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Its Saturday morning, and time for the mystery person contest. I post the picture, you have to figure out who it is.
Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph. Enjoy!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Taft, California Oil Field
This picture was taken in 1910, and shows the oil fields in Taft California. If you click on the image, you will get a better look at the details. This really looks like the classic old Western boom town. I wonder if Taft ever became a real city, or just died away after the oil boom.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Texas Oil Patch
This picture was taken in 1917, and presents a view of the classic Texas Oil Patch. If you click on the picture, you will get a more detailed view. The picture is of the Goose Creek oil field.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Drilling on California's Coastline
This picture is from 1944, and shows drilling rigs on California's coastline. I am not sure what part of California, but maybe someone familiar with the state could speculate from the terrain. I would have to say things have changed a lot since 1944.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Making Connection
Today's picture was taken in the Seminole Oil Field in Oklahoma in 1939. It shows another shot of roughnecks "making a connection". You can see the top of the old piece of drill stem sticking up from the round disk, which his the rotary platform. This is the long drill string that goes way down in the ground. You can see drilling mud flowing out of the top of the drill string. The roughnecks are adding another 30 foot section of drill stem to the string. I mentioned yesterday that large tongs are used to tighten the bottom of the new piece of drill stem into the top of the drill string going down into the well. It would take too long to screw the new piece in this way . . . the tongs are just used to tighten it the last few inches. To get the stem screwed in most of the way, a cable or chain is "thrown" around the new drill stem to make it wrap around a make a coil, as seen in the picture above, The other end of the cable is connected to a motor, and the driller activates the motor to pull the cable. This screws the drill stem into the drill string. You can see the roughneck holds the opposite end of the cable. This is very dangerous, as there is a tendency for his hand to be pulled into the drill stem. This is one of the common ways roughnecks lose fingers.
Drilling is a lot safer now than it was back in the day, but it is still a very dangerous job . . . probably among the most dangerous jobs in the world. You can see that there are many ways to lose fingers. Besides the cable pulling a hand into the wrapped coil, when the new drill stem is placed onto the drill string, it is lifted by the Kelly, which is controlled by the driller. If a roughneck puts his fingers under the drill stem to try and help get it aligned with the drill string, and the driller then drops it into position, the roughnecks fingers are cut off. Also, all types of ways to get the fingers smashed in the big tongs. There is a lot going on overhead. One roughneck is the "derrick man" and he works up on top of the rig, helping to get the drill stem aligned from the top side. He is about three to five stories up, and has all types of tools. It is easy for something to get dropped from his work area down onto the roughnecks below. In addition, rigs use a lot of very high pressure air, which is routed around in large high pressure hoses. The hoses are lined with steel windings. These hoses degrade from the inside out, and eventually they fail, and blow up, throwing shrapnel worse than a hand grenade. Another way people get hurt of killed is with the chains and cables running from the driller's motors to the drill stem. When not in use, the chains and cables lay on the rig floor. When the driller activates them, they pop up into the air very quickly. If a roughneck is walking along the rig floor and is stepping over a chain or cable when the driller pops it, it comes up and can literally split a roughneck in two. There are a lot of high voltage lines running around to lights and equipment, so electrocution is a big risk. Then, when you are drilling, there is always a chance of drilling into a gas pocket, and then natural gas comes out of the top of the drill string when making a connection. This is easily ignited, causing a blowout. Modern rigs have blowout preventers, but they do not always work.
So, working on a rig is dangerous business. Someone asked yesterday if I was a petroleum engineer . . . no, I am an electrical engineer, but I worked on oil rigs in the summers when going through college.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Today's picture was taken in 1944, and shows roughnecks "making a connection" on a rotary drilling rig in Southwest Oklahoma. Notice that two of the roughnecks are not wearing hard hats. The pipe coming out the rig floor is the drill stem. Each stem is about 30 feet long. So, after drilling each 30 feet, they have to lift the entire drill string, and put another section of pipe on. The large implements connected to the drill stem are the tongs. They are like enormous pipe wrenches. The end of the tongs are connected by chains to a motor. The "driller" operates the motor to pull the chains. The roughnecks keep the tongs on the drill stem. The driller and roughneck work the tongs together to either loosen or tighten the drill stem. It takes about 30 minutes to drill 30 feet, and so this operation has to be done a couple times an hour. When making a connection, there are lots of heavy objects moving around under a lot of force, and the roughnecks are right in the middle of it. As you can imagine, a very dangerous job.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Oil Field
Welcome to Wildcatter week here at OPOD. We will look at pictures from the early days of the oil industry. The picture above shows the oil boom in Burkburnett, Texas in 1919. The picture was taken 8 months after oil was discovered. It reminds me of the movie, There Will Be Blood. That is the type of movie I usually really like, but I did not like that particular movie. It could have been a real good movie, but the story was not that great. Also, I did not like the part where he beat the guy with the bowling pin.
Domestic Update:
I made lots of progress on the greenhouse this last week, but it does not show that much in the picture. I got the end walls built, and the aluminum glazing put on. The glazing is the aluminum channels connected to the arches, which will hold the polycarbonate cover in place. I have been working out there 10 hours a day, and it has been over 100 degrees every day. It is really a very hard job. I would say that it is just almost impossible to build this thing. There are errors in the construction manual, and errors in the blueprints. Then you get confused if what you are seeing is an error in the plans, or if you just don't understand the plans. Anyway, the good news is that they have a person that knows how to build it, and you can email him with questions, and he usually responds within an hour or so. So, slowly but surely I am getting it done.
I have four more pieces of glazing to connect, and then I should be pretty close to putting the polycarbonate cover on. That will be the moment of truth, as all the dimension have to be precise in order for the polycarbonate sheets to fit properly. I have been very careful, and hope they fit.
Also, I am happy to announce that Handsome Jack and Miss Kitty had two baby peacocks. Handsome is turning out to be a veritable paterfamilias. They ended up with two baby peacocks. There were four eggs. The first egg hatched, but that little guy died in the first our. I am not sure what happened. Then one egg was a dud, and then two hatched healthy babies . . . Elvira and Jumping Jack Flash. I can already see that Jumping Jack Flash is going to be a fine peacock when he grows up. We got them in the peacock palace to protect them for the first month or so.
So, this summer Handsome and Lovie had two babies, Handsome and Elly May had three babies, and Handsome and Miss Kitty had two. That gives us 7 new peacocks, and a total of 13 all together.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Mystery Contest
Friday, July 23, 2010
Locomotive on Trestle
This picture was taken in 1913. There is not much information on the picture, but the caption claims that the bridge is the highest single piling trestle in the world.
I have enjoyed reading your train travel stories this week in the comments. Sounds like a lot of people have had good experiences, and a lot have had some bad experiences.
I did have a chance once to ride one of those super fast bullet trains. It was in England, and I was going from London to another city (oops, forgot where I was going, but remember the train ride). I enjoyed the ride but it took a little while to get used to it. The train travels at close to 200 miles per hour. When you are sitting there, things at eye level a few feet from the railroad track whiz by you, at you get a feeling like something is going to hit you. The ride was smooth, but you had to get used to the things whizzing by so close. Overall though, the best train ride I ever took was the original narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton. If you have never done that you need to find a way to fit it in one day.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Streamlined Locomotives
This picture was taken in 1938, and shows two streamlined locomotives. What a site these trains must have been, if you were used to the old style locomotives.
One of the problems with train travel is that the trains start and stop too much, and you lose about 30 minutes every time the train stops. I think they should go to a system where there is one train car (motorized) at a station that people get on. When the real train goes by, the one car train starts up, catches the main train, connects to it, and then the people on the one car train transfer to the main train. Then the little one disconnects and goes back to the station. Would work the same way in reverse when someone wants to get off. This way, the main train could travel non-stop, and still people could get on and off at each station. No one listens to me though.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Santa Fe Railroad
Today's picture was taken in 1942, and shows a locomotive that was part of the Santa Fe Railroad line. The picture was taken in Chicago, Illinois.
Interesting comments yesterday . . . it sounds like some people have had pleasant experiences with Amtrak, and some have not. Our experience in going from NM to California was a nightmare. First problem was that when we checked our luggage, they said we could not have any liquids in the luggage, and toothpaste and shaving cream were considered liquids. So, they want to go through the luggage, and made us throw out toiletries. Then, we had purchased reserved seats in order to ensure the three of us could sit together. When we got on the train, and showed our tickets, we were told to "find a seat". There were not three seats together, and they said that adjacent seating was subject to availability, and adjacent seats were not available. So, the extra we paid for reserved seating was a scam . . . we would have gotten then same thing purchasing a regular ticket. Then, a lot of the people on the train appeared to be sort of indigent type people. During the night this drunk guy was stumbling up and down the aisle, and then he fell into our seats. Overall, a very bad experience.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Today's picture was taken in 1943, and shows a diesel "Streamliner" locomotive. It was taken at the train station in Albuquerque, NM. I live in Albuquerque for 20 years, and the train station is still there. Once my wife and I thought it would be fun to ride the train, so we took it from Albuquerque to California for a vacation. Turned out to not be a fun ride. The Amtrak experience is not a good one. The Amtrak employees are very rude, and it was a lot like taking a greyhound bus somewhere.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Diesel Locomotive
Good morning to you all! Today's picture shows a Santa Fe Railroad diesel freight locomotive. It is being washed in the roundhouse in Argentine, Kansas. I always liked trains, and like some of the vintage trains you can ride in different places in the country. Two of the best are the Combres and Toltec narrow gauge, and the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge. If you ever get the chance, it is well worth the effort to take these rides.
