Can this really be happening in America in the early part of the 21st century? Is the current U.S. President, Barack Obama actually going to let our country’s space program close down? Taking the space shuttle off the American landscape is a huge step and one that doesn’t seem too smart. We are just now beginning to learn about the space technology and how things like satellites and our GPS systems, can benefit mankind on the ground. Not being able to put our own astronauts up in space, on our own terms, seems like a risky plan. Especially when we are relying on the Russian Space Program to give our American space men and women a ride out to space.

As an American citizen, do you have any opinions on this move to cancel our space shuttle program? We have built a long 5 decade history with our modern space program. We have achieved some big things over the last 50 years or so. I think the next 50 years, could be the best of them all. So why shut it down now? Is it because the tax payer’s are picking up the bill for NASA’s launches into space? Is it too dangerous to send spaceships into the stars above? Why exactly would the USA drop the space program now, when we are now relying on technology more than ever to help us in our daily lives? This move seems really strange and I wish our  President could make a straight speech (just once) so we would know the truth to this move by NASA and the U.S. Government.

I am just an average citizen, but I can think of a half dozen reasons, why we should keep our outer space vehicles and it deals with our National Security. Obviously I don’t want to give any of the other countries any ideas on this subject, but I do have a few things; which would severely hurt the U.S. military and its allies across the globe. National Security seems to be an issue that doesn’t get enough attention these days. We saw tremendous strides after 9/11, but in recent years, we are starting to slip again. I don’t want to give the terrorists out there any ideas, but not having a space shuttle in our country now, is actually a benefit to our most common enemy in the 21st century.

Early 1970′s Technology

It’s really sad to see the hard work of so many people, finally come to an end, as the United States Space Program is non-existent now. I realize we have other ways and things will still continue, but the position we put our self in now, could have been avoided. Even if it was with a “dummy” space shuttle program, where we just acted like we didn’t want to make a trip, on our spaceship or on our rocket fuel.  Who knows, maybe our shuttles have made less trips out of this world, than we really know now? I am still under the strong belief, we never did step foot on the moon’s surface, back in the summer of 1969. Do you think the USA went to the moon in 1969; when the video game Pong was not even created until 3 years later? Go look at the graphics and play a game or two of Pong and ask your self, if we really went to the moon 3 years before this video game was invented.

Scattered, Smothered, and Covered!

The Waffle House Restaurants are famous for cooking up their hashbrowns to your liking. If you walk into a Waffle House one day, you will probably hear the waitress hollering at the cook, to “scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, and topped” the hash browns. Well last week, a tornado in Ringgold, Georgia did that to the whole entire Waffle House restaurant. It was a sad day for the residents living and working around the Ringgold, Georgia area. This tornado destroyed their whole town. The local McDonald’s restaurant suffered its own damage, like the Waffle House and other restaurants in Ringgold. You may not be able to find a Ringgold restaurant today, but you will find a lot of grateful citizens in Ringgold. They were very lucky to only loose 8 people from this terrible storm, that just leveled their small city in Northwest Georgia.

I believe people in Alabama and in Georgia, will be getting prepared for the next round of bad weather that is headed our way. This trend is suppose to last for a couple of months, so we are a long ways away, from being safe from the 2011 storms. A smart family will invest in these new weather alert systems; which are good about detecting bad weather or alerting us to tornadoes in the nearby area. The best way to stay safe during bad weather, is to prepare for these strong winds, damaging hail, and the twisters that drop out of the clouds above. Getting a weather system for your home is a start, but remember some more key tips.

If you hear thunder, then you are close enough to get struck by lightning. Thunder is Mother Nature’s first alert system to us, to take cover, find shelter and get everyone in from outside. Thunder in the area, means lightning is close. If you have thunder and lighting, then other bad things are certainly a possibility. The best thing is to over prepare, stay over safe, and then we can laugh about it later. If we don’t, there won’t be anyone laughing after the bad weather has passed. Ringgold residents was lucky, but towns in Alabama wasn’t, if you consider the death tolls in some of the Alabama towns struck by these tornadoes in the South USA.

Americans are strong. People in the South are a bit stronger and they’re a breed of their own. We can handle tough things down here, but we have to know they are coming. So try to look online and consider buying a weather alarm or a home weather alarm, so you and your family will know when the next twister is heading your way.

Midland Weather Radio

The Midland Weather Radio is really not that expensive and it is easy to use. If you can work a radio at home or the radio in your car, then you can easily work one of these weather radios at home. You may find other weather alarms or weather radios cheaper and that’s fine. Look for the weather system that best fits your budget and the one you believe will keep your family safe. We are in a whole new world now with climate change or global warming as some people still call it. What ever its name is, we know our bad weather is worse than it was in years past. Since we know this now, we can all take time to prepare and finding a good shelter will always be the best thing you can do. Find a secure location now, while the weather is good and then you will know where to go, for your escape plan, when the next tornado warning is forecasted for your local city or hometown.

We are in a tough weather pattern right now and things are going to get worse, before they get better in 2011. The 2011 tornado season is far from being over. So please understand this and keep an eye to the sky and tune-in to the local weather channel or your local weatherman on television. This is only the calm before the rest of our storms, for the 2011 tornado and thunder storm season.

