There Was So Much More .....

..... to Sir Walter Raleigh, than just a brand of tobacco, and a tired old joke about letting the man out of a pouch.

He was, of course, an adventurer, an explorer and an entrepreneur of the Old World, who helped open the New World. I guess it was the part of my youth I spent in Virginia, and my education there, that emphasized his part in that region's history ..... around here, he doesn't seem as well-known or regarded.

His profile was raised by the release this year of Elizabeth: the Golden Age, in which he (as portrayed by Clive Own) has a prominent role ..... although filmmakers did take some liberties with that role.

He was also a literate man ..... an accomplished writer of prose and poetry, really, and considered by some to be one of the 'lights' of the Elizabethan era. Here is one of his poems .....

"The Conclusion"
EVEN such is Time, that takes in trust
Our youth, our joys, our all we have,
And pays us but with earth and dust;
Who in the dark and silent grave,
When we have wander'd all our ways,
Shuts up the story of our days;
But from this earth, this grave, this dust,
My God shall raise me up, I trust.
(The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900)

According to tradition, the next day - THIS day in 1618 - Raleigh was executed, beheaded by order of King James.

Bill Walsh, Eat Your Heart Out .....

Wallace at Streams not only diagrams the play that gave Trinity a last-second Division III football win over Millsaps, but provides a fascinating account of the role he had in creating that play.

Keep the Frankincense and Myrrh .....

..... we'll take the gold! In this post, Eric at Fire Ant Gazette has sent to Santa his Christmas wish ..... a "humble little trinket," really.

Now, I'm e-sending my Christmas wish to Santa ..... and it, too, is gold. There are some differences, though, between his wish and mine ..... I'm hoping that means I don't have to be as good as he does, for my wish to come true! It's the latest - but not the last - word in the "Civilization" franchise from Sid Meier.

UPDATE: Thanks, everyone, for the heads-up on my link. It has been fixed, and you can now visit a web page devoted to my Christmas wish.

Blog, Blog, Blog .....

It started here with one of the 'Random Thursday' musings by Eric at Fire Ant Gazette. That inspired a comment of mine which, Eric graciously noted, "parted the greasewood and mesquite enough to reveal the kind of serendipitous rabbit trail that, for me, is an entirely sufficient reason to keep blogging."

But that comment of mine was nothing compared to Eric's follow-up post on the sights, the sounds and the history of what's been called, "one of the definitive songs of the big band and swing era" ..... and would be one of my nominees for greatest American music of the 20th-century ..... keep following that rabbit trail, and check it out.

Some Analysis From Justin .....

..... regarding this post of mine about the low profile one Midland mayoral candidate's website had on Google, when compared to her opponent's website.

"There are many things that could cause the good results for Perry and non-existent results for Sparkman," writes Justin at Just In Time. "Perhaps Google had not yet indexed Sparkman's site. Perhaps there had not yet been many other sites that linked to Sparkman's yet. Or perhaps it was just a hiccup in Google's system."

"Good example of why it is impossible for anyone to 'guarantee' results in the search engines. Only the search engines have complete control over what they do. You can try your best to play by the rules they provide, and you will normally see good results. But unless you work at Google you can't guarantee anything."

Whatever the reason ..... the problem appears to have been fixed, and both campaign websites now have a higher profile on search engine results.

Some Advice From Jim .....

..... Stikkit.

307.8 .....

307.8

The Late, Great Geoff .....

Frank at Books, Inq. reminds us that Geoffrey Chaucer died on this day, 600 years ago. A.W. Pollard offers this online biography of the man ..... and his work, which demonstrated so ably an important stage in the evolution of the English language - not just as a means of communication, but as an expression of art.

Another good write-up - with plenty of links for background information, additional study, and works published online - can be found at Wikipedia. And, talk about timeless ..... did you know that Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog?

Want To Know What's Going On? .....

..... in Malibu and the rest of the scorched Southland," asks Mayrav at fishbowlLA. "You could turn on the news, or you could do what you're probably already doing - reading the blogs." Here is the rest of that post. In another post, 'The Future Of Reporting,' Mayrav states, "the LAT's fire blog is exactly what newspapers will be doing with all breaking news coverage some day. And that's not a bad thing." (Photo from Mayrav's post, selected from the LA Times' Reader Photo Gallery)

Here, in West Texas, Wallace at Streams has been keeping in touch, shares the news he has gotten from friends in the fire's path.

Also, this word from one of my favorite Jeffs, a longtime friend and longtime resident of San Diego ..... "Thanks for your concern. We are okay and in one of the few places that’s not burning in San Diego County. The Witch Creek fire is just a few miles north of us and the Harris fire is just south and east. We are in lots of smoke with burning eyes and stuffy noses but no flames ...thanks goodness. I was called in to the radio stations yesterday at 5:30am to report on the fires all day. It was very emotionally draining. Today we are sitting pretty tight and watching the devastation around us on TV and praying our good luck continues. What will be discovered in the days to come is very saddening."

