“The best portion of a good man's life: His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”
– William Wadsworth

Here's my personal life. "The Phil behind the fire..."

Thanks for being interested!

This week's points of interest - my videos:

View my Dec 12 video ... at -30 C
My Summer (+30 C) Sword video
Me ice skating
Chainsawing a tree in our back yard

E-mail me	Where I Live	Marriage and Family
Parents	Music	Animals
Racing	Running	Bikes
Roots	Diving	Airplanes
Computers	Travel	Kung Fu
Diet	BioDiesel	Philosophy / Politics
Uncriticized Trademark

See my Roots and the Chapman Family Tree

My Mom (Irene) is from a town called Mt. Airy, North Carolina - the town after which The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. were patterned. It's still like that to this day. No one even locks their doors. A handshake and a person's word mean something. The consequences of going back on your word are dire - you are no longer believed or trusted. Pretty hefty when all 112 people in town know you. She continued to Nurse's Training and met my Dad in College.

My Dad (Harold) is from Haddonfield, New Jersey (the town from which Danny DeVito comes). "Hal" played Football and Baseball, almost making it to the Big Leagues. After an ankle injury ended all Professional possibilities, he attended College and met my Mom. They were married 6/22/57, and had 4 children: Paul, (me), Jonathan, and Cheerilyn.

I was born in Georgetown, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C., USA). My family moved to El Paso, Texas when I was age 2. I remember as far back as age 3. After a couple of years, we moved to Danbury, Connecticut, where I spent my early formative years swimming in Candlewood Lake (now a toxic waste dump), and developing an interest in bugs and animals (later - majoring in Biology!), and of course - motorcycles! Here's me [left] at age 15 on my Indian 70cc** 2-stroke. Oh, how I wish I still had that!

At age 9, we moved to Roanoke, Virginia. Dad got that great Banking job there, and we lived in a really neat house on a hill with a creek just below (now full of oil and barely creeping). I remember going to my Grandparents' home in Front Royal and helping feed the Chickens. I remember the rides in the 1946 truck - which the family still has! Green Acres? You bet! And I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

I still remember the Boy Scout days (I became an Eagle Scout - with 3 Palms), as well as my Brother Paul's "cocoon" nest - which in Spring, filled our bedroom with thousands of Preying Mantises [Mantis Religiosa]!! We let them all go out the window, saving them.

After 5 years, my Father's job took him to West Palm Beach, Florida, where I attended John I. Leonard High School, and began playing in the Marching Band. I became known as the "Super Silver Sax" since I could only afford a [free] 1914 Silver Conn sax, but I taught myself how to play it, and presto - my career was started. I still have that Sax!  But my dad died 11 days before his 93 birthday, May 9, 2025. Beingt married 1 month short of 68 years! We will miss him teribly.  His favourite songs were:

"Heaven Came Down" - the original 1950's verrsion - which I like the best, too

"The Rest of The Way"

"It's Not an Easy Road"

A personal note:  The morning he died, I drove to Church (I do the music), and a hawk followed my car for a long time - maybe 300m  (3 football fields).  it was IN FRONT of my car - just above the roof, then it flew off.  That Sunday, I could FEEL my dad - watching me play at Church - from above.  I've never felt that before.

- - - - - - - - -

After majoring in Biology at Palm Beach Junior College, I just couldn't stay away from playing music. It was through this playing that I met my Girlfriend, Manon - to whom I am now married. We now reside (since 2004) in Alberta, Canada - after living in Concord, California for 17 years.

Corona took a huge toll in business andn performance, and although every Christian I meet affirms "We are in the final days!", none of them think the vaccine passports are "The Mark.  I don't understandt it, but since I have never taken medication, or even ASPIRIN - much less a Flu shet, I am dead-set against the vaccine(s).  Now (Feb 7, 2022) I have had 7 (yes, SEVEN) people I know die from the vaccines, I am even more "anti", andt I support the Truckers' Convoys.  Yes, many people hate me (you know - those very peole who tout "love, TOLERANCE!"), but I am apathetic.  My body has done an excellent job of keepingt bacteria andt virusus at bay, so I will continue to trust it.

