Everyone is Finally Getting It Figured Out

Its nice to see the national media start figuring out something that I wrote about over two and half weeks ago: CNBC is a waste and full of hacks, lackeys, cheerleaders, bimbos, himbos, boobs, out and out liars, con men, many who aid and abet criminals, and blatant shysters and crooks. CNBC is utterly corrupt and despicable with no soul, and should be removed from the airwaves at once with grand jury investigations of its management and on air staff for probable criminal links to the financial and economic collapse.

http://www.minyanville.com/articles/ge-via-jon-stewart-jim-cramer/index/a/21628

http://www.americablog.com/2009/03/its-not-about-santelli-or-kudlow-or.html

This is but three links that has emerged on this topic in the last day or two. And the Los Angeles Times link is in the entertainment part of the paper, a utterly horrible inexcusable blunder by management and editors of that paper.

Expect damaging and destructive exposes on the corruption of CNBC and other business coverage entities by CBS' 6o Minutes and other eminent news journalist organizations.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/CNBCs-dilemma-make-a-recession/story.aspx?guid={27AE0210-5FA3-4C54-80A3-2411C511B781}

http://pundits.thehill.com/2009/03/13/cnbc-and-the-stockholm-syndrome-for-speculators-and-greed/

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-cotown-cnbc14-2009mar14,0,7086061.story

*****

Back to the Future

I write about my opinions on the ongoing economic collapse extensively on my other blog, but I tend to hold back on the depths of my viewpoints and my fears and/or realizations.

Privately I think the US and its citizens are up the creek without a paddle. I believe the nation is headed downhill big time and we are going to return to a standard of living much differently than what we have seen in recent years. Much of this will be bad for some, even many; but likewise is true as well, particularly for those in the lowest quintille economically. I think stock prices and values are headed back to where they were in the early 1990s and late 1980s. The great wealth accumulation by many, primarily the wealthy, is going to be carved up and minimized substantially.

For much of the history of the nation, there was a ratio of 3:1 between home prices and per capita income. In much of the last three decades, this historical ratio has been seriously out of whack, rising to an 6:1 level in most places and even 10:1 to 12:1 or more in some locales. Incomes have been largely stagnant for a number of years and certainly have not risen anywhere near the rate of housing costs and values. I now believe the US is headed back towards housing values of the late 70s to mid 80s, which would be representational of what incomes exist. Obviously home cost more to build with more expensive materials and accessories as part of the construction, but a big part of the cost is the price of land; this particular element will be a big part of the downturn in prices and values as it will reflect more accurately and justly relative to per capita incomes.

If all this does eventuate -- and its far from a sure thing -- the nation we will be living in within the next five years will show far less social and economic stratification that what has been witnessed since the Reagon years and through the Bush Junior years.

One thing to note -- if one factors in the rate of inflation, the DJI is still at levels seen in the year 1966.... but I now suspect there is a greater possibility that the DJI is headed to levels below the 4000 mark, and going to even below the 3000 mark is certainly possible now.

What will all this mean ? Quite simply, an economic depression...

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090323/ehrenreich_fletcher?rel=hp_picks

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/inflation-adjusted-dow-is-at-1966-levels/

*****

The Times are so Bad, Drinking is on the Upswing

Hitting the bar or local watering hole has been a tradition and passion of a vast majority of Americans for generations. Even when times are bad economically or otherwise, the lifestyle continues unabated and probably even expands. When the world is running down, you make the best of what still is around. And that means having a cold one(s), stiff one(s), or whatever concoction one enjoys. I don't get out to do this at all unfortunately, primarily because I do not drink alone and will only do it with friends. And being here in Cheyenne, regrettably I do not have any "drinking buddies". Hopefully when I relocate back to Colorado in the next several months to year that can change. I miss getting to do that like I used to do when I was living in the Denver area. I am doomed to be a virtual shut-in and recluse here in wind tunnel of the continent while I wait out my exile here.

http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17090665&page=0

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7008002&page=1&nwltr=NL_topstory_hed

*****

The Ugliest MLB Player Contracts

Looking down the list of these players contracts and one can only conclude this is the Hall of Fame of current player stiffs. All of these guys have made off like bandits and really taken management to the cleaners. Not one of these guys is worth even 10 % of what they are making. Most were flashes in the pan that are now clearly utter has-beens.

Ownership in MLB is clearly full of pie-eyed fools and hapless saps similar to those buying on a glittery used car lot.

http://www.springtraining09.com/features/the-44-worst-contracts-in-base.php#below

*****

Some Future Promising Technologies

Among the new technologies discussed in this article are supercharged batteries, widespread 3-D printing, and pop-up instant housing.

http://www.saleshq.com/news/articles/1845-20-incredible-innovations-of-the-near-future?page=21&referral=shq_nlet_R1_20090304

*****

New and Exciting ! Hamster (yes Hamster !) Powered Vacuum Cleaners

What they won't think of next....

