Spam

Today's post is about Spam. And no, I'm talking about that wonderful meat, the kind with who know's what's in it and that Monty Python sang about back in the 1970's; I'm referring to the junk e-mail that always clogs up my Outlook Express. I'm sure everybody gets a ton a day and it's a chore just to stay ahead of it. The point I'd like to speak about today, is not just that it's annoying to receive so much, it's that there's a certain kind that really annoys me. They are the kind that look like they came from - me!

Yes, I routinely send myself news about penis enhancers, sales receipts from Amazon, offers to get a Phd., monthly newsletters and invoices and alerts from banks I don't even go near. As if! I don't know how the spammers figured out this little trick, to make spam look like it came from me so that I'll look at it, but it certainly needs to be looked into by somebody that regulates interstate commerce. I mean, this needs to be nipped in the bud! (As our old friend, Barney Fife was always saying). I most certainly do not send myself bills or statements, offers (no matter how enticing they sound!), newsletters, purchase confirmations, eBay alerts, or the one that shows the most chutzpah - an e-mail from me to me and all it says in the subject line is "Hi." Would I bother to send myself a message that just says hello? I don't think so.

So, in closing, I'd like to hope that the spammers get past this little gimmick, and soon, and that this annoying practice ceases and desists.

Oh, and there's one other kind of spam I won't ever fall for, never in a million years. If you want to catch my attention and have even a slim chance of me looking at your message, don't - whatever you do - don't address it as being from [no sender] and containing the subject line [no subject]. I mean, would you look at something that's about nothing from nobody?

I didn't think so.

Keep up the boycott of Wal-Mart, and together we might send them a message. Although, at this point I've forgotten what it might have been, seeing as how other places I shop instead of Wal-Mart keep going out of business. Whatever, it's still a relevant thing to do. We'll show that giant corporation that David can still put a knot in his kneecap. And who knows, maybe they'll get back to selling real merchandise once more, and things that people actually need. Aloha.

America, Land Of The Free

With a new year fast approaching, I thought this would be an appropriate time to say how proud I am that I live in a country where I enjoy the freedom to blog and share my opinions with the world. People can't do that in every country. The United States of America was formed so that people who chose to live here could have the freedom to live life as they choose, without a tyrannical monarch ruling their every movement. There's a reason why the U.S.A. is called the "land of the free and the home of the brave."

So that we can continue to enjoy our freedom, men and women throughout the history of this great nation have given the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, just so that we can stay free. There's a reason why we, as a nation, erect so many monuments to these fallen brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and uncles, and why we equate the name "hero" with them. It's to honor those who have died fighting for this great society. Who among you cannot be awed and humbled when standing in front of the rows and rows of headstones at the revered Arlington Cemetery?

And the flag that always waves atop the Iwo Jima monument:

Or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? A monument honoring a nameless soul who died fighting for what he believed in:

And now, some of my antecedents, (which I don't often show in public!) What many on here may not realize is that I served in this nation's Armed Forces, when I was a member of the US Army:

I also did a short stint in the Navy, when I served aboard the U.S.S. Martini:

And, in my younger days, I was a cowboy who fought in the wild, wild west:

Just so nobody thinks I'm making light of anything, I want you to know that I was proud to have served this country while I was in the Army. I felt that I was helping, in a tiny way, to preserve the freedoms that we have known and loved for over 200 years. Freedoms for which others have died to protect. So, it saddens me when I see something like what I saw this past Monday. I was out Christmas shopping (thank goodness we still have some freedom to worship the way we want to....) with my sister-in-law, when an Indiana State Trooper pulled me over in the Toys R Us parking lot. The offense I was potentially guilty of? Not wearing my seat belt! How insignificant can you get? Now, a short bit later, we were almost ran down while crossing the road on foot by an angry woman in an SUV. Where were the police to help save my life in that instance? They were nowhere to be seen. I'll tell you why. They're not interested in saving our lives. They're busy earning all that overtime pay, which the United States Government grants to states if they will enforce the seat belt law.

It would seem to me that in the "Land of the Free," we would have the right to decide for ourselves whether or not to wear seat belts. Isn't that the very essence of freedom? Not to have some tyrannical power telling us every little thing that we can and can't do in our ordinary lives? Our government has become exactly what we were running away from when we formed the United States in the 1776. Are you sick and tired of seeing freedom after freedom of yours being taken away by some law that they say is ostensibly designed to help keep you "safe?" Know this - the United States Government or your state governments are not interested in saving your lives. They couldn't care less if you should live or die. They just do what they're told to do so that the tax money or the grant money will keep coming in. Remember that little phrase you learned in high school? That our form of government was "of the people, by the people and for the people?" That means that you and I are the boss. I think it's high time we start exercising our executive powers and tell them we don't want any more new laws that are designed to "protect" us. And, it's high time we tell them to reverse a few that are on the books already because they're not actually worth the paper they're printed on. In a free society, we have the right to decide matters that affect our own lives. So, all those laws saying it's illegal to smoke in a bar, but it's not bad enough to just outlaw cigarettes, should be repealed. If smoking is so harmful to people's health, why aren't they just outlawed? I'll tell you why. The government gets too much tax money from the sale of cigarettes. Doesn't that sound hypocritical to you? Oh, they don't care whether you die from smoking, they just want their money. And they don't care whether or not you die in an automobile accident. If they did, they would be going after the people that cause the accidents, the wreckless drivers, instead of the helpless victims of potential accidents. If they actively pursued the causes of most automobile accidents, the drivers that are the ones that kill and maim regularly, it would be much safer for ordinary people to drive these roads in America. Don't let them tell you that seat belts save lives and that it's the only reason they force you to wear them by passing laws to such effect. Studies have proven that the mandantory wearing of seat belts has not resulted in a decrease in traffic fatalities. There are also studies which prove cracking down on wreckless drivers improves traffic safety. I mean, that one is obvious to me, as it should be to you.

So, are you going to continue taking whatever the United States Government force feeds down your throat in the name of safety? I'm not! I am an American and I have the freedom to decide for myself how to live my life and to keep it safe. And I'm going to do everything I can to prove it in the coming year. The first thing is to try and get rid of that ridiculous seat belt law which hasn't saved any more lives than before it was "the law of the land." That's got to go. It's time for every good American to take back control of their own life. You have that right guaranteed to you in the Constitution, you know. And if you value your freedom and want to be able to have selection in where you shop, stop going to Wal-Mart or there won't be any other stores left and they can then charge whatever they want. There goes your bargains. You've already lost the selection that Wal-Mart used to offer, so that's no longer an attraction for them.

They're Not Just Toy Cars Any More!

Lately, I have been excavating through my Hot Wheels collection and finding out that there are some old ones I have that are worth quite a lot of money! I found a Hot Wheels Road Grader, still in it's original package, (like most of mine are), and the price sticker was still on it. When I purchased it in 1988, it cost me .77 cents. Today, I have seen where it's worth $45! So, what I thought was just some old diecast cars that I couldn't part with might turn out to be a collection actually worth something! Now, they're not all Hot Wheels, of course. I have some Matchbox cars, and other brands such as Road Champs, Johnny Lightning, Sun Toys, Zylmex, Yatming, Corgi Junior, The Lindberg Line, Playart, Summer Toys, Zee Toys, Majorette, Ertl and my newest discovery - Maisto Diecast cars. I even have some that are so inexpensive, (i.e. cheap!) that they don't have the name of the manufacturer on the base!

