wizardkitten

Turbines in the Wyoming Sunrise

2012-01-27T01:11:00.003-05:00

Wyoming was beautiful, desolation etched in snow. There were wind farms in a few places along I-80; this was one shot I caught as the sun was coming up behind me on New Year's Day.

Couple of Things to Note

2012-01-26T08:44:00.000-05:00

Comcast e-mail address is shut down now, so start using the new one. If you need the new one, drop me a line in the comments, and I'll be in touch. Happy 175th birthday today to the great state of Michigan! Check out Michigan Radio's roundup of links for some excellent info on that. Stay warm everyone!

Home Run

2012-01-22T13:09:00.001-05:00

You know when they hit a long home run to right at AT&T Park in SF and it splashes into the Bay? This would be the place. To the left are openings in the wall where you can stand there are watch the games. I guess they come around and clear people out after the third and sixth (?) innings so everyone gets a chance to see. Very nice park, looking forward to catching a game there. I'm

Saturday Night at Occupy

2012-01-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

Occupy Oakland, earlier in the day. Getting ready for a march. The police are always around Ogawa Plaza, or wherever these folks congregate. Heavy presence in the city yesterday. So later, I'm sitting in the apartment, the Pats finished up destroying the Broncos, the TV is nattering on in the background, I've got my eyes closed and am partially drifting off... and all of a sudden,

Michigan RPS Ballot Proposal: 25% by 2025

2012-01-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

Yes! So happy to see this. From my man Paul Egan: A group wants to amend Michigan's constitution to more than double the existing requirement for how much of the state's electricity must come from renewable sources by 2025. Proposed ballot language filed Wednesday for the Nov. 6 election would require the state's utilities to reach 25%, well beyond the current law passed in 2008, which requires

Ogawa Plaza, Yesterday

2012-01-10T23:46:00.001-05:00

In the darkness you could hear the people's microphone.... One of the tree-sitters, from last Saturday...

Happy "Blue" Year 2012!

2012-01-01T07:03:00.000-05:00

If you would have told me a year ago that I would wake up on the first day of 2012 in Laramie, Wyoming, well... just goes to show, you never know what is going to happen. Make it a great year everyone - will write more on my adventures when I am able. Onward to victory!

2011-12-25T03:23:00.006-05:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Yet Another Festivus Miracle

2011-12-22T16:19:00.001-05:00

Cave. House Republicans have reversed course and agreed to pass the payroll tax cut extension for two more months, reports National Journal, citing "Republican and Democratic sources." It comes after first Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and then President Obama reiterated that the House ought to pass the temporary compromise before starting to negotiate on a full-year extension of the 2

Seems to Me...

2011-12-21T15:32:00.000-05:00

... you don't want to talk about it... seems to me... you just turn your pretty head and walk away... Watch the House Republicans walk away from the American people, not even allowing a vote on the compromise that they asked for in the first place. Pretty hard to have "negotiations" if you close down the chamber and leave for vacation. Fade to black...

Harry Says No

2011-12-20T13:20:00.001-05:00

... to the latest Republican attempt to take the American people hostage. But if Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is pinning his hopes for an 11th hour payroll tax cut deal on a conference committee, he is basically alone. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will not appoint conferees, his office stressed again to The Huffington Post on Tuesday morning. "[There will be] no negotiations

Maybe It's Time to Shoot Some Hostages

2011-12-19T11:35:00.001-05:00

Re: House Republicans will kill tax cut/unemployment insurance extension bill that was agreed to just last week. Had enough yet? Timothy Noah at the New Republic correctly identifies the problem with the "both sides do it" argument the generally comes from the majority of the media, explaining how the Republicans did this very same thing with the super committee, and then comes to the

TIME Person(s) of the Year: The Protester

2011-12-14T08:54:00.006-05:00

The Michigan Capitol last March. One of the most amazing sights I ever saw. Excellent choice from TIME Magazine: "Massive and effective street protest" was a global oxymoron until — suddenly, shockingly — starting exactly a year ago, it became the defining trope of our times. And the protester once again became a maker of history. Haven't had time to read the whole thing yet - but they are

Mascoma Ethanol Plant in Kinross to Open in 2013

2011-12-11T13:20:00.001-05:00

This hasn't been reported in Michigan yet that I've seen. The wood-to-ethanol plant in Kinross has been planned for over three years, recession and delays with the DOE holding up progress until now. Apparently all the funding issues have cleared up, and it's back on track again. Valero Energy Corp., an independent U.S. oil refiner that owns ten corn-based ethanol plants, agreed to provide the

Newt Gingrich, Creator of the 1%

2011-12-11T10:21:00.002-05:00

Since Newt boasts that he made Mitt Romney the wealthy man that he is today, let's give credit where credit is due: Newt helped to create the 1%. Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich stumbled upon a new campaign line Tuesday during an appearance on CNBC. The former House speaker came to the conclusion that policies he shepherded through the House of Representatives led to GOP rival

Newtmentum!

