Chamblee54

PG heard a radio show, on his way to dinner. A caller made a point. William Henry Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and George W. Bush have three things in common. They were elected President, they have a name starting with H, and none was re elected. PG thought this would be a good excuse for some text, to go between the pictures. (Pictures are from The Library of Congress )
When he got home, PG found a POTUS inventory, and quickly found an exception. Harry S. Truman (who became President after the death of Franklin Roosevelt) was elected to a full term in 1948. A call to the radio show was called for.
Mark Arum was filling in for Erick Erickson at WSB, which hosted the show. The screener answered the first time PG called. He was going to talk about the H issue, and the screener said that had already been discussed.
PG turned down the radio, and waited a few minutes for his turn. He said that conservatives were creating a backlash with the constant bashing of Barack Obama. If people want to defeat BHO, they should lay off the non stop bashing barrage. He was cut off before he could hear the reply of the host.
The radio was turned back on, and PG heard himself talking. It seems as though there is a tape delay, to prevent people from cussing over the air. After PG finished, the host said was that liberals said a lot of rude things about George Bush.
There are two things to say about this. Two wrongs do not make a right. And Mr. Bush won the election in 2004.
Mr. Arum went on to say that talk radio is a ratings driven business. The whiners are told to be as crazy as possible, to get the ratings and advertiser dollars. “That’s the world that we live in”.

Why did the cow cross the road ?The chicken was on vacation.
Knock knock. who’s there? boo. boo who?. Don’t cry it’s only a joke…
It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.
A man walks up to a horse and says, “Why the long face?”
Two pretzels were walking down the street. one was a salted.
“He who laughs last thinks slowest.”
“Raise your hand if you’re here.”
Two nuns walk into a bar; the third one ducks.
Q: What did the radio say when it was dropped? A: “Ow. That hertz.”
What did the ranch say to the refrigerator door? “Close the door, I’m dressing”
Why don’t blind people skydive? It scares the heck out of their dogs…
What did the fish say when it ran into a wall? dam.
“I see.” said the blind man as he peed into the wind… “It’s all coming back to me now.”
What’s the last thing to go through a bug’s mind when it hits the windshield? Its butt.
You can tuna guitar, but you can’t tuna fish.
What do a duck and a bicycle have in common? They both have wheels… except the duck.
What’s brown and sounds like a bell? DUNGGGGG.
What’s brown and sticky? A stick
When people ask the mortician what he does for a living, he says he is a “boxer”.
What did the shy pebble say?… I wish I was a little boulder! .
What do you call an arrogant criminal falling out of a tower? Condescending.
Two guys walk into a bar… you would think the second guy woulda ducked.
A woman walks into a bar holding a duck. Bartender says, “What’s with the pig?”
Woman says, “It’s a duck.” Bartender says, “I was talking to the duck.”
Why do flamingos always lift one leg when they’re standing?
Cause if they lifted both, they’d fall over!
Q: How many Surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb? A: To get to the other side.
Did you get a haircut? Actually, I got them all cut.
One mushroom said to another mushroom, “Hey – you’re one Fungi!”
What do you call an arrogant criminal falling out of a tower? Condescending.
A dyslexic man walked into a bra …
Q: What do you call a midget, psychic, prison escapee? A: A small medium at-large.
A mule walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Hey, buddy, why the long face?”
“Because my dad is a jackass.”
I have one about the roof but its over your head.
Shall I tell you the one about the skunk? Never mind, it stinks!
There’s nothing like a good joke… and that was nothing like a good joke.
A rabbi, nun, lawyer, mime, and horse all walk into a bar.
The bartender says, “What is this, some kind of joke?”
When’s the best time to eat reindeer meat? …. When you’re hungry.
These stories are borrowed from 22 words. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

A facebook friend had a link to a petition. The “signatures” are being collected by an outfit called signon, which is connected to moveon.org. (It pays to read the fine print.) The message being sent is Clear Channel: Discontinue Rush Limbaugh’s radio talk show.
Last week, Rush Limbaugh stuck his foot in his mouth, again. The oxycontin is kicking in. Some say he should be kicked off the air. Others disagree.
I stand with Rush has another petition. “I stand with Rush Limbaugh and appreciate the massive contribution that he has made to the conservative movement and our nation over the last 25 years. Rush has apologized. But the radical left will never accept it because they despise him and want him off the air. I condemn attempts by radical left-wing organizations and the media to censor Rush and his commonsense conservative message.” (HT to JoemyG-d.)
PG is what some would call a liberal, even if he does not claim the label (libel?). To him, Mr. Limbaugh is a clown. Every word he says makes the “conservative movement” look a bit worse. The best thing that “liberalism” can do is to allow Mr. Limbaugh his first amendment right to make a fool of himself, for three hours a day.
The comments on the facebook thread tell the story.
