Sleepless in Midland

No coffee for me, please

Thanks to the emailer who very tactfully suggested that this blog is a bit more enjoyable when there is new stuff here to read.  Sorry for the lack of attention.

I've got an excuse, though, but it's a lame one.  Anyway, here goes.  I had food poisoning not long ago.  No, it wasn't spinach, and I'm long over it now.   But during that period I went cold turkey on the caffeine and have made very little use of it since then.

Hooray, you might say?  Well, I suppose.  It was good to get that coffee monkey off my back.  But now I'm dragging through the day at half speed.  My attention span is probably a bit longer now, but good luck getting my attention.  Now it's sleep, sleep, sleep.  I'm just a few blinks above a coma.   Luckily there's no plug for someone to pull.

Okay, now if I can stay awake long enough to press a few more keys.  That's it, easy does it, just a few more keys and get this thing posted.   Then I'll just take a shor     zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Big Gold Dog gone but not forgotten

I'm a little late arriving to this wake, but there's been a bit of attention paid recently to the death of Wallace Craig's dog, that's Wallace of Streams.  The loss of a pet is such a terrible thing to endure, and for some people it probably rivals the loss of human loved one.

A dog can give the unconditional love that even one's mother probably couldn't give.  So when a loyal pet passes on it can be gut wrenching.

I attended a session today in which a speaker talked about the standard end of life documents, the health care power of attorney, the physicians directive, etc.  And in thinking about some of those things I began worrying about what would happen to my dog if I died.

He's not a youngster, but he's got a few more years left in him.  He's a great pet, but it might be hard to place a nine year old dog in another home.  And it's possible that my own death could mean a death sentence for the dog.  Goodness, that's depressing.

Hmmm, maybe I should make a provision in my will to leave a few bucks to a "no kill" shelter on condition they take him in.  It's worth a try.

Jimmy Patterson, what a guy!

I barely know him, but he has to be one of the most selfless people I've encountered.  The blogosphere is jam packed with narcissists, so he stands out as an exception.  He turns on a spot light, and shines it on someone other than himself.

The Person to Person columns he used to write were great.  They featured people you would never know otherwise, but that was the magic of it.  He would make heroes out of the everyday people who made our lives better simply by showing up for work.

Here's another case in point, his tribute to Wallace for the demise of Wallace's dog.

But please, I'm not fishing for attention here.  No spot light for me -- there are others who deserve it so much more.

He sets a very good example for the rest of us to follow.  Show us the way, Jimmy.  Show us the way.

CAF Airsho 2006 just around the corner

This morning (Tuesday, 9/26/06) the Midland City Council approved the use of the Midland International Airport for the CAF Airsho 2006.  Good thing, too, because it's coming up in about 11 days.  Specifically, October 7 and 8.

It has always a been a spectacular air show, and this year's show should be no exception.

The CAF Dixie Wing will be there, according to their website.  That is the wing that sells airplane rides in old warbirds.  For my own experience last year as a passenger in a two-seater P-51 Mustang, see A Wild Ride.

Wallace Craig of Streams will be in charge of ground transportation, but it would probably be wise to keep a sharp eye out for traffic anyway.

Letter to John McCain

Honorable John McCain
Straight Talk America
P.O. Box 25047
Alexandria, VA 22313

Dear Mr. McCain,

Thank you for your letter -- it was good to hear from you again.

In it you asked:  "What issues are most important to you today and how must they be addressed?"  And you sent a survey questionnaire in multiple choice form with questions covering some of the issues that are currently in the news.  There are two areas I would like to address.

First, you included a solicitation for money which causes me to reflect on your question number 52 that addresses the McCain-Feingold law, as follows:

"52.  Though we have made major progress with passage of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, do you support additional efforts to clean up our nation's politics and put an end to the corrupting influences that still impact Washington decision-making?"

That's a leading question, and if you really want honest opinions about it then you should rephrase that question.  Free speech is such a fundamental part of our lives in American that it's easy to take it for granted.  So when someone puts a ban on certain forms of expression then we should all be alarmed.  In that regard I implore you to read the enclosed article by Bradley A. Smith of "The Examiner."  If you prefer, you can read it on line here: http://www.examiner.com/a-279321~Bradley_A._Smith:_Yes,_senator,_McCain-Feingold_does_censor_political_speech.html

It addresses the McCain-Feingold law, and specifically Mr. Feingold's contention that the law doesn't ban or censor speech.  It does.  And as a blogger I'm much more attuned to those sorts of things than I was when we last communicated some years ago.

Second, your questionnaire has sections on Homeland Security, National Security/War on Terror and Military Preparedness, but notably lacking is anything addressing the individual's right to protect him/her self with a gun.  To the contrary, some of the bills you have co-sponsored would have the effect of restricting the 2nd amendment rights of individuals' rights in regard to guns.

The last communication you received from me was in the form of a small contribution in the year 2000 when your group was called "Straight Talk Express."  And you are now asking me for more money, and presumably, a vote if you run for President in 2008.

In order for me to say "yes" there are two things I would ask of you:

First, work to repeal the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.   A better approach is to require full disclosure of donors' names, sums donated, and recipients' names on the internet within 24 hours of the donation.  Disclosure and transparency would be much more agreeable to Americans than censorship.

