Before Cactus and Tropicals, I didn’t know succulents. I didn’t know bonsai. I didn’t know what it was like to stand for a half hour in front of a row of sansevierias, not able to make a decision. But now that I know the place, it’s hard for me to stay away.

I first bought a ficus retusa bonsai tree there, and that hobby is still going strong. Then I discovered succulents, and an additional fascination began. I just love these little things. The different forms and shapes just keep the eye occupied for hours. I especially like the haworthias and agaves. Anything with a point really. I remember in Mexico being intrigued by the giant agaves, so maybe that has something to do with all this. Whatever is this unseen force that has pulled me in, it will take much discipline to contain.

My mom always told me I would appreciate plants and trees one day. She was right.

About a week ago, April and I returned from the MBA International Context Tour in Cambodia and Singapore. It was an experience neither of us will soon forget. I thought I would take a minute to get down some of my thoughts on what we saw.

Siem Reap

We stopped first in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where we saw some amazing ruins. My favorite was probably Angkor Thom (the smiling faces), though Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm were amazing too. The tree roots at Ta Prohm were just fascinating. They have grown so large that they hold up many parts of the structures and can’t be moved. And they were BIG. We could see how a some roots were just entering holes in the stone wall, while others were starting to get so big as to begin breaking the stone around it. And then some were so thick that they had broken through the wall long ago.

Looking up at the faces at Angkor Thom gave me the same feeling I always get when I visit other ruins. I feel this strong sense of the humanity of the place, as it once was. I wonder what kind of life these people led, that they would spend so much time carving these structures. Who walked at the very spot I was standing, and who carved the face? Why so many smiling faces? Whose face was it? I suppose that’s what I love about history; I visit these places and it’s more than stone and ruin. It was a place that I would love to just step back and observe, as it was at it’s peak.

Phnom Penh

In the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, we visited a children’s surgical center, a prosthetics manufacturer, and a artisan school. It brought us out of tourist mode and right into Cambodian life. It was tragic to see that a business like a prosthetics manufacturer has so much business, due to the frequency of land-mine injuries and child deformations stemming from the effects of gasses spread during the Vietman War. The artisan school showed us children learning a craft, and they were very good at it. Their products were beautiful, with prices to match.

Later in Phnom Penh, we visited the killing fields and S-21. The killing fields is home to the genocidal center that stands on ground once reserved for mass graves. The bones are gone from the graves, but they remain open as a reminder of what happened there. There’s a large monument in the middle of the grounds that houses the bones of many victims of the Khmer Rouge. Wooden signs were placed in spots telling exactly what kind of horrible things happened there. I was familiar with the Khmer Rouge before this tour, but I didn’t realize how many millions of their own people they killed in this genocide. It was sobering to say the least.

The neatest part about that day was when we got to meet one of the only seven survivors of Tuol Sleng, or S-21 prison. He walked us around the site, even showing us the very cell where they kept him. This man was kept alive because he had a skill that the Khmer Rouge wanted – he was a mechanic. Listening to him amazed us all because of our view that it would be too hard to talk about. But he told us that it was therapeutic for him, much like other survivors of events like this. They want people to know in hopes that it will never happen again.

Singapore

Our final stop on our trip was Singapore. What a difference it was to go from Cambodia to such a rich and advanced place like Singapore. While we were there, we visited a landscape architecture business and an electronic component manufacturer. Both very enlightening visits. We also got to see the sites; the Merlion and the Singapore flyer were among our visits.

The most interesting thing about Singapore is that so much of life is strictly regulated. It seems like there is a fine for everything you could possibly do wrong. Our tour guide did a great job of explaining how these things were just a part of life there. She also made it a point to assert that their city was advanced in every way because of the regulations. It’s true – they have a beautifully groomed, clean, and incredibly green city. It’s also very expensive. I wondered at what point would I tire of the regulations and want some good old freedom of the kind we enjoy here in the U.S. I agree with a lot of the strict rules they have there, but I agree with personal choice even more, and that’s something that I didn’t see much of in Singapore.

All in all, it was a great trip. I would visit each place again in a heart beat if given the chance. The people in Cambodia were very kind, and invited us all back again as soon as possible. We chose this trip because we weren’t sure if Asia would ever again be on our places to see list, but I liked it so much I think I’ll make it a point to go back.

Sometimes I get this feeling that our country is at the edge of some important precipice that will determine our success or failure sooner than we think. Being a religious person myself, I believe that morality is at the root of it. When the majority of us have lost all sense of what is decent and right, we are in trouble as individuals and as a country. On that note, I want to share this very good George Washington quote. The man knew what he was taking about. Here it comes:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens… Let it simply be asked, where it the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education…reason and experience both forbid us that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

It seems clear enough for me. Morality can’t be maintained without religion, and our country can’t be maintained without morality. I guess we’d better rethink that quest to get rid of all things religious in our culture.

Geothermal energy comes from heated underground water that comes to the surface as steam, which is then purified and used as power.  Sometimes there is water already there underground and other times you would have to re-inject water into the ground.

My father-in-law is big into geothermal.  He could write an extremely lenghy book about it with minimal effort.  Through discussions that I’ve had with him, I’ve learned that the western U.S. is full of geothermal hot spots just waiting to be explored.  His primary interest has been along the border of western Nevada and Eastern California, specifically in the Honeylake area.  He believes, and many others will back him up, that a geothermal plant could have huge success in that area, supplying a lot of energy every year.