Not passing judgement. It is not what I do….If I do, then I am him…
I love rush and listen to him daily and will continue to do so…..has the left apologized for the names they called sarah palin…..it just amazes me what a double standard the left has…
He is a bigot!…
Well what do you call people like bill mahr and mike malloy??…
Yep…this buttwipe has had it coming for a very long time (Gee…I’m a lifelong Republican too…lol)… I listened to him for years and I know that he has a fervent and devoted following, but anyone who has the ability to step back and take a broader view of his rhetoric can see that he is a part of the problem. We are a house divided and torn. We need people like this (okay if you want to use obsolete paradigms then I am speaking about both “left” and “right”) out of the way and real work to be done in Washington, because before there will no longer anything to fight over…
The longer he stays on, the worse the Repubs look. Keep him on…
Im a republican and very prud of it….
Videos courtesy of WTF Japan Seriously.
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the Oreo. The cookie sandwich was first sold in New York on March 6, 1912, in the Chelsea neighborhood. Over 491 billion Oreos have been sold.
About.com 20th Century History has a few details on this important anniversary. In 1898, several baking companies merged to form the National Biscuit Company (NaBisCo), the maker of Oreo cookies. By 1902, Nabisco created Barnum’s Animal cookies and made them famous by selling them in a little box designed like a cage with a string attached (to hang on Christmas trees).
In 1912, Nabisco had a new idea for a cookie – two chocolate disks with a creme filling in between. The first Oreo cookie looked very similar to the Oreo cookie of today, with only a slight difference in the design on the chocolate disks…
So how did the Oreo get its name? The people at Nabisco aren’t quite sure. Some believe that the cookie’s name was taken from the French word for gold, “or” (the main color on early Oreo packages). Others claim the name stemmed from the shape of a hill-shaped test version; thus naming the cookie in Greek for mountain, “oreo.” Still others believe the name is a combination of taking the “re” from “cream” and placing it between the two “o”s in “chocolate” – making “o-re-o.” And still others believe that the cookie was named Oreo because it was short and easy to pronounce. (This source says 362 billion Oreos have been sold.)
In the early sixties, Oreos had a great commercial. Youtube apparently does not have a copy. The song went “Girls are nice but oh what icing comes in oreos. Oreos, the best because it’s the grandest cookie that ever was. Little girls have pretty curls but I like oreos; Oreos, the best because it’s the grandest cookie that ever was…”
HT goes to the always entertaining site, The Field Negro. There is an unfortunate urban usage of Oreo, about people who are black outside, but white inside. Field lists ten people who qualify. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

Here is part five of state laws that some might find peculiar. Parts one, two, three and four have been posted previously. Today will will look at Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Nevada. These regulations are borrowed from Bored. Michigan A Michigan law states that a wife’s hair legally belongs to her husband. // Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as he/she has not been convicted of a felony. // In Clawson, Mich., there is a law that makes it LEGAL for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens. // In Detroit, couples are not allowed to make love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple’s own property. // In Detroit, Michigan it is illegal to sleep in a bathtub. // In Rochester, Michigan, anyone bathing in public must have his or her bathing suit inspected by a police officer. // It is legal for a robber to file a law suit, if he or she got hurt in your house. // It is illegal to loiter in the city morgue in Detroit. // It’s illegal in Michigan for a person under the age of 21 to give a gift of alcohol beverage to anyone, even to a person of legal age. // Permitting diners to take home an unfinished bottle of alcohol beverage, rather than consuming it all before leaving to prevent “waste,” encourages moderation and discourages intoxication. However, this is prohibited in Michigan. // Smoking while in bed is illegal. // The use of the names of dead presidents to sell alcohol in Michigan is prohibited. // Under an 1889 law, the health officer of East Jordan, Mich., could send any nonresident with an infectious disease back to where he came from, as long as the person could travel. If not, the officer could rent a house for use as a pest house. // You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan. // Kalamazoo: It is against the law to serenade your girlfriend. Minnesota A Blue Earth, Minnesota, law declares that no child under the age of twelve may talk over the telephone unless monitored by a parent. // A Minnesota tax form is quite thorough. Some would say too thorough. It even asks for your date of death. // A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head. // All bathtubs must have feet. // All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts. // Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head. // Every man in Brainerd, Minnesota is required by law to grow a beard. // Grand Haven: No person shall throw an abandoned hoop skirt into any street or on any sidewalk, under penalty of a five- dollar fine for each offense. // Hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays. // Harper Woods: It is illegal to paint sparrows to sell them as parakeets. // Hibbing: It shall be the duty of any policeman or any other officer to enforce the provisions of this Section, and if any cat is found running at large, or which is found in any street, alley or public place, it shall be the duty of any policeman or other officer of the city to kill such cat. // In Duluth, Minnesota it is illegal to allow animals to sleep in a bakery. // It is illegal to sleep naked. // It used to be legal in Minnesota to sell rolled candy on Sunday, and illegal to sell flat candy. The wafer people have gotten this one repealed. // Minneapolis: Red cars can not drive down Lake Street // Minnesota has repealed its so-called “Twinkie” law, under which a Minneapolis City Council candidate was indicted for dispensing $34 worth of Twinkies, Ho-Hos, cookies, Kool-Aid and coffee to some senior citizens. // Minnesotans are forbade from teasing skunks. // No man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onions, or sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If his wife so requests, law mandates that he must brush his teeth. // Oral sex is prohibited. // St. Cloud: Hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays. // There is a 10 cent bounty for each rat’s head brought into a town office. // Virginia: You’re not allowed to park your elephant on Main