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.
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Quote for the Day -- "I love to go to Washington -- if only to be near my money." Bob Hope
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Sunday, April 17, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Interview with an Air Conditioner
Starting in the mid 1960s, I spent a couple of decades as an ambitious computer programmer and manager, in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Married for 5 years, then divorced. In my 40s, I was burned out. I quit the full-time corporate grind and became a programmer for hire (hourly rates, short-term contracts). I also left the big city for a less stressful life in the boondocks.
After living in the Arizona desert for 6 years, I moved to the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where I became even more reclusive. With no computer programming jobs available in Redneck Heaven, I managed to get a part-time job teaching computer courses at a local college (2001-2006) and writing a column for a weekly newspaper (2001-2007).
When I started at the newspaper, it was understood that I was to be part-time (about 15 hours per week), working primarily on putting the paper together on the computer. But various levels of management had other ideas about my duties whereupon it soon became apparent that I would either have to become embroiled in office politics or leave.
I had been with the paper for only two weeks, pondering my next move, when I asked the editor-in-chief on Friday afternoon if I could write an article for the paper. She was a crusty old newspaper warhorse and gruffly told me to go have an interview with an air conditioner.
It was early spring. Obviously, she wanted me to write a piece about how everyone should do some maintenance on their air conditioner prior to seasonal usage. But being the smartass rebel I am, I took a different approach.
That weekend, I cranked out the short piece below and turned it in to the editor on Monday morning. From that day on I wrote a weekly column for the paper for 7 years straight, never missing an issue, until we got new management with a "my way or the highway" attitude -- I took the highway.
__________________________
INTERVIEW WITH AN AIR CONDITIONER
One of the news editors suggested I interview an air conditioner. After all, summer was right around the corner and it was assumed readers would want to know the general feelings of their outdoor cooling equipment.
I had always been under the impression appliances were incapable of speech but I could be wrong. Rather than question the wisdom of the editor, I decided to go along with it.
So I sat on my deck the following Saturday afternoon, gazing at my air conditioner, trying to figure out a way to communicate with it.
Finally, I walked right up to it and introduced myself.
I wasn’t too surprised at the silence that followed. Then I felt a little embarrassed. After all I had lived there for two years. Surely it knew who I was by now.
“So how’s it going?” I said, as if I was expecting an answer.
Again, the air conditioner didn’t respond.
However, my dog wandered over for a closer look. She seemed a bit perplexed that I would be talking to the big green box sitting on a slab of concrete next to our abode.
“Ya ready for another summer?” I asked the big green box.
Again no response.
I wanted to ask it if it had a name but was certain I wouldn’t get an answer. For some strange reason, I wanted to call it Frosty. Then I noticed it already had a name engraved on its side that read Intertherm; a proper name for a hunk of cooling equipment.
I wondered if Intertherm was looking forward to summer and being in use on a daily basis.
Suddenly, my dog tilted her head to the right, as if the big green box had communicated with her.
I quickly realized Intertherm was indeed looking forward to heavy usage, after all that’s what machines do. They delight in running smoothing and helping those who created them.
Without uttering another word, I thanked the air conditioner for its fine service and assured it, in my mind, that I would take proper care of it.
My dog gave me an understanding look, then ran off to regain her sanity by chasing a squirrel.
I have no idea if I actually communicated with my air conditioner but it could’ve been possible. If nothing else, it left me in a good mood. Intertherm seemed to be in a good mood too. I even caught a glimpse of a smile as I walked away.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to my toaster, mostly about sports.
So now that summer is around the corner, have a chat with your air conditioner. But don’t call it Frosty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier." H.L. Mencken
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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After living in the Arizona desert for 6 years, I moved to the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where I became even more reclusive. With no computer programming jobs available in Redneck Heaven, I managed to get a part-time job teaching computer courses at a local college (2001-2006) and writing a column for a weekly newspaper (2001-2007).
