Simple Truths and Other Oxymorons

Best Free, Legal Software for Business

2011-06-09T15:27:00.001-07:00

By now you have probably heard of Open Office (Win/Mac). It is the open source answer to expensive commercial office software and while it does not have all the same bells and whistles, it does the job nicely and in some cases, even better.

Create documents and spreadsheets, graphs, presentations, databases and much more with this innovative software. Insert video, graphics and sound. Files can be saved in many common document formats or exported as a PDF. That's impressive. No other office program allows you to directly export all documents, spreadsheets and presentations to PDF with one click. Get it here:http://www.openoffice.org/

It does not have a clip art gallery but don't let that stop you. You can create your own very easily by using the Open Clip Art Library. Just download the file, and add it to the gallery in Open Office. Full instructions on how to do this are right here!

What's missing? It does not have an integrated email program. However, Mozilla Thunderbird is an excellent open source email program and Mozilla Lightning, a calendar and task program, is the perfect extension for Thunderbird. Upgrading from other email clients like Outlook or Outlook Express is easy.

Accounting

Gnucash (Win/Mac) is an actively updated open source accounting software that works on all operating systems. It's easy to use for personal accounting but powerful enough for a small business. You can track your bank accounts, stocks and monitor your income and expenses on an intuitive interface.

There are features for customer and vendor tracking, invoicing and bill payment as well as tax and billing terms. Need to find a transaction quickly? Gnucash can do it! Gnucash also handles several currencies.

It comes with a manual that takes you through every step of monitoring your home accounts or business transactions. Get it here: http://www.gnucash.org/

Hint: Don't install all the extras that come with the package if you don't need them. The basic install will work well for most people. READ THE MANUAL.

Gnucash Interface

PDF Split and Merge

OS Independent. That means we can all use it! It does just what it says. It allows you to edit your PDFs so if something didn't print properly, you can print only the missing portion and not the whole document. Move things around all you like. The interface is intuitive and that cuts the learning curve way down. Have a look at the screenshot below and if you like the idea of having control over your PDFs, get the program here.

Point of Sale Software

If you have a small retail business or restaurant and need Point of Sale software that will serve multiple computers on a single database, look no further. Lemon POS is the way to go. It is designed for Linux and Unix systems and has many of the features built into the expensive software. It uses MySQL and because it's Unix based, you don't have the worry of viruses attacking your data. Want to get it now? Download here.

Be aware that support is minimal at this point and can only be obtained by contacting the developer. You may have to fend for yourself and search out information on forums but this is likely to change as more people start using the software.

It's amazing what is out there for free. You just have to look around. Happy hunting!

How to Add Clipart to Open Office
Clipart galleries in OpenOffice are limited only by your imagination. Adding to them in any way you wish is very simple. Here's how!
Best Free, Legal Software for Just About Everything Creative!
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When I first saw this software, I couldn't believe it was open source. It rivals the best of the best commercial software and will create a PDF that is professional commercial grade. Use it to create...

Best Free Software for Writers

2011-06-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

Everything you need for professional results

Source: Scribus
Source: Scribus
Scribus
Win/Mac When I first saw this software, I couldn't believe it was open source. It rivals the best of the best commercial software and will create a PDF that is professional commercial grade. Use it to create magazines, illustrated how-to books, travel books, brochures, textbooks, children's books, and the list goes on.
There is a complete online manual with a section for newbies to help you get started. It rivals programs like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress so be prepared to stretch your brain cells a bit if you have never used a commercial publishing program.
Although there is a fairly steep learning curve, there are lots of tutorials and a large community of users ready to help.
Once you have your masterpiece created in PDF (which plays nicely with iPad), you can convert to whatever file format you need for book sales. See the information on Calibre at the end of this article.
Get Scribus here!
Storybook 2.1.14
Storybook works in both Win and Mac*/Linux. If you need help organizing your characters, timeline, and chapters and want help managing all the ideas that are swirling in your head before you get a chance to jot them down in a draft, then you may want to have a look at this software. The developer refers to it as a 'dynamic mind map'.
Let's suppose you realize that a character needed to reveal a fact much earlier on in the novel. Storybook can take you quickly to the location and the character with the click of a button. Below is a screenshot of what you would see.

