"Fly Me to the Moon, and Let me Sing Among those Stars"

I don't recall whether that classic Frank Sinatra song was playing in the background 40 years ago when Neil Armstrong made that "giant leap for mankind" by stepping on the moon. I remember exactly where I was when that moment was televised. Do you? I was in Ft. Lewis, Washington, completing my second ROTC summer camp. We had completed all the mandatory training so we were allowed to make use of the base's extensive facilities. I had found a rather cozy library in the Officer's club maybe 6 x 12 feet. Three walls were lined with books and the forth looked out to the campus. There was also a small black and white TV set. I watched alone as the historic moment was braodcast. And I thought of the son.

I know that I missed the actual landing date by a week or so but I didn't wnt to miss it entirely.

n honor of this 40th anniversary Google has launched

Moon in Google Earth, an interactive 3D atlas of the Moon. You can now explore a virtual Moonscape, follow guided tours from astronauts Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) and Jack Schmitt (Apollo 17), see the latest rover concepts by teams competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, view high-resolution "Street View"-style panoramic photos, watch previously unreleased video footage captured from the lunar surface and much more.

For those of us who have become jaded about seeing Google street level views of earth addresses, seeing the same resolution of the moonscape is exciting. To access this Moonscape, make sure you have level 5.0 of Google Earth 5.0 or go to http://earth.google.com/moon to get it. The moon is available on the main menu, under the location icon.

Telling time in $$$'s

My brother Bernell shared the following US Debt clock with me. I felt it was certainly worth sharing. To get the actual, real time clock move your cursor over US Debt clock and left click.

You will notice on the real time clock that many of the numbers change and additional charts and numbers are available.

Some people are skeptical about such clocks, dismissing them with the comment, "they can't possibly know what those numbers are every second or even between the seconds." That is correct. of course. But by making assumptions of even growth over certain time periods and making other assumptions of cause and effect, scientists can simulate the growth in certain areas. I once prepared a presentation on company expenditures that got right down to the number of staples used per hour. I didn't count the staples but I did summarize the invoices over a year's period which gave me boxes of staples per year (Note an assumption here that we started and ended the year with thte same number of staples in our desks and storerooms.) To get the number of staples used per second I then simply multiply the boxes by 5,000 staples per box and divide that result by 31,536,000 seconds per year. The final result is the amount I needed to increase my staple count every second.

The Debt Clock is much more sophisticated as some numbers are derived from formulas going up and others going down. That leads me to believe the clock is probably correct or at least using more complicated.
















































































































pod

An "all American" taco?

Our Wednesday lunch group tried to be first in line at a new Mexican food restaurant but found out that we were so early they hadn't opened the place yet. The nearest restaurant with similar fare turned out to be Rubio's, about a mile away.

Yep, I ordered the ironically named All American Taco. Again and again I'm surprised how putting together the same ingredients makes a completely different end product. In this case, the taco has lettuce, cheese, peppers, and cooked ground beef. What could be more like a "normal" taco except perhaps shredded beef. But by now ground beef has earned a place in the "normal" taco world.

So what makes the "all American" all American? The meat is cooked in patty form. Some people aren't very happy with this taco but I found it a good compromise in case you can't make up your mind between a taco and a hamburger. I felt like I was getting less carbs with the tortilla instead of a bun. The special sauce is a little spicy but otherwise the condiments are appropriate for this innovative dish.

Free Trial - no charge (for 30 days)

Have you noticed a growing tendency for Internet services to be provided on a two-level basis: there's the completely free level of service that really looks and feels great. It has all the features you want and need. Except....

It migiht be a greeting card system that sends free birthday (or other) cards and is infinitely customizable but every time you customize a card, you have accessed a "Premium" service and you need to sign up for the service. Or a pop-up ad informs you that you can find anyone, an old school mate, a friend from the army, your sorority sister who's changed names 4 times by as many marriages. And it's free, free that is until you want to know any more details such as where they live, what their phone number or e-mail is. You can get that information FREE. Just sign up for our PREMIUM service. It's free, too, for 30 days.

They're clever about the 30 days as well. Advertisers are so anxious to get you to accept their advertisements that you can extend your free month to a free year if you'll just try out this service or that service at a greatly reduced trial rate.

