waka of budouadana: Ready

ReadyThe year’s final dayCaught us napping beneath quilts,Warm in the comfortThat love and loyalty bring,Ready to begin again.

waka of budouadana: Gulls

GullsOur foggy breaths,As we take our morning stroll,Disperse on the breezeThough we speak of great subjects —Shrieking gulls haunt the harbor.

waka of budouadana: Dawn

DawnThe coldest instantA few seconds before dawnWindow shiveringWife rolling over in bedCoffee mug warming cold hands

waka of budouadana: Season

SeasonThe season of peace,The season for getting things,The season of waitingFor the impossible birth,Mixing hope, love, faith with greed.

It Is Christmas Once Again

I would just like to take the time to wish my readers a nice Christmas and hope that they got all that they asked for on their lists. I also hope that they get plenty of good food to eat and that their guests do not become too much of a burden. Finally, while you are making sure that everybody is having a wonderful time, do not forget to enjoy yourselves as well.

Although I am an atheist, I celebrate Christmas because the true meaning of Christmas which is happiness and celebration during the dreariness of winter is something that we could all appreciate. All of the religious trappings such as the legend of the birth of Jesus and Solstice celebrations are merely window dressing obscuring what is important, which is to have a good time. Christmas was never originally a Christian holiday because the idea had been stolen lock stock and barrel from the Roman holiday of Saturnalia as well as borrowing extensively from the Yule celebrations of the Germanic tribes. The legend surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ was added much later by early Christians as part of an adaptation of the pagan holiday.

This could be said to be similar how the tradition of Halloween was adapted and eventually secularized from the Celtic tradition of Samhain. Few people who go out trick or treating know the cultural origins of Halloween and how it originally became established. I know that some people have started branding Halloween as a pagan holiday as of late and are therefore refusing to celebrate it, but if that is the case, than Christmas is guilty of that offense as well.

In fact, during the Cromwell rebellion of Great Britain during the 1600's; the celebration of Christmas was banned by Cromwell because he correctly thought that it was pagan by nature and wanted to set a good example for the Puritans to follow. Needless to say, Christmas was immediately reinstated with the reestablishment of the British monarchy during the reign of Charles II.

So keep in mind that the tradition of Christmas is as pagan as holidays come. To all of those people who are saying that non-Christians are ruining the holiday, step back and consider who's holiday it was to begin with. Very few things including religious ideas are truly original, as they are merely adaptations of the things that came before them in history. Merry Christmas, everybody!

Merry Christmas From Old King Coal

It looks like the citizens of Harrington, Tennessee have been naughty this year. A coal slurry retaining wall has broken, contaminating four hundred acres worth of property with coal ash and demolishing fifteen homes in the process. That is more than enough coal for anybody's stocking, no matter how bad they have been.


The aging Tennessee Valley Authority site has been damaged as a result of the heavy rains that have been hitting the area in recent weather patterns. This has caused the retaining wall of the coal slurry reservoir to break and overflow. Clean up is going to be an extensive process lasting several years, possibly enough to warrant classifying the area as a Superfund site.

The reason why this is such a disaster is that coal slurry is vile stuff. Coal slurry is coal ash that has been mixed with water to make the particulate matter less apt to blow away and contaminate the quality of the air. Coal slurry contains numerous heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic to name just a few hazardous substances. The irony is that problems like this go largely unnoticed by media sources while the same agencies go into hysterics about the isolated issues of some nuclear power plants.

Let this be a lesson to the people who are against nuclear power of what reliance on coal power actually means. Disasters like this are by no means uncommon in the coal industry because by nature coal power is a dirty business. The sooner we switch to nuclear power the sooner that events like this will become a thing of the past. King Coal rules his kingdom with a sooty fist and all of us are suffering from his oppression.

waka of budouadana: Seeds

SeedsThe ancient pine treeStands against the arctic blast,Evergreen reminderThat in the coldest winterThe seeds of spring are planted.

waka of budouadana: Plow

PlowThe farmer plants faithAs he plows his empty fieldsLate in the autumn,Leaving furrowed earth exposedTo winter’s cruelest weather.

waka of budouadana: Glisten

GlistenThe nights grow shorterAs winter freezes our breath,Bleaching skies pale blue,Yet the hoary distant sunStill glistens on iced branches.

waka of budouadana: Friends

FriendsOne of my friends livesOn the mirror’s other side;Another friend livesIn a great hot air balloon;They admire each other.

waka of budouadana: Snowflakes

SnowflakesSuddenly the airTurned white with crazy snowflakesFalling up and downStinging our glowing red cheeksQuickly covering the ground

Rick Warren? Give Me A Break!

I guess Obama decided to once again curry favor with the Religious Right by picking a staunch fundamentalist to give his Inauguration Day speech. Rick Warren is openly against atheists, homosexuals, and is a Young Earth Creationist to boot. Why do slimeballs like this always get into power?

I hope that we will not have to put up with leftwing theocrats during the Obama presidency like we have had to stomach rightwing theocrats during Republican rule. America was NOT founded on religious principles, but a clearly stated separation of church and state. By choosing people like Warren to represent our political leadership, we are dragging ourselves to the bad old days of that 'ol time religion of intolerance and bigotry. Is this what we really want?

Shearon Harris Plant Renews Operating License

Okay, first of all, I apologize to my readers for not updating in awhile but I have been swamped since mid-November with Thanksgiving and finals. It has been a busy three weeks. Thankfully, that is all over for now so I can continue to post about things that we all know and love.

Anyway, the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant has been green-lit to have its operating license renewed. The Shearon Harris nuclear plant is located in New Hill, North Carolina where it generates around nine hundred megawatts of power. As the 40-year operating license limit for nuclear power plants was arbitrarily chosen by the NRC this will allow 12% of North Carolina's total energy supply to remain online. The future for nuclear power is looking bright, indeed.

waka of budouadana: Bearing

BearingOur mothers bear usAnd bear with us as we grow,Born to break their heartsAs we stumble on our pathsWhile striving to bear good fruit.

waka of budouadana: Enough

EnoughA famous poetComposed his great works in youth,Abandoned writing,Slaved in mines to save “enough,”Lived poor, died rich, wrote no more.

life of buddy don: frum the trenches of 'the street'

up n down wall street, witch them that wurks thar generly calls it 'the street,' innywho, up n down 'the street' this munth or last or mayhap nex accordin to whar on the street a bidy wurks, thar havin whut everbidy lacks to call 'compensayshun day.' on this day everbidy gits his or her number, meanin whut thar bonus will be.now thays a slew of folks all over this cuntry that hates the idee of

waka of budouadana: Speck

SpeckA wee grain of sand,So irritates an oysterThat it spends its lifeTransforming the tiny speckInto a beautiful pearl.

waka of budouadana: Parse

ParseThe Earth’s rotationOn its axis parses time,Creating our days,Just as its circling the sunSplits forever into years.

note of buddy don: got no idees

this heres jes a lil note to let it be known to them that checks site this reglar that i aint gut nary an idee to rite about, but i am doin jes fine. fack is, today makes the day two of the thurd week without no migraines, even tho the weather has been trine to trigger sumthin. we gut one of them changes bout to happen agin, so i am a'hopin to make it thru with no trubles.

waka of budouadana: Up

UpThis year’s “up” is “in,”Last year's was to hold steady,Before that to grow:Such is life down on Wall StreetWhere suffer the “pauvre nouveau.”

waka of budouadana: Cuddling

CuddlingHow the chilly airBuried our heads in our beds,Cuddling for warmth,Pretending we’re two old bears,Hibernating … until dawn.

waka of budouadana: Squirrels

SquirrelsSquirrels plan ahead,Working through long summer daysTo store their acorns,Rarely pausing to enjoyThe grasshopper’s here and now.

waka of budouadana: Tickling

TicklingSunset comes earlyAs chilly nights grow longerAnd winter draws near,Its frozen fingers ticklingUs beneath our heavy coats.

waka of budouadana: Music

MusicWhen I find no wordsTo express an emotion,I turn to musicTo lift my spirits or singThe sorrows I cannot speak.

waka of budouadana: Jewels

JewelsThe sharp crescent MoonWith Jupiter and VenusGlowing at its sideLit yesterday’s early sky,Bright sparkling jewels in heaven.

waka of budouadana: Weight

WeightWater droplets freeze,Growing into iciclesOn bald tree branches,Snapping as awkward trees bendBeneath winter’s frigid weight.

waka of budouadana: Rebirth

RebirthThe brittle cocoon,Split from inside, releasesThe new butterflyTo unfold its fragile wings,A caterpillar reborn.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: son of killer

thays four or five of ye thats been readin this blog long a nuff to member a crawdad name of killer. i putt him n a nuthern name of 'miz tenna' together n next thang we knew they had dun had a bunch of lil crawdads. i had red sumwhar (caint find it now) that the male dies shortly after matin, n that wuz the case with killer. miz tenna lasted a lot longer, but she passed away as well. the yunguns

waka of budouadana: Home

HomeChildren grow up fast,Safe in the home of their birth,Then so quickly leaveTo build their own lives elsewhere —We do the same when we die.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: jes fer fun

True HarvestThe autumn harvestForces families to driveOr fly far too far,To test the bonds of kinshipBy renewing old grudges.as ye kin see, todays waka is a pairdee of yersterdys n probly closer to whut too minny folks ackshly duz. whenever we give thanks, i am speshly thankfull that our fambly gut over that minny a year ago.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Harvest

HarvestThe autumn harvestBrings families togetherTo commune, give thanks,Renew the bonds of kinship,And put aside old grudges.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Pressure

PressureA blue sky, high winds,Following three days of rain —That change of pressure,As dark clouds are blown away,Spells anguish for migraineurs.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Warning Signs

Warning SignsEarthworms burrow deepBears gorge on fatty salmonSquirrels hide acornsGreat gaggles of geese eat grassChilly breezes loosen leaves(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Response

ResponseMigraine miseryBecomes an ingrained responseTo weather and foods,Even to strong pain killers,Forcing long dead days in bed.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Growing

GrowingDuring late autumnTrees cling to fiery leaves;Winter approaches,North winds a cold reminderThat growing means letting go.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Bodies

BodiesThe best estimatesAgree the populationOf human bodiesExceeds ten billion life forms,Without whom we could not live.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Words

WordsMere words do not kill,At least not in an instant,But in a lifetimeEnough verbal crueltyCan reduce a life to naught.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

Elizabeth Dole's Campaign Actually Backfired

It is doubtful that this was the only reason that Dole lost against Hagan but it does show that it making slurs against atheists in public is no longer being considered acceptable in some social spheres. Within a very short time of Dole airing her infamous ad, her political opponent soon began getting several thousand campaign contributions during a campaign fundraiser in Boston. These contributors were composed of not only disgruntled atheists, but also religious people who thought that Dole's ad was highly offensive and inappropriate even for a campaign ad.

