Today I yearn for a simpler and more peaceful time...



Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
-- Douglas Adams

Gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling doesn't it?


AUSTIN (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, making Texas the first state to require the shots.

The girls will have to get Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it Gardasil vaccine for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.

Details of the order were not immediately available, but the governor's office confirmed to The Associated Press that he was signing the order and he would comment Friday afternoon.

Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, his former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

Toomey was expected to be able to woo conservative legislators concerned about the requirement stepping on parent's rights and about signaling tacit approval of sexual activity to young girls. Delisi, as head of the House public health committee, which likely would have considered legislation filed by a Democratic member, also would have helped ease conservative opposition.

Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.

It wasn't immediately clear how long the order would last and whether the legislation was still necessary. However it could have been difficult to muster support from lawmakers who champion abstinence education and parents' rights.

Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion rights and stem- cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base.

But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different than the one that protects children against polio.

"If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention the health and well being of these individuals to have those vaccines available," he said.

Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit stating that he or she objected to the vaccine for religious or philosophical reasons.

Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say mandates take away parents' rights to be the primary medical decision maker for their children.

The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil _ at $360 for the three-shot regimen _ were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group's president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.

A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/02/D8N1PVG80.html

Super Bowl XLI is over...it was wet and wild!...the Colts won...

Never again do we have to hear that an AFC team cannot beat an NFC team...

Never again do we have to hear that Peyton Manning had not been able to take his team to "the big game"...

Tony Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl...

Finally...these discussions can be laid to rest!!!

Had us a little of the white stuff again this afternoon...very odd...flurry two days in a row and forecasted for tomorrow as well...not the norm in D/FW...hehehehehe...

McKinney, Texas – January 30, 2007

Art Exhibit – “A Different Perspective” at Carrie Garner’s

Galleria d’Arte February 10, 2007

Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte is pleased to present “A Different Perspective” featuring original oil paintings by Henry David Potwin. Join us in the gallery on February 10, 2007, from 7pm to 10pm, as we celebrate Potwin’s debut.

Live musical entertainment by the fabulous Texas Gypsies ensures the gallery guests to a lively, fun-filled evening. Co-sponsors of the reception are: A Twist of Lime, Alternative Furnishings, BLING!, Cadillac Pizza Pub, Carmela Winery, Main Street McKinney, Market Square Antiques, Market Street, and Poppy’s Garden Café.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Henry David Potwin is the oldest of three children. As a young boy, Potwin’s family would summer vacation in Taos, New Mexico. Potwin first put brush to canvas at 8 years old.

In the summer of 1965, Potwin met Taos impressionist artist, Eric Gibberd, who remained a vibrant and revered influence in Potwin’s life until Gibberd’s death. After completing 12 years of Catholic school education and under Gibberd’s mentorship, Potwin attended the University of Houston Fine Arts program from 1969-1974.

Potwin traveled extensively throughout his life and has had a variety of art-related positions from a fine arts publisher in New York City to a special effects painter at Astroworld Amusement Park in Houston. Working as an art importer and wholesaler afforded Potwin with opportunities to continue his art education in the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. The artist has experienced periods of frantic creative activity as well as periods of complete indolence.

Potwin’s style is self-described as conceptual realism. To quote the artist, “Painting is a synthesis that considers the myriad aspects of human awareness, expressed in visual form. Melding together philosophy, physics, sociology, emotion, mysticism, and eroticism with craftsmanship.”

With one look at Potwin’s paintings, you realize his broad variety of conceptual realism subjects range from landscapes to portraits to observations of the world. Potwin’s painting entitled Assortment is a statement on females’ serial love affairs, where men are consumed and discarded like chocolates. The painting depicts a bright pink, heart-shaped candy box with the lid tipped back to reveal a box full of portrait-embossed pieces of candy. In Potwin’s Plum Orchard, we are treated to a peaceful yet surprisingly energetic painting that prominently features a Van Gogh-radiant sun.

