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Jim Colyer

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About Jim Colyer

  • Birthday 12/29/1945

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  • Location
    Nashville, Tennessee
  • Interests
    music, travel, astronomy
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  1. Music changes all the time. It is hard to keep up.
  2. I ended up seeing the Mamma Mia! movie 8 times.
  3. I re-recorded these songs with Kymberly Bryson in Nashville. 1 GOD GIVEN TALENT http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D258 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=286;fa=1 2 HARD EARNED LOVE http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D278 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=287;fa=1 3 I FEEL SO COUNTRY http://www.jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D279 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=288;fa=1 4 ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D286 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=289;fa=1 5 LOVE ME JUST A LITTLE http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D271 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=290;fa=1 6 I LOOKED TWICE! http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D288 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=291;fa=1 7 PUT ME ON THE SPOT! http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D290 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=292;fa=1 8 A MAN IS A MAN http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D270 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=293;fa=1 9 THE TRUTH http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D285 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=294;fa=1 0 JESUS PAID MY DEBT http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D289 Lyrics http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=295;fa=1
  4. ABBA will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2010.
  5. None of us are perfect, In the end, we have to be who and what we are. As for music, I recommend ABBA from Sweden. They go into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March.
  6. The mag is still unnamed, but the first issure will be out in May. Interview http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=198
  7. After missing the Northern Lights in Alaska, I traveled to Iceland, December 4-9, 2007, hoping to see them. Iceland is a Scandinavian country lying between Norway and Greenland. It is an island nation the size of Kentucky with a peninsula extending from its northwestern corner that looks like a crab with pinchers. Iceland was a Danish colony until 1944. It became independent when the Nazis occupied Denmark. Iceland's flag has the Scandinavian cross, a red cross outlined in white against a blue field. Greenland was granted self-rule by Denmark in 1979. People like to say that "Iceland is green, and Greenland is covered with ice." Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream. It was not nearly as cold in Reykjavik as it was in Boston. I flew U.S. Airways to Boston and took Icelandair. I landed at Keflavik International Airport. Keflavik was built by Americans during the Cold War. It is 45 minutes from Reykjavik. I heard One Of Us by ABBA on the Flybus. ABBA follows me everywhere. The population of Iceland is 300,000, 200,000 of which live in the capital of Reykjavik. Icelanders are reserved and businesslike, fortified against an extreme climate. They are descended from the Vikings who came from Norway in the 9th century. There are lots of square-faced blondes. Icelanders teach us something. They prosper on an island in the North Atlantic under harsh conditions. Why? Because they make the most of everything. They heat their city with geothermal energy, utilizing the many hot springs. They take care of themselves and each other. Reykjavik is the northernmost capital. The daylight at noon on December 8 was like soft twilight. SUVs crowded the streets. That tall building in the city center is Hallgrims Church. It is Lutheran. I climbed the tower. It was misting rain and quite gloomy. The Leifur Eiriksson Hotel, where I stayed, faces the church. I could see it through my window. The statue of Leif Ericson is in front. Leif was the first European to set foot in North America. He was born in Iceland. The planet Venus was in the morning sky and shown beside the church. The people speak Icelandic but also English. Their language has changed so little since the 9th century that they can still read the medieval sagas. Iceland's unit of currency is the krona, abbreviated ISK. $1000 got me 54,000 krona. It takes getting used to. A bottle of water cost 200 krona. Reykjavik is where Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky held the World Chess Championship in 1972. In 2010, Reykjavik will officially be designated the Chess Capital of the World. Fischer, with a long history of personal problems, resides in Iceland. I went out with Reykjavik Excursions three times. My first tour was the popular Golden Circle. It lasted eight hours and cost 7000 ISK. I saw my first geyser since Yellowstone. The landscape was stark and barren. There were no trees. It was cold, and snow was on the ground. I was thankful for my long johns. Iceland is fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers. Its arctic-like setting displays its deadly beauty as the yellow sun skirts along the horizon in a turquoise sky. It was cloudy the first two nights. Clouds seem to materialize from nothing only to quickly disappear. I took the Northern Lights tour on both my third and fourth nights. I kept trying. Did I see the lights? Technically, yes. Were they spectacular? No. Conditions were better the second time out. It was clear and cold. The coach parked for an hour, and everyone got off. There was a broad band of white light in the north below the Big Dipper. It may have been my imagination, but I thought it had a greenish tint. Our guide called it the "beginning of the Northern Lights." He said the raw material was there but that it lacked the final touch needed to burst into activity. It was better than nothing. I got my bearings. The north star was high in the sky like it was in Alaska. The summer triangle was visible, a surprise. Vegas, Deneb and Altair are down this time of year in Kentucky and Tennessee. I marveled at Cygnus the Swan in December. Orion was low as it was in Alaska. Mars burned bright in the constellation Gemini. There were Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades, the classic sky which I saw from my parents' back porch in 1961-62. I felt fortunate to be able to see the celestial sphere from different angles. I came away realizing that one does not go to Alaska or Iceland for a few days and see the Northern Lights in their glory. Those stories are told by people who spend their lives there. Jim Colyer http://www.jimcolyer.com/papers
  8. John McCain says to keep Ahmadinejad off sacred ground. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297526,00.html Should we take Ahmadinejad into custody and hold him until Iran gives up its nuclear program?
