FARM AID

Echo forever!

I used to be nervous when talking about Echo Lake because I was afraid it might change if an excess of people knew about it.

I'm officially changing that position because I now realize that it will never change.

And in fact it might need a little publicity from time to time.

Of course the services will alter, but the actual facility known as Lower and Upper Echo Lake is basically a forever thing as long as the forest service doesn't start charging $250,000 a year for their land leases.

I worked at Echo in the summers of 1963-64-65-and maybe a little in 66. I have a friend from that time period who I can easily say is one of my best friends even though I haven't seen him in 12 years.

His name is Dr. Francis Joseph Conlan and he doesn't make house calls unless you have a math problem.

His non doctor name is Butch and today he is probably getting ready to leave Echo Lake after spending the entire month of September in his cabin......

All Cabins are only reached by boat unless you really feel like walking and then there is a trail....sort of.

The taxi boat service takes people to the beginning of Desolation Valley but access is only available during the summer because during the winter it looks like the mountains passes approaching Tibet.

SNOW makes it impossible to access the cabins during the winter so Echo Lake truly becomes a summer resort.

The current owner of Echo Chalet, which is the service arm of the resort, is Dr. Tom Fashinel and very dear friend of Dr. Butch's. Dr. Tom is not a math doctor but does something with brains....maybe like in the Man with Two Brains.....

When I worked at Echo Lake as a boat boy I was employed by a man named Jorgy. The most notable thing I remember about Jorgy was the gas that he would pass anywhere, anyplace and anytime........loud boomers. WHAMOS! WINDOW BANGERS LOUD.....and the best part would be standing by him and seeing the face of someone who didn't know him. I'm serious when I tell you that he could be shaking your hand for the first time and blow one off....and you could be a hot babe or a ten year old.....it just didn't matter to Jorgy.

Priceless memory.

The summers I worked at Echo only cost me about $50. Each time I checked out for the winter I would sit down and Jorgy would go over the records and because of store credits and draws I would actually owe him money. I think he would say something like....."don't worry I'll get it from you next summer."

Of course in 1963 I was making $1.25 as a general flunky.

In 1964 I was a certified Boat Boy and I think my pay went to $ 1.75 an hour.

In 1965 I think I worked for free because of what I owed the previous summer.

They were three of the greatest summers of my life.

Every freaking year I plan on going to Echo for a short visit with Butch but alas something happens and the last time I was there was 1998. I took Lily and her friend Rachel. Butch got exposed to young pre-teen girls and I'm not sure he ever recovered.

In fact it might have been 1996 and they might have been ten which really makes it scary.

I'm having this Echo moment because I woke up from a Echo dream about 45 minutes ago.

The water was very low and there were large rocks in the middle of the lake and people were practicing climbing. I mean very large rocks that seemed to extend hundreds of feet in the air.

When driving a taxi boat with 30 people on board it used to part of the job description to

AVOID THE ROCKS.....both in the canal and on the approach to the canal.

THE CANAL between the Upper and Lower Echo is it's own story....and I shall tell you about it at another time.

IF YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO BE IN THE LAKE TAHOE AREA DURING THE SUMMER YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO MAKE THE SHORT TRIP OFF HIGHWAY 50 AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO ECHO LAKE. I PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT.

AND FROM ALL INDICATIONS VERY LITTLE HAS CHANGED......

and that's something that doesn't get said very often anymore.........

very little has changed......except of course for the forest service lease fees.......

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Changing Levels

In 1994 my daughter Lily was 7 when her brother Sean passed away at the age of 15. Two weeks after the "event" she called me and said she hated the word "death." I responded with "yes it's a horrible thing that has happened." She said, "No not the thing....the words, death and dead.....Dad they just aren't the right words to explain what has happened to Sean."

I thought about it for a few seconds and said, "you are absolutely right...give me a little time to think about it and I'll see if I can find something that works better."

The next day as I was driving home from work it came to me in the form of poem....or a lyric...or an answer.

When I got home I called Lily and explained how Sean was not "dead" and the word "death"

did not have to be used. At the time she was living with her mom in a two story house so it was easy to explain........

"Lily, you live in a two story house and on the upstairs level you have your bedrooms and your bathroom and that's where you study and take your baths and sleep. The downstairs level is where the kitchen and the living room and the den are located and where busy things happen.

The upstairs level is quieter and calmer."

