I have to say that Sue has some of the most wonderful photographs on her site.  She also has a new edition to her family.  😉  Photos here

http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/

  Nice work Sue!!!!!!!

  Well, it has been a slick and icy week.  The driveway is covered in pure ice.  Can’t hardly even park on the hill.  The car just slides.  Temperatures should start warming up in the coming days.  We may even have thunderstorms with the next system on Thursday and Friday.  Then more cold air – then another warm up and then more cold air.

  Roller coaster ride in the weather department.

  Nothing new on the farm front.  Looks like we will be starting in January.  The guy that was doing our foundation is in the hospital with some heart problems.  Hopefully he will be okay.

  Not much will happen in the coming days – holidays and all of that.  Plus we are leaving for Disney on the 26th. 

  We got some toys for the CJ’s Bus program.  I posted about them a week or so ago.

  We had an inch or so of sleet overnight.  A little bit of snow mixed in.  Portions of Kentucky received 3-6" of snow and ice.  Slick roads.

December 14, 2008:

FORECAST CHANGES:

1:  QUICKER CHANGE TO ICE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.
2.  More confidence in my forecast totals for system 1 and 2.
3.  Added new advisories from the Paducah, NWS Office.

Heaviest ice will likely fall on Monday night into Tuesday.  Lighter amounts on Monday morning into Monday afternoon.

IF the majority of the precipitation falls as freezing rain then power outages and tree damage will be possible on Monday night into Tuesday.  There is the risk for significant ice across our region.  If the precipitation falls as sleet and snow then this will help limit power line damage.

Weather Update:

Buckle up because we are about to go on a wild weather ride.  Temperatures in the 50s today will plummet into the teens and 20s by tomorrow,  Rain will turn to ice by Monday morning and we may be talking about a severe thunderstorm threat later this week. 

Needless to say all of those who need to monitor weather changes for their different agencies should be prepared for significant weather changes over the coming days.

Let’s take this one threat at a time.  Each one, in itself, could produce significant problems across our region.

THREAT:
High Winds today into this evening (Sunday)
Flash Freeze on Monday morning
Winter storm number1 is forecast to hit the region on Monday into Monday night – Ice Storm – Sleet/Freezing rain
Winter storm number 2 is forecast to hit the region on Tuesday into Wednesday.

THREAT TIME FRAME FOR WINTER WEATHER:
Monday-Wednesday night – December 15-17th.

PRIMARY THREAT AREA:
MO/IL/IN/KY

SECONDARY THREAT AREA
TN

WATCHES AND WARNINGS:
1. Winter storm watches have now been issued for all of the KPAH (Paducah, KY Forecast Area).  See official NWS text below.
2. A WIND ADVISORY has been issued for the region through 6 AM Monday morning.

APPROXIMATE EXPECTED TIME ARRIVAL OF ARCTIC FRONT:

Cape Girardeau, MO:  3 AM
Cairo, IL: 3 AM
Metropolis IL: 6 AM
Paducah, KY: 6 AM
Mayfield, KY: 6-7 AM
Evansville, IN: 7-8 AM
Hopkinsville, KY: 8-10 AM
Owensboro, KY: 8-10 AM
—————————-

A FLASH FREEZE is possible with this cold front.  Temperatures will fall 20-30 degrees within a very short amount of time, once the front passes any given location.  I have moved the arrival time of the front up by 6-12 hours.  This means Monday morning instead of Monday afternoon.  See the attached temperature map for just how quickly the temperatures will fall.  The map attached is the Monday morning forecast.

Rain will develop today and tonight.  Rainfall totals ahead of the cold front will likely range from 0.25"-0.50".  A few thunderstorms are possible.  The rain will change to freezing rain and sleet during the morning hours on Monday.  Light ice accumulations are expected on Monday morning and into the afternoon.  Right now I am thinking 0.10-0.30" of sleet/freezing rain/snow from the first system.

ANY freezing rain or drizzle could cause travel problems.  I am not certain how quickly the road temperatures will cool down on Monday morning.  It is likely the the worst travel weather will be on Monday night into Tuesday as the second winter storm develops over our region.