Historically, in public polls atheists are regarded as being the least popular minority by the general populace in regards to being fit for political office. This is why "under God" was added during the Pledge of Allegiance during the red scare in order to distinguish Americans from the "godless" Soviet Union. I am glad to see that people are beginning to challenge the negative perception that atheists have in the US and I hope that atheism will no longer be regarded as a dirty word by many people.

Web Seminar Reactions

I listened to the free web seminar on nuclear energy that was broadcast yesterday. I was very impressed as it contained accurate information presented in a professional manner. I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend such a gathering.

The web seminar examined the current state of the nuclear industry worldwide and what should be done in terms of researching new nuclear technology. It also examined some of the economic drivers behind nuclear power development such as the projected ten year approval and construction time for new reactors. One reason why it takes so long is because this is an estimate based on market uncertainty because of the difficulty for proposed reactors to get loan guarantees. This is also in addition to assumptions about taking construction delays into account because of local opposition near the construction site. If both of these barriers could be mitigated, the process of licensing and construction of new reactors could proceed at a much faster pace.

I do have somewhat more hope for the development of nuclear power after listening to the seminar as I am glad to see that there is a serious effort being made to revive what was once a dying industry. I hope that people will learn to get over their fears about nuclear energy and embrace it as being the energy source of choice as opposed to coal. Finally, I offer my gratitude to Dan Yurman for doing such an excellent job reporting at the seminar.

pitchers tuck by buddy don: parade wuz a paradice fer pitcher takers

fer the most part, i lack to take pitchers of folk that dont know i am a'doin it, but whenever thays a parade, folks purty much eggspeck ye to take thar pitcher. at that greenwich village halloween parade twuz the same. ye could make eye contack with sumbidy n that wood be a nuff to take thar pitcher. heres a bakers duzen of em ...ifn ye wonta see all them pitchers frum halloween, jes foller this

waka of budouadana: Sleep

SleepBuried in his cave,The mighty bear does not dieThough he might seem dead —Just as our long sleep of deathIs mere hibernation.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: a questchun ast by fletch

a few posts back, one of my favert fotogruffers, fletch of smokies light, ast a questchun in the comments:Ok I know you shoot from the hip, but you look really close to these folks. When the shutter makes a noise from your hip, do they turn and look at you? Every time I see these type pics the thought of getting punched or slapped in the face occurs. But, I get that thought just thinking of

waka of budouadana: Waiting

WaitingEverlasting DeathWalks besides us, a stalkerAwaiting his chance,Striking as our defense dip,As our fate decrees, “Enough!”(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Too Late

Too LateWhen Death comes callingAs it did for my fatherWith the screaming painOf pancreatic cancer,It is too late to start loving.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

Robert F Kennedy Junior?! Oh HELL NO!

There is an ugly rumor ciculating around that Obama is considering putting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. It is too early to confirm or deny the probability of this happening, but if it does the fate of energy production in the US is in BIG trouble. Not only was he fighting to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power plant, but he also wants to phase out all fossil fuels INCLUDING nuclear power! He feels that solar, wind, and biomass would be enough to satisfy the growing US demand for energy!

This experiment has already been tried by Germany, and look what happened. Der Vaterland is now on its way to being covered by a massive grey cloud as a result of all of the coal smog that is being churned out. Germany outlawed the construction of new nuclear plants back in 1998. This caused a major energy shortage so now new lignite-burning coal plants are being built to take up the slack when the promise of renewable energy fails to deliver which is unfortunately most of the time. If we follow suit, it would be even worse than Germany since we do not have any nearby countries to buy electricity from since Germany is riding on France's nuclear infrastructure.

Why do "environmentalists" keep lumping nuclear power in with fossil fuels? I will say it now, and I will say it again, WE NEED NUCLEAR! Nuclear is the only option if we want to rid ourselves of fossil fuel dependence. If you care about the environment, you are going to have to support nuclear power. It is the only alternative that is free of emissions yet produces enough energy for base load power generation. Wind and solar actually lead to increased dependence on fossil fuels in the form of backup generators using natural gas. Wind and solar power are too unreliable to contribute to the energy grid in any practical fashion. Biomass is the exception in that while it is reliable, it also produces large amounts of pollution in the form of smog and particulate matter as it basically comes down to burning obscenely large amounts of wood and garbage on a daily basis.

I apologize if I have offended any of my dear readers here with my small emotional outburst but I am tired of bad science and bad economics being used to justify impractical energy policies for political expediency. I am not sure if Robert F. Kennedy Junior would make it through the Senate conformational hearing but this is exactly what I meant in my earlier post in regards to my fear of the anti-nuclear politicians of the extreme left.

Perhaps I am overreacting. I do not regret my voting decision, but I am worried that we might see a return of the anti-nuclear brigade in Washington rather than a serious evaluation of our national energy policy. However, it is still better than facing another round of the neo-authoritarian religious right in the form of the current day Republican party. I digress.

waka of budouadana: Laughter

LaughterIncandescent smiles,Fanned into flames of laughterBy kindly humorAnd warm loving sentiment,Kindle the warm glow of health.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: more pitchers frum the parade

i could rite more bout the eleckshun, but thats bout all ye kin see on tee vee or innywhar now. so heres a few more pitchers of that thar greenwich village halloween parade.ifn ye wood lack to look at all them fotos i tuck at the 2008 greenwich village halloween parade, click this here lank.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

Thoughts on Obama...

The Democratic candidate, Obama triumphed over McCain in the national election last night. In addition, the Democrats also won a few more seats in the Senate. I admit that I voted for Obama and Senator Durbin in my state despite my strong disagreements with some of the more extreme elements of the Democratic party.

As I have said before in a previous post of mine, both parties are by no mean perfect, but the Republicans frightened me even more. Since the 1980's, the Republicans seem to have strongly allied themselves with the religious right which has taken every opportunity to insert itself into the public education system. As a result, we still have fundamentalist Christians challenging the teaching of evolution in public schools in addition to pushing bible study classes and school-led prayer. The quality of science education has suffered greatly under their attacks as many school districts are afraid to even mention evolution in biology class for fear of being shouted down.

Religious fundamentalists have been chipping away at the separation between church and state little by little since the Reagan administration. They could hardly have asked for a better candidate to further their agenda when George W. Bush took office in 2000. He was an ignorant, scientifically illiterate, easily influenced man who could serve as their mouthpiece as they moved their goals forward. This allowed such disasters as the "faith-based initiatives" to be passed in addition to denying public funding for stem cell research.

Trying to define an embryo as a person is nothing short of ridiculous. It does not have an active consciousness, and it is entirely dependent on the uterine environment for its existence. Biologically speaking, the closest thing it could be compared to is a parasite. This is because if the placental barrier ever broke down, the immune system of the mother serving as the host body would consider the embryo as a foreign invader and promptly destroy it.

An embryo could be best said to be a POTENTIAL child, as it is not a child. People do not seem to realize that potential is not the same as actual. Everybody in the world has the potential to win an Olympic medal as well as win the lottery or be involved in other potential scenarios but it would be absurd to say that these would be a realistic probability for most of the populace. There is also the fact that the spontaneous natural abortion rate of human embryos is quite high, due to innate flaws in the structure of many embryos that render them non-viable.

With that being said, the stem cell research ban is religiously motivated, rather than having any sort of scientific or rational justification for being in place. Because of the enormous potential to medical science that stem cell research represents, it is inexcusable that the US government is not dedicating public funding to this field. There are thousands of millions of people each year that are in need of an organ transplant or suffer the amputation of a body part. If we had the technology to grow and regenerate failing or lost body parts, we would eliminate a major source of suffering for many people world wide. Unfortunately, religious fundamentalists do not see it that way and are attempting to ruin it for everybody else much like the perpetual wet blanket at your birthday party. We should deal with them the same way by promptly showing them the door.

Another nightmarish aspect of the current day Republican party has been its stance on civil rights. I do not understand how the Republican party considers itself to be the party of "small government" yet creates bureaucratic messes such as the department of Homeland Security, passes bills such as the Patriot act and the FISA bill, as well as create such idiotic legislation such as Proposition 8 in California. During the Bush years, we have seen the steady erosion of the constitution and other safeguards on government power. The executive branch under Republican rule with the aid of a do-nothing Congress has grown into a bloated monster with little in its way to stop it from trampling all in its path.

Indeed, the Republican party has gleefully aided and abetted Bush as he created detention centers that hold and torture people without charges, even with little reason for those people to be there in the first place. The same Republicans that chastised Clinton for the abusive power and overuse of executive privilege did not seem to mind when the Bush administration claimed executive privilege in order to avoid turning over incriminating evidence by court order. Even Vice President Cheney became so bold as to practically claim that his office was in a "fourth branch of government" and therefore not subject to the demands of bothersome executive orders.

