re: A Little Help, Please: Three of Four Solved!

On February 19, I posted a request about some books that I remembering reading as a youth but not remembering much about them. I did get information about the Detectives series from LAL and KVS and here is the link about that book series:

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

The second series of books was concerning animals in a fictional context and, after getting a clue, I was able to discover their identity and remarkably they are books authored by the legendary Rudyard Kipling called the Just So Stories. The links about these books are:

http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/

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

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

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

The third mystery concerned a black and white short film I saw while in junior high in the early 1970s concerning a soldier about to be hung and he flashbacks about his life shortly before he was to be executed. Once again I got a clue and discovered its name -- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, based on an 1890 short story by Ambrose Bierce. The link for the film is:

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

Three mysteries down and one to solve! Any help about the film I saw almost 40 years ago about kids on a boat going down a river and back in time to the dawn of the planet would be greatly welcome. And I am sure I will dig up partial memories about other things that I will need help and some clues about.

On the Frontlines Before the Dawn of World War 4 in the Arabian Sea

from the London Telegraph:

American armada prepares to take on Iran

By Damien McElroy aboard the USS Eisenhower

3:34pm GMT 24/02/2007

It is four and a half acres of American power in the middle of the Arabian Sea but the influence of USS Dwight D Eisenhower stretches for hundreds of miles.

The aircraft carrier, backed by its sister vessel, a handful of destroyers and a shoal of support ships, has placed a maritime ring of steel around an increasingly unstable region.

While the Eisenhower is ostensibly assisting US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is the looming threat of Iran that increasingly occupies its attention.

...You can finish reading this article at this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/24/wiran24.xml

What troubling times we are in and it may only get worse, much worse, very soon.

Current Players MLB Hall of Fame Outlook

I have been looking at the statistics of current MLB players and trying to determine which ones may be in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown someday. Here is my my best guess estimate at some of them.

Pitchers:
1) Roger Clemens
2) Greg Maddux
3) Tom Glavine
4) Randy Johnson
5) Mike Mussina
6) Trevor Hoffman
7) Mariano Rivera
8) John Smoltz
9) Joe Nathan
10) Johan Santana
11) Barry Zito
12) Curt Schilling
13) Roy Halladay
14) Roy Oswalt
15) Andy Pettite

Catchers/Infielders:
1) Albert Pujols
2) Derek Jeter
3) Mike Piazza
4) Alex Rodriguez
5) Jim Thome
6) Craig Biggio
7) Jeff Bagwell
8) David Ortiz

Outfielders:
1) Ichiro Suzuki
2) Vladimir Guerrero
3) Barry Bonds
4) Ken Griffey, Jr.
5) Bernie Williams
6) Andruw Jones

There are probably other names that could be put on this list, and for some of the names I have listed there may sound arguments against. Give me your opinions.

Overlooked Pictures and Performances for This Year's Academy Awards

Every year, there are many quality films and performances that are overlooked and not included as nominees for the Academy Awards. Here are few that have caught the eye of various critics and analysts:

Best Picture:

United 93
Children of Men
Inland Empire
Flags of Our Fathers
Old Joy
The Devil Wears Prada
Hollywoodland
Infamous
Factotum
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Black Dahlia
Blood Diamond
The Illusionist
Stranger than Fiction
The Prestige
The Good Shepherd
The Painted Veil
Apocalypto
Sherrybaby
Candy

Best Director:

Bill Condon, for Dreamgirls
Robert Altman, for A Prairie Home Companion
Paul Greengrass, for United 93

Best Actor:

Matt Dillon, for Factotum
Aaron Eckhart, for Thank You for Not Smoking
Leonardo DiCaprio, for The Departed
Jack Nicholson, for The Departed
Clive Owen, for Children of Men
Matt Damon, for The Good Shepherd
Edward Norton, for The Illusionist

Best Actress:

Maggie Gyllenhaal , for Sherrybaby
Gretchen Mol, for The Notorious Bettie Page
Laura Dern, for Inland Empire
Shareeka Epps, for Half Nelson
Geraldine Hughes, for Rocky Balboa
Maribel Verdu, for Pan's Labyrinth

Supporting Actress:

Sandra Bullock, for Infamous
Diane Lane, for Hollywoodland
Emily Blunt, for The Devil Wears Prada
Rose Byrne, for The Dead Girl
Vera Farmiga, for Breaking and Entering

Supporting Actor:

Ben Affleck, for Hollywoodland
William Hurt, for The King
Michael Caine, for Children of Men
Paul Giamatti, for The Illusionist


The pictures I saw among all the listed here were:

United 93
Flags of Our Fathers
The Illusionist
The Pursuit of Happyness
Hollywoodland
The Devil Wears Prada

I hope see all the others in the coming years.

