There is a lot of outrage and talk about how Manning and Snowden gave away U.S. secrets. As if the Russians and Chinese did not also already tap the internet or know that we did. The government is only now admitting that area 51 exists, yet, the Russians and Chinese have known for years. We keep secrets that are already known by our enemies. In fact, we spend more time keeping things from our own citizens than we do keeping secrets from those who might wish us ill.
Today, the anniversary of Pastor Daniels death, I had lots of hits on the post and did a search to see if there was anything new. I found an article that said the following: "The mother of an Oklahoma pastor who was killed in her church wants to know where her daughter's purse and briefcase have gone as the killing remains unsolved four". That is all I could copy and the article was changed to be a copy of other articles marking the anniversary. The actual article I can no longer access. Lets think about why.
I have never read that there were any missing items and now have reason to believe that she was robbed of both her purse and her briefcase. If true, I am pretty sure that the perpetrators knew what he took. He or she should assume that the police have known that from the beginning. According to the headline I read, Pastor Daniels mother told a reporter that her daughters belongings were taken; but, the article has disappeared.
It has been four years since Pastor Daniels passed away. We have been told there is no DNA evidence, that may or may not be true. I assume it is true for a variety of reasons. We have good reasons to believe that the killer entered and exited through the back door to the church and video evidence that such is true, at least according to news reports. The back door to the church was removed by police while the rest of the church was demolished. Should we assume that the back door had some evidence on it, could it be writing or pictures in blood? The Pastors autopsy is online and shows that she was killed with a sharp instrument, during the day and about 500 feet away from the Police Station. If you use the current Google Earth, you will discover that the back of the church where Pastor Daniels was killed could be seen from the Police Station. If you use it a little more, you can see that the back of the church could be seen from about 6 houses and a gas station, all within 500 feet or so.
Here is what I believe. Firstly, this was not a serial killer, there are no other examples of killings that are sufficiently similar. Secondly, this was not a robbery. Way too much preparation to rob someone who had no money of $20 bucks or whatever she had in her purse. If you are willing to kill someone for money and put in the amount of effort it took to kill Pastor Daniels then you could make a lot more money by killing a McDonalds teller.
Now lets talk about the briefcase. I preach and I never bring a briefcase. I bring my bible, wallet and keys. There are serial killers that keep souvenirs, BTK did as did the Zodiac killer. This is not a serial killer. If this killer kept the purse and briefcase, it was for a different reason, they wanted to see what was inside or have what was inside.
kswo - 4th Anniversary of Pastor Murder
news9 - Case Of Slain Pastor Unsolved After 4 Years.
Apparently, the OSBI has a new man assigned to cold cases. We can only pray that he can see beyond the mistakes that have been made so far. What was in the briefcase. We have been told that Pastor Daniels only had two people coming to her sermons on an irregular basis. Now we know that she helped others, the news report by the man who said she fed seven and got him a room for the nights says she was effecting more than just the two old people that alerted police to her death.
I do not mean to offend Pastor Daniels family ever. I found it odd that the Pastor brought a briefcase, I preach and never bring one. It also said she brought a purse, so what did she keep in the briefcase. I get buy with a wallet and keys and cigarettes. I cannot imagine bringing a backpack to church when I preach. The killer knew what was in the purse and the briefcase, the rest of us can never know the specifics; but, her family may have known what she kept in the briefcase. Again, not the specifics; but, at least why she had a briefcase.
I am quite convinced that the answer to this case is the motive. 6,000 people had the opportunity; but, few had a motive. Whoever had killed Pastor Daniels had been to the church before and knew the layout. It takes a lot of confidence to use a blade to kill someone 500 feet from a Police Station. It takes a lot of confidence to come prepared to leave through the back door of the same church covered in blood or having changed clothes in a car that is local down an alley or through multiple backyards in front of a gas station and police station. What was in the briefcase and why is that only, almost, coming out now. The killer knew what he took and what was on the backdoor.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
A Restatement of a Sentiment and News Stuff
I recently wrote a post that went way off point and mixed two issues that I did not wish to mix. I deleted the post so you probably never saw it. I want to address the points on their own. This will therefore begin as an official rant.
