Technicalities

They're In!

I just stopped by Sgt Hook's place a few minutes ago for the first time today. (usually I check in earlier) and there's a new post up! They got to the Stan a couple of days ago and all is well. Keep them in your prayers.

Pop!

It's now time to have some fun. Go pop some BUBBLEWRAP!

Turn your sound UP!

A Visual Perspective

Keith of Thinkin Bout Stuff has gone to the trouble of putting up some graphs everyone should take a look at.

First we have a couple of pie charts that give a more visual impact of how often Senator Kerry has NOT voted this year.

The other set of charts relates to my earlier post on Gasoline prices. He's got the charts that put things in an historical perspective.

Go check it out - sometimes a picture is worth a million words. *G*

The Silence of the Media

Back in 2000 in Chicago when gas prices started going way up, there was a tremendous outcry. People were telling their sob stories all over the newspapers and radio (and very likely television too, but I wasn't watching). The local media turned up the heat on Springfield. They screamed about how gasoline prices were hurting the "little people". They demanded that the state rollback it's excessive taxes on gas - "Bring the price down!" they cried. They badgered George Ryan incessantly. (not that he didn't deserve it, but that's a different story)

I noticed all this even when I was TRYING to ignore it. So what I want to know is - why am I NOT hearing the same thing right now? I hear the national news stories from Florida and California and other places in the US. Gasoline prices are going through the roof! Look out the sky is falling!

Our prices here are at about the same level as they were when the media meltdown occurred in 2000. So, what's the deal? NO ONE here is talking gas prices. No media are threatening the good Gov with total state bankruptcy if he doesn't DO something. No reporters are stalking customers at gas stations trying to find someone with the most heartrending story to tell. There are no shrill shrieks for gas taxes to be lowered until the crisis passes. Why not? What is different?

Could it be that there is a Democrat in the governor's office and a Republican in the White House? As opposed to 2000 when we had a Republican in the governor's office and a Democrat in the White House? I find this all vastly amusing. It also shows how much the media can spin a story when they want to, and how they can induce near panic when they try. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this.

Remember now - I don't watch television, so I don't know what they're calling for on TV, but I am truly astounded at how little the gas prices are being played up on local radio...

How old is old enough?

It seems our esteemed Gov - Rod Blagojevich has made a surprisingly back-stabbing move against his Democrat buddies. He wants to lower the age to obtain a gun owners permit from 21 to 18 - without parental consent.

The governor has said he will sign a bill that would reduce the age from 21 to 18 because a person old enough to go to war should be entitled to get a gun in civilian life without going through his or her parents.

Wow - I'm impressed. This is a completely NON-liberal move on the gov's part. Needless to say, the Chicago Dems have their panties all in a twist at the thought of this legislation. With Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) adding this tremendously relevent observation:

"Does he mean they should get scud missiles too?" said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago). Currie said she was "quite surprised" by the governor's position.

Then there is State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) with the usual scare tactic:

"Lowering the FOID age to 18 only seems to add to the potential dangers for accidents or deliberate firearm use by those who are least inclined to use them responsibly," Schoenberg said.

How many times do you people have to be told - those with criminal intent are NOT going to go out and get an FOID card! Why would they even WANT to have their names on file as owning a gun, if they plan to commit a felony? If these kids want to use the high powered rifles to commit sniper shootings - like in the DC area (the other bogey man put up for us to be afraid of) don't you think they might just want to stay anonymous? Hmmmm???

Well, lest anyone think that the good Gov has done a complete about face... Sorry to disappoint you but the story continues on:

Blagojevich's aides said the governor would veto a proposal to allow retired police and military police to carry concealed weapons. As a congressman, Blagojevich voted in 1999 for an amendment that would allow retired law enforcement personnel to carry concealed weapons.

A flier sent by Democratic supporters during his gubernatorial campaign touted that vote as they sought to allay Downstate fears of hunters that he would carry his gun control views into the job as governor.

Ah - so he trusts 18 year old hunters, but not those scary retired police officers and military people. Not only that, but he campaigned on the previous vote he made in congress that would allow such a thing. I guess it was okay then but not okay since he's now the governor.

I am fairly sure that the reasoning is - throw out this stupid sop to the pro-gun people and maybe they won't notice when he vetos the other proposal... Good try Gov I was impressed for all of a few paragraphs. Want to try again?