Street. // Wayland: Anyone can keep their cow on Main Street downtown at a cost of 3 cents per day. Mississippi Adultery or Fornication (living together while not married or having sex with someone that is not your spouse) results in a fine of $500 and/or 6 months in prison. // Cattle rustling is punishable by hanging. // Columbus: The fine for waving a gun in public is higher than actually shooting it. // Horses are not to be housed within 50 feet of any road. // In Brandon, Mississipi it is illegal to attempt to stop someone from walking down the sidewalk by parking a motorhome in their path. // In Temperance, MS, you can’t walk a dog without dressing it in diapers. // In Oxford, Miss., it’s illegal to “create unnecessary noises.” // It is illegal for a male to be sexually aroused in public. // Oxford: It is illegal to drive around the town square more than 100 times in a single session. One may not spit on the sidewalks on the square. Motor vehicles on the square are prohibited. Horn honking is not permitted as it might scare horses. // Tylertown: It is unlawful to shave in the center of main street. // Unnatural intercourse, if both parties voluntarily participate, results in a maximum sentence of 10 years and $10,000. // Vagrancy is punishable by either 30 days in prison or a $201 fine. Missouri Anyone under the age of 21 who takes out household trash containing even a single empty alcohol beverage container can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol in Missouri. // Buckner: In this small town of only 4,000, yard waste may be burned any day except Sunday. // Excelsior Springs: Hard objects may not be thrown by hand. Worrying squirrels is not tolerated. // Hard objects may not be thrown by hand. // In Ballwin, Mo., the only place you can use vulgar, obscene or indecent language is in your home. // In Merryville women are prohibited from wearing corsets because “the privilege of admiring the curvaceous, unencumbered body of a young woman should not be denied to the normal, red-blooded American male.” // In Springfield, door to door salesman are prohibited from selling their goods while standing in the middle of the road, screaming at passing vehicles. // In St. Louis, a law on the books makes it illegal to park your car without turning off the engine. This was to avoid scaring horses. // It is illegal to have oral sex. // It is not illegal to speed. // Kansas City: Minors are not allowed to purchase cap pistols, however they may buy shotguns freely. Installation of bathtubs with four legs resembling animal paws is prohibited. // Marceline: Minors can buy rolling paper and tobacco but not lighters. // Marquette: It is illegal for more than four unrelated persons to occupy the same dwelling (The Brothel Law). // Mole: Frightening a baby is in violation of the law. // Natchez: It shall be unlawful to provide beer or other intoxicants to elephants. // Purdy: Dancing is strictly prohibited. // St. Louis: It’s illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer from a bucket. This law refers back to the extinct Italian celebration, Hill Day, when beer was served in buckets. A milk man may not run while on duty. // University City: Four women may not rent an apartment together. Montana It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. // In Billings, Montana it is illegal for employees of the city’s communications center to program their phones with speed dial. // It is a misdemeanor to show movies that depict acts of felonious crime in Montana. // Bozeman has a law that bans all sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown — if they’re nude. // Seven or more Indians are considered a raiding or war party and it is legal to shoot them. // It is illegal for a man and a woman to have sex in any other position other than missionary style. // In Montana, it is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all. // It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. // Excelsior Springs: Balls may not be thrown within the city limits. // Helena: No item may be thrown across a street. // Helena, Montana, mandates that a woman can’t dance on a table in a saloon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of clothing. // Salisbury: Pop bottles are not to be thrown on the ground. // Whitehall: It is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels. // Montana just legalized the production of caviar. Nebraska Barbers are forbidden by law from shaving a man’s chest in Omaha, Nebraska. // If a child burps during church, his parent may be arrested. // It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license. // It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. // It is Illegal to go whale fishing. // It is illegal to sleep naked in a hotel/ motel room. // Lehigh: Doughnut holes may not be sold // Omaha: Sneezing or burping is illegal during a church service. // The owner of every hotel in Hastings is required to provide each guest with a clean and pressed nightshirt. No couple, even if they are married, may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing one of these clean, white cotton nightshirts. // Waterloo: Barbers are forbidden from eating onions between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M. Nevada A man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day. // Clark County: An ordinance makes bringing a concealable fire arm into the county illegal unless it is registered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In order to register a handgun, however, it must be brought in to the police station. Furthermore, you may not register a gun on the weekends, but the police may prosecute you at that time. // Elko: Everyone walking the streets is required to wear a mask. // Eureka: Men who wear moustaches are forbidden from kissing women. // In Las Vegas, Nevada: It’s against the law to pawn your dentures. // In Las Vegas you can bet on any team–except The University of Nevada at Las Vegas. // In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal. // In Nevada until the 1960s it was illegal to sell liquor at religious camp meetings, within a half-mile of the state prison, in the State Capitol Building or to imbeciles. // In Reno, Nevada staging a marathon dance is illegal, although posting a notice on a fire hydrant about illegal dance marathons is not. // In the old days in Nevada a man caught beating his wife was tied to a stake for eight hours a day with a sign that read, “Wife Beater” fastened to his chest. // It’s illegal in Nevada to have a “house of ill fame” within 400 yards of a church or school. // It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway. // It is illegal in Reno, Nevada to conceal a spray-painted shopping cart in your basement. // It’s still “legal” to hang someone for shooting your dog on your property. // Nyala: A man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day. // Saloonkeepers had to post the names of habitual drunkards if so requested by the local sheriff or members of the imbibers’ immediate families.

