Drought conditions can be felt all over the country and locally as well. The drought is also impacting Tennessee, with no signs of letting up and it’s hitting businesses right where they make their living.

Jack Daniels water supply is running low and putting the century-plus whiskey business in jeopardy.

Jerry Hamilton is the distillery plant manager for Jack Daniels. He checks the progress of the whiskey being made at the Lynchburg distillery. While doing so he finds a small problem - wasting water.

The water here has become a precious commodity. The water source for the whiskey is a spring flowing through the Jack Daniels property. For more than 140 years this spring, known as Cave Spring, has been the water supply for Jack Daniels. It is one of the most essential parts of the whiskey’s recipie.

“Cave Spring as most people know is iron free and because it is iron free, it tends to schew the firmentation just a little bit and allows us to produce Jack Daniels as we know Jack Daniels,” Hamilton explained.

But this year there is a problem - that water supply is starting to flow less and less. Hamilton said the drought Tennessee is in is taking a toll on Cave Spring.

“Water flow is down substantially. I would say at least one third to half of what we normally see,” Hamilton said.

To the people who make Jack Daniels, all water is not created equal. It takes a special kind to make this whiskey and they say it’s only here in this cave. For that reason they have started conserving as much as they can. Using the water only for the whiskey and nothing else and even finding ways to cut back on the amount used in the process.

What will happen if the spring goes dry?

“If we can’t use what it takes to make Jack Daniels I suspect we won’t make Jack Daniles until we get all the ingredients we need,” Hamilton said.

Moore County ironically it is a dry county. You can’t buy a drink here, but if this drought continues that term “dry” could take on a whole new meaning.

I am living out in this area right now and it is so dry. The lake level at Tims Ford is almost too low to pump drinking water for the city of Winchester and Normandy lake is also getting into the red out at the Fire Lake pumping station.

Looks like the rain that we get in June is just not coming....

Is Jack Daniels Drying Up?

Kodak’s new sensor technology provides a 2x to 4x increase in sensitivity to light (from one to two photographic stops) compared to current sensor designs. Image sensors act as the “eye” of a digital camera by converting light into electric charge to begin the capture process.

This breakthrough advances an existing Kodak technology that has become the standard in digital imaging. Today, the design of almost all color image sensors is based on the “Bayer Pattern,” an arrangement of red, green, and blue pixels that was first developed by Kodak scientist Dr. Bryce Bayer in 1976. In this design, half of the pixels on the sensor are used to collect green light, with the remaining pixels split evenly between sensitivity to red and blue light. After exposure, software reconstructs a full color signal for each pixel in the final image.

Kodak’s new proprietary technology adds panchromatic, or “clear” pixels to the red, green, and blue elements that form the image sensor array. Since these pixels are sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, they collect a significantly higher proportion of the light striking the sensor. By matching these pixel arrangements with advanced software algorithms from Kodak that are optimized for these new patterns, users can realize an increase in photographic speed, directly improving performance when taking pictures under low light. Kodak’s new technology also enables faster shutter speeds (to reduce motion blur when imaging moving subjects), as well as the design of smaller pixels (leading to higher resolutions in a given optical format) while retaining performance.

Cool can't wait to see a demo....

Kodak’s new sensor technology....

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Nashville Predators' fans are fighting back to hold onto their beloved team. The threat of relocation has hung over the Predators since Craig Leipold announced May 24 he was selling to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie.

The co-CEO of Blackberry makers Research in Motion Ltd. told NHL commissioner Gary Bettman he didn't intend to move the team but now is taking season-ticket deposits in Hamilton, Ontario.

Nashville's best hope?

Sell more tickets—quickly—to keep whoever ends up owning the Predators from escaping because of poor attendance.

Can't see why he would lie to Nashville, oh wait $220m oh I see!

San Jose Mercury News - Nashville hoping Predators stay in town

Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold today invoked an escape clause in his team’s lease with the city that gives him the right to terminate the agreement if the team does not average 14,000 in paid attendance per game during the 2007-08 season.

If that mark is not reached next season, then the lease can be legally terminated and the Predators can leave town.

“As the Predators owner, I have the responsibility of protecting the short and long-term interests of the franchise,” Leipold said in a prepared statement. “I am confident that this is the appropriate course of action for the franchise. This clause provides important protection to insure that the club remains viable in Nashville.”

The move comes as Leipold attempts to sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie. It’s believed Balsillie would move the Predators to Hamilton, Ontario, if the Predators don’t average 14,000 in paid attendance next season.

