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Lovely cover of Junior Kimbrough’s Hill Country classic, “I’m In Love With You”.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The closure of a mountain highway pass in the heart of the nation's second-largest city -- an event anticipated to be so calamitous to car-loving Southern California that it's been dubbed "Carmaggedon" -- is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Pacific on Friday. That's when crews will begin closing ramps on Interstate 405 where it passes over the Santa Monica Mountains, California Department of Transportation officials said. At 10 p.m. Pacific, crews will begin closing lanes, and by midnight, the 405 will be eerily vacant -- a "carpocalypse," some say -- for the next 53 hours....

We are all morning or evening people. Scientists have established that our genes dictate around half of what they call our “chronotypes” — our natural preference for certain times of the day. Evolution has produced a range of humans capable of being alert to danger at every hour of the day. Our experience confirms these findings. We all know people who love to be at work bright and early, with a cup of coffee to hand and decisions to make, and others who would rather stumble through the day until reaching a state of relaxed clarity around dusk, when their...

Is it bad that I am devoting this entire post to alcohol? Hey, it’s 5:00 somewhere, right? I found this drink recipe online, and I want it - like 5 minutes ago. Passion Fruit Martini 1 shot citrus vodka 1 shot white cranberry juice 1 shot passion fruit juice 1/2 shot orange liqueur 1 tablespoon cherry juice Orange peel twist, for garnish Combine all ingredients except orange peel twist in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass. Garnish with orange peel twist.

In California, Fox Gets Warm Embrace and a Cold ShoulderBy JOHN M. BRODER Published: May 26, 2006 SACRAMENTO, May 25 — In an echo of the debate on immigration under way in Washington, the California Legislature gave visiting President Vicente Fox of Mexico a two-edged welcome on Thursday. Democratic and Latino members, including the Assembly speaker, Fabian Núñez, embraced Mr. Fox, while some Republicans boycotted his evening address to a joint session of the Legislature. Other Republicans attended the speech, but wore yellow buttons reading "No más!" to protest Mr. Fox's support for liberalizing American policies on immigration. In his...

Happy Easter! Last week the subject theme for the photography thread was Sunrise, wherein someone suggested that sunrises are better than sunsets. That sounds like a challenge to me! Let's see if we can top the sunrise thread with some beautiful sunset shots. Please post your bestest sunset photos here - your own work, please.

<p>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger flew from Sacramento to drop by the Shady Canyon Golf Club in Irvine on Wednesday, returning to budget negotiations in the Capitol with at least $500,000 more in his campaign chest.</p> <p>The 100-plus guests at the reception forked out $5,000 apiece to hear the governor, and sample hors d'oeuvres, wine and an open bar.</p>

Has the nation's television audience burned out on serious news? American soldiers are dying in Iraq almost daily; questions continue to swirl around the Bush administration's case for the invasion there in March; and U.S. Marines are poised off the coast of Liberia. At home, decisions by the Supreme Court prompted national debates on affirmative action and gay rights; a basketball star stands accused of sexual assault; and the California governorship hangs in the balance. And yet, television news viewers are tuning out. The total evening news audience on the broadcast networks has been lower this summer than it was...

Giving God Twenty:How to Start a Real Prayer Lifeby Bud MacfarlaneIf you are serious about being a Catholic, keep reading. This is for mature audiences only. It is rated R for Realistic. We all know that a Catholic adult who does not have a daily contemplative prayer life is a contradiction in terms. If there is one constant in the advice of the saints, it is that every Catholic should have a serious prayer life. My goal here is not to berate you if you do not have a prayer life. I have fallen short myself until recently, so I...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 July 26 Clearing Skies Credit & Copyright: Dominic Cantin Explanation: Clear evening skies are a welcome sight for stargazers worldwide, but clearing skies are good too. Just such a glorious occasion was recorded in this dramatic photo taken by Dominic Cantin during a recent gathering of Canadian astronomers at St-Nérée Observatory, located about 60 kilometers southeast of the city of Quebec. Looking toward the west on July...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 June 25 Venus and Jupiter Over Belfast Credit: Peter Paice Explanation: Venus and Jupiter appeared to glide right past each other earlier this month. In a slow day-by-day march, Jupiter sank into the sunset horizon while Venus remained high and bright. The conjunction ended the five-planet party visible over the last two months. Jupiter, of course, is much further away from the Earth and Sun than Venus,...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 June 21 Zimbabwe Sunset Credit & Copyright: Murray Alexander Explanation: Today's scheduled geocentric astronomical event is the Solstice, with the Sun reaching its northernmost declination at 13 hours 24 minutes Universal Time. For denizens of planet Earth this Solstice marks the begining of Summer in the northern hemisphere and Winter in the south. Of course, the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation (and not a change...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 June 19 The Moon & Venus Over Geneva Credit & Copyright: Gregory Giuliani (AstroImagine) Explanation: The Moon, fresh from a biting encounter with the Sun last week, appeared next to threaten Venus. The waxing Moon appeared to glide right past, however, just a few degrees away. Venus, of course, is much further away from the Earth than the Moon, so the passing was really just an angular...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 May 24 Love and War by Moonlight Credit & Copyright: Fred Espenak (courtesy of www.MrEclipse.com) Explanation: Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love, and Mars, the war god's namesake, approach each other by moonlight in this lovely sky view recorded on May 14th from Dunkirk, Maryland, USA. The four second time exposure made in twilight with a digital camera also records earthshine illuminating the otherwise dark...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 May 10 Trailing Planets Credit & Copyright: Joe Orman Explanation: Positioning his camera and tripod on planet Earth, near Maricopa, Arizona, USA, astrophotographer Joe Orman created this trailing display of the ongoing sky-full-of-planets on May 3rd. He initially captured the grouping in a 20 second long time exposure recording the positions of the bright planets and stars. Covering the camera lens for five minutes, he then exposed the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 May 9 Planets Over Stonehenge Credit & Copyright: Philip Perkins Explanation: Stonehenge, four thousand year old monument to the Sun, provides an appropiate setting for this delightful snapshot of the Sun's children gathering in planet Earth's sky. While the massive stone structure dates from around 2000 B.C., this arrangement of the visible planets was recorded only a few days ago on the evening of May 4th, 2002...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 April 29 Dusk of the Planets Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss Explanation: A great grouping of planets is now visible to the west just after sunset. Over the next two weeks, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn -- all the planets of the inner Solar System -- can be seen in a single knowing glance. The image on the left captured them all in one frame. Connecting...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 April 26 Comet Ikeya-Zhang Meets The ISS Credit & Copyright Carol Lakomiak Explanation: Still catching the Sun's rays, the International Space Station (ISS) cruises across the early evening sky above Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA. Recorded on April 9 around 9 pm CDT in a 30 second exposure, the sunlit space station traced this bright streak moving east (right) through the constellation Cassiopeia. Below lies Comet Ikeya-Zhang sporting a...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 April 18 Planets in the West Credit & Copyright: John French (Abrams Planetarium, MSU) Explanation: Have you seen any bright planets lately? Chances are if you've been outside under clear skies just after sunset, then you have. Now shining in the west as bright "stars" in the night sky, are all five planets of the solar system known to ancient astronomers - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and...