So, having figured out that I need to think of them as more than just toys, I have started photographing my collection and posting them here and there on the internet. You probably remember seeing a few of them on this blog in past post. But, taking pictures of a tiny car or truck just sitting there can get somewhat repetitious and boring at times. So, to jazz things up a little, I have been thinking of themes and backgrounds for various cars and posing them in such a way as to make them look more like real cars. This is probably why I like models that look like real cars rather than custom cars that were either one-offs by customizing kings like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, George Barris and Boyd Coddington, or just made-up designs to look fascinating. Here are a few that turned out interesting and I'll tell a little bit about them underneath each image.

Here is a Hot Wheels Dairy Delivery truck that I photographed just last night. I even created the Milk Advertisement seen on the billboard behind it! I thought it was pretty good, so if the Milk Council feels a need to use it, feel free to contact me about it!

The first car I ever bought, back when I was 17 years old and still in high school, was a huge, mile long 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood. They made less than 3500 of this model and had I only known it was so rare, I probably would still have it today. But, nevertheless, I have always had a fondness for Cadillacs, so I wanted to make the Hot Wheels Cadillac V-16 Concept car above look classy. I posed it on the big city streets like they use in the current crop of Cadillac commercials on television.

I liked those big city streets, so I put a Hot Wheels 1964 Lincoln Continental in the same setting. Don't you just love convertibles!?

This is a Hot Wheels Dodge Charger Stock Car. What better place to find a model such as this but on the racetrack!?

Here is a Hot Wheels 1957 Thunderbird. I own a Ford Thunderbird, so I thought this one would look good on the track as well.

This is a Hot Wheels convertible truck known as a Dodge Sidewinder. I tried to photograph it in such a way as to make it look like it was travelling through the city at a great rate of speed.

This one is a Hot Wheels casting of an Airport Rescue vehicle. Where else would you find one but on some airport runway somewhere? Hopefully no flights were landing when the picture was taken.

Speaking of flying vehicles, here is a Police Helicopter from my newest find - Maisto Diecast. They are quite interesting and have some rare models. I just discovered them this year, so I suspect Maisto is a fairly new company.

I have also taken to buying 2 or 3 identical models of cars I really like so that I can have one for my collection and at least one to customize. Pictured above is a Hot Wheels 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback. I have several of them and this is one that I drilled apart, stripped the paint and repainted it in gloss black. For a hot car such as this, I figured it would look good making a pass down the quarter-mile dragstrip. Hence it's blurred wheels as it sped past me.

And lastly, a set of Hot Wheels that were released in 2003 called the Wild Wave Series. You had to buy each one separately and when you had all five, you had the complete set. Since they featured a surf theme, complete with surfboards, what better place to photograph them than at the beach? Here they are all posed by the shore, with their boards drying in the sun. It looks like their owners just finished surfing and have went to the hamburger stand for some food. This was the first scenic picture I took of my cars and the pleasure of coming up with a theme and a picture for the cars continues to grow. I have lots of fun trying to think of a theme for certain cars and the next one I have in mind will feature a military Jeep flying over a sand dune on it's way through the desert. If you want to see more of my cars, you can check out the Hot Wheels Wiki, the Matchbox Cars Wiki and a wiki I started myself, the Maisto Diecast Wiki. These are all interactive sites where anybody can add and change content. It's a great place to hang out and study the cars or add new information and pictures of vehicles not already represented there. So, be sure to check those places out sometime!
And remember, you can find all kinds of 1:64 scale diecast cars and trucks like I do at lots of places other than Wal-Mart.

My Latest Novel

I haven't been doing much lately, but I did get some good news yesterday. I received the page proof for the cover of my new novel. And, boy did they ever come close to the description I sent in of what I had envisioned for it! I can't wait to see it when it's finally published and I can hold a copy of it in my hands. But, for now, I was able to order some galley copies - actual books, but with a blank white cover on the outside - and those should arrive before it's released to the general public. I know you'll be able to order copies of it from my publisher's website, PublishAmerica, and any online bookstore, but you will also be able to find it in local bookstores, too. Or you can contact me. I'm sure I'll have some copies available for purchase later on. Until then, please just look over the front cover below and ingest it's period ambience like I'm doing!

I hope it's not available for sale at Wal-Mart, by the way.

Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?

Doesn't the above image just make your mouth water? Chances are, if you're like me and like good food, it will. It's an image of my homemade Beef Stew. I love to eat, so therefore I have to cook. And cooking is so much more fun when you make exciting dishes like Beef Stew or other recipes that take a lot of skill. In today's post, I thought I'd show a few recipes that I have cooked and enjoyed. Some of them are my own creations, so if you see anything that looks good, don't hesitate to ask for the recipe.

This is a nice, light dish you can serve as a meal in itself when it's hot. I call it my Five Star Ham Salad.

Here is a Golden Puff Batter recipe that I got from sister. I use it to make homemade chicken nuggets or chicken planks. Tastee! I could eat my weight in them.

Here, of course, is a nice Lasanga that I made Thursday night. Love that Italian food.

Pizza is usually credited as an American dish, but it really goes back to the ancient Etruscans, in Northern Italy. It is my favorite food because you can have it so many ways. I make my own crust and sauce. It's better that way.

Who doesn't like a good Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich?

Here is a lovely creation called a Mediterranean Beefsteak Sandwich. Quite nice tasting, actually. With a hint of Italy.

Here is a Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe that I created and it always goes over well when I serve it for guests. It's got stuffing and bacon on the inside, as well as mushrooms.

Now, here's a dish that I'm proud to have created! I call it Cornholios. It's made using flour tortilla shells and other ingredients, and boy is it spicy!

A more traditional Spanish recipe, Chicken Enchiladas. I grew up only a few hours away from Mexico in Southern Arizona, so I acquired a taste for Spanish food at a young age. The spicier it is, the better I like it!

Homemade Biscuits are always great for breakfast!

I have apple trees in my backyard, so what could be better than fresh Apple Cobbler when they're in season? I just go in the back, pick an armload of apples off the tree and voila! A dessert that tastes great with melted vanilla ice cream on top.

And, lastly but not least, these are called Irish Mist Brownies. They're rich and chocolatey, but they're good! Don't forget - I don't buy any of my cooking supplies at Wal-Mart, so neither should you.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

I was doing some research for my other blog, Music For Every Mood, and happened to remember that I had recorded the song I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas, the old Gayla Peevey song from 1953. Well, all you fans out there of the mighty Hippo can rest easy, while you listen to my version of this Christmas classic, which I recorded on November 26th, 2000 in one take. May you know the joy and freedom that the impending holidays can provide! And, may you not shop at Wal-Mart and still know the ecstasy of the season.

I Love Lucy - I Really Do!

