80 Pounds Lost Using The 4 Hour Body

There I was huffing and puffing walking around Century City looking for a front cover story for the next issue of the Century City News. I was tipping the scale at 270 pounds and I was a cheeseburger away from a triple bypass. I was tired all of the time but I was coping with the symptoms as best I could.

My oldest son had ridiculed me for years about my weight. His snide remarks pushed me toward the food. One day when my youngest son was in town he would pull me aside and speak to me in a way that would change my life. He wasn't insulting or hurtful about my weight. He put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Dad, I need your help."

There isn't anything a father will not do to help his sons. My son was getting ready to enter a military program where upperbody strength would be essential for success. He needed to gain muscle mass if he was going to succeed. He presented me with a book by author, Tim Ferriss, called The 4 Hour Body and asked me if I would help him gain his muscle mass. His plan was to follow the instructions outlined in the book. We would read this book together and achieve success through the buddy system.

He postulated that it was the same plan to gain the weight that he needed as it was to lose the weight I needed. That day was a day that changed my life. How could I refuse my son? He needed my help. I agreed to support him by getting on his program.

I have read many diet books. I have also read many bodybuilding books. I was familiar with how bodybuilders manipulate their bodies. I found the book to be the best interation of how it really works. Tim Ferriss breaks it down in ways we can easily understand.

That first week was a little tough but as my son and I texted each other photos of everything we ate I was able to cope with the hunger I had for carbs. This buddy approach was huge for me and for my son. It lead to a much tighter body and a closer relationship with him. We were working on something together.

The other part of the program that was huge was our once a week cheat day. We would cheat in epic proportions. We would text each other photos of our epic cheat meals. All week long we would be planning out our cheat days. When we found ourselves in the same city we would plan our cheat days around our visits. Those days were epic. They were some of the best days of my life and the laughter we shared will echo through time.

As promised in the book he was gaining muscle mass and I was shedding fat. Tim Ferriss' advice was working. My son gained his muscle mass and has achieved his goal. He has a career in the U.S. Military. I remember hitting 240 lbs. and thinking I was in heaven. People around me started asking me what I was doing. They also started asking me if this was a health problem because my weight dropped so quickly. I have bought a number of copies of the book for those I care about.

When I hit 220 lbs. I started getting female attention again. That was a big motivator to keep the weight off. It has been 2 1/2 years since I began the program. 

Recently I found myself slipping into cheat day every day and it took six months to gain back 15 pounds. But I got on a scale and determined that I will never go back to the 270 pounds I once was. I am back on the program and ten days later I have shed 6 pounds. Thank you Tim for writing the book. It changed my life and created an incredible relationship with my son.

CENTURY CITY CAR CELEBRATES 35 YEARS IN CENTURY CITY

Where do you turn when you need a mechanic? Turn to Century City Car Care. They are currently celebrating their thirty fifth anniversary in Century City. Located at 1800 Avenue of the Stars they have become a part of the fabric of Century City by handling the car care needs of workers, managers and owners from all over the Westside but in particular Century City.

Did you know that you can even get your engine rebuilt in Century City? When Wilton Beckett set up the plan for Century City it was to be a self contained city where you could get all the services you needed without leaving the city. 35 years ago, Century City Car Care was established and it has been under the present management, Yuval Palmon, for the past 16 years. Century City Car Care is a place where you can get your windshield wiper blades changed all the way to getting your engine rebuilt by ASE Certified Mechanics.

Think about the possibilities. You can drop off your car while you are working to get the oil changed. You don’t need an appointment, or a shuttle and you won’t be late for work. If you are having trouble with your car and it requires more time than a day then Century City Car Care will rent you a car from Hertz inside the Century Plaza Hotel. The cost of the rental car is covered.

Century City Car Care only uses original parts and they stand behind their work, just like a dealer with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. There are no limitations on what they can do – from regular interval service to brakes, tires, transmissions, clutch, air conditioning, body work, lube and oil changes. Their entire business model is based upon repeat business because they are so embedded in the community. You don’t have to look far for satisfied customers. Yuval has known most of his customers for years. If you don’t know Yuval you should give him a call and get to know him. Your car will thank you.

Give him a call and wish him a happy anniversary: (310) 552-2180.

