Lynn Squance

Sep 202015
 

What a slow day.  It poured rain all day, but was especially heavy when I had to go out for a doctor's appointment.  I thought I was going to have to swim there . . . and back!  My "kids" were quiet and I even managed a short nap.  Lona, did you send some cat naps my way?  Being a late to bed gal, you're getting this early because I'll be at church tomorrow morning.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:13 (average 4:43).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?  For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Alternet — Putting aside absurdities, what is the real threat of Iran that inspires such fear and fury? A natural place to turn for an answer is, again, U.S. intelligence. Recall its analysis that Iran poses no military threat, that its strategic doctrines are defensive, and its nuclear programmmes [with no effort to produce bombs, as far as intelligence can determine] are “a central part of its deterrent strategy”.

Who, then, would be concerned by an Iranian deterrent? The answer is plain: the rogue states that rampage in the region and do not want to tolerate any impediment to their reliance on aggression and violence. Far in the lead in this regard are the U.S. and Israel, with Saudi Arabia trying its best to join the club with its invasion of Bahrain to support the crushing of the reform movement by the dictatorship and now its murderous assault on Yemen, accelerating the humanitarian catastrophe there.

This is taken from the middle of the article.  Read the rest at Alternet

Reading Chomsky, knowing some of the history of the Middle East, and knowing a fair amount of US history, is it any wonder that the Republicans do not support the Iran deal?!  Their support of the agreement would mean no war which translates into no exorbitant profits for the military/industrial complex.  This is not about nuclear weapons but about profits to be made from the sale of weapons and materiel.  And you can believe that the likes of Chickenhawk Cheney and the other neocons are right in there stirring the witch's brew.

Mother Jones — Johnson County, Wyoming, is the kind of remote, quiet Western community where life revolves around cattle—it was the site of an infamous 19th-century armed battle between cowboys and suspected cattle rustlers. The county ranks only 11th statewide for oil production, but it holds the No. 1 ranking nationwide for a more ignominious distinction: It has 249 new, high-risk oil and gas wells that the federal government has failed to inspect for compliance with safety and environmental standards.

wy-well-mj

Johnson County may have the most uninspected wells, but it's far from the only place where the problem exists. In fact, of all 3,486 oil and gas wells drilled on federal and Native American land from 2009 to 2012 that were identified by the Bureau of Land Management as high risk for pollution, 40 percent were not inspected at the most important stage of their development, according to records the BLM provided to Climate Desk.

Where does your state stand?  Check in Mother Jones

With budget cutbacks, the BLM is stretched too thinly.  There just are not enough resources to get the job done.  And who suffers . . . people and wildlife who are caught in the blowouts and politics.  When it comes to budget cuts, who do you think is holding the axe?

Huffington Post — A judge in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled that the organization behind undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood cannot plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid handing over any materials related to a lawsuit filed against the organization.

Huffington Post

A crack in the armour of Citizens United?  Beats me, but if this is a crack, then there could be a real political fight down the road.

My Universe — It's Saturday and time to party!  Oh the headache in the morning!

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Sep 192015
 

Here I am early on Friday evening and I am preparing another Open Thread for Saturday.  This is my 10th Open Thread and 12th article this year at Politics Plus.  I wish the circumstances were different.  I started following TC in August 2011 with the idea that I could learn a lot about Canadian politics by watching American political theatre.  And TC knew that.  He encouraged me to write more articles, but I kept putting it off.  A friend and former manager of mine keeps saying "You need to write a book." to which I scoffed "About what?"  Here are two people I respect pushing me forward out of my lethargy, out of my comfort zone.  But I think I learned the most from TC about life . . . about viewing people in different ways; about making a difference.  For that, I will be forever greatful.  Now, whether that book ever gets written is another matter, but at least I'm thinking.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:11 (average 5:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

Mother Jones — When Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress next Thursday, there's a pretty good chance he'll talk about climate change, one of his favorite subjects of late. Paul Gosar, a Republican Congressman from Arizona, is not happy about that. 

Plenty of climate change deniers, Catholic and not, have expressed their displeasurewith the Holy Father over his stance on climate. But Gosar, himself a Catholic, just became the first member of Congress to announce he will boycott the speech because of it. …

Mother Jones

Interesting!  Republicans will invite the Israeli warlord Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Congress, he hoping to foment a war between the US and Iran, his sworn enemy.  But when it comes to Pope Francis, a man trying to live with respect to Creation and promote that idea, Republicans, or at least one will boycott the visit.  Stupid is as stupid does.

