www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

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2008

1. May 12, 2008 (Monday):
   A 7.9 earthquake hit central China today, killing nearly 9,000 people...
2. May 07, 2008 (Thursday):
   Oil reached $124 per barrel today. To the disapointment of my employer (they'd prefer my personal car be "on the ready" throughout our business day) I continue to ride the bus to work. Ridership appears to be increasing on the GS (the line I take too and from work) and I'm pretty sure it's not my imagination. Maybe we will get smarter and stop the fuel waste I've been witnessing first hand for a half century now? Or, will it be a minority of thoughtful citizens giving up their cars, in favour of mass-transit - with the Limbaugh's of this world continuing to drive two-ton Hummers across town to buy a pack of cigarettes? Either way I'm going to start riding my bike to the bus stop - I need to loose some weight of my own, anyway...
3. May 07, 2008 (Wednesday):
   It's now estimated that 100,000 may have lost their lives during this week's cyclone through Burma (Myanmar). In other news, the Olympic flame made it's way to the top of Everest today in preparation for the world's biggest sports business event in a country that has crushed Tibet and Xinjiang. This week also marks the 60th anniversary of the Catastrophe - the Israeli theft and occupation of Palestinian land.
4. April 30, 2008 (Wednesday):
   Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist best known for synthesizing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), died at age 102 today.
5. April 26, 2008 (Saturday):
   I was surprised (but delighted!) to see the group Women in Black holding their silent peace vigil in front of the Colorado Mills shopping mall. I stopped to photograph them but my camera battery was dead. Darn, it would have been a great shot with all of them in black surrounded by falling snowflakes. Nevertheless, I received a flier and learned a lot about their wonderful efforts for peace!
6. April 19, 2008 (Saturday):
   I climbed Mt. Sherman (14,036 ft/4,278 metres) with Tom and Linda. Although considered one of the easier 14ers, an average snow depth of about three feet (one metre) made it pretty darn difficult! Plus, I did it without my snowshoes - the "postholing" making it that much more of a workout! Either way, it was lots of fun and has me all fired up for more climbing this summer!
7. April 7, 2008 (Monday):
   Wow! Freedom for Tibet activists in France and San Francisco made international news for their respective Olympic Torch and Golden Gate Bridge protests. Bless 'em!
8. April 6, 2008 (Sunday):
   Protesters in London have created a bit of chaos, in support of Tibet, as the Olympic Torch attempts to make its way through town for its long journey to China this summer. Even the "fair and balanced" news pansies at Fox covered the protests on their main web page today. Maybe there's hope, yet, for the suppressed peoples of Tibet and other areas around the world??!!
9. March 31, 2008 (Monday):
   Neil Conan, host of NPR's "Talk of the Nation" program. interviewed Times environmental writer Bryan Walsh about issues related to Earth Hour. After encountering a number of busy signals I was finally able to "bust through" and was put on the air to describe our experience during Earth Hour!
10. March 29, 2008 (Saturday):
    Tami and I participated in the second annual Earth Hour event by shutting down all of our computers and lights throughout the house and walking to a local grocery store to complete our family chores. Our neighborhood overlooks Denver and it appeared that there was some participation, gazing out across the dark horizon, but not as much as we had hoped for...
11. March 27, 2008 (Thursday):
    Our son successfully (and easily!) defended his thesis today and is now a PhD physicist - we're quite proud!
12. March 25, 2008 (Tuesday):

    A huge portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in the western Antarctic broke off today. About the size of Manhattan, the collapsed piece is estimated to have been there for anywhere between hundreds to 1,500 years. But, thanks to global warming it's now gone with the rest of the Wilkins ice shelf, about the size of Connecticut, hanging on by a thin piece. sad, so very sad...

13. March 24, 2008 (Monday):
    Hey, I was wrong - there are some people out there with guts!! Over the weekend US House speaker Nancy Pelosi angered the Chinese government by speaking out against the treatment of Tibet! And, going beyond just words, she actually went and met with the Dalai Lama (exiled in India) despite loud Chinese government protest. Pelosi said, "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in Tibet, we have lost our moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world." The Xinhua state news agency responded by saying Pelosi was a "defender of arsonists, looters and killers." Hmmmm, sounds like the same thing Israel says anytime somebody tries to defend the rights of Palestinians to return to their homeland!
14. March 17, 2008 (Monday):
    In an another move to strengthen corporate socialism, the government announced a $30 billion bailout of the financial giant Bear Stearns. With government approval, JPMorgan Chase will purchase Bear for $236 million - the government's financing will be used to back up billions in Bear investment backed by subprime mortgages. In the "old" days businesses were punished with collapse for making risky investments that failed. Now, of course, taxpayers are expected to pay the bills for CEOs who can't do the right thing...
15. March 15, 2008 (Saturday):
    The world (and our country) continue to standby and watch the peoples of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Palestine being brutalized by China and Israel, respectively. Why are we so afraid to speak up? Is it because the Palestinians have no oil? Or, is it if we upset the Chinese we won't be able to buy anymore of their trinkets and other junk at Wal-Mart? I don't know what it is but the silence is deafening as these peoples continue to be forced out of their homes and their countries taken over...
16. March 14, 2008 (Friday):
    China has intensified its military crackdown on protestors in Tibet - land that doesn't belong to the Han Chinese yet the world does almost nothing (very similar to the occupation of Palestine by Israel). Xinjiang province has also been in the news as the Han Chinese have cracked down on the Uyghur People and their desire to be free of Chinese domination. What with Wal-Mart's special ties to China, and the goofy Olympics taking place in Beijing this summer I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for anyone to stand up for the indigenous peoples of Tibet or Xinjiang (or Palestine, for that matter...).
17. March 13, 2008 (Thursday):
    According to the Justice Department the FBI continues to badly mishandle letters that it uses to obtain personal records without a court order. The new report cites "issuance of NSLs [national security letters] without proper authorization, improper requests and unauthorized collection of telephone or Internet e-mail records due to FBI errors or mistakes made by NSL recipients." The lawlessness of the FBI, and other government spy and law "enforcement" agencies, doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who pays attention to such issues...
18. March 05, 2008 (Tuesday):
    The government has pumped $200 Billion into the financial markets. Naturally, the stock market rallied and gained considerably. However, these kinds of actions should dispel any doubt that our markets are free and open. Clearly, the "invisible hand of the marketplace," and Capitalism in general, is a failure.
19. March 05, 2008 (Wednesday):
    On the road again (again!). After some business in Reno I once again found myself exploring more of the back roads out in the American west. It's a luxury whose time has past - with oil at over $100 barrel mindless wondering over country roads will become a lost art (not to mention the waste and carbon loading such travel burdens Earth with...). Well, if it helps, Ed Abbey suggested that such luxurious driving habits will simply "help" us get back to basics that much quicker...

Anyway, two days ago I was beating up my rental car on the steep and bumpy dirt roads around the Stillwater Naval Air Station in western Nevada. It was there that I stumbled upon a radar site where they were testing a "steerable" dish antenna. The military didn't seem to mind, or maybe didn't notice, that I was video recording their parabolic reflector bouncing up and down and side to side. A voice was booming over their radio's loudspeaker advising technicians to turn the antenna this way or point it that way - apparently irradiating the countryside with bursts of high-powered microwave energy. I didn't stay around long enough to absorb much of the radiation (I hope...).

Today I drove the length of California 49, having started on highway 89, near Tahoe, making my way past the interesting little hamlets of Sierraville, turning left at Sattley, and then making my way through Sierra City, Downieville and North San Juan. Passed through the very obvious "tourist trap" of Nevada City (not unlike Tombstone, Blackhawk, Deadwood and similar towns I've been through), had lunch in Grass Valley and then drove like crazy to make my 3:30 flight out of Reno. Took tons of photos, GPS waypoints, and video that I may post some day...

20. March 01, 2008 (Saturday):
    I was on a great backcountry ski trip up the Wild Irishman with Carol and Reed - survivors of the 2005/2006 rock fall incident that killed so many on Kilimanjaro's Western Breach. Their firsthand account of the falling rock and deaths taking place all around them was moving and sad...
21. February 17, 2008 (Sunday):
    Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. No doubt other nations (like Russia, Spain, China, etc.) will fear such a move motivating separatist movements within their borders...

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that was being investigated for mistreating cattle. This was the largest beef recall in U.S. history, surpassing the 1999 ban of 35 million pounds. It's pretty clear that meat is unhealthy in many ways!

