Although it is true that Baby Boomers control 70% of the wealth in America, it might be important to note that when baby boomers were young adults in the 1960s and 1970s people then who were over 50 also likely controlled 70% of the wealth then too. Also, the people who tend to pass on with wealth now are mostly somewhere between 70 and 100+ years old, so the next generation (usually their kids or brothers and sisters and neices and nephews tend to be next in line, who also tend to be over 40 or 50 themselves.)
People spend the first 40 or 50 years of their lives accumulating wealth and then sometimes they inherit a house or other wealth then. And so on and so on. This is just the way it has worked for hundreds of years here in the U.S. and appears to continue to work on into the future.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Buffet's Berkshire Stock could rise as much as 45%
Berkshire could rise as much as 45 percent: Barron's
Reuters – 1 hour 55 minutes ago
(Reuters) - Shares in Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYS:BRK.A) could rise as much as 45 percent, according to a Barron's story that cites an investor in the company.
After a roughly 7 percent decline in the company's shares over the last 12 months, the stock looks "unusually attractive", Barron's said in its March 5 edition.Chief Investment Officer David Rolfe -- whose firm Wedgewood Partners owns Berkshire stock -- thinks the shares are worth at least $170,000 each, Barron's said. That would be 44.9 percent higher than the company's Friday close of $117,350 on the New York Stock Exchange.
While two Wall Street analysts are less bullish, they too expect the shares to rise, according to Barron's. The magazine cited a $133,000 share price target from Cliff Gallant at KBW and a $127,500 target from Jay Gelb at Barclays Capital. end quote from:
Almost 90% of plant activity on earth is around humans now
Begin quote from page 83 in the latest Time Magazine on March 12, 2012, "Humans have a direct impact on more than 3/4 of the ice free land on earth. Almost 90% of plant activity takes place in ecosystems where people play a significant role."
Second quote from same source and page, "It's no longer us against Nature. Instead its we who decide what nature is and what it will be," writes Nobel-winning chemist Paul Crutzen. end quote.
Both these statements are sort of horrifying to me as someone born in 1948. But that doesn't lessen the fact that both statements are likely true. I still live in California where there are still state and Federal Wilderness places that one can hike into where there literally are no roads and often those areas have never been logged, but as I have traveled the world, California is mainly the exception and never the rule which is a very sad truth.
But even these wilderness places are affected by Global Climate change and there is no certainty at all whether any or all of the wildlife both plant and animal there can survive the drought this year or extreme weather both drought and snow and floods and wind the rest of this century. So, even the most pristine places on earth may not be there 100 years from now just because of Global Climate Change even if all humans magically disappeared from earth right now. So, what man has done already might extinct all life on the surface of earth within the next 1000 years. However, I believe that man likely will survive by going underground where temperatures mostly stay around 60 degrees Fahrenheit under a few feet deep over most of the world.
There is another quote that I also found interesting from this article on page 84. Begin quote, "Since then our ranks have ballooned from 1 billion to 7 billion, a rate of reproduction that biologist E.O. Wilson has characterized as 'more bacterial than primate'. Today the total human biomass is a hundred times as great as that of any other animal species that has ever walked the earth." end quote.
Next quote: "The change has been so rapid that scientists have dubbed the past half century the Great Acceleration--" end quote.
There is a new name for the epoch we now live in that is considered by scientists to have started around 1800. It is called the Anthropocene epoc which is based upon "Anthro" for 'man'.
Begin next quote on page 85, "The reality is that in the Anthropocene there may be simply no room for nature, at least not nature as we've known an celebrated it--something separate from man beings--something pristine." end quote.
However, I think it is hubris to think this way because from my point of view things are presently so out of control that I believe it likely that if nothing changes world populations likely will reduce by 1 or 2 billion at the very least by 2100. However, everything mankind has done in some ways has surprised me since I was born. So, after the radical changes in societal points of view in the 1960s and 1970s I realize almost anything is possible given enough time and enough self empowered, critical thinking and educated adults worldwide.
Here is one of the many problems confronting mankind right now: being quote from Page 85, "Nearly 1/5 of vertebrate species are threatened. Conservationists may be winning the battle for nature preserves and losing the war for wildlife."
Second quote from same source and page, "It's no longer us against Nature. Instead its we who decide what nature is and what it will be," writes Nobel-winning chemist Paul Crutzen. end quote.
Both these statements are sort of horrifying to me as someone born in 1948. But that doesn't lessen the fact that both statements are likely true. I still live in California where there are still state and Federal Wilderness places that one can hike into where there literally are no roads and often those areas have never been logged, but as I have traveled the world, California is mainly the exception and never the rule which is a very sad truth.
But even these wilderness places are affected by Global Climate change and there is no certainty at all whether any or all of the wildlife both plant and animal there can survive the drought this year or extreme weather both drought and snow and floods and wind the rest of this century. So, even the most pristine places on earth may not be there 100 years from now just because of Global Climate Change even if all humans magically disappeared from earth right now. So, what man has done already might extinct all life on the surface of earth within the next 1000 years. However, I believe that man likely will survive by going underground where temperatures mostly stay around 60 degrees Fahrenheit under a few feet deep over most of the world.
There is another quote that I also found interesting from this article on page 84. Begin quote, "Since then our ranks have ballooned from 1 billion to 7 billion, a rate of reproduction that biologist E.O. Wilson has characterized as 'more bacterial than primate'. Today the total human biomass is a hundred times as great as that of any other animal species that has ever walked the earth." end quote.
Next quote: "The change has been so rapid that scientists have dubbed the past half century the Great Acceleration--" end quote.
There is a new name for the epoch we now live in that is considered by scientists to have started around 1800. It is called the Anthropocene epoc which is based upon "Anthro" for 'man'.
Begin next quote on page 85, "The reality is that in the Anthropocene there may be simply no room for nature, at least not nature as we've known an celebrated it--something separate from man beings--something pristine." end quote.
However, I think it is hubris to think this way because from my point of view things are presently so out of control that I believe it likely that if nothing changes world populations likely will reduce by 1 or 2 billion at the very least by 2100. However, everything mankind has done in some ways has surprised me since I was born. So, after the radical changes in societal points of view in the 1960s and 1970s I realize almost anything is possible given enough time and enough self empowered, critical thinking and educated adults worldwide.
Here is one of the many problems confronting mankind right now: being quote from Page 85, "Nearly 1/5 of vertebrate species are threatened. Conservationists may be winning the battle for nature preserves and losing the war for wildlife."
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The Nones now 16% of U.S. Population
The Nones it turns out are people "who say they have no religious affiliation". But what I find interesting is that "For most, they're not rejecting God," says Erin Dunigan. "They're rejecting organized religion as being rigid and dogmatic." quote from page 68 of Time magazine March 12, 2012.
In some ways I too fall into this category. Though I believe and have personal experiences every day with Jesus, Saints, Angels because I am after all an intuitive and experience God 24 hours a day I find religions basically sort of "Anal" and mostly for people who are afraid of God. On the one hand I totally get what being a "God Fearing" person is and I spent most of the time from ages 10 to 15 being terrified out of my mind that I was going to die from Childhood epilepsy. However, also because of that every day terror of a near death experience I invoked God to live with me in my body permanently. As soon as I did this my seizures stopped permanently and I never had one again. However, having God live with you inside your body is also terrifying in a new way and it took various kinds of adjustments to get used to this kind of experience. Though I had sort of got used to it by age 20 it actually took until I was about 32 to feel like I never would need to ever be afraid ever again. So, I look at all religions sort of like I do foreign languages. And I can speak in many of them and understand them and the sincerity of the people who believe in them. I can also see through people who are just mouthing the words because God should be a Real everyday 24 hours a day experience. Knowing God completely one no longer needs religion because religion is mostly for people who need religion so they won't steal or kill or harm people. If you are already with God all the time, religion is no longer necessary in the way it might have been before. However, I respect whatever language(religion) of God people speak but I don't get bogged down in dogma because dogma is only for children who don't experience God all the time in every aspect of their lives. So, religion is useful to the people it is useful to. But most of the time it is not useful to me.
However, I have two favorite religions and they are Catholicism and Tibetan Buddhism and you will probably laugh when I tell you why. I like them both because they both are very supportive to families. And if you travel around the world like I have the one thing you notice is that the people most likely to die are those without good or strong families. So, organizations that help people not die unnecessarily tend to be good organizations in their long term effects upon mankind.
In some ways I too fall into this category. Though I believe and have personal experiences every day with Jesus, Saints, Angels because I am after all an intuitive and experience God 24 hours a day I find religions basically sort of "Anal" and mostly for people who are afraid of God. On the one hand I totally get what being a "God Fearing" person is and I spent most of the time from ages 10 to 15 being terrified out of my mind that I was going to die from Childhood epilepsy. However, also because of that every day terror of a near death experience I invoked God to live with me in my body permanently. As soon as I did this my seizures stopped permanently and I never had one again. However, having God live with you inside your body is also terrifying in a new way and it took various kinds of adjustments to get used to this kind of experience. Though I had sort of got used to it by age 20 it actually took until I was about 32 to feel like I never would need to ever be afraid ever again. So, I look at all religions sort of like I do foreign languages. And I can speak in many of them and understand them and the sincerity of the people who believe in them. I can also see through people who are just mouthing the words because God should be a Real everyday 24 hours a day experience. Knowing God completely one no longer needs religion because religion is mostly for people who need religion so they won't steal or kill or harm people. If you are already with God all the time, religion is no longer necessary in the way it might have been before. However, I respect whatever language(religion) of God people speak but I don't get bogged down in dogma because dogma is only for children who don't experience God all the time in every aspect of their lives. So, religion is useful to the people it is useful to. But most of the time it is not useful to me.
However, I have two favorite religions and they are Catholicism and Tibetan Buddhism and you will probably laugh when I tell you why. I like them both because they both are very supportive to families. And if you travel around the world like I have the one thing you notice is that the people most likely to die are those without good or strong families. So, organizations that help people not die unnecessarily tend to be good organizations in their long term effects upon mankind.
Lady Gaga in Madison Square Garden
My son was watching a full length Madison Square Garden Concert of Lady Gaga. Though I had seen her do songs on various shows at the Grammy's or Oscars and the like but had never seen a full concert with her in it before. It sort of reminds me of the next evolution of Madonna or something like that. I can see she really gives everything in these concerts but one hopes she doesn't eventually die from her art rather than live like Madonna has. So, I hope someone as talented as this can keep going beyond age 30 or so. Because she really has something the way she combines art and dance and music. I'm not sure when she did this concert but it had to be in the last year or so because she performs "Born This Way" in it.
There was one white costume that was electrically powered that had moving extending wings and extending wings on her head dress. I had never seen anything like it before. My son just said it was in 2011.
There was one white costume that was electrically powered that had moving extending wings and extending wings on her head dress. I had never seen anything like it before. My son just said it was in 2011.
Ghost Rider
I usually don't put myself through this kind of thing, especially being an intuitive. I had thought I would go see this with my son but because I had to travel the next day on business my wife decided to go and I knew it was going to scare her so I knew I had to go to protect her so to speak. I arrived a little late to it and found the movie pretty dark in subject matter. I was trying to find anyone to identify with and found it hard to cheer almost anyone because of what is happening in the movie. There is a way where almost everyone in the movie is sort of ambiguous as to whether they are good or bad so this makes it sort of difficult to figure out who to cheer for. However, if you want to see some really great 3D and special effects the movie does that well. I liked the first Ghost Rider movie the best because it was easier to figure out who to cheer for. However, in some ways the 2nd movie is sort of more true to life in that everything winds up being shades of grey which is what life is like often in the end.
Though my wife is intellectually brilliant with 3 college degrees her agreements with God are sort of simplistic which works better than it does for most people in most normal situations. However, in a movie like this she was left shaking and scared. Also, I think the lady sitting next to her was pretty troubled and alone and she picked up stuff from her. Anyway, because she had come in her car and I in my truck we had to each drive home alone. As I looked at her generated field around her car I was worried for her because it was erratic from her fear and sometimes this can make a person make a mistake or have an accident. So, I called her on the phone to calm her down and I succeeded. I asked her to go out to a restaurant my son wanted to go to so when we all got there she finally calmed down and had a lot of fun talking to the waitress and finally let go of the movie and was okay.
I have noticed there are three ways a person can be in these kinds of situations. They can be afraid (which only is going to cause them problems) or (they can be falsely fearless) which is acting like you aren't afraid but since it is shallow it doesn't always do the trick. Or (you can be actually fearless which only comes from all kinds of real life experience) and anyone with the last kind knows the difference.
So, for me, there are many things I don't want to read about or even to see in the movies because it might activate doorways in myself that I don't want opened. So, basically if you are going to choose to be an intuitive there are rules that will keep you both alive and sane and one of them is what you should and shouldn't put your attention on. It is like any other discipline, once you embark upon it often this discipline is for life and the discipline is worth it because you can help both yourself and all life around you to a better life. It is the same reason most people become doctors, nurses and teachers. It is so everyone's life is better, smarter, wiser, and longer.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is if you are sensitive be careful of watching Ghost Rider. However, I do like the Blue Fire in the end.
Also, if you have ever opened up a fairly large motorcycle on a road above 60 miles per hour the feeling that that gives is a lot like the sound and fire surrounding Ghost Rider as he burns up the road.
Though my wife is intellectually brilliant with 3 college degrees her agreements with God are sort of simplistic which works better than it does for most people in most normal situations. However, in a movie like this she was left shaking and scared. Also, I think the lady sitting next to her was pretty troubled and alone and she picked up stuff from her. Anyway, because she had come in her car and I in my truck we had to each drive home alone. As I looked at her generated field around her car I was worried for her because it was erratic from her fear and sometimes this can make a person make a mistake or have an accident. So, I called her on the phone to calm her down and I succeeded. I asked her to go out to a restaurant my son wanted to go to so when we all got there she finally calmed down and had a lot of fun talking to the waitress and finally let go of the movie and was okay.
I have noticed there are three ways a person can be in these kinds of situations. They can be afraid (which only is going to cause them problems) or (they can be falsely fearless) which is acting like you aren't afraid but since it is shallow it doesn't always do the trick. Or (you can be actually fearless which only comes from all kinds of real life experience) and anyone with the last kind knows the difference.
So, for me, there are many things I don't want to read about or even to see in the movies because it might activate doorways in myself that I don't want opened. So, basically if you are going to choose to be an intuitive there are rules that will keep you both alive and sane and one of them is what you should and shouldn't put your attention on. It is like any other discipline, once you embark upon it often this discipline is for life and the discipline is worth it because you can help both yourself and all life around you to a better life. It is the same reason most people become doctors, nurses and teachers. It is so everyone's life is better, smarter, wiser, and longer.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is if you are sensitive be careful of watching Ghost Rider. However, I do like the Blue Fire in the end.
Also, if you have ever opened up a fairly large motorcycle on a road above 60 miles per hour the feeling that that gives is a lot like the sound and fire surrounding Ghost Rider as he burns up the road.
