Seen on The Weather Channel today; heading "Traffic Delays"
Milwaukee- heavy rains
Boston- Heavy rains
Texas- Torrential rains with possibility of tornadoes
San Francisco- wrecked tanker truck burns and melts expressway
Uhhhh....what was that last bit again?
Maybe tomorrow: "Downpour of freight trains slows traffic to a crawl on the Dan Ryan Expressway," or "Backup of crescent wrenches stalls traffic on Triborough Bridge."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Vonnegut & Transitional Whys
I started the day early, before 0500, thinking about the passing of a common literature in English, no doubt provoked by the death of Kurt Vonnegut and a column written by a friend on that subject. After reading today's Bleat by James Lileks, and reading the part on the Minneapolis Public Library, I decided there must be something teleological in the air, to be reflecting on the ends of things. All in all, though, it's probably just a result of my acquiring and re-reading Robert Hughes' The Shock of the New, a survey of modern art that I find nearly indispensable. I didn't care for most modern art before I read it, and don't now, but at least I can now comprehend it, and why it has reached its dry, abstract end, whether embodied in the Kandinskys and Klees and all their ilk in hundreds of museums and galleries around the planet, or in such mausoleums of urbanity as Albany's Empire State Plaza. Look at it, and see a representative government achieve what Mussolini could only dream of, and remember that somebody thought that this pile was actually architecture. What derailed all the paradigms between 1850 - 1950? Why is it perhaps important that these things happen? I wish I knew, or perhaps I don't......
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Well, somebody's getting 'em
No hummingbirds so far at this latitude (40° N), but others are luckier........
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Pissing Contest
Yes, ladies & gentlemen, it made the national news- saw it on CNN this morning, which will shortly change its name to the CMN (Cable Micturation Network): you can be traumatized by not getting a hall pass to the restroom.
The Sacramento "A"'s are at work, as reported in the Sacramento "Bee," over an incident involving Sacramento "Pee." I'm sure the Revs. Jesse & Al have been called....if they work weekends.
The Sacramento "A"'s are at work, as reported in the Sacramento "Bee," over an incident involving Sacramento "Pee." I'm sure the Revs. Jesse & Al have been called....if they work weekends.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Resistance is NOT futile!
There is evidence to contradict the usual advice of law enforcement authorities that one should offer no resistance to armed criminals, viz.:
When Mass Killers Meet Armed Resistance.
It took place at a university in Virginia. A student with a grudge, an immigrant, pulled a gun and went on a shooting spree. It wasn’t Virginia Tech at all. It was the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, not far away. You can easily drive from the one school to the other, just take a trip down Route 460 through Tazewell. It was January 16, 2002..... {You may read entire article here, courtesy of Classically Liberal}
When Mass Killers Meet Armed Resistance.
It took place at a university in Virginia. A student with a grudge, an immigrant, pulled a gun and went on a shooting spree. It wasn’t Virginia Tech at all. It was the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, not far away. You can easily drive from the one school to the other, just take a trip down Route 460 through Tazewell. It was January 16, 2002..... {You may read entire article here, courtesy of Classically Liberal}
Monday, April 23, 2007
When Entertainers (Try to) Think
This is what happens when people who caterwaul -or learn a script for a living- get a bully pulpit and begin to spout as they please. This particular gem is from Sheryl Crow, on Huffington Post. I prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she's trying to shift to a career in standup comedy:
I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming. Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required. When presenting this idea to my younger brother, who's judgment I trust implicitly, he proposed taking it one step further. I believe his quote was, "how bout just washing the one square out."
"-the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen." .....and some of us just aren't getting enough to our brains.
I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming. Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required. When presenting this idea to my younger brother, who's judgment I trust implicitly, he proposed taking it one step further. I believe his quote was, "how bout just washing the one square out."
"-the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen." .....and some of us just aren't getting enough to our brains.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Earth Day, 2007
Ah, Earth Day! Remember when they invented that? Mary Margaret told me a little anecdote of the Earth Day discussion at church this morning, and it was just like all those discussions back in '73 after the "energy crunch" about who was going to bell the cat. It didn't matter what elements of energy conservation were under discussion, it always devolved into generalizations about "-what must be done," and not "Here's what we personally are doing / planning to do."
As they discovered 30 years ago, when interviewed, the majority of people thought that it would be a wonderful idea if their neighbors on either side implemented a whole array of energy-saving measures, but that they "might" do something "someday." Needless to say, Mary didn't win any popularity polls when she said she didn't want to hear anything except what each person in the conversation planned to do themselves.
The power companies have spoken of their need to raise rates after the long freeze in Illinois, and I know a great way for them to get the money. Just have a sliding scale for each residential customer, based on a determined average usage. Up to X kwh, the rate is at par, whatever the ICC says. Above that rate, for the next 100 kwh or so, it increases by 25 %, and so forth, until by 400 kwh over the rate is double.....and it doubles for each 100 kwh over that. My guess is that no further measures would be required. Oh, people can argue that cheaters can cheat with such a system, but they cheated on rationing in WWII, and did it wholesale. The fact that there are always cheaters doesn't invalidate a math exam, and it doesn't invalidate this. And it provides instant and very powerful incentives to conserve.
There- I've made my Earth Day contribution, and in a much more pragmatic way than people burning french-fry oil in their diesels or ethanol made from corn. I know we eat a lot of fries, but not enough to make a drop in the bucket against diesel use. I recently read an article that estimated that if EVERY ear of corn grown in the U.S. were converted to ethanol, it would equal.....12% of the gas burned. But look on the bright side; the food shortages that would ensue should abate the national concern over obesity.
As they discovered 30 years ago, when interviewed, the majority of people thought that it would be a wonderful idea if their neighbors on either side implemented a whole array of energy-saving measures, but that they "might" do something "someday." Needless to say, Mary didn't win any popularity polls when she said she didn't want to hear anything except what each person in the conversation planned to do themselves.
The power companies have spoken of their need to raise rates after the long freeze in Illinois, and I know a great way for them to get the money. Just have a sliding scale for each residential customer, based on a determined average usage. Up to X kwh, the rate is at par, whatever the ICC says. Above that rate, for the next 100 kwh or so, it increases by 25 %, and so forth, until by 400 kwh over the rate is double.....and it doubles for each 100 kwh over that. My guess is that no further measures would be required. Oh, people can argue that cheaters can cheat with such a system, but they cheated on rationing in WWII, and did it wholesale. The fact that there are always cheaters doesn't invalidate a math exam, and it doesn't invalidate this. And it provides instant and very powerful incentives to conserve.
There- I've made my Earth Day contribution, and in a much more pragmatic way than people burning french-fry oil in their diesels or ethanol made from corn. I know we eat a lot of fries, but not enough to make a drop in the bucket against diesel use. I recently read an article that estimated that if EVERY ear of corn grown in the U.S. were converted to ethanol, it would equal.....12% of the gas burned. But look on the bright side; the food shortages that would ensue should abate the national concern over obesity.
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