Very Sad Tragic Milestone Date to Note: Americans are Frustrated and Extremely Angry about This !!!

Its now been 2000 days since the attack on September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by al-Qaida terrorists in four hijacked airplanes which murdered over 3000 Americans. The actual 2000 day mark occurred on March 4th. So, after all this time, a period longer than World War II or the War between the State took, why has not the leader of this evil organization, Osama bin-Laden, not been captured?

So to George Bush, Richard Cheney, and Karl Rove, like millions of Americans, I ask: Where's Osama?

Today's Observations and Opinions

A. Global Warming and Sports and Their Venues

This weeks Sports Illustrated has a feature article on the effect global warming and climate change will have on sports with particular emphasis on the venues where these contests are held. The main context is that the facilities these clubs play in will have to undergo enormous changes and modernization. The buildings will have to be energy self-sufficient and have safeguards against the changing environment. Horror of horrors, can this article be the genesis of a new wave of buildings, arenas, ballparks, and stadiums that ownerships will want built within the next generation once again paid for almost exclusively by taxpayers that will enable these owners and corporations to branch out as energy companies? That thought is enough to send shivers and shudders throughout the continent! Not that there are far more important problems to concern ourselves with in light of climate change. The story by Alexander Wolff is at:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/03/06/eco0312/

-----

B. Libby Conviction and Pardon

The Lewis "Scooter" Libby conviction announced on Tuesday was not a surprise. What will be worth watching for is if George Bush at some point pardons him and gives him legal protection from having to rat out higher officials, particularly Karl Rove and Richard Cheney. I believe if a pardon is forthcoming it will not be issued until after Election Day 2008. The likelihood of a pardon being issued after the election is a virtual certainty. Remember all the pardons passed out by George Bush the Elder and Bill Clinton as their administrations drew near a conclusion?

-----

C. Gates Insanity about Immigration

And what is Bill Gates thinking? Increase immigration!? There are already large numbers of trained professionals ready and able to work at Microsoft and other computer- oriented firms throughout the country (including me!) and there are a vast number of bright Americans who just need training and education to participate in this industry, and Microsoft and other computer and software firms have more than enough money and financial resources to do just that and have it paid for by the taxpayers through tax credits and deductions. There is absolute no reason to have to bring in foreign labor, except for the fact it is cheaper and more easily intimidated...?

-----

D. Brookings Institute and Federal Budget Deficits


The Economics Studies Program of the Brookings Institute, an enlightened progressive public policy organization, has issued a report discussing approaches for addressing the federal budget deficit and balancing the budget. Basically we have two choices: raise federal revenues or cut federal spending. I believe we have to do both. Taxes must be raised on the wealthy elite, particularly on incomes above $2.5 million. A new set of corporate income and progressive revenue taxes must be initiated on the businesses themselves and their management and executives. Excise taxes or import tariffs must be levied on manufactured goods coming in from nations such as Communist China. And special taxes must be levied on corporations whose top paid and compensated officials are more than seventeen times that of its lowest paid workers. Spending cuts are much harder but bureaucracies can be reduced and we all know what an enormous drain on the federal budget the defense department is with the seemingly endless Iraq war is. The root of the problem is all the hard US currency flowing out of the country like numerous raging rivers for energy resources in the Middle East, manufactured goods from Communist China, and cash transfer outlays by illegal aliens back to their home countries like Mexico. This all must be stopped or its over for America. You can read the report by the Brookings Institute at:

http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/200701frenzel.htm

-----

E. Captain America


Nightline this evening had a troubling story about Marvel Comics killing off their Captain America comic character. Hopefully this storyline was not pursued because the character was not politically correct in today's America. Lets hope the character re-emerges in the comic series or in the movies real soon. We can still use a symbol like Captain America in the world we live in today, one that is very similar with plenty of evil and greedy men much like it was when the character was created in 1941.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=2932366

----

F. More Secrecy and Subterfuge in Iraq


More and more, its becoming apparent the US military's secondary missions in Iraq are being conducted by a private mercenary force under the corporate ownership of Blackwater USA. This growing trend is troubling for a number of reasons, most notably for the fact that there is no accountability for decisions and expenditures by this shadowy corporation. A basic amount of information can be found here and I plan to research this further:

