The Santa Dimension

When I was about five years old, I was excited to learn that Santa Claus was going to appear at my house early on Christmas Eve to personally hand Christmas gifts to my little brother and me. My parents explained that Santa was doing this as a special treat for us since we didn't have a chimney. Sure enough, Santa showed up. Although he was an hour late, according to my mother, I was thrilled to see him. I quickly rushed outside into the cold Wisconsin night but stopped several feet short. Something wasn't right. Santa was clearly wearing a mask on his face. I asked him why he was wearing a mask and he told me it was to keep warm. Later that holiday season, I overheard a conversation between my parents whereby I learned it was my grandfather pretending to be Santa and that my mother was very upset with him for showing up late and drunk. When my mother realized I had discovered the great Santa deception, she explained that Santa had so many houses to visit that evening that he didn't have time to make special stops and that my grandfather was just pretending to be Santa to make us happy. Once again, being a young innocent squirt, I bought the explanation. My grandfather was always a great guy, drunk or sober, and I appreciated him for stopping by on such a cold night just to please my brother and me. A few years later, in the second grade, I was hanging out with a couple of my buddies during recess. Usually we would shoot marbles behind a big oak tree so our teacher couldn't see us. Mrs. Henderson didn't like it when her boys would participate in games of chance, especially when marbles would change hands. Instead of playing marbles, we got into a discussion about Santa Claus. There had been some speculation that Santa Claus didn't really exist so the three of us tried to figure it out logically. Duncan Jones was the brains of the group, Vinny Gagliardi was ever so inquisitive, while I was more action oriented, preferring to play games of chance (marbles) rather than attempting to fathom the unfathomable. It all started when curious Vinny came up with a series of intriguing questions. • How does Santa visit so many houses on a single night? • How can he get all those presents in his sleigh? • How can reindeer fly? • How does a hefty guy like Santa manage to slip down a chimney and get back to the roof? • What does Santa do when there is no chimney? • How does Santa know whether you were naughty or nice? • And so on and so on. Duncan made some quick calculations. He figured if there were a billion houses and Santa took only a minute per house, or 60 houses per hour, it would take about 17 million hours, not counting flying time. Then there was the flying reindeer problem. Duncan and I were fairly certain reindeer couldn't actually fly, but Vinny wasn't so sure. He had seen an elephant fly in a Disney cartoon and it looked feasible to him. Soon a light bulb went off just above Duncan's head. Suppose there was a parallel universe. Santa could pop in and out of our reality almost instantaneously while doing most of his work in a parallel dimension. This would impose an anomaly in the continuum of time and space whereby a few seconds of our reality could be a year of Santa reality. This could also explain the reindeer problem. They don't actually fly -- there're merely transported to our reality directly onto the roof and disappear the same way. Santa makes his way into the house in the same manner. Apparently, according to Duncan, it's simply a matter of hyper-dimensional travel between simultaneous planes of existence. The bell rang and we had to go back inside where Mrs. Henderson made us print the alphabet all afternoon. She wanted to make sure we slanted our letters at the proper angle. Mrs. Henderson always emphasized penmanship and seating posture, but had a phobia about teaching math. Numbers greater than 20 made her nose bleed. It's strange how so many parents are unaware of parallel dimensions. They tell their kids the most ridiculous tales to make up for their lack of knowledge about the anomalies of the continuum of time and space. Merry Christmas y'all. ___________ Quote for the Day – "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked me for my autograph." Shirley Temple ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a couple of dogs and many fond memories of Christmas Past. ___________ - -

Lincoln and JFK Assassinations

John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln each attempted to extract American currency away from the private banking interests (who eventually formed the Federal Reserve in 1913) and back into the U.S. Treasury. The banking interests in the Kennedy years (through today) are the same intergenerational dynasty of foreign banking families in the Lincoln years, in the 1800s. On February 25, 1862, President Lincoln authorized the printing of greenback notes from the U.S. Treasury, backed by silver, in the form of silver certificate notes. This fostered growth that could not be taxed and controlled by foreign banking interests. Needless to say, this action angered the international banking dynasty families. Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. In 1886, a group of millionaires purchased Jekyll Island, off the coast of Georgia, and converted it into a retreat, the USA’s most exclusive club. By 1900, the club’s roster represented 1/6th of the world’s wealth, with members such as Astor, Vanderbilt, Morgan, Pulitzer and Gould on the club’s register. In 1908, J.P. Morgan (purportedly) created a national money panic, whereby, Congress established a National Monetary Authority. In 1910, a secret group was formed consisting of the chiefs of major corporations and banks in this country. The group left secretly by rail from Hoboken, New Jersey, and traveled anonymously to the hunting lodge on Jekyll Island, where they laid the groundwork, primarily drafted by (international German banker) Paul Warburg, for what would eventually be called the Federal Reserve System (the Fed) -- the new central bank could not be called a central bank because America did not want one, so it had to be given a deceptive name. A majority of Fed members were to be selected by the private banks that would own its stock. To keep the public from thinking that the Federal Reserve would be controlled from New York, a system of 12 regional banks was designed. Given the concentration of money and credit in New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York basically controlled the system, although, it was portrayed as a regional concept, which was a ruse. Thus, the Federal Reserve System was created (orchestrated) in 1910 and codified by Congress in 1913 to become a reality. Also, in 1913, the personal income tax system went into effect as part of the new system. This allowed the banking interests to inflame the nation's citizens to become involved in the European War in 1914 (World War I). The bankers financed and profited from both sides of the war -- just as they had also financed and profited from both sides in World War II, a couple of decades later. Since 1776, the USA has been at war 222 out of 239 years. International bankers and many others prosper from global conflict, much of which they manipulate into occurring. For some, war is good. President Kennedy often made remarks about the negative covert influence of the Fed and of the nefarious covert actions of the CIA. He had expressed the desire to abolish the Fed and curtail (renegade) CIA activities. "The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society… There is a plot in this country to enslave every man, woman and child. Before I leave this high and noble office, I intend to expose this plot." John F. Kennedy In November of 1961, President Kennedy halted the sales of silver from the U.S. Treasury. Until then, the silver within the U.S. Treasury was rapidly being sold off at very low prices. President Kennedy then drafted a bill (H.R. 5389) to authorize the printing of silver certificate notes from the U.S. Treasury to replace the depletion of silver from the Treasury. In June of 1963, the same day the bill became law, Kennedy issued Executive Order 11,110 which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to issue silver certificate notes, without any input from the Federal Reserve. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. President Lincoln angered the banking dynasties and was assassinated -- President Kennedy angered the banking dynasties and was assassinated. Perhaps, it was simply a coincidence? Ironically, there is an additional remarkable set of coincidences between President John Kennedy and President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Lincoln was elected President in 1860. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln. Sometime prior to Lincoln's assassination -- he was in Monroe, Maryland. Sometime prior to Kennedy's assassination -- he was with Marilyn Monroe. Both Presidents were shot in the head on a Friday. Lincoln was assassinated in a theater named Ford. Kennedy was assassinated in a limousine made by Ford. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. Both alleged assassins had three names of 15 letters. John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939. Booth ran from a theater, was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse, was caught in a theater. Both assassins were assassinated before their trials. In 1976, the House Select Committee on Assassination investigated the Kennedy assassination, concluding that President Kennedy was probably assassinated by a conspiracy involving the mob, and potentially the CIA. And if that is true, the mob or the CIA could have conspired to do it at the behest (under the direction or manipulation) of the banking dynasty cabal. Or perhaps, a coincidence is merely a coincidence? Sometimes it's hard to believe in coincidence. Perhaps, a coincidence or synchronicity is a supernatural way of drawing our attention to hidden truths. Follow the money. ___________ Quote for the Day – "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values." John F. Kennedy ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________ - -

