A video about the flying AEROGAMI sculptures I make from paper rescued from recycled bins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPK1JeG_v3A

AEROGAMI planes for sale

                                                                  STEALTH

Tampa garden columnist John Starnes (St. Pete Times, Fine Gardening, Florida Gardening) is once again making and selling his flying sculptural paper airplanes called AEROGAMI he sold many hundreds of in Colorado. They are made from very heavy gauge paper, have reinforced fuselages, are painted in many colors, and each is hand signed and dated by the artist. There are many dozens of designs, but all are based are being aerodynamically correct with true airfoil wings, trailing edge camber, and control flaps to allow for banking, loop the loops, or smooth level flight. Due to their sturdy construction one needs a good throwing arm and a big open field to fly them in. If kept dry and picked up BY THE NOSE ONLY, each AEROGAMI plane will last for years. See below some of the designs available. They average 11 inches in length and are $10 each and may be picked up at: 3212 West Paxton Avenue Tampa FL 33611. Call to place an order for a preferred design if you wish: 813 839 0881


AEROGAMI planes are the ideal uinque and affordable gift for this holiday season.

This is a remarkable breakthrough in powering devices! John

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101123174334.htm

A delicious performance of 'Appalachian Spring' in three parts

No other piece of music in all my life has brought me to tears of uncontainable joy as often as has 'Appalachian Spring'. Admiration is one of my favorite emotions, and that Copland could have even conceived of such a remarkably evocative work, and then wrote it down for others to play, fills me with respect and reverence for his abilities. Without any hesitation, I know that this gem, plus the theme song for 'Twin Peaks' (both instrumental and vocal by Julee Cruise), 'I Am The Walrus' by The Beatles, and the original 1970 version of 'Why' by Yoko Ono are perenially my favorite pieces of music, Enjoy, John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI5k9D7J7H4

My AEROGAMI design with the "tail fin" in the nose of the paper airplane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyi2jue7y4c

original video for "I'm Not In Love"

What an exquisitely bittersweet expression of "approach/avoid" romance. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2BavhwpIJg&feature=related

OH how I wish I could live another century to participate in gardening Mars.

Enjoy, John
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Can_We_Grow_Crops_On_Other_Planets_999.html

'Spirit in the Sky' video

I have loved this song since it came out when I was in highschool at Robinson here in south Tampa. So I was delighted to find this original video from back then while deliciously altered.  John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utLrYEWhaXM

Nice cover of The Beatles' 'Golden Slumbers'

I love how well and respectfully this group covers songs by The Beatles. Enjoy,  John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=addNpGRQaiQ&feature=related

My AEROGAMI airplanes

I am re-posting this video about my Stealth type AEROGAMI paper airplanes with the inverted fuselage-becomes-tail design theme. I intend to once again make AEROGAMI planes for sale as holiday gifts. Enjoy, John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPK1JeG_v3A

An evening video of a velvet bean vine tip in my garden Summer 2010

I am really glad that I learned about seven years ago of this remarkable tropical legume that enriches soil with nitrogen via its roots while providing in its seeds the richest known source of natural L-dopa, making it useful to Ayurdevic medicine for the last 4,000 years as an aphrodisiac and adaptogen.. As such this plant can be useful to many folks with Parkinson's and Restless Leg Syndrome, plus those seeking options with Life Extension plans and depression. I really enjoyed seeing this vine tip last summer after entering my back porch lusciously altered.....nice to hear again the tree frogs, crickets, and the coturnix quail I was raising then. I hope you enjoy seeing and hearing this. Enjoy, John


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34bxTxtZ7XY

We can only hope that this sociopathic mass-murderer faces justice in court

....yet currently he gets a book deal, a library, and taxpayer-funded pensions and medical plans.


http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26903.htm

The stuff of sci-fi movies......incredible! John

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101122102804.htm

Very Cool Sounding NON-propellant based space propulsion

I'd never heard of this but it sounds very cool and Star Trekky.......I will Google it for sure. John

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Aerojet_High_Power_Hall_System_Propels_USAF_AEHF_Satellite_999.html

Well....I Googled......there IS a propellant, but in vastly smaller amounts and with zero combustion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect_thruster

"Arm Chair"