Two things that really tick me off because they show an ignorance of what is really going on in the world. Firstly, is gay marriage and people believing that somehow the existence of gays living together will bring an end to the world as we know it. This particularly ignorant belief is often held by christians who don't know their bible very well and have never bothered to actually think about it at all. The second is the idea that everything the government does is because of Obama. I am going to compare these things to smoking and climate warming. My; but, won't this be fun?
Lets start with what the bible has to say about homosexuality. Many English translations will use the word "abomination", sounds pretty bad doesn't it? In fact it is the same word that is used for eating shellfish and would be better translated as unappetizing or unpleasant. As I have said before, there is only one unforgivable sin according to the bible and it is generally considered a rejection of the holy spirit or a rejection of love for others. Now, if one has read their bible they might remember that after Paul was told that he could eat any of those things including shellfish. But, wait, if eating shellfish is an abomination in the exact same way that homosexuality is then how does one become the worst thing that can be done and responsible for the end of the world?
Lets move beyond the stupidity to just dumb. Some claim that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the men of the town wanted to have sexual relations with some male visitors. This is dumb because just prior Abram had asked God not to destroy the towns if he could find a ten good people and he could not. Now, it is believed that about 5% of the population has historically been gay. My question is what sin the other 95% were involved in. It does not say that all the women were lesbians and Abraham only needed ten good people. Try this one, many fundamentalists will tell you that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Okay, then can't we still find 10 decent straight people and prevent the end? Will the end come because there are still gays or because we all fail and turn inwards through selfishness?
Here is the real problem with this belief, it causes us to ignore 95% of all sin and focus on perhaps 5%. If we are to believe that God is going to destroy the world because 5% of the population is gay and in a committed relationship then that is not the God I read about. The bible says that in the end times people will be lovers of self, not homosexual. Why does this matter, it matters because it becomes a scapegoat for the sins that we ourselves are committing. There are people cheating on their wives and stealing from their jobs that say the world is going to end because people they don't know in their private bedrooms are doing things that most of us don't find appealing. Good thing they are not eating shellfish while having sex or the world would end today.
Now Obama being blamed for everything. That my friends is also stupid. Congress passes the laws, not Obama. Politics is a show and convincing you that one person is responsible for all the laws is how they keep you from seeing how things are really done. Here is a simple question, which congressmen introduced the Healthcare law? Don't they deserve any credit?
Okay, lets talk about smoking. I smoke. When I see the doctor he always asks how many packs I smoke a day and I tell him two. I then receive my dutiful lecture about the horrors of smoking. Today, I saw took a very long exam where they tested my lungs. Now, I grew up in Los Angeles where kids born in my day all had about 20% less lung capacity because of the smog back in the day. Yeah, my lungs were fine and prior x-rays showed nothing too. In fact, I am doing quite well considering my age in regards to my lungs. Now, something I have to admit. I spend 50% more for my cigarettes because they have almost no tar and nicotine and have a special filter. You see, not all cigarettes are the same. In fact when my brand was first created, the Surgeon General said that people could smoke one pack a day of them without ill effects. He took that back after the political backlash.
After my lung test today, I was talking to the person who gave the test and asked them a question. I asked why if cigarette smoking was going down so much was lung cancer increasing? I should also mention that the person who gave me the test never smoked, had no asthma and I did better on the test than he did and I have been smoking for almost 40 years. I am not saying that smoking is okay, it is not. I am saying that if smoking is going down and lung cancer is going up, maybe there is more than one culprit and maybe we are ignoring the other culprits and just maybe, that benefits someone. You watch, someday someone is going to blame lung cancer on climate warming.
The point is simple, we should not miss the forest for the trees. Look beyond the simple answers we are fed. Answers that are intended to distract us from the things that really cause us harm.
Let me give you a little something to ponder. The people that run this world do not believe in too much democracy. The Trilateral Commission released a report in the 1970s that pretty much summed up what they believed. Crisis of Democracy - The Trilateral Commission. Start at page 113 and finish on page 115. I like the part where they claim that America is at risk of too much democracy because we don't have a traditional aristocracy. Lovely.
Here is another YouTube by Chomsky. Science, Religion & Human Nature - The Chomsky Sessions - (2). Hey kids, if you are ever bored, I have posted stuff that you can spend a day with if you follow the links.
