Erik's Cloud 9

A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN!!!

I LOVE Minnesota summer cold fronts - they are like a new broom sweeping out the old air mass and bringing in a fresh one. A front has just passes by on this early Wednesday morning. After a mild and humid start, the winds have picked up from the north and the dew points have dropped. Brings to mind a children's book by Dennis Feltgen. Do you remember him. He worked at KSTP back in the 70s thru early 80s. He now works for the National Weather Service in Miami. He wrote a book called "Smile when the Dew Point Drops" and there couldn't be more truth surrounding that command. Here's a quick scale on Dew Points and comfort.

dp 40s = Very Comfortable

      50s = Still Comfortable

      60s = Muggy

     65+ = Tropical

     70+ = Oppressive

The Dew Point is expressed as a temperature - the temperature at which the air becomes saturated. So, the higher the Dew Point, the more moist and humid feeling the air. Relative Humidity is actually a bad scale for measuring moisture discomfort because it can change during the day - high in the cool hours of the morning, lower in the warm hours of the afternoon. The Dew Point is usually steady during the day - and if it does change, like today, if it heads down you can rest assured that as Dennis Feltgen commands you can go ahead and smile because, at least on a summer day, the air will feel much more comfortable. So, as I sit and write this and the front has passed bringing in drier air, the Dew Point went from the mid 60s to near 50 - a GREAT way to enjoy 80 degree warmth!

ON THE LINKS

Wow, the other morning "MR. SMOOTH" Tom Halden and I were tearing up the links at Inver Woods in Inver Grove Heights in the first few hours after sunrise. Can I just say that THE BUGS ARE BACK. I remember being back last year for my first Minnesota summer in 25 years wondering what happened to the bugs? Needless to say, last year was an easy one in terms of the bug problem. But, this year is a whole new problem. I heard that the bugs were back, and as of about 6:30 to 7 pm each evening you can start to feel them taking free shots at your flesh. Well, that morning on the course was not much fun thanks to the fact that Inver Woods is a mix of woods and swamps (but, let me say this - it's a marvelous course that is kept in pristine condition and is an 18 hole'r that would challenge ANYONE. Apart from the bugs A LOT of fun). From the first tee Tom and I fell victim to hundreds of swarming flesheaters that would attack fast, undectectably, and leave my legs and arms finely pierced. The only reason I knew had been bitten was from finding little balls of dried blood on my skin. Unpleasant? YES!!! Especially when in the tee box setting up for a drive or trying to putt. Maybe this is why I really enjoy Fall golf! Oh,,, so what about my score? Score? Score? You don't need my stinkin' score!!! And that's pretty much what it was - a "stinking" score. Ahh, but more practice is in my future - and that's not all bad - it IS golf, ya know!

CRAZY, HAZY SKIES

Did you notice a bit of a muted sunrise the last few mornings? Wildfires in Sasketchewan are producing enough sky-filling smoke to haze up our atmosphere, helping to create a more reddish-orange solar disk (sun) and a more diffuse light around sunrise. If the evening skies are clear, you'll notice a little more dramatic sunset as well.

Til next time,

Erik

George Carlin's "The Planet Is Fine" :

We're so self-important. So self-important. Everybody's going to save something now. "Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails." And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. What? Are these bleeping people kidding me? Save the planet, we don't even know how to take care of ourselves yet. We haven't learned how to care for one another, we're gonna save the bleeping planet?

I'm getting tired of that bleep. Tired of that bleep. I'm tired of bleeping Earth Day, I'm tired of these self-righteous environmentalists, these white, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is there aren't enough bicycle paths. People trying to make the world save for their Volvos. Besides, environmentalists don't give a bleep about the planet. They don't care about the planet. Not in the abstract they don't. Not in the abstract they don't. You know what they're interested in? A clean place to live. Their own habitat. They're worried that some day in the future, they might be personally inconvenienced. Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn't impress me.

Besides, there is nothing wrong with the planet. Nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine. The PEOPLE are bleeped. Difference. Difference. The planet is fine. Compared to the people, the planet is doing great. Been here four and a half billion years. Did you ever think about the arithmetic? The planet has been here four and a half billion years. We've been here, what, a hundred thousand? Maybe two hundred thousand? And we've only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over two hundred years. Two hundred years versus four and a half billion. And we have the CONCEIT to think that somehow we're a threat? That somehow we're gonna put in jeopardy this beautiful little blue-green ball that's just a-floatin' around the sun?

