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"THE PHOENIX"

 

 

 

Welcome:

Welcome to another issue of "The Phoenix" It's been a while since our last publication, and it's well overdue! So, let me apologize for the long haitus... Most of you of course, understand the turmoil and stress that a major move from one home to another can be, and it's been doubly rough in my case, mainly because when Wooster, the kids, and myself moved here, we had no place to "live" in. We did finally find an apartment (after spending close to $600 on the Guest house we were staying at (thank God for my inlaws! I am very grateful for their help!). It was of course, located in a somewhat seedy part of town, and some of the previous inhabitants had to be encouraged to move elsewhere (roaches are notrorious for their refusal to be evicted). We were there for about 25 days or so, and we got lucky, and got moved into base housing. Other than my current financial situation, things seem to be getting better. Hopefully, I'll soon have my finances straight.

Now, on with the rest of the issue: I had planned on working on a new layout for "The Phoenix" but have decided against that in order to save time, and to get this issue out the door! So anyway, on with the show!

God Bless!

Wolf

 

Volume 1, Issue 4, 15 July 2003

A picture of me - Marc (also known as Wolf or Wvulf) - in the field on Haloween in 1999

CONTENTS:

Dell Laptop Hack!
This months Recipe:
Chipotle Tortilla Casserole:
This Months Sewing Tip:
Story: The Motorcycle Race:
Interview - Target: Run Amuck:
This month's Picture:
Closing Comments:
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A Dell Laptop Hack:

by: Wolf

Here is a Dell Laptop Hack for those of you who own one: This will work on all Dell Inspiron or Latitude Laptops that have the Dell Access Direct button(s) above the keyboard next to the Power button:

Dell Inspiron 8500.  The buttons are located just below the hinge of the LCD screen, slightly off to the left from the center of the laptop. Most Dell laptops, have a button or set of buttons at the top of the keyboard. These buttons serve as "quick access" buttons or as CD/DVD player controls. They also work with any audio playback you may be doing using any of the popular players, such as WinAmp or Windows Media Player. In any case, on my Inspiron 8000, they function normally in two modes: Quck access mode, with the first two button hard coded to go to different locations on Dell's web site, and the other two programable to do things like start a program or launch a web page.

Now, as I said the first two buttons can not be changed programatically with Dell's default installation - BUT: I have found a way to set it up so not only can ALL the buttons be programmed to launch ANY program you want, but they can also be programmed with as MANY different "profiles" as you want! For example: The four Dell buttons on my laptop normally have two "profiles". One to launch the various programs they are programmed for, and one to play, pause, stop, and skip to the next or previous music track I might be listening to.

After hacking the Dell Direct Access Install program, I figured out how to program the buttons so that they can do anything I want (from changing which ones Play or Pause the music) to being able to lauch web sites or programs OTHER than the ones that are hardcoded into the buttons software! The proceedure is actually not as hard as it sounds, and anyone with decent typing and browsing skills should be able to do this!

Now, here is how it works: When you installed the Dell Access Direct software, a folder was created on your hard drive, called "Dell". In this folder, there should be one called "Drivers, and in this one, there should be a number of install directories. Depending on the version of the Dell Access Direct Software you installed, the programs folder name will vary, so, in order to find the folder, just look through each one, and find the folder that has the following files: Setup.lst (not 1 as in ONE) but l as in L. There will be about five or six more LST files in this same folder. The setup.lst file is going to be the one we "hack". To do this, open it up in Notepad or another text editor. You will see a buch of text lines with various commands. These commands tell the DAD software whether to make a button programmable or not, and what program or operation to perform when the button is pressed.

Now, before we go any farther, let's backup our file: Click Save As, and call the file "Setup.bak" without the quotes. Once you have done this, you are ready to continue: If you are using the most current version of the DAD app, you will see a list of the various Dell Laptops that support the DAD program. Find your laptop from among the list. There will be a two digit alpha-numeric code (like: A4 or M6) that represents your particular laptop. All you have to do is scroll down to the commands section for your laptop. You will recognize this because it will have the text: "[C9Keys] or [A4Keys] or whatever is appropriate for your laptop.