Source: Storybook

If you are a visual person, seeing the characters and where they are at any given time can make constructing your novel or short story much easier and solve continuity issues before they begin. The trouble with this is that it could be so much fun planning that there is very little writing being done.

Source: Storybook

Source: Storybook

All in all it is great software for planners and planning your bestseller is essential. Most commercially successful books are written to formula. You can find all the tutorials you will ever need for using this software right here. It is easy to use and there is no huge learning curve involved. The biggest challenge you will have is to stop playing and get busy writing.
Get Storybook here!
If you are a Mac user, you can get the Linux version but you should be computer savvy. Here's the official statement from Storybook:
*Mac OS X is officially not supported!
If you have technical knowledge (Unix tools, console / terminal), you may try the version for Linux.

An other option is using a Virtual Machine such as VirtualBox (Open Source) or VmWare.

What it comes down to for Mac users who are not computer savvy is that they need to buy Windows 7. VirtualBox works only on Leopard and Snow Leopard. However, these versions already come with Boot Camp which will partition your drive so you can use both operating systems. However, VirtualBox uses memory only while open and does not physically partition your drive. Do some research and choose which way you want to go. Personally, getting computer savvy enough to use some Unix tools and the terminal makes more sense to me but if you have OSX 10.6 and above, it will prove daunting unless you are an Apple developer.
Converting PDFs to ePub
Don't you just love generous developers? Most writers are avid readers so I was thrilled to find Calibre (Win/Mac), another open source and very easy to use program for not only converting your writing to formats for eReaders but for organizing and converting files for output to your own device. It organizes your library, adds missing metadata by searching the Internet for you, allows editing of tags, downloads news from RSS feeds, and then converts it all for whatever reader you are using.
Rather than go into a lengthy description of all the incredible things this program does, here is a video from the developer. It's the perfect tour of this elegant little program.
Caution: When converting PDFs, make sure any vector graphics have been changed to image formats like .jpg otherwise the image will be dropped in the conversion.
Get Calibre here!
Calibre in Motion
There are lots more tools out there but really, how many does a writer need? It's time to start creating and publishing!
More Free Software
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How to Add Clipart to Open Office
Clipart galleries in OpenOffice are limited only by your imagination. Adding to them in any way you wish is very simple. Here's how!

Best Free, Legal Software for Just About Everything Creative!
This is how I feel when I buy new, expensive software Is your communications bill rivaling your mortgage? Does the cost of some software and services price you right out of the market? Even if you do save...

Best Free Software for Creative People

2011-06-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel when I buy new, expensive software

Ozzie's in the background...

Is your communications bill rivaling your mortgage? Does the cost of some software and services price you right out of the market? Even if you do save enough for the new, improved version it will be outdated tomorrow and it will cost you more to upgrade. If it feels like the technology race never ends and you just can't keep up, you are not alone. There are commercials now that focus on the decisions people are making about what service to drop because, quite frankly, many of us just can’t afford the ridiculous rates. Some companies are recognizing this and offering some kind of solutions but you will not get something for nothing; you have to purchase the buyback program when you buy your item. Just think of it like obsolescence insurance and then think about the massive profit margins that facilitate it.

But it doesn't end there

There is a lot of greed, proposed access controls and copyright amendments geared toward altering the average person’s opportunity to digitally create, explore and use the Internet. Let’s just remember one thing. The Internet is free. It is meant to globally connect people, information and ideas. The access to the Internet and the information on the Internet is not necessarily free. As we saw previously, nor is the hardware that gets us there.

Sick of software gouging?

One particular imaging editing software company would not let me update cross-platform. This means, if you change your operating system, you have to buy new software at the full price even though you have been legitimately purchasing and licensing their software at full cost. I don’t know about you, but I find that twist infuriating. I have software sitting on my shelf that will never be used and quite frankly, I can’t afford to do that again.

