tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87103934435335938892024-02-07T08:50:27.484-08:00....“Thoughts from Under the Palm”....from Rich Gamble Associates and Leadership Education Resources in Los Alamos. LER makes available custom leadership curriculum building resources. We recognize the growing need to bring leadership and character skills to the forefront in education throughout America - and to bring education front and center in our national consciousness as our best resource in the face of rapid global change. We will print our thoughts and ideas here and we welcome your thoughts and ideas in exchange.Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-21115567387954345182015-01-08T14:12:00.003-08:002015-01-08T14:12:52.039-08:00Steps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>An interested reader asked recently</b> if I still had thoughts <i>Beneath the Palm</i>, or if indeed I even sat there anymore. How time flies. I thought I had turned away but briefly, yet a year has gone by. I debated continuing this column, it seemed unfair to publish on such an erratic and infrequent basis. Still, the matters to discuss grow more important by the day, I find my concerns mounting with every newscast.<br />
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<b>After much hemming and hawing</b>, I made my decision. I will continue to write it, so long as I have at least one interested reader. I will promise quarterly articles, four per year. I will try to do more, but no promises here.<br />
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<b>The above question</b> put me in mind of the coming new year, and caused me to look back at the old. 2014 was a blur. Yet a descriptive term comes immediately to my mind: enurement––as in acceptance, as in tolerating, as in giving up, as in thickening our skins and our consciences. <br />
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<b>This past year</b>, we as a globe, we as people have decided to accept more horrifying circumstances than in any other year, to my mind. We have become inured (or enured) to violence––whether from weather, or murder, or war.<br />
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<b>This past year</b> it seems we chose to accept our fate: to accept a useless and self-centered Congress, to accept random shootings on a weekly basis, to accept intolerance within and between religions, to accept being governed by the power of money and self-interest. We declined to make the hard choices, to make the necessary sacrifices.<br />
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<b>It has been said from antiquity</b> that every journey begins with the first step. That step may be a faltering,unsure step, but a step is a step, and the next one is too. President Obama’s step toward medicines and doctors and care for every ailing person may be akin to the first step of a bull in a china shop, but it is a step. The first step toward an effective immigration policy may have been slightly backward, but it was a step. The first step toward improving relationships with a country we have kept hostile on our borders for way too many years may be uneven, but it is a step.<br />
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<b>Rather than holler</b> when steps lack ballet-like grace, shouldn’t we instead complain if a first step is never taken? Shouldn’t we be upset with those who prevent others from taking a first step?<br />
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<b>And so I ask:</b> Where was that first step toward preventing angry and disturbed people from shooting crowds of innocents, or policemen, or each other? Where was that first step toward movement away from oil and gas to a more beneficial energy? Where was that first step toward education to meet the specific needs of people in their own communities rather than the one-size-fits-all dictates of central government? And where was that first step toward understanding that ISIS is not the crisis, but rather our unwillingness to understand and tolerate intricate political situations and the multi-layered cultures of others before wading in?<br />
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<b>Here is the challenge:</b> to take my word for 2014, <i>enurement</i>, or <i>inurement</i>, and turn it into a different word for 2015, <i>ensurement</i>. Let’s ensure that first steps get taken, that those who shout down first steppers are shouted down themselves, that we can all find the courage to take first steps ourselves.<br />
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<b>Well, interested reader,</b> there it is. You asked for it. Yes, there will be more of these columns, because the fodder upon which they feed will not disappear. But if by some miracle it does, I will gladly relinquish the pen.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-91890009029632959932014-06-06T16:34:00.000-07:002014-06-06T16:34:22.064-07:00Bits About Bitcoin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU5WRGrfSB8DYCt4wK5-o166_m0vr1gAX58A2cUE_7hMYvES6OP6jNzpyNNkpDzv2QwyLBt6m2mI2wFDR9dp36o-VgrJkDNsHbg7Ooi76Aa7scDjATgahb7Z0zyZfj6zW3MRrKayjlV55/s1600/Train+Face+adjusted.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU5WRGrfSB8DYCt4wK5-o166_m0vr1gAX58A2cUE_7hMYvES6OP6jNzpyNNkpDzv2QwyLBt6m2mI2wFDR9dp36o-VgrJkDNsHbg7Ooi76Aa7scDjATgahb7Z0zyZfj6zW3MRrKayjlV55/s1600/Train+Face+adjusted.gif" height="200" width="192" /></a><b>I love this idea.</b> I actually had a similar idea myself years ago, in concept only of course. When we think about all of our clumsy processes from internal combustion engines to flush toilets you wonder why something like Bitcoin hasn’t come along much sooner. But of course, we humans must be emotionally as well as physically ready for such change.<br />
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<b>But about Bitcoin. </b>Why allow a commercial institution like a bank to charge processing fees and exchange rates to use one’s own money? Why shouldn’t money be individualized like any other property we own? Why shouldn’t a currency gain value like a commodity from its desirability rather than from individual investment efforts?<br />
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<b>But I’m getting ahead of myself.</b> A bit about Bitcoin. Bitcoin came along in 2009 from encryption written in code that allowed a virtual coin to be traced back to its origins. Everyone on the network has the means to account for every coin in an open ledger and each individual’s right to the coin in his/her wallet is recognized. Every participant in the network has a virtual wallet which is their key to access the Bitcoin.<br />
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<b>In one sense</b> this concept has been going on for years in the form of credit cards where no actual money changes hands but we assign the right to that money to another party by signing the card, and the bank verifies our claim that we have sufficient funds for the transaction (fees to the bank and credit card company). But with Bitcoin, a central bank is not needed because everyone on the network can see what’s in your wallet. And a Bitcoin does not depend upon account numbers and other data that can be stolen. The Bitcoin is an entity unto itself and once exchanged, that’s that.<br />
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<b>With a growing dependence</b> upon on-line marketing, Bitcoin, and similar currencies such as Litecoin and Peercoin, offer a simple solution for making purchases anywhere in the country and all around the world. I have long felt that currency is too clumsy and complex. Now, thanks to a bit of computer code, a simpler solution is at hand.<br />
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<b>But will people buy into Bitcoin?</b> Certainly not the financial institutions that make a living from fees for exchange and investment. Conceptually Bitcoin doesn’t offer such opportunities to these institutions. The currency will have to grow from grassroots efforts; of the people and for the people.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-40144305582983394702014-03-05T16:46:00.000-08:002014-03-05T16:52:09.813-08:00"Water, Water Everywhere, Yet..."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" height="200" width="196" /></a></div>
<b>I spent an evening recently</b> with a neighbor who works for one of the local oil companies, one that works the oil platforms off the Goleta coast. As one who tends to vilify the oil companies for their use and potential abuse of enormous quantities of water in a drought stricken area, I was a bit nervous when our conversation began. But it took an interesting turn.<br />
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<b>My neighbor’s truck glistens</b> in his driveway. He washes his truck almost daily at the plant where he guides the inflow of oil through enormous pipes from the offshore wells. To wash his truck, he uses a special mineral free water that leaves absolutely no residue on the paint surfaces when it dries. Where does he get this water? They make it at the plant where he works. From what? From sea water.<br />
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<b>Whoa, there.</b> Aren’t we talking about desalination? The means for obtaining fresh water from sea water that the Central Coast of California so desperately needs? In fact, yes.<br />
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<b>The city of Santa Barbara</b> built a desalination plant. It was completed in the early 1990’s in a knee-jerk reaction to drought conditions at that time. But once nature replenished the water supply, the plant was left to go idle. To restore it would require $20 million and then the cost per acre-foot to filter the water would be $1500. When - if - it rains, water from Lake Cachuma Reservoir will be much cheaper. If.<br />
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<b>A desalination plant</b> requires a large amount of energy to run it. That is costly. But just down the road in Goleta, the oil company where my neighbor works has lot’s of energy. So much gas rolls in along with the oil through those pipes that they have to burn it off. That’s a lot of energy.<br />
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<b>And they have their own desalination plant</b>. Oil companies need large sources of water just a badly as farmers do. They need it for water flooding into reservoir formations to maintain pressure and to force oil out of the production wells. Some use sea water. But they have found that the high sulfate in sea water can combine over time with barium and strontium in original reservoirs to diminish output of the wells. Brine bacteria that feeds on sulfate can produce hydrogen sulfite and sour a well. Consequently, the oil companies have need of sulfur filtration systems.<br />
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<b>But the oil and gas sector</b> also have substantial wastewater treatment needs for the water issuing from the wells along with the oil and gas. As a well ages, the volume of this water increases and the need for water treatment increases as well. Finally, the oil companies have found that low salinity water actually increases oil recovery. The industry has begun to invest in low salinity membrane technology. But the costs are high.<br />
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<b>You see where I’m going with this.</b> There is enormous potential for partnering with oil companies in the production of desalinated potable water. Investing in the oil companies to invest in treating wastewater and desalinate sea water makes sense. The oil companies get to work closely with the communities that regulate them, gain financial support for their water treatment efforts, and build a potentially lucrative avenue for diversification. The cities gain the costly energy to power the desalination plants, a new water source for less, and assume a position more conducive toward encouraging the oil companies to transition to cleaner energy sources and means. It is a partnership in the best interests of everyone - and the planet.<br />
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Sources: Camillia Lanham; “Searching for Water”, The Sun 3/6/14.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Changing Needs in Off Shore Oil Production”; Waterworld.com<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-48735303055444382952014-02-06T15:50:00.000-08:002014-02-07T10:06:29.474-08:00English Grammar and the Second Amendment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" height="200" width="196" /></a><b>While browsing</b> through an article discussing the collective versus the individual translations of the Second Amendment, I was struck by the curious capitalization used in the example provided: "<b>A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed</b>."I wondered if this was how it was actually written. I did some research.<br />
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<b>I found that the amendment</b> had been proposed in two forms to two different bodies. The version ratified by the states and authenticated by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson reads:<br />
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<b>A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.</b> <br />
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<b>The version </b>passed by Congress is the form that I had seen:<br />
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<b>A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.</b><br />
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Next</b> I rechecked my understanding of the rules of capitalization.<b> </b>Here are two of the (many) rules:<br />
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"<b><i>Capitalize federal or state when used as part of an official agency name or in government documents where these terms represent an official name. If they are being used as general terms, you may use lowercase letters.</i></b>"<br />
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"<i><b>Proper nouns (the names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things), eg: Golden Gate Bridge, Tony Blair.</b></i>"<br />
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<b>It is clear</b> that the meaning of each form of the Second Amendment is changed by the comma and the capitalization. In the first, capitalized “State” specifies one state, the United States and capitalized ‘Arms’ specifies one particular set of arms, those utilized by the United States. The comma in the first edition maintains the reference to the official armed forces of the United States.<br />
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<b>The second</b>, non-capitalized no comma version has an entirely different meaning and refers to the individual people and states when speaking of the right to bear arms.<br />