Speaking of the second winter storm…

A second event is now becoming more and more likely.  This event will develop over our counties on Monday night and continue into Tuesday night.  It appears, at this time, that most of this precipitation will fall as freezing rain and sleet.  There could be significant icing problems across our counties on Monday night and Tuesday. 

In addition to the winter storm threats – strong winds are forecast for today across all of our counties.  Winds ahead of the storm system will gust between 30-40 mph.  There will likely be some branches knocked down from these winds.  This is especially true since there is still a lot of tree damage left over from Hurricane Ike.

I will update this forecast late this evening.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for the latest information on this developing winter storm.

————
Beau Dodson

All opinions and forecasts are my own.  This email is for planning purposes only.

  Only a true weather weenie can appreciate the arrival of a new rain/snow gauge.  This is for the farm.  It will go nicely with my other weather instruments.  Daisy helped put things together. 😉

A little bit of hardware to put together…not much, though.

  Well, school is over for this semester!  Looks like an A in both classes.  So, yay on that being finished!

  Powerful storm system heading for the region next week.  Thunderstorms will move in on Sunday evening and then ice for Monday evening.  Wild temperature ride.  Temps should fall 20-30 degrees after the front moves through. 

  Well, it has rained all day long.  We woke up to thunderstorms at 7 AM this morning.  December weather?  I guess it is.  Looks like the rain will continue through this evening and into the overnight hours.  Temperatures will fall into the 30s by 10 PM. 

  If any precipitation can continue into Wednesday we may see it change to freezing rain or sleet/flurries.  Something to keep an eye on.

  A major ice storm is possible next week across portions of Missouri and Illinois.  Still a bit early to know for sure.  A strong cold front will cut the country in half by Sunday and Monday.  There could be a 100 degree temperature difference between North Dakota and Texas.  Pretty amazing.

  Will have to keep an eye on just how far south the cold front will push on Monday and Tuesday.  North of the front is where the ice is expected.

  So far today we have picked up 1.10" of rainfall.  Not bad!!  I wish it would have been snow, though.

  Do you think it has been cold lately?  Check out these temperature departure maps!  Amazing!

7 Day Temperature Departure Maps – very cold in the east

30 Day Temperature Departure Maps – COLD!

  No word yet on the foundation guys.  Still waiting. 

Someone was caught under the blanket again this evening.  🙂  She loves her blanket. 

  I cloudy day.  Storm system is approaching from the west.  We should have rain by later tonight into Tuesday.  Locally heavy rainfall.  I am expecting amounts of 1/2-1" for the Paducah area.  Gusty winds as well.

  No real snow chance with this storm.  Perhaps a flurry or sleet pellet behind the cold front.  Nothing major, though.  Guess we will just have to wait a little while longer for "real" snow.

  Was up at the farm today.  Nobody has started on anything.  Maybe later this week.  🙂

  Well, it appears that our next storm system will be knocking on the door by Monday afternoon.  A low pressure area will move across Missouri into Illinois by Tuesday evening.  This will spread showers and thunderstorms across all of our counties.  I am expecting 1/2"-1" of rain.  This would be our second thunderstorm event in the last 10 days. 

  All this cold air is going to waste.  Too bad!

  The next snow threat would come after Wednesday.  Details still to be worked out – if we get anything at all.  Keeping an eye on two storm systems approaching the area (sort of left over energy from this first one).

  Went to the farm today with my dad.  We turned on the heat in the house and looked over the pipes.  We have one frozen pipe to repair.  I put a heat lamp in the well house.  This should help keep things thawed out, at least in the well house.

  Tomorrow I am going back to the farm to fix a drainage issue in the back of the house.  Going to build a little deck cover to keep the rain from falling into the drain at the back door.  Apparently the old pipes have collapsed and the water won’t drain out.  So, we need to put a pump at the base of the stairs and then put a tarp over all of that.  Hopefully that will keep the water out.

  The foundation guys are supposed to start work on Wednesday or Thursday.  Color me skeptical.  We shall hope, though.

  Daisy was cold tonight.  She was all bundled up under the covers watching tv.  I took these photos with my cell phone cam.

  Remember last July? A shy Goldman analyst predicted that oil was going to $200 and immediately became the next Meredith Whitney. The mine’s-bigger-than-yours game drove other targets to $500. T. Boone Pickens announced plans to become a wind mogul. Detroit announced a permanent "new era" and pulled the plug on its guzzlers. Peak oil became "a fact."  How was it possible that, once again, so many smart people had been so stupid?

