Congress recently polled at a miserable 14% approval rating. With their political feeding frenzy and blatant disregard for public opinion, I suggest this:

You might also consider signing the “Secure Our Borders - No Amnesty” petition and the “We Win, They Lose - No Surrender” petition. Both links currently at the top of the left sidebar.

These striped gazanias certainly add a lot of color to the patio. This is one of several annuals that we recently added to the the outdoor floral collection. Very pretty!

We have selected a fellow Bear Flag League member, Ridgecrest Blog as this week’s Weblog of the Week (WOW).

Quoting David, the proprietor, it’s about “A South Dakota boy blogging about life and stuff in Ridgecrest, a small town in California’s upper Mojave Desert. Ridgecrest is not the end of the world. But when the wind blows just right… you can smell it from here.”

David writes about his family, twins and all, and mixes in enough political sage stuff to render a blend of anecdotal humor and perspectives on the world. Quoting his FAQ page, “I’m not writing this for you. I’m writing it for me. If someone else besides me finds some enjoyment from it - great. If you find it boring and mindless then I’m sorry you chose to waste your time here being bored.”

We haven’t been bored yet. We’re happy to name Ridgecrest Blog as our Weblog of the Week.

Sleeping computer nerd graphic shamelessly stolen from Ridgecrest Blog

UPDATE: Ridgecrest Blog Responds.

. . . about Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere, that is.

In April, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that the Environmental Pollution Agency must consider Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as an air pollutant!

Now, as you may know, the gas CO2, is critical to the growth of vegetation on our planet; plants ‘breathe CO2 and exhale oxygen’ as it were. Animals, including us, do exactly the opposite - breathe oxygen and exhale CO2. You know what happens when animals are deprived of oxygen, so you must have a clue what might happen to CO2-deprived vegetation.

The current editorial at CO2 Science addresses that scenario - that is, an actual scientific experiment that documents what happens when cucumbers are deprived of CO2 (The following has been excerpted from “Carbon Dioxide: A Vital Atmospheric Resource Under Siege“):

Continue reading » Cucumbers Know More than SCOTUS

Yesterday marked the 148th anniversary of an astounding weather event.

California, like other regions, experiences occasional hot, dry winds; that is, when the air heats up due to downslope compressional heating. In Southern California these are called “Santa Ana winds,” while in Colorado, “Chinook winds” and in Bavaria, “Föhn winds.” In the deserts of North Africa, the Arabic word “Simoon” applies.

What causes these winds? Short answer: insolation, advection and the adiabatic heating process. Sorry, Al, you can’t blame this event on SUVs or carbon footprints.

June 17, 1859 - The only ’simoon’ ever to occur in the United States
is reported by a United States Coast Survey vessel off Goleta. A
northwest wind brings scorching temperatures of 133 degrees between
1:00 and 2:00 that afternoon. Birds fall from the sky, crops shrivel
and cattle die under the shade of oak trees.

The record 133° temperature has been discredited since that time due to the thermometer having been in direct sunlight. However this vivid description from A History of the Aguajitos Ranch paints a picture that the temperature must have come very close to that:

Continue reading » Devil Winds

We picked this up yesterday at the garden department in the local home improvement warehouse. It’s called Pink Eschevaria and is a succulent similar to the “Hen and Chicks” and to another unknown eschevaria we have in our garden. I know that the hen and chicks variety is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, but some eschevaria are native to the African Continent.

Today, we drove down to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to take a nature walk along a path preserved in a rustic canyon. I snapped this picture of a honey bee browsing for nectar in a field of daisies.

We’re expecting several beautiful yellow flowers this summer from this ferocious-looking Devil’s Tongue barrel cactus. One pod near the center will be the first to bloom in a week or so. I’ll post pictures when the flowers arrive.

I’m wondering why the President and an uncomfortable number of Republican Senators want to resurrect one of the most ill-conceived and convoluted bills in the history of the U. S. Senate? The overarching complexity of this legislative monstrosity approaches, or perhaps exceeds, the nonsensical Winchester House in it’s absurdities and untenable construction.

Image: Winchester House near San Jose, California.

I advise the Senators and the President to employ the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Former Majority Leader Tom Delay had this to say about the bill earlier this week:

Break up the immigration bill into smaller pieces, so that it’s actually understandable and each issue included can receive individual debate and consideration. Passing fence building, guest worker, amnesty, and border patrol increase legislation in one lump makes little sense to me. Let’s bring separate immigration bills out in order of importance and decide their fate one by one…starting with border security.

And a final note to the President of the United States who is enjoying a lunch today on Capitol Hill with Republican congressional leaders to discuss the fate of the immigration bill. I would recommend the President order his meal accordingly; border security first followed by a dessert course which includes a guest worker program not amounting to amnesty. Bon appétit!

I’m tired of these few Republicans telling seventy percent of Americans - those of us who believe this is bad lawmaking - to go to hell.

June 14th is a day to celebrate the Star Spangled Banner and also to recognize the anniversary of the establishment of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.

Inspired by three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

The modern Army had its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on June 14, 1775, before the establishment of the United States, to meet the demands of the American Revolutionary War. Congress created the United States Army on June 3, 1784 after the end of the war to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The Army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army, and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force. Hooah!