November, 2005

I have learnt silence from the talkative,
toleration from the intolerant,
and kindness from the unkind;
yet strange,
I am ungrateful to these teachers.
(Khalil Gibran)

November 30, 2005

Honesty is the best policy

   A cabbie returned the $350,000 worth of jewelry left in his cab, the diamond dealer said that Haider Sediqi's act of honesty had “changed his life.”
   The grateful dealer wrote out a check for $10,000 to the man, and gave him a bracelet (a really nice one i bet) to give to his wife.
   Honesty and not trying to take advantage of others is the best way to operate your life.
   Sometimes it has it's tangeable rewards in this life, other times, the good deeds just add up on the ledger.
   But don't do anything for such motives, do them because it is the right way to act. And we're all in this big play together, let's treat one another correctly.

   It is interesting to note how well the International Cabbie Exchange Project is working along. All those cabbies from other countries getting to come here and experience life in the USA. And I suppose the American cabbies are enjoying their time driving American tourists through places like Rome, Madrid and London (shivers @ the traffic in those places). That is one U.N. program that is worth it's weight in gold.

Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Inside my self and
My own mind
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have found
In that great street carnival
In that carnival?

November 29, 2005

Thanks for your time

   It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

   Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

   "Jack, did you hear me?"

   "Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him.. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

   "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

   "I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

   "You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

   "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

   As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

   The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

   "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

   "The box is gone," he said.

   "What box?" Mom asked.

   "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was "the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

   It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

   "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

   It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

   Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

   Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter.

   His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

   The thing he valued most...was...my time". Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

   "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

   Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away'

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

   1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

   2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

   3 A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

   4 Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

   5. You mean the world to someone.

   6. If not for you, someone may not be living.

   7. You are special and unique.

   8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

   9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

   10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

   11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

   12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

   13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

   14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

   This mail was sent to me by a WWII veteran I met a few years ago over the internet. This man who as a young marine stormed the beaches of the South Pacific learned about life by seeing so many near him deprived of theirs.
Orv, thanks for being a friend.

November 28, 2005

Opossums, the weirdest creature in North America

   Opossums are strange creatures, perhaps they do not belong here. But I have a soft spot for oddities, and the grinning leering looks of these toothy things is interesting to say the least. And when you see them in that toothy snarl acting dead, you see the worth of their 'playing possum' role. We get them here on occasion, but don't mind if they don't come by. But like most animals, they can be tamed down. And you never know when you'll come by one that someone has befriended. You can see this at Snoopy, the Opossum photo page.

More Solar Lighting pages Solar sources and Silicone Solar

November 26, 2005

YOUR AGE BY BEER MATH

Non beer drinkers may substitute a glass of wine or highball.

This is pretty neat.

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute .

Work this out as you read ..
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have beer
(more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1755 .... If you haven't, add 1754.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have beer each week).

The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2005) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

November 25, 2005

My cat hates you

   My cat hates you. A kind of cute website full of cat photos of cats in all their oddities. If you like to look at photos of cats for hours (I know there's people like that out there), click on it and get your fill.

November 24, 2005

Enjoy the sun, while it's still free!
Happy Thanksgiving!

   From time to time I have thought of going offline from the power source, this is called going 'off the grid'. Some neighbors of ours have done this, and power their home with solar panels, batteries and a gasoline generator for back-up.

   Backwoods solar is a company I had some dealings with nearly twently years ago. The previous owners Steve and Elizabeth Willey started BACKWOODS SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS as a home based business way back in 1978. They have since officially retired from the business, having sold it to an interested buyer who has taken it over with the help of all of the previous employees. So the service should be the same as before.
   I encourage you to visit their site and look over some of the interesting options they have in solar, wind and hydro power. I really think the government should encourage 'off grid' and 'tied to the grid' power systems. This would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, as well as reduce pollution. A person, a family, a community, a nation should all be as self-supporting as possible, and it is not good to have an addiction to somehting you can't produce yourself, because then you are at the mercy of the 'dealers' who hold what you so crave. Oil is no exception, we can get the sun for free from God, but He blessed others with the oil. Let's take all the wind, the sun, and the water movement we need, and reduce our relience on fossil fuels that we can't pump from the ground ourselves.

   One of the governmental programs that is intended to foster interest in solar energy is the Million Solar Roofs Project., they also have a great Solar Information Resources page.

November 23, 2005

Ugliest dog in the world plays harp!

   Awwww, ain't it something when you see something so darn ugly it's durnright cute? This is the case with the ugliest dog in the world, which unfortunately passed on recently.