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12323040&ch=4226726&src=news

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/04/1844254

*****

A Near Miss

The planet Earth dodged a bullet literally on Monday 2 March as a fireball asteroid came very close to slamming into the planet or the moon. Had it hit, it would have caused an enormous explosion on a par with the famed 1908 Tunguska impact in Eastern Siberia. If the asteroid had come down in one of the oceans, a pretty good sized tsunami would have resulted. Sometime in the coming decades, a body from space of this size or larger will impact the planet with unbelievable detrimental and destructive consequences.

http://skywatch-media.com/2009/03/earth-had-close-encounter-with-40-yard.html

*****

March Starts Off Like a Beautiful Lamb

The first few days of March have been delightful across the Rocky Mountain Front, particularly with the wind being a minimal presence for the most part. Monday 2 March saw a number of record high temperatures, and not by just a few degrees in many places. More record highs are possible over the next three days before the region returns to a routine closer to normal over the coming weekend. But no possibility of precipitation is being foreseen in the coming 10 days to two weeks. Hopefully we will be spared of the stereotypical big March regional blizzard, and conditions remain warmer and drier than normal. As for moisture, I can be patient until we get late April into mid June rains. Better that than a regular siege of inconvenient and dastardly snowfall.

Records were also set nearby in the Arizona desert to the southwest and in southwest California around San Diego.

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
332 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT CHEYENNE WY AIRPORT...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 69 DEGREES WAS SET
AT THE CHEYENNE WY AIRPORT TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 62 SET IN 1992.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
0322 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT LARAMIE WY AIRPORT...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 63 DEGREES WAS SET
AT LARAMIE WY AIRPORT TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 54 SET IN 1992.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
515 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

   ...NEW RECORD HIGH FOR MARCH 2...

AT 308 PM THIS AFTERNOON THE TEMPERATURE AT 
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 74 
DEGREES SETTING A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THIS DATE.
THE OLD RECORD WAS 72 DEGREES SET IN 1901.

CLB

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
250 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN
COLORADO SPRINGS...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN COLORADO
SPRINGS THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN 72
DEGREES. THIS TIES THE PREVIOUS
RECORD HIGH...LAST SET IN 1901.

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
246 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN
PUEBLO...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN PUEBLO THIS
AFTERNOON HAS BEEN 80 DEGREES.
THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH
OF 78 DEGREES...LAST SET IN
1904.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
248 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN ALAMOSA...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN ALAMOSA THIS
AFTERNOON WAS 66 DEGREES. THIS
BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH OF 60
DEGREES...LAST SET IN 1967.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
600 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET IN WYOMING TODAY...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 63 DEGREES WAS SET
AT RIVERTON WY TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD
OF 63 LAST SET IN 1982.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES WAS SET
AT CASPER TODAY.  THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF
62 LAST SET IN 1992.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES WAS SET
AT LANDER TODAY.  THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF
64 SET IN 1925.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 58 DEGREES WAS SET
AT ROCK SPRINGS TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD
OF 55 SET IN 1986.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES WAS SET
AT CODY TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF
64 LAST SET IN 1994.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES WAS SET
AT WORLAND TODAY.  THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF
66 SET IN 1992.

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
0551 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT TUCSON AZ...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET
AT TUCSON AZ TODAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 91 SET IN 1910.

...OTHER RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET TODAY ACROSS
SOUTHERN ARIZONA...

                 NEW                 OLD

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS      93                  91/1999
ORACLE                 78                  77/1975
PICACHO PEAK           89                  86/1999
BISBEE/DOUGLAS AP      86                  81/1967
SIERRA VISTA           85                  83/1904

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
538 PM PST MON MAR 2 2009

...HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS BROKEN
OR TIED ON MARCH 2 ACROSS SW CALIFORNIA...

LOCATION       NEW RECORD  OLD RECORD PERIOD OF RECORD

SAN DIEGO          85      78 IN 1994  SINCE 1875
ESCONDIDO          85       83 IN 1994  SINCE 1964
LA MESA            86       82 IN 1994  SINCE 1934
WILD ANIMAL PARK   87       82 IN 1994  SINCE 1979
OCEANSIDE HARBOR   73 TIED  73 IN 1965  SINCE 1943


$$

*****

March Arrives

The second or third or fourth cruelest month of the year has arrived as March 2009 dawns. I think that February, December, and either January or September are more cruel, but it is difficult to say for sure. March offers the promise of spring nearing but it also can deliver more powerful slugs of winter. I believe if I were in Arizona or maybe even merely Colorado I would have a more positive attitude about March. But things are improving, albeit a little too slowly for my liking. Average daily temperatures rise from 31 degrees to almost 38 degrees; the average normal daily high temp rises from 39 to 49; the average normal low temp goes up from 17 to 25; and the length of day grows from 11:16 to 12:27, an improvement of 1 hour 11 minutes.

But at a point where winter is way too old and the signs of spring cannot begin soon enough. Sure there is a presence of the color green in the grass on the ground and a few more birds can be seen and heard, but the trees and other vegetation remain in slumber and the wind still blows quite fiercely and regularly to continue to numb the spirits. But news and images from far away offer greater hope and optimism, giving one hope the long winter is nearing its end and warm temps and leaf laden trees are getting closer to becoming a visibility reality one can experience firsthand. If its happening in places not that overwhelmingly far away, it will be happening here soon. But not soon enough.

