This comes from Laramie County Democratic Party communications director Dave Lerner:
Dear Laramie County Democrat,
The next meeting of the Laramie County Democratic Party will be this Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. at the IBEW Hall. Remember, we are NOT meeting at the Plains Hotel! The IBEW Hall is at 810 Fremont Avenue, which is on the north side of Nationway in Cheyenne.
Laramie County Democratic Party Agenda
1. Call to Order - Mike Bell
2. Presentation by Mike Bell
3. Election for VP
4. Minutes from April meeting
5. Treasurer's report
6. Coalition Activities - Mary Lou Marcum
7. Fundraising activities - Terry Barbre and Betty Jo Beardsley
8. Web site development - Dave Lerner
9. General Discussion of Issues (ie, Budget cuts, Health Care, Recycling)
We hope to see you there!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Good news: Senate passes credit card reform. Bad news: All credit card holders must wear loaded guns
New credit card bill passed 90-5 today in the U.S. Senate. It includes some much-needed restrictions on credit card companies.
Anne Flaherty reports this in an AP story:
This is good news for all of us who've been gouged by credit card companies, which probably includes 99.9 percent of all Americans.
One odd things about the bill, though. A provision was added at the last minute that allows people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The purpose of the amendment listed in the U.S. Senate's official record is this: "To protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks and refuges." Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn proposed the gun measure as an amendment and it passed, 67-29.
What does this have to do with credit card companies? Some of us, even peaceniks, have been driven apoplectic by the credit card companies and their obscure rules. I do admit that it's a far cry from apoplexy to gunplay, but the latter has been contemplated.
So, if all this becomes law, expect to see lots of gun-toting westerners this summer in Yellowstone and Grand Teton and Devils Tower and Fossil Butte and Mount Rushmore and Dinosaur N.M. and Rocky Mountain N.P. and the wildlife refuge near you. A perfect time for threats of random gunplay in parks which have been reporting a downturn in visitors by Internet-absorbed Americans and by those strapped for cash by the economic downturn.
While this "gun-toting act" could backfire, it might add to the tourism numbers. Let's face it, tourists, especially the foreign variety, have become jaded by fake Old West gun fights in places such as Jackson and Cheyenne. They are looking for a more genuine experience. So what could be better than a real gunfight breaking out amongst two gun-toting citizens jockeying over the same RV hook-up? Better yet, two fellows decked out in Wranglers, Tony Lamas and Glocks get into a scrape over a woman at the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. They're told to take it outside and they do, much to the delight of a busload of tourists from Kyoto. They get it all on film and it's on YouTube within seconds.
That may be fine for tourists from overseas. For me, this makes a staycation look better and better.
Anne Flaherty reports this in an AP story:
If enacted into law as expected, the credit card industry would have nine months to change the way it does business: Lenders would have to post their credit card agreements on the Internet and let customers pay their bills online or by phone without an added fee. They'd also have to give consumers a chance to spare themselves from over-the-limit fees and provide 45 days notice and an explanation before interest rates are increased. Some of these changes are already on track to take effect in July 2010, under new rules being imposed by the Federal Reserve. But the Senate bill would put the changes into law and go further in restricting the types of bank fees and who can get a card. For example, the Senate bill requires those under 21 who seek a credit card to prove first that they can repay the money or that a parent or guardian is willing to pay off their debt if they default.... Under the bill, a cardholder would have to opt to be allowed to go over a credit limit. If customers don't agree and the bank authorizes a charge that would push them over their limit, the lender couldn't levy an over-limit fee. Another boon for consumers is limiting a practice known as "universal default," when a lender sharply increases a cardholder's interest rate on an existing balance because the customer is late paying that bill or other, unrelated bills. Under the new legislation, a customer would have to be more than 60 days behind on a payment before seeing a rate increase on an existing balance. Even then, the credit card company would be required to restore the previous, lower rate after six months if the cardholder pays the minimum balance on time.
This is good news for all of us who've been gouged by credit card companies, which probably includes 99.9 percent of all Americans.
One odd things about the bill, though. A provision was added at the last minute that allows people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The purpose of the amendment listed in the U.S. Senate's official record is this: "To protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks and refuges." Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn proposed the gun measure as an amendment and it passed, 67-29.
What does this have to do with credit card companies? Some of us, even peaceniks, have been driven apoplectic by the credit card companies and their obscure rules. I do admit that it's a far cry from apoplexy to gunplay, but the latter has been contemplated.
So, if all this becomes law, expect to see lots of gun-toting westerners this summer in Yellowstone and Grand Teton and Devils Tower and Fossil Butte and Mount Rushmore and Dinosaur N.M. and Rocky Mountain N.P. and the wildlife refuge near you. A perfect time for threats of random gunplay in parks which have been reporting a downturn in visitors by Internet-absorbed Americans and by those strapped for cash by the economic downturn.
While this "gun-toting act" could backfire, it might add to the tourism numbers. Let's face it, tourists, especially the foreign variety, have become jaded by fake Old West gun fights in places such as Jackson and Cheyenne. They are looking for a more genuine experience. So what could be better than a real gunfight breaking out amongst two gun-toting citizens jockeying over the same RV hook-up? Better yet, two fellows decked out in Wranglers, Tony Lamas and Glocks get into a scrape over a woman at the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. They're told to take it outside and they do, much to the delight of a busload of tourists from Kyoto. They get it all on film and it's on YouTube within seconds.
