A setting sun on the Saturday OPEN thread
Shot by Dan
“The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.”
Ralph Nader
November 24, 2012 - 9:00 AM
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November 24, 2012 - 9:00 AM
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Saturday, May 25, 2013
THE ROANOKE TIMES
Beautiful picture, Dan!
This should have been published Thursday.
http://tinyurl.com/brrxlmh
**
We’re living the dream; we just don’t realize it
By Steven Johnson, Special to CNN
updated 6:25 AM EST, Sat November 24, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
√ Steven Johnson: By almost any measure, life in U.S. is much better than in past generations
√ Dropout rates, college enrollment, crime, infant mortality have shown improvement
√ Despite progress, most people, and the media, focus on negative trends, he says
√ Johnson: Doomsayers get our attention more readily than those pointing to steady progress
SNIP
Over the past two decades, what have the U.S. trends been for the following important measures of social health: high school dropout rates, college enrollment, juvenile crime, drunken driving, traffic deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita gasoline consumption, workplace injuries, air pollution, divorce, male-female wage equality, charitable giving, voter turnout, per capita GDP and teen pregnancy?
The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive. Almost all those varied metrics of social wellness have improved by more than 20% over the past two decades. And that’s not counting the myriad small wonders of modern medicine that have improved our quality of life as well as our longevity: the anti-depressants and insulin pumps and quadruple bypasses.
SNIP
**
Wake up and smell the flowers and don’t be mislead by the disingenuous manure (w/ or w/o sprinkles and other candy-coated toppings) posted by those disappointed that their agenda failed.
Be Thankful!
I Am.
yes, dano, it is a nice picture.
Now, can ya picture this? I’m not kidding, you can’t make this stuff up!
No. 1 – Obuma’s affordable care act has declared war on adjunct teachers and instructors at Community College of Allegheny County in the Pittsburgh area of Western Pennsylvania…it has four campuses. In order to avoid NOT having to pay $6 million in increased costs due to obuma’s aca in 2014, which it cannot afford, the college is reducing the maximum number of credits adjunts teach from 12 to 10…and also is reducing the maximum number of hours that part-time staff can work, to a maximum of 25 hours. The “hit” on adjuncts is particularly noteworthy because in addition to taking an approximate 17% “hit” in reduced wages, they’ll still have to purchase an obuma care health insurance policy, or be taxed by obama-care. Those adjuncts are screwed every which way but loose….by obuma-care.
By the way, this large community college is not some RW institution.
No. 2 – Now, on to another topic. Did anyone picture THIS outcome in Egypt? I think the answer is yes, and Egypt is being reinvented in the image of obama’s goal for the middle east. As reported by the LA Times in today’s RTs (page 3), the LA Times says thusly: “Morsi has ruled that any decisions and laws he has declared or will declare are immmune to appeal in the courts and cannot be overturned or halted. He also barred the judiciary from disolving the upper house of parliament or the assembly writing the new constitution, both of which are dominated by the Brotherhood and other Islamists.”
In other words, the fox is clearly, and permenantly, in charge of the hen house. Can anyone say, Hosni Mubarak…? How ’bout the poor Egyptian folks who demonstrated for democracy? Nope, our foreign policy says, “screw them”. I wonder what Steve Martin has to say about this.
Can we say, Hillary Clinton in 2016? Nope.
After reading suzie’s broken record comments about how much Walmart has done for us all, and the gushing protests that Walmart barely imports anything at all from China, and the article this morning about folks leaving the Thanksgiving dinner table to sit in line only to miss out on that great bargain and then to buy something else in the classic bait and switch, I’m actually ashamed that I spent the whole day with my family. What was I thinking?
#2 “Steven Johnson: By almost any measure, life in U.S. is much better than in past generations”
I sure as heck don’t want to live in the past that the right wingers seem to adore.
You never think, gdud. What’ve you got to fuss about?
Re: gdad @ 10:20 am
gdad et al
Ever read The Good Old Days: They Were Terrible — Otto Bettmann? Or Good Old Days My Ass: 665 Funny History Facts & Terrifying Truths about Yesteryear — David A. Fryxell
For today’s work-equivalent cost of those low cost things from days past, check out: http://www.nhhistory.org/edu/support/slides/goodolddays.ppt
Dave Hicks, great post at #2. Sometimes it is a struggle to remain positive about the world in which we live, what with all the naysayers, but Steven Johnson sure did give us some good reasons why we should. Thanks for the boost!
Great shot Dan!
I agree with Steven Johnson, Dave Hicks. The right wing media empire has invested in wallowing in bad news, determined to prove corruption, malfeasance and even treason in our nation’s administration to the point that they succeed in poisoning every well and proving not one damn thing except the lengths they will go to in so doing. Feeding pessimists a steady diet of doom is not good for this nation. It is also not the damn truth.
As demonstrated here daily, the right wing hates Obama more than they ever loved America and they cannot let it go. Not for a day, not for a moment. Dragging America down is just collateral damage to them.
Thanks for posting that comment Dave H!
Outside prospective companies look at the way
Roanoke City Council projects itself and head straight to Charlotte!!
