Some Things I Have Learned

OO RAH

2012-02-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

AND GOD BLESS 'EM FOR IT...

I whole heartedly stand behind our troops in this recent matter.

Is it distasteful?

HELL YEA.

Is it morbid?

HELL YEA

BUT SO IS WAR!

SOME THINGS I WANT TO SHARE

2012-01-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

It seems like it's been forever since I last wrote here although I know in my mind it's only been a couple weeks. Some very big changes have been going my life and they have kept me from writing this. The biggest one is the vocational rehabilitation program offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. I have been trying to get into this office for months now just to schedule appointment. For any of you who are trying to get into the VOC-REHAB program, let me tell you up front, they don't answer the phone. You must go to their office in person and fill out a form, an application actually, to even be considered for this program. I learned this the hard way, after spending months trying to contact them on the phone. Out of sheer frustration and anger I went down to their office to confront them, and was given the form. We filled it out and I was assigned an orientation class and ultimately I was accepted into the program. For me this is a really big deal. What I'm trying to accomplish is to renew my certifications so that I can return to the workforce as an information security specialist.

A few posts ago I told you that I had received a Van, and that I was out and about in this big bright world again. Some places I have been include two of the local Harley-Davidson stores. a visit to my brother-in-law in Escondido who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Regular Sunday church service attendance at SONRISE community church. Two more trips to Escondido, one for the memorial service for my brother in law and the second to his graveside service. My brother-in-law Al Fikse was remarkable man who spent the better part of the last 30 years as a teacher and principal at a Christian school in Escondido, California. The number of young people who attended his services served as a testament to the kindhearted, soft-spoken, positive, loving and helpful man he was. There were over a thousand people in attendance and there was nothing but positive comments and heartfelt love for this man who had seen the good and so many wayward children and help them get straight in their lives. He is sorely missed. Survived by his wife, Cindy, three daughters; Rebecca, Rachel and Ruth. And his son Robert.

I have also been to visit my mother-in-law in Hemet, California who is the kindest woman I have ever met in my life.

My numerous sessions at occupational therapy and physical therapy have been getting measurable improvements in mobility, strength and range of motion. Yesterday however the return trip to dermatology discovered another basal cell carcinoma that required removal. This one was on my chest, and the scar will be big enough to tell people it's from a bullet wound, lol.

I can't tell you that I will make an effort to write here more often. Because quite frankly I'm having too good a time exploring the world again.

Last but certainly not least, it is with a heavy heart that I report to you, the loss of a fellow blogger. The wonderfully talented Lady Emily, who wrote the blog "Alice in Wonderland" at http://thewondersofalice.blogspot.com/ passed away in a car accident on 15 December 2011. For those of you fortunate enough to have read her blogs you understand what an intelligent, compassionate caring person she was. If you are one of the few who actually ever got an e-mail from her you were fortunate enough to have glimpsed her wonderful sense of humor. And if you are one of the truly few people she called friend, you are blessed indeed. Her sister-in-law Megan is continuing the blog in honor of her sister-in-law. Emily's blog was sprinkled with remarkable poetry, most of it from childhood favorites of hers, relevant to things taking place in her life. But on the occasions when she wrote and posted her own poetry, that is when her incredible talent really shone through. The wonderful thing about the Internet is that Emily''s words will outlast us all. Despite the fact that she has gone on to her reward, it's not too late to go and be touched by her words.

Go visit her and see for yourself

So until next time, be well. Be blessed and be a blessing to others

last call

2011-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

DAVID EMANUEL HICKMAN

The last US military member killed in the Iraq War

A cutup who liked to joke around with friends. A physical fitness fanatic who half-kiddingly called himself "Zeus" because he had a body that would make the gods jealous. A ferocious outside linebacker at Northeast Guilford High School who was the linchpin of a defense so complicated they had to scrap it after he graduated because no other teenager could figure it out.

Hickman was these things and more, a whole life scarcely glimpsed in the terse language of a Defense Department news release last month. Three paragraphs said Hickman died in Baghdad on Nov. 14, "of injuries suffered after encountering an improvised explosive device."

He was more, too, than the man who bears the symbolic freight of being the last member of the U.S. military to die in a war launched in the political shadow of 9/11, which brought thousands of his fellow citizens out into the streets to oppose and support it. Eventually, the war largely faded from the public's thoughts.

"There's a lot of people, in my family included, they don't know what's going on in this world," said Wes Needham, who coached linebackers at Northeast when David was a student. "They're oblivious to it. I just sit and think about it, the courage that it takes to do what they do, especially when they're all David's age."
And they were mostly young. According to an Associated Press analysis of casualty data, the average age of Americans who died in Iraq was 26. Nearly 1,300 were 22 or younger, but middle-aged people fought and died as well: some 511 were older than 35.

"I've trained a lot of kids. They go to college and you kind of lose track of them and forget them," said Mike King of Greensboro Black Belt Academy, where Hickman trained in taekwondo for about eight years. "He was never like that. That smile and that laugh immediately come to mind."

GOD REST YOU

DAVID EMANUEL HICKMAN

and

GOD GRANT PEACE TO YOUR FAMILY

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ON A MORE OUTRAGED NOTE

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SWAT Team Shooting of Marine Vet Causes Outrage

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Jose Guerena Ortiz was sleeping after an exhausting 12-hour night shift at a copper mine. His wife, Vanessa, had begun breakfast. Their 4-year-old son, Joel, asked to watch cartoons.

An ordinary morning was unfolding in the middle-class Tucson neighborhood -- until an armored vehicle pulled into the family's driveway and men wearing heavy body armor and helmets climbed out, weapons ready.

They were a sheriff's department SWAT team who had come to execute a search warrant. But Vanessa Guerena insisted she had no idea, when she heard a "boom" and saw a dark-suited man pass by a window, that it was police outside her home. She shook her husband awake and told him someone was firing a gun outside.

A U.S. Marine veteran of the Iraq war, he was only trying to defend his family, she said, when he grabbed his own gun -- an AR-15 assault rifle.

What happened next was captured on video after a member of the SWAT team activated a helmet-mounted camera.

The officers -- four of whom carried .40-caliber handguns while another had an AR-15 -- moved to the door, briefly sounding a siren, then shouting "Police!" in English and Spanish. With a thrust of a battering ram, they broke the door open. Eight seconds passed before they opened fire into the house.

And 10 seconds later, Guerena lay dying in a hallway 20 feet from the front door. The SWAT team fired 71 rounds, riddling his body 22 times, while his wife and child cowered in a closet.

HOW'S THAT FOR MARKSMANSHIP?

71 ROUNDS AT A MAN FROM 20 FEET AWAY AND ONLY 22 HITS ON TARGET!

"Hurry up, he's bleeding," Vanessa Guerena pleaded with a 911 operator. "I don't know why they shoot him. They open the door and shoot him. Please get me an ambulance."

When she emerged from the home minutes later, officers hustled her to a police van, even as she cried that her husband was unresponsive and bleeding, and that her young son was still inside. She begged them to get Joel out of the house before he saw his father in a puddle of blood on the floor.

But soon afterward, the boy appeared in the front doorway in Spider-Man pajamas, crying.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said its SWAT team was at the home because Guerena was suspected of being involved in a drug-trafficking organization and that the shooting happened because he arrived at the door brandishing a gun. The county prosecutor's office says the shooting was

justified.

IS IT JUSTIFIED TO KICK IN THE DOOR

AND START SHOOTING WILLY NILLY INTO AN OCCUPIED HOME?

But six months after the May 5 police gunfire shattered a peaceful morning and a family's life, investigators have made no arrests in the case that led to the raid. Outraged friends, co-workers and fellow Marines have called the shooting an injustice and demanded further investigation. A family lawyer has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the sheriff's office. And amid the outcry in online forums and social media outlets, the sheriff's 54-second video, which found its way to YouTube, has drawn more than 275,000 views.

The many questions swirling around the incident all boil down to one, repeated by Vanessa Guerena, as quoted in the 1,000-page police report on the case:

"Why, why, why was he killed?"

TRANSITIONS

2011-12-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

Some very big things have been going on in my life lately all of them good. I'm making measurable gains in my strength and stamina in both occupational and physical therapy. The approximately 13 months I have been going to the VA for therapy sessions have resulted in going from sitting in my wheelchair for about an hour a day, was unable to hold my head up straight most of that time with very limited range of motion in my arms and legs; to spending an average of 10 to 12 hours a day the same wheelchair with little or no fatigue. I've completed countless hours of physical exercise and I'm to the point where the home health care system at the local VA has decided to promote me out of the home healthcare program!

this is a good thing!

along with physical and occupational therapies, I'm in psychological therapy. I've written about that a couple of times so this shouldn't be a surprise. This posting is directly attributed to that psychological therapy. Because of my transition, I'm no longer going to be able to see the psychologists I have been seeing in the home health care program. And because I'm obviously still nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake she recommended I attend therapy sessions in the hospital at the mood clinic. I have an appointment on 19 December for evaluation there. They think they are evaluating me, but I assure you I am doing as much evaluating as they will. And in light of this transition Dr. Steiner has asked me to write a little essay about what it is I hope to accomplish in sessions at the clinic.

1. I'm still having a hard time with my mental self-image.

A little background:

in grammar school I was one of the smaller kids in the class. Boys my own age were at least half a head taller than me, and although I ate like a horse I was skinny as a rail. But I had a built-in mean streak and an extremely quick wit that prevented me from being bullied in class. I attended the only Catholic school in my hometown and as such I was required to wear black trousers, a dress white shirt and a necktie everyday. None of the other families near me attended that school I was the only one going home every afternoon dressed in something other than jeans and T-shirt. They may as well have painted a bull's-eye on me. I averaged one flight a week and sometimes more, from the first grade all the way through the sixth grade.

Then in the summer before 7th grade a miracle took place. The first time I walked through the doors of Jacksonville junior high school in September of that year I was 6 feet tall, broad shouldered and looking for a little payback. Ansd since I was no longer in the Catholic school I wasn't required to wear a shirt and tie every day and fighting back without the fear of being punished for having my school clothes ruined gave a free reign to the anger I had from those grade shool days.

But I still had a mental image of myself as a small skinny kid. A physical confrontation with a bully, where I was able to intimidate him just by my size alone, helped me to reform a more positive mental image of myself. And as I grew older, I grew larger and my mental image grew with it, so that before this cancer struck I was physically and mentally 6'4" tall 225 pounds.

Today I'm still 6'4" tall on my right side and approximately 5'9" tall on my left side. But from my vantage point in my wheelchair I'm probably right around 4'5" tall and I literally have a belt buckle view of the world around me.

I have not come to grips with this physical situation and I guess my biggest problem is I'm still carrying a mental image of 6'4" tall man. This problem becomes more complex when I continue to hang onto the notion that all I need is a prosthetic leg and a little more time to be that 6'4" man again.

2. I want to work on acquiring skills that will help me cope with the situation if I am unable to accomplish my goal of walking again.

3. I want to discover who I am now on the inside, regardless of success in number one above. The things I have gone through in this ordeal have made significant changes in me. I want to recognize, address and embrace those changes.

4. I need help in acquiring new skills of communication with people around me. I'm still unsure what is considered proper etiquette or protocol when people question me about my status. This isn't new. I've always been the kind of person who wonders aloud when people say things like "nice to meet you"

to which I usually reply "really why is that?"

but now there's a whole new set of circumstances and opportunities for people to say things to me that elicit a sardonic response. And while sometimes such a response is mandatory for my well-being, there are other times, like when a child asks what happened to you? It is quite inappropriate!

5. I want to accomplish all of the above without being institutionalized…

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

it's that time of year again. People are decorating their houses. Shoppers are in the malls searching for the perfect gift. Families are making travel arrangements to go back home for a visit. Menus are being planned for the occasion. Stockings are being stuffed and children have eyes widened in great wonder in anticipation of a visit from Santa Claus.

not much exists of the Christmases I remember as a child. It's all become a commercial mess, where people when asked "What's the true meaning of Christmas?" They almost always respond it's about family and giving, and remembering our loved ones, and caring for the poor and needy, or any number of things that have absolutely nothing to do with the religious nature of the holiday.

We used to attend midnight mass at the Catholic Church in my hometown. We used to say Merry Christmas to everyone we met. For reasons beyond the scope of this discussion around age 12 I stepped away from all of that. I spent the next 20 years of my life in complete rebellion to all the things involving Christianity and Christmas.

but at no time in my life did I ever hold the belief that's reflected in this picture:

undojesus.org

So while you may be offended by me using the term

MERRY CHRISTMAS

You're nowhere nearly as offended as I am by the sentiment espoused by this jackass.

ps, Not happy holidays. good kwanza, season's greetings or any other no religious themed salutations will be uttered by me.

just a plain, simple, direct and to the politically incorrect point,

MERRY CHRISTMAS

PHASE 2

2011-11-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

last week I began a new phase in my recovery. I call this new phase;

FREEDOM

with the assistance of some remarkable people at San Diego veterans medical Center, I have been making great strides recovering my strength and abilities. But until recently all of my excursions outside of my house have been limited to my local neighborhood in my wheelchair, and medical transportation rides to and from the hospital.

And then this happened:

a brand-new 2010 Honda Odyssey.

After a little industrial magic by the good folks at

Better Life Mobility Center, it began to look like this:

on Friday, 11 November 2011 but my first trip in the Odyssey., an appropriately named vehicle because I am on an odyssey or epic journey and this vehicle is propelling me to my future, to visit a local Honda dealership where I was involved in purchasing a new vehicle for my daughter. I know most people would rather have their teeth pulled than go visit used-car dealership. But, considering the circumstances and the fact that I'm not most people. We purchased for her a 2010 Honda Civic Coupe, black in color with custom wheels and tires. When I first saw the car she picked, my question, to my daughter was; "are you cool enough to own a car like this?"

