Some people practice wild knitting, others love wild weather; me, I'm fond of wild gardening. I started my first organic garden 35 years ago, when I moved to Sonoma County and have had once every year since, even in the lean times, when all I had room for was a couple of tomato plants. My father, a farm boy who grew up to run a harvesting business ('til it went bankrupt in a bad spell) would snort derisively whenever he saw my garden, unpruned, with volunteers allowed to flourish in crannies and sidewalk cracks. But it's fed us well, happified our neighbors and friends and pleased me beyond measure, so I stick to my disorganized, blooming, and maniacally generous methods, thank you very much. (So please, forbear if you feel tempted to tell me how to prune. For me, the biggest blessing of the garden is the chance to cut loose and let life ring out as she wishes, ribald, raw, succulent.)
Each year there's a lesson. This year's came in the form of sow bugs. For some reason unknown to me, my starts were being devoured by these little isopods and I was desperate to learn what to do. A few sneering websites declared that only inorganic gardens are beset by these crustaceans (to which I jeer back: "ha, jolly ha! With knobs on!") But one site (sorry, I can't remember which and there's no way I can find it again) suggested an elegant and harmonious solution: feed them. Yes, dear brothers and sisters: when sow or pill bugs visit your tender starts, all you need do to solve the problem is put out a little salad for them: they will nibble what is handiest and leave your garden alone. And once your sets are well and truly growing (for me, a tad more than a week in), they will ignore your living plants and go back to their usual diet of litter, the helpful darlins'.
I was utterly charmed and it worked, utterly. I put out baby spinach leaves from our salad bowl every night; the sow bugs abandoned my basil and eggplants for pickins' they didn't have to climb for. It reminded me of one of the most wonderful books I ever read my daughter, Rabbit Hill by author and illustrator Robert Lawson (who won the Newberry Award for it). In this book, the wild animals living near an old--and newly re-inhabited--home are excited by the people's garden and their addition of "Him" (a statue of St. Francis), placed on the garden's edge. At harvest time, the animals are remembered by their new neighbors, who place food from the garden out for each of them, set around the stone saint. "Enough for All," was their message. Would that more of us shared this motto: what a paradise we could create.
from NYT Home Page by By ANDREW W. LEHREN and CHRISTINE HAUSER
An analysis of rainfall and homicides for the last six years shows that when it rains substantially in the summertime, there are fewer homicides.
...
The gap is even wider when looking just at Saturdays in the summer. Those days typically post the highest number of homicides in the course of a year. When there was no rain, the average number of homicides for the 10 Saturdays in summer jumped to 24. For those few Saturdays doused with at least an inch of rain, the rate was 18.
...
Some criminologists caution against reading too much into the differences. Ellen G. Cohn, a professor at Florida International University, who has examined links between weather and crime for more than two decades, said the impact of rain on crime was “not much.” While she has not examined homicides in New York, she said rainfall tended not to strongly predict homicides in the United States.
Some studies found other crimes, like aggravated assault, went down when there was rain, Professor Cohn said one reason might be that assaults more often involve strangers, and rain dampens the chances that people who do not know each other will encounter one another.
Nice rally this evening on a street corner in downtown Austin. The main banner was protesting against the crackdown in Iran, and the majority of protesters used the protest signs provided by organizers. A handful brought their own were protesting Ahmenidijad himself rather than protesting against the way the election results were handed.
Pix and a few VERY short videos above.
The organizers thing we had about 175 different people total, and I'd estimate that about 8-10 were press. As with the first rally and the candlelight vigil, I would estimate that about 75% or more were either Iranian-born or of Iranian descent. Everyone was calm, polite, friendly and well-behaved. Many Austinites honked in support of Iranian democracy and there were no hecklers or counter-protesters.
There's this pattern that's emerged ever since the TARP beginnings of 'sposed bank/finance reform, and it's repeated itself ad nauseum in the energy reform bill issues and now more openly as the healthcare reform issues come to light.
