Iran to launch new satellite

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Iran planned to launch a new satellite into orbit, another potential step forward for the country's space program that have raised concerns in the West.

Iran's official news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying the launch would take place despite concerns in the West over the earlier launch of Iran's first domestically made satellite in February.

"Iran plans to launch a ... more sophisticated ... satellite into space," he said. Ahmadinejad said a rocket with a range of some 450 to 950 miles (700 to 1500 kilometers) would carry the satellite to a higher altitude in space than its predecessor.

Being able to send heavier satellites further into space would indicate the increasing sophistication of Iran's rocket program - a source of worry for some Western countries which suspect the Islamic republic of developing nuclear weapons.

Iran rejects the concerns saying its space technology and nuclear program are all being developed for peaceful purposes.

The Iranian president's remarks came during a meeting with a group of Iranian expatriates. There were no indications of when the new launch would happen.

The first domestically made Iranian satellite called Hope, or Omid in Farsi, ended its mission in late March after some 40 days in orbit, about 155 to 310 miles (250 to 500 kilometers) above Earth.

Iran has said it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications. Iranian officials also point to America's use of satellites to monitor Afghanistan and Iraq and say they need similar abilities for their security.


Resources:
Ynet News

God TV

My wife and I have experienced a new kind of television, and we would both highly recommend it. You wont need to change service providers either, its available to everyone!!

Recently, we have been working on our garden, keep up with me, this is pertinent, this is our first year. We recently removed an above ground pool, which had a deck built around it. We tore it all down, moved the deck up to the back of the house, and we are planning a garden where the old deck/pool was.

In doing this, we decided to hang up some bird feeders. God TV is a lot like the nature channel, only instead of sitting in front of an actual television, you sit in front of a window, or even outside! We have found great excitement in watching birds visiting our feeders.

We have actually used our TV less, and have, instead of eating in front of a tv, eat at our dining room table (this way we can watch the birds eat). To some, this idea might be a radical idea, or maybe too traditional, but to us, it has been amazing to learn the names of the birds, and see how each one is different.

A bird feeder costs about $20.00, and a 10 lbs. bag of feed, maybe $12.00. For $33.00 you can get more entertainment watching birds, learning about them, and sharing time growing together, instead of with actors you will never have a relationship with.

Personally, I have enjoyed sharing the time with my wife, and I think this old fashioned tradition could hold some water on the family values issues we lack here in America.

As we continue to budget, and continue to find new ways to save money (like with a garden), we are finding other great things that entertain us. Watching birds may sound silly, but we have enjoyed it.

So far, we have seen roughly 15 different kinds. With the purchase of our second bird feeder, we sought to attract a specific kind of bird, the yellow finch. It is a very common bird, however one we have never seen in our area. This morning, we had him visit.

In addition to our yellow finch, we have house finches, cardinals, morning doves, a hairy woodpecker, brown headed cowbirds, blue jays, dark eyed juncos, black capped chickadees, robins, the common grackel, the tufted titmouse and many others.

We have placed two bird houses in the back yard also, one already has a family of western bluebirds. We are excited to see how many other birds visit when we have our garden growing.

God TV is something I believe is good for us, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It relaxes us, it calms our mind, its wonderful to listen to them, and it reminds us of how much detail God put in this world for us. Each kind of bird has its own call, each kind has its own special design that was created by God.

I believe this is the kind of thing Christ desired us to marvel at on our day of rest. Take some time this week and marvel at what God has created for you this week, it might just cost less than you expect.

Israel tests Arrow 2, successfully!

The Arrow 2 ballistic missile defense system was successfully tested in southern Israel Tuesday morning, when it destroyed a missile simulating an Iranian Shihab 3.

It was the eighteenth test of the Arrow, and the first in which the recently modified Arrow 2 was tested in its entirety, along with a new radar system manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The test was conducted jointly by the IAF and the US Missile Defense Agency. The Arrow is a project developed in cooperation by the IAI and Boeing.

The defensive missile was launched around 11 a.m. from the army's Palmahim base near Ashdod, and intercepted a Blue Sparrow missile fired by a fighter jet and impersonating a Shihab 3.