She Is…

Since then I've been out a couple more times. On Sunday 13 November, I went to church for the first time in five years. I used to be pretty popular there, most people are not used to black leather clad biker types being fully conversant in the gospel. We were greeted at the door by the usual cluster of appointed greeters, all very friendly and cheery and happy to see us. But no one recognized me, that was okay because I look almost nothing like I used to.

Later that same day to take a 35 mile ride to Escondido California to visit my wife's older brother who had recently been diagnosed with a serious brain tumor. His prognosis is not good, the doctors say he's terminal. So far God hasn't weighed in on this, so we will just have to see. Remember, these are the same doctors who said I would never walk again ha ha ha ha. A few more pictures...

That's my beautiful wife in the pilot seat

Inspecting the gadgets

ON THE ROAD

Peeling outta sight

THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

you may be thinking to yourself, I bet that Van cost an arm and a leg. I got a really good deal it only cost me a leg. I never meant to own a minivan to me they are the epitome of un-coolness. However this particular uncoolness is only a stepping stone to getting back on my Harley Davidson. I'll post more pictures as the adventure continues. Be well be blessed and be a blessing to others,

KRIPPLEDWARRIOR…

IN A NUTSHELL

2011-11-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

Recently I have received several e-mail messages asking the question "how did the warrior get krippled?" So rather than keep writing that e-mail going to answer that question right here today. For those of you who have been longtime followers of my blog this is a rehash for you and you may want to skip it completely. For everyone else...

In late March of 2006 I started suffering symptoms that led doctors to believe that maybe having heart trouble. Short of breath, heart racing, totally exhausted after mild exertion and general lethargy. But after a battery of EKGs in which all measurements associated with sinus rhythm were normal, the Dr. ordered a basic battery of blood tests and sent me home to await results.

on April 7, 2006 at around 1:15 in the morning, my phone rang. It was not unusual as I was on call 7/24 at work. However this was not the help desk calling it was a doctor at the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente. After confirmed he was talking to the right person, he told me I need to come to the emergency room immediately, my blood tests have returned but he did not want to discuss it on the phone. After a long night and most of the day in the emergency room admitting me to the hospital and told me that oncologists would be in to see me soon. The blood test showed that I had almost no red blood cells and all of my white blood cells were immature. This condition can be caused by leukemia or aplastic anemia. No way to tell for sure which, without administering a bone marrow biopsy.

The biopsy confirmed that I had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The prognosis was not good the Dr. said that this type of disease has a lesson 25% survival rate at five years. But they sent my bone marrow biopsy to an expert in Los Angeles for confirmation. In the interim I received blood transfusions to revitalize my system and keep me from keeling over. This went on for about two weeks, getting transfused every other day, until the results returned. There was a new diagnosis I had a very rare subset of AML which was manifest by a chromosome transfer between T 13-15, a condition known to be caused by exposure to the chemical benzene. Until the year before my diagnosis this rare form of leukemia was 99% fatal despite bone marrow transplants. But in the interim the Communist Chinese had found that megadoses of retinoic acid would actually cause a transposition between T 13 and 15and correct the condition. I was administered the drugs in the form of 11 large capsules four times a day, I don't remember what the total dosage was. But I remember it was huge. In addition to the retinoic acid treatment the oncologists insisted on giving me traditional chemotherapy in an effort to; "kill off the cancerous leukocytes that were roaming in my body."

DAUNORUBICIN

this chemical was injected into me intravenously once every day for seven days. Hanging from the IV pole the clear plastic bag and clear plastic tubing the drug resembled orange Kool-Aid almost fluorescent in color I remember being told the chief concern was to not get the chemical on my skin as it would burn me. Somehow, having it inside my blood veins was not a comforting thought. They kept me in the hospital for another two weeks to monitor my condition but also to protect me because his chemical would suppress my immune system so drastically that a normal cold which would cause a runny nose and watery eyes for you, would most certainly kill me. I was allowed to go home for short for our visit but I was told I must wear a surgical mask, have no physical contact with anyone and I must return before 6 PM. When they finally release me to go home I was told to stay at home and not visit public places were I could catch a disease. And no hugging or kissing the family members.

on the Friday before the Fourth of July, 2006 I got him a motorcycle and rode to work for the company picnic. I was 6'4" and weighed a whopping 147 pounds. Bald as a lightbulb, in fact all my body hair fell out, I'm quite glad that no pictures of me exist from that time. I was still not clear by the doctors to return to work as a felt a second round of chemotherapy was in order. This despite the fact the bone marrow biopsy confirmed the chromosome transfer had been reversed (the retinoic acid had worked).

CYTARABINE

in August of 2006, I returned to the Outpatient Treatment Ctr., Kaiser Permanente and was hooked up to a infusion pump that I carried on my hip 7/24 for the next week returning every second day have the pump recharged with the chemicals. The doctor told me I could stay at home with this pump as long as I remain in isolation, for the reasons listed before, with the warning:

"if you get a fever above 101.6°, return emergency room immediately." The side effects of this drug were very unpleasant the rather gross, so I'll skip those details but almost one week after the infusion pump was removed by temperature was measured at 101.7°, and I was taken to the hospital.

what happened next, is from things that witnesses told me. I have no recollection as I want almost immediately into a coma. A condition that lasted the better part of a month. Kept alive by a ventilator the team of diligent experts, despite the fact that my body had all but shut down. As it turned out a common intestinal bacteria had crossed over into my bloodstream and sent me into sepsis, more commonly known as toxic shock, a condition where your blood is actually poisonous and damaging to the tissues of your body. My kidneys shut down and I was placed on dialysis. In response to the condition my body went into defense mode my blood pressure dropped to almost 0. To counter that blood pressure drop I was hooked up to huge bottles of intravenous saline water. I was given so much water that the skin on my hands and arms broke open the water poured out. I ballooned from the 147 pounds to over 350, all water weight. There were several occasions during August and September of 2006 the doctors call my family to warn them if they wanted to see me alive they need to come now. Looking back on it I often joke, "those doctors did everything they could. But, I lived anyway."

sometime in late September of 2006 I opened my eyes in response to someone asking me to. I have a vague recollection of people speaking to me during that time period when I was in a deep coma, words but not faces. So when someone tells you a comatose person can't hear you, please rest assured that they quite possibly can. I did! When I awoke the only thing I was aware of was an acute, continuous, exquisite pain in every fiber of my being from the tips of my fingers to my eyelashes everything screamed out in agony. The most intense pain relieving chemicals in the world were of no relief. It was unbearable for things to touch me anywhere. The weight of the sheets laying on me cause intense flashes of white-hot pain to shoot all over my body. For some reason, because I did not know at the time that I was paralyzed, the medical staff came in and told me on my side every two hours. I'm quite positive that the string of profanities and curses that I leveled at them in response to the pain that I was experiencing, still echoes in the halls of the hospital, lo these five years later.

As I just told you I did not understand but I was paralyzed. I knew I could not move. But I thought it was due to some form of physical restraint. And because of that I was on wood mechanically rotate and tilt to relieve pressure, it felt like sleeping aboard a ship, something I had done for 17 years of my life. So in my mind I picture myself tied down on a table top aboard some small boat. I begged visitors to please untie me. I quite distinctly remember threatening my wife with divorce once I finally got loose, because she would not untie me.

Conditions:

paralyzed from the neck down, different doctors use different terms to describe it some said quadriplegic while other said quadraparetic.

my lips and mouth were red sore and covered in scabs because of the dry air forced in and out by the ventilator.

My kidneys were functioning but my liver was barely hanging on as my blood test showed high levels of liver enzymes.

Because of the restricted blood flow caused by the zero blood pressure both of my feet were black and gangrenous.

I would drift in and out of consciousness because of the various infections I was experiencing. And for the next year I was given enough antibiotics to cure a small third world nation of all its ills.

at the end of October 2006 the hospital discharge me into the care of a nursing facility near where I lived. Not so much because I was well again. The more likely because they couldn't do anything else for me. My condition had stabilized, although temporarily, enough that it did not warrant me being on inpatient status. So I was checked into a care facility which was not covered by my insurance, was paid for by the gracious love of my mother-in-law. The day staff people were very kind loving and considerate people. But for the two months I lived there I lived in terror of the midnight staff. That story is written another part in this blog roll back and find it.

the Kaiser Permanente physician who attended me at just care facility refused to allow me access to any form of physical therapy. He told me that I was a hopeless, flaccid muscled quadriplegic who was under his care for custodial purposes only. Unable to move to use a call button doing that I had for contacting the staff was my voice. I often joke that I don't have an indoor voice, I have actually been asked to leave a bowling alley for being too loud and I wasn't even drunk! So I would holler at the top of my voice to get attention from the attending staff. The night staff would come in shut the door behind them and scold me for being noisy. Being paralyzed and unable to use the bathroom facilities I was in a diaper. The night staff would ridicule me for messing myself, like I had some other choice. There are other abuses would keep to myself. I endured them because I thought I had no other choice. Who was became known that my insurance would cover home healthcare, I immediately moved home in the hospital bed with doctors and nurses coming to visit me on a regular basis sometimes almost daily.

Benzene

The only time I had ever been exposed to benzene was in the United States Navy service. It was, and quite possibly still is, using every paint product that the Navy had. As part of preservation of the ship every sailor becomes an experienced painter. And you get the paint on your hands and body. But rather than try to scrub it off with soap, practice was to wash her hands in pain thinner which major ingredient was benzene. Benzene was also a drying agent in the paint itself, as well as the primers used before applying paint.

when friends and relatives heard about what happened to me, everyone told me to get a hold of the VA as this is a clear-cut case of line-of-duty chemical exposure. So we submitted paperwork requesting VA assistance. But immediately was shot down. The denial letter said it was because I did not indicate in my application that benzene was the cause of my actual problem. Despite the fact that they acknowledged that benzene does cause that and that it appeared as though I had been exposed. Typical bureaucratic bull shit. We were allowed one rebuttal this time we asked my primary Dr. to please write a letter in support of my request. It took three years from that point but in the end the VA grant me a 100% service connected disability.

In the 2007 2008 infections continued. I was admitted to the hospital on the verge of another, being pumped full of antibiotics and painkillers and was asked to submit to exploratory surgery of my abdomen. The surgeon was a practical man they told me quite plainly; "if once we are in there we discover something wrong with the large intestine we can either repair or remove that part. But if the problem is with the upper intestine, well quite frankly you may not survive the week. Do you give us permission to go in and fix whatever we can find?" of course I said yes!

what they found was the interior lining of my large intestine had been eaten away by the bacterial infection that started this whole thing off. And it was removed. Also sometime in 2008, the date it eludes me, I finally got well enough to undergo surgery for removal of my gangrenous feet. My left leg was amputated below the knee because the destruction of tissue had incorporated into the bones of my foot and ankle. My right foot however have miraculously healed enough that all the toes needed to be removed. Shortly thereafter I experience another setback in the form of pancreatitis in some sort of gallbladder ailment. Both of these conditions mounted new levels of pain the required me to take hallucinogenic doses of morphine six times a day and eight 500 mg doses of Vicodin every day. My medicine cabinet was quite capable of kickstarting the 60s all over again.

unable to eat I had a feeding tube inserted through my side directly into my stomach. Because of the gallbladder ailment, the doctors fear that without it will survive another surgery, I had a drain inserted into my gallbladder through my skin. Because of chemotherapy drugs have virtually destroyed my blood vessels I had long line peripheral catheters inserted in my arms for the administration of antibiotics. I remember looking up one day at the IV tree and counting six different concoctions being pumped into me. My immune system had been so totally suppressed by the chemotherapy that it took that many drugs to keep me from succumbing to the normal bacteria that inhabit my body.

While Kaiser Permanente spent probably millions of dollars keeping me alive, that was their sole means of determining success. But I was still alive and sucking wind. It doesn't mean he didn't care. The individual doctors and nurses that I dealt with in the home care system Kaiser Permanente some of the most caring loving considerate and compassionate people I've ever met in my life. But that healthcare organization is not equipped to deal with the level of destruction that my body had suffered. If I had to do it over again, the only change I would make would be to decline the second round of chemotherapy. When I waffled on the issue back in 2006 the Dr. assured me it was quite possible I would relapse and die without it. Today I know there are things much worse than death. They're going to have to burn the woods and sift the ashes to find me and make me do chemotherapy again.

THE VA

When most people think of the VA they're talking about the administration portion. Like all bureaucracies is full of things that can be made more efficient. There is another part of the VA, the hospital system while you may find some people who want to complain about it, I am not one of them I have had nothing but top notch A-1 care at the San Diego VA regional medical center. From the very first day when the VA took over my home healthcare my life has begun a path back in the direction of living. My home healthcare Dr. on her very first visit to: my hand at my bedside and said "are you about ready to get back into life?"

My answer was a resounding "yes"

since that time showing over a year ago my progress has been miraculous, literally. Why am still not able to walk yet, there have been some very big changes in my life. More about that later.

as I stated the beginning of this all I wanted to was provide a place where people could come and get the answer to the question; how did you get crippled?

And now you know!

Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

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He mentions Keynesian economics, here is the definition:

CLICK-HERE

OPINIONS?

THINK PINK

2011-10-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

OCTOBER

BREAST CANCER

AWARENESS

MONTH

SUPERHERO

GET

MAMOGRAM

EVEN THE GUYS AT HARLEY DAVIDSON

ARE

IN THE PINK

DON'T BE LIKE THIS GUY

GET 'EM CHECKED

A MESSAGE OF LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT

FROM ME

YOU.

DID YOU SEE THE SUNRISE?

2011-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

WELL I DID

AND IT

LOOKED LIKE THIS

THANK YOU GOD, FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFT OF SIGHT AND THIS GREAT PLACE IN WHICH TO USE IT...

GET UP EARLY AND SEE WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE AS A FRESH NEW DAY BLOOMS.

THEY TOLD ME AT THE VA, "YOU HAVE TO BEGIN DRUG TESTING."

I SAID:

"OK. WHAT DRUUGS DO YOU WANT TESTED?"

