Friday Orchid Blogging

Today is a fun one: Paphiopedilum Lady Isabel 'Naepu' x Angel Hair 'North'

This is one I just got, and it's a multi-floral, meaning many blooms at once. It's totally cool. Basically, the flower unfurls much like the monster in Alien opens up, the head rises slowly, the legs or arms or whatever slowly unfold from within the pouch. I swear someone with that movie was inspired by multi-floral paphs. They're totally creepy, but quite striking once they're finally fully open.

These are a few pictures taken just today, you can see how already the flower is progressing quite a lot in just the past day.







Those petals, if all goes well, will be long and beautiful. Below are 3 examples of how this cross has turned out in the past - I don't own these plants. You get a sense of the variation possible, just like the possible combinations amongst brothers and sisters. Should be fun to see the final product, I'll keep you informed. JOHN

Read the rest of this post...

Associated Press & Reuters AWOL on Coulter calling John Edwards a 'faggot,' neither reports on outrage

UPDATE: Editor & Publisher notes that the Washington Post is also refusing to cover this story.

UPDATE: Not only does the New York Times story about the conference NOT mention what Coulter did, but the story DOES mention Coulter's speech generally, and how it was apparently THE BIG DRAW of the entire conference. In other words, the most anticipated speech of the entire day was the one in which the speaker called John Edwards a 'faggot,' and the mainstream media thinks this isn't newsworthy. But it is newsworthy to mention Coulter's speech generally and how important it was to the attendees. Nice.

Apparently it's no longer news to the Associated Press and Reuters that a lead conservative voice at THE lead conservative conference, a conference attended by all the GOP presidential candidates (save John McCain) and even the vice president himself, publicly called a lead Democratic presidential candidate a "faggot." And it's not news that the lead gay and lesbian civil rights group in America, and the head of the Democratic party, have called on the GOP candidatees, and the veep, to condemn her hateful comments. No, no story there. But I do hear that Anna Nicole Smith is still dead and Britney shaved her head. Oooh, how exciting.

I don't even need to make the comparisons to whether the Associated Press, Reuters and the rest of the mainstream media would find it newsworthy if Michael Moore or Barbra Streisand, attending the lead Democratic political conference, called a leading Republican presidential candidate the n-word, or a slur for Jews, or Latinos, or any other minority. Hell, the mainstream media was all over the story that Barbra Streisand told some heckler to go shove it - yes, that was apparently news - but a top conservative voice publicly calling a top Democrat a "faggot" at the most important annual meeting of the GOP base, in a month that the word faggot and anti-gay bias has been in the news repeatedly, no, that ain't news.

One of our commenters put it best:

Edwards/Kerry state the truth - that Mary Cheney is a lesbian - and all hell breaks loose.

Coulter calls Edwards a faggot.

[crickets]

Pathetic. Read the rest of this post...

Howard Dean blasts Coulter for calling John Edwards a 'faggot'

Good. And he too calls on the Republican presidential candidates, who were at the same conference, to condemn her. Read the rest of this post...

Cliff's Corner

The Week That Was 3/2/07

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

"The Number 23." It's that new "psychological thriller" starring Jim Carrey about how a "man's life unravels" when he comes across a book with that very title.

Psychological thriller. Man's life unraveling. The number 23. Where have I seen this before?

Oh, right, The King of Crawford's current approval rating for his Iraq policy. That's right, only 23% in a new New York Times poll support Bush's bridge-to-foreign-policy-nowhere that increasingly seems like it was conceived by Mo, Larry or Curly (my bet's on the latter).

I'm not sure, but am guessing coming down with a case of the crabs, John Tesh's poetic lyrics set to song, and that astronaut with the adult diapers all have higher approval ratings.

It would be funny, if not so tragic. This week a young boy who needed a tooth extraction which cost 80 bucks, couldn't get it because he had no health insurance, and DIED because the bacteria spread to his brain. No, not in Sri Lanka. Or Zambia. But right here in Maryland.

This while that portly pile of gelatinous goo known as our vice president rips Americans off millions with his reach-around friends at Haliburton, George W. Bush and his borderline-retarded daughters never hold an honest job in their lives and the rest of the kleptocracy "slow bleeds" American workers (see the recent threats to block Homeland Security funding by the GOP if we dare give the 43,000 TSA workers bargaining rights)...well I had better stop before I go searching in the street for a random conservative to pummel.

