50 U.S. States of Equal Population

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The U.S. Open Begins Today!

And here are my TWO foursomes for the ESPN Majors Challenge.


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Entry 1:
Phil Mickelson - 15.0
Dustin Johnson - 13.6
Webb Simpson - 13.3
Blake Adams - 8.0

Entry 2:
Lee Westwood - 14.9
Jason Dufner - 14.1
Davis Love III - 11.5
Stewart Cink - 9.4

< - 50 point cap - >

Here is the full list..

U.S. Navy Map of Future America

with new coastlines..


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Absurdity

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Health Care?

Education?

Teachers' salaries?

Budget???

Etc...

Our Gov't May Have Known About 9/11 Beforehand

Apparently there is a former FEMA videographer Kurt Sonnenfeld, who claims to have "proof" that the attacks of 9/11/01 were an "inside job" of the U.S. Government. Oddly enough the U.S. Government is currently seeking his extradition from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he currently resides, in connection
Kurt Sonnenfeld (Image Source)

with the 2002 death of his former wife, a case which was dropped by Colorado prosecutors. (Source)

Following is a set of three video slideshows. The images in these three slideshows, along with the accompanying linked video, were taken by Kurt Sonnenfeld himself. He was one of only a handful of people allowed into Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 attacks. These are the pictures he took:

I


II


III

Source for all 3.

Whether or not you choose to watch all 39-minutes worth of that footage, or whether or not you'd like to take a shorter route by watching this 9-minute VIDEO he also shot, if you do nothing else, please read Kurt Sonnenfeld's interview, published on June 22, 2009, and conducted by the Voltaire Network. Here is a preview of the interview:

"As official videographer for the U.S. government, Kurt Sonnenfeld was detailed to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, where he spent an entire month filming: 'What I saw at certain moments and in certain places . . . is very disturbing!' He never handed his 29 tapes over to the authorities and has been persecuted ever since. Kurt Sonnenfeld lives in exile in Argentina, where he wrote 'El Perseguido' (Persecuted). His recently-published book tells the story of his unending nightmare and drives another nail into the coffin of the government’s account of the 9/11 events. Below is an exclusive interview by Voltaire Network." (Source)

The interview contains several very interesting embedded links, all of which when combined with the interview itself, the photos, and the video, one should be able to form his or her own opinion about this issue.

U.S. Homicide vs. Suicide Rates State by State

Click to enlarge!                                                                                       Via - (NSFW)

SOURCES: Suicide data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report Volume 58, Number 19, May 2010, Table 29.. Available HERE. Homicide data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, Expanded Homicide Data 2007, Table 20.. Available HERE.

U.S. Drought Monitor: May to August

Via - (NSFW)

Visualizing The U.S. Debt

Click the image above to see the entire visualization - it's pretty impressive, and depressing at the same time..

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US Passport Ownership

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Incarceration Nation - The Rise Of An Imprisoned America

Click a couple times to enlarge!

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All U.S. Highways - Nothing Else

Click to enlarge!

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Wish I could find an interactive map like this that you could zoom-in on!

U.S. Population 1950-2010

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The 15 Smartest and Dumbest U.S. Presidents

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Universally and instantly recognizable, the President of the United States – the heads of state and government of the world’s largest superpower, the commander–in-chief of the US Armed Forces, the omnipotent and oft-termed “Leader of the Free World” – requires no long-winded or flowery introduction. What does require clarification, however, are the notions of “smartness” and “dumbness”. What makes someone smart or dumb? Is it their level of education? Their talents? Their actions? Their achievements? Their IQ? Their intellectualism?

Apart from the obvious answer (that it is one’s ability to ask a string of rhetorical questions) “smartness” is a concept that is open to a range of interpretations, so it is conceded that the assessments made in this article are open to debate. However, to stifle Internet debate (a.k.a. “flame wars”) this article will not base its assessment on policy decisions made by the respective presidents, and, furthermore, accepts that the act of holding the presidential office in itself demonstrates some inkling of intelligence.

