Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate......

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I can't believe I missed the chance last night.....

To give props to NASA for the 40th anniversary of man on the moon. Much of the future regarding manned space flight appears in flux at the moment, but I absolutely believe we'll continue to move forward into space. I truly love the fact that private companies have emerged in the quest to achieve more in space. Check out NASA's subsite for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon missions.

I missed giving props last night to go see the Huntsville Arts Council's Concert in the Park. Olde Towne Brass and the Huntsville Concert Band did a good job. And I can't fail to mention that the Greek fast food we picked up from Taziki's was great!

Not much else to say, so here's what the NRC added to their ADAMS system about my nuclear plant last week:

U1 & Sitewide

Browns Ferry, Operator Licensing Written Examination Approval 05000259/09-301, 05000260/09-301 and 05000296/09-301.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3, RAI, Request For Supplemental Information Regarding Extension Of Technical Specification Completion Time For Emergency Diesel Generators.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3; Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Watts Bar Plant, Unit 1 - Summary of Conference Calls With The Tennessee Valley Authority Regarding Decommission Funding Assurance.

IR 05000259-09-007, 05000260-09-007 and 05000296-09-007; 04/20 - 24/2009; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3; Focused Fire Protection Baseline Inspection.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, Request For Additional Information (RAI) For Extended Power Uprate - Round 25.

U2

Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Status of Decommissioning Funding Assurance.

U3

Nothing additional

Monday, July 13, 2009

It's Monday night!

The Huntsville Arts Council's Concert in the Park was pretty good and I had a chance to sweat it up kickin' the hacky sack for well over an hour. The Abstract Band and Toy Shop were good. Next week, it's Olde Towne Brass and the Huntsville Concert Band.

Not a whole lot else, so here's the weekly (and perhaps geeky, in a nuclear sense) roundup of what was put into the NRC's ADAMS system about Browns Ferry last week. Actually, the stuff about the Browns Ferry fire in 1975 is kind of interesting:

U1 & Site

1. CEB-75-12,"Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Units 1 & 2 Approximate Temperature Zones Derived From a Review of Physical Evidence Produced by the March 22, 1975, Fire."

2. "Fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant on March 22, 1975."

3. Tennessee Valley Authority - Submittal of Report in Accordance with 10 CFR 26.719 (c)(1) for Drug and Alcohol Testing Errors.

U2&3

4. ACRS Meeting with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, - June 4, 2009, Slides.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

These are a few of my favorite things....

• Enjoyed Mongolian grill-style food for a long time now. A new Mongolian grill joint recently opened in Huntsville and it's pretty good: Stir Fry Mongolian Grill

• CHOCOLATE! Found a new one at Wally World made by Chuao Chocolatier: Chuao Chocolate

• Liberty! Ask anyone who knows me and they'll probably tell you that I was not a fan of the last group of people to hold the reins of power in DC. Some things they did were right (in my view) or right-minded but plenty of others were not. Some of the things that Obama and company are currently doing are right or right-minded but, again, some are not. I enjoy reading a lot of the material from cato.org. They discuss plenty of things that seem right to me and do it far more eloquently than I could ever hope to: The Cato Institute

• Funny cats! 'nuff said: ICanHasCheezburger

• Concerts in big Spring Park: Huntsville Arts Council's Conerts in the Park

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

I'm a little slow this week...

Saturday, July 04, 2009

233 years ago.....

we held some truths to be self-evident! As we enjoy the holiday (and I guarantee that I definitely will), let's remember the blood, sweat and tears of those who have helped protect our freedom....

Here's a resource from the Library of Congress with more on the Declaration of Independence.

Happy Independence Day!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Video of pictures from a nice little walk this afternoon...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Happy Iraqi Sovereignty Day...

Let's hope they're ready to take care of business!

Check out the latest edition of Secrecy News from the Federation of American Scientists. If that's not exactly your cup of tea, check out Issue #91 of Improvijazzation Nation.

And last, but not least, here's what the NRC posted about Browns Ferry last week...

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 1 - Status of Decommissioning Funding Assurance.

Notification of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant - Component Design Bases Inspection - NRC Inspection Report 0500259-09-008, 05000260-09-008, and 05000296-09-008.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Pant - Notification of Triennial Fire Protection Baseline Inspection While Transition to 10 CFR Part 50.48(c) is in Progress (NRC Inspection Report No. 05000259-09-009, 05000260-09-009, and 05000296-09-009.

06/29/2009 Cancellation of Meeting Notice, Meeting with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to Discuss Extended Power Uprate at Browns Ferry.

Browns Ferry, Unit 2 - Core Operating Limits Report (COLR) for Cycle 16 Operation.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 3 - Status of Decommissioning Funding Assurance.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

If the recent political scandals prove anything...

It's that members of any political party can make mistakes. John Ensign, Slick Willy, John Edwards, Mark Sanford....

Heck, I'm willing to bet that Socialists and Libertarians (and some members of all other parties) can do and have done the same stuff. The errors that folks make don't necessarily negate the views they have. They just prove that we're all human.

Check out the latest CRS reports available from the Federation of American Scientists Secrecy News newsletter. Topics include an analysis of selected Sotomayor opinions, the recent Iranian elections, and the FY2010 appropriations request for homeland security...

Speaking of the Iranian elections...

Much of the coverage we see has a western orientation to it. Unfortunately, it appears that the official mouthpiece of the Iranian state isn't currently serving up an English version. Here's Al Jazeera's Iran section. How about the Mousavi page on Facebook? Or Google's translation of Mousavi's news site? To end the streak, check out Mousavi on Twitter...

In closing, RIP to Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

This past Monday night...

