Only The Good Stuff

How to Cook Alligator

2010-03-20T10:34:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite meals here in the South is some good, hot alligator, but it has been somewhat difficult for me to cook in the past.

The first three times I tried to cook gator meat, it turned out a little tough, and did not taste too extraordinary. But if you want to make it good each time, try this-

It all starts with some alligator fillets. Usually I buy mine from the locally Louisiana owned Rouse's Grocery although I have been known to buy one or two at Bobby's Seafood a few miles down River Road in River Ridge.

An alligator fillet is not any particular shape, but it is almost always relatively thin.

After I thaw them out with some room temperature tap water, I marinate them in...

olive oil (this is the base ingredient) use it liberally
Greek seasoning
and garlic salt (regular sea salt and garlic powder work here if one is out of garlic salt)

Then I marinate the fillets for at least a day.

The next day, it is time to fire up the grill. When I grill, I always use my Weber charcoal grill. Using a chimney stack to turn my coals grey, and so I do not to have to use lighter fluid which can effect the taste, I make sure that my fire is good and hot.

Then I put a tray on the grill. Although a grilling tray is preferable, a cookie sheet works too. I cover the tray in a lot of olive oil.

Then I pan sear each side of the marinated alligator fillets for three minutes per side.

Simply remove them, and eat them immediately. Delicious!!!

Part 5

2010-03-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

Part 4

2010-02-21T13:30:00.001-05:00

Part 3

2010-02-06T12:57:00.001-05:00

2010-02-05T16:13:00.001-05:00

This Takes Me Back

2010-01-24T17:32:00.001-05:00

2010-01-17T20:26:00.001-05:00

Jokes.com

Preview - Brian Posehn - Where Do I Know You From

comedians.comedycentral.com

Joke of the Day

Stand-Up Comedy

Free Online Games

Be Careful of Deals You Make With People on Craigslist

2010-01-07T15:57:00.003-05:00

You might end up like Tyler.

Broken Pinky Promise - watch more funny videos

Eight Resolutions Not to Make for the New Year

2009-12-31T14:13:00.003-05:00

8 Resolutions Not to Make for the New Year

Looking Forward to New Year's Eve!

2009-12-30T17:26:00.004-05:00

Hopefully this year's "dance off" will be as fun as it was last year!

Paperback Swap

2009-12-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

Joy Ride

2009-12-20T11:35:00.001-05:00

Talk about a joy ride, this one would leave you with your hair standing up.

Better Than Snow Drifts

2009-12-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

With snow drifts not too far away in these parts, I'd like to think of a different kind of drift.

Tour of My Backyard Part TWO

2009-11-24T13:26:00.005-05:00

Tour of My Backyard Part ONE

2009-11-24T13:26:00.003-05:00

The audio is a little jumpy.

New Orleans Po-Boy Festival

2009-11-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

Today, Sunday, November 22, 2009 is the Po-Boy Festival here in New Orleans.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

David Thorne vs. Strata Management

2009-11-19T18:47:00.001-05:00

Subject: David Thorne vs. Strata Management

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 30 September 2009 6.04pm
To: Peter Williams
Subject: Inspection Report

Dear Peter,

Thankyou for the surprise inspection and invitation to participate in the next. I appreciate you underlining the text at the bottom of the page which I would otherwise have surely mistaken for part of the natural pattern in the paper. I was going to clean the apartment but had so many things on my 'to do' list that I decided to treat them all equally and draw pictures of sharks instead. I have attached one for your honest appraisal.

I have read through your list of chores and intend to rectify the situation by wrapping my entire body in eighteen rolls of super absorbent Thick'n'thirsty® paper towels, hosing down the apartment, then rolling around on the floor and rubbing myself up and down walls. I will cover the more stubborn marks with Liquid Paper. I will also get back to you in regards to the premises being inspected in another two weeks, my agreement to do so will depend on availability and not wanting to.

Regards, David.

From: Peter Williams
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 9.41am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Inspection Report

David

I suggest you take this matter more seriously. You were sent notice of the inspection as part of our normal procedure. You will not use a hose in the apartment. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous and it is not just about the marks on the walls - the light fitting in the lounge room is broken and the apartment smells of smoke.

Peter

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 10.26am
To: Peter Williams
Subject: Re: Re: Inspection Report

Dear Peter,

The light fitting was the victim of a toy lightsabre being swung in a space too small to do the same with a cat. I dodged a leaping double handed overhead attack and the fitting, being fitted, didn't. I will grab a matching replacement $12 fitting fromIKEA the next time I require a tiny ironing board or glass tea light.

The smell you mistook for cigarette smoke was probably just from the fog machine. Each Tuesday I hold a disco in my bedroom with strobe lighting and special guest. As my wardrobe door has a large mirror on it, it looks like someone is dancing with you. I once dressed as a lady and it was almost exactly what I imagine dancing with a real lady would be like. Unfortunately, I kept worrying about falling, hitting my head and being found dressed that way so she left after only a few dances and a brief, but full of promise, kiss. You should come one night, it will be a dance spectacular. I imagine you are probably a good dancer because you are small and the smallest member of the Rocksteady Crew was definitely the best one.

Regards, David.

From: Peter Williams
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 1.16pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Inspection Report

David

I do not appreciate being called small and being sent stupid drawings of me being eaten by a shark. The apartment is to be cleaned and reinspected in two weeks time. You cant have a fog machine or anything like that at the apartment in case the smoke damages the walls.

Peter

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 4.02pm
To: Peter Williams
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Inspection Report

Dear Peter,

I apologise for mentioning your smallness. It must be a subject most people you know avoid. Was it the Rocksteady Crew comment or the fact that the shark was actually very small in the picture, making you, in comparison, the size of a very small fish? I have attached a revised version which you can print out, pin to your cubicle wall, look at whenever you are feeling down and think "That Volkswagen looks way too small for me to get into, I must be huge."

Regards, David.

From: Peter Williams
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 5.12pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Inspection Report

David

Do not send me anymore drawings. I am not joking. I am keeping a record of everything you send just so you know. If the apartment is not clean when we reinspect in two weeks time, we will consider terminating the lease. I suggest you take this matter more seriously as we have also had noise complaints regarding your premises.

Peter

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 01 October 2009 6.27pm
To: Peter Williams
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Inspection Report

Dear Peter,

Yes, I find loud music helps me relax while I clean as the music distracts me so much that I stop cleaning. Which is relaxing. I will probably get onto it this week though. I do not wish to be evicted as I have developed a severe case of agoraphobia and residing in an apartment where I can reach all four walls while standing in the one spot brings me a feeling of comfort and safety. Although the wood printed linoleum and IKEA light fittings only go so far in disguising an old apartment in a old building on a busy and extremely loud main road, the daily culling of plague proportion cockroaches gives me something to do in my spare time. I class the eighteen cans of surface spray I use per week as sporting equipment.

I purchased one of those electronic things you plug into the wall which is meant to scare cockroaches by sending a pulse through the apartment wiring but while it seems to have reduced the numbers, others have evolved to feed off the electrical signal, increasing their size. I am using one as a coffee table in the lounge and two smaller ones as side tables in the bedroom. Cockroaches would no doubt be susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning though so will try running a hose pipe from my car exhaust to the apartment, closing the windows and leaving the vehicle running overnight. It is apparently an odourless gas so should not prove an issue for my son's cub group sleepover. I read somewhere once that cockroaches can survive a nuclear attack so I have been collecting the dead ones and intend to glue several thousand to the walls thereby ensuring my survival should Cyberdyne Systems become self aware between now and when the lease runs out.

I also need to purchase a new vacuum cleaner before I can start cleaning as I used my current one to suck up a large spider a few weeks ago and I am afraid to pull out the sock I shoved into the end of the pipe to block his exit in case he is sitting in there waiting and getting more pissed off by the day. A few months ago while I was at work, a spider ran up my arm. I threw myself backwards from the desk onto the floor and rolled around thrashing while undressing to make sure the spider was not in my hair or clothes. Unfortunately I was in a client meeting at the time with a company that sold cleaning products. If the meeting had gone better they would have proven quite handy at this point.

Regards, David.

From: Peter Williams
Date: Friday 02 October 2009 10.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Inspection Report

I am not going to waste my time reading any more of your stupid nonsense. Clean the property or we will terminate the lease - the choice is yours. Do not email again unless it is of a serious matter.

Peter

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 02 October 2009 10.36am
To: Peter Williams
Subject: Nom nom nom

Unbelievable

2009-11-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

The video speaks for it's self

Bosozoku Bikers

2009-11-11T16:50:00.000-05:00

These bikes are wild.

How to Eat a Chicken Wing

2009-11-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

How to Eat a Chicken Wing - An Eating Chicken Wings Breakthough! @ Yahoo! Video

Hilarious!

2009-11-07T09:21:00.001-05:00

America's Got Talent - Rudi - Amazing videos are here

Fun Way to Waste Time!!!

2009-11-01T11:51:00.001-05:00

http://www.widro.com/throwpaper.html

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T13:22:00.001-04:00

Just in case the Zombies in your neighborhood get out of control.

Balloon Boy Halloween Costume Kit!

2009-10-25T15:13:00.002-04:00

Balloon Boy Halloween Costume Kit!

2009-10-23T08:09:00.001-04:00

5 Octaves on Piano - watch more funny videos

This Sign Say's it All

2009-10-17T12:26:00.003-04:00

On the North West corner of Thirteen Mile and Evergreen in Royal Oak.

Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger

2009-10-14T19:10:00.001-04:00

This would drive me crazy

2009-10-10T14:48:00.001-04:00

Vote for Us

2009-10-05T19:45:00.002-04:00

Please vote for "Friends N Fried Chicken" by clicking on the link below.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

2009-09-27T12:02:00.001-04:00

Baby Dances To Beyonce @ Yahoo! Video

My Nephew's R/C Airplane Club

2009-09-12T21:18:00.003-04:00

My nephew belongs to a RC plane club. My thing motorcycles his thing R/C Planes, go figure. I like 'em too, just don't need another pursuit to sink cash and time into. Plus, if I crashed my B-17 that I poured a ton of hours and cash into, I would pull what’s left of my hair out. Besides, you have to admit, it is way more fun to watch someone else destroy their pride and joy. This guy crashed this plane as soon as I got there and set up shop. You gotta feel sorry for him though. The plane was beautiful and he pretty much destroyed it. The right landing gear would not come down and when it finally did, he added too much power, stalled crashed. My Nephew shot these videos.
Thank fully this was the only mishap of the day. There was a lot of great pilots flying these beauties. Here are a few shots I got of the show. The helicopter pilots were doing indescribable stunts, you would have to see them to believe them.
This Stuka even had a functioning divebomb siren, just like it's big brother.

The right gear hung up

Things have gone terribly wrong

The unfortunate aftermath

A F-15 with a real jet engine. This thing was so fast, I could barely get pictures of it.

It even has the airbrake behind the cockpit like the real one.

A fifteen year old kid flew this Sukhoi 31 like a pro, he was the best pilot I saw besides the helicopter pilots.

This scout was pretty damn nice.

These guys were doing things with these copters that had my hair standing up.

Hovering upside down four inches above the runway.

And to top it all off, some guy brought his lawn mower.

If you have a R/C flying club in your area, I highly recommend that you go check them out. I had a blast here today, I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be going back.

