I am CuTRis

During our hike in Central Wilkie today, we saw a lot of birds. Here is a Myrtle Warbler and a Bald Eagle.

Publish America has cut the price of my first novel in half (on their website only), in a price war with Amazon.com. It's a limited time offer. Anyone who was put off by the fact that Publish America charges too much, has another chance... K. Click here to buy or view my (first)book .

Happy Earth Day!

Cutris looked really good in the presidential debate last night. But how did he end up in the Democratic debate when he's an independent?

In spite of the training films and doctor's warnings, Kevin pushed the "Wrong" button anyway. Such is the danger of "live" TV.

More Scandal Surrounds Presidential Candidate Cutris April 10, 2008 UnAssociated Press Once again, presidential candidate Cutris is involved in a scandal . More photos have surfaced, that show Cutris disobeying rules. The first photograph shows Cutris holding onto a government trespass warning sign. An attorney consulted on the matter, said that it is unlikely that Cutris was actually in violation at the time the picture was taken, as he would probably have to have been behind the sign. The next photo shows Cutris standing beneath a high voltage tower, with a caution sign. When asked about the photo, Cutris told reporters that he had been hiking, and "didn't see" the tower as he posed for a picture. "It's the established political parties," he told the press. "They're afraid that I am going to win the presidential election. They'll do anything to discredit me!" The Cutris campaign seems largely unaffected by the so called scandal. In fact,...

Cutris Sprouts Wood to Promote Book April 9, 2008 UnAssociated Press In a promotional stunt to plug his new novel, "Cottonwood," Cutris has sprouted wood. The author and presidential candidate told reporters this morning, that he woke up with the wood, but it went away a short time later. Just how a man could turn into a tree and then back into a man is still under investigation. The U.S. Forest Service has been called to head up the case.

Cutris Sells Real Estate on Mars! April 2, 2008 UnAssociated Press Presidential candidate Cutris has been absent from public view lately, but was recently seen selling real estate on the planet Mars! "It's a brand new market!" said Cutris . "I haven't sold too many plots yet, but it's only a matter of time." One thing is for sure, Cutris continues to be on the cutting edge.

Today I went hiking on the proposed state trail in the Long Meadow Lake unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Much of the time I wasn't actually on any trails, but rather I was hiking through the woods. The snow melt has caused a lot of flooding, and my knee boots were a necessity. The first picture shows a huge cottonwood tree that tipped over. I'm there to give some perspective to the size of the tree. The second picture shows a couple of the two dozen or so White-tailed deer I saw. Three of them were actually following me for awhile, as they can get rather curious when they don't think you are a threat.

March weather is interesting, with warm temperatures and sun one day and snow the next... like today...

President George W. Bush marked yesterday's anniversary of year five in the Iraq war, by saying that he made the right decision. This after the May 1, 2003 "Mission Accomplished" speech, 4,000 dead U.S. soldiers, many more casualties, 80,000 dead Iraqi civilians, billions of dollars spent, our economy faltering, gas at an all time high, Al-Qaeda now in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan still burning (on the second burner), and NO WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRUCTION! Way to stick to your guns there George... When vice-president DICK Cheney was asked (courtesy of ABC) about recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans saying the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?" "You don't care what the American people think?" Martha Raddatz asked the vice-president. "You can't be blown off course by polls," said Cheney, who is currently touring the Middle East. Wow... how can you be so stupidly arrogant? Unless you are rich and out-of-tou...

Here is the beaver we saw in Louisville Swamp today.

Presidential Candidate Cutris Photos March 10, 2008 UnAssociated Press Presidential candidate Cutris is proving to be extremely unorthodox, as he has been photographed recently with Republican John McCain, and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. "I'm just having a good time!" Cutris told reporters over the weekend. Though he consented to be photographed with President George W. Bush and John McCain, the look on Cutris' face seems to betray his true feelings. Cutris looks into the distance with Hillary Clinton. The two candidates seem to get along quite well, leading to the question of whether they may join forces. Cutris ponders something that Obama said. It's "thumbs up" for the Cutris campaign!

In the war of man vs. bacteria, bacteria started out by historically kicking our asses. Then, antibiotics turned the tables on the little bugs, and in sheer numbers of killed and destroyed, man has taken the lead. Still, how many bacteria does it take to equal one human being? Chances are, bacteria will outlive, overtake and pass by human beings within our ever-changing, and growing toxic world. What if in it's resistance to drugs, a certain type of bacteria had a super growth burst and they were the size of Cocker Spaniels? They got into your house from somewhere, and liked to hang around the kitchen and bathroom. You'd have to smash them with a club, which could be hard on the furniture, but then… what choice would you have? At least if they grew to that size, you could always shoot threatening bacteria. It might take them awhile to develop an immunity to bullets.

Yesterday while hiking in the Bloomington Ferry Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, we were fortunate to find a Great Horned Owl.

As a volunteer park ranger in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, I've seen firsthand how a lot of diversity is generally good for the environment. In contrast, any group that overpopulates puts a strain on the ecosystem. Diversity in human populations is in my opinion, also a good thing. What isn't good is all of the bickering that goes on between certain groups. Human beings were originated from common ancestors, which is why our genetic material is so similar. Likely the nomadic way of life in the early days caused geographical separations between populations that resulted in genetic separations, which resulted in physical differences. Still, some of the great societies of the past were multi-racial. With the advances in travel and technology, it seems that racial blending will only continue to grow. That brings up an interesting question. Will the blending of the races actually reduce the diversity as the human population becomes multiracial? Perhaps, yet genetic...

In a wonderful deviation from what we might usually expect of international politics, the New York Philharmonic played a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea today. There were no soldiers, no guns and no politics. The orchestra played and was well received by those in attendance. The concert was televised live, which was rather unusual in the secretive confines of North Korea. It makes me wonder what would happen to the world if countries sent "invading" musicians instead of soldiers to settle disputes. With all of the international conflicts, I was given a bit of hope today. The people of North Korea shown on the TV news were not monsters, goose-stepping to some outdated communist war march. The musicians were not kicking in doors of people's houses in some remote village. They were all just people, drawn together by music and a long overdue cultural exchange. How fantastic is that?

The USS Lake Erie fired a missle at a failed US spy satellite Wednesday night. It scored a direct hit 153 miles above the Earth, at 22,000 miles-per-hour. That's why I say hey man, nice shot.

In case you missed last night's lunar eclipse, here is a picture I took. It was a spectacular full moon anyway, the eclipse was pretty awesome.

I once spoke to a friend who works in the psychology field. Both of us agreed with a recent article that surmised that nearly every human being probably suffers from some form of post-traumatic-stress. I recently spoke to one of my bosses whom I've known for a long time. He thought I seemed happier than I used to. I told him that it was mostly an attitude I'd gotten when things looked bad and those two eagles flew over my head and the wind whispered in their wings. Right about then, I decided that I was the luckiest man alive. Realistically, I had changed my entire life to chase a dream and try to find happiness. That action, however, brought me to where I am now –which is a much happier “place.” My band is recording some of our 150something original songs. It’s work. We can usually get one song down in an evening. Lately the recordings have been great. I think we’re learning how to manage everything in the process. Once I get a copyright on a CD’s worth (at least the ones I wr...