hippy types

portending the universe

We demonstrate that as we extrapolate the current ΛCDM universe forward in time, all evidence of the Hubble expansion will disappear, so that observers in our “island universe” will be fundamentally incapable of determining the true nature of the universe, including the existence of the highly dominant vacuum energy, the existence of the CMB, and the primordial origin of light elements. With these pillars of the modern Big Bang gone, this epoch will mark the end of cosmology and the return of a static universe. In this sense, the coordinate system appropriate for future observers will perhaps fittingly resemble the static coordinate system in which the de Sitter universe was first presented.

somebody needs to write it all down for those poor people 100 billion years from now---

how bad does it have to get?

bush's job approval rating slipped to 27 percent, his lowest number ever in a CBS News poll — 3 points less than last month and 1 point below his previous low of 28
percent in January. His disapproval rating is also at an all-time high of 65 percent.

the same poll found that only 22% thought the war was going well; 77% thought it going badly---you wonder where those people in that 22% are getting their information, if you are charitable, or whether or not they've got shit for brains, if you are not so charitable---

le mur vegetal

vertical gardens by patrick blanc----those crazy french prove you can garden anywhere--

kitty kitty kitty

Some 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East, an audacious wild cat crept into one of the crude villages of early human settlers, the first to domesticate wheat and barley. There she felt safe from her many predators in the region, such as hyenas and larger cats, and the rodents that infested the settlers’ homes and granaries were sufficient prey for her.

they've found a human and an 8-month old kitty buried together 8,000 years ago---and how they came to be with us is totally different from the dogs----it's always been on their terms---i didn't know there were so many subspecies of wild cat (not feral cats, but truly wild)---and all of our house cats today descended from five females in one of those subspecies----that's a scottish wildcat behind the tree---there's only 500 of them left---

another rude opinion

In other words, all the kinds of functions that one might expect a Vice President to take care of - making token appearances on behalf of the President - are now done by a man who ought not have that much free time in his schedule. It's not that a President shouldn't occasionally make the appearance at the Little League game. But roughly once every other day? Sometimes twice in a day? That seems, well, perhaps disproportionate to the position of the Presidency. George Bush seems less like our fearless leader and more like a bored, rich housewife trying to fill her time between doses of Xanax. Another Laura, pretty much.

the luck of the irish

purty funny

utah's most wanted

a reminder that there are some very scary people out there---at least this one is clearly labeled----

parade

new democrats

obama:

Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before the national meeting of the United Church of Christ. "Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us," the Illinois senator said.

elizabeth edwards:

Elizabeth Edwards, starring at the kickoff event of San Francisco's signature Gay Pride Parade, came out in support of legalized gay marriage today -- taking a position which she acknowledged is at odds with her husband, presidential candidate John Edwards."I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me,'' she said. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.''

a fourth branch of government

the dark lord cheney has declared that as vice-president of these united states, he is not a part of the executive branch of govt and therefore not subject to oversight----the rude one has identified six other things the office of the vice president actually is:

Dick Cheney has decided that his office is a free-floating radical in DC, not quite an executive entity, not truly a legislative one, but some unholy Reese's cup of evil. Here's some other ways the Veep has untethered himself from mortal binds.

1. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a Native American religion, Cheney and his staff are free to smoke peyote at the start of every morning meeting.

2. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a breach in the space/time continuum, Cheney is free to enter at will his own dimension, the
realm of Cthulhu and the slime beasts.

3. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a motorcycle gang, Cheney is free to beat Senators with chains and blackjacks.

4. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but technically an executive bathroom, Cheney is free to wipe his ass with whatever documents are handy, memos, executive orders, Constitutions.

5. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a freak show, Cheney is free to bite the heads off chickens. And nosy members of Congress.

6. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually an insane asylum, Cheney is free to rain bedlam down on the whole of government.

let's put a dollar value on it. . .

