"Two Silver Trees" by Calexico

From "Carried To Dust" - out on Quarterstick Records (9/09/08).

SOMALIA AND AL QAEDA

On Saturday, June 17, 2006 I posted the article, 3 Parts Of The World To Watch. One of the countries that I said people should keep an eye on was, Somalia. I still believe Somalia is a country that will have a great impact on the United States. Here is a link to all the articles I have posted about Somalia

Today I came across the following article:
Conditions may be ripe for Al Qaeda in Somalia

NAIROBI, KENYA -- Conventional wisdom long held that Somalia was so inhospitable that even Al Qaeda gave up trying to gain a foothold amid feuding clans, erratic warlords and a wily population hardened by years of anarchy.

Now, in the wake of an aggressive U.S. counter-terrorism program that has alienated many Somalis, there are signs that Al Qaeda may have its best chance in years to win over Islamic hard-liners in the Horn of Africa nation.

After once denying or downplaying links to the terrorist network, a senior leader of Somalia's most notorious Islamic militia now acknowledges that his group has long-standing ties to Al Qaeda and says he is seeking to forge a closer relationship.

"We are negotiating how we can unite into one," said Muktar Robow, a top military commander of Shabab, which the U.S. State Department designated a terrorist organization this year. "We will take our orders from Sheik Osama bin Laden because we are his students.

"Merging with Al Qaeda operatives in the region makes sense, he said, given the recent U.S. crackdown, including a May 1 airstrike that killed Shabab's previous commander.

You can read the rest of the report at this link:
AL QAEDA

I also found the following article which offered some commentary on the above report:

REPORT: SOMALIA AND AL QAEDA

This is what happens when you elevate counter-terrorism to the status of grand strategy. The LA Times is reporting that Somalia, once inhospitable to Al Qaeda, may turn out to be the next front. Some clans and Islamic militias are radicalizing and foreign fighters are trickling in. Somalia is a great (although relatively unknown) example of how an obsession with counter-terrorism is wrecking American foreign policy. After Somalia was unified by the Islamic Courts Union, we backed Ethiopia's invasion because some Al Qaeda members were embedded within the ICU. Unfortunately, we forgot that Ethiopia was Somalia's traditional enemy and got suckered into giving our legitimacy to another country's power play. Ethiopia's increasingly brutal occupation and American airstrikes in Somalia are slowly creating the conditions for Al Qaeda to gain a foothold, as the conflict takes on the tenor of a holy war against the American-backed Ethiopians.

You can check out the report at this link:
Somalia


I will continue to post information about Somalia and the situation there.

Experience

Experience

The woman let off Death Row walked through a gorge
of chaotic limestone left by meltwater
and saw men everywhere climbing

steep and overhung sides, feet flexed in thin shoes, toeing
crevice after crevice. Hands pryed
the split crag for brokenness.

They hung, worked out each nodule of rock, rejecting
the frailty of this or that stone,
clicking in the knot

that would hold them from falling back to the passage.
She ignored arrows, made her own path
through tall-stalked,

small-headed ferns and young ash, past a feral goat, newish
horns knuckling up, across cinquefoil-buttered
grass, near-invisible swellings

of bluebell seed, a memory of leaving home or maybe a promise.
The climbers weren't enjoying the view.
They climbed for the sake of stone.

One stopped in a patch of sun, refusing to carry on trusting
the handshake of rock and rope
though below each man another

looked up holding a thin string. She was searching for innocence
like an older woman leaning over her young husband
allowing an undoing of long hair.



Claire Crowther

This Pill Will Change Your Life

In the not-so-distant future, these six drugs--already in the works--will change how we live, and even how we die



Here is the link to the information about the 6 pills that could change our lives.


Pills

Woman grows metal wires from her body

I cannot confirm the validity of the following report. I am simply providing information for people.


The following was found at Mysterytopia

It's a currently big news in Indonesia. Metal wires about 10-20 cm long grow from a woman's body! Skeptics initially thought that is must be "self-inflicted". Doctors however, have other theories but have given up on providing any scientific or medical explanations.