GROWTH ADDICTS

An addict is someone who is obsessively devoted to something. People can become addicted to all sorts of things, such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, sweets, sports, gambling, sex, travel, TV, gardening, gossip, etc. They can even be addicted to community growth. Most people with common sense realize there is an optimal size to almost anything. A garden won’t flourish if plants are too close together or too far apart. A forest won’t flourish if trees are too close together or too far apart. An animal herd won’t flourish if there are too many animals for their range. Bigger isn’t always better. However, Growth Addicts are unaware of the ramifications of overpopulation. These are people who have some sort of inane behavioral quirk whereby they simply can’t accept the size and scope of the community in which they live. They are compelled by some sort of neurological disorder to stimulate community growth. If you ever ask one of these Growth Addicts at what point the growth should level off, they’ll look at you as if you’re crazy. To a Growth Addict, there never is enough growth. To a Growth Addict, growth is a way of life. Many local politicians are afflicted with this disorder. They promise to lure industry into their area under the preposterous notion that this would have a positive impact on the entire community. Many real estate folks are also afflicted with this disorder. They travel to far away locations and attempt to persuade people to relocate to their area. Some local business owners are also under the delusion that community expansion will benefit them. I lived a few miles outside a small town in Arizona in 1986-1992. It had a population of about 3,000 and seemed like an ideal place to live, especially after having spent nearly 12 years in Los Angeles. However, it didn’t take long to sour on the place. The city council was made up of bankers and real estate brokers. They had this simple-minded notion that bigger was better and that if they didn’t do something drastic the world would pass them by. Their idea of progress was to attract industry so they could grow at a much faster rate than would normally take place. Their first course of action was to spend huge sums of taxpayer funds building an industrial park near the airport. Naturally, as bankers and land brokers, they all got a piece of the action. When no one would build a business in their overpriced industrial park, they spent huge sums of taxpayer funds promoting the fiasco, including expensive advertisements in business publications in such places as Taiwan and Hong Kong. To date, the industrial park still remains empty. During another brainstorming session, the city council determined the town would be more attractive if it had “funky” pink sidewalks, just like the ones in a popular ski resort town in Colorado. Tons of taxpayer dollars went into the project. All the concrete sidewalks in town were ripped up and replaced with pink, inlaid bricks. When the dust finally settled, it looked like cowboy town with pink sidewalks. Progress, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s idea of progress is another person’s nightmare. Promoting business and encouraging population growth should not be a function of local government, which has enough problems simply keeping up with the natural flow of change. The flaw in this thinking is obvious. As more industry is added to an area, more people will move there to take advantage of the expanding economy. Suddenly, you’re back to the same old problem of needing to add more industry to support the growing population. Local business won’t benefit from this ploy. As the area grows, new businesses will pop up, creating more competition -- a bigger pie with smaller slices. Eventually, local businesses will become overrun by national chains. Nothing will be improved -- there will just be more of everything, including more traffic, more crime and a need for more solutions, requiring more tax revenue. Most people live in a certain area because they like it there. For those who yearn for a larger community, it would be easier to move elsewhere than scheme to make the area grow faster than it would otherwise grow naturally. Rather than move on, Growth Addicts insist upon spoiling things for everyone else. Bringing more business, more industry and more people into a community doesn’t benefit anyone, including those who have an insatiable urge to hasten progress. Most areas will grow at a nice steady pace without Growth Addicts forcing their will upon the natural flow of progress. Perhaps, Growth Addicts dislike their community because they subconsciously dislike themselves. Instead of taking responsibility for their own happiness they manipulate the world around them in a vain attempt to alter a reality they blame for their own perceived misfortunes. If so, Growth Addicts are in dire need of psychological help. Some of my best friends are growth addicts. Even members of my own family are infected with this insidious malady. They can’t seem to help it and don’t even appear to be aware of their dysfunctional condition. If you’re not a Growth Addict, read no further. An intervention is a confrontation, usually initiated by family and friends, directed toward an addict in an attempt to rid the addict of his or her harmful addiction. Consider this to be an intervention. I am your friend. You have a serious mental disorder. I want to help you get well. STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT. We don’t need your guidance and control. You’re obsession for growth only makes things worse. More industry means more people, creating more problems that will be solved by bringing in more industry. Then more industry will attract more people, requiring even more industry, which will again attract more people, and so on, and so on. This is a vicious cycle without end. Bigger isn’t better -- it’s just bigger. You have an unhealthy addiction. It’s unhealthy for you and everyone around you. Get over it. Your problem isn’t the size of the community; your problem is you. If you have a compulsion to make changes, look inward. Stop and smell the roses. Or move to a bigger city. ___________ Quote for the Day -- "Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it." Milton Friedman ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________ - -

Followers of Followers

When I was a young corporate stooge, I always wore a dark three-piece suit with a flashy necktie. Now that I’m older and wiser, I wonder what took me so long to burn all my neckties. The necktie dates back to 1660 when a crack military regiment from Croatia visited France. They had recently defeated Turkey and were presented to King Louis XIV in Paris where they were honored for their glorious victory. King Louis XIV apparently had an eye for men’s fashion. He was particularly enchanted with the brightly colored silk handkerchiefs adorning the necks of the Croatian officers. Being a man of power and whimsy, he soon created his own regiment of silk-handkerchief-adorned soldiers which he called the Royal Cravattes. France has always been a country of pretentious snobs and girly-men. Their major accomplishment for the betterment of mankind was the invention of the soufflé. Before long, the new fashion statement made its way across the channel to England. By 1700, no man in Britain was considered a gentleman without a cravat or necktie. Some cravats were even worn so high that a man had to turn his whole body just to turn his head. Unfortunately, this fashion folly eventually drifted across the Atlantic Ocean to the colonies. To this very day, men in America, although a fairly enlightened species, still wear neckties. The only conceivable logical reason a man would wrap a fabric around his neck is to keep warm. Short of that, the only other plausible explanation is that men wrap a fabric around their necks because other men wrap a fabric around their necks and they desperately want to be associated with them. Obviously, men are followers of followers, like a flock of sheep. And if you're a sheep following other sheep, you only get one view of the world and it isn’t pretty. A man who wears a necktie is a man who cannot think for himself. He's merely playing a role. If his attire is dishonest, perhaps he is dishonest as well. Politicians all wear neckties. So do bankers, lawyers and used car salesmen. None of them would score very high on a Trust-O-Meter. The biggest idiots of all are the men who wear a bow tie. They consider themselves to be rebels. But in reality, they are merely followers with bad taste. A man who wears a bow tie is a man in serious need of a brain transplant. The functionless necktie, worn by men under the illusion of being socially acceptable within the circle of men who wear neckties, is overwhelming proof that men are shallow seekers of approval. They do what other men do simply to blend in with the crowd. Men dress to be like other men. On the other hand, women have a flair for fashion, which changes with the seasons. They don't want to blend in, they want to stand out and be noticed. A man is as good as he has to be, a woman is as bad as she dares. Women dress to be annoying to other women. Men are sheep -- women are from Venus. ___________ Quote for the Day – "Men are so willing to respect anything that bores them." Marilyn Monroe ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a couple of dogs and is the proud owner of zero neckties. ___________ - -

Abundant Black Gold

The USA controls three percent of the world's proven oil supply yet consumes 25 percent of the world's oil, thereby allowing foreign governments, corrupt political leaders and terrorists to have leverage on our economy. Plus, the USA production of crude oil has been stymied due to environmental concerns. Under these conditions, oil industry insiders reap large profits and cause economic instability. The USA has become dependent on foreign crude oil suppliers, particularly from the Middle East where self-centered sheiks and tyrants squander zillions of dollars on themselves while their subjects struggle in poverty. But suppose the supply of oil was somehow regenerating itself and not in danger of being depleted after all. Dr. Thomas Gold is a physicist at Cornell University. Some of his accomplishments include landmark research on the workings of the ear, developing the mathematics of the rules of cosmology, and overseeing the construction and operation of the world's largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Dr. Gold is also a proponent of the abiotic theory of oil. Developed by the Russians in the 1950s, the abiotic theory states that oil is not derived from decayed plant and animal life, but is rather a bio-product of a continual biochemical reaction below the surface of the earth that is forced to attainable depths by the centrifugal forces of the earth's rotation. In other words, oil is continually being produced (created) deep within the planet and "seeps" toward the surface by the centrifugal force of the rotation of the planet, which rotates at a speed of over 1,000 miles per hour at the equator, as Planet Earth travels through the Universe at 67,000 miles per hour. THE DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE: THE MYTH OF FOSSIL FUELS is Dr. Gold's groundbreaking book, published in 1998, promoting the idea that oil is not a fossil fuel and, contrary to popular belief, is a renewable resource. While conventional scientific wisdom dictates that life is formed on the Earth's surface, with the aid of the sun, Dr. Gold believes that most living entities reside deep within the Earth's crust at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Celsius, living off of methane and other hydrocarbons. Although highly regarded as a physicist, Dr. Gold has had a history as being a maverick. In the 1950s, the first radio astronomers discovered odd radio sources in the sky and thought they were unusual stars. Dr. Gold claimed they were actually distant galaxies. Years later, with new technology, Dr. Gold was proven to be correct. In the 1960s, a different type of radio source was detected in the skies, flashing on and off with regularity. Dr. Gold wrote that these pulsars were neutron stars, the existence of which had been predicted but had never been seen. Although many of his colleagues scoffed at this explanation, once again Dr. Gold was proven to be correct. Jerome R. Corsi (PhD from Harvard) is the author of 18 books, including ATOMIC IRAN and UNFIT FOR COMMAND. Craig R. Smith, Chairman of the board of Swiss America Trading Company, is the author of 24 scholarly books. Corsi and Smith have co-authored a book titled BLACK GOLD STRANGLEHOLD, which shares the notion that oil is continually created deep inside the planet and contends that the so-called scarcity is a marketing ploy to charge higher prices. For example, researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, as well as other studies, have demonstrated that fossils from plants and animals are not necessary to create crude oil or natural gas. It's a fact that numerous capped wells which were formerly dry have been discovered to be plentiful once again after many years. Perhaps this is newly created oil "seeping upward" by the pressure of the expansion of newly created crude oil (and centrifugal force). According to various sources, including NASA, USGS and many oceanographic institutes, there is a "natural" oil seepage into the earth's oceans, estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 million gallons of crude oil per year. Once again, this is clearly an example of "seeping upward" on the ocean floor from lower depths below the floor surface -- highly unlikely to be extinct dinosaur juice "trapped" under the depths of the ocean. In 1542, Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo used tar from natural oil seepage, known to sailors as asphaltum, off the coast of North America to waterproof his ships -- just as the Native American Chumash Indians did with their canoes. In 1792, English explorer George Vancouver noted in his log that parts of the Pacific Coast were covered in all directions "with an oily surface so thick that the entire sea took on an iridescent hue." Natural seepage of oil under the ocean, which is currently monitored by NASA, continues to this day. And 75 million gallons of crude oil seeping upward from the ocean floor every year is no small amount -- additional evidence of the possibility of oil perpetually regenerating itself. The Middle East is in continual extreme turmoil. World War III may be on the horizon. And it's all about the availability and production of crude oil, supposedly a limited resource formed millions of years ago by decaying vegetation and extinct animals. However, all of this bloody unrest in the Middle East may be unnecessary. Perhaps oil is a renewal resource, continually generating additional crude oil deep within the earth whereby it seeps upward toward the surface on a regular basis. Perhaps there are those within the oil industry (and elsewhere) who are aware of the abiotic phenomenon but remain silent (or prevent disclosure) of this fact in order to remain highly profitable. ___________ Quote for the Day – "Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water." Miguel de Cervantes ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where chiggers seem to seep up from the ground. ___________ - -

