Words of Wisdom - Rev Run

I skipped a quote, so posting two today - just a traveler


Good morning.

God hides himself in small things. Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.

God is Love
Rev Run




He who desires but does not act breeds pestilence.....
A human being has no discernible character until he acts....(Get busy!!)
You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do!

God is Love
Rev Run

Welcome to Zombo com

Okay, I was ready to stop with the offbeat sites for today, but whooah I found something else that I just had to share . . . just a traveler

Where can you go online where ANYTHING is possible?
The only limit is YOURSELF . . .

http://www.zombo.com/

Beans Around the World

Today is just one of those days for finding crazy, offbeat websites, and this is definitely one of the best . . . just a traveler

Arriving at the site, here's what it says, "The amazing (but true!) journey of a can of S & W® brand black beans as they make their way across this great land of ours, and to other nations!"

No kidding - this can of beans is better traveled that most people, and has been to 513 cities, which includes many international destinations. Check to see if the beans have visited your city.

Beans Around the World

Best Bathrooms in the World

Who knew? A site about the best bathrooms in the world - head on over and see the best in the world . . . I must admit, there are some pretty fine places - just a traveler

Best Bathroom to Embrace Materialism or to Renounce It, once and for all!
3-D Gold Store, Hong Kong


The toilet bowls, wash basins, toilet brushes, toilet paper holders, mirror frames, wall-mounted chandeliers and even wall tiles and doors are all made of solid gold. Embedded in the floor at the entrance are gold bars and studding the ceiling are 6,200 diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. The store’s owner was inspired by Vladimir Lenin’s vision of gold toilets for the masses.

The Bathroom Diaries - World's Best Bathrooms

Trying to Save Venice

I have always been fascinated by Venice - a city built on water, and slowly sinking and rotting away . . . the place has to smell real moldy - just a traveler

The $7 billion "Moses Project" is an engineering experiment designed to regulate the tides in the lagoon and prevent sudden flooding, but still allowing cruise and container ships to pass through.

Venice is just one of the oldest, and more famous low lying cities in the world in danger of disappearing as the polar ice caps melt.

I read an article by Doug Saunders at the Globe and Mall, and here's what he had to say about what it's like arriving at your hotel in Venice:

"As the water taxi budged its way through the labyrinth of canals one grey Wednesday recently, I knew what was coming. Up ahead, at my hotel, was a porter, on the dock, holding out a pair of knee-high black rubber boots.

I slipped them on, squeaked my way clear of the boat's mahogany frame, and sloshed my way through the lobby's ankle-high inundation until I washed ashore at the reception desk. Someone handed me a glass of prosecco, as if to congratulate me for my nautical accomplishment.

For people who actually live in Venice, a dozen centimetres of water on the floor offers no such sense of adventure. The romance of living in a 1,300-year-old city built on wooden stakes driven into the mud floor of a lagoon is dimmed by the floods, which take place at least 100 days of the year, usually starting in November. Battered by tidal surges from the east and river influxes from the West, Venice is the world's first city – but certainly not the last – to know what it's like when the sea is reaching your knees."

Read the full article - Saving Venice

A Dollar Ain't What It Used To Be

So what's the Fed going to do? Well, at this point it really doesn't make much difference . . . just a traveler

Bad news agains for those of us with U.S. dollar bills in our pockets and bank accounts. The dollar slid to yet another record low against the euro, and other foreign currencies.

Investors are betting that the Fed cuts interest rates again to help the economy, but lower rates could further weaken the dollar because investors will move their money to other assets that will bring them higher returns.

The sub-prime mortgage market scandal continues to hurt the U.S. banking and credit markets since the global European markets bought into these sub-prime investments thinking they were assets - which have now turned into liabilities.

When the Fed increases interest rates, that helps to slow inflation by making the cost of borrowing money more expensive. But last month the Fed cut interest rates mainly to reassure the global financial markets - but its hard to put an economic strategy together with a failed product - and unfortunately for Americans that failed product is the U.S. dollar.

Not only did the euro benefit from the soft dollar, the Australian and Canadian dollars also hit the highest level in over 20 years against the dollar.

We all better get some of these other dollars!
And Silver and Gold are good investments, but this "paper" is going down the tubes.

Day of Action for Darfur

Received this e-mail from Electronic Village, and thought I would share with readers . . . just a traveler.

