July 18th 2008

Bucksport Bridge, Maine Photography

ghost, Virgin Mary, Maine, New England pictures, b

Maine, the Way Life Should Be! This is a picture of the new bridge over the Penobscot river. The bridge is an engineering marvel, and it is sure to be a landmark, like the famous San Francisco bridge. I took this picture as fog form the Atlantic Ocean was rolling inland, enveloping the bridge in a cloud, which the sun made it very dramatic, giving the picture and almost ghostly appearance. For those of you religious believers, can you see the Virgin Mary surrounding the left tower?

For a larger image click HERE

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July 10th 2008

Obama vs US Congress

I have to admit, before I go any further: I do not subscribe to the idea of “socialism”. I like capitalism, free enterprise, and freedom of creation. 

Have you been following the candidates? Have you seen Obama move radically to the center now that he has secured his party’s nomination? On the primaries he was proposing extreme left “solutions” to the issues facing the nation, he now has ”modified” them to a more centered position, almost matching those of Senator McCain.

I kind of like his new position on the war in Iraq for instance: before he wanted to bring the troops immediately home, now he wants to “consult” the top military officers before making any decisions. Makes sense.

Before he ranted against the second amendment, no he has changed his mind and believes in the right we all have to bear arms. Right on, brother.

In the primaries he clearly said he would increase Social Security taxes to people making $100.000 or more. Now he says the cap will be $250.000 a year. You go man!

And every day we are hearing the young Senator flip-flop on more and more issues.

The question here is this: is Obama changing out of conviction or to capture those much needed votes in November? In other words, was he faking before or is he faking now?

Lets assume for a moment that he is in fact a “moderate” democrat, which we know he is not, he is without a doubt, a socialist like Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad, (isn’t there an old saying: tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are? Lets not forget his dear friend, the anti-America Reverend Wright) but again, for the purposes of this exercise, lets assume Mr. Obama is a well intentioned democrat who reaches out to the center. Would he be able to govern in the center with a democratic Congress? NO.

All of the supporters of Obama must understand that if he wins the presidency, he will be a “slave” (no pun intended) to the democratic Congress who will make him go back and fulfill all the extreme left promises he made in the primaries, thus we will see our country finally making the leap into socialism. 

Unless you are prepared to say goodbye to our creative freedom, to our independent way of life, to our hard earned money, go ahead and put Obama in the White House. But before you do, you might want to make a trip to Venezuela, or Cuba, or, if you can’t really afford or don’t want to go overseas, go to Maine, which is without a doubt a socialist state, and you’ll have a first hand look at what is coming.

In states like Maine, you better be filthy rich or dirt poor. If you are middle class, you are in a black hole, supporting the lazy, the leaches of the world who suck the system by getting pregnant and collecting food stamps. People learn this fact very easily, therefore you see a disproportionate amount of citizens totally dependant on the government to survive.

In Maine people and businesses pay over 50% of their yearly income in taxes. Maine is the heaviest taxed state in the union. People leave Maine for 2 reasons: high taxes and lack of opportunity. Not because of the weather. And this restricted environment has been created after over 34 years of democratic ruling. And like Obama, the current governor of Maine, John Baldacci, has a close relationship with socialists like Jimmy Carter. He has taken trips to visit Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, both of whom Baldacci considers “friends”.

So, my friend supporter of Obama, think hard, very hard before casting your vote, because with him and a democratic Congress, the threat to our freedom would came from within, not from abroad. And also, I wouldn’t be able to use my quote: “Health and Prosperity to All”, because there would be no prosperity, and where there is no prosperity, there can be no health. 

Health and Prosperity to All.

 

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July 1st 2008

Maine Photography





Since I retired from corporate America I have been more involved with one of my passions in life: photography. Like with many other aspects of my life, photography had to be put on the back burner because you must devote 110% of your creative and physical energy to the hungry corporate giant who demands more every day. It’s been 2 years since I left that crazy world and now I find my self full of creative ideas that I can finally pursuit. Better late than never, huh?

I have been busy with my faithful Pentax K100D taking some great pictures of this wonderful State of Maine. I have also opened a new Cafepress store to make them available. My new store is appropriately named “The Life in ME”. ME of course is the official state abbreviation of Maine. My pictures can be purchased directly from the store as high quality images, professionally framed, and ready to be displayed on the walls of any home or office. I have, of course purchased my own product to check the quality of the matting and framing, and it is “A+”.

I also have maintained a photography blog for awhile now, but recently I have been more actively posting all the new pictures of Maine on it. Check it out at MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY.