Alarming and Terrifying News

One of the most alarming and terrifying news items which is almost never covered by any media is the looming prospect of the creation of the North American Union. This process, well under way, will economically, legally, and politically integrate the three North American Nations of Canada, America, and Mexico. The consequences for ordinary Canadians and Americans is a loss of quality of life and greatly endangered personal and community economic security, among many other things. There are a number of websites which further address the perils and consequences of this looming action which is being pushed hard by a powerful coalition of monopolist-leaning multi-national corporations and their government lackeys, the Bush Administration; and the corrupt graft-ridden Mexican government which is deeply beholden to criminal interests and a mindset that focuses on weakening American economically to the benefit of their elites and wealthy class. Some of these websites are:

http://stopspp.com/stopspp

http://www.spingola.com/building_a_north_american_commun.htm

http://www.sppsucks.com/

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14965

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15017

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15059

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15233

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15497

http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20061017134736757

http://www.michellemalkin.com/immigration/2005/03/28/11:22.pm

http://www.independentvoice.ca/2006/10/national/NRoshak_DeepIntegration.php

Sitemeter Results

Its been about over three weeks since I put the sitemeter on my blog. This program not only tallies the number of visitors to one's site, but also provides some information on where they are from. I find it fascinating on where people are from when they view my blog. I have had visitors from Canada, Spain, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, and Malaysia. Domestic visitors have come from states throughout America. The world is indeed getting to be a smaller place. I have also been visited from people using servers that are government operated both on the state and federal level.

I wish these individuals would leave a comment letting me know a little more about them and where they are from and how they happened to come upon my site. I think I will keep my readers aware of this every so often as I am sure that it is of some curiosity.

Recommendation for Insight on Climate Forecasts

To best understand what is in store in the coming several months for our climate here in the Central Rockies, High Prairie, and the Southwest, I highly recommend this website maintained by Dr. Klaus Wolter, an internationally respected professional in his field who works out of the Earth System Research Laboratory (ERSL) in Boulder:

http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/people/klaus.wolter/SWcasts/index.html


Dr. Wolter will have a new forecast projection published on his site on Friday, February 23; so if you can, take a look and see what is in store for us in the coming months.

79th Annual Academy Award Predictions

The Academy Awards broadcast is coming this Sunday evening, February 25, at 6pm, on ABC. For many years I have enjoyed this broadcast, particularly when the historical past of the film tradition is presented. This industry has a long rich history and has played an instrumental role in addressing shortcomings and injustices in our society. Many of my favorite films over the years reflect these efforts.

For this year, here are my predictions for the six leading categories:

Best Picture: The Departed

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, for The Departed

Best Actor: Peter O'Toole, for Venus

Best Actress: Judi Dench, for Notes on a Scandal

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, for Dreamgirls

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Wahlberg, for The Departed


Look for The Departed to walk away with 4-6 awards. Upsets are always possible, but I think the Best Film and Best Director are leadpipe cinches.

Be sure to cast your vote for which film you think will win Best Picture this year over on the right side of my blog!

I will post on Monday the 26th with a followup about the Awards.

The Streak Ends, Falling 2 Days from the Top

Well, Denver's nice long streak of snowcover did come to an end on Tuesday, 19 February, after 61 consecutive days which places it as the second longest period in recordest history which goes back about a century (one has question of the validity of any data about this particular subject that dates back before 1913).

Of course, Hank down in Castle Rock is still buried under 15" to 25" of snow which will probably last for another 20-40 days depending on March's weather.


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
925 AM MST TUE FEB 20 2007


.......DENVER'S CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF SNOW COVER ENDS...

.......61 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FINISHES IN 2ND PLACE...

AT APPROXIMATELY 6 AM ON THIS TUESDAY MORNING, THE OBSERVERS AT THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MEASURED ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND.

THIS ENDS THE CONSECUTIVE SNOW COVER STREAK AT 61 DAYS AND PLACES THIS SEASON'S STREAK ALONE IN SECOND PLACE.

MEASURABLE SNOW IS DEFINED AS HAVING AT LEAST ONE INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WHICH IS OFFICIALLY MEASURED NEAR THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATONAL AIRPORT. DENVER WEATHER HISTORY FOR SNOWFALL STATISTICS BEGAN IN JANUARY 1882.


HERE IS THE FINAL LIST OF THE TOP THREE PERIODS OF CONSECUTIVE SNOW COVER IN DENVER:

NUMBER OF DAYS INCLUSIVE DATES

63 DAYS.................................... NOVEMBER 26 1983 - JANUARY27 1984

61 DAYS ................................... DECEMBER 21 2006 - FEBRUARY 19 2007 (FINAL)

60 DAYS.................................... DECEMBER 1 1913 - JANUARY 29 1914

WFO DENVER/BOULDER

Now we will probably have a streak of 10-12 days above 100 degrees this June and July to balance this out...

Early Look at '08 Presidential Candidates

With still over eleven months until the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, a large field of candidates for the Presidency representing both parties has stepped forward. Thus, some observations and outlooks about each of them is already in in order.

The favorites and challengers from the Democratic side of the slate...

1) Hillary Clinton - Senator Clinton is the favorite coming out of the clubhouse and is almost a leadpipe cinch to win the nomination. It is hers to lose. She has the unmatched capability in this campaign of both thoroughly exciting and captivating citizens and yet also angering and infuriating others. While she lacks a genuine warmth and charisma, her intelligence and fire gives her a great deal of credibility. Her presence in front of TV cameras and the press leaves something to be desired, and another candidate may capitalize on those shortcomings and overtake her before the votes start getting counted for real.

2) Barack Obama - The Freshman Illinois Senator has created a lot of interest and excitement from his entry into the race, but once you get past that, one has to seriously question if he has the experience and worldliness to take on the job as the most important person on the planet. His book has spelled out his observations, outlook, and vision for our nation, but he has to prove to a lot of citizens that he is the best candidate for the Democrats and that would seem to be an accomplishment that would be difficult at best to achieve at this point in history. It seems he is a man ahead of his time and would be better suited to be a candidate in 2012 or 2016.

3) John Edwards - The 2004 Vice-Presidential Candidate has set forth an aggressive agenda and, in spite of the lack of a lot of experience particularly in world affairs, does have the vision and charisma to upset the current leaders in the race. Whether he can capitalize on that early in the season when it will count most remains to be seen, but of the current longshots, he stands the best chance of becoming a frontrunner down the road.

4) Bill Richardson - The New Mexico Governor could have the nomination fall into his lap with the right circumstances, but he stands as more as a likely Vice-Presidential nominee because of his Hispanic appeal. His foreign policy experience does rank as a big plus.

5) Wesley Clark - The retired General has a great deal of credibility and experience in foreign policy unlike most of his competitors. But he is probably too much of a centist and is seen as being too close to the military for the largely politically correct leftist Democratic electoral core.

6) Dennis Kucinich - The Ohio Congressman and former hapless Cleveland Mayor has a loyal core of dedicated supporters that will enable him to stay in the race longer than might be expected, but his chances for the nomination are zilch and his impact on the platform will be minimal.

7) Joseph Biden - Delaware's Senior Senator has long been a Washington insider and a voice for the party, but he has no chance of getting the nomination anymore than he did back in 1988 when he first ran for the Presidency. He is DOA in this campaign.

8) Christopher Dodd - This longtime Connecticut Senator and Washington insider has no chance of earning the nomination and is likely to be one of the first ones to bow out of the campaign.

9) Tom Vilsack - The Iowa Governor is a paler version of John Edwards, and although he has some good ideas on policy direction particularly on energy, he will have difficulty in standing out in the crowded field and his Iowa base will not transfer readily to Democratic strongholds in the Northeast and West Coast.

10) Mike Gravel - The Alaskan's campaign is almost akin to Kucinch's, and while he has no chance to take the nomination, he will bring an alternative voice to the campaign which will be refreshingly new as all the other candidates are well known already. (can anyone picture this man in their head?)

...and I have to mention one other person, former Vice-President Al Gore, Jr. While he continues to insist that he will not be a candidate, there is widespread belief that he will join the campaign later this year, and when and if this happens, he will win the nomination and be the odds on favorite to win the Presidency and actually be sworn in, unlike what happened in 2000-2001.

On the Republican side of the slate...

1) John McCain - Much like Hillary Clinton, the nomination is for his to lose. McCain carries both a lot of credibility and baggage within the GOP, but he stands out today as the best candidate for the GOP in 2008. He can be both engaging and gruff and his domestic policy stance is a little more to the center than many in the Republican electorate may like, but his experiences, record, and voice on foreign policy place him head and shoulders above all his competitors. The key for McCain will be moving to right enough to satisfy the conservative Republican electorate without having any consequences further in the process.

2) Rudy Gulliani - He will get the nomination if McCain falters in spite of enormous shortcomings and inadequacies in almost every important area that can be considered. He is a lot of smoke and no fire, but throughout our history many candidates like him have gone a long way. Whether if he has any substance remains to be seen.

3) Mitt Romney - The former Massachusetts Governor is a dark horse for the nomination and still has a long way to go to capture the imagination of the GOP electorate. His stand on a number of moral issues essential to the core has wavered noticeably and some voters may not be comfortable with a Morman, particularly zealous Southern evangelicals and other fervant religious Republicans who make up a large amount of the party's voting core.

4) Sam Brownback - This Kansan stands to have the most to gain in the coming year or so. His stance on most issues is in line with most Republicans and he distinctly lacks a link to the Bush Administration which is also a big plus. He has to overcome the challenge of lower name recognition and being unknown outside Kansas and the inner GOP circle.

5) Tom Tancredo - Although he has yet to officially announce his candidacy, it is all but certain he will. He won't get far, but much like Kucinich on the Democratic side, he will have a niche candidacy and may stay in the race longer than expected and may force policy stances and a platform that closely resembles his views from the eventual nominee.

6) Ron Paul - The Libertarian Texas Congressman is much like Tancredo, hoping his candidacy helps shape the platform since he has no chance of capturing the nomination.

7) Jim Gilmore - The Republican National Committee Chairman and former Virginia Governor is DOA for the Presidential campaign as he is unknown outside the Commonwealth.

8) Mike Huckabee - The stories of his massive weight loss while he was Arkansas Governor will be about the only attention he will get unless Oprah invites him to be on her show to talk about that and he tries to get a word in edgewise about everything else that his candidacy is about.


9) Duncan Hunter - Much like Jim Gilmore, the hawkish California Congressman is out of his league and will be out very quickly.

10) Tom Thompson - The former Wisconsin Governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services, a respected voice on education reform, will never get his campaign far off the ground and figures to be an early exit from the race.

...and one or more other persons should be discussed, but who they are and what their names are unknown at this time. Almost definitely, they will be designated as the Bush Administration's specific candidate for the Republican Presidential Nomination. This individual may get into this position by becoming Vice-President when and if Dick Cheney resigns. It may also be someone already in the cabinet or having a profile elsewhere in Government. It will be quite interesting when this individual emerges as it accepted that Bush, Cheney, and Rove are not pleased with the current crop of nominee seekers running.

The whole thing about this story is that is had to be discussed 10-12 months before it should have and by the time next winter comes we will already be tired of all the media coverage of these candidates and what they are talking about and we may actually welcome the interuptions obsessively covering the lurid, sordid, and tragic lives and deaths of Hollywood and other types of celebrities, God forbid!

