We're gonna need a bigger boat.

Or maybe 2 boats (?)
Not sure about the math on this one.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2254780/Spectacular-photo-captures-moment-great-white-gobbled-EVEN-BIGGER-shark-hauled-fishermans-boat.html

A Sunday night history lesson.

It's been said before that truth is stranger than fiction and, as this story proves, often times a lot funnier.
I love a story where the bad guy/bully/idiot gets his due.

Love the smile on that guy's face; says it all!

Battle of Hayes Pond

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Hayes Pond refers to an armed confrontation between the Ku Klux Klan and Lumbee Indians near Maxton, North Carolina, on the night of January 18, 1958. Sanford Locklear, Simeon Oxendine and Neill Lowery were leaders among the Lumbee who challenged and routed the Klan that night.

During the 1950s, independent chapters of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) conducted terrorist actions throughout the American South, in part in reaction to rising civil rights actions, economic progress by African Americans, and the US Supreme Court ruling in 1954 calling for public school desegregation. Cars filled with KKK men traveled from South Carolina to small towns in North Carolina to intimidate people.[1]

In 1957, Klan Grand Dragon James W. "Catfish" Cole, an evangelist and radio preacher in South Carolina, began to harass the Lumbee Indians and other minorities of Robeson County, North Carolina.[2] He had been charged with building up the Klan in the state.[1] Cole told newspapers: "There's about 30,000 half-breeds up in Robeson County and we are going to have some cross burnings and scare them up".[citation needed]

On January 13, 1958, a group of KKK burned a cross on the lawn of a Lumbee woman in the town of St. Pauls, North Carolina, as "a warning" because she was dating a white man. The Klan burned a cross on the lawn of a Lumbee family who had moved into a white neighborhood. Cole spoke against the "mongrelization" of the races and announced plans for a Klan rally on January 18, 1958, near the small town of Maxton, intended “to put the Indians in their place, to end race mixing”.[3] His speeches, referring to the "loose morals" of Lumbee women, provoked anger among the Lumbee. Robeson County Sheriff Malcolm McLeod met with Cole and told him that "his life would be in danger if he came to Maxton and made the same speech he'd been making".[citation needed] Cole proceeded with his plans.
[edit]Rally

On the night of the rally, only 50-100 Klansmen arrived at the private field, most armed with rifles or small arms. Before Cole began speaking, over 500 Lumbee men, many armed with sticks or guns, appeared and encircled the assembled Klansmen.[2] First the Lumbee shot out the one light, then began yelling and attacked. They shot their guns into the air; four Klansmen were lightly wounded. With the light out, the remaining Klansmen fled the scene, leaving family members, the public address system, unlit cross, and various Klan regalia behind. James W. "Catfish" Cole reportedly left his wife behind and escaped through a nearby swamp.[citation needed] Curious onlookers had also shown up.

Afterward, the Lumbee celebrated by holding up the abandoned KKK banner; Charlie Warriax and World War II veteran Simeon Oxendine were shown wrapped in it in Life magazine photos.[4] Oxendine, Neill Lowery and Sanford Locklear were acknowledged leaders among the Lumbee.[1] Many local, state and national newspapers covered the event and captured photos of Lumbee burning the regalia and dancing around an open fire in nearby Pemberton (now a suburb of Raleigh). North Carolina Governor Luther H. Hodgesdenounced the Klan in a press statement. Cole was prosecuted, convicted, and served a two-year sentence for inciting a riot.[2] Since then, the Lumbee celebrate the day of the Battle of Hayes Pond annually as a holiday.

The Klan ceased its activities in Robeson County thereafter.

[edit]

This is a sweet story.
Country singer Kellie Pickler was performing at a concert in Nashville over the weekend when a woman from the audience approached the stage and shared a personal moment with the singer.

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/kellie-pickler-shares-remarkably-personal-moment-fan-concert-161430246.html

Not many people, much less lady-folk, can pull off the shaved head look.
KP shaved her noggin' to show support for a friend who has breast cancer.

She seems ok.

For the last couple weeks I have been trying hard to avoid political commentary.
It's too depressing.
And it's too easy to veer into really negative and unimaginative writing that no-one wants to read.

I don't like it.

