One of the most tragic consequences of the Iraq war is the astounding quantity of Depleted Uranium the USA has left there.

This is a TOXIC metal that is used to make bullet shells. It vaporizes when a round is fired and burns a hole in the object that it hits. This metal has been shown to cause abnormal increases in miscarriages for the wives of soldiers and Iraqis. It has a half life of about 4 billion years so that the country will be polluted until the END OF TIME. The reason the USA uses this metal is two-fold. It works great as a weapon because of it's armor piercing quality AND it is a by-product of the Nuclear power plant industry. Manufacturers can get this metal very cheap because the power plants are happy to get rid of their toxic waste. The town of Concord Mass. is a SUPERFUND CLEANUP SITE due to the factory that made shells... Now THAT'S a shot heard 'round the world...

Ahh... the evil of the Bush... and his nuclear waste disposal solution...

Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University: CCAT is a completely student run organization that seeks to educate people on sustainable living practices through their demonstration at the Buck house on HSU's campus. The house has a 2.4 kW grid-intertie PV system, 2-flat plat solar hot water collectors, a wind turbine, solar greenhouse, thermal curtains, and energy efficient appliances. The house is so energy efficient that the PV system produces much more electricity than the house requires on an annual basis. CCAT feeds this excess renewable energy back into the grid to be used elsewhere on the HSU campus. Students use CCAT to understand how many of the energy technologies discussed in class can be applied.

Exercise Bicycle Generator converts Human Fat into Electricity.

"The Last Guy" a story by Greg Vanderlaan.
Bill Gates was sitting at a table and invited some men to join him.

Bill said: "Carlos Helu, I would like to introduce you to Amancio Ortega."
Carlos said: "Who is Amancio?"
BANG!
Amancio said: "I used to be the third richest man in the world but now I'm number Two."
BANG! BANG!
Warren Buffet said: "Now I'm the richest man in the World!"

BANG, BANG, BANG, RAT-A-TAT-TAT, WHOOSH-KA-BOOM, BANG, KA-BLOEY, ZING, BANG, WHOOSH, TING, BANG, BANG... Bang Bang Bang... BANG, BANG, BANG, RAT-A-TAT-TAT, WHOOSH-KA-BOOM, BANG, KA-BLOEY, ZING, BANG, WHOOSH, TING, BANG, BANG... Bang Bang Bang... BANG, BANG, BANG, RAT-A-TAT-TAT, WHOOSH-KA-BOOM, BANG, KA-BLOEY, ZING, BANG, WHOOSH, TING, BANG, BANG... Bang Bang Bang...

and then the LAST GUY said: "I used to be the Poorest Man in the Entire World but NOW I'm the Richest! I'm the poorest as well but I'm The Richest Man in the Entire World! Uh, I don't feel too good... "

THUMP. (and he fell right over, starvation will do that to you...)

"Quack" said a duck
"Quack Quack" said another duck
"Quack, Quack, Quack, Moo, Oink, Meow, Arf, Arf, Howlllll" said the survivors...

The End. or is just the Beginning?

If anyone else is visiting Laytonville, California. VISIT the "Fountain of You". Healing remedies and ART.

We went to your store last week and it was a wonderful experience. My wife bought some healing balm and it has reduced the pain in her knees. We were traveling from Eureka to San Francisco and any long journey is painful for her. BUT NOT THIS TIME because of the hemp balm. Thanks. It helped us both. She put it on my lower back and that's always sore after driving.

Fountain of You store in Laytonville, CA on Highway 101 between Eureka and San Francisco

Collage on table out front where you may sip your herbal tea.

https://www.facebook.com/TheFountainOfYou

Guard Dog next door at the Vets Office.

"WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE 1974?" Answered in 2002.

asked by Jim, my college roommate. some random biographical answers to an email.

