Itflows

Priceless Wikileaks ad

2011-07-04T10:56:00.004-07:00

What Does it Cost to Change the World? from WikiLeaks on Vimeo.

Seen on ride 4/3/11

2011-04-03T12:18:00.003-07:00

I'm seeing a lot more traffic rotaries on the streets around Colorado, this is the first time I've seen one on a bike path.

My New Wind Turbine Design

2010-05-06T11:18:00.004-07:00

This is my new wind turbine with dual, counter-rotating props. I wasn't sure how this would work, but so far it looks pretty good.
If both props are rotating at the same speed the difference is twice that speed.

Eyjafjallajokull under the Aurora Borealis

2010-04-28T13:09:00.001-07:00

Saw this graph at Firedoglake-link

2009-12-23T16:48:00.004-07:00

The figure for deaths due to lack of health insurance came from a Harvard study that was published in the American Journal of Health Care, the other numbers for accidents and deaths due to sickness are from the National Center for Health Statistics (part of CDC). I did not realize that there were 10K deaths from Swine Flu this year, turns out, that's the estimate, might be as high as 14K.

At the right end of the graph is a sliver that represents 16 deaths due to terrorism. Certainly there are some Americans that are totally freaked out by shoe bombers and underpants bombers, unfortunately the heads of most of our media outlets are among that group. So, if you subject yourself to American news programs it's most likely going to be Terror! Terror! Terror! for the most part. Any news about HCR will probably be inside baseball about how the big players are wheeling and dealing.

My problem with the graph is that it says deaths due to lack of insurance, insurance is not health care. I have insurance from my employer, we're all required to enroll in the company health plan if we're not covered by any other plan. The deal is the coverage sucks, if I got seriously ill, the co-pays and out of pocket expenses might well drive me to bankruptcy.

The endless war on terror that we seem to be committed to is siphoning an enormous amount of resources away from our health care problems. that is the shame of this nation. My suggestion, ditch this piece of crap masquerading as health care reform now, enact universal single payer health care/ Medicare for all, pay for it by scaling back the MIC accordingly. It's a plan, but I'm not holding my breath.

Recent Photos

2009-10-11T06:51:00.003-07:00

Dark clouds brooding over peaks in the Raggeds Wilderness, they rained on me pretty good down the road.

Believe it or not, they call this Flat Top Mountain, it's gorgeously illuminated in this late summer sunset.

Wild turkeys that didn't seem to mind sharing the road with me for a short stretch west of Crested Butte.

Small Waterfall at Cold Springs

2009-09-21T18:12:00.003-07:00

This is one of two small waterfalls at the Cold Springs Campgrounds in the Flattops Wilderness. I've camped by these falls a least once each summer over the past few years. Year after year the flow of water down these falls is so consistent that they seem like fountains to me.

No comment-watch-awesome

2009-08-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

Myanmar cracks down on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi again!-link

2009-08-11T12:23:00.006-07:00

The repressive junta that rules in Myanmar has sent Daw Aung San Suu Kyi home for another 18 months of house arrest. This is just beyond the pale, this poor woman has been stifled for years now. Bill Clinton, paging Bill Clinton to the freedom phone, Bill, we've got another job for you.

Trapper's Lake

2009-07-31T02:56:00.003-07:00

Some moments of zen, punctuated by mosquito bites at a remote location in Colorado's Flattops Wilderness.

They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore, RIP Walter Cronkite-link

2009-07-17T19:33:00.006-07:00

Wow, it doesn't seem like forty years ago, but sure enough it was, a hot summer night with families gathered round their televisions to watch Neil Armstrong hop down to the surface of the moon. All were sharing that moment with the most trusted man in America, Walter Cronkite. It's impossible to forget his face, eyes welling up, choked-up with joy and pride at the achievement, I shared those emotions, I'm sure everyone watching did.

The title links to the New York Times obituary, which covers his career and pays tribute to a man who set the standard for his profession, it's a very high standard that I don't see anybody surmounting since his day. Go read the obit if you've a mind to, the Times piece is fairly lengthy, fitting for a giant like Cronkite. In this summer's celebrity death parade, here's the real kingpin, a national treasure and a national hero.

They Hang War Criminals, Don't They?-link

2009-07-11T19:37:00.003-07:00

As Joan Walsh notes, a new Newsweek article just out from Daniel Klaidman is sub-headlined: "Obama doesn't want to look back, but Attorney General Eric Holder may probe Bush-era torture anyway" and reports:
Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do. While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter.
Such a decision would roil the country, would likely plunge Washington into a new round of partisan warfare, and could even imperil Obama's domestic priorities, including health care and energy reform. Holder knows all this, and he has been wrestling with the question for months. "I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president's agenda," he says. "But that can't be a part of my decision."
I'll believe that only if and when I see it, but as Obama himself has recognized, it's ultimately irrelevant what Obama wants in this regard. The duty to bring prosecutions where they are merited falls squarely and solely with the Attorney General, and indeed, it would be highly inappropriate for the President to attempt to pressure him one way or the other.
As Holder ostensibly recognizes, the type of political considerations that Obama defenders typically cite in order to justify the President's opposition to prosecutions ("it will ruin bipartisanship; it will distract from health care; he has to focus on the economy") are completely inappropriate for an apolitical Attorney General to allow to steer him away from prosecutions where serious crimes were committed. That's particularly true where, as here, we're talking about serious war crimes which the U.S. is obligated by treaty to submit for prosecution. The appointment of a strong and truly independent prosecutor to investigate Bush-era war crimes would be a substantial step in the right direction.
-- Glenn Greenwald

Another great column from Greenwald today, he just keeps churning out these awesome posts, almost every day. I've bolded the last paragraph of the section I've pasted here. I think it's imperative to grasp the point he makes that the Attorney General has to act independently of the Obama Administration. Under Bush, the whole Justice Department, not just the AGs, was used as a political arm of the administration, you can judge for yourself the results, as more comes to light day by day.

Fail Cat

2009-06-26T17:01:00.007-07:00

Introducing Fail Cat, I don't know how FC got on top of the door and I don't have any idea what it's plan is, the strategy is destined to failure, that's obvious.

