Route 66 Endangered---And What You Can Do

I saw this news just broke yesterday:

U.S. Route 66 on national list of 11 endangered historic places

Seems the National Trust for Historic Preservation just came out with its list of endangered historic places---and Route 66 is on it.

A proposal has been made, to help save it, by making it a National Historic Trail, officially. To do this, to  support Route 66 becoming a National Historic Trail, the trust has set up an online petition. You can go to it here and sign up/sign on:

I Support a National Historic Trail Designation for Route 66!

Thank you in advance for your support, for signing.

Now, let's do this!

Women's--and So, Our--Election Gains This Past Tuesday

Herewith, some of the wins, gains by women in elections this past Tuesday.

NEW JERSEY: Former US Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill is running for Congress from New Jersey in the open seat being vacated by GOP Trump protégé Rodney Frelinghuysen. She won her primary Tuesday night, and she's the real deal. Donate here.

NEW MEXICO: Deb Haaland won her primary Tuesday, and is set to become the first Native American woman to ever serve in Congress. Donate here.

TEXAS: Veronica Escobar is set to become the first Latina congresswoman from Texas. Donate here.

ARIZONA: Kyrsten Sinema is running for the US Senate, and would be the first openly-bisexual US Senator. Donate here.

IOWA: Abby Finkenauer won her primary on Tuesday, and will be the youngest woman elected to Congress if she beats Tea Party Trump-supporting GOP congressman Rod Blum this fall. Donate here.

KENTUCKY: Former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath is running for Congress as a Democrat from the 6th district in Kentucky. McGrath just won her primary Tuesday. Now let's take her across the finish line. Donate here.

NEVADA: Jacky Rosen has the best chance to unseat a Republican US Senator this fall, in her battle against TrumpCare architect Dean Heller. Donate here.

Posted in a quest to get more women, hopefully, elected to public, government offices. They make up 52% of the population, after all, yet are vastly under-represented in those offices.

With thanks to John Aravosis and his Americablog for the summary, links and really, all of the above, honestly.

Links:

Women 50:50

About Us - Women 50:50

This Could Rattle Your Day. Or Week. Or Month.

I just saw this article:

The Center for National Security and Arms Control at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M.

Nuclear weapons labs hit with sizable fines for new security violations

Just a couple details:

A classified material was missing for years before anyone noticed, and a lab official's public slides included bomb design data

You're in charge of the nations nuclear weapons and you can't keep track of the inventory?

And check this out from that same article:

In 2004, the laboratory’s director suspended the lab’s operations to fix problems that included the loss of classified computer disks, and in 2006, police responding to a domestic violence call at an employee’s home discovered thumb drives from the lab that contained classified information, along with illicit drugs.

That's enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, there, isn't it?

Try to have a great weekend, campers.

American wildfires, 2012

Statistics on wildfires in America just now:

--Right this moment, there are 62--count 'em, 62--"uncontained, large fires" burning across America.

--Those 62 fires are raging in 10 states, with most of them in the West.

--In July this year alone, 2,014,395 acres burned. The average over 10 years is 1,585,656 acres burned.

--Wildfires this year burned states from Arizona and New Mexico clear up to Idaho and Washington, inclusive.

--"By mid-July, there were 32 large wildfires active across the nation, entirely across the western states — two in both Washington and Nevada; three in California and Montana; four in Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona; and five in Utah and Wyoming."

--"On July 31st, there were 29 large wildfires active nationwide. Two fires were active in Florida..."

--"In total, 20 fires were active across the western states of California, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming."

I ask you, do you ever remember a Summer--or even a whole year--when so much of our nation was consumed by wildfires?

Because I sure don't.

And as if that isn't enough, it's even a problem for our Northern neighbor, Canada:

Rare wildfires threaten Canadian polar bear habitat

(Reuters) - Wildfires sparked by lightning near Canada's Hudson Bay are threatening the habitat of polar bears, encroaching on the old tree roots and frozen soil where females make their dens, a conservation expert on the big, white bears said on Thursday.