Day of Action for Darfur

Posted: 25 Oct 2007 07:15 PM CDT

One of the most powerful statements that I've seen by any blogger on the genocide in Darfur is posted by Purple Zoe over on the Ultraviolet Underground. Here is a taste of her message:

"My Pledge to Boycott the US sponsors of the Olympic Games Hosted by China

After having written to the sponsors of the Olympic Games and receiving empty letters of some (not all) of the sponsors that basically refused to apply pressure (Adidas was even sarcastic in nature and advised they are a sneaker company and not a grassroots political organization...), I am boycotting the corporate sponsors of the Olympic games who will not use their strength to persuade China to take serious action in regards to the genocide in Darfur, a region they have a great deal of economic influence over.

These companies will not receive a dime of my money as long they support China without challenging more resolute action for aiding Darfur. I may not spend a dime with them for the duration of the genocide in Darfur, and may never spend a dime with them again.Plain and simple.

Here are their names: Adidas; Anheuser-Busch; Atos Origin; BHPBilliton; Coca-Cola; General Electric; Johnson & Johnson; Kodak; Lenovo Group Limited; Manulife; McDonalds; Microsoft; Panasonic; Samsung; Staples; Swatch; UPS; Visa; and Volkswagen."

Villagers, I encourage to take a moment to read her full post on actions that we can take to end the genocide in Darfur. The question we must ask ourselves ... what are we going to do?

Words of Wisdom Rev Run

The faultfinder will find faults even in paradise. The world is like a mirror; frown at it, and it frowns at you. Smile and it smiles, too. :-)

God is Love
Rev Run

Ashes and Snow - Feather to Fire

One of my myspace friends, average joe sent this awesome video. I have never seen anything like this . . . just a traveler


About This Video
Gregory Colbert has used both still and movie cameras to explore extraordinary interactions between humans and animals. His exhibition, Ashes and Snow, consists of over 50 large-scale photographic artworks, a 60-minute film, and two 9-minute film haikus. The show will next open in Mexico City on December 15."

Bush Administration Warned About Poor Firefighting Plans

another national disaster . . . same old story - just a traveler


News from the Huffington Post

As firefighters continue to risk their lives battling the inferno in southern California, evidence is growing that the Bush administration is not adequately prepared to support them.

The Government Accountability Office, Congress's nonpartisan auditor, issued stark warnings earlier this year on shortcomings in the administration's plans to fight fires.

In a June report, the GAO report faulted the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and other agencies for failing to accomplish the "fundamental step" of planning out what assets and resources were needed to prepare for approaching fire seasons. Meanwhile, disaster response problems that have become all too familiar in recent years were also identified: administration officials placing resources where they were politically expedient, and using poorly performing contractors to accomplish critical national tasks.

The Orange County Register today appeared to show how these warnings manifested. The paper faulted federal planners for erecting red tape that prevented the use of more DC-10 airplanes to drop flame retardant on areas that were on fire.

"It would be nice to have more such planes available, don't you think?" an editorial in the paper asked. "If the federal government had had its way, even this one almost certainly wouldn't be flying this week....One can understand a certain amount of caution from the Forest Service, but this is bureaucratic overkill."

Robin Nazarro, the Director of GAO's Natural Resources and Environment program, told the Huffington Post why the Forest Service's planning has been inadequate.

"If you don't have goals and strategies for carrying them out, you're in a reactive mode rather than a proactive mode," the report's lead author said. "They say they are using 5 to 10 year averages, but each year the fires gets worse, so they're always underestimating what they need."

The report shows that the Bush administration was warned that the approximately $3 billion spent each year on fire prevention and suppression was not being used appropriately.

"Agencies have not yet improved their systems for determining the appropriate type and quantity of firefighting assets needed for the fire season or for effectively and efficiently procuring them," the GAO states.

The bad planning by the agencies even raised red flags in the White House, where the report's authors say that the President's Office of Management and Budget "told us they would not allow the firefighting agencies to publish long-term funding estimates until the agencies had sufficiently reliable data on which to base those estimates."

The GAO also criticized federal agencies for deploying costly firefighting resources "in response to political or social pressures."

