Zenberg

A Jewish Argument for Ron Paul for President of the United States

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

From Israel: Vote Ron Paul and Let my People GO!

by Rafi Farber

The Christian Case for Ron Paul for President of the United States of America

2012-01-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

FAITH

The right of a person to worship without fear of persecution is important to Ron Paul who has worked to protect Americans by opposing legislation that corrodes religious liberties and has supported policies that promote personal and religious freedom. Ron Paul has fought to keep the government out of the churches, has proven to be incorruptible, and will be a good ambassador of Christianity throughout the world. Christian Americans shouldn't fear liberty, but through faith, should put liberty to the test. Vote for FAITH, vote for Ron Paul.

FAMILY

The current condition of the economy puts a terrible strain on American families, and Ron Paul has the best plan for getting the economy back on track. War is another terrible reality for families to deal with. Too often, soldiers with families are forced to leave their children when they're deployed. Sometimes they don't come back, or return home permanently disabled only to find that the VA is either unwilling or ill equipped to deal with their condition. Our returning soldiers deserve better than that. It's no wonder that our active military personnel have put their financial support behind Ron Paul more than all of other candidates combined. They know better than anyone what is best for military families.

Our soldiers and military families aren't the only families suffering the effects of war. Our undeclared military interventions have resulted in the deaths of more than a million innocent men women and children from our bombing campaigns and the unsanitary conditions that followed. War is the enemy of all families, everywhere, and contrary to God's will for His creation, "peace on Earth, and good will toward men." Vote for FAMILY, vote for Ron Paul.

LIFE

Dr. Ron Paul has delivered thousands of babies and is in favor of reversing the Supreme Court decision on RVW. And since war, like abortion, kills thousands of innocent human beings, he promises to commit troops, only by congressional declaration, and only when all other peaceful attempts to negotiate have failed. To Ron Paul, the Christian principle of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, applies on the international level, and we could thwart an unnecessary war with Iran by adhering to that precept. Ron Paul's good will toward mankind is honorable, and would encourage a more peaceful Earth, and facilitate the spread of Christianity throughout the world, maybe even Iran.

Contrarily, the pro-war rhetoric coming from all of the other candidates actually contributes to making the world more volatile. Iran is paying attention to the candidates' threats, and taking them seriously. As Christians, we should look at the situation from Iran's perspective. How would we react? America would consider it to be an act of war if Iran was flying drones through our airspace, threatening us with preemptive military strikes, and regime change. We shouldn't expect Iran to behave any differently than we would. I understand that sometimes war is necessary, but there is some amount of hypocrisy in claiming to be pro life while at the same time, perpetuating the same failed policies of undeclared wars that destroy so much LIFE unnecessarily.

Let us be firm in our trust of the Lord, and do unto Iran as we would have Iran do unto us. Let us be the Christian example in the world, the city on the hill, whose light projects a better way for mankind, and whose good deeds ultimately glorify God. Vote for LIFE, vote for Ron Paul

STRONG DEFENSE

Ron Paul has been sounding the voice of warning from the watchtower for decades, and fortunately, lots of Americans are awaking to a sense of our awful situation. Ron Paul should be retiring, but he understands the dangerous situation America is in, and is willing to give us his all to protect and preserve our great nation, God bless him for his indefatigable spirit and willingness to stand for the TRUTH. America's (metaphorical) defense walls are crumbling, and Ron Paul will shore them up, and fortify them - placing watchmen on every tower. With secure borders, and our troops out of harm's way, America will be safer, and stronger. Vote for a STRONG DEFENSE, vote for Ron Paul.

ELECTABLE

Ron Paul has the best chance to defeat President Obama in November because he stands on the foundation of TRUTH and PEACE. I don't think any of the other GOP candidates' policies would find as much favor with the Lord, and would ultimately be an embarrassment to true believers, therefore we should support the one man who stands for everything a true Christian could hope for in a president. Anyone else would be impudent against Obama, and/or an inadequate choice to deal with America's problems at the most vulnerable time in our nation's history. Vote for the candidate who will defeat Obama in 2012, ELECT Ron Paul for President of the United States of America.

My World in 3D

2012-01-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more 3D photos to enjoy.

The above photo features four Norma Forsberg originals from the popular "Pear Collection" currently on display in my living room.

Above is a nice scene from inside the historic Mormon Tabernacle, looking outward through a beautiful old-glass window that provides an interesting refracted view of some buildings.

Nothing says "Welcome to Tooele" better than an operative military tank.

Above - Mason standing in front of the infamous Bldg. 649 on the Tooele Army Depot.

Above - Mason at old dilapidated barracks.

Favorite Campaigners Comments... so far

2012-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

"You don't draw them down in the middle of fighting season." Mitt Romney

"If there's one thing we've learned, when a mad man speaks, listen." Michele Bachman

"I didn't mean to say black, I was tongue tied." Rick Santorum

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes in 3D

2012-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

I sliced my finger a good one whilst washing a glass, therefore, typing will be minimiZed for this post.

My son, Mason, flew out from Santa Cruz to celebrate my birthday. After Mighty Mo left for Central America, Mason and I took the old truck out for a drive across the valley. The photo above is an enormous windmill that can be seen from almost everywhere in Tooele Valley.

The 3D photos below were taken earlier that same day at nearby Rush Valley. The towers under construction are part of an enormous power line project that has already permanently scarred the landscape and will change the skyline forever.

Election Blues - The Hypnotic States of America

2012-01-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

When I see election results, I realize that I'm not like everyone else. Not many people are interested in propaganda, handwriting analysis and body language, some of my favorite pass times that are not only lots of fun, but help me interpret my world.

"Why WILL you say that I am mad?"

I had an epiphany while attending a high school assembly that featured a professional hypnotist. It was entertaining watching the on stage volunteers do all kinds of zany things they would normally never do otherwise. At one point, the hypnotist hypnotized the entire audience... except me it turned out. I looked around as my friends, peers and teachers followed the hypnotists commands, doing whatever he told them to, then, after counting and snapping his finger, everyone returned to themselves.

OK, what does this all have to do with election results? I have to keep reminding myself that most people are walking around in a state of hypnotic suggestion. Why else would anyone vote for Santorum or Romney? Of course! They're just responding to their hypnotic commands, and in their suggestible state of mind, they never have to actually think about the awful effects of their choices that they think are their own.

1 2 3 'snap' Wake Up! Ether 8:24

New Years Eve 2011

2011-12-31T15:51:00.000-08:00

Already the last day of 2011. As I write this post, the sun is setting behind the Stansbury Mountain Range for the final time this year.

2011 has been the year of change for me in almost every way. We left our beautiful Santa Cruz, CA to move to Tooele, Ut. Our kids stayed in Santa Cruz, so all of us are out of the nest doing our respective things.

Tooele couldn't be more different from Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, air quality... everything. Not necessarily bad, just different.

Earlier today, I drove out to the old, once forbidden, Tooele Army Depot to take some 3D photos of the last day of the year.

The base is now closed to military operations, but the buildings are all still standing... a ghostly reminder of the past and the reality of the war machine.

Private enterprise has taken advantage of this space and now, numerous manufacturing and other businesses occupy some of the warehouses that remind one of a scene from the X Files.

It was especially quiet on the old military base today. Even the recycling center, where we take all our glass paper and aluminum, was closed.

Happy New Year!

Countdown to 2012 and a Prediction

2011-12-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

Today marks the one year countdown to what some fear may be the end of our world, and since so many people are bewildered about the meaning of the end of an ancient calendar, I want to make a serious prediction regarding December 21, 2012.

I doubt that anything supernatural will occur one year from today. However, if something seemingly supernatural does occur, it is Rhetro Zenberg's opinion that it will be a manufactured event designed by social engineers to manipulate the masses into adopting extreme police state conditions under the guise of security.

Happy Solstice!

Are Mitt Romney's Policies Contrary to the Mormon Concept of Free-Agency?

2011-12-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

I've lived in Utah for five months now and I have discovered that there is a lot of support among Latter-day Saints, (Mormons), for Mitt Romney here in the Beehive State. The local news stations regularly feature a story on Mr. Romney, even on no-Romney news days. He has the inter-mountain area media in his pocket, so there's no wonder the people here are so pro-Romney. They, for the most part, don't know any better.

I thought it would be a good idea to examine Mr. Romney's positions in light of Mormon theology, as well as some political positions of the first Mormon Prophet, and church founder, Joseph Smith Jr., who ran for president in the nineteenth century.

In the Beginning - Mormon Cosmology 101 - WAR in Heaven

To Latter-day Saints, everyone who has the opportunity to live on Earth, existed previously with God as His spirit-children.

God created the Earth to provide physical bodies for His spirit children to inhabit and exercise free-agency, and experience the cause and effect of mortal conditions... all part of the eternal progression of God's children, who can ultimately return to live in His presence.

To Mormons, free-agency is God's plan that allows man to chose his own destiny, learning from his mistakes, and hopefully, progressing toward perfection.

Some mortals however, will inevitably make decisions that result in their deviation from their path toward perfection, and being forever separated from God.

In Mormon theology, Lucifer is one of God's spirit children, who presented a plan by which ALL of God's children would be saved. Lucifer's plan would have done away with free-agency, and forced mankind to adhere to his commandments. Lucifer's plan that promised a 100 percent return rate was so popular among God's spirit children, that 1/3 of them sided with him on the matter.

A war in Heaven ensued. Lucifer and his hosts, attempted an overthrow of the heavenly kingdom, as God and His hosts fought for humanity's free-agency. The war resulted in 1/3 of Heaven's population being cast out, never to receive a physical body, thus thwarting their eternal progression. Lucifer became the Devil, and those who followed him are now demonic beings.

Mormon leaders have indicated that the war on free-agency continues, and that, in part, the earthly wars that we experience are a perpetuation or extension of the war in heaven.

Where does Mitt Fit?

Mitt Romney has taken the position that he will do anything, (crippling sanctions, espionage, preemptive strikes, war), to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power in the Middle East. In terms of Mormon theology, by preventing the sovereign nation of Iran from pursuing it's own interests, Mitt Romney is siding with Lucifer and those who would diminish free-agency in this world.

International sovereignty was a topic of major concern to the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith Jr. who, while running for President of the United States said:

“I will adopt in part the language of Mr. Madison’s inaugural address, ‘To cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations, having correspondent dispositions; to maintain sincere neutrality towards belligerent nations; to prefer in all cases amicable discussion and reasonable accommodation of intrigues and foreign partialities, so degrading to all countries, and so baneful to free ones; to foster a spirit of independence too just to invade the rights of others, too proud to surrender their own, too liberal to indulge unworthy prejudices ourselves, and too elevated not to look down upon them in others.’”

Romney's position couldn't be more in opposition to that of his church's founder, whom Latter-day Saints revere as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator.

Mitt Romney is also in favor of the intrusive bureaucratic leverage imposed by the Patriot Act, and it's policies that strip away more of American's free-agency than any previous legislation.

You don't have to be a Mormon to know that it is wrong to arrest people and detain them indefinitely, without charging them of a crime. Any moral person recognizes that unlawful imprisonment robs a person of his/her freedom, and is an affront to the Judeo/Christian principle of treating others in a way that will reciprocate like behavior...

Nevertheless, Mitt Romney is in favor of detaining uncharged individuals indefinitely, in prisons maintained and paid for with American tax dollars. He's also in favor of doing "whatever it takes" to extract information from these detainees that will help us to win the war on terror. So, to Mr. Romney, torture is just another tool in the war on terror. Never mind that torture is immoral, in addition to being illegal according to United States and international law. It's also downright un-American.

Unfortunately, most Mormons are satisfied with the quick soundbites they are fed, and are not interested in actually knowing anything substantive about Mr. Romney, other than he's a good family man and a snappy dresser.

The Secret Lives of ABC/Yahoo Social Engineers - How to Make Ron Paul Disappear, or the $10,000 Bet that Cost Romney the Republican Nomination

2011-12-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

I was shocked by last night's Republican debate that was broadcast and streamed live on ABC/Yahoo. Shocked, because it was so poorly and unfairly presented. Shame on both ABC and Yahoo for their manipulative program that made it seem as though the debate was all about Romney and Gingrich.

I streamed the debate live on Yahoo, and participated in the interactive on-air poll that instantly displayed the results of the sixteen questions as they were answered. Unfortunately, the questions were either exclusively Newt vs. Mitt, or didn't provide adequate options to correctly answer them. In other words, the poll was designed to manipulate public opinion rather than reflect it.

There was one question in the poll that provided a glimmer of hope though, "Would you like to hear more from Ron Paul tonight?" I clicked the yes option and when I viewed the results of that question, the answers were overwhelmingly in favor, but we didn't hear a whole lot more from Ron Paul, even though he has consistently polled as a top tier candidate throughout the campaign, and maintains a strong second place in Iowa.

Last time ABC hosted a Republican debate, Ron Paul was allowed only 89 seconds to respond to moderators' questions. This time he got a few more seconds, but nothing in comparison to all of the other candidates, even those who have consistently polled in low single digits. Once again, ABC has silenced Paul simply by ignoring him. I wonder why they are so afraid of his message of peace, freedom and equality. Perhaps ABC/Yahoo prefers war, tyranny and the belief that corporate persons are created more equal than REAL people.

Mighty Mo and I actually had fun imitating the gestures of the various candidates. Newt did some convincing podium thumping, and just like in the previous debate, uplifted his hands and demonstrated the messiah stance. I noticed that he winked at one of the moderators at least two times as well. I wonder which one???

