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Ken Blackshaw's Home Page

I deeply regret my country's actions that have caused, and are still causing, the deaths of so many people in Iraq. More on 'Giving Peace a Chance' Below

Hi there Web Surfers.  I'm an old retired guy from IBM.  I live in Englewood, Florida and on the island of Nantucket off the coast of Mass.  I'll tell you about my hobbies and principal interests in the spaces below.

Ken spottingBird Watching -- I've been 'Birding' since I was 12 yearsBirding from the bike old -- that's over 50 years.  I have seen over 500 species of birds in the U.S. and over 1,000 worldwide.  I can identify most birds by their calls alone.  I've co-authored several birding field guides including one for Taiwan and another for Nantucket Island. 

And here's one more -- Bike Birding Nantucket.

I also write a weekly column, The Birds of Nantucket, for the Nantucket Independent newspaper.

In early 2005 I published the first year's columns in book form A Year of Birding Nantucket - Volume One. Click that link to learn more about this book.

In 2006 I published a second book in this series -- Strangely enough, the title is A Year of Birding Nantucket - Volume Two. If you liked the first one, you'll love this one

At the left, you see me riding on one of Nantucket's bike paths.  You can click that picture to go to a page that has a lot of birding web links.  The picture on the right show me scoping some ducks on Nantucket's upper harbor from Pocomo.

The Ham Radio hobby has brought me many benefits.  My electronic skills got me a good job in the Air Force, plus I've made many wonderful friends all around the world.  I hold an Extra Class FCC license with the call sign of W1NQT.  Below-right you see me sending Morse Code during aFlorida Field Day Field Day operation with the Englewood Amateur Radio Society (EARS).  You can click that picture for interesting Ham Links on the web.

The sport of Badminton has been a major avocation over almost 40 years.  I used to be a 'B' player but now play Boston Open with other senior and am also a National Umpire with USA Badminton, Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO.  The picture to the left shows me at the Boston Open Tournament in March of '99 with one of my favorite players, Andy Chong.  You can click anywhere on that picture to find interesting Web Sites that relate to the sport of Badminton.Nantucket home

I was born on Nantucket back in 1941 and lived there 'til I graduated from High School in '59.  In retirement mode, we live on the island part of the year, and in Florida the other part.  You can rent our Nantucket house for the summer, since we are down in Florida then.  On the right you see a scene from Nantucket. If you click on that picture, it will take you to some other web links about the quaint, windy island.

In 1992 we visiEnglewood hometed my sister-in-law down in Englewood, FL and bought a house there, thinking of retirement.  Englewood is 100 miles south of Tampa.  We rent this house to snowbirds who come down to escape the cold.  So we are up on Nantucket in the winter.  Then we're down here in Florida in the summer since we rent the Nantucket house then.  We are always in the wrong place at the wrong time??  Perhaps??  Click anywhere in the picture for more Englewood links.  Click Here to see about renting this house for the winter season!


I Gave Peace a Chance and
Supported the Democratic Party and the Candidacy of John Kerry and John Edwards

I strongly believe my country was very wrong to attack Iraq. I tried everything I could do to influence public opinion and my elected representatives to have the U.S. follow the U.N. Process rather than act like a 'rogue' nation. I was not a Democrat before the war. The war has made me a Democrat.

As the neo-conservatives marched us inexorably toward war, I wrote several letters to the Inquirer and Mirror newspaper here on Nantucket.

Please click the following to view these letters. Jan. 26 Letter, Feb. 2 Letter, Feb. 10 Letter, Feb. 24 Letter., and/or, April 7 Letter.

After the election of 2004, I wrote a letter to an extensive mailing list of people with whom I have been corresponding with during this whole cycle. Here it is. November 9, 2004 Letter

Use your "back" button to return to this page.

I am also extremely concerned about the effects of Depleted Uranium (DU) being used in our shell casings. A much smaller amount used in the 1991 war has resulted in a 30% disability claim rate amongst our Gulf War Veterans. Gulf War Syndrome is the polite name for this' problem. Find out more about his by going to Traprock Peace Center.

You can click Here to go to my Peace Site web page which has many good links on it.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Socks Goes to the White House

Back in the early '90s, the Clinton era was just beginning and those of us who love cats were happy to see a new feline inhabitant of the White House.

I researched and wrote a children's book called "Socks Goes to the White House" and was well on my way to getting it published when the administration put out guidelines that Socks was 'off-limits'. Seems that some reporters found Socks outside one day, picked him up, patted him, photographed him, and Chelsea was really upset that her pet might have been hurt.

Also, the White House quickly became embroiled in travel agent scandals and other personnel issues that made it difficult to get them to endorse or agree to anything.

Anyway, I've converted my little book to a web page which you can view by clicking here.

It's aim is to be a children's tour of the White House through the eyes of the "first cat". Even though I was unable to get it published on paper, I hope many people can still enjoy it.

Socks Goes to the White House


And a little more something different --

In October 2003, I started writing a weekly column for the Nantucket Independent Newspaper on Nantucket.
The columns are titled "The Birds of Nantucket." During the winter of 2004/5, I published the first year's columns in a book A Year of Birding Nantucket. To find out more about his book and perhaps order it, go to A Year of Birding Nantucket .

Page designed and maintained by Ken Blackshaw, Scientia Enterprises. To have Ken design your OWN web page -- Click Here! -- .

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Check out our current photo selections on My Yahoo Photo Albums.

Click on the references below for some good web sites that tell about other things near and dear to me.