When I started coming to Shenzhen back in 2007 I knew it was an amazing city that was no doubt going to spearhead China into the future; now it seems it may even be spearheading the world into the future as more and more people, even some in the U.S. government, look to China for answers to their problems. {more}

Mundus Publishing of Los Angeles, California releases its first book "The City Parks of Shenzhen: A Pocket Guide to Shenzhen Public Parks" in February. This book is the first and most comprehensive book dedicated the city parks of Shenzhen. With 130 full-color photos, maps,and directions, this book is a must-buy for anyone planning to visit Shenzhen, China. But why publish a book about public parks? If you visit Shenzhen you will see why. {more}

I was recently interviewed by a writer at the Los Angeles Times about my desire to learn Chinese and my move to Shenzhen China. The February 11th, 2010 article ends with a quote of mine; in fact, the last four articles are from our interview. {more}

Have you finished your Christmas Shopping yet? No? Good! Then you still have time to do some environmentally-friendly gift-buying this year at the ECO Gift Expo in Santa Monica on Saturday and Sunday December 15 and 16. Click here for more information. {more}

Here is a somewhat disturbing article about the materials being used to make some of the common things we use everyday. Be sure not to put any of these in your mouth! {more}

I was looking out the window while riding on a bus in Shenzhen, China and saw one of the funniest names I have ever seen on a car. Obviously, no one at Mitsubishi speaks Spanish, because if they did, they would not have called this truck Pajero. I would love to tell you what this means in Spanish but my upbringing prevents me from doing so in public... {more}

While in China a friend of mine sent me this great link I had to share with you. This is really amazing and have no idea how a human being can make these kind of noises. You have got to check this out: http://www.video.qq.com/videopl.htm?v=1NBNcc1qLYu {more}

As many of you may already know, I have come to China to establish some companies to help American businesses do their business in China. The first of these companies is now set up and doing business in Hong Kong. Please welcome First Choice China Consulting, Ltd. For more information, please visit our new web site. If any one of you are interested in or have any questions about China, feel free to let me know. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. {more}

On May 14, 2007, I launched a new web site to house all of the entries I’ve been posting about China. I hope you all like this new format better. Please click here to visit the new web site. Enjoy. {more}

I'd like to congratulate my good friend Akoni Kama for his up-and-coming appearance in a Disney Channel Original Movie: Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board. This will be a new movie airing in June all about mountainboarding. Check out his site for more info and trailers. Congrats Akoni! {more}

Can you imagine a world where nothing is thrown away? Or at least a world where waste is food for something? Imagine, for example, ice-cream packaging that is not just bio-degradable within minutes of being discarded but where plants grow from within it when thrown away? Sound far-fetched? Well, in fact, this is here today. I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that the Sundance Channel is now airing a series of shows called The Green; one of which discusses the work of William McDonough and Bill Braungart authors of the book Cradle to Cradle, which presents to us a world where materials are perpetually reused to maximize their value without damaging this wonderful eco-system we live in. {more}

Congratulations California! The Mountain View News (a weekly paper distributed at my local metro station among other places), reported on page 8 of their April 12-18, 2007 edition that "Californians recycled an all-time record 12.4 billion beverage containers, 61% of the 20.5 billion that were purchased in the state." In addition, the paper also reported that California now celebrates 20 years as the biggest bottle and can recycling progarm in the United States. Now if we can only get the rest of the country to follow our lead. {more}

Here's a short video of the 2007 Earth Day festival at Memorial Park in Pasadena, California. A few things missing from this video are the Phoenix Electric Vehicle, the Kiddie Protest and the clip with the Path To Freedom House people. I didn't include those since I have separate videos for those already on YouTube. Check 'em out! {more}

I caught a few minutes of the KCAL 9 news broadcast today at 2 pm and heard that California is using 1% less gas than it did one year ago. According to the news broadcast, this is the first time in 14 years that there has been a decrease in gas use in our lovely state. Congratulations California! This is great news. Keep it up! {more}

I arrived back home to L.A. today. The flight from Shanghai to San Francisco was actually extremely fast arriving almost an hour early, taking just over 9 hours. {more}

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a train in China looks like? Here is a short video of a sleeper car taken during a ride to Beijing from Guilin. Sorry, the room has been used so its a little messy but you get the idea. In the video you see the hall in the sleeper car, my room with 4 beds, two on each side, which not only shows the beds, but where the electrical plugs are, the switches, the area to put your bags and even the foot handles to help you climb up to the top bunks. The bathroom is also shown, the hot water dispenser, and a very short clip of the adjoining hard sleeper car. {more}

Grist Magazine, one of my favorite environmental news web sites, has tipped me off to an interesting story hitting the presses about how the use of public transportation has reached levels not seen since 1957! Maybe skyrocketing gas prices are good for something. {more}

I am not really sure what it is, but I have a bad habit of loosing it when I get close to the end of my trips. I am less than two weeks from heading home and today I finally blew up on a poor cab driver. In my defense, I had been playing it cool for what I consider far too long when it comes to cab drivers trying to rip me off... {more}

One of the nicest places to visit in China, that I unfortunately have not had a chance to write about yet, is the West Lake in Hangzhou. I have actually been there a couple of times now and still have not had a chance to see all the nice areas surrounding the lake. Good food, nice people, blue skies, great scenery and a beautiful lake make this place a must-visit in China. {more}

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research recently obtained reports that Al Gore uses more energy in his home each month than the average American does in a year. Now although there may be plenty of valid reasons for this, this gives me the perfect opportunity to once again point out the the problems we are facing will not be solved by simply complaining about them and urging people to switch their light bulbs. {more}

Actually, this game... Frogger... a classic that I grew up with, is a great training tool to get you use to crossing major streets in practically any third world country. If you plan to come to China, definitely brush up on this game. You may not need it if you plan to only stay in big cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, however, if you plan to set foot in any of the smaller towns, then you should consider some training. {more}

Maybe it is just me, but trying all of the wonderful and delicious types of food there are around the world is absolutely one of the greatest excuses to travel. It isn't just eating the food though that satisfies you, sometimes, its the reaction you get from those around you. Take this lady in the picture for example. I wish I could have had a video camera to show you how excited she was to cook, for the first time, for an American. She even went and put on her nice coat for the picture. Or tonight, the excitement on the young cook's face while he was staring at me eat his cooking. And how proud he was when I said his food was delicious (in Chinese) in front of his regular customers. {more}

Here is a quick video shot walking mainly down Fuxing Lu in the old city of Dali, in Yunnan Province, China. {more}

The other day, I was talking to my mom on the telephone and she asked me about the food. She asked what I was having for breakfast. I told her that a very common breakfast food was noodles. Her Italian upbringing led her to reply, "Noodles! For breakfast! What do you have for dinner... Eggs and Pancakes!" I couldn't help but laugh. That night, I had left a bar with a friend and stopped to have the eggs filled crepe-style pancake pictured below. I know it seems a bit backwards but it sure does hit the spot. By the way, the noodles pictured here are the world famous Guilin Rice Noodles. I had this bowl while in Yangshuo. Normally, there aren't so many peppers but I've gotten use to heating things up a bit. {more}

A fews days ago, my scheduled plan changed unexpectedly and since I had a few extra days to kill, I thought I would come on down to Kunming in Yunnan province. Although it has a famous reputation, the cold weather up north was a major factor in my decision to come down to the south. When I went out for my first meal, I was reminded at how great eating can be here in China. Not just because you get to try great food, like my meal of the famous Yunnan fried rice and some delicious steamed pork dumplings, but also because of the satisfaction that follows when the bill comes out to less than a dollar, including a drink! {more}

I know that I knocked Guilin in a previous post, so I just wanted to take a minute to share with you a few pictures of one of my favorite places to enjoy abeautiful evening stroll and possibly an impromptu picnic... Rong Hu (Rong Lake), Guilin, China. Not only was it a very peaceful walk but there were inspiring views at every turn. Although you could walk right through this park in 15 minutes, it took me over an hour while taking these pictures and having my own impromptu picnic at the, what seemed to be built for me, gazebo-style lookout between the bridges. {more}

In April of last year, I posted an article about the unnecessary waste of energy in incandescent light bulbs. Well, apparently, there are enough people somewhere that care to do something about it. CarbonFund.org recently announced that Australia is planning to ban the incandescent light bulb, hoping to cut emissions by 4 million metric tons by 2012, and be the first country in the world to take this impactful step. Although California has been considering the idea for a while, it has yet to take any serious steps in that direction. {more}

Yesterday marked the beginning of Solar Week 2007. Those of you that know me and that follow my web site know that I had the priviledge of witnessing a total solar eclipse last year in Egypt and am planning to see the next one here in China next year. Since the eclipse last year, I have been trying to keep informed of educational projects that NASA puts on and one of them is Solar Week. Although it is intended for kids from grade school up to high school, I think it is fun for us all to take a look at. The web site gives you an opportunity to interact live with scientists to get answers to your questions about the Sun and even learn more about solar eclipses! {more}

Here is a quick 360 degree video taken from the top of one of the sand dunes of Mingsha Shan, or Singing Sands Mountain, directly in front of the Crescent Moon Spring in Dunhuang, Gansu Province in China. The video was shot on February 26th, 2007, there is snow in many places and half the spring is frozen so you can just imagine how cold it is. However, when you're hiking up, you get so hot and sweaty that you convince yourself it is a good idea to take off your shoes so they don't get full of sand. When you finally calm down after reaching the top you start to realize how cold it is. {more}

It was quite an experience to wake up at 7 am this morning in Urumqi in Xinjiang province and have it still be dark. It was even stranger when 8 o'clock hit and it was still dark. Imagine my surprise when I waited all the way until past nine in the morning to be able to take a picture of the sunrise over Tian shan (Sky or Heaven, Mountain). For some reason, Beijing has decided that the entire country needs to use the same time zone that it does... even provinces that are thousands of kilometers away. Although this is quite confusing, it makes for an interesting time. {more}

Well, I survived! It has been another full month that I have spent in China making a total of three months since last summer when I visited for two months. Too tell you the truth, I am becoming very comfortable here and am much more able to get around on my own and deal with things. Surprisingly, in Beijing, I realized after the fact that I was so comfortable with this city that I would even leave the hotel without taking their namecards or even writing down the address; a first for me since coming to China. {more}

I arrived today to Urumqi (pronounced: Wulumuchee) and was welcomed by comfortable negative 6 degree celius weather, or about 21 degree farenheit for those in the states. Surprisingly, it is not as cold as I expected but I was a bit worried when I looked out the airplane window to see mountains covered in snow. Hopefully I will be able to handle it when I am out seeing the sights... first stop... Heavenly Lake tomorrow morning. {more}

I thought I would share with you something interesting I just found out today. Apparently, the winter sports we are so use to partaking in in the states and in Europe are beginning to grow in popularity here in China. As the disposible incomes of people continues to grow, they look for new ways to spend their newfound money. One of these ways is on the slopes. According to CCTV, attendees to snow resorts has been increasing by 20% each year for the last ten years. As new skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes, the landscape of the Chinese winter holiday is beginning to change from one where families traditionally stay at home, to one where they look for new ways of enjoying their time. {more}

Although it is the fifth day of the Spring Festival and I am in Urumqi, which is an autonomous region of China, there does not seem to be any letting up of the festivities. At least not when it comes to fireworks. They really must be cheap here because I find it amazing how many of them are constantly going off. When I buy fireworks in the states, I am lucky to get a good five minute show. This video is shot from the 7th floor of the Xin Rong Hotel between the hours of 9pm and midnight Beijing time and edited for the sake of your time. It kind of sucks because you hear them constantly but being in the hotel room, you can only see the ones right in front of you. By the way, here are a couple of interesting bits of information about travel during this time of year. Yesterday alone there were over 3.8 million people riding the rails and that number is expected to be 4 million riding the rails on Friday. In addition, there were 33 million people on the buses today! {more}

I found this video on YouTube of the fireworks going off on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2007, taken from the 26th floor of an apartment building in the suburbs of Beijing. I think it compliments my video very well because it gives you a birds-eye view of what was happening all over the city (and the country for that matter). {more}

I wonder if we would eat so much meat if this is how it were presented to us. As you probably know, I'm about to wrap up my third month in China and one thing I find interesting is the presentation of the food. There seems to be quite a different attitude about how people see their food here. Seeing animals hanging from a restaurant window is extremely common, in fact, it seems to almost be a requirement. Feeling hungry yet? {more}

Here are some photos taken at the International Spring Carnival at Chaoyang Park in Beijing, China. I have been unable to find any sort parade like we are used to in the states. Instead I find plenty of these types of festivals. This one is different from the traditional ones because it has a much more international feel, but it is still pretty interesting. {more}

During the Spring Festival, people here in China pour into the streets, primarily at the Miao Hui's or temple fairs; however, there is only one Miao Hui that can say that it is still held in a temple. that is the Baiyunguan Temple Fair at the White Cloud Temple. The main reason for the visiting this temple is apparently for prayers and the wishing of good luck for the coming year as you can see from the videos and pictures I will be posting over the next few days. Here are some pictures and a video of one such good-luck-wishing event at the temple; throwing coins (50 coins for 10 yuan) at a bell on the Wo Feng Bridge. {more}

Another interesting thing people seem to do for good luck is rub this ornate pot at Baiyunguan (aka White Cloud Temple) here in Beijing. As I mentioned in previous posts, the miao hui (temple fair) held at this Taoist Temple is actually the only miao hui that is still held at in a temple. That seems to explain why the crowds lining up at the door here are primarily visiting to make prayers and to perform the many rituals for bringing good luck. I found this one interesting as it involves approaching the pot with your eyes closed. Everyone seems to have pretty good aim, and for the most part, they all hit it dead on... I wonder if anyone peeks? {more}

The miao hui at Ditan Park definitely seems to have been the most crowded one of all. The Beijing International Spring Carnival may have had more people but it was more spread out so I really couldn't say which was bigger. One thing I've noticed that these things is that food is huge. It seems to just be a place to eat a lot and then walk it off while doing a little shopping. It's pretty tough getting through the crowds. I always have a backpack with me wherever I go and I must say it was pretty difficult to get around with it on. Unless you really need something, I suggest leaving it at home or at your hotel. I hope you enjoy the video and this collection of pictures. It should give you a great idea of what a Spring Festival celebration is like in China. {more}

Although I accidentally deleted by favorite clip of the evening, I shot over an hour more of the celebrations that took place on the streets of Beijing near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing districts. Take a look at this 10 minute inside look at how China welcomed in 2007, the Year of the Pig, on the night of February 17th, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. {more}

During the Spring Festival there are many events that take place. Traditionally, Chinese people go to the miao hui, which means temple fair or market. The Beijing Chaoyang International Spring Carnival that took place on February 18th, 2007, the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Beijing Chaoyang Park is basically a much bigger and carnivally version of that. Although it is definitely not my style, I can see how it can be appealling to many people, especially expatriates or other foreigners staying long in Beijing away from home. Unlike other miao huis, which I hope to share with you as well, this one is chauk full of international entertainment. You will notice too how the crowds at the various gatherings is quite different. {more}

Here are a couple of videos taken from Moon Hill. The first one is from the Lookout at the official "top" of Moon Hill. You can see at the end of the first one where I climbed to in order to shoot the second video. I will be posting pictures later that will show how I got to the real top of Moon Hill, however, I was told that the various illegible signs said No Admittance. At that point there are no steps and only a harsh and difficult trail so I do not recommend the climb for everyone. You can hear from my panting in the second video too that i was pretty out of breath by the time I got up there. {more}

When traveling throughout China there is no way to avoid noticing the vast number of ethnic minority groups. Although the Han Chinese officially make up more than 90% of the population, there are 55 other ethnic groups officially recognized by the government. Here is a video clip of a tour guide in Yangshuo named Shirley who was nice enough to sing a song for us in her local Zhuang language. You may find this song familiar. I also used it on the bamboo rafting video I posted yesterday. If you have a chance to visit Guilin or Yangshuo, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with her as she is very nice and very helpful. She works at the travel desk in the lobby of the Yangshuo Regency Holiday Hotel on West Street (Xi Jie) or can also be reached on her cell phone at: 13457360321 {more}

Aside from bicycle riding to Dragon Bridge and Bamboo Rafting down the Yulong River, the next best thing to do in Yangshuo has got to be visiting Moon Hill and climbing to the top for a view of the amazing landscape all around you. Although there are many ways of getting there, I opted for the 1 hour bike ride. If you are short on time, there are mopeds, motorcycles, taxis and shuttle services available as well. Click here for some photos of some of the things you can expect to see along the way. By the way, the directions in Lonely Planet for how to get out there are pretty vague. The best way is just to go straight on the road you take to Yulong River (do NOT make a right before the bridge), pass over the bridge, go through the tunnel and make a right at the rotunda. You'll ride for about an half hour or so and cross a cool bridge before you see a sign saying Moon Hill (pictured here) on the right side of the street. Try not to get caught riding during rush hour because these are normal traffic streets and it can get pretty bad especially near the tunnel and rotunda. Once you get there, expect to stay between 30-120 minutes depending on far you like to climb and how much time you like to stay up there. {more}

Another, more popular way, of returning to Yangshuo after bicycle riding to the Yulong River is by Bamboo Raft. In fact, you can normally bamboo raft all the way back to Yangshuo from practically anywhere on the river. Unfortunately, because I came in the winter, the water levels were pretty low and we could not raft the entire normal route; there were also plenty of areas where it was a bit difficult to pass as it was, but overall, it was still a great experience. And in case you are wondering, YES, you can get wet so remember to keep your feet up if you don't want to. Things are safe though as long as you keep them well-elevated and off the raft itself. Click here for some pictures and video of the trip. {more}

Well, folks, the 3-part series of my bicycle ride from Yangshuo to the Yulong River, in Yangshuo, Guilin, China has been completed. You can see it here. Keep an eye out because next I will be adding some pictures and video of the bamboo rafting trip down the Yulong River back to Yangshuo. {more}

I arrived very late last night to Beijing and basically slept all morning. When I woke up, I thought I should go out and she what Valentines day looks like in Beijing, but where should I go? Well, Wangfujing of course! Wangfujing is a major shopping area of Beijing. It's not the street vendor stuff we're used to seeing in other parts of the country, but more the shopping center-style we are used to seeing back in the states. Rolex, Nike, Adidas and other name brand stores litter this area and provide Beijing with a very modern and high-priced shopping atmosphere. Perfect for Valentine's day.Click here to see photos of Valentines Day in the Wangfujing Shopping District of Beijing. {more}

Well, it was bound to happen someday, my first concussion in China. Now, I am not a doctor and I did not go to the hospital so I cannot say for sure that is what happened, but I have experienced a few of these in the past so based on what those felt like, I would say I had another, albeit a minor one, today. Although I am pretty beat up and my right hand is currently bandaged, I was very fortunate to have been with a quick thinker and everything turned out just fine. The worst thing about it is that I ruined my favorite, and only, pair of jeans here with me. But here is a lesson for you if you plan to come to China... {more}

Here is a short video clip taken from the top of Dragon Bridge on the Yulong River in Yangshuo, China. For more pictures from here, click here. {more}

Today I had the priviledge of experiencing one of the most amazing scenic activities one could possibly engage in, taking a bicycle ride from Yangshuo to the nearby Yulong River. A popular activity here is riding a bamboo raft down the Yulong River. Although I plan to do this as well, today I thought it would be best to get to know the terrain a bit and just ride as much as I could. Although I eventually made it to a very nice spot at the river, my desire to take the road less traveled got me lost many times through the fields of some of these small farm villages. {more}

What can I say about Yangshuo that has not already been said? Chinese writers and artists have been inspired by this place for thousands of years and after one second here you can see exactly why. Not too far south of Guilin, Yangshuo is definitely the place to visit in this area. I do not want to knock Guilin too much, but I will make a comparision to help you understand the difference between visiting these two areas; Considering they are so close and sit along the same river, they are very similar to each other both in terms of weather and geographical features. The main difference I see reminds me of the difference between... {more}

I can't believe it! I come all the way to China for a chance to see the Chinese New Year Parade and my own home town of Pasadena decides to put on a free parade of its own to welcome in the Year of the Boar (aka Year of the Pig). Anyway, Apl.de.Ap of Black Eyed Peas will preside as Grand Marshal with other prominent dignitaries, local news personalities, pageant queens and top name Asian American celebrities will be joining him; including, The cast of Justin Lin’s new movie, Finishing the Game, Heroes’ James Kyson Lee, Miss Universe 1997’s Brook Lee, Desperate Housewives’ Alec Mapa and That’s So Raven’s Amy Hill. At the Festival, entertainment includes South Border, JIN, Far*east Movement, Quest, Supe and a myriad of ethnic Asian dance troupes. Best of all, it's free!!! {more}

I was extemely lucky to have been visiting Baomo Park on the day that I did because they happened to be performing a rehearsal show of the Annual Spring Festival Show. The Guangdong TV station and various other reporters were also there to report on the event. It was definitely an interesting experience and quite the teaser for the up-and-coming New Years show. {more}

Here's Part Two of Baomo Park's Sneak Peak of their 2007 Chinese New Year Show. {more}

Due to popular demand, I post next a short video clip of a view of the world famous Bund in Shanghai taken from Pearl park in the new Pudong side of the Huangpu River, or Huangpu Jiang as it is known in Chinese. Shanghai, like any major city, is huge; not only in size but also in population reaching almost 10 million, so keep a look out for more videos from this city, its people and places. I will be returning here, what many call the Paris of the East and a city which is set to become a major global financial center, in March as well so I will have plenty to show you. As you can tell from this video clip, there is not much Chinese architecture here. In fact, all you really see on this strip of coastline are remanents of China's colonial rule and the days of British and French control in China trade and finance. {more}

Just 30 kilometers away from Suzhou, a place many refer to as Venice of the East, and a one-hour bus ride away from Shanghai, ZhuoZhuang is definitely a nice place to spend the day. Although I have more video I will be adding later, I thought I would share with you this quick two-minute clip of a small boat ride, gondola-style, taken through the canals of this ancient city. {more}

Well, I just turned in my final paper for my final class of my MBA. I cannot believe that I am finally finished. This last class was definitely a challenge considering I am in China but it just makes it all the more sweeter. I look forward to applying my new credentials and education to both my work and professional life and also strongly encourage everyone to continue their educational process as much as possible. Thanks to all you well-wishers and those that have supported me throughout the process. I am currently taking suggestions as to directions for continuing study so please let me know if you have any thoughts on the subject. {more}

If I had to pick one thing that I think is on everyone’s minds when they think about China, I would have to say money. Whether it is that China is taking jobs/money, it is keeping its money artificially undervalued, it is attracting investment/money, or that it can help make you money, everyone is thinking about China and money. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea that my first set of videos be about money. So, here it is, a collection of free videos explaining a few useful things about Chinese money; a must see for anyone thinking about spending money while in China. {more}

Well it is January 23rd here in China and I am back in Shanghai. As most of you may already know, after a few months back home I decided to return to China. This time around I promise I will be updating the blog more often and finally add those pictures and videos you guys have been asking for. I hope you enjoy them and be sure to check back often. In case anyone is wondering, it is about 40 degrees farenheit and currently raining. {more}

Well folks, on September 4th I arrived to Beijing and spent a couple of great days here seeing a few more things and wrapping up some loose ends before heading home. Tomorrow is the big day. After two full months in beautiful China, I will be flying home bright and early tomorrow. I have plenty of pictures and videos I hope to share with you soon. See you state-side! {more}

Yesterday I arrived to Xi'an in Shaanxi province from Zhangjiajie in the Hunan province, an absolutely amazingly beautiful natural environment in the southwest of China. I am now in one of the oldest cities in the world and am ready to head out on a full day of touring tomorrow. My days here are winding down with less than a week to go in my two-month journey. I have to say that I had an amazing time. I have had a chance to visit some small towns like Zhuzhou in Hunan province, big and new cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, the new capitalist city of Shenzhen, naturally beautiful cities such as Hangzhou and Zhangjiajie, and China's most ancient city, Xi'an. I know many of you are getting impatient with me for not posting pictures and videos and I apologize again. I will try to get to you soon. {more}

After leaving the beautiful island of Hainan in southern China, I decided to stop in Zhuzhou, Hunan where I was teaching English for a month. It is very nice to see some familiar faces, be in somewhat of a familar place.and to feel like a superstar for a while as foreigners are much less common in small towns such as this one. It is also a convenient stop considering my next destination is Zhangjiajie, an amazing natural reserve only a few hours west. It has been named a world heritage site by the U.N. so I am very excited to check it out. I am leaving tonight and should be arriving in the morning. I will try to post more from there when I get a chance. {more}

Well, as usual, I have not had much time to post to the blog lately. There is just so much to see and do that it has become very difficult. Considering that it has been over a week since I posted, I thought I would update you on what I have been doing. Since then, I have gone from Hangzhou to Schenzhen, to Guangzhou and now to Hainan, a beautiful island in the China sea. I think I will stay here a few more days and try to recoup some energy. As usual, I will wrap up this post by saying that I will try to write more soon. I hope I will be able to. Things here are at a slower pace so if I ever had the chance, now is it. {more}

Hello All, I arrived this morning to Hangzhou in the east of China from Beijing, the capital of China. This is an absolutely amazing city, not only at how modern it is but also how beautiful it is, especially the West Lake, its primary attraction. Hopefully I will be able to stay a couple of days here before moving onto my next destination. I will try to write more soon to keep you updated. Also, I would like to thank everyone who emailed me today to wish me a happy birthday. I really appreciate all of your best wishes tremendously. Thanks again. {more}

Hello all! I arrived to Beijing this morning at around 11:30 am. I have met up with a few of the other teachers that were on this same program with ACT and we are getting along great and ready to start touring this great city. I will try to post again soon and start showing you some photos. Thanks again to all of you well wishers. I hope you are all doing well. Please keep in touch and I will do the same. {more}

It is Sunday August 6th here in China, but Saturday the 5th at my home in the states. After one month, my teaching gig here in Zhuzhou, Hunan has ended. I am a bit saddened to be leaving as I have met so many wonderful people and have had such a great time. Between work here, work in the states, and school, I have been swamped and have not had much time to post to the blog. I hope this will change as I have soooo much to tell you about my experiences. I will be getting on a train within the next couple of hours for Beijing to start the rest of my touring of China. Wish me luck! I will try to post soon! {more}

Hello All, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have arrived safely to Shanghai. I will try to post more again later today, it is about 1 am here now so I am going to bed. {more}

Hi All, I just arrived to Tokyo on a layover. It is about 5 pm here and, if my clock is still correct, about 1 am in the states. In case you are wondering, YES, the flight was very long; about 11 hours in total. I will be here for a couple more hours before hopping on a plane for a 3 hour and 10 minute flight to Shanghai. Thanks everyone for the emails. I will post again as soon as I can after arriving to Shanghai. {more}

Well folks, it is official! I am leaving for China just after the 4th of July for two months! I just finalized most my plans and am wrapping up all the details. For those of you wondering, the answer is “yes,” I will be documenting and posting as much about my trip to china as possible. In fact, I have already registered the domain name GaryInChina.com so you can follow along. {more}

For those of you wondering what is the best way to contact me while I am in China, I have added this form to the web site. I will be keeping this form up-to-date so that it always forwards messages to the best emailbox available to me at the time. Please feel free to drop me a line at any time. {more}

I never realized that George W. had this much singing talent. I am really surprised he has never shown it off on television before. If you like this one, there are at least ten others where G.W. sings available to listen to as well. {more}

Not getting enough of bikes lately? Try the the 6th Annual Bicycle Film Festival. Hitting Los Angeles this Wednesday June 21st the Bicycle Film Festival is a celebration of bicycles through film, art, and music. Playing through Saturday June 24th, the festival kicks off with an art show inspired by bikes called Joy Ride, followed by a Bikes Rock Party at The Smell in LA on Thursday and finally two full days of all kinds of bike movies; including artistic shorts, music videos, documentaries and full length feature films. For more info, visit CarFreeLA.com {more}

MySpace, an online social networking web site has bought out 7 movie theaters nation-wide this friday in order to show the movie An Inconvenient Truth, a movie about Global Warming, for FREE. THIS FRIDAY June 16th, 2006, visit any one of these 7 theaters at their stated times to watch this MUST SEE movie for FREE. I saw this movie last week and was absolutely shocked at the information presented and mostly that not more is being done about it. PLEASE SEE THIS MOVIE. {more}