So we may not have money for our citizens, but George W. Bush's deranged visions of Middle East kumbaya and Bill Kristol's sticky-pantsed dreams of Iraq's government resembling debates in the British Parliament, that we have billions and billions to throw at.

And now onto that party I am supposed to be able to respect. The Democrats. What the hell is it with you guys? I mean really. There are some notable exceptions. But the rest of you, when will you stop acting like a 29-year old blond locked alone in room with Don Sherwood?

Reminder: You won in 2006. Your vision triumphed. Conservatism was dealt a death blow. You have the chance to create a lasting majority, which sadly, is largely possible because of the death and destruction caused by LieberBushMcCainConnell.

So govern on this issue for Christ's sake! It is morally right, it is politcally right. You'll survive being left off of Dr. Dobson's Christmas list. Ted Haggard's parties are much more fun anyhow.

Please represent the 77% of us who have realized that George Bush is to Iraq what The Urinator is to Walter Reed.

For more on this and other topics, go to cliffschecter.com (specifically, for my battle with Rush Limbaugh, go here). Read the rest of this post...

Cheney, GOP prez candidates, called on to condemn Ann Coulter for calling John Edwards a "faggot" today

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Gay Civil Rights Group Condemns Ann Coulters Remarks as “Vile” and “Disgusting”
Demands ’08 Republican Candidates, V.P. Publicly Condemn Remarks at Conference They Attended

WASHINGTON – Today, at the Conservative Political Action Conference sponsored by the American Conservative Union, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter spoke saying, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.” The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay civil rights organization, strongly condemned Coulter’s remarks and called on those Republican leaders in attendance to follow suit.

“To interject this word into American political discourse is a vile and disgusting way to sink the debate to a new, all-time low,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Make no doubt about it, these remarks go directly against what our Founding Fathers intended and have no place on the schoolyard, much less our country’s political arena.”

“It is clear that some in the Republican Party plan to run in 2008 the same way they did in 2004, by using discrimination to divide the country and rally their base,” said Solmonese. “But, 2008 is not 2004, and this time the politics of fear and smear will not work. The American people are tired of those who would rather divide than unite.”

The Conservative Political Action Conference was attended by 2008 Republican Presidential candidates: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and former Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA). Vice President Dick Cheney also attended the event.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney spoke before Coulter saying, ““I am happy to hear that after you hear from me, you will hear from Ann Coulter. That is a good thing.”

“We demand that every single Presidential candidate in attendance at this conference, along with Vice President Cheney stand up and publicly condemn this type of gutter-style politics,” continued Solmonese. “If not, then their silence will be deafening to the vast majority of Americans who believe this type of language belongs no where near the discussions about the future of our country.”

To see a video of Coulter’s and Romney’s remarks, please visit: www.thinkprogress.org

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Read the rest of this post...

Ann Coulter calls John Edwards a "faggot" at biggest conservative conference of the year

Every year this conference showcases the worst of the Republican party. Conservatism at its cruelest, most extreme core. And this year was no different. One of the top conservative pundits calls John Edwards a "faggot." Nice. And these are the people who make up the core base of the Republican party. Mitt Romney praised Coulter only moments before her public slur. Will Romney now retract his praise? Oh that's right, the very pro gay Mitt Romney is "now" anti-gay. I forgot. Watch the video of Coulter's slur here. Read the rest of this post...

BREAKING: Secretary of Army Resigns

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just announced that the Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, has resigned in the wake of the growing Walter Reed scandal. Great. So when is the guy going to be punished who actually oversaw Walter Reed while the most egregious abuses were taking place? That would be Lt. Gen. Kevin "Urine Man" Kiley, the guy who oversaw the mess, the who reportedly let a soldier sleep in his own urine, and the guy who, incredibly, has now been appointed AGAIN to oversee Walter Reed. This man isn't fit to run Walter Reed, let alone be Army Surgeon General. How long does Urine Man get to keep his cushy jobs?

UPDATE: CNN just reported that Urine Man has been replaced. Still looking for confirmation online.

From AP:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Harvey had resigned. But senior defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Gates had asked Harvey to leave. Gates was displeased that Harvey, after firing Maj. Gen. George Weightman as the head of Walter Reed, chose to name as Weightman's temporary replacement another general whose role in the controversy was still in question.