I once had hope for John McCain way back in 2000 when he seemed to be a refreshing change of pace from the assorted undesirables in the Republican party. However, he soon became a continuation of the same failed policies as the Bush administration as his voting record was 90% congruent with Bush. To make matters worse, McCain could be seen embracing Bush in a big open armed hug as if he decided to leave all of that silly talk of "change" behind. For all intents of purposes, the "maverick" had now become another Republican steer. Even worse, he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate after branding Obama as being "inexperienced.

Sarah Palin was little more than a gimmick in an attempt to woo away bitter Hillary Clinton supporters from the Democratic party. By choosing a female Vice President, this was an  obvious ploy to take advantage of demographic politics. This proved to be a mistake, because Palin's personality could be described as "vapid" at best and she had even less experience than Obama. To make matters worse, she was a fundamentalist Christian who voiced her open support of the religious right and young Earth creationism at every opportunity. Even if I had wanted to vote for McCain, there would have been a very real possibility that he would have died before the end of his term from health related issues because of his age and past medical history. This would mean that Palin would finish his term, which would have been a disaster of EPIC proportions.

This is not to say that I am not without reservations in regards to Obama. I did not like the way that he voted "yes" on the FISA bill that gave telecommunication companies retroactive immunity in regards to warrantless wiretapping  investigations. I am also not sure what he plans to do about the future of energy production as demand is only going to grow in the US.

The green wing of the Democratic party has been heavily pushing solar, wind, ethanol, and other forms of alternative energy for several decades now. After billions of dollars being funneled into "alternative" energy, it remains clear that it is still not a viable alternative for energy production at all. The only realistic options at this point are coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear.

Nuclear would be the best choice as it provides low cost energy at a very efficient scale. As another advantage, it is a much cleaner form of energy compared to coal, oil, or natural gas. It does not produce emissions and the only byproduct of nuclear energy is a small amount of spent fuel that can easily be stored on site or in a geological repository like in Yucca Mountain. Uranium is as plentiful as tin and even at greatly increased levels of demand, it would last for millennia. The only reason why the price of uranium is going up at the moment is because much of the uranium fuel used in the US actually comes from decommissioned nuclear warheads and our stockpile is running low. The uranium industry is in shambles because of the rate of reduced demand since the 1970's which has artificially increased the relative scarcity of available uranium ore. If we actively pursued uranium exploration again and also reprocessed spent fuel instead of using a wasteful open fuel cycle, the price of uranium would once again drop dramatically.

Newer designs of reactors such as the molten salt reactor do not even have to use uranium as fuel, but can run on thorium instead (See my prior posts on the Molten Salt Reactor). Thorium is even more plentiful than uranium and a closed Thorium fuel cycle can be used to breed more fuel. Even better is the fact that the isotopes produced in the Thorium fuel cycle make it practically impossible to divert into producing fissile material for nuclear warheads. As an added bonus, the high heat of some of the newer designs of nuclear reactor can be taken advantage of to produce hydrogen for a fraction of the cost of conventional methods.

All is not rosy, however. The environmental movement which has allied itself with many members of the Democratic party remains vehemently anti-nuclear despite all of the benefits that nuclear power brings. It has used its lobbying clout to effectively kill off any active research into nuclear energy and set up multitudes of roadblocks in the way for the construction of new nuclear reactors since the 1970's. President Carter, a well-meaning but rather ignorant man, passed a ban on the reprocessing of spent fuel due to an irrational fear of his that it would lead to nuclear weapons proliferation. During the Clinton years, President Clinton cancelled all funding for the Integral Fast Reactor despite its advantages over the Light Water Reactor because of Clinton's anti-nuclear stance. The infamous Al Gore is also dead set against nuclear power as he continues to push for "alternative" energy that does not get anybody anywhere, except the natural gas industry. Indeed, the natural gas industry is rubbing its hands with glee as it sees business increase as natural gas powered generators are being built to take up the slack of wind and solar installations due to the unreliability of solar and wind power.

There is also the fact that in the US, coal is king. There is an existing incentive to build coal plants more than any other form of energy because of the cheap construction costs involved. Coal has massive external costs, but as with most things, short term goals are usually pursued over long term objectives no matter how much more sense it makes to think in the long run. Because coal is so deeply entrenched in our energy policy, the coal lobby has massive political clout in terms of influencing what paths to energy the US takes. Taking into account the amount of ignorance and gullibility as demonstrated by the average political leader as well as the average citizen, there is a very real possibility that the our main plan for the future will be investing heavily into the hoax that is "clean coal".

Obama did mention that he is not ruling out nuclear for the future energy plan of the US, but it remains to be seen if he actually intends to follow through on that claim. There is also some disturbing evidence that he might instead listen to the "alternative energy" segment of the Democratic party and promptly ignore nuclear power entirely like previous Democratic leaders have. However, despite all of the reservations I might have about Obama I still feel that he is a significantly better choice rather than risking putting the Republican party in power again for the time being.

amazement of buddy don: still pinchin myself

me n miz bd couldnt go to bed till we herd the winner announced, witch we caint hardly bleeve thangs cum out lack they dun.tiz a grate day fer these here united states. i half to add mitt that i never thunk i wood see such a thang, but tiz a thang of beeyooty. i real eyes that the challenges are nigh onto impossibull, but thays more to a eleckshun than choosin policy: thays also whut it duz in

reckomendayshuns of buddy don: vote!

me n miz bd gut in line about 5 mints after them polls opend, but we dint git to vote fer 1 hour n 45 mints! the jersy state guvner votes at the same precinct we do, so all the media ye kin magine wuz thar. he still had to wait in line n far as i know, he is a'waitin still.we bin votin here in whut they lacks to call ny citys sixth boro fer eight years, but we aint never had to wait ere now. even

pitchers tuck by buddy don: spooky parade in the village

after wurk on fridy, i tuck myself over to spring street n 6th avenue whar i snuck in n ackted lack i wuz a perfesshunull fotogruffer. twuz a lucky move on a counta not long afterds they woodnt let nobidy thru. i parkd myself next to the marshalls that wuz lettin folks thru that wuz part of the parade, witch i tuck thar pitchers as quick as they gut tharself past the barracade.later on i gut

Some Suggestions, Please...

This is still a fairly new blog, so I am not sure if I have enough of a reader base to get many comments on this post. However, I am looking for some suggestions or feedback for reading material or things to take note of or pay attention to when it comes to environmental awareness. Please note, that although I frequently chastise the "Green movement" on my blogs, I do so not because I do not care about the environment. It is because I care about it enough to realize that most of the sorts of things that "environmentalists" waste time staging protests over are not the things that they should be worrying about.

Most of the time, environmentalist protests are mere publicity stunts that only accomplish in pissing people off without doing anything useful for the environment at all. The average "environmentalist" seems to be somebody who protests about issues that are a threat to a philosophy governed by neo-luddism; i.e. scaling back production and consumption because modern technology is "evil". This as opposed to a true environmentalist who is concerned enough about the environment to identify what the real problems are as derived by credible scientific research and suggests practical solutions to them, instead of wanting to drag everybody back to the middle ages.

I care about the environment not just because I am a biologist and I like plants and animals. It is also because from a pragmatic standpoint, you cannot isolate humanity from the natural environment. Whatever heavy metals leak into the water table or poisonous substances drift into the air, you and I will eventually ingest or inhale. There is no running away from that fact. Other species may long be affected before humans are by this phenomenon, but a dirty environment would not do anybody any favors. I also admit that for me, there is a bit of a sentimental dimension to this as well. I would much rather look at a beautiful forest or a rustic coastline, rather than miles of solar panels or wind turbines.

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I want to know what would be the best sources of information for credible environmental news or research? I do not consider myself an expert on this subject by any means. However it is often hard to determine what "big" issues are based on valid evidence and what are not as you read the daily news, as even otherwise intelligent leaders are buying into pseudoscience. The government mandated wasting of money in the form of subsidies for wind, solar, and ethanol across the world is a prime example of this. None of these three sources of energy are economically feasible. All they are doing is driving up costs for food and energy, in addition to destroying valuable or beautiful land just so the Greens and various politicians can feel good about themselves. The fact that even otherwise intelligent people have bought into this fiasco hook, line, and sinker disgusts me to no end.

I have been recommended a book called The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjørn Lomborg during a conversation with a friend of mine who is a respected geologist. I have not had a chance to read it yet. Has anybody else who is currently reading this blog read this book? What other recommendations would my readers make?

Scotch Tape Emits X-Rays! OH NOES!!11

Just when you thought that you were safe from radiation by boycotting the evils of nuclear power, along comes a report detailing how scotch tape actually produces a fairly large amount of X-rays when peeled. One of the researchers had successfully produced an X-ray image of his index finger using the emissions produced by this unusual phenomenon. So, to all of you Greenpeace lurkers out there, here is one more thing to add to your boycott list!

Well, okay, there is a limitation to generating X-rays using this method. Scotch tape only produces X-rays when peeled in a vacuum. This means that unless you have a vacuum chamber set up at your house, you will not get any X-ray exposure from peeling Scotch tape. So fear not, Christmas shoppers; you can now breathe a huge sigh of relief. Of course some of you (...cough, cough, Greenpeace members!..cough, cough) are still going to be boycotting Scotch tape after reading this anyway because of the paranoia surrounding radiation.