Domestic Update:
I made reasonable progress on the greenhouse yesterday. I am putting in the pipes that go between the arches. This is a slow and hard job. It requires you to drill lots of holes for the bracket each place one of the bars crosses one of the arches. It is hard to drill the holes, because you have two steel pipes, and the bit wants to jump off the pipe. I have two more pipes that have to be put on, and then I start connecting the aluminum strips that have the slots for the plexiglass cover to go into. Hopefully I will get this thing finished this summer.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Good Sunday morning to you all. This morning we are going to look at a picture of an old locomotive. The picture was taken in 1942, and shows a locomotive from the Chicago and Northwest Railroad. I love old trains, and especially like the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge ride you can take in Northern New Mexico.
Domestic Update:
Wow, this greenhouse project is turning out to be a really difficult project. Definitely the hardest thing I have ever tried to build. Yesterday we got the main arches erected. They are made of steel and are very heavy. They were hard to get aligned properly with the pipes cemented in the ground. It was an all day job, but we got it done. The next step is to get the purlins installed which run the lenght of the greenhouse.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mystery Contest
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Woman with Wash Tub
Today's picture was taken in 1900, and shows a woman doing the wash in a wash tub with a scrub board. This would have to be a hard job. I would think that it would be very hard on your hands.
When I was growing up, my mom did the laundry. When I went to college, I had to do laundry myself. I did not like it, and was not very good at it. I would really overload the washing machine. I mean, I would fill it all the way to the top, and stuff the clothes in. Problem was that with the washer overloaded, it did not do a good job rinsing the soap out. After I finished school, and got a job, I would take the clothes to the laundromat. One day when I was in there doing the washing, the owners saw me overstuffing the machines. Come to find out, the owners were my next door neighbors in the apartment I was living in. They told me that I was overstuffing the machines, and told me that was not a good idea. Well, in the end they said that if I would just drop my clothes at there door in the morning, and leave the quarters for the machines in the basket, they would bring them in and wash and dry them for me. They would then drop the cleaned clothes at my apartment after work. They did a real nice job, and would hang the shirts on hangers, and fold everything nicely. That was a pretty good deal that I stumbled into, and it went on as long as I lived there. Then, once I got married, Mrs. PJM did the laundry. I would say that Mrs. PJM and I do about the same amount of domestic work. I take care of the outside stuff, and she takes care of the inside stuff. I do all the mowing, and taking care of the chickens and peacocks, and she takes care of the house cleaning and the dogs. So, I would say it is a pretty even split in the work.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Laundry Delivery
Even back in the days before washing machines, some were fortunate enough to have commercial laundries do their washing and drying. The picture above was taken in the early 1900's, and shows a laundry service that used dog teams to pick up and deliver laundry. The picture was taken in Alaska.
I suggested yesterday that the three biggest quality of life improvements of the last 150 years were indoor plumbing, refrigeration, and automated washer/dryers. Merideth suggested that electricity should be in the top three. I did not include electricity in the top three because the top three can actually all be done without electricity. First, indoor plumbing will work with a windmill. In the old days lots of people had indoor plumbing, and no electricity. The windmill would pump water into a tank that was elevated. Gravity would feed the water into the house. While the pressure was not as much as we enjoy today, toilets would flush, baths and showers worked, and the sink had water. While most of our refrigerators work today on electricity, there are wonderful refrigerators that work on natural gas or propane. There are no moving parts, and the cooling cycle is driven by a flame, which creates the pressures necessary to drive the cooling cycle. In electric refrigerators, the cycle is driven by pressures created by a compressor. Similarly, in the early days there were washers which were driven by small gas motors. Even if we go further down the list, you can have lighting from lanterns that is not that bad. So, even without electricity you can have indoor plumbing, refrigeration, and washer/dryer. While electricity was a big advance, if you want to include it as a "Top Three", which of the existing "Top Three" would you push off the list?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Community Laundry
Today's picture is from 1942, and shows women washing clothes in wash tubs with wash boards. The tubs were in a community wash center in Pinedale California. One wonders how long it would take to do laundry this way . . . I would have to think that it would be an all day job. When you look at this chore, you really appreciate the modern convenience of a washing machine and dryer. If you look at all the progress that has been made in technology over the last 150 years, I wonder what advances really had the biggest impact on quality of life. I would have to say three of the biggest would be indoor toilets/showers, refrigeration, and washer/dryers. If you have those three things, life really is a whole lot easier. On indoor plumbing . . . I really like being clean, and being able to jump in the shower every day is a very big deal (as is being able to go potty without having to put your shoes on and light a lantern). Similarly, life is a lot easier when you can keep food fresh in a refrigerator. Can you imagine trying to deal with milk without a modern refrigerator? And, as we see this week, washer/dryers are a huge time saver. So, if I simply had refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and a washer/dryer, I could be pretty comfortable.
Domestic Update:
We finally got a break from the 14 straight days of rain, and I was able to make progress on the greenhouse. The concrete men showed up, and we got the ground stakes concreted in.
The greenhouse structure is all built connected to the ground stakes, so if I got them in the right place, the assembly of the greenhouse should be easy. The next thing is, I need the plumbers to come and dig the trenches in the pad for the plumbing. Then, I can put in the sub-floor insulation board. Then the concrete people will come back, and put in the first level of rebar. Then, I run the radiant heat tubing around, zip-typing it to the first level of rebar. Then the concrete people come back, put the next level of rebar down, and then we should be ready to pour the slab. Once the slab is poured, then the assembly of the greenhouse can begin. It is a little frustrating how much work there is before you even get to assembling the structure.
Now, the plumbers actually did come out yesterday to dig the trenches in the pad for the plumbing. However, I decided that while they were out here, I would get them to go ahead and dig a trench over to Chickie Town, and bring a water line and electric line over to the Chicken Coup. That way I could provide a little heat for the chickies in winter time. Also, when the days are short, the chickens lay much fewer eggs. If you turn a light on in the coop before sunrise in the winter, the chickens will keep laying eggs all winter. Also, the water line will let me make a little water system for them, so I don't have to keep going out and filling their water dish.
Unfortunately, they got about 20 feet of the trench dug, and the rock I live on broke the back end off the trencher. You see, many men have tried to trench through my rock, and many men have failed. The bad thing is that since the trencher broke, they were unable to do the primary mission, which was to get the trenches done in the pad for the greenhouse. They say they will come back tomorrow with a rock saw, and make the trench with the large riding rock saw.
So, progress has been made, but we have hit a few snags.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Camp Laundry
Today's picture was taken in 1937, and shows a woman doing laundry in a migrant worker camp. The picture was taken in the Imperial Valley in California. The woman most likely worked all day in the fields, and then still did domestic chores. Pictures like this remind us of how good we have it today.
Well, we had a lively discussion yesterday about stay-at-home moms. I appreciate all the comments and discussion.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Old Wash Tub
Welcome to Laundry Week here at OPOD. We will be looking at people doing their wash over the last hundred or so years. The picture is from 1900, and shows a family doing laundry the really old fashioned way . . . using wash tubs and wash boards. When I was growing up in the 60's, we would visit Mexico, and you would see people still doing the wash this way. Near where I lived, some people still had the old outdoor washing machines that had the hand wringers on them, but still they were a step up from this.
OK, I am going to be politically incorrect here, and most likely get the ire up of a lot of visitors, but I think the downfall of our society began when women went into the workforce instead of managing the home. Now, before you get too bristled up, understand why I say this. I think women make excellent if not superior employees, and are smart, efficient, and capable workers. I just think that the most important job in society is rearing up the next generation. Since this is the most important job, we should put our best people on it. When families began to have both parents work, and outsourced the raising of kids to daycare or sitters, an important element of family life was lost, and, well, a lot of the kids started turning out really rotten. The thing that I see happening is that parents try to compensate for the lack of time they have to spend with the kids by spoiling them by buying them anything they want, and having low expectations for them.
