Virginia Governor Ralph Northam

The yearbook photo ruckus with the Virginia Governor is, in my estimation, totally blown out of proportion, and this Op-Ed succinctly expresses what’s being overlooked, which is the PRESENT -and- the TRACK RECORD.

Wallace and Dr. James Hood admire Hood’s University of Alabama, Ph.D in Higher Education Administration diploma at Wallace’s Montgomery, Ala., home May 19, 1997. Wallace denied Hood admission to the University of Alabama in 1963.

Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace, right, is shown at the Governor’s Mansion in Montgomery with a meeting between presidential hopeful Rev. Jesse Jackson in this July 21, 1987 photo. In the 1980s he renounced his segregationist views, and he won his last term as governor (1983-87) with support from black voters.

There’s a significantly vast difference between the photo under question, and the matter of Iowa Representative Steve King, whose words and actions are not merely oblique, but blatantly white supremacist / racist.

I think also about late former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, who remains the only four-term Governor that State has ever had.

An August 26, 1994 photo of Wallace in an emotional moment as he shares a hug with friend Connie Harper at a celebration of his 75th birthday.

Several years following the 1972 assassination attempt upon him in Maryland, he campaigned for, and won re-election to an unprecedented fourth and final term in 1982 while wheelchair bound… and with the broad support of the African American voting community in the state, without whose support

Meteorology, Mama & Baby -or- How I Was Befriended By Luck

It was Easter Sunday, 2010, and unknown to me, dumb luck had befriended me.

Pure dumb luck.

Even scientists believe in it.

In 1996, Duncan C. Blanchard, a meteorological researcher then affiliated with the State University of New York at Albany, authored a scientific paper entitled “Serendipity, Scientific Discovery, and Project Cirrus” published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society in which he cited Project Cirrus (1947-52), a period and project of research from which “many serendipitous discoveries and inventions were made, opening up areas of research still being pursued today.”

Blanchard’s work was cited a decade later in 2006 by David M. Schultz, who was then affiliated with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, and the NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory, Norman, Oklahoma in a research paper entitled The Mysteries of Mammatus Clouds: Observations and Formation Mechanisms. In it he wrote that what little we know about mammatus clouds was, because of their nature, “obtained largely through serendipitous opportunities.”

In other words, what little we know about the clouds (so named after human breasts because of their appearance), has been obtained by pure dumb luck – although, being prepared, and being in the right place at the right time does account for something.

In conversation recently with a dear, and longtime friend, I shared about

#iPhoneography Tips & Tricks

The iPhone is a simple, though powerful tool. It’s ease of operation often belies the sophisticated mathematical and computer algorithms which undergird it’s operations. The integrated movie and still camera is one of the iPhone’s highlights, and Apple, Inc. makes every opportunity to improve the images the camera produces.

Quite honestly, the iPhone is perhaps my favorite creative imaging tool… as you may likely attest, if you’ve been following my photo stream for any time. There are very few things the iPhone can do that my Nikon DSLR cannot. There are a few features on the iPhone which the Nikon does not have, and vice versa. One is the Nikon’s ability to create RAW images, whereas the iPhone creates only JPEG images. By the same token, the iPhone has a “Burst” mode, whereas the Nikon does not. And I’ve been able to obtain images with my iPhone that my Nikon could never get, such as bluebird hatchlings in their nest box.

The diminutive size of the iPhone belies it’s strength, and the ubiquitous modern smartphone with integrated camera is now so commonplace that

Sometimes, Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: Florida Man Named “Phuc Kieu” Arrested, Charged With Sexual Assault

Screenshot, from http://mugshotsgainesville.com/mug-shot/phuc-x-kieu

Man named Phuc Kieu tries to ‘sexually assault, rob’ passerby

By Sophia Rosenbaum

November 24, 2014 | 2:30pm

What the Phuc.

A Florida man named Phuc Kieu tried to sexually assault and rob a man on Sunday, the Gainesville Sun reported.

Kieu — more formally Phuc X. Kieu — was watching gay porn on a portable DVD player in his car when a second man walked by after withdrawing $220 from an ATM, according to local authorities.

