[Arktwo] All is well

[Bruce Beach]

Just so busy at Ark Two
that there has been no time to write -
but all is well.

First we had the Medical Group meeting
and it took me about three weeks afterwards
to generate another 50 WebPages from it
for our web site.

http://www.webpal.org/a_reconstruction/medicine/index.htm

These are basically the outline
for the materials that we need
to collect and organize -
although a large amount has been collected.

Big wind blast
took down half of big tree by house -
and in our taking down the other half
we accidentally knocked down
the 60ft TV antenna tower.
We now have the tree and antenna tower
in stacks -
with much help from friend, neighbour and son.

Also have repaired truck roof -
that was hit by tree - again.
Then my wife put me onto a major activity
of setting up the wood cook stove.
Major help from neighbours
and son-in-law came and built
fire protection wall.

Miraculously -
and it truly seemed a miracle to us
of Biblical proportions -
the oil which we were afraid would run out
during the Medical meeting
over a month ago -
continued to hold on
during the stove installation.
It would have been very difficult
if it had not.

To install the stove -
meant we had to take up the carpet
in the dining room -
and to change a lot of things around.
Daughter, granddaughter and friend,
and villager who is a professional carpet layer -
came to help with that activity -
which still took several days.
But we now have our carpet -
and that of about four other's -
to lay down in the garden next year.
So that is well.

The oil stayed on even for the agricultural meeting.
That was another blessing
because we had visitors from the US
for both that and the medical meeting.
That worked out very well.

But now we are on wood.
Keeps me a bit busy -
bringing in the wood -
stoking the fire -
etc.
but we see this all as a blessing
in that it is now one more area
it which we are in practice
should there be a catastrophe.
So - all is well.

Still not completely up to speed
on the wood
because we need a log splitter -
but a neighbour is going to help us see
about building one
tomorrow.
May take awhile.

We do indeed stay busy.
And miracle after miracle
continues to occur.
We have been donated the wire
that we needed for the telephone / intercom system
although we still have to get it installed.
But, still, all is well.

Highest priority at the moment
is finding and fixing a leak
in the water settling tank.
Always something.

One member donated a worm farm on Sunday -
so this morning Jean is feeding the worms
and yesterday our beekeeper
brought by the year's supply of honey.
All is well.

May have someone coming
starting next week
to stay with us for awhile.
We have lots to do
so this will be a great blessing.
All is well.

I have kept lots of notes
over the last three weeks
from news items
about which to write about -
but as with most everything today -
all subjects have flip flopped
a couple of times
in that length of time
but at the moment -
all is well.

The stock market is going back up.
The US dollar exchange is rising this morning.
The meetings are going well in Annapolis.
Israel and Palestine are talking
for the first time in seven years.
Smiles in the Oval Office.
All is well.

No great number of rocket attacks
are taking place from Hamas or Hezbollah.
Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, China and Russia
all seem to have gone on a back burner
with what is going on in Annapolis.
All is well.

Christmas is coming -
sales are said to be good in the stores -
Congress is being quiet -
we had a low hurricane season -
the big fires are burned out in California -
no big flu epidemics being reported.
All is well.

As of this morning
the riots in France are subdued -
no major storms are in the forecast -
(well our roads were closed yesterday -
and power outages a couple of times
but what can you expect -
we are in Canada).
All is well.

There are some reports of
terrorists,
female bomber,
US servicemen casualties,
a rocket here and there,
civilian casualties in Afghanistan,
political turmoil in Pakistan,
incursions from and against the Kurds
by Turkey and Iran -
but still and all -
that is about as stable as it gets.
So, all is well.

A bit of fuming by Ahmadijinad -
that Israel must cease to exist -
and that he has launched
a 2000 mile range missile -
and that he now has better long-range subs -
and that he is going ahead with his nuke plans.
Mostly like mad
that no one is paying much attention to him.
What REALLY upsets him -
is that his friends (such as he has)
are off talking to his enemies -
although the Arabs won't shake hands
with the Israelis.

I think that he is sort of mad
that he can't get into the club house -
and suspects that they are talking about him.
Some people do think that may be
what Annapolis is really about.