Richard Florida, a professor from George Mason University and author of the book The Rise of the Creative Class argued that the more "gay-friendly" a city is, the more economically prosperous it will be

pride redux

The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between New York City police officers and groups of gay and transgender people that began during the early morning of June 28, 1969, and lasted several days. Also called the Stonewall Rebellion or simply Stonewall, the clash was a watershed for the worldwide gay rights movement, as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police.

that's why we have pride this weekend and not some weekend in january----

3.5 million showed up for the parade in sao paulo a couple of weeks ago---i doubt that atlanta's will be quiet so rowdy---

another benefit of tax cuts for the rich

last year, deaths in new orleans were up 47% over rates for the two years before katrina---the city's largest and oldest public hospital, charity hospital, remains closed----

pride

It's not about you.It has nothing to do with an affront on you or your way of life - nor is it an attack on your moral sensibilities.It's just that you've told me all my life that we're sinners. You've told us, as we've grown up, that God hates us; that we're not worthy of walking your streets.And so we grew up believing that yes, we're disgusting. And yes, God hates us; wants nothing but sadness from us; has given us challenges that are too great for any person to take one. And it's not enough for you to leave us alone. For you, it's offense that we're even alive.And for many of us, it became too much to handle. We escaped - either into our minds or out of this world entirely.And some of us were blessed to find a community. A group of people just like us who knew what we felt. A group of people who had also spent their entire lives living in fear that one day it would all come crashing down.And we've grown up. We've come into our own. We've realized that we, too, are created in the Image of God, no matter how our brains are wired.And so we'll walk with you on your streets. We don't want to walk against you. We'd like for you to join us. We'd like for you to acknowledge that we, too, are created with a spark of the Divine. We'd like for you to realize what we've gone through; how hard we've worked just to feel normal.And we'd like for you to understand that when we get there; when we finally come to the point in our lives where we stop the fight and begin to look at ourselves as we truly are - as human beings with the same desires and needs as everyone else - that we can finally feel alive. That's why we march.To celebrate that we've survived in this world.To celebrate the sanctity of humanity.To show others that they, too, are not solitary abominations.God has created us all, in God's own image, and we, too, are good.

better late than never

it's a shame people couldn't have figured out his worthlessness earlier in the process. . .

June 21, 2007 - In 19 months, George W. Bush will leave the White House for the last time. The latest NEWSWEEK Poll suggests that he faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to his side before he goes. In the new poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, President Bush’s approval rating has reached a record low. Only 26 percent of Americans, just over one in four, approve of the job the 43rd president is doing; while, a record 65 percent disapprove, including nearly a third of Republicans.

The new numbers—a 2 point drop from the last NEWSWEEK Poll at the beginning of May—are statistically unchanged, given the poll’s 4 point margin of error. But the 26 percent rating puts Bush lower than Jimmy Carter, who sunk to his nadir of 28 percent in a Gallup poll in June 1979. In fact, the only president in the last 35 years to score lower than Bush is Richard Nixon. Nixon’s approval rating tumbled to 23 percent in January 1974, seven months before his resignation over the botched Watergate break-in.

and now new york

A notable vote occurred yesterday: the New York State Assembly passed a bill allowing gay couples to have the same marriage rights as straight couples. The vote was 85 - 61, after governor Eliot Spitzer's ballsy and principled support. Now it's up to the State Senate. New York follows California's legislature in passing a legislative bill for marriage equality. This occurs after the state supreme court said the issue
was up to legislators - not the judiciary. One small but pertinent fact for cowardly Democrats like Obama, Clinton and Edwards: since Spitzer actually said what he believes about gay rights, his approval ratings have only improved.

"the science of gaydar"

EXAMPLE A: Hair Whorl (Men) Gay men are more likely than straight men to have a counterclockwise whorl.

crack-head republican

South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been suspended from office,
following his indictment by a federal grand jury for distribution of cocaine.

the new cooper river bridge in charleston is named for his father--the ravenel family has been rich big shots in carolina almost since its founding---now the state treasurer busted for selling crack! oh, and he's a republican, chairman of guilliani's campaign in s. carolina---

bugs

i went over to the botanical garden today to check out their "big bug" exhibit---although nice it was somewhat less than i was expecting, being only four or five bugs in the whole place---however, bugs that there were were impressive----all varnished wood---plus the echinacea and the rudbeckia were very attractive today---

peachtree street

they are kinda rowdy out there tonight, pretty much bumper to bumper---boom, boom, boom

latin american eqaulity

Colombia is set to become the first Latin American country to give established gay
couples full rights to health insurance, inheritance and social security under a bill passed by its Congress.

it's not full equality, but it's progress---buenos aires, mexico city, and the brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul have also passed similar legislation establishing not civil unions, but "patrimony rights."

