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Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Beach, Biker Bar, Bar Mitzvah, a Magical Trifecta
August 3, 2016
— 3 Comments
woodie
Yogananda’s surfers
Yogananda’s koi
I am pumped, gentle readers. I am embarking on a road trip to one of my favorite destinations on earth. I love Cardiff-by- the-Sea, California. This suburb of Encinitas has everything I want in a destination…..beautiful beach, a classic biker dive bar with great rock and roll ( right across the street from the beach), and many good friends who live in the area of North County San Diego.
The Kraken
At home in Tucson I rarely go out and night and have not been out dancing for ages. The music at the Kraken usually suits me to a T, and there is no need to choose a partner in order to dance. It is not that kind of bar. It is a bar for locals, bikers, and everyone who wants to preserve 1975 for eternity…..my kind of place. I have found an Airbnb accommodation that has everything I every hoped for in an accommodation. I can park ( this is a very big deal in this neighborhood) and walk 5 blocks to the beach and/or the Kraken and walk right back up the hill to go home. I will have a balcony with an ocean view ( pretty excited about that aspect).
The big event of the weekend is a Bar Mitzvah celebration for my good friend’s son, Ben Levy. After the service we will go to a trampoline park in Vista for the party. This will be the best Bar Mitzvah party I have attended…I know already. I am really into trampolines, and not that into your typical after Bar Mitzvah party. I have attended my share, but never been offered a chance to trampoline. Go Benny, what a great decision!!!!!!! I will be very happy to share your special trope and tramp day with you and the family. California, here I come!
New Moon in Leo August 2, 2016
July 31, 2016
— 2 Comments
The best feature about New Moons is the feeling of starting anew, a fresh start, a new beginning. Although the New Moon data is not as popular as the Full Moon, the dates are sought out by many people who know just how meaningful the New Moon event can be. The August 2 New Moon […]
via New Moon August 02, 2016, Filled With Abundance — Cherokee Billie Spiritual Advisor
Say It In Latin, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
July 29, 2016
— 3 Comments
Coat of Arms of Scotland(1660-1689).
Latin is sometimes the most technical as well as the most expressive way to convey a concept. The phrase Nemo Me Impune Lacessit means “Wha daur meddle wi’ me?” in Scottish. This is the motto of the Scottish Dragoon Guards. It translates literally into English as “No one cuts me with impunity.” I like the way it makes clear where the line has been drawn. This was also the motto of my ancestors in the Stewart clan. I like all my ancestral warriors, but I think I like the Scotsmen the best. Even when they came to America to be Presbyterians they were badass Revolutionary War heroes in South Carolina. They had a super strong sense of independence.
This phrase was taught to me by one of the gentle readers of this blog, and I treasure it, along with my ancestors who embodied it. Thank you John Holton for this tasty and meaningful piece of history. I hope to go someday to Edinburgh Castle where it is written above the entrance.
Edinburgh castle Nemo me
impune lacessit
Leadership and Rotten Apples
July 28, 2016
— 1 Comment
badge
The theories used to administer law enforcement agencies have changed with the times. The current political climate demands a thorough examination of the criminal justice system from top to bottom. The DOJ’s 21st Century Guidelines are a step in the right idealistic direction. Much thought has been put into the basic “pillars” of law enforcement best practices. The country seems to be more divided each day on the subject of police relationships with the public. Some paint the entire force as rotten based on the criminal behavior now available for broadcast to the world. Others advocate for support for the cops no matter what they are doing. The second group always refers to a few rotten apples, but they never mention the rest of the proverb…a few rotten apples spoil the whole barrel. Staying with the fruit analogy, I think it is the responsibility of the administrators of cities to responsibly go through the barrels on a regular basis to assure that the law enforcement culture is not rotten.
The war on drugs has not only given us an opiate addicted society, but also great opportunity for the most common kinds of corruption to flourish. Arizona is a wild west state famous for “conservative” law enforcement, al estilo de Joe Arpaio. Indeed, Arizona has had some famous historical stand offs around law and order. The Gunfight at the OK Corral was exactly that. Doc and Wyatt are symbols of everything we love about Tombstone and the legends too tough to die. After the Earps and Doc shot the Clantons they high tailed it to Tucson, and the rest is history. The Arizona Rangers were founded in Tombstone during the Territory days, and still have a proud tradition, although today they are a volunteer organization. It is a serious challenge to maintain the proud traditions and, at the same time, be vigilant of corruption. It is not a black and white question.
