Jenna Fischer Versus Lucy Davis

Jenna Fischer

O.K. so this post's title is somewhat deceptive. I'm not attempting to contrast the two actresses which play the "same" character on The Office. I'm sure anyone who watches The Office is aware that the U.S. version is a take off on the U.K. version.


Lucy Davis

I've watched both series thanks to cable, and YouTube, and I'm impressed with both versions.


Pam Beesly

Some say that the U.S. version is better than the U.K. version, and I'm inclined to agree, but then again I am an Anglophile, and understand that British humor is a bit harder to get compared to silliness over here in the States. So it's an even draw for me.


Dawn Tinsley

Anyone who's watched both versions of The Office will have appreciated the similarities, and of course the marked differences. I highly recommend checking out YouTube if you haven't seen both versions of The Office.

One little side note, Jenna Fischer attended Lucy Davis' wedding last year.

Angelina Jolie's Tattoos

Photo: Actress Angelina Jolie

I've been a fan of Angelina Jolie since her role as Lisa Rowe in Girl Interrupted (1999). Not only is she amazingly beautiful, but she's a very good actress too. Despite my fan status I have a problem with Angelina Jolie's decision to mar her otherwise perfect skin by having tattoos applied.


Photo: Angelina Jolie's Shoulder Tattoo - Know Your Rights

Angelina Jolie's shoulder tattoo states, "Know Your Rights", which reminds me of a tune by The Clash.


Photo: Angelina Jolie's Arm Tattoo

Angelina Jolie's Arm Tattoos continue to change. We see the most recent tattoos which refer to the longitudes, and latitudes of her children's birthplaces.

I'm not really certain why Angelina Jolie chooses to put ink on her body. I've never had a problem with guys putting ink to skin, but Angelina Jolie is too beautiful to do this.

The current tattoo on her arm is actually drawn over a removed tattoo - the name of her former boyfriend. Below the current tattoo is a tattoo of a dragon which she has had removed.

Some say Angelina Jolie is a bit unstable at this point in her life, but I'd say that her ever changing tattoos are just proof that she'd look better without them.

Naked Chicks and Beer!

It's Beer (bottles), and They're Naked Together!

I can't believe this is legal!



Check These Naked Chicks Out!

Unbelievable!
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Now For Something Completely Different


On The Internet Nothing Sells Like SEX!


Does Wonders For Hit Counts Too!

For all the news you can abuse check out Dave's NAKED NEWS Feature Each Wednesday at The11thHour!

International Space Station Over Springfield Illinois

International Space Station Over Springfield, IL 08/21/2007

In the lower right hand corner of the image above we see the Moon, Jupiter and the star in the upper right may be Zeta Ophiuchi .

The long white streak in the center is the International Space Station. The ISS doesn't actually appear as a streak in the sky. The ISS appears as a very bright dot - similar to an aircraft. The white streak appears in the image only because I kept the lens on my camera open long enough to capture the night sky.

The ISS may not look like much in the image above, but the ISS was actually brighter in appearance than Jupiter appearing above the moon. The ISS is moving, and the CCDs in the camera were soaking up much more static light from the Moon and the planet than the moving ISS.

The photo was taken looking to the south. The space station was crossing West to South East which explains why the light streak slashes downward right to left.


A Closer View of ISS From Space


I want to thank Dave of The11thhour! He's very consistent in pointing out when to look for ISS, and without his post earlier this week I wouldn't have caught ISS this time around.

For those still interested the ISS will be available for viewing in the Springfield, Illinois area tomorrow night (see the chart, and helpful graph from NASA below). There will be less time to view it, and it will appear lower in the sky. The Moon won't make it any easier to see Wednesday night either. Still, it's worth the few minutes of effort needed see it. Simply step outside, and look into the sky at the right time, and in the right direction, and you'll be in for a treat that you'll never forget.

The ISS is so bright that I could have seen it through a window and never even stepped foot outside my home tonight.
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Jerome, Illinois - International Space Station - August 21st, 2007

I took several images of the ISS, and so here's another one (above). In the center of the image above we see the International Space Station appearing once again as a streak of white. You'll note that the background stars appear as individual dots. The International Space Station was moving "downward" toward the south eastern horizon.

This photo includes the tops of trees at the bottom of the image, and even a portion of a home lower left. Except for the Moon, which is off to the right of this image, the ISS was the brightest light source in the sky at the time. If you know when and where to look, and the weather is in your favor viewing the ISS is easy to do.

The International Space Station took three minutes to cross the sky tonight.


