The results are very tentative and I will of course be waiting to see what the Libertarians have to offer, but....

	Ron Paul Score: 45	Agree Iraq Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Line-Item Veto Energy Marriage Death Penalty	Disagree Immigration Social Security
-- Take the Quiz! --

Sometimes my sense gets thrown right out the window......

I did a good thing by running for close to an hour this afternoon. And then.....

I just polished off (estimate) close to 15 pieces of pizza and a little ice cream concoction at a local pizza buffet. Oh, I can't forget the bowl of cottage cheese. Tasty dinner, though....

I was slightly bummed this morning and some readers will be much more familiar with what I'm talking about. I happened to be in downtown Huntsville during the daytime for the first time in ages. I figured that I'd go check out an old weekend haunt where I went with my parents probably every Saturday morning during the early 80s. I figured that I'd get a good espresso or cappuccino. Unfortunately, the Kaffeeklatsch doesn't do that kind of thing anymore. I wonder how long it's been since they got rid of the old espresso machine. At least they're still in the roasting business.....

I don't even remember why I started looking for magazines published by the US government, but here's a good place to start finding them. Here's info right from the horse's mouth.....

Peace!

OK, perhaps a little jest in starting......

This joke is old, but it catches the mood so well.....:

A stranger was seated next to Little Johnny on the plane when the stranger turned to the Little Johnny and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that flights will go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." Little Johnny, who had just opened his book, closed it slowly, and said to the stranger, "What would you like to discuss?" "Oh, I don't know," said the stranger. "How about nuclear power?" "OK," said Little Johnny. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat grass. The same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?" "Jeez," said the stranger. "I have no idea." "Well, then," said Little Johnny, "How is it that you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit?"

It kind of started the other day when someone in the local forums at al.com brought up my workplace and asked a question about whether we were going to meltdown given the number of times we've dropped our recently restarted unit since June. I just had to respond......

In a similar vein, I was listening to NPR this morning and I heard that some musical artists (among other groups and organizations) are starting a new push to lobby against nuclear power and government provisions for loan guarantees to utilities who want to develop more nuclear assets. There are some good artists, but I am obviously a nuclear supporter and I think these folks are wrong on this issue (assuming that the government will continue to operate as it does). Anyway, they have placed material on YouTube talking about their stance. As always, I like to include BOTH sides of the story. There is a rebuttal to the nukefree.org video. This video is provided by the Nuclear Energy Institute. OK, the NEI video is not glitzy and chock full of celebrities, but check it out.

Well, I'd better run....

Y'all have a blast!

What in the world...........?

We live in a "service industry" country right now. God help us!

Take for example, a recent visit to a local restaurant. Suzanne and I and our best friends (plus their two kids) waited fifteen minutes before anyone even came to ask what we wanted to drink (only after a manager was asked). The food was pretty good (once we received it). However, the server didn't come back to our table for at least fifteen minutes after we were eating. By that time, three of the six drinks on the table were empty. I was surprised to remember that we were in Alabama. I won't mention the restaurant name until I see how they resolve my complaint.....

Another? I ordered this CD but received this one instead. I was truly jonesin' to get the Sylver CD! Now I have to wait a little longer. Hope they can rectify the screw-up quickly.....

At least the Buffalo Wild Wings at Madison Square Mall was good today (service included). I should have thought better than to go on a Saturday afternoon during college football season.......

Did you ever.......

have a song that you heard that just kind of moved you no matter how often you listened to it? Perhaps gave you that little electric tingle down your spine.....

I posted a Sylver video on here the other day. Some further listening and looking for other video material on YouTube led me to an older song of theirs called Wild Horses. I was pretty much hooked instantaneously. I think that my fondness for this song comes from a synergy of the plaintive lyrics and melody, throbbing beat, the singer's delivery, and definitely other subconscious elements. "Wild horses can't keep me away".... What a way to describe love! I had to buy the CD (unfortunately, I couldn't get this as a download) right away. I totally dig this song....

I don't normally put much video right on the front page, but if you have good speakers, crank'em up and enjoy.........



