I've been trying to think of a way to tell you this and, well, I'm just going to say it.  Dean is first.

LOL! Tom, you did it again. . . . 

Here we have the Vice President comparing the decision to invade Iraq . . . to the pardon of Richard Nixon:

I had the experience, for example, of working for Jerry Ford, and I've never forgotten the travails he went through after he had been president for 30 days when he issued the pardon of former president Nixon. And there was consternation coast to coast.

But he demonstrated, I think, great courage and great foresight, and the country was better off for what Jerry Ford did that day. And 30 years later, everybody recognized it.

And I have the same strong conviction the issues we're dealing with today -- the global war on terror, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq -- that all of the tough calls the president has had to make, that 30 years from now it will be clear that he made the right decisions, and that the effort we mounted was the right one, and that if we had listened to the polls, we would have gotten it wrong.

http://www.democracyarsenal.org/

Looks like one of the three will take the oath as a *war prez.* I'm so comforted.

sea, if I may be so bold, it seems like you have a problem with reality.

Hitleresque  

Never give up...............However destructive that might be. 

President Bush's time in office has been a disaster

How boring, ABB? This just proves: Anybody But .... is a disaster.

Sorry I missed you sunlight. . . .

12:48 a.m. EDST 

puddle, good article about BO teaching.

I thought it was *blog knowledge* that BO was a Professor of Constitutional Law.

For those of you who claim that words matter, there's a difference between Professor of Constitutional Law and well-loved teacher. Now I understand why he's not talking more about the Constitution and impeachment.  

Facts help keep the blog and bloggers honest. 

Some of you may not like my posts, but you may like my newest tango painting.  :-)  Change of pace! (all the shoes are mine)

Why does she even have a  say in this?  This woman is a master at taking controversial matters off the table.

Report: Pelosi nixes Olympics boycott (0)
 

ABC News is reporting another *tall tale* of Clinton's regarding a certain trip to Africa. Susan Rice sets the record straight. My goodness, the tales keep coming.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

Twice the turn-out expected at caucus training this evening. Lots of disappointed former Bill Clinton supporters who think the Clinton's are trashing the party and Obama. Not good for their legacy.

gorgeous painting, seashell. Love it.

When I was in college, all my teachers were "professor" regardless of *rank* -- can't *ever* remember a teacher called "Assistant Professor Jones" or "Associate Professor Smith."  For me, the point of the article was that his peers considered him a professor. . . . And vastly more than competent. 

Guess it depends on whatcher lookin' for, lol!

Like the painting, btw. . . .  

Darth Cheney visits Israel. Can more war be far behind?

************************* 

During his whirlwind tour of US-friendly nations in the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney claimed Iran was "heavily involved" in developing a nuclear bomb -- an allegation that is at odds with what's known about the regime.

Although his trip also focused on the war in Iraq, sky-high oil prices and the ongoing quest for peace between Israel and Palestine, Iran was never far from the vice president's mind. Although the US and Israel believe they have found a "smoking gun" in Iran's enrichment of uranium, the chances of a unilateral US strike are seen as "remote," according to JTA news service.

    With U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Israel this week talking about Iran, the big question was whether President Bush would be willing to use military force in the waning days of his presidency to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program. The answer from most Israeli intelligence analysts: not likely. ... Israel also figures that the chances of the Bush administration ordering a pre-emptive military strike against Iran are virtually zero. The only such scenario the Israelis envision is if the Democratic presidential candidates appear to be far ahead of their Republican rival and Bush senses a "now or never" strike option. Even in these circumstances, the Israelis say, an American strike is highly unlikely.

Still, the Israelis are hoping that the hard-line Cheney will push the envelope -- a role he reportedly played vis-a-vis the U.S. invasion of Iraq. One official said Cheney is seen as "a significant player" who could influence "serious issues that cannot wait."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Israel_sees_dwindling_chance_of_US_0325.html
 

This is from HEP:

Oh thanks, mary vb.  It's mixed media with a number of the heels done in glitter!  The challenge is to count the shoes, some of which, as you can see, are upside down. :-)

And thanks for setting more records straight.  HC looks exhausted with huge bags under her eyes.  Just thinking about her schedule makes me wanna take a nap! 

