El es Cazador

My freind Paco shot this fine Buffalo at the Lake Bonneville Bison Ranch in Oak City Utah on Thursday. It was the first time he had ever fired a rifle or even handled a gun. He put one bullet in the vertebrae just below the skull. Que bueno Paco!

Strange elevator conversation in New Jersey

It was neither elevator music nor was it particularly 'elevating' but there may be something positive from the conversation. On my way to the exercise room tonight I shared a conversation with a fellow rider at the Newark Marriott. I learned that he, Dennis Hastert, and I all had something in common. I wonder why this guy wanted to tell me about it. Is it something in the water or air here in Jersey? It seems that this guy, Denny Hastert, (who is the lame duck Speaker of the US House of Representatives), and I all have had recent bouts with cellulitis.

The next time I pass through the security screens at any airport I may do something Adrian Monkish. In all honesty I would prefer the Sharona character to hand me a disinfecting wipe though. I Iiked her character better than the current Natalie. Both Mr. Hastert and my elevator friend suffered cellulites, and according to this guy the two of them picked it up at O’Hare Airport. I think mine might have come from the Atlanta Airport before a long flight to Peru. The alleged source is the TSA screening area, where you take off your shoes, and walk through the metal detector. I was told TSA or the custodians never use any disinfectant so everyone walking through leaves a little something behind for those following. I’ll bet George W. Bush does not have to take his shoes off when he gets on Air Force One.

Cellulitis is caused by one of several types of bacteria entering through a break in the skin. These are strep and staphylococcus mainly. A medical site suggests if your foot gets red and swells it may “signal a deeper, more serious infection of the inner layers of skin. Once below the skin, the bacteria can spread rapidly, entering the lymph nodes and the bloodstream and spreading throughout your body.” Furthermore, “In rare cases, the infection can spread to the deep layer of tissue called the fascial lining. Flesh-eating strep, also called necrotizing fasciitis, is an example of a deep-layer infection. It represents an extreme emergency.”

I had to drop my drawers and get shot a couple shots in the buttocks, or as another favorite character would say, "in the but-tox", emphasis on the 'tox', a la Forrest Gump. So, the next time you go flying, think about some disposable slippers, wipes, Lysol, shower thongs, anything you could wear and avoid those flesh eating and necrotizing bacteria.

Also, watch Monk. It returns in January though we get a special episode on Friday December 22nd.

Global Warming...

Recently seven hunters from Utah went to Colorado for a 100% guaranteed cow elk hunt. Rather than having the 2 feet of snow and temps near freezing we had dry ground and temps in the mid 40's. One long time guide and hunter said they had not seen anything like this in his 15 years of tracking elk in Craig.

Scientists agree that global warming is at the root of unsuccessful hunting in Colorado. Ice cores, tree rings and deep ocean coral analysis suggest the rapid increase in green house gasses and worldwide increases in temperatures including winter migration of elk herds in Northern Colorado are anthropogenic or man caused in origin. Burning of fossil fuels and the industrialization of our civilization has leaded us to this point. Core samples from more than 800,000 years of ice build up from Antarctica confirm there never has been the concentration of C02 in the atmosphere as we have experienced in the last 200 years.

Continued upset of the world climate will bring further changes to all the people on the planet from the Polar Bears in the Arctic to penguins in the Antarctic. For next year Utah elk hunters will factor in the changes in global warming and push back the harvesting of animals by one month.

The matter of sleeping

Dr. William Dement of Stanford University founded the first clinic in the USA to diagnose and treat sleep disorders some years ago. A new Podcast now from the aforementioned university allows access to faculty lectures on a plethora of subjects including sleep disorders. Since sleep disorders are shared by more than a few of us I recommend listening to the Podcast. I intend to inquire further into the matter of sleep. For some, according to Professor Dement, the solution to a better night's sleep is simply watching the sun set or more precisely the resetting of one's biological clock by increased exposure to light. On cloudy days when the light of the sun is shielded one may need a light box to aid in the resetting of this biological clock.

Next to research for me are light boxes which have the proper wavelength and intensity to achieve the resetting. Could have fewer side effects than Lunesta or Ambien. Anyone want to try a light box?

Won 10 big ones...

Just returned home by truck from the 'Redwood office' on the North Coast. For speed in travel we drove through a couple fast food joints coming and going, but after driving 6 hours from Reno we decided to seek food served on a plate and at a table. I recommended we go to the buffet at the Rainbow Hotel and Casino in Wendover. The food did not disappoint, neither the attentive care of the near 100% Hispanic staff in the restaurant. RA could not focus on the food as her attention was drawn to the mirrored celings, the neon lights, the gaming and the number of seniors that seemed to be there spending their kid's inheritances. Personally I found the shrimp to be plentiful, the fruit fresh and sweet, the prime rib thick and the vegetables not overcooked like I used to get at a school cafeteria growing up. I confess though I always liked those plump overcooked green beans that came out of government supplied number 10 cans.

RA said if she had a blog she would write about our experience at the Rainbow in Wendover. I offered encouragement to her to do so. She may have wanted to disclose that I played the dollar slots and won 10 big ones. That helped subsidize our buffet which was not cheap. How much is ten big ones, you ask-- $10.00, maybe $1,000.00...? Actually it was ten cents. I played a single dollar bill and won $1.10. I got some sort of bar coded credit slip that you have to feed into another machine to get your cash back. I did so and out came a dollar bill and two nickels, 10 big ones, ten cents that is. Content with winning and getting ahead of the casino and not subsidizing this immoral activity any further we passed on out of the casino to the parking lot.

I would expect I have misinterpeted RA's comments and intentions to some degree and therefore await her comments to more correctly describe our stop and the whole experience. She should tell us in her own words about the stop at the Rainbow, including the decor. I looked for a nice graphic to put with this post but could only find an image of an old slot machine. I also found this post by someone from West Vallley City reviewing the Rainbow for a travel service. They had less than a rewarding experience. Some real sour fruit here: "May 14, 2004, my husbond and I have been to the rainbow a couple of times with in the last year, and don't plan to go back. The slots are way to tight we put $1000 in their slots and didn't get nothing I mean nothing.." Given that prospect of getting "nothing, I mean nothing" we did good to come away a dime ahead. The Rainbow aint got nothin on us, we were too smart to be tricked by those mirrored celings, neon lights and the gaming atmosphere there. Not tempted to pour any more money into the slots, besides I miss those handles you used to be able to pull. What ever happened to the 'one arm bandits'?

We also averaged 17+ mpg for the Dodge and used several tanks of bio diesel on the trip. Biodiesel is the 'fuel of peace' proclaimed one bumper sticker which we received as we signed up to become members of the biodiesel club in Laytonville CA. The nice lady who pumped our 95% biodiesel managed to keep a straight face as she explained that her work was entirelly altruistic in providing this "community service" at $3.85 per gallon. The bio is entirely from reclaimed cooking oil. I guess those fast food joints must be selling their old oil for more than the sheiks, mullahs, and princes of the middle east at sixty bucks a barrel. Somebody is making some sweet moolah at those prices. We felt good though as our tank was filled with this free range, organic, fuel of peace. I still harbor feelings of hostility toward some Republicans. Will that ever change?

Announcing...

The new "Redwood Office" of Fisher Company will be opening before this Christmas Season. Ribbon cutting ceremonies are scheduled on the 22nd of December. A high speed wireless internet satellite connection will be installed thus making it easier to conduct business from this location. This suggests increased efficiencies and implies more time will be spent at the offices there. This places us closer geographically to many of our west coast customers offering better service. Of course this will require some sacrifice on our part but we at Fisher Company are dedicated to servicing the needs of our many valued customers and are excited about this step forward in the evolution of our business.

A small reception is planned and we request confirmation if you should be able to attend. Menu items include smoked salmon, Calistoga water, various cheeses and pastries. Hope to see any of you there!

Best wishes from the Management

Let the party begin...

