Thingamabobs And Whatchamadigits

Writen by Tim Knox

Maybe you weren’t aware of it, but one of the requirements of being a good dad is that you must know everything there is to know about everything. Or at least act like you do. And you must always be at the ready to share your vast storehouse of wisdom with your children when they ask, in hopes that they will be able to do a heck of a lot more with it than you have.

Whenever my daughter Chelsea comes to me seeking wisdom and advise, I do my best to steer her in the right direction. She still has all her limbs and a fair number of teeth, so I must be doing something right.

Lately, however, she’s been asking questions that I’m not mentally equipped to answer. Take the other night, for example. She cornered me after dinner and wanted to know what “sectional misconduct” was.

“Sectional misconduct?” I asked with a nervous smile. “Where did you hear that?” Of course I knew what she meant to say, but in my heart there was a small glimmer of hope that she really was curious about the misdeeds of a very large sofa.

She looked up at me with that angelic face and said, “The man on the TV news said the president committed sectional misconduct. What’s that?”

I waffled for a moment, searching for just the right words to say. Then, I did what any good father would do when faced with the fact that his baby girl is growing up and getting wise to the ways of the world. I made something up.

“Sectional misconduct means the President tore the tags off the couch cushions in the Oval Office and now the Sectional Prosecutor wants to put him in jail.”

“D-a-a-a-a-d!” That’s how she said it, like it had 4 a’s. It was clear that she didn’t believe me and I suddenly found myself teetering on the brink of fatherhood failure. Luckily, she gave me the look she inherited from her mother, that “if you had a brain you’d be dangerous” look. I hate that look and she knows it, so I sent her to her room and told her to never watch TV again.

In daddy-daughter terms, this mission was a success, at least until the next day, when she came home from school and said, “Dad, Beth Ann Higginbottom says there’s no such thing as sectional misconduct.”

“That so?”

“Yep. She said it’s sexual misconduct.”

“Well, I’ll be darned.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“What’s sexual misconduct?”

“Go ask your mother. And don’t ever talk to Beth Ann Higginbottom again!”

Call me old fashioned, but I think the explaining of the birds and the bees falls under her mom’s jurisdiction, not mine. Women are just better at that sort of thing. Women can talk about the particulars of sex with a straight face. Men can’t. We giggle and stutter and talk with our hands and make funny sounds. And we’re certainly not comfortable using the anatomically-correct terms for the private parts of the male/female anatomy. That’s why we give our own private parts nicknames like: [insert your own incredibly-exaggerated private part nickname here] and [come on, I know you have one].

No, the explaining of the facts of life to children is not a job for men. We turn into sweating, stuttering, giggling, incoherent idiots. Our children do not need to see their fathers like this. It could scar them for life.

To prove my point, here’s the word-for-word account from that fateful day in 1971 when my dad attempted to explain the birds and bees to me. It was September 12, my eleventh birthday.

“Well, uh, you see son, uh, the man has, uh, you know, this thingamabob, and, the woman has, uh, well, it’s, uh, called, uh, a whatchamadigit I think, and, uh, well, women are built funny, you know, because their bicycles don’t have bars, you know, and they, uh, well, the man and woman, uh, they have dinner first because, well, you know, everybody’s gotta eat sometime, and, uh, then they watch Johnny Carson for awhile and, uh, you know, uh, there’s that thingamabob and that, uh, whatchamadigit, uh, you know, and then, uh, they uh… hey, son, how about them Braves?”

I wasted a perfectly good puberty thinking that the facts of life involved a thingamabob, a whatchamadigit, and the Atlanta Braves. Thanks, dad.

So, what are we parents supposed to do when current events on the evening news cause our children to ask questions we’re not ready to answer? Turn off the TV, you say? Okay. Don’t let her watch the news? I can do that, too. Keep her locked in her room until she’s thirty and feed her through a tiny hole in the door? Brilliant! My problem is solved.

Now, if I can just figure out what to do about Beth Ann Higginbottom.

Unloved In Iraq: George Bush Gets Jilted For Another Shiite

Writen by Tom Attea

It seems that America’s only optimist in regard to Iraq is beginning to feel unloved by the people he hoped to bring freedom and democracy to, much like a distressed lover who has proffered a box of chocolates, only to find that the object of his affections is allergic to chocolate. Or, worse yet, that she prefers the mix of chocolates offered to her by a detested rival.

