The Northeast weather?

Tags

azaleas, coldest weather, crocuses, ice storms, mild weather, newscaster, postaday2012

I am not complaining but this winter is very odd. Generally, here up in Blandford, if we aren’t besieged by mountains of snow during one winter than we are assaulted by icy rains and ice storms the next winter. I have lived here for 17 years and I have seen an Indian summer every year except for this year and the reason is because we hadn’t had three nights of frost and then a thaw. We have had neither, no frost, therefore, no thaw at least until January.

I checked out the 10 day forecast and except for tomorrow, which they are predicting to be 25, cold, the rest of the forecast is predicting temperatures in the 40’s. This is February, our coldest month. I only hope that we aren’t going to pay for this mild weather by having our coldest weather arrive in March and April instead.

Spring is such a wonderful season, I can’t help but think that our seasons this year are going to be really out of alignment. Just a few weeks ago a lady in Chicopee was telling a newscaster that her crocuses were blooming and her rhododendron and azaleas were opening their buds. This is in January mind you.

I’m wondering if we are going to have abnormally high amounts of rain or if we are going to have a very dry season, either way it isn’t going to be your usual spring or summer if this winter is any indication.

My poor garden and my poor plants, they are going to be all confused. But they won’t be alone, I’ll be with them in confusion. When everyone is confused then no one feels alone.

Why I Still Like Ike

With the increased secrecy of predator drone warfare, no one has to take the responsibi­lity of failure, not much of a educationa­l arena for learning humility. It could be argued that it is the military industrial complex that is pushing the heightened hawkish rhetoric towards Iran. We have been hearing about nuclear possibilit­ies for about a decade within the Iranian regime, why is it so critical now? I have had enough of war and I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one. There are a host of other countries who are in possession of actual nuclear war heads such as Pakistan and North Korea. We do not to continue escalating tensions in the Middle East, the situation needs to be handled with diplomacy and inspection­s. The world is tired of turmoil and doesn’t need more violence there is already too much of it.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

My Cooking

French haute cuisine on a strike?

Yes I can cook. I like to cook all kinds of dishes such as French, Vietnamese, Chinese. I also like to try new dishes, right now I am concentrating on vegetarian dishes to make my daughter happy. I believe that Italian cooking is very special so I dabble but I like to give Italian cuisine the respect it deserves and that is why I left it off my list because I don't think that I do it that well. I think of what I had eaten in Italy and I don't come close to that level, perhaps it is the ingredients, but the results aren't the same.

Newt Gingrich CPAC Speech: ‘Teach The Republican Establishment A Lesson’

It astounds the mind that this country that was founded on religious freedom and the separation of church and state should have an extreme group vying for political power complainin­g that their religious ideals are on the line. Under the first amendment,­we have the freedom to worship, we have the freedom not to worship but under no circumstan­ces is political office to be used to force the politician­s’ own religious beliefs on the electorate or populace. Yet these nominees are deliberate­ly lying or perverting the facts to make it seem as if they under assault from the Obama administra­tion. If they really feel that way then write an op-ed piece but don’t seek political office to try to legislate your religious beliefs into law that contradict­s the ideals that our country was founded on.
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President Obama’s Budget Would Tax The Rich, Cut Medicare

What I would like to know is with the spending cuts to Medicare being planned only on the provider side, how can the beneficiar­ies be certain that there will be any providers left who will accept Medicare health plans? Where does that leave Medicare as the vehicle for health care insurance for the elderly if the spending cuts targeting Medicare make it less viable for the doctors? Most of the elderly cannot afford a private health insurance premium so if the field of doctors who accept Medicare is vastly reduced what will happen to them? Why is it so hard for this country to see health is a right and not a privilege? Our tax payer dollars provide these lawmakers with access to an outstandin­g health care coverage program, yet the rest of us must scramble and stress over our health care coverage, this isn’t a matter of jealousy it is a matter of morality. Our health care outcomes overall when compared to the rest of the world is an embarrassm­ent, we could do so much better, we should be so much better.
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America’s Darwin Problem

I am certain that our founding fathers were highly educated men who believed in science and were fascinated by new theories and inventions and subscribed to the scientific method, Thomas Jefferson being a prime example. I am also certain that they all shared in the belief that for democracy to work, the society (the parts of society that counted at the time) needed to be literate and educated. Apparently the GOP, even though they worship the founding fathers, have broken away from that very platform of the founding father’s agenda. The Vatican has accepted evolution why can’t the evangelica­ls? Science is just as awe inspiring as faith, the mysteries are just as deep. Science doesn’t deny faith so why does faith have to deny science?
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Friday Talking Points — White House Fumbles

How can we still be debating easy and cheap access to birth control in this country? As a woman I believe that my reproducti­ve choices are my choice and my responsibi­lity.Since my paycheck contribute­s to my health insurance premium than I should have unrestrict­ed access to birth control, in MA, when you are unemployed you are able to be covered under the MA state sponsored plan and thus your prescripti­ons are covered under the state plan and the co-pays if any are either $1.00 or $3.65. How can anyone accept the hypocrisy of the GOP nominees? They say that they don’t want big government loudly when it helps the average working person, yet softly out of the other side of their mouths, they whisper to their friends in high places “big government is okay for you when it serves your purposes”. However in the bedroom, according to Romney, Santorum and Gingrich, nothing is private and reproducti­ve decisions aren’t private. They obviously believe that health care isn’t a right such as the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think that they believe that health care is a privilege and can be yours only if you can afford it, is that belief system a belief system that a President should subscribe to? I personally don’t think so, I think that it is immoral to believe that a person’s health is a commodity.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost