Grab the Money!

Today, for the first time in quite a while (Read -whine should ye care to) I experienced about 5 seconds of clear, stress-free thought between my frontal lobe and the leading edge of my skull; I'd forgotten, momentarily, the brutality that the Family Law Industry enables toward fathers in this country and then, I came into the house: Boom!

An instantaneous reminder that as a divorced support paying father, I have to protect, insulate, and preserve my privacy and whole self 24/7! The ever present held-out-hand of child support grabbed me by the throat; again!

As summer rapidly approaches, please help Rob and Robert by contributing a pinch of ca$h toward their EQUAL Bike Trek; every dollar helps in their gallant effort - http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/04/robert_and_rob_.html

Hi-Jacked Gas Truck

www.worldwithout oil

I had the hell scared out of me today, as I witnessed a gasoline tanker truck taken from the driver at gun point by two armed men in a very violent manner! Understand that movies, commercials, and TV spots are constantly being filmed in this area so I didn't pay much attention initially as it looked too "staged" to be the "real thing". But as I watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of DiCaprio or Matt Damon, it became clear that the truck driver was terrified and that something terrible was taking place! I got the license plate number of the car who dropped the gunmen off as he was stuck in traffic momentarily and it just so happened I was the only witness in the line of site of all that went down....Especially scary for me, as I frequent this stretch of boulevard daily. When is this going to end? I happened to be on my way to the supermarket to purchase inflated price Porterhouse when I saw all of this crap. Then, while remaining in a bit of shock, I'm nearly accosted by the check-out clerk at Ralph's because I was taking too long in the self check-out line; I left the steak on the check out table, left, and went to Arby's for lunch. I won't be going anywhere until Monday!

Until next time, stay safe..........Peace...And please click on the link and contribute a few bucks. Or, purchase one of my bumperstickers and I'll contribute a portion of sale in your name....Thank you......http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/04/robert_and_rob_.html

23) Drip Dry.....

16 May, 2007 -

The Bike Trek bicycle ride for EQUAL Parenting in August, 2007 from Michigan to D.C. is picking-up momentum; please help by clicking on the link and contributing if you can; every dollar is huge, Thanks http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/04/robert_and_rob_.html

Seems my concerns about water being more critical to our society than oil are being heard; and others share my deep worry that we'll dry up and blow away long before we can't drive our stupid vehicles for lack of gasoline. Listening to npr today about the sale of Chrysler, the most significant detail for me was the whining of the Union reps and sale isn't even close to completion. If the stinking unions hadn't priced our products out of the market in the first place, this would have never happened. I mean, come on, anyone who knows anything about cars knows the crap Detroit puts out, and has for decades, is far below what the Japanese manufacturers put out for the money. Example: I have a close friend who is a staunch American Patriot, as am I. He raced professional moto-cross for a time, I remember him saying that if he could purchase an American motorcycle that could compete with Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki he'd have been riding one. And all one need do is slam the door of a Detroit car and that of a Japanese car and, well, you get my meaning.....Water folks, the water is going to be the commodity for which the killing of fellow human beings will escalate to viciousness not seen in thousands of years......Conserve and desalinate I believe is the answer...

I have $1.80 to my name right now, and am overdrawn by $34.00 with my stinking bank. That crap added to the fact that the world is getting crazier by the minute and I just don't know how much more I can take or how long I can go on! Thank goodness I'm finally working again and will be able to address my bills very soon; I hope! Peace, until next time........

22) No Hyrdo

14 May, 2007 -

http://www.achildsright.net/

Posting to World Without Oil Game -

While worrying about my own selfish thirst today and thinking about our water situation in Los Angeles, I realized I've been greedy; and far too selfish. Our water shortage isn't near as grave as it is in China right now! Please read on...... News from the net tells me that 190,000 people in China, today, May 14, 2007, are facing water shortages as a mega drought continues to decimate areas of Hubei province. More than 3 million mu (200,000 hectares) of farmland have been affected by the drought, which has also left 93,000 livestock short of drinking water, according to the Hubei provincial flood and drought control authorities. The local government has dispatched about 400,000 people and tens of thousands of pieces of irrigation equipment to combat the disaster which has afflicted 22 counties and cities of the province. Precipitation is down 30 to 60 percent of normal in most parts of Hubei province just since April; people are going to die. In Shiyan 50 streams and 1,520 ponds have dried up, and 2,300 water cellars and 16 small reservoirs are nearly dry. Wheat output is expect to be reduced by 8.75 million kg this year............You've heard me from the beginning my friends; tis not lack of oil shall be the death of mankind, but alas, not a sweet drink of water to thine lips will kill ye?!

21) MI. Parents fighting like Kronk Gym!