The Best Plan Yet for a Tremendous Problem

From the January 26, 2007, edition of the Christian Science Monitor:

Fix federal aid for presidential races

If candidates decline public campaign funds, their donors
will be embedded in the Oval Office.

The Monitor's View

The 2008 presidential race is shaping up to be the greenest in history. And we're not talking tree- hugging. Hillary Clinton has waved off federal funds for the general election, with others likely to follow. Is this the end for the public campaign-finance system?

Congress needs to change the law that was designed in the 1970s to keep presidential elections from being partly decided by how much money is spent. Otherwise, presidents will be even more beholden to donors in their official decisions.

Finish reading the article at:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0126/p08s01-comv.html


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And with this news, it becomes more vital to address this failing campaign finance situation :

Nine state legislatures have bills pending that would move up their presidential primary date next year.

Current date Proposed date

Arizona September 9 March 2
California June 3 February 5
Florida March 11 January 29
Illinois March 18 February 5
Indiana May 5 March 3
Nebraska May 13 February 9
New Jersey February 26 February 5
Pennsylvania April 22 March 4
Texas March 4 February 5

Closing In on a New Record

Tune in on Wednesday the 21st and Thursday the 22nd to see if the record does get broken...
Heres the link:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=consec_snowog




PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
725 AM MST MON FEB 19 2007


..DENVER'S CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF SNOW COVER CONTINUES.......
... 61 CONSECUTIVE DAYS...NOW IN 2ND PLACE......
...NOW ONLY 2 DAYS FROM THE ALL TIME RECORD OF 63 DAYS...


AT APPROXIMATELY 6 AM ON THIS MONDAY MORNING, THE OBSERVERS AT THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MEASURED THE SNOW DEPTH. THE AVERAGE DEPTH OF THE SNOW DEPTH THIS MORNING WAS 2 INCHES WHICH IS STILL ABOVE THE 1 INCH REQUIRED FOR THE STREAK TO CONTINUE.

THEREFORE...AS OF MONDAY...FEBRUARY 19TH...61 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF MEASURABLE SNOW COVER HAS BEEN RECORDED IN DENVER MOVING THE CURRENT STREAK INTO THE 2ND MOST CONSECUTIVE SNOW COVERED DAYS IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY. THE ALL TIME MOST CONSECUTIVE SNOW COVERED DAYS IS 63. THAT RECORD IS NOW ALSO IN JEOPARDY!

MEASURABLE SNOW IS DEFINED AS HAVING AT LEAST ONE INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WHICH IS OFFICIALLY MEASURED NEAR THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATONAL AIRPORT. DENVER WEATHER HISTORY FOR SNOWFALL STATISTICS BEGAN IN JANUARY 1882.

THE CURRENT STREAK IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE EVEN THOUGH HIGH TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY WILL BE QUITE PLEASANT AND MELTING WILL OCCUR. NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURES ARE STILL FORECAST TO BE BELOW FREEZING. THUS ANY MELTING WILL BE TEMPORARILY HALTED... BUT THE ACTUAL SNOW COVER DEPTH SHOULD STILL DECREASE.

THE LONGEST STRETCH OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH MEASURABLE SNOW COVER IN DENVER WAS 63 DAYS FROM NOVEMBER 26TH 1983 THROUGH JANUARY 27TH 1984. THAT RECORD SETTING PERIOD WAS MAINLY THE RESULT OF THE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND BLIZZARD THAT DUMPED 21.5 INCHES OF SNOW OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD. IN FACT...MOST OF THE SIGNIFICANT PERIODS OF SNOW COVER BEGAN WITH A MAJOR WINTER STORM JUST LIKE THE DECEMBER 20-21 2006 BLIZZARD.

ALSO NOTE HOW MOST OF THESE LONG STREAKS BEGAN IN OR NEAR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER...WHEN THE DAYS ARE SHORTEST AND THE SUN ANGLE IS LOWEST .

HERE IS A LIST OF THE TOP 10 PERIODS OF CONSECUTIVE SNOW COVER IN DENVER:

NUMBER OF DAYS INCLUSIVE DATES

63 DAYS....................................NOVEMBER 26 1983 - JANUARY 27 1984

**61 DAYS AND MELTING.........DECEMBER 21 2006 - FEBRUARY 19 2007 (Updated)**

60 DAYS....................................DECEMBER 1 1913 - JANUARY 29 1914

48 DAYS....................................DECEMBER 24 1982 - FEBRUARY 9 1983

43 DAYS....................................DECEMBER 19 1973 - JANUARY 30 1974

39 DAYS....................................NOVEMBER 21 1992 - DECEMBER 29 1992

38 DAYS....................................DECEMBER 24 1987 - JANUARY 30 1988

35 DAYS...................................JANUARY 2 1949 - FEBRUARY 5 1949

33 DAYS....................................DECEMBER 17 1918 - JANUARY 18 1919

27 DAYS...................................JANUARY 28 1989 - FEBRUARY 23 1989

WFO DENVER/BOULDER

A Little Help, Please?

I am trying to remember the titles of two movies I saw when I was a boy. One which I saw in 1968 or 1969 was about some kids who travel down a river through time and see the iceage, cavemen, large mammals, dinosaurs, sea creatures, and all the way back to the dawn of the planet and then they wake up and realize it was only a dream. The second movie was one I saw while in school--middle school--and it was about a Confederate soldier who is dreaming about or reminiscing about his past just before he is hung by the Union soldiers. It was in black and white. Any information about these two films would be greatly appreciated.


