Monday, May 2, 2011
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Why we should all support Ron Paul's "Audit the Fed" legislation
This topic is very near & dear to my heart. Transparency at the deepest levels of government is critical for a functional Republic to remain as such.
Call, write, email, or visit your Senator today. Ask them to support S.604 if they value taxpayer dollars.
At its most basic function, an audit of the Federal Reserve would give the American people a long overdue look at where our dollar is lent, who holds our debts, who buys a stake in our nation, and well, who the heck is pulling our strings.
For virtually all Federal programs, Congressional oversight is mandatory. The American people, through their locally elected Representatives, have a right to review and make public how and where our money is spent.
But for too long, the Federal Reserve has been able to operate in secrecy with near zero accountability. We cannot accept this to continue. We must have a full audit of OUR money!
Call, write, email, or visit your Senator today. Ask them to support S.604 if they value taxpayer dollars.
At its most basic function, an audit of the Federal Reserve would give the American people a long overdue look at where our dollar is lent, who holds our debts, who buys a stake in our nation, and well, who the heck is pulling our strings.
For virtually all Federal programs, Congressional oversight is mandatory. The American people, through their locally elected Representatives, have a right to review and make public how and where our money is spent.
But for too long, the Federal Reserve has been able to operate in secrecy with near zero accountability. We cannot accept this to continue. We must have a full audit of OUR money!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Blogo Heene?
Am I the only one who thinks of disgraced ex-Gov Rod Blagojevich when I see or hear the balloon hoaxer Richard Heene? Maybe it's the big hair, self delusion, and erratic behavior...
Which one is Blago?
Which one is Blago?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The world will end on Dec 21, 2012
Have you seen the promos and trailers for the upcoming Sony Pictures movie "2012"?
Are you worried that the world is going to end on Dec 21, 2012?
Were you also worried that the world was going to end on Dec 31, 2000?
Yeah, crazy calendar dates are a tricky thing. So where does 2012 come from? And why Dec 21? To begin to answer those questions, I'll need to start you off with a story. Actually, an allegory.
Here's a synopsis of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave":
That's going to make more sense in a little bit. Think of the shadows on the wall as celestial constellations. Ancient people believed these to be gods that help us humans divine some meaning to our lives.
We were, over centuries, observant enough to recognize that twelve main constellations dominate our night sky (in the northern hemisphere). And we recognized that these constellations appear to "travel" across the sky over long periods of years. We gave each period of time a designation of "age" that roughly works out to around 2162 years. And we even calculated that constellations would "rise" and "fall" relative to each other over these periods of time (ages).
We personified these constellations. And we often deified them. We used them as the basis to develop measurements of time and calendars. What we did not know until very recently is that it was the earth that moved, not the constellations (relatively speaking). It was the earth that revolved around the sun, not the other way around.
But the damage was done. We have a daily clock broken into two 12-hr cycles (one rising in daylight and one declining in daylight). We have a 12 month calendar broken into 4 seasons (the first two rising in daylight and the last two declining daylight). And major religions are rife with illusions to "12", like 12 disciples of Christ and 12 tribes of Israel.
If you ever read the Bible cover to cover and then see a picture of a zodiac, you'll also see other odd similarities. You'll see Bulls, Rams, Fish, Twins, Scales, Water Bearers, Scorpions, and all sorts of other things. And you'll see these images match key time periods in the Bible. If you really know your stuff, you'll even recognize parallels with the description of each of the 12 disciples with that of the characteristics of each constellation in the zodiac.
Now think back early parts of the Bible with references to twins or duality, specifically Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel. Jump ahead to Abraham and consistent imagery of the Bull. Or Moses through the time of Christ with imagery of the sheep/ram. During Jesus's time in the New Testament, much talk was given about Fish. And he warns his disciples to be on the lookout for the one who will follow Jesus - a man will pour out water (Water Bearer).
The progression of Adam & Eve (Twins/Gemeni) to Abraham (Bull/Taurus) to Moses (Ram/Aries) to Jesus (Fish/Pisces) and to the "Second Coming" (Water Bearer/Aquarius) is a pretty clear reference to the constellation pattern in the zodiac. And a few slots down the line we have Libra, or the scales... this is often considered by western culture to be the age of judgment.
