How Much BP Oil Has Leaked Into the Gulf of Mexico?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

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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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.

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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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 Indians 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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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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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
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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 Indians in Cleveland. 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.
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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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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.

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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.
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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

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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.aspx



http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1328788720071014?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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/

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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

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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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Indians Put Away Redsox to Even Up ALCS

The Cleveland 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 ALCS 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 score 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

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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

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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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My LCS Projections

The MLB LCS begins Thursday 11 October and could run through Sunday 21 October. My predictions for the best of seven series:

ALCS:

Although the Boston Redsox are my second favorite team, I am forecasting an upset by Cleveland as the Indians win the series 4 games to 3. Boston seems to have all the advantages on paper but my gut feelings tell me Cleveland will somehow overcome the Redsox with the intangibles that exist. There could be a couple of extra innings games, and the Cleveland bullpen may be the difference in the end.

NLCS:

This will be another close tight series with two largely even matched teams. Colorado, though, has enough of an advantage clearly offensively which will make the final difference. Colorado will win the series 4 games to 2. The Rockies' firepower will not be at full force with Arizona's pitching doing a reasonably good job holding Colorado's bats somewhat at bay, but the Rockies' pitching will do more than an adequate job keeping the Diamondbacks' bats even more at bay. At least one or two games will go extra innings. I can even imagine the Rockies winning this series in five on home turf if the game three (Fogg) and four (Morales) starting pitchers do better than expected.

Thus I forecast a Cleveland and Colorado World Series. The Indians last won the World Series 59 years ago, in 1948, and Colorado is seeking its first ever.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Tuesday 9 October News Articles and Observations

Here are some recent news articles for Tuesday 9 October and some brief observations on them.


A. Greenland is Melting Away

The cliche that has been around seemingly forever is "Nero fiddles while Rome is burning". The 21st Century version of the cliche, which is frighteningly real, is "The Republicans and George Bush count their money and burn their oil while Greenland, the Arctic, and Antarctica is melting ! ". And banks are near or at the top of the list of their cronies.


http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/08/4409/


http://www.alternet.org/environment/64470/


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B. Greenhouse Gases Over the Threshold


The consequences of global industrialism and the widespread use of fossil fuels has reached the point of no return, so the pace and intensity of climate change and the catastrophes it will cause is underway.


http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/09/4411/


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C. American Democracy Being Destroyed by Corporations

It is vital to end all constitutional liberties to corporations, as they are not alive like individual people.


http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071022/resnikoff


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D. A Dark Secret of the Cold War Unearthed


One has to wonder if any individual was ever discussed for this action by now long-dead military and intelligence leaders of that era "off the record"?


http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/09/4419/


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


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E. 27 Years of American Worker Economic Decline Continues


Not very surprising to those who have lived and struggled throughout all these years of Republican Globalistic Free Market Capitalism.


http://www.counterpunch.org/sandronsky09292007.html


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F. Dollar Continues to Fade as Benchmark Global Currency

With these trends in place, look for the dollar to drop further relative to other global currencies, particularly the Euro. The Euro probably will gain between seven and twelve percent against the dollar before the end of 2008, and it will be more when the American-Iranian War commences.


http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/10/07/10158647.html


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G. Strong Active Effort Ungoing by Christian Zealots to Ensure the Rapture Very Shortly


And they have the perfect people in command to just make this happen.


http://rackjite.com/archives/724-Bill-Moyers-Dispensationalism,-Hagee,-the-Coming-war-With-Iran-and-Armageddon.html


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H. Interesting Legal Case to be Heard by US Supreme Court

Its hard to imagine this court giving a favorable ruling for the victims of fraud.


http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2007/10/05/zamansky-scientific-atlanta-oped-cx_jz_1008zamansky.html


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I. Renewable Energy Resources Abundant in Rocky Mountain West


I hope to see widespread development of the abundant wind and solar resources prevalent in this region, but I am more than aware that the old guard of coal and oil and gas will fight to keep it in check in any and every way they can.


http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/colorado_leads_west_in_renewable_energy_push/C37/L37/


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J. Lakewood, CO: A City in of Itself ?