Kieu, a 58-year-old Orlando resident,

Philip Lutzenkirchen, aged 23, Auburn University great Tight End #43 & Ian Davis, U of Georgia athlete killed in wreck ejection

May he rest in peace, and his memory be blessed.

EVEN AS PASSENGERS – FRONT OR REAR – WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!!!

***

UPDATE: Friday, 08August2014

Philip Lutzenkirchen Autopsy: Blood Alcohol Content 0.377

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AUBURN, Ala. — Former Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen died in a wreck early Sunday morning outside of LaGrange, Ga.

He was 23.

Lutzenkirchen’s fatal accident occurred in Troup County, just southeast of LaGrange, at approximately 3:06 a.m. Sunday morning, according to Master Trooper B.N. Talley of the Georgia State Patrol, who responded to the scene.

“It happened at the intersection of Upper Big Springs Road and Lower Big Springs Road,” Talley said. “The vehicle was a 2006 Chevy Tahoe and the driver missed a stop sign at the intersection of those two roads, which is more or less a ‘T-intersection.’ They traveled through the intersection off into a churchyard. They were out of control for about 450 feet.”

General area of crash, where Auburn University football great Philip Lutzenkirchen was killed

Specific location crash site

Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen (43) spins a football during Auburn’s first Spring practice of the 2012 season, Friday March 23, 2012 in Auburn, Ala.
(AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Hal Yeager)

Auburn H-Back Philip Lutzenkirchen (43) stretches with teammates before the Chick-fil-A Bowl game in the Georgia Dome Saturday night in Atlanta, Ga., December 31, 2011. Lutzenkirchen is a native of Marietta, graduating from Lassiter High School.
AJC photo by Jason Getz

At that point, Talley said, the vehicle overturned, ejecting three of the four passengers.

“Philip was one of them,” Talley said,” and he was killed at the scene.”

The driver of the vehicle, Joseph Davis, was also killed.

Lutzenkirchen, who was seated behind Davis, was not wearing his seat belt. Talley said they “are still looking into” how fast the vehicle was traveling when it ran through the stop sign.

Updates to come.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/06/29/3177530/breaking-former-auburn-tight-end.html?sp=/99/210/

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Impact location – Google Maps
https://goo.gl/maps/WJl8b

Google Earth
http://j.mp/1mbxzMR

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Auburn great Philip Lutzenkirchen killed in car accident

By Wesley Sinor | wsinor@al.com

Follow on Twitter
on June 29, 2014 at 12:09 PM, updated June 29, 2014 at 12:51 PM

Former Auburn star Philip Lutzenkirchen has died in a car accident Sunday morning, AL.com has confirmed.

According to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, the accident occurred at 3:06 a.m. in Troup County outside of LaGrange, Ga.

“The vehicle was a 2006 Chevy Tahoe and the driver missed a stop sign at the intersection of those two roads, which is more or less a ‘T-intersection,'” said Master Trooper B.N. Talley of the Georgia State Patrol. “They traveled through the intersection off into a churchyard. They were out of control for about 450 feet.”

According to Talley, the vehicle then overturned and ejected three of the four passengers, including Lutzenkirchen, who was killed at the scene.

The 23-year-old from Marietta, Ga., was one of the most popular Auburn players in recent history. He ranks first in touchdowns by a tight end in school history with 14 from 2009 to 2012.

Lutzenkirchen saw his collegiate career end after suffering a major hip injury against Ole Miss in 2012. He signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis in April 2013, but was released four months later due to the lingering injury that eventually required surgery.After hanging up the cleats, Lutzenkirchen had been working at a wealth management company in Montgomery and volunteering with the football team at St. James School in Montgomery. St. James head coach Jimmy Perry confirmed the news of his death with AL.com.

Several of Lutzenkirchen’s coaches, teammates and fans have shared their condolences after hearing the news.

We All Love… Silly Pet Pictures

Seen here, Izzy, the dog has “rescued” a discarded empty of chips from the trash bin, apparently in hopes of obtaining a smidgen of a tasty morsel. / Photo by SRL

Do Animals…

Things like this – Cat LOL videos, stories of animals having friendships, and other similarly expressive photos & stories (such as the depressed goat which was separated from, then was reunited with it’s longtime donkey companion) – are quite fascinating.

The reason why should be self-evident. Which is, that we find them humorous or entertaining because we ascribe human traits to animals.

