Jack White Concert

Rocking ever onward through the Universe; I hope you are doing quite well.


Below is a link to a full length Jack White Concert from this year that was performed in New Orleans.  Excellent stuff.   Jack seems to bring the most out of the musicians.  I know for a while he has been touring with two complete bands and paying them both even for he nights they don't play.  The is the all male band called the "Buzzards"  He has some rocking females also who are called the "Peacocks".   All of the musicians are top notch and seem to give it thier all.

Click the button above and quit reading the crap I typed out.  To me, there isn't anybody I would rather see in concert.  His music really doesn't fit into a particular genre.   He draws from blues, punk, R&B, and rock and roll in general but he pretty much does his own thing.  Besides the fact that he might switch bands from night to night, he says he doesn't like to plan his sets out either.  

Now you may prefer to see Liberace, Wayne Newton,  or maybe even Garth Brooks but this guy puts on a good show his ownself.   If you are looking for someone to play a wedding, birthday party or bar miztvah, he should be your first choice.   Tell him Marc Twyman sent you.

Houston Zoo

Ungawa!

Being a long time Houston resident I have visited the Zoo here several times over the years.  Back in the day it was free to get in but at the same time it was depressing.   Last time we had visited was several years back and there was construction on progress and they were starging to make some changes.   One of the things that used to be depressing was how the chimps were kept in small concrete cages with bars and they seemed to be miserable.  You could tell they were sick of seeing people walk by.

The exibits now are much more focused on being a better place for the animals to live.   The chimps now live in a big open area and are allowed to interact with each other.  We were obseving them from an indoor area with glass windows and then when we went outside there was a large group of school children screaming and running towards us.  At first I though the kids just didn't know how to act but one of the kids told me that one of the chimps had just thrown some poo at them.   It really seemed like the kids got a kick out of it.  A guy from the zoo came by not too long after that and was talking into his walkie-talkie about the chimps throwing "baseballs" again.  I spoke to him and he told me that it is something happens when the zoo is crowded and he mentioned spring break.  I guess the chimps don't like the large crowds.

When we first arrived, we came upon a group of zoo-keepers walking a binturong which is pictured below:

The binturong's name is "Hanna" and she was pretty amazing to see.  She had pretty good sized claws and they wouldn't let anybody get close to her but the zoo employees were very friendly and didn't mind sharing information about Hanna.  


Here are a couple of other photos I took also:

The Houston Zoo has really become a first class operation.  The animals all appeared to be well cared for and in excellent health.   The cost for adults is $13 and it is well worth the investment.   If you live in Houston and haven't been for a number of years then I would highly recommend it. 

The primate section is really well laid out but I didn't know how to turn the flash off in the camera so I didn't want to be taking pictures in shaded areas.   The aquarium and reptile buildings are great also.  The elephant area is much improved and enlarged also.  There was a lady there who is a volenteer docent and she gave us some interesting background on the individual elephants and thier antics. All of  the elephants looked to be in good spirits a good health.  You can also see the Komodo Dragon which has his own display area but the windows were fogged up since it was kind of cool the day we visited last week.   Basically, I am saying that the pictures I did take don't really do the experience justice and if you like animals, then you will not be disappointed.   

Some good people

When I first read and then later heard about the killings of the children and teachers in Connecticut, I tried to tune it out.   The thought of children's lives just being instantly over for no good reason is too much to really too much to digest.  It is the kind of thing that will never make sense.

Today I read the following story about some people who put the safety of the kids in front of thier own.   They had to know they had little chance of stopping an armed gunman but they did it anyway.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/nyregion/gunman-kills-20-children-at-school-in-connecticut-28-dead-in-all.html?_r=0

The principal and another staff member at an elementary school in Connecticut had rushed a gunman who forced his way inside, an act of courage that cost both of them their lives, a school superintendent said on Saturday. In all, the gunman killed 26 people, 20 of them children, in the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting.   
    
The principal, Dawn Hochsprung, 47, of Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, was running at the gunman “in order to protect her students” when she was shot, the superintendent, Janet Robinson, said. The school psychologist also tried to stop the gunman and was killed, Ms. Robinson told reporters in brief remarks outside the school.

“Teachers were really, really focused on saving their students,” she added.

At least the parents and other family members will be able to know that somebody actually cared enough to try and stop the guy.

Update

Just a quick update to let you know that the mothballs are deployed, the squirrel excluder seems to be holding up, and the squirrels seem to be observing the truce.   However, I don't think they can be trusted so I am going to pledge to remain vigilant. 

Round 2

Hi,

I went up in the attic yesterday to have a look around and I saw the damn squirrel again.  I don't know for sure if it is the same one but this time it was crawling along the edge so I didn't get as good a look as last time but it definitely seemed to be a squirrel.  I went down and took a look at the screen material that I had stapled up over the wooden vent over the garage door and I saw that the squirrels had ripped it loose.  This was very upsetting.  When I put that heavier screen up, I thought I was done and was very proud of myself.  You can only imagine the natural dismay to realize that the squirrel was not phased and it was probably up there peeking out of the vent laughing at me.


The whole thing really ruined my evening.  I just couldn't relax knowing that there were still squirrels up in my attic probably nesting and planning to raise a family.  I imagine they have stored some nuts in my attic also. 

Late last night, and by that I mean early this morning, I decided to do a Google search and find out how to deal with squirrels in the attic.  There are all kinds of ideas about this but the one thing I was picking up was that it was not usually an easy thing to do.   I was feeling even worse.   I had gone up in the attic and chased the squirrel out and I was now finding out that they are not so easy to train.

There are all kinds of suggestions.  Some people just use rat traps and kill them.  Others suggest trapping them with a box trap and setting the free somewhere else.  One page suggested soaking pieces of cloth in amonia and hanging them around the attic.  I didn't like the idea of that since I could picture myself up there getting overwhelmed by the amonia and passing out in the attic right there in front of the squirrels.

There is a strobe light that will run them off but it cost about $399.  I also saw a youtube vidoe of a guy showing how to install an "excluder".  I wasn't familiar with excluder technology but it is pretty simple.  You build a door that lets them leave but doesn't let them back in.  