I feel that I am very lucky in that when we had our daughter, Mrs. PJM decided to leave the workforce, and manage the home. She was a wonderful mother, we had a happy home, and Mrs. PJM had time to do all types of volunteer work in the community. I, on the other hand, put way to much time in at work. I really wanted to be famous, and had dome some work that started getting a lot of attention. I can remember once even they did a five minute story on the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings on some work that I had done. They interviewed me, and showed the new technology that I had developed. I was pretty full of myself, and was enjoying all the attention from being on National TV. Well, the next Sunday as we were going to church, Mrs. PJM was dropping our daughter off at the nursery, and I had walked on to get us a seat. As I was walking down the hall, this woman ran up to me and said, "Didn't I see you . . .". Well, I thought she was going to say, "Didn't I see you on the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings last week?" But, that is not what she said, she said, "Didn't I see you with Mrs. PJM? She is my son's Awana leader, and he loves her so much. When he gets home she is all he talks about. He will remember her for the rest of his life." Well, it was at this point I realized how much more important what my wife was doing than what I was doing. No one ever remembers who did this great thing or that great thing, a few years down the road. But, we all remember someone who helped us, taught us, or were kind to us as children. I think if we all invested more in our own children, and other children around us, we would be happier, our children would grow up better, and Society would return to what it once was.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Game Day
It's Saturday, and it is the day that I post a picture and you have to figure out who it is. Are You Ready To Rummmmmble?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Clothes Line
We wrap up Domestic Activities week with this picture of a woman by a clothes line from the great depression. I have learned this week that women do not necessarily look back on these activities as the good old days. Mabelline went so far as to say that I do not understand women. Well, if that is the case, I should probably share my plans with you and ask for your advice. Mrs. PJM has a birthday coming up, and I am planning on getting her a clothes line. You see, clothes feel much better, and they have a special smell when dried in the sun. I am thinking a fancy, sturdy outdoor clothes line will be just the thing to up my standing as a Peach of a Husband.
Mabelline also went so far as to suggest that perhaps I should get together with Buddy, the guy that drilled the holes for me, and work on trying to solve the Gulf Oil spill, instead of trying to understand women. Well, I had Buddy back out to discuss additional holes for Mrs. PJM's special birthday clothes line, and we decided to take Mabelline's challenge, and solve the Gulf clean up problem. Here is what we came up with. Simply require BP to buy spilled oil from ANYONE who brings it in. Require them to buy the spilled oil that people pick up for $500 a barrel. Can you imagine how that would spur the economy? Every Redneck in the south would go to the gulf, and start cleaning up oil. The first thing that would happen is all the KOA campgrounds within 150 miles of the coast would be filled as the Rednecks move their trailers in. Soon, there would be no more room in the trailer parks, and so some would have to start staying in hotels. This would not be a problem, as since they would have plenty of money from the oil they are selling BP. Also, they are not picky eaters and would have no problem eating seafood possibly tainted with oil and chemical dispersants. This would re-energize the shrimping and fishing industries in the area.
I think a guy with a shovel should be able to collect at least 2 barrels a day. Of course, the rednecks would quickly start rigging up contraptions to allow them to collect/skim more oil. This would further stimulate the economy as the hardware stores would be selling out of things like bailing wire, duct tape, PVC piping, lawnmower engines and so forth.
I think a guy with a shovel should be able to collect at least 2 barrels a day. Of course, the rednecks would quickly start rigging up contraptions to allow them to collect/skim more oil. This would further stimulate the economy as the hardware stores would be selling out of things like bailing wire, duct tape, PVC piping, lawnmower engines and so forth.
Now you might criticize my plan by saying some of the Rednecks would start cheating by selling BP all that old motor oil they have in their garages. Sure, that might happen, but I say that is the risk that a company takes when they cut corners, and create the worst environmental nightmare in history.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Mother and Baby
OK, the women have spoken, and for the most part, do not have fond memories of washing dishes in the sink. So, lets see if I can do better today. This picture was taken in 1912, and shows a mother kissing her baby. Hopefully you will have more pleasant memories of caring for your babies, but I can not be sure, as I thought you would have pleasant memories of washing dishes with your mother.
Domestic Update:
Well, I am sure you saw the big announcement yesterday that Elly May's babies hatched. They are a fine bunch of pea-chickies, and are all up and about.
I also finally made some real progress on the greenhouse. The guy was able to come out and get the holes drilled for the grounding stakes.
You can see Buddy getting his truck set up to drill the holes. I needed 18 holes, each 1 foot across and 3 foot deep. I live on a rock, so it takes pretty heft equipment to get holes that deep.
It pretty much took all day to get the holes drilled. Now, the next step is to get the grounding stakes concreted in the holes, and then the foundation can be poured. The concrete guy is having the rebar and other material delivered here today, so hopefully we will finally start making some progress.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Special Announcement!
Mr. Handsome Jack and Ms. Elly May
Are proud to announce
The Hatching of
Jebediah , June Bug , and Johnny Walker
July 7, 2010
Washing Dishes
Today's picture was taken in 1942 in Bantam, Connecticut. The picture shows a mother and daughter washing dishes in the sink. Automatic dishwashers have been a huge time saver, but I can not help but think that something has been lost. I believe that there was something special about mothers and daughters spending time together each day, even if that time together was simply washing dishes. I wonder how many women today have special memories of time with their mothers washing dishes.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Mending Dress
Today's picture was taken in 1904. It shows a woman mending the lace on her dress. The picture is obviously a studio posed shot, but nonetheless, it shows clothing styles of the day.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Churning Butter
Domestic Activity week continues here at OPOD. Today's picture was taken in 1939 near Gees Bend, Alabama, and shows a woman churning butter on her porch. I wonder how many of you have ever churned butter? It is actually pretty easy to make butter. If you buy a carton of pure cream, and if you shake it up real good, you can see the butter start forming. The churns were convenient for making larger amounts. Today, it is cheaper to buy butter than it is to buy cream, and then make butter. If you have a milk cow, then things change. You skim the milk fat off the milk, and make butter out of the skimmed cream.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Woman Ironing
Last week someone suggested we have a week of Domestic Activities, so here we go. Today's picture was taken in 1908, and shows a woman ironing with a new GE electric iron. An electric iron was a pretty big deal, compared to having to heat an iron on a hot wood stove.
OK, we did not have a correct answer in yesterday's mystery person contest, so I am the winner. OK, We have not had a correct answer, so I am the winner. The lady in the picture was Isma Martin, a confidence/con lady from the late 1800's and early 1900's. The picture was from her police file. She had many scams, but one of her favorites was to ride into town on a bicycle, and then claim to be a representative of a bicycle company. She would take deposits and payments for bicycle orders, and guess what . . . She never delivered any bicycles. So, I am off to my victory breakfast. We will be going to our place on the South Concho River, about a mile from our house, and will be enjoying a big country breakfast.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Mystery Contest
OK, last week you all accused me of putting up an easy contest so it would be over quickly, so I could go work on the greenhouse. Well, it is raining today, so I have ALL day. You will rue the day you complained about an easy contest. Today, you will all be defeated, and I will finally be able to have a victory breakfast in the morning. Let the Contest Begin!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Old Weatherford, Texas
We finish Market Week with this picture from the Weatherford Farmer's Market. The picture was taken in 1939. It looks like at this market, people sold from the back of their truck. I look for Farmer's Markets to make a bigger come back. The food is much better right out of the field, and it is a nicer shopping experience.
Domestic Update:
OK, project greenhouse has pretty much been on hold this week. I am waiting to get the holes drilled for the ground stakes. It takes a big drilling truck, and the operator can't dig if it is raining, due to lightening risks. Well, it has rained all week. Living in dry West Texas, it almost never rains . . . until I try to build something. When we built out house, it was the rainiest summer on record. Perhaps the farmers should pay me to build things . . . would guarantee them rain. I have pretty much done all I can until the holes get drilled. I have pretty much assembled all the heating and cooling components in the garage, so, I sit and wait for clear weather.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Weatherford Texas
This picture was taken in 1939, and shows a group of men at a Farmer's Market. You can see that someone has brought a calf to sell. It looks small enough that it could be butchered at home. Also note that everyone in the picture is very trim.
Domestic Update:
OK, I think it is important that we understand the nomenclature, so for your viewing pleasure, I present my "grubbing hoe" below. You notice that one side has a flat, sharp head. This is used to get up things like prickly pear. Prickly Pear has a big heavy root, and you need to get the root up, you you have to use this end to grub down so you can pull the whole mess out.
Notice that the other end has a sharp point, or pick. The pick is used to pry rocks out of the ground. You hit the ground with it right next to the rock, and then pry the rock out. Notice the ground around the grubbing hoe does not have any prickly pear or big rocks. This is in the circle in front of our house. It was covered with cactus, lots of big rocks, algarita bushes, and tassajia. This summer I have been working to clear all this mess out from in front of the house. With the nice rains the last few days, the native buffalo and mesquite grass should come in quiet nicely, and make the circle look good. I don't plan on watering it, but as it rains, it will green up.
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Video: Jenny McCarthy Makes Her 'View' Debut!
Nigel Campbell | September 10, 2013
Check out the new co-host of The View on the talk show's 17th season premiere!
We can't help it! We just love seeing someone who's so damn excited about their job!
