CPR has gotten simpler and the results have gotten much better. Watch the video to see what you need to do.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wild Turkeys in my back yard
Check out this 1 minute video of some Wild Turkeys that paid us a visit yesterday! I didn't see any of these in Tucson.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Mexico legalizes drug posession
Wow! This is a big deal for Mexcio I believe. Now if only the US can follow suit and do the same thing. We could start to take some of the power away from the Mexican Cartels.
Mexico Legalizes Drug Possession
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 21, 2009
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico enacted a controversial law on Thursday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging government-financed treatment for drug dependency free of charge.
The law sets out maximum “personal use” amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution; the law goes into effect on Friday.
Anyone caught with drug amounts under the personal-use limit will be encouraged to seek treatment, and for those caught a third time treatment is mandatory — although no penalties for noncompliance are specified.
Mexican authorities said the change only recognized the longstanding practice here of not prosecuting people caught with small amounts of drugs.
The maximum amount of marijuana considered to be for “personal use” under the new law is 5 grams — the equivalent of about four marijuana cigarettes. Other limits are half a gram of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams for methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams of LSD.
President Felipe Calderón waited months before approving the law.
Mexico Legalizes Drug Possession
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 21, 2009
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico enacted a controversial law on Thursday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging government-financed treatment for drug dependency free of charge.
The law sets out maximum “personal use” amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution; the law goes into effect on Friday.
Anyone caught with drug amounts under the personal-use limit will be encouraged to seek treatment, and for those caught a third time treatment is mandatory — although no penalties for noncompliance are specified.
Mexican authorities said the change only recognized the longstanding practice here of not prosecuting people caught with small amounts of drugs.
The maximum amount of marijuana considered to be for “personal use” under the new law is 5 grams — the equivalent of about four marijuana cigarettes. Other limits are half a gram of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams for methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams of LSD.
President Felipe Calderón waited months before approving the law.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Dignity associated with life
"I think we're all on the same page on this one. One of the main problems is that there is no respect for the common man in this country. They are not even granted the dignity of a dog on the street. This extends from the way they are treated by the police down to basic rights to exist such as food and healthcare. Who's is in charge? We the people or some oligarcy. I think we would see the cooperation of the average man in solving this nations problems much more if there was at least a little dignity associated with life." from Kevin in Tucson
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Obama on Why we need healthcare reform
Why We Need Health Care Reform
By BARACK OBAMA
Published: August 15, 2009
OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them.
Doug Mills/The New York Times
President Obama speaking at a town-hall-style meeting in Grand Junction, Colo., on Saturday.
These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old. A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.
I hear more and more stories like these every single day, and it is why we are acting so urgently to pass health-insurance reform this year. I don’t have to explain to the nearly 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance how important this is. But it’s just as important for Americans who do have health insurance.
There are four main ways the reform we’re proposing will provide more stability and security to every American.
First, if you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of high-quality, affordable coverage for yourself and your family — coverage that will stay with you whether you move, change your job or lose your job.
Second, reform will finally bring skyrocketing health care costs under control, which will mean real savings for families, businesses and our government. We’ll cut hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and inefficiency in federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid and in unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies that do nothing to improve care and everything to improve their profits.
Third, by making Medicare more efficient, we’ll be able to ensure that more tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors instead of enriching insurance companies. This will not only help provide today’s seniors with the benefits they’ve been promised; it will also ensure the long-term health of Medicare for tomorrow’s seniors. And our reforms will also reduce the amount our seniors pay for their prescription drugs.
Lastly, reform will provide every American with some basic consumer protections that will finally hold insurance companies accountable. A 2007 national survey actually shows that insurance companies discriminated against more than 12 million Americans in the previous three years because they had a pre-existing illness or condition. The companies either refused to cover the person, refused to cover a specific illness or condition or charged a higher premium.
We will put an end to these practices. Our reform will prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of your medical history. Nor will they be allowed to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. And we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because they get sick.
Most important, we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups, preventive care and screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer on the front end. It makes sense, it saves lives and it can also save money.
This is what reform is about. If you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. If you have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care you need. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health care decisions but you and your doctor — not government bureaucrats, not insurance companies.
The long and vigorous debate about health care that’s been taking place over the past few months is a good thing. It’s what America’s all about.