After that I did some searches for "Homemade squirrel excluder" and "how to make a squirrel excluder" and I finally found some typed out instructions on how to make one but it didn't have any pictures.

I went out to the garage and found some  screening material and it seemed like it was just enough to get the job done.  Basically the idea is to build a rectangular shaped screen box and then make a door that opens just one way.  The door is long enough that it is slanted in the box.

I started working on it in my living room and by the time I was done I took a look a the clock and saw it was almost 4am.   I got up this morning at about nine and after eating breakfast and goofing off, I  went out and installed the fabulous squirrel excluder device which is pictured above.  I took another picture but there was a shadow and it doesn't really show up unless the sky is the background but you can get a general idea.

I also read that mothballs are a good repellant so I am going to go and buy some of those and throw them around where the the squirrel has been hanging out.  After that, I will have to wait ans see.  I have been humbled once so this time I am going to stay humble before I re-declare my arrogance and supuriority to the squirrels.  For all I know they have figured out how to get past the excluder device and they are up there mocking me right now. 

Vote

I "early voted" today.  It was a very civil process.  Everybody stood in line and waited thier turn and the volenteer election officials did a great job.  The early voting location is also a sherriff's office and isn't too far from the house.  We had to stand in line for about 45 minutes to an hour but the weather was nice so it was no big deal.  There was one guy a few people back saying that the vote didn't matter because Texas was going to vote as predicted and the guy standing next to him asked him if it didn't matter then why was he standing in line.  It was a good point;  it is definitely worth it to vote.


In other news I was sitting here at this computer last night and I heard something scratching around in the attic.   I was assuming it was a rat and I wasn't too happy about that because even though it has to be done, I don't enjoy the rat-trap killing process since sometimes the traps don't finish them off and then I have to deal with that.  Later on I went out side and found a wooden vent on the front of the house that I had screened up several years back to keep birds from nesting in it and something had torn the lower end of the screen loose.  I was thinking it was probably a squirrel.

Today when I got home from voting I went up in the attic and sure enough I heard something moving around.  I was holding a shop light hooked up to an extension cord and I was shining it around and trying to stir whatever it was.  Then a squirrel emerged and made a break to the vent.   After he took off, I left the light up there and went out and put a heavier piece of screen material over the vent.  I haven't heard anything up there so I am assuming I haven't trapped any squirrels in the attic by sealing up thier entrance. 

Besides that I made a big pot of soup with chicken breasts, kale, potatoes, corn, onion, carrots, cellery, jalapinos, split peas, and some spices.  I used some chili powder to give it a soutwhestern type flavor and it seemed to come out alright.  You can guess what is going to be on the menu for a the next few days.   I used the same method that I had listed a year or so back where I started out with some carrots, onion, cellery, and kale and cooked that all pretty well and then took it all out and set it aside to cool and put in the blender and add back to the soup later on in the cooking process.  After that I put the chicken breasts in.  Once those were cooked I tooke them out and let them cool and dumped in all the chopped vegies.  Once it came to a boil I turned it off and just let it sit and added a little sea salt, some pepper, some garlic powder, the blenderized cooked vegies I had set aside earlier, some dried onion flakes, and a good bit of chili powder.    I also added the split peas that I had cooked in a separate pot and a drained can of corn.  At the very end I added the deboned chicken back in and just left the pot covered for about 30 minutes with the stove turned off.

 Oh yeah, after I voting and and had a celebratory Tex-Mex lunch at a local establisment, I stopped by the Dollar Floor Stoor on Mason Road.  I am going to have to replace the carpet in the room here and I wanted to take a look at some of the do it yourselfer options.  There was a guy there named Tony and he was very informative and polite.  I pretty much made up my mind that when I do make the purchase, he has earned my business.  

There you have it.  Another exciting day for the history books.


America really is a great country.

Coolest thing ever

Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2 in New Mexico

To get a good view, make it go full screen.   The cool thing, besides the view of the martian landscape,  is that you can "point" the view downward and see the rover itself.  This is just too much.

Touchdown confirmed

"Touchdown confirmed," said engineer Allen Chen. "We're safe on Mars."

Sleepless night ahead for NASA

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57486873-76/curiosity-closes-in-on-mars-for-high-stakes-descent/

Here is an excerpt from the above link:

...Tipping the scales at 1 ton, Curiosity is the largest rover ever sent to Mars and it will hit the upper atmosphere at a blistering 13,200 mph. Protected by a massive insulating heat shield, the spacecraft and its computer will fire rocket thrusters to adjust the craft's lift during the hypersonic phase of the descent, dipping or climbing as required and flying through broad S-turns to bleed off speed while keeping the craft on course for a pinpoint landing.
After slowing to around 1,000 mph, the craft will deploy a huge supersonic parachute, the heat shield will be jettisoned, and a sophisticated radar altimeter will begin sounding the surface. After the craft slows to less than 200 mph, the parachute will be jettisoned and Curiosity, bolted to the belly of a rocket-powered descent stage, will fall free for the final drop to the surface.
Unlike past landers, Curiosity's jet pack doesn't have legs. Instead, it will act like a flying crane, lowering the rover directly to the surface on the end of a 25-foot-long bridle as the "sky crane" slowly descends. When the flight computer senses "weight on wheels," the bridle will be cut and Curiosity will be ready for initial tests and checkout.
Touchdown is expected at 10:17 p.m. PDT Sunday, but it will take radio signals confirming the event 13.8 minutes to cross the 154-million-mile gulf between Earth and Mars. That translates to 10:31 p.m. "Earth-received time."
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will be relying on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter to relay entry, descent, and landing telemetry back to Earth and to confirm a successful touchdown. If Odyssey has problems, or if any issues crop up with Curiosity's transmitter, it could take several hours for that long-awaited confirmation to arrive.
Given the complexity of the entry, descent, and landing sequence -- and the mission's $2.5 billion price tag -- NASA managers and engineers are understandably anxious...

the better Sherlock

A couple of years back, Guy Richie directed a Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downy Jr. playing the lead characater.  I looking forward to seeing it but when I did it was hugely disapointing.  It may be a good movie but I didn't care for it at all.  They seemed to miss the essense of Sherlock Holmes altogeather.