As usual, Mitt made a lot of nervous hurky-jerky left handed stick shift gestures. Mitt's PR people were, no doubt, thrilled when he demonstrated that he can remember seven things. I'm sure they were equally horrified when their candidate made a $10,000 bet with the insignificant Texas Governor who, in a previous debate, demonstrated that he had difficulty remembering the three government agencies that he would cut if he should become president. Unfortunately for the Romney campaign though, folks won't remember or even care what the bet was about. What will be remembered is Mitt's tasteless wager that cost him the nomination.

The Smart One? - Newt Gingrich: The Ascension of the Republican Messiah

2011-11-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

"Newt Gingrich is what stupid people think an intellectual sounds like."

The above statement was my favorite viewer comment from the recent CNN Republican Debate that decidedly separated the warmongers and proponents of the police state from Ron Paul and John Huntsman. The majority of viewer comments from the debate indicate that Americans are waking up to a sense of their awful situation, and taking Ron Paul's message of peace seriously, in spite of the mainstream media's ignorance and excuses for his repeated successes in polls.

Lately, the media has been trying to convince us that Newt Gingrich is the smartest of the bunch. Well, he may not be as dumb as Herman Cain, who, during the last debate, had to continually be reminded of the question, and even where he was, or Michelle Bachman, who couldn't even pronounce the name of her country.* He's obviously smarter than Mitt Romney, who revealed that he knows nothing about constitutional government, and Rick Perry who seemed distracted by the pretty lights... but Newt is certainly not smarter than John Huntsman, and doesn't hold a camel to Ron Paul.

To Newt's credit, he proved that he can count to three, and demonstrated it a handful of times during the debate. He also established that he would perpetuate the failed policies of the past, and pledged to continue to empower the police state under the guise of national security.

The new-found contrived attention on Newt worries me a bit, and makes me wonder where his support is coming from.

I pay a lot of attention to body language because it says much more than the words coming out of the candidates' mouths, and I noticed something during the debate that may be significant to point out. While commenting on illegal Mexicans' rights in America, Newt posed in what I refer to as the messiah stance. I pointed it out to Mighty Mo, and predicted that we would likely see images in the news of Newt's messiah stance. The following day, Newt's messiah stance was featured prominently throughout the mainstream media.

Why is this significant?

This is the same messiah stance that convinced me that Bill Clinton would become the Democrat nominee early in the 1992 primary, and makes me wonder if maybe the GOP hasn't already anointed their candidate for 2012.

I can't imagine that the Republicans would nominate Mitt Romney, even if he knew what he was talking about. Most Americans, especially Christians, are far too bigoted to allow a Mormon to become the Republican nominee. Conservatives are happy to have a Mormon neighbor, and rely on their help mounting anti-gay rights campaigns, but aren't interested in one becoming their commander-in-chief. They'd prefer a good Christian, like Newt Gingrich, to be elected president. And at least if Gingrich loses the election, they'll rest well knowing that President Obama, a good Baptist, is in the White House, and that God is blessing America because the president is a true Christian.

* Ms. Bachman insists that the name of her country is the Uninded States of America.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T08:06:00.001-08:00

Another beautiful sunrise resulted in this scene that lasted only a few moments. I barely had time to find my camera, shoes, keys, and drive to West Elementary School to take the photo. It was much more spectacular thirty seconds before it was taken, and thirty seconds later, the scene of the colorfully illuminated Deseret Peak had vanished.
Tooele is a pretty awesome place, and is the only one in the world. I am SO thankful that our little town is surrounded by beautiful majestic mountains. The Oquirrs to the East, separate us from the Salt Lake Valley, and all the crime and pollution associated with the big city. At the same time, we're close enough to the city to travel there in little over thirty minutes, and there's always something going on in Salt Lake.
On Tuesday, we left early and drove to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, where we spent the day enjoying the hot, mineral pools located there. The one pictured above in 3d, bubbles up from natural springs at a pleasant, 112 degrees Fahrenheit... my favorite pool at the facility. A day pass costs only $5... something else to be thankful for.

I am thankful for so much today, but I am missing my kids who had to remain in Santa Cruz for the holiday. Looking forward to seeing other family later today though.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

11-11-11 11:11

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

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11-1-11 Post

2011-11-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

It has been so wonderful to be here in Santa Cruz after being away for nearly four months. Today, I've been thinking about all the things we won't see in Tooele... like whales, dolphins, sharks, lighthouses, bikinis, and etc... Looking forward to being home, though. I can't wait to have a home cooked meal. Meanwhile, here are a couple of 3d photos of the King Crimson* stage at the Regency in San Francisco on October 18, 2011.

*The Stick Men, Adrian Belew Power Trio, then a combined trio/double trio performance of a slough of King Crimson classics.

One Year Without Dad - :-(

2011-10-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

It was a year ago today that the medical industry successfully killed my father. Two weeks earlier, his immune system got compromised when he received a flu shot*. He told me that he hadn’t felt good since the shot, and before he knew it, he had contracted pneumonia, and died a few days later.

The day dad died was truly a beautiful one. I remember standing on the main beach next to the Boardwalk, in Santa Cruz, CA that morning, watching the sailboats come and go. Knowing how much dad liked the out of doors, I realized that I wanted to tell him about my beautiful morning, and find out how he was feeling. When I spoke with him, he told me that he didn’t think he was going to make it. I knew that he was serious, and began preparing to travel to Utah in hopes of seeing him before it was too late.

My sister soon called and reported to me that dad’s doctor had informed her that dad probably wouldn’t make it through the night**. I immediately called Delta Airlines, who happily accommodated me and booked a family emergency, and within a couple of hours I was on my way. Even though the flight took only two hours, the anxiety made it the longest flight of my life, hoping that I would make it before dad passed.

Dad should have died before I arrived, but he waited for me so that we could be together one last time... and say goodbye. When I finally entered the hospital in Tooele, I found my sister and her family sitting with my sickly looking old dad who appeared to be ready to die. His countenance lifted and we enjoyed a wonderful, but brief reunion.

We had a wonderful time together that evening. He asked us if there was anything that we would like to say before he passed. I took the opportunity to tell him how much I love and appreciate him, and thanked him for the good example he has always been to me. I told him every positive thing about him and our family relationship I could think of, and after everyone had a chance to say what was in our hearts, dad said, “OK, lets get this over with” and removed his oxygen mask. A little more than a half hour later, he was gone.

As we cried and held each other, dad’s frail empty shell sat silently in the room. The giant hero in my life was gone, and I knew that things would never be the same without him.

One year later, things are definitely different. We no longer live in Santa Cruz, and have moved into my late parent’s house in Utah, and have been busy making it our home.

*Flu shots are a successfully sinister public relations campaign directed at the brainwashed gullible masses who prefer to hand their agency over to the neo-high priests that they oxymoronically refer to as health care professionals.

**Doctors regularly blame their patients for the medical industry’s own incompetence, and are responsible for more American deaths in one year than all of the wars in the last century combined.

New Obama 2012 Campaign Bumper Sticker

2011-10-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple bumper sticker with an honest message.

RON PAUL Wins Another Straw Poll

2011-10-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Your TV probably didn't tell you that Ron Paul won another straw poll.

1st Ron Paul-----------------37%-------:-)

2nd Herman Cain------------23%-------:-)

3rd Rick Santorum----------16%--------;-|

4th Michelle Bachman--------8%--------;-\

4th Rick Perry---------------8%--------;-/

5th Mitt Romney-------------4%--------;-(

6th Newt Gingrich------------3%--------;-(

7th John Huntsman-----------0%--------;-(

Values Voter Straw Poll

Ten Years in Afghanistan - America's Longest War

2011-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations America!

You played right into their hands.

Fall 2011 - Time Traveling

2011-09-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Mighty Mo and I have been having a great time enjoying the latest season... FALL.

We spent a couple of days in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, soaking in the lovely 112 Fahrenheit mineral pool in the middle of town.
We also went to another planet called Soda Springs, Idaho, where we enjoyed a wonderful timed carbonated water geyser, and some of the most unfriendly folks we've come across since before the war.
On the way home, we drove a few miles out of our way to the Rocket Display at the old Thiokol headquarters near Promontory Point, Utah.
I didn't count them, but there must have been close to a hundred rockets on display.
Then we traveled a few more miles, (and back in time to the nineteenth century), to the Golden Spike National Monument, the site where the first coast to coast national rail system was completed. The above photo is of the old original rail, and telegraph lines at Promontory Point, Utah. Communications and travel have come a long way, baby!

What do all these things have in common?

Summer Fun in Utah 2011

2011-09-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

What a fun and interesting summer it has been. While Mason was hanging out with King Crimson, getting trapped in New York with Mighto Mo when Hurricane Irene caused such a fuss, Kirt and I were hanging out here in the Great Basin of the United States of America. Here's a small sample... in 3D.

The Tooele Train Museum has an outstanding collection of rail vehicles, including this old locomotive that used to be located near the town swimming pool. The old retired iron horse was later moved to its permanent location at the Train Museum on Vine and Broadway in Tooele, Utah.

Small scale train enthusiasts would love the elaborate working display at the museum.
The above car served as a dining coach for the mobile minuteman missile project in the 1970's. A nuclear missile could be launched from an adjacent boxcar anywhere in America if we had gotten to a "shootin' war with the Ruskies."

Steam Punk... old school

This is likely the bike my dad told me about a long long time ago. According to him, back in the late fifties - early sixties, he had to travel on snowshoe to the mine in Middle Canyon, then open the big metal door to the mine, hop on a rail bike, and ride all the way through the mountain. Once he arrived at the end of the tunnel, he'd open another big metal door, then hike on snowshoes to a rain gauge to record a precipitation reading for Uncle Sam.
This is a 3D photo of the inside of Saltair Resort on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Campfire.
Summer is over ;-( but I have some great rememorieZ, and photos to prove it :-)

Birdhand LIVE at Bar DeluXe Salt Lake City, UTAH - September 14-2011

2011-09-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

BIRDHAND Live in Utah

2011-09-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to hang out with the band, Birdhand, for a couple of days as they make their way across the country to tour with Bad Brains on the east coast of the US.

They finished up their recording set in LA at about 3:00 AM, then hit the road to Utah for a grueling eleven hour drive through the darkness.

After a four hour sleep in the tents that I set up in the back yard, the boys woke up to dinner and fun with smoke balls and sparklers... and 3D photography.

Before long, twas time to head to the big city, and prepare for their performance at the Bar DeluXe, who, unfortunately for the folks in Salt Lake City, did nothing to promote Birdhand, therefore, Utahn's missed out on a great show by one of California's best bands.

On Birdhand's first show of their post-studio, cross-country tour, a handful of lucky people caught the show, and were treated to the first live performance of three new songs.

Video to follow!!!

911 One Decade Later - 10 Years of Propaganda

2011-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier last month, when I first heard about the American helicopter full of Navy Seals being destroyed in Afghanistan, I turned to my wife and said, "What do you want to bet that those were the guys who supposedly got Bin Laden?" My heart sank one evening a couple of weeks later, while watching the local news, as they honored a Utah man who had been killed in the helicopter calamity with the other Seals that are credited with capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden. I really do hate being right all the time.

Since Bin Laden was buried at sea, there was no physical body as evidence, and now, with the convenient destruction of an entire team of seals, there are no witnesses either. Brilliant.

The majority of the pharmaceutically-induced masses accepted the official narrative, (even though the story continued to change), without any question, and praised the president for his heroic decision to raid Bin Laden's compound.

It is terrifying to me to think that these people will stop at nothing, even the death of dozens of elite military forces, to perpetuate an authoritative narrative... even if it is a lie.

I've been intrigued with propaganda for as long as I can remember, and since September 11, 2001, there has been no shortage of powerfully manipulative information designed to fuel the war machine, and keep the masses ignorant and supportive.

My most recent favorite propaganda coup, was when President Obama released his fake birth certificate that even the Photoshop experts said must be a joke because it was so poorly manufactured, then, to take attention away from the obvious forgery, pretended to capture and kill Chief Boogyman, Osama Bin Laden.

For those of you with a short memory span, Monsieur Bin Laden was reported to have been on dialysis nearly a decade ago. An adult of Bin Laden's maturity could never have survived all these years, even under the best medical supervision, in the best American hospital. Osama Bin Laden was dead many years ago, but the military industrial complex needed a powerful boogyman to fuel the fears, that perpetuate trillions of dollars of funding... one source of America's economic woes.

Wake up America. It's been ten years, and it's time to stop dreaming.

Flash Back to a more innocent time.

