Institutionalizing Fear

Today I reveived an office e-mail that included, in part, a request that all employees wear a lanyard emblazoned with the words See something, say something with their employee ID tags. After my initial shock, I felt a growing anger.

To me, the term See something, say something just smacks of the rightwing fear-mongering that has been used to minipulate the population into accepting a variety of actions including the war in Iraq. It's been used to justify ugly legislation and domestic spying. And now we are expecting ordinary citizens to report the questionable activities of their fellow Americans.

I won't have any part of this. In fact, I'll likely resurrect my old Roswell lanyard, dayglow colors and all.

My Dog's Bigger Than Your Dog

Here is what I did on my day off. Here boy.

A Texas-Sized Smackdown

Texas Governor Rick Perry's attempt to reward industry by illegally expediting the permit process for a coal-fired power plant received appropriate treatment from Texas State District Judge Stephen Yelenosky. The Judge sided with the plaintiffs and granted a temporary injunction of the Governor's executive order.

ENS Link

State District Judge Stephen Yelenosky agreed and said he "concluded that the plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their argument that the governor lacks that authority," the judge said.

In essence, the Governor was attempting to unilaterally rewrite existing law. Never mind that the process leading toward the permit was being gutted without any oversight.

And the Govenor's response?

"No one should be surprised that a single liberal Austin judge would rule against Governor Perry and his efforts to increase energy capacity in Texas," said Robert Black, spokesman for the governor. "We will take a close look at the ruling and make a determination on how we will proceed."

Damn that left wing conspiracy.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol. 81

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with our project inspired by the Sedona, Arizona scene seen in the photo directly below. It is another small photo, this one depicting a group of condos with the red rock buttes behind.

Once again, this one is being done on a small 5x7 canvas.

When we were last together, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.

Since last time I have continued to work on the painting. I've further refined the bright yellow portions. Some of the edges are now sharper and the yellow is more uniform.

I've also done some work to the red buttes in rear. I've left these fairly free of details. The few major variations mirror those of the original photograph. The body color of the buttes is also fairly uniform.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now, see you next week.

Negroponte Speaks (But what is he saying?)

In a 2/21/07 NYT article, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte gives advice to new diplomats. He suggests thay they find challenging posts. But there is this curious quote:

“The impact of our presence at some of those remote places, pound for pound, is really much higher than if you are in Western Europe or somewhere where you kind of blend into the scenery,” Mr. Negroponte said.

This, out of the several quotes in the article, stuck out. What exactly is he saying here? Is this code for some obscure (or not so obscure) message? Or is he merely providing support for existing strategies? Coming from a longtime insider, one can only wonder.

Real Americans

Finding that I was running late for work, I stopped for my morning coffee at a shop to which I go only once in a great while. My usual stop was just a bit too far out of the way on today's rushed commute.

Immediately heading to the coffee bar in the rear of the store, I began to pour myself a black coffee. (With a little sugar, of course.) I heard a voice call "Hi, how are you?" I turned to see exactly whom was being addressed. To my surprise, I turned to see the blonde middle aged woman that, until fairly recently, worked at my usual coffee stop. She had left during the recent change of ownership.

It had been some time since I had seen her and I greeted her warmly in return. I asked her how things were going. She seemed genuinely happy in her new workplace and a brief conversation ensued. She indicated several ways in which her new employment was superior to the old.

Upon parting, she indicated yet another final reason, "It's nice to work with Americans."

I did not indicate my considerable offense. One would assume that those of her former colleagues that speak with an accent are not real Americans.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol. 80

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with our project inspired by the Sedona, Arizona scene seen in the photo directly below. It is another small photo, this one depicting a group of condos with the red rock buttes behind.

Once again, this one is being done on a small 5x7 canvas.

When we were last together, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.

SInce last time I've spent some time working on the condos. I've added the light yellow color the lit areas. In the scene the portions face toward the right. I've also added blue to the deeply shaded areas, the same color as the shaded window areas. Finally, I've gone over the moderately shaded ochre areas. I expect to have only limited revisions to these areas and consider them largely done at this point. The current state of the painting is seen directly below.

That's all for now, see you next week.

Selling It

I have had the good fortune to have made several trips to the (American) southwest. During these excursions I have spent considerable time studying and painting scenes of the region. I've even been able to paint plein air, directly on site. (see photo above.) These include scenes in Arizona and Utah. And so it was that I read with great sadness that a particularly interesting area of Utah is now under assault.

ENS Link

Sacred Lands in Utah to Be Leased for Oil and Gas

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, February 12, 2007 (ENS) - On February 20 the Bureau of Land Management’s Utah state office will auction for oil and gas development land outside of an area known as the Parowan Gap, described by the State of Utah website as a "nationally recognized extravaganza of petrogylphs."

This Native American rock art inspires a feeling of "reverential awe" says the state's website, yet oil and gas development is planned there, over the objections of conservationists and many others.

This is yet more federal agency policy that favors big business, a consistent Bushco theme. One can only hope that industry treads lightly here in these fragile and priceless lands. But I have my doubts.

Seeding the Future

Remember those bombs designed to kill human life while leaving the structures standing? Development of such a device seemed a wasted effort aimed at answering a question unasked. Exactly whom would be left to utilize those buildings?

This is a plan arising from the same kind of thinking:

Link

Doomsday Arctic Seed Vault Designed to Withstand All Perils
OSLO, Norway, February 9, 2007 (ENS) - A fail-safe vault designed to protect the agricultural heritage of humankind - the seeds essential to agriculture of every nation - will be constructed this year on the Arctic island of Svalbard not far from the North Pole.

