In Case You Missed It - Chasing Lightning

Last month National Geographic ran a story about Tim Samaras a lightning chaser following thunderstorms out in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Writer George Johnson and photographer Carsten Peter, joined Samaras on the hunt for a perfect photo of a perfect storm. “Tim Samaras has a storm in his headlights and the world’s fastest high-resolution camera in the trailer behind. Can it catch lightning in the act?"

Amazing photo by Carsten Peter showing a strike straddling the bridge up ahead.

 

 

Above in the video a cloud-to-ground lightning strike severs the sky near Los Lunas, New Mexico. Tim Samaras and his crew chased the slow-moving storm cell until they ran out of road, and now can only watch as it moves on. New Mexico's sparse road system makes lightning chasing difficult. Far easier to navigate are the tight grids of farm roads crisscrossing the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.

The full story from National Geographic is here.

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Hunting With Percy Craven

It is more than a mile off the blacktop and down a winding gravel road to Percy's cabin at the lake. The road is bumpy yet soft thanks to the Carolina Pines that litter their needles like rust colored carpet atop the stones. The frost has come early this year, it is not yet October and with the frost comes the smell of burning fires and fresh coffee on a wood stove.

Photo by Cedar Posts

Percy's cabin is more shack than home, the kind of place that Eric Rudolph the Olympic park bomber would have called home while on the run for five years in the North Carolina mountains. There is not even the slightest amount of insulation, in fact some of the cedar planks that cover the walls show daylight as the sun first beams across the lake in the early dawn.

The water comes from a spring up the side of the mountain that collects into a concrete tank barely visible half way up the hill and tucked into the woods. Water pressure is supplied by gravity and the 200 foot run down to the house.

The sound the gravel popping under the tires of my SUV quiets as I roll to a stop. The stillness of the lake is stunning in the early morning sun beams of gold as the fog gently lifts and then falls over the tree tops. There are no signs of life inside the cabin but the fire is burning and the front door's ajar.

Percy is old enough that I often fear I'll find him dead one morning and if that be the case today, I'll take great relief knowing that he passed in his sleep in the place his father built nearly 100 years ago.

A raspy familiar voice from around the back side of the shed leaves me startled and relived at the same time.

"Whatcha no good?" Percy calls out.

"Not much, just looking for the old coot, who owns this piece of shit house in the middle of God's majestic wilderness" I figure I'd get that jab in before he says something about my WalMart boots.

"I see's you wearing your fancy boots again" Percy doesn't miss a thing. "You ready to go hunting?"

"Yep", I reply as Percy shoves a Styrofoam cup of black coffee my way.

This is no big game hunt Mr. Carven has invited me on, while it is deer season bears can't be tracked until mid October. Nope, no wall trophies today because we are going to bag squirrels and/or chipmunks.

No doubt some people consider them, adorable little creatures. But before anyone gets all city slicker squeamish on me let me explain at even Percy Craven won't eat a squirrel. Only thing nastier tasting Percy can attest to this fact, is a opossum. I on the other hand have tasted neither and never intend to.

So, we won't be frying up Rocky the Squirrel today, rather those the little varmints will be "shot" for their tails. It just happens that squirrel and chipmunk tails make great flies for trout fishing.

What Percy doesn't keep to make his own trout flies he sells to a artificial lure company in Kingsport, Tennessee. He'll get a dollar a tail, plus his shipping costs.

The trick to shooting squirrels you have to use a 22 with a scope and a steady hand. Head shot and the scope makes it a rather personal interaction with the squirrel. Percy has a Boykin Spaniel named Jake who spent the night snoozing next to the wood stove. Jake's job is to run in circles until the squirrels start chattering. The squirrels sound off about the dog and Percy takes careful aim and drops the squirrel from 30 feet up. Jake then brings the now dead squirrel to Percy and the process is repeated over and over.

It takes about three hours to bring down around 100 squirrels. Percy killed 99 and myself 1. The chipmunks are spared, Jake is wore out, and the coffee inside me is now cold, so we start our walk back to the cabin a 1/2 a mile away.

I ask Percy if it bothers him killing so many animals at one time. His answer a simple "nope". Then he adds: "I guess if it bothered them they would move away, maybe over the ridge or up the road".

Back at the cabin Percy makes another pot of coffee, and begins sorting the tails, selecting the best for himself. The others are put in zip lock bags, boxed and labled to an address in Kingsport and before I know it we are headed the the post office.