** This sparked my interest in the metric system, for which I am a huge advocate to this day. See my metric page!

(me at age 40)

Marriage and Family

Our wedding

Manon

After our move to Canada in 2004

Married in 1989 to Manon Anna Bedard. She is Canadian (born in the same city as Celine Dion) and has a child (Shauna) from her first marriage. We were married on a meadow overlooking a cliff in Bodega Bay, California.  I played and sang for my own wedding. (Hey, I wanted to sing to my bride!) Camping across the United States on our way to California in 1987 proved to be a memorable experience. Among the campsites was the Grand Canyon. Living in Concord, CA for 17 years, I continued caroling with friends during the holiday season, and all year long help my fellow man ... as well as animals.

 

 I've enjoyed traveling around the Globe, but there's no place like home <tap, tap>:

(Can you find the pushpin where we live?)

Canada spans 5 time zones (5,514 km [3,426 miles]), and is 1.5 times higher than the USA height. (Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world. Can you guess the 1st?)

Moving from Concord, CA (in the San Francisco area) in April 2004, to Alberta, Canada. We found "the American dream" - in Canada.

Close to the "wild", yet close to town ("culture"), we can sunbathe inside the West Edmonton Mall (when it's -40 outside), or ski outside on the same day. And we often do.

For search: Phil Chapman, John I Leonard High School, First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach.

A common scene for us is the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Here's a photo, but they appear in all colors, sizes, and stay for various times. Here is an animated version of last week's (March 2011) show:

Moose!

Here are photos of a Moose in our back yard:

See 10-Day Forecast

Snow blowing the trails:

Our skating rink in 2010:

 

Deer:

Photo of deer at night (in very low light). Our Canon 40D camera took this photo in near darkness quite well.	A doe - eating from a feeder I fabricated from waste wood.
	Close-up of my fabrication.

My wife took this photo last Summer - biking in Jasper, Alberta (near Banff).

Here with my family (& grand-daughter):

moon info

I continue to bike, and I have taken-up ice skating, cross-country skiing (in our back yard) and tandem biking - but I have given up running & the Black-Belt (Tae-Kwan-Do & Kung-Fu) ... however, I have not given up the lessons learned, and now I have a collection of Samaria swords. See Kung Fu philosophy on-line here.

NOTE: The 14 attacks I endured in the USA made the Martial arts courses worthwhile!

“If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
– Samuel Adams

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Mom & Dad

First things first: Mom and Dad. We still phone each other at least twice each week. Dad's an Investment Broker after a 25-year career in Commercial Banking and Mom still paints paintings after all these years. she has published 2 books, "The Anatomy of Tragedy" and "Figs of Thistles". Her latest book, "Shenandoah" is about the Civil War. She still enjoys playing the Piano, too.

I attribute my "talents" to genetics and environment. My high energy (ok - ADHD) and friendliness inherited from my Dad, and my gentleness and love for "critters" (animals) inherited from my Mom (the Cherokee side). These are two of the best parents I think the planet generated, and I hope one day they will realize what their influence did for me. If only I could pay them back just a fraction of what they have always done for me.

Music

Too much to tell in 50 words or less. See the Music Page. Or view my video demo.

My High School Band Marching in the Orange Bowl Parade in 1977

Racing

The "Devil Mountain Run"

These races are tiring - after performing music at events the night before ('til 2 AM). The races make me play better, though, and my playing inspires my racing.

My running career ended in 1999, when a badly sprained ankle necessitated a trip to the Emergency Room, and I found I was developing knee problems from running. Now, my Wife joins me in Tandem biking!

