Worldview is taken from the German word Weltanschauung, which means look onto the world. A worldview is the way in which a person sees the world. This blog will obviously reflect my worldview. I will post thoughts on things that are happening in the world. I will post thoughts on just about any topic, because everything can be seen through a worldview!
An experiment: Skyler Bartels,
a Drake University sophomore from Harvard, Neb.,
spent part of last week finding out whether he could live inside a Wal-Mart store.
He wandered the supercenter in Windsor Heights for 41 hours,
subsisting on Wal-Mart products.
Here is a link to the entire story:
An Iowa college student conducted a sociological experiment by spending his
spring break at Wal-Mart:
The following was found on the Stand to Reason website. ( www.str.org )
I stumbled upon a very helpful list of maxims of clear and careful thinking that I’m passing on to you. It comes from James Beverley and is gleaned from a section entitled “How to Think and Reason Correctly” in his book Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing, published by Zondervan.
Emotion does not settle issues of truth.
Tradition is not always right.
Do not give human authority figures uncritical allegiance.
Be careful of the way you use words. Words are tools. They must be used properly and carefully.
Do not force people into limited or false options.
Do not use name-calling or put-downs as a debate tactic (argumentum ad hominem).
Be careful of accusations based solely on the presumed origin of a given idea or practice (the genetic fallacy). The popularity or unpopularity of something does not make it either true or false.
The fact that something is either an old or a new idea does not automatically make it correct (chronological snobbery).
Be careful in the use of “guilt by association.” Do not dismiss good ideas or practices by letting your imagination take them to inappropriate extremes.
Be prudent when using the “slippery slope” argument (not all slopes are slippery; i.e. “b” does not necessarily follow “a” in all cases.).
Be alert to cause and effect errors (post hoc propter hoc).
Make sure that conclusions follow from adequate evidence and support (non sequitur does not follow).
Do not accept clichés or popular slogans uncritically.
Do not “stack the deck,” i.e. only point out observations that support your pet theory, ignoring all evidence to the contrary.
Be wary of generalization. Remember that the truth is not always in the middle.
Do not take ideas or people out of context.
Understand that spiritual discernment means being ready to admit to weakness or limitation in that very gift; being willing to abandon “shortcuts” in return for the demanding spiritual disciplines that produce lasting fruit; and resisting the temptation to judge the hearts of others.
I hate to to be the person to tell everyone this, but you may have to throw out all of your DVDs and replace them! I know, I know, you spent a lot of money. But, technology moves on and this is now true of DVDs.
From www.npr.com
Two new DVD formats are due out soon one from Sony and one from Toshiba. The two Japan-based corporations are battling for supremacy in the high-definition market -- a battle some are comparing to the competition between the Betamax and VHS home video formats. But what does it mean for the consumer?
You can listen to a very funny commentary on this new development
here:
Commentary:
Which DVD Format Is the One for Me?
To have a proper worldview, one needs to know what is going on in the world. Here are ten things that will possibly have an impact in business, medicine, and culture.
You can read an article about all of this at:
This is a story that is just beginning to be discussed. A new documentary has been released that deals with the recent sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Here at Worldview, we will be following this story. Here is the information we could find so far:
'Satanic' art in Catholic Church?
Could the Roman Catholic Church's sex abuse crisis be tied to embedded Satanic and occultic imagery in its artwork – some of it hundreds of years old?
That is the seemingly incredible thesis of a new documentary, "Rape of the Soul," made not by anti-Catholic bigots, but by devout followers of the Church.
"Rape of the Soul" is in theatrical release in major cities, including New York and Los Angeles.
The documentary explores the prevalent use of satanic, sexual, occult and anti-Catholic images in historical and contemporary religious artwork.
The film also discusses the mysterious acceptance of the artwork at the highest and most trusted levels of the Catholic Church.
Experts are featured in the film to offer detailed accounts of the subconscious programming effects of the sex and occult images on the human brain and how it promotes sex, Satanism and the occult. Religious education materials, songbooks, children's story books, devotionals and the Sunday Missals all have been found to contain embedded imagery.
CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article
www.wnd.com
You can also view the Offical web page. Be warned - this page loads slower than any web page I have ever seen! At this site you can view the trailer as well.
Official Site of Rape of the Soul
Official Site of Rape of the Soul
www.rapeofthesoul.com
It should not matter what a person's position on the Iraq war is. Everyone should be concerned with knowing the truth! Lies, exaggeration, and propaganda should be rejected by everyone. The problem is trying to find the truth. Those for the war and those opposed to it both have a viewpoint they want to promote. Therefore, they both tend to give facts that support their view.
Yesterday I came across an NPR story that attempts to Fact-Check the White House on Iraq. We need to be honest from the beginning. Any honest person would have to admit that NPR is more liberal than maybe other news services. So, the reader needs to understand where the information is coming from. I would challenge everyone to check out their claims. If you find information that either confirms or denies the claims, please send the information to me.
Here is what NPR has found:
www.npr.org
Day to Day, March 24, 2006
· Throughout this week, President Bush and other administration officials have delivered speeches, held news conferences and appeared on network television political roundtable shows -- all in an effort to convince a wary American public that in fact, progress is being made in Iraq. Which statements are true, and which are false? And which lie somewhere in between? Here is our brief guide for the bewildered
The 'Last Throes' of the Insurgency
STATEMENT -- Vice President Cheney, May, 2005:
"The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."
True or False?
False -- Asked about this comment this past Sunday, Cheney said it "reflected reality." But by almost any measure -- attacks per day, casualties, etc. -- the insurgency shows no sign of waning.
Related NPR Stories
July 1, 2005Scoring the War in Iraq: Who's Winning?
Comparing Iraq to Japan
STATEMENT -- President Bush, in Wheeling, W.V., on March 22:
"Remember, they [Japan] attacked us, too. And yet today, the president says we're going to keep the peace. And what happened? It's an interesting lesson that I hope people remember. Something happened. What happened was Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy."
True or False?
True -- Japan, once a sworn enemy of the United States, is now one of its closest allies.
What he didn't say:
Japan, unlike Iraq, is a homogenous society with hardly any ethnic tension. And in Japan, the U.S. occupation forces never dismantled the local police.
Related NPR Stories
March 22, 2006Bush Hopes to Rally Public Opinion on Iraq War
March 22, 2006Bush Challenges Eavesdropping Detractors
March 22, 2006Troops to Stay in Iraq Beyond Bush Presidency
A 'Battle-Ready' Iraq
STATEMENT -- Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking on the CBS show Face The Nation, on March 19, 2006:
"We've seen major progress in terms of training and equipping Iraqi forces "
True or False?