But, I think the fact that the newspaper in New York published the addresses of gun owners has crossed American politics over into something else; something ugly.

It's scary how an American paper would seek to intimidate, embarrass, and harass ordinary citizens who are, whether you and I agree with it or not, acting within their constitutional rights.
These people haven't committed any crimes, they just own guns.
And the paper doesn't like it and decided to publish their home addresses.

Seriously think about that.
What if they start publishing lists of the people who oppose some policy the paper supports?
How much longer before they publish a list of SUV owners?
Or people who consume too much electricity or natural gas?
Who don't recycle?
People who own fur?
People whose houses are "too big"?

Unfortunately, this is the real, "And I said nothing...." moment.

And, despite the article below,  I'm not seeing many people saying anything.










Ed. Note:
El Duecey sent me this note via email yesterday:

was trying to post the below but somehow keep failing at my attempt to keep up with the Jones' ...

Smart find & post EPPdF. There are so many 'wrongs' with posting this information that it is hard to imagine that they thought this one all the way through.

So much of the discussion around 'gun control' is positioned in binary focused discussions. The NRA has taken a very hard line that seems silly to me but protects something important to their leadership. Others take a 'zero guns' approach that seems destined to just make noise rather than make any real progress.

This brings me to the thought of 'progress toward what end' and off into the abyss I go...

Not until you pry it from my cold dead hook...........

Gun owner map ricochet: Blogger publishes journalists' personal data

A newspaper published names and addresses of thousands of legal handgun owners, generating widespread criticism. In retaliation, a blogger mapped the names and addresses of the journalists.

By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer / December 27, 2012




Hand guns that were turned in by their owners in a trash bin at a gun buyback held by the Los Angeles Police Department. People can anonymously trade in their guns, no questions asked, for $200 grocery store gift cards for automatic weapons and $100 gift cards for shotguns, handguns and rifles.

David McNew/REUTERSEnlarge

The flap over the newspaper that published information about handgun owners in two New Yorkcounties has ricocheted back toward the news organization.

Thousands of critics – including some journalism professionals – have weighed in. And at least one blogger has retaliated by publishing the names and addresses of editors and executives at the Journal News, the publication headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., north of New York City and part of the Gannettorganization.

Still, the Journal News is not backing down. Editors say they’ll publish information on handgun owners in a third county (Putnam) once county officials have responded to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that resulted in tens of thousands of names and addresses in Westchester and Rockland Counties.

The controversy began over the weekend when the Journal News ran a story on some 44,000 registered handgun owners in the two counties, including names and addresses showing exactly where those gun owners live using Google Maps. “The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood,” read the headline.

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre that killed 20 first-graders and six school employees, quickly followed by a raging debate over gun control and Second Amendment rights, it’s not surprising that journalists would look for fresh and provocative angles to cover the story.

David Gregory, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” has taken flak for showing an ammunition magazine in his interview with National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre last Sunday. Such large-capacity magazines are banned in the District of Columbia, where the show was taped.

The online magazine Slate has partnered with the anonymous creator of the Twitter feed @GunDeaths to craft what it calls “an interactive, crowdsourced tally of the toll firearms have taken since Dec. 14” – the day when 20-year-old Adam Lanza, armed with an assault-style rifle, two handguns, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in large-capacity magazines, forced his way into the Sandy Hook grade school in Newtown.

The Slate map details 206 gunshot deaths in the United States since Sandy Hook, including 21 teens and children.

But publishing the names and addresses of legitimate handgun owners is seen as very different from tallying gun deaths or discussing aspects of weaponry. (The Journal News report does not include “long guns” – shotguns and rifles, including assault-style rifles – which do not require licenses.)

Syracuse University journalism professor Hubert Brown told CBS News, “Mapping-based journalism is a big trend right now, but we have to be very very careful about the types of information that we are going to publish here.”

Related stories

Second Amendment Quiz

Sharp criticism after New York newspaper publishes names of local gun owners
Gun control: Is David Gregory’s on-air stunt proof of media bias?
NRA’s LaPierre doesn’t back down from ‘crazy’ guns-in-schools proposal


“In this case I think that the newspaper has gone a little bit too far in terms of publishing information that actually stigmatizes people,” he said. "I think it's a bit disingenuous of the Journal News to say that they are just giving information out here. They were taking a position on guns.”

