Rob Williams - Orangejack

• estimated 80 percent of New Orleans under water, up to 20 feet deep in places. Water still rising...
• ...crews put aside the counting of [dead] bodies to concentrate on rescuing the living, many trapped on rooftops and in attics.
• ...3,000 people rescued by boat and air.
• At least 110 [people dead in Mississippi]
• Flooding reached 11 feet in Mobile, matching record set in 1917 [in Alabama]

'I'm not doing too good right now,' Chris Robinson said via cellphone from his home east of the city's downtown. 'The water's rising pretty fast. I got a hammer and an ax and a crowbar, but I'm holding off on breaking through the roof until the last minute. Tell someone to come get me please. I want to live.'

What is College Colors Day?
College Colors Day, which coincides with both "back to school" on campus and the kick-off of the college football season, seeks to celebrate and promote the traditions and spirit that drive collegiate athletics by encouraging fans, alumni and students to wear apparel of their favorite college throughout the day of September 2.

10:50AM
Hurricane Katrina is now up to 175MPH Maximum Sustained winds.

If you are near the coast and in the cone for Katrina YOU SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT THIS PAGE

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less that a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

The September 3 season opener between Clemson and Texas A&M at Clemson Memorial Stadium is sold out. The announcement was made late Thursday.

It is the second preseason sellout for the Tigers, who earlier announced the Florida State game on November 12 was also sold out.

Limited tickets remain for the other four Clemson home games, Miami (FL) on September 17, Boston College on September 24, Temple on October 22 and Duke on November 5.

Everybody has a buddy who is a little too geeked about his or her Fantasy Football draft...

...Nervous about a Fantasy Football draft? It's not your wedding, pal.

So they said on the radio today that for the first time ever, oil consumption worldwide is exceeding oil production.

How does that change your world? How will it change your world a decade from now?

...marketing juju [happens when a brand is] (1) facilitating, not dictating the usage of its products, (2) fostering community and (3) assisting consumers in actualizing their aspirations.

...warps you, though, it really does, beyond the fact that the real fantasy footballer is more concerned with his fantasy team winning than his NFL team. It warps you when you watch the game, placing you in unbelievable conundrums.

1. Why did the executive committee limit the ban to mascots, nicknames and imagery and not include the names of schools?

2. Since this is only in effect for NCAA championship events, can we assume that the NCAA will no longer enter into sponsorship agreements for those events with companies that use hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin names and/or logos?

3. Why is Central Michigan, which has no Indian mascot or imagery -- only the nickname Chippewas, forced to cover up its nickname as hostile and abusive, but the University of Mississippi Rebels, which disposed of its Confederate imagery in the 80s (if I recall correctly), gets to continue to display its nickname?

4. This is a broadly written policy, but for now anyway, narrowly enforced. Can we assume that other racial/ethnic/national origin mascots will be included eventually as well, such as Highlanders, Spartans, Trojans, Vikings, and Fighting Irish (to name a few)?

I am me.
I will do.
I will be.
I will go.
You are He.

It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

...At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics -- in physical laws -- —every action is met by an equal or an opposite one...And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that...Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

...I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

...The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death...It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.

...the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.'...So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was -- the Messiah -- or a complete nutcase...The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched.

That's how old I am today.

• There's a difference between Kansas and Oklahoma: one of them has trees.
• Oklahoma was like a green version of driving out of Colorado.
• I'm really not anti-Kansas. I thought it was pretty.
• I've never been to Arkansas before. I was VERY impressed with it's beauty.
• We stopped in Little Rock for coffee and a visit with some friends...that was fun.
• There's nothing on the west side of the Mighty Missip. Memphis starts with a bang!
• Tennessee is one long state.
• God seems to speak a little more in Arkansas...I think.
• Tennessee is very pretty also.
• Driving I-40 in North Carolina is even prettier! The mountains on this side are smoother and shorter than their western counterparts, but it's just as magnificent.
• One of the prettiest drives I know, though not long, is dropping out of Asheville into Greenville County (my home county in South Carolina) on Hwy 25.
• It's good to be back with family in Simpsonville, SC.
• It feels like we've gone much further than just 1600 miles.