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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

As It Was: Porter Rockwell and the Miner's Wife

My paternal grandfather (good Mormon in a long line of Mormons descended from the earliest pioneers) told me the story of how Porter Rockwell (Brigham Young's 'enforcer') was sent to 'dispose' of a Mormon miner on the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley.  The miner had a very attractive wife and Brigham had a 'gleam in his eye' for her which had been noticed by a friend of the miner. Once the miner was made aware of this, he began spending the nights in his mine above the house with a cache of supplies.

If you're very familiar with early Mormon history, you know what he suspected.  And the proof came bright and early one morning when Porter Rockwell came riding up to the house before breakfast.  He knocked on the door. Meanwhile, the miner kept his rifle trained on him from the dark mouth of the mine.

Once Porter was informed of the miner's whereabouts, he discretely remounted and left. He realized that Brigham's designs were known and that he was an easy target.  Though the miner spent more days and nights in the mine, eventually it was safe for him to resume a normal life as word spread of Old Port's visit.

Note: After the USA federal government came in and set things straight (1858), numerous bodies of previously disappeared persons were found buried in odd locations (e.g., basements).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brigham_Young%27s_wives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Rockwell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodemocracy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City

p.s. - I'm not anti-Mormon.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Pigs In A Poke: Temporary Support Employee Status of USPS, IRS, Walmart and Amazon

One of the worst kept secrets in the USA is the lousy treatment of temporary support employees by such giants as USPS, IRS, Walmart and Amazon. USPS is the worst. IRS is next to them.  There are others, but the most available information involves these. Temp agencies handle this for private companies. The USPS and IRS does their own in house hiring and firing. They, also, are the shining example of dishonesty in employment recruitment and labor relations in America. Hence, the "pig in a poke" idiom as the move towards privatization creeps forward.

All strongly hint that permanent employment is a possibility as the carrot. All promise prompt termination if over the top expectations are not consistently met. The truth is that all are working to reduce the size of their core of long term workforce. So, though hiring a survivor of the years worth of temporary employment is a possibly a good  move for the organization, the odds of this happening are minuscule.

Comment: It's time to "let the cat out of the bag". Temporary means temporary. Don't become a temporary support employee unless you are ready and willing to either quit or be fired at a moments' notice. And know that if you're fired, there are no unemployment benefits / just as there were no health coverage -- so don't be afraid to quit if management becomes insanely and irrationally demanding. You're on your own both coming and going.

Note: Management is responding to "bottom line" pressure from their bosses who don't give a rat's ass about them or the worker bees. The only ones who last in this rat race are the ones whose life choices have them boxed in and are forced to suffer the conditions.  So, be smart --- save 10% of everything you ever earn and never ever spend it until after you're retired (put it in long term CDs or something FDIC safe).

Sunday, November 29, 2015

The Bible: Blend of Literal and Figurative Deeper Meanings

Figurative language is often used in the Bible mixed in with the literal to deepen our understanding. The parables of Jesus are a prime example. Other examples are more sweeping, such as the biblical story of Noah's Ark. It is a classical mixture of literal and figurative elements. Yes, there was a physical occurrence of flood waters rising that was a tremendously memorable event. That there was a Flood that covered all of the Earth is, however, a figurative event written to communicate spiritual knowledge (as are all scriptures). The Ark, too, has a symbolic meaning. To take the story of Noah's Ark only in its literal sense is to relegate it to being only a children's bible story. 

Remember that the Book of Proverbs is figurative speech illustrating deeper meanings. To fail to appreciate these deeper spiritual realities is to relegate ones self to religious fundamentalism and reject your inner Christ and the message that the holy Jesus Christ gave.
Note: Inner deeper meanings are like the layers of an onion. Remove one layer and another awaits you.



Google: 
Hidden Meanings Bible


2 Corinthians 3:15 "But even unto this day when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when they shall turn to the Lord the vail shall be taken away."
The Bible here clearly says that when people read the Old Testament they do not understand it because they read it literally, and it is symbolic.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Your Spirit, Soul and You

These three are not separate -- they are one. Your Spirit is directly of God (as a spark is of a fire) and of a high spiritual energy while you are body, emotions and mindfulness of a lower state of being. Your Soul, shall we say, is the interface between the two.

At some point in the future, your soulfulness will evolve to the point that your spirit will no longer have to manifest itself into this corporeal world in order to expand God's Will. Those who "know" that they have a soul can feel the goodness it carries. They experience the illumination that their spirit sends forth.

Those who know that they have a soul usually believe in an afterlife (or a life between lives, if they believe in reincarnation). In either case, there are consequences for your choices not only in this life but also in the afterlife(s). Those who do not believe that people have a soul and do not believe in God may possibly recognize the cosmic law called the "universal law of cause and effect" / it's based on the fact that everything is connected through quantum physics.

Some people intuitively know that reincarnation is real before they recognize that they have a soul. Others believe that they have a soul but are not sure if it's immortal. After reading the above, hopefully,  they 'can' know now that the spirit is immortal and the soul is its extension manifest into this physical reality. At some point, the soul is drawn completely back towards the spirit and leaves the physical embodiment(s) behind.

Paris: ISIL Terrorists Betray Muhammad Again

If the ISIL terrorists who struck in Paris had hoped to piggyback their onslaught's PR onto the building media presence for the upcoming international climate conference, this may ironically contribute to extreme suffering for Muslims in the future if their actions detract from worldwide efforts to curb global warming. The Middle East region surrounding Syria will become unbearably hot by century's end if even moderate climate change predictions come to pass. Of course, Muslim fundamentalists are as backwards in their thinking as any other ultra conservative group because they're locked in on the past and not the future. They are perverted in their thinking -- hence their obsession with feigned morality. Sharia law does not support their actions. Allah is God. El Al shall punish them. They shall not see heaven. Darkness awaits them. Their own scriptures say so.

