Here is my picks for 49 of the games being played between Thursday 1 November and Sunday 4 November in college football. Only four weekends left after this one is completed. (home teams in bold)
Thursday 1 November
#11 Virginia Tech (+1 1/2) 24, Georgia Tech 20 UPSET + +
Friday 2 November
Nevada (-7 1/2) 45, New Mexico St 28 + X
Saturday 3 November
# 1 Ohio St (-15) 31, #21 Wisconsin 10 + +
# 2 Boston College (-7 1/2) 24, Florida St 20 X +
#17 Alabama (+7) 29, # 3 Louisiana St 27 UPSET X +
# 5 Oregon (-7 1/2) 27, # 4 Arizona St 24 + X
# 6 Oklahoma (-22) 44, Texas A&M 20 + +
# 7 West Virginia: IDLE
# 8 Kansas (-19) 27, Nebraska 13 + X
# 9 Missouri (-4 1/2) 27, Colorado 16 + +
#10 Georgia (-16) 27, Troy St 20 + +
#12 Michigan (-6) 20, Michigan St 16 + +
#13 Connecticut (-2) 23, Rutgers 20 + +
#14 Hawaii: IDLE
Oklahoma St (+3) 27, #15 Texas 23 UPSET X +
#16 Auburn (-39) 45, Tennessee Tech 7 + +
#18 South Florida (-6) 20, Cincinnati 17 X +
#19 Southern Cal (-14 1/2) 31, Oregon St 22 + X
#20 Florida (-14 1/2) 30, Vanderbilt 13 + +
#22 Boise St (-27) 48, San Jose St 20 + +
#23 Virginia (even) 27, #24 Wake Forest 24 + +
#25 Clemson (-17) 39, Duke 13 + +
Wyoming (-4) 30, San Diego St 23 X X
Brigham Young (-21) 41, Colorado St 17 + X
Air Force (-16 1/2) 37, Army 17 + +
New Mexico (+3 1/2) 31, Texas Christian 27 UPSET X X
Indiana (-6 1/2) 31, Ball St 17 + +
Northwestern (-1) 24, Iowa 22 X X
Miami FL (-11 1/2) 34, North Carolina St 16 X X
Pittsburgh (-13) 33, Syracuse 17 + X
Kansas St (-19) 45, Iowa St 13 X X
East Carolina (-6) 29, Memphis 22 + +
Penn St (-7) 23, Purdue 20 + +
Navy (+4) 26, Notre Dame 25 UPSET + +
Texas-El Paso (-7 1/2) 32, Rice 27 X +
Arkansas St (-17 1/2) 22, Florida Int'l 13 + +
Arizona (+2) 24, UCLA 21 UPSET + +
Central Florida (-14) 39, Marshall 10 + +
Texas Tech (-21 1/2) 47, Baylor 23 + +
Tennessee (-28) 58, Louisiana-Lafayette 13 + +
Maryland (+2) 13, North Carolina 10 UPSET X X
Fresno St (-20 1/2) 54 , Utah St 23 + X
Idaho (+3 1/2) 20, Louisiana Tech 17 UPSET X X
Washington (-3) 34, Stanford 27 + +
Southern Miss (-11) 36, Alabama-Birmingham 17 + +
Middle Tennessee St (-5) 32, Louisiana-Monroe 27 + +
Tulsa (-6 1/2) 27, Tulane 17 + +
Illinois (-13) 44, Minnesota 20 + +
South Carolina (+4) 28, Arkansas 24 UPSET X X
California (-14 1/2) 35, Washington St 23 + +
Sunday 4 November
Houston (-19) 38, Southern Methodist 17 + X
36-13/33-16/3-6
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday 28 October News Articles and Observations
Here are some recent news articles from around Sunday 28 October and my brief observations on them.
A. Just Like Financial Scandals of the Near and Distant Past
Most financial scandals and downturns that have occured in the history of our nations and many others are due to chicanary and corruption on the part of insiders and wealthy cretons trying to score a big financial coup. Most of the time they get off completely or relatively easy for their stark criminal acts and behaviors, leaving the consumers and taxpayers to pay the price and take the blows. The ongoing and worsening housing mortgage crisis and downturn are just another example of this.
http://www.alternet.org/story/65037/?page=entire
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/26/4820/
-----
B. The Federally Elected Official Who is the Biggest Crook
The stench of the neverending flatulence of the corruption being spewed by senior Kentucky US Senator and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is so obvious and apparent. Hopefully intelligence and justice will win out and this hoodlum will be ousted in November '08.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/66322/#more
-----
C. The End is Near For Many Primates
These 25 species will disappear from the wild within the next two decades and the only place they will still exist will be in zoos and in private collections.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/26/endangered
-----
D. Was Wellstone the JFK of the Early 21st Century ?
Had Minnesota US Senator Paul Wellstone had not been killed in a plane crash in 2002, it is highly probable he would have a top contender for the US Presidency in 2008. He had an extraordinary vision of how to take America into the second decade of this century.
http://www.timberjay.com/current.php?article=3804
-----
E. Visible Results of the Dieoff of Honeybees
Genetic manipulation of these creatures may be the cause of their widespread demise in many places across North America.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/28/4858/
-----
F. Dodging the Bullet so Far on Oil Price Increases
Unfortunately, we will not for much longer. How high will it go ? Lets hope for a mild winter, particularly in the Northeast, so usage of home heating oil doesn't drive the price even higher.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/26/news/economy/gas_oil/index.htm?cnn=yes
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSP21758220071026?sp=true
-----
G. Many if not Most Foreign Made Goods Being Made Sometimes by Children
There is little doubt this travesty and immorality is more widespread than we think and is being cleverly and astonishingly covered up by American and other multinational corporations all in the name of profit and greed.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2200590,00.html
-----
H. Water Woes Growing Nationally
The problem is only worsening in places like the Southeastern US where it was largely unimaginable less than a decade ago. Will Atlanta have to become like Tucson and ban lawns of green grass ?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071026/ap_on_re_us/vanishing_water;_ylt=AtNVZ2YEHkjAN7wCbP25p.Ws0NUE
-----
A. Just Like Financial Scandals of the Near and Distant Past
Most financial scandals and downturns that have occured in the history of our nations and many others are due to chicanary and corruption on the part of insiders and wealthy cretons trying to score a big financial coup. Most of the time they get off completely or relatively easy for their stark criminal acts and behaviors, leaving the consumers and taxpayers to pay the price and take the blows. The ongoing and worsening housing mortgage crisis and downturn are just another example of this.
http://www.alternet.org/story/65037/?page=entire
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/26/4820/
-----
B. The Federally Elected Official Who is the Biggest Crook
The stench of the neverending flatulence of the corruption being spewed by senior Kentucky US Senator and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is so obvious and apparent. Hopefully intelligence and justice will win out and this hoodlum will be ousted in November '08.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/66322/#more
-----
C. The End is Near For Many Primates
These 25 species will disappear from the wild within the next two decades and the only place they will still exist will be in zoos and in private collections.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/26/endangered
-----
D. Was Wellstone the JFK of the Early 21st Century ?
Had Minnesota US Senator Paul Wellstone had not been killed in a plane crash in 2002, it is highly probable he would have a top contender for the US Presidency in 2008. He had an extraordinary vision of how to take America into the second decade of this century.
http://www.timberjay.com/current.php?article=3804
-----
E. Visible Results of the Dieoff of Honeybees
Genetic manipulation of these creatures may be the cause of their widespread demise in many places across North America.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/28/4858/
-----
F. Dodging the Bullet so Far on Oil Price Increases
Unfortunately, we will not for much longer. How high will it go ? Lets hope for a mild winter, particularly in the Northeast, so usage of home heating oil doesn't drive the price even higher.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/26/news/economy/gas_oil/index.htm?cnn=yes
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSP21758220071026?sp=true
-----
G. Many if not Most Foreign Made Goods Being Made Sometimes by Children
There is little doubt this travesty and immorality is more widespread than we think and is being cleverly and astonishingly covered up by American and other multinational corporations all in the name of profit and greed.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2200590,00.html
-----
H. Water Woes Growing Nationally
The problem is only worsening in places like the Southeastern US where it was largely unimaginable less than a decade ago. Will Atlanta have to become like Tucson and ban lawns of green grass ?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071026/ap_on_re_us/vanishing_water;_ylt=AtNVZ2YEHkjAN7wCbP25p.Ws0NUE
-----
Redsox Best the Rockies in Four
It was a letdown after the long exciting run, but the Colorado Rockies had their season end on a somewhat negative note as the Boston Redsox took the World Series for 2007.
This was by far the most exciting season for the Rockies, particularly the last two weeks of the regular season, the play-in game with San Diego (which I was so fortunate to attend and really enjoy along with my brother), the NLDS, and the NLCS. We got to see a lot of young guys get better and come together as a team.
The best is yet to come for this young and exciting club. I, like many other baseball fans, look forward to the '08 season.
Pitchers and Catchers Report in less than 11o days !
This was by far the most exciting season for the Rockies, particularly the last two weeks of the regular season, the play-in game with San Diego (which I was so fortunate to attend and really enjoy along with my brother), the NLDS, and the NLCS. We got to see a lot of young guys get better and come together as a team.
The best is yet to come for this young and exciting club. I, like many other baseball fans, look forward to the '08 season.
Pitchers and Catchers Report in less than 11o days !
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Happy Birthday to Mom
Here's wishing a Happy Birthday to my Mom, the greatest and most influential person ever in my life.
My Week in Review: 21-27 October
Another week, another story of the daily life of an aging boring old white guy.
Sunday 21 October: Awoke around 9:15am and looked out the window to see that a light dusting of snow had occurred overnight. Got ready for work and headed over to King Soopers to get my newspapers and some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Worked 11-6 as the day was not too busy and free of any noteworthy occurences. I got home just in time to watch the start of Game 7 of the Cle/Bsn ALCS; also kept tabs on the Den/Pgh SNF game. Read my papers more fully, did the sudoku, and ate butter bread for dinner. It was a cold day although the sun did break through by midafternoon. I do not think it got to 40 degrees and there was a cold NW wind blowing to chill one's bones deeply. I think we only got about 2-3" of snow which mostly melted upon falling. I had to use the wipers to plow what little did stick off the windshield when I started out today. By the time I left work, one could not even tell that it had snowed earlier in the day. The official NWS total was 1.2". Watched a little more TV while re-reading my Sunday papers and went to bed around 12:30am.
Monday 22 October: A day off from work. Got up around 11 after staying under the covers for about an hour or so on the cold crisp morning. Ate some cereal for breakfast. Surfed and tried to stay on top of Rockies tickets fiasco. Headed out around 1:30 and went Barnes & Noble and read and browsed for about an hour. Then I went over to BK and had a couple of sandwiches; read the Rocky, USA, and Cheyenne papers; and did all the puzzles while listening to Irv & Joe on the Fan. I've been listening to those guys since I moved to this area 19 years ago and heard about their radio sports talk show. They are always informative, entertaining, and opinionated which is why they are the best at what they do in this area and have been on the air for over 25 years. Today ended up being a warmer sunny day with wind as it got near 50 degrees after a morning low around 23. I went home around 4:45 and caught the evening news. Halfheartedly watched MNF in the first half and then a little more closely in the second half. Puttered around the place doing some odd things throughout the evening. Turned to Nightline to hear the latest on the fires in Southern Cal as both Leno and Letterman were repeats. Started watching Forest Gump at 11am and surfed a little more while I watched. Went to bed around 1am.
Tuesday 23 October: Another day off from work; consecutive weekdays is always nice. I slept in until around 10am. I then had cereal for breakfast. I did nothing away from the place. It was a warm sunny windy day with temps around 60 degrees. I spent about an hour plus in the garage going through the remaining boxes to see what I still need to bring up. I found a fair amount of stuff and also organized some boxes in a limited way. I still need to rebox some aging boxes and go through some others and discard some things that I no longer want or need. I figure I have about three to four hours of work in the garage still so it will keep me busy in the coming weeks on my day off. Hopefully I can have it done completely before the end of November. I still have yet to find any of my wall tapestries and its quite bewildering where they are. I still need to finish hanging pictures in the apartment and finish organizing my desk and office. So I have some activities to keep at in the coming weeks. I talked to Matt and we lamented the inability to get tickets to the World Series and discussed coming down when the Rockies close in on the championship. Later I more fully repaired my broken end table, fixed the screenguard to one of my speakers and hooked up an antenna to my bedroom receiver. I watched on and off the Avalanche-Oilers game and the ABC news special on the Southern Cal fires that pre-empted Boston Legal. Dinner consisted of canned ravioli which tasted great as I had no lunch. I took a nice long hot shower that was relaxing and went to bed around 11:45.
Wednesday 24 October: Back to work for the eight hour day. A surprisingly sunny warm day as we got into the mid 70s and tied a record. Had peas and Lipton noodles stroganoff for dinner. Watched Game One of the World Series, but Boston scored early and often and turned it into a rout. I fell asleep watching it in fourth inning or so and didn't wake up until the eighth. Surfed and zapped awhile before going to bed around 11pm
Thursday 25 October: Another record setting warm sunny day as we got to 76 degrees which is about 20 degrees above normal. I worked again all day and got home to watch Game Two which turned out to be much better and closer as the Redsox edged the Rockies 2-1 to take the 2-0 series lead. Kept tabs on Air Force-New Mexico and Boston College-Virginia Tech. I had Lipton chicken broccoli noodles and carrots for dinner. Later, I made myself some butterscotch pudding. Went to bed around 11pm.
