|
Post by pegasus on Aug 26, 2011 7:32:46 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 238th day of 2011 with 127 days left in the year. 8-)Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 10:17 a.m., it's cloudy www.msnbc.msn.com/images/msnbc/wea/36/26.gif[/img], temp 68ºF [feels like 68ºF], winds calm, humidity 83%, pressure 30.08 in and steady, dew point 63ºF. < sigh> Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. 65 million await Irene's wrath as hurricane swirls north. Warning area now covers big chunk of the East Coast, large waves hitting North Carolina. Be Prepared. 2. Breaking News: Stocks down as Fed chief Bernanke proposes no new steps to boos economy. Does anyone but me find this ludicrous? This is breaking news? That the fed is going to do nothing? Well I guess that no news is good news. Today's flower: daylily Hemerocallis 'Pat Mercer'
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 27, 2011 8:05:59 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 23th day of 2011 with 12 days left in the year. 8-)Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 9:41 a.m., it's cloudy www.msnbc.msn.com/images/msnbc/wea/36/26.gif[/img], temp 71ºF [feels like 71ºF], winds S @ 3 mph, humidity 97%, pressure 29.93 in and steady, dew point 52ºF. But no hurricane or tropical storm in sight or expected. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. Nation's biggest subway system to stop for Irene. ....NYC's subway system will shut down at noon today. Also more than 8,000 flights canceled this weekend. a. Hurricane Irene makes landfall in N.C. ....Category 1 storm extremely dangerous, forecasters say 2.5 million ordered evacuated across East. b. Hurricane Irene to deliver blow to economy. Computer model of Irene's potential impact puts the estimated damage at $4.7 billion. 2. Tripoli smolders as Gadhafi remains elusive. ....But Egypt state media reports an armed convoy crossed into Algeria from Libya, possibly carrying the dictator. Fuel was scarce in Tripoli but that didn't stop residents from burning a giant portrait of Gadhafi. 3. Radical sect of Boko Haram suspected in Nigeria UN bombing. ....Explosives-laden car crashed into building in one of the deadliest assaults on the international body in a decade and the first suicide attack to target foreigners. The sect aims to implement a strict version of Sharia law and is vehemently opposed to Western education and culture. 4. Attack on Algerian military academy kills 18. ....First bomb exploded outside academy and drew crowd, then suicide bomber struck, killing at least 18 and injuring at least 20 officers in training. Islamist extremists have battled Algerian security forces since 1992 when the army canceled a national election that a now-banned Muslim fundamentalist party was poised to win. Security forces gained the upper hand over the years, but sporadic attacks continue and increased dramatically in July. An estimated 200,000 people — civilians, insurgents and security forces have been killed since the violence began. 5. Quake strikes in central California Coastal area. ....a moderate quake shook California's central coast area but there's no immediate report of injuries or damages. 6. Mexico president slams US after casino massacre. ....Calderon declared 3 days of mourning for the 52 victims of a casino fire set by drug traffickers, says America partly to blame for drug violence. He lashed out at the US saying it is not doing enough to reduce its high demand for illicit drugs or to stop illegal trafficking of US weapons into Mexico. Today's flower: daylily Hemerocallis 'Siloam Grady Lamb' Have a great weekend (but keep away from the east coast).
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 27, 2011 16:41:16 GMT -7
UPDATE: The Salvation Army prepares for national emergency. In advance of Hurricane Irene, the National Commander of the Salvation Army today declared a national disaster, which puts all units on alert status throughout the US. All divisions of The Salvation Army are preparing staff, equipment and supplies to support impacted areas along the East Coast. It will provide food, drink and spiritual/emotional care to emergency responders and surivors in impacted areas.
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 28, 2011 13:31:06 GMT -7
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me :)This is the 240th day of 2011 with 125 days left in the year. 8-)Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 2:38 p.m., it's cloudy www.msnbc.msn.com/images/msnbc/wea/36/26.gif[/img], temp 67ºF [feels like 67ºF], winds N @ 7 mph, humidity 81%, pressure 29.64 in and falling, dew point 61ºF. And hurricane excitement is over. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. Irene charges into New England, NYC escapes worst. Hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm, but salty floodwater surged into Manhattan; death toll along East Coast stands at 14; power failures leave 4 million without power; more than 10,000 flights canceled through Monday. Officials also warned that isolated tornadoes were possible in the northeast. ....a. US Hurricane Center says Irene's maximum sustained wind speed still at 60 mph, moving over southern New England. Tropical storm warning still in effect for coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island...Block Island...Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket...Eastport, Maine. Also US/Canada border northeastward to Fort Lawrence, incluidng Grand Mana...south coast of Nova Scotia from Fort Lawrence to Porters Lake. Forecasters said Irene, while diminished in strength, was still massive and powerful, carrying sustained winds of 60 mph after its long journey up the East Coast, where it dropped a foot of rain on North Carolina and Virginia. ....b. Metro North commuter rail suffered worst damage within NY transit system with flooding on three lines, while Coney Island battered, but not broken. Coney Island broadwalk wasn't completely inundated. Neither was lower Manhattan's Battery Park. New York was eerily quiet in a city where many people don't own cars, the population stayed indoors. The entire transit system was shut down because of weather for the first time ever. All of the city's airports were closed. Broadway shows, baseball games and other events were all canceled or postponed. But the US Open (tennis) was still on schedule to open Monday at Forest Lawn in NYC. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the evacuation order in effect for the city would be lifted at 3 p.m. EDT, and indicated that the city was moving into recovery mode. He said that the city government would reopen on Monday, despite some damage to city government buildings. The stock exchange and other financial institutions are slated to reopen on time Monday morning as well. ....c. Napolitano: "Not out of the woods yet". Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Pres. Obama was briefed Sunday morning and instructed administration officials to continue to be aggressive in their efforts to deal with the storm and its aftermath. She cautioned that communities still in Irene's path should continue to be vigilant even though the storm had weakened. Pre-storm preparations dramatically reduced the loss of life, but she warned that river flooding across the eastern seaboard continued to pose hazards for the public. 2. New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward still bleak. ....Six years after Hurricane Katrina, streets here are still scarred by decaying houses. Destroyed buildings and overgrown weeds as seen from Flood St looking towards Caffin St. The Lower 9th Ward, hardest hit by Katrina, is a sad place that still looks like a ghost town. St. Claude Ave., the once moderately busy commercial thoroughfare, looks like the main street of a railroad town bypassed long ago by the interstate. Most buildings are shuttered, "For Sale" signs stuck on their sides. And the businesses that are open are mostly corner stores where folks buy pricey cigarettes, liquor and packaged food. Redevelopment has been slow in coming, and the neighborhood has just 5,500 residents — one-third its pre-Katrina population. The lack of people makes those who've come back feel that their neighborhood has been forgotten, even though a steady stream of politicians came to promise to help after Katrina and millions of dollars flowed in. In recent days, city leaders have put forward plans to rebuild the Alfred Lawless High School and spend $45 million repaving most of the streets where the heaviest damage took place. A group of investors that includes Wendell Pierce, a New Orleans native starring on the HBO show Treme, has announced plans to build a full-scale grocery store on the grounds of a former baseball field by 2013. Developers hope to get federal hurricane recovery low-interest and forgivable loans. If built, the 25,000-square-foot store would represent one of the first pioneering commercial investments for the Lower 9th Ward since Katrina. Roosevelt Johnson Sr., a 51-year-old disabled veteran, looked at the empty grass field where the grocery store would be built and reasoned, "With them bringing a supermarket, it might increase property values. It might bring some normalcy back here. Make it like any other neighborhood where you go 10 minutes to the supermarket." Let's hope so. The poor are those in need of the most help anywhere and especially in their neighborhoods destroyed by Katrina or any other hurricane. 