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

-----


G. Roger Ailes' Silly and Inane "News"

And finally, for those who think Fox News is the cat's meow, this "fair and balanced news service" proved themselves to be a complete national embarrassment and joke by virtually focusing exclusively on the Anna Nicole Smith story to the exclusion of the disgraceful treatment of our soldiers and veterans at VA Hospitals, particularly at The Palace, Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC. For example, on Friday 2 March, Fox News Channel (FNC) referred to Smith stories 121 times as compared to Walter Reed just 10 times ! MSNBC did better - it was only 96 t0 84 for Smith. CNN stood out as compared to the others, with Smith stories get referred to only 40 times with Walter Reed stories being cited 53 times. It just goes to show that FNC is hardly more than a GOP spin propaganda tool and given the chance will focus on fluff and blather to distract their viewers from the enormous incompetence, ineptitude, untruthfulness, and possible criminality coming out of the Bush Administration. Do yourself and your nation a favor and get your news and information from as many sources as possible--but make sure FNC is not one of them !

Academy of Country Music Awards Nominees

The 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards announced the nominees for this years awards which will be presented in Las Vegas, NV, on 15 May, and will be broadcast by CBS.
My favorites to win the awards are in bold italics:

Entertainer of the Year: Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, George Strait.

Top Male Vocalist: Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban.

Top Female Vocalist: Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood.

Top Vocal Group: Diamond Rio, Emerson Drive, Little Big Town, Lonestar, Rascal Flatts.

Top Vocal Duo: Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, the Wreckers.

Top New Male Vocalist: Rodney Atkins, Craig Morgan, Chris Young.

Top New Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift.

Top New Duo or Vocal Group: Heartland, Little Big Town, the Wreckers

Album of the Year: Hillbilly Deluxe, Brooks & Dunn; It Just Comes Natural, George Strait; Me and My Gang, Rascal Flatts; Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood; These Days, Vince Gill.

Single Record of the Year: Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood; Give It Away, George Strait; I Loved Her First, Heartland; What Hurts the Most, Rascal Flatts; Would You Go with Me, Josh Turner.

Song of the Year: Amarillo Sky, Jason Aldean; Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood; Give It Away, George Strait; If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows), Rodney Atkins; Would You Go With Me, Josh Turner.

Video of the Year: 8th of November, Big & Rich; Amarillo Sky, Jason Aldean; Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood; Hillbilly Deluxe, Brooks & Dunn; Seashores of Old Mexico, George Strait.

Vocal Event of the Year: Building Bridges, Brooks & Dunn with Vince Gill & Sheryl Crow; I Don't Want to, Ashley Monroe & Ronnie Dunn; Me and God, Josh Turner featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley; Politically Uncorrect, Gretchen Wilson featuring Merle Haggard; That's How They Do It in Dixie, Hank Williams Jr. with Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and Van Zant.

The Final End to My Nearly Year Long Crisis

Today, I finally got my permanent physical copy of my identification after such a long arduous tormenting ordeal. It is nice to be a person again and now I can get on with my life. Many, many months of delaying actions and objectives because of this overwhelming handicap have come and gone and it is has left me virtually financially in ruins.

Only because of the goodwill and charity of family and friends did I make it through this. A big thank you goes out to Kelly, Hank, Deb, Todd, Tascha, and, especially, Brant and Sarah, and their children for helping me out during this time as well as any others that I failed to mention.

Anyone who can further assist me financially for the coming month until I start to get back on my feet again would be greatly appreciated by me.

March Terrain and Skyviews in SE Wyoming

Today's Items that Caught My Eye

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a contract to expand the National Cementary in Rock Island, IL, by 7000 gravesites. Given the point we are at, this is nothing less than disturbing news.

http://www.military.com/veterans-report/va-awards-contract-for-rock-island-cemetery?ESRC=vr.nl

One of the greatest things about the internet is the formation and growth of Craigslist. This simple and humble concept puts the sale and exchange of goods throughout ones community and the nation at their fingertips without having to pay a middleman. This article further explains the philosophy of the site's founder and what a great person he is.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0306-07.htm

And another article that discusses some additional troubling trends with the US Economy:

