What’s on Mike’s mind?

This short film takes about 16 minutes to watch. It’s definitely worth it!

I came across this link the other day. It is a map, from amazon.com, that tracks American’s book buying. It shows whether a state is red (Republican) or blue (Democrat) by the types of books purchased. Click here to look at it. Most of the states (as of this date) are red. Of course, just because you buy a particular book doesn’t mean that you will vote a certain way. Perhaps the conservatives just read more?

I also wonder what each candidate for President really believes. When I listen to their answers, during interviews, it seems they really don’t have convictions about many issues. On several questions they fumble around with an answer. It doesn’t seem right that someone who aspires to be President can’t clearly articulate their position on issues.

Then I came across this quote:

“One who forms a judgement on any point but cannot explain himself clearly, might as well never have thought at all on the subject.” – Pericles (Athenian statesman)

And then there is this:

Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. - Proverbs 10:14

A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. - Proverbs 12:23

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. - Proverbs 14:3

Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge. - Proverbs 14:7

The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. - Proverbs 15:2

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so. - Proverbs 15:7

The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. - Proverbs 15:14

Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. - Ecclesiastes 4:13

That about sums it up. Scary, isn’t it?

I can’t help it, but I like to get paper statements for my bills and financial transactions. There is something about seeing it in black and white and knowing that the information on it is safe in my files. Now I realize that it is an expense for these companies to send me a paper statement. However, in most cases, they make enough money to send me my copy. Is that selfish? Maybe! Or, maybe not.

The “in” thing this year is to GO GREEN! It is so popular that nearly every envelope from a corporation big enough to have a Go Green Department is telling me to get my statements online and save some trees. Sorry! That is just a cost transfer from them to me. If my statements are online and I need a hard copy, I have to print them on my printer with my ink. Sure, that is good for HP, but costs me money. (Yes, I understand that I pay for my statements in the prices I pay. But, come to think of it, where is my Go Green discount!)

Another thing that I notice in these GO GREEN envelopes are several pages of inserted ads. Shouldn’t they GO GREEN now and eliminate these extra paper-wasting items? Oh, I forget. These ads generate REVENUE. Hmm… Does the revenue bring in more than GO GREEN will save? I’ll leave that up to the accounting department to figure out.

About five or six years ago I started drinking fresh milk. No, this is not milk from the grocery store, but rather it is milk fresh from the cow. Fresh milk is not pasteurized or homogenized and because of that, it has many health benefits. It is hard to find. That is why, for the past three years, we have our own family cows.

Some friends of mine switched to a raw food diet about two years ago. (They seem to be about two years ahead of me on the learning curve.) I thought it was crazy when they told me! Now, I’m not so sure. I have tried a lot of things to restore my health over the past 27 years with little success. Some things helped and some didn’t. I went the route of doctors, prescription medicines, allergy shots, sinus surgery, supplements, cleansing, and improved diet. Of this list, the last two helped the most. The bottom line is that I am still not well. Then came the shocker! I might be getting a cavity.

This may sound hard to believe, but I have never had a cavity. When my dentist told me that one was forming, I could hardly believe it. Something is seriously wrong for my health to deteriorate in this way. I had to start thinking harder about getting well. (Plus, I have this idea that teeth should be able to heal, too.) It may turn out that it is too late for that tooth. Only time will tell. I better get busy researching.

I picked up an odd book at Goodwill. The cover said, “Five Books in a Single Volume!”

1. The Myth of Medicine
2. Program for Perfect Health
3. The Miracle of Living Foods
4. Correct Food Combining
5. Better Sleep for a Better Life

It was the last topic that caught my attention. Lack of adequate sleep is definitely one of my problems. After starting with the last “book,” I continued reading the other “books.” These books cover the topic of Natural Hygiene or Life Science. The books are full of claims, but have very few facts to substantiate them. Life Science seems to be concerned with improving the human race and bringing peace and harmony to the world through a raw vegetable diet and proper living. As near as I can tell, the books are a collection of articles from magazines and pamphlets. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

I don’t believe you can be healthy on vegetables alone. For example, you can’t get vitamin B12 from vegetable sources. With that thought, I went back to my friends and asked a few questions about their raw food diet. They pointed me to the writings of Aajonus Vonderplanitz. I purchased the book The Recipe for Living Without Disease and I am reading it now.