I am also trying to remember the names of some series of books that I read along with my siblings. One set was about some young detectives who were mentored by Alfred Hitchcock and they solved crimes and mysteries in books that were about 100 pages or so long. The other series I am much more vague about as these books were read before age 10 and concerned animals in the jungle and savannah that talked and learned about other animals and one thing about these series of books was the animals had one storybook based on their ability to camouflage and conceal themselves in the jungle, such as a leopard. I am sure that this material is out of print but perhaps one of my siblings has better recall about having these stories read to them and reading these books themselves. Thanks for any assistance or insight on these questions.

Concerning Questions about my Health

Recently I was asked about my current health. Since I am the first of my family's generation to move towards senior citizendom (in the distant future, lets hope), my experiences and changes over the coming years will be of some interest for my siblings and give them some ideas, although possibly unimportant and unrelated, about some problems that may occur for them as well. I'll start from the head down:

Neck: loss of range of motion; perennial stiffness, particularly when awakening and when using my neck while driving.

Shoulders: left and right both perennially experience stiffness and pain, and pain is present when lifting the left arm up in the air above the horizontal plain. Arthritis may be coming down the road.

Left Elbow: constant stiffness and regular pain, very much heightened when awakening and often present while sleeping--enough to wake me . Oddly, I have none of these symptoms in my right elbow.

Hands and Wrist: stiffness with limited pain more noticeably in the left hand than the right hand but present regularly in both.

Back: luckily no pain, but stiffness when bending over and doing other motions which cause me to have to rise and straighten out somewhat slowly.

Chest/Abdomen: nothing to report

Hips: irrattic, unpredictable pain in right hip, often after having just gotten up in morning. Left Hip pain of a similar nature does occur, but is largely rare.

Knees: Seldom is there pain or stiffness. It probably helps that I sleep with a nice pillow between my knees.

Ankles/Feet: No pain or stiffness ever occurs that I can recall

Internal: No changes that I have noticed in the last several years. I have perennial chest/throat/sinus congestion and cough particularly in the colder months because of the dry, windy climate I have lived in all my adult life, but the allergies I had while living in NM are no longer a problem since I live in places where its either really hot or cold where allergens have a hard time surviving.

Senses: There is a noticeable loss of sensation in my fingertips particularly with small items;
My hearing is not as good as it once was but I would call it a discernable difference in certain circumstances but nowhere near dibilitating; as for my vision, farsightedness has set in and its often better for me to look with my bare eyes at things close up. My Distant vision seems to be steady but my night vision is very slowly deteriorating and I now understand why so few older people go out after dark particularly to drive. The more natural light and powerful artificial light, the better off I am in respect with my vision.

So, all in all, I would say I am in good health for someone of my age and experiences. But some issues loom longterm as I progress(?) towards becoming a mature middle ager and then a senior citizen--a geezer!

2008 US Senatorial Elections Outlook

pink=retiring GOP seat;----red: incumbent GOP seat;----blue: incumbent Demo seat

Thirty-three US Senate seats will be up for election across America in November 2008. Twenty-one of the seats are currently held by Republicans with twelve being held by Democrats at this time. Lets look state-by-state at these seats and what may be awaiting in the future for the incumbents and possible replacements.

ALABAMA: Strongly conservative GOP incumbent Jeff Sessions apparently will run again and be re-elected for a third term as it stands now. {NO CHANGE}

ALASKA: In the US Senate since 1968, Republican Ted Stevens will be re-elected for a seventh term if he chooses to run again, but he will 85 years old in '08 and that may be the time for a change--but if so, the GOP will hold this seat as it stands now. Stevens has been a part of the Washington DC political establishment for so long that he actually served in the Eisenhower Administration as an assistant to the Secretary of the Interior starting in 1956. If he does opt not to continues, his son Ben may vie to fill the seat and keep it in the family. Stevens is the current longest serving Republican in the Senate. Former Governor and Democrat Tony Knowles looks to be the strongest candidate to provide the opposition. {NO CHANGE}

ARKANSAS: Democrat Mark Pryor, a scion of a political family, will be making an attempt to get re-elected for the inital time and will probably be made a target by outside GOP money. No serious opposition has emerged yet, but former two-term plus Governor Mike Huckabee looms as his strongest potential foe. Pryor should hold on to this seat in spite of what opposition there is from the GOP. {NO CHANGE}

COLORADO: Two-term inclumbent Republican Wayne Allard has already announced his retirement from the seat at the end of his current term. This makes this an open seat with the Democrats standing to pick this one. Look for Democratic US Representative Mark Udall to emerge as the favorite to contest this seat against a number of possible GOP candidates, including recent former Governor Bill Owens, former congressmen Scott McInnis, Bob Beauprez, Bob Schaffer, and current US Representative Tom Tancredo. Give the Dems an edge in picking up this seat. {DEMOCRAT PICK-UP}

DELAWARE: Longtime Senator Joe Biden has joined the race for the Presidency in '08 but he can run concurrently for the Senate again as well. He would be seeking a seventh term and would be a near sure bet to get re-elected if he chooses to run again. In either case, the Dems look like a cinch to keep this seat Democratic. {NO CHANGE}

GEORGIA: In a race filled with sleaze and improprietism, Republican Saxby Chambliss upset incumbent Max Cleland in '02 and will now try to get re-elected this time out. Look for a repeat of the '02 campaign with lots of outside money pouring into Georgia. No formidable Democrat opposition has emerged yet but this is a seat that could flip under the right circumstances but look for the GOP to hold this seat as it stands now. {NO CHANGE}

