Moving Out Of Councill Courts ::

I've been following this story with interest and it seems to me that the only ones happy with razing Councill Courts and moving at least some of the residents to south Huntsville are the developers and the city administration.

With drawings of a bustling plaza across from Huntsville Hospital, T1 Development Group on Monday pitched a four-story project called Resonant Pointe. The first floor would include restaurants and retail; the second floor would hold offices; and the top two floors would be filled with small, affordable condos.

I'll be curious to hear just what the developers consider to be "affordable condos"!

I'm really surprised that the area around Lowe Mill hasn't taken off as something of an artist's colony. That area around Governor's Drive would seem to me to be a prime area for revitalization, especially given the wonderful use of the old Lowe Mill building.

I lived for quite some time in Atlanta and witnessed the changes in the Little Five Points area along with Inman Park. When that area was essentially revitalized the artists, writers, and musicians moved on to the Grant Park area and did much the same. After I moved to Huntsville, Atlanta's Cabbagetown neighborhood, which had been a mill village devolving into a drug neighborhood, was discovered by these same artists and revitalized. I really see no reason why this shouldn't be happening around Governor's Drive and Lowe Mill!

Another thing I would love to see are neighborhood food markets such as Star Market in Five Points. Before I moved to Huntsville I lived in Midtown Atlanta and could walk to most convenience and entertainment centers that I required, but it takes the residents to make an area such as this happen!

Light Rail For Huntsville? ::

I was very happy to see the prospect of light rail for the Madison County area highlighted on the front page of The Huntsville Times yesterday.

Doug Gooch says he always gets the same reaction when he talks about plans for a light train running from Bridge Street and Cummings Research Park onto Redstone Arsenal: "It makes too much sense, it'll never happen."

Gooch is an experienced developer, not only a dreamer. He thinks the time is right for a light rail line to deal with the rapid, BRAC-related growth at the arsenal and in Huntsville, and serve as a catalyst for developing a true communitywide public transportation system over a couple of decades.

Before I moved to Huntsville just over 20 years ago I lived in midtown Atlanta and there were stretches of several months where my car would sit idle. I could walk to and from work and if I had to take a longer trip then MARTA trains and buses provided generally hassle-free transportation. If you don't have a car around Huntsville or Madison then you are in a really terrible position given the sad state of public transportation. I would happily utilize a park-and-ride to get to and from work.

Cigar Box Guitar Extravaganza ::

Set aside Saturday, May 30 for the cigar box players to perform at the Flying Monkey Arts Center. It'll cost you $10, but it will be well worth it. The show starts at 4pm and I definitely plan to be there.

Actually, I'm building (very slowly building)a cigar box guitar so I'm really looking forward to this!

Rylee's 1st Birthday! ::

I just got photographs e-mailed to me of her 1st birthday party which was last week so I'm subjecting each and every one of you to my youngest granddaughter's photographs!





Unfortunately she lives about 40 miles on the north side of Nashville so we can't spoil her as much as we would like, but we do have several birthday presents for her when she visits in a couple of weeks!

Health Care Reform ::

I just fired off an e-mail to Parker Griffith stating my support for a single payer system of providing health care to all U.S. residents. I have talked to my personal physician as well as the pharmacists I use and they all support a change to the way health care is provided in the U.S. and I made sure to pass this information on to Griffith.

His track record of replying to my e-mails is terrible, but I'll wait and see what response I get. Bud Cramer at least always replied to my e-mails although, more often than not, we were on opposite sides of an issue.

Sessions and Shelby almost never offer the courtesy of a reply!

Weather Woes! ::

We had a quick thunderstorm roll through yesterday morning. The storm was basically a small insignificant one other than lightening popped my house with the result that I now have a dead desktop computer, answering machine, and garage door opener.

I bought a new power supply for the computer yesterday evening, but that doesn't seem to be the problem so I suppose the next move will be a motherboard. It is time to build a new computer anyway and I was pricing components yesterday so I guess I'll bite the bullet and move on up to a duo core processor.

New Artist's Space ::

I met a couple of friends up at The Flying Monkey yesterday evening in order to check out the new 3rd story artist spaces and I was more than amazed at the turnout. The parking lot was full and everyone was having a really good time. We browsed the layout and met and talked to a few of the artists.

Lowe Mill should become a real asset to the local community and I'm looking forward to spending more time there. Check out their web site as they have a Saturday open market, a food vendor, frequent music, and Lowe Mill is also home to The Alabama Filmmakers Co-op.

I'm Curious About The Story Behind This Wreck ::

About a week and a half ago I went up to the Wal-Mart at Hampton Cove and came across this wreck down by the Flint River. This relatively new pickup had obviously gone off the road and rolled at least once. What has made me curious is that the truck is still there as evidenced by this photograph I took yesterday with the Flint River flooding around the truck. In a normal wreck situation a wrecker would have hauled this off long ago.

Does anyone from around Hampton Cove know the backstory?

Confirmed-Sessions To Become Ranking Member Of Judiciary ::

So, let's get this straight. In 1986 then president, Ronald Reagan, nominated Jeff Sessions for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Alabama. At that time the Judiciary Committee was controlled by Republicans and they could not see fit to pass on Sessions' nomination to the entire Senate given Sessions' racist past.

Senate Democrats tracked down a career Justice Department employee named J. Gerald Hebert, who testified, albeit reluctantly, that in a conversation between the two men Sessions had labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU ) "un-American" and "Communist-inspired." Hebert said Sessions had claimed these groups "forced civil rights down the throats of people." In his confirmation hearings, Sessions sealed his own fate by saying such groups could be construed as "un-American" when "they involve themselves in promoting un-American positions" in foreign policy. Hebert testified that the young lawyer tended to "pop off" on such topics regularly, noting that Sessions had called a white civil rights lawyer a "disgrace to his race" for litigating voting rights cases. Sessions acknowledged making many of the statements attributed to him but claimed that most of the time he had been joking, saying he was sometimes "loose with [his] tongue." He further admitted to calling the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a "piece of intrusive legislation," a phrase he stood behind even in his confirmation hearings....

Another damaging witness--a black former assistant U.S. Attorney in Alabama named Thomas Figures--testified that, during a 1981 murder investigation involving the Ku Klux Klan, Sessions was heard by several colleagues commenting that he "used to think they [the Klan] were OK" until he found out some of them were "pot smokers." Sessions claimed the comment was clearly said in jest. Figures didn't see it that way. Sessions, he said, had called him "boy" and, after overhearing him chastise a secretary, warned him to "be careful what you say to white folks." Figures echoed Hebert's claims, saying he too had heard Sessions call various civil rights organizations, including the National Council of Churches and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, "un-American." Sessions denied the accusations but again admitted to frequently joking in an off-color sort of way. In his defense, he said he was not a racist, pointing out that his children went to integrated schools and that he had shared a hotel room with a black attorney several times.

And this happens just in time for the Judiciary Committee to consider President Obama's selection to replace Souter. I cringe thinking of how citizens of Alabama will be perceived after being forced to listen to the tortured logic coming from Sessions!

Blue Skies! ::

Finally, after all of the rain of the past few days, not to mention the tornado alarms going off yesterday afternoon.

Sessions Touted To Replace Specter On Judiciary? ::

Just what we need-the buffoon from Alabama to get even more embarrassing face time in the national media:

Meanwhile, RedState's hogan wants Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to replace ex-Republican Arlen Specter (D-PA) as the Ranking Member on the Judiciary Cmte: "Jeff Sessions should be Republican Ranking Member on the Judiciary Committee. Not [UT Sen.] Orrin Hatch. Not [IA Sen.] Chuck Grassley. [...] To have Orrin Hatch or Chuck Grassley at the helm would be an unmitigated disaster. Each are cut from the same cloth -- that of the old guard Republicans in the Senate who have given us the train wreck that the Party has become. They would hire terrible staffers who would neither be the smartest lawyers nor actually conservative -- and, potentially, maintain a significant number of Specter's former staff. Jeff Sessions, on the other hand, would field a talented team who could educate America on just who America is getting in the next Supreme Court justice."

