Around the World in Eigty Days,by Jules Vern

Philleaus Fogg, a well known gentleman places a bet of that he can make a trip around the world in eighty days, and is taken up on the offer. He and his faithful servant, Passpourtout, embark on their journey immediatly. The same day the bank is robbed, and Detective Fix thinks that Fogg is his man. Along the route there are many delays, and Fogg even has to save an Indian Princess from a fiery death. All the way Fix follows and waits for the warrent to be issued for Foggs arrest. Will Fix get his man, or will Fogg make his bet on time, and be a free man? You will just have to read the book yourself.

The Scarlet Pimpernell,by Emmuska Orczy

This is an awe inspiring and entrancing book about the French revolution, and an unknown man who risks his life every time he rescues an aristocrat from the sharp blade of the guillitone. The only sign he leaves is a letter addressed to the leader of the revolution marked with a seal of the scarlet pimpernell, a small way side flower.
A beautiful french woman known as the "cleverest woman in England " betrays him to save her brother. Will he escape the clutches of his enemy, or will he be sent to the very guillitone he saved so many lives from?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is a thrilling mystery about London, and the people and discoveries that lie therein. An Honorable man Dr. Jekyll was, until strange things started happening concerning a friend of his, Mr.Hyde.Mr.Hyde commits many incredulous acts, including stomping on a little girl when they bumped into each other, and murdering a man without provocation or reason.There are many twists and turns in this book, and if you want to know what the reasoning behind this madness is, you will have to read it for yourself.

Call of the Wild,by Jack London

This is a breath taking story about a dog named Buck, who lived a life of luxury in the southlands all his life.He was kidnapped and sold to a cruel rogue of a man, who starved and beat him untill he was sold again and bought by some north-landers to pull sleds in the north.Buck and his teammates were sold many times and learned about different kinds of people.Ever since coming to the north, he has found a sense of belonging and a call from the wild. Will Buck surrender to the call, or will he give all his effection to the man who saved his life?

Hemp: Plant of the future.

Historical knowledge
In the old country, the poor people (peasants, farmers, and the like) were not allowed to eat butter. The reason for this? Rich nobles and other " high-born" people ate butter and would not eat the same things that the poorer people ate. The poor people soon found that they could make a spread out of hemp. They called this spread hemp-butter. Hemp butter tasted pleasant and gave a texture like unto peanut butter. When diseases came around the poor people were actually healthier than the rich personage!!!
Here are some other interesting facts about hemp:

• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both had hemp plantations.
  
• Benjamin Franklin owned a hemp mill, where he turned hemp pulp into paper.
  
• Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper (which more than likely came from Benjamin Franklin’s paper mill).
  Because of its natural whiteness, hemp was used in the making of sails and ropes on ships
  
• Hemp and linseed oil (from flax) were used in the making of paint, resins, shellacs, and varnishes.

Business
If the person that is reading this blog wants to make a well profiting business, look no further than the end of this blog. Here are my suggestions:
Paper
Making paper out of hemp has many advantages here are a few of them.

• Because of hemp-pulps natural whiteness chlorinated bleach will not need to be added to whiten it, only hydrogen peroxide. This means that the oceans will be spared a lot of harmful, toxic dioxins, which destroy many millions of plant, and animal lives each day. Corals die, leaving less homes for the creatures that lived in their shadows. Fish are poisoned and die, the ones which do live are eaten poisoning the creatures that eat them, including us.
  By making paper out of hemp instead of wood you would indirectly be saving lives.
  
• This is also good for the owner of the business because the owner will not have to spend as much on chemicals.
  
  
• Hemp is lighter and stronger than wood, making it easier to pulp, therefore (again) using fewer chemicals than it takes to pulp wood. This is good both for the environment and the businessman. For the environment this means that fewer chemicals will be mercilessly dumped into oceans, and fewer trees chopped down by loggers. For the businessman this means that there will be less currency being used on toxic chemicals, and less of a cost for logging.
  
  
• For one acre of hemp it produces anywhere from 3-10 DRY TONS in FOUR MONTHS!!!
  That's four to five times what an average forest yields, in less time!!!

• Farming
  Hemp is good for the farmer for many reasons, here are some of the best.
  
• Hemp grows in a variety of climates, and is draught resistant, meaning less of a cost for watering and no need to change your lifestyle to fit in with the lifestyle of the plant.
  
