..at the bottom of the hill, close to the treehouse..

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The Prince of Wales speaks at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference

Please see the Prince's Rainforests Project and do what you can to help...

Sunset Tonight at the Treehouse

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Tiger at Augusta..this has nothing to do with Buddhism

I have to write this for my own sanity. Too many emails and so forth.. I understand recovery. I started the journey almost 30 years ago.. seen 'em come and go and I have no idea what Tiger should or should not do..BUT I do know this. When I was free of the things that brought me to my knees I was not free of the things that troubled me and I had to find peace. The easiest way to do that was to be decent in all my affairs. 

I met an old man.. Near 80 at the time who had been sober for nearly 40 years. He was willing to spend time with me. A lot of time with me.. and he showed me by his actions how to find the comfortable way of living that seems to elude so many who come in for a break in the action.. So if Tiger asked for my help, I'd know what to do with him... the same thing that kind old man (well there were times he was not so kind) did with me.. and as he used to say, "if you stop doing what you were doing, 85-90% of your troubles will go away in time. The steps will fix another 5% of your troubles and the rest you are going to have to learn to live with and be a man about it.".

But there's another Problem. Brad Faxon wrote on Golf.com that he was "much more concerned about Tiger's being treated by the Toronto doctor, Anthony Galea, who was arrested in Canada last October on drug charges, a doctor who admits to using human growth hormone.". Tiger needs to square up and be a man about everything.. He needs to fire Stevie and his management team and hire decent human beings with good manners. As we say, "if you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it, you only need to change one thing.. and that's everything." Good for Tom Watson  and Arnold Palmer for explaining their thinking about Tiger.. He's needs to take the questions and start to humbly act like a gentleman.. no more F-bombs on the course.. We've heard enough.. what a talent he is.. time to grow up.

Amazing to see the newcomers. Some say they are the most important people in recovery. That's not true. They do not know how to be yet and they all get very spiritual very quickly.. this all takes time and Tiger can't do it by himself. Elin is in need of a lot of help as well..the whole team needs help. That's how it works. and then as Brad says.. he needs to be a player among players.. that will sound very familiar to those who know.

The Masters will soon be here... Two weeks ago we were soaked. Yesterday it was spring.

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Pictures of the Coast near Big Sur and Pebble Beach

 

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..more Big Sur and Cypress Point Pics

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maybe if I post their pics I'll stay out of them...at Cypress Point

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Spring and The Weather! Sand in the Shower...

This is the Central Coast. Monterey, Salinas, Moss Landing, Pebble Beach, Big Sur...We have had more rain than anyone can remember here this winter (if you are one of my friends from Canada, I'm not really complaining mind you :)). Hard to get out and play golf or do much of anything..BUT... this morning the shower had Beach Sand in it... Beach Sand in the shower is a sure sign that someone had walked on the Beach and brought enough home to make a bit of a mess... So thoughts turn to spring and it's daylight savings and everyone at the Treehouse starts thinking about the Beach and water sports... We also think about Surfrider at the Treehouse and all the cool events that are coming up. Please visit the site and maybe do a little shopping for the good cause:

March 27-28 East of Eden Events 

Onr Make plans to help the 100,000 pieces of litter pick up... Our Oceans and beaches deserve out help..

surfrider foundation search on Amazon

GOP hates Obama Health Care Plan; GOP refuses to offer own plan

"GOP hates Obama Health Care Plan; GOP refuses to offer own plan"... Sooo that's the kind of headline that stops me in my tracks. I lost a friend last year. A father. A business owner. A decent guy who had coverage by an insurance company that debated his life over a technicality in his coverage... while they debated.. he died.. he left a wife and 3 lovely children, employees and friends to wonder why.. I will never forget getting that phone call.. the Plan that the Dems had put forth at the time might have helped have save his life.. Any Democrat or Republican that is so ignorant of the fundamental need in society to provide decent healthcare to it's citizen's is walking on the wrong side of life. They are evil.. This is an issue of compassion... pure and simple... Others have learned this lesson the hard way as well.. I have blogged about it here and we dedicated a site to it:  and everyday decent people compose tweets and letters to editors. Responsible journalists write articles in newspapers around the world... we jump on Haiti and other natural disasters to help our Brothers and Sisters in times of need but stick to our silly sides when it comes to long term solutions for our people.... anyway here's the link to the article.