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<b>Which form</b>, then, is the "official" form? The constitution provides rules for passing an amendment. In effect, it must be ratified by both of the above mentioned official bodies, by Congress and by three quarters of the states. Therefore, as the same amendment was not ratified by both official bodies, the Second Amendment should be considered null.<br />
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<b>But for those</b> who do not accept this position, and choose to regard the Second Amendment as valid, note that the official hand written copy in the National Archives is the version passed by Congress, complete with capitalizations and comma after Militia. For those who choose to translate the Amendment literally, it must be read to specify one State (the United States), one Militia, and the Arms of that body. <br />
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(also see Arthur Leiber; New York Times: Constitution Confusion)</div>
Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-90702840170643000802014-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:002014-01-30T12:08:19.264-08:00Don't Ignore The Elephant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dCZH3JA-Q7kWwaPdBozP41Sdw9lMXl66FgsheRpeYwM1xnLT6ZJ4O8DN0jXn3wX4vi10zAC2Mm5iWVIT6XsuLlE8HCzYnwV_B4AAt7JQP6frOWKVo8y3yw48dN3CaN6_w8cZSkntU6I/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" height="200" width="196" /></a><b>I’m writing</b> to talk about the enormous elephant in the room - but I must speak softly for fear someone will shoot it.<br />
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<b>The elephant</b>, of course, is gun control. No one sees the elephant - or at least most pretend they don’t see the elephant - despite the growing episodes of mass shootings.<br />
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<b>In 2013 there were 365 mass shootings</b>, one per day. Don’t believe it? Look it up. But no one is talking about it.<br />
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<b>Political fear</b> has hushed mouths in Congress and in the White House, despite President Obama’s rhetoric in his 2013 State of the Union Speech. His 2014 speech contained just two sentences on the subject. Admittedly, those sentences were strong ones, stating an intention to bypass Congress to enact legislation. But will it happen? Or will fear for the electoral future of the Democratic party prevent it?<br />
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<b>But we can’t sit and point fingers</b> at the President about this issue. Nor is it us against the NRA. Despite its leadership, the NRA is made up of good people; our neighbors and friends. They own guns, respect the guns, and are horrified at these shootings, just like the rest of us. But their leadership has convinced them that ANY restriction to firearms, any limit to those who should own them or when they may use them, any common sense approach will ultimately lead to the government taking away their guns. As long as fear reigns, nothing will be done.<br />
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<b>The NRA leadership responses</b> - increased training in gun handling, more armed guards in schools, the creation of a national database of the mentally ill, and eliminating violent games, movies and other media - will not prevent these tragedies. If a person is intent upon causing grievous harm with a gun in a public place, there is no way to stop this person, so long as that person is armed. Like computer viruses, clever defenses only lead to even more clever attacks.<br />
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<b>My point is this</b>. The American people need to stop pretending we don’t see the elephant. We need to talk about it, to toss out ideas, to suggest solutions, to keep the dialogue going. This is real. Our children are threatened in their schools, families are threatened at the mall, people are threatened anywhere they congregate.<br />
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The elephant will not wander away on its own. </div>
Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-36377315915116887132013-11-17T09:13:00.003-08:002013-11-17T09:13:53.802-08:00CONGRESS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevT5lSPW_xpGuiiasCA6rUDz1AK3Ka6oI6KHJCq04werPigyb8SYfus7MR95Y_ckZFxFQVg3nUMbZnX0GMY8snFSC4LqpEHHiCgfncL_n_67_JgftvpKcaIXedTlZUmnUuvR3iYIpJwPu/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevT5lSPW_xpGuiiasCA6rUDz1AK3Ka6oI6KHJCq04werPigyb8SYfus7MR95Y_ckZFxFQVg3nUMbZnX0GMY8snFSC4LqpEHHiCgfncL_n_67_JgftvpKcaIXedTlZUmnUuvR3iYIpJwPu/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>It has been too long</b> since I have prepared a post for this page. When I decided to remedy that and began to search for a topic I found the number of possibilities staggering; there have been far too many issues raised and far too few reasonable responses to those issues since I last wrote here. I could not address them all.<br />
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<b>But then I realized</b> that my distress over these issues had a common denominator: Congress.<br />
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<b>Where to begin?</b> Perhaps with the essential philosophy of this particular Congress, which seems to be "All is fair in Political Warfare, no matter who gets hurt." To hold the American people hostage in order to make a partisan point? To refuse to govern, to pout and posture if they don't get their way? What have we become? I find it particularly insulting that members of this Congress continually represent themselves as acting at the will of the American people. Which people, exactly, are they talking about?<br />
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<b>I'll say a quick word about guns</b> and then move quickly to another topic. I've written much on this topic; its all been said. But in deference to those American people who have been devastated by guns that we put in the hands of criminals, I'll say another word. The arrogance of Congress to defeat a reasonable Arms bill in the shadow of the execution of schoolchildren, in order not to incur the wrath of the NRA, astounds and saddens me. Nor does the increase in similar shootings since that time seem to concern these lawmakers. The message from Congress is clear: feel free to go ahead and shoot people when you are in distress; we'll never take your guns away.<br />
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<b>And ObamaCare?</b> (The President did a great disservice to his own initiative when he allowed the Affordable Care Act to be so named during the debates).<br />
We fail to remember that prior to the introduction of this bill universal health care did not exist for all Americans, and that the health and welfare of the American people was not assured during economic downturns accompanied by job loss and home loss. The state of health care in America was a disgrace and compared poorly to even some third world countries. Those that could afford it, had it, and those that couldn't didn't. It needed fixing.<br />
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<b>And so doing is an enormous task</b>, a great political sacrifice for any politician or governing official who undertakes it. But the first step has to be taken, however imperfect it might be. When the President presented this windmill to tilt against during his campaign and the American people voted him in for a second term, that was their affirmation. And once the bill was passed, it was time for Congress to support it. There would be ample time in the future to remedy the predictable problems with such a huge undertaking.<br />
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<b>But this Congress has no interest</b> in being constructive; this Congress is about tearing down, regardless of the fallout. This Congress purports to support American rights. And so they do: the right to die in a fusillade of bullets, and the right to be poor and sick without the benefit of a doctor's care.<br />
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<b>Shall I even begin to speak of the environment</b> and global warming and Big Oil? Congress fiddles while Rome burns. There is so much that could be done, that must be done to foster clean energy and minimize the release of greenhouse gases and preserve our natural resources, and here again Congress would rather in-fight and play partisan politics rather than act.<br />
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<b>America needs strong leaders</b>; we need Congressmen and Congresswomen who will not only represent their constituencies, but will also govern. The people we elect to represent us in Congress have been given a trust and have been provided a unique, global perspective with which to help guide the ship of state, the entire ship, not just the upper class berths, toward safe waters.<br />
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We currently lack these leaders.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-46642892543127011092013-09-08T10:42:00.002-07:002013-09-08T13:25:59.902-07:00Of Paint And Pastures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnJ_mAHxD2c9rQHKMS72bX4OG5Q6VWpgV_I5iiUHB-Upy97nyy9KAmrPIY433iBzAz415VOxRiKk4EhPRYLnsebnd09DWhevfEFqLmjnHCRyqBtqkEl-9ZO34qnC6fvSU5vv0me-w4LfN/s1600/safe_image.php.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnJ_mAHxD2c9rQHKMS72bX4OG5Q6VWpgV_I5iiUHB-Upy97nyy9KAmrPIY433iBzAz415VOxRiKk4EhPRYLnsebnd09DWhevfEFqLmjnHCRyqBtqkEl-9ZO34qnC6fvSU5vv0me-w4LfN/s1600/safe_image.php.jpeg" /></a><b>What do Art and Ranching</b> have in common? Apparently a lot. Creative people seem drawn to the land. This is particularly true of the Santa Ynez Valley, home to ranches of actors, writers, musicians and artists.<br />
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<b>In celebration of that fact</b>, my wife and I were privileged to participate in a joint outing of the Wildling Museum and the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum to explore this partnership of art and ranching as embodied in the life work of Channing Peake, painter and Buellton rancher.<br />
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<b>A privilege indeed</b>, for our destination was the UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum and the Peake/Picasso Exhibit. Few are immune to the romantic perception of the American Cowboy, and apparently Pablo Picasso was no exception. "There was an instant attraction" between the men, AD&A Curator of Exhibitions Elyse Gonzales explained, standing before a wall sized photo in which the two men stand side by side, Peake wearing a mischievous grin and Picasso wearing Peake's cowboy hat.<br />
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<b>And so began a unique tour </b>of the exhibit led by Ms. Gonzales, a transplanted Philadelphian in her fifth year as Curator at AD&A, and Channing Peake's widow, Cheri Peak who offered insights possible only from one who has lived intimately with the artist. The exhibit occupies two rooms and is designed to compare and contrast the work of both men and their influence upon one another. In many instances it is difficult to distinguish between the work of the two artists. The second room is devoted entirely to Channing Peake with photos, paintings, news clippings, letters and film exploring his work and life while in Oaxaca, Mexico, at Jabali Rancho in Buellton, in Paris and in Los Angeles. In this exhibit Curator Gonzales has fully captured the dichotomy presented by Peake's love for painting and for ranching, most fully epitomized by Channing's paintings of farm implements on his ranch rendered in modern style. No faux cowboy he, Peake rode and bred top quarter horses and Jabali Rancho was a plain, working cattle ranch like any other along Santa Rosa Road.<br />
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<b>Our tour of the exhibit </b>was accompanied by an intimidating array of curators and directors representing the three museums whose comments, questions and reminders sparked dialogue that few museum visitors encounter. No question went unanswered.<br />
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<b>The net result?</b> A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-87898768545427047372013-08-12T10:36:00.003-07:002013-08-12T10:36:50.642-07:00It's Time To Choose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Today, right now, California</b> is facing a decision, possibly the most consequential decision in the history of the state. It is simply, oil or water? Now is the time; this decision cannot be postponed. Once the leash restraining the oil companies has been released there is no going back.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINQvxYuf6sM89ytiHLiSfkTFnkMWZMQvxdKZAcTRWbasK5vww68Gd_OWqac5Lx0uQxESZcBCd_OL7bnwMDejGvwp0BH0kzoaR1rYOgUY8Tm8eWhptYQsGF1aPxm735vHvC2ZcmhJ0eyI-/s1600/Rich+Club+Car+side+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINQvxYuf6sM89ytiHLiSfkTFnkMWZMQvxdKZAcTRWbasK5vww68Gd_OWqac5Lx0uQxESZcBCd_OL7bnwMDejGvwp0BH0kzoaR1rYOgUY8Tm8eWhptYQsGF1aPxm735vHvC2ZcmhJ0eyI-/s200/Rich+Club+Car+side+cropped.jpg" width="175" /></a><br />
<b>California has outpaced</b> other states regulating fracking. Santa Barbara County, and now Sacramento are taking the issue seriously. The oil companies recognize that Frack is a four letter word and are avoiding it, if not in practice, very definitely in vocabulary.<br />
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<b>But some California agencies</b>, as if driven by feelings of guilt for a regulatory hard line on fracking, are now quite willing to accept cyclic steam injection and other methods oil drillers propose. And California legislators and administrators are being successfully wooed by the economic promise oil companies like to make. Let us in, they say, and there will be jobs, jobs, jobs. Maybe. But for whom?<br />
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<b>The Monterey and Sisquoc shale oil play</b> is located in a region roughly from Monterey County south into Ventura County, and in some locations west almost to the Sierras. These counties are on the front lines in the war between oil and water. And more specifically, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission is currently under the gun. They have postponed a proposal by Santa Maria Energy to drill 110 wells using cyclic steam injection in the Careaga Oil Field in Orcutt. Their concern is emissions. But should it also be water?<br />
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<b>That four letter word, Frack</b>, has not been mentioned. The proposal is for cyclic steam injection. We know that fracking requires a tremendous amount of water. But what is known about the amounts of water used in cyclic steam injection?<br />
