 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 1/23/2007 5:39 PM CST With privatization creeping in around the edges of every public facet, it’s nice to be able to join the battle against corporate piracy. Put your money where it counts, now! www.preview.tinyurl.com/2y8qdu |
| Posted 1/21/2007 6:35 PM CST One causative factor that we are constantly overlooking in the increasingly tense Middle East situation is overpopulation. This is something that they are unable and unwilling to deal with. And, although this is true for the rest of the world as well, it’s especially pernicious in the age old conflict between the Sunni Arabs and the Shiite Persians----- because income from petroleum allows continued population growth without the immediate pain that this would otherwise inflict …..and any group there that didn’t employ the population growth strategy would be seen as comparatively diminished. No matter how successful peace accords might be, eventually their oil fields will decrease in their output. Those whose populations feel the pinch first will cast longing eyes on neighboring territories. Note: Some indications are that Iranian oil fields may have already begun to peak. Many Iraqi oil fields have not even been taped into yet. What does that bode for the future? Could this further the drive for nuclear energy development in that part of the world most likely to actually employ the use of nuclear weapons? As for disaster, it doesn’t take a biblical prophecy about Armageddon to foresee terrible consequences for the world. Solution: Population control and development of renewable energy sources to avert nuclear disaster and the consequences of increased global warming. Prognosis: A series of varying kinds of manmade disasters will reduce the world’s population to a more manageable level before proactive measures will be initiated. Suggestions: Make sure your family’s levels of debt are minimal ( absolutely no more than a mortgage for a modest home and one economy car loan / with no credit card debt) and you have enough savings to survive on for at least several months ….and invest in education (learning Spanish will help / remember NAFTA). This is an increasingly global economy in a post-Cold War age & we’re competing on more equal terms now than before. http://populationinstitute.org/ http://www.sierraclub.org/ |
| Posted 1/19/2007 7:27 PM CST When it was broadcast that dozens of birds had dropped dead in a small area of downtown Austin recently, most of us assumed someone had likely poisoned them. Now, the news is that they died due to a sudden drop in the temperature from the 50s to the 40s….. that they were in a weakened state because of heavy parasitic infestations [Statesman 11/19/2007]. At first, it seemed somewhat plausible… but, as I thought about, I wondered that if this were true then why weren’t numerous other dead birds throughout the downtown area and elsewhere found… why so many in such a small confined area? And why of more than one species?Of course, there is probably a simple explanation for such an apparent discrepancy. But when the scientific authority is quoted as saying, “Normally when you have birds that have been poisoned, you find food in their stomachs, and we found no food in their stomachs", you’re given cause-to-pause…. because birds don’t have stomachs / they have only a craw, gizzard and intestines.http://preview.tinyurl.com/2ygt4s http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/pics/anatomy.jpg |
| Posted 1/17/2007 6:18 PM CST Everyone realizes the importance of having good visibility when you drive. One product that you can recharge your windshield washer reservoir with that will help is “RAIN-X All Season Windshield Washer Fluid”… freeze protection to zero degrees F. / dissolves bug splatter and removes road grime / removes light snow and frost / repels rain, sleet and ice. I’ve been using it for several years with great satisfaction. You can buy it by the gallon. Note: By using this, I actually use noticeably less fluid in my washer reservoir than with other products. The most recent notable event was when I was driving back from the Houston area last Saturday. It was raining for the whole time. I only had to use my wipers when I slowed to a speed less than 45m.p.h. when I went through a town. The rest of the time the wind kept my windshield clear of water. The glass surface is kept so ‘slick’ that water doesn’t want to bead up and stay…. Thus making it easy for the wind to force it off the glass. [What made this trip notable was the fact that I paid attention to all of the cars coming from the other direction and those who passed me & virtually every single one had their wipers going.] I almost never have to clean my windshield when I fill up with gas because it stays so clean. [Though I sometimes do have to clean the glass to maintain a sparkle where the wipers don’t wipe the glass surface during long periods of no rain.] In the warm months, when there’s insect splatter to deal with, this product does a superb job of helping keep the windshield clean as well. |
| Posted 1/10/2007 6:48 AM CST When pilings holes for the overpass at Steck on N. Mopac were being dug (in the area north of Far West Blvd.), a system of underground caverns was discovered by TxDOT. So, when I heard about the accident caused by water collecting in the roadway because the surface of the highway had sunk by several inches, I figured it was proably due to water carrying soil particles longterm downward into the subterranean network. [What's interesting is the geologic history of Central Texas. As I understand it, several million years ago this area was under a shallow sea.... then seismic activity occurred during the uplifting of central N. America (during which time, 3 volcanoes were created in Austin) / in the eons of time that followed, the Balcones Fault that parallels this section of Mopac formed (just yards to the west).... after which, there was several hundred feet of slippage.... and fractures radiating out from the fault line were eroded into larger and larger cavities as penetrating water dissolved the limestone.] |