March 6 is the Georgia Presidential Primary. It is part of the “super tuesday” collection. Voters can choose between five men. Incumbent Barack Obama is unopposed in the Democratic race. It the Republican race, we have Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum. These are not inspiring choices. There is a saying, if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all. This might be a short post.
Tuesday is the only time Georgia voters will get a choice. In November, the electoral votes are all but guaranteed to go Republican. If you want to have a sayso in the Republican race, this is the time. Georgia has “open” primaries, where anyone can vote. The only rule is, if there is a runoff, you have to vote in the same party election as before. There is a good reason for this rule.
In 1966 Lester Maddox ran for Governor. In the runoff, Republicans voted for Mr. Maddox. They thought he would be an easy opponent for Republican Bo Calloway. Horrified Democrats wrote in Ellis Arnall, and nobody got a majority of the vote. The state constitution mandated the Legislature choose the new Governor, and Mr. Maddox moved into the Governor’s mansion. Strategic voting is a risky business. Voting for a clown, in hopes that he will be an easy opponent, can backfire.
This commentary will be in alphabetical order.
Newt Gingrich used to represent Georgia in Congress. He has stage presence. He still has all his hair, and does not dye it. Callista Gingrich has great hair. The daughter of Mr. Gingrich defended him, regarding his divorce from wife number one.
Barack Obama has killed more men with beards than any Republican.
Ron Paul is the only candidate to have served in the military. He is opposed to the promiscuous use of US military power. Bruno thinks Dr. Paul is much more handsome than Enrique Iglesias.
Mitt Romney has the most money of any of the candidates.
Rick Santorum has the most children of any candidate. Mr. Santorum is sometimes confused for a frothy mixture. The spell check suggestion for Santorum is Sanatorium.
Mr. Romney is the front runner at this point, but the outcome is far from assured. A vote for Mr. Gingrich, or Mr. Santorum, could keep Mr. Romney from winning the Georgia primary.
The voting will take place at Ashford Park Elementary School. PG was a student there. There is a sepia picture of Dr. Thomas, who was the Principal. Seeing an antique looking picture, and realizing that you knew the person, makes you feel old. The voting is sometimes held in the cafetorium. It is not the only time PG has held his nose in that facility.
This is the second Presidential election since Chamblee54 was created. The rule about not saying negative things was not followed in 2008. On super tuesday 2008, the connection to Blogspot had been broken. It was one of the last posts before Chamblee54 went to WordPress. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

Several movies have had a world premiere in Atlanta. We will take a look today. Pictures are from the ” Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. Information about the films is from the Internet Movie Database. This is an encore presentation.
As some of you may know, “Gone With The Wind had it’s world premiere at the Lowes Grand Theater on December 15, 1939. The Lowes Grand site is the current location of the Georgia Pacific building. There is a vacant lot next door, on top of some MARTA paraphernalia. This lot was the site of the Paramount Theater, another movie palace that did not survive.
The GWTW premiere was a big deal. Ten year old Martin Luther King Jr. sang with his church choir. Clark Gable requested a private meeting with Margaret Mitchell, who became the envy of every woman in America. When Mr. Gable checked out of his hotel, a lady was going to be given his room. The clerk asked for a minute to change the sheets on the bed, and the lady said, no, I want to sleep on the same sheets as him.
It was the golden age of movies, and the next year Atlanta hosted the first showing of “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. The premiere was at the Rialto, on October 24, 1940. The review at IMDB said it was an enjoyable mystery, even if it was a cliche fest. It is not often seen today.
