Sunday, April 22, 2012

I Just Want To Celebrate

The news is full of Earth Day activities, most of which don't take place on this day.

Friday Central Iowa held a Trash Bash and it was a good thing that the sun was shining on that day because rain would delay it 3 days.

There's some commitment to Mother Earth for you and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Valley Junction is holding Earth Day in the Junction 5K Run Walk, be sure to click for driving directions.


Eastern Iowa chose to kick off their Earth Week Fair yesterday, with three special workshops appropriate for adults, children, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

That's an interesting breakdown.

One of the workshops is called “Get Geocaching!” and geocaching expert John Morgan gave the basics of the treasure-hunting game that’s played using GPS devices.

It looks like cars are required as simple caches are often called "drive-bys," or "park 'n grabs".

Another workshop was “What on Earth? Climate Change & Severe Weather Safety”.

This premise is completely wrong as “There is medium evidence and high agreement that long-term trends in normalized [property] losses have not been attributed to natural or anthropogenic climate change.” 

The Big Lug Nut was brought back into the news with a story on one of his pet projects, the Iowa Power Fund.

The BLN  called the program to support renewable energy research and development a resounding success by pointing to an algae production plant.

Algae? Isn't that President Obama's fuel of the future?

According to the BLN, the $4 million from the fund will grow substitutes for fish oil and proteins for feedstock.

Where's the power come into being?

Other Power Fund highlights(?) include, One company accidentally wasted most of its $1 million grant ordering equipment from an out-of-state supplier that went bankrupt and $2.8 million was spent studying a proposal to store wind energy that was later determined not to be feasible.

Don't forget the $19,000 given to Consumer Energy to study a plug-in hybrid electric car owned by Consumer Energy.

Results of the nearly two years of study found the plug-in battery used in the vehicle does not work well in the cold.

At the Statehouse two state senators got into a heated discussion about climate change, with Dummycrat Rob Boss Hogg playing the part of Al Gore -- “‘Scientists, including those representing 28 Iowa colleges and universities who recently released a statement, have warned us that changes in global climate patterns are brining more extreme weather events to Iowa, the United States and our world.’”

To which Republican Senator David Johnson responded -- “I’m on the side of the scientists I served with in Antartica and Greenland and I’m the only member of this body that has done that. And there is no agreement in the scientific community, no consensus that things have really changed because change happens.”

Johnson schooled the lawyer, who earned a master's degree in energy policy from the Hubert Horatio Hornblower...Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.

Speaking of schooling, second grade students at Sunset Heights Elementary School in Webster City, and their teacher, will be on a Shower Strike this week.

They're promising to not take a shower or a bath until we’ve raised a thousand dollars to help build a well for a school in Kenya.

Here's hoping the winds blow out of the South until then.



Thursday, April 12, 2007

And We're Baaaack!


This American Infidel has returned from my annual, since 1994, Mecca to Maui.

Chris and I usually use it as a time to recharge the batteries and escape from winter.

Apparently 3 weeks wasn't nearly long enough!

Imagine my delight when I watched the snow fly outside my window, and pile up.

Damn you Gore-bull Warming!

A guy could definitely get used to sunshine and 80s everyday and thanks to that this hoale isn't as pale as when he left.

We just did the usual for the first 10 days, reading on the putting green of a lawn at the condo we rent.

I read a book on Babe Ruth and one on Roberto Clemente.

I also read a couple of bad books.

One was by former Baseball Commissioner Faye Vincent who videotaped interviews with former major league players from the 40s and 50s and then turned the transcripts of those interviews into a book.

The bad part was the they copied the transcripts verbatim from the interview and it doesn't work because of the rambling thoughts of 80+ year old men.

The other bad book was about General George S. Patton and The Desert Fox Erwin Rommel.

That author said he wasn't going to make it a technical book, it had technicalities in it.

Also, it was poorly edited with numerous pages having mis-spelled words.