When I started at the newspaper, it was understood that I was to be part-time (about 15 hours per week), working primarily on putting the paper together on the computer. But various levels of management had other ideas about my duties whereupon it soon became apparent that I would either have to become embroiled in office politics or leave.
I had been with the paper for only two weeks, pondering my next move, when I asked the editor-in-chief on Friday afternoon if I could write an article for the paper. She was a crusty old newspaper warhorse and gruffly told me to go have an interview with an air conditioner.
It was early spring. Obviously, she wanted me to write a piece about how everyone should do some maintenance on their air conditioner prior to seasonal usage. But being the smartass rebel I am, I took a different approach.
That weekend, I cranked out the short piece below and turned it in to the editor on Monday morning. From that day on I wrote a weekly column for the paper for 7 years straight, never missing an issue, until we got new management with a "my way or the highway" attitude -- I took the highway.
__________________________
INTERVIEW WITH AN AIR CONDITIONER
One of the news editors suggested I interview an air conditioner. After all, summer was right around the corner and it was assumed readers would want to know the general feelings of their outdoor cooling equipment.
I had always been under the impression appliances were incapable of speech but I could be wrong. Rather than question the wisdom of the editor, I decided to go along with it.
So I sat on my deck the following Saturday afternoon, gazing at my air conditioner, trying to figure out a way to communicate with it.
Finally, I walked right up to it and introduced myself.
I wasn’t too surprised at the silence that followed. Then I felt a little embarrassed. After all I had lived there for two years. Surely it knew who I was by now.
“So how’s it going?” I said, as if I was expecting an answer.
Again, the air conditioner didn’t respond.
However, my dog wandered over for a closer look. She seemed a bit perplexed that I would be talking to the big green box sitting on a slab of concrete next to our abode.
“Ya ready for another summer?” I asked the big green box.
Again no response.
I wanted to ask it if it had a name but was certain I wouldn’t get an answer. For some strange reason, I wanted to call it Frosty. Then I noticed it already had a name engraved on its side that read Intertherm; a proper name for a hunk of cooling equipment.
I wondered if Intertherm was looking forward to summer and being in use on a daily basis.
Suddenly, my dog tilted her head to the right, as if the big green box had communicated with her.
I quickly realized Intertherm was indeed looking forward to heavy usage, after all that’s what machines do. They delight in running smoothing and helping those who created them.
Without uttering another word, I thanked the air conditioner for its fine service and assured it, in my mind, that I would take proper care of it.
My dog gave me an understanding look, then ran off to regain her sanity by chasing a squirrel.
I have no idea if I actually communicated with my air conditioner but it could’ve been possible. If nothing else, it left me in a good mood. Intertherm seemed to be in a good mood too. I even caught a glimpse of a smile as I walked away.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to my toaster, mostly about sports.
So now that summer is around the corner, have a chat with your air conditioner. But don’t call it Frosty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier." H.L. Mencken
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Thursday, April 7, 2011
Catch-22
CATCH-22
In 1961, Joseph Heller wrote a classic novel about military madness during World War II and the human desire to survive it. It was his first novel and he called it CATCH-18. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, felt the title would conflict with the new Leon Uris novel called MILO 18, so they changed it to CATCH-22.
In the novel, catch-22 is a term used by bomber pilots to describe their dilemma. In order to get out of combat you must be judged to be crazy, but if you express a desire to get out you are thereby judged to be sane. Therefore, you can never get out of combat. If a pilot wanted to be grounded, all he had to do was ask. But by asking, it proved he was rational and therefore was required to fly.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." Joseph Heller
Catch-22 is now a term in the English language which means the only solution to a problem is denied by a circumstance (or rule) inherent in the problem. Within a catch-22 rule there is always an exception that makes the rule a circular argument that can’t be resolved.
People with power tend to go to great lengths to maintain their power and those without power suffer the consequences. Creating a catch-22 is one way to maintain that power.
The real world is full of catch-22s.
