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PHOENIX RISING, a WordPress Photo Blog and Web Journal by Ray Bangs
| ABOUT ME | SERVICES OFFERED | PHOTO GALLERY | WORKS PORTFOLIO | CONTACT ME


Wall Photos


Photos 1 - 89 out of 89 | Back to Albums
so I'm thinking Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in the world... Here's an HDR images from when we made a quick stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on the way back from the Dead show in San Fran this past weekend... welcome to the hippy house... this pair of 39-year-old VWs in the driveway are still today 20 years ahead of their time, Baja Ron Burgundy and Betty White the Bus, both with fresh rinse... Queen Baba looks for stray cats to terrify. portrait of a pal
Malcolm X said what about the hippy? There's nothing like being behind the wheel at the Saturday night demo derby to put it all in perspective. And car 3 is still in relatively good shape... My dogs met their maternal grandparents this weekend... Pictured here are Auntie Soo (front) and Grandpa Hoss enjoying the cool concrete floor of the barn...
Betty the Bus looking good in green the dogs having a picnic in the woods... went camping on an incredible farm near Ottumwa, Iowa...
Cruising west through Iowa, the vortex of agribusiness, where in every direction, the view is vast cornfields as far as you can see... nice backroads tho, land of beautiful old farms set on rolling hills. Some thick trees... such as Walnut Woods where Boom took a flying leap off a sand dune, dropping at least 15 feet --seriously, the dog from snowy river... Heading to the Briar Patch to see the Macpodz... arrived back in fort collins with no problems... bus seems to be okay after a little fiddling with a few things... the dogs are having fun... life is good on the road... A great couple hitchhiking in New Mexico. Charlie was one of the smarter guys I've met in a long time, his wife Ginger, a talented artist. They certainly lived in the state of Groovy, camping on BLM land, and working misc jobs along I-40 from Gallup to Amarillo. I gave them a ride about 70 miles to the "trailhead" of their camp. This timered pic is when we crossed the continental divide on historic Route 66 at sunset.
aha, soon off to Hawaii again. still laughing from the last adventure... really needed that nap! it is still scorching hot in Barstow, hanging out at a cheap hotel... literally roaches everywhere, most of them dead, probably from the nuclear heat.... btw Betty the Bus flipped her goose this afternoon. They don't make many vehicles like this one. A cargo van, a camper, a cultural icon.... Half-million miles, over 40 years old, still going strong, and still getting 25 miles to the gallon... so I survived burning man, a life changing event that everyone should do at least once...
I'll be hanging out at the cabin for a little decompression....
finally hitting the hay after late work w/ laptop out on the backyard picnic table. The weather in Phx is perfect--beautiful not-too-hot days, t-shirt evenings. Been busy with work, school, writing, projects... I now speak Drupal, lol... Lots of time off the road, and getting restless, but gettin'er done... M'dogs are great, snoozing, probably dreaming of Midwest lakes. What a great summer -- a classic pic from Red Rocks lot, slinging dyes... Phx friends, we're camping next weekend... I'm excited for Phish Halloween, and other upcoming groovy trips-- Oregon via Vegas & Salt Lake City in November; the cenotes of Riviera Maya & diving Cozumel for Christmas. Let me know what's up w/ you. bestest, rb long, long day finally finishing up some interesting and challenging but somewhat tedious work, and since dinner was hours ago, I find myself dreaming of a Thailand pancake, bananas and chocolate with a pineapple shake... now i've eaten pancakes, a traveler's staple, all over the world, and there are a surprising number of variations on the pancake, but this little stand on the island of koh tao just might have the best in the world, like the sign says... Hello facebook friends... so I decided that Burning Man 2010 is a GO, and I volunteer to handle much of the organization and prep work for creating a fun theme camp for our first-timers, sophomores, and old burners alike. If anybody is interested in being part of our theme camp, please contact me asap. Although we have not yet determined the cap for the number in our group, we will likely have some type of cut-off number, so start thinking about it soon. Although this is such a long time away, forms and applications will be submitted in the next few months, and more plans will be made. Please contact me even if you are only remotely interested at this time.

Here are some of the projects we will be working on over the next 10 months. There are and will be a number of other projects available to help out on, or take charge of and complete on your own. I'm not going to make any wild promises like this will be the greatest "vacation" in your life, but considering the groovy adventure I had this year, I'd be surprised if many people won't be saying this themselves. Burning Man is a lot of things, but like anything, it is what you make it. No matter what you go for, it's an exceptionally interesting human experience, something I believe everybody should attend at least once. But only you can decide for yourself, one, if it's for you, even if you don't think it is, and two, if you can handle it. The only thing I can promise is that it will change your life.

PROJECTS
"theme camp" -- We've been tossing around some ideas, but looking for more thoughts before we commit to a certain theme. We would like something that is not only clever and cool (both figuratively, and temperature-wise), but also offers some sort of participatory events. We plan to offer a couple of afternoon art workshops, and perhaps a couple of guest speakers several nights. We don't want everyone to be stuck throwing our parties every night, but we'd like to do one really good one a little after mid-week, probably Thursday night.

The headquarters area for our theme camp will consist of several domes, quonset huts, and other shelters. We should have several extra tents and other sleeping options available. We should have plenty of room for RVs, trailers, and other vehicles. We plan to set up the largest dome as a chill-out area, and bring several couches, hammocks, and lazyboys. We will rent two U-Haul type moving trucks--both will be used to haul our gear and art, plus trailers, and one of the moving trucks will be set up as our on-site kitchen.

