The Frost Garden

The frost garden blooms once a year.  If you camp in it, tell me the sounds these ice ribbons must make at the moment of formation.   I was lazy and missed the magic event, but I did get up early enough to see the results in the moon light. 

For you, the best I can do for a night shot is to use the flash.  Pictures after dawn will be better.

The Last Days of Fall in the Garden

Fall signals its last days with blankets of leaves on the water

Row row row your boat, gently down the stream ... merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream.   Life is like a dream, and it is much less scary if one can perceive the whole situation from outside their little canoe.   My head seems like a little canoe.   I'm on the river and I can't see around the next bend.  I can sometimes hear the rapids coming but I never know if these are the ones that are going to do me in or not.  One glimpse from outside the dream is all I needed to be comforted about the river, the scary bends, and this dream I am living.   No matter what happens, everything is going to be OK.  I have full permission to relax and enjoy the ride because that's the best way to go down the river.


Life was meant to be enjoyed, but sometimes I ride down the rapids like a child who is terrified on a roller coaster.   Yet, all I have to do to enjoy life is relax and have fun.  There is no reason to be afraid of anything because we all have the ability to see the river from outside the boat anytime we want.  It's as simple as letting go of the perspective from inside the boat for a little while.  Well, that is harder for some than others.  Seeing that there is more to existence than this dream we call life is worth the effort for all to be comforted.  

One puffy north wind will soon unveil the Christmas decorations

There is no real effort required other than to let go of the thoughts that normally occupy our attention.   Those thoughts are the only perspective of awareness that make the dream of life seem real.  Those logical thoughts make us afraid of living because they make us think that the end of the ride is the end.  There is no end.   No one needs to believe that.  One only must relax for a bit and let go of all thoughts altogether for a few minutes.   This task is quite difficult for some, but it is doable.   When the human brain is finally "really" silent, one's normal sense of awareness will begin to comprehend that its reference point has always been from inside the canoe.   Only when the mind is quiet, one can experience for themselves that their normal perspective is but a small component of their whole self.   I wish for everyone to invest the time and effort it takes to learn to perceive one's human experience from the perspective of their whole being.   

It doesn't matter if someone is an atheist and they want to label what they will find as "multiple personalities".  Nor does it matter if someone is a religious person and chooses to label what they will find as their soul.   Everyone will find a great reward and comfort in their life if they take the time to get to know the whole of their own being.  The gardens are beautiful and not much effort to tend what one will enjoy most.

Good Feeling Cold

  James is wishing for wizardry with words to better describe his experience this morning.  As he drifted off from his normally meaningless musing of the morning, he took a moment to contemplate:  "I actually like the cold.  I just like to be busy in the cold.  Don't ask me to sit still in a room that is at 68 degrees fahrenheit; that is like the dead of a hungry winter to me!  Why it could be 25 degrees outside and then it is a 'Good Feeling Cold'".   

And then he drifted off into a little trance.  He experienced what he meant by a good feeling cold.   He felt what it was like when last he experienced 25 degrees, riding up the ski-lift for the first snowboard run of the day.   That's a good feeling cold when you are so excited that you don't even feel it.   You unbutton your jacket in the wind to experience all that good feeling cold swash around your body, and your soul soaks it up and enjoys that cold air just as eagerly as it does the sun on the first day of spring.

Forget learning about how to be a good human...

...that's an advanced study course, and you're still in pre-school.  Your job is to remember how to be a good animal before you can be a good human.  Yesterday, you learned how to pick a tree to climb, how to climb it, how to lay on its branch and take a nap.  Today you will learn to eat a fruit.
  

When a hungry animal tears into a succulent piece of fruit, he doesn't devour it instantly to satisfy his hunger.  He takes the time to appreciate the perfect union of hunger and bounty.   He licks the inside of the fruit so gently that only his saliva is mixing with the tasty sugars inside.  And on the next lick he has a little more sugar and a little more sugar.   He doesn't have to worry about the seeds or the thorns because he is just tasting it for now.  

Hunger was meant to be savored.  As a wise parent will teach a child, eat slowly and give your tummy time to know when it is full.  It takes about 20 minutes for your tummy to tell your brain that it is full.  The lesson should go further, even for those of us who have healthy weight.  Eating can be a spiritual experience.  Eating fruit with the Creator is like eating a meal with a gourmet chef who is sitting there explaining to you exactly how best to enjoy his creation.  You can taste the juicy inside as it was meant to be enjoyed, in the perfect way, at the perfect moment.  And, as you lick the inside of the fruit, your physical body will experience the perfect flavor, and even the perfect texture.

Today was the first day that I've experienced eating a piece of fruit in this way ever before in my life.  It was awesome!  I never would have guessed that prickly pear fruit could taste so perfect.  One lesson is this:  focus less on eating the fruit and more on enjoying it.

New blooms popping up everywhere!

I've oddly decided to renovate a section of the secret garden.  I'm not sure if the area I have chosen is historically part of the secret garden or adjacent to it, but this section was in particular need.  The exhaust from one of those 'artificial' water retention ponds was washing a trench into this spot.   I've only recently, and still tentatively, volunteered myself as a steward to this area.  

This area, along the bend of an often dry creek, has a new and deeper feeling for me.  It seems as if some significant historical event happened here.  I'd be so curious to know.