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12530

Here is a good site to bookmark to keep up with some of the widespread, rampant corporate treachery, evil, and crime that is occuring right before our eyes:

http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/

The Economic Policy Institute is releasing a series of policy position papers concerning the economic and social well-being of America and positive solutions and ideas to address the problems facing the nation's citizens. The link to read more about this is:

http://www.sharedprosperity.org/

And to read about what we need as far as in terms of a new social contract between the nation's government, business, and other powerful monied interests and institutions and the citizenry, read this article by the Agenda for Shared Prosperity:

http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp184.html

List of Notable Sci-Fi Pictures

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

Additional resources can be found from the links at this site above.

re: A Little Help, Please: The Final Question is Answered

Sometimes, its better to be lucky than good. While surfing through Wikipedia on the subject of science fiction movies, I stumbled upon the answer to the final question from my earlier post.

I did not know the movie was originally made in Czechoslovakia in 1955 and then later updated by an American director who inserted American boys into the film and changed the setting to New York City. It was the revised version VML and I saw at the theater in 1968. The links to the original and updated version are:

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

http://www.kiddiematinee.com/j-jbtime.html

Now to find out if the picture is on video or DVD.

Some Worthwhile Items to Check Out

On a slow news day, heres a few things to check out and bookmark for future reference.

A. Global Warming Taking Toll on Vermont Maple Syrup

This troubling story shows the impact on a vital part of the economy in Vermont. If you have ever tasted real maple syrup, you know how much better it is than the commercial store brands.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/03/us/03maple.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=all


B. Comparative State New Economy Data and Statistics Report

A new report released today by the Kauffman Foundation details the latest information about the presence and strength of the New Economy in each of the 50 states. I think it is hard to paint a broad sweep on individual states, particularly ones as large and diverse as those in the American West as well as elsewhere in the nation. There is a huge gap when comparing urban areas to rural areas as one might expect and this report places more emphasis on state boundaries when presenting its analysis instead more more justly and rightly comparing metropolitan areas and regions. Its a large PDF download file with a lot of data and maps, so be prepared to spend some time going through its 92 pages.

http://www.kauffman.org/pdf/2007_State_Index.pdf

C. Pizza, anyone?

Thirdly, a business franchise opportunity for the entrepreneur-inclined among my readers. This Montana firm looks like it has a sure-fire winner for those looking at business opportunities. I know if I had the capital or could get it that this would be among the startups I would seriously consider getting involved in. And there is a lot of territory here in the Central and Northern Rockies, the High Plains, Southwest, and Great Basin for an opportunity like this to be launched.

http://mackenzieriverpizza.com/

A look at the Upcoming NFL Draft

Although it is pretty much meaningless, I do enjoy finding out what players are chosen by which teams in the NFL Draft which is coming up on 28-29 April. Here is an early outlook on how the first round may go:

1 - OAK - Jamarcus Russell QB Louisiana State
2 - DET - Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin
3 - CLE - Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma
4 - TB - Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech
5 - ARIZ - Gaines Adams DE Clemson
6 - WASH- Alan Branch DT Michigan
7 - MINN - Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
8 - HTN - Levi Brown DT Penn State
9 - MIA - Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame
10- ATL - Laron Landry S Louisiana State
11- SF - Amobi Okoye DT Louisville
12 - BUF - Darrelle Revis CB Pittsburgh
13 - STL - Patrick Willis LB Mississippi
14 - CAR - Reggie Nelson S Florida
15 - PGH - Leon Hall CB Michigan
16 - GB - Greg Olsen TE Miami FL
17 - JAX - Ted Ginn, Jr WR Ohio State
18 - CINC - Paul Posluszny LB Penn State
19 - TENN - Daymeion Hughes CB California
20 - NYG - Marshawn Lynch RB California
21 - DEN - Adam Carriker DE Nebraska
22- DAL - Dwayne Jarrett WR Southern Californina
23 - KC - Dwayne Bowe WR Louisiana State
24 - NENG - Lawrence Timmons LB Florida State
25 - NYJ - Aaron Ross CB Texas
26 - PHIL - Anthony Spencer DE Purdue
27 - NORL - Chris Houston CB Arkansas
28 - NENG - Robert Meachum WR Tennessee
29 - BLT - Justin Blalock DT Texas
30 - SD - Michael Griffin S Texas
31 - CHI - Tank Tyler DT North Carolina State
32 - IND - Brandon Siler LB Florida

Over half of these players will never really contribute in the NFL and are getting chosen and paid large sums of money based entirely on professional potential. One can also see all the college programs which are basically taxpayer supported developmental and minor league for
the NFL, as there are no obscure or low profile schools listed here.