Friday 26 October: Back to work again for the eight hour day. Weather changed to a cool cloudy day with temps never getting past 40 degrees and no sun all day. When I got home, I had some cream of mushroom soup and some grilled cheese sandwiches. Watched the Avalanche-Flames game and caught the episode of Ghost Whisperer. Kept tabs on Boise St-Fresno St. Went to bed around 11pm as all this week there were repeats of both Letterman and Leno.
Saturday 27 October: A day off from work (or so I thought) so I slept in until around 9:45. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal. It was a cloudy cold day but we did get some dim sunshine through the clouds late in the afternoon but it never got much above 50 degrees. Got called into work and worked from noon until 5pm. I went next store to watch game three of the World Series and some college football at the sports bar "Shadows". I had a bowl of minestrone soup and a mushroom cheeseburger while watching. Hit the hay around midnight.
-----
Sunday 21 October: Awoke around 9:15am and looked out the window to see that a light dusting of snow had occurred overnight. Got ready for work and headed over to King Soopers to get my newspapers and some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Worked 11-6 as the day was not too busy and free of any noteworthy occurences. I got home just in time to watch the start of Game 7 of the Cle/Bsn ALCS; also kept tabs on the Den/Pgh SNF game. Read my papers more fully, did the sudoku, and ate butter bread for dinner. It was a cold day although the sun did break through by midafternoon. I do not think it got to 40 degrees and there was a cold NW wind blowing to chill one's bones deeply. I think we only got about 2-3" of snow which mostly melted upon falling. I had to use the wipers to plow what little did stick off the windshield when I started out today. By the time I left work, one could not even tell that it had snowed earlier in the day. The official NWS total was 1.2". Watched a little more TV while re-reading my Sunday papers and went to bed around 12:30am.
Monday 22 October: A day off from work. Got up around 11 after staying under the covers for about an hour or so on the cold crisp morning. Ate some cereal for breakfast. Surfed and tried to stay on top of Rockies tickets fiasco. Headed out around 1:30 and went Barnes & Noble and read and browsed for about an hour. Then I went over to BK and had a couple of sandwiches; read the Rocky, USA, and Cheyenne papers; and did all the puzzles while listening to Irv & Joe on the Fan. I've been listening to those guys since I moved to this area 19 years ago and heard about their radio sports talk show. They are always informative, entertaining, and opinionated which is why they are the best at what they do in this area and have been on the air for over 25 years. Today ended up being a warmer sunny day with wind as it got near 50 degrees after a morning low around 23. I went home around 4:45 and caught the evening news. Halfheartedly watched MNF in the first half and then a little more closely in the second half. Puttered around the place doing some odd things throughout the evening. Turned to Nightline to hear the latest on the fires in Southern Cal as both Leno and Letterman were repeats. Started watching Forest Gump at 11am and surfed a little more while I watched. Went to bed around 1am.
Tuesday 23 October: Another day off from work; consecutive weekdays is always nice. I slept in until around 10am. I then had cereal for breakfast. I did nothing away from the place. It was a warm sunny windy day with temps around 60 degrees. I spent about an hour plus in the garage going through the remaining boxes to see what I still need to bring up. I found a fair amount of stuff and also organized some boxes in a limited way. I still need to rebox some aging boxes and go through some others and discard some things that I no longer want or need. I figure I have about three to four hours of work in the garage still so it will keep me busy in the coming weeks on my day off. Hopefully I can have it done completely before the end of November. I still have yet to find any of my wall tapestries and its quite bewildering where they are. I still need to finish hanging pictures in the apartment and finish organizing my desk and office. So I have some activities to keep at in the coming weeks. I talked to Matt and we lamented the inability to get tickets to the World Series and discussed coming down when the Rockies close in on the championship. Later I more fully repaired my broken end table, fixed the screenguard to one of my speakers and hooked up an antenna to my bedroom receiver. I watched on and off the Avalanche-Oilers game and the ABC news special on the Southern Cal fires that pre-empted Boston Legal. Dinner consisted of canned ravioli which tasted great as I had no lunch. I took a nice long hot shower that was relaxing and went to bed around 11:45.
Wednesday 24 October: Back to work for the eight hour day. A surprisingly sunny warm day as we got into the mid 70s and tied a record. Had peas and Lipton noodles stroganoff for dinner. Watched Game One of the World Series, but Boston scored early and often and turned it into a rout. I fell asleep watching it in fourth inning or so and didn't wake up until the eighth. Surfed and zapped awhile before going to bed around 11pm
Thursday 25 October: Another record setting warm sunny day as we got to 76 degrees which is about 20 degrees above normal. I worked again all day and got home to watch Game Two which turned out to be much better and closer as the Redsox edged the Rockies 2-1 to take the 2-0 series lead. Kept tabs on Air Force-New Mexico and Boston College-Virginia Tech. I had Lipton chicken broccoli noodles and carrots for dinner. Later, I made myself some butterscotch pudding. Went to bed around 11pm.
Friday 26 October: Back to work again for the eight hour day. Weather changed to a cool cloudy day with temps never getting past 40 degrees and no sun all day. When I got home, I had some cream of mushroom soup and some grilled cheese sandwiches. Watched the Avalanche-Flames game and caught the episode of Ghost Whisperer. Kept tabs on Boise St-Fresno St. Went to bed around 11pm as all this week there were repeats of both Letterman and Leno.
Saturday 27 October: A day off from work (or so I thought) so I slept in until around 9:45. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal. It was a cloudy cold day but we did get some dim sunshine through the clouds late in the afternoon but it never got much above 50 degrees. Got called into work and worked from noon until 5pm. I went next store to watch game three of the World Series and some college football at the sports bar "Shadows". I had a bowl of minestrone soup and a mushroom cheeseburger while watching. Hit the hay around midnight.
-----
Friday, October 26, 2007
College Football Picks for Week Nine, 25-28 October
Here are my picks for the upcoming college football games for week eight from Thursday 25 October through Sunday 28 October. (home teams in bold)
Thursday 25 October
#2 Boston College (+3) 23, #8 Virginia Tech 17 UPSET + +
New Mexico (-6) 31, Air Force 24 + +
Friday 26 October
Boise St (-3) 38, Fresno St 34 + +
Saturday 27 October
#25 Penn St (+4 1/2) 24, #1 Ohio St 22 UPSET X X
#3 Louisiana St: IDLE
#4 Arizona St (-3) 27, #23 California 23 + +
#5 Oregon (-2 1/2) 30, #12 Southern Cal 26 + +
#6 Oklahoma: IDLE
#7 West Virginia (-6 1/2) 27, Rutgers 21 + X
#9 Kansas (-3 1/2) 24, Texas A&M 17 + +
#10 South Florida (-6) 20, #23 Connecticut 16 X +
#11 Florida (-7 1/2) 29, Georgia 17 (@JACKSONVILLE) X X
#13 Missouri (-29) 45, Iowa St 13 + +
#14 Kentucky (-14) 33, Mississippi St 20 X +
#15 Virginia (-4 1/2) 32, North Carolina St 22 X X
#16 South Carolina (-2 1/2) 20, Tennessee 13 X X
#17 Hawaii (-30) 56, New Mexico St 24 + +
#19 Texas (-21) 36, Nebraska 27 + +
#20 Michigan (-23) 48, Minnesota 13 + +
#22 Auburn (-17 1/2) 38, Mississippi 13 + X
#24 Alabama: IDLE
Wyoming (-10) 27, Nevada-Las Vegas 17 + +
Utah (-6 1/2) 31, Colorado St 20 + +
Wisconsin (-9 1/2) 28, Indiana 13 + +
Purdue (-14) 37, Northwestern 16 + +
Wake Forest (-6) 27, North Carolina 10 + +
Louisville (-10) 34, Pittsburgh 26 + +
Illinois (-14) 38, Ball St 10 + X
Texas Tech (-13 1/2) 29, Colorado 13 X X
Michigan St (-4) 23, Iowa 10 X X
Vanderbilt (-14) 24, Miami OH 20 + +
Arkansas (-41) 49, Florida Int'l 7 + +
Tulsa (-14 1/2) 33, Southern Methodist 20 + +
Tulane (-2 1/2) 16, Memphis 13 X X
Utah St (-2 1/2) 34, Louisiana Tech 31 X X
Washington (-3 1/2) 28, Arizona 23 X X
Kansas St (-26) 44, Baylor 16 + +
East Carolina (-15) 30, Alabama-Birmingham 13 + +
Maryland (+4 1/2) 24, Clemson 20 UPSET X X
Nevada (-18) 38, Idaho 17 + X
Florida Atlantic (-6 1/2) 23, Louisiana-Monroe 20 X +
Marshall (-9) 26, Rice 14 + +
Oregon St (-14) 35, Stanford 16 + +
Washington St (+6) 24, UCLA 23 UPSET + +
Troy St (-6) 33, Arkansas St 22 + +
Middle Tennessee St (-10) 27, North Texas 10 ++
Florida St (-17 1/2) 28, Duke 7 + +
Texas-El Paso (+6 1/2) 27, Houston 24 UPSET X +
Sunday 28 October
Southern Mississippi (-3) 34, Central Florida 24
31-14/31-14/1-3
-----
Thursday 25 October
#2 Boston College (+3) 23, #8 Virginia Tech 17 UPSET + +
New Mexico (-6) 31, Air Force 24 + +
Friday 26 October
Boise St (-3) 38, Fresno St 34 + +
Saturday 27 October
#25 Penn St (+4 1/2) 24, #1 Ohio St 22 UPSET X X
#3 Louisiana St: IDLE
#4 Arizona St (-3) 27, #23 California 23 + +
#5 Oregon (-2 1/2) 30, #12 Southern Cal 26 + +
#6 Oklahoma: IDLE
#7 West Virginia (-6 1/2) 27, Rutgers 21 + X
#9 Kansas (-3 1/2) 24, Texas A&M 17 + +
#10 South Florida (-6) 20, #23 Connecticut 16 X +
#11 Florida (-7 1/2) 29, Georgia 17 (@JACKSONVILLE) X X
#13 Missouri (-29) 45, Iowa St 13 + +
#14 Kentucky (-14) 33, Mississippi St 20 X +
#15 Virginia (-4 1/2) 32, North Carolina St 22 X X
#16 South Carolina (-2 1/2) 20, Tennessee 13 X X
#17 Hawaii (-30) 56, New Mexico St 24 + +
#19 Texas (-21) 36, Nebraska 27 + +
#20 Michigan (-23) 48, Minnesota 13 + +
#22 Auburn (-17 1/2) 38, Mississippi 13 + X
#24 Alabama: IDLE
Wyoming (-10) 27, Nevada-Las Vegas 17 + +
Utah (-6 1/2) 31, Colorado St 20 + +
Wisconsin (-9 1/2) 28, Indiana 13 + +
Purdue (-14) 37, Northwestern 16 + +
Wake Forest (-6) 27, North Carolina 10 + +
Louisville (-10) 34, Pittsburgh 26 + +
Illinois (-14) 38, Ball St 10 + X
Texas Tech (-13 1/2) 29, Colorado 13 X X
Michigan St (-4) 23, Iowa 10 X X
Vanderbilt (-14) 24, Miami OH 20 + +
Arkansas (-41) 49, Florida Int'l 7 + +
Tulsa (-14 1/2) 33, Southern Methodist 20 + +
Tulane (-2 1/2) 16, Memphis 13 X X
Utah St (-2 1/2) 34, Louisiana Tech 31 X X
Washington (-3 1/2) 28, Arizona 23 X X
Kansas St (-26) 44, Baylor 16 + +
East Carolina (-15) 30, Alabama-Birmingham 13 + +
Maryland (+4 1/2) 24, Clemson 20 UPSET X X
Nevada (-18) 38, Idaho 17 + X
Florida Atlantic (-6 1/2) 23, Louisiana-Monroe 20 X +
Marshall (-9) 26, Rice 14 + +
Oregon St (-14) 35, Stanford 16 + +
Washington St (+6) 24, UCLA 23 UPSET + +
Troy St (-6) 33, Arkansas St 22 + +
Middle Tennessee St (-10) 27, North Texas 10 ++
Florida St (-17 1/2) 28, Duke 7 + +
Texas-El Paso (+6 1/2) 27, Houston 24 UPSET X +
Sunday 28 October
Southern Mississippi (-3) 34, Central Florida 24
31-14/31-14/1-3
-----
NFL Picks for Week Eight, 28-29 October
Here are the picks for the NFL games being played on Sunday 28 October and Monday 29 October. (home teams in bold print)
Sunday 28 October
CLE (3-3) @ STL(0-7): Browns (-4) 34, Rams 23
DET(4-2) @ CHI(3-4): Bears (-5 1/2) 27, Lions 20
IND(6-0) @ CAR (4-2): Colts (-7 1/2) 26, Panthers 13
NYG (5-2) v MIA (07) @ London, UK: Ginats (-10 1/2) 37, Dolphins 17
OAK ( 2-4) @ TENN (4-2): Titans (-7) 27, Raiders 16
PHIL (2-4) @ MINN (2-4): Vikings (+1) 20, Eagles 16 UPSET
PGH (4-2) @ CINC (2-4): Steelers (-4 1/2) 44, Bengals 26
BUF (2-4) @ NYJ (1-6): Jets (-3) 17, Bills 16
HTN (3-4) @ SD (3-3): Chargers (-9) 33, Texans 20
JAX (4-2) @ TB (4-3): Buccaneers (-3 1/2) 20, Jaguars 10
NORL (2-4) @ SF (2-4): Saints (-3) 32, FortyNiners 16
WASH (4-2) @ NENG (7-0): Patriots (-16 1/2) 33, Redskins 10
Monday 29 October
GB (5-1) @ DEN (3-3): Broncos (-3) 34, Packers 27
IDLE: KC ARIZ SEA BALT ATL DAL
-----
Sunday 28 October
CLE (3-3) @ STL(0-7): Browns (-4) 34, Rams 23
DET(4-2) @ CHI(3-4): Bears (-5 1/2) 27, Lions 20
IND(6-0) @ CAR (4-2): Colts (-7 1/2) 26, Panthers 13
NYG (5-2) v MIA (07) @ London, UK: Ginats (-10 1/2) 37, Dolphins 17
OAK ( 2-4) @ TENN (4-2): Titans (-7) 27, Raiders 16
PHIL (2-4) @ MINN (2-4): Vikings (+1) 20, Eagles 16 UPSET
PGH (4-2) @ CINC (2-4): Steelers (-4 1/2) 44, Bengals 26
BUF (2-4) @ NYJ (1-6): Jets (-3) 17, Bills 16
HTN (3-4) @ SD (3-3): Chargers (-9) 33, Texans 20
JAX (4-2) @ TB (4-3): Buccaneers (-3 1/2) 20, Jaguars 10
NORL (2-4) @ SF (2-4): Saints (-3) 32, FortyNiners 16
WASH (4-2) @ NENG (7-0): Patriots (-16 1/2) 33, Redskins 10
Monday 29 October
GB (5-1) @ DEN (3-3): Broncos (-3) 34, Packers 27
IDLE: KC ARIZ SEA BALT ATL DAL
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Attempt to Get World Series Tickets Fails
We gave it a shot, but came up short. With millions and millions of people trying to get but 60,000 or less tickets for the three World Series games to be played in Denver, the odds were very slim that we could score some tickets. Thus, we will be watching the games on television like most everybody else, but a road trip to downtown Denver may occur if the Rockies are on the eve of winning it all on either Sunday 28 October or Monday 29 October. We will just have to see what happens...
