A large environmental disaster has occurred in Roane county Tennessee. A dam has broken spilling ash from a coal plant across the countryside. The results of this has been misplaced home owners, dead fish and animals, and extremely high levels of arsenic in the drinking water. 100 times the suggested safe levels to be exact.
There are many concerns surrounding this disaster. First is the enviroment. Pictures are showing up online of shoreline littered with dead fish. This will spread to the birds and other animals that make fish a large part of their diet. It also contributes to the already stank odor in the air just from the spill
Next is the residents and homeowners in the area. Many are being relocated, during the holidays of all times, and are unable to return to their homes. Their homes, their cars their dream, last in a wave of ash. Several lawsuits are already filed, and Erin Brochevich herself is coming to view the area. With a team of New York lawyers of course.
Last is the arsenic in the water. The EPA reported it is 100 times the safe level, but tap water is safe to drink. Consuming arsenic contributes to bladder and kidney failure, increase the rate of cancer, and is generally not safe at all.
Currently TVA is seeding the area with grass seeds to try and contain it as much as possible, although I think this idea is rather stupid. The grass will be eaten by herbivores at some point, passing arsenic on to the carnivores. A rather long and tedius cycle.
As it stands now, there is high level of arsenic, cadmium and lead in water, air and earth in the area. The end results will not be realized for many years to come. Suprisingly, there is not a lot in the news except locally about this. I only hope more word gets out and more people become aware of what is happening.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
Mr. Obama's Challenges
As predicted, Obama is now the president of the USA. He is facing more challenges then any other candidate before him has. Two wars, a decaying economy, horrible job market, housing problems, and general disaster at home and abroad.
The first thing he needs to do it begin fixing the economy. Step one of this is put his foot down on Pilot, BP, Shell, Exxon and the like. Curb their prices, disallow the price control they exhibit over this country. If they have record billion dollar profits, they are doing something wrong. Once gas is regulated, food and utililty prices will come down a bit.
Second is the jobless problem. This will take longer because jobs have to be created, and money has to be available to do so.
Third the wars. He has promised to continue to fight Al Queda, and pull the troops out of Iraq. Good luck with that.
International policy. Yes, world leaders are rejoicing. Rejoicing we have an untested, untried president. Russia is thumbing their nose in your face by expaning their missle policy, china owns us through trade debt, plus the middle east.
Time to drop the change we need, all for change, hold hands dance and be lovely dovey. Time to get firm, decisive, and make the change that the country needs.
The first thing he needs to do it begin fixing the economy. Step one of this is put his foot down on Pilot, BP, Shell, Exxon and the like. Curb their prices, disallow the price control they exhibit over this country. If they have record billion dollar profits, they are doing something wrong. Once gas is regulated, food and utililty prices will come down a bit.
Second is the jobless problem. This will take longer because jobs have to be created, and money has to be available to do so.
Third the wars. He has promised to continue to fight Al Queda, and pull the troops out of Iraq. Good luck with that.
International policy. Yes, world leaders are rejoicing. Rejoicing we have an untested, untried president. Russia is thumbing their nose in your face by expaning their missle policy, china owns us through trade debt, plus the middle east.
Time to drop the change we need, all for change, hold hands dance and be lovely dovey. Time to get firm, decisive, and make the change that the country needs.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Foreclosure pains
Its getting to the point now, where almost daily the news reports somebody doing something drastic when the repo man comes for their home. There have been reports of suicides, chaining, fights, desecration and more.
I know times are tough, and people are struggling, but killing yourself doesn't hurt the banks. And it leaves family and friends with the burden of having to bury you. Think of them before you kill yourself.
I know times are tough, and people are struggling, but killing yourself doesn't hurt the banks. And it leaves family and friends with the burden of having to bury you. Think of them before you kill yourself.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Why the Republicans will lose this election
Yes, I am calling it now. The republicans will and have already lost this election. They are not even trying anymore.
It began with Sarah Palin. I understand that it was political, to get a women in for VP pick. However in this case it was the wrong choice. She is and was mired in controversy in her home state of Alaska. This alone should have been reason enough not to pick her. But by picking her McCain destroyed his claims of inexperience on Obama. If something were to happen to McCain, Palin would become president. She is not experienced enough to handle that, and the American people know and understand this.
The next major failing is their inability to handle the racist remarks coming from their supporters at their rallys. McCain had the decency to look embarressed, but did nothing to stop the hecklers. As much as he proclaims himself to be decisive, he appears terribly undecisive when facing these dregs of humanity.
Their poll numbers are collapsing daily, and Obama really doesn't have to do anything except to not make a political, or personal gaffe. The republicans I believe know this, and are throwing the rest of the election. The main reason is the disaster the country is in. The shape of Amreica cannot be fixed in 4 years. Progress can be made, but not a complete and utter recovery. In 4 years the republicans will be back to rescue America, or that will be how they play it. The fickle Americans who love to debate over sports, cars and American Idol will believe the new stance, and we will have a Republican again for 4 or 8 years, to undo the mess of the Democrats. It will be the same type of campaign that allowed our current president to remain in power for 8 years.