But let’s make sure that we talk with one another, and not over one another. We are bound to disagree, but let’s disagree over issues that are real, and not wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that anyone has actually proposed. This is a complicated and critical issue, and it deserves a serious debate.
Related
Times Topics: Health Care Reform
Readers' Comments
Share your thoughts.
* Post a Comment »
* Read All Comments (194) »
Despite what we’ve seen on television, I believe that serious debate is taking place at kitchen tables all across America. In the past few years, I’ve received countless letters and questions about health care. Some people are in favor of reform, and others have concerns. But almost everyone understands that something must be done. Almost everyone knows that we must start holding insurance companies accountable and give Americans a greater sense of stability and security when it comes to their health care.
I am confident that when all is said and done, we can forge the consensus we need to achieve this goal. We are already closer to achieving health-insurance reform than we have ever been. We have the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association on board, because our nation’s nurses and doctors know firsthand how badly we need reform. We have broad agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what we’re trying to do. And we have an agreement from the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. The AARP supports this policy, and agrees with us that reform must happen this year.
In the coming weeks, the cynics and the naysayers will continue to exploit fear and concerns for political gain. But for all the scare tactics out there, what’s truly scary — truly risky — is the prospect of doing nothing. If we maintain the status quo, we will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day. Premiums will continue to skyrocket. Our deficit will continue to grow. And insurance companies will continue to profit by discriminating against sick people.
That is not a future I want for my children, or for yours. And that is not a future I want for the United States of America.
In the end, this isn’t about politics. This is about people’s lives and livelihoods. This is about people’s businesses. This is about America’s future, and whether we will be able to look back years from now and say that this was the moment when we made the changes we needed, and gave our children a better life. I believe we can, and I believe we will.
By BARACK OBAMA
Published: August 15, 2009
OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them.
Doug Mills/The New York Times
President Obama speaking at a town-hall-style meeting in Grand Junction, Colo., on Saturday.
These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old. A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.
I hear more and more stories like these every single day, and it is why we are acting so urgently to pass health-insurance reform this year. I don’t have to explain to the nearly 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance how important this is. But it’s just as important for Americans who do have health insurance.
There are four main ways the reform we’re proposing will provide more stability and security to every American.
First, if you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of high-quality, affordable coverage for yourself and your family — coverage that will stay with you whether you move, change your job or lose your job.
Second, reform will finally bring skyrocketing health care costs under control, which will mean real savings for families, businesses and our government. We’ll cut hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and inefficiency in federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid and in unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies that do nothing to improve care and everything to improve their profits.
Third, by making Medicare more efficient, we’ll be able to ensure that more tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors instead of enriching insurance companies. This will not only help provide today’s seniors with the benefits they’ve been promised; it will also ensure the long-term health of Medicare for tomorrow’s seniors. And our reforms will also reduce the amount our seniors pay for their prescription drugs.
Lastly, reform will provide every American with some basic consumer protections that will finally hold insurance companies accountable. A 2007 national survey actually shows that insurance companies discriminated against more than 12 million Americans in the previous three years because they had a pre-existing illness or condition. The companies either refused to cover the person, refused to cover a specific illness or condition or charged a higher premium.
We will put an end to these practices. Our reform will prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of your medical history. Nor will they be allowed to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. And we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because they get sick.
Most important, we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups, preventive care and screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer on the front end. It makes sense, it saves lives and it can also save money.
This is what reform is about. If you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. If you have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care you need. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health care decisions but you and your doctor — not government bureaucrats, not insurance companies.
The long and vigorous debate about health care that’s been taking place over the past few months is a good thing. It’s what America’s all about.
But let’s make sure that we talk with one another, and not over one another. We are bound to disagree, but let’s disagree over issues that are real, and not wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that anyone has actually proposed. This is a complicated and critical issue, and it deserves a serious debate.
Related
Times Topics: Health Care Reform
Readers' Comments
Share your thoughts.
* Post a Comment »
* Read All Comments (194) »
Despite what we’ve seen on television, I believe that serious debate is taking place at kitchen tables all across America. In the past few years, I’ve received countless letters and questions about health care. Some people are in favor of reform, and others have concerns. But almost everyone understands that something must be done. Almost everyone knows that we must start holding insurance companies accountable and give Americans a greater sense of stability and security when it comes to their health care.