The woman had this problem for 17 years and currently being investigated by the Ministry of Health. Initial consultation with doctors and specialists found that the wires are also inside her body. At this stage, there were no current medical explanations or any case ever exist. Hence, there is but only one other possible consideration… Occult magic.

Her name is NOORSYAIDAH. A 40 years old kindergarten teacher from Sangatta, East Kutai. Her first symptoms started manifestating in 1991. The metal wires grew out of her chest and her belly. There was no explanation then (or even now). During the first week wires kept falling off from her body and were gone. A month later, the wires grew back again and from that time onward the wires did not fall. They kept growing!

One of her sisters said that she tried to help by trimming the wires. Alas, whenever she trimmed the wires, the wire retreated as if it were hiding and then popped up in another part of Noorsyaidah’s body.


There have been 4 Medical Specialists taking this matter seriously and have treated her in several ways. And as the result, doctors can’t figure out what exactly is happening to her. The doctors have taken an X-Ray image from her stomach and found that there are more than 40 metal wires inside her and some of them are bursting out of her skin. They looks like a living phenomenon. The wires are able mobile and therefore can change location at will, Thus the doctors are forced to use a magnet to scan the exact position of the wires. The wires bursted out without any symptoms of Tetanus, but she said that they’re hurting her like when needles sting.

Dan Fogelberg,"Same Old Lang Syne"

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling christmas eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didnt recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldnt find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.

She said shed married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didnt like to lie.

I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasnt sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude.

She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly
But the traveling was hell.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another auld lang syne...

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away.

Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain --

Flies

From Fox News:

Flies can anticipate and elude the swats of humans, a new study has found.

Within milliseconds, fruit flies can alter their body position to be properly prepared to jump in the direction of safety as an object hurtles toward them, the study by Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology found, according to the Times of London.

“We were surprised to find that long — in fly time — before a fly takes off in response to a predator or swatter, it plans the direction of the jump by making a rather complex series of postural movements,” Dickinson said in the study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

“These movements are made very rapidly, within about 200 milliseconds, but within that time the animal determines where the threat is coming from and activates an appropriate set of movements to position its legs and wings," he continued. "This illustrates how rapidly the fly's brain can process sensory information into an appropriate motor response."

Dickinson's team used high resolution, high-speed imaging technology to film the flies in the study, the Times said.


“We also found that when the fly makes planning movements prior to take-off, it takes into account its body position at the time it first sees the threat. When it first notices an approaching threat, a fly's body might be in any sort of posture, depending on what it was doing at the time, like grooming, feeding, walking, or courting," Dickinson said.

“Our experiments showed that the fly somehow ‘knows' whether it needs to make large or small postural changes to reach the correct pre-flight posture."

The study does have practical applications, according to the report.

“It is best to aim a bit forward of the fly's starting position, to anticipate where it is going to jump when it first sees your swatter,” Dickinson said.

Click here to read the full Times of London report.


Click here to read the study's summary at Current Biology.

Blast at rally injures 30 in Pakistan

At least 30 people were injured on Tuesday when a bomb ripped through a political rally by nationalist tribesmen in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said.

The bombing occurred as the Baloch nationalists observed the second anniversary of the death of their rebellious tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in his cave hideout during a military operation.

A homemade explosive device strapped to a motorbike went off as political activists gathered in the town of Dera Allah Yar, located some 300 km southeast of the provincial capital Quetta, a duty officer in the local police station said."No one was killed at the blast site, but eight of the injured taken to the hospital were in critical condition," according to the police officer.

Earlier, reports said that at least three people were killed and over 25 injured in the blast.Tuesday's attack was preceded by the overnight killing of at least eight people in militant violence and a clash between government security forces and protesting political activists.

To read the rest of the report follow this link:
Explosion


Ruling coalition splits in Pakistan

Pakistan's long-troubled ruling coalition collapsed Monday amid arguments over who should be the country's next president and whether and how to reinstate dozens of judges fired last year.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pulled his party out of the coalition Monday and joined the opposition.

The dramatic break came one week after Pervez Musharraf resigned the presidency amid a growing Islamist insurgency, which threatens Pakistan's stability and that of neighboring Afghanistan.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N blamed Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for reneging on a pledge to reinstate dozens of judges Musharraf fired.