Still, there's success here, the Fail Cat provides a wonderful metaphor for human failure. So, in the future, if I refer to a fail cat, or a fail cat move, or a fail cat business model, or some such, just remember the kitty on the door, that had the gumption to see impending disaster as fortuitous opportunity and go for it.

More funny critters at lolcats.com and at icanhascheezburger.com

Kung Fu Hillbilly

2009-06-17T17:14:00.003-07:00

I guess this guy made a few appearances on the Jerry Springer Show a couple of years ago, see, this is what I miss by not watching television. So if anyone needs catching up on their kung fu training, here's your chance. Pay particular close attention to the section on the "Judy" chop, that looks like a truly devastating move.

Taylor Park

2009-06-16T19:27:00.007-07:00

I spent a couple of days in Taylor Park over the weekend and I thought I'd share some photos.

These were taken from my campsite.

The view to the North.
The beautiful Taylor River.
And to the Northeast, these peaks are to the right of the ones in the top photo.

The day after I took these photos I got home and in the afternoon I shot the video posted below, somehow that took precedence at the time, now I wonder why.

Cold Air Funnel Over Denver, Colorado

2009-06-14T18:00:00.005-07:00

Had some interesting weather around here today, Funnel cloud were seen above Denver and the authorities took no

chances and activated the alert systems. I shot this video and if you can listen you'll hear multiple sirens and dogs

going off.

I apologize for the poor quality of the video, I'm not the best cinematographer and while my camera shoots video,

I lose the zoom feature in that mode, you can probably still see the rotation in the funnel cloud.

RIP Koko Taylor-link

2009-06-04T03:14:00.004-07:00

From NASA's Image of the Day Gallery-link

2009-05-16T04:55:00.009-07:00

Transiting the Sun

In this tightly cropped image, the NASA space shuttle Atlantis is seen in silhouette during solar transit, Tuesday, May 12, 2009, from Florida. This image was made before Atlantis and the crew of STS-125 had grappled the Hubble Space Telescope.

The phtographer made this image using a solar-filtered Takahashi 5-inch refracting telescope and a Canon 5D Mark II digital camera.

Image Credit: NASA/Thierry Legault

Jeb Bush

2009-05-08T17:37:00.005-07:00

It's plain to see, he shares his brother's "sunny nobility". Do you think he'll ever run for office again, I'm hard pressed to imagine where, when, or why, what with the lustrous sheen of the Bush brand being a bit nicked-up these days? I will say this, Jeb isn't a war criminal, as far as I know.

Quote of the Day

2009-05-03T15:05:00.002-07:00

Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country. - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

This quote's about 235 years old, but it has no expiration date. The only problem I have with it is that I don't know if Washington is only referring to the lowest ranks when he says "soldier". It seems apparent to me that this admonition against the abuse of prisoners should apply throughout the chain of command.

What Digby Said-link

2009-04-27T09:05:00.004-07:00

I hadn't realized that one of the costs the Republicans ridiculed and ultimately took out of the stimulus bill was money to fight pandemics. Susan Collins made sure it was stripped from the Senate version.

It's very tempting to say that those states whose leaders refused to fund this should be at the end of the line, but unfortunately it won't do any good when it comes to public health. You have to make sure the jackasses get treated as well or we all suffer. But I would hope that someone will remind their constituents of their shortsighted partisanship when the time comes.

Let's hope the Mexican Swine Flu doesn't become as virulent as the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, as always, the adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure seems to make good sense.

More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops-link

2009-04-27T05:27:00.006-07:00

The link is to an article in the N.Y. Times about the rise of interest in atheist organizations nationwide and in particular a group in South Carolina calling itself Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry.

According to a recent study (cited in the article), Americans who self-identify as nonreligious have increased to 15% nationwide, up from 8% less than 20 years ago. In S.C. that growth has tripled, up to 10% from only 3% in the same time. The article notes that while not all who say they're nonreligious can be called atheists, they may represent a pool of potential supporters.

As you might expect, an atheist organization centered in the midst of the Bible Belt, like this South Carolina group, might expect to encounter some local opposition. Indeed, some members relate fears of employment discrimination and some report being shunned in other ways; Until recent years, the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry were local pariahs. Mr. Silverman — whose specialty license plate, one of many offered by the state, says “In Reason We Trust” — was invited to give the invocation at the Charleston City Council once, but half the council members walked out. The local chapter of Habitat for Humanitywould not let the Secular Humanists volunteer to build houses wearing T-shirts that said “Non Prophet Organization,” he said.

The movement is fueled by it's popularity on college campuses, Bob Jones University excepted. Not surprisingly, some students take a light-hearted approach to atheism, claiming devotion to a new religion, the Pastafarians, who are followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Torture Memos-link

2009-04-17T07:21:00.009-07:00

graphic by the heretik

You would think that a nation that celebrates the summary execution of Somali pirates would have the stomach for prosecuting war criminals.....maybe not.

Perhaps the best way to solve our dilemma is to out-source justice to Spain.

So that's what happened to Chris Walken!

2009-04-04T15:10:00.001-07:00

DAMN YOU TWITTER!

The Hunter S. Thompson of Real Estate-link

2009-04-02T17:00:00.004-07:00

Jim Klinge is a realtor in San Deigo county in southern California. In an article in the L.A. Times( follow link ) he's glossed as the Hunter S. Thompson of real estate. More than that, he's created a kind of time capsule that documents the anomilies of the housing bubble crisis that has plagued much of California and other parts of the country. Check out his blog, Bubbleinfo.com for the insider view of the disasterous SoCal real estate market from a man on the ground, also lots more video such as the one above.

Twitter-link

2009-03-25T12:55:00.005-07:00

This would make a good quote of the day, I'm featuring it as an example of Christopher Walken's Twitter page, an example of what's good about it. Twitter messages are often called "twits", in many cases that I've seen this seems to describe the authors of the messages. Especially in the case of politicians and MSM pundits.

Wow! Twitter has unceremoniously dumped Walken's twitter page, without any explanation other than to say there was "suspicious activity", I saw none. Sorry if you missed it, I thought it was highly amusing.