My just ended week was one of extraordinary ordinaryness. I managed to drive the White Knight twice for some distances earlier in the week, but it was a struggle and difficult. For the most part I stayed home. Trips that used to take minutes now have their time length quadrupled and more. I did go out to the DQ thrice for meals or a dairy treat. I was distressed by the ending of The Rocky Mountain News. I have been a reader of that paper for over 20 years, and I think back to reading it in July '83 when I was in Denver for two weeks to attend "Pizza Hut University". I favored the Denver Post for a long time over the News, but the Post has declined in the last decade and that drove me to the Rocky. I also think the Rocky did a much better job on local news, opinion, and sports; all which made me feel more like a local resident which is what I had become by the late 90s.

That connection only strengthened in the last few years as I regularly read the Rocky almost on an everyday basis for the last decade. I will deeply miss the publication and all its content. I can get most all information nowadays from the 'net, but I like to go out and enjoy a pop and a sandwich more than occasionally, and newspapers are my companions on my outings. I got the Saturday Denver Post (first time its been published since early '01) and it was better than I expected. I hope the editors and writers in the Post step up their product and show regular improvement in the coming months. I cannot wait to get out of the windtunnel dump of a city I now live in and not be subjected to its horrid paper, the truest epitome of a waste of trees. I only get it on Sundays and primarily for the ads as its content is insufferable and an utter bore.

Baseball is back with spring training games on daily for the first time ever in my life. The MLB network will be telecasting 1-3 games daily except during championship week for college basketball in the second week of March. It is a nice plus to have and an enjoyable way to spend the idle hours of which I am largely overwhelmed with.

I even had a visitor today (SAT 2/28) as Todd came over to watch the Utah/BYU hoops game and spend a couple of hours with. The weather was nice with virtually no wind and cool temps, but it was fully sunny so I left the front door opened and raised the blinds in the kitchen to light up the inside more fully. He has to leave for three weeks starting early next week as part of his Air Guard responsibilities, so I won't be seeing or hearing from him until sometime in the final eight days of March. He is not happy about this but he realizes its part of his deal, of which he has to be part of for about another eight years, poor guy. He told me a few months back that he largely hates and despises his job, and merely tolerates it. I have been there and am grateful I have been able to escape the grueling depression that accompanies jobs like that, but its not much better to be in a position and mindset of economic insecurity, something that has defined me all my adult life except for brief interludes.

After Todd departed around 5:15, I watched the start of the Avalanche / Rangers game but it was a blowout early and I switched over to watch college hoops between Wyoming & Air Force. I tuned into the SDS / TCU game but drifted off into a nap for about an hour. The rest of the evening I surfed the 'net before retiring shortly after midnight.

I have a concern about my youngest brother and the precipitious drop and disappearance of his blog writing. I know he is very busy with his parenting and household responsibilities but I wonder if there are some problems and challenges, perhaps with his health, that are keeping him even more busy than usual. I also read there is a chance - how much who knows - of my second brother leaving Colorado with his family and relocating to the East Coast, Maryland in particular. I understand his job is ending finally after a few false starts with a final plant shutdown with his work ending. Jobs are in extremely short supply everywhere -- the giant looming black cloud on my horizon makes me so aware of that -- so he may have a connection to getting a job back there as his chances in Colorado would be overwhelming difficult at his age like most. I guess if a relocation happens it will be in mid to late summer before school starts up again for his daughter.

Sunday was warmer even yet as the temperature reached 63 degrees, the warmest its been in these parts since around the 20th of November. Winds remained light overall but skies were mostly cloudy with just a few instances of sunshine. I talked on the phone with Matt twice during the day, and watched "For a Few Dollars More" before going out in mid-afternoon to get the Sunday papers and have a root beer float at DQ. I returned home around 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing, watching my Sunday television favorites: 60 Minutes and Brothers and Sisters along with a Will Farrell SNL review. Dinner consisted of some spinach and fishwiches.

The upcoming week offers nothing really different than the last eight, but it will be nice to have the nice weather continue later into the week, although the wind is expected to return and roar before too long. I will struggle to make it to Wal-mart for some groceries, and I want to go sit in the sunshine and relax while reading my papers at least once during the week. I will also go to park and walk around a little with this nice weather. Beyond that, its just purgatory.

*****

Great Story

Dog, missing 9 years, returned to family

Feb. 27, 2009 06:58 AM
Associated Press

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A German Shepherd named Astro who has been missing from his family for more than 9 years is finally home.

The Geary family was shocked when they recently received a call from an animal control officer who said that Astro had been found.

The dog went missing from the Geary family's Port St. Lucie, Fla. home shortly after the family adopted him. Since then, they have moved three times and ended up in Louisville, Ky.