The farm, says DiCaprio, holds a remarkable array of biodiversity and, because of its size, functions as a carbon sink, a natural environment that stores more carbon than it releases into the atmosphere, and this helps reduce global warming. We have to start acknowledging that every action counts. {more}

Today Metro is promoting Bike To Work Day in Los Angeles County with partners and sponsors at the California Bicycle Coalition, Caltrans, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Bikestation Long Beach, REI, 7-Eleven, Ocean Potion Suncare, Costco, Clif Bar, Answer Products, the Aerospace Corporation, City of Los Angeles, Delta Air Lines, Foothill Transit, Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), City of Santa Clarita and Newhall Bicycle Company by offering free rides to anyone boarding with a bike and/or a helmet in order to promote Bike to Work Day! Click here for more information. {more}

When most people think of South Central Los Angeles, they think of gangs, drugs, drive-by shootings, and riots. I know those thoughts traveled through my mind as I got off the bus at 41st and Compton Ave., on my way to visit the South Central Farmers. Although I was not the most relaxed or comfortable walking the two blocks to the farm, I felt 100% safe once within its confines; a place that Tom Morello guitarist of rock band Audioslave and founder of Axis of Justice called an “embodiment of the American Dream;” What Mike Farrell, actor turned activist called an “oasis of life.” By now you may be asking what Tom Morello, Mike Farrell, a farm, and I were doing in the middle of South Central Los Angeles. Click here to read my article in Car Free LA. {more}

Many of you already know about my feelings towards the car, its oil consumption and ill effects on society. For that reason, it should come as no surprise that I back the Rainforect Action Networks petition demanding that our nations leaders, both civic and corporate, make a real commitment for change. Its time to take action, starting with automakers like Ford Motor Company, the company whose vehicles guzzle more gas than any other automaker in the country. Tell Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company that it is time for real change. Sign the Petition today! {more}

Ok, now that I have your attention, let me clarify. Actually this was not just one drunk motorist, it was all American Motorists and they were not drunk on alcohol, they were drunk on oil. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1,638 children ages 14 years and younger were killed by American motorists in 2004. <1> Another 220 were killed in non-traffc car-related deaths, <2> and over 214,000 were injured. That is an average of 5 deaths and more than 586 injuries each day attributed to Americans driving their cars.<1>. I guess as long as it is not your child that dies it is ok, right? Visit Car Free LA for help on how to set yourself free from your addiction to the automobile. If you responded to this by saying that everything has a cost, then ask yourself at what point the cost becomes too expensive. How many dead children is too many? {more}

AFS Trinity Power Corporation recently filed its patent application for a new car that will be capable of traveling more than 250 miles on a single gallon of fuel. Although todays hybrids can get 50 mpg and cost about $19 per week on average, the new Extreme Hybrid™ car will use less than $8 per week in fuel and eletricity. Demonstration vehicles are expected out within two years with mass production beginning within three. {more}

There is testing being done on the food you eat every day that you need to be aware of. For the health of yourself and your loved ones, please watch this video. It is short and it may save your life. {more}

This is an excellent video about the causes of global warming and what it is doing to the planet. {more}

Ron Watson, a champion Frisbee-dogger, and Apryl Lea, a professional dog trainer and metal-artist, are opening the Pawsitive Vybe Canine Boutique on Tuesday May 9, 2006 in Rockford, Michigan. Not only do they offer a unique brand of training, which they refer to as obedience through interaction, they also feature products used and endorsed by Ron and Apryl in their years of running with their high energy pack of Frisbee dogs, as well as equipment not found in any chain pet stores. Add their one-of-a-kind dog art gallery featuring such artists as De De LaRue and Apryl Lea, and you have a truly unique dog shopping experience. {more}

This week, the United States House of Representatives is expected to vote on a law that will do nothing less than restrict what you can do and where you can go as well as give a handful of companies the ability to watch and monitor what you do on the Internet. In the past, the Internet has benefited everyone, from liberals to conservatives, from Christians to Hindus, from grade school children to even my grandparents due to a concept known as Net Neutrality. What is Net Neutrality and why is it important? {more}

They say you never forget how to ride a bike. I wonder if that goes for dogs too. {more}

Just a little something to make you laugh on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. {more}

Ok, this is the last one for today. I promise. Click here to watch Emo Philps discussing Religion. {more}

Join Cuc Skywalker, Obi Wan Cannoli, Princess Lettuce and Ham Solo as they battle the dark side of the farm. When it comes to fighting the corporate farming machine, the rebels need all the help they can get. Click here to view Store Wars {more}

Fart Matrix, a short video to make you laugh. {more}

Whether you are Democrat or Republican, Independent or other, it is hard to be against clean elections. Private contributions have embedded themselves so deeply into our politics that they have, in the opinions of many, perverted our wonderful system. What can be done about it? You ask. Well, the most obvious solution is taking the money right back out. That is what Arizona and Maine have done and that is what many other states, including California are hoping to do as well. {more}

Join cyclists all over the state during the week of May 15-19 as they don their bikes and become part of the solution in the biggest bicycle commute to hit California. This is the 12th straight year that record number of cyclists are expected to join in the Annual California Commute Week. If you cannot bike to work for the whole week, considering joining in on Bike to Work Day in Los Angeles County, which is Thursday, May 18th. If you are considering taking part in this event, visit the Bike to Work web site as it has many links to help you plan. There is even a list of pit stops where cyclists are invited to stop by for refreshments and free give-aways! It is really simple to get started, simply visit their web site and check out their online pledge. This event is also being sponsored by REI, 7/11, Ocean Potion, Costco, BikeStation, LACDC, LADOT, the California Bicycle Coailtion, Caltrans and Clif Bar. {more}

For those of you who would like to stop watching television but just cannot seem to get enough of those moving pictures, check out www.DHLoveLife.com. This web site showcases Daryl Hannah sharing with the world some of her very interesting experiences. So far there have been six episodes and she seems to be adding new ones every week. The first week included an episode about Bio Diesel, the second was about an organic and natural products expo, the third about vegan junk food, the fourth about green building, the fifth about Gorillas in Rwanda and the sixth is a continuation of the fifth. Her web site and videos are very interesting to say the least. I strongly recommend checking them out. They definitely provide a different viewpoint and an alternative to the mass media we are fed today. Plus, he motto is great! {more}

This year the UCLA extension is hosting the 3rd Annual ArtsDay LA - a free, festive, and unique educational event that brings together a vibrant community of artists, writers, designers, architects, and landscape architects. Each spring, ArtsDay LA features a day of free mini-lectures and panels on a wide variety of arts topics for you to explore. {more}

On Saturday May 6th from 9am to 12 noon people will be gathering at over 15 locations from Tujunga to Long Beach to take place in the largest urban river cleanup in the nation. For more information, visit their web site, where you can find a location near you by either doing your search by region, by body of water, or by searching locations via alphabetical order. Free tote bags will be given to the first 100 volunteers at each site. If you have children with you and are up for a party with your cleanup, visit the River School Day on Friday May 5th, at Fletcher Drive in Atwater Village, and enjoy the music, refreshments and prizes. More information, including sponsors, what to wear, volunteering, membership and more, visit their web site. {more}

Why is it that I have to travel to a third world country to find technology that could help deal with the water shortages we face here in California and much of the west? When it comes to toilets, it appears that we are a bit behind... no pun intended. While we here in the states are told to put bricks in our toilets to use less water, far more advanced countries like Egypt, for example, have toilets that can dispense more or less water depending on the task at hand. What a great concept? I wonder when this technology will hit us backwards people. {more}

While surfing the web to find some local film festivals to attend, I found this great one that merges two great ideas, addressing social issues and making great films. ARTIVIST is the 1st international activist film festival dedicated to addressing Human Rights, Children's Advocacy, Animal Rights and Environmental Preservation through film, visual arts and music. {more}

I would like to thank you and congratulate you for what I consider to be an excellent display of what two fine police forces should look like. There were no excessive displays of force, such as police officers wearing riot gear, or any confrontational situations or threats at the Great American Boycott in downtown Los Angeles as far as I am aware of. There we no batons out, guns drawn, or any other threatening displays. In fact, aside from the helicopters (which may or may not have been police) I barely noticed their presence. It may have had to do with the fact they were grossly outnumbered as well. But either way, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a job well done. Thank you. {more}

The Great American Boycott of 2006 was an absolutely amazing event. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to stick around for the followup at McAurthur Park but I saw plenty at City Hall. It is unbelievable how many people were out in the streets. I had never seen so many people in one place. I had also never seen such a true demonstration of what it means to be an American. Hundreds of thousands of people today joined together to stand up for what they believe in. As you can see from the videos and photos there were tons of people. {more}

Although I do not watch television anymore, I am more than willing to watch a few funny videos that make their way onto the Internet. And a couple of these are a two hilarious clips of Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And Bush is actually sitting next to him during his speech! I really wish they would have cut to him, I would have loved to have seen his face during some of these comments. {more}

Grist Magazine, a web site devoted to environmental news and commentary, is giving away a trip for 2 to Pero, to see Machu Picchu and more, that is valued at over $6,000! After a friend sent me a link to this, I immediately thought I would do the same for you. All you have to do to enter is signup for any of their six newsletters by May 5, 2006. Each one you sign up for is an entry into the drawing that is to take place on or about May 19, 2006. Need more information? Click here! {more}

America. What a great country. Sometimes I am absolutely amazed at what goes on and the strength people demonstrate while standing up for what they believe in. Even new entrants to the country learn fast and sometimes have a thing or two to teach us about Democracy and how to fight for it. The Great American Boycott of 2006, or its more popular name “A day without an Immigrant,” is scheduled to take place on May 1, 2006 and is drawing support from immigrant groups across the country. Contrary to popular belief this is not a Mexican or Hispanic thing, it is an Immigrant thing. Whether you come from Africa, Argentina, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain or any other country for that matter, whether it was you, your parents or your grandparents that sacrificed everything they had and came here in search of a better life, whether you feel the pain of immigrants today or not, the Immigrant Solidarity Network is asking you for your support. {more}

Don't forget, today is Arbor Day and it's still not to late to get your 10 FREE flowering trees or even plant some yourself! The Arbor Day Foundation is helping to commemorate Arbor Day on this day and will send you 10 FREE flowering trees just for joining in. Don't forget that you can also join the Arbor Day Foundation and Home Depot on their campaign to restore urban and rural forests. Here in Los Angeles, an event is taking place on May 7th. For more information about this, Arbor Day, or the foundation, visit the Arbor Day web site at http://www.arborday.org. {more}

Last week, in my entry about global warming, I wrote about becoming carbon neutral and the companies available today that are helping people offset their carbon emissions. Apparently, this is an attractive option to many of you. Since I have been asked a few questions about it already, I thought I would give you a little more information about it and share with you how I went ahead and calculated my 2005 emissions and offset them. {more}

I recently heard about some hot new properties that may be hitting the real estate market soon and thought I would write my senator about this. If you are interested in doing the same, click here. If you would like to hear her response, click {more}. {more}

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Now that I am back home I have a big mountain of things to tackle. Don't worry though, I have not forgotten about the site and putting up the remainder of the photos and videos. Ths next temple is one of my favorites. Deir el-Bari, which means Northern Monastery in Arabic, is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the only woman ever to reign as a Pharaoh over Egypt. {more}

As many of you have most likely already heard, there have been a couple of terrorist attacks in Egypt in the last few days. I want to take this moment to express my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives or were injured. These acts are despicable and unacceptable and must stop. Egypt’s tourism industry is bound to suffer due to these events but I dearly hope that people all over the world will continue to keep an open-mind about the people from this beautiful country. Throughout my time there I met many wonderful people, both Christian and Muslim, equally shocked and disgusted by these actions, who will now be unwitting victims of the repercussions of these terrible acts just as we were after 9/11. As a country dependent on tourism, these actions reach much further than just the Sinai. {more}

This is a really funny short film, about four minutes long, that is perfect to watch on those days when you feel like nothing is going your way. Gopher Broke (Requires Quicktime) {more}

Since it is Earth Day today, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk about Arbor Day, which is celebrated nationwide on April 28 and encourages tree planting and care. The Arbor Day Foundation is a great organization that helps people all over the country commemorate this day. If you would like to join, they will even send you 10 FREE flowering trees just for joining. And if you would like to get even more involved, Join the Arbor Day Foundation and Home Depot on their campaign to restore urban and rural forests. Here in Los Angeles, an event is taking place on May 7th. For more information about this, Arbor Day, or the foundation, visit the Arbor Day web site at http://www.arborday.org. {more}

As you may know, I do not watch television (Beat Back the Box). However, tonight I will be making an exception and watch the HBO Documentary Film Too Hot Not to Handle. I had not planned on watching it until I read an interview with the executive producer Laurie David on HBO's web site, in which they discuss the film and what you can do to help. Read the interview or watch the trailer. {more}

Today, Earth Day 2006, CarFreeLA.com has been launched and is now available to help people all over Los Angeles find ways of minimizing their car use if not giving it up altogether. By working together we will find solutions. Check out www.CarFreeLA.com for more information. {more}

Car and Driver and Motor Trend Magazines have both recently reported on AAA's latest report that shows that the average American will spend $7,834 per year, or 52.2 cents per mile, to own just one car and drive it 15,000 miles. This figure includes all the costs associated with driving, such as licensing, registration, taxes, gas, insurance, finance charges, depreciation, and maintenance (but not parking). Considering that the U.S. Census says that the average American household makes $44,389 and works an average of 40 hours per week, that would mean that the average American household needs to work more than 1.08 hours per day to pay for one car. {more}

This is a perfect article for those of you who are still using the incandescent light bulbs and think they are cheaper than the much greener fluorescent light bulbs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4922496.stm In fact, in Germany the German Federal Environment Agency have just concluded studies that show that "over its 15,000 hour lifetime, a single 20W compact fluorescent light bulb would save 188 euros (£131) worth of electricity." For more information, I encourage you to read the story. {more}

While in Egypt, a friend of mine pointed out an editorial from the Los Angeles Times, entitled "A Climate Change of Heart" that attacked Bush on his non-action regarding global warming, and praised corporations for their pledges to take action. I also saw the topic of global warming across many major media outlets, including a Time Magazine Special Report entitled “Global Warming: Be Worried. Be Very Worried.