Obviously, when the draft is conducted, much will change as trades and reconsiderations of needs and players potentials will occur.

Coaching Changes in the Mountain West

The 2006-2007 Mountain West Conference Basketball Regular Season has not even ended yet and already two head coaches have been dismissed with additional dismissals looming ahead.

At New Mexico, Head Coach Richie McKay was told by University athletic officials that he would not be back next season on 22 February. And just on Friday, 3 March, Utah Head Coach Ray Giacoletti was asked to resign after only three seasons at the helm. A couple of other head coaches appear to be on thin ice. At Wyoming, Steve McClain may be on his way out after nine years; the Cowboys have underachieved and have not been a factor for the regular season MWC hoops crown and attendance has been lackadaisical at best. In Fort Collins, Colorado State may get rid of Dale Layer after several seasons of mediocre finishes in the conference and a limited presence in postseason while Layer has been at the coaching helm of the Rams. TCU could also make a coaching change, and a change is not out of the question at San Diego State, although it would seem remote. Brigham Young, Air Force, and Nevada-Las Vegas would appear to be staying the course with their coaching staffs, but Jeff Bzdelikhas been mentioned as a candidate for other jobs that may open after this season.

Meanwhile, pairings and schedules for the upcoming MWC Postseason Basketball Championship Tournament in Las Vegas have been announced. On Tuesday, 6 March, #9 New Mexico plays #8 Texas Christian in the "Pigtail Game" at 8:30 MST. On Thursday 8 March, four games are scheduled. It starts at 1pm MST when #1 Brigham Young plays the winner of the Tuesday Pigtail game. At 3:30 MST #4 Air Force takes on #5 Wyoming. At 7pm MST #2 Nevada-Las Vegas plays #7 Utah. And at 9:30pm MST #3 San Diego State plays #6 Colorado State. On Friday, 9 March, the winners of the two day games meet at 7pm MST with Thursday's two evening game winners playing at 9:30pm MST. The Championship Game is at 5pm MDT Saturday, 10 March. The Mtn. will televise the first five games; CSTV will televise Friday's two semifinals games nationally; and Saturday's championship game will be nationally televised on Versus.

The MWC Championship has produced six different champions in its seven-year history. San Diego State (2002, 2006) is the only team to have won two titles, followed by UNLV (2000), BYU (2001), Colorado State (2003), Utah (2004) and New Mexico (2005) with one apiece.

The No. 1 seed has won the tournament just twice in seven years. UNLV entered the inaugural MWC Tournament as the top seed in 2000 and won the title. Last year, San Diego State became the second No. 1 seed to claim the crown.

The No. 2 seed (BYU, New Mexico), No. 3 seed (Utah), No. 5 seed (San Diego State) and No. 6 seed (Colorado State) have captured tournament championships, while the No. 4 seed is 0-3 and the No. 7 seed is 0-1 in title games. The No. 8 seeds has yet to appear in the championship game.

The MWC regular-season champion has made it to the finals of the MWC tournament four times in seven years (UNLV 2000, BYU 2001, Utah 2005, San Diego State 2006), winning the championship three times. San Diego State is the only team to win both an outright regular-season title and the tournament crown in the same year.

All-time W-L records in the tournament for each team follows: UNLV (11-5); Utah (9-6); San Diego State (7-5); Brigham Young (6-6); Colorado State (5-6); New Mexico (5-6);

Wyoming (5-7); Texas Christian (0-1); Air Force (0-7).

Major League Facilities/Stadiums Report

One of my eclectic interests is maintaining awareness about major league sports' ever changing status about their facilities, arenas, stadiums, and ballparks. I find this more interesting at times than the actual games themselves because it is eternal story of power, manipulation, and money played at one of the highest levels of our nation. By now most teams have gotten new buildings constructed within the last 15 years or so, but there are still a few teams in each league that have not gotten their cookies and candies largely courtesy of taxpayers. Heres an update on those teams.