Global Warming: Greenhouse Effect vs Milankovitch Cycles

Climate change is driven by the interplay of the Greenhouse Effect and the effect of Milankovitch Cycles. No one can deny that. And no one can rationally believe that Earth's biosphere isn't warming. The only question is which effect is stronger.  The answer determines the what level of difficulty in mitigating the effect of greenhouse gases that are released by human activity will be. But, in either case, reductions of carbon dioxide must be geometrically increased. If not, then the problem of overpopulation shall become mote -- which is appropriate, since it's the driving force behind the greenhouse gases release.


Note:

Climate change: Is your opinion informed by science? Take the quiz!

Climate change has become a politically-charged, divisive issue, but the underlying science is relatively simple and has been around for more than 150 years. Do you know what causes global warming?
http://m.csmonitor.com/Environment/2014/0827/Climate-change-Is-your-opinion-informed-by-science-Take-our-quiz/Gas

My Comment: We're screwed. Ordinary humanity is unable to fathom the gravity of the situation. Only apocalyptic events will reduce the human population to a point of diminishing overall greenhouse gas emmissions.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

NOVA: Making of North America - Origins

The epic 3 billion-year story of how our continent came to be. From the palm trees that once flourished in Alaska to titanic eruptions that nearly tore the Midwest in two, discover how forces of almost unimaginable power gave birth to North America.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/making-north-america.html#north-america-origins

Note that other related North America episodes are available using this link.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Animal Role Model: Yellowstone Wolf 21

Most animals exhibit many traits that we'd all do well to emulate. One wild animal that was observed extensively and that exhibited high quality character traits was Yellowstone wolf #21. Twenty-one came into the world in the first litter of pups born in Yellowstone in nearly 70 years. His parents had both been trapped alive in Canada and shipped to Yellowstone specifically to reintroduce wolves into a system that had gotten out of balance, with too many elk for the land to bear.

For an uplifting true story, read:

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Use Mower To Mulch Yard Leaves

For many years, I have been amused by people who rake and bag (or burn) yard leaves. They spend money on fertilizer for their yard (that isn't even properly used by the plants). Then they get rid off the world's best organic mulch by not utilizing leaves. Thus, they hamper the build up of humus in the soil and perpetuate a cycle of foolishness.


Note: Buy a "leaf blower-vacuum" and instead of using the leaf blower function to blow leaves, reverse the air flow  and vacuum the leaves out of your flower beds into the catch bag from non-lawn areas. Dump the now shredded leaves into a leaf composter and use as flower bed mulch in winterizing them next year.

I use a movable wire composter:

What NOT To Flush Down Toilet?

"Basically, the only thing you should ever flush down a toilet is human waste (urine and feces) and toilet paper."

Here is a list of some things to keep out of the toilet (and sewage system):
Any product labeled flushable (they are not truly flushable / they do not dissolve and will not make it to the sewage treatment plant --- meaning that they remain in the sewage pipes somewhere along the line & will cause eventual clogs and sometimes even damage.
Also, do not flush:
disposable diapers
tampons and tampon applicators
sanitary napkins
cotton balls and swabs
mini or maxi pads
condoms
cleaning wipes of any kind
facial tissue
bandages and bandage wrappings
automotive fluids
paint, solvents, sealants and thinners
poisons and hazardous waste
Unused Medications
Fats, Oils and Grease---
Grease in sewer pipes causes sewer maintenance problems for property owners and the city. Never pour grease in your sink drain and try to use your garbage disposal less."

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Creationists vs Evolutionists

Each group is right and each group is wrong. God did create the Earth and the heavens (though not as succinctly as described in the Bible). Life is a long everlasting process of evolution (though not completely at random). The energy of God is everywhere and in all things; but, our free will is part of that manifestation.

Jewish, Christian and Muslim creationists are all Abrahamic religious fundamentalists. They put all of their faith in their scriptures without completely understanding their deeper meanings. They think their scriptures are absolute. Thus, they fail to put their complete trust and faith in God. They do not understand that God is "All in All". They do not understand that they themselves are a spark of life from God (that we all are) that must be nurtured.
Exodus3:14
Isaiah45:6

For this, they can be forgiven. The infinite nature of God is awesome and frightens us mortals to the degree that we fail to emulate Jesus in order to find the Christ within each of us. Love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness are just some of God's qualities.

NOVA: Dawn of Humanity (01:53:00)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Greco-Persian War Leads to Ultimate Greek Triumph

Historical overview:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Persian_invasion_of_Greece

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Persian_invasion_of_Greece

I. First Persian Invasion:
Judgement Day at Marathon (45:00)
http://youtu.be/4EYEeITctjg

Marathon Battle (21:53)
History Channel: Decisive Battles
http://youtu.be/ZiOwZ6XWyDQ

Marathon short version (10:37)
http://youtu.be/Cx-XB2eh-pQ

Map:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Marathon_Greek_Double_Envelopment.png

History lesson of events leading up to Battle of Marathon / note that written history of this event is weak, and so different historians take different stances (24:00):
http://youtu.be/wz6ICKqsP08

II. Second Persian Invasion Battle of Thermopolye (1:30:00)--
http://youtu.be/ukhc5SV2mb4

History lesson-
Battle of Thermopolye & Sea Battle of Artemisium (26:00)
http://youtu.be/hID2iXWl_Zk

Map:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Artemisium#/media/File:Battle_of_Thermopylae_and_movements_to_Salamis,_480_BC.gif

III. Sea Battle of Salamis(35:30)
http://youtu.be/HJa3Y6hawO0

History lesson-
http://youtu.be/KwDmcBsrdVE

Note: This is part of a complete series of 38 videos about Greek history (including the other Greco-Persian battles).

IV. Battle of Plataea (9:44)
http://youtu.be/pkQe8efbYDM

History lesson-
Battle of Plataea (16:27)
http://youtu.be/3X-ZjayCARo


V. Battle of Mycale (12:42)
http://youtu.be/HR_M5GsiorE
Google 'Battle of Mycale' for further info.
The history lesson series continues and leads up to the unification of Greece by Macedonian monarch Phillip II and the conquering of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great.