That may be fine for tourists from overseas. For me, this makes a staycation look better and better.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Play the rhyme game with Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, one-time Republican presidential candidate and old-time fundie, wrote a poem about Nancy Pelosi. Huck is so proud of it he posted it on his web site.
It's not bad, as poems go. But the rhymes are a bit predictible. Some writer friends and I like to play a game where we guess the rhymes in mediocre poems. You have to select mediocre poems because they're easier to deconstruct. It's a bit like Mad Libs without the clues. I suppose this could be a drinking game too. Guess wrong and you have to take a drink. Or maybe guess right and take a drink. You decide.
So give these rhymes a try. Some are easy -- and there are a few surprises. If you conjure up some celever rhymes that transform the poem, cut and paste it and put it in the comment section below.
Here goes ---
Here's a story about a lady named Nancy
A ruthless politician, but dressed very _____
Very ambitious, she got herself elected Speaker
But as for keeping secrets, she proved quite a "_______."
She flies on government planes coast to coast
And doesn't mind that our economy is _____
She makes the Air Force squire her in their military jets
There's room for her family, her staff, and even her ____.
Until now, she annoyed us, but her gaffes were mostly funny;
Even though it was painful to watch her waste our tax ______.
But now her wacky comments are no laughing matter;
She's either unwilling to tell the truth, or she's mad as a ______!
She sat in briefings and knew about enhanced interrogation;
But claims she wasn't there, and can't give an ___________.
She disparages the CIA and says they are a bunch of liars;
Even the press aren't buying it and they're stoking their _____.
I think Speaker Pelosi has done too much speaking;
And instead of her trashing our intelligence officials, it's her nose that needs ________.
If forced to believe whether the CIA and her colleagues in Congress are lying;
Or it's Speaker Pelosi whose credibility and career is _____.
I believe in the integrity of the men and women who sacrifice to keep us safe;
Not the woman who has been caught flat-footed, lying to our ____.
I say it here and I say it rather clear--
It's time for Nancy Pelosi to resign and get out of ____.
It's not bad, as poems go. But the rhymes are a bit predictible. Some writer friends and I like to play a game where we guess the rhymes in mediocre poems. You have to select mediocre poems because they're easier to deconstruct. It's a bit like Mad Libs without the clues. I suppose this could be a drinking game too. Guess wrong and you have to take a drink. Or maybe guess right and take a drink. You decide.
So give these rhymes a try. Some are easy -- and there are a few surprises. If you conjure up some celever rhymes that transform the poem, cut and paste it and put it in the comment section below.
Here goes ---
Here's a story about a lady named Nancy
A ruthless politician, but dressed very _____
Very ambitious, she got herself elected Speaker
But as for keeping secrets, she proved quite a "_______."
She flies on government planes coast to coast
And doesn't mind that our economy is _____
She makes the Air Force squire her in their military jets
There's room for her family, her staff, and even her ____.
Until now, she annoyed us, but her gaffes were mostly funny;
Even though it was painful to watch her waste our tax ______.
But now her wacky comments are no laughing matter;
She's either unwilling to tell the truth, or she's mad as a ______!
She sat in briefings and knew about enhanced interrogation;
But claims she wasn't there, and can't give an ___________.
She disparages the CIA and says they are a bunch of liars;
Even the press aren't buying it and they're stoking their _____.
I think Speaker Pelosi has done too much speaking;
And instead of her trashing our intelligence officials, it's her nose that needs ________.
If forced to believe whether the CIA and her colleagues in Congress are lying;
Or it's Speaker Pelosi whose credibility and career is _____.
I believe in the integrity of the men and women who sacrifice to keep us safe;
Not the woman who has been caught flat-footed, lying to our ____.
I say it here and I say it rather clear--
It's time for Nancy Pelosi to resign and get out of ____.
Comment period for "The Big Straw" extended until July 27
Wyomingites are calling it "The Big Straw."
It's the water diversion project cooked up by some guy in Colorado with the last ominous name "Million," as in "I want a million gallons of your water -- for starters."
Million and his entrepreneurial pals plan to divert water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in southwest Wyoming to the Front Range of Colorado.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding scoping hearings on the project. The Corps held what the Casper Star-Tribune called a "contentious meeting" on April 14 with the townfolk of Green River. The Green runs right through the town on its way to Flaming Gorge. Green Riverites are afraid that "The Big Straw" will turn the river into a rivulet and the gorge into a puddle.
Army Corps of Engineers project manager Rena Brand said the agency has extended its deadline for accepting public comments for inclusion to July 27. The input will go into an environmental impact statement that may take up to three years to assemble.
But how can anyonwe predict how much water will be flowing out of the Wind River Mountains and into the Green River Valley in the next decade?
Bill Sniffin, a columnist from Lander who ran for governor on the Republican side in 2002, said in a syndicated column today that experts have seen increased melting of the glaciers in the mountain range. Add a drought to that, and there may not be enough water in the Green for current users once the Corps makes up its mind. It was in Bill's column where I saw "The Big Straw" reference. I also saw it recently in The Denver Post.
Global climate change is a moving target.
Meanwhile, get yourself to one of these scoping meetings and see if you can carry on Wyoming's contentious reputation when it comes to water thievery.
