The Bad Side

This website the Angry Hermit...He makes valid points, and he's partially an idiot. I think that makes him the bad side.

Why not

Just post. It's been forever.

Yet it's hard to find the good side. I am struggling with all that is wrong with the world.

Catching up!!

So this poor little blog has been ignored to long. Time to post a few of my new little tidbits of web info and fun :)

From the website:

Project Narrative

The Crack Garden is an exploration of the identity of site and the clarity of intervention. Pre-existing places have an inherent identity that is based on their history, materiality, and activities. The design is conceived as an intervention that functions as a lens, altering perception of a place rather than completely remaking it. The intervention can reveal the physical and material qualities of the place, and/or become a catalyst to incite new program activities. In the case of The Crack Garden, completely remaking the garden was highly unlikely because of the tiny budget. By fully embracing a strategy of design as intervention, the garden relies on its previous identity as much as it does on the changes that were imposed.

San Joaquin Valley is sinking yet again

Since 2006 the surface of the aquifer, in the Kaweah subbasin of the San Joaquin basin, has dropped 50 feet as farmers pumped deeper, Mr. Watte says. Some of his pumps no longer reach far enough to bring any water to the surface.

The news is not news, its tragedy

Its very depressing. The good deeds worldwide go unheralded and the bad news gets more publicity then topless photos of movie stars. Well, maybe not as much but a lot.

I come to this little blog and wish I had the time and dedication to update it more often. I strive to keep this blog free of negativity and bad vibes in general. I want to smile and think good thoughts when I come here. If you happen to stumble apon this craptastic website of good feelings. Just remember. I'm lazy. But not dead.

Bob Mikolasko and his best friend

This website is all about the good side. I haven't posted in a while. Partly because I've been busy and partly because I don't have the motivation to scour the Internet for the stories that make me feel good about writing them. Then I came across a story that just begs to be recorded here in my little personal happy feelings bank.

Bob Mikolasko is a homeless veteran living on the streets of southern California who has shared the last 16 years of his life with his dog Kaiser.

A So cal vets clinic found an envelope, and the dog on their front step one morning with a note that was so heart wrenching it brought back old memories of my dogs and how much they meant to me.

"Dear Drs, please forgive me for this horrible transgression. I have no where else to turn so I ask you to mercifully, gently and lovingly please help him sleep. His name is Kaiser and he's 16-and-a half years old. He's been my friend, my teacher, my pupil, my lifelong loving and loyal companion..." Full letter here

Debbie Herot is the manager for the clinic where Kaiser was dropped off to meet his destiny. Fortunately for the Dog Kasier, Debbie was not willing to give up. The dog did not have a stroke as his loyal owner suspected. But was actually a very mild seizure and kaiser would make a full recovery. The only problem was locating Mr. Mikolasco.

Enter Daily News Columnist Dennis Mcarthy who had heard about the lost owner. The front page of the newspaper ran a single headline "Dear Veteran: Your best pal's waiting to go home."

Long story short, there are very few people who care about a homeless man's dog left in life. And even less people willing to go the extra mile.

Debbie Herot, Daniel Mcarthy and the other people working for the daily news and the Pet Medical Center in Granada hills...the world needs more people like you. Pat yourself on the back for having the compassion and drive to remedy this situation.

Dennis Mcarthy can be reached at 818 713 3749 or you can email him her mailto:dennis.mccarthy@dailynews.com

Martin Strel - The man who swam the Amazon river

My first ever blog post was about Martin Strel. I have no idea how I found his website. I know I didn't search for "crazy people swimming with piranha". Yet there he was. I knew nothing about the man, just his mission. What a mission it was, to read all you need and want on him (it's worth it) head to Amazon Swim.com.

The folks over at American chronicle have published an incredible interview with the man himself.

From the prologue Matthew Mohlke -

"OK, I´ll be honest. When I signed on as a kayaker to help navigate Martin Strel down the Amazon River, I gave him about a fifty-percent chance of survival."

To purchase his book, head over...to amazon.com, Buy the book here!. Or head to American Chronicle and finish reading the interview

Arthur C. Clark - 3 laws of prediction

I'm not much of a science fiction fan, I can recognize a great writer with the best of em. Arthur C. Clarke passed recently and I couldn't help remember something I read. But with the recent passing This seemed just a small token of his genius, but well worth the quick post and quick read.

Arthur C. Clark
3 Laws of Prediction

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Big Toman

Every once in a while you come across something or someone so intriguing it's almost a mystery to yourself as to how this existed without you having knlowedge of it. The Big Toman also known as the Giant Snake Head is one serious fish.

It's Origin lies in South east Asia as well as having been distributed to other areas such as Singapore. These fish are large vicious fighting fish that are considered excellent sport and even better eating. These fish can grow to as large as 5 ft. They have large powerful jaws lined with what look like really sharp ass teeth.

In recent years it's very close relative the Northern Snakehead was found in a Maryland pond, an actual colony of them. They basically nuked the pond killing over a thousand young Snakehead that had taken over the pond!

This article is Is from 2002, the dangers of the snakehead in non native waters even then was a frightful thought.

In 2003 a Giant Snakehead was caught in Janesville, Wisconsin

It can live out of water for up to 4 days at a time and travels from pond to pond preying on all manner of fish and decimating local populations.

To make matters worse, the snakehead has no known natural predators in U.S waters. I wonder if a fresh water otter or a beaver could take one down.

Sunday Briefing

The moon isn't bright in Long Beach. In fact, it's rare you even think about it. Yeah you might look up into the orange city lit sky and see it once in a while. But it's not the same as being out in a light free zone....the moon then is landmark beyond comprehension.

I often wonder what it is I seek in this life. I look at these dumb little posts below and try to comprehend if they have any meaning. Truth is, I don't think they do. I care about many things, and find many things that intrigue me so much that I want to understand every facet of every obsession. But then I forget. So I document my obsession for the fleeting second.

Commercial Space craft is here!

Or at least one has actually been designed by Richard Branson. If you have a spare 200K lying around, stick around till 2009 when the flights are due to begin.

Ried Stowe

A ways back I posted on a couple who were in the beginning stages of a 1000 day journey at sea. I'm not sure what sounds more imposing to teh average non sailor, 3 years or 1000 days, they both sound pretty hectic.

I haven't followed up on these adventerous souls as of late and was pleases to find that they have a blog here on blogspot as well Unfortunetly it appears they have switched all activity from the blog to the http://1000days.net/home/

The Reins

On the flipside, many of the workers left milling about were really only here to have something to do. With the cold thunderfront comin up and the threat of a large rainstorm. No one was quite ready to give up on the day and head back into town. All eyes were on the widow monty as she left the saftey of her cool classic 1930's rambler.