Good Thursday to you all. It looks like we will have bright, sunny skies again today and temperatures above normal by about 10 or 15 degrees. No snow so the Chicago record watch continues. The news readers say that the new law which restricts how loud TV commercials can be. I don't know how effective it will be. After all imagine you are watching an action move and the commercial comes in at 2 decibels above the explosions.
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Hope you are having a nice Friday, Everyone. And I hope my internet and computer are better behaved today than yesterday. I got a real appreciation for the old saying "slow as molasses in January." Let's see how things work out today.
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It is now a mild Saturday with the possibility of rain. As you can tell I didn't have much to say yesterday. The Connecticut shooting dominated the news. Most of the coverage was predictable. The arguments for and against more stringent gun control have been made before and I doubt that this will change them. There isn't much I can say except I grieve with the families and I simply don't understand the shooter (and probably never will.)
But then there is another idiot I will never understand: the religious asshole who attributes all the evils of our society to 'removing God.' My reading of history leads me to the conclusion that the prospect for divine punishment, whether sometime in the near future or in an after life, has never deterred anyone from perpetrating horrors. Indeed, more often than not, the perpetrator believes God is on his side and those who suffer the atrocity deserve it.
Much of the discussion on the news centers on 'prevention.' How can we "keep this from happening again?" That question presupposes a positive answer to another, prior question: can we keep this from happening again? I am not at all sure we can answer that question positively. And we also have to recognize that we have no positive answer to the logically following question: are any of the 'solutions' politically, socially, or economically tolerable?
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Good snowy Tuesday to you all. We got about an inch of which not much is left. However, since the official reporting site is O'Hara Airport where they got no measurable snow, 2012 now holds the record for longest stretch without measurable snow all by itself--281 days. Now that we have snow I put up our winter wreath.
While shopping today we stopped in at the closest of our local Walgreens stores. The clerk rang up our little order and asked if we had the 'rewards' card. We said no and that we didn't want one where upon he told us that the store had gone to restricting their sales to their customers who signed up for the card. Mom was not pleased to say the last and told the young man bluntly that, if that were the case, we would shop elsewhere. The 'conversation' went back and forth with Mom expressing her displeasure at being required to give out her information to get yet another card to simply take advantage of the sales. But I got the impression that the young clerk simply didn't understanding her (and my objections). He is used to a world in which that is the way things are and he didn't seem very concerned about the loss of privacy. That scares me. I am not at all comfortable with the amount of surveillance out there and how much information is floating around.
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Good Wednesday, All. Tuesday was actually quite sunny and we expect the same today. And no more chance of snow till Saturday night into Sunday--maybe.
I am not surprised that the Sunday political talk shows didn't introduce the topic of defense cuts. I think the question this Crooks & Liars is apt though I don't expect it to be answered. Certainly not after our legislators passed an appropriations bill which gives the Defense Department another $600+billion.
Another interesting post on Crooks & Liars on Superstorm Sandy. An old saying comes to mind: the more things change, the more they stay the same. I don't doubt that experts were sounding the alert about the possibilities of such a storm and its probable consequences. Officials had similar warnings about the impact of a strong hurricane in New Orleans well before Katrina hit seven years ago. I expect the same response--they will build back to the pre-storm level but no more. I noted Mayor Bloomberg's citation of FEMA statistics indicating only a 1% chance of such a storm hitting New York so, of course, no one was prepared. I also remember former Vice President Dick Cheney's argument for the expense we went to to prevent another 9/11--no matter how small the chance of a repeat we had to treat the possibility as though it were an absolute certainty.
I mentioned yesterday our experience at Walgreens. For those of you who might think we are getting a bit paranoid take a look at this article I found by way of Naked Capitalism. It occurs to me that we don't have to have national ID cards and travel permits as Germans did under the Nazis or Russians under the Soviets. Over the last decade we got 'secure' ID drivers' licenses largely because the Federal government defrayed the costs for the states that balked. The TSA has gradually expanded its reach and is trying to go even further using the same tactic. I can easily see a time when everyone is tracked where ever they go. Think about programs like Progressive Insurance's 'Snapshot' marketed to customers as a money saving choice for customers willing to have their driving tracked or AllState Insurance's invitation to drivers to prove how good they are behind the wheel to get reduced rates. We are under surveillance from governments at all levels and from big business. And it will only intensify.
