skippy the bush kangaroo

Irene was a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reached Virginia. It did a hell of a lot of damage, but overall, Isabel in 2003 was worse, judging by the comparative damage done. I've witnessed both in the Richmond area, and I personally will take another Irene over another Isabel every time.

I'm in good shape now -- the power to my apartment complex finally came on around 3:30 PM Tuesday -- but parts of Richmond proper are still just plain f*%k#d up. Never mind the lights still being out, certain streets are still cordoned off -- you can't even drive to or from some homes around here, four days later. Ain't that a bitch?

And this was all due to a Category 1 hurricane. Try to imagine what a Category 5 m&^%$#f*&k#@ would do 'round here. I try not to, but the weather just seems to be getting more and more intense over the years. And that's just the hurricane season, never mind the winters -- the last two winters here have been pretty impressive by this New England Yankee's standards, and it still only takes half an inch of snow to get the city of Richmond to close down all the schools for a day, not to mention freak out in general.

That mindset has to change. Soon. Because Mother Earth has changed, and whatever interest she still has in keeping us humans around is clearly fading...

let’s also not lose sight of the larger context here. as far as eric cantor is concerned, launching wars in Iraq and afghanistan do not need to be paid for. tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires do not need to be paid for. bailing out wall street does not need to be paid for. but when american communities are struck by a natural disaster, all of a sudden, house republicans discover a new standard: if democrats want to help affected areas, the gop has some demands that must be met.

and in case this story isn’t quite mind-numbing enough, also note that fema has been forced to temporarily suspend “some payments to rebuild roads, schools and other structures destroyed during spring tornadoes in joplin, m., and southern states and other recent natural disasters” in order to respond to hurricane irene.

that this is happening in the wealthiest nation in the world, simply because the republican party has been taken over by charlatans and fools, is a national disgrace. - political animal

to those on the east coast affected by hurricane irene....especially those in my beloved vermont which is experiencing epic flooding.

just waiting to explode.

fire agencies are warning victorians about the potential for big grass fires this bushfire season. the bushfire co-operative research centre says grass growth in victoria has been prolific and widespread.

it is expected to create a high fire risk when it dries out.

...most of the country will face an above-average risk of fire this summer.- abc melbourne

a thick blanket of grass spanning the width of australia will pose a significant bushfire threat this season, experts say. - sydney morning herald

 and speaking of climate change, the huge disasters affect our mental health.

rates of mental illnesses including depression and post-traumatic stress will increase as a result of climate change, a report to be released today says.

the paper, prepared for the climate institute, says loss of social cohesion in the wake of severe weather events related to climate change could be linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse.

as many as one in five people reported ''emotional injury, stress and despair'' in the wake of these events. - sydney morning herald

ok. back from my housesitting gig that included a very, very slow computer. (basically worthless for a news junkie blogger like me....)

anyway, on to those stories that your local newspaper and the corporate owned talking heads aren't talking about today.

noaa warns of gap in future forecasting abilities. - it's been a record-setting year for disasters in the us. yet congress has already slashed noaa's budget, threatening the future of a pair of satellites that monitor severe weather and help us predict the strength of storms. - talk of the nation

environmentalists fear hurricane will impact pfizer's toxic chemical lagoons. - despite assurances from the u.s. department of environmental protection, several environmental groups on friday called on the epa to take emergency measures to secure leaking toxic waste chemical lagoons at pfizer’s american cyanamid superfund site along the raritan river as hurricane Irene bears down on new jersey and the east coast this weekend. - sommerville courier news

wine vs. salmon: water wars hit sonoma county. - battered by a long history of habitat loss, logging and development, a dwindling number of coho struggle to survive. now they must contend with water-hungry vines, and a frost-prevention method that involves spraying plants with 50 gallons of water per acre, per minute. In smaller tributaries, the technique can literally suck stretches of a stream dry - sfgate

perry dodges queries on ethanol mandate. - iowa farmers weren’t happy with the answer presidential candidate rick perry gave them about an ethanol mandate that requires the petroleum industry to put the corn-based fuel in gas pumps - des moines register

conservationists around great lakes plan for climate change. - the long-term forecast for the chicago area calls for more wild rains, hailstorms and flooding. throughout the great lakes region, residents can also expect warmer year-round temperatures, more frequent heat waves, lower lake levels and thinner lake ice. - chicago tribune

