4 minutes to spare....
Brassavola Little Stars, a cross of B. nodosa x cordata.
And yes, this photo is of my plant currently in bloom. It's a wonderfully smelly little thing. Honestly, the smell is almost intolerable to me - it's very citrusy, but incredibly so, with only 3 flowers (another 12 flower buds are on their way), and the thing wafts at you from a good 6 feet away, plus. If the other 12 flowers bloom at once, I'm a dead man. The scent only comes out at night, during the day you smell nothing. One of the parents is B. nodosa, called "The Lady of the Night" because it too only gives off a scent at night.
Still, it's a very pretty plant, not hard to grow, likes to get really wet then dry out, then water it again in a few days after it dries. I found this one a bit hard to bloom, have had it for 2 years, it finally is blooming now and giving me a ton of them, so the wait was worth it. This is a very high light orchid - it wants as much sunlight as you can give it for as long as you can give it (unless it starts burning, then stop). So, you don't want this plant unless you have a southern exposure in the winter, can put it outside in the summer and winter, or have plant lights inside. Anyway, it's a keeper.
You can see how the entire plant looks here - this second photo isn't my plant, mine is a bit smaller, but you get the idea.
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Friday, December 02, 2005
Survey of Historians: Bush is the worst president ever
The Republicans were right. Bush is number one.
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There are some numbers. The History News Network at George Mason University has just polled historians informally on the Bush record. Four hundred and fifteen, about a third of those contacted, answered -- maybe they were all crazed liberals -- making the project as unofficial as it was interesting. These were the results: 338 said they believed Bush was failing, while 77 said he was succeeding. Fifty said they thought he was the worst president ever. Worse than Buchanan.Of course, we already knew that.
This is what those historians said -- and it should be noted that some of the criticism about deficit spending and misuse of the military came from self-identified conservatives -- about the Bush record:
# He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process;
# He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich;
# He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state;
# He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign;
# He has proved to be incompetent in affairs domestic (New Orleans) and foreign (
Iraq and the battle against al-Qaida);
# He has sacrificed American employment (including the toleration of pension and benefit elimination) to increase overall productivity;
# He is ignorantly hostile to science and technological progress;
# He has tolerated or ignored one of the republic's oldest problems, corporate cheating in supplying the military in wartime.
Quite an indictment. It is, of course, too early to evaluate a president. That, historically, takes decades, and views change over times as results and impact become more obvious. Besides, many of the historians note that however bad Bush seems, they have indeed since worse men around the White House. Some say Buchanan. Many say Vice President Dick Cheney.
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Reagan's NSA Director: Want stability in the Middle East? Get out of Iraq!
Wow. This was Reagan's head of the super-secret National Security Agency, General William E. Odom.
Staying the course" may make a good sound bite, but it can be disastrous for strategy. Several of Hitler's generals told him that "staying the course" at Stalingrad in 1942 was a strategic mistake, that he should allow the Sixth Army to be withdrawn, saving it to fight defensive actions on reduced frontage against the growing Red Army. He refused, lost the Sixth Army entirely, and left his commanders with fewer forces to defend a wider front. Thus he made the subsequent Soviet offensives westward easier.Why does General Odom hate America? Read the rest of this post...
To argue, as some do, that we cannot leave Iraq because "we broke it and therefore we own it" is to reason precisely the way Hitler did with his commanders. Of course we broke it! But the Middle East is not a pottery store. It is the site of major military conflict with several different forces that the United States is galvanizing into an alliance against America. To hang on to an untenable position is the height of irresponsibility. Beware of anyone, including the president, who insists that this is "responsible" or "the patriotic" thing to do.
US UN ambassador Bolton invites religious right fundamentalists to set US policy at the UN
UPDATE: Link is fixed, sorry about that.
Hey, they've got their fundamentalists trying to blow up the world, why not give ours a chance? Read the rest of this post...
Hey, they've got their fundamentalists trying to blow up the world, why not give ours a chance? Read the rest of this post...
Video of my MSNBC appearance yesterday
Daily Dissent has posted the video of my MSNBC appearance yesterday, talking about the new Iraq propaganda scandal and all the Republican ethics scandals. It went pretty well, the other guy was basically agreeing with me. Funny to be on these shows and NOT have to get into a screaming match - it was nice for a change.
Be warned, it's an 8 megabyte file, so you won't be able to download it without a fast connection - it a pretty long segment. Apparently the show is being canceled. Which is too bad. I really like Ron Reagan (one of the co-hosts), he's very good. Read the rest of this post...
Be warned, it's an 8 megabyte file, so you won't be able to download it without a fast connection - it a pretty long segment. Apparently the show is being canceled. Which is too bad. I really like Ron Reagan (one of the co-hosts), he's very good. Read the rest of this post...
SCHWARZENEGGER V - The Right Wing Strikes Back? Ehh, not so much...