It's the water diversion project cooked up by some guy in Colorado with the last ominous name "Million," as in "I want a million gallons of your water -- for starters."
Million and his entrepreneurial pals plan to divert water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in southwest Wyoming to the Front Range of Colorado.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding scoping hearings on the project. The Corps held what the Casper Star-Tribune called a "contentious meeting" on April 14 with the townfolk of Green River. The Green runs right through the town on its way to Flaming Gorge. Green Riverites are afraid that "The Big Straw" will turn the river into a rivulet and the gorge into a puddle.
Army Corps of Engineers project manager Rena Brand said the agency has extended its deadline for accepting public comments for inclusion to July 27. The input will go into an environmental impact statement that may take up to three years to assemble.
But how can anyonwe predict how much water will be flowing out of the Wind River Mountains and into the Green River Valley in the next decade?
Bill Sniffin, a columnist from Lander who ran for governor on the Republican side in 2002, said in a syndicated column today that experts have seen increased melting of the glaciers in the mountain range. Add a drought to that, and there may not be enough water in the Green for current users once the Corps makes up its mind. It was in Bill's column where I saw "The Big Straw" reference. I also saw it recently in The Denver Post.
Global climate change is a moving target.
Meanwhile, get yourself to one of these scoping meetings and see if you can carry on Wyoming's contentious reputation when it comes to water thievery.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday Web Reading Roundup -- yee-hah!
Cheyenne's Joanne Kennedy Smyth writes about mirror neurons, empathy and writers.
Maureen Dowd: Dick Cheney as Snidely Whiplash (via Daily Kos).
Vincent Miller provides some perspective to this weekend's anti-Obama protests at Notre Dame in the National Catholic Reporter.
Former Jacksonian jhwygirl on Montana's 4&20 blackbirds gets the brain cells percolating with a haiku slam challenge .
Memorial Day gifts for the antiwar veteran (and non-veteran) at Iraq Veterans Aginst the War.
Maureen Dowd: Dick Cheney as Snidely Whiplash (via Daily Kos).
Vincent Miller provides some perspective to this weekend's anti-Obama protests at Notre Dame in the National Catholic Reporter.
Former Jacksonian jhwygirl on Montana's 4&20 blackbirds gets the brain cells percolating with a haiku slam challenge .
Memorial Day gifts for the antiwar veteran (and non-veteran) at Iraq Veterans Aginst the War.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
We pray that National Day of Prayer goes away
I take the liberty to reproduce parts of a letter to the editor published in the May 14 Casper Star-Tribune:
Mr. Sacco, I have already written at length about the sham called National Day of Prayer. It sounds like a great thing, all of us "Christians" raising our voices in supplication to the God as conceived by Christians. However, Christians come in many shapes and sizes. I, for one, am a Christian and a Democrat and a fan of Pres. Obama. I do not chide someone for avoiding prayer, or for praying in a way different from my own method. I then would be as bad as the arrogant Pharisees that Jesus himself had so much trouble with.
When I discovered that the National Day of Prayer was just a Right-Wing Fundamentalist sham cooked up by James Dobson and his lovely wife of Focus on the Family fame, I realized what a crock this event was. You fundies have spent the past couple decades trying to remake the country in your theocratic vision. You failed miserably, and now it's time for the rational adults to take over.
I grant you, prayer is a wonderful thing. It is one path to hope and change. There are many paths to hope and change. Last fall, some of us chose to pray for strength while we knocked on doors to get people to vote for a candidate of hope and change. We got what we worked and prayed for. Not everything that Pres. Obama does is what I envisioned. But it's a start -- and much better than what you fundies had in mind.
Amen.
Editor:
On Thursday, May 7, Wyoming Christians took part in the National Day of Prayer in Cheyenne. The NDP theme this year? "Prayer...America's Hope," based upon Psalm 33:22, "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You."
The Rotunda at the Capital was filled to almost overflowing with Christians, who, at noon that day, joined millions of their fellow countrymen across the United States in prayer for our nation.
(removed several paragraphs as they irritated me)
Although prayer is one of the most enduring paths to hope and change, and our nation needs a lot of both right now, the current inhabitant of the White House did not observe NDP. Mr. Obama's Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, told his press club, "We're doing a proclamation, which I know many administrations in the past have done." But Mr. Obama did not invite any faith leaders to the White House, nor did he attend any of the events associated with NDP, as all of his predecessors for at least the past fifty years have done.
Does that tell us anything about our president?
ANTHONY J. SACCO, Pine Bluffs
Mr. Sacco, I have already written at length about the sham called National Day of Prayer. It sounds like a great thing, all of us "Christians" raising our voices in supplication to the God as conceived by Christians. However, Christians come in many shapes and sizes. I, for one, am a Christian and a Democrat and a fan of Pres. Obama. I do not chide someone for avoiding prayer, or for praying in a way different from my own method. I then would be as bad as the arrogant Pharisees that Jesus himself had so much trouble with.
When I discovered that the National Day of Prayer was just a Right-Wing Fundamentalist sham cooked up by James Dobson and his lovely wife of Focus on the Family fame, I realized what a crock this event was. You fundies have spent the past couple decades trying to remake the country in your theocratic vision. You failed miserably, and now it's time for the rational adults to take over.
