WE ALL NEED TO GET BACK TO BASICS

JUST AN OBSERVATION...OR SHOULD I SAY A SIMPLIAR LIFESTYLE?

I NEED TO EAT MORE HEALTHY FOOD...

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NOT A GOOD FOOD PLACE NEAR MY WORK...IT'S FAST (FAT) FOOD OR NOTHING AROUND HERE...

I THINK THIS IS A BIT OF AN OVERKILL

DO WE HAVE HUNGRY PEOPLE BREAKING INTO THE DRUG CABINET FOR A HAM AND CHEESE ON RYE?

In hot seat, Bush unveils new climate strategy

I APPEAR TO BE AHEAD OF THE CROWD ON HOT TOPICS...THE PRESIDENT HAD BETTER ACT QUICK BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH MORE TIME...EURO WANTS TO CURTAIL EMISSIONS BY 50% BY 2012 I BELIEVE...THE NEXT HOT TOPIC IS ILLEGAL ALIENS...ARE THEY FROM MARS? WHY DON'T WE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ILLEGAL CANADIANS AS MUCH AS WE DO THE MEXICANS? THEY BOTH END UP IN CALIFORNIA..IF WE SEAL THE CALIFORNIA BORDER WE WOULD HAVE THEM ALL CONTAINED, THEN WE COULD TURN IT INTO A HOLDING CAMP.. HOLLYWOOD COULD MAKE A NEW MOVIE...ESCAPE FROM CALIFORNIA.

TIME FOR LUNCH

GEE! I WONDER WHAT I'LL HAVE...?

I'M OFF MY SOAP BOX NOW

LETS JUST FORGET ALL ABOUT THIS GLOBAL WARMING THINGY AND GO FOR A NICE DRIVE....

NASA's Top Official Questions Global Warming

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN PREMATURE ON MY EARLIER ASSESSMENT ABOUT NASA...LET'S GET IT TOGETHER FOLKS.

By CLAYTON SANDELL and BILL BLAKEMORE
May 31, 2007

NASA administrator Michael Griffin is drawing the ire of his agency's preeminent climate scientists after apparently downplaying the need to combat global warming.

In an interview broadcast this morning on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" program, Griffin was asked by NPR's Steve Inskeep whether he is concerned about global warming.

"I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists," Griffin told Inskeep. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."

"To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change," Griffin said. "I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."

Griffin's comments immediately drew stunned reaction from James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

"It's an incredibly arrogant and ignorant statement," Hansen told ABC News. "It indicates a complete ignorance of understanding the implications of climate change."

Hansen believes Griffin's comments fly in the face of well-established scientific knowledge that hundreds of NASA scientists have contributed to.

"It's unbelievable," said Hansen. "I thought he had been misquoted. It's so unbelievable."

News media inquiries to NASA headquarters about Griffin's comments prompted the space agency to make the unusual move of issuing a news release late Wednesday night.

"NASA is the world's preeminent organization in the study of Earth and the conditions that contribute to climate change and global warming," Griffin said in a statement. "The agency is responsible for collecting data that is used by the science community and policy makers as part of an ongoing discussion regarding our planet's evolving systems. It is NASA's responsibility to collect, analyze and release information. It is not NASA's mission to make policy regarding possible climate change mitigation strategies. As I stated in the NPR interview, we are proud of our role and I believe we do it well."

Hansen, featured prominently in Al Gore's global warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," has been warning of the potential dangers of climate change since the 1980s.

In late 2005, he accused NASA of trying to improperly censor him after he warned that Earth's climate might be approaching a dangerous "tipping point."

The agency later fired a public affairs employee, a political appointee of the Bush administration, over the incident.

Last year, many NASA scientists were upset when reports surfaced that the agency had quietly deleted the phrase "to understand and protect our home planet" from the NASA mission statement. The scientists believe research on issues like climate change will suffer as NASA shifts priorities toward exploration missions to the moon and Mars.

"Earth has always been central to NASA's science," Hansen said.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? THE BOYS IN CHARGE JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT...