several democrats attack state. dept. pipeline finding. - capitol hill opponents of the proposed keystone xl oil sands pipeline are attacking the state department’s finding that the proposed project will cause minimal environmental harm if managed properly. - washington hill

st. louis pizza scion branches into biodiesel. - the small biodiesel plant that frank imo built on a farm field about 75 miles west of st. louis produces the fuel, mostly from soybean oil and some recycled vegetable oil - st. louis post dispatch

scientists create biofuel from old newspapers. - first birdcage liners, now fuel. scientists at tulane university have discovered a new use for discarded newspapers — one that can turn yesterday's news into the alternative fuel of tomorrow - detroit news

the companies on scotland’s dirty list. - scotland's dirtiest and most polluting companies are today named and shamed by the country’s environmental watchdog. - glasgow herald

usgs scientist says 'fracking, fluid injection, earthquakes an area of active research.' - a u.s. gsurvey scientist friday said large earthquakes in unusual places like virginia and southern colorado earlier this week aren’t typically associated with the controversial natural gas drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. - vailrealvail

coastal sewer systems will be taxed in hurricane. - hurricane irene's heavy rains, forecast for southwestern connecticut sunday, will strain the region's sewer systems. and lead to additional pollution in Long Island Sound - bridgeport connecticut post

what fda inspectors found at 6 iowa egg farms. - fda inspection reports from iowa egg producers’ facilities show a range of potential food-safety problems - des moines register

saturday ties 2003 temperature for second-hottest day. - saturday's high temperature was among the hottest austin has ever endured as the city rang in the 72nd day of triple-digit heat this year - austin american statesman

as patience runs short, puget sound cleanup accelerates. - nearly every time heavy rain falls in north puget sound, high levels of fecal bacteria flow into samish bay, disrupting work at taylor shellfish farms, the largest shellfish producer in the united states. - mcclatchy

threatening florida's water. - jeopardizing florida's drinking water, scrapping purchases of sensitive lands, and rubber-stamping permits for agricultural and industrial water hogs puts the state's future at risk. yet for gov. rick scott's administration, that is reason to celebrate. and for all the damage he and the legislature already have caused, the governor is just getting started - st. petersburg times

possible health problems from old wells in rialto, california. - a state health assessment has found that tap water from two wells contaminated with the rocket fuel ingredient perchlorate could have caused thyroid problems that affected the physical and mental development of people who grew up in rialto in the 1980s - riverside press enterprise

the big uneasy. - six years ago hurricane katrina slammed into the gulf of mexico. the national weather service said that katrina was the deadliest and costliest hurricane in the u.s. but a new documentary, “the big uneasy,” argues that much of the damage could have been prevented with better planning and engineering - living on earth

Who makes up the twelve percent that thinks Congress is doing a good job these days? Hell, even George W. Bush's approval ratings were more than twice that at his worst -- and he sucked rotten eggs...

and another favorite leiber penned song that just got my heart to beating and elvis' hips a'swayin'. "bossa nova baby"

and not the corporations.

record shortages of prescription drugs in the united states are forcing pharmacists and doctors to scramble to find medications for their patients, suitable alternatives or to delay potentially lifesaving treatments.

medical professionals, including those at bay area hospitals and infusion centers, say they've been able to blunt some of the impact by turning to alternative drugs or reserving supplies of vital medications for patients who need them most. they caution, though, that the problem is reaching a crisis point and it's only a matter of time before those strategies will no longer work.

federal recalls, production problems and corporate decisions to discontinue certain medications for financial reasons are cited as the chief causes of the dwindling drug supplies.- sfgate

and bubbling cruddy crude.

no, this isn’t a post from last year. oil from the macondo well site is fouling the gulf anew – and bp is scrambling to contain both the crude and the pr nightmare that waits in the wings. reliable sources tell us that bp has hired 40 boats from venice to grand isle to lay boom around the deepwater horizon site – located just 50 miles off the louisiana coast. the fleet rushed to the scene late last week and worked through the weekend to contain what was becoming a massive slick at the site of the macondo wellhead, which was officially “killed” back in september 2010. - stuart smith blog

michele bachmann wishes elvis a "happy birthday." (which is actually on january 8)

"before we get started, let's all say, 'happy birthday' to elvis presley today," bachmann said. "we played you a little bit of 'promise land' when we pulled up. you can't do better than elvis presley, and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating taking our country back to work." 

the bat guano googly eyed whackadoodle is now rewriting even music history.

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wow. really?
isn't there someway you can block certain ads from a left leaning blog? one would think there is...