Governors Prayer Breakfast

The best part was Russell O’quinn giving his life’s story. He’s an interesting person. The food was ok and Sarah Palin couldn’t make it due to Mt. Redoubt erupting again. And right now ash is falling in Anchorage.

Breakfast.

Todd Palin.

Someone (a relative of someone that walked on the moon) gave an interesting gift to Sarah. It’s a flag that actually went to the moon. And some pics. Is that awesome or what!

A view of my street and the sun with the ash cloud.

And this is ash on my vehicle.

Mt. Redoubt Blows! (Again!)

Redoubt erupts; ash falling on Kenai Peninsula

Redoubt erupted twice this morning, including a huge explosion at 9:24 that sent a cloud of ash to 65,000 feet, higher than any since the mountain came to life on Sunday night.

So far, no ash in Anchorage!

Yes, the quality is sub-par but I’m new at the tools used to do this.

Barack Teleprompter

President Obama finally gave a speech WITHOUT a teleprompter! But he did have a huge monitor in the back of the room with his speech on it. Does this mean he’s weaning himself off of them or is his vision going on him?

You know what’s ironic about this? One of his doting bloggers kept complaining about McCain using a teleprompter during the election. She even nicknamed him ‘Johnny McTeleprompter’! And now she has the gall to say:

George Bush used a teleprompter, Sarah Palin used a teleprompter, John McCain used a teleprompter…..I mean, really, what is it with the wingers and their sudden disapproval of President Obama using a teleprompter? Huh?

Obama/McCain debate

The wrath of David Letterman continues against Johnny McTeleprompter!

I don’t think John McCain knows the difference between Viagra and birth control

Oh nevermind. You can’t even hear me ask the questions…let alone…answer them without your teleprompter which we know you’re having a hard time working at the moment! Maybe some Viagra for that thang?

And he thinks he’s the best choice to be in the White House? Wow.

So how’s that fellow you supported doing? LOL! And Obama’s had his share of teleprompter problems too!

And to top it off, she said this too:

For those doing the Teleprompter Watch: President Obama will be using a teleprompter for the introduction and then will be fielding questions from the media without the use of the teleprompter.

Emphasis mine. Wow! He answers his own questions! Amazing! Obama is soooo awesome!!

So, how does it feel to lower your standards to meet the realization that Obama just isn’t as good of an orator that you thought he was?

Lens Comparisons

This is just to give you an idea of the differences between the focal lengths.

50mm (notice the red arrow pointing to the sign)

200mm

600mm

1200mm

Keep in mind that none of these pics have been enhanced by photoshop and the 600-1200mm lens exposures were done manually. Actually, I just changed the iso ratings.

Now, let’s just look at the signs! All of these are actual pixel resolution.

50mm

200mm

600mm

1200mm

Yes, I know. I need to work on focusing better! Keep in mind these were taken through tinted windows as well.

King Salmon Plane Crash, 1985

I was stationed at King Salmon AFS, in Alaska,  in 1985 when an (then) unknown aircraft crashed on approach. The details were quickly hushed up and rumors were whispered about since there was a lack of facts to discuss.

I’ve done a few searches and found nothing about it, until today. According to Aviation Safety Network, the aircraft was a C-47B, flying from Homer to King Salmon. It was owned by Northern Peninsula Fisheries.

I find it odd that something like this was hushed up. Does anyone else know more information about this?

Pictures! (you know you love them!)

And you can see the full sized ones here: Frznagn

My best Raven pic yet.

An immature Bald Eagle stretching his wings.

Same eagle, different pose.

I got my T-mount in the mail and now I can use CJ’s 600-1200mm lens.

This is the peak you see when you look down our street. I know, a bit out of focus.

This would be looking at the bottom part of the picture above it and zoomed in all the way. It’s hard to focus with the camera zoomed in because it shakes quite a bit at this level of zoom and the tri-pod is old and cheap which makes it wobble more.

A new sign in our neighborhood.

Same sign, just zoomed in all the way. Notice that you can see the texture much better!

Now lets look at them at full resolution quality and cropped to one letter:

Amazing, eh?

Who’s the Warmonger now?

U.S. May Widen Covert War in Pakistan

President Obama and his national security advisers are considering expanding the covert U.S. war in Pakistan far beyond the tribal areas near the Afghan border to strike top Taliban leaders coordinating attacks in the region.

Senior administration officials say two high-level reports on Pakistan and Afghanistan that were forwarded to the White House in recent weeks have called for widening the target area to reach the Taliban and other insurgent groups to a major sanctuary in and around the city of Quetta, the New York Times reported on its Web site.

What happened to all the cries of sovereignty when Bush was in office? Oh, it’s because it doesn’t count when a Democrat is in, right? How very hypocritical of you!

And for those of you that complained about President Bush:

Bush: Obama ‘Deserves My Silence,’ Won’t Criticize New Administration

Former President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that he won’t criticize Obama because the new U.S. president “deserves my silence,” and said he plans to write a book about the 12 toughest decisions he made in office.

“I’m not going to spend my time criticizing him. There are plenty of critics in the arena,” Bush said. “He deserves my silence.”

Bush said he wants Obama to succeed and said it’s important that he has that support.

I’m still waiting for the left to apologize for all the lies they said about him. Things like him trying to start a war with Iran, activating the draft, declaring Martial Law and not ceding the Presidency. Sure, he made mistakes but he is a class act. Something that I doubt President Obama can live up to.

A Public Service Announcement

For those that don’t know about Bi-Polar disorder. I’ll highlight the ones that may apply for a ‘friend’ of mine.

What Are the Symptoms?