BASEBALL - This sport has almost reached nirvana. The NY Yankees and NY Mets have broken ground in the Bronx and Queens, respectively, on their new Taj Mahals that will open up in 2009 or 2010. The Oakland Athletics are working towards finishing up the remaining red tape and hope to break ground by next year for a 2011 or 2012 opening of their new building in neighboring Fremont, south of their current home and adjacent to the lucrative San Jose market in the South Bay. The Minnesota Twins look to break ground later this year or early next year with a new open-air ballpark that would open in 2010 in downtown Minneapolis not far from their current home, the 25-year old Metrodome. That just leaves the Florida Marlins, whom are working on the site and financial details of a new ballpark in downtown Miami with a planned opening by 2011. There is scuttlebutt about other teams looking at alternatives to where they are at now such as Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles, but these are probably groundless at this point. 29 out of the 30 clubs have their building status in great shape or will shortly. Now we can look forward to expansion with Portland, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Birmingham, Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando, Norfolk, and Buffalo as new potential markets for MLB as the sport grows to 36 clubs by 2020.

FOOTBALL -- The NFL has done a remarkable job getting cities and states to ante up for buildings that are exclusive for football and thus get used 10-15 times per year at best. There remains a number of NFL teams that have yet to get their new building. The Oakland Raiders will probably start rattling their sabers in the next few years for a new building, particularly after their current co-tenants, the Athletics, depart for their own new building. The Raiders will hope that by that time the cross-bay rival San Francisco 49ers will have their building open in Santa Clara or still in San Francisco, probably by 2012. The Raiders may share until they get their new building by 2014. Down the coast, the San Diego Chargers are working on getting a new stadium somewhere in San Diego County. The club is hoping to have a site decided on by years end and to break ground by 2009 with a 2011 opening. The Minnesota Vikings are at square one with their stadium dreams. With the Twins and University of Minnesota Gophers getting priority on new facilities, the Vikings will probably have to wait which may become a concern for Minnesotans wary of new taxes and the peril of the team fleeing the Twin Cities for a market with a new state of the art building. Meanwhile, the NY Giants and NY Jets have broken ground on a new facility they will share in the Meadowlands near the existing Giants Stadium which will open in 2010. Dallas has construction underway in Arlington with an opening date in 2009 for their new stadium. New Orleans remains a question mark longterm with questions largely due to what has happened to the city and the bigger picture. With Lamar Hunt's death, there could be a change in circumstances with the Kansas City Chiefs. And the World Champion Indianapolis Colts' new stadium is under construction and will open in 2009. Teams rumored to be looking a better buildings or new homes besides the Saints include the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. As the NFL expands to 40 teams by 2025-2030, cities that will be in the running for one of those new teams includes San Antonio, Birmingham, Memphis, Portland, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Norfolk, Orlando, Sacramento, Honolulu, and with the biggest prize, two teams in the Los Angeles market.

HOCKEY -- The NHL, much like MLB, is fairly close to nirvana with respect to their buildings. Only a few clubs are angling for new building. Among them are both the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both whom are still in the talking stage about replacing their current buildings in Manhattan and Uniondale, Long Island. A crisis is already underway in the Steel City where the Pittsburgh Penguins will abandon the aging Mellon Arena for greener pastures, possibly in Kansas City. Pennsylvania politicos will have to scramble to keep this potential move from happening, perhaps in as soon as 45-60 days. The Edmonton Oilers want a new building within the next several years. The New Jersey Devils have a new building under construction in Newark that will open later this year. And the Detroit RedWings may start looking for a newer building in the coming years. The remaining 24 clubs are in newer buildings already. With the NHL looking to grow to 36 teams by 2020, cities that look to become members of the league include Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Las Vegas, Houston, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Oklahoma City, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Anchorage, Hamilton, Windsor-Kitchener, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.

