.

So much technology...so little productivity

Its all zeros and ones...

Lately I have been expressing myself on Youtube. So my writing skills have been put on the back burner for a while here.

Today I spent the afternoon trying to book airfare to Tokyo for a business trip next month. My usual keystroke methods seemed to escape me as I tried to scour the web for flight deals and hotel accommodations. There is such a panoply of choice when it comes to booking travel arrangements online that the frustration that comes with discovering just how much you can get ripped off, leads to you spend inordinate amounts of time cruising for a better deal.

Whether it was the Korean Air website telling me that they did not take amex if I was logging in from Korea, or finding out that if I logged into the site as if I was currently in the US, I would be paying an extra US$200 for the same round trip ticket from Seoul to Narita, it just did not come together for me today...at all.

The technology at our disposal today is staggering. Always something new to discover and always something new to learn. And just when you thought you knew how to navigate a particular site to get something done, the company decides to change the design and alter the efficient work-flow that you have committed to memory. Not to mention internet banking and all of the paranoia that goes with trying to actually use your account to purchase something and paying for all of the "newest" security measures that they implement each and every day.

I only had to make one phone call to customer service to verify if my master-card had been verified so I could use it to book a fare. The anxiety that goes along with dealing with bank customer service is similar to smoking in that it can take days off of ones life.

So...I took a break and went out for a walk only to have it start raining on me....

Monday....

Self imposed exile

So I have made the decision to again take on expatriate status, move myself overseas and open an office for my business to seek opportunity and career advancement, let alone the pursuit of happiness.

I have been an expatriate before while living and working in Singapore during the financial crisis of the late 1990's. This time I will be more of an political exile. I will maintain my US passport and keep my main corporate offices in the US, but will not be seeking any US revenue generating projects that will be subjected to tax that will go to fund such creations as the War on Terror of support further the treasonous Bush administration.

Due to the policy and decision making of the current US government, I am forced to make economic, moral and business judgments now that leave me no options to remain in the US. I will continue to grow my business and live a life seeking liberty and the pursuit of happiness outside of the US. I refuse to allow my tax dollars to fund the current government's strategy to create perpetual war in order to generate profits that fuel their thirst for the domination of the middle east. This conspiracy to high jack the US government and use my military to carry out the wishes of a few delusional criminals is beyond the pale of rationality.

I voted for the pullout of our military in the elections last November 2006, have written letters to my congressman communicating my opposition to the growing militarism in the US, made and uploaded videos protesting the war to subscribers of my videos, done exhaustive research into the motivations of the current war effort by the Bush administration that have proven to be beyond high treason, as well as marched in the many peace rallies that have occurred on the streets of San Francisco in the past few years. All this has not effected the momentum of war and is only producing more plans for more wars.

So I must leave my country now in order to survive. I am not with "them" I am against "them". For it is clear that "they" have taken over my nation and have successfully perverted its values and ideals that allow for someone who plays by the rules to exist freely and honestly. I will remain a watchful hawk in my new home overseas, and do what I can to effect change from there. This is no April fools joke...

May god bless the United States of America and its honest tax paying citizens who are forced to support murderous fascist war criminals.

Seoul

Women in need of......not men!

So it is confirmed now from more than one source that a majority of women are now single and pursuing life outside of marriage.

For so many years women have thought they needed men in order to survive, and now that maxim is no longer the case. Due to education, financial independence and a whole host of companies targeting them, women are questioning the validity of being in a marriage or even a relationship with a member of the male species.

They seek adventure, self-actualiztion, career advancement, travel and exposure to the world that is now open to them and supporting their curiosities and money.

From New York to Seoul women are now able to seek what they really want out of life; understanding, support, conversation, independence and someone else to to the cooking and cleaning. In place of nurturing their maternal instincts, they are climbing mountains, building businesses, organizing tour groups, running for public office as well as seeking out new relationships with none other than.....other women.

Men have fallen by the wayside as the new woman of the world no longer needs the support that he offered in days past. He can be seen now in the bar, the shop and the office scratching his head as he tries to understand why he has just been rebuffed for trying to carry on a conversation with a female.

As a result, many men have taken advantage of globalization to seek out the company and companionship of women from other exotic locales that do not have the pretense or attitudes that they find in their native lands. This has created an ever widening riff between he and women when they return home. They are finding that a wall has been erected between the sexes and that their techniques for charming and cajoling no longer hold the allure they once had. Legislation has been passed that make their behaviors of the past illegal in some states and what once worked to gain satisfaction is now met with sneering and disdain on the part of females who have educated themselves beyond what they need from men.

Women are now free...Free to find out or themselves that the world is their oyster. I do hope they enjoy themselves....

1st. Lt. Watada - Conscientious Rejector

1st. Lt. Watada - Conscientious Rejector

Take some action!!!

Take some action!!!

The troop increase...

This is yet another bad idea from the mouth(s) of the US's mad administration.

In November 06, public opinion overwhelmingly voted for a change in IraQ foreign policy. It is no surprise to me to see the current administration twist this into yet another reason to spend more lives and tax revenue on a failed project. The opportunism and war profiteering being displayed here is unprecedented in world history. Rather than pull US forces and redeploy from the region they are planning an increase to bolster their new world order plan to make American the most hated nation on the face of the earth.

In the end it is my hope that it is not the American people who will appear as having lost the war, but the Neo-Con jingoists who high-jacked the government for the purpose of infesting the middle east with a form of US cancer. Military bases, occupying troops and fat no limit construction contracts are their delusional dreams that desire the of controlling the worlds only remaining plentiful oil and natural gas reserves.

President GW Bush and his cabinet are the ones responsible for this horrific mess, not the American electorate.

Happy New Year!

Good bye 2006 and hello 2007. A few goals and challenges I am considering for the new year.

1) Procure a bicycle and use it to ride to my downtown office.
2) Eclipse my ignorance of all of the exotic fish and shellfish varieties at the Chinese grocery.
3) Give away my collected change to street homeless.
4) Plant a tree.
5) Join yoga studio
6) More surfing
7) Reduce debt levels
8) Submit award projects to Bizweek
9) Body sculpting experiments.
10) Establish JV in S Korea.
11) Use less gasoline and electricity.
12) Collect and drink more wine from France and Chile.
13)

Why California???

So I've lived in this rather peculiar state of California for some time now....

This introductory greeting is for those new to my blog. I've posted it with the date December 31st, in order to keep it at the very top of my blog entries for new readers. For those of you who are regular readers, contributors, lurkers, and voyeurs continue on down past this entry for the most recent views, opinion and occasional comments....

We are a republic here in California. That fact did not mean anything to me when I arrived many years ago. But, to know that we are a self sustaining tribe out here on the west coast explains a lot when you wonder why California is so unique. You want almonds....just drive to the central valley. Need a small countries infrastructure modernized or built from scratch, just give Bechtel in San Francisco a call. Need some ballistic missiles to go with that new country, email Northrop Grumman or Hughes down in Los Angeles. Need some internet technologies that will vault your business into the next millennium, head over to Silicon valley and have a lunch on University Avenue in Palo Alto. Oil? Need oil, we got that too. Gobs of it. We can prospect for it, drill for it, transfer it, refine it and turn it into a bazillion other products with our refining capacity.