Second, support the 2nd amendment right of individuals to keep and bear arms.  And stop sponsoring laws that restrict gun owners' constitutional rights.

I feel that deep down inside you probably really do respect free speech, and so you will probably approve of my posting this letter at my blog, Sleepless in Midland, which thanks to the hard work of a lot of people, is not currently censored by the McCain-Feingold law.

Sincerely,

George Johns

Earthquake in Gulf of Mexico, Natural Gas prices go Down

It's a good thing I'm not a commodities trader.  I would have bet that today, following the news of an Richter 6 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, that natural gas prices would spike up.  When faults start shifting, pipes start bending.

But I guess the quake was too far away from the producing areas to have done much damage.  As of this morning, both oil and natural gas prices are down.  And that's good news for us, the consumers.   Tough luck for the commodities traders who bet otherwise, though.

Red-Light Cameras, Odessa

The city of Odessa is facing a decision of whether to allow red light cameras at city intersections.  There's a writeup at the City of Odessa Website.  And the Garland model, described therein, is presented as an example of what drivers in Odessa can expect if it passes.

Wherever these red-light cameras have appeared there follows an accusation that the city is merely using it as a source of revenue.  And interestingly, there's the possibility that the company sponsoring the cameras might do it in exchange for a percentage of the ticket revenue generated.  A cozy set up.  Here's an excerpt from the writeup linked above:

Most companies sign multi-year agreements to run red-light cameras at selected intersections. The companies maintain and own the cameras themselves and generally charge a monthly fee per camera in service. Some companies still receive a certain percentage of each ticket assessed but this practice has declined due to the perception that companies and cities have an incentive to issue as many tickets as possible. Although terms vary, each contract allows the city to terminate the program if the Legislature or the courts deem the use of red-light cameras illegal. Most contracts allow municipalities to opt out if they do not make enough money to recoup their costs, although there generally are expenses associated with dismantling a red-light camera operation.

Is it all about the money?  Notably lacking from the writeup is anything addressing the possibility that the reason for the cameras is to make an intersection safer.

A couple of years ago I was waiting at an intersection in Odessa for a red light to turn green.  When it did, the car directly ahead of me drove forward.  A Suburban came cruising into the intersection from the right and slammed into the car ahead of me.  It pushed that vehicle into the car to the left of him and pushed both vehicles several feet.  The driver of the Suburban didn't appear to have even touched his brakes -- definitely a lack of awareness on his part.  Maybe he was asleep, or unconscious, or maybe he simply wasn't paying attention.  In any event, it's hard to see how a camera could have made any difference.

Back to the city of Odessa website.  There's a link that invites a visitor to click for more detailed information, and that link produces a PDF document titled Red Light Cameras in Texas - A Status Report.  And an inspection of that document turns up a listing of alternatives, among which is this common sense solution to the red light running problem:

Lengthen warning time prior to red lights. A March 2005 Texas Transportation Institute study of 181 Texas intersections during a three-year period found that increasing the length of yellow-light time by one second reduced violations by 53 percent and crashes by 40 percent. In addition, traffic signals in some European countries employ a countdown clock that shows how many seconds remain until the light will turn red. Supporters of this approach contend that drivers often run red lights simply because they misjudge how much time they have before a light turns red, although opponents argue that drivers who misjudge yellow lights today still will likely run red lights after the clock has run down.  [Emphasis mine.]

So is it about safety or the money?  If it's about safety then they could simply extend the time for the yellow light.  Or use a European style countdown clock.  But if it's only about money then get ready to smile for the camera.

Golden Dragon Acrobats and Paris Hilton's field sobriety test

Last week the Golden Dragon Acrobats performed at Midland College to an audience of thousands.  Those young men and women have amazing skills, and they thrilled the audience with astonishing displays of balance.  The bicycle with ten people sitting, standing and hanging onto it was a sight to see.  My favorite was the guy who did the one hand stand on top of a tall stack of chairs with the announcer advising us not to try this at home.  Not to worry.

I have to wonder what percentage of the general population has the minimum balance skills to learn how to do the things they do.  One in a thousand?  One in a hundred thousand?

So what does this have to do with Paris Hilton?  Apparently she was busted for drunk driving for blowing 0.08 on the breathalizer and flunking the field sobriety test, per People.aol.com.

And if you've ever watched a demonstration of a field sobriety test then that, too, raises the question of what percentage of the general population lacks the minimum balance skills to pass the test stone cold sober.  Ten percent?

The NHTSA funded the Highway Safety Desk Book which has a section on Field Sobriety Testing which sets forth the three part test, as follows: the walk-and-turn, the one-leg-stand, and the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test.  The HGN test consists of the subject watching some object moved by the tester from one side to the other.  Jerky eye movement is supposed to indicate alcohol in the system.

At least one study says that those tests are 91% accurate in predicting blood alcohol concentration at or above 0.08%.  Here's the  Abstract for the paper.  So if that's accurate, then nine out of every hundred people might flunk it while sober.

It's a difficult test, but this one you can try at home.  Walk nine steps heal-to-toe with your arms at your side. After nine steps, make a spin-turn on the lead foot and take nine more steps.  Then stand on one foot and count out 30 seconds.  So, are you drunk or sober?

For a humorous lesson on how to take the test, check out this video of a field sobriety test conducted on a very agile subject by Deputy Clemmy Johnson of Reno 911.