Saturday, June 23, 2012

Today AS IT STANDS features the 12 CATS OF THE ZODIAC – Look for the 12 DOGS OF THE ZODIAC next year!

            Good Day Humboldt County!

I’ve never been one to believe in Astrology, but I’ve always thought it was an interesting subject. I’ve read how much it’s played a part in history – both in the East and the West – in making major decisions that have affected millions of people.

I know quite a few people who enjoy reading their daily horoscopes. For those people, cat lovers, and the curious, I have the following for your entertainment:

             The 12 Cats of the Zodiac: 

June 21 – July 22:If you are a Cancer Cat, you are kind of a contradictory cat. You seek the security of, like, being in your favorite box or whatever, but you also long for new adventures, like getting into the pantry and knocking all the cans off the shelves. You are extremely complicated and unpredictable, which is all very well, but no one is going to take this too seriously because (like so many of these other Cat Star Signs), you have a furry little face.”

 July 23 – August 22: Leo Cats are extremely honorable and dignified. For a cat, I guess this means that they are maybe slightly less likely to lick themselves in public.

If you are a Leo Cat, you’re pretty happy being the center of attention, unless there’s a sunbeam somewhere that requires your royal person to be asleep in it.

If you think these photos are cute then go here and enjoy the rest of the year!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Friday, June 22, 2012

'Giant wombats' the size of a rhinoceros discovered in a mass grave

A mass grave of prehistoric “giant wombats” – a marsupial the size of a rhinoceros – has been discovered in Australia, according to reports.

The discovery of about 50 diprotodon skeletons was the biggest to date and could shed light on why the animal become extinct, BBC News reported.

Diprotodon, a relative of the modern wombat, was the largest marsupial that ever lived and had a pouch that was large enough to carry an adult human. (Read the rest here)

A good example of taxpayer’s money being squandered in Humboldt County

Humboldt-County-sign

I was talking with my eldest son Richard the other day when he brought up what happened to some friends of his – Raymond and Loretta (last name withheld for privacy reasons) recently.

They were ordered to move out of their apartment because the Yurok Indian Housing Authority had purchased the apartment complex and they were non-Indians, thus not eligible to stay. Mind you, this is off-reservation; in McKinleyville. The apartment complex is located on Chance Lane.

Somehow that doesn’t seem right to me. Low income non-Native Americans have to relocate to accommodate low income Native Americans. American taxpayers are getting screwed again because they’re footing the bill for this nonsense.

What’s happening on the Yurok reservation? Rents too high? Not enough apartments? Both possibilities, but I don’t think that’s the case. This is an opportunity for the Yurok tribe to buy land and make money outside of the reservation. It’s that simple. We do live in a capitalistic system where money opens all doors.

Nothing illegal has happened. It’s all explained here: 

Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) reorganized the system of housing assistance provided to Native Americans through the Department of Housing and Urban Development by eliminating several separate programs of assistance and replacing them with a block grant program. The two programs authorized for Indian tribes under NAHASDA are the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) which is a formula based grant program and Title VI Loan Guarantee which provides financing guarantees to Indian tribes for private market loans to develop affordable housing. Regulations are published at 24 CFR Part 1000.

NAHASDA was amended in 2000 to add Title VIII-Housing Assistance for Native Hawaiians. The amendment to NAHASDA adds similar programs for Native Hawaiians who reside on Hawaiian Home Lands. Regulations for implementing Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG) program program are published at 24 CFR Part 1006.”

NAHASDA Indian Housing Block Grant Regulations - 24 CFR 1000

 -
NAHASDA Statute

 -
NAHASDA Loan Guarantee Regulations - 24 CFR 1005

All the explanations above show legal ground for the Yurok Indian Housing Authorities’ takeover of non-Indian housing outside their reservation for profit. 

My son’s friends are receiving assistance in this forced relocation (that’s what it is) and were given a Relocation Advisory Package. It offers monetary help for moving expenses and attempts to put the displaced occupants into a similar situation. 

Where’s the sense in displacing low-income non-Native American tenants, with low income Native American tenants? It sounds like a waste of taxpayer money to me. Federally funded HUD is already a bloated government agency wasting taxpayer money, and senseless programs like this “tenant relocation” deal with Native Americans is a good example of what I’m talking about.

A Look at Hipster Countercultures Through the Decades

            Good Day Humboldt County!  

