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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Good Night

Tar sands oil pipeline leaks in Arkansas.

NYT - Hillary

NYT: A Clinton in ‘Transition’ Keeps Opponents and Donors Frozen

'Let's Go To Prison'

trailer

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Ayman Al-Zawahiri Delivers TED Talk On Changing Face Of Terrorism

The Onion: Ayman Al-Zawahiri Delivers TED Talk On Changing Face Of Terrorism

Al Jazeera - Long Winter Freezes Out Poland's White Storks

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - The Right

Miami Herald: GOP keeps cooling on global warming

Anti-Religion Religion

AlterNet: Have Militant Atheists Created a New Religion? There is danger in dogma, whoever is behind it.

Easter

  Good morning and Happy Easter on this last day of March. It is 34 degrees and mostly clear in Upstate NY. The lamb part of March has arrived on the last few days of the month with the temperatures once again expected to go up into the 50s later on today.

  Glancing around the media I can't help but notice that Jim Carrey has really excited the right with his anti-gun clip. The barb throwing back and forth war continues with Carrey versus the right wing. He's a little out numbered at the moment but his position as a celebratory allows him to be heard on an equal footing with his detractors. CNN: Carrey calls conservative media critics 'bullies' You have to hand it to Carrey, he must have been aware of the level of flack he would get for taking on the NRA especially Charlton Heston. I would invite you to read the comment sections of the articles. One must assume that the supporters of Heston and the NRA are relatively old people because the younger generation would not know who Heston is. In the mind of a younger generation, Carey himself is an older actor.

  Speaking of name calling there's something of a comical nature in the barbs being thrown by North Korea at the USA. The USA is being called a "boiled pumpkin" by North Korea. Maybe that is a horrendous thing to call an entity in North Korea but in my mind it's very humorous and humorous on many levels. "Doo doo head" might have more impact.

'I Will Follow'

U2

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Solar Plane

Reuters: Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May

Good Night

Lovely day here today, everyone was talking about the coming Spring. See you bright and early on Sunday.

Celebration

It's 2 in the afternoon and it's 52 degrees. Enough said. The March lamb has arrived.

Maddow - GOP Latino Outreach Goes Bad

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Have A Good Morning

Isamu Noguchi's sculpture of Buckminster Fuller.

The Onion - Mississippi Bans Soft Drinks Smaller Than 20 Ounces

The Onion: Mississippi Bans Soft Drinks Smaller Than 20 Ounces

Al Jazeera - Egypt Struggles With Climate Change

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Allergic

Live Science: Worst Allergy Season Ever?
People in the Northeast, in particular, will be among the hardest hit...

Endlessly Grow

AlterNet: The Coming Crash: Our Addiction to Endless Growth on a Finite Planet [With Photo Slideshow] - Richard Heinberg talks about the new book "Energy: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth," a haunting look at our current energy path.

Saturday

  Good morning. It is 28 degrees and sunny here in Upstate New York. Allegedly the temperature goes into the 50s later today, and if that happens there will be great fanfare through the land. Not positive but I think that would be the warmest it's been around here in many many moons. Checking the morning news briefly we see that North Korea is apparently at war, perhaps it's an internal war. Regardless CNN has the ameliorating article - CNN: No, North Korea can’t hit Hawaii
But the fact is that despite the bombast, and unless there has been a miraculous turnaround among North Korea’s strategic forces, there is little to no chance that it could successfully land a missile on Guam, Hawaii or anywhere else outside the Korean Peninsula that U.S. forces may be stationed.
  The article offers a sense of relief to those worried about NK's nuclear capabilities and how it wants to demolish the USA. The one problem I have is with the double negative in the headline. No, it should not read - Yes, North Korea can't hit Hawaii.

  Regardless, no not regardless, have a good weekend.