I live in Eureka, California now. I'm a computer student at Humboldt State University. After Chico State in '73 and '74, I went back to my Mom and Dad and got a job at an art store. Married the clerk in the shop next door. Went to West Valley Junior College and learned to be an electronics draftsman. She graduated from college and we went to WASHINGTON DC. She worked for the National Security Agency as a Russian Transcriber and I worked in a small computer company. We got divorced. I stayed in DC for 12 years. I played music synthesizer with a bunch of computer nerds on the weekends. For years we had a random jam session with people in my friends basement. You never knew who would show up. This was a big part of my life. We often played all night long and would come out of the music room in the light of dawn. I also played guitar with lots of echo echo echo and effects. After years in the electronics industry I dropped out because of executive stress and worked for Domino's Pizza as a driver. It was a good life. Stoned on marijuana all day every day... free pizza... Eventually I had a customer move into my condo and she and I and her 6 year old daughter lived together in domestic bliss. After that romance ended I came back to San Jose and spent 6 years working for Radio Shack and living in rented houses with a bunch of other men. Not a gay thing, Just bachelors sharing rent. Mostly computer nerds. Some times women and children in group homes. Then I got fired from radio shack for stealing money and drinking on the job. I had figured out how to embezzle money from the company and did that for 5 years. I moved to CHICO and took a ONE YEAR VACATION. I joined the Alcoholics Anonymous group there and got healthy. As a matter of fact, the embezzling allowed me to keep a lot of money and that paid all my bills for a year. I spent a lot of time playing music in public with a random assortment of college kids and other AA members. We would stand on the streetcorner and play for spare change. I met my current wife at CHICO AA. I got a job at a plastic factory as a machine operator. After a year of that work I figured out how to get student loans and moved to Eureka.
Dear Jim: How did you find me? I can see from your email that you have visited one of my websites. Actually, that Radio shack photo (of me) does not show the extremely long hair that I wore at that time. My ponytail is hidden in that picture. I heard that TOM LAMPKIN (my roommate at 6th and Ivy) became the chemistry teacher an Chico High School. I heard that from one of the kids that I played music with in the park. Another important thing in my life is that I learned to play acoustic guitar and sing classic rock/folk songs. I have collected the chord changes and lyrics to 200 songs. They are kept in 4 spiral notebooks that live in my guitar case. Beatles, Doors, Grateful Dead, Eagles, Woodie Guthrie, Jimmie Buffet... I go to peoples homes, public parks, streets, and pull out my songbooks and lead group sing alongs. I'm sure you can relate. One high point in my life was when I was living in Washington DC and I had just gotten fired from a high paying electronics job. I took EIGHT (8) months off from work and went into my home recording studio. I had many synthesizers, guitars, a four track tape recorder and a drum machine. There was a tremendous amount of Afghanistan Hashish. [The Russians were fighting the Afghans and we financially supported the "Freedom Fighters" by purchasing their Hashish.] My friends and I recorded a demo tape and tried to sell it in New York City. We wanted to make background music for corporate video. There is a market for techno-pop soundtracks and we had an agent but never made a sale. AT LEAST I GAVE IT MY BEST SHOT!!! Some lyrics I wrote are online at angelfire homepage the words are down at the bottom of the page... Recently I've gotten into photography because I can put pictures on the internet. Some pictures are at geocities homepage for gregvan [now vanished as Yahoo closed Geocities]

THAT HETCH HETCHY TRIP WAS A MAJOR EVENT IN MY LIFE. (a camping trip with Jim French, Jimmie Dewhurst and Mike Bilinski in 1974.) Since I almost died when I slipped into the river, it has given me great emotional questions about the meaning of LIFE. The fact that I DID NOT DIE at age 19 has made me grateful for every moment since. Maybe there is some reason for my existence, some big task that needed to be accomplished. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON I WAS GIVEN THE GIFT OF LIFE. I feel that the reason is that I should DO SOMETHING USEFUL to make the world a better place to live. I made a difference when I was working at Radio Shack. I helped thousands of people solve their electronic problems. For example: I sold thousands of hearing aid batteries to people in Czechoslovakia. Many people could hear because of me. At the plastic factory I made wheels for wheelchairs. Thousands of people are rolling around right now because of me. It is not much, but at least I did SOMETHING. That experience at Hetch Hetchy was truly unique. I was stoned on LSD and PEYOTE and met death FACE TO FACE underwater. I also had the blessing of attending 37 grateful dead concerts and two rainbow gatherings. What a lucky fellow I am. Hundreds of Acid trips... The last one was at an anti-war protest march in Washington DC when George Bush SENIOR was fighting the GULF WAR. I was interviewed on television. My next door neighbor said I made a jackass of myself on the evening news. I am very proud of that. She was a conservative republican and I know that if I pissed her off I must have been doing the right thing...We spent a lot of time playing the drums in Lafayette park across the street from the White House. The idea was to make a lot of noise and disturb George Bush's sleep. A guy from Kodiak Alaska loaned me a MARCHING BAND BASS DRUM and for hours I lead 30 people in a drum circle. HEY, maybe we shortened the gulf war by reminding George Bush that some drummers thought he was an idiot... AT LEAST I DID SOMETHING...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.com

Something my Mom taught me...

Mom said that there is a concept called "self fufilling prophesy". Her example: If you get a TATOO that says "BORN TO LOSE" you will. Be careful what you believe. Your beliefs can influence your future... If you find that your beliefs are wrong, change them... THINK FOR YOURSELF !

