Pride Visions

2007-12-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

2007-07-28T01:07:00.001-07:00

2007-05-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ride for Yourself and the Planet

Gas prices rising beyond what we thought we would accept. Obesity becoming the next health risk in the world. Both will be curtailed by riding your bicycle.

2007-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Earth Day Celebration

2006-12-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Xmas in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, city of Angeles, how so far from the truth
Highest in crime, higher in immorality, these entire angels are so uncouth
Overcrowded, overindulgence, overpriced, oversexed, this place takes away you youth

Half the populace gay, the other said to be, sexual perversion is the going buffet
A Fellatio parfait, the anal pathway, dementia is this townships foreplay
To my dismay I wish to get away, I wonder what’s in the mind of Yahweh

Black are minorities, whites are too, you must speak Spanish to order at the drive through
The place is a zoo, it lack any virtue, emigrational pots forge this overpopulated fondue
Diversity is good one can’t argue, oceans, mountains and desert’s the venue –
The people are the thing that needs renew.

It is wrong for me to be so negative, for tis the season to be very positive
Though the people feel captive, they still fill festive, for this is the time to give
To not be passive and without a dire motive, this time of year I must be pensive

Negativity is not my litmus. This time is not to be made infamous, happiness is a must
With much fondness, I wish to all kindness, gracious gratis with precious tenderness
I shall be the isthmus to pass to all a very merry Christmas

2006-09-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Farewell to Steve Irwin

A few years ago an insanely off the wall man came across my Tele and I thought he needed a shrink. He would jump into the water with wild crocodiles, (as if a croc is anything but wild,) and he would pick up venomous shakes with his bare hands by their tails and hold them up for us to see. Steve Irwin, known as the crocodile hunter came into my household with the flair and insanity of a person who truly cared about the other creatures that we share this earth with. I began to become effected with his love for Australia and the animals of the world. His calmness with viperous, aggressive and dangerous creatures was amazing as he was able to show us the beauty of said creatures without harm to himself or the creature. That calmness and tenderness is something we all should learn from.
Steve Irwin is no longer with us in parson as he was recently killed doing what he loved. I am deeply saddened by his passing but I am not going to weep for him for he showed me that a life should be celebrated. Steve Irwin gave so much to this world in the short 44 years. Terri Irwin, Steve’s wife and their two children, I know will continue with the work that Steve made his destiny. I wish to use this platform to thank Steve Irwin for his dedication and enormous love for the animals of this world. I also wish to give my condolences to Terri and the rest of the Irwin family including his best mate West. Read more

2006-08-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Blessing of New Life