The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles...hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages...And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet...the planet...the planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!

We're going away. Pack your bleep, folks. We're going away. And we won't leave much of a trace, either. Thank God for that. Maybe a little styrofoam. Maybe. A little styrofoam. The planet'll be here and we'll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet'll shake us off like a bad case of fleas. A surface nuisance.

You wanna know how the planet's doing? Ask those people at Pompeii, who are frozen into position from volcanic ash, how the planet's doing. You wanna know if the planet's all right, ask those people in Mexico City or Armenia or a hundred other places buried under thousands of tons of earthquake rubble, if they feel like a threat to the planet this week. Or how about those people in Kilauea, Hawaii, who built their homes right next to an active volcano, and then wonder why they have lava in the living room.

The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we're gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, 'cause that's what it does. It's a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed, and if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new pardigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn't share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn't know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, "Why are we here?" Plastic...bleephole.

So, the plastic is here, our job is done, we can be phased out now. And I think that's begun. Don't you think that's already started? I think, to be fair, the planet sees us as a mild threat. Something to be dealt with. And the planet can defend itself in an organized, collective way, the way a beehive or an ant colony can. A collective defense mechanism. The planet will think of something. What would you do if you were the planet? How would you defend yourself against this troublesome, pesky species? Let's see... Viruses. Viruses might be good. They seem vulnerable to viruses. And, uh...viruses are tricky, always mutating and forming new strains whenever a vaccine is developed. Perhaps, this first virus could be one that compromises the immune system of these creatures. Perhaps a human immunodeficiency virus, making them vulnerable to all sorts of other diseases and infections that might come along. And maybe it could be spread sexually, making them a little reluctant to engage in the act of reproduction. 

Well, that's a poetic note. And it's a start. And I can dream, can't I? See I don't worry about the little things: bees, trees, whales, snails. I think we're part of a greater wisdom than we will ever understand. A higher order. Call it what you want. Know what I call it? The Big Electron. The Big Electron...whoooa. Whoooa. Whoooa. It doesn't punish, it doesn't reward, it doesn't judge at all. It just is. And so are we. For a little while."

THAT'S SOME HOT STUFF

It's pretty,,, AND pretty deadly. When out on weather talks at schools and community events I'm always asked about Lightning and Lightning Safety. Well, as I always say "The best way to be safe is to be prepared". I also say "Common sense is ANYTHING but common!" So, when it comes to lightning, it's actually a matter of being prepared AND using common sense.

First of all, here's a bit of lightning trivia. Only the width of a pencil a lightning bolt can burn at 10 times hotter than the surface of the sun. That's a whopping 50-55,000 degrees fahrenheit. Lightning is nothing more than a spark - it allows the equalization of the electrical charge between the clouds and the ground. And thunder? Well, that's the sound of the air that surrounds the lightning bolt explosively heating to the extreme temperature of the lightning bolt.

Now, for safety. Lightning is a true killer. I was working in Iowas when a young boy in my area was killed by something called a "bolt from the blue". He was getting the mail at the end of a long rural driveway after morning storms had been gone for more than 15 minutes. He was still struck by lightning even though the storms were miles away. He never made it back up the driveway with the mail. As its name implies, the sky can be blue with storms either approaching or leaving an area and being up to 10 miles away. Lightning can still leave the parent storm and head miles in any direction, leaving you unsafe even though the storms are nowhere near you.

Safety around lightning is such an important issue that the National Weather Service sponsors "Lightning Safety Week" every year. It's next week and I've included a link to the safety and information page. 8 people have already been killed by lightning in 2008 after a lightning death toll of 45 in 2007.

Be Prepared: Know when the weather will turn bad in your area. Use common sense: Don't be outside or in a lightning prone area when the storms roll thru.

Erik

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/p>

THAT'S SOME HOT STUFF

It's pretty,,, AND pretty deadly. When out on weather talks at schools and community events I'm always asked about Lightning and Lightning Safety. Well, as I always say "The best way to be safe is to be prepared". I also say "Common sense is ANYTHING but common!" So, when it comes to lightning, it's actually a matter of being prepared AND using common sense.