Without a core of good paying white collar jobs, Lakewood still is very dependent on Denver for its economic vitality. And that won't change anytime soon in spite of all the spiffying up and new corporate big box shopping centers and stores.


http://milehighnews.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2007-10-04&-token.story=204039.114125&-token.subpub


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K. NREPA Legislation Review Begins


This will be a long process and it may be almost two years before success and enactment occurs at the earliest.


http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2007/10/09/news/25hearing.txt


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L. More National Monuments and Parks in Idaho


I heartily endorse the inclusion of these 15 recommendations of preserving these lands with their unique and important natural and historical significances as nationally preserved lands.


http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/177561.html


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M. Police Chiefs in Metro Phoenix Full of Manure


These bureaucratic executives are flat out wrong on this vital of national economic and political security. To think, if they were to do their jobs completely, Arizona could open even more privately run prisons to hold all the illegals and invaders.


http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1009chiefs1009.html


http://www.azstarnet.com/business/205311


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N. Like Colorado, Wyoming, and elsewhere, New Mexico Significantly Short of Needed Transporation Funds


And they also should consider a 6 to 12 cents tax per gallon of gasoline, and higher for diesel fuel; convert the sales tax on motor vehicles fuels from a cents per gallon basis to one of an indexed straight and possibly progressive percentage sales tax; a special earmarked sales tax 0f three to four percent on motor vehicles parts and supplies; and an excise tax surcharge on all motor vehicles sales in excess of $25.000.


http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/oct/04/rail-runner-strains-transportation-budget/


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O. Cabela's to Open in Billings by Summer '08


The store in Wheat Ridge, CO, will open in the next 18 to 24 months, and this article suggests a
Cabela's will open in Wyoming. The three cities I would think would be in the running for the store would be Casper, Rock Springs, and Laramie. A Cabela's in New Mexico and Arizona may also be in the not so distant offing.


http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/10/09/news/local/22-cabela.txt


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P. Longtime Columnist Diane Carmen to Bail on Denver Post


Mike Rosen will probably be drunk for many, many nights in the coming weeks to celebrate the demise of his arch-enemy and villain.


http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2007/10/columnist_diane_carman_is_leav.php


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Q. Castle Rock Police to Feel Sting, Humiliation, Shame of International Tribunal Inquiry


This overwhelmingly victimized woman got no justice in the US for the criminal and immoral incompetence of the Castle Rock Police Department, but this action on her behalf will be of some limited compensation. International sanctions and boycotts of Castle Rock are likely to ensue.


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5717272,00.html


http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2728


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R. Eco-Friendly Mansions !


They are still so wasteful and disgusting, but at least they are not consuming energy like all get out...


http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/08/16/solar-energy-homes-forbeslife-cx_mw_0816solarrealestate_slide.html?partner=win3


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Monday, October 8, 2007

NLCS & ALCS Schedule Set

The 2007 National League Championship Series between the amazing Colorado Rockies and the team with the best regular season record, the Arizona Diamondbacks starts Thursday 11 October. The series schedule has been set. (all times MDT)



THR 11 OCT GAME 1 Colorado @ Arizona 6:30pm TBS Francis v Webb



FRI 12 OCT GAME 2 Colorado @ Arizona 8pm TBS Jiminez v Davis



SUN 14 OCT GAME 3 Arizona @ Colorado 6:30pm TBS Hernandez v Morales



MON 15 OCT GAME 4 Arizona @ Colorado 8pm TBS Webb v Cook



WED 17 OCT GAME 5 Arizona @ Colorado 6:30pm TBS Davis v



FRI 19 OCT GAME 6 Colorado @ Arizona 6:30pm TBS



SAT 20 OCT GAME 7 Colorado @ Arizona 8pm TBS





As for the American League Championship Series, the Boston Redsox will take on the Cleveland Indians in a battle of the two best teams recordwise in the Junior Circuit.