I was thinking about this because I was at an AA meeting and one of the other people was talking about the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS OF BUDHISM. The person talking actually got the "TRUTHS" totally wrong but it did make me think...

A concept that always seemed idiotic is: PREMARITAL SEX IS A SIN. Someone in a Christian Church expressed this ABSURD philosophy to me. They seemed to feel that people should not do things that are a "SIN". INSANE! I have TESTED their belief and found out that they are INCORRECT. IT IS BIG FUN! Avoid believing Religions that teach concepts that are OBVIOUSLY FALSE. THINK FOR YOURSELF... I wonder if this is REALLY in the Bible or did some preacher JUST MADE IT UP?

There are some aspects of Christianity that make NO sense. For example: Forgiveness of sin. They say that if you commit a sin and then ask for forgiveness, then you can go to heaven. RIDICULOUS! No wonder it is the preferred religion of the MAFIA! Check out how this works... On Monday, a person sells heroin to elementary school kids. On Tuesday, a person goes to church and says: "Forgive me father for I have sinned"... PRESTO=CHANGO all is forgiven and that person can go to heaven. On Wednesday, that person commits murder. On Thursday, he goes to church and say: "aw shucks, I sinned again... forgive me daddy"... a MIRACLE HAPPENS AND THE MURDERER IS FORGIVEN AND CAN SING WITH THE ANGELS FOR ALL ETERNITY... On Friday, the person HAS SEX with an adult that he is not married to... They have BIG FUN... On Saturday, they Have SEX again, because they really like to. On Sunday, they both go to Church and say: "forgive us father, for we had FUN". THE PRIEST (a known pedophile) says all is forgiven and they all go to Heaven. On Monday, The MAFIA guy sells heroin to elementary school kids, the Priest *&*##$@*** the kids and the weekly cycle continues... WHAT AN ABSURD SYSTEM...It seems to me that we ought to PUNISH murderers... NOT FORGIVE THEM !

AVOID BELIEF SYSTEMS THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY FALSE.
A better system would be to take people that DO BAD THINGS and reincarnate them as a flea. Then they would have to live a thousand lifetimes as a flea before they got promoted to human. KARMA. "My Karma ran over your Dogma"...
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I like the practice of communion... You eat a sacred wafer and meet GOD. I've done that. It works! At MY CHURCH, we eat a wafer that is laced with LSD-25... 
Yes, its true, I have met GOD personally. MY CHURCH WORKS... If you have not met GOD, discard your obsolete religion and get one that ACTUALLY WORKS... DUH!

The Four Noble Truths Of Budhism
The First Noble Truth - THE EXISTENCE OF IMPERMANENCE - "Dukkha"
Nothing lasts forever. Understand this and be not attached to what you are experiencing, otherwise you will experience suffering. When you experience happiness know that it is a reaction to circumstance and it is not a permanent state. Conversely, when you are suffering know that it shall not be eternal.
The Second Noble Truth - THE ARISING OF SUFFERING BECAUSE OF CRAVING - "Samudaya"
Craving sensory stimulation, craving existence, and craving non-existence give rise to the continuity of being, and with it its attendant suffering. Attaining a state of non-craving should be part of your daily effort.
The Third Noble Truth - THE CESSATION OF SUFFERING - "Nirodha"
One can end eternal suffering by ending the craving that leads to the continuation of suffering.
The Fourth Noble Truth - THE MIDDLE WAY, or THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH -"Magga"

Is There a Cure for Compulsive Hoarding of Money Syndrome?

What if Donald Trump experienced a Dramatic Change of Values? The CIA Project MKULTRA had a technique for doing that... What IF?

Great Books: Project MKULTRA CIA LSD American History "The Search for the Manchurian Candidate" by John Marks

MKULTRA: a CIA Mind Control Project in the USA during the 1950's and 1960's. They were looking for a way to use drugs as weapons of war. For example: LSD as a way to simply get the "enemy" to lay down their arms, voluntarily... like, too stoned to fight...

The project conducted tests on college students at Stanford University. Ken Kesey and Robert Hunter both were employed. Later, Ken started having "ACID TEST" parties where the participants took LSD and danced to the Music of the Grateful Dead. Robert Hunter wrote lyrics for the Dead.

Just co-incidence?
      or were "the sixties"
             a CIA experiment to test MKULTRA?

Source: The Search for the Manchurian Candidate by John Marks.

http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/06/great-books-project-mkultra-cia-lsd.html

T.G.A.N. ~~~ A Silly Science Fiction Story: Not a Blueprint for Revolt... No, No, Not That!