Be careful about free deals with computer service or cable television. Your Internet Service Provider might offer you six months free of their Premium ultra fast 20 mb download speed. It's free, why not take advantage. You're a little skeptical so you check your next bill carefully. Sure enough, there's the premium service surcharge of $30 and a corresponding discount of $30. Next month looks the same. The following month the premium service charge is combined with the regular charge so all that stands out is the $30 discount. When the discount drops in the seventh month all you see is that you've lost a discount, NOT that your rate has gone up $30.

Watch out for Premium offerings and free trials. They rarely are free.

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife (book review)

When I picked up "Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife" by David Eagleman, I was doing what I always do - judge a book by it's cover. From the word "Afterlife" I expected a book where people were telling credible but non-verifiable beyond-death stories.

Instead, what we have here is 40 speculations about how our universe works and what we'll find out in the afterlife to confirm or contradict that speculation. Although it consists of pure, unadulterated, speculation (or "mysteries" as they used to tell my dad in Sunday School) I still found the book interesting . I can't remember now, but there is one branch of philosophy that predicts ALL our views will be confirmed in the afterlife. Thus, Mormons in the afterlife will be whisked away to their multi-staged heavenly kingdom and won't really think about where the others went. And those who haven't believed in an afterlife will simply sleep forever. In effect, he, too, will have his belief confirmed.

I digress. Sum's speculations go from the universes where the creator i s a whimsical fellow who "experiments" with various universal constants to another where the creator intended the human species to be little mapmakers.

Another intriguing scenario has "heaven" populated only by those people whom we knew ion Earth. The beter we knew someone or something, the more prominent part they played in our afterlife.

Another chapter and David Eagleman is describing a type of Indian Reincarnation where your progress is not based on moral purity or spiritual growth but on our intellectual growth and choices.

As a discussion stimulator, this book is good. But most people will find the speculations too unbelievable. But that's the point. A god who is bigger and more powerful than this universe and controls all tha goes on in it is also difficult to conceive. The question becomes which is the more unbelievable.

What a Pain!! (not for the squeamish)

It's more than just a pain in the a**. At least according to the nurse that performs these day after day. I'm referring, of course, to the Flexible Sigmoidoscopy which I "enjoyed?" a couple of days ago and which involves a television camera being inserted 18 to 24 inches up inside your rectum, a direction which isn't usual for items going through there.

I wasn't able to get my own pictures but the two pictures here are representative of what you'll see - a long pink tube with glistening walls.

Actually, I can imagine that for some people, getting ready for the exam will be the hardest part. The day before the exam you have to maintain a strictly clear liquid diet while also taking some pretty effective laxatives. This has the effect of cleaning out your lower intestine so that the TV show will be more, shall we saw, effective. The final preparation can be the most embarrassing as you're asked to drop your pants and lay on a table with your rear end sticking out.

The nurse/technician advises you to relax ( a VERY GOOD suggestion, I might add) . The next thing you feel is a well lubricated finger in your anus followed almost immediately by a well-lubricated camera. The camera is pushed slowly but relentlessly until it reaches your transverse colon. Then it is slowly removed while it is swiveled from side to side. If necessary to see better, the technician rinses or scrapes an area. She can also probe or even clip off a piece of intestine that looks suspicious. Most clinics allow the patient to observe the whole TV show although some technicians give a better play by play narration than others.

This is a representation of a camera that is in about half way. It will stop at the sharp turn at the top of this first section.

The procedure which calls for examination of the entire large colon is a colonoscopy and involves general anesthesia.

Much to my relief, I have no polyps or suspicious tissue, The technician, based on what she saw, cautioned me to eat more fiber and take supplemental pills. But otherwise, I'm to come back in 5 yrars.

Pioneer Days at Camp Nauvoo

Since our Ward's assignment to the multi-stake recreational park was on July 24th this year, we took advantage of that fact to weave into our Camp Nauvoo experience, stories about and by the pioneers. These included the pond. The creek had been dammed and at least 3 platform rafts had been set free on the little pond so created. The result reminds a person of Tom Sawyer rafting on the Mississippi or of pioneer children playing in the shallows of the Missouri.