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<b>In his article</b> 'Water Use Concerns Flood Frac Meetings and DOGGR Workshops Statewide' (Apr 6th, 2013) Tomas DiFiore* suggests that the cyclic steam injection method might actually use more water than fracking. The problem is, the former method has drawn far less attention than fracking, and has, after all, been in use in California since the 1950's. Numbers of wells and data regarding water use have not been tracked.<br />
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<b>But we do know this</b>: one small company, in one oil field converts 60 Million Gallons of water per day into steam and injects it into wells to make heavy oil flow.<br />
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<b>Viewed another way</b>, says DiFiore, "In one week, in one oil field, the yearly water usage of between 3,500 – 7,000 California families is pumped down into the ground, as steam. It comes back out with the oil, as product water, to evaporate in unlined pits, and toxic ponds." That's a lot of water. But agricultural use of water is generally 36 times that of oil drilling! How can our aquifers sustain all of that?<br />
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<b>The increased emissions hazard potential</b> from heating water into steam is a concern, no doubt. But in a world where the effects of global warming have already begun, and with increased dryness and diminishing water resources in the West, my most immediate concern is to have enough water to drink and to grow my food. <br />
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<b>California, like most of the Southwest</b>, is currently experiencing drought. The Los Alamos aquifers are in overdraft. In the Cuyama Valley water has become a serious concern. That region will not be alone in this danger for very long. In the face of general global warming, it is unlikely that this drought is a one and done situation. Something's got to give - and you can't drink oil.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-35942164026311483172013-07-22T08:52:00.002-07:002013-07-22T08:58:50.050-07:00Another Glance at Global Warming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBwmIP5hDmyE0_sCoc2OauiokiAiTry2YMFp2wcrdhmVEocIoV5p8H_gpTMhOjWhNWyB8r7T6E4tzRyLNzJ5IAHpVjqhBBbA4_Ub8IAaNuiac_NuoUb73jUTJGz9G-NddPCyLpEryXqNI/s1600/Train+Face+adjusted.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBwmIP5hDmyE0_sCoc2OauiokiAiTry2YMFp2wcrdhmVEocIoV5p8H_gpTMhOjWhNWyB8r7T6E4tzRyLNzJ5IAHpVjqhBBbA4_Ub8IAaNuiac_NuoUb73jUTJGz9G-NddPCyLpEryXqNI/s200/Train+Face+adjusted.gif" width="192" /></a><b>The recent publishing</b> of Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, Flight Behavior (a drama created around the topic of climate change) inspired me to check in on what's going on, or up, with the climate.<br />
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<b>On November 16, 2011</b> I published a post reviewing the increment of change in global warming based upon the predictions of Mark Lynas' 2008 book, Six Degrees. My post, titled At .188 Degrees Centigrade Warmer: All Is Well? is available for review in the archives of this blog.<br />
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<b>I think it's time to take another look</b>, but perhaps in a less detailed way, at Mr. Lynas' projections. To catch us up, Tuvalu (that group of islands in the Pacific) is still with us, although island overlapping is projected to occur mid to late this century. The rate of sea rise in that part of the Pacific Ocean is measured at 5.1 mm per year. That may seem slow - unless you live there.<br />
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<b>Since 2011</b> the sea and & air surface temperature anomaly average was approximately .05 Degrees C of increase (over 2 years), slightly more comforting than the 2011 measurement of .188 degrees C of warming at that time (over four years). But before we grow ecstatic, remember that there have been flat periods before, yet the steady rise continued after them. In fact, every NOAA or NCDC or NESDIS graph related to global warming tends to look like a series of North Korean rocket launches: severe ups and immediate downs. But the average of the anomalies is steadily upward. With climate change, it is important to look at the big picture.<br />
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<b>Lynas' prediction of increasingly arid conditions</b> in the southwest United States is bang on. The drought we are currently experiencing began in 2012, the hottest year on record in the U.S., with several weeks in a row of 100-plus degree days in various regions. The result was drought conditions for a full two-thirds of the country.<br />
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<b>His prediction of monsoonal rainfall</b> in the eastern United States continues to be accurate. December 2012 ranked among the top 20 wettest in ten states. Again extremes, as predicted: the wet get wetter, the hot get hotter. There have been larger and more intense storms (the Oklahoma tornadoes, as just one example). Drier windy conditions are causing greater fire danger. Elsewhere there have been deep, debilitating snows, even in places unaccustomed to them…all as predicted.<br />
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<b>In regard to Polar ice melt predictions</b>, a clear trend has emerged over the space of a decade or more, showing a decrease of about 5% of average sea-ice cover per decade. While sea ice extent recovered slightly during the Arctic winters of 2008-09, the full extent of annual ice reduction or gain is seen in September of each year, at the end of the Arctic summer. That measure suggests the volume of multi-year ice has not recovered at all, and is in fact showing a steeply negative trend. (Polar Science Center, U of Washington)<br />
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<b>It might be relevant</b> to take a peek at the extinctions of species since 2008. In that year the <b>Liverpool Pigeon</b> was thought to be extinct. In 2010 we lost the <b>Alaotra Grebe</b>. In 2011 the <b>Eastern Cougar</b> and the <b>Western Black Rhinoceros</b> were declared extinct. The<b> Japanese River Otter</b> became extinct in 2012. That same year we lost "Lonesome George", the only remaining <b>Pinta Island Tortoise</b>. This year the <b>Formosan Clouded Leopard</b> disappeared from the earth. I do not claim that the sole cause of these extinctions was global warming. Yet we know that animal habitats are changing extremely rapidly, and some species simply lack the flexibility to adapt.<br />
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<b>It appears that the warming of our globe</b> is marching inexorably on. This march seems ponderous and slow. But we must reckon with momentum. Like a snowball rolling down hill, climate change gathers speed as it occurs, accelerated by more exposed seas, more gases released by melting perms-frost, and a host of other small but cumulatively important factors that will cause every symptom to grow in size and intensity. Yes, the march of global warming seems slow - unless you live there.<br />
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<i>You may have noticed a hiatus from this column for several months, that due to publishing and re-publishing my new novel, final edits on my second (due September 1), and the development of a new website for my fiction and music. From this point onward I will post a column every fourth Wednesday of the month. </i><br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-42935586293509169052013-05-04T17:29:00.000-07:002013-05-04T17:29:41.688-07:00It's Time To Bite The Bullets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-cTRO4eFul6hwTEfabksqncIv6Z6FgnhNA-IBxK49tLaoA3O93K7lajxQQXdFOsMBJnKjAX4_kQQXQEClcvzbu6o-yy_VBsdrVLEVuvvRzRGAXuKpNw1KdQto04anlOKA-1DQ8R77ovX/s1600/Train+Face+adjusted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-cTRO4eFul6hwTEfabksqncIv6Z6FgnhNA-IBxK49tLaoA3O93K7lajxQQXdFOsMBJnKjAX4_kQQXQEClcvzbu6o-yy_VBsdrVLEVuvvRzRGAXuKpNw1KdQto04anlOKA-1DQ8R77ovX/s200/Train+Face+adjusted.JPG" width="192" /></a><b>It came right from the mouth</b> of a fictional character, in an episode of West Wing when Josh responded to a question about his candidate's position.<br />
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<b>"How will you control arms?"</b> was the question. "We won't,<b>"</b> was his response. "We won't control arms at all,<b>" </b>he said. "The guns are already out there. There's no way to get them all back. But - we can control the bullets."<br />
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<b>And instantly</b> I saw that he was right. <br />
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<b>It would be virtually impossible</b> to reclaim all of the countless guns already distributed among the population. And all the large bullet magazines as well. Trying to limit guns is akin to closing the barn door after the horse has left the barn. <br />
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<b>But control bullets?</b> How absurdly simply. An assassin can't do much with his AK-47 without bullets other than use it as a clumsy club. Bullets run out and must be replenished. Bullets can be monitored. They can be distributed under the auspices of rifle ranges, hunting clubs, farmers organizations, even survival groups, if need be. Each organization would bear responsibility for its members. The officials of each organization would need to explain the distribution of bullets within it. And although ballistic fingerprinting isn't as infallible as human fingerprinting, it is sufficient enough that most bullets can be traced.<br />
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<b>A fallacy with many gun control proposals</b> is the assumption that the people we are today are the people we will be tomorrow. But people change throughout their lives. We experience emotional and physical trauma, bitter disappointments, self-esteem and social issues, and body chemistry changes. Any of these can alter our personalities, sometimes to a serious degree. Good gun legislation must be elastic; it must have the capability to tighten when necessary and ease up when not. This can be done with the flow of bullets.<br />
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<b>If an individual should enter into a concerning state</b>, whether it be mental health, drug use, or legal difficulties, the supply of bullets to that individual could be interrupted for a period of time. This will require good communication, of course (not a small issue, I know). The responsibility for this communication should be given to doctors and other care takers who are immediately concerned with the individual in question, as well as to members and leaders of the communities where alarming changes might be noticed soonest, and even to families. Loyalty considered, it's still better to stop the flow of bullets than to lose a loved one.<br />
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<b>But those who are not dealing with such issues</b> can carry on as if nothing has changed, purchasing and using bullets for their guns and their legitimate purposes uninterrupted. Those who wish to have and to hold a collection of weapons may do so. But a stockpile of bullets and bullet cartridges for those weapons would be prevented.<br />
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<b>Is bullet control an absolute answer?</b> Of course not. Any comprehensive gun control plan must have many facets, ranging from education to re-registering (as you do for your drivers license.) But bullet control is a strong response to the huge number of guns already in (and out of) private hands.<br />
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I<b>t's sad</b>, but our world today is just too crowded and too vulnerable not to put some limitations upon the use of arms, just as we put regulatory limitations upon other potentially dangerous items.<br />
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<i>Note: My focus has been elsewhere lately, a result of writing deadlines in other areas. My intention is to return to this blog with more consistency. My plan is to post at least once month and, if issues prompt me to do so, I will post more often.</i> <br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-70786365078230483762013-03-22T11:51:00.000-07:002013-03-22T18:51:55.686-07:00Fear of Fracking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix935pIPFIPlRbXXSwSGlasLK_3hwhkDaT4iYnT3z7S88YTUkvHAKz74BaqClkHTmKK7HuNNxtMAwBtVJy6N_EJrKfhPYEc0v7xfA1EALyGllsuZGHVHEJbpbskTgT5EXxOwesn3qhr2pM/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix935pIPFIPlRbXXSwSGlasLK_3hwhkDaT4iYnT3z7S88YTUkvHAKz74BaqClkHTmKK7HuNNxtMAwBtVJy6N_EJrKfhPYEc0v7xfA1EALyGllsuZGHVHEJbpbskTgT5EXxOwesn3qhr2pM/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>The news is crude.</b> The oil industry eye is on California and the gas rich Monterey Shale. Advertisements on local TV channels here on the Central Coast extol the benefits of embracing oil exploration in the state. Stay independent of foreign oil, they say. Bring jobs to the area.<br />
<b>And with no clear alternative energy plan</b> at any administrative level there is little to say in opposition. Yes, we all want to continue to drive our cars without restriction. Yes, we all want to enjoy the many products that oil makes possible. And no, we don't want to be slave to prices set by foreign nations that don't particularly like us.<br />
<b>We are uneasy</b> with the oil industry. We are concerned about the environment. We are worried about climate change. We are keeping a skeptical eye on things.<br />
<b>But the Monterrey Shale draws derricks</b> like a magnet. Not more than five years ago the Cat Canyon Oil Field to the east of Los Alamos was for all intents and purposes dormant. A few pumping wells, an oil rig leasing company, that was about it. No longer. The area at the intersection of Palmer Road and Cat Canyon road has the appearance of a small industrial city. Pumping wells are everywhere, drilling rigs poke their heads up over the hills, trucks roll in and out constantly. Are they fracking?<br />
<b>Oil drilling is an expensive proposition</b>. And a huge gamble. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent in the hope that a well will meet production expectations. If it doesn't, that money is often lost. And so it comes down to efficiency. And that is where fracking shines.<br />
<b>A study</b> led by Dr. Brian Lutz, an assistant professor of biogeochemistry at Kent State university, concluded that one horizontal shale well produces the same amount of gas as 30 conventional wells. Now that's efficiency. If you owned an oil exploration company, would you be content to drill conventionally, knowing this?<br />
<b>I'm certain that the greatest concern</b> about fracking in the Los Alamos Valley, particularly among the growers, is water. Without water, specifically non-contaminated water with which to irrigate crops, there would be no agriculture. End of story.<br />
<b>And fracking is not as efficient with water</b>. A shale well produces 10 times as much waste water as a conventional well. That's bad news for the growers. But not the concern of oilmen. Their concern is the gas to waste water ratio. And here again, fracking shines.<br />