Stopped by the store on the way home tonight and picked up some goodies to begin the celebrations in anticipation of the Democratic sweep in the House and Senate tomorrow. Not to be overlooked either, in this mid term election, is the fact that this is a referendum for the failed policies of George W. Bush in Iraq.

We have Calistoga water with lime, two kinds of Pepperidge Farm cookies, French bread, Brie, cheddar aged two years, and bleu along with limited edition entertaining crackers from Nabisco called 'Hearty Wheats'. We'll put some Brie on those along with bleu and aged cheddar.

Do you suppose Karl and George, Dick, Donald and Condi are getting ready for any celebrating? In order to save face some have suggested Donald could be fired or retired. I promise one of these days I will post some of the great quotes from the Generals and the Joint Chiefs, how they feel about their Secretary of Defense from Bob Woodward's new book.

This is better than Christmas and New Years all rolled into one.

"Men behave differently...

in the presence of each other than they do when women are there. I could not begin to say why," according to Andy Rooney,” even if I knew. It is not only different, but the atmosphere, for that brief time, is often better. I should think the same thing is true about a group of women who gather for bridge or to elect a candidate to office. I can't speak about a woman's locker room."

I believe that observation by Mr. Rooney having experienced annual hunting trips to the mountains and diving trips to the ocean. I think that is why many of my friends continue to golf together on Saturday mornings, "for that brief time" that "is often better."

In pursuit of this special time I, J. and A. are having a men's afternoon out tomorrow. Yes, we can do this. I will be fortified with ample supplies in the diaper bag and do have some experience and ability, though dormant, to be able to change A's diaper if the need arises. We plan on visiting the Museum of Natural History at the U of U, probably make a stop at Toys R Us and then a stop at the Centerville Dairy Queen where we will drink root beer, eat ice cream and have ketchup and French fries. Topping off the afternoon will be some time on the living room carpet assembling and playing with our toys. After all is that not what men do best together?

Making progress with the problem of suffering...

From Save the Children I read that 4 million die in the first month of life. The leading causes of infant mortality are dehydration and disease. Major causes of infant mortality in more developed countries include congenital malformation, infection and SIDS. The most common cause of infant mortality of all children around the world has traditionally been dehydration from diarrhea. Because of the success of spreading information about Oral Rehydration Solution (a mixture of salts, sugar and water) to mothers around the world, the rate of children dying from dehydration has been decreasing and has become the second most common cause in the late 1990s. Currently the most common cause is pneumonia. Infanticide, abuse, abandonment, and neglect may also contribute to infant mortality.

In South Asia mothers often have no help in delivering other than a family member who is not trained in any way. The mothers give birth in the dirtiest part of the hut and the baby when it is delivered is laid on the dirt floor. Mothers are not allowed to nurse for the first week due to fears of evil spirits.

I am making progress with the problem of suffering. It is too personal to be posted on a blog but when it is quiet and we can talk in somewhat subdued tones I will share with you what I discovered about the problem of suffering including the children warriors of the Mai Mai in the Congo, the tens of thousands of children made orphans because of parents who died from AIDS as well as the starving in Darfur.

It is a start but it is somehwat a relief to me...

The view is a healthy one

An article in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, October 18, 2006 reports, something all of us Noyo King crew members have known for a long time, that fishing and eating our catch is very healthy. I think hunting has a similar beneficial effect, particularly since the red meat we shoot is lower in cholesterol than chicken and is tetracyline and growth hormone free. Here are a couple paragraphs from the article:

By Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal

Health-conscious consumers have long been vexed by whether the health benefits of seafood outweigh the risks from toxic substances, such as mercury. Now, two large federally-funded studies have weighed the evidence and reached a definitive conclusion: Eat fish.

The reports -- one from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the other from Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston -- analyzed hundreds of research studies and determined that eating seafood may help reduce the risk of heart disease in the general population. In particular, researchers at Harvard found that people who eat one to two servings of fish per week -- especially varieties higher in fatty oils, such as wild salmon -- may reduce their risk of death from heart attacks by 36 percent and the rate of death in general by 17 percent."

Sunday afternoons...

When I was a kid there was something on TV called 'Adventure Theater'. It came on Sunday afternoons after dinner and before church in the evening. I am sure I saw every Errol Flynn movie and 'Robin Hood' was my favorite. The likes of the Tarzan movies, starring the best of them all, Johnny Weissmuller, as well as Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone were standard fare. Nazis were often the enemy of everyone. I miss the Charlie Chan series. My interest in the detective/drama genre has spanned the decades. The 'Inspector Morse' series on PBS is probably my favorite in recent years. 'Hill Street Blues' in its prime, minus the Francis and Joyce bathtub scenes, is likely a close second. There have been so many good ones it is hard to pick just one or two. Poirot with David Suchet deserves honorable mention, as does Helen Mirren's portrayal of DCS Jane Tennison also on PBS. PD James character Adam Dalgliesh has been made into several series and I have listened to a number of audio books on the I pod.

This afternoon in New York RA and I have the challenge of sorting through the online Zagat guide for restaurants in walking distance from the Marriott. Since we have been here we have had lunch at a French Brasserie, a Turkish supper of warm flat bread, humus and babaganoosh along with kabobs. Earlier today it was an Asian fusion Sunday brunch of dim sum.

The best activity on Sunday afternoons, (in addition to a nap), is dinner with family and enjoying the grandsons. I hope one day I can share the adventures of Charlie Chan with them. Of course they are sans any special effects and digital technology. I do not recall ever seeing a chase scene in any Hollywood movie until 1968 with Steve McQueen in 'Bullet'.

Grandson J has enjoyed the 'Pink Panther series with us but I wonder will anyone be interested in those classics of Adventure Theater?

Where is the outrage? This makes me sick!

I saw this Piece
on my Internet news provider, al Jazeera. I have to ask how can any of us sleep comfortably at night and know this kind of thing is happening? How can any of us hug a child or a grandson and know this sort of thing is going on and we are doing nothing about it? One of my grandsons is five, that means any time he could be taken by an army in the Congo. I ask myself why and I ask God why? I have no answers. How many grandchildren does George W. Bush, Dick Cheney have or Donald Rumsfeld? Where is the outrage? Where are those who could stop this? Who are the arms merchants supplying the combatants with their rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small arms? Are the weapons, Russian, Chinese, or American?

To borrow from Sir Bertrand Russell, "The whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer."

A warning to you, if you read the following:

"At least 11,000 children in Congo are still missing or in the hands of armed groups three years after the end of the country's bloody civil war, a leading human rights group has said.

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Democratic Republic of Congo's scheme to release child soldiers - some of whom were as young as six-years-old - and reintegrate them into civilian life was failing.

"The government has not only failed to release thousands of children who remain with armed forces or groups but new child soldiers continue to be recruited, including some who were only recently demobilised and reunited with their families," said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty's Africa programme.

Some 40 per cent of children taken were young girls, most of whom remain unaccounted for.

Some government officials regarded them as "dependants" of adult fighters, who considered them sexual possessions and did not feel obliged to hand them over.

Most of the children who had been through the government reintegration scheme had since received little or no educational support or help to readjust, the organisation said.

"The new government must make it their first priority to ensure that all children associated with armed forces and groups are released, protected and provided with meaningful educational and income-generating opportunities to enable them to stay within their communities," Honduras said.

"This is the only way to prevent the re-recruitment and further abandonment of these children."

The central African country's five-year conflict, from 1998 until 2003, drew in six foreign armies, sparked a vast humanitarian crisis and claimed the lives of more than three million people.

It is currently preparing for a presidential run-off election on October 29 between Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel chief turned vice president, and Joseph Kabila, current president of the country.

The run-off follows landmark July elections meant to smooth the transition of the former Zaire to democracy, although the elections have been marred by violence in the country's lawless north and north-east."