Once you find this section, look it over carefully: You will see a series of commands, such as:

MaximumAllowedScheme
SchemeName
ButtonText
ButtonFunction
ButtonCommand
FixedButton
ButtonBrowse
DragDropEnabled

Now, these are the primary portions that we edit to make the buttons function the way we want. The other sections control what bitmap picture is displayed when we open the keyboard app under the control panel and go to the Access Direct Tab there.

The first command, "MaximumAllowedScheme, tells the installer program how many schemes there are. We can set this to anything between 1 and 9, depending on how many schemes you want for your button. In my case, I have 3 schemes.

Next, is SchemeName. This is under the header for each scheme, for example [C9Scheme1] for the first scheme, or [C9Scheme2] for the second and so on. If you have more than the default number of schemes for your system, you will have to create one header for each additional scheme following this format. Each scheme will have to have it's own name, such as "Applications", "Web", and "CD/DVD Play". You can name or rename any scheme to anything you want.

Next, under each scheme, are a list of the buttons your machine has: In my case, I have [A4Scheme1Button1] for the first button of the first scheme, and [A4Scheme1Button2] for the second button, and so on. Underneath this, you have the command ButtonText. This is the label that will be displayed on your screen when you push the button to launch the program. This can be anything you want, as long as it's in ""'s.

Underneath this, you have the ButtonFunction. This is a number that indicates the function of the button, such as 5 to launch a program, or 6 to lauch a web address. The button function numbers are:

1 - Play/Pause
2 - Stop
3 - Previous Track
4 - Next Track
5 - Launch an application
6 - Launch a web site address
7 - Launch your default Mail program

Next is button command. For button functions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7, you can just leave this as "". These are already hard coded to perform the required function. For 5 & 6 however, you either need to put in the path and program or web site that you want to lauch when pressing the button (for example: ButtonCommand="C:\PROGRA~1\SmartFTP\SmartFTP.exe" to launch the smart FTP program for button function 5 and ButtonCommand="http://www.ask-it-here.com/AskItHere/AIHMain.aspx" for button function 6 to lauch AIH when I press the button assigned that code).

The last portions of the code that you are interested in are FixedButton, ButtonBrowse, DragDropEnabled. FixedButton = 0 means the button can be reprogrammed later in the Control Panel's keyboard settings application, and if it's 1, then it can't. ButtonBrowse=1 means that you can browse for a different program if the button is programmable and if it's 0, then you can't. Last, DragDropEnabled=1 means that you can drag a program from the file explorer to the button label in the control panel to link the button to that program.

There are other settings you can play with, such as what sort of Icon is displayed in the control panel for the buttons, and so on, but they don't affect the actuall function of the buttons, so we'll ignore those.

The last bit of info I have, is that if you enable the tray icon, you can switch between your various themes that you have created for your buttons, by right clicking on the icon in the tray, and selecting the theme you want.

I hope you Dell laptop owners have found this article helpful. If you need more help with programming your Dell Direct Access buttons, just e-mail me at phoenixed@earthlink.net

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Recipes:

Chipotle Tortilla Casserole:

Here is a nifty and SPICY dish that is really going to rock your world: This will serve up to six people (thanks to Tabasco® Brand Chipotle Sauce):

Ingredients:

10 ounces thick, homestyle tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can (28 ounces) good quality tomatoes in juice, drained
2 to 3 tablespoons Tabasco®
1-½ tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 small white onion (sliced ¼" thick)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-½ chicken or vegetable broth
salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley 1 cup shredded cheese of preference (Mexican, Monterey Jack, or Chihuahua)

1st) Preheat your ovent ot 400° F. Arrange tortilla chips into a 13"x9" baking dish. Sprinkle with the shredded chicken.