ROAD TO TOLUCA LAKE

At age 30, I left the harsh Minnesota winters for the land of fruits and nuts. I soon found a job as a senior systems analyst for a large computer complex near downtown Los Angeles and rented a house on stilts in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Universal Studios in the San Fernando Valley. Six months later, I found a better job at a small computer software company next door to Warner Brothers studios. My office was officially in Los Angeles and the movie studio was officially in Burbank, both bordering the tiny community called Toluca Lake -- a small, quaint area within the Los Angeles metropolis. Soon I begin looking for a house to purchase. One day I spotted an ad about a fixer with a pool, within my price range, that was “less than 20 blocks from Bob Hope.” I didn’t know it at the time but the real estate agents in the area used Bob Hope as a point of reference – the closer to Bob Hope’s house, the more exclusive the property. In real estate, location is everything. Apparently, this particular real estate agent had a sense of humor. I bought the house. The pool was basically a swamp and cost several thousand dollars to get back into shape. Every day I drove to work, I passed by Bob Hope’s estate which was a couple of acres surrounded by high walls. I was told he had his own golf hole in the backyard – about a nine-iron shot. Not long thereafter, I married. We sold the house and bought a yacht. We lived on the yacht for six months, then sold it and bought a condo in Sherman Oaks. Next we sold the condo and rented an A-frame in Topanga. Then it was time to buy another house. This time, we found one in an area real estate agents refer to as Toluca Woods, south of Cahuenga Boulevard and north of Riverside Drive, "within 10 blocks of Bob Hope." It was a nice area. William Holden once owned the house at the end of the block. My wife and I often dined at the local hangouts where we would bump into some of the more famous Toluca Lake residents such as Jonathon Winters and Andy Griffith. The fellow I worked for was a member of Lakeside Country Club in Toluca Lake, Bob Hope’s home course. I played a few rounds of golf and occasionally lunched there. Then we divorced. My wife, bless her heart, kept the Toluca Woods house and I moved back into the Hollywood Hills. Oddly enough, I rented a place on the very same street, a little further uphill, as the house on stilts I had rented when I first moved to Los Angeles. Back to square one once again. Anyway, that’s my Bob Hope story. I never met him, or even saw him, yet he seemed to have an impact on my life. Leslie Towne Hope was born in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His father was an English stonemason and his mother an aspiring Welch concert singer. In 1907, Leslie’s father moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio. By way of his father’s naturalization, Leslie became known as “Bob.” In 1920, Bob and his brothers became U.S. citizens. During the 1940s and 1950s, Bob Hope was a star of radio, television and the films. He and crooner Bing Crosby were featured in several “Road” pictures and carried on a famous comic feud. Hope was also a frequent host of the Academy Awards ceremonies in Hollywood. Although he never won an Oscar for a film performance, he received five honorary Academy Awards for his contributions to the motion picture industry. Bob Hope will always be remembered for his tireless service to our military troops. He spent much of World War II traveling the globe to entertain Allied Forces. He continued this practice during later conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and elsewhere, well into the 1990s. Bob Hope traveled off on the Road to the Great Beyond on July 27, 2003, at age 100. When his grandson asked him at his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, he remarked, "Surprise me." Thanks for the memories. ___________ Quote for the Day -- "I love to go to Washington -- if only to be near my money." Bob Hope ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________ - -

Beyond Earth

Planet Earth is orbiting the sun at 67,000 miles per hour -- it is also rotating on its axis (spinning) at 1,000 miles per hour at the equator. Our solar system (the sun and its 9 planets) is travelling through space at 515,000 miles per hour. Our sun is a single star within a galaxy of stars, called the Milky Way. Our Milky Way galaxy, home of our solar system, is 100,000 light years across -- it would take about 230,000,000 (230 million) years at the speed of light to travel all the way around the outside perimeter of the Milky Way galaxy. There are about 300,000,000,000 (300 billion) stars within the Milky Way galaxy alone, a modest-sized galaxy compared to most other galaxies in the known universe. Our known universe contains some 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) galaxies, with each galaxy potentially containing multiple billions of stars. On a clear night, the average person is able to view approximately 3,000 stars with the naked eye. On July 22, 2003, CNN News reported that astronomers announced there are 70 sextillion stars in the visible universe. A sextillion is a 1 followed by 21 zeroes -- that's 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 known stars in the universe, more than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the entire Earth. This is not the total number of stars in the universe -- it's the number within the range of present day telescopes. The true number could be a zillion times higher. Our single star (the sun) contains 9 planets -- imagine how many potential planets are contained within 70, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 known stars (other suns). Keep that in mind the next time you complain about finding a convenient parking spot. Also, keep that in mind if you assume that Planet Earth is the only spinning orb in the universe that contains intelligent entities, such as human beings, whose intelligence is often highly questionable. ___________ Quote for the Day – “Something deeply hidden had to be behind things.” Albert Einstein ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where the universe is a fairly large place. ___________ - -

HOLLYWOODLAND

In 1923, a land syndicate created a new housing development on the Hollywood hillside of the Santa Monica Mountains. In an attempt to flaunt their new development, they contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect a large HOLLYWOODLAND sign on Mount Lee, which is also part of Griffith Park. The 13 letters, on a hillside facing south, were each 30 feet wide and 50 feet high. The letters were studded with some 4,000 light bulbs, whereby the sign would flash in 3 segments -- "HOLLY" & "WOOD" & "LAND" would alternate, lighting up individually. The Poles that supported the sign were hauled up to the site by mules. The cost of the project was $21,000. The sign was officially dedicated in 1923. It was only intended to remain there for a year and a half. However, with the rise of American cinema in Los Angeles, the sign became a favorite symbol and remained in place. Over time, it sustained damage and deterioration of the unprotected wood and sheet metal structure. In 1932, the HOLLYWOODLAND sign was the scene of a bizarre incident. Millicent Lilian "Peg" Entwistle (1908 - 1932) was a stage and screen actress. She had appeared in several Broadway productions and only a single movie, titled Thirteen Women, On September 16, 1932, Entwistle leaped to her death from the "H" on the HOLLYWOODLAND sign, at age 24. The official caretaker in the early 1940s, while driving drunk, was approaching the top of Mount Lee when he lost control of his 1928 Ford Model A and veered off the cliff directly behind the H, destroying both his car and the original 50-foot tall letter H. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Congress entered into a contract with the Parks Department of the City of Los Angeles to repair and rebuild the sign. As part of the contract, the "LAND" portion of the sign was to be removed, leaving the sign with 9 letters, reading HOLLYWOOD. The Chamber of Congress also opted not to replace any of the light bulbs on the letters. In the 1970s, the first O had splintered and the third O had fallen down, rendering the sign to read HULLYWO D. Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy magazine, began a campaign to restore the landmark sign. In 1978, the Chamber of Congress decided to replace the deteriorating sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors each gave $27,777.77 (totaling $249,999.93) to sponsor one of the replacement letters. The nine donors were each assigned a letter. H -- Terrence Donnelly (publisher of Hollywood Independent Newspaper) O -- Giovanni Mazza (Italian movie producer) L -- Les Kelley (creator of The Kelley Blue Book) L -- Gene Autry (actor) Y -- Hugh Hefner (Publisher of Playboy) W -- Andy Williams (singer) O -- Warner Bros. Records O -- Alice Cooper (singer) D -- Dennis Lidke (businessman) Alice Cooper had made his donation in the memory of his friend, comedian Groucho Marx, who had once joked that he would also donate an "O" from his own name. The new version of the sign was unveiled on November 11, 1978, on a live CBS television special broadcast commemorating the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Hollywood. Hooray for HOLLYWOOD. ___________ Quote for the Day -- “Hollywood is like Picasso's bathroom.” Candace Bergen ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He currently lives in the Ozark Mountains and had once upon a time, lived in the North Hollywood, CA, area for 11+ years (age 30-42), many moons ago, where he was VP & general manager & lead programmer of a computer software company near Warner Brothers Studio ___________ - -