'Touch Me'

The Doors

Friday, March 29, 2013

NY Governor Cuomo

Good Night

FBI memo details flying saucers, aliens

'Execution In Russia'

Monty Python

Spend It

Guardian UK: US consumer spending makes biggest gain in five months as incomes rise - Consumer spending rose 0.7% in February as January figures revised upwards to continue strong economic start to the year

Warning

Guardian UK: US warns North Korea of increased isolation if threats escalate further - White House says US will not be intimidated by 'bellicose rhetoric' and is fully capable of defending itself and its allies

Richard Griffiths Dies

LA Times: Richard Griffiths, Uncle Vernon in 'Harry Potter' movies, has died

Bee

NYT: Mystery Malady Kills More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms

The Daily Show - Defending Your Wife

Maddow - Newton, Gun Control

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Have A Good Morning

work by Agnes Martin

The Onion - Finance Expert Saves Struggling Zoo By Firing All Employees, Getting Rid of Cages


Finance Expert Saves Struggling Zoo By Firing All Employees, Getting Rid of Cages

Al Jazeera - Tensions Rise On Korean Peninsula

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - There Goes The Coastline

WaPo: Poll: Americans favor adapting to global warming, but not to save beaches for coast dwellers

Quotas

AlterNet: NYPD on Trial: Police Say They Are Forced to Harass Kids in Order to Meet Quotas - NYPD whistleblowers say quotas are forcing them to make bogus, racist stops, summonses and arrests.

Wall Street Is Closed On Friday March 29th

  Good morning. It is 36 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. The temperatures are slowly staying more slightly above freezing than below and as a result all of the snow in the immediate area is now gone. I was out raking the yard early last evening taking away pieces of branches and some old remaining leaves from last Fall. This time of year seems like a period to take stock of what you have and to try to project a little bit into the future about how you would like to exist during the warmer months - not too much, just enough, some decent planning.

  Checking the news briefly this morning we see that North Korea has lost it's collective mind. I'm sure they could get off a decent salvo but the annihilation they face would be without comparison. Just what we need right, another war. Now I was out there protesting the start of the Iraq war, even I knew that the justification was trumped up and had to do with the push of the neocons with over a decade of policy during the 90s to invade Iraq. 9-11 was their simple justification, the American public bought that lie, and the media rolled over and did nothing with the exception of the internet outlets where rationality was found. This is different, North Korea can do some real damage, it might not be here but they do have nuclear weapons and they do have missiles capable of carrying them.

'Elena's Bossa'

The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Childhood Anxiety

Child Mind Institute: How Anxiety Leads to Disruptive Behavior - Kids who seem oppositional are often severely anxious

Good Night

One year in forty seconds.

A Kinder Gentler More Inclusive GOP

These guys will never get it.

Raw Story: North Dakota Republican apologizes for berating Native Americans at victims aid meeting

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 14,578.54 gaining 52.38 points.

CNN: What a quarter! Dow and S&P at record highs

The Arsenal

Unbelievable! Why on earth would his mother allow all this in her home. It reads like the type of stuff found in an Iraqi bunker. Mom's elevator did not reach the top floor and I'm sorry to say that.

NBC News: Guns, knives, ammo and gear: Adam Lanza's arsenal, item by item

Carpenter's House

Check out the photos

The Post Game: Poor Carpenter Builds An Incredible Treehouse In The Wilds Of Canada

The Daily Show - The Red Tape Diaries

Maddow - Supremes And DOMA

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,567.52 up 41.36 points.

CNN: What's next for the markets? - Stocks, bond yields and oil prices have been climbing. But gold has slipped. Here's a look at what may come next for these major asset classes.

Pesticide, Bees

After we read an article like this and get the real results of modern agribusiness farming techniques, recall how our food is being genetically modified. Also recall that just as pesticide use was regarded as being harmless, GMO foods are being touted as perfectly safe.

BBC News: Neonicotinoid pesticides 'damage brains of bees'

Have A Good Morning

work by Agnes Martin

The Onion - Supreme Court Justices Brought To Tears By Heartfelt Testimony Of Bigot Who Hates Gay People

The Onion: Supreme Court Justices Brought To Tears By Heartfelt Testimony Of Bigot Who Hates Gay People

Al Jazeera - Anaylsis: N Korea Rhetoric Against US, S Korea

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Warming Trend Models Prove To Be Accurate

Guardian UK: Global warming predictions prove accurate - Analysis of climate change modelling for past 15 years reveal accurate forecasts of rising global temperatures

'A Movement On Fire!'

The Tea Party's latest promo video.

AlterNet: Slick, Paranoid Tea Party Video Aims for Violent Insurrection - Fear walks the land, and the Tea Party Patriots are here to package and sell it.