I should have posted this earlier, like on Halloween. Oddly enough, this was known for quite some time by Soviet researchers, but it sort of got lost in the shuffle. The interesting thing is, that this might have some useful scientific applications such as building disposable X-ray machines.

pomes of buddy don: An Item that Nobody Wants

An Item that Nobody WantsBlack and white thinking seems so very clearExcept that it mistakes the facts for the smearExcept that it misses the complexitiesOf the hearts and the minds of our “enemies.”Such thinking’s the province of our politicsAt least from one side (though nothing much sticks),But they think a scholar is a terroristIf he doesn’t blend into their great white mist.Imagine a PC with

joy of buddy don: them phils!

ifn yer a long time reader of this here blog, ye dun alreddy know i have been rootin fer them phillies since i wuz 8 years ole (1962). i cum to be a phillies fan one saturdy when thay wuz a game on the tee vee twixt the phillies n cubs. at that time, i had more baseball cards frum them two teams than i had frum inny other team. i had been a'rootin fer the yankees up till then (in the south thay

1500th post of buddy don: jes a nuther rider on this bus

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: calm day in manhattan

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: folks hangin out round union square

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: more shootin frum the hip over in man hattan

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waka of budouadana: Age

AgeOur senses are dimmedAs we age and grow weaker,Yet oddly enoughSensitivity to painBecomes ever more acute.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Navel

NavelWe all share one scar,A keepsake punctuationAt the beginningOf life’s limited sentence,Our body's first memory.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Drain

DrainAs leaves fall to earth,As sands in an hourglassDrop like salty tears,As raindrops deplete great clouds,So our brief lives drain away.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pomes of buddy don: What Voters See

What Voters SeeOnce more the same old arguments are madeAs left and right line up this year to fightWith each side’s “fairness” a bald masqueradeThat barely even tries to be polite.A voter on the right has to believeThat middle names and inexperienceShould trump good judgment and what’s been achievedBy brains and drive and uncommon good sense.A voter on the left must live in fearThat voters will

This is Really Getting Old

Theocrats are being dragged into the future kicking and screaming; especially when you have universities in in Kentucky rehashing the Scopes trial even though the issue has long been settled (Or should have been) within the scientific community. America has not been founded with a state religion despite what the religious right would have you believe. How often must people listen to these lunatics before they understand that religion does not belong on the curriculum of a public school?

The fact that religious right is so intent on inserting itself into the US public school system should be a warning as to what exactly it has in mind. It mirrors the "hook 'em while they're young" approach used by the tobacco industry. However, I would say that tobacco executives are more honest by comparison as religion has been running this scam for thousands of years.

The "Greens" Are Running Out of Arguments

This has got to be one of the most idiotic reasons to oppose nuclear power that I have ever heard of. There are literally THOUSANDS of fish eggs produced by a single female with most fish, and of that number, only a few hundred would survive whether or not they were caught in a nuclear cooling tower. Fish eggs are tasty to a large number of animals; this is why fish evolved to produce large numbers of eggs to compensate for the amount of predation that their eggs face.

There is also the fact that even if all of those eggs actually hatched into fish fry, most of them would soon be gobbled down by creatures that like to eat baby fish. This also includes their parents in some cases. The fish roe and the fry that hatch from it are doomed in most ecosystems anyway, so it is no big loss to the environment.

Also, why single out nuclear power for this attack, when dams destroy millions of fish eggs and adult fish every year? This is not unique to nuclear power. This also fails to take into account that most LWR sites actually recirculate the water that is taken from an artificially constructed pond or lake, anyway. Finally, if we are going to talk about environmental damage to aquatic ecosystems then surely coal shares a large part of the blame for directly contributing to the phenomenon of mercury and heavy metal contamination of the surrounding water table.

waka of budouadana: Love

LoveEach newborn baby,Born in complete ignorance,Utter helplessness,And ravenous selfish needs,Inspires mother’s selfless love.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Rollercoaster

RollercoasterA rollercoasterSlowly rises to the crestOf its highest point,Seems to pause — what a great view! —Then plunges with giddy speed.this lil waka mite look lack tiz bout the economy, but tiz really bout migraines n the highs n lows they putt a bidy thru.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Patriotism

PatriotismThose of us born hereBelieve without questioningThat our land is best,Even without visitingAny other place on earth.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Reach

ReachLow lying dark cloudsObscure the bright orange redOf the rising sun,Creating angel laddersThat reach for the high heavens.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Transformation

TransformationAll springs flow downhillInto small inlets and brooks,Transforming themselvesInto powerful rivers,Becoming one with great seas.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Roots

RootsRipening acornsFall each year to loamy earth,Where squirrels steal them,Thorny weeds choke tender sprouts,And few find good soil for roots.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: playin in the garden

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: on a counta i caint thank of innythang to rite

nuther homeless in man hattan, witch i shore am hopin that dont git more common than tiz alreddy ...wunder ifn these folks has been chrismus shoppin?i gut lodes of pitchers, moren i could ever post, witch tiz amazin how minny folks looks wurried ...(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: more ny street

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: walkin round town

so much fer our retirement accounts: thar near ded, not that i could live without wurkin innywho. so tuther day, i tuck a lil walk round town whilst miz bd wuz sponsorin a class, witch that meant she had to be thar the hole time. sum folks wuz outta focus, but sumhow still revealin. furst, how stressd folks kin git when the wunder how to pay thar bills n raze thar kids ...then thays the need to

waka of budouadana: Upstream

UpstreamSmall divided creeksFlow in diverse directions,Yet moving upstreamIn search of their simple source,All seekers come together.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Clothing

ClothingThe trees shed their leaves,Blanketing the frigid earth,Bare branches exposedTo chilly winds as peopleUnpack warm winter clothing.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

Stupid Child Tricks

I had a vasectomy last year at 23. I do not have any children, and I have never wanted any. Ever. Many people said that my decision was premature and rash, but I do not have any regrets about it. I will be quite frank, children make me cringe. I have neither the patience or the temperment to deal with one on a daily basis. Especially when something like this happens...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article4874657.ece

I am sorry, but this sort of behavior is INEXCUSABLE even from a child. In order for a child to do this even at such a young age is a sign of some sort of mental pathology. The child might be too young to face criminal charges but I do think that the child should be given a psychiatric evaluation, and be forbidden to go within 50 feet of anybody's pets or zoos. This sort of wanton destructive behavior on his part might eventually extend to other people around him if his mental condition is not diagnosed and treated now instead of waiting until something like this happens to his classmates.

Hope for Thorium Based Power?

Senators Harry Reid and Orrin Hatch introduced the Thorium Energy Independence and Security Act of 2008 on the 2nd of October.

http://newsblaze.com/story/2008100213330200003.pnw/topstory.html

This would clear some of the hurdles in place with the DOE and the NRC that would prevent advanced fission reactors like the LFTR from being built in the US. It would also mean that the thousands of tons worth of surplus thorium that the US has buried in the southwest would finally have a use. Other than the surplus, the US has a very high concentration of minerals that could be mined for thorium ore in Lehmi Pass, Idaho.

If this bill passes, and I hope it does, it would mean that America's energy policy would have some direction after all. Wind and solar power are not going to cut it, and coal has long overstayed its welcome. As an added bonus, the fission byproducts that result from a thorium fission reacton are practically useless for making nuclear warheads out of.

pitchers tuck by buddy don: cuple wide angulls

i dint have my tripod with me, so i coudnt do no hdr n i wonted to keep the angel ladder effeck n the shiney water n all, witch thats how im trine to splain why tiz so dark n all ...this heres the site of that cherokee weddin miz bd cunducted last saturdy(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pomes of buddy don: My Job

My JobThey tried to explain the crisis to me,But I just could not understandHow margins and credit lines increasinglyAre no longer ours to command,How years of getting just what we wantedHave left us with nothing we wantExcept to know that we must act undaunted,Pretending to be nonchalant,How regulations that we put in placeTo ensure such things couldn’t happenWere simply ignored or even

waka of budouadana: bof sides now

everbidy knows that the news has evolved to a higher form whar them news talkers on tee vee dont know whuts true n whuts not. so insted of findin out n reportin it, they call it 'news' whenever they git folks on eethur side of a topick to cum into the studio nflap thar gums on whutever they claim is the case.me n miz bd lack to thank of it as the 'bof sides now' method of pertendin to deeliver

waka of budouadana: Grip

GripEach leaf is a lifeThat runs its course from green youthTo dry yellowed age,Waving with every breezeUntil it loses its grip.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Urge

UrgeGreat migrating geeseHave taken up their journey,Heeding nature’s urgeTo find a warm winter homeBefore the north winds bring snow.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Refugees

RefugeesMother Earth and Father SkyMet at the heart’s horizon,To bless the weddingOf two humble CherokeeRefugees of history.this lil waka was writ in honor of good friends of mine, who miz bd,with hep frum her daughter loretta, cunducted thar marrg on saturdy afternoon by the waterfrunt. twuz nuthin short of amazin. the rain held off till we wuz dun!(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click

Religious Lunatics Strike Again

Anti-evolutionists on the school board of New Brunswick, North Carolina are pushing to have Creationism taught along side of evolutionary theory. According to resident Joel Fanti of New Brunswick:

"I wasn't here 2 million years ago," Fanti said. "If evolution is so slow, why don't we see anything evolving now?"

You DO see evolution happening. There is the current issue of the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotic medications in the medical field that is causing many people to worry. Antibiotics that were once considered top of the line a mere decades ago have now been rendered useless through their overuse and the rapid rate at which bacteria reproduce causing resistant generations to appear very quickly.

Evolution can also be seen in action with multicellular organisms as in the speciation of the European blackcap bird. Its population is splittling into two different migration patterns. This is causing two different breeding populations in the European blackcap that will lead to speciation from geographic isolation if this trend continues.

This is also happening with insects. Some European corn borers are now starting to show a preference for hops and mugwort instead of corn and will emit pheromones that will only attract other individuals with this preference. Because of the rapid rate of reproduction seen in most species of insects compared birds, this might cause speciation to happen at an even faster rate than in the European blackcap. Only a person of extraordinary ignorance of the biological sciences would say that evolution is not currently happening.

Fanti himself offered to teach creationism at the school board meeting amid cheering and clapping of hands. Spurred on by the rally against evolution, board members voiced their opposition to evolutionary theory and their reluctance at being forced to teach it. Apparently, this is a backlash against other states being forced to remove creationism from the public school curriculum.