On Jan. 29, 2009, an animal control officer in Tennessee picked up Astro after receiving a report about a dog running loose. Officers tracked down the family through a microchip implanted in the canine.

Dennis Geary says he wasn't sure if Astro would remember him. But when they were reunited, the dog sat down and began licking him.

*****

Looming Death of the NBA

Clearly this league is in serious financial trouble, as attendance has dived precipitously this season, and what tickets are being sold are at rock bottom prices along the lines of $10 per ticket. Now news has emerged the league office has procured a $200 million loan (how they did this in this credit frozen market is a miracle) to distribute to around 15 of the 30 clubs so those clubs can continue to meet operating expenses. Television revenue and viewership are stagnant at best, and likely to decline with the ongoing increasing financial and economic collapse hammering everyone and everything. Payrolls and operating expenses are enormously out of whack with current and future projected revenues.

Add to the mix the coming meltdown of labor peace, and continued image problems with the players and products themselves in very basic and moral ways and appearances. The writing is starting to appear on the wall that this league and professional basketball is headed quickly down the path to its demise.

NCAA basketball, the NHL, and even MLB are at serious risk of moving in this direction as well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090227

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3937034

*****

Off to a Reasonably Warm Start

It is not the best it could be, but I'll take it. The first fifty-five days of 2009 are the 17th warmest on average in history. What this means is that Cheyenne basically had a little more than normal Denver climate for this period. The numbers in the chart below show that ten of the warmest nineteen first fifty-five days of each year have occurred in the last 25 years.

What this means is that there is at least the possibility of a likelihood of global warming resulting in a change in climatology on this microlevel.

Statement as of 5:48 am MST on February 25, 2009

... Public information statement...

... Average 2009 temperature in Cheyenne is the 17th warmest of the
past 138 years...

The average temperature in Cheyenne from January 1st through
February 24th of 2009 was 31.4 degrees... making this period the
17th warmest such period in Cheyenne since 1872.

Here is a table of the twenty warmest January 1st through February
24th periods in Cheyenne with respect to average temperature. This
is out of the 138 such periods in Cheyenne since 1872.

Average temperature (degrees fahrenheit)... year
35.9... 1954
34.0... 1934
33.7... 1935
33.1... 1986
32.6... 1992
32.6... 1983
32.4... 1981
32.2... 2005
32.1... 1999
31.8... 1907
31.8... 2000
31.7... 1931
31.5... 1969
31.5... 1958
31.5... 1953
31.5... 1920
31.4... 2009
31.2... 1970
31.1... 1998

Through February 24th... the average maximum temperature in Cheyenne
has been 41.9 degrees... making this year the 26th warmest out of
the past 138 years in terms of average maximum temperature.

Through February 24th... the average minimum temperature in
Cheyenne has been 21.0 degrees... making this year the 10th warmest
out of the past 138 years in terms of average minimum temperature.

*****

Complete MLB Network Spring Training MLB Telecasts Schedule

Finally, here it is fresh off the wire. There will 45 games telecast live, and 16 more on tape delay: many of which are Cactus League games that will be aired one hour after they have actually started.

Some of the open slots shown at 11am and 2pm will be filled by telecasts by ESPN to be announced in the comng week or so Do not look for any telecasts for the most part between Tuesday 11 March and Saturday 14 March as this Championship Week and Conference Tournament time for college basketball across the land.


Live Games are in BOLD RED. All times are Mountain Time (standard through Saturday 7 March and Daylight from Sunday 8 March on). Games in Florida and Arizona are denoted w "v" symbol in the listing of the matchup, while games at actual home ballparks (or in Las Vegas) are denoted with "@" in the listing of the matchup.

WED 25

1pm San Francisco Giants v Cleveland Indians
5pm Boston Red Sox v Minnesota Twins

THR 26

2pm Arizona Diamondbacks v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

FRI 27

11am St Louis Cardinals v New York Mets
3pm San Diego Padres v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

SAT 28

11am Tampa Bay Rays v Philadelphia Phillies
3pm Minnesota Twins v New York Yankees (tape delay)

SUN 1

11am Boston Red Sox v Minnesota Twins
3pm Chicago White Sox v Los Angeles Dodgers (tape delay)
7pm Houston Astros v New York Mets (tape delay)

MON 2

11am
2pm

TUE 3

11am US National Team v New York Yankees
3pm Canada National Team v Toronto Blue Jays (tape delay)

WED 4

11am
2pm
5pm
7pm Australia National Team v Seattle Mariners

THR 5

11am
2pm Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox @ Las Vegas

FRI 6

11am Washington Nationals v Baltimore Orioles
2pm
5pm

SAT 7

1pm Oakland Athletics v San Diego Padres

SUN 8

MON 9

11am Baltimore Orioles v New York Mets

TUE 10

WED 11

11am

THR 12

11am
2pm

FRI 13

11am
2pm
5pm

SAT 14

2pm Texas Rangers v Chicago White Sox

SUN 15

11am St Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies
6:30 Kansas City Royals v San Francisco Giants (tape delay)

