CANE SUGAR KETCHUP

Everyday you see more and more articles on the dangers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I noticed the other day at Von's Grocery Store a bottle of Heinz Ketchup that had across the label "Simply Heinz".  I picked up the bottle and read the ingredients.  It had plain old sugar, instead of HFCS.  I had expected that this would be the year we see HFCS banned like Trans-Fat.  Instead of a ban, the chemical industry is trying to change the name of HFCS to "corn sugar".  For more information about the health effects of HFCS see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM.  The science on HFCS is shows that it is bad and a reasonable person should avoid it.  I also noticed the Hunt's Ketchup which boldly had on its label "NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP".  Heinz is still putting HFCS in its regular ketchup.  As for Del Monte, it's not on the shelf so I don't know what is in it.  When I was a kid, we used Del Monte Catsup.  When President Reagan decided ketchup was a vegetable, only ketchup counted, catsup was out.  Many of the companies scrambled to change the name from catsup to ketchup though the product was the same.  I don't know what happened to Del Monte Catsup.  I have seen it in Mexico but not in San Diego.

Police State

I am not sure how or why we got here but we are now living in a police state. The freedoms that so many have died for have been surrendered or usurped by those who detest our Constitution. I have traveled on American highways my entire life. I have always had the expectation as long as I was obeying the traffic laws I could freely travel on the highways without harassment from authorities. Last night, I was riding along with a friend traveling from El Centro, California to San Diego, California. While climbing up the grade on Interstate 8 entering San Diego County, we were tailgated and then pulled over by Border Patrol agents. The "officer" who approached the driver's window had on a t-shirt and was not in uniform. He asked us for ID. I asked what was his probable cause for pulling us over. He said "I am a federal agent, I don't need probable cause." I was stunned. That is not what I learned in law school. Since, the alleged officer had a gun I decided to not assert my rights as an American to freely travel within my home state. Apparently, the license plate of my friend's car did not come up on the DMV records the federal agents accessed. However, the state law is not any business of federal agents, so this made no sense. So in sum, we were lawfully traveling on the Interstate highway within the borders of the United States. We were not crossing into the United States. There was absolutely no reason we should have attracted any attention by the Border Patrol. Yet, we were stopped (while going uphill no less) and harassed without any color of law whatsoever, because as the "agent" said "I am a federal agent, I don't need probable cause." I want my country back!

Camera

I purchased a digital SLR after much consideration and delay. I had used film for all my life and a few years ago I bought a digital point&shoot. I liked the freedom from film quite frankly. So moving up to a full camera with digital capability has been fun. I still have to get over my idea of "wasting" film. Over the years, I have spent a lot of money on film, processing and printing. Often that would be all the pictures on the roll good and bad. The pleasure of digital is being able to pick and choose what gets printed and correcting a poor picture by cropping, recoloring or changing the shading. The picture I have here is exactly as I took it. No digital retouching was done. I am amazed at the color resolution of the photo and it reminds me of Kodachrome. Of course, I took the photo during twilight so I have that magical light. The picture is of the fountain in Little Italy in San Diego that honors those of Italian descent that died for the US in World War II including John Basilone.

Bicentennial

This month is California's bicentennial of freedom from European colonial power. I have been surprised that there has been nothing in the news about this. You would think Californians would be celebrating across the state. So here is a little background. On July 4, 1776, nothing happened that affected California that day. California was a part of New Spain and as a consequence, what the British did in their colonies didn't matter. However, the spark of freedom caught on and on September 16, 1810 Father Miguel Hildago made his famous cry of Dolores calling for Mexican independence from Spain. California was apart of this new Mexican country and this day September 16 is the date to celebrate California's freedom. However, it took many years and battles to secure independence from Spain and when it was finally done, Alta California was a territory of this new country, Mexico. Of course, soon after Mexican independence California was annexed by the United States. However, we cannot forget our heritage because we are part of the United States of America.

