Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Praise be to God

How often do you see monuments that depict Christ, or God? I am not talking about churches, I am talking about something like the picture I have shown here.

The state of "Christ the Redeemer is located at the top of the Corcovado Mountains, rising 710 meters, near Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. There is a church at the base of it, housing about 150 people.

It is no doubt very large, as it views dowtown Rio de Janeiro, the bay, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Copacabana and the Ipanema Beaches. You couldn't miss this statue if you were in a plane, and if you vacationed or lived near it, surely you would be crazy if you never heard of it, or saw it.

How often in the Bible does someone make a memorial to God? The Israelite seemed to do it after any magnificent feat, or miracle.

How often do we make a memorial to Christ or God in our lives when He has done something magnificent in our lives? How about for miracles?

Just something I was thinking about and thought I would share this thought. Tonight I heard of how some people place large rocks in their lawns for every big moment in their lives, and as they got older, the stones outlined their property line. What an amazing view that would be to walk outside your home, or as you leave for work in the morning, or upon return after an aggravating day, see how often God has worked in your life.

Children's Facist Camp Promotes "Sex for Motherland"


Remember the mammoths: "They became extinct because they did not have enough sex. That must not happen to Russia".

This organisation - known as "Nashi", meaning "Ours" - is youth movement run by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin that has become a central part of Russian political life. Nashi's annual camp, 200 miles outside Moscow, is attended by 10,000 uniformed youngsters and involves two weeks of lectures and physical fitness.

Attendance is monitored via compulsory electronic badges and anyone who misses three events is expelled. So are drinkers; alcohol is banned. But sex is encouraged, and condoms are nowhere on sale.

Obediently, couples move to a special section of dormitory tents arranged in a heart-shape and called the Love Oasis, where they can start procreating for the motherland.

Twenty-five couples marry at the start of the camp's first week and ten more at the start of the second. These mass weddings, the ultimate expression of devotion to the motherland, are legal and conducted by a civil official.

Attempting to raise Russia's dismally low birthrate even by eccentric-seeming means might be understandable. Certainly, the country's demographic outlook is dire. The hard-drinking, hardsmoking and disease-ridden population is set to plunge by a million a year in the next decade.

Under Mr Putin, Russia is sliding into fascism, with state control of the economy, media, politics and society becoming increasingly heavy-handed. And Nashi, along with other similar youth movements, such as 'Young Guard', and 'Young Russia', is in the forefront of the charge.

Life for young people in Russia without connections is a mixture of inadequate and corrupt education, and a choice of boring dead-end jobs. Like the Hitler Youth and the Soviet Union's Young Pioneers, Nashi and its allied movements offer not just excitement, friendship and a sense of purpose - but a leg up in life, too.

Nashi's senior officials - known, in an eerie echo of the Soviet era, as "Commissars" - get free places at top universities. Thereafter, they can expect good jobs in politics or business - which in Russia nowadays, under the Kremlin's crony capitalism, are increasingly the same thing.

Even when Nashi flagrantly breaks the law, the authorities do not intervene. After Estonia enraged Russia by moving a Sovietera war memorial in April, Nashi led the blockade of Estonia's Moscow embassy. It daubed the building with graffiti, blasted it with Stalinera military music, ripped down the Estonian flag and attacked a visiting ambassador's car. The Moscow police, who normally stamp ruthlessly on public protest, stood by.

Just as the Nazis in 1930s rewrote Germany's history, the Putin Kremlin is rewriting Russia's. It has rehaabilitated Stalin, the greatest massmurderer of the 20th century. And it is demonising Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first democratically-elected president. That he destroyed totalitarianism is ignored. Instead, he is denounced for his "weak" pro-Western policies.

A new guide for history teachers - explicitly endorsed by Mr Putin - brushes off Stalin's crimes. It describes him as "the most successful leader of the USSR". But it skates over the colossal human cost - 25m people were shot and starved in the cause of communism.

"Political repression was used to mobilise not only rank-and-file citizens but also the ruling elite," it says. In other words, Stalin wanted to make the country strong, so he may have been a bit harsh at times. At any time since the collapse of Soviet totalitarianism in the late 1980s, that would have seemed a nauseating whitewash. Now, it is treated as bald historical fact.

Russia barely commemorates even the damage it did to itself, let alone the appalling suffering inflicted on other people. Nashi is both a symptom of the way Russia is going - and a means of entrenching the drift to fascism.