I love taking pictures, and I hope to continue improving my technique. I am about to finish a photography class through the New York Institute of Photography, which has been invaluable and well worth the effort. I hope you enjoy my pictures and if you do like them, buy one for you and your family. Right now, there is a 10% discount offered on purchases of $50 or more. Don’t miss out on it!

As we say here: Maine, the way life should be!

Paul H Chacon.

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June 23rd 2008

Learn from your Kids

Kids…what are they good for? They are messy from the day they are born. They are constantly doing exactly what we don’t want them to do: getting into drawers and boxes, and touching the stereo system and TV. Breaking valuables and puking in our vehicles. Proud parents everywhere usually can’t wait for their little angels to take a nap or go to sleep, for it is only then when they really look like angels. When my kids were growing up my favorite thing to do was to blame God for not putting an “on-off” switch on these little people.

But they are here and we love them. We do the best we can to teach them well so when they grow up they are better than us. We have gone through life, and at all costs, we want them to avoid making the same mistakes. We want them to be able to identify and grab better opportunities. Some times we even go to the extremes of trying to live our dreams through them! The bottom line is we want them to have a “happy” life.

As our children expand their exposure to the world and they start developing their own personality, we keep our fingers crossed and pray that they have some common sense and do not let the bombardment of negative information thrown at them influence their lives in a bad way. But then, teenaged hood shows up. When my son turned thirteen, I shook his hand and told him: I will see you when you turn eighteen!

After observing my son go through his teen years (he is about to turn sixteen), I have learned much from him. I’ve learned to trust him and his friends more (no, I am not saying I am letting my son do whatever he wants!). He has also proved to me and his mother that he is very strong and secure under his skin. Not too long ago he posted a little sheet of paper on the outside of the door to his room that simply read: Go ahead, dare to be happy.

Keep your eyes opened and learn to listen to their clues, you can learn much from your kids and use the information to be a better parent. Tell your children that you are learning from them; this is a great way to tell them how great they are. The first time I told my son that he teaches me lessons on life, I saw a big smile on his face, and the effects of this resulted on him listening to me more closely.
Our roll as parents should never change, but we should learn to start introducing friendship into the relationship as well. I know this sounds very cliché, but I am also learning as we go, and it is true.  Think about it, the majority of your children’s life is going to be as an adult, and if they look to you as a parent only and not as a friend, you are surely going to miss some good times with them. I for one, don’t want my children to leave the house when they turn 18 only to have a long distance relationship!

Any way, I believe kids are put on earth so we, the adults learn from them. Kids are truly happy until the adults interfere in their lives. Kids are honest until we teach them the ways of the world. Kids don’t know about racism until we make fun of folks that look different. Kids believe in angels until we ruin their innocence.

Remember, just as you wanted to provide them with a happy life when they were little, they too are in search of their own happiness as they grow up. 
Be in tune with your kids and learn from them. Life will be better for your entire family.

Health and Prosperity to all!
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June 20th 2008

Everything happens for a reason

I find myself gravitating towards politics, which is something I have tried to stay away from, especially when writing on my blog. But the current political and economical climates make it almost impossible not to voice out my opinion. Plus I heard some interesting news today: according to a study, the unhappiest people on earth are 44 year old male Americans: me!

The past few months seem to have come upon us like the biggest hurricane we have ever had to face: election issues, the war, a slow down on a happy-healthy economy, a mortgage crisis, and now the price of fuel. A lot of us are feeling over-loaded with these seemingly negative events. On top of it all, now we have the mighty Mississippi wreaking havoc in the mid-west.

I wrote on my previous article that Osama Bin Laden must have counted on the fact the we as Americans are deeply divided politically (see “September 11th, 2001: We are at War!), but I also mentioned how in the wake of the attacks we came together as a nation regardless of political affiliation, race, color, religion, and all the other non-sense. I believe that now, as we face some though times again, we will unite one more time and come out of this victorious. But this is going to require some compromising. So, it is time for all my friends the Democrats to put their pride aside and reconsider their position on energy and the environment. By this I don’t mean we need to stop caring about our planet, but we need to put our priorities in line.

The fact is that most people care about our planet, (including my self, and to prove it go to my Cafepress store and you will find a whole section dedicated to issues regarding the environment titled: Go Green!) in various degrees ranging from fanatic to lethargic. But there is another fact that most people are now realizing as well: this nation is built to function around fossil oil energy, and we are NOT ready for any type of sudden changes! It is true that we need to start finding cleaner and less damaging sources of energy, and we are, but we still are dependant on gasoline to power our vehicles and oil to heat our homes.