OCTOBER 5

2011-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

MORE PEOPLE ARE BORN ON THIS DATE THAN ON ANY OTHER ON THE CALENDAR.

NEW YEARS IS WHY!

TODAY IS THE BIRTHDAY

OF MY

BEST FRIEND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

THE KINDEST, MOST CARING, SWEETEST, MOST INTELLIGENT, MOST BEAUTIFUL, LOVINGEST, WARMEST, MOST COMPASSIONATE, MOST CHARITABLE, SOFTEST SPOKEN, GIVING, TENDER, WARM HEARTED, INTERESTING PERSON I HAVE EVER MET OR COULD HOPE TO MEET.

MY WIFE OF 29 YEARS,

JOAN.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART.

LIVING IN THE PAST

2011-10-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

RECENTLY MY PSYCHOLOGIST SUGGESTED

I MIGHT BE LIVING IN THE PAST, BASED ON SOME OF OUR DISCUSSIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF

MY CONCEPT

WHO I AM

TODAY

(living with my disabilities).

I COUNTERED WITH THE OBSERVATION,

DOES NOT OUR PAST DEFINE WHO WE ARE IN THE PRESENT?

HERE ARE SOME OF MY

PAST

SELF IMAGES

Walk softly and carry a big gun.

My view of

OPERATION DESERT SHIELD

A DRESS UP OCCASION

IN HONG KONG

IN THE CPO MESS

ON THE STEEL BEACH

IN BOOT CAMP

RTC

GLAKES, ILL. Feb, 1973

I started smoking in boot camp. It was out of necessity. If you took a break without a smoke, you were accused of goofing off. With a smoke you were just taking a break.

BOOT CAMP GRAD

LAST VISIT TO N.C. 1973

MORE PERSIAN GULF OPS

I'M NOT DONE BEING THAT GUY

1979

2011-09-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

It was a year of many changes in my life. I transferred back to CONUS after 4 years of sea duty homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. I was assigned to Shore Duty (a mistake on the Navy's part, I was the best Sonar Tech in the entire Pacific Fleet) after 6.5 years of sea duty.

I was ending a messy divorce and finding my place in California lifestyle. And I ended up buying a companion from a pet shop in El Cajon, California.

The GIPPER

She was the first dog I ever owned as mine. All the others were pets of my family. This one was solely mine. She was an AKC registered Alaskan Malamute and I paid $795.00 for her. Her registered name was Princess Of The Aurora.

From day one, she was an outside dog. Cute and cuddly and intelligent, she was going to be a huge dog, just judging by the relative size of her paws. Better to keep her outside from the start than to try and move her out after she got big and accustomed to indoor life.

and grow she did. in her first 4 months she became a large dog, although still very much a puppy.

Beautifully marked and without any of the hereditary deficiencies common to the breed, Gip was a great WATCH DOG. She would WATCH people all day long and never barked at anyone. She would stand on her hind legs and lookout over the top of a 4 foot high dog-eared redwood fence and GLARE at vendors and strangers and when they noticed her, they would invariably continue on their way to the next house.

On occasions when I was outside they would always ask 3 questions

1. Is that your dog?

2. What breed is he?

3. does he bite?

I would answer the same way every time.

1. Yes SHE is.

2. SHE is an Alaskan Malamute

3. SHE has never bitten me...

Truth be told, a person who strayed into my backyard would have been in serious jeopardy of being licked to death.

two years later in 1981 I got married again, I brought three things to my marriage. A 1979 Honda 750 F1 Super-Sport. A Dodge tradesman B200. And my Alaskan malamute.

Two memorable occasions come to mind. One was a party for housewarming in our new home in Santee California. All of my in-laws showed up along with six or seven nieces and nephews. Never having any problem with the dog, I said it was okay if they went on the backyard and played with the dog. A short time later the air was pierced by the screaming of a young child, a chill ran up my spine as we raced to the door to find one of my nieces laying flat on the ground with the dog holding her down with one paw and licking her face. I was relieved as were the parents, and to my knowledge everyone laughed. But I laugh the hardest.

One unusual thing about Alaska malamutes is that they do not bark. But they howl like wolves and when Gipper would let loose at night, the coyotes in the hills surrounding Santee would echo back at her. That only happened rarely and I don't remember any of the neighbors ever complaining. When it did happen she would only do it for a couple of minutes.

But one night about 2 AM the silence of the night was broken by the dog barking loudly and continuously (remember I said Alaskan malamutes don't bark, I didn't say they can't bark). I got out of bed and went to the back door to find out what had gotten this dog so upset. When I opened the door I was punched in the face by the pungent aroma of skunk essence. Flipping on the back porch light I saw my dog standing about 10 feet away from a skunk, and barking her head off. Going back to my bedroom and return with my Smith & Wesson 357 to dispatch the skunk. The first shot missed its mark in the bullet dug a big hole in the ground next to the skunk. The dog jumped a ran over and stood next skunk. The Skunk thought better of the situation and jumped the fence and was gone. Looking at my dog I could see the whole front end of her was dripping in skunk dew.

How do you get skunk stink off a dog? I had no idea. So I made some calls to several places in all of the recommended the same thing, so the animal in tomato juice let it dry and comb it out. I try to tell these people that I was doing with the malamute, not a Chihuahua just trading one problem for another. Finally a lady at the SPCA recommended a product, with a glowing endorsement, "I've never tried it but I hear it works."

ODORMUTE

The instructions were pretty simple an easy-to-follow. Sponge the solution onto the dog, let it dry and you're done. Another oddity about malamutes is the fact that they do not stink (have no odor in their fur) no matter how much they run and roll in the dirt, there is no typical dog smell about them. And after one application of ODORMUTE

my malamute was back to having no scent.

In January of 1986, my son was born. If I got old enough to move around and Walker stroller he would go to the back screen door and put his face against the screen and the dog would lick his face through the screen. He seemed to enjoy it , and laugh out loud. But it turned out he was allergic to the dog. And the doctors told us that we had to keep him and the dog separated. It was my idea to give the boy away, after all the dog was there first. But I was out voted and gave my dog while the sailors who worked with me at the base.

Later in 1986 that Sailor moved to the East Coast with this family and my dog.

Sometimes I miss her.

WOOF

2011-09-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

THE GIPPER

MY ALASKAN MALAMUTE

IF

2011-09-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

IF I WERE TO AWAKEN TOMORROW

AND

THE ONLY THINGS LEFT IN MY LIFE

WERE THE THINGS

I HAD

THANKED GOD FOR

TODAY.

BE ASSURED

I WOULD

STILL HAVE

YOU.

Surgical Success

2011-09-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

on Thursday 15 Sept 2011 I had surgery to remove a skin cancer from my face. I joked with the surgeon that I was there to undergo a partial face amputation. She laughed nervously as did the nurses in attendance. When it was over they told me it was a complete success. I removed the bandages today and this is what I now look like.

CAUTON

IMAGE IS GRAPHIC

AND MAY BE DISTUBING

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

HOME SICK

2011-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

DURING MY 21 YEARS OF NAVAL SERVICE THIS PLACE WAS THE ONE PLACE I ALWAYS LONGED FOR...

LOOKING NNW FROM MY FRONT ROOM

LOOKING EAST FROM MY LIVING ROOM

EAST FROM MY KITCHEN

ETHAN

ETHAN AGAIN

YEP ETHAN

THIS GUY KEEPS THE BUNNIES IN CHECK

EASTERN VIEW FROM MY LIVING ROOM

EASTERN VIEW FROM MY PATIO

AGAIN FROM THE LIVING ROOM

EARLY MORNING CLOUDS WHILE WAITING FOR MY VAN RIDE TO THERAPY

MOON RISE Sept 13, 2011

MOON RISE Sept 14, 2011

WHITE TAIL DEER ate my HIBISCUS BUSH

BUT THEY IGNORE MY GAZANIAS

JUST ANOTHER PERFECT DAY

==========><==========

MOON SET WHILE WAITING FOR MY VAN RIDE TO THERAPY

all pics taken with my Apple iPhone4

==========)(==========

AFTER 5 YEARS CONFINED TO A BED/WHEELCHAIR THIS HOME HAS BECOME

MY DUNGEON OF DESPAIR

I'M GOING STIR CRAZY

AND I'M ACTIVELY SEARCHING FOR A NURSING HOME IN AN EFFORT TO REGAIN THAT

HOMESICK FEELING.

I'LL LET YOU KNOW.

OLD DUDE DAY

2011-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

YEA, THAT LOOKS ABOUT RIGHT

MIGHT NEED SOME HELP PUTTING THEM OUT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

WAXING NOSTALGIC

2011-08-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

LAST NIGHT I WATCHED MY VERY FIRST PORN MOVIE

I can't believe how young I looked in it!

==========> <==========

old pics recently scanned in

Joe Navy

1980

Joe Cool

1980

Justin B didn't invent his haircut.

Gipper

My Alaskan Malamute

1980-1987

Joe Hollywood

1986

My Sweetheart

1983

My Sweetie and Her Vette (Chevette)

Joe Navy Re-up 1981

CWO3 Ayers officiates my reenlistment.

You gotta love any job that let's you wear

Bell Bottom Blue Jeans to work.

My college graduation.

BSCS National University

May 1977

IN NEED OF A LITTLE HELP

2011-08-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO RETRACT A BID ON E-BAY?

I BID $7.00 ON A

"MICKEY MOUSE OUTFIT"

AND NOW I'M 17 MINUTES AWAY FROM OWNING

THE ENTIRE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

INCLUDING THE CABINET

AND

BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS.

==========> <==========

><}}}(°> <°)}}}><

==========> <==========

American History

2011-08-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

I wish they had taught it like this...

<========== ==========>

AND JUST IN TIME FOR MY BIRTHDAY

THEY DID A REMAKE OF MY ALL TIME

FAVORITE MOVIE

==========> <==========

BOHICA

2011-07-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

DoD panel calls for radical retirement overhaul

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer

Posted : Monday Jul 25, 2011 13:24:26 EDT

A sweeping new plan to overhaul the Pentagon’s retirement system would give some benefits to all troops and phase out the 20-year cliff vesting system that has defined military careers for generations.

In a massive change that could affect today’s troops, the plan calls for a corporate-style benefits program that would contribute money to troops’

retirement savings account rather than the promise of a future monthly pension, according to a new proposal from an influential Pentagon advisory board.

All troops would receive the yearly retirement contributions, regardless of whether they stay for 20 years. Those contributions might amount to about

16.5 percent of a member’s annual pay and would be deposited into a mandatory version of the Thrift Savings Plan, the military’s existing 401(k)-style account that now does not include government matching contributions.

FEEDBACK

Tell us what you think. Email retirement@militarytimes.com

A critical new feature would adjust those contributions to give more money to troops who deploy frequently, accept hardship assignments or serve in high-demand jobs. It would also give the services a new lever to incentivize some troops to leave or stay on active duty longer.

The new proposal was unveiled July 21 by the Defense Business Board, the wellspring for many cost-saving initiatives adopted by the Defense Department in recent years. The new retirement plan would mark the biggest change in military retirement in more than 60 years and require approval from Congress.

“The current system is unfair, unaffordable and inflexible,” said Richard Spencer, a former finance executive and Marine Corps pilot who led the board’s eight-month retirement study.

This alternative plan would “enhance the ability of the service member to build a meaningful retirement asset [with] complete flexibility for their lifestyle or desires,” Spencer said.

==========================

The thing that burns my ass most about this new scheme to reduce the budget on the backs of those who actually provide the freedom you and I live under is, the LABOR UNIONS that represent civilian local, state and federal government employees all refuse to move into this form of retirement plan.

IF IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR SOME DESK JOCKEY AT CITY HALL... IS AIN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR AMERICA'S WARRIORS EITHER.

YOU WANT TO SAVE SOME MONEY?

STOP GIVING LIFETIME RETIREMENT

BENEFITS TO CONGRESS AND SENATE MEMBERS

AFTER SERVING ONE TERM IN OFFICE

===========><==========

===========><===========

BOHICA

B end

O ver

H ere

I t

C omes

A gain

WHY

2011-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS AUG. 2005

HURRICANE KATRINA

Shortly after the hurricane moved away on August 30, 2005, some residents of New Orleans who remained in the city began looting stores. Many were in search of food and water that were not available to them through any other means, as well as non-essential items. Reports of RAPE MURDER AND SHOOTING AT RESCUERS was the "News at 11:00" leader for what seemed like weeks.

Media and Hollyood outcry was endless. And blame for a lack of government response to help the residents who ignored evacuation orders was vocalized by the same Kanye West, who interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Video Awards, when he said "George Bush hates black people."

As the U.S. military and rescue services regained control over the city, there were restrictions on the activity of the media. On September 9, the military leader of the relief effort announced that reporters would have "zero access" to efforts to recover bodies in New Orleans. Immediately following this announcement, CNN filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against the ban. The next day the government backed down and reversed the ban.
Hurricane Katrina has also been the centerpiece of several documentary films, including Spike Lee's film, WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE, and Darren Martinez's film, HELLP. An episode of the Fox TV series House first broadcast on May 16, 2006, featured a teenage victim of Hurricane Katrina at the center of the main medical storyline. An episode of the BBC show Top Gear was praised by some for being one of the first to show the total scale of the destruction once the waters had receded.

==============================

SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL

==============================

NOTE* NONE OF THE ABOVE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN IN 2005.

ALL ARE OF THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY SEASONAL FLOODING IN IOWA SPRING 2011.

Where are the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa, and helping the folks affected by the floods or areas devastated by recent tornadoes? Where is good old Michael Moore?

Why is the media NOT asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved this problem? ...Asking where the FEMA trucks and trailers and food services are?

Why isn't the Federal government moving Iowa people into free hotels in Chicago and Minneapolis ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn, Bono, and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes, cases of beer and television sets?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of shootings at rescuers, of rapes and murder?