I made this sculptural piece of furniture not long after I moved into this house (2000?) after finding curb side two BIG boxes of plastic baby doll parts as Sweety and I walked to Ballast Point one evening. As I recall I bought the chair itself for $5 at a yard sale. It preceded the "Space Couch" and I am sure is a reflection of the tripped out tacky washing machine I had in Denver plus the sparkly altered wood framed chair I made for that house back in the 90s. I almost NEED my furniture to be art vs. a comfy thing to flop down into as I guess due to my ADDHD/stoner busy mind I rarely even have the urge to just "flop" into a squishy chair or couch. About a year after I made it a friend commented one day about my "Arm Chair" and we laughed....she was right!!! John

If you like the comedy 'Airplane' you will love this

'Airplane', 'Caddy Shack', and 'Sordid Lives' are my three favorite comedies. Enjoy! John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fkZdz4Vz10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymMBEwtRZOg&feature=related

'Love is Like Oxygen'

I loved this song as an art major at the Ybor campus of HCC way back then in the mid 70s, so to find this gem is a blessing. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1sgCT7X2c

Remarkable Photos of a Dying Pair of Stars

Enjoy, John

http://www.skynightly.com/reports/WISE_Image_Reveals_Strange_Specimen_In_Starry_Sea_999.html

Nissan Ellure concept car

Check out this futuristically athletic, cab-forward stunner! John

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/11/la-2010-nissan-ellure-concept-previews-future-sedans.html

various objects in my "Gay Trailer Trash on Acid" livingroom

"Quantum Droplet"

"Quantum Foam"

my coffee table that year

Perhaps my favorite sci-fi spaceship of all time....

Queen Amidala's chrome plated stunner, the Naboo cruiser! John

Yet Another Reason to Exercise Daily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101115074040.htm

Heartwarming Rescue of Baby Hummingbird

Enjoy! John

http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird/

"War on Terror" and 9-11 are frauds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7dbkkBIA&feature=related

Bush joking about no WMDs

In his "book" he claims to be "sickened" that no WMDs were found in Iraq. So what's with his "joke" at a dinner when at that point over 2,800 American soldiers, and many tens of thousands of Iraqis had died? When will this spoiled arrogant monster face charges for war crimes and treason instead of getting a huge pension, a health care plan that none of us could dream of, and a book deal?! John


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_tFKa2_YBQ

An evocative video and audio palindrome in reverse

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward.Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite too. This is only a 1 minute 44 second long video, but it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen...forward and backward. This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.



http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Fossilized Dinosaur Embryos!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101111163339.htm

Luigi Colani: Design Genius

Since the early 80s this man has inspired me as a man who has loved futurism since I was 10 years old in the U.P. of Michigan. I remember seeing his breathtaking airliner design based on the forms of a shark in the 80s and being stunned, inspired and transfixed.....in 2010 I still feel the same. Enjoy, John

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/05/extravagant-designs-by-luigi-colani.html

Natto

I feel that western culture and the health industry should look closely at the ancient Japanese probiotic soybean food 'natto'. John


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSUQdogKVOg

Appalachian Spring: live

As many years as this piece has moved me ( it is right near the top with Yoko Ono's 'Why' and The Beatles' 'I Am The Walrus' and the theme for 'Twin Peaks' for me) I keep getting delightfully surprised at how malleable of a work it is in the hands of conductors and orchestras. I love the balanced mix of string and brass and percussion in this performance, plus find the attractive conductor's athletically sensual style of joining all musicians present into one cohesive group admirable. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybnMoNMI8WY&feature=related

"The 7 modern sins: politics without principles, pleasures without conscience, wealth without work, knowledge without character, industry without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice." -Canon Frederick Donaldson

A Remarkable Fossil Shrimp

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109172349.htm

a very nice performance of 'Appalachian Spring'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Zc9enoGCg

A joke I saw on CNN Ticker that cuts to the chase

"Having Republicans complain about fiscal irresponsibility reminds me of the story of the young man who, upon being convicted for murdering his parents, pleaded for leniency because he was an orphan. Idiots."