A Pedantic Condescending Hermshot

In the late 1970s, I was a fool. I married the wrong woman and worked hard to get ahead. In the early 1980s, I regained my sanity. I divorced my wife and escaped the rat race. I owned a house, with a pool, before the marriage. After the divorce, my ex-wife owned a house and I had peace of mind. I spent the next couple of decades trying to get my life together once again. This included spending seven years bumming around the Arizona desert prospecting for gold, nine months back in L.A. doing computer contracts, a couple of years in the Arkansas hills writing four novels, doing rural field work for a data collection company in Chicago for a year, 10 months in Memphis doing a Y2K computer contract, working on the 2000 U.S. Census, six years teaching college computer courses and seven years writing a newspaper column. Several years ago, I finally made it. I once again owned my own home, paid cash, on 8 acres, with no neighbors, in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where life is peaceful and time stands still. So after I settled in, I sat on my back deck, watching the squirrels frolicking, beaming with pride that I had finally accomplished my goal of being free. But I soon realized I had spent so much time and energy trying to reach this point that there was still something missing in my life. Not long thereafter, I started an on-line e-mail correspondence with a woman from my distant past that I had once admired. We were in the same class in high school back in Minnesota but had never met. She had contacted me after a mutual high school friend sent her one of my newspaper columns. We were cruising along just fine, getting to know each other, phone conversations, exchanging photos. Then it happened. I mentioned in one of the e-mails that I had been busy that afternoon creating a syllabus for a new class I would be teaching during spring semester at college. I even included a list of many of the categories that made up the syllabus. I presumed it would be of mild interest to her. The following day, I received a rather abrupt, terse message in return whereby she made it clear she was well aware of the function of a syllabus, then referred to me as a “pedantic condescending hermshot.” I didn’t know if that was good or bad but the entire note, what little there was of it, had a clear tone of anger to it. Being a fairly normal male humanoid trapped on a planet half populated by humanoids of the female persuasion, many of whom tend to be slightly ditsy on occasion for no particular reason, my first reaction had to do with the possibility of a chemical imbalance and/or hormonal disturbance. Next, I checked the original e-mail message I had sent her, but remained baffled. It seemed harmless to me. I looked up the word “pedantic” in the dictionary. It means “too narrowly concerned with scholarly matters” or being overly scholastic. Since I didn’t know what the word meant in the first place, it was obvious proof that I wasn’t pedantic after all. I also looked up the word “hermshot” but couldn’t find it. So I wrote an e-mail back, explaining that my vocabulary didn’t include the word “pedantic” thereby eliminating it as a proper adjective to use when describing me. I also stated that I couldn’t find the word “hermshot” in my dictionary and would kindly like an explanation of the entire phrase. The next day, I received an e-mail, much more relaxed in tone, explaining that she had been angry at the entire male species the day she wrote the original message and that her cat often prances across her keyboard when she’s typing. She went on to explain that she meant to call me a “pedantic condescending hotshot” but the cat must have messed up the last word in the phrase, hence the word “hermshot.” What a relief. Here I was all in a dither over being called a pedantic condescending hermshot when there was such a reasonably logical explanation. It all made perfect sense -- I was being punished for being a member of the male species and a cat had written part of the note. It was all so obvious I was almost embarrassed I didn’t figure it out in the first place. The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was really paying me a compliment. Pedantic means scholarly, condescending implies a position of superiority and a hotshot is someone who is talented. She was basically telling me that I was a learned superior talent. But rather than convey her true feelings, she snarled at me in a pedantic and condescending manner. She may have been snarling angrily on the surface, but subconsciously she was subtly implying that she admired my scholarly talents and distinct superiority. As soon as I figured out the dynamics of her subconscious thought process, it became apparent how deeply she felt about me. A pedantic condescending hermshot indeed -- it’s not every day I receive such lavish praise. She’s clearly attracted to me but unable to express it properly, probably in fear of rejection. Then again, perhaps an angry snarl is just an angry snarl. So once again I sit on my back deck, a pedantic condescending hermshot, waiting patiently for my soul mate to show up and put me out of my misery. If I had any brains, I'd be content watching the squirrels frolic. ___________ Quote for the Day – "Always do what's next." George Carlin ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________ - -

Tourists and Chiggers

There are two annoying creatures that invade my little corner of the world during the summer months – tourists and chiggers. According to the dictionary, a chigger is a 6-legged mite larva that sucks the blood of vertebrates and causes intense irritation. This also describes my ex-wife, except she only has two legs. A harvest mite is one of 30,000 species of mites. It passes through four stages -- egg, larva, nymph and adult. In the larva stage, it is commonly known as a chigger. Chiggers are prevalent throughout the southern part of the United States, particularly within a hundred yards of where I call home. They are so tiny I’ve never actually seen one but I have ample evidence they're keeping tabs on me at all times. Much like my ex-wife, chiggers prefer shade and moist areas. Chiggers live where they are protected by vegetation, such as around shrubs, plants, grass, mulch and overgrown wild areas. My ex-wife lives in Missouri, where she is protected by her latest husband, two neurotic cats and a can of mace. During the winter months, chiggers hang out a few inches below the surface, mostly discussing politics and their plans for the summer. In the spring, the adults emerge to lay eggs. Shortly thereafter, the eggs hatch into the larva stage to officially become chiggers. That’s when the fun begins. Chiggers can detect movement and have the ability to sense a food source from a great distance. Unlike most other mites, they're able to move rapidly and travel a long way to forage for food. Chiggers have a voracious appetite for flesh, especially the human variety. They'll crawl all over a person seeking a spot with a tight fit, such as under the socks or under a waistband. At 1/120 inch in diameter, they're even able to squeeze through the mesh of most fabrics. Once a chigger has found its way to the dinner table, it will puncture the skin, inject saliva and liquefy the flesh, enabling it to suck its meal. The injected saliva also contains a substance that prevents the blood from clotting and temporarily anesthetizes the area so it won’t be detected until after the meal is finished. After dining on the flesh, the chigger drops off the host. Later, the host will be left with a red bump, created by digestive fluids, which will cause a very intense itch. For the chigger, long since gone by now, a short period of development follows where the larva molts into a non-parasitic nymph that will soon mature to the adult stage. The entire life cycle takes only 50-70 days. Like everything else on earth, chiggers serve a purpose. They make us introspective and humble knowing we’re nothing more than a dinner platter for another living creature in nature's food chain. On the positive side, they keep those pesky tourists from moving down here and spoiling the ambiance. The worst thing about being a tourist is being recognized as a tourist. They're a lot like chiggers -- they make me itch long after they're gone. ___________ Quote for the Day – "I quit flying years ago -- I don't want to die with tourists." Billy Bob Thornton ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where chiggers enjoy the ambiance. ___________ - -

Confronting a Bully

When I was seven years old, I found myself under the constant attack of a neighborhood bully who was two years older and twice my size. One day he pushed me too far and I punched him in the nose -- nailed him real good. My next course of action was to make a swift retreat back to my house. Several hours later, the bully’s mother showed up at our front door. My mother, who is part bobcat and doesn't take any crap from anyone, answered the door while I lingered nearby, safely out of sight. The bully’s mother handed my mother a fresh blueberry pie, intended for me, and told my mother that anytime I felt compelled to hit her son it was just fine with her. From that day on, I never had any trouble with the bully again. I suspect I had gained an ounce of respect from him because I stood up to him. But it was a hollow victory because he just went on to bully others, while I went on to encounter the next bully in line. According to the US Department of Education, 18 million kids have reported being bullied by other kids. It’s estimated that 160,000 children skip school daily because of a bully. Statistically, one out of four bullies will be jailed by age thirty. Some of the lifelong consequences of having been a victim of bullying include anxiety, depression and even suicide. Sending your children to government-controlled public schools is like sending the chickens to mingle with the chicken hawks. Most of the teenagers who have gone on shooting sprees in their schools complained that bullies had been picking on them until they couldn’t take it anymore. Kids who join gangs, particularly in big cities, probably do so to protect themselves from the bullying of others. But joining a gang only exacerbates the problem by creating bully gangs instead of bully individuals. Years ago, I lived near a family in Arizona with two teenage boys who vandalized property, harassed neighbors, stole things, tormented teachers and even beat up their mother once. The parents always had an excuse – boys will be boys. It never occurred to the parents that they could be the problem. They preferred to blame the victims for picking on their dear lads. Human behavior is both genetic and environmental. We are born with a certain disposition and are also a product of what we learn along the way. We are products of products, of those who breed and raise us, just as they are products of products too. Sometimes, we even become what we swore we would never be. There’s no doubt that human beings have certain traits at birth. Some babies are mellow and sweet, while others can be described as rambunctious or even devilish. These basic personalities tend to remain throughout a lifetime. Anyone who has raised a litter of puppies understands this concept. Almost invariably, the aggressive puppies remain aggressive and the meek remain meek. The same is true with human beings. I suspect most bullies are the product of either overly-strict parenting or a total lack of parenting. In both cases, the child suffers from a lack of proper control. With overly-strict parents, the child becomes outraged because of the injustice (psychological abuse) perpetrated against them. They strike out at others because they're helpless at home. And they strike out at others because their parents strike out at them, thereby teaching their children that in order to get your way you must overpower or inflict pain on others. With parents who don’t provide even minimal guidance, the child feels unwanted and unloved. Neglected children become heartless adults. Children who are allowed to do anything with impunity expect to do the same as get older. Spoiled children become spoiled adults. Essentially, without positive role-modeling and appropriate discipline, children are programmed to be rotten kids who later become rotten adults. In both cases, these children are victims of their upbringing. Some are able to deal with it and overcome it, while others become victimizers, also known as bullies, and seek revenge for the cruelties that had been perpetrated on them by perpetrating cruelties on others, particularly on the innocent and defenseless. Bullies have always been with us. Dealing with them is no simple matter. If you fight back, you’re attempting to solve a wrong with a wrong and, in most cases, will only get injured. Furthermore, you can turn the other cheek only so many times. Running away is rarely a solution because you're only delaying the inevitable confrontation. And reporting them to higher authorities will almost always backfire. It’s a no-win situation. All bullies are cowards. They're angry at someone or something they cannot overcome so they pick on the weak and delight in upsetting others. They're getting even with the world by hurting someone who can't hurt them back. A victim is incapable of making good come from evil -- don't be a victim. Don’t allow a bully to control your emotions. Be strong, firm and resolute. Don't lower yourself to your adversary's level. Your dignity under duress will be much more powerful than reacting to a jerk who wants you to react. ___________ Quote for the Day – "We boil at different degrees." Clint Eastwood ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where Bully is the name of rodeo bull that enjoys flinging riders to the turf. ___________ - -

