It could have been a bad April Fools joke but for the fact that it was a day late and not at all funny. It all happened at a hastily called news conference late morning, Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008, where Chattanooga Police Chief Freeman Cooper asked the media to stop asking questions about problem officer Chattanooga Police Captain Jeannie Snyder.

Cooper went on to issue a veiled threat to the media for doing its job by saying the investigation into the female police captain was “bordering on harassment”.

He continued, “She is a police officer in good standing and that means that she can be armed at anytime with any weapon, it does not have to be the police department’s gun.” Snyder who had already voluntarily stepped down as an assistant police chief taking a Ten Thousand Dollar pay cut in November, 2007, also voluntarily turned in her city issued weapon last week citing public concern over her being armed. The Chattanoogan reported, however, that she was still carrying her personal firearm. That is just one of the exceptions the city appears to have made for Captain Snyder when their internal rules and regulations says each officer is issued a service weapon and must carry that weapon when on duty.

Chattanooga City Councilman Leamon Pierce is one of the few apparently not afraid to speak up and question Snyder or the Chief. Pierce opined, “You got to deal with what the perception is, she has a problem no doubt it’s a medical problem. I wouldn’t want to be around her, in her presence when she has another reaction.”

He went on to say what some officers have intimated to the Tennessee Mountain Man – that some of her fellow police officers are leary and fearful of her.

There are those current and retired police officers who tell the Tennessee Mountain Man that they have good reason to walk lightly around Captain Snyder. They maintain that Cooper had little choice but to appoint her an assistant police chief and now has no choice but to defend and protect her to the best of his ability.

Names the Tennessee Mountain Man has not heard in legal and law enforcement circles in 20 years are popping up again. Names like Ralph Cothran, Al Coker, Johnny Wright, and others – even a former madam and drug dealer are surfacing and fueling the rumor mill.

Chief Cooper challenged the press at his news conference, “Tell me something she’s done wrong? You can’t because she hasn’t.” He continued, “She hasn’t harmed anyone, threatened to harm anyone, or put anybody in any type of danger.”

According to public records, it all started in January of 2007 when Snyder was found unconscious in her Red Bank (A Chattanooga Bedroom Community) home after she failed to show up for an appointment. She was “sick”, i.e. “passed out” and had to be hospitalized. Drawing on his experience and career as a former intelligence operative, CID Agent, and civilian police officer the Computer Man suspects the roots of Captain Snyder’s problems run much deeper and farther into the past.

In September, 2007, she did not show up for work which sparked a search in Marion County, Tennessee. When finally found after costing the city, the state and two counties untold thousands of dollars, she was “sick” and had to be hospitalized.

A few weeks ago Snyder “appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs” at the Town Center Mall, in Cobb County, Georgia at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008 according to an incident report from the Cobb County Department of Public Safety where she produced a weapon when an officer asked for some identification. A confrontation ensued. Captain Snyder was “sick” again. An ambulance had to be summoned with several Chattanooga Police Staff to escort her back to Chattanooga, and, of course, once again she required hospital care before returning to duty.

A recurring theme from police officers is that “I am a man”. “I can’t sleep my way to the top.” Which prompted City Councilman Manny Rico to issue a counter comment to Councilman Pierce, according to Abena Williams, Reporter, WDEF-TV, Chattanooga, TN, “I’ve talked to others that aren’t (fearful of Snyder), you hear both sides, police people are very funny I’m sure there are a lot of them that didn’t get the promotion they should have got.”

The former madam perused this story over a snifter of brandy, then handing it back with a slight smile, said, “new paint, new lipstick, new gloss. Nothing ever changes, baby. Between her and the sheriff there are a lot of important people shaking in their boots tonight.”

Some believe it is time for a good house cleaning at the Chattanooga Police Department, and that this could be the biggest thing since Bookie Turner. Another story… Another time.

In the mean time, the question remains whether the local press will bow in fear or deference to Chief Cooper?

