Q.o.D: "There are two schools of thought. Our boss and everybody else." -- an anonymous employee

Prophecy, Wisdom & Ambition

Prophecy is the ability to foretell the future.
Wisdom is knowing how to influence the future.
Ambition is acting to influence the future in your own self interest.
Altruism is acting to influence the future in the interest of others.
True leadership is equal parts of the above.

-- Tom Sayles

Enough is enough...

I'm getting really tired of the extremist propaganda, religious and otherwise, being circulated mostly by e-mail, but also in other media.

It's time that vast majority of moderate Americans stand-up to say that closed minded extremists (on both ends of the spectrum) are wrong and that we want a moderate, rational, inclusive government with progressive values that works toward liberty, freedom and long term prosperity for all humanity.

Hay truck!

Safe Trailering

Happy Horses
Originally uploaded by TSayles

As Fran pointed out, safe trailering is important skill for all horse owners and horses. And Tammy Denault (of Dreamswept Farm) is, IMHO, one of the best. Together we have hauled horses thousands of miles, and I have learned much from her. And this photo is a good example of doing things right.

The importance of good trailering skills, especially in an emergency, can't be under estimated. The farm, where I live, experienced this first hand last January, when our vaulting horse was evacuated during the flood. The last thing you want to do an emergency is spend an hour or more trying to get a horse into a trailer.

Sorry Hoof Blog, ...

Fran --

Sorry, but your Hoof Blog, is not copyleft compatible. So you may not use my Happy Horses photo or any of my images, until you open up your licensing practices. [I not a big supporter the whole uptight permission based culture.]



If you got with the future and supported the creative commons, you wouldn't have to ask permission.

-- Tom Sayles

Hello, Tom,

I wondered if I could ask permission to download and use your photo called "Happy Horses"...because it is just that!

I am a blogger who specializes in horse health and I need to show some well-cared for horses being transported. One need is for an educational series of articles on how to evacuate horses safely and sanely if a hurricane or forest fire is a threat. The other is what to do if you are already on the road and there is a disease problem, as happened this week to any horse that traveled through Texas or originated there.

You'd think such photos would be easy to find, but they're not. There is usually some little safety glitch or another in the photo, but yours passes all the tests.

We would be so grateful if you'd allow me to use it. It's ok to say no. I don't have a budget for paying for photos but you can know that your image maybe made people stop and read an article that they might have skipped over, otherwise.

And it might just save their horses' lives.

Thanks very much. I have never seen candid photos of vaulters before. Very interesting!

All the best,
Fran Jurga

Wow. Publishing from anyware is getting easier and easier. For example this was sent as an sms from my phone.

PropEle Marine

One of my colleagues, Joe Grez, is starting up this cool new company called PropEle Marine. Which has developed an exciting light weight electric boat motor that's clean and quiet for your kayak, canoe, dinghy, dink, inflatable, pontoon boat, or other craft. It's works kind of like an outboard engine, but it's portable and powered by a modern battery pack. In early tests the performance is impressive (and getting better with every design flip) and it's even been spotted in and around western Washington waters pushing small vessels at their actual design speeds.

Check it out at http://propelemarine.com/

Found on a Blog

I ran across this on a more or less random blog.

How does something like get organized? Was it, as it appears to be, a flash mob? Or did some group rehearse this prior to the preformance?

Cool Superbowl Commercials

One of the real innovations that the Internet has brought is the ability to find share things like super bowl commercials. Here are some of this year's best, IMHO.

FW: WA - Horse Farms Bills

For those that haven't heard about this issue, last year there was an administrative ruling in Olympia that reclassified equestrian facilities that didn't breed or sell horses (or some other agricultural product) such that they lost the tax breaks given to other commercial farms. 

The current effort in Olympia is aimed at restoring the long held position that horse boarding, training, and riding farms should qualify as Farm & Agriculture land for use and tax purposes.

This issue directly or indirectly effects many of the vaulting clubs in Washington. 