FRI 12 OCT GAME 1 Cleveland @ Boston 5pm FOX Sabathia v Beckett



SAT 13 OCT GAME 2 Cleveland @ Boston 6pm FOX Carmona v Schilling



MON 15 OCT GAME 3 Boston @ Cleveland 5pm FOX Matsuzaka v Westbrook



TUE 16 OCT GAME 4 Boston @ Cleveland 6pm FOX v Byrd



THR 18 OCT GAME 5 Boston @ Cleveland 6pm FOX



SAT 20 OCT GAME 6 Cleveland @ Boston 4pm FOX



SUN 21 OCT GAME 7 Cleveland @ Boston 6pm FOX



All games will also be on ESPN radio, and in the Denver Front Range the local broadcasts will also be aired on 850 KOA-AM and the Rockies Radio Network across the time zone and into the High Plains with original broadcaster Jeff Kingery, who has been there since the beginning in March 1993, and his partner Jack Corrigan. Turn down your TV audio and listen to these guys as they are so much better than what TBS has been providing.



The September to Remember has grown into Rocktober and a whole lot of more fun and excitement awaits ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !



The Dream is Alive...and it's gonna come true very soon ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !



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And the Yankees Go Down -- And They Go Down Hard !

It is always great to see the mighty fall and the reign of the king to end. The Cleveland Indians caused just that tonight as they beat the New York Yankees, 6-4, in Game Four of an ALDS to win that series three games to one. Cleveland goes on to play the Boston Redsox in the ALDS. For the Yankees, it is the end of an era. Steinbrenner has already promised that longtime manager Joe Torre is out with this loss. Alex Rodriguez will be moving on to $greener$ pastures, Posada and Rivera are out of New York, and a number of other changes to the roster are expected. 2008 very well may be the year the Yankees finally have a down year as they are in, for them, as close to a rebuilding process as it would get in New York.

For us fans of the game tormented by the Yankees this past 13 years, these changes are greatly welcome and refreshing. Hallelulah !

A Lost Story in History

All baseball fans know about Don Larson's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. But here is a story about a near no-hitter nine years earlier on baseball's biggest stage.


http://www.syracuse.com/articles/kirst/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1191833756228250.xml&coll=1&thispage=1


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


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Sunday, October 7, 2007

I Made Myself a Casserole & It Turned Out Tasty

I clipped a coupon from the newspaper a couple of weeks back that had a recipe for a casserole. Since it is cooler now, I can now use the oven to cook and bake some foods that I have not been able to as of yet and for the first time in a long time. The effort (if you can call it that) was well worth it. The casserole turned out very good and tasty and it is enough to give me a nutritious and healthy meal for three dinners.


http://www.campbellkitchen.com/SpecialtySiteRecipeDetail.aspx?recipeSource=MealIdeas&recipeID=27173&rc=585&specialty=casserole


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Saturday, October 6, 2007

The Dream Lives On !!! Onward to the LCS !!!


HOW SWEET IT IS !!!
A WONDERFUL SEASON CONTINUES !!!

A SWEEP OF THE LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES !!!

This amazing run for the Colorado Rockies and their fans like me continues as they won their 17th game in their last 18 as they completed a three game sweep of Philadelphia tonight at Coors Field with a nice 2-1 win. Unlike the first two at Philadelphia this game was tightly played with not much offense and a lot of very good pitching by both teams. But Colorado went ahead for good in the bottom of the eighth and closed it out decisively in the ninth to finish off the sweep

Onward to the National League Championship Series starting Thursday night with game one in Phoenix against their rival and this season's NL West winners, the Arizona Diamondbacks ! Game two will be Friday 12 October and games 3-5 back in Denver Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday 14-15-17 October with games 6 and 7 if necessary back in Phoenix on Friday and Saturday 19-20 October. All games on TBS and on ESPN radio with 850 KOA-AM continuing their local coverage. Lets hope weather does not interfere with the games as anything is possible in October.

WAY TO GO ROCKIES !!!!!!

INCREDIBLY WONDERFULLY AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' ! HOLD ON TO THIS FEELING !!!

WE ARE PLAYING FOR THE PENNANT !!!!!!!!

YEEHAW !!!! YEAH !!!!












