T A L

Snowfall From January 2011

2011-12-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

A Few Garden Pics

2011-08-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

A little Spring Freshening

2011-04-16T07:09:00.003-05:00

Some fresh paint on fence/well house and a new mailbox and post.

The NeverEnding Story - Music Video by Limahl

2011-03-23T07:42:00.001-05:00

Last evening, I watched for the first time since it premiered back in 1984, The NeverEnding Story. Even as a adult, I loved this movie and its soundtrack.

Super Moon

2011-03-20T07:12:00.000-05:00

2010 Census - Georgia

2011-03-19T07:41:00.011-05:00

The results of the 2010 U.S. Census for Georgia was released this week...

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Scroll over the Georgia Map to see the individual county numbers. To see the map full screen click the 'Hide Full Screen' in upper right corner. Press Esc to return to normal size.

Overall the population in Georgia grew by 18.3% since 2000 with Georgia's Hispanic population nearly doubling over the period and now represents just under 9 percent of the state's total population. That growth is largely concentrated in metro Atlanta counties, with Gwinnett's Hispanic population jumping from 64,137 to 162,035 (250%) making the county of Gwinnett the most racially diverse county in the state.

The fastest growing county in Georgia was Forsyth whose population grew by over 78%

Thank You, CNN

2011-03-14T11:33:00.010-05:00

Hats off to the folks at CNN and CNN International for their continued excellent coverage of news coming out of Japan over the weekend. Since the tragic news of the earthquake/tsunami broke very early Friday morning, CNN has been all over this story. On Friday and Saturday nights while Fox News for the most part played their unusual 'Politics' and MSNBC went to its weekly 'Lock-up' series, CNN and CNN International teamed up together to give its World-Wide viewers continuous coverage of the events unfolding from the stricken country.

The ratings for the Network on Friday was also very impressive. CNN beat Fox News in total viewers for the day (3AM Friday to 3AM Saturday) with a average of 2.27 million viewers compared to 2.09 million for Fox News (CNN numbers do not include viewers on CNNI) while MSNBC had a average of 588,000 viewers at any given time. CNN’s Friday coverage peaked during the 11AM hour of CNN Newsroom with over 3.6 million viewers looking on. As you well know on most days Fox News beats out CNN and MSNBC combined.

Without doubt, CNN is still the 'GO TO' network for Breaking News.

Update - CNN's impressive ratings for Saturday and Sunday can be found here. During primetime on Saturday night, CNN viewers (2.1 million) - Fox News (1.3million) - MSNBC (450,000)

On Monday, Fox News regained their ratings hold on CNN and MSNBC averaging 1.4 million for the day compared to just over 1.0 million for CNN and 500, 000 for MSNBC. However, Anderson Cooper's '360' did extremely well on Monday night beating Greta's 'On The Record' by over 300,000 viewers in the key DEMO age group.

Early Spring Pics

2011-03-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

Is Doritos Going Gay For The Super Bowl?

2011-01-24T17:01:00.002-05:00

This Is 'Piers Morgan Tonight'

2011-01-21T16:54:00.003-05:00

Love the show...sure beats watching the partisan rants on the other cable news channels.

'We Shall Overcome'

2011-01-15T15:29:00.002-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Day...

Snow/Ice Storm 2011

2011-01-14T08:12:00.010-05:00

While this North Georgia storm may not have been quite as severe as the winter storms of 1982 and 1973, it will certainly be remembered by many. Thankfully, the power outages around the metro area were minimum but the roads to include the major Interstates were nothing short of pure sheets of ice for several days. Schools in almost all areas of North Georgia were closed for 5 days due to the storm.

Lisa Cooper of the Douglasville Patch this week wrote a very good piece for the local 'Patch' website - 'Memories of the Storm of 1973'

"Storms similar to what we are enduring now most certainly leave an indelible mark on our psyches. Many of today’s 40- and 50-somethings were young children and teens in 1973. Ask any of them why they dash off to the store at the hint of snow or ice, and they will recount how that particular storm affected them. They remember the fun of being children and camping out for a time in their living rooms, but they also look back as adults and realize what can happen if you are caught unaware"

Top Selling Vehicles in 2010

2011-01-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

The Ford F-Series was once again the best selling vehicle in the U.S. in 2010 with over a half million units sold beating out its closest competitor(Chevy Silverado) by over 150,000.