How do you feel, gentle reader? Do you think there is a problem with individual cops, or with the leadership? Or do you feel everything is going well with the criminal justice system right now?
Ranger history
Doc and Wyatt
Bring Back the Dunce Cap
July 27, 2016
— 5 Comments
class clown
ain’t too proud to wear it
I think the time is right to bring back the tradition of wearing the dunce cap. John Duns Scotus ( yes, exactly like SCOTUS) created the dunce cap as an educational tool. He was born in Scotland in 1266, so he might well have been hanging out with my ancestors, perhaps even influencing their upbringing. Both of my parents have Scottish ancestry. The Subtle Doctor, as Scotus was known, was a famous philosopher, teaching in Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris before his fall from grace.
It seems the doctor was stabbed to death for his school of thinking. His students used their pens to kill him because he was trying to “make them think”. Now we have to ask ourselves which one of these “schools of thought” was crazier than the other, and also is the pen mightier than the sword.
For modern use I think we just make corrupt officials who are caught breaking the law to fashion their own caps out of construction paper. They all need to sent to sit in the corner for public humiliation until they repent of their stupidity. Do you think this could work, gentle reader?
Scotus
Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency
July 25, 2016
— 4 Comments
Judge Celina
suiting out
Judge Ardell
Judge Donna
A few years ago I went to California to take a workshop from a group called Tribal Truth. I was invited to go by a good friend who flaked out after I had paid for it. I decided to go because it was taking place at a hot spring I like in SoCal, so I figured I would have fun at the hot spring at least. We were assigned roommates to share dorm style accommodations. The lady assigned to me was a working Jungian therapist who told me right off the bat she had always been a “good girl”. She was relatively sophisticated…I mean, she did actually have a practice in Jungian therapy…but her “good girl” had been blinded by the light. I think her dad had been a preacher. She and I discussed the events of the first night and had different opinions about them. I thought the whole thing was bogus because the meditation they used was plagiarized from Carolyn Myss without crediting her, and they seemed generally lame.
I don’t remember how I found Celina and Donna, my rebel with a cause soul sisters, but we met and conferred about the nature of this Tribal Truth business. We had all paid a lot, and they had driven down from the fabulous east bay to make the most of the weekend. Donna had a lot of experience in the physic realm, along with some bad experiences with a “psychic” cult. She was instantly against the ethics in the room because she was sensitive to the use of so-called truth to control, rob and manipulate others. I didn’t like it because of the plagiarism and this idea that these leaders were somehow gifted, holy, and tribal. Celina is an osteopathic manual practitioner who is highly attuned to dishonesty too. On the first night in the conference room we were given our assignment for the weekend. We were to make up an imaginary business and pitch it to the crowd, like a start-up generator run by plagiarizing glitter fairies. Donna was born in the year of the dog. Both Celina and I were born in the year of the tiger. We decided our business would be the simplest of business plans. Our company, Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency would just sell stickers to put up on any home or business. The stickers would say “This building protected by Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency.” That’s it. We laughed uproariously.
When we told the group we were dropping out because we were all finished with our assignment they went crazy. They tried to shame us into “not breaking the sacred circle”. They made us stay to do something stupid with this circle concept, so I stood up and said something like “sacred, my ass”…and the three of us left to spend our day at the hot spring having fun. Two Tigers and a Dog had so much more fun than those who struggled to identify themselves with these bogus sprit guides. The Jungian therapist moved out of my room because I was a heretic to the tribal situation. This was the best because my room then had 3 beds for…two tigers and a dog to have slumber parties. We partied on, then parted.
We got together years later in the Mission District of SFO with my friend Ardell, a long time friend and personal healer. The federal government had been closed by the Zodiac Killer (Ted Cruz), but we were invited to visit the 9th circuit court of appeals building, probably the most elegant building in the city. We felt so lucky to see the building and meet justices. Then we all got to wear my friend Peter’s robe for a photo shoot. If I knew how to photoshop I would make that sticker for the protection agency, with us all dressed in Peter’s robe. Ardell is a snake, but that can be scary too. Two Tigers, a Dog, and a Snake Psychic Protection Agency is a thing. If you see these women on a sticker….just leave that property alone..don’t take a chance. We are watching you. You never know where we might be.
