| |
|
Friday, July 28, 2006
|
|
Republican conundrum
Jesus' General: "Dear Rep. Reynolds,
"You're in a hard spot. As chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, you're supposed to be proud of your party and its accomplishments in Congress. Your colleagues expect you to be out there in front touting all the good work the Republican caucus has accomplished, things like turning a woman's final moments into a circus, working closely with lobbyists to bring free-market principles to the legislative process, and ensuring that trivial matters like the rebuilding of hurricane-ravaged cities don't get in the way of the important work of passing laws against flag burning.
"Unfortunately, you are also in the midst of a re-election campaign, and the public is more likely to view your party's accomplishments as evidence that you're corrupt and insane than to see them as reasons for sending you back to Washington. I imagine that's why you've tried to distance yourself from your party by not using the word 'Republican' or the party logo anywhere on your campaign web site."
"2008 pres"
7:10:29 AM 
|
|
Global warming or hoax?
New West: "A prominent American scientist studying the possible effects of climate change in Antarctica has written a strongly-worded opinion piece in the New York Times telling skeptics to stop using his name and that of other researchers to prop up their claims that global warming is a hoax. Peter Doran, an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois-Chicago, is the latest scientist to say that climate change deniers are misusing the conclusions of his data to try and create a false impression of the science. Writing in The New York Times Thursday in a piece titled "Cold, Hard Facts", Mr. Doran expressed dismay that skeptics have prolifically circulated the work of his team to suggest the Earth, overall, may actually be cooling rather than warming. While his study documented localized cooling in one region of the Antarctic Continent over four years from 1996-2000, he said the skeptics seized upon it and created a legend of doubt that has only grown in magnitude."
"2008 pres"
7:07:31 AM
|
|
Iraq
Daily Kos: "In a daring attempt to protect themselves from the Bush Republican War Machine the Iraqi Parliment overwhelmingly voted to reclassify all Iraqi citizens as embryos. 'Perhaps now Bush will stop blowing us [...] up' said spokesman Haseem Marqular. This move also required Iraq's infant government to remove age restrictions on things like driving, drinking and voting but as local newspaper publisher Marqular Haseem said, 'Not very many Iraqis did all three of those things at the same time anyway.'"
"2008 pres"
7:02:01 AM
|
|
Dem convention in Denver?
The coalition hoping to land the 2008 Democratic National Convention for Denver has hired a veteran organizer, Debbie Willhite, to help with the effort, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "The group bidding to bring the 2008 Democratic National Convention to Denver has hired a veteran Washington, D.C., organizer as executive director - a tangible sign of the city's commitment to landing the meeting...
"Willhite ran the 1992 convention for the Democrats as well as the 1997 Summit of the Eight in Denver. She has been working on Democratic campaigns going back to President Jimmy Carter's re-election bid...
"Willhite, who is now a partner in the Washington-based political strategy firm FieldWorks, was a field director for Bill Clinton's campaign for governor, and she helped run both of his presidential inaugurations. Her hiring brings a major Washington connection to Denver's bid. It also reinforces the seriousness of Denver's host committee."
Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News. They write, "She [Willhite] said a Denver convention would help the Democratic Party advance its successful strategy of attracting independent voters in the Mountain West to win back the White House. 'I think the No. 1 purpose of the convention is to be a launching pad for the presidential nominee,' Willhite said. 'Denver serves that purpose in a number of ways. The most important way is that it stretches the electoral map and shows that the Democrats are reaching out to the Rocky Mountain West.' She said that gives Denver an edge over the other two competitors for the Democratic convention - New York and Minneapolis-St. Paul."
"2008 pres"
6:43:02 AM
|
|
Ritter for governor?
Rutt Bridges is back in the governor's race. This time however he's not a candidate, he's starting an 527 issues committee to help elect Bill Ritter, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Software entrepreneur Rutt Bridges has created an independent political committee to boost Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter's image in the face of Republican attack ads. The committee, Rocky Mountain Horizons, is releasing statewide radio ads Saturday to give voters a glimpse of Ritter and what he stands for...
"Bridges' first, and so far only, donation was from billionaire heiress Pat Stryker, who gave $50,000. Nearly half of that money went to "media and political consulting" for the radio ads. Stryker and Bridges were two of four wealthy Democrats who funneled huge amounts of money into independent groups that targeted battleground legislative races in 2004. The maneuver is largely credited with giving Democrats control of the statehouse for the first time in more than 44 years."
Also from today's Denver Post: "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter on Thursday won the endorsement of 26 law enforcement officials - including some Republicans - from across the state. Two Republican district attorneys from the Western Slope lined up with other Ritter supporters, including Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman, on the steps of the Denver City and County Building. Bonnie Roesink, district attorney for Grand, Moffat and Routt counties and Tom Raynes, the Republican district attorney for Delta, Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties, said they back Ritter. The Trailhead Group, a political committee formed by Gov. Bill Owens and other prominent Republicans, has run radio ads this summer claiming that Ritter was a weak prosecutor. Ritter's opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, announced Wednesday that seven Republican district attorneys are supporting his campaign."
"denver 2006"
6:34:59 AM
|
|
Big Thompson Flood
Colorado State University: "To mark this devastating event [Big Thompson Flood], on the flood's 30th anniversary, the Water Resources Archive at Colorado State University Libraries, in the midst of its own five-year anniversary, has created an exhibit for audiences to come as close to experiencing the Big Thompson Flood as now possible. 'Water Through Time: An Exhibit Recalling Colorado Water Events Upon the Fifth Anniversary of the Water Resources Archive' marks the Big Thompson Flood anniversary as well as other landmark events in Colorado's water history...
"Also featured are materials that document the Invention of the Parshall Flume (1921-1922); the Signing of the Colorado River Compact (1922); the Arrival of the Dust-Bowl Droughts (1930-1940); the Completion of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (1957); and the Commencement of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project (1962). The exhibit, located in room 202 of Morgan Library on the CSU campus in Fort Collins, is open from 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://lib.colostate.edu/archives/water or call the Archives directly, 970-491-1844."
"colorado water"
6:23:18 AM
|
|
Tamarisk control with insects
The Rocky Mountain News is running a story about the efforts to manage the tamarisk problem. From the article, "A year after beetles developed by scientists were released in selected tamarisk infestations at three sites in Colorado, the project is showing encouraging signs that the bugs will significantly defoliate the water-sucking trees that clog most Western rivers...
"Bean said 8,000 tamarisk leaf beetles, released last August in Horsethief Canyon west of Grand Junction, along the South Platte River in Adams County open space and at Bonney Reservoir in Yuma County, are taking hold and not being eradicated by ants, their main predators. Releases in 2001 at four sites, two in Nevada and two in Utah, have matured and beetles are defoliating hundreds of acres of tamarisk. Bean also said that beetles released in 2004 near Moab, Utah, are taking hold...
"Labor-intensive efforts to eradicate tamarisk cost $1,500 to $3,000 per acre. The tamarisk leaf beetles may be able to do the job for less than $10 per acre, according to U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Mel Lloyd. The beetle, officially Diorhabda elongate deserticola Chen, has undergone more prerelease testing than any other biological control agent in the country's history, Lloyd said. The BLM and the Palisade Insectary, operated by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, both play a role in the release and monitoring of the insect."
"colorado water"
6:13:06 AM
|
|
|
© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:25:03 PM.
|
|
|
