Black Gold

On a day to day basis - how removed do you feel from the world around you? Do we carry on oblivious of our actions and what impact we have for future generations to come?

All over the media, we have been bombarded with stories about pipelines, oil and gas, the tarsands, and international trade and foreign investment.How much, with whom? and if it's even something we should consider?

 Emotions run high with these issues and sometimes people transfer and target their anger to other fantasy targets. People get so worked up in a frenzy they start believing in their own alternate reality.

I am an avid environmentalist at heart and believe in conservation biology I am also a realist and perhaps a bit of an idealist. I also believe in science and technology.

We use petroleum products everyday and we couldn't live without them unless we go back to living in a cave. Yet, there is so much fear and fear mongering going on that some people just follow along and drink the koolaid. Get informed - search for the grain of truth in other opinions and be open minded.  

There are mixed feelings all along the path of the proposed Keystone pipeline. Ken Ilgunas is walking the path of the pipeline from Alberta to Texas and his adventures are shared on his blog, Pipe Dreams. http://www.kenilgunas.com/

Strive for justice and peace....
  

Here is a partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items), what could you live without:

One 42 gallon (159.6 litres) barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:

Solvents	Diesel fuel	Motor Oil	Bearing Grease
Ink	Floor Wax	Ballpoint Pens	Football Cleats
Upholstery	Sweaters	Boats	Insecticides
Bicycle Tires	Sports Car Bodies	Nail Polish	Fishing lures
Dresses	Tires	Golf Bags	Perfumes
Cassettes	Dishwasher parts	Tool Boxes	Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet	Caulking	Petroleum Jelly	Transparent Tape
CD Player	Faucet Washers	Antiseptics	Clothesline
Curtains	Food Preservatives	Basketballs	Soap
Vitamin Capsules	Antihistamines	Purses	Shoes
Dashboards	Cortisone	Deodorant	Footballs
Putty	Dyes	Panty Hose	Refrigerant
Percolators	Life Jackets	Rubbing Alcohol	Linings
Skis	TV Cabinets	Shag Rugs	Electrician's Tape
Tool Racks	Car Battery Cases	Epoxy	Paint
Mops	Slacks	Insect Repellent	Oil Filters
Umbrellas	Yarn	Fertilizers	Hair Coloring
Roofing	Toilet Seats	Fishing Rods	Lipstick
Denture Adhesive	Linoleum	Ice Cube Trays	Synthetic Rubber
Speakers	Plastic Wood	Electric Blankets	Glycerin
Tennis Rackets	Rubber Cement	Fishing Boots	Dice
Nylon Rope	Candles	Trash Bags	House Paint
Water Pipes	Hand Lotion	Roller Skates	Surf Boards
Shampoo	Wheels	Paint Rollers	Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings	Luggage	Aspirin	Safety Glasses
Antifreeze	Football Helmets	Awnings	Eyeglasses
Clothes	Toothbrushes	Ice Chests	Footballs
Combs	CD's & DVD's	Paint Brushes	Detergents
Vaporizers	Balloons	Sun Glasses	Tents
Heart Valves	Crayons	Parachutes	Telephones
Enamel	Pillows	Dishes	Cameras
Anesthetics	Artificial Turf	Artificial limbs	Bandages
Dentures	Model Cars	Folding Doors	Hair Curlers
Cold cream	Movie film	Soft Contact lenses	Drinking Cups
Fan Belts	Car Enamel	Shaving Cream	Ammonia
Refrigerators	Golf Balls	Toothpaste	Gasoline

Galileo's Secret Messages

Inquisitive learner, explorer, adventurer, scientist and definitely a self defined certified geek. A friend of mine asked me recently, do you every read fiction? Just for fun? Mmmm...I guess I do sometimes but more often I tend to gravitate to learning something new.

Galileo was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution during the 1600's. He built a telescope and started making observations. He made many discoveries in the world of physics and astronomy.

Galileo sent two coded messages to German astronomer Johannes Kepler in the 17^th century to tell him about the discoveries he made with his new telescope. However, he encoded the messages in an anagram (in Latin) to Kepler who tried to decipher the messages -

'smaismrmilmepoetaleumibunenugttauiras.'

Kepler believed Mars had two moons, and tried to decipher Galileo's secret message until he finally rearranged it to say 'Salve umbisteneum geminatum Martia proles' ('Hail, twin companionship, children of Mars'), thus confirming his own prediction. 

In fact, his Italian colleague had written nothing of the kind. Galileo's secret message was 'Altissimum planetam tergeminum observavi' ('I have observed the most distant planet to have a triple form'), which related to his mistaking the rings around Saturn for moons.

Messages that we send between two people can be misfired and misinterpreted in so many ways. Emails, texting, body language, words, talking, ESP, mind mending....

If we knew how wrong we could be misunderstood - we would simplify our communication and KISS (keep it simple stupid)!

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." -Albert Einstein

In the Quietest Moments

When life really slows down and in times of perfect stillness, I can put my hand on my heart and feel the pulse of pure gratitude - beating, constantly and continuously.

Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, from the heart or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

Sometimes when life is stressful and we are in reactive or survival mode- it is difficult to be grateful for what we have in our life. We take for granted those that mean the most to us and forget to give thanks. I am ever so grateful for everything that I have in my life.

My family, my friends and those that I am fortunate enough to come across in day to day interactions. For all of this I am truly grateful and blessed.

I had the pleasure to see a group of friends during this Thanksgiving weekend whom I would place in a unique and special class of friends/friendships.