Whew! VT played horribly, but still won.
Good thing they were playing uva.
Kathy Clemons,
you got THAT right.
A friend, who happens to be an IT company executive, sent this article to me. I’m skeptical, but if true it couldn’t have happened to better guy.
http://motleynews.net/2012/11/16/anonymous-claims-to-have-hacked-into-karl-roves-orca-thus-stopping-his-vote-switching-2/
The beat goes on: http://tinyurl.com/cjtxtco
**
Dissecting Republicans’ Troubles in New England
By Abby Livingston
Roll Call Staff
Nov. 24, 2012, Noon
Amid the post-Election Day autopsies happening within the GOP, one of the greatest points of strategic divide is what went wrong in New England and how to move ahead.
In the next Congress, there won’t be a single Republican House member from the region and just two senators: Susan Collins of Maine and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.
Some in the party said the trouble this year was mechanical in nature and blame presidential turnout and polling for their losses. Others are of the thought that until the GOP changes its tone about social issues, any Republican will have a difficult time winning federal office in New England.
SNIP
**
IMHO, GOP changes its tone about social issues is right on. OTOH, getting away from pure trickle-down nonsense is likely needed also. The true (not weather-vane) moderate GOP have a number of very good points. But the GOTP, birthers, war-on-women, war-on-Hispanics, etc is a formula for a string of losses.
#6 Wow, what an original comeback, Frank. You’ve been on a real roll. A downhill one, that is.
Re: Ron May @ 3:32 pm
Interesting read — although I too am skeptical.
However, cue the counterclaims, bases on irrefutable misapplication of statistics, that anonymous actually stole the election for the Dems.
3-2-1-
I agree with you Dave Hicks, but until the TP/R Party realizes that Conservative does not mean 17th Century Social norms, theocracy, Plutocracy or inequality as the goal they will continue to lose the young, minorities, women and intelligent informed voters (meaning they will lose on the national level). Gary Johnson would have been a better nominee than Romney or any of the other so called “Conservatives” who tried to run IMO.
That would be a hoot Ron May and it goes a long way to explain Rove’s incredulity on election night.
If true, Ron, it would explain Karl Rove’s meltdown. Great story.
When they are through dismissing science, math, statistics and reality, what is left? Us.
oh, sandi, the reality is, you libs would commence to argue about which of you is more lib than the others. you would out-do each other for the “true lib” title.
Re: Frank @ 6:21 pm
You meant to leave the number of moderates on the blog, such as I, out of that debate — right, Frank?
“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.”
~Barry Goldwater
Let’s Go Irish!!
Thar she blows!
http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/11/romneys-fail-whale-orca-the-votetracker-149098.html
Re: Ron May @ 8:09 pm
Go Irish????
And here Suzie insist that ………… oh, never mind!
.
.
Dave Hicks,
Just trying to help pull for my fellow Catholic college.
@25
Who is behind ORCA and how many millions were scammed from the GOP. Sounds like Romney’s people are heavily involved, it’s time to follow the money.
Re: Ron May @ 10:48 pm
Well as we’d say down here in SWVA, “Looks like y’ll done good!”
.
.
Ron May saves the Melrose district of Roanoke for the Dems. He prays for the Pedo school in football.
All the while, Gary Ind and Indy, remain human cesspools. What happened to meddle, locally?
Ron May:
“Just trying to help pull for my fellow Catholic college. ”
I’m happy for them, but they’re so not ready for Alabama!
#30 Now that was weird.
Art..
I dont know..
Ive never been much of a “Whale”
watcher. I will have to admit it was
more than a little enjoyable to watch
Rove get harpooned and left to beach
himself on election evening.
“Oh Ohio…Oh Ohio…please dont do that to me”
“Art..
I don’t know..”
Past time for a good Republican scandal. If Libby hadn’t taken the fall, Rove would be in prison tweeting “in a new relationship.”
oh no, dave hicks. if you are really a “moderate” (whatever that is), that means you’ll end up being a lib, according to your like-minded thinker…sandi…if you’re “still around”.
Dave Hicks, apparently, it’s your turn to feed the troll
I have no doubt that John will be there at the end, with Sandi….yet he’ll still be thinking that he’s not a lib.
Frank:
37.”I have no doubt that John will be there at the end, with Sandi….yet he’ll still be thinking that he’s not a lib.”
You are such a linear thinker.
Nice pic, Dan. I like how, if you look closely through the steeple window, the setting sun shows the ladder to the steeple tower.
This U/U church was built for a congregation of another denomination, but they moved and the U/U’s bought it in the early ’80′s (one of my family members was among those who co-signed the note). Although, I do miss the special rustic charm of the services when they were located out on McVitty Road in Cave Spring, where the Honeytree early learning center is now.
thank you, John. I’m just a realist, not an idealist. I think.
John Wilburn, for what it is worth, I do not believe you or Dave Hicks are liberal.
Sandi Saunders:
41.”John Wilburn, for what it is worth, I do not believe you or Dave Hicks are liberal.”
There’s a difference between “liberal” and “leftist”.