THAT'S What I'm Talking About!

The 9/11 Boatlift

2011-09-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

I found this video made of an inspiring event that occurred in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. Tom Hanks narrates this epic story of the boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. I never knew that this happened, so it was very cool to find out about this little-known event.

Did you know about Presidential Dollars?

2011-09-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

I just learned that the US Mint has been making Presidential Dollar coins of every deceased US President since 2005. These dollars haven't been put into circulation because there isn't a demand for their use or interest from collectors as Congress thought would be the case. But since the law hasn't been repealed, the Mint keeps churning out the coins night and day. And where do these dollars go after they have been minted? Into storage. In fact, they are running out of room to store these coins, so they are building a new storage facility in Dallas and will transfer all of the coins there. So far, there have been a billion dollars minted and when the program ends in 2016, there will be 2 billion coins, mostly in storage. What a collosal waste of money and resources this is! ABC News aired a story about the making of these Presidential coins after they had been tipped off by NPR. Watch the segment and find yourself shaking your head in disbelief by the end.video platform video management video solutions video player

Bring Me Sunshine

2011-04-19T15:46:00.001-07:00

Here is a fun video that was sent to me that I thought would be good to share with all of you that might be having a "down" day. This will pick you up and, hopefully, bring a smile to your face. Enjoy!

Videos Explaining the Japanese Nuclear Disaster

2011-04-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that there is a website where you can view videos made by Arnie Gunderson, a nuclear engineer, who I've seen on CNN from time to time who appears as an expert discussing the Japanese nuclear disaster. The website is http://www.fairewinds.com/, which is an organization dedicated to educating the public on issues of nuclear safety and reliability. Mr. Gunderson is making a series of videos as new information emerges about the damaged power plant. I have viewed some of the videos that he has made and they are excellent. His explanations are clear and understandable to any viewer. Bookmark the website and refer to it often as he updates the world to the on-going disaster unfolding in Japan.

Radiation Exposure

2011-03-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

With the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan, the specters of radiation exposure and radiation sickness are becoming increasingly prevalent on people's minds. I took the time to look into the topic and this is what I found.

Radiation safety is a product of three factors:
1. The amount of time you are exposed
2. The distance you are from the source
3. The amount of shielding you are able to use (e.g., inside a building or car, wearing layers of clothing)

Given these factors, unless you are within a few miles radius of the stricken nuclear power plant itself, your prevalence to being exposed to enough radiation to cause sickness is pretty slim. Even the elevated radiation levels that they have been experiencing in Tokyo, which is 150 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the amount is still not near enough to cause sickness. So those of us in the continental US don't have anything to worry about...at this point.

That being said, I have been advised by my trusted naturopath, Marijah McCain, at the HERBAL HEALER ACADEMY to take precautions nonetheless. She said what she is "taking is our HHA Liquid Organic Iodine drops. I am using 4 drops twice a day and plan on staying on that dose for at least the next few months. I will also be taking the Radiation Detox homeopathic drops - 10 drops once a day and 2 Kelp capsules a day." So, if you want to be extra careful and take prophylactic measures, you can follow her regimen for the next few months.

And, of course, should things deteriorate in Japan at the nuclear reactor plant and there becomes a level 7 emergency which results in releasing huge amounts of radiation into the atmosphere, then we all need to take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves from radiation exposure and prevent radiation sickness by following the HERBAL HEALER ACADEMY protocol.

Not So Fast, Natural Gas: Why Accelerating Risky Drilling Threatens America’s Water

2011-03-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

In order to extract natural gas from shale, drillers use a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." This means that a mixture of water, chemicals, and sand are injected into a well to create pressure that cracks open the rocks under the ground, allowing the natural gas to escape and flow into wells. The fluid that is used (and millions of gallons are required) contains toxic chemicals and they can mix with and contaminate the local water supply.

Look at the picture on the left of tap water being lit on fire. Well, this is a result of fracking which poisoned the local water supply. I have urged my state delegation to support a bill that closes the "Cheney/Halliburton Loophole" in the 2005 energy act that made energy companies exempt from the Safe Water Drinking Act, which means they don't have to disclose the 596 chemicals that may be contaminating the water. Join me and the Food and Water Watch in calling for Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act and to put a moratorium on further drilling until the US Environmental Protection Agency conducts a thorough review of the technology's impacts on human health and the environment. Read all about it here.

Do you know about the Russian Fires?

2010-09-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

In a newsletter I received from Marijah McCain of Herbal Healer Academy, she says, "Thousands of forest fires are burning all over Russia. More importantly, the nuclear weapons factories and reactors around Mayak and the former Soviet Union’s Uranium Project are going up in smoke. The smoke is toxic and radioactive in every possible sense of the words. Russian forest fires are burning down old H-Bomb factory areas and the Chernobyl poisoned woodlands. This holds the virtual certainty of radioactivity becoming air borne during the fires. Due to peculiar nuclear forces the tiny ceramicized radioactive particles stay in the air for months or even years till they are 'rained out' by some form of precipitation. Mayak, Russia is where the old Soviet Union manufactured 30,000 global thermonuclear weapons. There were numerous “accidents” at Mayak that weren't supposed to happen and 'officially' never did happen. The government lied, of course. The 1,000 sq. km around the Mayak bomb factory is one of the most contaminated areas on Earth. When the fires go through there, the toxins go airborne.

Here is a picture of the Global Jet Stream that moves the air (toxic) around the world. Now just because it shows up in Canada on the map (it changes), does not mean the US is free and clear. We get many storms from the north and these will bring the toxins from around the world."

As these toxins settle out over the U.S., the toxins will be absorbed through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and through our skin. Gone untreated, it most certainly will cause some health issues that we will not be able to figure out the source. I am helping myself by taking some natural detox pills daily that will protect my body by eliminating the radioactivity as I get exposed to it. I recommend that everyone who knows about the harmful effects of these Russian fires does the same.