The PBS version called "Sherlock" which has just recieved 13 Emmy nominations is another story altogether.   This is a good one.  It is a modern sherlock who has the resources of the internet at his fingertips via his i-phone.  The Dr. Watson character is played by a guy who was the "Jim Halpurn" in the origional English version of "The Office".

Now this here is some good tv.

"A man can't just sit around."

Here is a copy-and-paste from wikipedia about "Lawn Chair Larry":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters

Lawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) was an American truck driver^[1] who took flight on July 2, 1982, in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. Walters rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California, into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. His flight was widely reported in many newspapers.

Origin of his plan
Walters had always dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight. Walters had first thought of using weather balloons to fly at age 13 and 14, after seeing them hanging from the ceiling of a military surplus store. Twenty years later he decided to do so. His intention was to attach a few helium-filled weather balloons to his lawnchair, cut the anchor, and then float above his backyard at a height of about 30 feet (9.1 m) for several hours. He planned to use a pellet gun to burst balloons to float gently to the ground.

Preparation and launch

In mid-1982, Walters and his girlfriend, Carol Van Deusen, purchased 45 eight-foot weather balloons and obtained helium tanks from California Toy Time Balloons. They used a forged requisition from his employer, FilmFair Studios, saying the balloons were for a television commercial. Walters attached the balloons to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, put on a parachute, and strapped himself into the chair in the backyard of a home at 1633 W. 7th St. in San Pedro.^[2] He took his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, cold beer, and a camera. When his friends cut the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep, Walters' lawn chair rose rapidly to a height of about 15,000 feet (4,600 m). At first, he did not dare shoot any balloons, fearing that he might unbalance the load and cause himself to spill out. He slowly drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport.
He was in contact with REACT, a CB monitoring organization, who recorded their conversation:

REACT: What information do you wish me to tell [the airport] at this time as to your location and your difficulty?

Larry: Ah, the difficulty is, ah, this was an unauthorized balloon launch, and, uh, I know I'm in a federal airspace, and, uh, I'm sure my ground crew has alerted the proper authority. But, uh, just call them and tell them I'm okay.

After 45 minutes in the sky, he shot several balloons, and then accidentally dropped his pellet gun overboard. He descended slowly, until the balloons' dangling cables got caught in a power line, causing a 20-minute blackout in a Long Beach neighborhood. Walters was able to climb to the ground.

Arrest and notoriety

He was immediately arrested by waiting members of the Long Beach Police Department; when asked by a reporter why he had done it, Walters replied, "A man can't just sit around."
Regional safety inspector Neal Savoy was reported to have said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, some type of charge will be filed. If he had a pilot's license, we'd suspend that. But he doesn't." Walters initially was fined US$4,000 for violations under U. S. Federal Aviation Regulations, including operating an aircraft within an airport traffic area "without establishing and maintaining two-way communications with the control tower." Walters appealed, and the fine was reduced to US$1,500.^[3] A charge of operating a "civil aircraft for which there is not currently in effect an airworthiness certificate" was dropped, as it was not applicable to this class of aircraft. Walters commented, "If the FAA was around when the Wright Brothers were testing their aircraft, they would never have been able to make their first flight at Kitty Hawk."
Walters received the top prize from the Bonehead Club of Dallas for his adventure, as well as invitations from The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman.
Walters' flight was replicated (though tethered) on one of the pilot episodes of the TV show MythBusters, in which Adam Savage was lifted to a height just under 30 m (100 ft) and gradually reduced his altitude by shooting balloons with a pellet gun.

Larry took his famed flight when he was 33 and the sad end is is that when he was 44 years old he killed himself on purpose by shooting himself in the heart.

Chief Justice John Roberts

When it comes to court rulings, all you can ask from a Judge is that they rule with complete respect for the constitution and the law.   If you believe that the Judicial system was fair and impartial, even though they may have got it wrong, then you got a fair shake and you have to accept the decision and move on.  

One judge that comes to mind is Sanders Sauls.  He was the Democrat who ruled against Al Gore in Florida.  He was somewhat of a conservative Democrat but there is little qestion that he ruled based on how he interpreted the law.

When I watched the confirmation hearings for John Roberts, I thought he seemed like a good guy and somebody who would be a good member of the SCOTUS.  

There has been alot of political talk about the ruling on Obamacare but when it comes down to it, it shouldn't be purely a political discussion.  It is about the law. 

I still feel like the Supreme Court is holding up its end of the bargain and we need to focus on the ;egislative and executive branches to do the same.  Particularly Congress.  The partisan devision is bad for the country.  There is nothing wrong with compromise.  We must all be Americans fisrt and partisans somewhere on down the list.

Rock On America.  The knuckeheads may be parading thier ignorance and small mindedness on a daily basis like our Sentor from Texas, John Cornyn, but there is hope. 

Thats right, John Cornyn is acting like an idiot.  Whenever there is an attack on the President of the United States, he always has to open his mouth.  Somebody needs to tell him that he seems a lot smarter when he doesn't speak.

Ima Hogg House

Today we visited the Ima Hogg House which was donated to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.  The Home/Museum contains one of the greatest collections of antiques you will ever see.  Ima lived there with her collection of fine furniture, artwork, and other things until she made a decision to donate it all to the people of Texas.  It is one thing to see some of the best examples of early american furniture in a museum but at Ima's house you can see the furniture in a propper setting.  I could go on about how nice the stuff is but if you have any appreciation for antiques whatsoever then you gotta check it out for your own self.  Also, I have to say the lady who presented our guided tour was a real gem.  Her name is Margaret and she is a volenteer.   I have to say I truly appreciate her service and I was happy to tell her that at the end of the tour.  After hearing Margerat talk and answer questions, it was clear that Ima Hogg was truly a remarkable human being.   She did fall into a great deal of money but what she chose to do with it as well as her time sets her apart.

