Running on Compressed Air - Is this our Life Saver?

My daughter works for Green Peace. She rants about the issues plaguing the planet and I listen, frustrated that there was ever a need for advocates to fight so hard to save the world we live on. But what bothered me the most, after hearing her talk about a number of alternative eco-friendly automobiles proposed, is that the powers-that-be just won't allow it to be. Listen to the objections made regarding bring this car to market. If you're concerned about the planet you'd try hard as hell to perfect this machine and replace the gas polluting vehicles on our roads.

The Joke's on Me

In my feeble attempt to post what I regard as interesting information, I find that the facts are sometimes not the facts. The author of "Canada to Annex North Dakota, Residents", an article that stimulated me to write my last blog, says the piece he did was completely made-up. Well, go figure. I wondered why no one was talking furiously about the subject of North Dakota being sold to Canada. I went back to review his article and still, it seemed so real. What did I miss? There had to be a word or bit of information that some other savvy political mind would have caught. Somehow I didn't get the relief I should have in knowing that North Dakota, it's elderly and it's oil, remained part of the states. I think I've just been egged.

US and Canada

I'm wondering if others are aware of these so-called secret negotiations between Canada and the Us regarding the 19th largest state in the US. It seems that North Dakota will soon become the 11th Canadian Province. It'll be the first US state ever sold to another country.

I read this bit of information on Cats With Thumbs, where the author described it as Canada's victory over the US.

At the same time, North Dakota is experiencing a surge in crude oil from great reservoirs during a time when oil prices are high and in great demand. It would suggest that North Dakota will soon have more jobs, an increase in population, and more money than you can shake a stick at.(1)


But an anonymous US State Department official was quoted saying "North Dakota has been sucking the life out of the Treasury ... if those crazy Canucks want 'em, I hope we can get the deal signed and run before they realize what they bought."

What Canada is purchasing is land with furious oil activity and a population of senior citizens who are anxious to partake in the Canadian health care system. What does it mean for the US economy? It doesn't look like a fair exchange to me.

It's a Bird It's a Plane

I was in a heated conversation today with a woman who, by all educational standards, is considered very smart. She earns a 6 figure income, has her Bachelors in education and travels extensively. One would believe that she is worldly, having acquainted herself with many cultures. I thought so, which lead to the false impression that she was also a great thinker.

Our conversation was on my favorite topic, aliens. It's not exactly the most confrontable issue, and not always well received. The reason it came up was because of an incident which took place at her office. She stated that she'd been sitting at her desk responding to a few emails at about 9 in the morning, and suddenly realized that 3 hours had slipped away. It was already a quarter after twelve. This piqued my interest. So I suggested she check into it, that it could be a sign of some abnormal condition. And, of course she wouldn't have anything to do with that idea, sure that because of her healthy lifestyle, she was immune from all possible mental or physical problems. When I asked if anything like it had ever happened before, she pondered, “Hmmmm. Yeah, quite a few times, now that I think of it”. I suggested the theory of missing time, where somehow she was taken, made to experience something, made to forget that it happened, and finally lost the frame of time in which it occurred. It was merely a suggestion, posed quite frankly as bait to see how far I could go with the subject. But, I found myself once again in a familiar place, listening to the rantings of the sightless.

My first question to a nonbeliever is, are we alone in the universe? It seems pretty scary to imagine that we are. I get a bit paranoid thinking of us, like ants, sitting on a small mound of rock in an immense, dark expanse of space with other lifeless rocks and a fiery mass called the sun and who knows what else further out in the distant universes lounging around with nothing to do but wait for our death. Why do other planets exist? Were they created to fuel the poetic, artistic nature in man. Or are we so 3 dimensional that we can't begin to fathom the many greater expressions of God outside this mere planet we live on and therefore only believe what we can see? We'll, by the same token, since you can't see me over this strange wireless connection of optics and cyberspace, I should be no real than aliens or ghosts. I must not exist.

