Please Don't Bomb the Moon...

What the heck are we thinking!!??

I think we (USA) have really, really lost our minds! OK, I can buy the bombing of Afghanistan - those lousy Taliban...

OK, Iraq... Remember Iraq, they lied told us that Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction and we all bought it! Shame on me! In the last few weeks, they are intent to bomb Iran - all to take advantage of it's natural resources (children can you say... o-i-l).

But now we are gonna bomb the moon for it's water. I distrust the intent of this mission. See the government has set a bad precedent & I just can't take their word for it anymore. In the past, they've sold us a down-right lie 'valid' reason when they really had ulterior motives. What they really sold us was flagrantly not true! All to get those countries' oil.

Now back to the moon - they tell us that they found water on the moon & this is the excuse reason why we are gonna create an explosion the size of a large city - so they can capture the water droplets in the debris. The plume the explosion will create is soooo large that we will be able to see it from the earth. Is that really necessary????

Does this sound a bit extreme to you as well????

I have an extract from the article that explains the project (I found it on counterpunch.org )

And now, once again, there are plans to bomb the Moon. This time the unilateral strike is aimed at the Moon’s South Pole and the payload will be delivered by the LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) spacecraft; the excuse given is that this is an effort to find water deep under lunar surface. The craft was launched in late June and is currently orbiting the Earth until it finds its target; if all goes according to plan, the M-Day bombing will be October 8, 2009.

The plan is this: the LCROSS first shoots off its 2,300-pound spent booster-rocket at the lunar target zone. Four minutes later, in a scheme apparently inspired by fanatical terrorist airline hijackers, the rest of the robotic LCROSS craft slams into the same area. Like crazed kamikaze paparazzi, the craft will snap photos and transmit data on the first strike back to NASA’s mad bombers before immolating itself in a second explosion. This violent hi-tech sci-fi spectacle will cost anywhere up to $600 million, a price tag that is an outrageous insult to the millions of working people unable to feed, house, or medically treat their families. (As Gil Scott-Heron lamented in 1974: “How come there ain’t no money here? Hmm! Whitey’s on the Moon…”)

Of course, there is much more behind this attack than casual scientific curiosity on whether or not there is water on the Moon. First of all, since the long-range accuracy of intercontinental ballistic missiles has never been proven to work, the LCROSS suicide mission serves as a live-fire test exercise for US war strategists with an interest in the precision of orbiting satellite weapons—in other words, the southern hemisphere of the Moon will be turned into a firing range, making this mission one giant leap for the global reach of space warfare. Secondly, LCROSS has been promoted as “the vanguard” for the US military-industrial-entertainment complex’s return to the Moon—according to NASA, finding water is a necessary first step for “building a long-term and sustainable human presence” there. Historically, the purpose of exploration has always been the exploitation of resources and the colonization of territory without regard for ecosystems or indigenous peoples, and clearly the Moon is the next territory coveted by imperialists.

So now we are gonna blow a hole on the moon & make it look even more like Swiss Cheese. I as much as the next guy love to see stuff blow up, but this project does not sit well.

So back to my theory... If this is just a cover story, then what would be a real reason to blow up the moon? DISCLAIMER: This is just my theory. I'm speculating & having fun making this up. Why? Because this NASA project is so OUT THERE, so OVERDONE, so OUTLANDISH, and 600 million dollars, all to prove there is water on the moon. HELLOOO-OOOOHH! And if you buy that, I have a beautiful bridge that I can sell you... I'm speculating & having a 'conspiracy-theori-itis' moment & I'm pissed that USA lies to us. I'm venting so don't make it mean ANYTHING...

1. Maybe they are blowing up something they don't want us to see...At first I was not going to offer this as an option, I laughed & thought it's so ridiculous. but a statement from Former United Nations Ambassador and Fox News analyst John Bolton, and several other scientists, made me thing twice. John Bolton stated: "What the sam hell is going on over on the side [of the moon] we can't see?" Bolton asked. "How do we know the Lunarians aren't amassing weapons of mass goddamn destruction using superior space technology purchased from an advanced race of mantis-like extra-terrestrials? The answer is, 'we don't.'"That statement sounds out there - Lunarians on the dark-side of the moon... From a prior official? Well he is not the only one that thinks so...
2. Maybe we are testing our own mega Weapon-of-Mass-Destruction that will orbit the earth & strike on any target we choose, without sending out one soldier, all from the safety of the president's desk & his little red button. The test site - for now - is on the moon. Very public, clearly announced and showing a missile orbiting the moon & striking a pre-determined spot. I'm having a Dr. Evil moment: "We won't push the red button on your ass, if you pay us one milllliiiioooonnnn dollars....."
3. Who knows the environmental implications that may have on the orbit of the moon or it's magnetic pull on the earth. So maybe, they want to fix a deteriorating orbit as suggested by Ask the Astronomer. Or maybe they need to correct a failing magnetic field thereby fixing the rising ocean currents in the process. Why? I don't know... but an option.
4. Maybe they are just so darn frustrated, because they have not found Bin Laden & those damn muslin-hate mongers to blow their ass, that they just have to pick on the next bigger thing to blow up - just to feel better about themselves.

5. Now theory #5 just to round things up. With a hint of sarcasm & lead by "Mr Show"... "We have the technology, the time is now! America can and will blow up the moon now..." This makes great TV people... Don't you get it? America pride, know-how & tenacity."