  9. The question is not whether or not Iraq was a mistake? The question is when are we going to bomb Iranian nuclear plants?
  10. Mitt Romney has what it takes to be president.
  11. Bush has kept our country safe since 9/11.
  12. Yes! You should go to Vegas if you have never been.
  13. My son and I flew to Las Vegas June 7, and returned June 13, 2007. We spent the first two nights at the Sahara at the north end of the Strip. The third and fourth nights we were in the Red Feather Lodge at the Grand Canyon. We stayed at New York-New York the last two nights. We flew Southwest Airlines. I bought tickets at the airport using my check card. We concentrated on the new side of Vegas. We rode the monorail which links the Strip from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. Themed hotels are the stars in today's Vegas. We landed at McCarran Airport at and took the shuttle to the Sahara. We travelled light, taking things which were necessary. The city of lights came to life on our first night. We relished the view from the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. The Tower is a 1/2 replica of the real thing. Vegas sprawled across the desert. Its population has grown to 1.8 million. Las Vegas has changed since I was there in 1993. There are mega-hotels: New York-New York, Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and Luxor. They exist for the purpose of making money for the people who own and operate them. We spent conservatively and aimed for an experience consistent with our needs. We knew why we were there and what we were going to do. We bought a digital camera, and Michael got 163 pictures. We walked through the hotels. The Bellagio fountains put on a spectacular show while Elvis sang Viva Las Vegas. The Bellagio was Michael's favorite. He called it a "5 star high roller." It was built by Steve Wynn. We saw Bob Dole in the casino. Our second day began with Michael getting his picture with a showgirl at Harrah's. He glowed! We visited the antique car collection at the Imperial Palace. I posed behind a 1955 Cadillac Elmerado. People were everywhere. We kept moving and doing things. We played video poker. I helped Michael with the hands, having played poker in my younger days. We ate well while keeping the cost down. When we were tired, we rested. We walked to Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip. We watched the Yankees play the Diamondbacks. The Bay is home to Mamma Mia! I told Michael we would see the movie. They had started on the Luxor the last time I was there. I kept thinking, "That looks like a pyramid." Then someone told me it was. The beam from the top can be seen 250 miles away. The Sphinx and the obelisk are out front. An obelisk is a four-sided needle of stone with a pyramid top. The idea of a curse always surrounds Egyptian stuff. It is not true, of course, but it plays with your head. Phase 2 We rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon. We stopped at Hoover Dam on the way. A bypass is being built. The dam provides electricity for California, Arizona and Nevada. Michael drove. We took 93 south to Kingman, Arizona, and went east on Interstate 40 to Williams. We headed north on Highway 64. It is a 4 or 5 hour drive. We had reservations at the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan, near the park entrance. I spotted it, the most awesome spectacle on the planet! The Grand Canyon! We pulled over for a picture. We stopped at a number of overlooks along the south rim. We attended the star party at Yavapai Point. We saw Jupiter and Saturn through telescopes. I pointed out the Big Dipper and North Star to Michael. The Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP) takes place each June. I want to be in the Valley of Fire for the Perseid meteor shower in 2010. There will be no moon. We drove to Desert View Watchtower at the eastern end of the south rim. The tower was built by architect Mary Jane Colter. We climbed it. At Desert View, Michael and I saw the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon. We saw hikers rehearsing at Bright Angel Trail for their descent the next morning. Michael said the next time he comes, he will go to the bottom. The length of the Canyon is 277 miles. The Colorado River cut it over 7 million years. The rocks at the bottom are two billion years old. The Colorado River flows from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains through the Canyon. It dumps into the Gulf of California. The Grand Canyon became a national park since 1919. We were at the Canyon two nights. Michael thought one night would have been enough. I