FourScore
FourScore's JournalHoly Sh*t! The Republicans are freaking destroying themselves!
Thu Jan 17, 2013 at 10:31 AM PST
Holy Sh*t! The Republicans are freaking destroying themselves!
by FightingRegistrar
Okay. So we know that Americans want sensible gun laws. Right?
Well this issue has struck a chord with my Republican mother and Libertarian father. My mom, who hasn't voted Democrat since probably 1976, is on a rampage following what happened in Newtown. She wants the 2nd amendment repealed. Well, maybe she's going a bit far, but I'm telling you this issue is really resonating among anyone who isn't a total f*cking gun nut.
Mom really hates Obama. Or I should say HATED Obama (past tense), until now. Look what she wrote on her facebook page this morning:
"Thanks Joe and Barack. A sane plan for at least TRYING to curb gun violence. Are you listening, Heidi?"
She's refering to Heidi Heitkamp. My parents live in Fargo. They think the Republicans have gone off the deep end. "They're f*cking crazy," says my Dad on a regular basis.
Not only are people realizing that the Republicans are bad for the country, they are considering not voting for them. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could take the House back in 2014? I'm telling you, this sabre rattling over the debt ceiling and fiscal cliff, along with the stubbornness over reasonable gun laws is going to crash the Republican Party in 2014.
Let's take back the House! Our House.... is a very very very fine house!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/17/1179808/-Holy-Sh-t-The-Republicans-are-freaking-destroying-themselves
Hey GEEKS -- got a question
Earlier this morning, I was going through my usual routine of reading the liberal blogs and news sites. While at one site (not DU), suddenly my computer froze. Then, the scroll bar started scrolling wildly up and down, as if someone else was in control of my computer and wanted to show me. I turned everything off and unplugged the internet cable. Does anyone know what happened? Thanks to anyone who can provide insight!
Sudden Stratospheric Warming Split the Polar Vortex in Two
Wed Jan 16, 2013 at 08:05 PM PST
Sudden Stratospheric Warming Split the Polar Vortex in Two
by FishOutofWater
Sudden stratospheric warming has split the polar vortex in two. The polar vortex, which forms and deepens as the atmosphere looses heat to space in the darkness of the long Arctic winter night, was split in two by massive heating from below. A series of intense storms in the far north Pacific intensified a very long wave in the lower atmosphere. Energy on that planet sized wave went upwards from the lower atmosphere around the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau and broke into the stratosphere, causing major sudden warming. It rapidly reversed the strong cyclonic winds in the stratosphere around the pole, creating a central dome, breaking the vortex into two smaller vortices.
We can see the splitting by making a map of the heights a weather balloon rises to to reach the very low atmospheric pressure of 50 mb. A standard atmosphere is 1013mb.
The polar vortex was intact at 50 millibars (heights in m) on January 1 to 3.
The polar vortex had broken in two (50millibar heights in m) on January 10 to 13.
Major stratospheric warmings have taken place, on average, every other year over the past 50 years. The physics of these warmings is very complicated. Since 1998 these warmings have been more frequent and earlier in the winter. Previously, major warmings typically happened in February. Over the past decade they have happened in December and January, but this one is exceptional on all counts. This stratospheric warming is apparently the strongest ever observed in the first half of January according to the NOAA figure. No one knows why the number of major warmings is increasing but a correlation has been with positive sea surface temperature anomalies and the active phase of the solar cycle. This year the sun is active and there are large positive sea surface temperature anomalies in the north Indian ocean and the north-west Pacific.
On average, during 1957/58–1990/91, MWs occurred only once every two Arctic winters (e.g Bancala et al. ´ , 2012; Cohen and Jones, 2011; Andrews et al., 1987). Conversely, no MW occurred in 9 consecutive winters from 1989/90 to 1997/98, except a minor warming in early February 1990 (Manney et al., 2005).