It is clear that the issue of energy prices has risen to the top of the political charts. Americans are now demanding action, NOW. This issue alone is what will win the race to the White House for either candidate. So far, Barak Obama’s position is very much in line with that of the Democratic party: to not allow off-shore and Alaska drilling. And he continues to push the windfall tax on revenues on oil companies, which is: you explore, you drill, you produce, WE (the government) take your profits.

This has been a rude awakening to us. We have been dragging our feet on making the right decisions about energy for many years, but now, it is time to take action. With a price of gasoline approaching $5, everything is all of a sudden on the negotiating table: offshore drilling, Alaska drilling, nuclear energy, flex fuel vehicles, wind power, etc. The Al Gore’s of the world with their hypocritical stands need not be around this negotiating table.

To use the language of the politicians: the American people want solutions, and yesterday we saw a John McCain that seems to be in tune with what is needed NOW: he has modified his position to allow off shore drilling, Alaska drilling and so forth, without sacrificing a deep concern about the environment. He has also been very vocal on his attacks to oil speculators. In an article published by Dick Morris on FOXNews.com, it states: “…it is increasingly clear that it is not supply and demand for oil which is, alone, driving the price up, but it is the supply and demand for oil futures which stocking the upward movement”, this only means that as soon as the USA makes the announcement that we are going to start drilling and producing our own oil, PRICES will go down, and we wont have to wait 10 years to see the effects of our actions, as most Democrats want us to believe. McCain scored some big points over Obama as he presented his policies on energy. Obama still wants us to wear more clothes and walk to work with his Democratic policies.

For those of you hard-core environmentalist, there are good things happening as a result of this awakening: we have already cut our oil consumption by about 3% (the equivalent of 500.000 barrels of oil per day) and this trend is going to continue as more and more alternative energy vehicles become more efficient and affordable.

I know we are going to make the right decision. And once we do, we will be free of the dependency on the Saudis and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez or any other country for energy. We will be self-sufficient and our economy, our generous way of life, and our deep concern about our environment will continue to thrive.

Everything happens for a reason!

Health and prosperity to all!

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June 18th 2008

george w bush wisdom quote

“If affirmative actions means what I just described, what I’m for, then I’m for it”

George W Bush

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June 17th 2008

George w bush wisdom quote

“It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it”

George W Bush

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June 16th 2008

September 11th, 2001: We are at War!

As the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks to our country approaches, we must look back at these 7 years and wonder if Bin Laden is really winning this war he started.

We all reacted very emotionally and with indignation after we saw our national pride being stepped on that dreadful day. How dare anyone attack America in America’s own soil? How dare anyone disturb the greatest nation in the world and its way of life? What did we do to deserve this? But it happened, and we all came together as a nation and promised: “We Shall Never Forget”.

But as time inexorably continued its rounds and the wounds began to heal, we started to drift apart. We have failed to understand that September 11 was the beginning of a long and hard war against an enemy that seems to have known what we still refuse to accept: our inability to be united as a country, a decadent government, and a morbid compulsion to be politically correct. It seems like all Bin Laden had to do is set the spark and let us take care of the rest. We are just beginning to feel the consequences.

Did we underestimate Bin Laden’s evil?

Since September 11th, 2001 our country has been in disarray, both politically and most importantly, economically. Right or wrong, we started a war that at a high economic price has given us the illusion that our national territory is safe from terrorist’s attacks. Whether one agrees with it or not, the one thing that is certain is that the costs to maintain our troops at war are now taking a toll on the economy. Was this part or Osama’s plan?

Our government has been going from bad to worst as we continue to elect people coming from the corrupt political arena of Washington. It looks like Bin Laden was also waiting for the right person to be in power to unleash the attacks. Our current president is not a leader. He might be many things, but leadership is not one of his qualities. In times of stress, people need someone to provide comfort and assurance, but all we hear Mr. Bush say time and time again, is that the economy is doing well and we are winning the war. There is no wisdom in his speeches, there is not a sense of solidarity and comfort in his words, just a business-like tone that does not inspire nor motivate Americans. We are all feeling high food and energy prices, so we don’t need to hear that the economy of doing just fine!

Mrs. Pelossiwas appointed Speaker of the House, and she took over her new roll withall the might of a Democrat, withpromises to keep costs of fuel and energy under control. But, as with every politician now a days, those were just words that probably came out of the euphoria of having been elected the first female Speaker of the House in history. Nancy Pelossi has done nothing positive for her country. If anything, she continues to be a dividing figure between Republicans and Democrats.

Has anyone seen Dick Cheney lately?