12 May, 2007 - http://www.achildsright.net/ -

Game on people! - The fight for divorced parental equality is being taken to the streets, roads and highways of America > literally! In the shape of a 700 mile "Equal Parenting Bike Trek" (click link above) to commence August 11, 2007 an incredibly caring, tough, unified, determined, and focused team effort is being mounted that will press forth the determination and resolve of divorced Dads and second wives and families to change the nightmare that is the "Family Law Industry" in this country and throughout the world. The riders and their support team(s) are going to travel from Battle Creek, Michigan to Washington, D.C. to raise voter & taxpayer awareness in regard to the societal rip-off that remains in the form of the Family Law and Child Support Collection Industries.

This awesome Bike Trek is intended to promote equal and fair family law reform. I personally, as one divorced Dad, am backing, promoting, and supporting Robert & Rob's effort 1,000%! A portion of sales of my bumper stickers will go toward supporting the August 11, 2007 Bike Trek effort! Please click on the links to learn more and to assist their efforts; even $5.00 or $10.00 will go miles in this monumental and expensive effort to promote fairness in our country -http://www.achildsright.net/ http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/04/robert_and_rob_.html

20) World Without Oil Game - 2

11 May, 2007 -
www.worldwithoutoil.org
Entry #2 Strictly for World Without Oil game consideration-
See link above...

www.achildsright.net - www.daddyblogger.com

Earlier today, the governor and legislative leaders agreed to launch a pre-emptive strike on summer gang and gun violence across the state but these measures I don't think include consideration of the fact that everyone, including gang members and their "families" are going to have less and less water as we proceed through the hottest months. It could be, according to a probation officer interviewed on the news, a riot that "will make the Rodney King riot look like a day at the beach" Can't wait for that one! Seems impossible to make a purchase at this point of any tools, firearms, ammunition, or resources that would assist a pacifist in protecting himself in a frenzied anarchic situation. I hope the Mexicans have enough guns and people to keep my street in balance until order can be restored, whenever that may be. The hoodlums have been stockpiling guns and ammo for years; this is getting scarier by the second.

I believe I have enough gas in my car to get to a "safer" area, but the water concern is a huge factor. I am not sure what I'll do if the water supply gets shut down across the basin.....We shall see.

19) World Without Oil Game

11 May, 2007 - http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/

This entry is strictly for the World Without Oil Game - See link above.

www.achildsright.net - www.daddyblogger.com

As things are already heating up (History tells us that So Cal's fire season doesn't usually start until June) on the ground here in the L.A. Basin, and significant fires have already commenced, I find myself growing increasingly nervous and concerned about the possibility of rioting due to lack of water as opposed to lack of gasoline or other fossil fuels. I reside very near the point at which Reginald Denny was beaten nearly to death during the Los Angeles riots of 1992. I have only been able to stockpile about 200 gallons of water thus far excluding the "usual" emergency sources of water: water heater, run-tap-into-plugged-bathtub/sinks-until-full, toilet tanks; by the way, I removed the bricks from my toilet tanks weeks ago so that they would fill to capacity when the need arises. The apartment right across the street from me has been under police department surveillance for quite a long while, and when the "shit goes down" that particular dwelling will be my primary focus; initially at least.

It has come to my attention that there are several African-American gang members residing in that dwelling. Couple that with the fact that Mexicans (Several Mexican families reside next door to me in a single family house) and lately Latin Americans have been pushing the black people out of their traditional neighborhoods for years and you have the makings of a firefight. A firefight I want no part of, but may be drawn into merely by my location; I want trouble with neither. I have long been of the opinion (based upon my own observations and in listening to law enforcement accounts) that a person who commits crime under the cover of darkness or chaos "lies in wait" for situations to present themselves such as the looting in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots or the lawlessness of post hurricane Louisiana .

These "people" come out of the woodwork when calamity takes over a neighborhood and I intend to protect myself. In my research, I have learned that the gangster's weapon of choice (9MM pistol or AK-47 Assault Rifle) is no match for a 12 Gauge; I wonder if one can be purchased at this point? It's a shame to have to maintain this mindset, but I fear the alternative could be far worse.

18) Less Water - More Violence?

10 May, 2007 - 10:40 PM Pacific time

Los Angeles

www.achildsright.net - www.daddyblogger.com

I've just turned off our local news broadcast and the major coverage at this hour is a big brush fire burning on Catalina Island; this fire is a serious threat to the historic town of Avalon on the island and now people are being ordered off the island. The big part of the island fire story on the news throughout the afternoon had focused on the fact that deployment of these giant hovercraft to get "resources" to Catalina from Camp Pendelton Marine base was taking far more time than it should have.