All those wonks back east are all following their tails around in circles. I feel for them as they are unable to really know what it means to exercise 100% of American freedom on a day to day basis. Here in California we push the envelope on freedom each day. Its hard to describe, but it sure feels nice.

I've lived and traveled the world over, lived in many of the United States and have visited all 50 states except Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii and the Carolinas. So I know how special California is. From golfing in Indio, racing across the Mojave desert at 130 mph, surfing in LA, the design community in the Silicon Valley to the San Francisco Ballet, scuba diving in Monterey, wine and spas in Napa, snowboarding in Tahoe, fishing on the Klamath River in Eureka, panning for gold in Sonora or climbing Mt. Shasta we got it all. Oh! and don't for get the fabulous food.

Having it all shapes our politics and our views. We are different, we are crazy and we are more sane than the rest of the world out here in California. So bookmark my blog...and let me know from time to time if your infuriated, jealous, curious, disgusted, intrigued or elated to know more about my views and opinion from the state of California...

Revealing yourself

I've recently shared some of my life's details to a very close personal friend of mine. It was necessary to do so as is the case with most relationships that are close and involve a lot of intimacy.

The relationship began on an open platform with 100% honesty and includes refreshing dialogue and wonderful intellectual exchanges. We even share emotions of happiness as well as frustration and sorrow. I am comfortable even sharing crisis and even bad news, so I know that this person is indeed someone I needed to know more of, as there are few that I know that are capable of this kind of trust.

One of the things that is most difficult for adults to do is to be frank and honest about their lives and what is going on in them. One of the reasons this is so difficult for many is that merely finding the right words to articulate what is happening with objectivity and detail is sometimes just too odd or embarrassing or revealing too much. So we as adults hold back and utilize discretion in our relationships in order to maintain them....or so we think.

Being honest and truthful about what is going on in the world seems to be in short supply these days. So when you do come out and reveal detailed truth about a subject on yourself it can be and fraught with anxiety. Some truth has the ability to change the way a relationship is progressing. It can stop it short, depending on how insecure the parties involved are.

It is especially scary to share yourself with someone who uses a different cultural measurement method than you do. Even more difficult if there are language interpretation issues as well. How your information is perceived is always filled with the risk of misunderstanding. It is best just to get it out however, and let the chips fall as they may. This way you are being honest and the other person is given the truth which is one of the higher forms of relationship success I think. No sugar coating involved.

There is risk in revealing yourself and sharing the details of your life. People can be repelled and not want to believe what you might be telling them. Given time however, the truth has a chance to sink in and settle. It is these moments that shape the future of any relationship.

Being honest takes a lot of courage on both sides of the conversation. One side needs to be able to deliver truth eloquently and succinctly and the other's responsibility is just as difficult in receiving such truth. The reason it is difficult is that things change as a result of the new sharing of information.

Then the question remains....can you now move forward with this new added truth? It is always a mystery, and should be treated on a case by case basis I think.

Political Rant #5

Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Richard Perle...

Who are these guys?

Paul Wolfowitz most notably was Deputy Secretary of Defence for the current Bush administration and architect of Bush's foreign policy and the war in Iraq. He also served as Director of Policy Planning in the Defense Department during the 1970s during the Carter Administration. Has a Chicago school view of the world that includes and promotes neoconservative values. He currently is now serving at the world bank and maintains a Arab mistress after leaving his wife after 30+ years of marriage.

Donald Rumsfeld is now former Defense Secretary that served the Bush Administration. He also served as Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford where he implemented foreign policy issues that included selling arms to Iraq and giving Saddam Hussein military power. Born in Chicago, Illinois and educated at Princeton in New Jersey.

George W. Bush is the current sitting US President. Before serving the United States was governor of the state of Texas. Held a series of executive positions in the private sector for a failed energy firm and professional baseball team. His father served as President of the United States. Educated at both Yale and Harvard Universities.

Dick Cheney is currently the Vice President of the United States. Held positions of chief of staff for Gerald Ford and Defense Secretary under George H.W. Bush. Began his education at Yale but left after a poor academic performance to return to the University of Wyoming where he earned bachelors and masters degrees. Past CEO of Haliburton and current share holder.

Richard Perle was Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Chairman serving under George W Bush. Served as Secretary of Defense during the Regan Administration. Born in New York City and educated at the University of Southern California, London School of Economics and Princeton.

So...what can we learn from these guys? It is clear that all of them were given a chance to seek personal revenge using the United States Government and its military power. All were given the opportunity to serve in the US government during their careers and were allowed to seek revenge for their short comings that they developed early in their careers later on in their lives.

It is this precise reason of vengeance that the US government has checks and balances for its awesome power it has been given and developed. The framers of the constitution were very wise in their design of the United States Government. They knew that creating a system of government that was based on constantly introducing new ideas, new minds and new approaches to government that it would lead the way to an enlightened world.

It is a colossal error and an egregious abuse of power that we the US citizens have allowed to transpire. All of these men were given the chance to serve their government once. By means of circumventing the rules of government they were able to high jack the US government again later in their careers to carry out a Neo-conservative agenda that served to right the wrongs that they had created for themselves earlier in their careers. Effectively giving them the power to exercise their vengeance to cover their mistakes made previously in their careers.

You should only get one chance to exercise the power of the US government and be given the opportunity to make world a better place. Anything more is obviously an opportunity to seek revenge.

Shark Attack!

The waters off of Marin Country have spoken!

Each year it seems there is a report of a surfer getting the bite from a migrating Great White Shark.

Those waters are indeed rough up near Guerneville. This guy got it on his ass this year. If it were not for his board I am sure it could have been much worse.

Surfer safety seems to always need improving. Perhaps a marine life radar can be designed to give early warning of approaching danger....hmmmm?

Web 3.0

It can be argued that web 2.0 will bring the coming of the social networking of the internet. Where read only markup language will give way to user generated content and ubiquity of broadband will permeate everywhere in society. Jane meets Jintek using match.com, myspace or YouTube, they agree to work together, agreeing to utilize the power of the web as they are 7000 miles apart. The project is such a success they decide to become romantically linked in a relationship despite the distance that separates them. This is web 2.0.

Well as far as I am concerned, web 2.0 is already here and the beginning of the end has started. One of the hall marks of the maturity of the web 3.0 era will be when you ask a younger person than yourself, "How large is your hard drive?" The answer will be, " I have never had a hard drive. Everything I have ever created, captured, shared and stored is online." Information will become more 3D in is presentation and the tangible quality of data will continue to mature in the 3.0 era.

Imagine being able to know exactly how many gallons of gasoline you have purchased in your lifetime at any given time of the day. Personal data matrices will allow such "conciousness driven" data bases to exist to let us know how much of the world we are consuming in order to exist on the planet. Exactly how many more calories will I burn if I run just one more block, or exactly how much intelligence did I just lose by being out late last night drinking with my coworkers? These questions and others will be able to be immediately answered in the web 3.0 era.

When you look at your wardrobe and get that all familiar "I need new clothes" feeling, all you will have to do is click "buy" and new wardrobe choices will be sent to you via the mail the next day because of the running and stored selections you have been making online everyday, but were not just ready to buy yet.

Web 3.0 will build on top of the sophisticated social interaction that has been built during the web 2.0 period. It will be smarter, more anticipatory and more efficient as all of our choices, emotions and ideas will be digital first before they become tangible.

