More proof that liberals are liberals first, above all else

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In taking a firm stand not to put Sarah Palin on her show, Oprah just threw the “two” in “the ol’ one-two” punch to her credibility:

Punch One: Oprah declined to have Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on her show. Not the first black Supreme Court Justice in our nation’s history, but a qualified man who rose from impoverished roots. He’s a conservative. A Republican appointee. Oprah decided she was a liberal before a black person.

Punch Two: Oprah declined to have VP candidate Sarah Palin on her show. Not the first female VP candidate, mind you, but by far the most popular…a regular superstar, if you will. She’s a conservative. A Republican candidate. Oprah decided she was a liberal before a woman.

For a bunch that needs to “group-ify” everybody into factions in order to appropriately pander to, and make victims of, everyone they see…Oprah has just shown that her allegiance belongs to neither of the two most prominent demographics to which she belongs: black Americans and women.


Oh, there IS one group that which Oprah belongs to which she’s not afraid to put on her show: liberal millionaires. The list of them appearing on her show is quite long, and includes such prominent members as Barack Obama. So much for “the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates” eh?

Wispy clouds

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These were some of the last clouds of August, taken mid-afternoon. It’s not often that I shoot clouds without something else in the frame, but these were just too cool. I also threw on a couple of filters to get better color, contrast, and some lens flares.

North Dakota skies are fantastic, no two ways about it. Whether they’re clear or cloudy, we’ve got it good.

Tractor row

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I see these tractors every time I head toward Lincoln on south 66th Street. They’re parked in such a way that a photo of them is a little tricky; there’s other stuff in the background, there are trees interfering with the light, and their arrangement is set. Nevertheless, I stop on occasion to try a new idea when I’m on the way to visit friends living in Lincoln. Sometimes, like this example, I play with the light in Photoshop. A challenge is usually a good thing, especially in photography!

So far, so good, for our little doves

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Remember those doves that I posted about a few days ago? Well, they appear to be doing better! The mom huddled atop her babies for a few days, and they are doing well. They’ve been hiding around the yard and eating from a plate of wild bird seed that we have left out for them. First we saw only the mom, then the mom and one of the little ones. I don’t know for sure what happened to the third. Now they’re all gone, presumably having moved on to someplace better. We did our part to help nurse the poor little birds along after they were blown out of their nest…now the rest is up to the normal course of nature.

Sixty years ago, North Dakota nearly bordered FOUR states

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Not much can be easily found with merely a cursory Google search, but there are those souls on the Internet that love chasing down such details. I was tipped off to this by a blog I frequent, Strange Maps.

Apparently a few disgruntled folks were looking to make a state of their own back in the 1930s, borrowing bits from Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. “Absaroka” would have been the 49th state, cutting in line ahead of Hawaii and Alaska, a.k.a. “Seward’s Folly”.

The name Absaroka is tied to the Crow Nation, according to this article from the New York Times. (Of course, we know how reliable THEY are…I’d rather trust a blogger!)

Apparently these folks were quite serious, even to the point of printing up state license plates (as pictured above), and even a Ms. Absaroka contest (as pictured below).

I wonder what Montana, Wyoming, and “the other Dakota” would have thought about losing a big chunk of their territory to this new state? I can hardly imagine they’d be thrilled. And of what serious offense would the instigators of this movement be guilty? Not secession, at least on a national level. In any case, it must have fizzled out. The last time I headed south of Belfield, the signs said South Dakota.

When doves cry

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Yeah, I know. Perhaps the worst, corniest music reference title I’ve come up with yet. Hopefully these little dove chicks don’t have to cry, though…despite a rocky start to their weekend. Saturday morning I discovered these two huddling in the grass, shivering and scared. I’m pretty sure they got knocked out of a tree on Friday, with all the wind that came through.

I grabbed a space heater and extension cord and got them warmed up pretty well. They seemed to really like the warmth, and quit shivering as well. I’m sure the sprinklers didn’t help that morning, either! Once we got them warmed up, we tried to figure out what to do with them. That’s when we looked up.

Their mom had arrived and was watching us nervously from above, sitting absolutely motionless. With the little birds’ temperature stabilized, we quickly packed up the heater and retreated.

A short while later, I ventured out into the yard and found mama bird cuddling her babies, still in the little divot in our yard. I picked up some wild bird food and placed a paper plate of it nearby, so she can grab some chow, and hoped for the best.

We’ve checked on them off and on throughout the weekend, and the mother bird seems intent on sticking by her little babies. They’re not that little, actually, which gives me hope that they’ll actually pull through. With the help of their attentive mama, they at least stand a chance. The countenance of these little birds has sure changed from when we found them huddling and scared in the grass.

They’re content to stay in that little divot, but now they’ve got their mom and the warmth and food she provides. She does venture away on occasion, but so far has returned every time. I looked after dark tonight to find her settled in atop her babies, wings spread to provide good cover. Hopefully this story will have a happy end, with the baby birds able to take off with their mommy soon. Maybe Prince would like to adopt them!

Hazy shade of summer

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I don’t think the Bangles will mind me mangling the title of one of their biggest hits to suit my purpose. I could also say, “If you can’t beat ’em – join ’em” in reference to the ubiquitous power lines.

North Dakota, especially the “energy corridor” in which our fair cities reside, provides electricity for a very large area. Although lignite coal isn’t necessarily the “best” coal, the people in charge of converting it to electricity continue to strive to extract the most out of it in as clean a fashion as possible. Since we need wires to get all that electricity somewhere, there are power lines wherever a hopeful photographer may point his camera. And there still aren’t enough, by the way.

That’s why somewhere along the line I fell in love with power line towers. Perhaps it’s because I know what they mean to our state. Maybe it’s the way they stand fast across the rugged prairie, or what they deliver to thousands, if not millions, of hopeful customers. In any case, I’ve got LOTS of power line tower photos.

This particular morning, from about a week or so ago, was quite hazy due to the humidity. That same haze was giving me a rough time in my quest to spot Perseid meteors, so I was happy to be able to at least use it to my advantage. I was getting ready for an all-day video shoot, so I ran to work early. Along the way I spotted these towers, and dashed out for a quick click of the shutter.

The electrons whizzing over my head probably heated up some Minnesotan’s breakfast that morning, or kept some little kid’s life support machine running in a hospital. Maybe it powered someone’s computer so they could read my blog!

Obviously not a state job

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As a current city employee and a former state DOT employee, I’m entitled to make jokes about government work. That’s why I feel free–no, compelled to say that the ratio of supervisors to workers here is completely opposite of a government scenario. Jokingly, of course!

It doesn’t look like supervising this operation is a really keen job, either; it involves staring at four little duck butts! They are pretty cute, though. My little boy PJ was excited to see the ducks. We watched them eat for a little while, then moved on.

End of the line

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Just in case you were wondering where your dial tone went! This pole, and the end of the wire which wraps around it, sit aside a gravel road north of Bismarck. Maybe they’ve gone wireless up that way!

Actually, according to this press release from the ND Public Service Commission (PDF format) there are more wireless phones than land lines in North Dakota, and have been for a couple of years now. We ditched the land line (and all the ridiculous surcharges) in our house long ago, and so have many of our friends. Apparently many North Dakotans are doing the same. Especially the folks at the other end of the wire pictured above, I presume!