Spring Pollens Taking Over

The wonderful warm weather and beautiful flowers in the spring, are not always a welcomed sight. For those who are allergic to the different pollens floating around, don’t always look forward to this time of the year. It can be miserable to be outside for those who have allergy troubles. Being sensitive to allergies in some parts of the Country is not acceptable at all. Recently on the Doctors TV Show, they listed the top 10 cities for pollen and it was Knoxville, Tennessee that ranked number 1 in the nation. If you are allergic to the spring time dust and allergens of the spring, you would not want to make any trips to Tennessee this time of the year. Luckily someone finally got smart and updated the little graph we use to track pollen. It still isn’t much better, when we see 100 per square inch as a “high” count for pollen. This little graph has been long overdue and I would like to submit a new pollen graph that we start using in 2011 and going forward for each spring to come. The Padgett Pollen Indicator or the P.P.I. is an updated version of our outdated pollen system for tracking this important allergy, dust, and mold data. Here is what the current pollen graph looks like:

This historic chart includes low, moderate, and high in a 90 count area. Not too smart, when these numbers often jump into the 2, 4, or even 6,000+ range. Whoever invented the graph deserves a lot of credit, since we didn’t really have a tool like this in the past. Now that we know the graph really doesn’t fit in our modern day era, I think its time we all start using the Padgett Pollen Indicator. This graph is better suited to alert allergy sufferers when they should worry and which days might be safe to go outside for a little bit. Here is the way the New Pollen Indicator or N.P.I. works and which areas are considered low or high:

Low: 0 – 89

Moderate: 90 – 479

High: 480 – 1809

Extreme: 1810+

*Padgett Pollen Indicator

If you or someone you know suffers this time of the year, let’s hope they are not any place close to this bee. If the symptoms become too miserable for someone, it can lead to more serious things and even death. So the spring time pollen and allergies are something to be aware of and should be taken care of with proper medicines. Hopefully some of the over-the-counter allergy products will help you or the person you know that is allergic to the spring time air. Sometimes a little homemade honey can go a  long ways into helping someone build up a immunity to this seasonal disorder. Its best if you can find honey that has been harvested within 25 miles of your home, but for some patients, just about any honey product will do.

So where are the worse places to live, for those who suffer from allergy problems? Well as recently seen on the TV Doctors Show with Doctor Travis Stork, Doctor Lisa Masterson, Doctor Drew Ordon, and Doctor Jim Sears; they gave the top 10 list, in the United States for having the most spring time pollens, dust, and allergies floating around in the air. Here is The Drs Top 10 Cities for Allergy Sufferers to avoid:

1. Knoxville, Tennessee
2. Louisville, Kentucky
3. Charlotte, North Carolina
4. Jackson, Mississippi
5. Chattanooga, Tennessee
6. Birmingham, Alabama
7. Dayton, Ohio
8. Richmond, Virginia
9. McAllen, Texas
10. Madison, Wisconsin

*If you never had a problem with allergies in the past, but suddenly move to a new city and begin experiencing soar throats, you might want to see a doctor and see if you have allergies.

Are you ready for this spring? If you have had trouble in the past, be sure to limit your outdoor exposure, keep plenty of allergy medicines nearby, and keep track of the Padgett Pollen Indicator, to see what the pollen count is for the day. These pollen numbers get released every morning and are given to all the local TV stations and radio stations. If these numbers are high or extremely high, then your local TV news or radio programs, should be broadcasting this information to you. The pollen count of yesterday is no longer suitable for today’s allergy sufferers. Be sure to check the pollen count, with the new Pollen Graph by Padgett. This is the best tool for allergy folks to use, and most people will be fine during low to moderate pollen counts. It is the high number on the Padgett Pollen Indicator (480+); which will begin to trigger a lot of these airborne critters, that most of us, would prefer to not see.

There is a huge dealership in Central Florida, that has a lot of different choices, for those who are in the used car market right now. You can find all sorts of Cars, Trucks, Suv’s, and Vans on the lot and all ready to sell. The used cars in Tampa Bay is where Florida residents should start the journey to find a new vehicle. These are preowned cars and trucks and they are all just sitting on the lot, waiting for someone like you to drive them home. Buyers have an endless choice of colors, car makers, and models to choose from.

If your not sure if you qualify for a new, used vehicle; you can get a fast credit check done at Park Auto Mall in Florida. Once you get your fast credit approval, you will be free to start shopping for a car that you could actually buy that same day. This is car buying at its finest!

If your not sure they will have the perfect automobile for you, just take a few moments and look over their huge vehicle inventory list; which gets updated daily. If you see one you like, be sure to hurry on in, because these cars move fast. There is always room being made for the new vehicles that land on their huge used car lot in Tampa. Long distant customers may even want to call, before they make the trip in, for any specific cars or trucks you see selling online. However, there is a good chance you will find at least 1 vehicle you like as much, if not better, than the original vehicle you found online to start with.

If I was in the market for a new or used Ford F-150 pickup truck. I would want to check the used car lots out first, to see if I could find any deals. I know going to Pinellas Park, on the west coast of Florida, would offer me the biggest variety of Ford trucks I could find. The bigger the selection is, the greater chance you will find the vehicle you want, at the price that fits your budget. Even though I go there with the intentions to buy a Ford truck, I may find something different to buy. Like on of their vehicles of the week; which was the Chevy Avalanche for one week. I know this, by the great online video that Tiffany did with the Chevy Avalanche. She did more than just show the outside of the vehicle and I was able to see a lot of the features on the inside, I normally couldn’t do online. You can see a lot of other vehicles online, from the Tampa Car Videos they have available for browsing on the Internet.

Tiffany & the Chevy Avalanche

If you live in one of the southeastern U.S. states, then you probably already know how bad the roads are in most of the South. We have a steep driveway at my house that has been trapped under a thick sheet of ice and snow for most of the week. This same ice and snow mixture can be found on most of the roads in Georgia. I wish I had a Dodge Nitro Heat 4×4 to drive in this wintry mess. A four wheel drive vehicle is what you need for these treacherous conditions.