First of all, here's a bit of lightning trivia. Only the width of a pencil a lightning bolt can burn at 10 times hotter than the surface of the sun. That's a whopping 50-55,000 degrees fahrenheit. Lightning is nothing more than a spark - it allows the equalization of the electrical charge between the clouds and the ground. And thunder? Well, that's the sound of the air that surrounds the lightning bolt explosively heating to the extreme temperature of the lightning bolt.

Now, for safety. Lightning is a true killer. I was working in Iowas when a young boy in my area was killed by something called a "bolt from the blue". He was getting the mail at the end of a long rural driveway after morning storms had been gone for more than 15 minutes. He was still struck by lightning even though the storms were miles away. He never made it back up the driveway with the mail. As its name implies, the sky can be blue with storms either approaching or leaving an area and being up to 10 miles away. Lightning can still leave the parent storm and head miles in any direction, leaving you unsafe even though the storms are nowhere near you.

Safety around lightning is such an important issue that the National Weather Service sponsors "Lightning Safety Week" every year. It's next week and I've included a link to the safety and information page. 8 people have already been killed by lightning in 2008 after a lightning death toll of 45 in 2007.

Be Prepared: Know when the weather will turn bad in your area. Use common sense: Don't be outside or in a lightning prone area when the storms roll thru.

Erik

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/p>

Okay, I need something cleared up. Can ANYONE tell me about the Palm tree in Chaska, just north of the "bend" on Highway 41. It's on the west side of the road in the entrance to a business. Last year when I first saw it I did a double take and nearly drove into a ditch. I thought, "Wow. That palm isn't gonna make it thru the winter" thinking it was surely a fresh planting - or transplant. Karen Scullin and I have even spoken about it in wonder.

I thought WHY would anyone plant a Palm tree in MINNESOTA. it's a pure and evil case of palmocide - that's the killing of a plam tree. But get this. Someone must know something - and perhaps it's been there for quite some time - doing just FINE in the winter. I think this because about a week ago I drove passed it - seeking it out to gather its post-winter status. Sure enough - dead as a tropical doornail! Brown and wilted, it looked like an unfortunate victim of the latitude. BUT WAIT A MINUTE! I just drove past it 3 days ago and it looked GREAT. It was tall, green, swaying in the breeze like a good palm should. What happened? I'm truly perplexed by this one. I even drove back to see if there was fresh dirt around the bottom of it indicating it folly to a rich person who plants a new living palm in the same space year after year. I DUNNO!!!

So, help me out Mr. or Mrs. Twin Cities. What's up. Is it the same palm that made it thru the winter? How did it recover so quickly? Really, I don't want this to be the cause of sleepless nights. Contact me with a comment if you know the "bark" on this tree!!! 

From Cloud9,

Erik

LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE

The other day friend of mine asked me how to get weather forecast for other parts of the country. Although I made sure he knew that MyFox9.com was THE place to go to find the latest Twin Cities forecast AND stay connected with the rest of Minnesota's weather, I told him that the National Weather Service could help him with forecasts of a more national nature. Here's what to do:

Go to www.weather.gov 

You'll see a map of the United States. All you have to do is click the mouse in the area that you wish to travel to. My friend was interested in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Clicking on that area will get him to the homepage of the nearest National Weather Service office which in this case is Green Bay. With a more local map of the Green Bay weather service office's area of responsibility that shows up right there on their main page the next step is, again, clicking on or near Kewaunee. Doing this gets one to a 7 day forecast page for an area at least nearby Kewaunee if not for the city itself. The default forecast that shows up if you "miss" clicking right on the city is usually for the county. If that's what you get, scroll down to a map on the lower part of the page. On this map Kewaunee shows up as a labeled dot. Clicking right on this dot will get you to the specific city 7-day forecast page for Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Sounds like a lot of work but it's really simple and, of course, works for any other location in the U.S.A. Good luck, and happy landings.

COUNTING THE DAYS

I'm not one of those weatherguys that gets big into stats, but there's no doubt about it - this year the stats of interest deal with how many - or how FEW - times we've hit 70 or better in the Twin Cities. For that matter, how 'bout the 80s. I mean for crying out loud it's practically Memorial Day!!! Here's the breakdown - think of a happy place as you see the numbers.