NASA: Danger Point Closer Than Thought From Warming

I'M NOT AN ALARMIST BUT... DO YOU THINK OUR (US) POLICY TOWARD OUR PLANET SHOULD CHANGE? IF WE DON'T START ACTING SOON WHO WILL SUFFER? ERROR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION MIGHT BE AN ACCEPTABLE OPTION HERE. IT IS BETTER TO DO TOO MUCH RATHER THAN NOT ENOUGH...

By BILL BLAKEMORE
May 29, 2007

From ABC News

Even "moderate additional" greenhouse emissions are likely to push Earth past "critical tipping points" with "dangerous consequences for the planet," according to research conducted by NASA and the Columbia University Earth Institute.

With just 10 more years of "business as usual" emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas, says the NASA/Columbia paper, "it becomes impractical" to avoid "disastrous effects."
The study appears in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Its lead author is James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

The forecast effects include "increasingly rapid sea-level rise, increased frequency of droughts and floods, and increased stress on wildlife and plants due to rapidly shifting climate zones," according to the NASA announcement.


Recent Climate Reports Underestimated How Soon
By heralding the new research paper, NASA is endorsing science that places considerably more urgency on the need to reduce emissions to avoid "disastrous effects" of global warming than was evident in the recent reports from the world's scientists coordinated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The new NASA release emphasizes the danger of "strong amplifying feedbacks" pushing Earth past "dangerous tipping points."

Scientists have been warning for several years that such tipping points are the greatest threat from manmade global warming — and what makes it potentially catastrophic for civilization.


'Potentially Uncontrollable' Feedback Loops

As the tipping points pass, "there is an acceleration, potentially uncontrollable, of emissions of vast natural stores of greenhouse gas," according to Hansen, who reviewed the study for ABC News today.

Hansen explains that dangerous feedback loops are being tracked in various regions of the planet.

Many studies have reported feedback loops already observed in thawing tundra, seabeds and drying forests.

Hansen also points out that dark — and therefore heat-absorbing — forests are now expanding toward the Arctic, replacing lighter-colored areas such as tundra and snow cover.

TWO HEARTS

I JUST LOVE BLEEDING HEARTS UNLESS THEY ARE A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT

WHO NEEDS A SAIL?

AMERICA'S CUP STARTS VERY SOON

I'M EXPERIMENTING AGAIN WATCH OUT!

IN A VAIN ATTEMPT TO ADD A LITTLE ZEST TO THE PHOTO I USED SOME SCRAPBOOK SOFTWARE...PERSONALLY I THINK THE PICTURES ARE BETTER AS STAND ALONES...

DADDY'S GENETIC CONTRIBUTION

SHE AIN'T HEAVY, SHE'S MY SISTER

THE GIRLS TOGETHER

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS

GREAT SNAG....HE DID VERY WELL

UNLOADING A THROW TO FIRST

JUSTIN'S PITCHER'S LOOK

I'M OFF TO WATCH THE BOYS BALL GAME

HOPEFULLY I WILL GET TO SEE A GOOD GAME...JAKE AS YOU KNOW IS OUT BECAUSE OF HIS KNEE INJURY AND JUSTIN IS SPORTING ONE REALLY RED SUNBURN FROM THE BEACH YESTERDAY...YOU KNOW THAT IS GOING TO STING...

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY FROM A VET

WAKE ME FOR THE NEXT MEAL

I FEEL A NAP COMING ON....BYE BYE

DID SOMEONE SAY PARTY?

THIS IS RILEY AND HER MOM CELEBRATING

DELANEY WITH HER COUSINS

DELANEY'S GOD MOTHER AND AUNT DEBBIE

DELANEY DIDN'T GET TO THE BEACH BUT...

ISN'T IT GREAT HOW KIDS CAN BE HAPPY IN A SPRINKLER?

HEY WORLD! THIS IS MY FIRST HOLIDAY

I KNOW IT IS MEMORIAL DAY BUT WHAT IS MORE MEMORABLE THAN ME?

WHY DO I ALWAYS IGNORE THESE SIGNS?

SLEEPY HEAD RILEY

DELANEY THE COOKIE MONSTER

TARA AND DELANEY SHARE A MOMENT

THIS IS THE KIND OF DAY I HAD...NICE

HAD TO TAKE THE FERRY ACROSS

THIS CUT OUT ALL THE HOLIDAY TRAFFIC

GUESS WHO I WENT TO SEE TODAY

YOUR RIGHT! I SAW RILEY DANIELLE

I WONDER WHAT IS MISSING?