3. US officials: Al-Qaida's No. 2 killed in Pakistan. ....Atiyah Abd al-Rahman rose to the position following bin Laden's death and was killed in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan. He was killed in a US missile strike in Machi Khel village, delivering another big blow to the terrorist group. A Libyan national, al-Rahman was regarded as instrumental to al-Qauid's success as the overseer of its daily operations. One more down and hopefully more to go. 4. Ron Paul: No FEMA response necessary. ....Would you believe this "idiot" who slammed FEMA and said that no national response to Hurricane Irene is necessary? "We should be like 1900; ww should be like 1940, 1950, 1960," he said. "I live on the Gulf Coast; we deal with hurricanes all the time. Galveston is in my district." (And if my memory serves the Gulf Coast and Galveston have received plenty of aid from FEMA and screamed for more.) "There's no magic about FEMA. They're a great contribution to deficit financing and quite frankly they don't have a penny in the bank. We should be coordinated but coordinated voluntarily with the states," Paul told NBC News. "A state can decide. We don't need somebody in Washington." And the states DO decide. The individual states have to issue states of emergency before seeking help from FEMA. Ignorance at work once again in the political right wing. And some people want this ignoramus as president? . 5. Poll finds disapproval of Cngress at all-time high. ....Many voters are untrusting of the government since the debt-crisis. House Speaker John Boehner received 29% approval in the AP-GfK poll, the lowest such of his tenure and the first time his rating is more negative than positive. And Congress received a 12% approval rate. Americans are plenty angry at Congress in the aftermath of the debt crisis and Republicans could pay the greatest price, a new poll suggests. It finds the Tea Party has lost support, the Speaker is increasingly unpopular and people are warming to the idea of not only cutting spending but also raising taxes (a GOP anathema). The poll finds more people are down on their own Congressman, not just the institution, an unusual finding in surveys and one bound to make incumbents particularly nervous. In interviews, some people said the debt standoff itself, which caused a crisis of confidence to ripple through world markets, made them wonder whether lawmakers are able to govern at all. "I guess I long for the day back in the '70s and '80s when we could disagree but we could get a compromise worked out," said Republican Scott MacGregor, 45, a Windsor, Conn., police detective. "I don't think there's any compromise anymore." And I, a Democrat, agree wholeheartedly. Republicans and Democrats statistically tied, 40% to 43% respectively, when respondents were asked which party they trust more to handle the federal budget deficit. Nearly a third of independents said they trust neither party on the issue. Much about the next election hinges on independent voters, the ever-growing group fiercely wooed by both sides. These were the least forgiving toward incumbents and shifted substantially toward the need to raise taxes as part of the deficit and debt solution. Democrat Laurie Lewis, a Rutgers University professor from Flemington, N.J., suggested, "Elect those who are willing to make compromise on both sides of the hall," she said. Still, "I don't think it's smart to say throw out everyone." The approval of using tax increases to help solve the fiscal crisis is a potential boon to Pres. Obama and the congressional Democrats who want to end Bush-era tax breaks for the nation's wealthiest Americans. Republicans bristle at anything called a tax increase, though some acknowledge that more revenue must be raised. I'm still angry enough with the House that I say throw all of them out and let's elect an all-new house with no experience with Washington and preferably no political experience at all. They couldn't do any worse. Today's flower: daylily Hemercallis 'Gold Dust' Have a super Sunday!!
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 29, 2011 9:25:53 GMT -7
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me :)This is the 241st day of 2011 with 124 days left in the year. 8-)Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 2:38 p.m., it's partly cloudy , temp 64ºF [feels like 64ºF], winds WNW @ 7 mph, humidity 63%, pressure 30.01 in and rising, dew point 51ºF. Back to a typical late cool summer day. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. 'Gold medal forecast' of Irene's path saved lives, espert says. ....24 hours before landfall, Nataional Hurricane Center predicted storm's next day location to within 10 miles or so. But what it would do when it got there was another matter. Predicting its strength is still baffling. Every giant step in figuring out the path highlights hoe little progress made on the crucial question of how strong? The main problems is that the giant global computer models that do so well forecasting the track require large scale data, but the keys to intensity/strength changes are usually too small for those models. What's needed is better real-time, small-scale information, like Doppler radar. msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-110828-wea-irene-7p.grid-4x2.jpg [/img] ....a. Floods build in US in Irene's wake. Irene left Vermont facing a 'full-blown flooding catastrophe' with ever road closed at one point. It was the worst flooding in the state in 40 years, washing out roads and knocking out power in the mountainous, landlocked New England state that rarely sees tropical storms. Rivers and creeks turned into raging torrents in northern New England and upstate New York. At least one of Vermont's historic covered bridges was swept away and weather reporters said the flooding was the worst in Vermont since 1973, perhaps since 1927. Thank heavens the storm is over. Now the cleanup begins. 2. Report: Lockerbie bomber in come 'at death's door'. ....Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was freed from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds in August 2009, after devloping prostate cancer. He was found in a palatial house in an upmarket part of Tripoli, guarded by at least six security cameras and attended to by concerned relatives. He apparently was unconscious, kekpt alive with oxygen and a fluid drip. Britain's Sky News reported that his cancer drugs had been stolen duirng the uprising. In Libya, he is widely viewed as an innocent pawn in a political game and that Iran was the real culprit in the Lockerbie bombing. 3. Bachmann says she'd consider Everglades drilling. ....Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said that she would consider oil and natural gas drilling in the Everglades if it can be done without harming the environment. She said that the US needs to tap into all of its energy resorces no matter where they exist if it can be done reponsibly. Ah, there's the rub. Whe gets to decided what is responsible and what is oot? Bachmann, who wants to get rid of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, said she would rely on experts to determine whether drilling can be done without harming the environment. And these experts, where would they come from? BP? ....a. Bachmann: Irene is God's message for Washington. The Tea Party favorite says earthquake, hurricane sent as a message from God that Washington need to change its policy and listen to the people. "Of course she was saying it in jest," Alice Stewart, spokesperson for Bachmann's campaign, said. Bachmann is a favorite of the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement and of religious social conservatives, but recent Republican presidential contender polls have shown her lagging behind Texas Governor Rick Perry and moderate Mitt Romney, who appeals to the party's business wing. Soooooo, who knows, maybe God is in her corner? Naw. 4. The mystery of the Double Eagle gold coins. ....A Philadelphia family has some and the US has been chasing them for 70 years. Why? The most valuable coin in the world sits in the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in lower Manhattan. It’s Exhibit 18E, secured in a bulletproof glass case with an alarm system and an armed guard nearby. The 1933 Double Eagle, considered one of the rarest and most beautiful coins in America, has a face value of $20 — and a market value of $7.6 million. It was among the last batch of gold coins ever minted by the U.S. government. The coins were never issued; most of the nearly 500,000 cast were melted down to bullion in 1937. Most, but not all. Some of the coins slipped out of the Philadelphia Mint before then. No one knows for sure exactly how they got out or even how many got out. The U.S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting the nation’s currency, has been pursuing them for nearly 70 years, through 13 Administrations and 12 different directors. The investigation has spanned three continents and involved some of the most famous coin collectors in the world, a confidential informant, a playboy king, and a sting operation at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. It has inspired two novels, two nonfiction books, and a television documentary. More 1933 Double Eagle gold coins may still be hidden away. “There has always been talk of others,” says Armen Vartian, the lawyer for the Professional Numismatists Guild. Robert W. Hoge, curator of North American coins and currency at the American Numismatic Society and U.S. coin expert, says: “It’s not impossible that more are out there. I haven’t seen them. But it wouldn’t surprise me.” Now if there was just some religious conection, it would be a perfect Dan Brown story, a la "The Da Vinci Code". Today's flower: Helleborus x hybridus 'Pink Lady' I hope you all have a merry Monday.
