Image by Getty Images via Daylife Yesterday there was an op-ed in the Times that said a lot of what I have been feeling here lately...and said it well...Go read the whole thing... Thomas L. Friedman - Anxious in America - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com “America and its political leaders, after…
The Rural Life - Editorial - Summer’s Night - Editorial - NYTimes.com The last couple of nights I’ve stood at the edge of the pasture watching the fireflies. They rise from the grass, flickering higher and higher until one of them turns into the blinking lights of a jet flying…
Looking out the french doors in the kitchen this morning as I read my email and check the news I am amazed at the difference a couple of weeks of hit and miss rain can make. Everything in view is green again. The grass is growing like it should have…
Enjoy the day...But remember the reason we celebrate. George F. Will - Independence Days - washingtonpost.com Certain politically charged rhetorical tropes were then society's common property. Writing shortly before his death, Jefferson affirmed his belief that "the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor…
Wouldn't it make a great birthday present to the country if we could get serious about Energy Independence? Yale Environment 360: As Energy Prices Rise, the Pressure to Drill Builds Perhaps we should be amazed that America’s largest protected area — the 19.2 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) —…
TED | Talks | Ron Eglash: African fractals, in buildings and braids (video) "I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof." That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families he met while researching the fractal patterns he’d noticed in villages across the continent.
I have never felt that the Corporate pushers of GMOs were looking out for anything other than their own profits. That has led me to look on their actions in an unfavorable light. While this has always been a personal "feeling", I find my concerns expressed very well by this…
I have subscribed to Michael Pollan's website to be sent updates to what's happening in his world. I received a notice that led me to a new environmental website...If you haven't seen it before, go check it out. Yale Environment 360: Michael Pollan on What's Wrong with EnvironmentalismThere are basically…
One of the email missives I look forward to comes in on it's own schedule each month. It is from Andy Griffin of Mariquita Farm called "The Ladybug Letter". Andy tells tales of his life in agriculture on the west coast...Funny stories, ironic stories...Stories of life...Great stories... The Ladybug Letter…
David Broder has a column today that touches on a subject that has bothered me for a good while... After watching the effects of the Delay led gerrymander in Texas a few years ago I have felt that it is time for us to do something to end the safe…
From the papers and email... Paul C. Light - Can't-Do Government - washingtonpost.com The next president will inherit what Alexander Hamilton called a "government ill executed." Now that's a legacy, George... ++++++++++ $6.64 for gas? That's what $200 crude will bring, Rice U. finds | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle If…
TED | Talks | Malcolm Gladwell: What we can learn from spaghetti sauce (video) Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.
A good overview of the Keith Olbermann rise in the New Yorker. It was nearly midnight before Keith Olbermann left the NBC News election studio on May 13th, having spent five hours on the air, co-anchoring coverage of the West Virginia Democratic primary. Olbermann had a short ride home from…
I saw the notice in my email first thing and as I worked my way down the list I was trying to formulate a post. Then I read John Scalzi's...If you are or were a Carlin fan go read John's short tribute. Whatever » RIP, George Carlin He was my…
Danah Boyd had an interesting comment on her blog today... In an attention economy, it's better to ignore than to critique. This drives me absolutely bloody batty. Anyone who's been online for too darn long knows has heard the expression, "don't feed the trolls." This stems from the general belief…
Ok, so it's official now...My part of the world is in severe drought conditions. I kinda' figured as much since I haven't really needed to mow in over a month. Already dealing with high fuel prices, farmers now face rare drought | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle It was only last…
Hmmm... Eat that?: Agriculture secretary's reassurance rings hollow in light of current industrial beef processing | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle "Every single carcass that's processed is inspected by a USDA inspector," Schafer told reporters in San Antonio. "That beef is stamped A-OK, and we want to assure our consumers here…
It’s easy to forget sometimes that everyone has a story to tell if we take the time to listen. We are so accustomed to hearing the stories of people in the news that we sometimes lose track of the fact that the random stranger on the bus also has a…
I wandered into this last evening... TED | Talks | Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat (video) In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too…