Silence of the Yams

Many philosophers believe that thoughts are deeds. If you project benevolent thoughts, you help create a benevolent environment. Projecting hostility creates hostility, etc. As we sow, so shall we reap. Cleve Backster, America's foremost lie-detector expert, hooked up a lie-detector to a plant about 40 years ago in an attempt to see how long it would take water to reach the leaves. A lie detector is a sensitive instrument that measures such things as Galvanic skin response, slight variations in temperature, pressure, rates of flow, etc. Backster quickly discovered the plant reacted "dramatically" to the experiment itself. When Backster decided to burn one of the leaves, the lie detector readings went off the charts. When he noticed the "trauma" being exhibited by the plant, he decided not to burn the plant after all, whereupon the plant became calm once again. Backster had not approached the plant with a match -- he had only decided, in his mind, to do so, at which time the plant became "emotional." And when he had decided to call off the burning experiment, again only in his mind, the plant returned to normal. In subsequent experiments, Backster had trouble repeating the results because once a plant had been led to believe something was going to happen and it didn't, the plant would retain that knowledge and not become "emotional" the second time. Consequently, fresh plants were required for continued experimentation. This led to the conclusion that plants have some sort of memory and discrimination capability. In other experiments, it became clear that the plants would only react if the experimenter actually intended to carry out the actions. If Backster was only bluffing to do something harmful, the plant wouldn't respond. Thus he concluded that plants could discern intent (through thought transference) and had a "memory" of past events. Backster conducted further experiments over the last four decades and has become one of the leading bio-communications experts in the world. For example, he discovered that an egg would react when another egg was cracked. His work tends to confirm the Gaia Hypothesis which states that the world is one huge, living organism with self-regulating capability. Dorothy Retallack is another specialist in this field. She exposed a variety of plants to various types of music. Plants that were exposed to hard rock (Led Leppelin and Jimi Hendrix) began pointing away from the source of the music, whereas plants exposed to soothing music began pointing toward the source. Through further studies, she concluded that being gentle with plants helps them flourish and being the opposite has the opposite effect. THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, is a book detailing other experiments done on plant life. Distance doesn't seem to matter when communicating with plants. For example, a chemist became so attuned to his house plants that they reacted excitedly when he made love to his girlfriend 80 miles away. In another instance, a philodendron activated by a thought impulse from a technician started a car two miles away. On a more unscientific note, my ex-wife, who is three-quarters Norwegian and one-quarter dingbat, used to talk to vegetables. She could spend hours chatting with a pod of peas or an ear of corn. She did most of the talking while the vegetables listened politely without too much interruption. One day she got some financial advice from a zucchini. Two hours later she went out and bought some brand new furniture. "It really didn't cost anything," she told me, "I put it on the credit card." I chopped up the zucchini and put it in a salad. One morning my ex-wife got into an argument with a kumquat. It had something to do with her new hair style -- the kumquat thought it made her look fat. She tried to get a second opinion from a yam but it ignored her, so she decided to snarl at me instead. Apparently, yams don't like to be confrontational. I never did communicate very well with the vegetables. They prefer to communicate with entities on their own intellectual level, such as fungi, mildew, politicians and dingbats. However, I once had a lengthy conversation with dill pickle about the meaning of life. They tend to be very good listeners. ___________ Quote for the Day – "The opposite of talking is waiting." Fran Lebowitz ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________ - -

Last Monday in May

The last Monday in May is Memorial Day -- a day to honor all those who lost life and limb in defense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy perpetrated a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, compelling the USA to enter into the horrific global conflict called World War II. Many Hollywood movie stars were involved in military action during WWII. JAMES STEWART (1908-1997) Enlisted in 1940 -- commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant after Pearl Harbor attack -- as a licensed pilot he trained other pilots -- appointed squadron commander in 1943 -- flew combat missions over Germany, leading 20 missions and participating in hundreds of other air strikes -- retired as an active member of the Air Force Reserve in the late 1950s as a Brigadier General. CLARK GABLE (1901-1960) Joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 after the death of his wife, Carol Lombard -- assigned to aerial gunnery training -- commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant -- flew in operational missions over Europe in B-17s -- relieved of duty (over-age for combat) in 1944 at the rank of Major. LEE MARVIN (1924-1987) Joined the Marines after being expelled from several prep schools -- wounded during the Battle of Saipan, during which most of his company of Marines were killed -- he received a Purple Heart and was given a medical discharge at the rank of Private First Class. AUDIE MURPHY (1924-1971) Stood 5' 5" and enlisted in the Army after Pearl Harbor at age 16 by lying about his age -- the most decorated soldier in World War II, including the Congressional Medal of Honor -- his Medal of Honor citation reads as follows: "Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire, which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad that was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack, which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective." TYRONE POWER (1914-1958) Enlisted in the Marines in 1942 -- having been a pilot prior to enlistment, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1943 -- he flew cargo into war zones in the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, then flew wounded Marines out of the war zones -- released from duty in 1946 at the rank of Captain. EARNEST BORGNINE (1917-2012) Joined the Navy in 1935 and was discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted after Pearl Harbor -- discharged again in 1945, after 10 years in the Navy, at the rank of Gunner's Mate. CHARLES BRONSON (1921-2003) Enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 -- served as an aerial gunner on B-29s -- saw action in Guam, Tinian and Saipan -- awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received in action. EDDIE ALBERT (1906-2005) Prior to WWII, he worked in a circus in Mexico as a clown and high-wire artist while secretly on assignment for Army Intelligence photographing German U-boats in Mexican Harbors -- enlisted in the Navy in 1942 -- awarded a Bronze Star for his actions during the Invasion of Tarawa in 1943 -- was the pilot of a landing craft that rescued 47 Marines while under heavy enemy fire. Many other Hollywood actors were also active on military duty during in World War II, including George C. Scott, Brian Keith, John Russell, Robert Ryan, Charles Durning and others. December 7, 2011, was the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The following day, my father, Weston K. Burquest, passed on to the Great Beyond, on December 8, 2011, at age 92 -- Rest in Peace. My father was conscripted (drafted) during World War II. He eventually became a flight instructor in the U.S. Army Air Force, training others to become pilots, and was discharged at the end of the war as a First Lieutenant. He was not an actor or a hero -- just another one of the more than 11 million men who were called upon by their country to defend freedom and were inducted (drafted) into military service in WWII. Only when the power of love overcomes the love of power, will there be Peace on Earth. ___________ Quote for the Day – "In peace, sons bury their fathers -- in war, fathers bury their sons." Herodotus ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Era. ___________ - -