We tried a new recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens special recipe magazine. Tonight, the wife unit decided to head out with the girls. That left me with the decision of what to make myself for dinner. Having enjoyed the "Greek-style quesadillas" (from the other night), I decided to experiment. I had actually decided what I would make well before I got home from work. Please pardon me for not including all the measurements of ingredients. I am HORRIBLE at measuring when conducting experiments. Here's what I made:

Mediterranean style tuna quesadillas

About 5 tbsp. kalamata olives
1 11 oz. foil package of tuna
3 tbsp. bottled Greek vinaigrette salad dressing
Diced tomatoes (to your taste/visual appeal)
Chopped red onions (to your taste/visual appeal)
3 oz. of Athenos basil & tomato crumbkled feta cheese
Two Toufayan wheat wraps
Olive oil

Combine all ingredients, mix well and marinate for at least one hour. Cover one half of each wrap with the tuna/veggie/dressing mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in skillet (or grill) to about medium. Brush each side of wrap with oil (I used Hain's garlic infused oil). Heat for 6-8 minutes (flipping halfway through) until both sides are browned. Enjoy!

I only made two wraps and I think there's enough filling left for at least eight more. I believe I'll carry some more to work tomorrow or Friday. What would I do different? I'd probably add a bit more feta cheese. I definitely feel I had the wrong ratio of fish to feta. All in all, this experiment turned out to be fairly tasty. I'll be making this again (and maybe I'll measure better)!

In closing, there's some interesting reading below. I've included links to 20 recently added reports from opencrs.com.

Canada-U.S. Relations

Latin America and the Caribbean

U.S.-Iraq Withdrawal/Status of Forces Agreement: Issues for Congressional Oversight

Strategic Arms Control After START: Issues and Options

U.S. Military Stop Loss Program

Ocean Acidification

Department of Homeland Security Assistance to States and Localities: A Summary and Issues for the 111th Congress

Senate Rejections and Committee Votes Other Than to Report Favorably, 1939-2009

State, Foreign Operations Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts

Cars and Climate: What Can EPA Do to Control Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources?

Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis

Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends

Airport Improvement Program (AIP): Reauthorization Issues for Congress

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Updated "Safeguards" and Net Assessments

Oversight and Related Issues Concerning International Security Agreements Concluded by the United States

Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate

The Role of the Department of Defense During A Flu Pandemic

Military Installation Real Property and Services: Proposed Legislation in the 111th Congress

Greeenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary and Analysis of H.R. 2454 as Reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

OK, this morning I tweeted a link to the Campaign for Liberty's petition drive to audit the Federal Reserve...

Here's the petition link and here's the tweet.

You might ask "What's the big deal?" The best explanation I have found so far is the short speech that Ron Paul gave when introducing H.R. 1207 just this past February. I will include the full text and a link to the GPO's pdf file. To read the full text of Dr. Paul's introduction speech (and the rest of this post), click "Read more!" below...

H.R. 1207 introductory remarks made by Dr. Ron Paul on 2-26-09

"THE FEDERAL RESERVE TRANSPARENCY ACT
HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has presided over the near complete destruction of the United States dollar. Since 1913 the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. How long will we as a Congress stand idly by while hard-working Americans see their savings eaten away by inflation? Only big-spending politicians and politically favored bankers benefit from inflation.

Serious discussion of proposals to oversee the Federal Reserve is long overdue. I have been a longtime proponent of more effective oversight and auditing of the Fed, but I was far from the first Congressman to advocate these types of proposals. Esteemed former members of the Banking Committee such as Chairmen Wright Patman and Henry B. Gonzales were outspoken critics of the Fed and its lack of transparency.

Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or oversight of its operations. While the conventional excuse is that this is intended to reduce the Fed’s susceptibility to political pressures, the reality is that the Fed acts as a foil for the government. Whenever you question the Fed about the strength of the dollar, they will refer you to the Treasury, and vice versa. The Federal Reserve has, on the one hand, many of the privileges of government agencies, while retaining benefits of private organizations, such as being insulated from Freedom of Information Act requests.

The Federal Reserve can enter into agreements with foreign central banks and foreign governments, and the GAO is prohibited from auditing or even seeing these agreements. Why should a government-established agency, whose police force has federal law enforcement powers, and whose notes have legal tender status in this country, be allowed to enter into agreements with foreign powers and foreign banking institutions with no oversight? Particularly when hundreds of billions of dollars of currency swaps have been announced and implemented, the Fed’s negotiations with the European Central Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, and other institutions should face increased scrutiny, most especially because of their significant effect on foreign policy. If the State Department were able to do this, it would be characterized as a rogue agency and brought to heel, and if a private individual did this he might face prosecution under the Logan Act, yet the Fed avoids both fates.

More importantly, the Fed’s funding facilities and its agreements with the Treasury should be reviewed. The Treasury’s supplementary financing accounts that fund Fed facilities allow the Treasury to funnel money to Wall Street without GAO or Congressional oversight. Additional funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility and the Term Securities Lending Facility, allow the Fed to keep financial asset prices artificially inflated and subsidize poorly performing financial firms.

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act would eliminate restrictions on GAO audits of the Federal Reserve and open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. We hear officials constantly lauding the benefits of transparency and especially bemoaning the opacity of the Fed, its monetary policy, and its funding facilities. By opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and calling for such an audit to be completed by the end of 2010, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act would achieve much needed transparency of the Federal Reserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill."

That pretty much sums it up. For more understanding of exactly what the Federal Reserve does, here's the Wikipedia article about the Federal Reserve System and here's a 6 page report from the Congressional Research Service (from 2005) entitled "Structure and Functions of The Federal Reserve System". OK, enough about that. If you feel that this bill has some merit, please sign the petition and contact your Congressman (particularly if they don't support HR 1207).

Want an interesting read? Check out what the Congressional Budget Office had to say about Obama's FY2010 budget just last week. I was never a fan of the last administration, but allowing the public debt (not the total debt) to reach over 80% of GDP (as estimated in the CBO post) is irresponsible.

Last but not least...

What kind of documents regarding my nuclear plant were added to the NRC's website last week?

Browns Ferry Unit 2 - Safety Evaluation For Relief Request 2-ISI-18R1 Associated With Inservice Inspection Examination Coverage.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 - Verbal Relief Related to Instrument Line Weld Overlay (TAC No. ME1319) (2-ISI-21).

