Quote - Theodore Roosevelt

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do.

Theodore Roosevelt(1858-1919, Twenty-sixth President of the USA)

America's Biggest Mystery - The Lost Colony

The Lost Colony — 117 English settlers who disappeared from North Carolina's Outer Banks in the late 1500s, left behind a single clue to their fate. In all the years since, no one has found much of anything else.

In 1590, an explorer returned for them but found no trace of the colonists he left behind 3 years earlier, aside from a post and the word "Croatoan."

Some speculate the Lost Colony could have assimilated with the Croatan tribe, which lived to the south near Cape Hatteras. (Which the one word might explain, or some poor devil scribed the name of their attackers!)

Others have suggested the colonists moved farther inland and joined with other American Indians. Some suspect the natives simply killed the foreigners, or that the colonists died off from illness, malnutrition or in flight back to England.

It's an incredibly intriguing article, and if you like mysteries, the details about the search and some clues searchers have thought they've found, check out the AP article at USA Today.

I'm waiting for someone to suggest aliens.. just waiting....

Sci Fi Movie Quote

"This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then - explode."

- Capt. Malcom Reynolds, Serenity

Global Warming - Rising Sea Levels

snippets by Bruce Simmons

Included are snippets from an article I was reading.. thought I would spread the info and share the knowledge.

Global warming is expected to cause oceans to rise by one meter, or about 39 inches. Rising waters will lap at the foundations of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. They will swamp the locations of big city airports and major interstate highways.

A one meter of sea level rise in the lower 48 states would put about 25,000 square miles under water, according to Jonathan Overpeck, director of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at the University of Arizona.

Even John Christy at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a scientist often quoted by global warming skeptics, said he figures the seas will rise at least 16 inches by the end of the century. But he tells people to prepare for a rise of about three feet just in case.

See all the details of the article at ap.google

Today's Quote 070917

If a man does only what is required of him, he is a slave.

If a man does more than is required of him, he is a free man.

A Chinese Proverb

A quote for September 16 2007

I was told this by a past client in 2005 and I love repeating it:

We must always strive for a rigid state of flexibility!

(Thanks Bob Amos)

Have You Ever Wanted to Author Your Own Book?

by Bruce Simmons

So the other day I was wondering about producing a book of things... I take a lot of pictures. In a lot, I mean in around 10,000 pictures a year. Out of those 10,000, I probably have some gems that I'd like to make into a table top book or some such outlet for me to share them in.

In my quest I came across an article that talked about a few sites that help the regular Joe like myself create books and things, if perse, I don't have the right printers, book binders, etc..

The site Blurb, with it's software download, will let you produce bookstore quality books, and according to the article, can lead you through very professional processes to create your masterpiece. Follow the directions and suggestions.. that was the advice.

Blurb could be considered expensive, and the less expensive option would be the site, LuLu. According to the newspaper article I read, LuLu could cost only about $7 a book, as LuLu is really established as a site to authors looking to sell their work.

If you want a powerhouse of an assistant, there's Xlibris. Xlibris is a 'Strategic Partner of Random House Ventures'.

If you're looking for photographic help, there's places like ShutterFly, who claims to be the #1 site on the web and seems to be associated with Target stores.

If you're looking to create your own custom coffee mugs or T-shirts, Cafepress and Zazzle were mentioned in the article I was perusing.

After reading the article the old fashion way, in a newspaper, and rather than quoting all the information, I looked around on the internet and found the article by Dan Fost online.. at the San Francisco Chronicle's newspaper website, SFGate.com. Check it out because they have some good perspectives and the author went through the blurb process creating a book for himself.

Of course, there are other ways to create your own productions, but some of these sites provide you with everything in as much as supplies and output, but you still need to apply the elbow grease, no matter what process you choose.

Me, I've got a lot of picturs to go through before I even think of creating that book I dream of.
A small number of these pics I posted over on my website at BruceSimmons.org

Enjoy.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

September 11, 2001

A man who was running below the mainstream media’s radar made himself known on this day, September 11, 2001. Who now, because of a well structured intelligence system, can seem to avoid capture time and time again. That alone should worry us, as he stays one step ahead, but I also know he will never be able to rest again until he is caught.. in one fashion or another.

What do I remember of this day?

I remember packing for a trip with my soon to be wife at the time. Of turning on the television and seeing a “fire” in one of the towers. My first thought was, why am I seeing a building fire in one of the trade towers? I remember, of seeing on tv, the airplane hit, and being confused that this is wrong, something is wrong. It made no sense to me. Of staring open mouthed as the towers came down. I could not move from my seat on the end of the bed, for the moment, packing for our trip forgotten.

I remember that Saturday following the attacks, air travel commenced again, and taking that trip from CA to New England. The airlines had opened, and we went. I remember the empty air terminals, the newspaper machines with Sept 10th headlined newspapers still in them, all old, irrelevant news by this time.