One of the most important things to organize is the group meals and drinks. We will have an assortment of breakfast and lunch items available, and will be preparing large group dinners nightly. Although your appetite decreases tremendously, good healthy food and proper hydration will keep you healthy and happy in this sometimes challenging environment. Chefs and eaters encouraged to help with meal planning. Everybody in camp will need to volunteer for a couple of camp shifts, probably one with the meal, and one with a general clean-up. Nothing major, this is going to be a lot more fun than fuss. Plus everyone working for a few minutes together will create more time for us to enjoy the rest of the ride...

We're designing our camp and art to be relatively super easy to set-up and to take down. That being said, the whole deal will still take several days before and an extra day or two after the actual event. I'm planning to be there a little over two weeks total, most of the extra time on the front end. With the theme camp, there will be a number of highly-coveted early entrance passes available. We will know more details in the next couple months. If you are interested in helping set-up camp, and enjoy all the perks of early entry, please let me know. We will be starting up a website with more details and information in the next couple months.

These are a couple of my personal projects...

"Wind and Solar powered Gray-water Evaporative Cooler" -- This tackles several issues at once, disposing of our gray water from
showers, cooking, etc, and at the same time, cooling the communal areas.I've already designed this nifty apparatus, and built a working model. I just need to run some tests to see how much gray water we'll be able to handle, and how efficient the solar system is at night. I may have to add an extra evaporator fan, probably an extra battery. 

"Solar-heated Shower and Sink" -- I've come up with a design based on various outdoor showers I've seen at Burning Man and elsewhere, then added a sink. I will build this, and we'll figure out more water details closer to the event.  We'll likely rent a couple of private port-a-johns for our camp too.

"art cars / mutant vehicles" -- I'm thinking we will convert 2+ electric four-person golf carts into art cars for basic transportation around Black Rock City, ice runs and other official errands, and night-cruising the playa in small groups. We would also like to design some sort of "playa barge" so that larger groups of members of our camp can cruise the playa at night and see more of the the show. Ideas are welcome!

"playa art" -- I have sketched several ideas for our theme camp's playa art installation. This year's Burn theme is Metropolis. Any ideas are welcome. This art piece is a bigger project, and will require the help of several dedicated earlybirds to really make an impression. We will be applying in early January for an art grant, but will be probably doing some fund-raising beforehand. Again, do a playa art installation is a much bigger undertaking than just a theme camp, but I think with some of the people I've already talked with, we can make it happen without too many hassles.


So that's only the basics I've really been thinking about so far. I know it's a long time away, but again, this isn't going to be a BFD, only fun and craziness.  There are tons of details to work out, but we're certainly not stressing. Just planning well, and well in advance, so the fun comes easy. We have a big list going of equipment, gear, extras, etc. needed as well as a list of things where we'll need some help. Like we need someone to design our power grid, someone to come up with a thump-thumpin outdoor stereo system, think of our camp's theme, our theme drink, our party theme,  figure out lighting and entertainment options, our instructional sessions, our guest speakers, all kinds of stuff. Please let me know your thoughts on this, or if you are interested in being part of the group. I'm excited and hope you are too.

Welcome home.
So I'm beyond annoyed by these elderly neighbors across the street feeding their herd of feral cats... Probably the only thing keeping them alive (both the old fogeys and their fucking cats) is how these people "look after" these straggly mangy mass-reproducing menaces. Kittens just about every week, cat shit everywhere, the fucking cat fleas are driving me and the dogs insane, and just a few hours ago, I found (the dogs found) another mangled-up cat fight victim (another cat) that had died in the side yard.

The city of Phoenix is completely nonresponsive but good God help you if you have one flippin stray weed on your property, and I certainly don't mean the good kind... I've even been considering learning how to neuter and spay cats. Or perhaps getting into the import/export business. It seems China has a huge population of cat-eaters according to all the recent news re the protests over stray cats being sold in markets for food. Funny how people don't even think twice about exterminating hundreds of thousands of these poor creatures when the Olympics are coming to town.

So I'm thinking this is a perfect import/export business. There's already high demand thanks to the shortage of strays in China courtesy of the Olympic killing committee. Plus I've got the supply covered -- according to Maricopa County Animal Control, there's a population of over 500,000 feral cats in the Phoenix area. I wonder what the city of Phoenix would have to say if I got a cargo container dropped off in the driveway, and I just started filling it up with those cute purring furballs. this is my major peeve of the wide wide world of web... how is this legal? just enter your email, and voila... yeah right... (read my george carlin quote from Nov 5.) Happy Veterans' Day, Applebee's everywhere are swamped, which if I understand right is the largest chain casual theme restaurant in the country, I'd imagine worldwide, but I really cannot stand to look at their website. Free meal today for Vets, nice, well drinks and gratuity not included. So I suppose say 80% is okay, doing something, but perhaps it's time to go all in. I don't know. Up to you...

