A Dinner with Friends

Hi all. Just got back from a dinner with some friends. Two couples and myself. I was the youngest in the room. LOL. Don't get to say that often anymore. The dinner was arranged by my friend because his wife wanted to meet me. Why anyone would wish to meet me is beyond; but, some do. So there.

We went to a great restaurant, had a nice meel and talked. We did not talk about football, celebrities, the latest tragedy, our injuries or personal relationships. We talked about the world. It is nice to have an old fashioned intelligent conversation with adults. I would have preferred to have a date myself; but, that was not to be.

The gentleman whose wife wanted to meet me is a businessman. He has sat on many boards for many companies and organizations. Even sits on the Board of a University. I know some interesting people. I tend to be differant than most of the people they know.

Anyways, I had accurately predicted when certain things would happen in the economy in advance and I was time specific. I did not tell many people; but, I had told this gentleman. He was surprised by my accuracy. He continued to be surprised as I continued to be accurate.

Well, his wife wanted to know some things that were going on in the economy and what my thoughts were on the matter. We talked about the economy, politics and religion for three hours. Now the two of them know a lot of "important" and "influential" people. I asked them if they spoke to their friends about such things and they said that their friends were not interested in such things only chasing the next cookie.

The people that used to rule are no longer ruling. The people that ran business and influenced local events are no longer in charge and are quite confused. One third of this countries millionaires are no longer millionaires. They are quite confused. They are trying to figure out how to keep what they had. That is what these two saw in thier friends.

Many wealthy people see what is going and consider leaving the country. Can't take the money with you. Not an option. If they did leave, it would not matter. Things are the same all over. At present nobody knows who is next to get it. GM did not think they would ever get it, Goldman Sachs never thought their power and influence would be insufficient. LOL. Kiddies, this is not the past, there is a new set of rules and the old alliances no longer serve a purpose.

Those who have nothing to lose are not as concerned as those who do by the changed nature of our world. This is a time for courage and commitment to morals. That is the only thing that will allow one to go through this time and remain them.

The United States government has convinced the Swiss banks to give up information on people who are hiding money there. This is money that will be turned over to the Federal government. You are only allowed to take a certain amount of money out of the country. Most countries have such limits. Sophia Loren and her husband went to jail for trying to take their money out of Italy a number of years ago.

Well we talked about economics and business and where the country is headed. All of us are Christians. Towards the end of the night, the man's wife asked me about God and my thoughts on the matter. She asked how God could be all powerful and good at the same time.

The question is a variation on something many people ask. How can bad things happen if there is a good God. My answer always begins the same way, "Where does it say that life on earth is club Med? If one believes in God, one must ask why we suffer. I will simplify, why are we here at all, why don't we just appear in heaven?

This is a place of learning in my opinion, eternity is long and stagnation is boring. If we look around us we can see what things lead to growth, friction, water, manure, challenge. A good parent disciplines their child when they hit their sister. They show them why it is wrong. This is not Club Med. A good parent does not feed their child only candy, the child may not like vegtables; but, needs them.

Most people do not like my answer, they just want eternal vacation. They want to blackmail God into giving them a life of liesure and luxury. "I won't believe in you unless I get cookies". Just like a kid. We are kids till we decide to become teenagers.

Children need to learn to be responsible. They need to learn to respect one another. Only then can they be trusted outdoors by themselves. Learning is work, it is not playtime. We are accountable for our jobs. If we are to do our jobs well, if we are to refuse to lie, cheat or steal then we must define ourselves by something greater, the things we believe in, our morals. Candy does not lead to morals.

Whatever gets us the cookie is what we want to believe in. This is a mistake, we then give up our free will and will do what it takes to chase the cookie. We want to justify it by saying we didn't grow up, we didn't understand; but, we choose to not grow up or understand so we deceive ourselves.

I studied abnormal psych and took a class on Serial Killers with one of the foremost experts in college. My fascination was not with their activities, it was with how they justified their actions. That is fascinating. How does one become so self centered that other people's pain and anguish is an amusement?

There are two types of serial killers, psychopaths and sociopaths. They are not the same. Psychopaths lack conscience and empathy. They simply only care about themselves. They do not deceive themselves about what they are. They want what they want and will manipulate people to get it.