Living Solo
Before I get into all this I should say that I have chosen (after having an apartment by myself one summer in 1969) to never live alone.) After all, it is a choice, and we can choose to live alone or not as long as we can financially afford it after we are about 18 years old or(even younger for some worldwide).
My experience of living alone was that it wasn't any fun. But then again that was 1969 and in California almost everyone found one or more people to live with just because it was fun if for no other reason.
But today here in 2012 here are some statistics for how many now choose to live completely alone as a percentage of households in that country(this is from page 62 in the latest Time Magazine on March 12, 2012).
I'll start with the U.S. because that is where I live and then go to where the most people live alone and then the least.
29% United States
47% Sweden
3% India
27% Canada
34% Britain
25% Russia
24% South Africa
15% Kenya
10% Brazil
31% Japan
29% Italy
Also, the following quote from the article defines why living alone is important to some:
"Living alone helps us pursue sacred modern values-individual freedom, personal control and self-realization"
So, in reading the above quote it is obvious that living alone is a luxury and it allows someone to forge their own way and belief system without interference if that is what they wish. I understand that it is true that there is always some compromise when one either lives with a group of friends, or extended family or even wants to be married or unmarried with kids. However, sometimes the right group of people is more than the sum of its parts and becomes something incredibly spiritual and amazing for a year or a group of years or even sometimes for a lifetime. So, as great as living alone can sometimes be, finding someone to share your life with that is a friend might bring a power of 2 times 2 or 4 into your life. However, being brave enough to risk having a wonderful possibly long time group living experience might be difficult in these days now in 2012 too just like it sometimes was in 1969.
So, for me in 1969 if I wasn't living with friends or camping with friends or Rock Climbing with friends and sharing an apartment or house with friends I sometimes chose to live with my parents especially if I was going to college. I found that I had a hard time studying and getting good grades while living with friends. After college around age 25 I settled down with a steady girlfriend and started raising a family in 1973. But even then there were times when we shared houses with other friends off an on until about 1980 when I bought land and built my own house on 2 1/2 acres. And even then sometimes friends would bring their motorhome there and stay with us for awhile. So, at least for me living solo wasn't something I ever chose to do. However, I think people who live in a big city might choose to live alone because their friends live nearby. Whereas I usually chose to live somewhere very wild and beautiful so it was better to have a group of friends who also liked to ski or hike up in the mountains to live off and on in a group. However, this was a much more mobile lifestyle that was much more common in the 1960s through the 1980s than now. So, I think I'm right about the Living Solo lifestyle being more a large city choice than a living in the country choice worldwide.
My experience of living alone was that it wasn't any fun. But then again that was 1969 and in California almost everyone found one or more people to live with just because it was fun if for no other reason.
But today here in 2012 here are some statistics for how many now choose to live completely alone as a percentage of households in that country(this is from page 62 in the latest Time Magazine on March 12, 2012).
I'll start with the U.S. because that is where I live and then go to where the most people live alone and then the least.
29% United States
47% Sweden
3% India
27% Canada
34% Britain
25% Russia
24% South Africa
15% Kenya
10% Brazil
31% Japan
29% Italy
Also, the following quote from the article defines why living alone is important to some:
"Living alone helps us pursue sacred modern values-individual freedom, personal control and self-realization"
So, in reading the above quote it is obvious that living alone is a luxury and it allows someone to forge their own way and belief system without interference if that is what they wish. I understand that it is true that there is always some compromise when one either lives with a group of friends, or extended family or even wants to be married or unmarried with kids. However, sometimes the right group of people is more than the sum of its parts and becomes something incredibly spiritual and amazing for a year or a group of years or even sometimes for a lifetime. So, as great as living alone can sometimes be, finding someone to share your life with that is a friend might bring a power of 2 times 2 or 4 into your life. However, being brave enough to risk having a wonderful possibly long time group living experience might be difficult in these days now in 2012 too just like it sometimes was in 1969.
So, for me in 1969 if I wasn't living with friends or camping with friends or Rock Climbing with friends and sharing an apartment or house with friends I sometimes chose to live with my parents especially if I was going to college. I found that I had a hard time studying and getting good grades while living with friends. After college around age 25 I settled down with a steady girlfriend and started raising a family in 1973. But even then there were times when we shared houses with other friends off an on until about 1980 when I bought land and built my own house on 2 1/2 acres. And even then sometimes friends would bring their motorhome there and stay with us for awhile. So, at least for me living solo wasn't something I ever chose to do. However, I think people who live in a big city might choose to live alone because their friends live nearby. Whereas I usually chose to live somewhere very wild and beautiful so it was better to have a group of friends who also liked to ski or hike up in the mountains to live off and on in a group. However, this was a much more mobile lifestyle that was much more common in the 1960s through the 1980s than now. So, I think I'm right about the Living Solo lifestyle being more a large city choice than a living in the country choice worldwide.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Swarming
In the latest Smithsonian magazine March 2012 I was reading about a study regarding bees. There is a many named Thomas Seeley doing a study on bees. He studies them by using little teeny numbers on their backs that don't interfere with flying, eating or likely much else. Under one of the pictures of him with the bees it says: "Seeley says animals other than bees use swarm intelligence-- including, sometimes, humans."
I also agree with this idea and one of the many ways people swarm now is through social media sites and blogging on the internet. You can also see swarming behavior when a group of adults or students gather in a circle to joke and share new information. All this behavior, even partying could be considered "Swarming". Bees use swarming or gathering at some location on or near their hive to share survival information to like where are the flowers, predators coming, or bad weather and the like. So, just like humans in many ways bees use swarming to communicate important information through gathering in groups in person or on the internet or skype or phone or TV or radio or however, people are getting and gathering information in your area.
I also agree with this idea and one of the many ways people swarm now is through social media sites and blogging on the internet. You can also see swarming behavior when a group of adults or students gather in a circle to joke and share new information. All this behavior, even partying could be considered "Swarming". Bees use swarming or gathering at some location on or near their hive to share survival information to like where are the flowers, predators coming, or bad weather and the like. So, just like humans in many ways bees use swarming to communicate important information through gathering in groups in person or on the internet or skype or phone or TV or radio or however, people are getting and gathering information in your area.
Strange Aircraft
I heard a noise that one usually hears accompanying a fighter jet aircraft at high speed. But when I looked up on this clear sunny day I was unprepared for what I saw because the wings were way too short for even any fighter jet that I had ever seen before. So, I figured it must be some new plane the military is working on. It had extremely short wings with a very long fuselage and was painted dark gray but the fuselage seemed almost as long as a passenger jet plane that could carry about 75 passengers. So I didn't know what to make of it. I was wondering how a plane with such short wings could even take off the ground at under 250 to 300 mph unless it was going to rocket straight up into the sky with wings that short and stubby. But I thought that if it is designed for supersonic flight maybe that would be what it would have to do. Just to be matching a cruising speed under 400 miles per hour it likely was in slow flight with the nose up. So, I wondered just how fast you would have to land in something like that to not crash it.(probably very fast).