Terrifyingly, the revived Soviet view of history is now widely held in Russia. A poll this week of Russian teenagers showed that a majority believe that Stalin did more good things than bad.

(article)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Iran's Nuke plant to be ready in early '08


The nuclear power station in Bushehr, being built in Iran by Russian specialists, will be put into operation early in 2008. “Russia is fully determined to bring the construction in Bushehr to its logical end by putting into operation the nuclear power station,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Kislyak said. According to the Russian diplomat, “the question which delayed the commissioning of the Bushehr station is of economic and technical rather than of political nature”.

“The problem is that our Iranian colleagues had shouldered an obligation to pay for services of Russian specialists by definite portions in definite periods. There were some hitches in this respect. Therefore, it turned out that our company had to credit the construction of the station, which was not in its plans,” Kislyak explained. The deputy minister had difficulty with replying to the question on a sum of Iran’s debt to the Russian side for the station in Bushehr, since, according to the deputy minister, this is the jurisdiction of economic rather than diplomatic organisations.

“In any case, the time of putting the power station into operation, planned for the end of this year, will be shifted to 2008.” Kislyak said.

The contract on construction of the first power unit of the Bushehr nuclear power station was signed in Tehran on January 8, 1995. Under this document, Russia shouldered a pledge to supply one reactor of the VVER-1000 type, to train Iranian specialists and to deliver fuel for the reactor.

Head of the Russian Federal Service for Nuclear Production (Rosatom) Sergei Kirienko reiterated many times that the set periods for commissioning the station would be inevitably shifted to 2008 over insufficient funding. (Article)

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Congress

Are you tired of hearing how poorly the US congress is doing, and then seeing a pictures of Pres. Bush?
America has a bicameral congress, consisting of the House of Reps, and the Senate.

The next time you read about how poor congress is doing, understand it is not saying Bush, but the House of reps, and the senate. Dont let the media fool you into thinking those numbers are anti-Bush.

I was very disappointed with the Drudge Report for doing this. The article, by Yahoo News, made the correction.

This article is great because it clearly states that while roughly 66% disagree with the direction of the Country, a whopping 83% think that congress is doing a fair/poor job.

Article

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Moses Revisited

Last night my wife made dinner. It was outstanding. She made fettuccine with an avocado & tomato thickened sauce. It was great. So while I was sitting there, eating this vegetarian meal it occurred to me that this might be something similar to what might have been eaten in Biblical days.

Thats what made me remember Moses and the Israelites. Remember those 40 years in the wilderness? It hit me at that time, that all they had was mana and water. Yes they also had a little quail also, but that didnt last long. Could you imagine the first few days of the wilderness... Here you have left everything behind and this guy Moses tells you God will provide. So your thinking "I wonder whats in store for us? The land of milk and honey sure sounds good." Then on the first day you get mana. Ok, maybe its just a temporary thing, it will be better tomorrow... Tomorrow comes and you get the same tasty mana, in fact, you get mana all week, and not just all week, for the rest of most of their lives! I would have complained too, lets be honest.

Usually I can eat leftovers, but after I have had leftovers for almost a week, I am tired of it and ready for something now. Think about thanksgiving. Everyone has turkey. You have too much left over and end up eating turkey sandwiches, turkey on salads, turkey pita sandwiches, turkey with gravy. But you get tired of turkey eventually. So imagine if it was just bread that you had.

Which brings me to my next point: The children. Imagine growing up one just bread. You finally get to the promise land, you would have to learn how to grow plants and raise animals. You know that after you have ate the same thing for a long time, nobody wants to hear someone talk about Taco Bell, or Burger King. So imagine trying to learn from your parents how to grow a garden without an example. Or how to raise sheep and cows without having any. My mother has almost always had a garden, and I have one now, but I have had to teach me wife a few things on how to take care of it. So imagine how hard it would be if she had to learn on her own. Her crops wouldn't produce as well as someone who knew what they were doing.

I would hate to eat mana for 40 years. Needless to say I would have complained about it too, and cannot contemplate how hard it must has been.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Iran Playing Hard Ball

Iran is getting smart, and have decided to play hard ball. Since the US is pushing for sanctions on Iran by way of the United Nations, Iran is trying to lower the value of the dollar, and thus hurting the US economy. Thats my theory at least.

The this new article Iran is no longer going to accept the US dollar from Japan to pay for their oil. Iran asked Japanese refiners to switch to the yen to pay for all crude oil purchases, after Iran's central bank said it's cutting holdings of the U.S. dollar, effective immediately.