My friend believes that the idea of aliens was a fabrication to appease the imaginative natures in humankind. She believes that we are bored and need to believe that there 's more to the stars than what we see through a telescope. While that may be true, how does one disregard all of the evidence even as far back as writings on ancient cave walls. Were they making it up as well?

Here's my take after reading a few books, watching some videos, and basic history. Aliens do exist. They are not here to take our planet away but they are here to insure that when this wonderful mass called Mother Earth goes berserk in the near future, there will be designated humans remaining to replenish the earth.

So what does that mean? I watched a series of videos that tell the story of a coming mega planet called Planet X. It's presently on the outskirts of our solar system but it's causing mass disturbances on this planet right now. In a matter of years, specifically 2012, it's projected that our planet will come under major cataclysms so intense that it will leave few of us behind. Their thoughts are that our government is preparing safe locations, maybe even at distant planets, to take chosen healthy people that can repopulate the earth after this apocalypse. Governments are presently testing for the brightest, healthiest people. How is this being done. Think for a moment about alien abductions. My take is that this is a joint venture and that aliens are aiding in this process. It brings to mind all that I've read about the Rapture, although it's God that does the taking.

Watch the series of videos for yourself. Planet X

I do invite further discussion on this subject and the series of videos. I once had another perspective on the fate of our planet, from the writings of Zecharia Sitchin and infamous Marduk from “The Tenth Planet”. We'll just have to see, won't we?

Our Polar Bears

Greenpeace, the environmentalists, have been on a diligent campaign to save the polar bears of the North Pole. They filed a lawsuit against the Bush Administration because it failed to meet the January deadline for including polar bears, per the Endangered Species Act (ESA). So how does one make a government follow the law?

Putting polar bears on the endangered species list is no drop in the bucket. It costs an average of $400,000 to list. Back in 2003 the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (3)announced that they wouldn't have the funds to meet the obligation of 32 animals proposed for this list. Yet, Congress continues to give itself pay raises. The money to fund the protection of these animals must be skimmed from the salaries of those who usually take the most.

Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisconsin, who every year stands up against pay increases, said that with the economy still weak and many Americans finding it hard to make ends meet, it was "the wrong time for Congress to give itself a pay hike."

"This automatic stealth pay raise system is just wrong," he added.
CNN.com/INSIDE POLITICS

Worse, President Bush is pushing for historically higher military spending on the war in Iraq. It already costs us over 500.5 billion dollars and he's asking for another 28 billion. Where will it come from? Today, right now, what could we do with the $28,000,000,000? Besides invigorating our own economy, putting people into jobs and not on the streets, it could certainly do a lot for the environment, save the polar bears and our own future.

The bigger problem is that polar bears are dying at a great rate. They've resorted to cannibalism, as the broken ice caps hinder their mobility, forcing them to feed among themselves.

What is wanted and needed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to create an environment that will protect these animals. It requires making changes, passing laws, and great sacrifices by our government as well as you and I. We're all at fault and we have a chance to make it right.

Cooties in our Restaurants

Germs. We touch them. We inhale them. We swallow them. Over decades we continue to learn how to combat illnesses due to germs, and we even know how to avoid them. But there's always some new virus to rear it's ugly head and cause a stir. Germs will always be around.

I just watched a video on the findings of a microbiologist who said that lemons used in restaurant drinks have the potential of making you sick. She said that the sliced wedges that often adorn ice tea and other drinks carry anything from fecal bacteria to Staph infections. It's obvious that food handlers aren't washing their hands. But this isn't anything new. Cooties have always been around. The problem is that there are many new ugly contaminants in our progressive world, and they're killing us (2). There must be a way to avoid having the public become ill because of unsanitary food preparation due to negligence. Here's a simple solution: Wash your hands!

Fifteen years ago my son was in kindergarten. I’d volunteered one day as a teacher's assistant and observed something that disturbs me still this day. As much as I’ve always told my own kids to wash their hands before eating, it was a horror to watch a class full of 5 year olds being escorted from the dirty playground directly to the school cafeteria. Between runny noses, dirt, and shared toys, this was a hot spot for illness. No wonder kids are often sick. The simple solution was to have all of them wash their hands before eating.