I am confident that when all is said and done, we can forge the consensus we need to achieve this goal. We are already closer to achieving health-insurance reform than we have ever been. We have the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association on board, because our nation’s nurses and doctors know firsthand how badly we need reform. We have broad agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what we’re trying to do. And we have an agreement from the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. The AARP supports this policy, and agrees with us that reform must happen this year.
In the coming weeks, the cynics and the naysayers will continue to exploit fear and concerns for political gain. But for all the scare tactics out there, what’s truly scary — truly risky — is the prospect of doing nothing. If we maintain the status quo, we will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day. Premiums will continue to skyrocket. Our deficit will continue to grow. And insurance companies will continue to profit by discriminating against sick people.
That is not a future I want for my children, or for yours. And that is not a future I want for the United States of America.
In the end, this isn’t about politics. This is about people’s lives and livelihoods. This is about people’s businesses. This is about America’s future, and whether we will be able to look back years from now and say that this was the moment when we made the changes we needed, and gave our children a better life. I believe we can, and I believe we will.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Public Healthcare vs Public Education
Did you hear about the recent Free Healthcare given at the LA Forum? Over 10,000 people showed up for free medical, dental, and vision care. It saddens me that an event like this gets so many people who are denied access to the US Healthcare system. So the guy who gets eyeglasses may now be able to work. The girl who gets dental treatment may now feel good enough to work. The women who got mammograms may be able to get early treatment for something that could get much worse if left undetected. Etc.
Why there is so much opposition to universal healthcare I don't know. But I would like to make a comparison here. Let's use Public education as an example here:
One argument I've heard is that which is free has no value. So then I guess that tells us what we need to know about public schools.
One argument is: "Like anything that is free, people will flock and get in line for any givaway. Every hypocondriac will be getting multiple, unnecessary treatments." Ok, so public education attracts all these poor kids from the ghetto. The all come to school and make it hard for the good non-ghetto kids to learn. They are so concerned with their own problems that they cannot concentrate or behave and so it affects all the "good kids" who want to learn.
Here's a comment I just read: "The picture of the free healthcare at the LA Forum is exactly what free healthcare looks like, long lines, piss smelling hall ways, just plain filthy....Thanks.. but NO THANKS!!!!!" - American --- so public education is similar with it's long lines, huge schools, piss smelling, vomit covered hallways, just plain filthy. Yep, that's right.
Here's another argument against free healthcare I read: "If I offered free cheese for a day, people would line up to get it. That would not indicate that there was a shortage of cheese or any kind of problem with the cheese industry. It would indicate that when you give something away for free (or for less than its value), people line up to get it." hmm? Public education goes even a step futher. Not only is the cheese (education) offered free. But it is "mandated" for all kids under the age of 16.
Well, you get my point here. We also have "socialized police and fire fighters". You know the poor take up so much of the policeman's time. If they had to pay for police service like they have to pay for healthcare then they wouldn't call the cops all the time and the cops would then have time to look after all us more affluent white people who can afford to pay for their services.
So I don't get how we can have socialized education and other public services, but healthcare gets people to draw the line against socialism. Nope, they don't want to pay for that.
My opinion is that healthcare should be a "right" and not a "priviledge". I like the idea of a single payer system. I think if people want to pay for better medical services they should be able to. But some kind of basic care is a "right" for all of us.
Here's an article published in a British Paper on this topic: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-brutal-truth-about-americarsquos-healthcare-1772580.html Be sure to look at some of the comments at the end of the article. Quite revealing.
Health to you all.
Why there is so much opposition to universal healthcare I don't know. But I would like to make a comparison here. Let's use Public education as an example here:
One argument I've heard is that which is free has no value. So then I guess that tells us what we need to know about public schools.
One argument is: "Like anything that is free, people will flock and get in line for any givaway. Every hypocondriac will be getting multiple, unnecessary treatments." Ok, so public education attracts all these poor kids from the ghetto. The all come to school and make it hard for the good non-ghetto kids to learn. They are so concerned with their own problems that they cannot concentrate or behave and so it affects all the "good kids" who want to learn.