Bill Gates at TED on Climate and Energy Policy

Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero! | Video on TED.com

...this is so impressive. To see the often noted most wealthy person in the world take up this critical cause is indeed heartening...what do you think? (if the video does not start please click Here. You'll be taken to the TED site.)

a Bit Confused Today? Me Too!... and where are the good guys?

Downright fascinated (again) by this morning's financial market activity....first thing (starting at 3am) the feeds and alerts all looked about like this: "Stocks (will) open(ed) lower Thursday after a surprise jump in jobless claims, a disappointing signal on the employment front ahead of Friday's jobs report. But Cisco shares rose. The networking-gear maker beat earnings expectations and CEO John Chambers said on CNBC this morning that business spending is "way up." www.cnbc.com/id/35234593.

It seems we really can't trust the job numbers that come out as the follow-up from CNBC looked like this: "Correction: Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rose Last Week Up 8,000 to 480,000; Survey expected Down 10,000 "..is the unemployment number 20%? Is there recovery or is Chambers really just being John with the good word?

The market moves on these"numbers" (of course)and then we find out the market responded to incorrect numbers and all I can think is "give me a break"... maybe time to take a walk... the conspiracy crowd is right after-all. My old partner Dan used to say (he was an investment partner), "of course it's corrupt, but we are making money. No excuses". Well we did for a bit and then?... was that ugly? Yup.

and next? well BofA is having a few more problems: "the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a motion Thursday seeking court approval of a proposed settlement where Bank of America will pay $150 million to settle SEC charges that the company failed to properly disclose employee bonuses and financial losses at Merrill Lynch before shareholders approved the merger of the companies in December 2008." www.cnbc.com/id/35237218

..my answer to this? Go find a friend and take a walk. If the friend is a wonderful Dog you better put him on a lease it seems... maybe embrace humanity, pick up some litter, try some graceful behavior ("may I please" instead of "gimme" at lunch).. what we do really does matter. jazzmonk.blogspot.com/2010/01/..

...and then get one of these: www.mnn.com/the-home/building-... "One part garden shed, one part eco-clubhouse and one part home office, the Archipod gives work-at-homers a chance to step out of the house ... and into the backyard.".. a place to meditate. We all need some Peace.

..Oh and btw: we still need healthcare reform!

Jane Goodall on what separates us from the apes | Video on TED.com

Jane Goodall on what separates us from the apes | Video on TED.com

 

Jane Goodall hasn't exactly found the missing link, but she's come closer than just about anyone else on Earth. Her extensive research into the behavior of chimpanzees, which started in Africa in the 1960s and continues today, fundamentally altered scientific thinking about the relationship between humans and other mammals.

Goodall, who founded a research institute in her name in 1977, is an internationally recognized authority on the primate world. She's written books for adults and children, contributed to documentaries, and serves as a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, a United Nations peace messenger, and the president of Advocates for Animals. For her efforts to observe and preserve all species, Goodall has received honors and accolades from governments, nonprofits, universities, and professional organizations, including a medal from UNESCO and the French Legion of Honor in 2006.

It really is "up to us". What We do Matters... a lot. We can change the World.

iPad arrives and some thoughts...

So I watched... yup.. Live Blogging from Engadget and the New York Times . Here's the official video from Apple.  ..and I am going to let all the smart guys figure this out... but I'm not buying one... I like my 13-14" dell laptop and I like not having to be concerned with compatibility issues. After a half dozen of cupertino's finest devices (other than my iPhone and Apple TV and a music express system that streams music through the house) I use a PC...I use Quicken and I have been sorely disappointed with nearly every Apple product I've bought (including the iPhone but not AppleTV and the Extreme/Express Music System)... 17" MacBook Pro (loaded) spent weeks getting new parts put in it... Hard drive problems... iPhone battery is slow and so forth.. They command top dollar and the service better be good because you'll need it... But I'm not here to bash them.. I love what Apple does for technology lovers... They energize the on-line community. Steve is cool.. The culture is weird and immature but so what? I know 75 year old Apple fanatics... they love the design and ease of use... they have nothing to compare it to...so will you buy one? Answer here: Mashable.

