QUOTE OF THE DAY

The ones most blind are not those that deny before seeing, but those who do so after seeing.- Christopher Casey

Something to Think About

Friends teach you what you WANT to know.
Enemies teach you what you NEED to know.

BUY ME A ROSE

Here are some words that many of us guys should remember:














He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants But it tears her apart ‘cause nothing’s for her heart
He pulls in late to wake her up with a kiss goodnight If he could only read her mind, she’d say…
Buy me a rose, call me from work Open a door for me, what would it hurt Show me you love me by the look in your eyes These are the little things I need the most in my life

Now the days have grown to years of feelin’ all alone As she sits and wonders if all she’s doin’ is wrong‘ Cause lately she’d try anything just to turn his head Would it make a difference if she said, if she said…

Buy me a rose, call me from workOpen a door for me, what would it hurtShow me you love me by the look in your eyesThese are the little things I need the most in my life


And the more that he lives the less that he tries To show her the love that he holds inside And the more that she gives the more that he sees This is the story of you… and me

So I bought you a rose on the way home from work To open the door to a heart that I hurt And I hope you notice this look in my eyes‘Cause I’m gonna make things right for the rest of your life And I’m gonna hold you tonight, tonight Do all those little things for the rest of your life

These words are from the song Buy me A Rose by Luther Vandross.
Now guys, take these lyrics and go buy your wife or Girlfriend some roses and put these lyrics in the card. I am sure she will love it.

September the 11 Conspiracies refuted

I have posted many artilces about the number of conspiracy theories that are to be found all over the internet. Today I want to point you to a new publication that seeks to debunk all the conspiracy theories.

Popular Mechanics examines the evidence and consults the experts to refute the most persistent conspiracy theories of September 11

FROM THE MOMENT the first airplane crashed into the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, the world has asked one simple and compelling question: How could it happen?
Three and a half years later, not everyone is convinced we know the truth. Go to Google.com, type in the search phrase "World Trade Center conspiracy" and you'll get links to an estimated 628,000 Web sites. More than 3000 books on 9/11 have been published; many of them reject the official consensus that hijackers associated with Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda flew passenger planes into U.S. landmarks.
Healthy skepticism, it seems, has curdled into paranoia. Wild conspiracy tales are peddled daily on the Internet, talk radio and in other media. Blurry photos, quotes taken out of context and sketchy eyewitness accounts have inspired a slew of elaborate theories: The Pentagon was struck by a missile; ...

CLICK HERE to Read Entire Articlewww.popularmechanics.com

TO KNOW OR NOT KNOW

TO KNOW OR NOT TO KNOW

Ok, the following article is going to require two very important things from the reader.

Honesty. You must be very truthful with yourself as you read this article. Sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is yourself!
Careful thinking. This article requires the reader to take some time and really follow the argument to its logical conclusion.

So with that in mind let’s begin.

THE OFFER
I have a proposition for you. If I could offer you the ability to know what everyone is thinking at any time, would you want and accept the ability? Imagine - you would know if the person who smiles and says such nice things about you really means what they say! You would know if that special person who tells you they love you really means it. You would know people’s fears, hopes, and desires. You would know if a spouse is being faithful or not! There is no end to the possibilities that this ability would bring you. Would you want this ability? Be honest! I have heard many people say things that either implicitly or explicitly implies they would take the ability. In the last few weeks, I heard a few of my female co-workers talk about the movie, “What Women Want”. The movie was released in 2000 and it was about Nick Marshall, a Chicago advertising executive, got a whole new outlook on life when a fluke accident gave him the ability to read women’s minds. The females that spoke about this movie spoke that having this ability would be great. I brought up the possible problems this gift would bring, but they assured me the benefits would outweigh any negative.

THE QUESTION
Let’s say you have a diary and in it you write the most intimate thoughts you have about others, love, the future and any other things you think about. You are dating an individual and that person decides they want to know all those intimate thoughts so they enter your home when you are not present and read your diary. They carefully take in every page, every word and detail. Their desire is to know you, not to share the information with others. Later you find out what the person has done. Are you flattered because of the person’s deep desire to know you? Or, are you afraid and think the person is crazy, psychotic and nuts? Today, I asked my female co-workers this question. The majority said they would think the guy was crazy, nuts, etc.