<b>In the Marcellus Shale area that Dr. Lutz studied</b>, the overall increase of waste water from conventional drilling to fracking was phenomenal - a whopping 570%. The overdrawn aquifers of Los Alamos Valley would be hard pressed to sustain such an increase for very long.<br />
<b>And so the line in the shale has been drawn</b>. Some eight bills are moving toward the floor for California legislators concerning regulating fracking. There is awareness; there is concern. But is there transparency?<br />
<b>To the south of Los Alamos</b> in Drum canyon a solitary well is being vigorously resuscitated. They've been drilling there for more than three weeks now. Truckload after truckload of equipment and materials have rumbled past me on my runs up the canyon. Large tanker trucks have squeezed past me going to and fro. Baker Hughes, the fracking giant, is involved. (Baker Hughes produces the fracking fluid used by Venoco in earlier fracking in the valley.)<br />
<b>But Doug Anthony, the county deputy director</b> who handles energy issues in Santa Barbara county "did confirm that since the [December 2011] regulations were adopted not a single application for fracking has come across his desk"*. Does this mean all of the companies currently drilling in Cat Canyon and Drum Canyon are content to drill old fashion inefficient wells?<br />
<b>There are new break-throughs in fracking technology</b> almost daily, with Halliburton and Baker Hughes leading the way. Using fiber to keep frack cracks open longer, disintegrating "frack balls" to drop down the well, "super cracks" to frack deeper into dense rock formations.<br />
But on the horizon, something new. Might water actually be eliminated from future fracking? Halliburton's new "fastfrac" idea would use half the water. A new, if controversial technique using LPG with a bit of butane mixed in has been used successfully.<br />
<b>That's not to say</b> these new techniques will protect against earthquake or spillage or any of the other environmental problems. They only reduce water use. But that may well end up becoming the compromise of the future.<br />
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<i><b>*Wine Spectator</b></i>; January 7, 2013.</div>
Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-62750437949185614482013-02-19T07:40:00.002-08:002013-03-11T16:57:15.415-07:00The Importance of Re-Inventing Ourselves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1JlyY2cWgUDxfV83zMqSJJUrjbTmew20pTCHb9CGQUkzTdN7rntTw7e2C1lkVjZT1n7mSsTFw1FjIbXmyfILQwRMg9YNQmi6SIJpB9rEPrnYejUmXyL2aMmi7Y82xFZePMlry1q53YYv/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1JlyY2cWgUDxfV83zMqSJJUrjbTmew20pTCHb9CGQUkzTdN7rntTw7e2C1lkVjZT1n7mSsTFw1FjIbXmyfILQwRMg9YNQmi6SIJpB9rEPrnYejUmXyL2aMmi7Y82xFZePMlry1q53YYv/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a>It was with curiosity and a certain amount of anticipatory excitement that my companions and I headed for Bell Street, Los Alamos, last Saturday evening to experience Los Alamos Third Saturday. Who doesn't enjoy participating in a "first", particularly a first of "thirds"? The event was scheduled from 4 to 8 PM and we arrived California Stylishly late by a bit over an hour. But already, the main drag in Los Alamos was thronged and parked in with cars.<br />
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Los Alamos is a quiet town by anyone's standard, even on weekends. To us, this is one of its charms. But for the local retailers quiet can be too quiet, uncrowded can be unprofitable, unsung can mean unvisited. Certainly no one has reason to think of Los Alamos as a night-spot destination.<br />
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And so Los Alamos set out to do what it needed to do: re-invent itself. <br />
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How do you get folks to come out and hang around town for a few hours on a weekend evening? The answer; a little bit at a time. Start small, with enticements offered on a consistent but infrequent basis; say, one weekend each month. Then stand back and watch it grow.<br />
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And so on the third Saturday of every month merchants in Los Alamos will remain open for business until 8 pm. The businesses will join in a central theme which will change each month. Each business will decide how to go about incorporating that theme.<br />
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St. Valentines Day had just passed and so the first Third Saturday theme was, naturally enough, "Lovefest". We saw the theme applied in many inventive ways. We stopped at the C Gallery where we could view a special "I Love Los Alamos" display of photographs of local people and places. At Casa Dumetz we were plied with wine and then encouraged to tell stories of our first or lost loves. At the Station we enjoyed a hearty beef stew from Charlie's and a beer.<br />
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And then we ran out of time. We were sorry to miss the Bee Happy Honey Tasting at Bedford Winery and the other compelling offerings at other stores.<br />
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This is not the first time I have watched a town re-invent itself. Ann and I lived in Newport, Rhode island in the early seventies right after the Navy had pulled out. The entire economy of that town had revolved around the Navy. There were dire predictions. But the citizens of Newport went to work to tap into the tourist trade. The rest, of course, is history and Newport is now one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world. We were lucky to be part of it in a small way.<br />
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In a changing world, we will need to know how to re-invent ourselves. It is increasingly likely that our environment could change abruptly and that all the old familiar paradigms could disappear almost overnight. Flexibility, autonomy and courage are the traits we need to move forward. The future of our families, our neighborhoods, and our communities may well depend upon our ability to creatively re-invent ourselves.<br />
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This blog article was republished in the <a href="http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/the-importance-of-reinventing-ourselves/article_e845fd20-8626-11e2-8a50-0019bb2963f4.html">Santa Ynez Valley News</a> recently.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-24583521767287806282013-02-02T14:32:00.001-08:002013-02-02T14:32:49.223-08:00Taking My Stand On Gun Control<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>It seems as if everything that can be said</b> has been said about gun control. Regardless, it is important for all Americans to weigh in on this issue. It requires careful consideration of every view, every need, all beliefs and every fact; all must be put on the table.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MpbyY_z0mt8me5hgm8eggTLAxBjGXMwdlnBnEwkbXnx1cET1nfgPXvtB166EDlMmHufwUvOPC67Jv_W0c7VgCuuT5nV2Baezx6FYSYnPR2Osz8PVjy1uov116l-Ie6VdMs2vyBDMKnge/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MpbyY_z0mt8me5hgm8eggTLAxBjGXMwdlnBnEwkbXnx1cET1nfgPXvtB166EDlMmHufwUvOPC67Jv_W0c7VgCuuT5nV2Baezx6FYSYnPR2Osz8PVjy1uov116l-Ie6VdMs2vyBDMKnge/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>And so I write</b> this not to uncover new ground but to express my position and take my stand. I am opposed to the unobstructed proliferation of guns of all description in the United States. I am a proponent of a common sense approach to the problem unfettered by emotions such as anger or fear or greed.<br />
<b>In all that has been written</b> on the subject I have found but one article with which I entirely agree. It is written with common sense, without emotion, and from a base of knowledge and experience. It is written by a man who has used many of these weapons, including the AR-15 used frequently in mass shootings, knows them intimately and is trained in their use. The author has served in the U.S. Marine Corp, the Secret Service, as a State Trooper and on a SWAT team. He has been a firearms instructor for the New Jersey State Police. But he has also administrated teacher preparation programs in two universities and has spent substantial time in schools, both urban and suburban, privileged as well as poor and unsafe. He has a Ph.D. in political science and he knows the constitution. The man is Scott Fina.<br />
<b>His points have been heard before</b> but seldom heard based in the experience and understanding of an individual so eminently qualified to comment on every important aspect of the issue.<br />
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<b>He says the following:</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Second Amendment of the Constitution was written for conditions in 1791, not 2013.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Those advocating the arming of citizens such as teachers misunderstand the realities of gun shootings.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Those suggesting that effective screening of gun purchasers will make ownership of semi-automatic and other firearms safe in our country vastly overstate the administrative capabilities of government.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Those advocating such screening understate the potential actions of normally behaved citizens during conditions of prolonged stress or emotional duress.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That gun proliferation has required law enforcement to escalate its own training and weaponry.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That the presence of a gun always brings a certain degree of danger to every situation.<br />
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<b>Every one of these points</b> resonates with me. But I have never experienced any of it. He has.<br />
<b>Finally</b>, he has this to say: "Numerous studies indicate an unquestionable, positive correlation between the prevalence of guns in a society and its death rate. Of course this would be the case; diseases spread when their causes (germs or guns) are present in greater numbers."<br />
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Scott Fina's article <b><i>Say No To Guns</i></b> appeared in the <b>Santa Maria Sun</b> and can be found <a href="http://www.santamariasun.com/commentary/9296/say-no-to-guns/">here</a>.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-48745646247422864452013-01-07T14:01:00.000-08:002013-01-07T14:01:12.152-08:00Frack is Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaJJ_CBzuUMsxSeIyR8Ts-jZeZuhr4LC-21nXgemThSaZ48FIeRJslpKy60DVCZG8jNxMomDEkXS8SvuLB3M4PAtTotk7smEazJoJ6gyJAC1RjsRuxEJVZRVA4pdflnh_Ma2xJPcqYb0n/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaJJ_CBzuUMsxSeIyR8Ts-jZeZuhr4LC-21nXgemThSaZ48FIeRJslpKy60DVCZG8jNxMomDEkXS8SvuLB3M4PAtTotk7smEazJoJ6gyJAC1RjsRuxEJVZRVA4pdflnh_Ma2xJPcqYb0n/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>I found Kathy Johnston's short article</b> in the SUN, "<i><b>State issues first fracking rules</b></i>", compelling. And concerning. At first I was prepared to be pleased as I read in the opening sentence that "<i><b>long awaited draft regulations on fracking were recently issued</b></i>…". DOGGR calls the draft of these regulations a "<i><b>starting place for discussion</b></i>".<br />
<b>The first regulation I read</b> required oil companies to "<i><b>pressure test cement linings in oil wells before fracking</b></i>". Does that mean they don't currently? Considering that the well linings are critical for prevention of contamination, that comes as an unwelcome surprise. Then I read that "<i><b>producers would have to continue monitoring oil wells once fracking is complete</b></i>". I had assumed that this too was already happening as a matter of course.<br />
<b>The next regulation I read</b> called for oil companies to give 10 days notice to DOGGR before fracking. But not to adjacent property owners. But DOGGR will post that information on their website three days before fracking. I have two questions about that. First, why the delay? Second, is that the only action DOGGR proposes to take? No questions? No inspections? Nada? I read on.<br />
<b> The next item</b> seemed a bit more constructive, at first. Oil producers will be compelled to disclose the chemicals they will use in the fracking operation. It will appear on the website <a href="http://fracfocus.com/">FracFocus</a>.* But only "<i><b>within two months from the time the fracking ends</b></i>." Isn't that a bit late if we are concerned about what chemicals are being injected into the earth? And then…"<i><b>oil companies may claim that some chemicals are trade secret</b></i>s" and not reveal them. What is DOGGR regulating, then?<br />
<b>Naturally, environmental groups in California are concerned.</b> DOGGR appears to be toothless. Perhaps the group is powerless in the face of strong lobbyists and political opposition. My brief look into the background of a few members in Santa Barbara County reveals concerned scientists and environmentally aware citizens. True, some have oil company ties, if only from past employment. But how else does one gain enough experience with oil production to understand how to regulate it? <br />
<b>But the lingering question for me</b> is why bother to spend time drafting regulations that have no real impact on the true concerns around fracking? Am I missing something?<br />
<b>I am reminded that the regulations are a draft</b>, that DOGGR plans to hold "workshops" before formally processing them. Ms. Johnston has supplied the e-mail address for comment (comments@conservation.ca.gov) for those who wish to do so. I am grateful to Ms. Johnston for her report but I can't help wonder if others out there are concerned, or is the current focus on becoming oil independent as a nation too all encompassing?<br />
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*The site FracFocus does not have tools for aggregating, hence data sifting/comparisons/graphics across the data reports is nearly impossible. Many states, now including California if these regulations are processed, are allowing drillers to satisfy disclosure requirements through the site rather than through a state website or a multi-state website. FracFocus developer, Ground Water Protection Council, did not develop the site with that intention (the way states are using it) and has no intention of changing. A Bloomberg analysis found that two of every five wells drilled since the site's inception have not had data disclosed. Congresswoman Diana DeGette stated: "<i>FracFocus is just a fig leaf for the industry to be able to say they’re doing something in terms of disclosure</i>.".<br />
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<i>Stateimpact.npr.org</i><br />
<i>eenews.net</i><br />