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 30, 2011 6:25:51 GMT -7
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me :)This is the 242nd day of 2011 with 123 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 11:17 a.m., it's fair , temp 74ºF [feels like 73ºF], winds W @ 8 mph, humidity 53%, pressure 30.16 in and steady, dew point 56ºF. Another nice late summer day. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. 19 Chinese miners freed after 7 days trapped underground. ....'Rescuers are still going all-out to search for the three remaining miners,' Chinese official says, after the 19 miners were rescued from their flooded pit in northeastern China. Hopes for the miners had been revived after noises were detected through a 920-foot pipe that was drilled to allow fresh air into the ILLEGAL mine near Qitaihe. 26 miners were trapped when they broke through into an adjacent flooded pit. The mine had been ordered shut in 2007 but was reopened without permission on Aug. 16. China's mines are notoriously deadly, although safety improvements have cut annual fatalities by about one-third from a high of 6,995 in 2002. That improvement has come despite a tripling in the output of coal used to generate most of China's electrical power. Technological advances, better training and the closing of the most dangerous, small-scale mining operations have upped the success rate of rescue operations. China's mines are at the stage ours were almost 100 years ago before the United Mine Workers became a force to be reckoned with. And the so-called workers Communist Party doesn't seem inclined to go to bat for its miners. 2. Loughner's lawyers fighting against forced medication. ....Federal appeals court to consider how much authority prison officials have in forcibly medicating Jared Lourhner, the Arizona man accused of killing six and wounding 13 including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He has been held at a federal prison hospital in Misouri, sent there for treatment when a judge concluded he has not mentally fit to stand trial. His lawyers are fighting a decision by prison doctors to give him psychoactive medications against his will. Prosecutors argue that he was given the medications because he was a danger to himself and others. I do not understand why Loughner's lawyers want the meds stopped. Because he doesn't want them? And what makes him competent to make that decisoon? He has been involuntarily sent to a prison hospital to receive treatment to hopefully enable him to stand trial. Without medications, he is too mentally unstalbe to do so. Which means he would be involuntarily committed to an asylum for the criminally insance for the rest of his life. OK, maybe that's it. It would save him from having to face the death penalty. 3. Irene Update: Hurricane Irene leaves Vt., NY homeowners, towns stranded. ....From Virginia to Maine, several million people still without electricity after storm with entire towns in Vermont and New York cut off by flooding, some still warily watching swollen rivers. The storm has been blamed for at least 41 deaths in 11 states. Landlocked Vermont took a surprisingly hard hit and 100s of people are stranded throughout the state, cut off by the worlst flooding the state has seen since 1927. In North Carolina at Cape Hatteras, the electiricty is still out and the only way to get back and forth now is by ferry boat. The capricious storm, which veered into Vermont in its final hours, dumped up to 11 inches of rain in some places and turned placid little mountain streams into roaring brown torrents that smashed buildings, ripped homes from their foundation and washed out roads all across the state. And xome Vermont rivers still haven't reached their peak. Throughout the region, hundreds of roads were impassable because of flooding or fallen trees, and some bridges had simply given way, including a 156-year-old hand-hewn, wooden covered bridge across Schoharie Creek in Blenheim, N.Y. Homeowners and towns in land-locked Vermont faced a sobering new reality — no way in or out. Washed-out roads and bridges left them — for now — inaccessible by automobile. State transportation maintenance crews and contractors hired by the state were working to restore travel on some of the 260 roads that had been closed due to storm damage. Vermont also had 30 highway bridges closed. In small Newfane (pop. 1,710), the storm's effects were staggering: About 150 people were unable to drive cars to their homes, 30 of them effectively stranded in theirs, seven bridges were washed out, two homes were knocked from their foundations by surging floodwaters and one 19th century grist mill smashed into kindling wood right where it stood. 4. Firefighters make progress against blaze near Yosemite. ....The forst fire near Yosemite Natioanl Park, burning since last week, is slowly being brought under control but a main road into the park remained cut off. Apparently ignited by an explosion in a motor home, it has torched 4,755 acres and forced the closure of state Rt 140. Numerous campgrounds along the Merced River in the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have been shut down. Yosemite as a whole remains open. The year has been relatively wet and cool, dampening the risk of fire until recently. Cool weather prevents vegetation from drying and tends to keep moisture in the air. But abundant rains also spurred heavier growth in underbrush, building up fuel and as winds pick up, the hazard increases. So let's hope that the winds die down and for once the west is not plagued by forest fires. 5. Relative of Pres. Obama arrested in Massachusetts. ....In turns out, the half-brother of Pres. Obama's father was picked up for DWI. He is in the process of being deported back to Kenya. So could someone explain to me why this should make the national news? 6. Glenn Beck, fresh from Israel, proclaims Irene is a 'Blessing'. ....Radio personality Glenn Beck has declared Hurricane Irene is a 'blessing'. He touts the strong storm as a harbinger to warn Americans to be prepared for anything and to stock up on food. How can anyone with an ounce of sense listen to this idiot. Or will he claim that it was all a joke as Michelle Bachmann who made a similar statement did? 7. SPORTS: U.S. Open....a. Venus a winner at US Open. Serena up next. Williams returned to tennis on the big stage Monday, winning her first match at the U.S. Open after a two-month break she needed to fight off a viral illness. "A lot of the battle is just trying to be fit and stay healthy," Williams said after her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Vesna Dolonts. "Sometimes I've been losing that battle a lot. But I do feel like I can play six matches. I need to win them. No one is more in one-match-at-a-time mode than me now at this tournament." Venus, a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, came into the tournament unseeded for the first time since 1997, when she was 17 and made a run all the way to the final. Of course, people overlook her at their peril. When healthy and motivated, she and her sister, Serena, are the biggest X-factors in any tournament they enter. ....b. Federer closes first day with quick win. Roger Federer showed that time was still on his side as the Swiss master rang the closing bell on opening day at the US Open tennis championship with a quick win at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 3rd seed Federer, who turned 30 earlier this month, completed a clockwork 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over 56th-ranked Colombian Santiago Giraldo, 24, to the delight of the Flushing Meadows night crowd. This was his frist step in his quest for a 6th US Open title. 16th overall. A 6th US Open would tie him with Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras for the most titles as a professional. Today's flower: daylily Hemerocallis 'Bill Norris' Happy Tuesday everyone!
