AZ_Sun's blog

  From a Howard Hughes' Plane

  to a motor-yacht 

This is an interesting little story of how to truly reuse and recycle instead of sending something as big as an airplane to a landfill. From a plane to a boat...the story of the Cosmic Muffin.

Last week I went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a family reunion and found out that our neighbor is the owner of the famous Cosmic Muffin plane-boat and has it docked two houses away from my family's home. At the reunion my uncle asked who wanted to go see the neighbor's plane-boat. At first I had NO interest, and then he said the plane was originally owned by Howard Hughes. Since The Aviator is my all-time favorite Leonardo DiCaprio film then I said, "Okay, I'm So In!"

The plane-boat started its improbable journey as a Boeing 307 Stratoliner originally owned by industrialist and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes who acquired the plane in 1939 as part of his purchase of TWA. The 307 was the world’s first commercial pressurized aircraft that was a variant of the B-17 Flying Fortress. Only ten were built in the late 1930s as production was discontinued by government order at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. One 307 has survived fully intact and has undergone a complete restoration by Boeing in Seattle for its owner, the National Air & Space Museum.

Destined for the scrap heap, the 307 was rescued by Fort Lauderdale Realtor and pilot Kenneth W. London in 1969. Unable to make the plane airworthy again, he cut the wings and tail off, trucked the remaining fuselage to a nearby marina and spent the next four years converting the four-engined airliner into a sleek and uniquely sensational motor yacht. Launched in July 1974, the Londonaire was seen throughout south Florida to the delight of spectators and the media. The “plane-boat” featured twin V-8 inboards incorporating the original aircraft cockpit controls that were used to fly the plane, propelling the vessel over 20 mph. Electrical, plumbing, sanitation and air conditioning systems were installed along with a new interior that included restored chairs and bar.

The boat was bought by Dave Drimmer in 1981 as a live aboard and extensively remodeled and rebuilt after he discovered the original hull was barely keeping the plane fuselage afloat. He later named it the Cosmic Muffin after publication of Jimmy Buffett’s novel "Where is Joe Merchant?"

While many boats over the years have pridefully claimed to be distinctive and unique, the Cosmic Muffin can truly be considered an historic one-of-a-kind amalgam of a rare aircraft and novel vessel. No other watercraft, before or since, has ever been constructed from a land-based airplane, especially one with such a rich legacy as an historic aircraft owned by a true legend, Howard Hughes.

If interested, you can read the complete history, view pictures and a video at PlaneBoats.com.

               Howard Hughes                                                       Dave Drimmer

I received the below e-mail today from the World Wildlife Fund.

WWF and Leonardo DiCaprio Partner to Double the Number of Wild Tigers by 2022.

Actor and Activist Leonardo DiCaprio has joined forces with World Wildlife Fund to save a species on the brink of extinction. With as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, WWF and DiCaprio today kicked off Save Tigers Now. The campaign begins with an expedition to remote tiger habitats in Asia to document the wild tigers first hand and learn what needs to be done to save them from extinction.

After DiCaprio was briefed by the WWF conservationists about the plight of these majestic animals, they decided to partner on a campaign to help raise awareness about the threats to tigers and raise funds for tiger preservation efforts. In honor of the Chinese Year of the Tiger, an ambitious goal of $20 million has been set with the vision of doubling the tiger population by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.

DiCaprio is traveling to Asia with WWF experts to see the threats tigers face first-hand. He will participate in anti-poaching patrols, meet with park guards on the frontlines of protecting tigers from international traffickers, and explore the best ways to protect these amazing creatures. The Save Tigers Now (www.SaveTigersNow.org) website will allow supporters to follow DiCaprio's journey and participate in the effort to save tigers.

"Give tigers enough space and protection and they'll recover," said WWF CEO Carter Roberts. "But public support means everything and changing laws and ending demand for tiger parts means we need to tell their story--in places like the U.S., India and China. Which is why this partnership with Leonardo is so important, he can reach the public, tell this story to our children and engage leaders around the world--to save tigers now."

“Tigers are endangered and critical to some of the world’s most important ecosystems,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “Key conservation efforts can save the tiger species from extinction, protect some of the planet’s last wild habitats and help sustain the local communities surrounding them. By protecting this iconic species, we can save so much more.”


Tigers need your help. Learn how you can get involved today by visiting SaveTigersNow.org. You'll be able to:

. Read about the latest tiger facts and WWF's efforts to double the tiger population by 2022

. Share information on your social networking pages or by sending an e-card

. View photos and videos of the latest tiger conservation efforts from across Asia

 Email your Senators and tell them to VOTE YES on Clean Energy Jobs for America.

There's a clean energy bill sitting, waiting in Congress.

A bill that the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund says "will break foreign oil's stranglehold on our country, reduce carbon pollution, and create jobs right here in America--good jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced."

And the NRDC Action Fund wants you to do something about it. It's simple enough-- visit thisisourmoment.org to email your senators and ask them to pass the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act. They even got an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Bateman and Edward Norton cracking jokes and urging you to do this one, simple thing.