True -- The number of Iraqi troops being trained is on the rise.
What he didn't say:
The number of "battle-ready" Iraqi troops is still inadequate -- the Iraqi forces depend heavily on U.S. troops. In addition, the Iraqi security forces have been infiltrated by members of various militia.
Related NPR Stories
March 20, 2006Our Guys in Ohio Weigh in
March 20, 2006Monday's NPR News Agenda
Iraq's Political Deadlines
STATEMENT -- Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking on the CBS show Face The Nation on March 19, 2006:
"The Iraqis have met every single political deadline that's been set for them. They haven't missed a single one."
True or False?
Basically true -- With only a bit of fudging, Iraq has indeed met its political deadlines.
What he didn't say:
These political milestones have not yet borne fruit. So while elections have been held, those elected have yet to form a government. And while a constitution has been written, it has yet to take effect.
Related NPR Stories
Aug. 24, 2005Iraq Update: Another Constitution Deadline Looms
Aug. 22, 2005Iraq Gets Draft Constitution, Edging Deadline
Aug. 15, 2005Impasse Delays Draft of Iraqi Constitution
Aug. 15, 2005Iraqis Miss One Deadline, Set Another
Aug. 1, 2005Iraqis Say They Will Meet Constitution Deadline
Saddam's Terrorist Links
STATEMENT -- President Bush, speaking in Cleveland on March 20, 2006:
"I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say -- that there was a direct connection between September the 11th and Saddam Hussein."
True or False?
True -- President Bush has never explicitly linked Saddam Hussein with the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
What he didn't say:
President Bush has called Iraq "an ally of al-Qaida" and often speaks of the war in Iraq being part of the military effort his administration calls the "global war on terror."
Related NPR Stories
March 20, 2006Bush Upbeat on Third Anniversary of Iraq War
March 20, 2006Bush Urges Americans to Look Beyond Iraq Violence
March 20, 2006Slate's Politics: Re-Selling the War in Iraq
I began this blog on Tuesday, August 09, 2005. My first article was posted at 1:10pm CT.
Since then I have learned a lot, posted many articles, and have realized there are many things I have still not figured out! So I thought I would take some time today and share some of my thoughts about blogging.
- Traffic: Everyone who has a blog wants people to read it! They want to see their fancy counter show a higher number each day! The only problem is, getting traffic to your blog can be a challenge. This can be a very disappointing thing for many. The sad reality is, there are millions upon millions of websites for a person to choose from. So getting people to your blog is going to be difficult. There are tools out there to help you get more traffic to your blog, but you may still be disappointed with the number of visitors. This fact will cause some to give up, but others will be motivated to work harder. This makes you, the reader, very important. By simply taking the time to write a comment or a suggestion, you could make the day for a blogger. You could motivate them to keep going. So the next time you visit a blog, remember that.
- commitment: When you create a blog, you are excited and motivated. Then over time that begins to change. You now realize that keeping up with your blog is work. You then have to decide if you are going to work hard to find interesting things to post. Are you going to work hard to write your own commentary or simply to make your blog a link library? To be willing to write you own thoughts about issues is a lot more difficult and requires a lot of commitment.
I have more to say and will say it in future posts. But, here is my pathetic attempt to get responses :) I would like to hear your thoughts about blogging. What blogs do you read and why? What do you look for in a blog? Do you just look for blogs that have short funny videos and pictures? Do you prefer blogs that have more substance? If you blog, what have you learned?
Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on blogging.
Sometimes I sit back in disbelief at the things I see in the world. People seem not to care about others. Here is an unbelievable example:
From www.npr.org
Video Catches Hospital 'Dumping' Incident
You can see the video at this link:
Video Catches Hospital 'Dumping' Incident
Things Considered, March 23, 2006
· For many months, Los Angeles city officials have complained that regional hospitals are dropping off their indigent patients in the city's tough Skid Row area. On Wednesday, officials at a homeless shelter released a videotape that allegedly catches one hospital in the act. The incident has become part of an ongoing investigation that could result in criminal or civil penalties.
Security cameras outside the Union Rescue Mission, the city's largest homeless shelter, show a taxi pulling a U-turn in front of the building. Several seconds later, an elderly woman in a hospital gown shuffles into view. She appears to have only hospital socks on her feet, and walks in the street for a while before turning back to the mission entrance.
Mission worker Regina Chambers met the woman outside, later identified as Carol Reyes, a homeless resident of the city of Gardena, a dozen miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
"When I first approached her, she was very disoriented, didn't know where she was or what she was doing," Chambers says. "All she knew is that she had been to a hospital."
It was later determined that Reyes was released from the Kaiser Permanente hospital in the city of Bellflower, 16 miles southeast of the mission.
City Council member Jan Perry, whose district includes L.A.'s Skid Row, says hospitals may be dumping their homeless patients in downtown Los Angeles because the cities hosting the hospitals don't want to deal with their homeless problem.
"We have a very high concentration of services in a small geographic area," Perry says. "And for municipalities who don't want to... extend themselves to the homeless, it's an easy excuse to just bring them over here and leave them here."
Los Angeles city prosecutors have been investigating the dumping of patients on Skid Row for the past three months to see whether state or federal laws have been broken. The videotape of Reyes will now be part of that investigation.
UFOs, no matter what you think about them, you cannot deny that they are a popular topic.
There are books, TV shows and radio programs all dedicated to talking about them. So, I thought I would point people to a case that is beginning to be talked about again. I am simply pointing people to the information. I am not making any claims about the truthfulness of the event.
In late December 1980, in Rendlesham Forest, England, numerous U.S. military personnel witnessed what has come to be regarded as the most significant military-UFO incident in the history of Great Britain.
Here is a link that gives more information about the story:
http://www.scifi.com/rendlesham/
In 1984, a copy of what became known as the "Halt Tape" fell into the hands of researchers. Unfortunately, because of static and the fact that the tape had been dubbed on an old machine, much of its background conversations could not be discerned. SCI FI has now acquired the original recording, which documents Lt. Colonel Halt (USAF) and his patrol investigating a UFO sighting in Rendlesham Forest in December 1980. This tape not only reveals much more of the background conversations but features names that could not be heard on the poor-quality 1984 dub.
Below are five excerpts from the 17-minute-and-52-second recording, and a brief introduction to the material by UFO researcher Georgina Bruni, author of You Can't Tell the People.
