After missing the Northern Lights in Alaska, I traveled to Iceland, December 4-9, 2007, hoping to see them. Iceland is a Scandinavian country lying between Norway and Greenland. It is an island nation the size of Kentucky with a peninsula extending from its northwestern corner that looks like a crab with pinchers.

Iceland was a Danish colony until 1944. It became independent when the Nazis occupied Denmark. Iceland's flag has the Scandinavian cross, a red cross outlined in white against a blue field. Greenland was granted self-rule by Denmark in 1979.

People like to say that "Iceland is green, and Greenland is covered with ice." Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream. It was not nearly as cold in Reykjavik as it was in Boston.

I flew U.S. Airways to Boston and took Icelandair. I landed at Keflavik International Airport. Keflavik was built by Americans during the Cold War. It is 45 minutes from Reykjavik. I heard One Of Us by ABBA on the Flybus. ABBA follows me everywhere.

The population of Iceland is 300,000, 200,000 of which live in the capital of Reykjavik. Icelanders are reserved and businesslike, fortified against an extreme climate. They are descended from the Vikings who came from Norway in the 9th century. There are lots of square-faced blondes.

Icelanders teach us something. They prosper on an island in the North Atlantic under harsh conditions. Why? Because they make the most of everything. They heat their city with geothermal energy, utilizing the many hot springs. They take care of themselves and each other.

Reykjavik is the northernmost capital. The daylight at noon on December 8 was like soft twilight. SUVs crowded the streets.

That tall building in the city center is Hallgrims Church. It is Lutheran. I climbed the tower. It was misting rain and quite gloomy. The Leifur Eiriksson Hotel, where I stayed, faces the church. I could see it through my window. The statue of Leif Ericson is in front. Leif was the first European to set foot in North America. He was born in Iceland. The planet Venus was in the morning sky and shown beside the church.

The people speak Icelandic but also English. Their language has changed so little since the 9th century that they can still read the medieval sagas.

Iceland's unit of currency is the krona, abbreviated ISK. $1000 got me 54,000 krona. It takes getting used to. A bottle of water cost 200 krona.

Reykjavik is where Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky held the World Chess Championship in 1972. In 2010, Reykjavik will officially be designated the Chess Capital of the World. Fischer, with a long history of personal problems, resides in Iceland.

I went out with Reykjavik Excursions three times. My first tour was the popular Golden Circle. It lasted eight hours and cost 7000 ISK. I saw my first geyser since Yellowstone. The landscape was stark and barren. There were no trees. It was cold, and snow was on the ground. I was thankful for my long johns. Iceland is fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers. Its arctic-like setting displays its deadly beauty as the yellow sun skirts along the horizon in a turquoise sky.

It was cloudy the first two nights. Clouds seem to materialize from nothing only to quickly disappear. I took the Northern Lights tour on both my third and fourth nights. I kept trying. Did I see the lights? Technically, yes. Were they spectacular? No. Conditions were better the second time out. It was clear and cold. The coach parked for an hour, and everyone got off. There was a broad band of white light in the north below the Big Dipper. It may have been my imagination, but I thought it had a greenish tint. Our guide called it the "beginning of the Northern Lights." He said the raw material was there but that it lacked the final touch needed to burst into activity. It was better than nothing. I got my bearings. The north star was high in the sky like it was in Alaska. The summer triangle was visible, a surprise. Vegas, Deneb and Altair are down this time of year in Kentucky and Tennessee. I marveled at Cygnus the Swan in December. Orion was low as it was in Alaska. Mars burned bright in the constellation Gemini. There were Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades, the classic sky which I saw from my parents' back porch in 1961-62. I felt fortunate to be able to see the celestial sphere from different angles. I came away realizing that one does not go to Alaska or Iceland for a few days and see the Northern Lights in their glory. Those stories are told by people who spend their lives there.

Bush detractors are very selfish people. They have forgotten about the events of 9/11, 2001, when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, killing 3000 innocent civilians. They care nothing for the American and British troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Congress threatens to cut off funds and thereby deny them the food, supplies and equipment they need to carry out their work. Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Biden and Dodd care far less about the United States than they do the Democratic Party. All they want is to embarass Bush if they can and try to win back the White House. They are still trying to even up for the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Fact is, George Bush and Tony Blair have stood like two giants since 9/11. They have defended America and the U.K. from blood-thirsty savages who have no regard for human life, not even their own. An anonymous man at the Twin Towers challenged Bush to do "whatever it takes," and Bush is doing just that. WMD is meaningless. So is "fighting over there." What mattered after 9/11 was retaliation (not revenge). Bush had to kick the biggest Muslim butt, and Saddam Hussein had the biggest Muslim butt. Bush gave Saddam an ultimatum to step down. He refused and paid the consequences. Bush knew hard times were coming. He knew his actions were taken with future generations of Americans in mind. They are the ones who will write the history of the early 21st century. They are the ones who will appreciate Bush and that he did what had to be done to break the will of jihadists and religious fanatics worldwide who would destroy America. It is not over yet. It may be a long struggle. But America will triumph as she did in World War II and the Cold War. Decency, human rights, science and progress for all humanity must and will prevail.