When I put the following into Google: "Fast grey jet plane with stubby wings" this is what I got:
When I put the following into Google: "Fast grey jet plane with stubby wings" this is what I got:
fighter aircraft is general term for any aircraft that is designed to engage another aircraft in combat - pursuit aircraft are fighters designed for speed to be able intercept other aircraft such as intercepting bombers before they reach their target or "racing" to provide support - because pursuit aircraft have to be built to be faster than other aircraft, in the past they had to compromise agility and controlability for speed - modern jet fighters like the F-22 are capable of both speed and agility and therefore there is not enough difference to have a separate category of pursuit fighter
the P-38 lightning of WWII was a very fast pursuit fighter, at least 2 are known to have hit the sound barrior in a dive (though they were destroyed doing so) but they were definitely not very agile with those twin props and booms - the peak of performance in pursuit fighters was the F-104 starfighter that was little more than a very large jet engine with short stubby wings and was incredibly fast - but it was very hard to control and fly and land - but it was designed to intercept Russian bombers before they could reach the USA and it did that very well
The terms "pursuit" and "Fighter" were used by the US to describe aircraft types for the same role. The Army used the term "Pursuit", which was a term used by the British. The Navy used the term "Fighter" and the aircraft were assigned to fighter squadrons, known as VF (meaning Heavier-than-Air Fighter). Eventually, the Air Force adopted Fighter.
the P-38 lightning of WWII was a very fast pursuit fighter, at least 2 are known to have hit the sound barrior in a dive (though they were destroyed doing so) but they were definitely not very agile with those twin props and booms - the peak of performance in pursuit fighters was the F-104 starfighter that was little more than a very large jet engine with short stubby wings and was incredibly fast - but it was very hard to control and fly and land - but it was designed to intercept Russian bombers before they could reach the USA and it did that very well
The terms "pursuit" and "Fighter" were used by the US to describe aircraft types for the same role. The Army used the term "Pursuit", which was a term used by the British. The Navy used the term "Fighter" and the aircraft were assigned to fighter squadrons, known as VF (meaning Heavier-than-Air Fighter). Eventually, the Air Force adopted Fighter.
It looked like none of these aircraft in the "full size image" above but it looked the most like: LM F-16C even though that wasn't it either.
Blue Medicine Buddha and his Healing Dragon
Blue Medicine Buddha sat meditating in the formless realms waiting to create another Healing realm heaven and heard the cries for healing from Earth. He summoned his Blue Healing Dragon to his side.
He said, "Blue Healing Dragon I want you to go to earth and fly in spirit through all those who need healing there who are praying for help. They will feel their spirits heal so then those whose bodies are also sick will also begin to heal. After that, fly back here so I can recharge you with my force of soul healing."
Blue Healing Dragon being 50 feet tall and 100 feet long in spirit did as he was told. He flew out of the formless heaven realms that the Blue Medicine Buddha created Healing Heavens out of, and flew instantly to Earth to fly through all those praying for healing. As he flew through them one by one he felt the rush of their relief from all that was bothering them become reconciled in their minds and become healed. He also watched their bodies start to heal now that their souls and minds were healed. He felt very satisfied by his work as he also saw it as his joy and the meaning of his existence as well. When he had done all that he could do he flew back to Blue Medicine Buddha in the Formless Heaven Realms of healing to be recharged to go back and help some more. Since Medicine Buddha had been here in the Healing realms for millions and maybe now billions of years his attainment of healing power was almost limitless, so Blue Healing Dragon knew he could keep doing this in joy for a long long time before resting next to healing Buddha once again.
Note: I woke up with a vision of this this morning and knew I should write about it.
He said, "Blue Healing Dragon I want you to go to earth and fly in spirit through all those who need healing there who are praying for help. They will feel their spirits heal so then those whose bodies are also sick will also begin to heal. After that, fly back here so I can recharge you with my force of soul healing."
Blue Healing Dragon being 50 feet tall and 100 feet long in spirit did as he was told. He flew out of the formless heaven realms that the Blue Medicine Buddha created Healing Heavens out of, and flew instantly to Earth to fly through all those praying for healing. As he flew through them one by one he felt the rush of their relief from all that was bothering them become reconciled in their minds and become healed. He also watched their bodies start to heal now that their souls and minds were healed. He felt very satisfied by his work as he also saw it as his joy and the meaning of his existence as well. When he had done all that he could do he flew back to Blue Medicine Buddha in the Formless Heaven Realms of healing to be recharged to go back and help some more. Since Medicine Buddha had been here in the Healing realms for millions and maybe now billions of years his attainment of healing power was almost limitless, so Blue Healing Dragon knew he could keep doing this in joy for a long long time before resting next to healing Buddha once again.
Note: I woke up with a vision of this this morning and knew I should write about it.
U.S. Jobless Claims fall to 4 year Low
U.S. Stocks Rise on Bank Rally as Jobless Claims Decline
By Rita Nazareth - Mar 1, 2012 2:00 PM PT
U.S. stocks advanced, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to the highest level since 2008, amid a rally in financial shares and after government data showed that jobless claims declined to a four-year low.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Bank of America Corp. (BAC) climbed at least 1.8 percent as Spanish and French borrowing costs fell. ConocoPhillips (COP) added 2.2 percent, pacing gains in energy producers, as crude oil traded near $110 a barrel. Gap Inc. (GPS), the largest U.S. apparel chain, increased 7.2 percent as same-store sales exceeded estimates. General Motors Co. (GM) jumped 1.7 percent after the automaker reported a surprise U.S. sales gain.
March 1 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Deborah Kostroun reports on the performance of the U.S. equity market today. U.S. stocks advanced, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to the highest level since 2008, amid a rally in financial shares and after government data showed that jobless claims declined to a four-year low. Bloomberg's Pimm Fox also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg)
March 1 (Bloomberg) -- Jeffrey Hirsch, president of the Hirsch Organization and editor of the "Stock Trader's Almanac," talks about the outlook for U.S. stocks markets and his advise for investors. He speaks with Adam Johnson, Lisa Murphy and Stephanie Ruhle on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart." (Source: Bloomberg)
March 1 (Bloomberg) -- David Gerstenhaber, president and founder of Argonaut Management LP, talks about investment strategy and the economy. Gerstenhaber speaks with Sara Eisen and Stephanie Ruhle on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)
“We’re not lighting the world on fire, but we’re seeing improvement in the economy,” said Mark Masterson, managing director and partner at HighTower’s Masterson, Emma & Associates in Naples, Florida. Hightower has over $25 billion in assets. “The risk from the European situation has been reduced. I don’t know that it’s been eliminated. Best I can say at this point is that it appears to have been postponed.”
Equities rose as the number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell to a level matching a four-year low, more evidence the labor market is healing. Gains in Europe also helped lift the S&P 500 after Spain and France sold 12.5 billion euros ($16.7 billion) of bonds as the European Central Bank’s long-term refinancing operation of lending to banks helped spur demand.
Banks Rally
Financial shares had the biggest gain in the S&P 500 among 10 industries, adding 1.2 percent. JPMorgan increased 2.9 percent, the most in the Dow, to $40.37. Bank of America had the second-largest advance in the 30-stock gauge, climbing 1.9 percent to $8.12.Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) jumped 5.2 percent to $121.13. The fifth-biggest U.S. bank by assets agreed to buy Ariel Holdings Ltd.’s Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance businesses to expand property and casualty coverage.
Benchmark gauges briefly pared gains as oil jumped after a report of an explosion on a pipeline in Saudi Arabia. A government official said late today there was no sabotage to its oil facilities in the Qatif region. Energy shares in the S&P 500 added 0.9 percent as a group. ConocoPhillips gained 2.2 percent to $78.22.
‘Two Steps Forward’
“U.S. stocks and economic data appear to be moving at least two steps forward for every step back which, we believe, leads to a strengthening trend for both,” said Kully Samra, who manages U.K.-based clients for Charles Schwab Corp., which has $1.6 trillion of assets globally. “Rising oil prices are a risk to global growth, but we’re optimistic the improved environment will keep the recovery in motion.”Gap surged 7.2 percent, the most in the S&P 500, to $25.05. Sales climbed 4 percent, beating the average projection for a 1.4 percent drop from analysts surveyed by Retail Metrics Inc. Unseasonably warm weather boosted purchases of spring merchandise.