There are hand sanitizers on the market that are more effective than soap and don’t require water. My local Trader Joe's and Cost Plus both keep Purell sanitizer bottles at the cash registers, aware of the high risks of germs while handling money. I applaud them. Restaurants, schools, and institutions that serve food should be the leaders in this approach rather than the losers affecting the populous. It's time that the FDA mandate the use of such products as well as advise that sinks be placed outside of employee restrooms. What better way to see good hygiene in action?

And once again, as smart and well advised as we believe we are, why hasn't this been implemented already?

Home Schooling

How can this be true? I received in the mail a commentary regarding a ruling that just came down from a California Appeals Court. In a nutshell it said that it’s illegal in California for a parent to home school a child if the parent is not a certified teacher.

Kids who are home schooled achieve higher test scores, according to a recent report published by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). The reasons for home schooling will vary widely but for some it’s a reaction to the rising crime rate in the classrooms and generally because of inferior education. Many colleges don’t accept these children with home education. I believe it’s because of the policies which require formal education as a prerequisite. If they're getting good grades, why does it even matter?

My take on this is that there are people in high places who wish we stay ignorant and substandard. In such conditions we are easier to mold, manipulate, and destroy. So far they’ve done a good job of it, trapping our culture into an era of brain dead button pushing robots. My next venture might be to get my teaching credentials and open a home school. Follow my lead.

Daylight Saving Time

Yesterday was a glorious day. I woke up early and got out of the house. The sun was radiant, the air was crisp, and it smelled of flowers with just a hint of coffee and sweets. I love mornings like these. They remind me that life is good in spite of the ugly conditions that sit at the edge of our personal realities. On this occasion, it inspired me to put it in words.

Connected

Bare foot,
Mud between my weathered toes,
Sun upon my caramel frame where dust and dew alight,
Look at me,
Spinning,
In one congruent circular dance,
My skirt afloat as whispers lift its subtle folds of gold and blue,
Join me here,
This space.

I laugh,
When touched by wisdom and hit by vision,
Lifting my spirit through echoes of sound to praise and honor
That which I cannot see,
Or touch,
While bound by flesh.
Yet,
Comfort is and joy remains
In faith of this sweet mystery.

I kiss,
Joining,
Stretching energy from here to there,
Lips to flesh a conduit,
Love rolling divinely over space and time
To child and friend.
So kiss me in your warm bare feet,
And dance upon this place,
While blindly go
No flesh I see,
Just spirit beauty space.

Southern Storm

Born and raised in New Orleans, I have a warm appreciation for, what some call, a country all it's own. It's music, food, culture, and even smells were unique and utterly endearing to all who lived or visited. Most famous for its French-Creole architecture with Spanish influences, it was the quintessential vacation spot for all.

The dialog over these past years regarding Katrina has outraged those who knew the city, particularly me. I was 9 when a similar disaster changed lives and threw communities into disbelief and rage as well.

It was 1965 when Hurricane Betsy arrived in the crescent city. I recall the excitement of having to leave school at 10:30am because of the coming storm. My father prepared the house, boarding up windows and gathering extra water for the worse possible scenario. We went to the stores and bought everything that was not already purchased, as the entire city was out shopping as well. And by nightfall, the winds came and the lights eventually went out.

My dad had gone outside in winds of almost 85 miles an hour to check on neighbors. When he returned he was shouting orders and very anxious. Water had begun to move over the expanse of land that separated our home from the corner of the block. To see it coming in the moonlight was indescribable.

We forged our way to Holy Cross High School for shelter. In the end, we lost our home and most of the real estate that my dad had nurtured and lived on.

He was a community leader for the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the poorest areas of the city. Along with other city officials and community heads, they learned that the levee had been compromised by dynamite.