The Toyota Camary remained the top selling car in the country despite its sales falling 6.4% as compared to the previous year. Taking honors for the top selling domestic car for 2010 was the Ford Fusion with over 219,000 units sold. This is the second straight year the Fusion beat out both the Chevy Malibu and the Impala as the top selling domestic sedan.

The complete list of the 10 top selling vehicles sold during this past year is below;

1) Ford F-Series 528,349
2) Chevrolet Silverado 370,135
3) Toyota Camary 324,736
4) Honda Accord 311,381
5) Toyota Corolla 266,082
6) Honda Civic 260,218
7) Nissan Altima 229,263
8) Ford Fusion 219,219
9) Honda CR-V 203,714
10)Dodge Ram 199,652

Source - Thomson Reuters

Christmas is All About 'Family'

2010-12-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day Snow

2010-12-26T14:30:00.001-05:00

World AIDS Day

2010-12-01T08:28:00.003-05:00

Find out more about the ONE campaign to fight AIDS here

Chilean Miners Coming To America To Be Part Of CNN 'Heroes'

2010-11-18T09:21:00.006-05:00

Looking forward to Thanksgiving Night and watching CNN's 'HEROES'

'Little Fockers'

2010-11-14T14:45:00.003-05:00

Coming in December to a Theater Near You...

Conan's TBS Debut Beats Both Leno and Letterman In Ratings

2010-11-09T15:31:00.010-05:00

Wow...

'Conan' - 4.2 Million
'Tonight Show' - 3.5 Million
'Late Night' - 3.4 Million

What is even more impressive is that of those 4.2 Million 'Conan' viewers last night, well over 3 Million were from the much sought after age group of 18 to 49 years of age.

By the way...Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" was seen by 1.3 million viewers, followed by "The Colbert Report" with 1 million.

No doubt that TBS has certainly come along way since its early days as WTCG (Channel 17) in Atlanta...

Seeing the picture (left) of the old WTCG building brings back a lot of memories...I walked by this building many times during the late 70's

I Love Autumn

2010-11-08T08:11:00.000-05:00

Raking Up The Fall Leaves Can Actually Be Pretty Fun...

2010-11-06T09:10:00.005-05:00

Brings back quite a few memories of playing in the leaves as a young kid.

Zoo Atlanta's Newest Addition

2010-11-04T17:18:00.001-05:00

Coming In November On Vanguard...

2010-11-04T08:35:00.001-05:00

Frontline - The Spill

2010-10-26T13:54:00.002-05:00

Long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf, BP was widely viewed as a company that valued deal making and savvy marketing over safety, a “serial environmental criminal” that left behind a long trail of problems -- deadly accidents, disastrous spills, countless safety violations -- which many now believe should have triggered action by federal regulators. Could the spill have been prevented? Through interviews with current and former employees and executives, government regulators, and safety experts, FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith joins with the investigative non-profit ProPublica to examine the trail that led to the disaster in the Gulf. From BP’s vast oil fields in Alaska to its refineries in Texas and its trading rooms in New York and London, the film raises new questions about whether BP’s corporate culture will finally be forced to change.

Frontline/PBS

Pakistan Needs Our Help

2010-08-21T21:14:00.002-05:00

Atlanta Beltline Is Here!

2010-08-17T18:11:00.008-05:00

Needless to say, I am very excited about the Beltline Project here in my beloved city of Atlanta. If you would like to find out more about this extraordinary project please go to this site.

Alicia Keys - 'No One'

2010-02-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

Haiti Needs Our Help

2010-01-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

Top Selling Vehicles In 2009 - Ford F Series Tops The List

2010-01-06T08:38:00.007-05:00

The Ford F Series is once again the top selling vehicle in the U.S. for 2009. While sales were down by nearly 20% for the truck last year, it beat out the sales of the Chevrolet Silverado(number 3 in overall sales) by nearly 100,000 units.

Coming in second and holding the honor once again as the top selling car in the country is the Toyota Camry with over 350,000 sold. The Camry has held the honor of 'Top Selling Car' in the U.S for over 10 years now.

The vehicle showing the biggest jump in sales in 2009 was the Ford Fusion with a sales gain of over 22% from the previous year. The Chevrolet Impala and the Cobalt were the biggest losers in 2009 with sales declines of 38 and 44% respectfully.