This is just a short post to share with you something I found quite interesting. Growing up, I always watched and was a fan of the old television series, I Love Lucy. Who hasn't seen it or are familiar with the plotlines: Wacky wife always gets into trouble and her Cuban husband still loves her. The show debuted in 1951 and has not been off the air in repeats since. Of course I bought all the episodes on DVD, which everybody should own this classic show, and I watch them all the time. On one of the sets they had the original studio session for when they recorded the show's classic opening theme and as you listen to it, you can hear that it was take 2. So, here is that instantly familiar take 2 version of a tune you probably know by heart - the I Love Lucy Theme, Take 2. Enjoy it!

If you do go out to purchase the DVD season sets, whatever you do, don't buy them at Wal-Mart! Don't buy anything there.

The Art Of Control

Today's blog is something that has been on my mind for 20 years or more. It is my contention that it either can't be answered because most people do not know the answer, or that the people who do know the answer can't or won't say anything. Does this have you intrigued, or does it have you thinking it's more of that conspiracy theory drivel you've been cautioned about not listening to from so many sources? It's not a conspiracy theory, I can dispell that immediately.

No, what I have been searching for an answer to for all these many years is simply this: Back when I was in grade school, which was during the late 1960's and early 1970's, the word that described someone who was in the process of going from one place to another was said to be and was spelled like this: "travelling." Notice I used 2 letter "L's" in this word. I can still hear my spelling teacher saying that when you have a word that ends in "L" and "ing," I was to add another "L." When it was to be divided between two lines such as "travel-" and "ling," the division would come squarely between the two "L's." Can anybody else remember being taught this rule of the English language?

Sometime in the 1980's, I can't pinpoint the year exactly, the second "L" was dropped from the word "travelling." The spelling "traveling" has since taken over and supplanted the spelling "travelling," and the old spelling is apparently not used anymore. (How would you divide the 2 "L's" between 2 lines now?) Remember the group "The Traveling Wilburys?" That's about the time I first began to notice the change. Here's where I come up against a brick wall. Maybe I can see where cutting down on letters could save space, so the why can possibly be answered in this manner. I say "maybe" only because I didn't know we were running out of space for letters, yet. But the reason for why it might have been changed doesn't answer the rest of it. It's the "who," "what," "when" and "where" that I'm interested in finding out. Such as:

Who handed down the directive that this change in spelling take place? And what authority did they have in doing so?

What was the purpose of taking a perfectly good word that everybody knew how to spell and changing it?

When did this change in spelling take place? Exactly what year? And,

Where did this change come from? It had to have started with one person. Things like this don't just fall out of the sky written in stone for all to follow and obey. Think about that. Millions of people didn't just wake up one morning and decide that the spelling of "travelling" needed to be changed. It had to have started with one person. Who was that one person who changed the spelling of "travelling?"

And now some random ramblings on my part to illustrate why this is so important to me, and why it might mean something to you, too.

I am not aware of any "official" organization or government bureau that is in charge of the "caretaking of the English language." Do you have to have a degree or a license to be able to bring about changes to words in the English language? Do you merely get appointed to the position? Or, can any person off the street just come in and change words whenever they feel like it? If so, I'd like to have a crack at this job!

Can anybody tell me who's in charge of changing the spelling of English words? I'm pretty sure no one will be able to give me an answer that tells me the who and explains the why, what, when and where, also.

Why is this important to me? I'll tell you why and let you see my reasoning. I used the version of "travelling," which I was taught as a youngster, in my first published novel, entitled The Wizard Of Destiny. The book was published before I even noticed that the spelling of that word had been changed to "traveling." I used the spelling of "travelling" because I wanted that spelling and not "traveling." I invested a lot of good years being forced to go to grade school so I could learn something. And I did learn something. I learned how to correctly spell "travelling." But, now that spelling is not correct any more, it seems. It seems like the time I spent learning how to spell "travelling" was wasted. The time I spent learning how to spell "travelling" will never be given back to me or restored in any way. I feel cheated. Wouldn't you feel cheated if you'd spent long years of your life doing something that you were forced to do, by law, only to grow up and find it no longer means anything or applies?

For what purpose was the spelling of "travelling" changed? In the early days of the English language, words got used and misused and, over the centuries, their correct spellings got changed and adjusted. But, this kind of thing happens a lot and was common in a world where there was so much isolation between people. It stands to reason that words are going to get changed when the people who use these words don't necessarily spend a lot of time with other people who use these same words. If somebody didn't tell you that "Pennsylvania" was spelled with two letter "N's" after "Pe-," how would you know that "Pensylvania" was incorrect? And how would you know what the correct spelling was if, when you did see it being used, you saw a multitude of different spellings employed such as "Pennyslvania," "Pensylvania," "Pennfylvania," "Penfylvania," "Pennsylvanya," "Pennfylvanya," etcetera. You can see how confusing this could be if nobody was corrected and everybody repeatedly used a different spelling! But, in this day and age, where people are so connected with the internet, newspaper, radio and television, this shouldn't be a factor and shouldn't be happening. Oddly enough, it is happening! I'd like to know why? The English language should not have to be "tweaked" anymore. It is what it is and it doesn't need to be continually refined and changed. I found an interesting link about how the spelling of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania got changed from 1890 to 1910, by the United States Post Office, no less! I will speak more about the Post Office below. But, here is the link about how the citizens of Pittsburgh themselves had to reclaim the dropped "h" on the end of the name of their beloved city.

And now the United States Post Office. If you are over 40 years old, you probably remember that when States were abbreviated, the abbreviation consisted of three letters, followed by a period. Examples are these are: Ill., Neb., Cal., Nev., etcetera. If you're under 40 years of age, probably the only way you know how to abbreviate States is like this: IL, WA, MS, (is that Mississippi or Massachusetts or Missouri? Who can remember?) Well, you know what I mean. It's a confusing system at best. But this is something I know what I'm talking about, because I was an employee of the United States Post Office when the change from Ill. to IL came about.

Around the year 1990, the United States Post Office started getting computerized machines to sort the mail faster than humans could do it. Evidently, however, the machines had a problem with abbreviations, so they adopted a new code to be implemented for the way you addressed your letters. This was only to be used so that the new machines could do their job better, not meant to be used for any other purpose. But, now.... and you are as aware of this as I am, the 2 letter State codes have supplanted every abbreviation for States and in most cases, the complete original spelling of States isn't even used any more! Why has this happened and why have the 2 letter State codes filtered down into common usage so quickly and absolutely? Do you remember being taught in grade school that when addressing a letter, you used 2 spaces between the end of the state you lived in and where you placed the 5-digit Zip Code? Now, there has been one of those spaces removed. Taken away. Who thought this up, when did it happen and why didn't I get the memo on this correct new way of doing it? Did you get a letter in the mail saying you had to change the amount of spaces you used between the state and zip code? No, of course you didn't. Nobody did. It wasn't written into law or anything official like that. And it's not some commandment you were ordered to follow. So, why does everybody just use one space between the state and zip code now? People weren't forced to change, but yet they have. Why?