BASKETBALL -- More than a few teams in the NBA are angling for new arenas and some of these teams are already in newer buildings constructed within the last decade or so. The Orlando Magic are close to having an agreement with government on construction of a new arena while the Sacramento Kings and Seattle Supersonics are pressing hard for new buildings of their own and threatening to relocate if they don't get their way. The Milwaukee Bucks are pointed in this same direction. The New York Knickerbockers want Madison Square Garden replaced with a brand new state-of-the-art palace in Central Manhattan. The New Jersey Nets have just broken ground on a new building in Brooklyn. The New Orleans Hornets plan to return full-time to the Crescent City but that does not appear to be set in stone for the longterm, much the same as their football brethern Saints. And the Memphis Grizzlies may be seeking greener pastures within a few years. The other 22 clubs look to be set as of now. The NBA looks to expand to 36 teams by 2020 which puts Norfolk, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, El Paso, Las Vegas, St Louis, and San Diego as cities hopeful for expansion clubs with San Jose and Anaheim looking to be relocation markets.

It sure appears that the treachery and greed by professional sports owners and their collaborators in corporate America and government will continue to exploit taxpayers to have fancy expensive new buildings constructed for many years to come.

2007 CMT Music Awards Nominees Announced

The names of the 2007 CMT Country Music Awards Nominees were released earlier today. My favorites and picks are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR -

"What Hurts the Most" - Rascal Flatts

"Want to" - Sugarland

"The Seashores of Old Mexico" - George Strait

MALE VIDEO -

"A Little Too Late" - Toby Keith

FEMALE VIDEO -

"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood

DUO VIDEO -

"8th of November" - Big and Rich

GROUP VIDEO -

"Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO -

"Leave the Pieces" - The Wreckers

WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO -

"Always on Your Side" - Sheryl Crow with Sting

VIDEO DIRECTOR -

Wes Edwards, for "Amarillo Sky" by Jason Aldean


The announcement and presentation of the winners will be broadcast on Monday, 16 April, at 6pm MDT on CMT on both DirecTV and Dish Network Satellite Services, and if you are extremely lucky, on your local cable service since virtually none carry CMT unless you are getting gauged and paying $90 a month for that "digital" (ha!) package.

A full list of all the nominees can be seen at this link:

http://www.cmt.com/shows/events/cmt_music_awards/2007/nominees/

2007 WY Legislature: Some Good but Much Left Undone

The 2007 Wyoming State Legislative session has just wrapped up with some accomplishments but also with a number of significant missed opportunities to address and work towards solving issues vital to citizens of this state.

Among the significant accomplishments include a permanent end to the sales tax on grocery food; greater restrictions on having open containers of liquor in motor vehicles; further control and accountability of sex offenders in the state; funding for a new health sciences building at LCCC in Cheyenne; greater academic requirements for the Hathaway Scholarship Program; sole authorization for the governor to negotiate with Federal Wildlife officials for management of wolves; funding for greater oversight and assistance with daycare centers and day care; and some greater additional funding for transportation and highways as well as for the University of Wyoming.

But the Legislature came up short in several key areas. Among these include an open container law that still has holes in it; no statewide lottery bill; inadequate public safety measures concerning the manufacturing and use of methamphetamine; funding for community colleges;
a statewide public smoking ban; additional monies for the University of Wyoming, particularly concerning parking and maintenance; and far too little funding and authorization of new revenue sources for transportation, particularly highway maintenance, new highway expansion, and new highway construction with a new dedicated gasoline percentage tax on diesel vehicles with a tax rebate or discount program for Wyoming citizens and their diesel vehicles.

The challenges of funding for the needed maintenance, upgrades, and expansion of Wyoming roads and highways is one of the greatest challenges facing the state along with education; greater health care that is less expensive; a rapidly growing aging population; urban sprawl; water resource development and protection; environmental degradation; and crime due to poverty and substance abuse.

This legislative session did a fair job in helping draft laws to improve the lives of this state's citizens and maintain a quality of life that is the envy of many other states in the nation, but in the final analysis, the legislators did not do enough and fell short. I give the legislature and its members a grade of a "D+" or a "C-" for the results they produced.

Veterans Committee Vote Extremely Disappointing

The results of the Veterans Committee vote for entrance into the MLB Hall of Fame on Tuesday was not one that was welcomed by anyone. Numerous worthy candidates were once again wrongfully kept from being enshrined in the Hall and as each year goes by, more and more of these men pass on without being given the highest honor in baseball.