This garden has become the most beautiful place on earth to me as I've taken the time to notice each new flower.  And even more exciting are the beautiful insects, like a pair of red dragon flies I saw flying in formation as miniature red barons.  Unfortunately, my personal camera skills where not sufficient to capture the airshow.  Shown above are flowers similar in color to the dragon flies, minus some cool black pent stripping.  The flowers will sit still for a photo op, and so we can all appreciate their patience!

What garden would be complete without a snake?  I met the owner of this on the trail this afternoon. 

He was there on the trail, enjoying the sun and warming up after shedding his skin in the water.  That is until I came up and scared him into a natural silt screen.

Well now I'm a bit reluctant to sit in that cool stone chair that sits just under the brush piles that the snake likes to hang out in.  I'm glad I noticed him before he slithered past me while I'm sitting down there.

Remember there was a television sitcom where the plot was about a flower fanatic?  The neighbor was growing a flower that will only bloom in the middle of the night, do you remember?  Maybe it was Mr. Wilson?  One must stay up all night to see the flower.  So it is that this secret garden has a flower like that.  It's called frost weed and it blooms on the first "cold as shit" night of winter.  One must stay up all night to actually see it bloom because the ice usually pops out of the plant as the temperature drops far below freezing in the middle of a Texas winter's night.  This 'ice' flower is a beautiful ribbon of frost.  If you miss the moment of violent creation, you must at least get your lazy butt down to the garden before the winter sun (in Texas) melts the ribbons.

Here, what looks a bit like a weed, I've highlighted some of them with rocks.  Hopefully when it blooms this winter in a dazzling display of ice, I will have a nice picture with a neat rocky background.  For now, the honey bees are enjoying the frost-weeds summertime foliage. 

Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy the flowers that are currently in full bloom also.

Next time you eat a perfectly ripened fruit, imagine that you are a hungry young monkey discovering the taste of sweet fruit for the first time.  This is how eagerly we should enjoy every moment of life.  Here in the garden, beauty-berry bushes grow wild.

BeautyBerry

While the fruit is not sweet, it is edible.  I've never eaten anything as bright of purple as this beauty-berry in all my life.   Best of all, the leaves make a natural mosquito repellent that actually works better than "DeepWoods Off".  Although, there is a strange side effect that the juice from the leaves also seems to attract flies.   At least the flies don't bite, and you have a second mosquito repelling mechanism at work for you ... your hands swatting at the flies also keeps the mosquitoes away.

The Mind - Body Connection

This post is for anyone who believes that all new age mumbo-jumbo about the "Mind / Body" connection is bull-corn.  This is a non-mumbo-jumbo presentation based on common medical data about how the human body works.  I will frame all points in a context where anyone can experiment for themselves.

To start, you will need two pairs of extremely comfortable socks.  Go buy some new fancy socks now if you don't have a pair that just feel awesome.  In one pair, cut out a dime sized hole in the toe, right where your big toe goes.   Now, put the "holed" sock on and then shoes.  Go about the rest of your day and keep a little journal of your mood.  If that hole doesn't annoy you, please stop reading immediately and consult Jeff Foxworthy, because you might be a redneck.  At the very least, that dime sized hole will catch your attention more than a little too often!

So, at risk of being too dumb, I want to point out simply that discomfort in the body does get communicated all the way up to our brains, and that can absolutely affect our mood.  Clearly there are obvious channels of communication that go from mind to body (clinching one's fist) and from body to mind (feeling annoyed by a hole in one's sock).

We've all heard about comfort foods.  My favorite is Skinner macaroni noodles smothered with a whole loaf of molten Velveeta.  The next time you feel stressed, try this experiment:  Cook up a whole bag of noodles and drench them with cheese.  Fill up a full sized plate and stack it with as much as you can get on there.   Sit at the table and spend 5 minutes writing about your mood before you eat.  Then enjoy the food, and after you finish that plate, take a moment to savor how you feel.  You are home, you are in a shelter, you are safe for the moment, your belly feels good, and you are just about to go eat another whole plate full of cheese smothered noodles.  Just take a moment to notice how different your situation feels, and if its not any better ... I'm sorry, if that plate of mac-n-cheese doesn't make you feel better, then your problem is way serious.  You have my condolences.  Here's my point though:  Our bodies, in response to what we eat, do send messages to our brains that affect our mood and how we experience life.   And, even though we are often oblivious, there are rich streams of data that flow from our bodies to our minds all the time.

Our normal daily thoughts would be completely overwhelmed if every part of our bodies kept in touch as loudly as a big toe in the hole of a sock, and we would be beyond "annoyed" 24/7 if we noticed every part of our body that much and that often.   Our minds naturally train themselves to grow accustomed to those signals, but the signals are still being sent 24/7 and we are capable tuning our senses to any one signal.  Like anything else, with practice, we can get better and better at detecting all the subtle little messages that our bodies constantly report to our minds.

We should also remember that much information within the body is transmitted via chemical reactions ... like the release of adrenaline as an obvious example.  Chemical reactions take longer to propagate through the body to be processed by our brains.   So, the importance of that is to understand that there may be a long delay between the time when you punished your body doing something stupid, and the moment when you realize that you hurt yourself, like a hangover for example.  Many signals are more subtle than a hang over.  Some signals from body to mind are more difficult to detect, harder to know what is the proper corrective action, and easier to lead to chronic harm.  These are the bad habits which we refuse to quit, in part because we fail to comprehend the connection between:

     1.  a barrage of, "Help me, this makes me hurt!" signals coming from our bodies after we eat an Ultimate Cheeseburger at 2 AM

     AND

     2.  how that can affect our mind and/or mood in a negative way at 10 AM the next day

Try and open your mind to confusion.  Sometimes an Ultimate Cheeseburger "IS" just what you needed at 2 AM ... so your body sends you "Happy" signals ... but then other times the same food will illicit "Not-so-Happy" signals after you eat it.   How does one sort all of this out?