Land of the Giants

I lived in southern California in 1975-1987. One night I watched a local TV report about the remains of giants discovered on Catalina island (just off the coast of L.A.) in the late 19th century. They were 7 to 9 feet tall, with red hair and had a double set of teeth. Their skulls were up to 6 times larger than a normal human skull. In the 1800s, the remains of a similar giant were found on Santa Rosa Island, another coastal island near Santa Barbara. He also had a double row of teeth. It is one of the many items of weirdness that has found a permanent home in my cranial data base. Surprise, surprise -- these ancient giants are found in many places globally. In 1833, near San Luis Obispo, California, soldiers were digging a gunpowder pit and discovered the skeleton of a man 12 feet tall, surrounded by stone axes, carved shells and blocks containing numerous unknown symbols. He had a double row of upper and lower teeth. In 1883, near Mandan, North Dakota, a 100-acre cemetery was discovered filled with bones of a race of giant humans. In 1888, in St. Paul, Minnesota, seven skeletons were discovered, 7 to 8 feet tall. In 1891, near Crittenden, Arizona, a 12-foot giant skeleton was unearthed, along with a huge stone coffin which contained a carving indicating the man had six toes. In 1898, two brothers, H. Flagler Cowden and Charles C. Cowden, were scientists doing an archeological dig in Death Valley. They uncovered the fossilized remains of a human-like female, 7.5 feet tall. Her canine teeth were twice as long as a modern human. They also found remains of prehistoric camels and an elephant-like creature with four tusks. In 1911, an 8-foot mummy with red hair was discovered in Lovelock Cave, California -- see old newspaper photo below. In 1931, near lovelock, Nevada, several huge skeletons were found in the Humboldt lake bed. An 8.5 foot skeleton was wrapped in a gum-covered fabric similar to an Egyptian mummy. Another skeleton was almost 10 feet tall. In 1932, the Supervisor of the Lincoln National Park in White Sands, New Mexico, found human tracks (which included human instep imprint) in gypsum rock, 22 inches long and 10 inches wide. In 1947, a retired doctor from Ohio discovered several mummified bodies, 8 to 9 feet tall, in caverns in the desert region south of Death Valley. They were dressed in medium length jackets and trousers extending slightly below the knees. The texture of the material was made from an animal skin unknown today. Also discovered within the cavern complex were household utensils and stoves which apparently cooked by radio waves. According to an Associated Press account of this discovery, the doctor claimed that in one of the caverns "was the ritual hall of the ancient people, together with devices and markings similar to those now used by the Masonic Order." In 1965, a perfectly preserved skeleton was found under a rock ledge along Holly Creek, Kentucky. It measured 8 feet, 9 inches in length, with long arms, huge hands and the skull was 30 inches in circumference.. This is just a small sampling of giants roaming the earth in ancient times. Numerous Native American legends also speak of these giants and generally considered them hostile enemies. For example, the Sioux Indians told tales to Buffalo Bill Cody about how these ancient giants would run down the buffalo. Skeletons of giant size, 7 to 10 feet, have also been found in Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Caucasus Mountain region. The true history of Planet Earth is fascinating, complex and largely unknown. But that's okay because too much knowledge can cause the brain to explode. ___________ Quote for the Day – "Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong." Robert Anton Wilson ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Long Tall Sally. ___________ - -

Getting Over the Hill

In the movie THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN, Robert Redford is a former rodeo champion, now past his prime, selling his soul to a large corporation as a spokesman for their brand of breakfast cereal. During a moment of disillusionment with his life, aided by a hefty dose of Jack Daniels, he rides off with a prized horse owned by the corporation in order to save it from being turned into a commercial puppet like himself. Newspaper reporter Jane Fonda tracks down Redford and the stolen horse, joining them in their journey across remote areas of Utah. Redford plans to release the horse into the wild, freeing it from exploitation. Fonda tags along hoping to get a good news story out of it. One day, as they’re walking up a formidable hill, Fonda begs Redford to slow down and take a rest. Instead of slowing down, Redford marches on while telling Fonda a story from his old rodeo days about a cowboy who broke a rib and punctured his lung during a bull ride yet continued competing in his events. “And he still rode the rankest mare there,” Redford said, proudly. Fonda isn’t exactly impressed, wondering why men have to display so much machismo. “It gets you over the hill,” Redford exclaims as he continues trudging up the incline. Every once in a while we are faced with the option to gut it out or fall by the wayside. Sometimes it isn’t even an option. In November of 2002, 27-year-old Aron Ralston quit his engineering job to pursue his goal of becoming the first person to climb solo, in winter, all 55 of Colorado’s peaks that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation. Four months later, he survived an avalanche but remained undeterred. In April of 2003, having told no one of his plans, Ralston was hiking alone in Blue John Canyon in a remote area of Utah when his right arm became pinned by an 800-pound boulder. Falling by the wayside was not an option. Ralston was trapped for five days and out of water before he finally took the only action he could to save himself. He broke each of the two bones in his forearm, applied a tourniquet, then cut off his right arm at the point of the break with a pocketknife. Then he rigged an anchor, fixed a rope and rappelled 60 feet to the canyon floor. After hiking for about five miles, covered with blood, Ralston encountered two tourists and was transported to safety. It later took a crew of 13, using jacks and a hoist, to move the boulder and recover Ralston’s arm, which was subsequently delivered to the local mortuary. Because of the crude field surgery, doctors were forced to amputate the arm even closer the elbow. While this particular tragedy was gruesome, Ralston brought much of it on himself. A prudent wilderness hiker would notify someone of their destination and expected time of return. Plus, hiking with a companion is essential in emergencies. With today’s electronics, carrying a cell phone or walkie-talkie would also be wise. And of course, avoid positioning body parts under anything heavier than a Buick. If unwilling to take these basic precautions, find another hobby such as checkers or basket weaving. Even though I try to live a simple life, I too must gut it out on occasion. For example, I’ll often get out of bed even if I’m still tired. A person is the sum of their actions. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and rise to the occasion -- it gets you over the hill. ___________ Quote for the Day – "It is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where hills beckon to be conquered. ___________ - -

Pizza Delivery Snafu

Napoleon Harris III, age 37, has served as an Illinois state senator since 2013. He is also the owner of two Beggars Pizza franchises. On September 6, 2016, his franchise in Harvey, Illinois, received an order over the phone at closing time, requesting a pizza delivery. Harris told the regular delivery guy to go home and that he would deliver the pizza to the 15800 block of Paulina Avenue himself. What Harris didn't know until he arrived was that it was a vacant house. What the four dudes who were planning to rob the pizza delivery guy at the vacant house didn't know was that it wasn't the regular delivery man. It was a 6-3 250 lb. former NFL linebacker who had played for the Oakland Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings. Thus, much excitement ensued. Upon arrival with the pizza, a man on the porch greeted Harris, as three other guys burst out from behind a row of hedges. Sean Howard, of the Harvey Police Department, reported the following on the local CBS TV news: "They were expecting a scrawny 5-foot-9 guy, and got Harris instead. They put a chokehold on the senator, but to no avail. They were really trying to choke him to death, and he was just too strong. He out-powered all four of them. As they were all beating on him, one guy just went out of his way and really hit him hard, and Napoleon never moved. He just looked at him like Hulk Hogan, and from that the guys knew that we better get out of here, because we can’t get this guy down.” Never mess with a former NFL linebacker, especially a former Oakland Raider or Minnesota Viking. The four would-be robbers had somehow managed to steal Harris' wallet, as well as the pizza, and flee in a Chevy Tahoe. "Dag nabbit -- let's skeedaddle." Gabby Hayes Harris pursued the Chevy Tahoe in his own car, because that's what linebackers do -- they vigorously pursue those they intend to force from an upright position onto the ground and render them motionless, bringing their forward progress to a swift halt. Harris followed them to a lumberyard and called the Harvey Police department. When the police arrived, they found the Chevy Tahoe but the robbers had vanished. However, the police did find some blood in the Chevy Tahoe, which was registered to a Georgia man named Lester Roy Jones. Analysis of the blood revealed it matched the blood of a man's body found in an abandoned house in Union City, Georgia, by the name of Lester Roy Jones, a homicide victim. Apparently, three men had kidnapped and killed Jones by luring him to the abandoned house through a dating app. Authorities soon tracked down the four robbers, based on the descriptions Harris gave them and on the evidence linked to the homicide in Georgia. Apparently, two of the men had taken a Megabus from Chicago to Georgia and were arrested on September 15. A security camera had captured a masked man trying to use the murder victim's ATM card. Malik Mayer was charged with murder and financial card fraud. The other person arrested was a juvenile, name withheld. A third suspect, Lawrence Hines had checked himself into a Georgia mental institution. Later the same month, law enforcers tracked him down and arrested him at the facility. The fourth suspect fits the description of a man in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago. Charges and apprehension are pending. I was in high school in a suburb of Minneapolis when the Minnesota Vikings came into existence as an expansion NFL team. They were dubbed the Purple People Eaters, based on their propensity to vigorously pursue those they intend to force from an upright position onto the ground and render motionless, bringing their forward progress to a swift halt, particularly at the linebacker position. These many years later, I still bleed purple. ___________ Quote for the Day – "If winning or losing is going to define your life, you're on a rough road." Bud Grant ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and still bleeds purple on Sundays. ___________ - -