<i>switchboard.nrdc.org</i><br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-40199139952813264242012-12-30T16:30:00.004-08:002012-12-31T11:25:19.119-08:00A Charm of Humans?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnwfBL9Devp_dPqgURSQaBYPNohf_d36Z-oPe73dJgB2zhyphenhyphen7AWwjvhfpiN37JbkJVgQcwR3v7Vcm-HvAu3WvRtwHNdMoFsQFpw52ogjEu_d6uFPije1Ri2RUaz6JapTxtFWEaiKe7dVFu/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnwfBL9Devp_dPqgURSQaBYPNohf_d36Z-oPe73dJgB2zhyphenhyphen7AWwjvhfpiN37JbkJVgQcwR3v7Vcm-HvAu3WvRtwHNdMoFsQFpw52ogjEu_d6uFPije1Ri2RUaz6JapTxtFWEaiKe7dVFu/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>I set out to write a piece</b> on optimism and hope for the New Year. In the piece I would propose that by universal effort we make 13 a lucky number. The critical word here is 'universal', defined as pertaining to all or the whole. By that definition, it would take us all to make 2013 a lucky year.<br />
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<b>Often we use the words 'we' or 'us'</b> in a partisan sense, meaning those allied to us or congruous with our thoughts or objectives. But for the effort on the scale I propose to succeed, it must be truly universal.<br />
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<b>There are relatively few words</b> that describe the entirety of the human race. Our species seldom acts in a universal, all inclusive capacity toward a unified objective. Size and distance are factors, of course. But in a shrinking world, must that always be so? Perhaps not.<br />
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<b>Humans are after all social animals.</b> We like to gather. We have names for our social selves. When several of us are gathered together we are a group, or perhaps a crowd. Or we could be a throng or a bunch. On certain days we might be a congregation, or sometimes a rabble, on lesser days a posse. We even borrow terms from other species to refer to ourselves in the plural; a swarm, a herd, a pack. There are more names for humans in groups than when alone.<br />
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<b>But we are not the only social animals.</b> Other animals congregate too, within their species. We've heard that birds of a feather flock together. And so do sheep...flock, that is. But not goats, they are a tribe or a trip or a herd, as are cattle and buffalo, at least until they run away and become a stampede. Porpoises are also a herd, or they can be a school, or a pod. Whales can be a pod, and they can also be a school and a herd, and a gam and a float and a run and a troop and shoal and a mob. Kangaroos are a mob but have been known to be a court and a troop. And yes, a group of baboons is also called a troop. Some call a large group of baboons a congress; I'll leave that to you to decide. But chimpanzees are also a troupe, and they can be a barrel, a cartload, a community, or a tribe. Gorillas can be a troop too, or a band. Notice that with monkeys we have come full circle to humans, who can be troops, tribes, cartloads, communities and yes, a congress.<br />
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<b>It seems all creatures band together by species</b>, at least on occasion, and become an entity. Crows become a murder, a group of crocodiles a bask or a float, a group of doves a dule, eagles a convocation, falcons a cast, finches a charm, larks an exaltation, ferrets a business, goldfish a troubling, greyhounds a leash, lions a pride, leopards a leap, owls a parliament, peacocks an ostentation, rattlesnakes a rhumba, squirrels a dray, turtledoves a pitying…well, you get my drift.<br />
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<b>I wondered if there is any creature so independent</b> that it lacks a term for it as a group? I remembered that when it is difficult to move things as a unit, we say it is like herding cats. Aha! Maybe that most independent of creatures is the exception. But no. It seems there is actually more than one name for a group of cats. They are called a clowder or a clutter or a glaring. Even cats in the wild when gathered together have a name, a dowt or a destruction. Apparently all creatures, the birds of the air, the denizens of the deep, the beasts of the field are social enough to have a name as a group. Contrary to what we might like to think, humans are not the only social animal or even the most social of animals.<br />
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<b>And so I suggest we consider some new names</b> for humans when gathered together. We have named other groups of animals for the characteristics we have assigned them. Perhaps if we called a large gathering of humans by a truly fine name we might eventually grow into it. How wonderful for a mob of humans to be known as a Charm, like the finch, or an Exaltation, like the lark. What if we called gathered humans a Loving or a Fairness? Or maybe a Good? I think its worth a try.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-70501558981485045402012-12-19T21:54:00.001-08:002012-12-19T21:54:01.449-08:00Richard Gamble launches eBook<a href="http://syvnews.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/richard-gamble-launches-ebook/article_34da87b8-47df-11e2-a3b7-001a4bcf887a.html#.UNKnvtkjkWo.blogger">Richard Gamble launches eBook</a>. Read all about it in the Santa Ynez Valley News.Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-43919108415559548312012-12-16T16:52:00.000-08:002012-12-16T16:52:27.675-08:00Cliffs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWVRwlx3fbmgPmWmGTMjJ-PklfeGC8aE3CQIzR0kS1EWQJ6PxMV4-AqN-BoujXFAVM_zHrv4iv25Wpz388eBPYx7t9eDU7ta32q9b0VxiJI0fUL6cBIJk1xPUJapHjIqm8fFBgHs9WTws/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWVRwlx3fbmgPmWmGTMjJ-PklfeGC8aE3CQIzR0kS1EWQJ6PxMV4-AqN-BoujXFAVM_zHrv4iv25Wpz388eBPYx7t9eDU7ta32q9b0VxiJI0fUL6cBIJk1xPUJapHjIqm8fFBgHs9WTws/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>We've been hearing a lot</b> about cliffs lately. That's good. We need cliffs, otherwise life is too mundane. As a culture, we always manage to have a cliff or two down the road. We like to have precipitous cliffs that are just around the corner as well as distant cliffs that we can worry about from time to time.<br />
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<b>Today two precipitous cliffs loom</b>, the Mayan End-Of-Days Cliff and the Fiscal Cliff. It is interesting to note that if we fall off the former we won't need to worry about the latter. The Mayan Cliff has us scheduled for departure this Friday, December 21st. Some people are very worried about that. In fact, some are so worried they talk of committing suicide before that day to avoid it, a sort of a sub-cliff to the main cliff. I guess one cliff isn't enough for some people.<br />
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<b>But if we survive the Mayan Cliff</b>, we can all worry about the Fiscal Cliff which is due to arrive with the New Year. And every once in a while we can think about the Global Warming Cliff and worry about that. <br />
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<b>Our last cliff of any size</b> was the Y2K Cliff at the turn of the century. People worried that computer systems would malfunction when the year ratcheted around to 1/1/2000, that missile systems would go off, bank vaults would open, trains would crash into one another, and so on. None of that happened. But it wasn't long before the doomsayers adjusted the prophecies forward another five years. We needed to have a cliff. <br />
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<b>Marq De Villiers wrote a book</b> titled The End. In it he points out that our culture has adopted doomsday as a state of mind, that nowadays we don't turn a hair at the thought of an asteroid strike or a nuclear winter. Just another cliff. He writes of all the natural close calls our earth has survived already, the crashing and churning and smacking and burning of our globe from forces beyond and within. He speaks of the hazards to come. We are unlikely to run out of cliffs any time soon.<br />
He writes of the need to come together politically as a global community to prevent approaching cliffs when we can and plan for those cliffs we cannot avoid.<br />
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<b>But this is unlikely to happen</b>, because we are fascinated by cliffs. We are mesmerized by them like a bird transfixed by the gaze of a cobra. We want to walk to the edge and look over it.<br />
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<b>I believe we will survive</b> the Mayan Cliff and the Fiscal Cliff. And many other cliffs to come. But we are a vulnerable species. As de Villiers points out, the planet will still be here after the ice melts and water rises and the violent storms wreak their havoc and life will survive as well, in some form. Just not our form.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-43324108734612828892012-12-14T12:30:00.000-08:002012-12-14T16:40:50.436-08:00I Saw A Bobcat Today<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xlDSRXliq56LuHGnKq3hUs2780beqlf3UgsvS-K1amA1uhnQfH32IYt3P9X2Bbck1AZ1m2MthzfKs0Km_YXCKgVjAW3qXiGv2KbrfFLF0oRGNTlCFBYfFm9Rg1cAMJ6YeeHOSZn4zTM4/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xlDSRXliq56LuHGnKq3hUs2780beqlf3UgsvS-K1amA1uhnQfH32IYt3P9X2Bbck1AZ1m2MthzfKs0Km_YXCKgVjAW3qXiGv2KbrfFLF0oRGNTlCFBYfFm9Rg1cAMJ6YeeHOSZn4zTM4/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>I saw a bobcat today</b>. Not while jogging, when I tend to have such encounters, but while driving a stretch of road I take to buy groceries, a distance of about thirteen miles. The terrain here is long sweeps of grassland with occasional groves of live oak. I saw the bobcat from the window of my jeep as I drove along. At first I thought it was a house cat, for the distance deceived. I slowed and looked close and could then see the distinctive markings and ear shape of the lynx rufus. It was intent upon its quarry, crouched, tense, foreleg muscles bulging, ready to pounce. It never saw me, such was its focus.<br />
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<b>Most of my enjoyment</b> of California's Central Coast where I now live is from sharing the region with plentiful wildlife. I have encountered most of it on my runs; a gray fox, all kinds of deer from bucks to fawns, coyotes (including one I came face to face with at a distance of fifteen feet, startling us both), eagles and hawks, vultures, a ring-tailed cat, and near misses with bears and mountain lions.<br />
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<b>The creatures in this area</b> of California do not seem accustomed to runners. They are unprepared when I suddenly come upon them, padding up on light feet. I've nearly stepped on snakes and tarantulas. The cattle that line the fences gape at me in astonishment as I pass, their mouths hanging open exposing mouthfuls of grass.<br />
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<b>I am told</b> that the population of mountain lions in California is actually increasing. The cats have been driven west from other habitats where their existence has been challenged. In California, it is against the law to kill one (it is not against the law for one of them to kill us). And I wouldn't have it any other way. I was greatly saddened when a cat with which I shared a particular trail, each of us knowing of the presence of the other but going about our own business, became roadkill on the El Camino Real. But I know that another will likely move into the region.<br />
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<b>I fear intoxicated drivers</b> and illegal marijuana growers and deer hunters much more than the animals. It is with the former that my closest calls have come while jogging. <br />
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<b>This all suggests to me</b> that there is a balance in nature, a balance experienced by the other animals but not by humans. We've lost interest in maintaining the balance. We believe that we do not need nature, we believe that the existence of flora and fauna depends upon us, and not we it. We are saddened when a species dies out, or the ice pack which has stood for hundreds of thousands of years melts away. But then we pick up our coffee and flip to the next page of our newspaper.<br />
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<b>It will be interesting to see</b> if we can manage to live without nature. We are well on the road toward finding out.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-9115140976578812662012-12-08T10:32:00.001-08:002012-12-12T10:59:08.152-08:00Learning & the Brain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tJni-5NzA2C3hKRq-FSlMGW-jh_F-7nK-CvfR7hxG8NoZep1SQiKDBygGKttPbhFgOwnEuKjknBOkkRPP4j3t3Rj3ymRgRNfczyOLqXXUDwlsgCMt-dkmlnRPMlDP94TwK7di2314EOu/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tJni-5NzA2C3hKRq-FSlMGW-jh_F-7nK-CvfR7hxG8NoZep1SQiKDBygGKttPbhFgOwnEuKjknBOkkRPP4j3t3Rj3ymRgRNfczyOLqXXUDwlsgCMt-dkmlnRPMlDP94TwK7di2314EOu/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>Another Learning & The Brain Conference</b> looms (the 34th) in San Francisco this February. It will convene at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill and is totally worth the price. I first attended the Boston Conferences in the Fall of 2006. At that time, there was a disconnect between scientific research into how the brain learns and those trusted with actually educating it. Fairly recent advances in brain scan techniques had scientists collecting data at a rigorous clip. All long standing educational concepts were under review. While some traditional teaching methodologies were validated many were turned on their collective ears. The scientists doing the research suddenly found themselves with an abundance of data critical to education methodology and no means to apply it. Yet those charged with educating our children often had very little knowledge of the human brain, its growth and capabilities.<br />
I<b>n 2006</b> the presenters at the conference were predominantly research scientists and college professors/researchers at the research end of the spectrum. The attendees at the conference were largely fellow scientists and researchers, or people from the medical profession, or special education teachers. But very few middle to high school educators were in attendance, those front line classroom teachers who need this data and its implications the most. Presenters expressed a common concern, the need for educators to work closely with scientists to understand how best to apply the new, critical data to education practices. There was a general call to teachers to partner up.<br />
<b>At that conference in 2006,</b> my first, my interest in learning more about the brain was sparked. I soon realized that some basic assumptions in our current educational systems, particularly public education, were flawed and desperately needed to change. In fact, some truly basic assumptions, ranging from academic and athletic scheduling to classroom construction and numbers, homework assigning, school starting times, and so on. Since that time I've written articles on the subject, presented posters, and generally tried to stimulate interest from those responsible for current education practices.<br />