Robert Reich — I’ve had so many calls about an article appearing earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal – charging that Bernie Sanders’s proposals would carry a “price tag” of $18 trillion over a 10-year period – that it’s necessary to respond.

The Journal’s number is entirely bogus, designed to frighten the public. 

Read his 4 reasons why the Wall Street Journal's attack on Bernie Sanders is bogus at Robert Reich

That bastion of the right wing, The Wall Street Journal (Rupert Murdoch de-linked), engaged in deception.  In 16/09/2015's Open Thread, I posted a piece from The Nation regarding the WSJ's attempted take down of Bernie.  Robert Reich outlines 4 reasons why the WSJ was wrong.

Think Progress — Elementary school students are in their school gymnasium for a pep rally. An extremely enthusiastic young host shows them a video based on the year’s theme: a community spirit called “Rock’n Town Live.” He leads the students in loud cheers of “go Tigers,” “can’t believe it,” and “thirty to thirty-five laps.” And in addition to whipping the kids into a frenzy, he and the school’s principal take turns asking the kids to go home and get two adults to pledge a contribution. Roughly half of that money will go to benefit the school. Roughly half of it will go to Booster Enterprises Inc., a Georgia-based for-profit company putting on the event. …

Think Progress

This is outrageous . . . 48% of funds raised go to the fund raising companies.  If the US wants to have a highly educated workforce, then it needs to fund education properly, AND it needs to ensure that funds raised for special projects are accounted for.

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Sep 182015
 

Today has been a pretty good day.  For a "late to bed, late to rise" person since I retired, I was up at 7:30 am.  I checked into the computer for an hour and then I was off to my 10 am physio appointment which lasted until 12:15 pm.  After that, I was teaching ESL for 3 hours.  Now home at the computer, a grey squirrel just tried to come in the window but thought better of it.  Good thing with 3 cats in the house!

There likely will be an update on TC today on SURROGATE– Updates, Questions, Concerns WRT TC Page 2  

Puzzle — Today’s took me 4:56 (average 6:37).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

Alternet — When Carlos Chaverst Jr. heard Sen. Bernie Sanders speak at the National Action Network’s national convention in New York City on April 8, he knew he was listening to a future presidential candidate he could get behind.

The senator’s message of making college affordable for all people struck a personal chord with Chaverst because he is currently taking a semester off from school, in part to figure out how he will pay off some of his student debt. A community activist who works with poor communities in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., the 22-year-old said Sanders’ views on universal health care struck a chord with him. While he doesn’t remember the senator going into too many details, Chaverst says Sanders was frank about the need to address police brutality and holding abusive officers accountable.

Alternet

As Chaverst says “He hasn’t gone to them.  He has worked for black people but he hasn’t actually gone to black people. There’s a huge disconnect…. If he would meet with more black communities, go to more black events, more black people would know him.”  And THAT is easy to remedy.

Huffington Post — During the second GOP presidential debate Wednesday night, Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) said they would be open to putting civil rights activist Rosa Parks on the $10 bill. But the Republican candidates might be surprised to learn that Parks sat on the national board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, one of the GOP’s biggest political enemies. …

Rosa Parks

Huffington Post

It seems that more than just Rick Perry is capable of having major "Oops" moments!  Listen to the video.  These Republican presidential candidates came across as condescending neanderthals and know nothings.  Stupid is as stupid does!

The Guardian — … Felicia Maganwe, a lieutenant colonel in SANDF in the South African defence force, has an astonishing story to tell about how she has found her gender to impact her place in the field.

She was the company commander with a South African contingent with Monusco, one of a select number of females in such a senior position. “When I arrived, it took me a day to adjust. The second day I started setting up my base … The (rebel leader) said ‘But you’re a woman!’. He was surprised.”

Later in her tour, one of her operating bases was caught in dangerous crossfire between two rebel groups, and was being overrun by civilians seeking shelter. Maganwe took action: she phoned the rebel leader and demanded that he move the combat elsewhere. “It was easier because I was a women,” she said. The rebels did not feel threatened by her, and were thus more willing to negotiate. The rebels complied with her demands, and for her work in the Congo, Maganwe received a commendation as the best company commander on her mission. ,,,

The Guardian

Years ago, I wrote a poem about the war in Lebanon.  "It is the tears of women that will wash the red hills of Lebanon and bring peace."  There are so many qualities that women bring to the table.  It is past time that women take their rightful places as leaders.  Republicans sure wouldn't like that at all.