The Smartest
This section of the article deals with the most interesting of the presidents that can be deemed intelligent. Whilst some might bemoan the lack of Obama or Kennedy, who are undeniably intelligent, the presidents here either have madder skillz or achievements that outshine them.

Thomas Jefferson (3rd President, from 1801-1809)
No matter how one interprets “smartness”, Thomas Jefferson would unequivocally qualify. The principal author of The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s talents could constitute a book; the following catalog barely does them justice. During his teenage years at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, Jefferson became incredibly proficient in philosophy, mathematics, history, French, Latin and Greek. “Pfft-“, some hipster reader will undoubtedly say, “-Wikipedia knows all of those things- and Jefferson couldn’t Wikipedia like I Wikipedia!” In this obtuse and poorly articulated response lies a valid criticism – the ability to merely retain knowledge from books may not constitute smartness. But Jefferson was more than just book-smart: a polymath – which is a person distinguished in many varied fields, and not an obnoxious exponential equation – he was also an accomplished archeologist, author, inventor, lawyer, musician (talented in the cello, clavichord and violin) ornithologist, paleontologist, poet and speechmaker. And before you interrupt with some obscure insult, hipster, his architectural and horticultural prowess was such that he designed the University of Virginia (which he himself founded) and the Poplar Forest. This ridonkulous amount of talent was recognized by later president John F. Kennedy when he addressed 49 Nobel Laureates, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House – with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

John Adams (2nd President, from 1797-1801)
Another Founding Father was John Adams, whose dinners with Jefferson (amongst others) resulted in the American Declaration of Independence, the screenplay to the 1996 blockbuster smash hit starring Will Smith, the document where the American colonies announced and justified their secession from the British Empire. With his polymathic fingers in every pie, it is unsurprising that it was Jefferson’s hand that predominantly penned the Declaration, but it was John Adams who championed it in Congressional debates. Adams’ oratory was so dedicated and effective that Jefferson wrote in a letter, “No man better merited, than Mr. John Adams to hold a most conspicuous place in the design. He was the pillar of it’s [sic] support on the floor of Congress, it’s [sic] ablest advocate and defender against the multifarious assaults it encountered.”

James Madison (4th President, from 1809-1817)
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (28th President, from 1913-1921)
Theodore Roosevelt (26th President, from 1901-1909)
James Garfield (20th President, from March - September, 1881)


The Hybrids
As raised before, the notion of smartness is very subjective; depending on which criterion one uses, one can reach very different assessments. This section considers presidents who exhibited both smartness and dumbness depending on different criteria.

Richard Nixon (37th President, from 1969-1974)
If one uses the Intelligence Quotient test as a determinant of smartness, then Richard Nixon is the smartest, with his IQ of 143, less his ability to avoid making crucial mistakes. This is finding was evidenced by Nixon being the only president forced to resign from office.

Bill Clinton (42nd President, from 1993-2001)
Abraham Lincoln (16th President, from 1861-1865) - Huh??


The Dumbest
This is the section you have no doubt been waiting for - the one that deals with the comparatively less talented presidents. Like tequila shots, the judgments proclaimed in this section should be enjoyed liberally and with a pinch of salt – and one should savor, rather than revile, the burn and the acerbity.

Warren G. Harding (29th President, from 1921-1923)
Perhaps not a household name, Warren Harding is the worst of the first men; he has the ignominy of being ranked America’s least intelligent president. Although the Siena study does not specify how it reaches its conclusions, a consideration of Harding’s conduct during his term yields much insight into this Nein-stein. His presidential term was rocked by scandals greater than either Lewinsky or Watergate: nepotism ran free and many of his friends thus appointed (known as “The Ohio Gang”) were involved in bribery and embezzlement scandals. Although the White House was not subject to the same scrutiny and transparency of today, the shady dealings were so brazen and gormless that they quickly came to light. However, the only thing dumber than these peccadilloes (and it’s not his middle name, Gamaliel) is Harding’s barely hidden consumption of alcohol at private parties in the White House. Why is this dumb? Well, Harding’s presidency coincided with the Prohibition. Also, being apparently handsome, Harding was nominated to try to secure the vote of women in the 1920 election (the first time women voted in America). When it became apparent that his wife was treated as a waitress at these parties, and that he engaged in multiple extra-marital affairs, he disenfranchised and isolated his key demographic.

