The Fickle Finger of Fate

The deaths of four celebrities this past week, gives us a chance to explore mortality, and as Dick Martin of "Laugh In" used to say ' The Fickle Finger of Fate". What is the reason that some leave this world in sudden unexpected ways, while others hold on to life for as long as they are able? Why do we wage wars, which snatch the breath of life from so many young people?

I have no answers, but then maybe we're not supposed to have the answers. Maybe our lot is to question the unexplained, and life's little mysteries . Without the quest for answers, the great leaps of science and technology would not have taken place, without the searches of areas unknown, we wouldn't know about our earth, our solar system, and the vast space beyond.

Maybe we're meant to question, look in awe upon the little things, and just enjoy the ride.

"Live Long and Prosper"

Vulcan Salute

Some Beetles have all the luck!

While in South Africa we saw this sign at Tembe Elephant park and had to get our picture taken with it.
After posing, we were told that they are protected by the government, and that a few species of Dung Beetle are endangered because of vehicles.
I was very impressed with the measures that South Africa takes to protect it's wildlife (which also helps the tourism trade).

I am also happy that our new President signed into law The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which gave 26 million acres of government land the full protection it needs. Most of the 850 protected areas are largely unknown to most Americans, but include areas like the Missouri Breaks in Montana, the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation area, and Nevada's Black Rock Desert, known to some as the home of the Burning Man Festival. He is undergoing a baptism of fire, but to me our new President is the real deal, a man of his word, and the right person to move us forward while returning our country to a more respected position among the world's countries.
For the Dung Beetles it's life as usual, rolling balls of dung and trying to avoid being squashed by car tires. We all have our work to do, and there are times we all feel like we are dung beetles, pushing poop from one place to the other in order to survive. Too bad we don't get the right of way in our lives too!

Under the Scissors

For the first time in almost eight years, I got my hair cut. My long ponytail is now just a memory. I quit getting it cut as a personal protest against George Bush and his Evil Ways, vowing to not cut it until he was removed from office. George is now a distant Presidential memory, and the world is starting to look more favorably on America. Our new leader told us it was time for change, so I asked my sister-in-law to cut my locks.

Having gone for so long with long hair, it seems strange without it, but it is also a lot easier to manage, and my wife appreciates no longer having to braid my ponytail!