5.4 Earthquake in Southern California

There was a 5.4 magnitude earthquake 25 miles north of our home in Chino Hills at 11:43am on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008. This was the largest shaking event I can remember for the past decade or so. I was on the 3rd floor of an office building where the initial movement was a sharp upward jolt of several inches, followed by back and forth rolling motions of 15 seconds or so. There are scattered reports of light damage: small cracks in walls, broken water pipes, objects shaking off shelves, cell phone outages/overloads, a few fallen bricks, damaged cinderblock walls, commuter train delays while tracks are checked, some broken windows, a few power outages, etc. Few injuries reported so far.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/ci14383980.php
http://bnews.freedomblogging.com/
http://cbs2.com/reference/earthquake.reference.damage.2.782940.html

Distressing News

My sister called me tonight to inform me that one of our maternal cousins has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is going in for major surgery on Monday. Our extended family is fasting tomorrow on her behalf. My heart, faith, and prayers goes out to her and her family.

I vividly recall, and will always be grateful, that so many fasted and prayed in my behalf when I was diagnosed with cancer. There is real power in unity. I am reminded of a quote I encountered this morning while studying the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I do not recall having heard this quote before. Referring to the power of unity available to the Saints, especially during trials, he said something to the effect: "A strong pull, a long pull, and a pull all together".

Some thoughts on the medical profession and on politics.

Secrets Your Doctor Knows, But Won't Tell You.
A recent Reader's Digest article and a follow-up story by Fox News.
http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/41-medical-secrets/article75920.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,388822,00.html


How do you capture wild pigs?
http://www.lds.net/blog/view/id_5035
Act before its too late!

I apologize for the State of California

I am embarrassed by, and ashamed of, many of the decisions, laws, jury/judicial decisions, and trends of the State of California. I apologize on behalf of all the other Californians (usually the minority) who feel the same way:

Home Schooling is illegal
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=69177

Voters of California over-ruled by 3 judges on issue of definition of marriage.
http://www.protectmarriage.com/FAQ.php

O.J Acquitted of Murder
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/simpson.htm

Robert Blake Acquitted of Murder
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/04/entertainment/main757429.shtml

Instead of assessing a surcharge to items which can potentially pollute (like was done for bottles and cans) and then let the people choose for themselves, instead California government usually decides that it knows what is best for its "subjects" and completely outlaws items such as plastic bags in supermarkets, while mandating the use of seat belt and motorcycle/bicycle helmet laws,
(which I ALWAYS use, but don't believe should be mandated by law),

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/28/local/me-plastic28
http://www.newswithviews.com/guest_opinion/guest27.htm
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21212.htm
http://www.bikermatchmaking.com/motorcycle_helmet_law/california_motorcycle_helmet_law.htm

L.A.P.D tradition of violent over reaction and corruption
http://www.truthout.org/article/lapd-stands-down-60-officers-over-may-day-violence
http://www.truthinjustice.org/rampart2.htm

Orange County Sheriff Office Corruption Scandal
http://crime.freedomblogging.com/2007/10/30/the-countys-top-lawmaker-indicted-on-criminal-charges/

Orange County Bankruptcy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Citron

Illegal Immigration allowed to run-a-muck
http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/mexicoflag.asp
(I'm all for LEGAL immigration (even increasing it) for those who wish to wait their turn to enter the country though legal channels, assimilate into American culture, learn English, and be law abiding citizens.)

This list could go on forever. Check the Internet for more.

The California Marriage Protection Act

I support the The California Marriage Protection Act, otherwise known as Proposition 8. I invite those of you living in California to do the same. The website URLs listed below explain why. If you are not already registered to vote in this Fall's election, please do so and then vote for this initiative. In addition, please do all in your power to encourage others to vote for this critical moral issue.

http://protectmarriage.com/

http://tinyurl.com/46duzh

100th blog posting!

I didn't mean for this to be the topic of my 100th blog posting. It just worked out that way.

Last Saturday, former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow succumbed to a reoccurrence of colon cancer that metastasized to his liver. He was 53, one year older than I am.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90994&pf=3&page=1

Yes, these kinds of news stories remind me that my remission may be temporary. I seek for joy and inner peace each day. I am usually successful. I try to remember to choose to feel happy, in spite of the challenges of life. I try to look for opportunities to help others, which is what really gives me satisfaction. I love my family, am grateful for my friends, am thankful for my many blessings, and wish more people were receptive to my sharing with them the joy the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ brings me. I am at peace with myself and with God and hope that he will allow me to enjoy many more years of the companionship of family and friends and serving others.

