OK, hands raised if you’ve never heard of Robert Plant. You? Go to your room. Put on the headphones, put on Houses of the Holy and turn the amp to 11. Get back to us later.
Plant has had a hell of a long run, starting with Led Zeppelin in 1968 to Alison Krause. Given those early years, it’s a miracle the man has any hearing left. More videos below the fold and, obviously, your contributions to deafness are appreciated.
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Photo by Zooey
From the Wiki:
Haystack Rock is a 235-foot (72-meter) tall monolith (or sea stack) rock formation on the Oregoncoast in the northwestern United States, the third-tallest such “intertidal” (meaning it can be reached by land) structure in the world. A popular tourist destination, the rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot during low tide. Haystack Rock tide pools are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, sea anemone, crabs, chitons, limpets, and sea slugs. The rock is also a refuge for many sea birds, including terns and puffins.
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Composed of basalt, Haystack Rock was formed by lava flows emanating from the Grand Ronde Mountains 10 to 17 million years ago. The lava flows created many of the Oregon coast’s natural features, including Tillamook Head, Arch Cape, and Saddle Mountain. Haystack Rock was once joined to the coastline but years of erosion have since separated the monolith from the coast. Three smaller, adjacent rock formations to the south of Haystack Rock are collectively called “The Needles”.
This seems to be the iconic picture people think of, when picturing the Oregon Coast. I challenge you to find a calendar of Oregon that doesn’t feature Haystack Rock!
This is our daily open thread. Go ahead, get it off your chest!
Desperate for content, Gummitch grabbed a recent Lady Gaga video (co-starring handsome True Blood actor whatsisname) and posted it shamelessly.
And, screw it, I love Lady Gaga and you don’t have to watch it. You do, however, need to contribute to today’s Open Thread.
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Ground Zero for Tolerance by Robert Scheer
Photo by Zooey
From the Wiki:
Echinacea angustifolia was widely used by the North American Plains Indians for its general medicinal qualities. Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, and its use was documented for snakebite, anthrax, and for relief of pain. In the 1930s echinacea became popular in both Europe and America as a herbal medicine. According to Wallace Sampson, MD, its modern day use as a treatment for the common cold began when a Swiss herbal supplement maker was “erroneously told” that echinacea was used for cold prevention by Native American tribes who lived in the area of South Dakota. Although Native American tribes didn’t use echinacea to prevent the common cold, some of the tribes did use echinacea to treat some of the symptoms that could be caused by the common cold: The Kiowa used it for coughs and sore throats, the Cheyenne for sore throats, thePawnee for headaches, and many tribes used it as an analgesic, including the Sioux from South Dakota.
Native Americans learned of E. angustifolia by observing elk seeking out the plants and consuming them when sick or wounded, and identified those plants as elk root.
I wonder if the treatment of cure for every disease could be found in nature? And I wonder how many medicinal species we’ve wiped out, in our quest for “progress.”
This is our daily open thread — discuss.
“Terror Babies” – What an insanely ridiculous claim.. (If you missed this entire interview with Anderson Cooper trying to pin down Rep. Louie Gohmert, giving him opportunity to give proof of his insane claims, watch it here in its entirety. Kudos to Anderson Cooper for keeping a straight face as he continues to press Rep. Gohmert with valid questions while this crazy lawmaker goes off on his crazy, continuous, loud rant.)
Rep. Louie Gohmert.. Oh dear lord.. (banging my head on my desk..)
This guy is more like Gomer Pyle, just not nearly as smart (my apologies to Gomer Pyle). I just can’t believe this person is a member of the U.S. Congress. My favorite part of this segment is when Jon trumps the “Terror Babies” claim with the U.S. having HERO Babies! No problem!
At the end of one of the Gohmert clips the Representative says (this while comparing Hitler and his followers to President Obama and those who voted for him):
“We do have useful idiots today who are heard to say “Wow, what we really need is for the president to be a dictator for a little while..”
Rep. Gohmert should be more concerned with the gaping hole between his ears..
For comparison sake, here is a short clip of Gomer Pyle – “Well, gaw-w-w-lly!”
[T]his is America, dammit. And in America, when somebody comes for your neighbor, or his bible, or his torah, or his Atheists’ Manifesto, or his Koran, you and I do what our fathers did, and our grandmothers did, and our founders did, you and I speak up.
Let’s make our voices heard.
The text of this Special Comment may be found here.
By Briseadh na Faire
If only…we cut taxes, then I could keep more of my money.
If only…we eliminate Social Security, then I could choose how to invest for my retirement.
If only…we eliminate all social welfare programs, then I’ll never have to depend on big government to survive.
If only…we put up a big wall between the U.S. and Mexico, with armed guards and predator drones, then people won’t cross the border illegally and take our jobs.
If only…we keep gays from getting married, then they won’t be able to destroy heterosexual marriages.
If only…we prevent all abortions, then we will truly uphold the sanctity of life.
If only…we were all true followers of Christ, i.e. fundamental evangelical Christians, then everyone would submit to His Will.
If only…we stopped taxing Corporations, then they would create more jobs.
If only…we stopped regulating Corporations, then their goods and services would be cheaper.
If only…we eliminated the minimum wage, then Corporations could hire more people.
If only…we eliminated child labor laws, then our kids could help out by earning their own keep.
If only…we eliminated environmental protections, then Corporations could pass those savings onto the consumers.
If only…we eliminated the Estate tax, then when we get rich, we can pass that onto our children and grandchildren.
If only…we invaded Iran, then we would have peace in the Middle East.
If only…we invaded North Korea, then we would have world peace.
If only…we allowed the government to spy on everyone, then we will eliminate terrorism.
If only…we changed the Constitution to prevent citizenship to anyone born here of an illegal alien, we would stop illegal immigration.
If only…we allowed enhanced interrogation techniques to be used on all criminal suspects, then no one would get off on a technicality and we’d all be safer.
If only…everybody could carry a concealed weapon everywhere, we’d all be safer.
If only…we eliminated unemployment benefits, then everyone would get to work.
If only…
If only…
If only…
This is our daily open thread. Y’all know what to do.
August 18, 2010
Last U.S. Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq
Not much hoopala, no fanfares, probably not even a parade, but our Combat troops have left Iraq. Granted, we will still have about 50,000 troops still in Iraq for an unknown period of time. But heck, we still have about 70,000 troops stationed in Gemany, and it’s only been some 65 years since we won WWII. So give it some time, folks.
But my main point is this: We owe our soldiers a big thank you for what they had to go through.
And, we owe them a big apology for putting them through it in the first place.
3 Comments
Filed under America - War, America - War on Terror, Commentary, International - Iraq, Opinion, Opinion - Essay/Editorial, Special Comment
Tags: Briseadh na Faire @ TPZoo