Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Lock and Dam Report 6am


From Louisville west we have averaged about an 1.5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. I have not looked at the weather map this morning but here in Western Kentucky it is still misting some rain with a slight breeze. Some trees still hold their leaves but most have shed theirs leaves.


Monday, November 29, 2010

Couple's first home is a meth house (CNN Story)

Go to their blog by clicking here.

Welcome to the 21st Century

We live in a strange environment where our space travel and adventures are all bound by computer screens, television screens and movie theater screens.
Our real adventure in space is succumbing to bureaucratic delay. We have a space station in the sky overhead and it is all but ignored by our youth. As you know they are stuck in computer screens, television screens and movie theater screens.

Hacking American Businesses Since 2002

Red tea this morning, I mix it up, one day coffee, two days tea. That helps my stomach.
It is beautiful out here in Western Kentucky, it is 42 degrees. They say rain is going to be here shortly and that will get everyone soaked as they are talking about an inch of rain.
Folks in Crittenden and Livingston Counties asked for and created a water supply for the area from the Cumberland river that borders both Crittenden and Livingston Counties. The water from the Cumberland may never run out in our lifetime.
Now the city of Marion is looking for a water source because it drained the City Lake by supplying everyone in the City and probably the county too with water. I always thought that the county would share its source with the city as the city shared it source with the county.
Politics and greed has raised it head in our community.

"A global computer hacking effort: China’s Politburo directed the intrusion into Google’s computer systems in that country, a Chinese contact told the American Embassy in Beijing in January, one cable reported. The Google hacking was part of a coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws recruited by the Chinese government. They have broken into American government computers and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses since 2002, cables said. "

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

Volunteer Hours 43 Hours a Week.

Warren Buffett said he envied those that volunteer their time for society.
So I thought to my self how much of my time is used to help mankind or are volunteer hours in their life.
So I decided to add it up.

Things I do:
I stay away from chemicals if I can.
I plant and stay organic.
I do not liter or condone it.
I write my congressman.
I stand up on a soapbox.
I am very strict on my family as to what is right or wrong.
I am for what is good for society.
I volunteer my time and spend my money on websites.
I say I am moderate, society says I am liberal.

I spend 20 hours a week working on NARFE material, writing NARFE letters and writing on NARFE websites and blogs.

I created and maintain the Wicket Lock and Dam website. 5 hours a week.
I created and maintain the Ohio River 3 Day Forecast website. 5 hours a week.
I created Laurelrose.com the keep up with what the hippies did at Morningstar Commune and store their thoughts. 5 hours a week.
Miscellaneous blogs and websites. 5 hours a week.
Writing my history. 3 hours a week.

I added up the time and came up with: 43 hours a week.

I have been doing some of this prior (I started laurelrose in 1998) to my retirement from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
2001
I joined NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association) after my retirement from the Federal Government.
I became our local chapter president and created a local chapter website.
I became the Federation Network Coordinator for the Kentucky Federation of Chapters after creating a Kentucky NARFE website.

I have been creating and maintaining this lifestyle since my retirement.

The Sun Day

Every society learned to divide the time the planet Earth traveled around the sun and divided each day as the sun came up over the horizon and set in the western skies.

What is the history of the sun day. Was seeing the sun become suddenly profound, did the light bulb go off in someones mind.

The thought was placed on a calendar as was the moon day.

Sunday—Sun’s day

Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg “day of the sun”
Germanic sunnon-dagaz “day of the sun”
Latin dies solis “day of the sun”
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, “day of the sun”

Monday—Moon’s day

Middle English monday or mone(n)day
Old English mon(an)dæg “day of the moon”
Latin dies lunae “day of the moon”
Ancient Greek hemera selenes “day of the moon”

Tuesday—Tiu’s day

Middle English tiwesday or tewesday
Old English tiwesdægTiw’s (Tiu’s) day”
Latin dies Martis “day of Mars”
Ancient Greek hemera Areos “day of Ares”

Tiu (Twia) is the English/Germanic god of war and the sky. He is identified with the Norse god Tyr.

Mars is the Roman god of war.

Ares is the Greek god of war.

Wednesday—Woden’s day

Middle English wodnesday, wednesday, or wednesdai
Old English wodnesdægWoden’s day”
Latin dies Mercurii “day of Mercury”
Ancient Greek hemera Hermu “day of Hermes”
Woden is the chief Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic god. Woden is the leader of the Wild Hunt. Woden is from wod “violently insane” + -en “headship”. He is identified with the Norse Odin.

Mercury is the Roman god of commerce, travel, theivery, eloquence and science. He is the messenger of the other gods.

Hermes is the Greek god of commerce, invention, cunning, and theft. He is the messenger and herald of the other gods. He serves as patron of travelers and rogues, and as the conductor of the dead to Hades.

Thursday—Thor’s day

Middle English thur(e)sday
Old English thursdæg
Old Norse thorsdagr “Thor’s day”
Old English thunresdæg “thunder’s day”
Latin dies Jovis “day of Jupiter”
Ancient Greek hemera Dios “day of Zeus”.

Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is represented as riding a chariot drawn by goats and wielding the hammer Miölnir. He is the defender of the Aesir, destined to kill and be killed by the Midgard Serpent.

Jupiter (Jove) is the supreme Roman god and patron of the Roman state. He is noted for creating thunder and lightning.

Zeus is Greek god of the heavens and the supreme Greek god.

Friday—Freya’s day

Middle English fridai
Old English frigedæg “Freya’s day”
composed of Frige (genetive singular of Freo) + dæg “day” (most likely)
or composed of Frig “Frigg” + dæg “day” (least likely)
Germanic frije-dagaz “Freya’s (or Frigg’s) day”
Latin dies Veneris “Venus’s day”
Ancient Greek hemera Aphrodites “day of Aphrodite”

Freo is identical with freo, meaning free. It is from the Germanic frijaz meaning “beloved, belonging to the loved ones, not in bondage, free”.

Freya (Fria) is the Teutonic goddess of love, beauty, and fecundity (prolific procreation). She is identified with the Norse god Freya. She is leader of the Valkyries and one of the Vanir. She is confused in Germany with Frigg.

Frigg (Frigga) is the Teutonic goddess of clouds, the sky, and conjugal (married) love. She is identified with Frigg, the Norse goddess of love and the heavens and the wife of Odin. She is one of the Aesir. She is confused in Germany with Freya.

Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Aphrodite (Cytherea) is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

Saturday—Saturn’s day

Middle English saterday
Old English sæter(nes)dæg “Saturn’s day”
Latin dies Saturni “day of Saturn”
Ancient Greek hemera Khronu “day of Cronus”
Saturn is the Roman and Italic god of agriculture and the consort of Ops. He is believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue.

Cronus (Kronos, Cronos) is the Greek god (Titan) who ruled the universe until dethroned by his son Zeus.

Happy Birthday Eli

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The ability to walk is a great thing/pleasure. The lose of that ability is slowly creeping on my mind as I do things and get a lesson in humility knowing that I am hampered. Is it my mind or body that is placing me in this idea or thought. Do I have to fight through it and push on or is this pressure on my back hurting me.
There was a time that I could walk to town and back but that seems to be history. Am I confining my being?
It seems odd that words and not painting consumes my time. My drawing is as inappropriate as my words. I have a great desire to paint a picture with canvas or words but the tools are not there mentally. How strange that the world around me it gifted with words and that I cannot stack them into beautiful or meaningful flowers.

Sometimes you lose a kitten and we deal with it.

There is a ten (10) degree difference between our front stoop and our back deck. It is 22 degrees at the stoop and 33 degrees on the deck. This has always been so but never at those extremes. At Lock 50 it was always warmer at the lock than it was on the lower guide wall which was 10 feet lower than the top of the wall at the lock. I used to know the sea level elevations but time has removed that presence of mind.
Our home dips down below the road then levels off and slopes toward the main highway below us. We may or have a hollow that holds the earths temperature up front and out back we may be closer to the heavens. That is the only solution I have. I have replaced the thermometers twice in these areas thinking that there was something wrong with them. There was no need to replace them they were always accurate and did tell the truth and now I do believe them. It is a strange phenomenon but it is so and now it is part of the history of this structure called a home.

It has been a strange week where tradition was thrown out the door as life threw us a curve ball. The closest we got to Thanksgiving was the visit with family and a baked pumpkin pie. We both are not handling it well, it is a door that we did not want to close. Emotionally we are devastated as tradition walks by our doorstep. We are not poor or wanting and I am very thankful for the wonderful life we have.
Sometimes you lose a kitten and we deal with it.

Friday, November 26, 2010

4,200 Square Miles of Gulf Waters Closed To Shrimping

"The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Wednesday closed a section of the Gulf of Mexico to shrimping near the area where the massive oil spill earlier this year stemmed from as a precautionary move after a commercial fisherman found balls of tar in his shrimping net.

NOAA said the closed area is about 4,200 square miles of Gulf federal waters off Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and affects royal red shrimping.

The move was taken after a “commercial shrimper, having hauled in his catch of the deep water shrimp, discovered tar balls in his net,” NOAA said in a statement to AFP."

Footprints


Our oldest cat Peaches is checking out those footprints in the snow.

Smooth Operator by Sade

Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac (1969)

Oh Well by the Rockets (1979)

Happy Birthday Mark

Our first snow - 29 degrees

We have snow on the ground, just a trace but it did cover our deck and the grass. Some of the bridges where water stood last night will be frozen but the asphalt was warm and melted all the snow. The windows on mom's car had to be cleaned of snow and then the underlining ice had to be scraped.
Our walkway at home was clean and not slick.

This morning I had a dream where I was at the lock and dam building lying on the floor when I heard a roar for 4 seconds and a gust of wind blew the bullet proof windows out and covered me with pieces of shattered safety glass and I looked out to see everything lying down because of the force/concussion of the wind. The force may have been over 100 mph, if I had been out there I would have been swept away and badly hurt from flying debris.
0330 Mom is off to work, it is Black Friday. A name for the day after Thanksgiving.
From Wiki:
"Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day many U.S. retailers open very early, often at 5 a.m., and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Because Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, the day after occurs between the 23rd and the 29th of November.

The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term began by 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the period during which retailers are turning a profit, or "in the black."

Thursday, November 25, 2010

No one pays an old man to think or write

In the middle of the night in Western Kentucky it a Holiday Called Thanksgiving. A day we thank the planet for the abundance of food it offers us. I did not slave in any field today (or this year) for I am too worn out, so I will be thankful that society still cares for me and has not bundled me off to some distant star. I may have bundled my self as I meet with the elderly monthly. That is my class, my age, my ability.
I remember with fondness my grandfather's (Don Pablo) ninetieth birthday that I attended. He climbed the steps up the hill to my aunt Edith's home in Los Angeles, California. There may have been over a 120 steps up to her home on that hill. Some of his sons could not climb those steps. I was just in my 20's at that time and I felt proud of his strength. If only I were as strong as he, I am 69?
I climbed that many steps over 400 times a year for at least 20 years between 1980 to the year 2000 before finally succumbing to worn out ankles and a sore spine.
I have a long way to go to be as tough as that man (Pablo at left in the photo (1936)) but I sure come from some worthy stock and again I am thankful.
Well I am thankful that I am alive and that I eat the food provided by society.

Mom is still capable of labor and I just do my best with a computer, my days of hard labor are over so I asked my being, "What can I do just sitting?"
Sigh
No one pays an old man to think or write but I am sure thankful for that sigh.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Remarkable Truth

In the United States we can blast the government, the church and each other. We can say our piece in peace and have a good time doing it. Our government encourages our differences.
Our founding fathers created three branches of government with checks and balances built in.
The checks and balances keep us from becoming a dictatorship, a country with a supreme court, a kingdom or a right wing white haired House of Lords as we do now in the senate.



Theodore Roosevelt was a true life Indiana Jones.
Our government makes everything difficult and slow. The only way we move fast is when we get hurt, as in Pearl Harbor and September 11, 2001.

Train of thought

Can you imagine where their thoughts are going?

They are pointed in a particular direction.
That is my senator out in front leading the way (No! He is not a Shepherd!)

***



E-mail about hatcapacity

one part truth, one part fiction
An e-mail about hats in my life
Do people always remember hats with fondness. I do.

I go back first to my beanies, the one with the propeller on top they were the rage at one time.
The other beanie had folded back edges, looking like they were cut with pinking shears, this beanie was adorned with pins and buttons.

Next was the brown Fedora, the hat my mothers dad put aside, not wanting to throw it away.
I asked if I could have it, he said yes, imagine the raiders with their lost arcs.

The blue ball cap that was worn backwards or to the side, our gang style, with no logos, just a button on top.

The black Spanish hat my aunt had. A flat stiff brim. It's beads hanging around the rim. I wore it, though it was hers. The castanets went with it, she rolled the castanets like a Spaniard would roll his rrrs. I danced for her, standing proud like a matador, stomping my feet to the music "Malagueña" on the record player, ole!

The Cowboy hat, you rode the broom stick, like a wild stallion. Your shiny silver pistol in the air.

The Coonskin cap with it's tail hanging to the side, the lice came with it.

The Indian head dress, received as a Christmas present. This still may be found at the dollar store today.

The English driving cap, plaid with buckle and snap on the bill.

The white sailors cap, rolled with salt, down to the eyes and cocked.

The blue bandanna keeping the salt out of your eyes, Red Ryder and Geronimo, sometimes with feather.

The Sombrero given to Laurel and I in Chicago from Judy and, it hung on the wall. When it finally fell or was dragged down, the cats sharpened their claws on it, what a waist.

The blue Fedora given in peace to us from Laurel's dad Jack. It fell to our closet floor, unknown to us. Our male cat at the time, marked it as his own, gee thanks.

My welders cap I wore in Alhambra.

The white hard hat, something to protect from the hard steel headache ball swinging on the river. It still gave me headaches.

The baseball caps of the South, logos everywhere, the uniform of the day in the south..

Straw Panama hats keeping the sun at bay.

***********************
Hello,
Well I've done it again! Laurel just informed me that the E-mail message I sent was in error.
Laurel said that the message that we received was about "Brain Capacity" not "Hat Size". I said something about just scanning through the E-mail that day.
She said "Do you remember when you had your back surgery?"
I said "Yes".
She went on to explain to me about my brain capacity, and then what the neurologist said to her after my brain cat scan.
It seemed to the neurologist, that I had a rare brain structure called the "jerrold forrd" syndrome. It seems that a few people in the world are born with this brain syndrome. Living normal lives, sometimes missing a step or two, but normal lives. Laurel went on to say that I had four lobes in my brain instead of two. The doctor said most of the forrd brains had three lobes, but that he would get back to her on that one. She went on to say that my brain used 95 percent of it's capacity, which was very very good, but that it worked a little different than most brains. Most people have a train of thought, where as the train carries a great amount of thought to and fro, with a great many trains of thoughts moving though their brains at one time. Well in your brain ( she was talking to me), it seems that you have a trolley of thought. She went on the explain that one trolley of thought went down the hill and one trolley of thought went up the hill. And that even though I had as many as fifty trolleys moving at one time, a trolley was not a train.
She said you'll have to write all those people and explain about the hats.
Anyway that is how I got started talking about my favorite hats.
Sorry for the mix-up.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful day with our daughter and family yesterday for our Thanks Giving Day.
I am thankful for a healthy family, a country that provides food services to everyone. An abundant crop of food that is both nourishing and clean.
Plus I have a home to plant good seed to grow very good vegetables (that our deer love the best).
I did see a possum a the cat food dish last night and I am sure that they said their "thank you" prayer to god for providing good cat chow on the planet earth.

L3 Commubications

Again the lobbyist in Washington paid big bucks to have those body scanners bought and deployed at those airports. Prominent politicians and their families made money off the backs of United States Taxpayers.
Lobbyist are unconstitutional.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Good morning reflections. I just now listened to the song, "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins and it is true that I view the planet from both sides, one as the Garden of Eden an the other as industrial weapon marching forward like the giant transformers of space dreams.

Monday, November 22, 2010

For those of you that do not get it just find a nice human being and hang on for the ride.

I learned by living with my stepbrothers and sister that it is who you live with that influences your life. The old saying that if you lie down with dogs you will get fleas works the opposite way too. After I left home I was also influenced by a young German from Minnesota. He did everything right just as Gladys, David and Diane had done, I was not influenced by Ron and Jerry as they were very young. Everyone is a teacher in simple ways. My sister was a rebel as I was, we were given a bad deal and we just lived with it as best we could. I put up a strong callused wall and my sister rebelled.
I read books while I was in the service about art and philosophy. I had a feeling that I was right but it never occured to me. Motherly love opened up my mind as I was gently moved toward the celebration of life.
For those of you that do not get it just find a nice human being and hang on for the ride.
Good Morning. I have a headache and I know what it is. It is our heater and it dries out our home so there is no humidity. I have to get those humidifiers cleaned today and working. I cannot handle this and there is no reason too since I know the problem and how to solve it.
I just made a pot of coffee.
The coffee does make me feel better.
0815
I feel better now that the air has a little moisture to it. My headache is gone but my sinus had drained into my lungs and is causing me to cough. I will get over this as I normally do.
1000
I got the humidifiers cleaned and running. I feel great.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Happy Birthday Jimmy

Why do we assume that a chubby 13 year old girl firing a machine gun into someones body is a good sales pitch?

Did you see the ad for a popular killing game.

Is it responsible Sony?

Is it responsibly Nintendo?

Is it responsible Microsoft?

I do not have a clue.
I know that these games are meant to make our young soldiers sharp and dexterous.
These games were funded by the government 30 years ago.
I think the ads have taken to the deep murky end of Alice's Rabbit Hole. They have gone beyond the gel to enlighten sex or the skimpy bra ads.

Can we assume that logic will make the choice of using a gun to kill a good remedy for ones frustrations.
We know that that logic has been used before.
It has most of the time been lost boys hidden behind good manner and quiet fathers that are still doing 11th grade homework.

On and on an on an......

Mom is home today. There is morning fog this morning but not as thick as yesterdays fog. I have been combating a foul taste in my mouth and a draining of my sinuses. The sinus drainage did relieve a headache that persisted over the last two days off and on. I was wanting to blame the shot I took at Walmart to head off the winter seasonal flu.
I did get to watch basketball yesterday (Kentucky vs Portland) and I am happy about the outcome.
I spent quite a bit of my time doing chores and typing what I think on this computer. I did write the White House and I did tell them what I think. I will write my congressmen today and tell them what I think also.
I am heating some tea water and mom put a pot of water on to boil to give us some moisture in our home.
Mom is working longer hours now at Walmart. They like her diplomatic hard nose attitude. I still have a cough from yesterday. The tea pot is whistling, time for some red tea. I had coffee yesterday.
Rest seems to have helped my back but that is only a temporary as I know that the problem last time led to surgery. Hopefully the less stress on my spine will keep me away from the hospital.
I did my stretching this morning.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

True To His Word

The White House Blog

I spent the good morning just typing and doing a little housekeeping. I learned the other day that my walking and standing days are over. Well I can go from here to there and gossip but my days at standing and walking for hours are done. I may lose weight as mom says by eating smaller portions and that may reduce the pressure on my spine. I can get up and do things, lift things, make things but the standing for long periods of time or walking on a treadmill are over. I can bicycle on a machine for some time and that is great on me but walking, window shopping are at an end.
But my mind can wonder and wander, painting landscapes and smearing gossip onto chalkboards and quiet computers.
I have been up a long time so maybe I'll find me a football game to watch or maybe I can peek at the Kentucky Basketball game I recorded.
I also stop by The White House Blog to get the thoughts of our administration.

There is no one else left to steal from?

Corporate America has left our country. Ronald Reagan broke the unions so that all new employees at factories do not get any union scale pay, retirement or health care. The last great Union of employees to be broken is the Federal Employee who gave up Union scale wages for love of country and a sound retirement system and union scale health care.
There are 22 million of us out in the country. We deliver the mail, build the roads, make sure our food is safe, stand guard, control the water ways, air ways and rails. We give older folks some money to live on and maybe a little help for their worn out bodies. We do a lot and we are under fire now because there is no one else left to steal from.

Friday, November 19, 2010

History and Inventors

It is dark and cool outside. Did you even wonder how we as a group know what is ideal when it comes to temperature. Someone decided to create a scale from when water freezes in a pond up to when water boils on a fire pit. They had to call one freeze and one boil. Then the problem how do you measure between the two and I think that took a lifetime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermometer

Our Temperature is 41 degrees outside this morning. It is still dark out but I see a little daylight and we have a cloud cover in Western Kentucky.
Yesterday I realized that I have a problem with my back and that I need to reduce the pressure on my spine to ease the pressure my bones have on my disc. My disc is too close to my spinal cord and when they meet my right leg hurts and I cannot walk without a limp or pain.
Time for a cup of tea.
I feel great mentally and my sense of being is superb. I have no way to multiply my good fortune with anyone and that is my pitfall. I have several soap boxes but like all soap it does not taste very good. I wish I knew the answer but celebration come closest to being one with the planet.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

China “hijacked” 15 per cent of the world’s internet traffic earlier this year

Sleeping Deer

Could you imagine coming home from work
To find this tiny creature napping on your
Couch with your dog?

It followed the beagle home, right through
The doggy door in a Maryland home.
This hit the 6 o'clock news big time!
***

Lock and Dam 50
One cold winter at Lock and Dam 50 someone left the door to our warehouse open (dark spot above towboat (left) in photo (where we had a pot belly stove and we did our winter work when the river was up)). So the next morning we all came to work, then went up to the shop (warehouse) to get organized and tell a few lies in front of the stove. We all were surprised to see a doe curled up behind the stove sound asleep. We all stood around the stove while the deer slept. It stayed there the whole day and when we came back the next day it had moved on.

Rare earth element

From Wiki:
"Until 1948, most of the world's rare earths were sourced from placer sand deposits in India and Brazil.[9] Through the 1950s, South Africa took the status as the world's rare earth source, after large veins of rare earth bearing monazite were discovered there.[9] Through the 1960s until the 1980s, the Mountain Pass rare earth mine in California was the leading producer. Today, the Indian and South African deposits still produce some rare earth concentrates, but they are dwarfed by the scale of Chinese production. China now produces over 97% of the world's rare earth supply, mostly in Inner Mongolia,[7][10] even though it has only 37% of proven reserves.[11] All of the world's heavy rare earths (such as dysprosium) come from Chinese rare earth sources such as the polymetallic Bayan Obo deposit.[10][12]

New demand has recently strained supply, and there is growing concern that the world may soon face a shortage of the rare earths.[13] In several years, worldwide demand for rare earth elements is expected to exceed supply by 40,000 tonnes annually unless major new sources are developed.[14]

These concerns have intensified due to the actions of China, the predominate supplier. Specifically, China has announced regulations on exports and a crackdown on smuggling.[8] On September 1, 2009, China announced plans to reduce its export quota to 35,000 tons per year in 2010-2015, ostensibly to conserve scarce resources and protect the environment.[15] On October 19, 2010 China Daily, citing an unnamed Ministry of Commerce official, reported that China will "further reduce quotas for rare earth exports by 30 percent at most next year to protect the precious metals from over-exploitation".[16]

As a result of the increased demand and tightening restrictions on exports of the metals from China, searches for alternative sources in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States are ongoing.[17] Mines in these countries were closed when China undercut world prices in the 1990s, and it will take a few years to restart production as there are many barriers to entry.[8] One example is the Mountain Pass mine in California, which is projected to reopen in 2011.[10][18] Other significant sites under development outside of China include the Nolans Project in Central Australia, the remote Hoidas Lake project in northern Canada,[19] and the Mount Weld project in Australia.[10][18][20] The Hoidas Lake project has the potential to supply about 10% of the $1 billion of REE consumption that occurs in North America every year.[21] Vietnam signed an agreement in October 2010 to supply Japan with rare earths[22] from its northwestern Lai Châu Province.[23]

Also under consideration for mining are a sites such at Thor Lake in the Northwest Territories, various locations in Vietnam,[10][14] and a site in Southeast Nebraska, where Quantum Rare Earth Development, a Canadian company, is currently conducting test drilling and economic feasibility studies toward opening a niobium mine.[24] Additionally, a large deposit of rare earth minerals was recently discovered in Kvanefjeld in southern Greenland.[25] Pre-feasibility drilling at this site has confirmed significant quantities of black lujavrite, which contains about 1% rare earth oxides (REO). [26]

Another recently developed source of rare earths is electronic waste and other wastes that have significant rare earth components. New advances in recycling technology have made extraction of rare earths from these materials more feasible, and recycling plants are currently operating in Japan, where there is an estimated 300,000 tons of rare earths stored in unused electronics.[27]"

Overcast skies and light rain with temperatures in the low 40's. We have a chill in our warm home and winter throats.
I spent the noon hours with our NARFE Group. I am the youngest of the group so I was re-elected President as were the other officers. I asked each of them to contact their congressmen when they needed to and wanted to. I told them an easy way to do that is via the Internet but they are old school that used the old computers using keyboards, data cards and monster mainframe computers. Some live out in the country where dial up or expensive dishes are the only options. I did tell them that the library has great service and the librarian would help them if need be as I would.
Mom is off today and we plan to move her computer to the kitchen table. But mom loves Harry Potter.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

From Our Government

"If you heard that a proposed bill got 58 votes in support and 41 votes against, you'd think that would be a good thing, right? Not in the United States Senate, where the Paycheck Fairness Act died when a vote to move the bill forward failed by just that count -- 58 to 41, two votes short of the 60 votes required. It is the very same bill that passed in the House with bipartisan support in January 2009. Today, only Democratic senators voted to support Paycheck Fairness for women -- not a single Republican voted to allow the Senate to move forward. It is notable that the first vote after the election in which the American people sent a clear message that they want Washington to work better, the Republicans blocked a common sense measure aimed simply to help ensure that women get the pay they deserve."
Posted by Valerie Jarrett
Good morning it is 50 degrees this morning and I think the rain has stopped. We have a fall low cloud cover which is almost a fog as it dips very close to the ground. The humidity is high but our heat has dried my mouth as winter heat does. (Teapot sings). Tea and honey will comfort my palate and song.
All our wall frames and photos are on our sofa, they were taken from our walls when we planned our move to Murray. The walls were patched of all holes at that time and painted. The photos were placed in our sons closet in anticipation of our movement. Hard times have made it impossible to sell this home at a profit and moving is just a gesture in time.
My throat has been comforted but the everlasting harshness is present below the comfort. This sounds like a fight to the finish between my body and ill. I know what to do and I will prevail.

We let George in the house last night (a cat) because he was soaked and wanted no part of the inclement weather. After he had dried he slept with mom the whole night just as Tiger Lily had done when she could jump up.
The frames and photos may still be there when the holidays come and pass. Maybe I will put them back in the closet for the winter.
Mom thinks a nice big blow up bed will do for the kids when they visit. My sister had one and it worked very well.

Oh my God Holy -Vision!


Do you think the airlines and the government have gone too far with their scans and body pat downs? Is that a nun they are patting down? How about those x-ray specs their wearing?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Climate Debate Daily

Stop whole body imaging in U.S. airports! Join National Opt-Out Day -- Wednesday, November 24, 2010!

It is raining out this morning. I am moving mom's computer into the kitchen. I will have to run a wire to her computer over to the kitchen table. Mom may not like that. But I have to move her computer out of our son's room to clean, paint and prep the room for a new floor.
I am cleaning off the kitchen table as the computer's home for the winter. After the room's cleaned and prepped I will paint the room then we will give it a new floor and baseboards.
***
The birds outside are having a feast with our bird feeders this morning, dry seeds and maybe a little dried fruit if they can find it.
We just got back from Louisville last night and mom has gone to work this morning. She had a doctors appointment yesterday at 9AM Central.
it was a busy day but we did find a good Mexican Restaurant right in the hotel building we stayed at. It was called Ernesto's and it was very good.
I am stiff and sore from not being too busy. Sediment settles.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Oh my God Holy -Vision!

Do you think the airlines and the government have gone too far with their scans and body pat downs? Is that a nun they are patting down? How about those x-ray specs their wearing?

U.S. Constitution: Fourth Amendment

U.S. Constitution: Fourth Amendment

Fourth Amendment - Search and Seizure

Amendment Text | Annotations

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

As Glaciers Melt, Scientists Seek New Data on Rising Seas

Good Morning

42 degrees at 9:50AM. I guess this is fall. The rain yesterday washed the leaves clean and they are showing some nice color here at home.
I created a blog for the Coalition and it basically the same as the website.
Sometimes I wonder why some folks make money creating websites and some folks just create them. I guess it is just professionalism and the trust professionalism implies.
I spent the day yesterday limping. Age does a thing for you.
***
I was thinking about the voice that said, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
I was thinking about this and I said to my self being, I will provoke, "Good Will Toward Man."

November 13th American Medicine Chest Challenge Day

We have frost on the windows this morning. It is 35 degrees outside and a cool 70 indoors.
I did some time at the on the corner of North Main Street and West Poplar Street yesterday. I was there with the members of the Crittenden County Coalition for a Drug Free Community, our local Sheriff, Police Chief and the Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force.

The event took place on November 13, 2010 in communities across the country.

This initiative will challenge residents to take the Five-Step American Medicine Chest Challenge:

• Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicine.

• Lock your medicine chest.

• Dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired medicine in your home at an American Medicine Chest Challenge Disposal site.


In Crittenden County it is our Local Police Station and Sheriffs Office during their normal day working hours (9AM to 3PM).


• Take your medicine(s) exactly as prescribed.

• Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

To help combat this growing threat to our nations children, Crittenden County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community, Crittenden County and the City of Marion are hosting the American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC) on November 13, 2010, residents can find us at the local collection site mentioned above.


The most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows prescription medicines to be the most abused drugs by Americans, other than marijuana and found that 70% of people who abuse
prescription pain relievers say they got them from friends or relatives. A recent study on drug use by of teens by the Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA) found that one in 9 children are abusing
prescription pain relievers to get high.

"This Challenge will raise awareness about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and reduce the availability of potent drugs that lead kids down a path to addiction,'' explained American Medicine Chest Challenge Chief Executive Officer Angelo M. Valente.

“With the American Medicine Chest Challenge we are calling on residents to see their medicine cabinets through new eyes -- as an access point for potential misuse and abuse of over-the-counter and
prescription medicine by young people,” explained Valente.


Call your local police department for more information in your area.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Peace on Earth, good will toward men

Some of the leave are still on the trees in Western Kentucky. I would say half and half, I think it was the great amount of rain before the wind and hard freeze last month. It has been warm this month of November.
It is nice out this morning just like it was yesterday. We spent the day in Paducah and boy are my legs tired. It seems my back problem went to the hamstrings behind my knees. It is a constant fight in believing in my ability to be well and the aging process of the planet/my body.
I feel great and my mind is a wonderful tool to dwell upon . My thoughts are right on for the planet as a whole society (life, trees, insects, birds, mammals, creatures below and above the waters as well as all the lighting and fires, dirt and rocks) and a gift from god. My little garden.
Our little family of man wants so much for themselves. Their little minds are political thieves, raging hormones of violence and our moderate moods.
Societies toys are magically insane but yet I still dwell on peace on earth goodwill toward mankind. The mind is so amazing.

What has Obama done? Compared to Bush?

Eliminated subsidies to private lender middlemen of student loans and
protected student borrowers.

Increased funding for national parks and forests by 10%.

Significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for
college.

Expanded hate crime law in the US to include sexual orientation through the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Provided stimulus funding to boost private sector spaceflight programs.

Appointed nation's first Chief Technology Officer.

Signed financial reform law establishing a Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans.

Signed financial reform law requiring lenders to verify applicants' credit
history, income, and employment status.

Signed financial reform law prohibiting banks from engaging in proprietary
trading (trading the bank's own money to turn a profit, often in conflict
with their customers' interests).

Signed financial reform law allowing shareholders of publicly traded
companies to vote on executive pay.

Cut prescription drug cost for medicare recipients by 50%.

Provided $12.2 Billion in new funding for Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act.

Extended Benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Appointed more openly gay officials than any other president in US history.

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: a $789 billion economic
stimulus plan.

Created more private sector jobs in 2010 than during entire Bush years.

Voluntary disclosure of White House visitors for the first time in US
history.

Appointed first Latina to the US Supreme Court.

Promoted social responsibility through creation of serve.gov, a national
database of volunteer opportunities.

Reversed 'global gag rule', allowing US aid to go to organizations
regardless of whether they provide abortions.

Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the FDA
the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco
for the first time.

Signed New START Treaty - nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia.

Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting
in 2016.

Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against
pay discrimination for women and other workers.

Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when
the body arrives at Dover AFB.

Reversed the policy of barring media coverage during the return of fallen
soldiers to Dover Air Force Base.

Launched recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, providing
transparency and allowing the public to report fraud, waste, or abuse.

Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with more than $1.4 billion to
improve services to America's Veterans.

Signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which provides
health care to 11 million kids -- 4 million of whom were previously
uninsured.

Issued executive order to repeal Bush era restrictions on federal funding
for embryonic stem cell research.

Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of
comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living
with paralysis.

Developed stimulus package, which includes approx. $18 billion for
nondefense scientific research and development.

Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful
spending in the defense procurement and contracting system.

Issued executive order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Ended Bush administration's CIA program of 'enhanced interrogation methods'
by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terrorism
interrogations.

Increased minority access to capital.

Established Credit Card Bill of Rights, preventing credit card companies
from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers.

Health Care Reform Bill, preventing insurance companies from denying
insurance because of a pre-existing condition.

Health Care Reform Bill, allowing children to remain covered by their
parents' insurance until the age of 26.

Tax cuts for up to 3.5 million small businesses to help pay for employee
health care coverage.

Tax credits for up to 29 million individuals to help pay for health
insurance.

Expansion of Medicaid to all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133
percent of the federal poverty level.

Require health insurance plans to disclose how much of the premium actually
goes to patient care.

Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and
retain more mental health professionals.

Significantly increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act.

Lifted restrictions granting Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit
family and send remittances to the island.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Government Employee

I worked out in the middle of the river year round as a Federal Employee. It was very cold on the river in the winter and very hot on the river in the summer.
I made less than union scale for the work I did.
Today there are no unions to compare to what I made, Ronald Reagan fired them all and all the companies that had unions went overseas.
I worked very hard out on the Ohio River and I am proud of the work I did.
I never made over $40,000 thousand a year for the government so do not tell me I am overpaid in my retirement. I earned every sore muscle, broken back and twisted ankle I have today in my retirement.
I've seen a lot of people start work one day at the dam and not come back the next day because of the intense labor out in the middle of the river, it was too hard and dangerous for them.
So please do not tell me that I am overpaid for what I did for my country.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veterans Day

The 1st thing I saw on the news this Veterans Day was that the Republican Party wanted to raise the Social Security Benefits of Veterans, old women, laborers and the disabled to a longer waiting period before becoming eligible (68 years old). Leave it to the Republicans to cut taxes for the wealthy and cut benefits to the aged (Social Security), sick (Medicare) and the young (education) of this nation.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Bird Bath

I have a winter cover over our pool. I place water on the cover to hold it place when the wind blows, the cover is porous so water from the pool seeps through also. This makes an ideal drinking water hole for the cats plus the birds now use it to bathe in and get a drink. I tried to get a photo of one of the birds bathing but by the time I got the camera two birds were at the edge of the pool water. I will wait a bit and maybe I can catch more birds using the pool.

50 Degrees at 9AM

My laptop this morning started to slow down. At first I thought it was my antivirus program doing it's job but that only runs on Sundays or when I ask it. It was some program that popped up while I was glancing at headlines this morning.
It sure slowed this rascal down to a crawl. I felt I was on the freeway at breakfast (I watch a lot of TV).
Our expressways here in Kentucky are nothing compared to everyone else. Our land is cheaper than elsewhere in the United States but no one wants to live here because of the feuds, the girls in tight shorts, Boss Hog and Mitch.
Anyway I moved some stuff to my desktop in my daughters room and that helped. I will have to save that stuff to a DVD sometime this week. My laptop does not burn DVD's.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Work

Mom has to work in the afternoon tomorrow. She is working harder each day and comes home sore and tired. Everyone that works for a living understands tired and sore.
Again I must tell the younger generation that work is the bodies ability to burn calories. Mothers do it, football players do it steam fitters do it, waitresses do it and just about everyone does it.
A 9 to 5 job is a job. To call a person that does not work 9 to 5 a slacker is just wrong.
My daughter and her husband work their tales off providing for their children. My daughters children work very hard at gymnastics, basketball camp, quilt camp, school and whatever my daughter asks them to do around the house (games and cleaning house).

Monday, November 8, 2010

Why is Obama more popular overseas than at home in the United States?
The insurance companies we see everyday insure the government employees very well because we have a 22,000,000 member base to work with. As a group we are strong and we hold the price down with quality insurance. Can you imagine what our rates would be if 310,000,000 people ask for a group rate.
It would be the same as you pay now but with better coverage for more people.
That is what the president wanted but the Republican party and the insurance companies did not want.
That raised hell and the T-Party was born.

We are a Great Socoeity

We have a military that watches over us with it's umbrella of air ships, ships, radar and law. Historical law helped industry develop safe industries for our foods under the umbrella. Strong unions under the umbrella helped industry develop safe working conditions for everyone. All this was at a cost from our paychecks. Nothing is free. Industry was always trying to cut costs and was constantly at war with the unions.
Nothing is free. We were tired of paying for the road in front of our homes. Along came Ronald Reagan who said we do not need government warehouses of goods or people to run this great society. So he cut spending for government warehouses (thousands of warehouses(jobs)). Manufactures quit supplying those warehouses ((jobs) now we have long waits for auto parts)). Reagan said the umbrella did not cover the warehousing of those that were mentally ill.
George H. W. Bush decided that corporations could do all the governments tasks and the money saved would trickle down through society (well they left the country and are now trickling down on foreign lands ( because they did not want to pay taxes, retirements, or high wages) ).
So now we have no corporate taxes in our great society.
George W. Bush decided to cut taxes for everyone, "HURRAH NO TAXES!!"
Nothing is free remember so everyone was doing the jobs at minimum wages, smaller work force, smaller government and everyone is paying less for government services (remember the road in front of your home and the umbrella over your head).
Nothing is free.
So everyone says that the government is too big because we borrowed from China to pay for the road and umbrella.

From msnbc photoblog

"Edison Pena, center, one of the miners who recently was rescued from a collapsed mine in Chile, crosses the finish line of the 2010 New York City Marathon in New York, New York, on Nov. 7, as his wife, Angelica Alvarez, waits to greet him."

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Two days in a row where the morning temperature was in the 20's. Mom had frost on her windshield this morning. She bought this spray to clear her windows because she cannot reach her windows with a scraper. It works fine for her.
The birds are at the feeder this morning. They have to keep an eye out for hungry cats.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Zenyatta can race her way into immortality Saturday


Espn 2:30pm to 5:15pm Central Time
I just fed our cats some bird seed and our birds some cat chow.

Daylight Saving Time - Fall Back

In spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Leviticus 19:19

Can we really, "But thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD."? Can I look at Jesus and be him? Can I look in the mirror and see the image of god or his son/daughter? Can I consider a blade of grass as a good neighbor or Motherkitty's pets? In my point of view I can because I am not limited by old wives tales or historical flaws or arguments. I am only limited by my thoughts. If you read the bible it will tell you who your are and though there may be good laws there is also an eye opening.
I will tell you that I have seen words from many religions and they are all truths. Man is not limited by the name of the sect just because he grew up in that particular neighborhood.
I am glad that my daughter Kitten Yarn understands.
We are blessed by an overwhelming gift of knowledge in our lifetime. Even though I am dense in my ability to remember I do have a gift of understanding god in our presence and the garden that he placed us on. Wishful thinking does not place us in the Garden of Eden our presence there does.
I am not a Christian, I am in the presence of God as was Jesus.