| Posted 1/3/2007 1:53 PM CST Should one of your resolutions be to become better organized in the upcoming year, then perhaps you should reconsider the value of ‘low tech organizers’ (e.g., pocket spirals, notecards). [If your ‘high tech organizer’ is working for you, then consider some of the points made herein and incorporate what you can use.] If your life is relatively simple in that there’s not a lot of shifting variables, you can probably get along with a pocket spiral. Simply record events, needs, etcetera as they occur/come to mind. You scratch out/tear out what you don’t need anymore…. and when the spiral’s about full, simply rewrite what you want to save into the replacement. If, however, your life requires a methodology that can keep up with constantly shifting variables, priorities and information, then notecards are a viable option. I’ve developed a personalized system…. I’ll give the general overlay here…. each person will develop what works best for them. Requests for further details/suggestions can be sent via the ‘comments’ option. Notecards: 1) Use those cards with lines (I prefer lined because one side is still unlined… which is what I use primarily / but I still have uses for the lined side also). 2) Have a pocket or such that allows to you keep your packet of cards with you constantly. You need to be able to immediately write down whatever comes to mind the instant that you think it. 3) Use a bankers clip, rubber band, etcetera to keep the packet together (you may want to keep the fresh cards unclipped for quick access if your carrying pocket allows)….. I keep all my cards loose in my pocket with a thick notecard used to keep them separate. 4) When you record things to be done or remembered, write on the card’s unlined side and with the length in the vertical position. When you use a card to write a message to someone or a memo to yourself, usually use the lined side. Usage --- When you denote something to be done, put the completion date/time in the upper right hand corner & the subject title in the upper left hand corner… and if there are substeps to this task, you many want to add separate notecards unless you can properly denote such on one card… keep these in order by date/time. When you simply need to remember/memorize something, just title it top and center before writing down what you need. The main advantage of using notecards is that you can continually rearrange their order, discard and add to the packet with ease. Indeed, the act of rearranging and reviewing the order serves to refresh your memory/thought process with minimal effort. You’ll find it to be an efficient and effective method of keeping track of your life. |
| Posted 12/30/2006 5:39 PM CST When I heard on Friday’s TV news that a 40+ square mile chunk of ice called the Ayles Ice Shelf broke away from Canada, it sounded as though it were a recent event. However, today I discovered that this event actually occurred in August 2005. Evidently, it took 16 months to realize it’d happened by analyzing old satellite images and seismic data. As though that weren’t bad enough, the Associated Press release uses phraseology such as ‘may’ ‘maybe’ when attributing this to ‘climate change’…. which, we all know, means “global warming”. May?! Maybe?! Such feigned caution might have been understandable 30+ years ago when the Eskimoes were trying to tell us about the northern march of warmer weather plant species & the descendants of white settlers were describing how the tombstones of their forebears were tipping over because they’d been originally set in permafrost but that this was turning to mush. Such ‘cautious’ statements today are thoroughly ludicrous. Note: The Ayles Ice Shelf was one of six ice shelves left in Canada. The shelves are 90 per cent smaller than they were when Arctic explorer Robert Peary crossed them in 1906. Where’s the ‘maybe’ about global warming in that? preview.tinyurl.com/ykhow6 preview.tinyurl.com/yja6u2 |
| Posted 12/29/2006 2:47 PM CST Even though I avoid artificial sweeteners because I try to avoid all artificial chemicals in my food, soap, etcetera.... as a diabetic who reads about what I should particularly avoid in that regard, I know that some artificial sweeteners can also actually cause your blood sugar to increase. Since I'm not an authority on the subject, I won't name brands --- however, I'd advise anyone trying to lose weight or stay healthy to avoid anything artificial, especially sweetners. I dropped 30 pounds to get down to my ideal weight in less than a year and have kept it off for over 3 years now & I never once went hungry.... I refuse to go hungry. I simply avoid refined foods, starches, sugars... and minimize carbs. If I do have a slice of bread, it's either as part of a protein sandwich or deeply slathered in freshly ground peanut butter from Sun Harvest. Beans, vegetables, fruits (e.g., apples, pears with high pectin count) etcetera are my mainstay. If I get a craving for a sweet treat, then one jelly bean savored is it / followed with a cup of water. I no longer drink milk or juices... water or black coffee or tea is it. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Life is good. I'm starting to feel a little hunger coming on, so I think I'll go have a boiled egg and an apple. We're having steak, steamed broccoli and chili beans for supper tonight. |
| Posted 12/24/2006 5:15 PM CST Different religions/spiritual pursuits are conducive to varying qualities/levels of “consciousness”. Primitive peoples have had their shamans and natural world deities to guide them. Ancients were ‘polytheists’ who prayed to many different gods. 'Modern man' believes in one Supreme Being. The Hebrews were the first group to resoundingly establish a ‘monotheistic’ religion. Christianity evolved from that---- and the polytheism of the Romans succumbed. The Arabs found One God through Mohammed’s teaching. Many souls in the world still seem to be enthralled with the newness of the concept of one Supreme Being & thusly possessed of a missionary zeal that tends preclude further immediate advancement. That’s okay --- note that the entire Old Testament is a story almost completely about the process of such acceptance by the Semetic Hebrews. Those who “rigidly” conform to the dictates of their religion are fearful of change. Higher order Consciousness will not permeate your “being” if you are unable to allow your belief system to evolve. Ultimately, The Golden Rule (the message that Christ came to deliver) will prevail….as we struggle up the ladder of spiritual evolution “one rung at a time”. |
Posted 12/21/2006 3:25 PM CST