This is where meditation comes in.  For starters, when you shut off the mindless chatter inside your head, it is easier to notice the more subtle signals being transmitted around in your body.  Try putting your favorite pair of socks back on, the ones without a hole.  Take the time to notice exactly how the tip of your toe feels with a good sock.  Seriously, spend 15 minutes just focusing on the tip of your toe with the good sock on.  Probably normally you would never give it a thought.  Give it a try because this is good practice for your mind, and it is a form of meditation.  The purpose is to exercise your mind so that you get better at recognizing the signals that your body constantly transmits, good or bad.  When you learn to detect more of these signals, you will become more aware of the condition that your body is really in.  You will become more aware of foods that you need to eat and activities that you need to do in order to make your body "feel" better.  You will also become more "body aware" in general, and in some cases you will notice posture or other habits that adversely affect your health.  You will also understand better about what you need to do to get the results that you want.  

It's simple advice really; take a moment to notice all the little details, the subtleties about the way everything feels.  It doesn't hurt to apply the same technique to data that streams in from outside as well.  There is a wealth of information constantly available to our conscious minds all around us all the time.  There is nothing spooky about it.  All we have to do to make use of that information is slow down and take the time to notice it.  To get better, practice noticing those subtle streams of information.  That's all meditation is ... time spent noticing data that you are normally oblivious to.

Now, I believe it is without argument that data communication between mind and body is "two-way".   Obviously we can send electrical signals down to our hands to form fists.  Probably you have noticed that when you get stressed out, your mental situation alone makes your stomach hurt.  My only suggestion is that you have the ability to communicate with more parts of your body than you've ever previously taken the time to notice.  Again, remember that when communications span over longer distances, it happens at a slower pace than the speed of thought.  Sometimes the communication of data is not complete until a long chain of chemical reactions occur and diffuse throughout.  Awareness is not an instant event in the body; it happens more slowly.  This is why it is helpful to slow down, clear the mind, give the body time to process, and learn to focus on the subtleties of how we feel ... "inward reflection" as they say in mumbo-jumbo-ese.   There is nothing magical or superstitious about it.  The simple fact is that the streams of information available to our minds have more depth and complexity than we can handle all at once.  When we shut down the normal dialog that we have in our head, close our eyes, and find a quiet place, then we will have more attention for noticing the less obvious mind/body connections that we all have.

If you would like to give it a try, there are tons of guided meditations that you can follow on YouTube.  I'm too busy for all this new age crap too, but I find that some of the meditations do help me sleep better.  Some of the sound tracks are are just white noise, while others are designed to help you dream more.  There are many choices and no reason not to experiment to see if any of them will help you feel better and/or help you achieve your goals in life and health.

...a rebuttal to "Ancient Aliens" suggestion that rapid technological advancements started with alien intervention

In legend, credit for the invention of the Samurai sword is somewhat given to spirits.  Even today some people will give credit for a moment of inspiration to a god or prayer.  The show "Ancient Aliens" attempts to give credit for human progress to alien visitors.   I get somewhat offended by that message in general which I hear as: "Your human mind is too weak and feeble to invent these great new technologies.  Of course the humans of ancient civilizations would not have been intelligent enough to do this on their own."  Frankly, the first part of that message pisses me off.  When I hear that message from religious sources, it pisses me off even more.   I want to send this message to the world: "YOUR MIND IS FREAKING AWESOME.  YOUR MIND IS AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL TOOL.   YOUR MIND IS OPTIMIZED AND READY TO CREATE AMAZING ADVANCEMENTS AND NEW CREATIONS!"

To state my point bluntly to "Ancient Aliens" and those who would believe this way: you don't need no stinkin' aliens, or gods, to explain the advancements of mankind along the way.  We're freaking awesome dudes and dudettes; we have the brain power to do whatever we are motivated to do.

Inspiration is not even particularly remarkable.   We all have moments of inspiration.  We all think: "...dang, if only I had some little dilly-dally that was shaped to fit that thingy there I want..."  and we get a little visual or some impression in our minds of what might solve our little problem.   It happens all the time and yet most of the time we don't give those seeds of an idea a second thought because we are so busy executing our normal routines of meeting daily needs.  Now, we put our-self in the Japanese blacksmith's shoes ... instead of blacksmiths, imagine the task is whatever you are best at ... even if what you are best at is skateboarding.  The point is that the innovation which often happens is in a person's field of expertise; they are already good at it.  If you aren't good at anything, go learn how to do something, anything well --- others do all the time, its not hard if you work at doing anything in particular ... "YOU CAN DO THAT" ... you can learn how to do something well; this is within your human capability.