IDAHO: Three-term GOP incumbent Larry Craig is expected to run for re-election and will win once again handily in this state that is the ultimate GOP stronghold. {NO CHANGE}

ILLINOIS: Democrat Dick Durbin is running for a third term and will be re-elected handily as it stands today in this growing Democratic stronghold. {NO CHANGE}

IOWA: Three-term Democratic incumbent Tom Harkin is all but assured a fourth term if he chooses to run again, which seems all but official at this point. {NO CHANGE}

KANSAS: In this GOP stronghold which has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, two-term incumbent Pat Roberts is running again and, unless he reconsiders his run at age 72 in 2008, will be easily re-elected. {NO CHANGE}

KENTUCKY: Current Minority Leader and controversial three-term Republican Mitch McConnell is running again from the Bluegrass State, and it would be quite the upset if he were not to be re-elected as he is now a major voice for the Republicans and stands to be the leading voice if a Democrat is elected President in '08. {NO CHANGE}

LOUISIANA: Two-term Democratic Senator and political scion Mary Landrieu has won two very narrow races for her first two senatorial elections and, with Louisiana in economic ruin and losing population, has to be considered at risk to win a third term. Her strong criticisms of Bush Adminstration ineptitude and corruption in providing federal assistance to her home state in the aftermath of the devastation may help her to hang on to her seat. No formidable GOP opposition has emerged yet. Count this at this time as a possible tossup for the Democrats.

{CHANGE TO GOP POSSIBLE}

MAINE: Two-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins is running for a third term as a moderate pragmatist in the largely liberal staid Maine and should win once again barring some unexpected turn of events. {NO CHANGE}

MASSACHUSETTS: John Kerry, the haughty boorish Democrat seeking a fourth term from this Democratic fortress, will win very easily. {NO CHANGE}

MICHIGAN: The five-term Democrat Carl Levin stands to be re-elected from the Wolverine State despite the state's tremendous economic hardships it has and will continue to undergo.

{ NO CHANGE}

MISSISSIPPI: Five-term Republican Thad Cochran is still undecided about running for a sixth term at age 71. If he does run again, he will win handily. If not, the seat should stay in the GOP's hands but is vulnerable depending on who the final two choices are and what happens in MS concerning the hurricane cleanup and the economy. Highly regarded Democratic former Attorney General Mike Moore, who led the charge to bring liability and responsibility to the

reckless cigarette and tobacco industry, is a likely challenger who would bring a strong profile to the campaign. { CHANGE TO DEMOCRATS POSSIBLE}

MONTANA: Five-term Democratic incumbent Max Baucus is running for a sixth term and will be re-elected easily. {NO CHANGE}

NEBRASKA: Two-term Republican incumbent Chuck Hegel, an in-party opposition voice to the Bush Administration, has reportedly considered running for President in '08. He has yet to commit to a senatorial re-election run. He would be easily re-elected if he does, but the Democrats could pick up this seat if Hegel stays on the sidelines.

{CHANGE TO DEMOCRATS POSSIBLE}

NEW JERSEY: Frank Lautenberg, who initially served in the Senate from '83-'01 before retiring and then came back controversially in '03, will be 84 in 2008 and speculation is that he will retire despite statements to the contrary by Lautenberg himself. New Jersey should stay in Democratic hands no matter what Lautenberg chooses. {NO CHANGE}

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Yet another political scion, Republican John Sununu, is running for a second term in '08 and should be re-elected; but it is not out of the question that the Democrats can upset the incumbent and claim this seat. {CHANGE TO DEMOCRATS POSSIBLE}

NEW MEXICO: Six-term Republican incumbent Pete Domenici, 74, will be re-elected to a seventh term in '08 as he has announced plans to run again. {NO CHANGE}

NORTH CAROLINA: Freshman Republican Elizabeth Dole, 72, will be re-elected to a second term in '08 as she has announced she will run again. {NO CHANGE}

OKLAHOMA: Controversial, outspoken, and feisty two-term Republican James Inhoffe has yet to announce if he will seek re-election in '08. He would win if he does run; however, if he does not, the Democrats would have only an outside shot at taking this seat from this largely conservative Republican stronghold. {NO CHANGE}

OREGON: Two-term Republican incumbent Gordon Smith is one of the few noteworthy GOP voices on the largely liberal Democratic Pacific Coast, but he is running for a third term and looks to be successful as there is surprisingly no formidable Democratic opposition to emerge as of yet. {NO CHANGE}

RHODE ISLAND: Jack Reed, a two-term Democratic incumbent, will be easily re-elected in this Democratic stronghold as he is running for a third term. (NO CHANGE}

SOUTH CAROLINA: Freshman moderate Republican Lindsey Graham will be easily re-elected to a second term from the conservative Palmetto State. {NO CHANGE}

SOUTH DAKOTA: Two-term Democrat Tim Johnson, suffering from recent health problems, is far from being assured a third term even if he does recover and run for a third term. He won very narrowly in '02 and outside GOP money is sure to target him in a state that is winnable for the GOP. (CHANGE POSSIBLE TO REPUBLICANS}

TENNESSEE: Republican stalwart Lamar Alexander, a longtime politico on the scene in the Volunteer State, will get re-elected for a second term in '08 as he is running once again for public office. {NO CHANGE}

TEXAS: Controversial Freshman Republican John Cornyn is seeking a second term from the Lone Star State and should be re-elected over probably nominal Democratic opposition but it is not a safe bet at this point. {CHANGE POSSIBLE TO DEMOCRATS}

VIRGINIA: Longtime GOP Senator John Warner, elected five times, has not announced his plans for '08 and speculation is he will retire after this term as he will be 81 in 2008. This is a seat that the Democrats probably will pick up unless Warner opts to run for a sixth term.