Why Los Angeles County doesn't/didn't have enough "resources" already deployed there should be the underlying current for all of us during a crisis: Government Services may not be able to reach us for quite sometime if at all! The lack of forecasting and planning on our "officials" parts certainly does not instill confidence in this voter! What else aren't they planning for? I remember the huge fire storms of several years ago that wiped out much of Malibu and I recall the news helicopter flying over the next morning showing film of the devastation; there was one house standing untouched amidst all the burned out houses and foundations were all that was left of most.

The news crew interviewed the guy whose house survived and had been photographed from the air. He had a gas powered pressure washer and a full swimming pool. He yanked out his power washer, dropped the intake into his pool, put his nozzle on "stream", kept the flames off of his property, and saved his house himself; I'll never forget that interview. The guy was cool and prepared! I'm telling you folks, the fuel crunch is just a wake-up call for the real crisis that is looming if we don't all prepare and conserve: World Without Water scares this taxpayer far more than a World Without Oil does....Until next time....Peace

17) More Outrage - Less Water!

10 May, 2007 -

www.achildsright.net - www.daddyblogger.com

Just when I think I've heard it all in regard to the horrific treatment of men at the hands of the Family Law/Child Support Collection Industries, I'm further blown away! The link in this post http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/439421.php?contentType=4&contentId=485887 is to a story about a man in PA. who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so that they could conceive a kid, and is now being held liable for child support despite that fact that he is now DECEASED! Do you think the donor had any assets? Duh!! Nothing is too low for the snakes in the Family Law/Child Support Collection Industries to stoop to when it comes to a man's money or assets, nothing!

The weather has cooled here in L.A. which is making the fire fighters quite happy, not to mention their jobs easier but the horrific draught continues. I remember the first time I read about Austrailia's desalination plants and thought that we should have desalination here in California; I was in elementary school some forty years ago. To reineforce my position, today I offer a few pieces from Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the 1997 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics; this guy knows what he's talking about; the rivers that remain today will dry up!

Mr. Chu's research shows that California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, the tallest in the state and water supply for millions, could lose nearly all of it's snowpack by the end of the century; let's get goin on the desalination plants Arnold! Mr. Chu goes on to state that Greenhouse gases are the culprit; anyone surprised?

Come on people, the wrting is on the wall. Mr. Chu said that if he were "Emperor of the World" he would "put the pedal down" in respect to energy conservation and carbon emissions. He also pointed out that the Sierra Nevada snowpack is at it's lowest level in 20 years. But, I personally recall it has been very low before. Let's get those desalination plants going and stop driving so often. I believe it was Sir Artur C. Clarke who said that if the Los Angeles basin shut down all vehichular traffic for just one day, we would have smog free air for two years! That's it! 4th of July, 2008! You'd better get to where you need to be because we're gonna shut the place down; cars & trucks everything vehicular for a day; it can be done people.....Until next time.....Peace!

16) Ho Hum

9 May, 2007 -

Seems a job is finally going to come to fruition for me; HOORAY! And of course, I am pleased about that. "My" ARCO Station's Regular is @ $3.35 per gallon now further encouraging me to drive longer, further, and faster; NOT! Be that as it may, my new place of employment (Awaiting background check clearance) is very close-by and located as near perfectly as one could hope for in the South Bay. Big fire here in the basin as most of you probably know in the Griffith Park area; you know it's serious when they put the water dropping helicopters in the air at night. For a while, the fire was threatening the Griffith Park Observatory which has just recently been reopened following a $93 million, four-year makeover of the art deco landmark! It was close there for a while evidently. The ankle continues to be a problem. Must go recline with an ice bag on my ankle now........Until next time, Peace........

15) RUF & Moto GP

Cinco De Mayo, 2007 -

For tomorrow's Moto GP of China, Valentino Rossi is once more on pole shattering the track record by over half a second; huge for these guys.......I'm guessing that if all fossil fuel products as we currently know them were suddenly unavailable to the general public, among other things, the dynamic and mindset of the employer/employee - workplace/labor force would change virtually over night. From the beginning of the Industrial Age (in America at least) for the most part workers have moved themselves and their families to the proximity of the workplace. I believe that if fossil fuel ran out today, that dynamic would shift and to one degree or another the workplace, particularly new businesses, could be forced to come to the worker. I have also always been a firm believer in "the positive" and I have faith in mankind overcoming the obstacles that we now face.

One answer could be the utilization and installation of Pelle R. Jensen's RUF System of transportation = Rapid Urban Flexible (See illustration) The RUF System is a "Dual Mode" Electric/Hybrid vehicle system. One can drive these hybrid vehicles by themselves or take them to a station where you get on a track and let the system drive for you allowing stress and hands free commutes for example. The Texas DOT has issued a grant for an in-depth study and concepts for several American metropolitan areas have been rendered. See: http://www.ruf.dk/

14) Thirsty for Oil?

