HUGE SNAKES and tiny horses?

“As terrifying as the thought of a gigantic snake might be, or as precious as the thought of a football-size horse might be, don't go looking for them any time soon. These changes take centuries, not years. But you might want to leave your great-great-grandchildren a heads-up note, just in case.”

And so ends a pretty informative article on the relative size of animals as a response to environmental temperature. Warmer favors larger reptiles and smaller mammals and the converse for cooler. So far so good.

Then, is a classic case of total misunderstanding of the evolutionary process, the author makes the classic blunder: “- - - - centuries, not years.” The process would actually take millennia at the least, and more likely millions of years to actually come up with snakes the size of school buses and horses the size of small dogs. But wait, don’t we have mini-horses and gigantic anacondas already? Yup. And the anacondas live in tropical places and the horses live in apartments. How long did it take to get these out sized animals? Millions of years in the case of the snake, and dozens in the case of the miniequines. Problem is that snakes are already at the limit of their size or they would be bigger, and the horses are classic inbred freaks who wouldn’t last 10 minutes in nature.

So don’t worry. No bus-sized snakes for your grand kids or mouse-sized cattle either. Evolution takes longer than that, and besides, the conservatives assure me that there is no such thing as climate change.

Image and quote: http://news.yahoo.com/a-snake-the-size-of-a-school-bus--it-happened-before--and-could-happen-again-153534343.html

Wolf Killing Cowards

 

The photo pretty well says it all: A bunch of northern rednecks just in from a wolf kill and afraid to have their faces seen. Why? I would guess (hope) at least some of them are embarrassed, but somehow I doubt it. More likely they are just afraid to face others in the community who oppose the slaughter of wolves.

Who cares about wolves? You should. As mankind eliminates the top predators the effect on the structure of the ecosystem below them is dramatic. In the case of removing wolves, immediate growth in population of the large animals they cull results in overgrazing of the landscape and a cascade of other ecological changes. Reintroduction of wolves in the west is reestablishing the important balance, and the wholesale slaughter of wolves will simply reverse decades of progress in ecological restoration.

So who are these assholes? Real Men? Oh I don’t think so. Kill a wolf at 300 yards with a 30-06 then pose with the corpse in a mask? No, these are cowards. Plain and simple. For more information look up the Center for Biological Diversity website.

Image:http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/images/campaign_images/2013/Masked_wolf_killers.jpg
Center for Biological Diversity:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Biological_Diversity

More like 30000 Years of Art!!! Classical Gas Discovered!!

Add caption

April 25th, 2011. The day the more or less original ( Give or take a few frames, it is nearly identical to the actual video that aired on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour almost 40 years ago. (1.)) was posted on YouTube. I talked about it on May 8th, 2011, and didn't find it. Bittersweet them but delayed gratification now. What a treasure to stumble upon. I was just reading over a few old posts, making a few spelling corrections and came upon the original blog on Classical Gas (2), listened to a few covers and put a note on Facebook. I mentioned the art montage, actually known as a kinestasis , and lamented that I couldn't find it. A wild hair encouraged me to look again and there is was in a nearly original form. Reconstructed from the original student movie that was used to make the TV production. And even better is the VIMEO version posted much earlier. I have no idea why the search engine didn't pick this up 2 years ago.
It stands still as a seminal moment for anyone who saw it on the Smothers Brothers show. I hope you all watch it and remember it, and pass it on. I will.
VIMEO RECORDING: http://vimeo.com/612081
Image:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFIXyyPiShhK0xHrurnyTlQA7X1ylS2iYc5KQ3y2L7_wIzZiJtMHEkcLqwLZNVCQhzXj96Bx5tNgChfKgno1bkj7WdHT5ww8w5NBTohsvWHxtkoLQafzo0SXfqxPx0ed9iJZn8C2Eqxc/s1600/williams.jpg

What a DAY!!!.