"Here come the planes... They're American planes... Made in America." Laurie Anderson

"One day you wake up, and you didn't even know you were asleep" Adrian Belew

I was still dreaming that I was looking for my glasses when suddenly, my alarm clock radio sounded, just as I had programmed it to the night before. As usual, the dial was set to 1080 am KSCO, and I was still shaking the dreams from my head when I heard the familiar voice of radio personality Rosemary Chalmers, in her wonderful British accent saying something like, "We've just received word that an aeroplane has crashed into the World Trade Center..." I didn't wait to hear any more, and exploded from my bed. I quickly climbed the stairs on all fours, using my hands to claw my way to the top. Barely maintaining balance, my feet slid beneath me on the cold, slick, stone tile floor as I cornered a sharp right turn into the living room, and scurried toward the television set. I knew it would be a hot topic on CNN, there would no doubt be live coverage. I never watch TV, and my family appeared surprised to see me moving so quickly to get to the boob tube, and then speed through the channels... clicking as quickly a humanly possible, until finally, there it was... unbelievable! In the distance, thick black smoke was billowing from the injured north tower. Upon a rooftop, a talking head stood at a safe and picturesque distance, reporting on how much they didn't know about the situation... but the images were great so he kept on talking. As I viewed the spectacle in awe, I observed a dot crossing the screen behind the reporter's head... and another aeroplane crashed spectacularly into the south tower. No! I cried as it burst into flames right before my eyes on live TV. As I sobbed in horrified disbelief, my son asked innocently, "Were there people on that plane?" I looked at him and gave an affirmative nod. He had been on an airliner, and could easily imagine how many people were involved. The realization was met with a welling up of tears, which soon overflowed their small reservoirs and streamed down his smooth cheeks, dropping to the floor. "Why would someone do that?" he asked while thick black smoke belched and billowed from both towers. There were hundreds of people trapped above the flames, and it was reported that some of them were jumping from the blazing inferno rather than face a painful fiery demise. The situation was not good for those still in the towers.

F1rst casualty in war

Now it was obvious that America was under terrorist attack, and an order was quickly issued for all airliners to land immediately while fighter jets scrambled to intercept any planes that did not heed the grounding order. Before long, another airliner had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, while another had mysteriously crashed in a wooded area of Pennsylvania. Knowing that fighters had been dispatched to intercept wayward airliners, I was suspicious about the Pennsylvania crash from the beginning. America was now at war, and it appeared that we had brought down one of our own to protect real estate, and heads of state. A heart warming hero story was cooked up to feed the frenzy, casting the victims of United flight 93 as heroes who prevented the terrorists from reaching their intended target by crashing the plane in the unpopulated Pennsylvanian woods. Its a nice story, but as a student of propaganda, I know that in war, truth is the first casualty. There were reports of other unexplained explosions in the Washington DC area that morning, but they were soon forgotten... swept away in the official mass media mantra.

Apocalyptus on live TV

It was a scene from an apocalyptic nightmare. We sat watching the TV in disbelief as the first tower collapsed from structural fatigue. It fell as though a demolition crew had expertly placed charges in strategic positions. Tears streamed down my face as I watched in horror as my Familia Human ran from the toxic dust cloud which pursued them through the streets of Manhattan. The devastation was unbelievable, and the second tower soon collapsed in like manner. Many thousands were injured, and no one yet knew how many thousands were dead... or if there would be more attacks... America went on paranoid alert.

Reflex retaliation

Many thousands more would die as America went off to war in Afghanistan, then Iraq, and recently Libya. Remember ten years ago, when seemingly overnight, the brightly coloured American flag stickers of red white & blue, placed alongside yellow ribbons, (ironically made in China), adorned automobiles nationwide in support of war... and revenge?A neo-McCarthyistic policy was soon embraced by the administration... those not with us are against us, and suspect.

Faded glory

"These colors don't run" But they do fade.
Now, a decade later, the once colourful flags and ribbons have all faded, and so has support for war. Americans are divided now more than ever... There appears to be no end to the war in sight, meanwhile trillion$ of dollar$ continue to be diverted to the effort, as America's infrastructure collapses, and her economy continues to collapse despite assurances from the administration.

Rhetropinion & prediction

It is Rhetro Zenberg's opinion that America is $pending way too much money fighting a war it does not intend to win. Don't get me wrong... I want those responsible for what happened ten years ago as much as the next red blooded American, but we've already lost, and killed WAY too many innocents in this terror war. The situation in Iraq is similar but worse than Vietnam, because our intervention has effectively eliminated the only threat to neighboring Iran's Islamo-fascist aspirations as a world power.

Conclusion:
1, Due to the destabilization of the region, Iran will ascend as a formidable nuclear power.

2, Iran will suffer from nuclear accidents as they unravel the mysteries atomique.
3, Iran will face retaliatory attacks, for their use or attempted use of atomic weapons.
4, America will somehow find a way to be involved. In short... more war.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Ultimately, the choice belongs to the electorate. America can still wake up and elect people like Ron Paul who won't be so quick to engage in armed conflict, but that will never happen as long as we continue to elect pro-war Republicrats to [mis] represent US.

Have a nice war

or two or three or four or... HOW MANY MORE?

Everyone Went On Vacation and All I Got Was This Stupid Hurricane

2011-08-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

When I saw mighty Mo off at the Amtrak Station at 3:00 AM, I had no idea that a Hurricane named Irene would keep me from seeing her for an extra week.

Strangers have left on longer trains before, but Mighty Mo was no stranger to trains, and took the California Zephyr all the way to Chicago. In the windy city she caught another train to New York City, (the one in New York), where she met up with Mason who was on his first trip to the Big Apple, and en route to spending a week with King Crimson's Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastellotto at a music camp in upper New York State.

Mighty Mo was there for a week-long yoga retreat in Rhinebeck, NY which happened to be in close proximity to Mason's music camp, so the timing was perfect... or so it seemed.

Kirsten left her cool and cozy California surf town to fly out to Utah and hang out with me in the hot, dry desert for a spelunking, wilderness hiking, salt flat sunset viewing adventure behind the Zion Curtain.

We all had a wonderful time doing our respective activities, and everything was going as planned until Hurricane Irene scared the knickers off of New York, and they evacuated many areas.

For the first time in history, NY city shut down the MTA - buses, cabs and subways - and the airlines canceled thousands of flights, leaving Mason and Mighty Mo stranded in Manhattan for many more days than planned.

Back to School 2011

2011-08-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

I recently paid a visit to my old elementary school to take a handful of 3D pictures.

It was obvious to me that the office staff was excited about being back. In fact, everyone there, from teachers preparing their classrooms, to the maintenance staff, were upbeat and exhibited that special back to school magic. Everyone was so nice. I could tell that it is a fun place to work. The kids attending here are in good hands. "Lucky kids" I thought to myself.
Although I still dream about these halls occasionally, it has been decades since I've physically been inside the building.
I didn't have many if any enemies in school, but I recall that when I was in fourth grade, an upper upperclassman, (sixth grader), intentionally put gum in my hair as we passed on the stairs. The gum became a tangled mess in my long dark hair, and much to my chagrin, I consented to having it cut.
I was standing just to the left of this old wall in the library when Bonnie Gang told me that there was no Santa Clause. The shocking revelation seemed to make time stop for a few moments as I assimilated to my new epiphanous world view. I was shocked that all of the people I had trusted most had deceived me. I didn't lie to my own kids about Santa. The lunchroom is a multipurpose room where I've eaten many a school lunch, (the pizza was my favorite). In addition to eating lunch there, I've played basketball, watched movies, enjoyed musical ensembles, viewed demonstrations, taken part in talent shows... I've even done the Hokey Pokey in this room, (that's what it's all about).
The old play structures are empty today, but soon, they'll be covered with children making the most of their recess.

After leaving my beloved elementary school, I drove to my old Jr. high school in hopes of taking a few 3d pictures there. I hadn't been inside Tooele Jr. High School since I graduated from eighth grade, and was looking forward to another great experience like I just had at West Elementary. That didn't happen though.

From the moment I got out of my car, I could sense tension in the air. I went directly to the principal's office where I was met with an unfriendly staff who refused me permission to take pictures there. Even the principal was terribly rude, and I could tell that this was not a fun place to work. "Poor kids" I thought to myself as I exited the sterile and unfriendly institution. My good friend, Superintendent Clark Johnson, would be displeased with their unfriendly behavior.

Moon Going Down Like a Big Bald Head

2011-08-15T10:38:00.001-07:00

Like most days, I went for a bike ride yesterday morning. This time I took my camera with me, and I was glad that I did, because as I turned the corner I could see that first light was striking Deseret Peak Wilderness Area across the valley. What made the view even more spectacular was the setting Moon, nestled betwixt two of the peaks on the Stansbury Mountain Range.

D is for Distraction

2011-08-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

Most Americans were distracted by the grandiose season finale of So You Think You Can Dance, and weren't even aware that Ron Paul was kicking ass in the FOX News hosted presidential debate to determine the victor in yesterday's Iowa Straw Poll.

Here's a bit of what you may have missed.

Ultimately, Michelle Bachman was declared the victor in the Straw Poll, but won by less than a percentage point over Ron Paul, who received little recognition for his virtual tie for first place. Strangely, the media is making excuses for Mitt Romney's poor performance in the prestigious Straw Poll, saying that he skipped Iowa, yet anyone can plainly see that Mr. Romney was there stumping for votes. In reality, Iowa skipped Mitt Romney.

Been Messin' With the BeeZ

2011-07-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Beehive State

I've been battling the wild bees since we moved earlier this month. They seem to love the north shed and the south side of the house. I've already destroyed five nests but suspect that there are more. I use gum remover to freeze them, then remove the nest and as many of the bees as I can. The nests make a wonderful maison guepe soupe, and the crispy bees are a great addition to any stir fry. Bon appetit!

Obama Re-election Fund Raiser in Park City, UT

2011-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today, First Lady, Michelle Obama, arrived here in Utah to attend an exciting re-election fund raising breakfast in Park City. I hope that she likes cold eggs, because by the time she showed up, it was already afternoon.

The cold breakfast with the first lady, cost attendees $1,000 per plate, but to sit near Mrs. Obama cost many thousands of dollars more, and for only ten grand, supporters got their photos taken with the power icon. I'm sure it was worth every cent.

Five Reasons to Re-elect President Obama

Since so many people are willing to pour so much money into President Obama's re-election campaign, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the president's achievements, and based on what he has accomplished, distill the primary reasons why someone would consciously vote for him again or for the first time.

1 Obama supporters love WAR.

President Obama has demonstrated his willingness to commit tens of thousands of American troops to WAR zones, as well as invade and conduct assassination campaigns in sovereign nations. A re-election of the president will result in the deployment of more American troops on foreign soil, and perpetual invasions of sovereign nations.

2 Obama supporters love CORPORATE BAILOUTS.

In President Obama's first term, trillions of dollars of tax payer's money was given to corrupt lenders, fiscally irresponsible corporations and international bankers. His re-election will no doubt result in more buy outs, corporate bailouts, and more handouts to international bankers.

3 Obama supporters love HOMELESSNESS.

The money thrown away on buy outs, bailouts and handouts would have been more than sufficient to keep every American experiencing mortgage problems in their homes. Now millions of Americans are homeless, and their houses are empty. President Obama's re-election will result in the same old policies that protect the banks and to hell with the individual.

4 Obama supporters love RADIATION.

President Obama has expressed his advocacy for nuclear energy, what has proven to be the most toxic, and unsafe form of energy currently available on our planet. The RADIATION from nuclear disasters Earth has already suffered have created permanent forbidden zones where no one can live or work, and RADIATION from these accidents continue to irreparably harm the quality of life everywhere on the planet. The re-election of the president will realize the construction of more nuclear power plants, the generation of more nuclear waste, plus the likelihood of more accidents, and resulting RADIOACTIVE contamination.

5 Obama supporters love the PATRIOT ACT.

In addition to expanded surveillance privileges, since Mr. Obama took office,
the government has launched a privacy attack against ordinary Americans on other fronts, most visibly in airports where citizens are regularly subjected to unreasonable searches, RADIATION from the infamous body scanners, or a humiliating physical groping by TSA employees for those who decline the scanner. The re-election of President Obama will result in more eavesdropping, more unreasonable searches, more groping, and more travel restrictions.

What Can You Do?

An election of Bachman, Huntsman, Palen or Romney will yield similar results, because they are all pretty much the same when it comes to these basic issues. So, I hope that you like more of the same old same old, because that's what you are going to get if you continue to support the corporatist mainstreamers that are regularly featured on TV and in papers and magazines.

PEACE!

Tooele Reservoir in 3D

2011-07-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

After two computer crashes in three months, it appears that I have lost many of my 3d photos. Many of them had been backed up, but the majority of the photos on my five-month young Toshiba with a dead hard drive are gone forever. I'm switching to Mac, and have a lovely new MacBook Pro that I'm learning how to operate.

Following, are a few recent 3d (cross eye) images fer ya to feast yer eyes upon.

Folks fishin' allowed me to take this photo.

The Tooele Reservoir is a beautiful place to get away from all the clutter that hasn't found a place in our new home. I haven't timed the drive yet, but I'm assuming that it only takes three to five minutes to get there from our house. I love being SO close to the mountains.

Above, Mighty Mo takes a gander at the 100% full reservoir.

The walkway across the earthen dam is lined with green vegetation. The foliage is usually quite brown by this time of year, but the excessive rain, snow and cool temperatures have allowed the soil to remain moist enough to sustain life.

Water pours over the spillway.

An old twisted wire fence keeps drunken dumb asses from falling into the deep spillway.

Safety is my maiden name.

Farewell to Santa Cruz and Welcome to Psychotropia

2011-07-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm a Tooelian now... again.

A week has passed since we moved away from our little city on the bay. I already miss Santa Cruz SO much. Not just the obvious stuff either. Things like recycling, and bicycling are alien to this twilight zone town. A high school age kid actually made fun of us for riding bikes a couple of evenings ago. Apparently no one rides bikes in Tooele, and as I think about it... I haven't seen anyone else riding bikes here. Lots of big ol' trucks, and muscle cars though. Good thing gas is cheap. Welcome to the world behind the zion curtain.