A complete list of the TOP 15 selling vehicles in the U.S. during 2009 can be found below;

1) Ford F Series - 413,625
2) Toyota Camry - 356,824
3) Chevrolet Silverado - 316,544
4) Toyota Corolla - 296,874
5) Honda Accord - 290,056
6) Honda Civic - 259,722
7) Nissan Altima - 203,568
8) Honda CR-V - 191,214
9) Ford Fusion - 180,671
10) Dodge Ram - 177,278
11) Ford Escape - 173,044
12) Chevrolet Impala - 165,565
13) Chevrolet Malibu - 161,568
14) Ford Focus - 160,433
15) Toyota RAV4 - 149,088

via Reuters

Fall Wildflowers

2009-10-08T10:37:00.001-05:00

The recent rains and the cooler temperatures has given my wildflower bed a new burst of color.

Opening Tonight @ Midnight - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-14T08:05:00.002-05:00

Rainy Night In Georgia

2009-07-13T10:35:00.003-05:00

A couple inches of rain fell overnight...the garden loved it!!

Most significant rain in about 2 months. So glad to get it.

Latest Garden Pics

2009-07-02T13:01:00.005-05:00

Tomatoes, Peanuts, Okra, and Corn

Moon & Stars Watermelons

Brandywine Tomatoes

Suspended Drip Hoses For Watering

The month of June was a very dry month here in Georgia with many areas recording only about a inch or so of rain for the month. Over the last few weeks, watering has almost become a daily event but the drip hoses is helping greatly in curbing the overall water usage. We are keeping are fingers crossed for some passing rain showers this weekend.

Happy Gardening!

Summer Is Here!

2009-06-19T07:13:00.000-05:00

The HEAT is on...This weekend's tempertures are expected to rise in the upper 90's. No rain is site.

Time To Bring Out The Soaker Hoses.

'Propeller' Community Says Good-bye To Its Editor

2009-06-08T07:25:00.011-05:00

Last Friday, in his 'Week In Review' posting on the Propeller blog - James Marcus, editor of the social news site announced to the Propeller community that he would be leaving the site and would be moving over to assume new editorial duties at AOL News. While most of the members wished Mr. Marcus well with his future endeavors, a great deal of sadness and disappointment was expressed as well.

These comments were plucked from the Propeller comment threads;

"James .. good luck.. hope you will get the utmost satisfaction from your new position... be well.. be safe.. i think i'm gonna cry.. "

"We will miss you James. I've always enjoyed reading your weekly recaps. Hope your new position will make you happy. Make sure to post any articles on prop so we can still read you. All the best James"

"I don't know what to say James, I'm speechless and sad that you won't be here any more but yet I know this is a move for you in your career so I can't begrudge that"

"I can't really thank you enough for all the moments your wit has brought a smile or chuckle to my day, will seriously miss your WIR. And I sincerely hope you keep popping in to keep it honest! Wishing you the very best.

The Manager of Propeller, Tom Drapeau, had this to say -"James will most definitely be missed, not only with his wordplay in these Week in Review posts, but in his leadership role in the Propeller community. He won't be far, as his new editorial position is within AOL, but his focus will be shifting away from Propeller. "We hope to see James stop by every now and then, and wish him the best in all future endeavors. I for one have enjoyed these Week in Review posts immensely. Fridays won't be the same".

Speaking for myself... I will miss James and I wish him the very best with his new role at AOL News. His wit, charm, professionalism and most of all his daily involvement with the community helped make the site a very nice place to visit. He will be sorely missed.

James Marcus was hired as the lead editor for the new Netscape/Propeller website in the fall of 2006. Mr. Marcus added his popular 'Week In Review' segment several months later and it quickly became a success within the Propeller Community.

A Budweiser Commercial You Will Not See On TV

2009-06-05T08:33:00.001-05:00

Day 2 - Roofers

2009-05-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

Roofers Having Fun In The Rain

2009-05-21T13:47:00.003-05:00

Sprinkles turn into a shower and out comes the tarps...

...day one of Roofing project ends early because of rain showers.

Keeping Up With My 'Friends' list On Propeller

2009-05-07T07:43:00.010-05:00

Over the last few years, I have built up quite a few very good friends on Propeller.com. Many have been a part of the Propeller (Netscape) community from day one and each day these fine folks offer story submissions and commentary to the site through its comment threads that I enjoy reading on a daily basis.