GO ROCKIES !!!!
BRING HOME THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP !!!!
BEAT THE BEANTOWNERS !!!!
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GO ROCKIES !!!!
BRING HOME THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP !!!!
BEAT THE BEANTOWNERS !!!!
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2008: Doomsday for the Republican Party
The general elections are now but about a year away, and with each passing week, the news gets more bad for Republicans. I can now see the US Senate with over 60 Democrats and the US House with around 280 Democrats, perhaps even near 300. This upcoming election is shaping up as the greatest sea change politically this nation has seen since the FDR election in 1932.
http://www.airamerica.com/node/5514
http://www.airamerica.com/node/5514
The Consequences of Being PAST the Tipping Point
Many observers, including yours truly, are convinced that the global climate change crisis is now clearly here and that we now past the "tipping point", the moment when any actions by mankind can stop the inevitable and fast changing pace of climate change and the resulting catastrophies, cataclysms, and disasters. Each summer from now into the foreseeable future, ice will continue to melt and disappear from the Arctic region, including Greenland, to the point the region will be ice free on the sea in 15 years or less; and of more alarming concern, the collapse into the ocean of the West Antarctic Ice Shelf, a mass of ice bigger than Alaska, is likely to occur within the decade. These actions will cause a rise in sea level that will significantly make an impact on untold millions and the global economy, along with resulting in rapid and sudden climatic changes that will be nothing short of shocking.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102100761.html?nav=hcmodule
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102100761.html?nav=hcmodule
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Long Ago and Far Away...A Moment Back in Time
Reading this article brings back memories from an autumn 25 years ago. It seems such a long, long time ago. I was living in a house on Palo Duro Street in NE Albuquerque with my younger brother and a co-worker of his. We were young, free, and carefree. Barely surviving and living on the edge. Just going to work, watching football (although the NFL was on strike for two months), and drinking a lot of beer (funny-I am still doing two of those three things these days--but extremely rarely even drinking a beer). Parties every weekend with friends and visitors over to live it up. I still have the 27" Curtis Mathes console TV that was half the entertainment system along with my Technics stereo system. We listened to most of our good, now classic, rock on primarily LPs and sometimes cassettes. No CDs, cell phones, satellite TV or radio, computers and the internet, digital recordings and music players -- technology was much simpler. The Milwaukee Brewers gave the St Louis Cardinals an entertaining all-out full battle for the seven games of the World Series.
I went to a Lobos football game against Utah that autumn and, although the stadium was only about half full, the crowd was appreciative. It was a Lobo basketball town inclusively back then, and its nice to see the football team finally come of age in recent years and become the top draw in Albq as the hoops program has stagnated, underachieved, and been uninspiring for many years now. But the university and community is seriously dropping the ball in not taking the time to honor these athletes for their yet unmatched accomplishments after all these years.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/23/teamwork-coaching-helped-1982-lobos-become-greates/
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I went to a Lobos football game against Utah that autumn and, although the stadium was only about half full, the crowd was appreciative. It was a Lobo basketball town inclusively back then, and its nice to see the football team finally come of age in recent years and become the top draw in Albq as the hoops program has stagnated, underachieved, and been uninspiring for many years now. But the university and community is seriously dropping the ball in not taking the time to honor these athletes for their yet unmatched accomplishments after all these years.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/23/teamwork-coaching-helped-1982-lobos-become-greates/
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Monday, October 22, 2007
Baseball's Greatest Miracles: One Man's Opinion
Rob Neyer is a respected ballball writer and historian. His article here is weighted with too many recent occurences but it is still a great read. The list is about team accomplishments and should not have included Joe Dimaggio and his fantastic individual accomplishment or the Kirk Gibson home run. If the Colorado Rockies take the Series, might their story be considered the greatest miracle in baseball history ?
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3070306&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fplayoffs2007%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dneyer_rob%26id%3d3070306
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http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3070306&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fplayoffs2007%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dneyer_rob%26id%3d3070306
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Vote Yes on All NIne Denver Bond Issues
An important election occurs on or before 6 November in the city of Denver on nine important bond issues essential for maintenance and improvements of the city's infrastructure. Having been a recent Denver resident and employed in varying lines of work that allowed me to personally see virtually all of the city and its infrastructure, I clearly am aware of the needs existing and what is in poor condition and ill-repair. Some of the issues deal with quality of life issues and as Denver is the premier city of the time zone and region, it is essential to maintain and make improvements on the important cultural and educational facilities that help make this city the special place it is. If you are voting, please vote yes on all nine ballot bond issues. You will be voting to make Denver a better and more beautiful place to live, work, and play.
http://www.betterdenver.org/
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http://www.betterdenver.org/
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Hopes of Online World Series Tickets Sales Crash
UPDATE: @9:15pm Mon 10/22: The Colorado Rockies have announced ticket sales will resume at 12noon MDT on TUE 10/23 online.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/mlb/article/0,2777,DRMN_23924_5728937,00.html
MLB confidently and foolishly boasted that its ability to process ticket orders online was completely immune to any volume of traffic, but that turned out to be a pipe dream. Virtually nobody was able to buy tickets that went on sale at 10am MDT for the upcoming three home games in the World Series for the Colorado Rockies. I was among one of those hoping to get a ticket for Sunday 28 October's Game Four, but I knew it would be a longshot and with the spectacular failure of the online technology, the chances appear even more grim and impossible.
When the announcement is made later Monday evening, my friend and operative will make an attempt again to secure tickets, but securing the four tickets we are seeking will probably be akin to winning the lottery, which by the way is the method that should have been used to manage this process that has turned out to be an unmitigated boondoggle.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/mlb/article/0,2777,DRMN_23924_5728556,00.html
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5728180,00.html
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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/mlb/article/0,2777,DRMN_23924_5728937,00.html
MLB confidently and foolishly boasted that its ability to process ticket orders online was completely immune to any volume of traffic, but that turned out to be a pipe dream. Virtually nobody was able to buy tickets that went on sale at 10am MDT for the upcoming three home games in the World Series for the Colorado Rockies. I was among one of those hoping to get a ticket for Sunday 28 October's Game Four, but I knew it would be a longshot and with the spectacular failure of the online technology, the chances appear even more grim and impossible.
When the announcement is made later Monday evening, my friend and operative will make an attempt again to secure tickets, but securing the four tickets we are seeking will probably be akin to winning the lottery, which by the way is the method that should have been used to manage this process that has turned out to be an unmitigated boondoggle.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/mlb/article/0,2777,DRMN_23924_5728556,00.html
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5728180,00.html
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Sunday, October 21, 2007
Its the Redsox Against the Rockies in the World Series
The Boston Redsox completed a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS as they defe
ated the Cleve
land Indians 11-2 at Fenway Park to win the best of seven series 4 games to 3. The game was close throughout until the Redsox blew it open in the last few innings.
ated the Cleve
land Indians 11-2 at Fenway Park to win the best of seven series 4 games to 3. The game was close throughout until the Redsox blew it open in the last few innings. So the matchup for this year's World Series is set. The upstart Colorado Rockies will travel to Boston for games one and two to be played on Wednesday 24 October and Thursday 24 October with games 3-5 in Denver on October 25-26-27 before going back to Boston if necessary for games 6 and 7 to be played on Wednesday 31 October and Thursday 1 November.
Gametimes will generally be around 6:20pm MDT with the broadcasts on FOX and ESPN radio and throughout the Mountain Time Zone on the Rockies Radio Network which has outlets in most places with any kind of population.
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Record Low Dewpoint Observed at Phoenix Sky Harbor
This measure of extreme dryness is highly unusual for Phoenix.
... exceptionally dry air moved into southwest and south-central Arizona. The observed dew Point of -8 degrees fahrenheit at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 11 am this morning was the lowest dew point ever recorded in the month of October /previous low was -3 degrees observed on 26 October 2003/.
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... exceptionally dry air moved into southwest and south-central Arizona. The observed dew Point of -8 degrees fahrenheit at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 11 am this morning was the lowest dew point ever recorded in the month of October /previous low was -3 degrees observed on 26 October 2003/.
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World Series 2007 Outlook
This is a World Series matchup that I did not ever want to see. My favorite team, the Colorado Rockies are playing my second favorite team, the Boston Redsox. This pairing of these two clubs in the Fall Classic was viewed as impossible until the last few weeks. I have previously had to endure this kind of matchup in the Super Bowl in 1988, when my favorite Denver Broncos played my other favorite, the Washington Redskins, with the Redskins pounding Denver 42-10.
Boston is clearly the favorite coming out of the superior American League. Some have the Redsox as a 2-1 odds-on choice to win the Series. I will go against this though, and pick the Rockies to win in six, maybe seven. The long layoff between the NLCS and the World Series may get them off to a slow start, but once the Series moves to Coors Field, Colorado should hit their stride. On paper the two teams matchup well, but Boston has the edge in the pitching with more veteran and experienced hurlers as Colorado has a lot of young arms. Offensively, the two teams are about even, with the Redsox having more veteran experience. Defensively, the Rockies are much better. Managers Clint Hurdle and Terry Francona are on a par with one another.
As long as the young Rockies keep their deer-in-the-headlights reaction to being in the World Series to just one game, they should be okay. And Boston will definitely lose something offensively in not having a DH for the three games in Denver. The young pitching staff should rise up to the challenge and become the difference as Colorado stuns the planet and wins this World Series which will become one of the greatest stories in baseball history.
Boston is clearly the favorite coming out of the superior American League. Some have the Redsox as a 2-1 odds-on choice to win the Series. I will go against this though, and pick the Rockies to win in six, maybe seven. The long layoff between the NLCS and the World Series may get them off to a slow start, but once the Series moves to Coors Field, Colorado should hit their stride. On paper the two teams matchup well, but Boston has the edge in the pitching with more veteran and experienced hurlers as Colorado has a lot of young arms. Offensively, the two teams are about even, with the Redsox having more veteran experience. Defensively, the Rockies are much better. Managers Clint Hurdle and Terry Francona are on a par with one another.
As long as the young Rockies keep their deer-in-the-headlights reaction to being in the World Series to just one game, they should be okay. And Boston will definitely lose something offensively in not having a DH for the three games in Denver. The young pitching staff should rise up to the challenge and become the difference as Colorado stuns the planet and wins this World Series which will become one of the greatest stories in baseball history.
My Week in Review: 14-20 October
Here is the look into my extremely exciting (LOL !) life this past week.
Sunday 14 October: The pattern of rainy gloomy Sundays continued as today was just that. It was cold also as the temperature hovered in the mid to upper 30s all day and the sun was a complete no show. I awoke around 10 am and went over to King Soopers for the weekly grocery run. I got home and read my papers and half-watched the NFL games through the afternoon while also surfing. I watched parts of 60 Minutes and then got wholeheartedly into the Rockies game which started around 6:30 MDT. I had some peas and macaroni/cheese for dinner and some instant french vanilla pudding for desert. Bedtime came around 12:30am.
Monday 15 October: A cold morning as we had our first subfreezing morning with heavy fog that never completely burned off until after lunch. I worked the full eight hour day, and as usual, Monday is always a day where when I get home, I usually die on the vine and pass out into a nap within about 20 minutes. I awoke around 8pm just in time to catch the start of the Rockies game; unfortunately I missed staying awake for the Cle-Bsn ALCS Game #3 which ended up a Cle win. I had some Spanish Rice for dinner, and stayed up until after 12:30 am to watch and enjoy the Rockies postgame victory celebrations and interviews.