Sunday, June 21, 2009

First and foremost...

To all you dads out there (particularly mine):

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a fun day. It started off with 17 miles on a bicycle riding with my long-time best friend. Then we met the rest of our family for breakfast. After breakfast, we picked up our various cars and bicycles and took a drive to and through the Harmony Park Safari. It's kind of trippy having rams and emus and the occasional bison come up to your window wanting food. If you're in Huntsville and you haven't checked out Harmony Park Safari, you're definitely missing out. Especially if you have kids...

Friday, June 19, 2009

As we're continuing to hear from Iran....

Many folks are questioning the outcome of the election and protests are indeed happening. I'm not at all fond of the individual who was "elected" or the "fundies" that back him. Personally, I don't think they are playing with a full set of marbles given the statements they often make. Anyway, I wish those who are protesting the best of luck in trying to implement change. I mentioned a site called The Reagan Files a few posts back. Having glanced through a couple of the documents there, it certainly appears that Reagan and company were all complicit in and knowledgeable of (whether Reagan forgot or outright lied) the arms deals known as Iran-Contra. The current crisis in Iran reminds me of why I consider myself a Libertarian....

Entangling Alliances

Thomas Jefferson's first Inaugural address in 1801 contains the following passage:

"Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none; the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against antirepublican tendencies; the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad; a jealous care of the right of election by the people—a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable remedies are unprovided; absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism; a well disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them; the supremacy of the civil over the military authority; economy in the public expense, that labor may be lightly burthened; the honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith; encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid; the diffusion of information and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reason; freedom of religion; freedom of the press, and freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus, and trial by juries impartially selected. These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety."

Many folks seem to believe that general non-interventionism means complete isolationism. There ARE those who would build a wall around the country and let whatever goes on outside the wall go on. My view (and that of most Libertarian-minded folks that I know) is that business dealings are absolutely fine and to be encouraged. However, the amount of government dealings with other countries should be drawn back immensely. There are times when it would become necessary to intervene even if not directly threatened. Egregious violations of basic human rights by a country poised to take over one continent and establish a base of power with the potential to threaten us merit strong consideration for intervention. Yes, I am talking about Nazi Germany and Japan and World War II. Afghanistan was absolutely the right thing to do. I still feel that Iraq was a diversion from the main "war on terror". We should have devoted as many troops as possible to deal with the Afghan problem and provide a limited amount of help to keep the situation under control and not engage in nation-building.

Back to Iran...

The US has a history of relations with Iran that goes back a couple hundred years. The past hundred years have included the hostage situation, Iran-Contra, a CIA sponsored coup and the Shah and SAVAK. One item that is particularly interesting about Iran-Contra is that not two years before it occurred, we favored Iraq. That and the fact of US hostages held for 444 days not 7 years prior... It seems questionable at best to have provided shady arms to a country like Iran (or Iraq for that matter). Some of the justification Reaganites used was "to provide assistance to potentially US friendly factions in Iran" should they come to power, further promoting democracy. That worked well, didn't it? Our checkered history of attempting manipulation of the foreign policy (or business or other policy) of other sovereign nations stands as a reminder (to me at least) that such gyrations often fail and, at times, even blow up in our face. What does that mean for Ahmadinejad and crew? We keep a VERY close eye on them... and that's all we do for now. The ever-sprawling tentacles of US government manipulation and foreign aid need to be surgically removed to a more manageable and sensible length. Bush wouldn't have done that and Obama surely won't.

Other links of interest:

Congressional Research Service Reports on the Middle East

The Iran Documentation Project @ The National Security Archive

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Nothing OVERLY interesting on the NRC site regarding Browns Ferry last week....

But here's what they added to their ADAMS system:

Relaxation of Order for Compensatory Measures Related to Fitness-for-Duty Enhancements Applicable to Nuclear Facility Security Force Personnel.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Letter of Intent to Adopt National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 805, Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Generating Plants, 2001 Edition.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Withdrawal of Proposed Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 50, Appendix R, Paragraph III.G2, Fire Protection of Safe Shutdown Capacity.

G20090158/EDATS: OEDO-2009-0133 - March 18, 2009, ACRS Ltr on Using Containment Accident Pressure in Determining Available Net Positive Suction Head of Emergency Core Cooling System and Containment Heat Removal System Pumps.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3 - Response to Request for Additional Information Regarding Technical Specifications Change 444 - Adoption of Changes to Standard Technical Specifications Under Technical Specification Task Force Change Number - 448, Rev. 3...

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3 - Technical Specifications Changes TS-431 and TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate - Results of Revised Containment Overpressure Analyses for Appendix R - Drywell Coolers Operating.

Browns Ferry Units 1, 2 & 3 - Technical Specifications Changes TS-418 and TS-431 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Response to Round 24 Request for Additional Information (RAI) EMCB.209 Regarding Steam Dryer Analyses (TAC Nos. MD5262, MD5263, and MD5264).

Brown Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN), Units 1, 2, and 3, Technical Specifications (TS) Changes TS-431 and TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Results of Revised Analyses for Short-Term Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) and Appendix R Regarding.....

On a different note, here are two links to the RSS feeds of some Libertarian oriented folks on Twitter:

LibEverywhere
Mises Institute

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Hopefully interesting tidbits...

The Reagan Files website

The map on this page shows greenways/trails in and around Huntsville as of 2006. I hope that the greenways that are shown as "proposed" come to fruition. There are already a fair amount of outdoor activities to enjoy in Huntsville and this would just add that much more...

Don't forget, two new episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels tonight.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Facebook just made their "username" feature live.....

Get yours today while they're hot! I went with an old standby:

http://www.facebook.com/vejadu

Thursday, June 11, 2009

There's a new Chinese restaurant/buffet in Athens...

It's called the New China Buffet and it's pretty good!