Here is a link to the website:   http://www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-collection-and-gardens/bayou-bend-visitor-info/

Jack Twyman, an NBA saint

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/remembering-jack-twyman-nba-saint-173912178.html

Jack Twyman with the Rochester Royals, in 1958 (Getty Images)
Jack Twyman passed away on Wednesday, at the age of 78. The former Rochester and Cincinnati Royal enjoyed an 11-year NBA career that included six trips to the All-Star game, and two Eastern Conference finals losses to the then-champion Boston Celtics. When Twyman retired at age 31, with his final year per-minute numbers nearly as stout then as they were in his prime, he was the NBA's second-leading scorer behind the mighty Wilt Chamberlain.
And this remains the secondary story behind Twyman's life and career, in a move no journalist should feel bad about. Because as you've no doubt heard by now, Twyman acted as former teammate Maurice Stokes' caretaker for the last 12 years of Stokes' life, after the former Royals forward suffered significant brain damage during an injury sustained in the final game of the 1957-58 season, cutting short a promising career (to say the absolute least) that saw Stokes average a combined 33.7 points/rebounds a contest for the Royals.
Worse, with Stokes' family hundreds of miles away and workers compensation failing to cover the costs of his care in the years before the NBA developed a strong union and significant pension plan, Stokes was just about left to his own devices as he grew more and more destitute. This is where Twyman came in, organizing fundraisers for his former teammate, visiting him weekly, and essentially acting as his caretaker (while working as an NBA All-Star, while running his own insurance company in the NBA's offseason, and while working as ABC's lead color analyst) until Stokes' passing in 1970.

Because our words pale in comparison to theirs, here are two remembrances. One, from the New York Times' Douglas Martin:

Twyman sometimes worried that his wife and family might become upset over the amount of time he devoted to Stokes over 12 years, but his daughter said in an interview that they had come to look forward to Stokes's Sunday visits from the hospital. Twyman's wife of 57 years, the former Carole Frey, became, with her husband, a co-trustee of the Maurice Stokes Foundation, which was set up to defray Stokes's hospital costs but grew to help other needy N.B.A. veterans as well.
The charity basketball tournament they began at Kutsher's Hotel in the Catskills drew stars like Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and, of course, Chamberlain.
Years after his accident, when Stokes had recovered enough finger flexibility to type, his first message was: "Dear Jack, How can I ever thank you?"

From the Cincinnati Enquirer's Bill Koch:

I asked him one day what Wilt Chamberlain was like and he told me about the time Chamberlain flew back from Paris for Twyman's annual fundraiser for Maurice Stokes, paying for the flight himself and never making a big deal out of it.

From the New York Post's Peter Vecsey:

"Mo was stranded in Cincinnati and I lived there," Twyman told me when we last spoke three or four years ago, utterly downplaying the sacrifice of his family and the enormity of the undertaking. "I did what anyone would have done for a friend.''
A year older than Stokes, they had competed against each other and played alongside one another in the Pittsburgh area. In 1955, they became teammates before the Royals moved from Rochester to Cincy.
As great a scorer as Twyman was (31.2 ppg in '59-60; 19.2 overall), his 11-season Hall of Fame career was shaded by his compassion for Stokes, whom he cared for until his death from a heart attack at 36.
I still can see Jack's right hand in the air as he turned downcourt after nailing another jumper. And I still can see that ever-present arm around Mo.

And the Associated Press' Paul Newberry:

"Maybe this is a little learning opportunity for everyone who plays professional sports," said John Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "Jack didn't look for accolades. It was just the right thing to do. That's what made him a very, very special man."

Here's a clip of Jack helping to announce the arrival of Willis Reed, before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
And here is Jack's Basketball Hall of Fame induction, helped in by fellow University of Cincinnati alum Oscar Robertson:

If you took the time to wait through the introduction and listen to Jack speak, then you probably noticed the overwhelming humility that Jack Twyman displayed in his demeanor and words.

This guy is a true hero.

If the River was Whiskey...

Here is a video of Jeff Beck with Imogen Heap performing the Muddy Waters classic "Rollin & Tumbling"

War

Last night I started watching the PBS Ken Burns documentary titled "The War".  You can read about it here:  http://www.pbs.org/thewar/



Tonight I watched "Hell and Back Again" which is another fine documentary that you can read about here:  http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hell-and-back-again/film.html

 

Sobering stuff.  

Supreme Court issues a liberal ruling on double jeopardy

Today's news reports a 6/3 US Supreme Court ruling and I agree with the minority on this one.

Here is the link to the news story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-says-double-jeopardy-does-not-protect-against-murder-retrial/2012/05/24/gJQAnXlznU_story.html


Here is a link to the text of the ruling itself:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-1320.pdf


Basically, a guy in Arkansas was accused of Murder and the Jury Forewoman announced in open court that the Jury was unanimous against a capital or first degree murder verdict.  They then went back in and deliberated for 31 minutes and could not agree on manslaughter so the judge declared a mistrial.   

This is the most unconservative iterpretation of the constitution ever by a US Supreme Court. 

Up until this point, I had always felt good about this particular panel of judges but now I am not so sure.   How they could collectively get something this wrong is beyond me.

Crescent Sun

I was on the sixth floor of the building where I work and had a great view of the solar eclipse which was only visible in Houston right before sunset.   As I said, I had a great vantage point and I even clicked off a picture on my cell phone.  The only problem was that it wasn't until the part of the Sun that was being eclipsed had already dropped out of view that I realized that I had failed to click the "Save" option and I no longer had the picture.

Basically it looked like a large crescent and I couldn't keep looking at it because I didn't want to hurt my eyes.

Facebook; an investment opportunity for zuckers

I don't get the idea of connecting back with people who I never really connected with in the first place.  If we wern't friends in High School then why would we want to be friends now?  I don't give a damn about an official friends list and if I had two hundred or more people on it then it would be a lie.  I simply don't have that many friends and don't want to pretend like I do.

Here is my stock tip:  If you think Facebook is a good investment, then just buy stock in Myspace instead.  It will be much cheaper and you won't lose as much money.  Of course Myspace is not a public company but if it had gone public, it still would have flopped. 

Also,  if the CEO of Facebook wants to drop his citizenship to get out of paying taxes then he needs to go on over to whatever country it is that he likes better.   If you want to know what I really think, Mark Zuckerberg can kiss my American ass.



UPDATE 12/27/13

http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/stocks/articles/In-Insider-Trading-Mark-Zuckerberg-Dumps/12/27/2013/id/53170

http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/12/27/facebook-is-dead-and-buried-argues-eu-study-lead/

The stock is still selling for top dollar but it seems like Mark Zuckerberg knows it has crested.