However, there were 7 MWs in 5 out of the 6 winters from 1998/99 to 2003/04. The winter 1999/00 was unusually cold but each other winter was prone to MWs... Furthermore, two MWs were observed in 1998/99 and 2001/02...This warming sequence continued and there were 5 MWs in 5 winters again in 2005/06–2009/10... Many of the MWs in recent years have been atypically early (December/early January) compared to those found before 1990s, which were observed mostly in February.
Animation of temperature anomalies at the 30mb pressure surface in the stratosphere shows the magnitude of this massive event.
Major stratospheric warming events like these have a large impact on the weather. The warm air in the stratosphere radiates heat and sinks, then warms as it sinks by compressional heating. It causes a mound of relatively warm air and high pressure to develop around the pole. Cold air is pushed away from the pole, in this case under the two vortices. In the Pacific ocean the dynamic interaction of the cold air with abnormally warm water off of the northeast coast of Japan developed one of the strongest north Pacific storm in many years with a central pressure of 932mb, as low as a major hurricane, and modeled wave heights of over 60 feet.
On Tuesday, the storm spanned a staggering 1,440 miles, according to David Snider, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Alaska. That's equivalent to the distance between Denver and New York City
The swell will generate massive waves on the north and west shores of the Hawaiian Islands. NOAA's outstanding surf forecaster, Pat Caldwell is forecasting 24 foot wave face heights without the amplifying effects of refraction by the sea floor. In surf spots refraction can double these wave heights. 50 foot wave faces are possible on Friday at outer reefs on Kauai and Oahu.
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The vortex over north America has been pushing cold air over the United States. Multiple outbreaks of Arctic air can be expected over the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada over the next ten days. A winter storm developing now over the southern Appalachians is forecast to bring snow to the DC area tomorrow afternoon. Then the storm is predicted to intensify over the north Atlantic. The amplifying energy of the southward displaced vortex over north America are forecast by the GFS model to make the storm "bomb" to a 944mb low south of Greenland. Huge waves are forecast to hit the Atlantic coast of Europe early next week.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/16/1179397/-Sudden-Stratospheric-Warming-Split-the-Polar-Vortex-in-Two#comments
SHOCKING Headline at HuffPo: Picture of Obama with PULL THE TRIGGER in big letters
It is dangerous, irresponsible and, quite frankly, unbelievable coming from HuffPo! Especially after the latest NRA ad with Obama's kids. The world has gone NUTS!!!
Let them know how you feel about this DU! Take this shit down immediately HuffPo!!!
Here's the screen grab:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
THE OSCARS: And the Nominees Are...
Best Picture"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life of Pi"
"Amour"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman - "Les Miserables"
Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master"
Denzel Washington - "Flight"
Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva - "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis - "Beasts of Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts - "The Impossible"
Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin - "Argo"
Robert De Niro - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Master"
Tommy Lee Jones - "Lincoln"
Christoph Waltz - "Django Unchained"
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - "The Master"
Sally Field - "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway - "Les Miserables"
Helen Hunt - "The Sessions"
Jackie Weaver - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Animated Feature Film
"Brave"
"Frankenweenie"
"ParaNorman"
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"
"Wreck-It Ralph"
Directing
"Amour" - Michael Haneke
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" - Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" - Ang Lee
"Lincoln" - Steven Spielberg
"Silver Linings Playbook" - David O. Russell
Writing - Original Screenplay
"Amour" - Michael Haneke
"Django Unchained" - Quentin Tarantino
"Flight" - John Gatins
"Moonrise Kingdom" - Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
"Zero Dark Thirty" - Mark Boal
Writing - Adapted Screenplay
"Argo" - Chris Terrio
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" - Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" - David Magee
"Lincoln" - Tony Kushner
"Silver Linings Playbook" - David O. Russell
Music - Original Song
"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," music and lyrics by J. Ralph
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted," music by Walter Murphy, lyrics by Seth MacFarlane
"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," music by Mychael Danna, lyrics by Bombay Jayashri
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall," music and lyrics by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
