Hopefully, now that she is officially out, she will be consigned to a historical footnote. And now maybe we can find the naked pics of her from her wild youth.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Field is set
I suspected that Sarah Palin would not run for President. She's having too much fun criss-crossing the country stealing the limelight from everyone. Now she can continue to spout her crazy shit and not really be held accountable. I doubt if she will be considered for V-P either.
Hopefully, now that she is officially out, she will be consigned to a historical footnote. And now maybe we can find the naked pics of her from her wild youth.
Hopefully, now that she is officially out, she will be consigned to a historical footnote. And now maybe we can find the naked pics of her from her wild youth.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
350 points?!
Today's trading in the stock markets revealed an all-too-familiar pattern: huge up and down swings in short periods of time. In the last hour of trading today, Tuesday, October 4, 2011, the NYSE jumped up 350 points! It went from being down 200 to being up 150 in almost the blink of an eye.
This strikes me as manipulation, pure and simple. The big stock brokers on Wall Street have created some really complicated and sophisticated computer trading programs that can trade thousands of shares in a split second, then turn around and sell or buy them again when there is even a minute swing in the share price. The "little guy" like you and me simply can't keep up or compete with that. All you can do is sit there and watch the market swing wildly up and down.
As usual, the computer traders are a few steps ahead of the regulators. But of course now in this country there is this big sentiment that we should not mess with the big banks. What are we, communists? So what if our capitalist masters get insanely rich while bankrupting the rest of the country. Or world. It's free markets. Yet, it's not free markets. The markets are being manipulated, far beyond the reach of us ordinary folks with rapidly disappearing 401k's.
So, good luck with that retirement. You'll need it. I wish I could count on the government stepping in and doing something to help the vast majority of people, but most of them are on the side of Wall Street already. They're all rich already, so screw the little guy.
This strikes me as manipulation, pure and simple. The big stock brokers on Wall Street have created some really complicated and sophisticated computer trading programs that can trade thousands of shares in a split second, then turn around and sell or buy them again when there is even a minute swing in the share price. The "little guy" like you and me simply can't keep up or compete with that. All you can do is sit there and watch the market swing wildly up and down.
As usual, the computer traders are a few steps ahead of the regulators. But of course now in this country there is this big sentiment that we should not mess with the big banks. What are we, communists? So what if our capitalist masters get insanely rich while bankrupting the rest of the country. Or world. It's free markets. Yet, it's not free markets. The markets are being manipulated, far beyond the reach of us ordinary folks with rapidly disappearing 401k's.
So, good luck with that retirement. You'll need it. I wish I could count on the government stepping in and doing something to help the vast majority of people, but most of them are on the side of Wall Street already. They're all rich already, so screw the little guy.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Mission
Read the article below for a fascinating, chilling, and somewhat disturbing account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Disturbing in that you realize that this kind of operation is going on practically EVERY DAY somewhere.
I want to "get" the "bad guys" as much as anyone, but we need to do it while observing international law. And not just observing international law, but respecting it. I don't think that's asking too much.
Getting Bin Laden
What happened that night in Abbottabad.
By Nicholas Schmidle in The New Yorker
8/8/11
Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Inside the aircraft were twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team Six, which is officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. A Pakistani-American translator, whom I will call Ahmed, and a dog named Cairo—a Belgian Malinois—were also aboard. It was a moonless evening, and the helicopters’ pilots, wearing night-vision goggles, flew without lights over mountains that straddle the border with Pakistan. Radio communications were kept to a minimum, and an eerie calm settled inside the aircraft.
Read the rest here.
I want to "get" the "bad guys" as much as anyone, but we need to do it while observing international law. And not just observing international law, but respecting it. I don't think that's asking too much.
Getting Bin Laden
What happened that night in Abbottabad.
By Nicholas Schmidle in The New Yorker
8/8/11
Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Inside the aircraft were twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team Six, which is officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. A Pakistani-American translator, whom I will call Ahmed, and a dog named Cairo—a Belgian Malinois—were also aboard. It was a moonless evening, and the helicopters’ pilots, wearing night-vision goggles, flew without lights over mountains that straddle the border with Pakistan. Radio communications were kept to a minimum, and an eerie calm settled inside the aircraft.
Read the rest here.
Happy Birthday, GV!