Michael Douglas Carlin is the director of the movies Luvicide and American Federale. Recently he completed a ten-year stint as the Publisher and Editor of the Century City News. Here his articles turned into three books: Rise a Knight, A Prescription for Peace, and Peaceful Protests.

STARDUST TEAM REPORTS DISCOVERY of FIRST POTENTIAL INTERSTELLAR SPACE PARTICLES

Stardust Team Reports Discovery of First Potential Interstellar Space Particles

The largest interstellar dust track found in the Stardust aerogel collectors was this 35 micron-long hole produced by a 3 picogram mote that was probably traveling so fast that it vaporized upon impact. The other two likely interstellar dust grains were traveling more slowly and remained intact after a soft landing in the aerogel.

Image Credit: 

Andrew Westphal, UC Berkeley

The largest interstellar dust track found in the Stardust aerogel collectors was this 35 micron-long hole produced by a 3 picogram speck of dust that was probably traveling so fast that it vaporized upon impact. The other two likely interstellar dust grains were traveling more slowly and remained in

Image Credit: 

UC Berkeley/Andrew Westphal.

Seven rare, microscopic interstellar dust particles that date to the beginnings of the solar system are among the samples collected by scientists who have been studying the payload from NASA's Stardust spacecraft since its return to Earth in 2006. If confirmed, these particles would be the first samples of contemporary interstellar dust.

A team of scientists has been combing through the spacecraft's aerogel and aluminum foil dust collectors since Stardust returned in 2006.The seven particles probably came from outside our solar system, perhaps created in a supernova explosion millions of years ago and altered by exposure to the extreme space environment.

The research report appears in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Science. Twelve other papers about the particles will appear next week in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

"These are the most challenging objects we will ever have in the lab for study, and it is a triumph that we have made as much progress in their analysis as we have," said Michael Zolensky, curator of the Stardust laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and coauthor of the Science paper.

Stardust was launched in 1999 and returned to Earth on Jan. 15, 2006, at the Utah Test and Training Range, 80 miles west of Salt Lake City. The Stardust Sample Return Canister was transported to a curatorial facility at Johnson where the Stardust collectors remain preserved and protected for scientific study.

Inside the canister, a tennis racket-like sample collector tray captured the particles in silica aerogel as the spacecraft flew within 149 miles of a comet in January 2004. An opposite side of the tray holds interstellar dust particles captured by the spacecraft during its seven-year, three-billion-mile journey.

Scientists caution that additional tests must be done before they can say definitively that these are pieces of debris from interstellar space. But if they are, the particles could help explain the origin and evolution of interstellar dust.

The particles are much more diverse in terms of chemical composition and structure than scientists expected. The smaller particles differ greatly from the larger ones and appear to have varying histories. Many of the larger particles have been described as having a fluffy structure, similar to a snowflake.

Two particles, each only about two microns (thousandths of a millimeter) in diameter, were isolated after their tracks were discovered by a group of citizen scientists. These volunteers, who call themselves "Dusters," scanned more than a million images as part of a University of California, Berkeley, citizen-science project, which proved critical to finding these needles in a haystack.

A third track, following the direction of the wind during flight, was left by a particle that apparently was moving so fast -- more than 10 miles per second (15 kilometers per second) -- that it vaporized. Volunteers identified tracks left by another 29 particles that were determined to have been kicked out of the spacecraft into the collectors.

Four of the particles reported in Science were found in aluminum foils between tiles on the collector tray. Although the foils were not originally planned as dust collection surfaces, an international team led by physicist Rhonda Stroud of the Naval Research Laboratory searched the foils and identified four pits lined with material composed of elements that fit the profile of interstellar dust particles.

Three of these four particles, just a few tenths of a micron across, contained sulfur compounds, which some astronomers have argued do not occur in interstellar dust. A preliminary examination team plans to continue analysis of the remaining 95 percent of the foils to possibly find enough particles to understand the variety and origins of interstellar dust.

Supernovas, red giants and other evolved stars produce interstellar dust and generate heavy elements like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen necessary for life. Two particles, dubbed Orion and Hylabrook, will undergo further tests to determine their oxygen isotope quantities, which could provide even stronger evidence for their extrasolar origin.