"That's exactly what has happened to Sean. He simply Changed levels. He is now on a level that is higher than where we are and that's why we can't see him but we can still feel him."

Lily simply said to me......"Ok Dad, and can I tell my friends that he changed levels?" "Of course you can." I said.

Within a few weeks they moved from that two story house to a single level dwelling behind the school in Malibu. I suspect that being around new friends made it easier for her to go forward because she didn't have to tell anybody anything unless she wanted to.

16 years later I thought I'd share that poem, or lyric or......answer.

changing

lev

els

driving home tonight

i look around and see

a lot of what is right

and a big old sun looking back at me

i wonder what has happened

to make

life

seem so strange

and of course

the only real difference

is the level

of his change

the level where we play and sleep

is one that we can know

the level where our memories keep

is somewhat down below

and then

there's where my sonfriend lives

beyond what we can see

it's brighter there and righter there

he just made there

before you and me

driving home tonight

i look around and see

a lot of what is right

and a big old sun looking back at me

i wondered what has happened

to make life seem so strange

and the only real difference

is the level of his change

there's a feeling now

that just......somehow

you might not believe this dream

and just because you can't accept

doesn't really mean a thing

we come knowing who we are

we leave just

the same way

and no matter what you think

there is always

another

day

this level is hard and tough

because we get left behind

and once you are left waiting

there is trouble in your mind

it's pain

it's hurt

it's a block of non-belief

it's rain

it's dirt

and a case of no relief

when you think that you've seen

all there is to know

the balance of your present level

can turn around and go

and then

the when

that you thought might be right

becomes the when

that only holds you in the night

driving home tonight

i look around and see

a lot of what is wrong and right

and a big old son looking back at me

i wonder what has happened

to make life seem so strange

and the only real difference

is the level of his change

Today the manager of our building Ed Mucha changed levels at the age of 86.

He was a gentle soul who has shared a long and wonderful relationship with his loving wife Camille.

Out thoughts and prayers are with Camille and hopefully she won't be changing levels for awhile

Thanks Ed for always keeping the grounds clean

.......and say hi to Sean if your levels ever crisscross.

I'm not for one second even remotely going to claim that I know how many levels there are.....

but I suspect there's a whole bunch.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Missing an old friend and I barely knew him

I received a CD in the mail today and it's absolutely amazing how much I've missed listening to Hoyt Axton.

I haven't had a record player for about six years and I only have Hoyt on vinyl. I finally ordered "My Griffin is Gone" from a guy ( Ray Kawal) in Washington, who seems to have everything that Hoyt ever recorded.

Nobody....living or dead....has a voice like Hoyt. And then on top of that he might have been one of the best songwriters who ever lived.

I'm pretty sure I'll let him play in the background of my life for the next few months.

It will be interesting to see how my artwork looks while Hoyt serenades me in 2010.

Between 1971 and 1977 most of what I created was done with Hoyt's voice somewhere near.

The dozen times I was able to see him perform was just gravy. I probably listened to My Griffin is Gone more than any album I've ever owned....and yet I haven't heard it in years and as it plays in the background at this very moment.....I just marvel at my stupidity.

What on God's great earth would have kept me from something that is so damn wonderful?

I have to thank Richard Eyer for introducing Hoyt into my life in 1966.

Hoyt changed levels in 1999 and I'm sure his voice resonates throughout all tangents of non-physical reality. Heaven is a great recording studio with tremendous acoustics.

Hoyt and Elvis probably get together from time to time and croon a few tunes.

Keep in mind that Hoyt's mom, Mae Axton, wrote Heartbreak Hotel which was Mr. Presley's first single for RCA in 1956.

Anyway I'm going to give a copy to a singer in the promenade, Eric Kufts, who needs Hoyt in his life.

There are somethings that I just simply know.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Second and Third

If you had said a month ago that the Trojans would be 3-0 to start the Lane Kiffin era....I would have been pleased. What doesn't please me is the overall reaction of the fans and the media.

Of course I realize that the person who calls a radio station to talk about a college football team is a different breed.....and generally they appear not to know from whence they speak.

The media is another story. They seem to know the game and the players and the coaches but their expectations seem excessive.

OBVIOUSLY THE LAST NINE YEARS UNDER PETE CARROLL SPOILED A LOT OF USC FANS.

There is an old adage that needs to be stated at this point in time.

A WIN IS A WIN IS A WIN...........