From childhood, I never considered the

Fighting Fire with Fire: Standing on ALERT for more SPAM

For your perusal, ladies and gentlemen.

Behold the SPAM.

Recall that earlier, I’d shared tips on how to detect SPAM.

Bad speling, poor gramur, same IP address, some kind of store, and often asking for something – such as other social media locations.

Here, in this instance, notice the Time Stamp, the

You’re not from around here, are you?

The “Georgia Walnut Pie,” seen here at Harbor View Cafe, Pepin, Wisconsin (Originally uploaded by rabidscottsman)

An alternate title for this entry might be: Walnuts, Pies, Strippers & Experts

Of course, that makes no sense. And for some, it makes neither cents, nor dollars.

But never you mind.

Pie and ice cream.

Who doesn’t like it?

Sounds dee-lish… right?

Any kind of pie, and almost any kind of ice cream. I say “any kind” with a caveat. Any kind EXCEPT Neapolitan. That’s horrid. Truly horrid. Whoever imagined the idea of “Neapolitan” ice cream is probably now suffering eternal punishment – a special torture reserved exclusively for the damned.

And, perhaps somebody should tell those folks.

I mean to refer to the folks that came up with a name like “Georgia Walnut Pie.”

Somebody should tell those folks that…

Wrong Passcode – try again

Got iPhone?

Sure.

Chances are, you do.

Wrong Passcode iPhone screen shot

The iPhone is the world’s most popular selling cell phone.

This screen shot was made after entering the wrong Passcode.

Once the wrong Passcode is entered several consecutive times, the iPhone

UAH Professor Killer Amy Bishop Pleads Guilty

The reader should understand: The cost of trying capital cases – cases in which the penalty is, or may be death – are EXCEEDINGLY more expensive than any other case, simply because of the numerous levels of mandatory appeals. Thus, by pleading guilty, and spending the rest her natural life behind bars – without the possibility of parole, and being given humane healthcare – the District Attorney, Amy Bishop and her defense attorneys have saved Madison County, Huntsville, and the State of Alabama many MILLIONS of tax dollars.

That is true, even given that she may live perhaps another 40 years – though that is highly unlikely, simply because incarceration exacts a physical toll upon a person’s life, shortening it by many years. Estimating a cost of $20,000/year (which includes the total cost of employees to guard & manage the system, cost of operations, etc.), and supposing she lives another 40 years (which is less likely, than not) the total flat-line cost would be $800,000.

A 2004 report entitled “State Prison Expenditures, 2001” by James B. Stephan, Statistician for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, of the Department of Justice, found that the cost of food and medical expenses, food service & utilities cost per prisoner in Alabama was $1776. Alabama’s Average Annual Operating Cost per prisoner was $8128 – THE lowest of 50 states. Other components of cost – employee cost, salaries, wages, benefits, supplies, maintenance, contractual services, and other aspects of facility operation, etc. – account for nearly 96% of all operating costs. According to the report, of all states, Alabama has the HIGHEST per-prisoner cost of utilities as a percentage of operating expenditure, at 5.7%. Perhaps it’s time to rethink solar, wind and other sources of renewable energy?

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Sep 11, 3:15 PM EDT

Ex-prof pleads guilty to killing Ala. colleagues

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An ex-professor pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally shooting three colleagues and wounding three others at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, court officials said.

Amy Bishop, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder involving two or more people and three counts of attempted murder. She had earlier pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Amy Bishop pleads guilty to murder and attempted murder in Madison County.

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against the Harvard-educated Bishop and it was not immediately clear if they would drop the penalty as part of the plea deal. Sentencing will be after arguments are heard at a hearing on Sept. 24.

Prosecutors say

Global Warming: Greenland may finally become green

Readers may already know of the legend of an irony of naming Greenland “Greenland,” especially since much of that nation is covered by ice or snow. On the other hand, their nearest national neighbor, Iceland, is green. In fact, some say Iceland’s verdancy is exceeded only the Emerald Isle (that’d be Ireland).

Again, Greenland is snowy/icy, while Iceland is green.

But, thanks to that great myth called “global warming,” Greenland may become green!

It seems the mythical fallacy of “global warming” is causing ice to melt in Greenland.

Yeah.

