Michigan's governor, Rick Snyder, and the E.P.A. administrator, Gina McCarthy, will go before a congressional committee today to discuss how residents of Flint, Mich., ended up with dangerously high levels of lead in their water. Mr. Snyder is expected to say that blame is to be shared by local, state, and federal authorities, while Ms. McCarthy will most likely blame the state. Separately, states will be allowed to label food with genetically modified ingredients. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating cases of elevated blood lead levels in public housing. In Newark, school officials have acknowledged that water in the city's schools contained elevated levels of lead for years. Testing for young children will begin shortly. What will be found if they keep testing lead levels in water in other states across the country? Here in the city most people I know drink bottled water.
No sooner did I post about President Obama nominating veteran appeals court judge Merrick Garland to be the next US Supreme Court Justice - when a battle ensued. The Republican majority has vowed to block a vote on any Supreme Court nominee from Obama and to leave the nomination to his successor, who will be elected in November. Is there anyone who didn't know this was going to go down this way? At least Obama can say he tried while he was in office. This is why systems in the United States are failing and need to be completely re-written - redone - rebooted ... It's the only reason we turn to candidates like Donald Trump in hopes he can at least make a start at turning things around and creating something new in the time remaining.
Garland, a centrist appeals court judge who is widely respected by Democrats and Republicans, took carefully considered steps to position himself for the job he wanted: a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. He is expected to begin making the rounds today at the Capitol, and some Senate Republicans facing tough re-election fights say they will meet with him. Advocacy groups across the political spectrum are already using the nomination as a fund-raising tool. The Supreme Court showdown could help determine the winner of November's election as well as control of the Senate. But for now - with a contested national convention a possibility - Republicans are turning their attention to the byzantine contests used to select individual delegates.
St. Patrick's Day
CrystalinksClouds are giving way to sunshine just in time for the St. Patrick's Day parade. Are you wearing green today? Green is not a color I generally wear but I thought I would dress for the occasion and pulled out a green shirt from the back of my closet in keeping with today's theme. Enjoy your day if you're celebrating. I'm not going to rehash the symbolism of the color green because we've been down that road many times from Chakras, Gemstones, Nature, and Emotions to the Wizard of Oz and the Emerald City. For today don't let jealousy get in your way. Be cool. Visualization: Close your eyes. Surround yourself in the frequency (color) green and see what happens.
mostly near the Arctic Circle and increased by solar flare activity.