MON 16

11am St Louis Cardinals v Detroit Tigers
2pm
5pm Tampa Bay Rays v Pittsburgh Pirates

TUE 17

11am Minnesota Twins v Boston Red Sox

WED 18

11am Atlanta Braves v New York Mets

THR 19

11am St Louis Cardinals v Tampa Bay Rays
5pm Boston Red Sox v Cincinnati Reds

FRI 20

11am Cincinnati Reds v Houston Astros
3pm San Diego Padres v Chicago Cubs (tape delay)
7pm Los Angeles Dodgers v Kansas City Royals

SAT 21

11am Boston Red Sox v Florida Marlins
3pm Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox (tape delay)

SUN 22

11am Tampa Bay Rays v New York Yankees
3pm Cleveland Indians v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)

MON 23

11am Florida Marlins v Houston Astros
2pm
3pm Milwaukee Brewers v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)

TUE 24

11am New York Mets v Houston Astros
2pm
5pm Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees

WED 25

11am Detroit Tigers v New York Mets
5pm Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals

THR 26

11am
2pm Anaheim Angels v Cleveland Indians
5pm
8:30 Chicago Cubs v San Framcisco Giants

FRI 27

11am Detroit Tigers v Atlanta Braves
2pm
7pm Milwaukee Brewers v Texas Rangers

SAT 28

11am Philadelphia Phillies v Pittsburgh Pirates
3pm Chicago Cubs v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)
7pm New York Yankees v Atlanta Braves (tape delay)

SUN 29

11am Atlanta Braves v Detroit Tigers
3pm Kansas City Royals v Seattle Mariners (tape delay)

MON 30

11am Tampa Bay Rays v Minnesota Twins
2pm
5pm San Diego Padres v Cleveland Indians

TUE 31

11am
2pm Anaheim Angels v Chicago Cubs
8pm Milwaukee Brewers v San Diego Padres

WED 1

11am Florida Marlins v Baltimore Orioles
3pm Texas Rangers v Anaheim Angels (tape delay)
7pm Arizona Diamondbacks v Milwaukee Brewers (tape delay)

THR 2

1pm Chicago White Sox v Milwaukee Brewers
8pm Anaheim Angels @ Los Angeles Dodgers

FRI 3

5pm Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees (first game at new Yankee Stadium)

SAT 4

11am Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (second game at new Mets Stadium)
4pm Baltimore Orioles @ Washington Nationals
8pm Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers

http://mlbnetwork.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2009/mlb_network_spring_broadcast_schedule.pdf

*****

Three Month Outlook Positive

The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service is forecasting a much warmer and drier period ahead overall for the next three months. There is even a real good chance The Front Range region of Colorado and southern Wyoming will be spared of a good spring snowstorm, and snow might be quite rare in the coming months. That is in contrast to the old historical norms which have become quite the opposite more often that not in this decade or so.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

*****

MLB Network and ESPN Spring Training MLB Broadcasts for 25-28 February

Here is the schedule of telecasts by MLB Network and ESPN for the first week of Baseball's 2009 Spring Training games.

All times MT. All games on MLBN unless notated.


WED 25 Feb
1pm San Francisco Giants v Cleveland Indians

5pm Boston Red Sox v Minnesota Twins

THR 26 Feb
11am Houston Astros v Atlanta Braves ESPN

2pm Arizona Diamondbacks v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

FRI 27 Feb
11am St Louis Cardinals v New York Mets

3pm San Diego Padres v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

SAT 28 Feb
11am Tampa Bay Rays v Philadelphia Phillies

3pm Minnesota Twins v New York Yankees (tape delay)

*****

Coach Tom Renney Fired by New York Rangers

It is always sad and disappointing to see a coaching change, but it was clear the players on the New York Rangers were no longer responding to Head Coach Tom Renney. The Rangers have been in a season long offensive funk with a miserable power play, and the strong start the club got off to in October and November has been wiped out by a strongly lackluster performance in the last six weeks to two months that has dropped the Rangers to the bottom of the playoff eligibles and in a struggle with such clubs as Carolina, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Florida just to make this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Renney started coaching the Rangers almost five years ago exactly on 25 February '04 on an interim basis and was named head coach officially on 6 July '04. He led New York to three postseason appearances during his tenure. Much of the problems with the Rangers Renney dealt with was directly due to less than great personnel management by GM Glen Sather.

The firing of Renney increases the total of head coaching changes in the NHL this season to five. No replacement was named immediately, but assistant coach Mike Pelino and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire are among the top probabilities. Ted Nolan, the former Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders head coach would also be a worthy candidate for consideration, but it is unlikely an outsider will be brought in with only about 25 % of the regular season remaining and a playoff spot still strongly at stake.

U P D A T E: Former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella was named as the replacement to Renney and Tortorella was signed to a multi-year contract by the Rangers.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/ny-sprang0224,0,4805031.story

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/rangers/2009-02-23-renney-fired_N.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=7f199720956b03f0&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=7f199720956b03f0&plckPostId=Blog%3a7f199720956b03f0Post%3a2f9e3e62-de4c-4ffa-9633-481af1e3d63a&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest

*****

Inexpensive Bicycle Conversion to Electric Power

This sounds like a superb idea, but I question how effective the power device will be when one is trying to go up even a modest hill. The device is a great way to get people around without having to use a vehicle.