I grant you, prayer is a wonderful thing. It is one path to hope and change. There are many paths to hope and change. Last fall, some of us chose to pray for strength while we knocked on doors to get people to vote for a candidate of hope and change. We got what we worked and prayed for. Not everything that Pres. Obama does is what I envisioned. But it's a start -- and much better than what you fundies had in mind.
Amen.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Dust off that spring cowboy hat for Laramie Co. Democratic Grassroots Coalition event
The Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition is celebrating spring's imminent arrival with a "Spring Hat Tea" on Saturday, May 23, 1-3 p.m., at Cheyenne's Historic Plains Hotel. Tickets are $10 apiece and refreshments will be served. Attendees are invited to wear their favorite spring hat. That goes for men, too, so dust off your spring cowboy lid (or UW ballcap) and come on down.
Featured speaker will be Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal speaking about "Taking Care of the Caregiver."
Mary Lou Marcum is looking for nutritious and delicious Democratic recipes for the Coalition's cookbook. Bring them on May 23 (deadline for submissions Aug. 1). If you have questions, contact Mary Lou at 307-635-3464 or windywyo@bresnan.net.
For more info about the "Spring Hat Tea," contact Karyn Knutson, 432-9157, or Katherine Van dell, 634-8449.
Featured speaker will be Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal speaking about "Taking Care of the Caregiver."
Mary Lou Marcum is looking for nutritious and delicious Democratic recipes for the Coalition's cookbook. Bring them on May 23 (deadline for submissions Aug. 1). If you have questions, contact Mary Lou at 307-635-3464 or windywyo@bresnan.net.
For more info about the "Spring Hat Tea," contact Karyn Knutson, 432-9157, or Katherine Van dell, 634-8449.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Cheyenne will be home of new Coal Gasification Tech Center
The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees announced Friday that it's pursuing a site in Laramie County on which to build the proposed High Plains Gasification-Advanced Technology Center. The site is located in the Cheyenne Business Parkway, in east Cheyenne just off I-80.
The site "will be home to a small-scale gasification system that will allow researchers to develop and validate advanced coal gasification technologies for Powder River Basin and other Wyoming coals," according to a UW press release.
Estimated cost of the project is $100 million, part of it coming from GE Energy (yes, that GE).
For information on the project, visit www.uwyo.edu/ge.
The new facility may look something like one of these:
The site "will be home to a small-scale gasification system that will allow researchers to develop and validate advanced coal gasification technologies for Powder River Basin and other Wyoming coals," according to a UW press release.
Estimated cost of the project is $100 million, part of it coming from GE Energy (yes, that GE).
For information on the project, visit www.uwyo.edu/ge.
The new facility may look something like one of these:
Sarah Palin: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
The Anchorage Daily News, charged with keeping tabs on its peripatetic governor, reports that Sarah Palin is set to sign a book deal with Rupert Murdoch's Harper Collins Publishers. The exact amount of the book deal has not been announced, but it's sure to be a whopper. Then again, Palin has some whoppers to tell.
Here's an excerpt from the News story:
This is a big reason why publishers have no money to publish real writers, such as some I know in Wyoming and throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
Instead, they publish crap by high profile people, books that people never read. However, they may buy a copy to put on their coffee table. They may also buy a copy if they can get it signed in person by the "author." I once did this with one of Newt Gingrich's books. I stood in line for two hours in a Bethesda Border's store and had the most interesting conversations. Not everyone was a Republican, as Maryland is as bereft of Repubs (except in Michael Steele's burg) as Wyoming is lacking in Dems.
I was able to utter a few comments about saving the National Endowment for the Arts as Newt scribbled his name on the title page. This may have been the reason that Newt helped salvage the NEA's literary fellowships when the big "Contract with America" cuts came down in 1994. Or maybe I'm being a bit grandiose. But I did read a bit of the book before I put it in the mail to my Dad in Florida. Not bad. The guy can write. He's a big name in the "alternative futures" or "spec-fic" sci-fi category.
But Sarah Palin? Which category will her book be in? Speculative pasts? Ridiculous presents?
Some funny book titles were suggested tonight on Keith Olbermann's show. "The Audacity of Hype" is a good one. Since Palin has said she's a C.S. Lewis fan, someone suggested "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." You have to think about that one a little bit.
Here's an excerpt from the News story:
News reports this winter suggested Palin was pursuing an $11 million advance. She called that figure "laughable" in January but has never provided another. Palin has said she would give a portion of any money she makes from a book to charities although she hasn't decided how much or which ones.
Palin hired Robert Barnett, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who is one of the most powerful figures in book publishing, to negotiate the deal for her memoir. His past deals reportedly include $12 million for Bill Clinton's memoir and an $8.5 million advance for Alan Greenspan.
Barnett said in an interview Tuesday that HarperCollins was "first and fervent" in pursuing the Palin book.
This is a big reason why publishers have no money to publish real writers, such as some I know in Wyoming and throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
Instead, they publish crap by high profile people, books that people never read. However, they may buy a copy to put on their coffee table. They may also buy a copy if they can get it signed in person by the "author." I once did this with one of Newt Gingrich's books. I stood in line for two hours in a Bethesda Border's store and had the most interesting conversations. Not everyone was a Republican, as Maryland is as bereft of Repubs (except in Michael Steele's burg) as Wyoming is lacking in Dems.