"Flood the inboxes of your senators, it freaks them out," Bateman says. "They don't even know how to use e-mail, then they see a bunch of stuff in the inbox, they know they gotta do something."

Let's hope so. Justin Long even takes off his pants to get the point across.

Watch this great video here.  thisisourmoment.org

SOURCE:  The Huffington Post   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/28/nrdc-clean-energy-bill-ce_n_440104.html

Share this video with a friend and help spread the word.
This should take less than 5 minutes -- here is what you can do:

1. Tell your senators This is Our Moment, by clicking this link

2. Spread the word about this video by posting this link on your Facebook wall

3. Update your Facebook status to "Thisisourmoment.org" so friends will see our video

4. Tweet ThisIsOurMoment.org and tell your followers to take action today!

5. Post ThisIsOurMoment.org on your personal blogs

This is GREAT and gave me a good belly laugh. 

The spirit of Christmas is all about LOVE, and not how much lighting one has in front of their home. I find it refreshing when people don't try to keep up with the neighbors. You can have a Less is More attitude about Christmas lighting and still be in the spirit of Christmas.


The Ditto house owners are very clever, creative and obviously have a great sense of humor.

Greenbuild 2009 International Conference and Expo is being held in Phoenix, Arizona from November 11th - 13th.

Former Vice President Al Gore will be the opening Keynote speaker tonight, November 11th at the Greenbuild conference. You can watch his speech and other keynote speakers live or as archived video later here at GreenbuildExpo.org.

WOW! Bill McKibben's 350.org International Day of Climate Action was a huge success. According to their website people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

I have just spent the last hour marveling over all the phenomenal pictures and videos that people sent in from all over the world. Check them out HERE.

There were several events planned in my area of Phoenix, Arizona like climbing up a mountain with Arizona State University students and bike rides. My husband and I met up on Thursday, October 22nd with some local members of 1Sky to take a 350.org photo in Old Town Scottsdale by the big LOVE sculpture in the park to signify our love of home, community, and our planet. Here is our picture.

We were in the park for about an hour taking photos and of course people walking by would question us about what we were doing. I had printed up small cards with what 350.org is all about and what it means. So when asked I would just pull out a card from my pocket and give it to them.

After the photos were taken some of the group went on for a bike ride, but my husband and I went to the Scottsdale ArtWalk where the local art galleries open their doors to the public and show off their work. This particular ArtWalk was a Taste of Art ArtWalk where you could sample food and wine as you stroll and look at art. So we opted out of the long bike ride in order to eat, drink wine and look at art which is more to our liking. (lol) I kept my 350.org gear on while at the ArtWalk and of course I was asked numerous times what does 350 mean, so I would whip out one of those printed cards and hand it to them. I had printed up 24 cards and only came home with three.

When you are in love with your home, and I don't mean your house, but where you live, for me it's the glorious Sonoran Desert, then you are always happy to support any organization that wants to protect it and keep it pristine, beautiful and healthy.

I am a member of the Global Coherence Initiative which is a science-based initiative to unite millions of people in heart-focused care and intention to shift global consciousness from instability and discord to balance, cooperation and enduring peace.

The Global Coherence Initiative is designed to help individuals and groups work together, synchronistically and strategically to increase the impact of their efforts to create positive global change.

Together we will:

1) Increase personal coherence for the benefit of ourselves and the planet
2) Help shift the planetary consciousness baseline from self-centeredness to wholeness care
3) Increase connection and social harmony
4) Empower our ability to navigate through global changes with less stress and more ease
5) Empower environmental responsibility and stewardship of the planet

This project has been initiated because millions of people sense that this is an extraordinary time; that a paradigm shift of human consciousness is now under way; that we are at the crossroads of change and must move toward the healing of ourselves and our planet. Many people are feeling a strong desire to help change our present and future conditions and are looking for ways to use their heart, spirit-aligned wisdom and care to make a meaningful difference.

The Global Coherence Initiative is one of many care and compassion initiatives taking place on the planet. Each year, an increasing number of groups and online communities are radiating compassion and care to the planet in these times of need. We and others feel that these collective heart-based initiatives, rather than being a trend, represent the proactive consciousness platform of the future, in which individuals and communities take responsibility for shaping a new world by increasing love, care and compassion for the global whole.

I recently volunteered to participate in a 6-month GCI Interconnectedness Study on the relationship between human consciousness, Earth’s energetic activity and other planetary factors. (I have a lot of free time on my hands these days, lol) Anyway, I do receive e-mail alerts and I thought I would pass this one on to the members of this community. This alert is about the upcoming International Day of Peace.

Envisioning the Peaceful World You Want to Live In
"For the International Day of Peace, September 21, align with the spirit of all who are sending prayers, meditations and positive intentions for world peace."

Creation starts with thought, desire and imagination….the same as desiring a new house, job, etc. Thoughts, desires and imagination create an energetic blueprint for what we want; then taking action steps towards our goal helps to create the building blocks for intentions to manifest.