The lease states if the Predators do not average 14,000 in paid attendance per game in consecutive years, then the team can invoke the escape clause. What follows is a “cure” season. In this case, the cure season would be 2007-08, when 14,000 in paid attendance would have to be met in order for the team stay in town.

Thanks Nashville! Someone needs to step up before we lose the first team. Football is not the only sport in this town. The Nashville Sounds baseball team is also tossing the ball around about bailing Nashville because the stadium that the games are held at is VERY old and they are getting tired of it.

Nashville sticks its hand in a new "Semphony Center" and new hotels, but not what really brings the people in and keeps them here. And screw the dam CMA Music Festival, I hate country music! I used to go to Summer Lights and Dance'n in the District, before they started moving to a, lets build up downtown, but have nothing fun for the people of Nashville. Dam even the Nashville Convention Center is tiny and needs to be bigger, but the best place for it is now being over run by over priced yup-scum projects.

Whoa... I feel better.

But I hate that the people who work 9 to 5 cant do skit about this, and that the avg joe like myself will lose because of something that is out of my hands.... collectively speaking.

Predz about to jump ship... & Nashville will slip on the ice....

A cheap, highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation.

"Cheese heroin" is a blend of so-called black tar Mexican heroin and crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM, police say. The sedative effects of the heroin and the nighttime sleep aids make for a deadly brew.

"A double whammy -- you're getting two downers at once," says Dallas police detective Monty Moncibais. "If you take the body and you start slowing everything down, everything inside your body, eventually you're going to slow down the heart until it stops and, when it stops, you're dead." (Audio slide show: A father describes his teen son's death)

Steve Robertson, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, says authorities are closely monitoring the use of "cheese" in Dallas.

Trying to keep the drug from spreading to other cities, the DEA is working with Dallas officials to raise public awareness about the problem. Authorities also are trying to identify the traffickers, Robertson says.

"We are concerned about any drug trend that is new because we want to stop it," he says.

Why should a parent outside Dallas care about what's happening there?

Robertson says it's simple: The ease of communication via the Internet and cell phones allows a drug trend to spread rapidly across the country.

"A parent in New York should be very concerned about a drug trend in Dallas, a drug trend in Kansas City, a drug trend anywhere throughout the United States," he says.
Middle schoolers acknowledge 'cheese'

"Cheese" is not only dangerous. It's cheap. About $2 for a single hit and as little as $10 per gram. The drug can be snorted with a straw or through a ballpoint pen, authorities say. It causes drowsiness and lethargy, as well as euphoria, excessive thirst and disorientation. That is, if the user survives. (Interactive: What is "cheese"? )

Authorities aren't exactly sure how the drug got its name "cheese." It's most likely because the ground-up, tan substance looks like Parmesan cheese. The other theory is it's shorthand for the Spanish word "chiva," which is street slang for heroin.

By using the name "cheese," drug dealers are marketing the low-grade heroin to a younger crowd -- many of them middle schoolers -- unaware of its potential dangers, authorities say.

"These are street dealers, dope dealers," Moncibais recently warned students at Sam Tasby Middle School. "They give you a lethal dose. What do they care?"

Moncibais then asked how many students knew a "cheese" user. Just about everyone in the auditorium raised a hand. At one point, when he mentioned that the United States has the highest rate of drug users in the world, the middle s... [ Read More (0.3k in body) ]

Deadly $2 heroin�targets teens...

‘I will live in a very quiet world’
By David Searle
Robin Wood and the aerials that neighbours have complained about.
Robin Wood and the aerials that neighbours have complained about.

A BLIND amateur radio ham fears he may lose his contact with the outside world if he is given an antisocial behaviour order over the aerials he keeps in his garden.

Robin Wood, 61, of Ombersley Close, Woodrow, is a licensed amateur radio operator who has had aerials in his garden for 15 years.

But after a visit from an ASBO officer, Redditch Council wants to reduce the size of the aerials, meaning he will no longer be able to communicate with his friends around the world.

"I'm blind and the radio is the only way I can communicate with the outside world. I use the radio as my social life," said Mr Wood.

"I'm not prepared to lose my quality of life. I feel threatened when I go outside and haven't been out on my own for 15 years.

"I can't watch the TV either - without my radio, I will live in a very quiet world."
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Mr Wood uses the radio to keep in touch with friends from as far afield as New York, Australia and Canada but the reduced sized aerials would not be able to transmit that far.

"The council just won't listen to me. They won't find anyone technically competent enough who can tell me exactly what the problem is and exactly what I have to take down and why I have to do it.

