THE LONELY SURFER

Alone he sat, sometimes waiting for the sun to rise, sometimes in the twilight of night. His favorite time to be on the ocean was evening, for he hated the night, the loneliness of darkness, and so alone he sat. on that calm sea, the sun fading behind him below the horizon, on a small board he sat that back in those days was still made of wood. waiting for the ocean to erupt into a massive, raging wave, that would be so demanding of his body and mind that he would have no time to feel alone or dread the night, but to ride it, ignore it ( not really an option,ignoring it) or perhaps to die.


But sometimes it was best when the ocean was calm, for it was then, he could hear the sound of his own mind, surfing the universe of thoughts, dreams, fears and the unknown. The ocean was and has always been to him, the personification of the unknown, especially at night . He would often wonder what swam just beneath his feet. Perhaps only a few small fish, a squid, a jelly fish, or maybe ?, something much more threatening, perhaps a shark ?, out for an evening meal. The ocean both scared him and intrigued him, made him come back again and again, especially at twilight. For as the night grew darker, the ocean, and its' hidden mysteries grew deeper , and more daring, daring him to stay a minute longer, waiting, waiting to see, to see what anger awaited. To him it was life made solid, tangible, to be won or lost on a two minute ride.

At times he would intentionally go out on his board when he knew the tide was going out and the likelihood of any good waves, demanding to be ridden was remote. He did this because he wanted the calmness, he wanted the depths to talk to him, it was like being alone in his room late at night, when the rustle of leaves or a stray animal would make a sound outside his window, ah, but that he could explain. But this was the ocean, the endless unknown ocean, and he would hear sometimes, faintly, sometimes very near, the splash of sea life, a porpoise ? a fish ? a shark! ? or ?.... unlike the land, he felt there were no solid answers to the night sounds of the ocean. And that to him was like the mysteries of life, no solid answers. But as he sat there alone, it was almost like he could feel the lack of uncertainty, almost touch it, hold it, and in someway have some control over it. He could sink or swim, not a metaphor anymore, but a fact, if a wave came he could ride or fall, there was to a degree some control. He liked that.

But what about the actual surfing ? Well there is nothing like catching the big wave, riding the tunnel, hearing only the roar of the ocean, and again, alone, he against one of the mightiest forces God ever created, the ocean, and its' waves. You will not control them, the best you can hope to do is ride them, and hopefully to the safety of the land. But at times they will take you under, spin you around like a piece of cloth in a giant washer and then slam your body against the bottom, sometimes knocking the breath out of you, and you know at that instant that in some small way you have come face to face with death. But you rise to the top and let the rest of the wave take you safely home.

Some believe we as humans crawled from the sea. I have no reason to doubt that, and no reason to doubt that it was not God's plan for us to do so, for how many of us can truly say, no matter how far from the sea we may live, that in some way we are drawn to the ocean, a need to feel it, see it, and on some level understand it. Like coming home, it waits for us, just like it did for the lonely surfer.

A SMALL CABIN ON A MOUNTAIN TOP

It was May when I first drove the winding country road through the deepest parts of one of the most beautiful States in our country; West Virginia. The year was 1966: The Vietnam war was raging, young men and women were dying, protesters were marching and going to jail and some of them were dying as well. It was a time of almost diabolical contrast. The killing fields of Vietnam vs the loving fields of San Francisco, and other places. Woodstock was yet to be. United States President Lyndon Johnson was saying that we should stay in Vietnam until Communist aggression was stopped there. US troops now totaled 190,000, and 20,000 Buddhists marched in demonstrations against the policies of the military Government in South Vietnam.

Driving that back country road as the beauty of Spring was coming to life, I was feeling far removed from all that was going on in "the outside world." And yet, I was about as non removed as a person could be. My Father was Government. I was, in the words of John Fogerty; "a fortunate one." And yet, I had already refused to take part in the safe life, having publicly burned my draft card, refused induction into the Vietnam War after forcing the Selective Service to reclassify me from "fortunate" ( otherwise known as 3-A, that is a family hardship deferment ( What Hardship ?) and a college deferment to boot meant I was never going to Vietnam. Except I was not going to sit silently and watch others die while I took the easy road out. So as I drove that beautiful country road, I was remembering the day I was supposed to step forward and accept enlistment, but instead stepped backward and said " No Thank You," I laughed as I remembered the Sargent's face looking like it was about to explode.