Of some 20,000 registered handgun owners inRockland County, CBS also reported, 8,000 of them are active duty or retired police officers who may now feel vulnerable to criminals they’ve sent to prison looking for revenge and just a mouse-click away from knowing the officers’ home addresses.

Some observers have likened the map of legal gun owners to public data on registered sex offenders.

“The problem is not that the Gannett-owned Journal News was too aggressive,” wrote Al Tompkins of thePoynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., which teaches journalism practices and ethics in newsrooms, classrooms, and online. “The problem is that the paper was not aggressive enough in its reporting to justify invading the privacy of people who legally own handguns in two counties it serves.”

Among the most outspoken critics of the Journal News’s controversial gun map project is lawyer and author Charles Fountain, who blogs at “For What It’s Worth.”

This week, he published the names, addresses and other contact information for the newspaper's publisher, editor, and other staff members connected with the news story and map. (In an “Editor’s note,” the newspaper already had acknowledged that reporter Dwight R. Worley, who wrote the story, “owns a Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Magnum and has had a residence permit in New York City for that weapon since February 2011.”)

"Somehow, [The Journal News was] conflating legal gun owners with some crazed, tormented devil up in Newtown and putting the two together, and I was offended by that and I wondered how they'd like it if their addresses were published,” Mr. Fountain said on CNN.

“I’ve received e-mails from abused women who were under protective order and in hiding, and they’re terribly afraid that now their names and addresses are all over the Internet and accessible through that map,” he added.

So far, the newspaper is sticking by its journalistic guns.

“Frequently, the work of journalists is not popular,” Journal News Publisher Janet Hasson said in a statement. “One of our roles is to report publicly available information on timely issues, even when unpopular. We knew publication of the database (as well as the accompanying article providing context) would be controversial, but we felt sharing information about gun permits in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings.”

1

Dropkick Murphys - "The Season's Upon Us" (Video)

I may have found this a day or two late but it's still funny!

Enjoy.

I just found this article whilst roaming around via treehugger, tinyhousetalk, and something else I can't remember.

It's from http://zenhabits.net/

I have much to say on this soon ,))

Crazy Talk: The Do-What-You-Love Guide

‘Everything you can imagine is real.’ ~Pablo Picasso
Post written by Leo Babauta.


When I wrote the first words of this blog, more than five years ago, I had no idea those few keystrokes would change my life.


I thought I was doing nothing more than reflecting on the changes that had been happening in my life, sharing a bit about what I learned with a handful of friends. I thought those tinkling of computer keys would fade into the void, as most of my thoughts had before that.


I didn’t imagine that a year later, I would have 26,000 people reading my blog (and eventually a quarter million subscribers), that I’d finally be out of debt, that I’d have my first book publishing contract, that I’d happily hand in my resignation for my day job. All of that was out of the realm of possibility.


That’s the amazing realization here: that we rule out the possibility of great change, because it doesn’t seem realistic. For nearly two decades I focused on going to college, and working at a day job that I sometimes enjoyed but often dreaded, because that’s what we expect should happen. Starting my own business, pursuing my dreams, doing something I loved? Crazy talk.


Crazy talk is what I’m going to give you today, in hopes that perhaps one of you will expand your possibilities. It is possible — I did it, all while working a full-time job, doing free-lance writing on the side, and having a wife and six kids. I did it, even if I never dared to dream it for the first three decades of my life.


I am not someone who likes to give career advice, or teach people to be online entrepreneurs. So I’m not going to do that here. I’ll just tell you this: it’s possible. Yes, it absolutely is possible.


