Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Phils' Clubhouse Prank Turns into Overnight YouTube Sensation!








It looks like the 2007 National League East Champs (and my team) are ready for 2008!

Philadelphia Phillies' veteran pitcher Brett Myers managed to get the whole clubhouse, managers, and the Philadelphia press into duping second-year Phils' pitcher Kyle Kendrick into believing he was traded to a Japanese team.

The elaborate practical joke only started in the clubhouse, but became an overnight internet sensation.

It looks like my team is ready to go for '08! Ready to defend the NL East crown, and take it even further!

Philadelphia ComcastSportsNet
Philadelphia Inquirer
Cleveland Dealer
FOXNews
MSNBC
Article giving kudos to Phils on prank as good for the sport during a time when steroid scandals are hurting it.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

TRAGEDY IN THE SOUTH

SUPER TUESDAY CATASTROPHE!



Death Toll Continues To Rise In Deadliest U.S. Tornado Outbreak In 23 Years. Homes, Universities, Shopping Malls, Natural Gas Pumping Stations Among The Devastated Buildings. President Bush To Visit Damaged Areas Friday.


Tuesday was supposed to be a day dominated by the results of the Super Tuesday primaries, news of how the U.S. Presidential race is shaping up.

However, something much more darker and deadly quickly grabbed its place in the minds of America.

The deadliest severe weather outbreak in 23 years slammed America's Southern and Midwest states, killing at least 55 and injuring over 300. The storms destroyed houses, retirement homes, post offices, a shopping mall, and a natural gas pumping station, among other places.

The hardest hit areas were: Aiken, Arkansas; Memphis, Jackson, Hardin County, Williamson County, Sumner County, and Macon County, all in Tennessee; and communities in northern Alabama and south-central Kentucky.

Probably the most blessed area of the night was metro Nashville, Tennessee. A deadly tornado struck in an area to the southwest, around Fairview in Williamson County. The storm's funnel pulled back up as it approached the city of Nashville. The supercell continued to cross over the city, and dropped its funnel again after passing over Nashville's Davidson County. That funnel stayed on the ground for 51 miles, passing through Sumner, Macon, and Trousdale counties in Tennessee, and continuing on through Allen County, Kentucky. That tornado alone killed at least 27 people.

Below is a photo essay of the disaster. For stories and videos, click the links below. May God be with all who suffered great loss in these areas. They are certainly in America's thoughts and prayers! For those in these regions, I just want to encourage you all to keep the faith! You will bounce back, swiftly and better than before, because you have faith in the Almighty above, and a strong Puritian work-ethic based on your faith. We stand with you as you try your hardest to recover.



Outbreak death toll
State
Total
County
Countytotal

Alabama 6
Jackson 2
Lawrence 4

Arkansas 13
Baxter 1
Conway 2
Izard 2
Pope 4
Stone 1
Van Buren 3

Kentucky 7
Allen 4
Muhlenberg 3


Tennessee 33
Fayette 1
Hardin 3
Macon 14
Madison 2
Shelby 3
Sumner 7
Trousdale 3


Totals
59
All confirmed deaths are tornado-related

Tolls are from Wikipedia











Tennessee's death tolls by county as of Wednesday night, Feb. 6, 2008.


SUMNER COUNTY, TENNESSEE










The historic Wynnewood site in Castilian Springs, a hard-hit area.





















The remains of the Castilian Springs post office were blown across the street from where it once stood.
















Postal workers try to recover items from the demolished Castilian Springs post office.
















Debris shrewn across a Castilian Springs highway.












A house stands near Castilian Springs, while neighboring houses in the back are gone.





TROUSDALE COUNTY, TENNESSEE

















The glow could be seen in all surrounding counties, and for miles when the Columbia Gulf natural gas pumping station caught fire after taking a direct hit from the tornado. The flames shot as much as 500 feet in the air in the fire.















The remains of the Columbia Gulf facility, near Hartsville, after the tornado and fire caused severe damage.


MACON COUNTY, TENNESSEE






















Houses near Lafayette, Tennessee, lie in ruin after a direct hit by the tornado, measured at 3/4 of a mile wide. The tornado stayed on the ground for 51 miles after passing Nashville.















The remains of the F&M Furniture Manufacturing Company in Lafayette.























An overview of the F&M destruction.

















Yet another image of F&M.














A house in Macon County after Tuesday night's tornado.




MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE















The Sears at the Hickory Hill Mall in Memphis suffered serious damage. The mall itself was closed because of substantial damage.











This Caterpillar plant in Memphis sustained severe damage.















The remains of a warehouse in Memphis.




JACKSON, TENNESSEE

















This Walgreens near Union University shows signs of heavy damage.


















A BancorpSouth branch and an Arby's restaurant with Union University in the background.


















Another view of the BancorpSouth branch.

















A Jackson church sustained haevy damage.

















A view of the destroyed dorms at Union.















Another view of the devastated dorms.
















Yet another view of the dorms.



















And yet another view.



































Cars were strewn around the campus.































One of Union's largest buildings sustained heavy roof damage.


















Images are courtesy of the Tennessean, Commercial Appeal, and the Jackson Sun.


REFERENCE LINKS

Wikipedia article on the "2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak"


ARTICLES

Associated Press
CNN
MSNBC
Memphis, Tenn., Commercial Appeal
Commercial Appeal Special Section
Nashville, Tenn., Tennessean
Tennessean Special Section
WTVF-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Special Section
WSMV-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Special Section
WMC-TV, Memphis, Tenn., Special Section
Jackson, Tenn., Sun - Special Section
Gallatin, Tenn., News-Examiner (Courtesy of The Tennessean)
Clarksville, Tenn., Leaf-Chronicle
Little Rock, Ark., Democrat-Gazette
Birmingham, Ala., News
Bowling Green, Ky., Daily News


VIDEO

MSNBC- Supercell took region by suprise
CNN Video Coverage
Tennessean Video Coverage
WSMV-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Video


PHOTO GALLERIES

Tennessean Audio Photo Gallery
Tennessean Audio Photo Gallery with scenes from across the "Volunteer State".
Macon County, Tenn.

Sumner County, Tenn.
Fairview, Williamson County, Tenn. (The supercell thunderstorm dropped a tornado here, then it fizzled as the storm crossed Nashville. The supercell then dropped the deadly funnel after leaving Nashville, and went on its rampage through Sumner, Trousdale, and Macon Counties, before causing choas in a section of south-central Kentucky.)
Jackson, Tenn.
Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station fire, Trousdale County, Tenn.
Union University tornado photos
Commercial Appeal slide show
Commercial Appeal slide show II
Clean-up photos from the Little Rock, Ark. Democrat-Gazette
Jackson, Tenn. Sun's special coverage of the storms, including photo galleries

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

DEVELOPING WEATHER STORY

FEBRUARY SEVERE WEATHER BLASTS THROUGH MIDWEST, MIDSOUTH; AT LEAST 23 REPORTED DEAD, OVER 100 INJURED.

Springlike severe thunderstorms, many including tornadoes, blew through a large swath of the Midsouth Tuesday night, and is continuing to threaten portions of the region.

At least 23 are confirmed dead at this time, and over 100 are injured across Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and other neighboring states in a storm system bizarre for this time of year.

Seven of those deaths are in northern Arkansas, and at least six others died across the state. Widespread damage is reported across that state.

Tennessee is another very hard-hit state. A tornadic thunderstorm blew through the metropolitian Memphis area during the early evening. It destroyed a warehouse building, damaged a Caterpillar plant, and caused serious damage to the Hickory Ridge Mall, where a wall and the roof of a Sears store were heavily damaged. At least one fatility has been reported at Hickory Ridge. A hangar at Memphis International Airport that was occupied by the National Guard had its roof torn off. FedEx Corp. reported damage to some of its facilities at the airport in its hometown.

From there the storm followed Interstate 40 to Jackson, Tenn., where widespread damage was reported. Dorm buildings at Union University were reduced to rubble, trapping at least nine and injuring others. Classes at Union will reportedly be cancelled for two weeks to deal with the damage. At least 50 people were trapped in the damaged Jackson Oaks retirement home. Other damage was reported, as well, across West Tennessee, where at least four fatalities occured. Three other deaths were reported elsewhere in the Volunteer State.

The storms paraded across West and Middle Tennessee, and wreaked havoc in the areas around Nashville during the early night hours. The Columbia Natural Gas facility in Hartsville, Trousdale County, was slammed by a reported tornado, setting it on fire and throwing flames up to 500 feet into the air. The light from the fire was seen in all surrounding counties.

In Kentucky, three were reportedly killed when storms blasted a mobile home park in Muhlenberg County.

The storms interfered with Super Tuesday voting, as Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee were all holding their Presidential primaries. Presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, and Hillary Clinton, a previous Arkansas First Lady, all expressed condolances to those who have been affected by Tuesday's serious weather condition.

This is a developing story, as tornadic thunderstorms are still pushing through a stretch of the country from Ohio, through Middle Tennessee, and into Mississippi.

Memphis Commercial Appeal
Nashville Tennessean
Jackson, Tenn., Sun
Little Rock, Ark., Democrat-Gazette
CNN
Jackson, Tenn., photos
Middle Tennessee photos
Account of the fire at the Hartsville, Tenn., natural gas facility

A M E R I C A C H O O S E S 2 0 0 8 - S U P E R T U E S D A Y

McCAIN, CLINTON WIN BIG ON COASTS; ROMNEY, OBAMA TAKE INTERIOR STATES; HUCKABEE DOES WELL IN SOUTH.

AM CST, Feb. 6

The bottom line of the results in Tuesday's nearly national primary can be found in the headline. This won't be an in-depth article. We'll just cover the facts here and leave the in-depth spin up to the press.

