Clipmarks | papananook's Comments

Climate Change Is Already Affecting the West's Water

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:15:38 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Unless it slaps them in the face, the typical American can't be bothered by an abstract threat. If there's a global warming event -- a mammoth hurricane, tornado, or forest fire -- in our neighborhood, then we get concerned. From this perspective, the loss of a few thousand acres of ice in a remote corner of Montana hardly seems significant. Most of us don't see it as a danger sign.

But it is. Disappearing glaciers is a harbinger of huge problems. In the West, the most obvious is drought.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

By 2020 Glacier National Park will be "Puddles National Park" and the rest of the west won't be much better off. So where's the concern?

It's said our primeval ancestors had a simple arithmetic system: "One, two, three, many." That describes the focus of many 2008 voters, whose concerns are the economy, energy prices, Iraq, and "those other problems." As we get closer to the presidential election, most Americans aren't worried about global warming. Maybe they will be when they turn the tap and no water comes out.

In early August we toured Glacier National Park with the Sierra Club, catching a glimpse of several of the humongous ice fields. In 1910 there were 150 glaciers in the park; now there are 25, which are losing 9 percent of their mass per year. Sometime between 2015 and 2020 they'll disappear. Locals joke the 1.4 million acres will be renamed "Puddles National Park."

Why isn't global climate change seen as a more important issue?

The pundits say it will be a surprise. I say no surprise

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:35:26 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: McCain WILL pick Mitt Romney. Take it to the bank. Though I still wish it would be Palin.

Clip Source: features.csmonitor.com

James Carville, Greenberg’s longtime political partner (the two were central to Bill Clinton’s improbable victory in the 1992 presidential campaign), has a more colorful way of assessing vice-presidential picks. Does the candidate “make the opposing campaign manager throw up.”

Carville doesn’t name names, but he predicts McCain will surprise us. “McCain and I share something in common,” says the Ragin’ Cajun. “We’re both craps shooters. And just by nature, craps shooters always want to put their stack in the middle of the table.”

The Democratic analyst and pollster Stan Greenberg said Wednesday they see nothing to fear from a Romney pick, await a surprise.

Raft Made Of Junk Crosses Pacific

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:51:41 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: The tiny plastic particles were even in the stomachs of the fish they caught.

"The solution, we think, is to end the age of disposable plastic like plastic bags, water bottles. ... Single-use plastics have no use in modern society," Eriksen said.

The two JUNK sailors said they hope their voyage will inspire everyone to consider that when we throw plastic away, it most likely ends up in the ocean.

Clip Source: www.local10.com

Related To Story

Video: Junk Raft Sails From Calif. To Hawaii

After three months at sea, what has been dubbed the JUNK raft made it to Hawaii, KITV in Honolulu reported.

The JUNK raft is made from 15,000 plastic bottles and the fuselage of an old Cessna 310. The two eco-mariners wanted to call attention to the environmental problem that plastic poses

As they sailed, they found tiny plastic debris across the ocean.

"So, there's a small particulate of plastic. Little, small, pea-sized fragments was in every sample. So, we have in 50 years turned our ocean into a plastic soup," Eriksen said.

No consequences for Bush Criminal gang?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:31:32 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Obama's advisors and other Dems have repeatedly stated that they will let The criminal o on his merry way. Obscene.

Clip Source: www.brasschecktv.com

[Video]

No consequences for Bush Jr?

When Bill Clinton, "the man from Hope," took the White House one of the things he did not put on his agenda was a serious investigation into the vast criminal enterprise operated by George Bush, Sr. that went by the name Iran/Contra.

Bush Sr. who belonged in jail on many counts walked away scott free.

Since Clinton left the White House, it's obvious that he and Bush Sr. are the best of friends playing golf together and posing for numerous photo ops.

Is Obama going to go after the vast criminal enterprise Bush Jr. presided over.

The message is loud and clear. He will not.