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Aug 31, 2011 8:11:46 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 243rd day of 2011 with 122 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 10:05 a.m., it's fair , temp 65ºF [feels like 65ºF], winds WSW @ 6 mph, humidity 75%, pressure 30.23 in and steady, dew point 57ºF. It's still a nice summer day. Today's Headlines of Interest: First they ran the bulls, now Spain starts tossing tomatoes. It's Spain's food fight or the Tomatina festival near Valencia. Revellers throw tomatoes during the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 31. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favorite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship. I just hope some college fraternity here in the US doesn't think it looks like fun and starts a tomato-throwing festival here!!! www.smileyarena.com/emoticons/Main/Large_Mix/oh.gif [/img] Hurricane Update: Irene is the 10th billion-dollar weather event of '11. The storm, which damaged infrastructure, left 2.5 million without power and thousands of water-logged homes and businesses from North Carolina through New England, has been blamed for at least 44 deaths in 13 states. Estimates put the total cost at up to $10 billion. Other very costly disasters include this summer's flooding in the Midwest, the Mississippi River flooding in the spring and summer, several tornadoes and the heatwave that hit the Southwest and Southern Plain. Somebody up there doesn't like us. And off in the Atlantic Ocean, Katia is getting stronger and could become a hurricane. Tripoli divided as rebels jostle over power. Attempts to name military leader to unify bands of fighters instead expose the divisions. Fighters from the western mountain city of Zintan control the airport. The fighters from Misurata guard the central bank, the port and the prime minister’s office, where their graffiti has relabeled the historic plaza “Misurata Square.” Berbers from the mountain town Yafran took charge of the city’s central square, where they spray-painted “Yafran Revolutionaries.” A week after rebels broke into Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s former stronghold, much of its territory remains divided into fiefs, each controlled by quasi-independent brigades representing different geographic areas of the country. And the spray paint they use to mark their territory tells the story of a looming leadership crisis. The jockeying for power has exposed divisions within the rebels along regional lines but also between secularists and Islamists. All in all, it illustrates the challenges a new provisional govenment will face in trying to unify Libya's fractious political landscape. Well, we were warned that with Gadhafi gone, the old tribal enmities would arise again. Ex-Colin Powell aide: Dick Cheney fears prosecution for war crimes. "[Cheney] knew the Texas governor was not steeped in anything but baseball...He was president for all practical purposes for the first term," according to Col. Lwrence Willerson, Powell's chief of staff during his time as secretary of state. In his memoir, In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir, Cheney claimed Powell had undermined Bush, by criticizing policy to people outside the administration. In an ABC interview, Wilkerson suggested Cheney was adopting a tough stance in an attempt to forestall criticism or even prosecution. And let the fight begin. We all may learn some things of interest or we may be treated to the aspect of "rats deserting a sinking ship (the Bush presidency). US newborn death rate tied for 41st with Qatar. Babies in the United States have a higher risk of dying during their first month of life than do babies born in 40 other countries, according to a new report. South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel all outrank the US according to researches at the World Health Organization. "We know that solutions as simple as keeping newborns warm, clean and properly breast-fed can keep them alive," said study researcher Joy Lawn of the Save the Children Foundation, which worked with the WHO on the report. "It isn't that you have to build invasive care units to halve your neonatal mortality." And measures taken within hospitals, including providing antibiotics and implementing resuscitation techniques, could reduce deaths by two-thirds, the researchers said. Preterm delivery, asphyxia (lack of oxygen) and severe infections are the three leading causes of newborn death and are largely preventable with the right care. The U.S. rate of preterm birth is double that of countries in Europe and Northern Africa, she said. Babies who are born preterm need extra care that is often expensive. While there are few things that can reduce preterm birth, she noted that disadvantaged people in the US may be less likely to receive proper care for preterm infants. And less likely to have health insurance to cover these expenses. I think that this is an absolute disgrace. All through the health care debate, I heard what a great health care system we had. I guess that is for everyone except newborns. 41st in the world!! Disgraceful. Today's flower: daylily Hemerocallis 'Scatterbrain' Today is National Lint Trap Day. Have a womderful Wednesday everyone.
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 2, 2011 6:11:06 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 245th day of 2011 with 120 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:06 a.m., it's partly cloudy , temp 70ºF [feels like 71ºF], winds SSW @ 6 mph, humidity 83%, pressure 30.03 in and steady, dew point 64ºF. The day is forecasted to be mostly sunny , warm with a high of 84ºF and winds S @ 5-10 mph, 10% chance of rain. Another lovely summer day. This summer is spoiling me! Today in History1666--the Great Fire of London borke out; it destroyed nearly 400 acres, some 13,000 houses and St Paul's Cathedral. 1789--the US Treasury Department was established. 1864--Union Gen. Sherman's troops occupied Atlanta, Ga. 1935--a hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, with 423 deaths 1945--Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri. 1969--the first ATM to use magnetic-striped cards opened at Chemical Bank, Rockville, Center, NY 1983--Tom Brokaw took over as anchor of NBC's Nightly News. 2005--Pres. Bush told Michael Brown, head of FEMA, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" during a tour of Hurricane Katrina damage in Alabama. Today's Headlines of Interest: US set to sue big banks over bad mortgagesThe federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks (Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, etc.). THey are being accused of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compenstation. The suits will argue the banks, which assembled the mortgages and marketed them as securities to investors, failed to perform the due diligence required under securities law and missed evidence that borrowers’ incomes were inflated or falsified. When many borrowers were unable to pay their mortgages, the securities backed by the mortgages quickly lost value. Fannie and Freddie lost more than $30 billion, losses that were borne mostly by taxpayers. Ah, now this is news I can applaud. I've felt all along that the banking industry got away fairly scot-free, leaving the government and us taxpayers holding the bag. Go get 'em!! Here's a headline to make one shudder. Earthquake threat to nuclear reactors far higher than realized. 'Forty years ago, when some of these plants were started, the hazard--we had no idea,' an industry consultant said. The nation's Nuclear Regulatory Commission believes a quarter of US reactors may need modifications. Just how many won't be known until all operators realculate their own seismic risk based on new assessments by geologists. So the earthquake we experienced in the east was a wake up call and we'd better heed it. We don't want something like Japan recently suffered happening here. White House creates online petitions site. The White HOuse is making it easier for people to press the federal government to act. It is bringing the constitutional right to petition one's government into the digital age with a webpage "We the People," where people can create and sign petitions seeking the government's action on a range of issues. An official response is guaranteed for any petition that draws enough signatures (5,000 names) within 30 days. www.whitehouse.gov/wethepeople"When I ran for this office, I pledged to make government more open and accountable to its citizens," Pres. Obama said in the announcement. He said the new feature will give Americans "a direct line" to the White House on issues that most concern them. Thank you, Mr. President. I don't know how much this will help but at least it gives we, the people, a new voice. Rick Perry pushed bill that could benefit his stem cell doctor's firm. Stem cell 'bank' creation may aid company founded by his physician and a big-time political donor. The Texas governor pushed a bill through the legislature that paves the way for a company co-owned by his doctor to become the first state-approved "bank" to store and cultivate stem cells for medical threatment. The measure was adopted without any public hearings and could prove to be a financial bonanza for the doctor's company, co-owned with the former chairman of the board of Texas A&M University and a longtime Perry political donor. And this is a man who wants us to vote for him for president? I wuoldn't trust him as far as I could throw him (about 2 inches). Thought for Today: "I am more and more convinced that man is a dangerous creature; and that power, whether vested in many or a few, is ever grasping, and like the grave, cries "Give, give!" -- Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams (1744-1818) Today's flower: tetraploid day lily 'Aztec Priestess'
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 3, 2011 11:57:51 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 246th day of 2011 with 119 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 2:47 p.m., it's fair , temp 87ºF [feels like 94ºF], winds variable @ 6 mph, humidity 59%, pressure 29.91 in and falling, dew point 71ºF. The day is forecasted to be partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms . Warm and humid with a high of 85ºF and winds WSW @ 5-10 mph, 30% chance of rain. Hot and humid, yuck!! TY a/c. Today in History1189--England's Richard I "the Lion-Hearted" was crowned in Westminster. 1658--Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, died. 1783--the Treaty of Paris ended America's Revolutionary War. 1970--NFL Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi died at age 57 1976--the unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars to take the first close-up photos of the planet's surface. 2004--a 3-day hostage siege at a school in Besian, Russia, ended in bloody chaos after Chechen militants set off bombs and Russian commandos stormed the building, more than 330 people were killed, most of them children. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. 'Super soaker' Lee brings tornado fears to Gulf. ....Slow-moving tropical storm could dump up to 20 inches of rain in some areas, causing flash floods. It has already brought torrential rain to the Louisiana coast as it approahed New Orleans whose flood defenses were expected to be put to the test. A tornado watch has been issued for an area stretching from central Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle until 11 p.m. tonight. Lee's northeasterly track could bring heavy rains to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Appalachian Mountains next week. The water-logged system is tantalizingly close to Texas but too far away to alleviate the state's drought. Meanwhile, Hurricane Katia weakened to near tropical storm strength as it churned in the Atlantic Ocean, 485 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Katia had maximum winds of 75 mph, moving northwest at 10 miles per hour. Maybe Texas will be lucky and the next tropical storm will head towards it. 2. UK rioters defy ban on marches. ....100s hold 'static demonstration' amid ban on marches in parts of London after last month's riots. Far-right protestors of the English Defense League clashed with London police in the Tower Hamlets area, held despite a ban on marches in six parts of England's capital. The League insists it is a peaceful organization opposing Islamist extremism, but its past protests have often resulted in violence. Yeah, sure, and if you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you. 3. Documents reveal close CIA ties to Gadhafi spy unit. ....Files uncovered in Tripoli at the abandoned office of Libya's former spymaster indicate US sent terrorism suspets for questioning in Libya at least eight times, despite (because of?) Libya's reputation for torture. I'm begining to think that we should eliminate the CIA as part of reducing budget costs. Let the FBI do all the federal law endorecement/intelliegence business. Repeated efforts to reform this agency have failed and it's time to cut it off. 4. Sports: ....'I am still the best'; Bolt silences critics at world track & field championships. It's gold for Usain Bolt in the 4th fastest 200 in history to back up his showmanship with a stuning performance. After being disqualified for a false start in the 100-m final last Sunday, he was slowest out of the blocks but picked up speed and powering to the finishline in 19.40 seconds in the 200-m, just seconds of his first world title two years ago. Walter Dis (US) once again finished 2nd to Bolt. Thought for Today: "Everyone's quick to blame the alien." -- Aeschylus, ancient Greek playwright (?-456 B.C.) Today's flower Hydrangea arborescens 'Grandiflora' or smooth hydrangea