You know that Andy Dick and how he seemed funny until we noticed that he wasn't? You'll tell me when it's time to stop, right?6:57 PM Mar 23rd from web

Stuff happens very fast these days

2009-03-12T17:44:00.001-07:00

Presidential Grey

2009-03-10T11:55:00.006-07:00

I found this image at Corrente without attribution, I don't think Obama will get that grey, that fast. Who can tell? Even people who aren't leaders of the "free world" start to show their age at some point.

Dept. of HOLY CRAP!-link

2009-03-09T08:19:00.005-07:00

From the state that brought you Bush vs. Gore here's the latest humiliation to be heaped on the backs of the less fortunate. Yes, Florida state Senator Mike Bennett, R., Sarasota, wants 10% of all applicants for unemployment benefits to be tested for drug use, supposedly at random. People already receiving unemployment benefits would be subject to the same testing plan.

Aside from the fact that this scumbag is dumping on his neediest constituents, and he doesn't appear to be pushing any effort to mediate Florida's 8.6% unemployment (800,000 people), why isn't he petitioning the FCC to drug test Rush Limbaugh before he gets any more air time?

Krugman's Latest Post

2009-02-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

February 27, 2009, 11:04 AM

Triumph of the dull

No comment:

In his CPAC speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that conservatives are more “interesting” and “fun” than liberals. Here’s his proof: “who wants to hang out with guys like Paul Krugman and Robert Reich when you can be with Rush Limbaugh?”

In comments the first poster notes that Rush would probably bring better drugs.

Headlines I Love to See-Link

2009-02-07T05:25:00.005-07:00

New GOP Standard Bearer Rush Limbaugh Is Less Popular Than Jeremiah Wright

Max Blumenthal links to a poll that was conducted before the 2008 elections which explored voter attitudes toward a variety of subjects. While Rush enjoyed modest popularity among Republicans, among all voters he had lower positive ratings than either Rev. Wright or William Ayers. No word yet on how he stacks up against athletes foot and telephone solicitors.

Quote of the Day-link

2009-02-04T17:48:00.002-07:00

I could probably offer a quote by Glenn Greenwald every day that he posts, but anybody can just read his column, and I highly recommend that, so I'll just glean the ones that really jump out at me, like this one........

And, just as a general note: if you watch cable television news during the daytime, you can actually physiclly feel your brain shrinking.

Krugman; Please Listen To This Guy-Link

2009-02-04T03:59:00.004-07:00

Great post on Paul's blog today, he's calling for Obama to resist the urge to appease Republicans and just stimulate the economy already,
I thought this section caught the kernel of what he's been advocating for months now.

You see, this isn’t a brainstorming session — it’s a collision of fundamentally incompatible world views. If one thing is clear from the stimulus debate, it’s that the two parties have utterly different economic doctrines. Democrats believe in something more or less like standard textbook macroeconomics; Republicans believe in a doctrine under which tax cuts are the universal elixir, and government spending is almost always bad.

This Krugman fellow is a Nobel Prize winner in economics, ignore him at your peril.

Most Republicans approve of torture-link

2009-01-23T16:09:00.003-07:00

Wow....any Republican you know, the chances are better than even that this person is a torture advocate. The link leads to Behind the Numbers, a political blog at the Washington Post.
Here's the money quote;
"Overall, 58 percent support the prohibition Obama declared before taking office, but there's a wide gap across party lines: 71 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents in the poll said torture should never be used, but most Republicans, 55 percent, said there are cases in which the U.S. should consider using torture against terrorism suspects."
Could it be these people just watch too much television?

The poll was conducted by Washington Post/ABC News.

If News Was Truth

2009-01-21T20:03:00.003-07:00

Click on the image for a larger version.

SNL called their shot in 1999

2009-01-17T13:24:00.002-07:00

I don't think they were too far off the mark.

Quote of the Day-link

2009-01-16T06:09:00.003-07:00

Meanwhile, about Mr. Obama: while it’s probably in his short-term political interests to forgive and forget, next week he’s going to swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That’s not a conditional oath to be honored only when it’s convenient.

And to protect and defend the Constitution, a president must do more than obey the Constitution himself; he must hold those who violate the Constitution accountable. So Mr. Obama should reconsider his apparent decision to let the previous administration get away with crime. Consequences aside, that’s not a decision he has the right to make.

These are the last two paragraphs from Krugman's column today, he drives a point that I've repeatedly emphasized for about the last eight years or so, all federal office holders take the same oath with respect to the Constitution. Aside from their nominal duties that is the only requirement they have to fulfill. Any talk of mandates is pure BS, the president is not your daddy and the laws of the land are what protects us, not an obstruction to our "protection". Great column, as always, go, read.

Gunther and the Sunshine Girls-Suntrip

2009-01-14T19:13:00.004-07:00

It's not all doom and gloom here at Itflows, and who couldn't use a laugh about now anyway? Here's the Swedish parody group Gunther and the Sunshine Girls, I've never heard of them or seen them anywhere but on the internet. Apparently they tour, they've been here in Denver (I was unaware of that) and Las Vegas, L.A., all over. I'd say as comedy they compare favorably with Flight of the Conchords and they remind me of Sprockets from the Saturday Night Live of a generation ago.

Human Shield

2009-01-11T16:25:00.002-07:00

A very brave young Palestinian woman places herself between demonstraters and Israeli guns.

Bill Moyers

2009-01-10T08:55:00.005-07:00

This is the most fact-based and fair commentary you're likely to see on the subject of the current events in Gaza.

Clusterbombs being used in Gaza-link

2009-01-04T12:52:00.003-07:00

Your tax dollars at work.

Quote of the Day-link

2009-01-04T09:00:00.003-07:00

"All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts. A British Tory will defend self-determination in Europe and oppose it in India with no feeling of inconsistency. Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage — torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians — which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by ‘our’ side ... The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them." - George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism, 1945

I found this quote in Glenn Greenwald's blog at Salon.com today (title-link). I highly recommend his recent posts dealing with the events unfolding in Gaza. The comments section of the blog offers many examples of the pathological mentality Orwell described. One needn't wade into those comments to see that kind of thinking on display, simply tune to any American news broadcast. American politicians of any stripe can be depended on to echo the exact same sentiments, as if that would give cover to their funding of the atrocities committed on their behalf. Of course the greatest offense in evidence here is that all the Palestinians in Gaza have been denied their humanity, they're less than human, barbarians, beasts that can only be dealt with by brute force. The last forty years has certainly taught us that!