Last Saturday and again today, we drove to the farmers market in Salt Lake to get some fresh produce. We also stopped at the Food Whole and stocked up for the week. It was reassuring to see that there's real food and some normal people out there. I even saw humans riding bikes.

Here are a few yummy treats we obtained at the farmers market in Salt Lake last week. We've been eating well all week, and have decided to swear off eating out in Tooele because all of the restaurants are substandard according to my requirements.
The sunsets here are unmatched anywhere I've been. I have to keep looking up at the beautiful sky, and majestic mountains that surround Tooele, otherwise, I'd probably go crazy watching the excesses of lawns growing, gas guzzling, and mega super Big Gulp slurping that is going on all around me.
Have a nice sunset

My Question to the Presidential Candidates

2011-06-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last year, in a surprising ruling, the United States Supreme Court announced that corporations are equal to, and considered to be, persons. Earlier this year, the same court declared that since it is considered to be a person, a corporation can contribute unlimited funds to campaigns and political organizations.

Here's my question to the candidates:

Do you think that corporate personhood is a good idea, and would you consider selecting a corporation as your vice-presidential running mate?

Boeing - Coke 2012

Woodies on the Wharf 2011 in 3D

2011-06-25T23:44:00.001-07:00

Today I attended the annual Woodies on the Wharf in Santa Cruz, and took a handful of 3D photos. Here are three of them.

Hundreds of woodies crowd the famous Santa Cruz Wharf under sunny skies.
A boat dangles from the wharf, ready for deployment.
Not too far distant, the Santa Cruz Harbor accommodates a variety of boats.

Solstice Schmalstice

2011-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Mighty Mo and I have a wonderfully eclectic* group of friends, and last night, we had the opportunity to bid farewell to 25 of them. Strange, I probably won't see many of them ever again. Those friends that were able to attend were treated to a trendy Utah themed going away party that featured stereotypical food favorites ranging from funeral potatoes to green jello. There was also a salt flats tasting bar, and authentic orange slush... just add 7Up. Unfortunately, some of our friends were unable to make it to our mid-week extravaganza, but I hope to see them sometime over my last two, (and very busy), weeks in Santa Cruz.

Leaving (too) soon

I realize that after our soon approaching long-term departure to Utah, I'm going to miss seeing the seductively beautiful Monterey Bay... a regular and everyday scene for me. The Great Salt Lake has beautiful sunsets, but will never replace the magnificence of this region. In an effort to deal with my separation issues, I purchased a wonderful, (and very large), ocean scene painting by my favorite artist, and close friend, Richard Bennett.

Pictured above is the southeast corner of our living room in Santa Cruz, where my new painting, South Coast, by Richard Bennett, temporally resides. Also pictured in the picture is my authentic Tom DeLong Fender Stratocaster, Dean 12 string electric guitar, a skim board, and three Talking Heads records in frames. I can't wait to see how the new painting looks in my home in Tooele, but I'm in no hurry to leave either.

Since I may never see many of our friends again, I thought it would be a good idea to get photos of the attendees to our Utah themed party, so after signing in, each guest was photographed in front of the new painting.
Kirsten Atemecia - Multi Talented quadruple threat who recently graduated from high school with a straight A report card. Smart, beautiful, talented with a great sense of humor... she's got the world by the tail.
Greg - One of the best drummers I've had the pleasure to watch perform. Greg has drummed for numerous bands, including A Quantum Visionary, and these days plays for Isolation Factor, who it is rumored will be releasing a new CD soon.

Mason - Another local rock star, Mason is a founding member of the Vox Jaguars, and AQV. He's performed with, and contributed to ensembles too numerous to mention, and recently had the opportunity to perform with the Santa Cruz County Symphony who performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Ode for Joy. One of my favorite pieces of all time.

Skippy - If you look up Frisbee in the dictionary, Skippy's picture should be there next to the definition. A master of disc golf and Freestyle pioneer, he can do things with a plastic disc that astonishes the masses.
Oliver aka Kryph aka Tree - Dubstep officianado racking up the hits, and stretching the genre beyond traditional limitations, took time out to drop in and hang out for a couple of hours.
Shawna, Erin and Ryan - Whether you are a pet, or a human being in need of emergency care... you're in good hands with these gals, and Ryan, the million dollar baby, knows it.
Aaron - The master of presentation from everything from metallurgy to hollandaise is beloved by all who know him. Together, Aaron and I have attended dozens of Bay Area performances ranging from Adrian Belew to the Vox Jaguars and played numerous rounds of disc golf at the De Laveaga, Black Mouse and Aptos courses. He's going to miss me.
Emily - Even though it was her nineteenth birthday, she stopped by to say goodbye.
Kallista, Olin and June - I've known Olin for many years and was so happy to meet his new little family. It seems like Olin and I have been everywhere in this region; surveying areas in the mountains to beach properties, in addition to playing lots of rounds of disc golf.
Richard - The artist himself graced us with his presence. In addition to being a master of every artistic discipline, Dicky B speaks numerous languages and dialects and has scoured the globe in search of artistic inspiration. He's been a wonderful friend and inspiring associate. I'm going to miss Dicky B's stories, and endearing demeanor.

Ann - She's seen it all and done it all. Everything from being a military pilot, land surveyor, theater reviewer and world traveler to hanging out with Elvis. Also a mother, she always raves about her two sons. She is a fascinating woman and we love the amazing stories of her adventurous life.
Reid - Snappy dresser, and performance specialist. He not only attended the party, but came to our yard sale too.
Kevin, Graham and Karissa - Pulling strings behind the scenes, Kevin and Graham are PR wizards extrordinaire and great urban homesteaders and home brewers. Karissa a new friend we met at the party.
Seana - Another amazing PR professional, who brought along a little bump and a big announcement to the party. : )
Katie - Another stellar public relations pro who was Mighty Mo's right hand account manager for years.
Cassie - Another birthday girl. Despite the fact that it was her 21st birthday, Cassie stopped by for the party.
Eileen - Brilliant artist, and winner of Catalyst's best Halloween costume contest. She was Mona Lisa, and even had her own frame. Eileen was one of the first people we met when we moved to Happy Valley in Santa Cruz all those years ago, and she's been a great friend to the entire family.
Claire - A former PR pro who escaped with her soul intact. Now pursuing environmental work, Claire has actually walked on the Great Salt Lake.
Ronaldo Antonio - Former NASA astronaut who has spacewalked more times than Michael Jackson has moon-walked (in 2011). A sparkling personality, and one of the funniest if not the funniest persons I know. He's one of the few people who actually understands my twisted comique.
Alexandra - Believe it or not, another PR industry pro, Sheesh! How many PR people are out there anyway? She speaks numerous languages fluently, including Russian, German and English. A Romanian native, she lives here in Santa Cruz with her family.

* Attendees included artists, musicians, propagandists, pre-borns, a baby, a toddler, teens, twenty somethings, thirty somethings, forty somethings, fifty somethings, sixty somethings, seventy somethings, eighty somethings, vegans, vegetarians, veterinarians, a nurse, a pilot, a teacher, an astronaut, professional athletes, rock stars, Jews, Mormons, Wiccans, and etc. I had planned to make the party as eclectic as possible, and for the most part, that goal was accomplished, but unfortunately, none of my illegal alien friends showed up. Camera shy, I guess.

Fathers Day 2011

2011-06-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today is my first Fathers Day without the most awesome person I have ever known, my father. I miss him so much. I can't believe he has only been gone for a few months. In a way, it seems like forever.

Here Come the Floods - 2011 Preview

2011-05-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

I've been behind the Zion Curtain for nearly a month now, and I'm getting really excited to head back to Santa Cruz for a month of sun, surf and sand... not to mention the bikinis - things I haven't seen here in Tooele.

The weather here has been exceptionally bizarre, with either rain or snow for the majority of days we've been in Utah. It even snowed again today, Memorial Day, the second to last day in May, 2011.

Utah is about to experience flooding like it hasn't seen since before the Obama/Bush Wars. Back in 1983, there was widespread flooding in Utah, and the conditions then pale in comparison to the current flood potential.

Today the water in the Tooele Reservoir is less than a foot from going over the spillway, and there is still so much un-melted snow remaining in the mountains, that there is a possibility of flooding here, too. Fortunately, measures have been taken to prepare for conditions like those experienced in 1983, and we'll soon find out how prepared we really are.

Here's some video I shot at the Tooele Reservoir yesterday afternoon:

The Residents Artistique - Homer Flynn Exhibit at Johansson Projects

2011-05-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

The Residents are an obscure, un-easy listening musickal ensemble that I've been intrigued with since the late seventies, and this Friday, I had a rare opportunity to... Meet the Residents... so to speak.

Homer Flynn is the primary conceptual artist behind the mysteriously anonymous musical ensemble known as the Residents, and many of his original pieces are currently on display at Johansson Projects, an art gallery located in Oakland California. On Friday night, Mr. Flynn attended a reception, and graciously greeted those of us who showed up. I was unexpectedly surprised to discover that another Resident, Hardy Fox, was also there in attendance.
Homer and Hardy chat outside Johansson Projects

My friend, and fellow Residents advocate, Brainphreak, showed up too. Here's a 3D image of him with frowny-face Homer.

What does one say about such quality weirdness?

More fun than a barrel full of... moles?

Ron Paul for Mothers Day

2011-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

The best thing that could happen to American mothers, would be having Ron Paul as President of the United States.

No one cuts through the political bullshit better than the seasoned politician who always tells the truth, no matter how painful or unpopular it may be.

Unfortunately, there are those who don't want American's to know the truth, therefore corporatists, like Obama, Palin and Romney, get to take center stage, distracting the masses with color, curves and cash, meanwhile, freedom continues to dissipate like a fart in a windstorm.*

Last Thursday, Ron Paul participated in the first 2012 presidential debate that was held in South Carolina, and as one would expect, there were attempts to defame Congressman Paul. Here is one example.

* one of my mom's funny old sayings. I miss her today.

Wild World

2011-05-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today I am officially an empty nester. I never thought it would happen so quickly, but it seems that is the nature of our world right now... everything appears to be happening so fast, everywhere, and everyone in our family is beginning a new phase in our individual lives that require significant change* too.

I'm sure going to miss my little punk girl . She has been such a sweet person to have around for the past eighteen years.

Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl

Cat Stevens

* My son moved out a month ago, and Mighty Mo & I will be moving to Utah in a couple of months. Yikes!

Ron Paul for President 2012 - Peace in our Day?

2011-04-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

Today, Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced the formation of a committee to explore his candidacy for President of the United States.

So far, Mr. Paul is the only politician that has thrown his hat into the ring who stands for PEACE. Everyone else is in favor of perpetuating the expensive, illegal, and immoral wars in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Not even our peace prize toting president has any intention of ending those wars, and even seems to be accelerating America's military presence in more places than most people can keep track of.

It is Rhetro Zenberg's opinion that if Ron Paul is serious about his bid for president, he should exploit the PEACE card, and make PEACE the focus of his campaign.

How will you vote... PEACE or war? The choice should be simple, and obvious.

The Residents in 3D at Bimbos 365 Club

2011-04-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Residents Talking Light show at Bimbo's in San Francisco, and decided to take a few minutes to assemble a handful of the 3D pictures that I took in the big city.

Last night's performance at Bimbos 365 Club marked the Residents return to their home town, their first show there in ages. The entire show was filmed in 3D, and someday, maybe the Residents will allow us to see it.

This was likely the last Residents show I'll attend since I'll be moving away to live behind the Zion Curtain soon. I will surely miss the Bay Area... and the Residents.

I stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge and took some photos alongside hundreds of tourists.

About half way between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, I pulled over to take this photo.

NSTIC is Here - America's New Internet Identity Program

2011-04-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Say goodbye to Social Security numbers, dates of birth and mother's maiden names, and say hello to the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, (NSTIC), America's new government-coordinated initiative to establish a national digital identity system.

This grandiose public-private partnership promises to become an identity ecosystem designed to protect Americans from on line scams and accelerate internet commerce.

Although praised for security assurances, NSTIC isn't without criticism. There are realistic fears that NSTIC may actually have a negative effect on privacy, and because it stops short of specific laws, regulation or mandates regarding security and privacy concerns, NSTIC could potentially become a new marketplace for personal identities.

Extra Extra - Important Announcement Coming on Tax Day

2011-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

In the media world, announcements that are made on Fridays, are in some measure, expected to go unnoticed. It's a good day to hide unfavorable news, and that is why the United States has selected Friday, April 15, 2011, to make a major announcement that will effect everyone in America who is capable of reading this message.

We'll be told that the new, five letter acronym bureaucracy is a good guy reaction and an innovation. Congress is positioned to be an advocate for this public-private partnership that promises to have a positive effect on human behavior.

Get ready to be someone, and tune in to zenberg.blogspot.com on Friday, April 15 at 11:30 Eastern (8:30 Pacific), for a semi-exclusive announcement regarding what bigger brother has planned for all of us in the United States.

VOTE 2012 - Mitt Romney for President

2011-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

The pr agency advising the Mitt Romney campaign should know better than making a major announcement on a Monday, but that is what happened earlier today when the former Massachusetts governor proclaimed that he is interested in becoming President of the United States. God help us. We might as well re-elect Obama or George W, because Romney is a pro-war corporatist exactly like them and all the other bad presidents who have contributed to our current economic condition.