TRYING TO COME UP WITH A FANTASTIC IDEA FOR THE WEEKEND, BUT CAN'T SEEM TO PUT MY FINGER ON IT!

IT IS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

AS WE PREPARE TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR OUR FREEDOM,THOSE OF US WHO LOST COMRADES IN WAR, SAY THANK YOU. TO THOSE COMRADES NOW FIGHTING FOR US IN FAR OFF LANDS. YOU ARE REMEMBERED...RETURN SAFELY TO US AND THE ONES YOU LOVE. "FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE"...

ISN'T IT STRANGE

ON OUR BLOG AS FRIENDS WE HAVE THE KIWIS, AUSSIES, YANKEES ALL REPRESENTED, BUT DON'T ANY OF US HAVE ANY ITALIAN FRIENDS TO JOIN THE FRAY?

IT'S AMERICA'S CUP AND WE WANT IT BACK!

FIRST IT WAS THE AUSSIES WHO STOLE IT, THEN THE UPSTART KIWI'S TOOK IT TWICE BUT WHO EVER LET THE SWISS INTO THE RACE? I DIDN'T KNOW THEY EVEN KNEW HOW TO SWIM...I THOUGHT THEY YODDLED AND CLIMBED MOUNTAINS OR MADE CHOCOLATE...WE ARE GETTING SOFT I GUESS...THIS IS ONE FUN RACE...IF YOU HAVE SOME SPARE CHANGE TO SPEND...LOTS OF LUCK TO EVERYONE...I REPEAT: IT'S OUR STINKIN TROPHY!

LOOKING GOOD MY MAN

IT THINK HE HAS GOT THE BASICS DOWN NOW...

BRINGING THE HEAT

OH GRADY! THE BALL IS STILL LIVE

JUSTIN'S THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

DEFENSIVELY SOUND BUT WE HAVE TO WORK ON THE BATTING...

NC MOUNTAIN CABIN

LIVING IN A LOG CABIN HAS CERTAIN ADVANTAGES

BATTERY PARK

AS CHILDREN MY FATHER WOULD TAKE US HERE TO PLAY. THIS IS ON THE DELAWARE RIVER IN WILMINGTON.

WHAT DOES THAT SIGN SAY?

GET CLOSER, YOU KNOW I CAN'T SEE A THING WITHOUT MY GLASSES.

WHY DO MY GRANDSON'S REMIND ME OF HIM?

WHERE DO THEY GET THE ENERGY?

MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN NYC

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

RILEY DANIELLE TAKES A NICE PICTURE TOO!

I'M A MEAT EATER, WHAT OF IT!

IT ISN'T JUST ABOUT MCDONALDS ANYMORE

BETTINA'S NIGHTMARE! THERE IS EVEN A ROO BURGER ON THIS PLATE. BURGERS FROM MY HOMETOWN...NOT A MCDONALDS TO BE FOUND!

BETTINA THE MCDONALD'S BURGER BABE!

This is an adverse reaction to a McDonald's Fish Sandwich...So be careful out there, or you could end up like this....

ENTER INTO A NEW SECRET PLACE

DON'T YOU WISH YOU WERE A KID AGAIN AND COULD FIND PLACES LIKE THIS TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABRIEL FROM GRANDMA AND GRANDPOP

DIDN'T WANT YOU TO THINK WE FORGOT...CARDS IN THE MAIL, BUT THE NET IS FASTER.

BIRTHDAY BOY'S BEDROOM

WHAT DO YOU GET A FROGMAN? HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABRIEL!

TRAVEL BLESSINGS

A LOT OF TRAVELING GOING ON..SAFE TRIP TO EVERYONE. I WILL BE GOING TO THE BAHAMAS IN JUNE...LOOKING FORWARD TO A BOATING TRIP AND MAYBE A DIVE. WHERE IS MY PASSPORT?

I THINK I SMELL BIRTHDAY CAKE

RILEY DANIELLE IS TWO DAYS OLD NOW

TIME FLIES WHEN YOUR HAVING FUN...