VI. Phillip II of Macedonia (44:21)
http://youtu.be/li2mC1mRu_E

VII. Alexander the Great (2:15:05)
http://youtu.be/DocfrH4dm28

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Discover Magazine's 20 Things You Didn't Know About

20 Things You Didn't Know About: Inner Earth...
includes one tidbit #7 - Earth's solid and liquid cores together generate the magnetic field that keeps the solar wind from stripping away our atmosphere. [Mars has no substantial atmosphere because it's been long ago striped away by the solar wind because its inner core now lacks the degree of radioactive heat generation to generate a magnetic field like Earth does.]

Now read the other 19 tidbits at:

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/jan-feb/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-inner-earth

Note: The Discover magazine's last page is always "20 Things You Didn't Know About" on different topics. Factoids, nuggets, and tidbits on the topics you always wondered about (click on general topic OR click on specific titles or author, etcetera) from online Discover magazine:

http://discovermagazine.com/departments/20-things-you-didnt-know


MIND & BRAIN 20 Things You Didn't Know About... the Human Voice July 23, 2015 — By Jim Sullivan Think "anemone" and "Worcestershire" are mouthfuls to say? Try your tongue at speaking !Xóõ. MORE ABOUT: LANGUAGE HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Sweat May 28, 2015 — By Jessica Festa Your health, feelings and diet can change your sweat composition — but your unique sweat fingerprint is distinctly yours. MORE ABOUT: PERSONAL HEALTH HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Testosterone April 30, 2015 — By Leah Shaffer The manly hormone evolved 500 million years ago — from estrogen. MORE ABOUT: PERSONAL HEALTH HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Immortality April 2, 2015 — By Grace Halden Humans continue to seek after it, but other life forms have already achieved it. MORE ABOUT: AGING ENVIRONMENT 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Dust February 26, 2015 — By Elizabeth Preston Dust is so much more than a mess to clean up before the in-laws arrive. MORE ABOUT: EARTH SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Nuclear Accidents January 22, 2015 — By Kristen Pope Nuclear meltdowns have both harmed and benefited wildlife in contamination zones. MORE ABOUT: ENERGY, POLLUTION ENVIRONMENT 20 Things You Didn't Know About... the North Pole October 30, 2014 — By Gemma Tarlach For starters, which one? There are four North Poles. MORE ABOUT: ARCTIC & ANTARCTIC SPACE & PHYSICS 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Galaxies October 2, 2014 — By Katherine Kornei The Milky Way rotates at 560,000 miles per hour, and makes a full revolution every 200 million years. MORE ABOUT: THE UNIVERSE HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Blood August 28, 2014 — By Veronique Greenwood Blood types aren't unique to humans: Dogs have more than a dozen. MORE ABOUT: PERSONAL HEALTH LIVING WORLD 20 Things You Didnt Know About... Cats August 1, 2014 — By Gemma Tarlach Where to begin? Our relationship with our feline friends goes back some 9,500 years! MORE ABOUT: PETS, ANIMALS SPACE & PHYSICS 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Noise May 23, 2014 — By Jonathon Keats Did you know the Big Bang was noiseless? MORE ABOUT: SENSES LIVING WORLD 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Animal Senses April 30, 2014 — By Molly Loomis From super-sniffers to electricity detectors, animals have an array of impressive sensory capabilities. MORE ABOUT: UNUSUAL ORGANISMS, ANIMALS LIVING WORLD 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Hoaxes March 28, 2014 — By Jonathon Keats April Fools' Day started with Julius Caesar, and 19 other things you didn't know about hoaxes. But be careful: don't believe everything you read... MORE ABOUT: ANIMALS, ARCHAEOLOGY, DINOSAURS TECHNOLOGY 20 Things You Didn't Know About... 3-D Printing February 26, 2014 — By Christian Millman 3-D printing is all the hype these days, but there's a lot about the technology that you don't know. MORE ABOUT: MATERIALS SCIENCE, GADGETS LIVING WORLD 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Neanderthals November 21, 2013 — By Jonathon Keats The hominids are depicted as degenerate and slouching because the first Neanderthal skeleton found happened to be arthritic. MORE ABOUT: NEANDERTHALS, HUMAN ORIGINS HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Hunger October 16, 2013 — By Tasha Eichenseher Get the skinny on why tummies rumble and how we might feed the world. MORE ABOUT: NUTRITION MIND & BRAIN 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Superstition September 19, 2013 — By Rebecca Coffey Knock on wood or not, superstition appears to have played a positive role in evolution and it continues to affect human behavior. Lucky us. MORE ABOUT: PSYCHOLOGY MIND & BRAIN 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Failure August 16, 2013 — By Jonathon Keats Next time you see the F-word, remember you're in good company. MORE ABOUT: PSYCHOLOGY SPACE & PHYSICS 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Gravity July 19, 2013 — By Bill Andrews The apple of Newton's eye and the focus of Einstein's work, gravity is weaker than you probably think and weirder than you probably imagined. MORE ABOUT: GRAVITY, GRAVITATIONAL WAVES HEALTH & MEDICINE 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Beer May 29, 2013 — By Christian Millman Sate your thirst for knowledge with these facts about beer's ancient origins, health benefits and surprising chemistry. MORE ABOUT: NUTRITION, FOOD SCIENCE

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Global Warming: Basics

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere ( carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, etc) act to slow down the escape of heat radiating from the Earth's surface. Atmospheric greenhouse gases are increasing. The resulting average international temperature increases are marked by upward shifts in world wide weather patterns. When Milankovitch cycles, climatic patterns on Earth brought about by "orbital forcing", do finally begin to push towards naturally occurring global warming trends, these cycles will be amplified by our unnatural levels of greenhouse gases. Even if we had stopped releasing them yesterday, these gases will remain for millennia. At the ever increasing rates of the release of these gases, how much will our descendants suffer because of us? How much does any other issue even compare to this one? How long before we do enough about the real inconvenient truth causing global warming: human overpopulation.