I don’t how much energy, but I do know that there was a plant on his land that used to produce.  My father-in-law has been looking at either resurrecting that plant or getting investors to make new ones.  He has approached companies in California, Nevada, and Utah and is hopeful that soon they will see the value that he does in geothermal energy.

Geothermal is renewable, clean, and evidence of its success abounds.  The entire country of Iceland practically runs on geothermal energy.  If others can do it, and we have the resources, we should do it to.

Tags: geothermal energy, Honeylake geothermal, renewable energy, clean energy

Yet is it enough?  Of course not.  The more the better, for with every movie made, so increases the chances that one of the overlooked favorites will get a movie made about them.  Who do I have in mind specifically?  The one and only cajun, Gambit.  And why not, I ask?  He had his own comic book series.  He was and is well loved by any serious X-fan.  He’s got looks, attitude, a romantic story-line, etc.  I don’t think a mere five second appearance in an X-Men movie would do him any justice – he needs his own production.

I’d like to see some others in movies, though they may not appeal to enough fans to have thier own.  I’d like to see Omega Red, Apocalypse, Carnage, and Archangel, among others.  The Angel was good in X3, but Archangel would be so much cooler.  And they’ve got to follow the Phoenix story line so we can have an appearance there.

All I ask is that Gambit gets his movie.  And if not his own, then a very prominant role in another movie.  He is too good not to receive this kind of attention.

Tags: Gambit, X-Men, Marvel movies, Superhero movies

Everyone needs to read this book.  I understand that war histories aren’t everyone’s thing, as my wife reminds me, but this book is so much more than a history of some war that happened a long time ago.  It is about the birth of a nation in the midst of terrible and trying conditions.  It is about the faith and perseverance that the first Americans had to keep going in the face of seeming impossible odds.  And it is an eye-opener to how events really went down that decided the future of this country.

I’ve always thought any book that examines Washington’s life and decisions, if only in part, would be worth a read.  1776 does that, but it also shows us how without so many others and their decisions – officers and soldiers alike, the outcome of the war could have been very different.  You will view Nathanael Green, Henry Knox, and others in new light and with much appreciation for what they did to assist Washington.  And I view the common soldiers with new respect after reading about the conditions that they had to fight through and the courage that many of them had to stay with the army.

Possibly my favorite thing about the book is how McCullough makes note of events that happened during the war that could not be explained.  There were a number of occasions when fogs and storms appeared just when the American needed them.  Many people at the time attributed this to Providence, and I would agree wholeheartedly that that is exaclty what is was.  For those who believe that the founding of this country was made possible by diving intervention, as I do, there are parts of this history that are truly amazing.

It really is a great read that will have you appreciating our great country.  And what better time to read it.

Tags: American Revolution, David McCullough, 1776, Independence Day, George Washington

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant or wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I’m A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Tags: common sense, stories, lawsuits, society

I read in the newspaper this morning that the city of Philadelphia has decided to charge the Boy Scouts of America $200,000 in rent if they don’t allow gays to join their ranks. The Cradle of Liberty Council has paid $1 annually in rent for the past 80 years, but now the city has decided that because the Scout’s meeting place is on city property, they can no longer enjoy their rent free status while maintaining their policy toward gays.

My first question is why Philadelphia has just now decided that this is a violation of city policy. A city ordinance in 1982 stated that it was illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation, an ordinance which I don’t believe applies to the Boy Scouts of America as a private organization. The ordinance was passed in 1982 and there hasn’t been a problem until now?? They’ve just now decided that the Scouts aren’t politically correct??

The city states they are not punishing the Scouts because of their no-gay policy, but because they are congregating on city property. The city says they can’t break ordinance and get free rent too.

it’s sad that Philadelphia has chosen to discount all the good that the Boy Scouts of America do for the city, just to be politically correct and accommodating. The city claims it’s not about punishing the scouts, but they could very easily do the decent thing and continue with the dollar rent. It would harm not a single person. Philadelphia has chosen not what is right, nor what is decent, but what is self-serving.

Thank goodness that The Cradle of Liberty Council has not chosen to compromise their values. If I had the large amount of money that the city is asking for for rent, I would make sure that the Scouts were able to continue enriching the lives of every young man who participates in their council. The Scouts stand for what is good and right, and it would be a shame to see them not able to fund the activities that they need to thrive.

Tags: Boy Scouts of America, Cradle of Liberty Council, Philadelphia , Boy Scouts anti-gay policy

Whether or not Guitar Hero pushes me to purchase a Wii of my own one day is still uncertain. All I know is that when my sister and brother-in-law invited us over to play a few days ago, that miniature plastic Gibson called to me. My excitement heightened when I saw certain songs the game had to offer. I was transported back to 1994, sitting in my room with my Fender, attempting to keep up with Smashing Pumpkins and the like.

For some reason it was a lot easier this time around. I guess it could be because I was only using three buttons instead of six strings, but maybe I’ve just gotten really good as I’ve aged. I way playing on easy, so that might be the reason.

My idea is for a Guitar Hero hair rock edition. I’d love to see Slaughter, Poison, Skid Row, etc. on an upcoming version of the game. My favorites on the version I played were older ones. Hair rock can’t really be called old, but compared to songs made in the last few years, I’ll call them the classics. The classics were the most enjoyable by far.

And if you’ve ever wondered if you could keep up with the likes of White Zombie or Slayer, you can’t. Unless you are really, really good that is. I couldn’t keep up with Slayer on easy, so I can’t even imagine it on hard. And that’s just five buttons.

Tags: guitar hero, rock music, Nintendo Wii, video games