SquareState.net

Open Thread

September 21, 2009 by johne

Immigration Reform in Aurora, CO

September 19, 2009 by johne

This morning there was a forum for immigration reform and the Queen of Peace Church in Aurora.  The common theme was different angles on how the current system for immigration is broken and that we need comprehensive immigration reform now.

Father Lally opened with comments about how our current laws are outdated and do not match the reality of people's lives and that our failure to act actually undermines the security of our borders.  He noted that the Conference of Bishops have called for reform that includes:

   * a path to citizenship
   * protection for all workers in the US
   * a family-based immigration system and reduction in backlogs
   * restoring some due process rights, and

Miklosi draws a challenger

September 19, 2009 by johne

The Republicans have found a candidate to run against freshman Democrat Rep. Joe Miklosi in House District 9.

When Robert Lane ran for State Senate against Joyce Foster, he pulled nearly a third of the vote. Coming from a career in financial services, he ran on a platform that included gems like:

Health care is a private service that should be shopped for and purchased by consumers just like any other product or service.
"We are not the Soviet Union!"

And bragged that he...

Has creative ideas to increase our energy production including an innovative idea for oil shale processing. Will support all "common sense" reductions in taxes and regulations on oil and gas producers...

Go get him, Joe.

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 5.31

September 19, 2009 by johne

In Orange

Good morning, and we will now return to our regularly scheduled programming.  Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging.

Denver is completing the turn into fall weather: our highs have settled into the 70s and low 80s, and lows are regularly dropping into the 40s.

It's an extremely pleasant time of year - nights cool enough for comfortable sleeping, but not so cool as to require turning on the furnace.  Days warm enough to shed jackets by late morning, with radiant heat and a cool brush of autumn simultaneously on one's skin.

I would really love fall - if it didn't lead into winter.  This week we're forecast to have the first nip of what's to come, as overnight lows start hitting the 30s - not freezing, not yet, but it can come any time.  I hope it holds off, as a few of the dahlias have yet to pop open their buds.

State of the Arctic 9/18/09

September 18, 2009 by johne

This post comes about a week earlier than my end-of-the-month version because it looks like the minimum areal extent of arctic sea ice has likely been reached for 2009.  Allowing for the possibility for the final, official number to come out later this year, the minimum extent should come in near 5.10 million sq. km. (1.97 million sq.mi.).  This places 2009's extent as the third-lowest on record, behind the record low extent in 2007 and last year's 2nd place finish.  The difference between 2008 and 2009 is about 580,000 sq. km. (220,000 sq. mi.) and this year's minimum is 970,000 sq. km. (370,000 sq. mi.) above the record low set in 2007.

In contrast to longer-term conditions, the 2009 minimum is 1.61 million sq. km. (620,000 sq. mi.) below the 1979 to 2000 average minimum and 1.28 million sq. km. (490,000 sq. mi.) below the thirty-year 1979 to 2008 average minimum.  Another way of describing this year's minimum is it also fell well below the 2nd standard deviation below the median, just as it did in 2007 and 2008.  Does this mean the danger to the arctic ice sheet is over?  After all, 2007 saw the minimum and the extent has only increased since then.  The answer is no.