About 15 years ago, we use to get winter stoms like this once or twice a year. Now with global warming and climate change messing up the Earth’s atmosphere, we don’t get these big winter storms anymore. On Christmas Day we got a White Christmas and 2 weeks later we get this big snow storm, which dumped about 5 inches of snow on my north Georgia hometown. If you got a Cadillac Sts Sedan for Christmas, you probably haven’t had much of a chance to drive it around. This weather isn’t meant for the luxury cars or the sports cars either. You need something like a GMC Yukon Hybrid, if you want to head out on the roads tonight. If you do go driving in this stuff, make sure to carry a flashlight, blanket, extra clothing, gloves, some food supplies, and a first aid emergency kit. Just in case you get stranded on the side of the road and need to sleep in your car over night. Also, keep a full tank of gas in the car.

People always love to give driving tips in icy and snowy conditions. You know the advice about not using your brakes and try to turn the wheels into the skid and not away from it. I guess some of these people have never had to skid into a ditch before. If your car starts to slide toward a ditch, you better turn the steering wheel in some other direction and either hit the brakes or stomp the gas pedal. You better do something, if your vehicle begins to slide off the road. Really the best advice for wintry conditions is just to stay at home. Just keep the Infiniti M37X under the carport and find some good movies on TV. You can open up the curtains and just lay down on the couch and watch the snow fall outside from the comforts of your heated home. Trust me, this is a lot better than trying to keep a car engine turned off, so you don’t run out of gas, but you still have to turn it on some, so you can get heat and not freeze to death. This isn’t as fun as it sounds. Please stay safe and just stock the kitchen up with groceries before the winter storms come and you won’t have any reasons to leave the house, when the weather turns bad outside.

Over a mile stretch of road and land in Arkansas saw thousands of birds just drop out of the sky for no apparent reason. This happened just before midnight on December 31st or New Year’s Eve. One theory for this sudden death in these black birds, could be from the result of fireworks being shot in the area. While that seems pretty far-fetched, it’s actually one of the more believable things that could have really happened. The weather is not being totally ruled out, but seems less likely of a culprit.

Media Footage – 100,000 Dead Fish & 5,000 Dead Birds in Arkansas

Do you have any theories?

1. Fireworks went off and created a panic in the skies over Arkansas?

2. A strong wind system came through sucking the birds up and then spitting them back out?

3. Sudden weather or climate change caused too much stress on the birds?

4. Special transmitted signals went through the air causing problems with the bird and fish’s natural sonar ability?

5. Top secret military weapon conducting tests in the area?

6. Poisons in the solid form and was eat?

7. Poisonous gases in the air and got inhaled?

8. Disease?

9. Simple explanations for the fish & birds and the two events not connected; only coincidence it occurred in the same U.S. State?

10. Super energy burst or whatever the Sun released on December 28th, 2010?

11. Dick Cheney took a hunting and fishing trip to Arkansas?

12. Early warning sign the end of the World and life as we know it is all about to come to an end?

It would look like the dead fish in Arkansas would link up to the dead birds in Arkansas, but how? It is a puzzling situation and the fish were only 125 miles away from the dead black birds in Beebee. These fish were found in the Arkansas River and they are all Drum fish. Only 1 species of fish was affected and apparently only 1 species of birds just suddenly and abruptly dies.

Thanks for the post from Sylvester Campbell

There are so many places in the world to go skiing now that ski season is upon us. Spain has been gaining popularity for skiing and air fares are favorable form the state. However, here is a little secret our family recently discovered on a trip to Madrid.

Besides viewing the highly historical and cultural points of interest in Madrid, there is one nearby option to ski without trekking into the mountains. On a mere 20 minute ride from the city center to Xanadu, we came upon the Madrid Ski Zone quite by accident.

Actually, it was late spring and our family was planning to do some shopping at the Madrid- Xanadu Shopping Center. The mall contained an indoor ski center and we had not planned to ski.

The snow park happens to be the largest indoor ski slope in all of Europe also. It is over 800 feet and opened all year round. The Madrid SkiZone is divided into a novice section and another area for more experienced skiers. Lessons and all equipment are accessible. The kids can snowboard too.

Afterwards we set out to what we originally planned to do by shopping. I am a lousy skier, but I felt secure and comfortable here, and cannot wait to return.

You can place skiing on your agenda during the summer months by visiting the SkiZone in Spain. Don´t forget to pack some warm clothes with you though. So set your home security alarm from www.allhomesecurity.com, pack your bags and go skiing anytime.

The snow just kept falling and falling on Saturday in North Georgia. The city of Canton slowly was vanishing before our eyes, as a rare 129 year snow storm blanketed the Cherokee County region. I say 129 years, because it was in 1881, in which this area had a significant snow fall total on December 25th or a White Christmas. I do remember a snow dusting on Christmas morning about 10 to 15 years ago, but as the noon hour approached on that Christmas Day, most of the snow had melted away. That snow fall had nothing on the Winter Snow Storm of 2010, where we saw the whitest Christmas ever in the hills and mountains of North Georgia.

