Hemp, the ultimate biomass should make petroleum green with envy

It's probably just a matter of time. As more people become aware that alternative energies are far healthier for the environment and humankind, they'll also start to realize the greatest plant-sourced biomass is industrial hemp. Oddly enough, most people aren't much aware of hemp even though it's been commercially grown for 12,000 years. Our founding fathers were plenty aware of it. From NAIHC (North American Industrial Hemp Council), Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper, which is what the Declaration of Independence is written on. When US sources of 'Manila' hemp was cut off by the Japanese in WWII, the US Army and Department of Agriculture promoted the 'Hemp for Victory' campaign to grow more hemp in the US. Because of its importance for sails and rope for ships, hemp was a required crop in the American colonies. Funny, it used to be a required crop!

From VenusProject.com: All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. It was LEGAL TO PAY TAXES WITH HEMP in America from 1631 until the early 1900s. REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769. Wow.

This video is on Henry Ford's hemp car, an entire car made by hemp plastic that ran on, you guessed it, hemp fuel. Watch him fail to dent the body with an axe. An AXE! The car is far lighter than steel bodied cars and yet ten times as strong. Think about the impact on fuel conservation and saving lives this could have had.

Why didn't Ford continue with his hemp car? Great question. The Marijuana Tax act of 1937 by the US Government effectively made it unaffordable to grow and doomed all production of industrial hemp even though it had been a staple crop of most farmers before then. Speculation has it that pressure from big money like Dupont Chemical, Rockefeller's US Steel and the timber industry had much to lose and played into the mix. It's a shame that happened.

The good news is others are finally stepping up to the plate. No army can keep a great truth from rising eventually. This photo is from the good people at Hempcar.org who drove this sweet Mercedes wagon 13,000 miles across America to help spread awareness. BTW, you can't get high on industrial hemp products if that is concerning anyone.
Where do we go from here? I don't know, but raising awareness is a big part of the battle. "What can I do?" you might ask. Support anything in any form that has to do with industrial hemp or hemp products. They're starting to pop up everywhere. Last month my wife bought me a bottle of hemp lotion. I love it, and no, it doesn't get me high.

Make a free website at webs.com - it's fun and easy!

Want a website but you're low on money? Get one for free and make it yourself! It's easy.


Some people might raise an eyebrow at the thought of a free website. I did too, surprised to learn that free websites are readily available. Plus, you can possibly get one with your full name as the domain though it will have the webs.com or some such ending instead of just .com. But that's still pretty cool, especially for free. I got one at webs.com and highly recommend it. And yes, there are plenty of places for this, so feel free to google other sites and reviews.

With a free site there aren't a lot of bells and whistles as you might expect, but the only "for free" catch is that they place ads on the right side of the page. A fair trade for a free site in my opinion. If you want you can pay 5 bucks a month for hosting without the ads, also a fair deal. I just converted to that option after my site was up and running well, but it looks like it takes a day or two to make the full conversion.

At webs.com the site building program is called sitebuilder. I found it far easier to use that godaddy's website tonight or hostgator's program. You can choose from pre-made templates or upload your own, and then if you're at all handy with programs like MS Word, you should have no problems figuring it out. If I can do it, anyone can.

You can see my example at http://www.thelittleuniverse.webs.com/. I made that site entirely over a couple of days while I was waiting to have a professional make my other site, just to get a feel for what I wanted. Now I like it so much, think I'll keep it. For less than $60 a year of hosting, why not?

Vistaprint, I'm addicted.

Vistaprint, I'm completely addicted to your services. I made my own business cards and magnets in less than an hour, and they're so cool and high quality and WAY cheaper than the last time I ordered cards from a printing company. Plus, one can make coffee mugs, t-shirts, pens, websites, you name it. I literally had to pull myself away due to the risk of going overboard with ordering products. Anyone who wants to promote their work or just create awesome items for memorabilia, like homemade calenders, Vistaprint is an absolute must see! Vistaprint.com

Check out these business cards I just made. They took me under an hour and the program was amazingly user friendly. I went ahead and ordered matching magnets with little calenders, couldn't help myself. As soon as they arrive, which should be Feb. 10th, I'll be giving some magnets away at my website, thelittleuniverse.webs.com along with a bunch of other free stuff.

Finally I'm addicted to a good thing. If you haven't been to Vistaprint, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Brett Favre, don't retire in haste! Take as much time to decide as you need.