I don’t feel like spending more cash to use Windows programs on my Mac. Really. I bought a Mac so I wouldn’t have to fight with Windows anymore. Yes, if you migrate to Mac Intel and have OS X v10.5 or later, you can buy Windows 7 so you can use your Windows based software that was sold to you as universal. But just try and use Mac software on Windows. Ha! Well, yes you can but it involves installing VirtualBox (free) and buying Mac OSX. It’s not just software. Sometimes it is services that are interrupted because certain corporations are fighting with each other and the consumer is left out in the cold. Confusing? It’s enough to make the most law-abiding citizens consider pirating. However, if you care about keeping the Internet open for everyone, don’t resort to pirating. There are some excellent legal alternatives that won’t cost you a dime.

High Quality Programs for FREE

Here are some of the best. They are FREE open source programs and not just trial versions. This list is by no means comprehensive but it does give you a place to start. If there are some you use and love, let me know so we can add them here.

Internet TV and Video Player

Miro is a completely free open source Internet TV and video player and some swear it surpasses iTunes in many ways. It handles HD flawlessly and plays any video file. When you expand it to full screen, it will knock your socks off. Windows and Mac. You can get it through CNET where it has a 5 star Editor rating.

Photo Editing

Paint.net - http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

Image editing program with many of the features of expensive imaging software including layers, drawing tools, gradients and much more. It’s intuitive, easy to learn, has readily available tutorials and a forum where you can find answers to just about anything. Unfortunately, this program works on Windows only.

For all the Mac users out there, GIMP is still your best bet for free imaging software. Find it here: http://www.gimp.org/

Vector Drawing

If you’ve ever wished for a vector drawing program but just can’t afford Illustrator or CorelDraw, try Inkscape. Get it at: http://inkscape.org/ It isn’t quite as comprehensive as the commercial software but it is surprisingly close. For instance, it supports markers, clones, alpha blending and you can edit nodes, trace bitmaps and perform complex path operations. Create your own illustrated links. Yes, it’s as easy as right-clicking. Want to try your hand at mapmaking? Inkscape handles it and it works on Windows and Mac. Works in 2D only.

A sample of work from the Open Clipart Library

Clipart

Open Clip Art Library -http://www.openclipart.org/ gives you free clip art in SVG or PNG formats without the risks of malware and other nasties so common on other sites. It is amazing! Graphics programs create what is called Scalable Vector Graphics or SVG files. Unless otherwise noted on individual files, it is all Public Domain even for commercial use. Use your free open source Inkscape and upload clipart for others to use. Giving back is always a good thing. It keeps the balance.

Amazing 3D

If you find yourself needing a 3D program, Blender may be your answer. Download it at: http://www.blender.org/ It works for all major operating systems and has an active community. If you are new to the world of 3D, there is Blender Quickstart and many tutorials including a huge collection specifically for beginners.Windows and Mac. They even have an official YouTube channel where you can keep up with the conferences: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderFoundation

Making Movies?

Video Editing can be done with simple software that is part of Windows and Mac but when you want to step it up beyond that, there are some alternatives.

Avidemux gets high ratings for ease of use, great tutorials, and it even has support for MKV. Get it here:http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/

AVS Video Editor gets good marks from users but is available only for Windows. It’s part of a whole suite of products that includes an audio editor, video and audio converter, image converter, as well as DVD authoring and copying. CNET gives it a 5 star rating. Have a look: http://www.avsmedia.com/

For Linux/Mac there is the award winning Cinelerra. We are talking true broadcast quality. The interface is similar to Adobe Premiere Pro but it also has some of the attributes of Adobe After Effects and Shake. This software is not recommended for the newbie or those who are faint of heart but it does pack a professional punch. If you are on a Windows platform, you can try it out before making any major changes to your computer. Get it here: http://cinelerra.org/