Apparently, people are starting to agree that we have a problem. How interesting. But where are the solutions? {more}

Taking a trip out to visit the Temples at Abydos and Dendara in Egypt is a must for anyone visiting the Luxor region. It is a little more difficult than heading out to the others, except maybe Abu Simbel, but the trip is well worth it, especially after seeing Abydos. To get to the two temples, you need to take a taxi, mini-van or tour bus at the designated times. If you want to see both, the convoy leaves at 10 am. Or you can leave at 2 pm to see only Dendara. But I strongly recommend catching the morning convoy and seeing them both. The reason you must leave at the designated times only is because all tourists going out to this region are required to have a military escort, for your protection of course. The day we had originally planned to see the two temples, we arrived late to the convoy and were told that we would have to wait until the next day. After telling them that we really wanted to see the temples that day (only because we wanted to see if any other options were available), we were told that we could go talk to the police and ask them if we could get a private escort. So, out of curiosity, we were off to see them. Luckily, the tourist police station is right next to the Tourist office so we did not have to go very far. If you would like to read about our experience asking the luxor police for a private escort, I have added it at the bottom of this page for you. Ok, back to Abydos. {more}

Whole Children Whole Planet Expo is the first natural parenting and family expo of its kind designed to help create empowered parents, balanced families and a healthier planet for our future. The Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2006 is designed to provide the answers that this fast-growing group of socially and environmentally conscious parents are looking for. The expo was featured in the April 2006 edition of Los Angeles magazine as one of the top 10 things to do while visiting LA this month and in the February 2006 edition of Los Angeles Family Magazine in an article entitled “Could Our Children Hold the Answer to a Greener Tomorrow?" It is to take place on Earth Day weekend, April 22-23 2006, from 10a.m.-6p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center. And, if you ride the Metro, you get 50% off your ticket price! In addition, the first 200 people to purchase tickets by phone with a credit card receive a Free Gift and children under the age of 14 get in free. Highlights include... {more}

Well it has been a couple of months since I last posted to the Los Angeles Without a Car section, so I thought it was about time that I filled you in on where I was. I decided that if I was going to take on this monumental task of helping people get around Los Angeles without a car, then I was going to have to get a little more organized. I started by putting together this list of places that people who come to L. A. would most likely want to visit. Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list, nor was it gathered using the latest in scientific research; it is simply my attempt at a top 100 places to visit while in LA list, compiled from my experiences and many sources on the Internet. My plan is go through it, in no particular order, and provide as much information as I can about how to visit it from various parts of Los Angeles without a car. My resources will most likely include the MTA.net web site, the Foothill Transit web site, the California Commuters' Alliance web site, the getting around section of the Experience LA web site, and my own personal knowledge and experience. Since this project is conducted by me and only me at this time, it will take a little to complete, so I appreciate your patience. {more}

After watching the documentary Super-Size Me, I stopped eating at McDonald's; mostly because of health reasons but also because I no longer wanted to contribute to a company that causes that kind of damage to people, especially me. It's kind of like paying your enemy to hurt you. Now as if that were not enough, McDonald's has actually found another reason for me, and many others around the world, to stop eating their food and sponsoring their destruction machine. According to Greenpeace forests campaign co-ordinator, Gavin Edwards, "Fast food giants like McDonald's are trashing the Amazon for cheap meat. Every time you buy a Chicken McNugget you could be taking a bite out of the Amazon." {more}

On July 21-23, the Elevate Film Festival will hold its second screening at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. The Elevate film festival is a really exciting project as it produces films in 48 hours that are positive, raise awareness and are conscious raising. If you are intersted in attending, or submitting your work for inclusion in the festival, visit http://festival.elevatefilms.com They are currently looking for 10 page scripts, documentary subjects, musicians for the new 48 hour music video category, directors, crew and volunteers. {more}

Every day I receive a short email entitled Good Morning World, which is a mailing list of Robert Muller's. It has provided me with many many things to think about and although there are many topics worth sharing, today's caught my attention because it provided a short list of things that all of us can do to help create a better world. Please join me in following these Ten Commandments to all Humans. {more}

Well, it is that time of year again. As Spring rolls in more and more events are starting to take place. There are plenty that I plan to attend and even more that I would like to help spread the word about, so I decided to add this section to my blog to help do so. I hope you find some of these interesting. If you know of an events that you would like to share with the rest of us, please let me know. {more}

Those of you who have read my blog may already be familiar with Robert Muller. Many of his quotes can be found throughout my site and I have written a few entries about him in the past. For those of you who are not yet familiar with him, here is your chance. On Friday April 14th at 8 pm, Frank K. Kelly and Douglas Gillies will present the 1st Annual Glorious Beings Award at the the Music Academy of the West in honor of the significant and visionary contributions to peace made by Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chancellor Emeritus of the University for Peace and his wife Barbara Muller, international spokesperson, educator, and peacemaker. The event, entitled Rhapsodies for Humanity & the Glorious Beings Award, which is a benefit for Sonneblauma Danscz Theatre, begins with "a musical journey delving into the rich roots of classical music, as Stephen Kelly leads the audience into the passionate visions of Brahms, Chopin, and Beethoven... {more}

I almost forgot to congratulate myself for not touching the hookah, or the shisha, the entire time I was in Egypt. I quit smoking in May of 2004 so I was a bit nervous about going to Egypt considering the prevalence of tobacco smoking, particularly using the hookah. It was especially hard considering that I never smoked tobacco from a hookah before so I really wanted to try it. I thought of many reasons why it would be ok but in the end I realized that it would not be. There were a couple of times while sitting with people who were smoking that I was extremely tempted to say the least. At one point I even asked someone to blow the smoke in my face so I could smell it. Ah, how I wanted to try it. I am not quite sure which part of my brain prevailed but I withstood the temptation and can now say that it has been 1 year, 10 months, and 21 days since I have been tobacco-free. {more}

As a scuba diver, there was no way that I could have visited Egypt and not gone diving at Ras Mohammed. For some unknown reason, just the idea of scuba diving in the Red Sea at a place, whose name translated into English is Head of Mohammed, was intriguing and instilled a sense of adventure. While on my way to the dive sites with Oonas Dive Club from Sharm el-Sheihk (a great dive club by the way), I shot this video to give you an idea of what getting out there was like. These are all above water, however, the video below is an excellent compilation of some spectacular clips captured in the waters of the Red Sea. I hesitated to post my video for two reasons; first is that seeing all of the boats can be a bit disturbing, and the second and main reason is because the video below is just so much cooler to look at. {more}

After visiting Abu Simbel, I joined a shared mini-bus to see the Temple of Isis at Philae. On the bus, was a very nice mother and daughter duo exploring Egypt together. It was a pleasure to meet them and to know that they were not only from the states, but also shared my views on fair trade. In fact, the mother, Nancy, owns the Ancient Oracle Company, a fair trade store in which she plans to sell imports from Egypt. I was excited to know that I had met her on her mission of "traveling to the ends of the Nile and through the Desert lands of Egypt searching out the very best in Fair Trade handcrafted treasures from the Bedouins, Berbers & Nubian Tribes of Egypt," as she states on her web site. I hope she found what she was looking for and that you find what you are looking for at her online store. {more}

Many people have asked me about the women in Egypt. Questions like, "Is it true that they all cover themselves up completely?" or "Are they allowed to walk in the streets alone?" Although I can try to explain to you about it, I actally think that this video from Nell Holden does a very good job of doing so from a woman's perspective. {more}

I did not realize how many of you wanted to see more of the eclipse. I thought the part you all wanted to see was the diamond ring moment. Well, no problem. I have about thirty minutes of the entire process and I am more than happy to share it with you. I have also sped up this video into a 4 minute time-lapse clip and even sped that one up twice as much (except for the two diamond ring moments) for those of you that want to quickly see more. I hope you enjoy it. {more}

Here is a 4-minute time-lapse clip of about 30 minutes of the eclipse including totality. {more}

Here is a time-lapse clip of about 30 minutes of the total solar eclipse including totality. Everything is sped up here to about 2 minutes except for the two diamond ring moments left unedited. {more}

Well, 2 days and 10 hours after leaving Cairo to broadcast video of the total solar eclipse from Sollum, Egypt, I have finally made it back home. Corey and I left Cairo, stopping only when we ran out of gas, to broadcast the eclipse, to quickly eat dinner, to take a shower, and on layovers, and travelled by car and plane non-stop until we got home safely. Although the eclipse is over, please continue to check back as I have plenty of video and photos I will be adding from the rest of my visits to Egypt; such as the pyramids, some dive videos, temples, screensavers, and more. Thanks again for visiting. {more}

Ok, due to popular demand, here is a 5 minute video that includes the complete 4+ minutes of totality, that started at about 12:38 pm, from Sollum in Egypt. {more}

I recently received a very interesting request and thought I would share this with you. Someone asked if we would be willing to do a debriefing video interview and we think it is a great idea. I also think it would be a good idea to open the floor to all of you, my web site visitors, to ask us any questions you would like to have answered. We will get together early next week and would be happy to answer whatever questions you may have for us and later post the video for you all to see. To send us your question, please click the "more" link and fill out the form. I look forward to hearing from you. {more}

Some of you may be wondering why I said in the my entry for the live broadcast of the eclipse that I could not believe that we finally made it and were able to pull it off. It is a pretty long story so I saved it all for this separate post. It actually all started a couple of days before I left for Egypt when my hard drive on my laptop failed. It could not have happened at a more crucial time as that was the machine I planned to broadcast from. Luckily, I backup my data and I rushed my computer to the Geek Squad at the nearby Best Buy and was able to get everything restored and running just before I left. Although everything worked out in the end, it was the first of many nerve racking situations that would plague my mission. {more}

Corey and I arrived to Amsterdam a couple of hours ago and are waiting to hop on our final leg home. With luck we will see our family and friends within the next twenty hours! I do want to take a moment to wish my brother David a Happy Birthday. I hope you are having a great day! {more}

I hope you had a chance to see this live. If not, I will have the video up shortly. Just give me a few minutes. {more}

Well, here it is. The video of the big moment. The whole event took up about half an hour to video but I cut it down to the highlights in about 1 1/2 minutes for you. I got a couple of complaints that some people couldn't watch the live video and I apologize for that. Unfortunately, I was way too busy with the recording to look into what the problem may have been. I did hear back from many though that they saw and enjoyed it tremendously. Thanks again for all of your support. I hope you enjoyed it! I would also like to thank Ramy and Samer for driving Corey and I out on this crazy adventure all over the western deserts of Egypt. You were great! {more}

Those of you that know me know that I absolutely love chocolate. I can admit it. I am a choclaholic. So, when I came to Egypt and noticed that Nestle is plastered absolutely everywhere, I knew I was going to have some trouble with my addiction. Not only that, but the only ice cream I have seen for sale on the streets here is Nestle, and one of the most common bottled waters sold in restaurants is Nestle. Coming from a free-market system, I see a perfect opportunity for someone to come here and start selling some Fair Trade chocolate, hint, hint. For those of you not sure why I am complaining so much about Nestle, please Click Here. Added 4/6/5: By the way, an alternative to Nestle ice cream seen throughout Egypt is Movenpick. The name seemed suspicious to me, however, so I looked it up when I got home. What a surprise, they are also owned by Nestle. Also, I'm not sure how this slipped but I forgot to mention Nescafe and Nestea. These are everywhere here so if you are a coffee drinker and considering coming to Egypt, you may want to bring your own. {more}

Well, if yesterday and today are any indication of Wednesday's weather, we are in for some trouble. It actually started pouring rain here in Cairo, which I heard is very rare this time of year. It was obvious that the people in the sreets were neither expecting nor welcoming the rain as they scurried off of the streets and caused traffic jams all over town. Please join me and the hundreds of eclipse chasers here in Egypt in a prayer for a stop to the rain. I am sure that with your help, we can ensure that we have a bright and clear day for eclipse viewing. {more}

Here is the latest Egyptian Screensaver now available for free download on my web site. It is the first of two that will contain a collection of pictures of the Temples and Tombs seen on my trip. I hope you enjoy it. There is no online preview available, however, it is free to download so give it a try and see if you like it. If you do, please consider donating something to help support the web site. All proceeds from the screensavers will go to help cover the expenses associated with the broadcast of the Total Solar Eclipse of March 29th, 2006 in Egypt. Thanks again for visiting.