"They've threatened me with court if I don't take them down. I speak to them but they don't take anything on board," said Mr Wood.

Mr Wood's wife June said: "When you think of ASBOs, you think of young delinquents, not a 61-year-old man."

Mr Wood is now involved in talks with lawyers about the steps he can take to keep his aerials the same size.

A council spokesman said: "Residents are concerned about the visual impact of this resident's aerials, the radio interference they are experiencing and the nuisance this is causing them.

"Following legal advice, we're working with the resident and the relevant organisations involved to come to a solution that meets the needs of all parties."

This is bullshit.... Hams here in the US are required to take the steps to reduce and/or eliminate interference and I am sure it is the same in the UK.... Someone has a beef with someone and they bend the laws to take them out....

Just like the DoD jumps on hams on the coasts for the interference to PAVE/PAWS radar... but why is it now a problem? I can not seem to find out why?

see link http://www.eham.net/articles/16786

*update*

"Let's see if I understand this: The Anti Social Behavior Officer is wanting to remove the primary social outlet of an individual because of neighbors who are not very sociable. OK, I thing I have it. The antisocials are upset that he is being sociable. The Anti Social Behavior Officer is trying to enforce antisocial Behavior."

I Will Live In A Very Quiet World (from Redditch Advertiser)

Here are listing policy clarifications that we are implementing effective immediately:

* Apple iPhone Pre-Sales are prohibited. This highly-anticipated device will be in high demand after the US release on June 29th, 2007. Prior to the release of similar high-demand electronics, we saw a high number of well-intentioned sellers unable to meet their pre-sale obligations to buyers due to restricted supply, as well as an increase in fraudulent listings for these items. To prevent similar problems with the iPhone, eBay is prohibiting all pre-sales of this device.

* Criteria for Apple iPhone Post-Launch Sales. In order to continue to ensure protection for our Community after these items are made available by the manufacturer, the following requirements have been put in place for the sale of the iPhone:

o The listing must include a unique photograph of the item or items
o Your User ID must be clearly displayed within the photograph (watermarks will not be accepted).
o To ensure buyer protection, PayPal must be the only accepted form of payment

Sellers will also be notified of these requirements during the listing process when using the Sell Your Item form.

Hmm I know it is for "protection" but requiring pay pal to be used seems to me they way eBay can cash in on Apple ....

iPhone Pre-Sales prohibited on ebay... Post-Launch Sales PayPal Only...

Ten Things You Didn't Know About The Blues Brothers

1. Joliet Prison in Joliet, IL, allowed the Blues Brothers crew to film on its grounds. It took three days to shoot the various facilities at the location, and real prisoners were even signed on to work as extras in the film.

2. The warden (Frank Oz) is better known by his fictional alter egos; he's the voice behind 'Miss Piggy,' 'Cookie Monster' and 'Yoda.'

3. Blues Brothers represented a milestone for its two stars; it was the first time John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd had co-starred in a movie. (Aykroyd was initially supposed to co-star with Belushi in Animal House, but had to quit the film when Saturday Night Live wouldn't grant him a leave of absence.)

4. As an undergrad, writer Aykroyd studied criminal psychology; he used this knowledge to help him create realistic backgrounds for "Jake" and "Elwood."

5. Aykroyd himself decorated the dashboard of the 'Bluesmobile' -- a '74 Dodge Monaco -- with cigarettes and gum wrappers.

6. Jazz legend Cab Calloway returned to the screen after 15 years for his role in Blues Brothers

7. Although musicals usually feature pre-recorded vocals that are lip-synched on camera, James Brown sang live throughout shooting. "We found that he couldn't sing the same way twice," recalled producer Robert Weiss.

8. The Blues Brothers duo was conceived the same night Belushi met Aykroyd. Saturday Night Live's bandleader, Howard Shore, suggested the name.

9. "I'm proud to say we were the first movie to trash a mall," said director John Landis, and according to producer Robert Weiss, finding a mall to demolish was surprisingly easy. "This was an abandoned mall," said Weiss. "It was one in a million." Originally called the Dixie Mall, the deserted shopping center was located in nearby Harvey, IL., and had been closed to the public for over a year.

10. The Blues Brothers made their official television debut in November 1978--on the same night that Carrie Fisher hosted Saturday Night Live. At the time, Fisher was a frequent party guest among the comedy troupe, and was even engaged briefly to Dan Aykroyd. Fisher liked playing the 'Mystery Woman,' but regretted her many night scenes. "Those guys were rarely there when I was doing my scenes," she griped, "so it didn't really feel like I was killing off anyone."