George W. Bush (42nd President, from 2001-2009)
Of course we saved the best for last. It isn’t really necessary to justify Dubya’s appearance in this section –and nor do we have the space – but it’s good fun to reminisce nostalgically over his well documented failings. Like Ford, Bush graduated from Yale (although he only managed a C-grade average) and also like Ford, perplexing, contradictory or painfully banal self-evident observations (yep, they are a real pain in the ass) emerge, unchecked, from his mouth. But unlike Ford, the sheer rate and frequency of these mistakes were so incredible that recording them went beyond cheap political points-scoring: they demanded cataloging for posterity’s sake, lest future generations forget or disbelieve their existence. A neologism had to be coined to describe them, and so “Bushism” entered the American vernacular. The Complete Bushisms, all 13 pages of them, are available here. As a result, the Siena study found him to be the second dumbest president of all time. And perhaps worse still, not even Google can save him from being considered just a tad slimy.

Calvin Coolidge (30th President, from 1923-1929)
Ronald Reagan (40th President, from 1981-1989) - WTF??
Andrew Johnson (17th President, from 1865-1869)
Gerald Ford (38th President, from 1974-1977)


Obviously I didn't write the article. Also - like most who would read this article, I agree with most of it, but disagree with some of it as well. But that's politics, right? The article is an opinion, a lot of which is based on an independent study done at Siena University. I have included that .pdf file at the bottom of the post, so be certain you look at that, as well as some of the embedded links -- and then, of course, do continue to the full article.. (Includes the details from the other 10 which are listed here.)

Heat Wave?

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A great post at chartporn dot org regarding this year's high temperatures. And it's pretty ironic: Here in south Texas, we set a record last summer with 59 days of 100+ temps. The previous record was something like 37 days.

I don't think we've hit 100 yet this year!

I know the east coast had a few days of 100+ degrees a few weeks ago, even up north.

However, we were just there (Plattsburgh, NY), and although it was hot, during the week I was there 6 of the days got to about 85-87, and one was beautiful, with a low of 58 and a high of 75 or so. Nothing absurd.

Anyway, I loved this post.. go check it out. Click the banner image!

Don't Tread On Me

For you, Chris! Miss you, buddy!

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Mmmm Waffles

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The Greatest Golf Courses Ever

Pebble Beach #18 - Via

America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses For 2010

1 - Augusta National G.C.

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2 - Pine Valley G.C.

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3 - Shinnecock Hills G.C.

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4 - Cypress Point Club

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5 - Oakmont C.C

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See the rest of this list.. (Pebble Beach is ranked #6 this time.)




America's 100 Best Courses You Can Play

Golf Digest's List - Click on the "100 Greatest Public" tab.
1. Pebble Beach Golf Links
2. Pacific Dunes
3. Whistling Straits (Straits Course)
4. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island
5. Bethpage State Park (Black)
...the rest

Golf.com's List - Find this interactive map.


1. Pacific Dunes
2. Pebble Beach Golf Links
3. Whistling Straits (Straits Course)
4. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island
5. Pinehurst #2
...the rest

And both of those have state-by-state lists, but the best state-by-state list is:

Golfweek's list.

Golfweek doesn't provide an overall list like the other two, but the cream of the crop, top-10 type courses are pretty much the same anyway (they specifically state that Oregon's Pacific Dunes is their #1).

Here are a few highlights of Golfweek's state-by-state list:

Arizona #3: Troon North (Monument), Scottsdale
My Dad and I stood on the back deck of the clubhouse here for about 15 minutes trying to decide if we really wanted to pay the exorbitant green fee (this was 1996, and that price was about $125). Regretably, we ended up playing elsewhere for just more than half the money, and an ordinary-type course we could play here for $30. Remember that was 1996.