In 1946, “Song Of The South” had it’s premiere at the Fox Theater. SOTS is a controversial item these days. It was based on the Uncle Remus stories, which were written down by Joel Chandler Harris. For those who don’t know, these stories were told by the rural black people that Mr. Harris knew when he was growing up near Eatonton GA. As Wikipedia tells the tale “Controversy surrounding his southern plantation themes, narrative structure, collection of African-American folklore, use of dialect, and Uncle Remus character, however, has denigrated the significance of Harris’ work”. In other words, Brer Rabbit is not politically correct.
The reviews at IMDB tell a different tale. To them, SOTS is a happy children’s movie. The Disney company seems to wish it would go away and be forgotten. Copies are tough to come by these days. PG would say to see it for yourself and make up your own mind, but Disney won’t let you.
The female lead in SOTS was Ruth Warrick. Miss Warrick was a versatile talent. Her first movie role was in “Citizen Kane”, as Kane’s first wife. She was in many movies, before moving to television. She was perhaps best known as Phoebe Tyler, in the soap opera “All My Children”. Wikipedia tells a story about her, that is ironic for the female lead of “Song Of The South”
“In July 2000, she refused to accept a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by legislators’ decision to move the Confederate flag from the state Capitol dome to another spot on the grounds in response to a boycott of the state by flag opponents. A lifelong supporter of African-American rights, she felt the flag should be removed completely, and commented, “In my view, this was no compromise. It was a deliberate affront to the African-Americans, who see it as a sign of oppression and hate.”
In 1949, the Paramount had the first screening of “The Gal Who Took The West”. The female lead was Yvonne De Carlo, who later achieved immortality as Lily Munster. In November 1951, the spotlights returned to Lowes Grand for “Quo Vadis”.
The last film in the GSU picture collection is “The Last Rebel”. This western had it’s premiere at the Rialto, May 27, 1958. The movie was a return to Atlanta glory for Olivia De Havilland. The film is the story of a man, whose wife dies in a fire during the war between the states. PG questions the use of the Stars and Bars on the marquee.
In 1974, Ringo Starr produced and acted in “Son of Dracula”. The movie had it’s world premiere at the Cherokee Plaza Theater. Cherokee Plaza is a shopping center on Peachtree Road, just east of the Atlanta city limits. The theater was torn down during a renovation, and the space is currently the produce department at Krogers.
A local radio station hired a band to play in the parking lot at the premiere. At some point, a long limousine pulled up to a stage, and Ringo Starr and Harry Nillson got out. Both were wearing sunglasses, even though it was after dark. Ringo got on the stage, waved a wand at the crowd, and said “I am turning you into frogs”. He went inside to see the movie, the crowd went home, and the movie was mercifully forgotten.
In 1981, PG went to a supper in an apartment building (now a vacant lot) across from First Baptist Church on Peachtree Street. There was a commotion down the street at the Fox, and PG went to see what it was. “Sharkey’s Machine” had it’s World Premiere that night.

We are pumping too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The primary source of this is use of fossil fuels. primarily coal and petroleum. Most of the attention has focused on the effect this imbalance has on the air. Informed Comment has a feature today about the effects of excess carbon dioxide on the planet’s water.
The oceans absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As The National Science Foundation tells the tale, “The oceans act like a sponge to draw down excess carbon dioxide from the air. The gas reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, which over time is neutralized by fossil carbonate shells on the seafloor. If too much carbon dioxide enters the ocean too quickly, it can deplete the carbonate ions that corals, mollusks and some plankton need for reef and shell-building.”
The NSF feature deals with the history of the earth over the last 300 million years. (It is noted that ” because ocean sediments older than 180 million years have been recycled back into the deep Earth, scientists have fewer records to work with.”) At various times, the carbon portion of the atmosphere has risen dramatically. The reasons are open to speculation, but many feel it was due to volcanic activity, and an asteroid collision.
“In a review of hundreds of paleoceanographic studies, the researchers found evidence for only one period in the last 300 million years when the oceans changed as fast as today: the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM. In ocean sediment cores, the PETM appears as a brown mud layer flanked by thick deposits of white plankton fossils. About 56 million years ago, a mysterious surge of carbon into the atmosphere warmed the planet and turned the oceans corrosive. In about 5,000 years, atmospheric carbon doubled to 1,800 parts per million (ppm), and average global temperatures rose by about 6 degrees Celsius. The carbonate plankton shells littering the seafloor dissolved, leaving the brown clay layer that scientists see in sediment cores today. As many as half of all species of benthic foraminifera, a group of one-celled organisms that live at the ocean bottom, went extinct, suggesting that deep-sea organisms higher on the food chain may have also disappeared, said paper co-author Ellen Thomas, a paleoceanographer at Yale University.”
It should be noted that the current atmospheric changes have occured over the last 200 years. Over a period of 50,000,000 years, the earth has recovered to the point of supporting a fabulous variety of life. In .00004% of that time, the promiscuous use of fossil fuels has almost ruined paradise. What G-d created in a year, man has destroyed in 21 minutes.
Alternet has a feature, Our Oceans Are in Dire Shape, But Without Them All Life on Land — Human, Plant and Animal — Is Totally Screwed. Here is a quote.  “Already the increased levels of ocean acidification have led to a loss of phytoplankton and of coral reefs. And losses of phytoplankton and of coral reefs have a ripple effect.
First, much marine life relies on them for nourishment. Flounder, haddock, pollock, salmon and shrimp all eat phytoplankton. Humans eat many of these fish. Krill eat phytoplankton and whales eat krill. So a decrease in one threatens the liveilhood of the other.
Second, phytoplankton also absorbs carbon dioxide. Phytoplankton floats along the ocean’s surface absorbing CO2 as land plants do in photosynthesis. As the CO2 is absorbed, the plant dies and sinks to the ocean floor, releasing CO2 along the way. Cold water can hold higher levels of CO2 than warmer water, so most of the CO2 released, which turns water acidic, is to be found along the ocean floor. But this acidic water does not stay at the ocean’s floor. During an upswell, it rises to the surface. Its acidity is deadly for the shells of marine life, such as shrimps, clams and oysters.
If the smallest part of the food chain is affected by ocean acidification, it ripples all the way up the food chain, making the largest part of the food chain vulnerable.”
Global warming may be the least of our worries. Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

Palestinian Pundit links to a fine story, Robert Fisk: The heroic myth and the uncomfortable truth of war reporting. There is an old saying … in wars, the first casualty is the truth. Stories for the home front are a key part of the war effort. The government often sees war reporters as being a part of the propaganda offensive, and many play along. Mr. Fisk has been playing the game for many years, and has a few stories to tell.
“The flak jacket has now become the symbol of almost every television reporter at war. I’ve nothing against flak jackets. I wore one in Bosnia. But I’ve been increasingly discomfited by all these reporters in their blue space-suits, standing among and interviewing the victims of war, who have no such protection. I know that insurers insist correspondents and crews wear this stuff. But on the streets, a different impression emerges: that the lives of Western reporters are somehow more precious, more deserving, more inherently valuable than those of the “foreign” civilians who suffer around them.”
Not only western reporters, but the western soldiers and mercenaries as well. There is something ugly about an advanced society going into a backwards country to kill people. In Vietnam, we had  B52s raining napalm on peasants living in bamboo shacks. In Pakistan, we have unmanned aircraft slaughtering helpless women and children.
In the old days, soldiers marched into battle, protected only by their weapon. Now, they move in armored vehicles, which they exit leave wearing body armor. The hosts are left to struggle as best they can… with i.e.d.s and suicide bombers. The blood of the people is the weapon of mass destruction.
“A similar and equally uncomfortable phenomenon appeared 15 years ago. How did reporters “cope” with war? Should they receive “counselling” for their terrible experiences? Should they seek “closure”? The Press Gazette called me up for a comment. I declined the offer. The subsequent article went on and on about the traumas suffered by journalists – and then suggested that those who declined psychological “help” were alcoholics. It was either psycho-babble or the gin bottle. The terrible truth, of course, is that journos – and for God’s sake, we must stop demeaning our profession by calling ourselves “hacks” – can fly home if the going gets too tough, business class with a glass of bubbly in their hands. The poor, flak-jacketless people they leave behind – with pariah passports, no foreign visas, desperately trying to stop the blood splashing on to their vulnerable families – are the ones who need “help”.
“Yes, all honour to those who reported from Homs. But here’s a thought: when the Israelis unleashed their cruel bombardment of Gaza in 2008, they banned all reporters from the war, just as the Syrians tried to do in Homs. And the Israelis were much more successful in preventing us Westerners from seeing the subsequent bloodbath. Hamas forces and the “Free Syria Army” in Homs actually have a lot in common – both were increasingly Islamist, both faced infinitely superior firepower, both lost the battle – but it was left to Palestinian reporters to cover their own people’s suffering. They did a fine job. Funny, though, that the newsrooms of London and Washington didn’t have quite the same enthusiasm to get their folk into Gaza as they did to get them into Homs. Just a thought. A very unhappy one.”
Pictures are from The Library of Congress .

There is a discussion brewing in the Jesus Worship blogosphere on the question of ” Is Christianity really monotheistic ”. This is in response to a post, on the subject of the unquestioning Christian .
There is a “motivational” poster, with the headline “Ten signs you are an unquestioning Christian”. One of these (either number one or ten) deals with monotheism. To wit: “You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of G-ds claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of your G-d.” Some writers are promising/threatening to write about all ten of these arguments, and the feature on monotheism is the first.
PG is a recovering Baptist, who is severely alienated from Jesus, and Jesus Worship. He does suspect that there is a G-d, and is in no way an “atheist”. The tracts linked to above tend to break down the discussion to atheists vs. christians, which is highly misleading.
In any event, PG has been knocking around for some time the idea of a post about the six G-ds of Jesus Worshipers. The appearance of this series…at blogs that ban PG from commenting…has spurred him into action. Whether or not there will be more comments (from PG) remains to be seen.
Christianity claims to be a monotheistic religion. This means, there is only one G-d. In contrast, the Romans and Greeks had G-ds and G-ddesses galore, and the Hindus have literally millions of deities. In what was claimed by some as an advancement, the Jews worshiped one G-d. (Zoraroastrians are said to be monotheistic, and did it before the Jews. There may be others.)
One of the sacred tracts of Judaism and Christianity is the ten commandments . The first three relate to the concept of monotheism, and the proper way to talk about G-d.
1-Thou shalt have no other G-ds before me.
2-Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy G-d am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3-Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy G-d in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
As a side note, PG has heard something about the use of Lord as a name for G-d. The riff is that “Lord” was an expression for an English nobleman. When the Bible was translated by James I, his workers used the L word as a synonym for G-d. The words for G-d in the Greek and Hebrew texts that comprised the Bible do not translate as Lord…that word was inserted by the anglocentric workers of James I. This is something that PG read in a book by Tom Robbins, and has no other source for. It may, or may not be true. If it is, then it just might be a violation of the third commandment.
Getting back to monotheism, does Christianity live up to the first commandment? This may seem to be a silly question when you consider the concept of the trinity. At some point in the early days of Jesus Worship, a decision was made top split G-d into three parts. We now had the father, the son, and the holy ghost. (Which makes for a neat blessing…the father the son the holy ghost, whoever eats fastest gets the most) The first commandment is still in effect, but, well, you just have to understand. The Jews continued to worship one G-d, and when Mohammed started his franchise, he changed the name to Allah. In that version, there is no G-d but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger.
Meanwhile, the Jesus Worshipers were good at converting and reproducing, and soon had a very popular religion. But was it one G-d only? The faith had a book of ancient texts that they call “the word of G-d”. The fact that it was written, copied, edited and translated by man did not stop folks. The first commandment would seem to prohibit this custom, but, you just have to believe.
PG is willing to concede the point that he doesn’t understand the concept of the Trinity. He thinks it is a concoction of the Council of Nicea, and is a violation of the first commandment. This is something that seems to happen a lot with Christianity…to proclaim one thing as a rule, to apparently violate that rule, but have a clever explanation that few seem to understand.

This does not explain the other G-ds of Christianity. For this discussion, we will focus on three…the Bible, Satan, and Salvation.
The Catholic Church had a conference to establish a consistent canon for their church. This conference became known as the Council of Nicea. (This conference is where the concept of the Triune G-d was formulated.) The texts in use by the church at the time were collected in one book. Some texts were not used, and there is a good possibility that the texts that were used were edited. This committee effort became known as the Bible.
During the protestant reformation, the new churches needed a source for their authority over the people. It was during this time that the concept of the Bible as the “Word of G-d” became known. This in effect made a G-d out of a book. This is in direct defiance of the First Commandment, which teaches to have no other G-d before you.
The book has been interpreted into many languages, and the interpretations have been interpreted. The star of the New Testament, Jesus, spoke Aramaic. His words were recorded, in Greek, many years after he *died*.Any quote from Jesus has been translated at least twice. This is from texts that were written many years after he lived. And yet, people talk about what Jesus taught, and have confidence, that they know what they are talking about. (The only thing we know about Jesus is what the Council of Nicea chose to tell us.)
At some point, the idea began to float around that the Bible was not only the word of G-d, but that it was inerrant…that is, without errors. This would presume that no scribe copying a text, no Catholic editor assembling a canon, and no one translating ancient languages made a mistake.
This one is too blatant to let slide. When you declare a text to be the “word of G-d”, you are making a G-d out of a book. There is a semantic argument to be made, you can say that this isn’t worship. Lets say it out loud…calling the Bible the “word of G-d” makes a G-d out of a book, in violation of the First Commandment. This is not monotheism.
A quick look at the way Satan is treated by the church shows a curious similarity to worship. Yes, it is backhanded worship, and lots of negative things are said about Beelzebub. He with the horns and tail is given credit for all kinds of powers, and needs to be fought ( with human collateral damage). Yes, Jesus Worshipers give the Devil his due, and then some.
The last “G-d” that we will look at today is Salvation, or the Christian scheme for life after death. Anyone living in the USA has heard this plan a thousand times, and many agree with it. Some do not agree with it. It is up to your imagination (and none of your business) how PG feels.
What is undeniable is the importance placed on salvation in Christianity. It is discussed in every church meeting, often at top volume, and with dramatics that would shame a ham actor. Salvation is said to justify all the rudeness and verbal abuse that Jesus Worshiper inflict on their neighbors. If you do not agree with the concept of Salvation, you have no business belonging to a Christian Church.
