Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Quick answers to common Alabama legal questions

Several months ago I posted links to a few of my new Squidoo lenses that deal with several common legal issues. I have tweaked each of these lenses since that time and hope they are all easy to follow and provide the quick answers you have been looking for. Any feedback is certainly appreciated and please check back often because I will be adding lenses on other legal topics in the coming weeks.

Small Claims Court in Alabama

Wage Garnishments in Alabama

Car Repossessions in Alabama

How to file for divorce in Alabama Sphere: Related Content

Friday, October 31, 2008

Victoryland machines rigged to give Langford guaranteed jackpot?

In the ongoing saga of the absurdity in the Birmingham's mayor's office, there may be a new chapter just coming to light. A civil suit was just filed in Macon County by a Victoryland patron claiming that the electronic gambling machines were rigged in someway to guarantee large payouts to Birmingham's mayor, Larry Langford. An affidavit from a security guard who worked at Victoryland states that the park manipulated the machines in someway to guarantee large payouts to Langford and other particular individuals. The security guard also claims that there were several occasions between 2006 and 2008 when Langford was escorted to certain machines by park employees. Of course, Victoryland is owned by longtime Langford friend and supporter, Milton McGregor. Apparently, the plaintiff filed the lawsuit after Victoryland refused to pay her money she won on a machine at the park, citing a machine malfunction.

I guess we can just add this to the ever-increasing pile of questionable (to put it mildly) things that have come to light about La La since he was elected mayor. Honestly, I really did not see this accusation coming at all, but I have now come to realize that I should never underestimate the depths of the corruption in this man's life and what else may be lurking just under the surface. Langford can definitely be likened to an onion, with each layer that is peeled away, the more he stinks.

You can read the complete story on AL.com Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, October 4, 2008

How do people continue to watch Bill O'Reilly?

I definitely describe myself as a moderate when asked generally about my political leanings, but I will confess to being a registered Republican and conservative on some issues. I will save the breakdown of my political beliefs for another day, but I think it is important to establish that I am not in agreement with Congressman Barney Frank on most issues prior to commenting on his "interview" with Bill O'Reilly last week. I place interview in quotes because the technical term for what took place would be an interview, but it seems Bill O'Reilly doesn't conduct proper interviews any longer. No, O'Reilly now only schedules sessions with newsworthy individuals where he will force these individuals to sit and endure his screaming explanation of why they are complete morons without providing so much as a half-way fair chance at defending themselves.

I myself basically stopped watching O'Reilly's rants years ago and couldn't stand to watch at all after his seemingly forgotten sex scandal that was quietly ended after O'Reilly paid the plaintiff $10 million when he discovered she had audio tapes to prove her claims. I don't think I have witnessed a more self-righteous, pompous individual in my life and definitely not one of this degree on television that has lasted any notable length of time. For those millions of viewers who somehow still manage to stomach this nightly O'Reilly ranting monologue, my one question for you is - How?

Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Phish to reunite in Hampton, VA for shows in March 2009

Phish fans can rejoice!!!! The band announced today that it will play 3 shows at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on March 6,7 and 9, 2009. You can place a ticket request online with Phish Tickets through October 8, 2009. A limited number of tickets are available through this method, so you are not guaranteed tickets and can only request a maximum of 2 tickets for each night. Tickets go on sale to the public October 18, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. through Ticketmaster. Sphere: Related Content

Monday, September 29, 2008

ESPN Gameday to be in Nashville, TN on Saturday

ESPN has announced that its College Gameday program will be based in Nashville this weekend to feature the SEC matchup of #13 Auburn (3-1) at #19 Vanderbilt (4-0). This exciting news for an Auburn fan since this will be the 2nd weekend out of 6 that Auburn has played in the featured game, but it will also mark the 4th week out of 6 that a team from Alabama has played in the featured game. Alabama was featured in its 1st game of the year against Clemson and then again this past weekend when they traveled to Georgia.