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 4, 2011 9:46:06 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 247th day of 2011 with 118 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 2:47 p.m., it's fair , temp 77ºF [feels like 79ºF], winds SSW @ 8 mph, humidity 71%, pressure 29.87 in and falling, dew point 67ºF. The day is forecasted to be partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms , a few may be severe. Warm and humid with a high of 84ºF and winds SSW @ 10-15 mph, 60% chance of rain. Hot and humid, yuck!! TY a/c. Today in History1781--Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers. 1888--George Eastman received a patent for his roll-film camera and registered his trademark - Kodak. 1917--the American Expeditionary Force recieved it first fatalities in World War I. 1951 in the first coast-to-coast TV broadcast, Pres. Truman spoke to the natino from the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco. 1957--Gov. Orval Faubus of Arkansas called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. 1972--Mark Spitz became the first to win 7 gold medals at a single Olympics. 2002--Kelly Clarkson was voted the first "American Idol." 2007--Maattel Inc. recalled 800,000 lead-tainted, Chinese-made toys, its 3rd major recall in just over a month. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. Thousands convicted of terrorism post-9/11. Massive, self-perpetuating counterterrorism machine in US'. While convictions show how global awareness has spread worldwide, they also suggest that some are suing the fight to curb political dissent. At least 35,000 people worldwide have been convicted as terrorists in the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks, but while some bombed hotels or blew up buses, others were put behind bars for waving a political sign or blogging about a protest. The AP used freedom of information queries, law enforcement data and hundreds of interviews to identify 119,044 anti-terror arrests and 35,117 convictions in 66 countries, accounting for 70 percent of the world's population. The actual numbers undoubtedly run higher because some countries refused to provide information. The AP used freedom of information queries, law enforcement data and hundreds of interviews to identify 119,044 anti-terror arrests and 35,117 convictions in 66 countries, accounting for 70% of the world's population. The actual numbers undoubtedly run higher because some countries refused to provide information. It included 2,934 arrests and 2,568 convictions in the US, which led the war on terror — eight times more than in the decade before. •More than half the convictions came from two countries accused of using anti-terror laws to crack down on dissent, Turkey and China. Turkey alone accounted for a third of all convictions, with 12,897. •The range of people in jail reflects the dozens of ways different countries define a terrorist. China has arrested more than 7,000 people under a definition that counts terrorism as one of Three Evils, along with separatism and extremism. •The effectiveness of anti-terror prosecutions varies widely. Pakistan registered the steepest increase in terror arrests in recent years, yet terror attacks are still on the rise. But in Spain, the armed Basque separatist group ETA has not planted a fatal bomb in two years. •Anti-terror laws can backfire. Authoritarian governments in the Middle East used anti-terror laws broadly, only to face a backlash in the Arab Spring. Almost everyone, including the U.N. and the US, agrees that the cost is some erosion of human rights. "Originally the approach was the more the merrier, the stronger counter-terror laws, the better for the security of the world. But that was a serious mistake," said Martin Sheinin, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism. "Nowadays people are realizing the abuse and even the actual use of counterterror laws is bad for human rights and also bad for actually stopping terrorism." It's the age-old problem of security vs. rights. Which is why I have been an opponent of the Patriot Act and the Bush administration attack on some of our basic rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. Unfortunately, many countries do not offer their citizens the same type of protection from abuse. 2. UPDATE: Tropical Storm Lee lurches ashore in Louisiana. "We're not out of the woods. Don't go to sleep on this storm," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu warns residents, as New Orleans prepares for one of the biggest tests of its flood defense since Katrina in 2005. Lee is crawling to the northeast at 3 mph with a turn to the east-northeast expected tonight. Its slow crawl to the north gave more time for its drenching rain bands to pelt a wide swath of vulnerable coastline, raising the flood threat. Just what we need--more rain in the east. I wish we could construct a gigantic trough and funnel all this rain to Texas and the Southwest where it's needed. We certainly don't need it! 3. Labor unions cope with a new reality under Obama. Unions are in a drawn-out fight for their survival in some states. Public employee unions are in a drawn-out fight for their very survival in Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee and other states where GOP lawmakers have curbed collective bargaining rights. Also, many union leaders are grousing that the president they worked so hard to elect has not focused enough on job creation and other bold plans to get their members back to work. "Obama campaigned big, but he's governing small," said Larry Hanley, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Unions have begun shifting money and resources out of Democratic congressional campaigns and back to the states in a furious effort to reverse or limit GOP measures that could wipe out union rolls. The AFL-CIO's president, Richard Trumka, says it's part of a new strategy for labor to build an independent voice separate from the Democratic Party. Last month, a dozen trade unions said they would boycott next year's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., over frustration on the economy and to protest the event's location in a right-to-work state. Another sign of the shift to the right by this administration. Right now it seems as if most of what we think of as Democratic issues have fallen by the wayside as both parties shift to the right. The Democratic Party is now the old Republican Party and the Republicans are the Tea Party. 4. Sports. a. NCAA football: Disrespected No. 5 Boise State. Saturday it went into the heart of SEC country and is going back to Idaho with a win over a ranked member of the top conference in college football, completely stompin' all over No. 19 ranked Georgia. Say want you want about their blue turf and their soft conference, but whenever the Broncos have had a 'national stage' moment they have come through swimmingly. One of these days, they'll get the nationwide respect they deserve. Don't tread on us--if you don't mind. Long dissed as a football confrence, the Big East decided to show the world that they were serious. With just West Virginia on Sunday against Marshall remaining, they sport a 7-0 mark. Sure, four of the wins were against schools ouside of Div. 1-A (as were most of the big guys games this weekend), and just one game gasinat a school in a BCS conference (Syracuse beat Wake Forest) and let's not forget South Florida over Nortre Dame, but it's the Big Eas and a non-basketball sport. Baby steps, y'all, baby steps. PAC-12 expansion? Earlier today, the Daily Oklahoman reported that Oklahoma’s sole focus is now on the Pac-12. If the speculation comes to fruition, OU would make the first move to the Pac-12, causing a ripple effect that would bring Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech along with them, leaving the Big 12 with five schools and almost no shot at survival — especially after the Big Ten grabs Missouri as part of a counteroffensive to the Pac-12 morphing into the Pac-16. And then Jim Delany reaches into the Big East before convincing Notre Dame to shed its football independence to get to 16 members. And then the SEC responds as well, getting to 16 by swallowing up three schools from the ACC, forcing that conference and some of what’s left of the Big East and Big 12 to merge. Now there's a tale to watch carefully. Yep, college football has begun. Yippeeeee!! Thought for Today"Anything you're good at contributes to happiness." — Bertrand Russell, English mathematician-philosopher (1872-1970). www.msnhiddenemoticons.com/Library/extra_large/spring/pack2/smell.gif [/img] Today's flower: daylily Hemerocallis 'Neal Berrey'
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 4, 2011 19:34:53 GMT -7
SCIENCE NEWS: Sept. 2, 2011: At this very moment one of the fastest spacecraft ever launched -- NASA's New Horizons -- is hurtling through the void at nearly one million miles per day. Launched in 2006, it has been in flight longer than some missions last, and still has four more years of travel to go. New Horizons headed for the lonely world of Pluto on the outer edge of the solar system. Although astronomers now call Pluto a dwarf planet, "it's actually a large place, about 5,000 miles around at the equator," says Alan Stern, principal investigator for the mission. "And it's never been explored." Indeed, no spacecraft has ever visited Pluto or any dwarf planet. "This is a whole new class of worlds," says Stern. "To understand the solar system, we need to understand worlds like Pluto." Pluto is a resident of the Kuiper Belt, a vast region beyond the orbit of Neptune. Stern believes "the Kuiper Belt contains a thousand dwarf planets or more – a whole zoo of them! Dwarf planets are, in fact, the most numerous class of planets in the solar system, and probably in the whole universe." The Hubble Space Telescope discovered strange molasses-colored markings on Pluto. Pluto is a world of mysteries. For one thing, Stern wonders, what are the molasses-colored patches on Pluto’s surface seen by the Hubble Space Telescope? Some scientists think they could be deposits of primordial organic matter. "New Horizon's spectrometers will help us identify the kinds of organic molecules on Pluto. We expect to find something pretty interesting." Hubble recently contributed more intrigue by spotting a new moon circling Pluto -- bringing the total to four. Composite Hubble images of Pluto now resemble a miniature planetary system. New Horizons will hunt for even more moons as it approaches the dwarf planet. When New Horizons reaches Pluto it will have traveled 9 ½ years – longer than any spacecraft has ever flown to reach its main target. To save power and reduce wear and tear, it hibernates3 much of the time. But all systems will be ready to spring into action upon arrival in 2015.