No thank you Mr. Romney.

California - Hit by Terrorists?

2011-04-09T02:02:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, there was an attack on the communications networks in California and most of the country didn't even know about it. For me, it began early Thursday morning, sometime in the hour of 3:00 AM, when my cell phone's low battery indicator beeped and woke me from my slumber. I turned off the phone and robotically plugged it into the charger. It was strange to me that the battery had died so quickly. I had taken the phone off the charger before going to bed, therefore there should have been ample power remaining. I thought nothing more of it, and returned to my warm bed.

When my alarm clock radio woke me at 6:30 AM, there was talk on KSCO about the situation that had everyone baffled. Apparently, early in the morning of April 9, sometime after 2 AM, someone accessed two utility vaults located miles apart, near San Jose, and cut communication cables, that effectively brought down nearly all internet, cellular phones, land lines, credit cards, ATM's and even 911 emergency services throughout the greater Bay Area. No banks opened, and the few business that did, reverted to a cash-only policy for the day, and creatively adapted to the unprecedented situation.

Everyone's phone batteries died because when cellular service was lost, the phones went into roaming mode, causing batteries to quickly drain, and die within a few hours. Many people who relied upon their cell phone alarms to wake them, were sorely disappointed to find that they were dead, and had failed to awake them.*

A $100,000 reward was offered by authorities who officially blamed vandals for the disruption in service that lasted most of the April, 9, business day. I have doubts about the official story because, the sophistication of the crime suggests to me to be the work of more than a vandal or two. It seems unlikely that a vandal could successfully bring down Central California's communications for an entire day. But who is responsible? That's the hundred-thousand dollar question.

Authorities are careful not to use the T word in this situation, but the possibility exists that terrorists pulled it off, and didn't receive credit or recognition for exposing how vulnerable we really are because we prefer to play the T card on our own terms. However, if terrorists were behind the event, surely they would have boasted responsibility. China is in possession of detailed mapping of the power grid in the US, so why not our communications networks as well? But why the disruption? What really happened on Thursday, April 9, 2009?

It is Rhetro Zenberg's opinion that during this disruption of services, something big happened that may not be revealed for years to come... if ever. Some authorities may already know, and are keeping quiet about it. The fact that there was so little reported on the situation is suspicious to me. One would think that California's communications being taken out by vandals would have been a big story, especially on a slow news day like Thursday, April 9, 2009.

* "And when they arose in the morning, they were all dead"Isaiah

US Out of Libya

2011-03-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

It has been difficult for me to hold my tongue with so much going on in the world right now. I have so much to say, especially about the new war we have become entangled in. Let there be no doubt, we are at war with Libya. President Obama, without congressional approval, has overstepped his authority, and launched an illegal war against a sovereign nation that will cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, and lots of lives.

This is an important issue that needs our immediate attention, so please take five minutes to hear what America's true agent of change, and real maverick, Congressman Ron Paul. has to say about this most-important situation.

HAVE A NICE WAR

bombZ Away

2011-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Nobel Peace Prize huh?

Peace!

Reno Saint Patrick Daze

2011-03-17T13:58:00.001-07:00

Well, here I am in Reno. Stopped to refuel and saw a Starbucks, so decided to use their WiFi and upload a few more 3D images, and rest a bit before taking on the Sierra Nevadas.I took this photo of the 600 South freeway on-ramp in Salt Lake City earlier this week. This image was taken at the lip of the spillway at the Tooele Reservoir.
This photo was taken at the north shore of the Tooele Reservoir looking south.
This one was somewhat experimental, and I like the way the clouds glow.
Above is an image of my stereoscopic photography device. The cameras are at an extreme position, (I don't usually position them so far apart, especially for such a close-up shot).

I'll be back home to Santa Cruz, CA in about four hours. Yay!!!

Happy Blogday - 4

2011-03-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Johan und Metal Shop

I must have been having fun because the past year flew by so quickly. I can't believe this blog is already four years old. So much has happened in those four years.

More Snow Behind the Zion Curtain

2011-03-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'm at McDonalds again. This time I'm inside, and for some wonderful reason, they're playing Brian Eno Music. The piece currently being played is from the For All Mankind soundtrack. Mighty Mo and I saw that movie when we lived in Madison,Wisconsin. That's where we were when our son, Mason decided it was time to be born. That was 21 years ago next week.

Snow came to Tooele in a big way Monday. Before it was over, we had accumulated about six inches of fluffy whiteness. I rolled naked in the fluffy white powder after a long hot bath.
My 91 Ford 4X4 getting covered.
I drove to the location of the old Anaconda Mine today, and took this photo of the old slag pile because I liked the contrast between the black slag and the white snow.
There was plenty of snow for me to create a sculpture. Since there was plenty of food coloring in the cupboard, it seemed like the proper thing to do was to colorize my sculpture.

On Saturnday, my old high school buddy, Jon, accompanied me to the Utah State Fairgrounds where we attended the Belly Dance Festival. I met lots of nice folks, and got some lovely photos too. The above stereoscopic image is of a collection of masks that were being sold by one of the vendors there.
On the way to the event, I shot this stereoscopic image of some power lines near Salt Lake International Aeropuerto.

My WiFi Woes Behind the Zion Curtain

2011-03-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this post whilst sitting in the parking lot at the Tooele McDonalds, because it is the only place in town to access WiFi. I'll fill in the blanks later when I'm more comfortable, meantime, enjoy a few 3D/stereoscopic images.

Here's a shot I took of my great little car as an approaching storm rolls in engulfing the Oquihr Mountains in the background.

I nearly got killed at this rail road crossing many years ago as I was taking my girlfriend home from a date in Salt Lake. Not long after that near calamity, a friend of mine was killed here along with his one-year old baby. The Union Pacific RR finally installed lights and crossing gate in addition to performed other improvements to prevent more unnecessary deaths here.

The Great Salt Lake is a place shrouded in mystery. I've always been curious about this square building on the south shore. I assume that it had something to do with the old railroad line that brought folks from Salt Lake to the old Saltair Resort that burned down at least twice before being abandoned. A new Saltair Resort exists nearby now.

Gilgal Garden in 3D - California Guitar Trio in 3D

2011-02-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Tada! Last month I had the opportunity to stroll through Gilgal Garden, one of my favorite places in Salt Lake. There was still a bit of snow on the ground, therefore the not-so-famous stone garden appeared especially surreal and beautiful. The perfect place for some 3D photography, so here's this month's installment of stereoscopique. N Joy!!!

The Joseph SphinX

I'm stoked to be back to California, because on Wednesday night, some friends and I attended the California Guitar Trio show at Don Quixote's in Felton. The show was awesome, and surprisingly, cost only fifteen dollars. My friend, Brainphreak, drove from San Jose, and shot some video with his new 3D camera. You can watch his You Tube Video by clicking below:

WATCH 3D CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO VIDEO

Here's an awesome stereoscopic image created by Brainphreak.

H2O

2011-02-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

IT was SO cold in Utah. As the fog moved in, ice crystals formed on everything. Twas beautiful. The rose garden was especially wonderful.
When I got back to Santa Cruz, I immediately headed to the harbor and checked in with my favorite body of water, at my favorite beach, in my favorite town.
The Pelicans were happy to see me.

Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan - Trojan Horse and the Fascist Gun in the West

2011-02-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

I think that it's funny how so many people revere Ronald Reagan as a hero for outspending the Soviet Union and causing Communism's demise. It's funny because that isn't how it happened at all.

The real reason the Soviet Union fell is because the United States mischievously tricked the Ruskies into stealing software that was pre-designed to fail... a modern day Trojan Horse, if you will. The scheme worked perfectly, too. The Soviets were always too happy to save a bundle of cash by stealing someone else's research and development and make it their own. This time their greed got the best of them and when all of their systems began failing, and they had no idea why. Brilliant... like the brightness of one hundred candles on Ronny Reagan's birthday cake. Who's going to blow them out?

Best of 2010 - WikiLeaks

2011-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

God bless WikiLeaks, the best thing to happen to TRUTH in a century. Thanks to information provided by WikiLeaks, we now KNOW that global warming is a farce, and that our government doesn't operate in OUR best interest... No surprise there, but I'm always happy to confirm my personal suspicions. I HOPE enough of us will pay attention to WikiLeaks revelations, and help to create some real CHANGE in the world.

Forever and Forever in Tooele... in Pictures

2011-01-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

On Vacation - Cal to Utah

2011-01-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Here's this month's stereoscopic image. This one is of Capitola Beach as seen from the Capitola Wharf.

My favorite place in the world... Castle Beach, Santa Cruz, California.

Salt Flats at sunset... traveling @ 75 MPH.

1-11-11

2011-01-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

In honor of the number one, here's another viddy from the Residents show on New Years. This video features Randy dancing to the elektronique version of Marble Hearts, by the Vox Jaguars.

New Years ReZ

2011-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Today is 1,1, 11... the first day of the new year.

2010 went out with a big bang. Two of my favorite bands played together at the beautiful and historic Fox Theater in Oakland, California.

The superintendents of the subterranean, Residents took the stage first, and brought their Talking Light Tour to a close.

*Lanol (Bob) shredddZ on the guitar

*Horem , (Randy) is always a snappy dresser, with a flare for style

Here's some video from the Residents' performance at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

As soon as the Residents finished their short set, stage hands got busy and before long, Primus took the stage and performed the songs from their Sailing the Seas of Cheese album in it's entirety. Les sported his newest bass, and to end the show, the boys played one of their new songs for the first time.

*Names have been encrypted to protect the cryptic.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

"You buy, you die. That's the motto of America." Joe Strummer

Here's another stereoscopic image fer ye. This one is of my new Clash, Revolution Rock shoes that I purchased with X Mas money from my sis. I remember when the Clash's Combat Rock record album came out in the early eighties, and I accused them of selling out to commercialism. Now the Clash have sold out by allowing their name to be used on these snazzy Converse Shoes... and I sold out by buying something made in China, (something I never do and have been opposed to for decades).

The holidays haven't been the same without my folks. I miss them so much and keep feeling the urge to call them to wish them Merry Christmas... and a million other things. I don't know if they can follow this blog through the veil, but just in case... Merry Christmas Mom and Dad. I love you.

Farewell to the Captain... thanX 4 all the Trout

2010-12-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

RIP Don Van Vliet

1/15/1941-12/17/2010

Chappy Hanukkah

2010-12-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here's this month's nifty 3D image to kick off Hanukkah and the 2010 year-end Holiday Season. Below are a couple of dreidelim that I made about ten years ago. The large dreidel is constructed of wood, while the small one is made of clay. The coins, (we have dozens of them), were also made of clay, and fired in the kiln with the dreidel. To view in 3D, click on the photo, and bring focus on the point where both photos merge. Then, begin to slowly cross your eyes while maintaining focus until both images come together and are viewable three dimensionally. 'Tis easy, and any biclops can do it.

Following is a short video that features a dreidel spinning and landing on Gimel.

I hope you are all out there stimulating the economy by purchasing goods and gifts that were made as locally as possible in the good old USA. We're not going to solve our economic woes by continuing to purchase inferior products made in China or Indonesia, and buying their merchandise only stimulates their economy... not our own. Bring the industry home... Peace on earth and good will toward mankind.

What is the Difference Between a Duck?

2010-12-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

While all of us are busily distracted and scrambling to perform our super-human holiday tasks, our government is hard at work sterilizing free speech in America.

A few months back, I proposed that measures would soon be taken to cleanse the internet of sites that expose the real agenda of our government. We're seeing the beginnings of that cleansing now. We all witnessed how last week the Obama Administration decided to punish WikiLeaks for telling the truth, meanwhile, Google has informed Alex Jones that his Prison Planet YouTube channel will be suspended because one of his videos features a portion of a WikiLeaked video that documents a US helicopter firing on civilians in Iraq. Looks like they're going after the big mouths first... and eventually they'll come for the rest of us who have anything to say that is contrary to the official position.

It'll be interesting to see if WikiLeaks and PrisonPlanet.com will be around for the next election season. Remember what happened to the Bunny Boy!!!

Look out! Quack! and this session, Lame.

Kentucky Fried Buffalo 66

2010-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

I heard the funniest sports news story today that is right out of *Kentucky Fried Movie. Apparently, a professional football player, (Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Steve Johnson), missed a catch that would have won the game for his team. As funny as that is, the really funny part is that he blamed God for it.

I'm surprised that everyone is so offended by Johnson's ignorant attitude. How many times have you heard some dumb athlete give credit to God for a touchdown, World Series, new record, etc.? How is Steve Johnson's comment any different? Do you really think that God would care about something as meaningless as sports?

I wonder if God wants credit for this one...

Congratulations to the United States of America who has been at war in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Union was. We show'd those yeller red Ruskies who's got real stayin' power. Go Team America!

and... Way to go WikiLeaks! Too bad the truth will be your undoing.

* RIP Leslie Nielson

Harpie ThanXgiving

2010-11-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving, and we woke up to clear blue skies and bright sunlight sparkling on frosted automobile windshields. Yes, it does get cold in Santa Cruz occasionally... but nothing like Madison, Wisconsin does.

I feel like I should pay some attention to this blogue. I intend to have at least four posts per month, a number that should be easily attainable, but since my father passed away last month, I just haven't had the spark when it comes to writing. I remember a similar thing happening to me when my mother passed away last Christmas. At that time, I cut back on my posts from eight per month to only four. I guess I feel like I'm listening more and saying less right now. I still have plenty to say, but not today. Instead, here a couple of pertinent videos.