Introduction
Lt. Colonel Charles Halt tape
Sgt. Bustunza assistance request
Residual-energy discussion
Lt. Colonel Halt discusses barnyard noise
Strange lights
Here is a link to a site with a lot of information:
The Rendlesham Forest Incident - Britian's Greatest UFO Case
The full story of the Rendlesham Forest Incident, with new photos and evidence. Also covers other cases such Lakenheath/Benwaters 1956 UFO chase ... The Rendlesham Forest Incident -- Britain's most significant UFO incident ... Let's hear your opinion- www.rendlesham-incident.co.uk/forum
Here is one more link:
Rendlesham Forest Incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
... The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the most famous UFO event to have happened in Britain, and ... Government Official, says that "the Rendlesham Forest Incident is bigger than Roswell.
I hope you find the information interesting. If not, I hope at least it was entertaining!
The Bird Flu is being discussed everywhere. Is it all hype, or is it going to be a disaster? The only way to really answer the question is to search out all the information about the subject. I am going to provide a link that has a unbelievable amount of information. The motivation to learn the information is simple, if the bird flu turns out to be as bad as some is saying, your life and the life of others could be at risk!
BIRD FLU FEARS
Current threat: Bird flu does not pose a large-scale threat to humans as it cannot pass easily from one person to another
Future threat: However experts fear the virus could mutate at some point in the future and trigger a lethal human flu pandemic
So to help you, I offer the following:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2005/bird_flu/default.stm
March 22
1984
Teachers are indicted at the McMartin Preschool
Seven teachers at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California are indicted by the Los Angeles County grand jury after hearing testimony from 18 children. Included among the charged are Peggy McMartin Buckey, the head of the school and her son Ray Buckey.
Seven years and millions of dollars later, the case against the teachers came to a close with no reputable evidence of wrongdoing and no convictions.
The McMartin school debacle began on August 12, 1983 when Judy Johnson reported to the police that she believed her 2-1/2-year-old son had been molested at the McMartin Preschool. The first major blunder occurred less than a month into the investigation.
On September 8, the Manhattan Beach Police Department sent out a form letter to more than 200 families, alerting them of an investigation into the allegations of child molestation and naming Ray Buckey as a suspect.
The latter set off a wave of hysteria in the community. Compounding the problem, virtually every child who attended the school was sent to the Children's Institute International, an organization that claimed it could get children to reveal abuse even when they didn't want to talk about it.
Unfortunately, CII was also capable of getting easily manipulated children to reveal abuse when it had never actually happened.
The allegations that CII produced grew more bizarre every day. They reported that they had been taken to a cemetery where dead bodies were dug and hacked to pieces (causing blood to spurt out). The local Catholic church invited an expert on Satanic cults to talk to the congregation in the wake of the allegations.
Of course, there wasn't any corroboration of these wild allegations from any witnesses although the school often had visitors and guests. The truth or falsity of the allegations mattered little to the community at large. The McMartin school was burned down in an arson attack and seven other local preschools closed down as people who worked with children began to fear that they would be the next accused.
Unfortunately for other child care workers around the nation, the abuse scare of the early 1990s found many victims. More recent research has demonstrated that questioning techniques of children can easily be manipulated so that the child will give the answer that the questioner desires.
If there is one thing we all need to survive, it is water. Clean water is so important, yet if we are honest, we don't really take time to think about water. So to help people take a few monments to think about water, 22 March is World Water Day:
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.
Here is the link to the website:
World Water Day 2006
Here are some other great links:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
This is a must see:
Tackling a thirsty world
BBC Environment Corresondent Alex Kirby asks why water is one of the planet's biggest challenges.
So take some time and think about the water you use and what we can do to help conserve and keep it clean.
Have you ever heard someone listening to what they call music, but to your ears it sounds like a demon from hell screaming? Well, now we know that there is actually someone who teaches people how to perfect this art!
An instructional DVD/CD set called The Zen of Screaming targets a very specific clientele: singers who literally scream for a living.
Voice coach Melissa Cross, a classically trained singer and former punk rocker, has developed a method to help vocalists belt out their lyrics -- without ruining their voices. She explains her techniques and talks about the philosophy behind them.
You can hear a story about this and view video clips at:
Queen of the Scream
So you don't like to exercise, you hate to diet. Well, would being charged more because you weigh more, help motivate you to lose a few pounds? Look at what they are doing in Germany:
Hotel charges guests by the pound
Reuters - Mon Mar 20, 10:39 AM ET
A hotel in northern Germany has started charging its guests by the kilo for an overnight stay.
In the town of Norden, close to the Dutch border, guests now have to step onto the scales before moving into their rooms and fork out half a euro ($0.61) per kilogram (2.2 lbs).
"I had many guests who were really huge and I told them to slim down," said Juergen Heckrodt, owner of the three-star establishment.
"When they came back the year after and had lost a lot of weight they asked me what are you gonna do for me now?"
Heckrodt said he hoped his initiative would inspire Germans to become leaner and healthier.
"Healthy guests live longer and can come back more often."
Larger customers may be reassured that the hotel turns no one away who refuses to step on the scales and charges no guest more than 39 euros, the normal single room price.
SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCH BEGINS:
March 21, 1965
In the name of African-American voting rights, 3,200 civil rights demonstrators,led by Martin Luther King Jr., begin a historic march from Selma, Alabama, tothe State Capitol at Montgomery.
U.S. Army and National Guard troops were onhand to provide safe passage for the "Alabama Freedom March," which twice had been turned back by Alabama state police at Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge.In1965, King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) decided to make the small town of Selma the focus of their drive to win voting rights for African Americans in the South.
Alabama's governor, George Wallace, was a vocal opponent of the African-American civil rights movement, and local authorities in Selma had consistently thwarted efforts by the Dallas County Voters League and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to register local blacks.
King had won the 1964 Nobel Prize for Peace, and the world's eyes turned to Selma after his arrival there in January 1965.
He launched a series of peaceful protests, and by mid-February thousands of protesters in the Selma area had spent time in jail, including King himself. On February 18, a group of white segregationists attacked some peaceful marchers in the nearby town of Marion.
