Tidbits From The Web #73

Wally Backman goes F*CKIN OFF!
12 things that will change everything...
To say this music video is somewhat disturbing is an understatement!
5 easy to grow remedies...
Introducing the milk glove...
Got milk? Skip it!
How to create 1.3 trillion dollars out of thin air...
An animated tale of love...
How to skip the non-skippable DVD trailers...
Top 10 new species...
Do you have a short fuse?
A miniature Hobbiton...
Batman meets Sin City in French...
Speaking of the French...some sick acrobats...
Major Lazer -- Hold the Line...
Microsoft Office prank...
Drink your coffee!
If video game characters have their own will...
Anchored...
This drummer is at the wrong gig...
Olivia Newton John meets KISS...
Slave America...
Animals have personalities too...
The happy hour...


Rhyme and Reason...




Holes in Space...




Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010...




Genetically modified organisms are REALLY BAD for you...



Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in your food may make you sick. Studies link GMOs with toxins, allergies, infertility, infant mortality, immune dysfunction, stunted growth, accelerated aging, and death. Whistleblowers were fired, threatened, and gagged. Warnings by FDA scientists were ignored. Expert Jeffrey M. Smith, author of the #1 GMO bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, presents SHOCKING evidence why these gene-spliced crops may lead to health and environmental catastrophes. Learn how to protect yourself and discover the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America—a brilliant plan to quickly end the genetic engineering of our food supply.


When it will be silent...




KNOWLEDGE:

Beer Genie

A bevy of online beer knowledge

Obsession is the handmaiden of greatness, as with Samuel Johnson, whose obsession with words led him to create the first dictionary, or Thomas Andrews, whose obsession with his own johnson led him to create the Titanic. Now, one man's freakish dedication to barley pops has borne fruit: Beer Genie, just gone live.

Created by "beer guru" Rupert Ponsonby on behalf of the British Beer and Pub Ass., Genie is a comprehensive trove of pinted knowledge, covering history, recipes, and even a section on "Beer and Women", a subject heretofore thought to have been summed up by "yes, please". Invaluable banter catalysts run from "Egyptian minimum wage was two pots of beer a day", to "The Weihenstephan Brewery in Bavaria, brewing since 1040, is the world's oldest running brewery", to "Up until relatively recently, doctors would often prescribe small amounts of beer to pregnant women as a rich source of nutrients and iron" -- prompting you to ask your GP, "Have you seen the movie Junior?" More practical info includes "Beer and Entertaining", with recipes including marinades, batter, sauces, sorbet, jelly, and salad dressing, and "Beer and BBQ", with pairings for various steaks, ribs, chicken, fish, and grillers, and even a cheeky recipe for copiously spiced "beer can chicken", which involves cooking said poultry by impaling it on a beer vessel ("Don't be shy, the chicken won't mind -- just think what you're going to do with the can").

Most timely is the World Cup section, with every participating country broken down by group, and repped with the best beers it has to offer (plus a weblink to the place you can buy it), such as the USA's vaunted 12% Palo Santo Marron -- get too obsessed with that one, and uttering words Johnson never contemplated will just be the tip of your iceberg.

Visit the Beer Genie now...

Neutralizing the Free Radical Threat

Every day of your life you face exposure to dangerous free radicals. No matter how healthy a lifestyle you lead or how healthy your diet is, this is simply a fact of life.

Fortunately this is not all bad – as your normal bodily functions (breathing, metabolism, and physical activity) naturally generate free radicals. Your immune system also generates free radicals to help neutralize viruses and bacteria.

But some free radicals are the result of environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, pesticides, and cigarette smoking.

The problem starts when these free radicals attack your healthy cells and cause them to weaken and become more susceptible to health disorders. Plus, this can also have a profound effect on how you age.

An All Natural Source of Resveratrol

Purple Defense contains 50 mg of Resveratrol per serving.

With an overall 3,500 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value per capsule, Purple Defense capsules provide a powerful natural antioxidant blend.

The ORAC value for Purple Defense is achieved by using the most sophisticated and accurate equipment possible. The machine is a fluorescence microplate reader (Fluoroskan Ascent FL).

ORAC values can easily be inflated with any machine though. Using an ethanol solvent will artificially inflate the ORAC value. That's why each batch is testing using an acetone/water solvent. So you can rest assured that you're actually getting 3,500 in each dose.

But as part of normal functioning, your body is capable of keeping free radicals in check and naturally neutralizing them, unless you…

• Eat a diet consisting mostly of processed junk food

• Cut corners on getting enough sleep on a daily basis

• Ignore your need for regular exercise

• Find yourself under a great deal of stress

• Expose yourself to a high number of environmental free radicals

Exposing your body to these types of conditions may overwhelm it with free radicals and cause damage.

Plus, free radical damage accumulates with age. So, the longer your lifestyle and environment expose you to this damage, the greater your consequences as you age… the greater potential consequences to your overall aging process.

So what can you do?

Well, first of all, it would be helpful to address the unhealthy habits listed above.

Additionally, consider going the next step and find ways to fortify your healthy diet with antioxidant rich food.

I’m sure you’re well aware of the benefits of antioxidants from all the discussion on my site. I’ve spent literally decades researching this topic and cannot stress their importance to you enough.

Antioxidants provide your body with natural protection against free radicals and help you neutralize and keep them under control.

Why Organic Food is Your Best Choice
for Natural Free Radical Protection

There are many sources of antioxidants available to help boost your health.

Most of these sources come directly from consumption of high quality, fresh, organic and preferably locally grown vegetables and fruits. But there is a catch.

The catch is that, to get the most potent antioxidant content from the fruits and vegetables – they need to be organically grown and processed.

Here’s why.

Research shows that certain organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly higher levels of potent antioxidants than traditionally grown foods.

The key to all this is a large family of natural antioxidant compounds called polyphenols.

Polyphenols exist in plant floods and their contribution to the antioxidant capacity of the human diet is much larger than even that of vitamins.

And a subclass of this antioxidant-rich family found in fruits and vegetables is flavonoids.

In response to environmental stressors like insects and other competing plants, plants produce flavonoids with potent antioxidant activity.

Unfortunately, conventional growing methods that use pesticides and herbicides hamper the production of flavonoids.

Plants exposed to pesticides and herbicides have less of a need to produce such compounds. And therefore, these plants produce fewer antioxidants than organically grown food.

You don’t want to miss out on polyphenol flavonoids because they can:

• Improve your memory and concentration

• Boost the effectiveness of vitamin C in your antioxidant network

• Regulate nitric oxide – a potent free radical that regulates your blood flow

• Help promote your healthy heart

• Bolster your immune system

So, to take advantage of the highest potency flavonoids and rich antioxidants, always choose organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Fresh organic foods are important not only for what they give you, higher levels of antioxidants and nutrients, but also for what they don’t give you… exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and non-organic fertilizers.

Now let’s take a closer look at some common and not so common food sources of antioxidants – keeping in mind that for you to receive the highest antioxidant potential, organic is best.

Consumer Alert: Berries are a Great Source of
Antioxidants, but Watch Out for the Sugar

A specific polyphenol flavonoid compound called quercetin is a potent dietary antioxidant found in certain berries: lingonberries, cranberries, bilberries, and black currants.

Not only do berries contain many flavonoids like quercetin, but also fiber… vitamin C… and other nutritious antioxidant-rich polyphenol compounds.

Ideally, berries should be eaten raw and as you already know – organic is best.

Another great source of antioxidants in berries is from blueberries. In fact, Europeans recognize their bilberries as blueberries.

Only a few years ago, the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity. This research compared 40 other fresh vegetables and fruits.

This is all great but there is a red flag I have to raise – watch out for too much sugar.

If you overdo your fruit consumption, even berries, you risk releasing too much sugar into your system. This could cause your insulin levels to rise and eventually your health could worsen instead of improving.

So, moderation is the key when eating fruit. Choosing fruit relatively low in sugar, like blueberries, should not only boost your antioxidant intake but help keep your insulin levels in check as well.

Eat Your Veggies for Healthy Antioxidants – but Which Ones?

Broccoli, greens, beans, artichokes, and onions, to name a few, are good sources of polyphenol flavonoids. And of course, raw organic vegetables help you maximize the antioxidant benefits.

However, just like you need to be careful on how much and the types of fruit you eat, the same holds true with vegetables.

For example, from the USDA Human Nutrition Center research, potatoes ranked high on the list of vegetables with potent antioxidant content. But they are not necessarily your best choice because they may cause increased insulin levels.

In order to determine the amount of fruits and vegetables your body requires, I recommend you first determine your Nutritional Type™ (NT).

You see, foods and individual nutrients do not behave the same way in two people with different Nutritional Types. Your Nutritional Type determines your individual nutritional requirements and dictates your individual responses to what you eat and drink.

Please check my site for more details on how to determine your NT. It’s well worth your time.

Here’s a great table showing examples of fruits and vegetables along with their polyphenol content. Remember, polyphenols are natural antioxidant compounds that help you neutralize free radical damage.

This table also shows another beneficial subclass of polyphenols called phenolic acids.

Source (serving size)

Vegetables:

Yellow onion (100g) Flavonoids 35-120

Broccoli (200g) Flavonoids 8-20

Leek (200g) Flavonoids 6-45

Artichoke (100g) Phenolic acids 45

Potato (200g) Phenolic acids 20-38

Fruits:

Blueberry (100g) Flavonoids 25-500

Black Currant (100g) Flavonoids 130-400

Blackberry (100g) Flavonoids 100-400

Strawberry (200g) Flavonoids 30-150

Plum (200g) Phenolic acids

Why Not Add a Little Spice to Your Life and Health?

A bountiful source of antioxidants that many people don’t know about is herbs and spices.

Researchers within the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered that herbs are an abundant source of antioxidants – not to mention how they make your food tastier.

According to the research, on a per gram fresh weight basis, oregano and other herbs ranked even higher in antioxidant activity than certain fruits and vegetables.

In comparing antioxidant activity against a few selected fruits and vegetables, oregano came out on top with:

• 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples…

• 30 times more than potatoes…

• 12 times more than oranges

And there are other herbs and spices that pack an antioxidant punch as well: cloves… turmeric… cinnamon… garlic… basil… and curcumin… to name a few.

Herbs and spices have emerged as a quick and convenient way for you to get a concentrated source of antioxidants – without all the extra calories of many foods.

Now, your key to taking advantage of the antioxidant activity from herbs and spices is to find an organic source and consume them fresh and raw. For example, the antioxidant activity of fresh garlic is 1.5 times higher than dry garlic powder.

Just as consuming too much of any food product can carry health risks, herbs should be used with moderation… and only as a complement to your healthy diet.

So, add a little seasoning and spice to your life and feel good about the antioxidant benefits they provide you.

Maybe All You Have to do is Drink a Glass of Red Wine Every Day?

Many folks believe that a good way to promote your health is to drink a glass of red wine on a regular basis.

Certainly there’s the “French Paradox” theory… the observation that French people with poor diets who drink wine have better cardiovascular health than you might expect.

This opinion happens to be based on a potent polyphenol found in red wine and grape skins called resveratrol.

This powerful antioxidant potentially:

• Helps improve the overall health of your cells as a component of your cardio and neuro protection*

• Aids you in protection against age-related health disorders*

• Provides therapeutic support for your immune system against abnormal cell activity*

Researchers also believe that resveratrol helps keep your cholesterol within its normal range while promoting your healthy heart.*

However many experts are now questioning the value of drinking wine for health reasons and believe much of the evidence supporting this was based on very weak epidemiological observations.

You of course know that wine contains alcohol. And too much alcohol isn’t a healthy choice for anyone and it may outweigh the benefits of the resveratrol content

But, with all this said, resveratrol is such a powerful antioxidant that there must be a way you can benefit from it without taking undo risks.

This potent antioxidant is somewhat different from the rest. It not only helps you neutralize free radicals, it can cross the blood-brain barrier to help protect your brain and nervous system as well.

Studies show that resveratrol may increase the lifespan in human cells.* So, it could be a determining factor in extending your longevity.*

Resveratrol helps reduce oxidative stress damage to your cardiovascular system by neutralizing free radicals.* And it helps support your body’s natural defense system.*

Plus, resveratrol benefits you by how it…

• Protects your cells from free radical damage*

• Helps you keep your blood pressure within the normal range*

• Keeps your heart healthy and helps improve blood vessel elasticity*

• Boosts your protection against the spread of abnormal cell activity*

• Helps you better control the aging process*

Insight

Who does nothing can do nothing wrong.
--German Proverb

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.
--Beverly Sills

Today's Quotes

HEALTH

“The health of your body influences what you experience in your mind. There is no split. If you can engage your whole spirit in the pursuit of total fitness—not just your intellect, not just your emotions—but, instead, everything inside you that is truly you, you’ll discover what it is to be a whole person.” —David Patchell-Evans

“It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more upon a man than he can bear. Worry is rust upon the blade. It is not the revolution that destroys the machinery, but the friction. Fear secrets acids; but love and trust are sweet juices.” —Henry Ward Beecher

“It may be possible to incorporate laugher into daily activities, just as is done with other heart-healthy activities, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day.” —Michael Miller

“Cardiovascular problems alone in America create over a thousand funerals a day… and 90 percent of the problem is neglect.” —Jim Rohn






The industrialized nation-states around the world are broke! Their plans to keep things rolling along will mean a worldwide hyperinflation. Egon von Greyerz shows why destruction and despair worldwide are certain...but keep reading for what you can do right now to make sure you save yourself and protect your wealth.

Whiskey & Gunpowder
By Egon von Greyerz
May 24, 2010
Zurich, Switzerland

Alea Iacta Est! Past the Rubicon
and the Point of No Return

Yes this is it! We have crossed the Rubicon and events in the world economy are now likely to unfold in a totally uncontrollable fashion. Clueless governments still don’t understand that it is their ruinous actions that have created a credit infested and bankrupt world. They will continue to prescribe the same remedy that caused the problem in the first place, namely more credit and more printed money. The consequences are clear; we will have hyperinflation, economic and human misery as well as social unrest.

When will the world finally begin to understand that we have reached the point of no return and that “the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)? Sadly, we are probably not very far from that point. It is already starting to happen in many countries.

The latest EU and IMF package of $1 TRILLION (Euro 750 billion) is yet another futile attempt by governments to abolish poverty by printing paper. Let’s be absolutely clear, this money does not exist and the EU governments are hoping by declaring such a large amount that they can con the Wolfpack speculators. At this point the EU has just picked a large round figure out of the air. But when their bluff is called by the Wolfpack and the next attack happens, EU governments will after initial huffing and puffing start printing unlimited amounts of paper.

So the world is now on its road to ruin and there is no action, no leader and no new amount of printed money that can save the world or prevent a hyperinflationary depression.

Never in history has the world been in a situation when virtually all industrialised countries are bankrupt. Therefore there is no precedent for what will happen in the next few years. What we can be quite certain about is that events will happen in a seemingly random pattern and that it will be impossible to forecast where the next crises will start.

But although we will not be able to predict in what order events will take place, we can expect much of what is outlined below to happen.

Wolfpack Attacks

Already back in 2007 we warned about the very high risk of the CDS (credit default swap) market. This is now one of the primary instruments used by the Wolfpack (expression coined by the Swedish Finance Minister Borg). The Wolfpack, speculators with enormous fire power such as hedge funds and investment banks, use the CDS market to attack any weak financial sector, be it a country, a bank or a company. The combination of the leverage of the CDSs and the massive capital available to the Wolfpack makes it possible for them to bring down or badly maul whatever they attack. It was not the Wolfpack that caused the problem in for example Greece but they can bring down a weak victim quickly and profit immensely and immorally from it.

There are so many weak potential victims that the Wolfpack can attack and they will start with the most vulnerable ones like, Portugal, Spain and Ireland etc. But when the time is right they will also attack the US and the UK.

So in the coming year we will see country after country coming under attack from the Wolfback which will lead to acceleration in money printing and higher interest rates.

Iceland – Ireland – Greece – Who Is Next?

The EU support package of $ 1 trillion is supposed to be sufficient to protect the rest of Europe from another Greek tragedy. The dilemma with such a massive EU commitment is that no government expects to have to pay the money out. If they did the voters in the respective EU countries would throw out their government. Why should the German people, who are also having hard times, pay for the Greeks, Portuguese or the Spaniards, especially since these loans will never be paid back?

Greece is bankrupt but is still taking on additional EU loans of € 140 billion. In addition, their austerity measures are supposed to bring the deficit down from 12% of GDP today to 3% in a few years time. But who can be so stupid as to lend to a bankrupt nation which will sink into the Ionian and Aegean Seas in the next few years. With massive cuts in government expenditure, with major falls in output, with unemployment rising fast, with tax revenues collapsing how can Greece possibly be expected to improve the economy and pay a high interest rate on their exploding debt? In addition, as long as they have the Euro they will be totally uncompetitive. So if they couldn’t manage their economy in the so called good times, it is absolutely guaranteed that they have no chance of surviving in bad times. So Greece will default and so will Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, the US and many more. But before that there will be the most colossal worldwide money printing exercise which would have used up most of the trees in the world but for electronic fiat money.

So, if virtually bankrupt nations don’t cut their deficits, they will definitively go under and if they try to cut, they will also go under due to collapsing output and tax revenues and colossal debts. Thus whatever actions governments take or don’t take, they are damned.

The table below shows debt as a percentage of GDP for various OECD countries. The official debts (in red) are massive and unlikely to ever be repaid in real money. Total debts (grey bars) include unfunded liabilities such as pensions and health care. Spain has the lowest total debt to GDP of 250%. Germany and the UK have around 400%, the US over 500% and Greece over 800% debt to GDP. These figures are absolutely astronomical and prove that most governments in the world will be totally incapable of repaying their debts or funding the pensions or medical care which they have committed to. It doesn’t matter however much governments cut expenditure or raise taxes, all these countries are insolvent and nothing can save them.

The World Must Permanently Readjust

Most governments still believe that deficit spending and money printing is the solution to all their problems. Because the world economy’s expansion in the last 100 years and particularly in the last 40 years has been primarily based on credit and not real growth, governments live under the false impression that money printing will work this time too. But we have reached the point when investors will no longer buy worthless government debt that will never be repaid with real money. We will first go through a period when governments issue and buy their own debt thus monetising the debt or print money. This will be the hyperinflationary phase. Thereafter the world will realise that none of the government debt and very little of the bank debt will ever be repaid. Credit will then implode and so will also the assets financed by credit. Eventually there will be a new monetary and financia l system and the world will start afresh. The adjustment period will be very long and will involve economic and human misery, leading to social unrest and major political change. It will be a horrible experience for the world during this extended period of adjustment. But it will be like a forest fire that clears out the deadwood and creates the conditions for strong new growth. Once the new era starts it will therefore be from a very much lower level and individuals will be rewarded for hard work with little or no social security safety net. Credit will only be granted for sound capital investment projects, not for consumption or speculation. Ethical and moral values will return and the golden calf will not be worshipped. But before that, the period of readjustment will be very long and extremely difficult for the whole world.

Peace, love and happiness...until next time...

Tidbits From The Web #72

It's gonna be a great day!
When dogs fly...
Americans are just dumb... (props to Boris)
Why S#!+ So Crazy...
Secret beaches of the US...
Hot girl zombie bite...
False flag and the NWO...
Creepy baby shuffle...
Stop drinking bottled water now!
I guess when you are one of richest countries...you drive like this on the highway!
Hopefully I am not on this list...
The future of shopping...
20 accidental discoveries...
PIIGS explained...
Invisible Wars...
Live in the now...
One reason to visit the Limelight marketplace in Chelsea...Jon Wye...
What part of legal immigration don't you understand?
Interesting rabbit hole...
12 reasons why you should be pissed off...
How to print your own solar cell...
Are you ready for the crash of 2010?
Mr. Bojagi...
Brother can you spare $7 trillion?
HAARP, chemtrails, and global warming...OH MY!



Solar energy of tomorrow...




Web 2.0...




Oilpocalypse now...

Knowledge The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Philosophy scholars will find The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy a valuable resource. 'Founded in 1995 for the purpose of providing detailed, scholarly information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy,' the editors, James Fieser, PhD and Bradley Dowden, PhD, have collected texts from public domain sources and from articles submitted by professional philosophers. The information can be searched by key words or by timelines of philosophical movements and thinkers. The database is growing as more of the content is being devoted to original contributions. Even if you're not a professional philosopher, this site will give you access to basic philosophical topics, something with which every educated person should be familiar!

Microblasting The process of microblasting uses a very fine abrasive media at 10 to 50 micron size which is then propelled through a fine-tip nozzle. This is used to texture or cut through materials where exacting detail s required. Colin Weightman of Comco, Inc. shows us the technology.

Confusing Words

Confusing Words is a twist on the usual word/dictionary sites. Do you know the difference between affect and effect? How about affluent and effluent? If you ever have questions along these lines, mark Confusing Words for reference. This site is a collection of '3210 words that are troublesome to readers and writers.' Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused. Browsing this site will affect (influence) your word usage, or is it effect (make it happen)! Answer: "Most often affect is used as a verb and effect is used as a noun. Something that affects you will have an effect on you."

The best way to model magnetic fields

Most standard software for modeling magnetic fields uses the standard finite-element method. For some problems, however, an alternate boundary-element formulation can be much more efficient. Full Article

Local Harvest

Summer is almost here and with it, fresh fruits, vegetables and other delectables. As the introduction to Local Harvest explains, "The freshest, healthiest, most flavorful organic food is what's grown closest to you." Now you have a resource for locating locally grown 'produce, grass-fed meats and other goodies.' This organization is a nationwide directory of over 8,000 small farms, fresh markets and other local food sources. Just use the search engine or click on the map to find direct links to and information about the local food growers in your area. Remember, buying locally 'is also good for your local economy - buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.' Let's all support our local economy!