Next, we want to imagine that we are going through the same process that the blacksmith went through.  What if we lock ourselves in a room and brainstorm for 7 days straight with an equally intelligent partner?  If we did nothing but eat, sleep, and drink "skateboarding", would we not come up with some freaking awesome new ideas to try?   If our game happened to be blacksmith-ing, and we are already well known and respected blacksmiths, would we not have the ability to come up with some ideas on how to make the steel better?   If anyone doesn't understand this, they need to think about their passion.  What would they most love to do?  What would they think is a blessed vacation to be locked away from the rest of the world for a week doing?   Actually, for the blacksmith, it was more like he spent a week "thinking" about what he was going to do for the next month.  This is what we call a brainstorming session and it is not that remarkable.  The only thing remarkable about the invention of the samurai sword is that their society was advanced enough for a tradesman to save up enough resources to dedicate 7 days to "thinking".   Actually, let's be even more realistic, he spent that time with his dedicated assistant, so that's actually 14 days invested in "thinking".   There are countless examples of awesome ideas coming out of such brainstorming sessions.  It is not remarkable and any human is just as capable of such feats if:

1.  You dedicate the time and effort to learn a trade.
2.  You become good enough at your trade and produce enough value such that you have the resources to dedicate 14 days "thinking" with an equally dedicated partner.

Now getting back to the story of the samurai sword.  After the 7 days of "prayer", the blacksmith and his assistant then spent the next 31 days trying the ideas they came up with.  Since he was with his assistant, that represents an investment of 62 days.   How many people can afford to take off "work" for 2 and 1/2 months (counting brainstorm time)  to work on some new invention?   There's nothing remarkable about the invention, what is remarkable is that his society and his part in the society had enabled him to invest so much time and effort into a new invention.  In our modern world this happens all the time.  People work on the trades they work on.  They build up a "shop" around them; they make the tools of their trade a part of their daily life and they are passionate about the work they do.  Our modern inventors frequently get to a point where they have the resources to invest in ideas, and then they make beautiful new things that we all enjoy.

And finally, getting back to my overall reason for picking a fight with "Ancient Aliens", my goal is to make everyone aware of this message that we see all around us:  "You can't do this, you're not smart enough to invent the samurai sword, no humans are capable of such amazing invention; you need a god or an alien for that."   That message is HORSE-SHIT.   Please!!! Stop believing that message, conveying that message, or worse, letting that message get to you and make you believe that you are not capable of amazing creations!  We are all human, we all have incredible minds, there is no excuse for mediocrity.  Be passionate my friends!

It does matter if your state will recognize gold and silver as legal money!

We live in a world where our central government does immensely more than it is authorized to do.  Lawyers are creative rascals though, and masters at using natural human behavior to manipulate people to get what they want.  The tool that they use best is money!   Politicians know that all they need to do to gain more control is this:  make up really good excuses to raise taxes and then give the money back.  Giving the money back in the form of popular programs that appeal to people's sense of fairness makes it constantly easier to make up more excuses to raise more taxes.

In some cases, this was a good deal for people too because the government could operate with an economy of scale and produce many results for lower costs than any other organization.  We got good things like cheap electricity from the Hoover Dam and Social Security for our elderly.  When the government made good decisions, the whole country shared the success and we were acquiescent when they came asking for higher and higher percentages of our money.  

Slowly, the rule makers in Washington D.C. figured out that they could easily attach requirements to the money as they gave it back.  This tactic worked on both individuals and smaller autonomous units of government like states, counties, and cities.  An example is the wide spread adoption of zoning laws and building codes.  Cities are required to adopt certain standards in order to get grant money for expansion projects.  People easily forget that if their own money wasn't taken away in taxes, they would be able to afford their own expansion projects locally.  They wouldn't need the grant money or the "cookie-cutter" rules that come with the money; rules which may or may not be beneficial for local circumstances.

The bottom line also comes down to the fact that the feds are taking more than they are giving now.  What started out as a great deal, with everyone sharing in the benefit, has become pitted with corruption, waste, and bad decisions.  In some cases the power shift that has occurred has led to outright abuse of some citizens.  It is in our best long term interest to subject the power brokers to competition for that power.  Even if we can't take the power away, we can force them to give us a better deal.  We can force them to clean up some of the corruption, and we can hold them more accountable for bad decisions.  We can use money as a tool to control them just as easily as they use it as a tool to control us!

What does all this have to do with gold or silver?

US dollars are owned and controlled from the federal power structure.  The more dollars are used and the more people depend on them, then the more effective the "strings" --attached to the dollars-- are at controlling us.  We have given away our autonomy in exchange for our own money to be given back.  Tax reform, federal government reform, and fiscal policy reform would all be the best way to deal with the problems we endure, but how often do oppressors suddenly have a virtuous change of heart?  Another strategy to take our power back is to simply stop using US dollars.  We set ourselves free from the "strings" when we no longer want what the strings are attached too.  

The only federally legal replacement for US dollars is gold and silver.  It is yet another last resort tool that our founding fathers gave us to use to escape oppression.   So, please, I implore you, use gold and silver as a tool to reduce your need for USD and all those strings.  Support movements in your state to recognize gold and silver as money.  Save silver coins under the oak tree rather than imaginary dollars in a bank account.  If you control a business, accept payment in silver or gold.  For the states that already accept silver and gold as money, pay your taxes in that.  Starve the beast!  US dollars can go worthless overnight, so this is in your personal best interest anyway.

Lastly, there is another form of money that is currently legal to use.  It is the "gold" of the internet: Bitcoin.  Google Bitcoin, learn about trading it here, starve the beast, and benefit yourself and your family in the process!

Everything I have is for sale in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Feathercoin, or whatever crypto currency you prefer.  Now for the hard part: taking pictures of everything I have and posting them here!  You could be the 1st to buy an old Ford 8N tractor with litecoins ... do it right here, right now.  Sorry, delivery is not available, so I recommend this rather heavy item to local Texans.

