December 8, 2010 - Drought's grip on Texas tightens | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle. The great drought of 2011 may have started two months ago. Since Tropical Storm Hermine drenched central Texas in September, the state has been very dry, with large swaths receiving less than…
RALEIGH, N.C. – For the past three years, American consumers have been on a shopping diet. They cut nonessentials from their shopping lists. They’ve made do. They’ve thought twice before buying. And yet, they’ve continued to open their wallets for natural and organic products. via Recession-racked shoppers still spend on…
I've been away from the blog this week because my better half took a couple of days off work. It seems she always wants to talk right about the time I start typing (how long will that word mean anything?). Yesterday I noticed the female hummer that had been visiting…
Ladies and gentlemen, the days of unlimited broadband may be numbered in the United States, and we're not talking wireless this time -- AT&T says it will implement a 150GB monthly cap on landline DSL customers and a 250GB cap on subscribers to U-Verse high speed internet starting on May…
And if you missed Annie Leonard in her Story of Stuff, it's here: Any thoughts? Related articles Annie Leonard Derides Corporate Influences on American Democracy [Video] (fastcompany.com) The Story of Stuff Does Democracy (strongerdemocracy.org) The Story of Annie Leonard: Her Take on Stuff, Bottled Water, Cosmetics and More (treehugger.com) Live…
One hundred and seventy five years ago today a group of men came together just a few miles to the northwest of where I sit this morning and proclaimed Texas and independent nation. I can imagine what it might have been like that morning walking the streets of Washington-on-the-Brazos. Early March…
Ironically, then, a month of extremes will end up with an average temperature around 55 degrees, within a few tenths of normal levels. via SciGuy: Houston Chronicle. The first half of last month was the coldest on record in the last century. While the last half is the second warmest on…
Over the weekend the signs of spring began to reach out and shake my senses. Apple trees are breaking bud and sending forth blooms. This has been one of the first winters since we planted them that all of the leaves have been off the trees at one time. In…
I wandered over to Amazon this morning looking to see if they had anyone offering a product out of Australia that takes humidity from the air in your home and creates clean drinking water from it. The product is called the Skywater® 14 Water Making Machine and, while it looks…
Sitting at the computer this morning I looked out the window and saw my second Bluebird in my entire 57 years upon this earth. I was so surprised I had to lean forward for a closer look. I still remember the occurrence of my sighting. Sherry and I were new home shopping…
The sun rose once again this winter over a white frosty landscape. I can only remember a few winters where I have seen frost as often. The number of nights when the lows have been in the 20's is also passing any remembered winters past. So, if any one reads…
Not so much this morning...But there is ice everywhere. After days of buildup (again), the snow the prognosticators were promising predicting just didn't happen. Though most of the state seems to be covered with snow this morning, the Houston area just has a layer of ice covering almost everything. Roads are…
Even the threat of snow can cancel school classes... The Houston Independent School District has canceled school Friday, Superintendent Terry Grier announced, saying he doesn't want to take a chance with hazardous road conditions for buses, parents and teachers. The district has yet to decide whether to release students early…
AUSTIN - Burst water pipes at two coal-fired power plants forced them to shut down, triggering rolling power cuts across the state, the lieutenant governor said Wednesday.Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said this is something that "should not happen." via Broken water pipes at power plants cited in outages | Facebook |…
Yesterday we welcomed the latest addition to our family. Abigail Nicole... Abigail Nicole was born at 11:10 am on February 1, 2011. Both Mother and Daughter are doing well and will be coming home by the end of the week. I took Grandson #2 up to the hospital in the…
It's Sunday morning and we are sitting here with the back door wide open. Listening to a light rain fall outside as the cool outside air filters in. It feels more like spring than the middle of winter. The low last night must not have fallen below 60°. The last half of…
“Everybody,” Muir said, “needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” Turns out they were ahead of their time. “Attention Restoration Theory” or ART, which posits that a walk in the woods helps refocus…
The view from the window beside me looks out on a winter's day. Winter green and tan are the colors of the view. But the color I have been seeing all morning long has been sky blue. It's the blue of the Blue Jays that have been landing in the…
Unlike most of the 111 that preceded it, the 112th Congress must begin the process of restoring the national regime and civic culture the Founders bequeathed. This will require reviving the rule of law, reasserting the relevance of the Constitution and affirming the reality of American exceptionalism. George F. Will -…
Let's call it Pliocene Park. No dinosaurs just big, bad-ass mammals. Physorg.com reported today that Professor Akira Iritani of Japan and a team of Russian researchers are preparing to clone a healthy mammoth within five years. They intend to resurrect the species after obtaining tissue in the summer of 2011 from the carcass…
This week the news coming in from most of the country...At least the areas I follow...Have been about cold temperatures and snow. Around here the temps have been cold (a least for this area) and the skies have been really very dreary...Overcast, gray, dead of winter day followed by another and another.…
Celebrating Forests for People This year the UN has another yearlong celebration/education event. This year it's the world's forests that are being highlighted. The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests. Welcome to the International Year of Forests, 2011 (Forests 2011) Web site, a global platform to celebrate people’s…
"People used to say that the future happens first in California, but these days what happens in Texas is probably a better omen. And what we’re seeing right now is a future that doesn’t work." Paul Krugman, The Texas Omen - NYTimes.com. I am a native Texan...Some of my ancestors arrived prior to Texas…
OK, so I'm only half right correct...Let's just call it the politics of the past. Having decided to spend their first moments in power proclaiming their devotion to the Constitution, Republican leaders might at least have read the whole thing. The part, for instance, where slaves “bound to service” are…
A pilot's spilled coffee accidentally triggered a hijacking alert and caused a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, to make an unscheduled stop in Canada. A Transport Canada report said United Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto late Monday and landed safely at Pearson International Airport. The coffee…
The world's largest coffee company unveiled a new logo Wednesday that drops the words encircling its iconic sea nymph and gives her a few subtle updates. Starbucks says the changes amount to more than nips and tucks to its favorite lady. The fresh look goes with a new direction for…
And I've been pretty quite about it. I spent the day Monday fulfilling my civic duty down at the County Courthouse. Jury Duty...Not my favorite way to spend the day, but I never shirk it. I even got impaneled on the first call of the day. 107 of my fellow citizens and…
You only have a few hours to get your comment in over at Daily Shot Of Coffee to have a chance to win a new Tassimo T20...Go for it! This winter Tassmio wants one lucky Daily Shot Of Coffee reader to stay very caffeinated with one of their new Tassimo…
And it's one she really deserves... From Media Matters description of the awards... This year, Palin stood out for her sheer ability to dominate our national conversation and draw the attention of the entire news media to her factually challenged claims and vicious attacks. She has blurred the line completely…
I put the little video together this morning after taking a few shots of the large plaster piece we put out at Christmas each year. I painted the piece about thirty years ago before we had any kids. Over the years many people have commented on the fact that the…