I don't remember how I got there today, but I discovered that Yahoo! had a subsite devoted to things "green". Further tooling about led me to Google's collaboration (the cleanup weekend just happened this past weekend) with the United Nations Environment Programme and Green Maven - The Green Search Engine. I wouldn't consider myself anything close to an environmental fanatic, but every little thing can help......

Ahhhhhhhhhh.........

road trips. The little jaunt to Knoxville the other night was great. I got there too early, but that afforded me a chance to have a decent dinner, get bugged by a self-professed "old hobo" looking for change, and walk around downtown Knoxville for a while. The concert? My, my, my.....

Loreena and company were, quite simply, astounding. I've had some of her music for quite a while and wanted to see her. I'm very happy I made the trip. All of the musicians were tremendous. The fiddle player shredded that thing to pieces. She made a joke during the show that they had been taking collections throughout the tour to get the dude lessons. Trust me, they would be seriously advanced lessons. The show was immense fun. Anyway, I ended up getting her latest CD (link to iTunes). It's very good. If you enjoy this kind of music, consider seeing one of the ten remaining shows....

And now for your viewing and listening pleasure (as usual, click "read more"), check out a 2006 remix of an early 80s ABBA song. I just downloaded the music from iTunes. The band? Sylver! SCARY (but good)........



As for the original, I'd have to say that it's fairly frightening.....

I try like crazy not to watch too much television....

Most of the time, I'm successful. However, when I'm transitioning from days to nights, I occasionally find myself traversing through some of the "vast wasteland". Most of the time, I'll watch a feature film, a documentary, or some comedy. This evening, I caught most of a documentary on Discovery Times called "Execution in Iran". You can see it for yourself here. Words don't begin to describe....

For something much more inspiring from central Asia, check this out. This is a wonderful mix of musical genres....

Well, it's that time of year again....

Until we meet again......adieu!

If the allegations........

in this suit (.pdf file) are true and there's not some really good justification, the head of Oral Roberts University might have a pretty rough time ahead. Here's the statement from the current university president (Richard Roberts, Oral's son) and here's the statement of the university regarding an independent audit. I don't know about the benefits of being a president at an average university, but this seems like a heckuva set of perks....

I received a little e-mail about "Cats in a record store" last week and decided to look up the originator. There are some truly funny animations of all of "The Record Store Cats!" here.

Your taxes help to fund it and there's some great science material, so check it out....

5 days until Loreena.....

Peace, y'all!

If you're like me (God help you if you are).......

and you use SpamPal in conjunction with the Bayesian plugin to fight the onslaught of junk e-mail that will eventually find you, I highly recommend using the v1.10 dll that can be found here. I frequently forget to find this when I'm setting up on a new computer and I've had more success with Bayesian filtering with this beta than with the stable release version (v1.08).

It's a fairly happy time when something like this goes down (compared to other possible outcomes).......

I was reading a story in the news yesterday about UC Berkeley offering lectures (not for credit, of course) via YouTube. I love that kind of stuff. The internets rock! As for other big name edureference kind of stuff, check out the NY Times Learning Network or the stuff from Yahoo! Education. The amount of information currently available via all these new-fangled contraptions is seriously mind-boggling.......

As can be gathered from a few events over the past couple of days....

The person responsible for DubyaSpeak.com will have plenty of material for at least the next year. I suppose it's all in good fun. I'm not one of those types of folks who would say I "hate" Dubya. I vehemently disagree with a number of things that have taken place while he's been "the man", but I've disagreed with the actions and stances of many politicians. I'm sure the next President will provide plenty of fodder for contemptuous comment....

A band that I recently added to my friends on myspace.com was looking for assistance in the voting for best newcomer at schwarzes-leben.com. I happened to look at the results of the vote from last year and I found some decent stuff. However, my favorite (by far) was Angelzoom. I zoomed (haha) on over to the Angelzoom page at myspace.com and when I saw the cover of Depeche Mode's Blasphemous Rumors, I was impressed. A quick listen to some of the other music had me hooked. Check it out, if you dare.....

If you're more in the mood to hear something cultural/educational, check out this listing of podcasts from the Smithsonian Institution.....

Peace, y'all!

Damn!

I kind of expected this turn of events....