Remember when Reagan tried appointing Sessions to the federal bench?

Sessions entered national politics in the mid-'80s not as a politician but as a judicial nominee. Recommended by a fellow Republican from Alabama, then-Senator Jeremiah Denton, Sessions was Ronald Reagan's choice for the U.S. District Court in Alabama in the early spring of 1986. Reagan had gotten cocky by then, as more than 200 of his uberconservative judicial appointees had been rolled out across the country without serious opposition (this was pre-Robert Bork). That is, until the 39-year-old Sessions came up for review.

Sessions was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. The year before his nomination to federal court, he had unsuccessfully prosecuted three civil rights workers--including Albert Turner, a former aide to Martin Luther King Jr.--on a tenuous case of voter fraud. The three had been working in the "Black Belt" counties of Alabama, which, after years of voting white, had begun to swing toward black candidates as voter registration drives brought in more black voters. Sessions's focus on these counties to the exclusion of others caused an uproar among civil rights leaders, especially after hours of interrogating black absentee voters produced only 14 allegedly tampered ballots out of more than 1.7 million cast in the state in the 1984 election. The activists, known as the Marion Three, were acquitted in four hours and became a cause célèbre. Civil rights groups charged that Sessions had been looking for voter fraud in the black community and overlooking the same violations among whites, at least partly to help reelect his friend Senator Denton.

On its own, the case might not have been enough to stain Sessions with the taint of racism, but there was more. Senate Democrats tracked down a career Justice Department employee named J. Gerald Hebert, who testified, albeit reluctantly, that in a conversation between the two men Sessions had labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU ) "un-American" and "Communist-inspired." Hebert said Sessions had claimed these groups "forced civil rights down the throats of people." In his confirmation hearings, Sessions sealed his own fate by saying such groups could be construed as "un-American" when "they involve themselves in promoting un-American positions" in foreign policy. Hebert testified that the young lawyer tended to "pop off" on such topics regularly, noting that Sessions had called a white civil rights lawyer a "disgrace to his race" for litigating voting rights cases. Sessions acknowledged making many of the statements attributed to him but claimed that most of the time he had been joking, saying he was sometimes "loose with [his] tongue." He further admitted to calling the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a "piece of intrusive legislation," a phrase he stood behind even in his confirmation hearings.

Swine Flu In New Hope! ::

I stopped at a little local convenience store just a few minutes ago and the big news was that apparently there has been a case of swine flu in New Hope and that workers from city hall had gone to the Piggly Wiggly and stocked up on bleach and gloves in order to do battle with the dreaded virus!

There might be some degree of over-reaction involved, but I'd rather see proactive action rather than reactive!

School Closings In Madison County ::

Apparently two students at Heritage Elementary School in Huntsville are being treated for symptoms of the latest flu outbreak with the result that all county schools, as well as the Child Development Center on Redstone Arsenal and the child care center at Marshall Space Flight Center, will be closed for the remainder of this week.

This seems to be a very reasonable proactive response to the threat of a major flu outbreak!

Will Sessions Follow Specter? ::

The thought of this happening just drives me to hysterics! I'm glad it could never happen.

More Cute Critter Photographs ::

They're now about 3 weeks old and rapidly developing personalities, not to mention curiosities! I'm seriously thinking of keeping the little grey one on the left, but the others will be up for adoption. The mother is a really sweet cat who adopted me about a year ago as a kitten herself.



And here are the little baby birds which were born yesterday in my front door wreath. Not much to look at other that little balls of fluff right now, but we should be able to get photographs of open mouths soon!

Kittens Nursing ::

Panoply Time ::

I haven't been in several years, but I'm gonna try to make it down this afternoon or early evening. Actually, what I really want is a panorama photograph of the park during panoply and I think I may be able to get that from one of the parking garages.

Friday Catblogging ::

Now taking orders for kittens--have 4 little females which are now almost 3 weeks old!



Missy, the mother, is a fabulous loving cat although apparently a bit of a feline slut!

I have nursing photos which I will put up tommorow.

Tragedy On The Streets ::

I happened to be at the Books-A-Million on Airport Road last Friday evening and I was leaving just after 9pm to go across the mountain, but the intersection was blocked by emergency and police personnel. I pulled into the Shell store on the corner to see if there was an easy way around the wreck. I parked and walked up to the corner and knew immediately that this was going to be devastating although my preliminary thoughts were not as bad as how this wreck ultimately turned out.

Two young and promising lives were lost. Two families are grieving. Multitudes of friends are grieving for this loss.

From today's Huntsville Times:

The man charged in the fatal wreck involving two young Huntsvillians has outstanding warrants for driving under the influence, police said.

Felix Dominguez Ortega, 25, has also been arrested under the name Adan Herrera with a birth date of Aug. 8, 1985. Police said Ortega also used the name Reynaldo Martinez and Juan Sanchez.

[snip]

Ortega is charged with two counts of murder. Leigh Anna Jimmerson, 16, and Tad Mattle, 19, were killed when Ortega's pickup truck hit their car Friday night at the intersection of Whitesburg Drive and Airport Road, police said. Jimmerson was a sophomore at Grissom High School and Mattle graduated from the school last year.

The official story is that Ortega hit a car in an apartment complex, left, was reported, and was being followed by a Huntsville police officer who was simply trying to get his license number. This looks to me to be another instance where the lawyers are salivating over the potential lawsuits with the city of Huntsville.

Thought #1: This is just a terrible and senseless loss of life.

Thought #2: The time is long past for a citizen's review board regarding police actions in Huntsville!

The city of Huntsville just settled one lawsuit costing 3 million dollars.

The widow of Darren Spurlock is suing for 5 million over the police chase leading to the death of her husband on Redstone Arsenal. I expect that the city will settle for 3 million on that one after throwing as many roadblocks as possible for the the next few years.

I expect this latest accident to lead to multi-million dollar lawsuits for the city also!

Unfortunately, there's much more to this story which I think will play out over the coming months.

Really Lousy Weather ::

So, I took Good Friday off and what happens-severe weather. Just a short while ago the weather rolled through with rain, hail, and high winds. I wound up having to drive through a good portion of this, but I really didn't have any problem.

Just up the road from me, at a crossroads, is was a very stately Oak tree. Unfortunately the winds blew this tree over a short time ago and it will be no more. This really saddens me beyond words and I'll try to have some photographs up later.

Happy Birthday!

Snow? ::

In April?
In North Alabama?

I'm really not terribly surprised that we're having a bit more cold weather. I just finished moving all of my plants back inside for the next couple of days so the little seedlings will survive. That reminds me that I have some legacy seeds which I have yet to get started, but I think I'm going to take a couple of days off later this week and work on my plantings then.

Griffith Votes Against The Budget ::

As did Bright! From Politico.com:

Democrats won House approval Thursday of a $3.5 trillion budget plan that keeps faith with President Barack Obama’s domestic priorities while promising to bring health care reform legislation to the floor by next fall.

The partisan 233-196 House vote came as the Senate neared passage of its own alternative, also crafted by Democrats but more of a status quo document when compared with the House resolution or the president’s ambitious plan put forward in February.

[snip]

A conservative alternative promising to balance the budget by 2019 failed by a vote of 322-111, with 65 Republicans in opposition. A second proposal by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, failed 293-137, with 38 Republicans in opposition.