 Got up to a great cool morning, walked then dive into the garage. Massive on-and-off cleaning and dunging. So, came across my old railroad lanterns, played with them, emailed a couple of sites for help and moved on to the Hallicrafters short wave radio. Plugged it in to a buzz. Looked up some info and found an antique radio group, joined and asked for help with the fixing of the WR-600.

Then, the real bonus: I found my copy of “The Great Drake” by Mario Cappelli. What a terrific story of heroism and adventure. I love it. I wish it were made into a movie, and with CIG as good as it is now, I think it would be a block buster. I traveled the cyberworld and couldn’t find anything on the web about him so I looked in Amazon, found the book and a review by his daughter, Dee. I am now in the process of trying to get in touch with her to find out more about her father and the story. Here is what one reviewer on Amazon said:

“If you are hurting because of the trials and tribulations of leadership and/or are doubting your abilities as a leader (or you know someone who is), you truly must read this book.”

You gotta read this classic. You will never be the same again, I promise. Amazon has them. Go Now.

What a DAY!!!! And it is only 1:42.
 
Image: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fR6ngxxSL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

A Conservative War on Everybody but the Rich

This article (1) called “The Liberal War on Food Stamps” totally misses the point as I see it. The gist of the article is that liberals are calling food stamps “corporate welfare” and are thereby courting disaster from tea party types who would cut food stamp programs to end any kind of welfare. And the folks who claim this might just be correct. Tea Party types are dangerous morons who react to everything that they see as big government welfare with the same mantra: Kill It.

But they are wrong as well, because they are misreading the connection, probably on purpose. The point is this: By paying workers minimum wage, corporations are forcing the workers to seek help to survive by applying for subsidies to keep them alive. Seen in this context, working poor who receive government assistance instead of a living wage are benefiting the corporation by increasing the profit of the corporation and increasing the tax burden on the rest of us.

This is NOT a liberal war on food stamps. It is a liberal war on greedy corporations who systematically shirk their responsibilities as citizens (remember, the conservatives got them declared “persons”) to contribute fairly to the overall success of all citizens, not just the rich ones.

Liberal War on Food Stamps my ass. This is a Conservative War on Everybody but the Rich.

Image: http://b-i.forbesimg.com/modeledbehavior/files/2013/10/300px-Harlem_Micky_Dz10.jpg

1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/2013/10/31/the-liberal-war-on-food-stamps/?partner=yahootix

Tea Party Certifiably Insane

Isn't she Cute?

OK, I give in (never up). The rally this weekend in D.C. was the most moronic exercise ever. Palin, Cruz and a bunch of other Tea Partyers railed against the National Park Service for closing the monuments. THESE ARE THE MORONS WHO CRAFTED AND PASSED THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN!!!!! THESE ARE THE MORONS WHO INSISTED ON THE SHUTDOWN. THESE ARE THE MORONS WHO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN.  And now they rally and scream at the President, and some at the rally scream about the President worshiping the Quran. If you need a better definition of MORON, I am sorry, but I can’t think of one. THEY SHUT IT DOWN AND NOW DON’T LIKE THE CONSEQUENCES SO THEY RAIL AGAINST IT, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME NOT STOPPING THE SHUTDOWN. MORONS!!!!! WHO PUT THESE MORONS IN OFFICE?? OH YEAH, THE MORONS WHO WERE AT THE RALLY, BITCHING ABOUT THE CLOSINGS. SHEEEEESH.

Image: http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/10/131014_POL_TeaPartySarahPalin.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge.jpg

Confusion and Obfuscation? Republican Strengths

 

The American public is confused about the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They are not confused about “Obamacare”. Interesting no? Several polls clearly show good solid support for the major elements of the ACA, and overall support of the ACA. But not Obamacare. Of course these two entities are the same thing. So what the hell is going on?
Easy question to answer. Ever since the ACA was passed into law, the Tea Party and its news outlets have relentlessly called it the “Obamacare Bill” (it is not a bill boys, it is a LAW and it has been upheld by the Supreme Court), denigrated it, misrepresented the various parts of it (remember the “death panels” that didn’t exist?) and insisted that the “American People” hated it. John Boehner has said that so many times he may just believe it, mores the pity. Perfect example of the “Big Lie” strategy articulated below by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda superstar.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”(1)

The public has been barraged with negative publicity on Obamacare to the point where they think the ACA and Obamacare are two different things. Job well done by the Tea Party Machine. And well-funded by the notorious Koch brothers.