This is exactly why religion is so destructive. If these people had their way, they would probably replace biology with a class espousing biblical literalism. This is the umpteenth attempt by religionists to inject their nonsense into public schools where they can indoctrinate an entire generation of children. I am doubtful that they would be able to get this blatant violation of church and state past the Supreme Court. However, if this attempt fails the religionists will probably try something else. As it is, I am sure that North Carolina's taxpayers are not going to appreciate being stuck with the legal fees that this is going to cost the school board.

Mother 3 Translation Project

The Mother 3 translation project is almost complete. Mother 3 is the third installment in the Mother game series (Earthbound in the US). Earthbound 0 was for the NES and a translated cartridge was made by Nintendo but never released in the US until a group of rom hackers copied the rom file from the Earthbound 0 cartridge that had been bought by a collector. Earthbound 1 was the only game in the series that saw a US release on the SNES system. Earthbound 1 was a huge loss for Nintendo as it only sold a few hundred thousand copies and Nintendo had poured a lot of money into the advertising. Because of this, it is probably why Nintendo refused to release Mother 3 into the US as Earthbound 2 in 2006.

Fortunately, there was a group of rom hackers on the Earthbound fan website http://www.starmen.net/ who decided to translate the game themselves. At first they were reluctant to do so, but this changed after seeing Nintendo practically abandon any attempt at releasing Mother 3 into the US. The hackers of the Mother 3 rom officially stated that they would abide with any wishes by Nintendo if their translation project was thought to be a violation of copyright law. However, Nintendo has yet to send a Cease and Desist order or threaten the translation team with any sort of legal action. Frankly, it almost seems as if Nintendo could really care less about the Mother 3 franchise at all.

The hacking part of the translation project is now complete today, and all that remains is the testing phase. This will probably take around a month as Mato checks the translation patch to see if there are any remaining issues. For all of you Earthbound/Mother fans, I would probably estimate a release sometime in October. Read the Mother 3 translation blog for further details.

http://mother3.fobby.net/2008/09/26/all-hacking-complete/#comment-21324

History of the Oak Ridge Project

If I may direct your attention to the excellent blog, Energy From Thorium run by a man who's father used to be a researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL was a government project that was setup during the mid 1960's to test the viability of a molten salt reactor. A molten salt reactor is unlike a light water reactor in that it does not use solid fuel pellets of enriched uranium. Instead, the radioactive isotopes are chemically bonded with a halogen such as chlorine or flourine to form a liquid mineral salt that recirculates around the reactor chamber during the reaction.

A molten salt reactor has several advantages over the traditional light water reactor design. First and foremost, it is physically impossible for a molten salt reactor to experience a meltdown since the nuclear fuel is already in a molten state as the reactor operates at a much higher temperature than a light water reactor. There is a cooled plug of sodium at the bottom of the reactor chamber that would heat up and melt during abnormally high temperatures. This would cause the reactor core to drain out into an underground container where it can cool and be safely disposed of during an emergency. Secondly, the actinides that result as a byproduct of nuclear fission would never leave the reactor chamber so there would be little, if any leftover material to be disposed of. As a third advantage, it has a much higher fuel efficiency to energy production ratio than a light water reactor for the same amount of fuel consumed. There is also the fact that molten salt reactors are quite flexible in the isotopes that they can use for energy.

As a variant of the MSR design, the MSR can operate on a closed nuclear fuel cycle between thorium and U233. This produces 10% more fuel than it consumes each year which can eventually be collected to start a new MSR. Finally, the use of flourine instead of chlorine for the fused salt mixture would be advantageous because of the ease of isotopic seperation. In short, this variant of the MSR design is known as a liquid flouride thorium reactor (LFTR).

There is an intriguing article about the history of the Oak Ridge project on the Energy From Thorium blog I mentioned earlier and how it was single handily ruined by one man named Milton Shaw. Because of this, the LFTR project has been dead and buried since the early 1970's. There were managerial issues that resulted from Shaw's mismanagement of the Oak Ridge staff and the bitterness that resulted.

Also, due to the political climate in the US which is deeply paranoid about all things with the word "nuclear" in the title, the LFTR has little hope of ever being built in America. However, all is not lost as France, Japan, India, and Russia are all evaluating the LFTR concept which will probably enter the construction phase very soon in these countries. The US will probably continue to waste time and money on "renewables" and "clean coal" for its energy supply in the foreseeable future, leading to rolling blackouts being the norm for much of the country at peak demand.

pomes of buddy don: No Time to Use Common Sense

No Time to Use Common SenseThe bankers who ruined the economy,Who profited under the lax oversightOf dogmatic zealots who chose not to seeThe very abuses they’re charged to set rightHave now sent their lackeys to Capitol HillTo beg for a bailout with no strings attached,That, should it be granted, like a poison pill,Will stop all spending plans from being hatchedAnd put further tax cuts on

pitchers tuck by buddy don: guess whos pickin up the check?

twood be nigh onto communism ifn we wuz to spend $700 billyuns on health keer or infrastruckchur, but tiz needfull fer free market capitullism to make it ... or sumthin. lucky fer us all, them that will have to pick up the check aint too wurried ... heres one of em now ... (ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

Atheist Blogroll

N^4 has been added to the atheist blogroll. You can see the blogroll in my sidebar. The Atheist blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to Atheist bloggers from around the world. If you would like to join, please visit Mojoey at Deep Thoughts for more information.

waka of budouadana: Fall

FallAs nights grow longerAfter autumn's equinox,Brittle aging leavesBlaze yellow, orange, and red, Defiant before dying.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: cuple pitchers tuck last nite

ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Effort

EffortThe rains were heavy,The narrow pathways muddied,The twilight darkling,Yet the hikers would not quit,Grateful that effort yields warmth.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

observayshuns of buddy don: we dint panick ... yet

as my five or six long term readers have dun figgerd out by now, i wurk on wall st. as ye mite could magin, yesterdy wudnt nuthin but hard to git thru.thay wuz a point whar even my own boss n sum higher ups couldnt hardly do nuthin but sit roun a cumpter screen in the cubicull village a'gawkin at how the shares of the last remainin big boys, goldman n morgan, wuz floatin to earth lack they wudnt

pomes of buddy don: Greed

But Greed Was Good!But greed was good back when the Keating FiveWere being helped out of their major jamBy promises that help would soon arriveIn part from grandchildren of Uncle Sam.And greed was good to help deregulateThe markets so the inside crowd could playIn confidence that crumbs from their full plateWould trickle down to workers one fine day.And greed was good to insulate the gainsFrom

A Proposal...

Ever since the creation of the Homeland Security Department, allowing guided tours of nuclear power plants by the public has been forbidden in the ensuing terrorism hysteria. I think that touring of nuclear installations should resume, as it would help educate the public about nuclear technology and its applications. It is not easy to destroy a nuclear power plant. Even in the worst case scenario, a light water reactor would not explode. If the core experienced a meltdown, the radiation released would be stopped by the containment dome. I doubt very much that a terrorist would pick a nuclear power plant as a potential target anyway. If an airplane crashed into a cooling tower, the plane would be smashed to rubble from the impact and there would be no visible damage to the building itself. This is because the outside structure of a nuclear power plant is comprised of solid concrete; six feet thick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjhxuhTmGk

Wall: 1 Jet: 0

So anyway, the Homeland Security department is really making a mountain out of a molehill here (As usual). The public should be able to understand the basic idea of how nuclear power works and that it is nothing to be afraid of. Reinstating guided tours of nuclear energy stations across the country would go a long way towards accomplishing this goal.

Besides, if a terrorist really wanted to do a lot of damage, kill a lot of people, and cause fear, it would be a lot more practical to attack something like a hospital. Not to mention that the security and handling procedures surrounding the isotopes used in the nuclear medicine department are often quite lax. In order to find material for a dirty bomb, terrorists might have better luck raiding a radiology clinic.

pitchers tuck by buddy don: reel wurk

ever so often i lack to see folks doin reel wurk, not the kind that involves sittin in frunt of the cumputer the live long day, witch thats whut i do.tuther week they moved the ferry landin from the 13th street pier to the 14th. me n miz bd watched a lot of it. a ferry landin is a simple thang, a floatin barge with four heavy poles stuck into loops at the four corners. the poles aint even jammed

pomes of buddy don: Desperate Straits

Today's news is nothing if not scary. I imagine the markets will be way down today, as they are so far in Europe and the far east. Lehman is gone. Merrill's been sold. The US taxpayer is on the line for a load of the bailouts for other institutions. There is fear up and down the street. We could be in ...Desperate StraitsSome say it’s just the marketplace at work —The winners thrive; the rest?

Doing the Neutron Dance in Germany...

The Nuke Notes blog put up an interesting post recently,

http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2008/09/german-greens-reject-nuclear-fund-for.html

In order to appease their Green party allies, the German Christian Democrat party wants the currently operating nuclear power plants within the country to help pay for the construction and development of new "renewable" sources of energy such as solar and wind power to offset the large costs of building these new installations and covering their operating expenses. As if the idea of holding nuclear energy for ransom was not brazen enough, the German Green party feels that the Euro equivalent of $56 billion dollars is not enough and are holding fast to their plan of trying to completely phase out nuclear power.

This has been becoming a very contentious issue in the German government ever since the ill-conceived plan to completely rely on "renewables" for the bulk of its energy supply in 1998 when the Christian Democrats and Greens formed a political alliance during an election campaign. However, there is a growing number of dissenting voices in both the German government as well as the public who see the nuclear phase out as being very misguided. This is mainly because coal power plants are being built to take up the slack for energy production as solar and wind power fail to deliver on their empty promises as usual. If the nuclear phase out is not reversed, Germany is going to have to magically pull a replacement for a third of its energy supply out of its ass in 2030 when all of its nuclear plants are scheduled to be shut down. Sadly, it looks like this is going to mean lignite coal burning power plants. Brown must be the new "green". Germany can also be expected to continue its hypocrisy of buying electricity from France that was generated by nuclear power despite being opposed to the construction of any new nuclear plants within its own borders.