My Universe — 

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Sep 172015
 

Today has been one of those days.  It started out OK but then I had to go for my quarterly fasting blood tests.  It’s a diabetic thing.  Something that usually takes 20 minutes took 1.5 hours and by the end, I was well into low blood sugars.  Fortunately, I had my glucose tablets so half an hour later, I was fine.  Back to the keyboard, and don’t you know that I kept losing the Open Thread.  After 4-5 tries (I lost count), I’m going to go direct to publish.  If you see a low flying unpublished Open Thread, shoot it!

Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:58 (average 4:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

The Hill — The House voted Thursday to give GOP leaders flexibility next week in fast-tracking a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

boehnerjohn_070915gn2

Democrats protested over the move, known as martial law, which allows the House to consider a rule that establishes procedural guidelines for debating legislation on the same day it is produced by the House Committee on Rules.

Under normal circumstances, the House must wait a day before conducting a floor vote on a rule reported out of the committee. 

House GOP leaders routinely deploy martial law around tight legislative deadlines. However, Democrats have not always forced the House to conduct a roll-call vote to adopt it.

Four Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the rule change in the 237-187 vote: Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Walter Jones (N.C.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.).

The Hill

They are at it again!  Republicans using anything and everything to get their agenda done.

Alternet — It’s a scenario straight out of The X-Files: A prehistoric pathogen, isolated for millennia in Arctic ice, comes to light in the modern world.

The catch is that it’s not science fiction—and thanks to the great Arcticthaw, the discovery suggests an emerging public health worry unless nations sharply cut fossil fuel use in the next few decades.

French scientists announced this week that working in the lab, they have found a “giant virus” in a 30,000-year-old sample of permafrost from Siberia.

It is the second giant virus isolated from the same permafrost sample in two years. The team found each one by infecting Acanthamoeba, a common contemporary protozoan, with viral material from the sample.

Alternet

Yet another reason that we need to do everything possible to slow and stop global warming.  I remember watching a series episode where this very thing happened.  My reaction then . . . yeh, right.  My reaction now . . . oh crap!

The Guardian — The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said Russia has proposed talks between the two countries’ militaries on the situation in Syria, apparently in response to Washington’s concern over reports of a Russian military buildup there.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made the offer during a phone call on Wednesday, said Kerry, adding that he was in favour of such contacts because the US wants a better idea of what Russia’s current intentions are in Syria. Kerry said Lavrov had told him Russia was only interested in fighting the Islamic State militants.

The Guardian

This and the following article are related.  Yesterday while driving, I heard the briefest of notes, almost a footnote to the days events — Russia aproaches the US about the civil war in Syria and the war with ISIL.  OK, they got me hooked.  So the Guardian article is more about the coming together against ISIL while the Slate article is more about Russia's motives.  I am sure that Putin will find fertile ground in a Republican dominated Congress should he decide to pull a "Netanyahu".

Slate — A few weeks ago, I noted that with Russia’s economy sagging under the weight of both international sanctions and low oil prices, and the situation in Ukraine mired in stalemate, Vladimir Putin’s government was badly in need of a new foreign crisis in which the president could demonstrate decisive leadership. As it turns out, that crisis has been found not in the Baltics or the Arctic but in Syria, where Russia, in recent weeks, has launched both a military build-up and a diplomatic offensive.

The Pentagon says that Russia, one of the main international backers of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been building up its military forces in Syria, setting up a forward operating base near the northern coastal city of Latakia and using an air corridor over Iran and Iraq to fly in military equipment and personnel. Defense officials have compared the operation to the build-up of Russian forces in Crimea prior to the 2014 annexation.

Slate

My Universe — h/t JL — This is my version of heaven . . . absolutely purrfect!

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Sep 162015
 

Electronic voting machines in 43 states are at least a decade old, "perilously close to the end of most systems' expected lifespan," and could pose a risk to the 2016 election, a new study from the the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law finds.

