Dec 19, 2009
Winter Wonderland
The snow started last nite (Friday 12-18) at about 5 or 530. This morning, it was up to 19 inches. We don't get much of this kind of weather, so nobody is very knowledgable about how to cope. Usually the first thing that happens is that everybody flocks to the grocery stores to lay in the emergency stocks. Then they either forget how to drive altogether, or they think there's nothing you need to do to compensate for the conditions. So today, on the main drag thru town (US29), there are hundreds of abandoned cars - to the point that the emergency responders are having a hard time getting thru the snarl.
Nick managed to get Haley (gf) back to her house in good shape; Sadie stayed home, and it took me a little more than 2 hours (to make a trip that should take 35 minutes) delivering Luke to his friend's house for a sleep-over.
It's still snowing now at noon on Saturday. It's getting lighter, but the newsies are telling us we can expect "another few inches".
Sadie on the front stoop this morning:
Nick managed to get Haley (gf) back to her house in good shape; Sadie stayed home, and it took me a little more than 2 hours (to make a trip that should take 35 minutes) delivering Luke to his friend's house for a sleep-over.
It's still snowing now at noon on Saturday. It's getting lighter, but the newsies are telling us we can expect "another few inches".
Sadie on the front stoop this morning:
Dec 18, 2009
White House Conference Call
This is the Q&A part.
David Axelrod makes a couple of great points:
1) If the Senate version of HC Reform is so bad, the insurance lobby wouldn't still be fighting so hard to kill it. There are some heavy regulatory reform items that should do good things for insurance consumers. For me, that's a pretty big deal.
2) Overall, getting something passed is better that getting nothing passed. I still have big doubts about the mandate, and they will stay with me until I hear something that balances it out.
The kicker is that this remains a must win for Obama.
David Axelrod makes a couple of great points:
1) If the Senate version of HC Reform is so bad, the insurance lobby wouldn't still be fighting so hard to kill it. There are some heavy regulatory reform items that should do good things for insurance consumers. For me, that's a pretty big deal.
2) Overall, getting something passed is better that getting nothing passed. I still have big doubts about the mandate, and they will stay with me until I hear something that balances it out.
The kicker is that this remains a must win for Obama.
Oops
To err is human, but you need the US Military for a good old fashioned FUBAR.
Check this out.
Senior defense and intelligence officials said Iranian-backed insurgents intercepted the video feeds by taking advantage of an unprotected communications link in some of the remotely flown planes' systems. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber -- available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet -- to regularly capture drone video feeds, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter.
Check this out.
Senior defense and intelligence officials said Iranian-backed insurgents intercepted the video feeds by taking advantage of an unprotected communications link in some of the remotely flown planes' systems. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber -- available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet -- to regularly capture drone video feeds, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter.
Dec 16, 2009
John Mayer - Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
He isn't always on, but when he hits it, he knocks the crap out of it.
Random Ramblings - Healthcare Reform
Obama has to get something passed that he can spin as Healthcare Reform - if he doesn't, it's hard to see how he isn't the new Jimmy Carter.
As it stands, the Senate version of HCR looks a whole lot like a siphon, transferring my tax dollars into the coffers of Big Insurance. There's a possibility that it's just enough to be a framework for something better down the road, but I have my doubts. We'll have to see what happens to it in Conference.
We can call it Lieberman's Revenge. As always, there's something going on here that we don't get to see, and prob'ly there are several somethings going on that we don't get to see; a hint of which is Howard Dean coming out against the bill, saying they should killl it and start over with the Reconciliation approach. That sounds like it's personal.
What else aren't they telling us?
As it stands, the Senate version of HCR looks a whole lot like a siphon, transferring my tax dollars into the coffers of Big Insurance. There's a possibility that it's just enough to be a framework for something better down the road, but I have my doubts. We'll have to see what happens to it in Conference.
We can call it Lieberman's Revenge. As always, there's something going on here that we don't get to see, and prob'ly there are several somethings going on that we don't get to see; a hint of which is Howard Dean coming out against the bill, saying they should killl it and start over with the Reconciliation approach. That sounds like it's personal.
What else aren't they telling us?
Dec 15, 2009
Up Your Standards
From The Angry Arab, the latest version of the Doctrine of Free Market Warfare.
In other words, the Pentagon determined that 30 casualties, even if they were civilian, were too few to matter politically or to attract the attention of the press for more than a few words. If commanders expected more civilian casualties than that, political leaders had to sign off on the attack in advance to make sure they were prepared for the PR fall-out.
In other words, the Pentagon determined that 30 casualties, even if they were civilian, were too few to matter politically or to attract the attention of the press for more than a few words. If commanders expected more civilian casualties than that, political leaders had to sign off on the attack in advance to make sure they were prepared for the PR fall-out.
Dec 12, 2009
Quote Of The Day
"Thus wisdom about our destiny is dependent upon a humble recognition of the limits of our knowledge and our power. Our most reliable understanding is the fruit of 'grace' in which faith completes our ignorance without pretending to possess its certainties as knowledge; and in which contrition mitigates our pride without destroying our hope." -Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)