UCLA fans are feeling a lot better today than they were yesterday morning and they are experiencing a 1-2 start to the season.

USC has a some incredible weapons and although they won't be going to any bowl games for the next two years, they will have repeated spectacular highlights on all the ESPN wrap up shows.

One of the repeated stars of those highlights will be Robert Woods.....All predictions in football must be followed by the obvious caveat ........as long as he doesn't get injured.

I'm not going to get overly excited about a 3-0 start because I was going to be happy with 8 or 9 wins. What a 3-0 start does is allow me to be thinking that 10 or 11 wins might be possible.

Baseball season is over pretty early this year with the Dodgers just trying to avoid fourth place in their division, so USC is it for me. As far as my other football team, which resides in St. Louis, I would be happy with 4 wins. Sam Bradford seems to enjoy throwing the football and since they have nothing to lose they might as well let him average 45 to 50 passes a game. I would think that would help Steven Jackson.

Anyway, today they play their second game of the season and it's against the Oakland Raiders and it's still not on television. I thought the Raider Nation got priority in Southern California but apparently not. I've already resigned myself to the fact that the Rams will not be on TV once this year. How come the Raiders have a nation and the Rams have zip?

I might belong to a very small fraternity. PEOPLE FROM LA WHO STILL FOLLOW THE RAMS. I wonder how small it really is? Are there 50,000 of us? I'll check out Facebook and see if there's even a presence. My guess is if there is a site that the amount of friends will number in the hundreds.

Oh and by the way.......I will be rooting for the Cincinnati baseball club because they came from nowhere and I think they were 200-1 to win the series. I do think the Giants will win the division and with their pitching they might surprise a lot of people in the playoffs.

As far as my feelings on Donnie Baseball getting the Dodger job I simply have no emotion attachment to the entire situation because of the Divorce. Until that fiasco gets cleaned up....the players will not be happy. A Baseball team is a family experience and right now the parents are causing stress for the kids and the kids are not responding well to the chaos.

When Peter O'Malley talks people should listen, but it's important to remember that HE sold the Dodgers to FOX so his opinion does have less emphasis then it should. The only voice that matters is Vin and he'll never say anything but the right thing so we have no idea what he really thinks. Tommy might tell you the truth if you get a little vino down the tube.

Wait a minute.....I'm talking baseball.......Oh well, I guess I'm a lot like those idiots who call the radio shows.

Rams will upset the Raiders 24-21................as hope springs eternal on the second week of Pro football and the third week of college with USC being 3-0. Did I already mention that the Trojans were 3-0?

UCLA is ?????

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Bill needs to come

After viewing Meg Whitman's campaign slam, using Bill Clinton to whack Jerry Brown, I think it's time Bill came to California and spent some time with Jerry on the trail.

The information in the spot is slightly off.......Jerry didn't like Prop 13 and probably still doesn't but the deficit was only in one of his eight years in office....and it happened at the end when he was trying to pocket as much money as possible to pay off the mattress he had been using.

At the time Linda Ronstadt needed a sizable loan in order to take Spanish lessons for her next album.

What is Jerry Brown's net worth? I'm guessing he is not a rich man but if he is....then I think we would have to start asking some serious questions.

When would he had time to make a ton of coin?

Meg's money situation does not bother me. Rich people deserve to be rich because they figured something out that apparently I haven't. And it's not just about being smarter and working harder. They've actually figured something out. A secret. A money secret that once it starts unfolding just keeps steamrolling until the bank gets full.

What bothers me about Meg is the fact that she didn't register to vote for 28 years of her adult life.

How is that even possible?

I know lots of people don't vote but has anybody ever ran for a major office who didn't vote for a large percentage of their adult life?

THIS HAS TO BE A FIRST.

MEG.....seriously.

I've yet to hear an explanation.

Were you just too busy to care?

I'd love to know.

How cool would it be if Bill Clinton could ask her that question?

Hurry Bill and come get involved in California politics.

There's a beach house in Malibu just waiting for you.

I think it's right next door to David Geffen's house.

Does anybody have Bill's cell phone number?

Michael Timothy McAlevey

NFL for the record and other junk

It's always a good idea to post predictions....JUST IN CASE

SUPER BOWL PARTICIPANTS 2011

BENGALS vs PACKERS

WINNER OF THE SUPER BOWL

GREEN BAY PACKERS

MVP

AARON ROGERS

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Sam Bradford and Tim Tibow will tie.

