Saturday, September 7, 2013

Rush Rewrites History the Way he’d Like it to be in New Children’s Book!

Image: Book cover for "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims"

              Good Day World!

Oh, Hell No!

 A former OxyContine zombie, conservative radio extremist, and crazed loon, Rush Limbaugh, wrote a children’s book! A children’s book!

 He’s not satisfied with the current group of racists and rednecks he attracts, so now he’s going after the next generation! What’s scary is those extremists will force feed their young on Rush’s propaganda, assuring a continued dummying-down of another generation in America.

 The book follows the time-travel adventures of Rush Revere, a character that adorns Limbaugh’s line of iced tea known as Two If By Tea. The character is cast as a “modern-day Paul Revere who rides around America espousing fundamental American values.”

For the purposes of the book, however, Revere is a substitute middle school teacher who travels with a couple of students back in time to meet the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. Revere is also accompanied by a talking horse named Liberty.

Though Limbaugh insists the book isn’t about politics, he said the inspiration to write it came from a belief that children aren’t “learning about the greatness of America.”

Excuse me. What Rush means is we now teach history as it really was and not the fantasy world depiction the baby boomers grew up with. You remember that don’t you? I spent a good part of my childhood believing Indians were the bad guys.

I lament what's going on in schools all the time,” he said. “But this is my way of doing more than what I'm doing now. It is a way of teaching what isn't being taught.”

And that would be lies. Rush’s interpretation of anything is a cartoon version of the good guys versus the bad guys as seen through his eyes. His vision of the Pilgrims coming to America and helping the stupid savages who lived here is bound to be a classic.

The book is called "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans." It’ll be released this fall. 

It’s time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Friday, September 6, 2013

Death on Wheels! Massive steel tank cars carrying DOT-111 pose growing dangers

                Good Day World!

 Growing up I use to watch “Engineer Bill,” a kid’s show where you played this little game with your milk.

When Engineer Bill turned on the green railroad sign for “Go,” I’d rapidly slurp down my milk! When he changed it to the red sign, I’d stop drinking (mid-gulp) and firmly set my glass down.

Trains were fun growing up. I still remember my Lionell Train Set that I got for Christmas in 1956. I wore my train conductor hat with pride and spent countless hours watching it go around the oblong track. Those were the days.

Nowadays, I see trains in a slightly different way. I dislike having to wait for one to to pass in my car. Especially when it’s two miles long! But, that’s not too bad. What’s disturbing about trains today is the loads they’re carrying. In specific, cars that carry oil and ethanol, known as DOT-111.

When one of those babies get in an accident all hell literally breaks loose! A dramatic example happened this summer in Quebec, killing 47 people. Here’s a story that should concern all Americans – especially if you live near railroad tracks!

The number of freight trains carrying oil across America has soared in the past five years, but federal officials warn that the massive steel tank cars that carry most of that oil through towns and past schools – the same cars that exploded in Quebec this summer, killing 47 -- may be unsafe and prone to rupture.

For two decades, federal officials have warned that the tank car that carries oil and ethanol, known as the DOT-111, has a serious design flaw and can split open in an accident, turning a derailment into a fiery catastrophe. At least five times since 1991, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has raised concerns about the car’s design, including its relatively thin metal skin and the possibility that cars could tear holes in each other during accidents, creating a domino effect of spills. Full story here

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Thursday, September 5, 2013

F**K Frackin! It’s ruining my birth state of Ohio!

Fracking

    Good Day World!

I was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1950. Perhaps that’s why I am particularly sad to hear what’s happening near my birthplace; fracking causing earthquakes!

The practice of frackin has become the 21st century’s  oil boom and few are taking the proper precautions to keep from polluting the environment.

(This map shows the intensity of shaking in the area of a magnitude-3.9 earthquake that struck near Youngstown, Ohio, on Dec. 31, 2011. Research has linked this earthquake to the underground injection of wastewater from fracking.)

The following story is troubling because it’s not the first time experts said frackin was going to destroy our environment. Pro-industry lobbies claimed it was a safe way to get to the huge underground reservoirs.

