Truth?

This morning as I sipped coffee and watched the morning news, the anchor woman stated that a study completed by the University of Texas's Energy Institute found that no link exists between hydraulic fracturing and ground water contamination. I found this statement hard to swallow.

Upon further reading of other sources this is what has been revealed:

First of all, these are ONLY the preliminary findings and the report will not be completed and released until the early part of 2012.

Second, the word used was "SUGGEST" the report suggests... doesn't that mean to imply? To seduce? To influence? To hypothesize?

Third, the preliminary findings state that when there is ground water contamination that we should look at the surface processes, such as "poor casing" and "shoddy cement jobs". Okay, so we do admit there is GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION.

And the All Mighty Groat, the lead UT geology professor on the study, said this...

"The violations that we've seen are of no, minor or small impact," Groat said. "The impact on groundwater, the impact on the surface is not of anything substantial, certainly not compared to coal mines or metal mines."

Whew...I feel so much better. Heck, it's better than a coal mine (ha ha ha...snort). Kind of reminds me of that silly thing that some presidential wanna be just said recently..."I just don't know the third thing that I'd do away with." Senseless babble.

The Big Machine

So, if we're part of a big machine that's governed by let's say, certain laws that never change, then it would be a safe or an ignorant assumption to say that most of our choices are predestined. That we have no other way to react or respond, but within those laws. Now, there exists certain particles, or maybe atoms, that are unpredictable, that act randomly and we are unable to determine their course. That part is true, from what I understand, that there are certain elements that swerve, that do not have a particular course.

Let's then assume that we are made of these particles. Some are fixed and adhere to the governing laws, then we are also composed of these particles that act randomly. Let's also say that some of us are mainly composed of the fixed particles and have very few of the unpredictable particles. Therefore, we could say that the majority of us are predictable and follow a rather predetermined course. We react within the normal range of actions.

Then there's a group of people that are composed of the more unpredictable particles and have very few of the more stable law adhering particles. These people do not react in the "normal" range of actions. They tend to be unpredictable and not follow the governing laws.

I wonder if it's that simple? That no matter what you instill in someone, that they have a genetic make up to either be predictable law adhering particles or they have the genetic make up to be unpredictable unlawful particles. What if it's really all in the genes?

The Walking Dead, Yes, I'm Hooked

Normally I don't do a whole lot of television watching, until recently that is. I can't help myself, seeing that I'm a morbid zombie loving undead watching sorta person, the air waves, or is that radio? have been filled with shows that I just can't get enough of.

I started watching the Walking Dead last season and was immediately taken with the believable characters and wonderful story line and subplots. It's a feast for TV viewers, not to mention that when the Zombies get a chance to feast, they chow down!

Another show that I happened upon is American Horror Story. Zowie! That show is hot, disturbing, hot, wicked, hot... well, you get the point. Basically, from what I have gathered so far is there is this house with a murderous history with an evil presence lurking. And the dead? Oh, yes, the dead not only walk among the living they leave a few more corpses behind!

Switching genres from horror to historical fiction, I viewed the season premiere of AMC's Hell On Wheels. Intense! Being a novice history buff, I rather fancy time period pieces and heroines in distress. I'm looking forward to this coming Sunday's lineup.

So, with now three hours of TV watching a week, I find myself being strapped for time. I spend about 8 hours a week at the gym, 50 hours a week at work, 7 - 10 hours a week cleaning, 6 - 8 hours a week preparing and doing an internet radio show, about 35 hours a week sleeping...exactly how many hours are in a week?

My Buddy Durango Turning 47 Today

Happy Birthday Mr. Durango! I sure am glad you decided to transplant your incredible self to Texas. I've been lax in keeping up with my friends as of late or I would have sent you a little something from the desert, but seeing that Fort Worth is on day 41 of drought and heat above 100, I'm thinking that your landscape is starting to resemble my own.

Instead, I'll post for you one of my favorite songs.

The New York Times Joe Niocera Is In Pickens Back Pocket

Okay, for those of you who love the idea of oil and gas drilling...you know, the Drill Baby, Drill, shrill...please do not read this.

For the rest of you, please read on.

I read a rather disturbing reply by Joe Nocera regarding comments made on his previous opinion in The New York Times. Well, at first I thought that he was just uneducated on the matter of natural gas fracking...but it turns out that he is Picken's lackey. Please tell me you have not forgotten T. Boone Pickens.

What caught my eye about Nocera's opinion was this line:

In Texas and Oklahoma, it has been used for decades, with nobody complaining much about environmental degradation.

Really? NOBODY has complained MUCH? Well, I know for damn certain I have complained A LOT and I live in Texas.

Then, Mr. Informative lists the three main reasons and quickly dispels them without an ounce of back up or provided research.

fracking supposedly allows gas and dangerous chemicals to seep into the water supply. This is pretty implausible.

Well, if I remember correctly I just read an article about an EPA study concluding that fracking has contaminated drinking water. And you know what else? THE NEW YORK TIMES also reported on the same story! Hey, Joe? Do ya not read anything else besides your own bloated arrogant opinions?

The second problem is the disposal of the chemical waste.

Yeah, no kidding. This is a problem and no, Joe, they do not all bury it under the ground in spill proof containers, there are reports of it being dumped late at night off of county roads or kept in big open pits lined with plastic.

natural gas is dirtier than coal.

