Virginia’s psychological disabilities and some good, healthy introspection

MoonHowler

After the massacre at Virginia Tech there was great promise that Virginia would reform its mental health system.  There was great promise that we would never get caught with our proverbial pants down again and we would march forth to improve our psychiatric faciltities and access to treatment.  Nothing much as happened.  Like all searing scars, great promises are made and they rarely amount to a hill of beans.  Such was the case with the Old Dominion.

Washingtonpost.com:

Deeds was apparently stabbed by his 24-year-old son, Gus, on Tuesday. Gus, who then shot himself to death, had been given a psychiatric exam the previous day but was released because of an inability to locate a psychiatric bed in remote and rural Bath County.

The elder Deeds, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2009, was airlifted to a hospital in Charlottesville, where he is in fair condition after being treated for stab wounds.

This incident has spurred immediate discussion of Virginia’s attitude regarding the mentally ill – namely, that they are a proper and obvious target for funding cuts when it comes time to squeeze budgets. From 2005 to 2010, according to a report last year by the Treatment Advocacy Center, Virginia eliminated 15 percent of its public psychiatric beds. It has just 17.6 beds per 10,000 people, 40 percent of a target of 50 beds per 10,000 recommended by professionals, according to Sy Mukherjee of ThinkProgress.

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“The Address”

MoonHowler

The Gettysburg Address–so short but deep. Does it really define what America was? Does it describe what America really is?

Out of all the American  speeches, all the inaugural addresses, all those special sentences and phrases that just seem to jump out of some of the speeches that have been given over the years, what makes The Gettysburg Address so special?

Is there a particular phrase or sentence that grabs you? Is the speech over-rated? Why is it important and what has preserved it during the past 150 years? How come the Gettysburg Address wasn’t given, then tucked away in the archives, only seen and studied by historians? Did brevity add to its uniqueness and make the speech more memorable?  Was it the austerity of the event–the dedication of the Gettysburg Battlefield that makes this almost poetic bit of prose so recognizable?

What speeches have you had to learn and under what circumstances? Does memorizing help us really understand the content of a speech better?  Why are students required to memorize different speeches and sections from literature?

Discussion.  Your thoughts on the matter, please.

Minataur rocket launches tonight from Wallops Island

MoonHowler

rocket launch

UPDATE:  lAUNCH TIME HAS BEEN SET FOR 8:15.  lOOK IN THE SOUTHEAST SKY RIGHT ABOVE THE HORIZON.

NBCnews.com:

The launch of a Minotaur I rocket for the U.S. Air Force ORS-3 mission is scheduled to occur on Tuesday night, with a planned launch window of 7:30 – 9:15 pm EST.

NASA and the U.S. military will launch a record payload of 29 satellites from  a Virginia spaceport Tuesday night on a mission that could create a  spectacular sight for skywatchers along the U.S. East Coast, weather  permitting.

The U.S. Air Force launch will send an Orbital  Sciences Minotaur 1 rocket into orbit from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility  and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va., sometime during a  two-hour launch window that opens Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.

The nighttime launch could light up the sky for millions of observers along a  wide swath of the Eastern Seaboard, and could be visible from northeastern  Canada and Maine to Florida, and from as far inland as Michigan, Indiana and  Kentucky, depending on local weather conditions, according to NASA and Orbital  Sciences visibility maps.

I could see the last one right from my front yard.  It was sort of to the left of the constellation Orion.  I don’t live in a light free area.  What I could see was the reddish glow that was definitely as large to my eye at Venus.  I plan on getting out there tonight when they narrow the time down some.  It was VERY neat to watch.  It only lasted about 30 seconds before it sped on off over the horizon.

 

 

 

Creigh Deeds critically wounded, son dead

MoonHowler

wjla.com:

Virginia State Sen. Creigh Deeds is in critical condition after being stabbed  inside his Bath County home, authorities say.

Virginia State Police officials say that the former  gubernatorial candidate was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center  in Charlottesville for treatment of serious injuries.

Deeds’  son is dead from a gunshot wound, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.  Virginia State Police only confirmed that a second person at the home had  died.

Details are sketchy.  The incident happened shortly after 7 am.

Update under the fold

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Young Conservatives of Texas: “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day”

MoonHowler

USAtoday.com:

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A conservative student group announced Monday they will play a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game” this week on the University of Texas at Austin, drawing condemnation from Democrats and a threat of expulsion from campus officials.

The Young Conservatives of Texas have planned the game for Wednesday. Club members will wander the campus wearing signs that say “illegal immigrant,” and students who capture them and take them to the Young Conservatives’ recruiting table will get $25 gift certificates.

“The purpose of this event is to spark a campus-wide discussion about the issue of illegal immigration, and how it affects our everyday lives,” a statement posted by the group’s spokesman, Lorenzo Garcia. The group did not immediately reply to several emails sent by The Associated Press.

