According to the Weather Underground, the low tonight around here will be at least 21 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering we are near Pinson Valley, one of the coldest spots in the state, it will most likely make it into the teens - not a good thing for the birds on the night before the Great Backyard BirdCount is to start.

If I didn't know better, I would think we were in a period of global cooling, not global warming. But the modeling data on global warming, which has been denied by corporate Republicans for years, has shown that global warming will actually mean a general cooling trend for the Southeast, in part due to excessive sulfates in the air, according to the Center for Educational Technologies and other sources.

Meanwhile, in my continuting beef with computer programmers on what makes for a well designed Web page, I spent most of the day today using this html/xhtml/css code Validator, which checks Websites according to the changing standards of design.

If you have a Website, go there and type in your Web address (url) and see how you rate. See if you get as mad as I did.

The problem is, it is still apparent to me that computer programmers who are writing all this code are not going to school for design or consulting people who know about design and how readers tend to view information.

For one great source to begin understanding this, go to the Poynter Institute's Eyetrack III link and check it out.

Meanwhile back on the House floor, the debate on the resolution to oppose Bush's Iraq troop surge continues. No word on whether the vote will take place on Friday, since a holiday recess is scheduled for this weekend. Monday Feb. 19 is President's Day.

Out here in progressive, liberalland, maybe we should come up with a special event for Monday called "Bash President Bush Day."

Oh, wait. Every day around here is Bash Bush Day : )

Nevermind...

Comment at will. Every day is open thread day here at The Fork, unlike a lot of other blogs, which only allow open threads on any general topic on a periodic basis.

We are sorry if some of you have trouble making comments in the Moveable Type software interface. Larry Owen over at HackOfAllTrades.Com is working on a a better bare bones blog type content management system. Unfortunately, it ain't ready yet.

So to heck with it. It's Yuengling Time...