We drive along in silence until Percy speaks: "Whatcha thinking about".

"Dead squirrels" I answer.

"I see, well if you're worrying about a giant mother squirrel that is gonna come charging out of the woods after us, forget about it, I shot her last year right between the eyes. Dropped her dead in her tracks back there a spell."

I play along, "What if there's another one?"

Percy holds up a large hand gun: "That's why I brought this along, you never know."

We round the turn, crest a ridge and and the road swings down and to the right, and in the clearing ahead is a lone buck. The buck stands his ground no more than ten feet from the edge of the road.

I slow down to a crawl and the buck stays put. Sixteen point bucks are rare this close to town and I look to Percy as I stop the truck. It is broad daylight at least a mile from anyone. It is deer season. Percy Craven could step out of the truck walk along the road 20 yards and with one shot have the biggest deer of his life.

The stands perfectly still, looking right at us and the truck. I look at Percy and he looks at the buck. Then without waring Percy speaks up:

"Guess we better go",  and he reaches across the cab of the truck and taps the horn. The sound sends the buck "tail high" and snorting into the woods.

I look at Percy like he's lost his mind, and he just shakes his head and says, "some other day".

We drive on to the Post Office in silence.

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Monday's Odd and Ends

Belk South Park Fire Hazard - This is the fire exit at Belk SouthPark, which is cluttered with boxes and stock. You got to love the sign "Do Not Block Fire Door"

The trouble is this exit is one of two on the second floor that in the event of a fire customers would use to escape death. So CP was pretty surprised when one of the floor managers offered, "It doesn't look that bad".  

The Belk manager is correct it doesn't look that bad, except with the power out, smoke filling rapidly and a store filled with Christmas shoppers the death toll would be stunning.  They would all die right here, with the first person to stumble and fall.

You can guess that if this is in plain sight there are more violations behind the doors.

Cedar Posts not being real pleased with the official response from Belk looked to Charlotte's Fire Department as plan "B".  The CFD has a "on-line" form that can be completed to "rat out" violators, so CP did just that. But a week later, nothing but crickets.

The CFD form is here.

Plan "C" was a tweet with the above photo attached directed to CFD public information officer Mark Basnight. His response was classic "@MarkBasnight Sorry, not on the clock nor do the comments made on my personal Twitter account represent CFD"

Rea Road Construction - The mess on Rea Road between Highway 51 and Colony continues. The good news is that after a week of traffic tie-ups the improvements to the intersection at 51 and Rea was completed Sunday afternoon.

Bank of America - Friday BofA announced 16,000 lay offs, that will happen before Christmas.

Greed of course is good, and with interest margins shrinking and banking fees coming under the watchful eyes of the Feds, Bank of America has little choice but to try and cut their way to profitability.

Laying off 16 thousand employees when just a week before they announced they were ready to grow strikes many as odd. But this is the way Bank of America has treated their customers for years.

More from ABC News here.

Percy Craven - Cedar Posts is going to spin off Percy Craven and give him a dedicated twitter account. I doubt the world will flock to see what Percy has on his mind but if a far right leaning, 89 year old self admitted "semi" racist pickup truck driving hillbilly farmer former USFS employee now turned "full time" fisherman has something on his mind you just might read it here. https://twitter.com/@percycraven  A little insight at Percy Craven and a fish story of sorts is here http://cedarposts.blogspot.com/2012/08/percy-craven.html

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Friday Wrap Up - Cam Newton Edition

The "P" Word - Pathetic comes to mind. You knew it wouldn't be pretty, the pre game stats said NY all the way but the reality of it was uglier than you could have imagined.

Newton was 16-of-30 on the night for 242 yards. Zip zero zilch in the touchdown pass column and 3 interceptions. Sacked twice and rushed for 6 yards. His numbers don't live up to the Cam hype.

Charlotte's big bet has been Cam Newton and casual fans expected he would make Charlotte a dynasty, something to tell their grand kids about.

Reality check, it is still a team sport and until the rest of the team shows up with at least 1/2 the intensity of Steve Smith, Panther fans will be to be doing the walk of shame with 18 mins left on the clock.

Cedar Bonus Take: Until the rest of the team shows up, Cam Newton might want to "can" the superman gig.

On the bright side you can still cheer for Carolina as long as you don't mind yelling Go Gamecocks!