TOTAL VICTORIES FOR THE RAMS................4....which is 3 more than last year.

College

After watching the Trojans play twice I think they will end up 9-4

Politics

The GOP will make a few gains but nowhere near what they thought.

Robert Duvall will win the Academy Award for GET LOW

THE WORLD WILL NOT END IN 2012

Reese Witherspoon will decide to make LEAJEWEL

Lily will be one of the Executive Producers.

Laura will select a Mini-Cooper

Grace will open her own cupcake shop.

The start of the NFL season really gets the juices flowing.

nine eleven and nine

Nine years since the attack on The United States......but keep in mind that anyone 10 years or younger doesn't have that memory unless they have been schooled with repeated television images.

Some schooling just isn't a good idea.

Imagine if Hiroshima had been televised.

That's a horrible thought... but then again, once one starts remembering tragic events then other tragic events just become part of the process.

I realize there is a large contingent of adults out there who don't consider Hiroshima a tragedy.

They regard IT as a necessary event in order to end WW ll.

What I've been able to learn from my various studies is that detonating a nuclear bomb was simply a huge finishing statement for a situation that was pretty much over.

There are numerous people who say that Japan would never have surrendered but it seems that opinion is debatable. Our government made it pretty clear that our nuclear action was taken to save American lives and a vast majority of people accept that concept.

I'm just not sure that using a Nuclear Bomb sets the proper tone for traveling down a path of spiritual awareness.

Obviously wars of any kind.... put a damper on that highway.

Every personal act of violence creates a pothole on that path.

And that brings us to The Koran

The Koran has been very much in the news lately with the Florida situation.

I suspect that very few non-Muslim people have read The Koran. I would even put the figure at less than 1/10 of one percent of Americans.

I fall in that category and yet I have read enough excerpts to think I know what The Koran says about KILLING.

I ACTUALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE KORAN SAYS ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE I DON'T READ BOOKS THAT CLAIM THEY POSSESS THE WILL OF GOD.

IF THE KORAN CALLS FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO KILL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS BECAUSE THEY DON'T FOLLOW THE KORAN THEN THE KORAN IS WRONG.

IF THE KORAN DOESN'T SAY THAT.....THEN SOMEONE IS DOING A VERY POOR JOB OF RELAYING INFORMATION.

Every time I think of 9/11 I think of 19 Saudi Arabians, who were radical Muslims, somehow penetrated our security and attacked the United States because they thought the United States was the Devil.

That's what I think radical Muslims think..... because I've heard that they have read, in The Koran, that anyone who doesn't accept Allah is the enemy....and enemies should be killed.

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT MOHAMMAD HAD TO COME UP WITH SOME FAIRLY RADICAL STUFF IN 600 A.D.....BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME PRETTY RADICAL STUFF TAKING PLACE.

I'll go back to one of my favorite ideas ( THE COUNCIL OF FAITH) and simply say.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A REALITY SHOW THAT PUTS ALL RELIGIONS ON TRIAL.

AT THE SAME TIME...

USING THE BEST LAWYERS FROM EACH RELIGION TO BOTH DEFEND THEIR OWN RELIGION AND QUESTION THE OTHER RELIGIONS.

LET EVERYBODY TUNE IN ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND LEARN WHAT EACH RELIGION REALLY STANDS FOR. PEOPLE COULD BE REMINDED OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE TIME PERIODS WHEN THESE RELIGIONS WERE FORMED.

THAT ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE IGNORED WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEIR RELIGIONS.

I think (BUT I HAVE NO PROVABLE IDEA)

that a Creator of the Universe

might regard our actions, that are based on historical religious points of view,

AS

PRIMITIVE

AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT 9/11

PRIMITIVE BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF HUMAN BEINGS.

It might be a good idea to prevent those ten year old and younger kids.... from watching the History Channel until they turn 18.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

THE WILDEST DREAM

If you get a chance go see THE WILDEST DREAM.

It's the story of George Mallory and his attempt to be the first person to climb Mt. Everest.

I once climbed a really big tree in our backyard when I was 6 years old.

I think I fell on my ass and broke my brain.

I'm still waiting for it to heal.

Really good film if you are interested in the adventurous spirit that lies inside the heart and soul of human beings.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNDER WAY

Since last January there has been extreme events in the hallow, somethings shallow ( according to some) halls of my college football team.

