Today is 4.4
Baby, it's cold outside ... Light mix of snow and rain and wind in a springtime slam ... makes you wonder how much wilder things will get in the time remaining. (Visual of the Wizard of Oz ... Are we going home or waking from this dream reality?) Not to fear ... it's almost over.
Speaking of dreams and trying to wish something into manifestation ... The prospects for Judge Merrick Garland receiving a confirmation hearing took a hit as two Republican senators reversed their positions and now back a plan not to hold hearings. Still the White House is optimistic that its strategy of ignoring Republican opposition to President Obama's nominee will work. Dream on ...
You have to wonder ... just how much of Trump's self-destructive behavior last week was staged? Primaries resume tomorrow in Wisconsin where Cruz and Sanders are positioned to win. This is the first of several important contests this month. Wait until they get to New York on the 19th!!! Looks like an open convention for the Republicans this summer. Still no candidate in either party worthy of my vote.
Last week, I mentioned the poor conditions of the bridges and roads in New York City. I don't think there's anywhere in the country where the ongoing need of road repair is met with finances to support renovations. And yet there are so many people are out of work who could do the job if only the funding were available. As in past years and situations - we all understand the problems - have potential solutions - and yet little gets done. Corruption - putting money in the wrong hands of politicians and others - has really destroyed the infrastructure of this country. Sunday, two workers were killed when an Amtrak train struck a backhoe on the tracks near Philadelphia. Washington's Metro, once a shining example of mass transit for the country, is 40 years old, short on funds and a terrible mess. The system's problems add to concerns of America's aging rail infrastructure.
Brazil. A disgraced Brazilian senator's accounts of colossal bribes, back-room oil deals and cover-ups offer a rare glimpse into the country's wide-ranging corruption scandal. The next story could also have to do with the spread of Zika virus in South America.
Tickets to the 2016 Olympics aren't selling, and Brazil is scrambling to boost demand
Country Music Awards. It was great to see Blake Shelton perform though he didn't co-host the show this year. Guess he was too busy. I only watched half the show but plan to watch the rest later after I read today's clients. I also recorded the iHeart Radio Awards to watch later as well. ACM Awards 2016: Chris Stapleton, New Music Dominate Rolling Stone - April 4, 2016
Lucid Dreaming
APOD - April 4, 2016Is this the real world? Or is it just fantasy? The truth started with a dream -- a dream that the spectacular Seljarlandsfoss waterfall in southern Iceland could be photographed with a backdrop of an aurora-filled sky. Soon after a promising space weather report, the visionary astrophotographer and his partner sprang into action. After arriving, capturing an image of the background sky, complete with a cool green aurora, turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was capturing the waterfall itself, for one reason because mist kept fogging the lens! Easy come, easy go -- it took about 100 times where someone had to go back to the camera -- on a cold night and over slippery rocks -- to see how the last exposure turned out, wipe the lens, and reset the camera for the next try. Later, the best images of land and sky were digitally combined. Visible in the sky, even well behind the aurora, are numerous stars of the northern sky. The resulting title -- given by the astrophotographer -- was influenced by a dream-like quality of the resulting image, possibly combined with the knowledge that some things really mattered in this effort to make a dream come true.
