One of Those Dates .....

... we all had to remember in school. On this day in 1066, William of Normandy set off from the invasion beaches of Pevensy towards the battlefields of Hastings ... and, ultimately, the title of "the Conquerer." Here is the page devoted to King William I 'The Conqeror' on the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy.




Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on William, his life and his career, with plenty of links for continued, more specific study of a man, a time and a place that all played pivotal roles in the Western world we know today.

For me, of particular interest to this particular point in that career, is the Bayeaux Tapestry, a wonderful document of the year, the prelude to battle, the battle itself, and William's triumph. There are a number of online sources for viewing and learning about the tapestry, This one from the Museum of Reading is one of the more accessible, though - as the site points out - the images are low-quality to keep the site fast-loading.

And via YouTube, here is another, neat way to enjoy the tapestry, a short film by David Newton, with animation, sfx and score.

I'm from Pennsylvania, and I Don't Want to Even THINK About Football Right Now .....

Arrgghh ... and ARRGGHH !!!!!

Test

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[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Midland Puts the GRRRR in Green Chili .....

The 2009 edition of an annual green chili promotion at H.E.B. is over and - once again - the Midland store has finished in the #1 spot!

A few weeks back, I offered this post about H.E.B. roasting and selling fresh green chili peppers from Hatch, New Mexico.

At that time, I noted that the Midland H.E.B. had the most successful fresh-roasted chilis program in the chain in 2008, winning a free trip to Hatch, New Mexico, for Dustin and Victor (shown in a 2008 photo).
But that was then, and this is now ... let's all do our part, I suggested, to spice up our kitchens, fill those nooks and crannies in the freezer (to help get us through the cold winter), and make Dustin and Victor H.E.B.'s top chili-heads for two years in a row!

And, according to Victor, that's exactly what we've done. Even more impressive - for me, at least - is that the stores don't compete on a per-capita basis, accounting for the size of the community in which they are located. Rather, the store's success is measured simply by how many pounds of this precious produce they sell ... big city, small city, whatever - it's all the same.

So, congratulations to Midland's H.E.B. - and especially to Victor, Dustin ... and Rosemary, who was part of this year's crew. And, way to go, Midland shoppers and connoisseurs ... you put the GRRRR in green chili!

'Swonderful Birthday .....

... to a man who wrote so much 'smarvelous music. George Gershwin, one of Tin Pan Alley's brightest stars, and one of America’s great composers of music, was born on this day in 1898.

Here is Wikipedia's write-up on Gershwin, and the official George and Ira Gershwin website. I also like these clips on YouTube of Gershwin playing "I Got Rhythm" and Rhapsody in Blue: Part 1 and Part 2.

Another Picture Worth a Thou... No, a MILLION Words .....

On the premise that, "what the eyes have seen, the heart cannot forget," you are invited to experience the plight of the displaced children of Burma through an interactive exhibit of paintings and stories.

"Hope Behind the Red Bamboo" will hold an opening event and reception Thursday, October 13, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Claydesta Atrium, in Midland. Presented by the Champions for Burma Ministry, and First Presbyterian Church of Midland, the exhibit features artwork from children ... decidedly different from what you might have hanging on the door of your refrigerator at home.

The paintings are the product of an art therapy program conducted at an IDP (internally displaced person) camp inside Burma. Along with the paintings are the faces and stories of each child artist - memories of their life before and after the enemy came.
Raising awareness ... and raising funds. 100% of the proceeds raised through this exhibit will directly support the relief efforts of Partners Relief & Development, a registered non-profit charity helping thousands of refugees and displaced people in Thailand, Burma and Indonesia; and the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian service movement that brings help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma.

Everybody's a Lobo - Woof, Woof ... WHAT? .....

A marketing/branding effort involving my beloved University of New Mexico has been cited by the Educational Marketing Group, as an effort that went "overboard" ... yeah, just a bit!

Check out "The Athletic Image" post at the Brand Manager's Notebook blog.

Also Brilliant .....

... and also celebrating his birthday today is F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of 20th-century America’s great authors, and chronicler of a time he dubbed the “Jazz Age,” born on this day in 1896.

Here is Wikipedia's write-up on Fitzgerald, and the International F. Scott Fitzgerald Society's website.