JROTC in San Francisco

The San Francisco Board of Education is currently in the throws of eliminating the JROTC program from its schools. Many are coming out against the organization as a recruitment tool and indoctrination organization that turns people into monsters to do the bidding of the evil military industrial complex.

This is a small action agaist the current momentum in our society of militarism that is destroying our democracy and efforts to spread security, stability, peace and prosperity around the world. I for one am in full support of such an elimination of program that turns the nations young people into fodder for the military industrial complex that values corporate profits and greed over the growth of democracy and benign market economic forces at the expense of innocent youths. In seeing such support, I recall a scene while I was living in Singapore that foreshadowed my strong opinion on this subject.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the media had been reporting all week long the arrival of the US Navy into port from manuvres in the South China Sea. I did not quite know what this meant for the streets of Orchard road and the hustle, and bustle of weekend consumers and citizens of the tiny nation state. What I saw shocked me and made me embarrased to be a US citizen.

As I strolled down Orchard Road browsing the storefronts, numerous young (19-23 year old) faces past me by speaking english with an american accent. I soon became obvious to me that these new faces belonged to the US Navy sailors, as they looked out of place amoungst the high end shops and malls that catered to tourists and local consumers. I soon approached a set of stairs that led up to the entrance to an air-conditioned shopping mall. To my dismay was a young Navy sailor passed out and drunk on the steps clearly blocking the way for others to ascend the steps into the mall. I immediately became aware of this sailors state of intoxication as I observed his mouth open, eyes closed and his pants unzipped exposing himself. His pants were also stained with urine that he obvioulsly had not had the coherence to properly discard in a proper restroom and without control, just let fly leaving his pants clearly advertising the fact that he had just pissed in his pants with out even knowing it. There he was, on display like a museum exhibit, for everone who passed by to see as they went about their shopping. This advertisment for the US military immediately sent me into shock.

I was immediately embarrased to be a US citizen. Something up until that point in time had never felt. To come to realize that this is what the face of the US military was presenting to the world made me sick to my stomach and put me into a state of shock for the rest of the afternoon. If there was anything that I could have done to prevent this scene as a US citizen I would have done so tight then and there, but to no avail I was at a loss for words or actions.

So now as we address our role in the world as a hegemonic, greedy, ignorant and war mongering nation, we now have an opportunity to reduce the influence of the beast that is destroying the mission of the United States. Eliminating the source of recruitment for the military is just the beginning of advancement into the future to create dignity and respect the US should be known for by the rest of the world...

So I say to the Haliburtons, the Boeings, The FedExs, the Littons, The Raythons, The McDonell Douglas', the Textrons and all of the othe MIC corporations that seek no-limit contracts at the expense of the US citizens, go get your own !@#$%! militaries to protect your greedy interests around the world and leave the United States Military that is intended for the defense of a free democracy a alone!

Secrets to celebrating your own life...

To me....the very best libation is Bollinger from the Champagne region in France just east of Paris.

It is dry and crisp and carries with it a feeling of happiness that can improve your day and allow you to share your happiness with others.

Drinking champagne or even sparkling wine if it is of good quality, will indeed improve you enjoyment of life. It has that magical quality of celebration contained inside of it.

So the trick is to not just wait to drink it when there is something to celebrate, but drink it regularly in order to celebrate your own life and increase your level of happiness while sharing it with others.

Giving Bollinger as a gift will always put you in a good light as it is indeed like giving happiness in a bottle.

So...

Get out there and celebrate your life. Find out what things have the ability to put a smile on your face and then keep a stock for drinking and sharing.

Appreciating...

It is difficult to appreciate life sometimes...

We get caught in our own ambition, our own problems, our own small world that revolves around us...We think if we don't continue to improve that we will be left out or left behind.

We stumble sometimes as humans. We look at people and we think of how they may benefit ourselves. We also look at people and think of how they might make our lives more difficult or challenging. We aim for improvement, but some how we miss the mark sometimes.

Looking for ways to appreciate life is actually one of the more difficult things to do and it must be a priority in life if we are to feel happy. Whether it is the quiet morning, or the train that you just caught on your way home. It could be the sunrise or the sunset. The smile on a young child's face, or the kind words of an older and more wiser person than yourself.

To look at your financial world after leaving the bank and realize that the guy on the street you just past by is in much more dire straits than you are. You wonder to yourself that maybe you are not so bad after all.

To look at a painting on the wall of a beautiful woman and feel the power that is all feminine is a form of appreciation. To truly appreciate that is to take that feeling out into the world and apply it to other women, looking for the same qualities that you saw in the painting on the wall.

Noticing the tiny creatures that land on our shirt sleeve for a breif rest, or watching a cargo ship slip on by ever slow slowly on its way to yet another destination. These are the things that can be seen on an everyday basis but go unnoticed.

Tuning your appreciation allows you to feel calm and happiness. Feeling calm and happiness gives you energy to share it with others. To do so creates more appreciation.

and that is someting the world needs more of each day....

YouTube...

So....my latest web interest is the amusing YouTube.com.

After spending much time getting to know some of the regular personailities that post videos, I have learned a few things. The production techniques used are quite far ranging in quality, and understanding the various ways people are using the site for fun, commerce, communication, self-expression and meeting new people are just beginning to be developed.

The accessibility that is now available to bypass the reality that traditional media attempts to get us to consume is amazing. It has everything I need from traditional media channels. News, opinion, scandal, entertainment, culture, language, politics, economics, sociology, psychology as well as others are all on demand by the user who sits in front of his or her montitor. (for some it is as addictive as heroin)

No commercials (not yet at least) and once you tune your "YTradar" to differentiate between the struggling actors who are posting mini YouTube dramas in between their real auditions in Los Angeles and those that are being as true to themselves as they can be, you can get the realness that is the human experience from all over the globe.

This "reality" that YouTube is offering is destine to change and influence traditional media and how it packages its content (in order to sell the products of its sponsors). Which will be exciting to watch as the big networks NBC, ABC, CBS and even cable channels are now scrambling to understand and change thier formats to get all of those eyeballs back to watching their sponsors.

YouTube is raw and it is real...

Soon we will be seeing big budgets being formed around YT targeted audiences and the current YouTube webiste will soon launch its second generation site design with much improved tools, navigation techniques and organization innovations. Currently there is much redundancy in accessing the channels one subscribes to and navigating around the entire site. Its almost as if it is still a work in progress mockup.

Big things are coming in media with this new site. I must have cut my television veiwing down to only a few hours now a week as a result.

Look out big media....

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The Neo-con agenda is dead!

Yesterday the United States clearly sent a message to the current administration that they want changes, and they want them now!

This morning's headlines carried the news of Rumsfeld stepping aside so that yet another one of GW's pals can step into fill of the position of heading the most well funded military in the world. Another Texan will fill the post of SecDef.....Grrrrr!

I am optomistic that with a new Speaker of the house in Nancy Pelosi, there will be some return to bi-partisan efforts to bring the nation forward into a future that includes: fiscal responsibility, a reigned in foreign policy and a focus on the US's role in the balance of power in the world.

The US clearly has an opportunity to shift its prorities and take a step forward into a future of new prosperity and peace. After we extract ourselves from Iraq of course. The sooner the better.

Mark my words....executive pay will become come front and center as an issue that drives much of the new direction if it is so deemed. Get ready to share the wealth you greedy CEOs.