Well, that's all a nice way of tying a religion to celestial events. This is going to still rest on a matter of faith, because no one really knows if these references were inserted at a time after the original scriptures were written, or if these scriptures were complete fabrications altogether. What we do know is that these religions were tied to a belief that the earth is young and we're nearing the end of the cycle of ages.
- - - - - -
What does this have to do with the world ending on Dec 21, 2012?
Nothing. And Everything. The Mayans had a celestial calendar that restarts on Dec 21, 2012. Based on their observations and interpretations of the shapes in the night sky, they view the transition from what western cultures call Pisces to Aquarius as the end of their calendar. Western cultures typically designate an end to their calendar during the Libra age.
Incidentally, western cultures pick up a new celestial cycle with Virgo (virgin, virgin mother with child).
- - - - - -
I guess the bigger question is, why do the Mayans want to destroy the world and how did Europeans get it all so wrong!?!
To answer that, first consider what happens at the end of every day. It's already dark and the clock strikes midnight. Uh oh. But wait, we're now approaching 1am. And then the day begins and it gets brighter and brighter... Or its December 31 at 11:59pm. Jeez, better crawl into the bomb shelter, right? Nope, we just start over again on January 1.
And that's exactly what will happen with the Mayan calendar. It just starts over.
Now I know, it isn't as fun to say the sky won't fall. That's so boring! The thought of the world ending just sends people into a wingbat frenzy as they go to buy batteries and flashlights and all sorts of things that would supposedly help them if the world were to explode. In fact, I should start selling canned goods, ham radios, and bomb shelter kits. I could make millions.
- - - - - -
Okay, so now you get the whole general calendar concept thing. I bet you've still got a nagging question about the particular date of Dec 21. Why not Dec 31? Well, let's go back to our annual cycle and see what happens.
Every year around Dec 21, the Sun reaches its lowest peak point on the horizon. This is considered the "death" of the sun. For the following three days, the sun remains fixed at this low point. After this period of time, on Dec 25, the sun begins to rise again. This is considered the "birth" of the sun. (Comparisons to Christmas should be made... Dec 25 was an ancient holiday which celebrated the "sun" god. Early Christians took cover in this holiday so that they could worship the birth of Jesus without being executed).
So back to the Mayans... In the year 2012, the twelfth age of their celestial calendar ends marked by the lowest point of the sun during that particular year. Hence Dec 21, 2012 (12/21/2012) is the "end" of the Mayan world. However, on Dec 25, 2012, a new world is born.
I would not be at all surprised if the upcoming "2012" movie infuses Christian imagery by ending the worldwide destruction on Christmas day. Oops, that could be a spoiler alert.
Bonus points for the first person to recognize the brief shot of a symbol as the homepage loads for 2012 (site).
- - - - - -
Well that's all for now. I've got to go back to digging my "end of the world" shelter.
- Jim
Are you worried that the world is going to end on Dec 21, 2012?
Were you also worried that the world was going to end on Dec 31, 2000?
Yeah, crazy calendar dates are a tricky thing. So where does 2012 come from? And why Dec 21? To begin to answer those questions, I'll need to start you off with a story. Actually, an allegory.
Here's a synopsis of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave":
Plato imagines a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. 1
That's going to make more sense in a little bit. Think of the shadows on the wall as celestial constellations. Ancient people believed these to be gods that help us humans divine some meaning to our lives.
We were, over centuries, observant enough to recognize that twelve main constellations dominate our night sky (in the northern hemisphere). And we recognized that these constellations appear to "travel" across the sky over long periods of years. We gave each period of time a designation of "age" that roughly works out to around 2162 years. And we even calculated that constellations would "rise" and "fall" relative to each other over these periods of time (ages).We personified these constellations. And we often deified them. We used them as the basis to develop measurements of time and calendars. What we did not know until very recently is that it was the earth that moved, not the constellations (relatively speaking). It was the earth that revolved around the sun, not the other way around.