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George Zimmerman shows his true colors…again

MoonHowler

zimmerman

Yahoo.com:

APOPKA, Fla. (AP) — George Zimmerman was charged with assault Monday after his girlfriend called deputies to the home where they were living and claimed he pointed a shotgun at her during an argument, authorities said.

The girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, called 911 in the early afternoon to say that Zimmerman had smashed a glass table, threatened her with the shotgun and ultimately pushed her out of the house, according to an arrest report. After pushing her out, Zimmerman barricaded the door with furniture and refused to leave, saying that he would talk to police by phone, authorities said.

Deputies used a key provided by Scheibe to unlock the door and they were able to push through the barricade of items, Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said at a news conference hours after the arrest.

“She was very concerned for her own safety especially having the weapon pointed at her and then being pushed out,” Lemma said.

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More deadly storms

MoonHowler

Chicagotribune.com:

 

The scale of Sunday’s deadly storms became clearer this morning: Six people dead in Illinois, hundreds of homes flattened and splintered, 81 tornadoes sighted through the Midwest, 358 reports of damaging winds, 40 reports of large hail.

Since 1986, there have been 194 tornado warnings issued in the month of November in Illinois: More than half of them, 101, were issued Sunday, according to the Chicago Weather Center.

As crews fanned out from the National Weather Service to assess the storm’s impact, WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling said it may go down as one of the most powerful to hit the region in decades.

“It appears the storm may have produced the most powerful Illinois November tornado on record outside of St. Louis (and possibly elsewhere) and may be one of the four most intense Great Lakes storms of the past five decades,” he said.

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The DOW breaks through 16,000 benchmark

MoonHowler

yahoo.com:

 

New York City (AFP) – The Dow and S&P 500 blasted to new records in early trade Monday fueled by a wave of new Boeing plane orders and continued positive investor sentiment for stocks.

After 90 minutes of trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 51.92 points (0.33 percent) at 16,013.62, after crossing the 16,000 milestone for the first time.

The broad-based S&P 500 made its first foray above 1,800, adding 1.96 (0.11 percent) at 1,800.14.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 2.66 (0.07 percent) to 3,988.62.

The biggest gainer in the Dow was Boeing (+2.4 percent), which won more than $100 billion in new orders at the Dubai Airshow on Sunday.

Bring out the champagne.    Where is Steve Randolph?   He usually runs with the bulls…err…bull market that is.  While 16,000 is merely a psychological barrier, it does indicate that investors feel that things will be good 6 months from now.  Apparently they like what they see with Janet Yellen.  She is in no hurry to change things around.

Naturally there are doom and gloomers out there who predict the end of the world as we know it.  In many ways, having money in the stock market can be as risky as betting on the ponies at the race track.  On the other hand, keeping your money in a sock under the bed allows you to be eaten up by inflation.   I have always thought a good mix was the way to go.  One caveat–I am not a bonds person.

The ride might be bumpy this week as investors do some profit taking.  Any advice?  Apparently those who wanted us to buy gold and who knew all the answers are off somewhere licking their wounds.

 

Moonhowler goes prude: Just some things to think about

MoonHowler

We can’t regulate what’s on SNL.  It’s on late and we have choices about what we watch.  We can turn it off if we don’t like it.

What demographic does Lady Gaga appeal to when she isn’t on SNL? Girls and teens?  Is this video what you want your 15 year old watching?  Wasn’t R. Kelly convicted of battery, and other disturbances?  His rap sheet is not short.  He also married a 15 year old girl.  The marriage was annulled.  Then there were the charges about pornography with underage girls.  He was aquitted.  Regardless, he has role model issues.

While some people, in particular, Republicans, spend a great deal of energy trying to set down moral codes about this, that and the other, from abortion to gay rights, from sex ed to contraception, it seems to me that the obvious is being overlooked.

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Comet ISON

MoonHowler


What a neat graphic. I wish Prince William County had a public viewing area for astronomy events. We also have the Leonid Meteor Shower coming up on November 18. It isn’t predicted to be a good show. People used to gather at night out on Sudley Road right past the Stone House to do their skywatching. Then the Battlefield got all prissy and closed in the area, making it no longer a picnic area.

Silver Lake could also be used as a celestial observation point. The last time I talked to anyone about it, there wre all sorts of regulations and costs. Does anyone have any ideas for a cost effective spot for looking at the night sky?

That didn’t take long: Alex Baldwin suspended

MoonHowler

Politico.com:

MSNBC has suspended Alec Baldwin’s “Up Late” program for two weeks, after he made inappropriate comments to reporters including calling one a “f-g.”

The actor made threatening comments to a photographer in New York Thursday morning calling him a “c—sucking f-g,” according to TMZ.

“I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have – and for that I am deeply sorry,” Baldwin said in a statement posted on MSNBC.com. “Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward. What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support. I understand ‘Up Late’ will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week.”

“I want to apologize to my loyal fans and to my colleagues at MSNBC – both for my actions and for distracting from their good work. Again, please accept my apology.”