Fantasy thought....
Perhaps there will be legislation discussed and ratified by the new regime that allows the US government to default on all of the federal reserve loans it has taken out to finance the Iraq war. Wouldn't that be a poetic justice...The US government using its power to leave the fed bankers holding the bag on the wasted war....teehee. I know far fetched, but knowing my tax dollars will only go to pay interest on the debt GWB has racked up for the rest of my natural life seems a bit disconcerting.

The HR mentality...

The Human Resources mentality is by far the most egregious and detrimental to individual talent and the expression of ideas within an organization.

It starts to creep ino the mind of the average worker who does not develop any of their passions or talents. In order to make a living, they move this way towards organizing people or talent in order to move up the ladder and solve problems.

Once they adopt this mentality, they begin to view others as a mere means to and end. This happens at all levels of human organization. Government, Corporations, Educational institutions and especially the Military.

Once seasoned in this skill of HR thinking, the dullard's responsibility is to put together teams of specialists to develop a product, invade a nation, promote a philosophy or promote a particular politial view. They don't have any particular skill or talent, but happen to be in the right place at the right time to take the bait. Once they do, they are now in charge of judging others performance, even if they are not qualified to do so.

Taking the bait means selling out. Selling out means they are now on the other side of the fence and are willing to do the bidding of abstract entities that can destroy individual lives. They fire, they terminate, they let-go, they topple, they close down, they down size, they eliminate, they trim the fat and they do it all in the name of the large beast that pays their pitence of a salary that they so dearly prize.

Having the HR mentality means not having any of your own ideas anymore, and employing the ideas of others who have avoided the mistake of choosing the wrong path. Beacuse they employ the ideas of others, they willfully become pawns to those with perceived power over them. In becoming pawns, they carry out wasteful schemes in the name of perserving their own position because they soon realize they have nothing to offer, but thier enforcement skills of others ideas.

So...be careful of the HR mentality. Learn how to recognize it and avoid it at all costs. In doing so you will maintian your self respect and be genuinely happy in life.

No more skull and bones guys!

I think it is fairly obvious now that these skull and bones guys are at the root of the United States problems.

I wanted to really respect Kerry and I still do, but it is clear that both he and bush have been programmed from a very young age to carry out an imperialist agenda for the US. The Manchurian Candidate came to mind this week and I cannot ignore its fictional truth and supposition.

The media gaf that Kerry comitted this week and subsequent cancellations of further appearances indicates that he is indeed not up to the challenge for leading the US forward to a clearer and better place in the world.

There is a malaise that hangs around New Haven, Connecticut (Yale University) that breeds fear, paranoia and imperialistic tendencies in the people that live there and go there to become educated. Not to knock Yale's noteriety for being outwardly liberal, but this character that prevails is the result of an opposition philosophy that is the missing link between the radical right and radical left in the US. In other words, Yale is where both radically right and left brains come together to plan the fate of the civilized world.

So...I guess this means another four more years of the Clintons in 2008....

There is a new dynasty on the rise in the US and in the world....watch out!

Western Surfing Association...

So I checked out the 2nd event on the 06-07 Western Surfing Associations tour down in Santa Cruz a few weeks ago.

The conditions were flat. Flat flat falt, so the competitive surfing scene was nothing to report on. The average rides were less than 20 seconds long and most of the day was spent by the competitors straddling their boards.

It did gve me a glimpse into how the sport develops its talent. Most of the competitors were 12 to 18 years old with a few dads thrown in for good measure. Not much to see this time, but a few photos for your information. One of the more interesting parts of the event was not the young hotties ripping it up on the incoming swell, but was the 2 girls selling home baked cookies on the sidewalk so they could fund a tip to Washington DC. It was refreshing to see such smart young girls working the crowds to better educate themselves.

Working with India...

I've just finished working on a successful web project with a designer in Kolkata, India.

I have worked with people in India before on design projects, but this one was much different due to the contractual nature of the relationship as well as the communication method. I was able to use Skype to communicate with this new designer and negotiate in real time all of he details that were to be put into the project. Estimates, design reviews, mid project compromises and agreement changes all were refined using this wonderful new tool called Skype.

The project was not a small logo design or graphics project, but a full blown web site that explained and promoted one of my design busniesses. Many flash pages were produced, hundreds of images organized and interactive text blocks were created to communicate the sites content and promotional message.

Payment terms were carried out using paypal which worked smoothly to compensate after each phase of the project was completed.

Files were exchanged using email, online storage sites as well as skype's ability to do file exchange.

Apart from the mid project agreement changes that were raised by India, which we were able to resolve with out a whole lot of drama, I think this project is the first of many to be executed in this new method of globalised commerce and interconnected cultural problem solving. In the course of the project I never met my couterpart in India. Through utilizing the internet, we were able to complete this very complex project without ever seeing eachothers face nor hearing one anothers voice.

Trust building is key in such a business relationship. I was able to build trust with someone I have never met, and acheived results that are superior to that of the old model of face to face meetings and office politics. Effiecency, economy, sophisitcation and trust were all elevated to new levels using this new business project model.

A fine case history study...

Adult communication

So....my PC has been under the weather these days with some hard drive issues that have been effecting the performance of my notebook computer.

I have been working with technical support for a few days now in trying to get my system back to normal. In working with these guys I realize a few communication issues that are needing improving since all of them are over in India, and this process is carried out through the use of speaker phone.

What I am noticing is that adults need a very specific presentation of information in order to understand and execute such complex technical trouble shooting details such as PC repair. Because the adult brain is so full of information due to a lifetime of absorbing and learning, there needs to be a very measured delivery when learning new information as to not upset what is already there in the brains memory.

I have noticed this with the students I teach as well. Their brains are like sponges and do not need a system of feedback or editing in order to learn or communicate. It is why they are there in school in the first place, so they can learn to communicate as adults later on in life.

The mature mind needs to be told what it is they are going to be learning first, before they are bombarded with new information, in order to understand what it is their instructor, or tech support person is telling them. That little preview of info gives the adult brain something to hang onto when they are adding to their memory's storage capacity. This phenomena was very apparent in my Korean language class I took last summer. Without such preview information, the adult brain is left without a reason as to why the information is important, and relative to what they are doing.

Wrote learners develop their brains much differently, never questioning the information as it enters their brain and is stored away in their memory. The critical mind, which I have found most adults possess, have highly developed "gate keepers" that screen information before it is committed to memory.

This adult brain is willing to absorb new information everyday, however, with out a preview of what is coming down the pike, or an alert of its gatekeeper, the information is slippery and suspect as it enters the brain and it is not channeled and stored properly into the brains memory so as to become valuable to use later, as well as realizing its value in solving problems or using it to navigate everyday life.

So...when ever communicating to mature brains, always grant a preview of what is coming before the technical or verbose meat of the story or info is delivered. It is what separates a good story making sense and entertaining as opposed to irrelevant or nonsense....

Film review...

So I saw the film Jesus Camp yesterday.

This documentary looks at how the rise of the evangelical movement has effected the teaching of children at a summer religious camp in the state of North Dakota. Made by Hedi Ewing and Rachel Grady, this film looks into the world of how a few American children in North Dakota, Missouri, and Colorado are being raised to become spiritiual warriors for Jesus Christ.