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/globalwarmingforkids.html

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/f101.asp

http://www.justfacts.com/globalwarming.asp

Friday, June 26, 2015

Pope's Climate Change Encyclical Missing Key Point

Wonderful as it is that the Pope is taking a public stand on global warming and climate change, he's left out one huge point: the primary driving force behind climate change is human overpopulation. And none of the other religions who have taken a stand against environmental degradation and global warming have taken a stand on overpopulation either. Why? Because they do not want their own group's numbers to diminish. They want their own membership and prestige to grow.
http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/world-religious-leaders-climate-change?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=linkewire3&utm_campaign=email

http://www.pewforum.org/2009/04/16/religious-groups-views-on-global-warming/

By my way of thinking, any plan to decrease global warming and climate change that doesn't include increased use of contraceptives is hypocritical. Therefore, the countries that are doing the most to stabilize our world's climate and ecology are those showing significant population decreases (even if they don't promote the use of contraception).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_decline

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Papal Encyclical Vexes America's Religious Right and Big Business Catholics

A papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church is a welcome relief in contrast to dogmatic and short sightedness of the fundamentalistic religious right. It is good that it's also vexing for many big business Catholics. .....

"It turns out that environmental issues are particularly vexing for the Catholic Church, especially in the United States. They carry implications for Big Business, often with ties to wealthy Catholics, as well as for the world’s growing population, which brings up questions of birth control. For the religious right, the Vatican’s endorsement of the U.N. alarm about global warming amounts to an endorsement of the U.N. agenda to give women access to contraception and abortion."......

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/before-francis-long-line-of-popes-voiced-environment-alarm/

Comment: What's amusing is the fact that this same encyclical indirectly confronts every group both big and small that has invaded neighboring territories all the way down through history up through Western imperialism, America's gunboat diplomacy in 19th century Japan, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Russia's seizure of Crimea, etcetra, etc.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/30/pope-francis-has-given-the-climate-movement-just-what-it-needed-faith/

Movie: " The Earthling" -- Growing Up The Hard Way Fast

Movie: " The Earthling" -- Growing Up The Hard Way Fast

When I was a secondary school teacher, I always found an appropriate way to integrate this movie into my curriculum. I even own three VHS tapes of it to ensure I can always have it on hand. It's a rare classic that all teenagers are touched by when they see it. And adults that aren't too callous appreciate it, also.

"Patrick Foley (William Holden) has been on the move all his life, indeed a life of adventure truly lived. Tired of drifting and now ill, he wants to spend his last days in the isolated Australian valley where he grew up. On his difficult journey he encounters Shawn (Ricky Schroeder), a city-boy whose parents were killed in an accident in this remote, inhospitable territory. Being unable to accompany the boy back to the civilized world Foley reluctantly takes the boy with him on his trip to the valley of his own boyhood. Along the way, and when the two finally reach the valley, Foley teaches Shawn the ways of the Australian Outback, how to survive what most would call an incredibly rugged way of life. He empowers the boy, teaching him among many things perhaps the most powerful lesson of all, to embrace and overcome fear. While Foley teaches Shawn how to survive, he in turn receives a priceless gift and lesson of his own, that of love."

"The Earthling": 

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Akbar The Great: Heretic or Saint?

Muslims have mixed feelings about Mughal Emperor Jodhaa Akbar. As a conqueror who expanded the Islamic world by conquering most of what is now present day India, he's an exalted hero. As a man who was more spiritual than a fervently religious Islamic, he was a heretic.

Among other efforts, he tried to establish a religion that would unite rather than divide. He was antithetical to religious fundamentalists who are unenlightened and incapable of the higher order thinking that is required to truly begin understanding the Godly intent of their own religion's spirituality....

"The Dīn-i Ilāhī (Persian: دین الهی‎ lit. "Religion of God") was a syncretic religion propounded by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great in 1582 AD, intending to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, and thereby reconcile the differences that divided his subjects. The elements were primarily drawn from Islam and Hinduism, but some others were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism".

Watch Movie: "Jodhaa Akbar"
 https://youtu.be/ePEVqAN7cWQ

Movie review:
 http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/movies/16akba.html?referrer=&_r=0

Note: Mariam-uz-Zamani (1542 – 1623) was a wife of the Mughal emperor Akbar. She has also been referred to by several other names, including “Jodha Bai”, the name used in the movie.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariam-uz-Zamani



Sunni Theofascists & Shiite Theocratic Statism

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Sunni Wahabi enclaves support extreme fundamentalistic Sharia Law. The hijackers that destroyed the World Trade Center were such individuals, as is ISIS. Rigid, absolutist and backwards though it is, Wahabi doctrine is very appealing to those who find security in its theofascist manifestations.
Iran is a Theocratic state. Strict Muslim practices are maintained. But no Al Qaeda type terrorist organizations exist. There's no need, because the government is already Islamicaly controlled.
ISIS will be the theocratic counterpart to this. Neither of these groups are truly spiritually oriented. They are simply religious outpicturings of assumed spirituality. The only Muslim group that can possibly be called spiritual is the Sufis. Their focus is on the God within. This allows God to manifest into our world properly.

http://annaqed.com/en/terrorism/saudi-arabia-wahhabism-and-the-spread-of-sunni-theofascism

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Putin: Creating A Fascist State?!


After Hitler won over the hearts and minds of his people with sustained propaganda and military showcasing, he became judge and jury with the power of life and death over everyone. Germans had been so desperate for a rebirth of national glory that they were willing to sacrifice everything. Hitler promised better times, and when this was less than promised, he declared that it was all the fault of the insidious Jews.