BIG SISTER WATCHES RILEY CAREFULLY

I'M HOLDING BOTH DELANEY AND RILEY

WHO'S WHOM? DELANEY OR RILEY

RILEY DANIELLE ARRIVES HOME

NO I DIDN'T FORGET TO TURN THE PICTURE...THIS IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I AM HAVING WITH PICASA. SHE IS BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHICH WAY IS UP!

Let's put a little light on the subject

Is that a Christmas Tree or just flowers?

IT WAS A COOL NIGHT LAST NIGHT

IT FELT LIKE THE FALL WEATHER ON SKYLINE DRIVE

I THINK THE RAIN IS COMING TO AN END

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

BETTINA BURGER...

OJ HAS BEEN COOKING BACON IN THE OFFICE THIS MORNING, BETTINA IS COMPLAINING ABOUT MCDONALDS. MIX ALL OF THAT WITH MY COFFEE AND I ASK YOU WHY AM I HUNGRY ALL OF A SUDDEN?

I'M GOING TO BE A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT?

Delaney as a baby

They say Riley looks like this...we'll see tomorrow when I go to pick up MO

RILEY DANIELLE HAS ARRIVED

NO PICTURES YET BUT THE LATEST INFO IS THAT SHE ARRIVED AT 10:40 AM, AND WEIGHT WAS 7 LBS, 12.5 OZ. I DO NOT HAVE A LENGTH BUT I'M TOLD SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE DELANEY ONLY SMALLER.....GO FIGURE.

IRIS COME IN ALL KINDS OF COLORS

SHEBA AND ZENA AT PLAY

I CAN ALWAYS PICK FLOWERS FOR MOM

THE CARD SAYS IT ALL

CARED ENOUGH TO SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

SUCH A SMART BUNCH OF KIDS...THEY CARED ENOUGH TO SEND FLOWERS....

BACK TO THE HOSPITAL FOR MY FOLLOW UP

IT IS TIME TO TAKE THE STITCHES OUT.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

ESPECIALLY IF YOUR HOOKED ON COFFEE...YOUR KIDS NEVER LET YOU GET ANY SLEEP...

THINGS HAPPEN UNDER TREES

IF YOUR NOT CAREFUL YOU GET HIT IN THE HEAD...WE HAVE HAD HIGH WINDS THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. I NOW HAVE FALLEN TREES AND LITTLE PLUMS AND PEACHES ALL OVER THE YARD. BUT AT LEAST MY YARD ISN'T BURNING...

LOOK ME IN THE EYES

I DOUBT IT WILL HAVE THE SAME AFFECT AS THIS...

I'VE DECIDED TO LOSE 40 LBS

I'VE LOST MY BICYCLE WHEN I TOSSED IT OFF THE BALCONY, AND IT WAS ABOUT 40LBS.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

FOR ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE, THIS ROSE IS FOR YOU...YOU DID A GREAT JOB! NO MATTER WHAT YOUR KIDS SAID ABOUT YOU...DID YOU EVER NOTICE HOW THERE VERSION OF THE STORY DOESN'T MATCH THE REAL VERSION OF HOW YOU RAISED THEM...?? I DID NOT USE THUMB SCREWS.

NO BASEBALL GAME TODAY

JAKE AND JUSTIN'S TEAM HAD TO FORFEIT THIER GAME TODAY. SOME OF THE PLAYERS HAD FAILING GRADES IN SCHOOL SO THE COACH WON'T PLAY THEM...SCHOOL WORK COMES FIRST....

MY HEART ISN'T COLD, IT JUST APPEARS THAT WAY

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THIS COLD HEART?

IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

ACCORDING TO MY PERSONALITY TRAITS I MUST EAT NAILS FOR BREAKFAST. FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY NEVER GIVE ME A TANK FOR CHRISTMAS...

PERSONALITY TRAITS

I HAVE TAKEN A COUPLE OF TEST OVER THE YEARS BUT IT SEEMS I HAVE A FEW QUIRKS IN MY PERSONALITY...WHEN ASKED WHOSE PERSONALITY MINE IS MOST LIKE THE OTHER DAY, HERE WAS THE ANSWER:
I THINK I'M BETTER ADJUSTED THAN THAT..PATTON WAS A PUSSY CAT COMPARED TO ME.
WHEN I TOOK THIS TEST A FEW YEARS AGO IT COMPARED ME TO GEN. ROMMEL. YEAH! I COULD SEE ME BLOWING UP HITLER.

