The truely scary part of this video is when you realize that the big thing sliding along the tracks toward the train engine, past the blown off cars, is a huge tank car that is throwing up a shower of sparks! What’s in the tank? Hopefully not gasoline!

More about this storm at the NOAA weather bureau website.

In the post, “The Right Livelihood, Right Now!“, Bob and his co-authors say that the creative professions are better suited to withstand recession than most people who earn a salary at an office or manufacturer.

“Presently, millions of American white collar and blue collar workers have lost their jobs or have been forced to accept shortened work weeks.

“Millions of gainfully employed citizens count themselves among ‘The Working Worried.’ They live with the very real possibility of being sacked at a moment’s notice.”

So “where does this leave the creative person?”, the blog asks.

“Actually, it leaves us surprisingly well off compared to most wage earners.

“Money was never the key motivator in our lives. We set up small businesses and took day jobs so we could paint, make films, strut on stage, write, perform, and compose music, create on the computer, write plays and screenplays, design all and sundry sorts of things and experiences…

“We need practical visionaries to create new and resilient American Dreams — the old ones are falling of their own accord into the dustbin of history.”

A tip of the hat to my wife, Judi Jetson, for sending me a link to Bob’s post.

Weeki Wachee Mermaid Shannon

Sexual harassment is a serious subject, one to never be made light of. But…

I could not help but grin at the headline “Weeki Wachee manager fired, accused of harassing mermaid” that appeared this morning on our Tampa ABC affiliate’s website.

From the post: “The state’s investigation began in March after a banquet coordinator, Nancy Flowers, was fired. She filed a grievance, accusing [Weeki Wachee Park Directory Tommy] Ervin of behaving inappropriately toward her and her co-workers.

“She also claimed Ervin harrassed (sic) her daughter, Heather Flowers, who is a mermaid at the park.

“According to an 88-page report released by the state, Heather was in an office making copies when “Tommy came in there and he said… ‘oh, you must be bubble butt’ and I’m like, ‘excuse me?’ and he’s like, ‘Bubble butt?’, and I said, ‘no, I’m Heather.’ And he was like, ‘oh, well I’m Tommy, it’s nice to meet you,’” Heather stated.”

For those who don’t know, Weeki Wachee Springs was a tourist attraction founded in 1946 at a natural, 72-degree spring-fed pool located in the small town of Weeki Wachee about 60 miles north of Tampa and 12 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. It features young women dressed in mermaid costumes who perform daily underwater shows while breathing through air hoses. The attraction was taken over last year as a state park by the State of Florida.

Buzz Aldrin on moon

This video shows Buzz recording “Rocket Experience” with Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli. Quincy Jones and Soulja Boy also appear.

The best part is Snoop Dogg’s impromptu rap followed by his coaching of Buzz, who is now 70 years old. Nice, and all in good fun.

Dr. Hajazi, who said he did not know Neda and was walking from his nearby office through groups of people who were themselves watching a demonstration, is now in Great Britain. He says that although he fears for his safety and will not return to Iran for some time, he felt compelled to speak about the death of a 26-year-old woman whose bloody image has become an icon of Iranian protest.

“”They (the Iranian clergy) are going to denounce what I am saying. They are going to put so many things on me. I have never been in politics. I am jeopardising my situation because of the innocent look in her (Neda’s) eyes.”

The Google Voice team announced a few minutes ago that they have begun sending invitations to people wanting to signup for the phone dispatching and voice mail service.

“Invites for Google Voice are going out, and our list is huge, so it will take a while to get though them all. Be patient. Thanks!”
— @googlevoice on Twitter.

No mention (yet) of porting existing numbers to Google Voice or using Google Voice with Google Apps for Domains.

Update: Confirmed by Official Google Blog.

Google is sending emails to people who have requested the Google Voice service. As an added touch, the signup procedure includes and opportunity to selected a number based on what the number spells out (a la 1-800-hot-babe). Says Google:

“Once you receive your invitation, just click on the link and follow the instructions to setup your new Voice account. To help you find a Google number that is personalized to you, we’ve added a number picker that lets you search by area code and text. See if you can find a number that contains your name, a specific word or a number combination.