The foreclosure ratio has increased dramatically in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas. This means good people and their real estate values are being negatively affected due to crippling market conditions. This in turn, floods the market with properties that don’t sell. Although, someone could say it is a buyer’s market, and that would be true. But what about the person that is in foreclosure? They can’t mortgage a property. What are their options?

I suppose they could rent an apartment. This could be a very pricey option in the San Francisco Bay (including the east bay) and Sacramento areas. For example, research shows that: as of 12/07 the rental markets in these large areas are down (Excluding San Francisco Proper).

Learning this, I researched further and discovered that a good portion of Americans that are in foreclosure in these areas, are spending their money smart: buying an RV and living in a Luxury RV Resort.

Surprisingly, there are many RV Resorts and Parks that cater to a growing rental market that no one else is utilizing. It is substantially cheaper to rent a site at an RV Park instead of renting a traditional apartment. Typically a one bedroom in Vacaville, CA (between San Francisco and Sacramento) for example, will go anywhere from $850.00 – $1400.00 plus utilities. A monthly site at the Vineyard RV Park in Vacaville, CA will only set you back $500.00 – $750.00 per month plus electric. Keep in mind you are powering a smaller area although, most RV’s on the market today have comparable dimension sizes to your average small apartment which is a huge plus.

“Many people that are or were in foreclosure, that have bad credit can rent in our park for half of what they would spend in the Vacaville/Fairfield area. It is also very convenient for our tenants to commute to work in the San Francisco/Sacramento areas, because of the fantastic freeway access our location offers”, says Carl Bertram, one of the owners of the Vineyard RV Park. He goes on to say “Not only is this option popular for people in foreclosure that have credit issues, but we also cater to a huge traveling nurse and union worker’s community as well (welders, carpenters, and electricians). With all the new construction in the East Bay Area, we figured that we would use this to our advantage”.

Most people would feel a transition like this would be disorientating. Not if you go to the right park. If you do your research, you will find upscale RV Parks and Resorts will offer many guest and tenant services that you would not normally find in the traditional rental situation such as: Round the Clock Security, Guest Concierge Services, and in the case of the Vineyard RV Park – they will even assist you in locating the perfect dealer when you purchase your first RV. It almost makes the transition effortless. I would imagine the smart consumer would take this alternate solution into major consideration when attempting the rental hunting process. If you are moving to the San Francisco or Sacramento Areas or are thinking about visiting and want to learn more about this option, you may contact Carl or Meaghan Bertram toll free at the Vineyard RV Park: 866-447-8797. Or you can view this first class facility at: http://www.VineyardRVPark.com.

Forty Percent of the Afghan economy is from illegal drug production and trafficking. More disturbing is the fact that the United States has nothing that can replace the drug trade for Afghan entrepreneurs.

As I contemplated these hard hitting statements, I found myself imagining how different our world could be if we just stuck to some basic tenants of common decency.

Yet, what does this say about our world, where such an obscene industry can thrive? It’s not just the growers and traffickers that are contributing to the problems, but the users of the end product. Those users ultimately feed the entire industry’s cash flow.

Considering the Afghan drug problems alongside illicit drug trade around the world, there has to be an incredible amount of drug users to support the global market for drugs. Why? Is it really about the high, or is it about escaping the sober realities and pain of human life? It seems that we never hear anyone talking about this aspect. Life is often painful. Whether you are poor or rich, there are all kinds of problems and challenges that we human beings face.

How appealing a drug addiction and the escape it provides must be to the user. In some ways, it may even be understandable.

Facing life and its challenges head on is NOT for the timid. But, we are all faced with life nonetheless and there is no escaping that for the rational and sober minded person. Sure there are moments of pleasure that provide temporary relief but how long do those moments last? How long before the next problem rears up to block our path arrives?

For some, the moments of pleasure and happiness last longer and not so long for others. That may be related to a whole host of factors including socio-economic ones.