"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Gates said in the
Pentagon briefing room. He took no questions from reporters.

Read the rest of this post...

Outgoing head of Walter Reed hit with subpoena

Finally, someone is going to hold these people responsible for what they did to our troops.

From Henry Waxman's House Oversight Committee:

Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman John Tierney sent a letter to Major General George W. Weightman, former Commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, regarding the privatization of support services at Walter Reed and its impact on the conditions at Walter Reed. In addition, the Committee is issuing a subpoena to compel Major General Weightman to appear before the Committee on Monday, March 5.

Read the rest of this post...

Rep. Slaughter: Fire head of Walter Reed now

Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, Louise Slaughter (D-NY), has just written to the Secretary of Defense calling on him to fire the temporary head of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley. Kiley headed Walter Reed for two years while our injured veterans suffered, with his knowledge, and he is the man who GOP Congressman Bill Young's wife says she told about a soldier sleeping in his own urine - Kiley reportedly didn't do a thing about it. Read the rest of this post...

FOX's Hannity compares Obama's African-American Christian church - and lots of other black Christians - to white supremacists

Absolutely appalling. Hannity compares Obama's Christian church in Chicago to white supremacists. Why? Because the church has a "commitment to the black community and the black family." Hannity asks "what if a church said it had a commitment to the white family?" Cute. Under that logic, black people can't call themselves African-Americans without being racist because, you know, what if someone called themselves a "white American"? And spare me the "Hannity was only interviewing a guest, he didn't necessarily agree with him" argument. Watch the video, he sure acts like he agrees with him, let alone why would you put this kind of racist crap on TV to start with?

According to FOX News and the Republican party, African-Americans aren't permitted to be Christians because, you know, if they're not exactly like Sean Hannity - one suspects he's a Catholic, and we know how Catholics and Baptists can't stand each other - then they're closer to white supremacists than good Christians. Absolutely amazing.

And to think that the Democrats are having their first presidential debate, in August, on this racist network. This incident should put an end to that talk, now.

Read the rest of this post...

Wash Post editorial: Why is Gen. Kiley back in charge at Walter Reed?

General Kiley, the man who reportedly left an injured American soldier to sleep in his own urine is now BACK in charge at Walter Reed, after presiding over all the worst abuses at Walter Reed for two years. Why does Urine Man have any job in the military, let alone back at the helm of Walter Reed? More from the Post.

We are glad that the Army is finally taking the issue of outpatient care seriously enough to effectively end the career of a major general for presiding over the disgraceful condition of Building 18. But the evidence compiled so far suggests that Gen. Kiley has been more complicit in the scandalous neglect of Walter Reed's outpatient facilities for longer than Gen. Weightman has been. It also indicates that the Army's reshuffle is really about projecting the appearance of accountability, not punishing those most responsible.

TAKE ACTION

Folks, please call and email your Senators and House members and ask them to get involved and publicly speak out on this horrible issue. The abuses of our vets have gone on too long at Walter Reed, and now they're yet again being ignored. Some members of Congress like Nancy Pelosi, Louise Slaughter, Kendrick Meek, Barack Obama, and Claire McCaskill have spoken out, and Jack Murtha and John Tierney are each holding hearings. But far too many members of Congress haven't said or done squat.

Where is the House Veterans Affairs Committee? Not a word about this scandal on their Web site home page. In the Senate, the head of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Daniel Akaka (D-HI), issued a statement expressing concern over the Walter Reed abuses, and saying that he will be holding hearings in March on this issue and others. That's great. But it would be nice to hear from the chairman about what he plans to do right now about Mr. Kiley.

And where are the Republican members of Congress? You remember them, the folks who claim, early and often, to care so much about our troops. Why have almost all of them, save Bill Young (R-FL) and Tom Davis (R-VA), been so silent on this matter? And before you give Young and Davis a pass, they were in CHARGE of oversight on this matter while the Republicans controlled congress. Where were they while our soldiers were sleeping in their own urine? Why did Congressman Young go silent for two years after finding out about these atrocities?

Call your members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, and tell them that the wife of Congressman Bill Young (R-FL) says Lt. General Kevin Kiley, who is back heading Walter Reed, let an injured American soldier sleep in his own urine. Kiley needs to be fired as head of Walter Reed, and fired from the Army as well (incredibly, he's still the Army's Surgeon General!). We need our representatives in Congress to all speak out and make clear that the abuse of our vets is intolerable.