"Suddenly" from "Les Miserables," music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Foreign Language Film
"Amour" (Austria)
"Kon-Tiki" (Norway)
"No" (Chile)
"A Royal Affair" (Denmark)
"War Witch" (Canada)
Cinematography
"Anna Karenina"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall"
Costume Design
"Anna Karenina"
"Les Miserables"
"Lincoln"
"Mirror Mirror"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
Documentary - Feature
"5 Broken Cameras"
"The Gatekeepers"
"How to Survive a Plague"
"The Invisible War"
"Searching for Sugar Man"
Documentary - Short
"Inocente"
"Kings Point"
"Mondays at Racine"
"Open Heart"
"Redemption"
Film Editing
"Argo"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Makeup And Hairstyling
"Hitchcock"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Miserables"
Music - Original Score
"Anna Karenina"
"Argo"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall"
Production Design
"Anna Karenina"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Miserables"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
Short Film - Animated
"Adam and Dog"
"Fresh Guacamole"
"Head over Heels"
"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'"
"Paperman"
Short Film - Live Action
"Asad"
"Buzkashi Boys"
"Curfew"
"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)"
"Henry"
Sound Editing
"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Skyfall"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Sound Mixing
"Argo"
"Les Miserables"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall"
Visual Effects
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Life of Pi"
"Marvel's The Avengers"
"Prometheus"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
Who would get your vote?
Grandparents save five kids from 'tornadoes of fire' in Australia; pics
Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 10:23 AM PST
Grandparents save five kids from 'tornadoes of fire' in Australia; pics
by Eileen B
Breathtaking images: Grandfather Tim Holmes took these harrowing photos of his five grandkids escaping the wildfires because he feared their parents 'would never see them again.'
Photo by Tim Holmes, via: Time
As I look at these photos, my brain keeps playing "the children are our future." I'm scared for the planet, and ashamed I haven't been louder in my calls for action.
"We saw tornadoes of fire just coming across towards us and the next thing we knew everything was on fire, everywhere all around us," Tim Holmes told Australia's ABC News. "We lost three houses and by that time I had sent Tammy … with the children to get down to the jetty because there was no other escape. We couldn't get off.
"I ended up having to run down through a wooded area on my own, where there was so much smoke and fire, I didn't know where I was. So I just kept running. There was a moment of fear that this could be very, very dangerous. But I managed to run through and get to the water's edge, which was a kind of a sanctuary."
Tammy Holmes and her grandchildren take refuge under a jetty as a wildfire rages nearby in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, Australia. The family credits God with their survival from the fire that destroyed around 90 homes in Dunalley. Record temperatures across southern Australia cooled Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, reducing the danger from scores of raging wildfires but likely bringing only a brief reprieve from the summer's extreme heat and fire risk.
'For the next two-and-a-half hours, we huddled under the jetty as the fire intensified and produced a plume of smoke, ash and debris that left us with very little oxygen.
'There were times when we had to move out deeper because it was too hot and there were times when the jetty itself caught fire. I was able to scoop some water onto the jetty and put it out.'
Quotes Via DailyMail
This video tells the whole story:
Australia had its hottest day on record on Monday with a nationwide average of 40.33C (104.59 F), narrowly breaking a 1972 record of 40.17C (104.31 F). Tuesday was the third hottest day at 40.11C (104.2F). Four of Australia's hottest 10 days on record have been in 2013.
"There's little doubt that this is a very, very extreme heatwave event," said David Jones, manager of climate monitoring and prediction at the Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
"If you look at its extent, its duration, its intensity, it is arguably the most significant in Australia's history."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/10/1177867/-Grandparents-save-five-kids-from-tornadoes-of-fire-in-Australia-pics
Sheriff Joe's Armed School Protection "Posse" includes Convicts & Sex Offenders
Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 10:31 AM PST
Sheriff Joe's Armed School Protection "Posse" includes Convicts & Sex Offenders
by Vyan
Chalk this one up in the You can't make this shit up column, but it's apparently true.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Sheriffs-posse-members-to-start-patrolling-schools-this-week-185868242.html
Some of those posse members reportedly have criminal pasts. That's where the controversy comes in.