ESPN's College Gameday site Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Boo Weekley

If you didn't know Boo Weekley's name before last weekend, I bet you know it now. Boo was typical Boo and entertained everyone with his antics. I already had a Squidoo lens about Boo and thought this would be a great time to spread the word. Check it out HERE Sphere: Related Content

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hurricane Ike

I am from the gulf coast and don't live far from the coast now, so I have seen many storms in my days. I am not sure if any have been as frightening this far away from landfall as Ike is to me right now. The flooding that is already being seen in the Galveston area is incredible and scary for many reasons. I think the main reason is that in order to see this early severe flooding means Ike is pushing an unimaginable volume of water toward the Galveston area very quickly. It would be breathtaking if it was possible for us to actually view the tsunami-like wall of water that is directly in front of this storm. I really hope people heeded the evacuation orders early because there is no doubt anyone who did not get off of Galveston island are in grave danger. My biggest concern is that the magnitude of flooding we are seeing right now was not expected to arrive until much later by most citizens and they had a false sense that they had much longer to evacuate than they actually did.

If you are a Directv subscriber, you can watch live news from Channel 11 in Houston on Directv channel 361. Sphere: Related Content

Monday, September 1, 2008

Why is Palin's daughter's pregnancy such a huge deal?

Ok, I understand why it is a big deal, but my question is really why is it such a huge deal to the media? They really seem to be the party pushing the story of Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter Bristol Palin's pregnancy, not the democrats or any other. Is this not the same media who paid millions earlier this year for pictures of Jamie Lynn Spears and her baby? I definitely sensed no shameful tone in the coverage of her pregnancy like the tone I have sensed in all of the media coverage of Palin's pregnancy thus far.

I have heard the argument made that this personal family issue is legitimate national news because of Sarah Palin's opposition to pre-marital sex. Seriously? If this is true then I dare say every single politician in Washington with children has become suddenly uneasy. This is because teenagers make many, many mistakes and bad choices. These are some of the things that make them teenagers and why we hold minors to a different standard than we do adults. How many politicians have had children arrested for drug possession or use? Too many to name and I am pretty sure all of their parents oppose illegal drug use, at least publicly. I don't remember any of these officials and their children being called to task on these. They are almost always dismissed, and correctly so, with the request that these remain private family matters. What is different here? Sphere: Related Content

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

New Squidoo lenses on Alabama legal topics

I have created several new Squidoo lenses about common legal issues that many people have questions about. These are based on Alabama law and only meant to be used as general guides, not as a replacement for legal representation. I am working on several additional lenses and hope to have those up in a few days. If you have any specific topics or requests, please leave a comment and I will accommodate any request if possible.

Small Claims Court in Alabama

Wage Garnishments in Alabama

How to file for divorce in Alabama

Car Repossessions in Alabama Sphere: Related Content

Friday, August 22, 2008

New Webcams on Auburn University Campus

If you are interested in seeing a real-time view of several areas on campus, check out the 10 new official campus webcams HERE. You can also read more details on the Wire Eagle. Sphere: Related Content

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Matt and Al's rhythm routine is hilarious

I won't ruin this clip with my commentary, just watch and enjoy.

Sphere: Related Content

A sneak peek at CBS' college football schedule for this fall....

Thanks to someone at CBS we may have an early view of what our upcoming fall Saturdays will look like. This apparent schedule "leak" was reported by InGameNow yesterday and you will find the lineup below. All games are noted as "CBS HD" to indicate they will be aired in High Definition, except the SEC Championship game, but I am sure this game will also be aired in HD.

09/13 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ South Carolina
09/20 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Tennessee
09/27 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Auburn
10/04 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Arkansas or Kentucky @ Alabama
10/11 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Georgia
10/11 - 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. LSU @ Florida
10/18 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. LSU @ South Carolina
10/25 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ LSU
11/01 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia-Florida
11/08 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Alabama @ LSU or Georgia @ Kentucky
11/15 - 3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Notre Dame @ Navy
11/15 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. South Carolina @ Florida or Georgia @ Auburn
11/22 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Ole Miss @ LSU or Tennessee @ Vanderbilt or Arkansas @ Mississippi St.
11/28 - 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. LSU @ Arkansas
11/29 - 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Georgia Tech @ Georgia
11/29 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Auburn @ Alabama
12/06 - 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Army @ Navy
12/06 - 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. SEC Championship
Sphere: Related Content

Face Meet Building.....

This is one of the craziest, non-edited videos that I have seen in a long time. For some reason, a man thought it would be a great idea to try wind surfing on the beach during Tropical Storm Fay. As you might imagine, this didn't work out so well for the man. See below...

Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Phelps Doesn't Disappoint: 8 Gold Medals

Michael Phelps didn't disappoint his fans tonight, winning his record-setting 8th Gold Medal in this 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with the U.S. men's 4X100m medley relay team. This beats the previous record of 7 Gold Medals in one Olympic Games, held by Mark Spitz for 36 years. This accomplishment is simply amazing. I am not sure we will see another athlete of this caliber for a very long time.