Please take a few minutes to call, write or e-mail your representatives in Olympia. Tell them about vaulting and ask them to support HB 1232, SB 5817 & HB 1733 (see below).

Thanks,

    Tom Sayles

----- Forwarded Message ----
Sent: Friday, February 6, 2009 1:33:50 AM
Subject: [WA Equest] Digest Number 2603

WASHINGTON STATE EQUESTRIAN NETWORK

Horse Farms Bills

Posted by: "Lori Lennox"

Thu Feb 5, 2009 5:03 pm (PST)

It's time to start contacting your elected officials about the following bills that will help ensure that horse boarding, training, and riding farms qualify as Farm & Agriculture land under the Open Space Taxation Act.

Need help finding your Reps? Go to http://www.washingt onvotes.org/ The links below will take you to the full text of the bills and the public hearing dates. And if your representative is one of the sponsors then thank them!

HB 1232 & SB 5817

Defining commercial agricultural purposes to include current farming practices and activities related to the raising, harvesting, feeding, breeding, managing, selling, care, or training of a farm product.

http://apps. leg.wa.gov/ billinfo/ summary.aspx? bill=1232& year=2009 &

http://apps. leg.wa.gov/ billinfo/ summary.aspx? bill=5817& year=2009

HB 1733

Concerning the property tax current use valuation programs. This bill clarifies the eligibility of equine operations

http://apps. leg.wa.gov/ billinfo/ summary.aspx? bill=1733& year=2009

Quote: "Imagine a world ..."

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge."

— Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia

I do and you should too.

Hard Disk Rails from Pyramid Distributing

I recently bought a pair of high speed [7200 RPM] 1TB hard drives form TigerDirect. But when I went to install them, I found that I was short a pair of HD mounting rails, that allow 3.5" drives to fit the 5.25" bays in my big steel server case. So after asking the guy at the local PC Recycle center, I went googeling around looking for HD rails at a good price. They're not easy to find and only a few places seem to have them in stock. I did find an outfit, here in the Seattle area, that did have them.

While their site (and e-mail address) is hosted at Comcast, I decided to take a chance on them since I could pay using PayPal, and could fall back on their despute resolution process if needed. When I went to place the order however, i needed to use my "verified" address (a PO Box) for shipping but their site was only setup for UPS shipping. After a couple of quick e-mails I confirmed that they could ship USPS Priority, and placed my order. Their price was good enough that I ordered 5 pairs, enough to fill up all the bays in my server case.

The package arrived in a couple of days. The parts in the package were just as I had ordered, and even included the mounting screws!

So if you need HD rails I highly recommend Pyramid Distributing, and particularly Bill and the staff at their Seattle wherehouse.

Disappointment in Change of Address @ DOL - DL

Liz Luce
Director,
WA Department of Licensing

Director Luce --

    I'm writing to let you know that I am very disappointed in you're department's inconsistency in address change policies and procedures.  While our state's Vehicle License services makes good use of 24 hour online interaction and decent use of outsourcing, our state's Drivers License service is way behind modern expectations for an efficient and responsive public agency. 

    Licensing services are by their very nature are a retail operation in the way that your agency interacts with our state's citizens. I have repeatedly found it appalling that your agency managers and administrators have stubbornly refused to admit that the business practices of 1950s era banks are suitable in the 21st century.  The banking industry a decade ago acknowledged the realities of the modern world by expanding business hours into the evenings, providing comprehensive online services and for decades has offered kiosk based services [ATMs] that are available 24/7.  Even the US Postal services has opened up it's PO Box lobbies 24/7 and installed kiosk based services [Automated Postal Centers®] in most post offices and offers comprehensive services online.  The FCC even allows 24/7 updates to it's licensing databases. 

    Because your agency's Drivers License service doesn't offer convenient evening hours or online address changes, I am forced to take time off from work to sit in a Drivers Licensing Office to change my address as required by our state's laws. 