in chambers
Pamela the Persuasive
Munich Shooter Planned Attack for a Year, Officials Say — TIME
July 24, 2016
(MUNICH) — The teenager behind Friday’s deadly shooting rampage at a Munich mall had planned his attack for a year and chose his victims at random, investigators said Sunday. Bavarian investigator Robert Heimberger said the shooter, an 18-year-old German-Iranian identified only as David S., visited the site of a previous school shooting in the German…
via Munich Shooter Planned Attack for a Year, Officials Say — TIME
Resisting Evidence
July 23, 2016
— 3 Comments
babes of justice
What is the opposite of resisting arrest? The cops resisting citizens who want to present evidence to stop crime is that. I have spent almost a decade trying to stop the obvious crime in my immediate neighborhood. This has turned out to be an illusive dream because I could not manage to show the TPD the evidence. Once this had been going on for a few years, we were then subjected to a fake neighborhood watch for the sole purpose of willfully denying crime is crime. This proved the point that crime left to fester just get worse. Now we were forced to keep all the crime in place, and pay taxes to support a fraudulent neighborhood watch. Everything has gone in the opposite direction of justice. We have been forced to keep the crime we have (which is significant) by a completely clueless system designed to serve and protect us. You don’t have to be shot in the back by the cops to have your life ruined by their dishonesty.
Finally, about a month ago I physically took the evidence to the station for the captain to review. During the month nobody has contacted me or informed me at all. This week TPD sent 3 cops to my house to ask what is happening, as if this is the first time they have heard of this. I showed them the evidence I still had at the house and told this very long complicated story one more time. They did not understand and asked me to call 911 if the ongoing financial fraud continued. This is not a realistic way to stop financial fraud.
Still TPD is completely silent. I told them I am not at all comfortable leaving that evidence at the station since the captain is on vacation, and he is specifically the only one I can trust. Silence. I fully expect that evidence to disappear at the Midtown police station and the whole 10 years of obstruction of justice to be swept under the table. We hear about corruption in government, but I have lived through a decade of it at the most extreme levels. These people aren’t even in collusion. They are simply clueless, too clueless to even collude. This is the scariest discovery I have made. They don’t intend to prevaricate. They just have no contact with reality. This corrupt bubble must be broken for the safety of us all.
Livin’ La Vida Alexa
July 14, 2016
— 4 Comments
Amazon Echo with back up band
I swore I would not buy an Echo from Amazon until I was in a wheelchair, or somehow disabled. I have never spoken to Siri, the voice inside my phone and iPods. She leaves me cold. Amazon’s voice robot is Alexa, but her priorities and capabilities are different from Siri’s. She is naturally equipped to shop Amazon by voice command, but she does so much more. The Echo arrived at my house yesterday after I was convinced by Prime Day sales to go ahead and buy one. I have now entered the world of magic voice command control of my audio life. Alexa knows all and can find any song in Amazon music in a split second. She is also pretty good as a DJ, selecting a radio station I liked off the bat. She speaks only when spoken to, and projects absolutely no drama. I now can’t imagine how I lived my life without her. I bought the full version that plugs in and uses the wifi at home. There are new portable units, but the stay at home model is right for my needs. I have just started to investigate what she does. I don’t think I will tell her to go shopping on Amazon. I will still do that in person. Right now she is playing all the Grateful Dead in Amazon music and later she will read me a book. She is talented and versatile. Most of all, she gives me no attitude. If she can’t answer a question she just makes a tiny electronic noise and shuts up. Try to find a human who will do that every time. She is polite to a T. I have no idea why I hesitated to bring her into the living room.
I have always been an early adopter of all things electronic. I resisted this new phase because I believed it was going to make me lame somehow. It is really super good for those who truly have mobility issues because Echo will handle lights, thermostat, etc, once you set up the reciprocal systems at home. Alexa will happily have all your needs delivered to your door if you can’t make it out for some reason. She is a real pal. She will create shopping lists for you even if you want to shop yourself, the old fashioned way. You can tell her that you want to make a certain kind of cake and she will create a list of everything you need. She is no slacker when it comes to data. I understand she can call Uber, so today my goal is to set that up because that will be a power move. “Alexa, call me an Uber” will be a very magical thing to say once I know how to do it.
Do you have an Echo, gentle reader? What is your favorite part of Alexa’s many charms?
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