I was able to utter a few comments about saving the National Endowment for the Arts as Newt scribbled his name on the title page. This may have been the reason that Newt helped salvage the NEA's literary fellowships when the big "Contract with America" cuts came down in 1994. Or maybe I'm being a bit grandiose. But I did read a bit of the book before I put it in the mail to my Dad in Florida. Not bad. The guy can write. He's a big name in the "alternative futures" or "spec-fic" sci-fi category.
But Sarah Palin? Which category will her book be in? Speculative pasts? Ridiculous presents?
Some funny book titles were suggested tonight on Keith Olbermann's show. "The Audacity of Hype" is a good one. Since Palin has said she's a C.S. Lewis fan, someone suggested "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." You have to think about that one a little bit.
Poetry jam comes to the White House
It is probably safe to say that Tuesday’s event may well have been the first White House poetry jam, the fast-paced presentation of spoken verse that has become popular among young people in cities across the country.
So said Rachel L. Swarns in a post on the New York Times web site.
Poetry jam in the White House? That is cool.
The event included Hawaiian poet Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio; Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Tony-Award winning Broadway musical, “In the Heights;” husband-wife writers Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman; Chicago poet Maida del Valle; some guy named James Earl Jones; musician Esperanza Spaulding; Yonkers, N.Y., poet Joshua Brandon Bennett.
“We’re here to celebrate the power of words and music to help us appreciate beauty and also to understand pain,’’ Mr. Obama told the crowd.
Mrs. Obama urged her guests to “enjoy, have fun and be loose” as they absorbed performances from Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Jewish and African American writers in an event intended to showcase the diversity of American talent.
This was just one of a series of events that the Obamas have put on at the White House to celebrate the arts.
Other events have featured bagpipers, mariachi bands, Irish fiddlers, Irish Poets (i.e. Paul Muldoon), and singers and musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Earth Wind and Fire, Tony Bennett, and Fergie, the singer from the Black Eyed Peas.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Can't you smell that smell? It's a clunker!
One-time Denverite David von Drehle writes a funny piece in Friday's Time mag about the government's proposed "cash for clunkers" program. He considers all the angles in trading in his much-used minivan (i.e., "clunker") for cash. I won't give away the ending, but along the way, David lists some great resources for his fellow clunker owners. Read the entire article at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1896663,00.html.
As always, I turned to the Tire Business web site for info about anything automotive (actually it was my first Google-inspired visit but I'll be back). The Tire Business article snagged the following info from government sources:
I'm not certain if my minivan qualifies. It's a 2000 Dodge Caravan, which makes it more than eight years old. But it's a flex-fuel vehicle. It's rated for 16 mpg in the city and 23 highway for gas, for an average of 19. For E85, it's rated 12 city and 17 highway for a total of 13. If you add those together, I more than qualify. If you just consider the gasoline stats, I don't. More Googling may be in order.
If approved, I will accept a voucher for $4,500. I plan to buy an extremely fuel-efficient passenger car that's not a minivan. We don't need one anymore. Our son lives in Tucson and we don't expect him to return to Wyoming. Our daughter has plans to move in two years (after high school graduation) to attend college in a big city. My wife has her own Saturn, and refuses to ride in the minivan until I remove the "smell" from it. I don't smell the smell, but she does. She describes it as part McDonald's wrappers, part mildew, part Armor-All and part Fat Tire Amber Ale. I have to explain that last one. I do not drink and drive. However, I'm charged with recycling and sometimes have kept containers of empty beer bottles in the van for a couple weeks. During the summer, minivan parked in the hot sun, the tiny bit of beer left in the bottom of the bottles begins to re-ferment and adds a bouquet to the interior. I won't say it's an unpleasant smell, but my wife will.
For that reason alone I should get a voucher.
With the $4,500, I will attempt to buy a Chevy Malibu hybrid or possibly a Ford Fusion, both high-mileage alternatives. I'll stick to American-made cars, so that my stimulus will stimulate the correct places. I will have to say sayonara to my Canadian-made Dodge, which has served our family well on cross-country jaunts and camping trips since we bought it used in 2001.
Not yet sure how I'm going to get all those recyclables to the big blue bins at our local grocery store parking lot. I won't be able to save up two weeks worth since they all won't fit in the little trunk I'm sure to get with an efficient vehicle. I'll think of something.
As always, I turned to the Tire Business web site for info about anything automotive (actually it was my first Google-inspired visit but I'll be back). The Tire Business article snagged the following info from government sources:
According to an Energy and Commerce fact sheet, the Cash for Clunkers program in the compromise bill would be authorized for up to one year and provide for some 1 million new car and truck purchases. Under the program, old passenger cars and light trucks must get less than 18 mpg. Motorists would be eligible for vouchers of $3,500 each if their new vehicles improve on the old vehicles’ gas mileage by at least 4 mpg (for passenger cars) or 2 mpg (for light trucks). For improvements of up to 10 mpg for cars or 5 mpg for trucks, the voucher would be $4,500.
I'm not certain if my minivan qualifies. It's a 2000 Dodge Caravan, which makes it more than eight years old. But it's a flex-fuel vehicle. It's rated for 16 mpg in the city and 23 highway for gas, for an average of 19. For E85, it's rated 12 city and 17 highway for a total of 13. If you add those together, I more than qualify. If you just consider the gasoline stats, I don't. More Googling may be in order.