Protect Your Chicken From Dokken

2009-09-10T21:20:00.000-04:00

How to transfer your contacts onto a new phone

2009-09-10T12:47:00.001-04:00

Original Post Here

How to transfer your contacts onto a new phone

Maybe you are thinking of upgrading your 3 year old Sanyo Katana for one of those new phones with a Qwerty keyboard for texting. The reason you’ve held off so long in upgrading the handset is because you don’t want to go through the trouble of reprogramming your contacts into a new phone. Surely, a daunting task. Or maybe not.

Most of the phones today including the Sanyo Katana, support Bluetooth technology. You maybe probably most familiar with using Bluetooth to connect a Bluetooth wireless headset to your phone for hands free talking while driving. 6 states now require hands free headsets while driving and 18 ban texting while driving - though no bluetooth headset wouldn’t help you text. The same technology you use to connect your Bluetooth headset can be used to transfer your contacts into a new phone.

Here is how you do it.

Enable Bluetooth on your old phone and your new phone. Usually, it’s located in Menu -> Settings ->Bluetooth
Next, make sure that the phones can see each other by turning Visibility on. There are probably a few choices under visibility. Select Always visible.
Now you’ll need to pair the phones so that you can communicate between the phones. In the Bluetooth menu on your old phone, go to Add New -> Search. The phone will scan the area for Bluetooth enabled devices and your new phone should appear in the Search results.
Add your new phone as a trusted device by selecting it from the search results list.You may need to enter in a passkey to make this pairing between the two phones. You can choose any passkey. Just make sure you enter in the same passkey on both phones.
Highlight your new phone on the trusted device list and select Options -> Send Item-> Contacts. Follow the onscreen instructions to select and send your contacts. You may have to enter in the passkey again for your new phone to receive the contacts files.

Voila! All your contacts in your new Qwerty text phone. Instead of having to use your Qwerty keyboard to enter in your contacts, you can go straight to texting them.

Brian Regan - String Theory

2009-09-08T18:40:00.001-04:00

Dog or Chicken, You Decide

2009-09-05T00:20:00.000-04:00

The People of Walmart

2009-09-01T20:13:00.005-04:00

This may just be the kind of site that keeps me clinging to my sanity.

Because when I'm out in public, and I see the kinds of asinine behaviors that surround me each and every day, and when I know I'm not the only one who see such things, I sit back, crawl through this wonderful site, and know that things are truly as abrogating as I seem them to be.

Enjoy by clicking here.

Second Line to Save Charity Hospital

2009-09-01T12:27:00.001-04:00

Second Line to Save Charity Hospital

Lionel Richie Facts

2009-08-28T20:04:00.003-04:00

Alex Trebeck shaved his mustache in fear of retaliation from Lionel Richie
The Beatles needed instuments, all Lionel needed was his mustache
In a little known interview in the late 70's, John Lennon recanted his previous assessment and simply stated that "All you need is Lionel Richie"

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$25 Gift Certificats for $3

2009-08-24T20:42:00.002-04:00

I didn't believe this when a friend first told me about it, but now I know better. Check this out...

Go to http://www.restaurants.com/

At the very top of the page click on "Click & Save Now."

Then enter your zip code.

Choose a restaurant, and when you checkout enter the promotional code "PALATE."

Can you believe it? You can actually buy 100% legitimate gift cards that are worth $25 for only $3!!!

Cheers!

Now That's What I Call A Slip-n-Slide

2009-08-13T16:14:00.006-04:00

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

These guys did a great job editing it looks real.

Give a Squirrel a Helping Hand

2009-08-10T22:19:00.002-04:00

Old Bikes and a Good Time

2009-08-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

Spent the day Saturday July 25th at Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Had a pretty good time, except the weather kept things a bit on the interesting side. I had been hearing what a great event this is, I needed to pick up some parts for a XS650 project I have in the pipeline, so I figured what better time than now to take in this gathering.

BSA was the featured marque this year, but the weather had the owners scrambling to protect their prize possession's. By the time we made it to the show bike area, there were but a few bike left on display for us to take in. There were a couple more pristine examples in the AMA's Historical tent, but not many. I was bummed about missing most of the vintage BSA's but what are you going to do. We still had a damn fine time in the GIGANTIC swap meet area, and watching a few brave souls flog their vintage hardware around the road course in so shitty wet conditions. Only a couple of riders threw their bikes down the road while we were checking out the action. Most were taking it pretty easy, but a couple of hero's were beating the daylights out of their bikes.

I didn't want to be saddled down with dragging my DSLR and all it's paraphernalia all over, so I had to settle with using Mrs. Gymi's Canon point and shoot. Which is not too bad in most situations, but really sucks a taking pictures of high speed action. So I have to send most of the racing pics to the recycle bin. I did manage to squeeze off a couple of half way decent racing shots. Here a few shots from the bikes in the swap meet area, concours and race track. A '40 BSA before the owner could get it out of the rain.
A super clean '72 H2 that had me pining for my old H2, he was asking 7,800.00 for it so I wasn't pining that much. A beautiful Ariel Square four before it ran for shelter. Another sweet BSA 650 that didn't find shelter in time. A sweet but wet Firebird.
A wild ass vintage Honda Chopper in the swap meet area. A super clean bobber with a Harley KR motor. A sweet Macthless 500. A nice example of a sporty cafe' bike. A pretty clean Suzuki Re5 rotary bike, I saw a cleaner example, but did't get a shot of it. A few brave souls, the guy flat tracking it was absolutly flying around the track on his Kz750. He would fly down the back strait and do a tank slapper braking for the corner every lap. Until he tossed it away on the last lap. He was exciting to watch to say the least. All in all we had a damn fine time and plan on returning next year on our bikes (if they are done by then, they should be, but you never know) Hope to see Ya'll there next year.

Till Next Time.........................

2009-08-08T10:59:00.001-04:00

Tue Aug 4, 11:56 PM ET

This July 29, 2009 photo released by the Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife shows Michelle V. Larsen-Williams, of Pingree, Idaho holding the record rainbow trout she caught on the Snake River upstream of the American Falls Reservoir, in eastern Idaho. The fish was 34 1/4-inches long, weighed slightly more than 20 pounds and had a girth of 22 1/4 inches. (AP Photo/Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Louisiana Fishing & Hunting GPS Database of Waypoints (Including the Gulf of Mexico)

2009-08-07T00:00:00.003-04:00

Thanks to rodnreel.com for this amazing resource!

Click Here for GPS Database

When it Comes to Vaccinating Your Pet, Less is More

2009-08-04T11:41:00.005-04:00

You’ve undoubtedly seen them in your mailbox. Cute little reminder cards from your vet that it’s time for Beauregard’s annual vaccinations. But after looking a bit closer at the risks and benefits of these vaccines, you might want to paws before making that appointment.

Could these vaccines not only be unnecessary, but actually harmful to your pet’s health?

Absolutely.

We overvaccinate our children -- but at least we eventually stop after puberty. But with our pets, we continue vaccine boosters until they are well into their senior years.

As adults, we don’t assault ourselves with annual boosters, and we certainly wouldn’t do this to our elderly family members. So why do we inflict this upon our pets, regardless of their immune status or age, when common sense would tell us those vaccines should last longer than a year?

Additionally, there are no adjustments in dose for size or age of your animal. Your five-pound Miniature Pinscher receives the same size vaccine as your 150-pound Rottweiler. Your 10-pound housecat gets the same amount as a 400-pound lion.

All of these vaccines are overwhelming your pet’s immune system. Vaccine reactions are at an all-time high.

A study of more than 2,000 cats and dogs in the United Kingdom by Canine Health Concern showed a 1 in 10 risk of adverse reactions from vaccines. This contradicts what the vaccine manufacturers report for rates of adverse reactions, which is “less than 15 adverse reactions in 100,000 animals vaccinated” (0.015 percent).

Additionally, adverse reactions of small breeds are 10 times higher than large breeds, suggesting standard vaccine doses are too high for smaller animals.

A few bold veterinarians have paved the way for ending overvaccination, but the research is sparse and the opposition is great, just as with the human vaccine industry -- and for similar reasons.

In this article I will be addressing three main points:

1. There is no scientific evidence that annual vaccines are necessary, and in fact once animals achieve immunity from their initial vaccines, they appear to have immunity that lasts for many years, and often for life, without boosters.

2. There is growing alarm that overvaccination appears to be causing a multitude of serious medical problems, particularly with the immune system, including allergies, seizures, anemia and cancer.

3. Vaccines are a very profitable part of veterinary care -- in fact, some vet practices are built around them. Long-term studies of animal immunity would require a substantial outlay of money -- the kind of money that only the drug companies have, and Big Pharma is much more interested in selling more vaccines than challenging the need for them.

How Current Vaccine Schedules Were Determined

The current recommendation from many veterinarians is for dogs is to receive rabies, parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, leptospirosis, coronavirus, hepatitis, lyme (borelia), and annually, bortadella (kennel cough) sometimes being recommended every 6 months.

Cats are advised to have rabies, feline leukemia (FeLV), distemper (panluekopenia), rhinotracheitis, and calcivirus annually--and depending on risk, chlamydia, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), and ringworm can be added.

Many vets advise both puppies and kittens get their “core vaccines” at ages 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks, and 16 weeks. Then, they get boosters at one year, and annually thereafter.

All of these shots add up to a tremendous vaccine load over your pet’s lifetime!

How did these recommendations for annual vaccines come about?

One of the veterinary pioneers, Dr. W. Jean Dodds, president of the nonprofit animal version of the Red Cross called Hemopet, reported that the recommendations for annual vaccines were just that -- recommendations. They were not based on any scientific evidence.

The recommendations for annual vaccination were put forth jointly by the United States Department of Agriculture and the drug companies, more than twenty years ago. And veterinary medicine has continued to do it that way because, well, that’s the way it’s always been done.

And it’s a good deal for them financially. So far, protests to annual vaccines have been mild.

Now the USDA puts the annual vaccination recommendation right on the product label.

Veterinary Vaccines are Big Money for Many Vets -- and Even Bigger Money for Big Pharma

Without some driving force for change, there is no motivation for the industry to change the most lucrative part of its practice.

Many vets cling to annual vaccine schedules because of economic dependence more than maintaining a “cautious” standard of care. This is particularly true for the typical small vet practices (1-3 people, non-specialty, non-emergency practices).

Consider this ...

One dose of rabies vaccine costs the vet about 61 cents. The client is typically charged between $15 and $38, plus a $35 office visit. The markup on the vaccine alone is 2,400 percent to 6,200 percent -- a markup equivalent to charging $217 for a loaf of bread.

According to one estimate, removing the one-year rabies vaccination and consequential office visit for dogs alone would decrease the average small vet’s income from $87,000 to $25,000 -- and this doesn’t include cats or other vaccinations.

According to James Schwartz, author of Trust Me, I’m Not a Veterinarian, 63 percent of canine and 70 percent of feline vet office visits are for vaccinations.

Clearly, radically changing the vaccine schedule for dogs and cats would result in a huge economic loss for any veterinary practice that is built around shots.

And chances are the vaccines you are paying so much for are creating even more income for vets, because the adverse reactions and other medical issues caused by the vaccines keep Fluffy coming back often!

The profits for vets pale in comparison to the profits being enjoyed by vaccine manufacturers. Veterinary vaccine sales amounted to more than $3.2 million in 2004 and have risen 7 percent per year since 2000. This figure is projected to exceed $4 billion in 2009.