2nd) Corsely puree tomatoes and Tabasco® Chipotle Sauce in a food processor or blender. Heat oil in large saucepan; add onion and sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook 1 minute, then stir in broth, tomatoes, and salt. Heat to a boil.Stir in cilantro or parsley. Pour the boinling sauce over the chips, coating them evenly with the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake until lightly browned on top and bubbling (about 15 minutes). Serve with your preference of sour cream, guacamole, shredded letuce, chopped tomatoes, refried beens, Mexican rice, and picante or salsa.

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This Month's Sewing Tip

By: MdmTerror

This month's sewing tips come from a close friend of mine: MdmTerror - she's not a member of AIH, but she IS a professional seamstress, and has helped Wooster become an expert in the art of sewing and making clothes! Here are her tips and advice:

Tip 1) When you bring home new fabric, if the fiber content, or if the bolt says it is washable, finish the edges before laundering the first time with a long stitch ( this type of stich is easier to remove) and then wash and dry so you don’t damage or loose any of your yardage. This works and allows you to prepare your fabric for sewing.

Tip 2) Butcher paper, news print or even Christmas paper makes really good temporary or quick pattern paper. Virtually indestructible patterns can be and are made of interfacing, but not everyone can afford to make all their patterns out of this. However, if you have a really difficult or special pattern, then using interfacing is worth the expense.

Tip 3) Store your individual patterns in a large envelope, with a brad for closure, and tape the front and back of the original pattern package on the new envelope. This helps keep the pattern from getting roughed up by being crammed into the small pattern package. Also the big brown envelopes are more durable than the smaller pattern package ones.

Tip 4) Keep a magnet handy to pick up any pins that are scattered when lapse back into real life from your sewing life.

Tip 5) Your husband’s metal measuring tape will also serve you well when drawing your patterns, and also when cutting out things directly from your fabric.

Tip 6) Colored pencils are very useful instead of tailors chalk in many places during sewing. They are cheaper, easier to handle, come in more colors and last longer.

Tip 7) Do you have a beloved garment that is no longer serviceable? Use it as a pattern. Many garments are not that hard to copy or take apart and use as a pattern.

Tip 8) When you are getting rid of clothes that are no longer useful, due to damage, remember to take off any closures and such other items. Just because the fabric is worn out or damaged does not mean the buttons are. Zippers, hooks, and eyes are also reusable.

Stay tuned here for more sewing tips!

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"The Motorcycle Race"

by: Sruane

The motorcycle I was racing was a 1976 Honda CB400F. It had four cylinders, six speeds and handlebars so low I had to lay down on the gas tank to drive it. I was racing in the 400-550cc class.

Although my bike had the smallest engine in this range, it was much more maneuverable than bigger bikes because it had more ground clearance. This was important, because the track had thirteen turns (seven lefts and 6 rights), so maneuverability was more important than speed.

Sruane
A race consisted of 3 heats of ten laps each. One lap was two about two miles. I looked over my competition for the first heat: a Yamaha RD400D - much more maneuverable than a CB400F, and ridden by Jennifer, who was, frankly, a much better rider than me. There were also other bikes, most of which looked like they couldn't go the whole 60 miles, even if the riders pushed them. One bike, however, was a brand-new Honda CB550F - much bigger and faster than what I was riding, but the rider was someone we called a "squid" - someone who thought they were good, but really weren't.

As we took off down the front straight, I kept my eye on Jennifer and the squid. Because the squid had much more horsepower, he rocketed ahead of us down the straightaway, while Jennifer and I ran neck and neck. All three of us were traveling well over 100mph by the time we got to the first turn: a nasty hairpin right.

Most of the braking force on a motorcycle is generated by the front brake, but most people are afraid to really clamp on the front brake and they use the rear brake instead. Squid had this very problem. Because Jenny and I knew how to use our front brakes, we were able to squirt by Squid at full throttle as he slowed too early for the turn.

Jenny blew through the turn like a puff of smoke, and I never saw her again. For the next three or four laps, I could hear Squid's bike as he tried to catch up with me. He would pull close down the straightaways (there were two of them), and them I would pull way ahead of him as I flogged my trusty CB400F through the turns.