On this date in 1925, writer Gore Vidal was born at West Point, New York, where his father worked as an instructor. Vidal largely grew up in the home of his grandfather, Sen. Thomas P. Gore, D-Okla. He graduated from Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps.His first novel, Williwaw, was published when he was only 19. It was followed by the wave-making The City and the Pillar (1948), which featured a sympathetic gay protagonist. Vidal is the prolific author of many other novels and plays, many based on history and politics, and has worked in TV and the movies. Novels include Julian (1964), Myra Breckenridge (1968), Burr (1974), and Live from Golgotha (1992), an irreverent satire imagining the New Testament events if reported on TV.
The cousin of Al Gore, he has made some political runs, including a try for the U.S. Senate seat in California in which he came in second of nine in a 1982 race. Vidal is perhaps best known for his refreshing and acerbic interviews and one-liners, such as his famous remark about Ronald Reagan: "A triumph of the embalmer's art." "Probably no American writer since Franklin has derided, ridiculed, and mocked Americans more skillfully and more often than Vidal," wrote Gordon S. Wood (The New York Times, December 14, 2003).
Vidal's essays, such as "Pink Triangle and Yellow Star" (1981), are collected in Armageddon (1987). Palimpsest (1995) is his well-received autobiography. Vidal rarely misses a chance to diss religion or monotheism: "I regard monotheism as the greatest disaster ever to befall the human race. I see no good in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. . ." (letter to Warren Allen Smith, 1954, Who's Who in Hell).
“Christianity is such a silly religion.”— Gore Vidal (1925-), Time Magazine, Sept. 28, 1992
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Food Day Oct 26
Every day is Food Day at my house!
HOUSTON - September 29, 2011...Prominent voices for change in the food movement along with a growing number of health, hunger and sustainable agriculture groups have established Food Day 2011 as a nationwide campaign to change the way Americans eat and think about food. Modeled on Earth Day and organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to "eat real" and support healthy, affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way. Nationwide, activities are planned for the entire week surrounding Food Day.
To bring this important campaign to the forefront in Houston and Texas, four entities - The City of Houston, Recipe for Success Foundation, Houston Food Bank and Urban Harvest - are co-organizing the statewide effort, Food Day Texas and Food Day Houston.
"The momentum and energy around sustainable and local food has exploded in Houston. Food Day Houston is a perfect way to highlight and celebrate all of the local, healthy, affordable and sustainable food initiatives and policy work that is occurring in Houston," said Laura Spanjian, Director of the Office of Sustainability.
In Houston, the signature Food Day event will be held Wednesday, October 26 from 11 am to 2 pm at the City Hall Farmers Market, 901 Bagby in downtown Houston. Thirty five of the most fabulous farm and prepared food market vendors in town - who a part of the market each Wednesday - will be on hand showing how they make every day Food Day in Houston! Fifteen of Houston's leading food-related organizations will also be in attendance, with educational demos and activities for the whole family. Activities for October 26 include:
"It's important for each of us to understand the part we can play, as neighbors, parents, consumers and citizens, to bring about positive change and make healthy, affordable, local food easily available throughout the city," says Gracie Cavnar, founder and CEO of Recipe for Success Foundation. "Equitable food access begins with the promotion and protection of local food sources. Each journey for change begins with the small personal decisions we make-to eat seasonally, to buy local food, to support area farmers, to start our own garden, to teach our children the health value of fresh produce, to patronize restaurants that feature local producers. Those many individual actions converge into a river of change. We hope to inspire our neighbors to action."
In June 2010, the City's first vegetable container garden was built at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, highlighting local produce and educating Houstonians about the ease of maintaining a vegetable garden in any type of environment. Employees on each floor of the building "adopted" individual containers and lovingly maintain them to create a wonderful touch of green within the cityscape. And, on September 30, 2010, Mayor Parker along with representatives from project partners, broke ground on the City Hall Victory Garden in Tranquility Park to promote nutrition, health, sustainability and self-reliance. The victory garden not only has health, environmental and economic benefits, but the vegetable gardens also create community.
"We hope these events will inspire Houstonians and Texans to take action and make every day Food Day in their own lives by supporting local farmers, neighborhood community and school gardens and locally owned restaurants with an interest in making a difference by supporting family farms and local communities," says Mark Bowen, executive director of Urban Harvest.
A complete list of Food Day Texas events and activities can be found on the Facebook page for Food Day Texas, and inquiries can be sent to FoodDayTexas@gmail.com.
Food Day Texas and Food Day Houston Celebrations Planned as Part of First Annual National Food Day
HOUSTON - September 29, 2011...Prominent voices for change in the food movement along with a growing number of health, hunger and sustainable agriculture groups have established Food Day 2011 as a nationwide campaign to change the way Americans eat and think about food. Modeled on Earth Day and organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to "eat real" and support healthy, affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way. Nationwide, activities are planned for the entire week surrounding Food Day. 