Where are all the people screaming that Barack Obama hates white, rural people? My God, where are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Oprah, and Ray Coniff Jr?

How come you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again? Where are the government bail out vouchers? The government debit cards?

There must be one hell of a big difference between the value of the people of Iowa and value of the people of Louisiana.

An award.

2011-07-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

The nice lady who writes her blog at:

http://indigoviolet-indigo.blogspot.com/2011/07/blogs-that-rock.html

gave me this

It's time for a little update.

The eye surgery went well. Thank you my friends for all your words of encouragement and support. Although the sight in the left eye is far from perfect. It beats hell out of the TOTALLY BLIND that it was 3 weeks ago. Because of that surgery, the surgeon took me off the physical therapy for 6 weeks. But I'm doing my stretch and reach work at home, and still going to Occupational Therapy.

Remember, I told you about visiting my dentist for the first time since my Chemo event? The dentist noticed a small lesion on my lip, just below the corner of my right nostril. He wrote a consult for dermatology and I got the results of my biopsy today.

BASAL CELL CARCINOMA

I've been told that if I'm gonna have a NOMA. BASAL CELL CARCINOMA is the one to have. But I can't help but wonder why MY FACE?

It's such a pretty face.

On a more serious note.

My son got his wheelchair this weekend.

The one thing I feared most in my life, since I was 13, confined to a wheelchair, became a reality for me at age 55. Once realized, it turns out it isn't as bad as I feared it would be. Don't get the wrong idea, it sucks ass. But it doesn't make me want to quit living, like I thought it would. And despite being frustrated by it. I have not blamed or been angry with my God for this being my destiny. I still hold out hope that I will get strong and walk again. But on the other hand, my son's condition continues to get worse.

And God!

That pisses me off...

SOMEONE HAD TO SAY IT

2011-07-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

HELL'S KITCHEN

BIKER BAR

LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA

MACHETES, BOTTLE ROCKETS, LAWN DARTS and a HANGMANS NOOSE

2011-06-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

An old Led Zep song starts out with the lyrics,

"IN THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH I WAS TOLD WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN..."

and continues

"GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES, YOU KNOW I'VE HAD MY SHARE..."

As a boy, I was a constant source of worry for my poor mother. I was an adrenaline junkie. Always questing for the next dose, with absolutely no regard for the outcome, as it pertained to me. For reasons I can't explain, I loved to play with the things I was warned not to mess with. And on several occasions those unheeded warnings cost me dearly. One specific warning was over my affection for fire works, bottle rockets, specifically. Unlike many of the boys I grew up with, I didn't smoke cigarettes. But I did use cigarettes. I would hold a lit one in my mouth and use it to light the fuse on a cherry bomb or an M-80 so I could launch them from my slingshot and achieve that most sought after effect, "THE LONG RANGE AIR BURST." I would also use the smokes to light the fuse on bottle rockets and throw them in the direction of opposing team members in a game we called "ROCKET WARS."

On July 5, 1968, 8 short weeks before my 16th birthday, I stepped out into my front yard with a box of matches, 1 Bel Air cigarette and 5 dozen bottle rockets. The first rocket launched perfectly, went approximately 50 feet up and disintegrated in a loud bang. I put the second rocket in the same hole in the ground as the first one and lit the fuse and stepped back to watch the launch. The fuse sputtered and hissed just like the previous one did. But the launch was a failure, a DUD. That thing cost me like 3cents and I was pissed about being ripped off. Cussing under my breath as I stepped up and leaned over to pull the rocket from the launch hole, the frigging thing took off and hit me squarely in my left eye, throwing me literally to the ground. The pain was blinding, and so was the rocket strike. I must have yelped in pain because my mom was at the door in a flash. Covering my right eye and looking into the bright Carolina sun with my left eye, proved that I was indeed blinded by the hit. All I saw was a total blackness. The rocket had torn my iris at the top where it attaches to the white of my eye, leaving an opening in the shape of an arc that went from 10:00 - 2:00. The tear filled the interior of my eye with blood and that blocked light from striking my retina.

A CLASSIC DEFINITION OF THE WORD BLIND!

A quick ambulance ride to the Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune. Admitted to the ophthalmology ward for treatment. I don't recall the doctors name. But he told me there was a 10% chance, if I did exactly what he told me, that I would regain the sight in my left eye. He wrapped my eyes with white bandages and ordered me to lay flat on my back for 2 weeks to let the blood drain out of my eye. everything was going fine until i had to use the toilet. The corpsmen refused to let me up and brought me a bed pan instead. After using it once, I vowed to never do it again. And for the remainder of the two weeks I refused to eat anything. When the staff questioned my lack appetite, I told them I felt sick to my stomach and didn't feel like eating.

At the end of the 2 weeks, when the doctor removed the bandages, for the second time in my life, I could see with both eyes. But because of the extra hole in my eye, bright light was painful. So I wore a pair of teardrop sunglasses during most of my waking hours. When school resumed in September, my first class I was told by one Mr.Daughtry,

"no wearing sunglasses in his classroom without a note from a doctor."

His jaw dropped so hard, you'd think he got sucker punched, when I walked up and handed him my doctor's prescription giving me permission to wear sunglasses during all daylight hours. A plus for having been blinded . And my classmates believed I was a stoner because I wore shades constantly. There were even some rumors that I had blackmail evidence on some teacher, and that's why they let me wear my Raybans in class.

Fast forward 43 years to Wednesday 22 June 2011, at VA Hospital San Diego, Ca. One of the unexpected side effects of my chemotherapy is a complete cataract of my injured eye. For the second time in my life I was blind in my left eye, only this time laying on my back for a few weeks made no difference. Cataract surgery is not a laser procedure. It is an interocular operation that entails surgical removal and replacement of the clouded lens. But because my eye had a damaged iris (the mechanism that holds the lens in place) lens replacement was a bit more complex (ain't that just like me?).

So, as the gurney crossed the O.R. threshold I prayed this little prayer:

Dr. KARIN THOMAS IS THE GREATEST EYE SURGEON THAT GOD EVER LET DRAW BREATH. AND IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM AND MERCY, HE HAS PLACED ME IN HER CARE...

2 HOURS LATER I LOOKED LIKE THIS

The pain was bearable but constant. It felt like someone was pressing on my eyeball with a large thumb. After beating a four year morphine/vicodin jag, I definitely didn't want to start up on narcotics again. And for the third time in the short history of me, I can see with both eyes...

NEXT WEEK I GO IN TO HAVE THE STITCHES REMOVED FROM MY CORNEA.

DID YOU EVER SAY

"STICK A NEEDLE IN MY EYE?"

ME TOO...

SAY IT AGAIN... I DARE YOU!

HOW TO HACK A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

2011-06-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

FIRESHEEP

FIRESHEEP

POINT & CLICK HACKING OF FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EXTENSION

FIREFOX

Firesheep is an extension developed by Eric Butler for the Firefox web browser. The extension uses a packet sniffer to intercept unencrypted cookies from certain websites (such as Facebook and Twitter) as the cookies are transmitted over networks, exploiting session hijacking vulnerabilities. It shows the discovered identities on a sidebar displayed in the browser, and allows the user to instantly take on the log-in credentials of the user by double-clicking on the victim's name.

The extension was created as a demonstration of the security risk to users of web sites that only encrypt the login process and not the cookie(s) created during the login process.

It has been warned that the use of the extension to capture login details without permission would violate wiretapping laws and/or computer security laws in some countries. Despite the security threat surrounding Firesheep, representatives for Mozilla Add-ons have stated that it would not use the browser's internal add-on blacklist to disable use of Firesheep, as the blacklist has only been used to disable spyware or add-ons which inadvertently create security vulnerabilities, as opposed to attack tools (which may legitimately be used to test the security of one's own systems).

A MANAGING EDITOR AT

PC WORLD

SAYS:

How to Hijack Facebook Using Firesheep

I hijacked a Facebook account with Firesheep; it was easy, and here's what you should do to avoid falling victim.

By Sharon Machlis, Computerworld Oct 30, 2010 1:02 pm

I hijacked someone's Facebook account with Firesheep. It was incredibly easy.
Before you call the authorities on me, the "hijack" was an experiment with a colleague's account while we were waiting for a plane, and she gave me permission. But let me tell you: Firesheep, the Firefox add-on designed to show the security holes in sites that don't use encryption for all their traffic, works as advertised.
All I had to do was download and install the add-on, open the Firesheep sidebar and click "Start Capturing." When her account appeared on the list, I double-clicked on it. Once I made sure that I wasn't logged into the same site myself with my own account, her account appeared in my browser.
Happily, I couldn't change her account information without knowing her password. But I could see all her friends, read her private messages and even issue a status update that went to all her friends.
Also good news: Google and Yahoo mail both appeared secure, even if logged into other portions of those sites.
However, sitting at the Online News Association conference this morning -- a conference of journalists who are very Web-savvy but perhaps less so on latest security issues -- I see a steady stream of accounts show up (see a sample below). Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. I saw someone's Wordpress blog account (but no, I don't know if I could have clicked through and posted an item).
I was also alarmed to see my own accounts showing up. I hadn't remembered that I'd left my work laptop logged into my Google account, but there was my Gmail address popping up on the Firesheep sidebar when I surfed to Google to do a search.
So here's what I'm doing about Firesheep. Even though I'm not interested in seizing control of strangers' accounts, I'm keeping Firesheep loaded on my system and firing it up whenever I'm using public Wi-Fi: to make sure none of my own accounts pop up. Firesheep has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. I can't count on the fact that I'm the only one on the network who knows about it.
If I was in charge of IT and/or IT security at an organization, I'd be giving Firesheep demonstrations to managers to drive the point home that it's just not safe to use public Wi-Fi connections without using proper safeguards.

Sharon Machlis is online managing editor at Computerworld. Her e-mail address is smachlis@computerworld.com. You can follow her on Twitter Twitter @sharon000, on Facebook or by subscribing to her RSS feeds:
articles Machlis RSS | blogs Machlis RSS.

##########WTF##########

MANY SECURITY PUNDITS WARN THAT TO PROTECT YOURSELF, YOU SHOULD NEVER USE FREE WI-FI ACCESS POINTS.

THAT'S THROWING THE SHEEP OUT WITH THE DIP.

FREE WI-FI IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

IT'S A FAILURE BY THE SITES YOU VISIT (facebook, twitter, google, etc) TO USE PROPER SECURITY MEASURES (ie, https encrypted sessions beyond the login).

ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION, USE A VPN (Virtual Private Network) TUNNEL TO ACCESS YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. GOOD ADVICE, BUT VPN SERVICES ARE NOT FREE AND WHILE THE MAY BE CHEAP ($5.00-$10.00/MONTH) NOW YOU'VE JUST NEGATED THE FREE PART OF FREE WI-FI.

QUOTED FROM COMPUTERWORLD

If free is the object, there are options there, too, said Wisniewski, Sullivan and Gallagher, who pointed to a pair of free Firefox add-ons that force the browser to use an encrypted connection when it accesses certain sites.
One of those Firefox add-ons, HTTPS-Everywhere, provided by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), only works with a defined list of sites, including Twitter, Facebook, PayPal and Google's search engine.
The other choice, Force-TLS, serves the same purpose as the EFF's extension, but lets users specify which sites on which to enforce encryption.

AND "BLACK SHEEP" IS FIREFOX PLUGIN DESIGNED TO COMBAT FIRESHEEP, BY DROPPING "FAKE" SESSION INFORMATION ON THE WIRE AND MONITORING TO SEE IF IT GETS HIJACKED.

x#x#x#x#x#x#x#x#x#x

WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT FIRESHEEP GIVES HACKING ABILITIES TO USERS

FIREFOX 3.5 AND NEWER, 32bit only.

IT IS NOT TRUE THAT USERS OF OTHER BROWSERS WOULD BE SAFE

FROM A ROGUE FIRESHEEP USER.

Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera are all VULNERABLE, REGARDLESS OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM BEHIND YOUR BROWSER.

FOR THOSE BROWSERS, THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT A FIRESHEEP SNOOP IS TO USE A VPN CONNECTION, SHIFT TO AND INSTALL THE EXTENSION MENTIONED ABOVE, TO FIREFOX. OR CONTACT THE TECH SUP WEENIES AT FACEBOOK AND GET INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CONFIGURE YOUR ACCOUNT TO USE ONLY HTTPS SESSIONS...

2 YEARS + 400 POSTS

2011-06-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

THIS IS POST #400

I've never jumped out of an airplane. I never really wanted to do it either. I don't have a fear of

falling/flying/dying/heights.

It just never came up as a dare, offer or invitation.

My daughter, on the other hand:

that's her on the left. A college graduate...

Was given a B-Day present from a friend (gotta wonder about friends like that) to jump from a plane.

staging

two thumbs up!

All aboard

In the plane...

OUT OF THE PLANE

FREE FALLING

LOOK

up in the sky!

its a bird...

its a plane...

ITS AMANDA

TOUCHDOWN

GOD knows, I love that girl.

###########+++++++++++##########

I THANK Y'ALL FOR STOPPING BYE LO THESE PAST TWO YEARS. WHAT A LONG STRANGE ROAD IT'S BEEN. I NEVER IMAGINED IT WOULD LEAD TO MAKING FRIENDS AND CARING ABOUT PEOPLE I NEVER EVEN SET EYES ON. BUT IT HAS A VERY SPECIAL WAY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD (USA, Canada, England, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, Mexico, Russia, South Korea and HAWAII).

All of this reminds me of an old song.

Just for the record, I'll be back. But Osama Bin Laden won't!

AN OLDIE AND AN ODDITY

2011-06-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

THE OLDIE

I heard this song in a movie last night "I LOVE YOU, MAN". where the main characters were RUSH HEADS...

THE ODDITY

The most disturbing scene sequence from a truly disturbing movie inspired someone to make a song and a video out of it.

ART FOR THE SAKE OF ART?