Managing my 'Friends' list is certainly an ongoing process...I try to purge my list at least once a month as members to the site as they do on all social sites seem to come and go. For instance, if a friend has had no activity on the site in the last 45 days or so, I remove he or she from my list. On average, I add 2 to 3 people per week to my list which is only a fraction of the Friends request that I may receive in a week. Needless to say, I am very big on completed profile pages that details ones hobbies and/or interests that seem to mirror my interests. Currently I am befriended to around 130 folks on the social news site - most of these people submit articles daily but quite a few are more than satisfied by just proping (voting) on articles or commenting. Without question, the community that makes up Propeller.com is one of the most mature and intelligent within social news today.

In following my friends on Propeller, I make it a point a couple times a day to go into my profile page and click 'Friends Submissions' which allows me to see the articles that my pals have submitted to the site. I read the articles that interest me and will often prop but the others I pretty much ignore and skip over. Its my very strong belief that if I voted on all of my friends submissions that these folks would become clueless as to what I was really interested in and enjoyed reading, thus destroying the primary purpose of social news. I can also track my friends comments by clicking on that person's profile page and then clicking 'Comments'.

On a related note, earlier this year Propeller management brought back the ability to easily share your submissions with your friends via the 'Share' option. This option allows you to send a heads up of your submission to a 'Group' or up to 25 individuals (friends). You can also e-mail your submission to someone who may not use Propeller or at least use it on a daily basis. While this option is very popular within the Propeller community, many like myself will not use it for all submissions. Why? Frankly I submit between 5 to 10 articles a day but not all of them have the same meaning or importance to me - thus I only use the 'Share' option on articles that I find to be the most interesting and thus what I suspect would be of most interesting to my friends. Just imagine, If we all sent out notifications of all of our submissions our 'Site Mail' boxes within Propeller would become very cluttered.

As Propeller gets ready to celebrate its 3 year anniversary next month,

Happy Propelling To All

'Replace Hate With Understanding, Compassion And Acceptance

2009-05-01T07:28:00.004-05:00

The Matthew Shepard Foundation

Embracing Diversity

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T06:46:00.001-05:00

Family Picture from 1962. I am the little boy sitting all the way to the right in the photo.

Earth Hour Is Today

2009-03-28T07:57:00.004-05:00

Earth Hour - Saturday March 28, 8:30 PM

Earth Hour is an international event organized by the World Wide Fund and is held on the last Saturday of March each year. It asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on the issue of climate change.

It's A New Season

2009-03-21T08:53:00.000-05:00

New Bookcase - Finding Pleasure Even In The Simple Things

2009-03-19T09:21:00.002-05:00

Over the last few months, I have been on the lookout for a good quality 3-shelf bookcase for the living room that was priced preferably under $75 bucks. It had been rough going but last week we found this bookcase @ Target for $64.00. It was reduced by $20.00 from its normal $84.00 price tag.

I love the chestnut color and very pleased with the overall quality.

Spring Fever

2009-03-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

3 inches of snow last weekend, tempertures in the mid 70's this weekend. Spring is certainly in the air!

'Whites Only'

2009-03-06T17:20:00.003-05:00

My top story on Propeller this past week was about the racist jerk who actually hung a 'Whites Only' sign in front of a water fountain in N.Y. The submission was featured on AOL and received almost 900 comments (many filled with hate as well)

James Marcus, editor for Propeller also featured the submission in this weeks 'WIR' 'Week in Review'

Films On The Web

2009-03-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

Paul Harvey....Good Day

2009-03-02T12:59:00.003-05:00

I remember in the late 70's listening to Paul Harvey...would make it a point to do so each and every day while eating lunch in the car during work. I loved his voice and many of the personal stories that he shared. He had the ability to even make a commercial sound interesting.

Radio will never be the same. May he R.I.P.

Let It Snow

2009-03-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

Snow is rare in the south much less here in the month of March. Parts of Atlanta will receive up to 5 inches of the white stuff before it ends later this evening. I wonder if it is safe to make homemade ice cream out of snow? Oh those childhood memories...so sweet.

Why 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Must Go

2009-02-27T08:38:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week, I submitted a story to Propeller.com from CBS News about a National Guard Soldier returning home to a kiss from her girlfriend and almost immediately thereafter a discharge from the military.

The submission was elevated to AOL's Home page by the editors at Propeller, where it quickly attracted over 100.000 clicks and well over 700 comments from the AOL/Propeller community.

The story and the video can be found here.

Not Just Plain 'Mac And Cheese'

2009-02-22T10:25:00.007-05:00

Going to give this a try...sounds yummy!