(by May 21st)

2007: 

70s: 1 March, 6 April, 6 May. 80s: 1 March, 2 April, 4 May (2 90+ highs as well). Total: 22 days at or above 70 degrees

2008:

70s: 3 April, 4 May. Total: 7 days of 70 or better, NO 80s or 90s!!!

To 2008, I humbly say Blecchh-Fooey!!!

OH MY GOLF!!!

Well,  even though the weather hasn't been great I am looking forward to playing more golf. Armed with my own clubs (no more rentals) I went out and bought a bag, a pull cart, and even golf shoes. One thing I needed was some fresh golf balls for the season. Now,  I don't know why but I've always played Top-Flites. Could be cause when I first golfed as a kid at Hyland Greens in Bloomington I dragged a few Top-Flites from my Father's bag with me. Maybe that's where the bias began.

So, the other day I got a box of 15 new Top-Flites. I was pondering the Titleists for a while but , even though I've been practicing with one and LOVE the way it feels on the club, I just never thought I had a game that let me "deserve" to play a titleist. Upon arriving home I found out that there was about 1/2 an hour til dinner was ready. So, I decided to take my wedge and 1 brand new Top-Flite to the park where over the last few weeks I have polished my short game. I put the ball on the ground, take a few practice swings, and line up for a shot that should put my ball at or near the base of a tree tucked in the corner of the park between a bend in the surrounding pond. Not a tough shot - have already made it plenty of times. This time, I come down and hit the ball with the toe of my wedge and slice it right into the water. One VERY clean ball lost with only 1 club kiss to brag about to his little golf ball friends. I laughed. Turned around and walked home. All along the way pledging to make the Top-Flites my practice balls and go splurge on some Titleists ASAP!!!

Fore,,,,

Erik

THEY'RE BACK!!!

72 was the high on Wednesday! Yay!!! Now, let's see if we can do it again. The forecast for the next few days didn't look so hot just a few days ago, then all of the sudden the models turned and so did the wind - hence, a forecast full of 70s. By the way the 72 on Wednesday was just the 5th 70+ temp this year - well below what  we usually expect by now. Our normal high is now 70. Don't forget, you can STAY CONNECTED with the latest stream of warm temperatures on MyFox9.com where your latest weather is always just a click away!

From Cloud9

Erik

If Creeping Charlie is attacking your lawn AND your patience, here's a great way to attack it right back from Jeff Miller - the "Hardware Guy" who owns a hardware store in Davenport, Iowa and was a frequent guest on the afternoon talk show at my former station in The Quad Cities.

I've tried it and it REALLY works!!!

An easy way to get rid of Creeping Charley without using chemicals. When the temperature is in the mid 70's, mix 10 oz of Twenty Mule Team Borax (laundry soap) with 2 1/2 gallons of water. Mix well and keep it mixed well. The best way to apply it is to use a sprinkling can. It is very hard to mix it well enough to get it to go through a sprayer. Pour this mixture over the Creeping Charley and with in several days it will die. We have used this in our yard and it did not harm our grass. If you use it around other plants, test a small area first and let it sit for about a week or so to make sure it does not harm other plants. Do not make the mix stronger or it may kill the grass too.

Here's a link to his store's web site full of more tips and GREAT information:

http://www.homehdw.com/index.html

From Cloud9

Erik

From St. Petersburg. Florida. It's a story that, while it made me feel bad for the woman's pain, made me laugh like a bugger! It seems a very hungry pelican decided to dive bomb a woman from Toledo (there's a joke right there) and it ended up hitting her head so hard that she had to be taken to the hospital. By the way, the pelican snapped its neck and died.

So, once again, human wins out over goofy animal. Let's hope PETA doesn't bring the lady up on some kind of cruelty charge. You might laugh at that, but I'm sure they've probably given it SOME consideration!!!

Oh, yes. Speaking about evolution winning out - the fine non-feathered friend of the cockroach (evolution's ultimate champ) the Wood Tick is back, so be very careful!!! I've already seen one speeding up my shirt and my 13 year old daughter had one on her the other day. If you're heading into the woods for any reason, or spend anytime near a grove of trees, make sure you check yourself on the way out. If you have long hair tie it up, and just keep an eye open for the little bloodsuckers!

From Cloud 9,

Erik

It's become a way of life. Even in the world of faster than light internet and "gotta have it 4 minutes ago" there is nothing that even time can do to keep us from having to occasionally wait in a line. This morning I passed a new SW Transit center near Eden Prairie and saw the funnisest thing. There was a line of people - probably about 15 people long - and they were standing in the sraightest row of humanity I've ever seen.