By comparison, Democrats held their own defections on final passage to 20, and the 233 votes for passage contrast with the past decade of often much closer House budget votes in past Congresses — under Democratic or Republican control.

So, Griffith and Bright comprised 10% of the Dem opposition to the budget bill. Time for an explanation!

Josh Marshall's Take On Jeff Sessions ::

I happened to be channel surfing today and came across C-Span covering Sessions' Senate floor rant about something or other. As usual I listened for about 20 seconds before I could take no more Alabama embarrassment and I changed the channel. A short time later I came across this on Talking Point's Memo:

Hell Is ...

Listening to Sen. Jeff Sessions talk about fiscal policy. Reactionary economic policies aggressively parroted by someone who lacks the candle power to even understand it.

Help.

Help, indeed! My feeling is that Josh is being far too kind to Sessions!

New Kittens ::

Missy had 4 little baby kittens last night so I will start taking orders right away! I learned my lesson about putting off the spaying so that will be first on the agenda after the kittens are weaned. I'll try to get some photographs this weekend.

Oops! ::

Lost my header! I'm working on another web site where the header image was stored and I deleted it by mistake. Should have it fixed soon.

The Huntsville Times ::

manages to mightily embarrass itself with this morning's headline. I'm amazed they still have it up on their web site!



David King submitted his resignation as Marshall Space Flight Center's director. Christopher Scolese is NASA's acting administrator 'til such time as the president appoints a new administrator. At the very least someone should have been subjected to a well deserved ass chewing for writing this headline!

Oh yeah, and Shelby Spires wrote the article, not the headline!

Let's See ::

Friday I got my first reply from Parker Griffith to an e-mail. I chided Griffith on his stance on the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and he finally replied although it took far longer than it should have. I'll cut him some slack on this since he's new to the office, but I hope that replies in the future come much quicker.

I finally was able to cut my grass yesterday and today and it felt good to be able to spend time outside. I spent some time at the Wal-Mart and Lowe's garden centers picking up seeds and plants so I have something of a start with some herbs, tomatoes, as well as some flowering plants for the hanging baskets.

Unfortunately it's back to work tomorrow!

Happy St. Paddy's Day! ::

I almost forgot to pick up my corned beef and a head of cabbage. I'll cook them up later today!

Atrios References The PACT Program ::

I followed a couple of links on Eschaton this morning and one of them led to a Left In Alabama post about the PACT fiasco, but the other link was to a local blog titled "Havealittletalk". Havealittletalk seems to be devoted to what is happening with the PACT fund, but I found the Atrios link to be very interesting in that it takes The Huntsville Times and, more specifically, David Prather to task for shoddy writing. Here are a couple of excerpts:

In his article “The PACT Meltdown” (Huntsville Times 3-5-09), David Prather compares the predicament of those of us who invested in the PACT to homebuyers who failed to read the “fine print” on their mortgages and then blame “the mortgage banker who didn’t tell you that your income didn’t make buying that house on a variable interest rate a really sound business decision on your part.” He concludes, “Some folks don’t have much sympathy for those who have overextended themselves in home-buying. Perhaps they will feel the same about those who invested in the tuition savings plans in hopes of making the cost of sending their children to college manageable.”
His analogy and editorializing is both inaccurate and insulting.

[snip]

Unlike Mr. Prather, Stan Diel of The Birmingham News did his homework, reporting in “State fears investors will pull money out of PACT” (3-7-09) that “Many participants in the program were under the impression that their contracts guaranteed tuition would be paid in full if they made their payments. And contracts from the program’s inception in 1990 through 1994 explicitly promise that would be the case.” He adds, “The word ‘guarantee’ was removed for later contracts.”

My daughter’s MasterPACT for enrollment period September 1-September 30, 1996 states in para 3.01: “The PACT Program provides payment of undergraduate Instate Tuition and Mandatory Fees on behalf of the Qualified Beneficiary…” (emphasis added). I’ve read the “fine print” of this 1996 MasterPact, which is a contract, and while “guarantees” has been replaced by “provides,” the only “Disclaimers” [para 10.06] pertain to no “guarantee” that the beneficiary “(a) will be admitted to a Postsecondary Institution…(d) will be graduated from a Postsecondary Institution.” There is no disclaimer regarding poor money management by the State.

Let me say upfront that I have exchanged a couple of testy e-mails with the thin-skinned David Prather about what I felt was his shilling for the city of Huntsville government over true reporting on a couple of stories which never got the ink they deserved. Prather took great umbrage at my pointing out, in detail, the major points he and a couple of other reporters had missed or, more pointedly, ignored in their writing.

We look forward to more fireworks regarding Alabama's PACT program, but I surely would not look to the Huntsville Times for factual reporting.

Discovery On The Launch Pad ::

Tonight's launch has been scrubbed and Discovery will not fly before Sunday. Here is a nice photo from NASA photographer Bill Ingalls:

More Madness ::

From cnn.com:

At least 10 people were killed Tuesday in a shooting spree that spanned two small southern Alabama towns, state officials confirmed. The gunman and the wife and child of a sheriff's deputy were among those killed.

The Alabama Pact Program ::

PACT=Prepaid Affordable College Tuition

I've been kinda following this story for the past few days and I was more than mildly surprised to see the story on the front page of today's Huntsville Times given The Times predeliction for hiding bad city, county and state news, but there it was. Seems as though the state of Alabama invested these funds and the investments have tanked along with our personal IRA and 401K plans.

Nancy Jones of Gurley held on to her glossy brochure from 1990 when the state first sold contracts for the PACT Trust Fund, which stands for Prepaid Affordable College Tuition. Her contract and the marketing brochure make repeated use of a word that the state no longer acknowledges: "guarantee."

On Page 1 in the first paragraph, the state offers "a contract that will guarantee up to four years of future undergraduate tuition" at any state school.

"We had $4,000 in our savings account. I remember it well. We wiped out our savings," said Jones. "This was guaranteed. It says nothing about your investment being at risk in my paperwork."

Jones said she paid $3,900 for four years of college tuition for her infant son, who today is halfway through studies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The really bad news?

Even at a peak of nearly $900 million in September 2007, according to actuarial tables there wasn't quite enough money to cover all the future tuition payments - at least not without selling more contracts or benefiting from favorable investments. Now, according to the treasurer's office, the fund has enough to cover half of what it owes.

Looks to me like the only winners to come out of this state sponsored Ponzi scheme will be the lawyers.

Friday Catblogging ::

Not much going on right now so I thought I'd let you get a glimpse of Missy.

A Huntsville Photograph ::

I haven't put up a N. Alabama photograph lately so here is a panorama I shot a couple of weekends ago in Huntsville's Big Spring Park. This is kind of a warm-up to a spring photograph with foliage and blooms.

Bread And Milk ::

Just hearing the word "snow" triggered a buying spree for bread and milk at the local groceries yesterday, but, statistically, more beer is sold than bread and milk. I can understand that!

It's The Economy, Stupid! ::

Glancing through the classifieds just a short while ago I noticed that of the 23 ads in the miscellaneous section 7 were for burial plots at various cemeteries around town.

I also looked at the stock quotes and see that Sanmina is selling for 25 cents/share right now. I wonder how long they can hold on and I've been expecting dire employment news from the company for some time. That would certainly be a wake-up call for this area.