You really should be concerned with changes like this so that, if nothing else, you can learn how to spot changes when you face them and be able to recognize them as such. Changes only happen when people let them and there is no reason for the English language to keep changing in this enlightened day and age. Don't just accept things at face value all the time. Ask who, what, when, where and why has the change come about. Ask yourself, is it good for me to just fall in line with what everybody else is doing so I don't seem out of place, or should I really find out why something has changed so I can see whether or not it's something I really need or want?

And while you're thinking about all manner of things being changed right under your noses for no apparent purpose, please remember to not ever shop at Wal-Mart for anything.

Electra Glide In Blue

As a child, I remember that, as a family, we went to a whole lot of motion pictures. We saw all kinds of genres, including westerns, science fiction, dramas, comedies and even epics such as The Ten Commandments, during it's 10th anniversary re-release. I remember seeing my first naked woman in 1967, in some biker movie at the drive-in, just before the ratings system we have today was a known commodity. I remember being pushed down into the backseat of our family station wagon because The Sterile Cuckoo was not a documentary movie about birds or nature. I also remember being scared to death from a movie that was about a bird - a giant vulture, in The Vulture, from 1967. But, mainly, I remember going to a lot of John Wayne movies because my mother was a big fan of The Duke's. Any time he had a new movie come out, we were sure to pack up the car and go see him - whether it was at the drive-in on the outskirts of the town I lived in, or in the little theater in the downtown section by the supermarket. I can remember seeing Big Jake, The Cowboys, and several others in that period beginning in the mid-1960's to the 1970's. And being that the town I grew up in was only about an hour from where the Duke himself lived, I remember getting to preview one of his movies around 1972 before it was released to the general public in 1975 - Brannigan. But, that's another story for another time.

It was the summer of 1973 and I was 12 years old. We were at the downtown indoor theater and John Wayne was putting bad western guys in their place from behind his badge as Cahill - US Marshall. I can remember that before any picture would start, I would watch avidly as the trailers for upcoming movies would be flashed upon the big screen. Most of those pictures I never got to see for some reason or another. Pictures like The Hindenburg, The Godfather or Electra Glide In Blue. They looked so fascinating that I wanted to see them but, I never got to. Especially the last one - that one looked very intriguing. I never got to see any of them that is, until today. Today, I finally got to see Electra Glide In Blue for the very first time in my life. For those who don't know, the picture was about a short guy who was a motorcycle cop and he longed to be a detective so he could trade in his motorbike and not have to waste his life away cruising on the long, desert roads of Arizona. It starred Robert Blake, who was excellent in the role.

The movie was produced by James William Guercio, the same man who managed the rock group Chicago at the time. I've always admired that group. Chicago was featured on the soundtrack, and in addition, four of the members of the group got to appear in the movie as well. A short description of the movie from Wikipedia:

"Blake plays a motorcycle cop named John Wintergreen who patrols the rural Arizona highways with his partner, nicknamed "Zipper" (Billy Green Bush). Wintergreen is a rookie cop who resents being in traffic enforcement and wants to be transferred to homicide investigation. Wintergreen is laid-back but upright about enforcing the law, while Zipper is alternately lazy (preferring to read comic books in the shade) and hardnosed about busting hippies, even going so far as to plant evidence on a young man whose van they were searching."

Blake does eventually get transferred to homicide for a short period of time and solves a murder. The movie itself was filmed in Monument Valley and looks gorgeous, almost like a western. I suppose Blake on his motorcycle was symbolic for the cowboy hero on his horse.

DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT IF YOU INTEND ON SEEING THE MOVIE FOR YOURSELF NOW, FOR I'M ABOUT TO SPOIL THE ENDING FOR YOU.

As I sat there, finally watching the motion picture that I could still remember so vividly from only that short promo I saw for it once back in 1973, it seemed like there was something missing. Why exactly did this motion picture stick in my mind so intensely? Why did I remember this film particularly, from only the brief trailer that must have been made for it? Then, it got to the end of the picture and the final scene unfolded - and the image that was clearly burned into my brain some 35 years ago burst from the screen in front of me. Robert Blake had stopped the van mentioned previously and, upon recognizing him, let him off with just a warning that he get a front bumper on his vehicle. As the hippie and his partner drove off, Blake realized he still had the guy's driver's license in his hand, so he remounted his trusty Harley Davidson Electra Glide and went after him to return it. As he neared the back of the Volkswagen Bus, the hippie driver's travelling companion stuck a double-barrelled shotgun out of the back window and shot Blake squarely in the chest, probably killing him instantly. The whole final scene of the movie was Blake falling off his bike and the momentum of his chase speed carrying it further down the road on it's own. This was the scene I remembered from all those years ago. Closure at last! The end of the movie played out, some 7 or 8 minutes of it, with a camera shot showing Blake dying in the middle of the road, while the vehicle carrying the camera continued on down that road looking back at the Arizona landscape and the highway and the image of Blake's body getting smaller and smaller until you couldn't see it any longer. The last thing you do see is what appears to be a vulture and it flies back toward where the body is lying and the producers of the movie freeze frame the bird when it gets just above one of the rock mountain formations seemingly growing up out of the back end of the highway. Then the credits roll and it's all over. What a powerful movie, and I'm glad to have been able to finally see it after all these years! I can highly recommend it. If you do choose to see it, buy your copy from anywhere but Wal-Mart.

The Time Is Here

To quote Ricky Ricardo when their baby Little Ricky was about due, "The time is here!" As I said in a post from a few days ago, it's a very good idea to be prepared in the event of an emergency. Because in this day and age, not only could you experience a natural disaster such as a tornado, fire, flood or hurricane, you also have to deal with the threat of an economic collapse. Such a thing is very possible. Have you bought anything recently? Have you noticed how everything is going up in price? How long do you think this can go on before the bubble bursts?

Sure, you may have heard people like me mention something about being prepared before, but tonight I heard for the very first time, this same message from a very important and unexpected source: The United States Government. Yes, you heard right. As I was driving home tonight from a gig I had at the Moose Lodge, I heard a public service announcement that asked whether or not you had enough fresh water and non-perishable food items to last for a 72-hour period. Where have you heard that phrase before? Yes, that's the exact same timespan I was advising you to be prepared for on June 30th, 2008! Here's the kicker - this public service announcement was paid for by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Be afraid, be very afraid. But.... get yourself prepared so that your family doesn't suffer during any hard times we could possibly be subjected to. Please take this seriously. And don't forget what I said about not shopping at Wal-Mart! Wal-Mart is bad for you.

It's A New World Order

Of course, I'm quoting lyrics from the song by Ministry, called "N.W.O." But now that that's been dispensed with, we can continue.

Today, I was contacted by the United States Government.

That contact was in the form of an e-mail and it was to enquire about the use of one of the insect pictures that I had taken and posted on BugGuide.net. Specifically, a Bombus pensylvanicus, or as it's more commonly known, the American Bumble Bee. You can see my bee right here.

This fellow was affiliated with the National Biological Information Infrastructure, (NBII), and was asking how he could obtain the correct permissions to use one of my "excellent photographs" (his words), on their website, pollinators.nbii.gov. He asked all the right questions and promised appropriate credits and asked what my image use requirements were to be able to use/reproduce my image on their website.

