Monday, November 24, 2014

Don't play with guns



Amazing how times have changed. I remember when kids, self included, used to roam the neighborhood with six shooters, cap guns, or army rifles, depending on what we were playing. Never a second look. Never any fear of the police thinking we were going to shoot someone. So sad what we have become as a society.

Earthquake Swarm, Spaceweather | S0 News November 24, 2014

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Thank you Sen. Angus King



XL pipeline vote failed in Senate by one vote. " And on Tuesday afternoon, Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, announced that he was voting "no" on the measure." HP

While this vote will return in January, we appreciate Senator King saying no to Big Oil and shame on you Senator Collins and all you democrats who voted for this environmental disaster in the making. The pipeline will not create thousand of permanent jobs or lower oil prices. Get real people, end reliance on oil.


Calm Sets In, Records Update | S0 News November 19, 2014

Monday, November 17, 2014

Return the Rabbit Ears

 

Okay, not the rabbit years, but a simpler method to watch and record shows. There was a simpler time when we all had antennas on our homes and the TV was hooked up to a recorder. All very simple. Well, last night our Direct TV receiver went belly up. And yay, we actually talked to an English speaking rep, two times! Basically, according to the rep, broadcasters put codes in shows that you record and over time it just overwhelms the receiver, or something like that.

But here's the rub, we lost all of our recorded shows, many that hadn't been watched, and of course all scheduled recordings are gone. They will send a new receiver that will supposedly come in 2/3 days. The I guess we have to call Direct TV to activate it. Hopefully, we'll still get an English speaking rep. But it just seemed simpler in times past. The airways were free and it was easy to "tape" shows to watch later. But alas, times change, not always for the better.


Mental Isolationism

 

Many of us remember the Pink Floyd line, "comfortably numb." Well, it seems to be a pandemic that deserves attention. If you look at most social media in the U.S., the most popular and commented upon posts are about cute animals, sports stars, the Kardashians,  funny videos, political bashings, etc.

All well and good to perhaps relieve anxiety, but when it comes to real issues, only the few seem to take any notice. Climate disasters, recessions, the poor, homeless, the hungry, education (or the lack thereof), beheadings, mass deaths (of people and and animals), and more are reserved to a minority.

If you recall history, which many don't, the U.S. has periods of isolationism, an overt attempt to stay out of the affairs of other nations. In most cases, this got us in trouble-"No man (nation) is an island. We all share the same planet, air, water, economies. And, while the U.S. has not been particularly isolationist of late, it's people are, at least mentally. There is a if we ignore it it will go away. Yes, what you focus on you attract, but what you ignore can bite you in the butt. Being informed and calling for actions to address major concerns does not mean dwell on the negative; it means to replace the negative with a positive.

In this day and age, can we really afford to be "comfortably numb?"

Big Earthquakes, Solar Flares, Record Cold | S0 News November 17, 2014

Monday, November 10, 2014

This serves no god

 

 

Bombing At Nigerian School Assembly Leaves Dozens Dead, Including Studentshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/10/nigerian-school-bombing_n_6131256.html

There is no religion in the world that condones this type of blatant brutality. To do this to create a caliphate, to instill terror, to murder children, is fundamentally wrong and serves no god.

Earthquake, CME Impact | S0 News November 10, 2014

Friday, November 7, 2014

Big Earthquake, Solar Flares Keep Coming | S0 News November 7, 2014

100% Voter Turnout!




Data shows that only one-third of the eligible voters were responsible for the GOP mid-term election victories. I totally disagree. When a voter chooses not to cast a ballot, not to take the time to make their desires known, then, in fact, they have voted. They have voted to let others decide for them. Not making a choice is making a choice. So if the whining starts, few will listen. You made your choice. (I do not know who did this cartoon. It was on FB-but whoever did it deserves the credit. It was posted by Boing Boing)

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Disastrous not just for Democrats



Yup, democrats got whipped big time on November 4th. But they will not be the only ones to suffer. With the republicans running the show, look for new trade deals in Europe and the Asia. Sounds good? Well, have free trade deals ever increased jobs at home? No. Just as the American economy is thinking about turning around, more jobs will be sent to foreign shores. Further, most of the "free" trade deals on the table allow corporations to override local business rules and environmental regulations. Look for Wall Street to make more money and for workers to lose more jobs.

Higher wages for American workers? Yeah, right. We know where the GOP stands on raising the minimum wage.

Better jobs and higher wages for women? Umm, no.

Protection and proper response to changing climate? Not a chance. Regardless of the causes of climate change, reliance on fossil fuels , strip mining, record CO2 emissions, poisoning water supplies with fracking chemicals, massive oil spills, deforestation, arctic drilling, over fishing, acid oceans from pollution, etc., are definitely not a good thing for us or the environment. The GOP and its big money supporters have, recently, done nothing to solve these problems and are often the cause of them.

Banking reform and regulations that help Main Street and small business? Well, we know what's happening there: nothing but rules that benefit big corporations.

Peaceful approaches in foreign affairs? Isn't it the GOP that asks for more definitive military action in the Middle East?

This is not a very good time for the nation to shift to the political right. Yup, you can smoke dope in several new places but in the total scheme of things, will that really matter?

Yes, the election of 2014 was indeed disastrous.

Sorry bears, shame on Maine

 

Very sorry and ashamed that Maine voted to continue to bait, trap, and use dogs to kill bears. This is not hunting, it's animal cruelty. In this day and age I'm sure that we could up with another alternative to limit bear population growth without resorting to such inhumane methods. Shame on you all who voted to preserve this practice.