And be sure the VP doesn't find out, he'll want to drill there. Congress Pushes to Keep Land Untamed - washingtonpost.com INDEX, Wash. -- With little fanfare, Congress has embarked on a push to protect as many as a dozen pristine areas this year in places ranging from the glacier-fed…
Here is a "new" artist to watch. Not many singers can use their voice as another instrument. Expect to see more of her in the coming years... 2020 Update you can follow Priscilla Ahn here... https://www.instagram.com/p/CIoGP2FjfEm/
State GOP targets Obama at Houston convention (w/video) | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Cornyn was among several speakers who called the party home to its philosophical foundation and urged voters to view Obama as a near-socialist who doesn't share Texas values. The state's other senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, said Obama…
As if we needed another reason to think that this years election is as important as any in a generation, the very fact that but for an appointment to come...George W Bush would not be denied the right to imprison his perceived enemies... Eugene Robinson - A Victory for the…
As I slide down toward another weekend, my feedreader brings me this from Mark Peacock at Appalachian Treks... Appalachian Treks: Serene Majesty There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations. --Washington Irving…
While at work yesterday, most of the area received a good soaking rain. Not near enough to erase our deficit, it at least will prolong the time before we completely burn up. When I arrived home there was still water standing in some of the depressions about the yard...Rain puddles...Who…
And the conservative will discount the numbers because of the source...But come on, can't we expect a little bit of research from the speech writers? Fact check John McCain: Another of my disagreements with Senator Obama concerns the estate tax, which he proposes to increase to a top rate of…
Just don't let the marketing guys see the results or we'll have a ton of "Fred's Berries" coming in from out of the country... The Blue Marble: Eat Local Foods, Grow Small Farms It's not just for elites anymore. A survey of Midwesterners finds that even average food shoppers are…
This has been a "wild" year around our house. So far this spring we have been blessed with four identical little armadillos, a litter of four raccoons, and a couple of opposiums. Down in this part of Texas most of the older homes are built up on blocks so that…
As always, Bill Moyers gives a hell of a talk... YouTube - Bill Moyers addresses NCMR 2008 Legendary journalist Bill Moyers address the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis, June 7, 2008. Presented by FreePress.net. For more speakers, press coverage, and info, visit: http://www.freepress.net/conference Now...Go Tell It... And Tell…
This morning, driving in to work' I was passing through areas of misty rain. Heading north on Highway 6 there was a rainbow rising right out of the road. You have no idea how tempting it was to chase that rainbow and look for the pot of gold instead of…
DailyOM - Entering Awareness Our inner guidance will lead us, so that we will be drawn to the right doorway for us--a doorway that only we can recognize by the way it makes us feel inside. It could be a picture of an angel or the gift of a crystal.…
Maybe the answer to some of our ecological problems... Out of thin air: Successful wind confab in Houston points up Texas' growing role in alternative energy development | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Although it tops the nation in the volume of man-made greenhouse gas emissions fueling global warming, Texas has…
The descendants of my dad's family gets together each year for a family reunion...Today was the day for this years get together. It was a bit of a drive on a beautiful summer day. I enjoyed the trip and the reunion. Here are some photo's from the day... For photo's…
Like many of his fans I discovered Utah Phillips late in his life. My daughter, a fan of Ani DiFranco, introduced me to him a few years back... U. Utah Phillips, 73; Folk Singer Championed the Working Class - washingtonpost.com U. Utah Phillips, 73, a Grammy-nominated folk singer, rabble-rouser and…
I've been reading Leon Hale as long as I've been reading anything other than the funny pages in the Houston Newspaper...Occasionally I link to his blog or the weekly column he has almost retired to. This post hooked me and reeled me in... What would you have done? Did you…
For those who are following the rough weather... Wunder Blog : Weather Underground The tornado that devastated Parkersburg, Iowa on Sunday has now been rated an EF-5 by the National Weather Service. An EF-5 is the strongest possible classification a tornado can receive, and is only given to those tornadoes…
Tuesday Evening It was good to get back to work after a long and busy weekend. It seems to have been one of those weekends that requires a work week to recuperate from. I spent two days finishing up a bit of remodeling and furniture construction (good ol' IKEA). You…
I know I shouldn't complain... Currently (on Sun 5:53AM CDT from Pearland Regional Airport) Cloudy Temp: 81° (Heat Index 86°) Dewpoint: 73° Wind: SE 6 MPH But come on...A heat index that tells me that it feels like 86° before 6am... No wonder this looks so good... Currently (on Sun…
You really have to appreciate Google putting these talks out on the web via YouTube...Here is Michael Pollan...