Las Vegas Review Journal Has An Overlooked Interview with Harry Reid that Hints at "Behind the Scenes" Maneuvering to End the Destructive Dem Nomination Battle. Also, Reid is Opposed to Seating Michigan and Florida Prior to the Vote for the Nomination. Interesting, Very Interesting. Both Pelosi and Reid Have Taken "DNC Process" Positions that Would Tend to Favor Obama, Although Both are Officially Uncommitted Superdelegates.

Words (credentialism) do/does matter!

Ask a lowly adjunct, w/o a contract or bennies.

Anyone w/a Master's can teach lower level stuff at the collegiate level. 

Some of my bestest teachers have been lowly adjuncts/lecturers, BTW.

 I've also rated them highly during evals (which doesn't count for squat, re: their future payscales & sections).

They aren't involved in the daily "politics" of campus, they have a life outside of the ivory tower, and tend to be more reality-oriented, re: pedagogy.

 Senior lecturer was Obama's title at U/Chicago Law School.

 He was certainly not a fully tenured Prof.

Truthiness, and all that jazz....

Have you privatized your profile as yet, seashell? 

Putz makes us long for the days of Nixon.  This will make us long for the days of Putz. This is for those dems who will not vote except for the cand of their choice.  Please read with an open mind.  This man is far worse than bush.  BO and HC look like angels in comparison.

.ft.com/cms/s/0/1a47e1ac-f9b0-11dc-9b7c-00007...

excerpt:

Driven in part by his intense commitment to the Iraq war, Mr McCain has relied more on neo-conservatives such as his close friend William Kristol, the Weekly Standard editor. His chief foreign policy advisor is Randy Scheunemann, another leading neo-conservative and a founder of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq. Mr McCain shares their belief in what Mr Kristol has called “national greatness conservatism”. In 1999, Mr McCain declared: “The US is the indispensable nation because we have proven to be the greatest force for good in human history . . . We have every intention of continuing to use our primacy in world affairs for humanity’s benefit.”

Mr McCain’s promises, during last week’s visit to London, to listen more to America’s European allies, need to be taken with a giant pinch of salt. There is, in fact, no evidence that he would be prepared to alter any important US policy at Europe’s request.

Reflecting the neo-conservative programme of spreading democracy by force, Mr McCain declared in 2000: “I’d institute a policy that I call ‘rogue state rollback’. I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments.” Mr McCain advocates attacking Iran if necessary in order to prevent it developing nuclear weapons, and last year was filmed singing “Bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann”.

Mr McCain suffers from more than the usual degree of US establishment hatred of Russia, coupled with a particular degree of sympathy for Georgia and the restoration of Georgian rule over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He advocates the expulsion of Russia from the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations and, like Mr Scheunemann, is a strong supporter of early Nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine. Mr Scheunemann has accused even Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, of “appeasement” of Russia. Nato expansion exemplifies the potential of a McCain presidency. Apart from the threat of Russian reprisals, if the Georgians thought that in a war they could rely on US support, they might be tempted to start one. A McCain presidency would give them good reason to have faith in US support.

Mr McCain’s policies would not be so worrying were it not for his notorious quickness to fury in the face of perceived insults to himself or his country. Even Thad Cochran, a fellow Republican senator, has said: “I certainly know no other president since I’ve been here who’s had a temperament like that.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1a47e1ac-f9b0-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
 

This is an interesting website giving 2 views of events from Israel and Palestine.

http://www.bitterlemons.org/ 

Awwwww

Rocks, weeds, wet branches - how can a dolphin buy love? 

I just had to post some of this.

Enlarge Image

Researchers observed adult male botos carrying these objects while surrounded by females, and thrashing them on the water surface aggressively.

Writing in the journal Biology Letters, they say such behaviour has never before been seen in any marine mammal.

The boto lives in only two rivers, and numbers are thought to be declining.

A group of British and Brazilian researchers studied the dolphin's unique courtship behaviour over three years in the Mamiraua Reserve, a flooded rainforest area on the Amazon.

"You see them coming up with bits of wood or lumps of rock in a very ritualised manner," recalled Tony Martin from the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University.

They may be fairly numerous now, but they're going downhill fast and we can't see any end to it
Tony Martin

That's it for me tonight...leaving on an upbeat, sorta, note.  Declining numbers is not a happy thing to read.