More On Diebold And Wal-Mart ::

I called the listed numbers for Diebold at the local Wal-Mart and Sam's Club locations in Huntsville. One number was disconnected and there was no answer at the other three. Here is the original Raw Story piece and I'm excerpting a bit from the article:

Utah is among the number of states that now use a partial or fully electronic election system, and Premier Election Solutions, a subsidiary of Diebold, is the company that sold the machines to the state. To convince Utah decision-makers that Diebold was a big company with a substantial presence, Kathy Dopp, founder of UtahCountVotes.org, reported that a company representative told the decision-makers in 2006 that Diebold “has about 20 offices in Utah.” When pressed further, the representative refused to give the locations of any of the offices. In fact, the White Pages lists 18 Diebold offices.

However, when calls were made to all of these offices, only one picked up the phone. And when the addresses of offices listed under Diebold in the White Pages were visited, the addresses turned out to belong to either a Wal-Mart, a Sam's Club, or no building at all. In the end, 16 of the 18 Diebold offices in Utah listed in the White Pages were false listings. One is in Salt Lake, and the other is in Bountiful.

A quick investigation by Bob Fertik on Democrats.com revealed that a similar scam existed in New York, with another Diebold listing in Buffalo turning out to be a Wal-Mart. Out of 13 listings in Florida, 5 turned out to be Wal-Marts. Similar office listings have been uncovered in Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. Since the office listings exist in each state and not just in Utah, it is probably unlikely that the corporate branch in every state is acting independently of each other.

Here is a comment from an anonymous poster to my original bit on Diebold and Wal-Mart:

Diebold makes cash registers as well as voting machines. Probably Walmart uses them, or sells parts and service. I wouldn't get too work up about this.

Not a very helpful comment as there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of Diebold cash registers in Madison County so why are most locations and phone numbers throughout the country listed as being in Wal-Mart and Sam's locations? I'll bet that these locations have Diebold ATM's, but I still don't get the tie-in.

Just to feed the conspiracy theory a bit more, Wal-Mart has a very super-secret data collection center in Bentonville, Arkansas which is reputed to be state-of-the-art!

Diebold Offices In Huntsville ::

I suppose everyone is familiar with the voting problems associated with Diebold electronic voting machines, but I ran across something interesting on another blog a couple of days ago. I forget which blog it was, but someone had checked Diebold in the phone book and each listing was for a Wal-Mart or a Sam's Club so I decided to check out Huntsville and guess what? There are 4 listings for Diebold in the local white pages and two are Wal-Mart locations and the other two are the two Sam's Clubs here in town.

I find this to be not only puzzling, but extremely curious. I'm going to try to block out a few minutes tomorrow to call at least a couple of numbers to see what happens on the other end of the line. Maybe we should all try this.

Check your phone books for Diebold listings just to see what you find!

Our Senator, Richard Shelby, In Action ::

Senator Richard Shelby (R-Al) was speaking to a group of citizens this weekend down in Cullman, Alabama and had this exchange with a constituent:

Another local resident asked Shelby if there was any truth to a rumor that appeared during the presidential campaign concerning Obama’s U.S. citizenship, or lack thereof.

“Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven’t seen any birth certificate,” Shelby said. “You have to be born in America to be president.”

According to the Associated Press, state officials in Hawaii checked health department records during the campaign and determined there was no doubt Obama was born in Hawaii.

So, a citizen asked Shelby about a discredited meme and Shelby does not set the record straight that the question of Obama's citizenship has long ago been settled, but rather he knowingly obfuscates the issue. When pressed for a clarification here's what Shelby's spokesman, Jason Graffeo, has to say as noted on Politico:

Graffeo calls to say that the Cullman Times report is a "distortion" and that Shelby mentioned that he hadn't seen the birth certificate only as a "throwaway line" while listing the qualifications for office and explaining that the issue had been examined at length and put to rest.

Here's a further clarification from Graffeo:

The Cullman Times article contains an incomplete account, and therefore a distortion, of Sen. Shelby's comments regarding President Obama's citizenship. At the town hall meeting in Cullman, Sen. Shelby laid out the Constitutional qualifications for the Presidency and said that, while he hasn't personally seen the President's birth certificate, he is confident that the matter has been thoroughly examined.

Politico is trying to get a transcript of the exchange but, regardless of what that shows, the fact is that Shelby knowingly let a lie about the birthplace of President Obama continue to circulate with no effort on his part to discredit this lie. That in itself is abhorrent and deserves a personal apology from Shelby to Obama!

The truly unfortunate thing is that Shelby will most certainly only face token competition, if that, for his senate seat when he runs for reelection given that he reportedly has around $13mil in his campaign war chest.

Twenty Years ::

That's how long I've been here. I moved to Huntsville in February of 1989 with the intention of making this a temporary move of just a couple of years and then back to Atlanta. As it turns out I like it here a lot and I'm happy in north Alabama although I do miss Atlanta at times. I enjoy visiting friends over there when I'm passing through and I do miss the museums and art galleries, but all in all I'm glad to be where I am right now.

Still Here ::

But I guess I've lost track of time and all of my previous posts have drifted off into cyberland somewhere. I'm hoping to pick up a new laptop tomorrow so I'll have more time to actually have something to say here. I've taken on a couple of new personal projects that have been taking up a lot of my time-apparently more time than I had thought.

Rembemerances ::

nasawatch.com has some really great rememberances of Konrad Dannenberg.

I'm Kinda Back ::

I had to turn over my box to a friend who does computer fixin' for a living. In my years of building my own computers this is the first problem I have not been able to solve and I still have to transfer files from one hard drive to the new one so we'll still be MIA to some extent for the next couple of days.

Light Blogging! ::

I have some computer woes I'm slowly working through so I'll be MIA for another couple of days. I long for the day when all computer and computer peripherals will be wireless!

Funding Education In Tough Economic Times ::

Here's a great editorial from the January 30th edition of The Anniston Star:

The Anniston Star

EDITORIALS
Economic reality
In our opinion
01-30-2009

Yes, the economy has soured.
Yes, tax revenue is falling.
Yes, people from the heights of Goat Hill to the swamps of south Alabama are going to have to make hard choices in the next few years.
However, a choice that should not be made is whether to cut funding for public education.
Our public schools do many wonderful things. They provide a place where children can grow and develop. They provide a structured environment to complement, supplement and enhance what is provided at home.
They offer opportunities for extracurricular enrichment that would not exist for many children if these schools were not there ? and yes, that includes football.
And they teach. Our public schools provide knowledge and skills that will make the state of Alabama prosper. They are the best investment Alabamians can make, and on every level the state gets more in return for the amount of money that is spent.
Yet, now we are talking about cutting education because the money isn't there.
Here is the dose of reality: The money is there. It has been for decades. But the state's leaders ? governor, senators, representatives ? have lacked the courage to raise it.
Instead, Alabama has historically taken money from those who have the least. No wonder this state often falls short on so many important categories.
The state income-tax system favors the well-to-do.
The state property-tax system favors the well-to-do.
The state sales-tax system favors the well-to-do.
To paraphrase President Barack Obama in his inaugural address, the state cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
Oh, the prosperous will cry that you are waging class warfare. Well, class warfare is what the prosperous have waged against the poor ever since the prosperous stole votes to ratify the state Constitution that governs Alabama today.
Oh, the prosperous will cry, you want the state to spread the wealth. Well, is that any worse than using the state to concentrate wealth with the prosperous?
If there ever was a time when the people sent to Montgomery need to address the inequities that exist in this state and confront reality, this is it.

This should be passed around and shared with everyone! The Anniston Star seems to be the exception rather than the rule with regards to our state's newspapers tackling tough issues head-on.

Alabama's Senators On The Daily Show ::

I was busily honing my woodworking skills yesterday evening by putting together a precut and predrilled tv stand from the local big box store and I had The Daily Show on in the background. Stewart went into one of his political rants, which I love, and whose pictures should flash across the screen but both of Alabama's senators. This episode isn't up on The Daily Show web site yet, but probably will be later today. Check it out if you get a chance.