I remember my connector flight taking off, and the few people that were on the airplane all getting up and looking out the left side windows as we flew above the smoking carnage, black billowing tendrils of smoke, of memories, of the soon to be felt pain.

I remember driving all over New England, and seeing a solidarity like I have never seen before that spanned several states. Flags, well wishes, prayers, and anger. For once, America had a single focus as we forgot our day to day troubles. We forgot ourselves and focused on something that needed all of our attentions.

I remember speaking with people on our trip who knew someone on the airplanes. A teacher, a librarian, a man that hurried to drop his co-worker off to catch his plane, an associate of mine who ended up being late and not taking the flight he should have been on. It turned out, I had friends on the planes too. I remember being shocked, the incomprehensible gap of knowing they will never fill those spots in my life again.

I remember, because I vowed to never forget. Never forget the firemen who perished, the innocent victims, the families torn apart.

I will never forget.

Politics to shut down Science?

The article is titled:

World's largest radio telescope in peril
Budget for Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory hangs in the balance

Below are selected snippets from the article -

Arecibo Observatory, the largest and most sensitive radio telescope on Earth, its instruments have netted a decades-long string of discoveries about the structure and evolution of the universe, and it is the only facility on the planet able to track asteroids with enough precision to tell which ones might plow into Earth - discoveries and science that furthers us, the human race into our future of information, and yet, for want of a few million dollars, the future for Arecibo appears grim.

Cause of death will be politics: The squeeze is part of a larger effort to free up money for new ventures in astronomy -- but many astronomers say that if Arecibo succumbs, the cause of death will be politics, not a lack of good science.

Astronomers from around the country are meeting in Washington this week to highlight the many scientific mysteries that Arecibo is in a unique position to plumb, but the effort may be "too little, too late," said Daniel Altschuler, a professor of physics at the University of Puerto Rico who was Arecibo's director for 12 years.

"I don't see any effective move toward saving Arecibo," said Altschuler, who calls the observatory "a monument to man's curiosity."

The entire article is over at MSNBC

Commentary by Bruce Simmons: I am always amazed how the furtherment of man through science takes a back seat to issues of a now, or urgent nature. I understand the focuses and necessity of such, but sometimes, one just has to over look pet projects and focus on the long term plan for our survival. .. For one example I look to global warming.. the thing that 10, or 20 years ago so many politicians and politically backed scientists said did not exist. That's all I have to say.

Steve Fossett still Missing

Steve Fossett has been missing for a week. He's been rumored to have one bottle of water and the public and friends are concerned.

He took off to search for a region to attempt a land speed record, yet another to be accomplishments of his many that he has done for himself and mankind.

The search includes 45 aircraft, now covering 17,000 sq miles, 6 previously undiscovered plane wrecks have been found.

Though Fossett is known as a survivalist, friends are concerned. We can only hope and pray for the best outcome, but.. well, I dare not write the words.

Google set a precedence by searching for the missing ex-microsoft scientist some months back, and the following has been posted over on http://www.stevefossett.com/, they note the following:

New satellite images are also enabling internet-based anaysis by individuals hoping to help. The project is an 'Amazon Mechanical Turk' based effort with recent images from GeoEye, supplier of many images to Google Earth. Please see:http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZG21T60&kw=Flashfor details how individuals can help review specific search areas.

Please, everyone, anyone - pass this information on, let's get as many people involved and help resolve this situation.

Bruce Simmons

Steve Irwin - 1 Year Missed

Today was the 1 year anniversary when we lost Steve Irwin, a wonderful representative between man and nature.

His excited, enthusiastic nature dragged me right into his world of snakes, gators and komodo dragons. Heck, he seemed nigh invulnerable as he would get bit and just say, "krikey, the little bugger is upset!" without ever missing a beat or getting mad at the snake that just tried to kill him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't even an attack, but a mistaken response by an innocent creature that in a freak set of circumstances and angles, ended Steve's life. God rest his soul.

"His outward expression, passion and love of animals, great and small, has empowered us all to be wildlife warriors and protectors of the environment."

Read this great article at news.com.au

Jose Offerman challenges arrest in bat attack

The pitcher, Matt Beech of the Bridgeport Bluefish hit Jose Offerman with a pitch Aug. 14 and the former major league all-star infielder, who had homered in his first at-bat, charged the mound.

During the ensuing melee, the middle finger on Beech's non-throwing hand was broken and Bridgeport catcher John Nathans suffered a concussion. (Guess it was a fun athlete "chat".)

Jose Offerman is now facing two counts of second-degree assault and has been suspended. (I guess weilding a bat as a weapon has it's drawbacks.)

Here's the "How to defense lawyers sleep" section:
A lawyer for Offerman said Tuesday his client should not have been arrested for the attack, challenging charges that he struck Beech and Nathans with his bat.

"I think a mistake was made by him charging the mound with a bat in his hand," (duh) lawyer Frank Riccio said. "But after that, everything is a blur."

Anyway, see the whole article at canadianpress.google.com