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Running ticker of oil leaked to date in Gulf of Mexico.

Glacial potholes

Look around folks. Amazing nature is everywhere. Just a short drive from us is a fantastic place for a day hike with the family to see glacial potholes formed by retreating glaciers millions of years ago.

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Donut tree

Money may not grow on trees, but apparently donuts do!
Witness the donut tree at a friend's birthday party.

While I feel strongly that we need to get our soldiers home to their families as soon as possible, this poster speaks volumes about the brave men and women who are at war right now and putting their lives on the line to help the Afghan and Iraqi people regardless of whether they feel we should have gone there in the first place.

New Series of Doctor Who is coming!

Seems most of the TV we watch in our home these days originates in the UK. Doctor Who, Top Gear, The F Word, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Hoping that Torchwood and Primeval return, but in the meantime, am stoked that Doctor Who comes back on April 17, 2010.

Oil of LA

Who knew there were functioning oil rigs all over LA?

Health Care Reform

I know it's been a while since I posted anything with a political bent, but the time has come to speak up.

First of all let me speak to the Baucus plan. How Max is considered a Democrat is a topic for another time. For now, I'll just say this plan is a farce and a cynical person might propose that it was put forth to rally the American Middle Class against health care reform since it includes several key items that are completely unacceptable to most Americans.


* Allowing Insurance companies to charge up to 5x more in premium rates based on age is absurd and will only ensure that millions of people cannot afford insurance.

* Couple the provision above with a penalty for not having insurance and you effectively kick people when they are down. The whole idea of a mandatory insurance provision is to buffer the pool of insured with relatively healthy people tp help offset the risk associated with insuring older and/or more seriously ill people.

* Cooperatives that would be created by this plan would lack the power to negotiate rates and would therefore be rendered impotent in their ability to garner fair and affordable rates for the people who need them most.

* The lack of a public option clearly stands to appease irrational fears of insurance company executives who do not want the perceived competition that a public option could bring.

Let's hope that the other members of the Finance Committee kill this where it stands and let the other proposal from the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee head to the full Senate for a vote and progress towards the eventual reconciliation process.

At least we're all still talking about the issue. That, in itself, should be considered progress these days.

I'm back!

Greetings to all who regularly visit this blog and to those who happen upon by chance!

The holidays are upon us, so I'll start by saying a warm and heartfelt Merry Christmas to all. If Christmas isn't your bag, than happy & merry salutations to you for whatever is important in your life at this time of year.

Financial meltdown, recession, multiple wars, massive unemployment. The list of things to be concerned about goes on and on. When things get like this, I manage to ground myself by harking back to the 3 spheres I apply in both my personal and professional life to keep from being overwhelmed.

Here they are from 1st to last.

Control - Is it within my sphere of control? Can I control the events that are unfolding? If yes, I act. If no, I move on to the next one.

Influence - Is it within my sphere of influence? Can things I do or say have meaningful influence on the events that are unfolding? If yes, I act or speak. If no, I move on to the next one.


Concern - This is where 80 % of things fall. Is it within my sphere of concern? If yes, I make note of it, I adjust my long or short term plans and goals if prudent and I move on with my life. If no, then it's a non issue and I pay it no further mind.


I know this sounds simple. It is simple. Remember the principle of Occam's Razor/ Loosely translated: "All things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the right one."


That's all I have to say for now. Merry Christmas.

Be nice.

Peace

Time to rethink our strategy...

I know it's been a while since I blogged. Life gets busy.

Now that Hilary is out and it looks like a horse race of Old Bitter vs. Young Hubris, I think we really need to look at where we've been and where we want to be.

I was once a McCain supporter. Back in 99, after reading Faith of my Fathers and watching a truly independent spirited man stand up for what he claimed he believed in, I drank the cool-aid. I believed what he said. Hell, I even bought the t-shirts!

Then, he was brutally smeared by Rove and Company. He caved in to the pressure and began the long suck up to the religious right and the Bush/Cheney machine. That was it for me. I swore then and I repeat it now. I will never vote for that man as long as I live! As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!"

And in the immortal words of The WHO, "We won't get fooled again!"


Now, back to the topic. Obama may not have been my first choice, but I firmly believe he is our only choice at this point.

Is he a bit high on himself? Sure

Does he think he's smarter than the average American? I sure as hell hope so! :-)

The last 7 years have been brutal on our economy. Our standing in most of the world is in shambles (certain areas of Africa & South America where we've been helping to fight aids and malaria notwithstanding). Our citizens are sorely disillusioned and we need to fix things.