Tuesday 16 October: Awoke at 7:30am and took a long very hot 20 minute steamy shower which was very soothing and relaxing. This helped warm the place up a little as I still have two weeks until I will allow myself to turn on the heat. The temperature inside is in the upper 50's and low 60's which means wearing sweats and socks all the time and burying myself under a number of blankets to sleep warmly. Hopefully we will have several more days above 60 degrees with lots of sunshine to help warm the apartment so I can keep that heat turned off and delay for as long as possible having to give money to the all-evil, gouging, and greedy utility company. Anyway, it was another eight hour day at work and then straight back home. Today was a classic sunny crisp Rocky Mountains Autumn day with temps reaching the mid 60s. I watched the evening news and then locked in on the Indians-Redsox game until Cleveland opened up big lead enroute to a 3-1 lead in their series. Then I caught another good Boston Legal. I had Polish Sausage and carrots for dinner and watched Leno and Letterman before retiring around 11pm.
Wednesday 17 October: A day off from work. Awoke around 9:45 am. Hung out around the apartment most of the day. Did some straightening, re-arranging, and fixing up of the place. Went out around 4:30 to Walmart and purchased some bananas, cereal, milk, and a few other odd grocery items. I got back home around 6pm and spent the evening doing much as I did during the day, just hanging out and do some odd chores like cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes and straightening up. No baseball tonight and I found nothing on that caught my interest all evening so I listened to some internet radio on my computer while I did my chores and tasks. Watched Jay Leno with Barack Obama as the candidate presented himself as an ordinary guy and talked about low key things. Today was a partly cloudy day with temps reaching the upper 50s with increasing winds as the day went along. By midnight one can hear the wind howling outside as the forecast is for gusts to exceed 50mph all night long before abating Thursday midday. We are supposed to have a nice stretch before it goes downhill again on Sunday (that sure is not new lately). Went to bed around 12:15am.
Thursday 18 October: Back to work after a day off for an eight-hour shift. Today was the windiest day in several months and it was very cold with that wind. Got home and just relaxed after the long day. Watched Cle-Bsn for the most part but also checked in on Utah-TCU and Rutgers-South Florida. Did try to stay with Earl but it was about the poorest episode I ever saw; thankfully 30 Rock was better. Fixed myself homemade Sloppy Joes which were mighty tasty as I had eaten this in over 3 1/2 years. Went to bed around 10:15pm.
Friday 19 October: Had a tough night sleeping-- I get those about 2-3 times per month; I tossed and turned and couldn't fall back asleep from around 3:30 am until around 5am. Maybe I ate too much for dinner and too late. Anyway, it was another full day at work. It was a warmer day--near 65 degrees and the wind was a little less intense and warmer with sunny skies. Came home and just surfed and had a TV dinner (chicken patties, mashed potatoes, corn, and a brownie). Watched another excellent episode of Ghost Whisperer. Nothing really exciting going on so it was another quiet evening at home. Hit the hay around 11pm
Saturday 20 October: Day off so I can watch lots of college football. Awoke at 8:30am and had frozen waffles for breakfast. Todd came over around 12:30 as the WY-AF game was still in the first quarter. We watched football all afternoon until around 7pm when he left. He ordered a pizza and it was delicious. I continued to watch until the end of the games around 1opm. Surfed and zapped until around midnight. The weather changed tremendously during the day from sunny skies and 75 degrees around 1pm to snow by 10pm. Not much was expected to accumulate.
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Sunday 14 October: The pattern of rainy gloomy Sundays continued as today was just that. It was cold also as the temperature hovered in the mid to upper 30s all day and the sun was a complete no show. I awoke around 10 am and went over to King Soopers for the weekly grocery run. I got home and read my papers and half-watched the NFL games through the afternoon while also surfing. I watched parts of 60 Minutes and then got wholeheartedly into the Rockies game which started around 6:30 MDT. I had some peas and macaroni/cheese for dinner and some instant french vanilla pudding for desert. Bedtime came around 12:30am.
Monday 15 October: A cold morning as we had our first subfreezing morning with heavy fog that never completely burned off until after lunch. I worked the full eight hour day, and as usual, Monday is always a day where when I get home, I usually die on the vine and pass out into a nap within about 20 minutes. I awoke around 8pm just in time to catch the start of the Rockies game; unfortunately I missed staying awake for the Cle-Bsn ALCS Game #3 which ended up a Cle win. I had some Spanish Rice for dinner, and stayed up until after 12:30 am to watch and enjoy the Rockies postgame victory celebrations and interviews.
Tuesday 16 October: Awoke at 7:30am and took a long very hot 20 minute steamy shower which was very soothing and relaxing. This helped warm the place up a little as I still have two weeks until I will allow myself to turn on the heat. The temperature inside is in the upper 50's and low 60's which means wearing sweats and socks all the time and burying myself under a number of blankets to sleep warmly. Hopefully we will have several more days above 60 degrees with lots of sunshine to help warm the apartment so I can keep that heat turned off and delay for as long as possible having to give money to the all-evil, gouging, and greedy utility company. Anyway, it was another eight hour day at work and then straight back home. Today was a classic sunny crisp Rocky Mountains Autumn day with temps reaching the mid 60s. I watched the evening news and then locked in on the Indians-Redsox game until Cleveland opened up big lead enroute to a 3-1 lead in their series. Then I caught another good Boston Legal. I had Polish Sausage and carrots for dinner and watched Leno and Letterman before retiring around 11pm.
Wednesday 17 October: A day off from work. Awoke around 9:45 am. Hung out around the apartment most of the day. Did some straightening, re-arranging, and fixing up of the place. Went out around 4:30 to Walmart and purchased some bananas, cereal, milk, and a few other odd grocery items. I got back home around 6pm and spent the evening doing much as I did during the day, just hanging out and do some odd chores like cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes and straightening up. No baseball tonight and I found nothing on that caught my interest all evening so I listened to some internet radio on my computer while I did my chores and tasks. Watched Jay Leno with Barack Obama as the candidate presented himself as an ordinary guy and talked about low key things. Today was a partly cloudy day with temps reaching the upper 50s with increasing winds as the day went along. By midnight one can hear the wind howling outside as the forecast is for gusts to exceed 50mph all night long before abating Thursday midday. We are supposed to have a nice stretch before it goes downhill again on Sunday (that sure is not new lately). Went to bed around 12:15am.
Thursday 18 October: Back to work after a day off for an eight-hour shift. Today was the windiest day in several months and it was very cold with that wind. Got home and just relaxed after the long day. Watched Cle-Bsn for the most part but also checked in on Utah-TCU and Rutgers-South Florida. Did try to stay with Earl but it was about the poorest episode I ever saw; thankfully 30 Rock was better. Fixed myself homemade Sloppy Joes which were mighty tasty as I had eaten this in over 3 1/2 years. Went to bed around 10:15pm.
Friday 19 October: Had a tough night sleeping-- I get those about 2-3 times per month; I tossed and turned and couldn't fall back asleep from around 3:30 am until around 5am. Maybe I ate too much for dinner and too late. Anyway, it was another full day at work. It was a warmer day--near 65 degrees and the wind was a little less intense and warmer with sunny skies. Came home and just surfed and had a TV dinner (chicken patties, mashed potatoes, corn, and a brownie). Watched another excellent episode of Ghost Whisperer. Nothing really exciting going on so it was another quiet evening at home. Hit the hay around 11pm
Saturday 20 October: Day off so I can watch lots of college football. Awoke at 8:30am and had frozen waffles for breakfast. Todd came over around 12:30 as the WY-AF game was still in the first quarter. We watched football all afternoon until around 7pm when he left. He ordered a pizza and it was delicious. I continued to watch until the end of the games around 1opm. Surfed and zapped until around midnight. The weather changed tremendously during the day from sunny skies and 75 degrees around 1pm to snow by 10pm. Not much was expected to accumulate.
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Saturday, October 20, 2007
Boston Forces a Decisive Game Seven in ALCS
Boston tied the best of seven ALCS at three games each with Cleveland as the Redsox 
routed the I
ndians 12-2 at an unseasonably warm and balmy Fenway Park on Saturday night. Veteran postseason master Curt Schilling dominated from the mound and JD Drew hit a grand slam to dead center field off Cleveland starter and loser Fausto Carmona in the 1st to put the Redsox in command almost from the get go. Ten more runs in the third inning effectively decided the game early.
routed the I
ndians 12-2 at an unseasonably warm and balmy Fenway Park on Saturday night. Veteran postseason master Curt Schilling dominated from the mound and JD Drew hit a grand slam to dead center field off Cleveland starter and loser Fausto Carmona in the 1st to put the Redsox in command almost from the get go. Ten more runs in the third inning effectively decided the game early. Game Seven will be on Sunday night at approximately 6:15 MDT at Fenway as this will be the third game seven in the ALCS in five years for Boston. Jake Westbrook will be on the mound for the Indians facing Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Redsox.
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Another Great Meteor to Get Up Early For to Observe and Behold (But Not For Me ! )
Meteor shower observing is a wonderful humbling activity that allows one to put oneself in perspective of the vastness of the universe and our galaxy. Plus its lots of fun to be in the dark and see the sky come to life in unpredictable ways. Very early Sunday morning, 21 October, is the next opportunity to take one in as the Orionid Meteor Shower puts on a show.
Unfortunately here where the High Plains meet the Central Rocky Mountains, we are expecting our first snowstorm of the season tonight so no meteor showering will be possible anywhere around this part of the world tonight. This afternoon we have temperatures into the mid 70s here in SE Wyoming while Eastern Colorado is seeing temps at or above 80 degrees with 90 plus degrees in the far southeast part of the Centennial State and mid 80's across Western Nebraska.
But it all comes tumbling down hard tonight with about 1-3" of snow expected to accumulate in the next 24 hours with temps diving with Sundays high less than 40 degrees here in Cheyenne and our first hard freeze expected Monday morning with temperatures getting into the mid 20s across the region.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21362492/?GT1=10450
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Unfortunately here where the High Plains meet the Central Rocky Mountains, we are expecting our first snowstorm of the season tonight so no meteor showering will be possible anywhere around this part of the world tonight. This afternoon we have temperatures into the mid 70s here in SE Wyoming while Eastern Colorado is seeing temps at or above 80 degrees with 90 plus degrees in the far southeast part of the Centennial State and mid 80's across Western Nebraska.
But it all comes tumbling down hard tonight with about 1-3" of snow expected to accumulate in the next 24 hours with temps diving with Sundays high less than 40 degrees here in Cheyenne and our first hard freeze expected Monday morning with temperatures getting into the mid 20s across the region.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21362492/?GT1=10450
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Friday, October 19, 2007
NFL Picks for Week Seven, 21-22 October
The picks are hereby made for the upcoming NFL games being played on Sunday 21 October and Monday 22 October.