Policies and politcs change with the wind, and the American peoples opinion goes with it. Who knows the shape we will be in come 2012, but one thing will be certain, there will be a Republican who is young, experienced and ready to attack Obama running a smooth and slick campaign.
It began with Sarah Palin. I understand that it was political, to get a women in for VP pick. However in this case it was the wrong choice. She is and was mired in controversy in her home state of Alaska. This alone should have been reason enough not to pick her. But by picking her McCain destroyed his claims of inexperience on Obama. If something were to happen to McCain, Palin would become president. She is not experienced enough to handle that, and the American people know and understand this.
The next major failing is their inability to handle the racist remarks coming from their supporters at their rallys. McCain had the decency to look embarressed, but did nothing to stop the hecklers. As much as he proclaims himself to be decisive, he appears terribly undecisive when facing these dregs of humanity.
Their poll numbers are collapsing daily, and Obama really doesn't have to do anything except to not make a political, or personal gaffe. The republicans I believe know this, and are throwing the rest of the election. The main reason is the disaster the country is in. The shape of Amreica cannot be fixed in 4 years. Progress can be made, but not a complete and utter recovery. In 4 years the republicans will be back to rescue America, or that will be how they play it. The fickle Americans who love to debate over sports, cars and American Idol will believe the new stance, and we will have a Republican again for 4 or 8 years, to undo the mess of the Democrats. It will be the same type of campaign that allowed our current president to remain in power for 8 years.
Policies and politcs change with the wind, and the American peoples opinion goes with it. Who knows the shape we will be in come 2012, but one thing will be certain, there will be a Republican who is young, experienced and ready to attack Obama running a smooth and slick campaign.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Barack Obama and the Sheeping of America
Not since JFK have Americans fallen in love with a candidate so completely, and not since Bill Clinton has there been such a polished and articulate public speaker. Obama firmly has America under his sway, hanging on every word, every moment. Obamamites, as I like to call them, believe he is the messiah, can do no wrong, will fix every problem, and will lead America to a glowing new age. A few see him for what he is, and that is a politician.
Make no mistake, Obama is brilliant, articulate, well groomed, and very charismatic. However, and this is not a slam against him, he is a politician. This campaign has turned into a mudslinging campaign, finding it hard to seperate fact from fiction.
There are in my opinion, 3 types of Obama supporters.
Type 1: Obamamites. These are the ones who are turning this into a religious experience. He can do, and has done no wrong, is Jesus re-incarnated and will be the saviour of the country. Comments about Obama are responded to with accusastion of racism, or anti American, or being stupid, or part of a Rovian comspiracy to undermine the election. They are fanatics of the worst kind.
Type 2: The Traditional Democrat. These are the people who vote democrat, no matter what. They would never dream of voting any other way. Their parents, friends, family have always voted democrat, and they are a proud follower of this tradition.
Type 3. The "He is the lesser of two evils" type. This is actually two subtypes. People in this catagory have reservations about him. Either based on his policy, or his past voting history. The other half are of the he is not bush camp. People in this catagory typically have thought this out, compared the two on their own, and are voting based on the difference between the two campaigns.
There may be a few other types, but for the most part, his supporters fall into one of these three categories.
Obama himself has a large lead, probably unsurmountable without a major mistake on his or Bidens part. And honestly, as cliched as it is, this country needs change right now. Record foreclosures, record gas, record bankruptcies and unemployement has the average American scared about the future. But can or will Obama fix it?
First is can he fix it. At this point, there will be drastic actions that will be needed to "fix" most of the problems. He will have congressional support for a while, and will get to pass a few things. His tax plan is decent enough, and should help middle and lower America. His energy plan however is unsubstantiated and will not alleviate that problem. Plus he never really explains where he will get the majority of the funding to do what he wants. He says he will cut government spending, but how much? He will instantly lose support if he starts cutting out pet projects and people paycheck. Like every other politician before him, he will have to toe the line between feasible and doable.
Will he fix it. Once again, he will make attempts, but if past voting history is an example, it will not be something the people want. Do not forget, he voted yes to FISA. Against everything he has claimed, he preached, he voted to enable eavesdropping, and to not prosecute those who have and did. He also voted for the bailout bill, even though every economist said it was a bad idea. Granted McCain did as well.
He also voted against a Low income energy amendment to increase funding for this program. (Bill Number: HR 3010)
Has voted for defense budgets as are.
Has had a large number of NV in the past year( primarily so they can't be held against him).
Vote for Obama if you think he can help this country, but don't vote for him because you think he will change it all. You will be dissapointed. He is above all else, a politician.
Make no mistake, Obama is brilliant, articulate, well groomed, and very charismatic. However, and this is not a slam against him, he is a politician. This campaign has turned into a mudslinging campaign, finding it hard to seperate fact from fiction.
There are in my opinion, 3 types of Obama supporters.