CNBC - Having a kid? You'll need $500,000 for college
. This is just more of the propaganda to get you to accept that there is no need for your kid to go to college unless you are very, very well off. We are creating a nation of uneducated and ignorant peasants and people are more worried about a couple of guys having sex or whether or not I smoke a cigarette that has no tar and nicotine or whether you use paper or plastic.
We, the 99%, can fund anything we want. We fall victims to those who would take advantage of us when we fund stupidity like the overturn of gay marriage rather than put that money into educating our children or feeding others or creating new missions or helping the destitute or giving people homes.
CNBC - Lower student loan rates got you thinking of co-signing? Think again. More of the same propaganda.
CNBC - Sky high university fees: worth it for the salary boost?. They are all saying the same thing, don't put your kids through college. Spend your money fighting gay marriage instead.
WND - How Obama is deliberately crippling U.S. economy. It is hard to even read this drivel without laughing. The article mentions how bad the situation was in 2007 and then blames Obama who didn't become president until 2008.
CNBC - How many 'busted' trades? They don't know!. This is great, you and I buy stock and have to live with the consequences. Goldman Sachs buys stocks and the trades are later ignored because poor old Goldman Sachs made a mistake. Worse yet, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, can void the trades later if they think they were mistakes. LOL. When your pension fund makes a bad bet, you have to live with it, not the insiders like Goldman Sachs; but, worry about gays and smokers.
Yahoo - Breakout - Hindenburg Omen: Very Ominous, Highly Technical Warning Sign. Propaganda so that they can say later that you were warned about the coming collapse.
CBS DFW - School Security Changes Have Parents Dropping Kids At The Curb. I wrote about this coming after Sandy Hook, they are going to film all classes; but, keep the parents out.
Truth Feed - Document from Einstein and Oppenheimer Aliens and UFOs. People from other planets are not visiting here.
Yahoo - Reuters - Emerging markets selloff intensifies after Fed, data lifts Europe shares. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you.
CNBC - Cramer: We need a disaster plan!. Even the shill Cramer is saying there is something wrong about NASDAQ saying they have no idea why there computers all went down and trading was stopped. The question is who benefited.
Wired - The Banks of Tomorrow: Think Google and Facebook
. Imagine a world where you have no "bank" and instead make investments in things with your savings. What if you could bet your retirement and savings on small investments like crowdsourcing or kickstarter? An all electronic currency changes the landscape for everything.
CNBC - Uh oh. No one is tracking these trading errors
CNBC - Now the NYSE says it is tracking trading errors.
Yeah, don't worry about the fact that the markets are rigged or that they change the rules for some but not you or most of us. Don't worry that they are stealing your savings and retirement, worry about what a couple of guys do in their bedroom. If you haven't figured it out with all of the posts I have done, this blog is primarily (anymore) about how you are being taken advantage of by having your biases used to sway your emotions and blind you to the people who are really doing us in.
Wired - Comment Sections Are Wastelands Ruled by Trolls. Here Are Alternatives. Wired is a shill magazine totally bought and paid for.
Yahoo - Reuters - JPMorgan curbs business with banks to tighten controls. Something is up with this company, something very bad. I am suggesting that whatever investments you have that are somehow reliant on them are dumped as quickly as possible.
YouTube - Kinsey Untold Stories: Talib Kweli/ Family First.
When I was a young man, my father and I sometimes would go out. We might get a cup of coffee or whatever and he would then quiz me on what the people around us were doing and thinking. As he was in law enforcement, I learned a lot. Hope I can teach my grandchildren even more. What do you want to teach your kids and grandkids, to be educated or hate homosexuality? Will you teach them to hate smoking or to ask why lung cancer goes up whiles smoking goes down. Will you teach them to question the garbage we are told or only question it when it does not conform to our expectations?
Two things that really tick me off because they show an ignorance of what is really going on in the world. Firstly, is gay marriage and people believing that somehow the existence of gays living together will bring an end to the world as we know it. This particularly ignorant belief is often held by christians who don't know their bible very well and have never bothered to actually think about it at all. The second is the idea that everything the government does is because of Obama. I am going to compare these things to smoking and climate warming. My; but, won't this be fun?