...From writer Eric Bland on Discovery.com on Wednesday 18 February '09...

GreenWheel Turns Pedal Bike Into Electric Hog

Eric Bland, Discovery News

Feb. 18, 2009 -- The next time you change a bike tire, think about upgrading your power as well. Scientists at MIT are testing a new power generation, storage and propulsion system known as the GreenWheel that will turn any pedal bicycle into an electric hog.

Watch Discovery News video about another green way to get around -- electric scooters.

"Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine," said Ryan Chin, one of the GreenWheel designers. "The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel."

From the outside, the GreenWheel has the radius of a small dinner plate and is about 2 inches thick. Inside the aluminum frame sits the three major GreenWheel components: an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor.

For now, installing GreenWheel on your own does require a moderate level of technical knowledge or a trip to a bike shop. The GreenWheel can be installed on any bike frame or wheel size, but the original spokes have to be replaced with shorter spokes. Michael Chia-Liang Lin, a master's student at MIT developing the GreenWheel, called his parents in Taiwan, who own a bike shop, to figure out how to respoke the wheel.

Under its current configuration, a bike powered solely by a single GreenWheel (front, rear or both wheel can be equipped with a GreenWheel) has an estimated range of 25 miles. Pedaling the bike doubles the range under electric power, provided the rider isn't traveling at the nearly top speed of 30 miles an hour. The bike can be charged by pedaling or by plugging it into the electric grid.

A GreenWheel equipped bike is a smooth ride, as Discovery News found out during a recent afternoon test ride around MIT's campus. Turning the handle mounted throttle, like any motorcycle, just a few small degrees produces a noticeable increase in power and a light electric hum. The handle-mounted throttle is connected wirelessly to the electric motor in the wheel.

The GreenWheel is also durable. The team estimates its range at 40,000 miles, or about eight years work of travel at an estimated 20 miles per business day.

"You'll have to replace the bike before you replace the batteries," Lin told Discovery News.

By this spring the GreenWheel team hopes to pass out more than a dozen different GreenWheel configurations to both hard-core bike messenger types and novice riders.

Once the optimal configuration of power, speed and cost is determined the team hopes to begin large scale production.

Copenhagen and South Africa, in preparation for the 2010 World Cup, have already expressed interest in adding GreenWheel-equipped bikes to their public transportation systems. The rough idea right now is to follow a popular bike share program in Paris. Subsidized by advertising revenue and an annual subscription, the first 30 minutes are free, and any time after that incurs a small fee.

The Paris program has been widely viewed as a success, one which Copenhagen hopes to build on. By getting people out of cars and onto bikes or public transportation, city planers and GreenWheel designers hope to reduce the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions.

Besides cutting carbon emissions, the GreenWheel is also made from environmentally friendly processes by companies like A123 Systems, which manufactures the lithium ion batteries used in the GreenWheel.

Other systems exist to convert pedal bikes to electric scooters, but they typically have heavier and more environmentally destructive lead based batteries. While an exact cost hasn't been nailed down yet, Chin expects a privately purchased GreenWheel to cost several hundred dollars.

Other electric bike converters cost up to $1,200 and require running wires to and from motor to battery to handlebar throttle. Since batteries, generator and motor are all one part connected to the throttle by Bluetooth technology, installation is also easier than existing conversion kits.

The GreenWheel is an offshoot of another MIT project the team members are part of, known as SmartCities. SmartCities hopes to expand the range and ease of public and private transportation. The GreenWheel is the latest addition to SmartCities line of vehicles, which also includes an electric scooter and a stackable electric car.

Rod Sadowski of the Active Transportation Alliance thinks the GreenWheel could encourage some individuals to ditch the car and take up commuter biking, but doesn't think that technological fixes are the answer to transportation problems.

"The biggest barrier to people getting out of cars and riding is that they don't feel safe," said Sadowski. "As a society we need to place a stronger focus on creating laws to stop incidents from occurring and on upgrading infrastructure to make every road bike-friendly."

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Spring Training 2009 Telecast Schedule

Here is the full list of all Spring Training games being telecast in 2009. The schedule is incomplete as both ESPN and the MLB Network have yet to announce their schedule of games. Thus the list is made up of telecasts on regional sports networks and some local broadcasters. DirecTV and Dish will have most if not all of these telecasts as part of their sports package, and one can catch games at their local watering hole that has the package.

All times are MT.



