Where, Oh Where, has The Amazing Brian Been?

April 10, 2007

Well, quite obviously, I’ve been practicing my disappearing act, it’s something I do from time to time.

I’ve been busy working on a new project, sort of a tutorial site for managing digital photographs, along with some software to help things along. It sounds so simple, you may be asking, why bother? Well, because it sounds so simple, and the manufacturers want you to think it is simple. And there lies the problem, ignorance.

I would estimate 90% of the digital camera users out there have no idea how to safely store and organize their images and because of this, they frequently loose important history. Oh well, that’s just computers, right? Wrong, that’s ignorance.

The site is geared toward the novice, but contains valuable, and often overlooked, information for anyone interested in digital photography.

Please stop by and check it out. Drop me a line with your thoughts and comments. And of course, have heart and click on a couple of my ads. Bonnie needs a new pair of shoes.

http://managingthedigitalimage.com/


A World Without America

February 24, 2007

It’s something to think about. What would the world be like with out America? Perhaps more people should ask this question.

A British group called 18 Doughty Street, is asking a lot of people to think about this question with a very expensive television commercial. Here it is.


Australian Leader: Al-Qaida Wants Obama

February 11, 2007

I love this quote by the Prime Minister of Australia,

‘If I were running al-Qaida in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats.’ 

Well said, Mr. Prime Minister!


Do You Remember September 11, 2001?

February 10, 2007

I do. I was driving my youngest to preschool, we were almost there. I was on Olive Blvd, a 4 lane thoroughfare in West County St. Louis. It was a beautiful fall day here in St. Louis. Suddenly, as if in unison, several of the cars in front of me, in both lanes, began to swerve and brake. The car in the lane next to me began to drift over into my lane. I honked my horn as I maneuvered slightly into the center lane. The woman looked over at me, corrected her driving and rolled down her window, I rolled down mine. I could here her as well as many other nearby car radios, all playing loud talk radio. She said, “I’m sorry! It’s terrible!”

What was terrible? Apparently, everyone driving on Olive Blvd. except me, knew something big was happening. I turned on my radio to try to find out what was going on.

By the time I hit the next light, I had heard the news. A plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and another had crashed into the Pentagon.

Besides the terrible and confusing bad news coming from the radio, it was a beautiful fall day here in St. Louis and as I arrived at Sarah’s school, all the children and teachers were out on the playground. Her teacher, Mark, I had known for several years, Marcia had known him since high school. Although I was quite unsure about anyone’s safety at this point, I knew Sarah would be as safe with Mark as she would be with me.

As Sarah ran off to play with her friends, I walked toward Mark to talk with him. His face revealed the answer to my question before it was even asked. “Have you heard what’s going on?”

“Yes.” he answered grimly.

“It’s crazy! You guys be careful today.”

“We will Brian, you too.”

“I’ll pick her up early, call me for any reason.”

“Will do. Don’t worry.” he assured me.

“Thanks Mark.” I said as I left.

As soon as I was back in the car I learned that a second plane had now crashed into the Towers. My heart sank with uncertainty. What was going on? How could this be happening?

I quickly drove home. On the way, I passed my older daughter’s elementary school. Normally on a day as pretty as this, the children would all be outside, but they weren’t, there wasn’t a kid in sight and hardly a car on the road.

Soon I was back home and I quickly plopped myself down in front of the TV to find out what was going on.

Both towers had been hit by planes and were on fire. A plane had crashed into the Pentagon and it too burned through a huge gaping hole in one side of the structure. I watched in horror and disbelief as the buildings burned and people jumped from windows hundreds of feet in the air to their deaths.

As I sat there watching people jump from the buildings, I wondered what they were thinking as they fell. Were they thinking they might survive? That their chances were better? The end would be less painful? Did they know the building would collapse? Did they know they had no other way out? Could they have made it?

They made a choice, in desperation. Was it chicken little syndrome? Was the world ending, so it’s time to jump out the window? What were they thinking? I was having trouble understanding this action. I wasn’t used to seeing people jump to their death from a skyscraper.

Soon the towers collapsed, thousands were dead, and one of America’s largest cities was in chaos, on fire, and covered in debris.

The Pentagon had a huge hole in it and was on fire.

There were still other planes missing and soon the news came of the flight 93 crash. How many more planes would crash? What would happen next?

I cried uncontrollably as I watched TV in self imposed torture for the next 6 hours until I had to pick up the kids from school.