I do know I'm very proud of those that serve. Service, in most forms, creates a different understanding of the world than most people ever experience, an awareness of how truly great and how sadly vicious, how sometimes so terribly confused, but how sometimes so magnificenterrific people can be. Only through service, do we better understand the choices that must me made in the call of service, but we must also in our hearts and agendas, seriously think more complexly, and simply, about realigning our priorities, not to serve ourselves, but to serve us. I truly intend that the powers that be, that be we, bring the troops home, and that militants around the world, put down the guns, and pick up a shovel, a rake, or grab those work gloves, and get composting. It start by cleaning up our greater community, taking care of each other, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies. Food and water, shelter. There is a second chance to undo our last 100 years, but it's slipping away. If you wish, wear your camo and lead the way to the new w2orld. It's an interesting progression of compassion and understanding that we will see in this upcoming change. It must be only with love for those who will not survive, and those who will. I know very little, but remember that the simple, yet deeper meaning of the word karma is, action. 80% may not cut it spinning the other direction. Up to you...
Okay, now I'm obsessed... Since I'm adding two more raised bed planters, I decided to step up the composting game with a new vermicomposter made from an old Rubbermaid bin and a fresh batch of red wigglers. Besides being serious bass bait, a pound of these things, approx 1000/lb, can devour a 1/2 pound of kitchen scraps in a day, and they basically double in population in a few months... We'll see. Pretty soon I'll be looking for a new bumper sticker for the bus... Compost Happens! School and various projects finishing up, weather is perfect... been busy so slackin' in the backyard, but it's funny, winter in northwoods Wisco, and we're just getting into another growing season here in sunny Arizona... Sure I've grown some veggies and stuff in the past, mostly hot peppers, but started a doozie urban garden for this winter. About 200 square feet of gravity-drip-irrigated raised beds (made from old pallets and recycled commercial food barrels), plus going vertical with my pole beans and my portable herb wall (made from 2-liter soda bottles). Also planting swiss chard, four kinds of lettuce, spinach, winter tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, garbonzos, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and hopefully even getting cukes and potatoes growing. After the hoildays, I'm going to plant strawberries, cantaloupe, squash, and watermelon. It was all a lot of fun researching and figuring out what goes when and how. Kept it super cheap with $100 budget and almost sticking to it... bought a nice new Chinese shovel for $5 at Home Depot, then about $40 for tubing, filters, emitters, and a timer for the drip-line automatic watering system (which I must say is friggin' sweet), and then another $40 in seeds, plants, and misc whatnot. Everything is organic, mostly heirloom. All other materials from recycled, scavenged, improvised, or left-over from other projects. I also spent $20 on the worms, so that puts it just over a $140 bucks... Hopefully less than $20 more, and I should be good to go. This ain't Applebee's but still eating good in the neighborhood.

PHOTO: the photo is of Swiss Chard, Five Color Silverbeet, ordered from planetnatural.com -- psychedelic salads dude... My Saturday Crock-o-pot is simmering and smelling delish... Ten minute prep-time, Organic 17-Bean Barley Chili, might take a little longer to chop veggies, I'm quick with the knife... Simple low-cost veg recipe, at least six portions, great with fresh bread and mixed greens salad...

1) Drain and rinse, then cover with water and boil at least five minutes, a couple handfuls of raw 17-bean mix you soaked overnight. While beans are boiling, add to crock-pot a couple handful of raw pearl barley, rinsed. Add a dozen or so baby carrots, I usually chop them in half the short-way. Add an old beer from the back of the fridge into crockpot, reuse or recycle can or bottle. Add six diced tomatoes, a few chopped celery sticks, maybe half a red onion, a half-dozen diced cloves of garlic, etc. Whatever you like, whatever you got around... stone soup.

2) Add one of those 50-cent chili seasoning packets, or build your own spice mixes from bulk for pennies/year. I'll also crumple into the mix a couple sun-dried spicy garden peppers to give it some kick. Maybe some fresh rosemary, a smidge of fennel seeds, pre-chopped frozen fresh basil. Cover the crockpot on low, and it's ready to go in a few hours. Note - I like chunky soup contents, softened but on the heartier side, even slightly undercooked, so adjust times accordingly. Taste test. Since there's no meat, I don't have to worry about undercooking. I like to chew soup. Up to you...

3) When I'm ready to finally slurp into it, I ladle a portion into a bowl, then add some fresh chopped cilantro, some finely minced fresh ginger root, then a small handful of frozen peas, and a tiny pinch of
gray sea salt and slivered sheet of nori. The peas help cool it off to not burn my mouth, and the peas only need to sit for a minute or two til tender. Don't stress measurements, it'll work. Too much liquid, fridge some as veggie juice or freeze some as stock. Not enough liquid, add a little wine, maybe some hot water if really dry.

Note - All foods organic, which is becoming the norm... though the beer and some of the spices often are not. This batch was a bottle of Heineken, so I'm naming this batch "Skunk Stew" - hopefully the skunkiness of the beer doesn't carry through. Hope you try something like this. The whole tasty deal took less than ten minutes total time, including boiling the beans, making a quick prep after breakfast, three hours or so in the crockpot. Lunch is served whenever you're hungry. Ding, that was easy. Enjoy.
Another delish organic veggie recipe...

Black Bean, Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Spinach Gratin

    Preheat oven to 350, and use 1 tsp olive oil to lightly oil 9x13 [glass] baking dish.

    Combine: 2+ cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1½ tsp lime zest, 1/2 bunch fresh chopped cilantro, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1½ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp cracked black pepper, and 2½ cups coconut milk. Add 1/3 of this mix to baking dish.