Notes from Peru

This is from my friend and adopted son in Peru. Some of you may recall he was deported from the Estados Unidos about two years ago. The digital image is a place K used to serve in Peru and is called San Juan de Lima. As we drove through the area I did not want to breathe because of the smell. It has garbage stacked along the one paved street. People and dogs sort through the trash looking for anything recyclable or edible, respectively. The little shack, nowhere near the quality of a 'Tough Shed' is built for families to drag home to some patch of rocks on the hillside. Miguel told me this area is not the worst of Peru as we could not drive there or we would not come out intact. You would find it interesting the very poorest live highest on the hillside, which is entirely devoid of any green or vegetation, no grass or trees.

The following was excerpted from the email I received today from Miguel. He is full of faith and rather stoic as he meets the challenges of his life and his family.

"I believe there is a reason for everything, there is a purpose for me being here in Peru and there is a purpose for everything that had happened to me in the course of my life.

I cannot understand why since I have being a little boy had a sense of belonging to something bigger and the presense of the spirit was always around me for diferent reasons I guess the lord want me to take care of a lot of things so he put me in the family I belong. for some reason it is my call to help my brothers my mom and my dad. is not something I decided to do it is just natural to me to do because the lord decide it was my call and for some reason I know it is.
I cannot say why but that is how it is I cannot complain because of that the lord always blessed me more than all my brothers and my family. I was always happy even in the bad times and always was able to help them even with money to go to the US. I can say that the lord always give the tools to do wath he wants me todo till the point I was not worry about money or food, because even when I used all my resourses to help others the lord somehow returned to me ten times more what I give to others over and over so I can say I always did good here in Peru even when things where so hard and jobs were so low and all it was because of the lord and his miracle ways to acomplish his purposes.

I feel very blessed George I love you and respect you a lot even more than my natural father. we are so a like that I know you understand my feelings, how I think my goals, dreams and plans. and that is why I feel very happy and atached to you. I can say that I see my self in you only that you are thousends better than me but I hope some day be as you are. and put others first than my self, just be focus on the gospel and the kingdom of the lord. so far this life is just temporary and a tiny piece of sand compared to the eternity of the kingdom of our heavenly father.

In my short 30's I can say I have being through a lot but at the same time I can say that my life had being full of privileges compared to others I have a lot. I'm rich as you said. in fact I feel I'm wealthy. I'm so happy because of the knowledge I have about the gospel. I'm priviledge to be a member of this wonderful church while other people are lost in the darkness of this world, I have the light and the guidance of the spirit the Malchisedec priesthood. I'm married to a wonderful woman will be soon sealed in the temple and will give the priesthod to my brother Renzo, as you can see and rich and blessed.

I know some people think they are not priviledge because they have being born in south america in a third world country where things are so hard and there is too much poverty, but I feel blessed because I know the road to the kingdom of my heavenly father it is not easy so i do not pretend to live in a fantasy world where everything is easy and you have everything that way you cannot apreciate what you have.

I'm looking forward to be there with you and my kids when they called you grandpa. I will let them know about you and let them know what I learned from you and how you helped others. I will show George Jr. how to be as his grandpa. and I will always set the example talking about you. they will go to missions and will bring souls to the lord. and all that will be possible because you helped this lost soul and rescue it from the darkness when others saw just another ilegal in trouble you extended your lovely hand to me helping me not expecting anything in return just showing the pure love of jesuschrist you have in your heart.

I will see you soon in the temple when I'll be sealed with Vanezza and you will be in my heart and toughs when i'll be giving the priesthood to Renzo. remember that all that is going to be posible because you decided to help just another ilegal in trouble who will never deserve all that you are doing for him. you have changed my life forever you are the biggest miracle in my life."

Our tinsel culture

Impossible for me to understand and it is damning evidence for this tinsel world in which we live. As Tom is now out at Paramount, Brad may be in for the highest amount ever paid to an actor, $39 million, to play the successor role of Ethan Hunt. From a Google web news piece you can read on...

"Newsmakers | Reports: Brad Pitt for the next 'Mission'
By Tirdad Derakhshani
Inquirer Staff Writer
Insiders and sources are talking (anonymously, of course). The groundswell is swelling: Paramount, which recently fired its golden boy Tom Cruise for his alleged weirdness, is gunning to have Brad Pitt replace Tom in the role of Main Studly Guy in the next installment of the Mission Impossible dynasty. At least, that's what various reports say that various other reports (in London's Daily Mail and the Evening Standard) are saying.

Brad apparently would not play Tom's Ethan Hunt character.

"They're set on Brad taking over as a gutsy new head operative who puts together his own unique team of specialists," an anonymous insider tells the Mail. (Ethan would be retired off to some sunny isle with his new wife.)

Paramount, the reports say, is being real gutsy by offering Brad $39 mil for the flick, which would make Angelina Jolie's beau the highest-paid actor in the history of thespianity"

Littering is permissible sometimes...

Every once in awhile things come across the stern that merit publication here. From one master:

"Each of us might well ask, “In what ways am I shrinking or holding back from discovery?” Even meek introspection and meditation may yield bold insights! For example, we can tell much by what we have already willingly discarded along the pathway of discovery. It is the only pathway where littering is permissible, even encouraged. In the early stages, the debris left behind includes the grosser acts of commission. Later debris differs; things begin to be discarded which have caused the misuse or underuse of our time, abilities and talent.

Along this pathway leading to light, stern and unsought challenges sometimes hasten the jettisoning, which is needed to achieve increased awakening. If we have grown soft, hard times may be necessary. If we are too contented, a dose of divine discontent may come. A relevant insight may be contained in reproof. A new duty beckons us away from comfortable routines wherein the needed competencies have already been developed. One may be stripped of accustomed luxury so that the malignant mole of materialism may be removed. One may be scorched by humiliation so pride can be melted away. Whatever we lack will get attention, one way or another. It is the way of things"

Aptitude tests and 'W'

I recall being in grade school and taking exams called the Stanford Achievement Tests. The questions were varied and some have stayed with me through the years as with other exams I took in high school and college. One of the kinds of questions designed to measure some sort of logic or aptitude was of this type -- 'A is to C as B is to D'.

We have enjoyed the recent discovery of Pink Panther movies by our grandson J. He is 11 and the humor of those wonderful movies spans the years between him and his grandparents.

I concluded, (based upon the wisdom gained in elementary school), that Inspector Clouseau is to police work as George W. Bush is to ______. (Fill in the blank)
A. The Presidency of the United States
B. World Peace
C. The environment
D. All of the above.

Is there is anything any better...

...I want to know. This AM after riding with RA to our office and back, she on the trike and me on the Stout, (and it was good again), we sat outside in the cool morning air having a pleasant Sunday AM visit. While sitting on the patio I saw a nectarine drop from the tree. I searched through the branches and found several perfect fruit. They are so juicy you have to lean over a sink to eat them or stay outside. They were cool because of autumn nights. They are so sweet.

I am accepting nominations from anyone who can claim they have anything equivalent to our tree ripened and nighttime cooled nectarines. Come by and we will share a couple with you, but don't ask for a bucket.

"No Human Being is Illegal"

This article in the Deseret News/Associated Press states Utah's immigrant population has grown significantly in the past five years, up 21.6 per cent. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates Utah's undocumented population between 75,000 and 100,000.

Because of the frustration and the apparent deadlock in Washington DC, states like Colorado have moved to fill the void with their own form of damage control. Rumor has it the extremists in the Utah Legislature are preparing bills to control, punish and persecute the undocumented among us. We and they love to send their sons and ours to Spanish speaking countries seeking converts to the predominant religion of this state and yet we do not want them to settle among us it seems.

A quick tour through our community or any with open eyes discloses how dependent we have become on this work force and vital minority in our society. Let me ask the questions: Who is it that mows the grass and tends our lawns? Who builds our houses? Who cooks our french fries? Who cleans the floors of the hospitals, empties the bed-pans, wipes our back sides and changes the linen when we cannot do it ourselves?

Senator Hatch and others suggest we must return them to their home countries. Has anyone tried a bus, train or airplane
recently?