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 36 degrees and cloudy here in Upstate NY. We are back to having a 99.5% snow free environment at least in my immediate area. The lawns are very brown but there's many signs of early Spring plants shooting through. The birds are singing to perfection. It's nice walking about and not having to be quite so layered all the time. In the news the most distressing points are emanating from the uncomfortable sense of war escalation with North Korea. We see that the USA is flying bombers in South Korea on drills but the feeling seems to be that there is a demonstration of power going on. Hopefully realistic minds will prevail. Just breathe.

  At 7:30 a.m. E.T. futures are modestly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  Shortly investors will see first time layoff numbers for the last week. The number has been in the 335,000 area and this represents a continuing very slow uptick in the jobs market. Investors will also get the final reading on the last quarter's GDP. One suspects that number will be telling and possibly a market mover. Otherwise the first quarter of 2013 is drawing to a mild close with Cyprus not quite out of the hot water but not in the utter chaotic state feared last week.

CNN: Stocks: Torrid first quarter coming to a close
The S&P 500 is poised to once again challenge the all-time high that it set in October 2007.

...final reading on fourth-quarter GDP.

'Billie's Bounce'

Kurt Elling

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Good Night

Allegedly it got up to 48 degrees today. That means it's almost time to dust off the shorts. See you on Thursday.

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 14,526.16 dropping 33.49 points.

CNN: Cyprus banks to reopen with strict cash limits

Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive

Looks nice, but unfortunately not many have the extra arm and a leg to pay for it.

CNN: Mercedes unveils Tesla-powered electric car

The Daily Show - Michael Moss Extended Interview Pt. 1

In this exclusive, unedited interview, "Salt Sugar Fat" author Michael Moss explains the science behind making the perfect processed snack food.

Maddow - Marriage Equality

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,518.70 down 40.95 points.

CNN: Stocks pull back from near record levels

Have A Good Morning

Philip Guston documentary

The Onion - Kim Jong-Un Comes Out In Support Of Gay Marriage: 'I'm Not A Monster'

The Onion: Kim Jong-Un Comes Out In Support Of Gay Marriage: 'I'm Not A Monster'

Al Jazeera - Study Finds Millions Of S Africans Lack Food

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Resistance From The Tenured

SFGate: Wash. senators hear from global warming skeptic
Easterbrook argued that federal scientists have been manipulating climate data to inflate recent temperatures.

Easterbrook argued the climate has actually been cooling in recent years, and that carbon dioxide does not contribute to global warming. (!!! - my emphasis)

Marriage Equality

AlterNet: Is the Supreme Court Going to Take the Cowardly Way Out on Marriage Equality? Tuesday’s hearing on California’s Prop. 8 suggests progress will be state by state.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. It is 33 degrees and slightly clearing here in Upstate NY. It's hump-day, the week is flying by as usual. I like Wednesday, it has a little bit of a pause quality to it - we are recapping then moving forward. I was watching Tweety last night on MSNBC and it's curious how much energy he uses speculating on the presidential run of 2016. There's quite a bit of examination from the liberal side on the flaws and disarray presently seen in the GOP. There are so many factions in the GOP vying for control of the reins. The Tea Party is now descending with Bachmann's campaign financing under Congressional investigation. The social conservatives are registering disapproval from the majority. The country's politics are evolving, not without intense resistance.

  At 8:00 a.m. futures are moderately lower and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open lower.

  Investors are easing away from Wall Street as the Easter and Passover holidays encourage vacating the premises and then to take holidays in the Caribbean. Cyprus is on hold for another day and the economic reports are few. It's possible that the week might simply peter out so to speak.

CNN: Stocks: S&P near record high
Trading volume on Wall Street is likely to be thin amid the Passover holiday and ahead of Good Friday and Easter.

...at 10 a.m. ET, the National Association of Realtors will release data on pending home sales.

'Mountain Sound'

Of Monsters And Men

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Good Night

CS Monitor: On Prop. 8, Supreme Court gives few hints of sweeping gay marriage ruling - Supreme Court arguments on Prop. 8 were at times pointed, but the justices often seemed tentative, giving the impression that their decision in the gay marriage case might not be broad.