    Add to the baking dish a first layer, in order, using half of each of the following: 4 cups sweet potatoes (approx 1½ lbs), peeled, cut in thin slices / 1 cup cooked quinoa / 1½ cup cooked black beans / 1½ cup fresh spinach, cleaned, de-stemmed, and finely chopped

    Add another third of the coconut milk mix and then add the second half of the sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, and spinach. Add the rest of the coconut milk mix.

    Combine ¾ cup corn meal, 1 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp sea salt, and sprinkle over gratin. Bake 30 min, rotate pan in oven, back another 30 minutes. Topping should be golden browned, and the sweet potatoes tender. Remove from oven, let sit for 4-5 minutes. I think Boom and Bob were feeling sentimental, remembering the many a time hanging out
in the bus, waiting out the rain on our roadtrip this summer.
For a couple hours today while I worked, they snoozed in the bus to
the tune of raindrops dancing on the pop-top roof. Occasional cursing from me, but really it was an easy job.

Sweet Betty the Bus got a scrub-down spa treatment with an ass lift. $100 special...

Started with then a serious spray and scrub with Zeps Purple ($3), detailing the
engine, and pressure-washing the underside to clean off the road grime. Unbelievably (after
four good washings since September) there was still plenty of Burning Man dust. I don't know if I've ever seen the bus exterior and engine compartment this clean.

Next step, installed a new monza 4-tip exhaust ($70), which is the same same as the old one that was damaged. (Note - I was hoping to fix the old header, but that could take a little time. Once I find the piece needed to weld and repair the old header, I'll sell it to someone who needs an exhaust.) New heater hoses ($5), an oil change ($10) and a quick tune-up ($5). Betty putt-putt purrs like a kitten. 

Bending out the bumper the other day only got it 90% of the way there. The driver side was still sagging, so I had to do a little nut and washer trick to level the bracket hanger. Then, after a quick run to the Depot for a half-dozen specific carriage bolts ($3) and working some magic with two cans of spray paint ($5), the bumper is looking good as new. I touched up a few other spots on the body. There's still some splotchy areas to smooth out, but nothing major. Next step, finish up all the little dings and dents. Then she gets her real paint job.

The road is calling... Happy Holidays from me and the dogs!
sad to see the end of a week of great diving in Cozumel.... finally saw a splendid toadfish this morning on last dive of the trip.... also saw a huge southern sting ray, but missed the spotted drumfish.... I'm checking out a nurse shark in this photo... a typical wall of Tequila in a Playa del Carmen gift shop, incidentally a great way to taste a bunch of tequila for free... As much as I would have liked to, I didn't bring any bottles back. Besides one of my NYRs being to not have any alcohol for a year, I also was traveling light--I didn't have any checked luggage, so I couldn't bring it on the LAX-PHX flight anyway... I'm running computer sales for my buddy who's the head suite rep at the Superbowl... Let me know if you know someone who might want to go to the big game...
Another web-card ad I designed... one more of my web-card ad designs... Who wants to play Name that Parasite!

Yes, you are probably a host... In 1976, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) concluded that 1 out of 6 Americans had some sort of parasite. Today, the number is reported at closer to 7 out of 10 people, while worldwide, the number is nearing 100% infection rates, especially in tropical regions. Symptoms vary greatly, and many people exhibit no symptoms. If you have any type of pet, especially birds or cats, it would be very unlikely that you are not infected.

There are also numerous reports that many of these parasites have mutated to become more chemical-resistant, so these various pyrethrins, etc. will not only be ineffective, but they may actually cause you to become further infected; although these pyrethrins are natural organic compounds made from Chrysanthemum flowers, it's still toxic to humans, and even a small exposure breaks down your natural immunity systems. Furthermore, with the uncontrolled rampage of all these new bio-engineered bacteria, fungi, and nanobugs, thanks to industrial-agriculture, most likely the military, and even companies like DuPont messing around with heat-resistant bacteria, we're entering a whole new era of biological warfare. 

Ironically, this is one of the few "wars" where it's not so much humans vs. humans.

There is much speculation on what might turn out to be the larger and longer-term effects of these rampant parasites. The immediate health risks are obvious and great, perhaps greater than we even know, since the whole thing is still rather hush-hush. Since testing for some of these parasites is so difficult, and of course, most doctors do not keep current on journal reading, you are likely to be misdiagnosed, and probably treat the symptoms instead of the causes.

Many people consider these bugs, fungi, bacteria, and whatnot as an epidemic, and certainly deadly. Whatever the case, I think a pro-active and preventive strategy is crucial. Mechanical and more traditional treatment methods like herbs and essential oils are proving effective. I've really been having some great results with current cleanse. I'm suspecting it's the morning supplements that really do the trick.

Here's the blend: Fenugreek Seed, Gentian Root, Yellow Dock, Peppermint Leaf, Prickly Ash Bark, False Unicorn Extract, Silymarin Extract, Black Walnut Hulls, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Turmeric Root, Clove Bud, Pau D’Arco, Pumpkin Seed, Myrrh Gum, Garlic Bulb, Hyssop Leaf, and Elecampane Plant.

Also eating upwards of a dozen cloves of garlic per day. I'm also taking a high-quality fiber supplement, DE with yogurt, a tiny pinch of Borax sipped throughout the day in a liter of purified water, and of course, evening probiotics. I also have industrial spray bottles filled with pure eucalyptus oil, and another with pure peppermint oil. Both are slightly diluted so as not to burn.