It's going to be a long haul. Four years won't be nearly enough. But, it'll be a start. It will show the world that we are not all Bushites who want to democratize the world. It will show ourselves that we can do better and we will have hope once again.

And for the young 'uns reading this.

Clinton / Richardson 2008

Here's what I believe about this year's election.



We can't afford to have a new candidate for change inheriting the mess of the past 7 years. Like it or not, we need someone who knows how the Washington machine runs and who will be realistic in their approach to fixing it.

We also need a veep who has street creds in the international community, who will hit the ground running to mend fences around the world and who knows what it takes to deal with the cast of characters all over the globe.

Hillary can accomplish much of what is required on the domestic front with respect to the economy, infringements of civil liberties, lack of adequate health care and repealing the unfunded mandate that is No Child Left Behind! VP Richardson can set to work securing nuclear weapons that are unaccounted for, establishing relations with nations we've ignored for the past 7 years and, hell, maybe even open up Cuba! Be a nice play for a tropical vacation!

That's all I have time for at the moment. Clinton / Richardson. Think about it!

Relax, breathe and let it flow....

Vinyasa Flow Yoga has been one of my best discoveries over the past year. Seane Corn's DVDs are terrific and easy to follow.



A lot of you may eschew yoga has a hippie trend or have some other bias against it, but in my experience it's a great addition to life's routines that helps to keep me grounded, relaxed and able to deal with whatever comes my way.

What do you have to lose besides a few pounds and a ton of stress!

It looks as though Al's going to stay on the sidelines.

So, our next best hope to fix the mess we are in has to be Hillary!

Russia claims the pole and everyone else loses all sensibility!

So, Russia planted a tiny flag under water at the geographic north pole.



BFD.



Btw, this is the Russian Arctic Base Camp above.

The problem with this situation is not that Russia has claimed the pole with the goal of exploiting its reported gas and oil reserves (25% of total available resources globally be some estimates.).

The problem is the reaction of all these other countries to jump all over the issue and claim that they have sovereignty over the area and thus have rights to this reserve.

Ok, so that's only part of the problem. The big picture issue here is that they are already planning how to create a new arctic route to save going through the Panama canal with all the booty!



BIG PICTURE PEOPLE! BIIIIIG PICTURE!!!

The reason it is even possible to consider an arctic route for heavy oceanic transport is because the ICE is melting!

The ICE is melting in large part due to global warming!

GLOBAL WARMING is being hastened by the unchecked burning of OIL & GAS!

Common sense should allow us to consider that if:

A) Arctic Ice is melting because of Global Warming
+
B) Global Warming is hastened by burning of Oil and Gas
=
C) Then perhaps we should be more concerned about keeping anyone from touching the Oil and Gas in the Arctic region and focus on ways to develop clean and renewable energy.

I can't be the only one thinking of this. That's way too scary a thought that I am the voice of reason in the world!

In past years, (read before 2000) I would have suggested writing to the President and to your Congressmen and Senators. You can try writing your representatives but it'll probably prove as useless as writing to Bush and Cheney about it.

When even the environmentally Kennedy clan is sucked in by their own and other rich folks' interests (Ted Kennedy opposes Cape Wind project while only 14% of his constituents oppose it. But then, 86% of his constituents don't have homes on Nantucket that may be disturbed by the faintest sight of wind turbines 5 and 1/2 miles off the coast of the Kennedy compound!), there really can't be much use in writing, calling or emailing anymore!

So Bill, what can we do?

I'm glad you asked. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Third Party.

And I hate to say it but Unity 08 doesn't cut it. It's clear that people in this country just don't get that flag waving fervor going over a word like Unity! They may favor it, they may even admit that it's a good idea, but they will not be putting stickers on their pickups about it!

What we need is a third party with a strong libertarian leaning and a name like the Patriot party.



Who doesn't want to support a Patriot? Before McCain sold out to Bush and Falwell he may have even been a contender for such a party, but no more.

Now's the time for action before we slide so far down that proverbial slippery slope that it's impossible to recover. Wake up folks! It's time to mobilize and strive for change. In a peaceful and non-violent manner of course! Did you hear me NSA? I'm sure you did. Give out a shout out to Alberto for me! :-)


Our job, daresay our duty, as Americans and human beings is to find a way to stop this ridiculous childish behaviour and get this country back on track as a nation that leads the world by example (good example!) rather than trying to force our will down the throats of others from the barrel of a gun!


Be nice.

Peace

A brief interlude. :-)

Happy Independence Day!

In spite of the current administration running roughshod over the Constitution, it's still worth celebrating the people of this great nation that care about freedom and democracy and each other.