Not so happy Republicans in California, but they don't seem to think that they'll do anything about it. From the LA Times:
I'm getting more e-mails off of this than I do for Viagra," said Mike Spence, president of the California Republican Assembly, a grass-roots group, referring to Schwarzenegger's appointment of Susan Kennedy.Good question Mike Spence! And yet, they don't think they are going to challenge him, huh? Why not? Because they think that it's a ploy? Cause the Democrats do:
"Since the special election, where we were very loyal, all we've heard about was a $50-billion bond and looking at clemency for [convicted murderer and gang leader Stanley] Tookie Williams," Spence said. "I think the Kennedy thing was just the last straw. There's not even one Republican in the state to be qualified as chief of staff?"
...
"I think she sends the wrong message to the Republican base," Ackerman said. "Most people feel if you're a Republican governor, you should have a Republican chief of staff, because they are privy to policy and campaign strategy."
Ackerman said Schwarzenegger "will need a very strong Republican base to get reelected" in a predominantly Democratic state. "The selection of Susan Kennedy can jeopardize it."
For now, most analysts and political veterans said the chance of a GOP challenge was minimal. There are no signs that the one candidate considered a credible threat - state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) - will drop his bid for lieutenant governor and take on Schwarzenegger. Running as a conservative Republican, McClintock won 1.1 million votes in the 2003 recall election, in which Schwarzenegger captured 4.2 million votes.So long as the Republicans don't think that Ahnold is enough of a sellout to challenge him in the Primary, looks like Kennedy is just another Democrat who's getting had... Read the rest of this post...
Although the governor's latest actions could alienate many of the more conservative Republicans, others see them as an effort to improve his dismal public standing as the 2006 election approaches by moving to the political center.
"This is conceivably the first step in his quickly and visibly marching to the middle," said Darry Sragow, a Democratic strategist. "If he wants to win re-election, that's exactly what he needs to do. In an ideal world, he doesn't so infuriate the far right so that they field [another] candidate, but it's a risk that he has to take."
SCHWARZENEGGER Episode IV - Maria Did It
Following on our previous Schwarzenegger posts (1,2,3), it looks like we can now identify the culprit that sold out the Republicans. It was none other than Maria:
Like most literate Americans, I'm all for a reform agenda no matter what party label is attached to it. However, Schwarzenegger had his chance. I don't care if he packs his ENTIRE administration with gays and lesbians. I, personally, don't trust him. Do you? Read the rest of this post...
The most important thing about Kennedy, however, is that she is extremely competent - focused, organized, a quick study, politically astute. Rides herd. That's what the governor's wife, Democrat Maria Shriver, saw that prompted her to push Kennedy for the job. (From the LA Times' Skelton)I always thought that a Governor Maria would have been so much more appropriate - maybe that's what we've got now? This would become her second high profile homosexual hire, as John mentioned her own Chief of Staff Daniel Zingale is gay.
Like most literate Americans, I'm all for a reform agenda no matter what party label is attached to it. However, Schwarzenegger had his chance. I don't care if he packs his ENTIRE administration with gays and lesbians. I, personally, don't trust him. Do you? Read the rest of this post...
10 Marines killed in Falluja by homemade bomb
CNN is reporting that 10 US Marines were killed yesterday by a bomb in Falluja. Eleven others were injured.
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Last day of our AMERICAblog-athon
As you know, once a month I launch a week-long fundraising drive to help pay for the blog. Today is the last day. If the Fitzmas spirit moves you, please use the yellow boxes at the top of the blog to give until it hurts :-)
And in case you hadn't noticed, you can use the yellow box on the right to automatically give a small (or large) contribution each month so you don't have to worry about it any more. Next week, I'll move the big ugly boxes back to the left-hand column until the next a-thon.
How much to give? One-time donors are giving anywhere between 5 bucks and 250 bucks. Recurring donors are giving anywhere from 2 bucks a month to 25 bucks a month. The thing, all is welcome and all is helpful. It's just like my unfortunate credit card bill, you'd be amazed how quickly the small amounts add up.
You can read more about why I'm fundraising, what I plan to do with the contributions, etc. here.
Thanks, JOHN Read the rest of this post...
And in case you hadn't noticed, you can use the yellow box on the right to automatically give a small (or large) contribution each month so you don't have to worry about it any more. Next week, I'll move the big ugly boxes back to the left-hand column until the next a-thon.
How much to give? One-time donors are giving anywhere between 5 bucks and 250 bucks. Recurring donors are giving anywhere from 2 bucks a month to 25 bucks a month. The thing, all is welcome and all is helpful. It's just like my unfortunate credit card bill, you'd be amazed how quickly the small amounts add up.
You can read more about why I'm fundraising, what I plan to do with the contributions, etc. here.
Thanks, JOHN Read the rest of this post...
"Deliberately skewed" evidence which led to war
Sound familiar? Not Iraq, but rather that other quagmire which started on a similarly poor foundation, Vietnam. Hmmm, could there be a lesson learned from this? Sounds like the GOP hasn't learned the lessons not to mention some Democrat hangers-on as well. Just like the GOP did during Vietnam, Bush and the GOP want to stay the course no matter what the realities on the ground are, facts be damned. Just have more PR campaigns and plant more stories in the Arab media. That should take care of everything.