This was the information that I gathered while listening-in on adult conversations and speaking to others as I grew into my teens. I understood it well. An undercurrent of racial tension and greed existed that tourists and fans of the city did not know. The ninth ward, as impoverished as it seemed, was thriving and boosted a homeownership rate of 59 percent compared to the 46 percent of the parish as a whole. If not financially strong, it was healthy and stable, with some of the strongest grassroots and civic organizations in the city. There were efforts all the time to purchase the land of these residents by city state and national groups but they were faced with strong resistance. This was the climate of the Lower Ninth Ward.

It was understood that there would be a flood in that tremendous hurricane, but where and how? Should it affect prime property in the city or could it be diverted and thus save a thriving upper-class community. This was the premise for many. I feel the same.

Such conflict spawned leaders and activists. My father became the State Representative of the Lower Ninth Ward. His story, when he finally writes it, speaks of corruption from high places, places not seen from the humble streets of proud New Orleanians.

The landscape of New Orleans just before Katrina was not picturesque. Crime was the worse in the country. Big business left. People like myself left to find greener pastures only to learn that the grass was greener and taller in New Orleans.

So when Katrina came and the city experienced the worse catastrophe of our time, everyone who's heart was in it knew the truth. (1) The sound of the explosion was heard by many. The question that remains is "Why?" Government cover-ups are the threads which tie this country together. Who's plan was this?

The place where the levee broke during Katrina was literally in the backyard where I once lived. Who better to tell the story than I?

Call Me

I've been giving thought to the great and much sought after gadget called cell phones. It seems the best invention since TV. But since it's inclusion in the world of communication, the quality of life has plummeted.

Years ago when there was only land line usage, we were hostage to the confines of our homes for making and receiving calls. It meant going an entire day at work before finally arriving at home to learn of some important event missed while away. Or arriving at a shopping mall to pick-up your child only to learn, after hours of waiting, that your child has already left with a friend. It was very inconvenient, and cell phones became our salvation. Yet did they?

One Christmas I'd given my 14 year old a phone because it would help me monitor her after-school activities. She loved me for it. I was at her fingertips and she mine until the novelty wore off. It was no longer a pleasure and a comfort when I was capable of knowing her every move. So, on those occasions when she was late arriving home and I was interested enough to dial her number, her phone was inconveniently turned off. It was the beginning of a nightmare.

But there was a mutual freedom that she and I did enjoy. She no longer tied-up my land line for hours. Instead, she talked in her room as long as she desired ... after 7pm of course. With the land line I always knew if she was on the phone. Now I had to knock on her door to find out.
Sometimes it could be 1 or 3am.

On one occasion she was dating a special boy who phoned her day and night. My routine was to get both of my kids in bed by 11pm, and up the next day by 7. So as we said our good-nights, one evening, I assumed conditions were as they always had been. At 3am, needing water from the kitchen, I heard giggling and peeked into her room. She was wide awake and chatting up a storm.

There's nothing new about the abuse of cell phone usage. Situations like this go on in most households across the country. I also observe it while shopping, on college campuses, and in cars. Young people in particular have found this to be an alternative to the usual human social interactions that were once the basis for human connection. Gone are the days of the casual smile or greeting along a sidewalk or in the doctor's office. Some are too busy on phones to recognize on opportunity to talk to the person next to him. Although certainly not the case for everyone, cell phones have become the catalyst for the breakdown of human exchange; eye to eye, face to face. As necessary a tool it may be for society, does it out-weigh the advantages of interpersonal relationships had on our streets, highways and byways?

I add this to the growing trend for video games. In a 24 hour day, where is there time for thought, of serious contemplation, of sports activities or study? After learning the statistics from schools all across the country, we seem to have created a generation of (1) gamers and internet surfers who spend the rest of their leisure on cell phones.

I can't help think this is part of some grand plan. It's obvious that in the near future there will be fewer well-rounded personalities capable of driving a country or running a business. We'll be too submerged in the entertainment of cell phones and other time consuming gadgets to make the big decisions. Who's plan was this?