Ashcreek Journal - July 2006
 


The new Shadow Angel Logo
 

What I've Watched
at the theater lately


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Star rating that I give each movie (out of a possible 5 stars)

Pirate's of the Caribbean ***
The Devil Wears Prada ***
The Lake House **

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Dance
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Dance like no one is watching, love like you've never been hurt, live like Heaven on Earth, Sing like no one is listening
-unknown
 


The Spinning Chef


My buddy Erick's
(aka. Mastererick) Web Site



Daryl Cagle's Cartoons
 

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Beau Dodson
465 Ashcreek Road
Paducah, Kentucky
42001

May 2006 | Main | June 2006


(July 11)
  I guess the sun came out long enough yesterday to heat everything up into a bubbling pot of energy!  We managed to get one of the heaviest rainfalls in recent months.  Here in Lone Oak I picked up around 2 inches of rain.  There was also a lot of lightning and thunder.  Fun fun.  I enjoyed it.  A good Summertime thunderstorm!  Works for me.  We needed the rain so I doubt many people were complaining.  The sky should did turn an ugly color.  Scary looking for awhile.  I wish I had a better view because it would have made a great photograph.  Low shelf cloud moved right over Lone Oak.  The NWS asked me if I got a photo of it.  I sent them what I had (which was not much).


 
 Me in the rain on Tuesday.

Joey is working in Mayfield today.  Working on one of our houses.  It seems to be coming along nicely!  Hopefully we will have some of these finished soon.  Then we shall put them up for sale.  I am anxious to see how quickly they will sell.  Crossing my fingers that this all works out.

Working hard on a Power-Point Presentation for the American Red Cross.  I will be teaching Family Services on Saturday at one of the local churches.  This is a new class for me!  Teaching it at least will be new.  I have actually had the class more than once.  I am still a bit nervous though.  It is a long class.  It is supposed to take most of the day!  I will try to shorten it a bit.  I would imagine everyone will be tired after about 4 hours.  Hopefully we can get through it without anyone passing out on me.  The Power-Point actually turned out great.  The best one yet.  Can't wait to hear some feedback on it.

Joey and I went to see "Pirate's of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest" tonight.  It was okay.  A bit long and a bit boring at times.  All in all I gave it 3 stars.  It wasn't as good as the first movie.  I guess sequels usually are not as good as the original or first one.  Still it was okay.  There were a lot of cool special effects.  Davy Jones was pretty amazing.  I don't think I would want to run into him while out sailing the ocean blue!


Passing Seasons

I think I miss the snow up north.  This picture is from Waterloo back in 2004.  :)  Snow, snow, snow, and more snow.  I believe I am going to have to find somewhere to move during the winter months.  Perhaps just a couple of months - January and February.  I need my snow fix!  It just isn't happening here in Paducah.  Blame it on global warning or just living too far south!  One or the other - perhaps both.  I just need more snow.  :)  New England calls my name - at least in January and February.  Perhaps Ontario :)  Perhaps I need to get dual-citizenship.
 

(July 12)  Well it is cloudy again this morning.  Looks like rain hitting my window.  I love the rain -and I believe I also just heard a clap of thunder.  We need the rain.  Dry weather hit us a few weeks ago and has not let go.  So rain on!  I doubt we see anything like we did yesterday and last night.  Would be nice though.

  I see that Hezbollah has kidnapped some Israeli Soldiers.  This can not be good news.  Israel is going to hit Lebanon hard.  War appears to be spreading as the days pass.  It is bad enough that Israel has to put up with all of the suicide attacks.  Now they have to deal with Lebanon and of course Iran.  I don't envy Israel or the problems they have.

  So John and I hung a bunch of Geckoes (bought in Destin last week).  Now one would think that this was a simple task.  Think again.  I was up on the latter for more than 45 minutes trying to get this thing to "stick" on the wall.  Nails were a bad idea.  :)  Wire and a screw - better idea!  We eventually did manage to get the Gecko to stay in one place.  John made a great supervisor.  Now we need a big plant below them - just to round everything out.  Here is a photo of the wall.  Yeah that are BIG!  Something fun on the wall.
 

WELCOME HOME GECKO


Metal art we brought back from Florida - they are not painted on the wall.  They are made of metal - kind of a 3D look to them.  They push out about 8-9 inches.