Jimmie Lee Jackson, an African-American demonstrator, was fatally wounded in the melee. After he died, King and the SCLC planned a massive march from Selma toMontgomery. Although Governor Wallace promised to prevent it from going forward,on March 7 some 500 demonstrators, led by SCLC leader Hosea Williams and SNCC leader John Lewis, began the 54-mile march to the state capital. After crossing Pettus Bridge, they were met by Alabama state troopers and posse men who attacked them with nightsticks, tear gas, and whips after they refused to turnback. Several of the protesters were severely beaten, and others ran for their lives. The incident was captured on national television and outraged many Americans. Hundreds of ministers, priests, and rabbis headed to Selma to join the voting rights campaign. King, who was in Atlanta at the time, promised to return to Selma immediately and lead another attempt. On March 9, King led 1,500marchers, black and white, across Edmund Pettus Bridge but found Highway 80 blocked again by state troopers. King paused the marchers and led them in prayer, where upon the troopers stepped aside. King then turned the protesters around, believing that the troopers were trying to create an opportunity that would allow them to enforce a federal injunction prohibiting the march. This decision led to criticism from some marchers who called King cowardly. In Selma that night, James Reeb, a white minister from Boston, was fatally beaten by a group of segregationists. Six days later, on March 15, President Lyndon Johnson went on national television to pledge his support to the Selma protesters and call for the passage of a new voting rights bill that he was introducing in Congress. "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem," he said, "And we shall overcome.
"On March 21, U.S. Army troops and federalized Alabama National Guardsmen escorted the marchers across Edmund Pettus Bridge and down Highway 80.
When the highway narrowed to two lanes, only 300 marchers were permitted, but thousands more rejoined the Alabama Freedom March as it came into Montgomery on March 25.
On the steps of Alabama State Capitol, King addressed live television cameras and a crowd of 25,000, just a few hundred feet from Dexter AvenueBaptist Church, where he got his start as a minister in 1954. That August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed African Americans the right to vote. By 1967, African-American registered voters in Alabama had nearly tripled.
from THE HISTORY CHANNEL
As Americans, we tend to be proud and think we can never be defeated or destroyed.
It does not matter what we face - great storms, war, terrorism, and limited natural resources - we act as if we have nothing to be really concerned with. Our focus is usually on things like entertainment and self-fulfillment. The only problem with this attitude is that it ignores what history teaches us! When we open up the pages of history, we find the stories of great civilizations who come to power and then completely fall and crumble, only to be remembered in the pages of a history book. I think it is a valuable study for every person to take a look at the past civilizations and try to find out why civilizations fall.
To help you begin your study, I am going to point you to a very interesting link:
Once again, the price of gas in on the rise:
WASHINGTON - The average retail price of gasoline soared by almost 14 cents last week, rising above $2.50 a gallon for the first time since late October.
The federal Energy Information Administration said Monday that U.S. motorists paid $2.504 cents a gallon on average for regular grade last week, a rise of 13.8 cents from the previous week. Pump prices are still 39.5 cents higher than a year ago.
The jump in retail prices follows a 42-cent-per gallon rise in unleaded gasoline futures since mid-February. On Monday, gasoline for April delivery settled at $1.8301 per gallon.
You can read more at:
Gas Prices Up to Highest Level Since Oct. - AP via Yahoo! News
There is no question that the United States' dependence on foreign oil and our never ending use of it is going to cause us great problems eventually.
So, what can we do?
There are many suggestions out there. I thought the following was very interesting and wanted to share it:
Grow Your Own Oil, U.S. Vaporizing sawdust and corn stalks yields a versatile petroleum stand-in. --Wired News
You may say and hear others say, "It is a pain in the back!" They may be referring to their job or their spouse! But, most likely they are actually complaining about a pain they are having in their back. One of the most common complaints in medicine is back pain. So, I am here to help:
Check out the following links:
Ah, My Aching Back!
INTERACTIVE: Find out the back's weak spots.
Now that will be $75.00.
The great thing about the internet is that you can find information about things you never even knew existed! You can be exposed to theories and ideas that you have never given a second of thought. The problem is, there is so much material on the internet, you may never even come across much of what is available. Yes, I know that much of what is on the internet is not true. At the same time, large numbers of people will believe it and have the information affect their lives.
Here at Worldview, I try to point people to many different kinds of topics and ideas. Not so much for debate, but to get you to look at what is going on in the world. I always challenge the readers to research and think! Late last night, I came across a subject I have not heard anything about. It is The Skinwalker Ranch. You are probably asking, "What is that?" Let's take a look:
Skinwalker Ranch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skinwalker Ranch in the Uintah Basin of Utah was the site of a long running series of paranormal phenomena. The Sherman (sometimes given as Gorman) family bought the ranch, from absent owners, in the Fall of 1994. The sheer amount of strange events encountered proved incredibly stressful and when they tried to sell the ranch in 1996 the news started to break. The National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) picked up this information and bought the ranch for, it is claimed, $200,000. However, nothing about the level of strangeness was known until 2002 when the NIDS allowed George Knapp, a reporter for the Las Vegas Mercury, access to the ranch and his two-part article in November 2002[1] revealed this all too a wider audience. Now NIDS researcher Colm Kelleher and journalist George Knapp have written a book outlining their take on the NIDS investigation from the inside[1]
You can acess more information at:
Wikipedia: Skinwalker Ranch
Read George Knapp's Path of the Skinwalker articles in the Las Vegas Mercury: PART1.pdf PART2.pdf PART3.pdf
Hear an interview with the authors on the Jerry Pippin Show
Watch a news story aired on KLAS television in Las Vegas
Of course with anything like this, there has to be something for sale:
http://www.huntfortheskinwalker.com/buy.html
The goal of any blogger is to actually have people read what they have posted. So, please leave comments, letting me know if you are finding anything here useful. If you have any information about this subject, please share it.
One of the most long lasting mysteries in popular culture, is the Bermuda Triangle. I thas been talked about, books written and movies made. There are many opinions and just as many resources. I cannot really add to the discussion, so I will just point the reader to some intresting things:
ENCYCLOPEDIA: BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
also called the Devil's Triangle, area of the Atlantic Ocean bounded roughly by southern Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. According to mariners' legends dating from the 1800s, many ships have disappeared while sailing in this part of the ocean. In the 20th century a number of airplanes have also been reported missing in the triangle. The legends also suggest that the disappearances are of a supernatural nature because wreckage or other remains have seldom been found. Scientific studies of available data have tended to debunk the legends, although it is known that the area is the site of sudden, violent storms and strong ocean currents. Mariners and aviators continue to pass through the Bermuda Triangle without being subjected to any unusual, unexplained events.
An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group.
World: Fascination with Bermuda Triangle Persists, 60 Years Later
Morning Edition, December 5, 2005 · Sixty years ago today, a squadron of military planes took off from Florida on a training mission. Five planes headed over the Atlantic and disappeared. A rescue plane was sent to look for Flight 19 and also vanished, without a trace. Since then, myths and theories have sprung up to explain the alleged curse of the Bermuda Triangle.
