Killing of Trayvon Martin and Lynching of George Zimmerman
By now you’ve probably heard about the shooting that took place last month in Sanford, Florida.
The suspect — 28-year-old George Zimmerman, a person dedicated to his role as a neighborhood watch volunteer.
The victim — 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a high school student visiting his father during a 10-day school suspension.
Depending which articles you read, which news reports you may watch, or what your friends are saying on Facebook or Twitter, you may hear one of several accounts for what happened the night of the shooting. Of course, you may also have heard the news from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson since the young black male is being proclaimed by the media as being completely innocent in the crime.
Of course, that depends on the facts. You know, those pesky little details that tend to set the story straight.
The problem here is that only two people know for a fact what happened during the shooting, and one of them is dead.
The police have been investigating the crime. From what I’ve heard, there hasn’t been enough evidence yet to charge George Zimmerman with a crime. I’ve also heard that the police may have not been completely thorough with the investigation. I don’t know. I’m not a cop, nor have I seen the final report of the incident. Until such a report is finally released, it’s too early to jump to conclusions about what really happened the night of the shooting and the response by the Sanford police department.
So for us, the general public, how do we know the complete chain of events that occurred the night of the shooting?
Do we know enough information to protest and demand further action by the investigators and district attorney?
Let’s attempt to take a closer look at the shooting incident.
One of the better sources of information is the website for the city of Sanford. Click on the link that says “Trayvon Martin Investigation.” Read more…
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: society
Suffering in Atlanta’s Pollen Regime
Okay, maybe it’s not a regime, but the start of this year’s pollen season here in Atlanta, GA, has been absolutely brutal.
Yesterday, the city hit a record with a pollen count of 8,164. Today’s pollen count . . . 9,369!
The pollen count is too DAMN high!
The neighborhood streets are already covered in a thick dust of the yellow powder. While out running some errands, my girlfriend and I saw that ordinary black parking lots had many bright yellow sections. It’s all because of pollen. Grrrrr.
Lately, the pollen season here in the Atlanta region has been occurring in the spring around late March and early April. We’d have like a week or two of intense pollen counts, but then it would quickly end. At some point a nice downpour embedded in a thunderstorm would help wash away the dusting, making it easier to breathe once again.
But as we’ve noticed, it seems like spring skipped the region and we’ve headed straight into summer. The daytime highs have been in the low to mid 80s, and nights have been pleasantly warm in the mid 60s. That kind of weather is fine for June, but not for the first half of March. This is just crazy hot for this time of year!
Right now the weather forecast is showing highs in the low to mid 80s for the rest of the week. We might see some precipitation on Thursday or Friday, but right now the chances of that are still fairly low. With intense pollen like this, we need a good downpour about every other day to help wash away that crap and keep it easier to breathe outside. Read more…
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – 2012 edition
The month of March has arrived, and to way too many people that means only one thing: college basketball.
Specifically, March Madness and the quest for the championship.
People will spend days analyzing and making predictions, only to be shocked when the upsets occur. Personally, I could care less. While I don’t mind watching the occasional game on TV, basketball (any level), is just not my thing. If people want to spend time on the whole “bracketology” crap and everything associated with it, then that’s their problem.
So what happens when it’s time to fill out a bracket just for the fun of it, and you really don’t know anything about the teams this year? That’s where the coin comes into play.
Yes, folks, the infamous coin has returned. I had to switch coins this year as my normal one grew legs and walked away. Let’s hope that this alternate coin has a little bit better luck than the previous two coin predictions.
For the 2012 season, the coin has predicted Colorado, Memphis, Montana and Purdue as the Final Four teams. The University of Colorado is predicted to be the overall winner. Read more…
Categories: sports Tags: basketball
March 2, 2012 Tornado Outbreak Aftermath
Friday, March 2, 2012 witnessed a deadly tornado outbreak across the southern states and Ohio Valley region.
Out of the 127 reported tornadoes, 57 of them were confirmed by the National Weather Service. One of them struck about two miles from my parent’s house here in the Atlanta metro area.
Forty-one people ultimately lost their life from the deadly storms, with the worst hit areas in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. In particular, one of the hardest hit areas was a damage path caused by an EF-4 tornado. Eleven people died as the twister tore through the small towns of New Perkin, Henryville and Chelsea, Indiana. South of the Ohio River, twenty-five people were killed in northern Kentucky. The town of West Liberty, Kentucky, suffered extreme damage.
As it was noted, that region of the country was experiencing unusually warm air for that time of year. Through in a strong low pressure system and extreme wind shear, and the area was just ripe for the formation of violent supercell thunderstorms.
The day of violent tornadoes started early with twisters striking in northeastern Alabama.
Harvest, Alabama – EF3 tornado footage
The town of Harvest, Alabama, was hit with an EF3 tornado on Friday morning. Take note that the same town was hit by an EF5 tornado in the April 25-28, 2011 super outbreak. Some of the very homes that were being rebuilt were struck AGAIN by a tornado in less than a year. Read more…
Potential Tornado Outbreak – March 2, 2012
In what has already been an early start to the spring severe weather season, there is another threat of severe storms and tornadoes. As of this very moment, there have already been thirteen reports of tornadoes in Alabama, Tennessee and Illinois.
Today’s biggest threat area stretches from northern Tennessee to southern Illinois and Ohio. This includes major cities such as Nashville, TN, Knoxville, TN, Cincinnati, OH, along with Louisville and Lexington, KY.
Tornado probability outlook – March 2, 2012
Today’s activity had an early start as tornadoes touched down in northern Alabama around the Huntsville area. Many homes and buildings suffered moderate levels of damage. Thankfully, there have not been any reported fatalities or significant injuries from those storms.
Tornado Watches – March 2, 2012
As of right now, tornado watch boxes much of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the northern parts of Mississippi and Alabama. The two northern watch areas are labeled as Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watches. Read more…