Chen Guangcheng arrives in the USA

This is some good news. 

Strike that. 

This is some most excellent news and an aswer to prayers:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/20/us-china-dissident-idUSBRE84I04V20120520


"I am very gratified to see that the Chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm and I hope to see that they continue to open discourse and earn the respect and trust of the people," Chen, speaking through a translator, told reporters outside a New York University housing building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Tenacious D

"Tenacious D" was on the Jimmy Fallon Show the other night promoting thier new album.  This time they hired some good musicians to back them up.  The drummer is from the band Bad Religion and he is definitely good.  If you don't know quite what to think about "Tenacious D", that may be the general Idea.  The video above might help explain it a little better.

Whooping Cranes Hatch Chick Without Biologists’ Help In Wisconsin

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/03/whooping-cranes-hatch-chick-without-biologists-help-in-wisconsin/

Top movie list

I generally don't like "best of" lists but so what?

Here are some of my best of all time movies according to me.  I am not including Gone With the Wind because it didn't have an big impact on me. 

I am however including:

The Wizard of OZ

Star Wars, the first three but not the newer ones.

Jaws

Pulp Fiction

Goodfellas

Terminator

The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  This one was a good book, or 3 books, first but the movies are quite exceptional also. 

To Kill a Mockingbird.  Another good book but the move was great also.

The first Two Godfather movies.

Blair Witch Project.  I am including this because it is a well known low buget movie they got me to shout at the screen.  I couldn't understand why they kept going back to sleep in the tent when that was when bad things would happen.

Hoop Dreams.  I agree with Roger Ebert on this one.  It is a great documentary.


There are quite a few other good movies but these are the ones that come to mind.  I am not including foreign movies but only well known movies that I think top off the list.

I may update this post later and not admit to it but for now it is done.  That is it.

Live and let live

If you pay attention to the news and politics, then you have probably heard that Joe Biden first made a comment about Gay Marriage and now Obama has clarified his official position somewhat.  Here is a story about it from today's internet news:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obamas-declaration-on-gay-marriage-welcomed-by-friends-foes/2012/05/10/gIQA1p9sFU_story.html


I have to wonder if Joe Biden's comments were not part of a carefully calculated administration strategy much the way the controversy about women's birth control costs in association with Obamacare were  purposely interjected to create a predicitable reaction from the opposing party.

You have to figure that the folks that feel strongly that gay marriage should be outlawed would never have voted for Obama anyway.  Obama had kind of gone to mush as far as his liberal convictions so maybe he is trying to shore up his base a little bit.

It does seem like a chess move that did force Romney to respond.  

Believe in somebody

Here is a short article from today's internet news:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hXJ3QFCmR8BFZxND2gjdu3jF3H9A?docId=N0152701336465918258A

Johnny Depp is talking about how he loves Tim Burton "like a brother".

I have to agree that Tim Burton was right to beleive in Johnny Depp and it may be true that Depp would could have ended up as a minor leage actor if it wasn't for Edward Scissorhands but nobody could ever know that for sure.

Johnny Depp does seem to have a unique acting ability that made him perfect for the Edward Scissorhands and Maddhatter (Alice in Wonderland) roles.   Personally, I never bought  into the Pirates of the Caribbean as much as the general public and I thought the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was already magical enough that it couldn't be outdone.

Regardless of all that, the news story reminds me how important it is to believe in  the people that you are supposed to and also be loyal.

I remember a science teacher I had in 7th Grade named Mrs Willis.   For some strange reason she believed in me even when I wasn't participating or engaging in her class at all.  Somehow she turned me from a disinterested knucklehead 13 year into a kid who believed he was capable of making an A in her class.  I don't know why she did it but it still brings a tear to my eye to think about her. She is a ture hero.  Another guy I wish I could go back and thank was Mr Martinson who was the junior high school orchestra teacher who didn't pay attention to how I potrayed myself at the time and instead was extremely patient.  Looking back, I wish I could have appreciated him at the time the way I do now.  He was an older guy and I am sure he has passed on now but I can only imagine how many people's lives he touched.

So the lesson for today is to appreciate and believe.  I hope I pay attention and get it right.

Render unto Texas...

A few months back or so I got the notice to replace the license sticker that goes on the inside of the windshield on the car.   I forgot about it and when I remembered, I realized I had been driving around for about a month with expired plates.

Today I went over to the Clay Road Courthouse Annex and stood in line.  They have the little poles with the ribbon shaped ropes that form a the meandering line deviders so everybody can work thier way through when it is crowded.  It was crowded today but the line moved pretty well so I have to say that they are doing thier job over there.

When I got there, there was an Asian fellow getting out of a car as I walked in.  He came in and got in line right behind me.   He appeared to be in a hurry becuase he kept standing right behind me.  Litterally about 2 inches away.   I tried doing a sidestep to the other side and then he just moved up right next to me and I looked at him and told him to go ahead if he was in a hurrry.  He just grinned and stepped right in front of me.  This was in the first section of the line and I didn't want him breathing on my neck the whole way through.  It may have seemed like an act of kindness but it was actually pretty rude that I put him behind the next guy.  The guy who was now in front of him was a white guy that looked like he probably drove a pick-up truck and isn't ever going to vote for Obama.  The asian dude, who was probably about 55 or 60 just stepped right up and started tailgating the white guy who was about a foot and a half taller.   I could tell pretty quickly that it was getting on his nerves because he tried the same thing I did which was to look back at the guy and see if he could stare him off a little.  It didn't work.  The white dude apparantly then just decided not to react any more but when we got to the final section of the line, he finally couldn't stand it anymore and told the guy not to stand so close to him. 

The funny thing was that when we got to the front, a lady called out for the next person doing a renewal to come on up.  There were about 7 people in front of me and all of them, including the close standing asian guy,  must of had some other sort of business because I was able to go on ahead and get processed while they waited for a window to open up that could help them.

Like many of the previous stories here on the one man web log I don't know the moral of this particular story but it sure was nice not to have they guy standing so close to me the whole way through the line.  I was really surprised by how eager he was just to step right in front of me when I offered.   I doubt he even gave it  as second thought.