I particularly like this site, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary website created in 1996 by the University of South Carolina, which features some of the most heart-felt tributes to the man, his achievements, his faults, and his all-too-short life and career.

Brilliant .....

Let's hoist one to Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer and the founder of the Guinness Brewery business and family, born on this day in 1725.

Here is Wikipedia's write-up on Guinness, and a biography written by a Guinness descendant.

Must Be a Slow News Day .....

... if someone has to resort to putting me on television. Actually, I was helping someone in a pinch, and glad to do it.

That's why I was visiting KWES-TV at oh-dark-thirty this morning, taping a brief interview with NewsWest 9 Sunrise anchor Haley Burks about an upcoming lecture event at Midland College. Normally, someone else from my office - here, at MC - would have done this ... but we're a little short-staffed at the moment, so I pitched in to help.

Actually, it was fun. I used to work at KWES, and it was fun to see the new set, and meet some of the staff that have hired on since my departure in 2007. The segment airs later this morning, during the 8:55 local cut-in to the Today Show.

By the way, the topic of the interview was "Energy Geopolitcs: An Evening with Michael Economides," Thursday, October 8, 7:30 p.m. at the Al G. Langford Chaparral Center. Admission is FREE and open to the public, and general admission tickets are NOT required (as they are for some of our other free lectures at MC.

Dr. Michael J. Economides, of the University of Houston, is a chemical and petroleum engineer (with an emphasis on petroleum and natural gas reservoir and production engineering) and an expert on energy geopolitics. With 14 textbooks and over 200 journal papers and articles, his works are referenced by almost all practitioners in the field. Following his 2000 best seller "The Color of Oil" and a large number of publications in international magazines, he is considered by many as the premier world expert on the geopolitics of energy, giving about 50 speeches per year to groups from many large professional societies, organizations and corporations. He is a frequent guest on national and international media, appearing on CNBC, Fox News, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Tokyo Channel 13, Dow Jones Wire, NPR, Bloomberg, BBC World Service and many local stations throughout the world. He writes for the editorial pages of major newspapers and internet news organizations. His latest wide-appeal book is "From Soviet to Putin and Back: The Dominance of Energy in Today’s Russia."

Happy Birthday, Boss! .....

It's been almost 35 years since a bunch of us drove to Jersey for a concert by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. We didn't need Time and Newsweek to tell us ... we could see and hear for ourselves that the future of rock and roll had taken the stage.

The future is still with me ... and Springsteen remains, for me, America's quintessential rocker.

A lot of changes since then, to our nation, our music, ourselves. During that time, Springsteen (shown here with The Big Man, saxaphonist Clarence Clemons, in a 2008 photo by backstreets.com's Guy Aceto) has traveled many roads ... across the country and around the world ... alone or with his band ... through many different musical genre ... in studios, in modest concert halls, and in giant stadiums with 70,000+ of his closest friends. But through all that, he has remained true ... to himself, to his music and to us.

Thanks, Boss, and happy birthday.

Nobody in the Audience Yelled "You Lie!" .....

... so, it must be true ... "Obama: ‘I was actually black before the election’" is the headline for this report from the Associated Press and msnbc.com, about the president's discussion of racism, health care and heart-shaped potatoes, with David Letterman on CBS' ‘Late Show.’

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would have preferred to use a CBS link for the video, but I couldn't get their embed code to work.

Arrr, 'Tis Done I Be .....

Heave-to an' drop th' anchor ... all ashore that's goin' ashore. Twelve hours, twelve port o'call ... 'tis done I be wit' this Talk Like a Pirate Day journey.

How 'Bout a Bit o' News? .....

Them scuppers at PNN - th' Pirate News Network, o' course - interview the founders of Talk Like A Pirate Day.

How 'Bout a Bit o' Music? .....

Cap'n Slappy, Ol' Chumbucket and Chumpail sing an original pirate ditty composed by Slappy himself.

Aye Phone .....

Avast, me hearties. Now every day can be Talk Like a Pirate Day, thanks to this download from them freebooters at Area 49.
... 'tis ashamed I be, that I have not yet downloaded this frolicsome app on me own aye-phone.

Free Booty on Talk Like a Pirate Day .....

The online gamers among ye' might set course fer Telltale Games' Play Like a Pirate website. It seems those worthy rogues at Telltale will be giving away the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island ... an' fer free, no less ... though, 'tis true, you'll need to make yer mark an' register.