Happy ThanXgiving

I think I'll watch Gentlemen Broncos today and make Thanksgiving Harpie.

Happy Veterans Day and Vox Jaguars in 3D

2010-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

It was Veterans Day, sometime in the early seventies. Don Van Vliet was on stage with his musical ensemble, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, when someone from the audience hollered, "Happy Veterans Day." Don heard the voisterous statement and replied in his deep gruff voice, "WHAT is a happy Veterans Day?"

Speaking of questions on Veterans Day, whatever happened to the Vox Jaguars?

In keeping with Zenberg's monthly 3D post, here are a couple of Vox Jaguars related images to view stereoscopically, (a stereoscope is NOT required to view these images in 3D). Click on images to enlarge.

This bowling pin came from Mr. T's Bowl in LA where the Vox Jaguars played back in 2006 on their first Southern California tour. The band picked up this pin as a souvenir. The obsidian jaguar was carved by a latter-day Mayan at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

This is a 3-D image of the bass played by Vox Jaguars' bassist, Mason Rosenberg. Mason played this instrument on at least one of the tracks released on their awesome Anodyne Records CD last year.
This is a Jaguar carved from limestone.

Recently, a couple of unique Vox Jaguars videos have been uploaded to YouTube. The first is from a show they played at the Veterans Hall in Santa Cruz, CA, back in 2007, and features an unreleased, very Fallesque tune titled, Nevertheless, (which just so happens to be my favorite word). Nevertheless. What a great word. I could say it, spell it and type it all day.

The following video is from the Vox Jaguars' Halloween show in San Francisco, 2008. This may have been the first time they played the song, Swift Street, named after the street where the official Vox Jaguars practice space is located.

Happy Veterans Day Don Van Vliet!

Bring the troops home

California Unter Alles

2010-11-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

California + Jery Brown - 19 = worse than I thought.

DON'T BLAME ME

I VOTED LIBERTARIAN

Halloween in Santa Cruz 2010

2010-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the end of another Halloween Spooktacular in Santa Cruz, CA. This year, I dressed up as 70's tennis star, Billy-Jean King. I was going to be Rene Richards, but figured BJK would take less explaining.

Earlier tonight, I shot some video downtown, and when I got home, I threw this short movie together.

KSCO Presents Alex Jones

2010-10-30T10:10:00.001-07:00

Last week, Mighty Mo, Brainphreak, Garza and I all went to see Alex Jones' lecture at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz, CA.

Alex didn't say anything that any of us didn't already know, but it was fun to see the eclectic group that showed up to hear his four hour lecture. This was the only live appearance that the Austin, TX, based talk show host has scheduled.

Mr. Jones is a bit difficult for me to take seriously because he sounds so much like comedian, Phil Hendrie's outlandish character, Darth Hall, who not only sounds similar to Jones, but uses the same bumper music. Unfortunately, Alex has been right about too many things to not take him seriously.

Here's a short, eight minute video I made

Spooky Things

2010-10-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for pumpkins and such. Did you know that pumpkins come in an array of colours, shapes and sizes? They do. They're also fun to launch from an automobile traveling 120 MPH, but I don't think that's legal anymore, so I don't recommend doing it. I heard that someone recently set a world's distance record by firing a pumpkin from a cannon. Allegedly, the pumpkin traveled over a mile before it smashed onto a Utah desert. That sounds like a good alternative to launching them from cars. Imagine how much fun a bunch of guys could have with a hundred of those cannons... and ten acres of pumpkins. Much more satisfying than paint ball... and colourful too. Rhetro Image (pronounced retro ymaj`e)

Here's a great Halloween costume idea for 2010.

This is a photo of my Halloween costume from 1995. Always a big hit in pro war/Republican neighborhoods. It's Uncle Sam wearing a radiation suit and carrying a duffel/body bag with EDWEENA's feet sticking out. EDWEENA, (my 1950's mannequin that has been in our family for decades), is wearing stylish, authentic Government Issue, black combat boots. This truly scary costume makes a powerful statement while protecting the wearer from potentially harmful radiation. Better safe than sorry, I always say. This costume is best worn on election years ornamented with a tasteful number of political pins of both Republicans and Democrats... the two parties who perpetuate America's wars. That's what makes this costume Rhetro Zenberg's pick again this year.*

This is a photo from my jr. high school year book that features our enthusiastic girl's gym coach, (and health teacher), doing what she loved to do moist. Just look at the satisfaction on her face. I love the reaction of the girls who seem to be awaiting their turn. One of them can't wait to be tumbled by Ms T, another looks terrified, and the third bows her head in shame.
Speaking of faces, more recently, a box marked, "Heads and such" yielded some familiar faces too. What could be more fun than a box full of heads?
* And don't forget to vote LIBERTARIAN on the first Tuesday in November.

Halloween in 3D

2010-10-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for pseudo spookery and hella-hobgobblining, therefore to celebrate, here are two new thematically-specific stereoscopic images for you to enjoy.

These giant gargoyles stand sentinel to the newly opened Haunted Castle at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. "That wasn't scary enough, was it, Bobby?"

This basket of Halloween "paraphernalia" came out of a storage box marked, "Halloween oddities."

Hwahhahhhahha! Enjoy!

Campaign For Liberty

2010-09-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

*These next 48 hours are potentially the most dangerous time of the political year, as Harry Reid and his statist allies in Washington, D.C. decide whether to head home for the election or try to sneak in a last minute vote designed to take away liberty, and steal more of our money.

One Senator, South Carolina's Jim DeMint, has promised to place a hold on any legislation not agreed to by both parties. This does not guarantee Reid won’t try to force a controversial vote in the next two days, but the hold can only be overridden by scheduling a time-consuming cloture.

After the defeat of the DISCLOSE Act last week, Harry Reid and his cohorts are almost ready to tuck tail and head home, where we are waiting to hold them accountable for their votes over the past two years.

However, following the November elections, Harry Reid will pull out all the stops in a last ditch effort to pass as many bills as he can in a lame-duck session. According to a report in The Hill today, Democrats are planning to bring up as many as 20 bills in as little as six weeks! Bills such as S. 510, the FDA’s War on Food, Joseph Lieberman’s Internet Takeover Bill, Cap & Tax, and more.

Assigned reading for October
1984 - Brave New World
the Zenberg Blogue

*CFLRZ edit

Monerey JazZ Festerous Equinoxymoronic Convergence

2010-09-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

I don't like jazz, but last weekend I attended the world famous Monterey Jazz Festival anyway. Here are a few things that I saw there.

Summer is over... Have a nice Fall

A Rhetro Photographique - Captain Kirk Meets the Residents

2010-09-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

I took this photo of Captain James Tobias Kirk hanging out with the Residents way back in 1885.

I found Jim at a yard sale in Iron Mountain, MI, and paid only fifty cents for the captain and his first officer, Mr. Spock.

WINNER - Best September 11 Post

2010-09-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

Read the WINNING post ll

Birds & Bees... and Aphids

2010-09-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

We began the Summer with a serious aphid problem in our garden. Our beautiful organic fennel plants, pumpkins, artichokes and others were covered with millions of the tiny dark-green pests. Not only were they unsightly and disgusting, they were damaging the plants. I joked about scraping them off with a butter knife and making a spread for crackers or bread.

A month or so ago, I noticed that some wasps were constructing a paper nest underneath the eaves above the redwood deck. I considered the potentially painful encounters and plotted how I might rid our home of the wasps. I never use any poison. I figure that if it is bad for the pest, it's bad for me and my family, too. I came up with a safe non-toxic plan, but then something miraculous happened in my garden that caused me to rethink my agenda.

While I was picking some fresh basil for the balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing I was making, I noticed that nearly all of the aphids were gone, and those remaining were quickly being hunted down and collected by the wasps who's demise I had been plotting. I decided to let the wasps remain for a bit longer. There were only eight of the little buzzers, and they had proven to be more beneficial than problematic, but I knew that their days were numbered. I didn't want a huge nest of stinging wasps right outside my bedroom door.

The Experiment

I considered lots of different creative ways to deal with the wasps, but after a little experiment I conducted with an individual wasp, I knew how I would proceed. A lone wasp had flown into an opened door, so I captured it in a small Mason jar, that I then placed inside the freezer. When the wasp was fully frozen, I removed him from the jar and placed him in a web of Sparky, one of our largest house-spiders. Sparky made his way across the web to investigate, then reached out with two legs and touched the frozen wasp. The spider pulled his legs back, and seemed to ponder the lucky find for a short moment, then made a few knitting strokes to secure the wasp. I assumed that he might wrap his snack up for later, but after minimally securing the frozen dinner, Sparky sunk his teeth into the wasp, and spent the next day and a half in that position. It was interesting to watch Sparky plump up as the wasp shriveled away. It would have been wonderful on sped-up-video or time lapse.

Plan 9 From Inner Space

I worry about our spiders in the winter months because there are no pests like flies, mosquitoes or moths for them to catch in their webs. The poor little guys get so skinny too, it's really sad. Freezing a single wasp worked so well that I figured if I could freeze the entire wasp nest, then there would be ample food for Sparky, Pete, Snicker, Dandy, Joe and Dinky all Winter long. But, how to freeze an entire wasp nest that by now had twenty busy wasps and lots of larvae maturing too. I decided to freeze the nest with compressed nitrogen. It was too easy. All I had to do was wait until all the wasps were sleeping and I'd freeze them instantly then place them into a large Mason jar and store in the freezer until winter, when the spiders start looking skinny.

I removed my heavy wooden 12' ladder from the garage and set it up on the deck beneath the wasp nest. I left the ladder out over night, knowing that the wasps would be docile in the cool morning air and easier to manage. All I had to do was wake up, climb the ladder, freeze the nest and collect it while Mighty Mo gets the entire event on video. Easy!

Catch a Buzz

I woke up to the sound of a bird hopping around on the ladder located outside my sliding bedroom door. I peeked out to see what was going on, but the bird was nowhere to be seen, so I crawled back in bed and went back to sleep. After laying there for another hour or so, I decided to get up and take care of the wasps. Mighty Mo and I got the supplies together, and I walked out onto the deck to assess the activity in the hive, only to discover that the entire nest was gone! The only thing remaining was one dead wasp on an upper step of the ladder, and a partial wasp body fragment on another step. It must have been quite a battle. Apparently, the bird I had heard earlier had perched atop the ladder where it was close enough to the hive that it could hop up and harvest the sleeping wasps. He eventually removed and flew off with the entire hive full of larvae and a big juicy queen -complete with the paper nest. Yummy.

Spheres in 3-D

2010-09-03T13:23:00.003-07:00

September has arrived, therefore, as promised, here is my selection of 3-D images for you to enjoy this month. This time we're focusing on four unique spheres.

The first example is a 3" geode that I spent many hundreds of hours refining in my sphere-making-machine. The rough, exterior has been removed, but remains unpolished. I think I've decided to keep it this way, but may end up polishing it someday.
The second example is another sphere that I machined. This one is made from granite used in the construction of the Salt Lake Temple.
In about 1995, I found about a hundred of these 6" solid iron balls in the desert near Kanab, Utah. I was only able to take fourteen of them with me at the time, and when I returned to get the others a few weeks later, they were all gone. The one in this photograph has been sprayed with a polyurethane coating identical to the popular Rhino Liner for pickup truck beds.

This baseball size sphere was manufactured by an anonymous ancient American Human, and exhibits weathered evidence of having been tooled. It was found in a remote location, perched on a much larger round rock surrounded by thousands of obsidian and flint fragments. Obviously a manufacturing location for arrowheads, knives, spear-heads... and one curiously carved sphere.

Have a ball viewing!.

Live From Off-Center at 45 RPM

2010-08-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

i've been collecting vinyl records since I was a kid. The first vinyl I owned was given to me by my older cousin, Bette,* who had outgrown her Monkeys records, and I became the lucky recipient. Hey, hey!

Before long, I had become an avid Beatles fan, and didn't even consider the Monkeys to be in the same league with the fab four. I was more than a simple Beatles fan, though. I was a collector** of the Beatles' records, and set a goal to own every version, (mono, stereo, label, etc.), of every LP released in America... and I came incredibly close too. In fact, there are only two*** elusive Beatles LP's that have evaded my collection... so far.

Found among my plethora of vinyl is a small, sub-collection of mis-prints, where the label is clearly not centered on the disc. Most misprints were destroyed and never released to the public, although some of the more subtle offset labels are less obvious, and could have slipped passed quality control.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some examples of three post-Beatles singles exhibiting off-center labels.

This Apple label on Ringo Starr's Oh My My, is clearly not centered.

You'd think. I know, right? One of the worst songs of all time, but the off-centered label makes it worth the twenty-five cents I paid for this sappy rarity.

Cook of the House, the B Side of my Silly Love Songs 45, is also offset, making this vinyl doubly rare.

This ever-so-slightly offset label on George Harrison's Dark Horse**** 45 probably made it past quality control, but not my keen eye. The B Side of this 7" single is the rare and nearly unheard song, I Don't Care Anymore. This unusual melancholic song that alludes to George Harrison's real-life lost-love tragedy***** has never been released in any medium, other than this 7" record... my copy is even more valuable in light of the fact that the label is off-center.

HAVE A NICE SPIN!