Dara Torres also won 2 Silver Medals tonight in the Women's 50m Freestyle and Women's 4X100m Medley Relay. This is an amazing feat in itself, but seems especially amazing when you consider Torres barely had time to get off of the medal stand and put her swim cap on after winning her first race in order to participate in the relay. Overall, a very special night for the U.S. Olympic swim team. Sphere: Related Content

If you are not excited about watching the Olympics tonight......you just might suck

Yes, I said it - you suck if, by choice, you will not be watching Micheal Phelps and Dara Torres swim in the Olympics tonight. These are 2 Americans both swimming for history on a worldwide stage displayed on live television. If you saw last night's swims by both Torres and Phelps then you had to feel some sense of excitement and patriotism.

I thought we witnessed one of the greatest displays of sportsmanship ever when Torres took it upon herself immediately before the start of the semifinals for the 50m freestyle to alert the officials that Swedish swimmer, Therese Alshammar, had a torn suit and was delayed from getting to the starting blocks. In addition, Torres spoke to the other competitors and appeared to be asking them to all purposefully take their time in order to be sure Alshammar had enough time to solve her suit issues. Torres knew the officials did not have to hold the start of the race just because Alshammar had a wardrobe (lol) malfunction, so she used her maturity and experience to keep a cool head and just slow the entire field down without causing a problem or losing a beat. Torres went on to win the race and qualify first for tonight's finals.

I really don't know what else to say about Michael Phelps that hasn't already been said. He is an amazing athletic specimen and just a pleasure to watch in the water. He also seems like a nice guy and you can never find any fault with that!! Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Nick Saban Named "Most Powerful Coach In Sports" by Forbes Magazine

The newest issue of Forbes Magazine to hit newsstands tomorrow will feature Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama football team, on the cover with the title "Most Powerful Coach In Sports." I have already admitted that I am an Auburn fan, so let there be no mistake as to where my bias lies, but do you need a bias to see that there may be some problems with this wonderful, FREE publicity that is going to be seen by every football recruit in the nation? I think not. I understand that the magazine has a right to publish whatever they want and if they wanted to proclaim Lou Holtz as the greatest ESPN commentator to ever live, then they could do so, but Lou Holtz is not an active NCAA head coach......I will say that I'm not sure he can be ruled out as some sort of a recruiting tool for Notre Dame based on his blatant biased on-air comments, whether it is a positive or negative tool will be up to you to decide. I still haven't made my final decision on this article yet, but you can read The Birmingham News article from today and decide for yourself - AL.com Sphere: Related Content

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Finebaum's New Podcasts

The Paul Finebaum Radio Network appears to have burst onto the iTunes Podcast scene, ranking #2 in the Sports & Recreation: College & High School section after just a week. Check it out for yourself HERE. You can also check out my Squidoo lens on Finebaum HERE. Sphere: Related Content

Monday, August 11, 2008

Brett Myers Has Serious Issues

Philadelphia Phillies' starting pitcher, Brett Myers, once again showed he has some emotional issues. Saturday night Myers basically showed up his manager, Charlie Manuel, when Manuel came out of the dugout to pull Myers from the game. Instead of saving his comments for the dugout or clubhouse and just handing his manager the ball, Myers stepped off the back of the mound and appeared to yell, "This is my (expletive) game" at Manuel. Once in the dugout, the argument escalated as the two were nose to nose before Myers disappeared into the clubhouse.

This isn't the first outburst Myers has had in the public eye. Let us take a walk down memory lane......

June 23, 2006 - Myers arrested and charged with assault after punching his wife during an argument on a Boston street near Fenway Park. The charges were later dropped after Myers' wife refused to pursue the case, even though the Judge in the case acknowledged that Myers had actually struck his wife as alleged. Associated Press

August 26, 2007 - Myers has verbal altercation with a reporter in the Phillies' clubhouse that was caught on tape. Myers yells obscenities at the reporter and repeatedly calls him a "retard" during the incident. You can listen to this display of maturity HERE

I can't wait to see Myers' next genius move.... Sphere: Related Content

Dara Torres

Dara Torres is simply amazing. Check out my Squidoo lens on her - Dara Torres Sphere: Related Content

Friday, August 8, 2008

The Olympics

I must admit I am a life-long fan of the Olympics, so I have been looking forward to tonight's kickoff with the Opening Ceremonies, but my interest has certainly diminished from what it was in the past. That being said, I think I have already been sucked back in by NBC and the Opening Ceremonies. They were fantastic and I'm also enjoying watching the parade of athletes as I type this. I had to get online to see what NBC had to offer when I realized I would be wanting to watch several events. I was very pleased to see NBC's online coverage and the viewing options provided. I am going to post the first cool widget I've found so far below and I will probably be posting more later and moving things around. Go USA!!