Car companies had the biggest gain in the S&P 500 among 24 industries, rallying 2.1 percent. GM added 1.7 percent to $26.47 as deliveries rose 1.1 percent in February to 209,306 cars and light trucks, beating analysts’ estimates for a 4.8 percent drop. Ford Motor Co. (F) climbed 2.3 percent to $12.66 after sales also topped analysts’ estimates.
Adding Technology
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) climbed 2.2 percent to $7.51. The second-largest maker of processors for personal computers said it will pay $334 million to buy SeaMicro Inc., a chip designer with expertise in servers, adding technology that can help it compete with Intel Corp. in the market for data centers.Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW) surged 15 percent to $8.01. The world’s largest online-recruiting company said it’s considering “all other strategic alternatives” to boost shareholder value.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose 0.4 percent to a record $544.47, gaining for a sixth day. Now that its market value has exceeded $500 billion, the biggest challenge for the maker of iPads may be staying there. It’s the sixth U.S. company crossing the threshold, data compiled by S&P show. The others are Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), General Electric Co., Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., in chronological order.
All five companies were below $500 billion a year after reaching that pinnacle, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. GE was the only one to surpass that value afterward.
Extending a Rally
Today’s advance extended this year’s rally in the S&P 500 to 9.3 percent. Yet the index trades at about 14.2 times reported earnings, compared with the average since 1954 (SPX) of 16.4 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.The S&P 500 has the potential to reach 1,700 before the end of the year should the economy surprise investors the same way falling bond rates did in 1995, Birinyi Associates Inc. said.
An expansion that beat forecasts would help stocks rally after economists tempered their estimate for growth in 2012 to 2.2 percent from 2.3 percent earlier in the year, according to Laszlo Birinyi, who was among the first to suggest buying stocks in 2009. The potential for surprise is similar to 1995, when the yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasuries (USGG30YR) fell 1.93 percentage points, even as Wall Street predicted they would gain.
“In 1995, the consensus trade was higher yields, today it is tepid economic growth and the market is suggesting -- perhaps insisting -- an alternative to that consensus,” Birinyi wrote. “We would encourage a more aggressive posture.”
‘Dramatic Improvement’
UBS AG raised its forecasts for the S&P 500 and its companies earnings amid a “dramatic” improvement in the economy. Jonathan Golub’s year-end forecast for the benchmark gauge rose to 1,475 from 1,325. He estimates earnings-per-share of $103 this year and $112 in 2013. The previous forecasts were $99 and $111, respectively.A measure of homebuilders in S&P indexes lost 0.9 percent. PulteGroup Inc. slumped 2.6 percent to $8.59. KB Home (KBH) fell 1.3 percent to $11.27.
Sotheby’s (BID) tumbled 9.1 percent to $35.75. The publicly traded auctioneer of fine arts and collectibles said fourth- quarter profit fell 26 percent as sales slid.
Smaller companies trailed larger stocks in the U.S. in February, a sign that the S&P 500’s longest monthly rally in a year may be losing momentum, according to Bespoke Investment Group LLC.
The Russell 2000 Index (RTY), which tracks companies with an average market value of $738 million, added 2.3 percent last month, compared with a 4.1 percent gain in the S&P 500, whose members average $25.9 billion in value. The underperformance accelerated in the second half of the month, with the Russell 2000 rising on two of the last nine days and the S&P 500 gaining during seven.
“Small caps are cyclical in nature, and typically perform better during market rallies,” Justin Walters, Bespoke’s co- founder, wrote in a note yesterday. “They haven’t been rallying recently, which should be cause of concern for market bulls.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Rita Nazareth in New York at rnazareth@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Baker at nbaker7@bloomberg.net
end quote from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-01/u-s-stock-index-futures-are-little-changed-before-jobless-claims-report.html
If the jobless claims are at a 4 year low the U.S. economy is moving into more favorable territory. Now, if only it wasn't be harmed by the price of Gasoline. But, likely many other countries including all of Europe are being hurt even more by high gasoline prices. I hope some end to the problems with Syria and Iran can come sooner rather than later for everyone's sake.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Kawasaki KLR 650 and motorcycle batteries
I bought my 2009 Kawasaki KLR 650 Dualsport new in 2009 and have enjoyed it ever since. I don't like driving on busy highways much so I mostly ride on the back roads where there is less traffic. I also mostly try to ride only when it is above 60 degrees out as I'm now 63 and sometimes it is more difficult to maintain body heat at this age than when I was younger. But sometimes I will ride when it is down to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit for a 1/2 an hour or so and come home and get into my Hot Tub if it is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit so I don't get too chilled. If you have never experienced how fast you can lose your heat try and get behind someone below 60 degrees in high humidity with no sunlight and see how long you stay warm. Or worse yet get in front and drive yourself at around 60 mph at 50 degrees without a large fairing and see how long you can stay warm without one of those electric warmers connected to your motorcycle's electrical system or through it's own batteries.
But the last few times I have tried to start my "Bike" I keep hearing a staccato of sounds and my motorcycle doesn't start. In the old days all my motorcycles had "Kick Starters" even when they didn't have electric starters, so usually you could either easily or more difficultly start them. And always as a last resort you can push them down the street as fast as you can run and pop the clutch in 2nd gear and sometimes they will start too. However, I just got over being sick and if you make a little mistake while running either you or the bike can get hurt (usually both) so I haven't wanted to do this for fear of harming one or the other of us. However, then there comes a second problem which is that I don't have a full metric set of sockets which is what I need to pull enough of the bike off to get at the battery.
So, I called up a friend who builds antique Indian Motorcycles from parts he buys online and asked him about motorcycle batteries. He told me he had a good source for batteries but that I needed to get a sealed non-maintenance battery which is a little more expensive. But he said he could get me one for about 1/2 of what I would pay because he is always building up a new antique Indian motorcycle from parts he finds on the Internet and auctions around the U.S. So, I was grateful to talk to someone who knew more about motorcycle batteries than I do because I haven't had to replace one since about the 1970s or 1980s. (I sold my 1974 XL Honda 250 around 1989) and didn't buy a new motorcycle until 2009. When I was young and thin from 1975 until 1989 my Honda 250 XL was the best on and off road bike (dual sport) I ever owned. I could do everything from hill climbing to 8 foot high jumps with it (way before the super high jump springs and shock absorbers)
However, one of the problems I have run into is that a Kawasaki is built for someone not bigger than around 170 pounds if you are going to go over jumps on back roads or dirt roads and the like. So, since I am 6 foot 5 inches and over 275 pounds and lift weights to keep my upper body strength and am Scottish Big boned so I don't usually ever break any bones (I have only broken my nose and a little toe) and have fallen up to 40 feet in the past off a cliff while rock climbing in the 1970s. But having an upper weight limit of about 170 pounds for the KLR 650 is concerning if I want to do anything serious off road in the dirt or back country. People have wanted me to convert my bike and change my front suspension by changing to progressive springs but I haven't yet because I'm thinking I might need to either buy a Husqvarna or BMW Dualsport also around 650 cc's and sell my Kawasaki because they are designed for Viking size people there in Germany that are around my size. For example, some Mercedes car models are the most comfortable for a man over 6 foot 4 to around 6 foot 7 and also full size pickup trucks even a newer Toyota Tundra this is also true of as far as comfort goes. But also, I'm now 63 and my family wants me to stay alive and I do notice that I'm not as young as I used to be. So, I'm having to rethink all this as well.
Also, I just found out that BMW motorcycle division now owns Husqvarna as well as I was researching stuff for this article.
