...at the Crowleys Ridge Nature Center in Jonesboro.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Arkansas State University: Champions!
10-2. That's how the Red Wolves finished 2011. Arkansas State went undefeated in conference and lost only to AQ (automatic qualifying) conference opponents. It was a great night to be a Red Wolf as the team celebrated with the Sun Belt Conference trophy after the game.
Holding the SBC trophy after the ASU vs. Troy game at ASU Stadium in Jonesboro, AR 12/2/11.
Here are a few videos taken after the game:
Coach Freeze given the SBC Conference Trophy after the game. (awesome!)
The ASU Band plays "We Are the Champions" after beating Troy 45-14.
The Red Wolves and fans take to the field at the end of the ASU vs. Troy game. Let the celebration begin!
Holding the SBC trophy after the ASU vs. Troy game at ASU Stadium in Jonesboro, AR 12/2/11.
Here are a few videos taken after the game:
Coach Freeze given the SBC Conference Trophy after the game. (awesome!)
The ASU Band plays "We Are the Champions" after beating Troy 45-14.
The Red Wolves and fans take to the field at the end of the ASU vs. Troy game. Let the celebration begin!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Ozarks' Little Grand Canyon
In the woods a few miles west of Thayer, Missouri sits the Grand Gulf State Park. Along the plateau there's a deep, deep valley that resembles a small canyon. The deepest point reaches 130 feet and stretches for nearly a mile. It's actually a cave that collapsed thousands of years ago. Hydrologists put dye in the water that drains into the cave at the deepest point in the valley. Several days later it reappears bubbling up at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas about nine miles away. The collapsed cave is part of a complex cave system that stretches across the area. One section of the cave ceiling stayed in tack and creates the largest natural bridge in Missouri and around 200 feet long.
Here's a look at the overlook to the largest, deepest point of the Grand Gulf.
(Check out these pictures of the entire valley filled with water in May, 2011)
On the other side of the canyon sits this trail. As you can see the warning on the sign: "This trail descends 70' using 119 steps."
The bottom step below is the 119th step on the trail. The rocky overhang is a bit spooky.
Another view of the south canyon and trail.
A small, trickling waterfall can be seen in this picture near the end of the trail. The water falls about four feet to the loose rocks and there the water quickly disappears.
On the web:
Grand Gulf State Park on Wikipedia
Missouri State Parks' Grand Gulf page
Here's a look at the overlook to the largest, deepest point of the Grand Gulf.
(Check out these pictures of the entire valley filled with water in May, 2011)
This is the view from the overlook above. It's 130 feet to the bottom.
The cave continues on the right of this picture toward the east, southeast. It's plugged with trees so don't get any ideas.
On the other side of the canyon sits this trail. As you can see the warning on the sign: "This trail descends 70' using 119 steps."
The bottom step below is the 119th step on the trail. The rocky overhang is a bit spooky.
Another view of the south canyon and trail.
A small, trickling waterfall can be seen in this picture near the end of the trail. The water falls about four feet to the loose rocks and there the water quickly disappears.
On the web:
Grand Gulf State Park on Wikipedia
Missouri State Parks' Grand Gulf page
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Space Junk all around our planet
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.Mbu11se.mlVtNCmCfkidg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MDk7cT04NTt3PTUxMg--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/AFP/photo_1310329873967-1-0.jpg
Look at all that space junk! It's amazing we can even see the stars at night.
Look at all that space junk! It's amazing we can even see the stars at night.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Poinsett, Cross County Flood of 2011
Tens of thousands of acres of land and dozens of homes are under water as the result of a rather odd flood. The St. Francis River Floodway empties into the Mississippi River near Helena. With the Mississippi River at near record levels, the St. Francis River water has no where to go, so it's backing up into farms and homes in Cross and Poinsett Counties.
Here's a satellite image taken before the flood. *
Here's a satellite image taken on May 10, 2011. The area outlined in red is water.
Here's why it's flooding. Take a look at the picture below.
