Not to sound like someone pitching a self-help seminar, but I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and also been doing some experimentation and I believe I’ve found the secret to being happy - and it’s incredibly simple and entirely within your own control.

I made this initial discovery at, of all places, 7-11. You see, I’ve been working in D.C. on a project and living out of a hotel room for months. But my room has no refrigerator in it, so I stop at 7-11 every single morning on the way to the office to pick up a Sobe Green Tea (I highly recommend it if you haven’t tried it!).

Anyway, although I always see the same people working there I’ve noticed that I get a different reaction from them every time I come in the store - and this actually translated into how I felt.
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We are squarely in the center of the anniversary of one of the most un-American acts of any President and congress in recorded history - the forced internment during World War II of 120,000 people of Japanese decent - of which 62% were US citizens.

This action was so intolerable that four successive presidents later acted on it. Gerald Ford rescinded the law that enabled the travesty, Jimmy Carter convened a commission to study the effects and issue reparations, Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law based on the Carter commission recommendations, and George H.W. Bush signed an appropriation bill authorizing payments.

Our own government’s official apology document stated the internment was based on “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership”. As citizens we must remember that our own government can, and will, sometimes make horrendous decisions which violate our most basic constitutional rights. It is up to every person of conscious to understand and oppose injustice.
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I travel. A lot! What’s a lot? Well, in the last 8 weeks I’ve been on 20 different airplanes. (And I’m writing this while waiting for a flight now…) And you know what I’m sick of even more than the overpriced airlines and late arrivals? The other passengers.

I’ve developed the following list of rules that people need to follow for the general betterment of mankind when traveling by air. If you violate them, just know that I - and probably everyone else - am cursing you and wishing horrible things upon your bloodline.
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First of all, NO… my blog is not digressing into another porn site! Actually it’s sad, but I really debated about reporting this because nudity is involved. But I decided that it was for the common good and that the vast majority of my readers would probably appreciate the link…

The popular women’s magazine Jane has launched a Breast Health Guide, and a related Boob Blog called Show Us Yours!

The blog encourages regular women to send in a photo of their own breasts and a description about what they like about them. A LOT of women have taken up the challenge and they range from small to very, very large, and also including brave women with mastectomys, the site proves that boobs come in all shapes and sizes and that the most important thing is not what they look like, but that you are loved for who you are.
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A while back I wrote about one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard about, the father and son team of Richard Hoyt and Richard Hoyt Jr. Well, in the June 2007 issue of Men’s Health magazine Richard Jr. published a huge father’s day letter to his dad. I figured it would be appropriate to share given that we’re only a week away.

You have to realize that it takes an extraordinary effort for him to communicate in this manner, so the length and eloquence of the message are moving.
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Here is a nearly impossible task.

1. While sitting, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.
2. While doing this, draw the number “6” with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction.
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Freedom. It’s nice, right? It ought to be… the freedom we enjoy was paid for with the blood of our forefathers, and is maintained by the blood of our siblings. And no freedom is more precious than that of speech. From it all other freedom flows.

Unfortunately there are still many oppressive regimes that do not offer the luxury of free speech, and people are being tortured and killed for speaking out against injustice. (As I’ve often noted.) This is why I have decided to put my money where my mouth is and provide financial support for the Freenet Project.
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Texans may tend to talk a little slow, but don’t let that fool you. The Texan culture relishes wit, wisdom and storytelling. And since I routinely communicate with folks all over the world I figured it would be appropriate to publish a little “Texan to English” translation guide to ensure people always know what I’m gettin on about.

So, in case you’d like to learn how to talk like a Texan, or if you just need to occasionally translate something you heard me say in passing, here is a lexicon of phrases and colloquialisms from Texas.
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I’m not claiming these are world changing ideas, just that they are practical tips that I’ve used or advised others of recently. I hope you find at least a couple of them interesting, but more importantly I hope you’ll add to the list. We could all use some more practicality in our lives.
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My dearest readers, friends, and family,

Three days ago an elderly Inuit man stopped by my home here in Dallas to discuss the plight of the native Alaskan people and their struggle against global warming. That man’s name is Ubiqwe (pronounced: ‘OOH-bick-way’), which he explained means “fish” in his native language.
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Dear Eric,

On January 30, 2007 you mentioned that MyBlogLog was seeking a community manager. You described the role as follows:

“Based on customer emails, the community manager will develop a comprehensive faq, oversee a community-based help system (either a wiki or a bulletin board, you will help us decide) and advise the team on ways to improve MyBlogLog.

Lastly, the community manager be an active and vocal participant in the world inside and outside of MyBlogLog.com, spurring conversations, mediating disputes and just generally building kharma by making the world a better place.”

Well since I haven’t heard any progress with regards to this much needed role, here I am. But before we go on, make no mistake about it I don’t want the job. I just want the job to be done. Philosophically speaking, that makes me the best candidate. ( As Socrates reasoned, “And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight.” )
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For those of you that read my previous Guide to Free Internet Phone Calls or my horrible issues with Packet8 service, you’ll recall that I have long been a supporter of ATT CallVantage service.

Well, I was upset to learn today that AT&T has quietly lowered the monthly rates on their CallVantage service without notifying existing customers of this fact - or adjusting their billing!
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