“You are under arrest” said THE MAN.
“Eat Lead, Copper.” said Merle.
and THE MAN did…

They were at a remote marijuana plantation in Humboldt County and Merle was not about to let Federal Law Enforcement interfere with his profit. Too Bad, So Sad for THE MAN’s next of kin but everyone voluntarily selects their own career… It appears that  THE MAN’s choice of livelihood was not the most brilliant idea.

The next puzzle was how to dispose of the body… Ecologically…

This area of the woods is home to BEARS and BIGFOOT… Someone was going to get a free lunch… and here comes one now…

“DANG” exclaimed Susan “These reality TV Shows are SOOOOO predictable… The criminal always gets caught in the end. BORINGGGGG. I’m changing channels right now. “

CLICK.

“Whoosh” went the speaker in the TV set.

“Oh Boy, A Space Opera. ” said Susan.

“Whoosh-whoosh” went the speaker in the TV set.

“Who are you talking to?” asked Bob as he entered the room with a pizza and six pack of [product placement].

“Nunya Beeswax” said Susan.

“Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-KA BLOOOEY!” went the speaker in the TV set.

“Wow, Look at that!” said Bob.

“The SLIME from the dead alien is dripping onto the floor” said Susan.

“And it stinks” said Bob.

“That’s ABSURD. These new TV sets from [product placement] with ‘SMELL-O-VISION’ are more trouble than they are worth.”

CLICK.

TALKING HEAD: “In other news, Dr Ron Paul has accepted the Republican Party Nomination for President of the United States.  We go live to the convention floor where a riot has broken out. “

CLICK.

“Wait a second, go back to that news report. That’s an event that DID NOT HAPPEN.”

“Oh don’t be surprised, it’s FOX news… they often write fiction and present it on the TV as Actual News. “

“Are you sure? They seem so sincere.” said Bob

“Yep, they have meetings, get blasted on mind altering substances and write collaborative fiction…” replied Susan

“Sounds good to me.”

“Yes. We’ve got some fiction to write ourselves… because this story is starting to drag.” Complained Susan

“Hey, I’ve got an idea!” Let’s watch CNN, they tell the truth…

CLICK.

“In other news, President Obama Legalized Medical Marijuana today. Stating, “I was wrong, tragically wrong… I asked my doctor and she said there IS medicinal value to Medical Marijuana… So we have stopped the DEAth Squads… ” said the talking head.

"Oh-oh… CNN has gone NATIVE also… have we a distortion of the space-time continuum?" Questioned Susan.

"YES!" exclaimed Tom...

"Tom? Tom? Who are You? And Why are you in MY DREAM?" wondered Sally...

"Don't worry about WHY, let's just enjoy this dream world... Would you like to smoke a dream REEFER?"

"Sure, since this is just a dream, I'll be able to pass my drug test back in real world..."

"You're going BACK? Why? asked Fred...

"Fred? "Fred? who.ru?"

"Me? I'm just here for the... [fill in the blank activity]... Ever since I learned to Lucid Dream I've been taking CONTROL of my dreams and engaging in the most amaZING adventures...

and then there was Tom. Tom McGuinniss-Stout. He always kept his first name the same but changed his last name for every job. He worked for the [three letter agency] this time as a [action hero job] but also would work as [variety of job description list] depending on who he was trying to fool.

"Well, since everyone is here... let's twist the plot." said everyone...

[cue theme music: "The Twist" by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters]

"Look, a computer... Can I use it for a moment?" said Tom McGuinniss-Stout. "I need to do some research to help develop my character. This time I play the part of an Anonymous Hacker and it would be useful to have a clue as to what they do."

[cue powering up sound effect]

"They Fight Evil" said Sally "Look at this list... "

Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Panama, Nicaragua and all those other UNDOCUMENTED wars...
Laws prohibiting cannabis...
NDAA...
DRONES...
Nuclear Power Plant construction in Vogtle, Georgia USA...
Laws: Peyote, LSD and Psilocibin are Illegal...
Operation Fast and Furious...
WTC7...
Twinkie...
False Flag...
HSBC...
Bradley Manning...
Jury Nullification...
"Freedom Fries"...
Citizens United...
Banking in the Cayman Islands...
Federal Subsidies for Oil Companies...
the Lack of any photographs of an airplane flying into the Pentagon on 9/11/2001...
American Type Culture Corporation selling Anthrax to Saddam Hussein...
Iran-Contra...
the Gulf of Tonkin incident...
US Patent #6630507...
MKULTRA...
Thermite...
John Lennon, JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations...