Let's end this hold over from our American tradition of exploitation and slavery. Emancipate the undocumented. Allow them work permits and a path toward citizenship. Let's pay them reasonable wages, allow them health benefits and retirement. They will become even more valuable to our society and economy.

I hear the shouts and clamor for upholding the law. Does that mean if the minutemen and their fellow travelers lived in the days of the real minutemen of the colonial era, would they be shouting to uphold King George and British rule over the colonies?

From a Catholic web site I found something touching upon immigration. After the infant Jesus was no more than a few days old, he, his mother Mary and her husband Joseph had to flee to Egypt. They were immigrants and King Herod's version of Homeland Security was searching for them. Jesus proved to be very uncomfortable for the ruling party later in life, a very polarizing influence in his society.

In the final analysis his message is still the same today for all of us. "Blessed are the poor and the meek and hungry..." Let us bless and not curse them, realize we are all beggars and we depend on him for all we have.

Why do we like Northern CA?

This image is from the Mendocino Headlands State Park. We have spent many a day snorkeling and diving in these waters. Em captured her first abalone here. Lot's of memories...

Sir Bertrand Russell on life

"What I Have Lived For...

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what--at last--I have found.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.

Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me."

Wal Mart and the "rule of law"

Our former mayor in Centerville and his cohorts spoke incessantly about the "rule of law", essentially dictating to us why the monster store could not be kept out of the heart of our city. Well, it seems that a bunch of folk in California have concluded it is fair and legal to ban them from your town. The California State's Supreme Court agreed with the locals who opposed the Wal Martization of their communities.

Apparently, the brain trust of the mayor, city manager and their legal advisors got it wrong or maybe they did not want to get it right in the final analysis.

Here is the article:

The California Supreme Court rejected Wal-Mart's appeal Wednesday of a ruling that allows cities and counties in the state to outlaw big-box superstores.

The April 5 ruling by the Court of Appeal in Fresno upheld an ordinance enacted in 2004 by Turlock (Stanislaus County) that was backed by neighborhood supermarkets and labor unions. The court, setting a statewide precedent, said local governments can enact such restrictions to prevent the collapse of local businesses and resulting urban blight.

The state's high court denied review Wednesday without comment.

It was Turlock's second legal victory over Wal-Mart this month. On July 3, a federal judge in Fresno dismissed the company's constitutional challenge to the ordinance, saying the city was not interfering with interstate commerce or discriminating illegally against one type of store.

Rick Jarvis, a lawyer for Turlock, said Wednesday's state court action allows a city to "make its own land-use plans and decide for itself what's good for the community.'' It will also "make it much more difficult for Wal-Mart to file expensive legal challenges against other jurisdictions that decide to adopt similar ordinances,'' he said.

Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley said the company was disappointed but believed the effect of the Turlock law would be limited. The appeals court ruling "is narrowly based on facts that are specific to Turlock,'' he said.

He said Wal-Mart had not yet decided whether to appeal last week's federal court ruling.

The Arkansas-based retail giant has been trying to establish a California network of discount supercenters -- stores that exceed 100,000 square feet and contain full-size grocery stores -- and has encountered resistance.

Wal-Mart estimates that 20 cities and counties in Northern California have passed ordinances seeking to limit or block the stores. San Francisco, Oakland and Martinez have banned them.

A ban on supercenters in unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County was enacted by the Board of Supervisors in 2003 but repealed by voters in 2004. Alameda County supervisors then rescinded a similar ordinance, but adopted a more limited measure this March that requires big-box retailers to describe the effect of new stores on the local economy and give details of employees' pay and benefits.

Turlock has a Wal-Mart store but responded to the company's plans for a supercenter by passing the ordinance in 2004. Without mentioning Wal-Mart, the law prohibits any retail store larger than 100,000 feet that devotes more than 5 percent of its space to nontaxable items such as groceries. The City Council said the purpose was to preserve neighborhood shopping centers.

In its April 5 ruling, the appeals court said the city's motives were legal, even if its action hurt competition.

"While zoning ordinances may not legitimately be used to control economic competition, they may be used to address the urban/suburban decay'' that can result from the entry of a large new business, the court said.


The case is Wal-Mart Stores vs. Turlock, S143488.

E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.

...para poder montar rápidamente

Q brought this interesting article to my attention and it merits a post. The question is how far can you ride in an hour? I think I hit 13 miles last week without too much strain.

"Thirty years after making the United States Olympic Cycling team, twenty years after winning the DuPont Prize for human-powered speed and ten years after retiring from professional cycling, "Fast" Freddy Markham won the Dempsey-MacCready Prize at the Nissan One Hour Challenge last week. He covered 53.43 miles in one hour, setting a world record, in his super-efficient Easy Racer recumbent bicycle. Markham, at age 49, wasn't considered a serious contender for a title or the record; he has won the One Hour Challenge three times previously, but not since 1989. As the owner of Easy Racers, Inc., the nation's largest recumbent bicycle manufacturer, he knows a thing or two about making bikes go fast; we tip our hat to him for proving that it's still tough to be a bicycle for getting yourself from here to there. Want to go 50 miles in an hour on a bike? He'll sell you an Easy Racer and you'll be halfway there."

Opponents of Global Warming...

Reasons given by opponents of the global warming theory from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia:

"Some of the assertions made in opposition to the global warming theory include:
IPCC draws firm conclusions unjustified by the science, especially given the acknowledged weakness of cloud physics in the climate models. For example, even those who accept that there is a warming trend point out that there is a big difference between correlation and causality. In other words, just because temperatures have generally been rising since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Industrial Revolution has caused the change in temperature (see post hoc, ergo propter hoc argument). On the other hand, the period since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution has indeed produced ever-growing "urban heat islands" (see below) that could be skewing temperature measurements that indicate the recent warming.

Using "consensus" as evidence is an appeal to the majority argument rather than scientific discussion. Ergo, because the issue has become so politicized, it is suspected that climatologists who disagree with the consensus as it is may be afraid to speak out for fear of losing their positions or funding.

Consensus is further compromised in this field of study due to students being attracted to the field by their belief that something should be done about global warming. They complete their education and add their voices to the consensus, which gives a perceived bias.

Earth's climate has been both colder and warmer than today, and these changes are adequately explained by mechanisms that do not involve human greenhouse gas emissions. There is no significant global warming relative to the expected natural trends.

CO2 in the atmosphere is mainly volcanic in origin, accounting for 97% of the CO2 found in the atmosphere, most of which travels to the oceans. Estimates at CO2's effectiveness as a greenhouse gas vary, but are generally around 10-100 times lower than water weight for weight, leaving a "net" greenhouse effect of man-made CO2 emissions at less than 1%.

Climate science can not make definitive predictions yet, since the computer models used to make these predictions are still evolving and do not yet take into account recently discovered feedback mechanisms. Climate models will not be able to predict the future climate until they can predict solar and volcanic activity.

Some global warming studies have errors or have not been reproduced. Global temperatures are directly related to such factors as: sunspot activity (an 11-year cycle).

The concern about global warming is analogous to the concern about global cooling in the 1970s. The concern about global cooling was unnecessarily alarmist. The concern about global warming is equally alarmist.

Some opponents of global warming theory give more weight to data such as paleoclimatic studies, temperature measurements made from weather balloons, and satellites which they claim show less warming than surface land and sea records, though early balloon records have been shown to be possibly erroneous due to mechanical design flaws in the sensors.

Opponents tend to define themselves in terms of opposition to the IPCC position. They generally believe that climate science is not yet able to provide us with solid answers to all the major questions about the global climate.

Opponents frequently characterise supporters arguments as alarmist and premature, so as to emphasize what they perceive as the lack of scientific evidence supporting global warming scenarios.

Opponents also say that if global warming is real and man-made, no action need be taken now because:
Future scientific advances or engineering projects will remedy the problem before it becomes serious and for less money.
A small amount of global warming would be benign or even beneficial, as increased carbon dioxide would benefit plant life, thus potentially becoming profitable for agriculture world-wide.
There is a distinct correlation between GDP growth and greenhouse gas emissions. A cutback in emissions might lead to a decrease in the rate of GDP growth."