No visit to Egypt, and especially Luxor, is complete without a visit to Karnak Temple. According to the Rough Guide to Egypt, this pharaonic monument is by far the largest and most complex found to date and is due to "1300 years of aggrandizement. From its XI Dynasty core..." Surprisingly, this core is easily missed by many visitors because it just looks like a few big rock on the grounds (seen in the second to last picture below), however, due to its age, it definitely deserves a peak if you make it to the Temple. Another amazing thing about Karnak Temple is that because of its size, there is still, according to Francesco Tiradritti, about two-thirds of it that has yet to be excavated, and as I mentioned in the Luxor Temple post, there are supposedly plans to once again join the Avenue of the Sphinxes of these two temples, as they were in their heyday. Again, there are many many many other interesting things about this temple and the others sites that I mentioned throughout my site, however, for that information, you have plenty of other resources, such as the Rough Guide to Egypt, that do a much better job of explaining them than I do. {more}

Well, thanks again to all you well-wishers. The weather has cleared up and we are ready to head out shortly to Sollum (corrected on 3/30/06). Before I left though, I thought I would say hello to some friends from the famous pyramids and sphynx. {more}

While here in Egypt, I thought it would be interesting to put together a few screensavers of the pictures I have been taking. For more about them, please visit my screensaver page here. I hope you like them. {more}

Last year, during a brief conversation with a friend, he mentioned how cool it would be to see the total solar eclipse that was going to take place the next year in Egypt. I agreed and thought how amazing an experience that would be; yet we did not talk about it anymore until January of this year, when he called me and asked if I would be interested in going. Not only was I interested; I had already begun planning how to broadcast this amazing natural phenomenon live over the Internet. {more}

While here in Egypt, I thought it would be interesting to put together a few screensavers of the pictures I have been taking. The first screensaver, which is available for download now by clicking the Download Now link below is one that includes a few of my favorite scenic pictures of Egypt taken so far on my trip. I hope you enjoy it. There is no online preview available, however, it is free to download so give it a try and see if you like it. If you do, please consider donating something to help support the web site. All proceeds from the screensavers will go to help cover the expenses associated with the broadcast of the Total Solar Eclipse of March 29th, 2006 in Egypt. Thanks again for visiting. {more}

On my way back to Aswan from Abu Simbel, I stopped with a tour group to Philae, an island that houses the famous Temple of Isis. Although there was once much more to this island that just the Temple if Isis, its remains are by far the main attraction. While on my way, I decided to use the Rough Guide to Egypt to brush up on the history of the Temple and was amazed at what I learned; that scholars have identified the Virgin Mary with the Goddess Isis, Horus the son of Gods with Jesus, and the Christian cross with the pharaonic ankh. With one look at the ankh you can see that similarity, but the other two theories were ones I was very curious to confirm, which this temple and the one at Edfu (coming soon) are said to do. One thing that definitely catches your attention, which you can see in the video, are the Christian and Coptic crosses carved into this temple as well. {more}

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to take a Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor, which also included a couple of stops along the way. The first stop was at the Temple of Haroesis and Sobek at Kom Ombo, often referred to as Kom Ombo Temple. According to the Rough Guide to Egypt, this temple is the only temple in the valley that still stands by the nile. Due to this, it also, like the Temple of Isis, has an interesting approach by water. Aside from the impressive structures, something different that this temple boasts are a couple of mummified nile crocodiles in the Chapel of Hathor which can also be seen in the video. {more}

Another stop on my journey on the Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor, was at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. As I mentioned during the post of the Temple of Isis, there are some interesting theories put forth by many scholars regarding the similarities between the Virgin Mary and Isis and most notably in this case between Horus and Jesus. According to the Rough Guide to Egypt, Horus was the son of the Goddess Isis and the God Osiris who was killed but later resurrected from the netherworld for a short time in order to help conceive Horus. Aside from this interesting bit of information regarding religious history, the temple boasts a couple of other things worth noting, such as the Horus statues, one of which was taller than I was, the birth house of Horus, and Horus's barque. {more}

After I arrived to Luxor, I had a little bit of time to kill and was looking for a small day trip to someplace my friend Corey would not want to visit since he was going to be arriving shortly and I did not want to repeat sites. Because it was just on the other side of the Nile and relatively close to where I was staying, I decided upon Medinet Habu, which, from what I heard was not a very popular spot and not a place most tours go. I was surprised when I arrived, however, because it was one of the better places I had seen so far and very impressive. According to the Rough Guide to Egypt, this is the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III which drew much of the focus of this pharoah's cult following. Not only was I happy I took this time to visit, but I also had a chance to meet here a couple of American students studying in Cairo which I mentioned in a previous post. {more}

I am not quite sure who built the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas but he or she got it all wrong. I have not seen anything here in Luxor that looks anything like it. In fact, there aren't even any pyramids or casinos here. I guess it just plays on the stereotypical Egyptian pharaoh idea that most of us had. Anyway, about the temple. I strongly recommend visiting in the evening if you get a chance, just before sunset. The temperature is perfect and the lighting is great. Well, you can see from my pictures that it the lighting is not the best for photography or video, but for your own personal experience it is excellent. There appear to be less people there at that time as well. However, because Luxor Temple is located right on the boardwalk of the center of town, it is really easy to go back again and again. In fact, I met a very nice German lady who had been there three times already during this trip. There were two things I was told about the temple on this trip that I found interesting; the first is that there are still homes built on top of it, because it lay buried undiscovered for so long, in which people still reside (seen in the fifth picture below) and the second is that there are plans to recreate and join the Avenue of the Sphinxes that once joined Luxor and Karnak Temples. Of course there are many other interesting things about this temple and all the others I have been showing throughout my site, however, those can all be found and read in any textbook, including the Rough Guide to Egypt that I have mentioned many times. {more}

While in Aswan, it is hard to get out without a visit to the High Dam. The reason is hardly that it is such a marvelous creation that you are compelled to visit, but more that it is added as a stop to practically every tour group’s agenda while returning from places such as Abu Simbel. Considering no one in our group seemed extremely happy to be stopping there, we did not spend much time at what has been a very controversial project in Egypt. {more}

In a previous entry I shared with you a short story about my visit to the small village that proudly houses the temples of Abu Simbel. There are two of them here that, although they were supposedly honoring the sun-god Re-Herakhte at Ramses II’s and Hathor at Nefertari’s, they are obviously products of Ramses II’s ego and image of himself and his wife. Ramses’ temple is actually an amazing feat and is famous as well for the fact that the sun’s rays penetrate deep inside the temple and illuminate its sanctuary on two dates, Ramses’s birthday and the anniversary of his coronation (these dates have changed, however, due to the fact that the temples were moved after the building of the High Dam). {more}

While visiting the funerary temple of Ramses III, commonly referred to as Medinet Habu (pictures and video coming soon), on the West Bank of Luxor, I met a couple of American Students studying in Cairo. I have yet to post stories from others on my web site but what these two did seemed really cool and I thought you might enjoy reading about it. Enjoy. {more}

Considering how relatively relaxing Aswan and Sharm el-Sheikh were compared to Luxor, I really should have done those last to try to recoup some of my energy and wind down my trip. {more}

After just five days of the hot Egyptian winter sun in Aswan and Abu Simbel, the street vendors, the budget hotels, the increasingly heavy pack on my shoulders, and the vampire-like mosquitoes, I was very much ready for a couple of days of rest and relaxation; and the Oberoi Shehrayar was more than happy to oblige. Words cannot begin to describe the sense of comfort and relaxation experienced when sliding between the soft sheets, even if it was only for a quick nap, on the best bed I had a chance to sleep on for a while. Ah, I was definitely enjoying the fruits of one of the best decisions I had made so far on my trip, to splurge a little and choose the cruise ship over the felucca or train back to Luxor from Aswan. But I should warn you, if you are planning on making a similar trip, please do you due diligence before hopping on just any ship as I saw a couple of “five-star” cruise ships that I would personally give no more than three to. {more}

While in Luxor, I had the pleasure of speaking with world-renown Egyptologist Francesco Tiradritti in front of Luxor Temple on the Nile boardwalk in Egypt. He is currently working on the excavation of the Tomb of Harwa, an “enigmatic person in ancient Egyptian history [who] lived at the beginning of the 7th century BC, when the Nile Valley was in the hands of the Nubian Pharaohs of the 25th Dynasty.” Francesco is a published author and professor of Egyptology who has held the Chair of Excellence at the University of Memphis, Tennessee. More information about his work can also be found at his web site at http://www.Harwa.IT {more}

I would like to take this moment to thank all of you well wishers once again for your kind words and thoughts. We have arrived safely to Cairo and will be here for a few days preparing for the total solar eclipse on March 29th. I hope you are all getting as excited as I am. I have plenty to post so keep an eye out thoughout the next few days for new stuff. Three weeks down and just one more to go! {more}

It has been a while since I have posted any new pictures or an update but all is well. There is just so much to see and do. Yesterday, Corey and I visited Karnak and Luxor Temples, Dendara and Abydos. Today we are on our way to the west bank to see the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Here is a photo of Karnak Temple. You can see that this place was packed. I have some great video and more photos I will be adding soon too so be sure to check back. {more}

The Rough Guide to Egypt is by far the best Egypt travel book available on the market. Compared to Let's Go Egypt, which was a bit dissapointing, and Lonely Planet Egypt, which was the most common here amongst tourist, The Rough Guide to Egypt is the most comprehensive and, as of today, the most up-to-date of all the them. The Let's Go travel guide, which I mentioned earlier, just seemed to lack in so many aspects and although it did provide many interesting ideas on how to save some money, the prices it provided were way off. If you use this book, I recommend doubling, if not tripling their estimates. {more}

I woke up on the morning of March 20th with a disgusting taste in my mouth and coughing up some pretty bad black stuff. I was not sure what it was they were burning until I took a ride out to see the temples at Dendara and Abydos through the countryside. For miles and miles sugarcane was being burnt. This burning of the sugar cane has apparently become a common practice in places that grow them because it is cheaper and easier to burn off the leaves than it is to manually pull them off. This terrible practice not only fills the sky for miles with a thick black smoke that even the sun could barely penetrate (shown left), it also fills every orifice of yor body with this disgusting poisonous stench that, through breathing it in, is sure to take time from your life. {more}

It is my third day in Luxor (correction: changed the word Egypt to Luxor on 3/24/6) and my friend Corey has finally arrived. Aside from having to fend off the usual Luxor vultures (more on this later) he is safe and sound and ready to join me on some sight seeing. After two and one-half days of travelling by plane, train and taxi, he would like to tell his family and friends "I'm here!" {more}

The cruise ship I was on arrived to Luxor at about 6:45 pm Thursday March 16th, to a port different from what I was expecting. We docked very much to the south end of town near teh Sheraton, about a 15 minute walk to downtown. The most noticeable thing was how dead the town was in this area. After dinner I ventured into town with a few new friends and were lucky enough to find some people, yet considering it was the start of their weekend, I was expecting more people. {more}

Well, I decided that I could not leave Egypt without taking a short cruise on the Nile so I am off via one to Luxor for 2 nights three days. Unfortunately, I will not be online very often while on the boat but I will post again shortly after landfall. Thank you to all you well-wishers. I wish you the best as well. See you Soon! {more}

When most tourists visit Abu Simbel, they do so on a day-trip either from Aswan or Luxor and in most cases, either take a mini-bus, airplane, or Nile cruise. Since I have a little extra time until needing to be at my next destination and since I love doing things the non-tourist way, I decided to stay overnight at Abu Simbel. I am not quite sure if I would recommend it for everyone, but I sure did have a very interesting time. {more}

I arrived to Aswan this morning at about 8 a.m. local time on the train from Cairo. My plan was to arrange everything upon arrival so when I got here I had nothing planned but to go out to the street and start walking around. All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW. This is definitely quite a bit different than anything I have seen so far and much more of what I was expecting of Egypt. Upon arrival, I walked out to the street and started walking towards the south end of town and passed by the famous bazaars and shops. {more}

While here in Cairo, I was lucky enough to meet an Egyptologist that was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me on camera to explain a few things about the pyramids and the beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians. For those of you like me, who knew very little about Egypt, aside from what we saw in movies like the Mummy, this is an excellent opportunity to brush up on our history before witnessing the spectacular total solar eclipse at the end of the month. {more}

Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt ~ At 1:15 pm local time, I successfully completed my very first live broadcast from Egypt. Thank you to those of you who joined me to ensure that everything was working properly; especially those of you in the states that stayed up late to do so. I am happy to announce that everything went off without a hitch. I can finally start to relax a bit knowing that I have everything in order and ready to go for the live broadcast of the total solar eclpise on March 29th. I thought I would share with you a recording of the transmission. There really is not anything too special about it, but it is good for a nice laugh. I look forward to seeing you during the eclipse. {more}

Egypt is one of the few places on earth lucky enough to have the type of weather and beachfront property, which combined create a perfect resort town. Sharm El-Sheikh, and more specifically, Na'ama Bay offer Europe what the Yucatan Peninsula offers the states... fun in the sun. Unfortunately, since this was not a vacation trip, I could not spend much time there, but I did manage to sneak away for a couple of days to enjoy the views and do a little scuba diving at their world-renown dive sites at the Red Sea (more on this to come later). {more}

How could I have come to Egypt and not visited Sharm El-Sheikh and do some scuba diving? It is a beautiful resort town on the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula that seems to specialize in offering unforgettable scuba diving for its visitors. The strange thing is that there are not any Americans here. I guess it is not very strange if you stop to think about it… considering that many Americans seem to be somewhat scared about going anywhere where they are the minority amongst Muslims; however, this misconception is blatantly obvious here in Egypt and especially in Sharm El-Sheikh. {more}

I arrived to Cairo at about 1 am on March 4th local Egypt time. Everything went extremely smoothly and I am doing well. Thank you all for your concerns. I am trying to get settled in so I will post more when possible. I will be here in Cairo until tomorrow night then I move on to my next destination. More to come soon. Thanks again for all your well wishes. {more}

Aside from the Camel Cops, there is more to Giza than just the pyramids. One of the other amazing sights are the tombs and Mastabas where, according to ancient Egyptian beliefs, those buried in the tombs spend their afterlife. You may have noticed the up-close vantage points and expert information in some portions of this clip. All I can say is that tipping goes a long way, and yes, if you are wondering, get a guide. {more}

This episode of Camel COPS was filmed on location at Giza in Cairo, Egypt. {more}

It is 12:30 pm here in Amsterdam and I am now relaxed, online, and waiting for my flight to Egypt. I arrived at 11:30 am local time (about 2:30 am PST). It took me about half an hour to find the Internet cafe and get situated but all is good now. I am actually pretty amazed at how cheap the Internet access is here in the Schiphol Airport. It is only costing my 10 Euros for an all-day pass! About $12 US. Since I am stuck here for 8 hours I was thinking about taking a quick tour of the town (offered by Holland Tours Schiphol here in the airport) for as little as 38 Euros or $45 US, however, considering that I have a ton of schoolwork I would like to get done before arriving to Egypt and considering that it is literally below zero outside, I decided to leave the Holland tour for my next trip. {more}

I recently did something that some people consider more dangerous and crazy that my 1 month trip to Egypt, I rode the bus/metro rail to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from my home in Pasadena. I figured that since I was going to spend most of the month backpacking, there was no reason not to start from my front door. {more}

Have you ever been at the border between three countries before? No? Well, here's is your chance. This video is of the frontier between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, which was commonly referred to there as the ito (pronounced e-toe). The amazing rio Parana is the big body of water you see. This video is filmed from the Argentinian side at the Puerto de Iguazu. It is somewhat of a touristy spot with tour buses coming and going, a restaurant (which is surprisingly cheap compared to the rest of town so it makes sense to wait and have your lunch or snack here if you can), and plenty of little kiosk-type booths there to sell you local trinkets. {more}

Pasadena, CA – February 23, 2006 – On Wednesday March 29th, 2006 Gary Isse will be in Egypt to broadcast the Total Solar Eclipse. Mr. Isse hopes to draw the attention of people all over the world via the Internet to this amazing natural phenomenon so that we may all see and share this spectacular moment of our Earth’s sun. {more}

RSS is great! I cannot believe that I have not paid much attention to it before. As a web designer I have seen it around for a couple of years but never got a request to implement it, nor did I see much use in disseminating “news,” which was apparently its primary purpose. BUT NOW, I see it in an entirely new light. News is not just what the television, newspaper, radio or the major web portals tell you is news. News is the information that is important to you! News is information about the things high on your list of priorities. And for most people I know, a couple of the things highest on their list of priorities are family and friends. {more}

