Archives for August 2009

USED VS. LOVED

August 1, 2009 by San Quentin News Staff

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4-year-old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father, with painful eyes he asked, “Dad, when will my fingers grow back?” The man was speechless. he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times, devastated by his own actions. Sitting in front of the car he looked at the scratches. The child had written

‘LOVE YOU DAD’

The next day the man committed suicide. Anger and love have no limits. Choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life. Things are to be used and people are to be loved, but the problem in today’s world is that people are used and things are loved. Keep this thought in mind, “Things are to be used but people are to be loved.” Be yourself, this is the only day we have. Have a nice day. Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny!
—Author Unknown

Before I Play My Joker

August 1, 2009 by Michael Knox

I am the dealer.
Who wants to play my game?
You see me now once you start to play
Your life will never be the same.
Now I must warn you
Before you get in,
You’ll play your best,
But you’re never going to win.
Now you can catch me on the corner
Or the middle of the block,
And I’ll be glad to serve you:
Hennessey, weed, speed, heroin or a rock.
Because once you take a blast,
and your heart starts to race;
I’m going to reach up my sleeves,
and pull out my ace.
From the top of your head
To the bottoms of your feet,
I’ll take all you have and you won’t eat.
You gave me your money
And your wedding ring,
Don’t stop now
I haven’t played my king.
Because as you get high, higher than a rocket.
I’m going to stack me a grip of your money in my pocket,
I’ve got mo money then you’ve ever seen
I’ve got a bad lady and I call her my Queen.
Now just when you wonder, what will come next,
You’ll sell your body like a bag full of sex.
How did it feel lying on your back??
That’s what happens when I played my jack.
I will be your lover, I will be your friend.
You don’t have a card that’s going to beat my ten.
I don’t give credit and it’s plain to see,
So you knock on my door with your color TV.
And now that I’ve got my hooks in you,
You can throw in your hand. Your life is through.
You hang around my house, just to kill some time,
You want to jack me, but you’re scared of my nine.
I make easy money, and I live in style.
Do you want to play my game for awhile???
You’ll never win I hope you know.
Now’s your chance, grab your hat and go..
I’ve got a lot of nerve, I got a lot of heart;
I’ll tear anybody’s life all apart.
The “beggar” the “buyer” the “hooker” and the smoker;
They all lost!!!
BEFORE I PLAYED MY JOKER!!!

All About Our Geese

August 1, 2009 by David Marsh

To some they are a menace or a nuisance; to others they are amusement, entertainment and perhaps a friend. “They” are the abundant and prolific Canada Geese that can always be found throughout this aging prison by the bay.
Once hunted to a point where they were protected and considered threatened, these social birds can once again be found in every contiguous U.S. state and Canadian province.
Though migratory by nature, warming temperatures and a keen ability to adapt to their environment have made these hardy fellows a year-round fixture in areas which feature bodies of water, such as parks, beaches and golf courses. Due to their adaptability, they have become the most common waterfowl species in North America.
Flying in a “V-formation,” with favorable winds they have been known to cover 1,500 miles in a 24-hour period, though generally they fly at a much more relaxed pace.
Social by nature, they generally remain in flocks except when nesting. These geese can get quite mean when protecting a nest or their young, using their beaks and their wings to beat back predators.
The Canada goose will eat grains, vegetation and even fish and small insects. Locally, they seem to have a special affinity for PIA bread.
Adult geese are monogamous, and most will stay together throughout the 10-24 years of their lifespan in the wild. The male goose is the larger of the pair at 7-14 pounds, 30-43 inches long with a 50-71-inch wingspan), while the female is slightly smaller at 5-12 pounds.
After the female lays her 3-8 eggs, both adults lose their flight feathers and cannot fly at all during the entire 25-28 day incubation period. Canada Geese can and will interbreed with domesticated geese, as anyone familiar with San Quentin’s resident population, and “Max,” can confirm.
The bacteria in their droppings, their loud noise and confrontational behavior have lead many to consider them as pests. They have been blamed for the high fecal coli forms found at some beaches. Fifty geese can produce 2.5 tons of excrement in a single year.
They have been involved in a number of “bird strikes” at many airports throughout the country, including the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009.