Ten Things You Didn't Know About The Blues Brothers

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Ferris Bueller's Day Off

1. Most of the school scenes were shot at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois – the same high school John Hughes graduated from.

2. Alan Ruck, who played ‘Ferris’s’ best friend ‘Cameron,’ was 29 years old at the time.

3. Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett, who play ‘Ferris’s’ parents, got married in real life after meeting while making the film.

4. The pencil gag with Edie McClurg’s bubble hairdo was a last-minute inspiration. When McClurg arrived on set to shoot with her hair already done, Hughes asked her, “How many pencils do you think you can fit in that hairdo? Well, let’s just see.”

4. Only 100 of the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder were ever made – but Matthew Broderick never got to drive one. Because the real car is so valuable, the high cost of insurance forced the producers to find an alternative. They substituted three Spyder replicas, which consisted of molded fiberglass shells laid over Mustang frames.

5. Richard Edson, who plays the untrustworthy parking lot attendant, was the original drummer for Sonic Youth.

6. John Hughes isn’t a Chicago Cubs fan – he prefers the White Sox – but they weren’t playing day games at the time, so he had to compromise.

7. John Hughes used “Danke Schoen” repeatedly in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – but not because he liked it. “I remember this was the most awful song when I was growing up. Every time it came on, I just wanted to scream.”

8. When he was filming Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, John Hughes listened to The Beatles’ White Album every day of the 56-day shoot.

9. In the original script, Ferris went on the radio and talked about how he was going to be the first American teenager to go up in the Space Shuttle. A few months later, when the Challenger disaster occurred, the scene had to be cut.

10. Writer/director John Hughes wrote the script for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in less than a week.

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Ferris Bueller's Day Off

In 1963, Gene Wilder was scraping by as an actor in the New York theater. “I was in a play called Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht, starring Anne Bancroft, whose boyfriend was Mel Brooks, and Mel came by to pick her up each evening after the show,” Wilder recalled. “I was having trouble with one little section of the play, and he gave me tips on how to act. He said, ‘That’s a song and dance. He’s proselytizing about communism. Just skip over it, sing and dance over it, and get on to the good stuff.’ And he was right.”

Mel Brooks often refers to Gene Wilder as “God’s perfect prey, the victim in all of us.” He saw that aspect of Wilder’s character right away, Wilder said. “When I first met Mel Brooks, he told me that, in his eyes, I was like a sheep surrounded by wolves.”

In the backstage environment, the two comedians had a chance to get to know each other, Wilder recalled. “One day Mel said, ‘Would you like to come to Fire Island with Annie and me? I’ll read you the first 30 pages of a movie I’m writing.’ And I went to Fire Island, we went fishing in the surf, came back, had dinner, and then Annie and I sat down and he read 30 pages of ‘Springtime for Hitler.’ That’s what it was called then. And then he said, ‘Would you like to play that part in the movie?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ He said, ‘All right, all right. So don’t take anything in the fall without checking with me.’”

But nothing happened that fall, and Wilder's first film appearance ended up being the neurotic undertaker ‘Eugene Grizzard’ in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). “Three years went by, never heard from Mel,” Wilder recalled, “and I’m doing a play called Love on Broadway, taking off my makeup. Knock-knock on the door. I open the door. There’s Mel with a tall stranger. He said, ‘You don’t think I forgot you, do you? This is Sidney Glazier, our producer. We’re going to do “Springtime for Hitler,” but I can’t just cast you. You’ve got to beat Zero first, tomorrow at 10:00.’”

The next morning, Wilder headed to the audition. “My heart was pounding. I got to Sidney Glazier’s office door. The door opens, there’s Mel. He says, ‘Come on in. Z?’ He calls Zero Z. ‘This is Gene. Gene, this is Z.’ And I put out my hand tentatively. And Zero grabbed my hand, pulls me to him and kissed me on the lips. And all my nervousness went away. We did the reading and I got the part, and everything was fine.”

“I don’t know what to call it – luck, good fortune, irony,” Wilder mused. “When you consider that if Jerome Robbins hadn’t miscast me in Mother Courage, starring Anne Bancroft, whose boyfriend was Mel Brooks, how would my life be different now? It wouldn’t be the same, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t have done The Producers or Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein. I never used to believe in fate. I used to think you make your own life and then y... [ Read More (0.1k in body) ]

DVD_TV: Gene Wilder & Mel Brooks: A Meeting of Two Crazy Minds