Getting your first job, particularly in a specialized technical field, is a catch-22. You can’t get the job because you have no experience and you can’t get any experience until you get a job. In Hollywood, it’s nearly impossible to break in. In order to sell a screenplay you must be a member of the Writer’s Guild and you can’t become a member of the Writer’s Guild unless you’ve sold a screenplay. The same is true for actors. You can’t play a part unless you belong to the Actor’s Guild and you can’t get into the Actor’s Guild unless you’ve played a part.
Marriage is often a circumstance without a solution, a circular argument that can’t be resolved, making it a classical catch-22. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.
Our entire banking system is built around a catch-22. If you are poor and desperately need a loan, you don’t qualify for a loan. But if you can prove that you have enough accumulated net worth, in other words don’t really need a loan, then you qualify.
Military strength is another catch-22. The USA spends an excessive amount of money building a powerful military to protect itself from its potential enemies, thereby creating more potential enemies who resent the powerful military in the first place. The stronger we become, the more despised we become. Thus, the stronger we become, the stronger we must become.
As the lone superpower on Earth we have become trapped in our own catch-22. We see ourselves as noble crusaders saving the rest of the world from evil, while the rest of the world sees us as self-appointed global cops perpetuating evil by imposing our will on others. Even if our intentions are honorable, it doesn’t mean they will be perceived that way or that they will always be honorable in the future. Being the toughest dude on the block requires cooperation and restraint. No one likes a bully. And no one likes a self-appointed cop either. A planet with a single superpower is a planet out of balance.
Even your basic personality is a catch-22. Honesty often offends people whereas deceit gratifies them with what they want to hear. You can alienate people with your opinions or you can accommodate them by being agreeable. Pleasing others and being an honest human being with conviction are in direct conflict.
Life is a catch–22. You can make dust or eat dust. Either way, it’s always dusty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them." Joseph Heller
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
___________
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In 1961, Joseph Heller wrote a classic novel about military madness during World War II and the human desire to survive it. It was his first novel and he called it CATCH-18. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, felt the title would conflict with the new Leon Uris novel called MILO 18, so they changed it to CATCH-22.
In the novel, catch-22 is a term used by bomber pilots to describe their dilemma. In order to get out of combat you must be judged to be crazy, but if you express a desire to get out you are thereby judged to be sane. Therefore, you can never get out of combat. If a pilot wanted to be grounded, all he had to do was ask. But by asking, it proved he was rational and therefore was required to fly.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." Joseph Heller
Catch-22 is now a term in the English language which means the only solution to a problem is denied by a circumstance (or rule) inherent in the problem. Within a catch-22 rule there is always an exception that makes the rule a circular argument that can’t be resolved.
People with power tend to go to great lengths to maintain their power and those without power suffer the consequences. Creating a catch-22 is one way to maintain that power.
The real world is full of catch-22s.
Getting your first job, particularly in a specialized technical field, is a catch-22. You can’t get the job because you have no experience and you can’t get any experience until you get a job. In Hollywood, it’s nearly impossible to break in. In order to sell a screenplay you must be a member of the Writer’s Guild and you can’t become a member of the Writer’s Guild unless you’ve sold a screenplay. The same is true for actors. You can’t play a part unless you belong to the Actor’s Guild and you can’t get into the Actor’s Guild unless you’ve played a part.
Marriage is often a circumstance without a solution, a circular argument that can’t be resolved, making it a classical catch-22. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.
Our entire banking system is built around a catch-22. If you are poor and desperately need a loan, you don’t qualify for a loan. But if you can prove that you have enough accumulated net worth, in other words don’t really need a loan, then you qualify.
Military strength is another catch-22. The USA spends an excessive amount of money building a powerful military to protect itself from its potential enemies, thereby creating more potential enemies who resent the powerful military in the first place. The stronger we become, the more despised we become. Thus, the stronger we become, the stronger we must become.