Little Doggone

2008-12-30T17:56:00.004-07:00

Sad to report that my bestest little buddy Lucky has passed away. He died last Sunday, Dec. 28, about 1 in the afternoon. He went peacefully, I thought he was only sleeping. Lucky was with us for almost 14 years and I estimate that to be his age in human years, dog years = 98, dude had a pretty good run. Check out his video, it was shot out in the backyard, from the shadows you can see this is midday in the height of Summer, as I recall, a very hot day. It's hilarious how he scurries around, all the while casting meaningful glances at the back door, he really wanted back inside that cool house.

I'm gonna miss that guy.

When can I get one of these?

2008-12-26T09:03:00.003-07:00

h/t Paul Krugman

I'll be farting through silk once as I activate this bad boy!

"Clean" Coal

2008-12-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

Quote of the Day

2008-11-25T08:35:00.005-07:00

It's not an actual quote for today, but a notable comment from Matt Groening's character Montgomery Burns, "I'd give it all away for just a little more".

That seems to be the credo of Henry Paulson and other gazillionaires driving the bailout of America's financial institutions. You may recall last year when progressive in Congress tried in vain to procure $8Billion for children's health care, that was shot down, can't panic the bond markets. Now the banks are in crisis, spare no expense, hundreds of billions of your dollars are being passed out like party favors with no guarantees that the money will be employed in the public interest.

Here's a question for you, if the failure of banks and various institutions is such a crisis, and may require a stimulus package of as much as $7 TRILLION ( about half the GNP ) to be thrown at it, why not just nationalize them and see if we can get some oversight for crying out loud!? The same goes for our critical industries such as the Big 3 automakers ( if they were nationalized maybe we'd see fuel efficient vehicles manufactured in this country someday ). Airlines are sure to fail, but other transportation modes are of more concern, specifically shipping. The railroads are more important than any of the institutions that are getting all the attention now, indeed, neglecting this vital linkage would be a serious national security risk.

I'm not saying that these businesses should be confiscated, government can and does seize or commandeer private property in emergencies from time to time, but public interest demands that any bailout funds must be administered responsibly. At this point I can't detect the transparency you'd like to have in this process. So, where is the money going?

Prismatic Clouds

2008-11-13T17:25:00.004-07:00

I saw these clouds just before sundown, this type of cloud is at a high altitude and composed of ice crystals, that's how the sunlight is diffracted, creating the prismatic effect.

As usual, click on the images to enlarge.

The wind turbine in the back yard

2008-10-22T16:10:00.003-07:00

I built this with PVC tubing and scrap wood, it's suitable for generating electricity, just needs to be mounted to an alternator or a generator. Getting the electricity into usable form is more complex and expensive than making a giant pinwheel like this, but you have to start somewhere, and it's nice to watch on windy days.

Quote of the day

2008-10-14T06:11:00.004-07:00

" Today we're a nation of tattooed barbarian "consumers" with no impulse control, a swollen sense of entitlement, ruled by a set of authorities ranging from one G.W. Bush to the grifter-billionaire pantheon of Wall Street CEOs...."

Jim Kunstler October 13, 2008

Quote of the day

2008-09-24T06:23:00.003-07:00

" I’ve been pointing out that the dictatorial powers Paulson has sought would accrue to the next Treasury secretary, who might well be Phil Gramm. I’ve been trying to come up with a liberal-leaning name who might seem equally horrifying to Republicans, and the only one I’ve come up with is … me."

Paul Krugman Sept. 23, 2008

Update: 10/16/08

I posted this quote just three weeks before Dr. Krugman received his Nobel award for his work in economics, makes this comment seem a bit less tongue in cheek. He has said that he doesn't have the temperament for government work, though he's done it before, could he refuse to serve if tapped by Obama? Time will tell.

The Deadly Mantis

2008-09-22T19:59:00.005-07:00

This Praying Mantis flew into my yard today, it's manner of flying is striking to see and immediately caught my attention.

Yikes, lady! Don't bite my head off!

Aspen Gold

2008-09-18T17:38:00.004-07:00

As promised about two weeks ago, I said the aspen would be turning, here's the evidence.

The picture above is from Fremont Pass, south of Leadville, CO.

This one's near Buena Vista.

As is this one.

No aspen here, I couldn't resist this dramatic peak on Fremont Pass, I think this is Quandary Mountain.

Impressive needles on the ridge line of what I presume to be Quandary Mtn.

Republicans has got Dignitude

2008-09-03T21:18:00.003-07:00

I'll just let this speak for itself. OK, I can't confirm it isn't photoshopped, but it would violate the spirit of this blog not to post this tasty find.

Flat Tops Wilderness

2008-09-02T15:39:00.005-07:00

I took a short trip to northwestern Colorado last week to visit one of my favorite unspoiled areas of the state, I'm talking about the Flat Tops Wilderness, there isn't much there (in the way of civilization), and that's how I like it.

Frost has touched these ferns among the aspen here, in a couple of weeks the aspen will quake and exhibit their gold.

This photo was taken on a hike near Marvine Creek where I was camping.

Eight miles later, Big Marvine Lake, there's no road to this place, you get here on foot or horseback. Area outfitters have a nice business of bringing campers and fishermen up here on horses, dropping them off, then picking them up a week later.

I was struck by the image of these pines growing on the sides of this sheer cliff face, there can't be much room on those ledges. They appear to be good sized trees, 20 to 30 feet tall, I should think.

On the opposite side of the lake is another cliff at some distance, it's hard to judge the height of this feature, the scale of everything in the back country is a bit alien to a city dweller, but I have topographical maps that seem to indicate an elevation gain of 1000+ feet. I was too tired to climb it anyway.