Type 1: Obamamites. These are the ones who are turning this into a religious experience. He can do, and has done no wrong, is Jesus re-incarnated and will be the saviour of the country. Comments about Obama are responded to with accusastion of racism, or anti American, or being stupid, or part of a Rovian comspiracy to undermine the election. They are fanatics of the worst kind.
Type 2: The Traditional Democrat. These are the people who vote democrat, no matter what. They would never dream of voting any other way. Their parents, friends, family have always voted democrat, and they are a proud follower of this tradition.
Type 3. The "He is the lesser of two evils" type. This is actually two subtypes. People in this catagory have reservations about him. Either based on his policy, or his past voting history. The other half are of the he is not bush camp. People in this catagory typically have thought this out, compared the two on their own, and are voting based on the difference between the two campaigns.
There may be a few other types, but for the most part, his supporters fall into one of these three categories.
Obama himself has a large lead, probably unsurmountable without a major mistake on his or Bidens part. And honestly, as cliched as it is, this country needs change right now. Record foreclosures, record gas, record bankruptcies and unemployement has the average American scared about the future. But can or will Obama fix it?
First is can he fix it. At this point, there will be drastic actions that will be needed to "fix" most of the problems. He will have congressional support for a while, and will get to pass a few things. His tax plan is decent enough, and should help middle and lower America. His energy plan however is unsubstantiated and will not alleviate that problem. Plus he never really explains where he will get the majority of the funding to do what he wants. He says he will cut government spending, but how much? He will instantly lose support if he starts cutting out pet projects and people paycheck. Like every other politician before him, he will have to toe the line between feasible and doable.
Will he fix it. Once again, he will make attempts, but if past voting history is an example, it will not be something the people want. Do not forget, he voted yes to FISA. Against everything he has claimed, he preached, he voted to enable eavesdropping, and to not prosecute those who have and did. He also voted for the bailout bill, even though every economist said it was a bad idea. Granted McCain did as well.
He also voted against a Low income energy amendment to increase funding for this program. (Bill Number: HR 3010)
Has voted for defense budgets as are.
Has had a large number of NV in the past year( primarily so they can't be held against him).
Vote for Obama if you think he can help this country, but don't vote for him because you think he will change it all. You will be dissapointed. He is above all else, a politician.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Meals Cheap
Most people right now are struggling for money and trying to find places to cut back, save an extra dollar anyway they can. Many look to cut cost everywhere, but food.
If you want to make a serious attempt at saving money, quit eating out first and foremost. Secondly, use some coupons. Honestly, coupons can save a lot of money if you use them correctly. Correctly? Is there a wrong way? Sure there is. Don't buy something you don't need just because you have a coupon for it.
Here is my list for a weeks shopping.
1 Loaf of bread. Get the two pound kind if your store carries it.
1 dozen eggs
2 lbs of meat
2 boxes of hamburger helper
2 boxes of rice.
5 cans of soup
1 pack of cheese
1 package of sandwhich meat
2 green peppers
1 cucumber
1 12 pack of generic mountain dew
1 box of oreos.
Mix and match various things to fit your taste buds. Remember, we aren't trying to get the best, but survival food. You want to spend only about $30/week on groceries if possible. The average person will spend around $100/week on food, including eating out and buying groceries that sit on the shelf and rot or go uneaten. If you can do this, thats an easy $200 a month in your pocket.
If you want to make a serious attempt at saving money, quit eating out first and foremost. Secondly, use some coupons. Honestly, coupons can save a lot of money if you use them correctly. Correctly? Is there a wrong way? Sure there is. Don't buy something you don't need just because you have a coupon for it.
Here is my list for a weeks shopping.
1 Loaf of bread. Get the two pound kind if your store carries it.
1 dozen eggs
2 lbs of meat
2 boxes of hamburger helper
2 boxes of rice.
5 cans of soup
1 pack of cheese
1 package of sandwhich meat
2 green peppers
1 cucumber
1 12 pack of generic mountain dew
1 box of oreos.
Mix and match various things to fit your taste buds. Remember, we aren't trying to get the best, but survival food. You want to spend only about $30/week on groceries if possible. The average person will spend around $100/week on food, including eating out and buying groceries that sit on the shelf and rot or go uneaten. If you can do this, thats an easy $200 a month in your pocket.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Aliens today?
So, according to net rumors, message boards, and blogs, today is the day the galactic federation of light is supposed to visit earth. They are too make landfall in Alabama.
Well, its currently 2:41pm EST and all that has happened is a voltage swell and a screwed up cell phone. Some people are reporting in that they are feeling odd. Personally my inner ear is screwed up, but that is more then likely related to allergies from the fall.
This appears to be more of a spiritual desire then an actual true first contact. Some of the people claiming this are saying they are mediums, channelers or remote viewers.
All we can do is wait and see.
Well, its currently 2:41pm EST and all that has happened is a voltage swell and a screwed up cell phone. Some people are reporting in that they are feeling odd. Personally my inner ear is screwed up, but that is more then likely related to allergies from the fall.
This appears to be more of a spiritual desire then an actual true first contact. Some of the people claiming this are saying they are mediums, channelers or remote viewers.
All we can do is wait and see.
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