   Oddly enough, he kind of reminds me in some way of our own beloved Whitie the Chihuahua, but Whitie being our dog, we know is not only really smart, he's just plain good looking!

A photo of whitie taken in Dec 2003.

   I found this poem reprinted below on the Sam Page for the ugly cute dawg. It is very touching, and I thought I would put it here also, as a tribute to the special bond between humans and our animal friends.

The Rainbow Bridge
There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.
It is called the Rainbow Bridge, because of it's many colors.
Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills, and valleys with lush green grass.
When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place.
There is always food and water and warm spring weather.
The old and frail animals are young again.
Those who are maimed are made whole again.
They play all day with each other.
There is only one thing missing.
They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth.
So, each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up!
The nose twitches! The ear are up! The eyes are staring!
And this one suddenly runs from the group!
You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her in your arms and embrace.
Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.
Then you cross over The Rainbow Bridge together,
never again to be seperated.

   Dang, I'm gonna have a whole bunch of creatures over there when I get to the rainbow bridge, it'll take me a day just to say hello to all the creatures from spiders, snakes and scorpions I've had to the ducks, geese, cats, dogs, skunks, goats, sheep and pigs. Or does it count if you ate them?

November 21, 2005

Safety issues to think about as the shopping season approaches.

These were sent to us in an e-mail from a friend.
Here on the Central Coast we may not think about crime as much as other areas, but even here people should try at all times to be aware of their surroundings.

   1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

   2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

   3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

   4. Some people have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

   5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
      A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
      B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Many serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
      C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
(And better paranoid than dead.)

   6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

   7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably ! in a zig -zag pattern!

   8. As humans we often try to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Some predators play on the sympathies of unsuspecting people. Some have walked with a cane, or a limp, and often ask "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is where many abductions occur.

November 18, 2005

Bin Laden, Voluntary Human Extinction Movement

    The message of Bin Laden. All put into a concise format. Now you can read a great many of the speeches and threatening letters from this man of peace.

   The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. They are kind of like the Shakers, a movement with anti-growth policies. When its adherents die the movement will suffer extinction, just as they hope the Human race will do.

November 17, 2005

Inventions, Math, Science, Murals and Wine

   History's Most Underrated Inventions A most interesting article on underrated inventions that really did change things.

   Math and Science, both are things that are very useful to know something about. And now there is a site called ‘Math in Science’that has some really fine info on agriculture and botany.

   MURALS STUFF

    The Sideways link, a locally filmed movie.

November 16, 2005

Realize

    Chechnya Archive. Full of videos of beheadings, roadside bombs, executions, all done in the name of Allah.

    Teacher Charged With Mocking Religion Sentenced to Jail. What the title doesn’t tell you is that this man had posted articles in the school newspaper condemning religious extremism, and terrorism. But we who are used to people being able to voice dissent without fear of getting killed are shocked to hear of a sentence such as this….750 lashes, fifty to be given out each week for 15 weeks. Imagine the torment this poor man will be going through each week, never healing, to have his flesh ripped off his frame week after week. He might well not live through this. This all in the name of the ‘Religion of Peace’. And in the land of our allies, Saudi Arabia.

   In Islamic tradition and law it is not permissible to represent ‘The Prophet’ (the Peace and Blessings of Allah be with him) in any form. To do so is a violation of Sharia (Islamic) law. And anyone who violates Sharia is likely to meet someone who will be offended to the point of carrying out the sentence (death) which is automatically imposed. In the small country of Denmark; one of the Scandinavian nations renowned for tolerance and open borders, a blessed shrine to the liberal ideals promulgated by our Leftist friends in the USA, there is a small problem for one tiny newspaper. One person had heard that a book publisher had been having problems finding an artist to create a drawing of Muhammad due to the intolerance of the immigrants the Danes had allowed into their country. The paper made a contest open to all, and got many drawings which they published daily. This resulted in death threats and an arson attack. There are said to be thousands of Muslims in that area who are sad for the paper and find no great offense in the actions of the paper, yet these are afraid to speak publicly for fear that they will themselves be threatened. Read the article from The Viking Observer. And remember that when you offend Islam, you risk great harm to yourself wherever you are, even your own land.

   These three links show us some of what we are up against. It is a war that must be fought, I am sure in the end we will win, but we will not while we engage in this little messing around we are doing. We will need to bring out some big ammo at some point. But we won’t do so until many hundreds of thousands of people are killed in these little skirmishes we are engaged in. When we get the big wake up call, the millions of lives flashed out in a day, then we will rise with a vengeance that will astound. But what good will that do the millions who will not even get a chance to know they are dead?