If approved, I will accept a voucher for $4,500. I plan to buy an extremely fuel-efficient passenger car that's not a minivan. We don't need one anymore. Our son lives in Tucson and we don't expect him to return to Wyoming. Our daughter has plans to move in two years (after high school graduation) to attend college in a big city. My wife has her own Saturn, and refuses to ride in the minivan until I remove the "smell" from it. I don't smell the smell, but she does. She describes it as part McDonald's wrappers, part mildew, part Armor-All and part Fat Tire Amber Ale. I have to explain that last one. I do not drink and drive. However, I'm charged with recycling and sometimes have kept containers of empty beer bottles in the van for a couple weeks. During the summer, minivan parked in the hot sun, the tiny bit of beer left in the bottom of the bottles begins to re-ferment and adds a bouquet to the interior. I won't say it's an unpleasant smell, but my wife will.
For that reason alone I should get a voucher.
With the $4,500, I will attempt to buy a Chevy Malibu hybrid or possibly a Ford Fusion, both high-mileage alternatives. I'll stick to American-made cars, so that my stimulus will stimulate the correct places. I will have to say sayonara to my Canadian-made Dodge, which has served our family well on cross-country jaunts and camping trips since we bought it used in 2001.
Not yet sure how I'm going to get all those recyclables to the big blue bins at our local grocery store parking lot. I won't be able to save up two weeks worth since they all won't fit in the little trunk I'm sure to get with an efficient vehicle. I'll think of something.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
"Star Trek" more than a blast from the past
Today is our 27th anniversary.
I gave my wife tickets to the new Star Trek movie. Bought one for me and daughter too. Chris is a Trekkie or, as some prefer, Trekker. She watches original Star Trek reruns every Saturday night on Fox. She also has a complete set of DVDs from the TV series -- the first one.
The movie was exciting and fun. Characters were a shade different from the originals, but that only added to the fun. Spock was a little warmer (and has a thing for Uhura) and Kirk was a bit wilder. Special effects, of course, were boffo. But how tough is it to produce boffo effects these days?
Speaking of special effects -- we saw scads of previews for summer blockbusters. Lots of stuff getting blown up in June and July.
I gave my wife tickets to the new Star Trek movie. Bought one for me and daughter too. Chris is a Trekkie or, as some prefer, Trekker. She watches original Star Trek reruns every Saturday night on Fox. She also has a complete set of DVDs from the TV series -- the first one.
The movie was exciting and fun. Characters were a shade different from the originals, but that only added to the fun. Spock was a little warmer (and has a thing for Uhura) and Kirk was a bit wilder. Special effects, of course, were boffo. But how tough is it to produce boffo effects these days?
Speaking of special effects -- we saw scads of previews for summer blockbusters. Lots of stuff getting blown up in June and July.
Search called off for Wyoming poet Craig Arnold
So sad to hear the news about the suspension of the search in Japan for UW prof and globe-trotting poet Craig Arnold. His partner, Rebecca Lindenberg, relayed the sad tidings:
Our dear friends and family,
Though Craig himself has not been recovered, the amazing expert trackers of 1SRG have been able to make themselves and us certain of what has become of Craig. His trail indicates that after sustaining a leg injury, Craig fell from a very high and very dangerous cliff and there is virtually no possibility that Craig could have survived that fall. Chris will pursue what he can about getting specialists to go down into the place we know Craig is so we can bring him home, but it is very, very dangerous and we are not yet completely certain what that will require. The only relief in this news is that we do know exactly what befell Craig, and we can be fairly certain that it was very quick, and that he did not wait or wonder or suffer.
I cannot express again the profound gratitude I feel to everyone who has loved and honored Craig with their goodwill, their immense efforts and energy, and their overwhelming generosity. I believe that where he is, Craig knows.
There will be further occasion to celebrate Craig, and when I know more I will post it.For my part, I love Craig beyond the telling of it and will always love him as immeasurably, as enduringly, as steadfastly and as unconditionally as I do now and have done these past six years.
In leaving our family, Craig, in a manner absolutely characteristic of his own vast generosity and capacity to inspire, brought us all closer together than we perhaps have ever been. I feel his presence, loving and understanding and funny and deeply feeling, at all times. I hope you do, too.
With love, R.
Our dear friends and family,
Though Craig himself has not been recovered, the amazing expert trackers of 1SRG have been able to make themselves and us certain of what has become of Craig. His trail indicates that after sustaining a leg injury, Craig fell from a very high and very dangerous cliff and there is virtually no possibility that Craig could have survived that fall. Chris will pursue what he can about getting specialists to go down into the place we know Craig is so we can bring him home, but it is very, very dangerous and we are not yet completely certain what that will require. The only relief in this news is that we do know exactly what befell Craig, and we can be fairly certain that it was very quick, and that he did not wait or wonder or suffer.
I cannot express again the profound gratitude I feel to everyone who has loved and honored Craig with their goodwill, their immense efforts and energy, and their overwhelming generosity. I believe that where he is, Craig knows.
There will be further occasion to celebrate Craig, and when I know more I will post it.For my part, I love Craig beyond the telling of it and will always love him as immeasurably, as enduringly, as steadfastly and as unconditionally as I do now and have done these past six years.
In leaving our family, Craig, in a manner absolutely characteristic of his own vast generosity and capacity to inspire, brought us all closer together than we perhaps have ever been. I feel his presence, loving and understanding and funny and deeply feeling, at all times. I hope you do, too.