“My goal is to create a body of work that is multi-layered and resonates with common man as well as the initiated. And naturally, I’d like to find nice homes for my “children” as well!” says Potwin.

In 1994, Potwin was sentenced to federal prison which he describes as the most cathartic event in his life. “This black sense of loss became a lens that focused my innate creative drive to crystalline clarity”, says Potwin. Since his incarceration, Potwin has dedicated time to not only building his “family” of paintings but also to helping other inmates recognize their artistic and creative abilities by teaching art and music classes.

Growing up playing the guitar and singing, Potwin formed his first band at 14 years old, and his love of music continues to grow. Potwin has taken on responsibility for formally requesting recreational budget monies for musical and artistic programs at the correctional facility. “Believe it or not, during these past years as an art teacher to inmates, I have had the opportunity to light a spark in the minds of a considerable number of disenfranchised individuals who only lacked the encouragement and the opportunity to discover their latent talents. Their pride of accomplishment is my reward,” says Potwin.

Writing also plays a key role in Potwin’s life. The artist has recently undertaken the challenge of putting pen to paper. We are sure the results will be as complex and as intriguing as Potwin’s already conquered challenge of putting brush to canvas.

For further information, contact Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte at 469-742-9509 or visit us online at www.carriegarner.com

Am watching Admiral Fallon's confirmation hearings off and on...am wondering if new leadership will be any better than the old...am wondering if the Iraqi leadership and peoples have what it takes to bring about change...can an end be brought to the sectarian violence...clearly what we have done up to now is not working well...can't help but remember that failed foreign policy cost lives...and some of these lives would not be lost if the rules of engagement were changed to level the playing field...this is a question...how do you proceed?

As you may have surmised by now the Cadillac Pizza Pub is my watering hole of choice...the food is good, the beer is cold, and the staff is both cordial and "hawt"...& its also right across the parking lot from the house, so I can walk there and back, not be behind the wheel, not endanger anyone else, and not endanger myself! It has live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Its a great place to watch people, and a great place to meet people. Its not to big and not to small, although on weekends it can get pretty damned crowded - none the less its a great place to let yer hair down some, meet some folks, and generally enjoy yourself. Its family friendly to until about 9 or 10PM - has games to keep the younger ones, and some older ones, occupied while you do whatever it is you do at the Cadillac...the rule of thumb is all younger children out by 9 or 9:30PM...a position I wholeheartedly embrace...when it becomes a gathering place for people from all walks of life, and from all socio-economic backgrounds to meet and socialize.



You are just as likely to find a birthday party going on inside as a book club meeting. The music is likely to be "blues"
or "blues rock"...with an occasional pinch of acoustic jazz or hard rock just to add some spice to the place. If you're a sports fan you can watch your favorite team play ball on any one of the several TV's...lending credence to the idea that theres a little something for everybody at the Cadillac - which is one reason why it is my favorite watering hole...hell I am told there is even going to be a night for Karaoke...a pastime best reserved for others.



For a photo junkie like me the Cadillac is "da bomb". The great people and casual atmosphere make it a place I wanna be,
and the cold beer and good food make it a place I'd rather be, and many nights me and my camera can be found there...taking pics of the people and the bands, and generally just enjoying myself like everyone else...and frankly...its just a damn nice way to spend time...

Quinten Hope did acoustic at Cadillac Thursday night, will rock the house next Friday!

This last weekend brought more much needed rain to north Texas, and as thankful as I am to get it I gotta say that I was happy to see the sun come out on Sunday and the temperature rise to almost 60...I am told things will moderate though during the coming week with another chance or two of rain before next weekend...despite the bad weather early on things were buzzin pretty good at the Cadillac Pizza Pub over the weekend with Hash Brown on Friday night, and Wanda King there on Saturday night...seemed like folks wanted to get out and have a good time!...