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(Foot) Race Times:

Name	Time	Length	Place	%
Examiner Bay To Breakers		12k
1990	1:20:00
1991	1:15:00
1992	59:36:42		2,918	3.6
1993	56:38:59		3,488	4.3
1994	54:03:59		5,000	5
1995	55:36:38		979	1.1
1996	Injured
1997	1:03:15		2,226	2.97
1998	Did not run
1999 (my last time)	1:03.27
2000	Injured
Lake Merritt Joggers	45:49:82	10k
	47:29:51
Run Across the Bay Bridge	45:54:55	10k
	42:14:42
	44:52:00		254	3.9
	No longer held
Devil Mountain Run	48:11:27	10k	583	30.5
1993	44:38:62

Bicycle Riding/Racing

Training with Team Miami until my legs burned like fire made calories have more appeal. Riding up Mt. Diablo (1,173 meters [3,849 ft]) in just over an hour didn't qualify me for a T-shirt, but since my Cinelli has a 42-tooth chainring and a 21-tooth sprocket made a great excuse. Hey, it's a Campagnolo 50th anniversary groupo - like I'm going to modify it! I still have that bike parked neatly in our 4th bedroom (beside our tandem).

<--- After the "World Corporate Games", San Francisco

Yes, that's my Cinelli with Campagnolo groupo (50th Anniversary).

Less than 8.7kg [19 pounds] loaded (spare tire, full water bottle).
Offered $10,000 US for it in 1991, but I refused it.

As I mentioned above, my wife now joins me in Tandem riding.

We enjoyed driving our classic ("early 1985") Porsche 944. We were forced to sell it in Alberta, as we lived on gravel roads. The roads have since been paved.

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Anaerobic Exercising:

I trained with free weights and machines from age Fifteen to age 36 (and again at 57-60). Since then, I now participate in skating, tandem biking, and hiking. Although I've always been able to "Bench" twice my body weight, I feel powerless when compared to animals.

Doing Crunches with a 11 kg weight on my chest or above my head, I've found, stimulates growth very evenly. When I was young, I thought I was "cool" doing "Rocky sit-ups" - only finding how much they damage the spine.

Speaking of spine - I did early damage when I trained in the morning ("thanks" to a book written by Arnold Schwarzenegger - and please don't buy the book!). I'd wake up at 07:00, go straight into the garage and squat 100 kg. (I weigh a normal 78 kg) (Remember, Dad?)

Later in life, I was diagnosed with spinal degeneration (L4/5 - SURPRISE!), and recently, syattica - due to the weight "over-training". (THANKS, Arnold, you Jerk! You later admitted to taking steroids - after you lied about not having ever taken them!)

ANY way... instead of doing Pull-Downs, I did Pull-Ups, using my body as the weight. I brought the bar behind my head, touching my neck. I wore a belt that holds even more weight to add resistance. At my height (176 cm), I was pulling up myself, and 18kg on my belt.

Funny - no matter how hard a Human trains, we don't compare to what a mere Animal can do. For instance, Michael Jordan is hailed because he (2.2m tall) can jump 1.2m from a standing start. Well, my Cat (.3 m long) can jump 2.1m from a standing start. It humbles you, doesn't it? If one were to put a Human - with no technology - against an animal, the animal would tear up the Human, hands down. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Even regarding intelligence, animals really have us. People are quick to point out to me that animals are stupid compared to Humans. How many people are struck by cars or electrocuted? More than animals, I'm afraid. On the other hand, how many animals commit suicide?

Diet

After visiting my friend, Rod Carlson's, Pig Farm in Greely, Colorado, I can't stop thinking about those squeals and the blood and guts. Deeming it inconsistent/hypocritical to love animals, yet eat them, I became a vegetarian at age 29. At the height of my vegetarian diet (age 33), I made my personal best records in Biking and Running, as well as weighed in at my heaviest weight up until that time: 76kg [168 pounds]. Light? Yes, but considering I have averaged weighing between 70-74 kg [154-164 lbs] since High School, it was "beefy" for me.
http://www.sfgate.com/examiner/promotions/breakers/1997/pages/finish-3000.shtml

Since it is next to impossible to be a strict Vegetarian at performances, I eat what is put before me to keep from "starving".

And no, I'm not thin because of my diet! It's hereditary.  <grin>

I used to eat ~ 2 whole chickens per day. Then on one USA tour, I was invited to have a tour of one of the other band members' pig farm. I'll never forget those squeals, or the smell. Call me "wimp" names. Go ahead - see how wimp I can be :-)

Seriously, though - I immediately stopped eating pig, then cow, then fish and chicken ... and I noticed my race times immediately began to improve. Now, one could deduce that, at age 33, my race times should continue to get worse from aging, but indeed, they kept getting better and better.