All over the state of Georgia, you could find the white stuff. While most of the kids were all waking up early to open up their Christmas presents; which good ol’ Jolly St. Nick had delivered to the Georgia Kids in the overnight hours, there wasn’t even a flake in sight. Even as the morning approached the noon hour, there was still no wintry precipitation to speak of. As the kids begin to find their best toys to play with, while the parents were gathering up the Christmas paper trash, and the smells of Christmas Dinner began to fill the house, those first few flakes fell from the Peach State skies. These were no ordinary flakes and most Georgia Residents saw this right away. Our typical tiny and dry snow flakes, had been replaced by flakes as big as your hand and they were super wet and juicy flakes too! These were those snowflakes you build snowmen with and we don’t get to see snow like this much around here. And for these big, wet flakes to be falling on Christmas Day had never been seen by any person living, unless we have a 129 year-old citizen living here, I am unaware of.

Yep, it was over 100 years ago, before anything like this had ever been to our state on Christmas Day. Now once these big flakes started falling, they just didn’t stop. It was flake after flake and this went on hour after hour. The flakes stayed big and more importantly, they stayed falling!

People in Georgia know the White Christmas song and how that guy was dreaming of it. We all dreamed of it too, but we knew it was like unicorns, big foot, and a smart politician; something that just didn’t exist! Now it seems anything is possible! If Georgia and more specifically Canton, Georgia can have a White Christmas with several inches of snow; then anything is possible.

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched that movie A Christmas Story and saw all the scenes with snow in it. Even when Ralphie wakes up on Christmas Morning, his first move is to open the window and see all the snow and ice that has formed on the trees over night and the winter wonderland it created. I watch this movie 6 times or more each Christmas Day, but only to see the snow on TV and not in real life. This Christmas was much different! The first couple of times I watched A Christmas Story today, there was no snow around. However, that would all change around the 3rd or 4th airing of it on TBS and we would have our own snow, just like Ralphie did! I would glance out the window to see snow, then to the TV to see snow, then would glance back outside to only see more snow. The snows in Georgia just kept falling, and falling, and falling. It was like the Energizer Bunny, but only in the form of wintry precipitation.

Even as night fell 0n the Christmas Day of 2010, we still saw the snow coming down in big flakes. The whole North Georgia region is under a big blanket of Christmas Snow and all of those White Christmas Dreams have been answered. We are no longer dreaming of a White Christmas, because we are living that White Christmas now!

Once again, we have so many football fans in the South disregarding the BCS Rankings and the other major rankings in college football. They are just giving too much credit to the Pac 10. No matter what it is in life, there is always a good rule of thumb you can follow. If you ever want to get to the bottom of something, just follow the money. Where does the money in college football lead to? For about a decade now, the boosters and a very wealthy and powerful group associated with the USC Trojan football program is where all the money starts and ends in college football. You can just follow the USC football program over the past few years and see how they continue to get way too much credit, for a program that is mediocre at best.

Go back to Vince Young and their underdog team the Texas Longhorns, facing the mighty Trojans and Matt Leniert, who were easy favorites to win the National Championship. No way did the Longhorns have a chance to win this title game in college football. One team that did match up better against Matt Leniert (who has never found his way in the NFL yet) was the Auburn Tigers. The SEC team from Southern Alabama had a couple of good tailbacks in Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown; along with a talented QB in Jason Campbell. These 3 players from Auburn have all 3 been the starting RB for their NFL teams (Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Bown – Miami Dolphins) or the starting QB  for his NFL team (Campbell – Washington); while star QB Leniert from USC has not been able to hold a starter or solid back-up role in the NFL. How could these 3 players be kept from a shot at playing a 1 star USC Trojan team in the title game a few years back? This is simple. The Auburn Tigers was the best team that year and the Longhorns or Trojans couldn’t have beat them. It made for a better game to put the 2nd and 3rd place teams in a National Title Game; than to let Auburn play.

The SEC can’t produce undefeated teams. It’s just too tough, with all the good teams in the Southeastern Conference. When one does manage to “luck up” and go undefeated, it’s a no-brainer to put them on the National Stage in the College Championship Football Game. The SEC has won the last 4 college football championships, because the best talent plays in the South. This is a fact and not a bias southern opinion.

What screws everything up, each year, is people like Kirk Herbstreet, who puts way to much of his air-time on TV, to talk and pump up the Nation about the USC team and the other PAC 10 football programs. Herbstreet doesn’t hide the fact he is (or was) a big fan of the USC football program. His ties with Pete Caroll ran deep and not only did Caroll cheat college football and the fans and players associated with the USC Trojan team, but Kirk Herbstreet played a financial role in this college football scam too. Herbstreet has been paid very well for his tongue and the words he has pushed for on the TV air waves. To promote the Country on the super talent, the super teams, and the super program in Southern California; which make up the Pac10 Conference in college football. The truth is the Pac 10 is very weak and for most years over the last decade or so, the Pac 10 isn’t even one of the top 4 NFL Conferences in college football. I think they may have been 5th best conference in 2 of the last 10 years and the other 8 years, clearly not even a top 5 conference in college football.

So who benefits? Well once everything gets pushed and moved around and USC fails to make another appearance in the BCS Title Game, the power shifts and another PAC 10 team gets rewarded for the bogus rankings, that get pushed on to USC and their opponents; which is mainly Pac 10 football teams.

Have I lost you yet? Well with all of that said, you can still break it down year by year and see how USC is the direct blame. It is their group of wealthy fans and boosters; which pay money to the football program and to the players, coaches, media personalities like ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreet, and to those who hold a vote in the college football ranking system. All of this money gets pushed into places, where USC is guaranteed a higher ranking than any other school who matches their season’s record.

Before I can show you how Oregon is the clear number 1 choice in the Rankings (even though they shouldn’t be), I have to show you where USC plays key roles in this year’s cheating scheme of 2010. It’s really hard to understand how USC could have worked their way into the top 25; when there is clearly 30 teams or more in college football, who are better than them.