Proponents of the Global Warming theory...

This is from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia:

"Reasons given by supporters of the global warming theory:
Supporters of the global warming theory assert that gas bubbles trapped in ice cores give us a detailed record of atmospheric chemistry and temperature back more than four hundred thousand years, with the temperature record confirmed by other geologic evidence. This record tells us that carbon dioxide and temperature rise and fall tightly together.

The recent rise in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is greater than any in hundreds of thousands of years and this is human-caused, shown by isotopic signature of CO2 from fossil fuels. We know carbon dioxide captures IR radiation and converts it to heat because we use these physics to measure carbon dioxide concentration the historical temperature record shows a rise of 0.4–0.8 °C over the last 100 years. The urban heat island effect makes no significant contribution.

The current warmth is unusual in the past 1000 years (see Temperature record of the past 1000 years).

The warming of the last 50 years is likely caused by human activity (see attribution of recent climate change), using analysis based on climate modeling; and that natural variability or solar variation cannot explain the recent change.

Carbon dioxide is a first order forcing on climate change—other effects such as water vapour greenhouse effects are either roughly constant over time, act as amplifiers, or do not have a large effect. Humankind is performing a great geophysical experiment and if it turns out badly—however that is defined—we cannot undo it. We cannot even abruptly turn it off. Too many of the things we are doing now have long-term ramifications for centuries into the future. Climate models can reproduce this trend, but only when using greenhouse gas.

Climate models predict more warming, and other climate effects (sea level rise, more frequent and severe storms, drought and heat waves, etc) in the future. For instance, Atlantic hurricane trends have been recently linked to climate change, June 2006. Action should be taken now to prevent or mitigate warming (see Precautionary principle).

The IPCC reports correctly summarise the state of climate science. There is a scientific consensus behind all of the above.
Our existence is poised within a fluid-dynamic, ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system, where non-linear feedbacks are common and where climate states are only relatively stable (i.e., "metastable"). Unknown unknowns are likely to surprise us, particularly if they trigger a non-linear, positive feedback that flips climate to a new meta-stable state.

Proponents of global warming tend to support the IPCC position and thus represent a broadly unified viewpoint, though with considerable differences over what action should be taken. Optionally, supporters may go on to point out that there is a good chance that the future changes may be undesirable, and that planning to avoid or mitigate them would be a good idea. Only 2 of the 120 contributing authors to the IPCC TAR are known to have voiced any complaint.

Science Magazine analyzed 928 peer-reviewed scientific papers on global warming published between 1993 and 2003 (Oreskes, 2004). Not a single one challenged the scientific consensus the earth’s temperature is rising due to human
activity."

The IPCC referred to is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess the "risk of human-induced climate change". The Panel is open to all members of the WMO and UNEP.

IPCC reports are widely cited in almost any debate related to climate change. The reports have been influential in forming national and international responses to climate change. A small but vocal minority (less than 1.5%) of the scientists involved with the report have accused the IPCC of bias.

Cycling is good...but how much?

I found this info from Ken Kiefer's 'Bike Pages' on the net:

"One very interesting question is how much aerobic exercise should one get every day? Some medical authorities recommend as little as 20 minutes a day, three times a week, while others recommend 2,000 kCal, which would be at least four times that amount. Why the great difference? Well, most authorities recognize the more exercise the better up to some undetermined point, but many are afraid that if they expect too much, people won't exercise at all. Another reason for lowering the recommendation was due to the damage caused by jogging, a problem cycling does not share. I am afraid that those setting very low requirements are giving people the mistaken impression that they don't need any more exercise than their usual, basically sedentary activity.

How much exercise do I recommend? I find that 45 minutes of cycling six days a week (about 2,000 kCal) keeps me feeling good, but not great, two hours per day keeps me very strong and controls my weight, and six hours a day on my bicycle trips makes me feel like superman after several weeks. We might say that lower amounts of exercise improve one's health and higher amounts improve one's fitness. I would recommend a minumum of 45 minutes a day and as much addition cycling as time permits. The time spent cycling will not be wasted; in addition to having a good ride, the cyclist will be more productive during the remaining time and will live longer as well."

I find riding every day to be too much for me as I need recovery time. Two hours every other day seems to be comfortable for the present in allowing joints and ligaments to recover. I seem to be losing FAT at this schedule, The 19" shirts are roomier and I have dropped back successfully to 18 1/2" size after two months. The belt is one or 1-1/2 nothes tighter too. Who has time for 6 hours a day in the saddle?

A very sweet ride...

The pains associated with age and hazardous living have caused me to put a 'for sale' sign on the faithful Specialized Enduro and replace it with a "bent" Rans Stratus XP. Took the new ride for a round the block spin in Highland Utah and it was as comfortable as sitting in a lazy boy recliner in terms of body geometry. The dealer had this information posted on his web site:

"The Stratus XP borrows from the classic Stratus frame the passive suspension and adds the performance increasing aspect of dual big wheels. Only 2.875" longer over the classic Stratus, this is perhaps as compact as big wheel long wheel base recumbents get. The bike does it all well, climb, cruise, and handling. A potent racer, with and without fairings, and excellent touring or commuting machine, the Stratus XP is the amazing combination of a performance machine that will serve the novice well into the expert phase. Refined features include: Rad-Loc seat clamp, Mesh seat, Sculpted foam cushion, Reynolds tubing frame, beautifully TIG welded and powered coated to a sparkling Corvette blue. The frame features such design advances as “Y” chain stay, and single shaft idlers, disc brakes front and rear."

A very sweet ride.

Have you seen them?

If you have then leave a comment, two thumbs up, four stars or whatever. Intend to see Nacho Libre next week before I see Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth", priorities you know...

There is a connection between the two movies. See them both and tell us what you think it is?

The plans are here.

A nice envelope arrived today from the Devlin Boat Company. I will be looking at them tonight.

From the stern it turns counter clockwise...

The prop that is.

I have been in contact with Devlin Boatworks about the Surf Scoter and they recommend a new Yanmar Diesel called a Sail Drive. The design eliminates most of the problems of an inboard since there is no shaft and associated alignment problems including a leaking stuffing box. The Yanmar Sail Drive is manufactured in Amagasaki Japan, Kansai Prefecture. Several of us have been there including our missionary.

The Sail Drive is a three cylinder diesel and depending upon the recommendation of the Devlin folks we would either select the 50 or 75 hp. Likely the 75hp will be the engine of choice as sometimes it is useful when on the high seas to return to port quickly for whatever reasons and yes Eddie the 75hp is availble in a turbo version.

"Master and Commander"

The plans are ordered. It will be a modified Devlin design--the 22' Surf Scoter. It will fit in the garage during construction. The truck will be parked outisde for awhile.

This image has been Photoshopped a bit. The top of the pilot house has been extended three feet over the cockpit area, which will provide some coverage from the mists and rain of the North Coast. Attached to it is a canvas cover for additional protection from the rain or sun. We can add more overhang once we are under contrustion and see how much we would like. The boat has also been lengthened a foot. This can be additional space inside the cabin. It would be nice to have an enclosed head in the pilot house. There is an anchor well in the foredeck of the factory design and that has been removed. I think it only takes up space in the V-berth.

No stainless steel stanchions and rails are shown. I think those will be mandatory for the smaller pirates. There is a dive platform attached to the stern. We will want to drive it where big abalones grow in areas not reachable from land. Howard will need to sit on the pilot house with his AK to pop any great whites that come looking around while we are diving.

We have learned some things about the ocean off the North Coast in the Lady Irma II and that will benefit our modifictions to the Devlin design. In heavy seas we will be able to seal the boat off with a self draining cockpit and several bilge pumps including a manual back up. A fish finder, a marine radio and a good GPS will help us coming and going fishing, whale watching and diving.

The NK will be powered by a 90 hp Yamaha outboard that is set into a well and covered in the cockpit. This simplifies and reduces the cost of an onboard diesel. RA does not like the smell of diesel. Top speed will be 20 knots and cruising with better fuel economy at 14-16.