And I’ll share what I’ve learned, in small snippets of goodness, about doing what you love.
If you don’t think it’s possible, do a small easy test. Don’t think you can start a blog? Sign up for a free WordPress.com or Blogger.com account and do a short post. Don’t tell anyone about it. Just write a post. It costs nothing, risks nothing, takes almost no time. But you will learn you can do that one little thing, and if you pass that test, you now know your theory of impossibility was wrong. You can do this with any skill, btw, not just blogging.
Expand your tests. If you pass the first test, do another small one. Then another. Keep going and notice your confidence grow. Your skills grow along with the confidence. It’s amazingly simple. Iterate and re-iterate as long as you are having fun.
If you don’t know what you love, don’t worry. There’s no need to figure that out right away. Try something that someone else is doing, and see if you think it’s fun. The real fun part, btw, comes when you start to get good at it, so perhaps stick with it for awhile and enjoy the learning, then enjoy being good at it. If that first try doesn’t work, try something else. You don’t have to commit to one thing for your entire life. You can do a dozen a year if you want, for a decade. You’ll probably find something by then.
Find inspiration. Who else is doing what you love doing? Who is excited about it most? Follow them. Learn about them. See what path they took. Watch closely how they execute, what they do right. Learn from the best.
Reach out to a mentor. Of the people who inspire you the most, try to make contact with a few of them. If they never respond, try a few more. See if you can buy them lunch or coffee. Don’t pitch them on anything. Just ask for their help, and say you’d love for them to mentor you in a way that won’t take up much of their time. Don’t demand a lot of time, but go to them when you’re having trouble making big decisions.
Choose one passion at random. Some people have many interests and don’t know where to start. Pick one or two randomly if they’re all about equal, and just get started. Don’t let choice paralyze you. Get started, because in the end it won’t matter if you started with the wrong passion — you’ll learn something valuable no matter what. Read more.
Get good at it. You get good at something with practice. Allow your friends and family to be your first audience, readers, customers. Then take on a few others at a low cost, or increase your audience slowly. But always have an audience or customers if possible — you’ll get good much faster this way, with feedback and accountability. Read about it. Watch videos. Take a class. Join a group of others learning. Find people to partner with. Before long, you’ll be good at it.
Help others. One of the best ways to get good at something is to help others learn. Making someone’s life better with your new skill is also an amazing way to get satisfaction out of what you do, to love what you do. Help as many people as you can in any way possible — it will pay off.
Find your voice. Eventually, as you master your skill, you will learn that you are different than the thousands of others doing it. You will find your uniqueness. It’s not necessarily there at first, because you might not have the technical skills to express yourself. But eventually, find that voice. Find the thing that sets you apart, that helps you to stand out from the crowd. Then emphasize that. Read more.
How can you be valuable? What can you do that is valuable to others? Sometimes it’s doing something that they really need. Sometimes it’s doing it better than others. Sometimes it’s saving people time, or money. Other times it’s just making their lives better, brighter, pleasanter in some way.
Become an expert. If you get good at something, and help others, and find a voice, and become valuable — you’ll become an expert at what you do. Others will turn to you for advice. Help them. Read more.
Sell your own stuff. I’ve found that the best way to make a revenue, by far, is by selling your own stuff. I’ve tried ads and affiliate links, and while I have nothing against those things, the thing that works best for me is selling my own stuff. I’ve already proven to my audience that I’m valuable and honest and trustworthy, and so they are much more likely to want something that I’ve created than something I recommend made by others. So create something valuable that will help others, and sell it.
Don’t be a jerk. Too many people online are so worried about maximizing subscriber numbers or pageviews that they do things that are disrespectful to their readers. Asking me to click “Next Page” five times to read your article? Jerk move. Having a pop-up asking me to subscribe before I’ve even read the article I came to read? Jerk move. Screaming at me to “Like” your page on Facebook, when I could decide that on my own without being asked if the article was really good? Jerk move. Learn to feel what is respectful, and what’s a jerk move.
Don’t let numbers rule you. Numbers are arbitrary and basically worthless. How many readers do you have? No one really knows, and in the end the number of readers doesn’t matter as much as things like: how much do they care about your articles, how much have you helped them, how much do they trust you, how excited are they? Pageviews don’t matter, neither do Facebook fans or Twitter followers or the number of people on your mailing list. Instead of worrying about numbers, pour yourself into your work, make yourself incredibly valuable, help people as much as possible, love what you do. The numbers will come as a side effect.
It’s the doing and loving that matters. Many people focus on growing, or hitting goals, or making money, but they forget what matters. What matters most is loving what you do. If you love it, and you’re doing it, you’ve already succeeded. Don’t worry so much about achieving certain levels of success — people push themselves so hard to reach those things that they forget to enjoy what they’re doing, and in the process they lose the reason they’re doing it in the first place.
Dream bigger. Once you’ve overcome the initial fear and started to become good at something you love, dream bigger. The first stage is small steps, but don’t stop there. You can change lives. You can change the world. Doing so will change you.