USC Trojans AP Top 25 – 14th in the Country. The USA Today Rankings don’t even see them as a top 25 team. How does this happen? First, no way did USC have enough coming back from their horrible season last year, to warrant a top 25 spot, much less 14th! USA Today has it right, since this team has a new coach and no big talent returning. This is the PRESEASON RANKINGS.

Week 1 – USC travels to Hawaii and beats them by 13 points. Even though USC gave up 36 points on defense, they beat a 9 – 3 football team on their own field. This is a descent win for USC. The AP drops USC 2 spots to the number 16 team in the country (little unfair and USC should have kept their previous ranking). USA Today Ranking still does not put them in the top 25.

Week 2 – USC wins at home against Virginia who is a 4 and 8 football team this year. USC wins by 3 points (17 to 14) despite this 4 and 8 football team from the ACC gaining more yards than USC and had 4 more first downs; while playing on the road in a hostile environment. The Virginia Cavaliers is one of the weakest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and are actually listed last, in their ACC rankings. AP Top 25 drops them down 2 more sports (deserved it) and the USA Today still does not have them on the Top 25 radar, after winning their first two games. Seems to be a big difference in opinion. One system starts at 14 and now has them 18 with 2 wins and the other just ignores them.

Week 3- USC beats an unranked Minnesota team by 11 points on the road. Now things are getting strange! USC drops 2 more spots in the AP Top 25??? A poll that saw them as the 14th best team in the country and this 14th ranked team wins their first two games, two descent road wins and a shameful home win and again USC drops 2 spots to number 20 in the country. The guys at USA Today still don’t see wasting their ink on them and USC fails for again to make the top 25 teams here.

Week 4- USC travels to Washington State and blows out a 2-9 Pac 10 team. Now the AP 25 Poll awards USC for this win and moves them back up 2 spots to the number 18 team in the country. This is disturbing that USC beats 3 non-Pac10 teams and drop 2 spots each week. Suddenly a Pac 10 opponent appears on the schedule and they get awarded 2 spots in the poll for beating them? USA Today still leaves USC off their rankings. A 4-0 team is not ranked on USA Today; while the AP has kept them in the top 20 all year long and gave them lots of help, by ranking them 14th in the preseason polls. Things really begin to stink here, if it wasn’t already, and here is proof the Pac 10 gets too much credit in football. The AP Poll has found a way to take a shot at the ACC; while giving the Pac 10 a boost. USC loses 2 spots for beating a weak ACC team. Then turns around and awards them 2 spots for beating a weak Pac 10 school. This is part of the math calculations and cheating; which takes place on the Pac 10 side of things in college football.

Week 5-  USC suffers their first loss of the season. They get beat at home by Washington (Pac10 school) . The Huskies are a 5 and 6 team and a below .500 team has just went into USC and beat them on their own home field. You know USA Today will keep them off the list for another week and the AP 25 finally is able to push them off of their list and now the USC Trojans are no longer ranked on anyone’s list as a top 25 school. As you can see, overall record of 4 and 1 isn’t bad, but no competition and with a weak schedule, they have lost 1 home game and won another home game by 3 points, to the worse ACC Team.

Week 6- USC losses for a 2nd straight week. Finally they play a rank team in number 16 Stanford, but should Stanford be the 16th best team in the country at this point? USC and Stanford both had the same record at 4 and 1. USC unranked; while Stanford was all the way up in 16th place with their 4 wins over Sacramento State, UCLA, Wake Forrest, and Notre Dame. They did not have a win over any top 25 team and their 1 loss was to a Pac 10 team Oregon. In comparison, the South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC school) had played 1 less game on the schedule, but they had 1 loss to Auburn and had beat number 22 Georgia (top 25 school). South Carolina is number 19 in the country with a win over a top 25 team; while Stanford has beat no top 25 teams. Right here is a problem. Stanford from a weaker PAC 10 conference is being given more credit than a SEC school; when the SEC team has a victory over a top 25 team. So Stanford because a PAC 10 springboard; which this conference needs, so they can keep up with the SEC. No poll has USC ranked for a 2nd straight week.

Week 7- After losing two straight, USC gets back to winning against a Pac 10 California team who is unranked. The Golden Bears is a 5 and 7 team this year, so another team below .500 for this year. Nothing impressive here and neither poll awards USC for their win; which they shouldn’t have.

Week 8 – USC’ BYE WEEK – The team played against no one. Both polls keep USC unranked.

Week 9 – Time to play the number 1 team in the country. Nice for USC to have a bye week, before such an important game. Oregon comes in to USC’s stadium and beats them by 21 points. If you beat a team by 21 points, that’s a convincing win, right? If you beat them by this margin on their own home field, it leaves no room for doubt, that this was a solid win and the home team deserves no credit. However, we now see USC move back into the top 25 AP poll? How could this be? Sure you played the number 1 team in the nation, so you’re expected to get beat. If you only get beat by a field goal or a touchdown, it could show some signs of strength. This did NOT happen! USC got beat by 3 touchdowns and they had home field advantage! Some interesting stats developed in this game too.

*Oregon produced exactly 222 more yards on offense than USC did. That is amazing in it self, but what if I told you that the USC Trojans had the ball on offense for 5 minutes and 10 seconds longer than the Oregon Ducks? Did the Pac10 officials try to help USC win this game? USC had 3 flags threw at them the whole game and they got penalized for only 22 yards. While Oregon got flagged 8 times for 85 yards. Oregon almost had 3 times as many flags against them; and was 3 yards shy of having 4 times the amount of yardage subtracted from them. I believe the Pac 10 officials working this game, was in favor and took bribes to try and help the home team USC to win this game or at least to keep it close.