Red Turf at Eastern Washington University

2010-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

I just read that Eastern Washington University has installed a football field made of red artificial turf. This will be the only field in the country that has red turf. The field's red color is gaining attention to EWU's low-profile football program. The first game to be played on the new turf will be September 18 when the Montana Grizzlies come to town. It is always a big game when the Griz visit and with the initiation of the new turf, the stadium should be rocking. Too bad that EWU will lose their first game played on their unique red surface.

Flu Vaccines Are Dangerous

2010-08-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com has created a song that he has just released called "Vaccine Zombie" which "offers humorous, edgy commentary that challenges the propaganda of the vaccine industry." Adams explains that "people need to know that vaccines can cause extremely dangerous side effects such as seizures and nervous system disorders. They have even paralyzed and killed many children and teens around the world."

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I myself have chosen not to get any more flu shots because I believe the risk of side effects outweighs the effectiveness of the shot itself. My research indicates that Vitamin D3 is an effective defense against seasonal flu, so I make sure that during the flu season, I am taking enough D3 supplementation to elevate my level of D3. In addition, I take the current homeopathic flu season solution from Peralandra to protect me from the onset of the flu.

So the message here is: Protect yourself against seasonal flu without getting a dangerous flu shot this year!

Collapse of the Thermosphere

2010-07-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

In an email that I received from Marijah McCain of the Herbal Healer Academy, she warns that the summer heat potentially is much more dangerous this year due to the puzzling collapse of the earth's thermosphere.

The thermosphere is the area where the atmosphere meets space and it captures the sun's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photons before they reach us on the ground. Because of the collapse of the thermosphere, more solar energy and radiation is reaching us than in past years. We need to wear protective clothing (shirts and hats) and use sunscreen to protect ourselves from sunburns and heat exhaustion.

Here is the link to the NASA article that discusses the collapse of the thermosphere.

Master Cleanse - Days 3-10

2009-11-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have successfully completed the 10 day Master Cleanse. It was tremendously successful as I ended up losing 13 pounds of fat and sludge that had accumulated in my body over the years. I was really surprised that I was able to eliminate so much old sludge from my colon each day as I had completed a couple colon cleanses within the past year or so and after having so many colon hydrotherapy sessions. It is really true that the lemon works as an internal cleanser and scrubs your insides clean! There were only two days where I experienced some discomfort. These occurred on Days 3 and 6. On Day 3, I became really hungry and I believe that it was because I became preoccupied with things at work and neglected to drink the lemonade at all in the morning. However, once I drank a couple of glasses of lemonade, I was fine. The same thing happened on Day 6. This was a Saturday and Jennifer and I were running errands and visiting casinos and I didn't drink the lemonade on a regular basis as I should have. Instead of getting really hungry, I became light-headed. But, once again, when I returned home and drank a couple glasses of the lemonade mixture, I was fine.

The last three days of the cleanse, I really felt great. I was energized, plus the elimination of so much toxic waste from my body really slimmed me down, which reflected in my face and my waist. Because I was doing so great on the cleanse, I considered extending it for a couple more days, but decided to do another 10 day cleanse after Thanksgiving instead.

Because I was doing so well on the cleanse, Jennifer decided to try it, also. However, the very first day, she had such a headache, we decided that she should end the cleanse right away. We don't know what caused this reaction for sure, but since she is hypoglycemic, she suspects that this was the root cause. Even in spite of this setback, she wants to try it again in a few months.

My impressions of the cleanse are these:
1. It really works!
2. It is a good idea to read the book that I did to really understand the process and get your mind focused on the task.
3. Be sure and drink the lemonade on a regular schedule to avoid hunger pangs and light-headedness.
4. Plan the cleanse when you don't have any appointments or social obligations that could interfere with the process.
5. Buy enough lemons and maple syrup at the beginning because you go through it faster than you think.
6. Be committed to sticking with it and don't deviate from the instructions.
7. It is a good idea to alter your diet leading up to the cleanse so that the transition into the cleanse doesn't shock your body so much.

I am really sold on the Master Cleanse. It was easier than I thought it would be and I didn't suffer any major ill effects while I was on it. I plan to make this a regular part of my health regimen by doing a 10 day cleanse a couple times a year.

Master Cleanse - Days 1 & 2

2009-11-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

I first read about the Master Cleanse about a month ago when I was in Whole Foods browsing through their library of books on health and wellness. I picked up a book by Stanley Burroughs, who had written a small book about a detoxing process that he termed the "Master Cleanse." The book was intriguing to me, and I thought that I would look online instead of buying the book right then to see if I could get a bargain on it. While searching online, I found a book by Tom Woloshyn, who had written a book called The Complete Master Cleanse that was much more comprehensive and informative than the Burroughs book. I decided not to order it online, but to go to Barnes & Noble (they didn't have it in stock) or Borders (they had it) and get it right away.

I have been doing a whole bunch of cleansings in the past year and a half (liver, kidney, gall bladder, colon), but this seemed to be a whole body detox that could be accomplished just be drinking 6-12 glasses a day of a concoction that is described as "lemonade," but is actually freshly squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and filtered water. The book is very informative and covers all aspects of conducting the cleanse and what to expect from it. The benefits are too numerous to mention here, which really sold me on the idea of giving it a try. The cleanse is to be conducted for a minimum of ten days, so I decided to find a time period where I had a "free" weekend where I didn't have any social obligations that would cause me to compromise the cleanse.