I’m going to stop this post with one more idea and it comes from God’s Word. I have always been perplexed by Genesis 18:1-8. Why? It’s because from the first time I read the passage, I was sure that the meat wasn’t cooked. I said to myself, “But, we always cook meat, don’t we?”

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. Genesis 18:1-8 (KJV)

I read this passage and only the cakes are cooked. This was a meal that Abraham hastened to provide to the three men. Time was not taken to cook the calf. I think that it is even more significant that this meal was prepared for the LORD. Butter, milk, veal, and bread. That sounds like a good meal to me.

This is something I will continue to investigate.

Quoted from the Associated Press.

“I never thought I would hear myself saying this,” Dobson said in a radio broadcast to air Monday. “… While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might.”

What happened to?

Earlier, Dobson had said he could not in good conscience vote for McCain, citing the candidate’s support for embryonic stem cell research and opposition to a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, as well as concerns about McCain’s temper and foul language.

The lessor of two evils is not a vote of conscience or beliefs. It is a pragmatic approach that furthers the decline of the United States. The Christian voting block is a large and powerful one. We can choose (and vote for) a candidate that will work hard to further a platform that is aligned with Biblical values. Read the platform of the Constitution Party.

It’s time to leave the Republican Party behind. Read the Promoting a Culture of Life section of the 2004 platform. For six years the GOP controlled the House, Senate, and the Executive Branch. Did they strike down abortion? No! I was shocked when I heard the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party admit on a radio program that he hadn’t had time to read the party platform!

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)

Don’t pick the lessor of two evils. Vote your convictions, Christian. It is your civic and moral duty.

A little over a year ago, I put out a blog entry called The College CBA. Recently, Vox Day put out a post called More doubts about college. Then, there is an interesting discussion on the Promised Land blog for the post called Where Have All The Daughters Gone?. In it, the observation is made that college and career seems to be the preferred path for homeschooled daughters. Not to leave the sons out, based on my experience, there are many opportunities in the trades. (If you are service-oriented and do a good job at what you promise, you will do well.) I think it is most important that a young man prepare himself to support a wife and children, if he plans to get married. Once again, the bar is not very high for a young man to excel and set himself apart. A job well done or a quality product, or service, are not well known any more. A lot of opportunity is waiting and I do not believe that many of those opportunities absolutely require a college degree.

I received this in a chain email. Normally, I don’t do much with chain emails, but this one had enough common sense in it to be useful. It doesn’t say who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline…. but here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon..Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening… your gallon i s not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank, so you’re getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up — most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

Oh, how I have neglected you! It’s not that I haven’t been busy the first four months of this year! I started two new websites. I kept busy trying to establish my e-commerce business and keep my eBay business growing. Not to mention my family, regular job, 80 mile commute, and new farm!

This is not the typical blogger’s confession. I promise to spend more time with you. Will you forgive me?

Your ever faithful author, Mike.

I needed to create a simple Gantt Chart to communicate a high-level project plan and found this great little tutorial on YouTube.

This is a useful technique to remember. Often project management tools such as Primavera or Microsoft Project are too heavy for communicating at a high level. Most of you stakeholder community needs an easy to understand picture of the project. Excel fits the bill for this.

Thanks to Ralph Phillips for sharing this tutorial.

There are now two “Mikesmind”s blogging.  I monitor blog posts related to my name and the blogs I write.  I have a blog-search defined in Google Reader for mikesmind.  Click here to look at the other mikesmind blog.  He is from Singapore, while I am from Iowa, USA.