Today we get the latest version of Apple Pie..

"They’re (Apple)  capable of raising people’s expectations and restoring a sense of joy and delight in technology". How True.. and there is  more of where that came from Here. A great article about the Apple tablet and what may be expected of it... Technology should be useful, fun and help the world get along better... communicate great ideas to a lot of people quickly. When we were building the Internet we only thought about network design and how much money we were spending to put the fiber in the ground and under the ocean... who might connect and how much they'd spend to do that. Eventually we thought of applications that would require bandwidth so we could sell more capacity and raise more money based on projections of what folks would pay for that privilege. So things have changed of course and today we'll get a look at what will no doubt be considered somewhat revolutionary. Gotta have... or Gotta have when it gets this must have feature it doesn't have yet... It's a first gen product. an Kindle killer? Some say so.. Hearing it has dual camera  (or lens) for video conferencing. Sounds neat... no cost to connect... hard to believe but read this:  Thoughts on what an Apple tablet should be – or not. And you can follow the fella who wrote these articles here: Andy Ihnatko . So I'll get some sleep between now and 10AM  PST tomorrow when I will be like my friend Kyle Reimer who will be   ..."paying way too much attention to Twitter and Wired and not enough attention to my (his) job". Think we are waiting for Jobs to really deliver something special... I'm finding it hard to believe anything could fulfill the promise, unless he adds speed, better battery life, a good network (no dropped calls) and a keyboard to my iPhone... for me the best thing yet while digging around for the latest spy fotos was to be told about an iPhone app called WAZE: Real-time maps and traffic information based on the wisdom of the crowd.  Gonna try it... maybe join me..

...and in the morning, I'll be tracking Engadget and Twitter.

Charity: Water

The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Please also see Fresh2O.

4 Children die every minute from dirty water. You can help change that!

Project Kaisei

Project Kaisei is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco and Hong Kong, established to increase the understanding and the scale of marine debris, its impact on our ocean environment, and how we can introduce solutions for both prevention and clean-up.

The Pacific Ocean's Garbage Patch/Charles Moore on The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Charles Moore
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Some attempts at humor here, but important to know a bit about what's going on... did we really think that "out of sight, out of mind" was going to be a sustainable strategy for our beautiful planet?

Another Tip of the Hat To Bono...Ten for the Future

"IF we have overindulged in anything these past several days, it is neither holiday ham nor American football; it is Top 10 lists. We have been stuffed full of them. Even in these self-restrained pages, it has been impossible to avoid the end-of-the-decade accountings of the 10 best such-and-suches and the 10 worst fill-in-the-blanks.

And so, in the spirit of rock star excess, I offer yet another.

The main difference, if it matters, is that this list looks forward, not backward. So here, then, are 10 ideas that might make the next 10 years more interesting, healthy or civil. Some are trivial, some fundamental. They have little in common with one another except that I am seized by each, and moved by its potential to change our world." (link to Bono's Op-Ed in the New York Times)

So Bono gets the floor at the New York Times (sub link for Kindle) and makes news talking about intellectual property rights and what has happened to the Music industry and what might happen to the Movie business.... but there  is a lot more here and it's worth plowing through I think... not just because I'm a fan but because there is a lot of next decading going on and this list has a couple of surprises... what do you think?