At a recent meeting with his war cabinet and a number of outside experts, Bush, The Broken-Hearted, actually found his rock solid optimism waver. He admitted that he is not only troubled by the lack of progress in Iraq but frustrated that the Iraqi government and people haven’t show more support for America’s mission there.

And the regrets just keep coming his way. Another record number of exploded Iraqis this week, perpetrated, as usual, by insurgents incensed at our attempt to rescue the country from Sunni tyranny and render it a Shiite bedlam, the nagging anti-American demonstration that Mugtada al-Sadr orchestrated in his neighborhood, the new Iraqi President parting with the US over whose side to be on in Israel’s war against Hezbollah, and, in recent photos from Baghdad, enormously painful portraits of Hassan Nasrallah disgracing its buildings.

Yet the question hangs. Is his finally voiced distress a first indication that he will finally moderate his impractical goals there or just a lull in his blowhard defense of them?

The trouble with withdrawal is, of course, up pops the super Shiite al-Sadr to tie the diplomatic knot with Iran. Then Bush will have to witness, not only lost love, but the object of his amorous hopes marrying his despised rival.

But, after all, what else could be expected? The Shiites of Iraq do have a great deal more in common with the Shiites of Iran, such as their mutually adored medieval faith in a not altogether blameless religion.

While it must be hard for hopeful George to reconcile himself to the shish kabob on which the Iraqis have skewered his affections, it must be a bitter pill of far more effect to know that he is being spurned for love of a loathed rival.

(See this week’s Shreditorial for the third answer in Iraq: not staying or leaving, but staying without dying anymore.)

A French Teacher’s Memories: How to Ride Poetry

Writen by Gabrielle Guichard

I have a confession to make, I do not like poetry very much. As a part of my French teacher’s job was to explain French poetry, I tended to dispose of this part in as few lessons as possible. Of course, year after year, the method proved to be little sensible: the juniors could not understand a course run at university level and I had to explain everything twice.

Usually, when pupils do not understand, they get bored and begin to chat, to conduct experiments on how to fly a paper plane, and many other activities that have little in common with the subject of the lesson.

Once, mine prefered to pretend to be riding a motorbike. Their arms were stretched out in front of them, their hands were clutching the handlebars and they were leaning to right or left, depending on the bend they had to take. It was a ballet, though it was danced by sitting people (and rather monotonous). At least, it was highly rhythmic.

I recognized this rhythme, even if it was the first time I “saw” it. It was Victor Hugo’s verse rhythm. I flipped through my textbook quickly, to find a poem by Victor Hugo (you are sure there is at least one in any French textbook).

“Roar your motorbike to page xx and read in rhythm” I told them.

They read. Thanks to this ride, I was able to show them the significance of the rhythm in Victor Hugo’s poetry. It was not an explanation, but I kept the control of the situation; it was not so bad a result.

Gabrielle Guichard, a French teacher who teaches French online in a Virtual Classroom.

Why I Don’t Like Frederick Wilhelm Viktor Albert of Hohenzollern: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany

Writen by John T Jones, Ph.D.

This morning I popped out of bed as I do every Sunday morning and stuck a cake in the oven. If I were to forget to do this I would be in deep trouble with my thirteen (13) Idaho grandchildren.

While the cake was baking I got into my Sunday clothes for church. My wife and I piled into the pickup (It’s a small Nissan so the locals here call it a “toy.”), scrapped the first ice of the year off the windshield, and drove the 300 yards (276.923 meters) to the church.

The parking lot was empty on the north side of the church but I could see that the cars of church leaders were on the south side parking lot. There could be only one explanation. We were on Daylight Saving Time!

You must remember that we are of the civilized fraction of this country. There is no such thing as Daylight Savings Time in Arizona. The Apaches just won’t allow it. But during the night at exactly 2:00 a.m. it poked its ugly head into Idaho and we were had. You would think there would be some consideration for senior citizens, wouldn’t you?

Well, it’s Frederick Wilhelm Viktor Albert of Hohenzollern: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany’s fault. I read about the Kaiser at: http://www.worldwar1.com/biokais.htm. The first thing I learned was that he was not of “good stock.” Czar Nicholas II was his cousin. Hmmnnn! Queen Victoria was his grandmother and he had plenty of English kings and queens as uncles, aunts, and cousins too. So he could not be trusted.