After a 10 month probe that included interviews with over 100 election officials and experts in every state, the investigators concluded that the threat also extends to "significant percentages of machines" in swing states including Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.

Entitled America's Voting Machines at Risk, the study warns: "Old voting equipment increases the risk of failures and crashes—which can lead to long lines and lost votes on Election Day—and problems only get worse the longer we wait."

The warning evokes the "hanging chads" scandal that swept George W. Bush into the presidency in 2000 despite the fact that he lost the nationwide popular vote. While the debacle prompted Congress to appropriate $2 billion towards electronic voting systems, that equipment is now quickly becoming outdated, the report warns.

"Technology has changed dramatically in the last decade," said Christopher Famighetti, co-author of the report, in a statement. "Several recent innovations show it’s possible to move toward more affordable and flexible voting machines. States must develop plans to deal with aging machines before 2016, and invest in the next generation of machines for future elections to come."

Common Dreams

In my early days at PP, I remember numerous articles about voting machine irregularities, particularly in Florida and South Carolina.

Perhaps you remember like I do, the testimony of Clinton Eugene Curtis. Click here for a video of his testimony.  

This from Truth-Out which was used in PP on 22/01/2012

22ess…And now we come to the "First-in-the-South" Republican primary in South Carolina, whereall evidence of how voters vote disappears entirely as the voters will be forced across the entire state to vote on easily-manipulated, oft-failed, 100% unverifiable touch-screen voting systems made by the nation’s largest voting machine company, ES&S. When the machine-reported results are announced tomorrow night they will either be accurate or not. Either way, there will never be a way for anybody to know one way or the other as there will be nothing to prove how voters voted and nothing to "recount", even if anybody wanted to.

Appropriately enough, perhaps, Saturday’s primary in the Palmetto State will offer100% "faith-based" voting, since it will be scientifically impossible to prove that even a single vote for any candidate on the ballot has been recorded accurately by the ES&S iVotronic touch-screens as per any voter’s intent. Known [sic] what we mean, Alvin Greene?…

The machines that will be in use on Saturday in South Carolina are the very same ones that reported an unknown, unemployed, seemingly-illiterate man named Alvin Greene — who had done no campaigning, had no campaign staff, had no campaign money and no campaign website — had unverifiably defeated Vic Rawl, a four-term state legislator and circuit court judge who had campaigned and raised money across the entire state, for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010.

They are the same brand and model of machines (some of them, quite literally, the very same physical machines!) that were used in Florida’s contested Congressional District 13 race for the U.S. Congress in 2006 when they inexplicably lost some 18,000 votes in a race ultimately awarded to the Republican candidate Vern Buchanan over Democrat Christine Jennings by just 369 votes…

I commented then and I stand by it now:

"And those damned voting machines!  Let them use the whitewash versions that allow more election fraud in the state and local contests if they really want to, but this is yet another reason that in federal elections, there should be consistency and transparency.  States rights be damned when it comes to federal elections.  To ensure some modicum of fairness, the system in every state, the rules, the procedures, the machines used should all be the same.  After all, this is the whole US that we are talking about, a country that has in the past be thought of as the bastion of democracy.  If the US can’t have consistency, fairness and transparency in their own elections, then how can they monitor those of other countries."

 

Regardless whether you vote with electronic voting machines or mail in ballots like Oregon, you need to be REGISTERED!

National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, 22 September 2015

With many US jurisdictions having November elections with registration deadlines in advance of the election, it is imperative to register or update your registration if you have moved.  If you have questions about your registration, please contact the League of Women Voters .

Once you are registered, make sure that you

vote

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Sep 162015
 

For me it has been a good day . . . no malfunctioning elevators, no idiot drivers . . . almost peaceful.  That is until now!  My cat Primo is digging his claws into my hip as to say "I want my dinner"!  So I will go and feed my three kids their kibble and peace will return.

PuzzleToday’s took me 3:39 (average 5:33).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

Alternet — Last week, as the nation observed the anniversary of 9/11, one could not help but look back at that time and contemplate the reaction by our fellow citizens and foreign nations. Rick Perlstein wrote a very poignant piece a couple of years back about the solidarity that horrible day inspired among all Americans and people around the world — and how it was lost.

Perlstein describes how bills such as the vote to authorize war and the Patriot Act passed nearly unanimously and without debate, which he says happened because in that moment of oneness,”it seemed unimaginable that this extraordinary grant of executive power could possibly be abused.” The man who should have been president, Al Gore, famously said, “George W. Bush is my commander in chief.”