6. What if, just a thought... What if nothing comes of it?
   
   I mean, what if the hype and protest is just hype? It would definately be something that got us all worked up and then just let us down. This rollercoaster ride would have more an effect on us then the pull of the moon does.

As you can see, I can definitely imagine many scenarios, but really: Why would NASA do it?

"The Monkey demands an answer!"

Well maybe because it's there & because we can.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!!!

Inside all of us is Fear...

This is true! With the way the economy is going

Inside all of us is Hope!

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

The common eye sees only the outside of things, and judges by that, but the 'all seeing eye' pierces through, and reads the heart and the soul, finding there capacities which the outside didn't indicate or promise, and which the other kind couldn't detect.
--Mark Twain

Today I got really bad news. SM, a friend & mentor passed away! He is a powerhouse & an inspiration for me and many other people with whom he had contact. I could not accept this news so I called a friend we had in common and I asked her... "Tell me it isn't so!"

She replied "I can't do that - it is so..."

This news hit me extremely hard & I broke down and cried. I don't know why it hit me so hard. Maybe because I just saw him last night. Or maybe because it confirmed what I knew last night. I knew he was leaving.

You've heard of the expression "The eyes are the windows of the soul.." Well last night, SM's soul was exiting out thru his windows! His soul would no longer be contained within the smallness of his human package and the light could not be contained. A bright light started emanating from his collar, his eyes and from the top of his head. I knew last night, in the middle of the event, that SM's soul was departing but i did not want to acknowledge it.

SM shined last night, both literally & figuratively. See he managed the production of the event and was in charge of anything that happened with the facility and equipment. Well both the facility and the equipment acted up and of course SM took care of it. The evening was his and he shined. And I had the great honor to see him shine.

First when the lights started to flicker, SM runs out the door to manage it. I was sitting in the front row & saw his light leaving for the first time. I tried connecting with his eyes but could not see them. The light was more like a dim glow & some glare on his glasses. The building lights flickered, then shut off and then a few minutes latter they came on. When SM walked back in, he looked normal so I thought nothing of it.

Then the lights decided to alternate - one row on & nothing else, then another section & nothing else. Again SM left the room & again I tried to connect with his eyes. The glare was much stronger and looked like it was spilling around the rim. When he came back in, he looked normal again.

The third event was the building's fire alarm going off. this time it was a strong and beautiful light. I could see the light emanating from his eyes and reflected off his glasses. It was so consistent that it blocked me from seeing his eyes. All I could see is a shine around his eyes, a reflected back image on the lens and a halo around his head. Wow!

Finally, at the end of the evening SM & his crew were called to the front to be acknowledged and in that moment, before he stood up, the halo pulled off towards the ceiling. The glow left him. He was now complete as he was being acknowledged. He was free to go and left completely fulfilled.

Within hours his body completed it's purpose and at 10:15pm, SM was no longer on this earth. That evening SM's life was completed in a fatal car accident. He went on to shine on out in the universe...

He was an amazing powerhouse & a beautiful soul shining and giving love to everyone he met. Shine on you crazy diamond...

A Change Gonna Come...

Be the change you wish to see in the world!"
- Mahatma Ghandi

Times are changing and lately it seems like they've being changing daily!

Most of us are not used to drastic changes happening so quickly. The stock market's ebbs & flows no longer with the calmness of a backwoods river but lately it seems to come with the force of a hurricane.

From day to day the stock market deals with 500-600 points dips or gains. Every other day we hear of new record lows at the closing bell. 401k's, retirement plans, saving are all dwindling down to nothing. People are losing their homes in record numbers.

In the last couple of months the price of gas has gone from $4.65 per gallon to $1.87. Many major retailers are closing their stores and every large industry is now begging to get bailed out. Changes seems to be erratic but most of all change seems to be eminent.

Most of us (including me) deal with change as an unknown and fear it. We see it as a stranger and hide from it, avoid it, and worst of all resist it!

So what is there to do??

Embrace it - Am I crazy!! - What did you say embrace it??

Yes! Change is the only real constant in life and as such there is no avoiding it. But there is no fearing it too! I can adapt to respond to the change. Now the next question that shows up in my head is "What do I have to change when its' the world that is in disarray? I'm just being affected by it. It's not up to me."

Well the first thing that I say needs changing is THAT! Being resigned to the idea that it's beyond my control. This mindset only leaves me as a victim of my circumstances.

Second thing that I can change is the way that I approach life. Instead of living a life of "expectation" I can come from a world on "Intention." So for example: I've been griping that the government is violation our civil liberties and our right to freedom. I expect these to be my God-given gifts and I expect the government to grant them to me. I would rather be creating an intention of being free and at peace AND being in action to make that exist.

Third, and the most important is seeing myself as part of a bigger picture. Right now in this country, most of us live an individualistic life. We consider ourselves separate from one another and seperate from Source, God, Allah-Blessed be His name (I'll call them all collectively as God). In this way of thinking, then the things that happen to me are BIG and MY circumstances do seem to be overwhelming and difficult to deal with.

But if I see myself as one with one another, then I can see that all of us are going thru some kind of change - TOGETHER. If I am one with God, then I can see that my problems are nothing and so tiny for God's hands.

By seeing it this way I am no longer a slave to the ebbs & flows of my circumstances. I am free and at peace to be me and to be the greatness that God intended for me. But most of all I am free to do something about it!