Wed 25 Feb

SF v Cle 1:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Bsn v Minn 5:05pm NESN

Thr 26 Feb

Fla v NYM 10:30am SNY

TB v NYY 11:05am YES

Ariz v Cle 1:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Fri 27 Feb

StL v NYM 11:10am SNY

SD v Cle 1:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Sat 28 Feb

TB v Phil 11:05am CSN-Phil

Minn v NYY 11:05am YES

Sun 1 Mar

Bsn v Minn 11:05am NESN

Htn v NYM 11:10am WPIX-11/CW45

Chi WS v LA 1:05pm CSN-Chi / KCAL-9-LA

Tue 3 Mar

StL v NYM 11:10am SNY

Wed 4 Mar

Chi C v Chi WS @ LV 8:05pm WGN

Fri 6 Mar

Wash v Balt 11:05am MASN

Sat 7 Mar

Atl v NYY 11:05am YES

Wash v NYM 11:10am WPIX-11/CW45

Chi C v Mlw 1:05pm WGN

Chi WS v Tex 1:05pm FSN-SW

Oak v SD 1:05pm Cox4-SD

Sun 8 Mar

TB v Bsn 11:05am NESN

Mon 9 Mar

Balt v NYM 11:10am SNY

Tue 10 Mar

Cinc v NYY 5:05pm YES

Thr 12 Mar

Fla v NYM 5:10pm SNY

Sat 14 Mar

Fla v Minn 11:05am FSN-North / FSN-Fla

Atl v StL 11:05am KSDK-5-StL

Htn v NYY 11:05am YES

SF v Oak 2:05pm CSN-California

Anah v Chi C 2:05pm WGN

Cle v SD 2:05pm Cox4-SD

Tex v Chi WS 2:05pm CSN-Chi

Sun 15 Mar

StL v Phil 11:05am My17-Phil

Minn v NYY 11:15am FSN-North

KC v SF 2:05pm CSN-Bay Area

Colo v LA 2:05pm KCAL-9-LA

Mon 16 Mar

StL v Det 11:05am FSN-Midwest / FSN-Det

Tue 17 Mar

Minn v Bsn 11:05am NESN

NYM v Atl 11:05am FSN-South

Pgh v NYY 5:05pm YES

Wed 18 Mar

Balt v StL 11:05am FSN-Midwest

Atl v NYM 11:10am SNY

Fla v Wash 5:05pm MASN

Sea v KC 7:05pm FSN-KC

Thr 19 Mar

StL v TB 11:05am FSN-Fla

Htn v NYM 11:10am SNY

Bsn v Cinc 5:05pm FSN-Ohio

Det v Atl 5:05pm SportsSouth

Pgh v NYY 5:05pm YES

SD v Sea 8:05pm FSN-NW

Fri 20 Mar

Cinc v Htn 11:05am FSN-Htn

SD v Chi C 2:05pm WGN

Cinc v Htn 5:05pm FSN-Ohio

LA v KC 8:05pm FSN-KC

Sat 21 Mar

Pgh v Cinc 11:05am FSN-Ohio / FSN-Pgh

Minn v Phil 11:05am CSN-Phil

Chi C v Chi WS 2:05pm CSN-Chi

Sun 22 Mar

Balt v StL 11:05am KSDK-5-StL

Fla v Det 11:05am FSN-Det

Bsn v Fla 11:05am NESN

NYY v TB 11:05am FSN-Fla

Atl v NYM 11:10am SNY

Sea v Chi C 2:05pm CSN-Chi

LA v Tex 2:05pm FSN-SW / KCAL-9-LA

Cle v Colo 2:10pm FSN-RM

Mon 23 Mar

Fla v Htn 11:05am FSN-Htn / FSN-Fla

Mlw v Colo 2:10pm FSN-RM

Tue 24 Mar

NYM v Htn 11:05am FSN-Htn

Chi WS v Cle 2:10pm CSN-Chi / Sportstime Ohio

Pgh v Atl 5:05pm FSN-South

Bsn v NYY 5:15pm NESN / YES

LA v Sea 8:05pm FSN-NW / FSN-Prime

Wed 25 Mar

Htn v StL 11:05am FSN-Htn / FSN-Midwest

Det v NYM 11:10am SNY

Atl v Wash 5:05pm MASN

Ariz v Tex 7:05pm FSN-SW

Thr 26 Mar

Phil v NYY 11:05am YES

Ariz v Chi WS 2:05pm CSN-Chi

Anah v Cle 2:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Minn v Cinc 5:05pm FSN-North