An MCSO spokesman said those people have already faced disciplinary action in connection with their crimes, either avoided felony convictions or petitioned to have their records expunged, and are now moving on
Ok, so that's just great. Slate clean. Get your gun, head for the local school. And exactly what are we "moving on" from, just so we're all clear about this?
http://www.kpho.com/story/17159125/criminal-pasts-dont-disqualify-members-of-arpaio-posse
CBS 5 - KPHO
These are crimes that are not tolerated in many professions, especially professions with an implied authority.
Usually this wouldn't be tolerated for someone under the color of authority, but in Sherriff Joe's Arizona - it is.
According to the local press these civilians will be insured by the Maricopa County Sherriff's Office, which means that the County is on the financial hook for anything that they might happen to do wrong - but they aren't.
Now it's fair to point this isn't really knew, Arpaio has tried it before.
Arpaio said since the program has worked so well in malls he believes it will work just as well protecting schools.
I can understand the desire to give someone a second chance but...
This is coming from the guy who - to this very day - thinks that Obama's Birth Certificate is a Forgery and is using taxpayer money to try and prove it.
This, coming from the Sherriff who arrested a six-year-old for suspicion of being "undocumented" on the same day that the President said that Federal Policy would be lenient on "undocumented" minors.
This, coming from the Sherriff who argued that he may need to supply his deputies with automatic weapons to protect them from the heinous attempted escape of undocumented suspects.
But the truth is we're not really just talking about crimes and abuse from their past -- these are some examples of the what the local CBS station found have already happened with members of this "Posse".
And then there was Jacob Cutler. According to a Flagstaff police report, Cutler threw his girlfriend to the ground and choked her while trying to sexually assault her in 2008. When she didn't cooperate, he allegedly threatened to call police and said they would side with him, because he "has a badge." He was a member of Arpaio's posse at the time.
...
Kevin Ray Campos was arrested in 2007 outside a Scottsdale club for disorderly conduct. According to the police report, he spit on several bouncers and then hurled profanities at a Scottsdale police officer. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, according to court records, and was hired as a posse member a year later.
Anyone else see a potential problem brewing here?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/10/1177883/-Sherriff-Joe-s-Armed-School-Protection-Posse-includes-Convicts-Sex-Offenders
Oh the IRONY: TOO HOT to pump GASOLINE
Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 08:30 AM PST
In one Australian town, it's too hot even to pump gasoline
by beach babe in fl
We've been reading about how Australia is suffering under some of the highest temperatures in it's history. It's so damn hot that heat maps had to add a new color to describe the phenomenon. The temperature increase is causing severe drought and wildfires.
http://www.news.com.au/national/too-hot-to-refuel-as-town-bakes/story-fncynjr2-1226549873359
IT was so hot in the South Australian outback town of Oodnadatta yesterday that the local servo stopped selling petrol.
The Outback town has been sweltering through one of its great heatwaves with the temperature soaring above 40 degrees every day this year, reaching a peak of 48.2 degrees yesterday.
"The ground, the building, everything is so hot, you walk outside and you feel it's going to burn you," Pink Roadhouse owner Lynnie Plate said.
Mrs Plate said the Roadhouse couldn't serve unleaded fuel after midday because it was vapourising and wouldn't pump in the extreme heat.
48.2 degrees Celsius is about 119 degrees F. According to Apple, that's too hot to use your iphone.
Unable to pump gasoline due to extreme high heat attributed to climate change? Irony run amuck.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/10/1177822/-In-one-Australian-town-it-s-too-hot-even-to-pump-gasoline
Entitlement Reform Everyone Can Support
Mon Jan 07, 2013 at 01:28 PM PST
Entitlement Reform Everyone Can Support
by billyleeblack16
Come the end of February we will inevitably be facing another hostage crisis with the debt ceiling and demands for austerity. Austerity as we have seen it implemented in Europe has been a disaster for them. Just ask the Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Irish and British public. The reason why it has failed is because the things that were cut were the exact things that stimulate economic growth and impoverish their middle classes.