However, in the meantime I probably need to just buy a full metric socket set and pull the side covers off my bike and replace the battery. However, there are a lot of things we need to do in life for ourselves and our families besides playing with motorcycles, so for now at least I will have to wait a week more or less before I start pulling the covers off. So, unfortunately that also means I can't ride for awhile. But you never know maybe God is protecting me or something. I've always found there are no accidents in life and God has always been very good to me. So, Thanks God!
A few weeks later: After I got back skiing with my family at Timberline Lodge near Portland on Mt. Hood at about 5900 feet (It snowed for 48 hours straight) (The north pole with trees) so there eventually was a total of 5 new feet of powder snow I came back and went out and bought a metric socket set to take the left (when you are sitting on the bike) rear side panel off with an 8mm socket with an extension. After removing that I could then see the battery. There is one Phillips screw that allows access to the battery just below the battery. But be sure to use a big enough headed Phillips screwdriver head or it won't come off without stripping it usually. So, after removing that I could also remove the battery and it's plastic cover. I saw that all the cells were low in distilled water. So, I got some distilled water from the market and put some in a little container and filled the cells up to the top mark. I then took a 12 volt re-chargeable battery supply to it and the motorcycle started right up so I was pretty happy. I backed the motorcycle out of the garage so the exhaust wouldn't build up inside the garage and let it warm up while I put the side the plastic protector in place on the battery and put the Phillips head screw back in place and tightened it down. Then I used the 8mm socket on my socket wrench with an extension and tightened those bolts into place snugly after putting the side panel into place. So, I was ready to go and rode my motorcycle away while realizing I likely might not be able to re-start it. So, I knew I couldn't just go drive and get some more gas in my bike because I knew I would then have to shut it off and likely wouldn't be able to restart it. So, after riding about 1/2 an hour I came back into my driveway and tried to restart the bike. It started but not easily. The next day it started hard again but then when I reached home this time after riding it started up easily when I tried it. So I realized that the battery might still have some life in it and though I might get a back up battery this one would do for now. I called my friend who rebuilds antique Indian Motorcycles and he said he would send me a trickle charger and told me how to set it up. He say he can buy one for about 6 dollars. This keeps the battery topped off whether you are riding every day or once a week or even once a month. He spoke about installing on the positive and negative terminals of the battery one wire each that comes down into a permanent plug or receptacle that stays there to attach the trickle charger to so you don't have to take off the side panels or battery holder Phillips screw and plastic each time you want to connect the trickle charger when you return from a ride or whenever you wish.
How to pop start a motorcycle in 2nd Gear: This is usually after trying to start the motorcycle with an electric starter or by kick starting and not being successful. To be successful usually you might need the outside temperature above 50 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If it isn't at least 50 Degrees Fahrenheit you might take an electric heater and place it about a foot or more away from the crankcase of the motorcycle in your garage if it is stored there for 1/2 hour first before you do this.
Then, on most motorcycles you want to find a down slope of some kind. This usually won't work on an upslope but sometimes it will work on the level. Next, put your bike in 2nd gear ( or you can also wait). Then pull your clutch in and start running as fast as you can next to the motorcycle. (However, first you need to put the ignition on and turn the gas cock on). So, with the gas cock on, the ignition switch on and either in 2nd gear with the clutch in (or in neutral if you want to put it into 2nd at the last moment) You start running on your downslope as fast as you safely can next to the motorcycle. Then jump on while the bike is coasting and either pop the clutch (be ready for the jolt of the engine so it doesn't throw you over the handlebars). If the engine engages work the throttle to keep it going. If you get it running you can either run it around the block to warm it up or put it into neutral and warm it up( your choice).
However, this is more something one does in emergencies only. This isn't a good way to start a motorcycle every time unless you don't really care about the transmission much. But, knowing how to do this can really save your life sometimes if you are stuck somewhere without a kick starter or an electric starter that goes out.
My old BSA 500 that was used in North Africa in World War II I often started this way, (especially if the kick starter had already thrown me over the handlebars in a backfire once already.) This was about 1968 and 1969 through the 1980s as long as my Dad and Mom had their retirement home in the desert.
Note: Added much later on March 29th 2013:
I went to a local Kawasaki Dealer and they said motorcycle batteries don't usually last over around 2 years or so. So, I bought one they had in stock. However, the one in stock was a kit. When you are filling the cells with battery acid remember not to wear anything you care about at all. Because I used a flannel shirt and jeans and eye protection to make sure none got in my eyes. Also, it helps to have a trickle charger to charge up the battery once you fill all the cells with battery acid. However, my flannel shirt got holes in it about nickle sized and smaller below my bellybutton over the next week from little splashes I didn't see so I was sort of upset about that but happy it wasn't my eyes or hands or face. I kept washing my hands and eventually my face because it is really easy to get it on your hands or face which can be bad. Don't fill your battery with acid unless you have clean running water nearby to wash your eyes or face in some kind of emergency while doing something like this. Also, after I filled the cells up through a tube provided (one cell at a time) I capped them all off and wiped it all off and installed in in my motorcycle and attached the leads from my trickle charger and plugged it in to charge up the battery. The trickle leads stay permanently on the battery so you can recharge or bring up the charge whenever you want to after it reaches full. My trickle charger has red light to a green light on it. So when it is a solid green you know the battery is fully charged and ready for use. end note.
But the last few times I have tried to start my "Bike" I keep hearing a staccato of sounds and my motorcycle doesn't start. In the old days all my motorcycles had "Kick Starters" even when they didn't have electric starters, so usually you could either easily or more difficultly start them. And always as a last resort you can push them down the street as fast as you can run and pop the clutch in 2nd gear and sometimes they will start too. However, I just got over being sick and if you make a little mistake while running either you or the bike can get hurt (usually both) so I haven't wanted to do this for fear of harming one or the other of us. However, then there comes a second problem which is that I don't have a full metric set of sockets which is what I need to pull enough of the bike off to get at the battery.
So, I called up a friend who builds antique Indian Motorcycles from parts he buys online and asked him about motorcycle batteries. He told me he had a good source for batteries but that I needed to get a sealed non-maintenance battery which is a little more expensive. But he said he could get me one for about 1/2 of what I would pay because he is always building up a new antique Indian motorcycle from parts he finds on the Internet and auctions around the U.S. So, I was grateful to talk to someone who knew more about motorcycle batteries than I do because I haven't had to replace one since about the 1970s or 1980s. (I sold my 1974 XL Honda 250 around 1989) and didn't buy a new motorcycle until 2009. When I was young and thin from 1975 until 1989 my Honda 250 XL was the best on and off road bike (dual sport) I ever owned. I could do everything from hill climbing to 8 foot high jumps with it (way before the super high jump springs and shock absorbers)
However, one of the problems I have run into is that a Kawasaki is built for someone not bigger than around 170 pounds if you are going to go over jumps on back roads or dirt roads and the like. So, since I am 6 foot 5 inches and over 275 pounds and lift weights to keep my upper body strength and am Scottish Big boned so I don't usually ever break any bones (I have only broken my nose and a little toe) and have fallen up to 40 feet in the past off a cliff while rock climbing in the 1970s. But having an upper weight limit of about 170 pounds for the KLR 650 is concerning if I want to do anything serious off road in the dirt or back country. People have wanted me to convert my bike and change my front suspension by changing to progressive springs but I haven't yet because I'm thinking I might need to either buy a Husqvarna or BMW Dualsport also around 650 cc's and sell my Kawasaki because they are designed for Viking size people there in Germany that are around my size. For example, some Mercedes car models are the most comfortable for a man over 6 foot 4 to around 6 foot 7 and also full size pickup trucks even a newer Toyota Tundra this is also true of as far as comfort goes. But also, I'm now 63 and my family wants me to stay alive and I do notice that I'm not as young as I used to be. So, I'm having to rethink all this as well.