I do hope that the nuclear phase out policy is reversed by the German government very soon, because the construction of new nuclear plants in Europe is practically inevitable as the rising costs of natural gas and the inefficiency of solar and wind energy will practically force countries to explore clean and viable alternatives. Also, people will find out that coal and the word "clean" do not belong in the same sentence.

Here is an interesting article about the history of Germany's nuclear policy.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf43.html

waka of budouadana: Practice

PracticeIt is not talentThat empowers the artistBut self discipline,Blind faithful perseverance,Calm, conscious practice of craft.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: them lites

as promissd, heres a pitcher of them twin beams of lite, witch thar in the habit of shinin em ever year on 9/11 on a counta they aint bin able to bild no bildin thar yet.this vue wuz pickt by miz bd on a counta she wonted to show that thays sum bildin a'goin on ceptn tiz on this side of the river. ye caint hardly mayshure how the waterfrunt is bein deeveloped over here in jersey. folks has even

waka of budouadana: Pillars

PillarsTwo pillars of light,Reaching from earth to heaven,Shine for the towersWe all witnessed falling,Crumbling to dust before us.i hope to have a new pitcher of em tomorrow. meanwhile, heres a pitcher i tuck back in 2005:(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: man hattan at nite

me n miz bd wuz out a lil late fer us last nite, hopin we wood see them twin blue beams of lite they show ever year round this time in remembrunts of the world trade center thats gone. we dint see em n reckun they must turn em on after bedtime, witch we are generly in bed by 9 pm.mayhap i will have better luck tomorrow nite on a counta i will be a'shootin pitchers of a annual softball game by one

waka of budouadana: Fulcrum

FulcrumThe eternal now,A pure illusive notionThat can’t be measured,Is time’s enduring fulcrum,Dividing past from future.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Chill

ChillThat refreshing chillIn brisk September breezesWarns of season’s change,When the summers’ deep green leavesDress in autumn’s rich color.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: playin with them eefecks

heres a hdr vershun of the subjeck ...(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

The Watering Down of Biology

The blog, Daylight Atheism brought a depressing article to my eyes today...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/education/24evolution.html

Apparently, not all states have requirements to teach evolution in schools as some academic programs do not even mention it. Even among the states that do cover evolutionary theory, few of them discuss the evolutionary path that led to humans. Even worse, religiously indoctrinated students often feel they need to challenge their biology teacher whenever the topic is mentioned.

This should be a warning sign of just how entrenched the whole idea of creationism is. The theory of evolution is FUNDAMENTAL to understanding biology and all of its related disciplines. Teaching a high school biology class without covering evolution would be like teaching geology without mentioning plate tectonics. This is why it is imperative that students understand the basic workings of the natural world, because religion cannot be allowed to cheat future generations out of a good education. It is the beginning of the 21st century, not the 4th; and "God did it!" is no longer a valid answer.

Not that it ever was.

pitchers tuck by buddy don: pitcher of a wave

tiz rainin to beat the band up in here n eggspeckted to keep on a'doin it most of the day. so heres a pitcher frum last week when the weather wuz bout as close to purrfeck as it gits.as ye kin see, tiz a pitcher of man hattan with me a'wavin at ye ...(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

American Nuclear Revival?

http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/


The Nuclear Energy Institue created a series of ads to run at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions last week. This is the first time in a very long while that the Democrats have allowed nuclear energy to be freely and openly discussed within their party. Are the followers of Al Gore finally starting to come to their senses?

Granted, the difference between talking about an issue is different than actually acting on it. It could be that even though both parties have brought up the topic of nuclear power, they really do not intend to do anything about it. I wonder how the same environmentalists who have relaxed about nuclear power are going to react when they see them starting to be built? Are Amory Lovins and Helen Caldicott going to raise the battle cry against the nuclear demon rearing its ugly head again in the developed world? Time will tell.

pomes of buddy don: Still a Prisoner

Still a PrisonerFive million makes you rich, but not elite,No, that results from working your way up!The smart man marries well (though with pre-nup)And looks down on those who can’t make ends meet.No need to be true to your faithful wife,Especially when she’s lost her youthful looks!A trophy blonde is where you sink your hooksSince after all you have a right to life!As long as you were once a

pinions of buddy don: how cum bleevers caint have faith in whut they claim to bleeve?

thays a pluralty of christchuns in this cuntry that dont seem to thank god is up to the task of doin the judgin jesus eggsplained wuz hisn, not ourn, to do, witch he taught that in the sermon on the mount in the seventh chaptur of matthew:1Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And

Pointless Posturing...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202733.html

While there may be some concern about nuclear weapons proliferation by allowing India access to uranium, the US cannot be the final arbiter in terms of who is and who is not allowed nuclear reprocessing technology, as a closed fuel cycle is the only way to fully utilize the potential of nuclear technology. Furthermore, Israel is much more extremist in many aspects politically speaking, and the Israeli nuclear weapons program is one of the most poorly kept secrets in the world. There is also the fact that if a country is that hell bent on developing nuclear weapons, there is little that can be done to stop them, short of invading it, and an invasion of India would be VERY pointless.

Britain's Step In The Right Direction

The nuclear power industry may yet be revived in the UK...

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN_Forgemasters_to_pump_up_capabilities_0309087.html

One of the major hurdles in reviving a depressed nuclear industry in any country is rebuilding its capability to manufacture the necessary components needed during the construction of the reactor. Because of the decline in construction orders for nuclear power plants, many manufacturers in the industry shut down this business sector. If the Sheffield Forgemaster plan goes through, this might revive interest in nuclear power if there were more companies in this sector to do business with.

Small blood-sucking arthropods...

This is an observation on politics. Those of you who are familiar with the political system in the US know that there are two main political factions, the Democrats and the Republicans. Both of these political parties have traded blows and dialogue with each other since their formation more than two centuries ago. Now this is not to say that the two parties are identical, as there are some key differences between them, but both of them have some rather large faults as they have made the American political system grow so stagnant as we see it now.

Let us take a look at the Democrats first. The Democratic party formed in opposition to the Federalists in 1792. When it was founded by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, it was known as the Democratic-Republican party. The Democratic-Republican party championed state's rights, small government, and the interests of small landowners over the vested interests of corporate and governmental institutions. However, the Democratic wing of the Democratic-Republican party underwent a sea-change during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, favoring an increase in government spending in the form of social welfare and an expansion of governmental programs.

In 1912, the Republican party split off from the Democrats due to internal tensions between conservatism and liberalism in both the economic and social sense. The Democratic party split off with Wilson, the Republican party split off with Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt called his party the Progressive party. With the creation of the New Deal program by the second president Roosevelt (FDR), the Democratic party favored a strong central government over individual states rights as well as an expanded role for the government as a financial regulator. During the 1960's however, things began to get interesting. Up until the 1960's, the American southern states were traditionally Democratic until the Southern Democrats became infuriated over the civil rights legislation passed by president Kennedy. Democrats in the South quickly defected to the Republican party.

The Democratic party underwent another massive identity shift with the rise of the "green" movement during the late 1960's. This pushed its policies further to the left in the fiscal sense with the increased calls for environmental regulation of industry and business. The vilification of nuclear energy was swept up in this movement with the disasters at Chernobyl and the movie The China Syndrome released right before the Three Mile Island near-disaster caused many environmentalists to ally themselves with the Democratic party. This was to try and influence the government to impose strict regulations on what they saw as a threat to the environment.

The "deep green" movement continues to appeal to many politicians in the Democratic party today, who are eager to try and capitalize on this particular segment of the voting populace as it grows in power. Al Gore is a noted example of this phenomenon as he embraces the ideological philosophies of groups such as Greenpeace to form his opinion on what direction the nation's energy policy should take rather than looking at the feasibility of meeting the energy demand of the nation using intermittent and inefficient energy sources such as ethanol, solar and wind power, while shunning nuclear power because of ideological bias.

The Republican party is in many ways even more dangerous and misguided than the Democratic party because it seems to have completely abandoned the idea of social liberalism as well as fiscal conservatism, with the Regan administration while embracing religious fundamentalism. Since the 1980's the Republican party has become more and more puritanical, anti-homosexual, anti-science and more authoritarian as it purges the "moderates" from its ranks in order to enforce a top down ideology based on judeo-christian principles in order to pander to the religious right. The frequent mention of "smaller government" as being one of the principles of the Republican party has long since been abandoned with measures designed to make the government more intrusive into the private lives of American citizens, such as the domestic spying program put forth by the Bush Administration. To make matters worse, the quality of the scientific education offered in our public schools has been suffering greatly as religious fundamentalism tries to sneak creationism into the curriculum under the mask of "Intelligent Design" and other disguises, and this strategy seems to have gotten more than a few sympathetic ears amongst the Republican party. When the religious right has destroyed biology, they will probably swarm and systemically destroy all the scientific disciplines one by one. Astronomy and Geology are probably next.

To make a long story short, both parties are increasingly adhering to rigid ideological principles, each dangerous in their own way. Between the two, I think the Democrats are somewhat less dangerous, but unless we can prevent the "environmentalists" from tampering with a practical energy policy, we will soon be restricted to medieval technology. I consider myself an environmentalist in the sense that I believe that a rational approach to solving environmental problems with cleaner solutions based on SCIENCE rather than ideology is important. Our need for energy is going to have to come from somewhere and forcing energy rationing and fantasy "renewable" solutions down everybody's throats is not going to do the environment any favors at all because people will then resume cutting down trees left and right to use in wood-burning stoves since everything else will probably be outlawed.