    Your agency's administrators and managers, particularly in the Drivers License services, need to take into account the costs of lost time of our state's citizens and lost productivity of the businesses we work for, in their decision making processes. This is particularly important in these hard economic times when many people are moving, changing jobs and even working two jobs.  I'd also like to see your agency track its impacts on citizens lost time not only in its own offices but also in those of your contracted agents.  Ideally your agency needs to staff it's retail offices more like grocery store checkout lines then like school classrooms. 

    I would strongly like to suggest that you demand that your agency's administrators and managers meet, across divisions and at all levels, to discuss and drive to implementation how they can work together to share data, expertise and public resources, to improve customer service, convenience and privacy while preventing fraud and abuse.  I truly believe that an integrated approach to all licensing services that is aligned with modern customer service best practices would allow your agency to do far more to meet it's goals with the same or fewer tax and fee dollars.  It's time to change for the better.

    Finally one additional thought, as your agency prepares for the requirements of the REAL ID Act, please remind your staff and colleges at DHS that facial photos, like those found on drivers licenses and passports, are a very well studied and understood form of biometric identification with False Acceptance Rates similar to or better then fingerprints and retinal scans. Furthermore facial photos would integrate well into automated services supported by escalations to a consolidated call center form of customer service. 

Thanks
    Tom Sayles
    Fall City, Wa.

BTW -- This e-mail is also being posted to my blog.

Turkey is in the brine.

The first major step of my annual turkey ritual is complete.

Tom's Turkey Brine

Gently boil the following for about 3 minutes:

• 1qt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup Snoqualmie 2006 Winemaker's Select Reisling
  
• 1 large fist full of herbs, fresh from the garden
  (mostly rosemary and thyme with some sage and oregano
  on the stems with little or no preparation. Clip and cook.)
• ~12 allspice berries (dried)
• ~8 whole cloves
• ~4 cm piece of a cinnamon stick
• ~1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

As the brine concentrate, above cools, clean and prep the turkey.
Line a suitable large container with clean tall kitchen garbage bag.
Place turkey breast down in the lined container. Add the following to the container:

• 2 qts chicken broth
• brine concentrate (including the blanched herbs)
  
• cold water and ice to cover
  (if you have to add more then ~2 gal.
  be sure to also add salt to maintain sufficient salinity)
  

Remove as much air as possible from the bag and tie tightly closed to prevent leaks. Remember to slosh the bird back and forth a few times to let any air trapped inside escape. If needed pack paper towels around the bag / inside the container to make sure that the bird is submerged.
Cover the container and place in the refrigerator or in another area that will be between 33 and 40 degrees F for the 12 to 16 hours of soaking time (typically overnight).

Tomorrow ... Basting the Bird!

Quote: "Time's fun when you're having flies"

......Kermit the Frog

www.flickr.com TSayles' Snoqualmie Flood at Night photoset

Re: Cold Reality

Yes Dad, those are typical La Nina year phenomenon.  However if you dig a little into the subject, one of the sources quoted in your e-mail, the International Arctic Research Center, is actually featuring a link on their home page to NOAA's Arctic Report Card which is reporting: "5° C temperature increases were recorded in autumn", "Near-record minimum summer sea ice extent ", "Fisheries and marine mammals impacted by loss of sea ice", "Observed increase in temperature of surface and deep ocean layers", "Greenland, Records set in both the duration and extent of summer surface melt", "Permafrost temperatures tend to increase, while snow extent tends to decrease".  [Gotta love the power of Google's page rank.]

The commentary you often redistribute about climatology (and a few other subjects) tends to cherry pick facts to support a particular political point of view.  You really need to spend more time understanding the original sources and science rather then relying on ratings driven conservative talk show and newsletter punditry.  This is tragic misuse of science for political propaganda and personal gain.

I have a particular god given gift for taking many diverse facts in a wide range of subjects and forming a very consistent and coherent overall understanding of the "big picture".  The real scientific debate, that did last a decade or more, is over and the conclusions are clear. So I can assure you that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are in fact effecting the global climate and ecosystems.  Any claims to the contrary, without compelling and overwhelming new evidence, are simply false.