The prices at one of our local gas stations surprised us. Not the price though that was the lowest in some time. Rather because of the contrast between the E85 (ethanol) and the regular gas. The E85 was four cents per gallon more than the regular. Remember when E85 was promoted as a cheaper alternative as well as a conservation measure? I get the feeling that both those promises were illusions.
While shopping today we stopped in at the closest of our local Walgreens stores. The clerk rang up our little order and asked if we had the 'rewards' card. We said no and that we didn't want one where upon he told us that the store had gone to restricting their sales to their customers who signed up for the card. Mom was not pleased to say the last and told the young man bluntly that, if that were the case, we would shop elsewhere. The 'conversation' went back and forth with Mom expressing her displeasure at being required to give out her information to get yet another card to simply take advantage of the sales. But I got the impression that the young clerk simply didn't understanding her (and my objections). He is used to a world in which that is the way things are and he didn't seem very concerned about the loss of privacy. That scares me. I am not at all comfortable with the amount of surveillance out there and how much information is floating around.
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Good Wednesday, All. Tuesday was actually quite sunny and we expect the same today. And no more chance of snow till Saturday night into Sunday--maybe.
I am not surprised that the Sunday political talk shows didn't introduce the topic of defense cuts. I think the question this Crooks & Liars is apt though I don't expect it to be answered. Certainly not after our legislators passed an appropriations bill which gives the Defense Department another $600+billion.
Another interesting post on Crooks & Liars on Superstorm Sandy. An old saying comes to mind: the more things change, the more they stay the same. I don't doubt that experts were sounding the alert about the possibilities of such a storm and its probable consequences. Officials had similar warnings about the impact of a strong hurricane in New Orleans well before Katrina hit seven years ago. I expect the same response--they will build back to the pre-storm level but no more. I noted Mayor Bloomberg's citation of FEMA statistics indicating only a 1% chance of such a storm hitting New York so, of course, no one was prepared. I also remember former Vice President Dick Cheney's argument for the expense we went to to prevent another 9/11--no matter how small the chance of a repeat we had to treat the possibility as though it were an absolute certainty.
I mentioned yesterday our experience at Walgreens. For those of you who might think we are getting a bit paranoid take a look at this article I found by way of Naked Capitalism. It occurs to me that we don't have to have national ID cards and travel permits as Germans did under the Nazis or Russians under the Soviets. Over the last decade we got 'secure' ID drivers' licenses largely because the Federal government defrayed the costs for the states that balked. The TSA has gradually expanded its reach and is trying to go even further using the same tactic. I can easily see a time when everyone is tracked where ever they go. Think about programs like Progressive Insurance's 'Snapshot' marketed to customers as a money saving choice for customers willing to have their driving tracked or AllState Insurance's invitation to drivers to prove how good they are behind the wheel to get reduced rates. We are under surveillance from governments at all levels and from big business. And it will only intensify.
The prices at one of our local gas stations surprised us. Not the price though that was the lowest in some time. Rather because of the contrast between the E85 (ethanol) and the regular gas. The E85 was four cents per gallon more than the regular. Remember when E85 was promoted as a cheaper alternative as well as a conservation measure? I get the feeling that both those promises were illusions.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Good Monday, All. Still gray with a very slim possibility of snow. If we don't get at least a trace of snow at O'Hara airport (the official site for the Chicago area) the record for consecutive days without snow will be broken.
This was a surprise. Not the notion that the cable companies are looking for a new way to siphon off more money from their customers. Rather that it got to a vote of the FCC without a peep from the lamestream media. It makes me wonder how much else is getting by under the radar.
We watched a bit of CNBC this morning and started sniping almost half way through Santelli's rant. Not so much at what he said as what he left out. I can agree that Obama's insistence on hiking the taxes on 'rich' to the levels set in the Clinton administration doesn't consider inflation. Santelli claimed that $250k today is equivalent to $167K then. If they did take inflation into account the cut-off would be more like $325K. I am fine with that. I wouldn't mind if they set the cut-off at $500k. So what is my problem with his arguments? Basically it is with how many other things haven't been corrected for inflation. Take the minimum wage. If it were set taking into account inflation since when it was set at $5.25/hour the current value (if I remember some stats I read recently) the minimum wage would be over $20/ hour. Santelli's charge that the numbers basically lie because liars have formulated them to do so is quite correct. Take a look here for another aspect of how the numbers are massaged to give a false picture.