What do you call the form of government where the chief executive can break serious laws repeatedly causing grave harm to the nation without consequences of any kind?

On the other hand, can Bush pardon himself in advance for murder? I don't think so.

Why a murder indictment against Bush is not only realistic, it's also advisable.

How to indict Bush for murder

Afghan spider forces Army family out of home

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:53:34 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Mrs Griffiths, who admitted to being 'petrified of spiders', has now taken her children to live at her mother's Photo: EASTNEWS

Days after Rodney Griffiths returned home from a four-month tour of Helmand province with 16 Air Assault Brigade, the family's pet dog Bella mysteriously died.

Son Ricky, 16, then spotted the giant spider, prompting the soldier's wife Lorraine to move the family out of their four-bedroom army home in Colchester, Essex.

Mother-of-four Mrs Griffiths, 37, said: "Ricky saw a huge spider and screamed to his sister Cassie. They tried to put a pint-glass over it but it was too big, they poked it with a coat hanger and the spider bit it. The dog came in, jumped on the bed and barked at it. The spider hissed and Bella went running out whimpering."

After scouring the internet for spider descriptions they decided the culprit was a camel spider.

She said: "I think it must have hitched a lift back with my husband in June."

Tags: uk, spider, afghanistan, fear, story

Only Rhetorical Extravagance by George Will

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:20:05 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Obama thinks government is not getting a "reasonable share" of oil companies' profits, which in 2007 were, as a percentage of revenues (8.3 percent), below those of U.S. manufacturing generally (8.9 percent). Exxon Mobil pays almost as much in corporate taxes to various governments as the bottom 50 percent of American earners pay in income taxes. Exxon Mobil does make $1,400 a second in profits -- hear the sharp intakes of breath from liberals with pursed lips -- but pays $4,000 a second in taxes and $15,000 a second in operating costs.

Obama's rhetorical extravagances are inversely proportional to his details, as when he promises "nothing less than a complete transformation of our economy" in order to "end the age of oil." The diminished enthusiasm of some voters hitherto receptive to his appeals might have something to do with the seepage of reality from his rhetoric.

Clip Source: townhall.com

One more inspirational oration, one general enough to please Berliners or even his fellow "citizens of the world," will confirm Pascal's point that "continuous eloquence wearies." That is so because it is not really eloquent.

But the fact that Obama lost nine of the final 14 primaries might have something to do with the fact that when he descends from the ether to practicalities, he reprises liberalism's most shopworn nostrums.

Russia, a third-world nation with first-world missiles, is rampant; Iran is developing a missile inventory capable of delivering nuclear weapons the development of which will not be halted by Obama's promised "aggressive personal diplomacy." Yet Obama has vowed to "cut investments in unproven missile defense systems." Steamboats, railroads, airplanes and vaccines were "unproven" until farsighted people made investments.

George McGovern's 1972 "Demogrant" notion, Obama promises a $1,000 check for every family, financed by a "windfall profits" tax on oil companies.

Tags: obama, rhetoric, liberalism's nostrums, russia, iran's missile inventory, "windfall profits" tax on oil companies, "transform our economy"

Even the liberal factcheck.com says the Democrats are lying.

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:59:41 GMT

clipped by: gilligan
clipper's remarks: WTF? DENVER (AP) - The shotgun-style charges Democratic National Convention speakers fired at Republican John McCain Tuesday night weren't necessarily half-truths. But in some instances, they weren't the whole story either.

Clip Source: www.washingtontimes.com

Some examples of who said what _ and what they left out:

_SEN. ROBERT CASEY JR. of PENNSYLVANIA: "John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick. That's a sidekick."

_PENNSYLVANIA GOV. ED RENDELL: "And guess who voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time? Sen. John McCain."

THE FACTS: McCain voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time from January 20, 2001, to when Congress left Washington on its annual August recess, according to a study by Congressional Quarterly. But McCain wasn't always a staunch Bush backer. In 2005, his support for Bush's position on legislation reached a low of 77 percent; last year, when he launched his latest bid for the GOP presidential nomination, he voted with Bush 95 percent of the time.