History of USC Flags and Penalty Yards Before the Oregon Game:

1. @ Hawaii -  11 Flags = 100 yards

2. Virginia – 13 Flags = 150 yards

3. @ Minnesota – 7 Flags = 71 yards

4. @ Washington State -  5 Flags = 39 yards (Opponent 2 flags = 15 yards) Refs Let Them Play Here

5. Washington -  5 Flags = 49 yards

6. @ Stanford – 8 Flags – 53 yards

7. California – 8 Flags – 54 yards

8. Oregon – 3 Flags – 22 yards (opponent 8 flags = 85 yards) Either 1st or 2nd game for USC to have lower flags/penalty yards than their opponent.

I won’t push too much on the corruption angle here. Even though USC got the bye week before playing Oregon and the referees did lend more help to the Trojan football team; than their northern Pac 10 opponents got. Oregon did have 9 days to prepare for this game, but USC still got 5 more, as they benefited from a full two weeks of preparations.

The main point I wanted to make about the bye week and the ref’s giving USC all the calls, is the fact, that USC still lost this game by a considerable margin.

*Homefield Advantage

*Awarded 63 More Yards by Officials wth Penalty Flags

*Controlled Ball on Offense 5+ Minutes

These 3 things in a football game, can help a team to win or make it a closer game than it should. USC got beat by 21 points and gave up 50+ points, to a team that had the football 5 less minutes than they did. In no way should USC should have moved up in the polls.

Now comes the most disturbing part of my debate. I have walked you guys through each week of the season up to this point. After USC loses this game to the number 1 Oregon team, I have them calculated as moving up from no rankings in the AP Top 25, to the number 24 team in the Country. I know my “Week 1″ , “Week 2″, etc.. might be a little confusing, but I first showed the preseason ranking with USC number 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Then I start with “Week 1″ for the first game USC played. Based on that result, I go ahead and include the Sunday ranking decision on my Week 1 statements.

If you tracked this online at Yahoo, you would see they go from a “preseason ranking” to a “2″, “3″, “4″, etc… They never list “1″ on their rankings; while I did include a Week 1 on mine.

If you go to Yahoo Sports and look at Oregon’s season, you will see they got credit for beating the 24th ranked USC Trojans on their schedule. I don’t think this happened and I believe USC became 24, after losing to Oregon. I know, I know, that doesn’t make much sense, so obviously I am the one who is wrong and Yahoo has it listed correctly.

If this is true and I am wrong, it only goes to prove my corruption point further with the NCAA, Pac10, and the AP Top 25 Ranking. Why? Because let’s remember what happened to USC before the Oregon game. Nothing! Absolutely nothing happened before Oregon rolls into the Coliseum at USC, because the Trojans had a bye week!

So is the AP Top 25 Poll, trying to convince college teams, coaches, players, and college football fans; that the USC Trojans actually deserved to move up, not 1 to number 25, but up 2 spots from a unranked position, to the number 24 team in the Country, on their bye week?

SEC Teams are commonly losing ground in the rankings; on their bye weeks. It is not uncommon at all for a team who doesn’t play one Saturday, to actually lose spots. To move up, by not playing, would call for a lot of special circumstances. The USC Trojans had only played one team in the top 25 and that was Stanford, who was ranked 16 without a top 25 win; while South Carolina was 19th and they did have a top 25 win. In Stanford’s defense, you can give them credit, since South Carolina had a bye week and had played 1 less game. But if you go that route, it only hurts USC even more, by moving them up 2 spots; while they took a week off from college football.

Oregon has been given credit for beating a top 25 team (24 USC); while USC was ranked at number 18 in the AP, they lost their WEEK 5 Ranking; when they got beat by Washington. WEEK 6 Rankings show USC as an unranked team. They lose to Stanford for back to back loses, and continue to not be ranked in WEEK 7. They get back to winning and beat California, but the AP doesn’t view this as a quality win, and in WEEK 8, the USC Trojans are still not ranked. Now USC goes into their bye week, and the new rankings come out; which vault USC to number 24??? They moved up at least 2+ spots, to number 24 after playing nobody. Over their last 4 weeks of college football, they have lost 2 games, beat a California team, who had 2 losses and no wins over a top 25 school, and a bye week, and was not vaulted to any where after the California win, but received more credit, when they just didn’t play?

This is an obvious attempt, by the AP Poll and their voters, to give the Oregon team, a top 25 win. Oregon should not have credit for beating a top 25 team; when USC moved into number 24, after a bye week. You just can’t go from unranked to suddenly top 24 ranked, with a bye. Even with faulty top 25 win, does Oregon’s resume still look better than the Auburn Tigers? Not only does Oregon have the benefits of being ranked as the number 1 team getting ready to play the number 24 Trojans, but the AP at this point, has Boise State in 2nd place with 11 first place votes to Auburn’s 3 votes! And Oregon with 44 first place votes!

1. Oregon – 44 first place votes – 1 Top 25 Win (Stanford)

2. Boise State – 11 first place votes – 2 Top 25 Wins (Oregon State & Virginia Tech)

3. Auburn – 3 first place votes – 3 Top 25 Wins (South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU)

Now obviously the AP Voters are given some credit for margin of victory, as they should. But let’s keep in mind, this is the standings and votes after 8 games. Oregon has played only 1 top 25 school in 8 games and Auburn has met 3 top 25 schools in their first 8 games. Almost half of Auburn’s schedule has been with ranked opponents, so it’s a little tougher to win by wide margins, when you’re facing tougher opponents.

