Well, I decided to stop off at the Loop to take a few pix before I headed home to La La Land, and guess what, I was run off by the rail police!  The guy was real nice, and I asked him why it is suddenly a problem for rail fans to hang out there.  After he figured out I wasn't a real threat he explained that there have been many instances of theft, vandalism, and attempts to derail trains.  How times change.  I've been going to the Loop off and on for over 18 years taking pictures of trains and making audio recordings and this is the first time I have ever seen a rail cop.  I even got a cab ride on a work train many, many years ago.  Not any more!  Oh well, glad I have all the pix that I do, these may be the last!

It seems yesterday's post about the Liberal left trying to get the rest of us to 'wake up' about global warming has been deleted.  It didn't appear to violate the newspapers guidelines.  Hmmm.... 

Anyway, here's another thought to chew on.  You can forecast all the doom and gloom you want about what is going to happen to the human race as the temperatures begin to rise, but the voices of reason state that the rise is natural, not man made.  So then the question becomes, exactly what do you propose to do about inhibiting the earth's natural processes?  Then, the second question becomes, don't you think that will cause more harm than good?  And lastly, who are we to try? 

The earth has been around a little longer than mankind.  It has also gone through climate changes far more drastic than man has ever experienced.  It's gotten a lot hotter and a lot colder than we've ever known.  Isn't it a little pretentious of the human race to think that we can, or even should, try to 'tame' the earth?  If the naturally rising temperatures mean the eventual death of man kind, maybe we should look at a way of getting off this planet, instead of trying to force it to do what we want, and really only making it worse in the end.  I'm all for reducing pollution and emissions into the atmosphere and let's continue to find ways to reduce our impact upon the earth, but let's just get over the hype that we're causing the global temperature to rise. 

Take a look up at the stars tonight, it may help put things in perspective.  The human race is smaller than the smallest grain of sand on the largest beach.  And as far as time is concerned, our solar system is an infant in terms of the universe, and mankind even younger than that.  Maybe mankind wasn't meant to be on this earth forever.  Maybe this is just a stepping stone to other planets, or even different planes of existence.  My advice is to just let the earth go through it's natural processes.  To try to do anything else is pretentious, hazardous, and wrong.

Well, while y'all were working hard all day and debating world politics, I was out doing what I do best on one of my RARE days off, having fun!  Some pix from around The Loop.

I forgot to mention, I paid the price, I got INCREDIBLY sunburned.  It was so cold, how could I get sunburned?  Right.

Here are a few pix from around the Tehacahpi area.  I try to keep my camera with me so I can capture something that catches my eye.  Enjoy...

Here's a great article regarding global warming and the minute effect humans have had on the climate.  Natural climate swings and cycles have accounted more for climate changes than humans ever have...

From the Patriot Post: "Global Warming: Fact, Fiction and Political Endgame"