Clowning around got Wilhelm into World War II. He was playing soldier all the time. I quote the website: “He loved his numerous uniforms and surrounding himself with the elite of German military society.”

He built up a fine army and navy, but he never planned to use this military might. It was the “irrational exuberance” of Austria-Hungary that he failed to control.

He got about a zillion people killed or maimed in World War I. But his main crime of course was enforcing the idea of Daylight Saving Time.

It was a contagious disease too. President Roosevelt called it “War Time” and never turned it off. But it had already spread across the uncivilized world before that.

May I again quote our reference: “Other countries immediately adopted this 1916 action: Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and Tasmania. Nova Scotia and Manitoba adopted it as well, with Britain following suit three weeks later, on May 21, 1916. In 1917, Australia and Newfoundland began saving daylight.”

Who would have thought that of Luxembourg? I stayed there one night and they put me up in the Royal Suite. Such nice folks!

At the time the city-state of Luxembourg was being bombed by a fanatic who may have had royal credentials. I saw the Olympic pool he had bombed. What a mess! I’m sure it was a great-grandson or great-grandnephew of Wilhelm Viktor Albert of Hohenzollern: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

Anyway the bombing stopped and I heard that maybe someone in officialdom said, “You’ve got to stop that!” Actually, I think that the bomber went to Afghanistan to join Osama Bin Laden.

Oh, look at that clock!

We’ve got to be off to churchagain!

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine.

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (wealth-success books / flagpoles)

The Daily Show is a Must See on Comedy Central

Writen by Kaitlin Carruth

Doesn’t it seem that today there is nothing but bleak reports to hear on the news? Watching the news can give you a feeling that the world is coming to an end. Hope can be found on Comedy Central by means of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Comedy Central features stand-up comedians, shows, and movies that are all meant to make you laugh until you can’t breathe. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is one of Comedy Central’s original programs and, in my opinion, a must-see show. The program offers an entertaining way to learn a bit about current news and political events. The following is some of the features that make The Daily Show worth watching.

Anchor Jon Stewart is a Riot. Jon Stewart has had a long background in comedy as a standup comedian and also author of America: A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. He also has appeared in several movies such as Big Daddy and Half Baked (many of his movies are featured on the Comedy Central channel). Jon Stewart is a perfect fit for this comedic show with his great humor and large knowledge of politics.

Headlines that Cover Current Topics in the News. My personal favorite part of the show is where Jon Stewart goes through today’s headlines. In less than five minutes, Jon explains what has been happening most recently in the world while adding a twist of humor. His satirical commentary gives the viewer a chance to laugh about political and current events. Jon Stewart’s headlines are informative and amusing.

Hilarious Election Coverage. The Daily Show’s coverage of the presidential election (known on the show as “Indecision 2004″) not only keeps you informed on the current topics of the election but also pokes a bit of fun at the candidates. As surprising as it is, according to the National Annenberg Election Survey viewers of The Daily Show are more informed about the candidate’s platforms than people who watch television news or read newspapers. While some may want to turn to CNN to get election coverage, it seems that the channel they should really be turning to is Comedy Central.

Interviews with High-Profile Politicians. Another great feature of The Daily Show is its interviews with major political players. Guests on the show include former President Bill Clinton, Senator Ben Nelson, Senator John McCain, Tom Brokaw, Joe Lieberman, and many more. During the election, the show was even able to snag John Kerry to talk about his platform. These interviews give the audience a chance to learn more about the people in politics and their views.

Correspondents that Present In-Depth Reports. Along with anchor Jon Stewart there are a slew of regular correspondents on the Comedy Central show to highlight important events that are going on in the world and also to emphasize the point that the world of politics can sometimes be ridiculous. Regular correspondents include Samantha Bee, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, and Stacey Grenrock-Woods. These correspondents are equally as funny as Jon Stewart while still leaving you something to think about.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central is a great way to get those who are not so keen on politics to all of a sudden get excited to learn more about it (or at least excited to laugh about it). While the program probably shouldn’t replace your regular news watching, it is still a good way to get in a few laughs while still learning something at the same time.

