that assessed those taxes.Well, then it was the raised gas taxes in CA.

So then I had to impishly ask if there was a relation to the teabagging and their chriches. Well, yes they heard about that at church. I then, about 15 minute later, asked if anyone had seen the NOM "gay marraige is a storm and the rainbow coalition is going to solve it." ads. Why, yes, we talked about that at Church. I then asked why the known abbreviation for the NOM ad was 2M4M.com. Why yes it was. Many laughed and the question was asked, why is that funny? We are against gays. Bless Bonnie's heart. She finally had to ask if there was any relation between the 2M4M organization and teabagging. That either got laughs or blank stares from people if they could not draw the correlation. We gently had to explain that you need to know some of the colloquial meanings if the abbreviations are going to be used by a church in its sermons. I am reminded of the old Catholic joke about a priest's first sermon--There will be a peter pull at Saint Taffy's. Except that was a joke. And these people vote. Oy.

Or as David Shuster summed it up on MSNBC, "if you are going to millions of teabaggers together (today), you better have a Dick Armey." in reference to one of the organizers, of course.

rojo

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Oldies that have no political relevance currently, but are just so damnably good dance songs!

the first only comes up with a link.

The other reminds me of the early days of the 2008 campaign where right wing relatives were sending me Baracky Obamie emails. Honest.
At least Barack and Michelle did not come down in the Mothership brandishing Bop guns!



Dr. Dre calling from chronic control. hee! BTW, this is one of George Clinton's best albums and can be had on amazon routinely for about $1. I have worn it out at least three times.

and here is what the bop gun can do.




start the day shakin' that booty.

rojo

Friday, April 10, 2009

Quotation for the Day

"Half the trick to living large...is the living part."

Jilly from the Newford universe as presented in Charles deLint's The Buffalo Man.

Have a great day!

rojo

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Water News and Climate Change

Here is one of the most comprehensive water and climate change compilations I have seen. Enjoy. and warning--there is a lot of stuff there.rojo
Words of Porn, Soft and Tender Won't Win a Girl's Heart Anymore


From the Colorado Springs Gazette--

Focus on the Family narrator arrested for luring teenage girl for sex on Net

By Ernest Luning 4/6/09 1:57 PM

A Colorado Springs man who narrates the Bible in Spanish on CDs and works in the Spanish broadcasting department of Focus on the Family appeared in court Monday in Golden on two felony counts of using the Internet to lure a 15-year-old girl for sex, The Denver Post reports.

Juan Alberto Ovalle, 42, was arrested Friday when he drove to Lakewood to meet the girl — who turned out to be an undercover officer — after discussing various sexual acts he wanted to perform with her, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said.

Ovalle, a native of the Dominican Republic, is listed as the “Voice Narrator/Artist” of the Spanish Reina Valera Biblia, available on 64 CDs, and can be heard here discussing an upcoming Focus on the Family conference with directors of the evangelical empire’s outreach to the Spanish-speaking community.

Juan Alberto Ovalle in his booking photo on charges of Internet luring.

Ovalle “came to know the Lord at the age of 14,” according to a Web site offering his Spanish Bible narration for sale, and founded Spanish Christian Audio in 2001 to “help Christian organizations with their audio needs.”


After first encountering the officer who was posing as a 15-year-old girl on the Internet last week, Orvalle made “sexually graphic statements in a chat room to a person he believed to be an underage teen,” the district attorney’s office said in a release. When the undercover officer said her mom wouldn’t be home the next day, Orvalle said he was “horny” and made arrangements to come to her house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Read the details provided in the Juan Alberto Ovalle arrest affidavit here.

Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey touts the arrests, since 2005, of more than 235 adults for attempting to meet children and teens for sex. The arrests are part of an ongoing sting operation funded in part by private grants to a nonprofit to fund the Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations Unit. In addition to investigations, the program pays for Cheezo, a 5-foot-tall “fuzzy yellow lion mascot,” who travels to schools to warn children about the dangers of Internet luring.

Ovalle appeared in court Monday on two felony charges — criminal attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring of a child –and is set to be formally charged Thursday morning, said Pam Russell, spokesperson for the district attorney’s office. His bond was set at $25,000 and he remained in custody Monday afternoon, she said.

If Bible verses don't get you a date, try lewd sex act talk. Looks like it got him a date with Bubba. I can hear the need for a Dobson repgrogramming special now.

rojo

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Saturday Morning

Time to get motivated!



OMG, the bass! and one of rock's best screams.

rojo
JFC, Is Nothing Sacred?

CDC: Rocket fuel chemical found in baby formula

By MIKE STOBBE – 18 hours ago

ATLANTA (AP) — Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.

The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula. It was published last month, but the Environmental Working Group — a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization — issued a press release Thursday drawing attention to it.

The chemical has turned up in several cities' drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body's metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.

However, the extent of the risk is hard to assess. The government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts perchlorate's effects. The size of the infant and how much formula they consume are other factors that can influence risk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, aware of the debate over perchlorate in food and water, has not recommended that people alter their diet or eating habits because of the chemical.

The study itself sheds little light on how dangerous the perchlorate in baby formula is. "This wasn't a study of health effects," said Dr. Joshua Schier, one of the authors.

The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow's milk, the study said.

The researchers would not disclose the brands of formula they studied. Only a few samples were studied, so it's hard to know if the perchlorate levels would be found in all containers of those brands, a CDC spokesman said.

"This study provides no data on potential health effects of perchlorate. Health authorities continue to emphasize that infant formula is safe," said Haley Curtis Stevens of the International Formula Council, which represent formula manufacturers.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it was considering setting new limits on the amount of perchlorate that would be acceptable in drinking water. A few states have already set their own limits.

The agency issued a statement Friday saying perchlorate exposure is a serious issue and "a top priority" for EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. EPA officials expect to announce a decision soon about future steps in dealing with the chemical.

The EPA has checked nearly 4,000 public water supplies serving 10,000 people or more. About 160 of the water systems had detectable levels of perchlorate, and 31 had levels high enough to exceed a new safety level the EPA is considering.

From the CDC website. Bold and Italics are mine and show that this stuff is showing up in cow's milk because it is in water systems, in well water and how it gets there remains a mystery. Some of it is naturally occurring, but in other areas it is left over rocket fuel that has seeped into an aquifer and flows underground. Jargon in the business is nicely calling it a plume of pollution. Basically, we are fouling our own nests and no one can say what will be the result of this. I think perhaps we have a higher incidence rate of autism and ADD and ADHD than the rest of the industrialized world. This always carries price. What's a few brain lesions when compared to profit?

rojo