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 5, 2011 7:46:20 GMT -7
Happy Labor Day from Tuxy and me :)This is the 248th day of 2011 with 117 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:57 p.m., it's a light rain mist , temp 62ºF [feels like 64ºF], winds calm, humidity 94%, pressure 29.78 in and rising, dew point 61ºF. Forecast is for ocassional rain , with a high of 68ºF and winds NW @ 5-10 mph, 90% chance of rain. Cool and muggy, fall is coming. Today in History1698--Peter the Great of Russia imposed a tax on beards. 1774--the 1st Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia. 1793--French Revolution: the Reign of Terror began as the National Convention instituted harsh measures to repress counterrevolutionary activities. 1836--Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas. 1882--the first US Labor Day parade has held in New York City. 1914--the 1st Battle of the Marne began in World War I. 1957-- On the Road by Jack Kerouac, the defining novel of the Beat Generation, was published. 1972--Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli Olympic team at the Munich Olympics with 11 Israelis athletes and coaches, 5 terrorists and a police officer killed. 1975--Pres. Ford escaped an assassination attempt in Sacramento, Calif. by Lynette "Squiaky" Fromme. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. US Postal Service on verge of going broke, shutting down. ....'If Congress doesn't act, we will default," Postermaster General Patrick R. Donahoe says. The USPS has long lived ont he financial edge but never this close to the precipice. It is so low on cash that it will not be able to make a $5.5 billion payment due this month and may have to shut down entirely this winter unless Contress takes emergency action to stablilize its finances. Recently, Mr. Donahue has been pushing a series of painful cost-cutting measures to erase the service's deficit - eliminating Saturday mail delivery, closing up to 3,700 postal locations, laying off 120,000 workers (nearly 1/5th of its work force) despite a no-layoffs clause in the unions' contracts. Labor represents 80% of the agency’s expenses, compared with 53% at UPS and 32% at FedEx, its two biggest private competitors. Postal workers also receive more generous health benefits than most other federal employees. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the agency’s predicament on Tuesday. So far, feuding Democrats and Republicans in Congress, still smarting from the brawl over the federal debt ceiling, have failed to agree on any solutions. Congress is considering numerous emergency proposals — most notably, allowing the post office to recover billions of dollars that management says it overpaid to its employees’ pension funds that would help the agency get through the short-term crisis, but delay the day of reckoning on bigger issues. They have to find a way to ncrease revenue, which will be harder than simply slicing costs. In some countries, post offices double as banks or sell insurance or cellphones. In the US, the postal service is barred from entering many areas. Still, the agency is considering ideas, like gaining the right to deliver wine and beer, allowing commercial ads on postal trucks and in post offices, doing more “last-mile” deliveries for FedEx and UPS and offering special hand-delivery services for correspondence and transactions for which e-mail is not considered secure enough. Mr. Donahoe’s hope is to cut $20 billion of the $75 billion in annual costs by 2015. To do that, he wants to close many post offices and slash the number of sorting facilities to 200 from 500 and trim the agency’s work force by 220,000 people, from its current 653,000. To placate critics and cut costs, officials say they would seek to run some postal operations out of stores like Wal-Mart or to share space with other government offices. Missing the $5.5 billion payment due on Sept. 30, intended to finance retirees’ future health care, won’t cause immediate disaster. But sometime early next year, the agency will run out of money to pay its employees and gas up its trucks, officials warn, forcing it to stop delivering the roughly three billion pieces of mail it handles weekly. The causes of the crisis are well known and immensely difficult to overcome. Mail volume has plummeted with the rise of e-mail, electronic bill-paying and a Web that makes everything from fashion catalogs to news instantly available. The law also prevents the post office from raising fees faster than inflation. What can I say except to hope that Congress for once can work together to solve the problems and try all the various proposals that Mr. Donahue proposes. I hope that Congress has learned some lessons from this summer's debt limit fiasco. But somehow I doubt it. 2. Floods from weakened Lee threaten Southeast. Forecasters are saying that the slow-moving rain clouds pose a worse flooding threat to inland areas with hilss or mountains in the coming days. Flash flood watches/warnings are in effect acrost the Southeast from the lower Mississippi Valley, eastward to the Florida Panhandle and southern Appalachians. At least the threat tornadoes has lessened and the New Orleans levees and pumping system have down their job. Marc McAllister, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Lee could drop 4-8 inches of rain in the Southeast and produce less rain the farther north it gets. Meanwhile, Katia continues to weaken in the open Atlantic and is moving in a northwestward direction. It is expected to become a major hurricance by Tuesday with large swells affecting most of the US East Coast in the next few days. < sigh> Wildfires in Texas and rain in the water-soaked east, would that we could push Lee towards the west where it's rain would be welcomed with open arms. 3. Killer typhoon brings new misery to beleaguered Japan. Rescuers and search parties scoured central Japan as the death toll from the worst typhoon to hit the country in seven years climbed to 26 with 52 missing, adding more misery to a nation still reeling from its catastrophic tsunami (nearly 21,000 dead or missing) six months ago. Typhoon Talas (from a Philippine word meaning 'sharpness')), downgraded to tropical storm, lashed the coast with destructive winds and record-setting rains before moving off into the Sea of Japan. Mother Nature is really wreaking havoc on the human race this year. 4. Sports. ....a. NFL: Indy radio host says Peyton needs another neck procedure. John Michael Vincent of ESPN 1070 says via Twitter, citing multiple unnamed sources, that Manning needs another procedure on his neck and will be out indefinitekly. He has had two neck surgeries in the last two years and there have been concerns regarding his recovery and rehab. The Colts, well known for burying injuriy information, have schedulted a press conference at noon to discuss the issue. I certainly hope the reports are erroneous. The NFL will sorely miss Peyton Manning and the Colts will be rendered inconsequential. ....b. BCS/NCAA Football: 1) #24 West Virginia dodges lightning, beats Marshall. The Mountaineers won a game delayed and then shortened by severe weather but Dana Holgorsen's offense showed some signs that it could match his wide-open philosophy before the dky turned ugly. And after 4 hours 22 minutes dealy, the game was halted with 14:36 left in the 4th quarter with WVU declared a 34-13 winner of intrastate rival Marshall University. With this weather-shortened win, the Big East was a perfect 8-0 on the oening of the college football season. Way to go Big E!! ....c. R.I.P. Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma All- American and one of the most talented defensive linemen to ever grace a collegiate football field. He died at a Tampa, Fla. hospital of a massive stroke at age 57. On the playing field in Norman, Okla., Selmon was a force, the likes of which had never been seen. Off the field at South Florida in his later years, he helped a football program that “would not have been possible without his early and dedicated involvement.” It goes without saying that both programs are reeling from Selmon’s death. In between he had an All-Pro career (1979 Defensive Player of the Year) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joinging the NFL Hall of Fame when he became eligible. One of football's truly great men who whil be sorrily missed. ....d. Baseball: ..... SF Giants: Opportunity, and perhaps, hope, lost for Giants. The defending 2010 World Series champions fall seven games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks after losing yesterday's game 4-1 and the series to the D-backs. With each grind-it-out victory the Diamondbacks move closer to the NL West crown nobody envisioned for this bunch back in spring training. ... Injured Giants closer Brian Wilson, last season's majors saves leader who is sidelined with elbow inflammation, threw a light session of catch on flat ground. If Wilson feels fine Monday he will throw a light bullpen in San Diego. ...... NY Yankees: Sabathia (19-7) keeps Yankees i front in East. Jeter tied a career high with 5 RBIs in the team's 9-3 win sweeping the Blue Jays in three games. Jeter, A-Rod and Swisher all homered for the AL East leaders, while CC struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings to win his 7th consecutive start against Toronto. In doing so, he continued to dominate slugger Jose Bautista, the major league home run leader, who is 0-18 againt the big lefty. Thought for Today"If moderation is a fault, then indifference is a crime." — Jack Kerouac, American novelist (1922-1969). Today's flower: dayliliy Hemerocallis 'Easy Ned'
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 6, 2011 7:49:43 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 249th day of 2011 with 116 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:57 p.m., it's a light rain , temp 57ºF [feels like 57ºF] at 8:59 a.m., winds variable @ 5 mph, humidity 93%, pressure 30.06 in and steady, dew point 55ºF. Forecast is for ckiudy , with a high of 66ºF and winds NNE @ 5-10 mph, 10% chance of rain. Cool, wet and muggy - yuck!! www.smilys.net/kolobok_smilies/smiley1680.gif[/img] Today in History1522--on of Fredinand Magellan's ships, the Vittoria, arrived in Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the world. 1781--British Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold ordered the burning of New London, Conn. 1844--explorer John C. Fremont arrived at the shores of the Great Salt Lake on his journey to explore and map the West. 1847--Henry David Toreau moved in with Ralph Waldo Emerson and his family after two years living in a shack on Walden Pond. 1863--Confederate troops evacuate Battery Wagner and Morris Island, S.C., abandoning Charleston, S.C. to Union troops. 1901--Pres. McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. 1915--a prototype tank, 'Little Willie', rolled off the assembly line in England. 1943--a new high-speed train derail on its way to New York City from Washington, D.C., killing 73 people. 1976--a Soviet Air Force pilot landed his MIG fightr jet in Japan and asks for asylum. 1995--Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripkin Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record. 1997--an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world tuned in to watch the TV broadcast of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. 2001--the Bush administration abandoned the Clinton-era effort to break up Microsot. 2006--Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth to a boy (named Hisahito) for the first male heir to the throne in more than 40 years. Today's Headlines of Interest: 1. Yosemite deaths alarm rangers. 18 people have died at the natonal park this year. With 750,000 acres, 100s of miles of trails and an unknown number of bears, Yosemite has long been one of the nation's most popular getaways drawing four million visitors a year. But this year, 18 people have died in the aprk, including three members of a church group who were swept over a waterfall, a pair of deaths from falling at Half Dome, the park's signature peak and now a 69-year-old hiker who had been missing. “We do get a lot of visitors who may not be familiar with nature,” said Kari J. Cobb, a park spokeswoman. “But it is nature. And it can be dangerous.” Jeffrey Olson, a spokesman for the Park Service, said there had actually been fewer deaths at national parks so far this year — 113 through last week — than in the same period last year. And that is out of some 280 million annual visitors to the national parks. I'd say that Yosemite has a good record considering the hazards and the propensity of Americans to think they are invincible. 2. 3 shot dead, 2 cops wounded near West Indian Day Parade. At least 47 peple have been hit by gunfire across New York City since Saturday morning. A shooting incident a few blocks off the route of the annual West Idian Day Parade left two police officers wounded and three people killed, on an innocent bystander. On Monday, the parade thundered down a Brooklyn thoroughfare with its usual colorful, musical energy. The annual Labor Day parade celebrates the culture of the Caribbean Islands and is one of the city's largest outdoor events. Modeled on traditional Carnival festivities, it features dancers wearing enormous feathered costumes, music and plenty of food. "This parade is fabulous!" said Arnold Caballero, a 52-year-old Trinidad native who was manning a huge barbecue on a sidewalk. "There are people of all countries, and you meet friends you haven't seen for years." People sat on their porches watching others eaving the bright flgas of their native islands and enjoying Caribbean delicacies sold by vendors whose barbecues released delicious-smelling smoke into the air. Now that is something I would love to see and try the food. I'm envious. 3. 'Housewives' takng 'the higher road' after season premiere.Those "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" are showing more and more each day just how real they can get. Faced with the suicide of Russell Armstrong, husband of castmate Taylor Armstrong, they've been asked repeatedly to share their feelings not just on the tragedy, but on whether the show played any role in it. Instead, the housewives and Bravo promote their decision to go on with the series as a chance to educate and enlighten about suicide issues. "I actually did research about suicide and it's the third leading cause of death amongst young adults and teenagers," said Adrienne Maloof. "Those statistics are very scary. So if we get the word out to look for the warning signs ... this is the perfect platform for that." Coming Up: The ladies vacation together on the beach and at the slopes, Adrienne washes a chicken with handsoap, the group endures still another "dinner party from hell," Kim finally meets a man who might be destroying her family, Adrienne and Paul's relationship becomes more strained, the Richards sisters unite to go after "slut pig" Brandi Glanville, houseguest from hell Cedric crashes Lisa's party, Camille and Kyle clash again…and Taylor appears to have "a nervous breakdown." Finally, after previewing the dramatic second season, Monday night's show concluded with a sensitivity bookend: a service announcement from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Thought for Today: "The lesson of history is rarely learned by the actors themselves." — James A. Garfield, 20th Pres. of the US (1831-1881). Today's flower: Yellowhorn Xanthoceras sorbifolium Happy Tuesday everyone.