Tyler Florence is one of by favorite cooks.

The complete recipe from AOL FOOD can be found here

Update: I Prepared this dish yesterday for Sunday dinner and we liked it. The bacon and onion really did help to take this classic dish up a notch or two. Tyler was correct... you can never use to much cheese in 'Mac N Cheese'

Birthday Boy!

2009-02-16T07:36:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Grayson

Wow! Talk About A Sale...

2009-02-14T16:50:00.006-05:00

Just got back home from a day of shopping. We stopped by the Garden Ridge store in our community to check out some bookcases. While I did not find a suitable bookcase, I did come across a bargain on all Christmas, Halloween and Fall decorating goods.

5 Items For a $1.00...that's right 5 items regardless of original price was markdown to - 5 for a Buck or .20 cents a piece. NO LIMIT.

Deluxe Foil Christmas Cards - Regular 12.99 - Markdown to .20 cents
Fall and Christmas Wreaths - Regular 24.99 - Markdown to .20 cents
Christmas Ornaments - Regular 9.99 - Markdown to .20 cents
Foil Gift Wrap - Regular 4.99 - Markdown to .20 cents
Yard Scarecrow For Halloween - Regular 9.99 - Markdown to...thats right...just .20 cents

I purchased $230.00 worth of merchandise for only $ 8.48

Now That's A Sale !

Update: Today (Sunday) we went back for more...spending a little over $10.00 for about $300.00 in merchandise bringing our two day total to just over $500.00 of regular priced merchandise for a mere $19.00

Thank You, Garden Ridge!

President's Day Weekend

2009-02-14T10:10:00.002-05:00

Fly The Flag Proudly

Eight O' Clock Beats Starbucks

2009-02-03T08:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I submitted a story to Propeller.com from the folks over @ 247 Wallst.com concerning the 'Taste Test' that Consumer Reports recently conducted on 19 ground coffees.

The Number 1 Choice based on taste was Eight O' Clock 100% Colombian. It beat out Folgers, Maxwell House and even the likes of Starbucks which as we all know sells for substantially more.

Our household switched to Eight O' Clock several months back. We find it far superior to Folgers and Maxwell House Colombian brands. The local markets here have been promoting it quite often so its cost has been running much lower than the $6.00 lb. suggested retail cost.

Super Bowl Week

2009-01-26T17:56:00.004-05:00

Another Super Bowl...another round of 'Super Bowl Ads'.

One of the funniest commercials was back in 2004 with the 'Farting Horse'

But my favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time is this one from 1979

The Inauguration Of Our 44th President

2009-01-26T08:51:00.006-05:00

It was a exciting week! - If you like politics mixed in with a little 'Pomp and Circumstance', this was a week for you.

So many photos of so many people...over a million lining the Washington D.C. Mall in hopes of getting a glimpse of the new President. Many holding hands as one. But then again the whole Obama message was more or less one of 'We Are One'

The week was historic in so many ways. Years from now you will no doubt be asked 'Where were you when Obama took the oath of office?'

President Barack Obama takes office with nearly 70% approval from the American people. If you took a poll outside the U.S. those numbers would only go higher. Expectations and good will are very high for our new Commander In Chief and the challenges for him and our beloved Country are even higher.

Andy Stanley Offers Prayer For President Obama And Country At National Prayer Breakfast In D.C.

2009-01-22T12:23:00.004-05:00

Andy Stanley is the head Pastor of North Point Community Church located in North Atlanta.

More from the AJC.

Obama's Inauguration Speech

2009-01-20T13:31:00.001-05:00

'We Have Chosen Hope Over Fear'

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

2010 Ford Taurus

2009-01-11T18:04:00.002-05:00

At the North American Auto Show in Detroit today, Ford revealed its new 2010 Taurus. Believe me, this is not your dad's Taurus.

This sedan could very well be a winner for the Ford Motor Company. Best looking sedan with a blue oval on in years...and I mean many years.

A Nice 'Feel Good' Story

2009-01-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

A Car That Parks Itself

2009-01-03T12:55:00.007-05:00

The Lincoln division of the Ford Motor Company announced this past week that a new option will be added to the MKS and the MKT models soon that will allow the 'Car' to do the parking for you... It's called 'Active Park Assist'

“With the touch of a button, Lincoln MKS and MKT drivers can parallel park quickly, easily and safely without ever touching the steering wheel,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “This is another example of exclusive Ford smart technology, such as Ford SYNC, that makes the driving experience easier and more enjoyable for our customers.”