Polar bears are more typically threatened by the melting of sea ice, which they use as platforms for hunting seals, their main prey. But those who live near Hudson Bay spend their summers resting up on shore when the bay thaws, living in dens dug in the frozen soil among the roots of stunted spruce trees.

Come to your own conclusions.

Links: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/

http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-polarbears-wildfires-idUSBRE87F1FF20120816

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-usa-wildfires-west-idUSBRE87F19Y20120817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

Sure, it's dry here right now

Did you know there are several wildfires burning at this very moment on the North American continent?

Here's a list:

--Gladiator Wildfire
Arizona State Forestry Division - State Office
Arizona, USA
Active 14,963

--Hewlett Fire Wildfire
Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests/Pawnee National Grassland
Colorado, USA
Active 7,685

--Whitewater Wildfire
Gila National Forest
New Mexico, USA
Active 985

--Collins Wildfire
Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA
Active 50

--Sunflower Fire Wildfire
Tonto National Forest, Arizona, USA
Active 16,115

--Baldy Fire Wildfire
Gila National Forest, New Mexico, USA
Active 4,000

--Bull Flat Fire Wildfire
Fort Apache Agency, Arizona, USA
Active 2,145

--Highway 1 Wildfire
Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA
Active 175 1 day ago

Then, not to be done there, as though that's not enough, there's a wildfire in Canada now, too:

Kirkland Lake, Ont. forest fire forces 300 from homes

Natural Resources officials say the fire broke out Sunday morning and by Monday had consumed more than 20 square kilometres of forest.

My point?

If it is, in fact, a rather long, hot, dry Summer, the way some meteorologists have forecasted, it may be a rough one.

A really rough one.

Here's hoping it's not.

(I'd say pray for rain but when Texas Governor Rick Perry did that with a group last year, things only got much worse).

Links: http://www.kpho.com/story/18568191/gladiator-fire-claims-2-more-structures; http://inciweb.org/; http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf; http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20120521/kirkland-lake-forest-fire-120521/

The 2011 weather year: no surprise here, right?

Hundreds of cars are seen stranded, below, from last Feb. 2, on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago after a winter blizzard of historic proportions.

It's just come out, as I predicted earlier: 2011 Breaks Record For Most Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters In terms of weather, 2011 has made it into the record books. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that during this year, there have been 12 different weather disasters that cost more than $1 billion. The previous record was nine in 2008. A few more facts from NOAA: — "These 12 disasters alone resulted in the tragic loss of 646 lives, with the National Weather Service reporting over 1,000 deaths across all weather categories for the year." — NOAA had originally counted 10 disasters, but that estimate went up after the wildfires in Texas and New Mexico exceeded $1 billion in damage. Also, NOAA just added the "June 18-22 Midwest/Southeast tornadoes and Severe Weather event, which just recently exceeded the $1 billion threshold." And we still have 23 days to go, to the end of the year. Here's hoping we're through with these weather disasters. For this year, anyway. Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/07/143304115/2011-breaks-record-for-most-billion-dollar-weather-disasters

Those wildfires?

Think about it. First Texas caught on fire and it spread across much of the state. All told, to date "At least $15 million in timber was lost in two large Texas fires this month, resulting in a possible $500 million blow to the region's economy, according to an analysis released on Saturday." One fire alone, the Dyer Mill fire covered 5,280 acres and "destroyed at least 4.7 million cubic feet and more than $2.5 million in timer." Additionally, "Statewide, 12,779 wildfires have burned nearly 3.3 million acres since November. Few areas of Texas have escaped the devastation being blamed in four deaths — including three firefighters battling separate blazes. And despite recent rains, more than 70 percent of Texas remains in severe drought conditions. The Bearing and Dryer Mill fires are among the 16 major fires still burning in the state." And that was for starters. Then began the Arizona blazes. At this time, there are 3 wildfires burning in the state and one of those three is contained. The Wallow fire alone burned 538,043 acres. Finally, those Arizona fires didn't do enough damage, they spread over into New Mexico, of course, as we know. One blaze, "northeast of Santa Fe had burned nearly 15 square miles of forest by Sunday morning." It "began June 18 about 2 miles north of the Santa Fe Ski Basin..." and is "burning in steep, rugged terrain and there's no timetable yet for full containment." It seems much of the country, from Texas to Arizona, is on fire. That is one whole lotta' country and fire and destruction, for sure. Links: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7627065.html; http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/26/crews-fully-contain-1-3-major-arizona-wildfires/;