  Six months later, oil has crashed back into the low $40s. And now Merrill’s analyst is predicting that it could go to $25:

  FT: Francisco Blanch, head of commodities research at Merrill Lynch, said his main scenario was for oil prices to average $50 a barrel next year, but warned: “A temporary drop below $25 is possible if the global recession extends to China.”…

Yes, yes, we know: When the economy comes back, oil is shooting right back to $100+. Everyone agrees on that, so it’s obviously true.

Meanwhile, how are things in the Middle East about now? Are folks still building indoor ski mountains in the desert?  What about that rotating skyscraper?

http://clusterstock.alleyinsider.com/2008/12/oil-25-is-the-new-200

————–

  Ahh yes, the Bush administration has brought about the biggest train wreck of my lifetime.  The worst is yet to come.  Cheap oil is not a good sign.  It is a reflection of everything that is wrong with the economy.  The cheaper oil goes the worse the economy is.  Yes, it might be nice to see gas below $1.50, but it isn’t a good sign.

  The train wreck continues and will continue for some time to come – thanks to the inability of our government to find real solutions to a problem they have helped create.  Latest unemployment numbers are WRONG and basically a lie.  They have revised the Aug/Sept numbers and anyone who thinks the current numbers are correct is smoking something.  They are much higher – the government will "revise" them later.  No need to panic people at this point. 

  Thanks a lot President Bush – your ignorance never fails to impress me.

  Well, I was a little bored today.  I guess since my finals are over I am ready for a little "boredom".  I put my weather instruments back up here in Lone Oak.  I had them in storage.  That and my cam.  I am trying to troubleshoot everything before we take it up to the farm.  That will be awhile, though.  lol  We need a house first!!!

  You can see the current weather conditions here:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KKYPADUC7

  Anyway, that is what I did today.  Going to the farm tomorrow with my dad.  We are going to make sure there is enough heat in the well house.  We don’t want everything freezing up on us.  Turning the water back on, as well, inside the old farm house.  Need to get things ready for the workers.  Some of them are going to stay there while they are building the new house.

Weather instruments up and running.

CAM

  YES!

  Finals start today!  I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad!  This has been the longest semester, yet.  I will be THRILLED to finish!  Already registered for next semester.  Then I graduate in August!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAY!

  The Shadow Angel Foundation has started support of a new organization out of southwest Indiana.  CJ’S Bus. 

The story of C.J.

C.J. Martin, 2 – killed during the November 2006 Evansville Tornado

Not even death could separate them.

Three generations are entombed in 2-year-old C.J. Martin’s crypt at Sunset Memorial Park Mausoleum, where some of his gamma’s and mammy’s ashes attend the blue-eyed boy they called their "little man."

C.J., "Gamma" Julie Dean, 46, and "Mammy" Jean Martin, 70, died at 1:58 a.m., when Martin’s home was obliterated as the tornado roared through Eastbrook Mobile Home Park.

"Sometimes I think he was here to make their last days as good as they could be, and it was their time to go and it wouldn’t be heaven without him," said John Martin, C.J.’s father, Dean’s son and Jean Martin’s grandson.

C.J.’s mother, Kathryn Martin, collapsed when she received confirmation her son’s body had been found on a muddy bank near a lake. She had last seen him shortly before 10 p.m. Nov. 5 and did not see him again until the services at 10 a.m. Nov. 12.

"His eyes weren’t lit up. He wasn’t smiling and laughing. Even at the funeral I felt this sense of loss, but I don’t think I really accepted the fact that he was gone until a couple of weeks later because he wasn’t in Florida and he wasn’t at Gamma Julie’s," she said. "When all three of them were gone, they were all together gone."

Another of C.J.’s constant companions, "Mr. Blankie," also is interred with him. The toddler’s cherished green blanket was discovered buried in the mud a few feet from where a volunteer firefighter found the boy. The firefighter said C.J. looked as though someone had gently laid him there.

Although C.J. died of blunt force trauma, Kathryn Martin, 28, said C.J. had only a scratch on his hand and one on his face. She does not know what clothing, if any, he was wearing, but C.J. did have on his Spider-Man underwear.