A new kid on the block in this area is the cross-platform OpenShot 1.3.0 with loads of transitions and effects including 3D animated title sequences. See it and download here: http://www.openshot.org/

Music Recording & Editing

Audacity is a free cross-platform sound editor for both recording and editing. It’s simple to use and fast. You can also convert all your old tapes and records with it. Supports VST Plugins but is separate because of licensing (not all are free). I’ve cleaned up many a track with this software: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

For Windows users, there’s Kristal Audio Engine but be warned. It requires a minimum of 1 Ghz so if you don’t have at least that, don’t even think of installing it. If you are exploring recording, mixing and mastering digital audio, then you just might love it. Handles only 16 tracks at the moment but may expand soon. If you are a complete newbie, this will be more than you can handle anyway so you’ll need some tutorials. They are readily available online by searching Google. Note that some plugins are not free. Get the software here:http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Another example from the Open Clipart Library

Public Domain Music

If you are not musically inclined but want some instrumentals for the fantastic videos you have created, find some here:http://www.opensourcemusic.com/

Or go for the motherlode of free music at: http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_audio

Credit where credit is due

All the photos in this article are from another fabulous resource: morgueFile

It's a public image archive free to search and free to use. Some photographers like to know where their work is being used while others do not. Comments are always welcome.

A final thought

Remember to check the Public Domain and Creative Commons licensing associated with all photography, clipart, music, or anything else someone has created for you to use online. Some are personal use only or require attribution. Others require no attribution and are free for all uses including commercial. It’s there for free and the best way to say thank you is by following the terms.

Remember, if you like what you are using and the developer accepts donations, by all means send something! It doesn't have to be a lot but it is a great way to say thanks and keep Open Source available.

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Where to find the best free open source clipart: How to add clipart to OpenOffice

2011-06-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

This seems like a lengthy article but it is mostly taken up with descriptive screenshots so don't panic. The process is easy and it is written for beginners. Clipart libraries are very limited in OpenOffice. To access them, go to the top toolbar and click on Tools and then on Gallery.

You have a choice of icon only or icon and text view (see arrow in Fig. 1) and you can switch back and forth with the small icons located at the upper left side of the gallery.

The screenshot (Fig. 1) shows my choices when I open Writer, the word processing program in OpenOffice.

Just pretend the folder called Food and Drink Clipart is not there yet. I'm going to show you how to create it a bit later. There are backgrounds, sounds, bullets etc. but no drawings or photos like you can find in the commercial versions of office software.

Fig. 1

Let's suppose I am composing a newsletter about a local café and I want to include clipart of food and drink. There is no such clipart native to OpenOffice so I'm going to have to add it myself. First, I selected some clipart that I liked from OpenClipart, downloaded the Lossy PNG version, and saved it to a folder on my desktop. SVG is for working in vector graphics programs like Adobe Illustrator or the open source (free) program, Inkscape, where you can change the image.

Read more about free programs for creative people here. Control-Click in Windows or Command-Click Mac so you don't lose your place here.

I don't want to change a thing so PNG will work just fine and allow me to use the clipart immediately in my newsletter. Then I realized the clipart I was selecting really fell into two categories, colour and black & white.

Since I enjoy writing articles about yesteryear, the black & white images would come in handy but to avoid endless searching through tons of clipart in one category, it would be better divided. I made another folder, named it for the black and white images and moved the black & white images into the folder. Set up your system for how you work.

Next, let's create that new clipart folder. Click on New Theme. A box will open as you see below in Fig. 2. In the General Tab, type in the name of your new clipart theme. In this case, I chose Food and Drink Clipart.

Fig. 2

Don't click on OK yet. Switch to the File tab as shown in Fig. 3. In the drop down box for File type, you can leave it as All Files or you can select only one file type. In this case, I selected PNG since this is the file type I want to add to the Gallery and I may have other types in my folder, like movie files or sound files, that I don't want added. Of course, since I just created this folder it really isn't necessary but now you know you have choices.

Updating the file list isn't necessary so I will click No. Then I will click Find Files.