So what can we do? Not much as it turns out, for a simple reason. It is a fact of our very existence that free will exists. Each person makes his own choices. More laws won’t change what people do when they think that they can’t be seen.

Perhaps a greater degree of personal happiness and contentment would prove to be more attractive than the lure of drug use. As you may have heard, “history tends to repeat itself”. And why is that? Maybe the human condition doesn’t really change that much, only the scenery and technology change, while the basic conditions of human life stay about the same throughout the ages.

If that is true, and similar conditions existed in the past, how were they dealt with back then? One of the western world’s most revered philosophers was Socrates.

Socrates talked about virtue. He discussed things like Truth, Beauty and Goodness with his students. Today, Master Li Hongzhi expounds on Truthfulness, Compassion and Endurance. Perhaps contemplation of these things can bring greater contentment and personal happiness? With happiness and contentment, there may no longer be as strong a catalyst for feeding a drug addiction.

One thing is fairly certain. Due to the existence of free will, only each individual can choose for himself the path he wishes to tread.

Often the countries most overburdened with refugees are already among the poorest in the world. Nepal continues to be ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of human development yet hosts more than 100,000 Bhutanese and 20,000 Tibetan refugees. Nepals inadequate social and physical infrastructural services are overstrained by such an
influx of refugees.

There are seven camps with a population of 101,000 refugees, about half of whom are located in Beldangi camp. The camps are situated on the plains of east Nepal, spanning two districts (Jhapa and Morang) which are the most heavily populated in Nepal.

To get to the refugee camps, one has to drive on winding dirt roads through fields or forested land for at least half an hour. The forest clears out all of sudden and distinct rows of huts appear in the clearing. It seems as if you have come upon a civilization long hidden from the rest of the world.

In the seven camps there are 45 schools, 40,000 pupils and 956 teachers. The
student/teacher ratio is an average 40:1 but in reality the classes are much bigger than this as the number of teachers includes headmasters and teacher trainers which are given very few periods, if any at all.

A school environment provides more than just basic needs to read and write, but also provides an outlet for children to experience a sense of normality, safety and routine after many years upheaval.

Most of the classrooms are temporary structures (often made of a mixture of brick, bamboo and grass) due to the limited life-span of the camps. Many of the lower classes do not have desks and the children are sitting on jute mats which have been manufactured in the camps during the income generating activities initiated by Oxfam. However, all classrooms are provided with a table and chair for the teacher. The blackboards are portable with an easel.

The classical movie IS truly one of the great inventions since we discovered hamburgers. The classical movie is also the one show that we had the benefit of watching when we were kids, cause at the time only three television channels were available. It was during those good old Saturday afternoons and Sundays, when my dear father wasnt consumed by the sports programmes on show, when those classic movies from the past, movies featuring the glamour girls and the guys that inspired us boys to want to be cowboys, were made available for us to enjoy in all their splendour.

Though there is obviously a distinct difference between classical movies and classical movies with only classical period elements (music, costumes, storylines, etc.), I would like to address the delight of the classical movie of yesterday and today that does involve only a particular period of history and does, then feature only classical period elements.

I tend to associate the black and white flicks with the beauties and the beaus, the comedies with the curmudgeons, the histories with the insights into who people were back then, like us but with an added je ne sais quoi that we must find out, learn about, and finally to appreciate in as great a depth and as wide a breadth as we can, in order to do them the justice they deserve.

Say for example, my favorite classical movie of all time, Impromptu. This film basically enacts a couple of years in the lives of the characters George Sand, Franz Liszt, Freiderich Chopin, and the regal and wealthy folks who took artists in, allowing them to paint, create, compose, write, in exchange for wonderful company and fine entertainment. The film concentrates on Sand, who is bent on partnering with Chopin, her aggression equal in magnitude, as was his weakness. The costumes, the soundtrack, the dialogue, and the setting are all as breathtaking as the direction, technique, and the delivery of words and emotion. There is even a theme or two that humans from the beginning of time until today can identify with or appreciatethe love and hate, good and evil, as well as longing and belonging motifs that are as timeless as the movie itself.