Now HERE be Pirates .....

'Tis Cap'n Eric of the good ship Fire Ant Gazette who first told me of a bit o' tomfoolery - Pirates of the Preamble.

Arrrr, but there be more from the roguish Cap'n Eric ... seems the game was commissioned by State Bar of Texas. Are they choosin' to associate themselves with pirates, he asked me over a flagon o' virtual rum ... some might accuse 'em of playin' to type.

Firin' a Shot 'cross the Bow .....

Avast, ye lubbers! Cap'n Sanchez an' the crew o' the good ship CNN fire a a shot 'cross the bow of the scallywags at Fox.


Arrrrrrrr!

Set Course fer a Bookshop .....

'Tis time to c'mend an ol' matey to the deep, and seek out a new mate to step into 'is shoes. Man the decks and set course for the nearest bookshop.

Methinks 'twill be that 'Friends of the Midland Library' bookstore - where I found me ol' copy of "The October Country" - in a quest to find me a new copy ... an' perhaps some others writin's of a favorite scribe o' mine, Ray Bradbury.

I finds myself wonderin' ... be there a bookshelf in Davey Jones' locker?

When Words Fail Ye .....

... then hoist a virtual quill, pen a few simple words, an' sen yer mateys a pirate-themed greetin' card in observance of Talk Like A Pirate Day ... an' y'can write in as many R's as y' want in "Arrrr!"

Here Be a Batty Fellow .....

Salutations! That worthy thespian Adam West, who plies the airwaves on the good ships Batman and Family Guy, set sail this day in 1928.

An' a fine fellow he be, always liftin' our spirits with his jests ... even when takin' aim at hisself. Here be his website.

Longhorns on the Horizon for Cap'n Leach an' His Crew o' Red Raiders .....

Aye, 'tis tru Cap'n Leach an' his hearty lads are headed for treacherous waters as they set course for the port o' Austin. But they inten' to hoist their colors and give the Longorns a fine cannonade, nonetheless.

And, accordin' to this missive from redraiders.com, 'tis perhaps a good day for an act o pigskin piracy by Cap'n Leach an' his crew.

'Tis the Day, Ye' Scallywags .....

Hoist th' mainsail, me buckos, and sally-forth with bucaneer bombast. It be Talk Like A Pirate Day ... a time t' get in touch with yer inner-Arrrr!

A Few Special Moments .....

There are occasions when the time you spend with someone may be brief in terms of time-elapsed ... but special, nonetheless.

Such was the case with me, last night, when I had one of the world's most renowned scientists and naturalists all to myself for a few, priceless minutes. There was an introduction and a handshake ... then we went off to the side of the room so we could sit as he autographed my copy of one of his books. From there a brief conversation, and words of encouragement to-and-from one another. I wish everyone involved in the Evolution vs. Creation debate could have such a moment with Dr. Edward O. Wilson.

Wilson has been named Named one of "America's 25 Most Influential People" by TIME magazine, and for good reason. Through a lifelong passion for biology - especially ants! - he has made a giant contribution to our understanding of the rich spectrum of Earth's biodiversity. He is a the recipient of the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize (a sister to the Nobel), and the Audubon Medal. He is the Pellegrino University Research Professor, Emeritus, at Harvard, and continues to research at the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

In his lectures, he makes a persuasive, eloquent plea to government, corporate and religious leaders to address the damage we have done to our planet, before it's too late. He is considered among the founders of the modern environmental movement.

His books cover a broad range of topics. His works include Ants and On Human Nature, which both won the Pulitzer Prize; The Future of Life, which offers a plan for saving Earth's biological heritage; and Consilience, which draws together the sciences, humanities and the arts into a broad study of human knowledge. His latest book, 2008's The Superorganism, was hailed by The New York Times as “an astonishing account of the intricate and unexpected swarm intelligence of wasps, bees, ants and termites.”

Last night's lecture at Midland College was based upon another of his books, The Creation, a plea for science and religion to work together to save the planet.

It's a shame, really, that so many of the debates that are rending our country are led and defined by the extremists on both sides of whatever issue is being debated. The Evolution vs. Creation debate, for example, where the extremists on both sides seek to build insurmountable walls, and demand that we choose between science and faith, one or the other.

Well, why not both? Which brings us to The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, which is written in the form of an extended letter from Wilson to a Southern Baptist minister.