Happy sleep! 

Paine sure does miss the point.

Enjoy this one folks. It has a ride that takes you all the way home to point zero. Don't forget to breathe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0TEs89I0...

Hillary has 35 yrs. of "experience" as a stand by her man dumb-assed trophy wife.

No more, no less.

She can spin it all she wants.

Yanni and Niki Nana!  Wow!  Consumate artists.  I don't think I've ever heard anything that he does that I haven't liked.

Thank you, Susan! 

Oh, I had to pop in before beddie.   

I do hope William Monroe returns.

Obstructionist tactics almost always turn out to be very destructive. Fighting fire with fire can be a rather risky and voilital alchemical experiment. It's best to change the elements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Fire_...

---

65.

William Monroe
Mon, 03/24/08


I have just removed the RSS feed for BFA from the Democracy for Missouri website, until they fix this issue of posting by what amounts to troll material on the front page...willy nilly.

DFA is supposedly attempting to cool the rhetoric between the Obama and Clinton camps, yet is posting highly partisan and snarky articles on BFA.

I for one am running to be an Obama National Delegate, and find the anti Obama and Pro Hillary stuff on BFA is potentially driving away votes in my Cong District election (Thursday). I am sure there are a few Hillary true believers who are DFA members, also in that position.

I have written the DFA leadership about this. Hopefully some kind of fix can be made. ...

Satyagraha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha
Duragraha

“There must be no impatience, no barbarity, no insolence, no undue pressure. If we want to cultivate a true spirit of democracy, we cannot afford to be intolerant. Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause.� ~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Seashell -- love your shoes!!!! What an inspired piece. Can't stand Yanni tho.

Good morning, everybody

Well, it's clear that even if Bush Two is a numbskull, Cheney has an agenda that he sees as being realized.  In a sense, they're scapegoats--taking on the sins of the world and relying on priestly incantations to keep the world from falling apart.

Anyway, HRC's reactions to Wright and Greenspan are telling.  When someone says something she doesn't like, she shuns them and when somebody abuses his authority, she comes back for more.   I think there's something perverse there.

The problem with Hillary is that she's self-centered, rather than self-directed.  That's the worst kind of selfish.  It would be OK, if it meant that she's got a solid core of principles on the basis of which she acts.  But, that's what I refer to as self-directed.  Her self-centeredness just means that she's the center of her own attention and has little awareness of her environment or role in it.  No situational awareness. 

"Hard decisions" are decisions that cause hardship for someone else.  You know, they come out of the school of "this is gonna hurt me more than you."

Good morning, BFA generally! Also to Anni, Monica, Susan & sea, particularly. It looks as if others either are lurking only or in bed.

For the first time in a while, I didn't wake up to snow this am. We've had a lot of days where the fawn shed her spots, Phil. Love that expression; it's much better than the other one. And yes, the loss of the ice in Antarctica should be a sobering reminder that global warming is real.

sea, nice painting! You may actually know one of my sisters, who now lives in OR and who is also an artist. Like me, she is a *recovering teacher,* but she has always been an artist. It's only been since her retirement from teaching that she has been able to paint full-time.

She was not an art teacher, but a teacher of literature and writing.

Oh, I don't know about *hard decisions,* generally, Monica. Perhaps when this criminal putzCo group uses the term, that's what it means, since none of them seem to be suffering any particular hardship, while everyone who is subject to their *decisions* is.

But I have had to make some *hard decisions* of my own, and believe me, they also resulted in hardship and mental anguish for me too. In many cases, the results were even harder on me.

More bad news coming from the Antarctic ...

==============
Cracking up: the ice shelf as big as Northern Ireland
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Wednesday, 26 March 2008

It is one of the biggest in Antarctica and, for the past century, the massive Wilkins ice shelf appeared to have escaped the ravages of global warming. But now, enormous cracks have appeared in this floating ice platform the size of Northern Ireland. Scientists say it is breaking apart at an unprecedented rate after warmer temperatures weakened it.

A thin strip of ice is all that now prevents the Wilkins shelf from disintegrating and breaking away from the landmass of the Antarctic peninsula, scientists said yesterday. The peninsula is the fastest-warming region in the Antarctic and has seen some of the largest temperature rises on earth – 0.5C per decade – which is why the Wilkins ice shelf is on the verge of disappearing completely, said one of the scientists.