Six companies account for more than 70 percent of world veterinary vaccine sales. The market leader is Intervet, with sales of almost $600 million in 2004. That’s a whole lot of 61-cent vaccines.

The United States has by far the largest share of the national market with revenues of $935 million, and Japan comes in second with $236 million.

Medical Risks Outweigh Benefits

In 1991, an unfortunate observation led many vets to begin rethinking the vaccine protocol.

A lab at the University of Pennsylvania noted a connection between a troubling increase in sarcomas (a type of cancerous tumor) and vaccinations in cats. Mandatory annual rabies vaccinations were leading to an inflammatory reaction under the skin, which later turned malignant.

At about the same time, researchers at University of California at Davis confirmed that feline leukemia vaccines were also leading to sarcomas, even more than the rabies vaccine.

Further investigations led to alarming statistics: vaccine-induced sarcomas were estimated to be one cat in 1,000, or up to 22,000 new cases of sarcoma per year.

It wasn’t long before veterinary professionals began to suspect vaccination as a risk factor in other serious autoimmune diseases. Vaccines were causing the animals’ immune system to turn against their own tissues, resulting in potentially fatal diseases such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia in dogs (AIHA).

Delayed vaccine reactions were also the cause of thyroid disease, allergies, arthritis, tumors and seizures in both cats and dogs.

These findings led to a 1995 article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that concluded:

“There is little scientific documentation that backs up label claims for annual administration of most vaccines.”

And then there’s the issue of adjuvants.

Thimerosal, mercury, and aluminum-based adjuvants are still being allowed in veterinary vaccines. So, your pet is being exposed to potential antigens that could abnormally stimulate his immune system, but last a lifetime and cause chronic disease. The less of this, the better.

For more on thimerosal, mercury, and aluminum, please visit Dr. Mercola’s site.

Is Non-Vaccination a Greater Danger?

Giving your dog or cat a vaccine when it is already immune does not give any additional immunity, and it creates an unnecessary risk to your animal.

Evidence suggests that, like humans, dogs and cats could be vaccinated with certain vaccines early in life and be protected for a lifetime. With the exception of rabies, the core vaccines probably last at least seven years and should not be given more often than every three years.

In one study, the antibody levels of more than 1,400 healthy dogs of all ages were measured for parvo and distemper. Nearly all the dogs were immune (95-98 percent), suggesting that annual revaccination may not be necessary.

Many of the non-core vaccines are bactrins, vaccines created to treat non-viral infections (Lyme disease and Chlamydia, for example) and may have a shorter duration; about one year. But not all animals are at risk of exposure, and the vaccines have proven to be significantly more reactive to the immune system, so assessing risk versus benefit is very important before considering these very reactive vaccines. .

Researchers say there has been no increase in disease rates among dogs who have gone to vaccines every three years. And there is ample evidence that the dangers of repeated vaccinations are real.

A study published by Purdue in 2005 found correlations between vaccine reactions in dogs and variables such as age, size, and number of vaccines given. The study found:

Smaller dogs are more prone to vaccine reactions than larger dogs
Risk of reactions increased by 27 percent for each additional vaccine given per office visit in dogs under 22 pounds, and by 12 percent in dogs over 22 pounds
Risk increased for dogs up to 2 years old, then declined with age
Risk increased for pregnant dogs and dogs in heat
More reactions were found in small dogs given Leptospirosis vaccine

As in humans, one of the reasons why dogs and cats need vaccine protection at all is that they aren’t eating an ideal diet. The better your pet’s nutrition is, the healthier his immune system will be, and better able to fend off pathogens.

My Vaccine Recommendations

Wellness visits are important for other reasons than vaccines, such as checking for heartworm and tumors and assessing general health status. I do recommend continuing these checkups every six months, although I do not recommend annual vaccines.

Rabies vaccines are required by law. There are approved 1-year and 3-year rabies vaccines. They are the same product. Please ask for the 3-year vaccine, if you opt to vaccinate your pet against rabies. I also recommend you consider finding a holistic vet that will provide you with the homeopathic rabies vaccine detox, called Lyssin.

Ask for a Vaccine Titer Test: this is a how you can determine if your pet has adequate immunological protection from previously administered vaccines (puppy or kitten shots). Antibody levels can be measured from a blood draw, in place of revaccination. The type of titer that best assesses immune system’s response to vaccinesis called IFA, or indirect immunofluorescent antibody.

Please discuss with your vet the risks versus benefits of the diseases you are considering vaccinating for, before you automatically assume additional vaccines are necessary.

Indoor housecats should not be vaccinated annually, especially if they never go outside or have access to other cats (potentially exposing them to infectious disease). I believe overvaccination is one of the main reasons the general health of our feline patients is deteriorating.

Do not vaccinate your dog or cat if it has had a serious life-threatening vaccine reaction.

Do not patronize any boarding facility, groomer, training facility or veterinarian that requires you to vaccinate your pet more than necessary.

The decision by some vets to come forward with the truth about pet vaccines is a positive step toward changing our animal health care system. Veterinary vaccines are one more unfortunate example of the corporate greed that permeates the pharmaceutical industry.

Yahoo! Green

2009-08-03T11:59:00.001-04:00

Check out the Yahoo! Green webpage for all kinds of great environmentally related articles.

YAHOO! GREEN

Seinfeld Reunion Plot

2009-07-31T19:47:00.002-04:00

Get Out! Secrets Spilled
By Natalie Abrams

It's been months since the news broke that the cast of Seinfeld was reuniting on Curb Your Enthusiasm. However, no plot details were released until executive producer and star Larry David sat down with reporters at the Television Critics Association summer press tour earlier Thursday.

Finally we know how Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards reunite for the first time in over 11 years. It's basically a show within a show, where the cast is actually doing a reunion episode in the Curb universe.

We'll let Larry explain...

"The context is that for years I've been asked about a Seinfeld reunion," he says. "I would always say, 'No. There's not going to be a reunion show. We would never do that. It's a lame idea.' And then I thought it might be very funny to do that on Curb. I kept thinking about it. I started to think of different scenarios and how we can pull this off. I called Jerry and Jerry was game. I said, 'Well, I'll call the others.' And I did and we did it. So we're doing a Seinfeld reunion show on Curb."

What exactly will we see during the creation of a faux reunion special? "We're going to see writing. We'll see aspects of the read-through, parts of rehearsals. You'll see the show being filmed and you'll see it on TV. You won't see the entire show. You'll see parts of the show. You'll get an an idea of what happened 11 years later. It will be incorporated into regular Curb episodes, so the castmembers will be playing themselves on Curb while all of this is going on."

Though it seems this could take up the entire season, he explains, "The reunion is scattered through the season and I think the cast will be on five shows. All four won't be on all five shows. Jerry is on five shows; the others will be on at least four. The season finale will be about the reunion show. It could very well be [a one-hour episode], but I haven't finished editing it yet. But that's a good possibility."

When asked why he finally caved, he says, "That will be answered in one of the episodes. That's a big thing because I would never do that. So there's a compelling reason as to why I decided to do it."

There's a lot of story to be told, but Larry says he found it quite easy to jump back to the Seinfeld state of mind. "It was surprisingly smooth," he says. "Coming up with the right ideas for what's happened in the 11 years, that took some thought. Three of the guys working on my show as executive producers were also producers on Seinfeld. I think we came up with some interesting stuff." Don't assume all is hunky-dory though, Larry says "it's possible" there will be a mention of Richards sordid past.

So will the character Larry ruin the reunion of the Seinfeld cast? He adds, with an evil laugh, "He might. My guy might consider wrecking something like that. We'll see what happens. My guy could very well wreck it. I'm not saying he did. I don't know."

Will the reunion be any good? "Yeah, you mean as opposed to the finale?" jokes Larry. "It's good. I think the reunion is pretty good."

2009-07-29T21:08:00.001-04:00

XS 650 Bobber FOR SALE

2009-07-29T20:44:00.003-04:00

If you like motorcycles and much as GYMI and I do, then you may want to watch this auction on eBay to see how much this great Yamaha xs650 bobber ends up selling for. This bike is AWESOME!!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE AUCTION

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

2009-07-25T11:48:00.002-04:00

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

Click on the link above to watch the trailer for the new movie "Food Inc."

Food Inc. - The Movie

2009-07-25T11:44:00.005-04:00

2009-07-22T18:33:00.005-04:00

COULD YOU SURVIVE WITHOUT MONEY?

MEET THE GUY WHO DOES

In Utah, a modern-day caveman has lived for the better part of a decade on zero dollars a day. People used to think he was crazy.

By Christopher Ketcham; Photograph by Mark Heithoff

DANIEL SUELO LIVES IN A CAVE. UNLIKE THE average American—wallowing in credit-card debt, clinging to a mortgage, terrified of the next downsizing at the office—he isn't worried about the economic crisis. That's because he figured out that the best way to stay solvent is to never be solvent in the first place. Nine years ago, in the autumn of 2000, Suelo decided to stop using money. He just quit it, like a bad drug habit.

His dwelling, hidden high in a canyon lined with waterfalls, is an hour by foot from the desert town of Moab, Utah, where people who know him are of two minds: He's either a latter-day prophet or an irredeemable hobo. Suelo's blog, which he maintains free at the Moab Public Library, suggests that he's both. "When I lived with money, I was always lacking," he writes. "Money represents lack. Money represents things in the past (debt) and things in the future (credit), but money never represents what is present."

On a warm day in early spring, I clamber along a set of red-rock cliffs to the mouth of his cave, where I find a note signed with a smiley face: CHRIS, FEEL FREE TO USE ANYTHING, EAT ANYTHING (NOTHING HERE IS MINE). From the outside, the place looks like a hollowed teardrop, about the size of an Amtrak bathroom, with enough space for a few pots that hang from the ceiling, a stove under a stone eave, big buckets full of beans and rice, a bed of blankets in the dirt, and not much else. Suelo's been here for three years, and it smells like it.

Night falls, the stars wink, and after an hour, Suelo tramps up the cliff, mimicking a raven's call—his salutation—a guttural, high-pitched caw. He's lanky and tan; yesterday he rebuilt the entrance to his cave, hauling huge rocks to make a staircase. His hands are black with dirt, and his hair, which is going gray, looks like a bird's nest, full of dust and twigs from scrambling in the underbrush on the canyon floor. Grinning, he presents the booty from one of his weekly rituals, scavenging on the streets of Moab: a wool hat and gloves, a winter jacket, and a white nylon belt, still wrapped in plastic, along with Carhartt pants and sandals, which he's wearing. He's also scrounged cans of tuna and turkey Spam and a honeycomb candle. All in all, a nice haul from the waste product of America. "You made it," he says. I hand him a bag of apples and a block of cheese I bought at the supermarket, but the gift suddenly seems meager.

Suelo lights the candle and stokes a fire in the stove, which is an old blackened tin, the kind that Christmas cookies might come in. It's hooked to a chain of soup cans segmented like a caterpillar and fitted to a hole in the rock. Soon smoke billows into the night and the cave is warm. I think of how John the Baptist survived on honey and locusts in the desert. Suelo, who keeps a copy of the Bible for bedtime reading, is satisfied with a few grasshoppers fried in his skillet.