As the lone superpower on Earth we have become trapped in our own catch-22. We see ourselves as noble crusaders saving the rest of the world from evil, while the rest of the world sees us as self-appointed global cops perpetuating evil by imposing our will on others. Even if our intentions are honorable, it doesn’t mean they will be perceived that way or that they will always be honorable in the future. Being the toughest dude on the block requires cooperation and restraint. No one likes a bully. And no one likes a self-appointed cop either. A planet with a single superpower is a planet out of balance.
Even your basic personality is a catch-22. Honesty often offends people whereas deceit gratifies them with what they want to hear. You can alienate people with your opinions or you can accommodate them by being agreeable. Pleasing others and being an honest human being with conviction are in direct conflict.
Life is a catch–22. You can make dust or eat dust. Either way, it’s always dusty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them." Joseph Heller
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Friday, April 1, 2011
The Metabolic Syndrome
Properly maintaining the following metabolic factors, dubbed the Deadly Quartet, is crucial to good health.
1) Weight
2) Blood pressure
3) Blood-sugar (insulin) level
4) Cholesterol levels
According to the Mayo Clinic, having any of these factors at an abnormal level increases the risk of serious disease. When one or more of these conditions is out of appropriate balance, it's called the Metabolic Syndrome.
Many studies have shown that stress can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. Wake Forest University conducted an experiment whereby they exposed laboratory monkeys to chronic social stress causing "a significant number of animals to develop Metabolic Syndrome." A Yale University study found a link between chronic psychological stress (in human subjects) and abnormal fat storage that appeared to lead to the same syndrome.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate blood pressure, releases insulin for blood sugar maintenance, controls metabolism, responds to inflammation, aids the immune system, and so forth. It's present in the body at higher levels in the morning and lowest in the evening.
During stress, the adrenal gland becomes more active, secreting high levels of cortisol into the bloodstream.
Abnormally high amounts of cortisol can result in abdominal fat storage, elevated insulin levels (linked to heart attacks, strokes and diabetes), high blood pressure, high blood sugar, poor cholesterol levels and more.
The bottom line is that stress, especially chronic stress, can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. An estimated one out of four Americans currently exhibit signs of this malady. How we react to stress plays a major role as well.
There are a zillion causes of stress -- anger, depression, fear, incompatible occupation, difficult relationships, finances, health, ambition, perfectionism, competitiveness, low self-esteem, heartache, accidents, crime, etc.
Dr. Murray Mittleman, a cardiovascular specialist, interviewed 1,600 heart attack victims and determined the risk of a heart attack was more than twice as great if the person had been very angry just prior to the attack.
Anger is a petty indulgence by self-centered people. Get over it – you're not the center of the universe.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center reported that people who experience major depression were four times as likely to have a heart attack as those who were not depressed.
Depression is primarily a self-inflicted emotion by people who become discouraged (give up) or suppress anger. A study at Duke University found that 60 percent of clinically depressed people who took a brisk walk at least three times per week were no longer depressed after 16 weeks. Get off your butt and take care of business.
Anxiety is commonplace in this world. Your adrenalin pumps faster whenever you go into a state of worry or fear. When in a continual state of stress, you get an adrenalin overload, leading to the Metabolic Syndrome.
To relieve stress, some people overindulge in things to take their mind off of reality, such as food, booze, drugs, smoking, and caffeine. Or they may immerse themselves in activities to distract themselves, such as TV, music, hobbies, sports, games, work, travel, etc. But distractions are simply diversions. The stress is still there.
Stress stems from a lack of courage to deal with reality and the anguish of not being in control of your life.
All you have to do to straighten out is drop the anger, climb out of the depression, change your diet, exercise regularly, drink moderately, quit smoking, find a stress-free occupation, dump bad relationships, acquire positive relationships, be carefree in your leisure time, overcome your fears, take a deep breath, relax your body, quiet your mind, smile at the sky and thank whatever might be looking down at you for your divine existence.