The pictures we took have almost a Norman Rockwell qualify about them as so many of them were about young boys and girls enjoying themselves just like he would have painted.



Even the older "kids" got in on the fun proving that the age limit for fun at Camp Nauvoo is higher than anyone we had there anyway.

This ought to entice the young girls into the pond shouldn't they.




or maybe these would do the job...



Young families had fun...


But who was minding the steering?


A young couple could take out one of the rafts for a romantic sweep around the pond's perimeter.



The kitchen crew actually started working on breakfast the evening before by cutting up all the cantaloupes.



Others used Friday afternoon to play on the grassy meadow on the playground equipment or rubber-band driven airplanes. Russ Harper got his airplane in the air several times.



Or set up game equipment as Doug Porter is doing here.


Ken walker tosses a Frisbee to a young miss on the green.


I think we were trying to photograph some kids hiking along the creek. I can't see them now but this is still a great picture of how welcoming the meadow was.


We were trying to get a picture of the Harper family outside their RV but Michaela was having a "teen moment".



Doug Porter is trying to convince his granddaughter that backpacking is a simple act of strength and balance.


One of the newer additions to camp this year are the tent-cabins, 12 foot by 12 foot structures that were half cabins and half tents.


The flooring had openings between the slats so that dirt and sand can just easily be swept onto the ground below. On the other hand, the whole floor is elevated several inches making it difficult for bugs, snakes and other creatures to pay you a visit.



Jeremy wanted to say Hi to all the campers. He's been a good help throughout the years and this year was no different.



Although Arnold's walker is not made for this purpose, his grandson really appreciated the attempt. It was certainly the strangest stroller he has ridden in.


Dusk was pretty much upon us when I got the opportunity to record these lovely young girls.



and these young boys (Pinnegar boys, I believe).


Camdan, having lost his seat on Grandpa's walker is now trying to show off his climbing ability.



A few of us gathered around one of the picnic tables, watched the yellow-jackets eat pieces of biscuit and then take off, taking their treasure with them. I find it amazing that they can fly, let alone fly with a cargo as large and heavy as themselves. But that's what we were seeing.


Introducing another pioneer pastime, Sisters Loveridge and Phillips helped make all of us around the camp fire Button Yo-yos. Jake demonstrates his to his neighbors.




Another pioneer past time was the spelling game. OK we don't have proof of that but if they weren't playing this game they should have been. Our group had lots of fun with this.



Sister Loveridge is showing a group of children how to make cloth dolls out of spare material. Both boy and girl dolls could be made with just a slight change in the pattern.


Brother and Sister Pinnegar "lick the pot clean" of the peach cobbler that They cooked over the campfire using Dutch over baking methods that would have been common among the pioneers.


Early Saturday morning you could hear the clash, clink, and thud of horseshoes. It takes no imagination to believe that the pioneers played horse shoes.



And finally, a game played with hoops and sticks. Just move your sticks apart in a uniform fashion and you can send you hoop flying to your partner. Takes a abait of getting used to but it is a colorful and fun game.

I don't know if anyone got an official count. It felt like we fed around 100 breakfasts. But a lot of people came for the evening and then did not return in the morning. Others came only for the morning part of camp. Certainly with guests from other wards including the Fair Oaks 4th ward who were co-assigned our date but who would not have considered coming except that Carolyn invited them, there were many people unknown to others. So there was a lot of "getting to know you" experiences.

Thanks to all of you who made this a great Camp Nauvoo for 2009.

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Soup

If "too many cooks spoil the soup," and you've got spoiled soup on your hands, doesn't it make sense to look at the number of cooks? I ask this rhetorical question because I wonder if our mortgage, bad loans, and defaults are at least partly the result of TOO MANY COOKS.

We recently refinanced our house so that we could get a lower interest rate as well as finance a new roof we'll need to put on in the next few months. All of our loan documents stated that Plaza Home Loans would be financing our mortgage although they were also clear that the mortgage might be sold. When I asked what the chances were of that happening, the escrow agent said 100%. From all our previous dealings with mortgages I knew that would be the answer.