In the end I wonder just how valuable this option really will be for most people. In my neck of the woods, the need for parallel parking has pretty much vanished. I think the last time I even had to attempt parallel parking was during my driving test many years ago.

Christmas - 30 Years Later

2008-12-28T10:14:00.003-05:00

This family picture was taken on Christmas Eve in 1978. It was the last Christmas photo that included Dad and it was the last Christmas living in our childhood home on the south side of town (CABANA - Here we come).

The Uniting Of The Planets

2008-12-02T12:04:00.001-05:00

This picture was submitted to CNN from IReporter-TanFanny2 in Florida. Great pic of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter from last evening.

It was mostly cloudy here in the Atlanta area last evening...was very hard to see much at all.

Roomba Riding Cat

2008-11-29T09:19:00.002-05:00

If you have not seen the video of the cat riding the Roomba vacuum around the house...here it is - CLICK HERE for complete story.

I am not sure, but is that cat food or the like on the vacuum with the cat? Is that the reason the cat is staying on the ride? If that is indeed the case a little bit of the 'Humor' in this story is suddenly wiped away.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-20T13:13:00.008-05:00

Just like most other families across this great Country, my family makes it a point to gather each year for Thanksgiving Day. Its always a special day filled with a great deal of love, food and so many special memories of the past. This year is certain to be no different.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

Let's Eat!

One of my families favorites for Thanksgiving is Cornbread Dressing/Stuffing. To tell you the truth, I even like it better than the Turkey itself. It's very easy to make...here is my recipe.

Ingredients -

1lb. Roll 'Hot' Pork Sausage
1 Large (16 oz.) Package of Pepperidge Farm Seasoned Stuffing
3 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Large Onion - chopped
2 Stalks Of Celery - chopped
1 Medium Green Pepper - chopped

Preparations

In large skillet brown pork sausage over medium heat until brown. Add chopped vegetables and saute until semi tender (5 mins). Pour cooked ingredients into large mixing bowl. Add package of seasoned stuffing and mix well. Pour in 2 cans of chicken broth and stir. Depending on your desire of moistness add additional chicken broth if needed. In the past I have found between 2 and 2 and half cans of broth to be sufficient.

Spoon mixed ingredients into a large greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown on top and sides.

Serves 7 to 10

Top Selling Vehicles In America - 2008

2008-11-16T08:30:00.004-05:00

List of the top selling vehicles sold in the United States through October 2008.

RANK VEHICLE 2008 2007 '07 RANK % Chng

1 Ford F-Series P/U 436,022 588,952 1 -26.0
2 Chevy Silverado-C/K P/U 402,191 526,575 2 -23.6
3 Toyota Camry 386,118 398,868 3 -3.2
4 Honda Accord 333,011 332,815 6 +0.1
5 Toyota Corolla 307,071 317,796 4 -3.4
6 Honda Civic 304,297 278,764 8 +9.2
7 Nissan Altima 241,529 239,800 9 +0.7
8 Chevrolet Impala 231,841 270,504 7 -14.3
9 Dodge Ram P/U 213,684 301,689 5 -29.2
10 Ford Focus 175,958 145,977 15 +20.5
11 Honda CR-V 171,193 184,003 11 -7.0
12 Chevrolet Cobalt 168,940 169,400 14 -0.3
13 Chevrolet Malibu 151,429 108,930 26 +39.0
14 GMC Sierra P/U 145,067 174,621 12 -16.9
15 Toyota Prius 142,365 150,572 16 -5.5
16 Ford Escape 135,558 139,911 17 -3.1
17 Ford Fusion 128,381 123,729 20 +3.8
18 GM Pontiac G6 126,494 121,278 28 +4.3
19 Toyota Tundra 121,451 162,348 23 -25.2
20 Honda Odyssey 121,249 144,718 21 -16.2

Looks like the Ford Pickup will once again be the top seller for the year despite the Silverado and Camry's very strong showing. The new redesigned Ford F-150 went on sale this month and with gas prices falling, I would not be surprised if Ford wins it again next year as well. If they do it will be close to 20 years running that the Ford pickup has held the title of 'Best Selling Vehicle In U.S.

Hopefully in 2009, we will see a few more American made cars hit the 'Top 20' The new Chevy Malibu has done extremely well in 2008 with almost a 40% sales increase over the prior year. We could use a few more with numbers like that.