[edit] The show I was watching on Friday was actually the show from Thursday and the link above does take you to the show referencing Mr. Potato Head (Shelby).

Bright And Griffith On Their Stimulus Vote :;

"I feel strongly that the American people must have confidence that a recovery package is worth its tremendous price tag," Rep. Bobby Bright, D-Montgomery, said. "Congress could have done this by simply focusing on investments in infrastructure and targeted tax relief for individuals and small businesses, but this legislation includes billions in additional spending that will have little effect on the economy."

"We need to jumpstart our economy and create new jobs, but this bill does not do enough to cut taxes, support small businesses or invest in our research and development programs," said Rep. Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville.

Let's find some new candidates!

Parker Griffith Has A Big Shovel ::

And he is digging his hole deeper and deeper after having been one of 11 members of the House of Representatives to vote against the stimulus bill today. And, oh yeah, so did Bobby Bright. So far Griffith is 1 for 3 in my book with his sole distinction being his vote for SCHIP and another e-mail is in order although his office still has not responded to my last one.

I think we should start right now looking for a candidate to run against him in '10!

Decent Weather For A Change ::

But why can't we have 2 days like this on a weekend? I can hear the chirping of insects all around me when I step outside. Nothing like spring fever in January.

What Hampton Cove Needs! ::

Is a Starbucks! It's rough having to drive over the mountain in either direction just for a decent cup of coffee!

Accountability For Rove And The Bush Justice Department? ::

And it's about time since Rove has been so successful in avoiding having to appear before John Conyer's House Judiciary Committee. Here are a couple of snippets from the Raw Story piece:

The subpoena, approved by an earlier vote of the House, was issued pursuant to "authority granted in H.R. 5 (111th Congress), and calls for Mr. Rove to appear at deposition on Monday, February 2, 2009."

Specifically, it enjoins Rove "to testify regarding his role in the Bush Administration’s politicization of the Department of Justice, including the US Attorney firings and the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman."

"Mr. Rove has previously refused to appear in response to a Judiciary Committee subpoena, claiming that even former presidential advisers cannot be compelled to testify before Congress," Conyers' office wrote in a release. "That 'absolute immunity' position was supported by then-President Bush, but it has been rejected by U.S. District Judge John Bates and President Obama has previously dismissed the claim as 'completely misguided.'"

This news was a bit of fresh air to me today after having been inundated with the news that catastrophic job losses continue unabated.

On another note, there is another piece in Raw Story about the possibility of a special prosecutor being asked for to investigate the Paul Minor case in Mississippi. More good news on the accountability front!

A good source for background on both the Paul Minor and Don Siegelman cases is The Legal Schnauzer. Do a search for either name and you will find a wealth of information of just how corrupt the Bush justice department has been in both Alabama and Mississippi!

Sunday Morning Catblogging ::

A Car Chase ::

I saw my first car chase this evening! I was pulling out of the Starbucks on Airport Road when a car, with its lights off, came screaming out a couple of blocks east of me with a police car in hot pursuit. Almost immediately another police car came around the corner and as I pulled out I saw the car and the following police turn right onto Whitesburg Rd. By the time I got up there 4 or 5 more police cars had screamed down Whitesburg and were long gone. Being naturally curious I turned right and went down just post Four Mile Post Road without seeing any excitement so I turned around and headed home. Hopefully there will be some news of this in tomorrow's newspaper.

Too much excitement for an old man!

A New Day Begins ::

And what a day it promises to be!

Recall Petition In Alabama ::

John Ehinger had an interesting opinion piece in today's Huntsville Times regarding the lack of recall of our elected officials in Alabama on any level.

I'm glad to see someone addressing the lack of a recall law in Alabama and I've often wondered why the citizenry doesn't push for one given the quality of some of our elected officials. Of course most of the elected officials, for obvious reasons, have no desire to pass a recall law and they argue that the electoral process every four years is, in essence, a recall opportunity. This seems to me to be a particularly specious argument. Here are some snippets from Ehingers article:

Because the change is so fundamental to the way government and politics function in Alabama, it would require a constitutional amendment. That means to get the power of recall, state voters would have to approve it in a referendum.

According to the proposal by state Rep. Allen Treadaway, a Republican from Morris, voters unhappy with an elected official would have to gather signatures equal to 30 percent of those who voted in the last election in the relevant jurisdiction. First, notification would have to be filed with the secretary of state or a probate judge (depending on the office of the person at issue), and the petitions with sufficient valid names would have to be completed within 160 days. The recall election would be set 60 to 80 days later.

[snip]

Actually, even the mere threat of recall might persuade some officials to conduct themselves honorably and responsibly and to do what they say they're going to do. Appropriate behavior from those in office is preferable to continually throwing out one official and replacing him or her with another.

(added emphasis is mine)

This is a constitutional amendment I could get behind and I hope that it gains some traction! I'll be letting my elected officials know how I feel about this and I hope that you will also!

The Sunday Concert On The Mall ::

I happened to be in town this afternoon listening to WLRH and they were rerunning, as usual, yesterday's "Prairie Home Companion" so I switched the dial over to the APR station over in The Shoals, 100.7 (I forget the call letters) and they were broadcasting the concert live and it was simply marvelous! My question is why did WLRH here in Huntsville not broadcast this?

I've expressed my disappointment with some their programming decisions in the past so I guess I'll be sending off another e-mail to WLRH management!

"In Spite Of Ourselves" ::

John Prine and Iris Dement on this Sunday morning:



I've long tried to find an Iris Dement show within driving distance with no luck. I'm going to suggest to the management at Merrimack Hall that they book her and I will certainly go!

A Mismatch ::

Mmmmm, I just got ready to leave to drop off my recyclables and happened to look down and see that I had on two different shoes. I don't know how many people would have noticed this, but I'm glad I caught it before anyone else did!

Things Have Been A Bit Hectic ::

I'm still around, but I have been busy lately and haven't had time to do much posting. The news of the further delay of the fiasco that is the new jail hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as it should have and I fear that this construction will continue to be little more than a huge money pit for some time to come! Too bad some of that wasted money couldn't have gone to treatment programs for those with drug and alcohol problems, not to mention the growing homeless problem in the city!

I've been having some minor computer glitches which have slowed me down a bit. I put in another gig of ram last week and now, for some reason, every once in a while the computer will spontaneously shut down during the boot process. Once it boots up everything seems to be ok. I bought a new video card to replace this lousy GForce card before Christmas and didn't realize there was a new PCI factor so it won't work and I have to exchange it. Oh yeah, when I put the new ram in I had to take the Turtle Beach sound card out and I messed up one of the output connections so I'll have to take the computer apart again and try to fix that. There's always something!

On a bright note I bought myself a guitar this afternoon in hopes of finding some musical ability deep down within myself. That might be a struggle!

Parker Griffith Out Of The Gate On The Wrong Foot!

So, Griffith, in one of his first official acts, votes against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. I can't say that I'm surprised and I was looking forward to this vote to see which side of pay equity he would come down on. That question has been answered and I have fired off an e-mail expressing my dismay, as one who volunteered some time to help get him elected, that he feels the contribution of women to our workforce is worth so little to him and, by reflection, the employers of north Alabama. Thankfully the act passed the house by a vote of 256-163 and will now move to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to some exploding heads in the republican ranks!

There is a good little discussion in comments over at Left in Alabama and I urge everyone to read the posts.

Contact information for Parker Griffith:

http://griffith.house.gov/

District Office
Parker Griffith 200 Pratt Avenue, N.E. Suite A
Huntsville, AL 35801
Phone: (256) 551-0190
Fax: (256) 551-0194

From reading the posts on LiA it seems that Griffith's local office is as clueless and stonewalling as Bud's office was. Let's hold their feet to the fire and let Parker Griffith know how we feel!