Does anyone else see the philosophical inconsistency here? If you have the power to know what others are thinking, then you know their deepest secrets, and you do not have their permission to access that information. In fact, most who wanted this ability always state selfish reasons (I would know if they were cheating, or if they were lying etc.) The person who enters to read the diary desires to know the intimate part of the person they are infatuated with. Both situations involve knowing things about someone without their consent or knowledge of the information being accessed. How are they different?
Did my female co-workers not see anything wrong with the ability to know what people are thinking because that would be a special power only they would posses? But the idea of someone sneaking in and reading their thoughts makes them feel violated and vulnerable? Why is one way of obtaining intimate knowledge not seen as bad and the other as crazy. Aren’t both situations a question of a person’s desire to know? Is our desire to know truly a desire for control? What we don’t know, we fear. A desire to know everything about a person could be a desire to truly be intimate with them. Physical intimacy is one thing, but to know a person completely is a type of intimacy not usually experienced. Is it not this type of intimacy that many females complain that their husbands or significant others never seem to desire? In fact, females usually use physical intimacy as a means to hopefully obtain a true intimacy. Men usually use the pretense of a desire for a loving intimate knowledge simply to gain physical intimacy!

So, should the mind and the diary be opened only to those who are granted access?
Or is it that we want to know, but not to be known?


Is it actually a matter of what we desire the most is what we fear the most? We all desire knowledge of others but we fear others knowing too much about us.

WOULD YOU EAT HERE?

Would you eat at this restaurant? If not, why not? If so why?
Please leave your comments explaining your answer.

The story about this restaurant is below:













Here is the kink to the story: checking out the Times of India online

The following was found at NPR.org
The proprietor of a restaurant in Navi Mumbai is getting heat simply because he called it "Hitler's Cross." In a BBC interview, he insisted that he didn't name the restaurant after any Hitler in particular, though it should be pointed out that there is a huge swastika on the front of the building, filling in the "O" in the word "Cross." Despite the worldwide furor, managing director Puneet S. Sabhlok -- who has yet to show up at a George Allen rally -- said he didn't violate any laws and that the name would not be changed.


This story has an update that needs to be reported. According to the Mixed Signals blog, the owner has decided to change the name.
This is what they posted:

Hitler Eatery to Change Name
"Hitler's Cross," the cute little eatery in Mumbai, India, that the owners decided to name after the late Nazi chef, has agreed to change its name, following -- according to Reuters -- "strong protests." I think readers of Mixed Signals will remember my post from yesterday about this.
One of the owners of the restaurant, Satish Sabhlok (when you unscramble the letters of his name, you amazingly wind up with "Lou Dobbs"), is quoted as saying, "Our intention was not to glorify Hitler or his atrocities or ideology in any way." Yeah, right. It was bad enough naming the restaurant after Hitler, or placing a gigantic swastika on the front of the building. But I hear the meat loaf was absolutely awful. And I understand that you didn't have to call in advance to eat there. Who ever heard of an Indian restaurant without reservations?
The owners have yet to decide on a new name. First, I was thinking of Idi Amin. But, in order to keep with the culinary theme, how about if we use her maiden name: Idi Gourmet.

I would still like to hear if people would eat at the restaurant if one like it opened in your hometown?

SAD BUT TRUE

Kidnapped girl held eight years in garage

A young woman has told police she escaped a kidnapper after being held for eight years in a sealed garage, apparently resolving a missing child case that shook Austria.
Police said relatives identified her as Natascha Kampusch, who vanished in 1998 aged 10 while walking to school.
Her suspected kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, 44, a communications technician, died after throwing himself in front of a Vienna commuter train when a manhunt for him was under way, police said.
The head of the Federal Crime Office, Herwig Haidinger, said the woman was undergoing DNA tests to confirm her identity but that investigators were almost certain she was Ms Kampusch. Her passport was found in the cellar and she bore an identifying scar.
She met her mother yesterday for the first time since 1998.
Her father, Ludwig Koch, who split from her mother before the kidnapping, said he was overcome after being told his daughter had been found.
"I can't believe that after eight desperate years my daughter is finally coming home. If it is true it will be the greatest thing that could possibly be."
The family has asked the media to show patience as they get to know each other again.
A police spokesman, Armin Halm, said: "Her health is OK and mentally she also appears to be OK, at least in the eyes of a layman. She was not bedraggled."
There were no indications the woman had been sexually abused, investigators said.
She escaped on Wednesday afternoon after living under a garage next to the suspected kidnapper's house in Strasshof, a hamlet 25 kilometres outside Vienna, police said.
Her captor had equipped a six-square-metre cell with running water, a toilet, washing facilities, bed, books, radio and occasionally television, police said. The room was found tidy.
She showed up in a garden near the house and identified herself to a neighbour, Reuters reported. Locals said they saw a car speeding away after the woman approached residents. Police found Priklopil's red sports car in a Vienna parking lot and the key in his pocket after the suicide.
He had loosened his security measures recently, police said, allowing her occasional outings in the village with him. "He was not as cautious as he was in the beginning," said the chief investigator, Nikolaus Koch.
An investigator, Erich Zwettler, who was asked why the woman had not fled during her outings, said she seemed to have had Stockholm syndrome, a psychological condition in which long-held captives begin to identify with their captors.
The Austrian news agency APA quoted police as saying: "She is white-pale, looking as if she had been out of the light of day for a long time, but she articulated well and could read and write."
Ms Kampusch's disappearance caused an uproar because it occurred when Europe was unnerved by a notorious case of child abduction and murder in Belgium. A nationwide search, including dragging of riverbeds. found no trace of her.
Reuters