Lets start with what the bible has to say about homosexuality. Many English translations will use the word "abomination", sounds pretty bad doesn't it? In fact it is the same word that is used for eating shellfish and would be better translated as unappetizing or unpleasant. As I have said before, there is only one unforgivable sin according to the bible and it is generally considered a rejection of the holy spirit or a rejection of love for others. Now, if one has read their bible they might remember that after Paul was told that he could eat any of those things including shellfish. But, wait, if eating shellfish is an abomination in the exact same way that homosexuality is then how does one become the worst thing that can be done and responsible for the end of the world?
Lets move beyond the stupidity to just dumb. Some claim that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the men of the town wanted to have sexual relations with some male visitors. This is dumb because just prior Abram had asked God not to destroy the towns if he could find a ten good people and he could not. Now, it is believed that about 5% of the population has historically been gay. My question is what sin the other 95% were involved in. It does not say that all the women were lesbians and Abraham only needed ten good people. Try this one, many fundamentalists will tell you that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Okay, then can't we still find 10 decent straight people and prevent the end? Will the end come because there are still gays or because we all fail and turn inwards through selfishness?
Here is the real problem with this belief, it causes us to ignore 95% of all sin and focus on perhaps 5%. If we are to believe that God is going to destroy the world because 5% of the population is gay and in a committed relationship then that is not the God I read about. The bible says that in the end times people will be lovers of self, not homosexual. Why does this matter, it matters because it becomes a scapegoat for the sins that we ourselves are committing. There are people cheating on their wives and stealing from their jobs that say the world is going to end because people they don't know in their private bedrooms are doing things that most of us don't find appealing. Good thing they are not eating shellfish while having sex or the world would end today.
Now Obama being blamed for everything. That my friends is also stupid. Congress passes the laws, not Obama. Politics is a show and convincing you that one person is responsible for all the laws is how they keep you from seeing how things are really done. Here is a simple question, which congressmen introduced the Healthcare law? Don't they deserve any credit?
Okay, lets talk about smoking. I smoke. When I see the doctor he always asks how many packs I smoke a day and I tell him two. I then receive my dutiful lecture about the horrors of smoking. Today, I saw took a very long exam where they tested my lungs. Now, I grew up in Los Angeles where kids born in my day all had about 20% less lung capacity because of the smog back in the day. Yeah, my lungs were fine and prior x-rays showed nothing too. In fact, I am doing quite well considering my age in regards to my lungs. Now, something I have to admit. I spend 50% more for my cigarettes because they have almost no tar and nicotine and have a special filter. You see, not all cigarettes are the same. In fact when my brand was first created, the Surgeon General said that people could smoke one pack a day of them without ill effects. He took that back after the political backlash.
After my lung test today, I was talking to the person who gave the test and asked them a question. I asked why if cigarette smoking was going down so much was lung cancer increasing? I should also mention that the person who gave me the test never smoked, had no asthma and I did better on the test than he did and I have been smoking for almost 40 years. I am not saying that smoking is okay, it is not. I am saying that if smoking is going down and lung cancer is going up, maybe there is more than one culprit and maybe we are ignoring the other culprits and just maybe, that benefits someone. You watch, someday someone is going to blame lung cancer on climate warming.
The point is simple, we should not miss the forest for the trees. Look beyond the simple answers we are fed. Answers that are intended to distract us from the things that really cause us harm.
Let me give you a little something to ponder. The people that run this world do not believe in too much democracy. The Trilateral Commission released a report in the 1970s that pretty much summed up what they believed. Crisis of Democracy - The Trilateral Commission. Start at page 113 and finish on page 115. I like the part where they claim that America is at risk of too much democracy because we don't have a traditional aristocracy. Lovely.
Here is another YouTube by Chomsky. Science, Religion & Human Nature - The Chomsky Sessions - (2). Hey kids, if you are ever bored, I have posted stuff that you can spend a day with if you follow the links.
CNBC - Having a kid? You'll need $500,000 for college
. This is just more of the propaganda to get you to accept that there is no need for your kid to go to college unless you are very, very well off. We are creating a nation of uneducated and ignorant peasants and people are more worried about a couple of guys having sex or whether or not I smoke a cigarette that has no tar and nicotine or whether you use paper or plastic.
We, the 99%, can fund anything we want. We fall victims to those who would take advantage of us when we fund stupidity like the overturn of gay marriage rather than put that money into educating our children or feeding others or creating new missions or helping the destitute or giving people homes.