• Hemp is naturally repellant to most pests, which would harm or destroy other plants. Its only serious downfall is a soil-borne cutworm, which eats the roots, killing the plant.
  
• Hemp clears land. When planted they prefer to grow close together, thus making it impossible for weeds to grow. This means less chemicals bought and used and eventually dumped into bodies of water, or into the ground.

• Farming

Here are some reasons why hemp is the way to go for cloths.

• Hemp fibers are longer, stronger, and more resistant to mold and mildew than cotton.
  
• Fabrics mad out of at least 50% hemp block more of the suns harmful UV rays than cotton or any other cloth.
  If clothes were made out of hemp rather than cotton, 50% of the WORLDS pesticides and herbicides wouldn't have to be spayed on cotton any longer.
  Other uses
  
• Hemp hulls are beneficial to birds, and were once used as a main ingredient in birdseed.
  
• Hemp seeds may be turned into flour and oil or butter for baking or other uses.(Hemp produces 900-12,000 lbs. of seed per acre)
  The original gruel was made out of ground hemp.
  

NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF HEMP

• Hemp-seed-oil is the richest source of Essential Fatty Acids (E.F.A. governs growth, vitality, and the state of mind) containing 80%, as well as certain amino acids, and 1.7% super omega 6 (Gamma Linoleic Acid [G.L.A.]) which is a rare nutrient found in mothers milk.
  
• Hemp-seed protein is made up of 65% globulin edestin, 55% omega 6 (or Linoleic acid [abbreviation LA]), which helps to transfer oxygen from the lungs to every cell in your body, and hold it in cell membranes, 25% omega 3 (or Alpha Linoleic Acid [L.N.A.]) which also helps to transfer oxygen to body cells.
  
• Hemp seed hulls contain approximately 25% protein, making them a good ingredient or substitute for birdseed.

How good is the equipment that the troops use?

For six years now, America has been at war in the Middle East. Those of us that are educated enough; know that the reason for this war is oil. The question is, are the troops
equipped well enough to continue this senseless war?

Actually, no, the troops have been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq without even the correct medical supplies. The soldiers have been instructed that in the event of a wound to stick a Tampon in the cut or puncture, in the theory that it will swell and stop the bleeding.
The body armor that the soldiers are equipped with has failed all sorts of tests. It is called Interceptor. A Company known as Point Blank manufactures it. This is the way it is made: There is an outer layer of Kevlar (designed to stop bullets from handguns.) A ceramic disk (about eighteen inches in diameter) designed to stop bullets from higher-grade munitions like rifles and automatic weapons follows this.

The problem with all this is related to money. The ceramic disks and Kevlar rectangles have been reduced in size and thickness to reduce weight and consecutively, reduce cost. Resulting in a less dependable body armor. Well there is a new kid on the block, an armor known as; Dragon Skin. Manufactured by Pinnacle Armor, this body armor is made by dozens of overlapping ceramic disks, which are smaller (about four inches in diameter) than Point Blank’s design, and consequently weigh less, resulting in less cost. Yet it provides more coverage to the body by creating a vest. And thanks to its revolutionary design it is more durable than Interceptor is. On Utube you can watch videos of people unloading clip after clip into Dragon Skin without one penetration.

Lastly, the troops weapons. The primary weapon the United States Army and Marines use is the M16/M4. Around since before Vietnam, this gun has jammed so many times that it is a surprise that it is still used. One soldier said that out of his 30 round clip the M16 jammed 17 times. In fact, 67% of 100 soldiers polled said that they would (if given the chance) trade their M16 out for an AK47. Changes so dramatic as this aren’t even needed. The only thing that has to be done is to switch to the M16/M4 Ultimax (Specially designed to not jam) which can use the Ultimag (a 100-rnd magazine.)

If the government wasn’t so corrupt, it would be easy make such simple changes. But, since there is a revolving door between the government and companies such as Point Blank, which has thoroughly outlawed innovative technologies such as these, the solution is to pull out.