Pray for this man:

Houston Museum of Fine Arts

http://www.mfah.org/

Click the link directly above to see the museum's web site.

They have free admission on Thursdays and also later hours.   We stopped by today & it seemed quite different from the last time I was there which was several years back.  There are two separate buildings and one of them houses displays of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and also Native American Art as well as some others that I can't remember right now.  They had a very nice persian rug in one room.  Across the street was a building that had Roman statues and also an ornately decorated coffin for a Roman general.   That is also the building with the paintings.   They really do have some good stuff over there and I would highly recommend a visit if you haven't been lately.  They also have a very attentive staff to make sure the art is not damaged or touched.  They also don't allow flash pictures in some areas and other areas they don't allow pictures at all.  There was one section with large paintings with biblical themes and there was one in particular that  I would have liked to take a picture of but it wasn't allowed.  I forgot the name of the artist so I have not been able to find it online but it was a scene with Solomon and the two mothers claiming ownership of the same baby.  There was also a dead baby and the dispute was who belonged to the live baby.  Of course Solomon in is wisdom is holding his sword over the baby getting ready to find out who the real mother is.  

Overall, most everything that I saw struck me as a bonified museum piece and I can only imagine the actual dollar value of some of the stuff on display.   Last time I went I saw a Van Gough and I am pretty sure they still own it but today the only ones I really recognized were the ones by Picasso.  They also had several from artists who tried to paint in the style of Picasso. 

In one section they had a child mummy in a glass display that alone was worth the visit.   I still have to go back because it was hard to move fast enough to take it all in properly.

The display of Native American art was not as extensive as I would have liked but it was truly amazing.  

The bottom line is that if you are near Houston you should check out the museums even if you don't think you would be interested.   Once you get there, you definitely realize that it is cool looking stuff and a good way to pass the time.    One tip I can give you is not to try to eat lunch around the museum district because there isn't much there. 

This one above is a Rembrandt that is owned by the Museum. 

Above is a pot from around 500 BC.  I noticed another smaller one in this section that had three legs also.

Baseball, Apple Pie, and steroids

The Roger Clemens trial is underway and you can read about it here if you want to:

 http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view/20120418roger_clemens_jury_selection_like_slow_baseball_game/srvc=home&position=recent


It isn't my place to judge Roger Clemons, Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuire, but common sense will tell you that maybe Andy Pettit didn't lie when he said is friend Roger Clemons was using Steroids.

I was at Minute Made Park a few years ago when Barry Bonds broke Babe Ruth's walk record.  It was a magical moment.  I felt a connection to history and the significance of what Babe Ruth had done.  Turns out it was all phoney.

I used to think about what would have happened if Mohammed Ali faced Mike Tyson when they both were in thier prime.  If you take steroids out of the equation then Tyson probably wouldn't even have been considered. 

Steroids has been terrible for baseball.  In the short run it generated some interest when the home run records were being broken but it just comes down to cheating and that isn't what baseball is all about.

Roger Clemens should have just accepted the reality of the situation and kept his mouth shut.  He could have lived happily ever after with his millions of dollars and steroid shrunken penis.   I actually would like to believe he didn't use steroids and didn't lie to congress but somebody needs to explain why Andy Pettit would have lied and said he did and then I will give him a little more benefit of the doubt.

Little Joe YouTube Documentary

Here is a documentary of sorts that I ran accross when searching Little Joe on YouTube:

Watch it!

Little Joe on 45 rpm record

Little Joe Rocks it on this one back in 1963. 

I wasn't the only one who noticed

This morning I posted about the federal judge issuing what appeared to be a partisan order.  It appears that I wasn't the only one who got that impression:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/jerry-smith-obama-rebuke-questioned-legal-experts-213822371.html


..."I know and respect Judge Smith...But I am surprised to see a request to the Justice Department asking them to explain their views on judicial review," said Jeffries, a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. "My position would be that judicial review is judicial review, whether you like it or not."

Other scholars concurred. University of Chicago Professor Geoffrey Stone told Yahoo News in an email that Obama wasn't actually questioning judicial review, but was cautioning the judges to remember the other branches of government. "Judge Smith's response was, in my view, quite inappropriate," he said. "It was an unmistakably political act that was well beyond the proper bounds of the judicial role."...

Too bad we don't have more judges like Sanders Sauls, the Democrat judge who ruled against Al Gore in the Florida election fiasco.   He understood that the responsibility placed on him was bigger than his own political viewpoint.

Hey Everybody Look at us! We are the 5th circuit and we want to be in the news.

Seems like the 5th circuit court of appeals has and empty docket and can move on to jump in the middle of partisan politics:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504564_162-57408827-504564/appeals-court-fires-back-at-obamas-comments-on-health-care-case/

I respect thier right to vote in November but when they call out the President of the United States for making comments about a law he signed, that is about as activist as it gets.  The whole thing has been turned over the Supreme Court so they need to remember thier place and do the specific job that the taxpayers are paying them to do.  

It is disheartening to hear that judges are behaving in such a silly manner because I know there are citizens depending on thier sound judgement.

We used to have a judge here in Houston who love to grab the spotlight by sentancing people to wear signs in public & other crap like that.  He was always on had to make a comment for the cameras.  His name is Ted Poe he is now an elected member of congress.   It just showed me that he wanted the free PR to promote his ownself and I have a general disdain for that type of bullshit.

couldn't even hurt a flea (even when I tried)

This past winter here in Houston was mild.  We didn't have a hard freeze that I remember and that means we will probably have plenty of misquitoes and fleas this year.   I am already noticing that the fleas are worse than normal.  We have some large shrubs that have attracted quite a few birds.  I am not a flea expert but I think they bring fleas with them. 

Last night I tried a little flea hunting experiment.   I read on the internet that you could make a flea trap using a candle and a dish of soapy water.   The idea is that the fleas will jump towards the heat and land in the soapy water.  It was suggested to be used indoors but I wanted to try it in the kennel area that extends from our patio.  It is not a kennel but more of a small wire fence that keeps our dogs from running to the edge of the yard and waking up the neighbors when we let them out at night to do thier business. 

