We found a few flower pots in the driveway of a foreclosed and abandoned house, lots of other stuff too, but this is about the plants.

One was this big potted ~18″ long thin rubbery leaved thing, and it spent the summer on the deck, but the deer ate it down to the dirt.  OK, fine, watered it a lot and put it on the table where the deer don’t go, and voila, it grew back to about 9″ but then winter came.  Got it inside, but a little late, and then forgot it on the dining room floor, and Kady Kate ate the leaves.  Then Kate ate the dirt.

KADY!  NO!

So we brought in the iron baker’s rack, stuck it in the dining room window and put all the pots over there surrounded by cat beds so the cat could enjoy the view and the plants were protected from the dog!  It worked, and a couple of weeks later, look what’s there to greet me when I got home from the transmission road show — a Valentine’s Day Flower?  Beats the hell out of a Christmas Cactus, but what is it?

Talk about being behind the curve…  a news blackout.  I’ll post this on all my sites and watch, NSA’s going to push my stats up!

Very strange timing here — an incident where “multiple transformers,” 17 transformers, or 5 transformers, 5 out of 7 transformer banks, depending what you read/hear, were taken out occurred on April 16, 2013, and it’s just now being reported.  Try googling “news blackout California substation electrical terrorism” and see what comes up. Maybe it’s that former FERC chair Wellinghoff is out there talking about it?  There was also a congressional hearing in December that got some coverage…

At the time, the incident wasn’t publicized, but since he stepped down as FERC chairman in November, Wellinghoff is raising public attention to the California sniper’s attack to demonstrate the vulnerability of the nation’s electricity system.

Wellinghoff started talking about it publicly in November, 2013 it seems.

Do some googling and see for yourself the news blackout.  Also,several articles are noting it occurred a day after the Boston Marathon bombing, but not one yet is noting that it occurred the day after taxes are due.  How many anti-tax wing-nuts are out there?

They publicized similar sabotage in Arkansas and arrested the perp (interesting, he unbolted a tower, connected a cable, and used a moving train to tip over the pole!):

Arkansas man charged in connection with power grid sabotage

Back to California — here’s what the substation and surrounding area looks like, and the actions taken, from the Wall Street Journal article:

In today’s STrib:

Who knocked out 17 giant transformers in Calif. — and why?

In the Wall Street Journal (I don’t have access… do you?):

Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm for Potential Terrorism

From PG&E at the time:

April 16, 2013

Grid Operator Calls for Conservation after Substation Incident

April 17, 2013

PG&E Crews Continue Repair Work at Damaged Substation

Now going back to April, 2013:

Vandalism at San Jose PG&E Substation called ‘Sabotage’

AT&T Offers $250,000 Reward for Fiber Vandalism

CAISO’s Alert:

Flex-Alert-Urgent Conservation Needed Now – Santa Clara Silicon Valley  April 16, 2013

Here’s one from December, 2013, that is the most detailed and credible I’ve found:

‘Military-Style’ raid on California Power Station Spooks U.S.

In this one there’s a statement that’s a recurring theme that I think is off base, the theme being that it’s a rehearsal for a “real” attack, and in other articles calling it a “dry run,” when I’d call taking out 17 transformers a “real” attack:

“These were not amateurs taking potshots,” Mark Johnson, a former vice president for transmission operations at PG&E, said last month at a conference on grid security held in Philadelphia. “My personal view is that this was a dress rehearsal” for future attacks.

Another good detailed article in the NY Times:

Months Later, Sniper Attack at Power Hub Still a Mystery

And a video:

San Jose: Sheriff’s Office release video of attach on PG&E substation

On NPR:

Sniper Attack on Calif. Power Station Raises Terrorism Fears

In Bloomberg:

Rifle-Toting Terrorists Pose Great Threat to Power Grid

Now let’s see some other coverage that I’ll nominate for “wing-nut” status:

False Flag: New Details Emerge on Santa Clara County ‘Military-Style” Power Grid Attack

Latest ‘Domestic Terror’ Sniper Attack is Likely a Government False Flag

In which they say:

Those who still believe that this was the work of a home-grown terror cell, read between their own lines: according to the U.S. Navy investigation ordered at the request of  FERC chairman Wellinghoff, “it was a targeting package just like they would put together for an attack”.

‘Just like they would put together for a real attack’, he says?

Exactly, because this wasn’t a real terror attack.  ???  Again the mantra of a “dress rehearsal” or a “dry run.”  Isn’t taking out the fiber-optic and 911 service and then multiple substation transformers “real” enough?

Chilling: Why an Underreported, ‘Significant Incident of Domestic Terrorism’ Might Not Be A Failed Attack At All

In today’s STrib, the full article:

Up in International Falls, getting around is a little different than in Red Wing.  Snowmobiles outside the restaurant, beyond the dots of the snowmobiles is a town of ice houses way, way off in the distance, maybe Canada… and then this goes by:

Yesterday, it was was 30+ degrees warmer up here on the border than it was in Red Wing… weird, really weird, and it was even colder than that in La Crosse yesterday morning.  “Climate change” is a bit of an undertstatement!