The same vehicular issue that led to the cancellation of A23's Nashville show is responsible for the cancellation of the N.O. show as well. I'll see them the next time they come around.....

Ever the optimist, the Nashville cancellation prompted me to look at other music events around the Southeast. Now I plan on going to see Loreena McKennitt in Knoxville on October 12th and DJs Sasha and Spooky in Atlanta on October 26th. I believe that both of these shows promise to be enjoyable.....

That whole thing at Columbia University yesterday appeared to have gone down without much of a hitch. I was especially surprised at how pointed President Bollinger's introductory remarks were. I'm pretty sure that Ahmadinejad is not quite used to that level candor. It's too bad that he doesn't get that more often. For your viewing pleasure, here's Ahmadinejad's ranting propaganda before the UN General Assembly earlier today.......

Well, I'm outta here. You folks have a BLAST!

Drat!

Well, due to circumstances beyond their control, A23 will not be in Nashville tomorrow night. However, the band intends to be in The Big Easy on Wednesday night. I've been to quite a few places (US and foreign) but I've never been to New Orleans. I'm thinking now (this week at least) is the PERFECT time for a little road trip. I just hope the band's transportation situation gets rectified. I'll be stoked to see this show (barring any further problems) and visit the Crescent City.....

Overall, it's been a quiet weekend so far. Hangin' with pals (and their totally fun kids) and doing little odds and ends.....

I would be highly remiss if I didn't point y'all in the direction of Suzanne's new venture. Hey, check it out......

I am very glad to see that Columbia University hasn't backed away from hosting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I am diametrically opposed to many of the things that the Iranian President stands for, but this country (particularly the higher education system) is partly about the expression of ideas. Perhaps a more open dialog can move the US and Iran further from the brink of escalation and threatening posturing. Maybe it's time after over a quarter of a century. As a realist, I understand that continued animosity and disagreement is very likely, but at least we would be able to say that an attempt had been made.....

Well, y'all have a blast! I have to get ready for this week since my plans have been altered slightly. Peace!

Well, the first order of business here.....

Happy birthday, Daddy-o!

Here's to hoping that your birthday is a blast. I suppose that you could have a killer time in Hawaii. You could go surfing.........

Earlier this week, General John Abizaid (Ret.) spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I was absolutely surprised to hear the general urge patience (i.e. not pre-emptive war) with Iran and suggest that it would be possible to live with a nuclear armed Iran. I don't necessarily like the rhetoric of the Bush administration regarding Iran and I think that the words "There are ways to live with a nuclear Iran" (as spoken by Abizaid) aren't the best words for the situation. I just happen to feel that the odds of a nuclear device getting into the wrong hands would be much higher if Iran is successful (if they're even aiming for nuclear weapons) in their pursuits. Of course we'll "live with" the situation. Heck, that's what we had to do after Pakistan and India proved successful in their pursuit of nuclear weapons. However, as the whole AQ Khan debacle proved, proliferation is a serious danger and part of the reason we are "5 minutes to midnight".

Peace, y'all!

Ahhhhhhh, the Klan.....

I happened to miss the little KKK rally in Athens today. Trust me, I'm not that bummed about having missed it, but I suppose it might have provided a bit of weekend afternoon entertainment. I thought it was slightly strange that a group of the Klan based in Indiana came all the way to Alabama to protest against illegal immigrants. There was only a little blurb on al.com about the event and there's a slideshow (8 pix) at enewscourier.com. Though I think the message and thought processes of those who made this happen today are woefully misguided and totally wrong, I was relieved that the decision (from a few weeks ago) to deny them a permit to protest was reversed. As is often noted, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." If you like, follow the entire evolution of today's silliness (from the Athens News Courier) here.

Howdy, world!

Ahhhhhh, the end of the week....

I thought about posting something on the 11th, but I felt better being silent. I didn't want to cheapen the remembrance of the thousands who were lost by getting into some political rant.....

Today seems like kind of a lazy day to me. We're actually getting a nice, steady rain from what's left of Humberto. It's sweet to have a steady, soaking rain. Plus, it's actually been significantly cooler than it was during much of August. Mind you, I enjoyed the heat, but stretches of 100+ degree weather make it insanely hot at my job.....