From new china buffet

Monday, June 08, 2009

One TV show that has recently returned with new episodes....

and is watched in this household is Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Check out the first segment from the latest episode. This is truly one of the only television shows I watch fairly regularly. Set your DVRs....

Browns Ferry related documents placed on the NRC website (ADAMS) from 6/1/09-6/7/09...

Bertram Morris, E-mail re: Chart Table of COP that have been Granted to Other BWRs for EPU.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Draft COP Position Paper Submitted by E-mail.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Issuance of Amendments 274, 301 and 260 Regarding Control Rod Notch Test Frequency (TS-462).

Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Withdrawal of Proposed Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 50.55a, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section XI, Inservice Inspection Program for the Third Ten-Year Inspection Interval - Request for Relief 2-ISI-22.

Browns Ferry, Unit 2 - American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section Xl, Inservice Inspection Program for the Third Ten-Year Inspection Interval - Request for Relief 2-1Sl-21, Revision 1 - Resubmittal.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

You know what I hate?

I don't hate much (if anything), but it's slightly annoying (to me) to wake up and read a link to a recipe from Food Network on Facebook and see a comment like this:

"Hecks no. One more reason America is the most obese country."

One simple question was asked. "Would you eat this?" It's not the healthiest food (not much from Paula Deen is), but an occasional meal consisting of grease and butter and sugar and other less-than-healthy food probably won't kill us. Now, the "one more reason" part of the offending comment is absolutely right. It just seems to me that there might be a better place for someone and their soapbox. Rant all you want (I know I will) but please do it on your own turf...

My M&M residual self image...

The mental projection of my digital self...if I was an M&M!

Thursday, June 04, 2009

NRC documents regarding Browns Ferry added to the NRC website during May...

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, NRC Security Inspection Report 05000259-09-402, 05000260-09-402 & 05000296-09-402.

LER 09-001-00 for Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Regarding Manual Reactor Scram Following Stator Cooling Water Equipment Failure.

IR 05000259-09-002, 05000260-09-002 and 05000296-09-002, on 01/01/2009 - 03/31/2009, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3; Surveillance Testing, Identification and Resolution of Problems, and Event Follow-up.

NUREG/BR-0361 - The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire of 1975 and the History of NRC Fire Regulations.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report for 2008.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Technical Specifications Change 464 - Application for Technical Specification Improvement to Adopt Technical Specification Task Force TSTF-476, Rev. 1, "Improved BPWS Control Rod Insertion Process".

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) - Response for Additional Information Regarding Units 1, 2, and 3 - Technical Specifications (TS) Change 444 - Adoption of Changes to Standard Technical Specifications Under Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) .....

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) Units 1, 2, & 3 - Technical Specifications (TS) Changes TS-431 and TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Response to Request for Information Regarding Containment Parameters for NRC Confirmatory Analysis...

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, Submittal of Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report - January Through December 2008.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, Offsite Dose Calculation Manual 0-ODCM-001, Revision 0019.

Changes to Distribution Lists for TVA Dockets.

Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2 and Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Project Manager and Backup Reassignments.

Browns Ferry, Unit 2 - American Society of Mechanical Engineers Section XI, Inservice Inspection Program - Request for Relief 2-ISI-21, Revision 1 - Examination of Piping Weld Overlays.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Twenty years ago this week....

Big things were happening in China...

Are You A Libertarian?

Take the World's Smallest

Political Quiz and find out!

The only drawback to walking in the woods on a beautiful day like today...

are the little buggers of the biological family Ixodidae. Well, snakes could be right up there as well, but I didn't find any of those. Besides, snakes don't bother me that much. I'll have to remember to spray next time.

Wade Mountain 6-3-09

View all

Get your own

Sunday, May 31, 2009

My mom tries to help take care of this cat that hangs around where she lives....

FWIW, this cat TOTALLY DIGS me...

Better pic of tabby (crazy cat) from Christmas... on Twitpic

Friday, May 29, 2009

Being at least somewhat interested in what's happening in Washington, DC.....

I occasionally check out the Congressional Record (one of the links on the linked page). Additionally, the Congressional Record can be searched and viewed and browsed via the GPO Access site. Unfortunately, the farthest that either site goes back is 1989. For material prior to 1989, you'll have to find a Federal Depository library...

However, there is some Congressional Record (and related) material available at another section of the Library of Congress website. The material available here has records of documents and debates in Congress from 1774-1875. Pretty cool! It would be cool to see an archive site that had Congressional materials from the inception of this country to the present....

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Seeing that I work at one of TVA's fine nuclear facilities and live relatively close....

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Mmmmmmmm, bacon!!!

Bacon Flavored Vodka; Is it Really Something We Needed?
Bacon flavored vodka is sure to be the next party sensation as fans of vodka seek to figure out exactly what it tastes like. Issued from the Bakon Vodka Company, the bacon flavored vodka is seeking to fill a niche.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1784346/bacon_flavored_vodka_is_it_really_something.html

Monday, May 25, 2009

Classic garden couscous...

Courtesy of http://www.neareast.com/

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken breast, skinless, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons white cooking wine
1 Package (5.9 oz.) NEAR EAST Couscous Parmesan Mix
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

Preparation Instructions

1. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside.
2. Stir in water, cooking wine and contents of spice sack; bring to a boil.
3. Stir in Near East couscous and broccoli; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and tomatoes right before serving.

6 Servings (1 cup each)

Nutrition Information
Calories: 220, Calories from Fat: 50, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 430mg, Total Carbohydrate: 23g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 19g

Remember!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

So, in a sour economy with wars in two countries, what does one Georgia Republican Representative feel there is plenty of time for?

A Marriage protection amendment to the Constitution and 2010 as the "National Year of the Bible" among other things. That's just for this year (the 111th Congress)...

How about Paul Broun's input to the 110th Congress? Here are those results. Groundbreaking stuff you're proposing there, Representative Broun.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Hulu.com rocks!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Short and sweet and to the point here....

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

I'll be particular and say a special thanks to all of those women that I happen to call Mom......

