my Thinking spot: this and that

31 March 2007

this and that

i'm not certain if anyone is even reading anymore, but here goes! i'm baaaa-aaack!

it seems that the house stuff that has been a major stress on our lives over the past solid 5 months is resolving somewhat for now. signing papers in an hour for a re-fi after exhausting all of our options we have at this time. looks like we got in just in time, too. what. a. mess.

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i got my acceptance letter for grad school in the mail yesterday. i have to suss out financial aid stuffs now - i hope it's not too late! thanks pam - i know your letter of recommendation had something to do with this! :) and the biggest THANK YOU to all of you that read my statement and encouraged me through these last icky awful months. your kindness will never be forgotten. ever. you have no idea.

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i'm starting to feel like a human again. the idea that my life is living me and not me living my life is no bueno. it isn't perfect, but it's a start. i'm also looking for a part time serving gig to supplement what we need, at least until school begins. so far, no luck. my old boss was delighted to hear from me, there just doesn't seem to be any room behind the bar just yet, at least not with my availability.

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onward!

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i'm really really really torn about the deadline date for withdrawing from iraq. i don't want another year to pass. i want this nightmare to end yesterday... i'm assuming that a lot of this has to do with political positioning on the part of the d's - pelosi stopped with the impeachment talk, knowing that impeachment would mean the d's would have little or no chance of taking the whitehouse in 2008. seems that this move with withdrawing troops is along the same lines. i'm a bit disappointed with move on for this reason as well. once again, the d's have let me down. not all of them, but many. i know that barbara lee and kucinich didn't vote for this plan of doing the least amount of something to placate those of us that want an end to this occupation. i know, i know... it's a start - it is something, but i can't help but feel horribly sad and torn on the whole issue. more band aids for cuts that need stitches. it wears me down. how many more have to die?

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also, i've just joined up with the out of iraq bloggers! you want to come along? here's the info and i'll be updating my blogroll accordingly:

Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus - Reciprocal Blogroll

A group of us started organizing an "Out Of Iraq Blogroll" over at TalkLeft a while back, based on Big Tent Democrat's idea of the Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus.

The Blogroll is a reciprocal link list of "Out Of Iraq Bloggers" that will be posted separately from other blogrolls and displayed on each member blog to identify them as part of the Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus (as conceived by Armando Llorens aka Big Tent Democrat) to help increase traffic to all of the member blogs and get the message out as widely as possible that the Iraq Debacle must be ended as soon as possible, and that there should be no more bills passed funding it beyond an established date certain for withdrawal.

The Out Of Iraq Blogroll is intended to be a roll of bloggers that are:

1) Opposed to the Iraq Supplemental Appropriations Bill.
2) Opposed to funding Bush's Iraq Occupation Debacle.
3) Committed to getting the troops home as soon as possible.
4) Determined to end George W. Bush's Iraq and Mid-East Debacle as quickly as possible.
5) Determined to restore some sanity to the world.

To join the Blogroll email me: edger10@gmail.com - I am volunteering to do my best to review blogs and initially maintain it - and as new blogs join I will keep the blogroll current at Edgeing.

Labels: band aids for cuts that need stitches, Dream School, life, out of iraq bloggers

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Cost of the War in Iraq

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GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE!

Q: What causes global warming?

A: Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually.

Q: Is the earth really getting hotter?

A: Yes. Although local temperatures fluctuate naturally, over the past 50 years the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. And experts think the trend is accelerating: the 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990. Scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century.

Q: Are warmer temperatures causing bad things to happen?

A: Global warming is already causing damage in many parts of the United States. In 2002, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon endured their worst wildfire seasons ever. The same year, drought created severe dust storms in Montana, Colorado and Kansas, and floods caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Texas, Montana and North Dakota. Since the early 1950s, snow accumulation has declined 60 percent and winter seasons have shortened in some areas of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington. Of course, the impacts of global warming are not limited to the United States. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. And in what scientists regard as an alarming sign of events to come, the area of the Arctic's perennial polar ice cap is declining at the rate of 9 percent per decade.

Q: Is global warming making hurricanes worse?

A: Global warming doesn't create hurricanes, but it does make them stronger and more dangerous. Because the ocean is getting warmer, tropical storms can pick up more energy and become more powerful. So global warming could turn, say, a category 3 storm into a much more dangerous category 4 storm. In fact, scientists have found that the destructive potential of hurricanes has greatly increased along with ocean temperature over the past 35 years.

Q: Is there really cause for serious concern?

A: Yes. Global warming is a complex phenomenon, and its full-scale impacts are hard to predict far in advance. But each year scientists learn more about how global warming is affecting the planet, and many agree that certain consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue. Among these: 1. Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages in the American West. 2. Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern seaboard, in Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico. 3. Warmer sea surface temperatures will fuel more intense hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. 4. Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases. 5. Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.

Q: Could global warming trigger a sudden catastrophe?

A: Recently, researchers -- and even the U.S. Defense Department -- have investigated the possibility of abrupt climate change, in which gradual global warming triggers a sudden shift in the earth's climate, causing parts of the world to dramatically heat up or cool down in the span of a few years.

Q: What country is the largest source of global warming pollution?

A: The United States. Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world's population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning -- by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India and Japan, combined. Clearly America ought to take a leadership role in solving the problem. And as the world's top developer of new technologies, we are well positioned to do so -- we already have the know-how.

Q: How can we cut global warming pollution?

A: It's simple: By reducing pollution from vehicles and power plants. Right away, we should put existing technologies for building cleaner cars and more modern electricity generators into widespread use. We can increase our reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind, sun and geothermal. And we can manufacture more efficient appliances and conserve energy.

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my Thinking spot

31 March 2007

this and that

Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus - Reciprocal Blogroll

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