REPUBLICANS
Arizona Senator John McCain got pretty much all the wins he wanted tonight. There was no suprises for his states. A bigger suprise was how well Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee did in the five states he won. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney did not have a disastrous night either, but just barely missed in important opportunities such as Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Delaware, and it looks like California.

STATES WON - WTA OR SPLIT - IF WTA, # OF DEL.
McCAIN
Arizona - WTA - 53
California - Split
Connecticut - WTA - 30
Delaware - WTA - 18
Illinois - Split
Missouri - WTA - 58
New Jersey - WTA - 52
New York - WTA - 101
Oklahoma - Split

ROMNEY
Colorado - Split
Massachusetts - Split
Minnesota - Split
Montana - Split
North Dakota - Split
Utah - WTA - 36

HUCKABEE
Alabama - Split
Arkansas - Split
Georgia - Split
Tennessee - Split
West Virginia - WTA - 18

STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Alaska

RESULTS
AL: Huckabee-41%, McCain-37%, Romney-18%, Paul-3% 99% of Precincts
AK: STILL TO REPORT
AZ: McCain-47, Romney-34, Huckabee-9, Paul-5 72%
AR: Huckabee-61, McCain-20, Romney-13, Paul-5 85%
CA: McCain-44, Romney-26, Huckabee-12, Paul-4 29%
CO: Romney-60, McCain-19, Huckabee-13, Paul-8 73%
CT: McCain-52, Romney-33, Huckabee-7, Paul-4 99%
DE:McCain-45, Romney-33, Huckabee-15, Paul-4 100%
GA: Huckabee-34, McCain-32, Romney-30, Paul-3 98%
IL: McCain-47, Romney-29, Huckabee-17, Paul-5 97%
MA: Romney-51, McCain-41, Huckabee-4, Paul-3 95%
MN: Romney-42, McCain-22, Huckabee-20, Paul-15 82%
MO: McCain-33, Huckabee-32, Romney-29, Paul-4 99%
MT: Romney-38, Paul-25, McCain-22, Huckabee-15 100%
NJ: McCain-55, Romney-28, Huckabee-8, Paul-5 98%
NY: McCain-51, Romney-28, Huckabee-11, Paul-7 99%
ND: Romney-36, McCain-23, Paul-21, Huckabee-20 100%
OK: McCain-37, Huckabee-33, Romney-25, Paul-3 100%
TN: Huckabee-34, McCain-32, Romney-24, Paul-6 100%
UT: Romney-90, McCain-5, Paul-3, Huckabee-2 99%
WV: Huckabee-52, Romney-47, McCain-1, Paul-0 100%

Will Today's Wall Street Action Bode Well For Romney?

For those who may not know, Wall Street was again jittery today on economic fears. Will this persuade fence-sitting voters to go out and vote for Romney today. This is his strong issue, so time will tell.
















A M E R I C A C H O O S E S 2 0 0 8 - S U P E R T U E S D A Y

HUCKABEE WINS WEST VIRGINIA AFTER DEAL WITH McCAIN SUPPORTERS, 23 OTHER STATES STILL VOTING.

3:57 PM CST

Happy Super Tuesday to all the readers of the Conservative Statesman!

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a narrow victory in the West Virginia GOP Convention over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

With 100 percent of precincts in, Huckabee registered 52 percent of the vote, while Romney got 47 percent. Arizona Senator John McCain only got a single percent of the vote, and that has raised the fact that McCain and Huckabee's backers joined forces in the second round of balloting.

An earlier first round showed Romney well ahead and near the 50 percent mark needed to win. McCain and Texas Congressman Ron Paul were well behind. Paul, being in fourth place, was dropped after the first round. McCain's camp, seeing that they were so far behind in the vote, reportedly encouraged their supporters to back Huckabee, keeping Romney from a win that would boost momentum. Appearently, that is exactly what happened.

Now, 23 other states are voting for their choices. I'll try to post here when I can throughout the evening. Now, go out there and exercise your citizenship muscles and vote!


A blogger's comments on a likely McCain-Huckabee deal in the Mountaineer State
CNN Story On West Virginia Results
CNN's State-By-State Guide To Super Tuesday
CNN Election Center - LIVE Super Tuesday Returns

Saturday, February 2, 2008

A M E R I C A C H O O S E S 2 0 0 8 - M A I N E

ROMNEY TAKES MAINE GOP CAUCUS BY A LANDSLIDE!

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the Maine GOP Presidential caucus in a cakewalk Saturday, blasting by Arizona Senator, and presumed frontrunner, John McCain and Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

With 68 percent of precincts reporting, Romney held 52 percent of the vote (which are actually state delegates), while McCain was holding onto 21 percent, and Paul was winning 19 percent. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee only had 6 percent of the vote. The Undecided column and several withdrawn candidates held the rest. Eighteen delegates were at stake, and they had not been apportioned by the writing of this article.