   One day people of the future will look at this time, and wonder why in the world we sat for so long, trying to plug the dike with a thumb, when the ocean was threatening to wash over us. The ocean has been speaking to us for some years now, and we hear the roar, but we ignore it, to our own peril.

Whoever does not understand the enemy will lose one battle for every one he wins.
Whoever does not understand himself will lose one battle for every one he wins.
Whoever does not understand the enemy or himself will lose every battle he fights.
Sun Tsu
Know your enemy, know yourself

November 14, 2005

Michael Jackson’s toilet faux pas in Dubai,

Poor guy, he walked into the wrong restroom!

November 12, 2005

Rhetoric at war with reality
Sovietizing America

   Victor Davis Hanson makes a fine argument on the irrationality of nations and their peoples in his article Rhetoric at war with reality. To me it read a little like the classic 'Wealth of Nations', by Adam Smith, (a book I totally enjoyed, umm.. a couple of decades ago, when I was amazed that a book on economic theory could even be interesting to me).

   Speaking of economic theory, we read an article that explains the economic policies coming along in the agendas of the 'New World Order' (my description, not theirs) of the United Nations (nee League of Nations). They call this 'Sustainable Development', but I see it as an intrusion upon the rights of business peoples to conduct business and to utilize resources to their 'highest and best' purposes. You can read about this new 'Socialist/Environmentalist hoped-for' policy at Sovietizing America: How Sustainable Development Crushes the Individual.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

   I really like the variety of people you'll find in this country. We all know people whose ancestors (some quite recently) came from other countries. Most of us bring some of the ‘Old World’ with us for generations. This always can be found in the cooking which I think is the most passed-down thing in any culture. I suppose that even an American classic meal like Thanksgiving will be greatly influenced by other cultures. You can read about some of the intriguing variations on Thanksgiving practiced by people all across the USA. Myself, I like the idea of adding Kim chi to any meal, and Thanksgiving turkey is no exception. Read all about it at Multicultural Thanksgiving

November 11, 2005

Deer with Horns

    Deer with Horns is the family name of some folks I met some years ago through their website. They are an interesting and fun couple in Connecticut. They have a fun website with lots of Native American lore and information and links. I encourage you to visit their website for it's mix of the nostalgic, romantic, and realistic information contained in it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

   The monarch butterflies come to this area every year from all regions west of the Rockies. The monarchs East of the Rockies go and winter in a small area of Mexico where they cling to trees in that area and while away their winter in a subtropical holiday. In the spring they will again turn their sights to 'El Norte' and begin their thousand plus mile migration over the border (without papers, but with environmentalists blessings) to spread their progeny on milkweed all over the American landscape. We all like these little 'flutter-bys'. But there is a problem (pero, esta una problema), in Mexico the lack of law enforcement by the government, and the lack of respect for the law by the citizenry has resulted in decades of logging in the tiny area where these butterflies make their winter homes. The government until recently did little to enforce illegal lumber cutting, but now that the attention of the world has focused on these little colorful creatures, they are starting to sit up and take notice. So..... Now they are assigning 15 patrolmen to enforce lumber laws, and other harmful environmental destruction in that area. They are waking the local citizens up to the fact that the butterflies can be big business as a tourist draw, and they will make more money in the long run from catering to eco-tourists than what they can make in a few years from cutting all the trees on their mountains. Read all about it at Mexico expects 200 million monarch butterflies.

   I worked for some time on a ranch that was in the butterfly area here on the coast of California. I tell you what, it was a really unique experience walking alone in the wild through the juniper trees with thousands of butterflies hovering around me, it is something like walking through a kaleidoscope. For information on the Central Coast Monarch Butterflies you can go to Santa Cruz Natural Bridges Bay Butterfly Place. And closer to home our own Pismo Beach Butterfly Sanctuary.

November 07, 2005

New York City is at risk of a hurricane

   New York City is at risk of a hurricane. Now, the government of Louisiana had known about the dangers to New Orleans for years, but they did nothing to prepare for the disaster. Instead they opted for the 'Old Southern' Way' of 'waiting-for-the-chips-to-fall-as-they-may', and hoping everyone will 'take care of hisself'. We see that the ones who could did, and those who could not did not. And now all the blame can be shifted to President Bush, who theoretically should have stopped SUV's from being produced in the first place, and for steering the hurricane into New Orleans, (as well as dynamiting the levees) and getting the rich people out and making the poor ones stay.
    I wonder if that 'Old Damn-Yankee Ingenuity' will be put to good use now in NY, and used to really prepare for a disaster? Come on Nya'awker's, show us poor Southern peeps how it's done.