The St. Francis River regularly flooded much of eastern Arkansas along with the Mississippi River until levees were built to protect the low lying area. Engineers designed and built a set of parallel levees to keep the St. Francis River water between them. The levee on the west side stops in Cross County just north of U.S. 64. It stops so other water can drain. All that water drains on south, but not this time. Since the water is backing up from the Mississippi, the St. Francis River water is rushing south and then around the end of the west levee and back to the north outside the levees. It's filling an area between the St. Francis Floodway and Crowley's Ridge. Payneway, Weona, Anderson-Tully and homes in between are all flooded as a result.
Reference:
* NASA Earth Observatory "Flooding In Memphis"
Here's a satellite image taken before the flood. *
Here's a satellite image taken on May 10, 2011. The area outlined in red is water.
Here's why it's flooding. Take a look at the picture below.
The St. Francis River regularly flooded much of eastern Arkansas along with the Mississippi River until levees were built to protect the low lying area. Engineers designed and built a set of parallel levees to keep the St. Francis River water between them. The levee on the west side stops in Cross County just north of U.S. 64. It stops so other water can drain. All that water drains on south, but not this time. Since the water is backing up from the Mississippi, the St. Francis River water is rushing south and then around the end of the west levee and back to the north outside the levees. It's filling an area between the St. Francis Floodway and Crowley's Ridge. Payneway, Weona, Anderson-Tully and homes in between are all flooded as a result.
Reference:
* NASA Earth Observatory "Flooding In Memphis"
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Storm damage in the neighborhood
My fence
another side of my fence
another shot of the fence
neighbor's fence
the wind twisted this stop sign sideways
winds knocked over this large tree down the street
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Forget the quakes, what's the fracturing fluids?
The U.S. House of Representatives released a study detailing for the first time what chemicals oil and gas companies used from 2005 to 2009 in the fracturing process. Among the chemicals being pushed into the ground, 29 known carcinogens. Environmentalists are concerned about the groundwater. Those in the industry say the concerns are unfounded.
According to the report over 348,000 gallons of fluid containing carcinogen 2-Butoxyethanol was used in fracturing in Arkansas during the four years studied. With all of the concerns about whether fracturing has been causing earthquakes in central Arkansas in recent years, this report about what is going into the ground will certainly get a closer look.
U.S. House of Representatives Report (.pdf document)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Canada's government collapses
Canada's political system is so much more entertaining than ours. Here, if one party calls the other out for sleaze and mismanagement it lands on the Sunday morning talk shows. In Canada, it leads to an entire collapse in government.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/canadian-government-collapses-24670539
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/canadian-government-collapses-24670539
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Central Arkansas' recent earthquake swarm not the first
While the recent earthquake swarm near Guy, Arkansas made national news, it's certainly not the first. There have been hundreds of small quakes in the Faulkner County area in 2010 and 2011. Thanks to new gas drilling in the area, the debate on what's causing the ground to shake rages on. Not only is the debate getting louder, so is the intensity of the earthquakes.
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake was felt in neighboring states at 11:00pm on February 27, 2011. My wife was sitting on the couch in our Jonesboro, Arkansas home when she heard the wood floors make a sound as if someone was walking across them. Within seconds the couch shook just enough to make her say "what was that." That earthquake got everyone's attention. It was the largest quake in the Guy/Greenbrier area in recent history and the largest since 1976 according to the U.S.G.S. in Arkansas.
The big question is why is the ground shaking. Many residents in the area are concerned about natural gas drilling in the area. Companies use a process called hydraulic fracturing or "frac'ing" to release natural gas deposits in the Fayetteville Shale rock that lies mostly underneath Faulkner, White, and Cleburne Counties. Water is pumped at high pressures into the rock which breaks up the rock and stimulates the release of natural gas. There have been some concerns from environmental groups that the fluids can create unsafe groundwater and create seismic disturbances. It's not out of the question. Cleburne, Texas had its first earthquake in its 140 history on June 2, 2009. Frac'ing was recently introduced to the area. While many of the quakes in Cleburne were small (2.8 magnitude or smaller), it created a debate about the environmental impact of the mining technique.
Back in Arkansas, the Guy earthquake swarm is not the first in the area and happened long before anyone drilled into the Fayetteville Shale. In 2001, a 4.1 magnitude quake shook the same area. Several smaller aftershocks followed. In the early 1980's Enola, Arkansas a few miles away was the epicenter of the Enola Earthquake Swarm. Hundreds of earthquakes shook the area, all similar to the tremors residents a few miles away are feeling now.