There was no way I could catch Jennifer, so I concentrated on just staying ahead of the squid. Because there was no way I could outrun him on the straightaways, I whipped through the turns recklessly, scraping the outsides of my boots on the track in a frantic effort to open my lead enough so that Squid wouldn't be able to pass me down either straightaway.

The track had a "chicane" turn - a 90-degree right immediately followed by a 90-degree left, with a dip in between the two turns. Anyone who entered the first turn too fast would be launched into the air by the dip, and would sail over the second turn at a low altitude. I discovered that if I entered the first turn really low, I could zip diagonally across the dip and, even if I became airborne, I would land low on the inside of the second turn, and would at least still be pointed down the track.

Totally focused on getting through the turns as fast as I could, I couldn't risk a look back to see why I couldn't hear the squid's bike anymore, but, on about lap five or six, I found out why. After I got lined up, low on the inside of the first turn of the chicane, I looked up to aim for the inside of the second turn when I saw the squid, wrestling his bike out of a dense bush on the far side of the dip. He had apparently tried to pass me in the chicane on the previous lap, and ended up going flying without a license.

Th squid missed the second heat because he was busy wiring and taping chunks of his bike back on, and, once again, Jenny got so far ahead of me that I didn't even get to watch her ride.

By the time we were ready to run the third heat, the squid had his bike back together and was ready to show me and Jenny how to do it.

He was way ahead of us by the time we got to the end of the front straightaway, and, he had apparently learned to use his front brake. I was unable to get around him, but Jenny, in flagrant disregard for the laws of physics, managed to pass us both on the outside of the hairpin. We never saw her again.

The squid was wallowing around in the turns so badly that I couldn't pass him safely. He would shoot way ahead of me down the straightaways, and I would catch him in the turns. But I still couldn't pass him.

We went on like this for about three laps, when I decided to "push" him. I would pull up beside him in a turn, trying to pass, then drop back. I was trying to distract him enough so that I could pass him. Sure enough, he got sloppy, and started taking the turns wider and wider. I almost had enough room to get around him, when he realized what was happening.

He tried going faster, but parts of his bike were dragging and throwing up sparks. He was on the verge of loosing control altogether. After the chicane turn, there was a short straightaway which ended in an "off-camber" left. This was a 90-degree left turn that was banked to the right. Because it banked in the opposite direction, we had to slow down to about 40mph in order to keep from getting thrown off the turn.

The squid really messed up the chicane badly, and we came out the turn side by side. I had just enough time to turn my head, look him in the eye and stick out my tongue before he started to pull ahead down the back straight. This appeared to distract him pretty badly, because I was able to stay with him down the back straight all the way to the off-camber left. We were both going much too fast into this turn. We were both way out of position, and I had to take my eyes off of him to concentrate on saving my own skin.

I clamped on both brakes, shifted from sixth to third and let the clutch fly. The back tire started hopping, and I shifted most of my weight to the footpegs to keep the center of gravity low enough so that the bike wouldn't just flop over. Out of road, and still going too fast, I had no choice but to shift my whole body out over the left side. The outside of my boot, my lower leg and my knee were dragging the pavement when the bike finally started turning, but it looked like I would make it.

When I looked up to see where I was in the turn I saw a huge cloud of dust with a foot sticking out of the top.

It looked almost like a cartoon. It was the squid.

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Interview with RunAmuck!

by: Mamasmitty

Well, Hello my AIH family! I once offered Wolf to help with the newsletter if he ever needed it, and well, He called me on it! This is my first ever attempt at interviewing ANYONE!!! Wolf said he had planned on interviewing RunAmuk next, so I picked it up there and asked him if he would mind my interviewing him. He was kind enough to be my first Guinea pig, and for that I would like to thank him graciously! I hope you all find him as interesting as I do! So with that said, here is my interview with RunAmuk, our resident Native American! - Mamasmitty

RunAmuck, in all his glory!

MS: Let me start by asking you how you came to be on AIH?

