A little more about how to make energy production less stressful to the populations who have to live close to it. Keep in mind that the THUMS Islands enhance Long Beach Harbor (excuse me: “Rainbow Harbor,” after the colored lights on the petro-islands), and provide a huge chunk of change to the California State budget, [...]

Posted in Attila, Girl Reporter, Economics, Energy Issues, Energy Policy, Golden State, Offshore Technology 11 Comments »

Carol of “No Sheeples” fame has joined the cause! Here’s the graphic she produced:
For years, this man risked everything to stop terrorism and save innocent lives, but the United States Department of Homeland Security is considering deporting him.
In 2007, Mr. Yousef came to the United States, where he converted to Christianity from Islam and applied [...]

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Faith and Faiths, Freedom of Speech, Golden State, Immigration, Islam, Israel and Its Friendly Neighbors, Mosab Yousef, Organizing, Prayer Requests, Stacy's Crew, Trust the Gubmint, new media 5 Comments »

VDH has a cheery little essay up about the fun times ahead in my beloved Golden State.
Don’t look at me like that! It’s a fun article. It’ll make you whistle a happy tune!
Come on. Trust me, Charlie Brown. This time, the football stays in place right till your foot hits it way up into [...]

Posted in Absolutely Academe, Americana, Economics, Education, Golden State No Comments »

I’ve been remiss in not blogging about this; I was simply quite taken aback about the President baiting the Supremes in that setting, and in that way. Ilya Somin points out the obvious.
But the repeal of DADT is overdue. (For the sake of my husband, and some of my other SoCon readers, I’d like to [...]

Posted in Energy Issues, Energy Policy, Gay Rights, Land-Based Wells, Offshore Technology, Southern CA No Comments »

I’ve been meaning to link this for a while: the boys at Hillbuzz have been running experiments on:
- how to save money on food in general, and how this can be done by single people, by families, by groups that live together (as several of our favorite Chicagoans do, apparently);
- how one generic generic shopping [...]

Posted in Americana, Culinary Concerns, Debt and Money Issues, Golden State, Gustatory, Healthcare, Illinois 1 Comment »

Carly Fiorina, or Chuch DeVore? Gabriel Malor talks to the latter; California readers should pay attention to this.
It’s time to give Ma’am Senator the boot.

Posted in Golden State 2 Comments »

Squeaky Fromme. Out.

It isn’t any potential for violence that freaks me out in terms of her getting released; it’s that she’s Squeaky Fromme. Listen to her. Is that someone who should be running around loose?

Posted in Americana, Cultured, Like Yogurt, Golden State 1 Comment »

At least, I was today—workin’ in the salt mines at the Fabulous, Amazing New Super-Bitchin’ Client’s digs.
Did you miss me? I missed you.
* No Concrete Blonde: You Tube will not cough up a satisfactory video of that song. Would you settle for X?

I took Franklin home, and finally realized why I wasn’t able [...]

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, City Life, Southern CA, The Writing Life, + Novels No Comments »

And San Francisco left its heart in a freakin’ sewer.

Posted in City Life, Golden State 1 Comment »

David Murphy has a write-up of the conference call we had with Chevron a few weeks ago. I was on the call, but headed out to Phoenix that same day for the NRA convention, and never got a chance to write a formal article about it.
We had a pretty good mix of energy bloggers on [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Business & Management, Economics, Energy Issues, Energy Policy, Golden State, My Webloggers, Myself, Offshore Technology, Southern Comfort, new media No Comments »

. . . and everyone should read it.
Here’s a taste:
there was evidence to suggest that the Obama administration may have been wielding its economic power — gained at future taxpayers’ expense — to punish political enemies. The accusation was serious enough to call for very thorough reporting, but the major media tried to dismiss [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, Automotive, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, City Life, Civil Liberties, Conservative Icons, Editorial Endeavors, Freedom of Speech, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Lanterns and Scimitars, Media, Obama Administration, Organizing, Patriotism, Southern CA, Southern Comfort, Stacy's Crew, Trust the Gubmint, politics 1 Comment »

Cooler heads may yet prevail.

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Constitutional Law, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Golden State, Judgement Day No Comments »

I don’t have a legal background, but this seems like the right balance at this time between judicial activism and total passivity.
Gay Patriot:
I believe the justices made the right decision this time. The decision was 6-1. Now, the issue is developing a strategy to repeal the state constitutional provision defining marriage as the [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Constitutional Law, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Golden State, Judgement Day, politics 1 Comment »

online with my high school/college friends a few weeks ago regarding whether (or to what degree) we can read each other’s books, articles, blogs, screenplays and the like in anything approaching an objective fashion.
I copped to being 100% subjective, most of the time. A bit less, perhaps, with David’s book. A good deal more [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, City Life, Golden State, The Writing Life, + Novels No Comments »

Another one from Interesting News Items; just keep scrolling its main page for more good stuff:
California Plays Guitar Outside Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The State of California has departed the west coast of the United States, relocating outside the Capitol Building where it is playing the guitar in hopes of picking up some money. According to [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Golden State 1 Comment »

Gabriel Malor has his recommendations here.
— Prop 1A — State Budget. Changes California Budget Process. Limits State Spending. — No; it requires a tax increase.
— Prop 1B — Education Funding. Payment Plan. — No; requires increased spending.
— Prop 1C — Lottery Modernization Act. — Yes; I have nothing against idiots buying more lottery tickets and [...]

Posted in Golden State 1 Comment »

Pajamas Media has a cute little puff piece up about Industrial Light & Magic, apropos of the new Star Trek “reboot” movie.
We only hear about the successful CGI companies—not the ones that went out of business. Or the ones that had prodigious burn rates for years and years without ever turning a profit (e.g., [...]

Posted in Americana, Animation, Art and Technology, City Life, Entertainment, Golden State No Comments »

And the rest of us think, hey: why not tax Humboldt County like we tax everyone else in the Golden State?
Arnold’s timing is interesting; it’s almost like he’s trying to divert attention from our immediate budget problems.
If he wants to do something about drug policy, he ought to call the President and tell him [...]

Posted in "War on Drugs", Central CA, Golden State, Northern CA No Comments »

on California’s Propositions 1A-1F.
For the youngsters among my readership (both of you), Howard Jarvis is the guy behind the Golden State’s Proposition 13 back in the 1970s. It was Proposition 13 that has kept our property taxes from keeping pace with our sometimes-inflated property values. This proposition has prevented countless people with limited incomes from [...]

Posted in Americana, Economics, Golden State 1 Comment »

“What’s what?”
“You guys seem to be linking each other a lot.”
“Well, of course: I’m running with his electronic crew. For some reason he’s decided that despite the fact that I get no actual traffic, I’m good karma. So he links me, and I link him back. Wait—you aren’t actually reading me, are you?”
“Sometimes. Is that [...]

Posted in Ain't This the Life?, All About Meeeee!, Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Golden State No Comments »