"We have not met, yet I feel I know you well enough to call you friend," Wilson writes on the first page. "As a boy I too answered the altar call; I went under the water. Although I no longer belong to that faith, I am confident that if we met and spoke privately of our deepest beliefs, it would be in a spirit of mutual respect and good will."

"I know we share many precepts of moral behavior. Perhaps it also matters that we are both Americans and, insofar as it might still affect civility and good manners, we are both Southerners."

Wilson goes on to suggest that, while we might disagree over HOW life, in all its diversity, was created ... can we not agree that it IS a wonderful thing, and that we should make every effort to save that Creation?

And this suggestion is made - in the book, and in his lecture - with an impressive catalog of data, scientific observations and records ... but also with mutual respect and good will, civility and good manners.

Which would be good, perhaps, for even the sharpest points of contention among us. We are more alike than we know, or care to admit ... we could find out for sure if we walked across bridges, rather than shouted over walls.

Special Note: Thanks to the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series, the Friends of the Series and the Midland College Foundation for making Wilson's visit to Midland possible. Twice-a-year, the series presents nationally-known speakers whose academic accomplishments, civic leadership, and/or public achievements interest, enrich, and enlighten Midland students and citizens. These lectures are free and open to the public.

Texans Back-East, Up-North .....

In recognition of their frequent and fabulous forays into my beloved Keystone State, I hereby declare Janie of Sounding Forth, and That Man She Loves, to be Honorary (and Honorable) Dang Yankees from Back East!

Pictures Worth a Thou... No, a MILLION Words .....

On the premise that, "what the eyes have seen, the heart cannot forget," you are invited to experience the plight of the displaced children of Burma through an interactive exhibit of paintings and stories.

"Hope Behind the Red Bamboo" will hold an opening event and reception Thursday, October 13, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Claydesta Atrium, in Midland. Presented by the Champions for Burma Ministry, and First Presbyterian Church of Midland, the exhibit features artwork from children ... decidedly different from what you might have hanging on the door of your refrigerator at home.

The paintings are the product of an art therapy program conducted at an IDP (internally displaced person) camp inside Burma. Along with the paintings are the faces and stories of each child artist - memories of their life before and after the enemy came.
Raising awareness ... and raising funds. 100% of the proceeds raised through this exhibit will directly support the relief efforts of Partners Relief & Development, a registered non-profit charity helping thousands of refugees and displaced people in Thailand, Burma and Indonesia; and the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian service movement that brings help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma.

Repeat After Me, Mr. President .....

The microphone is always on ... the microphone is always on ... the microphone - and the Twitter keyboard - is always on.

President Obama has been in the public spotlight long enough to know how things like this can happen. He's hardly the first seasoned, long-experienced public figure to get caught-up in something like this ... and I suspect he won't be the last, either.

And, NO, I am NOT excusing ABC News' Terry Moran for what was, IMHO, a breach of professional conduct.

On a related note, take part in this poll and discussion of "Should a journalist be reprimanded by his/her employer for reporting what were meant to be off-the-record comments by a president?"

Shedunit .....

Happy birthday to the woman who tops the list of "Who's Who" in whodunits. "The Queen of Crime," Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan - commonly known as Agatha Christie - would have been 118 today.

According to Wikipedia entry, "Christie has been called — by the Guinness Book of World Records, among others — the best-selling writer of books of all time and the best-selling writer of any kind, along with William Shakespeare. Only the Bible is known to have outsold her collected sales of roughly four billion copies of novels. UNESCO states that she is currently the most translated individual author in the world with only the collective corporate works of Walt Disney Productions surpassing her. Christie's books have been translated into (at least) 56 languages."

I believe it ... It's hard to find someone who hasn't read one of books, or seen adaptations of her writings on stage, film or television.

Her life is every bit as interesting as those of the characters she created. I recommend the Official Agatha Christie website and the aforementioned Wikipedia entry as good beginnings for a virtual journey of discovery into that life. Your local bookstore will also have books by - and about - her, as well.

Local Boy Makes National News, but .....

Most of the time, you love to see national headlines devoted to local people and events ... MOST of the time ... it depends upon the news.

According to this report from ESPN-Chicago, "Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher will not play again this season," following a wrist injury he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's game with Green Bay.