Today, Putin is playing the strongman trying to "protect" Russia from outside forces. Anyone who disagrees will be increasingly belittled and harassed by the equivalent of Hitler's "brown shirts" as time goes by. Meanwhile, he longs for the days of the Soviet Empire. Among other things, this requires the land and resources of the Ukraine, which Hitler also coveted. Russians may not want war; but, Putin is not scared of it.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/putin-isn-t-reviving-ussr-101500375.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/secret-money-behind-vladimir-putins-210001032.html

Nazis: Evolution of Evil -- In Power http://youtu.be/4F0CV8J-1ZI

What To Do If Dog Sprayed By Skunk?

Stehpinkeln vs. Sitzpinkler

One highly controversial topic is the when & if men should sit down to urinate. In Germany, men are being shamed into it by a gadget (Toilet Ghost)… a voice-alarm that is triggered when the seat is lifted. Millions have been bought by wives and girlfriends who are tired of cleaning up after ‘stehpinkeln’ (word for a man who ‘stands’) / in protest, the German men use the word ‘sitzpinkler’ (wimp) for a man who ‘sits’.
[Note: Because fragmentation of a stehpinkeln’s urine stream causes particles of urine to dissipate and the further the urine stream has to travel increases the dissipation radius, it’s virtually impossible for even the best master of eye-hand coordination to not leave evidence behind. So, if there’s no urinal to use and you’re indoors, good manners dictates sitting down (especially if you’re not home where you have an understanding with whomever cleans the toilet and bathroom floor). However, if you’re in a high usage public restroom where the seat is splattered from previous misanthropes, you raise the seat and the ‘stehpinkeln rule’ applies.
Note: The biggest furor seems to come from insecure men who feel feminized by sitting.]

Friday, May 29, 2015

What ISIS Really Wants?!

In the end, like all good Abrahamic extreme religious fundamentalists, they desire to help bring about the Apocalypse. In between now and then they intend to instate extreme Sharia Law for Sunnis and execute or enslave everyone else. The rank -and-file do not intend to survive long term. They intend finding glory denied them in otherwise unfulfilled lives. Their leaders, however, do not necessarily buy into this holy martyrdom -- they simply know what "records" to play for their minions. They don't plan on going down with the ship -- their minions can die glorious deaths, while they "capitalize"....


It behooves us not to engage in calling them unIslamic, when in fact, they are over-the-top extremely rigid fundamentalistic Islamic (as our own extreme Christian fundamentalists are extremely pre-Old Testament Christian). Both groups are insane and dishonor their religions; but, that is somewhat irrelevant in dealing with ISIS. What is needed is for us NOT to militarily intervene in Syria, but to make sure Iraq is able to defend itself and to integrate Sunni and Shia into Iraqi governmental rule in the process of fighting against a common enemy, the ISIS.


Read: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/?UTM_SOURCE=yahoo

Russia's Putin: Latter Day Fascist


After WWI, a weakened Germany looked for a way to reestablish itself as a world player. They turned to vainglorious strongman Hitler. Russia is looking to Putin. Other parallels are uncanny. My summarizing the following article would shortchange you, so do read:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/putin-isn-t-reviving-ussr-101500375.html

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Is There A God?

While teaching 8th grade Resource Language Arts, I had a student named Keith whose attitude and behavior and physical appearance was getting worse and worse. He even started using his pen to mark satanic symbols on his body. Finally one day I asked him if he really believed in the Devil. He indicated that he certainly did. My reply was that if there was a devil, then didn't it naturally follow that their was a God.

The next day, I brought a paperback copy of 'Life After Life" and put it on his desk. I told him that I'd give him an 'A' every day if he'd sit with that on his desk and behave himself & that he didn't have to do the classwork / just sit quietly without napping. He did so for a number of days without opening the book, but boredom and perhaps curiosity finally prompted him to open it and have a look. Quick peeks were followed by short bursts of reading as the days marched on. Finally, when he had received enough 'A's and he was drawn into the true stories of NDE experiences, he began reading in earnest. He finished the book. Meanwhile he's stopped renewing satanic symbols and began keeping his appearance up. One day he simply gave me back the book and went to work on the class English assignment.

But that's not the end of the story. Years later, while I was teaching at a different school, I was walking in the school courtyard and noticed a TV camera crew entering to set up for a camera shoot. Suddenly a young man put down his load and hurried to see me while calling my name. It was Keith. He was hale and hearty. And after a quick conversation he rushed back to retrieve his load so the crew could proceed.

Yeah! He'd made it.

Leave My Drinkin' Alone!


My father was a psychiatric social worker working with MHMR's Alcoholic Treatment Program. There was an alcoholic who said one day, after a group session,"You can treat my alcoholism all you want to; but, Damn it! you leave my drinkin' alone!".


The Doctors Said...

My friend and I were on vacation.  We'd just arrived after midnight and pulled into a bowling alley in Hayward, Wisconsin.  We'd just barely sat down at the bar when an older guy came down and sat next to us.  I figured he was going to hit us up for a drink -- but instead, he ordered up a shot of whiskey for himself and determinedly slapped his money down on the counter.  He ruefully looked at us and told us that he'd just got out of the hospital for a bleeding ulcer / and that the doctors told him that if he had even just a single drink that it'd kill him.  When the bartender sat the drink down in front of him, he carefully picked it up and carefully studied it for a moment.  Then he suddenly tipped his head back and quickly downed it.

We didn't know what to think.  Then, about thirty seconds later, the fellow tugged on my friend's sleeve and said, "Can you give me a ride to the hospital?"  He did. That morning, the alcoholic was soon dead.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Crustal Hydration & The Great Plains

During the time of the dinosaurs, the area that encompasses the Great Plains was a huge inland sea. Obviously plate tectonics played a role in uplifting this vast area; but, "geologists have long been puzzled by how the High Plains could be so big, so high and so smooth. The plains descend gently from roughly 6,000 feet to 2,000 feet above sea level as they stretch for thousands of square miles, from the Texas Panhandle to southern Montana, and from western Kansas to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
"It's well-established that much of the West was still at sea level 70 million years ago and that tectonic shifts don't fully explain the High Plains' altitude."