Neale Donald Walsch on his blog says it beautifully.

There's no reason to hang out in uncertainty or apprehension or fear about the future... Learn how to use change as the greatest thing that has ever happened to you, and how to embrace loss as not loss at all, but gain."

This, in my opinion, is the only real way to deal with change. So I invite you to try it on and see how it fits for you and accept the flow of life.

FreakN Friday Video - Fly Me to the Moon

Oct 24, 2008 : America's Got Talent - Fly Me to the Moon.

Paul Salos as Frank Sinatra. This guy has Sinatra down packed!

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FreakNFriday as in freaking amazing! freaking wonderful! freaking funny!! You get the idea...

Just sharing, having fun & keeping it light!

Love Now

I have been getting very frustrated with the political/economic environment in this country. The level of fear is incredible! I am concerned by the conspiracy theories, fear-mongering and the doomsday stories that are supposedly out to cause the end of the world as we know it.

The real estate market taking a dump; foreclosures at an all time hi; banks falling apart and failing; the declaration of Marshall Law in the USA.

Did you know that as of Oct 1st Marshall Law was enacted???

The eminent collapse of the Dollar and the possible introduction of the Amero. Have you heard of the Amero? It is the new coinage that will replace the Dollar. It is where our money, investments, 401K's, OUR savings! ALL will be worthless - at best only pennies on the Dollar.

The thought of all this scared the shit out of me! And left me disempowered and in a swirl.

So what is there to do??

Well, just be present to the fact that "Its all a choice between Fear and Love!" When I get overwhelmed with negative stories, I forget that life is just a ride and that I have a choice!

Just listen to this video. Bill Hicks has an explanation to What the Point of our Lives is. It is an inspiring perspective!

It's that simple, someone might even call it simplistic, but I'm standing for it:

"Choose Love. It is and has always been the only answer!"

This is only a ride! We can change it anytime, it's our choice - Fear or Love!

"The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors and buy guns! Close yourself off."

Choosing fear only lets the demons run amok. Fear will lead us to shut ourselves off and hide out.

Here is what we can do to change the world!

Choosing Love will allow us to explore space together (both inner and outer) forever in peace! - The eyes of Love see all of us as One...

Turn off the chatter of the main stream media and....
Choose for yourself!

FreakN Friday Video - Horror Cat

FreakN as in freaking amazing! freaking wonderful! freaking funny!! You get the idea...

So I am doing something different here. I am going to post every Friday a new song/video that I find to be amazing, wonderful, inspiring, funny and to share it with you in the hopes of spreading fun & lightness around.

Maybe you'll like my choice or hate it, let me know, but the real purpose is just spreading fun & lightness around. Since the economy took a dive, people & things just seem to be getting heavy & significant now-a-days. Even some of my posts.

So, anyway the idea is to have a fun Friday & a post that will amaze you, make you laugh (Oops, I know I said that already!) or just really make you stop and think.

Let me know what you think - Rate it! Comment on it! Steal it!

Oct 3,2008 : Horror Cat Attacks!

Horror Cat is here to eat Fancy Feast and murder human beings... and she's all out of Fancy Feast!

Grandeur of our Universe

I just got a glimpse of the real grandeur of the universe and the immensity of God. How large & magnificent can the Creator be to have made the universe.

A few weeks back my son & I were walking around the neighborhood & my son saw a red ant hill. He runs over to it, takes a stick & goes to destroy the ant hill. I stop him and tell him to leave the ants alone. I remember imaging an ant looking up and being overwhelmed by the shear size of my son in relationship to theirs.

So today I got a feeling of what the ants might have visualized.

The perspective of our place on earth. I am one person in, a small town in the state of Florida, in the best country on earth. Now imagine the U.S.A. in relationship to the mass of the earth. Then the relationship of the earth to the sun (that's the earth on the lower right side), the third rock from the Sun. Then just picture our solar system compared to our galaxy and the size of our galaxy compared with the universe.

Yes, I know this is actually old news - and yes any grade school science student knows that. The science is elementary, so I won't go there - What I want to discuss is something bigger, more magnificent - so just hang on & ride it out with me...

Imagine the grandeur of a Creator that can conceive all of this!

Our Earth is really tiny compared to the sun. This is enough to leave me in awe! but I want you to know that our sun is only an ordinary star, classified as a dwarf star. There are more than 100 million such stars in our galaxy.

If our Sun is a dwarf then imagine the size of a Giant star! A typical one is about the size of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Now picture a star even larger! so large that "Giant" is not enough to describe it. The scientists had to come up with a name like "SuperGiant."

A star that fits this description is Betelgeuse (More...)

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Betelgeuse is the tenth brightest star in the sky. It sits at the base of Orion’s right arm.

Orange Betelgeuse is cooler than our Sun, but its diameter is 700 times that of our Sun.

This "superGiant" can outshine the sun by over a million times. These are very massive stars seen just before they supernova.

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So in comparison, imagine the size of a creator that can conceive Betelgeuse as only one in a million NO billions of stars.

That little white spec on the lower left side, under Antares, is our sun. WOW I feel so small!

That is nothing! Check out the next step and the greatness of our Creator.

Yes Betelgeuse is thousands of times larger then our sun. So large that our Sun is barely a spec next to Betelgeuse, but imagine even bigger stars!

How about a star so large that 'Super' is not enough to describe it. It is classified as a 'HyperGiant.'