MONEY

2011-05-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

With both sides of the congress arguing that they have a solution to the over spending by he US government. One side says; "Cut spending on entitlement programs. " The other side says increase taxes on the rich."

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has released a report that details some very interesting budget spending by an agency known as NSF (National Science Foundation)

His report can be read here (in pdf format).

SOME OF THE THINGS OUR MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON IS TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS

$500,000.00 to teach shrimp to walk on a treadmill.

It's not just shrimp on a treadmill. The foundation spent $1.5 million to create a robot that can fold laundry. But before you try to buy one to save some time, consider that it takes the robot 25 minutes to fold a single towel.

The list goes on. Lots of people love to use FarmVille on Facebook, but lots of people probably don't love the government's spending $300,000 in taxpayer money to study whether it helps build personal relationships.

Here's an excerpt from the report:

Does playing FarmVille on Facebook help people to make friends and keep them? A $315,000 NSF study suggests playing FarmVille on Facebook helps adults develop and maintain relationships... Michigan State researchers were provided $314,863 to study "The Role of Social Network Sites in Facilitating Collaborative Processes." According to the funding request, the researchers wanted to use social networks to study how undergraduate students collaborated online and to analyze "aggregate behavioral patterns on Facebook."

"What it says to me is, they have too much money if they're going to spend money on things like that," Coburn said in an interview.

But there's more.

The National Science Foundation has its headquarters in Arlington, Va., just across the river from Washington, D.C., a building it pays $19 million a year to rent. But now that the 20-year lease is nearly up, it has decided that it is time to move; into a new building that will cost $26 million annually to rent.

Even gelatin wrestling has been the subject of an agency project. In Antarctica, no less. The foundation notes that the project is the work of contractors, not agency employees.

Whatever the case might be, Coburn said, the situation is another example that federal spending has gotten out of control.

IT'S YOUR MONEY.

LET'S STOP PISSING IT AWAY

MEMORIAL DAY

2011-05-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

FIND THE COST OF FREEDOM

BURIED IN THE GROUND

MOTHER EARTH WILL SWALLOW YOU

LAY YOUR BODY DOWN

#############################

##############################

US MILITARY CASUALTIES OF WAR

FROM 1775 TO THE PRESENT

TOTAL DEAD

1,343,812

TOTAL WOUNDED

1,529,230

MISSING

38,159

TOTAL CASUALTIES OF WAR

2,489,335

* AND THIS NUMBER IS STILL CLIMBING TODAY

PLEASE PLAY THIS SONG AS YOU PRAY FOR MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE STILL IN HARMS WAY

DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS PART OF THE HUMAN CONDITION TO MAKE WAR ON OUR FELLOW MAN.

I WISH IT WERE NOT SO.

BUT SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THIS GREAT NATION, WE HAVE STOOD AGAINST ALL FORMS OF TYRANNY. SO MANY HAVE GIVEN FREELY AND WILLINGLY OF LIFE AND LIMB, SO THAT OTHERS MAY REAP THE BENEFITS OF LIBERTY IN ALL CORNERS OF THIS WORLD.

LORD, I ASK FOR WISDOM ONE THOSE WHO ARE IN POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP, SO THAT WE DO NOT SEND OUR FORCES IN TO HARMS WAY NEEDLESSLY. AND ONCE THE DECISION TO WAGE WAR HAS BEEN MADE, LET THERE BE ENOUGH STRONG DETERMINATION TO SEND ENOUGH FORCE TO GET THE JOB DONE EFFECTIVELY AND AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.

AND FOR WISDOM ON THOSE IN LEADERSHIP ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE, SO THAT THE CARNAGE OF WAR BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CONFLICT.

AND FATHER, I THANK YOU FOR THE BRAVE MEN WHO STEP INTO THE BREACH AND ANSWER THE CALL OF DUTY. WHO SELFLESSLY SACRIFICE THEIR OWN COMFORT, SAFETY, LOVE LIFE AND HEALTH, SO THAT THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY MAY BE ENJOYED BY ALL ON THIS EARTH.

LASTLY, FATHER GOD, PLEASE LET ALL AMERICANS KEEP WAR AND IT'S COST IN MIND WHEN WE GO TO ELECT OUR REPRESENTATIVES. PUBLIC OFFICE SHOULD NOT BE A POPULARITY CONTEST.

AMEN

AMERIKA

2011-05-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL

The "JACK-BOOTED THUGS" OF THE PARK POLICE

HAVE FORMALLY TURNED

THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

INTO

POLICE STATE

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

PUT SWASTIKAS ON THOSE BASTARDS

In the memorial to the champion of American

"FREE SPEACH"

How can this happen?

all tenants of the 1st, 5th and 6th Amendments trounced before your very eyes.

I didn't loose a leg while serving in the Navy, so a bunch of rent-a-cops from parks and rec could bully peaceful citizens for public demonstrations. Give an asshole a gun and a badge and you have empowered a tyrant.

mixing my favorites

2011-05-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

MY FAVORITES

1. A BIBLE STORY

2. AN ACTION STORY

3. ARNOLD

4. MAD TV

5. A 12 Ga. SHOTGUN

ALL IN ONE PLACE AT THE SAME TIME

AND 2 OLD SONGS FROM MY YOUTH

how frigging old am I?

419 scam comes to FACEBOOK

2011-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

THIS IS A SCREEN SNAP OF A FACEBOOK MESSAGE I RECENTLY RECEIVED. IT CAME FROM A LAWYER WHO HAS A FACEBOOK PROFILE ( https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002103500036). HE/SHE IS NOT A FRIEND OF MINE ON OR OFF FACEBOOK. BUT I BELIEVE THIS PERSON SHOULD BE KICKED OFF THE SOCIAL NETWORK FOR ALL ETERNITY.

NOW ADD ONE MORE TO THE LIST

11. NIGERIAN MONEY SCAM

WELCOME TO...

2011-05-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE TOOTHBRUSH WAS INVENTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA?

IF IT WAS INVENTED ANYWHERE ELSE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED A

TEETHBRUSH

IN TENNESSEE A VIRGIN IS

ANY UGLY 13YR OLD WHO CAN OUTRUN HER COUSINS

SAFE SEX IN WEST VIRGINIA IS

SPRAY PAINTING AN

"X"

ON ALL THE SHEEP THAT KICK

############################################

SEAL TEAM 6, UNDER ORDERS BY THE US SECRETARY OF STATE, USED A BLACK FELT TIP PEN, AKA A SHARPIE, TO DRAW A PENIS ON OSAMA BIN LADEN'S FACE. THAT'S WHY THE PRESIDENT WON'T RELEASE PHOTOS OF OBL!

WHEN A WARRIOR COMES HOME

2011-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

DAY 15...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS STILL DEAD

WHEN A WARRIOR COMES HOME

HE MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT BOREDOM

OR KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE WHEN PEOPLE BITCH ABOUT POT-HOLES

THEY MIGHT NOT BE SO TOLERANT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO GET READY FOR WORK IN THE MORNING

THEY MIGHT THINK YOU'RE SILLY WHEN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT A BAD NIGHT'S SLEEP

THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME WORDS OF DISDAIN FOR PEOPLE WHO PRAY TO GOD FOR A NEW CAR

THEY MIGHT PANIC A LITTLE WHEN YOU TELL THEM TO DRIVE SLOWER

THEY WON'T UNDERSTAND A COMPLAINT ABOUT COACH OR BUSINESS CLASS TRAVEL

THEY'RE LIKELY TO WALK AWAY LAUGHING WHEN THE NEIGHBOR EXPRESSES FEAR OVER SENDING THEIR KIDS TO SUMMER CAMP

THEY MIGHT RIDICULE PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT HOT WEATHER

YOU'LL GET NO SYMPATHY WHEN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT COLD COFFEE

THEY MIGHT NOT STAY CALM WHEN THE KIDS COMPLAIN ABOUT HAVING TO WALK THE DOG

THEY WON'T BE PATIENT WITH PEOPLE WHO BITCH ABOUT THEIR JOBS

ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT ONLY HAVING 2 WEEKS OF VACATION

THEY'LL HAVE NO SYMPATHY OR COMPASSION WHEN PEOPLE COMMENT ON HOW DIFFICULT IT IS WITH NEW BABY IN THE HOUSE

SOMETIMES WHEN A WARRIOR COMES HOME THEY WON'T HEAR ANY FUCKING THING YOU SAY...

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW:

YOUR THANKS IS NEVER REQUIRED.

BUT!

IT'S ALWAYS APPRECIATED.

PTSD AWARE and some other musings

2011-05-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

DAY#7

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS STILL DEAD

BRING MY BROTHERS HOME

VIOLENCE ISN'T ALWAYS THE BEST OPTION

BUT IS ALWAYS AN OPTION

WE KNEW THE JOB WAS DANGEROUS WHEN WE TOOK IT

FEELING MOROSE

I'M ALMOST DONE

LAST ONES

#############

"Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

Abraham Lincoln."

Osama pics are a virus

2011-05-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

DOICIRC

DOICIRC Alert DATE ISSUED:

May 5, 2011

FBI warns that fake bin Laden video is a virus
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned computer users Tuesday that messages claiming to include photos and videos of Osama bin Laden's death actually contain a virus that could steal personal information.

The warning comes as security companies said that they've spotted the first samples of malicious software disguised as photos of the dead Al Qaeda leader.
Security vendor F-Secure said Tuesday that criminals are e-mailing a password-stealing Trojan horse program called Banload to victims, and Symantec said its seen criminals spamming victims with links to fake "Osama dead" news articles that launch Web-based attacks on visitors.

U.S. authorities do have photos of bin Laden, who was shot in the head during an early morning raid Monday in Pakistan. But these photos have not been released publicly.

Scammers have also used a technique called search engine poisoning to try to trick search engines into listing hacked Web pages that are loaded with malware in their search results. "It's unlikely you'll find pictures or videos of Bin Laden's death online -- but searching for one will certainly take you to sites with malware," wrote F-Secure chief research officer Mikko Hyponnen in a blog post.

The FBI warned Internet users to watch out for fake messages on social network sites and to never download software in order to view a video.
"Read e-mails you receive carefully. Fraudulent messages often feature misspellings, poor grammar, and non-standard English," the FBI warning stated.

As a major international news event, bin Laden's death has shown the amazing way information can spread online. Many learned of the terrorist leader's death through Twitter, where the story first broke, or Facebook.
But it also underscores how the unfiltered media can quickly spread bad information worldwide.
In the two days since the early morning raid, the bin Laden story has generated fake photographs, fake quotes, and plenty of scams.

Security experts said that shady marketers and so-called rogue antivirus vendors have also jumped on the bin Laden bandwagon. The rogue antivirus software bombards victims with pop-up messages telling them they have a computer problem. Its aim: to nag them into paying for bogus software.

Shady marketers are spreading messages on Facebook that try to lure victims into spreading the message to friends and visiting marketing Web sites, by claiming they have a censored video.

"Osama is dead, watch this exclusive CNN video which was censored by Obama Administration due to level of violence, a must watch," is a typical lure used in the scam. Users are encouraged to cut and paste malicious JavaScript code into their browser, which then sends the message to all of their Facebook friends. Security experts say never to cut and paste scripts into the browser.

A file called Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.zip is being spammed via e-mail. The archive contains a file called Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.exe (md5:d57a1ef18383a8684c525cf415588490).

Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.exe / Osama bin LadenOf course, running this file won't show pictures of dead bin Laden. Instead it executes a banking trojan belonging to the Banload family. It will install itself on the system (as
msapps\msinfo\42636.exe) and starts to monitor your online banking sessions (via a BHO), trying to redirect your payments to wrong accounts.

US-CERT detect this one as Trojan-Downloader:W32/Banload.BKHJ.

#############################################

I have no idea why you might want/need to see a dead person... Morbid Curiosity?

If you have the need to look at such things visit

www.rotten.com

there are no pics of OBL there.

but there are no virus or malicious software infections either.

US 1 - OSAMA 0

2011-05-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

IT'S GOD'S JOB TO JUDGE OSAMA

THE NAVY SEALS

HAVE ARRANGED

THE

MEETING

OSAMA BIN LADEN SLEEPS WITH THE FISHES

A leg to stand on...

2011-04-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

AND NOW

TA-DAH

BRING MY BROTHERS HOME

2011-04-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

doin a Joke

2011-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

A man washed up on a desert island after a ship wreck. The only other survivors were a sheep and a sheepdog.

The three of them got into the habit of going down to the beach every evening to watch the sunset.

One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds and the breeze was warm and gentle. It was a perfect night for romance. As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely man. Soon, he leaned over and put his arm around the sheep.

But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man backed away.

A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was Nancy Pelosi.

That evening, the man took Nancy to watch the sunset. It was another beautiful tropical evening-perfect for romance. Before long the man started to get "those feelings" again.

He fought the urges as long as he could, but he finally gave in, moved closer to Nancy and told her he hadn’t had sex for months.

Nancy batted her long, lovely eyelashes and asked if there was anything she could do to help.

"Yes," he said, "Take the dog for a walk."

DOIN A RAOK

2011-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

><{{{(°> <°)}}}><

Good Guys 1 :: Bad Guys 2,336,542

2011-04-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Recently my credit card was stolen. My wife refused to call the bank because she said the thief was spending less money than I was!

##########################################

Botnets are networks of virus-infected computers controlled remotely by an attacker. The Coreflood virus is a key-logging program that allows cyber thieves to steal personal and financial information by recording unsuspecting users’ every keystroke.

Botnet Operation Disabled
FBI Seizes Servers to Stop Cyber Fraud

Last week United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, released an announcement stating; they had taken down the CoreFlood bot-net. On the face of this announcement it sounds like good news. Federal indictments issued, server hardware confiscated and Internet domain names seized!

Fundamentally this is good news. However, the spot that has been known and functioning for 10 years now! My question; what took so long? This particular bot net was responsible for losses estimated in the millions of dollars. To read the complete report posted by the Federal Bureau of investigation see this link

On that website are instructions for you to follow to find out if you are part of the 2,336,542 computers were infected. And what you should do to prevent becoming part of a bot net in the future. Be safe online there are bad guys out there. And they don't care if you get hurt!