22. February 16, 2008 (Saturday):
    Tami and I watched two coyotes stealthily cross our backyard this morning. It was encouraging to see nature still alive but extremely sad to learn, later in the day, that scientists have started to "officially" recognize that we are, indeed, in a new geological epoch - the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene, characterized by an environment substantially altered by human activity, follows the Holocene epoch - a geological period which began approximately 11,550 calendar years BP until the last century when world destruction intensified at the hand of mankind. Sick and pathetic to think that so few of us could see (or cared!) that this was coming 30 and 40 years ago. Of course it's even more sick and pathetic that so few people, even today (!), care about all that has been lost in the world. We are a lazy, greedy, selfish species - I am ashamed...
23. February 08, 2008 (Friday):
    Drove the rental car another 300 miles but, this time, it was through the Sierra Nevada of northern California - through quaint little towns like Quincy, Paxton, Canyondam, Susanville, Johnstonville, and Milford. Lee Summit (4,439') and Fredonyer (5,748') were two of the many passes along my route - all of 'em were winding and narrow with five foot walls of snow on each side. I also made the usual three or four dozen photo stops for everything from proselytizing and political signs to jails and ancient trestle bridges. Gasoline was between $3.09 to $3.29 - prices we'll be longing for once we're past peak oil...
24. February 07, 2008 (Thursday):
    Flew from KCMO to Reno and then drove a rental car through 300 miles of Nevada desert for a bit of exploring before work - stopping in places like Fallon, Schurz, Walker Lake and Hawthorne. I love the high desert but remain saddened by how cow-burnt the Nevada (not to mention Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Montana and other western states) landscape remains. The time to get cattle off our public lands has long passed! Anyway, I took Highways 359, 167, and 395 back to Reno - stopping in Bridgeport to buy just a few gallons of gas ($3.99 per gallon!!) and make a waypoint at the Mono County Courthouse (built in 1880). Made my way over Devils Gate Summit (7,519') and other passes along the way.
25. February 06, 2008 (Wednesday):
    Amber and I drove like crazy, from Denver to KCMO, in a raging blizzard along the eastern Kansas portion of I-70. Took us 11 hours which isn't bad considering we actually drove through snow drifts at times. Made it to Sterling's memorial service A-okay...
26. February 04, 2008 (Monday):
    The Bush administration is requesting a seven percent increase in military spending to $515 billion USD - higher than all the other country's military spending combined! And, as if our bloated military (and the associated armaments industry) doesn't already take too much of our tax dollars, Bush is asking for an additional $200 billion USD for "Homeland" security - an independent branch of the our spook and military industries. If passed by Congress, Bush's request will be the first $3 Trillion budget in history with record deficits and debt continuing as part of our government's fiscal "strategy." We are lost...
27. February 02, 2008 (Saturday):
    My father-in-law, Sterling, passed away today. We were lucky to see him before he left us...
28. January 10, 2008 (Thursday):
    Sir Edmund Hillary died today at age 88. In addition to Mt. Everest he did a lot of good work for hospitals and schools. I saw him speak in 1994 and was impressed with the other parts of his life in addition to the climbing. Seems strange now but I received his autograph at the time...
29. January 02, 2008 (Wednesday):
    Oil, albeit briefly, reached $100 per barrel today. Not a huge percentage increase when you consider it's been in the 90 dollar range lately. Nevertheless, it's a good indicator that our happy motoring days are going to slowly diminish from now on. Even though we're at peak oil there will still be periods of increased production (thanks to the aforementioned pricing!) but, overall, world output is going to fall over the long run. And, what did we do to prepare for this, or, more importantly, to mitigate the damage done to the environment, the atmosphere, and our general quality of life? Not much! We've wasted, squandered, and abused this messy form of energy for over a century now and our bad habits are starting to catch up with us...

 



 

2007

30. December 30, 2007 (Sunday):
    Steve F. and I skied to the Wild Irishman Mine today. Our trip back to Denver, via I-70, was the worst/longest either of us had ever experienced. Travel time, due to ski resort crowds, icy roads, and blowing snow was almost triple that of a normal day. There were dozens of accidents, rescue vehicles and police stretched along the entire route for Dillon to Denver. The Highway Patrol eventually closed I-70 in both directions - what a mess!

    Again, the problem with I-70 isn't the highway itself - it's that there are too many of us! America's population passed 301 million this month and that's nothing to be proud of!

31. December 27, 2007 (Thursday):
    Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today - huge news that swept the world...
32. December 22, 2007 (Saturday):
    I joined a group for a winter solstice backcountry ski trip along Jim Creek. Bitter cold (below zero at the start) but an enjoyable workout. We came within 150 feet of a bull and cow moose. A very unusual encounter for us here in Colorado...
33. December 10, 2007 (Monday):
    Former Vice President Al Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to combat global warming. He shares the prize with the United Nation's Panel on Climate Change.
34. December 09, 2007 (Sunday):
    Another random killing, here in Colorado, just days after a similar incident in Omaha, Nebraskas...
35. December 07, 2007 (Friday):
    This week we learned that the CIA destroyed video tapes of its agents interrogating two al Qaeda suspects in 2002. The agency's lame excuse for deleting such documents, now that Congress wants to take a closer look at their activities, is that they wanted to protect the identity of the agents conducting the "alternative" interrogation! Never mind that viewing the videos could have been restricted to government officials or that the agent's images could have been digitally masked or altered! There's little doubt around the country, as I make this entry, that the videos would have confirmed torture (water boarding) taking place. Saddly, the real casualty in all of this is our country's good name and image continuing to be besmirched by the overpaid, under worked thugs who run our government, military, and secret agencies...

    Today the nation also got to hear presidential candidate Mitt Romney's long, evasive speech about his Christian faith and it's effect on his life, our government, and the country in general. Again, anyone who isn't a Christian, and especially the non-believers, are at best ignored and usually discriminated against by the likes of Romney and the rest of the Bible crowd. The most disappointing thing, of course, is that politicians still conduct national discourse under the shadow of religious literalism and make-believe. For shame!

36. November 29, 2007 (Thursday):
    The gaming case for the new computer I'm building arrived on my front porch today. Although I wanted to wait until after the holiday rush I couldn't resist the price ($50 USD, total, after coupons and rebates) for such a fully ventilated system - three 120 mm fans and one 200 mm fan for a huge amount airflow. Anyway, I'm thinking of an 800 Watt power supply, quad processors, a couple gb of RAM, and huge hard drives at about one third gb of storage. Of course when you read this entry five years from now it'll all look so primitive...
37. November 19, 2007 (Monday):
    We learned that our neighbor, across the street, discovered three dead raccoons in his backyard. Animal control confirmed that they had been poisoned! We are so lucky to have so much wildlife in and around our property yet others see it as an opportunity to be cruel and destructive - it's pathetic!
38. November 18, 2007 (Sunday):
    Tami and I hiked a few miles around the area of Landscape Arch and Double O Arch in Arches National Park.
39. November 16, 2007 (Friday):
    Tami and I stopped in Jacumba and easily climbed the fence into Mexico. Then, of course, easily climbed the fence again to walk back into the United States. Obviously a very porous border...
40. November 14, 2007 (Wednesday):
    Jogged a few miles into the Ventana Wilderness area via the Pine Ridge trailhead. Later in the day we drove down Highway One and filmed the elephant seals north of Malibu.
41. November 13, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Spent a very pleasant evening in Big Sur.
42. November 12, 2007 (Monday):
    Tami and I hiked a couple miles through Muir Woods - it was very pleasant! We also walked both ways across the Golden Gate Bridge but found the traffic noise to be a bit much...
43. November 03, 2007 (Saturday):
    Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency after suspending the Constitution, sacking a Chief Justice and deploying troops - what a mess!
44. October 26, 2007 (Friday):
    I was engaged in "pledge rap," at KGNU, with Liz, Joel, Duncan and Sam. One listener renewed her memership in honor of my interviewing skills - wow!
45. October 21, 2007 (Sunday):
    Climbed Mt Morrison this morning for the 120th time (literally!). Today was a little different in that it was near-blizzard conditions and downright treacherous on the steep parts!
46. October 20, 2007 (Saturday):
    Drove back to Denver, from Grand Junction, with a Sierra Club friend - just in time to experience the storm's full force moving eastward over Vail Pass! Nevertheless, like John Muir, I've always loved an epoch weather event (although I've yet to lash myself to a tree like Muir...). The bad part was the start through Garfield County - the over-lit gas drilling rigs, that we saw last night, were even more evident (through breaks in the weather) along with all of their associated compressor stations, pipes and storage tanks. I can only imagine how devastated this section of our state must look from the air, not to mention the complete disruption to wildlife and the biota in general. For what? A little more natural gas to turn into fertilizer or to heat sports stadiums and shopping malls? We are lost...
47. October 17, 2007 (Wednesday):
    I am very proud that America bestowed our nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, on His Holiness the Dalai Lama today. Still, I remain infuriated that so little has been done to free Tibet from China's miserable, immoral occupation. Anyway, his HH is certainly deserving of my country's highest recognition!