Randolph

Press Release on new comics coming to FNN

On Thursday, the 27th, of September, the reporters and co-creators of the FNN blog, decided that they would release a series of comics onto their blog. Squirrels, as the series was called, is about a completely disastrous family, who live in the state of Boonesbourogh in the city of Clidesdayle, but frequently move to other residencies within the state. The family consists of six people, two parents and five children. Their names are Paps, Mamy, Lizard, Ritchie-Don, Gumpie, Skanky (or Slim), Peenue, an alien found at a crash site south of their home, and the family dogs called Sparks and Snaps.
There is a slow start to this story, but, as with all of the best things in life, it gets better with time. Skunks, bears, bats, robots, germs (my personal favorite), and loads of laughs will accompany this series.
"We create these comics…well… Because they relieve the stress of every day life, and… Because they are funny!"
Says Randall Lester, a co-creator of FNN, and creator of unit one.
If you are looking for a series filled with adventure, disaster, chaos, and loads of many a hearty laugh.
Be sure to check them out, and show your friends. I hope you enjoy reading them!

Iraqi war report

I’m not sure how many people reading this blog have friends or relatives fighting the war in Iraq, but you must want the war to end, so that they can come home again. If you watch the news, you must have been enraged to find that they are not being protected. I have watched the news each night and I have seen that the troops are not being protected from the consequences of the illegal war they were put into. Thursday, I again realized that the entire government has been corrupted. They are giving the troops insufficient armor, and extremely old bandages.

Friends and relatives have sent tampons to the troops, because, when placed inside a wound, the tampon swells and stops the bleeding.

The government has also given the troops recalled armor instead of ‘Dragon skin.’ The News Hour tested dragon skin, and it passed all the tests given. Interceptor,( the current army protective gear) on the other hand, did not. The reason behind this madness is a top army official resigned, and immediately found a job making Interceptor body armor. For weaponry, the army is using M-16/M-4s, which jam more frequently than the AK-47, or many other guns, for that matter.

If you think that’s bad, turn your eyes toward America’s so-called president; who says that the war will exceed his presidency. He created this war problem, and now that his time is up, he gets to go scott free, and place the burden on the next president’s shoulders.

PANZER ACES by Franz Kurowski

Book report

In German, "Panzer" means tank, and that is what this book is about; tanks.
It is World War II and Panzers have become a sight almost as popular as airplanes.

This book tells the stories of six of the most interesting and accomplished German tank commanders of World War II: Generalmajor Dr. Franz Bake, Oberfeldwebel Herman Bix, SS-Leutnant Rudolf Von Ribbentrop, Hauptman Hans Bolter, SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann, and Hauptman Albert Ernst.

These are amazing and true stories and you can learn so much. Did you know that if Adolph Hitler had made the decision to take Moscow, it is very possible that he would have won the war?

This book also features battles in these panzer models: Panzer III (Skoda), Panzer IV (Both with the "stump" and with the 75mm long), Panzer V (Panther), Panzer VI (Tiger), and assorted tank destroyers. This is a superb book and I highly recommend it.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Book report

Philleas Fogg was a very precise man who led a quiet life. Until he bet 20,000 pounds to travel around the world in eighty days!

Accompanied by his faithful servant Passpartout, he embarks on a journey full of mystery, misfortune, adventure, treachery, and horror. But Detective Fix from Scotland Yard will stop at nothing to catch a suspect bank robber: Philleas Fogg!

Will Philleas Fogg and Passpartout succeed in being the first people to travel around the world in eighty days, or will Detective Fix sidetrack and imprison Philleas Fogg and Passpartout? This is a masterful book from the ingenious mind of Jules Verne and I believe you should read it.

Humberto!

Original story by: The News Hour with Jim Lehrer

For the fourth time in the past two weeks, extreme weather strikes. Last week, Phelix and Henriette struck on the east and west coasts of the Americas. This week Humberto struck Texas. Also this week an earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale struck the region of the coast of Sumatra. Aftershocks could be felt 12,000 miles away.

Humberto was a tropical depression two days ago. In eighteen hours it rose to a category one hurricane, setting an all time record. This has been the wettest year on record for Texas and the weird weather keeps coming.

A few months ago in the Middle East, things were even weirder. All on the same day: It was snowing in the Saudi Arabian desert. Were, it had not snowed for 90 years! Also it reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit in India and over 1,000 people died. Talk about Global Warming! The phenomenon is like this; when CO2 is released into the atmosphere, it disrupts the weather patterns and causes them to act wacky. This isn't its only effect, however, and many more will arise. But this one effects my story. So, in short, Global Warming caused and will cause these and other storms.

If we do something about this we can change our problem. I suggest:

1: Change your light bulbs to the fluorescent energy efficient kind.
2: Don't leave the refrigerator door open.
3: Turn lights off when you aren't using them.