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE KIND WORDS

HUGS FOR EVERYBODY!

BLACK AND WHITE

WHAT IS THERE TO LAUGH ABOUT? WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS TO THEMSELVES?

MY PROFILE OF THE FACELIFT

NO THE DOC DIDN'T DO A FACE LIFT, HE JUST ADJUSTED IT A LITTLE.

DREAM HOME

Things down on the farm need some major repairs, Do you think this would make a good remodel?

GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS

THE GOOD NEWS! MY SURGERY WAS SUCCESSFUL!
THE BAD NEWS! I LOOK LIKE I WENT TO A KNIFE FIGHT WITH A ROLLED UP NEWS PAPER.. I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT FOR NOW. I TOOK A PICTURE OF IT BUT NO WAY AM I POSTING IT..I LOOK LIKE I'VE BEEN RODE HARD AND PUT AWAY WET. I'VE TAKEN MY PAIN MEDS AND NOW I'M GOING TO SLEEP. I HAVE BEEN UP SINCE 4AM, DRIVEN FOR ABOUT SEVEN HOURS AND HALF OF THAT WAS AFTER MY OPERATION...I HAVEN'T EATEN SINCE LAST NIGHT AND I HAVE TO GO TO WORK IN A COUPLE OF HOURS...THIS HAS BEEN ON HECK OF A DAY..I DID HAVE TWO PLASTIC SURGEONS WORKING ON ME AND A SUPPORT TEAM...SO HOW COME I LOOK SO BAD...I THOUGHT THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO BE ON MY SIDE...WHAT HAS ME WORRIED IS THAT THE SCAR IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT AND IT IS ON MY FACE...MY LEFT LAUGH LINE TO BE EXACT. I'LL WAIT AND GIVE IT TIME TO HEAL....MORE LATER...NIGHT ALL...

I HAVE GOT TO GET STARTED ON CHORES

HOW DID THAT BLUE IRIS GET IN THERE?

FLOWER OF REMEMBRANCE

SATURDAY'S ROSE GARDEN

JUSTIN ENTERTAINS HIMSELF

JUSTIN BUILDS TOWERS WHILE HE WAITS FOR JAKE TO FINISH HIS PHYSICAL THERAPY.

SATURDAY DREAM HOUSE

EVERYONE LOVES THIS DREAMHOUSE, IT IS ON THE DRIVE TO RALIEGH. I PASS IT ON MY WAY TO THE HOSPITAL. IT IS ONE GREAT LOOKING VIEW.

SATURDAY MORNING TRAFFIC

DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION DECIDED TO PAVE THE HIGHWAY THIS WEEK, THE WEEK OF THE AIRSHOW! JUST WHAT ALL THOSE PEOPLE WANTED, TO BE STUCK IN A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE WAY TO THE SHOW.

SATURDAY MORNING RITUALS

THIS IS GRADY'S DAD, LIKE OTHER DADS AND GRAND DADS, WE SPEND OUR SATURDAY'S EATING HOT DOGS AND WATCHING THE KIDS PLAY...THEN WE MOW LAWNS AND FIX STUFF.

WHAT I DO ON SATURDAY MORNINGS

IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW, THIS PICTURE IS ABOUT A MINUTE OLD.

WHY DO DOCTORS FOLD THEIR ARMS?

ARE THEY JUST THAT CLOSED A PERSON? I THOUGHT I'D JUST LET YOU PONDER THE ISSUE.

AIRCRAFT CRASH

THIS WEEKEND IS A LARGE AIRSHOW HERE WHERE I WORK. AS PLANES ARRIVED YESTERDAY, ONE OF THE US2 PLANES CRASHED ABOUT A MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. IT SEEMS THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE PILOT HIT POWERLINES WHICH KNOCKED OUT HALF OF THE TOWNS ELECTRICITY, AND THE CRASH STARTED A SMALL FOREST FIRE. THE PILOT DID MISS HOUSES THOUGH. 4 CREW WALKED AWAY BUT THE PILOT IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS

FREAKY FRIDAY

I WILL HAVE SURGERY ON MONDAY...WHAT MAKES YOU THINK MY DOC IS A QUACK?