November 06, 2005

Behind the Mask of Zorro

The Outlaw killed by Love

   The story of Joaquin Murrieta, as told by the The History Channel.
    Yep, this was a most well-done story on the famous California outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. He ran wild through California from 1850 to 1853 when he was killed by the California Ranger named Love. Or, was he killed by Love? There is the rub, like so many ‘infamous’ types who fight the system, who have the sympathy if not the support of a large segment of the population, they live on in legend after death.
    This was rarely exemplified so well in any other historical character to the extent that this has happened with our own home grown outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. Joaquin came to California from Mexico about 1849 chasing the gold rush like so many in those years.
    As well as potential riches, he found intolerance, racism, and the death of family members, but no justice through the courts. He responded with a vengeance, taking gold from miners, and stealing horses from local ranches. He acquired something of a ‘Robin Hood’ mythology in those few years before his death. His exploits were made into a national sensation through the writings of a contemporary author who followed the legend of Joaquin as they happened. The name of the fictitious character is Zorro.
    The History Channel covered the attitudes of the Gold Rush very well. The time was lawless to a large degree, it was wild and unruly. No place for women or families. And there were darn few of those here at that time. Yet the few families here were likely to be Mexicans having to get used to the idea that their beloved ‘Alta California’ was being ruled now by these pale skinned invaders who imposed a new style of government on them. Many people got well-enough fed up, especially when family members were killed by posses or vigilante squads that they ‘went outlaw’ and became merciless murders.
    Our own local outlaw of the same time (some of the gang members ran with both gangs) was Solomon Pico. Solomon ruled this local area with an iron hand, spraying lead at whoever he wanted. A local peak is named ‘Solomon’s Peak’, not after Solomon of Israel, but the local Solomon Pico who used the high peak as a lookout over the Southern entrance to the Santa Maria Valley.
    Zorro was eventually killed by a posse appointed by the governor of that time. A one thousand dollar reward was given, but the legend goes that the ninety thousand dollars in gold Joaquin and his men are said to have carried was divvied out among the posse riders.
    The head of Joaquin was preserved in alcohol for identification and titillation and was still on exhibit until the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 when it’s glass container fell off of the shelf it was on and broke.
    But, there are some who say that head was not Joaquin’s’. Joaquin lived to get into Mexico where he died of old age in the late 1890’s. Whatever the outcome, whether the head was Joaquin’s or some other Mexican’s, Joaquin made a mark on this land, and his legend lives on in the legend of Zorro.
    The History Channel program is interesting and informative. And I loved the names of the local places in the program. But found it interesting that an often used curse word in Spanish was used in the program. We hear it used so often that it is usual to forget its real meaning, but to see it on the History Channel it was a bit of a shock. I am sure the network screeners did not realize its meaning, otherwise they would not have allowed it in. I know they would not have it’s meaning in English used in such a way.

November 03, 2005

Native American Flute
Sweet Music

    Someone with a really fine website is Charles and Vicky Little leaf They make and play Native American Flutes and have several CD’s you can buy, as well as their flutes. I like their website, it is very artistically put together. And since I like Native American Lore and artwork, that is a site that is well worth having on my favorites list. They have a massive list of sites they link to, and ours has been on that list for the last eight years or so, so I guess they like our site also.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
    It is my thinking that perhaps a majority of any Americans with ancestry over 200 years in the US probably have at least some Native American ancestry. We are such a diverse group of people, and people have always liked folks of ‘different and exotic’ descent (and in ANY group 'different and exotic' is the 'new' people who you don't know too well). I think that is programmed into us so that we are likely to introduce ‘outside’ genes into the local population. But I digress, If you want to find out if you have NA genes, you can now take a DNA test at Native American Genetics. Now, this test is not cheap, but it might be interesting to find out who your ancestors ran into.

November 02, 2005

Tasmanian Devils

    Tasmanian Devils; even the name conjures up images of some far-away mysterious locale. Like the grunion and snipe, a person could be excused for not even believing there is such a thing. But dear children, I am here to tell you they are all three real animals, fish and birds.
    For the Tasmanian devil, you can see photos of the cute little beggar here.
    The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) has a most unusual voice, it bawls like something between a pig and some kind of rabid dog out to find the man who shot his paw. Here is a web page that has a recording of what this poor devil sounds like. You can also view a short video of what this cute little critter looks like. To tell the truth, if we had those things living around here, I suppose there’d be one living under our patio.
    Now, the devils have been under siege by a dread diseases that is running wild in the population at this time. It is a new disease that is characterized by tumors growing through the faces of the animals, causing bone problems and a host of other evils.
    You can read about the Devil Disease here.