When Brett Favre retired twice and waited until the last minute each time to declare he was coming back, I have to admit feeling the same resentment as most of the media (outside of perspective cities he might play for), as they openly chastised him for toying with our oh-so-fragile sports emotions. The problem I had, and others, was the constant media attention for many months over one silly question, "Are you really retired?" Well, we were all really tired of that question, even Brett I assume.
However, as soon as he was on the field whether it was for the Jets or the Vikings, he was electric. That same kid from Mississippi who simply loves the game and gives it everything he possibly can, won our hearts in a New York minute. Win or lose, his teams embraced him, the media embraced him, the fans embraced him, and both years I found myself becoming an overnight supporter of his teams.
Perhaps the thing I respect most about Brett Favre is that he does things his way, taking family and himself as paramount and media scrutiny/societal pressure as secondary or non-existent. Obviously his achievements must be mentioned. He holds at least 41 NFL records, including most consecutive starts, most wins, most passing yards and touchdowns (interceptions too), and he's the only player to have beaten every team in the NFL. So how could we have turned on this first round Hall-of-Famer? Is it because he's also set a record for interview appearances, press conferences, media spotlight and discussion on his daily future thoughts - is that why so many people turned on Brett during the offseasons?

While watching the final game against the Saints and screaming during each of those horrible mistakes made by Brett and several of his teammates in a game they still almost won even though the science of the game dictated they had no chance whatsover due to massive turnover differential - I had to wonder - can Brett Favre, the perpetual kid who clearly loves football as much or more than anyone, can he really retire after a final play (rookie style) interception that arguably cost his team the game and a shot at the beloved SuperBowl? Everyone knows the memories of that final career interception in the waning moments, with Ryan Longwell just waiting on the sidelines to kick the game winning field goal and send the Vikings to the SuperBowl for the first time in 43 years, that memory will grind at Brett possibly for a lifetime. Wow, 43 years, longer than Favre has been alive. And, of course, the Vikings have been to 4 SuperBowls, losing all of them. To be sure, 99.9% of Minnesotans (and many of the rest of us) will pray, beg, bribe, scream and claw for Brett to come back.
How can this man retire now? How can this be his final playing memory?
I really hope Brett gets through this week, realizes he can give it one more season, and formally announces his decision to play once more with the Vikings.
We love you, man. You're the game's greatest active ambassador. Please, please, please, puhleeeeeease give it one more for your sake, for our sake, for the NFL itself, and even for the Gipper.
And take your time to decide. It gives the media something to do.

Avatar, a pre-emptive strike brings shock and awe terror to corporate military

Avatar is clearly one of the greatest movies of all time, arguably the greatest. James Cameron has blended a high concept plot with outstanding computer animation and stunning visuals to go with the action/adventure pace that audiences crave.
But what is far more important to me, are the open spiritual messages within the plot and that Avatar clearly makes one point stand out - that deeply rooted connectedness to each other, to all animals, plants and our world itself, are of much greater value than corporate greed backed by military force. Avatar takes the military mindset of "pre-emptive strike," "shock and awe," and "bringing terror to the terrorists" head on, even using these terms specifically pointing out what our military is currently doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Please notice the clear choices of wording in Avatar and their underlying meanings:
Eywa - mother nature itself, the spirit within all life forms and everything that is and is always connected. Notice how much Eywa sounds like Yahweh (Hebrew for God) and even Gaia (spirit of Earth).
Unobtainium - the outrageously expensive mineral being mined from the moon, Pandora (ancient Greek mythology Goddess - giver of all life). The highly prized piece of rock that caused corporate and military minds to destroy everything in order to have it. Surely this is an "unobtainable" treasure, for there is no value in destroying everything else.
The year is 2154, the start of the Aquarian age. Note the color of the Navi's skin... blue.
Jake Sulley is the main character, the one person caught in the middle of doing his job as a marine and becoming a member of the Na'vi (naive, native), the indigenous spiritual culture of Pandora. Jake represents many of us as we take a look in the mirror and have to determine if our choices and direction are ultimately good for all or destroying all.
I could go on and on since this film is packed with metaphors and themes that our culture is presently dealing with. Hollywood is really changing for the better. I absolutely loved this movie and will happily pay to see it again. Nice work, Mr. Cameron. Best of luck with the sequels.

San Francisco Writers Conference or bust

I'm going. Yeah, it's pricey plus we'll probably spend a ton in the city with Jana and Devan joining me for a vacation. They'll be toodle-looing around Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square while I'm soaking in Dan Poynter and Larsen-Pomada as they etch out the writing business. But hey, how can I pass up this opportunity to rub elbows with top agents, editors, publishers and more?
So I'm going and I'm going to write about it. Why the heck not? That's what we writers do, and I think I'm one. Anyone interested in a first hand account of the San Francisco Writers Conference need only look for this blog from February 12th to the 14th and probably beyond for some follow up and (hopefully magical) results. How exciting. Even for just a chance to be in one of the world's great cities and have a martini at the Top of the Mark restaurant seated across from best-selling authors like Jaquelyn Mitchard and Steve Berry. I'm embarrassed to admit I don't yet know them but will soon since they're among the keynote speakers.
So in case you haven't been, can't make it in 2010, would like the full skinny of the San Francisco Writers Conference from a newbie... I am there for you. (and me)

Meditation made easy, tips for simple relaxation

This would be ideal if everybody could meditate like the master in this picture. The truth is not everyone (me included) can easily relax in the lotus postion. However, everyone can meditate. The main thing is simple yet focused relaxation. If you can just take some calming breaths, you're halway there. 3 deep inhalations going well into the lungs and 3 complete exhalations will slow down your heart rate and pulse, calm the mind and bring about instant relaxation. It really is that simple to start. Once you've mastered that, you can move onto higher levels and techniques.

My most frequent form of meditation is reminding myself to take some conscious breaths whenever I feel the stress of life coming on. This can be with eyes wide open and in the middle of other stuff, like when driving my car or at my work desk or even during household chores. I just slow down, breathe deeply and let go of burdensome thoughts. Try this yourself and see if it helps. And if you want to go for any deeper meditations, try some of these tips:

-Sit in a chair, on a pillow or even lie down (but don't fall asleep). Keep your back and neck fairly in alignment. Close your eyes. Relax, focus on deep breathing and let go of thoughts. Allow the breath to go all the way in like it's going beyond your lungs and into your belly. Then release the breath entirely. Even breaths coming in, even breaths going out.

-Try a mantra. Either a simple phrase like I am light or I am relaxed to keep your mind from thinking dozens of thoughts. It's much better to think of one thing than dozens of things. The object is to let go of the "monkey mind." Or your mantra can be something that has no meaning, no association for your mind to grasp to, like "keenum." If you allow yourself to think of keenum or some such non-word, it will be more likely to calm down and think of nothing. The whole idea is to train your mind to relax, take a break, something it's not used to doing (even for blondes).

-Set a timer, a quiet timer to let you know when 10 minutes have passed. If you feel good about it, increase your time with practice.

-Take notice of any impulses, thoughts or information you tend to receive during this time. Some amazing insights often are "revealed" to us during these states of relaxation. The more you do it, the more you might discover. Where do these thoughts come from? Hmmm... good question.

Enjoy and be at peace.

Create Your Own Website with Chris Farrell, I'm glad I did!

As a tech-newbie, I've spent the last few weeks educating myself on website design. It's been an arduous journey to say the least - my wife has never seen me so frustrated. I have come a long way though there's still a lot to learn. I did however, recently stumble across this excellent and free ebook by Chris Farrell on the subject. This ebook is by far the single best piece of training that I've found. It's concise, easy and fun to follow. Plus, in his videos Chris sounds like he's from Liverpool, like a young John Lennon. Great accent. And he likes his coffee breaks. Check out his ebook and free videos either at his website http://www.chrisfarrellmembership.com/public/main.cfm or where I found it at getfreeebooks.com on this page submitted Dec 12-09  - http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?paged=2 The advice Chris gives also uses Kompozer, a powerful, easy and free website building program you can find here - http://kompozer.net/

Additionally, a google search surprisingly led me to see some scam alerts about him. When I read through them I also found dozens of positive testimonials from extremely satisfied people like me, including people like me who haven't spent one dime and have learned tremendously from Chris. Yes, he sells memberships to an internet hosting company that, arguably is pricey and comes with tons of bells and whistles if you want to spend a bit extra and get on the fast track to your goals. Nothing wrong with that at all, especially if you understand sometimes you have to invest to really make money. And the beauty is, if you're like me and want to save every penny and do-it-yourself, Chris Farrell will teach you to do it all for free. He truly is a gifted teacher, so check it out.
Oh, and my latest website is only one day old so it's still embarrasingly unfinished and in construction, but you can see it here at http://helpingidea.com/ or the one I made last week which is finished at http://thelittleuniverse.webs.com/ and that one also is (hard to believe) absolutely 100% FREE.