Other classical movie choices I have an affinity toward are those less mainstream & popular ones. I would consider Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (though clearly POST-classical periods), Wilde, and Jefferson, for instance, as worthy of classical movie acclaim as say Amadeus, Emma, The Piano, and any number of Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson productions.

Recently, a couple of Secret Space DVDs enlightened me on the reality of aliens in our contemporary world. The two DVDs came to us via regular mail from a British film director, as payment for granted permissions to make free use of the material on my website for a future project or projects. From those DVDs, I learned that aliens are nothing special, that human history is saturated with alien invasions, hundreds of them, and that such invasions have occurred on every continent and in every epoch of world history. The alien invasions continue to this day. It seems that NASA and the US intelligence agencies are supplying this film director, possibly on a daily basis, with film of alien spaceships invading our planet, and the director quickly turns to display that footage to us.

Beyond the UFO films, it looks like the US government also provided this film director with wide-ranging top-secret reports, detailed reports from the US military on how they used laser beam weapons to shoot down several alien spacecraft, reports from US scientists on how they back-engineered the technology found in the remnants of the downed alien spacecraft, reports from US astronauts in space about spotting alien UFOs all over the place, and a report, evidently dating from the early 1970s, from US astronauts on the Moon about having seen a row of alien spaceships parked along the edge of a crater. It was unclear if the US government also provided the director with the faked pictures of the lunar landing in 1969 or if he got them from another source. In any case, I see nothing wrong with NASA trying to commercialize the historic event by selling fake pictures to cover aspects of the event not filmed directly.

The Secret Space DVDs revealed to me one underlying and undeniable truth: no branch of the US government, its military or intelligence agencies, has ever had any contact with aliens whatsoever, and no branch of the US government is covering up anything. When the US government initiated the alien disinformation campaign decades ago, it was widely believed that contact with aliens was forthcoming and that this could prove harmful. Contact with aliens is no longer believed to be imminent; nonetheless, the US government rigorously continues the disinformation campaign just as a precaution. Of course, contact with civilized aliens could still prove harmful. For example, it could harm the US government’s plans to continue the slaughter in Iraq, and it could harm the US government’s plans to put nuclear weapons into orbit. Indeed, with the need to come to grips with extraterrestrial life, people are likely to become far less tolerate of human beings killing each other, and we might also witness a surge in war protests from around the world.

I congratulate the US government on their brilliant alien disinformation campaign. Some of the world’s top-ranked psychologists must have been hired to assist them. Fifty years of fabricated UFO sightings, false alien abductions, faked cover-ups, and so forth, have discredited the aliens in the public mind, to the point that a real alien, when and if one should ever appear, may be wholly ignored. In fact, this brainwashing of the masses campaign was so successful that if a real alien spacecraft were to come to Earth and then hover directly on top of the White House, they could probably succeed in explaining it away as just a secret experiment for presidential security.

In past times, people were burned at the stake for merely believing in the existence of extraterrestrial life. There seems to be less burning at the stake these days, but other than that, nothing has changed. Then, as now, extraterrestrial intelligence remains the most terrifying obstacle for war-minded humans. Naturally, the US government has taken measures to protect its military activities from all harm.

With alien spaceships now fully discredited, the only real danger for the US government is that an astronomer somewhere or another will pick up a clear, unmistakable signal from aliens in deep space. As a precaution against this devastating possibility, the US government, a long time ago, pressured the world community into agreements whereby, in the event any astronomer picks up an alien signal, that signal would have to undergo prolonged scrutiny by the US intelligence agencies before it could be announced to the world by the United Nations. SETI astronomers be forewarned. The US government does not take kindly to anyone or anything that could upset their war plans, and there can be no guarantee that the United Nations will ever announce your discovery.