Low Blow

NewsOne: Cold-Blooded: NRA Robocalls Newtown Residents Urging Them Not To Support Stricter Gun Laws

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 14,559.65 gaining 111.90 points.

CNN: Who really killed bin Laden?

'Cold Dead Hand'

Jim Carrey's satire that has seriously upset FOX News.

Maddow - The GOP And Gay Marriage

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Daily Show - Barack Atah Adonai

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,543.77 up 96.02 points.

CNN: Marriage ruling could save same-sex couples thousands

Have A Good Morning

work by Philip Guston

The Onion - Divorced Father Buys String Cheese To Make Coming To His Place Fun

The Onion: Divorced Father Buys String Cheese To Make Coming To His Place Fun

Al Jazeera - Senior US Citizens Help Feed The Hungry

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Crop Production In Greenland

Reuters: FEATURE-Tomatoes, peppers, strawberries in Greenland's Arctic valley

Religious Trama

AlterNet: Religious Trauma Syndrome: How Some Organized Religion Leads to Mental Health Problems - Groups that demand obedience and conformity produce fear, not love and growth.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 35 degrees and once again overcast here in Upstate NY. It seems like getting a sunny day in these parts would be a miracle. It's been gray, then gray, then more gray. We know the sun is out there, somewhere. One of these days I pack it up completely and move to the Caribbean.

  At 7:50 a.m. E.T. futures are modestly higher and light sweet crude per barrel is trading higher. The market is poised to open higher.

  The Cyprus crisis is now on the back burner on very low simmer. That country's banks are closed till Thursday to prevent a run on the money. Who can blame people there for wanting there cold cash.

  With Cyprus on slow simmer, investors will be parsing lots of data on the US economy including durable good, home prices, new home sales, and my favorite - consumer sentiment. You sentimental fools...

CNN: Stocks: Keeping a watch on Europe
...data on durable goods orders...

The Case-Shiller home price index is due...

...reports on consumer confidence and new home sales are up at 10 a.m.
Reuters: Stock futures signal higher Wall Street open

'Bulerias'

Guitar and Uke
Bulería (Spanish pronunciation: [buleˈɾi.a(s)]; interchangeable with the plural, bulerías) is a fast flamenco rhythm in 12 beats with emphasis in two general forms as follows:

1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12]
or
1 2 [3] 4 5 6 [7] [8] 9 [10] 11 [12] (from Wikipedia)

Monday, March 25, 2013

Alcohol And The Nervous System

It was difficult finding an excerpt to quote for this post. The difficulty was that each of the many many paragraphs in this article review a long list of problems that alcohol causes to the nervous system. The amazing thing about this article is that the long lengthy list is only about how alcohol affects the nervous system. It does not address other systems of the body.

Yahoo: The Affects Alcohol Has on the Nervous System
The more a person stays unconscious due to heavy drinking the more likely it is that that person will receive miniature brain hemorrhages.

Each hemorrhage is a point were brain cells die from lack of oxygen. Clinical symptoms of the central nervous system being high with alcohol are diminution of attention, emotional instability, decreased sensory response, increased reaction time, impaired balance, disturbance of vision and perception of color, form, motion and dimensions, muscular in coordination, impaired consciousness, depressed reflexes, subnormal body temperature, impaired circulation and respiration and possible death from respiratory arrest.

Good Night

See you bright and early on Tuesday.

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 14,447.75 dropping 64.28 points.

CNN: Guns and ammo sales spark jobs boom

Bloomberg Backlash

I support Bloomberg's efforts to promote improved gun sales control.

Raw Story: MSNBC contributor: ‘Level of anti-Semitism’ against Bloomberg over gun control

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,465.49 down 46.54 points.

CNN: Ford apologizes for art depicting tied-up women

Blood Pressure

NewsMaxHealth.com: Study: Many Blood Pressure Tests Inaccurate

Have A Good Morning

work by Philip Guston

The Onion - Physicists Confirm They Have Found And Killed The 'God Particle'

The Onion: Physicists Confirm They Have Found And Killed The 'God Particle'

Al Jazeera - Lights Out In Sydney For 'Earth Hour'

From Saturday -

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

The Comet Did It

Live Science: Comet, Not Asteroid, Killed Dinosaurs, Study Suggests

Getting Incredibly Richer And Incredibly Poorer

AlterNet: Five Ugly Extremes of Inequality in America-- The Contrasts Will Drop Your Chin to the Floor - Any of the ten richest Americans could pay a year's rent for all of America's homeless with their 2012 income.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 30 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. Winter is hanging on and yielding it's grip very reluctantly this year. Recall that by April 15th not only are taxes paid, but the warmth really begins to stick around. I hope you had a good weekend and are now ready and raring to go into the new week. Where is the lamb part of March.