Exclusive Summer Olympics news & widgets at NBC Olympics.com!
Sphere: Related Content

What's up with John Edwards and his sudden confession?

Was anyone else taken off guard somewhat by John Edwards' sudden confession of an extra-marital affair to ABC News? I must admit that I have not been following John Edwards very closely in the recent months and I definitely haven't been following the rumors about an alleged (now confirmed) affair and love child, so my surprise after hearing about his sudden confession of an affair may not be shared by others. As a person who hasn't been following this story, I am totally confused at the confession itself, but I am more perplexed by the timing. Why now? What did ABC News have on Edwards? I have no doubt I will be bombarded with answers to these questions before the day is over. In the meantime, I will be doing my own investigation of this whole situation....starting HERE. Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Squidoo Experiment Update #2

I just received my Squidoo payment for the month of June and was pleasantly surprised. I got $50, up from the $23 last month!!! I did have quite a few more lenses in June than in May, but the payout tier #'s were pretty much on course. I don't think I described the Squidoo payout system in my earlier post, so I'll do that now, or make my best attempt at an explanation.

Squidoo pays out on a tier system made up of 3 "tiers." The tiers are broken down by lens rank with the top tier having the highest lens ranking and so on. There is some debate regarding how Squidoo determines what a certain lens' lens rank is when it sets the payment tiers. I always assumed the lens rank was the average ranking the lens had for the month, but things couldn't be that easy......No, Squidoo apparently feels the need to be somewhat secretive about whether they use lens rank averages or just "randomly" choose one day of the month and take a snapshot of the true lens ranking when making determinations on tiers. I have more to say on this, but will save it for another day....

Here is the breakdown in tiers for the month of June:

Tier 1 - $7.78
Tier 2 - $1.32
Tier 3 - $0.07

I had 4 lenses in the top tier, compared to just 2 in May, so I am pleased with that ratio. I did have quite a few more total lenses in June than I did in May so my payday could have been a LOT better if I had been able to squeeze a few more of those into the second tier, but I'm not going to complain about almost doubling my payment from month 1 to month 2. I can't wait to see the payout for month 3!!!!

You can see my post from last month HERE Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

LastMinuteGolfer.com is really cool

I have recently discovered LastMinuteGolfer.com and I love it!!! If you are a golfer and haven't visited this site before, take a few minutes and check it out. The site is a little awkward to navigate, but that is my only real complaint. It has tons of information on golf courses in a number of cities throughout the country and they are adding more cities consistently.

When I first discovered the site I was intrigued to see Birmingham listed as one of the featured locations, so I signed up just to see what it was all about. I quickly discovered what it was about when I scored a $10 round at Cumberland Lakes with one of the "Tour Tuesday" Red Flag rewards specials the very next day. That price was the total amount I paid for 18 holes with a cart!!! You just can't beat those kind of specials.

LastMinuteGolfer.com is a cool online golfing "community" that I encourage all golfers to check out. You can book tee times online, take advantage of numerous specials, read and post course reviews, earn rewards that you can redeem for free golf when you do various things like refer others or book a tee time through the site, along with a ton of other neat golfing tools.

If you are in Birmingham, check out the Birmingham community HERE. Currently, you can book online tee times for 6 Birmingham area courses - Alpine Bay, Capstone, Cumberland Lake, Heritage, The Meadows and Trussville Country Club. These are also the same courses where the reduced rates and specials apply. If you do choose to sign up, I would really appreciate you using my username - sgwalker - as the person who referred you...I can use all the free golf I can get!!! Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Fulmer first denies ever receiving subpoena, suddenly "finds" it on his way out of town.....