I think Mitt Romney may be the next U.S. president. He was the Republican governor from Massachusetts. He is a Mormon. There has never been a Mormon president. Can Romney be the first? He has filed with the Federal Election Commission, allowing him to raise money for the 2008 Republican nomination.

Willard Mitt Romney was born March 12, 1947 in Detroit. He is the son of George Romney, a 1968 presidential candidate. He and his wife, Ann, have 5 sons. Ann has multiple sclerosis.

Romney has a B.A. from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He co-founded Bain Capital, an equity investment firm, and made a fortune, helping to start Staples office-supply.

He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 but lost to Ted Kennedy. He was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and served a four-year term. Romney has conservative values, a Republican governor in a liberal state.

With veterans returning from Iraq, there need to be adequate benefits and health care. Romney supports veterans. He was the first Massachusettes governor to appoint a secretary of veterans' affairs. He developed the Welcome Home Bill which gave National Guardsmen free tuition at Massachusetts universities.

12 million illegal immigrants have poured into the United States from Mexico. Romney is tough on illegals. He made an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement which allowed Massachusetts State troopers to arrest and deport.

He supports alternative energy such as ethanol and nuclear and is for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Romney is pro-life. He opposes Roe v. Wade. He is against abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is threatened. 46 million babies have been aborted since 1973 in what amounts to an American Holocaust.

He supports the death penalty in cases which include terrorism and multiple killings.

Same-sex marriage has been an improbable issue in recent years. Romney believes that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. He opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions.

US PRESIDENTS http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=50

 

Cal Ripken, Jr. & Tony Gwynn were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ripken got 98.53% of the 545 ballots; Gwynn got 97.6%. Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's streak by playing in 2,632 consecutive games. Gwynn won 8 batting titles. Both got over 3,000 hits. The disappointment was Mark McGwire. McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998 and finished with 583 but only got 23.5% of the votes because of suspected steroid use and his reluctance to talk before Congress. The Baseball Writers of America do the voting. 75% of their votes are required for election. McGwire did get enough to remain on the ballot. A candidate may stay on the ballot up to 15 years. Ripken & Gwynn will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on July 29.

Ford was the oldest president even though both he and Ronald Reagan made it to 93. Reagan was born February 6, 1911 and died June 5, 2004. Ford was born July 14, 1913 and died December 26, 2006.

Ford was 46 days older than Reagan.

US presidents http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=50

NASA will return to the moon by 2020 and build a permanent base by 2024. The base will be at the moon's south pole because it is sunlit three-quarters of the time. Solar energy can be used. The plan is for crews to eventually stay on the moon for periods of 6 months. It will be an international effort, with Europe, Russia and Japan. The mission goal is to set the stage for going to Mars. In 1980, I thought we would be on Mars in my lifetime. It will probably not happen. Space exploration is long term. It involves the whole human species. It may be the 22nd century before men walk on Mars.

ASTRONOMY http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2

I am taking this song to ASCAP on Music Row, hope to have it cut by a signed artist next Christmas.


MERRY CHRISTMAS

http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/128/hifi.mp3

We got so many presents under the Christmas tree
Santa Claus has been good to you and me
As you steal a kiss under the mistletoe
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you

We got turkey and dressing smothered in cranberry sauce
We got honeybaked ham and a bottle of wine of course
In the candlelight, I propose this toast
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you

Snow is falling, friends are calling
The neighborhood's dressed in white
Bells are ringing, the choir is singing
Their version of "Silent Night"

We won't forget the real meaning of this day
The day on which our Savior was born
It's Jesus Christ on my Christmas card
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you

solo

Snow is falling, friends are calling
The neighborhood's dressed in white
Bells are ringing, the choir is singing
Their version of "Silent Night"

We won't forget the real meaning of this day
The day on which our Savior was born
It's Jesus Christ on my Christmas card
Merry Christmas to you
Merry Christmas to you


Jim Colyer ASCAP http://www.jimcolyer.com


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Ecommerce simply means that you are selling something online.  An ecommerce website usually has all the products on it like a catalog and a shopping cart program with which customers can purchase the products they want.

I think marketing is an obvious one for any business.  After all, you aren't going to get anywhere unless you market the website, right?  And it can be really confusing and overwhelming with all the information out there about the right way to do things.

Well, I wouldn't spam - don't worry!   I really know nothing about MySpace except the news likes to do reports about child molesters finding kids there.  I didn't know they had classifieds or anything.