The Music Man

Zachary tried out for, and was chosen to play the role of, Tommy Djilas in the Broadway musical 'The Music Man' being performed by Limon Carr Productions (http://www.limoncarr.com) for the City of Tustin's 2008 'Broadway in the Park' on August 19-23rd at Peppertree Park in Old Towne Tustin. Tommy is the lead male dancer and pursues the mayor's daugher Zaneeta Shinn in this delightful romantic comedy about a con artist calling himself Professor Harold Hill attempting to scam residents of a small Iowa town around 1912. The play is appropriate for the entire family. Check out the following website for more information and to order tickets. You'll want to come 1-2 hours early to get a good place to set up your blankets or lawn chairs.

Tustin Area Council for the Fine Arts
http://www.tacfa.org/broadway.html

Character Counts

I love to listen to and learn from the "Character Counts" radio, Internet, and email commentaries about the importance of ethics and character provided by the Michael Joesphson and the Josephson Institute of Ethics. If you haven't already signed up for their free emails, I recommend doing so. Here is a link to a rebroadcast of a message about what matters most in life.
http://charactercounts.org/michael/2008/07/what_will_matter_5741.html

Some of you will be happy to know that I'm finally beginning to act my age.

Journal Entry for July 4, 2008

My world is fundamentally different today than it has been up to this point. I turned one of the unknown number of remaining pages in my book of life and started a new chapter today. I knew this day would eventually come and I have actually looked forward to it in some respects. I believe that most fathers look forward to the day that their sons' gradually increasing strength and abilities finally reaches and exceeds the aging father’s gradually declining strength and abilities because it signals that those sons are becoming men and preparing to successfully assume the responsibilities and rigors of adulthood.

I remember Indian leg wrestling with my father when I was as a child of 8 or 9. Occasionally he would intentionally let me win by flipping himself over backwards when our legs would come together on the count of three. I knew that I was probably not really beating him, but it was fun anyway. We both knew that the balance had shifted when, upon his return from Vietnam, we got to wrestling and as a teenage of 17 I was able to pick most of his body off the floor and hold him upside down by his ankles.

I use to wrestle with our four boys when they were younger. They loved to play Pile-on-Daddy and gang up on me. As they grew into their teen years they tried very hard to pin me in a one-on-one contest. Sometimes the action got wild. Kim disliked this and usually left the room. I decided to call a halt to this practice when it was no longer a friendly rivalry and frustration turned to anger and people were getting hurt and the Spirit left our home.

After Judd returned from his mission, he worked hard to increase his upper body strength by doing push-ups. He worked until he was able to do more push-ups than I could. Then he challenged me to an arm wrestling contest. He was able to beat me left handed because that is his dominant hand, but I was still able to beat him right handed. Never the less, that was a milestone, a right of passage for him to be able to beat his father at a feat of strength.

Both Judd and Clayton are much smarter and intellectually gifted than their father. They are both in the process of combining these gifts with hard work to pursue and achieve goals that I could never attain. Katie is a hard worker and pays attention to details. Jayson also takes pride in working hard and has a good sense of humor. Zachary is very gifted artistically, much like his mother. I love each of our children and am proud of their accomplishments.

A tradition and right of passage for the males in our family has been climbing 14,500 foot Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States, located in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Judd climbed it with me the first time I climbed it when he was in his early teens. When Clayton was old enough to go, he and Judd and I tackled the mountain again. Clayton achieved his goal of standing on the summit. Jayson accomplished this feat and then some when he and a group of youth and leaders from our ward (church congregation) climbed halfway up, then came down due to a member of the group becoming temporarily separated from the group, then climbed to the top and back the following day- a very impressive accomplishment. Zachary made the trek to the top of Whitney in the summer of 2007 with a group of youth and leaders who hiked for a week through the southern Sierras and then hiked up the backside of Whitney to the summit and then down the traditional Whitney Portal trail. This was very difficult for Zach and he got sick several times, but I believe that this was a turning point for Zach that gave him confidence that he could do anything he put his mind to.