  At 7:50 a.m. E.T. futures are modestly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  World markets are pleased to hear that a bailout deal has been reached between the E.U. and Cyprus. The deal amounts to $10 Billion dollars which in American terms is almost an invisible number when trillions of dollars grease the wheel here. Yet, the market could very well move into positive territory based on this deal alone.

CNN: Stocks: Positive reaction to Cyprus deal
...a €10 billion bailout for the tiny island nation.

... no major corporate earnings or economic reports on tap Monday...

'Topsy'

Angelo Debarre

Sunday, March 24, 2013

'The Naked Now'

Star Trek The Next Generation

The Universe

Detroit Free Press: Images of the universe from Planck space telescope

Yes, You Are Not Dreaming

MSN.com: Tea Partiers boycott 'too liberal' Fox News because that will show 'em

Good Night

Lovely day here, the snow is receding even more, and the deer are roaming in my backyard as I type. See you bright and early on Monday.

Bitcoin

It is a decentralized online currency.

Bloomberg Takes On The NRA

Guardian UK: Bloomberg unveils $12m gun control ad campaign as NRA squares up - Advertising blitz aims to put pressure on Congress as pro-gun lobby accuses New York mayor of 'intimidating senators'

Defending SSI And Medicare

Amen

Robert Reich: Selling the Store: Why Democrats Shouldn’t Put Social Security and Medicare on the Table

Have A Good Morning

work by Philip Guston

The Onion - Old Refrigerator Unable To Control When It Releases Water Anymore

The Onion: Old Refrigerator Unable To Control When It Releases Water Anymore

Al Jazeera - Drought Has Indian Farmers Drowning In Debt

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Shifting Public Views

USA Today: Poll questions shift public views on global warming

Iraq War Theory

Robert Parry gets into the neo-cons and their push for the Iraq War.

AlterNet: Have We Ever Gotten to the Bottom of Exactly 'Why' Bush and the Neocons Disastrously Invaded Iraq? - The true purpose of the Iraq invasion remains opaque. Here's a theory why.

Sunday

Good morning. It is 32 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. It's encouraging looking at the 10 day weather forecast as we see hints of sun and temperatures in the 50s, but that's 10 days from now. This winter has been quite the opposite of last year's non-winter. This year winter is spilling over and we have yet to experience the lamb side of March. The forecast is also suggesting that we miss the large snow storm which is hitting parts of the Mid West, surprisingly it tracks south of us. Time to examine the news.

'Peter Gunn Theme'

Roy Buchanan

Saturday, March 23, 2013

1901 Popular American Menu

Home menus
Daily menus are served by month or season, reflecting historic pre-mass refrigeration technology practices. Meal names reflect the shift from taking the main meal at midday to evening. Lunch replaces dinner. Dinner replaces supper.

[1901]
September
Sunday
Breakfast Melons, sago, vegetable hash, broiled veal cutlets, fried tomatoes, coffee. Dinner Broiled prairie chicken, baked sweet potatoes, green corn, cauliflower, plum sauce, cabbage salad, peach pyramid, ice cream, coffee. Lunch Sliced ham, biscuit, baked pears, cake, tea.

Monday
Breakfast Cream toast and fruit, prairie chicken stewed, fried potatoes sliced tomatoes, coffee. Dinner Roast beef, potatoes, green corn, egg plant, succotash, watermelon, cake, cheese, wafers, and coffee. Supper Cold sliced beef, French potatoes baked apples, cake and tea.

Tuesday
Breakfast Fruit, hominy, buttered toast with hash, corn fritters, cookies, and coffee. Dinner Soup, vegetable, chicken pie potatoes, Lima beans, onions, slaw, baked custard, cake, oranges, nuts and coffee. Supper Rolls, dried beef, sliced tomatoes, peaches and cream, cake and tea.