{DEMOCRATIC PICK-up}

WEST VIRGINIA: Four-term Democratic incumbent Jay Rockefeller, a scion of the monopolistic business family, will easily be re-elected in 2008 at age 71 for a fifth term from the Mountain State. {NO CHANGE}

WYOMING: Freshman Republican Mike Enzi, despite a lackluster Senatorial report card, should be re-elected to a second term unless the Democrats come up with a standout charismatic alternative to contest this generally regarded safe GOP seat.

{NO CHANGE}

So as of today, it looks like at best the Democrats could pick up four seats and the Republicans two seats. Of course, the election is over 20 months away as I make this entry and analysis, so much can change in so many different ways. Stay tuned...

You can read about the 2010 Senatorial races analysis at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections%2C_2010

NHL Heads into Final Quarter of Regular Season

The NHL is now into its last 8 weeks of the regular season before the greatest spectacle in professional sports starts up again, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the pursuit of North America's oldest and most revered trophy.

In the East, it would seem that 5-6 spots in the playoffs are sewed up with 5-6 teams fighting for the final two slots. BUF, NJ, ATL, PGH, & OTT are in and you can probably include CAR as well. I favor TB & MTL for the last two as they hold off TOR, NYR, NYI, & BSN. WASH, FLA, & PHIL are done already. PGH is playing so well that they may overtake NJ and win the Atlantic Division. BUF will be the top seed and ATL should hold off CAR to win the Southeast Division.

Out West, NASH & DET will battle to the end for the number one seed. ANAH will take the Pacific and CALG the Northwest title. The eight playoff spots are just about filled, barring a late run by EDM or COLO to overtake MINN or VANC. STL, PHX, CHI, CMBS, & LA are done for.

The West promises to have some great matchups with quality teams in competition in NASH, ANAH, DET, SJ, & DAL.

It looks almost for sure that the Colorado Avalanche will not be in the postseason for the first time since the club came to Denver in 1995 from Quebec. Ten straight postseason appearances which included two Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 and four other Western Conference Finals appearances (1997,1999,2000,2002) under coaches Marc Crawford and Bob Hartley ( now in LA and ATL each, respectively) and solid teams anchored by Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, Rob Blake, Adam Deadmarsh, Stephane Yelle, Sandis Ozolinsh, Jon Klemm, Alex Tanguay, Chris Drury, Patrick Roy and numerous hard-working other players will come to an end with this season, but the team doesn't look too far away from getting back to postseason next season.

Look for SJ and BUF to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals in Mid-May with the Sabres skating home with the Cup for the first time in their franchises 37-year existence. But before it gets to that point, we have over two months of great games and great best-of-seven series from coast to coast and excitement, surprises, and upsets will abound. To win the sixteen games in the postseason to take the Stanley Cup is one of sports greatest tests of endurance, strength, and heart and is truly a joy to watch and follow during the Spring. The NBA is now a joke and a thugfest and full of adulterers with no heart or soul in its players as compared to the NHL and its players.

Pitchers and Catchers...and some early predictions

A wonderful sign that spring is coming is the uttering of the phrase "pitchers and catchers reporting..." and the opening of MLB Spring Training Camps in Florida and Arizona this week. The rest of the players, infielders and outfielders and pinch hitting specialists and designated hitters, will be in camp next week with games starting as soon as February 28th! I have been fortunate to attend Spring Training eight times over the years and it is truly a rewarding relaxing experience that I recommend without a moments notice to everybody. Just to escape the cold winter and go to Arizona where its in the 70's and 80's with lots of warm sunshine and so much more is utterly fantastic. I hope to get to go again in the next few years and maybe some year I will get to do the Florida side of it.

My picks for the WS still remain ANAH and NYM, but I may change that NYM pick for the NL before seasons start. Its a question of if the Met offense can offset their starting pitching weakness. If not, PHIL is more than equipped to win the NL East and be the NL representative in the Series. The other contenders in the East all have shortcomings that will be too much to overcome.


In the NL Central, StL has lost a lot of starting pitching and that will be enough for HTN to win the division with CHI and MLW batting for third and CINC and PGH battling for fifth.

In the NL West, SD and LA will fight it out for the flag but don't count out ARIZ and COLO; SF will bring the rear with their decrepit roster. LA should win based on what they have on paper, but I think there will be a surprise winner, and today I am saying it will be the Padres again.

If the Mets do not win the East, then they will be the wild card.

In the AL East, I yearn for the day the Yankees will suck again, but that won't be this year again. They have a lineup built for the regular season and should hold off TOR and BSN with BLT and TB both improved but not in it again.

In Baseball's best division, its a very tough call but I will pick DET to edge out CLE, MINN, and CHI WS to win that flag with poor KC having to go through a season with 100 losses.

And in the AL West, I sticking with ANAH over OAK with SEA and TEX staying close until August.

The wild card is a very tough call but I"ll pick the A's as their division is the weakest in AL which will be enough to edge out several other teams whom will actually better such as CLE, MINN, CHI, TOR, & BSN.

I do reserve the right to change these picks before April 1 which is Opening Night when the Mets have their first shot back at StL.