The demise of the coalition does not necessarily mean the government will collapse — at least not immediately. Zardari, widower of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is expected to rally support from allies and form a new government.

You can read the rest of the report here:
Split

Stationary Stationery

Do they not have pen or paper where you are?
'Cause I haven't heard from you in ages
I relive each memory
From time to time
With notes exchanged
With all the scented pages
It's comin back
It's all comin back to me now

Tell me everything turned out alright
'Cause I'm well and we said
That we'd meet tonight
Does he treat you like you want
Does he ask to take your hand
Does he believe in dreams we talked about

Though with no music we dance

I thought you said that you'd come find me
I thought you said you'd be home by now
I heard you say that you'd come back here
So I wrote to remind you somehow...

Dance by yourself and
Think of me when you do
I'm not sure you understand
What this means to me
What you do to me
I'm willing to prove
That you're the one
I regret to slip away
Now I know it was only you
That I've been searchin for
And missin all this time

I thought you said that you'd come find me
I thought you said you'd be home by now
I heard you say that you'd come back here
So I wrote to remind you somehow...
I thought you said that you'd come find me
I thought you said you'd be home by now
I heard you say that you'd come back here
So I wrote to remind you somehow...

Let the past be past
Let's start today
And let us both do
I need to see your face
Tell me where to be
I'll tell you why we shouldn't be
(I'll tell you why we shouldn't be)

I thought you said that you'd come find me
I thought you said you'd be home by now
I heard you say that you'd come back here
So I wrote to remind you somehow...

I thought you said that you'd come find me
I thought you said you'd be home by now
I heard you say that you'd come back here
So I wrote to remind you somehow...

By Anberlin

HUNTING

Click on the picture for a larger view:























--

Listeria monocytogenes

I just read the following report:
The number of suspected and confirmed cases of listeriosis is expected to increase in the coming weeks because of the bacteria's long incubation period, Canada's health minister said Sunday evening.

You can read the entire report at this link: Listeriosis

The obvious question one should have after reading this is, what is Listeriosis?

What is listeriosis?
Listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, has recently been recognized as an important public health problem in the United States. The disease affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, persons without these risk factors can also rarely be affected. The risk may be reduced by following a few simple recommendations.
Source: CDC This is a great link to find more information.

Here is another link:
Listeria

AROUND THE WORLD

There are a lot of things happening around the world today so I am going to post links to the big stories.

Let's first head to Georgia and Russia

U.S. Ship Brings Aid to Georgia as EU Calls Summit on Russia

A U.S. Navy destroyer carrying humanitarian aid arrived in a Georgian port as the European Union stepped up diplomatic pressure on Russia by calling a summit to discuss future relations.

West piles pressure on Russia for full Georgia withdrawal

The West on Sunday ratcheted up pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia, with the EU announcing a crisis summit as a US warship arrived at a Georgian port.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, had served notice he was ready to convene a special summit if Russia failed to pull back its troops from Georgia.

European leaders are to meet in Brussels on September 1 to discuss the future of EU relations with Russia and aid to Georgia, a statement from Sarkozy's office said.

I have not posted much about this situation. It seems that Russia will withdraw from Georgia. However, will they make a move against another country in the near future? I say keep your eyes on the Ukraine.












Here are a few links that provide some information about the Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine Leader Pushes NATO Bid on Independence Day

Next, let's move to Iraq

40 killed in Iraq bombings


There have been many media reports that the violence in Iraq is way down and I don't dispute this. However, the potential for violence is always present in Iraq. So, does the decrease in violence clearly demonstrate things are better, or does it simply show that attacks are down but the division and problems are still present?

Next is Somalia

Journalists kidnapped in Somalia
Two international journalists, along with their Somali colleague and a driver, were kidnapped Saturday, a journalists' organization in Somalia said.


Missing Somalia journalists named
An Australian reporter and his Canadian colleague who have been missing in Somalia since Saturday have been named as Nigel Brenan and Amanda Lindhout.


Somali government says hunting for abducted reporters
The Somali government said Sunday that a hunt has been started for Australian, Canadian and Somali journalists abducted near the dangerous capital of Mogadishu on Sunday.