To bring this important campaign to the forefront in Houston and Texas, four entities - The City of Houston, Recipe for Success Foundation, Houston Food Bank and Urban Harvest - are co-organizing the statewide effort, Food Day Texas and Food Day Houston. 
"The momentum and energy around sustainable and local food has exploded in Houston. Food Day Houston is a perfect way to highlight and celebrate all of the local, healthy, affordable and sustainable food initiatives and policy work that is occurring in Houston," said Laura Spanjian, Director of the Office of Sustainability. 
In Houston, the signature Food Day event will be held Wednesday, October 26 from 11 am to 2 pm at the City Hall Farmers Market, 901 Bagby in downtown Houston. Thirty five of the most fabulous farm and prepared food market vendors in town - who a part of the market each Wednesday - will be on hand showing how they make every day Food Day in Houston! Fifteen of Houston's leading food-related organizations will also be in attendance, with educational demos and activities for the whole family. Activities for October 26 include:· From 11am-noon, Recipe For Success Foundation will host a Local Food
Throwdown featuring celebrity chefs from the Recipe For Success Chefs Advisory
Board.
· At 12 noon, the largest community lunch ever held in Houston will commence. The BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) will allow hundreds of neighbors to share at a huge communal table set around the perimeter of the reflection pool at City Hall. Participants may bring their own brown bag, or purchase lunch from the market vendors. A group photo will capture the moment.
· From 1-2pm, the City of Houston will host a Food Day Town Hall Meeting that will take place on the lower plaza at City Hall and will feature a panel of local food movement leaders, community stakeholders and enthusiasts in attendance. The focus will be on moving the local food movement forward through actionable ideas and solutions.
"It's important for each of us to understand the part we can play, as neighbors, parents, consumers and citizens, to bring about positive change and make healthy, affordable, local food easily available throughout the city," says Gracie Cavnar, founder and CEO of Recipe for Success Foundation. "Equitable food access begins with the promotion and protection of local food sources. Each journey for change begins with the small personal decisions we make-to eat seasonally, to buy local food, to support area farmers, to start our own garden, to teach our children the health value of fresh produce, to patronize restaurants that feature local producers. Those many individual actions converge into a river of change. We hope to inspire our neighbors to action." The City Hall Farmers Market is the perfect setting for Food Day Houston, as it supports local, fresh and sustainable food amidst Houston's dramatic downtown urban setting. The market showcases more than 35 "micro businesses," including produce farmers, cheesemakers, coffee roasters and baristas, bakers, prepared food vendors & food trucks, olive oil producers and more. Made possible through a community partnership between the City of Houston and Urban Harvest, it is the most recent addition to Mayor Annise Parker's local food initiative.
In June 2010, the City's first vegetable container garden was built at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, highlighting local produce and educating Houstonians about the ease of maintaining a vegetable garden in any type of environment. Employees on each floor of the building "adopted" individual containers and lovingly maintain them to create a wonderful touch of green within the cityscape. And, on September 30, 2010, Mayor Parker along with representatives from project partners, broke ground on the City Hall Victory Garden in Tranquility Park to promote nutrition, health, sustainability and self-reliance. The victory garden not only has health, environmental and economic benefits, but the vegetable gardens also create community.
"We hope these events will inspire Houstonians and Texans to take action and make every day Food Day in their own lives by supporting local farmers, neighborhood community and school gardens and locally owned restaurants with an interest in making a difference by supporting family farms and local communities," says Mark Bowen, executive director of Urban Harvest.
A complete list of Food Day Texas events and activities can be found on the Facebook page for Food Day Texas, and inquiries can be sent to FoodDayTexas@gmail.com.
October Stargazing
SkyTips: October 2011
Stargazing Summary
October offers some of the best skywatching conditions of the year. The nights are getting longer, while the weather is cooler but not bitter (for most of the country, at least). The evening sky offers such treats as Andromeda and her famous galaxy, M31, as well as several other constellations associated with her mythological story, and the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters in Taurus. Jupiter puts on its best show of the year, Mars continues its climb up the morning sky, and Venus just peeks into view in the evening twilight at month's end.
More stargazing information: http://stardate.org/nightsky
Radio Program Highlights
Hear StarDate every day on more than 300 radio stations nationwide.
Premium Audio: Listen to today's program today on-demand with a paid subscription to StarDate premium audio — http://stardate.org/store/premium-audio
October 3-9: Royal stars. The constellation Cassiopeia, the queen, is one of the highlights of autumn. We'll have details, including the story of one of its stars that exploded, and another one that's about to. Join us for the queen and much more.