Rain, Rain, Go Away! ::

And don't come back for many more days!

Parts of the road I live on are experiencing a bit of flooding although nothing of consequence right now, but tomorrow morning could be another story given the amount of rain we have had today with the prospects for more overnight. I normally leave home at about 5:45am so it's pretty dark and I usually go a back way to Hobbs Island Road and there is a creek at the end of that road which did flood last time we had a rain such as this. I think I'll drive around tomorrow morning just to be safe.

In the meantime I'm thinking of stocking my backyard with bream so I can just fish off the back porch, or, for that matter, I could do the same in the front yard.

Computer Problems Abound!

The desktop is experiencing severe problems-the keyboard is not working and the OS has shut down a couple of times meaning I have to post from the ancient laptop. I just got another gig of ram via UPS this afternoon and I was going to install that anyway. I also have a new video card to install so I guess I'll just shut it down and take it apart. Hopefully we'll be back up and running soon.

New Years Day, 2009! ::

I actually saw the new year in last night! I can't remember the last time I did that.

Happy New Year! ::

We're wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year, but it's starting off badly for some on Hwy 431 this evening. I was coming back from town just a very short while ago and there is a very bad accident in the southbound lanes of 431 just south of the New Hope stop light at Oak Grove Road. Traffic is being routed over to the northbound lanes so the back-up is pretty bad and the rescue squad is involved. Not a good sign!

I turn right onto Oak Grove to get home and luckily I was able to make the turn. I initially thought that I would have to go back to New Hope and take the long way around.

[update]

Sadly,1 teenager was killed in the crash. From this morning's Huntsville Times:

A teenager is dead and five others are in the hospital tonight after a two-car accident in New Hope.

The boy, whose name was not immediately available, died at the scene of the 6 p.m. wreck at U.S. 431 and Oakgrove Road.

John Walling, 17, a passenger in the vehicle, was taken by MedFlight to Huntsville Hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, said HEMSI Chief Operations Officer Don Webster.

The backseat passenger, 15-year-old Briana Nelson, was taken by HEMSI to Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children. The two passengers were both from New Hope, Webster said.

Three people in the other vehicle, a Ford F250, were also taken to Huntsville Hospital. Vickie Gray, 41, and her two children -- 7-year-old Jericka and 9-year-old Jadia -- all suffered from non-life-threatening injuries.

There was immediate word on the cause of the accident.

2008 According To Jib-Jab ::

But, more importantly, where did my header go?

[update] Seems that the remote server which hosts my header image is down right now, hopefully not for long!

Winding Down 2008! ::

And we have 22 days of The Shrub left!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and holiday season and we're looking forward to a Happy (and safe) New Year.

I'll be interested to see how the holiday shopping season shakes out. I actually wound up spending more than usual, but the big purchase was a 32" HiDef television to replace one of my 19 year old RCAs. I tried, and I hope succeeded, to get some educational gifts for the grandkids. I think this is the first year I haven't gotten them any books, but I'll send them some reading material throughout the year. Savannah has become interested in music so we gave her J.'s Guthrie guitar in hopes she will become the musical one in the family. Before her accident J. did a mighty Janis Joplin imitation on stage and we spent many fine nights around a campfire with the guitar accompanying a sign-along. When she had the accident the subclavian artery from her heart to her left arm was torn in half which necessitated an arterial graft. Unfortunately the nerve which controls the left vocal cord wraps around this artery and was cut in the process so she has a permanently paralyzed vocal cord and her singing days on stage are over.

I'm wandering again and losing track of why I started this post. I was in the local Wal-Mart garden (read Christmas) shop earlier this evening and didn't expect to see much left on the shelves. Normally when the holiday merchandise is put on deep discount after Christmas the shelves empty very quickly, but this year seems to be much different and there are still an awful lot of holiday decorations on the shelves. This seems to say more to me about this economy we are experiencing than anything else I have noticed!

A Merry Christmas To All! ::

It's A Wonderful Life just started and tomorrow will bring 24 hours of Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

This is a really tough year for a lot of people. I did some volunteer work at a couple of charities earlier and I got some small idea of just how many people need help this year.

One of my co-workers had car problems earlier this week and this will set him back just under $1,000, but he is without the car until this next Monday. His mother has been undergoing intensive cancer treatments for many months and this unexpected problem just added more angst to his psyche. D. will be ok and his friends and family will help take care of what he needs to do over the next few days.

Another co-worker told me earlier this afternoon that his wife had been laid off from her hospital job this past Monday. Crappy news on Christmas week but they'll be ok. A. is also in nursing school which is one of the few career paths offering growth opportunities.

The owner of the company I work for is noted for his Christmas gifts to employees and he generally spares little expense. This year he asked if any of the employees would object to a generous donation to a charitable organization in lieu of our normal Christmas surprise and if there were any objections I don't know of them. I hope we were able to make some small difference in some peoples lives!

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Another Sad Closing!

I seldom get up around the North Parkway, but I took a drive up to Tennessee this afternoon and came across this sign. I love old hardware stores and there are few left anymore driven out by the sterility of Lowes and Home Depot!

Will BRAC Save Huntsville From The Recession? ::

I was struck by the headline in The Huntsville Times earlier in the week regarding Tommy Battle's feeling that the incoming BRAC jobs should insulate the city from the effects of the recession.

Mayor Tommy Battle said Wednesday the city should pull out of the economic recession earlier than most communities because of the growth headed here with new BRAC jobs.

Battle predicted that Huntsville's economy will begin to rebound in 2010, when the bulk of military jobs from the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decisions start arriving in Huntsville.

"Do we have challenges? Yes. But with every challenge is an opportunity, too," Battle told 1,200 business and civic leaders at the Von Braun Center during his first State of the City address.

(added emphasis is mine)

I'm struck by Battle's understatement on the challenges faced by the city and county. There are 2 major problems that immediately leap to my mind regarding the coming influx of people.

The first is the traffic situation and there seems to be little movement in addressing this issue. Anyone who has done any driving around the city in the past few weeks during this holiday season can attest to the gridlock on the streets. Building overpasses on the parkway may help a bit although I continue to be amazed by how inane the construction schedules are, but the parkway is nothing more than a feeder system to the secondary streets and little is being done on these streets to alleviate the traffic although the Governor's Drive project is immensely helpful.

The State of Alabama finds itself in a serious proration situation and the schools are going to suffer immensely yet our school systems are not equipped to handle the influx of new students. I like the idea of consolidation, but question whether or not this is a feasible answer to the problem right now. I have never had children in the Huntsville school system so I'm watching this from the sidelines, but I foresee a lot of problems in this area simply due to the lack of money, not to mention planning.

I have also been struck by the boom in housing construction in the past couple of years in anticipation of the incoming BRAC jobs. If one drives around Huntsville and the surrounding communities there is ample evidence that a lot of new developments were started, but due to the current economic situation are sitting idle with utility connections sticking out of the ground! For some odd reason I have long scanned the foreclosure listings in The Huntsville Times and I have begun to notice a lot of foreclosure of development property. This is not surprising and will probably get worse into 2009 with a lot of local developers going belly up. I would not be surprised to see some of the well-known local companies closing their doors in 2009!

I was also struck by Battle's comments about the scavenging of workers:

Only about 20 percent of displaced BRAC workers, most from northern Virginia, are expected to transfer with the jobs, he said. The remaining 4,000 will be filled with local workers or employees recruited from elsewhere.