Much to my surprise we were actually billed the first payment by Plaza. But I had no sooner mailed the check when we got an update from Wells Fargo saying they had bought the mortgage.. Then just a couple days later we got a letter from Fannie May stating

The ownership of your mortgage loan has been transferred by Wells Fargo Bank to Fannie Mae ...
Fannie Mae is a shareholder owned company with a public mission. We do not make mortgage loans but instead provide funds to lenders by purchasing the mortgage loans they make.
...
Fannie Mae does not service your loan. The servicer of your loan is Wells Fargo Bank.

I'm just afraid that the more cooks get involved with this loan, the more likelihood of problems arising. Do our banks have too many cooks in the loan department?

Update on Sheet Music

Last December I blogged about how easy it is to get sheet music for almost any song that has been written in the last 100 years.

Sheet Music Inc now has a service which you might be interested in. Every month they make available one sheet music number for piano and another for guitar. My experience since December is that the arrangements are nice and maybe a little challenging. But the tunes are, shall we say, vintage. They include

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The Green Grass Grows All Around
I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time

Well, you get the picture.

But equally as valuable as their free sheet music is the monthly newsletter which includes news of new music with samples. And you can sign up to receive the newsletter automatically each month without cost.

User Manual frustration

There's no longer any question about needing to be "connected". The Internet has become the link of prime support for our computer software and hardware upgrades. That we could have expected. But now we're seeing it pick up the services for non-computer items such as DVD players, TV sets, garage door openers, even flashlights.

At first there would be a reference in the instructions to "visit our website for more information". Then it was "visit our website for installation and operation instructions". With hardware or software a CD used to be enclosed with the software or the hardware drivers on the CD. Often at the end of the installation we would be "invited" to visit their website for any "last minute updates" or for "registration. Then there would be a CD enclosed but it would be used for verification of authentic program only or possibly for an instruction manual. And finally, we now get software as an empty box with an Internet address we need to link to.

I really don't mind this progression since I'm such a software klutz. Unless the software comes with a book sized box I can store on the shelf, I lose it within a week of installing it. But I do resent the loss of the instruction or user manual. It would be wonderful to have that book sized box hold a book - the users manual.

Free Conference calls?

You know it wasn't too long ago when setting up a conference call was not only a frustrating process but it was also expensive as well. It almost seemed like the telephone companies deliberately made it difficult so no one would think of doing it themselves.

Of course, this just make someone more motivated to do it themselves. And these new competitors to the phone company had a nice selling gimmick. It's FREE. At least the conference call part of it is free. When I registered to try it out, I was given a Minnesota number as the call-in number so any participants in my conference call would be charged whatever they would normally be charged to call that number. There might even be some Minnesotans for whom the call wold be a local call. If you want to eliminate these charges, you can sign up for a plan that would give you an 800 number instead of the Minnesota one.

The system distinguishes who is the host and who are the participants, allowing certain codes to be used by the participants only and others by hosts only, Fore example, *4 accesses the system instructions while *6 mutes your phone so you can have a local conversation.

So how can this company get away with providing free service? For one thing they have little of no costs. Unlike some prior phone company who had a human on Stand-by during the conference should technological problems arise. Another way they get away giving away is by making this free service a loss leader - Standard service is free, Premium service is $0.10 per minute. For the extra ten cents you get a higher limit on number and length of calls as well as some addition management reporting.

My wife Carolyn says her ooffice has use this system for some time without any problems. Check it out before you need to set up your next phone conference and let me know what your experience is!

http://www.freecronferencecall.com/

Parkinson's unrelenting "takeaways"

When I first started this entry it was pretty much a "pity piece". You know the kind, "Poor me, poor me, ain't it awful what I have to suffer!!" Fortunately, I usually try to let a couple of days go by between the initial writing and the eventual appearance of a blog piece. I hope I've caught and eliminated all the whininess in this latest version.

Lately I have been reflecting on one feature of Parkinson's Disease that keeps getting to me: each "takeaway" is forever.