<b>When I received the promotion pamphlet</b> for Learning & the Brain this year, I was happy to see that the balance of topics for scientists and educators is much more even. Such fascinating subjects as the role of maturation, parents and training on memory, the effects of parental nurturing on child brain structure, mood and learning, and why every brain is wired differently and implications for education.<br />
<b>Wow</b>. And that's just the beginning. As I read title after title I realized that few forums or places on earth can offer such a wealth of material on education and neuroscience.<br />
<b>Yes, the $569 price is steep</b>. I can't afford it. I must limit myself to attending every couple of years. But when I go, I fill entire notebooks. And the accompanying spiral bound book containing the research that backs the presentations is almost worth the price by itself. If you've got the dough, go.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-32741385128134034972012-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:002012-10-26T12:31:09.823-07:00A Clean Sweep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>I propose a new political plan</b>, one that will ensure that congress functions as it should. It's called <i>Leave Every Congressperson Behind</i>. It's very simple; when at the polls, always vote for the new candidate. Vote out the old.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2FCa6S-ZC1u1ftdv7apRi7mReZ5dp7zzPxQrfx7Vz5akj-R0f1bee_xKQESpaAI9r_jaS0PGHoNHGgnF20n0JF1clfTlqX07i2c-V60N_2RRuY8VxhuDX_R2kRASoY0YjjZUN7zDqy2X/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2FCa6S-ZC1u1ftdv7apRi7mReZ5dp7zzPxQrfx7Vz5akj-R0f1bee_xKQESpaAI9r_jaS0PGHoNHGgnF20n0JF1clfTlqX07i2c-V60N_2RRuY8VxhuDX_R2kRASoY0YjjZUN7zDqy2X/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>In Washington today</b>, there is an endemic problem caused by buddy systems, exclusive clubs, ingrown party affiliation, misguided oaths and loyalties, pork barrel politics, greed and yes, money, either too little or too much. These perpetual sores are not so likely to afflict a first time, single term congressperson.<br />
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<b>How necessary is experience</b> in congress today, really? Does the value of experience offset the harm done by block political voting, intimidation from power groups, leverage from lobbyists, or intimidation from political party leaders? I think not.<br />
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<b>To those who would argue</b> that the systems in Congress and in Washington, the codes and codicils, the processes and procedures are too complex for the initiate, I say, simplify them. After all, complexity breeds fraud. My congressperson should question the status quo, should test the old assumptions, and should ask the stupid questions. <br />
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<b>I want a congressperson who is fired up</b> to solve problems, ready to take a fresh look at issues, one who wants to safeguard democracy and to help the American people, an idealist. I want a representative who always has his/her constituents in mind, regardless of their rank or class.<br />
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<b>I do not want to be represented</b> by an individual who no longer remembers those inaugural ideals, who has learned the insider game, who treads water, who has succumbed to excuses and believes that some things are just not possible. I do not want a representative who has been bent and battered by the pounding surf of political pressures and corrupted and minimized by the erosion of short cuts and temptations over multiple terms. I do not want my congressperson to hide in a crowd.<br />
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<b>I want a representative</b> who is a Washington outsider, because I am a Washington outsider. I want my representative to be an American first, a citizen of my state second, and a resident of Washington D.C. last and least. I want a representative who views the work of a congressperson as a job, a mandate, a responsibility, and an obligation. I want a congressperson who does not adjourn for vacations or leave on holiday until the work is done. I expect the same of myself. I want a congressperson who will discuss issues with his/her colleagues on both sides of the aisle and continue to search for resolutions until they are found.<br />
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<b>I do not want a congressperson</b> who allows his/her political party loyalty to supersede the needs of the people. Ever.<br />
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<b>I want a first time, single term representative</b>, one who has not had the chance to learn 'who's who, 'how things work', or 'who to please'.<br />
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<b>Where will I find this individual</b>, this paragon of democratic idealism and virtue?<br />
Not in the rolls of incumbency. Vote out the old, vote in the new. Leave every current congressperson behind and bring in a whole new crop. Let's restore to the American people a fully functional United States Congress.<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-4481241303918176772012-10-17T10:05:00.003-07:002012-10-17T10:05:31.412-07:00All Those Little Things...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DYrnnVi4hC13aLmLGXm08JWNlph3FmaOadJq3nB_dCddH4Fv0CMnoq_PJ1aP_STJwDf5KIGXZaT6UE72Ug3bSnAVhZgphuLgOKsPh_1zwYimXC5cOvI0JzVazKCaMAWJ3BHrZ1bRddNn/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DYrnnVi4hC13aLmLGXm08JWNlph3FmaOadJq3nB_dCddH4Fv0CMnoq_PJ1aP_STJwDf5KIGXZaT6UE72Ug3bSnAVhZgphuLgOKsPh_1zwYimXC5cOvI0JzVazKCaMAWJ3BHrZ1bRddNn/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>Palm Springs, California</b>, is delightful in early fall. Yes, it is pitilessly hot, but the nights and early mornings are cool and the air is crystal clear. The mountains leap forward as if sculpted in bas relief. Until this year, that is.<br />
<b>This year was hot</b> as always, but it was humid and cloudy, the air thick. The mountains hid behind haze, sometimes until late afternoon. Exercising outdoors produced gallons of sweat.<br />
<b>One morning we awoke</b> to a peculiar smell, somewhat like sulfur. At first we thought something was wrong in our condo, then blamed it on nearby construction or a local industrial spill. But as we went about our day we found the smell everywhere. It lasted the entire day and it was there when we went to bed.<br />
<b>The next day it was gone.</b> A news report explained why.<br />
<b>Fifty miles to the southeast of Palm Springs</b> lies the Salton Sea, a huge body of water created long ago, drained, and then recreated by the Colorado River overloading an ill-considered aqueduct into the region during the flood of 1905, since then shrunk to its current dimensions. It lies in the Salton Sink which is 225 feet below sea level. Depending upon rainfall and agricultural run-off, the Sea averages 15 miles by 35 miles with a maximum depth of 16 feet. With the alkaline nature of the desert floor here, the salinity of the lake, while less than the Great Salt Lake, is greater than the Pacific Ocean and is increasing by one percent annually.<br />
<b>The Salton Sea originally</b> was the product of the delta building of the Colorado River. The silt it deposited over three million years created a dam that prevented the Sea of Cortez from flowing on up the southern end of the Imperial Valley. The Salton Sea has always changed character from a fresh water lake to a salt sea depending upon the tug and pull of the fresh water rivers feeding it versus evaporative loss from the desert sun. An interesting side note is that the Sea lies over the San Andreas Fault and computer models have demonstrated that the deviatoric stress from water infill contributes to a vulnerability to earthquakes, the area (and consequently Los Angeles) is currently in risk of a magnitude 7 or 8 event. <br />
<b>The news report we heard</b> that day explained the odor as the smell of decay of the thousands of dead fish and other marine organisms lining the shore of the Salton Sea. Changing weather patterns and increasing salinity of the water over the past years have combined to produce this circumstance and deliver the unpleasant aroma to Palm Springs. <br />
<b>When I learned this, I was again struck</b> by the myriad of little changes that must inevitably occur as a result of man's interaction with nature and an accelerated global climate change. Not that I condemn man's participation, on the contrary I see it as inevitable. We might possibly have delayed these changes by a few thousand years , perhaps by deciding not to participate in the Industrial Revolution, or by making a much more concerted effort to stop releasing bio-carbons into the atmosphere once we realized the harm we were doing. But inevitably with the march of time and the growth of the human population and the consequent clearing of vegetation, the growing consumption and polluting of water despite our best efforts, the increasing methane release from increased bovine population to feed the population, all the things that humans do to survive, the effect would eventually be the same.<br />
Consider the animals. Left to their own devices, they balance their own populations. They do not invent machines to improve their lives. The vegetation they consume they replenish by pruning or by carrying seeds from place to place. They do not, they can not harm their world. Which organism, then, is alien to this planet, do you suppose?<br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-41820403684457498642012-10-03T16:09:00.000-07:002012-10-03T16:18:59.059-07:00Here in our Beautiful Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVun88h_9r_ckGYqDksQOfkmH5RCVqG7q1TJfh4Hj8ot08ZH_qRtCPPjOo9yqctaz1XNvtkRcz3xtHZDW_J0k6Sn0ijrrTxjOnbKQuF1aCOjWlZLYfv8YG5s1fjz-4D17N8i5vKdRPTswR/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVun88h_9r_ckGYqDksQOfkmH5RCVqG7q1TJfh4Hj8ot08ZH_qRtCPPjOo9yqctaz1XNvtkRcz3xtHZDW_J0k6Sn0ijrrTxjOnbKQuF1aCOjWlZLYfv8YG5s1fjz-4D17N8i5vKdRPTswR/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>Here in our beautiful Santa Ynez Valley</b> there are opportunities that I must imagine are unavailable to any other community in this state, perhaps even the country. To begin, we have the opportunity to hear music groups in concert that we have wanted to experience but for which tickets were always difficult to acquire or the venue not intimate enough to be enjoyable and at an inconvenient distance. Here in Northern Santa Barbara County we attend many such concerts, at the Chumash Casino and at local churches and at the missions. I have a taste for fresh beers and with five breweries within a dozen miles and even more within an hour's drive I am easily able to satisfied that thirst. I need hardly mention the wine, of course, for we are surrounded by the grape and may choose among hundreds of tasting rooms specializing in dozens of varietals. Nor do I need mention the cuisine in the valley, as famous as it is exceptional, from Irish Pub to Danish Pancakes to storied steakhouses like the Hitching Post I & II. <br />
<b>The beaches</b>, all within easy reach, from Pismo to Oceano to Jamala, are as beautiful as any in the world, yet often almost empty. Or go to the mountains, the Santa Ynez range which marches into the sea, and hike the mountain trails in the Los Padres National Forest and the San Rafael Wilderness. Fancy boating? Drop your canoe into Lake Chumash, its startling blue waters outlined by white powdery cliffs, tucked away in a mountain valley, or kayak the challenging Pacific coast guarded by intimidating cliffs and pockmarked by unexpected tiny coves, or explore the offshore Channel Islands National Park by paddle. <br />
<b>Birdwatchers can ogle </b>the Least Tern and the Snowy Plover, biologists hunt for the Red-Legged frog, and botanists draw the endangered La Graciosa thistle. The fresh produce of our valleys pours in to the local Farmer's markets, the fresh beef comes directly from the hillsides to the groceries and the restaurants, and everywhere are the flowers, the roses that punctuate the vineyard trestles, the multitude of colorful gardens brightening every home, the flowering bushes along the highways, the wildflowers that spatter points of color on the hills every spring. <br />
<b>Like the flowers</b>, there is in the valley a colorful variety of people, of ethnicities with still-thriving cultures that have continued from their advent here, the Chumash Tribe of Native Americans, the Spanish and the Mexicans of the Ranchos, the Danish Colonists of Solvang, the American business men, horse and cattle breeders, and retirees, and the newer Mexican immigrant populations, each offering a piece of that which makes their culture special, the casinos and horsemanship and movie stars and windmills and baked goods and tacos and tri-tip steak, all part of an amazing kaleidoscope of possibilities woven together into the multi-textured fabric of this valley.<br />
<b>And from all this diversity</b> comes a rich history. History that is alive in the golden hills and in the towns and under the live oaks. History that can still be seen wherever you look for here everything that was still is, the traces of roads, the old pueblos, the narrow gauge railway bed, the train depots, the stage stops, the hotels, the Spanish Missions, the flour mills, the long horn cattle, the ancient stands of mission cactus along the El Camino Real. Each has a story to tell if it can be extracted.<br />
<b>But why wax so rhapsodic</b> about the this place now, and here? Because I have just come from another unexpected experience in this unexpected place. Through our membership in the <b>Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum</b>, a resource for the history buff that I have yet to fully explore, we were made aware of a special offering, the <b>Santa Ynez Valley Horse Ranch Tour</b>. We have experienced the <b>Behind The Garden Gate</b> tour in past years, and fully enjoyed it, feeling we had received even more than advertised. We saw the Horse Ranch tour as an opportunity not to be missed. And so it was.<br />