Hipster, Beatnik, Hippie, and right back around to Hipster. Hip, cool, groovy, dope, deck. The terms used and names given to each generation’s “it” crowd seems to be as ingrained in history as they are in the present, but who were these groups and how did their slang come about? And how is it that we’ve had two generations of hipsters?

                               The 1940 Hipster
The original hipsters were so named because of their awareness and openness to a certain attitude toward life. In fact, the words “hep” and “hip” are both derivations of the African word hepi—meaning to open one’s eyes. Early jazz musicians used the word “hep” for anyone in the know, especially with regard to the black world of jazz; the musicians and their fans were known as “hepcats.” In the 1940s, when modern jazz began replacing Swing, the term “hep” had morphed into “hip,” leading to the new name for musicians and their fans—“hipsters.” A group of ultra cool jazz aficionados ablaze in their devotion for and knowledge of the art chose to espouse the relaxed lifestyle of the jazz musicians, calling themselves Hipsters as well.


This group of jazz aficionados grew and was particularly attractive to the lower class white youth, a lot of whom were frequenting African-American communities in search of alternative dance and music. It was within these urban black communities that youth looked for their fashion cues, attitudes, drug use, and language.

The language or slang used amongst this group appears to be of the utmost importance in defining their belief system. According to Marty Jezer, in his book The Dark Ages: Life in the U.S. 1945–1960, this limited and obscure “Hipster” language was perfect in a world that defied definition. The world of the commonplace was a world of untruth and therefore unworthy of words. Contrast this to the world of music, which was considered worthy and trustworthy. And with music there is no need for words. The world of the Hipster was so illusory that sentences were started with that word that drives modern parents crazy, such as “like.” “It’s like totally cool, man.” As if to say, maybe it’s cool, maybe it’s not; whatever you like, man. I’m not here to define your world.

Hipsters were looking for the meaning of life and they wanted to have that meaning now. They did not think in the current and divisive terms of the “free world” and “Communist bloc.” The only division was the hip and the square. The Squares believed in obtaining security through traditional methods of job, family, politics, and common social etiquette. The Hip world was one that ran together, melding the bohemian, the juvenile delinquent, and the Negro—a melting pot seeking consciousness.

                                   Beatniks
There is definitive distinction between Jack Kerouac’s original term “Beat Generation” and “Beatnik.” Just to be clear, the Beat Generation—which did appear to give distorted rise to the “Beatnik”—was a term Kerouac devised in 1948 to describe his personal social circle, a group of New York underground anti-conformists. Kerouac’s Beat Generation was, to him, a group of blessed (beatified) and downtrodden (beaten-down) people. This group may have been downtrodden, but they were not completely down and out. They were blessed with ardent personal conviction and represented an anti-materialistic literary movement. The Beats exposed themselves to the absorption of culture through music, poetry, literature, and bumming with self-imposed poverty across America. Marijuana and other drugs didn’t hurt either. 
This counterculture possessed a romantic quality, a quality of people in the know, and once the media grabbed hold of and simplified, molded, and stereotyped, it became highly marketable. Pieces of this Beat Generation were spliced together to produce the iconic, alternative intellectual bedecked in goatees, dark framed glasses, black turtlenecks, and berets—bongo drums not necessary, but always welcome. It was in fact a member of the media, Herb Caen, a San Francisco Chronicle columnist who in 1958 with sardonic wit and his finger on the perpetual cultural pulse, satirized The Beats by adding the suffix “nik,” which was borrowed from the technological marvel at the time, Sputnik. The Beats did not embrace the term. Beat was counterculture, with a state of mind, attitude, and literature of its own. Beatniks were a subculture birthed by the media, a superficial caricature of the real thing.

Nonetheless, in the 1950s, there were plenty of middle class college students all too willing to adopt the Beatnik prerequisite dress code and form intellectual circles of their own. The women had their Beatnik style as well. In black leotards, they let their hair grow long and completely free. The fashion choice was intended to strike back at the middle class, highly coiffed beauty salon look. The Beatnik attitude was one that shunned conventional, middle-class values and strove for expression against these values by associating themselves with radical politics, cool- cat jazz, free-verse poetry readings, and excessive parties. The argument of their authenticity was irrelevant due in part to the media catapulting them into an attractively dangerous avant garde. Whereas Kerouac’s Beat Generation was beatified, the media, and ironically commercialism, exalted and helped iconize the Beatnik look and style.