Life can be a glorious journey or a bad ride – it's simply a matter of choice. So take control and be happy.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." Aesop
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
___________
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1) Weight
2) Blood pressure
3) Blood-sugar (insulin) level
4) Cholesterol levels
According to the Mayo Clinic, having any of these factors at an abnormal level increases the risk of serious disease. When one or more of these conditions is out of appropriate balance, it's called the Metabolic Syndrome.
Many studies have shown that stress can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. Wake Forest University conducted an experiment whereby they exposed laboratory monkeys to chronic social stress causing "a significant number of animals to develop Metabolic Syndrome." A Yale University study found a link between chronic psychological stress (in human subjects) and abnormal fat storage that appeared to lead to the same syndrome.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate blood pressure, releases insulin for blood sugar maintenance, controls metabolism, responds to inflammation, aids the immune system, and so forth. It's present in the body at higher levels in the morning and lowest in the evening.
During stress, the adrenal gland becomes more active, secreting high levels of cortisol into the bloodstream.
Abnormally high amounts of cortisol can result in abdominal fat storage, elevated insulin levels (linked to heart attacks, strokes and diabetes), high blood pressure, high blood sugar, poor cholesterol levels and more.
The bottom line is that stress, especially chronic stress, can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. An estimated one out of four Americans currently exhibit signs of this malady. How we react to stress plays a major role as well.
There are a zillion causes of stress -- anger, depression, fear, incompatible occupation, difficult relationships, finances, health, ambition, perfectionism, competitiveness, low self-esteem, heartache, accidents, crime, etc.
Dr. Murray Mittleman, a cardiovascular specialist, interviewed 1,600 heart attack victims and determined the risk of a heart attack was more than twice as great if the person had been very angry just prior to the attack.
Anger is a petty indulgence by self-centered people. Get over it – you're not the center of the universe.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center reported that people who experience major depression were four times as likely to have a heart attack as those who were not depressed.
Depression is primarily a self-inflicted emotion by people who become discouraged (give up) or suppress anger. A study at Duke University found that 60 percent of clinically depressed people who took a brisk walk at least three times per week were no longer depressed after 16 weeks. Get off your butt and take care of business.
Anxiety is commonplace in this world. Your adrenalin pumps faster whenever you go into a state of worry or fear. When in a continual state of stress, you get an adrenalin overload, leading to the Metabolic Syndrome.
To relieve stress, some people overindulge in things to take their mind off of reality, such as food, booze, drugs, smoking, and caffeine. Or they may immerse themselves in activities to distract themselves, such as TV, music, hobbies, sports, games, work, travel, etc. But distractions are simply diversions. The stress is still there.
Stress stems from a lack of courage to deal with reality and the anguish of not being in control of your life.
All you have to do to straighten out is drop the anger, climb out of the depression, change your diet, exercise regularly, drink moderately, quit smoking, find a stress-free occupation, dump bad relationships, acquire positive relationships, be carefree in your leisure time, overcome your fears, take a deep breath, relax your body, quiet your mind, smile at the sky and thank whatever might be looking down at you for your divine existence.
Life can be a glorious journey or a bad ride – it's simply a matter of choice. So take control and be happy.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." Aesop
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Friday, March 25, 2011
Abiotic Oil
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.
To make matters worse, the USA production of crude oil has been curtailed in the aftermath of the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf in April of 2010 whereby off-shore drilling has been put on hold by the Obama Administration.
Under these conditions, oil industry insiders reap large profits and cause economic instability. The USA has become dependent on foreign 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. Basically, Planet Earth is a spinning, moving orb through space.
THE DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE: THE MYTH OF FOSSIL FUELS is Dr. Gold's groundbreaking book, published in 1998, that promotes 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 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 millions 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.
Presently, in the Spring of 2011, the Middle East is in 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 spilled blood 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.
Food for thought.