Teen shot in head when looking for ghosts




WORTHINGTON, Ohio - A teenager out looking for ghosts with friends was shot in the head and critically wounded near a house considered spooky by local teens, police said.
A man who lives in the house, Allen S. Davis, 40, was charged in the shooting and told reporters from jail that he was trying to drive off trespassers and didn't intend to hurt the teen girls, whom he called juvenile delinquents.
He said he fired his rifle out his bedroom window Tuesday night after hearing voices outside the home, which is across the street from a cemetery and blocked from view by overgrown trees and shrubbery.
"I didn't know what their weaponry was, what their intentions were," he said. "In a situation like that, you assume the worst-case scenario if you're going to protect your family from a possible home invasion and murder."
The 17-year-old girl, Rachel Barezinsky, and two of her friends got out of their car parked near the home about 10 p.m. and took a few steps on the property, police Lt. Doug Francis said. They jumped back in when a girl in the car sounded the horn, and they heard what they thought were firecrackers as they drove away.
The girls - all seniors at Thomas Worthington High School in suburban Columbus - drove around the block, and Barezinsky was struck while sitting in the car as they passed the house again and heard a second round of what turned out to be gunshots, Francis said.
Davis, a self-employed nonfiction writer, said he had prepared the rifle after numerous previous instances of trespassing but he didn't know until Wednesday that teens considered his house haunted. Police should charge the teens with trespassing, he said.
"It's really something how homeowners defend themselves and the way the laws are written, we're the ones brought up on charges while the perpetrators get little or nothing."
Francis said police do not intend to pursue criminal charges against the girls at this point.
As the girls' car drove away from the house, the driver noticed she had blood on her arm and passengers in the back seat also discovered blood, police said. They saw Barezinsky had collapsed in the front passenger's seat and drove until they could flag down two police officers. The other girls were not injured.
Some classmates at the high school, which has about 1,700 students, were planning a vigil Wednesday night at the football stadium.

Principal Rich Littell said he had talked to Barezinsky, a well-known cheerleader, at a freshman welcome dance on Monday night.
"It just kills you. She's a great kid, very, very athletic. She was looking forward to ... the tumbling she was going to do at the football game," he said.
Davis, who was charged with five counts of felonious assault, told officers he had been annoyed by trespassers and that he was aiming for the car's tires from his first-floor bedroom, police said.
"He admitted to never calling the police, but it just had been occurring and he got frustrated and he was upset saying someone trespassed on his property and he was protecting his property," Francis said.
Barezinsky, who also was struck in the shoulder, was taken to Ohio State University Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The hospital would not provide an update on her condition Wednesday.
Francis said Davis' home had a reputation at the high school for being haunted by ghosts and witches, and students have been daring each other to knock on the door or go in the yard.
"Something we learned is that high school kids have been going into cemeteries and looking for ghosts," he said.
Zoning officers have visited the home where Davis lives with his 64-year-old mother because of complaints that the property has not been kept up, police said.
Betty Davis, 69, who lives around the corner, said Allen Davis was quiet and kept to himself. She said she's not related to him.
Her children played with Davis when they were young, she said. She was surprised he owned a gun.
"I guess last night was the last straw," she said. "I think it blew everybody's mind it would come to this."
AP

Quote of the Day

If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.

- Herman Hesse, German novelist

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?