Choreographed tighter than a Radio City Music Hall performance (we were chastised for being late to the first venue) four shifts of car caravans were orchestrated to four different venues in the valley, four very special venues. The first stop for caravan 'C' was <b>Magali Farm</b> (and why is it that owners of these fine horse ranches call them farms?). Here some of the finest horses are bred from especially fine former racing stallions content now to relax and mingle with the ladies and sip drinks with little umbrellas. We were introduced to jockey <b>Jerry Lambert</b>, who won three Hollywood Gold Cup races in a row, and <b>Giacomo</b>, the winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby. As we gazed at this magnificent animal we were told we were looking at horseflesh worth upward of 35 million dollars. He looks every bit of that, and is even more impressive close up. After a tour of the barn and a chance to rub the muzzles of several other very accomplished horses, we were sent along (precisely on time) to our next stop, <b>Intrepid Farm</b>.<br />
This is the home of the Morgan Horse. Owner <b>Art Perry</b> met us in his bejeweled show costume, worth the trip all by itself. He explained that his horses were all away preparing for a show (choreographed sigh), but…but…he had a special treat in store for us. He then introduced Frenchwoman <b>Claire Buschy Anderson</b> who instructed us in the art of riding side saddle with elegant demonstrations and a short history of the side saddle delivered with her charming accent. When she had finished, Mr. Perry invited us to visit his private museum, a trove of such treasures as mechanical banks, wood carvings, weather vanes, rare paintings, photos and drawings, as well as all the awards collected by the Intrepid Morgan horses. There among the exhibits we found the costume worn by Elvis in "Love Me Tender" and the travel performance outfits of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (none of which could hold a candle to Mr. Perry's splendorous togs). <br />
The third stop for caravan 'C' was at the <b>Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic</b>, a remarkable horse hospital equipped better than many human hospitals. With the ability to accommodate 70 plus horses the Equine Clinic has the capability to take traditional and digital X-rays, do an ultra sound, bone scan, cat scan, MRI, or fluoroscopy. There is a hyperbaric chamber (horse sized!), an aqua tread, a recovery pool, and even an equine ambulance capable of transporting four horses. Our team of three guides took time from their busy schedules to offer expert commentary on the equipment and the facilities, even finessing us around a foaling emergency that arrived while we were there. Then promptly at the prescribed time our caravan departed for our final stop, the <b>Om El Arab International </b>Arabian horse breeding farm. <br />
At Om El Arab (meaning "Mother of all Arabians") we could pretend as we sat in our ring-side seats drinking cold beverages that we were among the rich and famous (and royalty) who come from around the world to view and purchase these exquisite animals. We listened to owner <b>Sigi Siller</b> describe each horse as her daughter <b>Janina Merz</b> presented, one by one, some of the most magnificent animals we've ever seen. Perhaps we should have realized that our breath would soon be taken away when we were informed at the outset that the origins of the breeding of the 'Mother of all Arabians', <b>Estopa</b>, and her son<b> El Shaklan</b> have enjoyed unparalleled influence in the Arabian breeding world. But first came the colts, beautiful free spirited little ones to whom we were introduced in the inside ring, where buyers may sit in comfortable sofas in air conditioning and watch the horses presented there through a picture window! Fortunately, we were permitted into the ring itself with the horses.<br />
<b>Then it was back to the outside ring</b> and into our ring-side chairs. We viewed a series of mares and stallions, the first a mare ridden stylistically (and nervously) by an employee. But the remaining mares and stallions were led to the ring and then un-haltered, allowed then to run free so that we might observe the true, unfettered spirit of this remarkable horse, each more beautiful than the last, the narrow face and black eyes and muzzle, the erect head and curled up tail, the particular coughing snort when exhilarated, the long legs that float above the ground. We were entranced.<br />
<b>But even then</b> we were not fully prepared for <b>W.H. Justice</b>. Before his appearance, Sigi told us her experience in meeting this horse, when she cried openly at his beauty. We understand. First some background. W.H. Justice is owned by <b>Equid Systems Ltd</b>., and is in America on lease to <b>Aljassimya Farm</b> and sent from there to stand for one year at Om El Arab International. Thus our good fortune to see him. By coming to Om El Arab, W.H. Justice is in a sense returning, for he is the great grandson of El Shaklan. Emma Maxwell has written "<i>W.H. Justice has changed the face of the Arabian show horse,</i>" as she herself says, a pretty tall statement. But his looks, his charm, his awards, and his progeny support this statement, and then some. We were treated to his charm. He was led into the ring, head erect, precise, obedient. His halter was removed. At that moment his spirit was unleashed and around the arena he flashed, nimble, powerful, light on his feet, joyous and, let there be no doubt, the ultimate prima donna. Sigi told us that as the last group of the day we were the only ones privileged to see him. To W.H. Justice, that was an injustice, for he had simmered in his stall watching other stallions grab the limelight all day long. Now was his moment, and he made his feelings very clear to his handler and Sigi by a series of full-out runs toward them at the fence, only to pull up at the very last second and shower them with dirt. Having vented, he next put nose to ground and sniffed like an alpha wolf, scenting the animals that had preceded him and then very carefully urinating on those spots. That accomplished, he set about putting on a show to put all the other horses to shame, with runs around the ring, quick agile turns and spins, his challenging huff growing with each leg. And so he entertained and entranced us as time flew by until finally he was taken from us. We were all under his spell. <br />
<b>And so ended a truly remarkable day</b> in the Santa Ynez Valley, and again I ask, where else in the world could we have experienced such an afternoon? <br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-59379936048581253262012-09-09T07:32:00.000-07:002012-09-09T07:32:26.961-07:00Guns & Poses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Strong character and leadership</b> are in that category of things that are difficult to define but you know it when you see it. And you know it when you don't see it. I don't see it around the subject of guns in America.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX9V5Gbwe8c8zpF20-KTATqc7cOpBLZ8-J36mRjBOl0jQoO5ovAG6sGGeQZYxeAOdoyf0nhW9TqxGhZxsgdzwznpXoq7doD-G63XDWjIm2fOfebaYiVm3agSeTvX8Jrv6bZEltAqM92xy/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX9V5Gbwe8c8zpF20-KTATqc7cOpBLZ8-J36mRjBOl0jQoO5ovAG6sGGeQZYxeAOdoyf0nhW9TqxGhZxsgdzwznpXoq7doD-G63XDWjIm2fOfebaYiVm3agSeTvX8Jrv6bZEltAqM92xy/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>There are certain moral imperatives</b> anyone claiming good character and the role of positive leadership must acknowledge. A test for this is whether your decisions are for the good of the majority of people or only for a powerful minority. As the philosopher Kant's second imperative states: "Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your person or that of another, always as an end and never as a means only." Kidder and Born identify ends-based thinking for resolving ethical issues with the question, "How many people will benefit from this decision compared with other options?".<br />
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<b>The international relationships of the United States</b> have suffered because of distrust arising from a dichotomy: we preach the sanctity of human life but as a nation we take lives at a great pace. We say 'Do as I say, not as I do'. The lesson we teach is those with power are entitled to set the bar for morality, an oxymoron if ever there was one. The proliferation of weapons in this country and employed by this country grows even as we sanctimoniously proclaim to root out inhumanity around the world. We are posers.<br />
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<b>That a restriction of guns in the United States</b> would save thousands of lives annually is not a debate; it is fact. That lawmakers should accept the moral responsibility to limit gun sales in this country is not a question; it is an imperative. That the presidential candidates should take a stand against gun proliferation is not a random idea; it is a moral obligation.<br />
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<b>Consider this question</b> with ends-based thinking: a.) Thousand of lives will be saved each year if the number of guns in America is decreased. b.) If guns become inaccessible to the majority of Americans they will experience no discernible harm as a result. The choice, it seems to me, is clear.<br />
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<b>Guns are designed to take a life</b>, no more, no less. The purpose of this machine is intrinsically harmful, there is no benign construction that can be attributed to it. The purpose of a gun is to kill. It is People attempt to defend their homes, but it is the guns that kill. People go to war, but it is the guns that kill. People are often careless, but it is the guns that kill them. People become anxious or depressed or frustrated or psychotic., but it is the guns that kill others. That's what they do.<br />
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<b>Times have changed</b> and we need to change with them. The second amendment was written in a climate of real threats to individuals and to our young nation. Then there was a frontier full of dangers, hunting was a necessity, not a sport. States still regarded themselves as independent colonies potentially under threat not only from foreign nations but from their own newly formed central government as well as .<br />
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<b>No more. </b>Today, the proliferation of guns has created dangers, not alleviated them. And guns have evolved too. They are more efficient, more deadly.<br />
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<b>I write this not to engage in debate</b> nor to present facts and figures that will prove this or that; such articles have been written many times. The issue of guns won't be swayed by statistics, it won't be determined by persuasive language. There are those who will always cling to their guns as long as law permits. And there are those who will die from them.<br />
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<b>This piece is about clarity</b>. It is about putting form to what, in our hearts, we already know. To take a life is wrong. Guns take lives. Thats what they do.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> * * *<br />
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<i>I recognize that this article will likely engender an emotional response. I encourage comments and will publish them here unedited. </i><br />
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Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-38876772952431931162012-08-19T12:59:00.003-07:002012-08-19T13:02:27.681-07:00An Excellent Running Adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6omqhj4VgSZkYTzC_wuYVQ9nrjQHfBPGjRKrqM_uGjRCnjoSnSJBN7Gw0Q0xYDNJ6Xtf5LsWIIcK0P_I1whjOTF5uSvb3KwExbS3FGLDmDICLQ6E4wz6vKI5jIdlbXI5NGWazdDEFIDM/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6omqhj4VgSZkYTzC_wuYVQ9nrjQHfBPGjRKrqM_uGjRCnjoSnSJBN7Gw0Q0xYDNJ6Xtf5LsWIIcK0P_I1whjOTF5uSvb3KwExbS3FGLDmDICLQ6E4wz6vKI5jIdlbXI5NGWazdDEFIDM/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><b>I am a runner.</b> Or perhaps, more accurately, a runner am I, for there can be no doubt that this organism that is me is a subcategory of runner, and not the other way around. The proof is in my sense of self, for unless I am running or have been running I am less than whole, I am diminished.<br />
<b>Yet to run as frequently as I must</b> to retain wholeness is not easy, it requires motivation. Every runner knows that a sustained running regimen is more about the mind than the body, for to lace up and propel oneself out the door daily, each week of every month for years requires entertaining the mind with increasing imagination and creativity. And so I invent goals, targets that will pique my mind's curiosity to the degree that it will momentarily forget the drudgery and overlook the pain, increasingly difficult goals like finishing a half marathon, then a full marathon, then qualifying for the Boston Marathon, then trail running, running mountains, ultra running, and so on.<br />
<b>But sometimes</b> increasing the level of difficulty is no longer sufficient stimulation to motivate me and then I look for an 'adventure' run, an environment for my run that is so novel or so pleasurable or unique that my jaded mind is rejuvenated at the very prospect. This pursuit of novelty has led me to run up mountains in Tennessee, through Indian reservations, along shoulder-less blind roads in Wales, at excessively high altitudes in Peru, up mist cloaked rhino infested hillsides in Kenya, along miles of sun scorched arrow straight treeless expanses in Kansas, and, well, you get the idea.<br />
<b>You will understand</b>, then, why it was not so extraordinary to find myself running at six thousand feet in Sequoia National Forest last week. I had never seen a giant Sequoia. But my reason for being there was not to see one of nature's marvels, but to find sufficient trail elevation within one or two days travel from home to train toward my latest goal (a subject for another time and place).<br />
<b>Sequoia National Forest</b> cloaks the range of mountains just north of the Mojave Desert, where the extreme tip of this upheaval is slashed apart by the dramatic Kern River Canyon and the basin that is now Lake Isabella. To the west simmers Bakersfield and the broad expanse of the San Joaquin Valley. That city, I decided, would be the hub for my exploratory incursions into the mountains in search of high elevation trails to run. Roads into the National Forest are limited, my choices were few.<br />
<b>Day one</b> I selected route 155, a road that looks deceptively straight on the map, as my access to Greenhorn Summit, the road's high point at 6102 feet of altitude. There I found a ski mobile trail, snowless now, leading along the ridge then descending slightly to a fork. I chose the right side which curled back to the far side of the ridge and gradually ascended again, all through conifer and pine, straight and tall, sweet smelling and shady. The temperature for running here was perfect, while down below the citizens of Bakersfield scalded in triple digit heat. It was along this road, on the far side of the ridge, that I saw my first Sequoia. I knew it immediately, the reddish swirled bark, the column-like branchless trunk, a narrow obelisk pointed skyward. More came into view as I ran, scattered among the lesser pines. Dignified, statuesque. They presented an aura of antiquity, a sense of timelessness that I had read about but never experienced. I returned to my Jeep after a run of an hour, satisfying to me in terms of a test of my stamina at higher elevation and the pleasure of the experience. <br />