Given the level of hope and reform we elected Obama to pursue, it's becoming REAL disheartening to see these patterns continue to dominate, water down, obstruct and even eliminate any efforts to change or reform sectors of our nation that desperately need it.
Those patterns are the unfettered and continual emergence of special interest lobbying moneys that rival the lost pallets of Billions Of Dollars by the War Machine in Iraq and elsewhere.
There are graphs FDL and others have put up showing industry by industry, be it banking/finan or energy or healthcare, graphs that show lobby money by industry, company, and to which politician.
And although it's no SECRET our pols are bought off and paid for, despite the fact WE voted them in, it's just damned frustrating to have all the evidence there in our face about our pols being influenced and corrupted by dollars from special interest groups and we STILL can't seem to get anything done or hold them accountable for their actions.
Now, while I read HuffPo daily, I DO consider it a tabloid headline kind of place for the most part. But Arianna DOES publish source articles from places I don't always get to, and she herself is really no slouch when it comes to public opinion editorializing. And this read is a good one, with linky's to sources and other supporting information.
And Arriana says all I would have to say about these patterns of influence buying and meddling in our legislative affairs. So give it a read if you haven't already seen it.
And for the life of me I don't know why Deep Capture, and Mark Mitchell's new epic about Dendreon don't get a LOT of play in the blogs as they offer factual, detailed and vivid analysis and revelations of bad guys and the bad things they've done. Like take down our financial system and helping to destroy the global financial structure. Read It All Here
Another source of incredible inside info on dark and nasty doings is Sibel Edmonds Blog. She's onto SO many things it's a wonder she's not been 'eliminated' somehow.
What's my point?
I don't see no stinking change.
I see the enabling of the status quo.
Same As It Ever Was.
Again.
And I never got to the part about the War Machine Abroad and how part of ITS mission creep for the 1% elite is not only to influence, access, control natural resources and their distribution methods, but how our War Machine is actually taking over the development, harvesting and transportation of heroin and other drugs worldwide to create all KINDS of laundering operations for money that's spent to further the global encroachment of that 1%.
Like Milo in Catch 22 and his M&M Enterprises, corruption is everywhere.
It can be quite overwhelming. But here's what I'm slowly learning after decades of frustration about a lack of progressive movement forward.
The only way to get beyond it is to focus on yourself, and what YOU can do for yourself, your family, and those you care for. And those little ripples, if everybody was to create them, can lift a mighty tide. Think of ONE person in the back of a bus. Think of ONE student who dared to go to school.
And that's my hope, to counter such despair I paint. That by doing what you can for yourself, it will move others
Texteen and I are off to yet another Iran solidarity rally, wearing our green t-shirts and with green balloons in tow. He asked me today what exactly we, or anyone, can accomplish now, and I had to admit that I am not sure. All I know is that we stand up for democracy everywhere, even if the current election seems final and hopeless. Perhaps, with many shows of solidarity, the next government in Iran or elsewhere will be less likely to overturn the will of the people.
What do you think? Are Iran's results final? Are the world's leaders watching protesters?
I hope to live blog as much as possible from the phone. If I have internet access on the laptop, I'll be able to add some photos myself to this thread. If not, I can either email them to one of the bumz from my cell phone or just post the whole batch when I get home.
I thought I was kidding when I said that gay marriage was the cause of the Sanfords' marital problems. Honestly, how can the marriage of two people you've never met affect your own? But Jenny Sanford took me seriously! Major league OY!
“Of course I’m not saying that Mark is gay. But he may as well be. The moral decay in this country has claimed another victim and this time it was my family. Our marriage was perfect until these laws started passing around the country. Clearly the slow dissolution of the sanctity of marriage in America seeped into Mark’s psyche until he no longer felt compelled to abide by our vows.”