I saw this via KurzweilAI.net... Photovoltaic Moore's Law Will Make Solar Competitive by 2015 (Tech Talk) Silicon-based solar technology has decoupled from the semiconductor industry and is achieving steady cost reductions, so that those following PV discern a kind of Moore’s law at work. In 2005, production of silicon for…
Susan Albert linked to the National Arbor Day site and their animation showing the changes in hardiness zones. Lifescapes Yep, it's true--101.8 on our digital thermometer yesterday, and that's in the shade. Austin hit 101, too, a record temp for the day and an indication of what's in store in…
Leon is having the same thoughts I am as I drive circles around my place... Leon Hale: Cutting a 42-inch swath So now I mow the four acres myself, on a John Deere riding mower that cuts a 42-inch swath. Takes me a long time but I don't mind because…
This is how I spent my morning muse today...
But it left the humidity behind for today at least...The weather station on the shelf tells me that as the sun sets in the west the temperature is still floating at 86°. Amazingly the humidity is reading 37%...Lord it's hot for May. The prognosticator on the radio during my drive…
I woke up this morning and spring appears to have made a return...At least for a couple of days. The house is open, windows and doors, and the cool breezes are blowing through. The temperature this morning at daybreak (54°) was the same as in Floyd, Va on the Blue…
A few years back this note would not have even made it through the clutter of my brain... Robert Mondavi, 94; Noted Vintner Who Raised Quality of American Wine - washingtonpost.com Robert Mondavi, 94, who built what is arguably America's most influential winery by improving the once-dismal quality of California…
No ships coming to new Port of Houston cruise terminal | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle The gleaming new $81 million cruise terminal at the Port of Houston will open soon, but don't expect throngs of passengers, streamers or cracking champagne bottles. Or a ship, for that matter. Port officials haven't…
Shifting winds: A victory for island development | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Weather forecasters and climatologists have long warned that unbridled development of the vulnerable Gulf Coast is setting the stage for a disaster that might dwarf the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Coming hard on Katrina's heels was Rita, which…
Looks like another import causing problems here in SE Texas. A Plague of Ants in Houston - The Lede - Breaking News - New York Times BlogAs recently as Wednesday, all was well in Houston, at least according to the papers. But today, a story resembling “a really low-budget horror…
I've linked to the writing of Andy at The Ladybug Letter before. I first stumbled across him in a link to his history of field greens and spinach during the spinach disaster a year or so ago. I've been a subscriber to the newsletter he and his partners put out…
Summer's back...Both the temperature and the humidity are back. No wanting to spend the morning in the backyard today. Though I must admit the birds seem to like the weather just fine. Loud greetings to the day were heard even through the closed doors and windows. Over the weekend we…
There are many people in the public eye that leave me embarrassed of my home state...Bill Moyers is not one of them.