In one of the strangest twists to a pretty much otherwise non-story, Phillip Fulmer denied ever receiving a subpoena this morning upon his arrival at SEC Media Days in interviews throughout the day, but it has just been reported that Fulmer has actually since "located" this non-existent document. Fulmer's attorney, Jeff Hagood, told the Knoxville News-Sentinel this afternoon
"Phillip was getting out of his car and focused on other things, as you might imagine, getting ready to face an audience of about 800 people or so," Hagood told the newspaper. "Someone basically threw something at him. They didn't look official, as far as he was concerned. It didn't look like a law enforcement person or that ilk. He didn't pay attention to what it was."


My complete disbelief at today's festivities could be because I'm an attorney, but I'm not totally convinced of this. It seems that some of what went on today was the result of arrogance on the part of Phillip Fulmer, not his lack of legal training or knowledge. Fulmer went as far as calling the topic "B.S." "And I would have some other choice words if there weren't so many cameras in here," he said in one of today's interviews.

At this point it is appropriate for me to declare my allegiance and it is to neither Tennessee or Alabama, my allegiance is with the Auburn Tigers, so I have no dog in this fight and really had no thoughts either way until today.

Obviously, Fulmer's statements were not illegal or anything he could get in trouble over, but they are troubling to me. Why didn't he just explain this alleged mass confusion that met him when he arrived at the Galleria during the first interview and that he wasn't going to comment on anything concerning a lawsuit until he had spoken with his attorney? To me, this seems like the easiest and most reasonable way to handle what went on this morning, but Fulmer chose the worst path possible. He not only denied this incident ever even happened, he mocked the people saying it did occur. Nothing may ever really materialize from the lawsuit, but I am going to make a bold prediction that today could mark the beginning of the end for Phillip Fulmer as the head football coach for the University of Tennessee. Sphere: Related Content

UT's Phillip Fulmer welcomed to SEC Media Days with a subpoena

As Phillip Fulmer arrived at SEC Media Days a few minutes ago he was given a present - a subpoena to appear at a deposition on September 25th regarding the case against the NCAA brought by University of Alabama booster Wendall Smith. News is quickly breaking from the Wynfrey Hotel here in Birmingham and I will try to update the story throughout the day. You can read the news that is known HERE Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Birmingham's Survival Plan

Well, the wait for an update on this story wasn't very long at all. You can read the details of La La's plan HERE. Sphere: Related Content

La La has a secret??

According to The Birmingham News, Larry Langford has a secret he is calling his "Birmingham Survival Kit." It took great self-restraint to not make just one of the many jokes that immediately came to mind when I think about any "secret" La La may have, but I only have so much time in my day. Apparently, this secret has something to do with Langford's new plan to pay for streetcars, scholarships and a dome stadium without raising any more taxes or going to the bond market. I guess I can see one positive in this plan - Langford may actually realize that Birmingham cannot afford these initiatives he continues to propose.

This must be one heck of a "survival kit" if it will allow the city to pay for all of these items without raising taxes or using the bond market. I am almost scared to find out what this secret is for many reasons, but I think the fact that Langford even mentions the bond market as a financial option for this city may be the most frightening. I guess he's forgotten the SEC complaint currently pending against him and others for their past dealings in the bond market. There is a really good article by Joe Mysak that explains the issues involved in huge ball of wax much better than I can. You can read that piece HERE.

You can check out the story regarding La La's secret HERE. I am sure I will be updating this story very soon with details of the secret. I can't wait....... Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Today's Finebaum Show

Glynn Wilson, editor of the Locust Fork News Journal, was a guest on the Paul Finebaum show yesterday and I thought the visit was worth a mention. Recently, I haven't listened to Finebaum as much as I have in the past simply because I haven't had the time or the opportunity, but I was very pleased to catch the last hour or so of the show on Friday. Wilson was on the show to discuss these nagging Troy King rumors. He also fielded calls and several of those were quite interesting to say the least.

If you missed the show, I encourage you to listen to the clips below. No matter where you stand in the political arena, I think you will enjoy the discussion.

Hour 2

Hour 3 Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

La La is at it again.....

I obviously didn't get to see my Selig moment last night during the all-star game and I am definitely paying for my decision to stay up and watch all 15 innings last night, but it was worth it.

Now, on to more important matters such as more initiatives proposed by the mayor of our fair city, Larry Langford. I no longer am surprised by anything I hear come out of city hall, seriously, so why should I be surprised when I hear this morning that La La is "looking into" the possibility of a high speed train that would run between Birmingham and Atlanta and Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Yes, you read it correctly - a freaking monorail from Tuscaloosa to Atlanta is the newest brainchild of La La.