H2G2 - Flight 19: the Lost Patrol BBC Best LinkThis mysterious area in the Caribbean has claimed a number of lives. Read one story here
The History channel will be airing the following documentary:
Decoding The Past Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle.
Since the 15th century, the Bermuda Triangle has mysteriously vanished an untold number of ships, planes and lives with three more known incidents in 2004. Using today's scientific knowledge and investigative techniques, we study the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle. Through computer graphics, highly stylized recreations, and underwater cameras, we will dramatically visualize the accidents as well as investigate the possible causes and explanations. On-camera interviews with both skeptics and believers will help lay out the facts and opinions of the cases. Can the latest science available today finally lay to rest the mysteries of the Triangle? TVPG cc
Here is the schedule for brodcast times:
Decoding The Past: Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Sunday, March 19 @ 12am ET
You can also buy the DVD of the program at:
Buy Now:
Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle DVD (Decoding The Past)
Go beneath the waves and into the archives with this multi-faceted look at an area known for mystery and disaster
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger and Jon Voight in
Walt Disney Pictures' National Treasure - 2004.
If you saw the movie National Treasure, you probably left the theater thinking it would be cool to look for a lost treasure. Well, I am here to help! You should consider saving up all your money and taking some time off from work to look for:
The Oak Island buried treasure
For over 200 years treasure seekers have been searching for the Oak Island buried treasure off the coast of Nova Scotia. Speculation of what the treasure might be ranges from Captain Kidd's treasure; a communal bank built by pirates; the hiding place for the treasure plundered by Sir Francis Drake from Spanish ships and settlements in the Caribbean; writings by Francis Bacon that would prove it was he that wrote Shakespeare's plays; Marie Antoinette's jewels; the lost treasure of Tumbez, Peru; and others.
I did a little research on the internet and found the following:
oakislandtreasure.com
Critical Analysis of the Oak Island Legend
Dick Joltes provides background and history of the pit as well as variants on the legend and conspiracy theories.
Oak Island Treasure :: Leading research into the Money Pit Mystery
The best place on the internet for information the Oak Island Money Pit mystery. ... Oak Island Treasure - researching Oak Island's Money Pit mystery ... Oak Island Treasure provides photos, maps, news and a friendly forum providing all the latest news on the Oak Island ...
I have provided the information, so stop looking at your computer and get going! What, you want more help! Ok,
Since I have done most of the work for you, I get 50 percent of what you find.
Come on, this is a lot easier then stealing the declaration of independence! (a reference to the movie National Treasure)
Nicolas Cage in Walt Disney Pictures'
National Treasure - 2004.
Dr. Ron Tappy of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary displays his blockbuster find from excavations in Israel: a rock with the oldest extant example of Hebrew writing.
Archaeologists led by a Bible professor from Pittsburgh made an extraordinary discovery in Israel last summer.
Their excavation team found the oldest example of the Hebrew alphabet ever seen.
The inscription, from the 10th century B.C.E., is written in the same script as early parts of the Hebrew Bible.
“Anything written in the days of Solomon,” would have been written in this alphabet, says Dr. Ron Tappy, professor of Bible and archaeology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Tappy presented his findings at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History March 8.
The discovery supports the theory that Kings David and Solomon built a powerful kingdom that extended its influence over Judah, says Tappy. It also supports the history in the Bible, especially from I and II Kings. “Most people who have personal faith will be thrilled by (this discovery). The challenge is for the revisionists who say David and Solomon didn't exist.”
Some historical revisionists claim that the Kingdom of Judah is a myth and the Bible wasn't written until the Hellenistic period. “They claim if anybody occupied Canaan in the 12th Century B.C.E., they were illiterate,” says Tappy.
The Tel Zayit excavation proves that not only could they write, the Judeans also could build fortifications and walls of some size. (The team uncovered a circle of monoliths used to defend against invading armies.)
CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article
www.clevelandjewishnews.com
This weekend marks three years for the war in Iraq, but this brought a question to my mind. Which three is more important? Three years of war or curiosity about who the final three contestants on Americal Idol will be? If we are to look at the numbers, it would be no contest. Most Americans spend more time watching, voting, and talking about American Idol than they do reading and researching the war in Iraq. So not to be left out, let me help everyone and tell them who the final 3 contestants will be on American Idol: drum roll please....
The final three in this season's finals will be Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks and Kellie Pickler.
No, I am not the one who is saying this. It is Simon Cowell.
You can read the entire article at:
Simon Cowell predicts top three 'Idols'...
This weekend marks the third year of the war in Iraq. People from every political point of view will use the occasion to promote their particular view. Those in favor of the war will point to all the good that has come from the war. They will say things like, "The Iraqis are now free. A brutal dictator was removed from power, and democracy can now begin to flourish in the Middle East. Those who are opposed to the war will say there was no weapons of mass destruction, violence continues, and there is no end in sight. I think people should be more concerned with truth than simply trying to prove their position. So here at Worldview, I am going to provide links to many sources and their look at the past three years. The reader will, of course, have to take the time to read and listen to everything and try to figure out exactly how to think about the situation in Iraq.
The following links are from:
www.npr.org
The War in Iraq, Then and Now
March 17, 2006 · As the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq approaches, a look back at the first days of the war and an update on the latest news out of the country.
Weekend Marks Three Years of War in Iraq
March 17, 2006 · This weekend marks the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. We hear moments from the beginning of the war: from March 17, 2003 when President Bush gave a Saddam Hussein a 48-hour deadline to leave Iraq, through the first days of the conflict.
Three Years of War
March 17, 2006 · E.J. Dionne, a columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times talk with Robert Siegel about the situation in Iraq three years after the U.S.-led invasion.
The following links are from:
www.bbc.com
Not welcome Three years after UK troops entered Iraq, the mood has changed:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4812764.stm
Watch a video diary of the war in Irag:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4813668.stm
This is a great tool to help a person see an overview of everything that has happened in the War. It is a timeline that list all the major events since the fall of Saddam.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4192189.stm
Here is a day by day guide of the main stories about the war:
Day by day guide The main stories from the war in Iraq
Here is a link to all the BBC's coverage of the Iraq war. This is a must for anyone looking for some in-depth coverage of the war.
News - The Struggle for Iraq BBC Best LinkAll the latest news, analysis and images from Iraq
What does president Bush think about the war in Iraq?
Bush says Iraq strategy is working...