So having lost the battle to repeal the ACA, a small group of Representatives are holding the entire government hostage. The American Position is we DON’T NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS. These Tea Party guys are political terrorists, taking the entire country hostage and trying to shove their narrow-minded and wrong position down the throat of the entire country. The President is right not to negotiate with them. There is nothing to negotiate. This is like scientists negotiating with the Flat Earth Society to come to a compromise on the shape of the Earth. There is nothing to negotiate. And, the longer the ACA goes on, the more the public will come to depend on it for affordable (duh) health care.

The American Public has been systematically dumbed down and lied to for 30 years or more by a Republican Party increasingly focused on a minority of wealthy people and corporations. This is only the most recent example. Another example? Why the “Obama will take your guns away” lie. Anybody out there have their guns taken away since 2008? I didn’t think so. Who benefitted from this lie? The NRA and the Gun Industry have made Billions of Dollars since 2008 selling guns to people ahead of the non-existant deadline. Another example? The lies about the President being a Muslim and not being an American. Both lies told many times.

It is very sad that the public sucks up this crap like mosquitos sucking up blood. The real problem is that the public is getting sucked in and sucked dry by these “neo-cons”. My guess is that it is too late to put on the bug spray.

1. Goebbels Quote: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/goebbelslie.html
Image: http://futurevoicesofamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Upheld.jpg

Isaiah 1:17 from Woody?

Well, since the conservative Republican Christian Right seem hell-bent on Bible quotes, here are two that should make them turn in SHAME. Slightly different spins on the idea, but both nail it: the antithesis of the Conservative mantra.
WWJD? I know. He would say this:

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Hard to see the bible thumpers getting excited about these, isn't it?

Thanks to my old friend Jeannette for the initial bible quote.
Image: http://peterpilt.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sj-picture-11.jpg

Beer in the Blood, or, Leo Godfrey in Paradise

Leo in Paradise

When I think of beer, I think of Hops. And then I think of East Kent Goldings. A wonderful flower that belongs to the "aroma" class of hops. I had the very good fortune of marrying into an English family with a tradition of farming of all kinds of things. By a very clever marriage of a second cousin, a farmer was brought into the family who grows East Kent Goldings. My feet walked the rows of this wonderful plant, and my nose inhaled the aroma of crushed fresh flowers. My tongue tasted the bitterness and the brews produced from those same flowers. I am in love with East Kent Goldings.
Pictured above is my nephew, Leo
standing in a jungle of hops, ready to be harvested. Is he happy or what? Yes, this is hard work but the payoff is incalculable. The finest brews imaginable. Finished off with the finest hops available: hops from the family farm. I swear the whole family has beer for blood. I know I do.

Image: Leo Godfrey in Paradise: A Jungle of East Kent Goldings.

Percy Dovetonsils LIVES!!!

Percy D.

Percy as Vlad

 Those of us who loved Ernie Kovacs have always wondered what happened to Percy Dovetonsils. Now we know. He has been reborn in the person of Vlad Putin. You doubt the concept of “second time around”? Kovacs died January 13^th, 1962. Putin was born January 13^th, 1962, according to Moscow legend.  His birth certificate has never been seen in public and that in and of itself is enough to convince the “Percyers” that he is the incarnation of the famous Poet. You want iron clad evidence? Compare the two images. No doubt about it. Same person, different bodies. Case closed.
Image: http://files.myopera.com/CarloFon/blog/percy-dovetonsils.jpg
Image: http://l1.yimg.com/nn/fp/rsz/090613/images/smush/putin_obama_635x250_1378475635.jpg