For example, some months ago I was feeling a little unstable outside the home so I started carrying a cane with me everywhere I went. I considered the cane more of a metronome than a walking aid because I didn't really lean on the cane, just tapped it very couple of steps. Then one day I noticed that I couldn't do without the cane. Now I wouldn't dare try walking on the area sidewalks without one.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed my sense of taste had disappeared when I drank some milk that had soured to the point of curdling. Now I notice that other things seem to have lost their taste.

Until recently, I usually wouldn't use my cane at home because there were plenty of places to steady or stop myself. But lately I've had so many close encounters with our furniture that I'm rethinking my inside cane policy.

The nature of Parkinson's is that you have ups and downs, good days and bad, "on" days and "off". Thus each change is small and possibly temporary until one day when it is permanent. My doctor has assured me that increasing or changing my meds will not substantially improve my walking or crashing. The senses or smell and taste are just two of the casualties to Parkinsons and once gone, they're gone.

So, for me the saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life" becomes "today is the best day of the rest of your life". So if you see me in a particularly down mood, it may be because I have just lost another "minor" takeaway.

No longer go without cane in house

Falls becoming more dangerous to house than to me

Sense of taste, smell.

To wrap it up, I'm experiencing many of the effects of aging but on an accelerated pace. Since I know that the various abilities and senses will be disappearing in a relatively short time, I need to delight in and celebrate those things that I still enjoy. Please help me remember my blessings when my takeaways are getting to me.

International Credit Card Fee

Do you recall a couple of years ago when the hot "spam" topic was e-mail postage fees? The threat was that congress would pass this tax secretly. That was combined with a threat that we were shortly going to be taxed for anything purchased over the Internet. Whatever happened to those spam messages?

I ask the question because, well, here is a little charge that has been created by one of the largest corporations worldwide (but still not a government) and passed through by our credit card companies and no one has raised a peep, a whimper.

You'll likely only see it if you've used any of your VISA cards to purchase something from overseas. Mine showed up on a couple of book purchases from England and a software program from the Netherlands, I think. The amounts are generally low so you might be prone to just pass over them. But I think it's a "foot in the door."

What you'll see on your statement is a charge to "International Txn Fee" When I googled that term I got the following:

GEMC Federal Credit Union

15. Foreign Transactions: Visa currently charges an International Assessment Fee of 1% for purchases and cash advances made in foreign countries and a 0.8% fee for purchases and cash advances made in U.S. dollars in foreign countries. The International Assessment Fee is not included in the transaction amount posted to your account; it will post as a separate transaction on your statement under the description “International Txn Fee”. The conversion rate to dollars will be determined in accordance with the operation regulations established by Visa International. Currently the currency conversion rate used to determine the transaction amount in U.S. dollars is a rate selected from a range of rates available in wholesale currency markets or the government-mandated rate in effect on day prior to the applicable central processing date.

(from https://www.gemc.org/forms_app/message2e.html)

Of course the card issuing companies will say it's just a charge like others they pass throw. But on another web site I found the following:

The ISA fee is assessed to issuers not cardholders. The issuer has sole discretion regarding whether or not to pass this fee on to cardholders. (http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:aTlyWMVzw2gJ:www.cucorp.com/files/cucorp/191/file/CULending%2520Monthly%2520Promotions/Memos/Visa%2520Single-Currency%2520and%2520Multi-Currency%2520International%2520Transaction%2520Fees%25203%25203%25202008.doc+international+txn+fee&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)

So we don't need to worry any more about government taxing us for Internet and email usage, big corporation has already done it for them.

Pioneer Day in California

According to the date/time on the email this announcement went out at 10:35 pm Friday evening, July 17:

Saturday, 18 July 2009
Pioneer Day Celebration
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM

The Carmichael Stake invites you to a Pioneer Day Celebration at the Fair Oaks Park (corner of Madison and Fair Oaks behind the Fair Oaks Library), 8:30-11am. 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, CA 95628.

Pancake breakfast served from 8:30-10am. Flag ceremony - primary games - snow cones - live music. Bring your families and chairs or blankets (table seating is limited.) If you'd like to join the band, bring along your string instrument.

Now, even if we ignore the fact that many people just aren't up at that hour to read their e-mail, it's possible that most people got up after that message was delivered, looked at their watches and said, "oops, missed that one I guess." That may account for the low turnout from our ward but probably not. There were announcements in every meeting and assignments were accepted by almost 20 people in our ward. They all made it out. I think that says something about activity & involvement.