     A wonderful blessing was bestowed upon me recently.  A pair of Mocking birds chose to build their nest in a grape vine I have enveloping a patio adjacent to the garage.   The gifts of seeing new life begin and survive along with the wonderful interaction of a couple who sacrificed everything, and I do mean everything to ensure the survival of their brood.  I found myself getting more and more involved with my babies till my every thought was of them and their survival.  My emotional involvement was straddling obsessive attachment as my babies took their first breath until they completely fledged.
     The first Blessing was when Johnny and Shelia, the names I gave them, chose to place their nest in the grape vine.  Normally Mockingbirds place their nest in high positions in my yard.  This was the first time a pair chose to establish their nest so close to me.  I remember the first time a couple chose my yard to have a nest.  Even though it was in an evergreen about fifteen feet in the tree, the couple would attack me anytime I came around the evergreen.  Over the years I guess they figured out that I was not a threat to them or their babies.  This year to my surprise the nest was only six feet above the ground at my eye level in the grape vine.
     The moment I saw Johnny preparing to build his nest I started to think of capturing the event from the beginning to the final fledging.  My selfish intrusion came to an end once I realized Johnny had done it.  I suddenly began to think of their desires rather than my intrusive peeking into their precious endowment.  I first realized Johnny achieved his goal when I saw him consistently swooping into the grape vine.  That is when I was introduced to Shelia.  Johnny was bringing his first lady meals as she sat on the brood incubating the future mockingbirds.  I chose to leave Shelia alone as she did her job.
     I could have disturbed Shelia from the nest so I could take photos of the eggs.  Mockingbird eggs are smooth and oval, about 18 mm x 24 mm (.75 in. x 1 in.). They can be bluish gray or greenish white to darker shades of blue and green, and heavily marked with spots, blotches and short scrawls in various shades of brown.  I missed seeing the eggs because I did not want to intrude on Shelia as she sat on the nest.  Johnny would go back and forth to the nest to bring his Shelia nourishment and she would stay put on the nest.  With Mockingbirds, the female birds incubate the eggs for 12-13 days, while the male forages for food and defend the territory from intruders.
     The wonderful day arrived and while Johnny and Shelia were going back and forth for food to feed our babies I would sneak in and capture photos and video of my babies.  There were four lovely babies in the nest with their eyes still closed and moving around as if crowded by the smallness of the nest.  My first thought was that Johnny was a bit mistaken by designing his abode too small.  Thinking like a human, I guess I was wrong, Johnny knew what he was doing.  I enjoyed visiting my babies every day as they were cared for by Johnny and Shelia.  The two of them were fling their wings off to feed those demanding ravishing bundles.
     The Mockingbird feeds on fruits and berries of holly, smilax, woodbine, sumac and other plants.  Northern mockingbirds eat insects, snails, fruit, berries, worms and lizards. They like to forage on short grass and are thus commonly seen feeding on suburban mowed lawns.  Some garden and horticultural crops such as grapes, blackberries, and figs are also favorites of this bird.  In addition to fruits, this bird also eats harmful weevils, cucumber beetles, chinch bugs, and grasshoppers.  So while many think this bird is detrimental to fruit crops, the truth is, it is an important bird in an agricultural sense.
     Once their eyes were open, the babies began to scream constantly demanding their food.  Mouths wide open as if great white sharks, two of the babies seemed to be more outgoing and demanding than their other two siblings.  I got tired watching Johnny and Shelia go back and forth, back and forth, to their screeching demanding brood.  There was a parent returning to the nest about every three minuets for hours on end.  Johnny and Shelia seem to only have two brakes in the day.  Mid-day and after sundown were the only times I didn’t see them rushing in to feed the babies.
     Three weeks into my joy came a devastating occurrence.  One day I noticed that only Shelia was feeding the babies and Johnny was nowhere to be seen.  Shelia was working overtime to feed the constant screeching littleness.  Later, about mid-day I heard Shelia making her distress call.  I ran out to see what the concern was.  In time you learn the different calls of the Mockingbird to almost know what they are saying.  Across from me in a tall palm tree was a Red-Tail Hawk.  The Red-tail’s are my favorite birds in my backyard habitat but this time I wasn’t happy to see one.  Shelia was distress calling and hiding at the same time.  Normally the Mockingbird attacks anything that may threaten them and this time Shelia was being careful.  This made we wonder it the Red-Tail was the reason I didn’t see Johnny.
     While watching the Red-Tail and protecting what was left of my family I saw him for the first time make a kill of a bird that made a mistake of attacking and flying down below the hawk.  The many times I have watched and photographed the Red-Tails I had not seen a kill.  I am thinking that the hawks also had a brood somewhere to feed.  I think, though I don’t know for sure, Johnny was a victim of the Hawks.  I felt a great loss when I realized Johnny was gone.  I later saw the Red-Tail make another kill and again Shelia made a distress call but in hiding as if she knew that if she were lost to the hawks, her babies would not survive.
     The next few days resulted in Shelia working double duty to care for her brood.  I began to notice that two babies were always at the top of the nest and even coming out to walk along the grape vine while the other two were reserved.  Within a week of my noticing Johnny was missing, two of my babies past away.  Again, thinking  like a human, my guess it that Shelia couldn’t keep up the pace to feed four babies and the stronger of the brood as well as the more demanding got fed.  Down to two babies Shelia was able to keep them fed.
     Once the two remaining babies began to fledge, Shelia would take them off away form the yard to feed.  Often times they would spend the night away from home.  Yes I said away from home.  When Shelia first did this I began to feel slighted as if Shelia was steeling my babies from me.  Thinking like a human again, I had to realize that Shelia was being a good mother and teaching her babies well.  Shelia seemed to understand my attachment to her and her family that she soon made my yard home and would always come back to me at night no matter if they were gone all day.
     Shelia and her, or should I say our, two babies are still staying home for now and I enjoy seeing them each day.  I know the day will come when little Johnny and his sister will find their own territory but until that day I enjoy having them in the yard.  This was an experience of a lifetime to experience the blessing of birth and growth of new life.