                                     Hippies
It’s claimed that Hippie is what Hipsters called their children—literally, little Hipsters. However this name came about, it’s a derivative of Hipster. As these mini-Hippies grew, they created another movement of their own, steeply based in their parent’s views on contemporary culture and political acquiescence. They rejected the established culture and swung wide to advocate extremely liberal politics and lifestyles.

This subculture was also known to listen to new and alternative music like psychedelic rock, embrace the sexual revolution, and once again use mind- expanding drugs to probe the perimeters of altered states of consciousness—all common themes amongst social subcultures. Hippies were concerned with world peace and sustainable resources. They practiced alternative medicine and alternative lifestyles like communal living, organic and communal gardening, building “green” homes, and free love.
The Summer of Love and specifically the public display of cultural and political rebellion in the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco brought the Hippie culture firmly into public awareness and solidified its existence. Though this kind of public spectacle also perpetuated an historical period of violence, the impact left on society was enough to cause acute fascination by the mainstream media, thusly leading to a blossoming of hippie values and fashion statements. “Free love” might have been a difficult grasp for mainstream America, but organic gardening, alternative medicine, outdoor concerts, bellbottoms, miniskirts, tattoos, and body piercings seemed to take hold. Perhaps, some of these fashions and ideals and lifestyles went dormant for a while, but they were firmly lodged in the psyche of American culture.

                           The Modern Hipster
And now we’ve come full circle. Try to ask one of your modern Hipster friends this simple question: “What is a Hipster?” From behind overly large glasses and bedraggled hair, he or she probably won’t have an answer and might not even consider themselves one. The modern Hipster, more than any other subculture, seems to try to confute its very existence. The ultimate goal here is to non-conform without an admission of actually doing so. Successful non-conformity is achieved through cultural irony—take anything valued within a culture, be it fashion, music, literature, or art, and use it or wear it with outright, yet subtle irony (this is more difficult to achieve than one might think). The common fashion statements seem to be that one finds some of the ugliest—yet sometimes expensive—clothing, preferably wrinkled, and looking thrown together (a lot of thought and preparation can go into this). Any type of T-shirt graphics, footwear, or eyewear worn ironically is a bonus. 
However, some argue that the modern Hipster doesn’t really subscribe to a particular philosophy, genre of music, or politics. In a Huffington Post article entitled, “Who’s a Hipster?” Julia Plevin argues that the “definition of ‘hipster’ remains opaque to anyone outside this self-proclaiming, highly-selective circle.” She claims that the “whole point of hipsters is that they avoid labels and being labeled. However, they all dress the same and act the same and conform in their non-conformity to an “iconic carefully created sloppy vintage look.”

Perhaps the greatest challenge to the modern Hipster—and dare I say the ultimate irony?—is that although that hipster may consider himself totally deck (cool), unless he’s got some philosophies and politics to introduce to the world, his contribution may die with the totally ironical T-shirt in a Goodwill bin.

Image sources: Life Photo Archive, tea..    story source  

TIME FOR ME TO WALK ON DOWN THE ROAD…

Thursday, June 21, 2012

A dirty portrait by a talented young lady….

source

Funny Fact for the Day: Polar Bears Suck at Playing Hide-N-Seek

source

Pursuing Life’s Mysteries: Why The Hell Are We Here, and What Are Our Options?

           GOOD DAY HUMBOLDT COUNTY!

Our journey today takes us into those secret corners and nooks that are full of arcane knowledge and ancient mysteries.

We must never limit ourselves by crippling our imagination. Those wild flights of fantasy and experimentation through drugs have set us aside as unique among earth’s many species.

The search for answers about who we are, and where we came from, is reflected in crude pictures on cave walls thousands of years old. The masses have been lead by religions that encourage mindless acceptance of doctrines designed to control them. The search for answers goes on today. By looking back in history we can gather clues and come to our own conclusions about why we exist. I found this great link that you’ll enjoy if you want to know more about many mysteries:

   Forbidden Knowledge TV - Daily videos from the edges of science

Some examples: 

'Ancient Drugs' - Full Film (40:40)

'Astrobiology' - Full Film (44:29)

Zecharia Sitchin: Are We Alone? (55:29)

eden.gif (25743 bytes) Here’s another interesting website called

nbanner.jpg (6173 bytes)

dedicated to the teaching of knowledge that was hidden from the human race all through history.