Sunday 21 October
ARIZ (3-3) @ WASH (3-2): Redskins (-9) 24, Cardinals 20
ATL (1-5) @ NORL (1-4): Saints (-8) 34, Falcons 16
BALT (4-2) @ BUF (1-4): Bills 20 (+3 1/2) , Ravens 16 UPSET
NENG (6-0) @ MIA (0-6): Patriots (-18) 45, Dolphins 10
SF (2-3) @ NYG (4-2): FortyNiners (+9) 23, Giants 22 UPSET
TB (4-2) @ DET (3-2): Buccaneers (+2 1/2) 16, Lions 13 UPSET
TENN (3-2) @ HTN (3-3): Texans (+1 1/2) 20, Titans 17 UPSET
KC (3-3) @ OAK (2-3): Chiefs (+2 1/2) 27, Raiders 24 UPSET
NYJ (1-5) @ CINC (1-4): Bengals (-6 1/2) 30, Jets 24
MINN (2-3) @ DAL (5-1): Cocaineboys (-10) 27, Vikings 16 (hoping for the upset)
CHI (2-4) @ PHIL (2-3): Eagles (-5 1/2) 26, Bears 17
STL (0-6) @ SEA (3-3): Seahawks (-8 1/2) 27, Rams 17
PGH (4-1) @ DEN (2-3): Steelers (-4 1/2) 34, Broncos 24
Monday 22 October
IND (6-0) @ JAX (4-1): Jaguars (+4) 22, Colts 20 UPSET
idle: CAR CLE GB SD
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Sunday 21 October
ARIZ (3-3) @ WASH (3-2): Redskins (-9) 24, Cardinals 20
ATL (1-5) @ NORL (1-4): Saints (-8) 34, Falcons 16
BALT (4-2) @ BUF (1-4): Bills 20 (+3 1/2) , Ravens 16 UPSET
NENG (6-0) @ MIA (0-6): Patriots (-18) 45, Dolphins 10
SF (2-3) @ NYG (4-2): FortyNiners (+9) 23, Giants 22 UPSET
TB (4-2) @ DET (3-2): Buccaneers (+2 1/2) 16, Lions 13 UPSET
TENN (3-2) @ HTN (3-3): Texans (+1 1/2) 20, Titans 17 UPSET
KC (3-3) @ OAK (2-3): Chiefs (+2 1/2) 27, Raiders 24 UPSET
NYJ (1-5) @ CINC (1-4): Bengals (-6 1/2) 30, Jets 24
MINN (2-3) @ DAL (5-1): Cocaineboys (-10) 27, Vikings 16 (hoping for the upset)
CHI (2-4) @ PHIL (2-3): Eagles (-5 1/2) 26, Bears 17
STL (0-6) @ SEA (3-3): Seahawks (-8 1/2) 27, Rams 17
PGH (4-1) @ DEN (2-3): Steelers (-4 1/2) 34, Broncos 24
Monday 22 October
IND (6-0) @ JAX (4-1): Jaguars (+4) 22, Colts 20 UPSET
idle: CAR CLE GB SD
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College Football Picks for Week Eight, 20-21 October
Here are the weekly college football picks for Week Eight and games being played over the weekend of 20-21 October. (home teams in bold print)
Friday 19 October
Northwestern (-10) 35, Eastern Michigan 22 + +
Connecticut (+3) 23, Louisville 20 UPSET + +
Saturday 20 October
Michigan St (+19) 24, # 1 Ohio St 23 UPSET X +
# 2 Boston College: IDLE
# 3 South Florida: LOST to Rutgers, 30-27 on THR 19 October
# 4 Oklahoma (-31) 68, Iowa St 13 + X
# 5 Louisiana St (-10) 32, #19 Auburn 20 + X
# 6 Oregon (-14) 38, Washington 16 + +
# 7 West Virginia (-24 1/2 ) 42, Mississippi St 10 + +
# 8 South Carolina (-14) 30, Vanderbilt 9 X X
# 9 California (-1 1/2) 26, UCLA 23 X X
# 9 Southern Cal (-17) 41, Notre Dame 17 + +
# 11 Virginia Tech: IDLE
# 12 Arizona St: IDLE
# 14 Florida (-6 1/2) 28, #13 Kentucky 24 + X
# 15 Kansas (-4) 23, Colorado 17 + +
# 16 Hawaii: IDLE
# 17 Missouri (-4) 37, #21 Texas Tech 36 + X
# 18 Texas (-27) 41, Baylor 17 + +
# 20 Georgia: IDLE
Alabama (+ 1 1/2) 20, # 22 Tennessee 17 UPSET + +
# 23 Cincinnati (-10 1/2) 22, Pittsburgh 16 X +
Maryland (-4) 23, # 24 Virginia 20 X +
Indiana (+7 1/2) 23, # 25 Penn St 20 UPSET X +
Wyoming (+3 1/2) 27, Air Force 20 UPSET X X
New Mexico (-9 1/2) 37, San Diego St 24 + X
Nevada-Las Vegas (-3 1/2) 20, Colorado St 17 X +
Brigham Young (-36) 54, Eastern Washington 21 + +
Clemson (-17) 34, Central Michigan 13 + +
Wisconsin (-23 1/2) 46, Northern Illinois 14 + +
Georgia Tech (-23 1/2) 37, Army 3 + +
Purdue (-7 1/2) 38, Iowa 17 + +
Wake Forest (-4) 31, Navy 10 + +
Mississippi (+5 1/2) 16, Arkansas 14 UPSET X X
Texas A&M (+2) 34, Nebraska 30 UPSET + +
Rice (-2) 29, Memphis 24 X X
Nevada (-7 1/2) 35, Utah St 31 + +
Florida St (-5 1/2) 13, Miami FL 10 X +
Troy St (-23 1/2) 39, North Texas 10 + +
Arkansas St (+2) 22, Middle Tennessee St 17 UPSET X X
Syracuse (-4 1/2) 24, Buffalo 19 + +
Tulsa (+2 1/2) 32, Central Florida 29 UPSET X X
East Carolina (-6 1/2) 27, North Carolina St 23 X +
Fresno St (-13 1/2) 36, San Jose St 20 + +
Troy (-21 1/2) 41, North Texas 13 + +
Houston (-13) 34, Alabama-Birmingham 17 + +
Boise St (-15 1/2) 48, Louisiana Tech 29 + X
Arizona (-12 1/2) 24, Stanford 20 X +
Oklahoma St (-3) 27, Kansas St 24 + +
Southern Meth (-6) 26, Tulane 17 X X
Illinois (+2) 27, Michigan 22 UPSET X X
New Mexico St (-9) 33, Idaho 24 + +
Sunday 21 October
Southern Mississippi (-4) 34, Marshall 27 + +
29-17/31-15/3-7
-----
Friday 19 October
Northwestern (-10) 35, Eastern Michigan 22 + +
Connecticut (+3) 23, Louisville 20 UPSET + +
Saturday 20 October
Michigan St (+19) 24, # 1 Ohio St 23 UPSET X +
# 2 Boston College: IDLE
# 3 South Florida: LOST to Rutgers, 30-27 on THR 19 October
# 4 Oklahoma (-31) 68, Iowa St 13 + X
# 5 Louisiana St (-10) 32, #19 Auburn 20 + X
# 6 Oregon (-14) 38, Washington 16 + +
# 7 West Virginia (-24 1/2 ) 42, Mississippi St 10 + +
# 8 South Carolina (-14) 30, Vanderbilt 9 X X
# 9 California (-1 1/2) 26, UCLA 23 X X
# 9 Southern Cal (-17) 41, Notre Dame 17 + +
# 11 Virginia Tech: IDLE
# 12 Arizona St: IDLE
# 14 Florida (-6 1/2) 28, #13 Kentucky 24 + X
# 15 Kansas (-4) 23, Colorado 17 + +
# 16 Hawaii: IDLE
# 17 Missouri (-4) 37, #21 Texas Tech 36 + X
# 18 Texas (-27) 41, Baylor 17 + +
# 20 Georgia: IDLE
Alabama (+ 1 1/2) 20, # 22 Tennessee 17 UPSET + +
# 23 Cincinnati (-10 1/2) 22, Pittsburgh 16 X +
Maryland (-4) 23, # 24 Virginia 20 X +
Indiana (+7 1/2) 23, # 25 Penn St 20 UPSET X +
Wyoming (+3 1/2) 27, Air Force 20 UPSET X X
New Mexico (-9 1/2) 37, San Diego St 24 + X
Nevada-Las Vegas (-3 1/2) 20, Colorado St 17 X +
Brigham Young (-36) 54, Eastern Washington 21 + +
Clemson (-17) 34, Central Michigan 13 + +
Wisconsin (-23 1/2) 46, Northern Illinois 14 + +
Georgia Tech (-23 1/2) 37, Army 3 + +
Purdue (-7 1/2) 38, Iowa 17 + +
Wake Forest (-4) 31, Navy 10 + +
Mississippi (+5 1/2) 16, Arkansas 14 UPSET X X
Texas A&M (+2) 34, Nebraska 30 UPSET + +
Rice (-2) 29, Memphis 24 X X
Nevada (-7 1/2) 35, Utah St 31 + +
Florida St (-5 1/2) 13, Miami FL 10 X +
Troy St (-23 1/2) 39, North Texas 10 + +
Arkansas St (+2) 22, Middle Tennessee St 17 UPSET X X
Syracuse (-4 1/2) 24, Buffalo 19 + +
Tulsa (+2 1/2) 32, Central Florida 29 UPSET X X
East Carolina (-6 1/2) 27, North Carolina St 23 X +
Fresno St (-13 1/2) 36, San Jose St 20 + +
Troy (-21 1/2) 41, North Texas 13 + +
Houston (-13) 34, Alabama-Birmingham 17 + +
Boise St (-15 1/2) 48, Louisiana Tech 29 + X
Arizona (-12 1/2) 24, Stanford 20 X +
Oklahoma St (-3) 27, Kansas St 24 + +
Southern Meth (-6) 26, Tulane 17 X X
Illinois (+2) 27, Michigan 22 UPSET X X
New Mexico St (-9) 33, Idaho 24 + +
Sunday 21 October
Southern Mississippi (-4) 34, Marshall 27 + +
29-17/31-15/3-7
-----
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Redsox Take Indians to Narrow ALCS to 3-2
The Boston Redsox fought off elimination in the ALCS with a convincing 7-1 rout of the I
ndians in Clev
eland. Josh Beckett dominated on the mound, holding the Indian offense in check and the Redsox offense erupted after two prior games of largely silent bats in Cleveland. Kevin Youklis homered in the first to get the Beantown Boys headed to the win.
The series now moves back to Fenway for Game 6 on Saturday 20 October and, if necessary, a decisive Game 7 on Sunday 21 October. Both games are scheduled for a first pitch around 6:20pm MDT with the games being broadcast on FOX and ESPN radio.
The first time ever National League Champion Colorado Rockies (how great and cool does that sound !) awaits the winner in the World Series which is scheduled to start in the winner of the American League city on Wednesday, 24 October.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=271018105
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=271018105
-----
ndians in Clev
eland. Josh Beckett dominated on the mound, holding the Indian offense in check and the Redsox offense erupted after two prior games of largely silent bats in Cleveland. Kevin Youklis homered in the first to get the Beantown Boys headed to the win.The series now moves back to Fenway for Game 6 on Saturday 20 October and, if necessary, a decisive Game 7 on Sunday 21 October. Both games are scheduled for a first pitch around 6:20pm MDT with the games being broadcast on FOX and ESPN radio.
The first time ever National League Champion Colorado Rockies (how great and cool does that sound !) awaits the winner in the World Series which is scheduled to start in the winner of the American League city on Wednesday, 24 October.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=271018105
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=271018105
-----
Warm Winter Ahead for Most of US
The NWS forecast for the coming winter months is out and the forecast is for warmer, in some cases much warmer, temperatures across the nation with the exception of Florida and the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/lead01/off_index.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=cys&storyid=10640&source=0
-----
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/lead01/off_index.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=cys&storyid=10640&source=0
-----
New York Yankees Oust Joe Torre
Foolishly, the New York Yankees parted ways with longtime successful manager Joe Torre after 12 seasons, all that ended in the postseason with six pennants and four world championships. The Steinbrenner Junta will long rue this day as it marks the end of the great New York run of success. Several high profile players will now move on and reports indicate the elderly George is in declining health but still has the final word on imporant decisions and personnel matters with the organization. This would seem to indicate a long period of quasi paralysis will beset the Yankees for the next several years until George passes. Maybe the malaise the marked New York teams from 1966 t0 1974 will be up next. Imagine, the Tampa Bay Rays with a better record than the Yankees ! That would be something !
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3069115
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=3056285
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/sports/baseball/19yankees.html?hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/sports/baseball/19roberts.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/10/18/2007-10-18_steinbrenner_family_ties_put_everyone_in.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/10/18/2007-10-18_indecision_on_joe_torre_makes_clear_that.html
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7349692
-----
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3069115
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=3056285
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/sports/baseball/19yankees.html?hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/sports/baseball/19roberts.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/10/18/2007-10-18_steinbrenner_family_ties_put_everyone_in.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/10/18/2007-10-18_indecision_on_joe_torre_makes_clear_that.html
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7349692
-----
Powerful Winter Wyoming Wind Makes a Ruthless Debut
A sure sign of the change of seasons was quite evident today as the wind made a powerfully blustery reappearance today throughout the Front Range. Here in SE Wyoming, we had sustained winds near 30mph all last night and today with gusts over 55 mph. And it was a bone-chilling icy wind that cut right through your clothes and coat. The skies were crystal blue clear for the most part with only a few passing clouds, so if one looked out the window and no trees were in one's line of sight, one might think it was a gorgeous autumn day. WRONG !
This was the first day since 2 May with daylong sustained winds in excess of 18 mph. And we last had a day similar to this in late March. For the next seven months, winds like this are almost a daily occurence more often that not in this part of the world, and the winds of January and February will prove to be far worse and more persistent.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
322 PM MDT THU OCT 18 2007
........THE CHEYENNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 18 2007...
VALID AS OF 0300 PM LOCAL TIME.
WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED 39 HIGHEST WIND DIRECTION NW (310)
HIGHEST GUST SPEED 59 HIGHEST GUST DIRECTION NW (310)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 27.9
-----
This was the first day since 2 May with daylong sustained winds in excess of 18 mph. And we last had a day similar to this in late March. For the next seven months, winds like this are almost a daily occurence more often that not in this part of the world, and the winds of January and February will prove to be far worse and more persistent.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
322 PM MDT THU OCT 18 2007
........THE CHEYENNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 18 2007...
VALID AS OF 0300 PM LOCAL TIME.
WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED 39 HIGHEST WIND DIRECTION NW (310)
HIGHEST GUST SPEED 59 HIGHEST GUST DIRECTION NW (310)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 27.9
-----
Four Passings
Four noteworthy individuals passed today, and each made significant contributions to American culture and society over the years.