Lefties from Ellen Willis to Barbra Streisand immediately fell into line and supported the president unequivocally. Bush memorably put this new sense of trust and good will into words when he addressed Congress and the nation on September 20, 2001, and asked the American people to pull together for the sake of the nation as a whole. He also admonished them to be decent to the people of Middle Eastern descent who lived among us.

Alternet

Coming together in a time of crisis is good, is patriotic, because it gives strength to the immediate needs.  But there is a risk that the immediate needs will never really be met, that people will go on auto pilot instead of thinking and re-evaluating the situation.  That makes for "boogeyman" times of paranoia and the ability of groups, like Republicans, to milk that paranoia.  So sad because patriotism is not a boogeyman but an opportunity to grow as a nation.

The Nation — This week, The Wall Street Journal dropped a terrifyingly large number on Senator Bernie Sanders’s upstart campaign, warning that his proposals would carry a “price tag” of $18 trillion over a 10-year period. It’s a number designed to shock and awe and discourage voters from giving the social democrat’s ideas a close look.

But according to the very data cited by The Journal’s Laura Meckler, Sanders’s highly progressive proposals wouldn’t cost the United States a single penny, on net, over that 10-year window. In fact, they’d cost less, overall, than what we’d spend without them.

It’s not hard to understand why. The lion’s share of the “cost”—$15 trillion—would pay for opening up Medicare to Americans of all ages. (Meckler notes that Sanders hasn’t released a detailed proposal, so she relies on an analysis of HR 676, Representative John Conyers’s Medicare-for-all bill.)

The Nation

Bernie has been very open with the costs of his proposals well before he decided to run.  That is, in my mind, one thing he does well.  So in my opinion, The Wall Street Journal's number bomb is an attempted distraction from the truth.  The Bern has your back!

Raw Story — Christian columnist Chris Queen argued this week that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ anti-poverty proposals went against biblical teachings because the “God of the Bible is not a socialist.”

In speech to Liberty University on Monday, Sanders urged the Christian conservative students to apply the golden rule — “Do unto others, what you would have them do to you” — to public policy.

“We are living in a time — and I warn all of you if you would, put this in the context of the Bible, not me, in the context of the Bible — we are living in a time where a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension,” Sanders said. “Do you think it’s moral when 20 percent of the children in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, are living in poverty? Do you think it is acceptable that 40 percent of African American children are living in poverty?”

“[A]nd the Bible speaks to this issue, in a nation and in a world which worships not love of brothers and sisters, not love of the poor and the sick, but worships the acquisition of money and great wealth.”

Raw Story

Where are the Biblical lions when you need them?

My Universe  Nothing more need be said.

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Sep 152015
 

Today has been a long day for me, taking my mother to a specialist doctor's appointment.  In July, she had botox injections for muscle spasticity as a result of dementia.  I am happy to report that the shots have made a difference to her pain level and quality of life.  The problem today . . . the doctor's office is on the third floor and there is only one elevator.  Sometime after we arrived, the elevator broke down so anyone in a wheelchair is stuck waiting.  There we waited for 2 hours.  That set my day back.  The good part . . . at least we weren't stuck IN the elevator!

Fantasy FootballI hope that this works out.

            Points
Rank Team W-L-T Pct Stk Waiver For Against
1

Playing without a helmetPlaying without a helmet

1-0-0 1.000 W1 10 118.24 116.10
2

Progressive UnderdogsProgressive Underdogs

1-0-0 1.000 W1 9 102.86 70.20
3

Monster MashersMonster Mashers

1-0-0 1.000 W1 8 98.12 89.62
4

MittsMagicJockMittsMagicJock

1-0-0 1.000 W1 7 89.04 79.56
5

endthegopendthegop

1-0-0 1.000 W1 6 83.24 80.94
6

Purple DemonPurple Demon

0-1-0 .000 L1 5 116.10 118.24
7

BALCO BombersBALCO Bombers

0-1-0 .000 L1 4 89.62 98.12
8

Lefty HillbilliesLefty Hillbillies

0-1-0 .000 L1 3 80.94 83.24
9

Size 9 StompersSize 9 Stompers

0-1-0 .000 L1 2 79.56 89.04
10

TomCat Teabag TrashersTomCat Teabag Trashers

0-1-0 .000 L1 1 70.20 102.86
 

It would appear that TC and I are at the bottom of the league.  He has an excuse.  What's mine?