Tags: dems, lying

Motherly Love

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:35:46 GMT

clipped by: amgumen

Clip Source: www.darkroastedblend.com

Clip Source: flickr.com

47% of dem women wanted Hillary as VP

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:38:08 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: www.rasmussenreports.com

Nearly half of Democratic women (47%) say Barack Obama should have chosen Hillary Clinton for his running mate instead of Senator Joseph Biden as the former First Lady prepares to speak tonight at the Democratic National Convention. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree.

Only 35% of Democratic men believe Hillary should be on the ticket

Interestingly, younger voters prefer Clinton on the ticket.

While Democrats overall by a 61% to 33% margin give Obama the nod over Clinton as the candidate best able to beat McCain, unaffiliated voters, perhaps the key bloc at play in this election cycle, prefer Clinton 48% to 33%.

Clinton continues to get high marks for her conduct since quitting the race for the nomination on June 7, despite a great deal of reported behind-the-scenes intrigue over her speech at the convention and putting her name in nomination. Sixty percent (60%) of voters rate her conduct good or excellent, while only 10% characterize it as poor.

Tags: hillary, clinton, obama, democrat, poll, election, politics

Film Reveals CIA's 'Most Secret Place on Earth'

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:42:36 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: This film's analysis sets it apart from other books and documentaries on the subject, most of which justify the conflict, lauding the CIA operatives and their Air America pilots as heroes.

The reality, as Alfred McCoy says towards the end of the film, was very different. "We destroyed a whole civilisation, we wiped it off the map. We incinerated, atomised human remains in this air war and what happened in the end? We lost."

The covert nature of the conflict meant that U.S. forces were able to ignore virtually all the rules of engagement operating in Vietnam. Every building was a potential target and the civilian toll was huge.

The situation grew worse in 1970 when U.S. President Nixon authorised massive B-52 bombing strikes on Laos, which remained classified information until many years later.

American planes dropped an average of one planeload of bombs on targets in Laos every eight minutes, 24 hours a day for nine years, making it the most heavily bombed country on earth

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

A view of Long Chen. The most secret location in 'the secret war' against Laos was the former CIA air base of Long Chen, a place that remain off limits even today.

PHNOM PENH - It was known as the ‘secret war', a covert operation waged by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) throughout the sixties and early seventies against communist guerrillas in Laos.

A new film, ‘The Most Secret Place on Earth', to be released in cinemas across Europe later this year, explores this little known conflict.

"I first got the idea to do the film when I visited the Plain of Jars in Laos in 2002," recalled Marc Eberle,36, the German director in an interview with IPS.

Little is known about the Lao conflict despite the fact that it remains the largest and most expensive paramilitary operation ever run by the U.S.

"Laos was the progenitor of the way America fights wars in the 21st century," he says.

GOP Convention Schedule Leaked!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:45:56 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: 11:00 pm – President Bush performs his hilarious comedy routine where he looks for Iraq's fictitious WMD's under guests tables.

11:15 pm – Governor Mike Huckabee does his famous uncanny imitation of Gomer Pyle.

11:20 pm – Group intervention to get Rush Limbaugh back into drug rehab

11: 45 pm – Go up on rooftop and throw rocks down at homeless vets sleeping in alley.

12:00 am – Live satellite feed from Federal Prison – California Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham

12:20 am – Convicted felon/Fox News analyst G. Gordon Liddy – "Lock Picking Secrets"

12: 40 am – Guest speakers Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz – "How to Lie Your Country Into a War"

1:00 am – Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay – "Tips on Money Laundering"

1:15 am – Hookers arrive for after-party

http://www.StopMcCain08.com

Clip Source: jblaque.livejournal.com

7:00 pm – Ceremonial burning of the U.S. Constitution

7:15 pm – Spiritual Medium Sylvia Browne performs psychic séance in desperate attempt to raise Ronald Reagan from the grave.

