The Welshman

Being Frugal

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:57:00 +0000

My sister has a new blog - all about being frugal. Some good ideas. Check it out at The Frugal Bugle

Leave her comments/feedback - she would like that.

- Martin

Another Song from Gareth Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:17:00 +0000

Here's a cover that Gareth did - a Manchester Orchestra song called "Don't Let Them See You Cry". Enjoy.

I don't think this link is working properly. If it works OK for you, let me know. I'll try and fix it tonight.
Don%27t%20let%20them%20see%20you%20cry%20COVER.mp3

- Martin

yaari

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:14:00 +0000

If you received an email from me inviting you to join Yaari. It is spam - please ignore. And stay away from that site. More data here if you need it: http://tinyurl.com/2xyyke

Thanks,
Martin

K Spencer Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Check out Spencer's website: K Spencer Jones' Productions

Gareth Jamming on his own with a dime

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:41:00 +0000

Here is Gareth messing around on the guitar.
Gareth1.mp3

Matt Dancing 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:56:00 +0000

This is one cool video:

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=a65091fd-f745-
4bc7-b102-31d604d09a20&playlist=videoByTag:tag:viral:ns:
Gallery:mk:us:vs:1&from=MSNHP&tab=m137&GT1=42003

You may have to cut and paste this link. If you have
any trouble do a search on Matt Dancing 2008

Have fun,

Martin

Phil's motorcycle trip

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:33:00 +0000

My brother and Paul are on a motorcycle trip to Canada and back. Check out the blog here:

http://bikerattic.blogspot.com

- Martin

Spencer back from Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Spencer arrived back from Haiti alive and well and full of stories. This was the Youth for Human Rights Tour. They met with various Haitian Government and UN agencies. I'll get him to write his stories so that I can post some here. Hopefully, he'll also put some these stories on his MySpace page. He has some of his pictures posted at Spencer's MySpace Page. Find the "pics" link beneath the Picture over on the left. Then you will see the Picture link for the Haiti pictures. I've included one here.

He loved the trip and met some really great people. He said there are a lot of wonderful people that really are trying to improve conditions there.

Enjoy the pictures. We'll get some stories up soon.

Love,
Martin

Human Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:36:00 +0000

We dropped son Spencer off at the Tampa airport this morning. He's on his way to Haiti. He will be working with a UN delegation promoting Human Rights. He is going as a representative of the Youth For Human Rights organization. He will be there for a week doing all the photography and video for the program. Spencer was picked from about 20 people for this trip. It is very exciting for him. Haiti is a beautiful country but politically and economically pretty depressed. And it is one of the poorest countries in the Western World. The group is going there because of the many human rights violations. They are doing what they can to help the new government in this respect. Spencer told me that he will be with UN bodyguards the whole time he is there. This is quite a cool project.

Spencer has been making films since he was 11 years old and also taking pictures for the last few. You can see some of his pictures here: Spencer Jones (I hope this link works.)

He will obviously be taking hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures of Haiti and we'll let you know when they can be viewed online.

:)
Martin

MSG - In Everything?

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:12:00 +0000

I had done some research several years ago on MSG and thought I had taken it completely out of my diet. My sister-in-law dug a little deeper in her research and below is her article. Please note that when she speaks of vegetable protein, this also includes soya protein. So, if you think you are getting a product with protein in it, well, read on...

"Weight Loss, Forget About It, Unless You Stop Eating This!
by Willie Jones

I do a lot of research on health and nutrition and nothing makes me madder than the food industry intentionally, without my permission and yours, producing food that causes you and I not only to be addicted to it, but makes us fat! They do this by adding MSG to just about everything we eat!

I admire people like John Erb, who was a research assistant at the University of Ontario and wrote the book, “The Slow Poisoning of America”, as one of the many people blowing the whistle on MSG. The subject of MSG is not new, but not enough attention is being paid to it and the food industry is certainly not going to tell you about it because they are making too much money from it.

MSG is so pervasive in our society that you may not be aware that you are consuming it daily. It is in processed foods, canned, frozen or boxed, restaurants and fast food chains. My husband and I were shocked to find MSG in almost all the vitamin supplements we had. Most consumers are not aware of it because we are being tricked with labeling.

