Leon's Barbeque

If you are ever in Galveston Texas and you want to find out what Barbeque is supposed to taste like, then stop on over at Leon's.

Leon's is located at 5427 Broadway in Galveston and has earned the reputation as the best Barbeque in Galveston.  He has the awards displayed inside but if you really want to settle it once and for all just order a plate of brisket and ribs with some sides and maybe a piece of corn bread.  

To get there,  just drive straight down Broadway after you go over the bridge to get on the Island and look to the right when you get to 54th street. 

Inside it is a small place with a homestyle envrionment and Leon personally welcomed us and invited us to sit down.  He did want us to sit at a small table in case a large party came in.  It was about 2pm when we got there and no other customers were there so I thought it wouldn't matter.  However, while we were there, a stead stream of "to go" customers came in and picked up food and the place did almost fill up.  

So at the risk of ruining it for you at what you currently think is your favorite barbeque restaurant, get you some barbeque at Leon's.

Lola Colosia

We were in Galveston several weeks back and took a self guided tour of the cemetary located on Broadway.   I have driven past that cementary countless times but I had never stopped in for a visit.

The big storm in 1900 officially made landfall on September 8, 1990, so I assume that Lola died in the flood.   She was sixteen years old. I did a search about her on the internet but only found references to her grave.  You can't help but wonder what kind of person she was.  I found myself thinking about her friends that might have survived.  It had to be pretty bad for a 16 year old to endure such a terrible Hurricane and flood back in 1900 but then even worse for a friend to die.  I was a teenager the first time I had experienced the death of a friend but I still can't imagine what it would be like to have been 16 years old in Galveston Texas in September of 1900.  There must have been kids who lost many classmates not to mention family members.  Hopefully the Seawall and modern warning systems will keep something like this from ever happening again.

Albert, Willie, and Eddie, all have thier date of death listed as September 8th, 1900.  It doesn't say how old they were but I have to assume they were brothers who apparantly died in the flood.   What a terrible day for anyone who was within several miles of this cemetary at the time.

pure blues

This is about as real as it gets:

Notice how the guitar compliments the vocals.  Thanks to Stefan Grossman at Guitar Workshop for posting this great video on YouTube.

a drink from the Muddy Waters

There is no recipe for soup

(Revised on 7/28/13)

First of all, you can use whatever ingredients you have around or want to use.  But if you want to stay within the guidelines presented here, there will be no bullion cubes, sausage, store bought chicken stock, or pretty much anything else from a package unless it is from a package of frozen vegitables or maybe a can of corn that you might want to add at the end.   The general idea is that you don't want anything that has been processed in any sort of food factory. 






Step one:  Assemble the ingredients.


Here is what I would offer as far as a general guideline.


onions

celery stalks - about a half or 3/4ths of a celery plant

carrots

sweet potatoes
Poblano Peppers  -  or dried chili's if you can get them

Jalapeno  peppers

Collard or Kale Greens

Cilantro  - best to chop and add fresh once you are ready to serve

Broccoli,  Cauliflower or maybe some summer squash
Mushrooms

Garlic Cloves

Chicken - 3 or 4 chicken breasts  -  all with skin removed.

Herbs and Spices (Listed Below) - this is up to you but the very important thing is to add them mostly at the end so the flavor doesn't get cooked away.


Salt -  depending on your views on sodium
Balck Pepper
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Whatever other spices you might like;  Oregano and Italian spice mixes can add a nice touch. 



Step 2:   Soak and wash, and scrub the vegetables

Soak the vegetables in water and maybe a little vinegar for about an hour and then scrub the ones like potatoes and carrots with a  brush under running water.  The ones with softer skins just clean using your hands.    Don't Soak Mushrooms - Just rinse and clean.



Step 3:   Debone the chicken breasts - don't throw away the bones.



 Remove the chicken breasts from the bone.  Use a sharp knife and once you do it a few times it will get easier.  Basically you just want to keep the knife as close to the bone as possible and slowly trim away the chicken breast.  You can probably find a YouTube video showing how to do this.




Step 4 - Chop the Veggies

It is a good idea to take time to sharpen your knife before chopping the veggies.  You will want to use a good Chef's knife made for the job.   Cut everything up into bite sized pieces.
  
If you are using Jalapeno peppers, then you will want to cut them in half and spoon out the seeds and cartilage before chopping.  Be careful not to get the seeds or cartilage on the back side of your hands and remember not to rub your eyes.   Also, keep the chopped Jalapenos separated from the other veggies so you can add them at the end.  Chop them pretty small.