The reality is frackin is a real bad idea! We need to push for alternate energies and quit trying to use up what resources we have with dangerous methods.

It’s what I believe in a nutshell. Many won’t agree with me. But I’ll bet they’re somehow tied into the industry! Here’s the latest proof of how invasive frackin can be:

Confirmed: Fracking practices to blame for Ohio earthquakes

Wastewater from the controversial practice of fracking appears to be linked to all the earthquakes in a town in Ohio that had no known past quakes, research now reveals.

The practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves injecting water, sand and other materials under high pressures into a well to fracture rock. This opens up fissures that help oil and natural gas flow out more freely. This process generates wastewater that is often pumped underground as well, in order to get rid of it.

A furious debate has erupted over the safety of the practice. Advocates claim fracking is a safe, economical source of clean energy, while critics argue that it can taint drinking water supplies, among other problems.

One of the most profitable areas for fracking lies over the geological formation known as the Marcellus Shale, which reaches deep underground from Ohio and West Virginia northeast into Pennsylvania and southern New York. The Marcellus Shale is rich in natural gas; geologists estimate it may contain up to 489 trillion cubic feet (13.8 trillion cubic meters) of natural gas, more than 440 times the amount New York State uses annually. Many of the rural communities living over the formation face economic challenges and want to attract money from the energy industry.

Before January 2011, Youngstown, Ohio, which is located on the Marcellus Shale, had never experienced an earthquake, at least not since researchers began observations in 1776. Read full story here

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

I’m back! A new house, state, and slate for the Stancliffs

424346_4126973345969_772663304_n

  Good Day World!

We survived the move.

Shirley and I are utterly exhausted after packing up one house and relocating to another one a state away. Goodbye, California, and hello, Oregon! The house we bought came with mature landscaping. It’s the only way to go. The prior owners put countless hours into the front and back yard and the results are evident.

A nice drip system takes care of every plant and all the trees. The front and back lawns are automated (pop-up sprinklers). Conservation of water was considered when installing this system because when I checked past water bills for the house they were all very reasonable. And of course, that means less work.

To top that off, we have a Victory garden ripe with vegetable offerings! Tomatoes, cucumbers, several types of peppers, squash, lettuce, pickles, strawberries, raspberry's, corn, and a few herbs we haven’t identified yet! I picked three ripe tomatoes trhe first day and we had them with our lunch. Yum! 

Shirley is the gardener. When we decided to buy the house it was the first things we agreed on when buying the house. I hate yard work. She says she loves it, but the collection of exotic plants, bushes, roses, numerous other flowers, trees, hedges, victory garden, and mowing the lawns is going to be the most challenging outdoor project she’s ever taken on. I wish her well.

The key to avoiding a heat stroke here in this warmer climate, according to our new neighbors, doing your yard work in the morning and in the evening after it cools down.

What a contrast to our former abode. The sun was an occasional visitor in Humboldt County. It’s practically a permanent resident in Medford. You don’t rust here, but you also don’t have those giant redwoods we loved. The biggest difference is there’s more year around sunlight in Medford.

There’s also a lot more things to do here! More places to see and stores to chose from like the Rogue Valley Mall, Outlet stores, and The Shoppes at Exit 24  (The Shoppes at Exit 24 is located conveniently off I5 between Medford and Ashland.  The 82,000 square foot shopping center offers a variety of shops for southern Oregon travelers to choose from.)

Shirley and I enjoy wine and were both attracted to the number of wineries in Southern Oregon.

On the first night in our new home we had a bottle of 2009 Claret from RoxyAnn Winery. It was also our 39th wedding anniversary! What a day! It was great.

It’s nice to be settled into my blogging routine again. I’m going back to work today. That means I look up the website I work for – Learnist – and start creating learning boards on all kinds of interesting subjects. What a fun job. I learn something new every day and I get to share this with my readers. You’re invited to visit me there anytime. Now…

It’s time for me to walk on down the road…

Blog Break Until Presidential Election is Over

I finally hit the wall today. I can't think of what to say about all of the madness going on in this country right now. I'm a writer...