Big drought in America presently

Okay, we were all cold here a week ago in America, what with the "polar vortex" that came out of the North.

And for a few days or a week or more, the climate change deniers---you know, the ones ignoring the glacial and ice cap melts and the rising oceans, those people?  Well, they all said, for a few days, "This proves global warming doesn't exist."

Yeah, whatever.

Well, along with the glacier ice melts and the polar ice caps doing the same and the oceans rising from all that melt (how you ignore all that, I don't know), we have these:

Record Driest Year in California, Parts of Oregon

Extreme Fire Danger, Record Highs in California as Drought Worsens

And this is winter, obviously, when the West Coast usually gets most of its rainfall.

North California drought threatens farmers, ag workers, cities – and you

So whaddya' think?  

Shall we keep on doing nothing whatever about climate change?

What's it going to take? How long do we wait?

Until people are starving?

Kansas City on "Best BBQ" list

As we should be, Kansas City is all over a list out last evening on Yahoo! News about the nation's "Best and Worst Barbecue":

Ultimate BBQ Sauce Taste Test | The Daily Meal

First up is

I'd never heard of it.

What they had to say about it:

"Tangy and sweet, well balanced, and lots of flavor," said one taster, and just about everyone else agreed.

Cattlemen’s had a nice blend of spice and a hint of brown sugar, but one taster found it "mono-dimensional."

Next up was

And they said:

The original Kansas City barbecue sauce, this one still stands tall among the pack. Heavy on the smoke and not too sweet, spicy, or acidic, the only negative was that the smokiness was a bit too overpowering for some.

Now, to be clear, these are the ones the rated:

KC Masterpiece, Stubb’s, Hunt’s, Bull’s-Eye, Sweet Baby Ray’s, Cattlemen’s Reserve, Kraft, Open Pit, Jack Daniel's, or pitmaster Brad Orrison’s new line called The Shed.

And that, right there, to me, makes the whole thing suspect. Very suspect, at that.

You rated corporate barbecue like Kraft and Hunt's?

Are you kidding me? 

And you want or expect to be taken seriously?

Where's all the Texas and North Carolina and Memphis brands and styles, let alone Bryant's and all the others that SHOULD be on this list?

Seriously people?

And then, too, they only rated 8 sauces.

Eight.

And again, they expect to be taken seriously.

The good news is Kansas City is on the list.

The bad news is that the list sucks and really can't be given any validity.

Links:

Click to see More of the Best and Worst Barbecue Sauces

Click Here for the Ultimate Barbecue Sauce Taste Test Slideshow

What I've always thought

Army Medical Examiner: 'At last! The perfect soldier!', political cartoon by Carl Sandburg in "The Masses."

What a shame.

This is what I've thought for years--at least since I was 16 and in high school and the Vietnam War was taking place.

I saw this, briefly, last evening on the PBS "American Masters" special "The Day Carl Sandburg Died."

It was excellent. I'd recommend you see it, if you can. Really wonderful.

Link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/carl-sandburg/homepage-the-day-carl-sandburg-died/2267/

Quote of the day

“The most important question is, what kind of country do you want to live in? If you want a 'you’re-on-your-own, winner-take-all society', you should support the Republican ticket.

If you want a country of shared prosperity and shared responsibility — a 'we’re-all-in-this-together' society — you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.”

~-Former President Bill Clinton, last night at the Democratic National Convention

Quotes of the day

"If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire, if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores, if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote, if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time, if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream, and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream. Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle."

--First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention

"We can not afford to hand the reigns of government over to someone who wants to double down on trickle down."

"...since 1961, the Republicans have held the White House 28 years, the Democrats 24. In those 52 years, our economy produced 66 million private sector jobs. What’s the jobs score? Republicans 24 million, Democrats 42 million!

It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating more good jobs and new wealth for all of us."

"Though I often disagree with Republicans, I never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate President Obama and the Democrats."

‎"Remember this, Republican economic policies quadrupled the debt before in the 12 years before I took office and doubled it in the 8 after I left.

--Former President Bill Clinton, last night at the Democratic National Convention

Our Representative Emanuel Cleaver's speech earlier this evening at the DNC

Very well received, too, by the way.

To repeat, the video they should play at some big, culminating point at the DNC this week

Are we better off now than we were 4 years ago?

Question for Pat Robertson

God didn't send a hurricane or other natural disaster to Charlotte, North Carolina to interrupt or shorten the Democratic National Convention.

What's this mean?

Want to "buy American"?

