Pointed quotes, part 1

From Amber Phillips, in:

President Trump made Congress’s life impossible this week (again)

"The government needs to be funded by next week or it could shut down. Tens of thousands of young immigrants in the country illegally could lose their protections. A children's health-insurance program that millions rely on is going bankrupt. The CIA says it desperately needs Congress to reauthorize a foreign surveillance tool to fight terrorism. And disaster ravaged communities need billions of federal dollars to get back on their feet."

And let's say it all together now:  it's all the Republicans' fault.  Repeat as much as necessary.

Never before erupted

A volcano in Papua New Guinea named Kadovar erupted last week, and this was news because in recorded history, this volcano had not erupted before.  Surprise!   (The article at that link has a few more pictures, and a map.  If you keep clicking on the "-" sign, eventually it'll be possible to figure out where Kadovar is.)

And the pictures are impressive.  Here's an impressive example of impressiveness, not to mention a lot of volcanic ash.

The salinity of Apalachicola Bay

The Apalachicola River flows into Apalachicola Bay in Florida, located on the Gulf of Mexico coast somewhat near Tallahasee -- about 80 miles southwest, in fact.

Apalachicola Bay is famed for its oyster crop, and those oysters depend on the right salinity balance (set by the tidal flow of the ocean into the bay on one side and the flow of the Apalachicola River's fresh water on the other).

The problem is, Florida doesn't have first claim on the river or its water.  Georgia does, because the two tributaries that merge to form the Apalachicola at about the Florida state line are the Chattahoochee and the Flint, and they flow mostly in Georgia.   And Florida is upset because it thinks Georgia is using too much water from these rivers before they become the Apalachicola and their water gets down to the bay.

So now Florida is suing Georgia for more water to flow into the bay, to help out the oysters.  It's a landmark case. There's a whole lot of considerations, from drinking water in Atlanta to irrigation water for Georgia farms

Florida and Georgia taking water fight to Supreme Court

"Florida's legal fight hasn't been cheap. Since Gov. Rick Scott gave the green light in 2013 to take the case to the Supreme Court, the state has spent nearly $60 million on legal fees."

That's a lot of clams -- I mean, oysters. But oysters are not all this is about -- it's also about wetlands and mangroves and forests, including where tupelo honey comes from. 

Being who I am, I want the bay to get the water, and not only because I like tupelo honey.  But both the natural resources and the agricultural/aquacultural products of the bay deserve to get enough water to be healthy and productive.

Why Republicans are a pain in the ass (as of January 2018)

E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post wrote an article entitled "Trump's accidental moment of truth".  It started out talking about the ridiculous "negotiation" on immigration that was open to the press, which showed Donald Trump bouncing like a ping-pong ball between dichotomously opposed policy alternatives.  Great.

But what Dionne got into next was why the Republicans have abrogated any claim to sane, sensible legislating.   Especially the far-right nutters who have been given way too much control over what the House of Representatives does.

"The cost of extremism is obvious on other matters as well. The Children’s Health Insurance Program is a genuinely bipartisan achievement that, at low cost, gets health care to 9 million young Americans. But the renewal is hung up because House Republicans are demanding that it be paid for by cutting Obamacare spending on various preventive-care measures. Really? Since when is prevention a partisan issue?"

In case you don't believe that could possibly be true, read "Congress let CHIP’s funding expire 102 days ago, and it’s a national disgrace" from Vox. 

Supposedly there's a potential CHIP funding deal that would be attached to a short-term funding bill.  I'll believe it when I see it -- the deal, and the funding bill.

This is pretty recent:  To Shut Down or Not to Shut Down

It's going to be an interesting week.

Scenes from Port Charlotte on Highway 41

Now that we've crossed the Peace River, Highway 41 goes through Charlotte Harbor and into Port Charlotte -- and there isn't much there.   Here's a highlight, the "X" intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 776.





Since there isn't much to see, we might consider visiting the Emerald City.  Bring your dollar bills.  The building is a bank, you'd have to drive a little further to get to paradise.  Just follow the yellow brick road.

 


Getting back on the road, the Deer Creek Prairie Preserve (forested area) is just before the Myakka River crossing.  I think the Streetview camera had a smudge.





And we'll finish here with a crossing of the Myakka River, one of Florida's semi-wild rivers.  Closer to Sarasota is the Myakka River State Park. 



Down the road is Venice, and we may take a side trip to the beach.

First sonnet of the new year

when normal words cannot suffice

To call her shape 'spectacular' is like
asserting Everest is 'merely high';
or that to climb that peak is just a hike
of 'modest challenge' -- one will vainly try
to underplay her overarch, for she
could be the archetype of feminine
confection, pure as honey from the bee
and beck'ning sweetly in our eyes, akin
to serpentine temptation's curse. We must
surpass one simple word to capture how
she is; a phrase or two might do her just-
ice, even more a book would serve to show,
with pages of exceptionality,
how she befits uncommonality.

(Inspired by Nikki Cormier)

Back to Highway 41

We have to make progress up Highway 41.  I took time off from the trip for the holidays, but it's a new year, a new January, and we have to get back on the northward trek.



North of Fort Myers, by the Prairie Pines Preserve:




By Tropical Gulf Acres (I-75 is just on the other side of the trees)




Bridge into Charlotte Harbor, over the Peace River




Next stops: Port Charlotte and the Myakka River.