Odds and Ends

Springfield, Illinois latitude is 39.801N. The longitude is -89.643W


ISS Helpful Chart

THE FOLLOWING ISS SIGHTINGS ARE POSSIBLE FROM SUN AUG 19 TO FRI AUG 31

SATELLITE	LOCAL	DURATION	MAX ELEV	APPROACH	DEPARTURE
	DATE/TIME	(MIN)	(DEG)	(DEG-DIR)	(DEG-DIR)

ISS	Sun Aug 19/09:40 PM	1	41	23 above WNW	41 above WSW
ISS	Mon Aug 20/08:28 PM	4	47	24 above NNW	14 above ESE
ISS	Mon Aug 20/10:03 PM	<1	12	10 above WSW	12 above WSW
ISS	Tue Aug 21/08:51 PM	3	46	29 above W	21 above SSE
ISS	Wed Aug 22/09:13 PM	2	14	11 above W	12 above SSW
ISS	Fri Aug 24/08:24 PM	2	14	13 above WSW	10 above SSW

Springfield Illinois' Dark Under World

If You Could Explore Springfield, Illinois Abandoned Coal Mines
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Springfield, Illinois is surrounded by abandoned underground coal mines. As Springfield grew it developed over coals mines which were at one point farm fields. Springfield and Sangamon County produced more coal than any other city and county during World War II. At that time coal mining was vital not only in the production of electricity, but also in providing industrial chemicals needed in wartime manufacturing.



Would You Know Which Way To Go?
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Springfield played such an important role in mining that labor leader John Lewis, and the United Mine Workers union was based in downtown Springfield. Coal mining was a dirty, and dangerous job, but it was a vitally important job in a rapidly developing nation. The UAW strove to improve mine safety conditions, and pay for tens of thousands of miners. Labor leaders, and union members faced termination of employment, arrest, beatings, and assassination at the hands of corrupt police, and hired company thugs. The labor movement was branded as communist activity, and conservative newspapers across the nation slanted their stories with inflammatory headlines employing the use of the word "Reds" to describe Union members.
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Would You Find Evidence of Its Makers?
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Today most would agree that improvements in work place safety, a forty hour work week, overtime, and a minimum wage are simply part of the cost of doing business in a civilized society, but advocating these improvements cost many people their lives.
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Would It Be A World Of Motion?

As the coal mines around the Springfield, Illinois area were exhausted the mines were shut down, and new mines were started in other parts of Sangamon County which are in operation today. There is still more coal in Sangamon County than in any other County in Illinois. Illinois has more coal than any other state. The State of Illinois is literally resting upon a sea of coal..
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Or A Place To Rest?
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Despite the vast amount of coal available in Illinois electric companies shifted toward the purchase of low sulfur coals mined in other states. The cost of cleaning Illinois coal was not significantly greater than using low sulfur coal, but in a cheap energy economy the extra cost simply could not be justified. Today with oil prices on the rise, and new technology available Illinois vast coal deposits can once again be economically put to use.
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A Place To Lay Your Weary Bones?
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There is, however, a raging debate about carbon dioxide. The question is what can be done to reduce carbon dioxide emissions? Carbon sequestration is one possible solution. Large pockets space exist under Illinois which can be filled with carbon dioxide produced by the state's coal burning plants. The technology of carbon sequestration is already being used in Europe, and it is likely that sequestration will find a use in Illinois in the not too distant future.
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Within Its Grave Yard?
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Yet it seems obvious that the finite coal resources will one day themselves become depleted, and renewable energy resources will be needed. Whether this be in seventy five years, or several hundred years isn't as important as addressing the issue of global warming. Coal mining represents nineteenth century technology, and will one day be relegated to the era of the steam engine.


About This Post.

Hat tip to Dave of The11thhour, John Boy, Brave Miners Everywhere, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and The folk who explore abandoned mines (Photo Source).

Photos for this post are of actual abandoned coal mines (not of Springfield's mines). Decades after these mines are abandoned many of them are still as they were the day they were closed. Many are filled, or partially filled with water. Others have lost support pillars and have caved in. While others are dry, and run for miles without any disruption.

How many miles of abandoned but intact coal mines are under the homes of Springfield, Illinois I could not guess, but some areas have been hit to some degree with subsidence, and it is likely that many more areas will be affected in the future as mines closed over forty years ago begin to collapse.

Who's Keith Moon?

The Who On Keith Moon

Before I had ever heard the name Keith Moon I knew Keith Moon. As a boy the drum is perhaps the most alluring of musical instruments, and it was as a boy that I first heard Keith Moon's drums in Who songs that would play on the radio.

I was lucky enough to work for several years with a drummer for a local band here in Springfield, Illinois. The one thing I will always remember him telling me is that there is a drummer in each of us - sometimes just dying to be set free. He was right. There is a rhythm in us all. That beat accompanies us our entire life - and when it ends we end with it - it courses from our heart into our arteries, and it carries with it life.


Keith Moon of The Who

Keith let that primal drummer go free, and it was his beat which drove The Who. As a boy, long before I could understand the lyrics of The Who I could understand the song through the beat. Later as a teenager I knew there were times when I might forget a word here or there, but I had every single beat down.


He Was Unique & Never To Be Taken Away

It was this driving Rock beat which brought millions of fans to The Who. Eventually we would invest the time to learn, and understand the lyrics, and even the deeper meanings, and history of each song, but the beat spoke long before then. Keith Moon was the engine which drove The Who.