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Sooo you want to see a good movie? :)  Go see "The Devil Wears Prada"  A sharp movie with a lot of humor that work-alcoholics will "get".  It is about the fashion industry and the difficult world that revolves around it.  "Family" will get it more than anyone.  There are a lot of cruel one liners - nothing the "real world" doesn't hand out though. Meryl Streep at her best.  Definitely worth spending a few dollars on.  Don't forget the coke and popcorn.   





Dylan got a new truck.  He fell asleep at the wheel during the weekend.  Not good.  Thankfully he was not hurt.  The truck had a little bit of damage but nothing tooooo serious.  Hopefully it won't take too long to repair.  A few scratches and some damaged rims.   Don't feel bad Dylan :)  I fell asleep once driving back from Mayfield after delivering the newspaper for the Metropolis Planet!  NOT a fun experience.  You only have to do that once in life and you will likely not do it again.

 

Lunch today with Caesar from the Red Cross.  We are catching up and discussing the upcoming Family Service class on Saturday.  I guess I will be teaching by myself since Dee is out of town.  Sue will be there to help me!  So no big deal.  I am sure we will manage just fine.  This will be the first time I have taught this subject.  I am looking forward to teaching.
 

 



Erick at Mask in Toronto!  The best DJ you are ever going to find!  I can't wait to head back up north and hear him at his latest venue.  Hopefully I will be able to visit in the fall.  Definitely want to return for the SNOWY winter months.  Hopefully it will be a snowy winter.  I am sure Doug will be disappointed if it isn't.  :)  Not!

 

Heavy rain fell across the area during the past 24 hours.  We have picked up nearly 3" here in Lone Oak.  The Paducah Riverfront had over 4 inches!  There have been reports of more than 7 inches of rain in Southeast Missouri.  The NWS has been issuing a lot of flash flood warnings across portions of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.  Feast or famine around here. 



 

A Widening War: Israel is Tested Again
CBS47 | 7/12/06 | By Clifford D. May

What must Hamas leaders have been thinking? Last month they sent guerrillas through a secret tunnel from Gaza into Israel where they launched an attack, killing two Israeli soldiers and kidnapping a third, 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit. Since no civilians were targeted, this was not an act of terrorism. It was an act of war.

Perhaps they had come to believe their own spin; their boast that it was "armed resistance" that had caused then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from Gaza. Maybe they believed that more violence would lead to more Israeli concessions - especially now that Israel is led by a center-left coalition, the hard-line Likud Party having split and then collapsed over the wisdom of the Gaza withdrawal.

So far, at least, Israel's new prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has proven Hamas wrong. He has responded to Hamas' military attack with a military counterattack. He returned Israeli forces to Gaza, ordering them to search for Shalit, and also to stop the missiles - hundreds of them - that have rained down on Israeli cities and towns virtually every day since the Israelis left Gaza.

Hamas has suggested that it might let Shalit go if Israel were to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange. No doubt, Olmert is tempted. But those prisoners are convicted terrorists. Were he to release even a few as part of such a deal, he would be inviting further incursions and kidnappings in the months and years ahead.

Olmert has been trying to inflict pain on Hamas (while providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians), promising that if Shalit is released and missile attacks cease, Israeli troops will walk away. Were Hamas to comply, a new peace process could begin.

But that is the last thing Hamas wants. Its leaders have stated their goal candidly and repeatedly: They mean to wipe Israel off the map. Living peacefully next door to a Jewish neighbor is not on their agenda.

For some reason, however, many Europeans and Americans can't bring themselves to accept that Hamas is articulating not a negotiating posture but a religious conviction. By now, most people understand that Islamists consider it impermissible for a Muslim ever to convert to another religion - conversion brings a death sentence in Saudi Arabia and other countries where extreme variants of Islam hold sway.

What most people may not realize is that Islamists also believe it is impermissible for land to convert: Territory once conquered by Muslims, they insist, must never revert to the rule of infidels. That includes not just Israel, but large parts of Europe. Also Kashmir, they demand, must be Muslim-ruled; that almost certainly was the motive behind this week's railway bombings in India.

No one is likely to change Hamas' dogma. The most Israelis can do is demonstrate that Hamas' goal is not achievable at present, that the price of sending guerrillas and rockets into Israel is too high.

Such an understanding was long the basis for a tense standoff with Hezbollah, the terrorist group that controls large areas of Lebanon along Israel's northern border, territories Israel once occupied - but from which Israel withdrew taking what was called "a risk for peace."