I have a problem with what this film has captured, and am very glad that it was created and is now being distributed for viewing. It illustrated just how much America has changed for the worse, has not learned from history and how the future might get darker if repeated. From the mouths of 5 year old children to the war front in Iraq, this film exposes reasons why the US is careening down a path to destroying itself.

The film raised large contrasts to the youth that I experienced while growing up in the US. The camps I attended both secular and religious, did not teach militant ideas and were not into proselytizing or brain washing me into thinking a certain way in order to advance a set of political values.

In the film, the denial of basic known precepts by the camp and church leaders in science, religion, education, politics and economics were astounding to me. So very different than the ideas that I have come to know as truth or fact.

I saw the systematic twisting of the truth as I know it to be, into a ideology that supports hatred, fanaticism, irrationality, intolerance and complete and utter ignorance for the world around them. All done so in response to a perceived threat overseas where the Muslim population who is supposedly teaching its children to do the same to the US. "You're either with us or agianst us" could be an alternative title to this film.

So what this film points out is that we have now in this world, two VERY SMALL groups of fanatical religious zealots who are training their children to annihilate one another in the future. These 2 groups beleive they have in place the politicians on both sides that support their agenda of war, hatred, intolerance, ignorance, zealotry and militantcy, leaving the rest of us to sit and watch the destruction of the world transpire.

I find it extremely tragic for these children who are being literally brainwashed into supporting the platform and ideas of the modern day Hitler inspired Neo-Nazi like behaving radicals that are the main characters in this film. They are using their own children as well as others to bring and end to the world because of their tragic misinterpretation of what it is to follow the Christian faith and a belief system that represents the idea of God which in essence is love and not hate.

By the way, the name of the leader of the Jesus Camp is Becky Fischer. Fischer is a name whos etymology originates in the nation of Germany. Also lookup etymologies of Rumsfeld (Donald), Wolfowitz (Paul), Perle (Richard), Strauss (Leo) and of course Bush (George W).

Now connect the dots....

Where do we go from here?

The abundance of evidence that has now been compiled, observed, documented, prepared, sifted through, distilled, collected, organized and presented to the world is out. Its on the web, its on YouTube, its in theatres, on cable tv and its in DVD rental.

Serious doubts and evidence have now been raised with regard to September 11th 2001 and how the truth is being portrayed to the world by the US government. The due diligence is now complete.

Now the question exists, "Where to do we go from here?" How do we bring to trial the leaders of the US government and give them the opportunity to defend themselves. Using the system of justice that exists in the US seems to be the only way. And yet it seems that our government is crippled and infected so badly with these corrupted Bush administration officials that it seems there is no way out to use what is rightfully ours as US citizens, the US justice system.

The US needs a leader or individual to rise up, become elected legitimately, and take control of the process of bringing to trail these criminals who are now destroying the foundation of the US. How this is done remains to be seen, but who ever is elected in 2008 will have to deal with the procecution of war criminals.

But mark my words, we will see justice for these crimes that have been committed, in this lifetime for sure...

Birthdays

Birthdays are something everyone has...

When we are young, they represent joy and fun and attention. When we are older, they can represent much different emotions and ideas.

Some need people around them to make their birthday feel real and enjoyable. Some shun the spotlight and recluse away from people in order to not be reminded of their aging self.

Birthdays do indeed mark yet another year of life, but at the same time can allow for feelings and emotions only felt on such a day depending on how it is celebrated or spent.

If in fact birthdays are a cause for joy and there are others that contribute to that joyous feeling, then you are indeed obligated to enjoy the day from sun up to sun down. Sharing your birthday with others is an opportunity to feel happy, and sharing that emotion with others is indeed satisfying.

There are no laws or rules for recognizing or celebrating birthdays. If it is not enjoyed, then an opportunity to feel young and be reminded that life is indeed precious can slip away for another 12 months.

Seizing the opportunity to feel young again by enjoying ones birthday is highly recommended. And if you can include someone who makes your birthday feel even more special or enjoyable because they were there to be with you, then that person is indeed a large part of your life and not to be taken for granted.

When someone new to your life recognizes your birthday and helps celebrate, it is a feeling like none other...and should have its own name to describe such a feeling.

I will ponder this today and perhaps have an answer tomorrow....

Film review...

Ok....so I am a little late in keeping up with film release trends.

None the less, I watched Munich yesterday and gave the fim 4 stars. It was well written, contained suberb cinematography, shot on location all around the world and was very thought provoking.

Yes the film was violent, yes it portrayed the idea of having to defend one's family as justification for killing, and yes it gave a glimpse into how the US funds violence around the world.

Basically Isreal today is an arms depot and cash cow for the United States military. They are one of the US's best customers and hold the title for highest per capita spending on arms in the world.

The film did not explore the motivations of the Arabs who were behind the killings in Munich of the Isreali athletes, and was very vague in making a connection to the reasons the protagonist Avner has for carrying out such a mission for the Mossad intelligence agency.

In the end it is a long 2 hour plus film and needs to be veiwed more than once to pick up on all of the nuaces in the characters, as well as how they are interrelated to one another. The film portrays arabs as both vicious killers and helpless victims, the French as mere brokers of information who are scorned due to World War II governmental indescretions and hire the Isreali's to do thier dirty work.

Speilberg was quoted as saying that he made the film to be thought provoking and not acuse anyone of anything. What provoked my thought is how and why Jew's, Palestinians, Jordainians and others in the region need an actual peice of real estate to call thier own. This ownership idea is hell bent on destruction of the world.

Also noted is the fact that it is a woman who orders men to exact such revenge on a group of people and it is women who give the men in the film reason for feeling good about what it is they are doing with their lives. From the prime minister, to Avner's Mother, the femme fatalistic Dutch spy, his wife and his daughter, all are women, who reluctantly rejoice in what he is doing for Isreal. Making him somewhat of a pawn.

My single marital status does not allow me to understand such motivations of married guys. Perhaps I should get married and have a daughter in order to understand why it is neccessary to kill others.

Rating...4 out of 5 stars.

US Defense department spending update...

The Army is scrambling for a larger slice of the defense department budget next year.

The New York Times reported today that Rumsfeld is caving into pressure to admit more Army soldiers into the ranks next year. We should all know that this is a smokescreen, which by the way, is how the military operates. Never discolosing their true intention, but utilizing the ulterior motive strategy.

This has the Navy and the Airforce grumbling of course.

This self perpetuating increasing of need for more military might is the root of the US's problems now and in the future. Justifying pre-emptive war to bolster military spending is good for defense contractors who are at the heart of the Neocon agenda to dominate the world economically through the use of egregious conventional military means.

Indeed the current US government is in the buisness provoking both Iran and North Korea currently to justify thier future plans for military increases of budget.

Insanity.....pure insanity...

Living online....

So yesterday I spent some time creating a spreadsheet that illustrated how much of my financial life is transacted online.

It is amazing to me that everything from paying my credit cards to various insurances, utility bills, retirement accounts, investment portfolios, leasing and rental bills are all now automated and done for me without stamps, file folders and stacks of paper on my desk. My goal is to be able to be anywhere in the world and manage my finacial affairs from any city I happen to be in at the time.

With such management power online, the concern about the whole system crashing, lead me to think about what would I do if such a castrophy were to occur. Creating a printed hard copy matrix of what account is payed with what bank account has lead to a rather lengthy list of accounts, associated links, account numbers, monthly payments and login information. All neatly and graphically organized just incase the system crashes.