<b>That night in my hotel</b> I plotted my next day's destination, searching for a trail that offered higher altitude and greater elevation gain. To find it, I had to look farther north, to Giant Sequoia National Monument. Far up the Tule River Valley within the monument I found Camp Nelson, a remote area of rustic cabins. And trails. One of those trails ascended Bear Creek, commencing at an altitude of 4600 feet and climbing to over 7000 feet over three plus miles. Steep, strenuous, sufficient altitude. Perfect. The trailhead was not well marked, but my guide sheet was accurate and after passing by it once on the narrow dirt track I returned to find it just across the creek. I parked, changed to running shorts and a light jacket (eat your heart out, Bakersfield) and set out at an easy pace.<br />
<b>The trail ascended immediately</b> with several switchbacks up the forested slope then angled back into the creek canyon well up its steep side, the creek a few hundred feet below and well hidden by a tangle of red mazanitis alternating with chaparral. The path was narrow, treacherous underfoot, textures changing frequently to muddy, sandy, or rock protrusions. It ascended steeply following the creek gorge. As the elevation increased I found it necessary to stop to deepen and slow my breathing from time to time. To my satisfaction, I could bring my breath under control easily and continue after just a minute or two. Then came the onslaught of mosquitos, in clouds. They infiltrated my eyes and mouth, buzzed in my ears, enjoying the novelty of a barely clad, hide-less creature, so different from the thick carcass forest creatures upon which they normally feasted. It became much more laborious to run waving my hand in front of my face, and when I stopped now to recover my breath, it was difficult to resist the temptation to begin again before I was ready.<br />
<b>I climbed steadily</b> and the path rose higher above the creek, the slope became steeper, in some places the trail slid away leaving just inches in width to run along. I traversed one such tricky section and in the middle of the trail saw a mound of poop, tubular mazanitis seed infested, berry speckled, and very large. Fresh, although not steaming. Bear Creek. Oh, right, I should have thought of that. Now I ran watching my footing, waving off mosquitos, and studying every dark shadowed tree and bush along the way.<br />
<b>The path continued to climb</b> along the creek valley, switchbacking occasionally at steeper sections. I came to a second pile of bear poo. In my mind there were three possibilities, that one bear was preceding me (and pooping frequently), that there were two bears and they both enjoyed pooping on the path, or there were a whole lot of bears along this creek. I wasn't particularly pleased with any of my conclusions. Then the path made a steep turn and left the creek valley, climbing steeply up the ridge slope. Steep enough now that in addition to increasingly labored breathing my leg muscles began to ache as I ran. But the mosquitos were left behind. And hopefully the bears.<br />
The forest opened up, giving way to taller trees and an open forest floor studded with pinecones and deadfall. There were large trees fallen across the path now, which demanded a circuitous route or a tiring climb over them. The trees became taller as I ascended toward the ridge line. I began to see Sequoia like those I had seen the day before.<br />
<b>Then I was on top of the ridge</b> and running along it as it ascended more gradually. A sweet distinctive wood smell came to my nose, tinted with pine pitch. The forest air was thick and scent laden, like a nutritious soup. My footfalls were deadened in it, there was a deep stillness. The world was muffled. I felt better now, more vigorous. The trail climbed less steeply, I breathed easier. I began to see more Sequoias, larger ones and taller. These surpassed the ones I had seen before, some were two feet or more in diameter. Now the path steepened as the ridge line rose higher. I had been running nearly three quarters of an hour now and thoughts of turning back darted from amygdala to frontal lobe with recurring frequency.<br />
<b>Just over a rise</b> I came to a metal sign affixed to a Sequoia. I stopped. It read, simply, Boundary of Belknap Grove. So, I thought, I have been running through a Sequoia grove. I had suspected as much. But looking forward I saw quite a few more Sequoia. I decided to run on just a bit further. The trail ascended gradually now, I could run easily now. Large trunks of trees obscured my view ahead. The trail looped around a stand of several trees and then a clearing was before me and a sight that took my breath away, forcing me to stop and gape.<br />
Before me stood a mammoth tree, its red branchless column of a trunk fully fifteen feet in diameter, towering up, up, up. Over a hundred feet above me thick scaly branches reached out ornamented with massive pinecones and needles. It shaded the entire clearing in which I stood, indeed it must have created it. Now I understood that the metal sign had announced the beginning of the grove, not its terminus. I gaped at this tree, this overpowering presence, this surreal giant, its scale beyond any living thing I have known, Olympian. I ran on and encountered more and more of these giants, some standing near one another, others residing within the dignity of their own solitary presence. I came upon even larger trees, massively trunked, twenty feet in diameter, sky scraping above me. I felt privileged, as if granted an audience with gods, permitted to enter their sanctuary and the sanctity of their presence. I ran on in awed silence.<br />
<b>And then a sacrilege</b>, the sudden sound of a gunshot, a partially muffled shotgun blast, percussive, very near by. I was startled, upset. Even here, in this temple? Was nothing sacred to hunters? The path I ran was next to the base of a giant, circling its trunk. I slowed, now worried that this nearby hunter might mistake my movement, might shoot carelessly not expecting to find a runner here. And then I saw the pinecone upon the ground four feet away, still twitching. Had the shooter actually shot at me, actually hitting the forest floor so near to me?<br />
<b>All this came in a rush</b> of anxious thought. And then came understanding. I realized that this pinecone, a foot long and ten inches in diameter, had just fallen. That the percussive report I had heard was its impact upon the forest floor, the sound made as it hit the ground after free falling hundreds of feet, to land just four feet from me.<br />
<b>Sobered, humbled, I ran on.</b> Not long after, the grove appeared to thin. The trail angled away across the side of a new ridge, off to meet up with another trail deeper in the forest, farther than I wished to go today. I turned around and returned through the grove, feeling as awed and humbled as I had been on my way up. Running down hill was easy, my breathing controlled, my calves twitchy but sufficiently strong to negotiate the obstacles of the path I had ascended. Down into the Bear Creek valley, down among the mosquitoes, striding over additional bear scat that had not been there on my way up, conversing loudly with myself to alert bears to my presence. And then the glint of my red jeep through the trees. <br />
<b>I jumped into Bear Creek</b>, running shoes and all and bathed, then toweled off and changed into dry clothing. I faced a five hour drive, down the steep winding Tule River canyon, down, down into the heat of the San Joaquin Valley, through the exhaust filled streets of Bakersfield and on across the Sierra Madre to Santa Maria and then south along El Camino Real, and so home. My muscles were tired, but my addiction was assuaged and my soul fulfilled. <br />
It was a most excellent running adventure.</div>
Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710393443533593889.post-53043968278265950922012-07-18T11:16:00.001-07:002012-07-18T11:16:47.764-07:00Dog Reflections<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPSf3nhnq6gTO0jpHkmMalgOTrRcHXlvZffEEZELnrJ62R3NIsBF_P57WAfpoH8q8HR9NSJTkwR9QKUOoSj93tUT2PLZjuEC7VEh9Mt_tno5PZ9nT0Wts0qZO4Kf9mIQbe1W8F4MXq4ws/s1600/Train+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPSf3nhnq6gTO0jpHkmMalgOTrRcHXlvZffEEZELnrJ62R3NIsBF_P57WAfpoH8q8HR9NSJTkwR9QKUOoSj93tUT2PLZjuEC7VEh9Mt_tno5PZ9nT0Wts0qZO4Kf9mIQbe1W8F4MXq4ws/s200/Train+Face.JPG" width="196" /></a><br />
<b>I have witnessed</b> that pet dogs often reflect the characteristics of their owners.<br />
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<b>A neighborhood where I lived</b> is tightly constructed around a green upon which dogs and owners move about in high visibility. The percentage of dog owners to non-owners here is typical, as is the percentage of those who own only cats (or is it the other way around?), although no census taker would ever dare to attempt to quantify the latter. But cats are never an issue, because avoiding controversy goes to the very heart of that creature. Nor are they likely to take on any characteristics other than their own.<br />
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<b>Not so dogs.</b> When you consider the wholesomeness of dogs, the guilelessness, loyalty, and cheerful obedience that is at the core of this animal, it seems strange that these pets are more often the center of controversy than are selfish, skittish, disobedient, untrainable, unleashable cats, but so it is.<br />
A concern in our tight little neighborhood at the moment is the poo habits of some of the neighborhood dogs, of particular concern the neighbor who leaves the front door open to allow the dog to take itself out to poo at will where and when it pleases. To the regulated dog owner, who keeps the dog tight on the leash, then directs the placement of poo, bags it while still warm, and places it carefully in the proper receptacle, the unconcerned behavior of the freedom owner is a pure horror. Dogs reflect the feelings of their owners, and dogs on lead take exception to dogs cruising by unfettered and so animosity has a tendency to build, dog to dog, owner to owner.<br />
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<b>I am convinced</b> that the tendency to mirror the traits of the alpha dog is in the dogs' gene pool. The mimicry can be uncanny. One close neighbor was owned by cats (and children). These neighbors were warm, friendly people, and the entire family lived their lives happily and openly with a kind of barefoot exuberant freedom. When they wanted a dog to join the family they adopted one from a shelter. Within days, the dog had become indistinguishable from any other member of that family, trotting freely with head high, tail erect, ambling happily around the neighborhood, unleashable and irrepressible. I could have picked it out of a lineup as part of that family.<br />
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<b>I provide this particular example</b> because the dog was adopted as an adult, not raised within the family from puppyhood. What can explain the immediate, comprehensive manifestation of family traits by this dog? <br />
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<b>Dogs appear to approach strangers</b> and strange environments in ways similar to their owners - timid dogs reflect timid owners, blustery dogs blustery owners, sneaky dogs sneaky owners, untrustworthy dogs untrustworthy owners, and so on. And dogs seem also to reflect the anxiety levels of their owners. One seldom sees a patient dog with an impatient owner, a calm dog with a restless owner, or a courageous dog with a fearful owner. The ultimate restless spirit is the dog whose owner is away from home days at a time, leaving the dog to its own devices. This canine, like its owner, is the dog about town, roaming the streets and exploring the scents of far reaching neighborhoods, streetwise, confident.<br />
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<b>Taking this tendency to another level</b>, I have observed that entire towns, like individual owners, may have characteristics that are illustrated by its citizen dogs. There are plenty of exceptions to the rule, of course, but the dog of choice in my town is the small dog. The human population in my town, like many American communities, is mixed, in this case divided generally between Caucasian and Hispanic families. A walk through the town reveals that some of these small dogs are a Chihuahua type, brown or black, generally off-lead, and others are a white or light colored dog, almost always on-lead. Thus the cultural composition of my town is evident to any observant stranger through its canine inhabitants.<br />
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<b>Dogs and children</b> have in common this tendency toward mimicry. Children, like dogs, tend to reflect the characteristic attitudes and behaviors of their parents. But dogs and children are guileless and will display these traits openly, while parent/owners may conceal them beneath the surface. Thus dogs and children can be a window to the true nature of family culture and behavior.<br />
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<b>It has occurred to me</b> that these observations might be taken to yet another level, on a much larger scale, perhaps even to countries. It's not difficult to link certain dogs to certain nations. I automatically link the St. Bernard to Switzerland, for example, the English Bulldog with Great Britain, the Chihuahua to Mexico, and the Doberman Pinscher to Germany. And there are those breeds whose heritage is revealed by their breed name, such as the Russian Wolfhound, the Siberian Husky, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, the German Shepherd, and so on.<br />
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<b>Can we use this insight</b> on such a large scale? Might inference from predominant dog attitudes owned by certain nations lead to better understanding within the global community? Might the attitude and intent of nations be revealed by their dogs, despite a desire to conceal them? Could World War Two have been avoided by close observation of the attitudes of German dogs? Do the characteristics of the Russian Wolfhound offer insight into the true nature of the Russian people? What do the Bichon Frise or the Poodle suggest about France? In the wide spectrum of how nations treat their dogs all the way to the nations that eat their dogs, the nature of the master is revealed in his canine mirror, his dog, which, after all, desires nothing more than to please its master, enjoy a square meal, wag its tail, and live in peace. <br />
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</div>Rich Gamblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13938762321387304795noreply@blogger.com0