But the damage was done. We have a daily clock broken into two 12-hr cycles (one rising in daylight and one declining in daylight). We have a 12 month calendar broken into 4 seasons (the first two rising in daylight and the last two declining daylight). And major religions are rife with illusions to "12", like 12 disciples of Christ and 12 tribes of Israel.
If you ever read the Bible cover to cover and then see a picture of a zodiac, you'll also see other odd similarities. You'll see Bulls, Rams, Fish, Twins, Scales, Water Bearers, Scorpions, and all sorts of other things. And you'll see these images match key time periods in the Bible. If you really know your stuff, you'll even recognize parallels with the description of each of the 12 disciples with that of the characteristics of each constellation in the zodiac.
Now think back early parts of the Bible with references to twins or duality, specifically Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel. Jump ahead to Abraham and consistent imagery of the Bull. Or Moses through the time of Christ with imagery of the sheep/ram. During Jesus's time in the New Testament, much talk was given about Fish. And he warns his disciples to be on the lookout for the one who will follow Jesus - a man will pour out water (Water Bearer).
The progression of Adam & Eve (Twins/Gemeni) to Abraham (Bull/Taurus) to Moses (Ram/Aries) to Jesus (Fish/Pisces) and to the "Second Coming" (Water Bearer/Aquarius) is a pretty clear reference to the constellation pattern in the zodiac. And a few slots down the line we have Libra, or the scales... this is often considered by western culture to be the age of judgment.Well, that's all a nice way of tying a religion to celestial events. This is going to still rest on a matter of faith, because no one really knows if these references were inserted at a time after the original scriptures were written, or if these scriptures were complete fabrications altogether. What we do know is that these religions were tied to a belief that the earth is young and we're nearing the end of the cycle of ages.
- - - - - -
What does this have to do with the world ending on Dec 21, 2012?
Nothing. And Everything. The Mayans had a celestial calendar that restarts on Dec 21, 2012. Based on their observations and interpretations of the shapes in the night sky, they view the transition from what western cultures call Pisces to Aquarius as the end of their calendar. Western cultures typically designate an end to their calendar during the Libra age.
Incidentally, western cultures pick up a new celestial cycle with Virgo (virgin, virgin mother with child).
- - - - - -
I guess the bigger question is, why do the Mayans want to destroy the world and how did Europeans get it all so wrong!?!
To answer that, first consider what happens at the end of every day. It's already dark and the clock strikes midnight. Uh oh. But wait, we're now approaching 1am. And then the day begins and it gets brighter and brighter... Or its December 31 at 11:59pm. Jeez, better crawl into the bomb shelter, right? Nope, we just start over again on January 1.
And that's exactly what will happen with the Mayan calendar. It just starts over.
Now I know, it isn't as fun to say the sky won't fall. That's so boring! The thought of the world ending just sends people into a wingbat frenzy as they go to buy batteries and flashlights and all sorts of things that would supposedly help them if the world were to explode. In fact, I should start selling canned goods, ham radios, and bomb shelter kits. I could make millions.
- - - - - -
Okay, so now you get the whole general calendar concept thing. I bet you've still got a nagging question about the particular date of Dec 21. Why not Dec 31? Well, let's go back to our annual cycle and see what happens.
Every year around Dec 21, the Sun reaches its lowest peak point on the horizon. This is considered the "death" of the sun. For the following three days, the sun remains fixed at this low point. After this period of time, on Dec 25, the sun begins to rise again. This is considered the "birth" of the sun. (Comparisons to Christmas should be made... Dec 25 was an ancient holiday which celebrated the "sun" god. Early Christians took cover in this holiday so that they could worship the birth of Jesus without being executed).
So back to the Mayans... In the year 2012, the twelfth age of their celestial calendar ends marked by the lowest point of the sun during that particular year. Hence Dec 21, 2012 (12/21/2012) is the "end" of the Mayan world. However, on Dec 25, 2012, a new world is born.
I would not be at all surprised if the upcoming "2012" movie infuses Christian imagery by ending the worldwide destruction on Christmas day. Oops, that could be a spoiler alert.