Auburn’s unranked opponents consist of teams like Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Clemson. They had 2 easy opponents in Arkansas State and and Louisiana Monroe; which they beat both easy by a combine score of 104 to 29.

Now let’s look at Oregon’s unranked teams, since they have 7 on their list, compared to 5 for Auburn. The good unranked teams Oregon beat in their first 8 games; were really no one!  Oregon beat Tennessee, who was able to win their last 4 games of the season to finish at .500. So Oregon really played the Volunteers when they were at their worse. Oregon beat Arizona State and they were 5 and 6 this season. Oregon beat the UCLA Bruins from the Pac 10 who was 4 and 7 this season. Oregon had wins over Portland State and New Mexico who finished a combine 3 wins and 20 loses for the season. And the only other win was against Washington State from the Pacific 10 Division in college football, who was 2 and 9 this season. After 8 games into the college football season, we have a team who beat a top 25 team and 1 team with a .500 record. They had 6 wins over teams who were under .500 and 2 teams with 2 wins and 2 teams with 1 win!

How exactly do you award 41 more first place votes to a team like that, against an Auburn team who has played 3 top 25 teams. Then won against a 8 -4 Mississippi State team, who is now ranked 22 in the country, really giving Auburn 4 wins over top 25 teams in their first 8 games. They beat 2 more .500 teams in Kentucky and Clemson. Beat Louisiana Monroe who had a 5 and 7 record this year and beat Arkansas State who had a 4 and 8 record. Auburn’s worse team two teams were 5 and 4 win teams. While Oregon played two 1 win teams.  Move up the ladder to the next two games and Auburn defeats a SEC and a ACC team (Kentucky and Clemson), who both finished with .500 records in two tough football conferences; while Oregon’s ladder goes into the 2 win teams. I mean really, Oregon played 4 teams in their first 8 games that finished the season with 2 wins or less. Auburn never played an opponent in those first 8 weeks of the season, who would end this year with 4 wins or more.

It’s important to point to this out, because Auburn’s competition level is 100X stronger than what Oregon had to face in these first 8 weeks and yet, they found 41 more first place votes! It’s just ridiculous and even more ridiculous when you see how USC made their way into the top 25, right before the Oregon game on a bye week.

Anyone in the country can compare the Auburn schedule with the Oregon schedule and see which team has faced tougher opponents. Yet, Oregon is ranked number 1 in the country and plays a weak in-state rival with Oregon State; which Herbstreet was quick to point out Saturday night, how this game is not a cake walk for Oregon, even though Oregon State had just got beat 38 to 0 earlier in the day. While once again, Auburn has the cards stacked up against them, as they have to face another top 25 team and play them on a neutral field in Atlanta, Georgia for the SEC Championship Game.

Auburn has already had to sit out of a championship game; while having a perfect season. No fair to make them jump through any more hurdles; when they have clearly deserved the first place votes and should be number 1 right now with a wide lead and some wiggle room.

Shoei Motocross Helmet

While online looking through some motorcycle helmets, I found some really cool-designed safety helmets from the guys at Shoei. Professional and some amateur motocross riders are the ones that would want these cool-looking helmets the most. I saw at least a dozen different Shoei Helmets which were above average in the “cool” department. Motorcycle riders 20 and 30 years ago, would never of had the chance to get helmets as nice and sharp-looking as these I found online. Dirt bike riders and other motorcycle owners can take motocross fashions to a whole new level. After looking through several of these dirt bike helmets online, I did come to the conclusion that safety can be very cool.

Safety helmets for motorcyle riders is a law in most U.S. States, if not all of them. The weekend riders who like to go out in group rides, will want to know the motorcycle helmet laws in each state, if your bike group plans to cross state lines. I think we have all seen enough accidents on the roadways to know, that these safety helmets can save lives. Keeping the head protected in crashes is very important. Medical teams have a good chance in saving your life, if you can reach a hospital with a pulse. The riders who choose to not wear motorcycle helmets are at risk for life-changing accidents, if they should happen to fall victim to a wreck on the roads and highways.

Motorcycle Helmets is a good idea for ATV (all terrain vehicle) riders too. The ATV operators who ride their 4-wheelers through the woods, are prone to have their own 1 vehicle accidents. Most laws don’t get involved with asking riders and ATV operators to put on a helmet; while riding on private property in the woods. Just because there isn’t a law in existence, doesn’t mean it is safe to ever ride a dirt bike or an ATV, in your off-road adventures. Safety can be cool and walking away from a crash is the coolest thing of all!

*Important* All Drivers Please Read

I lost a good friend in a motorcycle accident almost 15 years ago. He was wearing a motorcycle helmet, on a street legal motorcycle. The accident occurred, due to another driver pulling out from a fast food restaurant, onto a major highway. The driver wasn’t watching out for motorcycle drivers, so my friend was unable to stop in time, before he slammed his self and his motorcycle into the side of this mini-van. My friend died instantly on the scene and he was 1 month away from his 30th birthday. So please, please, please, be sure to watch for motorcycles; while you are out driving and especially when you’re having to look both ways, to pull out and make a left-hand turn on a major road or highway.

Thanks for the post, Lucius Gaines

My best friend and I love to visit the New England Aquarium in Boston with our kids. We always have a blast! We try and plan a day trip when they are off from school. It really is educational, but the kids have so much fun, they do not realize they are learning too. There is so much to see and do there that we never get bored. We all just love going to the aquarium!

We always pack our lunch and extra snacks as the aquarium is about an hour away. I usually drive everyone since we have a large passenger van. Before the kids and I leave home, I always check to make sure that our home security alarm(website here) is set. Once we pick up our fellow travelers, we head to Boston, which is about an hour away from our town. On the way there, all the kids are buzzing with excitement. Everyone is talking non-stop!