The time was right this week, so I started the Master Cleanse process yesterday (Monday). I started by drinking an herbal laxative tea on Sunday evening and first thing Monday morning. This really started cleaning me out right away. Then I prepared my first drink of the day and found it to be really tasty and not at all unpleasant. Throughout the day, I mixed up a fresh drink and was able to drink eight glasses of "lemonade" by the end of the day. I made it through the day with no problem, although there were times during the day that I became hungry. At those times, I mixed up a fresh drink and the hunger pangs went away.

Today was the second day of the Master Cleanse, and I decided to start the morning with a sauna. I drank a large glass of salt water (using sea salt) when in the sauna, and after a 45 minute session, I was ready to shower and begin the day. The salt water is prescribed in the book as a natural laxative that can be used instead of the laxative tea, and it worked just as good. Again, I drank eight glasses of lemonade throughout the day, and it turned out to be an even better day for me. While yesterday, I had a foggy head and some hunger, today I had neither. In fact, I felt better than I have in a long time. I guess the cleanse is working as it should! It will be interesting to see how I feel as the week progresses.

Cool Advertisement for Honda

2009-09-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

I just had this sent to me in an email today. Apparently it is over 3 years old, it is the first time that I have seen it. It is an advertisement for Honda that required 606 takes before everything worked right. The word is that there are no computer graphics or digital tricks used in the filming of the ad. It took 3 months to design and to film at a cost of $6 million. The duration of the commercial is only 2 minutes, but every time that Honda shows the commercial on British television, they make a huge amount of money. It is worth seeing, so take the time to take a look at it!

Mindi Abair Concert at Crystal Bay

2009-09-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I took the opportunity to travel to Lake Tahoe to the Crystal Bay Casino Friday night to take in a concert by one of our favorite saxophone players, Mindi Abair. We had never stopped at the Crystal Bay Casino, although we had driven by it many times as we cruised around Lake Tahoe. We went early to grab some dinner before the show, with the idea of going into King's Beach to find a place to eat there. However, we checked out the steakhouses at both the Crystal Bay Casino and across the street at the Biltmore, and decided to eat at the Biltmore, as the prices were a bit more reasonable. The meal was excellent and we would definitely go back to eat there again.

We were concerned about getting a good seat to watch the show, so we made sure that we lined up right as the doors opened at 8PM. As it turned out, there was no need. The show wasn't sold out and although we chose to sit 4 rows back from the stage, any seat in the small and intimate showroom would have been fine. We were disappointed that there wasn't a bigger crowd, but if the crowd size was an issue with us, it certainly didn't show in Mindi's performance. Mindi is a dynamo, excellent saxophone player, and very charming. She masterfully moved the show along and showcased her band members throughout the show. The crowd was definitely "into" her performance and she responded enthusiastically with great renditions of her most recognizable songs. A touching moment in her performance occurred when she told the crowd that her dad and the drummer's dad were in a band together back in the late 60's and that they had performed at the very same place that they were playing tonight. We were very pleased that we drove over the mountain to watch Mindi perform and we would not hesitate to go back to Crystal Bay Casino to catch future performances.

The video that follows gives you an idea of who Mindi Abair is and why we found her so charming.

Dave Abair lyrics

Mindi Abair Video - Dave Abair Music Videos

Music Videos by VideoCure

Remembering 9/11/01

2009-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the attack on the US by Al Qaeda. Previous anniversaries have come and gone and I have observed a moment of silence to remember all those who died on that day, but the commemoration of that day really didn't register with me as much as it did today. That is because this morning, I turned on MSNBC and they were replaying the whole coverage that was broadcast on 9/11/01 coinciding with the same time of day as it actually happened. It sent chills down my spine reliving the coverage and it brought back the enormity of the feelings that I experienced on that day. It is remarkable to think back on all that has happened and the changes that have taken place owing to that day's events. From my perspective, the US took a giant step backwards in its reaction to the attack and we have yet to recover.

Opportunity to Change School Lunches

2009-09-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

I read in the current issue of Healthy Beginnings that Washoe County School District here in Reno earns a "D" when it comes to its school lunch program as rated by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). I looked into the PCRM website to find out more about their audit criteria and found it to be most interesting and informative. It shows that the nationwide school lunch programs are tilted in favor of the meat and dairy suppliers as opposed to the fruit and vegetable suppliers. Therefore, the school kids are given more food choices that contribute to obesity, heart disease, and cancer instead of foods that are low-fat, nutrient-rich, and high fiber. I also found out that the Child Nutrition Act that regulates the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is due for Congressional reauthorization by the House Education and Labor Committee by September 30, 2009. This is the body that has the power to adjust the nutritional requirements and the makeup of the commodity foods found in the NSLP. I took it upon myself to write a letter to the President, my congressional delegation, and the Secretary of Agriculture urging them to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, but adjust the program to include more fruit and vegetable choices and to offer nondairy alternatives to cow's milk, such as fortified soymilk and rice milk. You can easily write a letter, too, if you are concerned about the food offerings that are given to our school children through this program to help combat childhood obesity and diet-related illnesses. Here is the link to make a difference: Take Action Now. I also discovered a great website to access everything that you want to know about childhood nutrition in schools at the School Nutrition Association. Any questions that you have about the school lunch program can be found here.

Great First Season for Reno Aces

2009-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today marks the last game of the Reno Aces' first season of Pacific Coast League baseball here in Reno. By all accounts, it has been a banner year. Although the new stadium, which opened in April, is one of the smallest of the ballparks in the league, the Reno community supported the team so that it came in 3rd place for average attendance in the 16-team league. The Aces started off slow, compiling a 15-25 record at one point, to finish with the third best record in the league. Quite an accomplishment and one to be proud of in its first year. Not only did it bring a winning franchise to the city, the ownership team has provided an anchor for downtown Reno that continues the process of revitalizing the downtown area. Good job, Aces! May year two provide even greater success!
(Image from Sethsworld.net)

A Notre Dame Thumping

2009-09-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

The football season started out in a big way for the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Wolfpack this year because they started out the year by traveling to South Bend, IN to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was a major coup for the Athletic Department to land such a prestigious opponent as Notre Dame. The papers were filled this week with articles about the Wolfpack faithful traveling 3000 strong to support their team and how they would be proud of their team, win or lose. Expectations ran high right up to kickoff because no one really knew if Notre Dame was really very good, and, if not, could the Wolfpack pull off the supreme upset. I got an excellent seat at the Rail City Casino bar to watch the game and banter with Scotty, the bartender, who was a huge Wolfpack fan.