equality

hooray for massachussetts and its legislature that today blocked an attempt to put an anti-gay, marriage amendment to a referendum----151-45---some people see it as a "watershed" event---we'll see---whatever, it won't make a bit of difference in this benighted state---the south will be dragged kicking and screaming into the future on this issue, the same way it was with race in the 1950s and '60s---and probably with about the same degree of success

poor animals

so poachers have shot the last two white rhinos in zambia, killing one of them and gouging out her horn----

meanwhile

The U.S. [amazingly enough] is leading a push to protect a type of red coral that grows deep in the world's oceans and seas, putting it at odds with Italian fishermen who have harvested the species for generations to make artwork and jewelry.

and more benign i guess but still a sign of how hard we can be on the critters, a second whale shark has up and died at the much-hyped ga aquarium---

update: nearly forgot about the 8' alligator they're trying to get out of the chattahoochee in sandy springs---

weather

it's raining again as another storm blows through---second time in three days---but it's a long way to replace that 50% of our usual rainfall that hasn't fallen this year---

and an update: the same storm from robert's unit

misc.

1. "this day in history" can be interesting, like today: anne frank got her diary in 1942, medgar evers was murdered in 1963, and o.j. took the knife to his ex and her boyfriend in 1994---

2. looks are not everything, even on american idol---a cellphone salesman from wales blows them away

3. world's tallest sandcastle at myrtle beach, sc

4. the ten tallest structures in 2010---one was built in 1963 and another in 1976---

a ray of hope

as aravosis has noted, it is unbelievable that this country has fallen for the idea that our centuries-old justice system is not up to the task of dealing with islamic terrorists---"everything changed on 9/11," they say---ha, i say, yeah, everything changed when bush and his enablers (which would include everyone who voted for him in '04, it being official policy here to cut slack to those who made a mistake in '00, but not to those so benighted as to do it twice) started trashing our legal system, judges, laws, constitution and all----one of those enablers was colin powell, but at least he is now sorry that was so:

I would close Guantanamo — not tomorrow, this afternoon. I’d close it. And
I’d not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United
States and put them into our federal legal system. The concern was, well, then
they’ll have access to lawyers, then they’ll have access to writs of habeas
corpus. So what? Let them. Isn’t that what our system’s all about? And by the
way, America, unfortunately, has too many people in jail, all of whom had
lawyers and access to writs of habeas corpus. And so we can handle bad people in
our system. And so I would get rid of Guantanamo and I’d get rid of the military
commissions system, and use established procedures in federal law or in the
manual for courts martial. I would do that because it’s more equatable and it’s
more understandable in constitutional terms. But I’d also do it because every
morning I pick up a paper and some authoritarian figure, some person somewhere,
is using Guantanamo to hide their own misdeeds. So essentially we have shaken
the belief that the world had in America’s justice system by keeping a place
like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission.

how do they sleep?

“vulture funds”----this may be getting close to the bottom of the barrel---money grubbers are not just screwing individuals and corporations, now they are screwing entire countries, mostly in africa----

Vulture funds are companies that attempt to make exorbitant profits at the
expense of impoverished nations – many in Africa. Vulture funds identify
countries that are on the brink of a major debt restructuring or debt relief
deal and buy the debt from the creditors at a huge discount before it is
restructured or relieved. Then the company sues the debtor for the original
amount of the debt, often with interest and penalty fees added on top, making a
tremendous profit.

a british court had no choice but to award a judgment for $15m against Zambia for a loan bought by one of these (American) funds for $4m---they had originally sued Zambia for $40m----legal maybe, although there may be some indictments for bribery, but whatever it is absolutely morally bankrupt-----

the rest of us

Latin America is a colorful place.

Garish bold paint covers teetering adobe, unplumbed cinderblock, and

structural poverty.

Festive colors celebrate life against a backdrop of so much unnecessary

death. Structural poverty. The politician's smile peels back to reveal

another face.

Yes, everything is for sale to the Gringos. Infant mortality, suicide, and

illiteracy have increased since NAFTA. The President of Mexico is a

former Coca Cola corporate executive.

"They're worse than the Nazis," Eduardo Galeano wrote of the politicians

in a neighboring Latin American country. "At least the Nazis were

nationalists."