Good luck.
Copperstate Classic VW show was a great success. Fun way to spend a day. A couple hippie friends and I sold a grunch of tie-dye t-shirts. People loved our tie-dye bus interiors. We certainly had one of the more popular vendor booths at the show... The show was spectacular. Many of the VW's were out of this world, so many classic restored beauties. Many over the top, many one-offs, many many examples of creative engineering. My camera crapped out on me last month so no photos, only memories and few bucks. Not too shabby. Here's link to one of my show favorites.

http://walterthebus.org


Photo- Walter at VW Bus Camp at Burning Man 2009 Last night, my pal and I made a 260-mile pilgrimage to the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, to experience the precision and funk of the music man they call Les Claypool. Out of this world.... had to pass this one along - the "expression" on this snr dog's face says it all...
oh no........ friend called me last night to tell the bad news that the battery in his VW bus caught on fire will he was driving, only about a mile from his house. he pulled off the street, and luckily some other driver with a fire extinguisher stopped immediately to help. But just as quickly as they were about to pull the pin, and start spraying, a cop pulls up "get the hell away from the vehicle" - slightly understandable since gas tank could blow up, I suppose. But these guys didn't spray! I can't believe it, I think I probably would have had selective hearing. Of course, it didn't blow up, and by the time the fire department showed up, it had burned halfway to nothing....

(ps- the photo is a different bus-fire photo from a year ago, almost same place/same road from the one last night. And no, I'm not getting rid of my bus as the chances of my bus catching fire are much less as all wiring, hoses, etc. are new or near-new. And yes, I have a couple fire extinguishers just in case.) It gets tiring to hear all this talk of "socialism" which seems to be one of today's big buzzwords. Socialism is such a broad, vague concept that is usually completely misunderstood thanks to the propaganda machines.

The fundamental ideas of Marx and Lenin, socialism is simply a
reaction to the corruption of a capitalistic system that does not
utilize resources to their maximum potential, and certainly not in the
interests of the public.

Going by this definition alone, we are on our way to communism. But that doesn't really mean anything either. All these pure political systems are more theoretical than actual, because all societies are not purely one thing or another.

For a much better understanding of the complex facets to the system, read Friedrich Engels fascinating book, "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific", but even to Jane Q Public and Joe the Plumber, the rampant bureaucratization of our society is obvious and has been for decades.

The problem is that this inevitable growth of the bureaucracy in any capitalistic society will eventually require state intervention to better coordinate and regulate economic activity. We have many, many examples of this in our current dirigisme -- and yes, the recent health care folly is a perfect example.

Like Karl Marx, I too firmly believe that capitalism is eventually a self-defeating system. But just as vague and broad a word as socialism is, capitalism covers a lot of ground too. There are many forms of the system, and thus the calendar to the eventual collapse of the system is variable, but the common bottom line is capital. Money, money, money, money... Greed is the direct opposite of generosity.

Furthermore, socialism is not the same thing as social services, such as police departments, fire departments, schools, infrastructure, and health care, especially when these services are not even close to purely social in nature, but usually profit-driven companies, or at the least, heavily "budget-conscious" social service enterprises. The bottom line for these services is also money.


Socialists of all types generally agree the unbalanced, even unfair, concentration of wealth and power among only a tiny percentage of a population is a result of the greater system of capitalism and its subsidiary systems of exploitation.

While many people seem to think we're heading to a more socialist society, this is exactly what the "leaders" want us to think, because then we won't realize we're actually stuck with this poisoned plutarchy that is trying to swing the balance of our economy from the free "market" structure we strive for, to more the "command" structure they strive to implement.

Freedom is a fickle lady. Once she goes, it's too late to get her back, though if somehow you do find her again, she will never be the same.

Rise Up America

Ray Bangs in 2012 Phoenix Rising - Operation Blanker is a Go
April 7th, 2010

Dagwood blastide, how I tire of this blattaria of blatherskites and blatteroons. Lasso me oh my, it’s blatantly past ironic, I must start work again, ten past two, to the day. Take it or leave it world, I’m going Blavatsky against this blight and blaubok. Blame my blas’e to compartmentalized endeavors of various blastomaic tomfoolery or blame my very sensitive ears, and even sensitive eyes, sensitive feelings and emotions, sensitive skin, a sensitive brain, and many many other sensitivities, and senses, but mostly it’s my ears that delayed me from finally starting my official Internet journal, or what is obnoxiously known as a blog.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve never really liked the blattish blargh and blarney of the word nor its entirety. The word “blog” simply through the contraction of “web log” now has the misfortune of being enounced with the pre-vomitous mouth shaping that comes with forming the letters “bl” which is obviously lumped along with a whole class of words that hold a common denominator, or at least a blasto of obnoxiousness such as bland, blanch, bleak, blame, blue, black, bleep, blabbermouth, bladderworm, blag, blain, blainville, blanco, and blankety blank… blasphemy you blat, blastomycosis you blurt, as I finally blare out the whole blah, blah, blah as I see it, take it or leave it world, it’s all here for you to smell in what is obnoxiously known as a blog.

It will make all your dreams come true…
nice bag... A day of the life is good in wally waterpark

Part I
Witnessed it again last night, I have a friend whose feet smell so putrid that if takes his shoes off, he will make the whole room almost instantly vomit.