The primary symptoms of bipolar disorder are dramatic and unpredictable mood swings. The illness has two (BI) strongly contrasting phases (polar).

1) bipolar mania or hypo-mania

• euphoria or irritability
• excessive talk; racing thoughts
• inflated self-esteem
• unusual energy; less need for sleep
• impulsiveness, a reckless pursuit of gratification (shopping sprees, impetuous travel, more and sometimes promiscuous sex, high-risk business investments, fast driving)

2) bipolar depression/major depression

• depressed mood and low self-esteem
• low energy levels and apathy
• sadness, loneliness, helplessness, guilt
• slow speech, fatigue, and poor coordination
• insomnia or oversleeping
• suicidal thoughts and feelings
• poor concentration
• lack of interest or pleasure in usual activities

Call Your Doctor if:

• You notice some of these symptoms in a family member. Note: Persons with bipolar disorder often deny anything is wrong, especially in the manic phase. If you are worried about a family member or close friend, a doctor can offer advice on how to handle the situation.
• You notice some of these symptoms in yourself.

Clinical experience suggests that mania may be more devastating to the family in a very short time; excessive spending can pile up huge debts, reckless driving and/or substance abuse can create legal problems, and  impulsive hypersexuality/extra-marital affairs may break down a marriage or relationship. The earliest signs of emerging mania can be progressive loss of sleep and extra energy. It can be a matter of hours in which such cases become manic psychosis. Very early intervention in such cases can be rewarding and prevent a hospital admission.

Because of the stigma still attached to bipolar disorder (and to many other mental diseases), patients are frequently reluctant to acknowledge that anything is wrong, and doctors often fail to recognize the disorder. In addition, the symptoms may sometimes seem to be merely exaggerated versions of normal moods. In any event, research suggests that almost 75% of cases go untreated or are treated inappropriately.

You know who you are and we all hope that you will seek help. If not for your sake, for those that love you.

More Obama News

Analysis: Obama recovery plans sowing some unease

And while his personal popularity remains high, some economists and lawmakers are beginning to question whether Obama’s agenda of increased government activism is helping, or hurting, by sowing uncertainty among businesses, investors and consumers that could prolong the recession.

Remember the warnings about tax & spend? Now it’s spend first, tax later.

To my special friend Gordon, 25 DVDs: Obama gives Brown a set of classic movies.

Because all he got was a set of DVDs. Barack Obama, the leader of the world’s richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films – a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks

The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.

Wow, those DVD’s really don’t look so hot of a gift now, eh? We can only hope he was smart enough to buy him the correct region! Otherwise, he won’t be able to play them!!!

Obama’s Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth

Polling data show that Mr. Obama’s approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama’s net presidential approval rating — which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve — is just six, his lowest rating to date.

What did you expect to happen? The media can’t keep covering for his mistakes forever! The people are bound to see what an incompetent fool they elected!!!

China says U.S. naval ship broke the law

China said on Tuesday that a U.S. Navy ship involved in a confrontation with its fleet off the southern island of Hainan had violated international and Chinese laws.

Anyone else remember when China tested Bush in 2001?  Why do we consider them ‘friends’? You can do what you like, but I’m going to avoid Chinese made products like the plague.

Obama backs pet projects and signs spending bill

President Barack Obama, sounding weary of criticism over federal earmarks, defended Congress’ pet projects Wednesday as he signed an “imperfect” $410 billion measure with thousands of examples. But he said the spending does need tighter restraint and listed guidelines to do it. Obama, accused of hypocrisy by Republicans for embracing billions of dollars of earmarks in the legislation, said they can be useful and noted that he has promised to curb, not eliminate them.

Earmarks can be useful? You’d never think of it that way after listening him complain during the campaign! Didn’t he say he was going to go ‘line by line’ to get rid of wasteful earmarks? Ah, but yet another lie by our ‘leader’.

Heads should roll

Heads should be rolling at the White House for the embarrassing series of flubs that have overshadowed President Obama’s first seven weeks in office and given the scattered, demoralized Republicans a huge boost toward regrouping and resurrection.

I’d say when you see the lefties complaining about him then you have to know the righties were right. We tried to warn you!!! Work with us, will ya???

Couric wins award for Palin interviews; Update: Why not the Biden interview?

Katie Couric won USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Walter Cronkite Award for her interview with Sarah Palin.

Check it out.

Everyone Bailing from the Sinking Obama Ship

Three of Barack Obama’s nominations for key government positions have withdrawn from the running on a single day in another blow to his faltering attempts to fill his administration.

The gap leave Timothy Geithner, the US Treasury Secretary, battling the worst economist crisis since the Great Depression with none of his 17 deputies even named. Each one has to be confirmed by the US Senate, a process that usually takes weeks.

Nobody wants to climb aboard a sinking ship. What happened to all the hype hope?

And for the height of hypocrisy:

White House says economy is sound despite ‘mess’

The economy is fundamentally sound despite the temporary “mess” it’s in, the White House said Sunday in the kind of upbeat assessment that Barack Obama had mocked as a presidential candidate.

During the fall campaign, Obama relentlessly criticized his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, for declaring, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong.” Obama’s team painted the veteran senator as out of touch and failing to grasp the challenges facing the country.

Oh really? So was McCain really out of touch, or did he really know the truth? You won’t see Honest Obama apolgize for smearing him, eh? Oh how you fools fell for his lies!

How’s your Photoshopping?

Find out here: worth1000

I entered a couple of their contests and the first one didn’t fare so well. I got a 3.692 out of 10 (56th place out of 63) *sigh* Better luck next time!

Original:

My entry:

Check their site out, lots of different types of contests and you can even win cash!