___________
Quote for the Day – "Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water." Miguel de Cervantes
___________
Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four fiction novels. He has recently published a nonfiction book titled THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon) -- mind-bending topics such as collective consciousness, UFO phenomena, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, the End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after World War II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience and Mayan calendar 2012.
___________
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To make matters worse, the USA production of crude oil has been curtailed in the aftermath of the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf in April of 2010 whereby off-shore drilling has been put on hold by the Obama Administration.
Under these conditions, oil industry insiders reap large profits and cause economic instability. The USA has become dependent on foreign 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. Basically, Planet Earth is a spinning, moving orb through space.
THE DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE: THE MYTH OF FOSSIL FUELS is Dr. Gold's groundbreaking book, published in 1998, that promotes 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 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 millions 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.
Presently, in the Spring of 2011, the Middle East is in 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 spilled blood 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.
Food for thought.
___________
Quote for the Day – "Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water." Miguel de Cervantes
___________
Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four fiction novels. He has recently published a nonfiction book titled THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon) -- mind-bending topics such as collective consciousness, UFO phenomena, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, the End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after World War II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience and Mayan calendar 2012.
___________
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Thursday, March 17, 2011
Toxic Drums
The Farallon Islands are a small group of islands off the coast of San Francisco, some 27 miles outside the Golden Gate. These islands are officially part of the city and county of San Francisco, California.
From 1946 to 1970, the United States routinely dumped 55-gallon drums of nuclear waste (plutonium, uranium, strontium) off the Farallon Islands on a regular basis. The drums that failed to sink, which had no protective linings to prevent seepage, were riddled with bullet holes by U.S. Navy gunners until they sank out of sight.
In all, 47,500 drums containing radioactive material were dumped into the waters off Farallon Islands.
You don't have to be a hard-core Tree Hugger to realize that dumping nuclear waste into the ocean is incredibly irresponsible and highly dangerous to the survival of Planet Earth and the Human Race.
Other nations dumping nuclear waste into oceanic waters include China, Russia, Japan, New Zealand and nearly all the nations of Europe.
Which begs the question -- "Is the entire human race nuts?"
In March of 2011, an earthquake and tsunami ripped through northern Japan rendering several nuclear power plants into a state of dire emergency (nuclear meltdown). Radioactivity is deadly to living creatures, including people. As I write this piece, nuclear scientists are scrambling feverishly, trying to prevent a nuclear disaster of monumental proportions.
Thousands of people died in the initial magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami, and the area near the damaged nuclear power plants has been evacuated for scores of miles in all directions from the power plants.
A tragedy like this doesn't build character, it reveals it. On March 17, 2011, CNN announced that actress Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the Red Cross toward relief efforts of this disaster in Japan. Perhaps there is hope for the human race after all.
There are no passengers on the Planet of Wounded Souls -- we are all crew.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think we are -- the tree is the real thing." Abraham Lincoln
___________
Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where Mother Earth will mess with you if you mess with her. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
___________
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-
From 1946 to 1970, the United States routinely dumped 55-gallon drums of nuclear waste (plutonium, uranium, strontium) off the Farallon Islands on a regular basis. The drums that failed to sink, which had no protective linings to prevent seepage, were riddled with bullet holes by U.S. Navy gunners until they sank out of sight.
In all, 47,500 drums containing radioactive material were dumped into the waters off Farallon Islands.
You don't have to be a hard-core Tree Hugger to realize that dumping nuclear waste into the ocean is incredibly irresponsible and highly dangerous to the survival of Planet Earth and the Human Race.
Other nations dumping nuclear waste into oceanic waters include China, Russia, Japan, New Zealand and nearly all the nations of Europe.
Which begs the question -- "Is the entire human race nuts?"
In March of 2011, an earthquake and tsunami ripped through northern Japan rendering several nuclear power plants into a state of dire emergency (nuclear meltdown). Radioactivity is deadly to living creatures, including people. As I write this piece, nuclear scientists are scrambling feverishly, trying to prevent a nuclear disaster of monumental proportions.