Or do something more dramatic like converting your car to an HEV. To do this cheaply and easily visit: www.phoenixnavigation.com

Pollution

A look into the effects of mankind's wants.

Each day many lakes, rivers, streams, swamps, marshes, and underground water systems, are polluted by harmful run-off from power plants and other factory based apparatus, and each day many people get sick and often die from polluted water. It has been estimated that 25,000 people die every day as a result of poor water quality and water-borne diseases.

1.7 billion people, almost one third of the worlds population, do not have safe water supplies, and more than 1 .5 billion people depend on ground water for drinking. 80% Of Europe's coasts are at risk, and 70% of Asia's coasts are at risk due to toxic pollutants being dumped into the oceans, as well as numerous oil spills which also effect the Carribean.

If you want to do your part in saving the environment try to do the following:

• Turn off extra lights.
• Don't waste water.

Hemp: an effective plant

Hemp has been in our history since the beginning of civilization. It has been grown for clothes, paper, and food for at least 12,000 years. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both had hemp plantations. Benjamin Franklin had a hemp mill that made hemp paper, and the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

To think that Congress outlawed it in the 1950s. I mean, this is the "super crop."
You can do almost anything with it. 25,000 products can be made from hemp.
Plus:

A: It's tasty and highly nutritious.
B: Hemp, when eaten releases GLA (Gamma Linoleic Acid) a very rare nutrient.
C: And if someone was stupid enough to try and get high on it, they would have to smoke ten to twenty "joints" extremely quickly in order to get a "buzz".

Finally, hemp can be converted to biomass fuels like gasoline, methane, charcoal,
and Methanol. In fact Methanol makes such good automobile fuel that it's used for Grand Prix racecars! When coupled with a turbine or HEV, it could make a phenomenal system. I say we take action in the eyes of the fuel and climate crises, make hemp legal, and fix the damage done to our planet.

Randall Lester to build HEV

9/13/07

Munising, MI -- If you drive past Phoenix Navigation and Guidance Inc., it’s likely that you’ll spot a 1985 AMC Eagle sitting on concrete blocks in the front driveway. Well, that's the car I've decided to convert into a Hybrid-Electric Vehicle.

The reason I'm turning it (my first car) into an HEV is the environment. With so many new cars added to the road each day, I don't want to take part in blowing Tons of CO2 , and hundreds of pounds of Carbon Monoxide, Sulpher Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) and other gases into the atmosphere.

When I finish my HEV I'll be old enough to drive it (I'm thirteen), and it will get between fifty and seventy Miles-per-Gallon of gasoline.The family car gets about twenty two and I thought that was good! Plus, it will go about fifty-five Miles-per-Hour, the perfect speed for efficiency!

So, it's going to be a fun project with a great reward.

Too Long Already!!!.

A summary of the war in Iraq.

Death! Bombs! Bullets! Destruction! This is what the citizens of Iraq, Iran, and other cities over in the middle east have to deal with every day . Many people think, "Oh, those poor American soldiers over there." Bah! I say oh those poor middle eastern children who have no good food to eat and dirty nasty water and houses that were bombed down because of the assumption that there was a terrorist hiding there, or because one of the grenade launchers missed it's target and "accidentally " hit that house instead.

Last week four people were interviewed on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Only one of them said that the whole war was a huge mistake, and I totally agree! That person was democrat, Jan Schakowsky. She says that only three out of eighteen benchmarks were met. Talk about stupidity! One thing that she said was, "Either the troops move out and give peace or keep breaking the vessel."

Government officials say that 30,000 troops may leave Iraq by July, leaving 130,000 still in Iraq, the same amount as before the surge.

Senator Barbara Boxer says "70% of Iraqis say that the surge made things worse" and "who wants this war to continue? Not the Iraqis, not the American citizens, and not the troops."

An Iraqi citizen interviewed by the "News Hour" confirmed what Senator boxer said." When the troops came into Iraq it stayed the same, whether they pull out or stay and it will stay the same no matter what the Americans do."

Zbigniew Brzezinski said in a news report this week that (the so called) President Bush does not listen to the heartbeat of America or its citizens(making for a lousy so called president) .