HE WASN'T ALWAYS THIS WAY. SUELO graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in anthropology, he thought about becoming a doctor, he held jobs, he had cash and a bank account. In 1987, after several years as an assistant lab technician in Colorado hospitals, he joined the Peace Corps and was posted to an Ecuadoran village high in the Andes. He was charged with monitoring the health of tribespeople in the area, teaching first aid and nutrition, and handing out medicine where needed; his proudest achievement was delivering three babies. The tribe had been getting richer for a decade, and during the two years he was there he watched as the villagers began to adopt the economics of modernity. They sold the food from their fields—quinoa, potatoes, corn, lentils—for cash, which they used to purchase things they didn't need, as Suelo describes it. They bought soda and white flour and refined sugar and noodles and big bags of MSG to flavor the starchy meals. They bought TVs. The more they spent, says Suelo, the more their health declined. He could measure the deterioration on his charts. "It looked," he says, "like money was impoverishing them."

The experience was transformative, but Suelo needed another decade to fashion his response. He moved to Moab and worked at a women's shelter for five years. He wanted to help people, but getting paid for it seemed dishonest—how real was help that demanded recompense? The answer lay, in part, in the Christianity of his childhood. In Suelo's nascent philosophy, following Jesus meant adopting the hard life prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount. "Giving up possessions, living beyond credit and debt," Suelo explains on his blog, "freely giving and freely taking, forgiving all debts, owing nobody a thing, living and walking without guilt . . . grudge [or] judgment." If grace was the goal, Suelo told himself, then it had to be grace in the classical sense, from the Latin gratia, meaning favor—and also, free.

By 1999, he was living in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand—he had saved just enough money for the flight. From there, he made his way to India, where he found himself in good company among the sadhus, the revered ascetics who go penniless for their gods. Numbering as many as 5 million, the sadhus can be found wandering roads and forests across the subcontinent, seeking enlightenment in self-abnegation. "I wanted to be a sadhu," Suelo says. "But what good would it do for me to be a sadhu in India? A true test of faith would be to return to one of the most materialistic, money-worshipping nations on earth and be a sadhu there. To be a vagabond in America, a bum, and make an art of it—the idea enchanted me."

THERE ISN'T ENOUGH SPACE IN SUELO'S cave for two, so I sleep in the open, at the edge of a hundred-foot cliff. No worries about animals, he says. Though mountain lions drink from the stream, and bobcats hunt rabbits under the cottonwoods, the worst he's experienced was a skunk that sprayed him in the face. Mice scurry over his body in the cave, and kissing bugs sometimes suck the blood from under his fingernails while he sleeps. He shrugs off these indignities. "After all, it's their cave too," he says. I hunker down near a nest of scorpions, which crawl up the canyon walls, ignoring me.

The morning ritual is simple and slow: a cup of sharp tea brewed from the needles of piñon and juniper trees, a swim in the cold emerald water where the creek pools in the red rock. Then, two naked cavemen lounging under the Utah sun. Around noon, we forage along the banks and under the cliffs, looking for the stuff of a stir-fry dinner. We find mustard plants among the rocks, the raw leaves as satisfying as cauliflower, and down in the cool of the creek—where Suelo gets his water and takes his baths (no soap for him) —we cull watercress in heads as big as supermarket lettuce, and on the bank we spot a lode of wild onions, with bulbs that pop clean from the soil. In leaner times, Suelo's gatherings include ants, grubs, termites, lizards, and roadkill. He recently found a deer, freshly run over, and carved it up and boiled it. "The best venison of my life," he says.

I tell him that living without money seems difficult. What about starvation? He's never gone without a meal (friends in Moab sometimes feed him). What about getting deadly ill? It happened once, after eating a cactus he misidentified—he vomited, fell into a delirium, thought he was dying, even wrote a note for those who would find his corpse. But he got better. That it's hard is exactly the point, he says. "Hardship is a good thing. We need the challenge. Our bodies need it. Our immune systems need it. My hardships are simple, right at hand—they're manageable." When I tell him about my rent back in New York—$2,400 a month—he shakes his head. What's left unsaid is that I'm here writing about him to make money, for a magazine that depends for its survival on the advertising revenue of conspicuous consumption. As he prepares a cooking fire, Suelo tells me that years ago he had a neighbor in the canyon, an alcoholic who lived in a cave bigger than his. The old man would pan for gold in the stream and net enough cash each month to buy the beer that kept him drunk. Suelo considers the riches of our own forage. "What if we saw gold for what it is?" he says meditatively. "Gold is pretty but virtually useless. Somebody decided it has worth, and everybody accepted this decision. The natives in the Americas thought Europeans were insane because of their lust for such a useless yellow substance."

He sautés the watercress, mustard leaves, and wild onions, mixing in fresh almonds he picked from a friend's orchard and ghee made from Dumpster-dived butter, and we eat out of his soot-caked pans. From the perch on the cliff, the life of the sadhu seems reasonable. But I don't want to live in a cave. I like indoor plumbing (Suelo squats). I like electricity. Still, there's an obvious beauty in the simplicity of subsistence. It's an un-American notion these days. We don't revere our ascetics, and we dismiss the idea that money could be some kind of consensual delusion. For most of us, it's as real as the next house payment. Suelo doesn't take public assistance or use food stamps, but he does survive in part on our reality, the discarded surfeit of the money system that he denounces—a system, as it happens, that recently looked like it was headed for the cliff.

Suelo is 48, and he doesn't exactly have a 401(k). "I'll do what creatures have been doing for millions of years for retirement," he says. "Why is it sad that I die in the canyon and not in the geriatric ward well-insured? I have great faith in the power of natural selection. And one day, I will be selected out." Until then, think of him like the raven, cleaning up the carcasses the rest of us leave behind.

The original article may be found by clicking HERE.

Three Balloons

2009-07-18T13:33:00.001-04:00

For more of Mr. Lynch

Jay Walking

2009-07-17T14:56:00.003-04:00

Four Amazing Holes

2009-07-14T22:16:00.000-04:00

Original Article Here

Four Amazing Holes

These holes are not only amazing, but some are really terrifying; the sheer scale of these holes reminds you of just how tiny you are.

1. Kimberlee Big Hole -- South Africa

Apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world, this 1097 meter deep mine yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before being closed.

2. Glory Hole -- Monticello Dam, California

A glory hole is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs to be drained from the reservoir. This is the 'Glory Hole' at Monticello dam, and it's the largest in the world of this type of spillway, its size enabling it to consume 14,400 cubic feet of water every second.

3. Great Blue Hole -- Belize

This incredible geographical phenomenon, known as a blue hole, is situated 60 miles off the mainland of Belize. There are numerous blue holes around the world, but none as stunning as this one.

4. Sinkhole -- Guatemala

These photos are of a sinkhole that occurred early this year in Guatemala. The hole swallowed 2 dozen homes and killed at least 3 people.

He's In

2009-07-09T17:48:00.002-04:00

All the voting worked, Inge gets to go to the All Star Game courtesy of fan voting. I think he should have got in as a starter, but I don't make these decisions. Shane Victorino of the Phillies also made it on fan voting. So the duo known as Bran-Torino made it.
Good luck guys.

Vote For Inge

2009-07-07T14:18:00.003-04:00

You have untill July Ninth to vote. You can vote as many times as you want so vote often.

Fishing in New Orleans

2009-07-06T21:54:00.003-04:00

Bob Marshall of the New Orleans' newspaper "The Times-Picayune" writes a great weekly article on great places to fish here in New Orleans.

All of his articles can be found HERE.

Here is last Friday's article by Bob Marshall.

Fishing Fridays: Redfish Bay, Heading south is well worth the trip

They say spending a day fishing is like taking a week's vacation. Well, going to Redfish Bay south of Lafitte is like going to another state -- such as Florida or Texas.

Gone is the marsh, or fragments of marsh, and the cane islands and spoil levees we normally associate with southeastern Louisiana. Instead, you find your boat drifting past long, curving shell reefs exposed to the hot summer sun, fringed by a combination of mangroves and green summer grass. Your hull isn't bouncing over cafe-au-lait water, but floating through shallows clear enough to see the silver streaks of mullet scattering ahead of your bow. It's a scene you might expect to encounter in the Everglades of the Laguna Madre.

Except there is one major giveaway that this still is Louisiana, not Texas or Florida: You have a chance of finding plenty of fish during the summer months.

"You can find reds in here year-round, but specks really like this place in the summer because there's a lot of water moving between Hackberry Bay and Barataria Bay, so you get a lot of bait coming through here," said Sidney Bourgeois, co-owner of Joe's Landing in Lafitte.

"When the water is moving through here, pulling shrimp or mullet or pogies, the fish kind of stack up on the down-current side of these reefs and just wait. It can be a great place."

It has another bonus as well: Most anglers ignore it.

"I guess everyone is so focused on either Little Lake or Barataria Bay, they just kind of run around this without stopping," Bourgeois said. "It's a little out of the way if you're heading to the hot spots in those places, so it never seems to get much traffic."

And that only adds to its lure for anglers who enjoy a fishing experience that includes pleasant scenery and fish.

GETTING THERE

From Lafitte marinas head south of the Barataria Seaway to marker 28, then head southwest for about 1.5 miles. It's about a 20-mile run. The best chart is Standard Mapping No. 8 Barataria Bay.

GEARING UP

While you might find a speck up to four pounds here, most of the fish will be between school-size and 2 pounds, but there can be reds and some hefty flounder. So medium-light to medium action gear is a safe bet.

Topwater baits work early and later, but live shrimp, croakers and cockahoes are the top producers. Due to the shallow water, a weighted cork is a good idea, but Carolina rigs are a favorite here as well. If the fish are feeding aggressively, you can switch to plastics.

A trolling motor is really a must because it will allow you to move around this shallow area without clouding the water and spooking fish. But you'll also want an anchor or pole to hold you once you locate a school.

FISHING IT

This is a great place as long as you have a tidal range of one foot or better and a wind from any direction but the east. It's especially good for those days when the wind is from the west and southwest, a direction that typically turns Little Lake and Barataria Bay into a muddy soup. Redfish Bay, by comparison, has protection from those quarters, plus its shell bottom means it won't muddy as quickly.

Approach the first set of islands with the trolling motor looking for current lines off the ends of one of the islands. Trout and reds like to lay down-current from the reefs, hoping to pick off meals pulled around or over the shells by the current. Every reef looks so fishy it's tempting to stop at the first spot, but you'll increase your chances of success by taking a few minutes to scout for any spots that also show bait activity.

Anchor about 30 feet off the end of the reef but also about 10 yards up-current. This will allow you to cast down-current on either side of the current line. Bring the live bait with some hopes of using the rod tip. If you're throwing plastics, start your retrieve before the lure hits the water or you'll end up hooked to shells on almost every cast.

If you first stop doesn't produce after about 10 minutes, pick up and continue moving.

Sweetsauer Photo Hunt Challenges

2009-07-01T13:56:00.004-04:00

I just participated in the 2nd Sweetsauer photo challenge. I have not entered a photo contest of any kind before, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised as to how much fun I would have chasing down the challenge pictures. Kristi Sauer came up with the idea to host the Sweetsauer photo challenges and has obviously decided she likes the challenges so much she is going to have a bi monthly photo challenge. I can say I am looking forward to the next one.You can check out the current contestants work on the Photo Hunt Challenge page. The rules and guidelines for participation are listed as well if this is something you might like to do in the future. Click here to see my entries. And thanks Kristy for hosting this fun event.