Now, I don't know about you, but in this day and age, I tend to be just a little bit leery when any branch of the United States Government seeks me out on their own initiative. Even if it is for something so seemingly innocuous-sounding as using my bee picture on their website. Wouldn't you feel that way, too? Regular readers of my blog may have an idea of just what I'm talking about in respect to this.

It's always nice to be given a compliment, who doesn't enjoy that? So, I did a little research online to see if there really was such an organization as the NBII, or a person with the name that had been attached to the e-mail I received. I found out that this person was also affiliated with The Ecological Society of America, which has a street address located in Washington, D.C. Seemingly confirming that this was not a scam of some kind. So far, so good.

Just a little more research, however, brought up other affiliations with the NBII and him. Organizations such as:

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

World Conservation Union

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)

United States Trilateral Committee

Consortium for Conservation Medicine

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (I'd love to sit in on their meetings!)

National Atlas of the United States

Conservation International, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CI-CABS)

The Gaia Institute

Natural Resources Defense Council (be sure to look them up.)

Nature Network (relays live imagery and sound from cameras placed in natural settings throughout the world!)

The Nature Conservatory (another one to look up.)

Wildlife Information Network (seeks to make " . . . information on the health and management of captive and free-ranging wild animals and their habitats readily available to wildlife professionals and decision-makers worldwide.")

Wildlife Trust (empowers local conservation scientists worldwide to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health.)

Horne Engineering Services, Inc.

U.S. Bureau of Land Managment (BLM)

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Energy (DoE)

Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal Geographic Data Committee

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Global Change Master Directory (NASA-GCMD)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The National Park Service (NPS)

U.S. Forest Service

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The Smithsonian Institution

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (funny how they have their finger in everybody's pie!)

All in all, there were lots of links for this guy and his NBII organization, dozens more than I even mentioned. This is a lot of affiliations, perhaps too many. I'm sure the conspiracy-minded among you could make a lot out of some of the groups in the above list. Be sure to research any and all of them that you're curious about.

I did one final thing and Googled the guy's name in particular. The first entry that came up was some kind of experiment he had participated in. This is the title of the paper that was published in relation to that experiment: "Using Fecal Glucocorticoids to Assess Stress Levels in Captive River Otters (2008)." I don't know about you, but that sounds like the kind of thing Hitler was doing back in the 1940's on humans. Maybe I should be very careful with whom I allow the use of my pictures on their websites.

One other thing before I sign out. You'll all remember not to shop at Wal-Mart, right? Yes, my campaign to boycott them is still in effect. The picture below has nothing whatsoever to do with them. It's just a weird little thing I discovered when I was using the online Sim City 4 Terrain Generator to create a custom landform upon which to build a city. It must surely be an oversight on their part, but for some reason, you cannot pull up the terrain for a place called Jekyll Island. You can clearly see it's blanked out - the little island just to the right of center. If you don't know where that is, it's the place where a secretive meeting took place in 1910 and members of the US government and the biggest financiers of the day created the Federal Reserve System. Apparently, it's still an exclusive place for politicians and the uber-rich. I wonder just what's going on there that would prevent Maxis and the makers of Sim City 4 to not be able to include this little island on their Terrain Generator? Be sure to have your 72-Hour Survival Kits ready.

Be Prepared

Everyone is familiar with the old Boy Scout motto of "be prepared." But, in this day and age, it is especially a good idea to be prepared for emergencies. Recently, my area of Southern Illinois had a series of earthquakes that shook the area and got us all to thinking about disaster preparedness.

If you weren't aware of this, this locale was the scene of the most devastating earthquake in recorded history for the United States. Between December, 1811 and February, 1812, a series of quakes hit the town of New Madrid, Missouri, culminating with the biggest one on February 7th, 1812. This earthquake literally reshaped the North American continent. By comparison, the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 was felt moderately over 6,000 square miles, while the New Madrid Earthquake was felt over 50,000 square miles. It even rang bell towers as far away as Boston, cracked sidewalks in Washington D.C. and toppled chimneys in Maine, it was so severe.

So, it can happen literally at any time. People in this area also have to contend with tornadoes, floods, famine and almost every other Biblical plague that can be thought of. With this in mind, I have compiled an informative Earthquake Survival Tips document and a handy list for a 72-Hour Survival Kit. To quote from the first paragraph of the 72-Hour Survival Kit:

"What will you do if disaster strikes your neighborhood: a fire, a riot, a flood, a tornado, a hurricane or an earthquake? The most critical need for help after the disaster is during the first 72 hours, yet community and government assistance will probably not be available during this period. You and your family will be on your own."

Knowing this and being prepared for it will go a long way toward your families' safety and survival. And in this day and age with so many potential threats: Economic collapse, terrorist attack (real and imagined), civil unrest, pandemic (real or imagined), or any of the natural disasters that can befall us at any time, the better you and your family are prepared to cope with these conditions in those first hours after something happens, the better your chances will be of surviving. I can't stress this enough.

And one more thing: This is the final paragraph in my 72-Hour Survival Kit:

"Your plan is like a plant. If you ignore it will die. To keep your plan healthy, you should go over it with each family member at least once every six months. One way to do this is to make a night of it. Pick one night to go over the plan, practice escape routes and contact procedures, call your out of area contact (they’d probably like to hear from you), change the batteries in your smoke detector, and cycle the food and water in your 72 hour kit. This is a fun way to ensure that your family is prepared to react in the event of a disaster."

As Bob Dylan said it so poignantly back in the 1960's, "Oh, the times they are a' changin'."

You can use these handy links to download both documents in Microsoft Word format. They are extremely small files, so the seconds it will take to get them and print them out will add potential years to your families' lifespans.

72-Hour Survival Kit

Earthquake Survival Tips

Oh, and one final word of caution. As you go shopping to purchase these life-saving supplies, do yourself and all of us a favor by not buying these things at Wal-Mart. Who knows what they may be contaminated with considering most of it will probably be a product of China!

Independence Day

Independence Day, 2008. Be prepared. Don't shop at Wal-Mart. You've been told.

Charlton Heston, Part Two

By way of my own special tribute the legendary actor Charlton Heston, I have become one of the characters he portrayed. I guess that needs to be explained a little better.
My sister recently bought a game system called the Wii. If you haven't heard about it, it's the one that has special controllers where, when you swing them, it mimics your actual movements for such games as tennis, golf or bowling. Needless to say, the favorite game at her house seems to be bowling. Whenever I visit her lately, we always seem to end up having heated bowling tournaments. If your front room has started to look like this recently, then you know what I'm talking about:

Yes, the above picture was the "Holiday Bowling Classic," held on this past Easter Sunday. Below you can see what the game looks like as you're playing it:

Well, to finish the story, everyone up at my sister's house has created their own avatar to use when they play. She kept asking me if I wanted to create my own, but I always just used one of the generic characters provided. When Charlton Heston passed away a few weeks ago, it inspired me to finally create my own character. But, where most everybody else tried to recreate, in digital form, an image of themselves more or less; I had to be me and create a true character. One that wasn't myself. My immediate thoughts went to that classic character, one which I had played before on Hallowe'en, Moses - as portrayed by Charlton Heston. While at her house, I pulled up a quick picture of Heston, as Moses, (courtesy of an earlier blog of mine), and used it to recreate as best I could, the face of Heston's Moses for my avatar in Wii bowling. The results I managed to achieve are pictured below:



And, wouldn't you know it? When my Moses character begin playing his first matches, he beat every contender! It also didn't hurt that I had a slew of ready-made phrases for him to use to describe each shot - such as "the parting of the red pins," "Moses found favor in the eyes of the Lord (to play a good game)," "Who is on the Lord's side?", "I shall smite thee in the name of the Lord," "Let my pins go," etc. You get the idea. I think I made a good choice in making this character my avatar. And, not only that, I get to honor the man I always liked as an actor - Charlton Heston. Let me know if you have any similar experiences with the Wii Entertainment Center.