The opening kickoff went to Notre Dame and they methodically marched down the field until it was 3rd and 16 from the Wolfpack 19 yard line. Just hold the Irish this down and keep them to just a field goal attempt. It was then that an old familiar, disheartening feeling in the pit of my stomach emerged as I saw Jimmy Clausen, the Irish QB, fade back, and, with all of the time in the world, burn the Wolfpack secondary for a touchdown. Shades of past years as the secondary showed that it can't contain the opponent's receivers even if they are draped all over them. Oh, well, it was only 7-0 and besides, the Wolfpack hadn't even received possession of the football yet! Once the Wolfpack returned the kickoff, it was Kaepernick's turn to shine. He handed off to Vai Taua again and again and the Wolfpack marched down the field. Things were looking up as the Wolfpack got down near the Irish 20 yard line. This is when the offense imploded with Kaepernick getting sacked and the Wolfpack settling for a field goal attempt. No problem! But wait! What do I see? The kick is pushed wide right and the Wolfpack don't capitalize on their opening drive! Oh, no. I couldn't help but think that this was a really bad sign. And I was right. The Irish would systematically march down the field with their next possession, culminating with a pass play (what else?) for a touchdown. In a familiar (but upsetting fashion), the Wolfpack secondary would get burned for a 70 yard and an 88 yard touchdown pass play before the half ends. Just as I feared, the Wolfpack was laying an egg right here in front of me on national television.

The second half was no better, although the Wolfpack defense would hold the Irish second string to only one touchdown while the offense failed to score themselves. The shutout was preserved thanks to a botched pitchout between Kaepernick and Taua that resulted in a Notre Dame fumble recovery. Mercifully, the game finally ended and at 35-0, it was a stinging defeat, although it could have been a lot worse. The question that I have now: Is the Notre Dame team this good to have shut down our high-powered offense or is the 2009 version of the Wolfpack toothless and we are in for a long year. Only time will tell. However, with Colorado State and Missouri coming up on the schedule, I see the Wofpack record at 0-3 leading into the intra-state rival game with UNLV. And if the worse case scenario plays itself out, the Wolfpack could start out 0-4. If this happens, it will be an uphill battle for this team to qualify for another bowl game. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it was the Notre Dame football team that was really good, and that the Wolfpack will rebound from this anemic offensive showing and win one or two of their next three games.

Shameful Ending to Game

2009-09-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Because it was the first night of the college football season, and since Oregon was playing Boise State (who plays in the Western Athletic Conference, same as my home town team, the University of Nevada, Reno), I was interested in watching the football game. I missed the first half and was surprised to see Boise State leading at half-time by the score of 13-0. Not only was Boise State ahead, they had shockingly held Oregon to no first downs the entire first half! The second half was sloppy as both teams traded turnovers and it appeared that if Oregon could capitalize on some of the BSU turnovers, they just might be able to pull out an unbelievable victory. However, the Boise State defense proved too stout for Oregon and the game ended in a Boise State victory 19-8.

What was notable about this game was that both teams started the game by meeting in the middle of the field and shaking hands as a symbolic attempt to put the bad blood between the two schools behind them after Boise State had gone into Oregon's stadium the previous year and had beaten them in a major upset. Oregon had been pointing to this game to gain revenge from the previous year's humiliating defeat. One of Oregon's players, LaGarrette Blount, had been very vocal leading up to the game about how Oregon was going to give Boise State an "ass whipping," so after the game just ended, Boise State player Byron Hout taunted Blount, which provoked Blount to sucker punch the Boise State player.

Blount is no stranger to trouble and even had been suspended by Oregon's coach once before. After this punch and then his out-of-control behavior as the Oregon coaches were trying to get him off the field warrants him to be kicked off the team because anything less would signify that Oregon tolerates this unconscionable behavior.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

2009-08-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

With Jennifer having to return to work this week, we decided to make one last trip before she returned to school. We had been meaning to go see the bristlecone pine forest in the White Mountains south of Bishop, so we decided this would be where we would be heading.

We left Sunday morning and went south on Highway 395 all the way to Big Pine, CA, where the turnoff to the White Mountains is located. The road to the top of the White Mountains is worth the trip itself! It twists and turns and goes up and down and feels like you are on a roller coaster. The road climbs from 4,000 feet at Big Pine to over 10,000 feet at the Visitors Center at the top of the White Mountains. Since we got there late in the day, we only had time to take the shorter of the three trails. The longest trail, called the Methuselah Trail, winds 4.5 miles and goes by the grove that contains the world's oldest living thing, an ancient bristlecone pine named "Methuselah." This grove contains trees that are all over 4,000 years old. Their age is determined by a science called dendrochronology - the science of tree-ring dating. The trees on the hillside of the trail that we took all had wonderfully twisted and gnarled shapes. We were humbled by the thought that these trees had all been alive as far back as 2000 B.C. and before.

We ended up staying in Bishop that night and had a wonderful meal at Whiskey Creek, a steak house right on the main street of Bishop. We returned home to Reno the following day. We were delighted to have taken this quick trip to see the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest and recommend it highly to the followers of this blog.