A Quiz For People Who Think They Know Everything There are only nine questions. These are not trick questions. 1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? 4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? 5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? 6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them. 7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them? 8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh. 9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.' Answers To Quiz: 1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends: Boxing. 2. North American landmark constantly moving backward: Niagara Falls. (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.) 3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb. 4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry. 5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems. 6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle. 7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe,question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce. 9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S': Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Today's Quotes

GIVING/ABUNDANCE

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” —Albert Pine

“If you focus your attention strictly on your own needs, you will grow weaker and compound you needs. But if you focus your attention on something outside of yourself, you will grow stronger and feel better.” —Denis Waitley

“You can’t be too kind or too generous.” —Patricia Fripp

“The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.” —Homer


GRATITUDE

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John F. Kennedy

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." -Christiane Northrup

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others." -Marcus Cicero

"Gratitude is a two-fold love - love coming to visit us, and love running out to greet a welcome guest." -Henry Van Dyke





Someday My Prince Will Come...

After many years, Cinderella finally reached the ripe age of 95 years old.

After a fulfilling life with the now dead prince, she now happily sits upon her rocking chair, watching the world go by from her front porch, with a cat named Bob for companionship. One sunny afternoon out of nowhere, appeared the fairy godmother.

Cinderella says, "Fairy Godmother, what are you doing here after all these years"?

The fairy godmother replied, "Cinderella, you have lived an exemplary life since I last saw you. I'm prepared to grant you three wishes. Is there anything for which your heart still yearns?" Cinderella was taken back, overjoyed, and after some thoughtful consideration, she uttered her first wish:

"The prince was wonderful, but not much of an investor. I'm living hand to mouth on my disability checks, and I wish I were wealthy beyond comprehension. Instantly her rocking chair turned into solid gold. Cinderella said, "Ooh, thank you, Fairy Godmother"

"It is the least that I can do," replies her Fairy Godmother. "What do you want for your second wish?"

Cinderella looked down at her frail body, and said, "I wish I were young and full of the beauty and youth I once had."

At once, her wish became reality, and her beautiful young visage returned. Cinderella felt stirrings inside of her that had been dormant for years.

And then the fairy godmother spoke once more: "You have one more wish; what shall it be?"

Cinderella looks over to the frightened cat in the corner and says, "I wish for you to transform Bob, my old cat, into a kind and handsome young man."

Magically, Bob suddenly underwent so fundamental a change in his biological make-up that, when he stood before her, he was a man so beautiful the likes of him neither she nor the world had ever seen.

"Congratulations, Cinderella, enjoy your new life!" And with a blazing shock of bright blue electricity, the Fairy Godmother was gone as suddenly as she appeared.

For a few eerie moments, Bob and Cinderella looked into each other's eyes. Cinderella sat, breathless, gazing at the most beautiful, stunningly perfect man she had ever seen.

Then Bob walked over to Cinderella, who sat transfixed in her rocking chair, and held her close in his young muscular arms.

He leaned in close, blowing her golden hair with his warm breath as he whispered...

"Bet you're sorry you neutered me."

Insight

Choose your friends like your books, few but choice.
--American Proverb

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
--Benjamin Franklin






Whiskey & Gunpowder
By Wayne Allyn Root
May 5, 2010
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.

Homeschool to Harvard

This is the story that the teachers unions wish had never happened. This is the story that proves all their hysterical demands for more money are nothing but a sham. This is the story that makes the unions and education bureaucrats sick to their stomachs. This is the personal story of my daughter Dakota Root.

In each of the books I’ve written, I’ve taken great care to acknowledge my beautiful and brilliant little girl, Dakota. I often noted that Dakota and her parents were aiming for her acceptance at either Harvard or Stanford and would accept nothing less. The easy part is aiming for gold. The hard part is achieving it. “Homeschool to Harvard” is a story about turning dreams into reality.

Dakota has been home-schooled since birth. While other kids spent their school days being indoctrinated to believe competition and winning are unimportant, and that others are to blame for their shortcomings and failures, Dakota was learning the value of work ethic, discipline, sacrifice and personal responsibility. While other kids were becoming experts at partying, Dakota and her dad debated current events at the dinner table. While other kids shopped and gossiped, Dakota was devouring books on science, math, history, literature, politics and business. I often traveled to business events and political speeches with my home-schooled daughter in tow. While other kids came home to empty homes, Dakota’s mom, dad, or both were there every day to share meals and a bedtime kiss and prayer. Despite a crazy schedule of business and politics, I’m proud to report that I’ve missed very few bedtime kisses with my four home-schooled kids.