Oh, and if you're inspired to purchase your own Wii game system, please try to find a place to buy it other than at Wal-Mart. You know why.

Charlton Heston, 1923-2008

Charlton Heston was the quintessential American actor who played in films, the theater and on television. I'm not ashamed to admit that he was my favorite actor of all time. Regular readers of this blog know how I feel about his portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments. He was born John Charles Carter, here in my homestate of Illinois, on October 4th, 1923. He passed away last week, April 5th, 2008, of an Alzheimer's related illness. His family released this statement: "Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiselled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession and to his country." I think this pretty much sums up my personal feeling about the man.

Heston in Ben Hur, for which he won an Oscar

Several of his movie roles which I like are:
Dark City (1950)
The Naked Jungle (1954)
Secret Of The Incas (1954)
The Private War Of Major Benson (1955)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Touch Of Evil (1958)
Ben Hur (1959)
El Cid (1961 )
The Pigeon That Took Rome (1962)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
The Agony And The Ecstasy (1965)
Will Penny (1968)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Number One (1969)
Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)
The Omega Man (1971)
Skyjacked (1972)
Soylent Green (1973)
Airport 1975 (1974)
Earthquake (1974)
Midway (1976)
Gray Lady Down (1978)
Alaska (1996)

This is far from being his total filmography, but it gives you a good idea just how popular of an actor he was.
One of his earliest television roles was that of the great American patriot James Otis, which he portrayed on the series Studio One, on November 12th, 1951. You can download and watch this performance for free at the Internet Archive. I highly recommend it!

I know it's just not going to seem right next Easter when I watch The Ten Commandments now that Charlton Heston is gone. I'm sure going to miss him. And remember, if you go to buy some of his classic performances on video or DVD, be sure to shop at a place other than Wal-Mart.

The Joys Of Wal-Mart

After I had tried to upload another group of pictures to my Wal-Mart photo album this past Wednesday, like I had done for almost two years, and found out they no longer accept them and then allow me to pay for them when I get to the actual store, I closed my account. Or rather, I should say I attempted to close out my account.

I deleted all my online photos and albums that held them and then clicked on the link to cancel my account. The next day, I got a nice little e-mail from somebody named "Monique" saying that she was sorry I had troubles and which order was it that I wanted to cancel? I had clearly stated, with simple English words, my desire to end my account with them, not cancel an order. I couldn't make an order any longer, so how could I have one that needed cancelling? I wrote back to "Monique" and politely told her that maybe this was the reason why more and more people were refusing to shop at Wal-Mart any longer. I mean, it was her department and she didn't even know the difference between "cancel an account" and "cancel an order." As consumers, we don't have to take this.

So, what happens after the whole incident? Today, Saturday, at noon exactly, I get a call from a pleasant-sounding man, who spoke perfect English because he was an American, and who also sounded like more than just a phone-operating schlep. This guy was pretty far up the management chain, let me tell you. He didn't give me his name, but he did ask to make sure it was my account that I wanted to close and he said it would be done. At the end of the telephone conversation, he asked if there was anything else and I said yes. I told him, politely and in a soft voice, (I have laryngitis and can hardly speak very loud), the reason why I had to close my account, being because of their new policy to not accept cash. He apologised for this saying that it was because there had been some orders that people had made and then not picked up. And then he said, "and other reasons, too." He didn't explain exactly what those other reasons could have been. What other reasons can there be? I would like to get some debate going on this issue, so if any of my good readers can think of any other possible reasons, please leave a comment for me.

After he told me about their policy of having to stop accepting cash for online photo orders, I told him that Wal-Mart had just reduced their selection of items to buy that, in the process, they stopped carrying those things I used to purchase. With hardly anything left on their shelves that I would need to buy, I no longer had any reason to shop with them any more. And, it's true. I won't be setting foot inside a Wal-Mart store any more.

Here's what I will be giving up, but I guess I'll just have to adjust to living without these wonderful conveniences:

The joy of waiting in one checkout line behind twenty other customers because they won't open any of the other 19 checkout lines in the middle of a busy day.

I won't have to worry about getting my layaway out on time anymore - they no longer offer layaways.

The thrill of being treated like a criminal as I walk out the door when "the man" asks you to stop so he can see your receipt.

All the great exercise I used to get trying to track down somebody that worked in the store, someone who wasn't stocking the shelf where I was trying to look, or who wasn't on break, or who wasn't the one person at the only checkout line up front.

The pleasures of playing "treasure hunt" every time I went to the same Wal-Mart, because they constantly keep moving everything to a different location.

The pleasant conversations with any employee I could actually find when asking about a certain product which every employee seems to know nothing about.

The surprise and wonderment of always finding that the item I bought last month is no longer carried, but two other brands of the same item are.

The fun of trying to return that item I bought last month because it stopped working and being told I can't exchange it for an identical working model because they stopped carrying it.

The exhiliration of being told that the item I want, (hightop tennis shoes, headphones, cd cases, economy-size bottle of baby shampoo, non-slimline jewel boxes, blank vhs tapes, blank high-quality cassette tapes, Christmas cards with "Christ" -ian themes, blank journals, 100 speed film for my cameras, my favorite brand of breakfast cereal, any article of clothing not made for a 14-year old, a pair of jeans that will last more than one washing and not rip out, etc.) is something that nobody else in the world wants so that's why they have stopped selling them at Wal-Mart.

All the time I will save looking through their music department because it's pointless - they don't sell any group I'd want to hear anyway.

Having to wind my way through the group of Mexicans out front waiting to be picked up for work.

And lastly, all the "beautiful people" that seem to populate Wal-Marts in this day and age.

How will I ever live without Wal-Mart?

What The Heck Is It?

I just happened to notice something moving around in my backyard Tuesday, right before the sun went down. At first, I thought it was a chicken. It was big, white and plump like a chicken, but it wasn't a chicken. You need to know that I live in the city limits, but there are all kinds of animals that happen to pass through my yard on different occasions. I've seen Skunks, O'Possums, Raccoons, Squirrels, Deers, Doves, Quails, Hawks and who knows what other critters. Here is what I saw that Tuesday afternoon:

It wouldn't let me get very close to it, and in this view, it had left the back edge of my yard and flew up on my neighbor's garage roof - about 10 feet past my property line. I chased it to get a better shot, but all it ended up doing was flying back into my yard, to the top of a tree, the tallest one in that whole area. After I studied the pictures, I thought it was a turkey. The above photograph was even broadcast on the local television station about two hours later! My cousin called today to say that she had seen the picture. Then, somebody told me they thought it was what is called a "guinea." Well, maybe. The very next morning, it was back again! After chasing it again for about a half hour, I did manage to sneak up on it once from behind some bushes to get this clearer shot of it's face.