And finally, check out:  11, 13 and 33 The Illuminati / Freemason Signature by Robert Howard

Happy hunting…

TIME FOR ME TO WALK ON DOWN THE ROAD…

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Humor Break: Things That Seem Legit …NOT!

  What gave these guys away?  

There’s a lot more photos like these. Go here and enjoy.

Hold On there! Don’t Get Your Feathers in a Flap Buddy!

               Animals with attitudes – Do you like these photos?

                                    There’s more here.

               This Lion looks like he’s sneering at something…

The Once and Future Big Brother: Drones are eyes in American skies

Image: Police officer with drone

        Good Day Humboldt County!

 George Orwell had the spying part right. But the “State” – unlike in his novel 1984 where humans ratted each other out – it’s drones watching our every move looking for “violations.”

 Robots. Drones. We live in the 21st Century’s version of Orwell’s classic: 

“Most Americans have gotten used to regular news reports about military and CIA drones attacking terrorist suspects – including US citizens – in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere abroad.

Photo -Deputy Amanda Hill of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado prepares to use a Draganflyer X6 drone equipped with a video camera to help search for a suspect in a knife attack. Mesa County Sheriff's Dept. via AP

But picture thousands of drone aircraft buzzing around the United States – peering from the sky at breaches in border security, wildfires about to become major conflagrations, patches of marijuana grown illegally deep within national forests, or environmental scofflaws polluting the land, air, and water.

By some government estimates, as many as 30,000 drones could be part of intelligence gathering and law enforcement here in the United States within the next ten years. Operated by agencies down to the local level, this would be in addition to the 110 current and planned drone activity sites run by the military services in 39 states, reported this week by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a non-government research project.

Americans have mixed feelings about pilotless drones flown over the United States, according to a new Monmouth University Poll.

A large majority (80 percent) supports the idea of using drones to help with search and rescue missions; a substantial majority also supports using drones to track down runaway criminals (67 percent) and control illegal immigration along US borders (64 percent).

Americans on drones: Don't use for speeders

But despite widespread support for certain domestic applications of drone technology, privacy issues are an obvious concern, the poll finds. For example, just 23 percent support using drones for such routine police activity as issuing speeding tickets while two-thirds oppose the idea.” (Read the rest here)

TIME FOR ME TO WALK ON DOWN THE ROAD….

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sign of the Times: A Neo-Nazi registers as Capitol Hill lobbyist

kkk-confederate-flag-16x9.jpg

Things are not extreme enough now in our society apparently, as The Crusaders for Yahweh-Aryan Nations LLC, a “white nationalism” group, has registered to lobby in Washington. 

The group’s leader, Paul Mullet, delivered the papers in which he wrote that his group will lobby on “any activities that adversely affect [sic] the White Race,” according to the The Hill.

Mullet views Obama as the Antichrist, and the Crusaders for Yahweh’s current goal is to become more politically active. They have encouraged fellow members across the country to run for local and state office.  Despite denying that his group stands for white supremacy and insisting that he is not personally racist, Mullet has described himself as a white nationalist and pro-white.  Mullet stresses Christianity and has made claims that “the white race is being targeted as a hate group,” by other races.

This is the second overtly racially motivated group that has filed papers to lobby in Washington this year.  The American Nazi Party, lead by John Bowles, registered to lobby in April.

Homeless man finds $77,000…and guess what? He actually gets to keep it!

                                       Good Day Humboldt County!

  Six months ago Timothy Yost (right) got a break. He was homeless in January. Today he has $77,000 and is still homeless, but considering getting a car after discovering a bag full of damp bills and 40 gold Krugerrand coins from South Africa.

  Life changed for Yost after making the find of a lifetime while looking for a place to wash his feet in the Colorado River at Fisherman’s Park in Bastrop, Texas. Or did it?

  Bastrop Mayor Terry Orr told msnbc.com that Detective Tamera Brown launched a lengthy investigation to find the money’s owner. She reached out to the FBI and a bank fraud investigation team and placed an ad in the local newspaper, per the law. Several people said the money was theirs, Orr said, but their claims were dubious.

 It came down to a Texas finders keepers law and Yost was given back the money he’d found. As for Yost, he spent the night in jail for being intoxicated after celebrating his good fortune. He did manage to tell local reporters he was going to get a car when they let him out.

"I've been walking for so long; the first thing I want is a vehicle," he told Austin Fox News Channel 7.