However, I think we do need to make one big fundamental change to Medicare which will be the biggest driver of our long-term debt. I would like to reintroduce an idea that can cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare spending without touching the benefits that seniors receive. It is a free-market idea that has been proven to work in both the public and private sectors. It should be a central part of any demands that Obama has concerning the sequester cliff. If conservatives truly believe in the free market and cutting out waste in government, this should be something every Republican should support.
What I'm talking about reforming is Medicare Part D. Passed into law in 2003 and fully implemented in 2006, it was designed as a way for Medicare to cover prescription drugs. In reality, it turned out not to be a very good deal for taxpayers for one very important reason, Medicare can't legally negotiate drug prices.
This more than anything else is why Medicare Part D was a huge giveaway to the private healthcare industry. Medicare can't legally use their enormous pool of enrollees as a way to bargain for better prices on prescription drugs. This is something that happens all the time in the private sector. For example, using their leverage as America's largest retailer and employer, Wal Mart is able to offer one of the cheapest perscription drug plans in the country. There is absolutely no reason why Medicare shouldn't be able to do the same thing and save hundreds of billions of dollars in the process.
One may say, "That's something that can only work in the private sector." Wrong. In fact, the government's other single payer healthcare plan does exactly that and gets the same drugs at significantly cheaper prices. Unlike Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs is allowed to directly negotiate prescription drug prices for veterans. The result? In some instances the VA can get cheaper prices on brand-name drugs than Medicare can get for the equivalent generics. For example:
Here's an apples to apples comparison on specific drugs from that same study:
This is an absolutely unacceptable waste of taxpayer money. There are far fewer veterans receiving VA benefits than seniors getting Medicare benefits. With a much larger pool of beneficiaries, Medicare should be able to negotiate a much lower price for drugs than the VA can. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
So what does all this mean in budgetary terms? Economist Dean Baker estimated that Medicare could have saved between $332 billion to $563 billion between 2006 and 2013. Keep in mind this is government waste that a Republican Congress and a Republican president enacted into law. If all Congress did was replace the sequester next month with this change to Medicare, we would slash the debt by about a little more than a trillion dollars (factoring in the tax increases just passed) and we would extend the long-term solvency of Medicare without cutting anyone's benefits. I don't know about you but that is 'entitlement reform' I can get behind.
Whether or not a member of Congress supports this idea should be the true test of whether they are serious about wanting to extend the solvency of Medicare as we know it. Will enough of Congress grow the balls/ovaries to stand up to PhRMA and AHIP and tell them that they are a huge factor behind the deficit. Will enough Republicans notice that the VA is doing something far more efficiently than Medicare is and be willing to apply that best practice to Medicare? Any proposal about reforming Medicare that does not include this very basic reform should not be taken seriously. We can cut costs in Medicare without screwing over present and future seniors and overhauling Part D is how you do it...
SNIP
...7:02 PM PT: From the comments (h/t Boundegar):
The Humana-WalMart plan isn't news. I was selling it last year, and it sold like hotcakes. But very few people understand how it works.
Medicare is forbidden by law to negotiate volume discounts - but WalMart isn't. Looking at the drugs on the list in the OP, WalMart is able to buy drugs in bulk at prices well below the VA price. Then they fill prescriptions and are reimbursed at the Part D price. Profit margins can be over 500%.
The good news is our seniors aren't getting robbed. The bad news is, the taxpayer is. When a prescription gets filled, the patient pays a (usually) very small copay. Humana bills Medicare at full retail price, and splits the profit with Walmart.
We would call this insurance fraud, except that the law is written to require these obscene profits.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/07/1175748/-Entitlement-Reform-Everyone-Can-Support
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