Bonus points for the first person to recognize the brief shot of a symbol as the homepage loads for 2012 (site).
- - - - - -
Well that's all for now. I've got to go back to digging my "end of the world" shelter.
- Jim
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Media Diversity
I'm watching Glenn Beck's show on Fox right now... I have to chuckle a bit about Beck's freak out over moves by the FCC to diversify media. He views having more owners of media outlets as a consolidation of media by Obama and other "minorities."
Personally, I have felt that corporate media is generally a bad thing. GE, Turner, and Murdoch control virtually the entire media apparatus in our nation. The FCC proposes to breakup the ownership of media in America so that you cannot have one man or company own multiple media outlets in multiple markets.
The FCC would also like to restore journalism to the broadcasting standards prior to the 1980's. In the past, news programs required a balanced discussion so that the viewer was presented with both sides of an issue. News programs were also hosted by journalists - not the glitzy commentators that feed modern day propaganda.
Imagine watching MSNBC and instead of lopsided segments run by Keith Olberman, you'd have a real news anchor in the mold of Chronkite presenting facts without bias or spin.
But I guess that wouldn't be as entertaining as watching Glenn Beck. And I guess that's the point. Media has become a product and is rewarded by appealing to our worst characteristics.
Ted Turner owns CNN, Headline News, Time Magazine, AOL, TBS, etc etc. Rupert Murdoch owns Fox News, Fox, Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, New York Post, etc etc. I would love to see GE break up it's NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC units away from each other and away from the parent conglomerate.
A healthy Republic demands a free media. When I say free media, I do not mean a media owned by three people who can craft the message for 300 million.
The day that media is free from control by a corporate oligopoly will be a great day for America.
Personally, I have felt that corporate media is generally a bad thing. GE, Turner, and Murdoch control virtually the entire media apparatus in our nation. The FCC proposes to breakup the ownership of media in America so that you cannot have one man or company own multiple media outlets in multiple markets.
The FCC would also like to restore journalism to the broadcasting standards prior to the 1980's. In the past, news programs required a balanced discussion so that the viewer was presented with both sides of an issue. News programs were also hosted by journalists - not the glitzy commentators that feed modern day propaganda.
Imagine watching MSNBC and instead of lopsided segments run by Keith Olberman, you'd have a real news anchor in the mold of Chronkite presenting facts without bias or spin.
But I guess that wouldn't be as entertaining as watching Glenn Beck. And I guess that's the point. Media has become a product and is rewarded by appealing to our worst characteristics.
Ted Turner owns CNN, Headline News, Time Magazine, AOL, TBS, etc etc. Rupert Murdoch owns Fox News, Fox, Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, New York Post, etc etc. I would love to see GE break up it's NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC units away from each other and away from the parent conglomerate.
A healthy Republic demands a free media. When I say free media, I do not mean a media owned by three people who can craft the message for 300 million.
The day that media is free from control by a corporate oligopoly will be a great day for America.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Devolution of the Republican Party
It saddens me to see a mighty elephant flailing around. While there are many issues in which I completely disagree with the GOP, I can always say the same for the Dems.
My view of a vibrant Republic depends on strong, intelligent factions working to balance the power of competing interests in a constructive way. Unfortunately what we have with the modern day GOP is a unified mouthpiece of downright crazy distortions and dangerous ideas.
This is the party that arrogantly waved the "Country First" banner just last year, but has stopped at nothing to derail policies and destroy individuals for pure politics - the country be damned.
This is the same party that flooded evangelical churches with flag pins and yellow ribbons and other token trinkets of disengenious patriotism. "Only 'good white Christians' love America", they said with a smirk and wink. All while driving SUVs as they send someone else's kids off to die for oil and war profits.
This is the same party that is now so transparently concerned with deficits and expansion of government power with the recent memory of a rubber stamped USA Patriot Act, creation of the Dept of Homeland Security, the nationalization of airport security, and the whole sale bailouts of insurance and airline companies following 9/11.