I can’t help wondering what Yost will do with his leftover money after buying a car. Will he buy a new car? A junker? Perhaps rent an apartment? The question is, how long has Yost been homeless? And why? Is he an alcoholic or druggie with a history?

No one will ever know what happened to Yost and his money. We’re left wondering what he did with his life. Did he take advantage of his new found fortune and improve his lifestyle? I’d like to think so.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday, June 18, 2012

‘Simplicity is natures first step, and the last of art’ - Philip James Bailey

photo source

AS IT STANDS looks at Color Psychology - Do different colors affect your mood?

               Good Day Humboldt County!

 Like death and taxes, there is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous. Yet what does it all mean? Why are people more relaxed in green rooms? Why do weightlifters do their best in blue gyms?

Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. And even in Western societies, the meanings of various colors have changed over the years. But today in the U.S., researchers have generally found the following to be accurate.

Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.

Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

The most emotionally intense color, Red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

The most romantic color, Pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

The color of the sky and the ocean, Blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Currently the most popular decorating color, Green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Cheerful sunny Yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

The color of royalty, Purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.

Solid, reliable Brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

  • More from Color: Psychology, Symbolism, and Interesting Facts

    Time for me to walk on down the road…

  • Sunday, June 17, 2012

    As It Stands: A tribute to single custodial fathers

                             

                            By Dave Stancliff/For The Times-Standard
     A brand new baby’s startled cry. In that instant, I became a father back in 1975. Two more sons followed; one in 1977, and the last in 1980. Their births motivated me to use my GI Bill and go back to college because I wanted to be able to provide them with good lives.
     You’ve probably heard the same general story from other dads. It’s not an uncommon happenstance. I had plenty of help raising my sons. My wife is one of the most nurturing and loving humans in the world and we made a good team.  
      I shudder to think what it would have been like to raise my sons alone. I’ve asked myself, “Would I be patient, compassionate, and loving at all times while raising three boys?” It’s a tough situation for any dad.
     According to the latest single parent statistics reported in Unmarried and Single Americans Week Sept. 18-24, 2011: there were 11.7 million single parents living with their children in 2010. Of those reported, 1.8 million were custodial single dads. 3.4% of American children live with their father only, and 4.1% of American children live with neither parent.
    Obviously the majority of single parents are moms. If this was Mother’s Day I would talk about them. Since it’s Father’s Day I’d like to hold single custodial dads up to the limelight and say, “Good job guys!” It’s not a perfect world, and anyone man enough to raise children alone should be commended.
    The media doesn’t talk about you single dads too often. You don’t quite fit into the politically correct category and it’s awkward singing your praises. With such a small percentage of single custodial dads in this country we don’t read about your challenges as often as we do single moms’ challenges.
      I’d like to share with you single custodial dads the origin of Father’s Day. It seems fitting. A woman named Sonora Dodd wished to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth.

      In 1910, she and others celebrated the first informal Father's Day in Spokane, Washington, and the movement quickly spread across the country.
    The holiday didn't become nationally recognized until 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson declared that the third Sunday in June would be national Father's Day.
      You single custodial dads may be a minority in our society, but you represent the very best in men by displaying the courage and love it takes to raise children alone. The challenges you face are different from those faced by single moms.’
     The single father must make sure each child feels that he or she belongs in the family. If the father has a daughter, he must avoid doing only things that interest men and boys. Both boys and girls like animals, so going to a zoo is one option. Like I said, being a single father has unique challenges.
      A dad can be a good role model for both daughters and sons. The bottom line is men are capable of raising children alone. Most choose not to. For those who do, this day is for you, and all the other dads. Accepting responsibility is a manly thing to do. I don’t question why someone is a single dad. That’s none of my business.
      Let’s be honest, becoming a dad is easy, but being a good dad is the most challenging thing any man can do. I also believe that, unlike when I was growing up, being a single dad in this society is not shameful,  but can actually be an empowering experience. The ability to adapt and thrive is a positive thing. Single dads need all the help they can get.
    Here’s one website ( http://www.singlefather.com ) that offers an informative article for adjusting to life as a single father.
      Many thanks to all you married and single dads (custodial or not), who love your children and understand what it takes to be a good dad. The world needs more like you.
    As It Stands, I’m going to take this time to recognize my dad, Richard Wayne Stancliff, as the best dad in the world!

    Blog Break Until Presidential Election is Over

    I finally hit the wall today. I can't think of what to say about all of the madness going on in this country right now. I'm a writer...