    In other religious news, Richard Roberts has requested a leave of absence from his job as president of Oral Roberts University. Seems the Roberts family is being accused of all kinds of corruption and misdeeds - not unlike most of the big churches that dominate other parts of the American landscape. Sad part is, my countrymen have short memories and continue throwing tons of money and tax breaks at any church willing to muscle-in on our neighborhoods and broadcast networks...

48. October 12, 2007 (Friday):
    It was announced that Al Gore, and scientists from the International Panel on Climate Change, will be sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize! Fantastic news, of course, but still sad that the Earth's climate is being altered by human activity. Pathetic, really, if you think of how quickly the climate is now changing compared to the thousands and millions of years it took in the past. We are selfish and irresponsible...
49. September 29, 2007 (Saturday):
    Newt Gingrich announced he won't be running for president. Topps Meat Co. expanded its recall of ground beef from about 300,000 pounds to 21.7 million pounds - one of the largest recalls of its kind in our country's history. The problem seems to be the possibility of some hamburger patties being contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 bacterium. Since meat-eating isn't very healthy, to begin with, this would seem like a great time to give up beef altogether! EIther way, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating 25 illnesses associated with the beef that's been recalled...
50. September 25, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Peddled a small rental bike well over 15 miles throughout Potomac and along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park - the weather was nearly perfect and I had almost the entire trail to myself since everyone else was either in school or working for the day! Took the Metro to Smithsonian Station and had a pleasant lunch on the mall. I don't know what it is but every time I'm in DC they're always erecting these huge, white tents up and down the mall for various displays and booths. I'm surprised there isn't more emphasis on keeping the area open. Oh well...
51. September 24, 2007 (Monday):
    Graduated MLDP! Gave the closing speech in addition to one, earlier in the day, on peak oil and it's effect on our company and the future of our country's economy. Although the audience seemed relatively quiet I believe both talks were well received as I received many compliments later in the evening and even at breakfast the next morning. Still, do people even care? Is anyone willing to stand up, speak out, or act on such matters - or is maintaining a "prim and proper" image for further career advancement the most importnat thing at this point? Either way, do my coworkers and the rest of the world really believe that the price of Oil will go down if our population continues to increase? Do they really believe the way we live is sustainable? Is anybody thinking (or caring) out there??
52. September 18, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Tami and I had our first taste of Durian this afternoon - a pungent smelling fruit from southeast Asia that has a rather tasty pulp very reminiscent of pudding! In other news, the Federal Reserve has had to "monkey" with interest rates to keep our house-of-cards economy going in the right direction. The herd of sheep at the stock market responded favorably...
53. September 12, 2007 (Wednesday):
    I was in Brussels, with a few extra hours on my hands, and decided to rent a car to see Luxembourg. Driving like crazy, for over 430 km (roundtrip), I burned out 3rd, 5th, and the reverse gear. I was averaging 150 to 160 kmh (about 100 mph) so have no idea why the transmission failed, especially the reverse gear, but am thankful I made it back to Belgium in time for my flight to Munich!!
54. August 28, 2007 (Tuesday):
    It was revealed that Idaho Senator Larry Craig was charged with sexual misconduct after an airport restroom incident earlier this summer. Even in my old age (I'm 51 as of this entry!) it still amazes me what reverence we hold for government officials, movie stars, and sports figures. At times they seem almost immune to any laws or criticism despite being as human as the rest of us. That doesn't mean a president or sports mogul shouldn't be treated with respect. However, impeachment, indictment, and just plain old public scrutiny should be a matter of routine - not the exception!

    Received a job offer for a one year assignment at the office across town from where I'm currently working. I guess I should be grateful to be working, at all, let alone receiving these little offers here and there. Either way, it's like Cactus Ed said himself, "It's too little, too late..."

    Anyway, for more important matters, I once again cut my own hair today. Long lines and high fees discourage me from seeking out professionals - a #5 blade (5/8 inch, 16mm) does the trick for easy hair care maintenance!

55. August 27, 2007 (Monday):
    U.S. Attorney General Roberto Gonzales resigned today. It's astonishing how much dishonesty, corruption and incompetence has taken place in the Bush administration yet nearly all of them go away unquestioned or unpunished. As I recently mentioned on my radio show, this past half-decade has got to have been one of the darkest periods in American government and political history.
56. August 26, 2007 (Sunday):
    Climbed Missouri and Belford for what must have been a minimum of 6,200 feet in elevation gain - quite the workout for both John and I!
57. August 20, 2007 (Monday):
    At about 9 pm the International Space Station, with the Space Shuttle trailing it, passed nearly overhead. The display lasted about two minutes until the two disappeared behind the Earth's shadow - still well above the horizon. The space program remains in the news with recent revelations that some astronauts may have been drinking a few hours prior to a few shuttle flights. Drinking or not, it's high time (so to speak!) to eliminate the human element from space travel! Automated exploration of space is less expensive, less resource intensive, less polluting, and probably achieves an equal amount of science. I'm all for space exploration and science but don't like turning the skies into a military platform or expensive playground - let's get people out of the space exploration equation!
58. August 15, 2007 (Wednesday):
    We, or at least the small percentage of us who pay any attention, learned in today's news that the death toll in yesterday's suicide bombings in northern Iraq has risen to at least 500 (according to local officials in Nineveh province). Ten years ago nobody would have believed such numbers to be possible. Ten years from now (I hope) we won't believe it either. But, here it is, this snapshot in time, with many hundreds of people dying in Iraq each week. What an absolute indescribable tragedy! It's all so sad and pathetic, and for what reason did we decide to invade and destabilize that country? Imaginary weapons of mass destruction? To appease Israel? To stabilize the price of oil? For what reason were so many thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians to die? I can't imagine any reason to justify so much suffering and misery...

    Of course of bigger interest in our news is anything related to consumerism. China is getting its hand slapped because some of the toys it sold us had lead in the paint. Other toys had loose magnets that children might swallow while other toys had imitation eyes filled with kerosene. No doubt China will execute a few toy executives and clean up its manufacturing processes to maintain its business reputation. But what does it say about us? All of this cheap, worthless junk we can't buy fast enough for our children. For shame!

59. August 13, 2007 (Monday):
    President Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, submitted his resignation on Friday.
60. August 02, 2007 (Thursday):
    The Duggar couple, of Arkansas had their 17th child today. Anything beyond two children, in this day and age, is selfish and irresponsible - regardless of how much time and money you think you have!
61. July 29, 2007 (Sunday):
    Climbed Snowmass Mountain via the west face - amazing amount of loose and falling rock above 13,000 feet...
62. July, 22 2007 (Sunday):
    Aidan and I climbed Castle Peak, 14er, and then had dinner at Hunter S. Thompson's old haunt, the Woody Creek Tavern (WCT). Although outrageously expensive (like everything else in Pitkin County), WCT does have a fantastic vegetarian menu. I ordered the Vegan tacos and enjoyed them immensely!
63. July 21, 2007 (Saturday):
    Had dinner at Little Annie's, in Aspen, on our way for a climb in the Elk Range.