Looking at this view, I revert to my original assumption that it's a turkey. If it decides to move into my backyard, it can stay and more the welcome to. At least until next Thanksgiving, that is!

If you need to go to the store today, please try to buy at least one item at a store other than Wal-Mart. It can be done. There are people that work at the other stores in your community that need to live, too. And think how good you'll feel knowing that you're giving them much-needed business, and that it's actually helping to put food on their table! A little kid might not go hungry tonight because of you. The good thing about helping in this way is that it doesn't take any more time or cost you any more money than you were already going to spend. Maybe if more people did this, we could revitalize our towns.

The Camel's Back Has Been Broken

As a practicing photographer, there are times when I need photographs fast. That is, actual pictures I can hold in my hand and work with. And, I had found a great online tool that really fit in with my needs. At Wal-Mart's website, they have an online photo-uploading tool where you can upload your pictures, choose the 1-hour developing option, and then go pick up your pictures. Seeing as how there is no Wal-Mart store in the small town where I live, I always have to drive either 15 or 30 minutes to the nearest one. At least one night a week, this isn't a problem for me, as I have a regular musical gig that I play my guitar at in Fairfield, Illinois - the site of the store that's 30 minutes away from me. I would simply upload the pictures before I left that afternoon and usually after running all my errands and getting in Fairfield, they would be ready and waiting for me to pick up and pay for. And now for the rest of the story....

This method worked so well for me for over a year until yesterday. I uploaded some pictures and planned on picking them up once I arrived in Fairfield. They uploaded fine, but when it came to the normal checkout part of the transaction, gone was the choice to pay for them when you pick them up. That's right - they no longer offer that as an option. All they accept is one of their own gift cards or a credit card as payment. Knowing that I don't like to have my personal information such as this floating willy-nilly all over the internet, just waiting for some unscrupulous person to intercept it and use it to their advantage, (oh, these types are out there, all right - believe me!), I don't like to pay using those kind of methods. What was wrong with cash when I picked them up? I've never had more than a $20.00 order at one time, and instead had smaller orders, but more of them. So, why did Wal-Mart stop accepting the "bill-me-later" option that is still mentioned on their website as a method of payment? There are several reasons but I'll tell you why.

You may remember an earlier post of mine, here, about the trouble I had trying to by an ordinary pair of headphones from Wal-Mart. In that story, I related the incident of trying to ask one of their sales representatives where they kept their headphones. I was told by this person that, "they say nobody wants headphones anymore." However, she didn't know who "they" were, so that wasn't any help in my trying to convince her that she was wrong and that people did, in fact, still use headphones and not "earbuds." In a similar incident two weeks ago, I searched for a CD Case, something to hold and protect about 100 cd's in their cases because I deejay car shows at times and need something bigger to carry all my oldies cd's in to these events. Well, in Wal-Mart and indeed no other store in Fairfield could I find one. I was told the exact same thing - nobody uses them anymore. Surely I'm not the only person in the world that works as a deejay - whose tools are their music and their headphones!

There was a time when I could find cases to hold my music, be it in albums, 45 rpm's, 8-tracks, cassettes or cd's. You needed something to hold your music in, you bought a case for it, it was that simple. And these cases could be purchased in many places in Fairfield and towns everywhere else. But, this was before Wal-Mart moved into town. Now, the places in Fairfield that used to sell music and musical supplies such as cases, have all went out of business because they couldn't compete with - guess who? Give yourself a pat on the back if you said "Wal-Mart." Everyone has heard of the stories of how when a Wal-Mart moves into a community, the small "mom and pop" stores go under. This is nothing new and I need not detail it again. Just understand that it is a fact and it happens everywhere. And as a matter of fact, Fairfield had a Wal-Mart already before this latest one was put in. This new one is a "Supercenter," one that stays open twenty-four hours a day! The old one wasn't a supercenter, just a regular store that closed every night and then opened back up the next morning. Wal-Mart convinced the city of Fairfield that it needed a supercenter instead and got the financial tax breaks that allowed them to build another store.

The word "Supercenter." What do you think that means? Wouldn't any normal person think that it meant something better than the average store? That's what I would take it to mean. However, once these "Supercenters" get in a community and drive all the small stores out of business, they start offering less and less items in their inventory. Having been a regular shopper at their old Wal-Mart, I was quite familiar with all the products they sold and all the ones I bought there myself. When the new "Supercenter" opened, I noticed several of the items that I used to purchase were no longer sold at this newer, more "super" Wal-Mart. Have you been to a Wal-Mart lately? Chances are, you have. Look around - are there things you used to buy that aren't on their shelves any more? In just this year alone they have closed their section where material and patterns to make dresses and the like were housed and even shut down their layaway section! The layaway section at Wal-Mart was always one of their selling points when their founder, Mr. Sam Walton was alive and in charge. He always believed the customer came first and that he would sell American-made items to keep Americans working. He believed in that and that's why Wal-Mart became so big. Since his death, things have really changed. Practically everything is "Made in China," yes, the very same country that makes all that stuff you hear about on the news that is always being recalled because it's hazardous or poisionous! And since his passing, there is much less selection on the shelves and have you noticed their "low prices always" have started creeping up higher than any store ever had them at before? And to top that off, now this "Wal-Mart Supercenter," which is supposed to stay open 24 hours a day, closes at the regular time the old one did and opens back up each morning. Let's see, same hours, less merchandise, less conveniences such as layaway - tell me again how this "Supercenter" concept is better?

The practice of not accepting a payment of cash to pick up my pictures like I used there last month, (when, apparently, it was agreeable for them to do so), has suddenly changed. Have you noticed a general decline in a variety of places that are getting away from the practice of wanting to accept cash? Why do you think this is? It's not because they can make more money if they accept credit cards. It's a fact that they have to pay a small transaction fee for every credit card purchase that is made. So, why would any store want to make less money? I have one word to say and you've heard it from me before. "Amero."

In Europe, they have created something called "the European Union," a group of countries all banded together for trade purposes. Their new method of currency, which supplanted the monetary system in the countries of all it's participants, is called the Euro. Doesn't that sound familiar? Euro. Amero. They are similar. In every way. There are those in our government right now, from President George Bush on down, who are trying to bring about an "American Union," and create a new monetary system for Canada, the United States and Mexico. This new monetary unit is to be called the "Amero." They are actively working on bringing this about. How better to impliment something such as this than to make our American dollar harder to use and spend or worth less than it's ever been? For further insight on this scheme to do away with our dollar, which by the way, contradicts our Constitution, search for "The NAFTA Superhighway," "Kansas City SmartPort," or even "GATT."