MSG has many aliases. Here is a list of some of the other names for MSG:

- Monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, glutamic acid

- Anything that says hydrolyzed (such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein)

- Anything that says Autolyzed

- Anything that says natural flavor, or flavors, natural flavoring, flavorings

- Calcium caseinate

- Sodium caseinate

- Yeast extract

- Seasonings

- Soy protein, wheat protein, whey protein, anything fortified protein

- Textured protein

- Carrageenan

- Gelatin

- Soy sauce

- Worcestershire sauce

- Bouillon, pork, chicken, beef

- Barley malt, malt extract, maltodextrin

- Enzymes

- Corn syrup, corn starch, dextrose

- Citric acid

You may be asking how it is possible that MSG can come under so many different names. The FDA has stated that if you use MSG in a product it must be labeled that way. If you use for example: hydrolyzed vegetable protein (which has MSG in it) it must be labeled by its common name and not MSG. This is the loophole the food industry uses to hide the word MSG.

Studies done over the last 30 years on rats have consistently shown that MSG makes them fat. Rats are not naturally fat so it has to be created. The studies done showed up to a 40% increase in appetite in the rats fed with MSG.

It works like this. Your tongue has receptors to detect sugars, carbohydrates, fats and protein, and it is used to determine if actual food is in your mouth. The food industry has figured out that MSG fools the taste receptors into thinking it is going to be receiving protein or sugars etc, so now your pancreas now goes into action releasing insulin to do its job. Within half an hour to an hour you have a blood sugar drop and you want to eat again. So you eat more food with MSG and you continue this circuit over and over again. And don’t forget to check your diet foods, which are usually loaded with MSG.

True weight loss is achieved by the few who have true stamina and will power because for the rest of us, well, the odds are stacked against us. The food industry wants you to buy their food and keep you addicted and keep you gaining weight because now companies can jump on the band wagon and get you buying weight loss pills and prescription drugs. Is there MSG in the diet and prescription pills? The odds are very high that this is the case.

If you have struggled with weight and health issues without success, don’t just give up hope yet. Education is the key. It is up to you to decide what you want to do with this information. For my husband and I, we have given up MSG and we eat organic. I have lost 20 lbs to date and feel great. There are some reputable companies that produce superior products without MSG and pesticides and it is worth seeking them out and supporting their efforts while getting you and your family healthy.

I hope this helps!

Sources: Blaylock, Russell L., M.D. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504, 1994. Schwartz, George R., M.D. and Schwartz, Kathleen A. In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Willie is a researcher and freelance writer whose own health problems prompted her to gain information on health and wellness and share that knowledge with others. She is co-owner of
Clean Body Detox a site that focuses on detox through foot baths and a foot massager.

PANGEA, The International Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:22:00 +0000

This afternoon I was having a double Expresso in Pangea on Fort Harrison in Clearwater Florida while speaking to Geri, one of the owners. I struck up a conversation with another patron. She mentioned that she'd spent most of her adult life in India. Well, my father lived in India for 30+ years, so I asked her where she'd been. She told me that she'd lived in Vrindavan - the exact same town where my father had lived. Not only that she had visited the hospital where my father had worked. My father Doctor Glyn Jones, was a doctor at that hospital and a member of the Vedanta - a Hindu sect. I had been to Vridavan 20 years ago and it was wonderful hearing about it again from someone who had lived there more recently. Also, interesting were some of the changes occurring within India. She plans on writing a book - hopefully, she does so - I'll certainly read it. Here you can see a picture that I took - this was just outside the gates of the hospital.

New Coffee Shop in Clearwater Florida - PANGEA

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Check out this great new coffee shop in downtown Clearwater. Reminds me of Queen St West in Toronto. And the coffee is excellent! They are open from 7 am to 2 am so it feels even more like Queen Street. I've included one picture but you really have to go there to get the feel of it. It's just north of Cleveland on Fort Harrison. Check it out:) and give them your feedback - they want to know what the community needs and wants.