thelittleuniverse.webs.com

I was playing around with website creation (playing is a fuzzy term, more like pulling my last remaining hairs out in dire frustration), when I came across a place to create a totally free website that included a very powerful and easy to use sitebuilding program. In my opinion, this program was far easier to use than the paid ones with hosting company giants, Godaddy and Hostgator. Of course, I would have to pay a bit to upgrade beyond the advertisements on the side and to increase bandwidth, monthly contact emails, etc, but for free this seemed like a good thing to do especially to build my web design abilities.
If you want to check out my TOTALLY FREE website where I can even sell my ebooks from, just take a visit to thelittleuniverse.webs.com

There you can purchase ebooks in pdf, mobi and epub formats of both The Little Universe and Jim's Life. Or for the low price of $5.95, you can buy both.
thelittleuniverse.webs.com

And if you're interested in creating your own totally free website, try it out at webs.com

Title change - The Big Bang: Notes from Looking Within is now The Little Universe

Yes, they are the same book. I should have realized The Little Universe was a better title much sooner. The name change was inevitable. The Big Bang was hardly original (and I knew that) with dozens of astronomy books under the same title. Then there's the tv show Big Bang Theory, the Rolling Stones album, so many things. Then there was the fear factor that some readers would have on first glance, perhaps a fear of a sciency book that they wouldn't like. No, The Little Universe just says it all so much better and with great paradox. Now available on Kindle at Amazon or through my website or Smashwords.com for any e-format like Nook or Sony Reader, iphones, etc.

 

The Little Universe is The Big Bang: Notes from Looking Within. Same book, new title.

 

Please remember, Jim's Life, the sequel is also available at my website, at Amazon Kindle and at Smashwords.com for any e-format.

 

The Greatest Good is like water... Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

The greatest good is like water

which benefits all life without trying to

It resides in the purest mountain snows

and dwells in the lowest of places

Thus it is like the Tao.

-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

from wikipedia;
Lao Tzu, aka Laozi and many others, was a philosopher of ancient China and is a central figure in Taoism or Daoism. Lao Tzu literally means "Old Master." He is revered simply as a wise man in philosophical forms of Taoism, but revered as a god in religious forms, much like The Buddha is regarded differently by the religious and philosophical schools of Buddhism. According to Chinese tradition, Lao Tzu lived in the 6th century BC and is traditionally regarded as the author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), though its authorship has been debated throughout history.
The above is my own translation of his teaching on water being the greatest good. No, I don't speak any form of Chinese, but from going over many other different interpretations, I believe this is what Lao Tzu was saying;
that we all should strive to be ourselves, without ego getting in the way, to mix among all walks of life both rich and poor, both good and bad (whatever that means) and in between. And that by truly being ourselves, we'll actually be helping everyone around us without even trying (sort of like Forrest Gump.) Perhaps by losing the ego and letting go, we'll allow Spirit to work through us, thus being like the Tao or The Way.

I also believe if you read between the lines in the teachings of Jesus Christ, you'll find a lot of similar themes. Some scholars argue that Jesus appears to have studied Buddhism during his "missing years" between the ages of 20 and 30. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Jesse Ventura Exposes HAARP

I had the pleasure of watching former Governer of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, take on a little known yet highly controversial topic on Tru TV last night - HAARP. High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program is a military complex way the heck out in (nowheresville) Gakona, Alaska that has 180 antennas and emits crazy amounts of kilowatts into the ionosphere. It can be directed like a beam to super heat sections of the atmosphere as far as 40 to 60 miles about the surface of the Earth. I originally wrote a blog post about this HAARP thing back in Oct 2008, and I realize my own need to learn more about it.

The program is run by the military. They claim it's a harmless weather experimentation device that will better help us understand our ionosphere along with helping satellite communications and finding things like hostile submarines and such. Critics of the program point out that the military is not known for running harmless programs and that they're not being forthright with the full potentials and problems that HAARP may cause.

The concept for the ionosphere heater was originally thought of by Nikola Tesla, an inventor and electrical engineer who lived about 100 years ago in Austria. Though an extraodinary genius far beyond his time, comparable to Einstein, Tesla was also regarded as a mad scientist. One of his inventions, the teleforce or death ray weapon, attests to his mental state. Exactly when, how and why the scientists put together the work of Tesla and HAARP still appears to be something of a mystery, one of which the military is not openly discussing. At least people like Jesse Ventura are finally starting to ask hard questions - like what can this thing really do and shouldn't we all know about it?

What do you think about HAARP? I persoanlly don't know much about it, and I admit that, but I also sense there is something seriously concerning that makes me what to know its exact purposes and potentials. There's a book called, Angels Don't Play This HAARP; Advances in Tesla Technology by Jeanne Manning for those (including me) who'd like to learn more.