With love, R.
Friday, May 08, 2009
More on National Day of Prayer
National Day of Prayer is now over on the East Coast, although we have two more hours of praying time here in the Rockies. So get those prayers in, as the Good Lord pays extra-special attention on this day.
I wrote yesterday about the links between National Day of Prayer and the Fundamentalist Right, notably Dobson's Focus on the Family down in Colorado Springs. Americans United for Separation of Church and State have a lot more on the issue at its web site. Go to http://tinyurl.com/raul9v.
Amen, ya'll.
I wrote yesterday about the links between National Day of Prayer and the Fundamentalist Right, notably Dobson's Focus on the Family down in Colorado Springs. Americans United for Separation of Church and State have a lot more on the issue at its web site. Go to http://tinyurl.com/raul9v.
Amen, ya'll.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Lummis takes obstructionist role seriously
This comes from the WyoDems:
It looks like Representative Cynthia Lummis is taking her role as a member of the ‘Party of No’ seriously.
In fact, a recent story in Casper Star-Tribune notes Lummis’ vote against “nearly every major piece” of legislation that Congress has considered so far.
Perhaps that’s because, as Lummis says, after casting a vote for House Speaker on January 6, 2009, “…little else has mattered since...” [http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/05/03/news/wyoming/a31d8bfa79d95de1872575aa00213b2c.txt]
“Little else may have mattered to Representative Lummis, but after four months in the House, Wyomingites are paying the price for Lummis’ ‘Party of No’ obstinance to legislation on job creation, health care and consumer protections,” said Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Leslie Petersen. “In fact, her constituents are quickly realizing that Cynthia Lummis doesn’t have new ideas or solutions to the challenges facing our country, communities, and families.”
In just four months in Congress, Lummis has racked up quote a record, voting
against:
- Protecting elders from abuse, neglect and exploitation [Roll Call Vote, 2/11/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll062.xml]
- Extending health coverage to 5,700 low-income children in Wyoming [Roll Call Vote, 2/4/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll050.xml]
- Creating or saving 8,000 Wyoming jobs [Roll Call Vote, 2/13/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll070.xml]
- Protecting consumers from credit card companies charging excessive fees and sky-high interest rates [Roll Call Vote, 4/30/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll228.xml]
- Efforts to ensure pay equity for women in the workplace [Roll Call Vote, 1/27/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll037.xml]
- Safeguarding the Snake River and allowing for the maintenance and preservation of its wild and scenic character [Roll Call Vote, /25/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll153.xml]
- Protecting sensitive portions of the Wyoming Range from future oil and gas
drilling [Roll Call Vote, 3/25/2009, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll153.xml]
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Progressive radio gets great ratings
This was on the Square State blog out of Denver:
I listen to Mario's show on my way home from work in Cheyenne every day on AM 760. I love the daily litany of wingnut audio clips We get the station's signal during the day but it fades at night. I tried to get a livecast from the station's web site, but it doesn't offer one. What gives, Mario?
By the way, I'm in the Obama Generation even though I'm double the age of the target audience. Just trying to be a hep cat....
The ratings are in and after just over a year of being on the air in the Denver metro area, the Mario Solis-Marich show is kicking ass and taking names. For Men 18-34, Mario's show is Numero Uno from 4-7 p.m. This includes non-political talk like The Fan. They identify younger Obama voters as part of this success.
"There is a national movement to capture the airwaves and bring them back to the America's progressive majority," said Mario Solis-Marich. "We are lucky and grateful to have this huge endorsement from the heart of the Obama Generation."
I listen to Mario's show on my way home from work in Cheyenne every day on AM 760. I love the daily litany of wingnut audio clips We get the station's signal during the day but it fades at night. I tried to get a livecast from the station's web site, but it doesn't offer one. What gives, Mario?
By the way, I'm in the Obama Generation even though I'm double the age of the target audience. Just trying to be a hep cat....
Thank God! No National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House
For the past eight years, the National Day of Prayer has been an excuse to tout the Fundamentalist Right’s holier-than-thou attitude and its clout within the Republican Party.
This year's National Day of Prayer to Promote the Repudiated Policies of the Republican Party/Focus on the Family will be held tomorrow, May 7, at public venues all over the U.S.
Cheyenne's version is usually held in front of the State Capitol Building. It always features a military component and a fairly good crowd of Republicans and Libertarians and Millennialists. Never a Democrat to be seen, unless you count me, the inveterate rubber-necker.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force is based in Colorado Springs, hotbed of fundie ferment. Focus on the Family’s James Dobson and other people with the same last name are part of the organization.
Here what the organization says about itself on its web site:
All us us raised within the "Christian Church" know the code words and phrases. "Biblical truth" means the literal word of the Bible as interpreted by TV preachers. The "Christian Church" means everybody but Catholics, even though Catholic Church, in the past couple decades, has made nice with the fundies. The fundies, in turn, only pretend to make nice with Papists, who will not be part of The Rapture due to the fact that they worship false idols (saints) and spend way too much time drinking beer and practicing "social justice." "Mobilizing the Christian community" means voting Republican. I could go on and on.
To Pres. Obama's credit, he won't allow this sham ceremony to take place in the White House. Bush did, and look where that got him.