I empathize with the guy, as I used to have horribly sweaty feet as an early teenager, and shoes would start funking up quickly. I had a pair of Air Jordan hi-tops that could kill someone if they took a direct whiff


Five Easy Steps to Essential Foot Care – Your Foundation of Good Health

1) right size, support, and purposed shoes and socks for various situations

2) wash feet thoroughly once per day, pull back cuticles, clip nails

3) properlyuse buffing stone, rinse, dry, rub feet peppermint or eucalyptus oil

4) before socks or sandals, dust feet heavily with mentholated foot powder

5) every few nights, sleep in socks with coconut oil on feet, plus frequent massages


Part II
nice bus paint job, mine's next...

Part III
Started today early at 5am, after a big night of 3-hrs sleep. Did an hour of work, then ran the dogs for a half hour on the golf course, gave a buddy a ride to work on the way to meet a client. Did some image gallery work. Then went to meet another client at noon for lunch meeting. Back across town 40 miles, got home, took a five minute power meditation. Did an hour of work. The plumbers arrived at 3pm.

Part IV
I’m endlessly amazed by the power of water. Just when I thought, my plumbing adventures were over with this damn house, after re-doing the garage plumbing, fixing the toilets, then the pool pipes, and the kitchen sink, I mean there’s not much else that really can go wrong,
besides maybe serious slab leaks.

For now, I’ll spare you my thoughts of “water  ezconomics” and that kind of power, but rather mention how a lone pinhole in a copper pipe drip-drip-dripped it’s way, and flooded the master bedroom closet, soaking the carpet, ruining the pad, and of course, interacting with the wood. Mold was starting to form along the carpet tack strip, and behind the baseboard.

Looks like about two weeks, maybe a month, drip-drip-drip to slowly escape. The tile was soaking up water, the area under the shower basin was flooded, and eating away the concrete. Water will go around or through anything to find its way. Luckily it is Arizona, so most everything will be spared, dry out.

In all, the two plumbers and I drilled and cut nine various holes to find this leak. “We checked all the easy stuff,” Luis said, optimistically after about six holes. Lucky number nine. If he wasn’t so honest and genuinely interested in doing the job the right way, one
might have thought it was all a bunch of unnecessary work. 

But he was persistently thorough, and finally, with the aid of a video cable, were able to find the damn drip-drip-drip. We watched it on the screen burrowing between the sheet-rock, pipes and plumbing, and 2×4 framing. Hi-tech, and expensive. This camera, a relatively lower priced model, still costs over $4k.

It turned out to be just a tiny pinhole in a piece of copper between the master but before the valve, so a steady drip-drip-drip. Fixing the leak was simply a matter of a sweating a few pipes and joints to replace a piece. No problem, twenty minutes. The bummer was needing to cut out a couple pieces of the shower tile.

There are fans now blowing across the damp areas. When dry in a couple days I’m going to start with mold remediation, lots of bleach and scrubbing, and finally
fresh drywall, mud, tape, and paint all the holes in the wall, plus retile the shower.

I’ll recycle some wood to make flooring for the closet. The carpet piece, about 6′x12′ is drying in the sun, rolled up, and added to the collection for dome flooring at Burning Man. 

So, tack on one more major project to the list. Nothing like getting buried neck deep in quicksand. At least I have five weeks to break free. Despite some setback, things are feeling good though, despite how they might look… Perspective is always relative, and usually an illusion. Actually I kind of like quicksand, it’s basically a more adventurous natural and unexpected version of a pricey clay bath at some fancy spa.

peace out hippies... knows exactly what's going on, always do, always have, even when I didn't let you know I did. Pardon my contrived conundrums, dealings and disinformations, and all other subversive tactics in defense of the truth, but it's not my responsiblity nor my place nor in any way in our best interest for me to simply tell you the truth. You must discover it for you.

And trust me now like you don't even trust yourself, you realize so very little about any greater situation that your effortless selfish ignorance offends. But before you get even more twisted, I will tell you that I cannot be directly offended, and therefore it is not me nor anyone else you are offending. Forgiven you've been for years, but few have patience for displaced insult and insanity. There is coming quickly a realignment.

Most in life is certain as the truth is always the truth, no matter its form, and most people want no part of the truth. My first life lesson learned was when I was four years old, in the late fall, with snow dusting the ground and my grandfather's breath dusting the frigid air first with complete surprise, then complete realization. Finally he spoke about greater truth, my grandfather explaining, in part, something particularly vicious that my grandmother said to me. The great thing about barn grandma was that she realized that even though I was only four years old, I was not wrong, and that she was. Most people just never get it, they never understand anything. She spent the rest of her life reminding me of her greatness.