As a nation, we all agree that we need to control our borders in an effort to stop illegal immigration; yet, we continue to try to please and protect even the very terrorists and illegals directly involved in the murder of American people. We can’t have it both ways. It is like trying to close the doors to your house, but if anyone breaks in you invite them to have tea with you. I am sure Bin Laden was counting with the fact that we have taken this Politically Correctness shit to an extreme as part of his plan.

Does anyone think that people around the world respect our Politically Correctness? One does not have to travel very far to see people laughing at the “gringos” and their foolishness. Only in America could an illegal alien kill and be protected by the law. Only in America could one of the masterminds of the September 11th attacks be treated as a celebrity! Only in America can people demand to have a foreign language be considered the official language of the country. Only in America can politicians free up terrorists, even though they are treated as guests in a hotel, knowing that they will go back to their countries and kill out troops in combat.

Who do we have as candidates for our country’s presidency? A young senator that has had ties with socialists, enemies of America, crooks, and of whom we don’t know enough for any individual with a high school level education to cast a vote for him. What Obama will do is increase taxes and make this nation even more government dependant. One of the greatest indicators of a country’s economy is a healthy middle class. We have seen middle class America shrink, and with a socialist in power, it will all but disappear. And a liberal Republican that seems too afraid to offend anyone, and who most likely will continue the status quo. In essence, these two individuals lack the leadership qualities this country so desperately needs. It is mind boggling that out of 250 million of us this is what we end up with.

Are we still the most powerful nation if the world? We find ourselves in a very precarious situation as we see prices of fuel rise every day and there is nothing any one can do about it. Our president went over to plea with the Saudis for an increase in oil production, and he was turned down flat on his face. Our currency now ranks 13th in the world. I think these are true signs that we are far for being the “power” we think we are. Mr. Bush has as much influence over the Saudis as a used car salesman.

We might be making progress in Iraq, but are we winning the war on terror? Look around you, and you might agree with me that in fact Osama Bin Laden is the one winning the war he started back on 9/11, 2001.

We are at War!

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June 12th 2008

$4+ per galon of regular unleaded?

Crazy, huh? And what’s even worst is that we don’t know when it is going to stop. In the mean time we have a country in despair. People panicking blaming everyone and their mothers for the high cost of oil and energy. Most “democrat” people are now more than willing to compromise their beliefs to allow drilling in the US so we can all afford to continue our life-stiyles. Funny how things work!

In a way, what’s going on is good. While most of us know that there is enough oil in the world for hundreds of years to come, it is good to get in the habit of conserving energy rather than waste it.

The recent increase in fuel prices is making people pay more attention to their driving. I will not be surprised at all if the result of all this is a reduction in traffic accidents.

Some of the people that are entering the panic stages are listening to the auto makers and going out to trade the SUV for a hybrid. Most likely these folks are upside down on their loans and will get deeper in debt instead of saving money, but that doesn’t matter. A) We need them to keep the economy going, B) There will be more used cars in the market at lower prices for the rest of us!

Stretching the gas mileage your vehicle is rated for is not too difficult, but it requires every one’s cooperation. A lot of groups are being created that are giving great tips to save gas while driving, i.e., inflate your tires properly, avoid sudden stops, keep a constant speed, etc.

One of the things I have yet to hear anyone address is the weight of fuel. Gasoline weights about 6.6lbs per gallon. This means if your vehicle holds a 20 gallon tank, you will be carrying an extra 120lbs with you for a while. So, one of the things that can be done to save gas is to fill your thank half way up. This, off course, works great if you have gas stations on your way to work so you don’t have to drive out of your way to get your fuel, because seemingly, you will be making more trips to the gas station.

Also, dispose of any extra weight in your vehicle. Go through it and anything that is not supposed to be there, get rid of it. The least your vehicle weights, the more mileage you’ll get out of it.

Some of the experts recommend using the cruise control. Cruise control is great if you drive on flat roads. If your driving path includes hills, the cruise control is not going to help you save gas. As a matter of fact, it will use up more gas because when going up hill it is going to over-accelerate to maintain a constant speed.

The abundance of useless “stop” signs that plague our roads should be identified. These signs are specially prevalent in small towns. Perhaps some of these could be switched to “yield” signs instead or disposed of altogether. I’m sure the police departments are all over this issue, since they are feeling the high cost of fuel as well.

A few states have proposals to their legislators to reduce the work week to four 10 hour days. These will most certainly save millions of gallons of gas a week. But of course, this becomes a political issue, and we all know that common sense is replaced by the giant egos of politicians that put their agendas before that of the common folk.

Health and Prosperity to All!

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June 10th 2008

george w bush wisdom quote

“Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream”

George W. Bush

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