My 2 Cents - catpaw's Blog - Bakersfield.com

My 2 Cents - catpaw's Blog - Bakersfield.com http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw en-us WHAT'S T. BOONE UP TO? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/29857 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/29857 I saw a paid ad on the local tube featuring T. Boone reciting some sobering and scary figures related to our dependence of foreign oil. But--praise the Lord--T. Boone has a plan that will save us. I keyed pickensplan on my search and went to the web site that explains it all in detail. 80 year old T. Boone is building a huge wind energy farm. It represents an investment of billions and will make a projected profit of 10 to 15%. Good for him; I hope he has gone one better and figured out a way to take it with him.  My question is why does T. Boone need popular support for a business venture? Why can't he simply wind-generate the juice and sell it? Is T. Boone preaching hype for Mesa Energy or practical solutions for the energy crisis? He did warn that we are not "going to drill our way out" of this crisis. That, I'm afraid, is not hype.    catpaw's 4th blog http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/27605 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/27605 Yesterday I saw a flock of 1/2 dozen or so green parrots fly over my patio. I've seen a flock of green parrots fly by last year. Now, I do recall a flock of buzzards a few years ago nesting in a particular tree; on Oleander, I think. Well, this is Bakersfield, so, buzzards seem appropriate enough. (What the heck is a swallow, anyway?) But parrots? Am I the only one? Has anybody else sighted a flock of parrots flying around on the east side of town?  Oh, and another question that's been bothering me: Are the parrots an omen from God; or do the parrots simply mean we're better than people in Fresno?   CATPAW'S 3RD BLOG http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/23886 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/23886 Speaking by videoconference with U.S. military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan about the challenges posed by war, corruption, and the poppy trade, the president unleashed this comment:  <blockquote></blockquote>"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you … in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks."                  I know a lot of you are faster than I am and have probably all ready read this Presidential wisdom. I just ran across it and I am....well, I don't know how to react. For a President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense who have never been in combat, that is a mouthful. I don't think they have any children who are "romantically" involved with Afghanistan or Iraq. Yeah, George, real exciting and romantic.                  Catpaw's 2nd Blog http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/22677 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/22677 Came home yesterday from Fresno to render aid to my sister in Fresno. She has her leg in a brace and wrist in a cast from a skiing accident. She can't drive so I was mainly a taxi driver and beast of burden while she hobbled around like an old war veteran or something. I also got drafted into being cook, dishwasher, house maid, dog sitter...not about to let a good deal unused to the full extent, she also decided to rearrange the furniture. "What the hell," she told a friend on the phone, "he's my brother. I can abuse him." We did find a dust covered cardboard box in her garage. It kept some of our late father's personal effects. I got to inherite a Timex watch at least 40 years old. No date, no chimes, just a watch dial with hands. The winding stem needs fixing, so I'll shop around for someone who still does watch repair. My teen daughter looked at the watch. Why get it fixed when the problem is obvious? It needs a new battery. Told her I'd have never thought of that, I'll get the battery replaced tomorrow. She was so proud of herself for helping her senile dad, I didn't have the heart to pop her bubble. Catpaw's First Blog http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/22423 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/catpaw/22423 My sister went to Idaho and re-enacted "the agony of defeat" on skis. Her leg isn't broken but in a brace; her wrist is in a cast. Don't ask me why an old lady is skiing a challenging slope; she's my sister and a cross I must bear. The other is my teen daughter. If this is my karma, then I must have had a real good time in a former life. Anyway, I have been summoned to render aid--mostly driving--in Fresno while her husband is out of town at a construction site. I'll be taking a train (Amtrak, not a boxcar) to Fresno for a few days, possibly a week.  The reason I'm making this known is to disspell rumors in advance that I am on a drinking spree or died of boredom or ran off with a stripper. Life quit being that interesting when I got married and I had to behave myself.  Please do not solve the questions and problems of cold fusion, the oil crisis, the economy, life in another galaxy, or an easy winning system at the Vegas gaming tables until I get back. I don't want to miss anything important.