So Prison was no doubt in my future. It was part of my plan to accept nothing that "they" would offer, but first I was going to have a little fun and and lead them, the FBI, and a few others on a merry chase for awhile. There will be more on those adventures in the future, but this is about the wonder and beauty of aloneness and the ability to sink into one's mind with the sounds of the City and the normal rush and noise of the day to day world left behind.

So driving on, I finally entered Alderson, West Virginia, but to get to where I was going would be a few more miles on paved road, then 2 miles up what amounted to little more than a trail. and the last two miles would be on foot. And as yet, there was no cabin, That would need to be built before the first cold began on my mountain top.

Walking up the last few hundred yards to where I would spend the next year of my life, I could see smoke. Were the woods on fire? The nearest cabin was about 3 miles on the other side of the mountain, so it could not be a fireplace. But it was. The friend that I would spend the next year with-a very self-efficient and capable woman had already built a fireplace of rock. In fact, it was one wall of what would be the cabin. Having no other heat or electricity, this fireplace would be used not only for heating the cabin but heating hot water and cooking. It was large enough to heat a very large kettle of water or food, with a side stove for baking. Other walls had been started, with the help of the nearest neighbors, as well as a garden begun. Emily, who owned the property, was also a military brat. But very against the war, her Father was a General in the Army, she was not just going to sit around and wait for me to arrive. Her abilities were made even more remarkable by her small delicate looking frame and pretty face. Not the type of look you would expect on a woman who would carry rocks and wood and begin the building of such a place.

When the cabin was finished, we tended the garden, grew sunflowers, and took long hikes either together or alone. A stream ran through the property about fifty yards from the cabin, from the top of the mountain where there was a medium size waterfall and I spent many hours alone there thinking of the future, the past, and mostly the beauty of the present. I heard birds singing, and occasionally the sound of something in the woods, could be a bear, wolf, or deer....this was true wilderness. It was not unusual to wake in the morning to see a deer or a few wolves playing in the yard, or a bear trying to get over the fence that protected the garden, or into the small barn built for one goat for milk. Goats milk, by the way, in my opinion is very good. And we had a few chickens for eggs. Fish came from the stream and meat was never eaten. We had beans, rice, plenty of vegetables, and fish. The diet was sound and healthy and provided by us for us, and not by the local Stop and Spend.

The mornings, even in the summertime, can be a little chilly and a fog will add an even deeper mystery to the world. Forms move across in the distance almost like spirits, and the Cardinal, the State bird of West Virginia, will begin to sing the sun awake while the soul seems to have found its place on this earth.

After a year I left Emily and that mountain. I never saw her or the mountain again. I often wonder, is she still living there, or if she also returned to a city somewhere remembering the mountain top days. Even if that is so, I like to think that there is still an old stone fireplace standing and reverberating the memories of long ago, and maybe the great grandson of that old bear still rubs against the garden fence, and the wolves welcome the moon at night and the Cardinal sings to the morning sun. It can take my soul back to that place of peace, believing that is true....

MAKING MONEY ON THE INTERNET

There are probably as many articles about how to make money on the Internet as there are people to read them. First of all, and I am sure you have heard this before, don't fall for the get rich quick scams. You know, the make a thousand dollars or more a day SCAMS. If that could be done then why isn't everyone doing it ? and I suspect that if everyone started doing it then there would not be anyone buying what you are selling and therefore that idea sinks down the drain. But the fact is that the person making any real money is the person that came up with a reasonable idea, something believable, and the money to market it. Think of the millions and billions of people that the internet reaches everyday, and it's the law of numbers. If you reach enough people, you are going to sell something to some of those people. For example and for easy math,let us say that 1000 people a week,(and that is a low number, if you have the money and skills to market your product), people come to your website, on "how to sell the best organic kitty litter ever made." Well first of all, you've reached a large portion of those 1000 people because a number probably own cats. And of course they want only the best for their little friends and rightfully so.