Here's a comment I just read: "The picture of the free healthcare at the LA Forum is exactly what free healthcare looks like, long lines, piss smelling hall ways, just plain filthy....Thanks.. but NO THANKS!!!!!" - American --- so public education is similar with it's long lines, huge schools, piss smelling, vomit covered hallways, just plain filthy. Yep, that's right.
Here's another argument against free healthcare I read: "If I offered free cheese for a day, people would line up to get it. That would not indicate that there was a shortage of cheese or any kind of problem with the cheese industry. It would indicate that when you give something away for free (or for less than its value), people line up to get it." hmm? Public education goes even a step futher. Not only is the cheese (education) offered free. But it is "mandated" for all kids under the age of 16.
Well, you get my point here. We also have "socialized police and fire fighters". You know the poor take up so much of the policeman's time. If they had to pay for police service like they have to pay for healthcare then they wouldn't call the cops all the time and the cops would then have time to look after all us more affluent white people who can afford to pay for their services.
So I don't get how we can have socialized education and other public services, but healthcare gets people to draw the line against socialism. Nope, they don't want to pay for that.
My opinion is that healthcare should be a "right" and not a "priviledge". I like the idea of a single payer system. I think if people want to pay for better medical services they should be able to. But some kind of basic care is a "right" for all of us.
Here's an article published in a British Paper on this topic: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-brutal-truth-about-americarsquos-healthcare-1772580.html Be sure to look at some of the comments at the end of the article. Quite revealing.
Health to you all.
The brutal truth about America’s healthcare
An extraordinary report from Guy Adams in Los Angeles at the music arena that has been turned into a makeshift medical centre.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
The LA Forum in Inglewood, California, hosted dental and medical examinations, for thousands of people thanks to the charity Remote Area Medical.
GETTY IMAGES; AFP
The LA Forum in Inglewood, California, hosted dental and medical examinations, for thousands of people thanks to the charity Remote Area Medical.
They came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their children for immunisations that could end up saving their life.
In the week that Britain's National Health Service was held aloft by Republicans as an "evil and Orwellian" example of everything that is wrong with free healthcare, these extraordinary scenes in Inglewood, California yesterday provided a sobering reminder of exactly why President Barack Obama is trying to reform the US system.
The LA Forum, the arena that once hosted sell-out Madonna concerts, has been transformed – for eight days only – into a vast field hospital. In America, the offer of free healthcare is so rare, that news of the magical medical kingdom spread rapidly and long lines of prospective patients snaked around the venue for the chance of getting everyday treatments that many British people take for granted.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-brutal-truth-about-americarsquos-healthcare-1772580.html
Saturday, 15 August 2009
The LA Forum in Inglewood, California, hosted dental and medical examinations, for thousands of people thanks to the charity Remote Area Medical.
GETTY IMAGES; AFP
The LA Forum in Inglewood, California, hosted dental and medical examinations, for thousands of people thanks to the charity Remote Area Medical.
They came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their children for immunisations that could end up saving their life.
In the week that Britain's National Health Service was held aloft by Republicans as an "evil and Orwellian" example of everything that is wrong with free healthcare, these extraordinary scenes in Inglewood, California yesterday provided a sobering reminder of exactly why President Barack Obama is trying to reform the US system.
The LA Forum, the arena that once hosted sell-out Madonna concerts, has been transformed – for eight days only – into a vast field hospital. In America, the offer of free healthcare is so rare, that news of the magical medical kingdom spread rapidly and long lines of prospective patients snaked around the venue for the chance of getting everyday treatments that many British people take for granted.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-brutal-truth-about-americarsquos-healthcare-1772580.html
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Obama, anatomy of a world Leader
This image was created by Alex Grey in honor of Obama's World Leadership qualities. See Alex' website at alexgrey.com
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Google Apps Help Resources
Google Apps Help Resources
http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=150590
http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/org/index.html google apps for non-profits
http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=150590
http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/org/index.html google apps for non-profits
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Mexico Senate OKs bill to legalize drug possesion
Well, let's try this again... Mexico's Senate approved a bill on Tuesday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics for personal use, in order to free resources to fight violent drug cartels. Mexico's Congress passed a similar proposal in 2006 but the bill was vetoed by Calderon's predecessor Vicente Fox, under pressure from the United States, which said it would increase drug abuse, but now is worried by the drug-related violence along its border.