CNBC - Lower student loan rates got you thinking of co-signing? Think again. More of the same propaganda.
CNBC - Sky high university fees: worth it for the salary boost?. They are all saying the same thing, don't put your kids through college. Spend your money fighting gay marriage instead.
WND - How Obama is deliberately crippling U.S. economy. It is hard to even read this drivel without laughing. The article mentions how bad the situation was in 2007 and then blames Obama who didn't become president until 2008.
CNBC - How many 'busted' trades? They don't know!. This is great, you and I buy stock and have to live with the consequences. Goldman Sachs buys stocks and the trades are later ignored because poor old Goldman Sachs made a mistake. Worse yet, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, can void the trades later if they think they were mistakes. LOL. When your pension fund makes a bad bet, you have to live with it, not the insiders like Goldman Sachs; but, worry about gays and smokers.
Yahoo - Breakout - Hindenburg Omen: Very Ominous, Highly Technical Warning Sign. Propaganda so that they can say later that you were warned about the coming collapse.
CBS DFW - School Security Changes Have Parents Dropping Kids At The Curb. I wrote about this coming after Sandy Hook, they are going to film all classes; but, keep the parents out.
Truth Feed - Document from Einstein and Oppenheimer Aliens and UFOs. People from other planets are not visiting here.
Yahoo - Reuters - Emerging markets selloff intensifies after Fed, data lifts Europe shares. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you.
CNBC - Cramer: We need a disaster plan!. Even the shill Cramer is saying there is something wrong about NASDAQ saying they have no idea why there computers all went down and trading was stopped. The question is who benefited.
Wired - The Banks of Tomorrow: Think Google and Facebook
. Imagine a world where you have no "bank" and instead make investments in things with your savings. What if you could bet your retirement and savings on small investments like crowdsourcing or kickstarter? An all electronic currency changes the landscape for everything.
CNBC - Uh oh. No one is tracking these trading errors
CNBC - Now the NYSE says it is tracking trading errors.
Yeah, don't worry about the fact that the markets are rigged or that they change the rules for some but not you or most of us. Don't worry that they are stealing your savings and retirement, worry about what a couple of guys do in their bedroom. If you haven't figured it out with all of the posts I have done, this blog is primarily (anymore) about how you are being taken advantage of by having your biases used to sway your emotions and blind you to the people who are really doing us in.
Wired - Comment Sections Are Wastelands Ruled by Trolls. Here Are Alternatives. Wired is a shill magazine totally bought and paid for.
Yahoo - Reuters - JPMorgan curbs business with banks to tighten controls. Something is up with this company, something very bad. I am suggesting that whatever investments you have that are somehow reliant on them are dumped as quickly as possible.
YouTube - Kinsey Untold Stories: Talib Kweli/ Family First.
When I was a young man, my father and I sometimes would go out. We might get a cup of coffee or whatever and he would then quiz me on what the people around us were doing and thinking. As he was in law enforcement, I learned a lot. Hope I can teach my grandchildren even more. What do you want to teach your kids and grandkids, to be educated or hate homosexuality? Will you teach them to hate smoking or to ask why lung cancer goes up whiles smoking goes down. Will you teach them to question the garbage we are told or only question it when it does not conform to our expectations?
Thursday, August 22, 2013
So Blessed and So Loved
Over the years, the Pimpernel has spoke of many things including his health and the challenges he has faced. I am doing better than my medical numbers may imply and in fact and am experiencing so much love an concern. It touches my heart to it's depths to know how many are concerned about me. This is especially true of people that work with me and around me. You cannot imagine how loved this old man feels. I shall post about the news soon enough.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Pimpernel as Grandfather
My oldest has just informed me that I am going to be a grandfather. Wow. Twice before I was going to be; but, not all births come to fruition. Perhaps, the third time is a charm. I saved some news articles; but, I cannot post on them, my mind is busy with other thoughts.
I wonder what things I can teach my grandchild? The difference between a child and a grandchild is that a grandchild will actually listen to you and learn from you. I think I can teach my grandchild lots of things, things that I have not taught others. Please pray that my grandchild is born healthy, I will teach them the rest.