RA: I came in with the influx of users who read about the old AIH when Greyeyes got a post in LockerGnome Windows Daily. I thought, hey! A discussion site with no specific topic would be a nice addition to all the other boards I am a member of. One can only talk about computing, guns, hacking, science, or technology and such for so long without extreme burn out. AIH was and remains to be a nice diversion.

MS: So, tell us where you were born.

RA: I was born just outside the boundaries of the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina in 1955. At the height of the implementation of Federal "Public law 280" known to Natives as the "Relocation and Termination act of 1953".
The last great effort by our government to seize what was left of Indian land and heritage. My family was forcibly removed from our land and relocated to Bowling Green Kentucky within a year of my birth. Having been made empty promises of financial aid, education, and health-care by the government my family soon determined itself to be on it's own again to fend for themselves. The government had thoughts of quiet extinction of indigenous peoples through poverty, substance abuse, and anonymity.

Here are a few links to find out about the removal act. It's hard to find anything not glossed over by bureaucratic B.S.

http://www.dickshovel.com/cleansing.html
http://courses.csusm.edu/hist338as/fa01/b38tex10.htm
http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/indiannd.htm

They forgot the resilient nature of indigenous peoples and so began the journey that is my life. Forty-seven years later I'm still kickin'! Every now and then I know it's kinda' hard to tell. But I'm still alive and well!

MS: What are some of the things you believe in?

RA: Freedom and equality. The freedom to be, to do, to think, as one sees fit without visiting harm upon others or the planet. Freedom from third party intervention into the lives of anyone under the guise of knowing what's best for everyone but themselves. A hard belief to maintain in this new millennium

Equality of all life. I hold not man nor beast in lower disregard than myself.
The Creator had purpose in bestowing life. It is not up to man to oppose this purpose. I start everyone and everything off at 100%. I leave it to them to diminish their own percentage of worth. Don't get me wrong here. There are lifeforms of which I have lost all respect. Mostly of the two legged variety.

There's a line from a John Wayne movie I watched at the theater as a young man
that subconsciously had a profound effect on my life.

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."

Not exactly the worst of thoughts to pattern ones life upon. Ya' think?
I also possess a very low threshold for stupidity. There is no excuse for stupidity. If a lowly Injun' can rise above poverty and destitution to become reasonably well educated and somewhat literate. Then anyone can if they choose to do so. If they choose not to I will do my best to avoid them.

MS: What kind of job(s) do you have, or have you had in your life?

RA: I am the quintessential "Jack of all trades" yet I have managed to master quite a few.
I've been a farmer, a Cowboy on a ranch in Colorado, an Outlaw on a Harley riding across America for eighteen months. The outlaw mentality takes me south O' the border whenever I can escape. I have three years of trade school education as a truck mechanic. I am a card-carrying member of the Boilermakers Union. I have been a high ironworker building cityscapes from steel. I framed houses across the Midwest as a young man in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Kansas. I was a pipe welder on the Al-Can pipeline, where I was adopted by my wolf "Sam" when he was a newborn cub.

Somewhere in the midst of all this I learned leathercraft because I wouldn't pay what factories were asking for a western gunbelt and holster. Since, I have been a designer for three of the larger holstermakers in America. My holstermaking micro-business has since been featured in popular firearm publications around the globe. Some even consider me to be one of the foremost designers in the field. All this and a dollar "might buy you a cup of coffee" at your neighborhood Jerry's.

MS: Do you follow any News on A.I.M (American Indian Movement) or Leonard Peltier ?

RA: I know little about what A.I.M is up too these days they seem to center mostly around "plains Indians" not one of the Five Civilized Tribes. I do stay up on what's happening with Leonard through http://nativenewsonline.org/

MS: Tell us about your trip to Mexico.

RA: My trip to Mexico.............
I have been headin' down south since my outlaw biker days of the late Seventies. It was the thing to do in those days. Riding motorcycles across the Mexican badlands was, let's say thrilling. Kinda' like living out a scene in a B-grade movie. Running from the Texas rangers, running for the border! We used to slide down through Nogales to drink, chase Senioritis, live a little fantasy, and generally create mayhem and excitement. Ah, the good ol' days.

