Hope

I have been giving a lot of thought to the concept of optimism recently. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary “optimism” is defined as: --- 1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world ---- 2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

They say that the word “optimism” comes from the Latin akin to ops power, as in opulent.

I’ve spent a big part of my life trying to shield myself from “negative energy” and also to rid my life of those people who are constantly pessimistic and negative.

I had a friend in Holland named Nancy Jurgen. In her view of life the biggest compliment she could give about someone was that they were always enthusiastic. The concepts of optimism and enthusiasm are closely linked.

A few years ago I went through some difficult times: My young, beautiful wife left me for another man, the company I was General Manager of for 15 years sold and I was made redundant, and I was diagnosed with an incurable form of leukemia. During the same period I also quit smoking (2-3 packs/day) and completely quit all consumption of alcohol. The combination of these events caused me to at times get rather negative. Well, lets be honest about it, suicidal is more like it.

A friend of mine in the leukemia support group I was in at the time recommended the book, “You can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought”. On the back cover of the book it says, "Why do some people always seem so happy with their lives - and others so down even when they seem to have it all? The difference is the strength that comes from thinking positively. Negative thinking wears us down, leaving us feeling powerless, as though happiness and success are only for other people." This is really a good book.

People who are optimistic lead more successful lives. Not necessarily financially, although it certainly helps there too. Successful in terms of achieving one’s goals, personal happiness, satisfaction, and emotional equilibrium. Grace, happiness.

We’ve all known people like that. That could describe my brother-in-law Michael Cannon. Ted Turner seems to be one of those people. So does Barack Obama.

I read a good newspaper article today. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1128/p04s02-woeu.html

In the article Barack Obama’s old Pastor was quoted as describing a painting by the Victorian painter George Frederic Watts which is now in the Guildhall Art Gallery in London. The Guildhall is sort of between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Museum of London. I have been to both, but never to the Guildhall.

The painting is called Hope. Jeremiah Wright described the painting as follows. The harpist, he preached, "is sitting there in rags ... her clothes are tattered as though she had been a victim of Hiroshima… [yet] the woman had the audacity to hope."

The concept of “hope” is another one that is closely related to optimism and enthusiasm.
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Bill Richardson

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It is beginning to be pretty clear that Obama is going to choose a dishonest, disloyal, cackling, arrogant woman as secretary of state rather than the rock steady, honest, loyal governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson.

I remember quite well seeing her say, “Senator Obama is not a Muslim, as far as I know.” (I added the emphasis)

Lying bitch!

Hillary will be a friggin disaster. Just wait and see.
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Auto Execs Flew in Private Jets

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Some in the news media have been outraged that the top dogs of GM, Ford, and Chrysler flew to Washington to beg for a $25 billion handout in their own corporate jets. A friend of mine this morning sent me an e-mail saying in essence that these guys just don't get it.
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It should be clear by now that these very highly compensated top executives will sacrifice the workers and the entire company before they will give up their perks.
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Here is my response to her:
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Dear Lisa,

I have flown in corporate aircraft lots of times. I've even logged time as pilot in command. So although I was clearly not the man on top, I hung around with them and their buddies. And got drunk with them, and testified at hearings for them, and went to topless joints with them, and went fishing and shooting with them.

I have seen the successful, hard working, and otherwise fairly normal CEO get just totally consumed with Gollum-like lust and envy because another rich corporate asshole had a bigger and/or faster airplane than him. It is kind of a pecking order. When you or your company has its own airplane(s), normal commercial aircraft are referred to as the "crowd crusher" or the "crowd killer."

Going through the humiliation of homeland security inspection? Shoe-horned into a teeny-tiny little seat with no leg room for hours? Unthinkable.

If we tell these assholes that they can't have their golden parachutes, that they can't make thousands of times as much as their rank and file workers, and that they have to fly commercial (and not even first class at that) they will fucking shit their pants.

I don't have a big problem with any of that frankly. But we need to be aware that their $ millions have completely purchased lots of congressmen and senators and other elected officials. And these jerks have gotten used to getting their way under Brain Damaged Bush II.

They will be mad as hell, and they will feel trapped and desperate. Like an injured, rabid, cornered wild animal. And they will get really devious and mean. Fuck the shareholders, fuck the employees, fuck everyone else. Self interest will rule.

We just need to be prepared for the tremendous aggression that society will face when we try to take away any of the perks of this arrogant, self anointed corporate aristocracy.

Very Best,


Paul
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Bye Bye Detroit and Thanks For All The Great V8's

In the last 10 years I have bought a number of new cars. And none has been an American car.

In the 1960’s I owned a 1965 Ford Mustang with a V8, a ’56 Chevy hot rod, and a VW bug. I got laid the first time in the back of a V8 Ford Falcon convertible. And in 1977 my wife and I had a full size Chevy that my brother in law and sister gave to me. Later I drove a 429 cubic inch V8 Ford LTD that I inherited when my Dad passed away. And in 1980 I bought a Corvette from the future mayor of the city of El Paso, Texas. I drove a used six cylinder GMC 1/2 ton pickup truck which I bought from our company after my second divorce in the early 1980's.