I wonder what things I can teach my grandchild? The difference between a child and a grandchild is that a grandchild will actually listen to you and learn from you. I think I can teach my grandchild lots of things, things that I have not taught others. Please pray that my grandchild is born healthy, I will teach them the rest.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Education, Propaganda and Why We Are Destroying Education
I am going to try something new. I am going to post very long videos which go into great detail about things we should know. I am going to try, once a week, to post something that will take hours to consider and hear. It is Dr. Pimpernel and I have taught. My thinking is that the people who read this blog may be interested in more than simple answers to simple problems, that they might actually want to know what is taught at the higher levels. You see, what you are taught in school is not what the future leaders are taught. They are taught something completely different, they are taught how things work.
The purpose of Political Science is to teach the science of managing people. They do not teach people how to make government work, they teach them how to manipulate the masses to achieve political aims. The ultimate question for all political scientists is how should society be structured to benefit the members. Keeping you from asking that question is what leaders do; but, they have to understand Political Science to do fulfill their perceived role in their minds.
Historically, basic education was taught by one's parents or if you were wealthy, by private tutors. About 200 years ago we began creating public schools that were available for more and more. Public school became mandatory as we became a fully industrialized society. Think about that, when I was growing up school was mandatory and you had to be there for the full day. I found it strange that I could go to jail if I didn't go to school. A prisoner for 8 hours a day and in a prison that had corporal punishment. I myself was paddled more than once (I know, no big surprise).
Up until World War II, college was for the well to do and something that middle class people aspired to. After World War II we needed people who could manage our booming industry so the veterans were given a way to easily go to college. A personal note. My university was unusual. It was created about a hundred years ago to give working people a chance to go to college. It created the work study program which had people work in their industry for six months out of the year and study for six months out of the year. It was created for people like me, it was created so that bright kids that didn't come from money could get a higher education. I am going to go off track for a moment.
My university experience was tough and it was great. I worked, my parents contributed immensely and somehow I got to deal directly with my professors. My Bachelors is in Political Science and I knew every one of my professors personally, I was allowed into the inner circle and as an undergraduate was allowed to be a teaching assistant. Most teaching assistants were usually working on their Phd's, it was considered a huge privilege. I was so respected that I was allowed to grade papers of undergraduates while I was still an undergraduate. You see, they wanted me to become a professor, over 90% of them wanted me to including the chair of Political Science. There were a couple that wanted me gone; but, they never had a chance, God has been good to me in that way.
Back to the story. After World War II we needed lots of educated people to run the ever increasing American industry. In the 60s we had plenty of people in college; but, we knew that technology was going to change our needs. We became the most technologically advanced nation in the world and ceased needing as high a percentage of the population being college educated. The numbers were higher but the percentage began going down. By the 80s we had gotten rid of our industrial base and shipped it out to the east, we also became primarily focused on finances and debt instruments. As we continue to automate we will need fewer and fewer educated people and it will once again be the pleasure of the wealthy.
I am going to post two videos by Noam Chomsky, a famous professor and writer. Mr. Chomsky makes the point that the educational system is being destroyed. In my opinion, the reason we are being told that learning means debt, that college is a bad idea for most people and that we should all be taught the exact same things is simply because there is no longer a perceived need for us to be well informed or educated. They say that knowledge is power. Why would you then tell people that education is too expensive? During the days of slavery it was illegal to teach a slave to read or write, ever wonder why?
YouTube - Education For Whom and For What?
In the video, Mr. Chomsky says many interesting things, one of the things he said was that when the pentagon was funding research at MIT, there was no secrecy in anyplace other than the Political Science department. He also said that when they went to private funding there was plenty of secrecy in the research.
The purpose of Political Science is to teach the science of managing people. They do not teach people how to make government work, they teach them how to manipulate the masses to achieve political aims. The ultimate question for all political scientists is how should society be structured to benefit the members. Keeping you from asking that question is what leaders do; but, they have to understand Political Science to do fulfill their perceived role in their minds.
Historically, basic education was taught by one's parents or if you were wealthy, by private tutors. About 200 years ago we began creating public schools that were available for more and more. Public school became mandatory as we became a fully industrialized society. Think about that, when I was growing up school was mandatory and you had to be there for the full day. I found it strange that I could go to jail if I didn't go to school. A prisoner for 8 hours a day and in a prison that had corporal punishment. I myself was paddled more than once (I know, no big surprise).