"Oh my, what can one person DO? This list is so long and growing daily." complained Fred.

"Exactly." said Tom McGuinniss-Stout. "What CAN you do? Me, I expose the evil ones online... You, will have to select your own plan of action... You may get a hint by reading books... "The Monkeywrench Gang" by Edward Abbey or "Crossfire" by James Patterson"

"No Thanks" whined Fred... That's too much effort... I think I'll watch TV instead. The Corporate Propaganda Channel is my Favorite."

"Which Channel is THAT ONE? inquired Sally.

"EVERY ONE" sang everyone in chorus...

... but the seed was planted in Fred's Mind...

"What CAN I do to fight evil?" he wondered...

"The US Military trained me in many specialized skills, I can go out into the woods and survive. I can shoot a rifle accurately. I can shoot a rifle accurately.  I can shoot a rifle accurately."

Those words echoed around in his brain... Thoughts simply would not leave him alone...

"What IF?"

"Earth to Fred, come in Fred... Earth to Fred, come in Fred... WAKE UP!" said Tom McGuinniss-Stout.
"Your dream-time images are so powerful they are projecting into what we laughingly call Reality... and what I see is not "groovy". Do NOT allow the evil ones to rent space in your mind. Awaken... "

"Thanks." said Fred. "I was spiraling into a descending dog house of despair."

"Dog House? Questioned Tom McGuinniss-Stout.

"Yes, as in the Hank Williams song 'Move it on Over' " Explained F.Red.1[at] JoMamma[dot]com.

"Here, read a Book and let your troubles melt away... " and Tom McGuinniss-Stout handed Fred a copy of 'Crossfire' by James Patterson...

"Don't give him THAT ONE!" warned Sally "It's his Manchurian Candidate Trigger."

"I know, I'm his MKULTRA programmer and Today is the Day... Unleash the Hounds!" Stated Tom McGuinniss-Stout

[cue spooky music here]

"Whoa... I see a Witch, and it's Green... and there is a Conductor... and a Twinkie... and There is Little Debbie and she is holding out a train ticket. Hey, I understand... I grasp the Concept,  I'm going to Greenwich, Connecticut to MANIFEST my Destiny!" Shouted F.Red.1 in a voice that can only be describes as Orgasmic Glee. (OK, maybe Beatific, or Enraptured would work as well)

"Hand me my Twinkie... The Game is Afoot." requested F.Red.1

"I CAN'T hand you a Twinkie... that company was forced out of business by corporate raiders." said Sally. "They live in Greenwich, Connecticut... maybe when you are there you can get one from them."

"Bastards!" shouted F.Red.1

"NOW HOLD IT RIGHT THERE." SAID THE CENSOR. "AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF AN UNNAMED THREE LETTER GOVERNMENT AGENCY, I HEREBY TWIST THE PLOT. FROM NOW ON IT WILL ALL BE BUTTERFLIES, RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS. NONE OF THAT 'TURNER DIARIES' MANIFESTO THINLY DISGUISED AS FICTION."

"But this is My Dream Sequence..." stated Sally. "You can't just march in here and Declare Martial Law... This is not Watertownn, Mass... In MY dreams I AM TRULY FREE."

"NOT EXACTLY... NOT SINCE 9/11/2001." SAID THE CENSOR. "Everything Changed."

AND then the plot twisted...

[fade to a pastoral scene... The Eloi* were relaxing by a river eating grapes and swimming without waiting an hour after lunch.]

"I Say... said one... All those conspiracy theories about Morlocks* seem so silly to me."

"So true, we live in Paradise." responded another...

"What if we took a drive to Chico? It's only 12 miles away. It is Friday Night and there is a free concert in the park... Tonight It's Jeff Pershing... He sings the most positive worldbeat music ever... We could be 'Dancing Beneath the Stars'. "

(~);-} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f6EotzN45s {-;(~)
Click on the link above to listen to Jeff Pershing Band...

"Actually, you are misinterpreting what I was saying..." said the Eloi. "When I meant was we live inside a Pair of Dice... Look around you, see the spots? One over there, six over on the opposite wall... Oh NO! Here comes the giant hand to pick us up and roll away... Brace yourself... He bounces the dice off the back wall of the table at the casino. That's a wild ride."

"Come on Seven... Baby needs a brand new pair of shoes!" Exclaimed the Gambler...

...and the dice bounced off the back wall, out of the table, onto the floor and out the door... clearly not a valid roll but when he went outside to retrieve the Pair of Dice, he noticed the wonderful aroma of pine trees... He turned around and there it was, Lake Tahoe.

