Monday, February 08, 2010

Looks like global warming skipped over the northeast US


Washington DC and the adjoining states have gotten hit by a fairly good blizzard; having been in a couple of those, I don't envy them.  At least in my area we're used to deep snow on occasion.  Hope they don't have too many problems from it.
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Looks like science fiction writer William Tenn has died.  I read quite a bit of his stuff while growing up.  If you are under fifty, you probably have no idea who I am talking about.

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It would seem that the White House has decided that we need another agency, one on climate change.
What is with the media in this country?  There are all sorts of scandals and dirty deals being exposed about the whole anthropomorphic climate change fiasco, and the MSM in this country is downplaying it as much as possible. Of course, these are the same people who fawned over Al Gore, so what can you expect?  The more stuff that comes out, the worse things are looking.  No one is doubting that the climate changes, but the questions are how much does it change, and is it due to human actions?  From what is showing up, the global change is nowhere near as much as some are claiming, and there is damn little evidence that it is of mainly human influence.  It looks to me like just another way of the federal government to get a little more control of people, and expand its bureaucracy some more.

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"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."
-Will Rogers


The POTUS and the Senate are having all sorts of conniptions because the Republicans don't want to play games with them on the healthcare plan.  Personally, I don't trust either party, but I think the Republicans might be right in this case.  Start over and try to hammer something out.  Right now, we keep hearing that the Democrats want the Republicans to reach a compromise with them.  It has been my experience that anytime someone comes to you with that line, you are in trouble.  It's sort of like a guy that pulls a gun and demands all your money, then says he is willing to compromise, so he gives some of it back to you.  What have you gained from the deal?   What we have is a bloated corrupt Frankenstein of a bill that they want to pass, but if they start over everyone will have to start wheeling and dealing to get all their pork back into it.  If it is such a great plan, why don't they just pass it?  They have the majority.  My personal opinion is that they don't want to own it if it goes bad.  In effect they are saying to the Republicans, "Let's both pick this up, that way if it turns out to be a turd, both parties get covered in shit instead of just us".

"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'"
- Theodore Roosevelt


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I was going to try and post more often, but a few days ago my CPAP machine (I suffer badly from sleep apnea) went out on me.  It took several days to get it replaced, and I was not doing real well in the meantime, being extremely tired and out of focus.  After having it back for a couple of days, I am doing a bit better now.


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We've been getting a bit of warmer weather around here; it is slightly springlike, so I thought I'd snap a couple of photos if anyone is interested.

Dried tomatillos in the garden.














Hips on a wild rose.
















Catkins on a quaken aspen; sun from behind the subject.




Catkins on a quaken aspen; sun from behind the camera.


















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Any favorites, or comments?

         "Night Moves" by Bob Seger
         "Wanted Man" by George Thorogood & the Destroyers
         "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin
         "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan
         "At the Zoo" by Simon & Garfunkel
         "Lili Marlene" by Dave Brubeck
         "The Old Man Down the Road" by John Fogerty
         "Guinnevere" by Crosby, Stills and Nash
         "It's In The Way That You Use It" by Eric Clapton
         "The Big Country" from the movie soundtrack

Last two:

Eric Clapton; what more needs to be said?



This video has a great slide show that goes perfectly with the track.

13 comments:

AlanDP said...

I'm under 50 and I know. "Of Men and Monsters" is one of the best SF books I've ever read.

meleah rebeccah said...

Im glad you're feeling better. I didnt know you had sleep apnea. Ugh!

We are getting SLAMMED with snow here in NJ. Seriously. This is the WORST its been in YEARS. And just when we clean up after one storm, we get hit with the next!

Personally I am NOT a fan of shoveling, or DRIVING in these kinds of conditions!!

BobG said...

AlanDP: it's good to see that some of the oldtime writers are still appreciated.

meleah: I'm not big into shoveling and driving in snow either; hopefully it will blow over soon.

terri said...

Did you hear they had to cancel the conference on Global Warming due to the blizzard? You gotta love the irony in that!

James Higham said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPUPb5KQsx4

BobG said...

terri: funny how that works out, isn't it? Sort of like the way the Copenhagen meeting was shortened due to a blizzard.

James Higham: nice version of an old song; they were one of my favorite groups back in the late sixties and early seventies.

Firehand said...

Hadn't seen 'Big Country' in a long time, but you're right; I remember that music.

BobG said...

In my opinion it was one of the best westerns made, and the soundtrack was part of what made it good.

James Higham said...

How's the weather now?

BobG said...

James: here where I live it is foggy, with snow in the mountains and a bit of drizzle now and then here in Salt Lake Valley. Haven't seen the sun for days, and it is getting sort of dismal.

Bob G. said...

BobG:
Global warming didn't just "skip" over us...it ran hard, fast, and continuous...and it was wearing SNOW CHAINS (over snow tires with leats)...LOL!

Great tunes, BTW.
(still have most of them on VINYL..imagine that)

Have a great weekend!
(the other) Bob G.

James Higham said...

There's one you might like now. Of course, you might not.

We had snow today too.

BobG said...

Most of our snow has just been light stuff; nothing that has stuck to the ground.