Let's not soon forget their grossly perverted interpretations of the Constitution to justify domestic spying, death squads, mercenary forces patroling US cities, indefinate dentention facilities, torture of Americans and POWs alike, naked war profiteering for companies once run by the Bush family, Cheney, or Rumsfeld, and countless other atrocities that I pray history will soon lay bare.
This is the same party that dismantled financial regulations that were installed to keep the country safe from another Great Depression, only to put this country on the brink of financial collapse before the term of their president was even through.
This is the same party that rails on about the need to reverse the deficit as they pass glutonous tax breaks that go almost exclusively to the very rich. These tax breaks are passed even as we engage in two wars. The result was a doubling of the national debt.
So to the GOP, stop this complete nonsense about "not seeing a birth certificate." You're friggin retarded if you simply refuse to look at the stamped/signed copies provided by the state of Hawaii for distribution to the media. Stop trying to destory the president personally to score political points. What about trying to help this country? What about trying to bring new ideas to the table? What about appealing to our better angels?
My view of a vibrant Republic depends on strong, intelligent factions working to balance the power of competing interests in a constructive way. Unfortunately what we have with the modern day GOP is a unified mouthpiece of downright crazy distortions and dangerous ideas.
This is the party that arrogantly waved the "Country First" banner just last year, but has stopped at nothing to derail policies and destroy individuals for pure politics - the country be damned.
This is the same party that flooded evangelical churches with flag pins and yellow ribbons and other token trinkets of disengenious patriotism. "Only 'good white Christians' love America", they said with a smirk and wink. All while driving SUVs as they send someone else's kids off to die for oil and war profits.
This is the same party that is now so transparently concerned with deficits and expansion of government power with the recent memory of a rubber stamped USA Patriot Act, creation of the Dept of Homeland Security, the nationalization of airport security, and the whole sale bailouts of insurance and airline companies following 9/11.
Let's not soon forget their grossly perverted interpretations of the Constitution to justify domestic spying, death squads, mercenary forces patroling US cities, indefinate dentention facilities, torture of Americans and POWs alike, naked war profiteering for companies once run by the Bush family, Cheney, or Rumsfeld, and countless other atrocities that I pray history will soon lay bare.
This is the same party that dismantled financial regulations that were installed to keep the country safe from another Great Depression, only to put this country on the brink of financial collapse before the term of their president was even through.
This is the same party that rails on about the need to reverse the deficit as they pass glutonous tax breaks that go almost exclusively to the very rich. These tax breaks are passed even as we engage in two wars. The result was a doubling of the national debt.
So to the GOP, stop this complete nonsense about "not seeing a birth certificate." You're friggin retarded if you simply refuse to look at the stamped/signed copies provided by the state of Hawaii for distribution to the media. Stop trying to destory the president personally to score political points. What about trying to help this country? What about trying to bring new ideas to the table? What about appealing to our better angels?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tech Stocks to Watch
To continue with my series on tech stocks, I'd like to include some larger companies that - in my opinion - belong in the tech portfolio of any good investor.
I'm providing this analysis as a general summary of each company and I do not give advice on the exact timing and pps for an entry point. This is part of my DD for the investors in my own company - you must do your own due diligence. As always, read the stock disclaimer before anything else.
Amazon - Buy
Google - Buy
AMD - Buy
eBay - Buy
HP - Buy
Dell - Buy
Apple - Neutral
IBM - Neutral
Oracle - Neutral
Cisco - Neutral
Yahoo - Hold (short), Sell (long)
Microsoft - Hold (short), Sell (long)
Sun - Sell
Next: Amazon »
I'm providing this analysis as a general summary of each company and I do not give advice on the exact timing and pps for an entry point. This is part of my DD for the investors in my own company - you must do your own due diligence. As always, read the stock disclaimer before anything else.
Amazon - Buy
Google - Buy
AMD - Buy
eBay - Buy
HP - Buy
Dell - Buy
Apple - Neutral
IBM - Neutral
Oracle - Neutral
Cisco - Neutral
Yahoo - Hold (short), Sell (long)
Microsoft - Hold (short), Sell (long)
Sun - Sell
Next: Amazon »
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