I found the following at this website:
MINDSET LIST


Beloit, Wis. - A rite of autumn is under way with the arrival of first-year students at thousands of colleges and universities for registration. Most 18-year-old students entering the class of 2010 this fall were born in 1988. They grew up with a mouse in one hand and a computer screen as part of their worldview. They learned to surf the internet as they learned to read. While they were still in their cribs, the 20th century started to close as the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet bloc disintegrated, and frequent traditional wars in Latin America gave way to the uncontrolled terrors of the Middle East.
Each August since 1998, as faculty prepare for the academic year, Beloit College in Wisconsin has released the Beloit College Mindset List. A creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it looks at the cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of today’s first-year students.
According to McBride, this year’s entering students form “a generation that has always been ‘connected’ and is used to things happening in ‘real time,’ like live satellite coverage of revolutions and wars, instant messaging and movies on demand. They expect solutions for every problem, from baldness to diseased organs. To the chagrin of teachers and parents, they’ve developed their own generational means of communication.”
The Beloit College Mindset List is used by educators and clergy and by the military and business in their efforts to connect with the new generation. Beloit creates the list to share with its faculty in anticipation of the first-year seminars and orientation. “It is an important reminder to faculty, some of whom are only a Ph.D. older than their students, that what we call ‘hardening of the references’ can set in quickly,” according to Nief. "It is meant to be thought-provoking and fun, yet accurate. It often provides the base for good opening seminar discussions as faculty and students address the challenges of examining important issues from differing perspectives."
BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST® FOR THE CLASS OF 2010
Members of the class of 2010, entering college this fall, were mostly born in 1988. For them: Billy Carter, Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Billy Martin, Andy Gibb, and Secretariat have always been dead.
1.
The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2.
They have known only two presidents.
3.
For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.
4.
Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.
5.
They have grown up getting lost in "big boxes."
6.
There has always been only one Germany.
7.
They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.
8.
They are wireless, yet always connected.
9.
A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents'.
10.
Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
11.
A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
12.
Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
13.
Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
14.
The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
15.
They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.
16.
DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
17.
They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
18.
They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
19.
"Google" has always been a verb.
20.
Text messaging is their email.
21.
Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
22.
Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
23.
Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
24.
Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
25.
Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.
26.
"Boogers" candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.
27.
There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.
28.
Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.
29.
Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
30.
Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
31.
They grew up in mini-vans.
32.
Reality shows have always been on television.
33.
They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"
34.
They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups."
35.
Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.
36.
They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
37.
Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
38.
Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
39.
"So" as in "Sooooo New York," has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else
40.
Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
41.
They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
42.
Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
43.
They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
44.
Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.
45.
Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
46.
Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.
47.
Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
48.
Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
49.
They have always been searching for "Waldo."
50.
The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.
51.
Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
52.
They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
53.
They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
54.
There have always been live organ donors.
55.
They have always had access to their own credit cards.
56.
They have never put their money in a "Savings & Loan."
57.
Sara Lee has always made underwear.
58.
Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
59.
Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
60.
They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.
61.
Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
62.
Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.
63.
Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
64.
LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
65.
Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
66.
Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
67.
Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
68.
"Outing" has always been a threat.
69.
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.
70.
They have always "dissed" what they don't like.
71.
The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
72.
Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.
73.
They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
74.
Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
75.
Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

For more:

[Class of 2002 Mindset List] [Class of 2003 Mindset List][Class of 2004 Mindset List] [Class of 2005 Mindset List][Class of 2006 Mindset List] [Class of 2007 Mindset List][Class of 2008 Mindset List] [Class of 2009 Mindset List]

GOD OR NO GOD

If you are going to have a meaningful discussion about worldviews, you are going to have to think about the subject of Atheism and Theism. For those who may not know what these terms mean, here are the definitions.
Atheism: Atheism, in its broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This definition includes as atheists both those who assert that there are no gods, and those who make no claim about whether gods exist or not. Narrower definitions, however, often only qualify those who actively disbelieve as atheists, labeling the others as nontheists or agnostics.

Theism: the belief that God or some kind of higher being exists

I recently found an interesting discussion about this subject on the internet. The discussion is made up, not of theologians or scholars, but mainly of the average person. The discussion demonstrates how many people see this issue.
You can read the discussion at:
Siriusbackstage

After you read the discussion, here are some links to material that deals with this subject on a more scholary level.

http://www.theopedia.com/Atheism

Atheism

http://www.probe.org/content/view/676/64/

Audio on Apologetics (Updated 8/16/06)