San Jose State would be my football team according to attendance but since I didn't officially graduate then I am allowed to pick any team I want. (NCAA rules # 89.34)

And I picked The University of Southern California when I was 6 years old so it's been a long term relationship. The Gods chose to give me a serious girl friend during 1967 and 1968 who was attending USC, so I was able to fringe participate in many school events.

Leslie went on to marry a doctor and have children so I didn't totally mess up her life.

It was simply a coincidence that those two years also happened to be the two years that O.J. attended USC.

The Gods are not without humor.....but then again you already knew that.

Getting back to the off-season of college football which extends from early January to Sept 2nd....the hammer was thrown down on the USC program and the main problem appeared to be a lost of scholarships. It created a major question mark in the depth of USC's team.

That question mark usually arises on the defensive side of the field when it comes to depth.

Thursday in Hawaii that question mark was bold and evident. The offense seems to be extremely capable of averaging 35 points a game. The defense seems to be extremely capable of allowing 36 points a game.

That could result in a 8-5 season.

It could also result in a 13-0 season if the offense averages 40 points a game.

If USC finishes 13-0 every UCLA fan in Los Angeles would have a small stroke.

I'm not worried because they have numerous hospitals throughout the area.

USC only has one hospital.

I hate how talking about college football results in discussing hospitals but when one gets to a certain age then medical topics just seem to appear.

Why Jessica Alba doesn't come up more often really confuses me.

Since my pro team, The Rams (from St.Louis at the moment) appear to have no chance to win more than 4 games I am totally devoting my football energy to college.

I'll be rooting for USC and .........and........and........

and.........and.......and.......

and........

I'll will root for UCLA until they play the Trojans because I still owe their hospital a sh.t load of coin.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

So impressive

I can't stop being impressed by John Mellencamp's latest CD.

NO BETTER THAN THIS is so unique that I'm not sure it fits a certain category even though some seem to think it's country.

If it's country then it's the greatest country album ever released.

The story behind where he recorded this CD is wonderful. Three historical locations. I suggest you buy the CD and read the liner notes by T.Bone Burnett, who produced the work.

John Mellencamp has a distinct voice. The harsh edges combined with his writing ability result in nothing sort of spectacular. His rock and roll background seems to have been fundamentally important to his latest musical interpretations....and if this in turn leads to another dimension of his ability, then I truly can't wait.

That's really how good this record is.......I'M ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE.

Great Job John.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Happy Birthday MOM

The first picture is my Dad who was, with my mom, responsible for starting the series that lead to Lily, who is shown with her grandfather. The middle picture is my mom and me at a mom and me class. The next picture is just because she has a mom and will be a mom.

Today my mom would be 88.

Two items on the November ballot + gov

Prop 19 and Prop 23 are two important measures that appear on the November 2 2010 election.

Prop 23 is probably much more important for the health of our children and their children but Prop 19 is important because it will allow people who like to smoke pot...to grow pot....without the threat of being arrested.

It relaxes the situation and possibly opens the door for taxation.

Prop 23 Suspends Air Pollution Control Laws Requiring Major Polluters to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions That Cause Global Warming Until Unemployment Drops Below Specified Level for Full Year. The specified level is 5.5 %.

THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE OIL EXTRACTION TAX THAT FAILED IN THE 2006 ELECTION.

By similar I'm referring to BIG OIL COMPANIES that spent millions to defeat the tax and somehow convinced the California voter that it was a bad idea.

That defeat is still one of the most baffling defeats I have ever witnessed in the arena of political processes.

NOW THE BIGGEST POLLUTERS IN THE STATE ARE ONCE AGAIN ATTEMPTING TO ALTER AIR POLLUTION LAWS BY STATING THAT CALIFORNIA IS LOSING TOO MANY BUSINESSES AND THEREFORE THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH OUR FISCAL SITUATION.

I SAY......LET THE BUSINESSES GET THE F..K OUT OF DODGE IF THEY CAN COMPLY WITH LAWS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN WILL BE ABLE TO BREATHE WITHOUT THE FEAR OF CONTRACTING LUNG PROBLEMS.

BY THE WAY....AIR POLLUTION CAUSES A MYRIAD OF PROBLEMS BESIDES JUST LUNG ISSUES.

And it's also important to note that if you favor Prop 19 than you also should be careful how much cannabis you ingest into your lungs. One hit is fine.....no need to smoke the whole joint.