Scientists at Johnson have scanned half the panels at various depths and turned these scans into movies, which were then posted online, where the Dusters could access the footage to search for particle tracks.

Once several Dusters tag a likely track, Andrew Westphal, lead author of the Science article, and his team verify the identifications. In the one million frames scanned so far, each a half-millimeter square, Dusters have found 69 tracks, while Westphal has found two. Thirty-one of these were extracted along with surrounding aerogel by scientists at Johnson and shipped to UC Berkeley to be analyzed.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, manages the Stardust mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operated the spacecraft.

For information about the Stardust mission on the Web, visit:

www.nasa.gov/stardust

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home

--

Send us your news story by putting the Headline in the Subject and the Article in the Body of the email by clicking on this link.

© 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.

NASA to Investigate Climate Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice Loss

Image Credit: 

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Beck

Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio

A new NASA field campaign will begin flights over the Arctic this summer to study the effect of sea ice retreat on Arctic climate. The Arctic Radiation IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment (ARISE) will conduct research flights Aug. 28 through Oct. 1, covering the peak of summer sea ice melt.

ARISE is NASA's first Arctic airborne campaign designed to take simultaneous measurements of ice, clouds and the levels of incoming and outgoing radiation, the balance of which determines the degree of climate warming. The campaign team will fly aboard NASA's C-130 aircraft from Thule Air Base in northern Greenland the first week and from Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, through the remainder of the campaign.

In recent years the Arctic has experienced increased summer sea ice loss. Scientists expect the exposure of more open water to sunlight could enhance warming in the region and cause the release of more moisture to the atmosphere. Additional moisture could affect cloud formation and the exchange of heat from Earth's surface to space. Researchers are grappling with how these changes in the Arctic affect global climate.

NASA's C-130 aircraft will carry scientists over the Arctic starting this month from northern Greenland and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Image Credit: 

NASA

"A wild card in what's happening in the Arctic is clouds and how changes in clouds, due to changing sea-ice conditions, enhance or offset warming," said Bill Smith, ARISE principal investigator at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

ARISE was planned over the last year to take advantage of NASA's existing capabilities for gathering data about ongoing changes in the Arctic. Satellites provided some information about clouds and the energy balance in the Arctic, but the multiple instruments flown during ARISE should provide further insight.

"The clouds and surface conditions over the Arctic as we observe them from satellites are very complex," Smith said. "We need more information to understand how to better interpret the satellite measurements, and an aircraft can help with that."

The array of instruments on ARISE should help scientists better observe how sea ice loss is affecting Arctic cloud formation and therefore the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation. Low-level clouds typically reflect more sunlight and offset warming, while higher clouds are typically less reflective and act to trap more heat in the atmosphere.

"It's a complex business, but it depends on a lot of things we can, in fact, measure," said Hal Maring, program manager for radiation sciences in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

ARISE researchers will fly survey missions that target different cloud types and surface conditions, such as open water, land ice and sea ice. The missions will be timed to fly under the orbit paths of key satellite instruments, such as the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy Systems (CERES) instruments on multiple NASA satellites. Each morning, mission planners will look at satellite timings and weather forecasts to design flight plans that meet the most objectives of the campaign.

The NASA C-130, based at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, will carry instruments that measure solar (incoming) and infrared (outgoing) radiation, ice surface elevation and cloud properties such as cloud particle size. This will be the first time that many of these instruments, including the mission's laser altimeter, have flown together.

The ARISE campaign is a joint effort of the Radiation Sciences, Cryospheric Sciences and Airborne Sciences programs of the Earth Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

To learn more about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

--

Follow on Twitter @AmericanNewsSer

Like us on Facebook: American-News-Service-dot-Org

© 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.

OATHS OF KNIGHTS

      Ridley Scott’s movie Kingdom of Heaven captured the spirit of Knights. We see armies headed to lay siege on Jerusalem, and the fortifications are being made to the best of the abilities of the people who are living there. Something happens when the priest complains that there are no Knights, and, therefore, the city is deemed defenseless. Balian asks a young man about his condition. The young man is a servant. Balian commands this young man and all men capable of bearing arms to kneel and take the oath of Knighthood. This young man kneels a servant. All of the others are ordinary men. They kneel as Balian commanded. When they rise, there is something different about them. They are Knights. They are able to transform this newfound power into a razor-sharp repelling force that inflicts losses on the attackers that brings them to the table to negotiate safe passage to friendly lands. Where there was previously no hope, the bestowal of Knighthood invoked forces beyond comprehension.

