It's nice to be back!

[ginnyinWI]

I'm back from a week in the Northwoods--Wisconsin's vacationland. (My mother-in-law has some property on a lake up there.) No TV or internet, but we had radio, so I've kept up. ;)

Being without a TV makes me realize how really shallow and irrelevant it is. The exception is C-span, of course. I listened to CNN on our XM- radio, and it was really eye-opening to hear it without all of the distracting graphics--Wolf Blitzer was, in effect, saying over and over, "be afraid, be very afraid, and keep watching this network cause we'll keep you informed so you can save yourselves" all to a background of beating drums. Blechh. Ok, he's one of the worse ones on CNN, and I do like some of the others better (Christiane Amanpour rocks). Fortunately I could hear C-span radio, BBC and other better news channels. I heard part of the stem cell debate in the Senate while washing dishes one afternoon, which was really cool. When you don't have as much access to news, each thing becomes really valuable!


Something else: my mother-in-law had a cabin contracter in to look at some repair work, and he, a liberal, was talking with her about how the trees have been growing faster due to the warming. They are both pine and birch, and the birch are now dying off due to insects and disease--I suspect because of the warmer climate. Who knows what that area will look like in ten years. It's supposed to be cooler, both because it is in the north and it is higher in altitude by about 1000 ft.
We are seeing the evidence with our own eyes, and it's sad.

He also said that he guages the economy by what sorts of jobs he gets--whether they are absolutely necessary repairs or just cosmetic optional projects. And he said it's bad--he only gets the necessary projects now. So we have more on-the-ground evidence that the economy pretty much sucks.

I'm glad to see that the Kerrycrats have been on the job--I read through some of the threads in GD--good work! It's not too hard to be a Kerry defender, because JK tells the truth and has the facts on his side.

[babylonsister]

1. Welcome back, Ginny. Here's an article to back up

what your contractor said about global warming-I think we're all in trouble:

Pollution is fueling the vines that choke gardens and forests

Any thoughts? My weeds are out of control, so I suppose I could blame it on pollution.

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2...




WASHINGTON -- Vines -- poison ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, kudzu -- snake through the back yard, girdling trees and strangling shrubs, thriving, scientists say, on the same pollution blamed for global warming.

From backyard gardens to the Amazon rain forest, vines are growing faster, stronger and, in the case of poison ivy, more poisonous on the heavy doses of carbon dioxide that come from burning such fossil fuels as gasoline and coal.

Complaints about vine infestation have increased tenfold in a decade, said Carole Bergmann, forest ecologist for the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. Vines have choked gardens, ruined brickwork, disrupted bird habitat and clogged paths, ponds and air conditioning and electronic equipment.

"The woods they used to know have just changed character," Bergmann said. "They're covered with vines. The trees are being weakened and falling over -- or strangled."

more...

[ginnyinWI]

3. my garden's weeds are going just great

Unfortunately! And the lettuce and radishes I planted didn't make it--too hot. On the "up" side, less mosquitos around, unless you go out at night. But then I suppose that hurts birds and bats. :(

[TayTay]

2. Welcome back Ginny!

Glad the vacation was a good and restful one. I like yourinsights on what is going on. I think the graphics on TV, along with the soundtrack that every war now has to generate, are awful. It's funny, but I find myself only sort of watching TV these days. I will have it on while I am reading and I only look at it if something big happens. That's sad. It used to be better as a source of news, now it's all designed solely to sell stuff.

The stem cell debate in the Senate was something. I think most the Rethug presentations were severely odd. People who follow the Rethug point of view on this are not coming back. They are so far out to lunch with this stuff that we couldn't find them with a GPS.

That is really interesting on the contractor. I agree, these are the types of things that are real indicators of how the economy is going. It seems to be going great, if you are rich. It seems to be full of worry and woe if you are not rich.

Welcome back!

[ginnyinWI]

5. you do have to look carefully to find the better programs.

I'm always on the lookout for alternatives. Lately it's BBC World News on PBS plus CBS Evening News to get the main stories. And sometimes Anderson Cooper if I want to see more on-the-scenes stuff. But it changes.

And I still get a kick out of the callers on Washington Journal--try to catch a few mins. This morning someone referred to Condi Rice: "we've got to get someone over there who knows something, not this little girl, this Minnie Mouse...") Most of the callers are extremely partisan one way or the other.

btw, Condi is really embarrassing. She speaks haltingly and seems unsure of herself--doesn't inspire any confidence or show any leadership. Her strongest statements come out sounding like a woman scolding a cat.

[ProSense]

4. Welcome back!

Yeah, TV news is useless. When I was away (visiting far off mom-land), I missed the Internet. It's far more useful.

Yeah, this economy is a fabrication!

[ginnyinWI]

6. I missed this group!

But I didn't miss GD and all of its negativity.

The only thing that's worth anything, in the end, is "what is the solution to this problem?". Endless complaining goes nowhere. And always trying to blame someone or something goes nowhere too. That's a Republican tactic, after all!


on the economy: a caller to Randi Rhodes today said that when a government is failing, the elites grab as much for themselves as they can, and the rest get nothing. That fits our situation to a tee.

[politicasista]

7. Hi Ginny

Welcome back! :hi:

I agree with you about all the complaining ( :-( ). It seems like this issue is really dividing us (not us in the group), but here at DU.

[ginnyinWI]

8. yeah and it's complicated, and people don't know their history.

There's too much knee-jerk opinionating going on. Every issue does not boil down to "good guys" and "bad guys". (Even though our demented prez thinks so.)