Ford 8N Tractor -- $400 USD ... no delivery available
email mayshinter@gmx.com for details
Click below to buy with bitcoins!

Scan QR to pay with any Bitcoin
Smart phone wallet!

The Rise and Fall of Crappers

Sometimes you just need a quiet moment to relax and unwind; and that's kinda hard to get when the office crapper has more foot traffic than 6th street on a Saturday night.  For the lucky ones of us "Office Space" types, there are often other options.  In my office space world, the place to go when you "have to go" was the 4th floor john on the opposite side of the building.  It was just outside some lawyer office, and those guys had the good shit when it comes to shitters.  I may not swim with sharks, but it was kinda nice shitting with those snakes.

It was always a little bit of a walk, but they had freakin' Bed Bath & Beyond hand soaps in there.  The fixtures and tile were all new, and if you went in right at 2, you could often be the first to soil the soily.  It was the place to be, like an awesome plush bar that not everyone knew about yet.

Time happens though.  When you got a good thing goin' people find out about it.  People come far and wide, and people make "the place to be" turn into the place to be cliché.  In some cases they make it worse, as in the place to be stanked upon.  If you have discerning tastes when it comes to bathroom accommodations, you must always be on the hunt.  A good john is hard to find, and a good john is even harder to keep.

You can never rule anyplace out though.  Just remember, like any dive bar, a crapper is only one renovation away from a grand opening with new upscale clientele.  Fortunately, as the 4th floor bastion of waste descended into the sewer, the 3rd floor pooper room got a new look.  What once invoked thoughts of fear and, "I'm not gonna sit down here!" is now the newest, un-smelliest, most lightly traveled place to park your poop hole in the whole office building complex.

The First All Night Dance Party

There's nothing like a weekend long music festival to help you reconnect with your ancient roots, especially when your tent gets flooded by rain on the first night ... and after 12 hours of  psychedelic music, even I began to see visions of times past.

I saw nomadic tribes of humans; I saw the first tribe large enough to have elders with saving wisdom, musicians, children, and mothers.   I could see the evening starting with the elders sitting around the camp fire.  You see, they know before anyone else that a rain storm is coming.  They know that the children will soon be frightened by a distant thunder, and they  know to build the main fire up extra warm this night.

Having pitched a tent myself the night before, making new friends, sharing food and drink, I easily imagined the routine of all the families.  Many of them, like me, were unprepared for a change in the weather.  Still, what a wonderful way to spend the evening, laughing with new friends, high in the mountains.  Even off at their own little camp sites, everyone can hear the steady beat from the drums at the main fire.

As word of the approaching storm makes its way around camp, some know to take a nap while the napping is good.  Others head up to the main fire for stories, chants, drums, and dance.  The night is still normal save for the fire is warmer, the winds stronger, and the drums louder.  At Pangea Pt. 6 "The New Age of Atlantis," I was one of the nappers ... that is until the rains came through my tent.   When the beds get wet, and all the little fires go out, that is when the whole tribe joins the dance party!

It's warm there around all the other people.  Everyone joins in, young and old; well, everyone with wet beds joins in the dance.   The dancing keeps us feeling alive and the trance like state from the drums makes us feel oddly rested when the morning light comes.  New friendships become stronger and the fear of cold and hunger fade away.  

It was funny watching certain members of my new tribe and how instinctively they acted at dawn.  I can only imagine that throughout time there were always a few who dropped everything at dawn to tidy the main camp.   Others, less inspired like me, joined in simply because of the good example that was being set.  And so a new day begins with a new set of toils and dangers.  Those of us who danced all night are better prepared to face it than those who grew sick in their cold wet beds.

If the sun comes up, we dry our tents and sleep, but if the rains stay; we do it all again.

How to tell if giving someone money is the right thing to do

Suppose your child, or friend, or a stranger on the street asks you for some money.  What do you do?  What do you ask yourself?  How do you justify either giving them money, or denying their request?

Some of the questions that swirl through my head are: "Why did they let themselves get into this position?", or "Why does this person always need help?".  I'm fixated on the person and their need and how if they took better care of themselves, then they wouldn't be bothering me right now.

I find myself giving the bum a $1 because I think he needs it, and I give it grudgingly because I think he shouldn't need it.  Surely this is a warped way to view an experience of giving and receiving.

So, I've decided that there is a better way to think in this situation.  I will change my focus from the requester's need, to the requester's ambition.  If the beggar has any ambition, I simply ask myself: "is the ambition good, and will this gift help enable that ambition?"

Of course, there are those folks who just don't seem to have any ambition at all.  Perhaps the question for that is, "Which action will stir up the most ambition in this person, giving money, or withholding it?"

Here is a good example of how assumptions make for bad policy.  The lady who wrote this poem is as thin and healthy as you can get.  By the sound of this poem, she doesn't stay that way by eating a government recommended diet:

No “Thanks” for Thanksgiving Dinner (2014?)

A timely piece of poetry by Cari Bieter

Thanksgiving Day is coming

And I can easily wait!

The tofu turkey’s in the oven,

So I’ll be good and late!

How times have changed, my darlings—

As I remember well

Aromas from the kitchen,

Oh, how I loved that smell!

Mom was in her apron,

All day fixing stuff!

Pumpkin pies and candied yams—

I could never get enough!

A great big bowl of dressing

Was stuffed into the bird.

I watched her pop it in the oven

Without saying a word!

Our relatives would pile in,

The house was such a clutter!

I could hardly wait to taste

Those rolls with lots of butter!

Our table would be groaning

With sweets and fatty food!

No one cared—we dug right in

Because it tasted good!

Heaps of mashed potatoes

with gravy thick and tasty;

Drumsticks plump and juicy,
 Pumpkin’ pies & pastry!

Alas, those days are over,

My taste buds dormant now.

The tofu turkey’s roasting,

And I shall take a vow:

I shan’t enjoy my dinner

On this Thanksgiving Day!

Without the buttered, candied yams

And mincemeat pies—no way!

Here comes Uncle Herbert

A bottle under his arm.

Is it wine? Or champagne?

No! They might do us harm!

“Bottled water is my gift—

A welcome change of pace!”

We sit down at the table,

No smile on my face!!

The government has told us

In no uncertain terms—

To gain an ounce is evil,

As bad as getting germs!

No sweets, no fat, no real meat,

And butter is the devil!

I’ll fixate on the good old days,

In those memories I shall revel!

Tofu turkey, sprouted bread,

Organic veggies too.

And for dessert? There’s no dessert—

Sugar is taboo!!

******

Happy Thanksgiving, my dears!

Elections are over and my choices didn't win.

Post vote challenge:

Are you disgruntled that your vote didn't count for as much as you wanted it too?  Are you worried that the election is over and the country is still doomed for more decline?  

Here's an easy way to make a difference.  

It will take even less effort than driving to the polling station and waiting in line for 30 minutes to cast your vote.  

Do you really care enough to make our country better for the average tax paying citizens?  Here's what you can do:

1. Go to www.congress.org

2. Select the option to write to your representatives, remembering that they are supposed to represent you whether you voted for them or not.

















3. Drop them a quick note to let them know that you are watching them, even if it is a bluff.   Here's what I sent to my reps:

Dear Representative,

I ask simply for your support when writing and passing laws.  I encourage you to always put the interests of individual Americans ahead of the interests of those who petition you constantly via lobbyists.  We the people have been neglected for a while now and the whole country is suffering for it.  Please empower us to succeed and we will help the whole country succeed.  

As requests are made by lobbyists, please take the time to consider the real impact those requests will have on individual Americans.  Will the policy in your consideration help one group at the expense of another, or at the expense of individuals?  The lobbyists will always make it seem fair, but I'm asking you to see through their persuasions.

We need a break, and I'm counting on you to give it to us.  What is best for the MPAA, GM, Exxon, Boeing, and Goldman Sachs, is NOT best for the country.  The last few years have proven that.  Please represent the people for a while at least.   

I voted, I care, and I'm watching how you represent me.


Sincerely,

4.  Fill out your name and address and the website will send your letter to your correct representatives.

This will have more impact for the good of the county than your vote did, and it will take you less time than it did to drive down to the voting station and wait in line.

Travesty of a Failed Traffic Stop

At 10:35PM on Interstate 35, a routine traffic stop went horribly awry.  Williamson County Deputies, Johnny Ray B. and Billy Bob M., stopped a car for a moving violation.  They claimed that the driver failed to give a turn signal prior to changing lanes.  In actuality, the officers suspected the driver of being intoxicated because he was only going 73 mph in a 75 mph speed zone.

Upon approaching the vehicle, the officers noticed absolutely nothing as being out of place.  The driver appeared to be completely clear headed and there was no smell of liquor on his breath.   They spoke to the young man, asking him where he had been, where he was going, and why was he driving so slow.  Unsatisfied, officers B. and M. began to direct their questions more specifically about exactly what did the young man have for dinner.  The driver grew agitated and appeared suspicious when officer Johnny Ray B. informed him that "fries" were not a particularly healthy choice to go along with his chicken fried steak entree.  The deputies then admonished the driver for not getting steamed vegetables instead, and then ordered him: "Please step out of the car, sir."

The driver reluctantly complied with the politely stated command and stepped out of his car.  To the growing dissatisfaction of the officers, the driver walked perfectly normal, and his demeanor was calm and collected.  The officers then proceeded to question him further, getting in his face a little and watching to see if he would stumble backwards.  Officer B. went back to the cruiser to run the license and registration while Officer M. proceeded to question the suspect.  "Sir, how often exactly do you go to Twin Peaks for dinner?  ...and why has it taken you until approximately 11pm to get headed home?  ... are you hiding something from me son?  ...do you have any drugs in your car?  ...are you sure you didn't have one drink with your dinner?  If you're hiding something, it'd be a wholes lot better if you just go on ahead and tell me right n...."

Officer B. returned with an imperative look on his face, and then he began to interrogate the driver.  "Our records show that you have two drivers licenses, this one you gave me from Florida, and another expired Texas license on file.  Do you realize that it is illegal to have two licenses ...you care to explain why you have two drivers licenses for me son?"  

The young man began to explain,

"I just moved back to Texas, but working full time and studying for a very important exam, I haven't had a chance to take yet another day off work to get my Texas drivers license renewed.  I thought that I only needed to turn in my old license and then get a new Texas license, but after the 3rd trip to the DMV, I was told to bring in either a birth certificate or US passport.  Then they also said I would have to schedule an 'in-car' driving test."

Officer B. replied,

"Son, you've got to do what you've got to do, but just remember that I'm gonna be watchin' you. Comprende?  I'm going to give you a warning this time, but if I catch you again with that Florida license, it's gonna be bad.  I'll give you until Monday to get that taken care of, sir."

The officers nodded and gave the driver a warning ticket for failing to change lanes in a safe manner and then they left.  The young man was still nervous as he got back into his car.  The whole event was quite unsettling. But, he managed to merge back onto the freeway and get home.   He was still shaking as he got home and removed a small box from his car.  He carried it in and sat it on the table in front of him.  The anxiety and fear from the traffic stop swelled in his veins as he lifted what was in the box up to his head.  With shaking hands, he placed one end of what he had in the box into his mouth and spun the cylinder on his favorite pistol ... lighter.  He took a deep breath and drew the flame in from the other end of that rolled up paper that he just gotten safely home with.  He thought, "whew, that was close," and laid down giggling.  Later in the night, he had an uncontrollable urge to heat up a frozen pizza and eat the whole thing himself.  Then, he fell asleep, full and happy.

If only those officers had done a better job, that young man could have been saved from his pizza binge happy evening.   If only it were customary for every vehicle to be searched at every traffic stop, not just vehicles driven by Mexicans; this travesty could have been prevented.   That young man could have been arrested and thrown in jail as he rightfully deserved.   His car could have been confiscated and sold by the county, and thousands of dollars in fines could have been raised for the county as well.  That's not even to mention the lost opportunity to have this young man's record permanently tainted so he would have problems finding and keeping jobs.   Such travesty, all because officers B. and M. were not quite diligent enough to discover the hidden contraband.

Well, no worries; deputy Billy Z. has a new prospect.  They just pulled over a Mexican looking woman because it appears that her rear license plate light is not sufficiently illuminating.  Deputy officers B. and M. are almost as happy as a fat man taking a dump because this girl is about to crack.  Deputy Johnny Ray is lookin' for his flashlight; they gonna get to put somebody in jail tonight!

The cost of banking fraud and the butterfly effect

Let's talk about shooting yourself in the foot, or rather, avoiding that uncomfortable limp.  Please open your mind to the impossible. Let's talk about how "always" and "never" almost always have exceptions.  For example, we might think that catching a burglar is "always" a good thing, right?  Well, let's consider the possibility that allowing a crook to rob a bank might be good for us all in the long run.

To understand the concept that is about to be presented, as it applies to the banking industry, please first consider the value of the internet and the value of our recent digital revolution to the banking industry.  Computers and online banking systems save banks from needing as many tellers, agents, and other staff.  Depending on the size of the bank, their Information Technology department (IT) might save them 50 million dollars per year in employee costs.  Also, that same infrastructure might drive new profit for the bank, possibly another 50 million per year.  Out of this windfall profit/savings of 100 million, the bank might spend 40 million per year on IT services and hardware.  That leaves the bank 60 million ahead thanks to their IT department.

Every year, the bank evaluates the performance of their IT department and the profitability of their online banking services.  They might discover that they can spend 50 million on IT and make an extra 100 million dollars as a result.  Now the bank is 150 million ahead.
                                                              
Now let us consider cyber fraud.  With no security, the online banking system could not function at all.  Crooks would steal all the money, duh.  Cyber-security is just as important to the operation of online banking as the computer systems that process all the financial transactions.  No security system is perfect however, and losses due to fraud will continue at some rate.  A bank might spend 10 million per year on cyber security and still lose 50 million per year on fraud.  That still leaves the bank 90 million ahead vs. if computers and the internet did not exist.


Are you following this?  


If not, here is a chart of what we have described so far:



Profitability from internet   +200 million
IT costs                                 -  50 million
Security costs                        - 10 million
Fraud costs                           -  50 million
_________________________________
Net profitability                      90 million



Now suppose that the bank spent 1 million more on IT security and only lost 30 million from fraud as a result.  The bank would do this because it leaves them 19 million better off at the end of the year, getting their total back up to 109 million per year.  This is their net benefit from Information Technology (IT / "the internet").


To summarize the free market approach:


Profitability from internet   +200 million
IT costs                                -  50 million
Security costs                       - 11 million
Fraud costs                          -  30 million
__________________________________
Net profitability                    109 million


Easy as pie, right?


The same bank might try to spend 2 million more the next year on security, and find that they are still losing 30 million to fraud.  That would leave them with a profitability of only 108 million now, so they decide it is best to stay at 11 million on security spending for now.


The point of this whole example is simple:  A bank plus computers and the internet is way more profitable than a bank without these.  Keep in mind that when all businesses in an industry profit more, as long as there is healthy competition, those profits eventually find their way back to you and I in the form of better services and lower costs.  Of course the numbers are relative to the size of the bank and other factors; so please think about the logic here rather than the actual numbers.
                                                 
Now let us look at a regulatory approach.  We often focus on the negatives in a situation, like that 30 million those nasty thieves are stealing from the bank.  After all, those costs are being passed on to we customers in the form of higher fees and lower interest payouts.  We forget that we are still many times better off than before IT, even with the rampant robbery.  So, we decide that we need the government to lock down the internet, make it "secure", and catch all the bad guys.  It sounds like the fair and just thing to do, but it ends up making the world a worse place for all of us.  Here is how:


The government passes regulations that were lobbied by IT security firms and the law says that our bank must have top notch IT security spending of 15 million per year.  We already know that the bank has figured out that the extra spending won't benefit them much, so now their profitability is down to 105 million.  There's just an extra 4 million padding the pockets of the lobbyists and executives at the IT security firms now.
                                                                       