Gitmo on the Platte-link

2008-08-21T15:54:00.004-07:00

The city of Denver has prepared for the worst by converting a municipal warehouse into a makeshift prison in advance of next week's Democratic Convention. They were going to have razor wire on top of the pens but that idea was nixed, too reminiscent of the Gulag, I suppose.

Wall Street Journal publishes opinion piece by Hillary

2008-08-06T13:36:00.002-07:00

Rather than linking to this opinion piece I'll just post the whole thing here, for educational purposes only.


August 6, 2008

No Crisis Is Immune
From Exploitation
Under Bush

By HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

August 6, 2008; Page A15

Tucked away on the Cayman Islands sits Ugland House, an unassuming, nondescript building of modest scale and size. However, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), this five-story office building is home to more than 18,000 corporate entities, nearly half of which have U.S. ties.

In the past few years, the number of corporations flocking to places like the Cayman Islands to evade U.S. taxes has exploded. One of these companies, former Halliburton subsidiary KBR, has used offshore tax havens to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes. To no one's surprise, instead of cracking down on KBR, the Bush administration has rewarded the company in April of this year with a 10-year, $150 billion contract in Iraq.

There appears to be no crisis, tragedy or disaster immune from exploitation under the Bush administration. The examples of the waste, fraud and abuse are legion -- from KBR performing shoddy electrical work in Iraq that has resulted in the electrocution of our military personnel according to Pentagon and Congressional investigators, to the firing of an Army official who dared to refuse a $1 billion payout for questionable charges to the same company. In another scam, the Pentagon awarded a $300 million contract to AEY, Inc., a company run by a 22-year-old who fulfilled an ammunition deal in Afghanistan by supplying rotting Chinese-made munitions to our allies.

But the fraud and waste are not limited to the war. In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, for example, FEMA awarded a contract worth more than $500 million for trailers to serve as temporary housing. The contractor, Gulf Stream, collected all of its money even though they knew at the time that its trailers were contaminated with formaldehyde.

While touting fiscal responsibility, President Bush and his administration have lined the pockets of political cronies like Halliburton and Blackwater. While calling for earmark reform, the president has allowed no-bid and questionable contracting throughout the federal government to dwarf earmark spending by a 10-to-1 ratio.

If we're going to get serious about putting our nation's fiscal house in order, let's talk about putting an end to billions in no-bid contract awards to unaccountable contractors. Let's talk about the number of lucrative contracts and bonuses being paid for duties never performed, promises never fulfilled, and contracts falsely described as complete. And let's talk about reforming the federal contracting system so that we can take on the real waste, fraud and abuse in our federal government.

I've proposed a comprehensive overhaul to root out corruption in no-bid contracts and other shady deals. Reforms must include the following:

- Instead of rewarding companies that exploit tax shelters and incorporate in tax havens, let's ban the federal government from contracting with companies that hide profits offshore.

- We should put in place safeguards so that contracts are awarded to responsible companies that abide by the law and complete the work they're hired to do.

- Let's put a stop to the disgraceful practice of giving bonuses to contractors for work never performed, which has been allowed to happen in Iraq and throughout the federal government according to the GAO and inspectors general.

- We need to increase transparency and competition in the contracting system, and to stop the ideological privatization of critical governmental functions.

In 1941, as the U.S. mobilized and entered World War II, then Sen. Harry Truman proposed and chaired the Senate Special Committee to investigate the National Defense Program. Over the course of three years, Truman set about investigating a president of his own party in order to discover and eliminate wasteful and fraudulent spending. By some estimates, the "Truman Committee" saved the American people some $15 billion -- more than $165 billion in today's dollars.

Truman took on the war profiteers because he understood that when the lives of Americans hang in the balance, we cannot afford to misuse even a single dollar. In the Democratic Congress, we've proposed a new Truman Committee to address the waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan that has already taken place, a proposal stymied by the president and his allies. And my proposal would prevent waste, fraud and abuse in future contracting.

Of course, we need far more than a Truman Committee. We need the Truman spirit in the White House, where the buck finally stops.

Sunroof

2008-07-31T14:37:00.003-07:00

I'm calling this a sunroof even though it's not in a car.

Here you can see the underlying structure, I modified steel straps to create the brackets that tie right into the house's roof trusses. I feel this will hold up well under a normal load from snowfall (say two feet), but I'm not so sure about an extra large dump, I've got some ideas to improve the load bearing ability of this roof in that case.

If today's Congress had presided during Watergate-link

2008-07-14T11:37:00.002-07:00

Just go to the link.

Greenwald Explains What Happened-link

2008-07-14T08:27:00.003-07:00

It will never stop being jarring that Pulitzer-Prize-winning revelations from the New York Times that the President and the telecom industry were committing felonies for years culminated in the full-scale protection of the lawbreakers and retroactive legalization of the criminality by the "opposition party" which controls the Congress.

That's Glenn's sad reflection near the end of his column last Saturday, 7/12/08. He starts with a blurb for Jane Mayer's new book, ""The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals". The tenets of Jane's book add fuel to the raging bonfire of evidence that the "Rule of Law" has gone by the wayside in this country( as it applies to the executive branch), aided and abetted by a compliant Congress.

Read

Submitted without comment-link

2008-07-08T07:25:00.002-07:00

Click on the images (2) for larger, easier to read versions.

A fishing trip

2008-07-04T15:34:00.005-07:00

I enjoyed a short fishing trip near Buena Vista, CO on July 1, 2008.

Here's the view looking into Taylor Park from tht top of Cottonwood Pass just west of Buena Vista.

The Contiental Divide

That's Taylor Reservoir.

A nice Rainbow Trout from the reservoir.

R.I.P.

2008-06-23T11:36:00.004-07:00

Fuck, Shit, Piss, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits.

George Carlin is dead and Carrot Top still lives.

Behold, my super awesomeness!

2008-06-23T07:10:00.002-07:00

Ever wonder which superhero you're most like?

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		70%
Green Lantern		70%
Spider-Man		65%
Batman		65%
Supergirl		65%
The Flash		65%
Hulk		60%
Robin		57%
Catwoman		55%
Iron Man		50%
Wonder Woman		35%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Enema Memorial

2008-06-19T14:14:00.002-07:00

AP photo

LOL! This statue was just dedicated at the Mashuk-Akva Term Spa in the Russian city of Zheleznovodsk. If you can't make it out it's an enema bulb being hoisted aloft by three angels, there are many spas like this in the Caucasus Mountains that are known for their mineral waters which are said to provide beneficial enemas. To your health!