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:28:00 +0000

A friend of mine sent me this
absolutely great quote from
Dr Seuss:

"Be who you are and
Say what you feel,
because those who mind
don't matter and those
who matter don't mind."
- Dr Seuss

Sun Tzu

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:06:00 +0000

I love reading Sun Tzu - The Art of War

So many applications to many areas of life. Here's a great quote:

"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."
Chapter 10 - Terrain

Have a great day.
Martin

Brandon Vermont and my Cousin/Aunt Edna Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:39:00 +0000

The coolest thing happened yesterday. I do sales calls as one of my jobs and get calls from all over the country. Yesterday I got a call from a woman and I needed to ask her where she was from. She told me Brandon, Vermont. I said that I had a cousin that had lived there - that she had died last year in August. It is a small town, so she asked me her name. I said Edna Jones. "Oh! I loved Edna!!" was her immediate reply. She went on to tell me several stories about how playful Edna was. Edna was about 87 when she died. My new friend told me that she taught exercise classes and did so for the elderly, one of which was Edna. Well, they had a young man there fresh out of college. Both of the women told this young man, very seriously, that Edna's dog - a miniature pit bull - needed exercise. Well, next class, sure enough, Edna brings in the dog and the young trainer has him on the treadmill - what a hoot!

Well, if you want to see one of the prettiest towns in America, visit this beautiful place. For some reason I didn't take any photos while I was there. I always thought I'd get back to see Edna. I was there about 3 summers ago and we were having lunch in an outdoor restaurant on the main street. Some of Edna's elderly lady friends came by and Edna introduced me to them mentioning that I was a photographer. Well, we almost had a whole calendar planned by the end of lunch! (Remember 'Calendar Girls'?)

Make sure that you visit some of the Galleries when you are in Brandon and ask about Edna Jones.

Have a good one.
- Martin

NIagara Falls Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:17:00 +0000

If you are into travelling and have never been to Niagara Falls, check out my sister Gwen's blog: Niagara Falls Blog. If you do a search to check out other activities, remember it's Niagara NOT Niagra. Check it out. You may want to wait till Spring - the flowers are unbelievable - but if you can stand the cold, if there's snow, that's quite beautiful as well.

Enjoy!

- Martin

Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 22:26:00 +0000

So, we don't have snow or cold here - so how does one make it feel Christmasy? It's not easy - it kinda sneaks up on you - but - BUT - many people in the area get creative with lights. You can see here that our neighbour has redefined the appearance of a Christmas tree.

Also, go to Facebook.com and add me as friend - you can see a bunch of pics of the kids.

What do I think of Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:23:00 +0000

The other day I overheard someone "bah-humbug" Christmas. It startled me really and got me to thinking - what does Christmas mean to me? I grew up a Christian - went to Church and all, plus I had more than a little exposure to Eastern philosophy and religion as my father was a follower of the Hindu religion. And now I'm a Scientologist.

Take away all the commercialism of Christmas - it is looked upon by many as a Christian holiday but - a celebration at this time of year is not new to Christianity. My understanding of Hinduism is that there are many ways to God - so generally they will honor or acknowledge religious celebrations of other faiths as well as their own.

My view of Christmas - it's a celebration of the spirit of Man - a celebration of all that's good in us. It's a time I can read Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas In Wales to my friends; people greet each other more effusively; I can phone someone that I otherwise wouldn't, just because it's Christmas; if I smile at someone on the street anywhere in the world and tell them "Merry Christmas" it's ok and they'll smile back and wish me well.

That's all very cool stuff.

So, have a great Christmas and give someone a smile and a hug.

love,
Martin

Adventure on the Catamaran

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:21:00 +0000

I’ll take adventure however I can get it. Sunday, Grant and I decided to move my catamaran to his place. The reason for this was that we could leave it in the water for some of the time and wouldn’t have to go through battling the mast every time we wanted to go sailing. We decided to do this a bit late in the day and with the time change it didn’t leave us much daylight. We got the boat out and started sailing a bit before 5, giving us about an hour or so of daylight. Note here that I’ve been sailing about 4 times in my life – I had Grant’s daughter Amber with me but she knew virtually nothing about sailing so essentially, first time alone.) Grant took the car back to his house to meet us. Well about 5-10 minutes out and I realized that I hadn’t put the plugs back in the boat before we launched. For those of you who don’t know – these plugs allow the water to drain when the boat is out of the water but obviously needs to be replace before venturing back into the deeps. So, to continue – I jumped down on the first pontoon and told Amber to just hold the tiller where it was – steady. Well, of course, the wind didn’t cooperate and just as I was reaching down it shifted the boat and I was thrown off! Now it is very hard to swim and laugh at the same time. I was swimming like a banshee and shouting at Amber to turn into the wind – it took her a minute to figure this one out. And all the while I was trying not to laugh at myself and my predicament – swimming after a sailboat. She managed to slow it down and I caught up. I screwed the plugs back in and we continued. We were having to tack back and forth a great deal because of the direction of the wind and we got to watch a very nice sunset and were getting a bit nervous about sailing the last half in the dark. We were sailing on the intercoastal so it’s pretty safe and lots of lights but none on the boat. Anyway, fate solved this one for us as well. We were sailing in toward the mainland right near the Dunedin Marina – I was just about to come about and the fastening for the tiller came off. (I promise you that I checked that and all other fastenings before we left.) It was an “Oh God” moment. But - we were aimed at the only 20 foot piece of beach on that side for 3-4 miles either way. I was able to keep us pointed to that little patch of safety. The whole thing was a total blast! But I don’t think Amber wants to go sailing with me anymore. This did give us an excuse to go sailing Monday morning though and it really was a gorgeous day. You can see here a picture of my boat parked on the water at Grant’s place.