Responses to Atheist Philosopher, Michael Martin Michael Martin is a professor of philosophy at Boston University.
His books include Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (Temple University Press, 1990) and The Case Against Christianity (Temple University Press, 1991). His most recent attack on the Christian faith comes in his article The Transcendental Argument for the Non Existence of God (Autumn 1996, The New Zealand Rationalist). The link is to a page containing responses to all of Martin's works, beginning with his Transcendental Argument for the Non-Existence of God

Listen to possible the most famous debate between a Christian and an Atheist. This debate has been talked about for years.
Here is the Link
The Great Debate

August 22 and the Apocalypse

The following was found at:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008768

August 22 Does Iran have something in store?
BY BERNARD LEWIS
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 4:30 p.m. EDT
During the Cold War, both sides possessed weapons of mass destruction, but neither side used them, deterred by what was known as MAD, mutual assured destruction. Similar constraints have no doubt prevented their use in the confrontation between India and Pakistan. In our own day a new such confrontation seems to be looming between a nuclear-armed Iran and its favorite enemies, named by the late Ayatollah Khomeini as the Great Satan and the Little Satan, i.e., the United States and Israel. Against the U.S. the bombs might be delivered by terrorists, a method having the advantage of bearing no return address. Against Israel, the target is small enough to attempt obliteration by direct bombardment.
It seems increasingly likely that the Iranians either have or very soon will have nuclear weapons at their disposal, thanks to their own researches (which began some 15 years ago), to some of their obliging neighbors, and to the ever-helpful rulers of North Korea. The language used by Iranian President Ahmadinejad would seem to indicate the reality and indeed the imminence of this threat.
Would the same constraints, the same fear of mutual assured destruction, restrain a nuclear-armed Iran from using such weapons against the U.S. or against Israel?

There is a radical difference between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons. This difference is expressed in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's present rulers. This worldview and expectation, vividly expressed in speeches, articles and even schoolbooks, clearly shape the perception and therefore the policies of Ahmadinejad and his disciples.
Even in the past it was clear that terrorists claiming to act in the name of Islam had no compunction in slaughtering large numbers of fellow Muslims. A notable example was the blowing up of the American embassies in East Africa in 1998, killing a few American diplomats and a much larger number of uninvolved local passersby, many of them Muslims. There were numerous other Muslim victims in the various terrorist attacks of the last 15 years.
The phrase "Allah will know his own" is usually used to explain such apparently callous unconcern; it means that while infidel, i.e., non-Muslim, victims will go to a well-deserved punishment in hell, Muslims will be sent straight to heaven. According to this view, the bombers are in fact doing their Muslim victims a favor by giving them a quick pass to heaven and its delights--the rewards without the struggles of martyrdom. School textbooks tell young Iranians to be ready for a final global struggle against an evil enemy, named as the U.S., and to prepare themselves for the privileges of martyrdom.
A direct attack on the U.S., though possible, is less likely in the immediate future. Israel is a nearer and easier target, and Mr. Ahmadinejad has given indication of thinking along these lines. The Western observer would immediately think of two possible deterrents. The first is that an attack that wipes out Israel would almost certainly wipe out the Palestinians too. The second is that such an attack would evoke a devastating reprisal from Israel against Iran, since one may surely assume that the Israelis have made the necessary arrangements for a counterstrike even after a nuclear holocaust in Israel.
The first of these possible deterrents might well be of concern to the Palestinians--but not apparently to their fanatical champions in the Iranian government. The second deterrent--the threat of direct retaliation on Iran--is, as noted, already weakened by the suicide or martyrdom complex that plagues parts of the Islamic world today, without parallel in other religions, or for that matter in the Islamic past. This complex has become even more important at the present day, because of this new apocalyptic vision.

In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time--Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the U.S. about nuclear development by Aug. 22. This was at first reported as "by the end of August," but Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement was more precise.
What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.
A passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, is revealing. "I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers [i.e., the infidel powers] wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them. Either we all become free, or we will go to the greater freedom which is martyrdom. Either we shake one another's hands in joy at the victory of Islam in the world, or all of us will turn to eternal life and martyrdom. In both cases, victory and success are ours."
In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning. At the end of time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter will be the final destination of the dead--hell for the infidels, and heaven for the believers. For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement.
How then can one confront such an enemy, with such a view of life and death? Some immediate precautions are obviously possible and necessary. In the long term, it would seem that the best, perhaps the only hope is to appeal to those Muslims, Iranians, Arabs and others who do not share these apocalyptic perceptions and aspirations, and feel as much threatened, indeed even more threatened, than we are. There must be many such, probably even a majority in the lands of Islam. Now is the time for them to save their countries, their societies and their religion from the madness of MAD.
Mr. Lewis, professor emeritus at Princeton, is the author, most recently, of "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East" (Oxford University Press, 2004).