A government spokesman said the whereabouts of the trio was not immediately known, but the family of the Somali fixer for the foreign freelance reporters said they believed a ransom would be demanded.

Ectoplasm

The following was found at:
PSICAN - Paranormal Studies and Investigations Canada


The most important thing to remember about movies is that most are fiction and for entertainment purposes only. Unfortunately, a whole lot of people forgot that when the movie "Ghostbusters" was released. Although a delightful show, the movie did a huge disservice to a little something called "Ectoplasm". Prepare to have some common ideas set aside, if not shattered altogether.

Fastheath dictionary defines ectoplasm as "the outer relatively rigid granule-free layer of the cytoplasm usually held to be a gel reversibly convertible to a solid" or, the outer layer of protoplasm. You probably aren't, however, reading this as a biologist. Just keep this definition in mind as you read on.

To read the rest of the article follow this link:
Ectoplasm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ectoplasm
Definition:
An unidentified substance said to be excreted by mediums during trances/A slime like substance associated with hauntings

Signature:
White/Gray/transparent, viscous. Resembles mucus. Said to ooze from solid objects or from medium's bodies involving mucous membranes (nose, eyes, mouth). Usually takes form as a misty substance.

Coined by:
Charles Richet (1923)

Ectoplasm (from the Greek ektos, "outside", + plasma, "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums.[1] Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of ghosts, and hypothesized to be an enabling factor in psychokinesis.


To Read more follow this link:
Ectoplasm



Video of Ectoplasm

Pakistan army says 37 militants killed in Swat

Pakistani troops pounded Islamic militants in the volatile northwest Saturday, killing 37 in retaliation for suicide attacks that have put pressure on the new government to counter a growing extremist threat.


The two main parties in the ruling coalition — who have been preoccupied with internal squabbling since forcing Pervez Musharraf to resign as president — dabbled in peace talks with the militants soon after taking power five months ago.

But after limited success, they have increasingly relied on military force to try to beat back al-Qaida and Taliban-linked insurgents in the remote and rugged tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

The militants have responded with force in recent days.

To read the rest of the report follow this link:
Pakistan


Related News
Troops kill up to 35 militants in NW Pakistan: military
AFP - 1 hour ago

Security forces kill 30 militants in NW Pakistan
Xinhua - 4 hours ago

Pakistan Troops Kill 35 Militants in Northwest Region, AFP Says
Bloomberg - 4 hours ago

The Pakistan army says it has killed at least 35 militants in clashes in the north-western Swat Valley.
(source: BBC News)


Most people probably have no idea where the Swat Valley is located, so here is some important information:

Here is a link to a map showing the location of Swat:
Map

Swat is a valley and a district in the North-West Frontier Provinc (NWFP) of Pakistan. The capital is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty, and until recently a popular destination for tourists. It was a princely state in the NWFP until it was dissolved in 1969. Swat is sometimes called the Switzerland of Pakistan because of its geography.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a picture take from the Swat Valley












Links to more information about Swat
Valley
A Complete Guide

I will continue to post the latest information about the situation in Pakistan

Five Mysterious Skulls: Are They Human?

This isn't your most recent episode of Unsolved Mysteries. In fact, these are five authentic skulls dug up and discovered from nearly every corner of the globe. If the skulls are actually of human origin has been put up for debate by some. Either way, these anomalies will either give you a great costume idea, inspiration to go on your own Indian Jones-style adventure, or just provide a reason for some really freaky dreams.

To read the entire report follow this link:

Skulls

Future weapons - EMP

PAKISTAN UPDATE

Here is the latest information about the situation in Pakistan:

Pakistan army: 16 militants killed in northwest

Bombings rock Pakistan ahead of elections

Pakistan sets date to choose new President


I will continue to post the latest information.

SITUATION IN PAKISTAN

There are a lot of things going on in the country of Pakistan that people should be paying attention to.