Louisiana #3: The Bluffs C.C. and Resort, St. Francisville
One of the most unique courses I've ever played, and also the highest green fee I've still ever paid (1999 or 2000 - $102). The beauty is so "far away" from the awesomeness of that hole pictured. Incredible design using a prime piece of real estate, and a superior CHARACTER grade.


Must enlarge!

I would LOVE to go play the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Last but not least, Hawaii's #8: Ko'olau:
This is the course at the top of my own personal list of "courses I must play in my lifetime". (That'll be a later post!)

Obviously you must enlarge..

Throughout my entire course-design career for Jack Nicklaus GBC, nothing impressed me more than the design of this hole on this course. Supposedly one of the toughest golf courses in the world, too. And is it not gorgeous?

By the way, I've played 4 of the 20 listed Texas courses (7, 13, 15, and 20), and no less than 4 more that most definitely should be on there.

They are:
Cedar Creek in SA
The Bandit in McQueeney
Walden at Lake Conroe
The Falls, New Ulm

U.S. Fireworks Laws

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The 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

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Hey, it's pretty simple. The golf course won. Guys had their chances early during the back-9. As soon as 54-hole leader Dustin Johnson tripled the 2nd hole, doubled the 3rd, and bogeyed the 4th, his score of 6-under for the tourney was suddenly EVEN. Guys like Tiger, Phil, and Ernie Els were all breathing down his neck, but he obviously felt some pressure that didn't exist during his last two back-to-back victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach tourneys the last two Februaries.

2010 US Open Champ, Graeme
McDowell with his father - Source

Graeme McDowell stayed solid, and the "big guns" only shot blanks for the most part. McDowell was able to win the tournament with a final-round 3-over par 74. How can this be?

Well like I said, the golf course won. I enjoyed the tournament, and the final round could've been better had some of these guys made a serious run. However, no one in the last half-dozen pairings shot anything lower than 71. Sure Matt Kuchar and Ben Curtis shot final-round 68's, but they were well behind beforehand.

After all was said and done, Phil and Ernie carded 73's, and Tiger shot 75, but apparently the viewers didn't like this. I don't really understand why, but I did happen to run across this poll at ESPN dot com. So I voted, and then took a screenshot of the results -- in preparation for this post.

Take a look at the poll:

















Click to enlarge..

Lightning Climatology

Click image to enlarge..

Where does lightning usually strike?

Lightning strikes the ground somewhere in the U.S. nearly every day of the year. Thunderstorms and lightning occur most commonly in moist warm climates. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network shows that over the continental U.S. an average of 20,000,000 cloud-to-ground flashes occur every year. Around the world, lightning strikes the ground about 100 times each second, or 8 million times a day. Ground-based systems don't tell us anything about lightning over the oceans, although a few science satellites have lightning detectors on them now. There are roughly 5 to 10 times as many cloud flashes as there are to cloud-to-ground flashes, so the total amount of lightning is quite a bit higher.

These conditions most often occur in summer. In general, the US mainland has a decreasing amount of lightning toward the northwest. Over the entire year, the highest frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning is in Florida between Tampa and Orlando. This is due to the presence, on many days during the year, of a large moisture content in the atmosphere at low levels (below 5,000 feet), as well as high surface temperatures that produce strong sea breezes along the Florida coasts. The western mountains of the US also produce strong upward motions and contribute to frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. There are also high frequencies along the Gulf of Mexico coast westward to Texas, the Atlantic coast in the southeast US, and inland from the Gulf. Regions along the Pacific west coast have the least cloud-to-ground lightning.

How often do positive cloud-to-ground strikes occur?

Worldwide, over an entire year, positive lightning strikes average 4-5%. Most storms start with mainly negative flashes, then have a higher ration of positives toward the end of their life cycle. In tornadoes and supercells, large numbers of positive flashes are common, and they appear to signal severe events. Positive ground flashes are often associated with the production of large hail.

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