Impressed with Whole Foods

2009-08-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I had the good fortune to be randomly selected to attend a dinner hosted by Whole Foods Wednesday night. It was promoted as a "Meet the Ranchers" event to enable selected Whole Foods customers to learn about the Whole Foods philosophy and practices of bringing meat from the ranch to the meat case and to meet the people involved in the process.

Dan Neueburg, Meat and Seafood Coordinator for the Northern California and Northern Nevada Region, spoke about the process that Whole Foods employs to select suppliers for their meat products. We were gratified to learn of the high standards that are required of the ranch operations in areas of cleanliness, humane treatment of animals, strict adherence to what the animals are fed and how they are pastured, as well as environmental and conservation practices of the ranching operation.

Next, we were pleased to be introduced to Panorama Meats, Inc., a company that represents more than a dozen family ranchers in Northern California. Panorama contracts with Whole Foods to supply the stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada with fresh, organic, 100% grass-fed beef. Representing Panorama was Mack Graves, CEO, Lori Carrion, VP, and Wayne Langston, Production Manager. Mack spoke about Panorama Meats equally high standards that dovetail nicely with the Whole Foods philosophy of ranching operations. They are proud of their leading-edge ranch and conservation practices that make their association with Whole Foods so attractive. Darrell Wood, a founding member of Panorama Meats, Inc. and owner of Wood Ranches in Susanville and Vina, California, spoke about the California Rangeland Trust, in which the Panorama Meats ranchers belong. This is an indication of their commitment to preserving the land in perpetuity for agricultural and open space uses, in which we totally believe. Jennifer and I were so pleased to listen to these people discuss their ethical commitment to bringing high-quality, organic, 100% grass-fed beef to Whole Foods while protecting the integrity of the animals and the land because this is the same philosophy with which Jennifer's dad operated his cattle ranch in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana.

After all of this information was presented, we eagerly devoured the extremely delicious beef dinner that was prepared by the Whole Foods chef. During dinner, Jennifer and I had the opportunity to chat at length with Dan and Mack, which added to the evening's enjoyment. Although we already had a high opinion of the quality of food sold at Whole Foods, as a result of the information presented at this dinner, we are even more pleased with the store knowing that there are exceptional people like these committed to such high quality values working for us behind the scenes.

Scammed!

2009-08-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed to admit that I got scammed by answering two companion internet ads to make fast cash using Google. It was only $1.97 apiece to get the Google Biz Kit and Google Profits software that instructed you how to utilize Google's AdSense to make money. What they kept from you was that it was only for a trial period and that after 7 days in the first case and 14 days in the other, they would charge you a monthly fee of $79.90 for Google Biz Kit and $47.50 for Google Profits. When I discovered these fees had been charged on my credit card, I immediately called to find out what the charges were for. That's when I found out about the trial period and the subsequent monthly fees, so I cancelled any more charges. What I discovered subsequently was that you didn't actually buy any software. Instead, you pay for access to the software, and upon cancellation, your access is immediately terminated. So you end up with next to nothing to show for your payments. I mention this to warn all followers of this blog to make it a good practice to read the Terms and Conditions for hidden charges before you sign up for anything online.

Hot August Nights in Reno

2009-08-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's the beginning of August and that means that it is time for Hot August Nights in Reno - the 23rd Annual. This event is a high quality classic car show that takes place each year for a full week. It is estimated that there will be 800,000 visitors this year to come and take it all in. It is so popular with classic car owners that there is a waiting list of thousands of owners who want to bring their cars to Reno to display their restored autos at the show.

I am not really a car buff, but I still don't miss the opportunity to check out the cars that come here each year. Besides seeing all of the restored cars, there are free concerts nightly featuring groups who were famous in the 50's and 60's. Also featured during the week is a sock hop, a prom, and nightly cruises up and down Virginia Street, the main drag of Reno. It culminates with a big auction at the end of the week at the convention center where they sell off a whole bunch of these beauties to car aficionados. If you have never been to Reno to take in this event, you should plan to do it next year!

Here is a link to the local newspaper's online site, Reno Gazette-Journal, that allows you to see a sampling of cars that have been brought here from all over the country.

The Most Amazing Landing

2009-07-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Over dinner tonight, there was discussion of airplanes and it reminded me of a video that was emailed to me quite a while ago of a stunt plane at an airshow that made an amazing landing. As I described the video, there was skepticism that it must have been a trick of some kind or that the video was doctored. I don't know if either of these things is true, but it still is an amazing video to watch. Take a look and write a comment as to what you think.

Santa Fe recap

2009-06-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

We made it back to Reno after an event-filled visit to Santa Fe. It was fun to see everyone again and a special thank you goes out to Vinnie Kelly and Judith Gabriele for their awesome hospitality. We also were lucky enough to house-sit for Dan and Maryann Hart half-way through our visit, which included taking care of their friendly calico kitty, Zia. In addition to the Thirsty Ear Festival that we attended, we packed in many fun things during our visit. On the first Sunday of our visit, we had brunch at one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. It was their Gospel Brunch and we were entertained by The Family Coal, who played a number of uplifting songs to accompany our scrumptious breakfasts. We took a hike into the Cerrillos Hills to view a number of old abandoned mines that were dug in the late 1800's when Cerrillos was just a fledgling town. The hike is part of a new historic park that just opened up. The cholla were in bloom along the trail, which made the hike even more enjoyable. After the hike, since we were in close proximity to Madrid, we took the short drive into town to partake of a cool beverage at the Mine Shaft Tavern, which we frequented when we used to live in Santa Fe. We also took the opportunity to drive up through Abiquiu, north of Santa Fe. This area was made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe, both by her paintings and because she lived there. Jude, Vin, Jennifer, and I drove up through Abiquiu to Echo Amphitheater that is a natural phenomenon of a bowl-shaped rock that provides an echo when you are making noise at the foot of it. I had seen this place many times when Jennifer and I had passed it on our way back and forth to Durango, but we had never stopped to take a close look at it. So this was a treat for me to be able to stop and hike all the way in to experience the echos for the first time.