The Border

Here is the solution to the border "problem". First of all, as President Reagan said "Tear down that wall!" Walls are anathema to a free people. Second, stop the silliness at the border crossing. It does no real good. It is a waste of money. Here is the solution. Instead of all the delay at the border have two basic entry lines: Those who are legal and those who need papers to be legal. Those who are legal face a brief or random check, those who need to be legal go to an office and either get tourist papers or work papers. Each of these documents have a fee. For example charge $1200 for an annual work permit. By doing this, we get rid of all undocumented workers. We kill the coyote business and we treat migrant labor with dignity.

You must realize that the only function the fence has today is to keep Mexicans in the United States not out. If you haven't noticed, there is no problem finding illegal aliens in the United States. All you have to do is go to a Home Depot in the morning and you will see plenty of illegals willing and ready to work. Why can't we face facts and just give them a work permit? Most of them have no wish to become US citizens. Most of them like their homeland and plan on returning as soon as the money is made. But because of the fence, they can't go home.

Today, August 5 2009

How was my day? Glad you asked. My daughter, who is 14 today and 15 tomorrow, calls me at 7:17 am. I was in a deep meditation and this pulls me back to earth. She wants to be picked up and taken home from school. Well, I am not sure. My rule of thumb is if you're hurling chunks, I will come. Otherwise tough it out. So she hangs up. 7:22 the ex calls. She says go pick her up. Ok, no coffee, no breakfast. I jump into my clothes, get into the car and head south.

I realize I don't know what school my daughter is going to. She finished middle school and just started at a NEW HIGH SCHOOL. When I say new, I do mean new. So new that this school is not on my GPS. I don't know where it is. I look it up on my iphone and find the address. I go to the spot of the address and there is NO SCHOOL. I check the map on the iphone. No school. I look at the satellite photo. NO SCHOOL. So I call my daughter and ask, "Where is your school?" She doesn't know. She hands the phone to the school nurse and she can't figure out where I am. She gives me directions and I figure I need to turn around and head the other way. That is the direction where the numbers are getting smaller than the school's address. It makes no sense. But since I have fallen down the rabbit hole, I go with it.

I find the school. It appeared to be on a side street not the one with the address. So I pass the side street up and I come to the end of the round. There is no entrance to the school at its address. The side street has the front of the school. Now I am beginning to understand why engineers shouldn't smoke marijuana. Ok, just a theory. I park in this huge parking lot that is empty but for a few cars and I go into the office. I get sent to the nurse's office. I see my daughter but I can't take her because I am not authorized to take her. Suddenly I become this parent on the lam kidnapping my own daughter? Nurse calls the mom. No answer. I call the mom, no answer. Nurse asked me what school the mom works at. I say Bell but Nurse says she already rang that one and mom doesn't work there anymore.

Nurse calls no. 1 daughter who is authorized to take no. 2 daughter, tho actual parent with a court order for joint custody can't. No. 1 daughter says mom works at some school named for a president. That doesn't work. So nurse calls the San Diego School District which cannot divulge which school the ex toils at. BUT, they can relay a message to the mom to call nurse. That was a relief. By this point, I was ready to tell my daughter to jump the wall and I will pick her up on the outside of the prison compound, oops, I meant school grounds. Anyway, mom finally calls and gave permission for me to take daughter so my time in detention is over. We head for breakfast as it is now almost 10 am. Being a caffeine addict I am suffering mightily. We have breakfast.

After, we head to one of my offices. As we are driving, I get a phone call from a friend. He tells me a close friend died last night due to complications from diabetes. Services are pending.

I get to the office and begin taking care of business when I get a call from the ex. She left her lights on and the battery died. I also find out that her cell phone died as well. So I call AAA to take care of the car and I have one contract to quickly review, I drive up to the dead car and it is gone. Apparently AAA beat me to it and started the car. By this time, my iphone's battery dies. I had used to much energy on the internet trying to find the school. So I have no cell phone.

I take daughter no 2 to daughter no 1 and fall asleep on the couch. Too much for one day. When I finally get home and charge my phone I have 25 messages.

Being Wrong

Well, I was wrong about the Biden pick. I am leaving it up because I said it. I guess one could clean up the past but so what. I still think it would have been better if President Obama had picked Hillary Clinton and if the economy hadn't collapsed, I Obama wouldn't have won.