Author Archives: Admin

Legends and Lyrics

Staff Report

Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Legends and Lyrics is now airing on PBS affiliate KRSC in Tulsa, Ok.  A unique genre-crossing musical experience, Legends and Lyrics honors the creators of songs who are professional recording artists, song poets and rising stars.

Produced in Nashville, Tennessee, and shot in HD1080p with Surround Sound, Legends & Lyrics is distributed by American Public Television (APT) and may be found on local public television stations across the country.

The first season began airing the first week of April and includes the following performers and song poets:

    * Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx and 3 Doors Down
    * Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin and Randy Owen
    * Charlie Daniels, Phil Vassar and Jimmy Webb
    * Michael Martin Murphey, Pam Tillis and Ron Sexsmith
    * Susan Tedeschi, Kip Winger, and James Slater
    * Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Mindy Smith and Regie Hamm
    * Ed Bruce, Gordon Kennedy and Angela Kaset

Each performance showcases well-known recording artists , and legendary song poets from different genres of music in an "in-the-round" setting.  Each artist plays their most memorable songs, as well as tells the inspiration behind the creation of their songs.

The fully edited shows feature the following:

* "Recording Artists and Song Poets" telling the story of the creation of each song and then performing their greatest hit songs and new releases.

* "Out of the Box Interviews" with each artist/song poet performing on the taping.

* "Did You Know" historical facts addressing the ancient origins and interesting facts about today’s commercial music.

* "Legendary Recording Artist"/"Legendary Song Poets" segment interviews with music industry veterans of "Legend" status.

* "Rising Stars" featuring undiscovered recording artist/song poets.

* "Tips of the Week" from the participating performers for aspiring song poets.

What artists are saying about Legends and Lyrics:

Justin Haywood of the Moody Blues: "The whole thing is absolutely brilliant-I’m so pleased….It’s so beautifully lit and shot!"

Kris Kristofferson: "This reminds of the days when we’d be and nights we’d be sitting there trying to knock each other out with songs and pass the guitar around.  Some of the best times I’ve ever had in my life.  Listening to, and listening to you guys, it’s a little daunting to follow but it’s the reason I love Nashville."

Gavin Degraw: "By the way, I must say I am really enjoying this form. This is very rare."

Reggie Hamm: "I’d love this show even if I wasn’t on it. It’s awesome being on stage with these two fabulous ladies and having fun."

For more information visit:  www.legendsandlyrics.com.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 July 2009 )

Object hit Jupiter

NASA

Scientists have found evidence that another object has bombarded Jupiter, exactly 15 years after the first impacts by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark "scar" had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.

New infrared images show the likely impact point was near the south polar region, with a visibly dark "scar" and bright upwelling particles in the upper atmosphere detected in near-infrared wavelengths, and a warming of the upper troposphere with possible extra emission from ammonia gas detected at mid-infrared wavelengths.

"We were extremely lucky to be seeing Jupiter at exactly the right time, the right hour, the right side of Jupiter to witness the event. We couldn’t have planned it better," said Glenn Orton, a scientist at JPL.

The new Jupiter images are online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-112 .

Orton and his team of astronomers kicked into gear early in the morning and haven’t stopped tracking the planet. They are downloading data now and are working to get additional observing time on this and other telescopes.

This image was taken at 1.65 microns, a wavelength sensitive to sunlight reflected from high in Jupiter’s atmosphere, and it shows both the bright center of the scar (bottom left) and the debris to its northwest (upper left).

"It could be the impact of a comet, but we don’t know for sure yet," said Orton. "It’s been a whirlwind of a day, and this on the anniversary of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Apollo anniversaries is amazing."

Shoemaker-Levy 9 was a comet that had been seen to break into many pieces before the pieces hit Jupiter in 1994.

Leigh Fletcher, a NASA postdoctoral fellow at JPL who worked with Orton during these latest observations said, "Given the rarity of these events, it’s extremely exciting to be involved in these observations.  These are the most exciting observations I’ve seen in my five years of observing the outer planets!"

The observations were made possible in large measure by the extraordinary efforts of the Infrared Telescope Facility staff, including telescope operator William Golisch, who adroitly moved three instruments in and out of the field during the short time the scar was visible on the planet, providing the wide wavelength coverage.

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 July 2009 )

Housing starts and permits up strongly

Staff Report

WASHINGTON, July 17 — The National Association of Home Builders issued the following news release:    Nationwide housing starts and permits posted substantial gains in June as home builders responded to improved market conditions and the impending expiration of the first-time buyer tax credit, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. 