I found a flat pan and filled it with soapy water and put a candle in the middle of it and placed it in the middle of the kennel.  I lit the candle and turned off the light  and went inside to allow time for my enginious plan to work.  I checked after about an hour and couldn't see any fleas but I decided to be patient and left the candle buring overnight.  This  morning I was all excited and went out with my reading glasses so I could get a good view of all the fleas that I had killed.  There was one June Bug and some miscellanous small gnat looking bugs and maybe one that looked like a flea but I wasn't sure.  I then dumped the soapy water in the yard, threw away the small pile of candle wax and ate a bowl of cheerios.

Little Joe Washington

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You

Here is one fresh of the press:

https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=4020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2012 www.texasattorneygeneral.gov	CONTACT Press Office at (512) 463-2050
Houston-Based TaxMasters and Founder Patrick Cox Ordered to Pay Over $195 Million For Defrauding Customers in Texas and Nationwide
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott released the following statement after a Travis County jury returned a $195 million verdict against Houston-based TaxMasters, Inc., its predecessor companies and its founder and chief executive officer, Patrick Cox, for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act: “Today’s decision marks a significant victory for the Texans and TaxMasters customers nationwide who sought help from TaxMasters with their income tax debts and were taken advantage of in the midst of a national economic downturn. While the TaxMasters CEO made hollow promises about fighting for taxpayers and their pocketbooks in television ads, the evidence proved that the firm didn’t even bother to show up when it came time to fulfill those promises, but instead misled and defrauded their customers.” In an apparent effort to avoid the State’s enforcement action, TaxMasters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just one day before the jury trial was set to begin. Citing the firm’s bankruptcy petition, TaxMasters CEO Patrick Cox sought to delay the trial, but his request was denied and the trial proceeded as planned. After an eight-day trial, the jury found that TaxMasters, its predecessor companies and Patrick Cox committed over 110,000 violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and ordered the defendants to pay a total of over $195 million. Of that, over $113 million is restitution for fees TaxMasters’ customers paid to the firm, and $81 million was further awarded in civil penalties. Breakdown of the verdict • Consumer restitution: $113,099,820 • Civil penalties: $81,205,000 • Attorney fees: $1,045,998 • Number of Violations: 110,383 Facts of the case • The State’s enforcement action against TaxMasters, Inc. was filed in May 2010. • According to the State’s enforcement action, the so-called “tax resolution” firm misled Texans by aggressively advertising its services to federal taxpayers who have received notice from the IRS of an audit, garnishment, lien, levy or tax deficiency. • TaxMasters misled customers about their service contract terms, failed to disclose its no-refunds policy, and falsely claimed that the firm’s employees would immediately begin work on a case – despite the fact that TaxMasters did not actually start to work on a case until its customers paid in-full for services, even if that delayed response meant taxpayers missed significant IRS deadlines. • TaxMasters also failed to contact and consult with the IRS on the client’s behalf, appear on the client’s behalf at an IRS audit or hearing or postpone or stop a wage or bank account garnishment or stop a levy or lien against a client’s property. • From 2005 to 2012, the Texas Attorney General’s Office received 891 consumer complaints against TaxMasters. • The case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Nanette DiNunzio, Bruce Griffiths and Jennifer Roscetti. The trial team also consisted of legal assistants Pam Yediares and Pauline Sisson. NOTE: The Texas Attorney General’s Office will actively participate in the bankruptcy case to seek to recover restitution for customers.

 

universal devide

If what the pundits are correct and it turns out to be a vote along party lines, then that, in my opinion, is a bad thing for the court itself.  The Chief Justice has tried to avoid these types of rulings because he knows it is a bad thing to openly clarify the ideological devide in the form of a 5/4 ruling along party lines.  Whichever way the ruling goes, it will be best for the the court and the county if it by more than the minimum majority either way.   I was surprised that the attorney arguing in favor of Obamacare didn't use the example of citizens being forced to buy automobile insurance.  Of course that is being done by the states but it still seems like an example that would be a better fit than the burial insurance, brocoli, or cell phone examples they discussed.  It is always a bad sign when judges try to oversimplify an issue into something that it isn't and I don't think the president's guy did such a good job in coming up with common sense answers and examples.  His biggest hurdle seems to come down to convincing the court that it is in fact constitutional for the federal government to force citizens to purchase insurance.

I also agree that the questions asked during the oral presentation are not a reliable indicator of how the court will rule.  When it comes down to it, just as Clarence Thomas has previously said, the court relies mostly on the written briefs.  The bottom line now is that we will find out in the summer when the ruling is issued.

Day 2

Here is the audio for today's oral arguments:

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/27/149465820/transcript-supreme-court-the-health-care-law-and-the-individual-mandate

partisan evaluation

Here is a link to the top story from today's news:

The Supreme Court is deeply split on ideological and political grounds, with the five conservative Republican-appointed justices often in the majority: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.


Here is what Reuters News service says about the political leanings and predictablility of the individual Justices:


"...The Supreme Court is deeply split on ideological and political grounds, with the five conservative Republican-appointed justices often in the majority: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
The four liberal Democratic appointees are Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
A looming point of interest for the 400 spectators who will crowd into the courtroom on Tuesday is whether that 5-4 division becomes evident or appears to splinter.
All four liberals are likely, based on their past decisions and statements, to vote to uphold the law. If that occurs, they would need only one of the conservatives for a majority. An American Bar Association legal group survey of academics and lawyers found that 85 percent thought the law would be upheld.
Among the justices most likely to become swing votes in the dispute are Roberts, a 2005 appointee of President George W. Bush. Roberts has often deferred to Congress in rulings and has signaled an interest in avoiding a deeply divided ruling.
Another conservative justice who could defy political-based assumptions is Anthony Kennedy, a 1988 appointee of President Ronald Reagan. Kennedy has straddled the middle and has most often been the swing vote when the liberals prevailed.
Based on his opinions, Justice Clarence Thomas is most likely to vote to strike down the law. Scalia and Alito cannot be as easily predicted as Thomas..."

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States of America

Click here to hear audio of the proceedings from today:

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/26/149401430/transcript-supreme-court-the-health-care-overhaul-law-and-the-anti-injunction-ac


Amazing stuff. 