Thousands of people died in the initial magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami, and the area near the damaged nuclear power plants has been evacuated for scores of miles in all directions from the power plants.
A tragedy like this doesn't build character, it reveals it. On March 17, 2011, CNN announced that actress Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the Red Cross toward relief efforts of this disaster in Japan. Perhaps there is hope for the human race after all.
There are no passengers on the Planet of Wounded Souls -- we are all crew.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think we are -- the tree is the real thing." Abraham Lincoln
___________
Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where Mother Earth will mess with you if you mess with her. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
___________
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
Saving Daylight in 2011
Time is a wonderful invention. It keeps everything from happening all at once.
This weekend, March 12-13, 2011, is Daylight Savings Time once again. Spring forward, fall back, and do a cartwheel on your front lawn. As per our obligation as followers of leaders, it is our responsibility to adjust our clocks, watches and sundials by an hour to remain in sync with the rest of the world.
It all started in 1784, when Benjamin Franklin wrote a whimsical essay titled "Turkey versus Eagle, McCauley is my Beagle" in which he advocated what is today referred to as Daylight Saving Time.
Over the ensuing years, the notion of saving daylight slowly began to catch on with those who would apparently score low on a whimsy-o-meter.
Germany and England first adopted Daylight Saving Time in the spring of 1916, during World War I.
In March of 1918, the U.S. Congress established times zones, which had been used by the railroads and most cities since 1883, and included a conversion to Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of World War I.
DST proved to be very unpopular in the USA and was repealed in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the legislation but Congress overrode the veto. Thus, America returned to normal after the war to end all wars.
In February of 1942, DST was once again reinstated in the USA. Apparently, it's easier to fight world wars if you adjust the time pieces to save daylight. That way, you have an extra hour each day to fight and the enemy can't sneak away in the dark quite as easily.
In September of 1945, the "war time" requirement was removed.
From 1945 to 1966, the U.S. Congress had better things to do than mess with time. States and localities were free to observe or not to observe DST.
But in April of 1966, the Federal Uniform Time Act mandated DST nationwide. However, individual states could become exempt from DST by passing a state law. Then in 1972, the Act was amended to permit states that straddle time zones (such as Indiana) to exempt areas within zones.
The primary benefit of advancing clocks by an hour in the spring and reversing them in the fall is to give people more afternoon sun during the summer.
However, an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon costs an hour of daylight in the morning.
While a time change may benefit some, it can be inconvenient or a burden to others.
1) Sleep patterns are interrupted which generally take up to five days after each time shift to overcome
2) Personal health and work-related productivity suffer with changing sleep patterns
3) Those who must rise with the sun (agriculture) are out of sync with the societal time schedules
4) Studies show that traffic accidents increase significantly during periods following the time shifts
5) Computers must all change their internal clocks in accordance with human time
6) More afternoon sunlight actually increases energy consumption
7) Time shifts cause much confusion with international business
8) All Amtrak trains must stop for an hour in the fall to remain in sync with published timetables
9) In the spring, Amtrak trains become an hour behind schedule and must do their best to catch up
The state of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time. I lived there in 1987-92 and life was much simpler sticking to a consistent time. I never understood why the rest of the country was so unenlightened.
Saving daylight is a lot like saving a jar of air. Basically, it's an exercise in stupidity resulting in an empty jar.
By the way, the U.S. Congress, in its infinite wisdom, has given us even more daylight to be saved. Starting in 2007, Daylight Saving Time was extended another four or five weeks in the USA (except Arizona, Hawaii and parts of Indiana), from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
Note to Congress: Daylight Saving Time really doesn't save any daylight -- it only causes irritation, much like most everything else you do. If DST is such a great idea, why not do it all year around and avoid the grief?
When confronted with rules made by nitwits, one course of action is to become a nitwit. When the times change in the spring, show up at work an hour late, complaining you didn't realize the change had occurred. In the fall, show up two hours late during the time change, explaining you were confused. It works either way.
