August 2011 archive
Aug 01 2011
Bucket List for the USA
Aug 01 2011
On Speaking To Power, Or, When Sanity’s Gone, There’s Always Satire
So everybody’s hearing the news, right?
There is a tentative debt ceiling deal, and this Administration and Congressional Democrats seem to have won everything they wanted: Republicans get to have multiple “we don’t approve” votes before 2012 on raising the debt ceiling, there won’t be any new revenue, there’s going to be another “hostage-taking” event around Christmastime, for many Democrats the issue of the Ryan Budget and the dismantling of Medicare is likely off the table for the 2012 electoral cycle, and the Administration seems to have figured out a way to not involve itself in shaping the way that entitlement reform will work out.
All in all, it’s some pretty slick negotiating, and I’m sure this Administration and Democratic Congressional leaders must be very proud.
Even on bad days, however, you gotta have some fun, and that’s why I’m encouraging everyone to take a minute today to say #thanksalot.
Aug 01 2011
The Military Veteran: No Revenue = No Sacrifice
Now a decade plus added to the decades previous since Korea and especially us Vietnam Veterans, by ignoring what we were saying, PTS, TBI’s, Agent Orange, Suicides, more, to the first Gulf War Veterans, Gulf War Syndrome, more, and now into these two theater Veterans already, many issues from suicides to burn pits to once again homelessness and unemployment, more!
The 112th House has already tried cutting the VA budget and will continue same, DeJa-Vu all over again!
The Country is the Government, easier to lay blame at the agencies then to look in the mirror, from congress through the population, especially the false flag waving corporate financed self described only patriots!
Aug 01 2011
House Not Selling?
It might have sold had you marketed it as a potential equine property. It is after all only a short trot away from the best trail systems north of Boston but hey, some yuppie told you how to market it. So be it. Loose it to the bank, bitch.
Oh look, I found a test.
http://www.businessinsider.com…
Aug 01 2011
Pique the Geek 20110731: Yeasts, Interesting Beasties
When the term yeast is used, most people think of freshly baked bread. Many people will also think of a cold, foamy headed beer. Both are made possible by yeast, but there are many more applications.
Yeast has been used to raise bread and make beer and wine since prehistory, and the work is very ancient. It comes to us in modern English via the Old English gyst, which in tern derived from the Indo-European word yes, meaning quite literally to bubble. Thus the word is very much older than our understanding that yeasts are living things, dating from the 1850s due to the work of Louis Pasteur.
When we think of yeast, we normally are referring to a single species (out of around 1500, give or take), Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This single species is responsible for raising bread, making wine and much of the beer that is drunk, as well as alcohol for beverage and industrial purposes. Unless I qualify, when I use the term “yeast” this is the species to which I refer.