I think Bono remains relevant because of his faith, his  sense of wonder  and  his tremendous curiosity about all things good.... not just because U2 rocks!... and they do!

newMedia Advisers...Social Media Consultants

Seems the Ventures always start the same way... minding someone else's business I was discussing how to structure a joint venture/partnership with a client and at the end of our conversation, that had gone rather well, he cleared his throat and said, "after we do this deal I want to ask a favor of you. I have an online presence (or is it a personality?) going back a couple of years but it is fragmented and ineffective and I'd like to create a cohesive, easy to find and understand online Brand of One as you say. Will you help me?" He went to ask if I had the time to work with him as a Senior Adviser and of course the answer was "sure"...He's a Great Guy with a Heart of Gold. (it's really possible to run a big organization and tell the truth and be compassionate). Every venture has a humanitarian thread or two in it's basic fabric...  "when you are back out on the Coast come by and we'll walk through it and then off you go"... never thought of doing this, but I started counting the Blogs (Mine are listed over there on the right side with all the Affiliates) and profiles and so forth... I'm a regular Gman... Google and Goss..

Hardly an online personality. I do have 20,000 followers on Twitter (would Love to have you Follow Me and I auto follow back btw)  and have a purpose to it all. Been suspended a few times as I sorted out what you can and are discouraged from doing on what I believe will be the most powerful personal and professional medium when integrated with Wave (still have a couple of invites for the asking: pegoss@gmail.com ...with a "why you" please) for the foreseeable future.... and then there is my partner Richierich who has a few thousand devout followers as well.. We have done some promos and driven some traffic to various sites and causes and at this point we've tried a few of the get rich quick scams (STOP IT!!!) and all the "get thousands of followers" jive programs ... somewhere in this blog is the story about how we got here, but suffice to say for a lot less than my client was willing to pay me we can help an individual out with the personal technology and ways to go about creating a presence on-line for individuals and Execs... and We are a nice mix.. and then there is Facebook where I have some friends and family but have not done a lot of networking... OK for "sharing".

Richie is 30 and a Mac (Genius actually) and I'm a soon to be 60 ex-corp exec and former Mac and now a PC... and then there is Ali who, though less visible, has a wonderful business sense (Commercial Real Estate on the Monterey Peninsula) and one of the world's biggest hearts  as well as more service commitments in the areas of Ecology and Social Services than anyone I know (Mother Teressa in a Business Suit)... So we get what it means to be relevant and responsible and can help guide anyone through the maze that at first seems confusing.. Let's make some sense of it... Next thing is the one man  Your Board of Directors... and I think I'm doing that again... gratis! Love to Help... Safe Travels!... a Sort of Social Media Mentor..hmmm. Feel free to call or write.

Feel Good Holiday Gifts...

Happy Holidays Everyone...Ali here. Okay, normally I post stuff that is important for the planet, its people, our spirits, etc...and don't push products. This time, because of these two products, I must dive into promotion. Here goes, okay? For me, my mornings are so important because they set up the day. A wonderful cup of good coffee, meditation, exercise and then preparing to go to the office...all important and, thanks to two products my husband found for us, there are two parts of the preparation part that I actually look forward to every day.

The first is my shower with my Oxygenics shower head. Honestly, every day I look forward to my shower because of how fabulous and magical the water is coming out of this rascal. Low flow but designed to super-charge the water, the water makes you feel brand new because of the oxygenating engineering in this shower head. See the ad for more info...(another Amazon link below)...I've had friends and associates thank me for suggesting this to them and I bet you'll be the favorite in your family for the Oxygenics Shower Heads you put under the tree for others.

The second thing I do in the morning that tickles my spirit is brush my teeth. We have the Oral-B Triumph electric toothbrush. I know, I know, you already have an electric toothbrush, right? Not like this puppy! The Triumph comes with a wireless Smart Guide that tells you when to switch quadrants in your mouth, when you may be brushing too hard, when you've done a great job (smiley face, winking smiley face...) and, with so little effort, cleans and whitens and protects your mouth while almost making a game out of it. Check it out...(another Amazon link below).

Good health and putting a smile on the morning face...what a fabulous gift to share with others.

Peace and happiness to you all, Ali

What We Do is Important!