Obama's Pole (Poll) Numbers - If the phone dialer's and surveys are right will have another four years of Obamanation. Obama leads Mitt Romney across the board and no Pole (Poll)shows Obama trailing. Which might just work out to Romney's advantage. If the Democrats are as lazy as Republicans think then with a Obama led going into November maybe 1/2 the Obama voters will stay home on Tuesday November 6th.

Don't forget Monday November 5th is Philly at New Orleans

CMPD DWI Check Point Nets 5 Drunks - CMPD and State Law Enforcement spent four hours idling on North Sharon Amity Road early this morning.  Pretty inefficient use of time but it does point to a bigger issue. In the "drag net" CMPD charged 32 people for driving with a revoked license, 28 charged because they had no license at all, as well as another 45 drivers with tag, inspection or proof of insurance violations.

The influx of Latino, and Asian drivers has sent the NCDMV into a tail spin. There is not effective way to control these drivers who thumb there nose at the laws most of us obey. These are people that should be removed from the streets. They don't have the basic skill set to pass a drivers test. Nuts!

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/21/3546025/cmpd-finds-60-driving-without.html#storylink=cpy

Kydaryune Curry - His name shortened to KC for obvious reason was gunned down last weekend because he "had shown disrespect" to one the suspects he was 17.

Kydaryune "K.C." Curry and his mom, Benita Turner.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/18/3538893/five-teens-charged-in-17-year.html#storylink=cpy

Now it is up to Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray to sort it out and charge the five teens responsible appropriately.


Bruck Birega Fekadu, 16

 

Sheldon Gregory, 17



 Dedrick Lorenzo McKenzie, 16

Jeremy Elijah Pate, 19

Samuel Jerome Walker Jr., 18

Currently charged with first-degree murder are: Bruck Birega Fekadu, 16; Sheldon Gregory, 17; Dedrick Lorenzo McKenzie, 16; Jeremy Elijah Pate, 19; and Samuel Jerome Walker Jr., 18.  However you can expect some of these charges will be reduced or dismissed as Andrew Murray's office seeks an expeditious resolution vs trial.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/18/3538893/five-teens-charged-in-17-year.html#storylink=cpy

Two camps have already formed those who say they are all guilty and those who say only the one who pulled the trigger McKenzie should be charged with Murder.

This whole "disrespect" thing is a black cultural holdover from the 80's. In Chicago it has helped pile up bodies of black youth, 21 so far this month. Chicago's homicide total for 2012 is expected to exceed 500. As of July, 201 out of 259 homicide victims were African American.

Of the 201 African American victims 143 were between 15-35 of those 133 had arrest histories.
Then there are the more than 1000 shooting victims through July 2012 who were shot, but didn't die.

KC is the exception to the rule, he didn't have an arrest record. But for the thugs who murdered KC, those who don't end up spending life in prison will return to the streets with a big target on their back and chances are pretty good, they will end up with a chalk outline.

CP Take: I'll call on Mecklenburg DA Murray to stand against violence and see that all of these thugs get long (Active) prison sentences of at least 20 years. As for the shooter, seems the death penalty is most appropriate. I strongly believe that many many people deserve a second chance, however when it comes to violent crimes the sad truth is once a thug always a thug.  In North Carolina the number of drug offenders behind bars is 3x the number of violent offenders. Something is wrong here. I don't need to be protected from the pot smokers or pot growers, protect me and my family, my neighbors and friends from rapists, and murderers, child molesters and armed robbers. Lock them up toss the key.

Violent offenders should not be released on parole, put on probation or given a second chance, these people are savages. No better than a pack of wild dogs.

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NFL Films Producer Steve Sabol

Steve Sabol -- one of the founding members of "NFL Films" -- passed away this morning after battling brain cancer. He was 69.

CP's Take: As a kid I was sucked into the game of football not by the roar of the crowd but by the replay, a tight shot on the football and its super-slow motion spiral arching towards the receiver, a trade mark of Steve Sabol and his father Ed.  That sight, and the extended suspense it created, depicted everything football was, right to the 1/10th of a second and that moment of the completion and glory of the touchdown.

Steve had suffered a seizure in March 2011. Doctors discovered an inoperable tumor in his brain ... and he had been receiving treatment ever since.