R.I.P. Bo Diddley

2008-06-02T10:44:00.003-07:00

It's been good knowing you.

Dick Cavett in N.Y. Times- link

2008-04-14T11:02:00.003-07:00

Great article in the Times by Dick Cavett, delivered in the style of James Wolcott. The link will take you to the article, he's got some hilarious comments about the speaking styles of General Petraeus & Ambassador Crocker during their visit to a joint session of Congress last week, as well as some remarks on the contents of their talks.

Here's a sample:

I find it painful to watch this team of two straight men, straining on the potty of language. Only to deliver such . . . what? Such knobbed and lumpy artifacts of superfluous verbiage? (Sorry, now I’m doing it…)

I guess he's alluding to what he thinks they're full of. Check it out, if you haven't already done so.

Elizabeth Edwards-link

2008-04-02T10:40:00.004-07:00

Follow the links to a huge smackdown of John McCain's health care policies my friends.

Some Recent Photos

2008-03-30T23:52:00.004-07:00

Just trying out a new filter I've got, it'called a star or cross filter.

When the weather warms a bit I think I'll take a stab at night photography, this filter should provide some interesting effects.

An Ounce of Prevention

2008-03-14T23:31:00.005-07:00

What's all this fuss about Radioactive Immunity, and why do so many people oppose it? Seems to me that it would be very desireable, if John McCain somehow became president the survival of life as we know it might depend on such immunity.
Just think of the good that could be done in Iraq, where DU munitions and armor have been spread hither and yon. By providing inoculations to the Iraqis the survivors might be able to survive even longer.
And here in the U.S. those inoculations may prove to be just as beneficial, as the energy crunch sets in there's sure to be more nuclear power plants in our future. Eventually one or more of those will go Chernobyl on us, best to be ready.
Terrorism is still a considerable threat in this country, and experts agree, what the bad guys really would love to do is explode a suitcase nuke or dirty bomb somewhere on American soil. While immunity offers no protection against blast effects, those of us not blown to smithereens could rise up, dust ourselves off and proudly flip our middle fingers at those filthy jehadist bastards.

Colorado Caucus

2008-02-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I attended the Colorado Democratic Caucus

in my precinct on Super Tuesday.

All the experienced caucusers said the turnout was

the best they'd ever seen.

Recent Photos

2008-02-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

A crack in the ice

Portrait of the artist as a shadow

A huge cottonwood

An oak leaf

Clinton campaign chairman open to Ann Coulter endorsement-Link

2008-02-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

That's the title of this short article in today's Denver Post, I think it's a little misleading, if you actually read what was said;

McAuliffe: I don’t know what to tell you. She’s never said a nice word about Hillary Clinton in her life. Listen, we’ll take every vote we can get, I guess is all I can say.
PoliticsWest: So, you’ll accept that endorsement?
McAuliffe: Listen, anyone who wants to help us, I’m all for it. Hillaryclinton.com, if she wants to send a check.

"Conservative gadfly Ann Coulter", now that's charity!

Why the right loves a disaster-link

2008-01-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Excellent op-ed in the L.A. Times today by Naomi Klein who you may recognize as the author of "The Shock Doctrine: the Rise of Disaster Capitalism", note the link to the article above.
The book was published in September of last year and now resides high on my must read list.
Her op-ed piece starts as a critique of some of the wackier rightwing ideas about "economic stimulus" that are floating around in the wake of the recognition (shock!) that the U.S. is deep in a recession. In describing these schemes she just happens to to present the thesis of her book.

A crisis hits, panic spreads and the ideologues fill the breach, rapidly reengineering societies in the interests of large corporate players. It's a maneuver I call "disaster capitalism."
That's the gist of it, a kind of opportunism that brings about changes which would otherwise be enormously unpopular. She cites several disasters that made such changes possible; 9-11, Iraq, Katrina.

Every crisis is an opportunity; someone will exploit it. The question we face is this: Will the current turmoil become an excuse to transfer yet more public wealth into private hands, to wipe out the last vestiges of the welfare state, all in the name of economic growth? Or will this latest failure of unfettered markets be the catalyst that is needed to revive a spirit of public interest, to get serious about the pressing crises of our time, from gaping inequality to global warming to failing infrastructure?
A good question, I recommend this article and if that proves interesting check out this video.

Additions to the Blogroll

2008-01-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today there are two new links in the Blogroll to the right. You'll see Crooks and Liars, which is John Amato's excellent video blog, there's always some great stuff there if you have the bandwidth or the patience to wait for downloads you'll see some great topical video.
Also, and I can't believe I haven't added this yet, you'll find The Conscience of a Liberal, Paul Krugman's blog, hosted by the N.Y. Times. Professor Krugman writes a column for the Times that I read religiously but that wasn't really enough for me, so I was elated when he started his blog a few months back. Enjoy!

Supply your own caption

2008-01-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

Saul Loeb/ Getty Images

naught ocho

2008-01-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to 2008, lets hope it goes better than 2007, I've already noticed that today starts the final year of Bush's reign of error. On a somewhat depressing note it's a leap year, so there will be an extra day.

If nothing else the year should be interesting if only for the elections, presidential and the lesser offices. People are talking about change, let's see if it happens.
I hope to do some blogging about politics in the coming months, the Democratic National Convention will be right here in Denver and that may give me the opportunity to log some fairly interesting posts. In addition I plan to continue with the usual fare that has made me a legend in my own mind, because I ain't tired of it yet.
So drop by anytime at all.

Final Post of 2007

2007-12-30T13:29:00.001-07:00

This is my last post of 2007, so in keeping with the traditional theme of the site, here's some new pixels. Above is an impressionistic offering, actually it's a bunch of overlapping goose tracks.
Snow with a lot of crystalline texture is a great background for close-ups, shadows add interest to the composition of the photo.
I got this shot on Thanksgiving Day and these rosebuds were a frostbitten

memory a few days later, but it was a surprise to see them so late in the fall. OK, that's it for naught seven, see ya next year.