With all of this information stored and buzzing around the internet, it is no wonder that fraud is on the rise. Yet, like any malady that obstructs our freedoms temporarily, troublshooting web related finacial issues is and only will become more of our daily life.

As we move towards the future of realizing that some punk in New Jersey has used our credit card to play online games through a company in Delhi, India, we realize that although we are no longer doing things like we used to, we do have a new set of pain in the ass issues to deal with such modern conveniences.

This is Bill Maher interviewed on the mainstream television program MSNBC Scarborough Country. Be sure to listen to the end where he supports his argument and disdain for the current US administration by siting Bush's support for Raytheon and the contract it has with the US Army. This is the first time I have seen this argument being aired. FINALLY!

Ah! Some main stream media evidence that the tide is turning and the truth is being revealed. Bill Maher, the voice of reason.!

Man the lifeboats!!! The United States is leaking...

If it isn't the CIA report about the spread and growth of Jihad due to the Iraq war, then it was the leak caused by Guidant and Abbott Labs over the deal to buy Guidant way from Boston Scientific. If not the board of Hewlett Packard leaking info through its recently departed chairwoman, then it is the Bush administration leaking the identity of our own CIA operative Valerie Plame.

The United States has adopted and implemented a new strategy in Machiavellian tactics from the boardroom to the oval office. Today we are a culture obsessed with keeping secrets from each other, only to strategically leak information very carefully out to the public in order to ruin people's careers and spin the facts to support our particular cause.

The media is in league with executives and polititians in order to spin the public about who is rating out who in order to keep the Presidents poll numbers from rising or sinking.

We are a divided nation hell bent on rooting out the enemy which in many cases in our own selves, and exposing them to the public media in order to demonize those that disagree with our cause or ideas.

Hugo Chavez thought he was merely stating the facts when he was standing at the rostrum at the UN last week. In reality he was leaking a whole vat of spin that many have not had the proper vernacular to understand at after 6 years of chaos in the world. There was no call to some obscure reporter at the New York Times or Fox news. He just bypassed all of that secrecy and blasted his strategy from the podium at the United Nations.

You may think that this is nothing new if you are a student of political science. Then again, you may think that each new fall season brings the same forecasts for a long winter.

Either way, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror each day and see if the image we see is doing something good or doing something evil that day.

When parents get old...

We all have parents of some kind. Some biological, some step parents, some nuclear parents etc etc.

Some of us are close to our parents, some are estranged and some have never even met them.

For those who maintain some sort of relationship with their parents, inevitably they run into the fact that they are growing older and that you now are responsible for them instead of them being responsible for you, if you are to keep the relationship growing and consistant that is. This is just one of the laws of nature I find.

It is at this point where communication styles and heirarchy perceptions must be discussed, in order to continue with any sort of harmionic overtones that may be part of the relationship. This inevitably comes up, and if it is not addressed and discussed then the potential for the growth away from one another is inevitable. This will in tern lead to damage, lonliness and insecurity for both individuals in the relationship.

Regardless of how difficult it is to discuss such matters, it must be done in order to move on and grow further into ones life. As our parents get older, they become more vulnerable and fearful of life, as they are not able to cope as they used to when they had all of their faculties in top shape. It is indeed cathartic to realize this without them actually admiting to such a phenomena. So when it does, and the signals are right there in front of your face, it is time to take action and formulate some sort of dialogue that addresses and raises awareness of new perceptions in the realationship.

To ignore such signals is analogous to losing an arm or a leg.

The Extreme Pressure of Being Chinese...

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In a recent article published in the New York Times, a trend in Shanghai was discussed where young and affluent Chinese parents are obsessed with sending their children to schools that teach "skills" that will better equip them to interact with the west.

Golfing, Polo, playing the violin, eating and dining manners, polite relations with the opposite sex were all sited as desired skills that parents of today's children did not learn when they were growing up and therefore want for their own children.

When I lived in Singapore for a few years, I grew to appreciate the duality of being Chinese. Singapore is around 72% Chinese, and I noticed that all had to go through life not only perfecting their mastery of Chinese culture, but also learn western language and culture in order to compete and survive.

In talking with a very close and intimate friend in Korea, she also concurred with the pressures put on Korean children to perform not only academically, but know about and possess modern skills that will help them compete in life and integrate well on a social level with other cultures, specifically the rich and powerful west.

Parents in China and other Asian nations have to shell out huge sums of money for these extra curricular schools that teach their children things that they as parents are not capable of teaching to their children. My female friend in Korea and I both concurred that it is most ideal to have parents teach their children the things they need in life to not only compete and survive, but to also enjoy an delight in. (ice skating, hitting a baseball, playing the guitar, surfing, scuba diving etc.)

However, admitting that you as a parent are not able to teach your child how to play golf because you have to work 80 hours a week in order to pay for his or her golf lessons is an astute judgment on the part of the parent. At least the child is being taught and guided while you are not there to do it yourself. Corporations love this kind of employee commitment.

This poses a very interesting question at the developing globalised world of capitalism, culture and socialisation of modern individuals. Are we better off sending our children to others to learn the things we cannot as parents teach them, or do we not work as hard and as long, in order to develop ourselves into better teachers for our children? In the process saving money along the way, and growing closer to our children as opposed to farther away from them while they learn valuable skills needed not only to survive in this world, but to enjoy and appreciate life as well.

The saying is true...

Live in New York City too long and you grow hardend.

Live in San Francisco too long and you grow soft.

The 5th season

Its after labour day now, and all is quieting down in the San Francisco bay area.

The kids are back in school, gas prices are falling, the days are getting shorter, the foggy afternoons will dissipate and the warm sunny weather will only increase now until winter.

I so look forward to the next 7 weeks where the sunsets at Ocean Beach are the most spectacular, the wine country will begin its harvest and the scent of processed grapes will fill the air.

The sport of surfing begins its annual quality improvement program, and footballs will replace baseballs.

The Opera and the Symphony crank up their fund raising efforts, and I will pull out my golf clubs and head north to get in a few rounds before winter sets in.

I'll put away my flip flops and linen pants only to take out my leather jackets and scarves. The crabs will come into season, I'll make ratatouillle, and I'll switch from drinking summer white wines to cabarnets, zinfandels and burgundies....yummy!

I'll begin to listen to my collection of Jazz music again, and let all of that loud frenetic and fast paced music of the summer sit idle now on my hard drives and mP3 players.

I think it is this time of the year that keeps me here is San Francisco over any other. I have always said I would move to Hong Kong in a heartbeat, but if I were to leave the city by the bay and make such a transition, I would still return for the months of September and October...

The 5th season...

America's Polygamy problem

It is rather ironic that in my return to California I traveled through Utah.

Lately the media is filled with stories of this Warren Jeffs character who is presumed to have organized many such teenage marriages as well as allegedly fathered over 75 children himself in numerous marriages to women.

I must say that although the scenery of Utah is some of the most beautiful I have ever scene, the place definitely has an eerie vibe to it because of the people there.

Case in point, I was in need of some breakfast as I was nearing Provo, Utah yesterday and eyed a sign for a diner along highway 6. I decided to stop and see if I could find a some needed fuel for my body.