"Wow, that's some BLUE Water. and look, the Eloi are escaping!"



To Be Continued... Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel...

Links to my Zazzle Webstore: Cosmic Art painted on Bling... Posters too!

https://www.zazzle.com/gregvan

https://www.zazzle.com/collections/quest_for_meaning-119187286099556487

https://www.zazzle.com/s/gregvan+jewelry?dp=252880112189019707

Magic Leaf from a Rainbow World. Links to My Zazzle Webstore with original ART painted on Bling...

clipart Cannabis Leaf

clipart Cannabis Leaf

more art printed onto buttons, stickers, coffee cups, posters and shirts

visit my webstore:

http://www.zazzle.com/gregvan/peace+gifts

or…

http://www.zazzle.com/gregvan/mushroom+gifts

or…

http://www.zazzle.com/gregvan/leaf+gifts

leaf gifts are rated “G” but Hemp is rated “R”

so I used the secret code words… Green... and leaf…

to tag all my Reefer Madness Artwork

Grateful Dead Logo done in TEXT ART

Anti-War Protest March in Eureka

Distant Pyramid

Samba Parade in Arcata, CA

Spaceship Approaching Space Station

Ezekiel's Wheel UFO over Eureka

Op Art by Vandergreg

FYI: If you ever want to have a private conversation, meet your friend at a campfire in the woods.

 No cellphone surveillance, No email hacking, No spy cameras, No secret microphones... The Campfire is not absolutely required... but FUN! This also works at the Office. Outside there is usually a smoking area near the dumpster, just ask a friend to ‘step into my office’ and go outside for a private conversation. #ELF #EarthFirst! #deepecology #overgrow #purple64ets

I heard an author on Book TV talking about his book "Future War". He stated that DARPA has invented drugs that make a soldier MORE COURAGEOUS... Have they been using it in the wars in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN??? I wonder if this is the reason so many soldiers commit suicide when they come home from that war... 

FUTURE WAR

Preparing for the New Global Battlefield

by Robert H. Latiff

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robert-h-latiff/future-war-latiff/

Clamso Me Boys Clamso - a Song by Arlo Guthrie - 

Long Live the Clamshell Alliance

Things I Remember Growing Up in Los Gatos, California... during the 1960s

I enjoyed growing up in Los Gatos starting in 1960 until graduation from LGHS in 1972... an Ideal Childhood... Then I Went to West Valley College, learned electronics and got a job at System Industries in Santa Clara... I live in Orangevale, CA (Near Sacramento) in an Old Folks Home. Quite a life and I'm looking forward to at least another 20 years of retirement... One peak experience in Los Gatos was attending the Tower of Power concert outdoors at the Chateau... In the Redwoods...  I remember going with Rich Field to the Tower of Power Concert and we saw how they achieved the flute to trumpet blending on "Diamonds Sparkling in the Sand". One man walked towards his microphone while the other walked away... both were playing the same note... This amazed Rich as he was a jazz band member at school and this effect was a mystery to him until we saw it done... I also remember that the Hells Angels and The Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle clubs both arrived at the concert at the same time and I was concerned that there would be violence... so I walked to the other side of the concert as far as possible away from them.... Years later I learned that they OFTEN partied together at the Chateau and my fears were unjustified...

~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~

I remember playing my harmonica at a school play with Barry Hill. It was called "Sneaky Fitch is Dead" and I had a great time performing... We also performed "Hippie from Olema" by the Youngbloods at a talent show in the high school gym. Rich Field and Nancy King and Rachael Ludlum were also in the band.

Many of the students performed as Spearchuckers and Slaves in the Opera "AIDA' at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. There was a touring opera company that filled the stage with locals... They instructed us to move our mouths BUT DO NOT SING... They had a choir that did the singing and we would have just been annoying and off key. Since the big scene we were in was when the hero came back from the Middle East with the spoils of war, we had to cover our bodies with dark brown stage paint... We were supposed to be playing the part of black people... I had long blond hair but they just tucked that up under a hat... Big Fun... Liz Dunbar was in the Opera also [LGHS '73]

~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~

I remember going to a wonderful natural hot spring in Pfeiffer Big Sur State park. We hiked 12 miles into the Ventana Wilderness along the Big Sur River to get to "Sykes" Camp. The Park Rangers kept the Hot Spring maintained so that about 6 people could bathe at the same time. I went with my high school friend Joe Franck, his older sister Peggy and their cousin Katie. At our campsite a raccoon started to eat our food and Peggy went to shoo the raccoon away... The raccoon turned and hissed at her and bared it's claws... She screamed really loud and in the end, we fasted for a couple of days... Wild animals would win any fight...
 I also saw a cat that was about the size of a toy collie... I guess it was a Bobcat, not a mountain lion... There were also wild pigs that ran around at night... In my imagination, they were as big as "Wonder Warthog!". Also on the Big Sur River close to the Pfeiffer Campground was a swimming hole with a waterfall at the upstream end. Very popular and private... perfect for skinny dipping. I sure hope that the hot springs are still being kept in good repair. It was Well worth the 12 mile hike in... I also went to the campground on the day that President Nixon resigned. I took LSD and had to go lie down in the woods when the hallucinations peaked so I missed the actual resignation. (oops, got stoned and I missed it.) There was great celebration at the campground that night.