Kansas enters the 20th Century

The Kansas State Board of Education approved new education standards that put evolution as the pre-eminent standard for education and drops references to "intelligent design". An article here by the Houston Chronicle explains this further:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4552346.html

The KSBE has the decision and the small print on their website. Heres the link:

http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=36&ctl=Details&mid=1030&ItemID=80

It is difficult to understand how public education anywhere could embrace the hokey "intelligent design" view as being scientific and as a more reasonable alternative to the internationally embraced standard of evolution. The disturbing thing is that the KSBE may reverse or abandon this decision once again in 2009. Lets hope that wiser heads and more enlightened voters don't allow this to happen.

Happy Valentines Day to All

We have a lot of different kinds of days throughout the year that we celebrate. Some have enormous significance and rightfully so: such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. A step down are New Years, Easter, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. Next comes MLK Day, Presidents Day, and Veterans Day. Then comes Mothers Day and Fathers Day followed by Halloween, St Patricks Day, and Valentines Day. These last few, many people, particularly in families, celebrate and businesses advertise to get people to spend money but there is no extra reward for workers such as extra pay or a holiday. Nevertheless, these are days that can be a lot of fun particularly for children; and for young adults looking for an excuse to have a good time and party. I hope all the readers of my blog get to enjoy Valentines Day in their own special rewarding way and that day brings you all joy and laughter.





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My top 40 movie list turned into a project that will go on and on as I am up to over 180 movies that I have listed that I either greatly like or appreciate. I may add and delete a few to my top 40 and may expand the posted list to 50 or 60 to include more movies that I initially overlooked. The thought of doing this for songs, CDs, dream places to visit or live, foods, drinks, breeds of dogs, actresses and models, and any other kind of items may be somewhat challenging, perhaps overwhelming, but it will be good practice for the ultimate project I will eventually do---write my own biography with as much content and memorable anecdotes and memories that I can possibly include. I will not start on this until later this year or next year.



Maybe it would a good present to myself for my looming half-century milestone which amazingly is but only 472 days away which was just November 19, 2005 and that does not seem to be that long ago. Its true, the older you get, the faster time moves. I would guess this self-perception is due to all the things we think about, remember, and have to do and act upon.







Only 25 days until Daylight Savings Time starts and the six months of winter from Mid October to Mid April is now 67% complete. I have actually seen a few blades of green grass in the lawn here so there is hope that this long winter of my discontent and misery is making progress towards coming to an end.

Ritter Greatly Disappoints

It was tremendously disappointing to see CO Governor Bill Ritter cave to corporate special interests and the wealthy elite and veto HR1072. This bill would have evened the playing field between ownership and labor and given workers additional power to deal with the excesses that have exploded in the last 25+ years since the Market Fundamentalism mania began with the Reagan bunch. The current ratio of Corporate CEO pay to average worker pay has shot from 15:1 in 1980 to over 350:1 today and shows no sign of slowing. To get America back to the level of economic greatness where the dream can be achieved without having to have two-earner families working two or more jobs each at the expense of their children, health, neighborhoods, and community, we must rein in the enormous pay and perks being earned by corporate management and return it to a more balanced ratio as it was before Reagan. This will also result in greater local tax revenues which are desperately needed by communities (not the feds and states) to provide greater social services, infrastructure, and autonomy.



More has to be done to restore the competitive and entrepreneurial opportunities that once existed for many more Americans than does today. Some of that has to do with our failed trade policy which works to the detriment of people and greatly helps corporations, the wealthy elite, and multi-nationals.





Other actions that need to be done involve tax policy, governmental anti-trust and pro-competitive lawsuits and legislation, and an energy policy that starts to end our reliance on energy sources from nations that are funding terrorism and human rights abuses such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Indonesia, and Mexico. But reining in Corporations is at the top of the list as these soulless and heartless institutions have totally sold out our country by exporting our manufacturing base of employment to totalitarian communist China who spends our money we have to give them for basic manufactured goods to buy oil from rogue states like Iran and sell weaponry and arms to terrorists and terrorist supporting nations like Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, and some of the former Soviet Republics. The fact is we are almost compelled to do this is utterly sickening and evil and corporations are at fault completely for this immoral sellout of Americans.

Since the US Government is now basically completed beholden to these Corporate Crooks, one of the ways we can begin to work on reversing this is to strengthen opportunities for unions to grow and thrive...after all, the way to destroy big strong houses slowly but surely from the inside out without much attention is to use termites. Much the same way we must destroy these vast beasts of Monopolistic Monolithic Capitalism who have virtually enslaved us and taken away the promise and dream of what America was supposed to be about for all of its citizenry.

With this veto, Ritter can kiss away any chance of obtaining higher office. This display of weaselness was very much like what he demonstrated when he was the Denver DA a few years back and there was a rash of police officers using unnecessary deadly force resulting in the wrongful deaths of civilians without any responsibility and legal repercussions. Ritter just let this happen and this troubled a great number of people including me. This experience was one of the larger reasons why we were unable to endorse and embrace this man as a gubernatorial candidate. It now seems quite evident that we were justified in having these thoughts about him as he has proven once again that he lays down and cowers when stood up to by forces of powerful institutions that are largely unaccountable to the public.

This whole turn of events is very sad. I hold little or no optimism that this Ritter administration will take any significant steps to improve the lives of ordinary Coloradoans and reduce some of the power and wealth held by Corporations, their officials, and the elite who are strangling our families and communities all in the name of greed.