Find your two Senators here.

Find your House member here (I'd recommend using the zip code function in the upper left corner of the page). Read the rest of this post...

29: Bush's latest, lowest approval

Even the Republican masses are starting to hate their guy, George Bush. Overall, the American people can't stand him according to the latest NY Times/CBS news poll:

In the months since the Congressional elections, President Bush has lost substantial support among members of his own party, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

Mr. Bush’s approval rating dropped 13 percentage points since last fall among Republicans, 65 percent of whom now say they approve of the way he is handling his job as president, compared with 78 percent last October.

Over all, Mr. Bush’s job approval remains at one of its lowest points, with 29 percent of all Americans saying they approve of the way he is doing his job, compared with 34 percent at the end of October. Sixty-one percent disapproved, compared with 58 percent in October, within the margin of sampling error.

And he's doing even worse when it comes to health care:

Only 24 percent said they were satisfied with President Bush’s handling of the health insurance issue, despite his recent initiatives, and 62 percent said the Democrats were more likely to improve the health care system.

Read the rest of this post...

So-called conservatives furious over GOP presidential candidates

Gosh, I guess I'm still stumped here, wondering where all of these people were the last few years when the GOP was jamming through wild spending and invading countries based on lies. Something tells me that if this group can't even find room on the Brownback minibus (his bandwagon might even more closely resemble a tuk-tuk) they might possibly, ever-so-slightly, be just outside of the American mainstream and on the wacko extreme of an extremist party.

"I feel very angry and betrayed" by the GOP, some of whose elected officials have backed a "guest worker" immigration plan, abortion rights and tax increases, said Richard Viguerie, chairman of Conservative-HQ.com. "We should withhold support from all major Republican [presidential] candidates today. Not one of them deserves our support today," he told a ballroom full of activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference annual meeting Thursday.

Further, he said, conservatives should withhold "all support" from GOP national committees, which Viguerie said have not produced federal candidates who adhere to conservative principles.

Do tell...what precisely are those principles? Invading foreign lands? Promoting fear, hatred and bigotry? Destroying the budget and selling debt to China? Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

Red meat in the morning: Imus is still ranting about Walter Reed. Appropriately ranting, I would say. He thinks the Secretary of the Army needs to be fired -- or should have the decency to resign.

What do we need to know? Start threading. Read the rest of this post...

SEC brings down Wall Street insider trader ring

How are investors supposed to have faith in the system when some of the biggest names on Wall Street - including UBS, Morgan Stanley, Banc of America and Bear Stearns - have allegedly been conspiring to manipulate the market and exchanging insider information?

The case alleges that people were tipped off about stock upgrades and downgrades by UBS and impending corporate acquisitions involving Morgan Stanley clients, allowing investors to cash in before the news hit the market.

The SEC said the ringleaders of the UBS part of the scheme went to great lengths to hide their illegal conduct, with tactics including a clandestine meeting at Manhattan's famed Oyster Bar and eventually the use of disposable cell phones, secret codes and cash kickbacks.

In all, 13 people have been arrested in the criminal case. The SEC brought civil charges against 11 individuals and three entities.

Among financial professionals charged criminally in U.S. District Court in Manhattan was Mitchel Guttenberg, an executive director and institutional client manager at UBS.

Garcia said Guttenberg, who worked in UBS's equity research department, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars as he sold nonpublic information to two men regarding upcoming upgrades and downgrades by UBS analysts.

The question now is how long will the executives of these high profile companies survive? With such a widespread web of corruption, the only honorable thing to do is to step down in disgrace. Read the rest of this post...

Europe to follow Australia with compact flourescent bulbs

So far it's an industry supported initiative to help consumers migrate to the newer energy efficient bulbs and not a total ban on the old technology.

They estimated that if all inefficient traditional incandescent bulbs sold in Europe were to be replaced with more efficient bulbs — such as compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs — the continent would need 27 fewer power plants.

Most power plants are fueled by coal, which releases carbon dioxide on being burned. Those and other manmade CO2 emissions, in turn, are thought by most scientists to be warming Earth.

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Meet Urine Man

At the top of the blog we'll be counting the days that the US Army permits Urine Man, M.D. (aka US Army Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley) to remain at the helm of Walter Reed. Why Urine Man? Read on. Read the rest of this post...