insisted it is not every day that two guys from Nashville see the Grand Canyon. Valleys are in the east. Canyons are in the west. There is a sameness about the red buttes and mesas which makes it hard to concentrate on the Canyon. Phase 3 Back in Vegas, we checked into New York-New York for two nights. Our room was on the 25th floor. New York New York is a replica of the New York skyline. There are the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and The Bar at Times Square. I soaked in the tub each morning and wore my straw hat to keep the sun off the top of my head. I had the bag Charlotte bought me when I went to Sweden. Michael took a suitcase. We watched TV in our room before going to sleep. Michael sat by the pool while I visited the Atomic Testing Museum. We checked out the Palms because it had a Playboy club. We ate at the Outback, my first time. I had "shrimp on the barbie." The Beatles' Love was at the Mirage. We went to Fremont Street downtown and got pictures of Vegas Vic and Sassy Sally. We saw Jubilee! our last night in town. I saved it for the finale. Jubilee! was started by Donn Arden. He exploited the showgirl persona. We went to Red Rock Canyon the morning before we left. Red Rock is a National Conservation Area protected by the Bureau of Land Management. It is a 13-mile loop out Charleston Boulevard. The red sandstone formations make an interesting drive. The Las Vegas Astronomical Society meets there. Maybe I will join them. Michael saw Joshua trees for the first time. We made our way to McCarran Airport and flew to Nashville. It was a direct flight. Karen met us. My goal was to introduce Michael to one of the country's most exciting cities and to give him an experience in the west. I try to bolster his confidence and his ability to get around the country. Chances are, he will attend a convention in Vegas in the future. I told him the city is a magnet and he will return.
  14. Bush detractors are very selfish people. They have forgotten about the events of 9/11, 2001, when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, killing 3000 innocent civilians. They care nothing for the American and British troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Congress threatens to cut off funds and thereby deny them the food, supplies and equipment they need to carry out their work. Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Biden and Dodd care far less about the United States than they do the Democratic Party. All they want is to embarass Bush if they can and try to win back the White House. They are still trying to even up for the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Fact is, George Bush and Tony Blair have stood like two giants since 9/11. They have defended America and the U.K. from blood-thirsty savages who have no regard for human life, not even their own. An anonymous man at the Twin Towers challenged Bush to do "whatever it takes," and Bush is doing just that. WMD is meaningless. So is "fighting over there." What mattered after 9/11 was retaliation (not revenge). Bush had to kick the biggest Muslim butt, and Saddam Hussein had the biggest Muslim butt. Bush gave Saddam an ultimatum to step down. He refused and paid the consequences. Bush knew hard times were coming. He knew his actions were taken with future generations of Americans in mind. They are the ones who will write the history of the early 21st century. They are the ones who will appreciate Bush and that he did what had to be done to break the will of jihadists and religious fanatics worldwide who would destroy America. It is not over yet. It may be a long struggle. But America will triumph as she did in World War II and the Cold War. Decency, human rights, science and progress for all humanity must and will prevail.
  15. History only cares about presidents, what they did and the events of their presidencies. We do not teach the lives of Senators or Representatives in school. George Bush understands this and knows that history will judge him a great president, one who defended America and western civilization in the wake of 9/11. Urged on by ultra-liberals Pelosi and Reid, Congress is trying to usurp the authority of the president as commander-in-chief. But George Bush is "the decider" when it comes to the military, not Speaker Pelosi. He will veto the bill tying troop withdrawals to funding. Congress needs to send him a bill consistent with history and one which provides our troops with the funds and supplies they need. US Presidents http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=50
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