What Am I Missing? .....

Here's a question for Eric, Justin and others who are more-than-just-a-little involved in web design ..... "As I seek to learn more about the candidates in next month's mayoral election, what am I doing wrong when I search for their campaign websites?"

They both have websites ..... Here is Wes Perry's and here is Stephanie Sparkman's.

But I get different results when I try 'googling' them ..... one gives me a strong guzzle, while the other manages barely a gurgle.

When I type in the words 'Wes' 'Perry' and 'Mayor' into Google, then click on 'Search,' his campaign website is #1 on that list, at the top of the first page that comes up. When I type in the words 'Wes' and 'Perry' into Google, then click on 'Search,' his campaign website is #2 on that longer list, near the top of the first page that comes up.

When I type in the words 'Stephanie' 'Sparkman' and 'Mayor' into Google, then click on 'Search,' her campaign website is #I-Don't-Know on that list, not showing up in the first fifty results, on the first five pages that come up. When I type in the words 'Stephanie' and 'Sparkman' into Google, then click on 'Search,' her campaign website is #I-Don't-Know on that longer list, not showing up in the first fifty results, on the first five pages that come up.

So, what's going on here? ..... I get to ask this, in return, because Eric's over at his e-place, asking questions about MY profession.

It's About Public Land, Not Private Guns .....

Cowtown Pattie at Texas Trifles is asking everyone to please learn more about the controversy over a decision by the State of Texas to sell public lands in the Big Bend region to private interest rather than to the National Park Service ..... in spite of the wishes of those who donated those lands, the assurances of Texas officials who originally accepted the lands, and the recent interest in acquiring those lands that was expressed by Big Bend NP. I'd like to add my voice - and my encouragement - to Miss Pattie's!

Group opposes sale of West Texas mountain range
AUSTIN, TEXAS - The controversial proposal to transfer the pristine Christmas Mountains to private interests continued fueling opposition Wednesday ..... A conservation group criticized Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and launched an online petition drive calling upon Gov. Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott to intercede.

Read the whole story by the Fort Worth Star Telegram's R.A. Dyer.

In response to Patterson's decision, Environment Texas is asking you to sign an online petition to Governor Perry and Attorney General Abbott.

And here is another report, from John Waters of the Big Bend Gazette. This one offers some good background on the story.

314.2 .....

314.2

Don't Know the Reason .....

..... but IMHO, it has something to do with good taste on the part of viewers ..... I for one, was tired of this story a loooooong time ago.

TVDecoder reports that Matt Lauer’s exclusive interview with Senator Larry Craig in a prime time special attracted just 5.7-million viewers in its time slot Tuesday, according to Nielsen estimates. The report goes on to day that, among adults 18-to-49, it finished in a tie for last place in the hour with the CW’s "Beauty and the Geek.” Here is the rest of that report from Benjamin Toft.

Get Virtually, Actually Involved .....

Eric at Fire Ant Gazette is asking Midland bloggers to please help publicize the following event. His post goes on to say the goal of the event is to improve voter turnout in November ..... and that sounds good to me!

KMID-TV is hosting all the Midland city council candidates and the two mayoral candidates at the Midland Center on Sunday, from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. Each candidate will have a booth set-up for them to meet the public. You are invited to come and ask questions of each candidate, or show your support for a candidate. They will have an informal forum with each District Candidate, as well as the at-large candidates.

Then, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. KMID will hold - and broadcast - a live debate between mayoral candidates Wes Perry and Stephanie Sparkman. Questions will be from those submitted by the public, through the station website.

According to KMID News Director Mel Hudman, they hope to get voters to the polls, and think events such as this may help. For more information, log onto www.permianbasin360.com and click on the VOTE 2007 link. To submit questions, fill out the form at the bottom of the VOTE 2007 page.

KMID will also have an online poll during the debate, to gauge viewers' support.

Blog Action Day: Wrap-Up .....

Organizers for the innaugural Blog Action Day are reporting numbers of participants, readers, and so on ..... they declare the event was a success, and are already asking what might be accomplished in 2008.

"Measuring an initiative like Blog Action Day is difficult," they acknowledge. "In 2007 we asked bloggers to register their blogs and a rough count of RSS subscribers. It is worth remembering that RSS subscriber numbers are only one half of the readership of a blog. Many and in some cases all of a blog's readership will simply be visitors to the site. The real reach of Blog Action Day is far greater than the number below." Action Blog's Updates of the Day

20,603 Blogs Participated
23,327 Blog Posts (Google Blog Search)
14,631,038 RSS Readers

Blog Action Day: My Environmental Roots .....

Quick ..... picture an 'environmentalist' in your mind, and what do you see? ..... Who are these people, anyway? ..... And where do they get their crazy ideas?

All too often, people deal with stereotypes formed from incomplete and inaccurate observations. For example, because one totes a firearm (and, maybe, hunts), does that make one some kind of NRA-cold-dead-fingers-off-the-trigger fanatic? ..... maybe not.