Also, I just found out that BMW motorcycle division now owns Husqvarna as well as I was researching stuff for this article.
However, in the meantime I probably need to just buy a full metric socket set and pull the side covers off my bike and replace the battery. However, there are a lot of things we need to do in life for ourselves and our families besides playing with motorcycles, so for now at least I will have to wait a week more or less before I start pulling the covers off. So, unfortunately that also means I can't ride for awhile. But you never know maybe God is protecting me or something. I've always found there are no accidents in life and God has always been very good to me. So, Thanks God!
A few weeks later: After I got back skiing with my family at Timberline Lodge near Portland on Mt. Hood at about 5900 feet (It snowed for 48 hours straight) (The north pole with trees) so there eventually was a total of 5 new feet of powder snow I came back and went out and bought a metric socket set to take the left (when you are sitting on the bike) rear side panel off with an 8mm socket with an extension. After removing that I could then see the battery. There is one Phillips screw that allows access to the battery just below the battery. But be sure to use a big enough headed Phillips screwdriver head or it won't come off without stripping it usually. So, after removing that I could also remove the battery and it's plastic cover. I saw that all the cells were low in distilled water. So, I got some distilled water from the market and put some in a little container and filled the cells up to the top mark. I then took a 12 volt re-chargeable battery supply to it and the motorcycle started right up so I was pretty happy. I backed the motorcycle out of the garage so the exhaust wouldn't build up inside the garage and let it warm up while I put the side the plastic protector in place on the battery and put the Phillips head screw back in place and tightened it down. Then I used the 8mm socket on my socket wrench with an extension and tightened those bolts into place snugly after putting the side panel into place. So, I was ready to go and rode my motorcycle away while realizing I likely might not be able to re-start it. So, I knew I couldn't just go drive and get some more gas in my bike because I knew I would then have to shut it off and likely wouldn't be able to restart it. So, after riding about 1/2 an hour I came back into my driveway and tried to restart the bike. It started but not easily. The next day it started hard again but then when I reached home this time after riding it started up easily when I tried it. So I realized that the battery might still have some life in it and though I might get a back up battery this one would do for now. I called my friend who rebuilds antique Indian Motorcycles and he said he would send me a trickle charger and told me how to set it up. He say he can buy one for about 6 dollars. This keeps the battery topped off whether you are riding every day or once a week or even once a month. He spoke about installing on the positive and negative terminals of the battery one wire each that comes down into a permanent plug or receptacle that stays there to attach the trickle charger to so you don't have to take off the side panels or battery holder Phillips screw and plastic each time you want to connect the trickle charger when you return from a ride or whenever you wish.
How to pop start a motorcycle in 2nd Gear: This is usually after trying to start the motorcycle with an electric starter or by kick starting and not being successful. To be successful usually you might need the outside temperature above 50 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If it isn't at least 50 Degrees Fahrenheit you might take an electric heater and place it about a foot or more away from the crankcase of the motorcycle in your garage if it is stored there for 1/2 hour first before you do this.
Then, on most motorcycles you want to find a down slope of some kind. This usually won't work on an upslope but sometimes it will work on the level. Next, put your bike in 2nd gear ( or you can also wait). Then pull your clutch in and start running as fast as you can next to the motorcycle. (However, first you need to put the ignition on and turn the gas cock on). So, with the gas cock on, the ignition switch on and either in 2nd gear with the clutch in (or in neutral if you want to put it into 2nd at the last moment) You start running on your downslope as fast as you safely can next to the motorcycle. Then jump on while the bike is coasting and either pop the clutch (be ready for the jolt of the engine so it doesn't throw you over the handlebars). If the engine engages work the throttle to keep it going. If you get it running you can either run it around the block to warm it up or put it into neutral and warm it up( your choice).
However, this is more something one does in emergencies only. This isn't a good way to start a motorcycle every time unless you don't really care about the transmission much. But, knowing how to do this can really save your life sometimes if you are stuck somewhere without a kick starter or an electric starter that goes out.
My old BSA 500 that was used in North Africa in World War II I often started this way, (especially if the kick starter had already thrown me over the handlebars in a backfire once already.) This was about 1968 and 1969 through the 1980s as long as my Dad and Mom had their retirement home in the desert.
Note: Added much later on March 29th 2013:
I went to a local Kawasaki Dealer and they said motorcycle batteries don't usually last over around 2 years or so. So, I bought one they had in stock. However, the one in stock was a kit. When you are filling the cells with battery acid remember not to wear anything you care about at all. Because I used a flannel shirt and jeans and eye protection to make sure none got in my eyes. Also, it helps to have a trickle charger to charge up the battery once you fill all the cells with battery acid. However, my flannel shirt got holes in it about nickle sized and smaller below my bellybutton over the next week from little splashes I didn't see so I was sort of upset about that but happy it wasn't my eyes or hands or face. I kept washing my hands and eventually my face because it is really easy to get it on your hands or face which can be bad. Don't fill your battery with acid unless you have clean running water nearby to wash your eyes or face in some kind of emergency while doing something like this. Also, after I filled the cells up through a tube provided (one cell at a time) I capped them all off and wiped it all off and installed in in my motorcycle and attached the leads from my trickle charger and plugged it in to charge up the battery. The trickle leads stay permanently on the battery so you can recharge or bring up the charge whenever you want to after it reaches full. My trickle charger has red light to a green light on it. So when it is a solid green you know the battery is fully charged and ready for use. end note.
Titan A.E. 2000
The last time I remember watching Titan A E my daughter was about 4 years old when it just came out and she couldn't really read yet. So, tonight she found it on Netflix and wanted to stream it so the family all enjoyed it once again. Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore are two of the main voices in this full length cartoon. It was a breakthrough kind of film which combined elements of previous full length cartoons combined with computer graphics. Though "Toy Story" had come out already from Pixar, this was a type of combination of Computer Graphics with standard cartooning combined. I greatly enjoyed the story and the characters and the beautiful scenery and scenes throughout. If you are a Science fiction buff you also might like this one if you haven't seen it already. To set the stage, Earth is blown up and a few humans survive and the rest of the story is what becomes of them. So, it starts out sad and gets better from there.
Titan A.E. (2000) - IMDb
www.imdb.com/title/tt0120913/
Rating: 6.4/10 - 29,879 votes
A young man learns that he has to find a hidden Earth ship before an enemy alien species does in order to secure the survival of humanity.Directed by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman. Starring Matt Damon.
Full cast and crew - External video clips and trailers - Quotes - Connections
end quote.
Also, this movie was nominated for several awards and won one of them.
Awards for
end quote.
end quote.
Also, this movie was nominated for several awards and won one of them.
Awards for
Titan A.E. (2000) More at IMDbPro »
| Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Nominated | Saturn Award | Best Science Fiction Film |
| Annie Awards | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
| 2000 | Nominated | Annie | Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature (20th Century Fox Animation). |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Effects Animation Julian Hynes | |||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Philip A. Cruden | |||
| Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
| 2001 | Won | Golden Reel Award | Best Sound Editing - Animated Feature Christopher Boyes (supervising sound editor/sound effects designer/re-recording mixer) Matthew Wood (supervising sound editor) Christopher Scarabosio (sound editor/field recordist) Andrea S. Gard (sound editor) Michael Ferdie (sound editor) Sandina Bailo-Lape (foley editor) Susan Sanford (foley editor) Scott Seymann (dialogue editor) |
| Nominated | Golden Reel Award | Best Sound Editing - Music - Animation Joshua Winget (scoring editor/music editor) | |
| Satellite Awards | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
| 2001 | Nominated | Golden Satellite Award | Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media |
Alouette, gentille Alouette
For those of you who have sung "Alouette, gentille Alouette" and have not known what you were singing, here is a bird hunting song obviously from another era because most people in the U.S. today might be offended by the lyrics unless they are bird hunters who eat and pluck birds. But, it does show how world cultures change, doesn't it? Though I learned French in High School I never really thought to translate this song myself so never thought about it until my daughter who is in her 3rd year of French in High School told me about it. It is a bird hunting song while going after Larks. To go to the Wikipedia site on all this here it is:
Alouette (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alouette_(song)
"Alouette" is a popular French Canadian children's song originating in France about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well-known ...Here are the lyrics if that is what you want translated various ways both literal and a way to sing the song in English.