* There are approximately 88.3 million owned cats in the United States
* Nearly 34 percent of U.S. households (or 38.4 million) own at least one cat
* Fifty-six percent of owners own more than one cat
* On average, owners have two cats (2.3)
* More female cats are owned than male cats (73 percent vs. 63 percent respectively)
* Eighteen percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter
* Cat owners spent an average of $175 on routine veterinary visits
* Eighty-seven percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered

So by the chart above you have a potential market of 88.3 million cat owners, and you are selling your special kitty litter for 20 dollars for a 20 pound bag. Well, results from a new survey by Marshal show that 29% of respondents to a recent survey admitted they made purchases from spam messages.This is up from 2004 where only 20% admitted to doing so. So now you have, and let us go back to our 1000 people, because my head is starting to swim and say that only 15 percent of that 1000 and not 29 % buy this best kitty litter ever made at 20 dollars a bag. Now you have about 150 customers times 20 dollars a bag and you are now making 3,000 dollars a week. And remember we have used very low numbers here. So in a year with those low numbers you are making 156,000 dollars a year. Not bad...But Wait !

There is a catch, first of all you need some kitty litter that is at least reasonable, something that people can't get anywhere else but from you, and is maybe not the world's best but you've already convinced them it is, and as long as it doesn't smell to high heaven, and Puffy doesn't get sick, you now have a repeat business. But there is a problem, how much money will it take to create this great kitty litter? how much money will it take to market this wonderful bathroom necessity to enough people to make it worthwhile? And you have to consider having employees, making the litter, bagging the litter, order taking, shipping and on and on and on. So now the profit margin is shrinking and the effort may not be worth it. So what do you do?

You market a CD or course, with a formula for making the world's best kitty litter, and since you have a degree in internet marketing you can tell people how to get noticed and make the fortune of a lifetime all for the low, low cost of 49.95 for the CD. So you set up a CD duplicating system in your home, maybe need one or two people to help. And the 150 people you sold the 20 dollar bag to are now paying 49.95 to learn how to make their own and market it and now your profit is 7,492.50 a week. But poor Joey and Mary may or may not make this system work. But you've convinced them it will and you've got your money.

Well of course, kitty litter is meant to be a silly example, but I think you get the point. Market it and they will come. I suspect that one of the main reasons you are reading this Blog is because of the title. If I had called it How to go broke on the internet, would you be sitting there reading this and wondering by now, what is the point? I seriously doubt it. So my kitty litter in this case or my CD is the title of this blog. " Making Money On The Internet"

But now I am going to tell you for free how you can make some money on the internet, with no overhead, no investment except some hard work, a creative mind and some writing ability. And you do not have to be F. Scott Fitzgerald. And I said make some money, not get rich. There are a number of free sites that you can write for. This site that you are on now is owned by me for me and it is truly a lot of work and I have learned a lot as I go, I started this site two months ago and have had a little over 10,000 visitors. That's pretty darn good for a new site. It can take months just to get noticed by the major search engines. And the ads on this page, if someone buys something from one of the advertisers I get a cut of the profit. Amazon, E bay and Google all have profit sharing programs, as well as other sites such as BuyAt.com and many others. My favorite site for writing, other than my own is Bukisa http://www.bukisa.com/r/ASeaRogue

If you click on that link above and join Bukisa, you become a part of my network and while you make money, my network grows and so does my profit. How's that for truth in advertising? And you can create your own network and so on and so on. This system works. You will not make a thousand dollars a day but with hard work you will make some money. But best of all it is absolutely free. There is no investment of money now or ever. Bukisa makes its money from the ads they place on your blogs and the more visitors your blogs get the more money Bukisa can generate from the advertisers and the more money you can make from you visitor traffic.

There are other decent social sites/blog sites. Hubpages, still a free site, you need a Google AdSense account, which is not difficult to get, And you meet some great people. I am also on there to a limited degree, but it is where I started. It was there that I knew I had to start my own site. There is also Triond.com another good site. But another that I like a lot is www.blogger.com it has an easy format you can place ads on it and has some nice extra features like the "Picture of the day." I think what I have learned in the few months I have been at this, is that you need to be on a few sites to generate some decent income. And by the way starting your own site and maintaining it is a lot of work, but not much investment and a lot of satisfaction, you can do this through GoDaddy.com.

So if you think you have some good ideas and something you would like to say, you can have the fun of that and make some money at the same time. And I do hope you will check out http://www.bukisa.com/r/ASeaRogue

I promise you have nothing to lose. And as my cat sits next to me, she says she is very happy with the kitty litter she has.

