Record White Tail Deer killed in TN

A farmer killed a state record setting white tail deer in Sumner county TN during muzzle loader hunting season last Saturday.  The deer rack had 47 points and will set a record for the state of TN.  The rack will be dried for 60 days and then scored and will possibly be a new world record.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2016/11/08/state-world-record-deer-killed-sumner-county-tennessee/93492744/

Voted with real paper ballot today

Today I voted using a real paper ballot which I placed in a real ballot box.

At my local voting precinct things were a little busy when I arrived this morning, there were about 8 people in line to get to the check in table and then there was a line with about 10 people who were waiting to use one of the three electronic black box voting machines.  

Behind the line of people waiting to use the electronic voting machines was a small table with a ballot box and a place for a voter to fill out a paper ballot.   There was no line for the paper ballot / ballot box voting station. 

When I reached the check in table with election workers, they handed me a paper form and asked me to write my name, address, and to sign this paper form using a black ink pen.

Then the election workers wanted to see my voter registration card and driver's license, both of which also happen to be ink printed on paper.

Next, I moved to the worker who had the voter registration book, they found my information in the book, the pages again were ink printed on paper, and I was asked to sign my name in black ink next to my name on the page.

Now, instead of moving to the end of the line for the electronic black box voting machines I requested and received a paper ballot, it was just one page with four races;
1)  US presidential race
2)  US house of representatives race
3)  TN state senate race
4)  TN state house of representatives race. 

Using a black pen, I filled in the box next to the candidates name I was voting for in each of the four races, this took approximately 10 seconds.  Next, I removed the stub section from the bottom of the ballot, handed that to the election worker.  Next, I folded my ballot, placed it in an envelope and sealed the envelope.  Finally, I dropped the envelope with my ballot into the slot at the top of the ballot box.

The voters who are using electronic black box voting machines are separated from their vote by a complex layer of electronics, software, firmware, and hardware.  It is not possible to verify a vote with an electronic black box voting machine.  

To make people feel better about the black box electronic voting machines, some claim to have a paper trail.  The term "paper trail" is used to make people feel more comfortable about using these electronic devices.  The problem is that there is still a complex layer of electronics and software and hardware and firmware placed in between the voter and this so called paper trail, and therefore the vote still cannot be verified and is susceptible to manipulation, errors, and hacking. 

A hand counted paper ballot system is fast, simple, secure.  It is straightforward, simple, and easy to verify a vote with a paper ballot. 

30 degrees F October 23, 2016

Coldest air of the season so far, at 8am this morning it was 30.4 degrees F.  Good frost outside, and the water hose had ice in it.

42.8 degrees F low during week of September 26 - 30, 2016

A couple of days ago I saw 42.8 degrees F on the thermometer at the farm in the morning,  that was at about 7:45 am (it might have been cooler earlier but I did not check), I think it was Wednesday September 28, 2016.  I threw a fleece jacket in the truck, turned off AC and turned on heat in the truck in the mornings.

It was 49 degrees this morning September 30, very nice weather, very clear blue skies during the day. 

49 degrees September 12, 2016

It was 49 degrees F at the farm on a beautiful and cool morning September 12, 2016.

Good grass growing weather, the horses are happy.

On Saturday the TN Vols beat my alma mater VT Hokies in the Battle at Bristol which set an all time US football attendance record with 156,990 fans in the stadium. 

On Sunday Stan the Man Wawrinka won his 3rd grand slam singles title at the US open with a win over Djokovic.  

May 15, 2016, 33 degrees F, light frost

Beautiful morning on the farm.  Light frost on top of the grass and on our vehicles.  We had a clear night, temperature was 33 degrees F this morning.

41 Degrees F May 5, 2016, Snow in the Smokies

This morning the temperature was 41 degrees F at the farm, and wet.
Wild blackberries are in blossom.
Many beautiful wildflowers are also blooming.

Spring snow in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park:
 http://wate.com/2016/05/05/spring-snow-surprises-tourists-in-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/

27 degrees F April 10, 2016

We had several days this week with frost in the morning, today was the coolest day however with a morning temp of 27 degrees F.  Dogwoods are starting to bloom here.

More snow Jan 23, 2016

We received another 3 - 4" of snow overnight and it is still snowing, and blowing.  I'm looking outside and the snow is going sideways.  Low temp this morning was 24 degrees F.

One of the outside animal water heaters developed a problem and is popping the gfci outlet, I'll be working to get that problem fixed. 

9 degrees F Jan 19, 2016 and snow Jan 20

Yesterday morning Jan 19 the temperature dropped to about 8.5 degrees F at the farm.  Today Jan 20 we had snow, about 3 or 4 inches, and the temperature stayed below freezing all day.  All local chool systems were closed.

coldest temps so far for the season, 12 degrees F Jan 11, 2016

This morning the temperature dropped just below 12 degrees F (11.7 degrees F) at the farm.  We have had a couple of mornings that hit 16 degrees F but this was the coldest so far for the season. 

19 degrees F on Dec 19, 2015

Low temperature this morning dipped below 20 degrees F for the first time that I'm aware of this season.

Everything outside is frosty white.

Forecast for the upcoming Christmas week however is for warm temperatures and rain. 

PIgeons as good as humans at detecting cancer

This week in the news there were a couple of articles about a research study that trained pigeons to look at medical images and decide if the images showed cancer or not.  Apparently the pigeons were able to read the images with accuracy equivalent to experienced humans.

I know that pigeons were trained previously in a similar way to use their eyes to find objects on the ocean surface from aircraft, for example finding survivors of an accident.

Here are links to a couple of stories from this week:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34878151
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/19/pigeons-can-identify-cancerous-tissue-on-x-rays-study-finds

32 Degrees F, First Frost of the season Oct 17, 2015

Clear beautiful sky and 32 degrees F at the farm this morning for the first frost of the season. 

52 degrees F June 29, 2015

Beautiful clear night, 52 degrees F this morning.  Felt really nice, put on a fleece to do morning chores. 

Jan 8, 2015: 3 degrees F this morning

This morning it was 2.9 degrees F at the farm.  I think we will go three or four days with the temperature staying below freezing.  Spring water flowing down the bottom of our driveway has created icy patches. 
Fortunately this morning it was sunny and clear with no wind.