Drew Lane is Back

2009-06-23T19:33:00.010-04:00

Drew Lane the creative force on Detroit morning radio is coming back to the airwaves July 13th.
The WRIF morning show has not been the same after Drew left the show in September 2007 to be with his fiancee through her cancer treatment and burnout from the morning radio grind. I could not be happier, the show pretty much turned into another talk show since he left. Mike Clark is ok, but he really can't carry the show without Drew. One of the producers Marc Fellhauer has "filled in" and has been a poor substitute in my opinion. He may be a good producer, but sucks as an on air personality, he simply is not funny. So it will be nice to have Drew & Mike back together again, they have great chemistry and compliment each other well.
"I'm glad to be back with Mike," said Lane. "After having worked with a great team like this, it would have been hard to do anything else."

"I am very excited to welcome Drew back," said Clark. "After nearly 17 years together, the sequel should be a lot of fun and wildly enjoyable for both of us and the listeners."

I can hardly wait. For the rest of this story check The Detroit News.

2009-06-16T21:17:00.004-04:00

Anchorage Daily News

website here

Derby Leader Was Fishing for a Mermaid

HOMER: Six-year-old grabs top spot with 138.8-pound halibut.

By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.com

(06/15/09 21:34:02)

When 6-year-old Tegan Humphrey of Palmer boated a 138.8-pound halibut on Sunday, her mother was proud and impressed.

Her father, Charles, who'd helped Tegan crank it from depths of the Pacific Ocean, was tired.

Her charter boat captain Rob Hyslip was thrilled to have a client atop a division of the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby.

And Tegan? She was slightly sad.

Nice catch, she thought. Wrong species.

"She was fishing for a mermaid, and she didn't get what she wanted," said Courtney Humphrey, her mom. "So she was a little disappointed."

Paula Frisinger, derby coordinator for the Homer Chamber of Commerce, said that Alaska's biggest fishing derby rarely sees a mermaid entry. "I think that's a great idea," she said of a mermaid division. "We'll have to think about that."

Tegan's halibut was large enough to grab the top spot in the derby's Lady Angler division for June, well clear of Barb Cheney's 61.6-pounder.

And it's unlikely any Alaska flatfish caught this summer will weigh 3 1/2 times more than the angler on the other end of the line.

Tegan, a 40-pound student headed to Wasilla Lake Christian School this fall, had just finished a long battle with another halibut when her big fish gobbled up the squid and herring bait about 2 p.m.

The previous fight produced a chicken halibut with teeth marks from gills to tail, an indication that a larger halibut -- they're cannibalistic -- had tried to secure a meal.

Not long after Tegan had her bait back on the bottom, her pole doubled over.

"No sooner did she hit the bottom, than that fish was on," Hyslip said. "And it took off zinging line.

"Next thing I heard was, 'I can't crank it, I can't crank it.' "

Dad stepped in to help, and the fight lasted about 25 minutes. It ended with another disappointment for Tegan when Hyslip pulled out his sawed-off shotgun.

"You're not going to shoot my fish," she pleaded.

"Yeah," Hyslip acknowledged. "She wasn't thrilled at first. She didn't really understand what was going on."

Before long, though, the small disappointments were forgotten. Tegan had her big fish, so big the captain had to shoot it.

"It was really heavy," Tegan said.

Dad remembers.

"She gets all the glory," said Hyslip of Big Bear Halibut Charters, "and he got all the hard work."

But nobody begrudged Tegan her family bragging rights after a hard-working day on the water. Before long, her exhaustion showed.

"She was completely tuckered out," Courtney said. "I've got an awesome picture of her on the way back in, sleeping."

Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.

Tegan Humphrey poses with Capt. Rob Hyslip and her 138.8-pound halibut.

To celebrate growing older

2009-06-13T19:56:00.005-04:00

Written By Regina Brett, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland ,
Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

House Sparrows

2009-06-12T13:40:00.003-04:00

I have several house sparrows that have been making nests in the birdhouses in my backyard. Here are a few pictures of them.

The Best Sandwiches in America

2009-06-09T17:43:00.004-04:00

original post can be found by clicking here...

The Best Sandwiches in America

Unranked, unimpeachable, and incomplete, Esquire’s coast-to-coast list of the finest meals on sliced bread. No burgers allowed.

Got a favorite sandwich? Send us your best-sandwich nominees to editor@esquire.com

***

Jimmy’s Favorite

Jimmy and Drew’s 28th Street Deli, Boulder, Colorado

Never mind that Jimmy and Drew left Chicago to sell meat in a vegan stronghold: They survive because they make everything in-house. They thrive because Jimmy’s namesake Reuben swaps pedestrian rye (meh, it’s just a meat vessel) for schmaltz-fried latkes the size of your hubcaps. (2855 Twenty-eighth Street; 303-447-3354)

Porchetta

Salumi, Seattle

The daily fresh-pulled mozzarella runs out before the line of customers at Salumi, started by Armandino Batali (Mario’s dad). Don’t let the curing bats of fennel-studded finocchiona dangling from meat hooks distract: You want the porchetta -- braised-until-melting pork shoulder with peppers, carrots, and onions on a stout roll to soak up the profligate juices. (309 Third Avenue South; 206-621-8772)

Cuban Meat Sandwich

Paseo, Seattle

No place in Seattle could care less whether you come in than Paseo. The shoe-box shack has no sign, takes no credit. Has so few seats that devotees eat outside on the trunks of their cars. What keeps them returning? The milagro that is the Cuban meat sandwich: marinated, slow-cooked pork ganged into a baguette slathered with garlicky mayonnaise, then mounded again with cilantro, jalapeños, and fat O’s of caramelized onions. Seattle’s a long way from Cuba, but this sandwich erases every mile. (4225 Fremont Avenue North; 206-545-7440)

Bánh Mì

Saigon Sandwich Shop, San Francisco

A culinary legacy of imperialism: French baguette and Vietnamese barbecued pork, sprinkled with shredded carrots, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro. (560 Larkin Street; 415-474-5698)

Reggie Deluxe

Pine State Biscuits, Portland, Oregon

A hangover cure found only at Portland’s Farmers Market (for now): fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, gravy, and an over-easy egg on a cream-top buttermilk biscuit still hot from the outdoor oven. (South Park Blocks, SW Harrison and Montgomery; Saturdays)

Trailer Park Monte Cristo

Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland

Bobbing in a sea of Blue Ribbon, battered by gale-force amps, you need something solid to hold on to -- and hold down. So: Dip a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich in pancake batter, dunk it in a deep fryer, and dust it with powdered sugar. Voilà: Bar eats supreme. The crisp, cakey crust conceals a molten heart as sweet as Cleveland’s own. (15711 Waterloo Road; 216-383-1124)

Monte Cristo

Canter’s Deli, Los Angeles

Popularized in the ‘60s at the restaurant inside Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Monte Cristo is bread, turkey, ham, and Swiss dipped in batter and grilled like French toast. The Canter’s version is a sweet, meaty sponge sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberry jam. (419 North Fairfax Avenue; 323-651-2030)

Club Sandwich

Restaurant Guy Savoy, Las Vegas

Two tiny triangles of toasted country bread and two disks of creamy foie gras transformed by Gallic culinary voodoo into a bite-sized treatise on opposites -- simple versus complex, earthy versus rarefied -- all of it gone too soon, in the melancholy French manner. (3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South; 702-731-7731)

The Tyler

Cheese ‘N Stuff, Phoenix

It began in the days before the belly and the beer that made it, when I was a high school wrestler. My prize for making weight was two hours to ingest as much as I could before getting my ass kicked. I found Cheese ‘n Stuff, which stood out not just because it was old and weathered in new, prefab Phoenix but because it had all these weird foods -- pickled things, things in aluminum tubes, headcheese. A father and son -- Stan Zawatski, middle-aged, and Emil, his father -- were behind the counter. This was my creation: a hoagie roll, split wide and topped with Boar’s Head turkey, Muenster, and lettuce, dressed with ribbons of tomato and hot peppers, deli mustard for zing, avocado for lubrication. I ate it at the gym before my match. Then again before my next. I went the week after that, twice. Then I quit wrestling, and on good weeks had it every other day. I ate it before the first concert I drove to with friends, and on graduation day. After a few months, I didn’t have to order anymore. Just enter and smile, a nod between priest and supplicant. Or call first, get Stan’s daughter on the phone -- ”Tell your dad Tyler’s coming in, okay?” (5042 North Central Avenue; 602-266-3636) --Tyler Cabot

Cochon de Lait Po’Boy

Walker’s Bar-B-Que, New Orleans

For years, this sandwich -- twelve-hour-hickory-roasted suckling pig, topped with creamy Cajun mustard slaw -- was available only at Jazz Fest. Now there’s a shop, where the cult of the cochon can worship year-round. But you can still get it at Jazz Fest. (10828 Hayne Boulevard; 504-241-8227)

Torta de Milanesa

Las Nueva, Los Angeles

A neon crown hangs in the doorway of the East L. A. institution that serves the king of the spicy torta, or Mexican sandwich: breaded carne asada, cheese, avocado, and jalapeños on a toasted roll glistening with grease. Dip it in one of the homemade salsas. (3701 East First Street; 323-264-0678)

Italian Beef

Al’s #1 Italian Beef, Chicago

The stockyard special: thinly sliced beef on bread from the 122-year-old Gonella bakery, enhanced by giardiniera, a fermented vegetable relish made with hot peppers and celery. You could buy the ingredients and study the method, but it ain’t gonna taste like Al’s. (1079 West Taylor Street; 312-226-4017)

Jibarito

Borinquen, Chicago

At first it looks like any sandwich: bread, mayo, meat, iceberg lettuce, tomato. But the “bread” is actually twice-fried green plantains (sliced and pressed into rectangles and brushed with garlic and oil), and the meat is traditional Latino (slow-cooked pork; chopped skin-on fried chicken). An American sandwich with Puerto Rican roots. (1720 California Avenue; 773-227-6038)

McRib

McDonald’s, Multiple Locations

The pickles slay me. The other components of the McRib -- sauce, meat, onions, bun -- are straight outta barbecue antiquity. But the pickles are an unexpected wacko touch. Is that how they do it in . . . what, Kansas City? Because I grew up an active citizen of fast-food nation, this is what my palate has been calibrated to want: the overdetermined tang of the sauce, meat that tastes slightly of the mixing vat, the grace note of those pickles. I look forward to its occasional rerelease, because however artificial, it tastes like the real thing to me. --Scott Dickensheets

Grilled Cheese

Café Muse, Royal Oak, Michigan

Grilled cheese: Wonder bread, Velveeta, and a clothes iron. Or: Havarti, for creaminess. Mozzarella for gooeyness. Fontina for bite. Honey to linger on the tongue, paired with the sharp anise nip of fresh basil and the sweet tang of grilled tomato. (317 South Washington Avenue; 248-544-4749)

Lisa C’s Boisterous Brisket

Zingerman’s, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Gold Angus-beef brisket, dry-rubbed with sea salt, pungent Tellicherry black pepper, garlic, and marjoram, is left to sit in a mixture of butter-sautéed onions, caramelly demerara sugar, ketchup, molasses, garlic, and cayenne. Later it’s hand-pulled and layered into a bun that’s basically challah baked in hot-dog-roll form. On the side you get molasses-baked beans with applewood-smoked bacon, best added to the sandwich. (422 Detroit Street; 734-663-3354)