I’m up here for a few days for public meetings on Scoping for environmental review for the Great Northern Transmission Line.  For the latest on that, see www.not-so-great-northern-transmission-line.org!

Of course, noticed the shelter up here, but no time to stop:

39 German Shepherds, ranging from puppies to 7 years old were found in two houses, owned and rented by Dawn Verdeshi & Christopher Cella.  They’ve been removed and taken in by the Columbia-Green Humane Society in Hudson, New York, and will be up for adoption soon.

The yahoos who were busted have dogs currently advertised on pedigreedatabase.com, posted by Christopher Cella on that website:

German Shepherd Puppies for Sale: Big Boned Bears

German Shepherd Dog for Sale: 7 mo. old Female

Pedigreedatabase.com, remove those postings and ban them NOW!

From the Columbia-Greene Humane Society:

Thirty-nine German Shepherd Dogs removed from a Durham home

On February 9, the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office removed thirty-nine German Shepherd Dogs from two homes in Durham, NY. One home was rented by Dawn Verdeschi (age 44), and the other home was owned by Verdeschi. The dogs, which ages ranged from two weeks old to seven years old, were living in their own waste in small crates. The home was described by CGHS/SPCA officials as one of the most deplorable living conditions ever witnessed by investigators. All dogs were found to be dehydrated and thin. Ms. Verdeschi was charged with one count of animal cruelty, with an investigation into the situation continuing.

All 39 dogs were surrendered to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, and are available for adoption. For people interested in adopting one of these dogs, please visit the shelter’s website at www.cghs.org and fill out a pre-approval application, or call the shelter at 518-828-6044.

 
NEWS10 ABC: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports

NEWS10 ABC: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports

From Southeastern Regional Show and Breed Survey, March 15-16, 2008, Statesville, NC:

From DEUTSCHER SCHÄFERHUNDE CLUB SAN DIEGO, March 2-3, 2013:

And this disturbing one — is it the same pup as the 7 mo. old female for sale above? Photo by John Woike, Hartford Courant:

Ava, a 13 week old puppy was going to be picked up by her new owner, Dawn Verdeschi of New York, Sunday after the North American WUSV Sieger Show where more than 200 World Class German Shepherds from all over the U.S. and many foreign countries competed in a European-Style Ring Show at Beardsley Park in Bridgeport. — John Woike / Hartford Courant, Oct. 6, 2013

Minnesotans — CLICK HERE TO Find out where to attend your precinct caucus.

It’s caucus day today, and right now what’s humming around in my brain is the need for beefed up regulation of train traffic.  There’s the exploding Bakken oil tankers, due to the increased volativity of the crude and need for degasification, and there’s the delay of Amtrak trains through North Dakota, putting people on BUSSES, because of the increased traffic.  These are examples of how the rail system is NOT working.

Here are a few resolutions I’m putting in:

I’ve got a list of resolutions, growing by the minute:

• Ban use of polyacrylamide for mining processing in Minnesota (used in silica sand mining, also proposed for use at PolyMet).

• In the interest of public safety, Bakken crude oil must be properly tested, characterized, classified, and where appropriate sufficiently degasified prior to loading onto rail or truck tanker cars, or into pipelines, to identify potential hazards and degasified to lessen volativity prior to transport.

• Amtrak trains must be given priority over freight traffic, particularly through North Dakota, where currently trains are significantly delayed (hours), or passengers are put on busses to go around the oil train traffic.

• AMEND – delete garbage from definition of “renewable” energy sources:

216B.1691 RENEWABLE ENERGY OBJECTIVES.
Subdivision 1.Definitions.

(a) Unless otherwise specified in law, “eligible energy technology” means an energy technology that generates electricity from the following renewable energy sources:
(1) solar;
(2) wind;
(3) hydroelectric with a capacity of less than 100 megawatts;
(4) hydrogen, provided that after January 1, 2010, the hydrogen must be generated from the resources listed in this paragraph; or

(5) biomass, which includes, without limitation, landfill gas; an anaerobic digester system; the predominantly organic components of wastewater effluent, sludge, or related by-products from publicly owned treatment works, but not including incineration of wastewater sludge to produce electricity; and an energy recovery facility used to capture the heat value of mixed municipal solid waste or refuse-derived fuel from mixed municipal solid waste as a primary fuel.

• Repeal 216B.1694 INNOVATIVE ENERGY PROJECT.

The Excelsior Energy Mesaba Project was rejected by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and the statute should be repealed.

• Develop publicly available state registry of animal abusers, including those convicted of abuse, neglect and hoarding, identifying names, current address and address at time of conviction of those convicted, dates and charges, resolution, and contact information for probation officer.