Rio Grande fishing/camping edition

2007-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

I took some time off in early September to visit the Rio Grande River in south-central Colorado and I'm just now getting around to posting about it, I blame pennant fever.
A Stellar's Jay visiting my campsite, I've been trying to get a pix of one of these guys for some time, they're kind of rare and elusive. AKA mountain jay, pine jay and long crested jay.
On my way back to Denver I passed through Buena Vista and stopped just north of town by the Railroad Bridge section of the Arkansas River. This is the low water time of year, during spring and summer this part of the river and many miles downstream are normally teeming with rafts and kayaks.
Also during the homeward trek, a nice view from the top of Loveland Pass, obviously above timberline.

Peaches en Regalia

2007-09-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

What a bumper crop of peaches we've had this year, this tree was just a cluster of twigs sprouting out of a stump on the ground in the back yard when we moved into this house 4 years ago. I bound those limbs together and a year later it kind of looked like a tree, I thought it was a peach-leafed willow at first, I was surprised to discover a single but very large peach in it's crown in September. Then last year there was no fruit at all, the blossoms were ruined by a late spring snow.

But this year, Bonanza!, the branch you see above is in danger of breaking off from the weight of the fruit. Squirrels are having themselves a time, I resent their wastefulness, they rarely eat a whole peach, sometimes only taking one bite or so before moving on to the next peach. Still there's more than I know what to do with, I need to look into canning or freezing some.

The War As We Saw It-link

2007-08-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Just read this, the voices of the true experts on the Iraq War are almost never heard in the MSM, so here you have it straight from the original source, people that actually know what they're talking about.

update

2007-08-13T01:21:00.000-07:00

Just for the record, I ain't done yet. Last week I took a business trip to New Jersey, a place called Forest Lakes, just a short ways from New York City. I went for some training at the Gleebar Corp., they manufacture the equipment I work with. The training went well, we actually finished early and I had time on Thursday afternoon to drive into New York and check it out. I have to say I felt strange there, a feeling kind of like claustrophobia came over me as I walked around parts of the city, I could really feel the constriction of space around me, the press of humanity. I guess I've taken the wide open spaces out here in the west for granted. Now I'm ready for more camping, I want to be somewhere where there's nobody for 1 to 2 miles around me.

In which I enjoy a few days in the wilderness.

2007-07-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

I took one day of vacation and extended the 4th into a five day weekend.

On the 5th I headed up to the Flattops Wilderness Area near Yampa just southwest of Steamboat Springs. This is the view of the two cascades that fall into the pond next to my campsite, the sound of their falling waters is intoxicatingly restful.

I fished that pond for brook trout like this one that got invited to supper, great fishing!
In the evening a torrential downpour turned into a hail storm that frosted the flattop here which is the same one in the first photo.
I rode out the storm in the cab of the truck here. It got pretty chilly afterwards and I built a roaring fire right away, as well as donning warm clothing.

Fog clouds in the canyon below camp.
The next day was gorgeous, I decided to make the hike down into the canyon with my fly rod to fish the Bear River.
As you can see, this canyon is quite deep, but the sides are like very steep meadows, rather than cliffs. That's the section of river I fished, great brookie action here again. The climb out of there was exhausting, but well worth it.
A columbine, the Colorado state flower.

Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready for a handout.

Here's the south end of the pond, those are some deadfall tree trunks in the bottom. As you can see, the water is very clear,that presents a problem for the fisherman, you have a great view of the fish, of course the fish can see you just as well. My solution is to make long casts to likely spots where I can't see if there are any fish or not.
After a second night in the Flattops I broke camp and headed out for a cruise through some of the less traveled roads on the way home, caught this hawk posing on the way down to Yampa, just at the limit of my telephoto, unfortunately.

Because you can never have too many flags

2007-06-30T11:27:00.001-07:00

AFP/Saul Loeb

Here's your president, making another of his endless photo-op appeareances on your dime. You'd think one flag would be enough of a prop for this louse, must have been an off day when they couldn't scare up a crowd of students or soldiers each waving a smaller flag to provide a proper backdrop.

Penquins visit Children's Hospital, Denver

2007-06-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Photo by Brian Brainerd, the Denver Post

This is my favorite picture I've seen in the Post lately, and they frequently have some very good photography. I really got a kick out of the look on that little girl's face. As adults we tend to lose the ability to be so awed and delighted at once. It's not impossible, but you have to appreciate living in the moment.

Poor little rich girl-link

2007-06-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Damien Dovarganes/AP

Over at James Wolcott's Blog Mr. Wolcott has a new post up that puts some well reasoned perspective on the outrage and clamor that has captivated the MSM for the last couple of days. He calls it "an orgy of hollow hysteria", noting that the event is kind of trivial compared to the ongoing and nonstop crises in the world at large; Iraq, global warming, Darfur, etc.

More than that, he points out that the scorn focused on Paris is meted out somewhat less than evenhandedly, " I think it's that they're young women perceived (rightly or wrongly) as bachelorette sluts. As such they get to be receptacles for moral disapproval in ways that young men don't".

The preface of Al Gore's new book The Assault on Reason goes on at length about the phenomena of the media's obsession with trivial maters surrounding celebrities and meaningless details about leaders and others in public life. For instance, the furor over John Edwards' $400 haircuts, if Edwards should become the Democratic nominee he'll most likely spend $400 million or more on his campaign, the haircuts are probably a bargain.

Photos from 6/3/07

2007-06-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Duckweed on the edge of the wetlands at Kountze Lake in Belmar Park.

I walked up on this snake near Bear Creek Reservoir, got this good shot of the head and upper body. I haven't been able to make any positive ID yet with the on-line field guides I've seen as yet. It doesn't look like any of the poisonous species I know of, but I stayed out of strike range anyway.

Here's a big ol' carp in Kountze Lake, about 3 feet long this one. The white spots floating in the water are the flossy seeds of the cottenwood trees, that stuff is flying in the air everywhere at this time of year, I think I have an allergy associated with it, I always seem to have a wicked summer cold whenever it shows up.

