The Liberal Amphibian

December 8, 1980

2007-12-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

the dreamer was ended. his dream lives on.

The World misses you, John.

If US Hospitals are the best in the world...

2007-12-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

why is BushCo hellbent on destroying them? If "Homeland Security" is so important, why is BushCo trying to destroy hospitals that are on the forefront of caring for those injured in incidents?

From a DailyKos Diary

While people are focused on universal care, the Bush Administration is incrementally chipping away at our existing public health safety net. The most recent assault on our public health care infrastructure is escaping the notice of mainstream media and citizen journalists alike, probably because it is not easily explained. I am referring to a proposed arcane regulations change by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) which, if enacted, will result in $4 to $5 billion dollars over 5 years in cuts to public hospitals and other hospitals that serve indigent patients. In addition, CMS is proposing other rules changes that will result in billions of dollars of reductions to teaching hospitals.

...On January 18, 2007, CMS issued a sweeping rule that, if it goes into effect, will drastically limit Medicaid payments to public health care providers, and to private providers who serve the indigent and uninsured.
In response, Congress enacted a one year moratorium on the rules change, which was buried in the supplemental appropriations bill (P.L. 110-28, Section 7002) that funds military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The moratorium allows Congress time to consider and develop rules that simplify Medicaid without harming our safety net by preventing CMS from enacting the new rule until May 25.
...On November first, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems offered testimony before Congress. Alan Aviles, President of the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation described the potentially drastic impacts the cuts would impose to public health, and to the ability of local government to respond to natural or manmade disasters. He should know. His hospitals treated the victims of 9/11. Mr. Aviles stated that many hospitals will be forced to choose between closures of emergency rooms, or primary care and outpatient services.

The impacts to communities are drastic and far-reaching:

In rural communities, where the same hospital serves all income levels, closure or cutbacks will leave all residents out in the cold regardless of ability to pay, and may leave multi-county regions without access to hospital care or trauma services.

Contact Congresswoman Lois Capps and let her know that our countrywill be ill served by shuttered hospitals and that public health should be the utmost consideration. We have quite a number of uninsured and indigent patients here in the land of $1.25 million dollar median priced homes and Cottage Hospital will feel the affects of BushCo's assault on healthcare.

Who says that Pre-Fab

2007-12-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

can't be FABULOUS! (and Green, too!)

From Inhabitat we were introduced to the work of Michelle Kaufmann

mkLoft designs are an ideal solution whether you are looking to build a primary residence, create an inviting home office, or plug into an interconnected eco-community. Depending on your site, program, and performa, you can order 1 mkLoft, or 50 or more pre-fab units. Kaufmann’s loft homes can be customized in 2 or 3 story configurations using state-of-the-art sustainable materials and methods. As with MKD’s other design solutions and products, mkLofts utilizes energy-efficient, healthy foam-insulation; dual pane/low-E glazing; water-saving plumbing fixtures; and eco-friendly finishes throughout. Solar, geo-thermal, radiant heat and other energy-efficient systems are available in each unit.

We have a tremendous shortage of affordable housing here in Santa Barbara. Perhaps we can make use of such innovative ideas for housing solutions.

Developers are quickly realizing the many benefits associated with prefabricated architecture. Shorter timeframes, predictable costs, and lowered risks and liability are only a few of the benefits associated with off-site modular systems-built technology.

Through the use of smart, sustainable design and site strategies, energy efficient systems, and eco-friendly materials, MKD creates communities that are healthy, beautiful,and cost-effective - Michelle Kaufmann Designs

The Rocky Mountain News talks about Developers using the Glide House pre-fab for a development project.
Sunset Magazine spotlights Michelle Kaufmann's designs in their issue this month.

Back from Hibernation

2007-12-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

and yes, still hopping mad.

What a hoppin' busy weekend we had

2007-10-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Took in the terrific panel talking about the future (or lack thereof) of newspapers at the Santa Barbara Writers & Authors festival.

Got the bejeebers scared out of me at Naomi Klein's talk on her book, "The Shock Doctrine." (as did Trekking Left over at The Average Man)

Picked up a bag full'o books at the annual Planned Parenthood Booksale at Earl Warren Showgrounds.

And, of course, enjoyed the terrific sun drenched scenery at one of our many local community parks.

and, you? How did you enjoy your Sunday?

Frog Bloggin' Friday!

2007-09-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is an African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) No, he isn't having a "bad frog day!" He's huge and warty, a good 6" across the middle, and had settled himself into a nice mud puddle. A fully grown one can be the size of a football! - the Frog Store

Rotten Rudy showed up in Santa Barbara

2007-09-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

and held court for a handful of people at Joe's Cafe. This is the guy that Republicans are hoping for? Running on the perception of being a "leader"....well, THAT'S an Urban Legend. Ask the Firefighters.

This video documents the mayor's lack of respect for the fallen when he called off the recovery effort at Ground Zero on Nov. 1, 2001, after $200 million in gold bullion was recovered.

"We produced this documentary because we need to make sure our members know Giuliani's real record," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.