Be nice.
Peace

Superu's day at the beach

Once we paid The Man for our CRMC permit to take Superu on the sand trails, we were off and running in spite of many naysayers who told us of how they had heard of a Subaru getting stuck out ther once and that the sand was deep and that it was really for Jeeps and big trucks.



See for yourself. I can see how a Subaru without any lift, skidplates or aired down A/T's may have been high centered or possibly stuck in spots, but it was absolutely do-able and will be even more so once the 2" lift kit goes in.

The beach was beautiful, nobody at our spot but two pair of UConn students in a Jeep Unlimited. It was like having our own private beach and made for a very relaxing day with the family.

SUPERU is taking shape!

The Superu is really coming together nicely. Yes, it's over the top. Yes, it's a bit extreme. It's not a true rally car since I'm building it more for off-road water fording and climbing capability than high speed handling in dirt, gravel and wet leaves! But that won't stop me from adding all the rally team decals. :-)





But isn't that what we've all come to expect from me? 1.6" of lift with tire and spring combination gives us 10" of ground clearance. A Primitive Racing skidplate protects the underside from rocks and stumps and slow small animals!



The Surco rack carries the full size spare, the Hi-Lift jack and shovel and axe combo as well as allowing plenty of extra space for tents and other important items.



The White Knight light bar in the back provides a ton of light for backing up


and the triumvirate of LightForce projectors up front let me see what's up ahead. In the rain, fog and snow the Hellas provide that visibility.



The CB keeps me apprised of changing road conditions courtesy of America's Truckers and the iPod/Stereo keep the tunes blasting on the way.



JDM rain visors keep the fresh air coming in when the drops are falling outside.



And when there's simply not enough room in the Subie, that's when we pull out the matching trailer! :-)



All in all, I'd have to say I am very pleased with this little monster we're creating! Stay tuned for more pimped out crazy modifications!

ICYWW, the chrome thing on the roof is a solar powered cabin vent from Nicro. Keeps the hot air moving from inside to out while the car is sitting.

Inside w/o screen

Outside

Get stuck off-road? Not a problem with these essential items on board!

Black Rat Winch


Hi-Lift Jack


Need to know the latest road and weather conditions? We've got that covered as well!

Cobra 25 WX NW ST CB radio because truckers have the best vantage point for traffic conditions and it has a built in NOAA weather alert feature!


And Storm Predator III for real time radar imagery and weather reporting on the laptop!


And for tailgating/camping, we have a perfect trifecta in the Engel MT-45 Fridge/Freezer,

The ToolBox Grill

and the Trekking aluminum folding table.


Need a place to sleep? Take your pick for large crowds and small.

Eureka 9 person 2-3 room tent. Sets up in about 10 minutes.


AirZone 4+ person tent. Sets up in 5 minutes.


And finally, for now, just to be sure the little Subie is heard when some big rig or cell phone talking, makeup applying, coffee drinking, breakfast eating driver starts to wander too close!

Kleinn triple trumpets with on board air tank and compressor.


This concludes today's installment of SUPERU update! Stay tuned for more updates and adventure pics!

Impreza WRX Sti pic here, but it shows the graphics that are coming for the side of SUPERU!



Be nice.
Peace

It's time to take a hard look at our nation.(Look in the mirror)

In the wake of this most recent tragedy in Virginia and in the light of the ongoing situation in Iraq, it's time for all of us to take a long hard look at who we are, how our government is suppposed to work and what our constitutional rights really are.


Before exploring issues like gun control, let's look at the current administration and the decline of our country over the past six years. There are few times in history when a hugely powerful nation has been so reviled by the rest of the world. Since 9/11, the rights of citizens have been systematically weakened or stripped entirely from the populace and we've let it happen. It some cases we are guilty of even encouraging it. Foregoing our liberty for percieved security. And what have we gained by this horrific trade-off? Less security, fewer liberties and a world that fears, loathes, despises and pities us.

How truly sad is this? The answer can only be, very sad indeed.

Let us not forget that much greater empires have fallen and ours is a very young nation still full of hubris believing that we are right and just and in many ways superior to the more primitive and less enlightened peoples of the world. How is this different from the Spanish seeking to save the native peoples of the Americas with christianity or the Catholic crusaders seeking to convert or destroy the Muslim infidels or for that matter, the Muslim radicals presently seeking to spread their version of Islam and the eradication of those they call non-believers?

The constitutional guarantee of a right to bear arms "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." was designed to ensure that that the citizenry was able to protect itself from a tyrannical leader or governing body. This simple statement has been interpreted in so many ways over the past 200 years that practically no one can agree on what it truly means to a nation of 300 million composed of people from just about every nation on earth and of varying mental and social capacity.