Today the Norwegian government revealed the architectural design for the Svalbard International Seed Vault, to be carved deep into frozen rock.

In the case of a doomsday scenario, it is entirely possible that there will still be some survivors. Unexplained is how, in a much diminished world, such individuals will travel the great distance to the arctic to obtain the stored material. Umm, back to the drawing board.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol. 79

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with our project inspired by the Sedona, Arizona scene seen in the photo directly below. It is another small photo, this one depicting a group of condos with the red rock buttes behind.

Once again, this one is being done on a small 5x7 canvas.

When we were last together, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.

Since last week I have continued working on the painting. I've painted in the dark shadowed areas (windows?) on the condos. Once again, these are not how they will appear in the final piece. Sharp eyes will notice that I've adjusted the roof of the condo on the right to make its perspective consistent with the other structures. Finally, I've added the same blue to the street which will also be revised before we are done.

Just a quick note about revisions. Right now I'm painting in the basic colors. I'll make some lighter, some darker. I'll sharpen the edges of colors just a bit but still try to leave some spontaneity.

The current state of the painting appears in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now, see you next week.

Such a Deal

Psst! Are you looking for a sample of bird flu virus, H5N1? Have I got a deal for you.

Link

Indonesia, which has had more human cases of avian flu than any other country, has stopped sending samples of the virus to the World Health Organization, apparently because it is negotiating a contract to sell the samples to an American vaccine company, a WHO official said Tuesday.

The company, Baxter Healthcare of Deerfield, Illinois, stands, potentially, to make huge profits from this transaction. But at what cost?

One would assume that some things take precedence over profits, but apparently, a pandemic does not rise to that vaunted level. The bar has just been raised.

Tribal Council

Up for ejection from the virtual island this week is former American civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer for his oversight role in the caper of the "lost" $12 billion dollars, sent to Iraq in shrink wrapped bundles. Some 363 tons of cash is AWOL.

Link

Best quote from the hearing currently taking place before congress:

"Who in their right mind would send 360 tons of cash into a war zone?" Waxman said. "That's exactly what our government did."

Yep. Couldn't have said it better.

Mr.Bremmer, the tribe has spoken.

Hay FEMA!

In the wake of FEMA's continuing failure to competently address the many problems brought on by Hurricane Katrina, this is an interesting piece of advance planning. Kudos to Puerto Rico.

ENS Link

Puerto Rico Governor Buys Flood Insurance for Residents
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, February 2, 2007 (ENS) - Governor Anibal Acevedo Vilá, Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, will purchase nearly 12,000 flood insurance policies for floodplain residents through an Executive Order.

These policies will be good for three years, after that time policies must be maintained by the property owner to qualify for federal disaster assistance. ...

"Flood insurance continues to be the best way to protect yourself financially against floods," Paulison said. "Governor Acevedo Vilá has made the commitment to ensure his residents are protected through insurance and are eligible for disaster assistance in the future. ...

Planning ahead for emergencies, what a concept! FEMA, take notice. (And take action.)

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol. 78

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with our new project inspired by the Sedona, Arizona scene seen in the photo directly below. It is another small photo, this one depicting a group of condos with the red rock buttes behind.

This one is being done on a small 5x7 canvas.

When we were last together, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.

Since last week, I've started filling in some of the elements of the piece. The buttes and sky have received some color each of which will be adjusted as we go along. Also, the shadowed areas of the condos have been painted in. This too will be adjusted slightly but the color approximates what the final shade will be.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. See you next week.

Underfunding the National Wildlife Refuge System

While untold billions are being pissed away in the quagmire that is the Iraqi war, many domestic programs are suffering from cuts in funding.  Notable amongst these (and the subject of a previous post) is the National Wildlife Refuge System, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Interestingly enough, the Service indicates on its website that the Refuge System is home to more than 289 of the nation's 1311 endangered species.

As usual, PEER has the details.

Washington, DC -- Sharp cuts in funding and staffing for the National Wildlife Refuge System are precluding needed conservation work while compromising wildlife law enforcement and visitor safety, according to a new survey of refuge managers released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The Bush administration is already implementing double-digit refuge budget cuts in several regions, with further reductions expected to be unveiled next week.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised of more than 100 million acres comprising 545 individual refuges.  Some 40 million people visit each year.  

PEER conducted a survey of refuge managers and received responses from 52% of the 337 total.  (Some managers oversee multiple refuges.)  The results are as follows:

  94% of those responding indicate a that conditions are deteriorating.

  62% of those responding indicate that the System is not accomplishing its mission with 72% stating that staffing is more than 25% below core requirements.

  66% of those responding indicate that consolidation has left some refuges unstaffed.

Could it be that some managers failed to respond to the survey because of fear of agency reprisal?

In any event, the current state of affairs has left parts of the system to a benign neglect.

"The National Wildlife Refuge System has been put on a starvation diet," stated Grady Hocutt, a former long-time refuge manager who directs the PEER refuge program, pointing to recent staff cuts that will leave up to 30% of the refuges in some regions without any personnel, a condition called "Preservation Status." "It is becoming flat out impossible for refuge managers to do their job."  ...

"According to every refuge manager with whom I have spoken, the situation on their refuges is getting much worse," concluded Hocutt, pointing to the results of a similar PEER survey six years ago. "It will be up to the new Congress to reverse this disastrous course."

The full survey results are here (pdf).

Manager proposals for improvement are here (pdf).

I urge you to call your congresscritters, 888 355 3588 or 888 818 6641.  Operators are standing by.