What about you? Happy to see Jenny McCarthy on The View, Instincters?
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subset: commoncrawl


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Journal mandelbr0t's Journal: Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week a Flop 5
October 2nd to 8th is Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week. It doesn't seem to be making much of an impact though. Calgarians are more worried about the fact that some bike lanes on a busy thoroughfare to downtown are making them late for work. Typical, self-absorbed middle class suburbanites, ignoring the fact that people who slip through the cracks ultimately end up being jailed or living on the street. Do these people not have children of their own? What would happen if mental health issues affected someone they knew? I think they'd stop worrying about finding a different route into downtown, and start worrying about the fact that the province of Alberta provides absolutely no funding outside of acute care. By that time, it is too late.


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The DeKalb Municipal Band will present its last concert of the season at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Hopkins Park band shell. Vocalist Maureen Christine will perform.
Christine, a celebrated concert vocalist, national recording artist and composer, has delighted audiences throughout the country with her melodious, expressive voice. She was pre-nominated for a 2002 Grammy award alongside Harry Connick Jr. and Rosemary Clooney, and is heralded for her interpretations of great American standards, romantic ballads and original compositions.
Christine has performed at concert halls, opera houses, clubs, festivals and events around the world. Her television appearances include Artbeat Chicago and frequent performances as the national anthem singer for the Chicago Cubs. Her theatrical credits include leading roles in "The Sound of Music," "My Fair Lady" and "The Music Man."
Her three songs on Tuesday will be Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon," Henry Mancini's "Moon River" and Nat King Cole's last hit, "L-O-V-E."
The award-winning Marlyn's Majorettes will display their marching and twirling expertise to the great circus march "Robinson's Grand Entry." A different style of march, "The March from 1941," opens the concert. Famed Hollywood composer John Williams wrote the score for this 1979 Steven Spielberg film starring John Belushi. While the film has not remained popular, critics have said its bright and patriotic music remains its most memorable aspect.
Leonard Bernstein's '"Overture to Candide" is a favorite in the concert repertoire of both orchestras and bands. The rhythmic work combines the classical and popular styles into a clever and modern composition.
Ferde Grofe's "On the Trail" will take listeners on a picturesque donkey ride to the depths of the Grand Canyon, and Gershwin's "American in Paris" will transport them to the city of love, including characteristic beeps of the French taxi cabs.
And hold on to your hats when the piccolos, trumpets, and trombones step out front for the traditional DeKalb Municipal Band season finale, "Stars and Stripes Forever."
The Hopkins Park band shell is located behind the swimming pool at 1403 Sycamore Road, DeKalb. Bench seating is available or bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on the grass.


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Sir Alex Ferguson takes his Manchester United side to the Santiago Bernabeu knowing a positive result will put them in the driving seat to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Spanish international David De Gea has proved himself to be the number one for the Red Devils this season, and will get the nod between the sticks for the first leg of the last 16 tie.
Rio Ferdinand was rested for the weekend win over Everton and will return to the heart of the defence alongside Nemanja Vidic, with Rafael and Patrice Evra certain starters at full-back.
In midfield, Ferguson has plenty of options, with Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones the probable midfield three. The later will be asked to keep close quarters with Cristiano Ronaldo throughout proceedings.
That leaves Robin Van Persie to lead the line through the middle for Manchester United, with Wayne Rooney and the industrious Shinji Kagawa expected to do their work from the wide areas.
A 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation that could easily switch to 4-4-2, the pressure will be on Madrid to make the running as the home side.
Manchester United predicted line-up v Real Madrid:
David De Gea; Rafael, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Michael Carrick, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley; Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa, Robin Van Persie.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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Studio Art
ARTS 232 (CA) Black and White Photography (1)
This course introduces technical and conceptual uses of black and white photography. Students explore technique through shooting, developing and darkroom printing of 35mm film. Periodic student presentations and critiques of artwork address uses of photography as an art form to communicate ideas. A 35mm SLR camera with fully manual settings and a 50mm lens is required.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Creating in the Arts
- Prerequisite: Any ARTS course
- Offering: Every Semester
- Instructor: Opie


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SIX-week-old babies diagnosed with cystic fibrosis will be given a treatment shown to improve lung function in older patients, in a world-first study aimed at delaying progression of the disease.
Royal Children's Hospital director of respiratory medicine Sarath Ranganathan said the aim was to protect against damage to the lungs, even before symptoms appeared in young babies.
''Bronchiectasis is the official term for structural changes in the lung, it means the airways have been scarred and damaged,'' he said.
''In cystic fibrosis it tends to be progressive, it gets worse and worse until your lungs aren't very efficient any more and you get respiratory failure.
''What our research has shown is that we could detect it in some babies who were only three months of age.
''So instead of feeling like these kids are OK and don't have much in the way of symptoms, our treatment is now predicated on how to prevent this progression which seems to be occurring much earlier than we previously thought.''
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that causes mucus to build up in body organs, particularly the lungs and pancreas. It affects about one in 2500 births.
Dr Ranganathan said about 160 babies would be recruited for the trial, which is being run by a group of doctors and researchers called the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis. Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital is expected to take part.
Researchers hope the treatment, azithromycin, will halve the number who develop bronchiectasis by age three.
Doing well due to early treatment of his cystic fibrosis is Nash Vienna, 2, who has avoided any respiratory illnesses with a regime of preventative care, including vitamins and physiotherapy, that began when he was just weeks old.
Mum, Lisa Vienna, said he was ''the most happy, charismatic baby'' who mostly took medication without complaint and spent lots of time jumping around on the trampoline to build up his lung capacity.


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Please join KLRU's Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Michael Morton
DATE: June 26
TIME: 10:30 a.m. (Doors open at 10:00 a.m.)
LOCATION: in KLRU's Studio 6A.
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now
Michael Morton spent nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit: the 1986 murder
of his wife, Christine Morton. Morton fought the conviction for years, with the help of the Innocence
Project. Then last fall, DNA testing pointed to a different suspect, and Morton was released. Now
another man has been charged in the killing of Morton's wife, defense lawyers allege that prosecutors
withheld evidence, the public wonders whether a second murder could have been prevented, and
Morton is sharing his story.
We hope you'll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith continues a second season of great conversation
with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-
depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and
more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We'd love to see you in the studio for the
interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview.


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To the editor:
I was unpleasantly surprised at the news about the plans to close down the emergency department in Lake Placid. My memories are still vivid of Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, when I had a skiing accident and sustained a knee injury. I remember how painful it was and how promptly and professionally I was taken care of at the emergency department by Ms. Lisa Keegan and Mr. Mike Elio. I am immensely grateful for such care. After the X-rays, it was clear that I had a tibial plateau fracture that was stable enough to allow me to travel back home to Ottawa, where I underwent an operation.
As a tourist, I was fortunate to have the emergency department close to the skiing resort; otherwise I would have suffered longer.
Hereby, I would like to raise my voice against the planned closure of this facility. It is of paramount importance to tourists and residents of Lake Placid and it should continue to serve them in the future.
Branka Pejcic-Karapetrovic
Ottawa, Canada


text: The Knoxville Raceway held its 57th annual awards banquet Saturday night. The event took place at Prairie Meadows Casino. While most of the attention was on the three track champions being honored…Clint Garner in the 360s, Brian Brown in the 410s, and Steve Brazeale in the 305s there were other awards handed out as well. The Lyle Boyd Hard Charger Award went to Chad Humston in the 360s and Josh Schneiderman in the 410s. The Most Improved Driver was Danny Heskin in the 360s and Austin McCarl in the 410s. The Owner of the year was Steve Wares and Vern Harrison in the 360s and Butch Maxwell in the 410s. The Sportsman of the Year was Matt Moro in the 360s who it was revealed has not missed a regular season show at Knoxville in 15 straight seasons. The 410 Sportsman of the Year was Don Droud Jr. Rookie of the Year in 360s was Jamie Ball and the 410 Rookie of the Year was Ian Madsen. The Heritage Award was given to Doug Brown of Jackos Sprint Parts for his many years of service in the pits during race nights. Race Director Ralph Capitani revealed in his annual speech that the 51st Knoxville Nationals Saturday A-Main would for the second straight year be 50 laps. Also, driver Dustin Selvage announced he would be competing in the 410 class in 2011, and 360 Driver Johnny Anderson officially announced his retirement. According to raceway Director of Marketing Brian Stickel over 500 people attended Saturday's event.


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Cajun: Expulsion From Nova Scotia
series: Taste Of Louisiana With Chef John Folse & Co.: Our
air date: 1/21/13 6:00 AM
Dr. Carl Brasseaux and Mary Anne Pecot de Boisblanc tell the tragic tale of Louisiana's Acadians or "Cajuns." Following intense hardship, expulsion from Nova Scotia, murder, and exploitation, the Acadians were welcomed to Louisiana's shores. Chef Folse joins Buddy Bailey and Lucien "Troop" Perkins at the annual Boucherie as they create andouille sausage, a Cajun delicacy. The Larry Miller band performs Cajun favorites.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
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It may be known as the music festival for the cool kids, but at this year's Laneway there was something for everyone.