Something happens when men and women take the oath of Knighthood.The oath in Kingdom of Heaven was simple: Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. This is your oath. Rise a Knight.

MY OWN PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION

In 1996, I participated in a mission to Nicaragua that forever changed my life. I remember the moment that the change occurred. I handed antibiotics to a woman that likely saved the lives of her children. There was that silent communication between us, as we spoke different languages. That look of gratitude will forever be seared in my brain. Sir Edward calls this rendering, "hand to hand, eye to eye, and heart to heart." What also gives it power is that we never expect anything in return.

Less than a year later, I experienced another life changing moment. I was asked to kneel an ordinary man and to take the oath of Knighthood. When I rose a Knight, my life changed forever. Since that day, I have participated in relief missions throughout the world. For many of those missions, I simply packaged and shipped relief items, raised money, or handled logistics. But, on several of those missions, I traveled to deliver the relief personally, "hand to hand, eye to eye, and heart to heart." When I became a Knight, I made an oath to live my life as a Knight.

THE OATH A KNIGHT TAKES HAS TRANSFORMED OVER TIME

The following oath was translated from Medieval Latin and is found on the tomb of a Knight of Malta in northwestern France. It dates from 1560 A.D.

"I do solemnly swear by Almighty God and His Name, and in free and voluntary desire, to serve as a Knight of Malta of the most holy Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. I do swear by the Eternal Power of the Trinity, to be both a true and chivalric Knight, to obey my Commanders and to aid my brethren. I also swear by all that is holy and dear unto me, to aid those less fortunate than I, to relieve the distress of the world and to fulfill my knightly obligations. This oath do I give of my own free and independent will, so help me God! Amen!"

These words come down to us from an ancient knightly order, in which knights were instructed in their duties.

THE ANCIENT OATH

Be loyal of hands and mouth and serve every man as best you may. Seek the fellowship of good men; hearken to their words and remember them. Be humble and courteous wherever thou go, boasting not nor talking overmuch, neither be dumb altogether. Look to it that no lady or damsel be in reproach through your default, nor any woman of whatsoever quality. And, if you fall into company where men speak with disrespect of any woman, show by gracious words that it pleaseth you not, and depart.

The office of knight is to promote faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords, King of Kings and the only Savior and to protect those who seek to worship in His name anywhere upon the face of this earth that He has made.

THE OATH OF A KNIGHT (Also known as A Knight’s Prayer)

Almighty God, Eternal Father, Lord of Lords, have mercy upon me, a humble knight in Thy Divine Service. O Lord, I pray for Thy indulgence and blessings.

Forget not Thine servant in his trials, nor his Order of Knighthood. I pray that Thy Will be done in all things, both great and small. Let me always be worthy of Thee, let me not forget Thee in good times or bad.

Armor me with the armor of Thy Righteousness, give me the sword of Truth that I shall confound Thine enemies and be unto Thee a true knight.

O Lord, in my hour of need, be with me. Let me never forget my sacred and holy vows unto Thee, that I should not be prey unto demons and devils nor the dark things of this world.

Let me always be a beacon unto those in distress, never allow me to forget my obligation unto the homeless nor the poor: let me serve Thee and Thine Eternal Throne all the days of my life. Let me always remember the obligations that I have taken upon me.

Lord, if it is Thy Will, let me serve Thee forever!

If ever, oh Lord, I turn from Thee in this Order, let my name forever be cursed, may my spurs be broken and my body given unto demons to dwell with them forever in that Lake of Fire which Thou hast prepared for the ungodly.
Power beyond Power, Pillar of Strength, Refuge of the Homeless, let me serve
Thee for all the days of my life! Amen.

These words were part of an oral history of the Crusades compiled in 1200 A.D. and were spoken by a Knight Hospitaller moments before a battle against Moslem forces.