Sunday, April 26, 2009

More trails...

BTW, feel free to take and/or use any of the pictures if you like them. Visit http://picasaweb.google.com/vejadu/42509?feat=directlink

Friday, April 24, 2009

Ron Paul does me one better....

I often try to stay aloof of the standard goings-on of the culture because much of it just doesn't concern me...

I had even missed most of the buzz regarding the whole Miss California-gay marriage controversy. I saw something regarding it and it sparked my interest. No one probably cares, but here's my two cents:

Carrie Prejean's answer was just fine. I don't happen to agree, but it was fine for her. I personally don't care about same-sex marriage one way or the other and I lean toward allowing marriage between whoever wants it. The qualifying statement there should be that it is between consenting people who have reached the age of majority unless the state has a legal exception regarding age. My opinion is not driven by conservative Christianity on one side or an embrace of the "gay agenda" on the other.

A little further research led to finding a post where the gay blogger called Miss California a "dumb bitch". The blogger subsequently apologized, but this is just another symptom of the standard "deeply held belief" (in some cases, approaching militant) agendas of both sides in this issue. Both sides should realize that they will never come to agreement and accept the outcome of the democratic process wherever they happen to live or work to change it. Working to change the rules can still be done in a civil manner. Unfortunately, I have often seen (and even heard) the debates turn into name-calling and other such ugliness. Get a grip, folks....

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

One other quickie here...

Facebook has a number of "Name Generators". I just happened to use the "Drag Queen Name Generator". Someone commented that they'd "never mention that at work". I would. And I'll do it here as well. I think it's hilarious! BTW, please pardon the picture colors. That's the color scheme I use on my computer....

Happy Earth Day!

To that end:
http://www.earthday.gov/
http://www.earthday.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

One other quick thing...

The "World Digital Library" was recently launched internationally. Sounds interesting...

Saturday, April 18, 2009

A little walky walky on 4-17-09...

Additionally, I feel compelled to give a little linky linky action to SDF. I've hosted this blog on SDF for years now. Here's what SDF is all about in their own words:

"The Super Dimension Fortress is a networked community of free software
authors, teachers, librarians, students, researchers, hobbyists, computer
enthusiasts, the aural and visually impaired. It is operated as a
federally recognized non-profit 501(c)(7) and is supported by its members.

Our mission is to provide remotely accessible computing facilities for
the advancement of public education, cultural enrichment, scientific
research and recreation. Members can interact electronically with each
other regardless of their location using passive or interactive forums.
Further purposes include the recreational exchange of information
concerning the Liberal and Fine Arts.

Members have UNIX shell access to games, email, usenet, chat, bboard,
webspace, gopherspace, programming utilities, archivers, browsers, and
more. The SDF community is made up of caring, highly skilled people who
operate behind the scenes to maintain a non-commercial INTERNET.

For information about membership levels, click on 'join' above."

The basic user level account only requires a one-time donation of $1. I've contributed a little more than that over the years because I strongly support the mission of SDF. Check it out...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

On the way home from work last night, I stopped by the local Wal-Mart....

I had a few things to pick up. I was walking through the ice cream aisle after I picked up some frozen yogurt bars. A pint of the Blue Bell flavor "Southern Blackberry Cobbler" was calling my name. I just tried a few spoonfuls a few minutes ago. Words cannot describe how awesome this ice cream tastes! I just have to be careful now or else I'll eat the whole pint...

Friday, March 27, 2009

Are you...

A Wikipedia user with interest in Alabama? Check out (and maybe even join) the Wikipedia:WikiProject Alabama. Perhaps Alabama's not your cup of tea. Check out the WikiProject directory.

And then...

We were engaging in some nostalgic (e.g. '80s) YouTube posting wars on Facebook. I got to thinking about one of the favorite pieces of clothing I had ever owned. Enter Google....

I hopped on "the Google" and searched for what I thought might provide the desired result. Lo and behold, I found the item of clothing I was looking for. Turns out, it was on eBay for under $10. Plus, the seller was based out of New Market, AL. The shirt came yesterday. Needless to say, I WAS SUPER-STOKED! I have NEVER seen another shirt like this (other than on the rack when it was purchased in the mid-80s).

Click on the thumbnail for the bigger picture if you wish...

Friday, March 20, 2009

The video of pictures from today's walk....

My wife decided to go to Birmingham to spend time with some old collegiate (Montevallo) buddies today...

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and the properties of the Huntsville Land Trust...

This picture is a path of the hike I took (click the image for the full size version of the path snapshot from Google Earth):

That made for a nice 6+ mile walk. A movie of some of the pictures is coming right up next....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Preview of the latest South Park....

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day folks!!!

Beyond that, check out my daddy-o's latest issue of Improvijazzation Nation (up to #89 and counting).

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Pi Day » The official web site for Pi Day, March 14th

Pi Day » The official web site for Pi Day, March 14th

From Friday the 13th (of March) to Pi Day!

Friday, February 20, 2009

A link to my Facebook profile page for my "musical alter-ego"....

http://www.facebook.com/pages/vejadu/63054880361

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Views from Monte Sano....

Monday, February 16, 2009

I mashed up five minutes of video....

Part of this video is taken from the previous video with about 3:50 of different stuff. Additionally, I muted the original audio (the camera shaking on the roof of my car was kind of annoying) and added a track from Tiësto:

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Woo-hoo....

New video. I might make a little montage of the other few minutes I captured today. Nothing spectacular, but heck, I was having fun...

Friday, January 30, 2009

By the way...

The Papa Murphy's in Athens, AL tastes just like old times:

YUMMY

Facebook has a pretty cool feature (several, actually).....

However, the one I am talking about is a "profile badge". You can leave your mark in various and sundry places online. Like so....

Create your own (you obviously have to be on Facebook) here.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Without further ado (and slightly later in the day than necessary).....

Happy Birthday, Mom!