He warned businesses of work-force challenges caused by companies raiding each other to replace employees who leave for government jobs created by BRAC.
"As soon as they move over, you have to go to someone else and steal someone, or they may steal from you," he said, stirring chuckles.

I have already seen this begin to happen with at least 2 people I know leaving NASA for the Army and I have some friends hoping for offers from companies doing contract work for the Army.

Amid all of these serious problems the city administration is concerned with decorating trees and shrubs along Cecil Ashburn Drive!

Christmas functions have been particularly challenging, he said, starting with his ban of roadside Christmas tree decorating along busy Cecil Ashburn Drive. "We got called a Grinch on that one," he said.

Grinch indeed!

Earnest Nunley, One Fat Cowboy, Update ::

I got a short e-mail from Earnest yesterday on one of my more obscure e-mail accounts and apparently he is recovering nicely after his bypass surgery and is still planning to complete his ride across the country! We're wishing him the best!

The original post about Earnest, Snowey and the trip is here.

More Rain! ::

I wish the rain could be spread out a bit more throughout the year! I have always been curious about the statistics spouted by the weathermen about the rainfall deficit. They always put forward this as a yearlong deficit when I think that a much more accurate measure would be a monthly measure, especially during the growing season and even then the statistics should be weighted toward specific crops since cotton requires a different rainfall amount than, say corn, for an optimum yield.

Actions And Consequences! ::

The road I live on runs, for a bit, alongside the Paint Rock River before dead-ending at a farm. This morning I decided to drive down there to see how high the water is after the heavy rains of the past week. I really wanted to get down there right after the rains but I leave for work before dawn and get home after dark so this was my first opportunity. The water is still very high, but there doesn't seem to have been any damage.

It's not unusual to see deer when I drive down this road and this morning was no exception. This little doe was in the road when I came around a curve and startled her. She jumped over into this bramble pile and stood still while I got my camera and snapped this photo. Just behind her is a hog wire fence and when she tried to jump it she got her left hind leg hung up in the vines and the fence and couldn't get loose. All I had with me was my pocket knife and I tried to cut her loose with that, but she was trying to get loose from the fence and away from me and I couldn't free her. I live just about a mile away so I rushed home and got my wire cutters. She was still hung up when I got back, but I snipped the wire around her legs and she took off running up the side of the mountain. I don't think she was injured. I was really worried about her leg but she seemed to be ok although she was favoring it a bit while she ran.

My fingers are crossed that she is ok tonight!

Civil Disobedience ::

There are a few decorated trees on Cecil Ashburn Dr. but nothing like last year. I had to run back up there this morning to photograph the tree of flags!

Dining Out Updated ::

Promoted from comments!

From Tim:

Thanks for the info. I will be awaiting the arrival of a more professional local restaurant. The Chef's Table over Cecil-Ashburn is an excellent restaurant. Locally owned and operated, it provides high quality food for a relatively low price. A few other restaurants have opened recently in Jones Valley but none deliver the service or quality of The Chef's Table.

The Chef's Table was previously in a tiny location on South Parkway and one of my co-workers has long raved about both the food and service. I have yet to try them out, but they are on my radar!

And this from an anonymous tipster:

You need to try "Around Your Table". It is right next door to the Art Store in Hampton Cove. It is execellent.

This is in the little strip center next to the Wal-Mart. I didn't even know "Around Your Table" was there until this past weekend when I drove through there just to see was was available. I'm glad to see a very positive review of it and I'll be trying it out soon.

Enjoy your dining out!

New Dining Opportunities Around Hampton Cove ::

Here's a comment from Tim promoted from a comment on another post:

Unrelated to this post, but relevant to previous dialogue, Hampton Cove is getting a steakhouse. I saw the building site in front of Lowe's, but I don't remember what franchise it was. It was a well known business. I don't eat out much because I prefer to cook, but I think a nearby steakhouse might be worth it. Owens Cross Roads is moving up in the world, though that may not be what many residents are hoping for.

Here's a photo of Santa Fe under construction:



Also on the other side of 431 is a new little place called Carsons. I haven't tried it out yet, but it looks like it could become a local watering spot!



Last, but not least, someone has reopened the little coffee shop:



[update] Both Carson's and Cafe Domain are difficult to see from the road, but they're both in the little area behind the Exxon station where the Pizza Hut is.

Alabama Football ::

I generally have no dogs in this hunt since I passed my misspent college years at Clemson U., but I always pull for whichever Alabama team has the best shot at a good record which, of course, is U. of Alabama this year and I will continue to do so in the SEC championship game, but I'm really curious about why Alabama doesn't get more respect in the quest for the national championship. Alabama is undefeated but still the underdog to Florida this weekend. All of the talk is about Florida, Texas and Oklahoma while Alabama seems to be unfairly marginalized as a potential national champion. I don't understand!

I'm not that much of a football fan, but I do watch a few games each year and I'll be pulling for Alabama this weekend; probably with a cold adult beverage in my hand!

Let me also add that I'm saddened by the news that Tommy Tuberville was let go today. I have come to understand the politics of big-time college football, especially in Alabama, but I was still surprised that he was cut loose as I always thought he was a class act as well as a good athletic motivator!

I wish Tommy Tuberville the best and I'm sure he will not be lacking in discretionary funds for quite some time!

Decorating Cecil Ashburn Drive ::

Seems as though the city of Huntsville is playing Grinch this year regarding the short lived tradition of decorating the trees and bushes along Cecil Ashburn Drive although I did see one tree yesterday that was fully decorated. I loved driving over the mountain during the holiday season enjoying the eclectic decorations and I'm surprised by the vehemence of those who are opposed.

The above photograph was not taken during the Christmas season, but rather in August.

Bad Evening To Be On The Road! ::

Normally every day I come home to New Hope via Hobbs Island Rd. which is a frightening road under most circumstances. This evening I got to my turn onto Oak Grove Rd. and could see all sorts of flashing blue, yellow, and red lights further up Hobbs Island. I got home, picked up J. to take her to work and there was another significant accident at Hobbs Island and Hwy. 431. We got up to the stop light at Owens Crossroads and on the little side road to the right an 18 wheeler was trying to make a turn and his load shifted. They had to bring in a crane and a big wrecker for that. I dropped off J. at work and at the foot of the mountain at Sutton Road I could see more flashing blue, yellow, and red lights. I don't know what was going on there and someone just a few minutes ago told me that there was a motorcycle accident somewhere this side of Monte Sano.

The police will be busy with reports tonight!

This leads me to an editorial comment! I cringe every time I see bicycle riders riding on Hobbs Island Rd. I have been driving this road for years having lived down at Honeycomb a few years ago. I try to drive the speed limit and be careful, but far to many people are impatient and pass where they shouldn't be thinking of passing. Speeding is a huge problem, not to mention the big trucks hauling sand from the river operation. This is just one hugely dangerous road and seeing bicycle riders on this road just scares the crap out of me!

[shaking my head over spam] Looks like even blogger is not immune to spam given the comment down below. My mantra: "There must be a special place in HELL for spammers!"

A Monday Update On Earnest Nunley ::

From my anonymous friend in comments:

EARNEST IS IN EMORY CRAWFORD LONG HOSPITAL ATLANTA GA. DUE TO HAVE OPEN HEART SURGERY MONDAY NOV. 24, POSSIBLE 4 BYPASSES WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO EARNEST SINCE SATURDAY. MY HUSBAND SPOKE TO HIS SON SUNDAY NOV. 23 EVERYONE PLEASE KEEP EARNEST IN YOUR PRAYERS.