"Firefighting assets may sit idle at a fire rather than be released for use elsewhere because managers are concerned that they will be unable to recall an asset if they need it later, or air tankers may drop flame retardants when on-the-ground conditions may not warrant such drops," it warns.

Other problems, the GAO notes, involve private contractors, a common malady in the Bush administration. The Forest Service has turned to national contractors that can deploy firefighting crews and aviation resources anywhere in the nation, but a failure to ensure accountability has resulted in poor performance.

"Requirements varied from contract to contract and did not ensure that the agencies obtained the most cost-effective assets," it reported. "Further, inadequate administration and oversight of the agreements by the agencies resulted in poor contractor performance and high rental rates."

Nazarro also highlighted the lack of skilled managers within the Forest Service in particular.

"They don't have enough managers trained in whether to engage in fire use or to suppress," the GAO researcher said. "They need 300 managers, but they're short, with fewer than 100 now, and only another 100 being trained."

Members of Congress blasted the Bush administration's firefighting planning this past summer after the GAO report's release. During a June hearing, Senator Bingaman warned that Bush had focused on cutting budgets in place of adequately preparing for wildfires.

"The Administration's budgets indicate that it believes that containing wildfire costs must come at the expense of preparedness," argued Bingaman, chairman of the Senate energy committee. "Its fiscal year 2008 budget proposes a nearly $90 million cut in the preparedness account. But starving the preparedness, wildfire suppression, and other Forest Service programs is not an effective or efficient strategy to contain those costs."

Ecuador Refuses Lease Renewal for U.S. Military Base

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has refused to renew Washington's lease on the Manta air base.

In an interview with Reuters, Correa said he would renew the lease on one condition -the United States allow Ecuador to build a military base in Miami.

Correa said: "If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorian base in the United States." It is estimated that United States has over 700 military bases in foreign countries.

Source: Democracy Now

Mexico Running Out of Oil

Mexico, one of the world's biggest oil producers, is running out of oil!

President Felipe Calderón of Mexico is delivering a grim message: The largest oil producer in Latin America is running out of crude.

"Our oil reserves have been consistently falling," and the decline is "severely threatening" government finances, Calderón told a nationwide television audience in an address last month at the National Palace. That is the same place where seven decades earlier Lázaro Cárdenas cemented the anti-U.S. legacy of his presidency by nationalizing the oil industry.

Mexico was the sixth-biggest producer last year, after Saudi Arabia, Russia, United States, Iran and China, down from fifth in 2005, according to the Energy Information Administration. In 1921, Mexico was No. 2.

Read rest of this story at the International Herald Tribune

The Da Vinci Code Decoded?

Vatican Publish Knights of Templar Papers - the documents were discovered two years before the novel "The Da Vinci Code" was released, and you won't believe the going price! . . . just a traveler

The Vatican has published secret documents about the trial of the Knights Templar, including a parchment, long ignored because of a vague catalog entry in the year 1628, which showed that Pope Clement V initially absolved the medieval order of heresy.

The 300-page volume recently came out in a limited edition, 799 copies - each priced at $8,377, according to Scrinium publishing house which is the printer for the Vatican's secret archives.

The order of knights, which ultimately disappeared because of the heresy scandal, captivated the imagination of readers of the best-seller "The Da Vinci Code," which linked the Templars to the story of the Holy Grail.

Source: Associated Press - Read full article

Words of Wisdom from Rev Run

One of the most important things I have ever learned is to give total atention to one thing at a time.

Many people allow their creativity to scatter their attention. Their abilities become lost through misfocus. It is better to complete one worthwhile goal then to begin ten others.

EVERYONE WILL CLAMOR FOR YOUR ATTENTION. As harsh as it may seem, you must learn to dismiss from your presence people who distract you from YOUR GOD INSPIRED GOAL... Stay focused! :) :)

God is Love
Rev Run

YouTube Culture, the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Sarah Mogin says, "Whenever something truly great comes along, you have to wonder:

Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread? Sliced bread is pretty awesome. You can toast it, you can make a sandwich out of it, and you can spread things on it: peanut butter, jelly, jam, and even Nutella (if you're weird). But YouTube, I argue, offers just as much flexibility -- and fewer calories."

YouTube has hosted countless videos of police brutality, uploaded from bystanders' cameras or even camera phones. Supported by video footage, suspects can legitimize their complaints against officers, evolving their disputes past the realm of he-said, she-said.