"The UFA participated in this video to correct the myth that Rudy Giuliani has perpetrated on the American public," said Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, IAFF Local 94.

and surprise, surprise...look who's involved in trying to steal the California Elections...one of Rotten Rudy's buddies.....

A close friend and major fundraiser of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has identified himself as the mystery financer of the proposed California initiative to apportion the state's 55 electoral votes by congressional district instead of winner-take-all. - LATimes

A Hoppin' Good Petition

2007-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

We've seen a lot of Blue Whale action out in our channel of late. Unfortunately, we've also had Blue Whale bodies float ashore, apparently due to being hit by boats. Lots of Blue Whales + Lots of Boat traffic = Lots of heartbreak (and hard work for the Natural History Museum crews.)

The Center for Biological Diversity has issued a petition to the Federal Government to set speed limits for traffic out in the Santa Barbara Channel to help protect these amazing and endangered creatures.

“Whether the blue whales are being disoriented by military sonar, toxic algae or something else entirely, what is actually killing them is speeding ships,” said Brendan Cummings, oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “The single most effective thing we can do to protect blue whales is to slow down large ships.”

Ship strikes are one of the leading causes of death of large whales worldwide. Research on the U.S.’s east coast has identified ship speed limits as the most effective method to reduce whale mortality.

The Center’s petition asks the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. agency in charge of enforcing the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to set a speed limit of 10 nautical miles per hour in the Santa Barbara Channel for all vessels 65 feet or larger until the whales have left the channel. The Fisheries Service has proposed similar speed limits on the east coast to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Most large vessels plying the Santa Barbara Channel are heading to or from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Several thousand container ships transit the channel each year and are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Because vessel fuel consumption increases dramatically with speed, speed restrictions on large vessels will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. - Center for Biological Diversity

Love the petition. Love the Center's little "green" logo, too. We'll gladly "hop" on board this idea with a little email or call to the Honorable Lois Capps' office.

Could Solar Panels Be Coming

2007-09-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

to Santa Barbara Costco?

Costco is expanding its solar power initiative at a number of their Southern California facilities with a combined rated output of 2.4 megawatts.

PermaCity is now installing the systems, manufactured by Schott Solar, at Costco’s La Habra, Westlake Village, Simi Valley and Culver City warehouses. At approximately 600 kW (DC) per location, the PV systems will be part of one of the largest privately owned, multi-site commercial PV systems in the U.S., according to PermaCity, and it continues to grow.

..Earlier this month, it was reported that REC Solar was installing 2.5 megawatts of photovoltaics on four of Costco’s warehouse locations - two in Hawaii, including the Big Island and Kauai, and two in California, including San Luis Obispo and possibly Santa Barbara. - Environmental Leader

We get comments

2007-09-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Internet(s). Blogs. It's amazing. These wonderful ways that have opened up for communicating, furthering discussion and sharing ideas and people post things like this.

Typical empty headed paranoid liberal reptile doesn't have an original idea in it's head and can't stand it when someone else does? Uh...good luck with the blog reinvention, maybe someone will read it now? Your envy is only too obvious. snicker.

One would hope people would not be so emotionally stunted; acting and thinking like 13 year olds, in real life and cyberspace. But, with such a person residing in the White House, I guess it serves as some sort of role model for bullying and immature behaviour.

Thanks for stopping by. I guess.

Afraid of a little "Light Blue Line"

2007-09-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

If you've been following the stories of those conservative turtles, tucking their heads into their shells when the facts and reality are presented to them, you know that there are some folks in town who are terrified of a little blue line.

The Light Blue Line is not a "pet project" of our City's Government, it is a project to remind us all in this community that we live in changing times; a reminder that we must learn to change our ways of living as our ways of living will be changing for us, whether we want to or not.

Sea level rise is "the thing that I'm most concerned about as a scientist," says Benjamin Santer, a climate physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

"We're going to get a meter and there's nothing we can do about it," said University of Victoria climatologist Andrew Weaver, a lead author of the February report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Paris. "It's going to happen no matter what _ the question is when."

Sea level rise "has consequences about where people live and what they care about," said Donald Boesch, a University of Maryland scientist who has studied the issue. "We're going to be into this big national debate about what we protect and at what cost." - Newsday.com

So...what DO we protect here in Santa Barbara when the tide rises? Do the taxpayers bailout those developers out who build huge unaffordable timeshares in a zone that will be affected by the rise of the sea levels? Do insurance companies bailout those whose homes and business are affected by the rise? And how much is this really going to cost our local economy and those of us who live here. What is the cost of doing "nothing" and just hiding our heads in our shells.

We ALL will be affected and thusly we should ALL have discourse about it. That is what The Light Blue Line was all about. To start dialogue. To seek solutions. To deal with reality. However, there are those out there who run scared of public discourse; are terrified of the reality of changes in the world. There are some who are now crying "victim" by wanting a financial bailout for their "pet project" of destroying an informational project for the community.

A 1,000 foot long blue line painted on Santa Barbara streets apparently is just too terrifying for some folks. I can see these "Turtle-istas" trying to ban people from knowing where earthquake faults run through our city, too.

OK...OK...

2007-09-22T11:36:00.001-07:00

The Conservative Turtle has gotten my goat. Make room in the pond for more opinions.