Deborah Kerr, 1921-2007
Kerr was an honored and accomplished actress from the 1940s through the 1960s. She is best remembered for a powerfully romantic beach scene and kiss amidst the crashing Hawaiian waves in From Here to Eternity with Burt Lancaster in 1953. Her role in Anna and the King was also one for the ages.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/18/actress-deborah-kerr-dead-86/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Kerr
Teresa Brewer, 1931-2007
Brewer was one of the most successful music singers in the US during the 1950s. She had a long series of top hits, including the song " I Love Mickey", about the famed New York Yankees slugger and playboy, who also has a speaking part in the song.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Brewer
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/18/1950s-singer-teresa-brewer-dead-76/
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=826663144024&z=y
http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=5056
Joey Bishop, 1918-2007
Bishop was the last living member of the famed "Rat Pack", the group of entertainers associated with Frank Sinatra in the 1950s and 1960s who set the ideal for cool and style for American men for well over a decade. Bishop later had his own TV variety show (which I can remember seeing while I was a youth).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Bishop
http://www.iamallabout.com/joey_bishop/
http://www.iamallabout.com/joey_bishop/
http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2007/06/joey-bishop-show-with-guest-sammy-davis.html
Admiral William Crowe, 1925-2007
Admiral Crowe served his nation with exemplary distinction in the United States Navy for over 40 years, from his graduation from Annapolis in 1947 to his retirement in 1989. The pinnacle of his career was serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the final four years of his service. He was awarded over 40 medals during his career. Following his retirement, he served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1994 to 1997. Crowe authored a book in 1993 that reflected on his life, career, challenges, philosophies, and outlooks. He also had the fun of appearing as himself in an episode of the long-running television comedy Cheers. In my opinion, Admiral Crowe was among our greatest military officers of the post-WWII Era.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Crowe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/18/AR2007101801320.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.ok.gov/~arts/capitolart/permart/paintings/wimmer/admcrowe.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/j/joint_chiefs_of_staff/index.html?query=CROWE,%20WILLIAM%20J&field=per&match=exact
http://www.amazon.com/Line-Fire-Washington-Politics-Military/dp/0671727036/ref=sr_1_1/102-4680409-3596119?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192763207&sr=1-1
-----
Deborah Kerr, 1921-2007
Kerr was an honored and accomplished actress from the 1940s through the 1960s. She is best remembered for a powerfully romantic beach scene and kiss amidst the crashing Hawaiian waves in From Here to Eternity with Burt Lancaster in 1953. Her role in Anna and the King was also one for the ages.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/18/actress-deborah-kerr-dead-86/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Kerr
Teresa Brewer, 1931-2007
Brewer was one of the most successful music singers in the US during the 1950s. She had a long series of top hits, including the song " I Love Mickey", about the famed New York Yankees slugger and playboy, who also has a speaking part in the song.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Brewer
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/18/1950s-singer-teresa-brewer-dead-76/
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=826663144024&z=y
http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=5056
Joey Bishop, 1918-2007
Bishop was the last living member of the famed "Rat Pack", the group of entertainers associated with Frank Sinatra in the 1950s and 1960s who set the ideal for cool and style for American men for well over a decade. Bishop later had his own TV variety show (which I can remember seeing while I was a youth).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Bishop
http://www.iamallabout.com/joey_bishop/
http://www.iamallabout.com/joey_bishop/
http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2007/06/joey-bishop-show-with-guest-sammy-davis.html
Admiral William Crowe, 1925-2007
Admiral Crowe served his nation with exemplary distinction in the United States Navy for over 40 years, from his graduation from Annapolis in 1947 to his retirement in 1989. The pinnacle of his career was serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the final four years of his service. He was awarded over 40 medals during his career. Following his retirement, he served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1994 to 1997. Crowe authored a book in 1993 that reflected on his life, career, challenges, philosophies, and outlooks. He also had the fun of appearing as himself in an episode of the long-running television comedy Cheers. In my opinion, Admiral Crowe was among our greatest military officers of the post-WWII Era.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Crowe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/18/AR2007101801320.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.ok.gov/~arts/capitolart/permart/paintings/wimmer/admcrowe.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/j/joint_chiefs_of_staff/index.html?query=CROWE,%20WILLIAM%20J&field=per&match=exact
http://www.amazon.com/Line-Fire-Washington-Politics-Military/dp/0671727036/ref=sr_1_1/102-4680409-3596119?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192763207&sr=1-1
-----
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Former Stanley Cup Winning Avalanche Coach Bob Hartley Fired by Atlanta Thrashers
I had the good fortune of meeting Bob Hartley in May 2000 at a Dairy Queen in far SE Denver.
He was very warm and friendly towards me and thanked me for wishing him and the team good luck in their Western Conference Finals Series against the Dallas Stars which they would end up losing to in seven games. He came from very humble beginnings to coach the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in June 2001.
He later became coach of the Atlanta Thrashers and guided them to the 2006-07 Southeast Division title and a spot in the playoffs. But the Thrashers were swept by the Rangers and this season were winless in their first six games. In the quick-changing NHL, that was enough for management to make a change, unfortunately. But GM Don Waddell should have been one told to not let the door hit his ass on the way out.
Bob Hartley will land on his feet and he will be coaching again in the NHL very soon.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3067372
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/thrashers/stories/2007/10/17/hartley_1017.html
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2007/10/17/waddell_should.html
-----
He was very warm and friendly towards me and thanked me for wishing him and the team good luck in their Western Conference Finals Series against the Dallas Stars which they would end up losing to in seven games. He came from very humble beginnings to coach the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in June 2001.
He later became coach of the Atlanta Thrashers and guided them to the 2006-07 Southeast Division title and a spot in the playoffs. But the Thrashers were swept by the Rangers and this season were winless in their first six games. In the quick-changing NHL, that was enough for management to make a change, unfortunately. But GM Don Waddell should have been one told to not let the door hit his ass on the way out.
Bob Hartley will land on his feet and he will be coaching again in the NHL very soon.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3067372
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/thrashers/stories/2007/10/17/hartley_1017.html
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2007/10/17/waddell_should.html
-----
September Climate Report
From NOAA/NWS:
September 2007 is Eighth Warmest on Record for Contiguous USA
Drought Worsens Across Southeast and Tennessee Valley
Temperatures in September 2007 were the eighth warmest on record, hot enough to break 1,000 daily high records across the , according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
The heat also helped spread the worsening drought to almost half of the contiguous , with conditions across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley hardest hit. The global surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for September, and the extent of Arctic Sea ice reached its lowest amount in September since satellite measurements began in 1979, shattering the previous record low set in 2005.
Temperature Highlights
The average temperature for September in the contiguous was 67.5 degrees F (19.7 degrees C), which was 2.1 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) above the 20th century mean, and made the month the eighth-warmest September since records began to be kept in 1895, based on preliminary data.
38 of the 48 contiguous states were warmer than average, and no state was cooler than average for the month. The remaining 10 states were near average.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport reached a high of 101 degrees F (38 degrees C) on September 10, the latest date in any calendar year with a maximum daily temperature greater than 100 degrees since records began in 1944.
It was the 12th warmest September in Alaska, 2.6 degrees F (1.4degrees C) above the 1971-2000 mean for the state. Nome was completely frost free for the months of June, July, August and September.
Precipitation Highlights
In September, the drought expanded in the Southeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. Drought affected 78 percent of the Southeast, with almost one-quarter of the region affected by exceptional drought conditions, the highest stage of drought, according to the federal U.S. Drought Monitor.
Overall, drought affected 46 percent of the nation, including the Upper Midwest, where persistently dry and warmer than average conditions have helped bring Lake Superior’s water level to its lowest point on record for this time of year, according to NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Levels of all the Great Lakes, which together make up about 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water, have been in decline since the late 1990s. Lakes Huron and Michigan were about two feet below their long-term average levels, while Lake Superior was about 20 inches off, Lake Ontario seven inches below, and Lake Erie three inches below normal in September.
In large parts of the Southwest, the most recent water year (October 2006 - September 2007) was especially dry. Pasadena, Calif., experienced its driest water year since records began in 1878.
September began with numerous large fires burning across the northern Rockies, but fire activity dissipated by the end of the month, as rain and high elevation snow dampened the region. By the end of September, more than eight million acres had burned across the nation, most of it in the West.
September 2007 was the twelfth wettest on record in Anchorage, Alaska, with 4.30 inches of precipitation, 1.43 inches above normal. However, dry conditions in northern Alaska contributed to a very large, late-season wildfire. The Anaktuvuk River wildfire, caused by lightning, burned over 250,000 acres, setting a record for the largest fire on the North Slope.
Tornadoes were reported in conjunction with each of three storms that affected the southeastern (Tropical Storms Gabrielle and Humberto, and Tropical Depression 10). Between September 10 and 22, each of the states in the Southeast region reported tornadic activity.
Global Highlights
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for September was the fifth warmest on record, 0.92 degrees F (0. 51 degrees C) above the 20th century mean. The global ocean surface temperature for September was the second warmest since records began in 1880.
The average Arctic sea ice extent for the month of September was 4.28 million square kilometers (1.65 million square miles), the lowest September extent since records began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, shattering the previous record for the month, set in 2005, by 23 percent.
Heavy monsoon-related rainfall affected parts of South Asia during September. In total, nearly three million people were affected by the worst flooding in years from September 6 through12.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/sep/currentmonth.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/sep/sepext2007.html
-----
September 2007 is Eighth Warmest on Record for Contiguous USA
Drought Worsens Across Southeast and Tennessee Valley
Temperatures in September 2007 were the eighth warmest on record, hot enough to break 1,000 daily high records across the , according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
The heat also helped spread the worsening drought to almost half of the contiguous , with conditions across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley hardest hit. The global surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for September, and the extent of Arctic Sea ice reached its lowest amount in September since satellite measurements began in 1979, shattering the previous record low set in 2005.
Temperature Highlights
The average temperature for September in the contiguous was 67.5 degrees F (19.7 degrees C), which was 2.1 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) above the 20th century mean, and made the month the eighth-warmest September since records began to be kept in 1895, based on preliminary data.
38 of the 48 contiguous states were warmer than average, and no state was cooler than average for the month. The remaining 10 states were near average.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport reached a high of 101 degrees F (38 degrees C) on September 10, the latest date in any calendar year with a maximum daily temperature greater than 100 degrees since records began in 1944.
It was the 12th warmest September in Alaska, 2.6 degrees F (1.4degrees C) above the 1971-2000 mean for the state. Nome was completely frost free for the months of June, July, August and September.
Precipitation Highlights
In September, the drought expanded in the Southeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. Drought affected 78 percent of the Southeast, with almost one-quarter of the region affected by exceptional drought conditions, the highest stage of drought, according to the federal U.S. Drought Monitor.
Overall, drought affected 46 percent of the nation, including the Upper Midwest, where persistently dry and warmer than average conditions have helped bring Lake Superior’s water level to its lowest point on record for this time of year, according to NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Levels of all the Great Lakes, which together make up about 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water, have been in decline since the late 1990s. Lakes Huron and Michigan were about two feet below their long-term average levels, while Lake Superior was about 20 inches off, Lake Ontario seven inches below, and Lake Erie three inches below normal in September.
In large parts of the Southwest, the most recent water year (October 2006 - September 2007) was especially dry. Pasadena, Calif., experienced its driest water year since records began in 1878.
September began with numerous large fires burning across the northern Rockies, but fire activity dissipated by the end of the month, as rain and high elevation snow dampened the region. By the end of September, more than eight million acres had burned across the nation, most of it in the West.
September 2007 was the twelfth wettest on record in Anchorage, Alaska, with 4.30 inches of precipitation, 1.43 inches above normal. However, dry conditions in northern Alaska contributed to a very large, late-season wildfire. The Anaktuvuk River wildfire, caused by lightning, burned over 250,000 acres, setting a record for the largest fire on the North Slope.
Tornadoes were reported in conjunction with each of three storms that affected the southeastern (Tropical Storms Gabrielle and Humberto, and Tropical Depression 10). Between September 10 and 22, each of the states in the Southeast region reported tornadic activity.
Global Highlights
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for September was the fifth warmest on record, 0.92 degrees F (0. 51 degrees C) above the 20th century mean. The global ocean surface temperature for September was the second warmest since records began in 1880.
The average Arctic sea ice extent for the month of September was 4.28 million square kilometers (1.65 million square miles), the lowest September extent since records began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, shattering the previous record for the month, set in 2005, by 23 percent.
Heavy monsoon-related rainfall affected parts of South Asia during September. In total, nearly three million people were affected by the worst flooding in years from September 6 through12.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/sep/currentmonth.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/sep/sepext2007.html
-----
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Celebrating the Realization of The Dream !
Daughters of Todd Helton and Garrett Adkins, Tierney and Avery, celebrate the victory.
Manager Clint Hurdle and 2B Kaz Matsui whoop it up.-----
Monday, October 15, 2007
WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=220723&hubname=
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=271015127
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=271015127
Drought Tightens Grip Across Southeast
The news out of Georgia is quite grim, as the primary source for drinking water for Atlanta will dry up within 45 days unless there is significant rainfall. And forecasters are not optimistic.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071015/ap_on_re_us/southern_drought_1
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
-----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071015/ap_on_re_us/southern_drought_1
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
-----
Sunday, October 14, 2007
One Win Away From the World Series !
The improbable and seemingly miraculous run of the Colorado Rockies continued Sunday evening with a 
4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game Three of the NLCS to take a virtually insurmountable 3-0 series lead. The game was played with rain falling generously throughout the entire game. Colorado got home runs from Matt Holliday and Yarvit Torrealba and the solid pitching of starter Josh "The Dragonslayer" Fogg was backed up by three early key double plays by the Rockies infield to snuff out any potential Arizona threat and the bullpen totally stifled the Diamondbacks to close out the victory.The win was the Rockies' 20th in 21 games and eighth straight which is just outright incredible and extraordinary for this time of the year and for a team with so many younger players.
Colorado goes for the NLCS clincher and sweep Monday night at 8pm at Coors Field.
YEE HAW !!!!!!!!
YEAH !!!
THE ROCKIES ARE ABOUT TO WIN THE PENNANT !!!
THE WORLD SERIES IS BUT ONE WIN AWAY !!!
UNBELIEVABLE ! WONDERFUL ! FANTASTIC ! SO SPECIAL !
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I am Fall: An Illustrative Essay
This great expressive essay was published recently and really touches the soul.
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2007/10/14/outdoors/1_out_10-10-07.txt
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http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2007/10/14/outdoors/1_out_10-10-07.txt
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Rainiest October Day in Denver History
October is a month in this part of the country where rain is rather unusual, as precipitation that does fall on the rare occasion that it does tends to fall in the form of snow. But climate change is causing some unusual meterological phenomena, as this record rainfall for the capital city of Colorado shows.
SXUS75 KBOU
141540RERBOU
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
940 AM MDT SUN OCT 14 2007
...RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR DENVER...
THE OFFICIAL PRECIPITATION RECORDED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR YESTERDAY OCTOBER 13 WAS 2.48 INCHES. THIS SETS A NEW RECORD FOR DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR DENVER FOR THE DAY. THE OLD RECORD WAS 1.22 INCHES SET IN 1892.