###############################

California state law that requires everybody who does business with citizens of my state, must notify us at any time may experience some form of computer intrusion that exposes our personal information in an unencrypted format. Recently I received two e-mails from companies reporting just such an incident. One from Disney Destinations, and the other from Brookstone.com.

Neither of these company's experienced an intrusion. They both use an outside company to send their e-mails. And that Corporation Epsilon, was hacked! Both companies informed me that the only personal information of mine that had been exposed was my name, and my e-mail address. And that I may experience a new influx of spam e-mail. They further warned me to ignore all e-mails from unknown origin. And to delete hemwithout opening them (thus avoiding a possible bot net virus infection).

Since then my junk mail folder has been filling up faster than usual. And for those of you, not fortunate enough to live under the protection of California State Law, I am pssing this information along for your consideration.

TWO TRIUMPHS

2011-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

This week I achieved two, count 'em, two TRIUMPHANT EVENTS

A TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT

it may not seem much to you! But;

I spent all my life as an extremely self confident and highly gregarious extrovert. I have never been shy and speaking in front of a large audience is something I not only enjoy. But have actually sought out. At age 10 I bought a second hand guitar and taught myself to play. By age 13 I was playing in on stage in bars (had to lie about my age). And as a member of a rock band, composed of myself and 3 shipmates aboard the USS Parsons (DDG-33) where I performed on stage in front of thousands, all over the Western Pacific, I never once experienced STAGE FRIGHT...

So, on the face of what I am about to tell you, this mayn't seem such a big triumph. But after spending 4 years confined to a hospital bed, one of those years, paralyzed from the neck down. When I was finally able to bend my arm enough to reach up and scratch my nose, I called my wife into the room so I could show her what I was able to do. We celebrated that event. It was the first milestone in my recovery process.

This last Wednesday, after my physical and occupational therapy sessions at the San Diego VA hospital, I encountered a challenge. A challenge of my psyche and my physical presence. How do I explain this? I'm really not certain.

I had a craving. I had money in my pocket. It was lunch time. There was a wonderful aroma spilling out of the cafeteria. So as if by auto-pilot, my power wheelchair placed me in line to order a relief for my desire. FRENCH FRIES.

Golden brown russet shoestrings swimming in boiling oil, until crispy on the outside, yet tender to the tooth on the inside. Lightly salted and still hot from the fryer. Oh my God, I wanted some french fries.

But as I got closer to the counter, a sequence of doubts ran through my mind. First was the fact the sneeze guard was high enough that I would not be able to reach up and take my order from the server. Then there came the reminder that, my fine motor skills in my hands are still not what it needs to be, and I was likely to end up with a lap full of boiling hot french fries.

And, "Would I be able to fish my money out of the pouch on my wheelchair?" What if I spilled them on the floor? Who would clean up MY mess? (I can't reach the floor from my wheelchair. It's too high). And there were probably 50 people online behind me. I wasn't prepared, emotionally, to handle anyone's impatient grunts, groans or remarks. So, I pinwheeled my chair, and went to the curbside and checked in with transportation to get a ride back home. Hector, the dispatcher told me it would be about an hour before a ride would be available. So, I parked the rocket-sled in the sunshine and waited for my ride. But with each passing minute the craving for those FRENCH FRIES got stronger, became a covetous want, then an irresistible desire. And I found myself back in line, placing my order and watching the cook place the frozen potato strings into the basket and lowering them into he hot oil. When they reached the perfect serving temp, he heaped a huge pile into a small rectangular paper tray. And as I started to think "I'm gonna spill that all over..." He set the whole thing in the middle of a large paper plate. And when he set the plate on top of the counter above the sneeze guard, I was right. I could not reach it. And the cook being a man of small stature, couldn't reach over the counter to hand it to me. Hell's bells, Yao Ming couldn't reach over that thing to hand food to me in my chair. And at that very instant, a woman standing beside me inline, someone I had never met before in my life, reached up and took my order from the shelf, and carefully set it on my lap. I smiled and said "Thanks". But my gold frame aviator sunnies prevented her from seeing the tears of gratitude that welled up in my eyes.

I wheeled myself to the cashier, and on the way, the heat of the fries radiated through the paper tray, plate and my pants into my skin. I was now really glad I hadn't spilled them on myself. Once at the register, there was a considerable amount of fumbling as I tried to get my money in hand. And even more so as I tried to replace my change. But no one said a word. When I reached the condiment stand, the salt was out of my reach. Actually, everything was beyond my reach. And as I was about to forgo the salt, I noticed a serving cart next to the condiment stand. And on a lower shelf of the cart was a large bin full of salt packets. Grabbing several, I mover to an empty table near the cashier and slaked my desire for my carbohydrates. And about half way though I noticed that the table had writing on it. But it was partially blocked by the napkin dispenser sitting on top of it. What I could see said "RESERVED FOR" and thinking to myself, that some hospital big wig VIP was going to be pissed that I was using her table, I pushed the dispenser to one side hoping to know the name of my new adversary. It wouldn't matter, even if it said OBAMA. I was having my french fries. But the name stunned me.

it said:

HANDICAPPED

That's not my name. But it was my table. I just wasn't prepared to think of myself that way. YET.

######################################

A TRIUMPH OF WILL

Yesterday, Friday 8 April 2011 at approximately 7:30 am, in the Physical Therapy unit of the San Diego VA Medical facility, for the first time in almost 5 years;

I STOOD UP!

Granted I was in a parachute sling, suspended from the overhead hoyer lift. But I stood up, none the less. My physical therapist, Leslie, remarked, just as I sensed my once so familiar perspective view of the world, "My God, you're tall."

Be well. Be blessed. And be a blessing to others.

A TRIBUTE

2011-04-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS.

YOUR ANSWER TO THE CALL OF DUTY, IS NOT & WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

SO HELP ME GOD.

PONDERING

2011-03-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May GOD bless and keep you!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

A Scotsman, a Canadian and an Irishman were sitting in an English pub, discussing who's nationality had the more hospitable drinking establishments. The Canadian gentleman said "in my pub in Ontario every fifth beer is on the house."

The other two gentlemen nodded in agreement and the Scotsman chimed in "back home in Edinburgh, whenever you walk into the bar everybody greets you by name, and every third beer is free!"

The Irishman smiled and said to his new friends, "back home in Dublin, when you walk in the bar and everyone comes up and gives you a big hug and a kiss, all your beers are free. And after They get you drunk, they take you upstairs and you get free sex all night long!"

The Canadian in the Scotsman looked dumbfounded. "That is mighty hospitable indeed. Does that happen to you every time you go in there?"

"Oh no, never to me! But it does for my sister!"

=============================================================

There was a Texas rancher doing agricultural consulting work for farmer in Ireland. He asked the farmer about the size of this property to which the farmer replied "About a mile square."

when the Irishman asked the Texan about the size of his ranch, the rancher explained that if he got in his pickup truck at dawn and drove until sunset he would still be on his ranch. Not to be outdone, the farmer replied, "I used to have an old truck like that!"

============================================

A group of Americans was touring Ireland.
One of the women in the group was a real curmudgeon, constantly complaining.
The bus seats are uncomfortable. The food is terrible.
It's too hot. It's too cold. The accommodations are awful.
The group arrived at the site of the famous Blarney Stone.
"Good luck will be followin' ya all your days if you kiss the Blarney Stone,"the guide said.
"Unfortunately, it's being cleaned today and so no one will be able to kiss it.
Perhaps we can come back tomorrow."
"We can't be here tomorrow," the nasty woman shouted.
"We have some other boring tour to go on.
So I guess we can't kiss the stupid stone."
"Well now," the guide said, "it is said that if you kiss someone who has kissed the stone, you'll have the same good fortune."
"And I suppose you've kissed the stone," the woman scoffed.
"No, ma'am," the frustrated guide said, "but I've sat on it."

=============================================

Gardening made easy!
An old man living alone in South Armagh,
whose only son was in Long Kesh Prison,
didn't have anyone to dig his garden for his potatoes.
So he wrote to his son about his predicament.
The son sent the reply, "For HEAVENS SAKE,
don't dig the garden up, that's where I buried
the guns!!!!!"
At 3 AM the next morning, a dozen British soldiers
turned up and dug the garden for 3 hours,
but didn't find any guns.
Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him
what had happened, asking him what he should do now?
The son sent the reply: "NOW plant the potatoes!"

=================================================

When Clinton visited the Pope, he noticed a red
phone on a small table in the corner of the office.

After several minutes of conversation, Clinton asked
the Pope what the red phone was.

The Holy Father told him that it was a very special
phone with a direct line to God. However, the Pope
told Clinton he rarely used it because it cost
$20,000 a minute from the Vatican.

Clinton accepted this explanation without another thought.

Later, when Clinton visited Ireland, he saw another
red phone in the Archbishop’s office. Being curious,
Clinton asked the Archbishop what it was used for.

The Archbishop told Clinton it was a direct line to God,
and he used it whenever he had a puzzling question or concern.

Clinton asked if the calls were quite expensive since
the Pope had to pay $20,000 a minute when he used
his red phone in the Vatican.

"Oh no," replied the Archbishop, "In Ireland it’s a local call."

======================================

An Irishman finds a Genie lamp and rubs it. Out comes the Genie and asks "Master you have released me from the lamp and I grant you three wishes, what would you like" Irishman scratches his head, then answers "A bottle of Guinness that never gets empty. "Granted master" retorted the Genie and produced the bottle. The man was delighted and got drunk on this one magic Guiness bottle for weeks then he remembered that he had two other wishes. He rubbed the lamp again and the Genie appeared. "Yes master, you have two more wishes, what would you like?" "You know that magic, never ending Guinness bottle" he asks the Genies. "Well, for my final two wishes, I'd like another two of them"

================================================

Pat and Mike were doing some street repairs in front of a known house of ill repute in Boston. A Jewish Rabbi came walking down the street, looked the left, looked to right, and ducked into the house. Pat paused a bit from swinging his pick and said "Mike...will you look at that! A man of the cloth, and going into a place like that in broad daylight!".
A bit later, a Baptist minister came down the street, looked to the left, looked to the right, and scurried into the house. Mike layed down his shovel, turned to Pat and said "Pat! Are you seeing what I'm seeing? A man of the Church, and he's giving that place his custom!" Just then, a Catholic Priest came down the street, looked to the left, looked to the right, and slipped into the bawdy house.
Pat and Mike straightened up, removed their hats, and Mike says "Faith, and begorah there must be somebody sick in there."

===================================

Going to the dentist.

2011-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

This Friday I have an appointment at the VA dental office. I'm not having any problems. It's just been such a long time since I've been able to go there (4 years since my medical problems began, 1 year paralyzed, 3 years limited mobiiy), and now that I'm able to travel again, I figure "Why not?" I mean how bad can it be? I survived leg amputation. A few teeth being scraped and cleaned can't begin to compare to that. I've been going to the dentist all my life. A few fillings, 3 wisdom teeth removed, countless cleanings and X Rays

and

1 horror story.

While stationed in Yokosuka, Japan in 1976, I was out on the town with a few Ugly Americans having a loud time. Not rowdy or belligerent. Just loud.When one particularly quarrelsome Japanese National voiced his disapproval with the highest insult possible for them,

"BAKA GAIJIN"

(baka guy-gene, literally "Stupid Foreigner")

Words alone have started world wars. And getting into a fight was not on the list of things I was trying to accomplish that night. So in an effort to intimidate my antagonist from escalating his disapproval. I glared at him intently (a very rude breach of cultural etiquette) and I proceeded to eat a glass of beer.

OK, I didn't eat the entire glass. But I did take 3 large bites out of the top rim, chewed them into chunks and swallowed them. The shocked look on Mr. Tokyo's face was priceless. And he and his friends made a hasty retreat for a quieter location. What none of us realized is that at one point I cracked one of my upper right molars. But the crunching of the glass when chewing it kept me from hearing it go. And maybe it was the adrenalin or the alcohol, I'm not sure which, that kept me from feeling the pain. I just know that there was no pain, until reveille the next morning. And then it was exquisite.

So off to the dentist I went.

Enter Doctor EVIL!

The assessment is grim, the tooth had been cracked all the way to the roots, and needed to be removed. The doctor administered one Novocaine shot and left the room for 5 min. When he returned and asked if I was numb I replied "No sir."
So he gave me a second shot, left the room for another 10 min. and asked again if I was numb? To which I replied "No Sir!"
So he gave me a third shot of Novocain and disappeared out the door again. When he returned another 10 min. later and asked if I was numb I truthfully and emphatically replied "NO!"

To which he responded "that's not possible. You must be confusing the sensation of pressure with the sensation of feeling". (WTFO)

I assured him that I could feel him touching my face, at which point he opened my mouth, reached in with the extractors and pulled my tooth anyway. A blinding hot flash of pain shot through my head. And I came up out of the chair right behind my tooth. I unleashed a string of sailor words that are still echoing over Yokohama Bay 30 years later.

Lieut. Cmdr. Evil reminded me that I was being insubordinate in my language. And with blood spraying on my dress whites, I responded with a threat to his physical well-being. And I chased him out of office, down the hall, out of the medical building, and down the street. It must have been an alarming sight. Because in a matter of mere seconds shore patrol was on my trail, subdued and arrested me. By the time I came before the officer the day to explain my situation, my mouth was so numb I could hardly speak.

And while I anticipate no such problems this trip, I'm always up for a little adventure! See you around the blogosphere…

GUN CONTROL KILLS WOMEN

2011-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

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MY FAITH IS TOO WEAK

2011-03-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

I have a digital watch. Actually it is an analog hybrid. It runs on electricity, provided by a small nickle cadmium battery. Has a quartz timer and a Swiss movement. I like the old school type watches that require you be able to tell time by looking at the clock face. I like to say it's "quarter to ten" rather than nine-forty five. I guess I'm an elitist. Not because it's expensive, because it is not. Rather because there are actually so many people in the world today, who can't look at an analog clock and tell what time it is.