I suggest all applicants for positions on the Noyo King begin reading any of Patrick O' Brian's series of Captain Jack Aubrey or rent the movie, "Master and Commander" to brush up on nautical jargon.

Ahoy ye land lubbers!

Step by almost step...

This is a description of one happy Surf Scoter builder and his photos of work in progress: "Construction on the Surf Scoter began in October 1997. At this point of construction the main bulkheads and transom have been aligned and leveled on the "strongback". The 1/2' plywood skin is then laid on the bulkheads.

After the bottom and side panels are applied, a layer of 1/4" plywood is added to the bottom for extra structure. At this point the entire hull is fared, and the keel is fit and glassed in place. The hull is then glassed with one layer of tooling cloth (two layers on all joints), sanded and coated several times with epoxy. In the photo below, Ed (Sorry about taking your head off) installs the iron bark chafe strip onto the keel. She's ready to be rolled over.

Now that she's rolled over it's time to start laying out the v-berth followed by the cabin and cockpit. Bulkheads get trimmed to shape, v-berth water tank and p+s settees are built, and Ed is fitting cockpit soles.

Structural glassing is completed in the v-berth and cockpit below sole level. Now that the aft bulkhead, galley and helm are fitted and tabbed in place, it's time for a structural glassing in this area. 2 1/2' PVC pipe is epoxied in place under the cockpit sole elevation to connect the ships systems from the pilot house to the engine compartment. It makes running battery wires, steering cables, heat exchange hose and all other wiring much easier come time to install ships systems.

After all the interior bulkheads, longitudinals and flats are fitted and epoxied in place, all final shaping and glassing can be completed. Once all wood gets epoxy sealed (usually takes two coats with sanding between coats). This particular boat gets interior paint below the sheer, so we'll use an epoxy primer. Once primed it's easy to see surface blemishes, and an automotive "bondo" is used to fill and Smooth out rough areas. A final sanding and we are ready for paint.

After the cabin is completed it's the same drill as above, final shaping, glassing, sealing and then on to primer and "bondo" on the entire exterior of the boat.

Now that she's painted, it's time to start hanging trim and hardware. Windows and a few finishing touches, and she's ready to splash.

A couple views...

These are a couple fine photos of one of the Devlin wood epoxy homebuilts. Something as elegant as this deserves serious attention and certainly would put to shame most any of the new boats coming out of the fiberglass mills across the country. Who would not be happy to have a turn at the wheel under power going out of Noyo Harbor?

Another BYU part time instructor speaks out

This post is from Mormon Stories.org and is worth reading:

Margaret Young Jun 15th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
I am old enough to remember Hugh B. Brown, a courageous apostle who periodically came to BYU to calm the waters, after Ezra Taft Benson had left heavy turbulence in his outspoken support for ultra-conservatism. Brown said, “We are grateful in the Church and in this great university that the freedom, dignity and integrity of the individual is basic in Church doctrine as well as in democracy. Here we are free to think and express our opinions. Fear will not stifle thought, as is the case in some areas which have not yet emerged from the dark ages. God himself refuses to trammel man’s free agency even though its exercise sometimes teaches painful lessons. Both creative science and revealed religion find their fullest and truest expression in the climate of freedom. I hope that you will develop the questing spirit. Be unafraid of new ideas for they are the stepping stones of progress. You will of course respect the opinions of others but be unafraid to dissent - if you are informed…Seek truth in all fields, and in that search you will need at least three virtues: courage, zest, and modesty. The ancients put that thought in the form of a prayer. They said, ‘From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth, from the laziness that is content with half truth, from the arrogance that thinks it has all truth - O God of truth deliver us’.”
(Speech at BYU, March 29, 1958)

And Joseph Smith had a bold opinion on curtailing freedom of expression:
“It looks too much like the Methodists, and not like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have a creed which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled. It does not prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine.”

As a part-time teacher at BYU, I feel pretty nervous about Lindsay’s dismissal. From what I can tell, the dismissal was SOLELY because of a letter to the editor. I know I have some unorthodox views. Would I lose my job if I were to express them–like on this blog, for example? (I would be considered liberal in Utah on most issues.) I am very aware that some (NOT the majority) of my students are over-ready to get offended by a writer’s use of a swearword, or an author’s depiction of a sex scene. I genuinely worry about these students as they leave BYU’s borders. Have they learned to incorporate the love of God into their academic pursuits? Have they developed empathy? Are they prepared to read the BEST books (like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and the many others in fields I don’t know), or will they spend most of their time reading _Ensign_ articles–always correlated and written on a sixth grade reading level? Will they consistently seek answers to the hardest questions from the many quotes of General Authorities included in the Sunday School manuals, or will they learn to turn inward to a mature and generous heart? Will they continually seek to frame their experience within the idealized Mormon portrait, or will they be free to really grow when life pulls an inevitable surprise? Homosexuality is a surprise for thousands of people, and thousands families. How do we react to it? My reaction, as I’ve had family members, friends, and students come out to me, has changed over the years. The first time it happened, some 30 years ago, I was appalled and begged the person to repent. Now, my instant reaction is to open my arms to anyone who might feel crucified between desire and faith. I can’t remove that heavy cross, but I will certainly not participate in torment or condemnation, nor will I indicate to them that they need to feel more guilt so that my testimony can stay intact. I will never know what it’s like to be gay. And I will never pretend to know. Since I’m a woman, I will never be a Judge in Israel (thank God!). I don’t want to be a judge in Provo or even in my own home if I can help it. My children have a gay uncle. It has mattered greatly to me that they understand that we love him–and please note that I’m not including any disclaimer like “hate the sin, love the sinner.” I’m not going to label my brother-in-law as a sinner. From many indications, he’s a better person than I am. I know God loves him, and from all I can tell, he loves God. So can I keep my job at BYU?

Troubling questions with few answers...

A web edition of ABC News Nightline report asks some difficult questions. Once you get past the silly ad for Florida orange juice, the price I guess for the use of this news piece, it merits very serious thought.

Click Here

The crew quarters painting project

On our last trip to the coast after admiring our new shingles we decided the quarters for the Noyo King crew should be repainted. We accomplished about half thanks to the many hands and helpers. Part of a salor's life on the high seas is scraping, repainting and repairing the timbers. The next trip we may finish painting the crew quarters. Taja, the NK dog and mascot, approves of the work.

Que bueno and no rally for the R's in November!

US: Amendment banning gay marriage fails in Senate
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON

"The US Senate rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage by a wide margin and delivered an unexpectedly strong defeat to President George W. Bush and other Republicans who still hope the issue will rally Republican voters for November's elections.

The senators' vote was 49-48 to stop debate and bring the amendment to a yes-or-no decision. It fell 11 votes short of the 60 needed to kill the measure in the Senate for this year.

The 49 votes to keep the amendment alive were one more than the measure received in 2004 the last time the Senate voted. Proponents had predicted publicly that the amendment would get at least a 51-vote majority in the 100-member Senate considering the gain of four Republican seats since then."

The gay marriage ammendment

Harry Reid, US Senator (D), from Nevada gave a speech today outlining the critical topics our current administration must address. I excerpt some of that speech here:

"I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. I believe in our federal system of government, described to me in college as a central whole divided among self governing parts. Those self governing parts—the 50 states—have already decided this on their own in state after state. For example, in Nevada the constitution was amended to prevent same sex marriage. Congress and President Clinton passed a law that gave the states the guarantee that their individual laws regarding marriage would be respected. The Defense of Marriage Act creates an exception to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution so that no state can force its laws of marriage on another.

So why are we being directed by the President and this Republican majority to debate an Amendment to the Constitution, a document inspired more than two centuries ago? Why would we be asked to change this American masterpiece?

Will it next be to constitutionally dictate the cause of divorce, or military service, or even what America’s religion must be?