7:35 pm – "The Pleasures of Adultery" - with Newt Gingrich & Rudy Giuliani

8:05 pm – Gay sex party in Men's Restroom hosted by Senator Larry Craig

8:35 pm - Transvestite Ann Coulter – "My Life as a Man"

8:55 pm – Live satellite feed from Federal Prison – Ohio Rep. Bob Ney

9:05 pm – Guest speaker ex-Florida Congressman Mark Foley - "Joys with Young Boys"

9:25 pm – Oliver North – "Iran is Evil, but We Sold Them Weapons Anyway"

9:40 pm – Bill O' Reilly – " The Costs of Sexual Harassment and Phone Sex with Employees"

10:25 pm – Check John McCain to see if he's still breathing and if his diaper needs changed.

10:35 pm – N.R.A. President hosts an assault riffle target practice on Gays and Mexicans.

10:45 pm - Call emergency squad after a drunken Dick Cheney accidentally shoots his friend in the face.

McCain is NOT a hero.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:58:24 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Why everyone keeps sayin' they admire this guy is beyond me.

Clip Source: www.michaelmoore.com

Michael Moore Dares to Ask: What's So Heroic About Being Shot Down While Bombing Innocent Civilians?

By Liliana Segura, AlterNet

Like Iraq, Vietnam was not a noble cause. It's time we stopped letting politicians and the press perpetuate the McCain War Hero myth.

Mystery Lights Over Arizona and Florida

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:13:27 GMT

clipped by: reimers

Clip Source: drudgereport.com

MYSTERY LIGHTS OVER ARIZONA, FLORIDA; RESIDENTS SPOOKED

Clip Source: news.ktar.com

Mystery lights reported over Phoenix

People are looking for an explanation for mysterious red lights that appeared in the north Phoenix sky Monday night, reminiscent of a similar event 11 years ago.

Click here for photos of the lights over Phoenix

Clip Source: www.abc15.com

Unexplained lights spotted above Valley; what were they?

NEW VIDEO from ABC15.com reader (12pm)

VIEWER VIDEO of lights from Tony Toporek

PHOENIX -- Strange lights appeared above the Valley sky in various formations Monday night.

Witnesses reported the lights formed a vertical line, then a diamond shape, followed by a u-shape.

Clip Source: www.azcentral.com

No explanation yet for new mysterious lights over Phoenix
Civilian, military, government officials say they don't know where red lights in north Valley came from.
Photos | Eyewitness | Video | Submit pics

Clip Source: www.local6.com

Mystery Lights Spotted Flying 'In Formation' In Fla. Skies

Video: Mystery Lights Spotted Flying 'In Formation' In Florida Skies

Are you ready for the Rethuglican dirt campaign?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:44:45 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Gonna get ugly, now that Karl Rove is back in the mix.

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

Rachel Maddow Replacing Dan Abrams on MSNBC

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:17:27 GMT

clipped by: dulios
clipper's remarks: Very, very, very cool.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Rachel Maddow Replacing Dan Abrams On MSNBC Effective Immediately

Rachel Maddow will replace Dan Abrams as host of the 9PM hour on MSNBC, the New York Times' Bill Carter reports. Just last month in a Times article by Jacques Steinberg, MSNBC president Phil Griffin declared Maddow "at the top" of a "very short list" for those who should have their own show, though at the time he said he "[didn't] know when" that would be. As Carter reports, the final stretch of the 2008 election season will be Maddow's debut as the host of her own MSNBC show:

The moves, which were confirmed by MSNBC executives Tuesday, are expected to be finalized by Wednesday, with Mr. Abrams's last program on Thursday. After MSNBC's extensive coverage of the two political conventions during the next two weeks, Ms. Maddow will begin her program on Sept. 8.

Tags: msnbc, rachel maddow, dan abrams, news, politics, 2008 election