Too often we wait for the perfect idea or concept to get going with worthy projects... I am reminded of the Monk who said, "start where you are". She meant the only mistake is to not start. When I'm wealthy and can afford a solar powered off the grid, zero carbon, Tesla lifestyle... then I'll get going... but today we can all turn off the light when we leave the room.. shower a minute less. Walk to the store..or to the mailbox (in my case a 1/2 mile down the hill) ... we can all recycle... it just means we start where we are and build from there... We are fortunate to have friends who keep track of their carbon use and offset their flights to foreign lands and so forth. I'm proud of them. I'm good with saving the recyclables on the floor of the passenger seat until I can put them somewhere where I know they will be properly recycled. We found ourselves going through 5 flats of 16 oz plastic bottles of water a month... we are now down to two. We bought and were given metal refillable bottle to use and we are using them... it's a start... that's a long way from where we were 10-15 years ago.. It started with the newspapers and petitions to get community bins put in local shopping centers for cans, plastic bottles and newspaper.. we just need to start and then look for more ways to do more...We run the beach Clean-Ups for Surfrider and think they are a great organization with a decent conscience and a rock n roll soul...Our oceans are filled with garbage. They need our help.. Please help.. Just start where you are with what is comfortable.. It will make you feel good... You'll want to do more...

..this first appeared on the site Environmental Booty. Our future depends on our knowledge and actions. What choices will you make today? Many Thanks to Shane Shirley-Smith

TOMS Shoes.. No more Sweaters for Christmas...

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what they're all about.

I've  heard too many shopping stories already this season to have much sympathy for the endless waste of time and money when we could simply put an effort into helping the less fortunate among us in the world and get a firm grasp on the big picture.

Am thinking that Heifer International, an organization that focuses on teaching the poor to fish rather than giving them a fish just might be what this life is all about...happy, healthy, wealthy and wise is of no consequence unless it is shared.. Could we seek the true spirit of Christmas this year?   ..for a change? or is it more popcorn and politics down at the local bar...

Being the Helping Hand I Wish Had been There for Me...

A little over a week ago I got to do something I thought I never would have the honor to do. I got to share some of my life experience with a group of kids at a local middle school. Kids that are surrounded by a lot of mixed messages, a lot of pressure and a lot of uncertainty. I had to remember how it was for me when I was that young. All of the things that were going through my mind at that age. I can remember many outside forces that I didn't understand and really wanted some help with. The trouble was that I really didn't know who or how to ask. There really wasn't anybody there for me, at that age, that I could completely trust. So now, going into this opportunity, I wanted to be that person that these kids could talk to, and ask those questions.

Here is a little back story on me, I am a recovered alcoholic.  Really that says it all. I have been sober for over 600 days and if you want a little more info on me, check out my recovery blog here.

When I was in elementary school there was DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education. Basically local police officers came into out classroom and talked to us about drugs and alcohol. What I remember of DARE was more of an education on drugs, more interest then resistance. A lot of people that are my age and went through some kind of DARE type program when they were kids often say the same thing that I do. It was more of an education about drugs and really didn't deal with the problems that were facing kids. For me it made me want to try more drugs now knowing how they were going to effect my body.
Drugs and Alcohol really changed the course of my life, really altered the very fabric of it. Not all of the changes were bad because it introduced me to the people that would introduce me to an entire new way of living. One that I never knew existed because I was never really looking. Now I have the chance to be of service to my fellow man, the still suffering alcoholic, and to a bunch of kids in a middle school.

I really wanted to talk to these kids and tell them my story. How drugs and alcohol effected my life. How it affected my schoolwork, my sports, my hobbies, my family and my future.  I really wanted to connect with them.

So I laid it all out on the line.

I told the kids all about the choices that I had made in the past. The way that those choices made me feel. How others affected the way that I made my choices in life. I just wanted to connect with them so that maybe they would feel comfortable enough with me to ask some questions. They asked a lot of great questions about all aspects of things that I covered, and even some things that I didn't. They wanted to know how I handled things like peer pressure, getting in cars with people that were intoxicated, family members that drank... basically all over the board.

After the assembly, I got to talk to a class of boys in a smaller group setting. We basically opened up the discussion to the boys, and really gave them the opportunity to get whatever off their chest that they wanted to.  It was something that I will never forget and I hope I get the chance to do again in the future.  The feeling that I had was simply marvelous. If I even connected with one of the kids in those rooms, and made them think about those choices in the future, then I did my job.