My Daughter Meets Chuck Schumer for the First Time

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Wednesday September 02, 2009 · 7:51 PM PDT

2009/09/02 · 19:51

Warning: Gratuitous baby picture ahead.

Chuck Schumer was making the rounds at the NYS Fair tonight, and we happened to be at the right place at the right time to be able to speak to him. He was generous with his time and a true politician in the most positive sense of the term.

[Grandmom, my little lamb, and Sen. Schumer]

He did get heckled once when we were there ("vote them all out!"), but for the most part the response was positive. I thanked him for his support of the public option.

OK, now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

DKos Won't Show Up in Firefox on Mac?

baloghblog

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Thursday May 28, 2009 · 3:01 PM PDT

2009/05/28 · 15:01

I wonder if it's just me, but the site shows up blank in Firefox 3.0 on my macbook. Anyone else having the same problem? Seems to be working fine in Safari (and no problems with other sites). Feel free to delete this diary after the problem is fixed.

Thx. And keep up the good work.

Why High Gas Prices and High Medical Costs Are Related

baloghblog

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Monday January 30, 2006 · 7:19 PM PST

2006/01/30 · 19:19

Reviewing the latest released topics on the President's State of the Union Address, I see that Bush is going to focus on both the topic of high energy costs and the high cost of healthcare. From Fox:

During his Tuesday address, the president also will talk about health care, energy, education and the economy, with particular attention on the costs of energy and medical care for Americans.

This got me thinking: why do the costs of health care and energy continue to spiral out of control? Are the reasons behind the increase related? Many of the causes are not. The price of gasoline is driven by demand - which has continued to grow despite increases in cost. Health care costs on the other hand are driven by technological and pharmaceutical advances which cost tremendous amounts of investment to develop, and this cost is passed on to the user.
The way that I believe that these pressing issues are related is in the solution, rather than the causes. Both require a reduction in use to reduce the growth in price. Read More

Energy Challenge of the week

baloghblog

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Monday October 03, 2005 · 10:03 AM PDT

2005/10/03 · 10:03

Reuters: (today)

U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the Alliance to Save Energy consumer group will announce a joint program on Monday to encourage Americans to cut back their energy usage and shave their heating bills.

Bodman on Wednesday will join Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson to launch a national effort to get consumers to switch to light bulbs that use less electricity. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. residential electricity demand goes toward lighting.

Purchase on-line through a store here.

We have been using the CFL bulbs since June of this year. After a week or two of adjustment, we are completely used to them now, and have noticed a decrease in our energy bills. We now have 6 in our home, and will replace future burnouts with more CFL bulbs.

(more below the fold) Read More

Conspiracy thought - future media restrictions?

baloghblog

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Sunday September 04, 2005 · 11:07 AM PDT

2005/09/04 · 11:07

Was watching the news today (CNN), and they reported that they were going to force all people still in New Orleans to leave the city, (and rightly so) due to the deteriorating health conditions.

Chertoff stated that American citizens need to steel themselves against the horrible images that will come after the city is drained of water.

The government (military) has taken full control over the rescue and recovery of N.O.

My thought is this: Do you think that there will be media censorship of the recovery? I can't imagine that they will continue to allow reporters to broadcast live from the recovery effort in the middle of that "toxic stew". Given the fact that the military will be running the show, it wouldn't surprise me if they could limit access to the city. What do you think?

Of course - any future broadcast will continue to show evidence that earlier intervention by the government could have saved countless lives.

(Peak Oil) Energy Vacation - Without leaving home

baloghblog

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Monday August 29, 2005 · 7:34 PM PDT

2005/08/29 · 19:34

An interesting idea:

This fall, plan a weekend, or two consecutive days and nights as an "energy vacation". Start upon waking Saturday and go until waking on Monday morning. During your "vacation", turn off your thermostat, refrain from using any lights and use electricity only sparingly - i.e. to keep food from spoiling. No driving. No TV. And, yes not even any blogging or 24 hour news updates. (if you must, a solar/crank powered AM/FM radio can be used to get your news porn) Read More

Gas Station Observation

baloghblog

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Wednesday July 13, 2005 · 2:21 PM PDT

2005/07/13 · 14:21

My wife and I stopped at a gas station off of Rte 81 in Pennsylvania on the way home from a weekend trip. Gas was at a low price of $2.19 there. ($2.41 in my hometown) There was an unbelievable line of cars waiting to get to the pumps and a chaotic scene once we got to pump area. There was no order to the line, b/c of a tight turning radius, and several large SUV's and V8 trucks positioning themselves. People we're getting frustrated quickly, and we could feel a sense of unease quickly come over us. We got our gas and got out unscathed, but the line had grown considerably by the time we left.

I was a twinkle in my father's eye during the oil shortage in the early 70's, so I have no history with the long lines that formed during the shortage. I have to believe though, with the "road rage" that is rampant now, there would quickly become a phrase "gas station rage" that would enter the country's vocabulary.

Read More

Preparation for the Future (Thoughts for 30-somethings) - REPOST

baloghblog

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Tuesday July 12, 2005 · 7:08 PM PDT

2005/07/12 · 19:08

This is my original thoughts regarding peak oil, and sustainability. It was my first essay on peak oil posted to my blog, and I wanted to share it on this diary.

Original link

Well, I have been digesting The Long Emergency, by James Howard Kunstler. It is a bleak vision of the future of America, with declining oil supplies. I, like the author, would not live to see many of the changes that he describes in his idea of the future, but I do believe that there are many things that people in our generation could do to prepare to face any eventual hardship. I will lay out what I plan to do personally to get myself, my finances, my family and my home more self sustaining, and ready for whatever may come our way. Read More

Stressed out from thinking about Peak oil? - Do something from scratch

baloghblog

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Tuesday July 12, 2005 · 6:44 PM PDT

2005/07/12 · 18:44

Sometimes the thought of peak oil gets a little overwhelming. You try to wrap your brain around the whole concept, and what it means for you, your nice car, your "small" mortgage for the house in the hills. But it's too much... One day - you think about starting your own farm to be able to provide food for your family, the next - you want to build a pantry in your basement and stock up on all the things you'll want to have if things go bad. Somedays you just want to go back and "take the blue pill" instead of the red and forget that you even knew it was coming.

What can you do with all of this nervous energy and worry? What can take your mind off of it?

[Besides red wine and sex?]

Try doing something from scratch. I don't know why, but I have found it very therapeutic lately. Something about getting your hands dirty, or your creative section of your brain re-awakened, or learning how to do something that will help you out in the future, that eases stress.

Read More

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