Spring decides to pay another short visit. We had another "cold" front slide through yesterday. I think it would be more accurate to call it a dry front. Sunday morning we watched the humidity drop from 90% down into the 20% range before wandering back up into the 40% area…
Why do we keep seeing this? When the Republican Presidential Candidate see us in Iraq for 100 years (it really doesn't matter what the role is), how can the budget for these operations still be an emergency appropriation? Not an Emergency - washingtonpost.com FIVE YEARS into paying for two wars,…
Today I imported all of the posts and comments from my old political rant site "Blues From The Red Side Of Life" into this blog and shut down the old Blogger site. It seemed the thing to do since I haven't posted over there in about a year and I…
Heading south on I45, middle of the night, looking to catch the sun rising on Galveston Island. This is the sound that blasted out of the 8-track in the VW Bus we used to haul ourselves and our boards south that summer almost 40 years ago...three or four buddies with…
This could explain the Republican love affair with GW Bush... Michael Gerson - Sticking Points for Obama - washingtonpost.com A president is expected to be a patriotic symbol himself, not the arbiter of patriotic symbols. He is supposed to be the face-painted superfan at every home game; to wear red,…
Two years ago today I started North Carolina Mountain Dreams, my first blog. That first post was entitled "Inventing the Myth as I Go". It seems that not much has changed in two years. I am still dreaming about the mountains, still creating the myth of my life as I…
Crank up the AC: 90-degree days return to Houston this week | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Summer's coming, and right on schedule, too. Forecasters say Houston's mercury should top 90 degrees Thursday or Friday. During the past decade, the year's first 90-degree day came anywhere from April 17 to May…
Bill Moyers Journal . Transcripts | PBS
May 2, 2008
BILL MOYERS:Welcome to the Journal.
I once asked a reporter back from Vietnam, "Who's telling the truth over there?" Everyone he said. Everyone sees what's happening through the lens of their own experience." That's how people see Jeremiah Wright. In my conversation with him on this broadcast a week ago and in his dramatic public appearances since, he revealed himself to be far more complex than the sound bites that propelled him onto the public stage. Over 2000 of you have written me about him, and your opinions vary widely. Some sting: "Jeremiah Wright is nothing more than a race-hustling, American hating radical," one viewer wrote. A "nut case," said another. Others were far more were sympathetic to him.
Check the Guide... Environmental Working Group || foodnews.org Be A Smarter Produce Picker — Get Our Free Guide! EWG always recommends buying organic, but we know you can't always find it. Our new Guide — now in its 5th edition — features the 12 fruits and veggies with the most…
I took myself and a glass of Zin out into the backyard to watch the evening light show...The fireflies were a bit subdued, but a pleasure to watch and wander once again through memories of the evenings when I was growing up and "lightning bugs" were everywhere.
The weekend weather was trying...Thunder boomers rolling through on Friday night. Rain off and on all day on Saturday as we were chained to the house waiting for a furniture delivery. More rain and thunder on Sunday before the front finally pushed through. This morning we had temperature more in…
Playing around in photoshop on some of the images I shot last fall on our vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is a shot of Fred First's barn on Goose Creek out of Floyd. Consider this just an experiment in progress... Later...
This week's Challenge: 'Electricity'. Please read our Participant Guide before deciding to submit a link. Your link must be to a static page that will always show your challenge image, and not your website's main page. Read this for more info. Reminder: Submit only one link per challenge! When you…
We appear to have fallen off of the weather pattern we have enjoyed for the past month or so. It was nice while it lasted...Cold front on Thursday-Friday to blow out the stale air, cool it down just a bit and dry it out to a comfort level not usually…
Well I finally took the plunge and upgraded my WordPress to the latest version. If you should happen to hit any glitches, please...please let me know... It looks like I'll be spending a little time figuring out what's happening.
