Lance Rants on Those Who Dump and Verbally Trash America

Writen by Lance Winslow

Dear American Detractors,

Well my verbally verbose and negative friends it appears to me you wish to dump on the US and our leadership, without coming up with any solution to the World’s problems. From what I can tell your solution is to do nothing? Do nothing about starving Africans, do nothing about the pending climate change and water crisis or the recent Iranian Leadership building nuclear weapons. And on the latter I wish to speak;

Really are you Ostriches, great strategy indeed. Do nothing about more nuclear weapons in the Middle East; So that’s it hmm? Just allow Nation State Regimes, which sponsor International Terrorism to have nuclear weapons? That is your plan? To the Canadian Gentlemen and anti-gloablists and anti-US crowd who slanders America’s name; Good Plan ehy? To the Bush Hater who is bound in hate with his liberal Utopia Dream now living in Canada trashing America envisioning a world run by International Terrorists; Real smart. To the Swiss Gentleman and anti-globalist, anti-capitalist and anti-US; your world is not live-able. To the gentleman in the UK, you may need to re-think the reality over the “feel good” created reality of political correctness.

And guys quit slandering the USA because you are weak and support international terrorist sponsoring nation states which you believe have a “Right” to make Nuclear Weapons to kill people with, who are not of their fanatical view of the world or religious faith. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Shadows Boxing

Writen by Peter Quinones

Towards the end of Million Dollar Baby the character Scraps, ex boxing great turned gym porter, says of a character who has been away from the gym for a while, “And then a ghost walked in.” This is an inadvertant commentary on almost all the principal characters in the film, and thier relationships to each other.

Scraps (Morgan Freeman) is a ghost for Frankie (Clint Eastwood), as is Maggie (Hillary Swank) - the former because he lost sight in one eye in a match, many years ago, partly due to Frankie, and the latter because as time goes on she becomes a surrogate for his long gone daughter who refuses to reconcile with him (we are not told exactly what went wrong between Frankie and his daughter, though we see that he has a shoebox full of letters he sent her marked RETURN TO SENDER).

Frankie goes to Mass every day; the priest tells him, “Write to your daughter.” Scraps and Maggie bond because both have been trained by Frankie. Scraps and Maggie, without knowing it, become mirrors of each other, each having been gravely hurt in boxing matches with Frankie as their manager. Yet, at the same time, they mirror each other in another way - boxing is their whole life (Maggie tells Frankie at one point, “If I don’t have this, I have nothing”; Scraps literally lives in the gym, in a small space in a corner with a curtain.

He never leaves the place (Frankie invites him to come to Vegas for a fight and he says, “Do you know what this place would look like if I left it?”) Everyone whom Frankie seems to care about in his life has been gravely hurt by him - his daughter, Maggie, and Scraps. The gym is a place of vicousness and street consciousness - a bully beats an annoying punk to a bloody pulp, only to be knocked out cold in turn by Scraps. Frankie and Maggie are both on horrible terms with their immediate families, and Scraps has no family in sight;it is such a nonissue for him that none is ever even mentioned.

In this world, in these lives, the characters share much that is bleak and dismal, yet the end effect of the film on the viewer is one of hope, respect, and dignity nonetheless. Any time one character turns to another, their souls,their cores, relate - and in this way these relationships reveal to us some of the essential truths about humanity.

Peter Quinones is the author of Amethyst Secrets, published by I Universe. His website is http://www.cultureboutique.com

Which is Worse Pig Crap or Lawyers?

Writen by Lance Winslow

The other day we were all sitting in a Coffee Shop and one of the gentleman there mentioned something about lawyers and we got into a 2-hour conversation on the subject. I am thinking to myself as a retired entrepreneur who started out as a small business person, well I sure as heck do not wish to talk about lawyers, heck if they all died tomorrow, I would make reservations to Disney Land.

Well this conversation went on and on and on until one other gentleman stood up and said;

I have to get back to the ranch, but before I go I wanted to leave a thought with all y’ all and you can let me know what you think then. He said good meeting you son.

I guess because I was not from around there and he figured we may never see me again and perhaps he is right. Nevertheless he said;

Which is worse Pig Crap or Lawyers?

Well indeed this changed the conversation completely to much more serious tone. In fact what is worse a load of stinky rotten pig crap cooking in the hot sun and moist air all day smelling up a storm or a lawyer?

One gentleman said you know we have some hogs down by the farm and well that smell gets might bad. Another said well lawyers you know they really are about the worst thing in the world you know?

Well it was a toss up but the Lawyers finally won and we all departed, I got to thinking later that we were probably right Lawyers are worse than disgusting smelly pig crap in the hot summer sun with moist air. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

The National Museum Bangkok - a Millennium of Thai History

Writen by Eric Lim

A tour of the National Museum in Bangkok, which traces the early Thai civilizations in the region and the history of subsequent kingdoms, is like taking a stroll through the corridors of time. The short tour gives the visitor an overview of more than a millennium of history of the kingdom.

Our tour starts with the origin of early Thai civilizations in the first section in the National Museum. There’s evidence of civilizations dating back to the early Stone Age from relics discovered in Lampang and Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand and Krabi to the south.

Civilizations existing around 3,600 BC were discovered in Ban Chiang, Udorn Thani in northeast Thailand as well as Kanchanaburi and Chonburi. There are conflicting theories as to where the early immigrants came from. However, there’s sufficient evidence to show that there were civilizations in the area for more than 1,000 years.

The next section in the National Museum covers the 7th - 13th centuries when the Khmer empire, based in what is now Cambodia, was at the height of its power. The influence of Khmer culture covered the northeastern region of Thailand and extended all the way to Lopburi in central Thailand.

Historical sites like Phanom Rung in Buriram and Phimai in Nakhon Ratchasima are testimony to this influence.

The 13th century saw the rise of the Sukhothai kingdom. The kingdom reached its pinnacle under the reign of King Ram Khamhaeng from 1279 - 1298 AD. Sukhothai not only grew in political and military stature, it was renowned for its art, architecture and culture. It was King Ram Khamhaeng who started the Thai alphabet.

The Ayutthaya section in the National Museum is the most substantial. Founded by King U-Thong in 1351, Ayutthaya was a city bounded by three rivers, the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pasak. It grew rapidly and soon eclipsed Sukhothai and the other kingdoms.

At the height of its influence, Ayutthaya was a major commercial center with three main palaces within a walled city with its network of roads and canals and protected by 16 forts. Trade with China, Portugal, the Netherlands and Japan flourished.

Ayutthaya was captured and sacked by Burma in 1569. The city was revived in 1584 by King Naresuan. Unfortunately it was overrun again and completely destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Built up over four centuries, Ayutthaya with its 34 kings from five dynasties crashed to an abrupt and tragic end.

It was left to Phraya Taksin, son of a Chinese immigrant, who escaped the destruction of Ayutthaya to reestablish a new capital in Thonburi. In a series of campaigns he drove the Burmese out of Thailand and reunited the various kingdoms.

The grand finale in the tour of the National Museum covers the Chakri dynasty started by King Rama I in 1782 when he established Bangkok as the new capital to restore the former glory of Ayutthaya.

It was the dawn of a new era, Rattanakosin. After a massive Burmese onslaught was repelled, they were never a serious threat again. The prospect of a united Thailand with secure borders became a reality. Under the reign of the Chakri Kings, the next 200 years, saw the gradual emergence of a modern Thailand.

The National Museum in Bangkok captures more than a millennium of history of the early Thai civilizations, the rise and fall of the various kingdoms and dynasties to the present. It encapsulates the cultural ballast and very soul of the Thai nation.

For more on King Taksin of Thonburi visit the National Museum when you Tour Bangkok Legacies and stroll through the corridors of history. The author Eric Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok Thailand.

Mercantilism and Adam Smith

Writen by Mary Anne Winslow

This article is dedicated to the type of economics that goes before Adam Smith’s laissez-faire economics. We’ll talk about mercantilism, economy that was widespread in Europe in 16th-18th centuries.

During the 18th and 16th centuries European countries believed in the ideal of mercantilism, the idea that a nation’s existence depended on power, and power depended on wealth. The fundamental focus of mercantilism was on the self interest of the state. In order to accumulate the vast wealth needed to run a state, protect government interests and acquire new colonies, political domination of the economy would be necessary. The basic purpose of this economic policy was to strengthen the state and further its aims, which at the time were trading and colonization. By trading goods only for gold or silver countries could build up their treasuries, which in turn funded further colonization. Political economics ensured monarchies of financial concerns, and the success of absolute monarchies. With mercantilism, Britain achieved a favorable balance of trade, which exported more goods than it imported. To achieve this, the government oversaw the production, exchange, consumption of goods and services. To enforce mercantilism, the Navigation Acts were passed in Britain. These acts forced colonies to trade only with Britain.

Mercantilism was very profitable for the government, and a few lucky citizens. It was however, detrimental to society. The common man profited least mercantilism because of the government’s monopoly of trade and distribution. Lateral movement from the lower class to the middle class was also unlikely because the government seized all business opportunities. Mercantilist states favored issuing low wages, believing that this would discourage imports, and contribute to the export surplus. The gap between the rich and poor rose along with social unrest. The fundamental problem with mercantilism is in its belief that the real wealth of a nation is the size of its gold and silver treasuries. Increasing gold and silver hoards did provide short-term economic stimulus, however it was only short term. A long-term measure of a countries value is in its ability to produce, similar to the gross national product of today. Intercontinental trade was a major mercantilist market. The problem with a monopoly on trade was that since the government restricted competition, there would be only one supplier for imported goods. Meaning that the prices for these goods will rise to the highest point people were willing to pay. The population of Britain, an island nation, depended heavily on imported goods. Imports that mercantilism was all too happy to provide, at high prices with no alternatives. The population was held captive by the political economy.

Adam Smith’s economy was a capitalistic market economy based on private ownership of production and distribution of goods. Smith stated that, “capitol is best employed for the production and distribution of wealth under conditions of governmental noninterference, laissez-faire, and free trade.” The opposite of the government monopoly style found in mercantilism, Smith wanted perfect competition among all citizens of the state. Perfect competition would allow many competitors to enter the market, thus driving inflated prices down. New competition would also encourage innovation.

Bush Rows Upstream In Iraq, As In Up Niagara Falls

Writen by Tom Attea

President Bush continues to row upstream in Iraq, even though the current seems to pick up speed every minute. In fact, he seems to be rowing up Niagara Falls. But he just keeps on going, despite the fact the majority of Americans are standing on the venerable Niagara tour boat, The Maid of the Mist, and calling out to him to quit already.

Apparently, the roar of the falls is too deafening for him to hear them. While he presents the appearance of flexibility, his goal remains the same: a peaceful, secure, and democratic Iraq. Does that sound like a fairytale or what? And can somebody please tap him on the shoulder and tell him fairytales don’t usually come true?

There’s pretty ample evidence that he should just drop the oars and slip on back down the river to more tranquil water. The terrorists and murderous sectarians have convinced most of the American public that our troops don’t belong there anymore. It’s a faint consolation for the nearly 3,000 soldiers we’ve lost that the Iraqi court finally managed to sentence Saddam Hussein to the gallows.

The situation in Iraq is so dire that the Democrats, inept at popular appeal as they habitually are, have convinced a wide swath of the electorate they can do a better job. To add insult to idiocy, the latest polls indicate that the majority of Iraqis think their nation would be more peaceful if coalition troops would depart immediately. It seems that the only Iraqis who want us to stay are president and prime minister of a government that can’t seem to control its own people.

What about the red flag the administration waves at us that, if we skedaddle, Al-Qaeda will take over Iraq? Is that bogeyman based on a real understanding of the Iraqi psyche? Neither the Sunnis, the Shiites, nor the Kurds would ever allow such a humiliation. The Iraqis are a strongly self-determined people. What do we think their explosive behavior is about?

The worst that can happen is that the Iraqi government we had such high hopes for will have to hightail it out of there, while the Iraqis settle their sectarian differences on their own, until they finally realize that if they’d just stop killing each other, they could have a peaceful, free and prosperous nation for the first time in modern times.

But they have a lot of hard lessons to learn, as do all the egregiously backward people in the region. Tough as the tactic seems, the best the modern world can do is let them learn the lessons on their own. It does no good for America or any other advanced nation to contend at their level of fanaticism and barbarism. In fact, it brutalizes our civilized sensibilities and ideals.

We should extricate ourselves and let the bodies fall where they may. Aggrieved and disappointed as we are at such an unexpectedly negative outcome, we should not entirely forget that the people of Iraq and the rest of the Middle East were once at the forefront of civilization. Their innovative promise has been stifled by ignorant and slavish adherence to beliefs that have nothing to do with their former greatness. May they one day reconnect with their progressive past and join the free and enlightened unfolding of human history.

Meanwhile, we can only wonder how long George Bush is going to keep rowing up Niagara Falls. Come on, Pres, let go of the paddles and drift back to where the water is a lot more peaceful.

Opinion, Value, & Taste in Art (10) The Lessons of History - Bening, Rossettim, & Kinkade Reconsider

Writen by Howard Lewis

Part 10 of 10. The Lessons of History - Bening, Rossetti and Kinkade reconsidered

What emerges here is the sense that very few works of art or architecture could historically be considered by one hand alone. Does their value, and hence their quality, fall as a result? I think not. We simply recognise the collaborative effort required to produce work on a grand scale. This work, at the very least, is imbued with the spirit and inspiration of its progenitor. This argument certainly prevails when we look at the Flemish illuminated manuscripts. It is entirely possible that pupils of Floris and Bening may have exchanged places in order to widen their repertoire and experience. The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, as its name implies, believed in a commonality of interest and, as I mentioned earlier, was happy to coalesce the ideas and imagination of others. One must remember that this confederation of men was formed in 1848, a year in which revolution and uprising fomented throughout Europe. They sought to regenerate culture and society in the interests of what Rousseau referred to as the greater good and their art was one manifestation among many. Whether I like it or not is of secondary importance.

Drawing artistic inspiration from the past and revolutionary fervour from the present, we can observe a symmetry to their efforts, as they alternately kissed and bit the hands that fed them. Viewed in isolation, there are many fine works of art within this genre, as The Royal Academy show testified. It would be quite wrong to deny their innate qualities or the motivation behind them. For every dreamy Rossetti, on which I would pass, there is the punchy social realism of “Work” by Ford Madox Brown, a monumental piece I could certainly linger over, albeit not over my mantelpiece.

There is evidently a common language that binds the Flemish artists, on both canvas and paper, with the brotherhood and innumerable movements in between. They may bicker and argue but they value and understand one another. Conversely, what language does Kinkade speak? His value may be measured in his popularity across those swathes of Middle America who think Art is a diminutive of Arthur. This points to a general lack of discernment and a dumbing down that strangely lies at odds with the creative energy and pursuit of excellence that so characterises the country in other respects. As for my personal view, I love the Flemish manuscripts, selectively appreciate the Pre Raphaelites and look slack jawed at Kinkade. And what of taste? I am sure that the medieval illuminators and the brotherhood received their share of opprobrium when they challenged the conventional boundaries of their time. Each is representative of good taste in that they aspire to intellectually and aesthetically engage with the viewer and, to varying degrees, they succeed in their aims. Kinkade does no more than fill a wall, I’m afraid, and thus exhibits no taste at all. How interesting instead to see the introduction of a Goyaesque element to his oeuvre whereby, peeping out under the trellis, we spy two headless bodies swinging from a branch. That might be deemed very bad taste indeed but his value, in my opinion, would rise inexorably.

Howard Lewis,
Chairman, Invaluable group of companies
http://www.invaluable.com

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Human Cultural Evolution

Writen by Robert Baird

If we think about it at this juncture, clearly there is little to commend this Judaeo/ Christian/Islamic God if he is represented by the people who led this church. Pagans have a far better history and stand foursquare and ‘head and shoulders’ above this God of this often re-written Bible. The separation of man from his soul; man from his equal (woman); man from Nature and man from most all that is good; is all I see! Maybe Melchizedek or some other Biblical character (like the Mormon secret society is named after) will be raised up and made a new savior. Maybe it will be John the Baptist (the Johannites and Benjaminites) or it might even be one of the censored people of the Bible like Jasher who will be re-cycled and make it appear they’ve changed. Whatever it is, I don’t want the same structure and would like to see people DOING what Jesus did. Thinking for themselves and communing with his soul ‘within’ to touch the beauty in all nature!

We can’t expect people to read such a totally different picture of history and not challenge our ideas. We are including the best scholars we can and yet there will be many who are so threatened they will say all kinds of bad things about us. We know that there are risks and that the ‘powers that be’ will not help make this ’stuff’ become common knowledge. The Hermetic ‘cults’ of Egypt and Greece that were so popular when people were allowed to follow knowledge (more) in the early Hellenistic times were from Isis and Osiris. They were the founders of Egypt who were not Gods. Like Moses and Jesus who the rabbis tell us became the object of hero worship so it has often been with great people once they are dead. Priests take the peoples’ good opinion of their heroes and turn them into ‘cults’ with themselves as the key interpreters.

Readers who study hard and have an open mind will find a veritable mine field of ’stuff’ to try to sift through in order to find any essence of truth. I see some great truth might exist as I contemplate the naturally growing nanotubes and lattices or helixes that all energy manifests through. The whole universe vibrates according to an intelligent design such as mathematically demonstrated by Dembski. There is no reason to have made Darwin out to be a pure evolutionist. His Theory of Love is just as important. Although he was forced to differentiate himself from Lamarck he was in fact inspired by him. Few enough are the scientists who see there are divergent forces at work in all truthful outcomes. The quality of energy is as important as the quantity of energy, in whatever forces impact mutation. It is not unreasonable to say there is a collective force with purpose in some Divinely Providential construct. It is folly however, to think a mere human might fully comprehend it. That kind of ideology smacks of religious claptrap, I know. Nonetheless I propose there is merit in Dembski and all open-minded evaluations of what might be. We are often seeing the science or present fad therein proclaims an absolute proof that is subsequently proven false. I like the atomic physicists who were called atom-mysticists at first. Neils Bohr was one of them and he observed something like the following: “A great truth has an opposite, which is also true. A trivial truth has an opposite which is only a falsehood.”

We have endured the ‘experts’ of mechanistic professionalism far too long. Their ego has made them cling to fads and fictions with the most ignorant among us. When Edison’s phonograph was presented to the Paris Academy of Sciences they throttled the presenter as they claimed he was a ventriloquist. At the end of the 19th Century a Patent Office Official said they should close down because everything that could be discovered had been already patented. This is the kind of sunshine law that all bureaucracies should install but not because they are right about no more inventions being possible. Even worse is the early 20th Century Britannica proclaiming torture was a thing of the past in ‘civilized’ Europe? Clearly we must do our own thinking.

“Although Darwin was in the habit of repudiating violently any intimation that he had profited from Lamarck, we have already seen that he was acquainted at an early age with English versions of the latter’s work and in 1845 there is a reference in an unpublished letter to Lyell (Biblio: In the possession of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.) regarding ‘my volumes of Lamarck.’” (1)

Lamarckian evolutionary theory allows for the mix of creation and the impact of directed creative and psychic or soulful participation. If God is everything and we all act in concert, there is a powerful collective force to be reckoned with. We might even change the nature of our Noble leaders by holding them in the light. Let us not cling to theory that faith or fad alone limits and selects facts to fit the prevailing ‘norm’. Dembski must not be censored and censured by the biologists who fight to maintain their stranglehold on evolutionary theory. Charles Fort and Arthur Koestler are as wise as any who have ‘observed’ in the last century and they would not encourage such censure, I am sure. Creation should not be laid at the feet of God and we are part of God, we must act responsibly and with right action and thought. Come with me, and bring an open-mind that you can assimilate and later test. I will endeavour to see the ‘light’ in all its harmonizing glory. Barthold Niebuhr put the adventure in these relevant words:

“He who calls what has vanished back again into being, enjoys a BLISS like that of

creating.”

Thor Heyerdahl was such a person. His insight changed a lot of academic attitudes as he proved many things held sacred were anything but correct. We need to provide far better reason for a change in opinions than the prevailing paradigm if only because they have such a stranglehold on opinion. The propagandists have many writers and academics at their beck and call. This has been true for many millennia, and they have had the ability to destroy most evidence that would disprove their fictions or myths. That is one reason why linguistics and botany or other forensic tools are the best evidences for our effort to present an alternative history. Even when a 99% archaeological certainty that fits facts and established criteria to keep much truth out of the realm of accepted evidence - such as the Roman statue or head found in Mexico - there are those who debunk it or make it seem unimportant.

My personal knowledge of statues at Chichen Itza convinces me there were many Etruscan and Greek artisans at work in Central America. If you ever go there be sure to drop in on the Villas Archaeologique. As you read Heyerdahl in the following quote be cognizant that five separate forensic labs have concurred that cocaine from Peru was part of the diet the mummies of Egypt enjoyed. Balabanova was well aware of the implications of this upon world history. That is why she had all the other labs test her results. Lanning provides artefacts detailing those involved in this trade. These secrets were very important to the potion makers or pharmacists of the ancient world. Hallucinatory drugs probably started the Phoenicians down this road a long time before Egypt. Our artefacts and evidence on stone and bas-reliefs includes the ancient handshake of the Phoenician enterprise that I think Moses and his family benefited from for a very long time.

“Preconceived opinions on the lack of maritime activity in pre-Spanish America have also affected the botanical discussions of the origin of the common garden bean, ‘Phaseolus vulgaris’. Last century K

Trivia Questions And Answers

Writen by Deanna Mascle

Questions:

1. What is the primary language of most residents of Montreal?
A. English
B. French
C. Canadian
D. Montrealese

2. During what century was swimwear revolutionized?
A. The 20th century with the birth of the bikini
B. The 19th century with the transition from swimming as therapy to swimming as recreation
C. 18th century when lead weights were sewn into the hems of bathing suits
D. 4th century when the first two-piece bathing suit was featured

3. When did the Americans get into space?
A. October 1957
B. November 1957
C. December 1957
D. January 1958

4. Most dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with their ears. However, a few breeds have only about 10 expressions. Can you name those breeds?
A. Bulldogs and Pitbulls
B. Labrador and Golden retrievers
C. Poodles and Dachshunds
D. Beagles and Chihuahuas

5. Taily Day is a day-after April Fool’s Day holiday in which country?
A. Scotland
B. France
C. India
D. England

Answers:

1. What is the primary language of most residents of Montreal?
B. French
ATB: The largest city and second largest metropolitan area of Canada, Montr

Presidential Prospects of John Kerry Not Very Merry

Writen by Tom Attea

Although John Kerry was not very merry when he lost his bid for President, he continued to maintain that he deserves a second chance. He might have had one if it weren’t for two very significant obstacles: Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

There is little he can do about the allure of Hillary. Though she’s a member of the party that seems determined to be at odds with the inclinations of most Americans, she might have so much appeal that she can pull off a Presidential win.

But a more significant obstacle for Senator Kerry is the Senator himself. Veteran politico that he is, he seems to have run his own swift boat into the rocks. How could he have allowed himself such an egregious misjudgment as to state before a university audience that anybody who doesn’t study hard could “get stuck in Iraq”?

Oh, he did have the sense to offer an apology, or was persuaded to provide one. But what a lame excuse. He said he misspoke and actually meant to say that such a neglectful student could become a President who gets the nation stuck in Iraq. The circumlocution is so awkward it would only have a place in a very hastily scribbled script and would very likely be misspoken. It matters little.

He gave the Republican lions just the steak they were longing to have tossed to them and they went to work on it ravenously. He also became, in the opinion of many of his fellow Democrats, a candidate with a mild case of leprosy.

Given the inviting choice of Hillary Clinton and his own woeful punch at his own jaw, just how merry can his prospects be for a second run as the Democratic candidate?

Of course, he can always promise to have his mouth wired shut. But it’s hard to imagine a Presidential candidate with such an encumbrance on the campaign trail. At least, he would have a credible excuse for misspeaking.