In a more civilized fashion I was part of a vagabond tour of the Yucatan with a group of college folks in or around 1980 and saw my first ruins. I was hooked on the history from that moment on. The fact that alleged savages, who committed human sacrifice, deserved to be annihilated by immigrant Spaniards and were forced to flee their homeland and vanish into the jungles and into history. Did indeed chart the heavens is astonishing. These savages invented the concept of zero as a number. Before zero there were only roman numerals or derivatives thereof. Imagine making change without zero, or doing any form of math.
The precision with which these people created their world is and was astounding.They made engineering feats that today cannot be duplicated by all the intellect modern man has at it's disposal. History does not portray these heathen savages as much more than disposable creatures. Yet their history remains some 5000 years later and beyond. When Jesus Christ was to have walked among us the ancient races of North America had been building the structures from my photographs and much more, some 2500+ years. Maybe even longer. This is still in debate. But 2500+ years is so far the oldest dated remains of fact.

How could one stand in the midst of such wonder and not become forever attracted. Teotihuacan thrived from 300b.c. to 700a.d. thought to be the largest city in the world during that time was home to a quarter million natives and contained some 5000 structures. Coba, the ruins I went down to help with restoration of for a few days at Christmas is newly discovered in the past 50 years and is now thought to be an even larger city than Teotihuacan. Some 6000 structures are now being unearthed. Estimates of a half million people may have lived in this community. Can you tell I am enthralled?
If per chance you would like to link to the images or point readers to them you can use this web address.... http://64.33.8.159/mayan.html


MS: From your pictures, it looks like you had a little trouble at the border! Want to enlighten us on THAT one?

RA: The Customs Officers incident.
Well this is another fine mess you've gotten us into Injun'!
Upon entering the United States from any other place you have to pass through customs. Mexico seems to be a fav' spot from which to have U.S. Customs pay "special" attention to inbound travelers. Especially long hairs with an earring at 1:15 A.M. in the morning. Having nothing of significance to declare the wife and I moseyed into the maze that leads to the turnstile. There were 118 people on our charter flight mostly college students and professors from the college. So getting through the processing was slow at best. Just after Barbara and I made it through the turnstile I was approached by a rather large Black Officer with a not so friendly dog sniffing around the baggage at my feet. Again having nothing illegal I showed no concern. But wouldn't you know, the big guy did. He asked us to step to the side and soon started with the third degree. A few minutes into this I was no longer having any fun and started to get a bit testy. To which the Officer replied, "I'll have to ask you to bring your bags and step into this room". At which time he pointed to a door that said, "Authorized Personnel Only". With a less than friendly demeanor we complied.
We were told someone will be with you in a moment and I heard the door lock behind us as the Officer left the room. As time passed I began to formulate a plan to call lawyers, sue the feds, all sorts of nasty things. Then we heard someone outside the door.
The door opened and in walked twiddle dumb and twiddle dumber! Followed by more Customs Officers than I could count in a short time. The twiddle bros were Bill Bell and Ron Eastridge both of whom had been in my leather shop on several occasions. They were responsible for my having business dealings with the Customs Department. And,,,,, they had seem the Ol' Injun coming across the tarmac. Time to have a little fun with the long hair! The pictures were staged just to add the perfect photo ending to a tale of a trip South O' the border.
So, there you have it.


MS: Would you change anything about your life?

RA: Would I change anything about my life? Hum, I say Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm,
You know at 47 in this life, I think I would have to say...................
I might have liked a more traditional childhood. Being native in the fifties and early sixties was extremely difficult. Kids today would have gunned down their neighbors or classmates, wound up in endless therapy, or committed suicide. I think we were glued together with stronger stuff.
I suppose having more financial stability in the early years would have made life more palatable. But perhaps not nearly so learned.

