back from the beach... I don't care when you go, I can truthfully say this weekend was the one you tell others that, "you should have been there this weekend". 85, cloudless, low humidity, nice breeze, moderate people for a holiday weekend, and reasonable traffic flow in Eufaula on the way home.

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Gas was as low as $3.159 for Exxon in Eufaula. Had to look hard to find any below $3.459 in Florida. Florida is not a friend to vacationers.

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Online story: "Ms Kausar, 34, who is originally from Lahore, came to the UK to study business and health care management alongside Ms Kamar. She told the Birmingham (Eng) Mail: “This country allows us rights and it’s a very personal decision that we have taken. It’s no one’s business as to what we do with our personal lives." -- Hmmm, "it's no one's business"? Well, I'd like to be a fly on the wall at the airport in Lahore when the couple returns to visit family.

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Online story: "BRUSSELS -- The European Union said its member states within days will be able to send weapons to help Syria's outgunned rebels, seeking to pressure President Bashar Assad's regime ahead of planned peace talks mediated by the United States and Russia. * Though no EU country has any such plans now to send arms, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the decision "sends a very strong message from Europe to the Assad regime." -- "sends a very strong message"? No, it sends weapons to Muslim Jihadists that may be showing up in European Union countries armed with something worse than a meat cleaver.

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Online story: "LONDON -- British police arrested a 10th suspect Monday in connection with the vicious street killing of a soldier in London, an apparent Islamic extremist attack that has horrified the country and heightened racial tensions." -- 10th? Hey, Judas 00-bama... so much for your 'theory' jihadist terrorism is the work of onesies and twosies.

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As if JCPenney didn't have enough image problems:

Heil, Jacques Penne'

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Seems like all the work at Whitewater is creating valuable properties along side of it, but the City seems to be getting short changed on tax revenues. Condo and apartment owners, and of course, all the state owned college buildings there are getting huge tax breaks on the properties, and the Whitewater Outfitter doesn't generate any state/City sales tax revenues. How long can the rest of the taxpayers support the efforts?

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The thought of 'prettying up' Martin Luther King Drive is wonderful, perhaps even noble, but wouldn't increasing the graduation rate at Carver even be a better tribute to Dr King?

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Seems everyone is in agreeance that Whitewater will be a great attraction of kayakers. I'm curious... how much revenue will be generated by free-riding, day tripping kayakers? No fees, no taxes, probably no motels, few if any purchased meals, and if they need gas, they'll learn quick that gas is cheaper across the river.

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L-E story: "The roads have been closed. Detour signs and barricades are up. Funding has been allocated and contracts have been signed. Now just one little detail must be taken care of before the heavy work of replacing the venerable Brown Avenue Bridge can begin. * The barn swallows have to get through with their breeding season. " -- Is there anyone who has any more questions why government cannot create jobs? For that matter even sustain jobs that have been created? Barn Swallows, Snail Darters, Sea Turtles, spilled glass of water sized 'wetlands'.... (well, maybe some slack for Sea Turtles) can stop progress before it gets started as well as during, and people suffer at the expense of liberals' ideals.

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L-E story: "ATLANTA — A two-year study by the University System of Georgia shows classrooms are empty during most of the week. * The Athens Banner-Herald reports that of the 440 classrooms at the University of Georgia, the average is used just 18.5 hours per 40-hour work week. When the classrooms are used, just two-thirds of the seats are full. That is a 31 percent utilization rate." -- This is what you, no, we, get when you hire teachers versus business folks to run our educational institutions.

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L-E headline/story: "Georgia Civil War camp turns up hundreds of artifacts * In just three years of field work, researchers have turned up more than 600 artifacts * Many of those treasures are metal items — small buttons, a large hammerhead, spoons and forks — covered in rust that needs to be carefully removed so the artifacts aren’t lost to corrosion. * “There’s a lifetime’s worth of work here,” (lance)Greene said. “I can see that I would retire still working there because it’s such an incredible site and so well preserved.” -- 3 years of work turns up 600 +/- items of dubious value. When I was younger, I had dreams of becoming an archeologist so it bothers me to pick at this, but what will we gain, in reality or in practicality, at restoring a suspender buckle or fork that will alter or enhance history or the future? Even sadder is someone believes his life's work is justified at this. Now, I might share his excitement if he was paying his own way, but we know tax dollars are footing bill in educational salaries or government earmark grants.

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On the above: I was a fan of Louis S. B. Leakey. Leakey reported his early man finds from the Olduvai Gorge in Africa for the National Geographic magazine. I could hardly wait for the next month's story/updates. One day it was revealed, admitted by him, that he faked some 'evicence' and 'findings' to keep grants coming in to fund his work. Work.... no, he was a scammer, nothing more than a con man.

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Gladys Knight is 69 today... wonder how old her "Pips" are?