Mention gun control and the NRA flips out citing the 2nd Amendment.



Mention gun control and the left will cite examples of restrictive laws in other countries that seem to result in much lower rates of gun violence.

Let's look at this from a 50,000 foot level. In Canada, there are an estimated 7 - 11 million guns in the hands of 2.4 to 3.8 million citizens. In the most recent findings, there were 816 deaths in a one year period attributed to guns. The fact that needs to be observed in this figure is the rise in the use of handguns to facilitate these deaths and how many were suicides versus homicides. The use of handguns in the these deaths in Canada has reportedly risen sharply over the past few years.

Point to consider.


Handguns are more readily concealed and transported than rifles.

In Australia, strict regulations on the ownership and sale of both handguns and long guns have seemingly reduced the number of gun deaths in recent years. This is an interesting case where virtually all guns have been included in the regulations and registration of weapons is required. I'm not trying to draw you to any conclusions here, just providing some food for thought.

Let's get a little bit closer now and see what simple steps we might take in an effort to address the problems associated with guns in these United States of America.

Registration of guns. May discourage a small number of borderline individuals from seeking out or acquiring guns. Will likely enrage the NRA and some citizens.


Gun buy back programs. May prove helpful in reducing the availability of weapons "on the street" or more accurately in closets, nightstands or other areas where they are easily reached by children or burglars.


Commission of an in-depth study to seek out causitive links related to violent behavior involving the use of guns. Such a study may examine factors linked to gun related homicides in the hope of determining potential areas to target for remediation. Look at key factors such as prevailing economic conditions, political climate, localized economic factors, personal details of the offenders including home and work life, history of drug or alcohol issues, mental challenges, etc. Such a commission would need to include people from academic, law enforcement, medical and local civic organizations to ensure a wide exploration of all possible links.

Now that we've started down the path of the guns/homicide issues, let's take a look at the civic side of the house and how we as citizens might act to regaing control of our country from powerful lobbying groups funded by major corporations that benefit at our expense from the largess of so called "corporate welfare". John McCain was once an allegedly strong opponent of corporate welfare and powerful business interests. Sadly, this no longer appears to be the case.

What we need now more than at any time in recent history is a grass roots effort to elect local politicians who will represent the interests of a society that we want to be. It's going to be a long, slow and sometimes painful process as those we've chosen fail to win election or disappoint us once they have and we need to start the cycle again. But it is a worthwhile endeavor that in years to come will show us as the truly great, compassionate, caring and free nation that we like to think we are but are actually nowhere near to truly being.

So, how do we get there? And, more importantly, who is this "we" and how do we make sure that everyone is included? On this point I have a couple of people to mention. Both of them politicians, both outspoken and somewhat controversial, one electable to the executive branch and the other presently restricted from doing so. Figured it out yet? I'll give you a hint. Tennesseein is believin' and Kalifornia! Yes, I am serious about this and yes I believe these two men can help to bring the nation together, restore our internal and external credibility and start us down the path of a being a nation of genuinely United States forging ahead into the 21st century where we have decent wage paying jobs, a political establishment that is trustworthy and serves the people, not the corporations, and a society in which we all feel valued, heard and responsible for our future and for that of our neighbors, friends and families.

I'll have more posted up here in the coming days and weeks, but for now let me leave you with this thought.

No matter our outward appearances and
disparate beliefs, we are all human beings here
by good fortune and divine providence as
stewards of this earth and each other.
Be nice.
Peace

Back to Green!!!

After the forays into and out of the hybrid realm, we've settled in nicely in the earthy crunchy hippy granola car of choice. Are you ready? You're sure you're really ready? Ok, here it is...


The finest little kid and camp gear hauler made in the U S of A by none other than the car making family of Fuji Heavy Industries, one of seven sisters in the Pleiades cluster, the one spelled backwards that says you are a bus, in all its all wheel drive glory, I present to you the 2005 Subaru Outback Wagon! Commonly known by those in the know as the OBW! :-)

After driving everythng from Audi's flagship to Honda's techno wonder, I have to say this swift little wagon is a fantastic driver. Just the right mix of the things we need in a vehicle. Decent mileage, room for 3 kids, two adults and a fair amount of hiking gear! This car rocks! And speaking of rocks, if you're looking for good prices, fast shipping and people who know what they are talking about for all your outdoor gear, check out my new found friends at the sign of the goat.

If you're looking for "green" options as well, they have those too!

That's the scoop for now. Gore in 2008!


Be nice.

Peace