Kaitlin Carruth is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to order Comedy Central and other channels,visit I-Satellite.

From Dynasty to Destiny: Ten Celebrated Inventions of Ancient China

Writen by Jennifer Gibbs

In the last two centuries, new cultural discoveries have nearly rewritten history. It’s been an exciting time, full of adventure and surprises. Around every corner there are new responses to questions we had already imagined answered. And of these breakthroughs, none shines as brightly as the impact of ancient Chinese inventions on modern life. As we explore ten of the greatest inventions and innovations of Ancient China, you may be surprised at their influence on recent technology.

1. Paper. Paper, as we know it, was invented in China around the year 105. After seeing earlier attempts made from silk, bamboo sticks and animal skins, Cai Lun came up with his own idea. After mixing mulberry bark, rags, wheat stalks and other stuff, a pulp formed. This pulp was pressed into sheets and dried, becoming a crude form of paper. Paper was such an important invention that the process of making it was a jealously guarded secret. The secret was safe until the seventh century when the art spread to India.

2. The Printing Press. Before Johann Gutenberg “invented” the printing press in the 1440’s, China created a type of printing press between 206 B.C. and A.D. 45. It was made using stone tablets to create a “rubbing” of famous Buddhist and Confucian texts. Next came block printing in the Sui Dynasty. In block printing, images and words were engraved on wooden boards, smeared with ink and pressed onto sheets of paper. Later, moveable type printing presses were introduced. According to the authors of Ancient Inventions, “By A.D. 1000, paged books in the modern style had replaced scrolls - a good 450 years ahead of Gutenberg.”

3. The First Book. Due to the early advent of the printing press, China also claims the first book. In 868, almost six hundred years before the Gutenberg Bible, the earliest known book was printed. By the end of the Tang dynasty, China had bookstores in almost every city.

4. Paper Money. While today you’d rather carry a lot of cash instead of coin, that hasn’t always been the case. The idea of paper currency was first attempted under Emperor Han Wu-Ti (140-87 B.C.) after war had drained the treasury. He issued treasury notes, worth and in exchange for 400,000 copper coins. Instead of paper, the Emperor used the skin of the white stag. But the creature was so rare that the idea soon lost appeal. In the early 800’s, the idea revived to deter highway robbers. In 812, the government was again printing money. By the year 1023, money had an expiration date and was already plagued by inflation and counterfeiting. Nearly six hundred years later paper money headed west, first printed in Sweden in 1601.

5. The Abacus. Well before Texas Instruments, the first calculator was in the works. The abacus dates from around the year 200 B.C. It is a very advanced tool with a simple design. Wood is crafted into a rectangular frame with rods running from base to top. About 2/3’s from the base, a divider crosses the frame, known as the counting bar. On each of the rods are beads. All of the beads above the counting bar equal five. Those below equal one. The rows of rods are read from right to left. The furthest bar to the right holds the one’s place, the next holds the ten’s place, then the hundred’s, and so on. While its design may sound complex, there are some Chinese today so skilled that they can solve difficult math problems faster than someone using a calculator!

6. The Decimal System. In the West, the decimal system appeared quite recently. Its first believed instance was in a Spanish manuscript dated around 976. But, the first true example goes back much further. In China, an inscription dated from the 13th century B.C., “547 days” was written as “five hundred plus four decades plus seven of days.” The Chinese likely created the decimal system because their language depended on characters (like pictures) instead of an alphabet. Each number had its own unique character. Without the decimal system, the Chinese would have had a terrible time memorizing all of these new characters. By using units of ones, tens, hundreds, etc., the Chinese saved time and trouble.

7. The Mechanical Clock. In the year 732, a Buddhist monk and mathematician invented the first mechanical clock. He named it “Water-Driven Spherical Bird’s-Eye-View Map of the Heavens.” Like earlier clocks, water gave it power, but machinery cased the movement. But, after a few years, corrosion and freezing temperatures took their toll. It wasn’t until 1090, when astronomer Su Sung designed his mechanical marvel “Cosmic Engine”, that a more dependable timepiece was made. Created for Emperor Ying Zong, this clock had a tower over 30 feet tall. It housed machinery that, among other things, caused wooden puppets to pop from one of five doors at regular intervals throughout the day. (Much like the modern idea of a Cuckoo clock.) The entire machine was powered by a giant waterwheel. This clock ran until 1126, when it was dismantled by the conquering Tartars and moved to Peking for another several years. The first clock reference in Western history was in 1335, in the church of St. Gothard in Milan.