It didn't matter that there was no mainstream crossover act like last year's headlining performance by Gotye.
That was the best thing about this line up - being able to discover weird and wonderful bands you've yet to hear of, getting nostalgic with the ear-splitting splendour of reunited Kiwi noise rock merchants Bailterspace, or seeing hot young things like psychedelic Aussie headliners Tame Impala and the band touted as "the new Radiohead", Alt-J.
There was something oddly addictive about Alt-J's bonkers mix of hip-hop beats and dubby grooves, warped falsettos, and sea shanties. The Mercury Music Prize-winning Brits delivered on all the hype with best known songs Matilda and Breeze Blocks, which got the masses swaying.
There was also five-piece Icelandic group Of Monsters and Men who were a crowd favourite and arguably the biggest band on the bill given their catchy chart-topping anthem Little Talks, which has been in the New Zealand top 10 singles for the last four weeks. Their large scale, anthemic folk pop, with duel male and female vocals held the attention of a sweltering audience in the heat of the afternoon.
With no Big Day Out this year Laneway took over as Auckland's main music festival. And though it's got a way to go before it eclipses the old festivals popularity, the crowd numbers were up from 5,000 last year to just over 6000.
And on a bigger site there was more than enough room for everyone and allowed for the addition of the Thunderdome stage inside one of the park's towering silos, with the banging bedlam of locals Phelps & Munro a fitting finale.
Norwegian festival openers Kings of Convenience may have kicked things off mellow and folky in the early afternoon with just two fellows and their guitars. But by the end of their hour-long set, they had a full party band on stage.
It was Cloud Nothings who well and truly sparked Laneway into life with their shrieking and scorching rock, while over at the Cactus Stage behind the Silo, Lawrence Arabia was drawing a huge crowd of fans onto the grassy knoll for a homecoming set. With a string quartet plus a five-piece band he had everyone with arms in the air. Hopefully next time they'll find room for him on the main stage.
The Phoenix Foundation also drew a big crowd, entertaining with large swathes of beautiful new material from an upcoming album, complete with new drummer Chris O'Connor, before rounding up with crowd favourite, whimsical, fruity Buffalo.
On a more menacing note, A Place To Bury Strangers, the New York-based trio including Dion Lunadon from the D4 in the line up, were the loudest and nastiest band of the day with their barrage of Jesus and Mary Chain-meets-Born to be Wild-inspired noise.
They were followed by two-man, head-banging boogie-rock machine Japandroids.
Despite the Canadians ongoing technical difficulties the cheery and fun-loving pair launched full-tilt into the riotous Adrenaline Nightshift and searing beauty The House That Heaven Built.
While Bailter Space were not as loud and devastating as they were in their 80s and 90s heyday, the visceral beauty of Your Invisible Life was one of the highlights of the day.
Having been a largely male dominated day, it was up to British it-girls, newcomer Jessie Ware, and award-winner Bat For Lashes to really ramp up the energy as the sun began to set. Raven haired newcomer Ware looked resplendent, large gold hoop earrings shining in the light, her three piece band providing rockier backing than expected for her Whitney Houston-esque vocal performance. She had the crowd dancing just two songs in, to heavier ballad Night Light, a performance that cemented her as a rising star.
Dressed in a shining red gown, Bat For Lashes (real name Natasha Khan), took to the stage with a photo of her home town Brighton beamed onto the screen behind her. She wound her way between tender songs like Laura and Daniel, new upbeat tunes such as All Of Your Gold, and cheeky old classic What's A Girl To Do.
And finishing up the balmy night, Perth five piece Tame Impala may have song titles like Solitude Is Bliss (which they opened with), but there were thousands screaming along as they grooved through 60s-inspired rockers like Elephant, and Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, easily earning their headline spot.
What: St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Where: SIlo Park, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland
When: Monday, February 28


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On February 10, 2011, the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University presented the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Endowed Chair in Social Work and the Social Sciences Seventh Annual Lecture. The speaker was Ross A. Thompson, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis. His lecture was entitled The Emotionate Child: Building Emotional Health and Compassion in Young Children. This lecture was recorded and can be found on their web site.
Follow the link below to watch this lecture as well as other lectures from the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences.
Related posts


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Less than 15 hours after his victory speech in Chicago, Barack Obama had returned to the White House, and Republican House Majority leader John Boehner had begun to position the GOP for the pending crisis negotiations over the "fiscal cliff".
"Mr President, this is your moment," Mr Boehner said in a speech at the Capitol. "We're ready to lead, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans."
For his part, Mr Obama contacted Mr Boehner and other congressional leaders to reopen negotiations before he had even left Chicago.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 2.4 per cent over the day, in part because of fears over the fiscal cliff, and because Mr Obama's victory means new industry regulations will stay in place.
Unless an agreement between the parties is made by the end of the month, US$560 billion ($A537 billion) worth of tax and spending cuts will automatically kick in on January 1, though it is expected that if a permanent deal is not found the parties will agree to delay the impact.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that should the measures go into effect, growth would drop by 4 per cent, forcing the nation back into recession, and 2 million jobs would be lost.
The measures were part of a compromise and made law when Congress was unable to come to a deal to resolve the debt-ceiling crisis.
They were deliberately designed to be so appalling to both parties (they include massive cuts to defence for Republicans, extensions to the Bush tax cuts for Democrats) that they would be motivated to come to a permanent solution.
Mr Boehner claimed both parties had won a mandate, because Republicans had retained control of the House of Representatives. He also again rejected tax hikes to help bring down the deficit and debt.
But he did open the door to increasing revenue by closing loopholes and reforming the tax code, thereby stimulating the economy.
"For purposes of forging a bipartisan agreement that begins to solve the problem, we're willing to accept new revenue, under the right conditions," he said.
This option had previously been rejected by Mitt Romney and congressional Republicans, most of whom are bound by an oath they have signed at the behest of anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist not to increase taxes in any way.
It is unclear how much money closing loopholes and reforming the tax code would raise. US debt is now more than $16 trillion.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said he was willing to negotiate, adding that the simplest way to avoid the cliff would be to allow tax cuts to expire for people earning more than $250,000 a year, as the President had proposed during the campaign.
Mr Boehner appeared to reject that idea.
"The American people this week didn't give us a mandate to do the 'simple' thing," he said. "They elected us to lead."
Mr Obama did not address the issue on Wednesday, although The New York Times quoted a senior administration official as saying: "This election tells us a lot about the political wisdom of defending tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of everything else."
Both Mr Obama and Mr Boehner attempted to come to a "grand bargain" over the issue during the last term, and both were bruised by the experience, each claiming the other had sabotaged the negotiations.
Mr Obama also appeared to mention it in his victory speech, saying "tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together.
"Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do."


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Yes, this is a short trip, return on Friday. Back for a week and then gone again for another week. But......have made sure the schedule is clear for the event.
Originally Posted by hollora
Will you be home for the Beer N Wings?
Everyone has the right to be an idiot at times. Just don't abuse the privilege.
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deon bush
Wednesday Recruitin' Lacks Witty Subtitle
The 2012 Recruiting Board lives here in its current primitive state. Updates coming soon.
The Harrison Three
Farmington Hills Harrison's trio of WR Aaron Burbridge, DE Mario Ojemudia, and TE Devin Funchess got some press in last week's Detroit News recruiting column by Sam Webb. First, the skill breakdowns by Harrison's coach. On Burbridge (pictured at right):
"He has tremendous explosion and acceleration," stated Herrington. "He is one of those kids that has two gears. He can go out for a pass and it looks like it is overthrown, then suddenly he explodes on the ball. He is a very tough kid, a good blocker, and has great hands. He still has a ways to go in learning all his routes, but he can catch the ball just off his shoe tops, or he can go up and get it if it is way over his head like he did in the state finals."
"As far as his game, he has got to get some size. He's about 215-218. If he gets up to college and he gets up to 245, he'll just be amazing. He could be a hybrid. We've never played him (standing) up, but he's fast and he could play an outside linebacker. I think he is better down, but he's always wanted to play up as a linebacker, so we'll see."
"He is going to be a great prospect when he puts on weight. He can be a tight end, an H-back, a split end. He has big hands. I'm not sure what he's going to run the 40 in, but I think he could be around 4.6 or 4.7."
And the recruiting news:
The Spartans have a strong connection with Harrison thanks to decades of mining some of the school's most notable talent. They've placed Burbridge and Ojemudia high on their list of priorities, and the feeling is definitely mutual... The Wolverines' chances with Funchess seem more promising, but he stops short of naming them his favorite.
There is much more in the article, including quotes from the players, so be sure to check it out. In another article, Ojemudia didn't hesitate to name Michigan State his leader. He said Michigan has a lot of work to do if they want to catch up with the Spartans.
