Friday, November 25, 2011

 

The End of a Storied Rivalry (at least, for a while?)

The first college football I can ever remember watching on TV was a University of Texas – Texas A & M game on Thanksgiving in the late 50’s.  I was in going to high school in Indiana at that time.  Little did I know then that I would become an ardent fan of the Longhorns - a result attending graduate school in Austin a few years later.  UT – A & M has always been as Thanksgiving as turkey!

                TexasLonghorns               tamu-logo-11

Last night we watched the end (for only a while, perhaps) of this long rivalry – a fitting end for Longhorn fans, at least, at UT defeated the Aggies, 27 – 25, on a FG as time expired.

It is a shame that a rivalry that has played out for over a century has to end for reasons that one can only speculate.  The Houston Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon has written an interesting blog on this topic.

So, as an avid Longhorn, all I can say is good luck Aggies in the rugged SEC with the currently ranked #1 (LSU), #2 (Alabama), and #3 (Arkansas) teams in the country.  Mix in Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Mississippi, and you have your work cut out for you.  To the alumni, now you can drive to places like Baton Rouge, Birmingham, and Gainesville instead of Austin, Lubbock, Norman, Waco, etc., to watch games.  And, while I may be wrong, my suspicions are that recruiting high school stars may be even easier for UT now that the in-state rivalries will no longer exist.

Yes, I am sorry to see this series end – it is the end of an era in college football.  Hook ‘em!


Thursday, November 24, 2011

 

Happy Thanksgiving from our family

happy_thanksgiving_day

This is just an opportunity to extend Happy Thanksgiving wishes to all of our families, and to anyone else who may read these “Ramblings”.  We have so much to be thankful for…let’s never forget that.


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

 

Where Have The Years Gone?

It is hard to believe that it has been forty-eight years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

JFK

This was one of those moments when everyone remembers what they were doing at the time of the announcement that, “President John F. Kennedy has died”.  I was a senior at Indiana University living in Bloomington and had just finished Friday afternoon classes.  The IU-Purdue game, always a highlight of the football season, was scheduled for the following day.  (Needless to say, it was cancelled).

He was a real inspiration to our generation – he was young, a true war hero, and he brought a vivacious wife and kids into the White House (when was the last time there had been a child in the White House?)

The assassination marked the loss of innocence for many of my generation.  The belief that such things happen only in foreign countries was shattered.  Things were never the same after that.


Monday, November 21, 2011

 

Aurora Borealis from the ISS

I have always been fascinated by the aurora borealis (Northern Lights); but, have only managed to view them once in my lifetime.  It was many years ago, as a teenager, in Indiana at my grandparents’ house during the winter.  Living in the south does not allow one the opportunity to see this phenomenon.  An excellent overview of the northern lights is discussed here.

AuroraBorealis

The following video is a spectacular series of clips taken from the international space station.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

 

Many things are visible as one watches this video – of course, the myriad of colors of the northern lights; lightning flashes in the clouds all over the earth; certain cities are quite apparent (Chicago, by Lake Michigan; Cairo and the lights along the Nile River; for example); an occasional constellation (Ursa Major, the big dipper; Cassiopia) is identifiable.

What is the long red line at the 3:47 mark on the video?  I have not been able to identify that region of the earth to even guess at what it might be.  (It appears again about the 4:38 mark).  Any suggestions?


Friday, November 11, 2011

 

Thanks, Dad

On this Veteran’s Day I would like to say, “Thanks, Dad, for what you did for us”!  You were indeed a part of America’s Greatest Generation.

                                                      dad


Monday, November 7, 2011

 

Ah, the Humor (?) in Politics

On this municipal election eve in Houston an entertaining campaign has been run by a candidate for City Council (Eric Dick) who apparently does not get along with the incumbent mayor, Annise Parker.

Dick

The humor in all of this is that Mayor Parker is gay.  An amusing article regarding this press release can be found here.


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