As soon as I walked in my radar when crazy as I saw what was my first taste of Mormon style living. A dining area that was also part of the hap hazard retail area. Over half of the 8 or so uncleared tables had meals half eaten by customers who had left. There were numerous children ranging from ages 2 to 4 running around the place yelling and screaming. There also were numerous signs indicating that restrooms were for paying customers only. (there were no homeless people in this rural region) Needless to say I gave this establishment a miss.

Later on down the road, I stopped at yet another diner for my breakfast and my radar readings were confirmed yet again. Although this place was much cleaner and more organized, the same scene prevailed. Loads of young children yelling and screaming. Each young white couple was accompanied by at least 2 children and some had as many as 4. No couples, no other ethnicities besides Caucasian, no seniors and no friends out for Sunday brunch together.

My scratching the surface in Utah brings me to the conclusion that there is something definitely wrong going on in Utah...

Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park

Bonneville salt flats Utah

Traveling across the US

LakeTahoe,California















Northern Nevada















Bonneville Salt Flats Utah














Western Wyoming














Nebraska














Iowa














Minnesota














Colorado

The ever changing California coastline

So there was a big vote in Monterey this week on issues pertaining to the protection of the California coastline's fish populations.

Many veteran scuba divers and environmentalists have claimed that through the years there has been a marked decrease in fish populations from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara.

The professional fisherman have survived before restrictions on "trawling" in this area of the Pacific that ends on the coastal waters of the Golden state.

Some of the language of the proposed legislation was rather interesting. One such proposal which was passed was to "ban all human activity" in a 110 square mile area off the the coast. (bad news for everyone!)

Other such arguments that were brought forward were in an effort to curb the decrease commercial fishing off the coast, why not concentrate on the inland activity (i.e. pollution) that is poured into the ocean thus, degrading the environment for fish to thrive. Another backed up by published reports was that marine sanctuaries indeed do protect and benefit fish populations.

It looks like this proposition will basically take ocean access away from both people wanting to use the ocean for profit as well as recreation.

The fish now have a proposed law that will allow them to relax and take it easy in high rent areas of the California coastline. Whether they decide to take advantage of this offer to roll the red carpet out for them remains to be seen. When I was diving in Korea a few weeks ago, it appeared that all of the fish that had been populating the eastern Pacific had moved over to Korea and were basking in warmer waters.

Learning new languages

Today I am exhausted.

My 30 s0mething brain just will not absorb into it my language lessons. With so many contradictions, learning to read write and speak hangul is overwhelming me this day.

I am getting better at reading out loud and with pronunciation, but my comprehension still lags behind my desire to speak and understand the language.

In learning another language I realize how much I take for granted in using th english language as I do. I take joy in creatively wordsmithing on a daily basis using the language that appears to be the worlds default way to communicate.

There are more online resources that are coming on line each day, but there is no substitute for face to face interaction. Of which I seem to get very little of.

I reccommend everyone try and learn as many languages as they can in this modern global world we live in. As soon as I feel comfortable with Hangul, I'll be moving onto Chinese.

Integrating language learning into ones daily life is the future of understanding, peace and prosperity I think.

So today I am feeling a bit like a "Mong chong ah"

Incompetence in the banking, insurance and government industries

I am sick and tired of dealing with the necessary evils of banking and insurance companies!

Whether it is contributing to check fraud, issuing multiple checks for an insurance claim, freezing foreign accounts that can only be unlocked with expensive attorneys, holding onto deposits for over 7 days while they earn exorbitant interest off of the sum, leaving out important information regarding monthly fees, limiting the coverage that you need in a crisis and a whole slew of other such irritating and time consuming F@#$! ups and SOPs!

The people that work in banks and insurance companies are so beholden to the chain of command that they are forced into these errors of judgment and temptations to deviate from their job which is to serve the customer as well as their employer.

Here in California, processing a claim for an auto accident is a full time job! Dealing with the incompetence of the DMV alone needs an assistant to stay on top of the inefficiencies of dealing with poorly trained employees and lazy beaureaucrats.

If only they would execute what they promise to do I would not be getting so red in the face! The reality is though that the complexities and politics involved in such jobs is so mind boggling that the employee of such an institutionalized ball of incompetence such as a globallized banking firm is relegated to behaving like an ignorant fool that ends up getting a lot of people and companies in hot water, which then the expensive attornies have to step in to rectify the situation and make normal again.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scuba diving off Jeju Island

Jeju diving

Jeju Island's Sea Women...part 2

Awhile back I wrote about my fascination with Jeju Island's Sea Women.

So I'm visiting South Korea this week taking in a bit of the seaside and sights of the land of morning calm. I finally made it to Jeju island for some scuba diving and to see for myself the famous "Sea Women" of Jeju.

They are indeed real and very prominent on the coast. Rhythmically bobbing up and down in the shoals of the bays of Jeju island, they collect their revenue from the sea.

Many pop culture icons, art and sculpture made in the image of these economic divas decorate the island.

They are indeed unique and fascinating.

p.o.t.u.s

In reading over the bill of rights and the constitution this morning, a few things about the President of the United States occur to me. One such item is the President of the US must leave behind his or her state infused ideologies in order to rise to the occasion of understanding and knowing where to lead the entire nation of 50 states.

Not just the few large and mature states (California, Texas, Illinois, New York) nor must he/she curry favor with the smaller (population wise) states (Rhode Island, Hawaii, Montana or Utah)at the expense of the entire nation.

Today much of our success and future growth in the US depends on how we relate with the rest of the world. The ideas of life, liberty and the pusrsuit of happiness apply to all of the races of the world who continue to come the US to become educated, seek clean water and a untainted food supply, seek health care for their families and exercise their right to own and maintain property which includes their own business.

The president has an awesome responsibility to balance the freedoms that are allowed locally while working with the US's foreign policy that is some times at odds with the values and activities of the citizens of the US.

The American people need to be more careful I think in understanding these rights and freedoms that are allowed to them by these sacred documents. They need to be more aware of who they allow to occupy the office of the President and how it effects the world they live in. For who they vote into office of the president will effect the growth towards chaos or towards harmony in the world as well as the US.

More and more each day it is imperative that the President of the United States must see an increasingly bigger picture of where and how the US will continue its growth and helping others achieve freedom, peace and prosperity. In doing so the president must be able to put aside his or her previous private pursuits or projects and focus on leading the entire nation as well as the world to a higher place.

This means putting someone into the office of President who will not use the power of the position to service his or her own private interests or that of a specific group or individual industry. To do so is beyond treason.

There is no accommodation or amendment in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution that addresses this notion of what in short is the highjacking of the government to serve private and individual interests. Therefore "We the People" must be sharp enough to realize what we have in the US, and not let it be taken away from us.

In paticular is this line from the US Constitution...

"No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay."

I think we as a nation are paying the price right now for this egregious violation of this constitutional amendment.

Goddamned Texans!

MMMMMMMotorcycles!!!!!

Moto GP at Laguna Seca.

So I drove by the race this morning on my way out of Monterey. I just wanted to check the scene and see what was there. On the way into the race track at Fort Ord, the local race organizers had all of the motorcycle traffic use Reservation Road to the east of the track to separate cars from motorcycle fans.

Motorcycles were everywhere and the vibe was injected with anticipation for a day of racing. I'll definitely be back next year for the whole experience.
Moto GP

Laguna Seca 06

I'm back in the saddle....agian.

Just returned from my mechanic where my VFR was being repaired after my crash several weeks ago.