64. July 20, 2007 (Friday):
    President Bush finally got around to placing some limits on the CIA's terror interrogation program with an executive order that pushes our country in a better direction. Although weakly worded, and vague about torture and inhuman treatment, the order does appear to reverse a shameful trend in the way our government and military has been treating prisoners this past half decade.
65. July 02, 2007 (Monday):
    To nobody's surprise President Bush commuted the sentence of convicted felon Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Well, maybe there was some surprise as most of us figured Bush would give his buddy Scooter a full pardon - but maybe that's to come later? Anyway, to think of all the innocents that Bush has held illegally in Guantanamo, and a variety of secret CIA prisons, and not one of them has been given a second thought by the president or his staff. Ol' Scooter must be feeling pretty tall knowing the Commander-in-Chief wrestled long and hard over the 30 month prison sentence he had received. Ah, to have friends in such high places, what could be better? And, what better reward for covering up your boss' wrong-doing? It's an age-old formula that works well in administrations like Bush's...
66. June 22, 2007 (Friday):
    Another strange day for our government! The CIA made public documents that detail illegal and scandalous activities it engaged in over 30 years ago (things like wiretapping of journalists, kidnappings, warrantless searches and similar conduct are revealed - but to nobody's surprise...). It was also revealed today that Vice President Cheney's office tried to abolish the National Archives Information Security Oversight Office for their look at the way he and his staff handle classified documents. Again, no surprises here as Cheney's recklessness and disregard for law are legendary. Also today, but in my own little world, I learned from my urologist that there is no sign of bladder cancer or a return of the tumor he removed from me a year ago. One word: Relief!
67. June 16, 2007 (Saturday):
    Took a wonderful tour of Biosphere 2, 30 miles north of dowtown Tucson, with Allen and Mable. I had no idea that so much thought, planning, and money had went into this early 90s experiment! What a fantastic effort that all involved in can be proud of. I highly recommend anyone in the Tucson area stop by to take a look for themselves - your appreciation for dear old mother Earth will be that much greater!
68. June 15, 2007 (Friday):
    Had a splendid walk through part of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. After sunset I was somewhat surprised (not to mention disappointed) that my coworkers were reluctant to go anywhere near the Mexican border (Lukeville, on the border, was just five miles from where we had parked at the park's information center). A surprising number of Americans still fear travel even when it's something as simple as the Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco) tourist area of northern Mexico. An acquaintance suggested that it was because of all the terrorist propaganda Americans have been bombarded with these past few years. Maybe true but I still couldn't help noticing all of the trucks pulling boating equipment straight south for the Sea of Cortez (Mar de Cortés )...
69. June 14, 2007 (Thursday):
    I borrowed one of our group's rental cars and drove 385 miles, roundtrip, from Tucson to Fort Apache and back again. The Globe, Arizona police pulled me over for speeding but were kind enough to let me escape with just a written warning since I agreed to a vehicle search. Relatively thorough, they pulled up car seats and removed trunk lining, etc. Not sure what they were looking for but I'm glad none of my coworkers hadn't left anything questionable stashed in the car! The Indians on the San Carlos Rez' treated me well - made it back to my Tucson hotel room sometime past 01:30 am and was pretty exhausted by the time our group met at 8 am that morning...
70. June 13, 2007 (Wednesday):
    My coworkers and I took a little "fieldtrip" to Tombstone where I thoroughly enjoyed an intimate tour of the Good Enough Mine (Tombstone Consolodated Mines Company). The town is full typical tourist stuff while the mine, although enjoyable, charges too much (still, the owner himself spent over an hour of time with me, personally, so I can't really complain!). Nevertheless, Tombstone is worth the trip to see it all at least one time in a person's life. Got pulled over by the border patrol on my way back to Tucson and then poked around Oracle all evening looking for Ed Abbey's mythical Oracle roots...
71. June 12, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Followed a band of slow moving cars to the top of Mt. Lemon, near Tucson, and was actually allowed beyond the gates to the University of Arizona's observatory property. Ah, but thought better of it and turned around before the grad students had realized they accidentally allowed somebody over two times their age through the gate...

72. June 11, 2007 (Monday):
    Hiked a mile through Saguaro National Park (West) from Gates Pass.
73. June 10, 2007 (Sunday):
    Arrived in Tucson for a week of business and had time to pop into Nogales, on the Mexican side, for a nice meal with some coworkers. I was disappointed that these same guys were reluctant to explore the rest of Nogales with me (I'm convinced Americans have too many phobias when it comes to travel, even for something as simple as the "Front" border area of northern Mexico). I was even more surprised at how dirty the air over much of Arizona looked. Very different from my first trip through Arizona with my parents when I was ten in 1965. Back then, along Route 66 (a couple hundred miles north of Tucson), the skies were spectaularly clear - especially at night when there were more stars visible than I can recall at any other time of my life. Now, of course, you're lucky to even make out the path of the Milky Way let alone its dust lanes and other objects. We've lost so much...
74. June 01, 2007 (Friday):
    Doctor Jack Kevorkian was released from prison after serving 8 years of a 10-25 year sentence for assisting at least 130 terminally ill patients with suicide.
75. May 31, 2007 (Thursday):
    NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (a Bush appointee) expressed some doubt, on NPR, whether Global Warming should be of much concern. Griffin stated, "I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with." For shame! These are the critical thinkers and "leaders" running America's most powerful and influential agencies? Gag me with a spoon!
76. May 29, 2007 (Tuesday):
    "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan announced that she's quitting her role as leader of the anti-war movement and heading home to try and lead a normal life again. Exhausted from her anti-war work, and frustrated with our country's political in-action, she said that her son "died for nothing" when he was killed in Baghdad over 37 months ago...

    In related news, it's been revealed that over 90% of our Senators didn't even read the key 2002 pre-Iraqi war report authorizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The 90-page, classified National Intelligence document required going to a secure, Washington DC location. Records show only six senators and a handful of House members bothered showing up...

77. May 17, 2007 (Thursday):
    It's been announced that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will resign, effective June 30th, due to his lack of ethics and judgment over career manipulations in favour of his girlfriend. Good riddance! However, it's too bad our nation's corrupt Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, doesn't take Wolfowitz' cue and resign as well. However, Gonzales obviously much better connected and won't be leaving any time soon. So, don't hold your breath waiting...
78. May 15, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Jerry Falwell died today. Seems like he did a lot of damage, throughout his life, to both Christianity and our country...
79. May 10, 2007 (Thursday):
    America's poodle, Tony Blair, announced he'll be stepping down as Britain's Prime Minster. My guess is he'll be replaced by somebody that won't be a whole lot different. Like placid Hindu cows we voters are nearly oblivious to what's really going on around us...
80. May 07, 2007 (Monday):
    Nicolas Sarkozy won France's presidential election over the weekend. Although he promises change I think his country, my country, and most of the world is headed in the wrong direction. With the end of cheap energy and a huge population problem, "globalism," "free trade," and open markets are going to be a thing of the past in the not too distant future. So, for France, China, the U.S., or anyone else to be vying for more market share will be a waste of time in the long run - after Peak Oil we're all going to wish we had structured a more sustainable, Earth-friendly society. I know this sounds just like another wild blogger's opinion but the facts are out there - world oil production is flattening-out while demand rises and most countries are beyond their peak for natural gas production. Without cheap energy we're going to be in big trouble. When? My guess is less than five years. Hopefully I'm wrong and we can revisit this blog entry, say during the spring of '12, and laugh! I doubt it though...
81. May 04, 2007 (Friday):
    Tami spotted this season's first kit in our backyard this morning. The mother fox, just like in years past, stands vigilant while her youngster frolic in the springtime sun - it's fun to watch!
82. April 23, 2007 (Monday):
    Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died today at age 76. President Bush continues his unquestioned support of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales - despite Gonzales' firing of U.S. Attorneys who weren't in political agreement with the current administration.... Also, looks like Paul Wolfowitz gets to keep his job as president of the World Bank - despite breaking World Bank ethics rules by giving high pay and benefits to his girlfriend. I guess Gonzales and Wolfowitz have friends in high places - very high places...
83. April 20, 2007 (Friday):
    My last day in Washington, DC before heading back home. Had a delightful time talking with protesters, politicians and museum curators around the White House, Capitol building, and Smithsonian. I had a ticket to the Senate chambers but arrived after they're session ended. I did enjoy tours of the Library of Congress, Native American Museum, and Supreme Court. I've posted some pix Here.
84. April 11, 2007 (Monday):
    Another horrible mass-shooting/killing. This time it's Virginia Tech. I can't imagine what it would be like to be the parent, spouse, sibling, friend, neighbor or lover of one of those lost - there can be no worse news.

    Unfortunately, it doesn't appear police tactics have changed much since the 1999 mass murder at Columbine (just a dozen kilometres from my own home here in Colorado). Although my sampling of videos for these incidents is small and unscientific it still appears the police are reluctant to dive into the "unknown" to save the lives of the citizenry. The photos I've seen always seem to show the police crouched behind their vehicles, or other protective barriers, while the rampage goes on in the building before them. I've heard the police come up with all kinds of excuses about there being communications problems, or they don't know who is inside doing the killing, etc. Heck, isn't that what the police are paid for - to risk their own lives, even if it means busting their way into a locked building where people are being killed?

    These police inaction incidents also reminds me of New Orleans and hurricane Katrina when a good portion of the force simply disappeared. Yes, my own instincts would be to save myself but I'm not (any longer, anyway!) a policeman and it's their job to take risks to control order and save people. Although I'm not going to hold my breath I hope some police departments, somewhere, consider these thoughts and develop a more aggressive policy when it comes rampage killings and similar publice emergencies...

85. April 16, 2007 (Wednesday):
    Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. passed away
86. April 10, 2007 (Tuesday):
    A quarter century for ALAW!
87. April 09, 2007 (Monday):
    My web hosting company advised me, today, that the statistics package that monitors visits to my site can't keep up with the traffic as the data file is too large and unwieldy. I'd love to use this as a point of reference, or braggadocio, but the sad fact is that over 25,000 hits per day are from folks "hot-linking" my site to "borrow" graphics for their own pages and backgrounds (many are on "MySpace") resulting in 1.1 million hits for March. It's going to take a lot of coding to combat this...

    At about 8:40 pm Tami and I watched the international space station pass overhead in the night sky. Rising from the southwest, it was headed northeast with a brightness somewhat less than Venus but stronger than most stars. Overhead it disappeared above the clouds but popped into view, now and again, where the clouds thinned out. Although a fascinating experiment, I often wonder what good it does to send so many humans into space - especially near-Earth orbit where so many hundreds have gone before? (About 450 by the time of this entry) The space station, and supporting spacecraft, are expensive, resource-intense polluters that offer very little return-on-investment. I vote we engage in a lot more unmanned space exploration and leave these over-paid military "astronauts" down here on Earth with the rest of us.

    As if humans, themselves, don't make a big enough mess out in space, they also leave a lot of trash behind. A 1999 study estimated there are some 4 million pounds of space junk in low-Earth orbit, roughly 110,000 objects larger than 1 centimeter - each big enough to damage a satellite or space-based telescope.

88. April 02, 2007 (Monday):
    RVW departed.

89. March 20, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Coming home from pizza we witnessed another car hit a deer alongside Green Mountain. The police arrived and allowed the driver to move on after ensuring he was okay and there was no other damage. The deer had severely broken leg and could hardly get up off the ground due to other injuries. The shot it with two rifled slugs from a shotgun, saying there had been about 20 of these incidents so far this season...
90. March 19, 2007 (Monday):
    The A380 made its maiden flight from France to the U.S. today. Like the 747 before it, the A380 is an oversized, expensive polluter that'll waste a lot of fuel. Just my opinion of course...

    On a smaller waste scale, I drove from Durango to Denver's airport to return my rental car. Stopped in Mancos, for a couple hours of work, and then took the scenic route over Lizard Head pass (10,222') and then detoured into Telluride for lunch (it wasn't cheap...). Back on the road again, I made my way through Sawpit, Placerville (not the one in California!), Ridgway, Montrose, and Delta. After going over the top of Grand Mesa I took the De Beque "cutoff" road for shortcut back to I-70 over Vail Pass (10,620') and back into Denver. The entire drive was about 517 miles - taking me about nine hours for lunch, photos, and the marking of many waypoints. I've been very fortunate to travel like this - this kind of spontaneous travel will be unheard of a decade or two from now...

91. March 18, 2007 (Sunday):
    Had a pleasant five mile jog alongside the Animas River trail at Durango. Then took a quick return visit to Mesa Verde before going back to work in Mancos. Seemed to be a lot more visitors to the park compared to me visit yesterday. However, there were probably not more than 20 tourist vehicles in the entire park - not bad by any standard! I completed a pleasant 3.9 km hike around the Petroglyph Point Trail. Saw some really great petroglyphs, of hands, but couldn't find many of the others listed along the trail.
92. March 17, 2007 (Saturday):
    Visited Mesa Verde National Park since it's only 8 miles from where I'm working in Mancos. From the higher points, along the park road, I could clearly see Shiprock spire in New Mexico where I had just visited the week before. Walked through the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling were Tami and I had taken the kids over two decades ago (The ladder I took down into the Kiva looks like the same one I climbed in the 80s!). I completed the Mesa Top Loop, stopping at each and every pithouse, tower and temple without encountering a single other human! Amazing, a Saturday morning and there were no other cars or people in the entire area - it doesn't get any better than that!
93. March 15, 2007 (Thursday):
    Visited Vallecito Dam and Reservoir near Durango. The sign said, "Operated by the Pine River Irrigation District & Southern Ute Indian Tribe - constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation." Of course this dam, like all the others I've visited, is just a big plug in the heart of Nature - someday the river will be free again!
94. March 10, 2007 (Saturday):
    Took the long way home, from Pagosa to Denver, for a 462.1 mile change in scenery! Part of the extra mileage was due to some required business in Durango but then it was north from there over US 550 through Silverton, Ouray and Ridgway. At Montrose I took a right-hand turn onto US 50 and made some long stops at both ends of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. At Ponchas Springs I went north, up to Johnson Village, and then took 285 home through Fairplay and Bailey. Took a bunch of waypoints, on top of each pass, just for the fun of it!
95. March 07, 2007 (Wednesday):
    My business partner was running late so I took the opportunity to drive through northern New Mexico, making a U-turn through Four Corners and returning to Pagosa Springs via US 160. I started out by going south, on US 84, making a right-hand turn onto 64 through Dulce, Farmington, and Shiprock. For tens of miles on the east side of Farmington there were dozens of oil-field trucks buzzing about in all directions. Each and every one of them had a red warning flag on a thin rod above the cab or truck bed. I stopped one driver and asked what the flags were for and he said it was to make their vehicles more visible on the dusty back roads.

I stopped, nearly two dozen times, to take photographs of everything from these field trucks and oil rigs, to the beautiful high country desert and mountain settings. However, I was disappointed, at each of my stops, to find piles of trash and garbage along the roadside. Of course the road itself, along with my own travels, are a pollutant but most of this garbage was recyclable glass and aluminum. Although I could have filled a few semi-trailers with this debris I brought back what I could for recycling in Boulder...

Anyway, while west of Farmington I tried to reach the base of Shiprock but could only get within a mile or two over the steep and bumpy terrain. The entire trip was 386.4 miles and a bit rough on the rental car...

96. March 06, 2007 (Tuesday):
    Drove 325 miles from Denver, to Pagosa Springs, for business purposes. Stopped on Wolf Creek Pass (elevation 10,850 feet) and did a little jogging since traffic was extremely light. That's the beauty of traveling off season, in the middle of the week, and during late hours - the roads are lightly traveled!
97. March 02, 2007 (Friday):
    Okay, I'll admit it - I'm addicted to oil! Drove another 650 miles (658, to be exact!) from Reno to Monterey and back again. Visited my old Coast Guard haunts and surrounding area. Although the Coast Guard Station allowed me to snoop around, a small bit, times have really changed since I was stationed there nearly 30 years ago. This homeland security business has made them meaner and more trigger-happy - plus they all dress like storm-troopers. Lots more fencing and security cameras, too. Ahhh, it's going to be tough getting used to a police state but that's the price we're all paying for allowing others to screw the Arabs out of their land and resources. Anyway, although Monterey is still a nice place they've turned Cannery Row into a gift shop and the wharf into a floating restaurant - not unlike all the other cookie-cutter-look-alike cities around the continent...
98. February 24, 2007 (Saturday):
    Drove 650 miles (650.4, to be exact!) through northeastern California, southern Oregon, and northwest Nevada. A portion of the trip was for business while the remainder was pure pleasure to explore and experience the lesser used areas of the eastern Sierra Nevada (along California 139, 299 and U.S. 395 to Alturas) and then the wide-open spaces of southern Oregon and northwestern Nevada (Highway 140 from Lakeview, Oregon to the junction with 95 just above Winnemucca). Although it was a Saturday afternoon there were almost no other people along highway 140 in southern Oregon. I spent well over an hour photographing the two dozen miles between mile markers 20 and 50, above the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, and didn't see any other cars! The plateaus, mountains and rolling valleys around the Oregon/Nevada border are magnificent albeit very much cow-burnt (overgrazed). It does appear the damage is repairable and the area can someday be returned to its former splendor. However, we're lucky the area is still very much wide-open and lightly population.

99. February 16, 2007 (Friday):
    Returned from a great return trip to Hawaii!

100. Jauary 06, 2007 (Saturday):
     Went on a great backcountry skiing trip to Wild Irishman Mine near Montezuma. At about the time we started skiing a large avalanche fell across Berthoud Pass moving cars and injuring six people.

      

     

      

     2006

101. December 28, 2006 (Thursday):
     Another huge storm hits Denver just a week after the last one...
102. December 26, 2006 (Tuesday):
     38th President Gerald R. Ford died at age 93. Despite his Warren Commission work, and the pardon of Nixon, Ford did a pretty good job during a difficult political period. Hopefully his death won't turn into the grief-glut that the Alzheimer's patient Reagan's passing brought us...
103. December 22, 2006 (Friday):
     Denver is completely crippled by a huge snow storm...
104. December 10, 2006 (Sunday):
     Chilean General Augusto Pinochet died today at age 91. He was the master-mind of the world's first "9-11," in September '73, when the CIA backed his efforts to overthrow Chile's democratically elected Allende government. Despite Pinochet being responsible for the deaths of 3,000 innocents, he still had the backing of clowns like Henry Kissinger and Great Britain's Margret Thatcher (Thatcher, upon news of Pinochet's death today could only say she considered him her friend).
105. December 02, 2006 (Saturday):
     Took a long drive through Bishop, California with a nice stop at Mono Lake and look at the Mammoth ski are. Like all other ski areas it's over used, environmentally dead, and too expensive - just my opinion, of course! Tried to get into Yosemite but Tioga pass is already closed for the year. Anyway, the Sierra Nevada range is nice but there's no place like Colorado!
106. November 25, 2006 (Saturday):
     Visited Lake Tahoe, for the first time in 30 years. Nice but a bit crowded, even during this "off season." Also stopped by Pyramid Lake, Nevada and was just 70 miles from the "Burning Man" site - maybe I'll join-in next year?
107. November 19, 2006 (Sunday):
     Arrived in Reno...
108. November 08, 2006 (Wednesday):
     Darn! I made a special point of watching for the transit of Mercury, across the face of the sun, by using a welder's mask from our shop at work. Couldn't see Mercury so I guess I'll try again during its next scheduled transit on May 9th ---- 2016!
109. November 04, 2006 (Saturday):
     I distributed some of the Sierra Club door hangers, that I worked on last night (see my November 03 entry), around my neighborhood today. Surprisingly slow and tedious work. Nevertheless, honest work. I ran into three other volunteer canvassers while I was completing my rounds. Each was serious, intent, and enthusiastic - it was refreshing for me to see this kind of energy, at the most local of levels, put into the democratic process. It was interesting too, to talk with the sister of a Republican candidate running for the state senate - it's a tough time for Republicans because of the war and various scandals that have gripped the party and our government. Funny, too, her brother's flyers didn't mention the Republican party anywhere - just an untitled picture of the candidate with our term limited Republican governor...
110. November 03, 2006 (Friday):
     The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (an umbrella group representing more than 45,000 churches with 30 million members), and senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, admitted to having associated with a male prostitute and purchasing methamphetamine. "Big Jim" James Dobson, and other evangelicals around the country, have expressed shock, surprise and dismay about Haggard's conduct - despite the rest of us already knowing that many involved in church leadership are corrupt, immoral do-nothings living the high life (Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Oral "God and Cash" Roberts, Jim Jones, Warren Jeffs and others come to mind...). Hopefully, the good people can overcome such horrible religious leadership and continue leading honest and decent lives!

In the evening, after work, I volunteered at the Sierra Club's State Committee for Civic Education office in Golden. This was for their nonpartisan get-out-the-vote effort and my friend Judy Johnson and I carpooled together. We did a bit of "phone banking" (I apologize if that was you who I interrupted during the prime-time TV hour!) and applied poling place stickers to hundreds of door hangers - somebody's got to do it!

111. October 30, 2006 (Monday):
     Underwent a CT scan and learned the kidney cyst is benign - yahoo!
112. October 24, 2006 (Tuesday):
     Had the distinct pleasure of recording an interview with Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope this evening. Interesting political content that will probably be broadcast on KGNU sometime next week. [ed note. It was broadcast on Tuesday morning, October 31st...]
113. October 23, 2006 (Monday):
     National Mole Day - commemorating that basic measure of chemistry, Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 10^23)
114. October 20, 2006 (Friday):
     Diagnosed with a kidney cyst...
115. October 17, 2006 (Tuesday):
     We're enjoying our vacation, here in London, only to be reminded that today our own country reached the horrible population milestone of 300,000,000. America remains the world's third most populated country - nearly five times as large as the United Kingdom's population and almost six times the population of Australia and Canada combined (both countries are roughly the same size as the U.S.). Nevertheless, any way you slice it it's still too many people!!
116. October 13, 2006 (Friday):
     Broke my finger after falling during a jog along the southeastern shore of Scotland...
117. October 03, 2006 (Tuesday):
     Two more of the Pensylvania school girls, held hostage yesterday, died from their gunshot wounds. Horrible.
118. October 02, 2006 (Monday):
     Congressman Mark Foley resigned his seat after it was learned he'd been improperly instant-messaging sexually explicit messages to underage male pages on Capital Hill. I don't like the idea of turning my blog into a tabloid but this particular story is interesting/sad on two counts; One, the Republican Party was slow and reluctant to get to the bottom of their man's story - some party members having known about Foley's interests in young boys over a year ago. Two, this guy was an opponent of child pornography and served as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. He introduced a bill, in 2002, to outlaw websites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children, saying that "these websites are nothing more than a fix for pedophiles."

In other news, a new book by journalist Bob Woodward suggests that incompetence and corruption in the George W. Bush White House runs much deeper and broader than thought before. Apparently the administration received, and chose to ignore, all kinds of information related to Al Queda, the war in Iraq, and other important issues. The title of Woodward's book, State of Denial says it all; The world, during the Bush presidency, went up in flames while his wealthy friends gained even more money and power.

And, finally, another horrible school shooting. This time it was in a one room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania (of all places!). The 32 year old gunman, who doesn't deserve to have his name repeated, killed three school girls and wounded eight others. Since a school killing in my own state, just last week, I've been giving this issue a lot of thought and simply can't come up with an answer. However, I do think (but can't prove) that these terrible acts have a very strong link to the government (illegal wars, illegal detentions and torture) and media violence (movies glorifying the killing of animals and humans) that permeates our society. In general, we seem to cultivate very little respect for life - whether plant, animal or human it all seems to be up for grabs for nothing more than pleasure and entertainment purposes. So very sad. And, again, I can't imagine what the parents of these young girls are going through tonight. The horror is unimaginable...

119. September 27, 2006 (Wednesday):
     While I was enjoying some sightseeing, in our Nation's capital, some deranged monster broke into a high school, near my home in Colorado, and killed 16 year old Emily Keyes and then shot himself. I can't begin to imagine what this girl's parents, friends and family will be going through not only now, but for the next half century as they remember her. When will the violence ever end?
120. September 24, 2006 (Sunday):
     My cousin Sheryl Foster died, last night, after a long battle with brain cancer.
121. September 17, 2006 (Sunday):
     I flew home for the weekend to join Tami and Amber for a talk by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. HH appeared at Denver's Pepsi Center and the entire facility was completely filled! His talk was interesting, moving, and at times humorous. There's more about the Dalai Lama, and that talk, on my Tibet page.
122. September 07, 2006 (Thursday):
     America's "Poodle," British Prime Minister Tony Blair, announced he'll be stepping down sometime within the next year. Not soon enough for most of us - this guy was one of the few people, on the entire planet, who could have persuaded President Bush from the illegal invasion, imprisonments, and wiretapping...

Today's visit to the urologist indicates the bladder is entirely healed after June's surgery. Unrelated and unfortunate, a dear relative, who wants to maintain privacy, has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. In the past few hours I've learned many things about the disease that I wasn't aware of before - it's not at all pleasant...

123. September 06, 2006 (Wednesday):
     President Bush gave a speech that covered a lot of ground concerning Guantanamo Bay, the CIA, and the "war" on terrorism in general. Some of his speech acknowledged our use of "alternative" interrogation methods and the CIA's secret detention system. Although I'm suspicious of his motives a lot of the detail he provided is a welcome change to the secrecy and illegal practices of the past five years. Of course there was no mention of American military bases in Arab countries, Israel's theft and occupation of Palestinian lands, or the other reasons terrorism remains such a threat to our country...
124. September 02, 2006 (Saturday):
     Randy is visiting here, with Lisa, so Tami and I accompanied them to Denver's Museum of Nature and Science. Fantastic! I'm especially impressed with their vast paleontological displays and panoramas. Interesting, but unfortunate, I learned from one of the museum volunteers that certain Christian groups make repeated visits and challenge the presenters about the museum's interpretation of natural history! And, apparently, two volunteers had had enough of the anti-evolution challenges and decided to argue back earlier this year. The two were asked to give up their volunteer positions! So, staff and volunteers simply smile and grin whenever a guest starts raving and complaining about evolution and natural history. Randy brought up a good point though; too bad these same complainers don't scrutinize their own beliefs as much as the do the museum displays!
125. August 29, 2006 (Tuesday):
     I was able to make KGNU's open house for our new Denver studio. Pretty exciting to watch KGNU's growth - I posted some pix on my KGNU page.
126. August 17, 2006 (Thursday):
     It's been a busy day on planet Earth. We're receiving reports that England's second-in-command, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, had one word to describe the Bush administration's policies this week; "Crap!" Of course half of America wonders why it took so long to figure this out while the other half has labeled the Deputy as insane... Halfway around the world (relative to England), a 41 year old American, hiding out in Thailand, believes he's the JonBenét Ramsey killer - the story sounds a little fishy but time will tell.

A federal judge ruled that the U.S. government's domestic eavesdropping program is unconstitutional and ordered it ended immediately! Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Bush Administration disagrees with the ruling and has appealed - much to everyone's "surprise..." And, finally, while I was waiting at a restaurant drive-up, for lunch in Golden, a guy parked his car, got out, and ran up to my car to thank me for my bumper sticker! I thanked him for the thanks but have to admit the sticker is a few days out-of-date and a U.N. cease fire is starting to take hold (the sticker is a hand-made job that suggests the bombing of Lebanon needs to stop). If hostilities remain in check, for a few days longer, I'll remove the sticker. Anyway, it's always nice to know others appreciate my art and ideas!

127. August 10, 2006 (Thursday):
     I met the somewhat famous local climber Roger Seekins at work this evening. He's 37 years old and survived a 100 foot leader fall in Eldorado Springs Canyon State Park this summer. He explained the fall as just a couple of mistakes - the biggest of which was a directional anchor not being removed after he had placed protection above it. So, when he took his leader fall, his belay was pulled forward and slammed into the rock. His belay, although not able to lock the rope, held tight with his hands (cutting them on the rope!) as Roger fell nearly 100 feet - stopping just 15 feet above the deck. Roger was wearing a climbing helmet so only fractured a facial bone (2mm wide crack) and lots of bumps and bruises all over his body. Took him just over a couple of weeks to fully recover and he's already climbing again!

Britain is in the news, today, for having foiled an airline bombing plot this week. Seems a couple dozen British nationals were planning to blow up flights between the U.S. and London by mixing chemicals in toothpaste and other personal-care containers once onboard. I'm flying to Florida, later in the month, and am not looking forward to even longer security lines...

128. July 27, 2006 (Thursday):
     I watched them remove the last OCR from Denver's GMF today. I was there, as an ET in 1990, when we moved the first one over from the TA! I also "lived through" such technological changes as the LMLMs, LSMs, MicroMarks, FSM 881, FSM 1000, and the upgrade of the FSM 100s with ATHS and AI (AI has been installed on four of the seven FSM 100s as of this writing...). Also saw BDS added to the AFCs, the installation of CIOSS and DIOSS equipment, and five Phases of DBCSs with WABCR replaced by WFOV and ICS and other modifications added to Phases II through V. Like most other industries we use way too many initials, abbreviations, and acronyms!
129. July 21, 2006 (Friday):
     Israel's pounding of Lebanon has continued for nearly ten days now. It appears Israel continues, intentionally, to target innocent civilians. Apparently their idea is to intimidate the surrounding Arab population. Whatever their reason, the killing of innocent civilians is wrong and the world knows it!

It's also interesting (and sad) to see the constant news reports about the various countries that are arming Hezbollah yet there's never any mention of the billions of dollars in military equipment the U.S. gives Tel Aviv (Jerusalem) each year - at great expense to taxpayers and my countrymen. Strangely, later in the day today, some radio outlets let it slip that the U.S. was trying to fill some rush military orders, for satellite and laser guided bombs, that Israel had placed earlier in the year. The U.S. government's concern, according to the radio broadcasts, were that the world would perceive the U.S. as backing Israel during attacks against Lebanon, Palestinians, and Arabs in general. Believe me, the world is not surprised that the U.S. backs Israel without question!

On a more personal note it's easy to accuse anyone concerned about Israeli aggression as being a racist or an anti-Semite. However, that's an unfair characterization since many people, including me, have taken courageous stands against China's occupation of Tibet, South African apartheid, Indonesia's invasion of East Timor, and dozens of other conflicts and illegal occupations around the world. The charge of anti-Semitism is just a smoke-screen to allow Israel unlimited aggression...

130. July 01, 2006 (Saturday):
     Today Colorado starts a state-wide smoking ban for all businesses, except our corrupt casino industry. It's a long time coming and yet another illustration of how little our conservative government cares about the health and well-being of its citizenry. My friend Charlie Oriez died of lung cancer and he didn't even smoke... (see my 09-07-2005 entry)
131. June 29, 2006 (Thursday):
     The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees, saying in a strong rebuke that the trials were illegal under U.S. and international law.
132. June 23, 2006 (Friday):
     The doctor removed the stint from my ureter and bladder this morning and I'm already feeling a lot better (lower back pain is almost gone). I was surprised at the stint's length - it appeared to be at least 10 inches long and was curling and twisting without the pressure provided by the surrounding tissues. Although I was told, last week, that the tumor was benign I really didn't believe it until I saw the written pathologic diagnosis today - I feel as though I have won the lottery! It's beyond my ability to explain what it's like to be told you have cancer and then learn, a week later, that the tumor was benign. I am very lucky and almost, at times, feel as though the experience was a gift. However, I hesitate to expand on that idea because I know so many others are suffering with cancer and may not have the chance I did. My heart really goes out to them. I see them everywhere. Today, while going in to have my stint removed I passed radiology. A man, of about my age, was with his wife in the radiology waiting area. Apparently he had had enough and walked out into the hallway with her quietly at his side. He bent over, next to the window and a potted plant, and broke down. I can only imagine the burden he's been carrying, the huge weight that's grinding down on him and his family. And, so sadly, there's a lot of this going on all around the globe. So, back to me and my undeserved luck. My experience, in a way, reminds me of Schrodinger's cat - the surgeons entered me not knowing whether the cat was alive or dead but it turns out that quantum probability allowed me to get through this one, this time around...

Oh, and maybe this is a good sign as well - the doe who gave birth in our backyard came back today after having been gone my entire illness. We're only able to spot one of her fawns but are hoping for the best. Thankfully her and her kind find some comfort on our property so I try not to disturb them when I'm outside...

133. June 12, 2006 (Monday):
     Okay, I've "cheated" on this entry a bit in that I actually created it a few days after my cancer surgery. But, for the record, it was this date (June 12th) that my doctor removed what he believes to be the entire bladder tumor. Now we wait until week's end for the pathology report. I am uncomfortable but have plenty of powerful drugs and lots of loving, caring people around me. Cancer sucks but can be beat. I think I'll start a cancer page of my own. Not sure why - there are tons of quality cancer web pages out there. Maybe one or two folks might find the page of interest or comfort? My entire site, this year, has been averaging over 1,000 unique visitors most week days so maybe somebody will find it of some interest...
134. June 8, 2006 (Thursday):
     I've received many wonderful phone calls and emails from folks thinking about me and praying for me all over the continent - cousins in the great northwest, family in Omaha, siblings on both coasts, environmental and community radio activists - it really makes me feel much better about a health situation with so many unknowns. My sister Kelly was even able to include my name in an international prayer circle over the satellite at the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN) - of course I've always had a special place in my heart for the Adventists even though I'm not a spiritual person, etc. Either way, thank you 3ABN and the Enumclaw Adventists!
135. June 7, 2006 (Wednesday):
     My doctor diagnosed me with cancer today - even spelled it out, c-a-n-c-e-r, in a document they needed me to sign before proceeding further. It's a huge blow but not completely unexpected as I've been trying to get to the bottom of a health issue since early May. Now, of course, the problem turns out to be cancer. And, it's just like the millions before me who have expressed their fears in personal diaries, blogs, on talk shows, and in magazine articles - when the doctor tells you you've got cancer it's worse than a kick in the stomach. I've been bothered by it, deeply, all day, but hope to have some closure after Monday's surgery. If not closure then maybe at least a clear road map as to what I need to do to combat this problem? I believe it was that very famous cancer patient, Gilda Radner, who said; "It's always something..." - boy was she right!
136. June 6, 2006 (Tuesday):
     My dentist, Dr. "Chris" installed a temporary crown today. I asked him if he remembered Martin's Dental Lab, in Denver, about 25 years ago. He did and he was delighted to hear my story of Martin "moonlighting" in his basement with a dental chair and all of the necessary tools and equipment. Martin, sometime around 1980, set one of my crowns back in place at a considerable discount compared to a licensed dentist. I was young and poor at the time, and somehow found Martin's Dental Lab after a crown the military had installed for me a few years earlier fell out. I recall, distinctly, the tattoo the Nazi's had engraved on Martin's arm during his time at Auschwitz. Martin was a firm but reassuring "Dentist" for a young guy with no money and a gapping hole in his month - I liked him a lot. Anyway, Dr. Chris remembered that Martin had the best lab, in Denver, and was sad that they don't make 'em like that anymore. Apparently Martin sold the biz, in the early, 80s, and died less than a year after that...
137. June 5, 2006 (Monday):
     I begin nights as part of a three month training assignment at work. So, I spent the morning working in the yard only to encounter Bob, the water meter reading guy. He's an amazing fellow - 68 years old and walks countless miles to read meters for 2,200 different homes each month. More amazing is that I've only met him once before, a couple years ago, and he still remembered my name! Hopefully I'll be as agile in my late 60s...
138. June 3, 2006 (Saturday):
     Started work in our backyard and discovered doe and her two newly born fawns comfortably situated there. Except for a quick photo, decided to leave 'em alone, for awhile, and come back next week to attempt my yard projects...
139. April 6, 2006 (Thursday):
     I was invited to "pledge-rap" with KGNU's Sam Fuqua and Ellen Klaver. Amy Goodman, of "Democracy Now!" joined in, by phone, and raised the lion's share of support...
140. March 13, 2006 (Monday)
     I had the pleasure of meeting, and interviewing, Greg Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute about his book, "Three Cups of Tea"
141. March 07, 2006 (Tuesday)
     Ali Farka Touré died at his Mali home - he was 67.
142. March 03, 2006 (Friday)
     I met Boulder "Flat Irons" artist Cydd West at his 2301 Goss Street Home/Gallery
143. January 7, 2006 (Saturday)
     Returned from Ecuador

 



 

2005

144. November 15, 2005 (Tuesday)
     Tami severely breaks her leg while at stop driving south of Darwin, NT, Australia.
145. November 04, 2005 (Friday)
     According to CNN, protesters set a bank on fire and threw objects at police in the streets of the Argentine city hosting the Summit of the Americas. Bands of demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, set bonfires in the streets and burned American flags. The protests were against President Bush and his invasion of Iraq.
146. September 29, 2005 (Thursday)
     Just received word that I've been accepted to MLDP!!
147. September 14, 2005 (Wednesday)
     I had the pleasure of recording an interview with climber/writer David Roberts at KGNU today. We talked, at length, about his book "On the Ridge Between Life and Death" and its references to climbing and death. Also got to meet with writer/book reviewer Diana Korte, and her husband Gene, today as well. We had a long, interesting discussion where I "picked their brains" about interviewing techniques and the general mechanics about writing and authors in general...
148. September 10, 2005 (Saturday)
     Rented a bike from the "Bike Hut," on Pier 40, and rode all over San Francisco and across the Golden Gate bridge. This was my first real experience in a crowded urban environment on a bicycle. The cars, when they knew I was present, treated me pretty well. However, the pedestrians were very hard to predict at times - I believe Vic, at the Bike Hut, refers to them as "Chicken Bobbers..."
149. September 7, 2005 (Wednesday)
     Friend and fellow environmental activist Charlie Oriez (see my 12-02-2003 entry) passed away after a long illness. His passing must have occurred at about the time I was catching a flight to San Francisco for the Sierra Club's "Sierra Summit..."
150. August 31, 2005 (Wednesday)
     Looting and gunfire plague New Orleans two days after Hurricane Katrina decimated the area. Local, State, and Federal government appear completely unprepared and incapable of responding - there are numerous hints that it's due to racial and class differences. Louisiana governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco called for prayer while Mayor Ray Nagin declared some kind of martial law. President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and a number of other Federal officials remained on vacation all the while Katrina wrecked havoc along the Gulf Coast...
151. August 26, 2005 (Friday)
     Kathy Partridge introduced me to Prof Ira Chernus at KGNU today.
152. August 23, 2005 (Tuesday)
     American buffoon Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Even the American State Department had to distance itself from such idiocy...
153. August 16, 2005 (Tuesday)
     Israel began forcing "settlers" out of Gaza. Various news reports have been suggesting, all day, that a number of governments are demanding Israel also leave the West Bank in addition to relinquishing control of East Jerusalem.
154. August 2, 2005 (Tuesday)
     I met Adam Air at KGNU at the end of Iron Feather's Restless Mornings Show...
155. July 9, 2005 (Saturday)
     London reports some of its Mosques have been vandalized. The annual G8 summit ended with George Bush refusing to help with the global warming problem
156. July 7, 2005 (Thursday)
     London comes to a halt after four bombs cripple transit system.
157. July 6, 2005 (Wednesday)
     London wins bid for 2012 Olympics.
158. March 09, 2005 (Wednesday)
     I joined AARP today...
159. February 23, 2005 (Wednesday):
     I was able to chat with Congressman Mark Udall after his appearance on KGNU's Morning Magazine.
160. February 21, 2005 (Monday):
     I passed by the house of Hunter S. Thompson shortly after he killed himself.
161. January 16, 2005 (Sunday):
     A small doe got horribly stuck in the gate that leads to our backyard...

 



 

2004

162. December 26, 2004 (Sunday):
     An Indian Ocean earthquake-tsunami catastrophe devastated a number of Asian countries.
163. November 11, 2004 (Thursday):
     Nobel Laureate Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat As Qudwa al-Hussaeini died in a French military hospital today.
164. November 3, 2004 (Wednesday):
     Bush and religious fundamentalism scored a clear victory in yesterday's elections. Luckily, here in Colorado, important energy and transportation issues were passed despite the protests of Governor Owens and other Republicans.
165. August 16, 2004 (Monday):
     The Venezuelan Electoral Council announced that President Hugo Chavez won the special recall election that opponents hoped would unseat him.
166. August 5, 2004 (Thursday):
     Donated blood to the Norman Chapter of the American Red Cross while I was in Oklahoma on business.
167. July 18, 2004 (Sunday):
     T. Boone Pickens stated, on CBS television news, that the era of cheap oil is over. He also suggested that Saudi Arabia doesn't have the capacity we've been led to believe. I, myself, believe we're close to, or already at, world peak production (which some in the academic world refer to as "the big rollover") and we'd better start some smart preparations before our environment and millions of innocent people suffer for it.
168. June 5, 2004 (Saturday):
     Ronald Reagan died. I remember him as a very poor communicator who ignored environmental, worker's, and minority issues. Plus, he seemed to give our nation a "license" to be greedy and mean. With conservativism controlling everything in our country I'm sure the following week will be nothing more than a grief glut...
169. May 31, 2004 (Monday):
     Returned from a wonderful ten day visit in Japan.
170. April 21, 2004 (Wednesday):
     Jewish anti-nuclear activist Mordechai Vanunu was released from Israel's Shikma Prison in the southern port city of Ashkelon. Vanunu spent most of his 18 year sentence in solitary confinement for having told the world about Israel's Dimona nuclear plant in the southern part of the country. Vanunu's disclosers, about the Dimona nuclear plant, came just a few short years after Israel had bombed Iraq's Osirak nuclear plant...
171. April 14, 2004 (Wednesday):
     President Bush met with Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon in Washington today. Our President endorsed Sharon's plan for removing Jewish settlements from Gaza. Unfortunately, President Bush didn't insist on the removal of Jewish settlements from the West Bank, Israeli's return to its pre '67 borders, or the right of Palestinians to return to the properties that were taken from them. It saddens me that my country isn't able to show more understanding for the rights of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians...
172. April 13, 2004 (Tuesday):
     I was elected to the county assembly at our neighborhood's precinct caucus!
173. April 9, 2004 (Tuesday):
     I was very moved interviewing Congressman Dennis Kucinich on my radio program at KGNU.
174. March 2, 2004 (Tuesday):
     Voters in Mendocino County, Calfifornia approved the nation's first ban on the
     raising and keeping of genetically engineered crops or animals!!
175. February 29, 2004 (Sunday):
     Jean Bertrand Aristide was forced to resign the Haitian presidency.
176. February 19, 2004 (Thursday):
     Doug's father passed away.
177. January 19, 2004 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday):
     Made it to just above Independencia Hut - 6,400 metres (21,000 feet), Aconcagua.

 



 

2003

178. December 28, 2003 (Sunday):
     Nothing happened today.
179. December 22, 2003 (Monday):
     Good news for both Biff and I!
180. December 18, 2003 (Thursday):
     Bad news for Biff...
181. December 04, 2003 (Thursday):
     Colorado courts seem to be in the news this week. Just learned they've decided that Colorado's school voucher law violates the local control clause of the Colorado Constitution...
182. December 03, 2003 (Wednesday):
     Beautiful morning at sunrise - light blue sky lightly splashed with wisps of high altitude clouds...
     Just learned that the courts have ruled against the redistricting forced upon Colorado by the Republicans this year.
183. December 02, 2003 (Tuesday):
     As if the 400+ web pages I've already authored aren't enough, I thought I'd start up my own blog. Got the idea from my friend Charlie Oriez (see my 09-07-2005 entry) although my health issues are nothing compared to his. Also, as Henry David Thoreau wrote on October 22, 1837 (in response to Ralph Waldo Emmerson's suggestion that he start a daily journal to develop his skills of writing and observation), "'What are you doing know?' he asked? 'Do you keep a journal?' So I make my first entry today."

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