Coincidence? Perhaps, but my age lines started going away as well. My Nutritionists tell me that "I'm eating anti-oxidants now; meat is an oxidant, and oxidants are bad, causing aging. Your reasoning? <grin>

Also, although I don't respect Celebrities only because of "fame", see the celebrities who are also vegetarians - you'll be surprised! (http://www.soystache.com/famous.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians)

Additional reasons for my choice not to eat any meat: off the Florida keys, I once speared a barracuda. It swam away - bleeding profusely. I know it died a horrible, painful, slow death. I went "frog giggin" in Kentucky - it still haunts me when I remember it's scream as my spear ripped through it's body, and then slapping it numb on a rock to death. The other guys were with the attitude (modern adolescents would use the word "like" there) "we're MEN, aren't we!", but my thinking was: wow - a real MAN - 75kg guy picking on an animal weighing 5g.  I'm ashamed to this day! Today, I am a student of Kung Fu philosophy, as well as Christian principals. I ask people: are we really showing [Genesis 1:26] "dominion over the animals?" Would God be proud?? I sincerely doubt it!

Animals Ever since I was a child, I loved the outdoors and animals. I've rescued many animals, including a Bat, Goose (photo left), Sea Bird, Green Sea Turtles, Deer, and others. I was a regular at the Lindsay Museum in Walnut Creek, CA, where wild animals are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. http://www.wildlife-museum.org CC4C (Community Concern for Cats) http://www.snowcrest.net/cheri/cc4c.html Formerly a volunteer with the S.P.C.A., I volunteer with my wife, Manon, with CC4C in Concord, CA. We cared for, as well as adopted and fostered cats. It's a "No-kill" shelter - ALL pets become adopted. It's extremely rewarding! For questions regarding fostering in San Francisco's East Bay area, stop by their local site. They really need you! http://www.snowcrest.net/cheri/ccspca.html "Popeye & Bruno", here pictured minutes after birth. Popeye died in 2005; Bruno died in 2007 - at age 18. "Rover" in 2002 "Baby" in 1995 There will forever be a place in my heart for all my pets: Twinkles & Samantha (my cats at age 9) Twittles (our dog that was killed by a car when I was 11) We were all in the back of a pick-up truck, and the driver [a neighbor] didn't stop when we told him our dog was chasing his truck. We saw him get hit and thrown! My pet Bass (yes, a FISH!) that I caught with a net and kept in an aquarium. I finally set it free. The rattlesnake that Paul & I found IN OUR APARTMENT and kept for a year. We set it free at over twice it's original size. I still have one of it's sheddings in a display case! My bird (a Cockateil) - given to me as a holiday gift from my Sister. It was killed by a cat. It bled to death in minutes. Mupsy (Jon's dog) Pumpkin - a very small, young kitten that we found in the cold. S/he was dead the following morning in the cage we made for her. Tori - a cat that we found at Marsh Creek Springs, took to the Vet, and rehabilitated. She had a very happy life for 3 years with us. And I will never, EVER forget... In March, 2007, I am heartbroken to report, that my favourite adopted cat, Mollie, died of anemia. We fought together to save her in the emergency clinic, and she died in my arms (with Doctors present) gasping for her last breath. I can't find the words to describe how I miss her! We were inseparable!

Computers

I started programming in BASIC on a TRS-80 (with it's "whopping" 4K RAM) in 1982 or so. The 16K color (woooow!) machines didn't take long to appear, but they used cartridges. When I got back from Europe, I had been out of touch with it for a while, so I didn't get back into it. Until the 128K Macintosh came out. I eventually bought a "Mac Plus" and expanded it to it's 4 MB capacity. My graphics career had started!

I now have 2 PC boxes (one running OS/2,Windows and NT and the other running Linux), as well as 7 Macintosh boxes. As a high-level spreadsheet "techie", I am very comfortable with formulas (in both R1C1 and A1 modes) and macros. It is common for me to teach Teachers things about spreadsheets.