'The Impotence of Elections'

This man's work and credentials are superb. He cuts right to the truth. John

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=21760

Fitness Program Update

I continue to be stunned by strength gains resulting from taking L-arginine in juice a half hour before a workout, a whey protein shake immediately after, plus taking the Velvet Beans medicinally in 3 week cycles. Just last week I stunned myself by being able to do 56 lb. preacher curls at my gym.....today it was 61 lbs! I am also seeing big leaps in strength when doing decline presses on the machine there. I gained 3 lbs. last week due in part I am sure to a ton of leftover potato and macaroni salad and fried chicken my neighbor Theresa gave me after a family dinner in memory of her husband Bill who passed away recently. But a few friends remind me that muscle weighs more than fat (which I continue to lose due in part to my 24 mile bike ride 3 times weekly) so maybe PART of that three pounds is my very visibly increasing biceps and pecs. Very encouraging after years of no real progress! John

I LOVE to eat and so I LOVE to cook for me and friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X_-WNpk43E

Abba

What a treat to stumble onto this high-quality video of 'Dancing Queen' and remember being a newly out art major who had just discovered remarkable magic from mushrooms and dancing my young brains out at the El Goya gay bar in Ybor City, Tampa.

I will always treasure most of the excesses of my decadent early 20s. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s&ob=av2n

I'd forgotten just how much I loved this song back then in the 80s until stumbling onto this video tonight. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ixRWvrkUHo&NR=1

I stumbled on this very creatively evocative rock song/video I'd never heard of. Enjoy, John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvMoRVrqx_I&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Great YouTube Video Channel for RC Foamies

I like the two flying wings in this fun clip. These guys make GREAT RC planes and videos about them.....plus the charming guy on the left is a hunk I think I am getting an internet crush on! I have SO much to learn about electric RC foamies but it is fun as all get out doing something so new that yet harkens to my childhood love of futuristic airplanes and rockets. Enjoy. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEqRNauq2RM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

My Bike Ride for Cardio Fitness, Bird Watching, Weight Loss and Mood Enhancement

My gardening friend Mary Jo today let me know that my ride up Bayshore from Gandy, around Davis Island (the long, beach hugging route) and back is 22 miles. Avena feels that from my house to Gandy and Bayshore is maybe 1/2 mile. Cool to see something new in my life that I so enjoy three times weekly quantified into miles. My resting heart rate has already lowered, and I am getting closer all the time to having visible abs after losing 12 lbs. of gnarly-looking body fat this last year of making some healthier decisions.

One treasured benefit is my getting so much more familiar with the Tampa Bay I love....what a trip to see dolphins chasing schools of mullets churning the water's surface with their sheer numbers, or seabirds wading, diving or paddling. Plus I am much more keenly aware of our often stunning sunsets.

Another is ogling wonderfully built lean men running and biking and cycling up and down Bayshore on that same wonderful 3.8 mile sidewalk hugging the bay.....why did I not do this 7 years ago when two knee injuries forced me to stop my 5:30 AM jog up Bayshore to Howard Avenue and back? Seeing those guys' sculpted torsos is a huge inspiration for me to continue my trend of more muscle and less fat. Plus I love to "window shop".

John

'Walking on Thin Ice'

I love this video overlay that someome created over one of my Top Five dance songs, one that Yoko Ono and John Lennon recorded the night he was killed. Incredible dance beat, prophetic lyrics indeed. John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J7X7s8S1ns&feature=list_related&a=GxdCwVVULXco7wGl5O7c8YMgA5VkAqiY&list=ML&playnext=1

Altered Star Trek Landscape Print

'U.S.S. Columbia'

I created this image in memory of the space shuttle Columbia after their tragically failed return to Earth. It is a high resolution digital print on low acid paper measuring 15.5 inches by 12.5 inches. The price is $195, free shipping. No. 2 in the series. Please use the PayPal button the bottom of the blog to provide payment, name and shipping address for prompt delivery. Thanks in advance for inviting my artwork into your home or business.

John

Blended Wing Body RC Scratch Built Foamy

This is going to be fun. John


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNP2AWDf61s

a poem I wrote in my early 30s to address my innate fearfulness

To this day I keep it framed on my livingroom wall and read it a few times per year to refresh the energy. John


DICTUM


Live a Big Life.

Stretch the skin of each new day
then fill it with the flesh of your dreams.