So now, most importantly, the US and team Obama need to get with the program and start talking about legalization of pot or at least start with decriminalization here. Only by allowing production of pot here in the US will marijuana purchasing from Mexico decrease.
This would truly be an opportunity for the U.S. to become a "kinder, gentler nation" to quote George Bush the 1st. Spread the word friends.
So now, most importantly, the US and team Obama need to get with the program and start talking about legalization of pot or at least start with decriminalization here. Only by allowing production of pot here in the US will marijuana purchasing from Mexico decrease.
This would truly be an opportunity for the U.S. to become a "kinder, gentler nation" to quote George Bush the 1st. Spread the word friends.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Earth Day April 22, 2009
Here's a good site on MSN on climate change things happening around the world. the site tracks places like the Great Barrier Reef, Napa Valley Wine growing areas, and other valued natural areas around the world that are being affected by climate change. It is updated periodically also.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Fighting the Taliban
Photo by Tyler Hicks, NY Times
Pinned Down, A Sprint to Escape Taliban Zone
The link above is to a recent NY Times article about US forces in Afghanistan and a fight they got into in a small village in ALIABAD. It describes an ambush set up by a local village elder that the Americans had visited with. One US soldier got killed. The article has some good photos taken by Tyler Hicks of the NY Times, who was with the American Platoon for this mission. He is a brave photographer for sure.
And the soldiers are brave as well. Reading the article you can see that it's not a picnic being where they are and doing whatever it is they are trying to do.
Here's a short quote from the article that describes Aliabad:
"Afghanistan is myriad wars within a war, with varying terrain, climates, economies and insurgent groups creating a puzzle of shifting contests for influence. The Korangal Valley is the center of one of the most vicious contests of all.
Relatively few Arabs or foreigners come here, the company’s officers say. But the Korangalis, a hardened and isolated people with their own language, have managed to lock the American Army into a bloody standoff for a small space for more than three years.
The Korangalis have fought, the officers say, in part because they support the Taliban and in part because they are loggers and the Afghan government banned almost all timber cutting, putting local men out of work."
So my questions are: WHAT THE HECK ARE WE DOING OVER THERE? WHY ARE WE IN THIS KIND OF PLACE, SPENDING ALL THE MONEY WE ARE AND LOSING LIVES AND ALL THE REST?????
I respect our military. My dad was an airforce pilot so I grew up with the Vietnam and Korea wars that he participated in. I get a sense of what that's all about. But I never have understood what we are doing in places like Afghanistan, or Iraq. And if someone were to tell me that we're protecting freedom here in the US, I say that's a laugh.
I'm all for defending our own borders and responding to provocation. But I think we have no business trying to be the world's policeman, going to other people's countries and waging war. I don't get that and never will.
There are so many problems and things to work on here at home. Let's use our best and brightest here at home to work on those things and to make ourselves more agreeable to the world at large. I believe that if you treat others with respect you will get respect back... or at least be left alone.
We have MORE than retaliated for the 911 bombings. We lost 3600 approx lives in that and have been responsible for over a million deaths in Iraq alone. When do we call it EVEN? And was Iraq responsible for 911? I don't think anyone can say that anymore.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Elephant in the Room
I have a little political commentary to share this morning. There's been alot of talk about US/Mexico relations recently and lots of talk about the drug war going on in Mexico and US. Both the US and Mexico are saying they realize it's a joint problem (no pun intended) of both countries. So far so good. But then the elephant comes into the room when they start talking about how to deal with this issue. What I've heard so far from Hillary, President Calderon, and Obama is this: more helicopters and military support for mexico; better interdiction efforts against US weapons and cash going into mexico; and cracking down on drug use here in the US. I have heard Hillary and Obama both CLEARLY say that they recognize demand for drugs in the U.S. is a big part of the problem. Then, I've CLEARLY heard them both say that drug use needs to decrease here. They both used their own words for describing this but they both CLEARLY have got decriminalization or legalization OFF THE TABLE. I've not heard even one small mention about that possibility. And I don't get it. The ONE THING that could impact the cartels the most, and that would help us manage this problem the best, would be legalization and/or decriminalization in both countries. I am having a hard time understanding why, at this point in our history, with all the support for legalization, and understanding of the consequences of PROHIBITION, that our leaders cannot even bring up the subject in any fashion.