The Lost Ark

In 1980, I was a computer programmer in Los Angeles, taking screenwriting classes at night. One day I learned of the existence of 12 pyramids (two rows of six each) that an orbiting satellite had discovered in a remote area of the dense Amazon rain forest in Brazil, near Peru. I decided to use this information for my first screenplay. I knew a physicist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena who explained all the requisite technical details involved to me, including how a satellite could use spectroscopy to determine the physical properties of items on earth. Thus, I decided to write a screenplay about a scientist examining satellite data who discovers a pattern of 12 pyramids with a smaller pyramid in the middle of the pattern encased in gold. The scientist then destroys his findings, forms a small expedition and journeys to South America to seek a treasure (with bad guys on his trail, of course). The working title was THE MIDDLE PYRAMID – certain to be a blockbuster adventure movie, or so I fantasized. I worked on the screenplay for about six months, mostly on weekends using a typewriter, and finished the first draft just about the same time a movie came out in 1981 titled RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, about a scientist (archeologist) embarked on an expedition for treasure (the Ark of the Covenant) with bad guys on the same trail. Sadly, I realized my screenplay would now look like a rip off of the same film, so I shelved it and begrudgingly started another one. Although George Lucas and Phil Kaufman were credited for the story, and Lawrence Kasdan received screen credit for the screenplay of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a man named Randolph Fillmore purportedly wrote the first draft. In Hollywood, multiple writers often work on the same film but the Writer's Guild determines who gets final credit. According to various sources, Randolph Fillmore was a volunteer who worked with an archeologist named Dr. Vendyl Jones in 1977. Dr. Jones agreed to help Fillmore with the script on two conditions. First, it couldn't be set in Israel and, secondly, that Fillmore wouldn't use his name. Thus, Fillmore set the story in Egypt and altered Dr. Jones' name from "Vendyl Jones" to "Endy Jones" -- which later became "Indiana Jones." Dr. Vendyl Jones was one of the leaders of the Noahide movement, comprised of non-Jews who observe the seven laws of Noah. As a teacher, he published a book in 1959 predicting the precise outbreak of the Six Day War and was the only non-Jewish American (Texan) who fought in combat in the Six Day War in 1967. The Ark of the Covenant is considered to be the container of the Ten Commandments given to Moses at Mount Sinai. According to the Bible, the Ark measures 2.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits (62.5 inches by 37.5 inches by 37.5 inches), which is precisely identical in size to the king's chamber in the Great Pyramid in Egypt. Dr. Jones sought permission from the Israeli government to probe for the Ark which he believed was hidden in a secret passage (placed there just before the destruction of the First Temple) under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He contended the passageway is a tunnel that extends 18 miles southward and that the Ark was subsequently brought through the tunnel to its current resting place in the Judean Desert. With the help of an ancient document found in Qumran, Dr. Jones was convinced he knew the location of the Ark. In the Copper Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the first five lines read: "In the desolation of the Valley of Achur, in the opening under the ascent, which is a mountain facing eastward, covered by forty placed boulders – here is a tabernacle and all the golden fixtures." Dr. Jones believed this was the key to finding the Ark. Having walked over a group of boulders in that exact location many times, Dr. Jones suddenly came to realize the huge boulders didn't come off the mountain – they had to have been brought in from someplace else. He planned to drill a bore hole and drop a pin camera into the chamber below. All he needed was permission from the Israeli government. "Israel is a lot like heaven," Dr. Jones once proclaimed, "it's a lot easier to get forgiveness than it is permission." Unfortunately, Dr. Vendyl Jones died on December 27, 2010. The location of the Ark of the Covenant remains a mystery. If such an important religious artifact is ever to be found, it will probably happen when it's meant to happen. May the Force be with you -- oops, that's a different movie. ___________ Quote for the Day – "It's not the years, it's the mileage." Indiana Jones ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila Mockingbird. ___________- - -

Advice to Dimwits

A recent article in a local Sunday newspaper asked several teen-agers what they would include if there was such a thing as a “Teen Bill of Rights” -- confirming my suspicions that most young people are about as clueless as a bag of horse feathers about the real world The girls in the survey all came up with clever thoughts, while most of the boys gave cutesy-pie answers, no doubt meant to amuse one and all, revealing their underlying fear and loathing about having to someday confront the dire reality of adulthood. As a semi-responsible adult (except during full moons), I felt obligated to share my vast wisdom with these young male dimwits. ANSWER from a 17 year-old male from Maryland – “No cruel and unusual punishment, such as cleaning up what the pet left behind or throwing out the garbage.” ADVICE TO LAZY BONES -- If you can’t take care of a pet, you don’t deserve a pet. If you need a pet to get through life, I suggest a pet rock. And if you think throwing out the garbage is a big deal, just shove it under your bed or stick it in your closet. Most of it will rot and disappear over time, much like your first three marriages. ANSWER from a 19 year-old male from Texas – “The right to start over. When people mess up, they are judged by that forever. Everyone deserves the chance to start again.” ADVICE TO SCREWBALL -- You’re obviously a walking disaster. You have two choices in life. You can either move to another state every time you mess up, probably often, or remain where you are and live with a reputation as being a local screwball. The good news is that there are 50 states (unless you took the same Geography course as President Obama, in which case there are 57 states). Once you’ve been chased out of all of them you should consider living on a raft somewhere near Greenland. If you choose to stick it out in one place, you may automatically get a fresh start anyway by becoming an eccentric. Of course, you’ll need to grow a long beard, avoid bathing and talk mostly to yourself to achieve this status. By the way, very few people care if you mess up, unless you mess up on them. None of us are perfect, so don’t expect others (including yourself) to be perfect either. ANSWER from 20 year-old male from Texas – “The right to have something to eat and something to wear, and have a helping hand when we need one.” ADVICE TO HELPLESS -- Having a right to everything you desire will cost you everything you have. It’s called socialism, an insidious idea that enslaves everyone involved, especially people who think the world owes them something simply because they exist. If you believe others owe you, they’ll end up owning you. If you believe you are entitled to the earnings of others, you are a pathetic greedy thief. I suggest you figure out a way to survive, such as getting a job or starting a business, instead of hoping to attach yourself to the gains of others. ANSWER from the same 20 year-old male from Texas – “The freedom of not worrying.” ADVICE #2 TO HELPLESS -- You are a carbon-base form of random life residing on a large spinning orb rotating around a small sun in a far corner of an average galaxy. The decision to worry is up to you. To expect government to grant such a freedom is a form of insanity. Clearly you need someone else, like a wife or a cat, to do your thinking for you. ANSWER from an 18 year-old male from California – “The right to have fun.” ADVICE TO PARTY ANIMAL -- I suspect your version of having fun means lots of mindless juvenile activity accompanied by excessively loud music. Have all the fun you want as long as you don’t spoil life for others, such as neighbors. Fun for you may not be fun for those who are forced to endure your inconsiderate antics. ANSWER from an 18 year-old male from Louisiana – “The right not to pay taxes until we’re old enough to vote.” ADVICE TO PUZZLED TAXPAYER -- Congratulations. You’ve noticed that our national government is exceedingly costly and grossly unfair. On the positive side, it’s also very inefficient thereby taking forever to get things done. You have four alternatives. You can accept things as they are, or try to change things for the better, or ignore things and hope they go away, or remain frustrated the rest of your life. I’ve tried all four and none of them seem to work for me. "Maturity is to be able to stick with a job until it is finished, to be able to bear an injustice without having to get even, to be able to carry money without spending it, to do your duty without being supervised." Ann Landers ___________ Quote for the Day – "Go, and never darken my towels again." Groucho Marx ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where the real world is often elsewhere. ___________ - -

The Day the Music Died

On February 3, 1959, a small airplane crashed in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa. The pilot and his passengers, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, all perished. It was the day the music died. "I can't remember if I cried... When I read about his widowed bride... But something touched me deep inside... The day the music died." (from American Pie by Don McLean) A group of rock 'n roll bands, known as the The Winter Dance Party, was in the middle of a three-week tour covering 24 cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. On February 2, they had performed at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and were scheduled to perform at the Armory in Moorhead, Minnesota, the following evening. Buddy Holly had grown tired of riding the bus and decided to charter a flight to Moorhead. There was room for three passengers in the single engine plane -- his two band mates, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings. Richardson had the flu and asked Waylon Jennings for his seat on the plane. Jennings agreed to do it. When Holly found out about it, he told Jennings, "Well, I hope your bus freezes up." Jennings replied, "Well, I hope your plane crashes." Though the remarks were made in jest, Jennings was haunted by the incident for years. Richie Valens then asked Allsup for his seat. They flipped a coin. Valens won the seat and sealed his fate. The plane went down a mere five miles from the airport. It struck the ground at 170 mph. The three main attractions of The Winter Dance Party were thrown from the wreckage and on their way to rock 'n roll heaven. "And as the flames climbed high into the night... To light the sacrificial rite... I saw Satan laughing with delight... The day the music died." (from American Pie by Don McLean) But the show must go on. Dion & The Belmonts (the fourth headliner) and Frankie Sardo finished the entire tour, but Bobby Vee & The Shadows left the troupe after the Moorhead performance. Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Jimmy Clanton were brought in as the new headliners. Ronnie Smith took over as vocalist for The Crickets. Buddy Holly (1936-1959), singer and songwriter, was considered to be one of the pioneers of rock 'n roll. He's ranked #13 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Ritchie Valens (1941-1959) was a Mexican-American (and part Yaqui Indian) from Los Angeles. His music career had just begun, lasting only eight months. His songs "La Bomba" and "Donna" were huge hits. J.P. Richardson (1930-1959) was a disc jockey, known as The Big Bopper. He had a rich voice and an exuberant personality. He recorded a song called "Chantilly Lace" and soon became a one-hit wonder. Having given up his seat to Richardson, Waylon Jennings (1937-2002) went on to become a successful country singer. He, along with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, started the "outlaw country" movement. Buddy Holly's revolver was found by a farmer plowing the field in April of 1959. An autopsy performed on the pilot and the Coroner's examination of the four bodies failed to find a bullet wound. On March 7, 2007, a forensic examination of the remains of the Big Bopper, requested by his son, put certain rumors of foul play to rest. A decade after the accident, Don McLean wrote and recorded the song AMERICAN PIE – the classic music tribute to Buddy Holly. The song is also a parable on how music changed in the 1960s with the loss of pure rock and the coming of non-danceable pop music (The Beatles, etc.) and folk music (Bob Dylan, etc.). American Pie was a stunning achievement in songwriting; layered with meaning, innuendo, and a fascinating historical perspective of a musical era. The rocking 1950s had ended and the helter skelter of the 1960s rolled in. Various interpretations of the lyrics of American Pie can be found on the Internet, from the obvious meanings all the way down to what Billy Joe McAllister threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge. "And the three men I admire most... The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost... They caught the last train for the coast... The day the music died." (from American Pie by Don McLean) Of course, the music didn't really die in the winter of 1959 -- it died when they invented Rap and Hip-Hop. On January 28, 2009, the 50th anniversary of the Winter Dance Party held a tribute concert in the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens played their final concert. Sirius XM Radio host Cousin Brucie was the emcee. Some of the entertainers included Los Lobos, Graham Nash, Los Lonely Boys, Wanda Jackson, Tommy Allsup, Bobby Vee, Joe Ely and others. One of my old high school classmates named Greg, along with the ghost of Waylon Jennings, were in attendance. But I couldn't make it that year. I had an appointment to have my legs waxed. Bye, Bye Miss American Pie. ___________ Quote for the Day – "Yesterday is just a memory, tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be." Bob Dylan ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where music is a way of life. ___________ - -