Decisions, Decisions

The EU is in a quandry. To Kyoto or not to Kyoto. It seems that they are finally having to admit that implementing the treaty is going to have a huge economic impact.

The projected costs, as well as the likely loss of economic competitiveness with the United States, has the EU wondering if it can virtually go it alone in implementing the Kyoto Protocols on climate change. The protocol has yet to take effect as a binding treaty since the US and Russia won't sign on, and China and India were given a pass for now.

This was apparently fine with the EU as long as the treaty was going to hit the US harder. Since we were smart enough to question the real reason for this treaty - putting the US at an economic disadvantage as opposed to the stated concern over the environment - the EU finds itself in a dilemma. Can they afford to stick with the treaty? Looks like they're going to try - and France is leading the way, showing us all how to win friends and influence people...

In Germany, the EU's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the government has been in a crisis over details of its plan. Last week at an EU summit, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder asked the body to slow down implementation but was rebuffed by France. All he won was a request for a cost-benefit study on "environmental and competitiveness considerations" in meeting Kyoto's strict targets

As far as I know, no one has even proved that the provisions of the Kyoto treaty would work to make the world cleaner and more pollution free. But it sounds really good.

Triticale has Moved

He is the newest Minuvia member (that I know of - maybe there are others who are even more new...). Anyhow, if you have him on your blog roll - don't forget to update the links. There is still a bit of a problem because he hasn't gotten his archives moved yet. But posting is going on now at the new site. Go on over and say Hi!

Missile, Missile who's got the Missile?

Looks like the Ukraine has misplaced a few HUNDRED Soviet era missiles.

"We are looking for several hundred missiles," Marchuk was quoted as saying in Thursday's edition. "They have already been decommissioned, but we cannot find them".

The weapons did exist at one time, now they have disappeared. This seems to alarm folks... I can't understand why. After all, the same thing has happened in Iraq, yet no one seems to be the least bit alarmed. Weapons once accounted for are no longer in evidence. So what? No, with the Iraq weapons, they are blaming the US for scaremongering. No one appears to be the least bit interested in what happened to weapons that were known to exist prior to 1998. The fact that they've simply disappeared means that Bush and Blair are incompetent (and by the same token so are our intelligence networks).

Now in the Ukraine, they're all upset because some weapons have gone missing. If they're gone, why should we worry about it? Why should we want to find out what happened to them? Why isn't the USA Today accusing the Ukraines of trumping up phantom weapons? Hmmmm?

"They say they were destroyed. OK, destroyed," Marchuk said. "Every such missile has gold, silver, platinum metals. Where are the results of their destruction?"

Marchuk said that when he became minister, "no one knew what the armed forces had," and after nine months in the job he still doesn't have precise information.

If we apply Iraq standards to this problem - there is no problem. So, sleep well tonight my children, all the bad missiles are gone, we don't have to worry about them anymore.

I think California is in some Real Trouble

It seems they had to declare a Stage 1 Power Alert today... Why you ask?

The Independent System Operator, which manages much of the state's power grid, lost two plants that supplied about 800 megawatts early Monday, then saw electricity use surpass forecasts by 1,100 megawatts, mainly due to higher than average temperatures, said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle.

Okay, it's not the height of summer - even though the temps are higher than normal. So to me, this is a bit of an ominous development. No tremendously aberrant temperatures or activity and yet there is still an emergency with the electrical power. And this is the spin they put on things...

Temperatures in Southern California were running around 10 to 12 degrees higher than forecast, she said, but that didn't account for all the higher demand for power.

"Probably what we're seeing is an increase in growth due to the economy rebounding," McCorkle said. "Power grid usage has always been an economic indicator. Strong growth translates into an increased appetite for electricity."

Well, a growing economy is a good thing in most cases. It seems like most of those cases would be everywhere except California. My, my I hope no one is counting on having the power on all summer.

A few suggestions - buy generators, move elsewhere, move elsewhere (oops I'm repeating myself). California might be a beautiful place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I hope I'm simply being very pessimistic based on a faulty news report. Guess we'll see. In the meantime - here's to keeping the lights on!

I See that the Letter of the Day has Returned

I noticed Invitations Introducing me to the return of the LOTD as I was eyeing various blogs. It would be an excellent Idea If you Inspected It Immediately.