THE ARGUMENT THAT FAVORS LEGALIZING POT IS THE ARGUMENT THAT ONE RAISES WHEN ONE DISCUSSES THE HEALTH PROBLEMS OF POT VS ALCOHOL.

The amount of money spend to treat alcohol problems vs pot problems is extremely unbalanced.

The amount of deaths caused by alcohol vs pot is extremely unbalanced.

Prop 19 should pass and Prop 23 should fail....but I've seen this tune before and it might not go the way I think....or the way I want.

Concerning the Governor's race......

HOW CAN A PERSON WHO DIDN'T VOTE FOR 28 YEARS OF HER ADULT LIFE THINK THAT IT'S OK TO NOW RUN FOR GOVERNOR????????????

THAT ISSUE ALONE SHOULD DECIDE THE ELECTION....but then again maybe all the people who don't bother to vote will now vote because one of there own is running.

This election should prove to be very interesting.

I hope everybody studies Prop 23 and reaches a conclusion that future generations can be proud of.......

??????????

The dog days of summer and back to school blues

The weather in Santa Monica has been perfect all summer and that means we are probably due for some strange heat wave in September and October.

I have the back to school blues because it means the traffic will increase once again. August is easily the best month to drive around LA. I also have the back to school blues because I'm not going back to school.

Those who are fortunate enough to be heading back to places of higher education probably don't have any idea how special this time is for them.

I say probably because I'm simply jealous and I'd hate to think that young people know how to enjoy the finer things in life.

School is most definitely one of the finer things in life.

Perhaps it might just be the time period when one attends school but I think not. I truly believe the opportunity to sit in organized class rooms and discuss pertinent topics is a gift that can never be duplicated.

I agree that some pertinent topics can be extremely boring but if the teacher is good than even those topics can be fun.

IF THE TEACHER IS GOOD is the magic phrase. But I remember students who made the teachers better by asking the right questions....so therefore, many times, the responsibility lies with the participant not the instructor.

All students should challenge their teachers.

All teachers should pray that they have students who can challenge them.

Of course that accounting class might be a bit hard to introduce the element of challenge because it's all simply organized structural system management and that doesn't vary.

But even accounting 101 can be fun if the teacher is on acid.

I think you have to go to school in the Bay Area if you want that class.

Oh yes.........school was really really really different in 1968 and 1969 and 1970.......hummmmmm

Anyway summer is almost over and it sounds like I should be going back to school.

Hummmmmm......that's a really good idea.

Where's the application?

Who would take me?

What would be my major?

I'm excited.....but there will be no accounting.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Sad and Strange and Stupid

The horrible off-road accident that occurred in Lucerne Valley over the weekend just got stranger when I saw the name of the truck driver who killed the 8 people.

Brett Sloppy

Seriously

Brett Sloppy

I'm not sure that he is even at fault in this horrible fiasco. He lost control after taking a jump in his modified Ford Ranger and his truck flipped and landed on a crowd of people that were standing literally on the track.

Since there's no actual track then one has to assume that it's all track and it might be a wise idea to put some distance between a human body and a 2000 lb. truck going 70 miles an hour.

Mr. Sloppy had to be escorted away because the crowd apparently wanted to extract some form of revenge.

It seems that the crowd should have turned on themselves for being so stupid.

I realize with death and mayhem abundant at the moment, it's pretty hard to be rational but looking at the situation I would say rational thinking was never on the agenda.

You know that the spot where the accident happened wasn't the only spot where people were standing next to, or on top of, the off-road vehicles that were competing in a nighttime race called the California 200.

I assume the idea is to get as close to the action as possible but doesn't common sense enter the picture at some point?

My heart goes out to all the families that lost loved ones. My brain says WTFWTT?

All the victims were in their 20's and hopefully their deaths will save other lives. I have to believe that people attending these type of events in the future will realize that close viewing is not as important as safe viewing.

Somewhere instinct and rational behavior must come into play before one puts themselves in a situation that has very little upside.... except for a momentary rush of adrenaline.

While millions of people are wondering how grounding a club in a questionable sand trap could possibly be a penalty......Eight families from Southern California are experiencing the worst days of their lives.

Very sad but most definitely avoidable.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

More Corporruption ideas and thoughts

My last entry introduced the word CORPORRUTION to the mix. In the article I related a problem that WE have by TRUSTING that Corporrutions wouldn't intentionally try to harm us for the sake of profit and stock prices....