'The tide is turning,' victorious Clinton says | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle "Because of you, the tide is turning." I suppose the question is...Exactly how many Republican voters does it take to turn a Democratic Primary tide? ++++++++++ Whatever » 10 Delegates? Really? After all that, Hillary Clinton nets just…
Happy Earth Day...Twenty-eight years ago on Earth Day I, I could have been anywhere...I really do not recall what that sophomore in high school was doing. Especially since those days were lived down wind from one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world. I grew up just a couple…
The last couple of weeks have been really nice. Cool nights days in the mid 70's at the highest. Today though it looks like summer is coming on. The temperature this morning at 6am is 73° with a high forcast for the mid 80's. Now I know for a lot…
Watching the Democratic Debate the other night left me with the strong suspicion that it isn't just Washington and politicians living in a bubble...It appears the mainstream media is living right in there with them. I mean, it can't be just me, can it? Who the hell really thinks that…
The small number of posts this week can be blamed on the beautiful spring weather we have been experiencing. I have been spending most of my free time out in the yard enjoying the cool and the low humidity...Sadly it wont last long. Lows have been in the 40's and…
Occasionally a blog entry will touch a spot in me that makes me do something...Cate's "ramble" today was one... Beyond the Fields We Know: Looking for... Some places arrange themselves perfectly in eye and viewfinder, and yet they do not speak or sing. Others, often on cold, dank and foggy…
Eugene Robinson - The Surge Turns Into the Stall - washingtonpost.com Of course, Bush long ago lost any credibility with Congress and the American people on Iraq. It's understandable that he hides behind Petraeus's breastplate of medals and Crocker's thatch of gray hair, sending these loyal and able public servants…
“The most alarming sign of the state of our society now is that our leaders have the courage to sacrifice the lives of young people in war but have not the courage to tell us that we must be less greedy and wasteful.” Wendell Berry, Farmer, Essayist, Conservationist, Novelist, Teacher,…
Current Weather (on Wed 5:53AM CDT from Pearland Regional Airport) Partly Cloudy Temp: 72° Dewpoint: 66° Wind: SE 6 MPH What isn't shown in that snipit from my email is the humidity. Right now it is 94% and rising...Just think, we call this spring around these parts. You should see…
Corporate Croesus - New York Times It’s hard to square the conceit that chief executives are rewarded for improving companies’ performance with the fact that chiefs at 10 financial-services firms in the study made $320 million last year, even as their banks reported mortgage-related losses of $55 billion. Meanwhile, the…
Paul Krugman's latest column focuses on food. Wander on over and check out his thoughts... Grains Gone Wild - New York Times These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there’s another world crisis under way — and it’s hurting a lot more people. I’m talking…
The first wealth is health. - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you are as skeptical as I am about most of modern medicine's miracle drugs, you might not want to read this book review. It will just reinforce what you already assume is the truth... Big Pharma's Golden Eggs - washingtonpost.com…
This was in my morning email news feed from Grist... TOP STORY With Gore Galore Al Gore will run as Independent for president, Bloomberg tapped as veep You might want to sit down for this: Al Gore has announced his candidacy for president. Wait, wait, don't get up…
Another Reason To Be A Localvore... Did Your Shopping List Kill a Songbird? - New York Times Migratory songbirds like bobolinks, barn swallows and Eastern kingbirds are suffering mysterious population declines, and pesticides may well be to blame. A single application of a highly toxic pesticide to a field can…
Now this is just wrong... Katrina aid recipients may have to pay back millions | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle NEW ORLEANS — Imagine that your home was reduced to mold-covered wood framing by Hurricane Katrina. Desperate for money to rebuild, you engage in a frustrating bureaucratic process, and after months…
A daily thought from Eknath Easwaran is delivered to my inbox by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation. Each thought causes me to reflect a bit as I prepare to leave the house each morning. I found this one particularly thought provoking... Thy desire is thy prayer; and if thy…
On the drive in to work this morning I had to stop and shot this field of yellow wildflowers with the moon setting above. Truth be told I had to drive away from work to arrange to drive by this spot. It seemed worth while at the time...
I'm a liberal, and I loathe the anti-American things Wright said precisely because I believe that the genius of our country is its capacity for self-correction. Progressivism and, yes, hope itself depend on a belief that personal conversion and social change are possible, that flawed human beings are capable of…
On the first day of spring I don't know whether to welcome spring or to welcome it back after our preview of summer over the weekend...This morning is starting out at 47° with the prognosticators pushing for the low 70's by afternoon. Now that is what I call spring. "What…
I see from my weather report that we are having another anomalous day where the temperature here matches my favorite ares of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of course in order for this to have happened the mountains had to warm up 20° while we cooled down a like amount. Yesterday…
E. J. Dionne Jr. - The Street on Welfare - washingtonpost.com Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries and how government should keep its hands off the private economy. The Wall Street titans have…
It looks like we will need to cultivate that 1990's dial-up Zen attitude of waiting for the download. Overload looming for the Internet? | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Caution: Heavy Internet traffic ahead. Delays possible. For months there has been a rising chorus of alarm about the surging growth in…