The Martins now laugh about the way John would grouse "underwear" when he heard his son discussing "’Spider-Man panties."

C.J. hated plain white briefs, so his mother made sure he was wearing Spider-Man underwear and his Colts uniform when he was prepared for the funeral. "There are just so many things that during the day I’ll smile about, and now it’s becoming a lot more comfortable to be able to smile than it was in the beginning," Kathryn Martin said. "In the beginning, if I smiled I felt like I was betraying them."

Their mobile home was about 20 lots away from Jean Martin’s, where C.J. and his grandmother frequently spent the night playing games and watching movies before snuggling into bed.

A trailer blocked the Martins’ car as they raced toward Jean Martin’s home. John Martin realized what had happened before his wife did. The tornado had obliterated Jean Martin’s mobile home and deposited another one in its place.

John Martin tried not to completely break down as he shared the news with C.J.’s siblings, who had spent the night with their grandparents in Evansville. Cyvannah, now 10, said she, Simon, 9, and Sydnie, 7, cried tears of disbelief.

"I thought I could show them how much I thought it wasn’t true," Cyvannah said. "I thought they were mistaken, maybe C.J. hadn’t died, and some of the doctors needed to find out more."

The mobile home John Martin’s mother and stepfather shared at 2338 Indian Blvd. was destroyed. Stephen Martin, suffered six broken ribs, a broken clavicle and punctured lung but survived.

John and Kathryn Martin’s mobile home was damaged but intact. C.J.’s ride-on coupe car was still parked in the yard, but the tornado had stolen the swing set he loved. Kathryn Martin said the family could not live in the trailer anymore.

"That’s the place that destroyed our family. That’s what I thought in the beginning. Now I don’t know," she said. "I think that is where we were the happiest as far as where we lived."

The Martins removed all of their belongings in two trips. When Cyvannah saw Mammy Jean’s home had been destroyed, she began to understand her "really, really, really" sweet brother and two "really sweet" grandmothers would not return.

"I think that they have just suffered probably the most pain a child could suffer," Kathryn Martin said. " You know, one day everything’s fine. The next day, everything’s gone."

Although Cyvannah still doesn’t like to hear others talk about the storm, she is learning to express her emotions and is feeling "kind of better."

Although life is returning to normal, John Martin said it’s a new normal. After living with his in-laws for months, the family moved into a one-story brick home with a basement.

He is back on the job at Infinity Molding in Mount Vernon, Ind., and a toy car purchased for C.J. frequently rides "shotgun" when he drives.

Kathryn is looking forward to returning to the work force after earning an associate’s degree in human services at Ivy Tech State College and has dedicated herself to preserving and sharing memories of her family and promoting severe weather safety.

She was instrumental in the establishment of the Tornado Memorial Park and Playground at Eastbrook and on Sunday announced her latest endeavor: C.J.’s Bus Foundation. The foundation will raise funds to build a customized bus that will travel the nation, providing a safe recreation area for children in the immediate aftermath of disasters.

Some day, the Martins "new normal" may include another child. "For the past year, we’ve kind of just been maintaining the living status," she said. "Now I want to actually live."

– Libby Keeling

The Story Of CJ’s Bus

The Story behind CJ’s Bus

CJ’s Bus was born out of three unique ingredients: the personal experience of Jeff Parness following the 2003 San Diego wildfires; Kathryn Martin’s experience providing emergency child care assistance to a family following the May 2006 Otwell, Indiana tornado; and a conversation Jeff and Kathryn had in June 2006 in which Kathryn stated her desire to honor her son C.J.’s legacy by continuing to reach out and help other families by caring for their children in the immediate aftermath of disasters. What came out of this experience was the realization of the need for a mobile recreation unit to drop directly into disaster sites in the immediate aftermath of disasters in order to keep kids distracted in a safe group environment.

At that moment the “light bulb went off” and the idea for CJ’s Bus was born.

  A cold morning across the region.  This is especially true considering that we were in the upper 50s yesterday with thunderstorms!  Here is the morning temperature map.

Tempeartures – purple would be 20s.

Morning satellite shows the storm system has pulled off to our east.  We are in clear skies this morning.  Clear=COLD!