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

As soon as I select the folder containing the files I wish to add, the window populates (Fig. 4) with the file names of everything that matches the file type I chose in Fig. 3. Now I can highlight individual files and click Add or I can Add All. I chose to Add All.

Fig. 5

My new theme has been saved and the clipart has been imported, ready to use. See Fig. 5. Now I am going to create a separate theme for my black and white images. Click on New Theme and give it a name (Fig. 6) as we did before, then click the File tab and proceed to select the files from the folder containing black and white clipart.

Fig. 6

But wait. This isn't very organized. Both new themes are Food and Drink but they are separated in the list by the names I chose (Fig. 7). In the interests of efficiency, we are going to change this.

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Right-click to open the menu and select Rename (Fig. 8). It's that simple. I chose to start the file name the same as the first one so they would appear together in the menu (Fig. 9). You can also access the Property box for each theme at any time by right-clicking. This makes it very easy to add new clipart.

Fig. 9

Now I want to add some photographs for a museum website I am creating with OpenOffice. Following the same procedure click New Theme and in the General Tab, name your theme (Fig. 10) then click Files and select them from your folder to populate the window (Fig. 11) and add as you wish. In this case, they are JPGs already optimized for web. If at some point in the future I want to add higher resolution photos to print in brochures, I can change the theme name to differentiate.

Fig. 10

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

You can create as many themes as you wish and organize them the same way as other commercial clipart galleries. Fig. 12 shows how I have chosen to set it up for how I use OpenOffice. Use your own photos or go here to find more information about how to use images.

Have fun!

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Religious Tolerance: Essential for Survival

2011-06-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Source: jmhullot

United we stand and divided we fall. This we know for sure. History has proven this statement true for as long as we humans have been recording it. So what is different this time?

This is the first time in recorded human history that we have had mass communication that allows every person, who has access to a computer connected to the Internet by a nationally neutral server, to have an uncensored voice. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on whether or not you hold a megalomaniacal view, that may be coming to an end for Americans. The American government can breathe more easily as they do already in North Korea and Thailand. But how to get people who love freedom on board with this? Aha! Let’s divide them.

There are writers who are more than willing to drink the fluoride and tow the party line if there is something in it for them. Isn’t that the American way? Sure it is! It’s called capitalism. So let’s capitalize on fear, ignorance, greed, and every other base human trait and say it’s in the name of God. Cool. I'll make money and anyone who disagrees with me is a heathen and a traitor. You don’t even have to be American to be a traitor to the United States anymore. The treatment of Julian Assange has paved the way for that one.

The rallying cry is Believers (in what, isn’t exactly clear in the article I read, since it was expanded shortly after publication from those who believe in Jesus Christ to now include Muslims and Jews ) versus Non-Believers.

Jews do not worship Jesus. Muslims do not worship Jesus. So now the article in question has become an inflammatory Us and Them except for those who can beat you up on the way home from school and those who shared their sandwich with you. If you automatically typecast on that one, shame on you.

The last time I’ve seen something quite this simple was on the elementary school playground during recess and today, we call that behavior bullying.

This article names Buddhists as being among those in the enemy camp. This probably comes as no surprise to the Dalai Lama, which may be why he is trying to lead his people to religious tolerance and harmony. I’m not sure, but I imagine Gandhi is also on the kaka list since Hinduism was not mentioned among the good and true. Neither are the native Americans. In fact, their beliefs are clearly listed as among the opposition.

History remembers tirades like this. People were killed, holy places burned, and suspicion reigned supreme so that unscrupulous and manipulative people could gain and maintain control.

Jesus was not a bully as far as I know. He embraced strangers, told stories of working together to make life better for everyone and not once embraced and endorsed a political party. He did have an issue with those in positions of power who used beliefs to manipulate people and maintain political control.

What would Jesus do?

Well, let’s look at what Jesus did instead of making it up to gain HubPage views or votes. He had a lot of issues with both the Pharisees and Sadducees and found himself in conflict with them most of the time. Who were these people?