Other interesting things to happen over the weekend included the announcement from the Clinton camp that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was indeed throwing her hat into the ring for the 2008 Presidential race...good for her!!!...I guess...maybe a better way of putting it is good for the Democratic Party...I guess...our political system is based on the idea that anyone who can qualify (under the law) can run for office, and she will, no doubt, qualify, so I applaud her exercising of her right to run...I admit (Republican that I am) that at first this announcement really got under my skin...but the more I think about it the happier I am...I believe in freedom of choice, and so for me Senator Clinton will be nothing more than another choice, and voice, for the Democrats to choose from...the question of course, is will she offer any solutions to the problems facing the country now, or will it be the same old dog and pony show that is always a part of the electoral process? We shall see...and I shall keep an open mind about it...I am not sexist by any stretch of the imagination, well...maybe a little...and this announcement is certainly no real surprise...but in my own mind I have already decided that party affiliation can have no place in the upcoming Presidential race, because as a country we have some real serious issues to face ahead and some serious decisions to make - and frankly folks the two party system is not going to get it done this time...this time we need to think "out of the box" a little and vote for the person who has the best chance of turning some of these problems around - even if that person is an independent or a Democrat...more about this another day...

Encore Art Reception at Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte
this Thursday, January 18, 2007

A good time was had and disco was celebrated at Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte in McKinney on Saturday night in spite of the cold winter weather.

Gallery guests were treated to wine, snacks, and lots of disco music, which kept everyone happy and warm.

Due to last weekend’s inclimate weather, Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte will present an encore debut of “Coming Full Circle” on Thursday, January 18, from 7pm to 10pm.

“Coming Full Circle” is a collaborative art exhibit from mother/daughter mixed media team Lois Thompson and Susan Hanson. Lois Thompson received her MA in Printmaking, and her daughter Susan Hanson, a 16-year McKinney resident, received her BFA in Art History. “Coming Full Circle” is the team’s sixth collaborative art exhibit. Most recently, Thompson and Hanson were guest artists at Cerulean Gallery in Dallas.

This talented duo has no limits to their creativity. Intaglio and digital prints; copper leaf and pastel; paper and metal; encaustic; oil and acrylic paints; found and vintage objects are among the mixture of media this team uses as together they create unique, expressive works of art.

Please be sure to join us in the gallery on Thursday, and don’t forget to wear your disco clothes so you can dance the night away under our disco mirror ball! Prizes for the grooviest costumes will be awarded.

Carmela Winery will be in the gallery on Thursday evening to serve you their very best wines. And just across the street at Cadillac Pizza Pub, Delta blues band, KM Williams, will be blasting out the tunes. Alternative Furnishings and Market Square Antiques will also be extending their hours on Thursday evening.

Co-sponsors of the reception are Hotel Whiskey Aviation LLC, Town Square Lending LLC, A Twist of Lime, Alternative Furnishings, BLING!, Cadillac Pizza Pub, Carmela Winery, Market Square Antiques, and Market Street.

We look forward to seeing you at Galleria d’Arte on January 18, 2007, 7pm to 10pm - and remember, it’s never a party without a disco mirror ball.

For further information, contact Carrie Garner’s Galleria d’Arte at 469-742-9509 or visit us online at www.carriegarner.com

Was out and about shooting some this afternoon...and saw this eerie sky...prolly the precursor to tonight's rain...

Happy New Year! Hello 2007, we're glad to see ya!

With the new year comes reflection, and a possible re-assessment of priorities and goals...more on all that later in the week...

Hash Brown at Cadillac on 29th...

MSM Trio at Cadillac on Thursday night...

The great turkey fry...one down and two to go...

Getting ready for Christmas Day here at the Gulch...

Miss Marcy at Cadillac on Friday night...

Christmas has come to McKinney...down on the square...

This last weekend was Second Saturday weekend in McKinney and downtown was buzzin'! If you have never been to one of these its worth the effort...

Saturday night at Cadillac...testing a new lens...

Shooting at the Gulch on Monday afternoon...playing with the possibilities...