LOST AND ALMOST FOUND

LOST AND ALMOST FOUND

MICHAEL JACKSON NOT SOLD HERE

On June 25, at 2:26 pm Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop” died apparently of cardiac arrest. Perhaps the strain on his heart was caused as much by the personal conflicts in his life which he had suffered since birth at the hands of an abusive father, as it was by the drugs he had used to try to forget the unhappiness of a childhood of abuse. The man who had struggled with his personal life all of his life, had given in to his tortured childhood, and had brought the final curtain down. His Father should feel ashamed for what he did to a young boy and for how it affected his entire life. Probably it was not intentional, but in his attempt to cope with what he had suffered at the hands of his father and how it had affected him throughout his life had caused his life to come to an early end. Anyone who has in even the most minor of ways been negatively affected by a parent must have some inkling of what Michael’s torment must have been like.

Michael Jackson was without doubt one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived; Michael Jackson is best known for the groundbreaking Thriller, which remains the bestselling album of all time. From his young stardom as the lead voice of the Jackson 5 to his portrayal of the Scarecrow in The Wiz, Jackson demonstrated an incomparable talent that sparked early, burned brightly, and leaves an incalculable musical legacy behind. One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time." He has won 13 Grammy Awards, charted 13 number one singles in his solo career more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era and posted sales of over 750 million records worldwide, making him, according to the World Music Awards, the best selling solo artist of all time.

 I have been a fan since he was five and still marvel at the incredible agility and grace of the Moon Walk. As has been mentioned, his dancing was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers all rolled into one, and I would throw in a bit of Charlie Chaplin and Gene Kelly. His singing was second to none, with a God given voice of sweetness, purity and thunder all blended perfectly together. It seemed that when Michael Jackson took the stage he became a different person brave and confident, he went into himself and came out not the damaged man of an abusive childhood but a man who could and did conquer the world with his performance. Maybe he danced and sang to forget the hurt inside and as he did, he helped us forget some hurt as well.

The reason that I called this piece “Michael Jackson, Not Sold Here,” is because I have been sickened by the circus that some are guilty of turning his death into. I was on EBay a couple of days ago and someone was trying to sell the Vinyl Album of Thriller for a minimum bid of Fifteen Thousand  dollars, or you  could buy it straight away for Seventeen Thousand dollars and while I find those figures outrageous, there are worse atrocities that have been committed. The vultures like OK Magazine which reportedly paid Five hundred thousand dollars for the picture of Michael Jackson being carried on a stretcher and probably already dead. There are at least two vultures there, the scum bag that took the picture and the magazine that paid for and printed it. A recent poll was taken, asking people if they wanted to view Michael Jackson’s autopsy photo. Seventy Five percent said yes. What kind of deranged mentality is that? And it is just that mentality that encourages a magazine to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a picture; because they know it will sell and make the rag of a magazine which printed it multiple times more than the price they paid for it.

There will no doubt be more magazines and TV Networks that will find ways to capitalize on Michael Jackson’s death. Reporting in good taste is one thing. Rag magazines and sensationalistic reporting is to be abhorred.
There are other issues that concern about the exposure that the death of Michael Jackson brings to mind, like the cost of the memorial to the financially strapped city of LA. I suggest that the very wealthy family of Michael Jackson pay that expense.  It was their idea to have it in the fashion they did and if you or I lose a loved one, we pay for the funeral, not whatever city we live in.  There will be much more profiteering from Michael Jackson’s death. If you’re interested, I just saw on EBay that the domain name TheTwoKings.com, which is Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, is for sale for US $1,000,000.00. I think my only problem with that really is that I didn’t think of it. Here is another one for you  
New Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Arcade Game
     $6,500.

And though I find it a shame that the death of a human being has generated such interest in making money, there are many other issues I want to deal with concerning these phenomena. For example, Michael Jackson was not the only star to die recently and they were just as important to those who loved them as Michael was. The cost to the city of L.A. and many other issues you will not find in your local or national media. And in the near future I will address those.

So I will miss Michael Jackson. His death left a hole in music and entertainment that will never be filled. But I think we should let him go with dignity and at the bottom of this page are two pictures of album covers that I own. The vinyl is in mint condition, as are the jackets, but as I said: “Michael Jackson Not Sold Here.” Someday when it is possible to do so in good taste and the feeding frenzy is over, and should I need the money, then there is a remote possibility I may part with them, I’ll at least leave that door open. But I suspect that is a remote possibility and many years away. But for now Michael Jackson, Rest in Peace.