[...]
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment...

Dan Froomkin nails it and rounds up what press coverage there is of this unforgivable position.

===============
Cheney's Unforgivable Egotism
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, March 25, 2008; 1:22 PM

That President Bush and Vice President Cheney live in a bubble of flattery and delusion, largely sheltered from the people who are actually suffering from the consequences of their actions, is not exactly news.

But perhaps nothing has crystallized their detachment and self-involvement so vividly as Cheney's assertion yesterday that when it comes to the war in Iraq, it is Bush -- not the soldiers and Marines who fight and die, or their families -- who is bearing the biggest burden.

And in an era where failing to support the troops is the ultimate political sin, Cheney's breezy dismissal of their sacrifice -- heck, they're volunteers, and dying goes with the territory -- was jaw-dropping even by the vice president's own tone-deaf standards.

Does Cheney really believe that Bush's burden is so great? The president tells people he's sleeping just fine, thank you, and in public appearances appears upbeat beyond all reason.

Or does Cheney simply have no idea what it means to go to war? He and Bush, after all, famously avoided putting themselves in the line of fire when it was their time.

Or are they just so wrapped up in themselves they can't see how ridiculous it is to even suggest such a thing?

[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Just how would WE have reacted if Russia or China had *mistakenly* sent secret nuclear missile fuses to Iran?

With putzCo in charge, I give you three guesses ... and the first two don't count.

Nancy: before you condemn China for its admittedly deplorable policies, look a bit closer to home. Put impeachment *on the table.* Only then, can we retain any vestige of our literally shredded credibility and prestige.

What on earth does it take?

=======================
Nuclear Parts Sent To Taiwan In Error
U.S. Just Learned Of 2006 Mix-Up
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 26, 2008; A01

The Defense Department mistakenly shipped secret nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan more than 18 months ago and did not learn that the items were missing until late last week, Pentagon officials acknowledged yesterday, deepening concerns about the security of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Officials with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) sent four nose-cone fuse assemblies to Taiwan in August 2006 instead of four replacement battery packs for use in Taiwan's fleet of UH-1 Huey helicopters. The fuses help trigger nuclear warheads on Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles as they near their point of impact. It was unclear yesterday how the two very different items were mixed up at a warehouse at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and how they were shipped out of the country without notice.

[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Well, it is said that we all descended from a common ancestor, so this information (also posted earlier by someone, sorry, but I forget who ... Susan?) is probably not surprising.

Through my paternal grandmother's family, we are among those related to the Pierces and ergo, distantly (very distantly, thank God!), to the Bushes.

If so, it appears that we might be related to Obama. Interesting thought because it could help take away some of the Bush stigma.

Fortunately, nothing so far has turned up any relationship whatsoever to prick.

================
Obama's family tree expanded to include the Bushes and the Pitts
Ewen MacAskill
The Guardian, Wednesday March 26 2008

Barack Obama often jokes in his campaign speeches about a genealogical survey last year that found he is a distant cousin of Dick Cheney.

Now there is more bad news for Obama: a study published yesterday found he is related to George Bush as well.

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, said Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six US presidents his cousins: both Bushes, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman and James Madison. The society, a non-profit organisation, found he is also related to Churchill.

It said it investigated the blood lines of the three presidential hopefuls. One of the oddest connections is that Obama is related to Brad Pitt and Hillary Clinton to Pitt's partner, Angelina Jolie.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar...

I personally am sorry to see this ... wonder what the *real* story is.

Interestingly, a lot of viewership of the English language satellite channel is actually outside the UK, albeit illicitly, in most, if not all, cases. So their numbers are probably not even being counted.

===============
Senior al-Jazeera staff quit English service
· Growing unease among staff about its future
· Insiders claim disharmony has gripped broadcaster
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
The Guardian, Wednesday March 26 2008

Al-Jazeera English, the global news channel launched as a sibling to the Arab-language service, has suffered its most high profile defections yet amid growing unease among staff about its future.

Steve Clark, a former senior executive at ITN and Sky News and a driving force behind the launch of al-Jazeera English, resigned at the end of last week while David Marash, a former CBS Nightline presenter who was the senior anchor in Washington, has also quit.