POSTED: 04.19.2012


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Because We Can

I found these guys on www.treehugger.com.

I know.
I never thought I would be visiting a site called "treehugger" either.
It's caused me much shame and embarressment.
What will all my old whale-kicking buddies think!?!
I guess I won't get invited to 2013 Snout Smashers Convention.

Dang.

Anyhooooooo....

Because We Can is a design/build architecture firm that has some really cool notions of what could be built.
Great pictures on the site and their blog.

I gotta get one of those big CNC machines.

http://www.becausewecan.org/

P.S.  The tube on the wall is for kitty transport.

Well thank goodness SOMEONE is preparing!

BRITAIN'S Ministry of Defence is prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse - but the crisis would have to be managed by civil authorities.

The statement comes in response to a recent query from a member of the public made under the nation's upgraded Freedom of Information Laws.
"In the event of an apocalyptic incident (eg zombies), any plans to rebuild and return England to its pre-attack glory would be led by the Cabinet Office, and thus any pre-planning activity would also taken place there," the MoD statement read.
"The Ministry of Defence's role in any such event would be to provide military support to the civil authorities, not take the lead. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence holds no information on this matter."
The Telegraph reports the MoD response is just the latest in a string of enquiries directed at all levels of government about zombie apocalypse plans.

While most are embarrassingly forced to admit a lack of thought when it comes to an undead pandemic, the Bristol city council has presented a surprising level of preparedness.
A Freedom of Information request produced a copy of a "top secret" Bristol city council strategy document.
In it, council staff members were told they would be warned a zombie pandemic was underway through code words broadcast in radio and television reports

US government preps citizens for zombies

 

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US government preps citizens for zombies

The USA's Federal Emergency Management Agency along with the Centre for Disease Control, have used a zombie outbreak scenario to teach citi...

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Occupational health and safety advice on the correct way to kill zombies was also issued.

"A catalogue of standard issue equipment cuffs, stun guns, protection suits, etc is available on the staff intranet," the document said.

The weapons were procured "where possible, in line with our buy-local policy," the report added.

The Telegraph reports spurious questions such as these are raising concerns that hard-won Freedom of Information rights may be curtailed.

Banned zombie advert

 

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Banned zombie advert

A sports company in Norway is in hot water after their ad was banned

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Sera Cahoone - Deer Creek Canyon (not the video)

I'm not quite sure how I stumbled onto Sera Cahoone but her new album, Deer Creek Canyon, is quite good.

http://seracahoone.com/

Not surprising that I like her though; she played with Band of Horses, another favorite of mine (and a helluva great concert if you get the chance).  The music probably falls most readily into the folk camp, although it doesn't really sound "folk-y" to me so much as just thoughtful (and good).

Give it a spin in your magic ITunes box when you get a sec.
You'll like it.

http://www.subpop.com/artists/sera_cahoone

Emergency Repairs!

Not on me, Thank God!

I'm fine.
But a restaurant that we did work on a couple years back needed some help today.
Except that it's not really a restaurant.

It's The Spotted Trotter !

I have no idea what that is in reference to so go to:

www.the spottedtrotter.com
























The Right Way

“Cooking with meat as with any food, flavor is one thing, balance is everything."  Chef Kevin Ouzts

Welcome to The Spotted Trotter, a boutique charcuterie house in Atlanta, GA. We are officially open for business! Please come and visit us at our brand new facility located at 1610 Hosea L. Williams Drive, Suites A & B, Atlanta, Georgia 30317.

What I do know, is that I like Chorizo.
And andouille.
And prosciutto.

And The Spotted Trotter has all of that.
Kevin studied with local Atlanta legend Sean Doty so you'll probably want to try this sometime soon.
So go try them.
And bring some back to me.
Please.

500-Square-Feet Small House with a Loft

Found this on YouTube.
It's a house designed by Smallworks up in the People Democratic Republic of Canada ,))

They build really beautiful homes up there in the snowy white north.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I love Beetle-Cam.