General Patreaus says that some of the troops may be redeployed come spring without replacements. He also says that the war is not going as he had planned and it may be a success but it will take a lot of work.(Personally I know it will not work.)On the News hour on Wednesday he slipped and told the truth. He said," I've been trying to prevent ... uh.. I mean present the facts as they were told."

When people in America have sons and daughters and other family members fighting a war in an unknown land for nothing more than some "terrorists" and some lousy oil a good, god fearing President would listen to their requests.

Osama Bin Laden released two new tapes, one this week and one last week. The content of the tape included instructions to stay away from America, (which I would heed if there were different circumstances )and covert to Islam which would end the war immediately without further bloodshed and violence. Even for those who dislike Osama you must admit that the troops need to pull out of Iraq instead of dying for a worthless cause.

Surrounded !!

Three hurricanes, and an earthquake in two weeks!!

Mosquito Indians into the Atlantic Ocean where they were later rescued by Phelix, a category five hurricane struck Mosquito Coast last week casting many passing life guards. Most of them have been accounted for but a few still have not been found.

Meanwhile, on the Pacific Ocean another hurricane was reeking havoc. Henriette as she was known, was a category four hurricane and finished the surrounding by heading over the Pacific Ocean and striking San Lucas, Baja California. The damage that was done I do not currently know.

After the horrific hurricanes last week another one appeared. Humberto was a tropical storm when it struck Eastern Texas. In the period of eighteen hours, it reached 85 miles an hour and destroyed anything and everything in its path.

An 8.4 earthquake hit Sumatra creating much damage and loss. Aftershocks shook buildings as far as 12,000 miles away. Death counts are not known but I am still watching and waiting for something else to strike, because I know that America has deserved what she is getting for a very long time. God will destroy them that destroy the earth, so I've read and so I believe, that is why I am doing what I can to help save the environment. For those who want to do the same I suggest reading An Inconvenient Truth and Earth In The Balance by Al Gore, and going to www.phoenixnavigation.com. For those who don't, I say watch out!

TheWar Report

Original story: The MacNeil Lehrer News Hour

The violence in Fallujah has supposedly decreased this week because of the troop surge. Last week US general David Petraeus and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker released their war report after returning from Iraq; and yesterday they were questioned about its contents. General Petraeus said during the questioning that they could not see the pulling out of more than 30,000 US troops this year and in March '08 deciding on a full pullout.

One Iraqi who had seen the War Report called Petraeus' words "The same promise of nothing" and stated that the surge has heightened the violence of the civil war. Senator Barbara Boxer said, "70% of Iraqis say that the surge has made things worse."

Senator Chuck Hagel asked Ambassador Crocker, "Are we going to continue spending blood and treasure (money) like we've been doing?" Ambassador Crocker replied, "We don't know, it depends on the formal decision."

Senator Barack Obama asked, "So is it now thought that the '06 level of violence is making progress?" General Petraeus replied, "Yes, in the face of the civil war we have made progress." Also Senator Warner asked, "Does this war make America any safer?" And to this General Petraeus replied, "Honestly, I don't know."

Last night on the MacNeil Lehrer News Hour, Jim Lehrer asked General Petraeus, "Are these the accurate facts on the situation?" General Petraeus replied, "I tried to prevent, I..I mean present the facts that were told yesterday."

I totally agree with what General Petraeus first said. He probably did try to prevent the FACTS from being told. In fact some of the senators (in support of the surge) when giving their report told that, "We were able to walk through the streets of Fallujah. "Well, according to inside sources:"Every house on that street had at least one soldier in it to ensure that no supporter of the surge (or the Bush gang) was attacked or shot."

In my opinion, it's a nest of vipers telling lies. This war hasn't been about America. George W. Bush used 9/11 as an excuse to start this war. Then lied to Congress about "weapons of mass destruction" (which were never found). And now Bush is getting others to lie for him. This guy needs to be impeached.

About Free Nation School

The Free Nation School is not your average country school for a number of reasons. The first reason is because the teachers (Pam and Ken Rieli) own and operate their own business called Phoenix Navigation and Guidance, which builds turbines, so the students learn about turbines as well. The second reason is because the students (myself included) do special projects in addition to their regular schooling. The third (and most important) reason is because they are environmentally geared.

Last week the students received a hands-on lesson on film making and writing scripts. They each wrote their own 60-second scripts and tested them out on a digital camcorder mounted on a tri-pod. The films were made in preparation of the "60 Seconds to save the earth" competition broadcast on "Current".