THE 2.48 INCHES IS ALSO THE HIGHEST DAILY AMOUNT FOR OCTOBER. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 2.11 INCHES ON OCTOBER 12, 1892.
$$
CLB
In Cheyenne, .96" of rainfall was recorded which was also was a record for the date breaking the 1942 record of .79" which was in the form of snow. The record for greatest daily October rainfall occurred on October 15,1947, when1.19" of precipitation was recorded in Cheyenne.
-----
SXUS75 KBOU
141540RERBOU
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
940 AM MDT SUN OCT 14 2007
...RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR DENVER...
THE OFFICIAL PRECIPITATION RECORDED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR YESTERDAY OCTOBER 13 WAS 2.48 INCHES. THIS SETS A NEW RECORD FOR DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR DENVER FOR THE DAY. THE OLD RECORD WAS 1.22 INCHES SET IN 1892.
THE 2.48 INCHES IS ALSO THE HIGHEST DAILY AMOUNT FOR OCTOBER. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 2.11 INCHES ON OCTOBER 12, 1892.
$$
CLB
In Cheyenne, .96" of rainfall was recorded which was also was a record for the date breaking the 1942 record of .79" which was in the form of snow. The record for greatest daily October rainfall occurred on October 15,1947, when1.19" of precipitation was recorded in Cheyenne.
-----
My Week in Review: 7-13 October
Another overall quiet week working and watching baseball for the most part for yours truly.
Sunday 7 October: I thought I would wake up to rain, maybe snow, but instead it was mostly sunny and breezy and temps made it into the mid 50s. I hit King Soopers for the weekly grocery run, got my newspapers, and made it home to watch the Redsox-Angels game, won by Boston going away. Zapped in over to the Broncos game, but they were getting thrashed by the Chargers. I then prepared my chicken rice casserole and put it into bake. Did a little straightening up. Watched 60 Minutes while staying on top of the NY-Cle game, won by the Yankees. Watched a little more TV, and surfed the net. Retired around 11:30pm.
Monday 8 October: Back to work for an eight hour day. After getting home, I watched the Cle-NY game #4, which went very slowly and lasted until after 9pm. Had some of the casserole for dinner. Cle won which was great. Hit the hay around 11 after watching the Letterman monologue.
Tuesday 9 October: Day off from work. Slept in until 10:30. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Moved some empty boxes down to the garage and brought some boxes up. Walked over to Dairy Queen for a cherry dip cone. Went over to Barnes and Noble and did some light reading of some periodicals and browsed some books for about an hour and a half. Returned home, ate the rest of the leftover casserole, and spent the evening surfing the net and watching some TV, including another good episode of Boston Legal. Retired around midnight.
Wednesday 10 October: Worked a short day until 2:30. Nice, warm sunny day in the low to mid 70s with a breeze. Went and got the tri-annual haircut. Stopped into KMart and browsed around for about 20 minutes or so. Purchased some undershirts. Went and got my papers and then spent an hour or so at Taco Bell reading while enjoying some nachos. Got home around 5:30 and spent the evening quietly. Watched "Independence Day" in its entirety for the first time. Took a nice long hot shower for about 15-20 minutes. Hit the hay around 11pm.
Thursday 11 October: Worked a full eight hour day. This may be the last real warm day for the year as temps climbed into the low 70s. I came home and had some microwave burgers and surfed before the start of the Rockies-Diamondbacks game. Zapped over to catch Earl, 30 Rock, and The Office while staying on top of the game. Hit the hay after the Letterman monologue around 11pm.
Friday 12 October: Worked a seven and one-half hour day at work starting at 11am. After getting home, ate a snack while surfing and catching the end of the Redsox slaughter of Cleveland. Watched Ghost Whisperer on CBS; it was very good and moving. After the Rockies game started at 8:15pm I heated up a can of chili for dinner and worked on my blog.
Stayed up until nearly 1am until Rockies game ended successfully with an 11 inning victory.
Saturday 13 October: A gloomy morning around 55 degrees. Worked a full eight hour day. Sold about a dozen pairs of boots. The day turned into a long heavy rain for hours after 3pm with falling temperatures into the 30s. When I got home around 6pm, there was a message on my phone from Todd. He wanted to come over to watch some college football. We watched all or parts of several games, primarily the BYU-UNLV game, won by the Cougars. He ordered a pizza from Papa Johns to be delivered and it was very good. He left around 10:45 after the games ended. I watched the last hour or so of the ALCS won by Cleveland in 11 innings. I then surfed the net and hit the hay around 1am.
-----
Sunday 7 October: I thought I would wake up to rain, maybe snow, but instead it was mostly sunny and breezy and temps made it into the mid 50s. I hit King Soopers for the weekly grocery run, got my newspapers, and made it home to watch the Redsox-Angels game, won by Boston going away. Zapped in over to the Broncos game, but they were getting thrashed by the Chargers. I then prepared my chicken rice casserole and put it into bake. Did a little straightening up. Watched 60 Minutes while staying on top of the NY-Cle game, won by the Yankees. Watched a little more TV, and surfed the net. Retired around 11:30pm.
Monday 8 October: Back to work for an eight hour day. After getting home, I watched the Cle-NY game #4, which went very slowly and lasted until after 9pm. Had some of the casserole for dinner. Cle won which was great. Hit the hay around 11 after watching the Letterman monologue.
Tuesday 9 October: Day off from work. Slept in until 10:30. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Moved some empty boxes down to the garage and brought some boxes up. Walked over to Dairy Queen for a cherry dip cone. Went over to Barnes and Noble and did some light reading of some periodicals and browsed some books for about an hour and a half. Returned home, ate the rest of the leftover casserole, and spent the evening surfing the net and watching some TV, including another good episode of Boston Legal. Retired around midnight.
Wednesday 10 October: Worked a short day until 2:30. Nice, warm sunny day in the low to mid 70s with a breeze. Went and got the tri-annual haircut. Stopped into KMart and browsed around for about 20 minutes or so. Purchased some undershirts. Went and got my papers and then spent an hour or so at Taco Bell reading while enjoying some nachos. Got home around 5:30 and spent the evening quietly. Watched "Independence Day" in its entirety for the first time. Took a nice long hot shower for about 15-20 minutes. Hit the hay around 11pm.
Thursday 11 October: Worked a full eight hour day. This may be the last real warm day for the year as temps climbed into the low 70s. I came home and had some microwave burgers and surfed before the start of the Rockies-Diamondbacks game. Zapped over to catch Earl, 30 Rock, and The Office while staying on top of the game. Hit the hay after the Letterman monologue around 11pm.
Friday 12 October: Worked a seven and one-half hour day at work starting at 11am. After getting home, ate a snack while surfing and catching the end of the Redsox slaughter of Cleveland. Watched Ghost Whisperer on CBS; it was very good and moving. After the Rockies game started at 8:15pm I heated up a can of chili for dinner and worked on my blog.
Stayed up until nearly 1am until Rockies game ended successfully with an 11 inning victory.
Saturday 13 October: A gloomy morning around 55 degrees. Worked a full eight hour day. Sold about a dozen pairs of boots. The day turned into a long heavy rain for hours after 3pm with falling temperatures into the 30s. When I got home around 6pm, there was a message on my phone from Todd. He wanted to come over to watch some college football. We watched all or parts of several games, primarily the BYU-UNLV game, won by the Cougars. He ordered a pizza from Papa Johns to be delivered and it was very good. He left around 10:45 after the games ended. I watched the last hour or so of the ALCS won by Cleveland in 11 innings. I then surfed the net and hit the hay around 1am.
-----
Sunday 16 October News Articles and Observations
Here are some recent news articles for Sunday 16 October and my brief observations on them.
A. Robots and Sex Coming
There are a lot of individuals who will be taking advantage of this technology when it arrives in the next two to three decades. Many may find it preferable to having a human mate or significant other. Perhaps a solution to the human overcrowding of the planet will ensue.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1328788720071014?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true
-----
C. Turkish-American Diplomatic Crisis; Oil Prices Rise to Record Highs
This development is highly disturbing and only adds to the overall concern in the Middle East. Will Turkey invade Northern Iraq to quell the Kurd unrest going on in SE Turkey ? What will be the consequences of an action of this magnitude ? I cannot imagine the Bush Junta being able to handle this crisis with any certainty and thoughfulness. And the impact of any action by any party in this region is sure to have additional negative consequences on oil and gasoline prices, perhaps pushing the per barrel price to well over $100. Reports of growing Turkish military action in Northern Iraq are already coming out.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21285412/
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/14/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Turkey.php
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-14-voa16.cfm
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8S7SND00&show_article=1
-----
D. Projected Downturn in Housing Price to be not as Steep in Many Markets
It will be still bad in many places, but there is some less bleak news elsewhere. Generally, the farther from a metro core, the worse the news for suburbs.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/06/0626_realestate_markets/index_01.htm?campaign_id=msn
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1014vhv1014.html
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E. Phoenix Street Cop Tells It Like It Is
I would have to believe many if not most of the crimes occuring in areas where there are large number of the illegals and invaders are being committed by them and more than take up a lot of the time and resources of police, forcing these agents of law enforcement to not pay attention to other areas and problems that are also in need of policing.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1014montini1014.html
-----
F. Wyoming & Energy
The 21st Century will continue the long history of the importance of developing and exporting energy resources that dominate the economy, politics, and culture of Wyoming and other states in the Mountain Time Zone.
http://www.casperstartribune.com/articles/2007/10/14/news/business/b1107fac65aca040872573720078583a.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/washington/14weapons.html?ei=5065&en=259c02cddbf6503f&ex=1192939200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071013215541.oc0c8qcq&show_article=1
-----
H. The Unconscionable Economic News Only Worsens
This must stop and be strongly reversed for the sake of the nation and all of its citizens. Consolidation of wealth into just a small upper class will be the doom of American democracy, liberties, and freedoms.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119215822413557069.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/65110/
-----
I. George Bush's Very Stupid, Insensitive, and Foolish Veto of SCHIP
This veto of this important childrens health care issue will clearly come back to haunt Republicans nationwide as many parents and grandparents are aghast at the coldness and out and out ruthlessness of this President. This is among the greatest domestic policy blunders of this administration.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/christopher_hayes/2007/10/its_rare_in_politics_to.html
-----
A. Robots and Sex Coming
There are a lot of individuals who will be taking advantage of this technology when it arrives in the next two to three decades. Many may find it preferable to having a human mate or significant other. Perhaps a solution to the human overcrowding of the planet will ensue.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450
-----
B. Eternally Doomed Declining Dollar
Its only going to get a lot worse as significant adjustment in lifestyles in the US will be required.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/WhyTheDollarKeepsDropping.aspxhttp://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1328788720071014?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true
-----
C. Turkish-American Diplomatic Crisis; Oil Prices Rise to Record Highs
This development is highly disturbing and only adds to the overall concern in the Middle East. Will Turkey invade Northern Iraq to quell the Kurd unrest going on in SE Turkey ? What will be the consequences of an action of this magnitude ? I cannot imagine the Bush Junta being able to handle this crisis with any certainty and thoughfulness. And the impact of any action by any party in this region is sure to have additional negative consequences on oil and gasoline prices, perhaps pushing the per barrel price to well over $100. Reports of growing Turkish military action in Northern Iraq are already coming out.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21285412/
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/14/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Turkey.php
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-14-voa16.cfm
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8S7SND00&show_article=1
-----
D. Projected Downturn in Housing Price to be not as Steep in Many Markets
It will be still bad in many places, but there is some less bleak news elsewhere. Generally, the farther from a metro core, the worse the news for suburbs.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/06/0626_realestate_markets/index_01.htm?campaign_id=msn
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1014vhv1014.html
-----
E. Phoenix Street Cop Tells It Like It Is
I would have to believe many if not most of the crimes occuring in areas where there are large number of the illegals and invaders are being committed by them and more than take up a lot of the time and resources of police, forcing these agents of law enforcement to not pay attention to other areas and problems that are also in need of policing.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1014montini1014.html
-----
F. Wyoming & Energy
The 21st Century will continue the long history of the importance of developing and exporting energy resources that dominate the economy, politics, and culture of Wyoming and other states in the Mountain Time Zone.
http://www.casperstartribune.com/articles/2007/10/14/news/business/b1107fac65aca040872573720078583a.txt
-----
G. Israeli strike on Syrian Nuclear Facility
This largely ignored and unreported attack in mid-September was for a very troubling reason. Never once was anyone made aware of the possibility Syria could go nuclear. And Israel's decisive action to this threat gives everyone a clear understanding of what will happen when Iran gets to that point in the very near future.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/washington/14weapons.html?ei=5065&en=259c02cddbf6503f&ex=1192939200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071013215541.oc0c8qcq&show_article=1
-----
H. The Unconscionable Economic News Only Worsens
This must stop and be strongly reversed for the sake of the nation and all of its citizens. Consolidation of wealth into just a small upper class will be the doom of American democracy, liberties, and freedoms.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119215822413557069.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/65110/
-----
I. George Bush's Very Stupid, Insensitive, and Foolish Veto of SCHIP
This veto of this important childrens health care issue will clearly come back to haunt Republicans nationwide as many parents and grandparents are aghast at the coldness and out and out ruthlessness of this President. This is among the greatest domestic policy blunders of this administration.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/christopher_hayes/2007/10/its_rare_in_politics_to.html
-----
Ten Worst Baseball Collapses
I found this story and am sharing it. I still believe the Mets' collapse last month was worse than one Philadelphia had back in 1964. For most of this season, most believed the Mets were the class of the NL and a sure thing to be playing in the World Series, but not so fast, Big Apple Fans...it was not meant to be...
http://baseball.about.com/od/majorleaguehistory/tp/pennantcollapses.htm
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http://baseball.about.com/od/majorleaguehistory/tp/pennantcollapses.htm
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Indians Put Away Redsox to Even Up ALCS
The Cle
veland Indians went 11 innings with the Boston Redsox before erupting for seven runs to pull away to a 13-6 victory at Fenway Park to even the AL
CS at one game apiece. The best of seven series now moves to Jacobs Field for games three through five starting Monday 17 October with the other games on Tuesday the 18th and Thursday the 2oth. Games six and seven, if necessary, will be back at Fenway Park on Saturday and Sunday, 22 and 23 October.