Sabol co-founded NFL Films in the '60s with his father, Ed Sabol ... and together they revolutionized the way football fans watched the game ... with slow dramatic montages, compelling music and candid player soundbites from the field and the sidelines. Under Steve's leadership, NFL Films produced several iconic shows ... including, "Hard Knocks," "NFL Films Presents" and "Football Follies."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on Sabol's death ... saying, "Steve’s passion for football was matched by his incredible talent and energy. Steve’s legacy will be part of the NFL forever. He was a major contributor to the success of the NFL, a man who changed the way we look at football and sports, and a great friend.”

More on Steve Sabol fromt the LA Times here.

Steve Sabol Interviews Carolina Panther Steve Smith

 

More Cedar Posts on NFL Films here.

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In Case You Missed It - Teacher Greed In Chicago

I think this pretty much says it all:

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Monday Odds and Ends

Another East Charlotte Shooting Death - Charlotte police are actively searching for a red SUV after a Charlotte teen is found dead.

According to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, they received an assault with a deadly weapon call on Northgate Trail Drive around 6:37 p.m. on Sunday. Medic says when they arrived on scene they found 17-year-old Kydaryuni Curry suffering from a gunshot wound. A short time later he was pronounced deceased.

Detectives are canvassing the east Charlotte neighborhood to determine if there are any witnesses. Police say a red SUV with multiple passengers were seen fleeing the scene.

CMPD Bike Cops Rule - Cedar Posts talked with a couple of CMPD Officers over the weekend about the DNC 2012 and how things worked out.

Chief Monroe had already admitted that a "couple" of CMPD Officers were attending meetings to "monitor" the Occupy protest group. But Officers CP spoke to say that the "embedded" cops were many in number and had infiltrated the group's leadership.

It is CP's understanding that both CMPD and the FBI had guys in deep cover among the Occupy Protesters. These are CMPD guys who joined the protest group months ago and played the part, complete with long hair and even going so far as not having showered or shaved for weeks.

Not to be confused with these two guys who stood out like a couple of tourists.

The "insider information" gave CMPD advance knowledge of plans to break windows at Bank of America and Duke Energy offices Uptown on the final day of the convention using the "Bum Rush" method the anarchists put in play in Chicago.

CMPD Chief Monroe gets a couple of points for sending CMPD Officers to Chicago and Tampa, as the hands on work gave CMPD a couple of ideas that translated to an advantage when the DNC came to Charlotte.

The biggest advantage came from understanding the Chicago Police Department's inability to respond quickly and how useless riot shields were for crowd control. While riot shields are excellent in deflecting rocks and bottles their curved wrap around design gave protesters charging the line an advantage since the shields often acted more like spring doors allowing protesters to remain on their feet while "punching through"

 

In Tampa the bike cops ruled the night. Where shields forming a line were susceptible to break through mountain bikes interlocked wheel to wheel are impossible to cross. Further cops on bikes proved considerably more mobile than cars and faster than horses.

With the Chicago and Tampa knowledge of what works and what doesn't as well as the inside info CMPD used their bike cops to herd and control the Occupy crowd.

 

 

The undercover cops nearly broke out laughing when during one Occupy meeting a protester expressed his displeasure with the bike cops, saying that CMPD had more than 300 cops on wheels.

 

The truth is CMPD fielded less than 100, but with advance notice and military precision, coupled with speed CMPD bike cops were nearly able to be in two places at once. CMPD Bike Cops rode so many miles that one Office told CP that he lost more than five pounds during the week long work out.

 

Cedar Posts watched an impressive performance whenever the bike cops moved out or came down the street to rapidly form a line ahead of the Occupy marchers.

The combination of Bike Cops and inside information thwarted the Occupy groups plans to get attention by breaking windows and damaging property.

The End of The Arab Spring - The attacks on US Embassies, Consulates and business with some obscure home made movie as the excuse continue. But Cedar Posts says that may be the biggest mistake Muslim nations can make.

 

 

 

Cedar's Take: Throwing shoes at our president, or burning him in effigy we as Americans take pretty much in stride, but tearing down our flag and killing a US Ambassador is cause for a war.

The Obama Administration says the attacks were the result of hate speech, frankly if you ask CP, protesters bring signs and loud voices, not RPGs and AK-47s. This was an act of terrorism that requires a forceful response.

But it need not be a response of bombing or drone strikes. Rather one of collective punishment, expelling all Libyan and Egyptian students from the US and cutting off funding should be quick and direct.

Of course some will scream that not all Muslims are haters of America, well too bad. As the Germans found out during WWII living in a country is cause enough to be punished. As Americans we have all been punished again and again because of actions of a few. We need to be pissed and take action.

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