Supersuckers...perhaps best video ever.

Me and Eddie Spaghetti after a show ...meeting the fans and chillin out with us ! Who else gives you that?

The Greatest Rock band In The World !

I think this should be up for video of the decadeS .



If the link above does not appear, please copy and paste this one into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gblGY2AgV0

It says what is happening now while we are all in this storm together.

Watch this incredible video by Supersuckers.

Look out for their ne album to be released soon and under new management we are expecting a break out soon.



Cha, Cha, Cha.

rokkinroll YOU TUBE VIDEO OF SUPERSUCKERS KICK ASS VIDEO

My Article Featured at the U. S. Department of Energy

This is the original link (below) from the United States Department of Energy, highlighting my article and its very original thoughts. The link is no longer active, however I have enclosed the article in its entirety herein, as well as some articles from years past that original publication.

I would say that my ideas that were embraced have had quite an impact for the good in so many ways, and hopefully we will continue down this path and have a cleaner world, better employment, more affordable responsible energy and even greater conservation all while being even better stewards to Mother Earth.

Lastly, I originally submitted this to my local newspaper for publication, however was very surprised when I found it published at The United States Department of  Energy website.

://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/news_detail.html?news_id=16404


http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/news_detail.html?news_id=16404&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4cb8a47bacbec756%2C0

My philosophy is straight forward, easy to understand, makes sense and is being implemented.

I have a great deal of gratitude to have my material recognized, read, described in a synopsis, and then highlighted on a national level under a great new program and an agency with an apparent agenda and plan for the future that makes sense.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MY ORIGINAL ARTICLE FEATURED BY THE US DEPT OF ENERGY OCTOBER 2010 IN ITS ENTIRETY

I italicized and bold faced the most important paragraphs below.


To The Cumberland Times News:

 I hope that this letter may be posted in the, "Reader Commentary" section in its entirety, as this is all great information that paints a clear and accurate picture about a wonderful program that HRDC offers to our citizens. Thanks once again for providing me the opportunity to be heard in our fine local newspaper.

I would also like to offer this to the paper for free to publish in its entirety as a separate article. I hope you can consider that as well...the information here I think can greatly help many in our community. Perhaps it could be featured in the Allegany Magazine as well.

I could always cut it down but I think it would lose a lot f its over all appeal and a ton of great information. Perhaps if needed i could make it two articles for reader commentary as well...one as a thank you letter and the other about local programs and assistance, which are often very tricky to find information about or get applications for for those less fortunate that have no idea where to start.

I would very much enjoy writing for the paper if you have any openings or free lance assignments. I am currently going through the disability process, but most of the time I feel well enough to research and write. I have a very wide knowledge base, a college education, and I am 42 years old with a lot of interesting experiences. I would happily meet in person as well if so offered. it would certainly be an honor and a dream fulfilled to be able to write even more, as I have written most of my life and have quite a passion for it.

Thanks, John S. Swygert

461 N. Waverly Terrace
Cumberland, Maryland 21502
240 522 xxxx or
240 345 xxxx

---------My article follows-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



There are so many wonderful and exciting things that are happening in our cozy little town of Cumberland. With the approach of winter not too far away, I was in awe of what took place at my home here in Cumberland.

Recently I applied for the HRDC's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). I received a letter telling me that I was, "certified as eligible" to receive the weatherization services to my home and that an appointment would have to be made for an energy audit to be performed on my home. I made the appointment not knowing quite what to expect overall and what follows in remarkable! What follows is what I observed being performed at and on my home to the best of my knowledge and I certainly hope to portray everything as accurately as possible, but again, as I am not a professional in this field, these are simply my observations.

The day of the primary appointment, Ken Rafferty of HRDC came to my home and we did a simple walk through of the home looking at any area that could have insulation installed, weather stripping added to doors, windows replaced, plumbing wrapped, the water heater getting an insulating jacket, doors needing replacement, etc.

On a subsequent occasion, Alan Hanson, from my understanding the owner of a sub-contracted business by HRDC arrived and performed a test to see how efficient or inefficient my home was. Using thermal imaging after a relatively simple preparation process the home was imaged to see where its weak spots were that could perhaps otherwise be overlooked, as these areas may not be so visible to the naked eye.

On a third appointment, they each ( Ken and Alan) walked through the home together and and discussed what they each individually found during their respective studies of the home, and what appeared to be the best course of action to take to remedy the issues.

Next, a crew of very nice and respectable employees showed up bringing both smiles and materials to start the job. There were many workers each with their own expertise, that worked both individually and together to efficiently accomplish the task at hand.

The net result was this:

The attic received nearly two feet of blown insulation made of a chemically treated fire retardant recycled paper product (a green product). They also manufactured a new attic entry door for the ceiling.

Please keep in mind that this entire program is very tightly audited and monitored and that all the work performed is done so under strict Federal, State, and Local guidelines, respectively, as well as under the close supervision of the head of the program and through to th owners of each company involved. This is a very reassuring way to get the work started.

The crawl space under my kitchen (entry gained through my basement) was fully insulated by hand with rolled insulation. The furnace room was also insulated with rolled insulation between all of the floor joists that support the overhead floors to the above level, as these are open and relatively easy to insulate. The front most room of my basement which is roughly finished then received a treatment where the loose type of insulation is blown in with a machine after several small (roughly 2" diameter) holes were drilled to gain access to these areas between these floor joists, as they were covered with a lathe and plaster ceiling. The plugs drilled out are then reinserted into the holes from whence they came and caulked in place, thus re-sealing the area.

The concluding work finishing the basement out were foam plumbing wraps on the copper pipes to help keep freezing out and warmth in the plumbing. Finally, there was weather stripping placed around the basement's exterior door as well as the basement's interior door located at the top of the steps where entry is gained to the home's main level.

The home's main entry door (a pre-hung modern airtight unit) was replaced including a matched key door knob and dead bolt. The bathroom on this same level received a vent fan and a new green board ceiling. The adjoining washroom between the bathroom and the foyer (all of which were a block and stick built addition to the original structure of the home) received blown insulation in the above ceiling in its entirety. The other exterior door on this level had weather stripping installed.

The second floor was snugly between the attic and first floor and was sufficently zipped up and needed only minimal work.

All three floors of my home received matching and combined fire and CO2 alarm that is audibly very loud, thus replacing my older units. They also each feature verbal warnings as well stating what the threat is. They are efficient compact units with excellent battery life.

As a SAFETY NOTE with the winter season nearly upon us, the fire station offers free smoke alarms ( I believe one per household) to homeowners in the city of Cumberland. You can call and get details or stop by during normal business hours usually.

Along with about five window panes (non storm windows) that were replaced throughout my home, many cans (roughly 30 - 40) of self expanding foam was utilized to seal off any questionable as well as hard to reach and/or awkward areas.

Next, unexpectedly and to my surprise, Mark from Anderson Heating and Air Conditioning called to schedule an appointment to tune-up my natural gas furnace. The appointment day came along and my furnace was quickly considered "condemned", which was a jolt of reality with the impending winter not too far off.

As the first phase of work was now finished, I patiently but nervously waited to see what could be done, if anything, to salvage my old trusty work horse furnace from the era of the late 50's to early 60's. The phone rang, and Mark stated, to my total surprise, that I had been approved for an entirely new furnace. What incredibly exciting news! We set an appointment for work to start on the furnace. Two days after the appointment I had a brand new "Trane" brand high efficiency furnace installed that was fully functional. It even included a new easily programed digital thermostat manufactured by Honeywell.

Upon first turning on the furnace myself (my first time testing the unit) I immediately felt that its strength forcing air through the duct work of the home was significantly and obviously much much stronger then before and therefore, I felt the temperature raising in the home within a couple of minutes, I also noticed that there were no drafts streaming through the home either.

The basic mission of this program is rather multi-faceted. One thing for sure is that any home worked on will be more efficient not just at heating in the winter but equally keeping the home cool during the warmer months. The monies saved by the homeowner can better be utilized enhancing their lives by lowering the consumption of natural resources, an obvious plus for our increasingly threatened environment, so that those funds can be spent elsewhere in both the home and the community, thus not only helping the homeowner but the entire community.

It also helps the community by increasing the homeowners pride in their property which is often behaves as a two fold catalyst. First, for the homeowner to further enhance their property and secondarily, for neighbors to often follow in close suit. It also provides many jobs through these companies working together to perform the total package of work, as well as teaching positions for those in the trade earning their licenses.

This to me is exactly the essence of what the " GREEN MOVEMENT" is all about. First, reducing our own personal carbon footprint by efficiently consuming less natural resources through the use of modern and more efficient technology. Using this more modern technology creates a new work force with a fresh clean perspective, thus creating more jobs in many ways from manufacturing the new products (often made of recycleables), teaching the new philosophy and techniques to students in the trade on their way to earning their licenses, and thusly creating new jobs as we push the envelope to gain the upper hand on treating Mother Earth more properly and respectfully. Once this cycle has started we can continue down a path of better design by engineers making even more efficient products that not long were even deemed possible or at the very least, not feasible. Each change in technology has the ability to further revolutionize this new "Green Industry" thus propelling the industry along.

This is what I consider a new philosophy that has been evolving in the last few recent years very rapidly especially and mostly due to our recent and/or current recession and the fears faced by the rise in fuel prices (in particular petroleum products). These are valuable lessons we are learning and this is something we can demonstrate and share with the rest of the world as we pave the way into a new green future, but it takes fine programs like these.

As an early nation we were strictly in an "Agricultural Era", as all we had was raw land. Once we became efficient as a nation and were able to sustain life at home in the U.S.A. with the food we grew and other raw materials we farmed and with the wealth we started to amass as a nation while trading at home and especially abroad with other nations, we began to transition into an "Industrial Age". After labor prices rose here for many reasons, we often outsourced labor to other nations, as it was often less expensive to manufacture in those nations and then ship it abroad and/or back home for trade. We were the industrial giant of the world. After amassing even greater wealth and becoming one of, if not the most, wealthiest nations in the world and with our labor prices rising ever sharper, we made the transition into the "Service Age". We. as a nation are beyond that now as an era and are, I believe, at the beginning of the wild frontier of the "Green Era". We now have the ability to pave the way for the world and with the world as we are upon the threshold of this new golden age. The basic philosophy of this program simply illustrates how it helps so many from the less fortunate as myself, to the blue collar workers all the way up to the white collar professionals. This is a simple and beautiful system that should be emulated often during this transition that is currently effecting all industries and market places. We, in the great state of Maryland in particular, should be proud that we are on the cutting edge of the new "Green Era" as we are swiftly becoming the leaders setting the stage for others to follow. We in Maryland utilize wind, hydro, and solar energy and are doing so more and more often every year. We, as a nation, must maintain this path of growth and efficiency in order to move forward and build our new worldwide economy while setting an example for other countries.

During the work being performed on my home, I did not observe one single area of shortcuts in quality of materials or craftsmanship, and I was also treated with respect and dignity. Brands used included, but were not limited too, Honeywell, Lumber 84, Trane, and Lowes to name only a few.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a warm and special heart felt thanks to everyone involved in this process, starting with Ken Rafferty and those closely involved at HRDC, as well as Alan Hanson and his wonderful crew of warm friendly employees, and lastly (in order of work performed) Mark and his employees from Anderson Heating and Air Conditioning. Please forgive me if I failed to mention anyone at all as well as not using everyones names individually as there were simply too many for me to remember accurately.

To apply for this program you can write to HRDC Weatherization Assistance Program at 125 Virginia Avenue Cumberland, Maryland 21502. You may also inquire about it when filling out the Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) applications. Do not worry if you qualify for assistance or not...simply fill out the paperwork, which is simple, and wait for new correspondence asking or instructing what you need to do next if you have qualified. Many folks do not apply and their families often suffer because of this. These programs exist to better enhance our lives individually and as a community so that we may each be more comfortable, healthier, and thus more productive members of our city. When we are each more productive their will be a larger tax base, which again helps us build even better programs, fund more folks in need of assistance more quickly, enabling them to get on their feet even quicker, which in turn helps us maintain our infrastructure here at home. The cycle can keep growing.

To save the best for last, this (HRDC Weatherization Assistance) is a FREE program that is offered to homeowners. You read that correctly...FREE.

As I am personally suffering through some ill health currently, this will make me a healthier, happier, more productive neighbor myself. I will always attest to the miracle of the gift that was offered to me, and for that I am forever thankful. For me personally, it is better to be warm and healthy then to be cold with pride!

You have all been very good to me and it was a pleasure meeting each of you. Thanks for letting me watch you work a little and pick your brains, as well as joke around a little too...you lifted my spirits and have provided me a healthier and safer environment on which to live.

I have a lot of information on local resources. i.e., phone numbers, addresses, programs and contact information. I feel as though I have a great debt to this local community. If you are reading this and any of that appeals to you or you need some advice from what I have learned with the help of many friends, simply call me from 9 am - 5 pm M-F and I will happily give you all the information you are willing to write down, so have your pen and paper ready. My number is 240-345-xxxx and I have voice mail if I am away.

Thanks,
John S. Swygert




News from July 28, 2012:

Is the Paradigm Shifting?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-grenier/peter-glatzer-shft-series-green-innovation_b_1707106.html

UPDATE

It is now March 14, 2015 and read this !!!

Conventional wisdom once suggested that being aggressive on expanding America’s renewable energy potential meant sacrificing its focus on oil. Critics, largely shouting from right-of-center, accused liberals of undermining the American economy and hurting national interests by working to expand things like solar and wind. Hardly anyone is saying that any more… because Obama’s presidency has blown that idea out of the water.

You may have noticed recently that your price at the pump has been a lot lower than it had been. In the last months of 2014, the price of gas was in freefall, which in turn had acted like a booster shot to the arm of the economy. The stock market soared; companies began hiring at faster and faster rates (they are now complaining that they can’t find enough workers to fill their payrolls); and more importantly, average Americans saved thousands of dollars.

Prices have begun to creep up again, although much more slowly than they had fallen, but a new report looking at oil reserves found that the oil industry is booming so big right now that companies are literally running out of places to put the oil they’ve extracted.

It may be a problem that many people don’t think about, but yes there is an upper limit to how much oil we can store. Experts predict this “problem” may spell another plummet in gas prices, even during the summer months where we traditionally see higher costs.

Your car may rejoice, but if the environmentalist in you has pangs of unease, don’t worry. There are also signs that Obama’s legacy will be that of as the turning point in America’s renewable energy policy. The fact that he didn’t have to achieve huge gains in green tech at the expense of American energy output is something to be admired.

President Obama has spent both terms working to constantly ramp up America’s solar energy capabilities. Given our nation’s large expanses of extremely sunny, arid areas (think Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico), many energy scientists believe solar could be the key to America’s break from oil dependency. To capitalize on that potential, the Obama administration has been pouring money into solar. The results speak for themselves.

According to a recent review, between the years of 2010 and 2014, America’s solar capacity grew by a staggering 418%. That’s still a far cry from where solar leaders like Germany and China are at, but it shows that America is not only willing but able to compete in what will surely be the next frontier of energy production.

Not that this seems to have satisfied Obama. In his fiscal 2016 budget proposal, Obama announced plans to further invest in fighting climate change and promoting emerging renewable-energy technologies.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

While many of Mr. Obama’s energy and environmental plans have been included in prior year proposals, the 2016 proposal includes a new $4 billion fund, dubbed the Clean Power State Initiative Fund, to help states comply with draft Environmental Protection Agency regulations cutting carbon emissions from U.S. power plants.

The fund, which would cost $4 billion over the next decade, would encourage states to exceed the minimum requirements of rules the EPA is expected to complete this summer.

The leaps forward are not without opposition, of course. In this case, specifically Republicans in Congress who, flush with oil company money, have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo until the very last drop of oil is sucked out of the ground. Making their job hard is that until recently they were able to claim Obama was hurting the economy and industry by being pro-environment. However, with the economy roaring back to life, oil extraction near record levels, and a booming renewable energy industry, that claim is looking laughable.

As always, the best way to prove detractors wrong is by actually doing the things they say you couldn’t. Obama knows that lesson better than anyone.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/14/notice-gops-silence-on-oil-lately-obama-did-the-unthinkable-cheap-gas-and-renewable-energy/

Time is a funny thing!

I have time to write, and for that I am thankful. I am thankful for so much in a full life at a difficult time. I am truly blessed. As I age, it too seems that time moves more swiftly! That is most of the time. As I learn more and more about intellectual physics I see a much more clear picture of the bigger picture, if that makes sense. I see that in our galaxy we are heading for a long flight into a black hole. I can envision with my more open mind that what we think aliens are merely future generations that we sent with our ever further impressive technology. Sounded so aloof in my younger mind, but as time has elapsed for me, I have observed very keenly, and I have traveled through many a thing like most, we each have our own traumas or more uplifting things occur. This shapes our space time. All things that we know have some type of gravatational pull from the back hole to which we closest descend. We are slowly spinning in universal time down a drain for the universe where all well be purified ultimately. There is a hell between the fabric of the universe in which we live and I hope you shall invision it for yourselves soon if it has not already happened. Wormholes are real. Time and space is a fabric that can distort like the very face of the earth. We are being pulled along for an incredible ride, all the wile leaving a trail of what was and what will be, if we are able to look far enough out into space with clear eyes. One day we will all be compacted together on the point of a cosmic pin head fully compressed before the explosion and rebirth ...and it will happen time and time again. Lets learn now and pave the way to the future we are already and have already made! Or is this all just a myth , a riddle , a joke? Decisions are important.

Perspective and why the United States is failing!

It's not about me...but it is about where I have been. Life has been a long long road of bumps and pleasure while cruising, each being its own unique perspective offering a lesson to be learned and knowledge lent to be later utilized to understand how to become a more pure person. The Lord know I am no saint! I have the ability to change and adapt, to learn and expand spiritually, and this essence of life itself propels me gleefully anxious with synaptic energy.
I am the son of two college graduates that are a product of a country that once offered a promising American dream.
Married now over fifty years and having had four children, they are happily in their later years enjoying life comfortably. There was work growing up after the depression years and we rebuilt our country.
We are at this point again now!
I grew up a very conservative republican. I knew what was right and wrong and my mind was closed about that! I married at 29. I divorced at 34 due to my then wife's continual infidelity. Her father ran a government agency and was personal friends with men like Dick Cheney. I agreed wit his political views, as they were aligned with what I believed at the time being a younger less wise man.
I do not speak to anyone from those days from the "other" family. Life's lessons are tough and things can get lost along the way. When you experience these things, there is the ability to learn through it and see life in an even more beautiful perspective.
I have scored touchdowns playing football with friends. I have pinned opponents wrestling. I have won trophies. I have played and sang on stage many times. I have been the president of a fraternal organization. I have managed bicycle shops, car parts shops, repair shops, and marketing departments.
I have grown up with asthma, had a hernia operation at age four, survived being molested, had friends die from airplane wrecks (three friends from three different crashes). I have had a friend pass in a rock climbing accident (fall). I have had friends (plural) murdered, O.D., and die of natural causes.
I was born December 24, 1967. I am now forty two as I write this. I have seen so much and changed so much I often feel as though I have walked several lives because I have been given insight into situations through past situations I have lived through. These were often excruciating painful times to experience while I was drowning in alcohol! The legal DRUG!
I left a job making 70k - 100k a year to spend more time with my wife and step children. I did it because it was right. I left the dream job on top of the world! My marriage subsequently failed, and for matters unrelated to money. My point is this, we never know what life will teach us. We can only be ready for a ride and keep our eyes and minds open.
I had a dream to live in Cumberland, Maryland. The air is fresher in the mountains, the traffic non existent, the life slower, the scenery breath taking, and I can go on and on. I was now a divorce and ready to be in a new home in one years time starting with ZERO. I accomplished that goal due to God's grace and many helpful people along the way. I worked hard to live this dream, and can happily say I reside in Cumberland, Maryland now.
This dream is threatened today for most people. This dream is threatened for me on a daily basis. I feel that my situation is a cry of the American Spirit in the United States. People are suffering. Today's news is sickening. Read about the Chamber of Commerce! Disgusting.
This could easily be about me. What I prefer to see this writing as is an exercise in the human experience from my perspective. Experience comes with a lifetime. It is experience that has kept me lucid and learning and able to adapt in the worst of time for both my health and for the nation's economy. I am still struggling to make a dream come true.
I am currently in the middle of the process to gain social security disability. I have several severe health issues that I am trying to work through to regain my health. I am thankful for the ability and outlet that is writing.
I see at a time of my own physical struggles, a time in the nation when our economy is struggling beyond reason. Change or death as a nation is upon us! I think the situation is that dire. We need to make things here again in the states! We need to lead the way into, "The Green Revolution". We need to get back to basics with a clear cut agenda that will swiftly rebuild this country into the leader it should be and not the bully it has been. The United States has historically acted like a child age bully in a playground of nations, often not having the experience behind it to make wiser decisions and act more hastily. At other times, perhaps even properly intentioned, The United States influenced leaders with their own political agenda in order and had absolutely disasterous long term outcomes, suggesting that perhaps we should permanently stay out of the way of others and stop being that child like bully.
Having been in Cumberland, Maryland ten years now has taught me volumes. I write often and read more. I am on the internet daily studying and staying on top of issues often polluted by the common media. I see clearly what the answer is that we as a nation need now. Think me crazy as you read this perhaps, but at least have an open mind to see this is an answer that will work and benefit all, home and abroad.
I recently wrote here in the blog about a winterization program that I recently was granted. I outlined my basic philosophy as to what eras or revolutions we have been through as a nation vs. where we are headed and why we need to step up the bar for the world and do it hand and hand as friends, and not as dictating bullies.
I am becoming more liberal in my personal politics. Perhaps it is pure selfishness, however, I have been helped by liberal programs when less liberal programs would have had me homeless long ago! That is not a joke. I have fortunately been on the receiving end of grants and programs in my home area that have enabled me to enhance my home and lifestyle for free, and subsequently my health, while offering many people employment under these programs.
I have seen a recession in the 80's and I am in one currently in October of 2010, no matter what the media says about it otherwise! The economy may have a positive overall direction however we are so deep in the hole, at the current pace of the economy we would without a doubt struggle larger and larger issues while less well equipped.
The liberals here in the states are starting to sound like the republicans of old, and I am really starting to like it more and more. The liberals want us to make things here in this country and lead the way into the future with the best products and technology in the world home grown right here in The United States. What sounds wrong with that? Absolutely nothing !
It is time to vote, and your vote counts, and it is a vote that can and will reshape our country.
The current administration has made huge progress in reversing this recession gradually and wisely. We have new health care legislation, we have no war in Iraq, we are building better cars with all three state side brands making a profit! We have a program in place that if properly utilized will rebuilt the infrastructure and more then likely construct the future in the process.
What once worked is broke! It is beyond usable repair in this day and age. That is a fact to accept and it is time to swiftly embrace the era we are living in and forge forward together as one rebuilding the pride of our nation, united as one people doing so.
The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind, (Bob Dylan)."
Another election is upon us and it is at a critical time where we can speak as a unified voice and demand that this nation be set back on the track from which it has long been derailed.
The future is now, and the "Green Era" is upon us. What will you do? What will we do?
Change your bulbs to more efficient one and only buy new bulbs made here in this country! MADE IN USA will once again mean unequaled quality. Winterize your home thus saving natural resources, saving money over the long term, and employing local businesses in the process. Boycott Wal-Mart, or simply send your paychecks to China, because that is where our money is going.
My point is, there are hundreds of things we can individually do that collectively send a resounding signal. We have to act swiftly and together peacefully using tact that is undeniable. There should be no question as to what are the issues nor what are the best solutions or goals to strive for. The devil is in the details! The progress is caught up into these details through greed and bureaucracy.
I want to heal and be able to work and contribute how I know I can when I am healthy and strong. My current disability claim with my state was approved only days ago. I now have full health coverage to get diagnostic testing that I otherwise would not have been able to get in ant timely fashion, if much less at all. This program offers help where it looked as though there was none. I am thankful for a fighting chance at both time, and living my shared with many I love American dream.
I beg each of you to ask your inner self and you God how you can individually better this world starting now? Nothing about perfection, just about decision followed by action that on a collective level will make the difference that needs to be made.
We the people have the power to make all the differences in the world. How is Haiti? How is Iraq? How is Iran? We cannot even help ourselves much less help those in need or those we have crushed!
Our country needs a succinct mission. We need to do away with capitalism in politics and move forward into the Green Era!
We will have new professions, better higher quality education, a mission as a nation, a better friendship with the rest of the world.
My father made it home from Korea and Viet Nam. He retired as a full colonel after graduating from West Point in 1952. He earned two masters degrees. He is a self made man of honor and integrity who I respect more then any other man. I feel positive he would agree with me that we are better off with great education and peace! I am sure he would have much more fondness looking back into his youth without experiencing war. I am sure he dearly misses friends that passed away during action. I am sure he would never want anyone to share that pain ever. I am lucky to know him. He received a purple heart in Viet Nam after a bullet grazed his head. That makes it sound so less severe then it was but the fact is this, he was 1/8 of an inch from departing this life. I cannot, and I am thankful do not have to, imagine a life without my father. How would my Mother have survived? Where would we have all gone to school? Who would we be on vacation with, if we were fortunate to take any vacations at all. Mt father is a Civil Engineer. He was in The Army Corps of Engineers. He has shared with me success and vision while illustrating easily how to live a productive worthwhile life. He has helped me financially recently during these terrible times.
He always had a vision and never strays thus, always keeping the course he has had a steady wholesome life as those have enjoyed around him. I have learned much from my Father and Mother and it is they that lend me the vision (with an engineers mind and the eye an artist (my Mother is an artist) that unfolds in my mind and is molded along with my life's experiences.
I have always believed in standing for something and being proud of it and working hard at it. I believe in a life of pursuit of our dreams. I believe in being good to others and try to learn new things and an even better way of life on a daily basis. It gives me a voice with passion when I have something to say, and I will obviously express myself and expose my own flaws and experience if it will help make a better tomorrow for anyone at all.
I am thankful for friends and family today and never mean to offend anyone one of you individually. I only write these things hoping for an open mind that has peace as a vision and the answer.
I once believed in so much that I cannot tolerate today. I can actually tolerate it in others, as I have walked in those shoes. What I mean to say exactly is that I cannot stand these prejudices within myself anymore and hold myself to a higher standard, as best I can. I am by no means perfect, being a smoker and having had runs ins with the law. THE TRUTH shall set you free. Do you think me different now? Wonder what did he do? I thought he wanted to be a cop! I ashamedly gave myself two DWI's and lordy I got what I deserved and I have paid for it dearly. It was a part of my process that was not so happy. It gave me new beginnings and a new focus when I needed a jolt. Paying thousands of dollars for being STUPID and jail suck ! Such is the possibility with free will.
I have gained common sense with time...but I am still quite dull at times. I once worked at a bike shop that had a sign in it that said, " Common sense ain't so common." I worked for the owner of that shop for many years before he was brutally murdered in his sleep by his son. I had to testify in court about it. That too is another story and experience all together which led me straight to Jack Daniels.
Where is common sense in this country...I think we, as a country, are a slowly waking giant. I see signs everywhere of failure being a by product of a long broken system. This system is being challenged. This system even has the ability to change, but perhaps not the people with the intestinal fortitude to change it. This system was more gracefully designed then the people who work within it, who are suppose to be working for the people who support it as citizens as well as those seeking citizenship.
Common sense says illegal aliens come here for work and hope. I know my relatives migrated for those reasons. We should embrace them. It is a people that have a work ethic that build a nation. It is a great nation that provides those jobs by not selling off our trade to other countries, forever short changing the current middle class and those less fortunate. Let us as a nation help those people and ourselves and build a Green Economy in which we can all study, work and grow!
We know what to do, let us use our collective experience to simply make the right decisions.
I will not vote for a party per-se, I will vote for the candidate that best represents these ideas theologically as well as historically. Only then can we begin to move forward into a new day and age rebuilding our great but, "dying" ( meant not currently evolving) country.
Please take a moment to read this definition of intelligence:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intelligence

in·tel·li·gence
   /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/ Show Spelled[in-tel-i-juhns] Show IPA
–noun
1.
capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.
2.
manifestation of a high mental capacity: He writes with intelligence and wit.
3.
the faculty of understanding.
4.
knowledge of an event, circumstance, etc., received or imparted; news; information.
5.
the gathering or distribution of information, esp. secret information.
6.
Government .
a.
information about an enemy or a potential enemy.
b.
the evaluated conclusions drawn from such information.
c.
an organization or agency engaged in gathering such information: military intelligence; naval intelligence.
7.
interchange of information: They have been maintaining intelligence with foreign agents for years.
8.
Christian Science . a fundamental attribute of god, or infinite Mind.
9.
( often initial capital letter ) an intelligent being or spirit, esp. an incorporeal one, as an angel.

We as a country are no where near moving forward as a people intelligently, and I openmindedly think that statement inarguable.

I challenge you to write a reply to me, either in agreement or not, as it will further enlighten me personally and inspire me further.

If you read this far, I would like to simply say a thank you.

I have a lot about my life and experience on my blog and I hope it will be of use by helping someone out there somehow. I care and I am here! I hope we will walks towards a bright future together basking in the warmth of the sun.

Letter about HRDC submitted to The Cumberland Times News this morning

After I originally  submitted this article, and posted it onto my blog, it was so well received by the United States Department of Energy that it was posted at their website.

That was an unexpected honor.

Here is that link:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/news_detail.html?news_id=16404

To The Cumberland Times News:

I hope that this letter may be posted in the, "Reader Commentary" section in its entirety, as this is all great information that paints a clear and accurate picture about a wonderful program that HRDC offers to our citizens. Thanks once again for providing me the opportunity to be heard in our fine local newspaper.

I would also like to offer this to the paper for free to publish in its entirety as a separate article. I hope you can consider that as well...the information here I think can greatly help many in our community. Perhaps it could be featured in the Allegany Magazine as well.

I could always cut it down but I think it would lose a lot f its over all appeal and a ton of great information. Perhaps if needed i could make it two articles for reader commentary as well...one as a thank you letter and the other about local programs and assistance, which are often very tricky to find information about or get applications for for those less fortunate that have no idea where to start.

I would very much enjoy writing for the paper if you have any openings or free lance assignments. I am currently going through the disability process, but most of the time I feel well enough to research and write. I have a very wide knowledge base, a college education, and I am 42 years old with a lot of interesting experiences. I would happily meet in person as well if so offered. it would certainly be an honor and a dream fulfilled to be able to write even more, as I have written most of my life and have quite a passion for it.

Thanks, John S. Swygert

461 N. Waverly Terrace
Cumberland, Maryland 21502
240 522 xxx or
240 345 xxx

---------My article follows--------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------



There are so many wonderful and exciting things that are happening in our cozy little town of Cumberland. With the approach of winter not too far away, I was in awe of what took place at my home here in Cumberland.

Recently I applied for the HRDC's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). I received a letter telling me that I was, "certified as eligible" to receive the weatherization services to my home and that an appointment would have to be made for an energy audit to be performed on my home. I made the appointment not knowing quite what to expect overall and what follows in remarkable! What follows is what I observed being performed at and on my home to the best of my knowledge and I certainly hope to portray everything as accurately as possible, but again, as I am not a professional in this field, these are simply my observations.

The day of the primary appointment, Ken Rafferty of HRDC came to my home and we did a simple walk through of the home looking at any area that could have insulation installed, weather stripping added to doors, windows replaced, plumbing wrapped, the water heater getting an insulating jacket, doors needing replacement, etc.

On a subsequent occasion, Alan Hanson, from my understanding the owner of a sub-contracted business by HRDC arrived and performed a test to see how efficient or inefficient my home was. Using thermal imaging after a relatively simple preparation process the home was imaged to see where its weak spots were that could perhaps otherwise be overlooked, as these areas may not be so visible to the naked eye.

On a third appointment, they each ( Ken and Alan) walked through the home together and and discussed what they each individually found during their respective studies of the home, and what appeared to be the best course of action to take to remedy the issues.

Next, a crew of very nice and respectable employees showed up bringing both smiles and materials to start the job. There were many workers each with their own expertise, that worked both individually and together to efficiently accomplish the task at hand.

The net result was this:

The attic received nearly two feet of blown insulation made of a chemically treated fire retardant recycled paper product (a green product). They also manufactured a new attic entry door for the ceiling.

Please keep in mind that this entire program is very tightly audited and monitored and that all the work performed is done so under strict Federal, State, and Local guidelines, respectively, as well as under the close supervision of the head of the program and through to th owners of each company involved. This is a very reassuring way to get the work started.

The crawl space under my kitchen (entry gained through my basement) was fully insulated by hand with rolled insulation. The furnace room was also insulated with rolled insulation between all of the floor joists that support the overhead floors to the above level, as these are open and relatively easy to insulate. The front most room of my basement which is roughly finished then received a treatment where the loose type of insulation is blown in with a machine after several small (roughly 2" diameter) holes were drilled to gain access to these areas between these floor joists, as they were covered with a lathe and plaster ceiling. The plugs drilled out are then reinserted into the holes from whence they came and caulked in place, thus re-sealing the area.

The concluding work finishing the basement out were foam plumbing wraps on the copper pipes to help keep freezing out and warmth in the plumbing. Finally, there was weather stripping placed around the basement's exterior door as well as the basement's interior door located at the top of the steps where entry is gained to the home's main level.

The home's main entry door (a pre-hung modern airtight unit) was replaced including a matched key door knob and dead bolt. The bathroom on this same level received a vent fan and a new green board ceiling. The adjoining washroom between the bathroom and the foyer (all of which were a block and stick built addition to the original structure of the home) received blown insulation in the above ceiling in its entirety. The other exterior door on this level had weather stripping installed.

The second floor was snugly between the attic and first floor and was sufficently zipped up and needed only minimal work.

All three floors of my home received matching and combined fire and CO2 alarm that is audibly very loud, thus replacing my older units. They also each feature verbal warnings as well stating what the threat is. They are efficient compact units with excellent battery life.

As a SAFETY NOTE with the winter season nearly upon us, the fire station offers free smoke alarms ( I believe one per household) to homeowners in the city of Cumberland. You can call and get details or stop by during normal business hours usually.

Along with about five window panes (non storm windows) that were replaced throughout my home, many cans (roughly 30 - 40) of self expanding foam was utilized to seal off any questionable as well as hard to reach and/or awkward areas.

Next, unexpectedly and to my surprise, Mark from Anderson Heating and Air Conditioning called to schedule an appointment to tune-up my natural gas furnace. The appointment day came along and my furnace was quickly considered "condemned", which was a jolt of reality with the impending winter not too far off.

As the first phase of work was now finished, I patiently but nervously waited to see what could be done, if anything, to salvage my old trusty work horse furnace from the era of the late 50's to early 60's. The phone rang, and Mark stated, to my total surprise, that I had been approved for an entirely new furnace. What incredibly exciting news! We set an appointment for work to start on the furnace. Two days after the appointment I had a brand new "Trane" brand high efficiency furnace installed that was fully functional. It even included a new easily programed digital thermostat manufactured by Honeywell.

Upon first turning on the furnace myself (my first time testing the unit) I immediately felt that its strength forcing air through the duct work of the home was significantly and obviously much much stronger then before and therefore, I felt the temperature raising in the home within a couple of minutes, I also noticed that there were no drafts streaming through the home either.

The basic mission of this program is rather multi-faceted. One thing for sure is that any home worked on will be more efficient not just at heating in the winter but equally keeping the home cool during the warmer months. The monies saved by the homeowner can better be utilized enhancing their lives by lowering the consumption of natural resources, an obvious plus for our increasingly threatened environment, so that those funds can be spent elsewhere in both the home and the community, thus not only helping the homeowner but the entire community.

It also helps the community by increasing the homeowners pride in their property which is often behaves as a two fold catalyst. First, for the homeowner to further enhance their property and secondarily, for neighbors to often follow in close suit. It also provides many jobs through these companies working together to perform the total package of work, as well as teaching positions for those in the trade earning their licenses.

This to me is exactly the essence of what the " GREEN MOVEMENT" is all about. First, reducing our own personal carbon footprint by efficiently consuming less natural resources through the use of modern and more efficient technology. Using this more modern technology creates a new work force with a fresh clean perspective, thus creating more jobs in many ways from manufacturing the new products (often made of recycleables), teaching the new philosophy and techniques to students in the trade on their way to earning their licenses, and thusly creating new jobs as we push the envelope to gain the upper hand on treating Mother Earth more properly and respectfully. Once this cycle has started we can continue down a path of better design by engineers making even more efficient products that not long were even deemed possible or at the very least, not feasible. Each change in technology has the ability to further revolutionize this new "Green Industry" thus propelling the industry along.

This is what I consider a new philosophy that has been evolving in the last few recent years very rapidly especially and mostly due to our recent and/or current recession and the fears faced by the rise in fuel prices (in particular petroleum products). These are valuable lessons we are learning and this is something we can demonstrate and share with the rest of the world as we pave the way into a new green future, but it takes fine programs like these.

As an early nation we were strictly in an "Agricultural Era", as all we had was raw land. Once we became efficient as a nation and were able to sustain life at home in the U.S.A. with the food we grew and other raw materials we farmed and with the wealth we started to amass as a nation while trading at home and especially abroad with other nations, we began to transition into an "Industrial Age". After labor prices rose here for many reasons, we often outsourced labor to other nations, as it was often less expensive to manufacture in those nations and then ship it abroad and/or back home for trade. We were the industrial giant of the world. After amassing even greater wealth and becoming one of, if not the most, wealthiest nations in the world and with our labor prices rising ever sharper, we made the transition into the "Service Age". We as a nation are beyond that now as an era and are, I believe, at the beginning of the wild frontier of the "Green Era". We now have the ability to pave the way for the world and with the world as we are upon the threshold of this new golden age. The basic philosophy of this program simply illustrates how it helps so many from the less fortunate as myself, to the blue collar workers all the way up to the white collar professionals. This is a simple and beautiful system that should be emulated often during this transition that is currently effecting all industries and market places. We, in the great state of Maryland in particular, should be proud that we are on the cutting edge of the new "Green Era" as we are swiftly becoming the leaders setting the stage for others to follow. We in Maryland utilize wind, hydro, and solar energy and are doing so more and more often every year. We, as a nation, must maintain this path of growth and efficiency in order to move forward and build our new worldwide economy while setting an example for other countries.

During the work being performed on my home, I did not observe one single area of shortcuts in quality of materials or craftsmanship, and I was also treated with respect and dignity. Brands used included, but were not limited too, Honeywell, Lumber 84, Trane, and Lowes to name only a few.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a warm and special heart felt thanks to everyone involved in this process, starting with Ken Rafferty and those closely involved at HRDC, as well as Alan Hanson and his wonderful crew of warm friendly employees, and lastly (in order of work performed) Mark and his employees from Anderson Heating and Air Conditioning. Please forgive me if I failed to mention anyone at all as well as not using everyones names individually as there were simply too many for me to remember accurately.

To apply for this program you can write to HRDC Weatherization Assistance Program at 125 Virginia Avenue Cumberland, Maryland 21502. You may also inquire about it when filling out the Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) applications. Do not worry if you qualify for assistance or not...simply fill out the paperwork, which is simple, and wait for new correspondence asking or instructing what you need to do next if you have qualified. Many folks do not apply and their families often suffer because of this. These programs exist to better enhance our lives individually and as a community so that we may each be more comfortable, healthier, and thus more productive members of our city. When we are each more productive their will be a larger tax base, which again helps us build even better programs, fund more folks in need of assistance more quickly, enabling them to get on their feet even quicker, which in turn helps us maintain our infrastructure here at home. The cycle can keep growing.

To save the best for last, this (HRDC Weatherization Assistance) is a FREE program that is offered to homeowners. You read that correctly...FREE.

As I am personally suffering through some ill health currently, this will make me a healthier, happier, more productive neighbor myself. I will always attest to the miracle of the gift that was offered to me, and for that I am forever thankful. For me personally, it is better to be warm and healthy then to be cold with pride!

You have all been very good to me and it was a pleasure meeting each of you. Thanks for letting me watch you work a little and pick your brains, as well as joke around a little too...you lifted my spirits and have provided me a healthier and safer environment on which to live.

I have a lot of information on local resources. i.e., phone numbers, addresses, programs and contact information. I feel as though I have a great debt to this local community. If you are reading this and any of that appeals to you or you need some advice from what I have learned with the help of many friends, simply call me from 9 am - 5 pm M-F and I will happily give you all the information you are willing to write down, so have your pen and paper ready. My number is 240-345-xxxx and I have voice mail if I am away.

Thanks,
John S. Swygert

update:

News from July 28, 2012:

Is the Paradigm Shifting?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-grenier/peter-glatzer-shft-series-green-innovation_b_1707106.html

UPDATE

It is now March 14, 2015 and read this !!!

Conventional wisdom once suggested that being aggressive on expanding America’s renewable energy potential meant sacrificing its focus on oil. Critics, largely shouting from right-of-center, accused liberals of undermining the American economy and hurting national interests by working to expand things like solar and wind. Hardly anyone is saying that any more… because Obama’s presidency has blown that idea out of the water.

You may have noticed recently that your price at the pump has been a lot lower than it had been. In the last months of 2014, the price of gas was in freefall, which in turn had acted like a booster shot to the arm of the economy. The stock market soared; companies began hiring at faster and faster rates (they are now complaining that they can’t find enough workers to fill their payrolls); and more importantly, average Americans saved thousands of dollars.

Prices have begun to creep up again, although much more slowly than they had fallen, but a new report looking at oil reserves found that the oil industry is booming so big right now that companies are literally running out of places to put the oil they’ve extracted.

It may be a problem that many people don’t think about, but yes there is an upper limit to how much oil we can store. Experts predict this “problem” may spell another plummet in gas prices, even during the summer months where we traditionally see higher costs.

Your car may rejoice, but if the environmentalist in you has pangs of unease, don’t worry. There are also signs that Obama’s legacy will be that of as the turning point in America’s renewable energy policy. The fact that he didn’t have to achieve huge gains in green tech at the expense of American energy output is something to be admired.

President Obama has spent both terms working to constantly ramp up America’s solar energy capabilities. Given our nation’s large expanses of extremely sunny, arid areas (think Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico), many energy scientists believe solar could be the key to America’s break from oil dependency. To capitalize on that potential, the Obama administration has been pouring money into solar. The results speak for themselves.

According to a recent review, between the years of 2010 and 2014, America’s solar capacity grew by a staggering 418%. That’s still a far cry from where solar leaders like Germany and China are at, but it shows that America is not only willing but able to compete in what will surely be the next frontier of energy production.

Not that this seems to have satisfied Obama. In his fiscal 2016 budget proposal, Obama announced plans to further invest in fighting climate change and promoting emerging renewable-energy technologies.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

While many of Mr. Obama’s energy and environmental plans have been included in prior year proposals, the 2016 proposal includes a new $4 billion fund, dubbed the Clean Power State Initiative Fund, to help states comply with draft Environmental Protection Agency regulations cutting carbon emissions from U.S. power plants.

The fund, which would cost $4 billion over the next decade, would encourage states to exceed the minimum requirements of rules the EPA is expected to complete this summer.

The leaps forward are not without opposition, of course. In this case, specifically Republicans in Congress who, flush with oil company money, have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo until the very last drop of oil is sucked out of the ground. Making their job hard is that until recently they were able to claim Obama was hurting the economy and industry by being pro-environment. However, with the economy roaring back to life, oil extraction near record levels, and a booming renewable energy industry, that claim is looking laughable.

As always, the best way to prove detractors wrong is by actually doing the things they say you couldn’t. Obama knows that lesson better than anyone.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/14/notice-gops-silence-on-oil-lately-obama-did-the-unthinkable-cheap-gas-and-renewable-energy/

JERRY GARCIA went SCUBA diving with my sister in Bonaire, NA...WOW !!!

I recently remembered that my sister had to ld me hat she went SCUBA diving with Jerry garcia of the Grateful Dead.

My sister, Susan "Suzy" Swygert lives in Bonaire, N.A.. She is an accomplished and published writer, professional photographer, and diving instructor. She formerly owned a diving shop as well and that is when she met Jerry and his wife and friends.

I recently emailed her through facebook and inquired about this experience and here is what she kindly posted back to me. Here is a copy of our emails / correspondence from this occasion.

" Steve Swygert September 20 at 1:01pm

Can you please send me a nice short story (or longer and detailed is great) about your diving with Jerry Garcia...who was there...how long did you hang out...what did you all do and talk about...I went to a beautful hippy fest in West Virginia and camped all weekend and listened to some great tunes and it was a blast...this place kind of lives the Jerry way of life and it was a great time...good folks, cool vibes, great music, etc...I so much hope you can share all about that with me so that I may post it on my blog with your permission...and if that is not ok...will Rhonda and I will love reading all about it...love and miss you all...Stephen

Suzi Swygert September 27 at 9:51pm Report

In brief, he was here because he loved diving and he got involved with the Henderson wetsuit company - they designed some wetsuits per his ideas/designs and marketed them with his name. He visited Bonaire during some events, with Henderson, so doing promotion for the wetsuit business, but enjoyed hanging out diving in Bonaire. I think this was all in the early '90s, but I can't remember exactly - maybe you can Google and find some info! He was here with his wife, Debbie,and she was lots of fun, too. There was something wrong with him, diabetes - and he seemed healthy and strong and drug-free when he was here. We were all so sad when he passed away, it was just a few months after their visit - he was very young, and it was a great loss to his family and friends, as well as the public.

I hope to learn more about the details of the trip and conversation and will post up more if I have further email discussion with my sister. What a great time that would have been...and I am sure was.

My sister has written many books and articles and she is easily found on Google. I hope you will read about her as well as some of her literature and feel free to contact me to get in touch with her. She still avidly dives and works as a photographer.

Nehi Lemon Driver Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz (Add To Taste) Vodka
5 cubes (crushed) Ice
2 oz (Add To Taste) Maraschino Cherry Juice
1 piece (Cold) Maraschino Cherry
12 oz (chilled) Lemonade

Best served in a Mason Jar.

Directions:

Mix liquid ingredients in a tumbler (in ratio for smaller and larger amounts)using Nehi Brand Lemonade and Absolute Vodka or Grey Goose...Shake well...30 seconds...pour over 5 crushed ice cubes...garnish with a Maraschino Cherry or an Oarnge Wedge...you may also add Grenadine or Tequila to taste for an added kick as well...and most importantly ENJOY!