Related Topic:
Water Activates Faults?: A Japanese geophysicist has shown that when Serpentine is put under the same pressures and temperatures as is found at 400 miles depth in the Earth’s lithosphere, water oozes out. This supports the theory that as ‘waterlogged’ serpentine is subducted earthquake/volcanic activity is increased as water is freed. [ Note that serpentine contains 13% water by weight. This information has important implications for people living in the Pacific Northwest where the Juan de Fuca Plate is being subducted.] Discover Magazine

Karma: There Is Justice In The Universe

When you see someone run a red light or observe a cruel act, you are witnessing proof that the perpetrators do NOT fully believe that they have a soul. Believing that you have a soul means that you know that wrongful acts are “marks” against you both in this life and the "life after". This directly implies that there is “justice in the universe”. This is called the Absolute Law of Cause and Effect a.k.a. “karma”. You cannot escape it. You are both ‘cause’ and ‘effect’ in a perpetual evolutionary learning cycle. [The metaphysical manifests in the physical.]
When a tobacco corporate executive pumps extra nicotine and additives into cigarettes that teens prefer, he is commiting a soulless act. When an elected leader betrays his oath of office, he damages his soul as well. When a student bullies another student, he sets into motion energetic forces that will come back to ‘bite him’. When a thief remains undetected, consequences can only ‘collect interest’.

Karma operates on the group level as well. Whether it’s a family or a nation, wrongful thoughts and deeds come back to haunt their owners. German soldiers operating the ovens in death camps might escape human justice, but universal justice is inevitable. Tobacco company employees share varying degrees of responsibility, just as members of gangs and lynch mobs share karma….through their shared “consciousness”.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Practical Psychology On The Highway

Australian traffic authorities report that a new road-safety campaign, which suggests that men who speed are compensating for having small penises, has been very successful.  The ads show eye-rolling women holding up their pinky fingers as a man speeds past.
[My Comment: The same ‘rule-of-overcompensation’ applies to those who drive oversized vehicles.] 

If You Never Aged, How Long Would You Live?

Each year, American adults have, overall, a 1-in-1,743 chance of dying in an accident.  That means that if health problems didn’t kill you & you never aged, you could possibly live to be 1,743 years old before a fatal accident got you.  But you could do better. A 9-year-old child has much lower odds of accidental death, about 1 in 10,000.  If we could keep everyone to this low rate (avoiding work and driving would probably help), we could typically live 10,000 years.  About 37 percent of the population could do better yet, living on average to the ripe old age of 20,000.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Treating Ringoids: Ringworm Type Skin Fungi

When my aging mother's elderly Chihuahua developed severe itchy skin, I took it home with me. After a trip to the vet and a prescription for Cushings disease, she was fine. But later, I developed what looked like ringworm on my skin. A trip to the dermatologist told me it was some type of 'ringoid' similar to ringworm. A steroid super cream was given to me to try. It failed. So, after a bit of research and experimentation, I developed a successful treatment plan of my own.
What I recommend is an application of a general anti-fungal solution in the morning (Fungi Nail) / Lotramin cream in the afternoon / and liquid extract Cats Claw at bedtime.

[I won't detail my arduous trial and error steps along the way. And if this combination doesn't work for you, then you might include TeaTree oil and/or Black Walnut tincture. Also understand that high blood sugar may complicate matters if you are diabetic.
Read up on "skin fungi".]

NASA: Fiery Looping Coronal Rain On The Sun

Check out this video on YouTube:

In 2012, an eruption on the sun's surface scored a solar weather hat trick, racking up all three of the major phenomenon scientists observe: a solar flare, a coronal mass ejection (CME), and coronal rain, "complex moving structures in association with changes in magnetic field lines that loop up into the sun's atmosphere."
What makes the show special is the coronal rain, charged plasma slowly dripping in fiery loops along the sun's magnetic fields.
Note:
Though the video seems to play as though in slow motion, it's actually quite sped up, covering a nearly 22-hour period from 12:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT on July 19, 2012.

Article:

Coronal Rain:

Headline: May 10, 2015 - Putin Revises His Stance on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Recently Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the infamous pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that agreed to divide up Eastern Europe, when on August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to carve up eastern Europe between them in a secret clause of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on non-aggression (this included secret protocols dividing up Poland and allotting the Baltic states to Moscow). Putin in 2009 had condemned this pact.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Ukraine: In Russia's Shadow

Ukraine is home to almost 8 million ethnic Russians who live mostly in the eastern coal and iron ore rich part of the country and in the Crimea. Their ancestors were settled there to replace the 10 million Ukrainians that Stalin killed off in the 1930s. This is why their sense of Ukrainian nationalism is so weak.
Read full article:

Why do Russians see Ukraine as theirs?
"It’s partly because both nations trace their roots back to the first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea from the 9th century to the mid-13th century. This medieval empire was founded, oddly enough, by Vikings—“Rus” is the Slavic word given to the red-haired Scandinavians—who swept down from the north in the 9th century, conquered the local Slavic tribes, and established their capital at Kiev. The kingdom converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 988, laying the foundation of the modern Russian church. A French bishop sent to Ukraine reported, “This land is more unified, happier, stronger, and more civilized than France herself.” But in the 13th century Kiev was devastated by Mongol invaders, and power shifted north to a small Rus trading outpost called Moscow....."



Corruption and Degrees of Kleptocracy

Kleptocracy is a form of government where a country is ruled by thieves and thugs. To the degree that corruptness rules, then to that degree a government is a kleptocracy regardless of the style of government. A democratic republic, a communist government, an autocracy or theocracy are all kleptocracies to the degree of their corruptness. And thus, to the degree that the rule of the law is subjugated to human greed, then to that degree law and justice fails its peoples' human rights.

The only known antidote to kleptocracy is a free press with integrity and high journalistic standards. Pravda and the National Enquirer are just two examples of yellow tabloid journalism that foster untruths that mislead and distort.

It is true that power corrupts. And all governments are corrupt to varying degrees.