The Library of Congress has added e-mail alerts corresponding to many of its RSS feeds. See here.....

If you like crossword puzzles....

PDF from Newsday: http://www.pzzl.com/global/newsday/crossword/pdf/newsdayYYMMDD.pdf

AcrossLite puzzle two week archive from chron.com: http://www.chron.com/content/fun/games/xword/puzzles/ (requires download of Across Lite from http://www.litsoft.com)

Y'all have fun now! I know I will.......

I've been fairly beat the past couple of days...

Of course it has to do with working the night shift. I'm still a fan of nights but it's almost time to transition over to being ready for days for a little stretch. Heck, the past couple of days, I slept just long enough until I could wake up and beat my body into submission on the elliptical machine and then get ready for work. My body won today. I can say that I feel extraordinarily rejuvenated.

So, news that has interested me....

The reports from the GAO about Iraq - #1 and #2
Ol' Fred jumps on the bandwagon to be the Prez
Addio Maestro!

I guess that I'd better run along now. It's about time to get ready for and then high-tail it on into work....

Peace!

Quite an end to a day and the week...

From a political standpoint, there was the beginning and end of the whole Larry Craig debacle. I was quite tired of that story by the end of the first day. I feel bad for the dude if his pleas of innocence were true. Much of his party was extraordinarily quick to turn its back on him as soon as the story exploded into the public eye. The story (along with Tony Snow's resignation announcement this week) did get me thinking about how many higher level people have left the Bush administration since the 2006 election. Look here for a partial list of more of Bush's folks who have resigned. It almost seems like they're dropping like the proverbial flies....

On a slightly more melancholy note, my neighbor was back this week. It was good to see him. He and his wife were tossing darts (along with a brew or two) and we went over to throw down a few brews for a little bit. I do happen to think that I probably scared the heck out of both of them. Somehow we got to talking about hot sauces and one of the items Jason broke out was a bottle of Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce. Ever the one to test the waters of craziness, I eyed the bottle for a little bit and then decided that I could tip it up for a few swigs. I'd already had my lovin' spoonful of the regular Dave's Insanity today. This stuff was a little bit hotter and gave me hiccups like I haven't had for a while, but it wasn't much of a problem. I think the neighbors believe I really am a lunatic (well, there was the Absolut from the party at the end of June). Good luck over there, Jason!

Well, I'm thinking it's about time for me to sweat a little bit. All y'all have a good Labor Day. Peace!

Wassa' happenin'...

hot stuff? Mmmmmm, those are some beautiful peppers!

Now I know it's strange that I'm up at 2:30 in the morning (I am a creature of the night) and all but I couldn't resist watching The Jerk. Besides, I wasn't tired yet. I just need to shift myself back to being ready for the daytime by tomorrow morning.

I'll often use this space as a place to complain about this administration. When the next administration is elected, I am sure I'll have plenty of fodder for discussion. Just in the interest of fairness, here's the page for the official "White House spin" on stories that are negative toward the policies of the current Executive Branch. I still believe that in most instances (particularly where politics is concerned) the truth of many issues lies somewhere closer to the middle than the opposing participants would have people believe.

Well folks, I suppose that it's time for a wrap...

Peace!

I was recently surfing the internets aimlessly....

when I remembered a little side business that a buddy of mine from my last place of employment had started. He took a vacation a few years ago and took some KILLER pictures from some beautiful locations in the western US. I went back to see how his photo store was coming along. The pictures of the bald eagles hanging around the northern Iowa-Illinois portion of the Mississippi River are great. Other than the people I worked with and a few restaurants up there, the eagles are one of a few things I miss. It was tremendous to watch the eagles sit around on the parts of the river that had frozen and occasionally take off soaring to look for fish. Check out Jason's photo store....

As promised....

Here is part two (the remaining nine minutes). I have y'all click "read more" because I don't like having too much video and glitzy stuff right on the front page. So, if you want to check it out, go ahead and click "read more"...


Last 9 (or so) minutes of Art and Suzanne's wedding reception
12/19/1992
Weatherly Heights Baptist Church
Huntsville, AL