He quickly dismisses this as a biased opinion. What I find rather ironic (or maybe moronic) is that at the end of the article he then admits that there are problems with natural gas drilling and fracking the Shale, but that with best drilling practices and with strong state regulation (bahahaha, snort, choke...ouch) we, America (covers heart and sheds a tear) can finally end our dependence on foreign oil...and his cliched rhetoric doesn't stop there...

while diminishing the strategic importance of the Middle East, where American soldiers continue to die.

Of course, I wanted to leave my comment on his article, but due to the outpouring of outrage about his uniformed ignorant rant...he is no longer accepting comments.

Being Selfless

Have you ever made a decision? I mean a real life changing decision? One that you had thought about for several weeks, maybe even a month and you thought you were doing the right thing, but then after the decision, you felt worse than before?

Can you ever go back? Do hurtful things that are said can ever really be forgiven? Or do the words build and build until there's a protective wall that just stays there. I read a quote today:

"Be selfless today if it's going to be for the betterment of someone else's life. U and they will be better off for your sacrifice."

I had planned on trying to reverse my decision today. Go back and undo it, if it could. But after reading that quote, maybe the decision was what was better for the other person. Dang...being a human is so hard sometimes...

Summer Vacation Coming To An End

Like my good buddy, Durango, posted about an hour ago, it's going to be another hot day here in West Texas. The boys are practicing for football, my youngest will have a guest for the weekend and we are planning on staying around the house and maybe doing a little swimming up at the school pool.

I always get semi depressed at this time of the year. School is about to start, and although I love my occupation, I love the time off just as much. This is the first time of my teaching career that I'm not totally dreading getting back into the classroom. That lack of dread has everything to do with the district I am now employed with.

It will be slightly different this year, because my principal is now at the elementary, and the elementary principal is now at the junior high, my campus. Why was this change made? From what I gather, it's because the junior high campus has it's act together. Well, at least, that's what they tell us.

This is my son's last year in high school and my daughter's last year in elementary. We have a few more things planned before school gets underway, Summer Mummers and the Midnight Cellar Dweller Movie. And before that, I am making a solo trip to Louisiana to pick up a 1965 Ford Mustang.

Some interesting news has been coming down the pike about a correlation between fracking and ground water contamination. The article is easy to read, but just don't stop there...the comments are priceless.

You And Me And The Stock Market

Okay, I don't know a whole lot about the stock market, but from history classes and news articles and of course from the movie, Wallstreet, I have a basic understanding. This is my understanding, that the majority of the money we "see" in the stock market is soft money. Oh, I know...soft money means a type of political contribution that can't be regulated because it, ahem..."builds" the party. So, why am I using that term with the stock market?

The stock market contains whimsical money that builds the nations' economy. Sometimes it has a really awesome building effect while at other times it has an extremely damaging effect. Like it's having today, with a 400 point drop...people, according to one news source...are already throwing in the towel and moving their money to safer areas, such as bonds.

And then we have been having this whole debt debate thing going on over in Congress for quite some time. Shut it down, start it up, compromise... whatever. I know what's really going on, and knew it before I read Robert Bowden's article, but I'll let him say it for me:

"Instead of trying to reach consensus, political leaders are posturing for their re-election and increasing book sales."

I know what you, the average ordinary non stock market guru is saying..."this is not going to affect me in the least. I will wake up and do what I do, go to work, get paid and pay the bills." I think that's a HUGE misconception, because it will eventually affect YOU! If you remembered correctly, I posted a nice little proposal for a flat tax. I got some positive feedback, so I started emailing my plan to all my elected representatives...so far, no takers.

But here are a few things that all of the above will have to do with the average person:

1. Higher interest rates, less loans
2. Delayed Government checks, except for Congress (there's a law that protects them)
3. Government offices will be closed and some employees on leave
4. Finally, with access to capital(money) being limited; layoffs are on the horizon and costs/prices will increase

What are we going to do? I don't know yet. I have to give this some thought, but I'll be sure to let ya know what I come up with.

Titillate Your Senses In The Tall City

Do you remember the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Some of us not only remember it, we lived it! Persons that did not participate in a midnight showing probably are a little clueless of what it means to attend an active viewing of the The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The audience members not only watched the movie, but they usually did so in costume and had every line of the movie well memorized. Props, dancing and crowd participation is what makes the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience truly fun. Of course, it does help if you have a sense of humor and are not offended by transsexuals or crude behavior. There is a guide for Rocky Horror Virgins which could be extremely useful in preparing you for your first time.

Since I now have you thinking about this unique movie type experience and I have your mind primed, pumped and ready, I'm about to drop something just as amazing and interesting on you.

Let's say, that you could see one of your favorite movies of the past, could be something like, Blue Velvet, High Plains Drifter, Heavy Metal or even Evil Dead. And not only could you see it again, but you could view it on the big screen, with surround sound and buttered popcorn for a very low price. Interested?

Coming soon, right here in The Tall City, The Cellar with Bogart and Brando, in conjunction with Basin Bands will be bringing you the Cellar Dweller Midnight Movie. It's not just a movie...contests, discount cards, giveaways, live bands, concessions...and so much more. Titillate your senses in the Tall City!

Here's a sneak preview of what is soon to come!

A Round Up For Express Energy

I'm not quite sure what Express Energy has been up to lately, but for the past several weeks I have had a lot of traffic searching for information on Express Energy. At one time, Express Energy was siphoning water from the Trinity River, without permits and when my good buddy, Durango, tried to take a few photos...they got really nasty.

So, let me ask...are you searching for information about Express Energy, because they're up to no good again? OR are you from Express Energy checking out your google rating?

I'll make it easy, I did a quick search on my blog and put all the information that I have about Express Energy right here.