Imagine a star that is 2100 times larger then our Sun. VY Canis Majoris (More...) is such a star.

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VY Canis Majoris is called a HyperGiant because of its very high luminosity.

"A typical red supergiant phase lasts about 500,000 years. A massive star becomes a red supergiant near the end of its life, when it exhausts the hydrogen fuel at its core. As the core contracts under gravity, the outer layers expand, the star gets 100 times larger, and it begins to lose mass at a higher rate.

VY Canis Majoris is the largest known star and also one of the most luminous known. It is located about 5,000 light-years from Earth in a constellation called Canis Major. VY Canis Majoris is only one of the HyperGiants that makes up this constellation known as one of the dogs following Orion the hunter.

VY Canis Majoris has probably already shed about half of its mass, and it will eventually explode as a supernova." - hubblesite.com

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This really leaves me in awe!

Our sun is but a pixel next to this giant. Can you imagine the vastness of the universe where this HyperGiant exists only as one piece of a giant constellation!?

Now imagine a creator that can conceive of all of this.

He is so grand that we as humans cannot even fathom this greatness. He is all, sees all and is omnipresent, even with us.

So grand that anything we conceive as a 'BIG' concern, issue or problem is minuscule compared to the greatness of God. By this I mean that anything and everything is do-able for God! Nothing is a 'big problem' for him and the vastness of His compassion can help us with our BIGGEST problem.

Think of this the next time that you are dealing with the 'problems' of life:

"Don't tell God how big your problems are...tell your problems how big God is."

Give them all to God and surrender to His greatness. I ask you to accept His generosity, compassion and His LOVE. His love is bigger then anything we can ever imagine!

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Here is the whole thing for a complete perspective.

My Goodbyes to Randy Pausch

On July 25th, Randy Pausch past away (See Official Google Blog: Goodbye to Randy Pausch, a great teacher). My deepest sympathies go out to his family. I personally did not know him, but his Last Lecture touched my heart & left a lasting impression on me.

What would I do if this moment was my last? How would I live my life knowing that I am going to die? Would I sit here pissed off at the world & at God; would I be feeling sorry for myself; or would I have the courage to make a difference before I go?

See that is the BIG question in life "what difference do I make in this world?"

Well I can tell you that after watching Randy's Last Lecture I know I have the courage to make a difference now! The first time I watched his video I found myself just so amazed at how - in the face of his own inevitable death - he faced his own Goliath head on.

As his lecture states, he did this so that he can leave behind a legacy that his family can be proud of. Well Randy you did good by your family and I want to thank you for sharing yourself with me. I am forever changed by who you were. You have left behind a legacy that has touched the world.

Randy Pausch's famous lecture at Carnegie Melon University entitled the "Last Lecture." This lecture was amazingly uplifting. A truly inspiring reaction to getting the news that you are dying.

Today is our 20th Anniversary!

This video is titled - Habibi Ya Nour El Ain. Loosely translated it means My Love - You are the light of my eyes.

I dedicate this video to my wife. 20 years ago today, I made her a promise of love, trust & understanding. I still hold dear that promise. See for the last few weeks I've been upset that we are not communication, but I forgot something. I forgot that when two people love each other deeply the communication is also deeper then just verbal, physical or even emotional. It's spiritual...



What do I mean, well let me tell you what happened today. This morning my wife left by 6:30 & I did not get to see her. When I got up, I got my cup of coffee & right next to the coffee machine was a card, a small gift wrapped in paper & a tall box. All sitting on the counter waiting for me. I opened the card & read the words. I opened the small gift & it was a spiritual CD. So I hate to admit it but the CD of hymns stopped me & I said to myself "I don't have time for this, I'll open the tall box later." So I rushed out the door with my cup of coffee and went to work.

As the day progressed, my son & I went to get her a card and some flowers. As I'm looking thru the card aisle nothing seemed interesting & as I was ready to leave, a card at the bottom shelf caught my eye. I turn around & go check it out. The front was a black & white card with vines on it. I open up the card & before I could read it the music started playing. It was a very slow tempo song, sort of beep-bop song from the fifties. I immediately closed it without reading it because I did not like the song, put it back on the shelf & I said to myself "I don't have time for this!"

I walked away, but something called me back! I opened the card again, ignoring the music & start to read the words. it said

"When I married you, I made you a promise to love you..."

WOW that's exactly what I did & all of a sudden that promise was brand new for me again! So of course I got the card.

But the surprising part came when I got home. I gave my wife the card & flowers. As she is reading the card, she gasps! I ask her "what's the matter?" She says "Open the box & read the name of the sculpture that is inscribed on the bottom." As I grab the statue - a couple in a loving embrace - turn it upside down, inscribed on the bottom are the words...

"The Promise"

Wow! I can believe it. this is us in that loving embrace! We are both in a spiritual embrace and I didn't even take the time to recognize it. We have both chosen "the Promise" in the gifts that we were giving to each other. Reaffirming that we are in sync with one another - even when the physical world only gives us challanges. I just have to trust that there is a greater force and we are one with it.

You Can Count On Me

Today I am feeling a little sad & melancholic. In a couple of days it will be my wife's & my 20th year anniversary and we are not getting along too well. I've tried creating communication with her but it never goes how I want it to. I do things that I think will make her happy & it does not turn out that way.