But since the early 1980's almost every car I have bought has either been a Toyota or Nissan. Except for one BMW I bought for my wife, one V8 Mercedes SUV, and one very small Fiat. Lets see, in Toyotas I have had one Tercel, two Celicas, one white van, one Toyota in Europe which is not sold in America, a Prius, and a Corolla. In the Nissan brand I had four different 4-wheel-drive SUVs. I was living in Europe at the time and they all were models that Nissan sells to the rest of the world, but not in America.

It isn’t that I am at all unpatriotic. I served 3 years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war. I got an honorable discharge and a couple of medals. That’s more than either of our last two presidents can say.

I’m just not a total fool.

Toyota and Nissan have been building vastly better cars than Ford, Chrysler, or GM for the last 25 years. Pure and simple. Detroit has been consumed by greed, making these big pig V8 pickups and SUVs which get horrible fuel economy and have a poor resale value.

Now finally the American car companies are dying. It is sad to see. Honest. There was a time when the American V8 ruled. But that time is long past.

In real life, companies which continue to make foolish and incorrect decisions year-after-year eventually go belly up. That is just how it works. Sorry.
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Bohdi

Bohdi has cancer and is dying. The vet says he probably won't make it to Christmas. All around his neck he has grossly swollen lymph nodes. I guess they are a type of lymphoma. Actually they feel rather similar to mine.

Bohdi belongs to my sister and oldest nephew. He’s a really big dog. Allegedly he is part wolf. When you first meet him his sheer size is a bit intimidating.

But once you get to know him you realize that he has a heart of gold, and that basically he is just a big, friendly, gentle bear.

Twice in the last two weeks I have taken him for a little walk. The veterinarian has him taking steroids, which makes him feel a lot better and gives him more energy. But even with the steroids, after about 50 or 75 meters he has pretty much run out of gas and is ready to turn around and go back home.

Last night I got to thinking about Bohdi. He sure is setting a great example for all of us to follow. No complaining. He’s not making any big deal about it all. He is a model of quiet dignity and grace. No whining, not at all grumpy. Just stoic stateliness. An inspiration to us all.

If I still had faith and believed in those Christian fairy tales, I would say a little prayer asking God to help me find the personal strength to follow his example. But I don’t believe any of that hogwash any more, so I will just do my best to live up to the high standards that Bohdi is setting.
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Just Another Path

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Right near the end of Tolkien’s trilogy Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee have made it to Mordor, and the ring has been destroyed. They are rescued from the lava by Gandalf and the eagles, and they have returned to the Shire. Sam has married his sweetheart and they have already had children.

Gandalf shows up one day with a very old Bilbo. Along with Frodo and the other hobbits who helped with the difficult journey to destroy the ring, they all travel to the coast. They arrive just in time for Bilbo (and eventually Frodo also) to catch a ride on the very last Elven ship leaving middle earth.

I can think of nothing more revolting than an old person desperately clawing on to a few more days of life, even if it means losing all of one’s human dignity, suffering horribly, and harming one's surviving family financially. How incredibly arrogant and self-centered.

My Dad Benjamin Hadley Garland died of a heart attack at age 62. So did my mentor Gordon Sandoz Brown. Some people live to age 90 or more with their full mental faculties and an active, healthy body. My younger brother died in his sleep of hardening of the arteries. He was in his early forties. All three of these guys died quickly without a great deal of suffering. Good deaths. Smart guys.

Lots of people die in their 20’s fighting wars for the rich people who of course do not wish to risk their own lives or that of their children. And plenty of innocent, sober people die from drunk drivers. Or from an overdose of drugs.

My paternal grandfather was old, and after many years of smoking cigarettes he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. After getting all of his obligations, affairs, and finances in order he shot himself in the head with the .32 caliber semi-auto handgun he had bought during world war II. I was a young boy at the time and remember it well.

The point I’m trying to make is: If you manage to make it to your 60’s, and you have led an interesting and fulfilling life, then you should accept death with grace and dignity.

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------- “The journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path…one that we all must take.” - Gandalf

------- “I’m ready for another journey!” - Bilbo Baggins

------- “It’s like getting out of one car and getting into another.” - John Lennon
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Bailing Out Detroit

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The U.S. government bailing out GM, Ford, and Chrysler would be exactly like them bailing out the tobacco and cigarette manufacturers. For years these companies have been manufacturing products which caused great damage to society and the environment. The only reason that GM is not making a 50 mile per gallon car like the Toyota Prius is greed.

America has rapidly moved away from market driven capitalism to socialism. But it is a socialism for the rich and powerful. Not a socialism for the poor or middle-class.

I absolutely do feel bad for the guy who worked for GM for 25 years and now is going to lose his job and his cushy benefit package.

I feel equally sorry for the other people who have lost their jobs, houses, and marriages because greedy companies have moved their manufacturing operations overseas. Just so that profits will increase slightly this quarter. And the multi-millionaire CEO will get a bigger bonus.