Sociopaths, in my opinion, are differant. They justify what they do to themselves. These may not be clinical definitions; but, they work as moral ones. Two sides of the same coin. One does not bother justifying, the other does. Sociopaths are around us all, they justify their action as being for a greater or more important good, usually theirs. They will say that everyone does it or that they are entitled. A psychopath just doesn't care.

Some will say these conditions are medical, chemical, biological or just that some people are asses. I disagree, they are conscious decisions. If you were to interview them you would find they are aware of what they are doing. Insane people are delusional, they do not view the world as it is, they cannot handle living in this world so they go delusional into a world that they can accept.

Psychopaths, using my definition, are fairly rare. Both are difficult to deal with; however, sociopaths are easier. They have some humanity left in them. Psychopaths just don't care. Oh, by the way, I am eating some candy tonight. There is nothing wrong with candy, failure to control our urge to eat it is the problem.

If we consider the movie "Wall Street", the Michael Douglas charachter was a sociopath. His statement "Greed is good" demonstrated a justification system. If he had said, "Do as thou will" he would have been a psychopath. If he had said that you are all that matters, he would have been a psychopath. What message do you hear in commercials and movies?

In my opinion, this life is about defining ourselves. It is about growing up and learning to control ourselves around the cookies. You don't need to spank teenagers, you should be able to talk to them. Still, even teenagers are a pain. Eventually, hopefully, children grow up enough to manage themselves. To be in public without having to worry that they will pick their nose at the table.

In order for our children to grow they have to be allowed to play with other children. When they do, they get into fights; but, they also learn to make friendships. I knew a woman once, a long time ago. She was a friend and kept an eye out for me; but, I didn't know it. I found out one day when she tried to protect me. She was just a kid and so was I; but, we liked each other.

You see we can learn to protect one another and grow up or we can find more ways to take advantage of each other and remain children. Children will do whatever they have to in order to avoid a spanking or get a cookie. They will make promises that they will never keep just for the cost benefit approach. If we allow this then our children do not learn, they do not grow up into anyone you would want to be around.

That is my answer as to why God can be good and all powerful. He chooses not to use his power so that we have the choice of growing up and dealing with him as adults. Children and bad parents don't like my answer. They don't live it either until they have to. Be well.

Dead Mans Switch

There is a thing that used to be on trains. It was called a deadman's switch. It meant that if the engineer, driver of the train died, it would automatically stop. It is an intriguing thought. What if Armageddon was a dead man's switch, how many other things could be set in such a manner.

If you have watched "Lost" then you have a modern equivalent. Be well

A Video for a Melancholy Friend

Sometimes I miss love. I know how that feels. Sometimes I forget what I like about women. I was hurt. Sometimes I wonder if love is worth it. I think all feel that way sometimes. But, othertimes we remember what it can be. It can be perfection of relationship, it can be feeling known. It can be knowing someone cares. That is worth eternity. Something a friend of mine needs to remember. I post this for her.

You got to laught about Pensions

So, as any reader will know, I have talked about the DWP (water) and pensions. Government pensions. I have a couple of articles for you. The first one is about how American Governmental Pensions were investing in Israel. The article is from 2006. It talks about a junket to Israel by our pension leaders.

CalPers was particularly interested in investing in WATER technology that Israel was developing. They were also interested in stem cell research. Now, the World Pension Fund director invited them to meet with Olmert. He was Trade Minister for Israel.

The trip

Mr. Olmert became Prime Minister of Israel. They say he is the most corrupt one in history. Currently, he is hiding in Madrid as was reported today.

Mr. Olmert

Hmmmm. Something is coming together and it only gets worse. Lets see if I remember correctly. The City of Los Angeles' pension fund and CalPers invested in a group called CIM. CIM then bought land in Kern county for a wind farm and intended to sell it to DWP at twice what they paid. A clear conflict of interest.

After that, a man that sat on the Boards for CalPers and Lacers was arrested in New York for bribing people on the New York Pension Boards. He and others regularly sent people on trips to Israel and Italy. The man copped a plea and is giving up the accomplices. Now CalPers is being investigated by the Fed. Remember kids, you read it here first.

Oh, you might wonder how the investments did. They did miserable.