Mom's Reception

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 15:42:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write a few words about my mum for a while. It hasn't been easy to confront. She died in February and it took a while...

We had a reception at my brother's place a few days after mum died in February and the four of us with much difficulty said a few words. I knew it would be very difficult for me to speak so I borrowed some words from a couple of different passages. The first was from the Bhagavad-gita. My father was a Hindu and mum kept a copy of this book. It is very lengthy and it is a beautiful work - I just stole a few lines:

“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.”

Mum was always learning - taking courses - traveling – she lived life. I couldn’t read the whole poem but read a few lines from Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

You can read the rest of it at Dylan Thomas

My sister said something about my mother that was quite profound, beautiful and a wonderful thing about her that we could all aspire to. Mum had amazing communication lines. I remember Niels telling me that mum would get several letters a day in the mail sometimes when she lived in Denmark. My memories of her when I was very little were of her in the evenings sitting on the couch writing letters to friends and family. When she got email she was thrilled.

Gwen pointed out that mum never waited for someone else to contact her or start the conversation. She would call or write you first (needless to say she was happy when you wrote or emailed or called back). So, Gwen’s invitation at the ceremony was that people not wait for someone to call or write them but to start the communication themselves. It’s tough in our busy lives but try it. Find someone that you’d like to be in communication with and write or email or call – don’t wait for them.

Keep well – write me any time.

Martin

In July

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:26:00 +0000

Watched a German film last evening called "In July" German with English subtitles. I'm not always thrilled with subtitles, though I generally prefer them to dubbing. I wasn't long into the film when I failed to notice whether I was reading anything at all. Perhaps it's all my years being around Dutch and German. Also, it is a very visual movie. Loosely based on Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, the "lovers" wend their way through Europe from Germany to Turkey. Enjoy - two thumbs up!! I'll try and set up a page of movies that I like - look for a link on the right. And send me yours.

My Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Mom died at 2 am this morning (Tuesday the 20th of February). We we with her to the end. She went peacefully in her sleep. I'll miss her like crazy. I'll put some more info about her here over the next few days. I wrote an article on my other blog about things she taught me in photography.

Check that out at my Photo Article Blog

Martin

Things My Mother Taught Me About Photogrpahy

noreply@blogger.com (Martin Jones) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:38:00 +0000

My mother was one of those people who took lots of pictures and cared about what she was shooting. She actually would submit her pictures to contests and win prizes. The first thing she said to me about taking pictures was “watch your background”. Told more than once, I daresay – like many other thing that were hounded into my thick skull. You might say, “Watch your background – Well of course!! Who wouldn't?” Yeah, I know, but one needs to look further – see what resulted from that simple command.

When you are watching the background, hopefully you are really looking at the whole picture. That's what this imperative got me to doing: looking. Instead of just pointing away willy nilly with the camera, even as a youngster I tended to slow down and look. This fared me well later in life when I was in India visiting my father. You can see photos of that trip here and I'll tell you more about how and why on another page.

Even as a child the photos that had fewer and fewer clothlines and spires sticking out the tops of people heads. Not only that with the simple drill of looking the composition naturally became more attractive.

Nor did it hurt that my siblings and I had use of a camera that used 2 ¼ film. We really had no idea of how fortunate we were. I never really notice what others were using so didn't know what was being generally used back then.

So the next time you pick up a camera and rush out to take pictures of the cousins from Nebraska , slow down a bit and look – tell me if you can see what the camera sees.

- Martin