This created the yen to rise because of expectations for an increase in demand for the currency. 1 dollar is, as of today, worth 122.058 jpy (Japanese Yen)

Central bankers in Venezuela, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have said they will invest less of their reserves in dollar assets because of the weakening currency, while the United Nations Security Council is preparing for another round of sanctions against Iran because of the nation's nuclear research.

The Euro has reached an all time high this last week, which directly effects the value of the US dollar. It seems Iran is taking advantage of that, trying to drive down its worth even lower, which would be seen as a smart move by Iranians, and a slap in the face by Americans.

Japan's response to this demand was: "What else can Japan do but to accept the request, once the oil producer sent its wish?" Hirofumi Kawachi said, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. in Tokyo. "The tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, and it's Iran's measure to hedge risk."

Iran isn't alone in wanting to drop the dollar for pricing oil. Russia has been examining plans to price the Urals oil export blend in rubles to curb currency risks. The nation plans to open the Energy Stock Exchange in St. Petersburg in the first half of next year to trade oil in rubles, UBS AG reported June 14.

Only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are larger oil suppliers to Japan than Iran.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Listening - A Personal Rant

Don't you hate it when your talking to someone and they respond as if they didnt hear a word you had said? Man I hate that.

I was at work the other day when I was talking to someone about a TV show. They were talking about how great it was and everything, and when it was my turn to speak, I brought up a different TV show that I liked, the one where the guy has 7 days to reach civilization after being dropped off in the middle of no where (Survivor Man, I think is what its called), and they didn't even recognize I had said something. They continued to talk about their show, not recognizing I had said anything at all. Boy was that annoying. So they continued to talk as I continued to listen. Every time I interjected on the subject it was like I had said nothing! (this happened about 6 times) After I was completely fed up with it I decided to stop talking, to see how long this person would carry on. It wasn't long until they noticed I was no longer interested and they walked away.

On many occasions I have been noticing how little we listen to people, especially when we argue. Listen to a lot of the politicians as they argue and you will notice them skirting the issue and telling you how great they are.

We can be so much more effective if we would listen to people, then think and formulate a response to them. Anyone who argues online, say on facebook, knows that they have a much stronger argument when they have time to prepare and reread the other persons argument, however in person we do not do this. I have started trying to do this more. What I try to do is remember key words about their argument and when its my change to rebuttal, I go off from those key words (granted I forget them many times). Even without remembering ALL of them, you should be able to remember at least a few, depending on how long they are talking.

The next thing is that people don't like to wait for a person to respond if it takes them too long, like its a bad thing to think before you speak. Next time you hold a conversation with somebody, listen to them, and take note of how fast they respond you to.

Another thing I just thought of: When reading ANYTHING, think about it, and see if they are leading you to a conclusion. I see this time and time again. Take note of something, and think about what they are hiding, they usually leave something out. I will see if I can't come up with an example.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Chinese weapons in Iraq

The US has raised concerns with the Chinese government about the discovery of Chinese-made weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not the cheap stuff that comes with a stick saying "Made in China." Chinese armour-piercing ammunition has been used by the Taliban in Afghanistan and insurgents in Iraq.

The concerns about Chinese weapons follow months of allegations from US officials that Iran is helping attack US troops in Iraq, and more recently Afghanistan, by providing technology for bombs that can destroy Humvees and other heavily armoured US vehicles.

Mr Lawless, senior Pentagon official for Asia, also expressed concern about North Korea’s missile programme. Last week, Pyongyang tested a new short-range missile that could target not only the US military base at Pyeongtaek but also Seoul. He said North Korea was close to being able to field the solid-fuel, highly mobile rocket.

Mr Lawless also said it was important for China to hold talks with the US about its nuclear forces. A recent Pentagon report concluded Beijing was developing a more survivable nuclear force, including submarine-launched missiles, and mobile land-based missiles.

“There is a great shortfall in our understanding of China’s intentions,” said Lawless, referring to the overall Chinese military build-up. “When you don’t know why they are doing it, it is pretty damn threatening . . . they leave us no choice but to assume the worst.”

China is not only holding out on the US, but also on Japan, who recently asked for information on the F-22 fighter jet.

Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Belarus, North Korea, and China. Who's next to join the "Axis of Evil"?

(article)

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Russia to Belarus to Iran

Okay, and here it is, in the news Russia helping Belarus, who is helping Iran. So if X=Y, and Y=Z therefore X=Z.