Carolyn wanted to be sure she was ahead of the curve so we actually ended up at the Fair Oaks Park before 8:00. There, with the help of 1 and then 2, and then 3, 4, and 5 of our serving crew we first moved the serving tables to a more shady spot. Then we spread out the food trays in a more logical food serving. Carolyn tried to get all the servers to eat first before the line opened so they could concentrate better.


We had the Sacramento Fire Department Incident Support Unit on site cooking the pancakes, eggs, and bacon for our breakfast.


The rest of the breakfast (grapes, bananas, watermelon) was prepared in an adjacent sun shade by another ward.

Then it was all put together on the serving line which was the responsibility of the La Sierra Ward, specifically the activities committee.
All of the volunteer staff from our ward atteneded. In fact, they were 95% of the people our ward attending.

We had invited our kids and grandkids who made it just in time to be fed and to pick up one snow cone. All the games and activities were closed or closing by the time they arrived even though the invitation seems to indicate there would be another hour.

The Really Inconvenient Truths - book review

This is the kind of book you know instinctively that you'll have to handle with protective gloves and long-handled tongs. It's just going to be that messy. Iain Murray"s book's title with complete subtitle is "The Really Inconvenient Truths, Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don't Want You to Know About --- Because They Helped Cause Them". Is that a mouthful or what? And doesn't it just remind you of the little kid yelling to his mother, "Mom! Johnny hit me back first!"

Even if all the events are the environmental catastrophes promised and even if the "Liberals" (whoever they are) helped cause them (more on that later), what does that have to do with the target of the book's title, Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"? I can't make our human rights record better by pointing out that China's is worse. It doesn't work that way.

The seven catastrophe's roughly paraphrased are as follows:
1. DDT vs Malaria
2. Ethanol vs gasoline
3. Birth control pill as a pollutant
4. Fire control in Yellowstone
5. Cuyahoga River pollution
6. Endangered Species Act
7. Communism's record - death of the Aral Sea.

To summarize a couple of these. There is compelling evidence that the use of DDT caused the elimination of several species and the near extincting of several others. Would the continued use of this very useful pesticide have resulted in a "Silent Spring" as Rachel Carson had predicted? Hard to guess. But discontinued use has allowed some species to return from the brink of extinction. Could we have found an alternative to DDT before banning it? Perhaps. Do we now have alternatives? Yes but they are more expensive and have their own side effects. But rather than use these, it appears at least this conservative would rather just play the blame game. And, by the way, do we really know how many Liberals vs non-Liberals voted to eliminate the use of DDT? I think not.

People seem to have forgotten why ethanol was chosen as AN alternative to gasoline. It wasn't because it was the only one or even a particularly good one. But it did have the redeeming characteristic that it was RENEWABLE. Corn and other crops can be planted again and again to produce ethanol where gasoline generally comes from non-renewable crude oil deposits. So for author Murray to now complain about all the detraction of corn is to show his lack of memory, not the conservatism of his ideas.

The use, misuse, management, and mismanagement of national parks, reserves, and all other limited use resources is undoubtedly the subject of hundreds or even thousands of books. Which books and whose research you cite depends on how you want to spin it. There are state and national monuments which are pig sties and some that are jewels. The same can be said about privately owned and operated areas. In general, however, you can do something about public land use that you can't with privately owned areas - use elected representatives to change or upgrade that usage. What Iain Murray chooses to show is that the best of privately run assets is done better than the worst of publicly run assets. No contest.

To summarize: this book reminds us that there are other things to cause alarm and make us mad besides global warming. Take the book with a grain of salt then start writing your elected representatives with a copy to all your friends.

Tips from the Internet

The company which offered hints for me to use on my blog is RESQDEBT.com, a debt consolidation and consultation company. I've read several of their pieces now and feel that they do, indeed, provide useful information. Like similar articles in Parade magazine or Reader's Digest, the tips may at times seem pretty obvious or common sense. That doesn't mean they're any less true.