Wednesday
Breakfast Fruit, rice, Sally Lunn, broiled chickens, cucumbers, coffee. Dinner Boiled beef with potatoes, turnips, green corn, pickled beets, apple pie, fresh fruits, cake, nuts, coffee. Supper Biscuit, sliced beef, sliced tomatoes, grapes and peaches, cake, tea.

Thursday
Breakfast Fruit, sago, hot muffins, fried chicken and fried cabbage, jelly, tea. Dinner pea soup, veal pot pie, Lima beans, carrots, corn, peach meringue, cake, fresh fruits, coffee. Supper Vienna rolls, pressed chicken, currant jelly, baked apples, cake, tea.

Friday
Breakfast Fruit and oatmeal, broiled ham, poached eggs on toast, cucumbers, coffee. Dinner Baked fish, boiled potatoes, baked onions, egg plant, cabbage salad, ice cream, peaches, grapes, nuts, coffee. Supper Cold tongue, soda biscuit and hominy, sliced tomatoes, fruit cake and tea.

Saturday
Breakfast Nutmeg melons, sago, broiled mutton chops, fried potatoes, curant jelly, coffee. Dinner Soup, roast pork, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, creamed cabbage, stewed corn, beet pickles, peach cake with whipped cream, cheese, wafers, coffee. Supper Sliced pork, tea rolls, banana fritters, fruit cake and tea."
---Woman's Exchange Cook Book, Mrs. Minnie Palmer [W.B. Conkey:Chicago] 1901 (p. 505-506) source

Good Night

Nice day here today, the sun was out but the wind was strong blowing over the remaining snow and giving the air a chill. The ground is slowly reappearing. People are a little worried that we might get the tail end of the snow storm that is traveling over the Mid West. We can handle it. Have a good evening and see you bright and early on Sunday morning.

Yoko Ono On Gun Control

NYT: Yoko Ono Details Why She Posted Lennon’s Bloodied Glasses on Twitter

1960's TV Commercials

Ultra Ultra

LA Times: The 1% aren't like the rest of us - The ultra-rich share few of the priorities of most Americans, but their access to policymakers is greater, a study finds.

Headline Of The Week

Raw Story: Jeb Bush tells CNN he admires brother George W. for ‘not having an opinion on anything’ since he left office

Have A Good Morning

Documentary on Kandinsky

The Onion - The Week In Review


Proud Time To Be A Cowering Sack Of Shit As Democrats Back Off Assault Weapons Ban

Al Jazeera - US Budget Cuts Claim Air Traffic Control Towers

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Corporate Food And Drink

Try not to be taken by the hype. There's real food and then there's corporate food. An energy drink is screwing with your body, it's corporate food designed to cash in on our stupidity, instead drink something real.

AlterNet: Monster Energy Drink Is Now Officially a 'Beverage' -- And That Has Dangerous Implications for Consumers

Saturday Morning

Good morning. It is 30 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. The snow from the storm we had earlier in the week is receding, parts of the lawns are back to pre-spring shriveled looking grass and the snow has mostly melted off the roof. I would say we are 25% melted this morning. I'm just back from a walk around the block with the new dog. After the walk she wants to play in the backyard and so she runs after the repeatedly kicked slightly deflated small basketball till she's out of breath. Now she's sleeping by my side.

I'm studying the parasympathetic nervous system, literally reading and taking notes. This is the system people want to activate in order to de-stress, reduce anxiety, reduce depression, and generally feel that overall sense of well being that seems so elusive in our sprint paced, pressure cooking world. I was watching TV the other night and even the mere act of watching TV seems to be stressful. It's not just that the news is as always horrifying or dumbfounding, it's that we are bombarded with information in rapid fire sequence while the body passively sits there on the potato couch. So there's an imbalance, the body is passive and the mind is doing it's best to keep up the high velocity information pace. It would probably be better to watch TV in small doses or to perhaps jog in place while watching, that way at least body and mind are moving quickly and are more in sync.

I would like to once again suggest that anyone interested in a extraordinarily good publication on how to de-stress, and reduce anxiety and/or depression read this book and read it from cover to cover, emphasizing cover to cover, no skipping, got it - Yoga for Emotional Balance: Simple Practices to Help Relieve Anxiety and Depression. The link takes you to Amazon and notice that the book has an unusual rating in that out of sixteen reviews, sixteen are 5 stars, not even one 4 star.