Chi C v SF 8:35pm CSN-Bay Area

Fri 27 Mar

Minn v TB 11:05am FSN-Fla

Det v Atl 11:05am SportsSouth

Chi WS v Chi C 2:05pm WGN

Wash v NYM 5:10pm SNY

Mlw v Tex 7:05pm FSN-SW

Sat 28 Mar

Phil v Pgh 11:05am My17-Phil

Minn v Bsn 11:05am NESN

NYY v Atl 11:05am SportsSouth

Fla v NYM 11:10am WPIX-11/CW45

LA v Chi WS 2:05pm WGN

Sea v Anah 2:05pm FSN-West

Chi C v Colo 2:10pm FSN-RM

Sun 29 Mar

Bsn v Phil 11:05am CSN-Phil / NESN

StL v Minn 11:05am FSN-North / FSN-Midwest

Atl v Det 11:05am FSN-Detroit

KC v Sea 2:05pm FSN-NW

Mon 30 Mar

TB v Minn 11:05am FSN-North

Bsn v Atl 11:05am FSN-South

Balt v NYM 5:10pm SNY

Chi C v KC 2:05pm CSN-Chi

Chi WS v Anah 2:05pm FSN-West

Ariz v Colo 2:10pm FSN-RM / FSN-Ariz

SD v Cle 5:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Tue 31 Mar

Atl v Htn 11:05am FSN-Htn

Sea v Cle 2:05pm Sportstime Ohio

Anah v Chi C 2:05pm FSN-West

Mlw v SD 8:05pm Cox4-SD / FSN-Mlw

Wed 1 Apr

Fla v Balt 11:05am MASN

Tex v Anah 1:05pm FSN-West

Ariz v Mlw 1:05pm WLMW-41-Mlw / FSN-Ariz

Thr 2 Apr

Chi WS v Mlw 2:05pm CSN-Chi

Oak @ SF 7:05pm CSN-California

Anah @ LA 8:10pm KCAL-9-LA / FSN-Prime

Fri 3 Apr

Bsn @ NYM 4:10pm SNY / NESN

Chi C @ NYY 5:05pm YES

StL @ Memphis AAA 6:05pm FSN-Midwest

Sea v Colo @ LV 8:05pm FSN-RM / FSN-NW

Anah @ SD 8:05pm FSN-Prime / Cox4-SD

Oak @ SF 8:15pm KNTV-11-SF

Sat 4 Apr

Tor v Fla 10:05am TSN

Chi C @ NYY 11:05am CSN-Chi / YES

TB @ Phil 11:05am My17-Phil

Bsn @ NYM 11:10am WPIX-11/CW45

Det @ Atl 12:10pm SportsSouth

KC @ Tex 12:05pm FSN-SW

Cle @ Htn 12:05pm FSN-Htn

Chi WS @ Ariz 12:10pm FSN-Ariz

Sea v Colo @ LV 1:05pm FSN-RM / FSN-NW

Balt @ Wash 4:05pm MASN

SD @ Anah 7:05pm KCOP-13-LA

Mlw @ LA 8:10pm KCAL-9-LA

Sun 5 Apr

LA @ SF 2:05pm CSN-Bay Area

*****

81st Academy Awards Projected Winners

Here are my final predictions for the 2009 Academy Awards.

Best Picture:
Should win: The Wrestler (wasn't even nominated)
Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director:
Should win: Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight
Will win: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actress:
Should win: Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Will win: Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Actor:
Should win: Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Will win: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actress
Should win: Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler
Will win: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Actor:
Should win: Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road
Will win: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

*****

Inching towards Winter's End

As February nears its end and March looms ever closer, the pall of winter ever so slowly starts to wane and the possibility of warmer and longer days becomes more a possibility. Already the average daily temperature has crept up four degrees from 25 to 30 and the length of days is nearing the eleven hour mark. Daylight savings time begins again in two weeks ! So far in February there has been only one day where the high temperature did not surpass freezing which is a nice plus. And though it has snowed three times in the last week to ten days, it has not been too overwhelming as it has largely melted in the few days following each event. Getting into the final trimester of winter is a wonderful accomplishment as the long eternal gloom seems to be drawing to near an end. March is a month when anything can happen so there will be nasty raw days but also some nicer warmer days where a 60 degree or more reading can occur. March can be challenging but it also means hope is starting to draw near and with greater promise of life returning to the world. Hopefully I will start seeing some birds around in the next few weeks as the critters start to return from their winter vacations. Sunrises are now before 6:45am and sunsets are now closing in on 5:45pm.

My daily life is the epitome of boring and stale. I stay in and rest quite a bit. When I do get out its only to the drug store down the street or to the Dairy Queen. I watch a lot of movies and some TV series; plenty of sports including the NHL, college hockey, and MWC hoops; and try to stay hydrated and not hungry. Beyond that there is little to discuss. I spend plenty of time on the 'net and add content to my blogs regularly. Plainly its just not very exciting and there is not much of any excitement looming or pending. I am marking time until I return to work, whenever that will be.

Sunday I arose around 6am, had some breakfast of oatmeal, and relaxed. I watched the hockey game between the Capitals and Penguins before going out around 1:15pm. I put the recharged battery into the truck and got the vehicle moving. It came to a stop for several minutes by the park but I patiently waited and finally got it moving towards the convenience store to get the Sunday papers. I then got it lumbering west down Lincolnway and then north on Evans towards the post office. It was more than sluggish and I was concerned it was not going to make it. But it did and after I got my mail I went to Arbys for a sandwich, potato cakes, cherry turnover, and a pop while I read the Sunday papers and listened to the Avalanche / Hurricanes game on my headset radio. It was a glorious day although mostly cloudy with NO WIND (Hallelullah !) and temperatures that had risen into the mid 50s. It may have been the niceset day since before Thanksgiving. I returned home around 4pm and watched 60 Minutes and the 81st annual Academy Awards through the evening before dying around 10:30.

*****