Insiders say more than 15 staff have quit or resigned in recent months amid complaints of a lack of clarity over its direction, contractual disputes and speculation over a relaunch later this year.

[...]
The English version is available in more than 100m households in 60 countries. It is still not carried by any of the major cable providers in the US but is available via broadband. It has not provided viewing figures for the UK but they are unlikely to peak at anything more than a few thousand people.

[...]
Using the latest technology, 500 staff and 18 bureaux around the world, Al Jazeera English made a string of big name signings. They included Sir David Frost, who interviewed Tony Blair in the opening week, Rageh Omaar and Stephen Cole. It has no central base but broadcasts from four locations - Doha, London, Washington and Kuala Lumpur - in an attempt to "follow the sun" with its coverage.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar...

Here's a populous *mouse* that, while not exactly roaring, may be calling out some meaningful warnings.

What a shame that the colossus nations are themselves not doing more.

===================
Remote control
While the least developed countries suffer the worst effects of climate change, brought about by the actions of the rich, they have no voice in global warming talks. Now Bangladesh is leading a fightback.
John Vidal
The Guardian, Wednesday March 26 2008

On September 27 last year, Fakhruddin Ahmed, chief adviser - or head - of the interim government of Bangladesh, stood in the UN general assembly in New York and appealed on behalf of all the most vulnerable countries in the world for help and justice to cope with climate change. "This year we in Bangladesh have witnessed one of the worst floods in recent times . . . there is little we can do to prevent significant damage . . . a one-metre sea level rise will submerge about one-third of Bangladesh, uprooting 25 million to 30 million people. I speak for Bangladesh and many other countries on the threshold of a climatic Armageddon," he said.

All his fears were justified. Within a few months, the super cyclone (or hurricane) Sidr had devastated southern Bangladesh. Sweeping off the bay of Bengal and making landfall at 223km/h, it was one of the biggest storms ever measured in Bangladesh, stronger even than the one in 1991, when 138,000 people died. This time, more than 3,000 people perished and 7 million were affected. It would have been far more had it not been for the string of shelters that have been built all along the coast, and the precise, early warning given by Bangladesh's Met Office.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20...

News reports of the situation in Basra, as rounded up by Juan Cole. Does it mean that the *surge* might not be the *success* that pitz, prick & 'Cain insist that it is? (Snark.)

And this is the last for now.

Have good ones.

=================
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sadrists clash with Iraqi, US forces in Basra;
Curfews in Shiite cities

The truce between the Mahdi Army and the US military has broken down, putting a question mark over the future of the 'surge'.

Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that members of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI, formerly SCIRI, led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim); the Da'wa Party led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki; and the Badr Corps paramilitary of ISCI have fled their HQs in Basra and Kut, because of the threat that they will be stormed by Mahdi Army militiamen [seeking revenge for the current offensive], In fact, some such buildings already have been attacked.

Eyewitnesses reported clashes on Tuesday in Sadr City, east Baghdad, led by Mahdi Army militiamen against American and Iraqi forces. The latter had encircled Sadr City, while the Mahdi Army roamed its streets within. The sound of gunfire could be heard, and helicopter gunships were seen hovering above.

[...]
http://www.juancole.com/2008/03/sadrists...

ever since Cheney got the word from the Saudi bosses and we flipped sides, we have been rearming the sunni fighters for the upcoming civil war that will be of our making

as paine said earlier the war in Iraq has just begun 

Argentina is one of the world's top exporters of soya, wheat and beef and any prolonged conflict will have a major effect on vital export earnings, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires.

The farmers' strike is the biggest crisis faced by Ms Fernandez since she took office more than three months ago, succeeding her husband Nestor Kirchner, our correspondent adds.

Farmers argue that they produce much of the country's wealth

The government has been using taxes on grain and commodity exports to boost state revenues.

Taxes on a range of goods including soybeans, sunflower oil and beef are being raised by up to 45%, increases that farmers have described as crippling.

"We will continue the strike for as long as necessary," said Eduardo Buzzi, president of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA).

Trade at Argentina's largest grain and cattle markets has ground to a halt while many shops are reporting shortages of supplies.

There have been disputes between farmers and truck drivers, and armed police have been deployed at potential flashpoints.