I am equally a fan of all flavors of UNIX (Linux, Red Hat, IRIX [Silicon Graphics], Solaris [Sun]) and Macintosh [NetBSD]). I am not a fan or Windows, due to the incessant OS crashing, as well as the 100,000+ viruses. Many people bust my chops about "Get with the rest of the planet - use Windows!", and I simply reply: "I will when you get with the rest of the planet - and use the Metric System!"
http://www.linux.org
http://www.sgi.com/software/software.html#IRIX
http://www.sun.com/solaris/ea/
http://apple.com/macos/

My main strength, though, is Graphics and Information Technology ("IT"). I know Graphics programs in depth, and much of my work has been on CD covers, in newspapers, and on the web. Here's a list of the computer programs I know, as well as my resume. you may also view my work for other Companies.

Information Technology ("IT)

I upgraded my first computer by adding RAM. I am at home with all aspects of computer repair/upgrades - from hard drives and motherboards to dual-monitor systems and 10/100/1,000 base/T Ethernet networks. My specialty is the anally-retentive task of making systems run lean and fast. 90% of people use 10% of a program's capability, yet 90% of people want "the update". I update only when necessary, and only run features that I'm using. Again, see my resume for more details.

As a fan of Unix (Mac [Darwin] & Ubuntu are my favourites), I pretty-much despise anything that crashes more than once per year.

Airplanes

After learning to fly with my (then) roommate and Flight Instructor Jim Montie - in a Cessna 172, I appreciated Bernoulli's Principle, P-Factor and practicing stalls at 300m [1,000 ft]. Since High School, I wanted to be involved in Aerospace Technology. Today, I study and support Electric vehicles and other Engineering that entails aerodynamics.
http://www.ev1.com

Diving

Diving off Puerto Rico was not a good idea after flying, but getting dangerously close to that Moray Eel made it worth it. Swimming with Dolphins and Manta Rays off the Florida's Keys was a great experience, but it couldn't top letting the Green Sea Turtles go that a friend and I raised and seeing them swim to freedom.

Traveling

Me in England with Pigeons.

"Knowledge is what one learns and knows. Wisdom is how one hopefully implements it."
For those wondering, "Confucius" real name was "K'ung Ch'iu". Most people think his real name was "Kong Fuzi" or "Kong Zi", but those just means "Master Kong" (Master Teacher). He lived from 551-479 BC and was a Chinese Philosopher and founder of Confucian School of Thought, which greatly influenced political and social life in China.

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I'll never forget the 6 [Racist] Black guys who attacked me while riding my bicycle through "their" town*, I've never been so afraid in my life! I was able to escape with only a scar on my arm, which I still have. Training for Martial Arts with my Asian friend was really tough - not to mention painful - but it saved my life that day alone. I was given an honorary Black Belt (worn in the photo) award.

I now practice, support and teach "Fight Smart" with Travis: howtofightnow.com  Tell Trav that "Phil sent you".
I also ONLY teach females (any age women), since men have a natural superiority.  I teach clinching, gun disarmament, leg and wrist locks, and battle when you have a "handicap": bad knee, etc.  To learn more, you'll need to take my course (of course). e-Mail me

Kung Fu (or gongfu or gung fu) (English equivalent. In short, is a Chinese term often used by speakers of the English language to refer to Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill, not necessarily martial. "Achievement" is probably the closest translation. A tradesman would use "Journeyman" as a rough translation.

Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one's training - the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. You can say that "a person's kung fu is good in cooking", or that "someone has kung fu in mechanics"; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with "bad kung fu" simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.

Being able to fight and kill is not everything! Even if you can fight ten people at once, what happens when you face eleven? Are you strong enough to stop a bullet? If your girlfriend is leaving you, can martial arts save your relationship? If you get fired, will martial arts help to get your job back?

Therefore, you can understand the limitations of physical kung fu. Real kung fu, however, is training your mind, body and spirit to develop wisdom and compassion, from where you can use it to deal with all the problems in your daily life, and achieve true happiness and peace of mind. Today we tend to believe that wisdom is gained through knowledge and experience. The ancient Chinese, however, understood that true wisdom can only be achieved through knowledge, experience and training the mind. NOTE: I also practice self-hypnosis, which I learned from Martin Brown.

In today's superficial society we have become far removed from these ideals. It would seem that people are not wishing for the true happiness of enlightenment, but rather for the inevitable suffering that material attachments bring.

Learning to apply the martial arts for this aim is what makes Yellow Dragon Fist Kung Fu different from the commercial styles of today. They do not teach to make money, and do not welcome egomaniacs wishing to prove themselves tougher than the rest. If students cannot learn to be humble, they are shown the door. However, for those who truly want to learn, our circle is always open.

The photo above is my Hiro 60cm (27") hand-forged carbon-steel blade sword. And yes, if you press on it with your finger, it will draw blood.

http://www.enotes.com/history-fact-finder/philosophy/who-was-confucius-why-do-people-still-quote-him
http://www.hkpl.gov.hk/EA/dragon/eng/t_1.html
http://www.yellowdragon-kung-fu.co.uk/

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Tai Chi, or more correctly Tai Ji Quan is a relaxed series of slow flowing movements developed in China over many centuries. Taiji means supreme or ultimate boxing and as a philosophical principle denotes undifferentiated unity, as depicted in the yin yang diagram. The practice of taiji can be seen as the manifestation of Taoist philosophy, this unity and harmony realized through movement, powered by the breath and guided by the mind.
http://www.marshallartsacupuncture.com/taichi.htm

* (calling me "Honkey", "Pencil d**k", "Peckerwood" and many far worse racial slurs. They attacked me with knives and even a car jack! Indeed, I fought them off with no weapon.)

Read about my Political, religious & philosophy stances here.

• Kleenex
• Chapstick
• Crock Pots
• Scotch Tape
• Skil Saw
• Xerox
• Band-Aid
• Zamboni
• Aqua-lung
• Plexiglas
• Aspirin, originally a trademark of Bayer AG
• Escalator, originally a trademark of Otis Elevator Company
• Heroin, originally a trademark of Bayer AG
• Kerosene, originally a trademark of Abraham Gesner
• Phillips-head screw, named after Henry F. Phillips
• Pogo for the toy Pogo stick
• Thermos, originally a trademark of Thermos GmbH
• Yo-yo, originally a trademark of Duncan Yo-Yo Company
• Zipper, originally a trademark of B.F. Goodrich

Earth Orbit, & Surface Speed:

When I was young, I remember a friend of mine - Gary Perez - laugh at me because I deduced that the surface of the earth must be traveling at a speed approaching 1,000 miles per hour. I deduced that by thinking "the earth is ~24,000 miles in circumference; a day is ~24 hours = ~1,000 miles per every hour."

To this day, people think I'm weird (or simply over-pondering my premises), but now I'm laughing! Indeed, the earth is 40,000 km in circumference - divided by 24 = 1,670 kph. I was correct!

The circumference of the Earth: A) from the North Pole, through the prime meridian, through the South Pole and back up - is 40,008 km [24,859.8 miles]; B) around the equator - is 40,075.16 km (24,901.55 miles) (The earth is a tad wider than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator. This shape is known as an ellipsoid or more properly, geoid (earth-like). The distance from the North Pole to the equator, through the prime meridian is 10,000.0 km (6,213.7 miles), the basis for the metric "meter".

Since there are ~24 hours in a day, this equals 1,669.7983 km/h [1,037 mph].

(The international standard system of SI [Metric] units defines a "second of time" as "the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the 133Cs atom."

Also see "Metric Time" and "Metric Calendar". For those who hate Metric, see this.

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I always wondered how far we actually traveled in a year. We are 149,597,870.7 kilometers from the Sun (radius). Actually, it averages 149,597,870,700 meters [based on the average (149 million km) of the range of 146 to 152 million km]. πr2 = 43,745,313,000,000 (Quadrillion) km.

On average it takes 24 hours—a solar day—for Earth to complete a full rotation about its axis relative to the Sun so that the Sun returns to the meridian. The orbital speed of the Earth around the Sun averages about 30 km/s (108,000 km/h), which is fast enough to cover the planet's diameter (about 12,700 km) in seven minutes, and the distance to the Moon of 384,000 km in four hours. The motion of the Earth around the Sun is called Earth orbit. The planet stands about 150 million kilometers from the Sun and completes an orbit every 365.242199 mean solar days. The extra time in each orbit causes the need for a ”leap year”. This motion causes the Sun to appear to move 1� across the sky each day. The Earth orbits the Sun at a speed of 108,000 km/h.

Because of the Earth’s axial tilt (obliquity of the ecliptic), the inclination of the Sun’s trajectory in the sky varies over the course of the year. For an observer at a northern latitude, when the northern pole is tilted toward the Sun the day lasts longer and the Sun climbs higher in the sky. This results in warmer average temperatures from the increase in solar radiation reaching the surface. When the northern pole is tilted away from the Sun, the reverse is true and the climate is generally cooler. Above the arctic circle there is no daylight at all for part of the year. This is called polar night. The axial tilt is the cause for the seasons. (A great animation can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2lP146KA5A

The perihelion and aphelion of the Earth have changed over the course of history. In modern times, Earth’s perihelion(147,098,074 km) occurs around January 3, and the aphelion around July 4 (152,097,701 km) . The changing Earth-Sun distance results in an increase of about 6.9% in solar energy reaching the Earth at perihelion as related to aphelion. Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/60640/earth-orbit/#ixzz20OZoyLzA

The Earth reaches perihelion - the point in its orbit closest to the Sun - in early January, only about two weeks after the December solstice. Thus winter begins in the northern hemisphere at about the time that the Earth is nearest the Sun. Is this important? Is there a reason why the times of solstice and perihelion are so close? It turns out that the proximity of the two dates is a coincidence of the particular century we live in. The date of perihelion does not remain fixed, but, over very long periods of time, slowly regresses (moves later) within the year. There is some evidence that this long-term change in the date of perihelion influences the Earth's climate.

I post this on the bottom because I want to keep un-clean thoughts at a distance, but to those wondering why I don't drink, play with cards, or experiment with drugs - here's why in a nutshell, and "the long version, as well:

Drink
Having performed an many "Alcoholics Anonymous", I realized how easy it is to become addicted to this substance (C3 H8 O) - both from science, and from personal experience. Having played in bands for DECADES, I have witnessed torn lives and death. My 2 uncles died from liver failure from heavy drinking.

Funny (ironic): Alcohol is only ONE H MOLECULE away from propane (C3 H8)

Experiment with drugs
As above, having performed at many "Cocaine Anonymous", I see the path of destruction. This substance (C17 H21 NO4) has torn apart more families than I can imagine. I know many whose life was destroyed.

Play with cards
A deck of cards used to be called, "The Devil's Bible" and in Century 17, it was called, "The Devil's Picture Book".  Invented in 1392 by King Charles of France (he was an insane man, by the way), each card in the deck has a special meaning:

• The KING card represents the Prince of Darkness - The Devil [Satan].
  
• The 10 SPOT speaks of the spirit of lawlessness.  It speaks in opposition to the moral law as found in the Ten Commandments in the Bible.
• The CLUB card represents violence and murder.
• The JACK speaks of the loose living man, the lustful man, the licentious individual who only lives to satisfy his lower nature.
• The QUEEN card represents Mary - the mother of our Lord.  But Mary is represented as an impure, dissolute, immoral woman.
• The JOKER.  It represents a mockery of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, is said to be the child, the offspring, of the licentious Jack and the Queen.
  

The Saviour (Yeshuah [Jesus]) who died to redeem us with His own blood, must cry out in protest against such blasphemy. All players alike are teaching opposition to God and His sacred Word.  After what has been said about the Jack, the Queen, and the Joker, there is no need of further exposure of the card language.

Let me ask you a question: "Why don't people - when they play cards - first ask God to bless their card game?" The Bible (Colossians 3:17) states, "What ever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father". II Corinthians 6:17 states, "Don't touch the unclean thing".

90% of those who gamble today learned to play cards at home. No Christian should play cards!

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