  It was a rainy night across West KY.  Strong cold front moved through.  Temperatures fell from 50 degrees to 42 degrees in less than an hour.  Not bad!  It even snowed a little across some of our counties.  Nothing major, though.

Evening satellite showing the storm system moving across our region.  The blue area is higher cloud tops and where
rainfall is falling – thunderstorms, as well.

  The latest update on the farm is that they now say they are going to start the middle of next week.  🙂  Course, I have heard this before!  So, we shall see.

  Waiting on word from Sue – I understand she has a new family member!!!!!!!  CONGRATS to her!  I am surrrrrreeeee she is proud.

  Now, about that cold weather.  A lot of computer models are forecasting very cold temperatures next week.  I am not sure, just yet, how cold it will get here in West KY and South IL.  It could be very cold across the Ohio Valley.  Single digits?  Stay tuned.  Here are a few forecast maps.

Temperatures being forecast into the single digits in our region by one computer model

And another shot of cold weather after that. 

  Stay tuned on this forecast.  You can also visit my weather blog at www.beaudodson.com

  Well, the guys who are building are foundation were supposed to start last week – then they said this week.  It is Wednesday now and they haven’ returned our calls.  So, will they start this week?  Who knows.

  I guess I am getting anxious to begin.  With winter upon us…we need to get that foundation in.

  Maybe we will hear something later today.  🙂  🙂  We shall keep hope alive!!!!

  Not much else going on.  It was sunny yesterday and we rented a U-Haul and brought some boxes up from Mayfield.  I am going to go through some of our stuff and widdle it down a bit more.  We need to get rid of some items before we move into the new house.  I figured I could do that now – instead of later! 

  We had to spray for spiders, because we saw three brown recluses.  I can NOT stand spiders.  They used to not bother me, but now they do.  I guess that phobia grew on me.  Living on the farm all those years I would imagine that I saw hundreds and hundreds of spiders.  Never bothered me then.  I guess something changed.  🙂  Anyway, I set off like six foggers around the boxes.  I figure that would kill anything living inside of them.  Once the dust settles I can start going through each box.  I think I will give it a day or two.  😉

  Finals start later this week.  I will be studying for those.  I am going to try to take one of them on Friday.  Get it over with and MOVE ON!!!  I have already registered for next semesters classes.  They begin in January.

  Cloudy today – rain is moving back into the region.  Rain – not snow.  🙁  We may get light snow at the end of this system, but nothing major.  ALLLLL these cold days and nights and then when precip moves in we end up with rain.  Why can’t it just snow!!!!!!  I am addicted to snow, but I am not the only one.  I know several snow fanatics.

  Well, it is snowing outside!  Light snow and flurries have spread into the area.  No accumulation is expected.  Something to look at, though.

Water vapor imagery this morning shows all the clouds and the deep trough across the eastern United States

  BRRRRR – a cold-wet-raw day!  About as we expected.  It has been raining since late morning – a few snowflakes mixed in at times.  Cold rain – temps are around 35-40 degrees.  NICE AND COLD!

  We celebrated Tyler’s birthday down at the Paducah Riverfront.  They have an ice skating rink, now.  This is the first year that they have done this.  It sounds like they have been extremely busy.  The guy said they had several thousand people over the last couple of days.  Pretty impressive.

  Tyler is 10 years old this year! 

Tyler and his buddy.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!

Danielle out on the ice skating rink

Tyler the birthday boy

Dione (does she look cold)  hmmm

Dylan out on the skating rink

Danielle

Dione decides she is going to give it a try

Uh huh

So, Ashton and Joey step in to help her out

Ashton and Dione (hanging on for dear life)

Tyler celebrating his 10th birthday

Birthday Boy

I think Tyler is having  good time 🙂

Ashton

Birthday Party

Mother decides to give skating a try – her first time

I like the kid coming up from behind and racing past her!!!!

Mariah and her friend

Ashton and Dione

Mother – stuck on the other side of the rink

The three Amigo’s and mother to the left

Joey – Ashton – and Dione

Mother

Dione and mother – lol 🙂

Tony and Deena skated, as well.  My camera battery went dead, though.  Lucky them!!!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Tommy and Dione’s house yesterday.  GREAT food!!!! 