The 84 eligible voters (only 82 participated this year) have yet to vote anyone in in the three elections held since there was a revamp of the voting process following unfounded charges of cronyism with the election of career .260 hitter Bill Mazeroski in 2001.

Among the players missing being elected include 3B Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs; 283-game winner Jim Kaat, who primarily pitched for Minnesota; Gil Hodges, who hit 370 career home runs while catching for Brooklyn and who managed the NY Mets to the World Series title in 1969; Tony Oliva, a three-time AL Batting Champion; Maury Wills, a prolific base stealer who held the season record for steals from 1962 until Rickey Henderson broke it; Joe Torre , a perennial All-Star Catcher with the Braves and Cardinals with an MVP and batting title; Don Newcombe, a longtime pitching great with Brooklyn who was one of the first black pitchers after the color barrier was broken; Roger Maris, who set the home run season record in 1961; Curt Flood, who historical significance as a player in the game is almost unmatched; Luis Tiant, the left-handed screwballer who led the White Sox and Red Sox pitching staffs during the late 1960s and 1970s; Lefty O'Doul, a career .349 hitter with four batting titles; and Mickey Vernon, a seven-time All-Star with two batting titles whose career spanned across 4 decades.

Others who contributed to the game who deserve recognition and enshrinement into the Hall include long-time highly respected veteran umpire Doug Harvey; Players Representative Marvin Miller, who had the greatest impact on the business of the game as anyone ever has; Walter O'Malley, the longtime Dodger owner; as well as several other contributers: Whitey Herzog, Bill White, Dick Williams, Charles Finley, Harry Dalton, Phil Wrigley, and Paul Richards.

Lets hope these long overdue enshrinements of these men occur in the immediate coming years and before more of them pass on.

Visitors to My Blog from Around the Globe!

The number of places that the visitors to my blog come from only continues to grow. This week the list expands to include Taiwan, Japan, France, Finland, Latvia, Belguim, Australia, Chile, and South Africa. Visitors from American states are from Oregon, Utah, Illinois, California, Maryland, Arizona, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Canadian visitors are from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.

Post-Academy Awards Wrap-Up

As expected, the 79th Annual Academy Awards presentation from Los Angeles honoring accomplishment in film and in acting and the creative and production process therein provided excitement and enjoyment.

The major six awards went largely as expected. The Departed took the Best Picture Award, evidently edging out Little Miss Sunshine. Martin Scorsese finally got the Best Director Award after having come close so many times before. Forest Whitaker took the Best Actor Award for The Last King of Scotland, but I would have preferred that Peter O'Toole would have won as he has never taken the award in over 50 years of professional work. Best Actress went to Helen Mirren for her standout performance in the role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. Best Supporting Actress as expected went to newcomer Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. The one award that might have been called an upset was for Best Supporting Actor, going to longtime actor Alan Arkin for his role in Little Miss Sunshine. I wanted Mark Wahlberg to win for his gutsy role in The Departed, and many thought Eddie Murphy would win for his performance in Dreamgirls.

Other than awards themselves, there were some good points and then some that were not. Ellen DeGeneres was mediocre at best as the emcee and most of her antics were boring. The lack of a podium on the awards stage was disconcerting as award winners had to set their trophies on the stage floor to read their notes of appreciation, gratitude, and tribute. And this made it look very awkward as well. The hype for An Inconvenient Truth was a little too much; Melissa Etheridge thoroughly embarrassed herself; and Clint Eastwood stumbled through his lines during the tribute to Ennio Morricone. On the plus side, Meryl Streep rocked when interacting with Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt; the three directors presenting Martin Scorsese with his Oscar was full of warmth and humor; and the stirring performance by Celine Dion debuting a new song ," I Knew I Loved You", during the tribute to Ennio Morricone touched the heart of everybody. Most of actresses looked striking in their gowns with styles that was very alluring and eyegrabbing. And as always the tributes to the members of the profession that had passed away in the last year and what some of their most noteworthy contributions and roles were is one of the highlights of the production year in and year out.

Overall, a great entertaining way to spend almost four hours on a bitterly cold Sunday night in February.

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.