In July of 2004, a full Arrow battery was transported to the Point Mugu naval range in California for the test (rather than simulated ballistic missile, a Scud-B short-range ballistic missile was used). The Scud-B was successfully intercepted and destroyed at an altitude of 40,000m. This test was part of the ongoing Arrow System Improvement Program (ASIP) being conducted jointly by Israel and the US.

In the second test at Point Mugu, in August 2004, against a target simulating a separating ballistic missile, the radar successfully acquired the target but the intercept failed in the final stage, leading to a suspension of testing.

Testing was resumed in December 2005, when an Arrow 2 block 3 missile successfully intercepted a target at an unspecified but reported record low altitude. In February 2007, the system successfully intercepted and destroyed a Rafael Black Sparrow target missile, simulating a ballistic missile, at high altitude. Both Arrow batteries took part in the test.

The two-stage missile is equipped with solid propellant booster and sustainer rocket motors. The missile uses an initial burn to carry out a vertical hot launch from the container and a secondary burn to sustain the missile's trajectory towards the target at a maximum speed of Mach 9, or 2.5km/s.

Thrust vector control is used in the boost and sustainer phases of flight. At the ignition of the second stage sustainer motor, the first stage assembly separates. The first stage booster is manufactured by Israel Military Industries. Rafael manufactures the sustainer motor.


Resources:
Israeli Test Arrow 2 - Article
Arrow 2 stats - Article

Find a Tea Party Near You!

Tea parties are going on across the nation, and this is a movement we need to participate in. Sure it may come off as silly, or not worth it, but I will argue that it is a national protest fighting for something we need, and that alone means it s worth it.

I have added a new section of links on the right, called Tea Party Sites, where you can find out more information concerning whats going on in the grass roots movement. I highly suggest that you take a look at each one, as they all are a little different.

Something to consider, the tea parties are not tied to a political party, its tied to pissed off Americans. "This isn't a conservative or liberal thing. This is about government forking over billions of dollars, our money, to businesses that should have failed. This is about taking money from responsible people and handing it over to CEOs who squandered their own." The New American Tea Party website states.

This is an action that needs to be taken, if you have never been to a protest, gather friends and go. Going to a protest, even for a short amount of time, is an experience everyone should be a part of. When things change in government, you can say that you played an active part in it. It is different than voting because voting is more a duty that everyone ought to do.

The Tea Party I plan to attend will be in Lansing, Michigan; Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the State Capitol, commemorating my 3rd or 4th protest I have participated in.

So here it is for the rest of you, your opportunity to be heard. Below are links to find a tea party near you!

Re-Tea Party - click on your state in the map.
Tax Day Tea Party - choose your state from the list on the right.
New American Tea Party - the list is in the post

The parties should be at the same time and location, even though they are on different pages. I am listing all three, because it appears there is not one master list.

Great Song by The Mike Church Show

I found this over on Conservative Scalawag's site, and had to share it with you all. Sad but true, I miss Jefferson & Madison, that is, if you can miss them without ever knowing them. I certainly wish I had.

What is the G20?

G20 has been broadcast all over the news and media lately, and I thought it was time to inform people what the G20 actually is.

The G-20, or formally known as, the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies: 19 of the world's largest national economies, plus the European Union (EU).

Collectively, the economies of the G-20 comprise 85% of global gross national product, 80% of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.

It studies, reviews, and promotes discussion among key industrial and emerging market countries of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability, and seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization.

There are 20 members of the G-20. These include the finance ministers and central bank governors of the 19 countries listed below:

Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
South Korea
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States

The 20th member is the European Union, which is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank.

The Group of Twenty first met in Berlin in December 1999. It was created as a response to the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, which exposed the need to bring emerging market nations into the core of global economic discussion and governance.

The problem people have with the G20, is the idea that the bankers hold all the power to countries and as such, takes away freedoms.

Think about it like this, no matter who is elected as President of the United States, he/she would still take orders from the G20, because if he/she didnt, they could cause serious financial terror on the country.

That being said, there are some who believe the world bankers already run countries like America. Alex Jones is one of them.

Jones was the director of the film The Obama Deception, which I wrote about here, a few days ago.

The fact remains that if these bankers wanted to force an economic agenda, they could, and very likely are.

The New World Order, and one world currency isn't far off, if you ask me.

Resources:
G20
Reuters
Wiki