Veterans Day - Fly The Flag Proudly

2008-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

Lost In Time

2008-11-09T07:56:00.004-05:00

Remember back when the 3 major networks would show Movies? Here is the intro for ABC's 'Movie Of The Week' The theme music brings back so many memories...

'The Movie of the Week' debuted in 1969 and aired on Tuesday nights. Beginning with the 1971 season, ABC added a second Movie of the Week on Saturday night and adjusted the titles of the shows to the Movie of the Week and Movie of the Weekend. Among the made for TV movies shown as part of the 'Movie Of The Week' was 'Brian's Song'

The theme from 'The Movie Of The Week' was from Burt Bacharach's 'Nikki', named after the daughter of Burt and his wife Angie Dickenson.

CNN Wins Big On Election Night

2008-11-06T08:17:00.002-05:00

CNN was the big winner Tuesday Night in the TV rankings. The Cable News Network even beat out the broadcast networks of NBC and CBS and toppled the Fox News Network by a margin of over 2 to 1 during the 11PM hour (hour that Obama was declared the official winner). During that hour Over 15 Millions people tuned into CNN.

Interestingly, CNN and MSNBC viewers grew during the evening as Fox News Viewers went down as the night went along - See Here.

Video of CNN declaring Barack Obama as the winner...

My Election Projection

2008-11-02T13:55:00.004-05:00

With only 2 days left until election day, its time for me to step out and make a prediction as to just how this election will turnout. While the polling has indicated some tightening over the last week it would appear that its just not coming fast enough to make a substantial difference in this presidential race especially when you factor in the 'Early Voting' models.

My Final Numbers -

Barack Obama - 53%
John McCain - 46%
Other - 1%

The 7-point gap between the two candidates should be large enough for Obama to capture between 330 and 370 electoral votes.

Among the battleground states that I think Obama will carry include;

Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada. I predict that McCain will hold Indiana and Missouri by the slimmest of margins. In the end the state of Georgia could very well flip to Obama (it will be very close)...if this indeed happens, Indiana and Missouri more than likely will flip to Obama as well thus creating an electoral landslide.

The Day After: Looks like my prediction of a 7-point win (53 to 46 split) will be correct. One additional state goes into Obama's column that I had not predicted. That will be Indiana. As predicted, McCain holds on to Missouri by the slimmest of margins. Turns out that Georgia was not as close as I thought it would be. McCain takes it by well over 3 percentage points. Polling indicates that Obama only received 23% of the white vote in the state. McCain did exceptionally well in the northern counties of Forsyth, Dawson and Banks among others.

Happy Halloween !

2008-10-31T10:18:00.001-05:00

Wow! My neighborhood only had 5 trick-or-treaters out last night. Lots of left over candy here.

Fall Color

2008-10-28T08:19:00.001-05:00

Rylan & Family

2008-10-25T08:34:00.001-05:00

Dog Makes 45 Mile Trek Home

2008-10-14T08:10:00.000-05:00

SNL - Palin/Biden Debate

2008-10-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

Rylan - Welcome To Our World

2008-10-01T14:26:00.001-05:00

SNL - Sarah Palin

2008-09-28T16:58:00.001-05:00

Correct me if I am wrong but this might be the first time that SNL has used a candidates real words/sentences in a parody skit. The actual CBS Couric/Palin interview was indeed very bad for Palin perhaps even worse than the Gibson interview. Even the conservative writers over at the National Review is not pleased.

Every Monday Matters

2008-09-22T07:34:00.000-05:00

Find out more about 'Every Monday Matters' here.

Saturday Night Live - Palin/Clinton Humor

2008-09-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

CNN - Most Trusted News Network, Again

2008-09-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

Cable News Network (CNN) was once again rated as the most credible/trusted news network according to a new Pew Study released last month. While the network did not score as high as it has in previous studies, it did score high enough to beat both its primary cable competitors MSNBC and Fox News.

NPR also scored high in the study. The two networks scoring the lowest in the study were CBS and Fox news.

Even though CBS News scored low overall , its '60 Minutes' program was rated as one the highest on credibility.

On a personal point, I get most of my news from CNN especially 'Breaking News'. I am fortunate to have a cable provider that also allows me access to 'CNN International' 24 hours a day. I love it.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of years - MSNBC has followed the footsteps of Fox News and have become extremely partisan and have geared to much of their programming around 'Opinion'. In short - Thanks but no thanks...Tim can think for his own self.