All Aboard the Offer Train!
NJ QB/Ath Devin Fuller was offered by Michigan last week ($, info in header). He's more Denard Robinson than Chad Henne, so it's possible the staff is looking at him on defense - though he told Tom he'll get a shot at QB.
He's included on the board, but I didn't mention him in last week's update: PA RB Greg Garmon received a Michigan offer last week ($, info in header).
WI RB Vonte Jackson has picked up a Michigan offer ($, info in header). He had teammates sign with Wisconsin and Michigan State last year.
NC TE/OL Mark Harrell holds a Michigan offer. He plans to visit Michigan soon, and claims to be wide open.
CO TE Evan Baylis was offered by Michigan.
PA OL JJ Denman picked up a Michigan offer ($, info in header). He's a 2-way player in high school, but colleges are only talking to him about offensive line. Notre Dame leads ($, info in header) for Denman.
Though he's an Ohio State commit, OH OL Kyle Kalis picked up a Michigan offer last week. He told Tom he's firm with the Buckeyes, but is willing to visit Ann Arbor with his teammates (TE Sam Grant, OL Tyler Orlosky, and DT Greg Kuhar) should the opportunity arise.
NC OL Brock Stadnik has received a Michigan offer.
Michigan has added an offer ($, info in header) for SC DT Martin Aiken.
NY DT Jarron Jones has a Michigan offer ($, info in header).
MD DT Ryan Watson picked up a Michigan offer ($). He's a former teammate of 2011 CB Commit Blake Countess.
TX DE Devonte Fields has picked up a Michigan offer.
MA LB Camren Williams has a Michigan offer ($, info in header).
TX LB Jeremiah Tshimanga talked to Tom about receiving a Michigan offer, and whether he'll make a trip to Ann Arbor this weekend. Tshimanga plans to be an early enrollee.
Happy Trails
TX LB Peter Jinkens wasn't expecting a Texas offer, so he was open to plenty of schools. HOWEVA, a Texas offer ended Jinkens's recruitment.
Elsewhere in potential package deals, Irish Sports Daily employs a record number of one-sentence paragraphs to cover the recruitment of MI LBs James Ross, Royce Jenkins Stone, and Laron Taylor, and CB Terry Richardson:
"When we were little, we wanted to play together, but we know how difficult that may be," said Ross. "If it works out, it does and that would be great, but we probably won't make our decisions based off what somebody else does."
Ross has received a Notre Dame offer, and Richardson got not only Notre Dame, but also Ohio State ($, info in headers).
It's possible that OH QB Maty Mauk will commit to Notre Dame - as soon as he can get on campus.
OH WR Corey Smith has added some bigtime offers lately, including Georgia and Tennessee ($, info in header). He also picked up Notre Dame, as did his teammate, Jarrod Wilson ($, info in header).
CA WR Bryce Treggs holds a Michigan offer, but he doesn't mention the Wolverines and seems to be close to a decision. Cal and Notre Dame are the leaders.
According to Rivals, CA TE Taylor McNamara was close to committing to Ohio State early in the process, but now plans to wait before making a decision. Miami (YTM) and USC are also near the top for him.
IN TE Pierre Aka wants to major in nuclear engineering and has a top 4 of Stanford, Michigan, Northwestern, and Penn State. Though he doesn't hold any offers, he's in contact with Michigan's staff.
IL OL Dan Voltz has made his first cut, and the lucky schools are Auburn, Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Northwestern. He seems to be really high on Notre Dame following a visit to South Bend. Voltz's junior highlight:
OH OL Taylor Decker received his Michigan offer a while back, and will visit Ann Arbor soon ($, info in header). He also received an offer from Notre Dame, his favorite ($, info in header). Now that the Irish are an option, they may be hard to beat.
FL OL John Theus is leaning toward mostly SEC and ACC schools.
Michigan is in the hunt for WA OL Zach Banner. His coach:
"Michigan is back in with Hoke, going back to the big road graders," Miller said. "Getting the offer from Michigan last week was really exciting for Zach."
The 6-9 behemoth is one of the country's top linemen.
UMGoBlog's Sean O'Connell talked with OH OL Kyle Dodson, who says he grew up a Buckeye fan, but that he's "very interested" in Michigan.
It's not exactly news, but MLive's Kyle Warber expands on Tennesee's lead for MI DT Danny O'Brien:
"I love everything about Tennessee," O'Brien said. "The playing time they have to offer is outstanding. I think they are also on the rise in the SEC and in the nation. If I went to another top school I would probably have to sit for a year. Also, the atmosphere of an SEC team is awesome. I have been to the Big House and everything, and it's great, but it didn't compare to the atmosphere of an SEC game."
His recruiter under the previous staff was Flint-area expert Fred Jackson, and he also had a relationship with Chris Singletary. Both are still around, and O'Brien's family has its share of Michigan fans, so the Wolverines have a chance to swing him. For what it's worth, Rivals says Michigan "may be gaining steam" ($, info in header).
CA DT Aziz Shittu talked to Rivals last week about his Michigan offer:
The more offers Shittu receives the more he's thinking about delaying his decision but he still could end it if the right situation suits him. "If Michigan ends up being in my top five or my top seven, whatever I make when I make it, if I can't get out there on an unofficial visit then I'll definitely take an official visit to see what's up there," Shittu said.
He had been considering an early commitment to Stanford, so waiting on a decision is a good thing for the Wolverines. The Cardinal are his favorite ($, info in header).
OH DE Ifeadi Odenigbo attended junior days at Notre Dame and Ohio State over the weekend. He picked up an offer from Notre Dame while he was in South Bend.
OH DE Tom Strobel was also in Columbus, and picked up an Ohio State offer of his own. His quotes seem fairly gushing:
"It was an amazing experience and Coach Tressel is such a great person. It was so nice to sit down with him and just talk. Not even about football, but about my family and Mentor and school and everything. It was a really good day. This has all been very humbling. I am fortunate to be in this position and to get the kind of attention I have received."
He claims that the Buckeyes do not lead, but it certainly sounds like they have an edge. He plans to decide before his senior season.
OH DE Adolphus Washington plans to announce a decision at the Under Armour All-American game.
GA DE Jordan Watkins has been blowing up lately, with offers from the likes of LSU, Florida, and Georgia, but he's still looking forward to hearing from Michigan. He's going to try to make a visit sometime, and says the Wolverines were "definitely a front runner" at the beginning of his recruiting process.
FL S Deon Bush wants to take a Michigan visit ($, info in header).
Wednesday Recruitin' Unveils the 2012 Board
The title says it. Without further ado, the 2012 Michigan Football Recruiting Board v1.0.
It's a little light on features right now, and is hardly more advanced than umhero's offer board (a hearty tip o' the hat to umhero because I definitely used his list to fill in a few gaps in my own), but I plan to add more in the near future. Individual players will have pages of their own with more information, links to posts that mention them, video, and much more.
I'll start rolling out the 2.0 features ASAP. It's a wiki, so users with more than 500 points can edit it.
MORE New Offers
The coaching staff is offering kids left and right, so between the time I publish this and the time it hits your eyeballs, things are subject to change. Bear with me.
CA QB Jake Rodrigues received a Washington offer last week, and within a half hour, Michigan had followed suit ($).
OH RB Bri'onte Dunn is currently an Ohio State commit, but that didn't stop Michigan from offering him last week. The Buckeyes already have another back (Warren Ball) committed in the class, and the Wolverines' coaching staff may try to sell him on being "the guy" in this class.
OK RB Donovan Roberts picked up a Michigan offer earlier this week. Michigan and Indiana are his only offers, but he has plenty of interest from Big 12 schools as well. His film is impressive:
CA WR Jordan Payton is a USC commit, but Michigan still sent him an offer. Brandon Huffman says he's solid to the Trojans.
GA WR Jaquay Williams has offers from both Michigan and Ohio State ($, info in header).
NC WR Jody Fuller picked up a Michigan offer last week.
The Wolverines sent an offer to NJ WR Leonte Carroo.
Michigan has offered OH TE AJ Williams. According to Duane Long, Williams is an outrageously athletic (but raw) prospect.
Michigan has offered MA CB Armani Reeves ($, info in header), as well as his teammate, OL Camren Williams ($, info in header).
Add OH OL Tyler Orlosky to the list of offered prospects ($, info in header).
OH OL Taylor Decker has received a Michigan offer. Ohio State and Notre Dame are presumed to be his (heavy) leaders at this point. Duane Long talks about his skills:
Decker is the fourth five-star tackle in this class. The sooner he becomes a football player first, the sooner he will become the football player that he can be. I have him as a five-star but that has everything to do with his physical tools. He still has some work to do to catch up with Kalis, Dodson and McGowan as football players.
"Dodson" refers to OH OL Kyle Dodson, who received a Michigan offer of his own.
CA OL Jordan Simmons has a Michigan offer. Tom said last week to keep an eye out for him, so also stay tuned on CA OL Ellis McCarthy too.