I'm not sure how to include tips from outside companies so I may be trying different formats or drop it as too time consuming. So feedback will be helpful.

===========================================

Don’t Shop Hungry – Research has shown that people who grocery shop on an empty stomach are more likely to impulse purchase, which translates into a higher grocery bill…not to mention an expanded waistline. If you’re hungry, eat a snack before heading out the door to stave off cravings while shopping.

Be Smart About Utilities – Spending can add up quickly on many basic household necessities. Three easy cost-cutting measures include: bundling phone, cable and internet services (a $90/month savings); cutting back on the use of your clothes dryer (dry clothes on a rack and use the dryer for heavier items such as towels and sheets); and use your microwave instead of your oven whenever possible to save up to 50% in energy costs for cooking.

(these tips brought to you by RESQDEBT.com)

Blog Milestone

I had to read the email standing in front of me several times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. But, no, it said exactly what I thought it did.

To the best of my knowledge this email was the first one I've received addressed to me as a "publisher","writer",or otherwise distributor of information. The actual phrase in the email is "these tips could be beneficial to your READERS" (emphasis mine). And the subtle message below the surface is that somehow I would pay for these services and my readers will appreciate it.

Now, Dear Readers, this new status reflects, of course, on you as you are no longer just reading a blog but a blog with READERS. And still no charge.

A different kind of cookie

I had a real hankerin' for a no-bake cookie the other day. Fortunately, Carolyn had a hankerin' for making cookies and she was agreeable to making that kind. Although she had to make a couple of substitutions (she's lactose intolerant these days) they turned out perfectly.

But imagine my surprise and delight when going into church last Sunday at having a new kind of no-bake cookie - one that sort of resembled sushi.These are about as easy or difficult as you'd like to make them. I did a quick survey on Google and found, of course, that lots of people had the idea of making sushi cookies but there's a wide range of looks.
Some want to emulate the look of some popular sushi going to great lengths and efforts. You should look at the two websites :

http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2006/04/09/how-to-make-sweet-sushi/


http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/ss/candysushi_sbs_10.htm

before you decide to use the simple recipe below:
Ingredients:

• 6 cups Rice crispy cereal
• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 10 oz pkg of marshmallows
• candy bars of choice

Step 1: Butter or spray cookie sheet
Step 2: Prepare Krispie treats from recipe on box of the Internet. Roll out finished treat mix to about 1/4 inch thick. Allow to cool 10 - 15 minutess.
Step 3: Transfer kirspies to cutting board, then place whole candybars end to end along one side of krispie mix. Lay othe candies as desired along th candybar. You may wish to add peanut butter, caramel, or melted chocolate chips along the bar. Roll the blanket of crispy around the carndy bar mixture and cut off when completed. pinch the two sides together. Repeat as necessary.

Step 4: Cut roll into 1 inch pieces, serve flat. Enjoy.

Let Them In - Book Review

"Let Them In - the Case for Open Borders" is written by Jason L. Riley, maember of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and on the Fox News Editorial Report. It seems that he has established his conservative credentials solidly. So why is he so openly vocal about illegal immigration, saying that most of our conventional wisdom isn't so?

Illegal immigrants are common straw men political opponents these days. One can almost plot the ups and downs of their popularity. Right now in any batch of 10 political spams I receive, I can count on one of two of them being anti-immigrants, legal or otherwise. They make good opponents, too. They rarely speak for themselves. Being illegal or undocumented, the statistics are lousy. Statistics pulled out of the air will be believed even if they're unbelievable, maybe since they're unbelievable.

Riley recounts six of the more popular arguments for closing the borders and sending all the immigrants (sometimes just the illegal ones) home.
1. America is overpopulated but wouldn't be without the immigrants.
2. (Illegal) immigrants steal jobs.
3. Illegal immigrants consume more services than their taxes pay for.
4. There will soon be more of "them" than "us"; we'll lose our national identity.
5. Immigrants vote a straight Democrat ticket
6. Immigrants are a threat to our national security.