So, a guy's wife got a job in Africa and he went along.
And he's a photographer and he wanted to get close ups of the wildlife.
Solution to the potential of being eaten by the subject?

Beetle-Cam!

http://www.burrard-lucas.com/beetlecam

Put a camera on a remote control car chassis and get up close and personal with your subject matter!

Lord del Fuego has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

I found this house design on The Tiny House Blog recently and just love the simplicity.
It's a beautiful tiny house with a real Arts & Crafts, genuine bungalow flair.

I think for most people 336 sq.ft. would not be enough but by just extending the rear of the house another 10 foot or so you could make this very do-able.
Put a garage/workshop/office outback and make the yard inviting to encourage you and any guests to be outdoors and this could really work.

The Tiny House Blog also posted an article by Marcus Barksdale, the guy who built this great house in West Asheville.

Marcus built the house himself, hiring only a couple contractors for work he was not capable or competent, like pouring the foundation, and has been a big hit on the web and in W. Asheville.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Asheville, I can tell you this tiny house definitely fits into the local vibe of "free-range, all organic, locally grown, hippie thing".
Love it!

And, I found this site last night, linked from one of the Tiny House websites (can't remember which one).
www.treehugger.com

It's actually a really cool site with information on new earth friendly products, ideas, etc. that are, in general, very workable.
Although, I have been critical of some of the "green movement" in the (very recent) past, most of my ire comes from the thought of paying more for things that do less.
That is not a bargain.
And, the design of many green products has been lacking.
If you want people to really go crazy for your products you have to do better than the Prius.

Treehugger has really great info on design, science, technology, etc. including a recent article about the rise of pre-fab in the past few years and the recent advances in that field.

And, they linked this site, http://www.highlandtitles.com/, where you can contribute to helping to preserve the Scottish country side and get the official title of Lord or Lady!!!

Yes.
I like the sound of Lord El Pinche Pirata del Fuego.
Just rolls of the tongue, doesn't it?

If I can become a Reverend of the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster to boot, that would just about cover everything, dontchathink!?!

http://www.venganza.org/

Yes.

The Lord Reverend El Pinche Pirata del Fuego does hereby decree....

Stealing Dogs for Profit

Step 1.  Steal a dog from the upper West Side
Step 2.  Return dog for reward
Step 3.  Throw self on the mercy of God when the police show up
Step 4.  Fail.  Cops there for overdue library books.

I've been a big fan of The Moth Podcast ever since my friend Michael told me about.
It's a live storytelling competition available on Itunes free.
All kinds of folks step up in front of a big crowd to share important life-changing stories of things they experienced.
It's really a great program.
The stories are sometimes hilarious, like the story of the guy who went to the bullfights with Ernest Hemingway and ended up in the ring and sometimes painful like the lady who struggled with her sexuality and coming out to her family.

I really enjoyed this story about a kid in Spanish-Harlem who stole dogs from the rich part of town so he kid collect the reward money.
http://themoth.org/posts/stories/dog-days-of-spanish-harlem

My Morning Song by The Black Crowes

I mentioned that I met Johnny Colt last night.
He played on the first three Black Crowes albums (which are still awesome and you should own by the way.)

The Crowes second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, has great music start to finish, including the song below, which was playing on my Ipod way back in July when the Pacifiic ocean first came into view as I crested the last little hill on my way from Los Angeles to Malibu.

...March me down
To the seven seas,
Bury me with a ruby ring
Kiss me, baby
On Easter Sunday
Make my haze blow away.

Indeed

Red Bull made a human Rube Goldberg machine

Red Bull made a human Rube Goldberg machine


This was done back in October but because "neighbor Fred" and his little Max were just working on their own little Rube Goldberg machine in the basement I decided to post here tonight.
Awesome stuff.

Lyle Lovett on NPR

This sounds great!