Sure, we say we'd rather buy American-made products so here's your chance--on clothing, anyway. GQ magazine just came out with a list of several sources for American made clothes. They are: 1. Pendleton Woolen Mills Pendleton, OR. Est. 1909. Best known for its vibrant blankets, but no slouches in the way of plaid shirts, either. 2. Filson Seattle, WA. Est. 1897. These outdoorsy goods are a staple of urban woodsmen nationwide. 3. Red Wing Red Wing, MN. Est. 1905. Iconic producers of resurgent, Rust Belt-ready work boots. 4. Alden Middleborough, MA. Est. 1884. Stalwart of respectable brogues and loafers; rare company with legit claim to having never gone out of style. 5. Quoddy Lewiston, ME. Est. 1909. Its handmade moccasins are so popular that they're often on back order. 6. L.L.Bean Brunswick, ME. Est. 1912. The iconic mail-order outfitter's duck boots are ubiquitous, and with good reason. 7. Billykirk Lancaster Co., PA. Est. 1999. Amish-made leather shoulder bags, wallets, and key fobs. 8. Gitman Bros. Pilot Mountain, NC. Est. 1978. Some of the most solid (and, uh, patterned) ties around, made in a county known for its quarries. 9. Hamilton Houston, TX. Est. 1883. The dress shirts are from the Lone Star State, but they're classy enough for offices on the coasts. 10. Tony Lama El Paso, TX; Est. 1911. Because you don't want cowboy boots that were stitched anywhere but the Wild West. 11. Levi's Los Angeles, CA This one we knew, right? Est. 1873 If you're an authenticity junkie, you're after Levi's Cali-born, archive-based Made & Crafted line. Link to original post: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/866/trendy-made-in-america-brands/

Missouri and Kansas in "Top 10 States Hit by Extreme Weather in 2011

Missouri is, indeed, number 3 on the list of the "Top 10 States Hit by Extreme Weather" this year. Kansas was number 7. In a way, really, no surprise on Missouri, is it? Joplin was so famously, horribly hit by the tornado May 22. But that's not all on Missouri and extreme weather this year: Tornadoes were just one prong of the deadly onslaught of extreme weather in Missouri, as a combination of heavy spring rains and upstream snowmelt sent the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers surging over their banks. According to NOAA, in an average year the Missouri River channels 24.8 million acre feet of water. This year, it carried 24.3 million acre feet in May and June alone. When the Army Corps of Engineers essentially blew up the levees to save the small town of Cairo, Illinois, floodwaters inundated around 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland. Then there's Kansas: The massive heat wave and drought that devastated Texas and Oklahoma didn’t hit Kansas quite as hard, but it was bad enough to help push the Jayhawk State into the top 10 this year. By midsummer, much of the southwestern part of the state was suffering under “exceptional drought” conditions — it ended up being the ninth driest year ever recorded — and by year’s end, there was still no relief in sight. Wichita had more 100-degree-plus days than any year on record, beating out even the Dust Bowl summer of 1936.

Watch How 2011 Became a 'Mind-Boggling' Year of Extreme Weather on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

The number one state for most effected by extreme weather? Texas. They fried. This past year has been described as "weather on steroids." (see last 2 links below) Here's hoping 2012 is better to the planet. Links: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/30/395849/top-10-states-hit-by-extreme-weather-in-2011/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29; http://www.climatecentral.org/news/top-ten-states-hit-hardest-by-2011s-extreme-weather/; http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/12/30/395914/our-weather-on-steroids-the-mind-boggling-climate-disasters-of-2011/; http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/29/395730/pbs-covers-link-between-2011s-mind-boggling-extreme-weather-and-global-warming-its-like-being-on-steroids/

Hot Kansas in the news today

From Yahoo! News and the Associated Press today comes word that all that heat across Kansas, specifically, here, down in Wichita, is wreaking havoc on poultry: Kan. poultry farm loses 4,300 turkeys in heat wave. "WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A heat wave that has pushed temperatures well over 100 degrees has killed tens of thousands of turkeys and chickens in Kansas and North Carolina and left farmers across the lower part of the country struggling to cool off their flocks. In North Carolina, about 50,000 chickens died at a farm after the power went off for less than an hour. In Kansas, one couple lost 4,300 turkeys that took 26 hours to bury. "It felt like a war zone. It felt like hell," turkey grower Holly Capron said. Temperatures in Kansas on Sunday reached 110 degrees, with a heat index of 118. It was 106 in the buildings near Columbus where Capron and her husband raise 22,000 turkeys for Butterball LLC. She said they've been running big fans and fog nozzles in their poultry buildings, and they've had a tractor pulling a spray wagon to water down the birds. They lost 140 birds on Saturday, but nothing prepared them for Sunday, when 4,300 died. After receiving approval from state regulators, the Caprons, their workers and friends began digging a massive hole — 60 feet long, 40 feet wide and 10 feet deep — to bury the nearly 50-pound birds. They started at 11 p.m. Sunday, and the last turkey was buried 26 hours later. The crew worked around the clock. No one slept. "It was literally overwhelming during the night," Capron said. "I honestly wanted to start crying. My husband was in shock." She blamed the deaths on a heat spike that hit about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Animal Health confirmed that heat, not disease, caused the deaths, department spokeswoman Chelsea Good said. And sure, a cold front came through last evening and we're a bit cooler, sure, but the heat is supposed to return with somewhat of a vengeance within 2 days, maximum. It's supposed to be back up around 100 at least, for us, here in Kansas City. It could be hotter yet across Kansas and in Southern Kansas by this weekend.