Once we arrive and buy our tickets, everyone usually votes to go see the penguins. There are hilarious! We usually spend quite a bit of time hanging out at the penguin exhibit. Next, we head to the giant ocean tank. The tank is four stories tall and features a coral reef exhibit. The kids love looking at the sharks, eels and barracudas in the tank, along with all the other fascinating sea life.

At the end of the day, everyone is worn out and ready for the ride back. On the drive home, all the kids are quiet, and most of them take a nap. A visit to the aquarium really is a great day trip if you have children.

When traveling to foreign places, it can sometimes be difficult to know the speed limits. Signs are not always visible or nearby, when you want to know what the speed limit is for a certain stretch of roadway. In most cases, we just try to travel at the same speeds the other cars are, so we don’t get run over or break any speed limit laws.

Most people think the biggest crimes in speeding, are done on the interstate highways. Actually the worse speed tickets can come from work zones or school zones, where the speed limits are very low. Going 50 mph in a 25 mph construction zone doesn’t seem like you’re speeding; while driving at this pace. However, that is double the speed limit and 25 mph too much. In a 70 mph speed limit zone on the Interstate highway, you would have to go 95 mph to match the actual speed of the example above. It would take a driver traveling at 140 mph, to match the percentage of speed. Often a traffic officer or a courtroom judge will factor-in the actual mph above the speed limit and look at the percentage aspect too.

I been driving for over 20 years and have received 3 speeding tickets. My worse speeding ticket came in a construction zone and I still don’t feel like I was speeding. A section of roadway was being worked on in my area and there were a lot of reduce speed and lower speed limit signs posted. The normal speed was 45 mph, but the construction going on, caused the speed limit to be lowered to a 35 mph zone. This road construction was mainly taken place during business hours on a Monday through Friday schedule. I came through this area on a Saturday evening; while there was no work being done on the highway. I was going 61 mph; which would have still been 16 mph over the limit. My traffic ticket seemed a lot worse in court, because of the new lower speed that was put in place (35 mph). So my violation reflected a 26 mph difference. I still believe the speed limit shouldn’t have been enforced, since there was no workers working on the roadway; nor was there any cones or other construction obstacles to look out for.

Like so many others do, I chose to not fight the speeding ticket. I was charged more, since I was speeding in a construction zone and was traveling faster than other speeders in this area. This ticket was back in the 1990′s and now the punishment is more severe to those who speed in construction zones. I don’t know if the new speeding laws include school zones, but I know it is a much more serious offense now. Please learn from my speeding mistakes and even if you don’t see any construction workers in site; the traffic cops can still bust you for speeding in a construction zone.

If you travel then getting on a  Royal Caribbean cruise is a great experience. There is no better way to travel than on a ship where almost everything is taken care of for you.

This is a special, once in a life time vacation for just you. You will have the opportunity to be by yourself for an entire week (7 days). Where would your trip lead you to, if you did have this fantasy trip to come true?

You could select a gambling destination like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The reason you would want to travel here by yourself, is to keep a big jackpot winning all to yourself, without anyone else knowing about it. Maybe you would choose to share it with your family and friends, but that choice would be up to you.

A popular song from the 1980′s was Jitterbug, which was sung by the group Wham. More people probably remember their front man more than they do the band. They were led by George Michael, who would later become a solo artist and even work with a legend from over in England called Sir Elton John. This duo would sing the popular song Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. I’m beginning to think George Michael was relying too much on those cheap motel clocks, is why he needed to ask people to wake him up before they go and then pleading for someone to warn him about the sun going down. He and a lot of travelers could avoid these motel and hotel alarm clocks, if they would just bring their own travel alarm clocks with them. They aren’t that expensive and it sure beats relying on a alarm clock that has never woken you up before.

Time is an important thing on our trips away from home. Even on our yearly vacations where we have the whole week to ourselves, time plays a big part. I believe some working folks work harder on their vacations than they do at their jobs. They want to wake up as early as possible, so they can get out and look around at all the sights, to see at their tourist destinations. In most cases, you spent a lot of money on your family trips to a popular travel destination and you want to soak it up as much as possible. The wife and kids may not be too fond of golf and waking up early gives the man of the family, a chance to get in a round of golf, before his family wakes up. Or maybe Dad and the boys don’t care to go shopping and Mom wants to have an early wake-up call, to go shopping while on vacation. Either way, the alarm clocks in your travel rooms may not be up for the task. This is going on the assumption your lodging choice even offers an alarm clock in every room. You can have one less thing to worry about, if you just pack up your own alarm clock from home. You won’t feel like plugging up and setting the time on your normal bedroom clocks, when you arrive back home from your vacation. This is why I suggest to just go ahead and make an investment for a small, travel-size alarm clock.

What if the family wants to go camping or go on some outdoor adventure for the weekend? You may not have access to a socket to plug-in a clock, but a simple, battery alarm clock would solve this problem. One that doesn’t need electricity to run on. These handy little clocks can keep up with the time for you and wake you up at dawn, right when the fish are most active on the lake. There is only one thing better than catching a fish from the lake during a cool summer morning. Can you guess what that one thing is? Yes, eating the darn thing, on a cool summer-time morning! Only way this fish breakfast is going to happen, if you don’t forget to pack that portable alarm clock on your camping trips. Families always say they enjoyed their vacations, but they wished they could have spent more time on it. I always wondered if people going on vacation want more time, why don’t they just pack more time in their luggage?