8. The Planetarium. A planetarium is a big enclosed space that shows the stars and constellations on the inside. Orbitoscope was the name of the first projection planetarium. It was built in Basil in 1912 by Professor E. Hinderman. But, once again, China is the mother of this invention. The first planetarium is attributed to the design of an early emperor. As one source states, an astronomer named Jamaluddin created a planetarium during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), along with a perpetual calendar and other important astronomical devices.

9. The Earthquake Sensor. The earliest earthquake sensor was also an interesting piece of art. It was a bronze cylinder about 8 feet around, with 8 dragons perched above 8 open-mouthed frogs. In the mouth of each dragon rested a bronze ball. When an earthquake struck, a pendulum inside the cylinder would swing. It knocked the ball from the mouth of the dragon and down into the frog’s mouth. That frog’s back was then facing the direction of the center of the quake. Chang Heng invented it in A.D. 132 (during the Han Dynasty), almost 600 years before the first western sensor was made in France. Later, in 1939, Imamura Akitsune recreated the invention and actually proved it effective.

10. The Helicopter Rotor & Propeller. While the Ancient Chinese didn’t actually invent the helicopter, they were involved in its creation. In the 4th century A.D., they invented a toy called the “Bamboo Dragonfly”. You’ve probably seen them as prizes at local fairs or carnivals. It was a toy top, with a base like a pencil and a small helicopter-like blade at the end. The top was wrapped with a cord. When you pulled the cord, the blade would spin around and soar into the air. This toy was studied by Sir George Cayley in 1809 and played a role in the birth of modern aviation. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the first helicopter took flight.

It is sometimes a mind blowing thing to realize that what seemed to be modern ideas or inventions are much older than we’d imagined. And it’s likely that there are more inventions to be discovered. More historical changes to be made. In the conclusion of The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2,000 Years, Jared Diamond summed it up well while referring to the changing view of history and its inventors, “So, forget those stories about genius inventors who perceived a need of society, solved it single-handedly, and thereby transformed the world. There has never been such a genius..If Gutenberg hadn’t devised the better alloys and inks used in early printing, some other contemporary tinkerer with metals and oils would have done sodo give Gutenberg some of the credit—but not too much.”

Questions:

1. Choose one of the inventions mentioned. Explain how different the world would be if it hadn’t been invented.

2. Why do you think there was such a large space of time between the Eastern and Western dates of invention?

3. What are two other inventions that came from ancient China? Research and find out when the idea was introduced to Western culture.

Jennifer Gibbs is a successful freelance writer who lives in South Georgia with her husband and son. If you’re on the lookout for fresh, custom content for your website or publication, be sure to check out her website at, http://www.jennifergibbs.com!

Bureaucracy in Peru!

Writen by Alan Woods

This article is from the pen of a New Zealander currently living in Lima, Peru.

I have never experienced anything like this!

This is not the first developing country I have ever lived in, The situation here is chaotic and that is being kind!

Lesson # 1. In Peru you must wait, don’t expect anything in a hurry!

You will wait in line to enter the Hospital to visit your loved-ones, make sure you have the required documents that the hospital security demands or you will be refused entry. I have seen first hand a man in a wheelchair turn up for treatment only to be refused entry. The man’s relative had to go to the security station and summon a hospital nurse to persuade the officer to allow entry for treatment!

Lesson # 2. In Peru you must accept the word No!

Lets go to the Italian Institute of Culture. It’s 7:30am Monday Morning and you are in the line. You are number 12 by your calculation, that’s good as there are only twenty tickets given out! A Security officer appears and tells everyone that no one is in attendance today, come back tomorrow. There is No ADMITTANCE TODAY, never mind that you have been waiting in line since 5:00am!

This goes on day after day. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the three mornings of attendance!

Lesson # 3. In Peru be prepared to pay bribes!

You are at immigration; you arrive at 10:am in the morning. You are in the line to revalidate your passport. The security officer approaches, checks your form is filled out correctly, that you have all the photocopies required and of course your passport and D.N.I (national identity card). Then he offers you his service,

“Want to skip the line and go straight to the bank to pay for your revalidation, only ten soles”. This will save you thirty minutes to an hour of wait time. So you take the offer.

Now that you have paid your revalidation fee, you find yourself in the line to get your photo taken. Another security officer approaches, Then surprise, surprise he offers you his service,

“Want to skip the line and go straight to get your photo taken, only ten soles” This will save you another one to two hours of wait time! So you take the offer and get your photo taken. Then you proceed to hand everything in and wait the hour for processing!

All done in two hours and it could have taken four to five hours!

Lesson # 4. Take all information with a grain of salt!

I am sure that the Government departments change the rules every day just to add to the confusion! When a Government employee gives you miss-information you have no right for review. The Department is always right even when it is wrong! Don’t expect any compassion, understanding or apology here!

Lesson # 5. You must pay with your money and your time!

Obtaining a single certificate, Police certificate, Judicial Certificate etc, will cost up to fifty soles for each certificate and then there are the legalisation stamps from the various departments. Each stamp will cost you up to fifty soles and some certificates will require three or four of these!

OK, you apply for your certificate, then go to the Bank of the Nation to pay for it.

You won’t find a cashier at any Government Department!

Then you go back with your bank receipt. Your certificate will be ready for pick up in the next day or two!

Once you obtain your certificate it will take around a week to get it stamped. You have to visit each stamping department and this kills your time and is very frustrating!

Remember that Government Departments only receive on a part-time basis!

In Summary.

Peru has a lot of nice people; their democracy does not promote civil liberties, but rather controls how things are done. This is a poor nation; A large part of this has to do with the Government and its corruption. Ministers constantly say there is no money for this need or that need. The reason for this is simple; Government officials are busy lining their own pockets with public money! The Peruvian Government maintains the nations level of poverty very well. I believe that if the Government cleaned up its act, Peru could and would do a lot better. Peru has a lot to offer the world, If only the Government would play an active and appropriate part!

Why should the poor have to suffer? THIS IS NOT THEIR FAULT!

DOES ANY WANT TO START A REVOLUTION?

About The Author

The Author is Alan Woods. He is a Professional Tarot Card Consultant, IT Conslutant and published poet. Alan Has over ten years experience in each of these fields and has travelled extensively in the course of his work. Alan works in these areas of expertise for Maria Angelica Ortiz Enterprises. Please check out the website: www.mariaortizenterprises.com

contact@mariaortizenterprises.com

Obstacles to a Benevolent New Middle East are Not Insurmountable

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many believe that the benevolent Middle East is an impossible pipe dream due to its long history spanning some 5 thousand years and therefore highly unlikely if not totally impossible. In fact they will often cite all the barriers in fundamentalism or insurmountable problems to overcome.

Many say that it is beyond hope to take a large population of the billion people throughout a very large region and bring them into the first world status of all the first world countries. And they debate definitely not in this present period stating it will take many more generations and each attempt which fails leads to another generation of hate and animosity for the next future period.

Many people blame the issues with fundamentalism in religion and indeed this is a huge factor however there is a large group of moderates Islamics and Muslims in Middle East who indeed are interested in change. And in the program to bring her Middle East and all people of Muslim origin forward for a brighter tomorrow many see increasing tension and do not feel any sense of forward progression.

However if you look at some of the nations in the Middle East we have seen change and for the most part a forward progression for mankind as a whole. Not in all areas, but in enough regions to say indeed there has been much progress in the last 50-years. Now then in looking back, perhaps we can see change over a longer span and should therefore not be so hasty to chock off the current progress as not being positive. Change of this magnitude takes time and it behooves us to allow for some patience in these Middle Eastern matters.

Lance Winslow

The American Melting Pot Myth

Writen by Robert Baird

Most myths have some element of truth in them. The ‘melting pot’ that media of all sorts (which includes our propaganda in law and education) tell us became America, is another of the half-truths or superficial observations which deserves a little study if we are to accept the deeper potential meaning in it. John Hope Franklin of Duke University is a respected Black scholar who says some powerful words after pointing out the kind of thing that media managers or manipulators galore have said about the open-minded American with no reason to bring prejudices to this new and exciting land of opportunity. I would point out that it was not so new and historians like himself have participated in a cover-up but let us see what this man has to say about the ‘melting pot’.