And if there was ever any doubt about the class and professionalism of these players, this generous and selfless act says it all about these guys. And the organization followed up with another great move.





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My Week in Review

I will try to do a post like this once a week to list some of the things I did to fill my time over the last week.

Sunday 30 September: It was a cooler day, with rain off and on into the afternoon. I went to King Soopers for the weekly grocery run, before coming home to watch the Rockies game. After the win that got Colorado into the play-in game with San Diego, I watched the end of the Broncos game. I read both Sunday papers and enjoyed some frozen french toasts strips that I microwaved. I then had to go to a meeting at work for about 2 1/4 hours to get briefed on the upcoming bi-annual complete store inventory which has to be done before we go home on Saturday. The manager gave us burgers and salad to eat while at the meeting. When I got home around 8pm, Hank had called and wanted me to accompany him to the Monday Rockies game. We unsuccessfully tried to get tickets online while conversing on a number of subjects.I then watched the fifth installment of "The War" on PBS until midnight and then hit the hay.

Monday 1 October: Another day off. I ran a couple of errands after breakfast and then headed to Denver around 2:30 after filling with gasoline at the truck stop. $2.63 per gallon. A warm day with sunshine until I drove into the Denver metro area and then mostly cloudy there. I arrived at the University Park and Ride and rendezvoused with Hank around 4:10 and then we caught the train to downtown. We got some cash from the ATM and then tried to find tickets but were initially unsuccessfull. Downtown is full of people and very much alive with excitement ! After a beer at the Sports Column, we walked around Lodo again for about 10-15 minutes as the game was underway. Finally I encountered a man with two tickets at a good price and we were able to sit in the third deck just past the first base infield about five rows from the front. We had a real good view of all the action and the place was packed as everyone was excited and loud. It was a long game going about 4:45 before the great wonderful ending occurred. We celebrated loudly and excitedly like everyone else. We made our way out of the ballpark and caught the train back to the park and ride. We then had a late dinner at Village Inn on S. Colo. Blvd and talked some more before parting ways around 1am. I got back to Cheyenne around 2:20 am and crashed into bed, very happy and tired.

Tuesday 2 October: Back to work with the 8+ hour day after a short night with less than normal sleep. Nothing memorable occured while at work on this day. Then back home by 5:45pm after putting power steering fluid in the Ford. Surfed and watched a little TV before drifting off for awhile. Awoke to watch Boston Legal and then caught the final installment of "The War" before going to bed around midnight.

Wednesday 3 October: Again at work with an 8+ hour day. Listened to the Rockies game while beginning the inventory process counting product in backstock. Went to buy some oil to put into the Ford. Got home to watch the Redsox finish off the Angels and then watched Arizona beat Chicago. Caught a little of the Avalanche season opener. Ate broccoli cheese chicken soup and sandwiches. Went to bed around midnight.

Thursday 4 October: A virtual carbon copy of Wednesday. After I got off work, filled the Ford up. Ate canned lasagne for dinner. Watched Earl, 30 Rock, Office as Yankees were getting clobbered by Cleveland. Drifted off watching Arizona and Chicago as that game lasted until near midnight.

Friday 5 October: After the end of the eight hour work day, I came directly home to watch the tight NY-Cle game and enjoyed the insects swarming over NY helping the Yankees to lose another. Watched the Redsox-Angels game and zapped over to the Utah game as they rolled Louisville. Enjoyed Lloyd BBQ Chicken Sandwiches for dinner.

Saturday 6 October: A very long day at work getting the inventory count done. Worked almost a twelve hour day. I was able to listen in on my headphones radio to the Wyoming game and stay minimally caught up on some of the other college football. I got home before 8pm to catch the Rockies game underway. Zapped to jump over to some of the college football and saw the end of the USC-Stanford upset. I will probably have a sandwich after I finish this post before I fade and hit the hay in about an hour or so. The weather changed tremendously today as a storm has arrived cooling us down from the mid to upper 70s we have had for most of the week into the 40s with rain imminent and continuing through Sunday again like last weekend.
And the Rockies win ! The dream and elation continues ! More on this in the next post.

