HELIOLITH

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff, in a clever retort, asserted that “illegal migrants really degrade the environment” yesterday when his border fence was criticized by environmentalists who are concerned that a fence will disrupt wildlife habitat in southwest U.S. & northern Mexico. I struggle to see how our leaders can support the idea of a fence. […]

Listening to yesterday’s podcast of Democracy Now (transcript here), some serious issues in the trial come to light. I have not been closely following this trial at all, but it seems that an appeal is clearly warranted, on several grounds, and anyone even scanning the headlines can realize how politicized this trial has become, […]

For a couple of years now I’ve been thinking about what next vehicle I might get if our (2) cars run into the ground. I hardly use my car lately, riding most everywhere, including the 12 miles to work, but still, I appreciate the flexiblity and the for transporting kids, it’s pretty key, especially […]

Trying to catch up on the news of May Day Rally in Los Angeles, and wanting primary sources, I turned to YouTube. Lamentably, I had to filter through white-supremacist versions of riot footage, set to what sounds like angry white-power punkrock. Is there really a white-power musical genre? Blech. One of […]

Shock jock humor is to Talula as horror movies are to Michael. I don’t understand the point. I realize a lot of people listen to radio asswipes like Don Imus and Howard Stern, and that a lot of the people who listen actually agree that he’s a putz. But I fail to see the excitemment […]

So an Italian judge is trying to decide whether to request the extradition of 26 U.S. citizens in connection with the kidnapping and torture of Mr Hassan, also known as Abu Omar. He was released from prison in Egypt last Sunday, 2/11/07. According to this BBC article, “He says that he was repeatedly […]

Responding to Iran’s assertion that they will hit back hard if the USA attacks them, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted, “My impression is they make threats like this from time to time. We have no intention of attacking Iran.” (Herald Tribune) He added, “It’s just another day in the Persian Gulf.”
Yet […]

As much as I applaud and appreciate Lloyd Levine’s chutzpah, I can’t help but laugh at the thought that he is actually proposing to ban regular incandescent light bulbs in California. The Washington Post has a good writeup, if you don’t want to just check the frontpage of Levine’s Homepage.
Personally, about […]

From England’s Guardian Unlimited

At the rally, 12-year-old Moriah Arnold stood on her toes to reach the microphone and tell the crowd: “Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth. Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar.’’
The sixth-grader from Harvard, […]

Lifting my long unused blog-voice as though to test the microphone, I share this link on geothermal energy (via slashdot today): MIT-led panel backs ‘heat mining’ as key U.S. energy source - MIT News Office.
Knowing that we (U.S. Residents) are consuming more than our share of the earth’s energy and resources, I am […]