Time is precious. Don't give it away so freely. The only freedom you have in this dimension is the time that belongs to you.
___________
Quote for the Day – "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." John Lennon
___________
Bret Burquest is a former award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where the future arrives one day at a time, unless you sleep really late. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
___________
-
-
This weekend, March 12-13, 2011, is Daylight Savings Time once again. Spring forward, fall back, and do a cartwheel on your front lawn. As per our obligation as followers of leaders, it is our responsibility to adjust our clocks, watches and sundials by an hour to remain in sync with the rest of the world.
It all started in 1784, when Benjamin Franklin wrote a whimsical essay titled "Turkey versus Eagle, McCauley is my Beagle" in which he advocated what is today referred to as Daylight Saving Time.
Over the ensuing years, the notion of saving daylight slowly began to catch on with those who would apparently score low on a whimsy-o-meter.
Germany and England first adopted Daylight Saving Time in the spring of 1916, during World War I.
In March of 1918, the U.S. Congress established times zones, which had been used by the railroads and most cities since 1883, and included a conversion to Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of World War I.
DST proved to be very unpopular in the USA and was repealed in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the legislation but Congress overrode the veto. Thus, America returned to normal after the war to end all wars.
In February of 1942, DST was once again reinstated in the USA. Apparently, it's easier to fight world wars if you adjust the time pieces to save daylight. That way, you have an extra hour each day to fight and the enemy can't sneak away in the dark quite as easily.
In September of 1945, the "war time" requirement was removed.
From 1945 to 1966, the U.S. Congress had better things to do than mess with time. States and localities were free to observe or not to observe DST.
But in April of 1966, the Federal Uniform Time Act mandated DST nationwide. However, individual states could become exempt from DST by passing a state law. Then in 1972, the Act was amended to permit states that straddle time zones (such as Indiana) to exempt areas within zones.
The primary benefit of advancing clocks by an hour in the spring and reversing them in the fall is to give people more afternoon sun during the summer.
However, an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon costs an hour of daylight in the morning.
While a time change may benefit some, it can be inconvenient or a burden to others.
1) Sleep patterns are interrupted which generally take up to five days after each time shift to overcome
2) Personal health and work-related productivity suffer with changing sleep patterns
3) Those who must rise with the sun (agriculture) are out of sync with the societal time schedules
4) Studies show that traffic accidents increase significantly during periods following the time shifts
5) Computers must all change their internal clocks in accordance with human time
6) More afternoon sunlight actually increases energy consumption
7) Time shifts cause much confusion with international business
8) All Amtrak trains must stop for an hour in the fall to remain in sync with published timetables
9) In the spring, Amtrak trains become an hour behind schedule and must do their best to catch up
The state of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time. I lived there in 1987-92 and life was much simpler sticking to a consistent time. I never understood why the rest of the country was so unenlightened.
Saving daylight is a lot like saving a jar of air. Basically, it's an exercise in stupidity resulting in an empty jar.
By the way, the U.S. Congress, in its infinite wisdom, has given us even more daylight to be saved. Starting in 2007, Daylight Saving Time was extended another four or five weeks in the USA (except Arizona, Hawaii and parts of Indiana), from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
Note to Congress: Daylight Saving Time really doesn't save any daylight -- it only causes irritation, much like most everything else you do. If DST is such a great idea, why not do it all year around and avoid the grief?
When confronted with rules made by nitwits, one course of action is to become a nitwit. When the times change in the spring, show up at work an hour late, complaining you didn't realize the change had occurred. In the fall, show up two hours late during the time change, explaining you were confused. It works either way.
Time is precious. Don't give it away so freely. The only freedom you have in this dimension is the time that belongs to you.
___________
Quote for the Day – "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." John Lennon
___________
Bret Burquest is a former award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where the future arrives one day at a time, unless you sleep really late. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
___________
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