Here are some excerpts of a CNN story about the subject:
I will answer that question. Yes, yes, yes. It was all politics. And it's about time we did without it. Dobson and his avenging angels on the Right have been pounding on Democrats and Democratic Party politics for decades. Let them have their own ceremonies with their fellow travelers in Congress.
Shirely Dobson and James Dobson will join wingnut Michelle Bachmann at the Capitol Hill National Day of Prayer ceremony?
Enough said.
This year's National Day of Prayer to Promote the Repudiated Policies of the Republican Party/Focus on the Family will be held tomorrow, May 7, at public venues all over the U.S.
Cheyenne's version is usually held in front of the State Capitol Building. It always features a military component and a fairly good crowd of Republicans and Libertarians and Millennialists. Never a Democrat to be seen, unless you count me, the inveterate rubber-necker.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force is based in Colorado Springs, hotbed of fundie ferment. Focus on the Family’s James Dobson and other people with the same last name are part of the organization.
Here what the organization says about itself on its web site:
- Mission: The National Day of Prayer Task Force's mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.
Our Vision and Values: In accordance with Biblical truth, the National Day of Prayer Task Force seeks to: - Foster unity within the Christian Church
- Protect America's Constitutional Freedoms to gather, worship, pray and speak freely.
- Publicize and preserve America's Christian heritage
- Encourage and emphasize prayer, regardless of current issues and positions
- Respect all people, regardless of denomination or creed
- Be wise stewards of God's resources and provision
- Glorify the Lord in word and deed
All us us raised within the "Christian Church" know the code words and phrases. "Biblical truth" means the literal word of the Bible as interpreted by TV preachers. The "Christian Church" means everybody but Catholics, even though Catholic Church, in the past couple decades, has made nice with the fundies. The fundies, in turn, only pretend to make nice with Papists, who will not be part of The Rapture due to the fact that they worship false idols (saints) and spend way too much time drinking beer and practicing "social justice." "Mobilizing the Christian community" means voting Republican. I could go on and on.
To Pres. Obama's credit, he won't allow this sham ceremony to take place in the White House. Bush did, and look where that got him.
Here are some excerpts of a CNN story about the subject:
For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony.
"Prayer is something that the president does everyday," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, noting that Obama will sign a proclamation to recognize the day, as many administrations in the past have done.
Asked if Obama thought his predecessor's ceremonies were politicized, Gibbs said, "No, I'm not going to get into that again.
I will answer that question. Yes, yes, yes. It was all politics. And it's about time we did without it. Dobson and his avenging angels on the Right have been pounding on Democrats and Democratic Party politics for decades. Let them have their own ceremonies with their fellow travelers in Congress.
Although there are no public events scheduled at the White House, representatives from the legislative and judicial branches are expected to attend an event the National Day of Prayer Task Force is holding on Capitol Hill.
"It would be belittling to those millions of people to reduce this day to merely one event not being held at the White House."Task Force Chairman Shirley Dobson said in a statement that she was disappointed in the "lack of participation" by the Obama administration, adding that "at this time in our country's history, we would hope our President would recognize more fully the importance of prayer."
Dobson will be a presenter at that event, along with her husband and former president of Focus on the Family James Dobson, author Beth Moore, NFL player Shaun Alexander and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Shirely Dobson and James Dobson will join wingnut Michelle Bachmann at the Capitol Hill National Day of Prayer ceremony?
Enough said.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Fund to Find Craig Arnold hires search team
In a story filed at 3:12 p.m. today, the AP's Mead Gruver writes about the 1st Special Response Group hired to find missing Laramie poet Craig Arnold in Japan.
Here are excerpts:
Read the entire story at http://tinyurl.com/dgon7c
To contribute to the search fund, go to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5149253
Here are excerpts:
The searchers' strategy will be to look carefully for Arnold's trail and then pursue any signs, said David Kovar, founder of the nonprofit organization based in Mountain View, Calif.
"They are expert in following the sign of human passage through the terrain," Kovar said. "If you think about aboriginals or Native Americans who were known for following signs of people going through a landscape, this is sort of the modern version of that."
-------------
Kovar said 1st Special Response Group doesn't charge fees and only accepts payment to cover its costs. A fund set up over the weekend to cover the search costs had raised $10,000, Augusta Palmer said.
University spokeswoman Jessica Lowell said the fund was set up at UniWyo Federal Credit Union in Laramie with assistance from the University of Wyoming.
"We continue to hope for a resolution, a positive resolution," she said.
The island of Kuchinoerabu-jima is home to about 150 people and is generally a destination for fishing rather than hiking, said Yoshiyuki Kuzuhara, a local police official. He said the 1,800-foot volcanic mountain has no hiking trail, and the locals rarely go there.
Read the entire story at http://tinyurl.com/dgon7c
To contribute to the search fund, go to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5149253
Day of Giving (Empathy) Saturday in Cheyenne
Day of Giving on Saturday, May 8, provides economically disadvantages with non-perishable food, prescription medications, personal care items, donate blood, Register as a Bone marrow and/or organ/tissue donor. Recipients include clients of Needs, Inc., Salvation Army, Comea House, Safe House Sexual Assault Services, Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, Bethel Outreach Ministries, and Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Kiwanis Community House, 4603 Lions Park Dr., Cheyenne. Info: Greta, 635-3943, 421-3436, aemorrow@millect.com, Pam, 637-5193, www.cheyennenetwork.com/dayofgiving.
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