This struck me as funny because there was NO bus in sight. It was if these people had been trained on proper line technique by some anal retentive architect. Or, maybe they were just too worn down by time, work, and lines to do anything truly creative - like stand in a group. That scared me. Now, with no bus in sight these people had time to strike up at least the most lightweight of relationships. Maybe even just enough to smile at eachother and go so far out on a limb as to say "Hi" or something equally as casual. But, with each person not being able to make eye contact with eachother as they stood in their perfect row, how could they just sit there and do anything else but space out as they waited for that trusty bus? I understand how it's difficult to risk giving up that perfect place in line that might make it a sure bet that you'll procure the "finest" seat on that bus. But, if these people had broken the line and waited more in a group couldn't they have trusted eachother to get on that bus in some sort of order similar to their "line" based on the time they arrived (first come first on, and all)? Had they been standing in a group rather than in a line someone could have smiled at someone, complimented the other, or just been giving the opportunity to say or do something nice to make a positive difference in the way someone else's day started. But, unfortunately, THE LINE formation seemed to get in the way of any human progress on this morning.

So, next time you're in a line ask yourself this: "Is there any reason to be?" Break out, group up and see what happens. You never know. If you're willing to take the first step toward another, something like this might happen (and it can change your life!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5WfQp13O7g

From Cloud 9 - No LINE, No Waiting!!!

Erik

A NEW LINK

In a perfect world (for some) our weathercasts would be 14 minutes long and include agricultural forecasts and outlooks. Well,,, can't do it. But, in the info age the savvy farmer needs only a laptop to take into the combine cab and get all the info he could ever need - especially about the weather. A new Minnesota Ag site is up and running and can be found at http://www.linderfarmnetwork.com . In fact, I found a few  interesting tidbits there this morning.

1) From Mike Palmerino (DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist)

An Observation Of Note

Latest crop reports show significant drying of the topsoils in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. What may this mean for the Midwest.

In looking at the latest crop reports, I have noticed a significant drying out of the topsoils in parts of the Southeast states in the past couple of weeks specifically in Georgia, South Carlolina and Florida. This certainly is of growing concern in Georgia, which suffered through a terrible drought last year. However, this would also have implications for the Midwest. If this tendency for drier weather persists in the Southeast, then the tendency for wet weather will continue in the Midwest states. At this point, the upper level pattern to promote dryness is not very well established over the Southeast, so that trend may not continue. However, I feel it is worth noting and monitoring, for it could be giving us a hint of where the weather pattern may be heading this summer.

Mike

And, 2) Corn planting is much-delayed this season. Only 27 percent of the U.S. corn crop is in the ground as of this past weekend, compared with the five-year average of 59 percent.

It sure seems that the weather of late (Cold, and or wet with occasional snow not too long ago) is really impacting the field work. Less than half of the planting that has normally taken place at this point has been done.

Best of luck to you Mr. and Mrs. Minnesota Farmer. We're pulling for you!!!

BACK TO THE POLE - BUT WHICH ONE???

So, last time we cleared the "penguin-free"air about our flightless friend the penguin. You find them at the SOUTH pole. When asked last evening ( in downright parental pop-quiz fashion ) about  where one would find the tuxedo-clad swimmers, our 13 year old daughter Taylor - after a long pause - said "The Zoo". Surely a political or public relations career in her future as she's proven to be quite the diplomat - and a smart one, at that!

By the way, the "20" reference goes back to my CB radio days (yes, I had those) in the 70s. "10-20", or "20" is the code for "location". Dad bought me a base station for Christmas and from my Bloomington bedroom I monitored and occasionally stabbed the airwaves as "Captain Fantastic" (my "handle"). Maybe this love of hearing my own voice (ha, ha) got the broadcasting bug firmly implanted in my brain. By the way, all apologies to Elton John. It's just that "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was my favorite album (and still is) just out at the time and I fealt that a little title-theft was in order. I know upon reading this my wife will sustain an injury from laughter. Poor her. But perhaps The Captain has struck, again. 10-4 good buddy!!!

I'd wear my old sky-blue polyester leisure suit if it would only get us back to the 70s - even for just a day. Of course, I'm talking about 70 degree temperatures. Believe me, I did the 70s (decade) once, and although it was a decade of some pretty fine music, I'd rather not go there again!!!