The reader of this blog will have to decide that for themselves.
We all know there are museums throughout the world. But, there is a chance that you may have missed this one. In fact, you may not have even known it existed.
Museum of Witchcraft
Located in Boscastle, Cornwall, England, the Museum of Witchcraft is over 50 years old and houses the world's largest collection of artifacts associated with Wicca, witchcraft and ritual magic. You can view some of these objects, such as the pictured labyrinth (used for inducing trances into the "Other World") in an online guided tour.
I am the first to admit that president Bush has made some mistakes since he has been in office. I don't have problems with people who may disagree with a president's policy, but when a dislike for a president causes one to turn to lies and exaggerations to make a point, then we have gone too far! Everyone should be more concerned with truth than political parties and personal likes and dislikes! After hurricane Katrina hit, much blame was credited to President Bush. But now we have those who are actually blaming the Bush administration for the hurricane itself!
You have to see this to believe it:
The following is from:
http://www.ecoenquirer.com/Bush-jets-and-Katrina.htm
Did Bush Jets Influence Hurricane Katrina?
Spy satellite image allegedly showing Texas Air National Guard jets flying near the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina over the Gulf of Mexico.
(EXCLUSIVE - Washington, D.C.) Photographic evidence leaked to ecoEnquirer shows what are claimed to be Texas Air National Guard jets flying in formation in and around the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina twenty-four hours before it devastated New Orleans. The photograph was e-mailed to us by a National Security Agency employee who provided the information on condition of anonymity. The employee's e-mail contained a claim that one of the nation's spy satellites was tasked to the Gulf region to help monitor and guide a squadron of Texas Air National Guard jets that were used to influence the movement and intensity of the hurricane. The employee said that, while NSA workers were not told the specific reason for the operation, code-named 'Windfall Profits', "we're pretty good at putting two and two together. The theory circulating here within the NSA is that the Bush Administration saw an opportunity to disrupt petroleum supplies by damaging oil rigs and coastal oil refineries. Such disruption would reduce supply, leading to a sharp increase in gas prices, and thus to increased profits by oil companies." EcoEnquirer showed the evidence to Shell Vice-President for Petroleum Production, Adam Smith, who disputed the claim, telling us "..give me a break! Hurricanes contain far more energy than we could ever influence, even with nuclear weapons, let alone with a few little jets! Besides, this photo looks like it has been doctored...and it doesn't even look like a very good job."
(UPDATE): ecoEnquirer has now traced the e-mail containing the NSA employee's claim to a local D.C. environmental lobbying firm, Nature's Defense Fund. Upon being pressed about the validity of the evidence, an unnamed representative of the firm said they had received the photo anonymously in the mail, and not from the NSA. The representative nevertheless defended their motivation for adding the fictitious NSA details, stating, "The validity of any particular piece of evidence doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that the Bush Administration still needs to explain why their buddies in the oil industry should be allowed to receive such obscene levels of profits after Hurricane Katrina."
There you have it! Now we have the rest of the story! It has to be true - it's on the internet! Of course I am being sarcastic, but the sad truth is there will be those who will believe this and send it around the country in e-mails to their friends.
The last time Mel Gibson made a movie, the whole world was talking about it! Consider these facts:
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Domestic Total Gross: $370,274,604
Production Budget: $30 million
That is what I call serious profit!
Well, this summer Mel Gibson will be releasing a new movie. So to be the first in talking about it, you may want to look at the following:
The movie is called Apocalypto. It is set 500 years ago in ancient Mayan times. It is being described as a a "heart-stopping mythic action-adventure." The line that is going to be used in the promotion of the movie will be:
When the End comes, Not everyone is Ready to Go!
You can view the trailer and find more information at:
Apocalypto
Official site of Mel Gibson's historical adventure epic Apocalypto, about the end times of the ancient Mayan civilization.
apocalypto.movies.go.com
You might as well find out everything about it now, because in a few months, it will most likely be the only thing that is being talked about.
Pentagon plans cyber-insect army The insects would be remotely controlled to check out explosives and send transmissions. --BBC News
The Pentagon's defense scientists want to create an army of cyber-insects.
For more information, follow this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4808342.stm
This story may cause you to ask, "Have other animals been used in war"? The answer is yes, but not always with great success!
Look at the following:
this is from www.bbc.com
ANIMALS IN WARFARE
WWII: Attach a bomb to a cat and drop it from a dive-bomber on to Nazi ships. The cat, hating water, will "wrangle" itself on to enemy ship's deck. In tests cats became unconscious in mid-air
WWII: Attach incendiaries to bats. Induce hibernation and drop them from planes. They wake up, fly into factories etc and blow up. Failed to wake from hibernation and fell to death
Vietnam War: Dolphins trained to tear off diving gear of Vietcong divers and drag them to interrogation, sources linked to the programme say. Syringes later placed on dolphin flippers to inject carbon dioxide into divers, who explode. US Navy has always denied using mammals to harm humans
Main Entry: glut·tony Pronunciation: 'gl&t-nE, 'gl&-t&n-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ton·ies
1 : excess in eating or drinking
2 : greedy or excessive indulgence
If there is one word that describes the American philosophy, gluttony is it! We want more than we need - we want bigger cars, bigger homes, etc. The sad thing is, no matter how much we have, we never seem to be truly satisfied or happy!
That hamburger is really symbolic of what most of us have- way more than we need! The question is, are you really satisfied?
World's biggest burger
A US restaurant has beaten its record for the world's biggest burger with a whopping 15-pounder.
Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, already had the title with a 6lb burger.
But owners thought a 15-pound burger would prove an even bigger attraction, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Diners who can finish the £25 burger in under five hours win £200, a T-shirt and have their name posted on the pub's wall of fame.
They also get the burger for free.
"Every restaurant needs a gimmick - ours is big burgers," said Dennis Liegey III, son of the restaurant's owner.
Visitors come from as far away as Australia and California just to see the 6-pounders and try to eat them.
The new burger, dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, is as big around as the inside of a car tyre.
It comes with a cup and half each of mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, a head of lettuce, two onions, three tomatoes and 25 slices of cheese.
I just came across the following article. I have not had a chance to do any research to confirm the claims of the article. If any reader of this blog has more information, please let me know.
A Continent Splits Apart Africa's new ocean. --Spiegel Magazine
Normally new rivers, seas and mountains are born in slow motion. The Afar Triangle near the Horn of Africa is another story. A new ocean is forming there with staggering speed -- at least by geological standards. Africa will eventually lose its horn.