The planes stopped flying. All of America was stopped in it’s tracks, in wonderment, and disbelief, as the largest attack on American soil since the Civil War unfolded before their very eyes on world wide television.

Tragic times like these always produce a lot of sad stories as well as hero’s. The New York City Police and Fire departments fought bravely, to save as many lives as possible, many would loose their lives trying to save others.

I remember September 11th, 2001. I remember feeling a deep sadness that left a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat. I remember feeling angry, sad, mortal, and unsure about the future for America and my children. It’s a feeling I would rather never experience again if given a choice. I was hurt, hurt to the core of my soul. America was hurt.

I remember.

Do you?

George Bush had been our new President a mere 9 months when he was informed that America was under attack.

It was the attack on Pearl Harbor that caused America’s entry into WWII. Pearl Harbor was an act of war, just as these modern day attacks were.

During WWII, there were giant signs on aircraft carriers that read, “KILL MORE JAPS” and “THE ONLY GOOD JAP IS A DEAD JAP.”

America took action, strong action. Action that would send a message to the world that said, “we will not allow this.” The time had come for America to send that message once again.

No American President in history would have ignored Pearl Harbor and I can’t imagine a President ignoring 911. There would be no surrender from this ememy, this time it’s us, or them. This time, the message would have to be, “we will not tolerate this, and if you behave this way, we will hunt you down and kill you.”

I feel a lot of people have forgotten 911. They have forgotten the horror of that day. They have forgotten their thirst for justice.

George Bush did what he had to do, and what he felt would be in the best interests of this country. He took action to hunt down the responsible parties, and prevent a day like 911 from ever happening again. He acted for the good of the country without personal regard.

Other’s like Bill and Hillary Clinton, scurried to cover their trail of mistakes that helped lead to this tragic day. They hid and had destroyed information that would prevent America from ever knowing the whole truth about 911.

Recently, Hillary Clinton, with her finger pointing and stabbing, said (I’m paraphrasing here from memory), “If I was President in 2002, we would have never gone to war, and if I’m elected in 2009 I will end it.”

I would like to address that two part statement, in two parts. The first part of this statement is most likely a self-serving lie, but either way clarifies more than ever that Hillary Clinton is not the President for me, nor is she the President for America. 911 was an act of war. War was called for, unless we desired to continue to be attacked. The enemy that attacked us will not surrender, and must be destroyed.

Secondly, I believe that if Hillary Clinton does get elected, she will pull out of Iraq. Al Qaeda will rebuild with unlimited funding from Iraq and Iran, and America will be attacked again, and again, and again. They will strike in the heartland of America from within, and thousand, perhaps millions more Americans will die.

I love how Hillary, and others in her class, often say, “Well, if I’d known then, what I know now, I wouldn’t have voted for the war.”

Well, if I’d known yesterday, what I know today, I could have made a million dollars in the stock market or hit the Power Ball. Give me a break. Stand by your actions you weak spineless trash. Statements like these are not for the benefit of America. This is a a self-serving statement.

People like Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, are hurting American right now, weakening her from within. They are working to prevent America from sending the message that needs to be sent to all terrorists of the world. We will not tolerate this. Instead of working as a team, united toward the goal of protecting America, as they promised they would, they work internally to weaken and disable the effectiveness of the current administration strictly for political purposes. Self-serving purposes.

I would recommend to all of America, if Hillary Clinton becomes President of America, buy arms, lots of them, and all kinds. Begin training and learn how to use them. Prepare for war. Prepare to defend your home and your family. Prepare for a war in your front yard.

Remember the Alamo! Remember 911.


Upside-Down

February 8, 2007

Ok, I’m CRAZY, I admit it. I did this just for fun. Here is a video of me demonstrating my inversion table. The saving grace of my back. If you suffer from muscular back pain, I highly recommend one.

[splashcast MJGQ5257FK]


Alive and Well

February 8, 2007

I am alive and well, but I feel compelled to explain my silence in recent days.

I have been in hibernation. Literally. Earlier in the year I set some goals for myself in regards to health, diet, and exercise. The big day of change was not New Years, but February 1st (why be like everybody else).

I have been forcing myself into some new healthier habits and have not been in the best of moods lately. I am in training, preparing for battle. I have committed to a 90 day training program that is not for the faint of heart, P90X.

Yes, I ordered it after seeing the infomercial. I would like to gain about 20 pounds and get in shape before summer. It looked like a good method and would put me in shape by early May.