I just spoke with Craword Long Hospital and Earnest is in room 2107 in the intensive care unit. I will be sending him a card and I would like for a lot of people to do the same. Crawford Long's address is:

Emory Crawford Long Hospital
550 Peachtree St, NE
Atlanta, GA 30308

Iron Bowl 2008 ::

Coming up next Saturday! I was up around Gurley yesterday taking a few photographs and snapped this:

An Update On Earnest Nunley ::

I got this e-mail today:

Anonymous said...

Fred this is a friend of Earnest just to let you know some up dates Earnest is in the hospital Ga possible heart attack my husband spoke to Earnest today friday nov. 21 around noon. please keep Earnest in your prayers

And I am thinking of Earnest and Snowey this evening hoping for the best.

Anonymous poster: Keep updating me on any new news in comments to the posts about Earnest. When you post a comment I get an automated e-mail with your comments and I will continue to update here with any new news!

Oh yeah, here's the original post about Earnest, Snowey, and the quest!

And we're wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Beautiful Night ::

Cold and clear down here at the country mansion in New Hope. The night sky is beautiful and the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour should fly overhead the next 2 nights. I'll post the schedule tomorrow evening, but if you're adventurous you can find it at NASA's Human Spaceflight web site.

Fixin' Some Turnip Greens ::

While running errands this morning I decided I needed some greens to cook this weekend so I went by this little barber shop off Clinton Avenue where the owner always has good fall greens. I got a huge bunch of Turnip greens for $4.50 and they're cooking right now. He didn't have any Mustard greens yet so I'll check back in a couple of weeks. Normally I cook half and half: half Turnip and half Mustard.

If anyone reading this wants to know where to find some good greens at a good price just go north on Clinton to Cemetery Street. Turn right and there is a little barber shop on the right and the owner sells the greens. I've been buying from here for a couple of years and have never been disappointed!

He also has sweet potatoes. I don't particularly like sweet potatoes so I haven't tried his, but I may stop back in next weekend to pick up a couple for a Thanksgiving pie.

As an aside, my birthday is on Thanksgiving day this year. I was born on Thanksgiving day 61 years ago! I think the whole family will be here for dinner and I look forward to seeing all of the grandkids at one time!

Another Of Life's Little Mysteries! ::

Why can I never find a stapler when I need one?

Never mind-I found it, but it's out of staples!

Veterans Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Alabama Football! ::

I'm not much of a football fan, but I'm watching the Alabama/LSU game just went into overtime. I have no clear favorites in the state of Alabama but I will pull for the team which has a credible shot at a national championship which is, right now of course, the Crimson Tide!

[update] Alabama punches it into the endzone to win!

Dinner! ::

Every couple of weeks I stop in G&G Pizza in New Hope for take-out dinner which will last us a couple of days. I did it again tonight and I recommend them highly! I've never been disappointed.



I took this photograph about 3 weeks ago early on one morning when the area had a lot of fog. I liked it!

Vivian Figures Loses Badly ::

Too late out of the gate and no legs on the campaign!

Arab Going To Hell!

Looks like they voted for alcohol sales! That'll drive the bible thumpers mad!

Voting On This Historic Day! ::

J. and I got to our polling place at the New Hope city hall this morning at about 6:45 am and there was already a nice line forming around the building. The poll opened at 7 am and the line moved nicely and we were out by 7:30am. I was very happy to see the turnout that early and I imagine that it evened out during the day. I drove by just about 20 minutes ago and there were still people inside waiting to vote.

I'm looking forward to the returns coming in this evening and, so far, I am encouraged about an Obama victory. I have no illusions about which way Alabama will break, but I sincerely hope that the margins are much narrower than projected.

On my way to work I drove by my old polling place in south Huntsville and the road was lined with cars which meant that the ample parking lot was full.

I am really looking forward to seeing the demographics in Huntsville and surrounding areas.

Election Day ::

In the words of Walt Whitman:

If I should need to name, O Western World, your powerfulest scene and show,

'Twould not be you, Niagara - nor you, ye limitless prairies - nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado,

Nor you, Yosemite - nor Yellowstone, with all its spasmic geyserloops ascending to the skies, appearing and disappearing,

Nor Oregon's white cones - nor Huron's belt of mighty lakes - nor Mississippi's stream:

This seething hemisphere's humanity, as now, I'd name - the still small voice vibrating -America's choosing day...

[quote snagged from DailyKos!]

A New Spam Attack Begins ::

I am just now beginning to see the start of a new spam attack on my g-mail account and before the day is over I will probably have deleted several hundred e-mails. I hope there is a special place in hell for whomever propagates these things!

Voting Tomorrow ::

I'm going in to work late tomorrow so we can vote early tomorrow morning. I don't think there will be any problems with lines at our location, but early morning will work best for me and J. I had hoped to help out at Dem headquarters tomorrow afternoon with giving rides to the polls, but that is looking pretty grim right now. I have a morning meeting and had to accept an afternoon meeting tommorow so that would severely limit any time I have available as I have to get J. to work by 6pm. If the afternoon meeting is canceled I'm going to take the afternoon off and offer my services.

Robocalls ::

Let's see. I got them at work today from Parker Griffith, Wayne Parker, and Bill Clinton. Got them at home today from Griffith, Deborah Bell Paseur, and one that was barely intelligible. I have to say that no matter who they're from they're irritating!

Earnest Nunley-One Fat Cowboy! ::

I was heading toward Huntsville yesterday afternoon when I saw this guy on horseback leading a packhorse. I didn't have time to stop then to ask if I could take a photograph, but on the way back in an hour of so I drove halfway to Guntersville futilely looking for him. I figured that he was on some sort of quest and I was curious.

I had to run to the store this morning and I saw his horse at my neighbor Mike's place. I had to unload some things and by that time he had gotten on the road, but I caught him just before he got to Hwy. 431 and I had a few minutes to talk with him and take a few photographs.



His name is Earnest Nunley and he is riding his horse, Snowey, to San Francisco. Here, in his own words, are his reasons for making the trip:

Hi!!
I 'm One Fat Cowboy (Ernest Nunley) and this is my horse Snowey.

I am traveling across America by horseback.
Please, keep the children for whom I am riding,
Snowey and myself in your prayers.
We have alot of rough miles ahead of us.
After completing 400 miles of our journey,
we have 3100 miles left to go.
Just me and my horse against the elements,
with no comforts of home.

Hopefully, this trip will accomplish several goals:

*Bring awareness that there are still way too many children
suffering from Catastrophic diseases and cancer,
as did four of my family members,
whom did not live to adulthood.

*Not all children that need help are physically
or mentally ill, but have parents that are too self involved.

*That you are the one who can make a difference,
by the donation of your time and/or money,
to the different charities, organizations or churches
that provide services for these children.

*To honor the memory of all the children who have succumbed
to childhood cancer and other illnesses like my family members.

As for me personally, it will give me a chance to meet people
and talk about my favorite subjects. Those subjects being
children and horses. It will, also, reunite me with my brother in
California that I have not seen in 17 years.
I will, also, join the ranks of a very few, in recent times,
that have ridden horseback from coast to coast.

The only way I can accomplish this is
with God's help through you.
Any donations, horse food, use of pasture,
food, board, cash, etc. will be appreciated!

I am not affiliated with any charity or group
so anything you give is strictly to help Snowey and Myself
complete this Quest.

Earnest has a web site, onefatcowboy.com, where you can make a donation to help him on his trip. Consider tossing him a few bucks to help him out on his journey!



[postscript]

I meant to also say that Earnest was getting ready to head south on Hwy 431 toward Guntersville, Albertville, and points south, but he always needs a place to stay and to stable and feed his horses. If you see him on the road and can offer a night at your inn please do so!

"Don't Speak For Me, Sarah Palin" ::

Q & A With Josh Segall ::

Over at The American Prospect.