People do not generally like to find out that they have ‘bastards’ in their family tree and the woodpiles of America created a lot of ‘bastards’. My father used to tell us about the Virginia legislature and legislation proposed that would make anyone with any black blood not able to sit and participate in it. This was the early 1950s not the 1850s. One legislator did the research that most Americans will not even do about their own family. He did not get more than half way through exposing every member of the legislature for their mulatto blood when the others were all in an uproar and clamoring that he must b silenced.

“This was one of the earliest expressions of the notion that the process of Americanization involved the creation of an entirely new mode of life that would replace the ethnic backgrounds of those who were a part of the process. It contained some imprecisions and inaccuracies that would, in time, became {become?} a part of the lore or myth of the vaunted melting pot and would grossly misrepresent the crucial factor of ethnicity in American life. It ignored the tenacity with which the Pennsylvania Dutch held onto their language, religion, and way of life. It over-looked the way in which the Swedes of New Jersey remained Swedes and the manner in which the French Huguenots of New York and Charleston held onto their own past as though it was the source of all light and life. It described a process that in a distant day would gag at the notion that Irish Catholics could be assimilated on the broad lap of Alma Mater or that Asians could be seated on the basis of equality at the table of the Great American Feast.” (8)

Needless to say he also addresses the matter of black emancipation and those who were ‘already in the country’ though I do not think he was referring to the blacks who were here long before Columbus. In fact there was no race that had not been coming to America since before the time of Christ. Genetics is indeed a powerful tool used in court to free innocent victims of our justice system but so far our history is still allowing lies to victimize our cultural perspectives or myths. It is important that we act as if there is no race except the human race.

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest writer for World-Mysteries.com

Astrologers Just Plain Stupid?

Writen by Adrian Fourie

We live at an interesting time of scientific knowledge. Scientists say that you cannot gain an advantage over the Casino, since the odds are stacked against you. Scientists also say that Astrology does not seem feasible, since it does not fit in with known scientific laws. However, it is estimated that approximately 100 million people in the world either follow Astrology or see that there is some truth in it.

Are all these people gullible or stupid? Do people just follow something in their millions, century after century, if there is nothing there? Are humans really this fickle, or is it because each of them has had personal experiences or discoveries that have made them see that something very real and valid is going on? Avoid being too fickle yourself when answering this question!

Why this is an interesting time is because of this disparity in scientific and common knowledge. One day, probably in the not-too-distant future, when science has begun to unravel the causes and effects of Astrology in more detail, several areas of life will change form or lose their appeal. Can you imagine a world where Insurance companies would work out your motor vehicle premiums based on how accident-prone your birth-chart was? Or where police would be able to short-list you with regards to having committed a crime on a specific date? Or where employers would first look at your Astrological compatibility with the existing staff-members? Or where mothers would choose the time of their child’s Caesarian birth so as to avoid a Scorpio moon, a Saturn opposition or whatever? Can you imagine a world of Astrological discrimination? Are you beginning to appreciate why Astrology is known as ’secret’ or ‘hidden’ knowledge? Why it is ‘protected’? Why you can argue with someone or spell it out to them until you are blue in the face, and they still won’t see it? They are not thick. They are just excluded.

Astrology is a gift. It ‘forces open’ your Third Eye. Certain aspects in a person’s natal chart, especially to or from Mercury and Uranus, enable (or permit) them to see its truth. For the rest, it is simply blocked. They just don’t get it, or are not interested. They cannot, or may not, take advantage of the influences affecting their lives. Without a doubt, there are times which are favorable for one to undertake various tasks or activities, and times when it is extremely unadvisable to undertake these same activities. The sterile world of scientists, insurance companies, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, and… yes, casinos, is still mostly unaware of these hugely deterministic influences that affect our lives and fortunes.

Thank goodness! Would you rather be one of the first people to take advantage of a gold rush, or only get in when the millions in their hordes were frantically trying to make their fortunes? Be grateful for your your knowledge, your ‘gift’, and things as they stand. Take advantage of esoteric knowledge, before it becomes common knowledge.

http://www.luckydays.tv

About The Author

27 years habitual gambler, studied astrology for 15 years and believes he has found a way to predict lucky days based on planetary transit shapes.