HEALTHCARE REFORM

I want to say that we are all living in difficult times, that the economy has crippled our spirits as well as our bodies, and that we are all in this boat together. But if I were to say that it would be a lie. And we are not all in the same boat, or if we are someone else is steering our course and we don't want to go where they are taking us.

Today, June 23rd, 2009 President Obama held a press conference at which he dealt with the deplorable situation taking place in Iran, the horrible state of our own economy and health care reform. This blog deals with the health care reform issue but in a way it relates to our economy as well. As the President spoke today, and I do want to go on record that I am 85 percent a Barack Obama believer and I wanted and waited to hear him nail the question of why major health care providers are so opposed to a government sponsored plan. Why they say they could not compete with a plan that a benefits the people by giving them a choice. The major companies say they could not meet the challenge of a government sponsored health care plan that everyone might take advantage of and it would possibly drive them out of business. So I waited as the reporters questioned the President. I waited for him to tell the world why BIG health care companies were afraid, and I did not wait patiently. I kept screaming, not really too loudly, that it was the salaries of the CEO's at these companies and other top executives that made it impossible for them to compete with a government sponsored plan. And it is!

Health insurance companies are the problem! or at least the salaries of the top executives who are steering the boat is. Like I said, we are not all in the same boat. The CEO's at these companies are cruising on a luxury liner and we are rowing like crazy in a sinking dingy.
Here now I will provide proof and a link for you to check out yourself. The following figures are from 2005, nothing more recent was available. I wonder why. But try these out for size anyway.

United Health Group
CEO: William W McGuire
2005: 124.8 mil
5-year: 342 mil

• Aetna
  CEO: John Rowe
  2005: 22.1 mil
  5-year:57.8 mil
• Cigna
  CEO: H. Edward Hanway
  2005:13.3 mil
  5-year:62.8 mil
• McKesson
  CEO: John Hammergen
  2005: 13.4 mil
  5-year:31.2 mil

WellPoint
CEO: Larry Glasscock
2005: 23 mil

And here is that link

HTTP://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/tmcpac/2009/03/why-health-insurance-companies.php

Here now is another statistic from the health insurance companies. What follows is the average hourly rate of the ship's crew, the front line workers:

Median Hourly Rate by Job - Industry: Health Insurance (United States)

Currency: USD | Updated: 18 Jun 2009 | Individuals reporting: 3,000

The major Health Care Providers say we can't , we can't , can't what ? live on less than 100 million or so dollars for the CEO's? I think it's time that we say I won't, I won't and that we do want reform now. If the people of Iran are willing to die for their rights, what are we willing to give up for ours?

copyright 6/2009 Dan Sanders

STARFISH AND FOOTPRINTS

What I hope to bring to these pages is a world of varied experiences: A belief that all life needs protecting, that we are indeed our brothers' and sisters' keepers and the keepers of all forms of life, whether they live next door or across the ocean. This belief is not based on deep religious convictions, but simply on a belief in what is right and wrong and what is good and what is not. There are so many things on our little planet in the galaxy which need to be changed that it can be overwhelming. It can be so easy to ask " what difference can I make?" And that statement reminds me of the story of a little boy walking on the beach. As he walked,he was picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. An old man who was watching him asked: Why are you bothering? You can't possibly make a difference to them all. At that the young boy replied," You're right, I can't, but I am certainly making a difference to this one."

I was a 60's non-violent radical, and conscientious objector, and during that time, I opposed the killing fields of Vietnam and cried over the dying fields of Kent State. I was present at the 1968 National Convention in Chicago, and forty one years later I can still remember running down the streets and back alleys of that city with National Guardsmen chasing me, when my only offense was simply being present. Not one stone had I thrown, not one word of insult had I shouted. I had simply and with polite outrage voiced my opposition to the cruelty perpetrated on a people in a land that should have been left alone.

