Survival Tips for Natural and Man-made Calamities

Some people are saying we should prepare for at least 7 days, but the way things go after a hurricane, tornado, floods, loss of electricity and the fact that these disasters will continue and perhaps even get worse in coming years according to trends, one week is not enough. Some have said 7 years, but that seems too long so do what you can. Be sure to use the older stocked goods first and replace them with new. Otherwise you will end up with all old food you might not even want to eat. Always check canned tomatoes for spoilage, as even in the can they can spoil. Most other foods last a long time.

MySQL Commands/Syntax

At the bottom are statements, clauses, and functions you can use in MySQL.

Below that are PHP and Perl API functions you can use to interface with MySQL. To use those you will need to build PHP with MySQL functionality. To use MySQL with Perl you will need to use the Perl modules DBI and DBD::mysql.

Below when you see # it means from the unix shell. When you see mysql> it means from a MySQL prompt after logging into MySQL.

To login (from unix shell) use -h only if needed.

# [mysql dir]/bin/mysql -h hostname -u root -p

Create a database on the sql server.

mysql> create database [databasename];

List all databases on the sql server.

mysql> show databases;

Just pondering...

"We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing."   - Ronnie Laing [1927 - 1989]

Whatever mysteries that have enveloped the concept of time from that of  Eintein's theory of relativity to other emerging bizare concepts of time travel, time dilation, etc., there seems only one driving truth in our everyday life -- and that is "Life is a fast evolution of time." 

I remember as a child, I wanted to grow so fast so that I can do more things that I can't do as a child.  And when I became a youth, I started to get confused that I'm getting more responsibilities that I have never tried in my life.  As I grow older, each time, I realize that time is just so fast and much as I wanted to accomplish, I could only focus on one thing at a time.  In fact, at times we would feel so uncontented not having accomplished all the things we want or probably not having seen the outcome of things as we expected to be.   

With our passion to accomplish things, sometimes it becomes our madness -- at times leading us to the edge of our sanity.  

Ronnie Laing has probably been the best known radical psychiatrist of our times.  He has believed though that there is some kind of natural "homeostasis" in what we call madness.   In another quotation from Laing, he said: "Insanity: a perfectly rational adjustment to the insane world."

However, I would not like to discuss more about Laing's philosophy.  I just happened to read his above quotation from Google quotes and so I started to write this blog.

With so many fast changing outside influences in our lives, we may tend to be "out of touch" with reality.  And with too many preoccupations, we could forget our main objectives or rather neglect to realize the purpose of our living.

In fact, I could not even think of a title for this blog.  Or maybe for our lives, we could never tell where we could be going or ending.  But what is more important is to keep pondering... and taking into consideration what is at stake at the present -- but also being mindful that the future is determined by what we do at the present.  The past is just but a history and gone yet it is also what has brought us to what we have at the present. This is a fact of life and only until when we are able to learn and accept it that we could have stronger hold of our life directions.  

Oh well, in simple application, today is a non-working holiday so I have some more time for self-reflection and cleaning my room and grooming.  I have been working hard for the past month and for now I have three days straight rest.  I would like also to take this opportunity of doing some more of my long pending projects.   And next week is another busy week.  

But for everyday that I wake up, I look at my time, and I realize that I can only take control of the present.  The past is history and the future is unknown, but whatever I do in the present could give meaning to my future and for the people that I am connected with.  .:www.SamAcosta.Net:. 

Have you ever felt so down that it seems like impossible to get up?

Having my lunch break, I happen to open an e-mail from a friend with this video link and literally, I just can’t stop my eyes getting teary as I was so deeply touched.  Nick Vujicic is the man of “a life without limbs to a life without limits”.  

You can see more of Nick's life sharing at: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/ or  http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=84556809

It's my year... I'm born on the year of the Ox!

I've read this from Wikipedia describing those that are born on the year of the Ox and I'm one.

"The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Ox people need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, though they have a tremendous imagination and an unparalleled appreciation for beauty. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.

People born under the influence of the Ox are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do.

The Ox works hard, patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy helping others. Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

The Ox is not extravagant, and the thought of living off credit cards or being in debt makes them nervous. The possibility of taking a serious risk could cause the Ox sleepless nights.

Ox people are truthful and sincere, and the idea of wheeling and dealing in a competitive world is distasteful to them. They are rarely driven by the prospect of financial gain. These people are always welcome because of their honesty and patience. They are reputed to be the most beautiful of face in the zodiac. They have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends, although every now and then they can be encouraged to try something new. People born in the year of the Ox make wonderful parents and teachers of children.

It is important to remember that the Ox people are sociable and relaxed when they feel secure, but occasionally a dark cloud looms over such people and they engage all the trials of the whole world and seek solutions for them."

Well, I find that I possess mostly of the above attributes though some are not and some are quite so ideal maybe. Anyway, I've had undergone several personality lectures and evaluations on my psychology course but it is most important to have "adequate" self-knowledge. In fact, I'm tempted to use the term "full self-knowledge" but to know ones self fully is a long and life-time process. Having some guide in further understanding our selves wouldn't make any harm but if we rely merely on these type of external inputs then it's like foregoing our innate capabilities as "intelligent" being.