Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Oh SNAP!
The good folks at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities have a nice post offering a reality check on claims that welfare reform was, in Eric Cantor's words, "nothing but a success." The context is the desire of House Republicans to slash the food stamp program (SNAP).
CBPP's criteria for success, however, seem to be different from the House leaders' criteria. CBPP judges the policy in terms of its impacts on employment and child poverty, that sort of thing. House leaders, on the other hand, sometimes talk about the same goals, but their actions suggest that they really care about punishing poor single moms and proving they are tough fiscal conservatives by taking food out of the mouths of hungry youngsters. By these standards, ending SNAP benefits for unemployed families could be a real winner!
CBPP's criteria for success, however, seem to be different from the House leaders' criteria. CBPP judges the policy in terms of its impacts on employment and child poverty, that sort of thing. House leaders, on the other hand, sometimes talk about the same goals, but their actions suggest that they really care about punishing poor single moms and proving they are tough fiscal conservatives by taking food out of the mouths of hungry youngsters. By these standards, ending SNAP benefits for unemployed families could be a real winner!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Marriage equality!
Well, a lot less inequality anyway. So odd that everything hinged on Anthony Kennedy's view of the world.
Postscript: Not everything... Kennedy was in the minority on the Prop 8 decision, Roberts and Scalia with the majority... go figure.
Postscript: Not everything... Kennedy was in the minority on the Prop 8 decision, Roberts and Scalia with the majority... go figure.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Carson Pass country, once more
Is it my favorite place in the Sierras? Quite possibly. What does it have going for it?
1. Best wildflower display I know of.
2. Wonderful secluded campgrounds.
3. A fine old California roadhouse, the Kirkwood Inn.
4. Beautiful mountain lakes and wide open high-Sierra scenery.
5. None of the crowds you get in Yosemite.
6. Cool, varied geology.
7. Many attractions along Rte. 88 heading up, most notably super-cute, historic Volcano, CA; nearby Black Chasm cavern (very cool crystalline formations); serene and fascinating Chaw’se, the Indian Grinding Rock State Park; and the up-and-coming Lodi wine region.
8. Lichens!
1. Best wildflower display I know of.
2. Wonderful secluded campgrounds.
3. A fine old California roadhouse, the Kirkwood Inn.
4. Beautiful mountain lakes and wide open high-Sierra scenery.
5. None of the crowds you get in Yosemite.
6. Cool, varied geology.
7. Many attractions along Rte. 88 heading up, most notably super-cute, historic Volcano, CA; nearby Black Chasm cavern (very cool crystalline formations); serene and fascinating Chaw’se, the Indian Grinding Rock State Park; and the up-and-coming Lodi wine region.
8. Lichens!
Creepy
I am rather fond of spiders, snakes, and millipedes... I have even made my peace with scorpions and centipedes... but not ticks, though I must admit that they are impressive little buggers. I have observed the following behavior many times, most recently along a local trail where a number of them seemed to be on tip-toes at the very end of a tassel of grass arching out over the trail:
Many ticks lie in wait for their hosts in the questing position, holding onto vegetation with their hind pairs of legs and stretching out the front pairs, ready to latch on to a passing person or animal. Depending on the species, a tick can detect carbon dioxide in the host’s breath; odor; heat; moisture; vibrations; or even a shadow.I managed to squeeze around them this time... I think...
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