Other than that, I may be the only man you ever meet who would say with all honesty, "I don't think I would change a thing". Nope, not a damn thing!
I have had a ball. After I was allowed control of my own destiny when turning eighteen I have done and seen things mere mortals would NOT believe. Hell, I don't believe some of it, and I lived it! [A special note: I CAN provide witnesses and documentation.]

I've stood atop the pyramids of ancient Kings and raised a toast in their honor. I have sit atop mountain peaks so high that there was only my conscience, and myself. As Eagles soared round my head. I have known true love. I have known the friendship of one of nature's most fierce creatures. I have been allowed to be "Alpha male" since childhood. "Sam" and I have heated debate over just who is running things from time to time. Right now it's 50/50! ;o)
I've jumped out of planes and walked on the ocean floor. I have traveled the length and breadth of North America from the upper edge of Alaska to the edge of South America. I've even managed to slip in a cruise to other lands and a flight or two overseas. And somehow managed to make more friends than enemies along the way. I am equally at home among most every racial minority in America. They all see me as an example of the one race more put upon than themselves. And hey, sometimes the magic works. I am "Snakeoil salesman" extraordinaire!

See,,,,,,, I told you, you wouldn't believe it! There is one place that I consider myself a failure. Since you asked. That's at being a parent.
Yes I do have offspring! And yes I think I may have failed here. For the first seventeen years the Great Spirit smiled down upon Barbara and myself. We had the perfect child. Honestly. People thought she would be our first female President. Little Katrina Marie. A straight A student from day one. Excelled in everything academic. Art, Science, math, history, you name it, the child had it all goin' on! 4.0+ grade average all through high school. Polite, considerate of others, an angel. Some of my posse' and I used to sit around the fire and joke about the hospital switching babies on me. Because I did not deserve what I had been given. She was in the top five% of national academia, got to meet the President even. Some of the top schools in the country were courting her before graduation from high school. She turned eighteen and WENT COMPLETELY BRAIN DEAD! And the young ones on AIH think I'm hard on their lil' asses. I am bitter. I'm not sure I even like children anymore.

MS: What advice or knowledge would you want to pass on?

RA: What would I pass on?.................
Pursue knowledge. Never stop trying to learn. If a heathen savage from the edge of Appalachia can learn then anyone can. It doesn't have to be brain surgeon or corporate executive to qualify as knowledgeable. Use what you have been given and forever seek to learn all that you can know. Even if you be a ditch digger. Be the best ditch digger your mind and spirit will allow you to be. It works I am the proof.

I have recently been made aware that some of our AIH neighbors think me a smart-ass. Because I have a correct answer to an over abundance of questions posted by those seeking help with something. A quote, "well,,, you just have the answer to everything don't you! Expletive deleted here". End quote. Try to help those in need and that's what you get I reckon.

A closing note for ya'. Rest assured I am not being a smart-ass. If I answer a help question it is because I do have the answer. I would not waist the time to hunt and peck out the message if I didn't have the correct answer. I have learned many things in my years in this life. If you need a clutch in your truck, I know how to do it. If you need a home remodeled, yup' that too. Need a building built? Your computer crashed and burned? Call me. Wanna' build a computer? Been there done that!


I leave you with the Ancient Cherokee prayer.
May the Warm Winds of Heaven
Blow softly upon your house.
May the Great Spirit
Bless all who enter there.
May your Moccasins
Make happy tracks
in many snows,
and may the Rainbow
Always touch your shoulder.

MS: Again I would like to thank RunAmuk for giving us all a personal look in his life!
Until next time… - Mamasmitty

Wolf: - Well, thank YOU Mamasmitty! I really appreciate it! RunAmuck, thank you for taking the time to give us this! We really appreciate it!

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Photo of the Month:

New York: by Melissa

New York
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Closing:

Well, another issue is finally out the door! Thanks to all of you who have contributed, even if your work has not been published yet! If it has, check your AIH bank accounts for payment!

If you would like to submit articles, artwork, photos, graphics, recipies, or other original work for consideration and publication, or if you have comments, suggestions, gripes, or complaints, please send them to me at phoenixed@earthlink.net.

Thank you, and God Bless!

Wolf

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