Ya think?  This dude’s mouth will continually get him in trouble.  His filters are off.   How long has his show even been on the air?

This one was very predictable.  2 weeks is nothing.  At least Baldwin is pretending to be sorry.  He must think he is another Mel Gibson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Storm Denial?

MoonHowler

It’s difficult to deny that super storms are simply getting larger,  more ferocious and more devastating.  Tornadoes in Oklahoma were on the ground for 40 minutes and created a path the size of 23 football fields.  Unbelievable!   Typhoon Yolanda, (Hiayan)) which hit the Philippines last week  had winds in excess of 225 miles per hour.   What could be left standing after winds that speed?  Many scientists see this super storm phenomena as stemming from the climate warming up.  Warmer climates lead to warmer water in the oceans.

All the climate change deniers have raced out to deny yet another time that this recent bout of storms has anything to do with climate change or the earth warming.  Tell that to the people in Tacloban City, Philippines who are now being advised just to leave the city.  Tacloban  was ground zero for the typhoon strike.   So far about 4,500 dead bodies are presenting a health hazard of mammoth proportion as rescue workers race to bury them in mass graves.  It has been impossible to get food and water to the victims.  The U.S.S. George Washington has arrived and sits off the coast as a hub for rescue efforts.  It can also purify over 100,000 gallons of water per day.  Still people say too little too late.

What is it going to take for us to accept that perhaps mankind might just have a little to do with earth changes?

 

 

Bush and the Jews for Jesus

MoonHowler

Motherjones.com:

Despite an uproar in the Jewish community, former president George W. Bush is still slated to deliver the keynote address to a fundraiser for the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute in Irving, Texas, tonight. The MJBI trains people to persuade Jews to recognize Jesus as their messiah. Followers of the group believe that if enough Jews are converted, Christ will return to Earth.

After Mother Jones broke the news about Bush’s appearance last week, “a small shitstorm…kicked up over the President’s decision,” writes Rob Eshman, editor of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.

“I have yet to meet a Jewish person who hasn’t heard about this,” Tevi Troy, Bush’s White House liaison to the Jewish community from 2003 to 2004, told CNN Wednesday. Troy had high praise for Bush’s support of Israel and the Jewish community, but, he added, “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.” A spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition did not respond to a request for comment.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas issued a statement Tuesday expressing their disappointment regarding Bush’s scheduled appearance: “Support of this group is a direct affront to the mutual respect that all mainstream religious groups afford each other to practice the principles of their respective beliefs.”

Not to say “I told you so” but Elena and I have discussed this very issue on several occasions.   The undying support of Israel during the last administration wasn’t just about loving people in the State of Israel.  It was about Christian prophecy.  It’s Christianity a little out of my league as far as concepts like the Second coming of Christ  go.  Maybe someone will come along and explain it far better than I can do.  However, many Christians believe that certain events must be in place for the second coming.

I suppose Bush is a free citizen and can do what he wants.  I just don’t see why everyone is so surprised.    One group is always trying to evangelize another group.  It isn’t limited to just Christians.  I belong to the school of live and let live but I think that is a minority school.

Should Jewish groups be outraged?  Sure.  That’s their right also.  Do I think it is tacky to try to convert Jews?  Sure.  that’s my right.

Thinking back in time….

MoonHowler

As we come creeping up on the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, those of us who were alive and remember  that entire horrible event generally can tell you right where we were and what we were doing the moment we heard the news.  My parents’ generation can tell you right where they were when they heard about Pearl Harbor.  These events seem to be indelible universal time stamps on our collective timelines, as Americans.

Many of us will never forget seeing the first lady crawl across that limousine or cradling the President in her arms.  We wont forget the days that unfolded as we watched the presumed killer, Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated by a small time hood, Jack Ruby, or the funeral itself.  Who can forget the caisson or the riderless horse, or that tiny little boy saluting his father?

The Kennedy murder/assassination anniversary started some questions in my mind.  What top 3 events in my lifetime have been the most notable, to me.  Would other people agree?  I don’t mean family events like graduations,, births, deaths, marriage, but events that occur outside one’s family.  I have to ponder the third event.

What about you?  What top 3 events stand out in your mind?    Please share.  Will we match?  What three events,  outside your family, stand out in your mind so you can tell where you were and what you were doing at the moment you learned of the event?

 

 

White supremacist Craig Cobb gets a 14% jolt!

MoonHowler

HuffingtonPost.com:

A white supremacist behind an initiative to turn a North Dakota town into a “white enclave” received some shocking news — he’s not 100 percent white.

Craig Cobb, a 62-year-old man who has aimed to start a community for white supremacists and neo-Nazis, received some news that he wasn’t too happy about, although we must admit, it gave us quite a chuckle.

During an appearance on The Trisha Goddard Show, Cobb was given the results of a DNA Diagnostics test and found out he is 14 percent Sub-Saharan African, and it was all caught on camera.

How can someone start a community for whites only? Is this a famous person I have missed?

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