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Friday, October 5, 2007

MLB Playoffs Outlook, LDS

[Its a little late, I know (its been a long tiring week and it still is not over yet).]

Here are my predictions for the LDS for MLB this October. Seven of the eight teams are different in the postseason compared to last year.

National League

Colorado over Philadelphia, 3 games to one game

Arizona over Chicago, 3 games to one game

The two winning clubs have an edge over their losing opponents in the pitching and defense areas, and Chicago's edge offensively over Arizona will not be enough.

American League

Boston over Anaheim, 3 games to 2 games

Cleveland over New York, 3 games to one game

The homefield advantage significantly helps both Boston and Cleveland, as all four teams are largely even across the board. Cleveland is underrated in both offense and pitching, and Boston is much better than their regular season record showed. Anaheim will give it a good fight, but will come up just a little short.

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2007-08 NHL Forecast


The National Hockey League season started up this week, so here is my forecast for the upcoming season.

EAST:

Atlantic

1) New York Rangers PLAYOFFS
2) Pittsburgh Penguins PLAYOFFS
3) New Jersey Devils PLAYOFFS
4) Philadelphia Flyers -improved
5) New York Islanders - may be the league's worst club

Northeast

1) Ottawa Senators PLAYOFFS
2) Buffalo Sabres PLAYOFFS
3) Toronto Maple Leafs - just miss
4) Montreal Canadiens - just miss
5) Boston Bruins - the natives will be very restless and angry

Southeast

1) Tampa Bay Lightning PLAYOFFS
2) Florida Panthers PLAYOFFS
3) Carolina Hurricanes PLAYOFFS
4) Atlanta Thrashers - big drop offf
5) Washington Capitols - better, but still sub-.500

Rangers beat Senators to win East

WEST:

Northwest

1) Colorado Avalanche PLAYOFFS
2) Minnesota Wild PLAYOFFS
3) Vancouver Canucks PLAYOFFS
4) Calgary Flames - a dropoff
5) Edmonton Oilers - worst in the west

Pacific

1) San Jose Sharks PLAYOFFS
2) Anaheim Ducks PLAYOFFS
3) Los Angeles Kings PLAYOFFS
4) Dallas Stars - first down year in a long time
5) Phoenix Coyotes - long ugly season

Central

1) Detroit Redwings PLAYOFFS
2) Nashville Predators PLAYOFFS
3) St Louis Blues - just miss
4) Columbus Blue Jackets - better, but still sub-.500
5) Chicago Blackhawks - another long ugly season

Sharks defeat Avalanche to win the West

San Jose defeats New York to win the Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup Darkhorses: Colorado, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Detroit, Nashville, Ottawa, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Florida.

No Chance: St Louis, Chicago, Columbus, Minnesota, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Dallas, Phoenix, Washington, Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, NY Islanders, Philadelphia, New Jersey.

Lets hope I am wrong and the Colorado Avalanche end up winning their third Stanley Cup.

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Thursday, October 4, 2007

Week Five NFL Picks, 7-8 October

The NFL picks for 7-8 October, Week Five:

Sunday 7 October

NOrl (-3) v Car: Saints 20, Panthers 17
Jax (-2) @ KC: Jaguars 24, Chiefs 17
Wash (-3 1/2) v Det: Redskins 24, Lions 2o
Tenn (-8) v Atl: Titans 27, Falcons 20
Htn (6 1/2) v Mia: Texans 33, Dolphins 21
Pgh (-6) v Sea: Steelers 26, Seahawks 17
NEng (-17) v Cle: Patriots 44, Browns 10
Ariz (-4) @ StL: Cardinals 30, Rams 23
NYG (-4) v NYJ: Giants 17, Jets 7
Ind (9 1/2) v TB: Colts 30, Buccaneers 14
Den (even) v SD: Broncos 19, Chargers 16
SF (+3 1/2) v Balt: FortyNiners 13, Ravens 10
GB (-3 1/2) v Chi: Packers 23, Bears 16

Monday 8 October

Buf (-11 1/2) v Dal: Bills 34, Cocaineboys 30


IDLE: CINC MINN OAK PHIL

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