Because one is an environmentalist, does that make one some kind of wild-eyed-tie-dyed-bare-footed-tree-hugging-leftist-leaning-granola-eating hippie? ..... again, maybe not.

That's not to say there aren't some individuals out there who might fit those stereotypes ..... but you have to ask yourself if they are the 'rule' or the 'exception' ..... are YOU an environmentalist, even just a little bit? ..... you may be, even if you haven't spent much time at an outdoor concert in Woodstock, Vermont; a commune in Taos, New Mexico, or a revolutionary neighborhood in San Francisco, California.

Me, my environmental roots took hold in very different soil, in lessons learned from my family, my parents and my grandparents. They were people who experienced first-hand the Great War of the 1940s, and the Great Depression of the 1930s. My father's family were farmers, and that provided an added lesson for me to respect the blessings that are the earth and its resources, and to do whatever I can - within reason - to nurture those resources, to use them well and wisely .....

..... to be a good steward. My family had never heard of Gaia (that was something I learned later, in college), but there was still something spiritual - a matter of fundamental faith - in their relationship to the Earth and its resources. They had read in the Bible (KJV), the Book of Genesis, that their dominion over the Earth and its resources, and their command to replenish and subdue, came from God ..... pretty heady stuff, and a topic that is still the subject of heated debate today.

Spirituality ..... and frugality ..... wasting nothing ..... helping to make limited ends meet by finding a way to use (or re-use) anything and everything before you decide to dispose of it ...... to repair/rebuild/restore the old before having to buy the new - a decision that is taken more and more out of our hands in the modern electronic age, where car maintenance (for example) is not as easy it was in my father's day. And frugality extends to the kitchen, as well ..... recipes my grandma shared with me, and strategies for re-using products, and stretching limited amounts of meat, and serving leftovers in a creative manner, reflected the days when household budgets were especially tight.

Spirituality ... and frugality ... and patriotism. World Wars I and II were fought on many fronts, including the home front, where we were asked (and, in some cases, required) to conserve valuable resources such as gasoline, needed to aid the war effort. In retrospect, it seems to me that recycling efforts of the past thirty years (which I have experienced) were nothing compared to those of the 1940s (which I did not experience, but were described to me by my parents and grandparents). And Victory Gardens (some as big as a house lot, some as small as a window box) provided fresh produce that might be lacking on store shelves.

Spirituality ... frugality ... patriotism ... and good economic/business sense. Take aluminum recycling, for example. Some are surprised that the process has been used since the early 1900s - it only gained a high profile in the 1960s and 70s as environmentalism became more and more a part of the public consciousness. According to industry statistics, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy, and a lot less money, than making new aluminum through the mining and refining of ore products. And recycling aluminum (or any other recyclable product), rather than just throwing it away, also makes good sense to taxpayers who have to pay for growing waste/landfill services in their community ..... and even those who make fun of 'tree-huggers' can appreciate anything that reduces our shared tax burden.

Spirituality ... frugality ... patriotism ... good economic sense ... and pride. Environmentalism reflects my love for, and pride in my community and its appearance. And that includes efforts to pick up the trash that others have discarded along our roadsides, in our parks, and around our town ..... more on local efforts, along these lines, later today.

Anyway, that's why I AM an environmentalist ..... and proud of it.

Blog Action Day: What If? .....

"What would happen if every blog published posts on the same topic, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices," asks The Action Blog.

Today, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Meme, Meme, Meme .....

What do you think of internet memes? Do you grin or groan when you're tagged? Do you think it's time for the government to establish a 'National Do-Not-Meme Register,' or are you a charter member of - and frequent contributor to - the Ultimate Meme Database?

These questions come to mind following the some of the responses from those I tagged with the "Four Things Meme" and some of the responses they, in turn, received.

Me? I could take 'em, or I could leave 'em ..... what do YOU think?

Have YOU Read It? ..... Really? .....

Yesterday, October 12, marked the 50th-anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand’s novel "Atlas Shrugged." It sparked plenty of sales and controversy in its day ..... the controversy continues, unabated, half-a-century later. The sales are down since then ..... but they have remained steady. At more than 1,000 pages, it was Rand's biggest work of fiction ..... and definitive, answering once-and-for-all many of the questions raised by earlier works such as "We, the Living" and "The Fountainhead."

Me? I rather like "Atlas Shrugged" ..... I've actually gone through it twice, going back to it again many years, many experiences and many observations after the first reading.

Websites about Ayn Rand and her novels

Brian Murray of First Things asks, "Who Is John Galt? And Does Anyone Care Anymore?"

"Atlas Shrugged" coming to a theater near you?

This Will Have Folks Talking .....

..... and maybe we should cover kids' ears as they do. Former Vice President Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for spreading awareness of man-made climate change, and ways to counteract it. Some ask whether Gore - now with an Oscar and a Nobel - might be drafted for a 2008 presidential bid. Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and host of “Meet the Press,” thinks that's unlikely.