Israel VC funds did badly by CalPers

CIM Group and Broidy

Broidy and Corruption

And then we have Markstone. Olmert came to California just to meet with investors including Broidy who ran Markstone.

A get together

Okay, you can run the searches yourself. There is plenty to find. Run Olmert and Broidy, or Olmert and Markstone, or CIM and Broidy or CIM and DWP. Whatever, it all comes out the same. It is a chain and everyone is going to jail for corruption. Contrary to the ex's beliefs, I am still a damn fine analyst and have not lost my ability to figure things out.

I wrote about some of this over a year ago and have been talking about it for longer. The pieces include water, corruption, pensions and Israel. The people include Olmert, Broidy and Villalobos. Government pensions were being used by politicians for a political end and corruption ensued. The dollar amounts are staggering.

The arrests that were made in New Jersey and New York were only the beginning. This sucker is gonna take down whole states. With government pensions already a billion dollars in the red, what happens when it turns out it was the government that was misusing the funds. Don't think Presidents were not involved either. Look at the connections if you do the research.

Obama, Shwarzenneger and Villaraigosa are all buddies. They attended the Copenhagen Climate Conferance together. They are connected in ways that make no sense. They met in Los Angeles (search the names together on youtube and you can watch). There are no parties, only interests.

So what do you think? What do you think of our country? What do you think of the economy? Kiddies, the game is fixed. There is a club and you are not a member. Question is, who is?

A little over three years ago I woke up. When I did, I didn't like what I saw. I did what an analyst does, I started researching. Then I liked things even less. Still, research must be published. I started the blog. We have been many places, it started with a discussion of our importance as aware beings. I do not know where or when it will end, depends on what I find next.

I taught my kids the following: "Don't lie, don't cheat and don't steal and nobody will come at night arrest you and take all that you did earn". That is a motto I can live with. It is a sentiment we should all have. On the chance that children might read my blog, I will not use the words that come naturally. They have less than five letters and more than three.

The investigations are converging. It should be obvious. Broidy gave up everyone. DWP is being audited as I write. The pension funds are being investigated. Olmert is under investigation.

I like to take a circular road, I like to let a story slowly explain itself. Any regular reader knows I start from the outside and work my way in. Context before the points are made. It is an approach that I prefer. It is more elegant and harder to see where one is going.

I hope you have enjoyed the journey thus far. Be well.

Register your cellphone

Did not mean to post again tonight. Read this article and had to comment. In Mexico people are now required to give personal information to the government in order to use a cellphone. WTF.

The government wants to do so in order to go after organized crime. You mean they are listening to every conversation? LOL. Wake up kiddies. Yes, they listen to every call. Read the article and ask yourself the underlying questions, where is anyone's privacy?

Mexican Radio, ehhhrrr cellphones

Gaza and Ireland

I am Irish. Pretty sure. Mom and pop were. My great grandfather was in the original Irish Republican Army. He killed and English soldier and fled to America because there was a warrnat for his death. That is what brought us to America. A killing.

I have been told by people who knew that he was a lot like me. Size, look, intelligence. He was very political and a keen student of history. He also liked Pabst Blue Ribbon, I seem to recall being told. He warned that when the Chinese united with the arabs things would not go well for the world.

He died before I was born, I never got to meet him. I would have loved to have talked to him, to have heard what he learned. He came to America and went to work in the coal mines and later did something else. I don't recall what. He was loved by the family and is highly regarded.

During his time, a famine was in Ireland. It killed one fourth of all the Irish Catholics. They were starved to death intentionally. Beef that was raised in Ireland was sent to England during the famine. An article in the New York Times suggested that the famine was a good solution to the Irish Problem. You can find it online.

The famine in Ireland was so bad that the Choctaw Indians raised money and sent it to the Irish people. This was doen only 16 years after the Choctaw had faced the Trail of Tears. I hope they know that it is and was appreciated, not for the amount, for the thought. I still cry whenever I think about it. They had very little; but, hated the thought of others starving. What a contrast to the absentee landlords.

It was not legal to teach Irish catholics in our own country. It was not legal to teach our own language. It was not legal for the Irish to even own land in Ireland. There was a time, when I was younger, when I hated the English. I hated them for what they did to my people and my country. I do not feel that way anymore. I do not blame a nation or even a race, I blame the people who were in charge of England. I blame the Royal family.

The average English person had nothing to do with what occured in Ireland. Heck, read Dickens and you will see how well the average English person was treated in his own country. Pretty bleak and miserably. The average person in England was told that the Irish were the problem, they were competition and why he did not get enough. Sounds like how most Americans view Mexicans. Divide and conquer. Find a foreign bad guy.

The truth is that most people really don't want to cause problems outside of their own country. Most people just want to have some peace and quiet. You have to go out of your way to propagandize and threaten to get the average person willing to hurt others in foriegn lands. We would rather stay at home and make babies. Making babies is more much more fun than killing them.

When I was younger something called Bloody Sunday happened in Northern Ireland. In 1972 a group of demonstrators was fired upon by the English army. They were unarmed. 27 were shot, five in the back, and 14 died as a result. I still have family in Ireland. Some live on family land. I have never met them. They live in Meath and Cork. I saw a picture of our homes, our incestral homes.

In Northern Ireland, the Catholics, the ancestral Irish, are still treated poorly. They live in ghettos and still are not treated the same as the rest of the population. This is what it is. I have asked myself, over the years, if we had our country back, if the country were united, how should the laws be changed? Would we be right to throw out the protestants? My answer is no.

When the English took over Ireland, the people who arrived (mainly Scotts and English) and took our land were invaders. At that time it would be right to send them back to where they came from. Having said that, the people living there now, they are Irish. They did not take the land and did not starve my family. They are just people now, not invaders.

I live in the United States. My family came here long after it had been taken from the American Indians, from the Choctaw. My family had nothing to do with it and this is where I grew up, where I was born. It is my home now too. If we could give the United States back to the Indians, I would hope they would let me stay. I would ask them to. My daughters are part Indian, the ex was part Indian, I am not part Indian; but, I am American.

Israel provides me the same sort of questions. It had been owned by the Palistinians, it was taken over by the Isrealites, it was taken over by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persian, Greeks, Romans and the Byzantines. It was controllecd by the English. The English promised it to the Arabs and the Jews after World War II.

Who is Israeli? Heck, who was born there? We cannot change history. We cannot take back what our parents sold. I can assure you that if the Palestinians were to get back Israel, the average Palistinian would be treated no better by his own people. I can promise you that the average Jew is Israel still is treated like crap by his own people. That is true in every country.

We do not fight for anything other than the good of those who control and take advantage of us. Not Jew, not Palestinian, not English, not Choctaw, not Irish, not American. We do not profit from such things, nor do we seek to. The problems in the middle east will never be solved by more war. We have thousands of years of wars and few if any problems have ever been solved by them.

I have come a long way from my upbringing. I have come a long way from the things I used to believe. We are all capable of change. We all are. What we need to learn is that hate does not work to well, it only expands. The Choctaw taught me about caring. I thank them. I think they just might let me stay if they ever got the country back, I hope so. I appreciate what they did and like it here. It is my home.

I hope this post is of some value to someone. I hope a Choctaw reads it and knows that his families generosity continues to be appreciated. I thank them for what they did for my family, they said they cared, that we were not alone. Those are good sentiments. Nice if we all had them. Be well.

With a song in my heart

Dear Readers, thanks for the support. What is going on in my world continues to be amusing, even to me. I wrote a bit back about Armageddon and such. I had read an article about a "Christian Militia" group that wanted to do bad things. The oxymoron of Christian Militia really bothered me.

There are groups of people who call themselves the "Patriot Movement". It is their belief that the country is going socialist, it is, and that they will take it back by force, not gonna happen. In the end, the real issue is how we are going to treat one another.

I can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said if we believed in him, life would be like a club med vacation. I don't think he said it. He did however say that Christians should obey their leaders and be good slaves. He said that. He also said that the world would turn ugly. If one believes as a Christian, then one has no excuse for violence.

The first Christians often were martyred by the Romans. They did not fight them. I do not have answers for non-Christians about what type of citizens they should be, I do for Christians. My answer is pretty consistent. Regardles of what times you think we are in, it is always the same time for us. It is time to love one another and be gentle with one another.

Having said that, it is also always time to be heard. It is always time to have a reason for why we believe. It is always time to do our part to make things better. Be well. And thanks.