~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~

My favorite beach in Santa Cruz was Manresa. It was about ten miles south of town and It always seemed to be sunnier and warmer. It's a very long beach and you can walk far away from other families. No need to listen to their loud children... I also liked the Boardwalk. In the late 1960's there was a Funhouse with slides and a giant record player that threw the kids off due to centrifugal force. I also loved the Merry Go Round and the automatic music box. My dad reached his limit when we rode the Wild Mouse. He swore that he would never go on another ride ever... and he never did. The Giant Dipper was a classic wooden roller coaster and vastly superior to the more modern ones that are made of steel (Like Great America). When we went to the beaches North of Santa Cruz we walked thru a Brussels sprout farm. We always ate the fresh sprouts but it was important to remember to wash off the poison in the ocean first. To this day I like Brussels sprouts and artichokes due to growing up near the farms. We grew Apricots at home (4 trees) and cut cots at a neighbors smokehouse. They let us use the sulfur smoker if we worked on their farm cutting cots. There were a lot of prune orchards in our neighborhood. The most famous was on Daves Ave and had the Billy Jones Railroad. We rode the train for a penny... just throw it into a jar...

~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~

http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/02/things-i-remember-growing-up-in-los_28.html


Photographs taken from Apollo Heights in the mountains behind Saratoga looking Down on Paul Masson Winery and San Jose...

click on the images to see them bigger.

Still one lot available to build a mansion on top of the hills behind Saratoga. 

Steep paved one lane road 2.5 miles from Downtown Saratoga.

4 other houses on this court.

Dad subdivided this land and had the lots prepared for people to live... 

Arranged for a paved road, water, electricity...

J.D. Vanderlaan

Afghan President offers Peace Talks with Taliban - Here is a possible end game for our war - Let Afghans Rule their own country - DUH

https://www.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-taliban/afghan-president-ghani-makes-offer-to-taliban-for-peace-talks-idUSL8N1QI0LE

KABUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group, as part of a proposed political process that could lead to peace talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.

Opium Crop Doubled when the USA started the War in Afghanistan

Things I Remember Growing Up in Los Gatos - Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains

I remember hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains behind The Novitiate. I often went with my dog, Prince, a toy collie on that trail that went all the way to Lexington Reservoir. I caught a terrible cases of poison oak by petting the dog. However, one time made me immune forever. I collected sprouted buckeyes and planted them in the backyard of our home on Bruce Ave and one of them grew up to be a giant tree. For years we collected the buckeye seeds and burned them in our fireplace. They POP at random times and that's fun when watching a fire. I also walked trails up and down Los Gatos creek from Campbell percolation ponds to Vasona to Lexington. It was fun to swim at Vasona. We would dive in from the dam and swim until the park Ranger approached in his boat. It was illegal to swim there and so we had to keep an eye out for the law. Another good swimming hole was the Almaden Reservoir. That one was supposed to be so polluted with Mercury that it was dangerous to swim there... However, Both of my parents and I swam there with no ill effects... Go Figure...

My dad lived in Los Gatos as a Jr. High School and High School Student and Mom was from Willow Glen [near San Jose]. Dad moved to Los Gatos to cure his Tuberculosis at the Top of the Hill Sanitarium off Kennedy Road. When I went to my Dad's Funeral at the Unitarian Church on Blossom hill Road I could see the "Top of the Hill" from the deck outback... I felt comforted in being able to see the beginning and the end of his Los Gatos residency.

In 1976 I went with my wife to Wine Tasting at the Novitiate. They were a major supplier of wine used in Communion Services. I remember that they had a cave used for aging the red wines that had a crack in the ceiling caused by the 1906 earthquake. They used giant redwood barrels that absorbed the wine and the outside was wet. The air in that cave could make you drunk from breathing the alcohol. Los Gatos is famous for Almaden Wine and Saratoga has Paul Masson. One of my in-laws worked at Paul Masson and another worked at Sebastiani. When we went wine tasting at Sebastiani they brought out the "good stuff", wines that were for family, not sold to the general public. Yes, it really was good quality. Especially the brandy.

