January 21, 2010 archive

Late Night Karaoke

Open Thread

Core accretion

It may be time to utter the “unutterable”.

There’s a phenomenon called “core accretion” in the world of astrophysicists.  It refers to the process by which little planets become big planets during solar system formation.  

During this process, the biggest and strongest of the planetesimals gobble up the smaller ones.  And the character of the new planet takes on the combined character of all the rocks it has accreted in the process.

It works a little like this:

If the Democrats continue to take this country the direction they’ve been taking it all the way through 2010, it may be time that the Democrats are done.  If the Democrats were supplanted by another Party or Parties, what would happen next?  What to do, this would bring chaos and political defeat!

Not really.

15 Minutes




Watch CBS News Videos Online

copyright © 2010 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Today, Americans are engrossed in earthquake coverage.  The tremor in Haiti bought unimaginable death and destruction just south of our borders.  Events related to the recovery and rescues emerge as banner headlines.  Haitians Seek Solace Amid the Ruins. For a week now, the struggle to survive, revive the injured, and retrieve the bodies strewn on the streets of Port-au-Prince was also the central theme of most every broadcast.  In the midst of the misery, many Americans, felt desperate for a reprieve from the devastation that emotionally drained them. Millions took time to escape in a welcome distraction.  Sassy, former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin Made Her Debut appearance on Fox.  Tomorrow another reality will replace these stories, just as each superseded the hoopla over Harry Reid’s reference to race.  Metaphorically, the tales provide persons, policies, and, or practices fifteen minutes of fame.  In actuality, these  fade from our mind quickly.  

Ad ham & hominem pony party

No, I have no idea what that means.  But I do know about ham & hominy!  The problem with ham steaks where I am is that they tend to be too wide in diameter & not thick enough.  It’s still possible to work with them, though: sear on each side, remove from skillet, put a couple of cans of (drained) whole hominy into the skillet, stir while sauteing, put the ham steak on top, and pop it into a 350-degree oven until the ham is cooked through.

Serve with a side of spinach or a salad or something like that.

That’s comfort food chez Youff.  What do you enjoy?

Shake, Rattle and Operate (Up Dated)

From MSF

Photobucket

Haiti: Treatment Continues Through Powerful Aftershock

On Wednesday morning, as Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Haiti continued to work through long queues of patients waiting for treatment and surgery, the country was shaken anew by a powerful aftershock. In Choscal hospital, where MSF has been running two operating theaters, patients were so alarmed by the tremors that they had to be relocated into tents outside the building. The surgeons stayed in the hospital, however, rotating in regular shifts, performing one operation after another.

In the week since the January 12 earthquake, MSF has established 10 operating theaters in the battered country. Seven are in Port-au-Prince hospitals-Choscal, Trinité, Carrefour and Chancerelle-and three others are outside the capital, in the towns of Leogane and Jacmel. Overall, MSF surgical teams have been carrying out an average of 130 operations per day. Simultaneously, logisticians are racing to find new facilities or rehabilitate damaged ones. Additional operating theaters are being prepared in Leogane and Grand Goave, west of the capitol, and inside Port-au-Prince, where a team expects to complete the construction of an inflatable hospital with two operating theaters by Friday.

Cross posted at The Wild Wild Left

Caption This: (Wednesday Edition)

The Week in Editorial Cartoons – Sarah Palin’s Brilliant FOX Debut

Crossposted from Daily Kos.  I didn’t have the time yesterday to post it here.

THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS

This weekly diary takes a look at the past week’s important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me.

When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge base and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted?

2. Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality?

3. Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it?

The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist’s message.

:: ::

The Teabaggers’ Intellectual

Clay Bennett

Clay Bennett, Comics.com

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