YET ANOTHER OATH

This is the oath of a Knight of King Arthur’s Round Table and should be for all of us to take to heart.
I will develop my life for the greater good. I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth, I will never boast, but cherish humility instead, I will speak the truth at all times, and forever keep my word, I will defend those who cannot defend themselves, I will honor and respect women, and refute sexism in all its guises, I will uphold justice by being fair to all, I will be faithful in love and loyal in friendship, I will abhor scandals and gossip—neither partake nor delight in them, I will be generous to the poor and to those who need help, I will forgive when asked, that my own mistakes will be forgiven, I will live my life with courtesy and honor from this day forward.


 



© 2013 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.

New Film Finance Model Tied to Social Media & Charities

Presales Using Social Networking Is Next Financing Model For Movies

(This article appeared in the August 8, 2011 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin

In the film arena preselling seats or content has become a trusted financing mechanism. In the ‘80s we had presales of video, television or foreign rights as a staple of independent film finance. There were many business models introduced that mitigated much of the risk bringing the Studio’s total exposure on any particular film down to less than 15% of the total budget. There were ample rights that brought in attractive revenues if the picture performed at the box office. Many smart producers were able to retain sufficient rights and lay off nearly all of the risk through the pre-sales financing mechanism.

Today many of the sources of this revenue have dissipated. Taking a chance on a film that doesn’t have a track record is a big risk and the number of films that are pushing the creative envelope are few and far between. But the opportunity to leverage social networks to presell a film is virtually untapped. The first to create a successful business model tapping into these social networks are Spero Stamboulis and Brian Ide. Their pre-sales model is taking the risk out of their upcoming feature film, “Mike Mulligan’s Midnight Ride.” They call their business model “ReDistribute” and you can see more at www.weReDistribute.org.

At a time when the Prime Interest Rate is around 3%, and the stock market looks more like a casino; Spero and Brian may have hit the mother lode. Where would you put $25 million today? Where would you put $100 million? These two men can show you how they plan to rewrite the film-financing manual by leveraging existing social networks to bring a film into profit before one single frame of film has ever been exposed. In modern day terms… before a single high-definition video clip has ever been recorded. They do this by aligning the film with hundreds of charities that have a vested interest in the success of the film. They tap into those social networks and spread the word at a fraction of the cost of expensive advertising and reward charities that deliver with a lion’s share of the box office receipts. This is a new concept for breaking an unknown film concept into the stratosphere.

Making movies is so much more about the management of risk than it is about making great movies. We complain about lack of creativity at the box office but nobody can argue with the mitigated risk from remakes or sequels. Complain all you want about “Hangover II” but the numbers speak pretty loudly that this business model is a winner.

Spero and Brian have a movie to finance that may break all of the rules and become the next reinvention of the film finance model. If their financing mechanism works it may bring in a completely different type of investor that has traditionally seen film as too risky a proposition for their core portfolios. In their model they combine social networking, philanthropy, and movie making to bring a family values – historical project to the screen. By preselling tickets through a number of charities they are taking the risk out of their venture and creating a historic based piece that will entertain, educate and give back.

But why not make a donation directly to the charity of your choice? This model counts on people doing what they would already do and making a choice to have a portion of their ticket go to charity. Consider the choice between “Cars XV” and “Mike Mulligan’s Midnight Ride.” Families going to the movies have the opportunity to teach their children that by choosing the Midnight Ride they can give to education and help those less fortunate.

Many “A” list actors are already kicking the tires to see what this might mean to their careers as they attempt to stay on the most prestigious list by also tapping into these important networks. If you operate a medium or large size charity you might want to get on board with their concept because their mechanism might mean millions of dollars to your organization. If you own a distribution company you might want to get on board as this mechanism might become a reliable supplier of “High Concept” content that has ready made profits for investors, distributors and charity partners. If you are on the talent side you might find that their movies are a financial and social opportunity as well as a way to give back. Hilton HHonors has already agreed to support ReDistribute for 2011 and currently American Airlines is taking a closer look. ReDestribute has been selected as one of 50 finalists. They will further narrow their selection by internet vote. You help ReDistribute become one of five charities to win backing of the airline by voting at: https://secure.fly.aa.com/flig htscameraaction/Vote.aspx?vidI D=49 and this can be done once a day from every email account that you have. The contest ends on August 26th.