We had really High Quality Public Schools in Los Gatos. In Elementary School at Daves Ave we were taught the "New Math". I don't actually remember how that was different than the "Old Math" but at least they were trying to help us learn. We studied the Spanish Language all through school. I didn't really get good at it until I was an Adult working at Radio Shack on Branham Lane. It's a comissioned salesman job and many of my customers spoke Spanish as their primary language. Yes, I got good when my Paycheck depended on it. Hector Sianez was the store manager and people from all over the Bay Area would drive to our store because we had the advantage of being Bi-Lingual.
We were taught Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math at LGHS. A college prep curriculum... After I graduated from LGHS I went to Chico State for two years and the West Valley JC (an outstanding school to learn Electronics Drafting). One class at West Valley was scale model building. I took blueprints of a cabin my Dad was having built at North Shore Lake Tahoe and built an accurate scale model. I still have that model because Dad liked it and made sure it never got accidentally damaged.

I have actually fired a gun. Really! At Camp Campbell [YMCA Summer Camp] in the Santa Cruz Mountains we learned how to shoot targets with a .22 rifle. I enjoyed it. Quite similar to playing Darts or Archery. Another time I fired a large pistol at cans. ONCE. My dad's lawyer owned the pistol. It had a "Helluva Kick" and was really loud and scary. I've never actually owned a gun or had one in the house...

Camp Campbell also had a zip line. I got into a swing seat, jumped off the cliff and whoooooosh went down to the ground. At that time we were responsible for our own actions and staying safe. I suppose I could have fallen out of the zip line seat but I made sure I held on tight. BIG FUN.

http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/02/things-i-remember-growing-up-in-los_28.html

http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/02/things-i-remember-growing-up-in-los.html

#OutlawAssaultRifles Join the March for our Lives on 3/24/2018 IN YOUR HOME TOWN

March For Our Lives

There are already 70 planned events Nationwide... If Congress refuses to take action on Gun Control it is our duty to throw them out. Remember, Vote against Allowing the Murder of Children...

[chant]  Hey, Hey, NRA, How Many Kids did you Kill Today? [/chant]

Teacher in custody after barricading self in classroom with gun, firing shot... Trump's Idea of Arming Teachers would result in increased student fatalities.

After their teacher fires a gun at school, Georgia students use opportunity to challenge Trump’s proposal...Jesse Randall Davidson wasn't a stranger, some mysterious threat from the outside. He was a bearded, bespectacled, 53-year-old social studies teacher and the play-by-play announcer for the football games at Dalton High School in northwest Georgia.

But when the teacher brought a gun to school, barricaded himself in his classroom Wednesday and fired a single shot, students quickly recognized that this wasn't just a sad local incident.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-teacher-shooting-20180228-story.html  

Imagine if Trump's Idea actually happened... Thousands of armed teachers and thousands of opportunities for gun accidents... Students overpowering teachers and stealing the guns, upset and angry teachers firing at the principal after getting fired, frightened teachers shooting a student because they thought they saw a danger when there was none... Suicides... 

It has been shown that having a gun in the home increases the chances of gun accidents... It's more likely that a gun would be used on members of your own family than being used on an invader. 

But we shall see if Trump's Idea is valid because the State of Florida has approved a $67 Million dollar bill to arm teachers and train them in the use of firearms... Let THEM test this theory... Let THEM die...

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS VOTE TO ARM TEACHERS DESPITE PARKLAND'S OBJECTIONS
http://www.newsweek.com/florida-vote-arm-teachers-parkland-gun-control-marjory-stoneman-douglas-high-824242

On Wednesday, National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García excoriated the lawmakers who backed the Florida bills.

“I’m furious. Parents know this is a bad idea, teachers know this is a bad idea, the school custodian knows this is a bad idea, the superintendents know this is a bad idea,” she told Newsweek. “More guns in the school is dangerous.

“This is a cynical distraction. [Politicians] know exactly what the problems is,” she continued. “Politicians and the NRA know dangerous weapons are easily accessible to dangerous people, but they keep saying, ‘Look over here! Let’s give teachers more guns.”

García said the call to arm teachers is merely political sleight of hand to avoid talking about substantive gun control measures. Last week, the Florida House voted 71-36 to not hear a bill that would ban assault rifles.

In good news, Walmart has raised the age to buy guns from 18 to 21. Dick's Sporting Goods refuses to sell Assault Rifles to anyone and raises the minimum age and Kroger's does so as well...

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