Part 1 Russia:
“At its last meeting the Legislative Assembly of Vladimir oblast (region, or area generally associated with a Slovic section in Russia. ) supported an address to the President of Russia, the State Duma and the Russian government to speed up formation of the Belarus-Russia Union State,” Alexander Sinyagin underlined. According to him, “Belarus has managed to preserve all best things from the Soviet Union times”.

Vladimir oblast and Belarus have been closely cooperating, Alexander Sinyagin said. The sides have good prospects of promoting trade-economic cooperation. In January-April 2007 the trade turnover between Belarus and Vladimir oblast totaled $44.3 million and upped by 20.3% as against the same period of 2006.

Part 2 Belarus:
Iran and Belarus have set to boost defense times after talks between the visiting Iranian Defense Minister and Belarusian officials in Minsk.

Ties between Iran and Belarus have been expanding in recent months. Belarus was one of the countries which backed Iran's nuclear program and opposed sending its dossier to the UN Security Council in the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.

The Iranian defense minister and his entourage arrived in Minsk on Wednesday and will stay there until Saturday.


The Iranian official has attended a war game run by the Belarusian army, Belarusian media reported. (article)

Part 3 Russia to Iran:
The difficult things here for me to understand are that Everyone know that Russia is helping Iran out, Nuclear Reactor anyone? So why does the media mention the specific ties between
Vladimir oblast and Belarus? Let me break down my theory here. US President George Bush is hard headed, this isn't always a bad thing. He currently wants to build a missile shield in Europe, specifically in Poland. Russia does not like this idea and has been very outspoken on this. How does this pertain to the current topic, you might ask.

Here is how: Belarus is strategically located on the Far east border of Russia... it also boarders.... POLAND! (map)

If Belarus and Iran work together, funded by Russia or course, and setup a missle defense system (ironically Iran has recently bought a mobile missile defense system from Russia) in Belarus (why wouldn't they want a missile defense system??) they could easy take out any missile shield that President Bush wants in Poland.

Crazy I know.. want proof?

Belarus's relations with Russia soured earlier this year due to a dispute about energy prices. However, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has pledged to set aside economic disputes with Moscow and work more closely with Russia to counter U.S. plans to build a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe.

Lukashenka made his comments during ceremonies in Minsk marking Belarusian Independence Day today.

Lukashenka said NATO's eastern expansion and U.S. missile-defense plans "seriously worsen the military and political situation on our borders." (border of um.. Poland? article)

So there you have it. X=Z




Money Talks

Al Gore III was driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m. The deputy smelled marijuana and searched the car.

The search turned up a small amount of marijuana, along with prescription drugs including Valium, Xanax, Vicodin, Adderall and Soma. There were no prescriptions found.

Heres the kicker: Gore was arrested on suspicion of drug possession and booked into the Inmate Reception Center in Santa Ana.

SUSPICION?!?! Come on... it goes on to say: He quickly identified himself as the son of the former vice president, however Gore received no special privileges. Except that he was booked for suspicion, even though they FOUND illegal drugs AND prescription drugs that he had NO prescription for.

Gore III has had previous brushes with the law, including an arrest in 2003 for marijuana possession and in 2002 for suspected drunken-driving.

Okay, this pisses me off. I got bust in Florida for public intoxication when I was never even given a breathalyser. This guy gets busted with illegal drugs and get a "suspected of" charge... twice?!!!!

Money Talks.

(article)

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Apathy in America

Tonight in the great United States of America I sit with my wife to watch a movie of intense superiority. Tonight is the eve to our great country's day of independence. To celebrate such a glorious occasion, fireworks will be exploding all across the skies.

My wife and I decided to stay in tonight and watch a movie. I was grateful that she allowed me to pick it, even though it was her turn. I was torn between two different movies, however for some reason I felt compelled to watch one over the other, and now I forget what the other one was.

A random set of events followed. Have you ever watched a movie that "moved" you? After you watch it, you want to ... "do something"? Like after Saving Private Ryan, you may feel patriotic and want to enlist, or show support for our troops. Or like in GI Jane, you may feel that her struggle has somehow made your personal issues seem less daunting and easier to accomplish.

The movie I choose was so very fitting, more than I had realized when choosing it. The movie makes me want to be an activist, makes me want to vote in every election I can vote in, even for school board members, it makes me want to change our government. In this great country I call home, the country I have given part of my life to defend, I have an opportunity, a privilege and an obligation to be active in every aspect possible. I cannot stand idly by and let other people make decisions for me, who is to say what is best for me if not me? Surely I cannot depend on a Government that I have not supported in any way. Why would they look out for my behalf when I have done nothing to influence them to benefit my needs?