Sweet Coppa with Hot Peppers and Rucola

‘Ino, New York City

‘Ino is short for panino -- in this case, an artful little Italian sandwich pressed flat. The bread comes from a bakery across the street, and the combinations inside come from a wild imagination. Sweet cured ham stands up to the fiery peppers -- pop the sugary roasted garlic cloves on the side to extinguish the flames. (21 Bedford Street; 212-989-5769)

Corned Beef

Slyman’s, Cleveland

Bernie Kosar jerseys outnumber the business suits, but just barely. The corned beef is why you go: a softball-sized lump of lean the color of a Great Lakes sunset, kissed with fat and slow-cooked to succulence, then nestled between clouds of fresh bread. (3106 St. Clair Avenue; 216-621-3760)

Polish Boy

Freddie’s Rib House, Cleveland

Soul on white. A pipe’s length of kielbasa is wrapped in a bun and mounded with french fries, then dressed with coleslaw and barbecue sauce. Ignore any toxic runoff: Locals consider cuff stains a red badge of courage. The genteel can request a fork, because, yo, every circus needs a clown. (1431 St. Clair Avenue; 216-575-1750)

Chicken Sandwich

Chick-Fil-A, Multiple Locations

You can get a chicken sandwich anywhere, which may explain your low expectations. Boneless breast. Bun. Blah. But down south, there lives an eye-opener. A come-to-Jesus sandwich. The Chick-fil-A. Seasoned, breaded breast served on a toasted buttered bun with dill-pickle slices. No mayo. No sauce at all. Deceptively simple, yet transcendent. The hook is the breading: spicy, with an intoxicating crunch. The meat is always juicy, never chewy. The bun is like lingerie -- there, but not, providing delicious support without obscuring the main flavor. The first bite changes everything you think you know about chicken. And about the need for condiments. --Allison Glock

Chopped Pork

Allen & Son Barbeque, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Famous among the vinegar-based smoke pits of North Carolina for its tart, smoky sandwiches. The owner, Keith Allen, still splits his own hickory in the backyard, fueling the fires that cook your meat. (6203 Millhouse Road; 919-942-7576)

Ferdi’s Special

Mother’s Restaurant, New Orleans

At Mother’s, a downtown refuge for the workingman (and tourists), they’ve been serving all kinds of meat since 1938. The Ferdi, a kind of compilation po’boy, has the greatest hits: tender baked ham, roast beef, and “debris,” the gorgeous, grease-darkened bits of meat that fall into the pan during roasting. Shredded cabbage and Creole mustard mix with the juices to create an alchemy from above. (401 Poydras Street; 504-523-9656)

Cubano

Latin America Cafeteria, Miami

Little Havana’s specialty, an eight-inch roll wet with butter, plus sugar-cured bolo ham, lechon asado (slow-roasted marinated pork), Swiss cheese, and pickle, toasted in a plancha (press). The later the hour, the better it tastes. (9606 SW Sunset Drive, 305-279-4353)

Seafood Salad

La Sandwicherie, Miami Beach

Go with the French bread, not the croissant -- it’s appropriately crusty and soft in the middle. And get it to stay -- the seating is outdoors, and the seafood salad (jumbo lump crab, shrimp) goes well with the salty air. (229 Fourteenth Street; 305-532-8934)

Roast Pork with Provolone

John’s Roast Pork, Philadelphia

Although the area looks like a good place to dump a body, when John’s opened in 1930 the shipyards were bustling, and the place still keeps day-laborer’s hours: 6:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cheesesteak is the best in town, but your first time, get Philadelphia’s sleeper signature sandwich, the roast pork with shards of provolone. Only the large size comes on a seeded roll from Carangi Bakery, the perfect texture to absorb the juices without falling apart. The meat and cheese meld together while retaining flavor and texture -- molecular gastronomy at its finest. (14 East Snyder Avenue; 215-463-1951) --Francine Maroukian

Chicken Cutlet

Shank’s & Evelyn’s Luncheonette, South Philadelphia

You don’t need a hangover to appreciate the chicken cutlet with broccoli rabe and provolone at Shank’s & Evelyn’s. But with a little planning, you can acquire one and come to know the best morning-after sandwich in the world. And no matter how many times I tell myself that I’m too damn old for this kind of excess, the side of head-clearing long hots -- peppers eaten straight (vodka hangover) or jammed into the sandwich (bourbon) -- remind me that there’s no satisfaction in playing it safe. (932 South Tenth Street; 215-629-1093) --F. M.

Ham and Cheese

Primanti Bros., Pittsburgh

A relic of Pittsburgh’s steel days, this sandwich was made for steelworkers who had to eat fast. Everything that typically comes with a sandwich comes on it: meat cooked hot, bacon, tomato, provolone, pickles, slaw, an egg for fifty cents extra, even fries. Shove it in your lunch box. (46 Eighteenth Street; 412-263-2142)

Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese

Brennan’s Deli, Rumson, New Jersey

Fancier places around the Garden State call it Taylor ham, but to the hungry, hungover Jersey masses, the salamilike breakfast meat is pork roll. Fry it up in bacon fat and serve it on a kaiser roll with a fried egg and a slice of American cheese, or ask the good men of Brennan’s to do it for you. It’s the only way to start a bad day. (44 West River Road; 732-530-0302)

Tuna Niçoise

Bouchon Bakery, New York City

Looks like a regular tuna sandwich, except the bread is crusty and minutes old. The tuna comes with capers instead of celery, aioli on top of mayo, and cornichons instead of a pickle. Plus tarragon and sliced soft-cooked egg. It’s mundane. It’s exhilarating. It’s the best tuna sandwich we’ve ever eaten. (10 Columbus Circle; 212-823-9366)

Pastrami on Rye

Katz’s, New York City

You know Katz’s. You know the scene in When Harry Met Sally. The orgasm. And if you’ve been there, you know she wasn’t faking it -- the fatty, thick-cut pastrami on rye is that good. Better with a smear of mustard. (205 East Houston Street; 212-254-2246)

Three-Terrine Bánh Mì

Momofuku Ssäm, New York City

You’d never stand at a Plexiglas counter and tell the guy to top your crusty bread with chicken liver, ham terrine, and you know what, throw on some scraps of veal face. Just order this sickly delicious bánh mì and, without thinking too much, enjoy the crisp, earthy texture of...that delicious stuff between the bread. (207 Second Avenue; 212-254-3500)

Fried Cod

Cove Fish Market, Stonington, Connecticut

When a fish starts its morning in the ocean and ends up in a deep-fryer that afternoon, the result is reliably tasty. The Cove has been proving this for four decades, turning out some of the best no-frills fish sandwiches on the Eastern Seaboard. (20 Old Stonington Road; 860-536-0061)

The Bomb

Sal, Kris, and Charlie Deli, Queens, New York

The Sandwich Kings of Astoria stick to a simple formula: Use great ingredients and a lot of them. Know what you want to order when it’s your turn and you’ll have a great experience -- that’ll be the Bomb, an Italian with nine kinds of meat. (33-12 Twenty-third Avenue; 718-278-9240)

Hot Lobster Roll

Abbot’s Lobster in the Rough, Noank, Connecticut

The best way to get to Abbott’s is by boat -- float in, tie up, and order the classic, made with a quarter pound of meat, melted butter, and not a drop of mayo. Get a table out on the dock. (117 Pearl Street; 860-536-7719)

Maple-Barbecue Pulled Pork

Vermont Country Deli, Brattleboro, Vermont

Bunch of northerners making pulled pork? Damn straight. Two words: Maple. Syrup. (436 Western Avenue; 802-257-9254)

Grilled Lobster and Cheese

Restaurant Bricco, West Hartford, Connecticut

Generous clumps of fresh lobster tossed in a net of stringy, buttery Havarti and gently pressed between grilled white toast. Wash it down with a glass of prosecco. You’ll feel like you’re celebrating. (78 LaSalle Road; 860-233-0220)

Gyro

East Side Pocket, Providence

The sliced lamb gets a quick char while you pick out your toppings -- any or all from a list of ten: hot sauce, hummus, tabouleh, tahini, yogurt-cucumber sauce, various veggies. Thirty seconds and six bucks later, you’re eating the best Syrian street food outside Damascus. (278 Thayer Street; 401-453-1100)

Lamb Sirloin

Matt Murphy’s Brookline, Massachusetts

In a land teeming with trite Irish pubs, Matt Murphy’s stands alone: no Gaelic street signs, no U2 poster, no “Molly Bloom Mozzarella Stix.” But this hits you like a Joycean epiphany: sirloin, cooked until it dissolves on the crusty potato bread, and pickles, daubed with sweet relish and a sauce bearing the faintest rumor of mint. (14 Harvard Street; 617-232-0188)

Prosciutto and Asiago

Little Notch Café, Southwest Harbor, Maine

Let the others scarf lobster rolls. Up near Acadia National Park, where the crowds thin out, sharp Asiago and sweet prosciutto offer a different sort of local comfort. Grab one and catch the mail boat out to breathtaking Cranberry Island, where the crowds disappear into nothing. (340 Main Street; 207-244-3357)

Other contributors: Matt Belloni, Jake Bogach, Maile Carpenter, Tom Colligan, Tim Heffernan, Buddy Kite, Brian Mockenhaupt, Jeff Ousborne, Mike Rosenwald, and Christopher Solomon.

Fascinating Animal Photos

2009-06-09T11:47:00.002-04:00

Check out more of these fascinating animal pictures here.

It's a Block Party

2009-06-06T11:00:00.003-04:00

It's sure is addicting, I know once I start playing I have a hard time putting the game down. It is hard to believe the game has been around twenty five years already. My wife and I still enjoy playing to this day, as a matter of fact, we have a pocket sized version that my wife brings along to play on road trips.

"Developed by Alexey Pajitnov at a Moscow computing center, Tetris is recognized on the level of a Super Mario Bros. or Grand Theft Auto -- more than mere video games, they are ingrained in popular culture.The game began as a program on the IBM system, but Nintendo's Game Boy gave Tetris a wider audience in 1989. These days, Tetris is an actual company making money through"
So as the first twenty five years has past, with the addicting nature of this game, the next twenty five should pass in a blur as well. To find out more on the building blocks of Tetris, start stacking your bricks here.

If you Don't Like Spam like I don't Like Spam

2009-05-28T20:59:00.002-04:00

If you are sick and tired of getting 3,263 spam bombs on your blog's email everyday, there is help. Tim Williams hates spam a little more than the rest of us. So much so, He has developed a couple of codes that hide your blog's mailto address from email harvesters. I have been using the basic one for six months now with excellent results. I recently switched to his java based program because the junk mail has started to creep in the last couple of days. So if you are getting more than your share of spam, give Tim's Anti-Spam ECM a try, you won't be disappointed.

Eight Smart Uses for Vinegar

2009-05-24T12:49:00.000-04:00

Eight smart uses for vinegar

By Brian Clark Howard

Posted Tue May 12, 2009 7:51am PDT

Related topics: Food and Drink, How-To, Cleaning, Tips, House

Cure hiccups

Some have said they were able to cure pesky hiccups instantly by swallowing a teaspoon of vinegar. Most folks use white vinegar, but people have also reported success with apple cider, balsamic, and rice varieties. So you have a few options as far as taste and aroma. Hey, if the Roman legions drank it, it must be good for you, right?