"In philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, corruption is the abuse of bestowed power or position to acquire a personal benefit. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement. Government, or 'political', corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain."

Another way to look at it is to see it as a form dysfunctionality. The more corrupt a social system is, the more dysfunctional it is. Accepting things the way they are does not change them for the better.

Note: This includes dysfunctionality in families, classrooms, clubs, etcetera.



International Levels of Corruption


CORRUPTION REMAINS A GLOBAL THREAT



Power Can Corrupt Even the Honest

Monday, April 20, 2015

Slaughter of Christians by Islamists Is Old News

Exactly one hundred years ago, Turkey began the systematic mass extermination of 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey today does not deny that the killings occurred so much as they argue that the size of the group slaughtered does not merit the use of the term "genocide". Also, because the despised Armenians were infidels whose holdings the Islamists desired.

It should be noted that the second class citizenship and general abuse prior to the "mass killings" were strikingly similar to what the Jews experienced in Germany just a little later. Interestingly and appropriately, Germany and Turkey were WWI allies.

Crossing the Delaware Revisited

Quote: (imagine that it is George Washington speaking): “A chill wind blows off the Delaware. The Durham boats, which usually ferry cargo, lay waiting at the water’s edge. I survey the soldiers before me this Christmas Day. They are a ragtag bunch with mismatched uniforms. Officers wearing remnants of old military dress. Enlisted men in work or hunting clothes. Many without a coat and some without shoes. A few with handkerchiefs for hats. What sets me apart as commander-in-chief is the light-blue ribband running across my chest, and my blue waistcoat with buff trim to complement my buff breeches. Five months of horrific fighting without a single major victory has decimated the ranks. Nearly 90 percent of the men are gone—killed, wounded or deserted. Now I have just 2,400 soldiers. The terms of the enlisted men expire at the end of the year. Their duty done, they’re sure to return to their homes. The disagreeable weather has hampered our progress; there’s no way we’ll get to the Hessian camp before sunrise. The element of surprise is gone. I step into the Durham boat. It’s 60 feet long and flat-bottomed. I take my position at the bow and order the crew to shove off. Eight men lower their long, iron-tipped setting poles into the muck and push. They keep at it, while more men paddle against the current. An eerie calm comes over the boat. The only noise is the grunting of my men and the slap, slap, slap of paddles in the water. We must make it across the river. After that it’s a nine-mile march to Trenton. And then, battle. If we’re defeated again, our great cause is all but lost."

[ “I’m sure you’ve seen the famous painting of the Delaware crossing by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. But not many know the harrowing details of the events that inspired the artist. The British had soundly defeated the colonists in New York, driving them off Long Island into Brooklyn and eventually to the northernmost tip of Manhattan. From there they fled across the Hudson River to New Jersey. As they marched through Newark, a young officer, Lieutenant James Monroe (yes, that James Monroe) counted the troops. Their number had shrunk from 30,000 men to about 3,000. The British brutally exploited the situation. They imported Hessian mercenaries to solidify their grip on New Jersey, and the colonists fled once again, this time to Pennsylvania. “These are the times that try men’s souls,” Thomas Paine wrote in a pamphlet published just seven days earlier. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
“Washington made one last desperate plan: attack the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The troops assembled at McKonkey’s Ferry on Christmas. The plan was for the army and all its supplies and artillery to be on the New Jersey side of the river by midnight. But Nature itself seemed to turn against Washington. A fierce nor’easter swept into the Delaware Valley. Rain, sleet and snow made it impossible to see more than a few feet. The river was clogged with ice. Yet when Washington ordered them to shove off, they did.
“On a calm day, crossing the Delaware at that point by Durham boat takes perhaps five minutes. That night it took more than seven hours to get the boats across. Finally reaching the opposite shore, Washington sat on an old wooden box and gathered his cloak around himself. His plan was in ruins. They really had no chance of reaching Trenton before daylight. Yet Washington couldn’t turn back. There was nowhere left to run. So they had to march on to Trenton.
“Contrary to legend, the Hessian forces were not drunk from celebrating. These were crack troops who slept with their rifles and were constantly alert. It was the weather that Christmas night, not drink, that made them drop their guard. It was a rout: Washington’s men took more than 900 prisoners—about half the Hessian force—and lost not a single man. News of the colonists stunning victory spread like wildfire, reinvigorating the cause. That night turned the tide of the war. There was nothing inevitable about what had happened. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. It only came to pass because of the determination and leadership of George Washington. Following him, a small group of men changed the course of the nation and the world…..” ] by James Gibson

John Smith of Jamestown Fame: not An Ordinary Fellow

QUOTE: “He first left home at the age of 16, after his father died. By 1602, the future hero of Jamestown was a soldier of fortune in Romania hired by Austria to fight the Ottoman Turks. As the Austrians besieged an Ottoman stronghold, the Muslim commander, Lord Turbashaw, issued a challenge. He would come out and meet any Christian foe in a horseman-vs.-horseman duel, one life against another.
With trumpets sounding and ladies cheering, Smith, 22, donned a knight's armor and accepted the challenge. On the first thrust of his lance, he pierced the Turk's armor at its weakest spot, the facemask visor that allowed the rider to see. For a gift to his general, Smith severed the Ottoman's head—a deed that enraged Turbashaw's friend Grualgo.
The next day, Smith did battle with Grualgo. The Englishman won again, this time with a well-placed pistol ball that unhorsed the Turk. Smith collected Grualgo's head, too.
Smith then challenged any other foe. Hence, a duel with a Turk named Mulgro, using battle-axes. Mulgro's ax hit so hard that Smith was left with only a small sword. But "beyond all mens expectation, by Gods assistance," he dodged the next blow and stabbed the Turk in the back. The Ottoman fell and, in Smith's words, "lost his head, as the rest had done."
As a reward, the young captain received an insignia bearing three Turk heads. He was wearing it when a "dismall battell" a few months later left him wounded and prostrate amid thousands of corpses. Pillagers noticed the insignia, judged Smith a man of esteem thus worth money, and sold him into slavery. He ended up on a Turkish farm where his head was shaved and an iron ring put around his neck. One day as he threshed grain, his master rode by to "beat, spurne, and revile" him. Smith clubbed his oppressor to death with a thresher, donned the man's clothes, and—with iron ring still around his neck—rode his horse to friendly Russia.”