Must be the hot air from the Great Debate over whether or not “Global Warming” is merely a periodic, or even occasional occurrence, or if it is a cyclical, if not long-term trend.

So, here’s that Republican myth again…

You know it, the one that says “there is no global warming.”

Extent of surface melt over Greenland’s ice sheet on July 8 (left) and July 12 (right). Measurements from three satellites showed that on July 8, about 40 percent of the ice sheet had undergone thawing at or near the surface. In just a few days, the melting had dramatically accelerated and an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface had thawed by July 12. In the image, the areas classified as “probable melt” (light pink) correspond to those sites where at least one satellite detected surface melting. The areas classified as “melt” (dark pink) correspond to sites where two or three satellites detected surface melting. The satellites are measuring different physical properties at different scales and are passing over Greenland at different times. As a whole, they provide a picture of an extreme melt event about which scientists are very confident.
Credit: Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, SSAI/NASA GSFC, and Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/greenland-melt.html

Yeah… it’s all a myth.

It’s a make-believe fairy tale.

There’s really no such thing as “Global Warming.”

Here.

Have another drink of the “More Tax Cuts with More Military Spending” Kook-Aid.

Then, put your head back into the sand.

You’ll be okay.

Yeah… see, all this is made up.

It’s all Hollywood Special Effects & Photoshop.

Just like the myth that Americans landed on the moon.

Keep it tuned to Faux News!

Just click your heels three times and you’ll be back in Kansas!

—

For several days this month, Greenland’s surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations. Nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland,

New fans find that film ain’t dead yet!

It may be on life support, but it’s still hanging on.

The odd thing about it is, that anyone can take a crappy picture, and most do. Lens flares, inaccurate color balance and other “quirky” things about these inferior quality cameras for some reason, endear them to their users.

Go figure.

—

Just When You Got Digital Technology, Film Is Back

May 30, 2012, By JENNA WORTHAM

When is the last time you took a photo with an old-school camera — the kind that doesn’t have a wireless connection, needs to be loaded with finicky rolls of film and is too bulky to slide into a back pocket?

A panoramic image captured by one of Lomography’s cameras, the Spinner 360. (Lomography)

Unless you are a professional photographer or an artist, it has probably been a while. Most people have abandoned film cameras for digital models or, more recently, smartphones outfitted with lens accessories and apps like Instagram that make photo-sharing extremely simple.

But film photography is having another moment in the sun, thanks to some hip, quirky companies like Lomography and the Impossible Project, which are resurrecting this seemingly archaic art for

Massive Winter Storm Blasts USA: Satellite pic Feb 01 2011

The original image size is 800×762 pixels, far too large to fit in this space. The photo is linked to the original NOAA source.

I’m gonna’ sleep with one eye open from now on.

A miserable excuse of an
animal… Ladies and Gentlemen – introducing, for your viewing
pleasure… Runt the Cat!! Actually, I write facetiously. He’s a
pretty good ol’ cat… for a cat. Lyric excerpt & title
from: The bluegrass tune, “I’m gonna sleep with one eye open” I M
GONNA SLEEP WITH ONE EYE O (Legal Title); BMI Work #656627;
Alternate Titles: SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN; Songwriter/Composer;
Current Affiliation; CAE/IPI # – FLATT, LESTER; BMI; 10343544
Publishers: APRS; BMI; 1156248

I don’t know how you did it, but…

Mandelbrot fractal pattern

 

You made me love you.

Flickr-ing Connectivity

Is this a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing?

Well dang!

Photography as therapy

The gentleman who owns VocalCoach.com shared with me that photography is “where I get my peace.” His name is Chris, and I met him today while

Flickr: Deepwater Horizon Response’s Photostream

GULF OF MEXICO - Coast Guard Seaman Michael Paluh scans the site of the Deepwater Horizon Response at dawn as the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute patrols nearby July 8, 2010. The Resolute, home-ported in St. Petersburg, Fla., is serving as a search and rescue guard to help support and protect people and ships involved in Deepwater Horizon response efforts to stop the leak and recover oil on the water. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Belson.

Flickr: Deepwater Horizon Response’s Photostream.

Rainwaters Flood Tennessee

Tennesseans Awash in Floodwaters

Photographs below…