I sit and watch this great movie, in my top 5 favorites, and I hear the music. If you have ever seen this movie, you will be able to hear that song play. You will remember you have a purpose, an obligation to be active, and indulge in apathy or ignorance. So I hear the music, and I hear fireworks, in the movie and outside of my house, how ironic.

After this movie I feel empowered to write this blog that I am writing now, however I need a picture. Not just any picture, but one that deems fitting. Ah yes, a picture from the movie, a symbol. I look on google images and search until I find something that says everything. Found it!

Now the random set of events. I have already mentioned the Holiday, and the Fireworks, but also, the terrorist attacks in London. Lastly, as I write this blog, I get an email, I will quote part of it: "Someone once said ''ideas have consequences'' and I couldn't agree more, but I would now add that ''missed opportunities have consequences'' too." The movie was about an Idea.

The Movie?



Happy Fourth of July
Don't let apathy prevent you from choosing who governs you.
-Layne

Monday, July 2, 2007

Pakistan continuing Nuclear Development


Another country is pushing forward in nuclear technology: Pakistan.

Here is a brief look at their history:

Pakistan's nuclear weapons program was established in 1972 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who founded the program while he was Minister for Fuel, Power and Natural Resources, and later became President and Prime Minister. Shortly after the loss of East Pakistan in the 1971 war with India, Bhutto initiated the program with a meeting of physicists and engineers at Multan in January 1972.

India's 1974 testing of a nuclear "device" gave Pakistan's nuclear program new momentum. Through the late 1970s, Pakistan's program acquired sensitive uranium enrichment technology and expertise. The 1975 arrival of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan considerably advanced these efforts. Dr. Khan is a German-trained metallurgist who brought with him knowledge of gas centrifuge technologies that he had acquired through his position at the classified URENCO uranium enrichment plant in the Netherlands. Dr. Khan also reportedly brought with him stolen uranium enrichment technologies from Europe. He was put in charge of building, equipping and operating Pakistan's Kahuta facility, which was established in 1976. Under Khan's direction, Pakistan employed an extensive clandestine network in order to obtain the necessary materials and technology for its developing uranium enrichment capabilities.

In 1985, Pakistan crossed the threshold of weapons-grade uranium production, and by 1986 it is thought to have produced enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. Pakistan continued advancing its uranium enrichment program, and according to Pakistani sources, the nation acquired the ability to carry out a nuclear explosion in 1987. (article)

In 2004, Pakistan test launched a medium-range nuclear-capable missile, a Ghauri (Hatf V) which has a range of 1,500 kilometers (932 miles).

TODAY: Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, who ran a global network of nuclear-weapons technology -- catering to such clients as Libya, Iran and North Korea --was placed under house arrest by strongman Pervez Musharraf in 2004 under pressure from the Bush administration. Now, Khan is "virtually a free citizen," and has been for "several months," according to Pakistani officials. (article)

If this is all true, Iran is getting nuclear technology from Russia, and filling in the puzzle pieces by way of Pakistan, or vis versa.

Iran and Venezuela Join

Sunday, president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela traveled to Iran to visit with President Ahmadinejad, the topic? "Defeating Imperialism" (this is his third trip to Iran since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005)

"Cooperation of independent countries such as Iran and Venezuela has an effective role in defeating the policies of imperialism and saving nations." Ahmadinejad told the press.

Also a topic of discussion was a ceremony on Monday to officially start construction of a joint methanol complex, it said, adding the petrochemical plant would annually produce one million tonnes of the derivative. Chavez, who prides himself on his tirades against U.S. President George W. Bush, last week forced U.S. oil giants from Venezuela, seizing oil fields from Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips. Does America force out Venezuelan oil (Citgo)? No, we continue to fund his anti-American nation. (article)

Chavez met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday in a rare honour for a non-Muslim visiting foreign dignatory.

"The United States is incapable of hurting Iran and Venezuela... cooperation between the two independent states is natural and it must be expanded," state television quoted Khamenei as telling Chavez.

Chavez arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit on the last leg of a tour of nations at loggerheads with Washington, which has already taken him to Russia and Belarus.

He was accompanied by his foreign, communications, energy, industry and economy ministers, and was expected to sign 20 agreements with Iran for projects in his country.

Ahmadinejad toured Latin America in January in a bid to seek support from the region's leftist leaders who share his scornful defiance of the United States. (article)