To give you an example. Yesterday I decided to clean the house. My wife is working alot with her new business. She is even working on Saturdays till 5pm & has not had time to do the usual chores. It started simply enough. As I'm cleaning, my son tells me he wants to get a goldfish. I needed to prime the pump, clean the tank & get the water conditioned for the fish, but the sink was full of dirty dishes. So I think - get my son involved in the chores "I'll clean out the dishes and you help me by putting them in the dishwasher." I thought innocent enough - no big deal, but that is what it became - A Big Deal! In that moment my wife walks in the door, sees us doing the dishes, the vacuum hose sprawled out on the floor & the furniture moved around. She walks in & does not say a word. She picks up the vacuum I had left on the floor & starts vacuuming. Good so far right? She's getting into it!

- wrong - a storm's a brewing and I didn't even see the clouds roll in!

Within minutes the thunder clapped with "I walk in the door & you guys don't even kiss me hello! - never mind!" Then more cleaning - this time furiously - Oh Boy! something is going on! Even my son noticed. He finished the dishes and before I knew it he was gone to his room. Now the storm is in full force! Thunder and lighting - then a sharp lighting cracked "You don't have to smack me in the face like that!!" Whaaaat is going on?! Where did this come from & why is she feeling attacked just because I am cleaning the house?

So anyway I said to myself "I am not getting into a fight" & told her "My only intention is to clean the house." I must have missed something or not seen something, but boy was she mad. Avoiding a fight, I left the room. I went upstairs to clean the bedrooms. Without intending, this really pissed her off even more, because 1 hour later I came downstairs & she just continues with : "Don't start now thinking that you're so wonderful at cleaning." Holy sh&t! I can't be with this! Since when is cleaning the house a way of putting her down. I honestly did not intend nor think that she would respond like that!

Honestly, I did not have any ulterior motive in cleaning the house, except to clean it. Yes, normally this is not one of my chores, but I just could not take the dust anymore. I was physically getting sick (I have sinus problems & dust kills me!) The only thing that is present for me is that I did have an expectation that she would be happy. The thing that really saddens me is - when did I become the enemy?

In moments like this, I don't know what to say or do - so I withdraw. All I can do is be sad with where the argument went OR I can empower myself and just express what I really feel - if only here.

So this song does that for me. It says what I originally wanted to say & feel.

Precious love
I'll give to you
Blue as the sky and deep in the
Eyes of a love so true
Beautiful face
You make me feel
Light on the stairs
And lost in the air of a love so real

You can count on me
Count on my love
Count on me
Count on my love to see you through

Emerald eyes and China perfume
Caught on the wheel and lost in
The feel of a love so soon
Ruby lips
You make my song
Into the night and saved by the light
Of a love so strong

And you can count on me
Count on my love, baby
Count on me
Count on my love to see you through

Oooh, you can count on me, girl
You can count on my love

Precious love
I'll give it to you
Blue as the sky and deep in the
Eyes of a love so true
Beautiful face
You make me feel
Light on the stairs
And lost in the air of a love so real

And you can count on me
Count on my love
Count on me
Count on my love to see you through
- Jefferson Starship : Count On Me

Music & Life - An Epiphany!

Today the most commonplace video allowed me to have an epiphany. I never in a million years could have imagined that Tray & Matt of South Park fame would be the cause of it. Granted it's the words of Alan Watts that did it but it was thru Tray & Matt's video that I was exposed to those words.

As Alan Watts explains it, the idea that "reaching for success is the purpose of life" is a great big hoax! I have missed the music along the way.

Like most I have worked hard to be successful and missed what the real purpose was. Acquired the houses I've wanted and even created the type of business I've wanted. I design multi-million dollar waterfront homes where money is everything. Sure I've sacrificed a few birthday parties because meeting the client's deadline was more important but hey, the family will understand. What's the problem - there will be many more birthdays to come!

I have fallen for the peer pressure that having a nice car, a nice house & great financial Independence were the symbols of success. See I had what I thought would be my nice nest egg. Sure, I planned that I would sell it all and retire when I'm 55. But now with the economy the way it is, well that nest egg is now more like scrambled eggs.

Over the last year or so, I've come to realize that I've wasted so much time, effort, and affinity to acquire those things. I've realized that I've never sang or danced to the music. I've never allow myself to be free of the need to have material success.

Manchester Craftsman Guild High School

You must be prepared to act on your dreams...
just in case they do come true."
- Bill Strickland

"Its all in the way you think about people that often determines their behaviour."

This is truly an inspiring video! I have to change the way I see people in order for their behaviour to change. It is all in who I am being that defines who people are for me.

Your Local Pirate Supply Store

I love this idea! A Pirate Supply Store with an ulterior motive... A tutoring/ mentoring/ publishing center where kids can have one-on-one attention and find an outlet for their creativity & self-expression.

As Dave Eggers explains, one-on-one attention in getting homework done makes a happy kid. The kids have extra time to go home and enjoy time with their family, making for a happy family. Happy families create a happy community; several happy communities makes a happy world...

As Eggers jokes : "The key to it all is homework..." One-on-one attention & complete devotion to "turning on the switch" in the kids.

I have always wanted to have an architectural office that was more then just an office. Many architects have a basketball hoop to ignite the "creative spark" or a field trip to Disney to "get inspired." These idea were great, and did caused a friendly, creative atmosphere, but was not enough for me.