It is what it is or it is never what it is. The time is now, always has been, always will be. There is no other way. Have you ever meditated on the mosquito?
Not too shabby for a couple grand DIY with a few home depot helpers. Not all done yet, plus a nice big area for a early morning sun, shaded afternoon garden, plus outdoor kitch/ bbq, Here's the basic idea... Frickin work of art, iidssm... few photos of my horse, he's huge two-year old gelding, cross between a draft horse and an Indian Paint, used to run wild until he met the lasso... Super sweet, playful, and smart, already has tons of groundwork done. (note the saddle is only for training, not for riding, as he's still a little young to ride, although he's had some kids on him) -- more to follow soon... "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Let me be clear about two points... First, it's mighty time there is a greater respect held for this country and that it is truly becomes a true Republic once again. (If you don't know what that means, look it up.) Second, I believe in all paths to God, even if your path is the simple belief there is something greater than you. God is love, hope, peace, everything, but you are doing no service to God by killing another in God's name.
Billy Dee or Reggie TC ? ... LOL Spiderman's stunt double caught in weird love web... LOL hey steve, here's a blacker one for you... LOL
i think my tomatoes are thinking about turning red... the dogs in the front yard, my sunflowers recently bloomed... so long Alvira, the red electric bus project, hope she finds a happy home...
a workbench I built for my friend Tim my pal Phil and his brother, home-brewing delicious IPA IS IT REAL OR A MODEL??

I’ve started fooling around with technique called "tilt-shift miniature faking", and having a blast. It’s such a bizarre trick of the eye… works really nice with slightly elevated pics.
another India mini pic... this time a mini bus... traffic stop in India -- another tilt-shift pic, to another effect... my two tomato plants were so heavy with tomatoes they started snapping limbs with all the recent rain. In the sink, about 40 pounds of tomatoes...!!! These are the type that will quickly ripen off the plant. I'll have lots of spaghetti sauce and stewed tomatoes!
here's another pic of all the peppers and tomatoes, after washing them another pic of more green tomatoes from the garden. these are the smaller ones, about the size of golf balls, up to the size of baseball. About a dozen ripe already. So I picked up a nice little pickup truck the other night... yeah, yeah, yeah, I used to be 100% air-cooled, and then I wasn't, and then I was again, and now I'm not again... but after much deliberation, I caved in, and bought a Nissan Frontier. Nice, lightweight little truck with a four-cylinder that has plenty of pep. Everything is pretty simple, practical design. Besides an annoying belt screech at idle speeds that needs to get fixed, the only thing that I'm really annoyed by is that there's no key-lock on the passenger side door!?! (So I cannot unlock the passenger-side door from the outside). Yes, chivalry is now officially dead.
THE OPTIMIST CREED
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. I moved to the country and love it. It's a 30-min drive to work, but I'll be working a couple days a week from home. I'm in south of Eugene in an area of many vineyards and lots of farms, with all kinds of animals, horses, cows, llamas, alpacas, various kinds of sheep, goats, etc. Pretty darn nice... The house is on 5 acres, with 3 acres of fenced pasture so I can bring my horses over in the summer. I have a friendly and fun roommate who works as a horse trainer and vet tech, and we get along well, so that's great. The dogs love it there. The view out my front yard is unbelievable, looking out over a 500+ acre valley, beautiful mountains in the background. Looking closer, off to the right is this huge mossy oak forest, looks like a Tim Burton horror movie, really cool especially at night, you can hear all these tree frogs croaking in the distance... This is a picture about a mile down the road... My boss got this book for all  the people in the office for a holiday gift... Although I do think the 177-question online assessment that goes along with the book could be a much stronger design to provide better validity, I still think it's a very interesting idea, and effective personal and professional development tool.

As you may know, the Clifton StrengthsFinder measures the presence of talent in 34 categories called "themes." These themes were determined by Gallup as those that most consistently predict outstanding performance. The greater the presence of a theme of talent within a person, the more likely that person is to spontaneously exhibit those talents in day-to-day behaviors.Focusing on naturally powerful talents helps people use them as the foundation of strengths and enjoy personal, academic, and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Below are my top five themes of talent, ranked in the order revealed by my responses to the Clifton StrengthsFinder:

How well do you think these themes describe me?

Activator

People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Command

People who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Focus

People who are especially talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.

Self-Assurance

People who are especially talented in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.

Strategic

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

---
For more information, check out www.strengthsfinder.com
Everyone's gettin' juiced up in here... Enjoyed a surprise feast last night of a half-dozen calf testicles... Had a great Sunday Funday ... Early morning, took the dogs to Clearwater Park, they barely survived but loved swimming in the brisk fast Willamette River. Then I picked up a buddy, and we took a scenic drive by Dorena Lake area. We spent the afternoon gold-panning in the Sharps Creek and Lower Brice Creek. We found eight small flakes of gold and a bit of gold dust, maybe $10-12 worth. Great sunny glorious day. Definitely fun for the dogs. Took the scenic drive home, stopped at Wildwood Falls. Here's a photo of the falls by my friend Karl Oates...
Had a great day fishing on Saturday, opening day of river trout season, on the Mckenzie River. Hope you had a nice Easter weekend... My friend and showman for the Harlem Globetrotters, Kevin "Special K" Daley, laughing it up with President Obama... perhaps the world's only healthy vending machine...
Three Big Spring Kings... Not a bad catch for the day, plus reeled in a nice-sized high-finner that we cut away and some little ones. Also about a dozen shad for crab bait. Many thanks to Steve, Tyler, and Chris for an outstanding fishing trip. Took a trip to the coast last Saturday, dogs had fun playing on the beach... my soul bro Wyatt Burp checks out his new home and snorts a hello to the neighbors' horses... So I set up a small 20x20 run off his stall on the side of the barn with an electric fence. While Wyatt was smart enough to stay away from it after one shock, I've taken three good zaps now, one while holding on to the metal gate... I'm happy he's there though, and I'm sure this will be a much better place for him. Dogs are excited to have him around too. Of course, when Boom was trying to give Wyatt kisses, he caught a shock on the tail, and went yelping away. Baba had it the worst though, she took a Wyatt love-tap to the head. She'll know now to stay away from the business end of a horse. ~
The dogs have been excited that their big-big-big brother is at the homestead, maybe a little too excited... This morning they were ready and waiting to go for a walk with Wyatt... Daydreaming of Thailand... Wyatt enjoys the front pasture full of grass, and huge trees...
Late afternoon 41° and 52° double rainbow over Lorane, as seen from front yard. (May 16, 2011) exactly one year ago was definitely one of the best weekends of my life... Had a great long afternoon at a perfect swimming hole on Fall Creek... We were about to leave, but saw a few trout, so fished for an hour or so. Caught one nice native rainbow. Caught a nice Ninkasi IPA too...
545 PEOPLE – By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits….. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red …