You may have heard the phrase "cashless society." All that means is that any money you have will be held by everybody but actually you yourself. If there's no cash, you won't need any to pay for that hamburger you want for lunch. You'll just use the money in your account somewhere and pay for it with a credit card. You ask, "what's wrong with that?" Aside from the fact that it's actually costing you more money for everything you purchase with a credit card, have you ever heard of computer glitches? If you're reading this, chances are, you have. On a good day, a computer can have a problem and lose all it's information - forever. We all know this to be the truth. And computers that have your accounts on them can have glitches just the same. Just think if the worst possible scenario arose and someone had a score to settle with you and could access your account information. Do you think the Golden Rule would stop them from taking everything you have in that account? Not on your life. Forget about all those "conspiracy theories" you hear, about a "New World Order" taking over everything. All that needs to happen is one unscrupulous person to come along and your account, along with every penny you've earned, could be wiped out. That is why a cashless society is something you or I do not want to see come about. Well, I certainly know I don't want my money under somebody else's constant control. I can only assume that you would feel the same way about your finances.

So, please think about it the next time you have a twenty-dollar bill in your hand. Feel it. It feels good having money in your hands, doesn't it? If it's a feeling you'd like to continue having, please understand that you can't continue having it if you don't speak up about it. I'm speaking up about it right now, because I like money and I want to keep on liking the feel of real money in my hand. (However infrequent that might actually be!) And one of the ways I'm speaking up is by telling you here. Another way is to stop giving my business to the stores that are actively getting away from wanting to accept my perfectly legal and tender cash. Such as Wal-Mart. That is why I will never set foot in a Wal-Mart again. I can still buy shampoo, and anything else I need, at plenty of other places!

Who Are They?

No, this is not a review of a long-lost album by the Who. It was my response to something that was told to me by an employee of Wal-Mart.

Regular readers of my blog know that I record my own albums of Christmas music. To do that, I not only have to be the artist and the back-up band, I also have to be the producer and recording engineer. And to be the recording engineer means that I employ headphones when I'm laying down tracks. Working like I do next to my computer, it is imperative that each track doesn't pick up another sound. For instance, when I'm recording an acoustic guitar track, I don't want the sound of my vocals bleeding over onto it. I want each track to be "pure," that is, when I go to mixing them down and choosing their position in the "stereo picture," I want each track to be clean so that they will be heard in the precise area of the overall sound picture that I am looking for. To do this most effectively, it requires a good set of headphones, the kind that go over your head and cover your ears completely. What is known as "earbuds" will not work.

Two days after Christmas, I went to purchase a new set of headphones. Having not needed to purchase new ones for a couple years, I just assumed it would be an easy task. Why shouldn't it be? You need headphones, you go pick out headphones and then you buy headphones. Simple, eh? Wake up, America!

I don't normally buy electronics at Wal-Mart, because.... well - you know why. They're usually not worth buying there. But, this time, I figured to try them, because headphones are a pretty simple thing, and they should have some that are of a good enough quality to meet my needs. Wrong! This time, I looked and found only two pairs to choose from, one being under $5 and other pair under $9. And neither pair really covered the ear, just kind of sat on the ear. I could see they weren't worth bringing home, so I asked an employee if they had any others to choose from. This is what that employee said to me:

"They say nobody wants them anymore, everybody wants earbuds."

Well, everybody does not want earbuds! When I carefully tried to explain this to her, she just shrugged and repeated what she had said, "They say nobody wants headphones anymore."

I calmly asked her who "they" were. She didn't know who "they" were, but apparently believed everything "they" said.

I would love to solve this very important question because "they" seem to have opinions about everything these days and whether or not we need various items. Let's not forget the debacle of about four years ago that I went through in trying to buy a pair of hightop tennis shoes. I went to 11 different stores before I finally found one single pair! Fortunately, they were in my size. But, the response I was getting from most of the various retailers was this: "They say nobody buys hightops anymore." When I replied that possibly it was due to the fact that they didn't have any on their shelves for people to buy, the clerks just looked at me like I was crazy. I swear they were thinking, "If nobody buys them anymore, why should we even carry them?" People will only buy what is there for them to buy. It's a simple fact. Remember when the hightop craze hit about ten or 15 years ago? You couldn't hardly find regular tennis shoes during that time. Having weak ankles, I've always worn shoes that came up over my ankle for extra support - hightop tennis shoes, hiking boots, work boots - all just above my ankle in height.

I want you to spend a few extra minutes the next time you go to a store to buy something. Any store, any product. Look around their shelves and note the fact that there are less choices for you to pick from than the last time you were there. This is not an exaggeration. My sister noted this only a few days ago to me. She buys cans of refried beans to make burritos at home for movie night. 6 months ago, she said, there used to be 6 to 8 different brands to choose from at this certain store she shopped at. She went out to this same store last week and there were now only two brands to choose from. What happened to the selection, or the choice?

This is not really a rant about Wal-Mart, but I'm going to mention them again, so maybe it is. In one of my local communities, they had a fine Wal-Mart store where I purchased several items that I used a lot. Items such as cd jewel boxes, (The original, thicker variety), high-quality cassette tapes for recording my band live, the large, economy-sized baby shampoo, (I want my hair to smell just like hers....!), the larger-sized bag of cough drops. Well, you get the idea. Wal-Mart decided that they needed a super store in this town, so they built a new one across the highway from the old one. When it was finished, they moved from the old one and closed it down. They also stopped carrying a lot of things in the new store that I used to purchase at the old one.

I thought the idea of a "super-store" was to carry even more items than a regular store, not less? I can now no longer find high-bias cassettes, only the cheap grade. They only sell the slim-line cd jewel boxes, and then, not many of those. The large bag of cough drops are nowhere to be found, only a smaller, 30% more package that does indeed have 30% more of the regular-sized package, only it's still not many. When I asked where the large bottles of my regular baby shampoo were located, an employee only told me that nobody bought them any more, so they stopped carrying them. Mind you, this was only in the brand I used, which they still had the regular small bottle on their shelves. They had baby shampoo in two other locations from where they kept my brand and in both of those other locations, they had the larger economy size in the other more expensive brands. If nobody is buying them, why are they still carrying those? Nobody that works at Wal-Mart can answer this question for me - not even the manager. I know, because I've asked to speak to the manager on many occasions. It seems like I'm speaking to the manager of Wal-Mart about every time I go there any more. But still, I get no answers. Nobody knows the answers.

But this is not an isolated Wal-Mart occurrence. Just look around you - you are getting less choice for just about everything you buy. It's only symptomatic of a deeper issue, which I will detail in another blog. Suffice it to say, it is something which is affecting the entire population of planet Earth.

I finally found a set of headphones, at Radio Shack. This is no endorsement for them, for I was trying to buy a simple, countertop cd player for a Christmas present and the Radio Shack near my hometown could not seem to get one for their stock. I went back three times after the initial inquiry and each time, the clerk said one hadn't come in yet. Once again, we are being offered less and less choice. All you have to do is look around to notice it. And when you do see for yourself, be sure to tell someone else. If enough people realize this, maybe we can make our voice loud enough to be heard. At least, while we still have the freedom to voice our opinions. That may not last much longer, either. Oh, the times they are a' changin'.

By the way, here are the headphones I ended up buying: