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 |
| 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.
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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 |
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!
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A Quiz For People WhoThink They Know EverythingThere are only nine questions. |
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 UNDERSTANDINGEmpathy 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...
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