Geologist Dereje Ayalew and his colleagues from Addis Ababa University were amazed -- and frightened. They had only just stepped out of their helicopter onto the desert plains of central Ethiopia when the ground began to shake under their feet. The pilot shouted for the scientists to get back to the helicopter. And then it happened: the Earth split open. Crevices began racing toward the researchers like a zipper opening up. After a few seconds, the ground stopped moving, and after they had recovered from their shock, Ayalew and his colleagues realized they had just witnessed history. For the first time ever, human beings were able to witness the first stages in the birth of an ocean.
Normally changes to our geological environment take place almost imperceptibly. A life time is too short to see rivers changing course, mountains rising skywards or valleys opening up. In north-eastern Africa's Afar Triangle, though, recent months have seen hundreds of crevices splitting the desert floor and the ground has slumped by as much as 100 meters (328 feet). At the same time, scientists have observed magma rising from deep below as it begins to form what will eventually become a basalt ocean floor. Geologically speaking, it won't be long until the Red Sea floods the region. The ocean that will then be born will split Africa apart.
The Afar Triangle, which cuts across Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, is the largest construction site on the planet. Three tectonic plates meet there with the African and Arabian plates drifting apart along two separate fault lines by one centimeter a year. A team of scientists working with Christophe Vigny of the Paris Laboratory of Geology reported on the phenomenon in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research. While the two plates move apart, the ground sinks to make room for the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Bubbling magma and the smell of sulphur
A third crevice cuts south, splitting not far from Lake Victoria. One branch of the rift runs to the east, the other to the west of the lake. The two branches of this third crevice are moving apart by about one millimeter a year.
The dramatic event that Ayalew and his colleagues witnessed in the Afar Desert on Sept. 26, 2005 was the first visual proof of this process -- and it was followed by a week-long series of earthquakes. During the months that followed, hundreds of further crevices opened up in the ground, spreading across an area of 345 square miles. "The earth has not stopped moving since," geophysicist Tim Wright of the University of Oxford says. The ground is still splitting open and sinking, he says; small earthquakes are constantly shaking the region. Scientists have made repeated trips to the area since the drama of last September. Locals have reported a number of new cracks opening in the ground, says geologist Cynthia Ebinger from the University of London, and during each visit, new crevices are discovered. Fumes as hot as 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit) shoot up from some of them; the sound of bubbling magma and the smell of sulphur rise from others. The larger crevices are dozens of meters deep and several hundred meters long. Traces of recent volcanic eruptions are also visible.In a number of places, cracks have opened up beneath the thin layer of volcanic ash that covers the region. As there is no ash in the fissures, it's clear that they opened up after the volcanic eruptions, most of which took place at the end of September or in October, 2005. A number of locals who fled the eruptions have reported that a black cloud of ash -- spewed out of the Dabbahu volcano -- darkened the sky for three days.
A new ocean floor on the Earth's surface
Basalt magma has risen into some of the crevices. For the moment, Ayalew explains, the lava seems not to be rising further. A number of recent eruptions, though, have left layers of new basalt lava on the Earth's surface. And it's the exact same kind of lava that spews out of volcanic ridges deep under the ocean -- a process which slowly pushes older lava sediments away on either side. The process has only just begun in the Afar Triangle -- and scientists for the first time can witness the birth of a new ocean floor.
The source of the African magma looks to be a gigantic stream of molten rock rising from beneath the Earth's crust and slicing through the African continental plate like a blow torch. It's a process that began thirty million years ago when lava broke through the continent for the first time, separating the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and creating the Red Sea.Now, it's the Afar Triangle's turn and it's sinking rapidly. Large areas are already more than 100 meters (328 feet) below sea level. For now, the highlands surrounding the Denakil Depression prevent the Red Sea from flooding these areas, but erosion and tectonic plate movement are continually reducing the height of this natural barrier. The Denakil Depression, which lies to the east of Afar, is already prey to regular floods -- each flood leaving behind a crust of salt.
Africa to lose its horn
The chain of volcanoes that runs along the roughly 6,000 kilometer (3,730 mile) long East African Rift System offers further testimony to the breaking apart of the continent. In some areas around the outer edges of the Rift System, the Earth's crust has already cracked open, making room for the magma below. From the Red Sea to Mozambique in the south, dozens of volcanoes have formed, the best known being Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Nyiragongo. These fiery mountains too will one day sink into the sea. Geophysicists have calculated that in 10 million years the East African Rift System will be as large as the Red Sea. When that happens, Africa will lose its horn.
click here:
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Here at Worldview I try to post articles that represent many different worldviews. I often receive e-mails either challenging something I have posted or asking what my views are. There are times that I post an article that clearly reflects my worldview, but most of the time I simply post articles that I feel are interesting and may challenge everyone's worldview, including my own! Today's post is no exception. So please read carefully.
Last night on the Coast to Coast radio program that had an intresting discussion on the Theory of Expanding Planets.
the following can be found at:
www.coasttocoastam.com
Comic book legend Neal Adams, who is currently creating a six part series of Batman, discussed his research on a new model for the Universe. His theory proposes that the Earth, and by extension, all moons and planets, expand in size from the inside as they age. The bottom of the ocean is only between 70 to 180 million years old, said Adams. He hypothesized that Earth was originally ¼ its current size, and that the tectonic plates fit perfectly together on this smaller world which had significantly less areas of water. 600 million years ago Jupiter was also smaller, he said, and thus larger meteors came into the inner solar system, hitting Mars and our moon (as evidenced by their craters). Further, his notion of a growing universe negates the Big Bang theory, and he outlined how a solar system could come into existence as matter is attracted to a sun's electromagnetic field.
Related Articles
Neal Adams Video Clips We received four video clips from Neal Adams that demonstrate his new model of the universe-- that planets and moons are growing in size:
Ganymede Win Real
Moon Win Real
Earth Win Real
Europa Win Real
1) What do you think of today's young people? Have they deteriorated?
2) How does getting married feel?
3) Do you think the U.S. is becoming a mess of a country?
4) Do you have any mortal enemies?
5) Have you ever felt that life is hopeless?
6) Are you scared that terrorists might attack?
7) Have you ever lied to me?
8) Is there anyone you wish were dead?
9) What do you think is the greatest country in the world?
10) Have you ever thought you couldn't cope with a child?
11) Do you think your life would be different without animals? (on a scale of 1-10)
12) Do you think a lot of people are sexist?
13) Why does it seem like everyone loves Amie [Joshua's sister, 9] more?
* And one last question, asked when it came to mind:
14) Have I met the expectations you had for me when I was born?