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power..

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees..

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!


– Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.




What you do with this article now that you have read it…….. Is up to you.


This might be funny if it weren’t so darned true.


Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think..

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom…’

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax…


Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax




STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, families didn't need 2+ jobs, and thus someone could stay home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you say ‘politicians’ !!!

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!! GO AHEAD – - – BE AN AMERICAN!!! "deye mon gen mon" -- Beyond mountains more mountains. Enjoyed a berry nice visit from my mother over the weekend. She arrived early Saturday, and first stop for us was a mixed flat of organic love from the Eugene Saturday Market. The flat carried teeming pints of picture-perfect melt-in-your-mouth blueberries, cherries, blackcap raspberries, and logan berries, again all organic and so sweetly ripe. Not too mention, expertly picked/cleaned as we later found hardly three stems in the whole thing...

Sunday morning, momma made a nice raspberry cream cheese spread for  bagels that was perfectly blended to embrace the flavor of the raspberry, yet not too sweet as to overwhelm the cream cheese, a culinary combo surprisingly harder to properly proportion than one might suspect... Bravo! ~

For Sunday dinner, we enjoyed organic carrots, green beans, and delicious tiny new potatoes, also from Saturday Market farmers. For dessert, I crafted a quick parfait of cherry yogurt, dark choco nibs, and crushed cashews that was quite decadent... Yesterday, mom left in the early morning. It was a great visit and I'm excited for her upcoming adventure in Korea. She'll be enjoying a little more time in the midwest before the big flight.

For me, turns out my weekend berry adventures was only just the beginning, as later yesterday afternoon, a friend made a quick surprise visit, conveniently just in time for dinner, where I'd used a few handfuls of berries mashed through a strainer and reduced, to burst a flavor explosion into another of Ray's BeerBQ sauced creations... Blueberry Moon Pork Chops.

And also last night, well before the berries had a chance to go bad, I turned the rest of the flat into a double batch of freezer jam, yielding 2 pints and 6 half-pints, all sweetened with brown sugar and honey. I was a little nervous the pectin wasn't going to set well because it was rather runny going into the jars, and if had been the case, no worries, perfect for a tasty froyo topping, but alas this morning, the jam had gelled, and is perhaps perfect, as good as it gets.

So after my morning french press of coffee and toasted spelt bread with jam, I knocked out a half-hour of chores. While feeding Burp some grain, I spotted several ripe brambles of blackberries on the other side of the pasture. So I re-used one of the berry cartons, and picked my first pint of fresh blackies that grow abundantly all over the property, and are just now starting to ripen. There are gazillions more that should ripen over the next few weeks.

Open to any ideas and suggestions for more BeerBQ berry recipes... =)
The first of several Superbowl XLVI ads I'm designing ... Superbowl XLVI ad, design #2 Superbowl XLVI ad, design #3
Superbowl XLVI ad, design #4 and one more just for fun... Just finished up a fun season of our summer Sunday night softball league. It was a pleasure to play with such a great group of folks. Great job winning the tournament games!
Vessel Cleaning: Alternatives to Toxic Products

Bleach
Borax

Detergent & Soap
Elbow grease

Scouring Powders
Baking soda, or rub area with one-half lemon dipped in borax, then rinse 

General Cleaner
Baking soda and vinegar, or lemon juice combined with borax paste 

Floor Cleaner
One cup vinegar in 2 gallons of water 

Window Cleaner
One cup vinegar + 1 qt. warm water. Rinse and squeegee 

Aluminum Cleaner
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar + 1 qt. of hot water 

Brass Cleaner
Worcestershire sauce, or paste made of equal amounts of salt, vinegar and water 

Copper Cleaner
Lemon juice and water, or paste of lemon juice, salt, and flour 

Chrome Cleaner/Polish
Apple cider vinegar to clean; baby oil to polish 

Stainless Steel Cleaner
Baking soda or mineral oil for polishing, vinegar to remove spots 

Fiberglass Stain Remover
Baking soda paste 

Mildew Remover
Paste with equal amounts of lemon juice and salt, or white vinegar and salt 

Drain Opener
Dissemble or use plumber’s snake, or flush with boiling water + 1/4 cup baking soda + 1/4 cup vinegar 

Wood Polish
Olive or almond oil (interior walls only) 

Hand Cleaner
Baby oil or margarine 

Head & Shower
Baking soda; brush thoroughly 

Rug/Upholstery Cleaner
Dry corn starch sprinkled on; vacuum three beauty trout this evening  
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