This was a surprise. Not the notion that the cable companies are looking for a new way to siphon off more money from their customers. Rather that it got to a vote of the FCC without a peep from the lamestream media. It makes me wonder how much else is getting by under the radar.
We watched a bit of CNBC this morning and started sniping almost half way through Santelli's rant. Not so much at what he said as what he left out. I can agree that Obama's insistence on hiking the taxes on 'rich' to the levels set in the Clinton administration doesn't consider inflation. Santelli claimed that $250k today is equivalent to $167K then. If they did take inflation into account the cut-off would be more like $325K. I am fine with that. I wouldn't mind if they set the cut-off at $500k. So what is my problem with his arguments? Basically it is with how many other things haven't been corrected for inflation. Take the minimum wage. If it were set taking into account inflation since when it was set at $5.25/hour the current value (if I remember some stats I read recently) the minimum wage would be over $20/ hour. Santelli's charge that the numbers basically lie because liars have formulated them to do so is quite correct. Take a look here for another aspect of how the numbers are massaged to give a false picture.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Good Saturday to you all. Gray and wet again but no snow. Another day to tie the record for number of snow-free days in a year.
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Well, here it is--Sunday. And we have now tied the record for snow-free days and it looks very likely that we will break the record. I told Mom this morning that you could tell the temperature was no where near cold enough for snow by looking at the kale. It is standing up straight. If the temp was below 30 it would look a bit wilted. We are getting rain now.
As you cam see I haven't found much to comment on lately. I read a lot in politics and economics and both have been pretty inane. What can you say after you have already said how idiotic the whole mess really is? I could have gone into a coma last summer before the election and waking now I wouldn't know any time had passed. I think I have to change my reading. Have to give that some thought.
Coyote Gulch has a post concerning water wars in the Missouri River-southern Mississippi River basins. It follows on another article in Coyote Gulch yesterday (sorry--didn't keep the link) which described a Horsetooth Reservoir just west of Ft. Collins, Colorado, which is at 40% normal. I think I have noted before that I lived in Ft. Collins for about fifteen years between the late 70s and early 90s. I never saw the water level that low. The interesting part of today's article is the competing interests pressing either for or against a release of water from Missouri reservoirs already at low levels: shippers how move goods up and down the Mississippi vs. farmers in the northern Missouri basin who depend on the river to grow the crops (much of which is shipped down the Mississippi) vs. sports fishermen vs. cities who need to tap the river for drinking (and other uses) vs. conservationists who want to conserve as much as possible of the natural environment (and it isn't just the birds and fish that depend on that environment--it is us also).
The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y., posted this story which puts and interesting spin on natural disaster damage. Think Superstorm Sandy caused the most economic damage this year? Think again!! The continuing drought beat her numbers by several times. And NOAA expects the drought to intensify in most affected areas in 2013.
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Well, here it is--Sunday. And we have now tied the record for snow-free days and it looks very likely that we will break the record. I told Mom this morning that you could tell the temperature was no where near cold enough for snow by looking at the kale. It is standing up straight. If the temp was below 30 it would look a bit wilted. We are getting rain now.
As you cam see I haven't found much to comment on lately. I read a lot in politics and economics and both have been pretty inane. What can you say after you have already said how idiotic the whole mess really is? I could have gone into a coma last summer before the election and waking now I wouldn't know any time had passed. I think I have to change my reading. Have to give that some thought.
Coyote Gulch has a post concerning water wars in the Missouri River-southern Mississippi River basins. It follows on another article in Coyote Gulch yesterday (sorry--didn't keep the link) which described a Horsetooth Reservoir just west of Ft. Collins, Colorado, which is at 40% normal. I think I have noted before that I lived in Ft. Collins for about fifteen years between the late 70s and early 90s. I never saw the water level that low. The interesting part of today's article is the competing interests pressing either for or against a release of water from Missouri reservoirs already at low levels: shippers how move goods up and down the Mississippi vs. farmers in the northern Missouri basin who depend on the river to grow the crops (much of which is shipped down the Mississippi) vs. sports fishermen vs. cities who need to tap the river for drinking (and other uses) vs. conservationists who want to conserve as much as possible of the natural environment (and it isn't just the birds and fish that depend on that environment--it is us also).