PuzzleToday’s took me  3:44 (average 4:51).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Rolling Stone — This is the present, and the future, of climate change. Our overheated world is amplifying drought and making megafire commonplace. This is happening even in the soggy Pacific Northwest, which has been hard-hit by what's been dubbed a "wet drought." Despite near-normal precipitation, warm winter temperatures brought rain instead of snow to the region's mountains. What little snow did hit the ground then melted early, leaving the Northwest dry — and ready to burn in the heat of summer.

The national data is as clear as it is troubling: "Climate change has led to fire seasons that are now on average 78 days longer than in 1970," according to a Forest Service report published in August. In the past three decades, the annual area claimed by fire has doubled, and the agency's scientists predict that fires will likely "double again by midcentury."

The human imprint on the bone-dry conditions that lead to fire is real — and now measurable. According to a major new study by scientists at Columbia and NASA, man-made warming is increasing atmospheric evaporation — drawing water out of Western soil, shrubs and trees. In California alone, the epic drought is up to 25 percent more severe than it would have been, absent climate change. And this impact doesn't respect state borders. The study's lead author, Columbia scientist Park Williams, tells Rolling Stone, "There's the same effect in the Pacific Northwest."

Standing near fire lines in late August, Inslee vowed to extinguish the blazes in his state. But the governor also called on Americans to confront an enemy fiercer and more insidious than fire itself. He declared, "We've got to attack this at its source: carbon pollution."

The fiery future is upon us. Pervasive drought and record temperatures — July was the warmest month ever physically recorded on planet Earth — have turned forests from Fresno to Fairbanks into tinderboxes. In Alaska, more than 5 million acres burned — surpassing the 10-year average for the entire country. With months left in the fire season, the blazes of 2015 have already scorched more than 8 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center — a record pace, likely to top the 9.8 million acres that burned in 2006. "Some of these fires that are in these forested areas could burn until it snows," said NIFC spokeswoman Jessica Gardetto.  …

For a glimpse of the future, look north, to Alaska and the Arctic — which President Obama, during a visit to Anchorage this summer, highlighted as "the leading edge of climate change." Soaring temperatures and an early-melting snowpack have brought raging wildfires to landscapes that have not been kissed by flame for millennia. "Climate change is no longer some far-off problem," Obama declared. "It is happening here. It is happening now."

The world is warming most toward the poles, and temperatures in Alaska have been increasing nearly twice as fast as the rest of the country in the past 60 years — up almost three degrees. And the state's average fire season has increased by more than a month — 35 days — since the 1950s. "We can detect the climate-change influence on fire," says Glenn Juday, a forest ecologist at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, who points to three indicators all on the upswing: "the area burned, the severity of the burning and then the frequency." 

Rolling Stone

Earlier today, I was thinking about all the wildfires in western Canada and the western US.  Australia has also found itself with severe drought and wildfires.  It seemed to me that it is one big "chicken and the egg" situation.  Drought makes for tinder dry conditions; human activity and severe lightning storms bring wildfires; wildfires generate carbon pollution in the air which generates climate change . . . and the cycle rolls on.  This is a long article but worth the read.  We must break the cycle which means making fossil fuel decisions, and of course that means keeping Republicans out of the White House and Conservatives out of Parliament. Everyday people like you and I need to have a bigger say in the sustainability of the planet, not greedy corpoations.

Daily KosThis is a short piece.  An "Awesome cartoon about Bernie Sanders @ Liberty Univ".

Daily Kos

Now that is a genuine WWJD!  I think that would really confuse Kim Davis and the Republicans.

Alternet — “Richard is sentenced to death because he’s poor,” Glossip’s new attorney Donald Knight told the Guardian. “Not very many people can afford a death penalty defense. That should scare everyone.”

With 60 more days, his attorneys say they could gather more evidence to present a petition allowing them to litigate in a court that could grant a new trial or a clemency review. 

Alternet

In my book, the death penalty is never OK.  It is state sanctioned murder.  I think we all know where TC stands on this.

My UniverseThis is how I feel about TC's shoes!

Damn, they are soooooooooooooooooooooooo big!

 

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