To give you some idea of some of the "common knowledge" that Riley takes apart and puts back together consider #5 Immigrants vote a straight Democrat ticket. (Note here that this point is blatantly racist as we aren't talking about illegal aliens because they can't vote.) President Bush (43) showed that was patently false. As a very successful governor of a border state and one who can converse in Spanish, he was able to get a significant portion of the Spanish vote in Texas. When the national Republican organization emphasized "family values" this also resonated with the immigrant population.

Another example is number 4, the loss of our national identity. Studies have shown that indeed first generation immigrants have a difficult time learning English although if it is necessary for work, they do learn it. Second generation (who are technically no longer immigrants) are usually bi-lingual and often very capable in both languages as they have had to translate for their parents. The third and later generations have as much or as little capabilities with the foreign tongue as you or I. There is certainly no threat of losing our national identity. None of the immigrants sees any advantage in not learning English.

Naturally I can't respond at length to each of these statements or my review would look more like Riley's book than a review. I'll just say that Riley answers each point completely. While a little sparse in footnotes as they tend to scare away the average public reader, Riley has included a good bibliography and index. After reading his book one is left with the question, Why don't we advertise for more foreign workers to come here rather than be in a total reactive state?

This is an excellent source book for those interested in this topic. You'll love it if you agree with Riley and even if you're sure your opinion won't be changed, this is a good book to read to see where your arguments might be vulnerable.

Customer Service - What it isn't

A month ago Carolyn and I dined at one of the local IHOP restaurants with a group from our church. The visit will forever stand out to us simply because between the waitress and the kitchen our order went astray - something which apparently was so rare that the staff were unable to cope. Our order was recreated and resubmitted. We continued to converse with our dinner companions as if nothing was the matter. And, of course, nothing was the matter except that we had nothing to munch upon while our friends all about us were eating.

Finally, two hot steaming plates arrived just as our little circle of friends were laying down napkins, taking the last sips of drink, or examining the bill that had just been presented. Before we had had more than 10 bites, we were eating virtually alone. A couple of nice people asked if we'd like them to stay while we finished. We declined the offer.


Fast forward 5 weeks. This time Carolyn and I are dining alone together. The restaurant was Garcia's. We were quietly munching on chips and salsa. The bottom of the basket was peeking through when the waitress came over to ask how we were doing. She was appalled at seeing that we had not been served. She hustled off to see where our lunches were. She quickly came back with the same news that the IHOP waitress had given us.

I guess there's always the tactic of leaving the restaurant but then you're still hungry. We had to pretend that we just arrived to properly gauge the time. After another 10 minutes we could see our food arrive but it wasn't our waitress. It was the manager who announced again with great the lost order. But then she said, "This meal's on the house. This should never happen!" How can you argue with such logic!

True to the manager's word, the waitress told us there would be no bill; asked us to come back soon so that she could try better; and in all other ways treated us like a paying customer.

If you're in the Carmichael and want some great Mexican food, please try Garcia's. I think you'll like the food AND the service.

In-between

When we planned this vacation, we had two goals in mind:

1) Experience a real Taylor, Arizona Fourth of July, and
2) Participate in a rare and almost extinct Perry A Baldwin Family Reunion and Camp Out.

Anything more than this we would consider a bonus. They were, by nature, less structured and more variable by family participation. Besides, I don't have pictures of all of them.

Sunday, July 5, after most of the church meetings were over and both people and facilities were available, a select few of us had the opportunity to see and hear a presentation by Norris and
Fawnette about their experience in Hong Kong and other Asian nations during their recently completed 1 1/2 year mission. It was obvious that they had put a lot of effort into their mission and had reaped great spiritual rewards.


Since we felt this was not a presentation that would particularly appeal to kids, we left all of them in the care of one of the parents, aunt, or uncle which also decreased our number.






We were using the Relief Society room for the presentation. It had one of those new keyboard units that will greatly benefit wards which have few piano playing members. Not only can you make it sound like a piano or organ, you can play electronic software for all the church hymns and Primary Songs. You can also change the pitch a full octave range and the tempo. Our daughters were both excited about getting one in their building.



Kyle kept asking us when we were going to visit him and his family. Finally, on the morning wen were 're planning









We took a little detour to visit with a dear friend of ours. Nancy was one of our first babysitters and swimming instructors. She now teaches first grade in nearby Holbrook.