So for me it is clear the reason for this debate is to divide our society, to pit one against another. This is another one of the President’s efforts to frighten, to distort, to distract, and to confuse America. It is this Administration’s way of avoiding the tough, real problems that American citizens are confronted with each and every day:

High Gas Prices.

The War in Iraq.

The National Debt.

Health Care.

Senior Citizens.

Education.

Crime.

Trade Policy.

Stem Cell Research.

Each issue begging the President’s attention, each issue being ignored—valuable time in the Senate spent on an issue that today is without hope of passing.

These issues are not Democratic issues. These issues are not Republican issues. There must be bipartisan efforts to address America’s ills."

Rat Saliva and George Bush

On a recent trip to the Redwoods, where we have breathtaking views of the ocean, hug our kids, grandkids, and the Redwood trees surrounding the house, we often pick up a daily edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. There was a fine editorial about my favorite place never to shop by Mark Morford. One of the summary paragraphs from his piece poetically demands to be published on this blog.

“I do not shop at Wal-Mart. I may never shop at Wal-Mart, given its notoriously horrible labor practices, brutal business tactics and effortless murder of all love and hope and joy from the retail experience. The stores are the George Bushes of the retail world -- drunk with power and cheaply made. Not to mention that vaguely nauseating feeling, when you walk through its (or almost any) big-box store, that your soul is being slowly coated in rat saliva.” Mark Morford San Francisco Chronicle 24 May 2006. For the complete article:
Click Here
(The oceanscape photo courtesy of Eddie, taken from Highway 1 near Westport.)

A wood fired baking oven...

The builders and future crew of the Noyo King will be needing a wood fired oven to sustain labor during boat construction. The following was excerpted from the online encyclopedia:

"The dome-shaped wood burning oven in one form or another has been in use for thousands of years. Scores of ancient civilizations dating back to Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and later Rome, used some variation of this time-proven design to bake breads, meats, seafood and more. These small wonders are considered extremely efficient miniature bakeries. Additionally, in cold climates the presence of these cooking devices provided the occupants of small dwellings with an efficient source of heat. Most ancient civilizations used the clay and straw method of construction. This was time consuming and did not always result in a usable oven. As with pottery, many of their castings cracked during the initial firing. In modern times, refractory castings have been developed to reproduce the great heating qualities of ovens from long ago. Employing modern methods of casting, and through the use of better materials, these assemblies create ovens that are that have all the desired attributes of wood fired ovens without many of the pitfalls which burdened their predecessors. There is no cooking appliance that will give more pleasure to someone who appreciates cooking than a wood fired oven. Pizza is not the only thing you can do in a wood fired oven. Nothing is better for baking bread, and there’s nothing like meats grilled or roasted by a wood fire. A wood-fired oven will dramatically alter the way you cook, while providing you genuine enjoyment. A wood fired oven quickly becomes the center all gatherings for friends and family in your home. The sight of flames dancing in an oven provides a sense of well-being and warmth in any kitchen even when not in use for cooking. Incidentally, there’s no way that a regular oven will replicate what can be done in a wood fired oven. A pizza cooks in less than three minutes right on the oven floor. The crust will be crisp on the bottom, and the toppings always come out beautifully melted, and perfectly cooked. Regular ovens are simply not hot enough to do this."

We will keep you apprised of the progress of construction of the oven. This must be accomplished before work on the boat can begin.

"Any jackass can kick down a barn..."

I have wondered about the very low satisfaction and job approval rating our president is receiving. One source said it was the lowest of any president in the post war years. The only exception being Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal.

To me, America got what it voted for or was mislead into thinking it wanted. The low poll ratings suggest the thinness of “spin” and the lack of substantive even adequate ability and leadership from the White House. The failure of the Bush Presidency is the consequence of presidential advisors such as the likes of Karl Rove. Spin does not substitute for leadership and ability and we still have two more years. The tires are flat and the tank is empty. I think the truth of the statement of Abraham Lincoln has never been more apparent than now: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Bush and his handlers are living proof of that dictum from one whom sadly we will not likely see again. The spin has carried the Bush administration into its second term. The failing policy of Iraq, high energy prices and even higher profits of American oil companies, a deficit that our grand children will have to pay and Osama still sipping his Sprites and Perrier Water somewhere in Pakistan leave me empty.

For an interesting comparison in the thoughts and statements of several of our presidents I have collected a few memorable and less so quotations. Beginning with Bush 41:

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." —George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y. May 24, 2005

"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself — not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel." —George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006

“The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” Ronald Reagan

“Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.” Lyndon Johnson

“Any jackass can kick down a barn but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” Lyndon Johnson

“A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.” John F. Kennedy

Institutionalizing discrimination I am afraid...

On my way home from work this afternoon and listening to one of my two NPR stations I learned the Senate Judiciary Committee had approved what is called the “Federal Marriage Amendment”. First of all, I would like to say my marriage does not need constitutional protection and I strongly disagree with the notion that the Federal Government can do anything constructive to perpetuate marriage or insure the survivability of the family, particularly through a constitutional amendment. I found the following while ‘googling’ on the web. I agree with this statement. It is from “People For the American Way” and written by their Legal Director Elliot Mincberg.

“Today’s vote was a shameful act of election-year vandalism against our Constitution and the basic American principle of equal protection under the law. Discrimination is wrong, and the U.S. Constitution, our most sacred legal document, is especially the wrong place for it.

“It’s not surprising that some Republican leaders want to distract Americans from crises that really threaten our families and values – unfair tax policies and a runaway deficit, a culture of corruption and lack of accountability for lawbreaking at the highest levels of our government, the neglect of children and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and more. But writing discrimination into our sacred charter of freedom for short-term political gain shows a basic lack of decency." (Close quote)

Please write your senators and encourage them to keep this poorly thought and ill-conceived election year headline grabbing effort from becoming a part of our constitution. I wholeheartedly agree with director Mincberg, if it passed, it would only be writing discrimination into our legal system.

Shall we recall the success of the social experiment of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution? During Prohibition, temperance activists hired scholars to rewrite the Bible by removing all references to alcoholic beverages. What license would the extremists in this country take if such a discriminatory amendment were passed? The Ku Klux Klan strongly supported Prohibition and its strict enforcement. Likely, their message of hate would be strengthened by such a law.

Bodily fluids, generals and politicians...

General Jack D. Ripper: "Mandrake, do you recall what Clemenceau once said about war?"
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: "No, I don't think I do, sir, no."
General Jack D. Ripper: "He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought...

I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."

The Maltese Falcon

Joel Cairo: "You always have a very smooth explanation..."
Sam Spade: "What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?"

Mean spirited and contrary to everything I believe...

This was the proposed ammendment to the platform of the Utah State Republican Convention, 20 Mayo 2006

Illegal Immigration, Submitted by Robert Wren

"We believe that security of our borders is an urgent national interest and our national sovereignty depends on those secure borders. We oppose illegal immigration and all forms of amnesty, or legal status for illegal immigrants irrespective of program name or race. We oppose automatic citizenship for those children born in the United States to illegal alien parents. We believe government benefits should NOT be provided to those illegally present in the US. We do not believe that any temporary “guest” worker should be automatically on a path to citizenship. We believe that current laws against employing illegal aliens should be vigorously enforced."

Still trying to determine if it passed or not and by what margin. It also appears Robert Wren is not from Utah but is part of an organization in Phoenix who publish the "American Daily". A tour of their web site and a link to an article about immigration referred to undocumented Mexicans in the US as "vermin". Why did the “R” party allow this outsider to propose this amendment to their Utah convention?

A crew member of the Noyo King

Here is one of the future crew members of the Noyo King, a very scary pirate!

Follow the Prophet

From the morning's edition of the SL Tribune:

"Immigration top GOP issue"
By Glen Warchol

"Rep. Chris Cannon knows that when he walks into the state Republican convention on Saturday, he's got to come across as tough on illegal immigration.