On Wednesday, Hezbollah, too, committed an act of war against Israel, firing a barrage of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells, attacking Israeli border posts and kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.

What is Hezbollah thinking? Almost certainly, that it is coming to the aid of Hamas and doing the bidding of its Iranian and Syrian masters who apparently believe Israel is not prepared to fight on two fronts simultaneously.

Are they correct? Israelis - in particular the new prime minister - are being tested. To prevail will not be easy, just as it was not easy for Israelis to defend themselves in 1948 when they were was attacked by all their Arab neighbors, and in 1967 when a second coordinated military effort to push Israelis into the sea was attempted. Both wars ended with Israel stronger - and in possession of more territory - than when the wars began.

Youseff Ibrahim, the Egyptian-born veteran American journalist, recently wrote an open letter to Palestinians. It said in part: "The truth is the Palestine you could have had in 1948 is much bigger than the one you could have had in 1967, which in turn is much bigger than what you may have to settle for now or in another 10 years. Struggle means less land and more misery and utter loneliness."

But this is not what Hamas and Hezbollah are thinking.

Palestinian Children "playing" Jihad



Obviously the adults in the world are
to be blamed for this hatred that apparently
has no boundaries. 
 

 

HUGE HAIL IN MASSACHUSETTS
These photos were posted by GaryS on EasternUSwx.  These are near record size stones for New England.  These stones could rank in the fifth largest ever recorded.  The storm hit on Tuesday near Boston.


Giant hail falls in New England
 


Shock and Awe Rainfall Totals from the past 2-3 days here in Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Southeast Missouri.  Over SEVEN inches of rain has been reported in several areas.  Flash flooding has become a problem in some communities.

Click on radar for
large image



 

WAR - (July 13)

You go to bed with one world and you wake up to another.  Definitely starting to get out of hand in the Middle East.


World Headline This Morning

 

Iran’s national security adviser flies to Damascus/ Syrian army on a state of preparedness

Israel enforces Lebanon blockade

 

Al-Qaida Claims it Has Kashmir Network (Issues Demand for All Indian Muslims to "Take Up Jihad")


Israel intends to impose sea and air blockade on Lebanon

 

Israel says "No place in Lebanon is safe"

IAF strikes Beruit airport
 

Battle Plans--The next Middle East war — Israel against genocidal Islamism — has begun
-Jewish World Review



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Lebanon - at war with Israel.  Israel hitting targets across that country. 



THE WORLD HOLDS ITS
BREATH

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Sue and I spent the morning working on Red Cross activities.  We are trying to raise money for radios.  We need a radio system to communicate during a disaster.  We don't have anything at this time.  It is going to cost around $5000-$6000 to purchase everything we need.  We also worked on finishing up the process for making identification badges for all of our local disaster volunteers.  The Reidland Fire Department is going to help us complete that task!  Thankfully.  That will save us a lot of money.


We also met with the Ford Dealership and talked about getting a vehicle for the chapter (which we badly need) and the ERV!  We are going to apply for a grant from Ford.  Hopefully we will get something out of that!  That would definitely help us out.  We will get there!  As always in life - it is a process!

Sue decided she would go ahead and play "fireman" for the day!  I think her grandson is going to get a print of this photograph.  He is 2 years old.


Looking Good Sue!

 


The War With Iran Has Begun - (July 14)

Just last Friday, Iranian President Ahmadinejad warned that Israel's return to Gaza could lead to an "explosion" in the Islamic world that would target Israel and its supporters in the West. "They should not let things reach a point where an explosion occurs in the Islamic world," he said.

"If an explosion occurs, then it won't be limited to geographical boundaries. It will also burn all those who created [Israel] over the past 60 years," he said, implicitly referring to America and other Western nations who support Israel.

Years from now, the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit will be regarded like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.  Click Here for rest of article

...

It is my belief that Iran already has nuclear weapons and have been baiting Israel to attack Syria, Lebanon, and Iran itself.  Once attacked I believe Iran will likely take that opportunity to brutally attack Israel.  Definitely a volatile situation.  Let's hope things are brought under control in the coming days.  If not, then I would say the war on terror has just become WW-III.

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Some amazing photos from Lubbock, Texas.  These were taken by one of the posters on EasternusWx.  TxWx Photos.  Impressive dust storm in front of a gust front.  Rain soon cleared the air after these photos were taken.