Free at Last

Monday, January 17, 2022, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the third Monday in January of each year. In 1955, at age 26, Martin Luther King, Jr. was thrust into civil-rights leadership in Montgomery, Alabama, after Rosa Parks had made her courageous stand not to move to the back of the bus. A group of blacks, formed by the community to lead a bus boycott, chose King as a compromise candidate to lead their moral crusade. • Immediately, King was besieged with threats. The Ku Klux Klan gave him three days to leave town. • He spent a night in jail for driving 30 mph in a 25-mph zone. • A bomb exploded on his front porch. But it only made him stronger. In April of 1966, I was drafted into the U.S. Army (Vietnam Era) and stationed at Ft. McPherson, Headquarters of the Third Army, in Atlanta, Georgia, whereupon I was one of a half dozen data processing analysts, working night shift, supervised by a civilian employee, coding documents to be processed by computer. On April 3, 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was in Memphis, Tennessee, speaking to a capacity crowd of striking garbage workers and others at Mason Temple about the climate of racial hatred. King’s final words in his last speech were… “I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” At 6:01 the following evening, King was struck in the face by a rifle bullet as he stood on the balcony outside of room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital and pronounced dead at 7:05. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in non-violent protest of racial injustice -- it cost him his life. He was 39 years old. Racial riots broke out that night in over 100 cities, including Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Newark, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Nashville, Kansas City, Oakland, Memphis, etc. On April 5, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson called out 4,000 federal troops to quell the rioting in Washington DC -- plus, 20,000 Army and 34,000 National Guardsmen had been ordered to anti-riot duty elsewhere. April 11, 1968, was my scheduled discharge date from the U.S. Army. However, King’s funeral was to be conducted on April 9 in Atlanta, just a few miles from Ft. McPherson. My expectations of becoming a civilian once again were temporarily put on hold. The entire world, including the Army, expected massive outbreaks of chaos during or shortly after the ceremony. Instead of packing to go home, I was in combat gear, practicing bayonet thrusts, wondering how much live ammo would be distributed for riot control. Lester Maddox, an outspoken racist who once chased blacks out of his restaurant by passing out axe handles to his white patrons, was the Governor at the time. He was furious that flags at state buildings in the capitol of Atlanta, and elsewhere, were at half-mast the day of the funeral. Surrounded by 200 armed state agents, Maddox proceeded to personally hoist the two flags back up, but backed off when the major TV networks showed up to record the action. This added mayhem gave those of us standing by with bayonets an extra sense of anticipation. The funeral service was held in Ebenezer Baptist Church. King’s casket was placed on an old farm wagon, with steel-rim, wooden-spoke wheels. 30,000 marchers were sent ahead to start the procession. An estimated 200,000 mourners took part in the procession that eventually passed directly in front of the Capitol. Governor Maddox, along with 160 helmeted troopers and 40 enforcement officers from other state agencies, remained inside the statehouse. There were eight armed men at each entrance. Maddox had given them the following orders: “If they should go so far as to break through the locked doors, then start shooting and don’t stop until they are stacked so high above the threshold the followers would be unable to climb over them.” The procession passed by solemnly and the funeral occurred without incident. Two days later, I was discharged from the Army and returned home to Minneapolis, where I kissed the ground and embarked on a new life once again. The human conscience is eternal and will never die. ___________ Quote for the Day – “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.” Martin Luther King, Jr. ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and has many memories of Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid 1960s. ___________ - -

Edgar Cayce and Atlantis

There is a fine line between real and unreal. But if you look hard enough, the unreal becomes more real every day. Anthropologists once believed North and South America had initially been populated by Asians crossing a land bridge connecting Asia and Alaska during the last Ice Age, some 20,000 years ago. However, recent genetic DNA analysis of Native Americans now places the initial wave of migration between 38,000 to 50,000 years ago. Genetic DNA analysis can trace the ethnic tribal lineage, and thereby land of the origin, of a human being. Native American tribes contain four distinct DNA groupings, designated A, B, C and D. These groupings are found in Asia but not in Europe or Africa. While 96 percent of all indigenous natives in North and South America fall within A, B, C and D, there was a mysterious four percent, dubbed Group X, which could not be explained. Type X subjects were not found in the vast majority of tribes, including none in South America. It was also determined Type X subjects arrived in North America 10,000 to 38,000 years ago, later than the other groups. By far, the highest concentration of Type X in Europe was found in the Basques, a race of Caucasians who live in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. The highest frequency of Type X in the entire world was found in the Berbers, a race of Caucasians who live in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in North Africa. The Basques and Berbers have long puzzled anthropologists, linguists and historians because they don't seem to fit into their continental surroundings. However, independent researchers of the Association of Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), followers of Edgar Cayce, have come forward and made a few observations of their own. Known as the Sleeping Prophet, Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) is considered by many to have been America's foremost psychic. Throughout his lifetime he performed over 14,000 readings while in a self-induced trance. Although delving into many subjects, 8,976 of his readings, transcribed onto 900,000 pages of notes, were devoted to medical problems, a majority of which were resolved, often advancing current medical technology. Cayce’s readings were always recorded by a stenographer. To do a medical reading on a subject, all Cayce needed was the subject’s pre-arranged location at the time of the reading. On one occasion, Cayce went into a trance and declared that the subject was not at the location where he was supposed to be at the time. It was later determined that the subject had forgotten about the meeting and was indeed not at the pre-arranged location at the prescribed time. On another occasion, Cayce was to do a reading for a ship’s captain who was at sea. When Cayce went into his trance, he realized the fellow could not speak English, so he did the entire reading in fluent German, a language he had no knowledge of when awake. Clearly, Edgar Cayce had a unique talent, although he claimed that everyone had the capability to do the same. In addition to medical inquiries, people would often slip in questions about the past or the future. An extremely high percentage of Cayce’s “predictions” of the future have come true. And now the genetic DNA analysis findings of Type X may actually lend additional credence to his psychic readings as well. Many of Edgar Cayce's readings concerned the island continent of Atlantis, the fabled empire located beyond the Pillars of Hercules (presumably the Rocks of Gibraltar in the western Mediterranean), as thoroughly detailed in Plato's TIMAEUS, that fell into the sea. Cayce’s readings described three separate disasters that befell Atlantis. The first catastrophe happened in 50,700 BC, caused by an explosion of gas pockets within the earth that triggered volcanoes and earthquakes, generated a magnet pole shift on the planet and produced a great Ice Age. The second catastrophe occurred in 28.000 BC, coinciding with the Biblical account of Noah and the Great Flood. After the deluge, the continent had been broken into three main islands: Aryaz in the east (present day Azores Island group), Poseidia in the north (West Indies area), and Og in the south (near South America). The final catastrophe took place in 10,600 BC. There were gigantic land upheavals upon the earth and the remaining land mass of Posedia and Aryaz (except for the mountain peaks) disappeared into the seas. The Cayce readings indicated the Atlanteans had been forced to relocate to various distant lands during the catastrophes, specifically to the Pyrenees Mountains (between Spain and France), Morocco (Atlas Mountains), Egypt (where they built the pyramids) and North America (where they formed the Iroquois nation). All Type X locations. In North America, the highest concentration of Type X lineage was found within the Iroquois nation (Ojibway, Oneota and Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribes). Cayce also reported some Atlanteans went on to the American Southwest and Midwest. The Navajo (Southwest) and mound builder region (Midwest) also contain some Type X subjects. The bottom line -- everywhere Edgar Cayce (psychic readings) claimed the Atlanteans settled after their land disappeared has a high unaccountable occurrence of a specific DNA type (type X) found nowhere else on this planet. This isn't exactly scientific proof of the prior existence of Atlantis, but we live in a very strange universe where everything is a sign that holds a mystery. Many of Cayce's readings are mysteries yet to be unraveled. Edgar Cayce claimed to have had the ability to link to the Universal Consciousness, which he referred to as the Akashic Records. Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning "sky" -- a term used to describe mystical knowledge from another plane of existence. These records contain the entire history of human experience, and knowledge of the universe and beyond. "He who knows himself is enlightened... To the mind that is still the whole universe surrenders." Lao Tzu At the center of all humans is the source of all knowledge -- the first step to believe it, the second step is to seek it. ___________ Quote for the Day – “Man is a being in search of meaning." Plato ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and often searches for meaning. ___________ - -