Neurovore's Nuclear News Network

Hello, this is my first post on my newly created blog. I have long been interested in the future and development of nuclear power, and I think that it has been greatly mismanaged in the US where I live. There is a lot of unwarranted opposition to nuclear energy, even though it seems to be the only feasible option for baseload power generation. The other alternative is coal, which is a very dirty energy source and it is both directly and indirectly responsible for many deaths worldwide. Renewables cannot be relied on for large scale electricity generation because of their intermittent nature. When the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing, there has to be a backup source of energy; and in the US this usually means oil, natural gas, and usually coal.

Coal is nasty stuff. It comes in three grades. Anthracite is considered the "cleanest" type of coal (Har, har). It is a hard, black, lusterous material that has a carbon content in the low to upper ninetieth percentile. Although it lacks the amount of volatile matter that bituminous and lignite coal have, it still produces many byproducts along with copious amounts of ash like all coal grades. Currently, most of the mining for anthracite coal takes place in Eastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite coal deposits also exist in Southern Canada along the Rocky Mountains, as well as in the Peruvian Andes.

Bituminous coal is the most commonly used grade of coal because of its availability and the fact that it is cheaper than anthracite coal. It is softer and often either black or brownish black in appearance. Bituminous coal also contains a higher percentage of volatiles as well as a substance called "bitumen", hence its name. Bitumen is a sticky, viscous substance that is directly responsible for much of the sludgy build-up that you find on many components at a coal power plant. It also contains many heavy metals; such as lead, mercury, chromium, nickel, and often arsenic. The sulfur in bituminous coal also directly contributes to the phenomenon of acid rain. Bituminous coal is mined in many locations in the world. Because of its frequency, there would be too many to list here.

By far, the worst pollution offender of the three grades listed here is lignite coal. Lignite is a soft, brownish coal that is composed up to 50% volatile matter. This crude form of coal is often rejected in favor of the other two grades because of its lower energy density and higher amount of pollution, but then I suppose if groups like Greenpeace were really worried about pollution they would be rallying for replacing coal with nuclear power. Lignite is also quite plentiful, particularly in Germany and Australia. Since Germany instituted a nuclear phase-out program it has been building coal power plants non-stop after finding that the empty promises of "renewables" are unable to keep up with the demand for energy that is growing each year within its borders. To make matters worse, lignite seems to be Germany's fuel of choice as it has so much of it.

Finally, Germany's nuclear phase-out seems to be little more than a political stunt to please the "greens" in its coalitionary government since the Social Democrats formed an alliance with the Green party during a national election. Germany is piggybacking on French nuclear infrastructure as it buys energy from France which has built more nuclear power plants to keep its neighbors happy causing France to laugh all the way to the bank. Apparently, it is perfectly okay to buy electricity produced by nuclear power plants while decrying nuclear technology as being the "work of the devil".

The US is not in much of a position to gloat, as it has not issued any new operating licenses for nuclear power plants for decades because of the bureaucratic mess that is the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Comission) and the fact that misguided local opposition from various activist groups tie up the construction of new reactors in court for several years pushing up the cost because of budget overruns caused by delays. The reactor licensing system needs to be streamlined, and stick to a standard reactor design, rather than having a piecemeal construction system based on making each power plant a custom affair.

To make a long story short, nuclear power is truly the best and most viable option for the world's future electricity needs. It is long past due to get over our fears about the hysteria perpetuated by movies such as The China Syndrome and the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Not only is nuclear power better for the environment than any other form of energy that we currently have, it is also one of the most efficient forms of energy ever developed.

empty hed of buddy don: i gut nuthin

i dun spent my hole mornin readin bout the latest soap opry, thisn bout the sainted mccains purrfeck choice fer vice presdint. shows he kin thank with his gut ever bit as good as the grate george w.ye gut to add mire a fambly woman that wood putt her fambly furst, git lodes of publissty fer her own dawter bein pregnunt out of wedlock (we cum a fur piece frum the daze when that other grate vee pee

waka of budouadana: Face

FaceA calm river’s faceContains the sun of heaven,The mountains of earth —Yet slight breezes mar its sheen,Until it reflects nothing.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: a quiet morning

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: tiz a cloudy day

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: jes a nuther mornin in amurka

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mizry of buddy don: anchovies?

AnchoviesAnother migraineDecreed confinement in bed —Angry helplessness —But when I realized the cause,Anchovies, I slept deeply.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Poised

PoisedPoised on the slick edgeOf the steep migrainous slope,I seek my balance,Fighting the fierce gravityOf painful oblivion.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Moment

MomentOnly this moment Makes up all we have of life —Our past made richer,Our future much more hopeful,By how well we live in it.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: lil ezekiel at two months

tiz oft sed that a child changes rite befor yer verr eyes. tiz even more dramatick ifn ye dont see the child moren once a week, even less ifn yer havin migraines (mine lacks to cum on saturdy mornin most of all).innywho, yesterdy wuz the last chants fer jack to meet ezekiel ere he gits on the plane fer prague, witch he will do that this evenin. so twuz that all wuz gatherd over at isaiahs, witch

pitchers tuck by buddy don: nuther purty sunrise

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: new perspecktiv on the sunrise

as everbidy knows, technallgy makes it possibull to see thangs that ye couldnt see befor or even to look at the hole world in a differnt way once ye git to knowin bout them new possibilties. so tiz with hdr. ever whar i go i see new possibilties.but thays a lil moren that. here lately they finishd up a bildin n opened up the walkway in frunt of it to whar tiz easy to walk a lil futher down on the

pomes of buddy don: The Great War Hero

The Great War HeroHow could he be expected to recallHow many houses his wife bought for him?He is the great war hero, after all,Whose memory, with age, begins to dim.And how could he remember which great team —The Packers? Or the Steelers? — Do we care?The point is he had undergone extremeEnhanced interrogation over there!And isn’t everyone pretty confusedConcerning Shia, Sunni, and Iran?It’s

pitchers tuck by buddy don: big sky over new york city

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: too minny pitchers to fool with!

ever since fletch larnt me how to do this hdr stuff, i bin takin more pitchers than ye could shake a stick at. fack is, i caint keep up with em all. tuther saturdy me n miz bd went by the brooklyn botanick garden after ackupunkchur (whut a blessin! kills the migraine ever time, tho it mite come back on the walk to the subway). corse i couldnt reesist seein how sum hdrs wood look frum thar. heres

pitchers tuck by buddy don: cuple hdrs that dint wurk lack i hoped

one of the thangs i bleev i will git one of these daze is a good pitcher of the moon agin eethur the skyline of man hattan or a bildin or sumthin. thang is, ye caint hardly bleev how brite the moon is. i tried gittin it on the furst shot, but even tho i putt the settin to whar one of the pitchers dint have nuthin but the moon, it still wudnt whut i wonted. thays also the fack that the moon seems

pitchers tuck by buddy don: nuther beeyootifull mornin

best thang bout migraines is how when ye aint a'havin one, tiz a beeyootifull day. tiz also nice whenever ye gut a beeyootifull sunrise a'wakin ye up.that hdr stuff gut me to take a shot frum a differnt place than i generly wood ...as ye kin see, my shadder is a'wavin at ye in a pitcher usin a verr wide angle, witch thats whut makes it look lack the horizon is curved ...this here is the best i

pitchers tuck by buddy don: sunrises over man hattan

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

eggstream mizry of buddy don: caint brake the curse

this has bin a verr hard summer. used to be i dint have no migraines once sprang time cum around. this year, thar a curse i caint brake.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: hdr vs reglar pitcher

i luv that hdr stuff, but it dont wurk fer everthang. on saturdy me n miz bd will be in brooklyn fer ackupunkchur, witch after that tiz a trip to the garden, whar we plan to spend a lil time in the native flora part of the park on a counta dont nobidy hardly ever goes thar n thays jes the kinda dappled lite ye need fer a good hdr.ye mite could thank the mornin sunrise wood be a good candidate n

waka of budouadana: Start

this lil waka here wuz writ after a good friend of mine tole me bout his daddy bildin a exter room on his house. he wood cum home of a evenin lack innybidy, wore plum out frum a day of hard wurk. after dinner, in sted of watchin the tee vee, he wood tell his wife he wonted to go out to the room he wuz a'bildin n 'drive one nail.' twuz easy a nuff fer im to git up to do that. once he wuz thar with

pitchers tuck by buddy don: catchin the sunrise

SunriseTo catch the sunriseYou must brave dead black darknessAnd wait patientlyThrough morning’s civil twilight,Hoping for clouds and colors.as ye kin planely see, thay wuz clouds but not much in the way of colors this mornin ...by the way, i gut wurd frum red molly that them pitchers i putt up yesterdy dint wurk fer a while in the mornin, but i found the problem (or i thank i did). thankee, red!

pitchers tuck by buddy don: furst attempts at hdr

ever since i cummenced to understandin that hdr stuff thanks to fletch talkin bout his larnin on the subjeck, i bin trine to git sum good eggsamples of it. heres my furst efferts, witch thar all a'usin photoshop to make em hdr, witch fletch menchuns photomatix as bein better n lackly tiz, only it costs bout a hunnert bucks n i dun alreddy have photoshop.part of the problem is ye gut to have a

waka of budouadana: Clash

ClashCompeting forcesClashing over triviaBring down great empiresThrough mere misunderstandingsOf words, intentions, beliefs.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

revues of buddy don: fletch n that thar hdr method

as ye probly know by now, i luv pitchers. i have larnt a trick or two bout em n hope to larn more. one of the thangs that poplar now is hdr, witch thats a short way to say hi dynamick range. ifn tiz dun rite, ye have pitchers that looks lack the real worl on a counta how our eyes is so much bettern the verr bes camra lenses ever made.i couldnt seem to ken thisn tho till i saw whut fletch had

waka of budouadana: Buried

BuriedThough buried aliveUnderneath heavy brown earth,I am not afraid:It is but germination,My old form becoming new.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pomes of buddy don: Decreasing Demand