Whether these changes will surpass pre-historic levels (they have already passed historic levels) will depend upon three factors: Do enough 'boomers die off soon enough that the western domesticities  can actually reverse their anthropogenic CO2 emissions in time; Does the vast majority of the developing world [China & India] base their economies on burning fossil fuels; and Is there a major dust producing event (large meteoroid impact or supervolcano eruption)?  These are the only relevant unknowns, two of which are really political questions, the other is a cosmic / geologic lottery.  None of them are scientific debate.





Note that the time axis on these two graphs face opposite directions and they are both linked to from the Wikimedia Commons.

This post is copyright by Tom Sayles and is released licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License.
  Some rights reserved.

Charles Sayles wrote:

Cold Reality

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Friday, October 17, 2008 4:20 PM PT

... <Editorial not quoted here to respect copyrights nor influance page rank.>

Moving Yet Again!!!

A week ago Monday, just after our last vaulting competition of the year, my house-mate / landlord gave me the "My girlfriend is moving in and we want the house to our selves" speech. So I spent several days last week scrambling to find a new place to live. I did the usual things like posting an ad on Craig's list, e-mail friends and family, etc.


As it turns out, the owner of Patterson Creek Farm (where my vaulting club practices) received notice over the preceding weekend that the one bedroom apartment in the loft above the front barn is vacant and that the lease would not be renewed beyond the end of October. The rent, $750 / month, is a little more then I really wanted to spend, but the location pretty much ideal. I'm also a little worried about having noisy [equine] neighbors downstairs.

On the upside I can sleep in another three quarters of hour before vaulting practice on Saturday mornings and it will cut over an hour of the time commitment to workout with Cali (my club's vaulting horse). Also because it's in the loft and because it's well insulated it doesn't cost much to keep warm through the winter and with the skylights that open it should stay cool in the summers. Like the rest of the farm, it's only a few years old. It has Comcast cable service available, including cable modem Internet access. While I was actually looking to rent another room with house-mates, I think that the barn community will fill much the same role in my home life.

It's not finalized yet, as I haven't signed any lease documents, but if all goes according to plan I should be moving on or about the first of November.

The Period of Intense Change has Begun.

Additional Disclaimer: Following are highly speculative predictions based on little more then my personal observations, recent headlines, knowledge of history and my uncanny ability to link together long chains of related events to form an overall situational picture. I don't advocate any particular actions or reactions and make no particular claim that my predictions will come true. You are welcome to consider the following and add your comments, but any other use of this information is strictly at your own risk.

The recent wholesale collapse of major US financial institutions and the "too little, too late" government response will, in the future, be seen as a major turning point in the history of the US, much like the stock market crash of 1929. If the slow motion implosion of Wall Street continues, (and I don't see any reason why it won't,) it will drive investors away from US markets causing the value of the Dollar resume it's long slide. This will lead to $200 a barrel crude and $5/gal gas in the next 12 to 18 months (maybe less). As a result of this persistent and relentless inflation, the US will experience economic upheaval not seen since the great depression.

WWI and the great depression marked the emergence of the US as a true global super power. The "War on Terror" and the impending economic crush (it won't be a fast crash but will slowly continue for decades), will mark the end of the US as a world dominating power.

The future of economic, political and cultural power now lies with China, India and in another decade or two Africa. Latin America will be seen as an example of moderation and stability. The economic fallout of an imploding US economy will re-fracture Europe mostly along socialist lines as some countries will demand that their governments do more to help those suffering economically.

The world as we know it today, will not exist in 20 years. And for a hundred years, none of the generations that follow the American Baby Boomers will be as well off. The economic and political unrest will result in a steady erosion of the freedoms traditionally enjoyed Americans. Following one or maybe two nationally traumatic events, we will see the emergence of the first in a long line of American dictators.

My only advice is to have a plan, but plan flexibly.