The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y., posted this story which puts and interesting spin on natural disaster damage. Think Superstorm Sandy caused the most economic damage this year? Think again!! The continuing drought beat her numbers by several times. And NOAA expects the drought to intensify in most affected areas in 2013.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Good Thursday to you all. I cut the tall stalks on the tansy and mums. I probably shouldn't have cut back the mums but it was the only way to get the stakes and cross pieces out so I could put them away in the shed for the season. I really hope we get some normal temps and snow soon. I don't want my outside plants confused. I would rather they went into their winter sleep and stayed that way until spring. The weather people predict possible overnight Sunday into Monday which, if it comes, would tie the record for the longest snow free period in a year (280 days). Let's see if there is anything I want to comment on today.
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Hope you all will have a nice Friday. We may get some light rain with a possibility (though the weather people are not all that optimistic) for light, transient snow. I looked up the 'normal' temperatures for my areas and found that the high should be around 35F. We haven't seen that except as a low since December began and November was warmer that normal. Two hundred seventy eight days without snow which puts 2012 in second place for the longest period in a year without snow.
Well, this is a hopeful development. I am very skeptical about the emphasis our political leaders place on college educations. I have read several articles over the last couple of years concerning the difficulty high tech employers say they have finding 'qualified' employees. Part of the problem, as a number of commenters have pointed out, is the unwillingness of some of them to pay a good wage for the work. But another part is, I am sure, the lack of workers with the training needed. Going back to well coordinated apprenticeship programs might go a long was to solving at least one of those problems. The other (paying good money for a good job) is another problem. As this post on The Economic Collapse aptly puts the situation we have gone from "Good Jobs to Bad Jobs to No Jobs. Obamacare, however, isn't at fault and may not even exacerbate the problem. The process has been ongoing for the last half century.
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Hope you all will have a nice Friday. We may get some light rain with a possibility (though the weather people are not all that optimistic) for light, transient snow. I looked up the 'normal' temperatures for my areas and found that the high should be around 35F. We haven't seen that except as a low since December began and November was warmer that normal. Two hundred seventy eight days without snow which puts 2012 in second place for the longest period in a year without snow.
Well, this is a hopeful development. I am very skeptical about the emphasis our political leaders place on college educations. I have read several articles over the last couple of years concerning the difficulty high tech employers say they have finding 'qualified' employees. Part of the problem, as a number of commenters have pointed out, is the unwillingness of some of them to pay a good wage for the work. But another part is, I am sure, the lack of workers with the training needed. Going back to well coordinated apprenticeship programs might go a long was to solving at least one of those problems. The other (paying good money for a good job) is another problem. As this post on The Economic Collapse aptly puts the situation we have gone from "Good Jobs to Bad Jobs to No Jobs. Obamacare, however, isn't at fault and may not even exacerbate the problem. The process has been ongoing for the last half century.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Good Tuesday morning, Everyone. Chicago (not far from us) hit 70F yesterday. According to the weather person on the evening news, temperatures in this area have reached that level in December only 3 times (including this time) in the 140 years of record keeping. One viewer had an interesting question--what kind of snowfall came in the previous years of high December? Answer: a trace. Our November just past we got only a trace. Yeah--we looked out once and thought we, maybe, possibly, saw a flake. We had rain last night and into this morning for which I am very grateful.
Another three seed wishbooks came yesterday. Two I haven't seen before and, my favorite, Baker Creek. Still waiting for Burpee, Schumway, and Jung. Already found some intriguing possibilities: a really small tomato that is supposed to be a heavy producer. Ditto a small pepper and, one of our favorite, the Mexibell pepper--a mildly spicy bell. I skimmed the catalogs yesterday but will look more closely over the next month.
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Here it is Wednesday. Howdy, All. Time certainly is flying by. Temperatures are back to near normal. Let's see what is on the 'net today.
Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post has some good comments which eviscerates the arguments for the Repthuglican positions on tax rate increases. They have nothing to do with either job creation or a slow economy.
Helen ends her very on the mark post with an appropriate description of Repthuglican antics: pissing in the baby pool. Unfortunately I don't think we have very many adults in Washington and those few are vastly outnumbered by the over-grown pre-adolescents.
Another three seed wishbooks came yesterday. Two I haven't seen before and, my favorite, Baker Creek. Still waiting for Burpee, Schumway, and Jung. Already found some intriguing possibilities: a really small tomato that is supposed to be a heavy producer. Ditto a small pepper and, one of our favorite, the Mexibell pepper--a mildly spicy bell. I skimmed the catalogs yesterday but will look more closely over the next month.