Since I am planning to take many pictures of many amazing places on my up-and-coming trip and would like to share them with you, I have been looking for the best way to do so. One way I have found was by putting them into an easy-to-install screensaver that people could download from my web site. I really like the idea and think it works well. I went ahead and made one with some photos I have taken since the purchase of my new camera. I hope you enjoy it. I would also love to hear what you think so send me your comments. {more}

Ah, it is that time of year again. Valentine's Day was this month, spring is coming, the air is crisp, love is in the air, and bellies are turning blue. Yes, that's what I said. Did you know that the bellies of these male... {more}

Oh, do I have a great video for you today. I don't mean production-wise but content-wise. While visiting Iguazu I was lucky enough to visit a place called Güira Oga, or la Casa de los Pajaros, or the House of Birds. It is a privately funded organization that takes care of birds and animals that can no longer do so on their own and it is a great place to visit if you are in Iguazu, Argentina. The video contains plenty of footage of parrots, tucans, hawks, a vulture, a few Harry Potter-type owls amongst others and even some monkeys. If you are a bird or animal lover, you are going to love watching this video. And yes, that is a bird saying "loro," which is spanish for parrot. {more}

A new study, conducted by me, has concluded that even if one attempts to stop watching television, it is practically impossible, while maintaining any sort of social contact, to not be affected by its reach in one way or another. For example, while visiting friends or family and being in a room with a television turned on, whether people are watching it or not, or just walking down the street and walking past televisions or even television walls, are common occurrences today. These, in my opinion, are the most dangerous forms of second-hand television. Your mind is concentrating on other things, a conversation with a friend, eating, drinking, or reading, for example, so it does not realize that it should be putting up its normal defenses. {more}

I have been reading an absolutely wonderful book lately called Most of All They Taught Me Happiness by Robert Muller. You may have seen a few of his quotes throughout my web site. This is an amazing book that I think everyone on the planet should read. I have hesitated in adding it to my recommended books section only because I have not felt that anything I have written so far has given it justice, but don’t worry, I will write something soon. In the meantime, for those of you seeking to be happy, Robert and his wife Barbara are giving a lecture entitled Happiness is a Decision. Although I will not be in the states on that date, I strongly encourage all of you to attend. It may change your life. For more information... {more}

Ok, I know I should really stop wasting my time watching these videos especially with only 10 days left before I leave for my trip. But I saw this one and thought it would be perfect for those hamster lovers. {more}

Isn't genetics a crazy thing? It is mind boggling to see how the same interests can span over between people who did not share common goals or experiences. I mention this because of my sister, we never really had much in common growing up yet we have noticed quite a few interests we share now as adults, one of them being a love of photography. She is obviously much better than I am, but the love is still there. Check out her web site and if you are in the Houston area, consider giving her a call for some portrait work. I do not think you can find a better deal anywhere in Texas. NW Houston Photographer {more}

Here is another scene of An Underwater View Oahu that I was able to salvage from my diving experiences in Hawaii. This video was taken of a wreck dive to the naval vessel Y0257, aka Atlantis Wreck because it is visited frequently by the tourist-carrying Atlantis Submarine, followed by a short short dive to Waikiki Caverns with some cool footage of some eels, turtles and an octopus. {more}

Yes, you read that right, I have finally added an RSS feed to my site for those of you looking to stay up-to-date without having to check in all the time. I have also added a few feeds from other web sites on my homepage as well. {more}

While in college in Hawaii I put together a collection of underwater videos with some great music from a few local bands. Unfortunately, not all of it still exists, but I found a few scenes that made it out alive. I will be adding the clips I am able to salvage. Here is a great one, the introduction actually, from Hanauma Bay on the south side of Oahu, Hawaii. {more}

Ah, the things people do in front of a webcam. I wonder if she ever got a date? {more}

As promised, here is part 2 of 3 videos I will be posting before I leave for Egypt of a trip I took to Venezuela back in 1997. When I return I'll try to get the rest of the tape posted. In the meantime, this is a great chance to get a first hand look at the islands called Los Testigos off of the coast of Venezuela near the Isla de Margarita. {more}

This is a Japanese video my cousin found online and posted on his blog. When I saw it I could not resist posting it. I know his site is in spanish and the video is in japanese, but don't worry, it is universally funny. Watch it! {more}

Another one of the places Marcos took us when we got rained out of our waterfall excursion was a place called the Wanda Mines, or Mina de Wanda locally. We were able to do so much more that day that I ended up very happy that our plans had to change. Just think, I may have left Iguazu without ever seeing these mines, how the rocks they are formed, the indigenous peoples tour, Guira Oga or the port. As you can see in the video, we picked up a local to act as our personal tour guide. Total price for the hour plus she was with us, a whopping 10 peso tip, or a little over $3 US. {more}

I was rummaging through some old stuff today looking for more old stuff to take with my on my up-and-coming trip to Egypt when I came across this video tape of mine full of some great footage of a trip I took to Venezuela back in 1997. Luckily, while there, I did not have to spend too much time on the mainland and was able to spend my time hopping between islands off of their beautiful coast. Isla de Margarita was my first stop, then Los Frailes, and ultimately Los Testigos. {more}

In case you have not noticed, you will rarely see me in front of a camera. I am usually one of the people working behind the scenes to help bring you images of things much more beautiful than me. During a recent excavation of my closet, however, I came across a videotape of a trip I took to Venezuela back in 1997 and was pretty shocked when I saw myself on tape. My, how nine years changes a person! Not only is it rare to see me in front of a camera, but this was also the only time in my life that I ever sported a moustache (although seeing me with a beard is not uncommon), and it would take me years to grow back all that hair. I guess there is nothing like old pictures to get you realizing how much older and wider you have gotten. Ok, I'm going for a jog now. Enjoy. {more}

You may have noticed that I have not posted much to the site in the last week or so. I have been extremely busy planning my trip to Egypt and making sure everything is in order. Just about two weeks left! Time sure does fly by! One thing that has been indispensable during this planning process was a book I recently purchased. It is the Let’s Go Travel Guide to Egypt. Apparently this series is very popular in Europe but I never heard about it before. I am extremely glad I found it though as it has already helped me shave over a thousand dollars off of my budget! I strongly recommend this book to anyone planning to visit Egypt. I also looked at the Lonely Planet and Eyewitness Travel guides but, although the Eyewitness book had some really cool pictures, they really did not seem to provide the in-depth information that this one did. I did also purchase the Rough Guide to Egypt but I have not received it yet. I will be using both these books during my trip and rest assured that I will continue to post information about them. So far, this one gets an A+! {more}

For those of you wondering how long a flight to Egypt is, I thought I would share with you my itinerary. Now, for my own personal safety, I am not going to give exact dates, departure times or airline information but I will share with you information such as the length of the flights and where I will be flying into. {more}

While doing research for my trip to Egypt I stumbled across a mention of an International Student Identity Card that offered a ton of discounts. Since I am always looking for discounts, I decided to check it out. I came across STA Travel and the MyISIC.com web site. {more}

Isn't it typical? We woke up on the day of our excursion to go Iguazú Falls and the Garganta del Diablo and it was pouring rain. Not just a slight rain either, a pouring cats and dogs type of rain. Fortunately, our tour guide said it would not be a problem if we wanted to reschedule for the next day, so we did. The question now was, what to do all day, especially with all the rain. We decided to head to Paraguay to do some shopping in the Ciudad del Este, a place famous for its cheap electronics. We walked out in front of the hotel and found a couple of taxi drivers sitting at a taxi stop and asked them if they would be willing to take us. Of course they were, however, when one of my friends said he only had a temporary ID because he lost his, our shopping trip was out of the question. Fortunately for us, the taxi driver, who is also a pastor in the town, was kind enough to offer us his personal tour guide services for the entire day for only 120 pesos. That's $40 US! {more}

Ok, I am being harassed about not having been very clear in what I am attempting to do here, so I thought I would take the time to put together a formal introduction to the section of my web site called L.A. Without a Car, also known as Living L.A. Vida Loca. {more}

First of all, I would like to award the hotel a few points for its location. It is walking distance from the bus terminal but not close enough to where you hear the buses from the hotel. It is also not right in the hustle and bustle of downtown Iguazú, yet it is close enough to walk. It has a few restaurants and kioskos nearby where you can pick up some food and drinks at prices better than you would find in town or in your hotel room minibar. Although it is at least a half hour away from the falls, I think it is better to be where it is than do what some hotels attempt which is to be half way between the falls and town. {more}

At some point in practically everyone's life they have known someone or had a family member who had problems with drugs or alcohol. It almost seems like a requirement to being human is to deal with drug or alcohol abuse with someone in your life. Well, as you may know, it is a very difficult and daunting thing to have to confront and deal with. The hardest part is getting the person to admit they have a problem. And from what I am seeing today, I think it is about time that we all admit we have a problem. We are, as a country and as individuals, addicted to oil. {more}

If you are worried about the skyrocketing price of gas and oil then you might want to reconsider your dependency on these items. Of course, we all need to heat our homes, get to work, cook our food, and do many other things that require the use of energy, however, there are plenty of ways to cut down and minimize their use. With oil prices zooming past $68 per barrel on Friday, (1) and the price of gas at its highest level in 12 weeks (2), it won’t take long for us to feel the pinch of our over usage of this limited resource. {more}

Well, it’s official. I’m going on assignment. I have the plane ticket and the web site GaryInEgypt.com. I am going to Egypt to check out the Total Solar Eclipse, amongst fifty other things, on March 29th, 2006 and if conditions allow, and everything goes as planned, I plan to broadcast it live via web cam! I’ll be there about a month and will document and update my web site as much as possible throughout the trip. {more}

I find it interesting how things change. How someone’s thoughts on a subject could go from one point-of-view to another in such a short amount of time. While working in the cube, for example, I was a supporter of the idea that music should not be available for free download by someone who is not the owner of the music if the owner so chooses that it not be. Actually, I was working for a member of the RIAA so I almost felt a direct connection to what was considered theft. Now I still consider it wrong for someone to sell something that does not belong to them, especially if the creator is trying to sell it to make a living, however, I feel that the RIAA and the companies that make it up have gone completely overboard in their campaign and I am now starting to question in their motives and objectives.

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Google Earth is a program that incorporates satellite images to show you just about whatever you want to see on the planet Earth. It is absolutely amazing. I can actually see my car in my driveway! Don't worry, the images are not detailed enough to see people and they aren't the most up-to-date, but it is still a really cool program. {more}

Warning. This image contains some nasty stuff. If you have a heart condition please do not look directly at the kettle. {more}

If you are an extrovert like me, then one thing you probably, or will probably, love about public transportation is all of the human interaction you can have in a day. Today, while I was out working on my Los Angeles Without a Car series, I was riding the Metro bus and was lucky enough to meet an art student in her later years in life that chose me as the grand recipient of a hand-drawn caricature. She was working on a caricature of a lady from the UK who I had just met as well while waiting for the bus. She unfortunately had to get off at her stop in mid-drawing and the aspiring artist was somewhat disappointed. She then looked at me and asked if I would like to be her model. I agreed with a smile. {more}

Dave, this one is for you and Max. This would actually be a good trick I would love to see next time I come over. {more}

During my first year in college, a thought bounced through my head. In its simplest terms, it was: Using a collective energy, which is produced when many people think and feel towards a common goal, people can actually control the weather. This started when I noticed that it we rarely had bad weather on certain holidays. For example, Memorial Day has always fallen on a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a barbeque. Sure, you might say that it just happens to be that part of the year that is like that, but I know many times the day before or the day after have not been nice days, some even with rain, but that day was always sunny and nice. I would like to believe that it is because practically everyone under the sun is expecting, wanting and hoping for a beautiful day to spend outside with their family and friends. {more}

Is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks? {more}

Why did I choose Eaton Canyon in Pasadena as my first destination for my new L.A. Without a Car series? Well, there are many reasons. First of all, I know it well. I have been going to Eaton Canyon for about twenty years and I truly love it. It is one of the few places left in the Los Angeles area where you can walk amongst the trees and not hear cars or see pavement. Which leads me to my second reason, to dispel another preconceived notion about L.A…. that it is all steel, concrete and fake boobs. It is not. Thirdly, since this section is geared mainly towards tourists who have chosen, or may soon choose, to visit L.A., I thought that at some point many may feel a bit overwhelmed by the city and might need a place to relax. {more}

The First Entrance
If you are reading this section of my blog, you most likely already know that the idea here is to see L. A. without a car. So, my details will be primarily about getting to Eaton Canyon without your own personal gas guzzler... but, this does not mean you will not find this useful even if you do take one. On this particular trip, I ended up riding the Metro Bus to get there but I rode my bike home as it is a beautiful ride down for me. As I mentioned in Why Eaton Canyon this is one of the few places of natural beauty left in the Los Angeles area. I hope that you will have a chance to visit before you leave, but if you do please remember to leave it just as good, if not better, than the way you found it. {more}

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Getting to Puerto Iguazú can be a little tricky. Depending on how you like to plan your trips, it might be best to consult a travel agent and have them arrange the whole thing for you. It really just depends on how much money you would like to spend, how difficult or easy you find arranging these types of things in Spanish or with foreign operators and ultimately, convenience. A really good friend of mine in Argentina helped me out tremendously in planning the trip. If you can speak Spanish, I recommend giving her a call. Her name is... {more}

It is nice to see we can still laugh about something this serious. I hope I don't ever see anyone wearing this shirt and running. {more}

According to the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) “The U.S. wind energy industry easily broke earlier annual installed capacity records in 2005, installing nearly 2,500 megawatts (MW) or over $3 billion worth of new generating equipment in 22 states,” and “2006 is expected to be even bigger, with installations topping 3,000 MW.” (1) This brings the total U.S. installed wind power fleet capacity to 9,149 MW. (1) Well, I am glad that we finally broke some records in the right direction! Is this suppose to be some big moment though? {more}

I think the greatest thing about the advent of the computer is that it has given us a whole new field of things to joke about. {more}