Urlacher is a 'hometown boy makes good' of the highest order, whose fan base has extended from southeast New Mexico to include all of professional football ... an appeal that was not lost upon advertisers. Check out the screen shot from this morning's espn.go.com home page ... featuring both the Urlacher headline, and an Urlacher ad from Nike.

Get well soon, Brian!

A Hat Trick of Ill-Mannered Celebrity .....

It's not often that, in the course of one week, we are treated to ill-mannered celebrity in three widely-diverse venues. But such was the case this past seven days. On the plus-side, however, is the ensuing, redeeming display of high class and grace ... well, in two cases, at least.

First, there was Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, and his "breach of decorum" during President Obama’s speech last week. Wilson apologized the next day ... and Obama - rather than make the guy a poster child for opposition to health insurance reform - instead accepted the apology, saying it came "quickly and without equivocation," and acknowledging that "we all make mistakes."

Now, if only House Democrats would take a similar high road, and not pursue sanctions against the guy. Seriously, our nation has far more important things to focus on than Joe Wilson ... like health insurance reform.

Change of venue ... New York City, U.S. Open tennis court ... and once again is heard a discouragin' word - or two, or ... - this time from Serena Williams. Me? I'm kind of torn here ... but then, I was old enough to enjoy the sideline antics and verbal volleys of John McEnroe and Ilie Năstase. But on the other hand, I'm the parent of a boy who's worked as a side judge at local rec soccer games, and I'm all for people - on the field, and on the sidelines - showing the officials a little respect.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Change of venure, once again ... Last - and by all means least - there's Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards, upstaging Taylor Swift's acceptance of Best Female Video award by taking the microphone from Swift, protesting her selection, and announcing that Beyonce should have won. But in the wake of that embarrassing moment (West was booed, and later shown the door), came a wonderful moment from Beyonce, herself, as she accepted Video of the Year award, and promptly invited Swift out on stage to properly “have her moment.” Bravo, Beyonce!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Light Up-North, Back-East .....

All kinds of 9/11 tributes today. Of special note for me is the Tribute in Light, an art installation of 88 searchlights at 'Ground Zero' in New York City. Here is a really neat, 360˚ view of the Tribute in Light (taken in 2005), as captured by Jook Leung of 360VR Studio.

Watch the news tonight, or tomorrow morning ... and enjoy it while you can. From the start, Tribute in Light was described as "a temporary artistic gesture," and 2009 may be the last year for this installation ... though the same was said, last year.

A Solemn Start to the Day .....

There are times when even the busiest of locations – a plaza filled with people, for example, in the middle of a bustling college campus – becomes a place for quiet and solemn reflection. That was the case for Beal Plaza, on 9/11, when Midland College held its annual Day of Remembrance.

Guests of honor included members of the MC community - students, faculty, staff and adminsitrators - who had served in the United States Armed Forces.

The centerpiece for this morning's observance was a table with three candles. The red candle, in memory of military personnel who have lost their lives, was lit by Dr. Stan Jacobs, MC Associate Vice President of Instruction-Transfer. The white candle, in memory of college students, faculty and staff that have passed away, was lit by Dy. Steve Thomas, MC President. And the blue candle, in memory of emergency service personnel who have lost their lives, was lit by Chief Martin Garcia of the MC Police Department. The candle-lighting was followed by a moment of silence.

The ceremony began with the National Anthem, and closed with Taps, played by MC students Jeff Parker and Cody Kuhlmann.

The photos were taken by Katherine Curry-Inskeep, a fellow refugee from television news, who now works at MC Public Information & Media Department, and has her own photography studio.

A Moment For the World .....

Did you know that two Thai nationals were among those killed during the terrorist attacks of 9/11? Neither did I.

I learned that during a conversation with Hong Pirojh Chew, a native of that country. It was last year, and I was part of a Christian mission team in Thailand. Hong and I got to talking during a stop at a roadside market near the northern city of Chiang Mai. I don't know how our talk got around to 9/11, but it did ... and I learned that 9/11 is not just a moment for us, but for the world.

That point was reinforced a few days later, during a visit to the United States Embassy in Bangkok, and a briefing from Ambassador Eric John and the heads of U.S. economic and law enforcement agencies active in that part of the world. As we got out of the elevator and headed to the briefing room, a framed document on the wall caught my attention. It was a letter, hand-written in Thai, bearing a number of signatures, and hand-illustrated in pen-and-ink with a picture of a Thai village.