Enough Is Enough!

2008-09-10T11:40:00.001-05:00

Addressing the 'Lipstick' issue this morning, Barack Obama slams the McCain camp for creating lies and distractions from the real issues, stating that, "The American people deserve a serious debate in this election. "I love this Country too much to let them take over with lies, misdirection, and swift boating. These are serious times and they call for serious debate".

The Real American Dream - 'Hannah's Lunchbox'

2008-09-07T11:51:00.001-05:00

I know exactly where this home is located. I have passed by it many of times as it is located near midtown here in Atlanta...its beautiful...and what this family is doing is more than beautiful.

You can find out more about 'Hannah's Lunchbox' here.

'American Prayer'

2008-08-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, R.I.P.

2008-08-20T19:36:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite Politicians passed away today. Rep. Jones represented the 11th districy of Ohio, which encompasses most of downtown and eastern Cleveland. She was the first African American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio.

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio will be sorely missed.

Seeds Of Hope

2008-08-20T07:47:00.000-05:00

Thousands Of Cats Saved

2008-08-12T08:27:00.000-05:00

Hate Kills

2008-08-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

Lawrence King was just 15 when he was shot dead by a classmate in February because he was gay. Simmie Williams Jr., two years older, was also killed that month for being who he was.

Send a message to Congress today. Remind them that America still needs the Matthew Shepard Act to help ensure safety and security for ALL Americans. Click Here

Sad News...

2008-08-04T12:18:00.003-05:00

Hearing of the death of Braves announcer, Skip Caray this morning was like a punch in the stomach. Even though I knew his health was declining the news still struck hard.

After our family moved to Atlanta in 1969, I started following the Atlanta Hawks on radio. Skip was the play by play announcer for the team (he came over with the team when they moved here from St.Louis just a year earlier). I loved the energy in Caray's voice as he described what was taking place on the court among the likes of Lou Hudson, Walt Bellamy, Bill Bridges, Joe Caldwell and a couple years later that of Pistol Pete Maravich.

Needless to say, I went through quite a few 9-volt batteries while listening to Skip Caray on my little G.E. transistor radio... A radio I still have to this day.

My thoughts are with the Caray family today.

'No One'

2008-08-03T16:28:00.006-05:00

In a week that contained continued tough economic news and Presidential politics reaching a new 'Low-Road', I found this video/song by Alicia Keys to be so refreshing just to sit back and listen to...over and over. As my Mom would often say, 'Everything Is Going To Be All Right'

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

2008-07-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

'Hope'

2008-07-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Just when did 'Hope' become a bad thing?

Wishing I was 40 Years Younger

2008-07-23T16:44:00.001-05:00

Having a good old fashion 'Shoot-out' with Grayson.

Paper Clips

2008-07-19T13:48:00.002-05:00

'Paper Clips' is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures how students in a small rural town in Tennessee responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis.

Summer Garden Pics

2008-07-16T10:43:00.001-05:00

'Let It Be'

2008-07-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

Jesse Helms - No Tears Lost

2008-07-07T07:55:00.004-05:00

I first became interested in politics as a young teenager in the early 70's. Watergate, the Vietnam war, and the civil rights movement all had a profound effect on me and my thinking even to this day. During that time, the one politician that I probably despised the most was not Richard M Nixon who faced certain impeachment at the time but that of Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina.

It had nothing to do with Conservative vs. Liberal, Democrat vs. Republican, it was about something far more basic and much more uglier than even partisan politics itself. It was HATE. The hatred and outright intolerance this politician carried his entire lifetime for African Americans, Gays/Lesbians, Jews, Hispanics and for that matter all minorities within our country was downright unbelievable. I only hope that in his latter years on this earth that he found some kind of peace with his God on these issues.

After 30 years of influence from the likes of Jesse Helms, Wouldn't it be very fitting if Barack Obama, the first African American nominated for the President of the United States did in fact turn North Carolina 'Blue' this fall.

Update: David Broder of the Washington Post wrote an excellent article in 2001 about Senator Helms. It was titled - Jesse Helms, white racist

Happy 4th

2008-07-02T10:13:00.002-05:00

'Patriotism Is Loving Your Country All Of The Time, And Your Government When It Deserves It'

'Everything' - Michael Buble

2008-06-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

One Week Later

2008-06-24T11:17:00.001-05:00