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I really don't know why humans keep being surprised when water, in any form, reaches a tipping point.  That's its nature.  One minute it's flowing, the next it's frozen hard or vice versa.  One minute it's placid in a pot, the next it's in a roiling boil and then it escapes its bounds as steam.

The Air Force does not like being tasked with baby-sitting nuclear weapons.  Recall that last year they mistakenly sent some armed missiles on a journey to Louisiana. 

Now, in addition to the conquest of cyberspace, they're looking at building nuclear power plants on the bases or, in the alternative, coal fired ones.  The Air Force is an entity without a clear mission that's looking for something else to justify its existence.  That's a dangerous situation. 

wheat is the world crop in short supply and flooding in the middle of the country is going to affect some production, while just a few hundreds of miles away, in the high plains the drought is spreading, and the milling staple seeding up north will be delayed by the longer than normal winter

global warming? a perfect storm? politicians all over the world better let farmers do their thing, because what we do is a life or death issue for someone

and if starting something with Iran disrupts fuel supplies there had better be some planning that gets diesel to farmers rather than truckloads of Chinese junk to WalMart (as an example, the free market can only go so far, in war)

print the ration coupons before you start a war

need our most closely guarded secrets?

order helicopter batteries lol

the trigger of a nuclear weapon is the most important component, the rest is pretty simple

The truce between the Mahdi Army and the US military has broken down, putting a question mark over the future of the 'surge'.

First time that I've seen an admission that the cease fire was to benefit the US.  Earlier statements by the US always referred to strife between Sunni and Shia. 

It is in the interest of the nuclear weapons industry to have our current generation of weapons declared inadequate or compromised.  That will give them an excuse to push forward with the Reliable Replacement Warheads.  Clearly, the scare tactics around Iraq didn't work and the Iran terror story isn't making much progress.

Remember Padillo, the dirty bomber?  Time is running out to get the nuclear weapons industry back up to speed.  If there's nothing for the nuclear engineers to design and build, they won't be trained.  The problem the nuclear people have is that they have no way of demonstrating that their product is useful. 

we are a water planet because we were caught in a celestial snowstorm in a lucky twist of fate that put us in orbit with the tails of ice comets

and life evolved out of the seas, so yes, earth, us, and the magic of water and it's match with the temperature regime of our distance from the sun, makes this spaceship a very special place

as I found out this week when my well pump quit, life gets difficult in a hurry without water

I guess as disasters go, I'd take flooding over drought

bbl

7:19 AM EDT

Michael (in case you're into roller-blading to Greensboro today):

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/greensboro

...

War Memorial Auditorium
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
1921 W. Lee Street
Greensboro, NC 27403

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Doors Open: 11:00 a.m.
Program begins: 1:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public

...

Johnson Controls venture wins piece of $10B contract

A joint venture between Versar Inc. and a unit of Johnson Controls Inc. of Glendale has won part of an Air Force contract worth as much as $10 billion.

Actually, the contract will go to 12 companies over five years. 

The Versar/Johnson Controls Federal Systems venture will provide facilities and infrastructure support to the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, which provides assistance with services such as emergency management, military-family housing and environmental restoration programs at Air Force facilities.

It's probably true that the AFCESA does these things.  But Johnson Controls is mainly into electronic monitoring which is no guarantee that anything will be done.

"The contract gives Versar the potential for significant infrastructure work for the Air Force during the next decade," said Ted Prociv, president and chief executive officer of Versar, in a statement.

Note the word 'potential'  and that infrastructure is a buzz word.  Wiring for alarm systems hardly qualifies.

Springfield, Va.-based Versar (AMEX: VSR) makes personal protective equipment for chemical and biological warfare defense programs and provides environmental compliance consulting services.

Now we're talking about gas masks and hazmat suits.  Oh, and new regulations that will have to be worked around. 

The company, which has 12 locations nationwide and four offices abroad, reported annual revenue of $102.73 million last year, an increase of 69 percent over revenue of $60.89 million in 2006.

Since its unlikely that a workforce was doubled and trained in one year, the revenue increase probably went into profit. 

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is a global provider of facility management systems and services and a major supplier to the automotive industry.

So the Air Force is making up for a downturn in the car business.  

I must admit to a prejudice.  Our city management was persuaded to turn over the heating and cooling of city hall to Jonson Control to be regulated remotely--i.e. via a computer in a distant city.  The building was always either too hot or too cold but the management was happy because they couldn't do anything about it but make a phone call and leave a message. 