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 7, 2011 6:15:12 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 250th day of 2011 with 115 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:58 p.m., it's a light rain , temp 59ºF [feels like 59ºF], winds calm, humidity 93%, pressure 30.10 in and rising, dew point 57ºF. Forecast is for rain , with a high of 63ºF and winds ENE @ 5-10 mph, 100% chance of rainfall over 2 inches, flooding possible in flood prone areas. Cool and wet and muggy - UGH!! www.smilys.net/kolobok_smilies/smiley1680.gif[/img] Today in History1533--England's Queen Elizabeth I was born in Greenwich. 1822--Brazil declared its independence from Portugal. 1940--the German Luftwaffe began its blitz on London. 1977--the Panama Canal treaties to turn over control to Panama were signed in Washington, DC. 1979--ESPN made its cable TV debut. 1988--Desmond Tutu became the first black to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa. 1998--St Louis Caradinals slugger Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run, equaling Roger Maris' single-season home run record. 2006--former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he was the one who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, not realizing Plame's job was covert. 2008--troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wee placed in government conservatorship. Today's Headlines of Interest: Briefcase bomb kills 10 near India's High Court. 'There was blood everywhere. It was very, very scary,' witness says. A powerful bomb placed in a briefcase outside the High Court in New Delhi killed at least 10 and wounded 61. It dug a crater 3-4 feet deep near the main reception counter where passes are issued for lawyers and visitors to enter the sprawling sandstone building before the main security checkpoint. Authorities said the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI) militant group — an al-Qaida affiliate with bases in Pakistan and Bangladesh — had sent an email claiming responsibility. The group called on India to repeal the death sentence of a man convicted in connection with an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001 and warned it would otherwise target major courts in the country. How horrible. My heart cries for the families of those killed by these cowardly people who feel no shame at killing innocent people. Health industry gives millions to lawmakers tasked with cutting federal spending. Debt commission members rake in health money since they are unlikely to be able to curb federal spending without major Medicare and Medicaid cuts. Doctors, drugmakers, hopitals and health insurers have spent millions over the years wooing lawmakers who now are on the powerful congressional panel charged with finding a formula to control deficits and debt. And those are the very same industries that would get hit hard if the supercommittee succeeds. The analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics for The Associated Press has found that health professionals (dominated by doctors) rank among the top 10 sources of campaign dollars for all but two ot the panel's members. The panel has wide latitude to propose changes, including shifting costs to beneficiaries, putting a limit on health care spending and placing hospitals and doctors on an austerity budget. The same law that created the bipartisan panel of six Democrats and six Republicans calls for automatic spending cuts if the committee falls short. For Medicare, that could add up to a 2% across-the-board reduction in payments to service providers. Medicaid, which serves the poor, would not be cut. The main subsidies for expanding health insurance coverage under Pres. Obama's overhaul would also be protected. This fallback option would save supercommittee members from having to pick winners and losers among important financial constituents. Does anyone really think this group of politicians is going to do us any good? With elections coming up in a year? Don't hold your breath. China rescues 30 mentally handicapped slaves from illegal brick kilns. Some had worked for more than seven years without pay, police, who acted on a tip, say. They have detained eight people, including a 41-year-old factory supervisor. Some of the rescued were blind and mute, while others were unable to say where they had come from. "Some of them can't even speak a whole sentence, and they don't act like normal people," Liu Weiming, deputy director of publicity in Zhumadian, told the China Daily newspaper. "Most are staying at a relief station because they can't remember where they are from," Liu said. OMG, how awful! Greed is not confined to any one race or country and China is just too big -- 2,000,000,000 people are just too many to govern all successfully. Teen arsonists sought over Texas wildfire. Police were hunting three teenagers after a wildfire caused $1.4 million in damage in an Austin suburb. There were signs that firefighters were gaining ground on the Bastrop County wildfire that had destroyed more than 600 homes and blackened about 45 square miles. The Texas Forest Service said it was about 30% contained. It is the most severe of the more than 180 wildfires reported across drought-stricken Texas. Gov. Rick Perry, a favorite of the Tea Party movement who has made a career out of railing against government spending, said he expects federal assistance with the wildfires. He also complained that red tape was keeping bulldozers and other heavy equipment at the Army's Fort Hood, 75 miles from Bastrop, from being put to use. Fort Hood was battling its own fire, a 3,700-acre blaze. Ah, yes, the governor who last year wanted to secede from the union, now wants that union's financial help. Luckily, the federal government isn't feeling vindictive. But one complaint - where is the information relating to the search for the teenage arsonists? Why do they think teens were responsible? Sloppy reporting. Use sensationalistic headlines to grab reader interest. 9/11 Memories. Prinde in his heart, dust in his lungs. John Gates and Ladder Co. #3. Gates was originally photographed watching as Port Authority police loaded an ambulance a victim pulled from the Twin Towers rubble on Sept 12th. His firehouse alone was missing 12 men somewhere among all the destruction. He has now retired. Thought for Today: "The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God's children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the devil." — H.L. Mencken, American journalist-author (1880-1956). Today's flower: Buddleja davidii 'Black Knight' or butterly bush
|
|
|
Post by pegasus on Sept 8, 2011 8:56:19 GMT -7
Good morning from Tuxy and me :)This is the 251st day of 2011 with 114 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 9:55 a.m., it's a overcast , temp 64ºF [feels like 64ºF], winds calm, humidity 100%, pressure 30.01 in and rising, dew point 64ºF. Forecast is for rain , with a high of 75ºF and winds NE @ 5-10 mph, 60% chance of rainfall over 2 inches, flooding possible in flood prone areas. Cool and wet and muggy, AGAIN!! www.smilys.net/kolobok_smilies/smiley1680.gif[/img] Today in History1565--the Spanish established the first permanent European settlement in North America at St Augustine, Fla. 1664--the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British who renamed it New York. 1900--Galveston, Tex. was struck by a hurricane that killed about 6,000 people. 1935--Sen. Huey P. Long, the "Kingfish" of Louisiana, was shot at the capital in Baton Rouge, La. and died two days later. 1941--Germany began the 900-day siege of Leningrad in Russia. 1966--the TV series Star Trek premiered on NBC-TV. 1974--Pres. Ford granted an unconditional pardon to former Pres. Nixon. 1976--Boston began a court-ordered school busing program amid incidents of violence. 2004-- 60 Minutes Wednesday aired a report questioning Pres. George W. Bush's National Guard service. CBS News later apologized for a "mistakein judgment" after memos in the report were shown to be forgeries. Today's Headlines of Interest: 3 die, thousdands told to evacuate as floods hit East. Up to 10 inches of rain predicted in some areas and Pennsylvania orders 100,000 to evacuate flood zone, The Susquehanna River is expected to crest at 41 feet later today, the same height as the levee system protecting riverfront communities, including Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said residents should prepare for an extended evacuation of 72 hours and advised them to take clothing, food and prescription medicine. He also asked city businesses to close their doors by noon. The National Weather Service has issued a strong of flash flood warnings for parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. "Flooding will continue to worsen overnight as the rain continues. Rainfall totals for Wednesday through early Thursday morning will range from 5 to 12 inches across much of the warning area by 6 a.m.," the warning said. Enough already. Send the rain elsewhere, like Texas, but leave us alone. UPDATE: Firefighters gain ground on largest Texas wildfire. Firefighters contained 30% of one of the most destructive wildfires in Texas history even as the damage toll rose to 800 homes. Texas Task Force 1, an elite search team that uses dogs to siff out bodies, went out to find victims as the blae blackened about 45 square miles around Gastrop and cast a haze over the capital, Austin, about 25 miles to the east. "Even though the fuels are critically dry, the grass is dry and the relative humidity is still pretty low, they were able to take advantage of lower winds," said April Saginor, public information officer for the Texas Forest Service. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, visiting the command center as Gov. Rick Perry was in California preparing for his first Republican presidential debate, said he would ask the federal government to declare the state a disaster area. More than 3.6 million acres in Texas have been scorched by wildfires since November, fed by a drought that has caused more than $5 billion in damage to the state's agricultural industry and that shows no sign of easing. I wish I could send them some of this rain that's causing floods here in the Northeast. Huge solar flare - but no big scare. Am unusually strong X2.1-class solar flare blasted out from the sun on Tuesday, but shouldn't impact Earth significantly--unless you're a fan of the northern lights. Auroral displays could be brighter on Friday when a wave of electrically charged particles is expected to deal a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field. The flare froms unspot 1283 peked at 6:20 p.m. ET, accoring to the Solar Dynamics Observatory. X-class flares are the most powerful, capable of trigering radio blackouts. This one was associated with a coronal mass ejection, an eruption of a giant cloud of solar material. If it hits our magnetic field just wrong, it can disrupt electrical grids and satellites. Most of the material ejected on Tuesday will go far above us. A less energetic flare was sighted in the same area of the sun's disk . The recent increase in solar activity suggests that the sun is on its way toward the peak fo its 11-year cycle, after an unusually long quiet stretch. The peak is expected to come in 2013. So keep a watch out for the Northern lights. They should be expecially awe-inspiring tonight. Thought for Today: "We shall seek the truth and endure the consequences." — Charles Seymour, American historian (1884-1963). Today's flower: Rosa 'Artistry'
|
|