* Bette Davis... I'm not kidding

** I became the the defacto proprietor of my brother's Magical Mystery Tour and Revolver records after he prematurely died. About that same time, I received some records from my cousin, Jan, who gave me original issues of Introducing The Beatles, Meet The Beatles, and Beatles 65. In the mid-seventies, I found an unopened original issue of The Beatles Second Album at the drug store in Panguitch, Utah. Apparently, the fab four were not too popular there, making it possible for me to discover the rare record many years ex post facto. I was in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin, in the mid-eighties, and had the good fortune to receive a used copy of one of the rarest of all Beatles records, The Savage Young Beatles.

*** The Beatles Christmas Album was released in 1969, but only members of the official Beatles Fan Club received copies. I was too young to be interested in the Beatles in 1969, so by the time I was collecting records, it was too late to get one, and anyone who owned a copy was not about to part with it. The Beatles Christmas Album is so rare that I have only seen two of them in my life. The most recent was priced at $200. The Beatles original issue of Yesterday and Today, the one that features the infamous butcher cover, has also evaded me. I've seen about four of them over the years. Two different friends have owned copies, and I've seen two others priced at $200 each. I won't likely pay that much, and will wait until I find them in a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market... They will come to me.

**** The Dark Horse Tour in 1974 was my first live rock concert.

***** George Harrison's long-time wife, Patty, left him for guitar hero, Eric Clapton, who also happened to be Harrison's best friend.

Got Pie?

2010-08-19T16:20:00.001-07:00

Boy, I sure do...

I took this photo of Mighty Mo and Karen Carpenter last summer.

Xtra Files 9: Picture Picture - Stereoscopique

2010-08-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is not a post about Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

Back when I was a teen, one of my favorite, after-school pass-times was Mr. Rogers Neighborhood* on PBS. My dad was disgusted every time he found me watching the program, and would, without fail, utter some derogatory remark about "that fairy" Mr. Rogers. Strangely, I experienced great pleasure in these predictable remarks. The poor guy couldn't understand why a high school kid would be watching a show for little kids, especially that show, with that "red-knit-sweater-wearing-sissy man". I loved Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and why not? I wouldn't know how marbles are made without Picture Picture.** Didn't all high schoolers watch Mr. Rogers in the disco/punk era?

Strange Segue

I started a summer job the Monday after I graduated from high school which meant that I wouldn't be hitching trains across the country like my friends and I had planned*** to do. Instead, I spent three months working for the United States Geological Survey on a 480 square mile resurvey of the Stansbury Mountain Range, Skull Valley, and small portions of Tooele Valley and Rush Valley. I was perfect for the job - strong, agile, proficient in hiking and climbing mountains, plus I already had about eight years land surveying experience, and was also somewhat familiar with the area... my home county that I had been exploring for as long as I could remember.

Best Job Ever

For three months, our team located every road, structure, spring, and mine, in addition to recovering every extant section corner and then electronically tying everything to triangulation stations on mountain peaks**** and benchmark monuments throughout the area.

We regularly used a stereoscope and aerial photographs to orient ourselves. This was the first time I had seen or used a stereoscope - a device that makes it possible to tie two images of the same thing together in 3D. Mountains, crevices, and even buildings appear to be three dimensional but exaggerated when viewed through the stereoscope.

I'll never forget the first time I peered through the stereoscope. We were on site, parked in the shade of a large concrete building near the point of the Stansbury Mountain Range. Jack, the chief engineer, spread out some maps and aerial photos on the hood of the truck and demonstrated how to match up the two aerial photographs, (something he had obviously done a million times). Then he told me it was my turn, and when I looked through the stereoscope, I saw a large box, at the base of a mountain. The box was obviously the large concrete building we had parked next to and enjoyed the shade it afforded us on a hot June afternoon. I was impressed how the image came alive in 3D, and became rather proficient at doing it myself.

What makes this story incredible, is that the next time I returned to this site - less than a month later, in the spot where the large concrete building once stood, was an 80' wide crater. The building was an explosives manufacturing plant and warehouse, and according to the official story, in the early morning hours, static electricity**** caused an explosion that vaporized the entire building, a semi truck and a few employees. There was nothing left. Nothing!

When the blast occurred, I was sleeping soundly in Tooele, all the way across the valley, more than fifteen miles away. I recall that the explosion woke me from my sleep. The following morning, we talked about it at the office. Apparently, one of the engineers had learned what had happened, and most of us reported that we had been awakened by the thunderous blast.

What makes this story even more incredible, is the fact that one of those fateful employees had been working with our USGS team, and had left for better pay at the explosives plant. Two weeks later, he was gone forever. I knew someone else who was supposed to be there that night, but she called in sick and is still alive.

How strange, (to me at least), that the very first thing I viewed and focused on through a stereoscope would end up in such tragedy. I'm glad that nothing else I've viewed through a stereoscope has met a disastrous fate. That'd be a good X-Files episode, though. Speaking of X-Files, I've always been a bit suspicious about that event back in 1981, and the official story. I've often wondered****** what really happened there?

Stereoscopique

I had heard of people being able to view photos in 3D without the aid of a stereoscope, so I gave it a try and found it quite simple to do. I even started creating some of my own 3D images. I possess so many wonderful and rare objects, I figure that they can be better appreciated when viewed in 3D. So from now on, the Zenberg Blog will feature at least one 3D image per month, and I'll attempt to be thematic about my selection of photos.

Here's how you do it

Sit at a comfortable distance from the screen and look at the point where the two images come together. Slowly begin to cross your eyes. As you do, you will begin to see a third image forming between the others. The third (middle) image is actually both images that, when matched up perfectly, appear three dimensional. It may take some practice, but is worth the effort, and my ophthalmologist tells me that it is good exercise for the eyes. Have fun.

Jello

Lately I've been eating lots of jello, (homemade with juice and Knox), because of health issues that prevent me from enjoying good food, (not that jello is bad, I've just been eating a lot of it).

This is an image of one of my favorite artifacts. I found this Anasazi makeup spoon on private property on the Colorado Plateau east of Hurricane, Utah back in 1996. Much of the red powdery makeup is still caked inside the concave area, and visible in the photograph.

Look for more 3D images next month.

*Recently, Mighty Mo dreamed that she was in the Land of Make Believe, and when she told me about it, I was a bit jealous. Especially when I found out that she got to hang out with Lady Elaine Fairchild inside the Museum Go-round. I wish I could rent Mr. Rogers Episodes on DVD, but unfortunately, they're not available. My favorite episode was the time we went to the Other Neighborhood, with emphasis on the hood.

**Mr. Rogers' magical framed wall painting that transformed into a movie screen and transported viewers to all kinds of interesting places.

***We practiced jumping on trains and riding them to Salt Lake and back.

****We even used a helicopter to reach the highest peaks. When we got to Deseret Peak, (now a wilderness area), the chopper couldn't land because a bush was in the way. I had to jump out and trim the bush so the pilot could touch down. Then, while balancing on two rocks over a crag on the highest peak of the Stansburys, the chopper stayed long enough for Jack, (Jesse C, Dyer - Engineer USGS), and I to remove the boxy and awkward Electrotape, a bulky survey instrument, (probably from the fifties), that uses microwaves to measure long distances.

***** Didn't they blame the Hindenburg disaster on static electricity?

****** I've ran lots of possibilities through my on-board scenariographer, and boiled it down to these. They are all rather far-fetched, but every scenario should be examined, and no doubt has. Someone may know exactly what happened there. If I could time-travel, I would surely go there to find out.

1) A rogue/underground/terrorist organization may have stolen explosives, and the building may have been destroyed to eliminate evidence and silence witnesses. There was supposedly a fully-loaded semi-truck inside ready to leave, but no physical evidence of the truck was ever recovered.

2) Perhaps the site had been targeted by a governmental agency for national security reasons. Is it a coincidence that the explosives plant had been precisely located by my team of USGS engineers only weeks before the event?

3) Maybe it was a robbery gone bad. The building was located not far from a convenient Interstate 80 exit, and someone bent on ill intent could have easily made their way to the remote building, not knowing what they were getting in to.

4) A small meteor may have fallen from the heavens and hit the explosives plant, detonating the whole shebang.

5) It could have even been a staged event designed to create new identities for the individuals involved.

6) Static electricity? Oh, the humanity!

8) Other

Tis Eventide

2010-08-09T15:38:00.001-07:00

I've decided that I don't get sick nearly enough. I mean, I've never even had any surgery or broken any bones. Last week I decided to get really sick, and have spent many days in bed laying around doing nothing but hurting, and enjoying a few fun-filled fever dreams. One of the side effects of the two powerful antibiotics I am taking is astounding clarity of memory. I've been remembering things that happened forty years ago like they're on a 3D screen right in front of me. Kind of creepy in a way, but I have been enjoying my unexpected stroll down rememory lane, (or is my life passing before my eyes?) I've even solved puzzles that have been tucked away in the back of my mind for years. This trippy, pharmaceutical induced 3D thinking has led me into pursuing a new hobby, stereoscopic photography. More on that on a future post though.

I've been feeling like a caged monkey, or lab rat... lab monkey. Reading hasn't been nearly as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be, sitting at the computer is way too uncomfortable to accomplish much. I don't know how much more Sabrina the Teenage Witch I can't take either. Fortunately, there are only two more discs to go on the seventh and final season, then I will be rid of Salem's fur-ball enhanced shenanigans forever. Whihoo!

The cabin fever was getting too much, so last night I forced myself to get out of the house. I can't even remember the last time I walked out to the new lighthouse, so that is where I went as the sun was setting behind Santa Cruz.

Opalescent water shimmered as I strolled down the sandy walkway toward California's newest lighthouse.
Santa Cruz' main lighthouse was clearly visible across the water from Jax, (named for the concrete barriers that resemble the popular childhood game).

I had the opportunity to go the the top of this lighthouse once upon a midnight dreary.

A patient Pelican waits for returning whalers while he listens to the blasting dance music coming from nearby Crow's Nest Restaurant/beach party place.

Across the harbour, the fueling station waits calmly for returning and departing clientèle.

It was one of the most lovely nights in Santa Cruz I can remember. Glad I'm here, and not sweating to death in the desert somewhere.

Twas good to get out and breathe that cool fresh Santa Cruz air. I should do this more often.

Happy Nagasaki Day!

Salt Lake Temple Stones - Not For Sale

2010-07-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Back in 1992, scaffolding was erected around the historic Salt Lake Temple. It seemed strange to see the beautiful landmark shrouded under a framework of planks and framed tubing. At first I was worried that the mysterious symbols were being removed. The mainstream LDS had been looking more and more like mainstream Christianity, and I feared that someone in the Mormon hierarchy may have decided that "those symbols just don't seem right anymore".

Fortunately, they weren't removing the symbols, and when I discovered that some of the old granite stones were being replaced, I figured that there must be lots of pieces of granite laying around and being discarded. As a freelance rock hound, in addition to being a chronic accumulator of rare antiquities, I couldn't resist this once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire some of the stones from the original Salt Lake Temple. What a uniquely finite and invaluable thing to possess... a tangible piece of sparkling white granite from what millions of people consider to be one of the most holy edifices on Earth. The House of the Lord.

2"x2"x6" granite shard and 3.5" granite sphere

I found the telephone number for the Salt Lake Temple President* in the US West Direct White Pages. The three-inch-thick phone book contained literally hundreds of listings under Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it took awhile to narrow down the correct number to dial. The temple president graciously took my call but informed me that there were no stone fragments of any substantial size being removed, and that mostly powder was coming out after all the cutting and sawing.

I thanked the man, but his explanation didn't ring true to me, and I couldn't forget about that granite. I knew that there must be some stones being removed. "It's a lot easier to remove pieces of granite than to reduce an entire granite stone to powder," I reasoned. A few days later, I was spending some time with my father, and told him of my unfruitful conversation with the temple president. Dad perked up and informed me that he knew "head-honchos"* involved with the restoration project, and told me that he'd find out about the stone fragments I was seeking. The next time I saw my dad, he presented me with two large sparkling pieces of granite that exhibited visible blade marks from the powerful saw that had cut them away from the Salt Lake Temple. I had my stones.

In those days, I had a strange looking machine that turned stones into smooth spheres, so I prepared a piece of the invaluable granite, and placed it into the machine where it spent hundreds of hours being refined into a perfect 3.5" sphere. One of a kind, and NOT for sale!

* Names of the temple president who lied to me and the "head honchos" who supplied the stones, are intentionally withheld.

Days of 47 - Pioneer Day 2010

2010-07-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

19th century wood cut of a Mormon pioneer wagon train from one of my favorite old books, Wife No. 19 or A Life in Bondage, (published and printed in 1875), by Ann-Eliza Young... Brigham's rebellious wife.

Micro Historique

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Protestant bigotry and oppression forced tens of thousands of persecuted Mormons to leave their homes and find freedom outside the borders of the "land of the free". The forced exodus sent the indefatigable Latter-day Saints on a mass-migration, (nearly their entire population), halfway across the North American Continent. On July 24, 1847, that huge undertaking came to fruition when Brigham Young, and a company of Mormon pioneers entered the Great Salt Lake Valley. The 24th of July has been a celebrated day in the territory since.

The Parade

Since 1849, a festive parade has been held on 24th of July to commemorate the enduring pioneer spirit of everyone who has put his/her shoulder to the wheel, and worked to establish a kingdom in the tops of the mountains... and beyond.