I received the package January 31st, but just preparing for the training program (mentally and physically) took me 6 days. By Tuesday the 6th, I was prepared enough to take the recommended fitness test, if you can’t pass the test, you need an easier program.

The X in P90X stands for extreme, and they are not kidding.

The test was a workout in itself, so I did not actually begin the program until yesterday. As of this writing I have completed 2 of 90 daily workout sessions. Each day being a different routine.

Yesterdays workout was about 800 calories worth, which only happens once a week, the rest are about 600 calories. A normal Tae Kwon Do workout is about 600-750 calories, so I should be familiar with this level of workout, even if I am out of shape.

Just to put those numbers in perspective, it’s about the same as running a six minute mile continuously for an hour. 10 miles in one hour. That’s 600-750 calories.

The program includes a book on diet and what you should be eating while you train. This has been a real education for me, and lifestyle change, I have not eaten out in 8 days. No fast food.

My problem is, I have been exercising to such a degree, I cannot consume enough food. I spend almost the entire day eating or exercising. I found a great program to track what I eat, CalorieKing. This allows me to plan my meals and track my intake. I am shooting for a calorie intake of about 3000 with 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 20% fat, with 25mg of fiber thrown in for my colon. I am really enjoying using this program and will probably purchase it after the 7 day (!) trail ends. It has been very helpful.

So that is the status. I’ve been exercising and eating to extreme. There has been a lot happening in the news, and the world, that I would like to comment on, and I am working on a couple pieces now, but there is more to say, than time in the day.


Partners in Power

January 29, 2007

Often, the Transporter and I engage in political discussions, which I so enjoy. Mr. T is an excellent historian, political analyst, and patriot. He is quite rare. I can’t say I know anyone personally, that is as well informed about what is happening, and what has happened, politically in our country. Seriously, I’m talking about a guy, that eats to Rush Limbaugh, and sleeps to C-SPAN.

When it comes to history, allow me to share this brief insight to the Transporter.

I was with him once in a museum, where he discovered an indiscretion in the way a certain piece of history was being presented to the public inaccurately, like way off. Like completely wrong. It happened to be a picture of an American Indian. The museum’s story on the Indian didn’t quite match-up with Mr. T’s understanding of the period.

The Transporter handled his initial doubt with utmost diplomacy and was careful to present his immediate thoughts without offending the museum. The next day, he returned to the museum with published documentation, from his own library, that clarified the indiscretion, and precisely identified the Indian in question, who was from a completely different tribe and region than claimed mistakenly by the museum. The picture had been misrepresented for years. The museum responded by asking Mr. T to speak at the next meeting of their historical society.

You don’t want to play the political, or history edition of Trivial Pursuit with the Transporter, unless you like loosing. I’ve never met anyone like him.

I admire the Transporter for his interest in our country’s future and well being. His vote is educated and accurate. I wish more Americans were as interested.

Sadly, like so many Americans, Mr. T’s vote is his only weapon in the fight for America’s future. I have encouraged him to increase his arsenal and start his own blog to express his ideas and opinions and I hope someday he considers it.

Mr. T is different than most Americans today. He takes an interest in the issues facing America. He forms an opinion based on facts and history and then casts his vote intelligently. He and I share the belief that the uneducated vote is extremely dangerous for America at this critical and turbulent moment in our history. A great example, is the millions of first time female voters that will blindly vote for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman without knowing anything else about her.

Now that’s what I call an uneducated vote.

Recently while discussing politics and our concerns for our country’s future, we came to the topic of how hard it is to run for President in this electronic age of the press and how few can withstand the scrutiny and lack of privacy. If you got busted in the second grade playing doctor, it’s going to come out. The press will find out, expose, over analyze, humiliate, judge, exaggerate, and condemn you.

I think many Americans could and would make a difference in American politics, but are afraid.

At this point in the conversation, I pondered out loud, “I wonder if today’s left biased media will expose the hundreds of skeletons in Hillary’s closet.”

“I doubt it.” Mr. T responded.

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad. You’re telling me, the press will just give a free pass to the most corrupt presidential candidate in American history! I can’t believe it.”

“The story has already been told. It was told long ago and has been mostly ignored by the press.” said Transporter. “Have you ever read a book called, Partners in Power?”

I had heard of the book and remembered seeing it featured in bookstores years ago, but admitted I hadn’t read it. It was published in 1996 and my interest in politics wasn’t what it is now.

Mr. T was pretty surprised I hadn’t read it and immediately ran off to his extensive library to retrieve it.