2006-07-29T02:25:00.000-07:00

Clearing the Weeds

2006-07-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

Tour de France

      The first American to win the Tour de France - Greg LeMond changed the world of cycling forever for millions.  In 1986, Greg LeMond, despite being constantly threatened by his own teammate, Bernard Hinault, became the first American to win the largest single annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France. Millions watched on CBS Television as Greg's historic victory catapulted him into the media spotlight. Greg's victories and his ability to triumph even after personal tragedy brought home the incredible athletic ability it takes to win this legendary race.
      April 20, 1987, in a hunting accident Greg was shot in the back and the nearest hospital was a hour away.  By the Grace of God an Angel came down from heaven in the form of a helicopter purely by chance, or not, and rushed Greg off to the hospital.  Pellets of shot were in his small intestine, liver, diaphragm, and heart lining, along a great quaintly of blood loss.  He could have died from the incident and yet he didn’t.
      LeMond Fitness and LeMond Racing Cycles continue Greg's passion for cycling and reflect his unique ability as he went on to win another two.  Blending this cutting-edge innovation with unrivaled levels of courage and tenacity, Greg went for it all in the 1989 Tour de France. He fought to stay competitive through the grueling 21-days of racing, which ranged from 100-155 miles each. Right out of a Hollywood movie, Greg overcame a seemingly insurmountable lead by Frenchman Laurent Fignon to win by a mere 8 seconds, the narrowest margin of victory ever in the Tour de France's 87-year history! The incredible resurrection of LeMond's career was capped by victory a month later in the 1989 World Championships. Many awards followed, including being named the 1989 "Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year".  To prove his return to the top was no fluke, Greg won another historic Tour de France for the third time in 1990, before retiring from competitive cycling.
      Lance Armstrong (born on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. He is most famous for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005. These amazing feats were accomplished several years after brain and testicular surgery, and extensive chemotherapy in 1996, to treat testicular cancer that had metastasized to his brain and lungs.
      Lance could have died from his illness and yet he didn’t. and by the grace of God he was cured to become the most prolific cyclist and the epitome of what a cyclist should be.  His athletic success and his dramatic recovery from cancer inspired Armstrong to commemorate his accomplishments in conjunction with Nike through the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a charity founded in 1997. The now ubiquitous "Livestrong" yellow rubber wristbands first launched in 2004 netted the Foundation tens of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer, and helped Armstrong become a major player in the nonprofit sector.
      I only mention these two gentlemen because it is from them I have the strength to improve my present condition.  On March 11th 2003 I was in a near fatal car accident.  I broke every bone in my body below my hips and I also broke my neck.  The C-3 bone in my neck is the bone I broke which was the same bone Christopher Reeves broke.  I should be dead or at best paralyzed from the accident.  There is much to the story but I am giving the short version.  Since that accident, I have rededicated my focus of my life.  By the grace of God sending the Angel of my long passed father down here to protect me, I am still here, walking and able to ride my bike.  Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong and the stories of their challenges, suffering, and strength inspire my drive to a complete recovery and exceed my prior resilience.
      My mother always told my sister and me that there is no such thing as can’t.  I was tied up in a separation from an extremely horrifically bad marriage.  I was separated from the things I had composed over the years and my losses were colossal and then I had this car accident.  To say the least I was feeling like Jobe waiting for the next tribulation.   I was saying “I can’t” more time than I realized.  Three years later and I was not completely healed.  Then I remember the saying; “That which does not kill me only makes me stronger.”  I began to fight and fight back.
      As Greg and Lance, I too will Livestronger from the challenges I am to still face and I will stay focused on the Tour De France as the challenge now begins. My legs are my weakest link today but I will work hard to correct this. Events like the Tour de France and football (soccer) are my favorites because of the leg power of those athletes. They continue to inspire me today.