Sea, I like thed painting immediately.    It is very...emm, sexy?  I don't know that that's the right word.  Hmm, there is something there. 

We're paying to rewire F-15 s that come apart in mid-air.

7:48 AM EDT

Are the youth fired up ? :

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog

...

Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing

FYI on the subject:

water - not only necessary, but so mysterious in the way it absorbs, conducts and interprets energy.  Dr. Masaru Emoto has done some fascinating photographic studies with water - I kinda think of him as the Snowflake Bentley of the new millenium!  I saw him in Burlington in 2006 and his lecture was fascinating.

this beautiful crystal is one of my favorites - it formed with the energy of 'dolphin'.  click for more pics - and to see the visible difference between negative and positive energy's effect on water molecules...

https://www.hado.net/watercrystals/index.php

Hey Jo! 

I am off to work, but before I go let me say for so many others - we're glad you have not gone away. 

Have a nice day.

Jo

we are under a winter storm watch again so I'll prefer to contemplate the more mysterious cooling effect of a droplet of water vanishing into thin air as it evaporates taking heat with it

hi paine - thank you!  I didn't mean to imply yesterday that I was leaving, just that I was becoming overwhelmed by the anger and meanness that's been brewing.  for some reason I felt very threatened by the blogger who attacked me, like they knew me and it might become personal next - I'd never felt threatened like that before.  it was a very sad feeling to have, here, on the blog. 

Ah, yes!  What we wouldn't give for a little competence!

Explosives near Capitol go undetected for weeks


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Authorities revealed Tuesday that a man carrying a loaded shotgun was arrested in January near the U.S. Capitol, and explosives left in his truck nearby went undetected for three weeks.



 

Phil, re: we are under a winter storm watch again so I'll prefer to contemplate the more mysterious cooling effect of a droplet of water vanishing into thin air as it evaporates taking heat with it

man, I've been contemplating that for months!  sorry to hear about more bad weather - you've been in the bullseye of a wicked, wicked winter this year. 

I have some herbs and garlic and a few perennials sprouting in the greenhouse, so that's what's getting me thru the last throes of this winter weather.  I'll be eating the baby lettuce and mesclun in a couple of weeks.....

The F-15E model (Strike Eagle) was not the type that had problems with the longerons.  But even if it was, we do not throw away things just because they need repair - whether those things be commercial aircraft, military aircraft, or your car.  We fix them and move on.  If there is a fault in the design, we deal with it, both mechanically and legally if necessary.

The F-15 has been in use since the early 70's.  Continuing to use it is cheaper than buying new aircraft, so long as it can meet the needs of the military.  Eventually it will just "wear out" (and Iraq surely is doing that to a lot of aircraft), but until then continuing the fly the F-15 is smart.

Of course, if you don't think we need a military, feel free to criticise everything without regard to knowledge of the subject. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7...

Fresh clashes break out in Basra

....In Baghdad, rockets were fired at the Green Zone, the diplomatic and government compound.

Five Iraqi civilians were killed by stray rockets, while inside the heavily fortified zone three Americans were seriously injured.

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Somehow, VICTORY seems farther away now that it did before the minimal surge.

What a foreign policy disaster....

 feel free to criticise everything without regard to knowledge of the subject. 

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always what I felt about criticism of ethanol and it's relationship to the price of wheat 

we unleashed pro-Iranian forces the minute we took down Saddam and if that wasn't the purpose going in we are being led by a bunch of damn fools

and if the surge is a pretext to rebalance the sunni against the shia so they have a fighting chance in a civil war let's get out of the way

the turks will make sure the kurds don't take advantage of the situation

arm the crips we don't like who the bloods are hanging with

I had a chance to see Howard yesterday but couldn't because of my new hire.

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New thwead.

Re Ohio and food stamps: the way work is allocated to people in the US has to change.  The age of the welfare queen is over.  There has to be way that people who want to work can get work.  The current state of unregulated feudalism our economy is in has to stop.  (We do not have unregulated capitalism.  Capitalism implies that people are investing capital into productivity.  But the rich are buying palatial homes rather than investing capital in business.  The current situation is more like feudalism than like capitalism.)