Texas Dust-storms.  Photo by TxWx
 

Heavy thunderstorms here in Lone Oak this evening.  We picked up another 1" (and still raining) of rainfall.  That is on top of the 3 inches of rain we received earlier in the week.  So much for the dry weather.  Now we have flooding in the area.  Feast or famine - as always.  Some vivid lightning here in Lone Oak this afternoon.  Lot of wind as well.  Scattered reports of trees down in Lone Oak and Paducah.  Limbs as well.  A few small ones here at the house.  We had winds of at least 40 miles per hour.  Some gusts to 50-55 were likely experienced across the county.  That would match up to the wind damage.  No warnings were issued for McCracken County.  We were under a severe thunderstorm watch.


Lightning Data from Allisonhouse is showing a lot
of cloud to ground lightning.  The white dots are
cloud to ground :) 



Few trees down in Paducah from the high winds.


Evening Mammatus Clouds as the sun sets


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Just look at how much land Israel has taken from the Muslims.  Terrible isn't it?  That just about sums up the insanity of all of this.  I guess nobody is willing to share any of their land with the Palestinians.  ALL of the pinkish area currently belongs to the Muslims.  Israel is but a DOT on the map.





Saturday (July 15) - Teaching Red Cross classes today. 

You know you are having a bad day when you see this in your camera lens :)

And am I the only one who thinks this guy is scary? 

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People keep asking me what kind of gas mileage the smart cars can get!  Here is your answer from the ZAP Web-Site

Under the hood

The Smart has a 599cc, three-cylinder turbocharged Mercedes-Benz engine. The approximate fuel consumption is 48 mpg in town and 67 mpg out of town; averaging out to about 56 to 58 mpg. The maximum speed the Smart can go is about 84 mph. On the Pure and Pulse models the transmission is a 'Softip,' which is a semi-automatic gearbox containing six gears and no clutch. Meanwhile, the Passion model has a 'Softouch' transmission, which is a fully automatic gearbox. The fuel tank in the Smart is about 4.8 gallons, but with the high gas mileage, fueling up shouldn't be too terribly frequent. The Smart needs to be serviced about every year or every 9,000 miles. The Smart does come with a three-year Mechanical warranty, a one-year SmartAssist Recovery, and a six-year bodywork warranty.


I WOULD CALL THAT PRETTY SMART!!!!


First Half of 2006 Is Warmest on Record

The first half of the year was the warmest on record for the United States.
 

The government reported Friday that the average temperature for the 48 contiguous United States from January through June was 51.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 3.4 degrees above average for the 20th century.

That made it the warmest such period since recordkeeping began in the National Climatic Data Center reported.

No state was cooler than average and five states _ Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri _ experienced record warmth for the period.

While much of the Northeast experienced extreme rainfall and flooding at the end of June many other areas continued below normal rain and snowfall.

As of June, 45 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate-to- extreme drought, an increase of 6 percent from May.

Worldwide, it was the sixth warmest year-to-date since record keeping began in 1880.

---That is scary!  A large portion of the United States is in great need of rain.


ALL OF THE AREAS IN YELLOW/ORANGE/RED ARE
CURRENTLY IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS.


Saturday Morning War Update:

Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum
Ynetnews ^ | Saturday, July 15, 2006

London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops. ‘Israel will not end military activity until new situation created that will prevent Syria, Iran from using terror organizations to threaten its security,’ newspaper quotes Pentagon official as saying Roee Nahmias

The London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat reported Saturday that “Washington has information according to which Israel gave Damascus 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity along the Lebanon-Israel border and bring about the release the two kidnapped IDF soldiers or it would launch an offensive with disastrous consequences.”

and

Israel PM sets three conditions for ceasefire with Lebanon
Australian Broadcasting Corporation ^ | 15 July 2006

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has imposed three conditions for a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a deadly three-day assault, a Government spokeswoman says.

"The Prime Minister is prepared to finish our operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah releases our two soldiers, stops its rocket fire and if the Lebanese Government decides to implement UN Security Council resolution 1559," spokeswoman Miri Eisin told AFP.