I feel sorry for people (like me) who loyally worked hard for 25 years, only to lose their jobs and their health insurance after the greedy owners of the small privately held company they worked for bail out and sell the company to other greedy bastards.

Losing one’s health insurance is especially a bitch when one has malignant cancer. This is not the American Dream.

Before the government bails out GM and Ford they need to come through and deliver on universal health care.
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Stalagmite Growth Rings

I read an excellent article today on the CBS website. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/07/tech/main4583741.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4583741
Some Chinese researchers have been studying the growth rings in cave stalagmites and then correlating them with weather patterns and historical geo-political events. Sort of like dendrochronology in trees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrochronology

Many cave stalagmites and stalactites are made of calcium carbonate, and some are fluorescent. I have a few in my collection of fluorescent minerals. This is a picture I just took. In Belgium there is a very large rock quarry which sometimes finds that it has blasted away a small cave (probably one or two meters in diameter) which has never had an opening to the outside. A couple of Belgian friends of mine have given me some nice pieces fluorescent calcite (calcium carbonate) which came out of that rock quarry.

I have toured a commercial cave nearby which is complete with a boat ride on the underground river which travels through the cave complex. This and other nearby caves in Belgium are in limestone hills, much like the Guadalupe Mountains east of El Paso, Texas which are home to the world famous Carlsbad Caverns. The surface in Belgium gets much more rainfall than the Chihuahuan desert, so these European caves are very active in their growth.
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Ghost Rider

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The author and late night TV show host Craig Ferguson is really smart.
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So when he recommends something I often go out of my way to check it out. He recommended this movie highly. I watched it yesterday evening and I second the motion. It is fantastic.
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Not a chick flick for sure. But very enjoyable!
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e-mail from the President of the U.S.A.

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Last night I received an e-mail from President-Elect Obama. Click on it and it will enlarge.

I worked the polls during the primary campaign and I have contributed a modest amount of money to his presidential campaign. I was among the earliest supporters of his candidacy.

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I feel like a new era has begun.
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Austin, Texas is Cool - NOT!

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El Paso in far west Texas voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats, i.e. President Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Moody for the state representative.

The El Pasoans are poor, but they are genuine and they are in touch with reality. In El Paso people get it. They understand the concept “throw the bums out.”

Austin, Texas has a reputation of being hip, cool, and trendy. But they voted solidly for McCain 55% to 44% for Obama.

So the phrase Asshole From El Paso needs to fade away. The new one needs to be Arrogant Republican from Austin.
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President Barack Hussein Obama

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-------------------------------*****************************
-------------------------------*****************************
---------------------------------------PRESIDENT
----------------------------------------- OBAMA

---------------------------------CONGRATULATIONS
----------------------------------------AMERICA!
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I have been actively watching American politics for close to fifty years. Once again it amazes me that more often than we think, the voters in democracies make good decisions.

When elections are the most dishonest, nasty, and cruel the American voter comes through more often than not.
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Election Night

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This evening all the over-the-air television channels will be talking non-stop about exit polls, guestimates, the electoral college, etc. Just blah, blah, blah. I intend to avoid all this endless and largely mindless chit chat. In the morning when I awake hopefully the candidate I have supported will have won.

So I plan to watch two DVDs this evening.

Just in case the Old Man and his totally unprepared right wing bimbo win I’m going to watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’ve seen this movie many times before, but McCain is so old and senile that somehow it doesn’t seem to matter.

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And for Obama I’m going watch the final DVD in Tolkien’s trilogy, The Return Of The King.

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After a very long and difficult journey, good finally wins over evil, due to the incredible tenacity and strength of character of some very normal folks.
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Democracy In America? Give me a break!

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It is nothing less than shameful that Americans have to wait in line for several hours or more to vote. Like in some third world country.

There is a genuine suspicion among a great many voters that some of the electronic voting machines might be rigged.

When was the last time you heard of someone going to jail over election fraud? Politicians and their surrogates routinely lie about their opponents in television ads, but this dishonesty about the opponent’s character doesn’t appear to be against any law that is actually enforced.

It is common to hear unintelligent and ignorant people like President George Bush II wrap themselves in the American flag and preach to the rest of the world about the benefits of democracy. But back home they don’t do much at all to support true democracy. If you are poor or you have dark colored skin there still are genuine roadblocks to your voting in America.

The Electoral College still exists and it is still possible for the candidate who overwhelmingly gets the most votes from the voters to lose the election. Absurd!

All of this has been talked about for years, but after all these years, not much at all has been done to improve the situation.
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Lying Politicians

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“The most dangerous element of our political future in this country is candidates who debase and degrade the political process by straight-out lies and misleading spots on television. It’s a cancer to our system.” - Senator Chuck Hagel
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Day Of The Dead

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In many parts of the world there is a celebration to help one find the time to remember one's dead loved ones.

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Here in the Southwestern part of the United States November 1 is the date that deceased children are remembered and November 2 is when you are supposed to go to the cemetery and remember the dead adults.

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LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia_de_los_muertos

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