Watch the Tour 2006

2006-06-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

Gas Pricing

       I happen to drive a full size Ford Bronco which is by definition an extreme gas hog. I don’t love my truck but I do really enjoy having it and have experienced some great moments with it. Lately though I have been observing the amount of visits I make to my local gas station. I am not one to complain about the gas prices or the amount I pay for filling that colossal fuel devourer. The saying: ‘If you want to give a dance, you must pay the band,’ comes to mind.
       As time rolled by I started to realize that twenty dollars of gas would only give me an eighth of a tank of gas when prior I was able to put in a half tank. My mind soared into nostalgia of my first car. I will be dating myself with this but I am very proud of my age. When I was filling up my first car gas prices statewide annual averaged, full-serve unleaded:. 1973, 57.2 cents. 1974, 60.8 cents. 1975, 63.5 cents. 1976, 67.5 cents .. Today we are paying more than five times what I paid with my first car.
       Don’t get me wrong I am not cheep. . . No wait, I am cheep, as a matter of fact my second middle name is cheep and I don’t like the amount of money being dished out for gas! Forget the cost of living figure; the expenditure out going to minimum wage does not match. Minimum wage should be over $8.00 an hour today to keep up with the price of good and service based on 1973 figures.
       Then I heard of the Land of really, really cheap gas. Venezuelans pay 12 cents a gallon -- and not a penny more. (read more). How and why are the richest nations of the world paying such a high per gallon price when Venezuelans pay only snippets for their gas?
       I decided to look into the matter as I noticed that parts of the country pays less for gas than other parts. But the confusing part of the price difference is that the areas that pay a lesser pump price per gallon are states that have their gas shipped in. Areas like Los Angeles which is surrounded by oil rigs destroying the scenery of the coast line and who also have the refineries to turn the crude into gas, have a higher price per gallon at the pumps.
       I got it, tax brakes for the refineries to perform in the state and the people must pick up the slack. Tax brakes for the petroleum companies for digging off the coast, destroying the view and endangering the environment while making the consumer foots the bill for the tax cuts. Oil Profits Soar with Pump Prices. read more
       Oil Company’s CEO’s earn $42,000.00 a week as reported by a CNNMoney.com senior writer while I have been forced to park my wonderful truck as often as I can afford to because I cant afford not to. I was one who if needed to run to the corner store I would just hop into my truck and make that run. Now I consider and reconsider if I really need to go out. If I do need to make a little run I now walk or ride my bicycle. As a matter of fact I now ride my bike to the gym which is six miles round trip rather than driving my fun SUV. When I have to really go out I make long list so I can accomplish all my task in one run.
       I have been able to save only forty dollars a week. For me that is good but I would rather be banking $42,000.00 a week!