There has been a bit of talk about Iran -
of late:

-----------
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article...26097654908414

While noting some progress in clearing up past nuclear ambiguities, Schulte
has labeled Iran's cooperation with the investigation inadequately
''selective.''

Inside the meeting, meanwhile, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei told delegates
that his agency knows less now about Iran's atomic activities than it did a
year ago.

ElBaradei also said his agency is still in the dark about possible military
applications of what Iran says is a purely civilian nuclear program.
However, he praised Iran for providing long-sought answers about its nuclear
past.

The two-day board meeting is focusing on a report from ElBaradei outlining
the progress of his agency's nuclear probe. The report is also crucial in
expected U.N. Security Council deliberations.

The report, forwarded to the 35 nations last week, gives Tehran mixed marks.
It suggests that as far as the agency can determine, Iran has told the truth
about its black market purchases of centrifuge technology used to enrich
uranium.

But it points out that the IAEA will be unable to look at the present status
of centrifuge development until the Islamic Republic restores fuller
inspection rights to agency experts.

''The agency has not been able to verify some important aspects of Iran's
nuclear program ... relevant to the scope and nature of Iran's enrichment
activities as well as ... other activities that could have military
applications,'' ElBaradei said.

While praising the increased level of cooperation shown by Iran in the past
two months, he said his agency could not provide ''credible assurance about
the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities.''

And he said the IAEA's knowledge about Iran's current nuclear activities has
''diminished'' since Iran rescinded fuller inspection rights last year
----------
In his report, circulated last week, ElBaradei found that while Iran had
cleared up a number of key questions with regard to its nuclear activity in
the past, he warned that the IAEA's knowledge of Tehran's current atomic
activities was "diminishing".

In addition, Iran was continuing to defy repeated UN demands that it suspend
uranium enrichment, a key phase in the nuclear fuel cycle.

The IAEA "has so far not been able to verify some important aspects of
Iran's nuclear programme: those relevant to the scope and nature of Iran's
centrifuge enrichment activities, as well as those relevant to alleged
studies and other activities that could have military applications,"
ElBaradei told the meeting.

Iran's failure to be completely open about the full extent of its atomic
drive in the past had "created a confidence deficit about the nature of
Iran's nuclear programme", the IAEA chief said.

Over the two months, the agency had seen "an increased level of cooperation
on the part of Iran," he continued.
------------

So -
some feel that -
all is well
and  Russia is getting the nuclear fuel
ready to ship to Iran.

When I was not on my -
so all is well theme -
I kept a number of news accounts
about how dark things looked
in the financial world.

Citigroup was losing billions -
and so forth -
but then a Middle East Oil Country
stepped in and invested billions
into Citicorp -
so all is well.

All the farms around us -
(we are talking thousands of acres)
have been sold in the last several weeks.
A buyer (first said to be from California}
was buying up the Potato farms -
but then got of the Potato area -
and it was said it could be for limestone -
but now out of the limestone area also.

Tried to call a local parts supplier
twice last week -
and no answer -
so drove down.
The bank had padlocked the door.
Friend drove up.

"How come they are closed",
I asked.

"Don't know", was his reply,
but I bought the place.

"You bought it?"

"Yep, sold the farm."

"Sold the farm?"

"Yep, feller came by and asked
how much I wanted for it.
I told him that it wasn't for sale.
He said everything had a price -
and asked me mine.
I named it -
and he said he would be back Tuesday
with the check."

"So you sold it?"

"Yep, gave me cash
and a year to get off,
so I figured it was
a once in a lifetime chance -
and I took it.
Figured I would be mad at myself
years from now if I didn't."

"Was he from California?"

"Said he was from Texas."

"What is he going to do with it?"

"I didn't ask."

------------
I went home and told my wife
that I figure it is good
that four of our grandchildren
are learning Chinese,
because I figure the Chinese are about
the only ones with cash like that
for Canadian land.
So - all is well.

The fall pre-winter time windows
for attacking Iran
have come and gone.
Syria's nuclear installation
has come and gone.
Annapolis is about come and gone.
The Fed has time to get ready
for those pesky little bank reports
due in January.
So perhaps Christmas looks white and bright.
And all is well.

Efforts are intensifying at Ark Two.
And all is well.

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org