Decreasing DemandYour businessmen don’t like efficiencySince it just cuts down customer need —Covertly they cheer a deficiencyFor giving them cover to satisfy greed.They're all quite sure it’s a grand waste of timeTo limit demand for oil and such —Instead they would like to pump more of the grimeTo sell at a price that’s not quite too much.To them conservation is just a big joke —They need to

pinions of buddy don: shootin frum the hip

in a comment to this here post, fletch ast a questchun that deesurves a anser:Nice pics. I noticed that they seem to be taken from waist level. Do you have the camera strapped to your belt, shoot from the hip, or are you just a short person? I'm always afraid of getting punched when taking pics of unsuspecting people and wonder if your camera is hidden. You might have mentioned this in a previous

waka of budouadana: Procrastination

ProcrastinationPut off for a dayViewing of cherry blossoms,Basking in warm sun,Savoring the first fall fruits:You will still feel winter's wrath.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: feelin foggy on a sunny day

i wuz miss tuck yesterdy whenever i writ that i had bin sick since july 8. miz bd reeminded me how twuz ackshly a week later, july 15, that i gut sick. so thangs has been bad, but not that bad. i cummenced to takin steroids nite befor last n this mornin so far i feel lack i wont half to upchuck. i am sick of bein here betwixt cuvers waitin fer the pain or nausea to give me a brake. thang is, i

eggspainayshuns of buddy don: bin sick fer a while

used to be i wood rite ye notes bout sufferin migrain mizry. lately i bin trine not to be spend so much time on such stuff.but ever since the 8th of july, i bin sick as kin be with three daze of relief (windsdy, thursdy n fridy of last week) on a counta takin steroids. as soon as they run out (saturdy), i wuz sick agin. finely i ast the neuro ifn he couldnt do sumthin, so he perscribed sum more

waka of budouadana: Clearing

ClearingAfter clearing spaceThe hall is broad and empty,All dust swept away,The spotless room comforting,Like a soul purged of worry.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Life

LifeAll is everythingAnd in the end you must die:So what will you do?That is the only question,Your life the final answer.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Ignorance

IgnoranceWhen I was eighteenI knew almost everything,My father nothing;Older now, I am learningThe wisdom of ignorance.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Games

GamesDark clouds dump hard rainOn thirsty earth, flooding plainsAnd canceling gamesAs the sticky mud preventsChildren from playing baseball.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: critters on flowers

(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Unblemished

UnblemishedRoots buried in muck,Its slender neck standing tallAbove the pond’s sludge,A golden pod, unblemished,Spills pollen on pink petals.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Tyrant

TyrantThe tiny tyrantCannot speak a single word,Yet is understoodBy subjects who serve himAnd provide his every need.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: browsin in hells kitchen

i am hopin today is a better day than the last three, witch i bin havin sum of the wurst migraines ever, mayhap on a counta thankin i dint half to take no depakote durin the 'off-season' fer migraines. i dont git minny of em in summertime, but ifn one brakes thru, tiz a doozy.a while back me n miz bd tuck a stroll thru the flea market in hells kitchen. tuck a bunch of pitchers, witch heres a few

waka of budouadana: the usual

the usualyeah, some vomiting,the usual arc of painleft side of my headpinning me to the mattressslow passage of dense dark time(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

mizry of buddy don: rare summer migraine

cummenced yesterdy mornin whilst i wuz on the train. still a'goin on.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Aging

AgingAs evening shadowsLengthen while the setting sunKisses the westernHills, so old memories stretchAs aging bodies weaken.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Mother

MotherThe aging motherWho nursed her newborn children,Raised them to adults,Now offers milk of wisdomBased on precious memories.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: takin the ferry

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: more hip shots

one of the thangs i wuz tole by a good fotogruffer artist wuz that ye should carry yer camra with ye wharever ye go. i try to do jes that, but taint always possibull. whut i lack most about it is how thays pitchers most everwhar ye look, speshly ifn ye lack people in publick places (also known as the publick domain).(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: pix frum underground

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: ny street shots

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waka of budouadana: Warning

WarningLeaves turn upside down,Anticipating the storm,Dancing in high winds,Warning all to find shelterBefore the summer rainfall.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: pitchers tuck ack! fishes cawt with a camra

taint everday that sumbidy makes a comment on this site n ifn thats a rare thang, tiz even rarer to git a pome, witch thats whut fletch wuz kind a nuff to leave yesterdy:Pictures tuck,of ducks,sucking goodnessfrom the muck.We should allhave such luck.i am feelin purty lucky my ownself to read such a fine lil pome! thankee, fletch. now wander on over to fletchs site to see sum grate pitchers. he

pitchers tuck by buddy don: ducks suckin goodness frum the muck

tuther day after ackupunkchur whenever i wuz a'waitin fer miz bd to join me in a short visit to the brooklyn botanic garden, i cum across sum ducks, all female, filterin sumthin they musta luved frum the muck of a small stream. them ducks in the garden is nigh on to tamed, so twuz easy to git sum pitchers to proov how much they lacked that stuff ...heres the furst cuple of em, witch ye kin see

pitchers tuck by buddy don: hot day at the garden

looks lack this year has been tuff on them roses. mayhap twooda bin differnt ifn me n miz bd had gut by to see em in early june, when thar at thar peak, but by this saturdy, they was suffern. we aint shore why. coulda bin the heat, but we figger twuz more lackly the way it has rained up in here. no long steady rains to speak of, jes hard thunderstorms n downpours.as innybidy that reads or looks

waka of budouadana: Worms

WormsEven lowly wormsHave great work to accomplishAs they squirm in dirt,Breaking clods, loosening soil,Giving their lives to black earth.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: tuther quagmire

them amung the readers thats old a nuff lackly members the vietnam war, witch they say ifn ye member the 60s ye lackly wudnt thar, but tiz jes a joke on a counta mos of us kin member when a war mint sumbidy wuz a'gone half to sacrifice sumthin. corse thay wuz a draft in them daze n we had jurnalists that wudnt servin up entertainmint dictated by thar corprutt owners, so ye could see dead, dyin n

waka of budouadana: Twists

TwistsLife’s crooked pathwaysTwist away from one’s desiresWith cruel aplomb,A moment's disappointmentOften leading to great joy.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: everbidy luvs a newborn

it tuck long a nuff. sarah, the poor mother, wuz in labor fer over 30 hours. the idee wuz to have the child at home in a natcherul settin, but twernt to be. lil ezekiel wuz in a posterior posishun, witch that made it near impossibull fer im to cum out on his own. after a day n a nite of hard labor (easy fer me to say), the parnts n midwife wint on down to st vincents hospital on 12th street in

waka of budouadana: Anticipation

AnticipationAnticipation,Causing each minute to stretchInto a slow crawl,Adds its painful heavy weightTo the young woman’s labor.i aint sed much bout it, but thays sum big news a'cummin n probly dun alreddy here, witch that is how my son tonys girlfrien sarah went into labor yesterdy. far as i know, the child has been born, but we are all waitin to here. they dint wonta know the sex in add vants,

pitchers tuck by buddy don: 3 more homeless in man hattan

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waka of budouadana: Loyalty

LoyaltyTo gain affectionOne might assist another,But for loyaltyHelping others rarely works:For that let someone help you.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Sleep

SleepWorking overtimeUntil my very bones acheAnd yawns interruptEach sentence with their demands,My sleep is deep, refreshing.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Service

ServicePilfering pollen,The greedy bee buzzes fromFlower to flower,Seeding each fragile blossomIn blind service to her hive.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

waka of budouadana: Stress

StressBorrowed future woeOver what might come to be,Or borrowed past angstFor what could or should have been,Cost high interest rates of stress.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pitchers tuck by buddy don: humbull gargoyles

yesterdy me n miz bd went on up to inwood fer a lil fathers day brunch. on the way we stopped by loretta n paddys to brang em a wii fit miz bd managed to git (twerent easy). as we walked up 103rd street, miz bd pointed out these humbull gold gargoyles, man n woman guardin the bildin, so i tuck thar pitcher ...(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

anniversries of buddy don: blog turns 5 year ole today

happy fridy the thirteenth!today marks five years since i begun ritin this here blog. i half to add mitt, aint nuthin in my life thats bin better fer gittin me to rite than thankin that thays folks out thar wontin to check whut i mite coulda writ on inny given day.corse, fack is thays only a handful of reglar readers (n i luv em all). mos all my hits cums frum folks thats lookin fer pitchers or

pitchers tuck by buddy don: tursts speakin forn tungs

man hattan is loded with tursts who lack to cum here on a counta everthang is so cheap fer em ever since the dollar tanked ...(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pomes of buddy don: sovereignty

SovereigntyThe problem with these new democraciesIs that they fail to understand their voteCan make it look as if we would appeaseThe very folks we never would promote.How dare Iraqis we gave libertyRaise questions about our noble intentOr whine about our gift of sovereigntyWhen it’s their freedom we helped implement?Why must their legislature act as thoughAllowing our troops to extend their

pitchers tuck by buddy don: playin chess in union square park

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waka of budouadana: Horizon

HorizonAt the horizonHeaven touches lowly earthWith blazing sunsets,Rain to slake the prairie’s thirst,Wind-blown snow to robe great peaks.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)

pomes of buddy don: The American Dream

(Reflecting on the Democratic Nomination of Barack Obama for President of the United States of America)The American DreamArriving in chains in 1619To be sold as chattel, fed leftover swill,To be used as tools to help others fulfillWhat grandly is called the American dream –Stripped of their dignity, their divine rightTo keep their own customs, live with their kin,Or even to speak their own

waka of budouadana: Childhood Summers

Childhood SummersWe ate hard boiled eggs,Tied string to a June bug’s leg,Drank sweet lemonade,Fielded grounders daddy hit,Napped through humid afternoons.(ifn ye wonta make a comment, ye gut to click on 'link' below.)