A social conservative in the Phyllis Schlafly mold, the South Carolina First Lady is vehemently antigay gay marriage and even oppose the separate but equal, civil unions.
I hate to break it to you Jenny but gay marriage isn’t the reason your marriage failed. The reason your husband cheated is he’s a scalawag and he’s unhappy at home. You might want to look in the mirror before deflecting responsibility to the gay community.
And to think, I actually once felt sorry for homophobic southern belle. No more.
By JENNIFER A. DLOUHY Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency reversed a Bush administration ruling Tuesday and cleared the way for California and at least 13 other states, including New York and Washington, to impose restrictions on automobile greenhouse gas emissions that exceed federal limits.
The move dovetails with the Obama administration’s plan for implementing new national vehicle emissions standards. The plan, which was announced last month, emerged after negotiations with automakers, California and other states.
Under the administration’s framework for national standards, modeled after California’s rules, the state would delay until 2017 any future moves to tighten its standards, and automakers would stop challenging the limits in court.
Environmental advocates hailed the EPA’s decision.
Larue here. And I'm confused. I'm well informed, but I'm confused. Still.
Did the House pass meaningful reform legislation, or was it watered down?
Is there a viable FORCE in the House and Senate to PASS healthcare reform that will include a public option that's NOT a Co-Op version of watered down bought by lobbyist paid elected offals?
And bless Scarecrow, with a two parter that unveils MORE painful details. And advocates an 'exchange' that's different from a co-op but puts VERY little pressure on private insurers. I Don't LIKE This Exchange Idea! I see NO way it won't be compromised by the rich and powerful insurance and medical/pharma lobby.
Like the Financial Reform Commission Pelosi has pulled together in The House to look at the financial debacles, any healthcare 'exchange' entity will only be as good as the people put in to build it, run it and administer it. Put the wrong people and the corporatists have already won.
Given our elected offals appear to be bought off anyways, it would seem any efforts to reform would be doomed from the start. Does President Obama have what it takes to fight the corporatists, or is he ONE of them? Will Al Franken (if he's ever seated) make any difference? Will we the people go batshit crazy and FINALLY hit the streets in HUGE numbers to protest if meaningful HC Reform AND a single payer based public health plan option is NOT passed?
As always, I got more questions than answers.
A hattip to Betsy below, who posted this linky. It's worth reposting.I LIKE Bernie Sanders!
Frankly, this is all looking like an old Fleetwood Mac Album Cover, Cuz It's A Mystery To Me.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Byrd's office says he's been released from the hospital and is at his Washington-area home recuperating from a more-than monthlong illness.
The 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat, who is the longest-serving senator, is continuing physical therapy as he recovers from a staph infection he contracted while hospitalized for another infection.
Aides released scant details during his hospitalization, declining even to say where he received treatment.
Byrd says he's looking forward to celebrating the nation's birthday with his family.
(This version CORRECTS to reflect Byrd is at his Washington-area home not West Virginia.)
And we'll listen/watch Senator Franken's press conference here. Norm Coleman scheduled to speak at 3pm BHT
Ruling is here. Commentary all over the net.
A new system, developed by a collaboration of scientists working with Toyota, allows a person to control a wheelchair using nothing but his brain. Wearing a cap that monitors brain activity, a user can advance and turn the chair.
According to Toyota, the system monitors brain waves every 125 milliseconds. The result is an experience where the user doesn’t experience any lag in response from the system. Similar systems that use voice controls took much longer to respond to commands.
After training three hours a day for a week, the system is able to tailor its responses to a user’s tendencies. Imagine a hand or foot movement while wearing the cap, and the system triggers the corresponding response from the chair. Toyota claims up to 95 percent accuracy. As a failsafe, the user can puff out a cheek, triggering a sensor and stopping the chair.
How long before the technology finds its way into consumers’ hands is unknown – R&D is still underway, Toyota says, but one thing’s for certain – this looks a whole lot more useful than the last brain wave-controlled device we told you about.
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