CA OL Arik Armstead has a Michigan offer, but he's' a USC commit.
According to his coach, FL OL Avery Young is now holding an offer from Michigan. Tom says it'll be tough to pull him out of Florida.
The Wolverines offered a pair of defensive tackles yesterday in CA DT Aziz Shittu and MO DT Ondre Pipkins. Pipkins used to live in the Saginaw area, so he's familiar with the stats of Michigan.
Michigan has offered GA DE Jordan Jenkins.
Brian covered a bit of the drama around MI DE Matt Godin last week. TomVH Godin update ...and by the end of the week, he received his offer ($, info in header). Godin was on campus yesterday, and enjoyed it.
TX DE Mario Edwards has picked up a Michigan offer.
OH LB Kaleb Ringer visited Ann Arbor last week ($, info in header), and received an offer. He might be receiving an offer from Ohio State as soon as this Sunday.
TX LB Jeremiah Tshimanga reports a Michigan offer (HT: umhero).
Michigan offered TX LB Peter Jinkens over the weekend.
OH S Jarrod Wilson was offered by Michigan. He's a true free safety, which you may note is an area of weakness on Michigan's roster. He visited Ann Arbor with his teammate, WR Corey Smith, over the weekend ($, info in header). Tom talked to Smith, who will talk to Michigan's coaches about whether he's a better fit on offense or defense before they extend him an offer. Both players plan to wait until the Under Armour game to announce.
NJ CB/S Yuri Wright reports a Michigan offer.
Michigan recently offered MD CB Ronald Darby, who boasts a 4.31 real (FAKE!) 40 time. His high school helmet is spectacular (at right).
FL CB Deon Bush told Tom that Michigan has offered him. Deon plans to sit down with his dad and find a time that they can get up to Michigan. He impressed at a recent combine in Miami:
Bush, a rangy safety, measured in at close to 6-foot-1 and 180-pounds and ran a blazing 40 yard dash of 4.44 seconds. He moved quickly and fluidly through the three-cone drill for a taller athlete, bending and getting low out of his cuts. His vertical was a very respectable 34 inches, he hammered out 17 reps on the bench and showed good lower-body explosion with a 10-foot-5 broad jump.
He's got a number of top offers, so expect a fight for this kid.
I missed this in last week's update, but Nike held a SPARQ combine in Cleveland a couple weekends back, and a couple Michigan targets impressed:
Ohio DE Ifeadi Odenigbo finished 5th overall with a Sparq score of 109.02. This was Ifeadi's first combine, and he placed fifth overall out of hundreds and hundreds of kids...
Ifeadi's teammate, OL Benny McGowan (6'4", 300 lbs) was the first offensive lineman to ever score over 100 on the Sparq scale. Ifeadi told me that Benny was injured for most of his season, which is why there aren't more schools after him, but he's a sleeper. Benny also happens to like Michigan, and has them in his top five...
RB Marc Cargle from Pontiac held the top overall score with 111.3. Cargle was hurt for most of his season, which is why there hasn't been much hype around him.
Midwest Showcase fluff on MI TE Ron Thompson.
MI OL DaRon Brown was on campus this weekend.
Recent offeree Matt Godin is friends with MI DT Danny O'Brien, and they rode home from the midwest combine together (although Novi and Flint aren't remotely close to each other if Ann Arbor is the point of departure). Danny still holds Tennessee as his favorite, but says he's interested in playing with Godin in college.
IL OL Jordan Diamond didn't participate in the Best of the Midwest Combine this weekend, but he still traveled to Ann Arbor with 2011 Commit Chris Bryant and 2012 IL QB Robert Gregory. Diamond enjoyed his visit, but isn't any closer to making a decision.
Other Updates
Following a train of thought from above... Ohio State has offered Odenigbo. On his game from the article:
What makes Odenigbo so intriguing is his mixture of size, strength and speed. He was the Elks' best sprinter last spring, excelling on the 400- to 1,600-meter relays. He also ran away with Centerville's preseason conditioning test last fall, a combination of strength, agility and speed.
The offer is a bit unexpected, as most thought OSU wouldn't have the spare scholarship to extend him an offer. They become his heavy favorite blah blah blah. This is especially disappointing because now Sam Webb's recruiting column last week is likely for naught:
The Buckeyes extended a scholarship offer Wednesday -- a development that many pundits believe is an ominous sign for all of the other programs giving chase.
Since he's not a Buckeye yet, how about a little talk on his game:
"He has great physical tools," Centerville coach Ron Ullery told Scout.com. "He has a great frame. He's going to grow and have good weight on him. What he has is speed -- speed off the edge and change of direction -- and it's explosive speed. ...he was the only guy I saw on film all year chase down (five-star Ohio State quarterback signee) Braxton Miller, and he did it two, three, maybe four times."
"He's a kid with a very high ceiling," said Allen Trieu, Scout.com's Midwest regional manager. "He's a smart, coachable kid who can project into a lot of systems. In the Midwest he's one of the top prospects. I like the film more and more each time I go through it. His lack of size is holding him back some, but I think he's a high four-star type prospect."
On the bright side, this means Chris Wormley probably won't get a committable offer from the Buckeyes, and is pushed toward Michigan.
ESPN talks about recent Michigan offeree Keith Marshall.
"Keith is without a doubt one of best backs in the country," said Millbrook coach Clarence Inscore. "There are not too many better. What separates him from everyone else is his work ethic on the field, in the classroom, and during the offseason. He always wants that edge. Keith has this internal drive and wants to be the best. Keith is just a great competitor that makes others better around him."
Also, mark this down for a FAKE 40 time in case the kid ends up going Blue:
While Marshall was timed at 4.25 in the 40 at UNC's camp, he also runs with power, balance and vision
Michigan offered last week, and AZ OL Andrus Peat admits it's a big deal for him:
The Michigan offer is big, Peat said, mainly because of the program's tradition and its success of producing offensive linemen over the years. The Wolverines will definitely be considered as his recruitment continues. "It's definitely a big offer with how much they've won over the years and they definitely put out a lot of good offensive linemen so it's one I'm looking at," Peat said.
Tom talked to Peat, and says Michigan will have to work hard to land him.
KY QB Zeke Pike spoke with head coach Brady Hoke when he received his Michigan offer:
"I actually talked to the head coach (Brady Hoke) at Michigan and he offered me over the phone. I like how he's gonna be going back to the traditional Michigan offense."
Pike wants to decide before his senior season ($, info in header). He plans to make his first round of cuts after some school visits following his basketball season. Pike is good friends with 2011 Michigan commit Chris Barnett (HT: ChrisPerryCarry).
IL OL Dan Voltz has picked up some bigtime offers lately ($, info in header). He holds a Michigan offer, and plans to decide before his senior season. He went into a bit more detail with Tom:
The schools will have, like Michigan does, a good combination of football and academics. It has to be a school that I feel comfortable being at because I will be spending the next four to five years of my life there. Lastly, there has to be a stable coaching staff, that will play a part in it.
Saying "the schools that make my cut will be like Michigan" is certainly a good sign that the Wolverines are in the hunt.
Tom talked to the head coach of CA OL Kyle Murphy, who Michigan offered last week.
He's interested in academics, that's one of the reasons why Michigan appeals to him. He wants to play at the highest level he can, and the Big Ten and Michigan are right up there," said Patton. "The Big Ten is very prestigious, and he wants to go to a place that respects football and a good education. His family is very academically oriented, and they've said they'll move out of state for Kyle"
Sounds like academics are getting more than lip service, which helps Michigan.
MI LB James Ross was offered by Ohio State. Though OLSM has been friendly to the Buckeyes in recent years, I've heard they think Taurian Washington hasn't been treated right in Columbus, so keep an eye on that situation. Ross and his dad both came away impressed with Michigan after an unofficial visit over the weekend. Ross played hockey growing up, which he credits with his growth as a player:
"I actually think hockey is what separates me from most linebackers," Ross said. "I think it helped me with that first quick step and getting to the ball as fast as you can, because hockey, once you see it you have to go. There is no delayed step into it. That's definitely something that separates me."
He says Ohio State and Michigan are certain to make his first cut, so it's safe to say those are an early top 2. He visited Michigan this weekend ($, info in header).
FL QB Bennie Coney grew up loving Florida State, but is keeping his options open ($, info in headers). CA TE Taylor McNamara built a relationship with Michigan's staff when they were at San Diego State, and that could help the Wolverines in his recruitment. MI WR Aaron Burbridge has been offered by Ohio State and Notre Dame. OH DT Jaleel Johnson will be at Michigan's Junior Day, and is looking for a Wolverine offer at that time. GA DE Jordan Watkins wants to hear from Michigan. Michigan is interested in OH RB William Mahone as a defensive player. NY CB Wayne Morgan is in contact with Michigan. It's a great year for talent in Michigan.