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Here it is Wednesday. Howdy, All. Time certainly is flying by. Temperatures are back to near normal. Let's see what is on the 'net today.
Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post has some good comments which eviscerates the arguments for the Repthuglican positions on tax rate increases. They have nothing to do with either job creation or a slow economy.
Helen ends her very on the mark post with an appropriate description of Repthuglican antics: pissing in the baby pool. Unfortunately I don't think we have very many adults in Washington and those few are vastly outnumbered by the over-grown pre-adolescents.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Welcome to December, Everyone. And a warm December 1st and first week it is. Temperatures should go into the high 50s or even hit 60 this weekend. A bit cooler after Tuesday but still a good bit above normal. We haven't seen 'normal' in so long I wonder if we would recognize it if it bit us.
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It is now Sunday, Dec. 2. I didn't have much to say yesterday. I got out and swept up the leaves on the patio. Used them to mulch the roses and blueberries. It may be my imagination but I don't think we got as many leaves as in years past. I also checked the moisture levels in all of the beds--doing good. No need to water anything. We got a bit of rain--a very tiny bit--last night. But no snow and none likely for the next week. We bought a winter wreath last week--I think I mentioned that. I said I would put it up at solstice or when the first snow fell. Looks like solstice is most likely. The weather person on the news this morning said that the latest date on record for a first snow is Dec. 16 and last year it fell on Dec. 9. Looks like it will be late again.
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Monday, Dec. 3. Another bit of rain last night and fog this morning. Incredibly warm for December--even early December (low 50s). You might wonder why I don't have much to say on the political row over the 'fiscal cliff.' Well, I was bored and irritated by the first iteration during the campaigns and now I am simply bored with the sequel. Seen this before, boys and girls. I was utterly unimpressed. No matter who wins the debate (Damnocrats or Repthuglicans), we will have some form of austerity. If you can't stomach what is happening in Greece don't console yourself that it can't happen here. Steve Fraser's post on Tomdispatch should disabuse you of such a notion. We have lived with increasing levels of 'austerity' for the last 40 years.
I don't know how often over the last several year I remarked, after hearing about union give backs and declining pay and benefits among non-union workers, that soon enough we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 'something' and 'nothing.' A parallel argument holds that those who have jobs--any jobs--are luck to have them and should be grateful. Well, this Daily Kos post demolishes that argument. Another article I read recently (sorry, didn't keep the link) cited stats which indicate two-thirds of the jobs lost were high-paying-with-benefits types while two-thirds of the jobs created were low-paying-no-benefits. That doesn't sound like something to feel either lucky or grateful for.
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It is now Sunday, Dec. 2. I didn't have much to say yesterday. I got out and swept up the leaves on the patio. Used them to mulch the roses and blueberries. It may be my imagination but I don't think we got as many leaves as in years past. I also checked the moisture levels in all of the beds--doing good. No need to water anything. We got a bit of rain--a very tiny bit--last night. But no snow and none likely for the next week. We bought a winter wreath last week--I think I mentioned that. I said I would put it up at solstice or when the first snow fell. Looks like solstice is most likely. The weather person on the news this morning said that the latest date on record for a first snow is Dec. 16 and last year it fell on Dec. 9. Looks like it will be late again.
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Monday, Dec. 3. Another bit of rain last night and fog this morning. Incredibly warm for December--even early December (low 50s). You might wonder why I don't have much to say on the political row over the 'fiscal cliff.' Well, I was bored and irritated by the first iteration during the campaigns and now I am simply bored with the sequel. Seen this before, boys and girls. I was utterly unimpressed. No matter who wins the debate (Damnocrats or Repthuglicans), we will have some form of austerity. If you can't stomach what is happening in Greece don't console yourself that it can't happen here. Steve Fraser's post on Tomdispatch should disabuse you of such a notion. We have lived with increasing levels of 'austerity' for the last 40 years.
I don't know how often over the last several year I remarked, after hearing about union give backs and declining pay and benefits among non-union workers, that soon enough we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 'something' and 'nothing.' A parallel argument holds that those who have jobs--any jobs--are luck to have them and should be grateful. Well, this Daily Kos post demolishes that argument. Another article I read recently (sorry, didn't keep the link) cited stats which indicate two-thirds of the jobs lost were high-paying-with-benefits types while two-thirds of the jobs created were low-paying-no-benefits. That doesn't sound like something to feel either lucky or grateful for.
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