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Global Warming: Who's Smarter Than An 8th Grader?

The issue of global warming is all too much an emotional issue that is decided by political alignments. Even some of those who vehemently decry burning fossil fuels because they increase carbon dioxide levels don't understand the 8th grade Earth Science behind it. Even fewer of the 'naysayers' do.

Short definition:
Earth transforms sunlight's visible light energy into infrared light energy, which leaves Earth slowly because it is absorbed by greenhouse gases. As greenhouse gases increase, this radiant energy escapes more slowly. This raises the Earth's overall temperature.

Longer definition:

Short video:

The Greenhouse Effect:
"The exchange of incoming and outgoing radiation that warms the Earth is often referred to as the greenhouse effect because a greenhouse works in much the same way.
"Incoming UV radiation easily passes through the glass walls of a greenhouse and is absorbed by the plants and hard surfaces inside. Weaker IR radiation, however, has difficulty passing through the glass walls and is trapped inside, thus warming the greenhouse. This effect lets tropical plants thrive inside a greenhouse, even during a cold winter.
"A similar phenomenon takes place in a car parked outside on a cold, sunny day. Incoming solar radiation warms the car's interior, but outgoing thermal radiation is trapped inside the car's closed windows."

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Will Nuclear Bombs Be Used ?!

It doesn't take much to realize that there is a degree of probability that North Korea will attack South Korea using nuclear weapons in the future. China does not control North Korea, and Russia could benefit in the future if both North Korea and Iran acted out its own hostilities. Thus, Israel would be forced to defend itself. My only real question is whether Iran (after developing nuclear weapons) will content itself with an attack on Israel or will it strike out at its Great Satan, the United States?

Note: The Korean War never ended. Only a ceasefire was agreed upon.

Note: Iran has repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel at all costs. This yields them political allies in many places.

Russia: 3 Geopolitical Frontlines --- Crimea,Kaliningrad and the Arctic


"Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a new military doctrine for the country on Dec. 26 last year.
"The new doctrine, beyond explicitly stating that NATO's expansion was the main external threat facing Moscow, calls for reinforcing three geopolitical fronts that Russia sees as part of its existential security.
"In the coming years Russia will focus considerable resources in developing and maintaining a strong military presence in the Arctic, the recently annexed Crimean peninsula, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea."


Russia New Ambitions:

The Cosmic Web: Touch the Face of God

The Universe might be thought of as the physical manifestation of God (analogous to the body of God).

Google 'cosmic web'

Example:

Begin at 38:38

Iran In Iraq To Stay?!


The Bible: Its Buried Secrets

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

People Who Feed Deer

People Who Feed Deer create problems both for their neighbors & for the deer.  After having had to keep my dog indoors for almost a year because of the increased tick population in our area caused by roving deer, I’m writing this after talking with a pest control technician who verified what I’d suspected.  Namely, that the ticks (Ixodes scapularis),  plaguing dogs are being extensively spread by the deer.  These are the same large ‘hoofed ruminants’ who have led to the ‘totaling’ of two friends’ cars and ‘inflicted’ personal injuries.  [ Note: Nationwide, there are annually 1½+ million reported car crashes and an unspecified number of human fatalities and injuries / and this doesn’t include the suffering experienced by the deer]. 

Deer have become pests that destroy young native trees and bushes as well as devour yard plants (their “habitat destruction” of the understory needed by other flora and fauna is notorious).  And let’s not forget that deer serve as hosts for Lyme disease, West Nile virus, ‘blue tongue’, etcetera…. anytime there’s an increased population density of a species, disease will serve to help limit their numbers.  Starvation is also an ‘ironic’ and negative long term effect of humans feeding deer.  The deer population in the US is 40+ times greater than it was in the days of old when natural predators kept their population in check and forests were more prevalent (modern conditions provide them with more brush upon which to forage). Note: A lack of predators allows the deer to graze things closer to the ‘nib’ and helps to decrease forest growth.

So, if you’re buying a bag of cracked corn at the grocery store to take home for your “pet” deer & someone like me is giving you an “Oh No” kind of look, remember that deer are wild creatures… and you’re only compounding the variety of problems experienced because of their overpopulation.  If you want to attract wildlife to watch, then water the birds… leave the deer and squirrels alone / they’re better off without human ministrations.

Putin: A Scary Individual


Friday, March 6, 2015

China & N. Korea: The Bottom Line ???

"The North Korean economy is heavily dependent on China and any withdrawal by Beijing could destabilize North Korea. Based on this, the regime in the DPRK should be wary of the kind of leverage Beijing may exercise over them. However, the regime in Pyongyang seems to understand that maintaining stability in North Korea is one of China’s primary interests and the DPRK should refrain from any action that may cause destabilization in the region, for its own sake."

Use Mower To Mulch Yard Leaves

For many years, I have been amused by people who rake and bag (or burn) yard leaves. They spend money on fertilizer for their yard (that isn't even properly used by the plants). Then they get rid off the world's best organic mulch by not utilizing leaves. Thus, they hamper the build up of humus in the soil and perpetuate a cycle of foolishness.

http://m.organicgardening.com/organicgardening/#!/entry/leave-leaves-alone,51c1bd92da27f5d9d0e3f6a2

Note: Buy a "leaf blower-vacuum" and instead of using the leaf blower function to blow leaves, reverse the air flow and vacuum the leaves out of your flower beds into the catch bag from non-lawn areas. Dump the now shredded leaves into a leaf composter and use as flower bed mulch in winterizing them next year.

I use a movable wire composter:
https://cherylsgardengoodies.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/wire-mesh-composter.jpg