National Raspberry Cake Day, Rattlesnake Avoidance Training, Surprises, and Be Entertained

National Raspberry Cake Day - National Raspberry Cake Day makes today as sweet as a summer day can be.

Tender raspberries are among the best of fruits that nature has to offer, and, the harvest is going on right now. So, it is only appropriate that we enjoy a piece of raspberry cake in celebration of the harvest.

Rattlesnake Avoidance Training - A Rattlesnake Avoidance Training (8/11)


A Rattlesnake Avoidance Training is being sponsored by our dog club to be held in the Chico area (location is provided on conformation of appointment) on Sunday, August 11, 2013. Download Flyer for details.

This training is done by professionals and has proven very successful in keeping a dog away from a potentially deadly rattlesnake. 15 minutes of training can save thousands in vet bills, pet suffering and possible death.

Surprises - Laura often delights in bringing me treats of various sorts: Often, they are tasty leftovers from her lunches at various Chico restaurants. Often, they are such things as granola bars, bags of nuts, etc.—calling them "snickets."

Yesterday, she stepped well beyond the general fare and brought me surprises that will thoroughly delight the taste sensors on my tongue and greatly delight me! She brought me two large jars of expensive caviar, some specialty wafers (upon which dollops of caviar shall soon rest and await the journey into my mouth), and a can of gourmet snails!

She also surprised and pleased me beyond all measure when she said she had a wonderful snail recipe she intended to make for me!

Be Entertained! - Relax and enjoy these graphics and videos!

World Humanist Day, Summer Begins, and Be Entertained!

World Humanist Day - World Humanist Day is a Humanist holiday celebrated annually around the world on the June Solstice.

According to the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the day is a way of spreading awareness of Humanism as a philosophical life stance and means to effect change in the world. It is also seen as a time for Humanists to gather socially and promote the positive values of Humanism.

The holiday developed during the 1980s as several chapters of the American Humanist Association (AHA) began to celebrate it. At the time, the date on which it was celebrated varied from chapter to chapter, with selections such as the founding date of the IHEU, or other significant dates. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the AHA and IHEU passed resolutions declaring World Humanist Day to be on the summer solstice.

The manner in which World Humanist Day is celebrated varies considerably among local Humanist groups, reflecting the individuality and non-dogmatism of Humanism as a whole. Whilst the event might be a simple gathering, such as a dinner or picnic, with ample time for both socializing and reflection, the method of celebration is down to the individual Humanists. Some groups actually develop intricate social rituals, music, and proceedings which highlight the metaphoric symbolism of the solstice and the light (knowledge) which brings us out of darkness (ignorance).

Summer Begins - Summer has arrived!

Be Entertained! - Relax and enjoy!

Dead Trees, Verizon JetPack MiFi, and Entertainment Systems

Dead Trees - If you read Saturday's blog post, you will be familiar with the two trees that adorned a section of Solano Street 50 yards from my office until an inebriated woman crashed into them and uprooted them last Thursday at 4 PM. In my post, I said that I felt secure in the notion that the trees would be replanted and survive nicely.

Unfortunately, while Laura and I returned to our nest following Sunday service at Harvest Christian Center, we saw that the trees had not been replanted. This saddened us greatly. Hopefully, the trees will be replaced soon with healthy trees.

Verizon JetPack MiFi - The Verizon Jetpack™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot - MiFi® 4620L is an awesome device. I have seen download speeds in excess of 20,000kbps.



Here are some examples of the unit in use:
1 = DigitalPath wireless Internet connection at home
2 = MiFi Wi-Fi Hot Spot inside church
3 = MiFi Wi-Fi Hot Spot in Nitro in front of our house
4 = MiFi Wi-Fi Hot Spot in Nitro in wilderness 35 miles from Corning
5 = MiFi Wi-Fi Hot Spot in Cocodine restaurant in Chico
6 = MiFi Wi-Fi Hot Spot in Nitro in Raley’s parking lot in Chico

Entertainment Systems - Lately, several have inquired regarding our entertainment systems. Here is what we use to access movies and television programming:

LIVING ROOM:

Vizio® 49” LCD HDTV

Kenwood® 200W Dolby Digital Plus HT Receiver

JBL® Speakers – Front Channels, Rear Channels, Center Channel, Powered Subwoofer

Roku® unit connected via HDMI providing access to 7,000+ channels via 6,000kbps wireless Internet connection

18.3” Hewlett-Packard® Intel® i7 Entertainment Laptop connected via HDMI

Sony® Blu-ray DVD player connected via HDMI
BEDROOM:

Vizio® 39” LCD HDTV

Roku® unit connected via HDMI providing access to 7,000+ channels via 6,000kbps wireless Internet connection
DINING ROOM:

Sanyo® 19” LCD HDTV

Roku® unit connected via HDMI providing access to 7,000+ channels via 6,000kbps wireless Internet connection
OFFICE:

Vizio® 39” LCD HDTV

Onkyo® 250W Dolby Digital Plus HT Receiver

Onkyo® Speakers – Front Channels, Rear Channels, Center Channel, Powered Subwoofer

Roku® unit connected via HDMI providing access to 7,000+ channels via 6,000kbps wireless Internet connection

Hewlett-Packard® Intel® i7 Graphic Workstation connected via HDMI

Pioneer® Blu-ray burner/player
MOBILE:

2 Motorola® Droid X smartphones

2 ASUS® Transformer Prime 10.1” tablets

1 ASUS® Google Nexus 7 7” tablet

1 Verizon® JetPack 4G/ LTE MiFi wireless Hot Spot