We had a really great time on our visit and we can't wait to go back to eat some more great food and do more fun things with our friends.

Thirsty Ear Festival

2009-06-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Our first big event on our visit to Santa Fe was the Thirsty Ear Festival. While Jennifer and I lived in Santa Fe from 2000 to 2004, we never made it out to this festival because it was held on the Labor Day weekend and we always had other plans. It just so happened that they moved the festival to the middle of June this year, so it coincided with our visit.

We arrived at 3 PM for the Saturday session of this 3-day music fest in time to catch Samantha Crain and Midnight Shivers. Samantha is young woman from Oklahoma and has a very distinctive voice that compliments her self-written songs. She was blown away by the enthusiastic crowd and was delighted to be so well received, although she isn't a well-known artist (yet).

Next on the ticket was Bela Fleck and Toumani Diabate. Jennifer and I had seen Bela Fleck at the Lensic Theater when we lived in Santa Fe, and we were excited to see him again as he is a banjo virtuoso. We didn't know who the other person was, but we learned that he is a native of the African country of Mali, and he played a 21-stringed instrument, called a "cora." As it turned out, he is a world class player on this instrument, so when the two of them played together, it was magic.

As the sun set, the next performer we saw was Keb Mo, who is a great blues artist inspired by Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Not only is he a talented musician, he is highly entertaining on the stage as he chats with the crowd. He had the crowd grooving to his music and laughing at his delightful lyrics.

The Saturday lineup ended with Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas. As you would expect, this Louisiana cajun band was very up-tempo and they had the large Thirsty Ear Festival crowd dancing from their first note to their last. It was a full day of world-class music, with wonderful food and drinks thrown in, to make it a memorable event worth coming back to enjoy next year.

Computer Crash

2009-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the blog for a bit while we had a friend of ours, Ann d'Olier, visit from Las Cruces, NM. It was so nice to have Ann come for a visit (her first to Reno), and we showed her around the area, including Virginia City, Lake Tahoe, Truckee, a few casinos and many of our favorite places to eat! So right after she left and I was ready to get back to my blogging, my PC refused to boot up. I ended up calling a computer technician to come to my house to have it fixed. I figured it was the power supply that burned out because my PC wouldn't boot up one day last March and that was the problem then. So, the tech came yesterday and brought a new power supply with him. When he entered the house, he said that they had gotten in a bad batch of power supplies a while back, and I probably had gotten one of those lemons when he installed it back in March. However, when he switched out the power supply, the machine still didn't boot up. As he continued to troubleshoot the problem, he came to the conclusion that the motherboard in my PC had burned up. Great! Now what? Did I need to rush out and get another PC? I had been toying with the idea of getting a laptop for the times when Jennifer and I were traveling. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to go down that road. I spent a day looking at laptops and then ended up buying an HP Pavilion dv4 that is quite a bit more powerful than the PC that just bit the dust. I got it fired up today and as you can see from this post, I got connected to the internet and I'm back in business!

Speaking of traveling, Jennifer and I are flying to New Mexico on Friday to visit friends in Santa Fe, so I will be taking my new laptop with me and posting to my blog while we are there.

Car Industry Collapse

2009-06-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Growing up, the Big 3 automakers, i.e., GM, Ford, and Chrysler, were ubiquitous. Our family owned GM and Chrysler products as I grew up and my first 3 cars were from GM and Ford. Everyone laughed at the Japanese imports when they began to appear because they were so small and cheaply made compared to the behemoths that we drove. Of course, gas prices were way under a dollar a gallon, so feeding our beasts wasn't a big deal. I remember many times of putting a dollar's worth of gas in my Chevy or Ford to enable me to get around town for a week. But as I grew older, the Japanese models weren't as laughable as they were at first. They were the ones that got the best gas mileage, which was important during the energy crisis days of the 70's. The little cars that could were beginning to take a larger chunk of the market from the Big 3. Friends of mine began buying these odd little cars and I was surprised that they wanted to invest their money on these cheap little imports. I remember reading articles back then that the US automakers scoffed at the Asian imports and continued to ignore them as serious competition.

Then a funny thing happened. When it came time for me to buy a new car in the early 80's, I didn't bother to try out a US-made car. I only had eyes for Honda. I bought a Honda Accord hatchback that was everything that I wanted in a car, plus I knew it would last a long time. The Japanese models had now developed a good reputation for craftsmanship, whereas the US-made cars weren't as dependable. I didn't plan to drive my little Honda for a long time, but for 18 years, it ran great with little cost of upkeep. I replaced it with my present car, a Toyota Camry that I've had for 11 years and counting. And during all this time that I've owned these two cars, what has happened to the Big 3? Amazingly enough to all interested bystanders, they just didn't seem to get the message that they needed to retool and produce cars that were more fuel efficient and well made to compete with the Asian market that continued to produce quality autos year after year. I know it would be patriotic to buy American, but what a sacrifice to buy a car that isn't as well made, as fuel efficient, or incorporates all of the new, cutting edge features that the Asian imports offer.

So now the economic downturn has exposed the decades-long, head-in-the-sand approach to making cars that has been Detroit's way. It was very indicative of their out-of-touch-with-reality attitudes that the CEO's of the Big 3 all flew their private jets to D.C. to appear before Congress to ask for billions in bailout money. GET A CLUE! Ford, to their credit, has been able to survive so far on their own, but GM and Chrysler are both in bankruptcy court. They are on life-support right now thanks to the generosity of the federal government to keep them afloat until they can finally make the tough decisions that they have ignored all along to try to resurrect their companies and be competitive again. I would love to support the US automakers, but they need to produce a car that competes favorably with the Asian competition. How long will it take? Not soon enough, I'm afraid, but they need to start somewhere and NOW is the time to begin to finally get it right.