Our Stake (group of church congregations) has a tradition of sponsoring an Independence Day flag raising ceremony and patriotic program, preceded by an early morning 5K (a little more than 3 miles) run. I’ve been participating in the run for several years. Occasionally I am able to talk one of the boys into also participating, but its usually like pulling teeth. My finish times have gradually improved until last year I was able to finish in a very respectable time of 22:05 and finished 7th overall and 1st in the 50+ age category. I knew that I was not in as good of shape this year, partially because last year I trained for and completed three double century bike rides, plus a week-long 500 mile ride just before the 5K, and partially because of the strength I lost due to the cancer surgery and recovery towards the end of last year. My goal for this year was to finish around 25 minutes. Earlier this week I asked Zachary if he was going to run with me this year in the 4th of July 5K and he said “no because he was performing in the program”. I knew that he could do both, but am slowly learning to not push back against such decisions. Therefore, I was surprised when Zach announced last night that he was planning on participating in the 5K. He has occasionally run on the treadmill at the gym, but certainly has not been training for the race, and neither have I. His dancing and improving eating choices have gotten him into good shape. I could tell during the first few hundred yards of the race that I was not going to be able to maintain the same pace as last year. During the first half of the race, I struggled to catch and stay with two able runners, one of whom is a High School athlete and that other was a runner in his upper 40’s whom I had beaten by several minutes the year before. At the midpoint, I started to fade and could not keep up with them. I was tired, breathing hard, and had to really focus to keep from stopping. I forced myself to just put one foot in front of the other. After rounding the final corner and heading down the home stretch, I was really struggling. My legs were very weak and wobbly and I was bending over at the waist with each step nearly falling over because my legs would no longer hold me up. With only 200 yards to go, I had to stop and sit on the curb to keep from falling on my face. Several runners kindly asked if I was OK. I assured them that I was, even though I now realize that I was on the verge of complete exhaustion. After several minutes of rest, several individuals helped me get back up onto my aching legs and I struggled to continue. It was then that I noticed a group of people gathered around a car. Someone said something about the car having hit a girl. I wondered if I should stop to render aid, but quickly decided that I was in no shape to help anyone and there were plenty of people already there to help. I didn’t see who had been hit and do not recall recognizing anyone helping. I staggered towards the finish line one painful step at a time, but I was so “out of it” that I stopped short of the finish line on the lawn of the church. After a minute or so I realized my mistake and limped the few remaining yards across the finish line and received a piece of paper containing the number of my order of finish. I didn’t even bother to look at it, but headed for the nearest shade, where I crashed for the next 10 minutes or so. When I finally looked at the number, I was disgusted that it said 64 or some number close to it. I used that number to check my time and found that my time was in excess of 32 minutes, which was much worse than I anticipated. I reluctantly accepted a 3rd place ribbon for my age group, which I was awarded only because there were so few runners in the age group. Notwithstanding all my problems, I apparently still finished ahead of the guy in his 70’s! (who deserved his own age bracket!) Even though Zachary's legs are sore, he is not still limping with every step like his father.

In talking to Zachary later I found out some very interesting information. Even though he had needed to stop and power walk several times during the race, he passed me while I was sitting on the curb. He admitted feeling exhilaration at passing me and decided not to stop to help since others were already doing so and he also “knew I was OK because nothing ever hurts Dad”. Moments after passing me, both Zachary and the close friend he was running with (and who was directly in front of him) were both hit by the elderly driver (who turned out to be a member of our ward on her way to the patriotic program!). Her side view mirror brushed Zach’s arm and then the front of the car hit and knocked down his friend, who was very fortunate to not have been run over. Paramedics were called just to be on the safe side. She was strapped to a backboard with an uncomfortable neck brace and taken to the emergency room for a check, but is now back home bruised and sore, but apparently OK.

So, my youngest child has now beaten his father at something that I felt I used to be pretty good at. Even though he did not officially finish the race due to his stopping to render aid to his friend, since he passed me so close to the finish line while I was unable to continue, he is awarded a technical win over his old man. To show you just how much of a consummate professional Zach is, even after witnessing his close friend be hit by a car and staying by her side until aid arrived, he was able to proceed and do a wonderful job performing the song “I’m Proud to Be an American” during the patriotic program AND when the microphone went berserk a few sentences into the song and caused a sustained, ear splitting noise that required him to start over. He calmly walked to a different microphone, waited until the CD was restarted and started over and performed expertly as if nothing at all had happened that morning that might have ruffled his feathers.

Todd Richard Hess

My cousin Todd Richard Hess died on June 26, 2008 at the relatively young age of 47 from a sudden stroke and related injuries. His unexpected death was a shock to his large family and many friends. I was grateful to be able to attend his funeral last Wednesday. The service was inspiring and well attended, with all rows of the chapel, overflow, and cultural hall filled to capacity. I have resolved to try to be more like him. He was universally praised as an exceptionally hard worker, a loving and devoted father, and as a kind, thoughtful, well-liked person. He is the first of the grandchildren of Newell and Alta Hess to end his mortal sojourn. He will be missed by all who knew him. Here is a photo of his obituary (click to enlarge) and a link to some photos I took at the funeral.



http://picasaweb.google.com/CameronHess/20080702ToddRichardHessFuneral?authkey=YDOKHSAznzY