This concept and the social media revolution are both still in their infancy. We have only seen the beginning of innovations that will come from leveraging our social media networks to drive revenue and mitigate risk. One area that will certainly benefit from tapping into social networking structures is the Motion Picture Industry. These two young and very smart guys might continue to lead the way.

And the concept couldn’t have come at a better time when the resources of governments are stretched to the breaking point and charities are being counted on to fill in the gaps. Movies that make us feel good combined with causes give us that warm and fuzzy feel.

Ten years from now people will be running around Hollywood talking about the big fish that got away. They will all be attempting to book an appointment with Spero and Brian who will be running a studio or two by then…

Here is how you can reach them now: Brian 310.795.4423 or Spero 818-795-9099 or see more at www.weReDistribute.org


Michael Douglas Carlin is the director of the movies Luvicide and American Federale. Recently he completed a ten-year stint as the Publisher and Editor of the Century City News. Here his articles turned into three books: Rise a Knight, A Prescription for Peace, and Peaceful Protests.

Turning The Other Cheek

(Written in 2012)

I want to thank each and every one of you that have reached out to me with your love and sympathy from the attack I am receiving from one of our brothers. We have all walked down many battlefields together and I invite each of you to draw your own conclusions from the time we have spent together.

Some of you have traveled with me to impoverished countries to deliver relief. Some of you have helped me load containers or duffle bags to deliver relief. I have gone to film festivals and funerals and have worked to help those less fortunate. I have been honored to walk amongst you all as we do our part to leave humanity better off.

I see no reason to address each accusation line item by line item but wish to categorically deny any and all allegations. When we should all be celebrating we find ourselves embroiled in controversy and infighting. When we should all be uniting to help those less fortunate we find ourselves distracted from what is really important.

In a month and a half I will be celebrating my tenth year publishing my local newspaper. Those of you that know me well know that I have lived a Spartan existence and that is the only reason I am still in business today. I ride my motorcycle to save money. I live in my studio apartment and I spend my time and resources enriching my local community through the newspaper as well as participating in various charitable activities at home and abroad.

My brother throws daggers at me. For what reason I do not know. The brain is an amazing thing. When it is damaged the rewiring that occurs is not easy to explain. It is the only conclusion I can draw.

These past ten years have been a struggle. I have been in the newspaper business during one of the low points of journalism and publishing. In July I plan to have a quiet celebration to recognize the achievement of publishing for ten years without missing a deadline. I plan to reminisce over the decade I have spent serving a local community with news and an advertising platform.

None of us is perfect and I certainly have my flaws but the struggle has made me a better person. The struggle has shaped my life. When the wolves were at the door I did my best work. The wolves are at the door again growling and threatening. I vow to you all that I will keep working and attempt to do my very best.

My brother strikes me. I forgive him. I know that he has shaped so much about who I am now and has done so much for humanity that if his anger toward me is what gives him the will to survive and get healthy. If his anger toward me is his struggle to reconnect those synapses then I gladly accept my lot in life because the world is better with him in it. Humanity is better off when he works to deliver relief to the needy and helps heal the sick.

I recently completed a documentary feature film called “American Federale.” I spent time in border Mexico during the height of the danger. Prior to my brother having his stroke he was concerned for my safety as I entered both Juarez and Ojinaga. He had me text him upon entering and leaving so that he would know I was safe. I owe so much of what I have accomplished to his love and giving hands. I see no need to meet anger with anger. I also completed a book that is really a companion piece to the documentary called “Rise a Knight.” The book looks forward to a better world that we can all help bring to fruition. My brother also was the guiding hand behind this work too. I invite you all to read the book as it is available on iTunes for free. You can then judge for yourselves if the vision I have understood is the correct vision for the future of humanity.

I ride a motorcycle on the streets of Los Angeles. I know the danger that is lurking around every corner. I get on the bike every day and ask myself if today is the day I will meet my Maker. I know that even if I get another forty years on the planet that it will go by in a blink. I hope we all are in touch with our mortality and agree to work hard to leave this planet better than we found it.

I salute you all for all of the good that you do and hope we can all function together soon as brothers and sisters in the cause of elevating humanity.