Lyle Lovett and fiddle player Luke Bulla played a "Tiny Desk Concert" at the NPR offices, which is exactly what it sounds like:  a great singer/songwriter playing for free in a cramped newsroom/makeshift studio.

http://www.lylelovett.com/

I've been a big fan of Lyle's ever since he released Joshua Judges Ruth way back in '91 or so.
He showed up on Leno (or was it still Carson then?) to play a couple numbers and I was hooked.
I've seen him many times in concert with his "Large Band" and they are always fantastic.
A night at Chastain Park with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, a couple of beers, and some Publix take away is a pretty good time!

http://www.npr.org/event/music/166752674/lyle-lovett-tiny-desk-concert?autoplay=true

Watch the video long enough to see and hear the fiddle solo on the third song.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Lyrics from That's Right, You're Not From Texas

You say you're not from Texas
Man as if I couldn't tell
You think you pull your boots on right
And wear your hat so well

So pardon me my laughter
'Cause I sure do understand
Even Moses got excited
When he saw the promised land

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

See I was born and raised in Texas                    
And it means so much to me
Though my girl comes from down in Georgia
We were up in Tennessee

And as we were driving down the highway
She asked me baby what's so great
How come you're always going on
About your Lone Star State

I said that's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

Oh the road it looked so lovely
As she stood there on the side
And she grew smaller in my mirror
As I watched her wave goodbye

Those boys from Carolina
They sure enough could sing
But when they came on down to Texas
We all showed them how to swing

Now David's on the radio
And old Champ's still on the guitar
And Uncle Walt he's home with Heidi
Hiding in her loving arms

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

They're OK in Oklahoma
Up in Arkansas they're fair
But those old folks in Missouri
They don't even know you're there

But at a dance hall down in Texas
That's the finest place to be
The women they all look beautiful
And their men will buy your beer for free

And they'll say that's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

So won't you let me help you Mister
Just pull your hat down the way I do
And buy your pants just a little longer
And next time somebody laughs at you

You just tell 'em you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

_________________________________________________________________________________


by STEPHEN THOMPSON


For all of Lyle Lovett's considerable artistic gifts — a distinctive voice, easygoing charisma, rare talent for wordplay — his greatest attribute may be the way he radiates infectious calm. He's a one-time tabloid fixture who writes wry, bittersweet songs of longing, but Lovett in person is like a vortex into which stress and drama disappear. That's especially true now that he's fulfilled his obligations to his longtime record label: Lovett not only showed up at NPR Music's offices without an entourage, but also booked his Tiny Desk Concert himself, emailing us out of the blue to express his interest. (Our reply: "We would only agree to have you perform a Tiny Desk Concert if it's under any conceivable circumstance.")

So it's appropriate that Lovett would open this performance at the NPR Music offices by performing "Cowboy Man," the first track on his 1986 debut: He may be a music-industry veteran, but in many ways, he's starting over. With a fresh-faced accompanist in fiddler and backup singer Luke Bulla, Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.

He follows "Cowboy Man" with two songs from 1989's Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, so this is no mere promotional appearance. With nothing in particular to promote — though he did put out an album of covers, Release Me, earlier in the year — Lovett seems motivated primarily by the sheer joy of playing his songs. His pleasure is infectious.
Set List
"Cowboy Man"
"If You Were To Wake Up"
"Good Intentions"
Credits

Producer: Stephen Thompson; Editor: Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Christopher Parks, Stephen Thompson; photo by Ryan Smith/NPR

I met a rock star. At Doc Cheys.

Ms. X and I met neighbor Fred and Max at Doc Chey's Noodle House for dinner tonight.
After devouring an extra large bowl of spicy basil chicken noodles, I met Johnny Colt, the former bass player for my very favorite band, The Black Crowes, and current bass player for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Really nice guy.
We talked dogs, trucks, the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning due to inadequate ventilation, property values in the VaHi, and the Spinal Tap-i-ness of the aforementioned Lynyrd Skynyrd.
That was kinda cool.

http://johnnycolt.com/

Exactly how I felt after a visit to Sublime Donuts.

just a little fun on a rainy day.

Ways to Donate - Chordoma Foundation

Ways to Donate - Chordoma Foundation


I realize that asking people to give money to your particular cause can be tedious but chordomas are not terribly well understood so more research is necessary.
So, if you find yourself with a few dollars slated to charity this year I hope you will consider these guys.
The head honcho over at The Chordoma Foundation was just listed on Forbes "30 under 30", so he kinda seems to know what he's doing.
Worth taking a peak.