2006-06-16T01:46:00.000-07:00

On August 6, 1945 the world's first atom was dropped on the Japanese City of Hiroshima. The Atom bomb was dropped by an American B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay. Anyone within a mile of the explosion from atom bomb became a bundle of smoking black charcoal within seconds. Over 60,000 people were killed and those who where still alive were in agony from their burns. The atom bomb obliterated more than four square miles and there was very heavy damage in the outlying areas also. Three days later the USA dropped another atom bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. This bomb killed another 35,000 people and injured even more.
The first W.M.D. was used and the United States was the terror that unleashed the threat to the rest of the world. America which stands at the goodness to all mankind by attacking those who threaten the world was the initiator of this threat by being the first to use Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Evil people do exists as terrorism reaches across every continent as innocence are killed and raped and enslaved, however the truly evil people are those who for the sake of economic power and personal glory close their eyes. There is a W.M.D. that is a threat to all mankind and yet it is not addressed. Those in power around the world either by ignorance, alleged moral rationale, and indifference or for the love of money chose to not mention, chose to blame, chose to impede or chose to horde their personal gains and not attack the problem.
The W.M.D. that is most devastating to the global health and welfare is greed and power. The result of the weapon comes in the deaths of millions of people around the world. 95,000 plus died in the bombs on Japan but thirty million have died from HIV/AIDS. On every continent today, there are millions infected with AIDS to the staggering numbers of forty million plus. Husbands giving to their wives, children receiving from their mothers and still many governments refuse to give aid to those suffering because of their so-called moral stand against prostitution, gay sex and illegal drug use.
Money is denied to countries if condom use is promoted. Money is denied to countries if prostitution is allowed. Money is denied to countries if needle exchange programs are instituted. Money is denied to countries if safe gay sex is promoted. Governments past their judgments and deny its people life on this so called moral stand.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Another result of the W.M.D. that is devastating the world is hunger. It’s hard to believe that still today The UN body said more than 2 million children died this year of hunger and diseases in Africa while the world's attention was on a series of natural disasters and the spread of bird flu. In India the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) regarding the suicides of two young girls who had suffered extreme hunger and malnutrition for a prolonged time and could do so no more. Sundari Sardar and Phulan Sardar, from the state of West Bengal, committed suicide after having endured several days without any food whatsoever, and years with only very little. With no hope in sight that this situation would change and that food would come there way, the young girls took their lives. On moral grounds I guess it is ok for our people die, suffer and kill themselves.
In South Africa De Beers Mining Company Ltd , profited over $4 billion (in 1989) and the profit is growing while its workers and their families are ding from HIV/AIDS and are being denied medicine to prolong their lives. Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, reported (2005) that profit rose 75 percent from a earlier, to $9.92 billion. Revenue rose 31.9 percent, to $100.7 billion. As we spend more on gas and our saving draw only a piddle 3% if we are lucky and millions are starving through the world.
Power and greed is a weapon of mass destruction that is killing millions. There is a war on drugs. There is a war against terrorist. There are wars for religion. Still the number one killer of people and the planet is greed and power.
Tony Blair says fighting HIV/Aids is not just a "moral duty" but is in the UK's "national interests". "It is my hope that by working together we can help raise awareness, increase political will and mobilizes the resources necessary to stem the tide of this epidemic." At the start of the HIV/AIDS crisis Margret Thatcher along with the entire British parliament were referenced to the ignoring of the AIDS crisis in Britain, where the authorities didn't really care until heterosexual people started dying, Imagine the lives saved had she adopted Blair’s stand.
Nelson Mandela achieved the impossible by aiding the ending of the apartheid era. He became the leader of South Africa and the entire time in office, never once addressed HIV/AIDS. Since he stepped down in 1999, Mr. Mandela has campaigned for greater awareness of Aids issues since the passing of his son to the disease. Thabo Mbeki the successor to Mr Mandela also ignored the subject of HIV/AIDS to the point of telling lies about the illness to denying care to those suffering.
President Ronald Regan was similar to Mr. Mbeki with spewing misinformation about the illness and providing no assistance. George Bush Sr. with his moral stand aided in further dieing and his son G.W. is furthering the legacy of his father.
To tackle HIV/AIDS, the government of China has pledged to invest 1.75 billion yuan from 2003 to 2007. This after stating earlier on in the crisis of HIV/AIDS that they were a closed society and would not have to be concerned with that problem. After 840,000 cases of the illness in 2003 and 44,000 deaths I guess they are now concerned.
All of these governments along with the rest of the worlds governments and the people controlling the governments are more concerned about their wallets and their legacies and their power. Allowing the mass destruction of the world’s population through decease and they are equally responsible for the millions dying of hunger. Like the letter in Prince’s song “Dear Mr. Man,” something has to change because,
"We tired a-y'all”

Artist: Prince
Song: Dear mr. man
Album: Musicology

What's wrong with the world 2day?
Things just got 2 get better
Show me what the leaders say
Maybe we should write a letter

Said Dear Mr. Man, we don't understand
Why poor people keep struggling but U don't lend a helping hand
Matthew 5:5 say "The meek shall inherit the earth"
We wanna b down that way
but U been trippin since the day of your birth

Who said that 2 kill is a sin
Then started every single war that Ur people been in?
Who said that water is a precious commodity
Then dropped a big old black oil slick in the deep blue sea?

Who told me, Mr. Man, that working round the clock
would buy me a big housed in the hood
Cigarette ads on every block
Who told me, Mr. Man, that Eye got a right 2 moan?
How about this bog old hole in the ozone?

What's wrong with the world 2day
Things just got 2 get better
Dear Mr. Man, we don't understand
Maybe we should write a letter

Listen, Ain't no sense in voting - same song with a different name
Might not b in the back of the bus but it sure feel just the same
Ain't nothing fair about welfare
Ain't no assistance in AIDS
We ain't that affirmative about your actions until the people get paid

Ur thousand years r up
Now U got 2 share the land
Section 1 - the 14th amendment says "No state shall deprive any person of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of law"
Mr. Man, we want 2 end this letter with 3 words
We tired a-y'all