Whirling Dirvishes of House Cleaners

2009-06-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you operate like we do, but when it comes to having people come to visit, we shift into hyper-drive and become whirling dirvishes of house cleaners. It seems that it's OK for us to live a bit disorganized, but you certainly don't want anyone to visit and see that this is the way that we live day-to-day. On, no! We have to make the house spotless, everything in its place, completely disrupting the way we live for the few days prior to our visitors' arrival. All for that one moment when they enter the house and see what a gorgeous, well-kept home we live in. Why do I mention this? Because we are going to have visitors this weekend, and today I compiled the list of things that need to be done to make the house presentable. Boy, is it long! However, I shouldn't complain about it because I really do like the way things turn out with all of the sprucing up that gets done. I guess people need to come over weekly to make us keep it looking that way!

Revive Music from LP's, Cassettes - even 8 Tracks!

2009-05-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

I still have a large collection of LP's and cassettes that I have doggedly held onto all of these years as the technology continues to advance past these mediums. My patience is now paying off as I have seen in catalogues that you can buy equipment for a couple of hundred dollars to enable you to transfer music from your old LP's and cassettes to CD's. Hallelujah! Just what I have been hoping for.

I have procrastinated from buying one of these devices since I first saw them advertised, and now I am lucky that I have. (One of the few times procrastination has paid off for me!) Browsing through the internet last week, I came across an ad that caught my eye. It said that a company was marketing a device that could transfer music from LP's (not just 33's, but 45's and 78's), cassettes, 8 tracks, reel-to-reel tapes, or streaming music from the internet to CD's or MP3 players! In addition, software was included that would take the scratches, clicks, pops, and hiss out of the music as well, without hurting the sound quality. There was also a large collection of additional things that were provided -- all included in the price. Ah, the price. With all of the things that were advertised, I figured the price would be well above the $200 that I saw advertised in catalogues just to transfer LP's to CD's. To my amazement, because I still have my own turntable, the cost of everything was only $69.90! I didn't hesitate this time. I went ahead and ordered it right away.

It arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to get it hooked up and start recording. After a few initial hiccups getting it to work (Windows XP settings needed to be readjusted, but there were step-by-step tutorials provided to lead me through it), I began to record music from my LP's! This is awesome! Because of the filtering software, my music sounds better than it did when the LP's were brand new! I am excited to transfer my HUGE library of music to MP3 files and save it all to my computer. Then I can add any combination of tunes to an MP3 player or a blank CD that I want.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to save the music you have been hoarding all of these years, like me. Click on this link and read for yourself all of the amazing things that are provided with the equipment from DAK Industries.

Reno-Tahoe Odyssey

2009-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Because I'm not a runner, I haven't really followed this race much since we moved to Reno at the end of 2005. However, for some reason, I am finding this race very fascinating this year. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey is a 178 mile running race. It begins today in downtown Reno, goes west through Truckee, down the west shore of Lake Tahoe, through South Lake Tahoe, through Carson Valley, up to Virginia City, down Geiger Grade, and finishes back in downtown Reno. Whew! Of course, it isn't run by just one runner, but by teams of 12 runners to a team, who each run three roughly 5-mile-legs around the course. There are 35 exchange points along the course and each team has two support vehicles.

I guess what struck me this year is the fact that I finally realized that in order to complete the course, the teams start out in daylight, and by the time they are down in South Lake Tahoe and into the Carson Valley, it is night time. Each of the runners get to run one of their legs at night, which is the attraction of this race. The runners all wear headlamps and organizers say it looks like a trail of bouncing lights. One marathon runner who has competed at both the Boston and New York marathons said that this is one of his favorite races because of the night run, and would not miss it. In its fifth year, the race this weekend boasts 105 teams and 1260 runners. It provides a positive image of the Reno-Tahoe area and for those runners and visitors here for the first time, it showcases the best scenery that the area has to offer.

NBA & NHL Playoffs (and soccer)

2009-05-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

I watched the Lakers vs. Nuggets game last night and was impressed with how the Lakers stepped up in the 4th quarter to dominate the game. Now the venue shifts to Denver and I predict that the Nuggets will step it up and win that game, forcing a decisive game seven in LA. Although I will be pulling for the Nuggets to win it, I believe that the Lakers will pull it out and advance to the Finals.

The surprising Orlando Magic continue to dominate the Cleveland Cavaliers. If not for the miracle shot by Lebron James at the end of game two, this series would be over. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Magic won tonight's game on Cleveland's home floor. It has been obvious that the supporting cast for Lebron James is not strong enough to assist King James to overcome the balanced scoring that Orlando has exhibited. Even if the Cavs pull out tonight's game, I predict that Orlando will close it out at home in game six.

That would set up an Orlando/LA finals -- not the dream matchup the networks would want, but I think it will be an entertaining series, just the same. And I think that Orlando is good enough to win it all, unless Lamar Odom's back is strong enough to help Kobe and Pau Gasol with the scoring. If not, Orlando might have an easy time with the Lakers.

The NHL finals are down to the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Does anybody really care -- other than me? I don't have a favorite, since all of the west coast teams have been eliminated already, so I choose to root for the Penguins to upset the Red Wings and have a different team win the Stanley Cup this year.

Oh, yeah, and about the soccer match yesterday. What soccer match, you say? It was the Super Bowl of soccer pitting Barcelona against Manchester United at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. I was able to catch most of the second half of the match and Barcelona looked to be much the better team to me. Barcelona won 2-0 and claimed the European Champions League trophy for the second time in four years. Yawn!