This series is shaping up as a real battle as both teams have a lot of similar strengths. Right now, I cannot find a clear edge anywhere that one team has over the other. The ALCS very well may go the full seven games to determine a winner. I am still picking the Tribe to win it.
http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=220591&hubname=
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veland Indians went 11 innings with the Boston Redsox before erupting for seven runs to pull away to a 13-6 victory at Fenway Park to even the AL
CS at one game apiece. The best of seven series now moves to Jacobs Field for games three through five starting Monday 17 October with the other games on Tuesday the 18th and Thursday the 2oth. Games six and seven, if necessary, will be back at Fenway Park on Saturday and Sunday, 22 and 23 October.This series is shaping up as a real battle as both teams have a lot of similar strengths. Right now, I cannot find a clear edge anywhere that one team has over the other. The ALCS very well may go the full seven games to determine a winner. I am still picking the Tribe to win it.
http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=220591&hubname=
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Saturday, October 13, 2007
Rockies Take Big 2-0 Lead in NLCS !!
It took eleven innings, but the Colorado Rockies got it done with a 3-2 win over Arizona in Phoenix to get half-way to the National League Pennant. It took a bases loaded walk off the Arizona closer to sc
ore the winning run. Both games so far have been close with not a lot of offense, but Arizona has made a couple of base running errors and left a lot of runners on base. Colorado made a number of exceptional defensive plays to keep the Diamondbacks at bay including a great 7th inning full extension diving catch by CF Willy Taveras of a deep fly hit by Tony Clark to kill a potential rally. The game did not end until after 12:45 am Saturday, lasting about four and one-half hours.Game three is Sunday night at 6pm at the Keg with Fogg v Hernandez. The weather could be a factor as the forecast is for cool temps and a pretty good chance for rain.
This run is so incredibly amazing ! 19 wins in 20 games at this time of the season and only two wins away from the World Series ! YEEHAW !! YEAH !!
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Friday, October 12, 2007
NFL Picks for Week Six, 14-15 October
Here are the weekly NFL picks for games being played on Sunday 14 October and Monday 15 October.
Sunday 14 October
CINC (1-3) @ KC (2-3): Bengals (-3 1/2) 30, Chiefs 23
HTN (3-2) @ JAX (3-1): Jaguars (-6 1/2) 20, Texans 16
MIA (0-5) @ CLE (2-3): Browns (4 1/2) 27, Dolphins 13
MINN (1-3) @ CHI (2-3): Bears (-6) 20, Vikings 10
PHIL (1-3) @ NYJ (1-4): Eagles (-4) 30, Jets 17
STL (0-5) @ BALT (3-2): Ravens (-9) 29, Rams 13
TENN (3-1) @ TB (3-2): Buccaneers (-3) 24, Titans 20
WASH (3-1) @ GB (4-1): Redskins (+3) 26, Packers 23 UPSET
CAR (3-2) @ ARIZ (3-2): Cardinals (-4 1/2) 16, Panthers 13
NENG (5-0) @ DAL (5-0): Patriots (-6 1/2) 34, Cowboys 16
OAK (2-2) @ SD (2-3): Chargers (-9 1/2) 20, Raiders 14
NORL (0-4) @ SEA (3-2): Seahawks (-6 1/2) 26, Saints 17
Monday 15 October
NYG (3-2) @ ATL (1-4): Giants (-4) 37, Falcons 22
Idle: DEN BUF PGH DET SF IND
-----
Sunday 14 October
CINC (1-3) @ KC (2-3): Bengals (-3 1/2) 30, Chiefs 23
HTN (3-2) @ JAX (3-1): Jaguars (-6 1/2) 20, Texans 16
MIA (0-5) @ CLE (2-3): Browns (4 1/2) 27, Dolphins 13
MINN (1-3) @ CHI (2-3): Bears (-6) 20, Vikings 10
PHIL (1-3) @ NYJ (1-4): Eagles (-4) 30, Jets 17
STL (0-5) @ BALT (3-2): Ravens (-9) 29, Rams 13
TENN (3-1) @ TB (3-2): Buccaneers (-3) 24, Titans 20
WASH (3-1) @ GB (4-1): Redskins (+3) 26, Packers 23 UPSET
CAR (3-2) @ ARIZ (3-2): Cardinals (-4 1/2) 16, Panthers 13
NENG (5-0) @ DAL (5-0): Patriots (-6 1/2) 34, Cowboys 16
OAK (2-2) @ SD (2-3): Chargers (-9 1/2) 20, Raiders 14
NORL (0-4) @ SEA (3-2): Seahawks (-6 1/2) 26, Saints 17
Monday 15 October
NYG (3-2) @ ATL (1-4): Giants (-4) 37, Falcons 22
Idle: DEN BUF PGH DET SF IND
-----
Happy Birthday, Nieces !
Happy Birthday to the daughters of my youngest sister LAC whom are celebrating significant birthdays this week ! Congratulations on your big days ! I hope you had lots of fun and enjoyed some tasty cake and ice cream !
College Football Picks for Week Seven, 12-14 October
Here are the weekly picks for some of the college football games being played between Friday 12 October and Sunday 14 October.
Friday 12 October
#16 Hawaii (-17 1/2) 34, San Jose St 28 + +
Saturday 13 October
#1 Louisiana St (-11) 31, #18 Kentucky 20 X +
#2 California (-15 1/2) 48, Oregon St 23 X X
#3 Ohio St (-31) 49, Kent St 6 + +
#4 Boston College (-14 1/2) 37, Notre Dame 17 + X
#5 South Florida (-11 1/2) 34, Central Florida 13 + +
#11 Missouri (+12 1/2) 31, #6 Oklahoma 27 UPSET X +
#7 Southern Cal (-21 1/2) 44, Arizona 14 + X
#8 Oregon (-19 1/2) 45, Washington St 21 + +
#9 West Virginia: IDLE
#10 Virginia Tech (-15 1/2) 33, Duke 10 + +
#12 South Carolina (-9) 28, North Carolina 9 + X
#13 Arizona St (-11 1/2) 29, Washington 21 + X
#14 Florida: IDLE
Penn St (-7) 20, #15 Wisconsin 17 + X
#17 Cincinnati (-10) 52, Louisville 44 X +
#19 Illinois (-6) 27, Iowa 17 X X
#20 Kansas (-26 1/2) 27, Baylor 10 + X
#21 Florida St: lost to Wake Forest 24-21 on THR 11 Oct
#22 Texas (-17) 24, Iowa St 20 + X
#23 Georgia (-8 1/2) 27, Vanderbilt 20 + +
#24 Purdue (+5) 26, Michigan 23 UPSET X X
Arkansas (-2 1/2) 24, #25 Auburn 17 X X
Wyoming (-4) 23, New Mexico 16 X X
Utah (-14 1/2) 43, San Diego St 26 + +
Texas Christian (-6) 26, Stanford 21 + +
Nevada-Las Vegas (+13 1/2) 33, Brigham Young 30 UPSET X +
Colorado St (-3) 23, Air Force 20 X X
Kansas St (-4 1/2) 34, Colorado 27 + +
Oklahoma St (+4) 32, Nebraska 26 UPSET + +
Texas Tech (-10 1/2) 43, Texas A&M 31 + +
Rutgers (-17 1/2) 39, Syracuse 16 + +
Northwestern (-6 1/2) 29, Minnesota 17 + X
Georgia Tech (+3) 27, Miami FL 20 UPSET + +
Alabama (-7) 16, Mississippi 14 + +
Mississippi St (+7 1/2) 27, Tennessee 25 UPSET X X
Central Michigan (-13 1/2) 34, Army 16 + +
Houston (-22 1/2) 38, Rice 20 + +
Connecticut (+4) 23, Virginia 20 UPSET X +
Fresno St (-10 1/2) 35, Idaho 24 + +
Tulane (+3) 17, Alabama-Birmingham 16 UPSET X X
Louisiana Tech (-7) 38, New Mexico St 27 + X
Tulsa (-13 1/2) 27, Marshall 10 + X
Indiana (+3 1/2) 27, Michigan St 24 UPSET X X
Southern Miss (-9) 32, Southern Meth 21 + +
Memphis (-3) 20, Middle Tennessee 13 X X
Texas-El Paso (-3) 30, East Carolina 24 X X
Sunday 14 October
Boise St (-27) 48, Nevada 17
28-16/23-21/2-7
-----
Friday 12 October
#16 Hawaii (-17 1/2) 34, San Jose St 28 + +
Saturday 13 October
#1 Louisiana St (-11) 31, #18 Kentucky 20 X +
#2 California (-15 1/2) 48, Oregon St 23 X X
#3 Ohio St (-31) 49, Kent St 6 + +
#4 Boston College (-14 1/2) 37, Notre Dame 17 + X
#5 South Florida (-11 1/2) 34, Central Florida 13 + +
#11 Missouri (+12 1/2) 31, #6 Oklahoma 27 UPSET X +
#7 Southern Cal (-21 1/2) 44, Arizona 14 + X
#8 Oregon (-19 1/2) 45, Washington St 21 + +
#9 West Virginia: IDLE
#10 Virginia Tech (-15 1/2) 33, Duke 10 + +
#12 South Carolina (-9) 28, North Carolina 9 + X
#13 Arizona St (-11 1/2) 29, Washington 21 + X
#14 Florida: IDLE
Penn St (-7) 20, #15 Wisconsin 17 + X
#17 Cincinnati (-10) 52, Louisville 44 X +
#19 Illinois (-6) 27, Iowa 17 X X
#20 Kansas (-26 1/2) 27, Baylor 10 + X
#21 Florida St: lost to Wake Forest 24-21 on THR 11 Oct
#22 Texas (-17) 24, Iowa St 20 + X
#23 Georgia (-8 1/2) 27, Vanderbilt 20 + +
#24 Purdue (+5) 26, Michigan 23 UPSET X X
Arkansas (-2 1/2) 24, #25 Auburn 17 X X
Wyoming (-4) 23, New Mexico 16 X X
Utah (-14 1/2) 43, San Diego St 26 + +
Texas Christian (-6) 26, Stanford 21 + +
Nevada-Las Vegas (+13 1/2) 33, Brigham Young 30 UPSET X +
Colorado St (-3) 23, Air Force 20 X X
Kansas St (-4 1/2) 34, Colorado 27 + +
Oklahoma St (+4) 32, Nebraska 26 UPSET + +
Texas Tech (-10 1/2) 43, Texas A&M 31 + +
Rutgers (-17 1/2) 39, Syracuse 16 + +
Northwestern (-6 1/2) 29, Minnesota 17 + X
Georgia Tech (+3) 27, Miami FL 20 UPSET + +
Alabama (-7) 16, Mississippi 14 + +
Mississippi St (+7 1/2) 27, Tennessee 25 UPSET X X
Central Michigan (-13 1/2) 34, Army 16 + +
Houston (-22 1/2) 38, Rice 20 + +
Connecticut (+4) 23, Virginia 20 UPSET X +
Fresno St (-10 1/2) 35, Idaho 24 + +
Tulane (+3) 17, Alabama-Birmingham 16 UPSET X X
Louisiana Tech (-7) 38, New Mexico St 27 + X
Tulsa (-13 1/2) 27, Marshall 10 + X
Indiana (+3 1/2) 27, Michigan St 24 UPSET X X
Southern Miss (-9) 32, Southern Meth 21 + +
Memphis (-3) 20, Middle Tennessee 13 X X
Texas-El Paso (-3) 30, East Carolina 24 X X
Sunday 14 October
Boise St (-27) 48, Nevada 17
28-16/23-21/2-7
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Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Housing Mortgage Crisis Deepens, to Get Much Worse
The collapse of the housing market is occurring across the nation and seriously worsening in many markets and communities. Research indicates the problem will only worsen tremendously in the coming years as many mortgages have yet to hit the point of no return. Obviously, some places are really going to get hit hard as huge numbers of homes will go into foreclosure. In some places, that number may exceed ten percent of all homes.
Unfortunately, the worse is yet to come, and enormous hardship will be the order of the day. An equally devastating side effect will be a growing shortage of rental properties, which will drive up rents and force many individuals and families into homelessness. Will the government come through and protect the economy from collapsing into a depression ? I strongly doubt it, unless a progressive realist is elected with a mandate and a Congress is in place to help take the lead and address this immenent looming collapse of Market Capitalism.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119205925519455321.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
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Unfortunately, the worse is yet to come, and enormous hardship will be the order of the day. An equally devastating side effect will be a growing shortage of rental properties, which will drive up rents and force many individuals and families into homelessness. Will the government come through and protect the economy from collapsing into a depression ? I strongly doubt it, unless a progressive realist is elected with a mandate and a Congress is in place to help take the lead and address this immenent looming collapse of Market Capitalism.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119205925519455321.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
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