I also got half way through a book on Mao tse-tung, I believe it's the same one that the President read, what a bastard!

In learning of some of his beliefs, I'd swear they're the same as Fiberal Dummycrats!

That'll be the end of the political comments I'll make, I didn't watch much television in those 3 weeks and I never picked up a newspaper or went online.

That was VERY nice.

My mom and older sister came over for the remainder of the trip so Chris and I acted like tour guides.

This is my mom's second straight year there, but she had just finished radiation for the metastatic breast cancer that had broken her pelvis last year and wasn't up to doing a whole whale of a lot.

We went on a humpback whale watching excursion and were "mugged" by a mom and her calf.

A "mugging" occurs when they come up to the boat, by law boats cannot get closer than 100 yards however these huge mammals are allowed to go wherever they want.

My 72 year old mother went snorkeling for the first time and she took a pounding from a few waves as she was trying to get in. I was amazed knowing how much pain she's in from the effects cancer has had on her body.

She out snorkeled my 52 year old sister and did 10 times better than my twin sister did last year, she couldn't stand having the mask on her face so she stayed in shallow water and would put it to her face when face swam by.

For the second, and final time in this lifetime, I drove the Road to Hana. My mom wanted to see Charles Lindbergh's grave, which is a few miles past Hana.

It's only 53 miles long, but entails 600 switchbacks, quite a few hair pin curves and 54 one lane bridges.

The trip takes about 3 hours, ONE WAY!

On the way back I filled the car up at a cost of $3.89 per gallon, that's Hana Highway Robbery (the rest of the island was $3.23).

By the way, when the hell are the damn dummycrats going to do something about the cost of gasoline?

Oops, I digress and violated my earlier no political statement.

I blame jet lag.

The east side of Maui is a rain forest and there are a lot of waterfalls and beautiful ocean views.

I was hoping we could go all the way around the island, but because of last fall's earthquake they closed the road for fear of falling rock.

The views there are jaw dropping, but the road looks like charcoal briquettes and feels like it too and that was before the earthquake.

The only thing we couldn't accomplish on my mother's list was para sailing, they don't allow it while the humpbacks are there.

I'm ready for Maui 2008!

Friday, July 20, 2007

In a New York Minute


Rudy Giuliani is getting some grief here in Iowa for being late to campaign events.

"Giuliani's theme of the day is judicial philosophy. But being on time is not one of the 12 commitments. He's now 15 minutes late."

And

"Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani showed up 50 minutes late for a speech. That's rude. Giuliani and his people offered no explanation for why a speech scheduled for 10:30 a.m. didn't come off until 11:20."

Interestingly, Hellary was an hour late to her event at the State Fairgrounds earlier this month and not a peep.

I'm reminded of two different rallies in the fall of 2004.

There was a Kerry/Edwards rally at the fairgrounds as well.

It was cold and rainy, plus the duo (and their wives) were over an hour late and those Dummycrats just stood there drenched and shivering.

I went to a President Bush event at the fairgrounds also during a cold and rainy day, yet I stayed dry and toasty inside the Varied Industries building.

Obviously Dummycrats aren't smart enough to come in from the rain and the scientific community is united in that fact.

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
You can get out of the rain
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Rank has its privileges


The American Film Institute has released their list of the 100 most inspiring films of all time. AFI distributed a ballot with 300 movies to 1,500 leaders of the creative community, up to five write ins could be submitted. Topping the list, Frank Capra's...IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. A great movie and how can you not like Jimmy Stewart, a great man and a great American. Here's the 100:

1 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
2 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962
3 SCHINDLER'S LIST 1993
4 ROCKY 1976
5 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1939
6 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982
7 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 1940
8 BREAKING AWAY 1979
9 MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET 1947
10 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998
11 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946
12 APOLLO 13 1995
13 HOOSIERS 1986
14 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957
15 THE MIRACLE WORKER 1962
16 NORMA RAE 1979
17 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 1975
18 THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK 1959
19 THE RIGHT STUFF 1983
20 PHILADELPHIA 1993
21 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1967
22 THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES 1942
23 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994
24 NATIONAL VELVET 1944
25 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 1941
26 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
27 HIGH NOON 1952
28 FIELD OF DREAMS 1989
29 GANDHI 1982
30 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962
31 GLORY 1989
32 CASABLANCA 1942
33 CITY LIGHTS 1931
34 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 1976
35 GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER 1967
36 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954
37 FORREST GUMP 1994
38 PINOCCHIO 1940
39 STAR WARS 1977
40 MRS. MINIVER 1942
41 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965
42 12 ANGRY MEN 1957
43 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
44 SPARTACUS 1960
45 ON GOLDEN POND 1981
46 LILIES OF THE FIELD 1963
47 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
48 THE AFRICAN QUEEN 1951
49 MEET JOHN DOE 1941
50 SEABISCUIT 2003
51 THE COLOR PURPLE 1985
52 DEAD POET'S SOCIETY 1989
53 SHANE 1953
54 RUDY 1993
55 THE DEFIANT ONES 1958
56 BEN-HUR 1959
57 SERGEANT YORK 1941
58 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977
59 DANCES WITH WOLVES 1990
60 THE KILLING FIELDS 1984
61 SOUNDER 1972
62 BRAVEHEART 1995
63 RAIN MAN 1988
64 THE BLACK STALLION 1979
65 A RAISIN IN THE SUN 1961
66 SILKWOOD 1983
67 THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 1951
68 AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN 1982
69 THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS 1957
70 COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER 1980
71 COOL HAND LUKE 1967
72 DARK VICTORY 1939
73 ERIN BROCKOVICH 2000
74 GUNGA DIN 1939
75 THE VERDICT 1982
76 BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ 1962
77 DRIVING MISS DAISY 1989
78 THELMA & LOUISE 1991
79 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1956
80 BABE 1995
81 BOYS TOWN 1938
82 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 1971
83 MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN 1936
84 SERPICO 1973
85 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT 1993
86 STAND AND DELIVER 1988
87 WORKING GIRL 1988
88 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942
89 HAROLD AND MAUDE 1972
90 HOTEL RWANDA 2004
91 THE PAPER CHASE 1973
92 FAME 1980
93 A BEAUTIFUL MIND 2001
94 CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS 1937
95 PLACES IN THE HEART 1984
96 SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER 1993
97 MADAME CURIE 1943
98 THE KARATE KID 1984
99 RAY 2004
100 CHARIOTS OF FIRE 1981
Part of the judging criteria was...Movies that inspire with characters of vision and conviction who face adversity and often make a personal sacrifice for the greater good. Whether these movies end happily or not, they are ultimately triumphant--both filling audiences with hope and empowering them with the spirit of human potential.

That's why I can't understand some of the films listed.
#6 ET? Not only was the movie crap, ET looked like crap to me too.
#16 NORMA RAE? Sally Fields is annoying. She's really, really annoying.
#17 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST? I liked it, but inspiring?
#34 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN? It wouldn't be Hollyweird if we didn't bash Republicans.
#45 ON GOLDEN POND? see #17.
#47 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY? WHAT?
#58 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND? Hollyweird loves Spielberg.
#59 DANCES WITH WOLVES? I was rooting for the wolves.
#78 THELMA & LOUISE? Now I want to go off a cliff.
#80 BABE? It's Bacon! It's a cartoon!
#89 HAROLD AND MAUDE? That just gives me the heeby jeebies.
#99 RAY? I love Ray Charles' music, but it was a bad movie and Ray was real life scum.

I think FIELD OF DREAMS should have been higher than #28, I also believe it deserved the Oscar for Best Picture over DRIVING MISS DAISY. I still cry thinking, "Dad, do you wanna have a catch?". If you want to talk inspiring, the movie came out in 1989 and people still come to a field near Dyersville, Iowa because that movie touched them. Can that be said about any other movie on this list? I'm not talking playing dress up like STAR WARS either, sorry Pruisner! When Chris and I were there, a few years ago, there was a group all the way from JAPAN!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Field Of Memes?


In 2006 the Culver-Judge campaign ran a commercial where the candidates stood in an Iowa field, in the rain, promoting their Iowa Values and Common Sense.

I noted then that not being smart enough to come in out of the rain is NOT a IowaValue nor does it show Common Sense!!

Now, the Culver-Judge team is back in the field with a new commercial that has the Big Lug Nut talking about making mistakes and how he's grown in office.

Apparently by this much















And the scientific community is united in that fat, err fact!

Voters need to tell Culver-Judge, they're all washed up.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough?


The head of ASSME, Danny Homan (pictured) and 25 correctional officers stood in a cold, steady rain outside the Newton Correctional Facility on Wednesday to protest what they contend are shortfalls in prison staffing.

If employees were able to get time off to attend a union rally, staffing can't be all that bad and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Homan said, "...Enough is enough. It is not OK to blame public employees for the problems that this state has suffered through, if this state has suffered through any problems.”

IF?

For the record, State and local government debt has jumped by more than 6 percent to $13.8 billion the largest additions to the debt were $160 million to pay for former Democratic Gov. Chet Culver’s I-Jobs program and $130 million for a new maximum-security prison at Fort Madison.

I fear for public safety when those charged with enforcing it aren't smart enough to come in out of the rain & cold.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Hee Haw Redux

That's the first thing I thought of when I saw Chester & Fatty's latest commercial.

As part of their TOO FAT & UGLY TO BE ELECTED TOUR, they're standing at a fence with water coming down on them.

Fatty Judge makes fun of Nussle spending money on a "rain forest in Iowa".

I'm not a fan of tax dollars going for that boondoggle either, but I wouldn't be ticking off voters in communities like Riverside, Pella and a few others who actually sought to bring it to their areas...not too swift!

They end up again talking about their Iowa Values and Common Sense.

As a LIFE LONG Iowan, not being smart enough to come in out of the rain is NOT a IowaValue nor does it show Common Sense!!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Your garden variety crap


This made the front of Drudge today...

Cold Temperatures Freeze Gardening Season

All of this cold weather is freezing the start of the gardening season. Now, outdoor fans are eager for a warm-up.

"I'm 71-years-old and I've never seen spring come this late," Robert Ciesleck said.

..."When it starts getting into mid-March and April, then things should change fast, but not this year."

It has been a bad winter, more snow on Saturday put Central Iowa in the top six at 58.5 inches for the season.

My property, The Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, is like a soaked sponge with the ground squishing when you step on it.

We had too much rain last summer and fall, with too wet of a winter and I don't think it'll ever dry out.

Personally, I blame Gore-BULL warming and the scientific community is united in that fact.

If you check the charts, and not the memory of a 71 year old, you'll see freezing temps remain in the state until early May.


















Also, temperatures don't just jump from Mid-March to April.

This chart will show an average increase of a degree a day.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Broken

President Obama, once again, is not smart enough to come in out of the rain.

‘Everyone is wet anyway’ soaked Obama jokes to crowd

There's no worse smell than a wet Dummycrat.

Soon his political career will be all washed up and the scientific community is united in that fact.

In other developments, President Obama says Washington "feels as broken as it did four years ago."

That's because he's the broker.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Scared


First Lady Michelle Obama told high school students, this week, that being married to the president can be scary at times.

"I mean this is scary. Shoot, being married to Barack Obama?"

That's what it's like living under his regime and the scientific community is united in that fact.

`What's he doing now? No, not this.'"

Quit complaining, you agreed to marry him.

Hell, I didn't even vote for him.







Plus, like a typical Dummycrat, he's not smart enough to come in out of the rain.
















I'm thinking being married to her is no picnic either.