I must give credit where credit is due and it looks like one of La La's initiatives will actually become reality - Birmingham International Airport will be renamed in honor of civil rights leader, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. This is a wonderful idea and I'm happy to see this is one of Langford's initiatives that can be crossed off the list as completed, HOWEVER, this check mark has unfortunately come along with another addition to the uncompleted list - the monorail.

As I have said about the numerous prior initiatives proposed by Langford, this idea alone may not be a bad idea, but it is not alone. It is placed on an ever-growing list of initiatives/ideas that are themselves ever-growing in their scope and grandiosity. Where will this end? Could Birmingham possibly host the Iditarod one day? What about the next G8 Summit? Has the United Nations seen what Birmingham has to offer over New York??

I guess it is totally logical for a city that can't even afford to follow through with their promise of free rides on city buses to now consider building a monorail from Tuscaloosa to Atlanta. I am really beginning to get frustrated and embarrassed over this spectacle La La is making of Birmingham. These ideas may come from a good place, but when you are the mayor of a struggling city you can't afford to offer crazy/unattainable proposals and there should be no need for these. We have more than enough problems in Birmingham currently to keep Langford busy creating initiatives for the next 20 years, but instead of trying to build our city up from the inside out he has chosen to tear it apart from the inside out.

Someone needs to inform Langford that the natives are becoming very restless and this increases with each of these ridiculous proposals. I have no idea what the solution is or how the La La-era will ultimately turn out, but I feel like this city is being cheated of its potential by this nonsense. Birmingham is/was a city that I felt was ready to make a huge push forward in every sense - socially, financially, culturally. Instead, it appears we have chosen to ignore this wonderful opportunity in pursuit of ideas that are not even feasible. I only hope the city will still be ready once La La is done with it.......

I have updated my Squidoo lens on La La to reflect the new initiatives and I've also added some pretty funny videos. Check it out HERE Sphere: Related Content

Another MLB All-Star Game Tie??

As I type, the game is tied up at 3 in the top of the 15th inning. I can't wait to see Bud Selig squirm if this continues. Will he ruin a 2nd All-Star game? We shall see..... Sphere: Related Content

Monday, July 14, 2008

Josh Hamilton

Wow!!! What more can you say? He set a new HR Derby record in the first round with 28 bombs. I hope he has something left in the tank for the 3rd round..... Sphere: Related Content

MLB All-Star Game & HR Derby

I am actually excited about watching the HR Derby tonight and the MLB All-Star game tomorrow night for the first time in many years, probably since I was a kid. I am a child of the 80's (not born in the 80's, but 3 years shy, do the math). I grew up playing tee-ball, later softball, and one of my favorite hobbies was collecting baseball cards. I LOVED baseball cards, actually still do, and I loved the game as well. I guess you can lump me into the group of fans who was totally turned off to baseball for many years because of the steroid era. To me, it was a total disregard to the game that was once considered "America's Game." I know that sounds totally cheesy and I can't really offer a great explanation for what I mean by this, but I think most people who grew up competing in team sports understand what I mean. Maybe my age had some affect on my feelings, but it was just a feeling of general disappointment in all things baseball. I will also admit that I can see how steroids spread like wildfire in baseball and the reason so many players who were/are otherwise "clean-cut" chose to use. That doesn't mean that I condone what they did, only that I understand and recognize the many pressures from all directions that led to many players deciding to use. No matter what, I stayed away from the game in a true fan sense for many years until last season and it feels good to be back!!!

It feels good to be back watching a game that is played by guys who look like baseball players, not WWE wrestlers. It feels good to watch a game that is played by guys who all appear to be on a relatively level physical playing field. It feels good to watch a game that I can be happy for the kids I see getting player autographs, instead of having a weird feeling that someday the kids may throw the autograph away.

It also feels good to watch a game with a great story like Josh Hamilton's. It feels so good I made a Squidoo lens on Hamilton.....check it out HERE Sphere: Related Content

Friday, July 11, 2008

Birmingham Area Drivers

I have known that the ALDOT Traffic cameras have been streaming images from several Birmingham area roadways, but I must have missed the day when cameras were placed in every conceivable spot. If you haven't checked them out, you should, especially if you are planning your afternoon drive home in a few minutes.

ALDOT Traffic Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Squidoo Experiment Update

Today marked my very 1st payday since being sucked into this thing called Squidoo.com and I have to admit that I am pretty pleased with the results. Payments are delayed 2 months, so today's payday was for the month of May. I only had a few lenses (4-5) published by the end of May, so I wasn't expecting much at all, but I had a $23.76 payday!!!!