The text is also there so you can either read it or listen to it. 

SCOTUS

The Supreme Court is in the news today:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577305362846327828.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

They are going to hear arguments on "Obamacare" and rule on its constitutionality. I have mixed feelings on government healthcare. I do feel like that as a country that had the resources to invade & occupy Iraq & Afghanistan and to send out billions in foriegn aid, we should have a responsibility to provide basic needs for our own citizens. Our country was founded on based at least partly on Puritan principles and taking care of the poor is about as basic as it gets when it comes to the golden rule. However, I do not like the type of service I get when I go to the Post Office and I can only imagine what Governement Healthcare could evolve into.

There is no question that partisanship has take a front seat to patriotism here lately but I see more of that in the Executive and Legislative brances. According to the constitution Congress is in charge of spending money. The president cannot spend a dime (in theory) without Congressional authorization. When I hear members of Congress attacking the president about his budget, I always wonder why they are not attacking thier own branch of government since Congress actually has to sign the checks.

I know there is some ideological differences between the members of the court but I am comfortable with that and have generally felt good about how the Justices have been conducting thier business and have full confidence they will issue a decision that is based on the law. I am not convinced that it will be purely non-partisan but I have made a decision in advance to respect thier ruling, whichever way it goes.

effect & cause

Bobby D

Bonus video

But wait.  Order now and receive this bonus vidoe at absolutely no (current) charge.

sixteen saltines

Check the video of our favorite rock and roll hero.

There is no charge to view the video but please keep in mind that at some point in the future we might ask a favor from you.  Of course when the boss asks a favor, well you know.   Please enjoy the video.

Time Travel has not happened even in the future

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17364682


You can read the whole article by clicking the link above but here is the synopsis provided at the beginning of the story:

An experiment to repeat a test of the speed of subatomic particles known as neutrinos has found that they do not travel faster than light.


Here is a bit of background provided in the article itself:

...Results announced in September suggested that neutrinos can exceed light speed, but were met with scepticism as that would upend Einstein's theory of relativity.

A test run by a different group at the same laboratory has now clocked them travelling at precisely light speed...


Or you could read my posts here where I have already gone on record to make it official that we here at the one man web log never had any doubt whatsover.

Pump and Dump alert from "Penny Stock Research"

Below is somthing I saw on the Internet today on a website that issues advice on penny stocks. 




http://www.pennystockresearch.com/nsrs-gpls-taxs-pump-and-dump-alerts-january-27-2012/


NSRS, GPLS, TAXS – Pump And Dump Alerts – January 27, 2012


By: Brian Walker - January 27, 2012
Filed in: Pump & Dump Alerts

This week we’re exposing these three popular Pump & Dumps: North Springs Resources (NSRS), Geopulse Explorations (GPLS), and TaxMasters (TAXS).
That said, welcome to Pump and Dump Friday, where every week we highlight a few of the “bogus” promotions that are going on in penny stocks.
If you don’t know how these scams work, be sure to check out this free report that exposes the whole thing.
Now without further ado, here are this week’s disasters waiting to happen:

TaxMasters (TAXS)

You’ve got to love a company dedicated to fighting the greedy, over-reaching hand of the IRS. I’m already feeling the ink being sucked from my checkbook as tax season nears.
If you were to believe Research Driven Investors, you’d think TAXS was the greatest company ever. Considering the pumper was paid over $50,000 to promote shares of TaxMasters, they’d better make you love TAXS.
Well, I like TaxMasters IRS-fighting concept, but I’m not a fan of how TAXS is handling their own finances….
In November of last year, TAXS announced their previous financial reports dating back to 2009 shouldn’t be relied upon. Call me crazy, but it’s not very reassuring when a “tax fighting” company can’t even keep their own books straight!
The info page 2 of their November 28th 8-K speaks for itself…

“… as amended on September 16, 2011, the registrant’s board of directors concluded that the previously issued financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 and 2010, for the first, second and third quarters of 2010 and the first quarter 2011 should no longer be relied upon. Additional information concerning these financial statements has been developed…”

That’s some scary stuff… you never know the end result in matters like this.
However, after digging deeper, I found the reason behind the misstated earnings. It has to do with issuance of restricted shares that took place in 2010 as part of compensation for public relations.
Back then, TAXS retained their own independent valuation firm to value these restricted shares. And initially, the firm said the four million restricted shares were worth $356,014. But as it turns out, the shares were closer in value to $2.5 million!
Can you say ooops?
I don’t know what’s really going on over there at TaxMasters, but I’d steer clear of any company with restated financials. No matter the outcome, there are always better places you can invest!

 

How many times?

You can read back in my other posts and see that I have already clearly stated that time travel is not possible:

MarcTwyman.Blogspot.comSaying how it is on time travel


Below is an update from today's news:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/23/us-physics-neutrinos-cable-idUSTRE81L2B820120223

By Robert Evans and Julie Steenhuysen

GENEVA/CHICAGO | Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:06pm EST
GENEVA/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The world of science was upended last year when an experiment appeared to show one of Einstein's fundamental theories was wrong - but now the lab behind it says the result could have been caused by a loose cable.

Can click the link to read the rest of the story. 
  

God Bless America

This is my new favorite video.   It doesn't get any better.

Big News: Jack White to release solo album

Jack White is going to release a solo album.  Here a song from it here:   Hear "Love Interuption"

(you have to click the "Play" arrow near the top of the page)



There is no question that the album is going to be good.  It is afterall Jack White his ownself.

JK Harris In Liquidation

Seems like the pennies on the dollar settlement once promised by JK Harris have come full circle:

http://www.loansafe.org/jk-harris-in-liquidation
JK Harris and Co., at one point a nationwide firm offering to settle people’s tax debts for pennies on the dollar, came to a humble end in a Charleston courtroom Tuesday.
Dogged by consumer complaints and large legal settlements, deeply in debt and unable to find a way out, the Goose Creek-based company’s proposed bankruptcy restructuring was converted to a liquidation. A trustee has been assigned to scrounge up what assets she can find to repay creditors.
Many creditors, including consumers who are collectively owed millions from settlements of claims that the company misled them, will get nothing.

Who's Next?