The resolution calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Shiite movement based in Lebanon that abducted two Israeli soldiers on Wednesday

---end

I have said for months that July into the fall would be the flash point.  I don't see a fairy tale ending coming here.  The hand writing is on the wall.  Israel has finally found herself fed up with the terrorists on all sides of her.  She is finally defending herself without restraint.  In the past the United States and the United Nations would always pull Israel back in - right at the point they might accomplish something.  That isn't going to happen this time.

Playing games with terrorists will only get you killed.  We have learned our lesson on that subject.  You either take them out or you lose the battle.  Israel has finally decided to take them out.  The news to watch for is the point that Israel and Syria or Iran start to exchange fire/rockets/missiles.  At that point all bets are off.  We are as close to a regional war as we have ever been.  You can take it to the bank that Iran is going to be hit at some point.  Israel won't allow herself to be destroyed even if that means a nuclear exchange.
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If you would like to see what the gas prices look like across the United States :)

GAS MAP

GAS IS NOW ABOVE $3 IN MASSAC COUNTY

Gas is now $3.30 in Chicago and above $3.40 in California.  No doubt that $4.00 gasoline is right around the corner for some portions of the country.  I would imagine gas prices of $3.20 to $3.50 will likely hit this area.  Hopefully we don't get a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.  Gas will go even higher if that happens.

 

Saturday - War In The Middle East -

Knocking on the steps of a regional war.  What we need is for Syria and Iran to not become more involved than they are.  That will at least keep this war contained.  They are already behind most of it anyway.  I for one would like to see Israel take care of the ROOT of the problem - for once.  That would mean a bigger war though.


Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum

London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops. ‘Israel will not end military activity until new situation created that will prevent Syria, Iran from using terror organizations to threaten its security,’ newspaper quotes Pentagon official as saying

The source said that Israel has indicated that it “will not end its military activity until a new situation is created that will prevent Syria and Iran from using terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hizbullah, to threaten its security.” 

Israel deploys Patriot missiles in Haifa

'Iran helping Hezbollah'

'Iran-made missile hit ship'

Israeli airstrikes hit bridges, gas stations in east, south and central Lebanon

Venezuela's Chavez says USA backing of Israel is taking world toward 'Holocaust'

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Class today went well.  We had a good turnout at the Trinity Baptist Church.  Today's class was Client Services also known as Family Services.  I am basically teaching the disaster workers how to fill out the forms for people to get emergency assistance after a disaster.

This was the first time I have taught this subject.  I think it went well.  Everyone said it did!


Teaching Client Services - Family Services at
Trinity Baptist Church in downtown Paducah.

|
Fairly large group today.  Six hour class! 

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Gingrich says it's World War III
Seattle Times ^ | July 15, 2006 | David Postman

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says America is in World War III and President Bush should say so. In an interview in Bellevue this morning Gingrich said Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from the president.

"We need to have the militancy that says 'We're not going to lose a city,' " Gingrich said. He talks about the need to recognize World War III as important for military strategy and political strategy.

Gingrich said in the coming days he plans to speak out publicly, and to the Administration, about the need to recognize that America is in World War III.

He lists wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, this week's bomb attacks in India, North Korean nuclear threats, terrorist arrests and investigations in Florida, Canada and Britain, and violence in Israel and Lebanon as evidence of World War III. He said Bush needs to deliver a speech to Congress and "connect all the dots" for Americans.
 

President Bush calls Flight 93 revolt "First counter-attack in World War III"
News.com.au ^ | 5/6/2006 | News.com.au

US President George W. Bush has said the September 11 revolt of passengers against their hijackers on board Flight 93 had struck the first blow of "World War III".

In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Mr Bush said he had yet to see the recently released film of the uprising, a dramatic portrayal of events on the United Airlines plane before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

But he said he agreed with the description of David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, who in a Wall Street Journal commentary last month called it "our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war, World War III".

Mr Bush said: "I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III.

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HEAT WAVE!

It was an INCREDIBLE 120 degrees in South Dakota on Saturday.  This could be the all time record high for that state.

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
500 PM MDT SAT JUL 15 2006

...POSSIBLE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE TIED FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA...

A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 120 DEGREES WAS RECORDED AT A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COOPERATIVE WEATHER SITE THIS AFTERNOON...LOCATED 8 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF USTA. IF THIS TEMPERATURE IS OFFICIALLY VERIFIED...IT WILL TIE THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA. ON JULY 5 1936...GANN VALLEY SET THE RECORD OF 120 DEGREES.
 

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