I say END PROHIBITION NOW!
I say END PROHIBITION NOW!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Earth Day April 22, 2009
Happy earth day week everyone. I'm attaching a nice video courtesy of the Heart Math folks. Boy, I can say for myself that the earth is my friend and I consider myself a friend of the earth. I love the stability, beauty, strength, delicacy, intimacy, and life-giving properties of earth. I would like to suggest that as we breath in to think of receiving from the earth those qualities which we admire, and as we breathe out to think of getting rid of anything we don't need. The earth is great at absorbing what we give it and composting it into new life. Viva la Tierra!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Watch TV online
Well I just watched an episode of the TV show Office on Hulu.com I love that show and I missed last night's episode because I am now playing in a Thursday night Tennis doubles league. Well, I saw the entire episode with only a few short commercials and it ran great on my laptop. So that's a great thing to know, that we can watch our favorite shows and probably find alot of other cool shows to check out (in one's spare time:)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I'm Twittering
I'm now officially Twittering (though not yet through my phone). Click here to see my latest posts. I want to see how this can be used as a business tool. Speaking of that, I have a business venture going called Your Site Build. Check it out sometime and let me know if you or someone you know needs a website. Chow!
Learning Guitar to make new friends
I've been checking out DIGG finally and immediately found this cool video on playing guitar. It's a crackup! Click the link above to see the video or click here:
Creating a World Without Poverty
Muhammad Yunus, author of "creating a world without poverty", winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
Muhammad Yunus' unique approach to eradicating poverty is a triumph of practical innovation. Here he demonstrates how Grameen Bank and the Grameen Family of Companies offer viable solutions to age-old challenges. He illumiates next steps for the global microfinance revolution. He envisions a new kind of capitalism.
This is a beautiful video with outstanding insights and compassion and the realization that "social businesses" can still earn a buck.
Muhammad Yunus' unique approach to eradicating poverty is a triumph of practical innovation. Here he demonstrates how Grameen Bank and the Grameen Family of Companies offer viable solutions to age-old challenges. He illumiates next steps for the global microfinance revolution. He envisions a new kind of capitalism.
This is a beautiful video with outstanding insights and compassion and the realization that "social businesses" can still earn a buck.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Appalachian Mountains, Weather, and Music 4-11-09
Hi friends. This post today encompasses my experiences since last Sunday the 5th of April, through last night the 11th. It started with a trip down to Georgia for some hiking on the Appalachian trail.
The Len Foote Hike Inn at Amicalola Falls State Park
Rosemary and I went here last week. 5 mile hike in from the falls and trail head. Stayed 2 nights at the Inn.Dinner and breakfast are served family style. Educational and entertaining programs are conducted in the Sunrise Room after dinner most evenings. Programs consist of everything from worm composting to storytelling. Books and games are also available. The Sunrise Room (as you would expect from the name!) is an excellent place to observe the sunrise in the morning.
http://hike-inn.com/default.asp
Day 2 we awoke to a snowstorm and cold temps. Ate breakfast group style and then met some folks in the sunrise room who were going to Springer Mountain, snow storm or not. Those were our kind of people. We signed on to that trip, as we were going to do that ourselves anyway and off we went.
See my pictures here:
This plaque is embedded in the rock at the Springer Mountain Appalachian Trailhead at Springer mountain. It reads: “A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the Wilderness”
The other plaque is shown below with a map and trail marker.
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Appalachian Trail
Georgia to Maine
1954
Georgia Appalachian Trial Club
The trail, in the Chattahoochee National Forest, flows from Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer Mountain is a microcosm of the natural history of the North Georgia mountains. It follows the high eastern ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Much of the trail is covered with snow in the winter. Spring melts give way to many of the wildflowers common throughout the mountains including bloodroot, trillium, and azalea. Laurel and rhodedendron "hells" bloom in the early summer and cover much of the clear areas of the trails. Forests are mostly second growth hardwood with hickory, oak and poplar dominating. Read more history here.
After returning to Nashville on Wednesday, we attended the Bela Fleck show at the Ryman auditorium. He performed with 4 men from Africa (Toumani Diabate, Vusi Mahlesela, D'Gary, and Anania Ngoliga) I can say that this was fantastic. One highlight was a performance of one of the most important musicians in Africa, Toumani Diabate.