I saw a Buddhist burn himself in opposition to the war: I could not do this, so I burned my draft card instead. Someone once asked Father Philip Berrigan when he burned draft records at Catonsville, why he did not burn himself. His answer was: " Life is more precious than property, I gave what was possible." Just as there are men and women who fought in the Vietnam War and still suffer emotional problems because of it, I want to say that I hold no hatred or even dislike for any of our countrymen and women who did fight. They did so either because they believed in the war or believed that they had no choice. Either way they did what they felt they had to do. I know that there are men and women who struggled against the War in a peaceful, non-violent way, and these men and women believed that they could make a positive change and leave the world a better place. I know that many of these people also still suffer from the war. They are Peace Movement casualties, just as there are Veterans of the war casualties. At some point I will try and explain that in more detail, but basically these war resistors suffer emotional trauma from a broken heart caused by broken dreams.

In forty years of Radio and Television Broadcasting and Acting, I have also witnessed a lot. Yes I was at Woodstock, though I must admit I did not stay. The mud and the rain dampened my spirits and I was afraid.....afraid of the drugs, and the massive crowds, and I was sure that someone was going to die. So after about a day, I left the same way I had come in--walking. I had come to hear the music, not to roll in the mud, high on drugs with someone I did not know and would never see again. I wanted to see the players on the stage and not the ones on grass, ( pun intended.)

But I have seen a lot. I have been witness to some of the greatest musical, magical, and political moments in our country's history, and I will attempt to share those with you. I still believe in the power of you and I to make changes. I believe what I would hope every caring human on this planet believes--that life is precious, and it is all we know for sure. And where do we go from here? No one, to my knowledge, has come back to tell us what comes after, so we had better make the most of every day we have here. That means losing our selfish self-involved me first attitude. You and I are here now. This is what we know. This is what we have. And more importantly, we ll need each other!

I recently read an article in one of our local major papers about what the author called " The Teflon Generation." They are young College grads, many with degrees and honors from the best Colleges and Universities in the country. But they are jobless, either because they are just out of school and unable to find a job, or have recently lost their job. The author interviewed some of them in a very high class, high-priced night club, spending ten or more dollars on a single drink and partying like there was no tomorrow. They were doing this not out of fear of their situation, but because they were convinced they were the best and the brightest and they were entitled to live the life their parents had promised them by telling them " You can be anything you want." I don't believe that saying was wrong, but I do believe that it was said before the worst economic times this Country has known since the Great Depression, and I believe that this so called "Telfon Generation", rather than pouring down ten dollar drinks, might instead pour a little money into helping those in need.

Some of my pieces will be reminiscences with a purpose, and hopefully entertaining, which might even bring a smile to your face. Some will be a direct verbal attack against injustices. I will also take on issues such as Health Care, and the general Health Care System of this Country, where the poor die while CEO's at large pharmaceutical companies make millions of dollars a year.

Another cause that is very near to my heart is the treatment of the beautiful creatures that share this small globe with us: In many ways, these wonderful creatures have as their worst enemy the human animal. These will be researched stories about what is happening or not, and what more can be done to help them. From the depths of the ocean to the highest mountains, from the Ghetto to the Hollywood Hills. Who can make a difference? We can! We are the only animals who can truly make a difference.

I will write about how I have tried to change the world - - one small starfish at a time: about how you have tried to change the world and about how we can still change the world together. No one is without power; and no one has power over us except for the power we give them. Two are more powerful than one, and groups have more power than one or two alone.

Particular groups of people which I believe must come forth and challenge the consciousness of us all are the artists, actors, writers, photographers and musicians, people like Michael Moore and Bono to name two that come to mind from today, or Bob Dylan from the 60's,....people who have the attention of the American people and in some cases people throughout the world, and have the creative ability to say what needs to be said.

It doesn't matter if your art is hanging in the Louvre, or in a small bookstore. It doesn't matter whether you are performing before a hundred thousand or a dozen in a cafe. You have an audience and you have an ear or an eye and you can reach more starfish at one time than most people can. And for the rest of us, one starfish at a time is one happy starfish.

And so I will write about causes, about needs, and sometimes I will write just for fun. I do that sometimes. It is my hope that you will find these pages informative, thought provoking, sometimes fun, sometimes sad. You will agree with me, or maybe you will not, but that's what dialogue is all about, and dialogue is a path to change, and your feedback and ideas will always be welcome. We will leave a few footprints in the sands of time and more than a few starfish back in the ocean.