Tyler playing video games

Family

Danielle

Tony playing video games with Mariah and Dylan

  Well, our snow system is shaping up just about as forecast.  It looks like we will get some light snow and flurries on Sunday night and Monday morning.  I am not expecting any major accumulation for Paducah or Metropolis.  It still appears that a little snow is possible across areas to our north.  Looks like 1-4" for portions of Central Illinois into Indiana.  Lucky them!

  Our next chance of snow will be Wednesday night and Thursday.  Too soon to put numbers on that system.   Will should receive rain before it changes over to snow. 

  We had our family Thanksgiving today at Dione’s.  I think everyone had a good time.  I did take a few photos – will have to grab them off the camera later.

  Very busy week ahead!  Finals – big subject of the week.  They are SUPPOSED to start on my house – we shall see.  Four test grades will come in on Wednesday – 2 quarter tests and 2 quizzes.  Need to make decent grades on those.  That leaves my finals.  I am reallllllly hoping to wrap this up by next weekend.  Then we will get a break.  Snow chase?  ")  Maybe.  Need a big storm system first.

Check out the snow this evening in Missouri.  🙂  If that were only a few hundred miles further south and east. 

Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning

By JON GAMBRELL – 1 day ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.

By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault — which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.

"The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real," said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Five earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 2.7 have hit central Arkansas this month. Quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are typically the smallest felt by people.

While hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, including several in Arkansas, the location of the recent ones give Al-Shukri pause. Arkansas quakes generally occur in the state’s northeast corner, part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where three temblors with magnitudes of around 8 struck during the winter of 1812 and smaller ones continue today.

But central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, Al-Shukri said.

"It is abnormal. It is significant," he said. "We need to carefully watch this activity."

The area does not have any permanent seismograph, so researchers asked the University of Memphis in Tennessee if they could use its portable equipment. The nearest seismographs aren’t close enough to provide the detailed readings scientists need to determine what could be causing the tremors or properly locate their origin, said Scott Ausbrooks, the geohazard supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey.

"I don’t know if you’ve looked at a map of where these events are located, but they’ve got a scatter on them," he said. "We’re thinking this is probably the inherited error built in when you try to locate events of this small a magnitude from that far away."

Ausbrooks said officials would install the three seismographs around Magnet Cove, a Hot Spring County community near where a magnitude-2.7 earthquake hit on Nov. 1. Residents told police dispatchers they heard what sounded like an explosion.

One possible culprit could be a hydrothermal quake, caused by extremely hot fluid pushing into rocks under the surface. The hot fluid percolates into the cracks of the rocks and causes movement, Al-Shukri said.

That theory matches the geologic history of the area. Central Arkansas is home to Hot Springs, a city that grew up around its namesake spas. The springs have 143-degree waters rushing to the surface continuously.

If that’s the case, the earthquakes likely wouldn’t pose a drastic danger to the area, Al-Shukri said. At their strongest, such quakes reach only a magnitude of 5, the U.S. Geological Survey’s threshold for "moderate."

However, if the earthquakes are caused by a previously unknown fault, that could mean a much more powerful temblor in the future. A recently discovered fault in eastern Arkansas near Marianna caused an earthquake with a magnitude of between 7.2 and 7.5 in the past 5,000 years, Al-Shukri said. That could cause widespread, heavy damage.

"Now, it’s not active, but in geologist time, that’s yesterday," he said.

Ausbrooks wouldn’t speculate on what could be causing the earthquakes, saying he wanted to see what data the seismographs capture. However, he acknowledged an unknown fault could be running through the area.

"There are numerous faults across the state, both known and unknown," Ausbrooks said. "This area has got a lot of faults associated with it from the mountain building of the Ouachitas, but they’re considered inactive."

  Well, this is certainly good news for the City of Metropolis.

A memorandum of understanding the Metropolis City Council unanimously approved Monday night shows Vieste, an infrastructure developer, and its investors that they can expect cooperation, which is an important first step, said state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg.

"I assume the ball is in their court now," Phelps said.

Phelps said Chicago attorney Sanford M. "Sandy" Stein, on behalf of Vieste, had requested a show of support from the Metropolis city government to encourage the company that it should make its initial investment in feasibility, marketing, environmental and engineering studies.