Ok, now I know this isn't lottery winnings or anything, but it is $23 more than I had before and I also now have over 100 lenses compared to the 4-5 in May. This Squidoo thing may work out after all.....it better because it is EXTREMELY addictive!!! Sphere: Related Content

Is Troy King Resigning?

The Alabama political rumor mill is running at full speed right now over a rumor that has been building throughout yesterday and overnight......that State Attorney General Troy King will be resigning in the near future. I may be updating this story very soon if something breaks, but for now I will let you draw your own conclusions based on the reports that are currently leading this story on the web....

The Locust Fork Journal Sphere: Related Content

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Technorati Search Feed

I just added this widget to check it out and see whether I like it or not. It displays a real-time feed of what users are searching for on Technorati, right now. The search terms scroll by as they occur on technorati.com, giving you a real-time glimpse into what your online peers are talking about at that moment. If you are a news junkie like myself, this widget has promise, but I will withhold judgment for a few days.......especially after I just saw "upskirt" scroll across.....

Any reader opinions, if there are any (readers or opinions), are always appreciated. Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Twitter

Ok, has anyone else been bitten by the Twitter bug? I find it so strange that I have just because this is not a site I ever pictured myself being even slightly interested in, but I have found it surprisingly addictive. Check out my Squidoo lens on Twittermania HERE and you can follow my exciting life HERE..............don't expect too much. My life is far from exciting. Sphere: Related Content

Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Tiddy Bear

I know this isn't as funny as La La, but it is quite close. This commercial originally (maybe always) aired during late night television and at a time when most people are sleeping. Since I am somewhat of a night owl, I was the first person I knew to see it. I took some strange pride in being the first to post it on Digg.com and see it become "popular." I know, this is pretty sad. Anyway, I just ran across it while "digging" something else and thought I would share it for a few new laughs. Enjoy and give it a digg if you like it!!!! Maybe it can have some sort of popularity revival on digg.....LOL

read more | digg story Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Langford says Birmingham Olympic bid no joke

This was the title of an article in The Birmingham News this past week. This comment is a perfect example of why Birmingham citizens' blood pressure has been on a steady increase since La La, aka Larry Langford, has taken office as the mayor of the Magic City. So, according to La La, we should not think for a second that the rumors of a bid for the 2020 Olympics by Birmingham is a joke. Why would this be a joke? $500K just to APPLY isn't anything when you are as rich as the city of Birmingham and Jefferson County...........oh yeah, they aren't rich at all. That may be why some people could think these rumors are a joke. Actually, they are so NOT rich that Jefferson County is on the verge of filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.

The thing that makes this potential gigantic bankruptcy filing especially important to this discussion is the fact that La La served on the Jefferson County Commission from 2002-2007 and until 2006 he was the Commission President and Commissioner of Finance and General Services. As the Commissioner of Finance, La La orchestrated a series of complex bond swaps that were proposed as solutions to the County's ever-compounding debt......stay tuned for more on this saga. Sphere: Related Content

Monday, June 23, 2008

Quote Of The Day........

"he is scared of laws" Sphere: Related Content

Do You Squidoo?

If you are wondering what the hell Squidoo is, you probably aren't alone. I only recently discovered it and I don't remember exactly how, but it is the most addictive thing ever!!!! You can make a "lens" about anything at all that interests you. Lenses are basically the different web pages within Squidoo that everyone creates on any and all subjects. Most of the work is already done for you and you just have to basically arrange everything and come up with a good topic. I know, this sounds completely uninteresting, but trust me.......once you stop, you can't stop. Check out my page @ Squidoo.com Sphere: Related Content

Sunday, June 22, 2008

I knew Kanye and Bonnaroo didn't sound right......

This is classic. Kanye apparently showed why he didn't belong at Bonnnaroo in the first place. Check out the details @ Rolling Stone or a very funny take on the situation @ 411mania.com Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Well, here I am....

Honestly, I have no clear direction for this blog and no idea if anyone will ever see it. I have recently been sucked into the insane depths of "social media" and needed an outlet for my frustrations, observations and just general b.s. that has come along with this journey. Since I have created a Squidoo.com lens or blog about almost everything I can think of in the past couple of months, I thought the only logical thing to do would be to create a blog about these blogs. Stay tuned.....let the games begin.... Sphere: Related Content