The letter, I was told by an embassy staffer, was drafted by the residents of a Thai village to offer their condolences to the people of the United States, and delivered to the embassy.

When you look at the world situation as it is at the moment, it's easy to forget that in the days of shock and uncertainty that followed 9/11, the world was united on at least one point ... that a terrible crime had been committed, that the victims and their loved-ones must be comforted, and the guilty parties must be punished. It is good to remember that peoples and the nations of the world - regardless of our differences on other matters - were one when it came to 9/11.

It was a moment for the world.

It's Blogger's Birthday, and I'm Gettng Myself a Present .....

This past week, Google marked the tenth anniversary of its recently-acquired Blogger service, and offered those of us who use Blogger some birthday presents. I found mine.

"InfoThinker: If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and a Blogger blog, you're in luck," says this post from Official Google Blog. The team at InfoThinker (makers of the iPhone app BlogPress) was eager to help celebrate Blogger's birthday. Earlier this week they submitted a free version of BlogPress that works only on Blogger to the iPhone App Store. Blogging on the go has never been so easy! Keep an eye out for the app."

I've blogged by iPhone on a few occasions. Once, I blogged hourly during a drive to Amarillo and back for a high school sporting event (YES, I pulled over and stopped to do it), and on a few occasions I've blogged updates from a West Texas Sockers soccer game.

So, I'll let you know how it works out with the new app.

Last Call .....

I, the Tall City's self-appointed prophet of green chili, have learned that is the last weekend for the annual roasting and selling of fresh-picked green chili peppers from Hatch, New Mexico at the Midland H.E.B. Clear some space in your menus ... and some space in your freezers, for the months ahead.

Taking It Easy on Friday Nights .....

For me, nowadays, Friday nights in West Texas are a lot different then they used to be ... and Vive le Difference!

This time of year, people in towns big and small congregate under the lights for fun, fellowship - and even worship, of sorts - in football stadia of all shapes and sizes. For many, it's the biggest night of the week. The same can be said for television news departments, where they pull out all the stops to provide special coverage of something that has a special appeal for many of us.

It IS a big night ... and a LOOOONG one, too. Just ask any sports reporter or photog making the rounds of West Texas. You see, it would be easy to fill the sports segment of a regular news broadcast with highlights for Midland and Ector county schools, and results for other schools in their district ...

... but no regular broadcasts on Friday nights! that's why they have 'football forecasts' in weather, extended live sports segments or stand-alone programs, or website features on KMID, KOSA and KWES.

And that's why photographers will be going out in different directions, covering large loops around the region, stopping in an numerous towns to get quick video of that evening's game. In the late 90s, when I was living and working in Fort Stockton, I was also stringing for NewsWest 9, getting video at the Fort Stockton games and handing it off to some hard-driving photog, just arrived from Pecos or Balmorhea, who'd then drive off to cover Buena Vista, or McCamey, or Crane on his way back to the station.

Later, when we moved back to Midland, and I was editing mywesttexas.com, Friday nights were spent at my keyboard in the office, uploading 10-minute chunks of raw audio/video from each of the games our roving photogs visted, fielding phone calls with scores from around the region, updating the website while someone ran the notes to the sports anchor on the set, and the cg operator in the control room.

Long nights, usually following a full day ... really draining, and the family's asleep by the time you get home. Me? I don't miss them ... and I have A LOT of respect for the people who do that - FOR YOU - every Friday night.

Revolutionary Color .....

... is the appropriate title for this photo essay on newsweek.com, a sampling of hundred-year-old color photos taken by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, royal photographer of Czar Nicholas II, between 1907 and 1915.

Whether you're a fan of photography (art and technology), history, cultural anthropology, or travels through a 'lost world,' there's something for you here. Check it out ... then take time to view the complete collection, online, at the U.S. Library of Congress.

イエス・キリストのためのヘビ

So, what's on YOUR pulpit? Mexico has Fray Tormenta ... now Midland has Steven-san and Master-Todd, going to the mat - literally - in their efforts to bring more youth to Christ.

These shots were taken Sunday evening, at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, following the end of their Fall Youth Program Kickoff. Steve Schorr is Senior Pastor at First Prez, and Todd Wyrick (the one with the beard) is the church's Minister of Youth.