One of the things I like about Wordpress (the blogging software used to create this blog) is the ability to customize your blog according to your needs and interests using “plugins”. Here is my list of plugins that I currently think are pretty cool.
WP-Polls – Adds an AJAX poll system to your WordPress blog. You can easily include a poll into your WordPress’s blog post/page. WP-Polls is extremely customizable via templates and css styles and there are tons of options for you to choose to ensure that WP-Polls runs the way you wanted.
WP-UserOnline – Enables you to display how many users are online on your Wordpress blog with detailed statistics of where they are and who there are(Members/Guests/Search Bots).
Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not.
FeedBurner FeedSmith – this plugin detects all ways to access your original WordPress feeds and redirects them to your FeedBurner feed so you can track every possible subscriber.
WordPress.com Stats – Tracks views, post/page views, referrers, and clicks. Requires a WordPress.com API key.
Wordpress Automatic Upgrade - allows you to automatically upgrade your wordpress installation to the latest one provided by wordpress.org using the 5 steps provided in the wordpress upgrade instructions.
Alligators may have a reputation of being vicious predators, but the blood that runs through their veins could someday save your life.
A study done by researchers at McNeese State University in Louisiana suggests that proteins found in alligator blood may provide new antibiotics that could treat diabetic ulcers, severe burns and “superbugs,” including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), that are resistant to other kinds of medicine.
The proteins could also help a plethora of other ailments, said the study’s authors, such as Candida albicans yeast infections, which often appear in AIDS patients and transplant recipients, who have weakened immune systems.
“We’re very excited about the potential of these alligator blood proteins as both antibacterial and antifungal agents,” said study co-author Dr. Mark Merchant, a biochemist at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La.
“There’s a real possibility that you could be treated with an alligator blood product one day.”
Merchant said alligators have super-strong immune systems that are very different from those of humans. Alligators can fight fungi, viruses and bacteria without prior exposure to them, the authors said.
Pills and creams could be developed and in pharmacies within the next seven to 10 years, Merchant said.
However, Merchant said the public should not try to create home remedies using alligator blood, as the consequences could be fatal if the blood is contaminated.
The findings were recently reported at the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
I just thought I’d share a glimpse of life in the Webel home. There is ALWAYS something going on here, usually it involves drama of some sort. This video is of one of the calmer moments when Anna decided to entertain her little brother Nate.
We drove to “The” Bluebonnet festival in Ennis, Texas yesterday.
The website for the festival claimed that this was the only ‘official’ bluebonnet festival and it used alot of language to suggest this was THE place for Texas Bluebonnets.
Ennis was designated by the 1997 State Legislature as the home of the“Official Texas Bluebonnet Trail” and was designated the “Official Bluebonnet City of Texas.”
Remember to stop by the Ennis Visitor Center to pick up your highlighted Bluebonnet Trail Map. The staff and volunteers at the Ennis Visitor Center will highlight the best trails on this map on the day of your visit.
So, we drove down there (about an hour drive from Arlington, TX) with somewhat high expectations. After all, the bluebonnets around here are pretty impressive, so the bluebonnets in the “Official Bluebonnet City” ought to be out of this world!
We did find some bluebonnets in one small section of a park at the beginning of the ‘bluebonnet trail’ and took some photos. We were pretty disappointed by the amount of bluebonnets at the park, but thought we were likely to see some fantastic fields of bluebonnets as we drove along the trail, so we moved on.
However, for the next hour or so, we traveled along the trail and saw almost NO more bluebonnets! It seems the ‘Offical Bluebonnet City’ does not have many bluebonnets this year or our friendly volunteer highlighted the wrong trail(s) when I picked up the trail map!
It worked out okay, we had fun driving in the country (sans bluebonnets), we had a nice picnic outside and everyone stayed relatively happy for the entire outing.
We did see some really beautiful bluebonnets on our drive back home (between Dallas and Arlington) so we did get to enjoy some bluebonnets after all.
Just be warned – if you are going to Ennis for the Bluebonnet Festival – don’t get your hopes up that your going to be seeing very many bluebonnets!
I was checking my blog stats, and a blog post I wrote back in January about Chuck Norris seemed to be getting an unusual amount of traffic, so I had to investigate why.
Chuck Norris, being a class act, put out this thoughtful statement when he heard about the arrests:
“When I learned yesterday [Wednesday] of the story about a high school student in New Jersey faced with expulsion from school and possible other problems after being charged with compiling a ‘hit list’ that contained my name, my first instinct was to say nothing. Not to risk making something out to be bigger than it is.
“But I realize that this is not the best course, for such behaviors are exactly the warning signs we have ignored for far too long, emanating from a growing at-risk population of young people in this country.
“In today’s world, we must always be vigilant, not just in stepping up protection and emergency preparedness in schools, but in reaching out to those lost souls who feel marginalized and disenfranchised by the world around them.
“It is what I have been doing for more than a decade with my ‘KickStart’ program, which began in Houston, Texas, teaching 150 at-risk children martial arts as part of the PE curriculum. Since that time, our program, which instills discipline and respect and raises self-esteem, has grown to serve more than 6,000 youngsters year round at 37 schools in Dallas and Houston, Texas. To date, KickStart has graduated more than 40,000 students with many going on to college and becoming successful in their own right.
“My hope is that, should there be substance to these charges, we will not distance ourselves from this young man, but embrace him and give him the help he needs to get on the right path.”
His statement just confirms what a great guy Chuck Norris is.
Looks like there’s gonna be a race in Gainesville today…
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Urban Meyer is searching for the fastest student on campus.
He’s quite certain it’s one of his football players — Louis Murphy, Chris Rainey or Deonte Thompson. But just in case, he’s having a race Saturday to find out for sure.
And what happens if someone beats his speedsters before the team’s spring game?
Percy Harvin was supposed to be the main attraction for the race, but he had heel surgery Monday and is out for two months.
That left Murphy, Rainey and Thompson as the fastest Meyer had to offer.
Murphy, a senior from St. Petersburg, caught 39 passes for 590 yards and six touchdowns last season. Rainey and Thompson, both redshirt freshmen, were two of Meyer’s prized recruits in last year’s top-rated class.
Although Meyer promised a full scholarship to any student who beats his players, the coach’s reason for organizing the event wasn’t to find a running back, receiver, defensive back or kick returner from campus.
The game will be televised on ESPN, offering Meyer a chance to spread his recruiting pitch about wanting to be “the fastest team in America,” and having a race featuring three of his stars could help sell the school.
All I’ve got to say is, don’t underestimate what a poor college student will do for a full scholarship!
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Hi! I'm Steve Webel and this is my blog. Thanks for stopping by!
Ennis was designated by the 1997 State Legislature as the home of the“Official Texas Bluebonnet Trail” 
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“When I learned yesterday [Wednesday] of the story about a high school student in New Jersey faced with expulsion from school and possible other problems after being charged with compiling a ‘hit list’ that contained my name, my first instinct was to say nothing. Not to risk making something out to be bigger than it is.
Hi! I'm Steve Webel and this is my blog. Thanks for stopping by!
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