Real Men

'The Man From Uncle'

Friday, March 22, 2013

Good Night

The World's Funniest Joke

North Dakota's New Bill

Daily News: North Dakota lawmakers pass anti-abortion bill defining fertilized eggs as human life - The so-called personhood measure is one of a series of strict anti-abortion bills passed by North Dakota's GOP-controlled legislature this year. Critics say they are unconstitutional and violate Roe v. Wade.

More Drought Predicted

Guardian UK: Drought that ravaged US crops likely to worsen in 2013, forecast warns - NOAA predicts tough spring for already struggling farmers as growing demand for water leaves US more exposed dry seasons

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 14,512.03 up 90.54 points.

CNN: Where Americans stash their wealth
The median net worth of American households came in at $68,828 in 2011, down from $81,821 in 2000 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) and far below the peak of $108,585 in 2005, according to recently released Census Bureau stats.

Positive News

Fantastic! Now if only we could get Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee to join in, then we got something.

Raw Story: Texas takes step toward secession with Rick Perry’s plan to hoard gold

Maddow - GOP Lacking Serious Policy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,504.62 up 83.13 points.

CNN: Stocks higher on Cyprus hopes

Have A Good Morning

work by Francesco Clemente

The Onion - Man With Strong Brand Loyalty Willing To Kill For Mazda


Man With Strong Brand Loyalty Willing To Kill For Mazda

Al Jazeera - Cyprus Bailout Plan Ignites Citizens' Anger

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - El Nino And La Nina

HuffPo: El Nino, La Nina and Global Warming

Parasite Land

AlterNet: How the True Parasites from the Private Sector Suck the System Dry - The real "takers" in America are the unproductive rich .

The Market On Friday

  Good morning and welcome to the weekend. It is 23 degrees and cloudy here in Upstate NY. Once again the temperatures are expected to go above freezing later today. More snow will melt, as I predicted the snow will be gone this weekend. I could be wrong.

  At 7:50 a.m. E.T. futures are slightly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  The main topic in this morning's article is Cyprus. That nation allegedly has till Monday to figure out how to get out of it's economic mess or it faces expulsion from the European Union. The fear seems to involve the possibility that this financial crisis is another tip of the iceberg, where other nations in the E.U. face a similar fate to that of Cyprus. It is a fear of a type of unraveling as it were. Hope and fear, hope and fear, they say abandon all hope and fear except for investors and it's true, right. This thing will unravel if that is what needs to happen regardless of how we fear it or wish it to go away.

CNN: Stocks: Waiting for Cyprus
"After several days of meeting with Russian officials, Cypriots have come back empty handed..."

"Swing'

The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Outstanding

Feel good, is good story.

NPR: A 'Good Enough' Dad And His Special Son

Good Night

Be back Friday morning. We had an exceptional day here, the sun is out, the snow is melting, and the ambient brightness was so intense that I had to wear sunglasses while walking the dog. The snow is melting and starting to reveal spring.

Assault Weapons Ban 2

Guardian UK: Biden and Bloomberg join Newtown families in call for assault weapons ban - Vice President and New York City mayor join Sandy Hook victims' parents in voicing anger at Senate over abandoned assault weapons ban

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 14,421.49 dropping 90.24 points.

CNN: Cyprus is sitting on a natural gas gold mine

Goldman Sachs Social Program

You read that headline correctly.

Bloomberg: Goldman Sachs Lends NYC $10 Million in First 'Social Bond'

Weaker Tea

Slate: The Tea Party Caucus is Dead and That's OK

Maddow - The Amazing Disappearing Tea Party

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DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 14,476.38 down 35.35 points.

CNN: Home sales hit highest rate in 3 years

Tina Fey As Palin

Have A Good Morning

Da Vinci

The Onion - Ten Years Later, Cheney Haunted By People He Didn't Manage To Kill In Iraq War


Ten Years Later, Cheney Haunted By People He Didn't Manage To Kill In Iraq War

Al Jazeera - Video Mayor Bloomberg's Mission To Reduce Smoking In New York

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines