Wolraich: Obama at the Gates of... Gates
Dr. C: In Praise of Writing Binges
Maiello: Gatsby Doesn't Grate
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Wolraich: Obama at the Gates of... Gates Dr. C: In Praise of Writing Binges Maiello: Gatsby Doesn't Grate |
Blowing |
Prompted by Peggy Noonan's claim in The Wall Street Journal that "we are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate," Andrew Sullivan steps forward to defend Pres. Obama's honor. "Can she actually believe this?," he asks incredulously.
By Julian Pecquet, The Hill, May 18, 2013
Congress is ramping up a new round of sanctions against Iran, ignoring the Obama administration's request to let diplomacy run its course.
In back-to-back hearings this week, lawmakers on key House and Senate panels put the State and Treasury departments on notice that their patience is wearing thin after the latest round of talks last month failed to produce a deal. Both chambers have legislative efforts in the works – the House foreign affairs panel will vote next week – but the administration is warning against any moves that could undermine international support for the existing sanctions against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program [....]
By Carl Zimmer, New York Times/Science, May 16/17, 2013
An article that summarizes the recent work of Ya-Ping Zhang, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has led an international network of scientists who have compared pieces of DNA from different canines which is pointing to the theory that dogs domesticated themselves.
But the article's message is not just what it first appears to be. When you get to the concluding paragraphs there are some real though provokers:
[....] SLC6A4 may have played a crucial part in this change, because serotonin influences aggression.
To test these ideas,...
By Neha Paliwal, Passport @ ForeignPolicy.com, May 17, 2013
On Friday, chaotic clashes broke out in Georgia as an angry mob -- comprised mainly of young men but also including robed priests and some women -- descended on a gay rights rally commemorating International Day Against Homophobia. A day earlier, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church had demanded that authorities stop the rally, calling it a "violation of the majority's right."
According to EurasiaNet, the mob, which numbered...
By Miriam Elder in Moscow, The Guardian, May 17, 2013
Federal Security Service spokesman breaches protocol as he accuses US agency of crossing 'red line' in its recruitment efforts
I was losing it a couple days ago, and I mean like really losing it with the brain effects, in the humid heat (especially as I need a haircut--you know, when you have all the frizzy ends that curl around your face and irritate it when you sweat, and then it's also grass pollen season, which to my nervous system is like a very toxic poison ,)
but now we have the glorious air clearing of the thunderstorm ions (I can feel them before anyone tells me,) and a glance at the forecast sez we will have them for several days to come, hallelujah:
http://www.ny1.com/content/weather/7_day_forecast/
If it is steamy for half a day, I can take it, it's the endless I can't take, I need breaks, can't even comprehend tolerating an entire southeastern summer.
And it is not even August yet. It's barely July. But it is a drier heat than normal.
So you are weather sensitive too. I know what you mean about feeling a thunderstorm coming. Even better is sitting on a covered screen porch during one.
I Hate HOT !
My normal temp is around 96. Think that may be why cold bothers me more than heat. I have a couple of degrees buffer on the upside. :-) I think. Another couple of days like the past two and I may change my mind.
I moved up to Cleveland to get away from the heat of Florida. Not quite far enough north, I guess.
Next time, Alaska.
And we on the left coast (at least in the Sac Valley) are having our 3rd mild summer (knock on wood) in a row. I feel bad for y'all but dang good for us! I can do a dry 92... 112, not so much!
Wish I were there.
Winters here have been milder, summers hotter the past few years but nothing like the last three days. Today is much better though, more normal. Last night some Atlantic winds blew in and cooled things down. Now I see clouds moving in from the Gulf. Hooray!
We are still without power after the Friday night/Saturday morning derecho. I went running Saturday morning, and there were downed branches everywhere. In search of ice and long matches, we drove past a wooden power pole that had been sheared off and stuck through the windshield of a sedan with all the lines still attached. Our local stores were closed, but we found one that was open. The gas range still works, so we've been lucky enough to cook and eat our food before it went bad. Oddly, there is power two buildings North and South of us, and at the community center. The community pool was open so we had some relief from the heat.
Not much is scarier than house-rattling strong winds in the night. Good to know that you are okay even though terribly inconvenienced. I have wished for a long time that utility companies were required to begin replacing those old poles with underground conduits especially if they are no longer going to keep enough equipment and crews locally.
Actually, we heard the lightning and thunder, but didn't realize the damage until morning. Our apartment is brick and block. A tree hit the next building up, just missing a dining room window, and smashed to pieces against the brick exterior.
They should have put the lines underground. Now that the climate is changing, it's probably too late.