Toumani plays the kora, a harp unique to West Africa with 21 strings, which 71 generations of his family have played. This instrument sounds so beautiful. The countries represented were Tanzania, Mali, Uganda and The Gambia. Heads up you Tucson fans. This show (or a version of it) will be at the Rialto theatre June 17th and then they'll be heading up to Telluride on the 19th!!!!! for the Telluride Music Festival.
Thursday afternoon I went into the dentist to get a cracked molar worked on. I got a crown and wasn't that fun? Good to get it over with is all I can say. I go back in 2 weeks for the permanent crown and a "deep cleaning". Doesn't that sound fun also? As you can see I'm not much into going to the dentist. The dentist I'm seeing now is Edwina at Aqua Dental. She was nice to me and did a good job for me. It was expensive though as dental work always is. Even with Dental discount coverage it still costs alot!!!! I don't think there is such a thing as good dental insurance. It never covers very much. A special thanks also to Rose for accompanying me to the dentist and waiting for me. It helped my attitude knowing she was in the waiting room while I got worked on. Thanks Rose!!
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Friday afternoon was all about weather. A woman and her baby died in a nearby Tornado. Got big thunderstorms and then the Tornado Sirens went off. There's one just down the street from where we live in Brentwood. And they are all over Tennessee as far as I know. So we turned on the TV to the local weather, where they have great technology now to see what's happening and where. They pointed out the "hooks" and the "swirling winds" which represent possible Tornadoes. We got "tornado warnings" which means at least one actual tornado has been spotted in our area. So we went into the basement (Rosemary's office is our official shelter because it doesn't have any windows, it's downstairs and so that's where we go). There's a tv down there too so we watch the weather, listen to the sirens and ride out the storm. Well, the tornadoes that day were east of us and one did bad damage and caused 2 deaths in Murfreesboro. Click here to read the story published in the Tennessean about it. And here are more pictures from the Tennessean. Tornadoes are something I never had to worry about living in Arizona and around the western US. They are pretty wild and unpredictable and scary, and deadly.
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On a lighter note.........
Friday evening Rose and I went out to hear some great music.
We went out for music last night. First we went to 3rd and Lindsley for a Cello performance by Matt Haimovitz an Israeli-born cellist now based in the United States and Canada. He is known not only for his outstanding technical and musical skill, but also for his highly unusual concert career and repertoire choices. He mainly plays a cello made by Matteo Gofriller in 1710. It was outstanding. He played all kinds of different stuff that I can’t even describe. I can only say it sounded really neat and looked pretty complex. I know he played some Bach stuff. The night before this show he performed at Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Louisville Orchestra. He says his current small-venue tour is a reconciliation of his two home countries (US and Canada), in celebration of recent U.S. electoral results. His program for what he calls his “listening-room” concerts features contemporary American composers Elliott Carter, John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse alongside Canadians such as Anna Sokolovic and Serge Provost. This is a man of many talents. Read more about him here:
http://www.thelongplayers.com/ Saw this Rolling Stones imitation show last night at Mercy Lounge featuring the 1978 Some Girls Album done in it’s entirety. Rocking great show. Lots of older folks like us at the show.
Check out this bio on Bill Lloyd, one of the main guys from The Long Players: http://www.thelongplayers.com/blog/billlloyd.html This guy has quite a musical history. Last night’s show featured many local Nashville performers each doing a different Mick Jagger, lead singer performance. John Cowan (original member of New Grass Revival) played bass for a while. Then he swapped out with the bass player for Cheap Trick. Ho Hum. Another night of music in the Music City!!!
Other shows we didn’t see last night include: Ten out of Ten, featuring Katie Herzig, Butterfly Boucher and Matthew Perryman Jones. They have signed on as part of a new music website called Brite Revolution. A subscription gives users exclusive access to stuff that isn’t available already everywhere else on the internet. Check out the website here: http://www.briterevolution.com/
There was also a Bob Dylan vs Tom Petty Tribute at a local hole in the wall called The Basement.
Anyways, that gives you a very small sample of some of the typical, any night of the week music around here in Nashville.
Adios for now!
Curtis
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