While others were out learning to drive so they could attend more parties, or experimenting with alcohol and drugs, Dakota was practicing the sport she loves with dedication, intensity and passion — fencing. The result? She became one of the elite junior fencers in America — winning the Pacific Coast Championship and representing the United States at World Cup events in Germany and Austria.

Was all the discipline and sacrifice worth it? A few days ago, Dakota Root achieved her lifelong dream. She was accepted at both Harvard and Stanford. She was also accepted at Columbia, Penn, Brown, Duke, Chicago, Cal-Berkeley, USC and several more of the elite schools in America, an unheard of record for a home-school kid. She actually had the confidence to turn down an offer from the Yale fencing coach before she had gotten her other acceptances. The kid turned down Yale!

Here is the most amazing part of the story: The first classroom of Dakota’s life will be inside the hallowed halls of Harvard. This fall she will fence for the Harvard team — one of America’s best. Only an elite 1% (30,000) of the best of the best high school seniors dared apply to Harvard. Virtually every one was #1 in their class, or a world-class scholar/athlete, or had perfect S.A.T. scores. Out of 3 million high school seniors headed to college, and those 30,000 applicants, only 1500 or so will attend Harvard. That is the lowest acceptance rate in college history. To be accepted at one or two Ivy League colleges is rare — to all, an almost impossible feat!

At a time of educational free-fall, it is a remarkable story. With America’s public school system ranked at or near the bottom of the industrialized world (and Nevada near the bottom of that), with record dropout rates, grade inflation, violence, gangs, drugs, teen pregnancies, and the scandal of graduating high school seniors requiring remedial math and reading before starting at college, Dakota’s story offers hope. Dakota proves the American Dream is alive, if only we’d stop depending on government to save us.

There is no one answer for education. Our choice of homeschooling melded parental education with tutoring by hand-picked retired teachers and college professors, combined with a personally-chosen curriculum. It’s called parental freedom: the power to decide how to best educate children belongs with the parents, not teachers unions. School choice, encouraging competition for our failing public school system, and offering vouchers on the state level to give parents the power (and money) to choose among charter schools, private schools, parochial schools or home-schooling is the way to force public schools to improve. Competition works. If it’s good enough for Coke and Pepsi, why not public schools?

The sad reality is that teachers unions and government aren’t the solution — they are the problem. Our public schools get worse every year, yet teachers unions demand more and more money. They get their money, it gets worse yet, and they demand even MORE. That is the definition of insanity. This is “Groundhog Day.” It isn’t working — and hasn’t since the day that government took over education in this country.

Dakota Root proves it doesn’t take a state certified teacher, or a teachers union, or a village to raise a child — it only takes two loving parents who give a damn. One home-schooled girl has driven a stake through the heart of the public school education sham. “Homeschool to Harvard” is a powerful story that every parent should be allowed to offer their children.



Gary’s Note: Jim Davies has some very bad news; the Constitution was never your friend.

Whiskey & Gunpowder
By Jim Davies
May 12, 2010
New Hampshire, U.S.A.

The Great Con of 1789

It’s often said that America was once a free country, but that its freedom has been heavily damaged by a relentless growth in government. Some (like Aaron Russo in his documentary America: From Freedom to Fascism) date the decline from 1913, when the Federal Reserve was chartered and the Income Tax enacted; but I no longer think it began that late. The “Pristine State” advocates suppose that there was once in our history a kind of Eden from which we have fallen, and so that all we need now is somehow to get back there — to “constitutional rule.” There wasn’t, and we don’t. I think our troubles began no later than 1789.

The drafting was done in 1787, and the needed nine States had ratified it by June 21st, 1788, so the Constitution became supreme law on that day. Then on March 3rd 1789 Congress opened its doors and the following month George Washington presided. It’s very interesting to notice what the new Congress did, in its first session, from March through September of that year.

It committed six acts, before going home for the winter in September. See if any of them give you warm, fuzzy feelings; and in a moment I’ll focus on the sixth, because of its huge importance.

First came some administration; deciding on how oaths of office were to be taken. Not too much there to bother us.

Second was the “Hamilton Tariff,” under which revenue was to be raised. So the second-ever Act of the US Congress was to arrange for the confiscation of property. Sure, it was Constitutional — it was a set of tariffs, imposed on certain imports; some must have recalled that it was a tariff on tea that had sparked the Revolution in the first place, so may have wondered whether anything had changed except the geographic location of the thieves. The import duties favored Northern manufacturers by making foreign goods seem more expensive — it was protectionist — and hurt Southerners by making them pay more. From Day One, a division was being fashioned that led after seventy years to open warfare. So the first substantive thing Congress did was to start to set the scene for internal conflict.