One of those things in life that you just can't beat is happening by the old Krispy Kreme shop when they've just made a fresh batch. I had almost forgotten how excellent their fresh doughnuts were. See, I made a midnight run to Krispy Kreme last night, but they didn't have anything ultra-fresh (but the blueberry cake doughnut and bottle of milk were still great). After dropping a card off to my mother tonight, I figured I'd give it another shot. The reward was fresh and doughy and glazed goodness this time. Yummmmmmmmm.....

Been a while....

I know, I haven't even been griping about politicians or anything of that sort. Just getting a little bored with that, I suppose......

I hope Obama can get a better balance between the powers of the government versus the rights of the people. Maybe he'll get some things right.

And so, to the mundane little point of this post...

Having come to north Alabama from northern Illinois, we left a few good restaurants behind. Mind you, I don't miss them enough to go back, but I did/do fondly recall places like Granite City Food & Brewery® and Biaggi's. I was driving around the fairly sedate town of Athens last night and saw a little promo/pop-up canopy in front of one of the numerous strip shopping centers in Athens. I was very surprised to see a restaurant name that I didn't figure I would see again. Athens, AL has a Papa Murphy's Pizza. "Take and bake" isn't that new of a concept. Hell, grocery store delis have done take and bake pizza for years. However, these pizzas from Papa Murphy's are really good. I did find it slightly ironic that this new store is in the same strip mall as Papa John's...

View Larger Map

Thursday, January 01, 2009

See ya '08. Hello 2009!

Happy New Year

Thursday, December 25, 2008

I know y'all know what's coming next.........

Wishing y'all a VERY MERRY Christmas.............

more animals

Friday, December 19, 2008

For the celebration du jour....

Happy 16th Anniversary,

Suzanne!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

I must say today with no delay.................

Suzanne - Happy Birthday!

Saturday, December 06, 2008

I just found a tremendous set of vids/music via YouTube.....

Props to Gamer2k4......

He put up a compilation of all the songs from Praise The Fallen by VNV Nation (probably my favorite band). I selected the ones that would be most fitting when running on ye olde treadmill to drop into a little playlist. And here it is:

Thursday, November 27, 2008

To all of you out there in the aether......

I hope you have a:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Ummmm, yeah?!?!?

I just finished scanning a story from the news that folks who self-identified themselves as "elected officials" averaged a 44% on a quiz of civic knowledge. The report on this sad state of affairs was released by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. I haven't yet taken the quiz due to time constraints, but I will. It's very scary when some of the folks we elect to represent us and administer our towns/counties/states/what have you fail a quiz like this....

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

-George Santayana

Thursday, November 20, 2008

This certainly isn't one of the better vids I've ever put on YouTube......

but here, in all it's glory with the President-elect's likeness and voice (and my music), it is:

I am sure that the folks who will be in power over the next four (or eight if they don't screw things up more than where we find ourselves right now) will provide plenty of fodder for jokes and/or criticism. I just felt that this would be a sufficient point to start....

Hopefully this next tidbit can help someone...

Several months back, I became unable to play music with MySpace's music player. I had sent them several e-mails and NEVER RECEIVED a response. I started fooling around the other night (vamping out to get ready for the night shift) and solved the problem. The MySpace music player is Flash based. It was changed to a much slicker interface several months ago. However, the new player requires the ability of Flash to be able to store third-party content on your machine. I don't even remember when I had changed the setting in Flash, but I do know that the MySpace music player didn't work after they retooled it. In any Flash animation, you can right click the animation and change a number of local settings for permissions and various settings that allow some access to your computer. There is also a series of "Global settings" that can be accessed via http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html. I discovered that my problem was in the "Global Storage Settings Panel". I changed the settings via this control to allow sites to store 1MB on my machine and now have the "Allow third-party Flash content to store data on your computer" and "Store common Flash components to reduce download times" checkboxes checked. After I closed the browser, the MySpace music player worked like a charm. This problem was a total annoyance because I've discovered some great music via MySpace.com. I just wonder if there's anyone else out there who has had this problem.....

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

To all of those who have served and sacrificed.......

To that end, I find it very fitting that just one week ago this evening (as is nearly the case every four years), participatory politics determined the next course for the nation and made history at the same time. I know that some folks are exceedingly happy and others are fairly dismayed. I'm just kind of ambivalent. As is frequently the case, I see the potential for good policy AND/OR bad policy over at least the next four years. I know that many on "the right" think that Obama will veer far left and guarantee the GOP a win in four years but I'm not so sure. The world will probably not end (unless the Mayans were right) so hopefully we will see.....

Thank a vet.......

Friday, October 24, 2008

Bob Barr opines on the differences between McBama and Ocain....

I just read the headline "Christian right intensifies attacks on Obama"....

One thing that it references is a COMPLETE WORK of fiction entitled "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America". If you want to peruse this ABSOLUTE PIECE OF TRIPE, click here. I thought this could be made into a killer movie. Someone should start fleshing out the screenplay. I thought that one of the funniest things about this was the statement at the very end.

"© 2008 Focus on the Family Action, Inc.

This letter may be reproduced without change and in its entirety for noncommercial and nonpolitical purposes without prior permission from Focus on the Family Action."

What the hell is the purpose of the letter in the first place? The entire thing has one and only one aim: politics. First of all, much of this is NOT the change that Obama seeks. Focus on the Family is using EXTREME hyperbole and illogical extension of Obama's known policies to hoodwink folks into believing that God is going to damn Christian folks who vote for Obama STRAIGHT TO HELL. Where the hell is Pat Robertson when you need him? He'd probably tell you that God was planning a Category 1,000,000 hurricane if Obama wins on November 4. Granted, the minds of those who receive this junk are probably already made up. I seriously want the hallucinogen that was being used by the folks who concocted this cockamamie piece of CRAP.....

Buck the establishment - vote Barr or Baldwin or Nader or McKinney

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Obama v. McCain v. Barr v. Baldwin v. Nader....

