The Jefferson County School Board and Politics in the US

The Jefferson County School board should be recalled. All of their decisions have been shrouded in secrecy, even as they claim to be transparent. They are unfit to govern. Announcing one finalist for superintendent is indicative of an ulterior agenda and a disregard for anyone else's ideas, theories, and opinions. They do not have the confidence to even discuss their point.

https://www.change.org/petitions/the-jefferson-county-board-of-education-colorado-we-want-the-jeffco-boe-to-reconsider-the-announcement-of-daniel-mcminimee-as-the-sole-superintendent-finalist-we-request-that-the-board-reexamine-the-candidate-pool-and-announce-3-4-new-finalists-2

The Best of Modern Computer Syncing

Syncing had a dubious start in my circle of friends. We were all worried about our stuff being stuck somewhere in some "cloud". Security and all that. But I experimented and came to rely on it. Now, I use two different computers at different times depending on what I need to do: the desktop is mostly for getting things done; it has my partners art on it and the power to do drawing as she works on being a professional artist and illustrator (doodlepad.com). The laptop is old and shitty and is used when I don't wanna sit at a desk. It can type, and get the Internet (barely), and that's all it needs to do. But it is nice to be able to have whatever I'm working on accessible on whichever computer I happen to be using.

Then UbuntuOne notified that it was closing down. No longer would I be able to use their service.

At the time, I thought, "bummer. But, I guess I'll be able to find something else if they 'aren't able to compete'".

Then I started searching. And discovered that that wasn't the case. SpiderOak is somewhat useful, and basically fills the gap left in the loss of UbuntuOne, but it doesn't sync as quickly. I have a work on my desktop and every time I work on a different computer, my last changes haven't come over. And besides that, it is more time to set up, and doesn't offer as much space.

I am wondering how UbuntuOne wasn't able to compete. I can't find anything even half as good. I will miss it. Ah, me.

Oh well. It's just computers and their drain on my life anyway. Onward and Upward! Who wants to go hiking?

People are Crazy.

The definition of insanity:

Does everyone know that the internet is not a real place? That Facebook.com isn't like a store that you can go inside? There is not, on the internet, much of a limitation on real estate, like there is in a city.

I guess a little while ago the powers-that-be decided that the internet could expand. So some companies hitherto non-existent sprang up to sell domains ending in such things as .electricians and .kansas and .whatever. .democrat was one of the things that popped up.

I don't know about any one else, but the idea that these words are "for sale" has always struck me as an odd thing. Now, there is an infinity of new permutations for sale. To whomever thinks it is a good idea to buy a domain.

Dr. Larry Kawa got it into his educated head that it would be a good idea to buy up as many domains with .democrat on the end that he could think of. Somehow to limit the democrats from buying any? I am not sure. What's to stop anyone from buying 2016.dem instead of 2016.democrat someday? Or 2016.dems? or 2016.net? 2016.america? 2016.wearetheoneswhoareright? There really aren't limitations. If Kawa is buying domains, the only thing this is really doing, as far as I can see, is funneling a bunch of money into the pockets of "Rightside" (who sells the .democrat domains) for doing nothing but being there. All the thousands of domains he buys will be untenable, unfindable in the multilateral internet. Good job, "Rightside" at making a niche market for yourselves. Wish everyone could have such a cushy job. I just wish we has more occupations in this world that actually meant Anything. 

It is bloody pointless. There is no store-front to let anyone know how he really feels (other than than the media attention). But anyone rational will just laugh at the lunacy.  

National Day of Action: Say no to Tar Sands, Please!

Arvada, Colorado, as well as many places today, congregated to say:

Please don't scrape away the Boreal forest of Canada. Don't support it with a pipeline. Not for any amount of energy would this be acceptable and we are doing it for pittance.


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A 2.9:1 return on energy (EROI), spending natural gas to boil the tar from the sands, and huge amounts of gas to run the machines to kill all the trees and destroy the homes to millions of animals. To quash an abundant and ancient ecosystem more sane than any humans have created.

But there is a ray of hope in the insanity: Our group was small, but we encountered very little criticism. We had a lot of honks and hand waves and several loud "I'm with you!" "You guys are Awesome!" "Thanks!". There were a few people gesticulating madly and claiming that it didn't hurt the environment. But, for their credit, I don't think they know about tar sands. There are a surprising number of people who don't seem to know anything about tar sands. They were probably only talking about the pipeline itself, which is relatively benign, and under debate here in the states. The Keystone XL pipeline surely will hurt the environment, but not on a scale people are unused to seeing. Tar sands....


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Tar Sands is another matter. And it makes me cry to see it every single time. There is no rational debate about tar sands. It is fanatically awful. It is not defendable, besides by lunacy. Just as Orange Ruffy was fished until it all but died out, destroying acres of irreparable seabed in the process, tar sands in unconscionable. It is destructive, eventually self-destructive. Short sighted, arrogant, and cruel.

What's the problem with the pipeline? It is directly supportive of tar sands. Which must stop. And every sane and educated person from Edmonton to Beijing to Alberta knows it. Tar sands must stop. It produces three times the carbon foot print of conventional oil - 116 kg per barrel. It's already carved a scar on the earth over 715 square kilometers (276 square miles) - as large as the city of Calgary. It would be best if the US, and everyone, refused to buy any of it on moral grounds. And on logical grounds. On the grounds that we are not demons and monsters. Canadian activists are working hard to end tar sands in their home country, I wish them all the luck in the world. There is even a chance, should we be dumb enough to build the pipeline, that the insanity will stop and there wont be any oil to transport anyway. I hope so.

There were more events in Denver, and other cities around the country. It was a National Day of Action, and I thank the Sierra Club for getting us motivated!