In honor of International Peace Day, let’s take five minutes a day (or what’s convenient for you) to envision the world as we would want it to be: A world that respects individual human rights and authentic communication, has balanced, conscious leadership and compassionate governing systems worldwide, values the preservation of resources, has love and respect for animals and environmental balance. A world that provides food, pure water, shelter and world peace for all. Create your own additions and remember to enrich your vision with genuine feelings from your heart’s desire so as to give it life. Close with a moment of gratitude and the request that whatever manifests only be the highest best for the whole."  

UPDATE:  HeartMath in honor of International Peace Day, Sept. 21st, created a beautiful video called At the Heart of Peace. You can watch it HERE.

Tonight, August 17th at 11:30pm on Comedy Central, 11th Hour film expert Bill McKibben is appearing on the The Colbert Report.

For those of you who haven't seen it, The Colbert Report is a satirical (and hilarious!) late-night TV show that criticizes politics, media, and just about everything else. Its fictional anchorman, Steven Colbert, is a right-wing bully who has often declared his skepticism of global warming.

Going on The Colbert report is very exciting, and it gives us a chance to reach a very wide audience with the 350 message. It's also a bit of a gamble--Colbert himself is sharp as a tack, and his writers come up with questions designed to embarrass and flummox his guests. Which is probably why Bill didn't want to publicize tonight's show. :)

But the secret is out--so make some popcorn, tell your friends, and prepare to watch Bill and Stephen duke it out Monday at 11:30! And it repeats on Tuesday at 8:30 if you miss it!

Have a Facebook account? RSVP to the Colbert Watch Party Facebook Event and help spread the word.  You can also use Twitter to help build the buzz about tonight's show or to send Bill your tips on surviving an interview with Colbert.

Since I don't use Twitter or have a Facebook or MySpace account, all I can do to help get the word out is blog about it.  :-)

 UPDATE: In case you missed Bill McKibben on the Colbert Report you can watch the interview HERE.

Love is the New Religion (The Spiritual Conspiracy) by Brian Piergrossi

I was first introduced to this poem on 11th Hour expert Wallace J. Nichols website who blogged about this poem back in June. Since then the author Brian Piergrossi has made a video to go along with his poem.

This video contains a series of images, with a voice-over of author Brian Piergrossi reading the poem from his book The Big Glow, along with background native tribal music.

This poem has struck a nerve in the human consciousness and, over the last few months, has now been spontaneously forwarded, via emails and blogs, to tens of thousands of people around the world by various titles.

It is becoming the catalyst... the rallying cry around the planet.

This poem in video form, however, has the chance to make an even larger impact in bringing us together toward the world we want to create.

If it inspires you...if it makes you realize that your dreams are shared with others around the world then please pass it on.

Together lets create the world of our dreams.

Please take a few minutes from your day to watch this video.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndsMqz54aA&feature=player_embedde

Michael Jackson's album Off the Wall came out 21 days after my 17th birthday, and at the time thanks to ABBA, I really did think I was a Dancing Queen. (lol) My 8-track of Off the Wall was played and danced to over and over and over again. That album and Michael Jackson have made an ever lasting impression on me. Music, art, and film always have the greatest impact on you when you are open to receiving the message.

Michael Jackson's Earth Song which came out in 1995 was his first single that overtly dealt with the environment and animal welfare. I was not completely surprised when I read this past week how Earth Song was a top five hit in most European countries, and in the UK, it remains Jackson's best-selling single. Sadly, Earth Song was not even released as a single in the United States. I wonder why? Maybe the reason was the US was not open to receiving this message at the time.

Earth Song was accompanied by a lavish music video which had an environmental theme, showing images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution and war. Jackson and the world's people unite in a spiritual chant Earth Song which summons a force that heals the world. Using special effects, time is reversed so that life returns, war ends and the forests regrow.

The video was filmed in four geographic regions. The first location was the Amazon Rainforest, where a large part was destroyed a week after the video's completion. Natives of the region appeared in the video and were not actors. The second scene was a war zone in Croatia, with residents of the area. The third location was Tanzania, which incorporated scenes of illegal poaching and hunting into the video. No animals were harmed in the making of the Earth Song, as the footage came from documentary archives. However, a poacher killed an elephant within a mile of the shot. The final location was in Warwick, New York, where a safe forest fire was simulated in a corn field.

Michael said this about Earth Song:

"I remember writing Earth Song when I was in Austria, in a hotel. And I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering of the plight of the Planet Earth. And for me, this is Earth's Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological unbalance going on, and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain, and she has wounds, and it's about some of the joys of the planet as well. But this is my chance to pretty much let people hear the voice of the planet. And this is "Earth Song." And that's what inspired it."

I was happy I came across so many eco-bloggers like Treehugger, Ecorazzie and many others blogging about this song since Michael Jackson's transition last week. I hope this music video gets shown all over the world and especially here in the United States.  Here's wishing that we are now more open to receiving this message and the wonderful gift of music and video from a true genius.

You can view Michael Jackson's Earth Song video HERE.