-Daniel O'Donnell

priorities

dailykos is running a poll asking who is more deserving of inprisonment---scooter, paris, or the media producers who decide what is "news"---producers were way out in front last time i looked----

The media’s latest “serial obsession” focuses on Paris Hilton’s jail sentence. On Friday, MSNBC abruptly cut away from coverage of Gen. Peter Pace’s replacement (with producers screaming in the background) to return to Paris Hilton. A CNN anchor proudly called the station “the most trusted name in Paris news,” and during Friday’s broadcast of Katie Couric’s CBS Evening News, “the Paris Hilton ‘news’ got more coverage on CBS than a roadside bomb killing a U.S. soldier, the immigration legislation, and passage of the stem-cell bill combined — times two.”

liberating iraq

they hate us for our freedoms, right?

Fly into the American air base of Tallil outside Nasiriya in central Iraq and the flight path is over the great ziggurat of Ur, reputedly the earliest city on earth. Seen from the base in the desert haze or the sand-filled gloom of dusk, the structure is indistinguishable from the mounds of fuel dumps, stores and hangars. Ur is safe within the base compound. But its walls are pock-marked with wartime shrapnel and a blockhouse is being built over an adjacent archaeological site. When the head of Iraq's supposedly sovereign board of antiquities and heritage, Abbas al-Hussaini, tried to inspect the site recently, the Americans refused im access to his own most important monument.

thnx for the link, mg

holy war

There might be something unwholesome, even slightly insane, in their attempt to remove the category of the divine from human experience. But by storming into the catacombs of doctrinal absurdity, and into television studios where the air is so thick with sanctimony one is surprised that the camera lenses are not in need of a regular wiping-down, the atheists are doing us all a favor. They’re turning up the glare of reality. You’d better thank God for them.

wires

i guess we all just kinda ignore that tangle of wires everywhere, but wouldn't this be nice, the aesthetics of electric delivery being generally less than desirable?

MIT researchers said Thursday they will soon be able to charge a computer or cell-phone battery from across a room, perhaps making the annoyance of wires or dead batteries a thing of the past.

storms

nice storm blew through about 5 yesterday afternoon and then we hung out on the balcony watching the lightening from another storm that moved across the north side of town when it was getting dark---

are you racist?

take this little test from harvard.edu----

perils of finland

vampire moths! ye gads! first time a blood-sucking moth has been documented---and in finland of all places---

3503

as of today, that's how many of our military have now been killed in iraq----i would bet that more americans know how long paris hilton's skinny ass is supposed to be in jail than know that---nevermind d-day, 6 june 1944, when the allies came ashore in normandy as part of operation overlord to liberate france and the low countries from the nazis---casualties in that war brought us something worthwhile---but, hey, today is also the anniversary of bush's proposal in 2002 of his orwellian-sounding (and acting) dept. of homeland security; ironically enough today is also the anniversary of the publication of 1984, which occurred in 1949.

kitty, kitty, kitty

you probably already have seen kittenwar.com----if you haven't, do---it's like hot-or-not for kitty cats---total waste of time

the rude one

this is one of his best:

When the history of this depraved era is written in years and eras to come, one can look forward to scholarly and popular books, CSPAN-ready conferences and college courses all devoted to answering a single important question: Back at the beginning of the 21st century, was the United States government run by dicks or assholes? Truly, those will be the only choices. It may seem a fine distinction, but actually there's a wide gap, a taint, if you will, between the two.

and this choice line: "one who might have been considered an asshole at one time can now be fully seen as a dick. hence the reason we have historians."

bwaaaaaaaa!

"I've been called a bottom feeder," Flynt said. "I say, 'Yes, but look at what I found when I got down there!' " (from americablog)

so this full-page ad was in yesterday's washington post---hardy, har, har, give 'em hell, larry--

action/reaction

they won't go peacefully----

"three bloggers - digby at hullabaloo, david neiwart at orcinus and rick perlstein at the campaign for america's future - have recently been discussing a subject that needs a good deal more attention: the potential for outbreaks of rightwing violence if the republicans, who have embraced outrageously violent talk in many forums, are booted out of power come november 2008."

my new boyfriend

adam kokesh, the marine sgt. that attended the gonazles hearings and kept score of the times he said "i don't recall"----final tally: 76. now the marine corps is investigating his wearing of camoflauge fatigues (without ensignia) at demonstrations and whether or not his honorable discharge should be changed to dishonorable---even the vfw thinks the case is bogus---

robert's new home

he moved into the new place on thursday, but is still dragging stuff out of closets at his old place---baby cat is adjusting very well, unlike the move out of sinclair----