My dream is to ignite the artistic spark in kids. Nowadays, public schools are eliminating art programs & the creative spark in kids is flickering. Many kids do not have art classes at school anymore. In my field, new job candidates have great technical abilities, but artistically many are lacking. Some of them cannot visualize a 3-D image in their head (this is basic training in architecture school) - they rely on the computer to do it. Nobody draws on the 'board' anymore.

To me this is sad! The best part of designing is putting pencil on paper & channeling the ideas stuck in my head thru the pencil, onto the paper. Then seeing those ideas become something real is powerful!

So this video got me thinking. What about a tutoring/art center AND an architect/ Artist studio that helps kids do their homework while teaching them art side-by-side with architects/ artists who are doing it right now! Imagine the amount of self-expression that can happen? That really would inspire me to go to work every morning!

As a kid I always visualized myself one day working side by side with great architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, or artists like Picasso. "One day I will do that!" And I was lucky enough to sit with Robert Venturi for a few hours.

Well, how about that day being real RIGHT now for a kid.

Eggers, in his TED wish says... "The kids need you.. take the lead in partnering with the schools... Some kids just plain do not know how good they are... you can tell them. Shine that light on them - one human interaction at a time."

His website OnceUponASchool.org challenges us to shine that light on the kids in our own community.

The average students knows his teacher has to help with his schoolwork, and he knows his parents have to help. But there’s something very new and transformative about meeting a member of the community — a professional journalist, a radio disc jockey, a graduate student, an advertising copywriter, a software developer, a retired lawyer — and have that person give them 2-3 hours of undivided attention. Almost without exception, student achievement and understanding leaps when they are given this concentrated one-on-one attention."

Eggers' wish is for the community to create & submit 1,000 ideas & projects that support the kids in their local public schools.

But the way I see it, he is really challenging us to live our dreams & to help kids live their dreams through "transformational interactions."

What is your dream...
Share it with the world.

Angelic Voice

Wow!!! This kid is amazing! You have to hear it.
His voice is so powerful, it had me in tears.

Good Morning...

Good Morning, May Light, Love & Peace be with you!


Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken

Every morning I wake up with thoughts of what I have to deal with on this upcoming day. Sometimes they are positive things, but most of the times I do not wake up empowered. But my day will be what I say it will be. If I wake up and state "this day sucks already" - it will. But if I create a conversation that my day will be empowering, then it will be & I have a context to make it so.

So this morning my little voice is saying "today sucks already," BUT I choose to not listen & I will make it powerful

So Good Morning! May Light, Love & Peace be with you!

Releasing Emotional Toxins

Dr. Deepak Chopra
speaks of the seven steps for releasing emotional toxins.

Courtesy of lime.com

EuroVision : Old Favorites

Last Year's Winning Entry :


My Favorite - 2005 - Greece :


1974's Winner - Sweden : Abba - Waterloo

EuroVision 2008

That's right it's EuroVisions time!!

If you are not familiar with EuroVision, it's a song contest where one representative from each European country competes to be the best song in Europe. Citizens get to vote via phone or SMS to decide the winner of the contest.

It's pretty cool because I get to hear many different styles of music that is not common here in Florida / dare I say - in the U.S.A.!!!

Here is England's Entry : Andy Abraham - Even If


Serbia's Entry : Jelena Tomašević - Oro
Very soft (almost lullaby), beautiful song!



Moldova's Entry : Geta Burlacu - A Century Of Love


Greece's Entry : Kalomira - Secret Combination


Turkey's Entry : Mor ve Ötesi - Deli

Surrender

Another song that caught my attention & that stuck in my head. The lyrics are clean and simple. Beautiful song...

"I'm giving You my heart
All that is within
I lay it all down
For the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams
laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride
For the promise of new life

And I Surrender
All to You, all to You
And I Surrender
All to You, all to You

Singing You this song
Waiting at the Cross
And all the world holds dear
Count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You
For the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy
Even sharing in Your pain"

And I Surrender
All to You, all to You
And I Surrender
All to You, all to You

- Marc James, Surrender

Who I Am Makes a Difference

I may not say it often & I may not let you know it...
but who YOU are makes a difference.

You contribute to my life in ways that are unmeasurable & I have not acknowledged you for it... But I want you to know that it did not go unnoticed.

So I invited you here today for several reasons :
1. To share with you this video and hope that it inspires you to pay it forward.
2. To say thank you for who you are for me and to let you know that you DO make a difference in my life.
3. To allow you into my life & so that you may know who I am.

I do not often share my thoughts or feelings. I keep them to myself and people are often surprised when I do share. "I didn't know that about you..." is often the reply. So I invite you to browse thru my thoughts & feelings as they are expressed here.

Thank you for who you are & the way that you help shape my life.

Foolish Old Man - #5

"I'm going to lunch. You want me to get you something?" asks my assistant Dani. A few moments of silence sits in the air as Dani waits for my reply. "What did you say - lunch, is it that time already?" I reply faking a happy distracted mood. Dani seems to be worried for me now and not sure what to say. "What's the matter? You have been so distracted all day long."

"Oh. nothing, I just got off the phone with Mercy and I got some sad news." Again a few seconds of silence as I stare at my computer screen and ponder what Mercy just said. The words "Kirk's daughters are busy right now and could not talk to me. But they gave me their OK to put him in Hospice." Wow! This left me feeling totally empty. How can they be so unconcerned.