Tiananmen Square Massacre-1989-link

2007-06-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Jeff Widener took this photo of a Chinese man stopping a column of tanks. Hit the link for some astounding video at PBS' Front Line site. People all over eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union cite the courage of this one man as the inspiration that helped them change their world.

Women In Art

2007-05-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael - Raffaello, Titian - Tiziano Vecellio , Sandro Botticelli , Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Messina, Pietro Perugino, Hans Memling, El Greco, Hans Holbein, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov , Peter Paul Rubens, Gobert, Caspar Netscher, Pierre Mignard, Jean-Marc Nattier, Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Alexei Vasilievich Tyranov, Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov, Antoine-Jean Gros, Orest Adamovich Kiprensky, Amalie, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Édouard Manet, Flatour, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Wontner, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Comerre, Leighton, Blaas, Renoir, Millias, Duveneck, Cassat, Weir, Zorn, Alphonse Mucha, Paul Gaugan, Henri Matisse, Picabia, Gustav Klimt, Hawkins, Magritte, Salvador Dali, Malevich, Merrild, Modigliani, Pablo Picasso

Bob Marley Could You Be Loved

2007-05-13T08:42:00.001-07:00

Birds

2007-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

A kingfisher standing on one leg.

An egret poised for action.

Amphibious assault by Huey, Louie, Dewey and others.

Bottoms up!

It was a great day for birding at Kountze Lake in Lakewood's Belmar Park. This area is tucked next to some of the busiest retail space in Lakewood, but the shoppers at Old Navy and even Dick's Sporting Goods probably don't know it's here.

From a story by Hillel Italie, AP National Writer-link

2007-04-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Some learned though his books, others from the man. John Irving studied at the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop in the 1960s, when Vonnegut was a faculty member then known, and often dismissed, as a science fiction writer.
Irving, who went on to write "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules," remembered Vonnegut as a self-effacing presence who "didn't have an agenda about what `the novel' should be." Vonnegut also appreciated that you didn't have to be in the classroom to get your work done.
"I had a young child at the time and when he heard about that he said, `You mean you have to work in writing whenever you can?'" Irving explained. "He then told me, `You're certainly giving me enough pages every week, so why not forget about the class part and stay home and take[ care ]of your kid?'"

R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut

2007-04-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Birdcage-Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

''When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment, but that same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes'.''

Pat Tillman's Story at Crooks & Liars-link

2007-03-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to an excellent post by John Amato, it links to some video of Jake Plummer speaking out about his feelings for his fallen teammate Pat Tillman. He obviously had the highest respect for his friend and you can feel his distress over the bungling cover-up following the fratricide ( what an unfortunate term, wonder how his brother feels about that).
Plummer has retired from the NFL now and I'm sure any fans of pro football will be familiar with the particulars of his egress from the Bronco's squad. At the time I recall that I was baffled by Mike Shannahan's move to rookie QB Jay Cutler, I marked it up as more evidence of his diminishing coaching skills. Now I'm starting to wonder if there wasn't an element of politics involved.
You may remember that during the 2004 presidential campaign Shannahan and several Broncos, notably John Lynch and Hall of Famer John Elway, came out with strong support for Bush. They all shared the stage with him in a Munich style rally at Red Rocks that fall. Plummer declined to participate, he doesn't seem to be a very political person.
When details of the cover-up emerged he started speaking up in a critical way, as an advocate for the Tillman family who had no problem voicing their own complaints. The protests shed a very bad light not only on the Army, but also the Bush administration who undoubtedly had a hand in the cover-up, as always.
When Plummer got benched at mid-season last year it was like seeing a microcosm of the dysfunctional Bush presidency in action. Shannahan pissed away a very promising season with that boneheaded move, and most certainly a post-season appearance. Was Plummer being punished for his views about his friend's death that questioned the Army, the war and Shannahan's hero? I'm thinking that Shannahan's actions were perfectly Bush-like. He cut off his nose to spite his face.

Winter fading

2007-03-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Bright water running past snowy banks always suggests the onset of spring to me, and today was one of those days that's gonna get me rummaging through my fishing gear, maybe spinning out a few new dry flies and nymphs, the runoff is started and I'm itching to pursue the wiley trout.

The Funny Pages

2007-03-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorites, hope it's clear enough to read, I couldn't download this so I had to scan it and convert to JPEG. This comic runs daily in the Denver Post and is consistently leaning to the left but I haven't heard an outcry from the neanderthal right to banish it to the editorial pages as there was for Doonesbury.

Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs, and John Anderson - Superfreak

2007-02-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

Have some fun with this!

I read a book-link

2007-02-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

1491 is a scholarly work by Charles C. Mann that presents an enthralling story of the Americas prior to the European invasion. Mann covers the gamut of all the major cultures on both continents but I found his treatment of some of the American cultures to be the most revelatory to me. The size of their populations was amazing in itself, not to mention the works of civil engineering they had to accomplish to support these populations. Needless to say some kind of civil order was required to make that kind of society work and indeed they had systems of laws and governance in place that inspired the founders of our present country.
In what we now call Mexico the earliest cultures developed an astonishing sophistication in agriculture that bred abundant crops from the native plants around them. They created Maize from what was little more than a weed with edible seeds.About 60% of all the food crops in the world today were first cultivated in central Mexico, pre- Columbus.
I started out to review a book and I haven't said much about the actual writing, it is a fascinating subject. Mann possesses a crisp narrative style that is reminiscent of John McPhee His story moves along in a way that turns the ancient people into characters, it's pageantry.

This one goes on the A list.

Winter's easing up a bit

2007-02-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here's an image that captures the crispness of sunrise on a Colorado winter morning, it's from back in early January and the weather is starting to turn, the thaw, it's on.

The black ice is mostly off the streets now and the potholes are in bloom, some of the streets with poorer drainage are in the worst shape, damnation alley.

victor wooten

2007-02-15T19:29:00.001-07:00

Too lame to post, enjoy some Victor Wooten, amazingly graceful.

Strength In Numbers - Slopes

2007-02-11T00:06:00.001-07:00

Austin City Limits presents...