Stein suggested the company is poised to invest $1.5 million in studies with city’s cooperation, Phelps said.

As Stein projected, Vieste proposes the creation of a products and materials distribution center using river, rail, highway and airport transportation on 200 acres along the city’s riverfront west of the railway bridge during an initial phase that could be five years in the making. Infrastructure investment would be $60 million and total investment could be $300 to $400 million, Stein said.

The project could produce 800 to 1,000 jobs.

The long-term, 10-year prospects could bring as much as $1 billion in total investment over a total of 800 acres and could create more than 2,000 jobs, Phelps said Stein told him.

"I want to be sure that everybody knows that this is a long process," Phelps said. "It’s in its infant stages now, and there’s a lot that has to happen to bring this about, but this is the stuff you dream about.

"It could be a blessing for all of southern Illinois and the region," Phelps said. "There could be a lot of spin-off industry that would benefit the area even more.

Phelps said he has no long-term familiarity with Vieste, but he said he is confident in the proposal Stein delivered.

"I’ve known Sandy Stein for some time and know he is an honorable man," Phelps said. "I know that to even be considered for this is a home run. And if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed."

Vieste, on its Web site, posts a list of major ongoing projects for the company with offices in Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, and more recently, Memphis.

Bryan Messmore, the county administrator in Dearborn County, Ind., said on Tuesday that his dealings with Vieste have been positive. Development planners in Dearborn County went to Vieste when they were ready to hash out an economic development plan to acquire Honda automobile plant-related industries.

The people in the county did not embrace some of the development ideas the planners came up with, Messmore said. So no investor was found.

But, he added, Vieste put together a model for land development that could serve as a blueprint for the future if enough people would support it.

However, to date, the county hasn’t spent a dime on it, Messmore said.

  Well, it is black Friday.  I guess that is what they call it.  The day that all of the shops have huge sales.  I will not be buying anything today.  lol  I hate the crowds.

  Spent most of today putting together the different parts for my tower up on the farm.  Junior brought me the base plate – then we went and tried to find a 27" anchor bolt, which we never found.  So, we had to order that.

  Went up to the farm.  Everything looks the same as the last time I was up there.  lol  Nothing is going to change until we get some workers up there.  Which, by the way, is supposed to happen NEXT week.  Let’s cross our fingers and toes and hope that that is the case. 

  Nothing else to report.  Light rain and snow is expected Saturday into Monday.  Not expecting anything major.  At least some snowflakes in the air, though.

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous- yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar- effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks.

The same goes for your life. I you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the rocks first- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of  beers."

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DAY!

  Nice morning – sun is shining and temperatures are not extreme.  Not bad for November.  High temperature today should be around 55 degrees!   Looks like a nice Thanksgiving travel day.  I am sure there will be a lot of people out and about.

  Keeping an eye on a storm system that COULD impact the region on Sunday.  Long way off, though.  Models are showing some chance for rain/snow across our region.  Too far off to make a call, though.  Something to watch.  This is the system that was supposed to move through here on Friday.  It has slowed down a bit.

  Meeting with Don this morning down in Mayfield.  Then back to Paducah to see my dad.  Then homework!  I have to start cramming for the finals.  🙂

  These 500mb maps are very impressive – these are for Sunday.  Basically these maps are showing a nice trough across this region.  A storm system would develop across the Ohio Valley – spreading rain and snow across our counties.  Still – this is four days out.  Models don’t do well past day 2 or 3.  Worth watching, though.

  The GFS is the OUTLIER model – that means that chances of this actually developing are rather low. 

  Well, our chances for rain seem to be diminishing for Friday and Saturday.  Looks like that storm system will stay far enough south that we may be removed from the chance of rain. 

  I met with Southern Illinois Electric today about burying the electric lines up on the farm.  Looks like they will start and finish by the end of December.  That would work out just fine.  They should start on the framing up of the house somewhere around the middle of December.  I hope so at least.

  The footer guys are supposed to start next week.  Let’s hope that stays on track.  I really need them to start and finish as soon as possible.  I am excited!

  Otherwise, we had lunch with a friend today and then went bowling.  🙂

  Thanksgiving is only 2 days away!!!!