A simple thought like recycling water before sending it down the drain helped save Metalworks, a manufacturer of office furniture, 20 million gallons of water in the last two years. (1)This saved them about $30,000, which more than paid for the $10,000 cost to upgrade their system; and they still plan to decrease their usage by another 6 million gallons this year! (1) It’s nice to see the bottom-line and nature on the same side for a change. The environmental, health and safety director at Metalworks, Sidney Shaw, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying “Not only do we save money, but the environment wins, too.” (1) But Metalworks is not the only company eyeing conservation as a way to save some money. {more}

Sorry, but while surfing the blogosphere, I found these videos that I thought were ideal for those people who put up with video game junkies and just could not resist posting them to the site. You can watch them both by clicking the {more} link. Enjoy! {more}

As many of you may already know, I sold my beautiful Honda Hybrid about two months ago. I was offered a really good price, which more than paid me back the difference I had paid to purchase it so I couldn’t resist. I sold it mainly, however, because I have changed roads in life and feel that I do not need a commuter vehicle like that during this new stage. I am lucky enough to work from my home and am in graduate school online so a car for commuting purposes is no longer necessary for me. Although I do plan to purchase another vehicle, I have not quite found the one I want so, in the meantime, I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something that some consider crazy here in L.A. Live without a car. {more}

OK. I found this one on the Internet and just could not resist posting it to the site: http://allied.blogspot.com/2006/01/now-im-sure-its-web-2oh.html Enjoy! {more}

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have lunch with a couple of friends at a very interesting place called Tibet Nepal House in Pasadena, California. It offers Himalayan cuisine and is located on a little, out-of-the-way side street in Old Town Pasadena. This is just the kind of area you can walk right past a thousand times and never notice, so I am very happy that my friends told me about it. I guarantee though, once you have been there, you will not easily forget it. {more}

If you are lucky enough to be a homeowner in California, consider yourself even luckier now as the state regulators have just passed a measure approving $3 billion in customer rebates for installing solar panels on their roofs. (1) If all goes well, homeowners can help generate 3,000 megawatt hours of solar electricity, (1) and help keep six conventional power plants from being built in the state. (2) But is this bill all silicon-sunsets and caviar dreams or are we in for caviar prices on our energy bills? {more}

A pet parrot in London, England began imitating its owner's girlfriend saying, "I love you, Gary." Too bad her boyfriend's name was Chris so he sent the girl and the bird packing: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10704041 {more}

Ah, we seem to be off to a really good start this year with the Green Trends! I hope we can keep this up! Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, recently announced that it will be installing solar panels on more than 100 stores and two distribution centers, which are expected to generate more than 13.8 million kilowatt-hours per year of electricity, the United State’s largest solar project. (1) {more}

When you ride ALONE you ride with bin Laden: What the Government SHOULD Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism, by BILL MAHER is a compilation of funny stories to help drive its many serious points into our thick heads. Just so you know, I really like this book. It is a great addition to any coffee table as it is full of classic U.S. wartime posters and funny caricatures. I normally don't do this but I thought I would share with you one little section, "The Oxygen of Terrorism," from his book. {more}

Although the forecasts were calling for rain, I was lucky enough to have clear skies this weekend, and ended up with a beautiful shot as my first shot of a full moon. {more}

I thought I would share with you on this Holiday, a few of my favorite excerpts from The Meaning of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday by Coretta Scott King, provided by the King Foundation. Click here for the complete text or click more for the excerpts. {more}

Join Leo as Moopheus shares with him the dark secrets of the Meatrix. Click here to Enter the Meatrix. {more}

"Salt Lake City is offering free metered parking to residents whose vehicles get over 50 miles per gallon, have low emission or are powered by an alternative fuel." (1) "Salt Lake City joins New Haven, Conn., Fresno, Calif., and Albuquerque, N.M., in the free parking meter program. In the past year, Austin, Texas, also approved a green vehicle incentive that provides $100 in free parking." (1) {more}

On Tuesday, January 10th, 2006 Whole Foods Market Inc., announced, “it will rely on wind energy for all of its electricity needs, making it the largest corporate user of renewable energy in the United States.” (1) The EPA reports that Whole Food’s 458,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy credits per year purchased puts it well above the 312,416 megawatt-hours purchased by the U.S. Air Force and the previous corporate leader Johnson & Johnson who had purchased 241,398 megawatt-hours. (1) {more}

In September of 2005, California Governor Arnold Swarzenegger, in a monumental move against the powers that be within his own party, joined hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens in the Virtual March to Stop Global Warming. (1),. "Global warming and the pollution and burning of fossil fuels that cause it are threats we see here in California and everywhere around the world. These pollutants blanket the globe, trapping heat and creating the 'greenhouse effect' the warming of the earth’s atmosphere. All of this impacts California’s water supply, public health, agriculture, coastlines, forestry, and much more. We have no choice but to meet this challenge. So, we will mobilize with an aggressive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." (2) {more}

Don’t you just love those awkward moments when people are watching; you wave, make a silly face, and have another slightly awkward moment before leaving? Well if you do, or if you just like watching people or watching the surf or just love watching the Hawaiian island of Oahu, than you have come to the right place. I’ve gone ahead and put together as many Live Oahu Web Cams I could find and put them in one, easy-to-use, list for you. If you are going to stand in front of the now famous live web cam in front of the statue of Duke Kahanamoku in the center of Waikiki and call your friends and ask them to check you out as you wave to them, try to do it early in the day as that cam tends to get a pretty harsh glare in the afternoon. {more}

While at the Green Festival in San Francisco in November 2005, I stumbled across a gathering on the Mezzanine. It was a group of people discussing Green Careers. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to stick around but I did get to hear Marie Kerpan, a career consultant and founder of Green Careers, say a few words. What she had to say resonated with me as she mentioned how a lot of times people are not happy at their jobs because they do not share the same values. So, it is really important to work yourself into a career that will lead you on a path you will enjoy. {more}

The 25th Anniversary Health & Harmony Music & Arts Festival at the Sonoma County Fair grounds in Santa Rosa features a health expo, eco village, crafts market, Goddess Temple, massage center, free workshops, alternatively-fueled vehicle expo, a global bazaar, children activities, a natural food tasting, great music (headliners include THE NU LADIES of FUNK featuring George Clinton & members of P-Funk, and Jon Anderson, lead singer from Yes,) and great speakers (including Congressman Dennis Kucinich). For more information call 707 575-9355 or visit their web site. {more}

I don’t know about you but sometimes, after posting something to my web site, I stop to wonder whether I might get into any trouble for putting some of these thoughts on the Internet. I mean we do live in a country where anyone can sue anyone else for practically any reason. So what is to stop someone from suing me for something I write in my Blog? Well, technically, absolutely nothing, but whether or not they win the case is a different story. Fortunately, there is a web site out there that can help demystify and clear up some of the technical or legal questions some of us may have. Behold… the Legal Guide for Bloggers. {more}

This Norwegian band, called Hurra Torpedo, proves that you don't need musical ability to play music. Click here to watch the video. {more}

As you may already know, I am currently a graduate student at the University of Phoenix working on my MBA. You may have heard me here and there talk about how much I love this school! If it wasn’t for the ability to take programs like this online I do not think I would have had the opportunity to continue my education the way that I have. Anyway, I was recently chatting with my admissions counselor, Cindy Moss, regarding what program to pursue when I complete my MBA (by the end of the year if all goes well!) and I thought it would be a great idea to give you, my web site visitors, some of the information I have access to through her. {more}

I know that I am probably a little late in recommending this one as practically everyone and their mother has read it and recommended it to everyone else. But just in case, for those of you who have yet to read it, I strongly recommend the book Who Moved My Cheese. The book's author, Spencer Johnson, M.D., is a great storyteller who has put together a very clear and easy-to-read book. The best part of all is that it is a short and inexpensive book as well! I could not put it down when I purchased it and read it straight through. This was actually one of the first of many that I read in the last couple of years that begun to change the way I view changes in life and work in general. Again, strongly recommended. {more}

Yes, you read that right, until January 31, 2006 you can purchase two 4-day adult passes for the Waikiki Trolley for the price of one regular adult 4-day pass ($45.00). If you are taking a quick trip to Oahu to do a little beach relaxing, shopping and minor sight-seeing, this pass can definitely help you save a little money, especially considering the price of car rentals, parking and $3.00+ gasoline. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit the Waikiki Trolley Web Site. {more}

No wonder they took so long to deliver all my packages over the holidays! Apparently they were too busy opening them all up and snooping around! Are freedom and democracy history in this country? Are we too busy trying to attain it for other far away lands that we forget what it means to us? I guess history has proven that nothing lasts forever. Why should we be any different? {more}

Like it isn’t hard enough keeping up with all your bills, now MBNA, Bank of America and Citibank have announced that they will be raising their minimum monthly payments, in some cases by DOUBLE! (1) When this will start and how much your payment will go up all depends on your bank. Keep in mind, this does not mean that you are paying more interest. In fact, this actually means you will be paying less interest in the long run, which is why this change was made. {more}

In a world controlled by media and corporations trying everything possible to keep us unhappy, frightened and divided, it is nice to come across a web site that does just the opposite. HappyNews.com is a place to find "positive, upbeat news of the nation and the world." {more}

I would like to congratulate Argentina for taking another step towards gaining financial recovery and independence. On December 15th, 2005, Argentina’s President Nestor Kirchner announced “his government would pay off its debt to the IMF from reserves that had risen to nearly $27 billion.” (1) Argentina’s debt to the IMF had reached $9.57 billion by the time it was repaid, a move that followed Brazil’s announcement that “it too would repay its full $15.5 billion to the IMF.” (1) So what about our $8.1 trillion debt? {more}

In response to a request, I have made a change to the web site. You can now go directly to an entry by clicking the image that appears next to it either on the homepage, in the category listings or in the "View All By Date" page. {more}

In October of 2005, I had the opportunity to visit the waterfalls at Iguazú (or the Cataratas de Iguazú as they are referred to locally). It was an astonishing trip and the falls were an absolutely amazing, and awe-inspiring sight to be seen. I took off with a couple of friends (from within Argentina) for a four-day, three-night trip to the famous town. None of us had been there before and we had no idea what to expect. For those of you planning to make the trip, or just curious about the falls, I hope this series of articles, videos, and photographs I will be putting together will help you along the way. {more}

I woke up this morning and realized that it has been one year since I escaped from the cube. By “cube” I am referring to that box that seems to confine one's very existence in the corporate world, a box that dulls the mind and weakens the soul, that keeps one from accomplishing great things. As I enjoy this moment of looking back at what once was, I think it may be a good time to take a retrospective look at what I have been able to accomplish in the time since I have “escaped from the cube.” {more}

There was a period in my life, just recently actually, when I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. If you would like, you can read all about it here. It was this book that helped me start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Keep in mind that it is no crystal ball, yet, it provides a lot of useful information about who you are and what you like to do. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is currently searching for a few answers about themselves. {more}

Last night I finally received the tripod I ordered over the Internet. It is a Bogen 3021-Pro with a Manfrotto 3-axis head. If you would like more information about these, keep an eye out as I will be writing a review about them as soon as I get a little more hands-on time. In the meantime, let me tell you about my first night shot using them. I had been dying to get my new tripod in order to take some of the Christmas shots I had been lining up for weeks. Unfortunately, by the time my tripod arrived, everyone had taken down their Christmas lights, so it looks like I am going to have to wait until next year for those, but oh well, I was fortunate enough to find another very willing subject. {more}

Nine professional writers, who are instructors in this years Writers Studio at UCLA Extension, are offering "Four Evenings on Creativity and Craft at Barnes & Noble." If you are lucky enough to be in the Los Angeles area, join them as they share their writing tips and answer your questions in this stimulating and free series {more}

I thought I would share with you two very useful sites that I use whenever I need to find out how to spell a word or am simply looking for a definition. The first is Dictionary.com and the second is Google. Dictionary.com is easy enough to understand. You just go there and type the word you want in the text box that appears at the top of the screen. To use Google's dictionary features, just go to Google and type the word define followed by a colon and the word you want to look up. For example, if I wanted to look up the word Google, I would type Define: Google. {more}

This book was written by Sun Tzu, arguably one of the world’s greatest military strategists. Although its original purpose was identifying ways of improving ones ability in war, that is definitely not why or how I would recommend reading this book. Sun Tzu’s the Art of War is full of many useful strategies for any sort of competitive encounter. At the very least, it should serve as a handbook for how many of today’s businesses and strategies view situations on the “battlefield.” “When torrential waters tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum,” “Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you,” and “Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends, hit him where he does not expect you,” are just a few of the quotes in this book that could be translated for use in any competitive environment, whether it be sports, the battlefield, or the boardroom. Click here for more information about this book. {more}

“Visitors [to Monterey, California] in the summer months can also take advantage of the free WAVE (Waterfront Area Visitor Express) buses which run continuously from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on a circular route between downtown Monterey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, stopping at various attractions in between.” For more information, visit: http://meet.montereyinfo.org/page/7644/ {more}

I have been wanting to add a business trends category to my web site for quite some time now I just have not been able to think of a good entry to start it out with... until now. What better business trend can anyone support than good ethics, so, I thought I would share this great web site... {more}

I watched a show on television the other day (yes television, it was a holiday and it was educational :)). It was called Naked Science on the National Geographic Channel and it talked about SETI and the scientific programs throughout the world that are “listening” for possible communications from space. Yes, listening, using satellites, for any sort of radio wave or sound signal that... {more}

As you may have heard, I love to read! Whenever I come across a really great book, I'll be sure to pass it along to you. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to read all the books I want to so I actually have a list of ones that I am working on, so you may occasionally see a book or two here that I haven't read yet but that look good. I hope you enjoy them! {more}

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in business. I am not recommending this simply to get people mad, but more so to get people aware of the issues discussed in the book and to hopefully get people ready and willing to make some changes. Change always starts with individuals. Click here for more information. {more}

I know, I am not a kid. I have to keep reminding myself that. But when I saw this book, I fell in love with some of the really simple ways they have presented for anyone to help make a difference. Because it is geared towards kids it is a really easy book to understand and follow. I know many adults that could benefit from this one! Oh yeah, kids would love it too! These are hands-on and practical things kids can do everyday. I strongly recommend this one. One of the best ways to promote change is through education and there is no better time to start teaching your kids than now.Click here for more information. {more}

The LA Metro is offering FREE fares on its Metro rails on New Year's Day. For more information, visit their web site {more}