I thought about it for a few days and have come to the conclusion that TRUST is a word used when attempting to be honorable about the situation.

Honorable might not be the best way to describe why we let CORPORRUPTIONS do whatever they want....and if honorable is not in play then neither is TRUST.

WHAT COMES INTO PLAY

IS THE WORD

GULLIBLE

And when Gullible is the cause of our blind faith...then stupid and ignorant become new players in attempting to understand why WE allow CORPORRUTIONS to rule the present day economic environment.

Multi-National Corporruptions are not going away and the only way to control their lack of empathy to individuals is by limiting what they can and cannot do.

THE FDA IS SUPPOSE TO REGULATE THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AND YET THAT SITUATION IS A JOKE.

The politicians have completely gotten into bed with any large donor to their respective campaigns, and the Corporrutions basically already had control.

Now with the new ruling by the Supreme Court ( decision #08-205 in January) there is no stopping the ability of the Corporruptions to influence every election at every level.

By the way, last week I read where the Military can't account for $ 7.8 BILLION dollars from the Iraq war.

Le'ts see.....100 Senators divided into $7.8 Billion equals.....a sh.t load of coin.

And it pains me to say that the CORPORRUTION known as the United States of America might be the biggest offender....but at least there are programs in place to help the needy and poor.

I realize that large Corporruptions send considerable amounts of money to charities and foundations but it seems the foundations are owned by the Corporruptions or by the individuals who are the main principles within a CORPORRUTION.

I mean I'd feel a lot better, for the distribution of funds, if the Foundation was called......END OF MALERIA FOUNDATION instead of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

AGAIN......GULLIBLE MIGHT BE THE REAL WORD

AND

NOT

TRUST.

And then again Stupid and Ignorant also work pretty good.

And also keep in mind that when a Spiritually based entity becomes a world class CORPORRUTION

THEN

IT

REALLY

GETS

UGLY....because it's all justified by a claimed association with The Creator.

Does that bring us back to GULLIBLE or what?

Trust and Faith are the cornerstones of organized religions and Trust and Faith could be the parallel universe words for....

STUPID

and

IGNORANT

And thus another NEO-ILLUMINATION comes into play

#9

"ORGANIZATIONS, BY THEIR VERY NATURE

MUST DISCOURAGE

INDIVIDUAL

ENLIGHTENMENT AND BEHAVIOR

especially

when

individual enlightenment and behavior

is centered on

SPIRITUALLY DIRECTED GROWTH"

Michael Timothy McAlevey

CORPORRUPTION

(Some of the facts in this article are from RETHINKING STATINS by Melissa Healy...LA TIMES HEALTH SECTION AUGUST 9 2010)

I'm certain that I've never heard anyone use the term CORPORRUPTION so I'm officially claiming it as my own invention.....until some dweeb comes along and points out that Timothy Leary used it 40 years ago.

It also appears that there are numerous situations that could be the poster child for the word but today I think the multi-national pharmaceuticals shall take center stage.

There's an article in today's LA TIMES that is repeating what my friend, Dr. Francis J. Conlan, has been saying for years.

STATINS, disguised under names like LIPITOR, MEVACOR,ZOCOR, CRESTOR and PRAVACHOL, are used by more than 24 million people in the United States and for all practical purposes are forms of....poison.

The prescribers and manufacturers of these drugs tell us that they help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

THE CORPORRUTION INVOLVED RESULTS IN $26 BILLION A YEAR WORTH OF BUSINESS.

DOCTORS ARE PRESCRIBING STATINS AND GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MUCH THEY RECEIVE IN KICKBACKS FROM THE MANUFACTURES.

THE WORD

KICKBACK

IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT WORD TO USE

EVEN THOUGH THE PAYOFFS ARE PROBABLY EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED

ie....stocks options or time shares or whatever.

The level of CORPORRUPTION in this instance is astronomical when you consider that in 2009 there were 201.4 million prescriptions written for Statins.

I've had a personal experiece regarding this matter:

I was in the hospital awhile back because of my rapid heart rate and when I checked out one of the prescriptions was for Lipitor. It was never mentioned while in the hospital, and when I checked with my regular MD as to why they told me to take Lipitor he didn't have an answer and simply told me not to take it because I didn't have high cholesterol.

"An add-on prescription just for the fun of it"

THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF

CORPORRUTION

Imagine how many prescriptions are written for people when they leave a hospital. Basically no one is going to question what they are prescribing....because the hospital have just taken care of us.......and we.........trust them.