I'll start this off with my favorite. Here's some recent Bob Barr video:

Now onto "the maverick". One thing (other than the experience factor he constantly brings up about Obama) McCain often brings up is the absolute necessity of victory in Iraq and how his major opponent didn't support the surge. McCain would NEVER EVER support a timeline. However, one interesting piece of news in recent days is that the final details of a semi-"status of forces agreement" were hammered out between the US and Iraq. Lo and behold, one of the details contained therein is kind of a timeline (looking out to 2011). I wonder what McCain thinks of that. Regarding the surge thing (which was where all of this was going anyway), McCain knocks Obama on it often. The surge itself seemed like a tacit admission that there were NEVER enough troops to FULLY COMPLETE the mission in the first place. In fact, I hope that future administrations remember the lessons of cases like that of General (ret.) Eric Shinseki. Another facet of the "surge" discussion? I was listening to a story about how the US pays money to a number of the "Al-Sahwa councils" in Iraq and how that duty is being transferred into Iraq hands (with what I believe to be Iraqi funds). The US military folks discussed in the story had some concern because some people in the Iraqi military didn't seem to believe the urgency of continuing the program. Ironically, payment to back these Sunni militias started around the end of 2006/beginning of 2007. We were paying folks who were involved in the insurgency. I'm absolutely sure that these payments also had to do something with the downturn in violence in the country through 2007. We were paying people to not perform criminal acts. It will be interesting to watch what develops with the transfer of responsibility for payment into Iraqi hands. Will the money continue to flow? If it doesn't, will there be an upswing in violence? What other factors played into Iraq becoming seemingly more stable over the last 1.5 years? McCain's continued rhetoric regarding the largely irresponsible conflict seems to hold less merit as time goes on....

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Finally!

It was a happy time to see the close of the last of the Presidential debate for this election cycle. This debate, of course, brought more of the same old discussions and half-truths. I don't think McCain succeeded in his promise to whip Obama's "you know what". McCain did a little better this time around but not necessarily well enough to overcome the inertia of the numbers game that we've seen over the past few weeks. Heck, it doesn't matter who wins anyway. They're just opposite sides of the same old weathered coin and though they've both bandied about talk of "change", Washington will still remain largely out of touch in many ways. That's especially true if you're inclined to the Libertarian line of thinking like me.....

We've never tried a recipe from Martha Stewart before this evening. I saw a recipe for "Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie" in a Martha Stewart magazine and thought we should try it. The normal cook of the family brought up making some Zatarain's dirty rice but I suggested that we try this shepherd's pie. We used several shortcuts that cut the time in about half. I made the "Spinach, Mushroom, and Red-Onion Salad" to go with dinner. I think I liked dinner better than the wife unit (1 each) because I had two FULL plates and I still saved some leftovers.....

Wayne Root was on Fox News again this past Monday. Check it out:

Peace, y'all!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

And so.......

the "you know what" whipping is just about to start. Don't worry about me, I've taken my Vivarin.......

Sadly, I doubt we'll ever see a third party candidate at these debates again unless the candidate is some kind of celebrity already with a coherent message (hence name recognition and potential electability to boot). Check out Bob Barr's "Counter-Debate" here...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I just saw a story on the news talking about the wildfires in California....

They were talking about the fires as seen from space. Here's the picture they were using:

-picture courtesy of NOAA, NASA, and the OSEI

The image is from NOAA's Operational Significant Event Imagery (OSEI) site. Check out the OSEI's current events page....

By the way.....

Here's the location of El Olmeca as a .kmz file for Google Earth.

If you need instant map gratification, here's the Google Maps version:

View Larger Map

And thus the eager anticipation has ended.....

We've been waiting for the Mexican restaurant in the new (and smallish) shopping center right around the corner from our neighborhood to open for a number of months. It finally opened on Monday. I considered going the day it opened, but the wife unit (1 each) was in Florida and I had other stuff to do. However, she got back today and we went to try it out this evening. It's called El Olmeca......

We enjoyed it! If you're in the area, give it a shot. Mmmmmmm, that means restaurant quality margaritas and Mexican food within walking distance. Excellent!

Today's political advertisement.....

Bob Barr on CNN's "Situation Room"

I was interested to see that I received a letter from Senator Jeff Sessions regarding my request that he vote against the "bailout". I was very happy to see that Senators Sessions AND Shelby held their ground and voted against the package the first time around and the second time as well. I suppose that we'll start to see some results within a few weeks or months, but the implications and results will probably take several years.....

Well, I'll probably check out the last snoozer (oops, I mean Presidential debate) on Wednesday night. Old Johnny Mac promised to "whip Obama's you know what". I'm sure the same old tired soundbites and vague half-truths will find their way into this back-and-forth as well. On the other hand, I can handle watching the debates better than SOME FOLKS I KNOW.......

Well, I'm going to cut it off here. Peace, y'all!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Sometimes I surprise even myself.....

I don't claim to be a great cook, but I whipped up a BBQ chicken calzone this evening that was TOTALLY kickin'.

OK, next I think I'll try to provide a VERY simple answer about why I consider myself a Libertarian.....

Folks often ask me why I'd vote for Libertarians when they have no chance and then proceed to suggest voting for the "lesser of two evils". They'll definitely have no chance if people who generally believe in Libertarian principles and policies vote solely based on who is going to win. As for the "lesser of two evils", I will vote for my general principles. At the heart of the matter (for me) is one simple philosophy:

I TRULY believe that most people can live their own lives and make their own choices without excessive government (federal, state, local) intervention in the freedom to make those choices.

We are lucky enough to live in a place where we are extraordinarily free. But, we can always get better. I consider this especially true after the last eight years!

As we know by now (for those who mind that sort of thing), the last time a third party candidate was included in a Presidential debate was in 1992. Bob Barr had an interesting method of getting his word out as an alternative to the debate. Here's a Q&A session with questions submitted via the internet:

I think he's doing it right. Now here's someone who (hey, just my opinion) is doing it ALL WRONG. Maybe I don't "know" the things she "knows", but there's been so much CRAP spread about the Senator from Illinois that I wouldn't have the slightest doubt if some of the info the "letter" she speaks about is infused with the dominant "internet lore" propaganda.