Now that I have my first crash, ensuing insurance company debacle and subsequent recuperation, I can say that I am a wiser rider now. My cred is real from here on out.

As I took my motorcycle through its paces in the Presideo, I felt my mojo return to previous levels, but with a new little voice inside my head saying to "slow down" and "be more careful and alert." My moron radar has just been upgraded as well to look out for the other drivers who are oblivious to us two wheeled types.

Crashing, repairing and working the system in California is indeed a minefield and a very large headache. None the less, I navigated my way through the process and am now back to normalcy. I just have to receive my bonus check from State Farm and then battle once more with Ca DMV to register my now "salvaged" motorcylce. Ptssss!

Just in time too, as I plan my next summer odyssey back east next month...

The women I love...

Unfortunately...
Blogger will only let me love 9 women at a time...There are more.

Stinson Beach

Taking the day off at Stinson Beach...

Laughing at service disdainers....

It seems that there is an overabundance of those that think they deserve a certain high service level when they are out in the marketplace spending their money.

It could be at a restaurant, the dry cleaners, the mail and packaging store, the physician or even the bank.

There is prevailing mentality today that says, "I have money so I deserve service according to my standards." Now granted there are certain individuals who hate their jobs in the service sector flipping burgers, problem solving cell phone issues as well as folding sweaters at Neiman Marcus. These people are meant to be read properly and handled with care in order to escape with your desired purchase without a lot of confrontation and bad vibrations that can cause a scene. But it is those who think they are above the service sector work force that makes these people who work there hate their jobs, therefore deliver poor service.

A "service disdainer" is one who is always trying to correct the service levels that are delivered to them. They are bent on trying to customize their buying experience by telling the service rep how to do their job so that they can feel good about themselves being treated the right and proper way.

The reason I laugh at these people who generally cause the world of goods and services exchanges to be a much less desireable, is that they look so stupid trying to tell someone in public that they would like their ass kissed as well as more ice tea "when it is convenient."

These service disdainers look for people who are not properly trained or are having a bad day at their job in order to satisfy their ego and delusionally thinking that they are going to receive better service if they condescend their server or sales person.

The situation is laughable to watch unfold. It has become a modern form of entertainment to watch the so called "BMW driving prick" try and get a service level that makes them feel superior while their server is deliberately changing their behavior to anger their customer because of their attitude.

This is bad for business and it is bad for human relations, but it is good for free entertainment.

The future of world security...

This is a long post, so strap yourself in.

It appears that the current state of world security is in a chaotic state of flux and no one knows how or when things will improve. Both sides of the two party system in the "unUnited States" are at eachother's throats and the rest of the world is crumbling daily due to our lack of leadership in bringing peace to the world.

With daily bombings around the world carried out in a very nondescript fashion, and the media coverage that prevails now in the modern era we live in, everyone knows who is to blame and it is just a matter of understanding the politics of these groups that now run our government.

Unfortunately, the politics of the current US government is determined to carry out perpetual war as it feeds its private interests in oil and arms. This highjacking of the US government by greedy corporate interests is a sign of things to come. Creating war for them is big business. The more of it the bigger the profits.

In the United States the system of capitalism has been set up to reflect a relatively stable system in which to make a profit with the support and legitimacy of the legal system and highly sophisticated infrastructure for designing, developing and distributing the fruits of a capitalistic society (the manufacturing part of that statement is has now been removed). Many come to the US to become educated and make contacts in order to return to their native country to begin their own enterprise, or stay on and become an American citizen and live dream that is propagated through the media around the world of "freedom and individuality."

This system is in jeopardy now as the world is not only questioning the US and its actions, but it has learned enough of the US model to implement in their own native nations and thus are able to bypass the US all together now in transacting business and building their own economies.

So where am I going with this??

What I want to see happen is somewhat radical in its approach, but none the less, drastic circumstances call for drastic solutions. I think the solution lies in the systematic dismantling of "conventional" military solutions to world problems is at the heart of my proposal.

It appears that there is a certain political group in the US that has rose to power in the last 30 years exploiting and profiting from the growth of the oil and arms businesses, among others. They are fixated on solving problems that they are involved with by using conventional military solutions to force the opposition or enemy into a position of submission that serves their self interest. Making bold an coercive statements with the US foreign policy and then using the conventional military that is assigned to carry out that foreign policy is their strategy. Many of the businesses in the US that supply our war machine are under the wing of this group who now have the reigns of power in the US government and are able to improve and grow their business interests by creating more conventional war around the globe thus justifying more conventional military spending at the government levels.

It is really quite diabolical when you do the research.

My solution to this problem is to phase out the conventional military and dismantle the business infrastructure that supplies and profits from this strategy of perpetual war so as to continue their corporate profits and growth.

In place of a conventional security force that is trained to wear fatigues, drive camouflaging vehicles and eat food that comes from a can or vacuum sealed plastic bags, I propose the NSA and CIA divisions take the place of conventional soldiers.

Imagine a world where there is no more war "theatre" to cover for the daily news bits that we as citizens are forced to follow hoping to get an idea of where the worlds peace level is at. The fighting forces of tomorrow will be wearing Italian suits in Europe, turbans in the middle east, tshirts in California and sarongs in Indonesia. The systematic dismantling and changing the way groups or nations fight to resolve their issues needs to be changed, redirected and funded accordingly.

Conflicts among political groups will never end, but the way in which they resolve these conflicts can change. By training highly sophisticated government agents to carry out foreign policy without "invasion" by conventional means is the solution to world peace and prosperity.

It is a matter of creating and using stupid people who blindly follow facistic leaders who prey on their weaknesses for pride and respect of religion to carry out the governments wishes or creating and using smart independent American citizens who can drink tea in the deserts of Saudi Arabia or eat fish brains in Shanghai, China, speak 5 to 6 languages and understand the history and culture of all the worlds nations in order to respect them and work together to protect one another in this world.

Replacing fatigued batallions with individual and highly trained business men and women who are on the US payroll, will end this stupidity that the US is currently spewing and bring the world back to peace and prosperity for all and not just the gun dealers and oil barons. Think of all of the !@#$! money spent on boots, helmets, bullets, RPGs, shoulder fired missiles, tanks, military designed computer hardware and software not to mention tools, nuts, bolts training facilities, military bases, infrastructure and those horrible MREs that probably have stuff in them that causes insanity to those who eat them.

Drop the uneducated uniformed soldier from the Pentagon's budget and create and fund the PhD, MBA worldclass athlete instead. The future of world security, growth and prosperity hang in the balance.

Daily barometer reading

It is an awesome day today!

The sound and appearance of stupidity..

It is our generalizations that make us sound and appear ignorant and stupid. Failing to analyze and discuss the minutiae of things allows for quick judgments which then lead to generalized conclusions of things. From there stupidity follows.

This is why I love San Francsico...

SF jazz

Jacqui Naylor and friends storm the Fillmore.















Last weekend was the annual Filmore Jazz Festval. It is an opportunity to get out into the sunshine and soak up some smooth sounds and zesty treats.

The transformation of Fillmore Street is wonderful as it is turned into a market complete with entertainment, food and drink as well as areas to relax and enjoy the scenery and music.

As I left the scene after catching the last set of Jacqui Naylor and her band of musicians, I felt uplifted in a way that only San Francsico can deliver.