This is what my watch looks like. Notice all the delicate mechanical parts linked perfectly together, precision designed to provide what is considered one of the most accurate timepieces available. You can't see it in this picture, but around the edges of the bezel, or small LEDs allow me to see what time it is in total darkness. On occasions, I just push the button to see it light up at night, not really caring what time is. Just being amazed by the complexity of the technology that I've taken for granted.

This is an exploded view of the mechanical parts that comprise my watch. It doesn't even begin to go into the minute silicon elements that are the quartz motor and timing mechanism. Hundreds of thousands of tiny semiconductors and the piezoelectric quartz stimulator/actuator that provides the heartbeat by which this clock keeps pace marking my journey through Einstein's space/time. A true marvel of modern technology.

If I wanted to find out who made built this watch and exactly how it was assembled all I would need is a serial number (located conveniently on the back of the watch body). And a contact at the QA office for the manufacturer (locate not so conveniently on the owner's manual).
I'm not disregarding the possibility that a highly complex robot system assembled this watch (I can also find out who created that robot). In either case, I understand exactly how the watch was created. Parts were designed, measured, weighed, balanced, tested, refined, replaced and stored. Individually assembled one piece at a time testing fit and function as they went. Cleaned, polished, packaged, shipped and sold.

Let's look at his watch from the point of evolutionary Big Bang theory. Completely disregarding anything to do with where did the parts come from? A problem that evolution and the Big Bang. Simply disregard. I'll grant these parts just were, or ARE. There was no creator. They just preexisted.

Tossed into a cosmic mixing bowl, close the lid and shake vigorously for 13.7 billion years. Open the box and there's your watch. Not only assembled in perfect order, with all the pieces in their proper places. But somehow this watch, of it's own volition, acquired a battery inserted it into itself, sprang into life, synchronized and running. Showing the perfect date time sequence.

To believe that is how the Universe came about. That it put me here at my keyboard, and you at yours, reading this post, requires an incredible amount of faith. Faith in the concept of random chance. Sustained, blind, unquestioning faith at a level beyond my comprehension, and more than I am capable of. For me it is much easier to believe that there is in all powerful creator God who assembled universe, wound the mechanism, inserted batteries and set us on our path.

Map of the Universe

Announcement

2011-03-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

This person changed everything about me. When she came into my life, I was quite unprepared to deal with a young lady. They were a mystery to me. 23 years later, that hasn't changed much. They are still an enigma. But I get a new lesson almost daily from this one.

My wife and I named her Amanda. But we have always called her Manda (and some other less flattering nick names I'll omit from this post) just because it rolls off the tongue easier. Some of my favorite memories of my children and I are summer days in the backyard. Them sitting on my lap eating popsicles and Ice Cream cones. Or eating fresh watermelon and spitting the seeds on the lawn (which actually resulted in melons growing amongst the fescue.

On one occasion we were being visited by my brother-in-law, seated at the dinning room table eating Ice Cream Cones, when Amanda announced that her ice cream smelled funny. My b-i-l looked puzzled sniffed his own cone and glanced at me. I was straight faced, sniffed at my cone and shrugged at him. She sniffed her cone again, said "It smells really funny" and extended her arm to allow her uncle to confirm her suspicions. As he leaned forward to help determine what might be wrong, Amanda jabbed him in the nose with the ice cream. She was probably 4 or 5 at the time. And she had out witted a USMC full bird Colonel.

My son Kyle and my daughter Amanda.

Granted that I was away on deployments most of their early years. But I do not remember even one time these two ever exchanging heated words. Kyle has a very analytical mind. math and logic come easy for him. Amanda is every bit as intelligent as her older brother. But her inclinations are more attuned towards the social sciences.

On her 8th birthday she asked for a dog. A puppy is more what she said. "I'll take care of it. I'll fed it and clean up after it. It will be my dog. You won't have to do a thing."

I fell for it, hook line and sinker.

13 years later, ol' Shadow is still guarding the back yard from intruders. A rescue pup from the county dog pound, Shadow started out as an 8 pound bundle of high impact energy, and was a very friendly dog. But in desperate need of training. She can still run like the wind. But not for as long as she used to. After a one month, 4 session obedience class, offered by the local Pet Smart, Shadow was able to walk at the heel, come, sit, lay down and shake hands on command. And we learned how to break her from the annoying habit of jumping up on everyone who enters the yard. Yes, I said yard. Shadow, like all the dogs I have ever owned is an outside dog.

When I came home from the nursing home in 2007, completely paralyzed from the neck down, Shadow would sit right outside of my window, next to my hospital bed, during the days. And curl up there and sleep during the night.

Amanda has always had a loving heart. She genuinely cares about people. This lead here to choose psychology as her college major.

Here is a photo I stole off of her facebook page this morning. The baby she is holding is the new born daughter of the youth pastor from a local church. Just so you know...

I AM NOT A GRANDFATHER.

But I do have an announcement to share.

My little girl

IS A COLLEGE GRADUATE

MATH MATH MATH

2011-03-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Mathematics is the language of science. And it seems to be one of the hardest subjects to grasp. Have you ever sat down and tried to help a child get through algebra homework? Are you tackling college and struggling with some concepts that you either forgot since high school or, like Dr. John used to sing "I GOT STONED AND I MISSED IT." But without those basics you're not going to advance to the next step until you recover that missing information. The problem is: Where do I find that info?

Well, we CAN pretty much rule out asking our kids for help, since they may be the person who needs the help. Either they can't help. Or there's the pride issue to deal with. Not that my kids would LORD IT over me... But others might not be as blessed as I.

Or perhaps you could hire a tutor. At $50.00-$100.00 per hour you could get a grad student to fill in the missing pieces. Or a starving college student might be willing to barter their time in exchange for a few home cooked meals, to assist you. But then you need to work around each others schedules, and then there's the problem with finding said student tutor. Or there are places that specialize in teaching math, Sylvan Learning is one That a friend told me about, that they had a lot of success with. But we're talking beaucoup bucks using these places.

How about going to Amaze-on and buying some math books? Sure, that's always possible. But which books should you buy? Is this one too basic? Does it go into enough detail? Is it too advanced? Does it start at one level past the concepts I'm missing? What if I'm one of those people who just doesn't learn well from a text book? There are studies that show that learning from a text-book is not always the most effective method of learning.

Well let me introduce you to the KHAN ACADEMY.

Choose a subject:

MATHEMATICS, PRE-ALGEBRA, ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY, CALCULUS (Differential, integral and multi-variable). LINEAR CALCULUS, PROBABILITY, STATISTICS, PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BANKING, ECONOMICS. OR EVEN WORLD HISTORY.

THE KHAN ACADEMY has a lesson plan for each and every one of those topics. They are self paced. Easy to follow. Use plain English (Other translations are available) to explain the concepts. and best of all

THE LESSONS ARE FREE, ONLINE AND AVAILABLE 24/7/365 AT:

WWW.KHANACADEMY.ORG

Here is a little more info:

Where was this guy when I was dredging through Calculus?

ANOTHER DAY

2011-02-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2011

The South entrance to the VA Hospital, La Jolla, California

Same entrance, closer

The Southern view from the entrance pictured above.

Note the gray skies, very uncharacteristic for SoCal. even in the dead of winter.

My current project. A Keepsake box. On Fridays I work on projects to build the fine motor skills. On the other days I work my hands using Resistance Putty and Thera-bands. (photos to appear later).

Felicia, A UCSD Student Volunteer, who helps in my therapy sessions, along with Elaine and Eddie.

After the VA transport van dropped me off at home, I took some pictures to share with you...

This is my front door. My house faces due west. So this is looking towards the east, with the rocky hills that make up my backdoor view.

Even in WINTER

Everywhere I look

I am constantly reminded

Of why I choose to live in SoCal.

This was the Southern view on Friday 25 February. On Saturday 26 February, those clouds turned into a frog strangling downpour. And in the East County snow fell at 2800 ft. In a few days you nice people on the east coast will be getting a taste of this storm system.

But by Sunday 27, February, the skies over SoCal looked like this again.

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Roba Dolce Redux

______________________

If you're a regular reader, you may recall my original post concerning the FREE SAMPLES of Sorbetto and Gelatto I received from the kind people at Roba Dolce, just for putting their logo in my side bar. In that post I wrote about my impression with their product. I raved about the Raspberry Almond Fudge, The Lemon and the Blood Orange. But I was less than cordial about their Mango Sorbetto.

Let me state that the product review was based on my taste impressions from eating the 6.6 oz single serving containers. And since then we, discussed the date of manufacture on the mango. Apparently the single serving container of mango was from an older recipe. But the large container, which was also in the original post, was from a newer recipe. And in the spirit of fairness, I must say;

The new Mango is superb. It is tangy, tart exquisitely sweet and it has that distinct mango after taste that revisits the pallet for a few breaths after swallowing. In actuality, the only element missing from a true mango experience is the hair-like fibrils stuck in your teeth.

Also in the package was a large carton of Pistachio Sorbetto.

The problem with most frozen concoctions containing nuts is that the nuts are usually mushy and tasteless and are in short supply.

The Roba Dolce Pistachio Sorbetto does not have any of these problems.

I liked it.

HAVE A GREAT AND BLESSED WEEK.

A DAY.

2011-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

11//2/11

5:55 am. Looking out my backdoor.

Facing due East. The mountains in the distance are known as the Cuyamacas.

The Cuyamaca Mountains are a mountain range in San Diego County, California. The mountains run roughly northwest to southeast. The highest elevations are Cuyamaca Peak at 6,512 feet and Stonewall Peak at 5,700 feet. The San Diego River and the Sweetwater River both rise in the Cuyamacas.

I spent a major portion of my day at the VA, doing Physical Therapy (PT). And Occupational Therapy (OT). Here are some photos from my OT sessions.

This is Elaine. My primary OT

This is Eddie. My secondary OT.

The bird catcher is one of the projects I'm working on, to build my manual dexterity and reestablish my fine motor skills. The parts are all precut. But require sanding, aligning, gluing, clamping and finishing. The Bird Catcher is ready for painting.

This is my first project. My little red birdhouse. Not much to look at. But a major milestone accomplishment for me. Considering that just over a year ago, I couldn't open my hands.

My current project. A Flower Basket.

Made by aligning and gluing 76 identical pieces of softwood, into 2 sides (shown here).

And this is what it looks like assembled.

I'm going to leave this unpainted. And get some really manly biker type flowers to dress it up.

These photos were taken with my iPhone.

After I got home, I took my Nikon COOLPIC S570 outback. I will post those photos later.

ALL OF THIS TOOK PLACE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ON THE SAME DAY THAT THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT SUCCESSFULLY CAST OFF THE SHACKLES OF AN OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT.

LET FREEDOM RING...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY a day late

2011-02-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

AN EARLY VALENTINE'S DAY GREETING

2011-02-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS Vs YOUR RIGHTS

2011-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

I AM A CARD CARRYING MEMBER OF THE NRA AND THE CCRKBA.

I REALIZE THAT SOME PEOPLE DO NOT SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO GUN OWNERSHIP. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THEM, I'M NOT ADDRESSING YOU TODAY.

FOR THE REST OF YOU, I HAVE A SERIOUS MESSAGE TO CONVEY.I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO AT THIS LINK...

CLICK

FOR DECADES THE PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REMOVE OUR GOD GIVEN, CONSTITUTIONALLY AFFIRMED RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. AND RECENTLY THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION ALONG WITH THE INSTITUTIONALLY CORRUPT MEXICAN GOVERNMENT HAVE TAKEN TO BLAMING AMERICAN GUN OWNERSHIP FOR THE PROLIFERATION OF VIOLENCE AT THE US/MEXICO BORDER.

(President Obama, Secretary of State HR Clinton, Senators Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Mexican Presidente Felipe Calderon say; "90% of all guns being used by Mexican Drug Cartels originate in the United States.")

THIS NRA VIDEO PROVIDES THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MISINFORMATION.

YOU'LL DEFINITELY BE INTERESTED IN HEARING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHERE THE GUNS BEING USED BY THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS ARE REALLY COMING FROM.

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO
CLICK IT.

AND AT THE END THE NRA OFFERS AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE NRA FOR $20.00

MY JUST DESSERTS

2011-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

I have been very busy going to the VA for physical therapy, trying to regain a full range of motion and my strength, enough to walk and hopefully get back on my two wheeler. My therapist tells me I am making progress. But, that I have a long way to go. In my younger days, I spent a significant amount of time as a gym rat. As a matter of fact, my last duty assignment, I was the Command Fitness Coordinator and Gymnasium Manager at the Fleet Anti Submarine Warfare Training Center, in San Diego, California. Having this in my past, is helping me to recover, rather than discover my health. rare word to the wise:

DO IT WHILE YOU'RE STILL YOUNG.

OR AT LEAST START TODAY.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT OBSTACLES YOU'LL NEED TO OVERCOME IN YOUR FUTURE

I'll be blogging sporadically until I either get up and be gone like the breeze. or I come to the realization that what once was, will never be again. Once I reach that tipping point, I'll reconsider the direction of my life and my blog. But until then, THANK YOU, for your support, friendship and encouragement...

><{{{(°>><{{{(°>><{{{(°><°)}}}><<°)}}}><<°)}}}><

I hope you noticed the recent addition to my sidebar.

the advert for Roba Dolce Gelato.

In return for posting that advert for one month, the good people at Roba Dolce agreed to send me some samples of their products.

When I returned home from PT on Wednesday, there was a large frozen goods shipping container on the front porch, from Warwick, Rhode Island.

I was expecting 1 or 2 single serving containers at best. This particular box was much too large for something so meager as a couple of 6 oz cups of ~~ice cream~~ Gelato.