  I have finished my last two quarterly tests and quizzes for this semester.  Now all I have left is finals.  I will be glad when this semester is over!  Then I have a few classes left before I am finished with school.  YAY

  It is raining.  I need snow.  I am going to do a snow dance.  I need some snow – soon!

  We will have a chance for snow next week (the first week of December).  Looks like a 40% for now.   No promisessssssss – but 🙂 – I do believe it is a good bet.  We shall see.  I shall wish!

  A couple of days ago I wrote about the "Twilight" experience.  Well, while surfing tonight I found this article!!!!  This sums it up…

I WAS TRAPPED IN A MOVIE THEATER WITH TEENAGE TWILIGHT FANS

By Graeme McMillan, 2:00 PM on Sun Nov 23 2008, 8,088 views

It was, without a doubt, the strangest movie preview I’ve been to. Sure, there were lines of fans for Clone Wars, and The Dark Knight has people already proclaiming it to be the greatest movie ever made before the lights had gone down, but Twilight‘s lines were full of teenage girls dressed for prom bitching about having to give up their cellphones before they went into the theater because it meant that they couldn’t text each other about how awesome the movie was. And that was nothing compared with what lay in store once I went inside.

You could easily tell those who were there to review the movie from the fans. For one thing, we were about twenty years older (at least) than everyone else, and for another, we stayed quiet throughout the entire screening. Which was more than could be said about the fans, who had apparently just been released from various vows of silence before they came into the theater. There was just so much screaming. And not for the things you’d expect there to be screaming about. For example, the prizes in the trivia contest. Yes, there was a trivia contest before the showing (And as the answers were screamed out, two guys in the row behind me, uninterested boyfriends who’d been dragged there by their excited other halves, complained, "Hey! This is ruining the movie for us!"), and the announcement of the prizes went something like this:

"We have Edward key chains!" [Screams] "And this t-shirt has the Cullen family crest!" [Louder screams]

What would happen was that a question would be asked, and then everyone would gasp and/or scream, and hands would fly into the air, hoping to be the person chosen to answer. It was like a remarkably excitable class in school, where girls laid into each other if they got the answer wrong: "Why didn’t you know that? You’re so lame," as one fan said to her friend after she’d been unable to spell the name of Jacob’s tribe properly (She was missing a "u," I think).

The trivia contest wasn’t the only pre-show entertainment; there was also a costume contest to choose a prom queen and prom king – or, because there was only one boy who was in costume (and you could tell that the poor, pre-pubescent kid had been dressed by some fan-crazy mother), something else: "We’re gonna have two winners, a prom queen and… another prom queen, I guess," as the announcement went out (Don’t worry, the boy got the pity vote, and won). The level of specificity in some of the costumes – the ones where fans hadn’t just worn a dress and claimed to be extras in the prom scene, that is – was kind of stunning: "I’m Bella with the scar and the bracelet from the third book!" one girl excitedly squealed into the microphone. Of course you are, dear.

Eventually, the movie started. With more screaming, and then, surprisingly counter-screaming. This what would happen: The credits would start up. There would be screaming, and then someone would shout "Shut up! No screaming during the movie!" Then the name of the movie would come onscreen, with more screaming, and then more shouting: "I want to be able to hear what they’re saying!" It went on for the entire film; Edward comes onscreen – screaming, shouting. Edward and Bella have a moment – screaming, shouting. By the time that Edward and Bella kissed, there was so much screaming and shouting that I wouldn’t have been surprised if a fight had broken out, West Side Story-style, with teenage girls jumping over seats in a co-ordinated dance movement, clicking their fingers and seeming like bad news.

Weirdly enough, though, the Twilight fans that filled the preview screening gave me hope for the future of fandom. I’m not just talking about their insane devotion to what seems an entirely undeserving franchise – although we’ve fall been there; remind me to tell you about my love for DC Comics’ appalling Millennium sometime – but the fact that such devotion came with a full awareness of which parts of the movie deserved to be laughed at, and which parts were worth making a lot of noise about. We’ve made fun of the fan frenzy for Twilight, and – well, it kind of deserves it, but it’s also kind of awesome that there’s such enthusiasm for something like this, you know? I just can’t wait for when there’s a similar amount of enthusiasm for something good.