Find the frozen stone of your fear
and chip it into sparks
to illumine the wonders that you can do.

Tell a Big Truth so bright
that the light of it flies out from your mouth
into the dark places
beneath every stone
behind every building
inside every mind.

Let your words and deeds be trusted things
that others can hold and treasure
as perennial measures of honor.

And every time you do the right thing
a stain will fade from the hearts of your children
their grandparents
and you.

Ask a Big Question.
Never lose the cool hunger of your youthful eyes…
learn of the mysteries
inside a lover,
a seed,
even you.

Use your Fear to taste the dark sweetness
reserved for heroes
so that when Death does come
you will have really BEEN,
you will have truly SEEN.

And as you leave that frail human shell,
it a faded chrysalis,
feel the quiver of your new, unseen wings.
　
　
John Starnes
　

Yet One More Reason to Avoid Antibiotics.....

and make eating probiotic foods like kefir, natto, tempeh, yogurt, and kimchee central to one's diet. John

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101101083144.htm

Healthy Sustainable Weight Loss

Twenty pounds of excess body fat on a small framed man like me is not a pretty sight.....and I like to "get lucky" whenever possible. Plus the "apple shape" is a heart attack risk factor. In the last year I've lost 12 pounds while adding muscle mass, with losing a final 8-10 pounds my goal. Here is how I lost that 12 pounds, VERY slowly at first, then more rapidly as of late.

The pic of me with pecs to die for was rendered hilariously some months back by a very skilled photochopper by the screen name of 'MonaroSS' at the forum http://www.gminsidenews.com/ that I have belonged to for years. He is a straight guy in Australia who noted my appreciation for men with nice pecs...so he grabbed my avatar image and grafted it onto a torso I know I will never have...but with me also achieving BIG time strength gains in the gym due to supplementing with whey protein, L-arginine, and three week cycles of Velvet Beans (like a high school kid I've even rolled up my shirt sleeve and told a few friends "Feel my first ever bicep!!!") seeing this comical image does sort of inspire me to stick with these new approaches:

1. No seconds (I love my own cooking)

2. More protein, fewer carbs

3. Taking my iodine supplements more routinely

4. Serving my meals on salad vs. dinner plates....and again no seconds.

5. Starting an approx. 16 mile bike ride up Bayshore Blvd., around Davis Island then back home

about a month ago (this has lowered my resting heart rate, plus the endorphins are helping me

push back against a low grade depression that I "owned" about a month ago stemming from

losing my dog Sweety on May 11, my long-suffering Mom on May 28th, then the VERY recent

demise of a rapidly evolving delightful 7 month long intimate friendship that suddenly

appeared last April after 2 years of "discreet meetings" with a handsome, intelligent and very

articulate sweet man who suddenly announced several days ago he is not gay and ended our laughter-filled, fun and often tender friendship....LOTS of loss for me to process. Had I been biking all these years after 2 knee injuries forced me to stop running 7 years ago I doubt I'd have packed on that gnarly-looking 20 plus pounds!

Treadmills and elipticals bore me in minutes....but I SAVOR this bike three times weekly,

seeing birds and dolphins, how the waters of Tampa Bay shift. I am using "intervals"...peddle

hard for a few minutes, like into the wind, or up a bridge to get my heart rate up, then slow, back and forth.

6. I take smaller bites and eat more slowly after a lifetime of being a vacuum cleaner at the

table. The only fast food I eat is Taco Bell bean burritos....up until a few years ago I could eat

FOUR.....by last year it was 2. Nowadays just 1 fills me! The only downside to downsizing

my stomach is during my monthly feast at Tampa Buffet at Britton Plaza, I now can eat just

3 plates of sushi and cooked seafood vs. 7.

7. I am not a snacker unless I am "altered" but if I get evening hunger I chug-a-lug ice cold

filtered water right from the pitcher in the fridge.

8. I cook only with healthy oils like coconut, roasted sesame and extra virgin olive, but now I

use them LIGHTLY vs. slathering them into meals as I cook.

Regardless of the progress I make I doubt I will be posting pics of me shirtless any time soon, so enjoy the hilarious photochop that MonaroSS posted at the GM forum as a open, good natured joke,

John