Lyrics
- Alouette, gentille Alouette
- Lark, nice lark
- Alouette, je te plumerai
- Lark, I shall pluck you
- Je te plumerai la tête
- I shall pluck your head
- (Je te plumerai la tête)
- (I shall pluck your head)
- Et la tête
- And your head
- (Et la tête)
- (And your head)
- Alouette
- Lark
- (Alouette)
- (Lark)
- O-o-o-oh
- Alouette, gentille Alouette
- Alouette, je te plumerai
- Je te plumerai le bec
- I shall pluck your beak
- (Je te plumerai le bec)
- Et le bec
- (Et le bec)
- Et la tête
- (Et la tête)
- Alouette
- (Alouette)
- O-o-o-oh
- Et le cou
- And your neck
- Et le dos
- And your back
- Et les ailes
- And your wings
- Et les pattes
- And your feet
- Et la queue
- And your tail
- La Conclusion
- The Ending
- Alouette, gentille Alouette
- Lark, nice lark
- Alouette, je te plumerai
- Lark, I shall pluck you
- Little skylark, lovely little skylark
- Little lark, I'll pluck your feathers off
- I’ll pluck the feathers off your head
- I’ll pluck the feathers off your head
- Off your head - off your head
- Little lark, little lark
- O-o-o-o-oh
- Off your beak
- Off your neck
- Off your back
- Off your wings
- Off your feet
- Off your tail
- End quote from Wikipedia. If you don't know what a real Skylark looks like here it is:
Song (help·info) Or if you prefer the car: Buick Skylark
So, in the end it is sort of funny that millions of people have been singing this song and not really knowing what it is about who speak only English or only languages other than French.Manufacturer General Motors Model years 1953–1954
1961–1972
1975–1998
final end of quotes from wikipedia
Tsunami Debris Should reach West Coast of U.S.
Font Resize Too early to tell if it will hit California
Posted: 02/28/2012 03:56:56 PM PST
Updated: 02/29/2012 02:51:39 PM PST
Click photo to enlarge
Scientists tracking the debris estimate that 1 million to 2 million tons of it is still in the ocean, 1 to 5 percent of which is likely to wash up on coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.
Whether any will make its way to the beaches of Monterey Bay is still too difficult to predict, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
"It's very hard to be that specific," NOAA Public Affairs Officer Keeley Belva said Tuesday. "What we're seeing right now is that debris from the tsunami is likely to wash up on the northern part of the Hawaiian Islands, near Midway and Kure Atoll, make its way to the West Coast, then circle back around to Hawaii again."
The tsunami that slammed into Japan was the result of a magnitude-9 offshore earthquake on March 11, 2011, carrying away houses, fishing boats, lumber, refrigerators and bodies. Nearly 23,000 people were determined to be dead or missing.
"Many of those bodies and parts of bodies will likely begin washing up in about a year, some simply as feet in athletic shoes, similar to those found in Puget Sound over the last decade," Seattle oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer said.
Athletic shoes make perfect floats
Some debris appears to have already arrived in the U.S., like a half-dozen large buoys suspected to be from Japanese oyster farms found in Alaska late last year.
The first suspected Japanese tsunami debris to reach the U.S. floated into Neah Bay, Wash., in early December.
Nicholas Mallos, conservation biologist and marine debris specialist for the Ocean Conservancy, said many of the objects are expected to be from Japan's fishing industry. Fishing gear could harm wildlife, such as endangered Hawaiian monk seals, if it washes up on coral reefs or beaches.
"The major question is how much of that material has sank since last year, and how much of that remains afloat or still in the water column," Mallos said.
"All debris should be treated with great reverence and respect," Ebbesmeyer said. "Families in Japan are waiting to hear of any items that may have been associated with their loved ones, and may travel to the U.S. to meet those who found these mementos."
The tsunami caused significant damage to a nuclear power plant in Japan, releasing radiation, but radiation contamination in any floating debris is considered a minor concern, Belva said.
"Radiation experts at the Environmental Protection Agency have told us that (radiation contamination) is so unlikely that the public shouldn't be worried about it," she said.
Anyone finding suspected debris on a beach or in the water is asked to report the find by emailing disasterdebris@noaa.gov or by calling local emergency service agencies.
Dennis Taylor can be reached at 646-4344 or dtaylor@montereyherald.com.
end quote from http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_20064393/tsunami-debris-is-its-way-whether-it-hits?
Note: I couldn't get in with the above address when I checked for some reason: Here is the Google Word button for the online paper:
Home - MontereyHerald.com :
then since there are several articles on the subject I would simply type in: "Tsunami" to find those articles.
I wrote about a report of debris hitting Seattle and about people wondering whether this was the beginning of the millions of tons of Japanese Tsunami debris coming on the current and wind across the ocean to North America. Though I suppose I might have been right about the lightest objects that might have blown in the wind faster like empty plastic bottles with lids and empty aluminum paint cans and things like this that might blow in the wind like little sails faster than the rest because they were neither heavy nor deep, the rest is in an ever expanding field of millions of tons of debris. So, I was right as you can see Float and buoys from fishing boats have already made it across to Seattle and Alaska in the above article. As you can see if you click on the debris maps above the heaviest objects aren't expected until 2.5 years after the Tsunami to reach likely Seattle and Canada and then might drift further south. Here is the other article I wrote about this before we all got more information in the above article: NBC News: Has the wreckage from Japan'a Tsunami Hi...
Also, when you click the debris photo above it will open in another window so you can see the progress and future progress of how these millions of tons of debris of smashed homes, fishing boats, cars, remains of human bodies in tennis shoes etc. are moving and will move. The best way I can imagine all this would be if a tornado hit several towns in the U.S. and destroyed them and then somehow they got deposited in the Pacific Ocean along with any people that didn't survive. That would be the only I way can imagine the devastation that will eventually reach the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. And over the years it will likely move southward on the currents. If I'm correct anything that doesn't deposit itself From Canada on south on the coast will likely head southwards in the ocean following the currents as long as anything still floats before it starts heading back towards Hawaii in a big multi-year circle on the wind and currents. Also, since 23,000 or more died directly from this event it is difficult to say just how many remains of bodies are still traveling and floating along with these debris fields as they spread out more and more on the winds and currents.
Personally, if you care about your health you might want to bring a Geiger counter if you are going to visit any of the early or later debris. Also, health problems might might result from anyone having contact with these debris fields because of the carnage and unburied bodies associated with the debris so please be careful as you approach these large debris fields anywhere in the ocean.
I also think it is important to think about any remains that you find even in a tennis shoe or any personal artifacts you find that might be important to their loved ones to have to stay sane and alive and to redevelop hope to go on living without their loved ones. 23,000 is a whole lot of people to lose. In 2010 there were around 32,000 deaths by traffic accidents in the U.S. to give you a perspective on this number of fatalities right here where we live.
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