The Sadducees were mostly the aristocrats of the day and they were usually wealthy and held powerful positions. The ruling council was called the Sanhedrin and Sadducees held the majority of seats. They usually went along with Rome’s decisions and were more concerned with politics even though they maintained a pious view and were more conservative when it came to the Word of God. They gave authority to only the written Word. It is also important to note that what they actually did was often at odds with the scripture they held holy.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, gave the oral tradition equal authority. The Sadducees often had to go along with the more liberal ideas of the Pharisees because the common man related much more with this party.

Muslim prayers

Source: Muhammed Rehan

Holy Baptism in the Roman Catholic Church

Source: Melchior 2006

Dalai Lama awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, October 2007, Washington DC

Source: Mark Peters on Flickr

Hindu marriage ceremony

Source: Ricardo Martins

Jewish chaplain conducts services aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

Source: U.S. Navy on Wikipedia

Political & Religious Arenas

While both parties can be commended for doing the best job they knew how to do, let’s not neglect the blatant similarities to today’s American Conservatives and Liberals or Republicans and Democrats. Why do some people think Jesus would feel any differently now than he did then?

Remember the old adage “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”? There you have it. What you think, imagine, or believe does not count. What you do counts. If it works to bring people together in harmony, it is by nature in keeping with the teachings of many great men, Jesus among them.

Can you think of anything more insidious and quite frankly, evil, than dividing and judging people according to their thoughts and ideas? George Orwell covered that quite nicely in his novel 1984. His timing was off slightly but the message is one to heed. The Internet is like the modern Garden of Eden. You have free will and can write and read whatever you like but remember that ultimately, it is what you do that counts. If you use this gift to cause harm by dividing people, according to all major religions, it will not go well for you.

Remember, we do not have the answers. We have only guidelines. If you are a person who holds the Bible as a holy book, then you know that to be true. You do not have the answers. We are told that now we see through a glass darkly. Does it really take being hit over the head with a 2 x 4 to understand that WE DON’T KNOW. The paradox is that to assume otherwise is to challenge the very God you are striving to believe in.

The books are here to read and learn how societies can work better if we make laws that follow a certain mode of behavior.

I may choose to believe some ideas to be true but that does not make them true for everyone. What matters to me more is how we behave day to day.

How we treat this earth matters more than whether God created it in seven days or it is the result of a big cosmic bang. Respect the earth.

How we treat each other matters more than whether we are all the result of incest or of evolution. Respect each other.

If you believe you have found a good path, then by all means share it by your actions and not your dogma. Share what you have with your neighbor who is in need. Share your gifts to make the world brighter than it was before your birth.

These problems are not new. The fighting and bickering over what makes a real Christian and what the emerging church esteemed goes back a long way. Paul addressed exactly this issue in his letter to the Corinthians while attempting to convert them to Christianity.

Jesus did not address any such thing - ever!

Religion and politics do not mix. Keep them separate or they will both be denigrated. When they become one and the same, they are both defeated.

1 Corinthians 12:1-10

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What do I take from this?

It’s simple. We know nothing of the workings of the universe so for now, just shut up, do the right thing, and be the best person you know how to be without hurting anyone else. Regardless of doctrine, you’ve been shown a way, not given the key to the entire universe.

Wait a minute! Isn’t that a Buddhist directive? Yes, it is.

This hub is not to ridicule or deride anyone for their beliefs, but it is certainly meant to deride those who use honest people and religion as an excuse for control, power, war, or personal gain.

If your perception of God has a trick question section, shame on you! And shame on me for giving you page views and comments. I will not change anything by challenging your words and engaging in a pedantic dance. Change may occur if I accord you respect as a human being. Instead of finding fault with you, I could appeal to you to be your personal best and assure you that you do not have to diminish others in order to further your own journey.

Let's all have some respect and start behaving in a way that reflects the true values of the real people of a free world. Right now we have a voice. Let's use it! Together we are a choir. Divided we are only voices crying in the wilderness.