October 10-16: Volcanic moon. One of the largest moons of Jupiter looks like a giant pepperoni-and-black-olive pizza. It's not that tasty, though — the pizza-like features are blobs of sulfur spewed out by giant volcanoes. Join us for Io and more.
October 17-23: Moon, Mars, and meteors. The Moon has a bright orange companion late this week: the planet Mars. We'll have details. And we'll also talk about an autumn meteor shower. Join us for these, plus an undersea adventure and much more.
October 24-30: Bright and dark. The giant, dazzling planet Jupiter is putting in its best showing of the year this week, and we'll tell you why. And we'll also tell you about a giant world that's darker than coal. Join us for this and more.
October 31-November 6: A great show. One of the brightest comets of the last few centuries lit up Earth's night sky two centuries ago. We'll have details. We'll also talk about an attempt to get back in the game of planetary exploration.
October Program Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates
Coming Up In StarDate Magazine
The editors of StarDate bring you ideas for astronomy- or space-themed holiday gifts in our November/December issue in our feature "Astro Gifts for Everyone." And astronomer and author Barbara Ryden of Ohio State University returns to StarDate to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Grote Reber, one of the pioneers of radio astronomy, in her feature "Tuning into the Radio Universe."
Subscribe online: http://stardate.org/store/subscribe
Black Holes: Stranger than Fiction
The concept of black holes has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. For an introduction to the topic, watch "Black Holes: Stranger than Fiction," the latest video from the Texas Cosmology Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Narrated by StarDate radio's Sandy Wood, the video explains the different types of black holes, and speculates on how they form and evolve.
Watch: http://blackholes.stardate.org/basics
Visit the McDonald Observatory in the mountains of West Texas
Stargazing Summary
October offers some of the best skywatching conditions of the year. The nights are getting longer, while the weather is cooler but not bitter (for most of the country, at least). The evening sky offers such treats as Andromeda and her famous galaxy, M31, as well as several other constellations associated with her mythological story, and the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters in Taurus. Jupiter puts on its best show of the year, Mars continues its climb up the morning sky, and Venus just peeks into view in the evening twilight at month's end.
More stargazing information: http://stardate.org/nightsky
Radio Program Highlights
Hear StarDate every day on more than 300 radio stations nationwide.
Premium Audio: Listen to today's program today on-demand with a paid subscription to StarDate premium audio — http://stardate.org/store/premium-audio
October 3-9: Royal stars. The constellation Cassiopeia, the queen, is one of the highlights of autumn. We'll have details, including the story of one of its stars that exploded, and another one that's about to. Join us for the queen and much more.
October 10-16: Volcanic moon. One of the largest moons of Jupiter looks like a giant pepperoni-and-black-olive pizza. It's not that tasty, though — the pizza-like features are blobs of sulfur spewed out by giant volcanoes. Join us for Io and more.
October 17-23: Moon, Mars, and meteors. The Moon has a bright orange companion late this week: the planet Mars. We'll have details. And we'll also talk about an autumn meteor shower. Join us for these, plus an undersea adventure and much more.
October 24-30: Bright and dark. The giant, dazzling planet Jupiter is putting in its best showing of the year this week, and we'll tell you why. And we'll also tell you about a giant world that's darker than coal. Join us for this and more.
October 31-November 6: A great show. One of the brightest comets of the last few centuries lit up Earth's night sky two centuries ago. We'll have details. We'll also talk about an attempt to get back in the game of planetary exploration.
October Program Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates
Coming Up In StarDate Magazine
The editors of StarDate bring you ideas for astronomy- or space-themed holiday gifts in our November/December issue in our feature "Astro Gifts for Everyone." And astronomer and author Barbara Ryden of Ohio State University returns to StarDate to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Grote Reber, one of the pioneers of radio astronomy, in her feature "Tuning into the Radio Universe."
Subscribe online: http://stardate.org/store/subscribe
Black Holes: Stranger than Fiction
The concept of black holes has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. For an introduction to the topic, watch "Black Holes: Stranger than Fiction," the latest video from the Texas Cosmology Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Narrated by StarDate radio's Sandy Wood, the video explains the different types of black holes, and speculates on how they form and evolve.
Watch: http://blackholes.stardate.org/basics
Visit the McDonald Observatory in the mountains of West Texas
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remember
deja vu
indeed
Probably
Delete Fox "News"
Smells really bad
Applies to Trump
Trump is the enemy
2024 Election
$132 billion
Remember
too true
Didn't realize the GOP hated America so much.