Also in the new regulations, the government is required to form an agency to enforce bank compliance, and that might cost another 5 million for that bank.  There goes another 5 million of profitability in the form of tax increases and so we are down to 100 million.   The train wreck of regulation does not end there.  The bank must form a department to ensure compliance and communicate proof of compliance to the government agency.  That might cost another 5 million annually, and so now our bank is down to 95 million in profitability.
                                      
Of course, the government will also form a task force to investigate and arrest the criminals.  that might reduce fraud costs (proportionately for the bank in our example) by 10 million per year, but cost we the people 20 million for the task force.  So, now we the people are out millions to subsidize the bank's security whether we bank there or not.  That's money out of our pockets directly, but let's just charge that cost against the bank's profitability for now.  The net effect here is a decrease of another 10 million in profitability.


Now we have to jail the criminals, another 5 million loss to we the people in the form of taxes, and we're down to 80 million.  And consider the losses of freedom of all internet users because of the extra security.  There's no way to begin to figure that out, but just say it's another 10 million and that leads us down to 70.


So, to summarize the regulatory course of action:



Profitability from internet              +200 million
IT costs                                           -  50 million
Security costs                                -   15 million
Fraud costs                                     -  20 million
Compliance costs                            -   5 million
Govt. enforcement (bank facing)    -   5 million
Govt. enforcement (people facing) - 20 million
Incarceration                                   -   5 million
Loss of opportunity on internet       - 10 million

_______________________________________
Net profitability                                 70 million


Well that sucks, especially when you consider that some of the costs above come out of our pockets whether we us a bank or not.  We were better off letting the banks decide how much the crooks were costing them and subsequently how much they should spend to counteract the thievery.


Let's not forget where the butterfly effect comes in.  Consider the chance that we arrest a teenage prodigy who might have otherwise grown up and revolutionized security or the banking industry itself by developing Bitcoin II.  We might just accidentally prevent technology that was scalable, secure, and capable to handle worldwide transactions for free.  Please see that freedom can be invaluable and it might have tripled the profitability of the bank in our example to 600 million.  When we promote creativity and motivation, there will be benefits for all in the long run.  The alternative is to choose government regulation, security, justice, and mediocrity for all.


The information technology industry and the internet are shining examples of why freedom works best.  The growth, opportunity, job creation, and improvement to everyone's standard of living all occurred without government regulation.  People were free to be creative, productive, and to profit mightily for their efforts.  That environment proved that freedom generates more benefit for us all than does regulation.  The last great example before that was the rise of American prominence in the world.  We went from nothing to the greatest nation on earth because of a void in regulation and government intimidation, rather than because of it.  


We should focus on information rather than regulation.  When information becomes available that there is a better way of doing something, the people and businesses who adapt to the new information will succeed.  Regulations merely force everyone to follow a particular course of action whether it is the best action or not.  Regulations hinder progress; only freedom and creativity advance progress.  The only time regulations contribute to progress is when they drive people to be creative about how they get around the regulations.


Disclaimer:  The numbers above are completely fictional.  There is no way to project reality.  For example, there is no way for a bank to determine how much they would have made one year without the use of computers.  Suffice it to say, they would not have to because they would not be competitive enough to stay in business without computers.  While my numbers are fake, please agree: values and projections made by those who advocate more government regulation are equally fallible.  I'm merely offering a picture of the costs and benefits of two particular courses of action: freedom vs. regulation.

I saw mayhem today! 


Her left front blinker, hanging by its wires, first caught my attention. As her Volvo passed me, weaving, I could see the driver paying more attention to her journal than to the view outside of the windshield. I watched with anticipation as her car rolled inches from the curb and then swerved back to the left. 


About the time I noticed that the left blinker still worked, because it was blinking, she turned to the right. Ah, and to my amusement but not surprise, I could see that the metal cover over her gas cap had become afraid some time ago and ran away.


That was the closest thing to the commercial I've ever witnessed live!

What Do We Want?

Peace!  When do we want it?  Now!  Who will give us peace?  Ron Paul!

There was just a little bit of excitement as over 6000 people gathered near LBJ fountain on the University of Texas campus to hear Ron Paul speak.  As an active supporter of Ron Paul, it was very nice to see so many other people of like mind.  Maybe there is hope for our country after all.  Ron Paul has been criss-crossing the state of Texas to get out his message of liberty and hope.  He's having to spread his message, 6000 people at a time, because the main stream media is doing everything they can to downplay this movement.  People are catching on anyway; after all, the principles that Ron Paul teaches are the same as those that led to the formation of the most successful nation throughout all history.  Ron Paul teaches the principles of individual liberty, of peace, of doing the right thing and following the law of our land.  These are the principles of our Constitution!


The speech was a great one, and he covered topics ranging from "raw milk" and individual liberty, to war and why we need to end the Federal Reserve system.  I got to see him make the funniest joke that I've ever heard out of the man.  Right after the crowd finished chanting, "End The FED!!!" he says, "Why yes, I agree, that's a great idea, let's do that."   ...you had to be there:

As soon as I finish breaking his speech up into specific topics, I will post them here.  Then everyone can just watch the parts of his speech that they are most interested in without having to watch the whole 40 minute presentation.  So, please come back soon with your liberty hats.  More Ron Paul 2012 action to come!