Nuclear plants: fires and floods

First we had the nearby Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station at risk of flooding and then flooding and the concerns that created, at least regionally, if not nationally. Now, news out today tells that the Los Alamos National Laboratory--the nation's nuclear weapons laboratory--is under threat from the New Mexico wildfires and that they had to evacuate the plant. Makes you feel safe and secure all over, doesn't it? Links: http://beta.news.yahoo.com/wildfire-triggers-evacuations-near-los-alamos-002006674.html; http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/12/us/evacuation-issue-threatening-nuclear-plants.html?scp=1&sq=Ft.+Calhoun+nuclear+power+station&st=nyt

A few staggering statistics on the Arizona wildfire

Out today:

• It's the 2nd largest wildfire in all of Arizona's history;
• It began a little more than a week ago;
• It has consumed 311,481 acres since it started May 29;
• Roughly 2,500 firefighters, including many from several Western states and as far away as New York, are working to contain the blaze;
• Two other fires--besides this one--have blackened large portions of the state;
• Haze was being carried by a ridge of high pressure as far as central Iowa, said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Denver. The smoke was also visible in New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and, yes, our own Kansas;
• The fire is considered totally uncontained;
• The fire is growing;
• It has driven thousands from their homes in eastern Arizona and grown to 486 square miles;
• It is bearing down on two of the most populous towns in the mountains.

Link to more information:  http://www.npr.org/2011/06/07/137041434/wildfire-becomes-second-largest-in-arizona-history

A case of not wanting to be correct

What'd I say?

A couple of days ago I wrote how it maybe didn't make sense to be doing "war games" right next to those literally poor, delusional psychos over in North Korea.

So what happens?

Today's news:

War rhetoric rises between North and South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea – One month after a deadly exchange of artillery fire, the two Koreas ramped up their rhetoric Thursday, with South Korea's president pledging unsparing retaliation if attacked again and a top North Korean official threatening a "sacred" nuclear war if provoked.

South Korean troops, tanks and fighter jets put on a thundering display of force as President Lee Myung-bak visited with soldiers at a base near the border, while North Korea's elite marked a key military anniversary by lashing out at the South for encouraging war.

For both countries, the rallying cries and military maneuvers mainly seemed designed to build support at home. But they raised fears anew of all-out war on a peninsula that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson called a "tinderbox" after returning from a visit to the North Koreancapital this week.

I hope we can scale back from this lunacy.

Enough saber-rattling, guys.

Men.  Men and their testosterone.

Let's hope it's a "merry little Christmas" and a very happy new year.

Link:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101223/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_clash

Quote of the day

From Michael Gerson, Republican, Conservative and former speech writer for George W. Bush:

Immigration issues are emotional and complex. But this (the new Arizona law and controversey) must be recognized for what it is: political suicide. Hispanics now make up 40 percent of the K-12 students in Arizona, 44 percent in Texas, 47 percent in California, 54 percent in New Mexico. Whatever temporary gains Republicans might make feeding resentment of this demographic shift, the party identified with that resentment will eventually be voted into singularity. In a matter of decades, the Republican Party could cease to be a national party.

Be still, my heart.


Enjoy your Sunday, folks.





Link to original post: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/13/1944471/alienation-of-latinos-is-political.html