I hope that this list of questions has gotten your attention :)
It should have brought a few questions to your own mind:
Who wrote these questions?
Who is Joshua and Amie?
Why these questions?
I have included thse questions not because these questions are the best, but becasue of the story behind them:
From www.npr.org
March 17, 2006 · When he was 5 years old, Joshua Littman was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. But the condition that has robbed him of many social skills has also played a role in Joshua becoming an honor-roll student at 12.
Born in Dorset, England, Joshua and his family moved to the United States soon after his diagnosis. When he was 9, Joshua became a member of MENSA.
His mother, Sarah Littman, is a journalist and an author of children's books. She describes children with Asperger's as "born without social genes."
They can come across as eccentric, and often develop obsessions -- in Joshua's case, animals.
Confronted with the chance to interview his mother at a StoryCorps booth, Joshua eschewed the prepared questions that many participants rely on, and instead created his own. His questions touch on everything from his mother's past to how she really feels about him.
Here is the link to Joshua's moms blog:
Sarah Littman's Blog
Here are some links to resources about the condition Joshua has:
Web Resources
More Info on Asperger's
Yale Univ. Asperger's Resources
Univ. of Delaware on Asperger's
Autism Society of America
The following is from www.npr.org
Here is a link for more info and audio:
you are breathing in some of the molecules from Julius Caesar's
Morning Edition, March 15, 2006 · Though you may not have noticed, today is the 2050th anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination.
Most of us have a vague sense of what happened that day. Caesar was, of course, a great conquerer. He was very popular with the ordinary folks in Rome, but not so popular with a small group of senators who feared that at any moment he would make himself an absolute dictator.
The senators, including his friend Brutus ("Et tu?"), conspired, invited him to the Senate, gathered round and stabbed him over and over. Caesar, mortally wounded, exhaled and died.
And it's not like Caesar hadn't been warned. Soothsayers had told him to "Beware the Ides Of March" -- "ides" meaning the middle of the month. But he paid no heed.
That's what most people know.
The Chemistry Angle
Here's what chemistry students know: For some reason, Caesar's dying breath, his last exhalation, has become a classic teaching tool in high school and college. When Caesar exhaled, he released an enormous number of "breath" molecules, mostly carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It's a very, very big number says Dan Nocera, chemistry professor at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT). By Nocera's calculation: .05 x 6 x 10 to the 23rd.
"10 to the 23rd" all by itself looks ridiculously large. It's 10 followed by 23 zeros:
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Over the years, a number of scholars have tried to figure out what typically would happen to all those molecules. They figured some were absorbed by plants, some by animals, some by water -- and a large portion would float free and spread themselves all around the globe in a pattern so predictable that (this is the fun part) if you take a deep breath right now, at least one of the molecules entering your lungs literally came from Caesar's last breath.
That's what they say.
If you look around the Internet, you will find professors who say we take in three of Caesar's molecules per breath, or eight, or 10. It all depends on your assumptions about the size of a breath, the size of the atmosphere, the location of the breather (on a mountain, or at sea level?)
To Commemorate Caesar's Demise...
But bottom line?
Even though these calculations apply to any breath exhaled long ago -- Shakespeare's, Cleopatra's, Lincoln's, your great-great-grandma's -- you may still want to take a moment today to share with Caesar. Just breathe in and share his molecule.
There are a lot of opinions about the war in Iraq, but as usual these opinions are spoken by people who have spent little time actually thinking or researching the subject. To help those who would actually be willing to read a book :) I would like to suggest the following:
The Assassins' Gate : America in Iraq
by George Packer
Search inside this book
Here is some information about the book:
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.comAs the death toll mounts in the Iraq War, Americans are agonizing over how the mess started and what to do now. George Packer, a staff writer at The New Yorker, joins the debate with his thoughtful book The Assassins' Gate. Packer describes himself as an ambivalent pro-war liberal "who supported a war [in Iraq] by about the same margin that the voting public had supported Al Gore." He never believed the argument that Iraq should be invaded because of weapons of mass destruction. Instead, he saw the war as a way to get rid of Saddam Hussein and build democracy in Iraq, in the vein of the U.S. interventions in Haiti and Bosnia.
How did such lofty aims get so derailed? How did the U.S. get stuck in a quagmire in the Middle East? Packer traces the roots of the war back to a historic shift in U.S. policy that President Bush made immediately after 9/11. No longer would the U.S. be hamstrung by multilateralism or working through the UN. It would act unilaterally around the world--forging temporary coalitions with other nations where suitable--and defend its status as the sole superpower. But when it came to Iraq, even Bush administration officials were deeply divided. Packer takes readers inside the vicious bureaucratic warfare between the Pentagon and State Department that turned U.S. policy on Iraq into an incoherent mess. We see the consequences in the second half of The Assassins' Gate, which takes the reader to Iraq after the bombs have stopped dropping. Packer writes vividly about how the country deteriorated into chaos, with U.S. authorities in Iraq operating in crisis mode. The book fails to capture much of the debate about the war among Iraqis themselves--instead relying mostly on the views of one prominent Iraqi exile--but it is an insightful contribution to the debate about the decisions--and blunders--behind the war. --Alex Roslin
Be sure to listen with the sound turned on - beautiful images from theHubble Space Telescope: http://hytaipan.home.comcast.net/hubble640.html
"The Cost of Iraq"
Produced by Julie Diop
The President begins a series of speeches this week to bolster support for the war in Iraq as his administration requests another $72 billion to pay for it and the war in Afghanistan.The total cost of both wars to date is $400 billion with Iraq taking up the lion's share of the money.In the 1st Hour, On Point, Host Tom Ashbrook asks where those billions might have been spent for the nation's security had the United States chosen not to invade Iraq.
Clik the following for the program:
Where Billions For War Could Have Gone
Deadly Violence Flares in Baghdad Suburb
Bombers blew apart two markets in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 48 people and wounding more than 200. The bloody assaults on the Shiite slum of Sadr City came just after Iraqi political leaders said the new parliament will convene Thursday.
As the situation in Iraq continues to change and violence increases, president Bush is set to make a series of speeches to tell us that things in Iraq are not really as bad as it appears. Some are suggesting that the only way a person can bear to listen to these speeches is to participate in the Bush speech drinking game:
Bush speech drinking game: 1 for "Iraqis have a choice", 1 for "We'll stand down as they stand up," 3 for "We've got them on the run," 5 for "freedom on the march" and drain the bottle and take the rest of the day off if he goes with "mission accomplished."
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