text:
Well, economically speaking the past few years have been pretty thin. If I hadn't made the strategic decision to head back to Minnesota several years ago there's no way I could have stayed afloat living in the bay area. California is not at all a cheap place to live, and I was always cutting it close out there. Lately I've been cutting it pretty close here, too. I don't even have insurance any more... knock on wood. Personally, absolutely. I've made friends all over the world. I hear from people every day who love Slackware and depend on it for critical tasks, and who don't want to run something else. Working on the project is exciting and fun, and the folks on the team are some of my best friends. It's just not possible to put a dollar value on that.
It's too bad the Bay Area is unaffordable for many of those who want to devote a significant amount of productivity towards open source projects.
I'd like to believe these projects could make much more money if only the right people knew about them, but we all know that's not the point in the first place.
Similar to social workers and others who do the noble work in our society, communities should devote resources to provide nice affordable housing for these people.
The problem, of course, is convincing local governments.
Social worker, teachers, and others doing the "noble work" are always underpaid. That's just the way it is. As long as people are willing to do that work for cheap, it will be done for cheap. Local governments don't care because they have to balance the budget, unlike the Feds.
Social worker, teachers, and others doing the "noble work" are always underpaid. That's just the way it is. As long as people are willing to do that work for cheap, it will be done for cheap. Local governments don't care because they have to balance the budget, unlike the Feds.
I don't think anyone is disputing that.
Nevertheless, something other than material gain is usually driving those who pursue such careers. In a theoretical world where valuation is solely capitalistic, these individuals are consequently severely undervalued based on their importance to social development.
Even though our world isn't solely capitalistic, these individuals are still undervalued and should therefore have recompense to bring greater balance into social valuation.
They're valued perfectly. You're just incorrect about the world not being solely capitalistic. You get paid what it makes sense to pay you - enough to satisfy minimum wage (this helps prevent riots/race wars etc) if you do something which doesn't require much in the way of training, and enough to stop you leaving and working elsewhere if you are higher skilled.
Someone who does morally good things doesn't tend to get the rewards a just society would bestow on them because it doesn't benefit the people who'
They're valued perfectly.
To be honest, what with the population explosion, global warming, governments being too busy working with the banks to screw everyone over and billions of illiterate people all wanting nice cars and air conditioning means we're all pretty much fucked anyway so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
If my concern is teachers/social workers/open source engineers aren't justly compensated, and your concern is a general lack of awareness or apathy about global warming, overpopulation and wealth disparity, you'd think there'd be a way we could meet in the middle here....
You sir are 100% correct. I recently committed some code to a large open source project and my wifes first response was "So are you getting paid for it?". She couldn't understand why I'd want to do something like that for free and she was a little upset, because she felt I should be doing something to better our family. It didn't matter how I tried to explain I do make money off of the project, because she doesn't understand something of value being offered for free. I have a feeling she's like 99% of the p
Social worker, teachers, and others doing the "noble work" are always underpaid.
Doctors aren't underpaid, and that's one of the most noble professions there is.
It's also incredibly highly skilled, and most people are priced out of the education required to become doctors, even if they have the natural talent and desire to do the job. In the US there's even an open conspiracy to allow only a slow trickle of new doctors to be licensed so that prices for their services can be kept artificially high. A non-free education system is always going to misuse/squander some human talent.
Then there's the massive amount of man hours and intelligent people who go into law, a pr
Nice try. Too bad you totally ignore what it takes for a primary care physician to make his or her income. Surgeons are another story.
As a physician (posting anonymously for obvious reasons), I work an average of well over 85 hours per week. At this very moment I am in the middle of my 1-week-out-of-3 call, which means that I am working 168 hours straight (no call pay either) this week, and will then do the next 2 weeks mostly in the office. Rinse and repeat.
I make the annual equivalent of 85K before ta
Social workers do nothing noble, they are maggots feeding on sores.
In 1993, I started using Slack exclusively (except school, where Sun owned the place).
Thanks for all your hard work. Your efforts launched several careers, and many more hobbyists.
So, Thanks!
Me too!!!
If you're a Ubuntu user and want to learn more about *nix but don't want to mess with Gentoo or a BSD, I totally recommend Slackware.
LOL. I was the opposite progression -- I started on Slack 7.1 (through 9 dot...something), got hired as a sys admin in a Solaris/BSD shop (although Slack was the desktop of choice there), then got a job in a shop that used Gentoo but now uses Ubuntu (the PHB's like that you can buy support from Canonical, even though we've never had to do it).
Slack was cool, and I probably wouldn't have gotten my break as a sys admin if I hadn't been a Slackware user (the Linux guy during the interview was a hard-core S
60+ floppies (check), X hand-made configuration,... Ah yes, those were the days, been there, done that as well.
Slackware is simply, as far as I am concerned, the first, the best and the only Linux I truly care about. All the rest are either boring, uninteresting, buggy or way over-the-top. Slackware always gave me this rock-solid, work-of-love, geeky feeling of goodness. And yes, with Slackware, everything works out of the box.
Keep your Ubuntu, your OpenSUSE or your Gentoo - as long as I got my Slackware CD
I started using Slackware since it came with the 2.0.30 kernel
I have used Slackware ever since. For my webservers I run Debian. But my home pc is Slackware. Long ago when I first got into linux as it was told to me the best way to learn is start on Slackware. You compile everything yourself unlike redhat or debian based systems with their package downloaders that did it all for you and put everything where it supposed to go, etc.
Slackware "put hair on your chest" hehe, you want a specific program you downloaded the source and compiled it, if it required other libraries, then you downloaded those library sources and compiled them then go back and compile the other.
It was a "flavor" of linux I always recommend for learning, as I tell people once you know Slackware, all other flavors are easymode.
Course it's just my opinion and I've always loved Slackware for my personal machines, and yes I do see use for other "flavors" as I always run Debian on webservers and such for the simple package downloaders can just apt-get whatever needed. Course it won't be compiled specifically for you but it runs.
My top 2 linux distros are #1 Slackware, #2 Debian and that's all I use, I've played with SUSE, and such. But everyone jumped on the Ubuntu fad, and to me it's good that it's noob friendly, but it's way too noobish imo, I consider Ubuntu to be linux-light
Each has their purpose.
Slackware fanboi though.
I agree and I have the same experiences with slackware. I've been using it since the early 90s and learned on it as well. Even to this day I recommend it to people wanting to learn Linux, but there's always that idiot that goes on about Ubuntu is better for learning. Sadly a lot of people will listen to that person.
I visited Slackware's website [slackware.com], and things there seem really dated. Kernel 188.8.131.52? Seriously, if they are updating it now, what's wrong w/ going w/ 3.4, or 3.3 if they don't think it's stable? Also, the new $SLACKWARE_VERSION.$KERNEL_VERSION naming system doesn't make sense - if that's how they're doing it, why not call it Slackware 13.2.6 or something like that, so that users can, from the numbers after the first decimal point, figure that that's the Linux kernel version that it's based on. (Incidenta
No, I wasn't trolling, I apparently didn't get that joke, partly b'cos I thought that numbering the version as something like 13.2.6 was actually neat, in that one would detect the distro version as the first, and the kernel version after. I understand that they didn't go for bleeding edge, but there have been 3 releases of the kernel, and 3.0 wasn't a quantum jump from 2.6 the way software is usually numbered: the difference b/w 2.6 and 3.0 was the same as that of 3.0 to 3.2. Therefore one would have exp
If you want something newer, go with -current instead of the stable release. You may encounter issues, but it is a lot more up to date system.
The Slackware stable releases almost never get version upgrades, only upstream security patches. Versions might get upgraded if certain version of a package is declared unmaintained by the upstream developers and a security issue is found, but is not the norm. By the way, the packages on releases as old as 8.1 (released on 2001) are still receiving updates (last for 8
That is the -stable version, released more than one year ago... check the -current version instead:
http://www.slackware.com/changelog/current.php?cpu=x86_64 [slackware.com]
usually there is a -stable release once a year, but this time the 13.37 version is taking longer to be replaced. many people use the -current directly, it's almost just as stable, as long you read the changelog before updating things
the -current is using firefox 12 (and the new firefox 13 should go out in a few days) and kernel is 3.2.13 and the kde is 4
My home machines have had Slackware Linux as their primary OS since around 1995, and I still maintain that Slack is the most Unix-like of all the Linuxes. This classic, verging on historic, distro has always been rock solid, dependable, and reliable, and has always accepted that I'm the one in charge of my hardware, not Patrick.
But thanks to a new job, I've been forcibly immersed in a bunch of "modern" Linux distros lately, and have finally been seduced by the dark side. Yes, after Slacking for something li
"Is it a point of pride that your distro is considered difficult to install/use and expert level, or do you view that negatively because it keeps new users from wanting to try Slack?"
Huh, Slackware was the first Linux disto I managed to successfully install, and it's still the one I turn to for Linux.
The relative importance of files depends on their cost in terms of the human effort needed to regenerate them. -- T.A. Dolotta