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So Viveca Novak isn't going to exonerate Karl Rove after all
Earlier this week, the Washington Post ran an article that claimed Time Magazine's Viveca Novak was going to give testimony to Patrick Fitzgerald that would somehow exonerate Karl Rove. Seemed a little fishy, and today's New York Times has a different spin that's not so favorable to Karl.
Seems Ms. Novak is quite a bigmouth:
Seems Ms. Novak is quite a bigmouth:
Mr. Rove's lawyer, Robert D. Luskin, spoke in the summer or early fall of 2004 with Viveca Novak, a reporter for Time. In that conversation, Mr. Luskin heard from Ms. Novak that a colleague at the magazine, Matthew Cooper, might have interviewed Mr. Rove about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the case, the people said.So much for keeping sources confidential. And isn't it funny how that revelation to his lawyer caused Karl to re-think his earlier testimony. Rove's people claim that helped jog his memory. Fitzgerald doesn't seem to buying that:
But Mr. Fitzgerald appears to be evaluating whether Mr. Rove came forward with the e-mail and his new testimony only after it became apparent that Mr. Cooper might be compelled to testify about it. It is not clear precisely what Ms. Novak told Mr. Luskin, or what the context for their conversation had been.Karl was counting on Cooper keeping his mouth shut. If that happened, he was in the clear. But, he underestimated Fitzgerald. Rove is used to dealing with politicians and press people who are easy for him to manipulate. With Fitz, Karl hit a brick wall. Read the rest of this post...
People involved in the case said that at a minimum Ms. Novak communicated to Mr. Luskin that Mr. Rove might face legal problems because of potential testimony from Mr. Cooper, her colleague. They said Ms. Novak had told Mr. Luskin that Mr. Cooper might have been in contact with Mr. Rove about Ms. Wilson in the days before her identity became public. Mr. Cooper helped write an article on Time's Web site in July 2003 that was among the first, after Mr. Novak's column, to divulge Ms. Wilson's identity, using her maiden name, Valerie Plame.
Ford cutting up to 7500 jobs?
The US automobile industry is in seriously bad shape these days and now Ford is talking about closing an additional five plants to cut costs.
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One Person, One Vote? Not in Bush's America
Tom DeLay broke the law and denied citizens fair representation in Texas with that highly partisan redistricting. You knew that. What you didn't know is that the career staffers at the Justice Dept. UNANIMOUSLY ruled the DeLay redistricting was unconstitutional but were overruled by their partisan bosses. In Bush's America, one person/one vote is a relic of the past. We would go on to list all the times the non-partisan experts and career staffers had been overruled by political hacks -- the "morning after" pill, global warming, Iraq -- but we'd run out of computer memory space and our server would crash.
So how about making the list for us? What's your favorite example of Bush overruling science, common sense and decency for political gain? Read the rest of this post...
So how about making the list for us? What's your favorite example of Bush overruling science, common sense and decency for political gain? Read the rest of this post...
Kurds Sign Oil Deal With Norway; Baghdad Clueless
Ok, this is a big deal because it's all about oil, isn't it? The Kurds apparently signed an oil deal with Norway last year. They just held a ceremony and began drilling...which was the first time the federal government had any clue what was going on.
"We need to figure out if this is allowed in the constitution," said an advisor to Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari.Talk about destabilizing. If the Kurds get away with making deals to sell oil on their own, they're halfway to an independent Kurdistan, which is what they want anyway. And then goodbye Iraq. Read the rest of this post...
Vatican: 9-11 Martyr Fr. Mychal Judge Unfit To Be A Priest
Oh, they'll deny it because the brave and stirring image of Fr. Mychal Judge sacrificing his life to provide the sacraments to dying firemen and cops is about the only good news the Catholic Church has enjoyed in the past five years.
But the Catholic Church's scapegoating witchhunt to root out gays is a direct slap in the face to the memory of Father Mychal. He was by all accounts of the people who knew him a wonderful, gay, celibate priest. And there's no question he supported "gay culture." Like any good Christian, Father Mychal believed gays deserved the same basic civil rights as all other Americans and should be treated with dignity and respect -- that's why he marched in gay pride parades.
The Vatican's latest attack? Against any ordained priests who oversee seminaries. If gays are unfit to be priests, they're certainly unfit to oversee the training of other priests.
How can any good Christian honestly say that Father Mychal was an embarrassment to the church and unfit to be a priest? The truth is that the current leaders of the church are an embarrassment to good Catholics like the late Father Mychal. Read the rest of this post...
But the Catholic Church's scapegoating witchhunt to root out gays is a direct slap in the face to the memory of Father Mychal. He was by all accounts of the people who knew him a wonderful, gay, celibate priest. And there's no question he supported "gay culture." Like any good Christian, Father Mychal believed gays deserved the same basic civil rights as all other Americans and should be treated with dignity and respect -- that's why he marched in gay pride parades.
The Vatican's latest attack? Against any ordained priests who oversee seminaries. If gays are unfit to be priests, they're certainly unfit to oversee the training of other priests.
How can any good Christian honestly say that Father Mychal was an embarrassment to the church and unfit to be a priest? The truth is that the current leaders of the church are an embarrassment to good Catholics like the late Father Mychal. Read the rest of this post...
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