In other Iran News:

It appears the President of Iran has decided to create his own Blog!

"Check out Ahmadinejad's own new blog. There is an English version - click the second flag from the left. . . . See also the BBC's report about it."

I QUIT!

Have you ever wanted to just stand up in a meeting at your job and tell everybody how you really feel and then quit? I know I have, recently I went through an experience where people would talk about you but not to you. They would lie and basically treat a person like garbage. Because of that recent experience I found the following story to be very interesting.

From npr.org
From the "Interesting Things Heard on the Radio" department: Seems Inetta the Moodsetta, a part-time air host on WBLX in Mobile, Ala., is mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore. So last Saturday she quit the Urban format station -- while on the air To hear the audio follow this link: permalink
Myronda Reuben, WBLX's program director, returned our call and offered, "We do not have much comment on that." She would not comment on Inetta's on-air accusations and complaints, but said, "We wish her the best." When we last checked, Inetta the Moodsetta's name was no longer included in the list of DJs on the station's Web site. But Ray Ray, Myronda and Nick at Nite, among others, were still there.

Definition of A Philosopher

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher." - -- Ambrose Bierce

PHOTO

I found the following photograph and caption at http://www.founders.org/blog/

Here is the Photo: click the photo for a larger image















Here is the caption:
One of the joys of raising children is the opportunity to see the world in fresh ways through their eyes. While helping her mom cut roses recently in our back yard, my nine year old daughter, Hannah, discovered this little frog doing his best to hide. This is a photo that she took of the scene. [Edit: a little touch up in photoshop by a friend made the background better]

RATS SAVE LIVES!

Experts in Mozambique have trained rats to detect landmines to help save human lives.
The new mine detecting team hope to clear the country of landmines by 2009. Adam Mynott reports from Mozambique.

To see the video report follow this link: Rats Saving Lives:


Now that you realize just how wonderful rats are, here are a few links that gives all the intresting information about rats:
BBC Best Link: CBBC Wild - Rats
An interactive children's guide to rats
BBC Best Link: Pet Factfile - Rats
Rat information including history, natural habitat, behaviour and lifespan

Now to be fair and balanced: The news abour Rats is not all good. Consider the following Story:
Parents living in a north Belfast estate say they won't let their children out to play because the area is overrun with rats.
The residents say not enough is being done and they would like more help from the authorities. Eimear Flanagan reports.

You can see a Video Report on this at: Rats overrun north Belfast estate

Human Corpses as Art?

If I was to call you up and say, "Hey, let's run down to the art musuem; there is a great new exhibit - they are displaying human corpses!" What would you say? Would your response be, "Say that again?", or, " Sure, let's go!" Over the past two years, millions of Americans have flocked to exhibitions that display actual human corpses.
Please be Warned some may find this subject matter disturbing and some of the photos found at some of the links offensive.

Here is one photo from the exhbit










You can see more photos, read some things written about this subject, and hear some audio news stories on this subject at the following links:

Human Anatomy Exhibits Draw Big Crowds

'Body Worlds': The Human Form Revealed


The Mixed Signals blog had this to say:

No tiptoeing around it. Everybody we know who's seen the Body Worlds show, which is traveling around the country, comes away in awe. Human bodies unpeeled, sliced open, nerves and muscles and bones transformed into colorful plastic. People say there's something inspiring and beautiful about it; my sister Judy, who used to get frightened during Peter Pan, says the cadaver exhibition is one of the most astonishing and important shows she's ever seen.
And as Neda Ulaby tells you this evening, she was blown away, too. But not by the inventive if grisly beauty: Neda has uncovered evidence that raises disturbing ethical questions about how, and where, the doctor who created the show gets the bodies. She left the exhibition so shaken that she, a long time carnivore, went vegetarian for a month. But she admits she's lapsed
Read Neda's full "Reporter's Notebook" after the jump...
-- Daniel Zwerdling

Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts For Those Who Take Life Way Too Seriously:

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like . . . night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers and a thumb.
4. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
5. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
6. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
7. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
8. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
9. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese inthe trap.
10. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
11. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
12. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
13. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
14. How many of you believe in psychokinesis? Raise my hand.
15. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
16. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
17. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
18. Every one has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
19. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
20. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
21. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
22. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
23. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
24. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.
25. Just remember - if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
26. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.