I suddenly realize that Dani is waiting for me to continue. "Nothing really!" I reply, forcing an even more insecure smile. She stares me down to tell her the truth "It's just that Mercy had to take Kirk to the hospital & she just gave me some bad news." Dani pulls up a chair and immediately sits down, almost as if to say - Tell me more...

"Mercy just had to put Kirk in Hospice." Dani & I are just sitting there staring at each other - not sure what to say. I'm sitting there silently thinking, was it Kirk that I was waiting for at the gates of heaven?

"Oh my God! Hospice? Isn't Kirk that older gentleman that Mercy takes care of?" Dani adds. Before I could reply she continues. "Why is Mercy the one registering him into Hospice? Isn't his family supposed to be there to do it?" This question hit me hard. Kirk has no one - here. He finds himself all alone & the only person to love & care for him is Mercy.

It hit home for me & my mind immediately flashes to a future of where my life is heading. I am so wrapped up in my worries. So wrapped up in myself & circumstances that I leave people aside. Paying the bills and making my business work can't be the only things I devote my time to if I want my family to be there for me. I saw myself - in my future - as Kirk is right now!

I see myself laying in a hospital bed. I'm a frail old man, laying there with all kinds of wires poking into my body, and thick tubes hanging out of my nose. There are loads of machines that seem to be monitoring all my vital signs. Nurses are urgently dashing in and out of the room. There is plenty of activity going on as people are taking care of me. I am seeing this as I'm floating over my bed looking down at myself. I see one nurse taking my pulse while another nurse is preparing the heart defibrillator. Everything is beeping like crazy! The monitor alarms going off and the life line on the screen all of a sudden goes... flat!

I see the doctor leaning over me, trying to listen for my breath. "That's OK nurse. We're not going to need that now." He says and just pauses for a second, As if to make sure that this is his final decision.

"He's gone."

Then everything goes silent! No beeping, no alarms going off. Nothing!

I can't hear a sound and things seem to be in slow motion and foggy now. I look around the room and all I see is sterile white walls and the coldness of all the metallic equipment. Not one bouquet of flower to add color to my world, nor there to soften the scent in the air. Not one card or picture to breakup the sterile white-ness of my space.

And worse of all - not one person crying for me as my soul drifts out of my body. Wher is Mercy and Marc? Have I chased them away?

What have I done with my life?

As I drift away all there is, is a soft song that fills the air. I had the radio tuned to a classic rock station before all this started. And up until now I did not even hear that radio.

But now...

the music just fills my soul. The serenity of the moment and the peace in nothingness fills me. The only thing I can focus on is the lyrics of this song playing:

Isn't life strange
A turn of the page
A book without light
Unless with love we write
To throw it away
To lose just a day
The quicksand of time
You know it makes me want to cry cry, cry.

Wish I could be in your heart
To be one with your love
Wish I could be in your eyes
Looking back - there you were...

- Moody Blues (Isn't Life Strange)

As I ascend past the ceiling of my room, the sounds of the room start to fade away. The lyrics, now just a distant memory, makes me wonder - if some of those, that I've left behind long ago, who shared my happiest moments - ever think about me. I start to cry and weep from all the loneliness I've created around me, as I drift away for all eternity.

"What's the matter?" Dani questions, shocking me back to the present moment. "Why are you crying?" Dani reaches over and hands me a tissue to dry my tears. As my mind settles back to my present day reality, I get frightened by that future. I need to do something so that my future does not look like that! As I land back into my body, I feel compelled to answer Dani. "No, Kirk's daughters live in California and in New Jersey. They are busy and cannot be here to put him in Hospice. We are his family here. He is my father-in-law; my mother; my cousin. He is all that I know - all that I've lost - all that I am. I need to care for him now."

Crazy Frog Bros. II

Holly Crap - This is still funny. Here they are 15 Yrs later and it's still funny!!!

Everything & Nothing!

Lots of stuff going on in my life. I find myself just swirling in the fog. I am traveling thru unknown roads, once in a while getting off at the wrong exit in life. And even though I have to find my way back onto the path intended, sometimes it feels that I am not getting anywhere. That is until I saw this video!

Very inspiring and uplifting video!. Its called "My stroke of insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Every road traveled in life is a choice - every moment I have the choice of how my day will go. I can choose to be down and blame my circumstances OR I can choose to live my life empowered.

So I choosing an enpowering life. Accepting it how it is and how it is not.

Which choice are you going to make?

Flying Penguins!!!

Amazing! you have to check out this Antarctica news report by the BBC. Can you believe it! Scientists have discovered a new breed of penguins.

Flying penguins!!!


That's right!

These penguins vacation in the Amazon Jungle!

"Basking in the tropical sun!!!"

April Fool!!!!!!!!

PS - the video is nicely done! That's right - the BBC created an April's Fool joke video. Check out how they did the CGI work.

The Last Lecture

Check out this video! It is truly inspiring to live life to the fullest. We all strive to find our purpose in life & create a legacy to leave behind. Sometimes we have divine inspiration to do so. Other times our hand is forced, as is the story of Randy Pausch - or maybe that was divine inspiration.

The message is don't wait till you know you are dying to make a difference in the world. Create your legacy & live life like there is no tomorrow.

The past is gone. Tomorrow we know not, all we have is today..."