Third came an establishment of “Foreign Affairs” — now the Department of State — by which the new government was to execute “policies” towards other nations. If the intention was to have a perfectly uniform policy towards all, that would not have been needed. By establishing one, it was clear there were to be some nations more favored, others less favored. That’s what a “foreign policy” means, and it is ultimately the cause of war and, in our own era, of the unconventional war called “terrorism”; for had there been no foreign policy favoring Israel (recall Biden’s call in March for “no space” between the policies of the US and Israel?) there would have been no 9/11, or if there had been one favoring Palestinians there would have been a “9/11” much sooner and much more devastating, executed by Mossad. So the third Act in the history of the new government was to set the scene for al l future external conflict.

Fourth was an Act to set up a Department of War — now euphemized as “Defense” — and that was very logical. You play favorites with other nations, eventually you’ll need to fight some of them. Better get ready.

Fifth came the Department of the Treasury, to take in and account for the collection and spending of the money confiscated by Act Two. It is to this Department that today’s IRS belongs, so I need say no more.

So far, it’s not too hard to detect the beginnings of all the most loathsome attributes of any government: tax, distortion, discord and warfare. This is to what our well-meaning “Constitutionalist” friends want to get us back.

The sixth action of that first session bore fruit on September 24th, 1789 and was the “Judiciary Act” — and it’s notorious and breathtaking. Here’s why.

On its face, its purpose was just to flesh out Article Three, which said there was to be a Judicial Branch in the new government. It had to do with establishing Courts — Supreme, District, Circuit — and government Attorneys, General and less general. But as well as that administrative stuff, the 1789 Judiciary Act declared that the Supreme Court had the power to hear actions for “writs of mandamus” as one of original jurisdiction, and so not to be just a court of appeal. Congress was therefore purporting to grant to its sister Branch a power which Article Three never gave it.

Oops! Right off the bat, in its very first session, Congress therefore tried to do something it was not empowered to do (if you’ll allow for the moment that, contrary to Spooner, the Constitution actually empowered anyone to do anything). In so doing, Congress demonstrated its disdain for the fences placed around it by Articles Two and Five. Very clearly, government today acknowledges no limits on its power; the 1789 Judiciary Act made it plain that Congress never did acknowledge such limits, even in its very first session.

Was this arrogation of power deliberate, or inadvertent?

Either is possible if the Act is considered in isolation, but it wasn’t isolated. While the Constitution was being drafted, Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists had wanted to specify powers for the Judicial Branch, just as the charter did for the other two Branches, and in particular to grant it the power of “Judicial Review,” i.e., to say what is, and is not, valid law. He argued that that is what high courts normally do. However in Article Three no powers were granted to it at all, so as it’s fair to presume that it was not to have zero powers (otherwise, why set it up?) consequently Article Three left them wide open — for unlike the wording of Articles I and II there are no limits or prohibitions named, either. It was a blank check, whose detail could be filled in later.

If Hamilton had had his way and the Constitution as drafted had said something like “The Supreme Court shall have power to decide what is law and what is not law” the new government would have been plainly seen as a dictatorship, and in my humble opinion it would have not had a snowball’s chance of getting ratified; even as it was, that process was no sure thing. So that’s why they left it blank — while the Federalist majority intended all along that such a power should, indeed, be owned by the Judicial Branch so that the new government could (with a little delay, and with its cooperation) do anything it wanted to do, while operating under the pretense of being strictly limited.

So Congress’ 1789 attempt to endow the Supreme Court with a new power (to hear certain cases with original jurisdiction) was not accidental, but deliberate; that particular power wasn’t very important, but it was to test the waters, establish a precedent. If they could grant it one small power then, they could later grant it bigger ones, and so eventually equip it with absolute, law-determining power. Take an inch at once, so as to take a mile later on.

Bits & Pieces

SEEK UNDERSTANDING

Empathy is not merely the basic principle of artistic creation. It is also the only path by which one can reach the truth about life and society.

Nagai Kafu


We need ground rules for dialogue that allow us to be present to another person's problems in a quiet, receptive way that encourages the soul to come forth, a way that does not presume to know what is right for the other but allows the other's soul to find its own answers at its own level and pace.

Parker J. Palmer


LIVING

Today is a good day to ask yourself how you live the truth in your life. What new truths need to be explored more fully?

Maureen Dolan


Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think about what else it might be.

Roger von Oech


Peace, love and happiness...until next time...