Last words? Something else done right....

I already knew that Lindt made excellent chocolate. A friend had mentioned something about chocolate infused with chili pepper and I knew I had to try it. I found some when I went to the store the other day. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I didn't expect excessive "heat". There was just the faint aftertaste of heat. However, I wouldn't necessarily take my word for it. My taste buds are probably desensitized to a lot of that hot stuff. Anyway, the chocolate left a nice warming sensation. Heck, I think I'll eat a square or two right now.

Peace, y'all!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Wayne Allyn Root talks with Neil Cavuto....

September 16, 2008 - $85 billion loan to AIG
September 22-30, 2008 - $440,000 top performing agent trip to St. Regis Resort
October 10, 2008 - AIG seeks additional $36 billion loan

I realize that the AIG executives weren't directly involved and the little junket had been planned for months, but the current business operating environment that AIG finds itself in should probably lead to some belt tightening. This whole debacle raises some question on what kind of waste (other than the widely known "tax earmarks") the $700 billion bailout will create. By the way, here's an interesting blog...

Ye olde Federal Government has established some new guidelines for physical activity for American adults. Two of my favorite activities (sanitized of course):

A couple of hours of hiking
A couple of hours with the trusty old sack

Gotta love those folks at Google....

They are testing a new Gmail feature (you have to turn it on) to help you make sure you want to send that e-mail if you might be slightly blitzed or not thinking straight. They call it "Mail Goggles"....

Friday, October 03, 2008

I will start with some of the more important things in life....

Namely, food! Non-chain local food at that....

We tried the Athens location of Village Pizza with some friends this evening. We arrived fairly early. That ended up being a good thing because by the time we left, folks were waiting outside to be seated. There's more space in the Athens restaurant AND they serve beer. The food was great (not unexpected)! If you live in Athens, give Village Pizza a shot. Here's the map again:

View Larger Map

Well, the bailout has passed and been signed into law. Bud Cramer (Alabama District 5 Representative) voted yes. It's a good thing he's not up for re-election.

Check out the latest television ad for Bob Barr:

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Even as I type, legions of pundits and fact checkers and political aficionados/operatives are slicing and dicing and analyzing tonight's debate....

My two cents...

I think that Sarah Palin did OK. I say OK because I don't think it was exceptional. She may have "saved some face" given some recent trouble, but I don't think she came anywhere near hitting it out of the park. To me, she seemed more engaging than Joe Biden, but not extraordinarily more. Both sides did OK with the standard party talking points (and half-truths). Hey, what's to be expected, the VP is essentially a glorified cheerleader anyway, right? However, all that being said, I'm glad I'll be voting for Bob Barr. McCain isn't a far cry from George Bush and, sadly, Sarah Palin reminds me more of George Bush (philosophy) than John McCain. As for Obama-Biden....YUCK!!!

The Senate voted yes on the "investment"/"bailout" and it's looking as if the House will vote yes as well. Why is the bailout DANGEROUS for American national security?

Let's not forget, the statutory limit on the public debt ceiling will be going up to $11.3 trillion under the current "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008". Here's a history of the changes to the statutory limit on the public debt from the United States Code. The page (or the various other government pages) doesn't have the $10 trillion (9.815) limit enacted last year......

Of course both of the VP candidates sound like talking points parrots......

But, I think it's funny that Palin continues to attack the Obama/Biden ticket on energy. Why? Oh, I don't know......

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Listed at the link in the body of this post.....

are the Senators who voted yea (or nay) for the American taxpayer to take a huge bite out of a multi-billion dollar cow patty. I was extraordinarily happy to see that the Senators from my state voted nay. The House hasn't voted yet and I will CERTAINLY (right after I'm done with this) be contacting my Representative (Bud Cramer) asking for him to come to his senses and vote against the current piece of tripe floating around in Congressland....

As a slight (and trust me.... short) break from the finance/economy fiasco....

Bob Barr talks about civil liberties....

Now back to probably one of the bigger matters at hand...

My take on the "new and improved" bailout plan is that it's still a "cow patty". In fact, this one's even sillier. It's still designed to help the banks and raise the public debt but the "new and improved" version includes some tax breaks and other beans to appease the GOP and the Democrats. As a Libertarian, I'm all for tax breaks, but they are CRAP if you don't curb government spending. I tend to supplement my thoughts with links to professionals who believe the same thing. Sorry....

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I, for one, was happy to see that the "bailout" was voted down.......

I believe that Bob Barr was happy as well...

I'm not necessarily happy about the economic downturn that will inevitably follow, but this provides a little bit of breathing room for the Congress to clear their heads and THINK if they (and hence, WE THE PEOPLE) want to dabble in excessive state meddling in the business process with taxpayer money. Additionally, the original package would have raised the public debt ceiling to 11.315 trillion dollars. It was just raised to 9.815 trillion dollars in September of 2007. So, as part of the 700 billion dollar package, this administration (and McCain and Obama if you accept their tepid support as legitimate) and 205 House members wanted to raise the future taxation burden on you and your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren (and so on and so on) by 1.5 trillion dollars. When does it end? I was never overly happy with the Clinton administration but at least the budget was balanced for a few years (on paper, at least). Those folks in DC right now are kind of scaring me! What a time for a protest vote...

I never thought I would see the phrase "cow patty" in the Congressional Record but here (top left of the document) it is.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

And now for the latest video from Bob Barr.....

Q&A at Reason with Bob Barr

Other stuff? We enjoyed finding Village Pizza (East Limestone location) and dining there occasionally. FWIW, the East Limestone location has a presence on MySpace.

It was VERY cool to hear that they had opened a new restaurant in Athens, AL. I believe that the address is 222 W. Market St. Athens, AL. It's the northeast corner of the intersection of W. Market St. and N. Jefferson St.

See the Google Map below....

View Larger Map