More than soaring gas prices, more than No Child Left Behind's federal involvement in education - undocumented immigration has risen to the top of nearly every delegate's agenda. Besides selecting candidates this weekend, the 3,500 grass-roots party activists will debate a proposed amendment to the party's platform opposing "illegal immigration and all forms of amnesty or legal status for illegal immigrants.""

Why do I have the very distinct impression the "R" party in this state is so bigoted and anti Hispanic? Of all places Utah because of its religious orientation should be open to assist, help and elevate the poor and the disenfranchised among us regardless of skin color or ethnic origin.

Don't any of those pushing for this criminalization of the undocumented listen to their prophet, President Hinckley? I quote:

"Throughout my service as a member of the First Presidency, I have recognized and spoken a number of times on the diversity we see in our society. It is all about us, and we must make an effort to accommodate that diversity.
Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children.
Brethren, there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church. If any within the sound of my voice is inclined to indulge in this, then let him go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and be no more involved in such."

What does President Hinckley mean when he says we must "accommodate that diversity"? Do we make them all felons? That to me is what this "R" party will attempt to do in their state convention.

High Plains Drifter

Sarah Belding: "Be careful. You're a man who makes people afraid, and that's dangerous."
The Stranger: "Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid."

ingenioso y práctico

I have come to admire the problem solving ability and ingenuity with which Peruvians view life and the challenges associated with their humble existence. Wished I had a convertible like this!

Gender orientation from the National Academy of Sciences

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/102/20/7356?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=savic&searchid=
1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

The article is heavy in the scientific discussion and is written for scientists practicing in the field. The implications are significant and important. Another step in understanding this place and perhaps why some are different. The Associated Press (AP) has published an article more understandable for the non professional. It is from the Chicago Daily Herald. Someone please tell me if it makes it into the Deseret News or the Tribune. The link to the Daily herald is:
http://dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=186895

"Lesbians’ brains respond similarly to those of heterosexual men:"
Associated Press
Posted Tuesday, May 09, 2006

WASHINGTON — Lesbians’ brains react differently to sex hormones than those of heterosexual women, new research indicates.

That’s in line with an earlier study that had indicated gay men’s brain responses were different from straight men — though the difference for men was more pronounced than has now been found in women.

Lesbians’ brains reacted somewhat, though not completely, like those of heterosexual men, a team of Swedish researchers said in today’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A year ago, the same group reported findings for gay men that showed their brain response to hormones was similar to that of heterosexual women.

In both cases the findings add weight to the idea that homosexuality has a physical basis and is not learned behavior.

“It shows sexual orientation may very well have a different basis between men and women ... this is not just a mirror image situation,” said Sandra Witelson, an expert on brain anatomy and sexual orientation at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

“The important thing is to be open to the likely situation that there are biological factors that contribute to sexual orientation,” added Witelson, who was not part of the research team.

The research team led by Ivanka Savic at the Stockholm Brain Institute had volunteers sniff chemicals derived from male and female sex hormones. These chemicals are thought to be pheromones — molecules known to trigger responses such as defense and sex in many animals.

Whether humans respond to pheromones has been debated, although in 2000 American researchers reported finding a gene that they believe directs a human pheromone receptor in the nose.

The same team reported last year on a comparison of the response of male homosexuals to heterosexual men and women. They found that the brains of gay men reacted more like those of women than of straight men.

The new study shows a similar, but weaker, relationship between the response of lesbians and straight men.

Heterosexual women found the male and female pheromones about equally pleasant, while straight men and lesbians liked the female pheromone more than the male one. Men and lesbians also found the male hormone more irritating than the female one, while straight women were more likely to be irritated by the female hormone than the male one.

All three groups rated the male hormone more familiar than the female one. Straight women found both hormones about equal in intensity, while lesbians and straight men found the male hormone more intense than the female one.

The brains of all three groups were scanned when sniffing male and female hormones and a set of four ordinary odors. Ordinary odors were processed in the brain circuits associated with smell in all the volunteers.

In heterosexual males the male hormone was processed in the scent area but the female hormone was processed in the hypothalamus, which is related to sexual stimulation. In straight women the sexual area of the brain responded to the male hormone while the female hormone was perceived by the scent area.

In lesbians, both male and female hormones were processed the same, in the basic odor processing circuits, Savic and her team reported.

Each of the three groups of subjects included 12 healthy, unmedicated, right-handed and HIV-negative individuals.

The research was funded by the Swedish Medical Research Council, Karolinska Institute and the Wallenberg Foundation.

"Racial slurs and denigrating remarks among us..."

"The Need for Greater Kindness"
President Gordon B. Hinckley, April Conference 2006

"Why do any of us have to be so mean and unkind to others? Why can't all of us reach out in friendship to everyone about us?

When a man grows old he develops a softer touch, a kindlier manner. I have thought of this much of late.
I have wondered why there is so much hatred in the world. We are involved in terrible wars with lives lost and many crippling wounds. Coming closer to home, there is so much of jealousy, pride, arrogance, and carping criticism; fathers who rise in anger over small, inconsequential things and make wives weep and children fear.

Racial strife still lifts its ugly head. I am advised that even right here among us there is some of this. I cannot understand how it can be. It seemed to me that we all rejoiced in the 1978 revelation given President Kimball. I was there in the temple at the time that that happened. There was no doubt in my mind or in the minds of my associates that what was revealed was the mind and the will of the Lord.

Now I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us. I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. How can any man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood arrogantly assume that he is eligible for the priesthood whereas another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color is ineligible?

Throughout my service as a member of the First Presidency, I have recognized and spoken a number of times on the diversity we see in our society. It is all about us, and we must make an effort to accommodate that diversity.
Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children.
Brethren, there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church. If any within the sound of my voice is inclined to indulge in this, then let him go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and be no more involved in such."

Nuclear Waste...

Church Urges Alternatives for Nuclear Waste
4 May 2006


SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today asked the federal government to look for alternative options for the disposal of nuclear waste.

In light of the ongoing discussion of the possible storage of nuclear waste in Utah’s Skull Valley area, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement:


“The transportation and storage of high-level nuclear waste create
substantial and legitimate public health, safety, and environmental
concerns.
“It is not reasonable to suggest that any one area bear a
disproportionate burden of the transportation and concentration
of nuclear waste.
“We ask the federal government to harness the technological
and creative power of the country to develop options for the disposal
of nuclear waste.”

A near death experience for the Man in Black

“Only once have I been right up to it and seen it, (death). I was on a respirator in critical care with double pneumonia after my bypass surgery in 1988. There came a moment when, after fighting for breadth for so long and not getting it anymore, I felt myself fading away. I could hear the doctors---“He’s slipping, he’s slipping! We’ve got to do something fast!”---but their voices receded and everything got quiet and dark and calm and peaceful. Then a light grew around me, and it soon enveloped me, and it was more than light, it was the essence of light, a safe, warm, joyous brilliance growing brighter and brighter and more beautiful every moment. I began to drift smoothly into its very center, where it was so much better than anything I had ever experienced that I can’t possibly describe it. I was unbelievably happy. I’ve never felt such utter joy.

Then it just vanished. It just went. My eyes flew open and saw doctors. I couldn’t believe it. Sorrow welled up in me. I started crying, and then I got angry that I was sobbing and snarling at the same time. I found my wits and began trying to tell them to let me go, to send me back, but they had a tube down my throat, so I couldn’t get it across to them. I gave up trying.

And then, after a few minutes, I was glad to be back. I was restored, as they say to my senses. I never forgot that light, and it changed me. When I was still in the hospital and one of my children came into my room, I’d feel a strange overpowering blend of joy and sorrow, any my tears would roll. After I got home, I’d bawl like a baby over a passage in a book or a scene in a movie. When friends came over, I’d watch them and a solitary tear would sneak down my cheek. People got used to it. They’d see it and smile: there goes John crying again.

It’s not so extreme today, but I still cry at almost anything. It can be something as profound as the beauty of a grandchild in my arms or as trifling as the smile of pretty girl winning a skating championship on TV. Life has become more moving.” pp. 259-260, “Cash, The Autobiography”