What is Politically Correct?

2011-06-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

More and more statements are coming under fire for wording that is being viewed as politically incorrect. I think we all agree that negative statements about specific people, cultures, or belief systems validly falls into this category but in some cases, are we going too far?

On the contrary, perhaps we are not going far enough.

(Badly drawn conclusions by SilverGenes)

The sign above is not politically correct. Although it does not identify in writing any particular species as being a predator, the illustration clearly indicates a shark. Is this fair? That depends on your view. Fairness, like pornography, is a question of geography. Is it politically correct? Absolutely not. The dangerous marine life might be a shark but one could put forth the argument that it may just as easily be a jellyfish, crab, moray eel, or a psychotic sea cucumber. Let's be very clear. It is no longer considered correct to insinuate in any way that there are any differences in people, places, celebrations or events unless, of course, you include and embrace ALL people, places, celebrations or events.

Let's study the box of crayons below.

Source: Nathan Gibbs

Kermit and friend clubbing in Aspen.

Source: Asparagirl

Not a company to miss out on opportunity, Crayola has issued their special Multicultural pack that includes eight skin tones innocuously named white, apricot, peach, mahogany, tan, burnt sienna, sepia and black. Weren’t these colors already included in the original pack? Yes, indeed they were, but someone at Crayola had the bright idea to use our social insecurities as marketing tools. However, it occurs to me that this sort of thinking serves to divide and categorize people even further on a prejudicial basis. And does anyone on earth have white or black skin color? No. We are all varying shades of brown.

Naughty, naughty, Crayola! In their bid for political correctness, they are flagrantly politically incorrect. I could write them a nasty letter but wouldn’t have a clue as to what color crayon to use. I thought perhaps green would be safe but then remembered that sad song by Kermit the frog, or rather I should say, Kermit the amphibian species.

So instead, I am posting a lovely little poem by Emily Dickenson with the appropriate political corrections in italics.

I’m nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!

They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like an amphibian species

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring dryness-challenged area!

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse

Source: C. K. Hartman

The Odyssey Part 2-Five Day Report

2009-04-24T15:53:00.003-07:00

This has been an interesting work-week. Beginning on Monday morning, I have been using Sun Warrior protein powder as my only food. It's a well-balanced mix of amino acids, vitamins and minerals and I have been blending this powder with water, taking it to work with me and having one cup every two hours. The one saving grace is that it is chocolate flavored powder. Even though it is one of the best tasting protein powders out there, by 4 p.m. it tastes more like 'chalkolate' than the nectar of the gods. Added to this glorious diet is all the organic green tea I can drink. I have been going with the mango, berry, and jasmine green teas and brewing about two litres at a time in my handy-dandy tea thermos from Costco. Supplements are at a minimum since the whole idea is to shock the body into believing it has to burn all that nutrition I have been stashing in my body fat to survive. Apparently, it's working. Between Monday and Friday, I have lost 6.5 pounds and have not been hungry, tired, or otherwise inconvenienced. There was a slight headache the first couple of days but nothing that couldn't be taken care of nicely with a cup of skullcap tea.

Not bad. I expected it to be much worse. I do miss food, though. It's not the hunger part at all - it's the pleasure of tasting and enjoying flavor. I've come to realize that eating, one way or another, is at the core of most of my social interactions.

There are a group of people out there who have made 'minimum calorie/maximum nutrition' a lifestyle. This movement developed from some rather compelling research that has shown a direct correlation to calorie intake and longevity. Those little lab rats that ate a very calorie restricted diet outlived the rest by sometimes as much as 50% while maintaining good health and an excellent quality of life - aside from being denied the pure pleasure built into eating. I am not concerned with living to 130+ unless all my friends and family were doing the same. For now, I am concerned with resetting my hypothalamus and eating well after doing so.

Time for another chalkolate shake.