4 May, 2007 - The link is to yet another Paternity Fraud article - http://www.yorkdispatch.com/pennsylvania/ci_5818095

Yesterday, I paid $3.29 per gallon for Regular Unleaded fuel here in the LAX area (ARCO) which is at the least .14 cents per gallon cheaper than any other station in the vicinity. Before I lost my job, I'd always subscribed to the fact that buying Premium fuel enhanced the performance of my vehicle and thereby I needed to visit the filling station less often; I'm having to buy the cheap stuff until I get back to work which, God help me, should be soon. The fever pitch across the country about gasoline prices I find distracting in the big picture of life on Earth; what we're all going to need in the not-too-distant-future is more water! And nowhere else on this planet is this better demonstrated than guess where? That's right, The Middle East leads the world in the number of Desalination Plants (See photo) Personally, I have never understood why we don't have Desalination Plants all along our coasts in America and in my research on the subject I found that we have Biwater Advanced Environmental Water Technologies right here in Pasadena, CA. The infrastructure to move drinking and potable water is already in place. All we would have to do is to link the desalted water from near the ocean into our existing water supply delivery system; it is my view that this should be done immediately. According to an article generated by Biwater Technologies, this could be achieved economically by utilizing the less expensive Reverse Osmosis or Nano-Filtration techniques of today which use membranes to treat the salt water within the desalination plants; it is my position that construction of these plants should commence right away! Until next time.....Peace

13) What's Next?

2 May, 2007 - My two older daughters pictured -

Here's one from New Mexico just this morning - Why am I not surprised?

Woman indicted in scheme to collect child support
In Albuquerque a woman accused of forging birth certificates and other records to collect child support has been indicted. A grand jury indicted 54-year-old Viola Trevino on twenty-four counts, including kidnapping, perjury, conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit forgery. She is accused of creating an imaginary child to get more than twenty-six thousand dollars from her former husband. The couple divorced in August 1999. See the Clip here: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2a2451e124
For the first time in my working life I am without comprehensive medical benefits; not a comfy feeling for sure. I spent seven hours in the Emergency/Urgent Care area at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center yesterday so that I could have the condition of my slowly healing ankle region assessed by an MD; I'd seen my Chiropractor on 1 May, and he advised me to have it checked for ligament or tendon tearing which he could not do with precision. From time to time while sitting in the waiting area at Harbor, I felt I knew what it must be like to be in the Green Room of the Jerry Springer Show; weirdos man, weirdos! But hey, waada ya gonna do? The apparent class and cultural differences present in the waiting area were most profound: Young, some Preppy, medical professionals and clearly established senior Medical Staff mixed with every homeless street urchin in the area and every country south of the American border well represented at Harbor 24/7. I found it striking and trust me, I've been around plenty of "low" people in my life and do not look down my nose at anyone. Refreshingly, the staff proved to be excellent and for me, surgery is not going to be required, I am most happy to report. During my wait, a very attractive young Hispanic looking woman was looking for a seat; I had my X-Ray envelope and Sony Walkman sitting in the chair next to mine. The young gal and I made eye contact and we nearly simultaneously glanced at the chair with my stuff in it; I moved my stuff - she said thank you and sat down.

"Brenda" was obviously nervous and wanted to talk: She explained that she'd been sent there following a visit to her dentist earlier in the morning; it was 11:30 AM when I arrived at Harbor. She went on to say, that a wisdom tooth had been giving her problems and that she'd gone to have it extracted. The Dental Assistant went to numb her and while looking at her wisdom tooth region called the dentist into the room. "Brenda" had Thyroid Cancer in 2000 with surgery and radiation following surgery to remove her Thyroid glands in her throat area. "Benda" said that lately she was having trouble swallowing and that her entire cheek and jaw on her right side was in pain. Being a cancer survivor myself, I could empathize. I was fortunate to have impeccable and caring support in 2005/2006 when I went through it, this youngster was by herself in a clinic for crying-out-loud! Anyway, I wrote down my oncologists name and told her about the incredible "Wellness Community" I also told her she mustn't mess around with this. She hasn't had treatment or follow-up since her final radiation treatment years ago. Well, it was just one of several scenarios played out in front of my eyes yesterday- It made me wonder about our country and the health care industry specifically. Maybe the people who have been calling for a National System have been right? I don't know, but I do know I've worked just about all of my adult life and just had my medical benefits end April 1, 2007. And, "Brenda" needs an oncologist/endocrinologist, makes $8.00 per hour, has kids four and seven years of age, and is frightened. A shitty combination really.....Onward