The box contained four 6 oz cups of frozen confectionery. And five large 36 oz cartons of my JUST DESSERTS.

Flavors of the small containers were:

Raspberry, Almond Fudge

Lemon

Blood Orange

Mango

All four were delicious. The Raspberry, Almond Fudge was surprisingly, the best of the four. Despite my preferences for simple pleasures, I do have an educated epicurean palate. And in my world travels I have sampled foods of all sorts, flavors and descriptions. I have been to Valencia, Spain and have seen and eaten true Valencia Oranges. They are extremely sweet and the pulp and juice is "BLOOD RED" in color.

The Roba Dolce Blood Orange Sorbeto was excellent, and placed a close 2nd behind the RAF.

Next in line of my favorites was the Lemon Sorbeto. Tart and tangy.

The Mango was good. But rather disappointing. Domestic Mangoes don not have the same level of flavor or sweetness as the ones found in Central and South America. And the mangoes from the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent are so sweet that when the juice dries on your hands, sugar remains.

The 5 large containers have the same 4 flavors, with the addition of CHOCOLATE CHUNK. But since I don't eat Chocolate, my review will be second hand.

A NEW AMENDMENT TO THE US CONSTITUTION

2011-01-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read.

The new 28th Amendment is an idea that we should address.
For too long Americans have been too complacent about the workings of our Congress. Many citizens have no idea that members of Congress can retire with the same pay, $165,200 per year, FOR LIFE, after only one term.

AND that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws.

The latest corruption was to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms.

Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We should not have an elite that is above and apart from the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, Independents, Communists, Nazis or Whatever. This elitist self-serving above the law mentality must stop. And we can't expect them to impose this upon themselves. We must do it for them, and for us.

COPY the text of this post and email it to 20 people, or re-post it on your blog, in three weeks, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."

THE WARRIOR SONG

2011-01-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

####################><####################

NOW, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? PT2

2011-01-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

In yesterday's example, I showed you how to trace an email back to it's point of origin. I made seem so easy, that the questions came in asking; "If it's that simple, Why can't you catch all those bad guys?" Well the example yesterday was a bit unusual. And was obviously written by someone who either was very inexperienced and unschooled as to the use of email headers, or she didn't care who found the pc that sent the message (It wasn't her computer to begin with).

A skilled email fraudster isn't so glib about loosing one of his OWNED systems. And generally uses a technique known as FORGED HEADERS to make source impossible to trace.

Lets look at what a set of forged email headers might look like:

From collegebabe@aol.com Mon Jun 7 16:54:12 2003
Return-Path: collegebabe@aol.com
Received: from trademeca.co.kr (unknown [211.219.20.86])
         by mail.someplace.com (Postfix) with SMTP id 2304964253A
         for ; Mon, 7 Jun 2004 16:54:10 -0500 (EST)
Received: from smtp0422.mail.yahoo.com (80.237.200.67)
         by trademeca.co.kr (211.219.20.86) with [Nmail V3.1 20010905(S)]
         for from ;
         Thu, 3 Jun 2004 15:55:00 +0900
Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 11:34:52 GMT
From: "Pamela" collegebabe@aol.com
Subject: Hey buddie! What's going on?

The Received: headers tell the real story of this poor forgery, but you have to examine several of these to truly understand the details. This particular e-mail is identifiable because it doesn't make any sense for a person with an AOL account to use one of Yahoo's e-mail servers to relay e-mail through a server in the .kr top level domain, which is Korea.

Furthermore, a DNS lookup failed to find smtp0422.mail.yahoo.com, so this IP address doesn't exist. Even if it did, the IP address 80.237.200.67 belongs to a network in Germany, which I discovered by checking the online American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) database. Chances are that collegebabe@aol.com had absolutely nothing to do with it.

LET'S TRY ANOTHER

Delivered-To: NUNYA@gmail.com
Received: by 10.14.53.6 with SMTP id f6cs241029eec;
        Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:25:50 -0800 (PST)
Return-Path:
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of randomrights@gmail.com designates 10.150.54.8 as permitted sender) client-ip=10.150.54.8;
Authentication-Results: mr.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of randomrights@gmail.com designates 10.150.54.8 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=randomrights@gmail.com; dkim=pass header.i=randomrights@gmail.com
Received: from mr.google.com ([10.150.54.8])
        by 10.150.54.8 with SMTP id c8mr1483694yba.350.1295486749756 (num_hops = 1);
        Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:25:49 -0800 (PST)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
        d=gmail.com; s=gamma;
        h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to
         :content-type;
        bh=HaPN8FFW++8MwYEugOSew94FjrPmlsWKi1gG+mbcHxU=;
        b=Xtge1v5RQnC/y+CkvV/WLbXhqBoQp4xc1ozy+a0+qBjDcGDuqwkFrchmbs2UClLC3F
         RXsfyCTauaL5V5Zu+Q9VASqqKGFB9nan2/wqYGFS0WEHEfDKGsBIAO2oeb4/UkSOuJs1
         RikipehrxIS+Ep1yq0GwxqjAT/tr++wjXr8ww=
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws;
        d=gmail.com; s=gamma;
        h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type;
        b=DA3UCn1lbPa8czDANmPYLwzAa/TKfWJGuYUfIOyP056BpoLhA2Kme3kYwNgAtdll46
         RU9sy/SR+bw9yctvG0ua0+qS6swO7HJ/5eqPAQboIWc6hYilCIxlenDFfnAxVfN3OjV2
         myseLjasj0Zml3IoFwy9gQiJ1iXbX9GNoAU7k=
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.150.54.8 with SMTP id c8mr1483694yba.350.1295486749743; Wed,
19 Jan 2011 17:25:49 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.147.125.13 with HTTP; Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:25:49 -0800 (PST)
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:25:49 -0500
Message-ID:
Subject: here goes.......
From: random
To: NUNYA@gmail.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=00151748df088799af049a3d036f

--00151748df088799af049a3d036f
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

In this elaborately forged example, the person appears to be trying to put so much info, no one will want to drag through all of it to find the give away. However, with only a tertiary knowledge of internet communication protocols, you will immediately notice the impossibility of this being a legitimate message.

1. There are several RECIEVED BY: 10.150.54.8 and 10.147.125.13 but they don't follow protocol, because they don't have a corresponding FROM: statement.

2. NOTICE THAT EVERY IP ADDRESS LISTED IS IN THE CLASS "A" ADDRESS AREA 10.0.0.0

10.14.53.6
10.150.54.8
10.147.125.13

Addresses in this range are reserved for a special purpose. And while it may be perfectly legitimate for the recipient's address to be in this range. In fact it's also possible for the sender to have a 10.0.0.0 address. Outside of your private network, a 10.0.0.0 address is not routable, and no legitimate SMTP SERVER will have a 10.0.0.0 address.

So, while these messages cannot be traced back to their source. At least you know that the message was sent by a person with intent to defraud you.

What's that you say?

You don't have a degree in Computer Science?

You have no idea what a CLASS "A" ADDRESS is?

Before yesterday you never heard of EMAIL HEADERS?

Isn't there some little software program that will parse an email header for me?

Yes! you're in luck

DOWNLOAD SAM SPADE 1.14

click HERE

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Network-Tools-Suites/Sam-Spade.shtml

BE SAFE OUT THERE. THE INTERNET HAS A DARKSIDE.

NOW, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?

2011-01-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

HOW THE DETERMINE THE ORIGIN OF AN E-MAIL MESSAGE.

You just received an email message.

It could be giving the good news, you had just one European Lotto. Or some long-lost relative died unexpectedly in Nigeria and left you $82 million. Or your friend was obtained by authorities in South Africa while attending the World Cup and then sent off an e-mail asking you to send them money.

Have you ever wondered where those messages come from? Wouldn't it be nice if there was some way to trace the message? Some record of where the message had been, since it was sent by someone, and all the little relays in between.

What if I told you; just such a record exists, for every e-mail ever written? It's true! It's called the HEADERS. today I'm going to show you how to find and decipher an e-mail header.

LOTTO SCAM

Exhibit A

Looking at this message we can see

tcspain-wcart@sbcglobal.net

sent this message to "UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT"

This little trick is accomplished by tcspain-wcart@sbcglobal.net, sending this message to herself, and then BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) to you and everyone else on the sucker list. This is done to keep you from seeing that 500 other people won the same 750,000 British pounds. Which just might cause suspicion to the reader. And it prevents authorities from being able to locate and notify other persons on the sucker list. This is one bullet proof method to remove a record of all the BCC recipients. because no record is made. It was designed that way, in the RFCs.

(RFCs Concerning e-mail)

So what do we care about them? Nothing! Right now our main concern is to find out from whence this message came. In Microsoft Outlook 2007, the headers are found by clicking on

The headers are the text located in the window labeled "Internet headers" duh!

and they look like this:

The top shows it was delivered to krippledwarrior@Gmail.com. But we already know where it was delivered, we want to know where it came from? A header marks the newest information at the top of the list. So the information we want is down at the bottom. Where the message originated from?

Received: from [69.22.170.126] by web83406.mail.sp1.yahoo.com via HTTP; Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:47:37 PST
X-Mailer: YahooMailClassic/11.4.20 YahooMailWebService/0.8.107.285259
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:47:37 -0800 (PST)
From: tcspain-wcart@sbcglobal.net

All of that gobbledygook is computer-ese for the user named

tcspain-wcart@sbcglobal.net, at the time and date indicated, uploaded a message for delivery from the Internet node identified by IP ADDRESS 69.22.170.126

Yea!BIG DEAL. How does this help us? you ask.

Exactly who is 69.22.170.126?

Lets ask google

type in:

whois 69.22.170.126

and you get

What are the odds that the SYS ADMIN for the European LOTTO lives in Chicago, Illinois?

Not very!

But maybe the owner of the PC assigned IP ADDRESS 69.22.170.126 is completely unaware that her PC sent the message. She may have become the victim of any number of virus infections that actually load a Mail Server and send spam for fun and profit. Or she maybe a victim, forced to respond as part of a "bot" net (robot network). Which can be forced (without owners consent) to perform any number of illegal activities.

If you're feeling particularly civic minded, you may alert the authorities

by clicking HERE

www.cybercrime.gov

Coming Clean. or, Grand Theft Auto

2011-01-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

1955 Fairlane

CALL THIS

EXHIBIT "A"

My mother's 1955 Ford Fairlane

This is the first car I ever drove. I was approximately 9 years old, I found myself sitting behind the wheel, in the driveway, pretending I was on the freeway. Turning the steering wheel back and forth testing the limits of the steering mechanism. Marveling at the fact that after releasing it, the wheel always spun back to center.

Then on a whim I grabbed gearshift lever, pulled it toward me and down and the car immediately began to roll forward down the driveway. I probably went a grand total of 10 feet, at maybe 1 to 2 mi./h before I managed to put it back in park. This was my first encounter with the exhilaration of acceleration. That adrenaline rush that filled me full of excitement at 2 mi./h, now requires speeds in excess of 100 mph to equal.

I have a lot of childhood memories about that car. But I'm going to limit this to my first joyride. In keeping with true confessions and coming clean, please allow me to introduce this:

1963 T Bird

LABEL THIS

EXHIBIT "B"

This was my second ~~car theft.~~"JOY RIDE"

1969, me a 17 year old, testosterone overdosed, adrenaline junkie. I was never allowed to drive my mother's car. For some unknown reason back in 1969, in rural North Carolina, 17-year-old males had a bad rap with Insurance companies. The ~~man was keeping me down~~ Insurance Company, charged exorbitant prices, which kept my mother from putting my name on the policy.

I would beg and plead, bargain and barter, wheel and deal, cajole and plead with her to let me drive it "Just Once."

And she would always politely explain how it was so important for her to be able to get to work, she couldn't risk losing the car in the event there was an uncovered accident. Or if the Insurance Company found out somehow and canceled her policy. She would be unable to go to work. We would all starve, and become homeless And an unending litany of traumatic events would unfold and lead up to ARMAGEDDON.

40 years later I completely understand that logic. But, back then it was just another adult excuse that made very little logical sense to me.

Then one night, the keys to the car were laying on the kitchen counter. My mother was asleep on the couch, the Tonight Show playing on TV. I don't remember what triggered it. It wasn't like in the movies, where an angel sits on one shoulder and the devil sits on the other, helping you weighed the odds against the benefits. I simply reached down, picked up the keys and headed out the door. The Thunderbird in 1963 at 390 cubic inch engine, and the muffler systems emitted a deep, throaty sound. So to avoid the possibility of awakening my mother, I put the T Bird in neutral, rolled into the street, and down the road about 100 yards before I started it. It was no easy feat as the car had power steering and required every ounce of my strength to force the wheels to comply.

When I made to the two-lane blacktop I stress tested every part of that car. Starting with the hole shot burnout that smoked the tires for a 100 yards. Turning a couple doughnuts in the parking lot of a local Jiffy Mart put big smiles on my face. Rather than press my luck further I drove the car back home. My plan was to come down the road with just enough speed to be able to cut ignition and coast up and my mother driveway, go back in the house and put the keys down bed. However, I underestimated the car came to a stop about 12 feet from where it had been parked originally. Not very far off. But, something that would definitely have been noticed.

I spent a very long time sitting there, trying to decide what to do next. I had three choices:

first choice: Leave it right there and deny deny deny.

second choice: Roll the car back out into the street, down the road, start it and try again.

third choice: start the engine and drive forward 12 feet.

I turned the ignition, tapped the accelerator and the engine sprang into life. Simultaneously my mom appeared at the drivers side door, hands on hips eyes glaring daggers. I opened the door and submitted myself to her rage. However, it became evident quite early in her lecture that she believed she had caught me trying to leave, rather than actually returning after the fact. I never once corrected her on that assumption. I let her go to her grave, believing she had caught me before I stole a car.

I'm sorry mom.

You used to say: "I hope when you grow-up, you have children just like you."

I'm so thankful that you were my mother, and for you not getting that particular wish fulfilled.