Our "average" high of 70 arrives officially on May 14th. Nonetheless, in a "typical" year we should have hit 70 or better about 10 or more times by now. We have only been at 70 or better 3, yes 3,  times so far in 2008. 77 was our high on the 21st of April. Pretty nice, huh? Yesterday we chalked up a 68 under the clouds - not bad, but still not enough. Not nearly enough. Hate to say it, but even in the next week we only see temperatures as warm as the upper 60s. Blasted La Nina!!!

From Cloud9,

Erik

Time for more of my random thoughts (FYI the name of my personal blog is "Erik's Random Thoughts") and since it's MayDay, why not celebrate with some ramblings from this gray matter that I call "Earl",,, or what the Doctor's call "brain" - when they can find it.

POLE SITTING

So, here's a bit of trivia. Do you know where penguins come from? Well, if you correctly said "the South Pole" you know more than NBC news. There was a story the other night about a British girl going to the North Pole with her father to find out about global warming first hand. In the video that accompanied the story we were twice shown a picture of two penguins standing on a floating chunck of ice. Was it cute? Could be. But it was WRONG!!! I guess one thought I had was that those two were the live versions of all of those cartoon penguins I've seen in my life that hop on an ice chunck and ride it as far as they can toward the equator, finally ending up in Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses, big rimmed hats, sky blue shorts, and harrachi sandals calmly sipping cold drinks from an umbrella shaded beach chair somewhere near Rio, having scorned the polar lifestyle for good! Of course, I also thought there was an editor who threw in the stock penguin shots for looks, a reporter who thought it was fine, and a producer who most likely being fresh out of college has never been closer to the south pole than that 2005 Spring Break romp on South Padre Island, Texas. And there are people out there who trust NBC news with anything - let alone stories about "global warming"??? Either way, there credibility just took a tiny, but HUGE hit. Go figure.

POLL SITTING

Okay, this has nothing to do with the polls, really, but since this is today's political commentary section I figured it would be a nice play on the title to the above section.

One question I have is what's up with John Edwards. Speaking about a HUGE credibility loss, did you hear him about a couple months ago after pulling out of the race. He said that he was going to "meet with consultants" to figure out which remaining candidate to endorse. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I just realized I write "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" a lot. But, really!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? He has to meet with consultants to make a decision? Does he take consultants into the grocery store to decide which kind of toilet paper to buy? So, gentleman, should we go with the Charmin of Northern quilted today? Obviously, with a statement like that, he just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is 150% POLITICIAN. He's consulting to find out which endorement move would be better to his future career as a politician. Either that, or he is a robot - destined to find his way to the Emerald City so he can "consult" with the "Wizard of Oz" seeing that he is in need of a heart AND a brain. He must be if he can't decide which candidate he likes ON HIS OWN!!! Hey, John. Make up your own mind!

On the subject of endoresements - what do they REALLY mean??? Especially in the sense of  those Hollywood endorsements. Does it really matter to YOU the voter who Brad Pitt thinks should be president? Why? Are you, like me, tired of actors who think they need to jump into the political arena to help guide us mindless, misinformed members of  "their" audience who don't know enough to vote the correct way or to back the proper issues? Now, I would say any Hollywood'r has just as much right to be as politically active as anyone else. But, let me ask you this. Why would someone blindly follow the thoughts and opinions of a Brad Pitt type, or anyone else that they know so little about? If one is in dire need to get someone else's thoughts on who to vote for why would they go any farther than next door. Chances are you know much more about your next door neighbor than you ever will about any actor, rock star, or politician. AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU SHOULD!!!!!!!!! What is in your neighbor's shopping cart? Maybe you've seen them at the grocery store. Maybe you've seen what they keep in their garage. Maybe you're such close friends you have dinner parties with them and your kids are on the same ball team. These are the people you KNOW. These are the people you should talk to BEFORE you try to find out which team Sharon Stone or Joe Pesci is swinging for! Really, the world could use more neighbors than politicians. Can you endorse that?

By the way, if you see me at the store you'll find peanut butter Cap'n Crunch, the one pound box of Cheez-Its, and a 12 pack of Grain Belt in my cart. Now should we talk politics???

From Cloud9,

Erik