Upon his return, he said, “If you want to get to know the real Hillary Clinton, you’ll want to read this.”

As I reached out to receive his gift of knowledge, he tauntingly pulled back the book and opened it. He quickly located and read to me out loud several extraordinary and enlightening highlights from the book before finally passing into my eager hands.

It was late, I was tired, and I have to confess I can’t remember the last time I was read a bedtime story, but this was no normal bedtime story, it was a nightmare. A true story of deceit, theft, sex, drugs, power, and even murder.

The book is 526 pages of well documented history regarding the Clinton’s illicit and unmoral rise to power. 526 pages that must have been edited down from several thousand for practicality, because on any given page you might run across a dozen ethically questionable indiscretions regarding the Clinton’s.

Partners in Power includes exhaustive source notes, bibliography, and an index that is stunning in itself. The book is presented without bias and as historical time line of the Clinton’s political careers from the early days in Arkansas, to the White House.

The author, Roger Morris, is an award winning historical journalist that has worked, and published, in both political camps. His book, Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician, is herolded by many as the final word on the Nixon presidency.

I sincerely believe that Mr. Morris is able to backup everything he wrote in this book, if he couldn’t, the Clinton’s would have already ruined him with litigation and had the books recalled and destroyed.

I would recommend that every American of voting age read this book regardless of political beliefs. In the near future it will be very important for America to understand the real Hillary Clinton. A woman, that is addicted to wealth and power. A woman that is not acting in the interest of America, but only to satisfy her insatiable desires.

In the months to come, until the election (that’s assuming she will win the Dem ticket) I intend to focus this blog a few of Hillary’s ethical exploits covered in this fantastic book.


Hillary Clinton is a Lying, Blood Thirsty, Piece of Trash

January 23, 2007

It was about 2 years ago, I saw Katie Couric interview Hillary Clinton. She asked Hillary several times, “Will you run for President?”

Over and over again Hillary answered, “No.”

I knew then, as did most of America, she was lying, as she has so many times before, and since.

Hillary Clinton is a cold and calculated person, motivated by her blood thirsty desire for power. Her actions are not for the benefit of the United States, but rather herself.

This is how her friends describe her. People like Dick Morris.

Because money is no problem for Hillary, she would like you to give half of every dollar you make, or more, in taxes. Taxes that fund things like nuclear refinement in North Korea and free health-care for illegal immigrants. Hillary would gladly feed and care for the entire world with your money. The money you work 40 hours a week or more to earn.

Sure, she’ll do her part, I’m sure Hillary pays her taxes like any good American. She pays those taxes with the money that you and I gave her. The money from an overinflated Senatorial Salary, an overinflated Presidential Salary (which I believe her Husband doubled while in office. Seriously, who reading this makes $400,000 a year), book deals, and let’s not forget Whitewater.

Hillary has deep pockets, and the American system is working for her. She is the first Presidential candidate in history to forgo Presidential campaign matching funds from the government. She’s rolling in it, the biggest war chest in the history of the World. I guess it would be fair to say she earned it (or stole it), unlike John Kerry.

Every action Hillary takes is very planned and calculated, which isn’t all bad if you’re a dictator, like Joseph Stalin. Every interview she gives is pre-screened with a set list of approved and disapproved topics.

Hillary is engaged in a a game of chess with America. A game that has been going on for some time and America is loosing. Many pawns have been sacrificed for the Queen.

How stupid could America really be?

Personally, I think the first female President should be Laura Ingraham.


New WordPress Features

January 20, 2007

The nice folks at WordPress have added a few really neat features I want point out. The thing most WP bloggers are excited about is an mp3 player. The WordPress blogger can now embed any mp3 file into a post. Here is a 2 second sample.

Another cool feature recently added to WordPress is Snap Live. To see this in action, just hover your cusor over any link and Snap Live will show you a thumbnail preview of the linked page.

Give it a try!


Playing Catchup

January 20, 2007

I’m obviously playing catchup today. It’s been a very hectic week here in the land of Amazing. The Midwest has once again been pummeled by ice storms and electricity has been spotty along with my Internet access (cable). As a result, I am the proud owner of a new generator and now join the ranks of other survivalists around the country. Actually I’ve always wanted one, there is something really cool about being able to generate your own power.

img_7903.jpg

Below is a shot taken with my camera phone, a tree that has come uprooted just laying on the power lines. This is about 1/4 mile from my house.

jan13_0007.jpg

Of course there is another big storm on the way this weekend.


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