Read the rest of Sarah's article on YouTube

Flag Symbolizes Culture War

A certificate for a Stars and Stripes flown over the Capitol omits the requested reference to God, setting off a church/state debate.

The latest controversy over the separation of church and state began innocently enough. In August, 17-year-old Andrew Larochelle wrote to his congressman requesting that a flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol to honor his grandfather and his "love of God, country and family."

But the acting architect of the Capitol, whose employees run the Stars and Stripes up and down three flagpoles hundreds of times each day, balked at the religious dedication.

His decision has provoked a firestorm over the place of God in U.S. political institutions, becoming the most recent touchstone in the nation's culture wars.

Read full article at LA Times

Australian PM Says Apology Won't Help Reconciliation

Why is it so hard to apologize for, and acknowledge the wrongs of the past? That five letter word proves hard for many to say . . . just a traveler

Australian indigenous leaders say they want to hear one hear one word from Prime Minister Howard - SORRY!

Howard says, "It has been a long journey and I know it has been difficult and I know there have been areas of disagreement and it is naïve of any of us to pretend that some do not remain. But let all of us try this weekend, and for my part I pledge that I will in what I say, is to focus on those things that unite us and bind us together as Australians in the cause of healing the wounds and the divisions of the past and of moving forward in a united and harmonious fashion."

Prime Minister John Howard says an official apology to Indigenous Australians would not help achieve a new approach to reconciliation, but he also says that if he is re-elected he will hold a referendum within 18 months of his return to office, to include a statement of reconciliation in the preamble to the Constitution.

But despite rising criticism Howard has told ABC's AM program that he is convinced an official apology is not the way forward and that many people agree. "From my point of view and the point of view of millions of Australians, to go down the apology road, is simply to try and deal with the matter through apportionment of blame and guilt," he said. "And impliedly at the very least, a repudiation of a history of a nation which I believe has been profoundly positive."

But the original chairman of the Council for Reconciliation, Patrick Dodson, says an official apology may not be so divisive.

"The rest of the nation is... quite prepared find a way in which to resolve both the anxieties of those people who have suffered under the stolen generation's policies, and those that feel that it's some denial of our Australian history to make the admission," he said.

Why Did I Get Married?

Take a look at the trailer for Tyler Perry's new movie - Why Did I Get Married?

The Ph.D and The C Student

who says education counts, or not - kind of confusing these days, especially in this administration . . . just a traveler

The President describing his job of decision making

"My job is a decision-making job. And as a result, I make a lot of decisions. I delegate to good people. I always tell Condi Rice, `I want to remind you, Madam Secretary, who has the Ph.D. and who was the C student. And I want to remind you who the adviser is and who the president is."

"I got a lot of Ph.D. types and smart people around me who come into the Oval Office and say, `Mr. President, here's what's on my mind.' And I listen carefully to their advice. But having gathered the device, I decide, you know, I say, `This is what we're going to do.' And it's `Yes, sir, Mr. President.' And then we get after it, implement policy."

New "Space" Currency - the Quid

Heads Up - New Money!

Well, the U.S. dollar has been falling on the international currency exchange - so how about some lozenge shaped space dollars? Just purchase the QUID here on earth, and while visiting other planets, IF you find other life forms - just hit them up with your QUID for any purchases you want to make.

The problem as I see it - do these life forms accept QUID's - just a traveler

Foreign exchange specialist Travelex announced a unit of currency that has been created for use in space.

It is the first currency of its kind and has been developed in partnership with a team of scientists from the National Space Center and the University of Leicester.

With Virgin Galactic making its maiden voyage in 2009 and with the signing in April this year of the Global Exploration Initiative, an agreement between the US and the UK to work together on future planetary explorations to the Moon and beyond, Space Tourism is soon to become commonplace.

Recognizing that tourists could soon be heading further than Spain and Greece Travelex has teamed up with the National Space Center to create the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination or QUID.

The QUID has been designed to withstand the stresses of space travel and the extreme environment found in orbit around the Earth.

It has also been created so that it can be purchased on earth in any one of the 176 currencies used around the globe. The QUID is lozenge shaped which means it has no sharp edges but is still easy to store and transport. Each one contains eight planets orbiting a sun, reflecting the position of the planets in Earth's Solar System.