The "disease cluster" in our backyard

A report came out Monday tells of possible "disease clusters" occurring in the US:

Report: 42 disease clusters in 13 U.S. states identified

At least 42 disease clusters have occurred in 13 U.S. states since 1976, according to a report Monday by environmentalists calling for further study of the cause of these health problems."Communities all around the country struggle with unexplained epidemics of cancers, birth defects and neurological diseases," report co-author Gina Solomon, a senior scientist at the Naural Resources Defense Council, said in announcing the findings. "The faster we can identify such clusters, and the sooner we can figure out the causes, the better we can protect residents living in the affected communities."  

On Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has scheduled an oversight hearing on the issue.

The 13 states, you ask?  They include:  Texas, California, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas.  (Go to the first link, below, to read of some examples.  The one on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was a stunner since it was happening to males and with breast cancer.  You have to figure the federal government would possibly be responsible for that one, what with a huge military base there). 

I thought you'd want to know.

Now, I'd like to know where in Missouri this "disease cluster" is.  Is it in Sugar Creek?  Cameron, as some people have claimed up there?  Across the state in the St. Louis area?  Where, exactly?

Having Googled it, I can tell you it's in Herculaneum.  (see link below)

At least that's the one in the state that is recognized.  Who knows?  There may be more than one.

Further proof, as though we needed it, that the way we live is unsustainable.

Links:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/42-disease-clusters-13-states-toxics-environment/1?csp=34

http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/article_382c4b9a-c075-5aa6-9275-60eed4f543f9.html

Collective bargaining for teachers a horrible thing?

Only 5 states do not have collective bargaining for educators and have deemed it illegal. Those states and their ranking on ACT/SAT scores are as follows:


South Carolina -50th

North Carolina -49th

Georgia -48th

Texas -47th

Virginia -44th

Wisconsin, on the other hand, with its collective bargaining for teachers, is ranked 2nd in the country.

What's all this tell you, folks?
 
(Thanks and a hat tip to friend Andrew L. for this information).

KCMO on good list for young adults

Surprise, campers! Kansas City made it on a current list of "10 Great Cities for Young Adults" just now. Top honors--no surprise--goes to Austin, Texas (man, I love that city) and good old KC comes in at a pretty solid no. 5. Nice. Their take: It may not have the big-city buzz of a Chicago or Houston, but KCMO is on its way up. The "Paris of the Plains" is in the midst of a $9 billion downtown development project, which will create a swath of new condos, apartments, offices, bars and restaurants- many of them targeted to young professionals. Unemployment and cost of living are low here as well, and job prospects are promising. Six Fortune 1000 companies call Kansas City home. PROS: Below-average rents, low cost of living, money and momentum behind future development, innovative jobs in business, research and technology. The average commute is only 21 minutes. CONS: Mediocre nightlife and limited cultural offerings (at least until the downtown development is finished), high crime rate, poor public transportation (though a light rail is under construction). Wait. "A light rail is under construction? Where did they get that? And the "downtown development" is pretty much done, really, we'd have to say. Someone needs to do a bit more homework, for sure. Anyway, it was good to read. For someone who lives on the Plaza and can take in a lot of what the city has to offer--though I don't get around to that much--I have to agree. I think a bunch of people (think Tony at TKC, etc.) will have plenty to say about this list, our ranking and what they wrote about us. Have a great weekend, y'all. Link to original post: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html

Democrats said to have 4 top cities selected for 2012 National Convention (MO?)

From HuffPo tonight: WASHINGTON -- Recognizing that President Barack Obama faces serious challenges in the Midwest he carried not two years ago, the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday picked three heartland cities and just one in the Republican-friendly South to consider for its 2012 nominating convention. The cities are Cleveland, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Charlotte, N.C. At least they're considering St. Louis--somewhere in Missouri. Link to original post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/democratic-convention-201_n_632177.html