Lassen Volcanic National Park

2009-05-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I took the opportunity to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park over the Memorial Day weekend. It's a day trip from Reno; only 170 miles north of here. After you pass through Susanville, CA on the trip, you climb directly into the Sierra Nevada mountains and it really reminds you of western Montana as you wind your way through the forest. Once in the park, we visited the brand new visitor's center and then drove north as far as we could go until the road was closed due to too much snow. At this turn-around point, at the base of Lassen Peak (see top photo), there were over thirty cars parked with people taking advantage of a bright, sunny day of cross-country skiing. The drive into the park reminded us a bit of Yellowstone Park as we encountered bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles, and boiling water. Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few places in the world that contains all four types of volcanoes, and Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world. Lassen Peak has an interesting feature, called "Vulcan's Eye." You can see it in this photo on the right side of the mountain's outcropping. It is named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, from which volcanoes get their name. We were pleased to discover this park and we plan to go back later in the year to hike some of the many trails that the park contains.

Homework for Medical Providers

2009-05-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

I read in the paper today that President Obama has given the health care industry a "homework" assignment to report back to him the specifics on its pledge to slow rising health care costs, helping to save the country $2 trillion over 10 years. This will be interesting to see if this industry is SERIOUS about controlling costs. As we are all aware, the expense of health care and medical insurance is so high that it seriously affects our standard of living. And in return, we are not getting the standard of care that we all expect! What a bargain! This has gone on way too long, so let's hope that Congress and the President can force the health care and insurance industries to revamp the whole mess and make it easier on us. Although, the best thing to do is to stay healthy so that you can stay out of the doctor's office in the first place!

TRIVIA ANSWER: The answer to last week's trivia question is: Kareem Abdul-jabbar. Out of the ten MVP awards that were given out during the 1970's, Kareem garnered five of them.

Did you see Labron James last night?

2009-05-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was able to catch the last thrilling minute of Game 2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic series last night. Earlier, the Cavaliers had been ahead by 23 and I figured that the Cavs had it in the bag. However, luckily for me, I entered the Grand Sierra Resort casino just in time to be able to catch Orlando score a basket with one second remaining in the game to go ahead 95-93. I figured GAME OVER!, but watched the last second play itself out anyway. What I saw then may be the first linchpin in Lebron James' legacy as one of the best basketball players ever to play in the NBA. James took the inbounds pass and, with a defender all over him (see picture), immediately fired up a jumpshot, well behind the three-point line. As the ball arced toward the basket, the horn sounded. Everyone was breathless as the ball decended and, unbelievably, it swooshed through the hoop, giving the Cavs three points and an improbable victory. The crowd erupted in disbelief, Lebron's teammates mobbed him, the Orlando coach just shook his head, and I nodded to myself acknowledging that I had just seen Lebron James as the second coming of Michael Jordan.

Amazing Things in this World!

2009-05-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

I have a friend, Richard Kwok, who emails me the most interesting things. I don't know where he finds them all, but each time that I download one of his attachments, I am amazed and/or amused at what I see. I want to share some of these things with you from time to time, so you can be equally as entertained. Here is one to get started: Sand Fantasy

Bottled Water, Swine Flu, Trivia, Cartoon

2009-05-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Bottled Water Issues
Earlier this week, my wife's cousin, Rebekah Mayfield from Houston, emailed me a Power Point Presentation regarding the curse of bottled water. The pictures in this slide show were disgusting as they showed landfills completely covered with water bottles! The statistics were from 2004, but they were staggering even then. It was estimated that 26 billion liters of bottled water were consumed in 2004, which equated to 28 billion plastic bottles. Of those 28 billion plastic bottles, 86% of them ended up as garbage in landfills instead of being recycled. It took 17 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bottles used and 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide were added to the atmosphere during production. When the bottles get hot (during warehousing, transportation by truck to stores, loading and unloading, sitting in your car), Bisphenol-A (BPA), a cancerous chemical, leaches into the water from the bottle. Yuck! Reading things like this make me happy we are filtering our water at home and using our own water bottles instead of buying any bottled water! I can email you this slide show (only if you have Power Point on your PC, otherwise, it won't load), if you send me your email address in a comment.

Swine Flu
It seemed like the swine flu pandemic was going to be a big yawn (and it still might be), but I am reading some things that make it sound like there still could be some danger out there. In an email to me from the Herbal Healer Academy, as of yesterday, there were around 100,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in the US, covering 48 states. Twenty-six schools in New York have been closed. But that is nothing compared to what is happening in Japan. There are 3000 schools that have closed there because the number of swine flu cases skyrocketed over the weekend. This will probably prompt the World Health Organization to raise the Alert Level to 6, the highest level. Let's hope that it doesn't get much worse here at home!

Trivia
In honor of the NBA playoffs being played currently, here is a trivia question having to do with NBA basketball.

Which NBA player won the MVP award by far the most times during the decade of the 1970's?
Wes Unseld
Bill Walton
Kareem Abdul-jabbar
Willis Reed

(Answer in an upcoming post)

Cartoon:

Today It Begins!

2009-05-20T11:46:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to create a blog of my very own for quite a while now, but have not gotten around to putting it together...until now. My studies of internet marketing have led me to the blogosphere, so I know that it is easy to get a blog started. Jennifer (my wife) and I are working on a blog together called Odyssey to Optimum Health where we are discussing how we have discovered many useful ideas to get healthy. It has been a real learning experience putting it together so far, and I now feel comfortable about how blogs work. I wanted a blog of my own to comment about things that I read about in the paper and internet or hear on the television news programs. So, here it is! I imagine it will be a bit irreverent, sarcastic, thought-provoking, and funny, but, most of all, I want it to be enjoyable to follow. Let's have some fun!!