The hospital has begun a bus service from Cedar Rapids and a plane service from the Quad Cities to bring in essential employees. Vice President for Medical Affairs Jean Robillard said six employees used the plane service Saturday.

I lived in Iowa City during the '93 flood and it was a wreck. The numbers coming down are 93+5 feet. They're talking 3/4 of a billion in damage in Cedar Rapids with numbers yet to come in Iowa City. This is still getting worse.

Three more UI buildings start to flood | press-citizen.com | Iowa City Press Citizen

In a speech to the European Business Congress in Deauville, France, Mr Miller offered little prospect of relief. He warned that the world was experiencing a fundamental shift in energy prices that will end at a "radically new level. We expect that the oil price will approach $250 per barrel in the foreseeable future".

Welcome to the new world. It is time to fundamentally change what we're doing and how we do it.

An ominous warning that the rapid rise in oil prices has only just begun - Home News, UK - The Independent

Crude oil has seen a huge rebound this week after falling amid a drop in demand for gasoline. The jump continued Friday; light, sweet crude set a high of $139.12 in after-hours trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange after settling at $138.54, a gain of $10.75 in the regular session. The surge followed a Morgan Stanley analyst's prediction that crude would reach $150 a barrel by July 4; a decline in the dollar and fresh tensions in the Middle East added to crude's advance.

Think it'll really take that long? Pool time! My prediction for breaking $150 is... June 23rd. Enter now!

Stocks fall sharply on surge in oil, jobs data - Yahoo! News

The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.

It does if you're a fundamentalist that thinks the earth was created 6000 years ago.

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

"All I hear about is gas prices. Gas and diesel, everywhere," she said. "Some people say we don't need to get a gas tax holiday at all, it's a gimmick ... I want the Congress to stand up and vote. Are they for the oil companies, or are they for you?"

That's Hillary's quote. Now, here's a simple question, what the hell does being for or against the oil companies have to do with the gas tax? It seems to me, adding the hiatus in there is FOR the oil companies because the price goes down 10 cents, but it's going in the oil company pockets because the tax is higher.

And oh yeah, the money that is spent on the gas tax? That goes to things like bridges that aren't supposed to fall down, and roads that are supposed to be open, and potholes that are supposed to be filled. You'd be better off sending everyone a $20 bill. Oh wait, you did that with the "stimulus package."

I'm not sure which is worse, the chattering class or the pandering class.

Obama says Clinton, McCain wrong on gas taxes - Yahoo! News

In Al Gore's brand-new slideshow (premiering exclusively on TED.com), he presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting, and challenges us to act with a sense of "generational mission"

Pretty good, his take on the arctic ice cap is powerful.

TED | Talks | Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis (video)

With the threat of a civil war looming in the south, Nouri al-Maliki’s police chief in Basra narrowly escaped assassination in the crucial port city, while in Baghdad, the spokesman for the Iraqi side of the US military surge was kidnapped by gunmen and his house burnt to the ground.

See? The surge is working! Violence is down, so we have to keep our guys there. Wait, violence is up so we have to keep our... Enough already!

Here, this is your BEST CASE SCENARIO. We pull every out right now, let the Sunnis Shi'ites, and Kurds kick the crap out of each other for the next 6 months to a year, try to keep the Turks from invading what will soon be greater Kurdistan, try to keep the Iranians from invading to annex the eastern half of Iraq (that's the part with the oil in it) and get the hell out of the way.

Don't like that one? Here, this is your worst case.

Areas of Baghdad fall to militias as Iraqi Army falters in Basra - Times Online

Last December, when the National Intelligence Estimate downgraded the immediate nuclear threat from Iran, it seemed as if Fallon's caution was justified. But still, well-placed observers now say that it will come as no surprise if Fallon is relieved of his command before his time is up next spring, maybe as early as this summer, in favor of a commander the White House considers to be more pliable. If that were to happen, it may well mean that the president and vice-president intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don't want a commander standing in their way.

Admiral Fallon resigned this morning. Is the balloon going up?

The Man Between War and Peace

The mayor has officially proclaimed Feb. 27, 2008, as “Give our Georgia Friends a Drink Day.” The proclamation comes as a result of the Georgia Legislature passing a joint resolution that seeks to pursue reestablishing the boundary between Georgia and Tennessee.

Here's some water (and if you read the proclamation, a sharp stick in the eye).

2/26/2008 - Chattanooga Sending Truck Load Of Water To Atlanta - Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com

In Hillsborough County, Florida, police were caught, by their own surveillance cameras, dumping a quadriplegic man from his wheelchair and onto the ground.

Can you say "screwed?" And it'll be a good thing too.

Florida Police Dump Quadriplegic Man From His Wheelchair - Media on The Huffington Post