Yes. That's your answer to everything, isn't it!?!

Phuket!

I found this picture on the Michael Kors blog.  
Yes.  
I know.  
But, because I have been installing film on all Michael Kors stores for the last couple years I have a vested interest in knowing what's going on in that fella's world.
Honestly, I had no idea they had so many stores.
We've done them all over the states, including Hawaii, and Canada but I had no idea he had stores in Barbados as well.  
I want to go there.

http://www.destinationkors.com/?category=Fame%20Frame

Apparently, he spends lots of time going to remarkably gorgeous places and hangin' about.

I'm not saying it's proof, I'm just saying there are clearly aliens amongst us.

Photo proof Number 1.

A one thousand year old skull found near the Mexican village of Onavas.
Photo proof Number 2.

Case closed.

And, just in time for the Mayan Apocalypse!

I would like to be the first to welcome our new stretch-y headed overlords!

Mount Everest, in 10 kajillion mega-pixels

This is a really cool photo.
You can scan left to right to get a full panoramic view of Mount Everest by photographer David Breashears.

Follow the link thing-a-ma-jiggy below:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/Gigapans/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT.html

16 Spitfires Flying Together The Sound of Victory " Goosebumps "

Turn your volume way, way up and listen to that fantastic roar!

Steam Locomotives

This story is pretty cool!

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London subway system, they are putting an actual steam locomotive back in service to run the original lines.
The locomotive is powered by coal and will take 300 passengers from Paddington to Farrington Stations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20759707

Ewan McGregor

My unholy man-love for Ewan McGregor has been well documented.
I remain unapologetic.
There's no judgement here on the blog.
Live and let live.

In addition to his many Hollywoodsville big-time movies, he traveled around the world on his motorcycle with his best buddy Charley and documented it in the National Geographic series -
Long Way Round.

It's a pretty awesome show if you get the chance to watch.
A couple years later he followed that up by riding his motorcycle from London to South Africa, again with best bud Charley, and this time, the lovely Missus Ewan joined for a part of the trip, looking absolutely charming in her brand new cycling gear and riding a "baby Beemer" 650 enduro bike.
Awesome.

Last night I stumbled onto a couple documentaries about World War II, hosted by Ewan and his brother Colin, who is a retired RAF pilot.
In the doc's they get to fly a Spitfire, the plane responsible for saving the English during the Battle of Britain and in the second documentary, Bomber Boys, they fly the last remaining Lancaster Bomber in England.
It's really remarkable.

They spend a lot of time with former pilots and crew of the Lancasters, who were tasked with taking the war to Germany, to incredible effect but with great cost.
Of the 125,000 men who flew those beautiful planes, 55,000 were killed in action.
Not very good odds in any contest.

If you get the chance, check it out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txy2q

http://youtu.be/JnzNJ-RXIi8

The Chordoma Foundation Achiever-Dude!

Another handsome, young, go-getter (just like yours truly, El Pinche Pirata del Fuego) who beat the ever-luv'n beJeezus outta Chordoma and went out to succeed.



30 Under 30   Science & Healthcare
Social Entrepreneurs »



Joshua Sommer  - 24Executive Director
Chordoma FoundationGallery: 30 Under 30: Science & Healthcare
Share: 30 Under 30 - Science & Healthcare


When Josh Sommer was a freshman at Duke University, he was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare bone cancer for which there was a 30% cure rate, no approved drugs, little research and a seven year average survival. "Frankly, being 18 years old and having a lot to look forward to I didn't want to accept those statistics," says Sommer. So he joined the only federally-funded chordoma research lab (coincidentally also at Duke) in the country, and spent two years hunting for new drugs. But the lab didn't have the money or materials needed to make real progress: tumor tissue, cell lines and animal models. He dropped out of school to found the Chordoma Foundation, which to date has raised $2.5 million, funding research in 11 labs. His advice to people diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease? "You have a lot of power." -- Reported byMatthew Herper, Vanna Le and Samantha Sharf

P.S.  I had my yearly MRI at the end of November and remain lumpy, gelatinous mass, free.

There is clearly an art and science to advertising that I just don't understand.
This is quite possibly the oddest bit of "branding" that I've ever seen.