1. The resignation of President Musharraf. This could have a major impact upon the country and how it relates with other parts of the world. Here are links to some very important information about this:

Q&A: Pakistan after Musharraf

Musharraf Resignation Ends Nine-Year Reign

Analysts Urge U.S. Policy Shift After Musharraf

Search Is On For Pakistan's Next President

India fears vacuum left by Musharraf


2. Violence in Pakistan. The double bombing outside Pakistan's main munitions factory in the town of Wah killed at least 63 people. Is this just the beginning? What is next? Here are some links to information bout the current violence in Pakistan:

Spiral of violence threatens Pakistan

Pakistan bombers hit arms factory

Pakistan coalition teeters as bombs go off

Crisis-hit Pakistan coalition to meet


The current situation in Pakistan is serious and is one that should be watched carefully. I will try to continue to post and point people to the best information I can find.

3 Years of blogging.

It all began on Tuesday, August 09, 2005, @4:00pm central time. With a few clicks of a mouse, and a number of key strokes on a keyboard, I had created a blog and posted my first article. I ended my first post with these words:

I hope the blog will be informative and at the same time will challenge how others may see things. Will the blog be entertaining? That I cannot be so sure of :) I will do my best. Every journey begins with great expectations and hopes, and this post represents the first steps in a new journey for myself. Will my hopes and expectations be met? I don't know, but the unknown is what makes the journey so exciting! :)



Back in 2005, I did not know one person who even knew what a blog was! Now, there are millions of blogs. At the beginning, I didn't even know how to add a picture to a post. Now, adding video is as simple as the click of a mouse! Over the past 3 years I have seen many, many people create blogs, and in just a month or two...basically stop posting all together. After 3 years, here I sit still posting at the Worldview blog. Today the Wordview blog had it's 19,000 visitor come to the blog. That may not be that big of a deal to some people, but when I started I had no idea what to expect.



What I have learned over the past 3 years of blogging:

1. It is hard work to keep your blog updated and to find way's to promote it. Posting everyday can be difficult, and truly working to improve the blog, and to get traffic to it, is very time consuming. But, it is a must if you really want people to read your blog.

2. You must work to find things to put on your blog that people really want to read and you must provide information people really need.

3. Timing can be everything. A major story can break ,and if you are gathering information about it from the very first seconds of the story's release, then your blog is going to get traffic. Forty minutes later...and there will be 1,000 blogs already postng about the story. You have to be fast!

4. Offer as much information as you can about a subject. Make your blog the one place people can come to find everything they want to know about something.

5. Use a team of people if possible. If you can recruit 3 or 4 people to post on your blog, it will ensure that you have new and fresh information all of the time. This also keeps you from becoming burned out. More people is also better in finding stories and coming up with ideas for the blog. I am using this approach at the Preaching Today blog.

6. Comments and e-mails from readers can make your day, or month. When a reader takes just a few minutes to leave a comment this can encourage a blogger to keep posting for years to come!

7. Don't give up. You never know who is reading your blog and where your post may end up. Yes, you can go through very dry times where you feel no one cares, but stay at it.

8. Work to improve your writing skills.

Those are just a few things I have learned over the past 3 years. The journey thus far has exceeded my expectations and I look forward to the future. Yes, I hope that my blog can become more popular and read by thousands. However, I will keep posting and be thankful for every single reader who stops by, and takes the time to look at what I have posted.

I Miss You

I Miss You
Klymaxx

I thought I heard your voice yesterday
When I turned around to say
That I loved you than I realized
And it was just my mind
Playing tricks on me
It seems colder lately at night
And I try to sleep with the lights on
Everytime when the phone rings
I pray to God it`s you
I just can`t believe
That we`re thought

I miss you (I miss you)
There`s no other way to say it
And I, and I can deny it
I miss you (I miss you)
It`s so easy to see

I miss you and me
Is it done and over this time?
Have we realy changed our minds
But it`s other`s love
All the feelings that we used to share
I refused to believe
That you don`t care

I miss you (I miss you)
There`s no other way to say it
And I, and I can deny it
I miss you (I miss you)
It`s so easy to see

I`ve got together my senses to get there
I`ve been through worse kinds of weather
If it`s over now, be strong
Can`t believe that you`re gone
I got carry over

I miss you (I miss you)
There`s no other way to say it
And I, and I can deny it
I miss you (I miss you)
It`s so easy to see