The Odyssey Part 1- Health and Weight Loss

2009-04-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Given the dizzying array of choices in natural health, I have opted to make myself a guinea pig to see how it all turns out. Make no mistake. I am not a virgin dieter nor am I a virgin health promoter. I have no monetary interest in how this experiment turns out but I do have an inherent interest in not passing out during this phase.

Let's be candid. Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry. Is it in the best interests of anyone to divulge the secrets without securing a position of gain? No. What is my position and how do I gain? Nothing and not at all. I am a regular person with a weight issue. Even worse, I am a woman with hormones coming into play. So here it is.

I am now menopausal. That means I have passed one year without having a menstrual period . It does not mean I have not had cramping, sore breasts, foul moods, hot flashes and insomnia. I have had some or all of these symptoms at one time or another. The jokes are to send the number of menopausal women in America to Afghanistan with AK47s and we could end the war. This is probably more true than it is funny. I am a boomer and proud of it. That came to me in a flash as I was editing my profile on here and realized that publishing my age is a good thing, not something to hide. I know more because I have lived more. Am I incompetent because of it? No, quite the contrary. I am in the wonderful position of beginning to understand the needs and necessities as well as the contraindications of being human. I am female and everything I have to share is based on my experience as such. I have had children early and I have had children late. My hormones and the intelligence I have inherited have made me what I am. So here is my story.

Am I obese? No. Not in the strict sense of the term. But I am overweight in comparison with what I should be for optimum health. I feel it in my everyday activities. Beyond this, I see a very real difference in performance. My muscles are not there to support me in ways they once were and I am not ready to accept this as an inevitable part of aging. I have tried every diet under the sun and with no long-term success. So what is the answer? I don't have a definitive answer but I am embarking on an experimental journey and invite you to join me with questions, comments, and suggestions as I go forward.

The last thirty days have been spent cleaning up my nutritional act, which means cutting out additives and eating organically. On Monday, April 20th I will begin a 2 to 3-week program of maximum nutrition while maintaining just under 500 calories a day in an attempt to reset my hypothalamus. I am not recommending this to anyone else but will journal my experience here and record everything as it happens. Wish me luck.

Health Canada

2009-04-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

Immortality - Is It Possible? was the title of my article for a journalism class many years ago. I admit to using blatant tools of the trade to incite readership but despite the provocative headline, there was some very compelling research that supported the idea. I'm not talking about the sensational reports. We have all heard the Walt Disney and cryogenics story. Wishing upon a star and freezing whatever is left at the end of the day is not what this is about. Nor is it about proving the biblical stories true - nobody in living memory has lived 800 or more years. This is about real possibilities.

The human body is made to be regenerative. This is not fantasy. This is fact. We regenerate cells every minute. How these cells are reproduced is both the problem and the answer. As we age, things change. Why? Because we change our environment and we change the input to our genetic code.

Two of the nutrients I am most interested in are acetyl l-carnitine and l-carnitine. They are not the same. One is a precursor of the other and they do very different things. First of all, they are not amino acids as was once thought. They are part of the vitamin B complex. L-carnitine is important in maintaining muscle and is valuable in protecting the heart and all muscles in the body. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, it protects the muscles from wasting away. Acetyl l-carnitine is what l-carnitine is transformed into. It crosses the blood/brain barrier and has been shown in recent studies to be of major importance in treating and reversing Alzheimers disease, enhancing the capacity of Downs Syndrome patients, preventing and reversing dementia, and otherwise reversing the memory loss and alleviating other neuro-deficiencies in aging. Both aid in the conversion of fat and the health of mitochondria in the process. Why is it illegal now to buy in Canada without a prescription? Because Health Canada has decreed you now need a prescription which protects the pharmaceutical companies that have otherwise no vested interest in your health. It's all about money. If it works, regulate it and make sure only those who can pay can receive it.

Speak out now before it is too late. Being Canadian has long meant being polite and speaking softly when it comes to change but we can learn from our American neighbours without adopting the things we don't like. Make change for the good and make it now. It's now or never for your parents' health, for your own, and for that of your children. Demand change in our laws and when prescriptions are necessary, shop at Costco for better prices!