Also, do not mix the veggies that need less cooking with the  chopped carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.   Summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and particularly mushrooms.  They can  all be added once the soup is done  cooking.  The residual heat will cook them just fine.

Step 5:  Make the stock

I use a fairly good sized pot and fill it about a 4th of the way with water.

Then add the chicken breast bones to the pot and whatever miscellaneous vegetables you might want to use.  Generally if you have any left over veggies that are not quite fresh enough as you prefer but still too good to throw away, then use them.   You can also use the base from the celery stalk, a few carrots, an onion (or half an onion), or maybe a half or third of a sweet potato.  Just use whatever you think will work.

Cover the pot and after it starts to boil, then turn it down and let it cook for an hour or two.

After it is done, remove everything but the broth.  You may want to use some sort of strainer to make sure there are no chicken bones.


Step 6 -  cook the chicken breasts

In the same pot you are already using, throw the deboned chicken breasts into the pot.  Let them cook just enough to be done.   If you over cook them they will turn rubbery.  If you can cut the chicken breast in half and it is all white with no "pinkishness", then it is done enough.  You are going to cut it up and throw it back in at the end so you don't have to worry so much about it being undercooked.


Once the chicken breasts are cooked, then remove them from the pot and  let them cool on a plate.


Step 7  -  Cook the Veggies.


You can add most of the chopped veggies at the same time.  However, if you have broccoli, cauliflower, or other veggies that don't need too much cooking, then put them in at the end.

You will want to add the chopped veggies and once they come to a boil, then turn off the heat.

At this point, after the het has been turned off,  the soup mixture will be hot enough to cook broccoli and cauliflower so just add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower at the end.  No need to over cook it.  Also, if you are adding any frozen peas or corn, then do it at the very end.   Again, you will want to wait til the heat is turned off to add the veggies like mushrooms and broccoli since they won't need much cooking.


After the veggies are cooked, then add the chicken breasts (which you have chopped up at this point) back in.


Step 8 -  Taste  and then add herbs and spices tasting as you go

This a hugely important step.  Get a spoonful but let it cool enough so you can really taste it.   Check to see how much heat you got from the peppers.   This way you can spice according to your own taste.

Add some salt (if you use it) but not too much. 

Add some black pepper

Also some Chili  Powder and some garlic powder or even better some fresh chopped garlic.


Of course you could use entirely differnt spices if you like, it is up to you.


After you add the spices, then stir it up and taste it again.   If it needs more kick, then add some more of what ever seems right. 




You never really want to be able to tastes salt, pepper, or other spices individually.  You don't want any one thing to overpower the soup.  It will have good flavor from all of the good ingredients, you just want to enhance and accent the flavor.  Taste it as you add spices and remember that it is better to under spice and add more as you go than to overdo it.  You can always add more later if needed.


After that, just let it cool,  put it in plastic containers and store it in your fridge.



A bowl of soup is great to heat up at work or have for an evening meal.


If towards end of the process, you have too much soup and it is going to overflow when you  add ingredientes, then set some of the broth aside and add it back in at the end once you start to put it in containers. 


Alternative way to add peppers:   If you really want to get fancy  with it then roast the Poblano and Jalapeno (or whatever other kind you like) over the flame of a gas stove.   If you use dried peppers then soak them and then once they are soft, roast the skin side.    After that, chop them up and put them in a blender with some water.    Blend the mixture well and then add in stages as the vegetables cook at the end.   The more kick you want the soup to have the more you add at the end.   The roasted peppers will make a subtle difference and add more depth to the  flavor.  Remember that if you don't clean out the guts from the Jalapenos, they will pack quite a bit of heat.




Note:  If you want to use dark meat, then use about 5 skinned drumsticks at the beginning and then after they are done take them out and add a package of skinned thighs.   Again, use chicken with bones for the best flavor.

Malala

 

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/malala-yousafzai-speaks-video-143346420.html

Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl and activist who was shot in the head by a Taliban assassin on her way home from school last fall, has spoken publicly for the first time since the shooting.

"Today you can see that I'm alive," Yousafzai said in a short video released on Monday. "I can speak. I can see you. I can see everyone."

Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban for her advocacy for girls' education rights, was released from a British hospital last month.

"I'm getting better day by day," she said. "It's just because the prayers of people, because all the people—men, women, children, all of them, all of them—have prayed for me. And because of these prayers God has given me this new life. And this is a second life. This is a new life.

"I want to serve," Yousafzai, wearing a traditional headscarf that hid any scars from the bullet, added. "I want to serve the people. And I want every girl, every child, to be educated."

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.