In addition to the aesthetic appeal this will help if the QUID needs to be used on planets inhabited by other life forms. Each of the orbiting planets will carry a number, like the serial numbers on notes, giving the disc a unique code thus allowing currency to be tracked and helping to prevent counterfeits. Different colors and sizes are used to denote different values.

For more information, visit www.travelex.com.

What Black Men Think

Oh, this is really going to be good for some folks! Do not believe everything you read, or statistics, you really wanna know what most Black men think? Ok - just a traveler

MeccaOne Media: A Voice for the Everyday Muslim

Let's face it - after September 11, 2001, the depiction of Muslims around the world has been negative. The common Muslim voice has been unheard.

Omair Ali, 30, decided to change all of that in 2002. He founded MeccaOne Media, in an effort to provide a 'voice of the everyday Muslim living in the West'.

With a growing audience of Muslim and Non-Muslim listeners, MeccaOne has succeeded in gaining several notable firsts - including the first to broadcast a live Islamic call to prayer and first to provide Islamic podcasts on iTunes.

Read full article about MeccaOne Media

The Young Debt Dilemma

Stopped by the Cultural Connect site today, and they are giving a quick and dirty snapshot of the young professional debt crisis - and it doesn't look good - just a traveler

Questions asked:
Have you done a good job of managing your money?
Or are you just another statistic?

If managing money isn't your forte, you don't need to feel alone:

• Nearly two-third of twenty-somethings carry debt.
• Nearly half have stopped paying a debt forcing them to get sent to a collection agency.

Read the rest - it's short

JENA by John Mellencamp

Heads up to fellow Indiana Hoosier John Mellencamp! - I know he's gonna take a lot of heat for this, but I love him for stepping out there and taking a stand - if ya don't know what a "hoosier" is, that's what we folks here in Indiana call ourselves - just a traveler

I LOVE IT!

Do You Really Know Rudy?

just asking . . . just a traveler

New Yorkers know, but some folks in the rest of the country may not know about Rudy liking to play dress up, so thought I would bring out this photo today. There are many others on Google - just search for "rudy in drag" for images.

And the NY Times has an article about Rudy that New Yorkers know about well - how he often addressed his constituents with sarcastic contempt when he was mayor.

Not only that, but he did it with relish. Also one of the former mayor's favorite things to do was recommend his callers seek psychological counseling. Especially if the callers got too close to attacking his circle.

And I'm just waiting for people to understand the truth about his role in 9/11, since he wants to run on it. You need to listen to the firefighters, and those who volunteered at ground zero.

And he was against gun control, but now speaking at the NRA Association, and asking for their support.

And then there's those phone calls that his wife keeps making when he's on stage. Don't she know he's busy? Why does he keep his cell on when speaking? What's up with that?

The New York Times goes back through the tapes of the former mayor's call-in radio show to dig up some highlights.

Quote of the Day

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry,

but by demonstrating that all peoples cry,
laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other,
we may even become friends.

Maya Angelou

Random World Geography Facts

I would have thought that English was the most popular language - but there are lots of Chinese, never heard of Fraser island, and had no clue whatsoever about the country with the most languages. Always good to learn new things about this world - just a traveler

What is the Most Densely Populated City?
Hong Kong, China is the most densely populated city, and coming in second is Jakarta, Indonesia with 13%

While orbiting the Earth on Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong stated, "I do not believe, at least with my eyes, there would be any man-made object that I could see."
Great Wall of China, China

What is the Most Popular Language in the World?
Believe it or not Chinese is the most popular language, English is second and Spanish comes in as third.

Which City Has the World's Longest Subway System?
London has the largest subway system, followed by New York. Paris comes in third.

Where is the World's Largest Sand Island? The island itself contains more sand than the Sahara Desert?
Fraser Island, Australia - Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world at just over 76 miles. The island also contains over 100 freshwater lakes and the only place where tall rainforests grow out of the sand dunes.

What Country is Home to the Most Languages?
Malaysia comes in first, followed by Papua New Guinea, then Tanzania and Peru is last.

Which caravan-city at the crossroads of ancient cultures was partially carved from stone cliffs? It also appeared in the closing scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Petra, Jordan - Inhabited since prehistoric times, this caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges.

Source: National Geographics