People begin arriving as much as a day early to stake out a good spot to situate their lawn chairs, where they can have the best view of all the floats. On the day of the Days of 47 Parade, tens of thousands of western-appareled, US-flag-waving spectators line the parade route. Forget about driving in downtown Salt Lake on July 24th. Most of the downtown area is inaccessible, and police roadblocks seem to be everywhere.

Personal Experience

When I was a courier for Pony Express back in the 80's, I was responsible for the downtown Salt Lake route. I recall that on the 24th, there was no way that I could get my van to the majority of the destinations there, especially those located on Main Street, (the parade route), so I parked as closely as I could, and used my skateboard to shuttle parcels to and fro. It was actually rather effective and efficient, and I didn't have any difficulties getting parcels delivered to the few business that remained open on the official state holiday.

Two videos in celebration of Pioneer Day

I discovered this amazing video by Baby Bam Bam Bumkin on You Tube. Most folks will think that it's pretty silly, but Baby does make some pretty insightful comments... and it's pretty dang funny too. My favorite float is the "Tree of Life" bearing fruits in the form of graven images of past and present Latter-day prophets, and Mitt Romney, of all people.

The second video is something I threw together last year, and is somewhat thematic. I was worried about all of the expired and old prescription medications that had accumulated for decades in my aging parents cupboards, so I decided to take on the task of cleaning it all out. It was really quite shocking to see how many medications my parents had been taking over the years. There was even one still in the cupboard from 1978. I was happy that there weren't any narcotics, but all pharmaceuticals are dangerous and come with a list of terrible side effects. "No wonder mom and dad are in such bad shape", I though to myself as I removed one child proof lid after another, deep into the night. Contrary to my dad's view, medications can't be disposed of in the garbage because they are classified as toxic waste, therefore the whole shebang was eventually taken to the hazardous waste receptacle at the Tooele County Sheriff's Office, and disposed of properly, but not before I shot this video. I wish I had taken more pictures, especially of the containers... there must have been fifty of them... probably more.

Happy Pioneer Day!

HOMELAND of the Brave New World

2010-07-05T21:45:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July is always a fun holiday for most of America, and especially in our family because Mighty Mo celebrates her birthday on the 4th. This year (her 44th) - our agenda was fourfold, 1) To photograph California Central Coast lighthouses; 2) To provide a field test for Mighty Mo's new Canon PowerShot SD 1400 IS - that some really nice guy gave her for her birthday - and compare it to our older model camera, the Canon PowerShot A710 IS; 3) Visit some California State Beaches for the first time, and use some of the passes we purchased to support the financially crippled California State Parks; 4)And maybe most importantly : ) to review Laurie Anderson's latest and timely release, appropriately called HOMELAND. What a perfect theme for our West Coast tour, and the lighthouses that stand as the sentinels to our homeland.

The Lighthouses

Lighthouses are kind of mysterious... almost magical. Their never-ceasing watchfulness always peering through the darkness and fog directing the mariners upon the black deep.

When I was in sixth grade, our teacher selected a handful of kids in the class to take turns reciting the same poem about a lighthouse. I nervously waited as the other kids presented the poem as best they could. I had to go last, and felt a little self conscious about reading aloud. I was, however, a confident and talented singer. Therefore, rather than suffering humiliation in front of class, I hid behind my strength, and sang a rousing version (to the tune of the Beatles', "Don't Pass Me By"). When I was done, the class erupted with hoots, hollers and applause. The teacher liked it too, and even called for an encore. The entire class joined in the singing of the lighthouse song. It's been a million years, but even now, whenever I see a lighthouse, I think about that day in sixth grade.

I'd like to be a lighthouse
All scrubbed and painted white
I'd like to be a lighthouse
And stay awake all night

To keep my eye on everything
That sails my patch of sea
Oh, I'd like to be a lighthouse
With the ships all watching me
(author unknown)

First, we stopped at California's newest lighthouse, right here in Santa Cruz. We have a cool hyperbolic million photos of this lighthouse, but not many from this perspective taken from across the mouth of the harbor with the new Canon PowerShot SD 1400 IS.

This photo of the familiar Santa Cruz Lighthouse was taken with the new Canon PowerShot SD 1400 IS, and features the old building in a rarely-photographed perspective.

We then headed north, and inserted the new Laurie Anderson CD. The fog wisped and flowed like smoke as we traveled north. Fields alive with colour surrounded us. Before long, we had arrived at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a most impressive, and picturesque structure located near the quaint little town of Pescadero, where we had lunch. The Pigeon Point photo was taken with the older camera, the Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

We almost missed this cute little lighthouse at Point Montara. We actually did pass it and had to turn around. I'm glad that we did because it was well worth seeing, and we had the entire place basically to ourselves. I took the photo with the old Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

I spotted this pseudo lighthouse in San Francisco. It looks pretty good considering I got the shot through the dirty windshield while sitting at a red traffic light, and with plenty of overhead power lines in the way.

On HOMELAND's first track, Transitory Life, Ms. Anderson masterfully and tenderly blends the netherworldly sound of Tuvan throat singers with her own unique style to create a surrealistic soundscape that seemed perfectly suited for our beautiful drive along California's spectacular coastline. "It takes a long time for a mouse to realize it's in a trap," says Ms. Anderson. It seems strange to be able to relate to that enlightened mouse. Such awareness seems to make the colours, hues and highlights of the nature all around me even more vibrant, impressive and appreciated. A wonderful distraction from the maze. A beautiful theme for a HOMELAND drive.

I've always thought of Laurie Anderson as being covertly humorous, even subtly hilarious at times. She never fails to make me smile in an "I get it" kind of way. Sometimes, Ms. Anderson's poignancy reminds me of those amusing apocalyptic musings of Isaiah, (another funny guy), whose literary message is layered with meaning. Ms. Anderson is no shallow gal. Her clever choice of words always seem to resonate on many levels, too. Her words are carefully crafted, with content, timing and inflection... and no one can tell a story like Laurie Anderson.

Track five - Only and Expert, is a snappy and catchy little ditty about how Americans have become addicted to experts and how the experts use their authoritative expertise to fleece the actively complying public. In the second to last verse, Ms. Anderson seems to take a shaky expert-trusting stance when she says, "But when an expert says it's a problem, and makes a movie about the problem, and gets the Nobel Prize about the problem, then all the other experts have to agree, it is most... likely... a problem." (No doubt a reference to Al Gore and the so called, global warming problem.) Unfortunately the experts who make the official global warming claims have been exposed for committing fraud for discouraging and disallowing any scientific data that hasn't complied with their "sky is falling" agenda. They've threatened and even destroyed the careers of experts who present alternatives. I'm no expert, but I'm amazed that people are still trusting global warming models based on incomplete and hand-picked data... but it seems there's nothing I can do from inside this maze anyway, especially when everyone believes that 2+2=5. Amazing! Masterful marketing though.

Many years ago, Ms. Anderson created a character through whom she could view the world differently. A clone of herself... a stature-challenged, chain-smoking male clone. Lou Reed, (Ms. Anderson's hubby of nearly two decades), recently gave the clone a name, Fenway Bergamot. Today, Fenway has grown older and wiser and shares some of his perspectives on HOMELAND. One of Bergamot's observations concerns his admiration of the stars in the sky. He said that what he loves most about the stars, is that we can't hurt them. Their distance ensures that we'll never damage them. His attitude is a bit reminescent of the wide-eyed naive nature of Don Van Vliet, a boy who never had to grow up. I'm curious about Bergamot's query about his mother and father, "Are those people over there really my parents?" he asks. An interesting question for a clone to ask.

HOMELAND is Ms. Anderson's first studio recording to be released in a decade. It was a blast to listen to over and over again as we toured this region of California. HOMELAND sounds like a Laurie Anderson album. There are no big surprises, or new revelations here. It's kind of like "fun meets melancholy" and have a great time hanging out together for an afternoon at Rocket Park. At the end of the day, they part, knowing that they may never enjoy another such occasion. I give HOMELAND ***** five stars, and will probably listen to it a hundred more times before 2012.

I hope there will be many more Laurie Anderson performances and new music. She's done so much already, we may never see all of it. Bravo

We stopped at Ano Nuevo State Park to hang out with the Elephant Seals who live there. The cute little guys are good eatin' too.
This one looked just like Scratch!
A Bumble Bee carrying a huge bulky payload of collected pollen bounces from flower to flower in search of more pollen at Pigeon Point. I shot this photo with my Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

Pillar Point Radar Station near Half Moon bay was difficult to photograph because I was in motion and had to hold the Canon SD1400 IS out the window.
The fog was nearly as thick as the traffic when we arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge. I took this photo through the dirty front windshield with the Canon SD1400 IS. We spent the afternoon at China Camp State Park, where there was no traffic. We had a wonderful time driving around the peninsula. Passing the Stanford Satellite Dish means that we'll be home within the hour. Also, as we passed the Lark Avenue Exit on Highway 17, we heard Laurie Anderson's Story of the Lark again (for the seventh time).

Twas a fun trip. The new camera fared rather well. The old camera has a view finder, is easy to hold, manage and operate with one hand, and takes rechargeable AA batteries. The batteries make the old Canon a bit heavier and larger than the new SD1400 IS. The rechargeable battery on the new SD1400 IS makes the new camera much lighter and smaller, but limits the time it can spend in operation. We'll have to get a spare battery to have on hand. I purchased two nickel cadmium AA batteries with a charger for the old Canon for $12, but will likely pay more for an extra rechargeable for the new camera. The mount on the new camera is more centrally positioned which means that it will work better on my bicycle attachment. . . but just pry it from Heidi Mighty Mo's hands. : )

Server Not Found in the Land of the Free

2010-07-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Very soon, the way you and I currently use the internet will disappear forever because the Obama Administration (with voluntary cooperation with the FCC and other authorities) is planning on regulating all online content... just like China and Iran currently do. Yay! We can be like them!

Yip, it's true. Free speech is taking a back seat again, or more accurately, being locked in the trunk this time, and only authorized information will be allowed to be viewed in what we once called, the Land of the Free. All unfavorable content on websites will be blocked for your protection. Most of the bandwidth-consuming lame blogs about people's kids will still exist, but anything with alternative, or questionable content will be prohibited and unavailable.

It isn't only the Obama administration who wants to squelch your Internet before the next presidential election campaigning begins. Likewise, the GOP is in favor of ensuring that another Ron Paul-type candidate doesn't get in the public eye ever again. They barely got away with hoodwinking Americans last time and don't want to risk losing control over the party to the truth-tellers. God forbid!

He who controls the information controls the masses.

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Chemistry, CHAOS and Masonic Music

2010-06-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Winter 1987

I had been engrossed in my new book for quite awhile when I became conscious that in addition to reading, I had also been listening to Mozart's Masonic Music* on the stereo, along with AM talk radio personalities discussing politics. The TV was also on... a PBS program about chemistry. I chuckled to myself when I realized the irony in the fact that I was reading, CHAOS - Making a New Science**

* Mozart wrote this music for use in the Masonic Lodge.

** One of my all-time faves! Mine is a first edition - first printing. Bravo Mr. Gleick!

Immigrant Song

2010-06-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Imagine, being able to cross any national border illegally, and expecting free medical care and education once there.

Only in America... (just try it anywhere else).

FatherZ Day 2010

2010-06-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

I started out by wearing one of my favorite t-shirts that features a photo of my long-lost friend Solon. I often wonder what happened to him.

Shrouded in greenery, Cafe Brasil is one of our family favorites...

Mighty Mo took me there for breakfast this morning. I had a yummy Eggs Florentine... poached eggs atop baguettes with spinach and fresh avocado with a generous helping of Hollandaise sauce. Mighty Mo got the Orfeu Negro... two poached eggs on sliced baguette and topped with melted, stringy mozzrella cheese and stewed black beans with fresh scallions and exotic Brazilian spices. Yum!.

A sculpted face on the facade of a Santa Cruz West Side home.

Lighthouse, natural arch and Cypress Tree ornament the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Birds on a rock watch the fishermen in awe.

I like to walk through the arch at low tide.

The refurbished whale at the Natural History Museum looks great. I was sad when vandals smashed him up last year, but now he looks better than ever.

For a late lunch, the whole family travelled to Sunnyvale to have lunch at Gobi Mongolian BBQ. I love Mongolian BBQ, and rarely have the opportunity to enjoy it.

It looks so good, I wish I had seconds.
The Cats at Los Gatos are a major landmark.
I've always wanted to get pictures of these majestic looking and very large kitties who guard the entrance of someones property just outside of Los Gatos, CA Meow!
Looks just like Scratch
Watched the sunset from my favorite vantage point on Third Street, and bid farewell to Spring. I had a wonderful Fathers Day, and I hope that you did too.

Fashion Post Friday - Disc Golf's Dark Side

2010-06-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

When I attended the prestigious Steady Ed Memorial Masters Cup disc golf tournament in May, I couldn't help noticing that many of the fellas there were wearing shorts with dark-socks. Apparently, disc golfers tend to dress alike. As an avid disc golfer myself, I've been aware of the phenomenon for years, but this event was the largest dark-sock gathering I have attended. I lost interest in the tournament and began snapping photos of the attendees in garb and got some fine examples. One of my favorites depicts four men wearing shorts... three of them sporting their snazzy black-socks.

Serious snappy dressers and fanatic-fascionistas tend to turn their noses up at men who wear dark-socks with shorts. Wearer beware.