Farther then the Sun

A hauntingly beautiful song by Caroline Lavelle! As I listen to this song I am drawn to a moment of pure clarity. The music, the words, the melancholic melody puts me in a dream state and I just melt away into the words. I am pulled in & even to the point of being absorbed by the words. I feel her emotion and even feel the anger that gave life to her words.

The sea it freezes over to trap the light And I'm in love with being in love and you were never quite the one. in Gerda's eyes, fragments of what you've become and all the moths that fly at night believe electric light is bright you are not worthy."

I love to dig into a song's lyrics to find its meaning. I love to know what story inspired the creation of the song. So needless to say "in Gerda's eyes, fragments of what you've become" really caught my attention.

This is a reference to Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Snow Queen." In the story Gerda is a little girl that goes to the end's of the world to recapture Kay's love. Kay was enchanted by a witch's spell. (Read more about the spell)

Once upon a time there was a wicked sprite, indeed he was the most mischievous of all sprites. This sprite had created a mirror where all that was good and beautiful when it was reflected therein, to look poor and mean... One day the mirror shattered into million little pieces hardly so large as a grain of sand. And each piece has as much power as the original mirror. Kay catches one in his eye and in his heart and is turn cold as ice.

Gerda goes to the end's of the world to save Kay from the evil "spell" he is under & to recapture his love. Kay is blind to the world around him and sees nothing. His heart is frozen over, does not remember Gerda & feels nothing for no one. Gerda gives up everything in her life to save Kay.

Her warm tears can cause roses to grow from soil that was once frozen over, but cannot find Kay to unfreeze him. Finally when she does find him and is able to free him from the spell, they return home to find that the years have past them by and she has lost much more then she thought.

Fragment of what Kay has become under the spell - in love with the Snow Queen and no memory of Gerta. He is blinded to the world around him and sees nothing. His heart is frozen over, does not feel Gerda's love & feels nothing for no one. Gerda gives up everything in her life to search for and save Kay. Her "warm tears" can cause roses to grow from soil that was once frozen over, but cannot find Kay to unfreeze him.

Finally when she does find him and is able to warm his heart and break the spell, they return home to find that the years have past them by and she has lost much more then she thought. In recapturing Kay and his love, she has lost it all!

"you are not worthy, you are not worthy"

So in the song, the writer sees herself as Gerda - in love with the idea of Love and has given everything up for this ideal. Her realization that giving up everything, even her 'self' for him - is what she is questioning. Now in her mind is he "worthy" of her love? The story leaves you wondering - what the future holds for them, we do not know. Is he ever going to be capable of loving her as profoundly as she does him?

Her pain & disappointment is strong & I'm feeling it all! This struck a chord with me. I felt as if she was speaking to me. This seems to be a re-occurring theme for me. It is what the old man in my "Bella Mercedes" story and in my "Foolish Old Man" story are doing. Am I too wrapped up in what I've lost, that I let the world just pass me by?

I am so wrapped up in my business. Paying bills, making my business grow, making my life work; grieving my lost ones, that I do not see Mercy's moments of hope (tears). Am I too frozen over for her warm tears - capable of thawing roses frozen over by a harsh winter - it may not be capable of reaching me. How am I going to be worthy??

This song is haunting, spellbinding and beautiful - just beautiful in it's message!

Shower the People You Love with Love

It has been a few months since I've written on this blog. See in August my mother passed away. I miss her a lot and I'm always thinking about her. But this morning I woke up with this song in my head. I don't know why but I guess it has something to do with how my relationship with my sisters has been lately.

Don't get me wrong! It is not that its bad! only disconnected. We don't talk much except the superficial "hi, how are the kids" kinda calls. Since my mother's death, we have not been as close as it used to be. I guess I miss how we were. My sisters & I are not as connected. I guess each one of us is dealing with her death in our own ways. But deep in my heart, I fear that we will never have that again. She was the matriarch of our family and she was the force that kept us together. We got together to visit with our mother. She always travelled back & forth between Ecuador & here. She would stay for a couple of months & then go back. She did this a few times a year.

Since she left we don't really get together much anymore. So accepting the reality that things may never be the way they were, is hard.

This song James Taylor - Shower the People You Love with Love (MP3) inspires me to create unity in my family ANYWAY!! No matter what the circumstance may look like.

Just taking it on - no reasons or justifications - just because I want it to exist!!

So I share this song, video & lyrics so that you can be inspired as well.

"You can play the game and you can act out the part
Though you know it wasn't written for you
But tell me, how can you stand there with your broken heart
Ashamed of playing the fool
One thing can lead to another; it doesn't take any sacrifice
Oh, father and mother,and sister and brother
if it feels nice, don't think twice (yes)

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be just fine if you only will(do as i say, yeah)
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will

You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone
Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease.

Better to shower the people you love with love
(Yes and) show them the way that you feel
(I know) Things are gonna be just fine if you only will
(what I'd like to do to you)
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

They say in every life
They say the rain must fall
Just like the pouring rain
Make it rain
Make it rain
Love, love, love is sunshine oh
Make it rain
Love, love, love is sunshine yeah
Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody."

- James Taylor

Crazy Frog Bros.

Funny video! Check it out.

Poop Today

Been goofing off this afternoon. Not much happening in the office today. It's close to the end of the day & I am getting ready to go to my SELP seminar & work on my Descansos project. Spent the last couple hours googling for goofy stuff.

Hey, but it was not a total waste of time - Check out this funny video - Poop Today & Rodney Carrington's Letter to My Penis (MP3).