TRUST MIGHT BE THE OPTIMUM WORD BEHIND THE PROLIFERATION OF

CORPORRUPTION.

We trust that the oil companies would never lie to us about the reasons oil is so expensive.

We trust that the government would never lie to us about the reasons we are involved in military actions on foreign soil.

We trust that a Studio would never lie to us regarding how much profit was made on a project.

We trust that our wife or husband would never mess around with the secretary or the neighbor.

We trust that pharmaceutical companies would never lie to us about the side affects.

We trust that the FDA and multi-national pharmaceutical companies would never be co-conspirators in a massive campaign to dupe the consumer.

OUR TRUST GENERALLY RESULTS IN BILLIONS AND BILLIONS AND BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS PROFIT FOR EXTREMELY LARGE COMPANIES....BETTER KNOWN AS

CORPORRUTIONS.

I THINK EXAMPLES OF CORPORRUPTION ARE MUCH TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION IN ONE ARTICLE, SO LET'S JUST DIGEST THE STATIN SITUATION AND LET THE OTHERS REST FOR A DAY OR TWO.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS READ THE LA TIMES HEALTH SECTION

AUGUST 9 2010

or contact my friend

Dr. Butch

tgfalcon@sbcglobal.net

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Just a reminder

Within 550 miles of Los Angeles we have Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

Within 550 miles of Israel they have Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, Libya, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran.....and Palestine.

Talk about living in the middle of a hornet's nest. I suppose you could say we have hostile feelings from Mexico but it can't be that bad when they keep trying to move here in record numbers.

Israel might have a friend in Greece and some in Turkey but the rest of them are pissed off neighbors.

Think how strange it is when you have someone in your neighborhood who seems to always be pissed off. If you don't have one of those then you probably don't know your neighbors and you might be that guy.

Imagine living everyday with the thought that no one around you likes you.

How in the world can we change those vibes?

I realize that residents of Israel have learned to adjust but that adjustment comes with an attitude that says "f..k em all." And especially "f..k those little motherf..kers living on the Gaza strip."

I understand hostility and from where it is born....but I have to believe that something could change in the region if someone just eased up a bit.....and unfortunately for supporters of Israel,I think that falls on the back of the Israeli government.

I think they have to start behaving like they aren't going anywhere....which they aren't. They seem to still be fighting for their right to be there. They are there and they ain't going nowhere and while they try to convince all the hostile neighbors around them they seem to forget their own reality.

I understand that they will answer with..."give our enemies a little breathing room and they will try to destroy us."

I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. Israel has one big advantage and that advantage is called the United States of America.

What they need to be doing is spreading the love. Israel needs to relax regarding the Gaza Strip and they need to recognize that Palestine has some property rights somewhere within the territory.

They need to stop treating the Palestinians like everybody in their immediate neighborhood has been treating them since 1949.

By displaying a bigger heart than all the uptight neighbors around them they might be able to ease the tension. If it doesn't work they can always go back to the tough guy mode.

A few years ago I got into trouble with some friends because my answer to solving the MET (Middle East Tension) was to simply move Israel to South Florida.

That didn't go over well because I'm not as funny as Jerry Seinfeld and then when I said I wasn't joking my Jewish friends called me a hater and an idiot.

I might be an idiot but I'm not a hater. I was trying to bring peace and calm to The Chosen People and South Florida seemed like a win-win situation. Not only would they be around people who cared about them but their extraordinary military abilities and machines( mainly aircraft) would protect us from the goof balls in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the time I had completely overlooked our interest in middle east oil reserves and therefore realized that our only true ally in the region needed to stay put until we no longer were dependent on foreign oil reserves. That might take another 20 years so I've put the relocation idea on hold and now am trying a more direct idea in order to bring some peace and harmony to the 6 million residents living within the Israeli borders.

THAT IDEA IS TO EXHIBIT TOTAL LOVE AND START BY RECOGNIZING THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT.

I realize that the Palestinians can't really figure out who controls what within their government, but as long as they don't exhibit any acts of violence then it doesn't matter.

I would like to hear anyone's idea for solving the tension in the middle east that doesn't include simply kicking the shit out of someone else.

OR IS THERE TRULY NO PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE SITUATION?

I refuse to believe that fellow members of the human race can't figure this crap out.

MICHAEL TIMOTHY MC ALEVEY