Commerce reported a 3.6 percent gain in overall housing starts to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 582,000 units and an 8.7 percent gain in permit issuance to 563,000 units.  

"The upcoming expiration of the first-time home buyer tax credit on December 1st is encouraging some builders to get homes started now so that they can be completed in time for clients to take advantage of this attractive buying incentive," said  NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla.  

However, there is still much concern about the difficulty of financing new-home production and continuing weakness in the job market.     

"Today’s report was in keeping with our forecasts for some glimmers of improvement on the single-family side in the second quarter, and also with the results of our latest builder surveys,"  said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. 

Many remain very cautious, however, in the face of the severe tightening of credit for acquisition, development and construction financing and increased instances of low appraisals tied to improper use of distressed properties as comps, both of which threaten to derail a housing and economic recovery going forward.   

Single-family housing starts rose for a fourth consecutive month in June, posting a 14.4 percent gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 470,000 units, while single-family permits rose for a third consecutive month, posting a 5.9 percent gain to 430,000 units. Meanwhile, the multifamily side, which characteristically displays greater month-to-month volatility, posted a 25.8 percent decline in starts following an unsustainably large gain in the previous month, to 112,000 units.  

Multifamily permits rose 18.8 percent to 133,000 units from an abnormal low in May.   Regionally, housing starts were mixed, with the Northeast and Midwest posting big gains of 28.6 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively, and the South and West posting declines of 1.4 percent and 14.8 percent, respectively.   However, the declines in both the South and West were entirely driven by dips in multifamily production.   Permit issuance was up across the board in June, with the Northeast posting a 5.4 percent gain, the Midwest a 3.

Inhofe urges quick senate floor action

Staff Report

Monday, 20 July 2009
"Given the current economic recession, it is more important than ever that there are no gaps in the continuous and reliable funding States rely on for their transportation programs — we simply cannot allow Washington to fail."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, following today’s EPW Committee passage of an 18-month extension of the highway program, called for immediate Senate Floor action to fix the Highway Trust Fund.

"With EPW Committee passage of an 18-month extension of the federal highway program, we are one step closer to fixing the Highway Trust Fund shortfall," Senator Inhofe said.

"Given the current economic recession, it is more important than ever that there are no gaps in the continuous and reliable funding States rely on for their transportation programs — we simply cannot allow Washington to fail.  Oklahoma cannot afford to move forward with much needed projects without confidence in consistent funding from the Highway Trust Fund.  For the sake of jobs back home and across America, it is imperative that Congress move quickly to pass a Highway Trust Fund fix."

The next step is the Senate Floor where this extension will be put together with language on a Trust Fund fix. According to the Administration the Trust Fund will require a total of $20 billion to get through this 18 month period.

"My preferred method is to recoup lost interest not paid on cash balances in the Trust Fund since 1998.  The 1998 highway re-authorization bill made two negative changes to the Trust Fund: the first being the $8 billion transfer from the Trust Fund to the general fund that was restored last September; and the second ended the long-standing practice of crediting the Trust Fund with interest on its cash balances.

Repaying the Trust Fund for lost interest would result in about $19 billion."  According to the Congressional Research Service, every other major trust fund is credited with interest on cash balances; from Social Security to the Airports and Airways Trust Fund.  "In fact, I am not aware of any other trust fund that is not credited with interest on cash balances."

"Once we resolve the Highway Trust Fund shortfall, Congress should immediately return to the hard work of thoughtfully crafting a highway bill that Americans deserves. A highway bill means jobs — and nothing is more important to getting this economy back on track than getting Americans back to work. Through my leadership position on the EPW Committee, I will be working closely with all members to make this happen."

Last Updated ( Monday, 20 July 2009 )

NASA plays audio “Time Capsule”

Johnson Space Center

HOUSTON — NASA will provide a unique audio "time capsule" in observance of the 40th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon.

Audio from the entire Apollo 11 mission will be replayed and streamed on the Internet at exactly the same time and date it was broadcast in 1969.

The audio retrospective will begin at 6:32 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 16, two hours before the spacecraft launched. The audio will continue through splashdown of the mission at 11:51 a.m. CDT Friday, July 24, and recovery of the crew shortly afterward.
The Web stream will feature the communications between the astronauts and ground teams, and commentary from Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

To listen to the replay, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/apollo11_radio

For historical information about Apollo 11, visit: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo11

NASA’s Apollo 40th anniversary Web site provides easy access to various agency resources and multimedia about the program and the history of human spaceflight, including a gallery of Apollo multimedia features. The site is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/apollo40th  
Last Updated ( Monday, 20 July 2009 )