Happy New Year to all! Best wishes for 2006. I hope and wish for the very best for all of you in the years to come. Be Safe! Happy New Year! For those of you non-English speakers... {more}

This commercial was sent to me by a friend. I usually don't post commercials for other products or companies, but for this one, I thought I would make an exception. Enjoy. {more}

Well for those of you who haven’t heard yet, I sold my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. I actually sold it over a month ago but have been waiting to post about it until I purchased my new car so I could tell you all about it. Unfortunately, I had some deals fall through and to make a long story short, I still don’t have my new set of wheels. Since it looks like I might be waiting another week or two to find the right car, I thought I would tell you what I am up to. {more}

I know that some of you doubted that such a beautiful and magical place could exist. Well now you can lay that doubt to rest as I have found photographic evidence of its existence. The astronauts aboard NASA's space shuttle Discovery were nice enough to provide us with this beautiful photograph. {more}

I just came across a great site that not only provides a lot of useful information, including discounts and activity ideas, for anyone visiting Santa Barbara, but also promotes getting around that beautiful city without a car! Santa Barbara Car Free provides suggestions and itineraries for those looking for a car-free way to visit the city. {more}

If you are one of the millions of Americans who feel you have a story to tell, than you definitely do not want to miss this opportunity to visit StoryCorps between January 9th, 2006 and February 5, 2006 at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade where interviewers expect to record at least 125 stories. StoryCorps is a “national initiative to document everyday history and the unique stories of America... {more}

Christmas Day has passed and the question making its way through everyone’s mind is “What am I going to do with that tree?” You may also be asking “How long does my Christmas Tree last?” “When does it become a fire hazard?” and “How do I dispose of it and where?” Have no fear, the answers are here; or at least how to find the answers is here. In short, the answers to these questions are re-use it, not very long, very soon, pretty easily and nearby. {more}

I have heard quite a few people this year mentioning live Christmas trees as a viable alternative to cutting down these beautiful trees. Unfortunately, I have yet to try it myself, however, I was able to find a very useful article for those of you willing to give it a shot. {more}

Don't delay. You have until December 31st to make your Year End contribution to Co-op America and have your gift doubled – dollar for dollar. In case you've forgotten... {more}

Those of you who know me know that I think that Google is one of the best companies to come around in a while. There are many reasons why I think so, but the main one is just that no matter what they did yesterday, each day they surprise me with new features and services… for free!!! The latest addition to Google’s rapidly growing list of features is their Short Message Service (SMS). It is still in Beta testing, but... {more}

While searching the web for information regarding local transportation systems, I came across this press release about how Riverside, California is offering free bus rides to its residents on New Year's Eve. Well, instead of trying to explain it to you, let me just post their press release. There is a link to the actual release at the end of this entry as well. Enjoy! {more}

The Emery Go Round is a free shuttle to Emeryville California from MacArthur BART and Emeryville Amtrak train stations. Buses run every day, with a frequency of 10-12 minutes during weekday commute hours. {more}

I am sure that I am not the only one that has been looking at alternative forms of transportation since gas prices have gotten so high. Well, during my search for alternatives, I found that many cities have free buses. That’s Right!!! FREE TRANSPORATION!!! Can you believe this? In a capitalist country, someone is actually giving something away for free! I would never have thought this. Well, it’s true. Pasadena, for example, the city where I reside most of the year, has an excellent free bus system. Monrovia, another nearby city, has a free trolley, as does Laguna Beach, a famous art-community somewhat nearby. I will try to add free transportation links as I find them, however, If you know or hear of any, please send them to me and I will be happy to add them. Enjoy! {more}

“The Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System (ARTS) is a transit service designed to provide convenient transportation between many of the City’s residential neighborhoods and retail, business and entertainment centers.” Information about the Pasadena Arts Bus System can be found on Pasadena’s Transit Operations & Planning page here. This is a free system that offers seven routes “making it easy and convenient for residents and visitors to get around without a car.” (City of Pasadena.net; Department of Transportation) {more}

Monrovia has a trolley that runs every 12 minutes through its old town area that is free on weekdays from 11am to 2:30pm. Please note: This is not an actual picture of Monrovia's Trolley. Click here for its routes {more}

Laguna Beach has its “Summer Shuttle Service,” which is “a FREE four line service designed to accommodate locals and visitors who primarily come to Laguna Beach for the Pageant of the Masters, local art festivals and other day tripping activities during the ten week summer season. Beginning in late June through the end of August, shuttle routes operate seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.” Click here for more information about Laguna Beach’s Summer Shuttle Service. Please note: This is not an actual picture of Laguna Beach's Summer Shuttle. {more}

Merry Christmas! I would like to wish everyone, in all parts of the world, a very Merry Christmas. I wish you all the best and hope for a more prosperous new year for all. I hope it won't offend you Mr. O'Reilly, if I translate Merry Christmas into other languages for those that do not speak english. If I remember correctly, it is possible to be Christian and celebrate Christmas and not speak english.

I don't know about you but I am furious over the shipping delays I have experienced this year, especially from the United States Post Office. I sent a package for example, via priority mail, on December 15th and it has, as of today December 23rd, yet to arrive to its destination. That's 8 days for something that is suppose to arrive in 2-3 days. Now they did tell me that there would be delays, but this seems ridiculous. {more}

I was out doing a little Christmas shopping when I got a whiff of what I like to call second-hand television. As you may have heard, I try to beat back the box as much as possible, so even a little bit can be distracting. Unfortunately, it was Bill O’Reily who I got a whiff of, and surprisingly enough, I just so happened to hear one of the most shocking things I have ever heard him say… and that is saying a lot. I actually heard him say that Christians are offended when someone says “Happy Holidays” to them. Can this actually be true? Do people actually feel like I am taking something away from them by giving an all-inclusive greeting during this wondrous time of the year? {more}

Today, December 22, 2005, I received my Panasonic FZ20; my first decent camera that isn’t a point-and-shoot. To mark the occasion, I decided to start a new category to the site for all things photography-related. I am going to start off this section with a very brief review of my new camera with some sample pictures I took using the camera right out of the box. Check back frequently as the plan is to keep updating this section will be filled with many great new photographs. {more}

I received my Panasonic DMC-FZ20K on Tuesday December 22, 2005 and decided to open this Christmas gift to myself a little early. The delivery truck dropped it off at around 1:30 pm or so, but because the battery takes about two hours to charge, I wasn’t able to use the camera until about 3:30. This turned out to be a good thing, however, because it was during this time that I decided to read the manual. Let me just say that, although I have been taking pictures on a personal level since I was very young and consider myself quite good at framing shots, I am not a professional photographer. In fact, this is my first camera where I will have the ability to focus manually or adjust the exposure (up to eight seconds) or aperture manually. For those of you that are wondering the K or S after the model number represents what color camera is. This camera comes in a silver as well. The black is the Panasonic Limux DMC-FZ20K and the silver is the FZ20S. {more}

For those of you who don’t know me, I spent a few fantastic years in Hawaii while in college. I still consider it one of the most amazing places on the planet. The islands, the people, the culture, and the Aloha are unforgettable. I decided to put together this section to share what I can about a place that everyone must visit at least once in her or his life. I have plenty of pictures even a few video clips here and there so as time goes on I’ll be posting what I can. Thanks for stopping by. {more}

Someone recently said a beautiful phrase to me, “Mele Kalikimaka.” This phrase takes the best of two worlds and turns it into this tasty treat for your tongue. No, I don’t mean to eat, but to say. Mele Kalikimaka (pronounced phonetically) means Merry Christmas in Hawaii, which, by the way is an amazing place to spend the entire holiday season. I am convinced it’s where Santa goes when he’s all done and ready to take off that suit. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him there a few times. {more}

You may have noticed a few quotes throughout the site talking about education and the need for people to continue learning. As someone who recently returned to graduate school, I also firmly believe in continuing education and that we should try to learn new things everyday. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea to devote a section of my web site to education-related links. I hope you find it useful. {more}

One of the most difficult aspects of getting an education in the United States is paying for it. Unless you plan on attending a city college, you will mostly likely need to take out loans, look for grants and scholarships, and yes, even work, in order to pay for your education. Below are a few links I’ve come across while... {more}

40 drunken Santas took to the streets Sunday night in New Zealand to supposedly protest the commercialization of Christmas. They urinated on cars, overturned garbage cans, stole beer from a local convenience store and even attacked a security guard. (Associated Press) I don't know about you, but the last time I acted this way it was because of the commercialization of Jose Cuervo. {more}

Has human consumption really reached unsustainable levels? Is it ok that less than one fifth of the world's people consume more than two thirds of the planet's resources? “With less than 5 percent of global population, the United States accounts for about one fourth of global consumption.” (1) On October 21, 2004, articles sped all over the world discussing the report released that day attacking humans for “pillaging the planet.” “In its regular Living Planet Report, the World Wide Fund for Nature said humans currently... {more}

OK drivers, this is no longer an issue about courtesy or who is morally right or wrong. The fact is, when slow drivers block the left lane, they increase the likelihood of road rage in their fellows drivers and faster drivers are forced to make dangerous evasive maneuvers to “get around,” which increases the likelihood of an accident, which, as you know can be fatal at those speeds. Unfortunately, not everyone is listening to classical or Hawaiian music during their drives to calm their nerves, so it is important that you drive on the right and pass on the left in order to avoid the above scenario. There are currently seven states that allow the use of the left hand lane ONLY for passing or... {more}

Thank you dear friends for staying on top of me and persistently pestering me until I get my article on this year’s Green Festival completed and posted. Unfortunately, this article isn’t it. I’m sorry, there is just so much to write about and with the holiday season approaching I have been getting pretty far behind. I promise to have it posted soon. Keep an eye out! In the meantime, watch the video! {more}

At this year’s Green Festival, I had the privilege of listening to Paul Rice, the founding president and CEO of TransFair USA, the only Fair Trade certification organization in the U.S., give a speech regarding fair trade called “Fair Trade: Awaken Consumers, Empower Farmers.” I was shocked to hear during his lecture that coffee farmers, for example, get only $0.35 per pound of coffee they grow! You all know what we pay for coffee here and the difference is ridiculous. Even in third world countries, it is impossible to live from a wage like that. According to Paul Rice, Fair Trade is all about a way for consumers to use their purchasing dollars to better the world… by buying from companies involved in Fair Trade. These companies, for example, pay their farmers $1.26 per pound of coffee… that’s over 3 ½ times more, and a living wage. {more}

This is the first entry for the new section of the web site called: Houston, We Have a Problem. This category is devoted to focusing people’s attention to the increasingly serious problem of human sustainability on this planet.

Mother Nature, God, Evolution, however you prefer to view it, has given us a home that is so perfectly designed that it can support a delicate and fragile life such as ours. It is our responsibility, not only to the planet, and us, but also to future generations, to ensure that our growth does not destroy this perfect design and ecology. If we destroy this ecology, we destroy our home, and most importantly, our life support system... {more}

A friend of mine just called me and said “Gary, what’s going on? You’ve been designing web sites for over eight years now and you don’t mention it on your new web site?” Well, he was absolutely right, and I had no good excuse. I just forgot to mention it. So anyways, now’s my chance to do so. I own a web design and multimedia company called Southern California Hosting. I’ve already mentioned that I register domain names in a previous article, but I also design web sites and host them. I have been doing both for over eight years and truly enjoy helping people getting their business online. Whether you are looking to make some money with e-commerce or looking to provide a value-added service to your customers, I can help. Feel free to call me anytime at (626) 394-9669 or you can check out my web site at SoCalHosting.com, but unfortunately, I’ve been so busy with those of my customers and my personal blog that I haven’t spend much time updating it in the last year. {more}

In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a growing Green movement in the United States for the last few years, and I am not just referring to GM’s hoped-up dancing jungle animals either. The Green movement that I am referring to is one that focuses on trying to develop and grow an economic system and a method of life that helps to minimize the footprint of the human race on our beautiful planet. The most common phrase I have heard used to describe this type of economy is a “Sustainable Economy.” Coop America has stood out as a leader in this movement and is helping all of us get involved with the distribution of their “National Green Pages” directory. Throw out that nasty yellow book; I’ve got a new one for you. {more}

All of us are Christmas, or holiday, shoppers, but have you ever stopped to wonder whether you are a socially responsible Christmas, or holiday, shopper? When you pick out clothes, do you check to make sure they weren't produced in a sweatshop or in a factory that uses child labor? When you are looking at toys for your kids, do you check to make sure they were not made using unfair trade policies or using plastics or chemicals that will irreversibly harm the planet? Although I would love to say that I do, this is really hard to do and practically impossible in most shopping situations, however, there are now two web sites designed to help us do just that. {more}

In October of 2002, I rushed to the Honda dealership to check out the 2003 Honda Gas/Electric Civic Hybrids that had just come in. I had been researching these cars for quite a long time. In fact, I had wanted to buy a hybrid vehicle since the Prius came out over a year earlier but I just did not like the design of the first one. So I waited… researched… and waited. Aside from the bright blue interior dashboard lights, which I thought were really cool, the car was just what I was expecting. I took it for a test drive and I was pleasantly surprised {more}

Throughout the last few years I have been repeatedly asked what people can do to keep their computers properly maintained and what programs if any can help protect their computers from malicious outsiders. Both of these questions can be answered by recommending that users install anti-spyware and anti-virus programs on their computer in order to keep out any programs that may be trying to steal any of your personal information. {more}

A couple of days ago I wrote about how I thought it would be a good idea to Write Something Everyday, well, after thinking about it some more, I also thought it would be a good idea to play music everyday. Now, I don't mean that you have to go out and buy a musical instrument if you have never played one before (although that might not be a bad idea), but I do mean that you should spend some time, everyday, to get a groove on. Play an instrument if you can, but if find that you can't at the time... {more}

To tell you the truth, I cannot think of a better gift for someone who you have no idea what to get than a solar-powered universal battery charger. Who would not find one of these useful? Recharge your AAA, AA, C and D batteries for FREE! I can't imagine how much money someone might save in the long run with one of these. Not only will they not have to go about and keep buying new batteries, but they won't even have to pay to recharge them empties. {more}

If you would like to have a web site, choosing the right domain name is critical. And choosing the right domain name registration company is just as critical. The price, service and support are just a few of the factors to consider when choosing a company. I have been registering domain names since 1998 and would be happy to assist you. For more info, please check out my domain name registration web site at https://socal.nameservices.net {more}