2011-12-09T17:05:00.002-05:00

The other day I tweeted that someone should poll Michigan to see if we had been infected yet. The answer is yes. See what happens when you don't take your shots? GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has pulled slightly ahead of favorite son Mitt Romney among voters likely to participate in Michigan's Feb. 28 presidential primary election, according to a poll released today. Gingrich was the

Drift Away

2011-12-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

One of my all-time favorite songs, RIP Dobie Gray. This is live at the BBC in 1974. Another rememberance goes out today to Detroit-born, Muskegon-raised Harry Bratsburg, later known as Harry Morgan, of "Dragnet" and "M*A*S*H" fame. Morgan passed away at the age of 96 in Los Angeles. Thank you gentlemen for the memories.

On Pearl Harbor Day

2011-12-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

The ghosts of WWII still sail the Great Lakes. This is the Lee A. Tregurtha, loading up at the Marquette dock in 2010... And that's just the nose. Check the 1000 px version to get an idea of how big this ship really is. We were on our way up to Big Bay, and stopped at the Presque Isle Park in Marquette for a bit to rest. I snapped a couple shots and marveled at the length of the dock, not

More of This, Please

2011-12-06T18:02:00.000-05:00

More of this guy. Please please please. Hat tip to Think Progress. And listen to the applause at "it doesn't work". Here's the transcript: "Now, just as there was in Teddy Roosevelt’s time, there’s been a certain crowd in Washington for the last few decades who respond to this economic challenge with the same old tune. “The market will take care of everything,” they tell us. If only we cut

The Michigan Republican Power Grab Continues

2011-12-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Not one, not two, but three stories this morning on last minute legislation that will continue to consolidate power for the Republicans. First off, they want to make it harder to register to vote... Sponsoring voter registration drives in Michigan would become more difficult under a proposed change in state law. How difficult is a matter of debate. A spokesman from the Fair Election Legal

When You Elect People That Hate the Government...

2011-12-06T08:23:00.003-05:00

... don't be surprised when government stops working. Congress is close to wrapping up one of its least productive sessions in recent memory, as the House and Senate have passed a scant number of bills compared with other non-election years, and President Obama has signed the fewest measures into law in at least two decades. ... Through Nov. 30, the House had passed 326 bills, the fewest in at

There's Just No Pleasing You People

2011-12-05T18:24:00.001-05:00

So. You were grumpy with the cool progressive visionary governor. Now you don't like the authoritarian business guy governor. Just what is it that will make you people happy, huh? From the MSU State of the State Fall Survey: Gov. Rick Snyder's favorable rating plummeted again, and has fallen consistently since taking office. Only 19.3 percent of Michigan residents rated Snyder's job performance

Made in America by a Japanese Company for South Korean Customers

2011-12-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

Got a laugh out of this one. Toyota will begin exporting Kentucky-made Camrys to South Korea beginning in January at an annual rate of about 6,000. This will be the second model Toyota exports to South Korea. The Japanese automaker began shipping its Sienna minivan, assembled in Princeton, Ind., to South Korea last month. “The export of thousands of Camry vehicles to South Korea is an

Justice After All

2011-12-05T11:51:00.001-05:00

Santo leads the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 2008 Sometimes the wrongs are made right. A year too late for him to enjoy it, 30 years past the day he should’ve been selected, the Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans’ Committee has finally elected the most deserving candidate not in Cooperstown, Ron Santo. For those who doubt, here is my statistical analysis of the five leading playing

Nobody Makes It Better Than Michigan

2011-12-03T06:28:00.003-05:00

Look what we can do. Dowding Industries first appeared on my radar way back in 2007 when the push for the RPS started in earnest; since then, they rode through the turmoil of the Great Recession, forced to lay off people but eventually hiring them all back and adding more, and they came out the other side with flying colors. "It matters where things are made, and nobody makes it better than