| guardian of the galaxy
Suppose yourself a National Basketball Association lottery pick. Suppose further that you are blessed with a big body but are somewhat limited (Im being kind here!) in skills. Say your rookie year free throw percentage was a reeking 59%. That aint just malodorous that kind of stench from the line should trigger an OSHA investigation. The HAZMAT guys shouldve been sent in to clean up the site! Say further that you have no shot; you must be within 5 feet of the hoop to score. In plain talk: you cant hit the side of a barn with a Gatling gun even if you are inside the barn. If you were being paid kajillions of dollars, would you dedicate a few minutes each summer to honing those skills and your craft? If that question seems rhetorical, consider the career statistics of a certain overpaid NBA athlete.
Stunned by Lack of Outrage, Not Outrageous Acts
I continue to be stunned. Not by Bush any longer. There was a time when I was stunned by nearly everything he did. Or said. Who wouldn't be stunned by a president who could say, "They misunderestimated me," and sincerely believe he's on top of things? Nor by Cheney. His pure evil no longer surprises me, although there was a time when he routinely stunned me. Torture? Torture?? Not by Congress, either. There was a time when I was stunned by that crowd's sheeplike mentality. I'd hear them decry the war, decry torture, decry Bush's growing deficit, then I'd drop my jaw as they voted time and again to give the president carte blanche. No longer. I fully expect Congress to disappoint, to fail to do its job in balancing the White House power grab.
Willy Northpole and the Phoenix hip-hop scene explode
The fact is, unlike trials for embezzlement or murder or even rape, CPS dependency hearings, which determine custody and whether parents continue to have the right to raise their children, are closed to the public. The agency's paperwork is also sealed. And that means the entire system operates without scrutiny from outsiders, be they reporters or advocates. (There's a state ombudsman, but he is legally barred from releasing specifics about cases.) We never get to see the evidence that would determine whether kids are wrongly being taken from their parents, as so many callers insist on my voice mail, or whether CPS is instead erring on the side of leaving kids in unsafe homes. We can write about the big picture because CPS has to release some statistical information every six months.
JAQUITTA'S JOURNEY: Read Her Blog
I thought I'd write a quick blog before taking my 3 to 4 hour nap. Radiation has finally kicked in and it makes me incredibly tired. The doctors mentioned fatigue, and I'm experiencing it. To bottom line it: I feel tired the majority of the time. However, I only have a few days left before it's all over. The countdown is on! The only side note is that doctors have warned me that even though the radiation will be over in a few days, I may still feel the effects 2 months after. So, Happy Joy, joy right? Anyway, I try to sleep as much as I can. I will admit working and getting treatment is wearing on me a bit, but if it gets to be too much I just have to back off. I have to accept the fact that my extra pounds are still holding on. I've been told it comes off gradually, that the chemo med's are still kicking in my body and that's part of the reason why it's not coming off as rapidly as I'd like.
N.M. Environment Department proposes limit to truck idling
SANTA FE—The state Environment Department is considering limiting the amount of time long-haul truckers can leave their vehicles idling at truck stops. The department plans four hearings around the state this month about the proposed rule. The proposal is a result of Gov. Bill Richardson's executive order to reduce the state's greenhouse-gas emissions to 75 percent below 2000 levels by 2050. The new regulation would apply only to commercial trucks weighing at least 16,001 pounds. No time limit on idling has been proposed. Drivers power the heat and air conditioning in their truck sleeping berths by letting the engine run while they rest. Those idling engines—even in cleaner new models—produce thousands of tons of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other pollutants, according to the Environment Department.
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