Fight cramps

If you often get foot or leg cramps in the middle of the night, you may want to try boosting your potassium levels. There are a number of great superfoods rich in potassium (way beyond bananas). Some folks have also suggested trying this remedy: Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, and a cup of hot water. Then drink before bed. Yummy!

Break bad bonds

Having trouble getting that annoying sticky label residue off a product? Or accidentally glue something together? Vinegar can be used as a solvent to dissolve many common adhesives. Vinegar is also good at cutting grease.

Deter cats

We love cats (even LOLcats!). But sometimes you don't want them doing their business in the kids' sandbox or in your flower bed. According to HomeEnvy, a simple solution is to pour vinegar around the edges of the area you want to protect every few months.

Wash produce

According to the green team at Ideal Bite, vinegar can help remove bacteria and pesticide residues from fruits and veggies. Mix three parts water to one part white vinegar, and dispense in a spray bottle. Then rinse with water. The site claims this wash kills 98% of bacteria on produce.

Clean windows

Instead of spending money on window cleaning chemicals -- especially ones that include toxic or potentially toxic chemicals -- make your own! Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels, which cause streaking.

(Photo: Gerville Hall / iStockPhoto)

Get spring-fresh laundry

Got grass stains? No problemo, says Michael de Jong. Make a mixture of one-third cup white vinegar and two-thirds cup water. Apply the solution to the stain and blot with a clean cloth. Repeat this process until you've removed as much green as possible, and then launder as usual.

When your big washing day comes around, toss in a capful of white vinegar. Your colors will come out bolder and your whites whiter. If you've recently had an encounter with a skunk, it will take more than a capful.

After washing, get a sharper crease in pants by dipping the cloth in a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Then wring out the cloth and press the creases. Now you look like Dilbert!

Clean carpets

According to this The Daily Green community member: "Spots in carpets often remove with a simple dilution of one part vinegar, one-sixteenth part lemon juice, and eight parts distilled water."

Thanks for the tip!

For more vinegar tips watch the Zen Cleaner, and check out Michael de Jong's Clean series of books.

How do you use vinegar?

More from The Daily Green

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

Bayou Boogaloo

2009-05-23T00:56:00.004-04:00

Y'all in New Orleans this weekend? If so, you can find me at the laid-back Bayou Boogaloo.

"The Bayou Boogaloo is a free admission music festival in Mid City, the heart of the City of New Orleans, held on the banks of the beautiful and historic Bayou St. John. The spirit of the festival captures the spirit of this diverse and historic neighborhood. It is a family friendly cultural event that celebrates the heritage of New Orleans music, New Orleans cuisine, and New Orleans culture."

"The festival features live music stages, both acoustic and electric with a wide variety of musical genres including New Orleans roots in Blues, Jazz , Funk, Cajun, Zydeco, Latin, Brass, Country, Alternative, Hip Hop and Rock. There's something for everyone!"

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Study looks at early Navajo use of smoke signals

2009-05-17T11:08:00.001-04:00

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press Writer Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press Writer – Sat May 16, 6:39 am ET

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Archaeologists and volunteers armed with special flares will fan out over part of the Four Corners region on Saturday to study how early Navajos could have used smoke signals to warn against invaders.

There are more than 200 pueblitos — usually high on rock outcroppings overlooking the San Juan Basin — that archaeologists believe were built by Navajos three centuries ago to protect against Spanish explorers and neighboring tribes.

"If you hear an enemy approaching, you climb into these things and pull up the ladder, and you can seal yourself in for a while," said Ron Maldonado, program manager of the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department.

The sites in the area where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet feature the remains of what were once formidable structures made of stacked sandstone. The theory is that Navajos bunkered down inside the pueblitos and possibly used smoke to send warnings across long distances, said Jim Copeland, an archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Farmington.

Copeland said experiments in the early 1990s showed the method of warning could work in general, but scores of new sites have been identified since then and scientists want to know more about how the signals could have been relayed. Improved computer modeling and analysis has refined the idea of an "early warning system."

"We're still trying to confirm long distance and questionable views," Copeland said. "A lot of them are kind of no-brainers. You can pretty much see from A to B, but A to C was sort of questionable and that's the kind of thing we want to test."

The volunteers planned to reach some of the remote defensive sites by noon Saturday. Their mission: To set off their smoke signals and scan the horizon for other columns of smoke.

Much of the Four Corners area is known as Dinetah, the ancestral homeland of the Navajos. The tribe's traditional creation story centers on the area.

"The Dinetah essentially is the emergence place of the Navajo," said Ron Maldonado, program manager of the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department.

Tree-ring dating shows most of the sites are from the early 1700s, said Patrick Hogan, associate director of the University of New Mexico's Office of Contract Archaeology. He researched the sites during the early 1990s, when oil and gas development began to boom and archaeological surveys became necessary.

Overall, Hogan said, researchers are interested in better understanding the early social organization of the Navajos and the connections between their communities.

"One way to think about linking these larger communities is which defensive sites have line of sight to each other," he said. "They aren't going to have line of sight to all of them. They're going to be in clusters, and those clusters might give us a basis for then defining larger cooperating groups."

While more than 200 defensive sites have been documented, Copeland said he's certain that others are out there, collapsed and hidden under centuries of sand and brush.

"Until you walk up on it or someone points you in that direction, it's just sitting out there waiting," he said.

The sites that are part of the smoke signal experiment are on land managed by the BLM, Copeland said.

___

Bureau of Land Management: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en.html

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm?

2009-05-16T14:55:00.006-04:00

Twitter, really hasn't caught on with me yet. But it seems to be every were now. Even animals are getting in on the game. Sockinton, a cat has rung up over a half a million hits on the social network site. I really don't get it, though it seems a lot of other people do.

The Montauk Monster

2009-05-14T09:42:00.002-04:00

After reading some of today's stories on the Montauk Monster, I'm still left wondering...is it real?

Check out the stories here.

How to Search Craigslist Nationally

2009-05-11T22:09:00.003-04:00

If you like Craigslist, then you will LOVE this free software that allows users to search by multiple locations.

Download CraigsPal by clicking here.

All of the instructions can be found on this CraigsPal page here.

Hubble is Going IMAX

2009-05-06T14:34:00.002-04:00

The space shuttle Atlantis will be packing more than new deep space cameras and instruments when it sets off on a May 11 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope: IMAX cameras to film the mission's five spacewalks needed to repair and upgrade the Hubble. The footage will be used with new Hubble pictures for a new IMAX film. Train your telescopes here for the rest of the story

Can Parrots and Other Animals Really Bust a Move

2009-05-01T16:16:00.003-04:00

Fascinated by a youtube video of a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo dancing to a Backstreet Boys song. A neurobiologist named Aniruddh Patel thought that this was more than just some funny pet trick, it has the potential to be scientifically very important. So he looked up the birds owner to see what exactly what made this bird tick. Along with studying Snowball, he set about checking out over 5,000 YouTube videos to see if these birds and animals were really moving to the beat of the music. You can tune into the rest of the story on NPR's home page.

Happy Birthday Hubble

2009-04-26T12:05:00.003-04:00

To commemorate its 19 years of historic and trailblazing science, the Hubble Space Telescope has taken an image of the Arp 194 system of galaxies. This interacting galaxy group contains several galaxies, along with a "cosmic fountain" of stars, gas, and dust that stretches over 100,000 light-years. There's plenty to celebrate today as the Hubble Space Telescope turns 19 years old: The billion-dollar orbiting observatory is still in business, even though some people thought it should have failed by now. And after years and months of delay, it looks as if help is finally on the way. The shuttle Atlantis is set to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of belated birthday gifts next month.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2009-04-22T09:21:00.001-04:00

Sky Panorama Over Lake Salda Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)

Explanation: As midnight approached, a spectacular sky appeared. Such was the case last month from the shore of Lake Salda in southwestern Turkey. In the above night sky panorama, rocky sand covers the foreground, while building lights are visible across the lake. Looking up, the stars of Orion lie just ahead, while Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, appears to Orion's left. To Orion's right, just above the horizon, lies the Pleiades open star cluster. Arching across the sky is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. High in the center, the stars Castor and Pollux are visible. Lake Salda is famous partly for its blue color that is slightly discernable even in the above image.

Free Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts

2009-04-19T14:24:00.002-04:00

Even In Defeat, He's Funny

2009-04-19T09:58:00.000-04:00

Colbert lost in space when NASA names station node

Wed Apr 15, 11:07 am ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – NASA on Tuesday named its new living quarters on the International Space Station "Tranquillity," denying television comedian Stephen Colbert his attempt to get the new Node 3 named after himself.

Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, appearing on "The Colbert Report" on cable TV network Comedy Central, said NASA will name the new module Tranquility, instead of Colbert as he and his fans demanded after winning an online poll conducted by NASA.

But the U.S. space agency did make one concession. It said it will make a new Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT) -- a fancy way of saying "exercise treadmill" -- a key fixture in the space station.

"Your name will be in space in a very important place," Williams assured Colbert on his TV show. "Everyday somebody will have to jump on the COLBERT," she said.

Initially, the comedian seemed upset, but then he hit on an idea. "By running on the treadmill, that is what powers the Space Station?" asked a hopeful Colbert.

"Well, not really," said Williams, who in the past served as a flight engineer aboard the space station.

The comedic situation stemmed from NASA's recent public outreach to drum up interest in the $100 billion International Space Station by holding an online contest to name the new Node 3, which will house life support equipment.

Colbert, who parodies a conservative political commentator on his TV show, waged a campaign encouraging fans to vote for him and he eventually won, earning 230,539 write-in votes to 40,000 for NASA's top suggestion, "Serenity."

Contest rules stipulated that NASA retained the right to name Node 3, but in March U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called on NASA to do the democratic thing and use the name that drew the most votes -- Colbert.

In the end, Colbert took Tuesday's news with a friendly handshake, and he thanked Williams and NASA for playing along with him and his fans.

It wasn't Colbert's first attempt to brand a piece of public property with his name. In 2006, he topped another public vote to name a bridge in Budapest, Hungary. But again he lost because Hungarian law required that the bridge's namesake be fluent in Hungarian and deceased.

(Additional reporting by Sheri Linden; editing by Todd Eastham)

I love a good bobber

2009-04-16T17:42:00.001-04:00

This XS650 hits the spot.

MMMMMM, Pork Cracklin

2009-04-12T19:47:00.003-04:00

Knowing that I have a fever for some good pork cracklin every now and then, my good buddy Bayou Boy took it upon himself to send me a cracklin care package. I don't get to eat crackin all that much because it is as scarce as hens teeth in these parts. But when I go a visiting down south, one of the first things I do is, scare myself up some good old cracklin. For those who are not in the know, pork cracklin is like pork rinds on steroids. They are comprised of the skin of the pig like rinds, but with extra meat and fat attached. Health food they are not, tasty food, oh yeah. So I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to Bayoy Boy and his generosity in sending me this tasty treat. THANKS BAYOU BOY!!!!!!!!!!!

Florida Woman's Web Cam Helps Capture Burglers in Her Home

2009-04-11T17:25:00.002-04:00

If there ever was a reason to have a webcam this is it. While a work, a Florida woman checks her webcam only to find intruders robbing her home. She calls 911 and you can see the police arrive in time to catch the thieves red handed.

2009-04-10T16:47:00.000-04:00

2009-04-07T09:05:00.006-04:00

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2009 April 7

The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274 Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio (STScI) and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Explanation: Two galaxies are squaring off in Virgo and here are the latest pictures. When two galaxies collide, the stars that compose them usually do not. This is because galaxies are mostly empty space and, however bright, stars only take up only a small fraction of that space. But during the collision, one galaxy can rip the other apart gravitationally, and dust and gas common to both galaxies does collide. If the two galaxies merge, black holes that likely resided in each galaxy center may eventually merge. Because the distances are so large, the whole thing takes place in slow motion -- over hundreds of millions of years. Besides the two large spiral galaxies, a smaller third galaxy is visible on the far left of the above image of Arp 274, also known as NGC 5679. Arp 274 spans about 200,000 light years across and lies about 400 million light years away toward the constellation of Virgo.

Where Y'At?

2009-04-05T13:56:00.004-04:00

the things i love. fried pork cracklin. inspected and passed by department of agriculture right here in new orleans. belle chasse, louisiana 70037 if you want to get particular. music. i don't know many lyrics, but the sound drives me. like climbing a mountain and almost getting to the halfway point. make me go farther, higher, mount summit. so i can get to the top and go sliding down. with friends. i don't have many but those i do have i cherish. we will all go sledding. afterwards, frozen faces will we all be drinking hot chocolate. maybe brandy. keeps us warm.

motorcycles. zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. who wants to climb on board and go for a ride? what is it that i love? freedom, independance, power, the ability to do what i want. and my motorcycle gives me all of that. always sounds so good.

it's the...

the deep south. the food. here we go burning down the highway at speeds that make me shiver when i'm in a car and getting passed by. here's throwing caution to the wind, here's taking off one's shirt and living like today might be the last. somewhere there's a skull that will be thrown in front of you only to have it held up and inspected. whether we be kings or court jesters, one day we will all be food for worms. type that into your rotoscope and look for a synonym.

i want to wake up in the morning and be happy.

i want to be alive.

don't tell me what to wear, or what time to go to sleep, or who to marry. i will choose that for myself.

It Wants to Live

2009-03-29T12:25:00.007-04:00

In the middle of December I took my pole saw and pruned my three Royal Empress (paulownia) trees.

Each of the three trees are about twenty feet high, and in the winter, when the trees are focusing on root development, it is the perfect time to see exactly which branches need to be pruned.

After I had cut the branches, I chopped them into smaller sections, most of which were about one to two feet long, and I placed them in a pile on the ground next to my outdoor fireplace.

Well, the other day I decided that the wood had probably dried out enough so that it would burn. As I started to put some of it in my fireplace, I noticed that two of the branches had new growth on them! Now this is a full three and a half months after I had originally cut them!

I could not believe it, but here is a picture that shows the new growth on one of the cut pieces.

Earth Hour Is Here

2009-03-28T12:45:00.003-04:00

Don't forget to turn off your lights from 8:30pm to 9:30pm

Corvette ZR1 @ The Ring

2009-03-25T17:54:00.004-04:00

Even if your not a Corvette fan, you have to enjoy this video of a GM test driver whipping this ZR1 round the legendary Nurburgring. For more check out Corvette Racin's website. Looks like heaven to me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAYOU BOY

2009-03-21T19:43:00.001-04:00

Earth Hour '09 is Right Around The Corner

2009-03-16T16:39:00.002-04:00

Are you ready to join in?

For more go to Earth Hour

Pink Dolphin in Louisiana

2009-03-15T18:49:00.002-04:00

By Daily Mail Reporter

Original Post - click here

Last updated at 3:51 PM on 02nd March 2009

These are the stunning pictures of a rare pink bottlenose dolphin spotted swimming in a Louisiana lake.

The mammal was pictured by local charter boat captain Erik Rue, who has been studying the dolphin since it first surfaced in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in Southwestern USA.

Since it was spotted with its pod of normal coloured dolphins last year the animal has been wowing visitors on the lake.

Capt Rue, 42, originally saw the dolphin, which also has reddish eyes, swimming with a pod of four other dolphins, with one appearing to be its mother which never left its side.

Stunning sight: The rare albino dolphin has been spotted by excited visitors to Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana

'I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins, and I noticed one that was a little lighter. It was absolutely stunningly pink', he said.

'I had never seen anything like it. It's the same colour throughout the whole body and it looks like it just came out of a paint booth. The dolphin appears to be healthy and normal other than its colouration, which is quite beautiful.

'The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating it's albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws. I have spotted it about 40 to 50 times in the time since the original sighting as it has apparently taken up residence with its family in the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

More...

Race to save 200 whales and dolphins after mass stranding on Tasmanian beach

'As time has passed he has grown and sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.

'Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod.'

The striking mammal is thought to be the world's only pink bottlenose dolphin

Capt Rue added: 'I feel very fortunate to have seen this incredible mammal and lucky to be able to work and live in the area where such a fantastic creature frequents.

'Our guests are always thrilled at the opportunity to spot such a unique mammal and we look forward to it being around for some time to come.'

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, senior biologist, with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, called the dolphin 'truly beautiful'.

'I have never seen a dolphin coloured in this way in all my career', she said.

'While this animal looks pink, it is an albino which you can notice in the pink eyes. Albinism is a genetic trait and it unclear as to the type of albinism this animal inherited.

'It is a truly beautiful dolphin but people should be careful, as with any dolphins, to respect it. Observe from a distance, limit their time watching, don't chase or harass it."

Sunset at the North Pole

2009-03-12T12:15:00.004-04:00

The Encyclopedia of Life

2009-03-07T19:41:00.005-05:00

The Encyclopedia of Life is out to catalogue all the world species. They are looking for help from you to get this ongoing project up to date with as many contributors as they can get to keep fresh information on existing and new species.

The following is a copy of what they are looking for in contributors and a coupe of links to check out the site.

"Help us build the Encyclopedia of Life"

"The Encyclopedia of Life is a place for information about all of organisms of the world. Soon, anyone will be able to add pictures and information. Expert curators will ensure quality on our authenticated pages. Together we will make EOL the best, most comprehensive source for biodiversity information.

A few things to note:

We are committed to providing information for free, with as few restrictions on re-use as possible. See our Licensing Policy.
We are committed to clearly crediting the sources of the information we serve and urge our visitors to cite and visit the original sources.

I have images I'd like to share.
There will be more than one way to contribute, but for now we have set up an Encyclopedia of Life group at the collaborative photo-sharing site, Flickr . Be sure to scroll down and read the instructions about how to license and tag your images so we can easily index them on our site. The images won’t go on our species pages immediately, but look for them by the beginning of 2009. It's also important that the images you share through Flickr are your own and NOT images you found elsewhere.

I have an online database I'd like to share.
Contact us to begin the process of sharing your information through EOL (select "Become a Content Partner"). You don't need to share all of your text or multimedia, but what you do share must bear one of our accepted licenses. We will work with you so that it will be easy for you to keep your data updated on EOL. For more detail, see the following documents:

Commitment
Licensing policy
Transfer schema
Data element glossary
We are working on an online registration process to facilitate data sharing partnerships.

I am a scientist (or representing a community of scientists) and I'd like to provide text and other information for species pages.
We are planning several ways to do this. At the end of 2008 we will be releasing Expert LifeDesks. These will enable scientific communities to assemble text and multimedia in ways useful to you and to us. Modeled after, and compatible with, EDIT Scratchpads, you'll have your own customizable online environment to maintain your information. You may also contribute to the Tree of Life Web, or another relevant data partner, as we are sharing information with them. You will also be able to submit information using spreadsheets (details forthcoming). To get on the notification list for contributors, contact us (select "Become a Curator").

See our exemplar pages for the kinds of information appropriate for species pages.

If you need help organizing your colleagues, consider submitting a workshop proposal to the Biodiversity Synthesis Center.

I'm not a trained scientist but I'd like to help in any way I can.
You'll be able to contribute your own images (see above), text, and observations in a variety of ways. Starting in December 2008, you'll be able to add tags to our images and comment on the contents of the web site. Later in 2009 there will be new ways for you to share content with EOL, such as Public LifeDesks. All contributions should be visible; some contributions will be selected by curators as authenticated (high-quality, endorsed) content. By the way, even if you are not a "trained scientist", you may be a citizen scientist qualified to curate species pages.

I would like to help curate species pages.
EOL will open its doors to contributions from everyone. Curators will identify the best quality contributions. We will release a beta version of curation policies and tools in December 2008 and will phase in the full system in 2009. We’ll invite you to register as a curator here and provide us with your credentials and other reasons why you think you would be a good curator. To get on the notification list for curators, contact us (select "Request to curate a page").

A draft of the Curator Network plan is now available (also available in Spanish and Catalan). Please share your comments with us in the forum.

I'm a teacher or college faculty member and would like my students to contribute to the Encyclopedia of Life.
Please contact our Education and Outreach coordinator who may direct you to a partner project, such as Animal Diversity Web. Or, you may want to wait for our K-12 LifeDesks, which will begin to appear in 2009.

I'm a student and I would like to contribute to the Encyclopedia of Life.
Images might be a good first step (see above). Talk to your teacher about class projects that might involve EOL. Starting in December, you'll be able to add tags to our images and comment on the contents of the web site. Later you’ll be able to use LifeDesks to submit information, observations, and stories. Feel free to register and take part in discussions on our Forum.

I am a scientist who has compiled an authoritative classification that EOL should be using for a group of organisms.
We encourage you to submit your classification to the Catalogue of Life.

In 2009 we will be working on tools that will allow you to submit your classification or your own list of names and use this to navigate through the Encyclopedia of Life. Expert LifeDesks will also contain tools to help you build your own classifications and share them with us.

I have a database of species information, but it is not yet online.
Contact us to begin the process of sharing your information through EOL"(select "Become a Content Partner").

You can check out EOL Here.

And help them build the site here.

The site looks like it will be a very interesting and informative place to frequent for a never ending database on all the species we share the planet with. I for one will be spending a bit of my free time exploring this site, hope you will too.

Passiflora

2009-03-03T22:39:00.008-05:00

The longer I stay here in New Orleans, the more my taste for gardening and plants expands.

For the last three years, I have been growing many strange looking plants, including the Blue Crown Passion Flower, and I have recently bought six other varieties of this exotic plant, called Passiflora. All of them are amazing!

Here is a picture one of the new flowering vines that I bought. This one is the Passiflora Flavicarpa.

psychedelic frog fish

2009-03-01T12:24:00.002-05:00

A recently discovered "psychedelic" fish is bouncing into the books as a new species, a new study says.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIN

2009-02-27T15:44:00.001-05:00

It's Fat Tuesday

2009-02-24T16:32:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to eat your Paczkis

Weather Not as Bad as Predicted

2009-02-21T15:38:00.004-05:00

As usual, the snow storm did not have the teeth the local weather forecasters were calling for. The snow is now coming to an end and I have two inches on the ground. I can say that I am happy that the local weather men were wrong. Here's to hoping there is not to much winter left in these parts.

OH BOY ANOTHER SNOW STORM

2009-02-20T16:34:00.003-05:00

Saturday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 32. South southeast wind between 10 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

To some in Michigan and the other regions to be covered by this latest system, this is indeed good news. Myself, I am ready for spring. Enjoy all you snow lovers out there.

2009-02-18T12:59:00.004-05:00

thanks to "Married to the Sea" for this one...