Does this hysterical emphasis on Salvation make a G-d out of the concept? As with the Bible and Satan, it is a matter of perspective. A good argument could be made that Jesus Worshipers treat these three items with G-d like devotion, and make G-ds out of them.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.

Internet personality Andrew Breitbart passed away this morning. It is considered classless to say unkind things about most of the recently deceased. Shirley Sherrod would be justified in dancing for joy. Instead, she issued a statement: “The news of Mr. Breitbart’s death came as a surprise to me when I was informed of it this morning. My prayers go out to Mr. Breitbart’s family as they cope through this very difficult time.”
Some find it odd that a 43 year old man would drop dead. A co worker of PG had a sudden heart attack at 41. Mr. Breitbart was a controversial man, and it is possible that someone thought he had gone too far. For the time being, it is a mystery.
While it is bad form to badmouth the recently departed, the current climate of attack politics is fair game. Nothing you say about your opponent is out of bounds. Two wrongs make a right, and you can always find something your enemies did that justify your sorry behavior. While bare knuckles politics is an old American tradition, one could wish for something better. (There is a law in Georgia. You must repeat a certain saying whenever the subject of wishing comes up. “You can wish in one hand, and poop in the other, and see which one gets full faster.” Whichever choice you make, you should wash your hands when you are through.)
PG heard a radio whiner this morning. A caller complained about all the terrible things BHO was doing. Why doesn’t anyone listen to us, when we warn them about this horrible President. PG thought that the right wing spent so much time screaming about BHO’s birth certificate, and other goofy attacks, that no one takes anything they say seriously. The boy who cried wolf is a powerful story.
A comment at Little Green Footballs speaks volumes. ” Unfortunately, lest we not forget…Breitbart had a few things to say when Ted Kennedy died … We do not have to repay him in kind. Sadly, however, this is a major part of his legacy… I’ve seen that brought up a few times already. And I don’t know what Andy’s response to the outrage was at the time, but I know that more than a few who indulged in glee at Kennedy’s passing said the same thing to me in each instance: “You did the same when Reagan died.”
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress .

PG saw a notice on Facebook. “I am attempting to help out someone who is very dear to me and they need 150 people to take this survey: http://nyustern.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2nrHnDrbfj71IJm PG used to take surveys door to door, and likes to visit the world of market research from time to time. If nothing else, it will provide text to put between some pictures, from The Library of Congress .
When you click on the link, you see the Objective. “This survey is being conducted by NYU Stern MBA students to collect information about brand-awareness, perceptions and preferences around luxury vehicles. In addition, we will also ask your thoughts on one particular luxury brand. If you’re interested in cars, we’re interested in you. We’d like to understand more about your needs, what you want in a car, what excites you – what drives you.”
The next paragraph is Benefits. “This survey should take no more than fifteen minutes of your time and will help us create better vehicles and service experiences for you. There is no compensation to participants, however, the research team will donate $1 to the Wounded Warrior Project charity (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) for each completed response. ” PG had a dodgy experience with the Wounded Warrior Project charity a few years ago, and is skeptical about any benefits.
The rest of the first page is boilerplate about confidentiality. It is reassuring to PG that NYU is not selling information about his luxury car buying habits. It would be a very short report.
Page two is where the data starts to dribble. There are two multiple choice questions… “Which category of vehicle have you owned or leased? On average, how often do you purchase or lease a new vehicle?” The third question is where things get weird. “How soon are you looking to purchase or lease a new luxury vehicle?” PG is a pointA-to-pointB type of car owner. Luxury, by modern standards, is something that he cannot afford.
In many surveys, they have qualifying questions at the start. You don’t want to waste your time on people who are not in your target market. When PG answered the first question, and did not indicate that he ever owned, or wanted to own, a luxury vehicle, the survey should have terminated. The presence of PG in this project is going to corrupt the data.
Of course, the smart MBA students don’t have a qualifying question, and PG takes the rest of the study. When asked to type in “What features are most important to you in a luxury vehicle? Please enter as many items as you wish.”, PG answers brakes. On page two, where you agree of disagree with a series of statements about “Before purchasing a luxury vehicle it is important to know…”, the answers were marked “neither agree nor disagree”. (One of the statements was “Which vehicle athletes, musicians & entertainers drive”.)
At the bottom of page three, we find out who is sponsoring the study. “What do you associate with the Lincoln brand? What thoughts immediately come to mind?” (Please type your response in the box below.) John Kennedy was shot while riding in a Lincoln Ford. Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford’s theater.
Before long we get to the demographics. When asked “What is your gender?”, PG checked “Prefer not to respond”. When you hit the >> button, you get to see a video for the Lincoln 2012 MKZ Hybrid. Nobody said thank you.