Scientists aren't sure why these quakes keep on happening. One common theory is that the earthquakes are the result of pressure being released from fluids beneath the ground. The good news is that it's likely groundwater and not lava. The bad news is that we may never know if the quakes are made by man or Mother Nature.
Links:
Arkansas Earthquake History (USGS)
Arkansas Geological Survey: Earthquakes (State of Arkansas)
Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI - Memphis)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Stormy weather expected Sunday night
Just in time to ruin any Oscar watching here comes another round of nasty weather. The Storm Prediction Center has us under a Moderate risk for severe weather with strong tornadoes, heavy rains and wind all possible. The timing couldn't be any worse with the Academy Awards on during the time it's moving through. It could last through the overnight hours when lots of folks are sleeping. Dangerous.

Monday, February 21, 2011
PHOTOS: Earthquake strikes Christchurch - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) http://ping.fm/5Zs12
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Interesting article about the state of the planet's drinking problem - The Daily Beast http://ping.fm/M09Ur
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Veteran Arkansas journalist Carol Griffee dies
One of the most staunch defenders of journalism and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act has died. Carol Griffee worked as a reporter at the now defunct Arkansas Democrat newspaper among other places.
Governor Mike Beebe issued this statement: "Carol Griffee was a bird dog and a bulldog, driven and relentless in her pursuit of the facts. She was tough but fair, which is one of the highest compliments to pay any journalist. 'One of a kind' is often an overused phrase, but the combination of Carol's tenacity, staunch belief in good government and unique personal character makes her one we won't see the likes of again anytime soon."
Here's a link to the Associated Press story about her death.
Carol had a lot to do with the protection of the Arkansas FOI law. Here's a link to the Arkansas Press Association's FOI Handbook. I suggest anyone who works as a reporter in Arkansas download a free copy of it. It's up to the next generation of journalists to make sure our government and other entities that seek the public's trust operate in the public's best interest.
Governor Mike Beebe issued this statement: "Carol Griffee was a bird dog and a bulldog, driven and relentless in her pursuit of the facts. She was tough but fair, which is one of the highest compliments to pay any journalist. 'One of a kind' is often an overused phrase, but the combination of Carol's tenacity, staunch belief in good government and unique personal character makes her one we won't see the likes of again anytime soon."
Here's a link to the Associated Press story about her death.
Carol had a lot to do with the protection of the Arkansas FOI law. Here's a link to the Arkansas Press Association's FOI Handbook. I suggest anyone who works as a reporter in Arkansas download a free copy of it. It's up to the next generation of journalists to make sure our government and other entities that seek the public's trust operate in the public's best interest.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Cell phones on a plane really dangerous?
I saw this debate in a CNN story. Interesting story about whether using your cell phone in flight can be dangerous by interfering with flight communications and instruments. It reminded me of a Mythbusters episode where they tested it.
CNN STORY
MYTHBUSTERS EPISODE
CNN STORY
MYTHBUSTERS EPISODE
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
KAIT installs new digital production switcher
On Saturday, January 15, 2011, KAIT installed a new Snell and Wilcox Kahuna production switcher. This new digital switcher replaces an Ampex switcher that had been in service for approximately 25 years. This switcher is capable of high definition production and is a key part of the high definition puzzle.
Here's our old switcher and monitor wall:
The new Snell & Wilcox Kahuna production switcher and new monitor wall.
We replaced a 25+ year old AMPEX production switcher.
Here is another picture of it:
Here's our old switcher and monitor wall:
The new Snell & Wilcox Kahuna production switcher and new monitor wall.
We replaced a 25+ year old AMPEX production switcher.
Here is another picture of it:
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
RT @andersoncooper: Retracted autism study an 'elaborate fraud,' British journal finds http://bit.ly/e5Kf6Y
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Homeless man with a set of Golden Pipes
Interesting video of a homeless man in Columbus, OH. Anyone needing a voice guy?
Monday, January 3, 2011
ESPN Broadcaster Ron Franklin Pulled From Air After Calling Colleague Jeannine Edwards 'Sweetcakes,’ ‘A–Hole’ http://ping.fm/FCxcF
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)