Up until World War II, college was for the well to do and something that middle class people aspired to. After World War II we needed people who could manage our booming industry so the veterans were given a way to easily go to college. A personal note. My university was unusual. It was created about a hundred years ago to give working people a chance to go to college. It created the work study program which had people work in their industry for six months out of the year and study for six months out of the year. It was created for people like me, it was created so that bright kids that didn't come from money could get a higher education. I am going to go off track for a moment.
My university experience was tough and it was great. I worked, my parents contributed immensely and somehow I got to deal directly with my professors. My Bachelors is in Political Science and I knew every one of my professors personally, I was allowed into the inner circle and as an undergraduate was allowed to be a teaching assistant. Most teaching assistants were usually working on their Phd's, it was considered a huge privilege. I was so respected that I was allowed to grade papers of undergraduates while I was still an undergraduate. You see, they wanted me to become a professor, over 90% of them wanted me to including the chair of Political Science. There were a couple that wanted me gone; but, they never had a chance, God has been good to me in that way.
Back to the story. After World War II we needed lots of educated people to run the ever increasing American industry. In the 60s we had plenty of people in college; but, we knew that technology was going to change our needs. We became the most technologically advanced nation in the world and ceased needing as high a percentage of the population being college educated. The numbers were higher but the percentage began going down. By the 80s we had gotten rid of our industrial base and shipped it out to the east, we also became primarily focused on finances and debt instruments. As we continue to automate we will need fewer and fewer educated people and it will once again be the pleasure of the wealthy.
I am going to post two videos by Noam Chomsky, a famous professor and writer. Mr. Chomsky makes the point that the educational system is being destroyed. In my opinion, the reason we are being told that learning means debt, that college is a bad idea for most people and that we should all be taught the exact same things is simply because there is no longer a perceived need for us to be well informed or educated. They say that knowledge is power. Why would you then tell people that education is too expensive? During the days of slavery it was illegal to teach a slave to read or write, ever wonder why?
YouTube - Education For Whom and For What?
In the video, Mr. Chomsky says many interesting things, one of the things he said was that when the pentagon was funding research at MIT, there was no secrecy in anyplace other than the Political Science department. He also said that when they went to private funding there was plenty of secrecy in the research.
Medicine, Pensions and Control
NBC News - Could it be a 'cure'? Breakthrough prompts Down syndrome soul-searching. An interesting article about bio-ethics or eugenics depending on how you view it. With the new healthcare laws it becomes even more concerning. Should people be allowed to have babies born with birth defects if we will have to pay for their healthcare? Will it be considered child abuse if you refuse to allow your kid to have gene therapies to "cure" them?
Yahoo - Credit.com - Is Your 401(k) Plan Secure? They want your savings, your retirement and your pension and they will steal it from you.
Military Tech - Superhuman Tech & the Military Mind.
The Street - Why the 30-Year Mortgage Could Be Coming to an End. Basically, there are some senators who want to put an end to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the consequence will be the end of the 30 year mortgage. It may also be the end to private home ownership as is true in much of Europe.
naked capitalism - Municipal Workers in Bankrupt Cities Facing Financial Nightmare.
CNBC - Crowdfunding for medical devices hits Web. Our next big industry will be making medical devices to monitor your health 24/7. This is not a surprise and you watch, if you refuse to wear them, your benefits will get cut or cost more.
Yahoo - Credit.com - Is Your 401(k) Plan Secure? They want your savings, your retirement and your pension and they will steal it from you.
Military Tech - Superhuman Tech & the Military Mind.
The Street - Why the 30-Year Mortgage Could Be Coming to an End. Basically, there are some senators who want to put an end to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the consequence will be the end of the 30 year mortgage. It may also be the end to private home ownership as is true in much of Europe.
naked capitalism - Municipal Workers in Bankrupt Cities Facing Financial Nightmare.
CNBC - Crowdfunding for medical devices hits Web. Our next big industry will be making medical devices to monitor your health 24/7. This is not a surprise and you watch, if you refuse to wear them, your benefits will get cut or cost more.
Heart Attacks and Mortality and Young Professionals
About two weeks ago my doctor notified me that I had experienced a heart attack previously. I had the "event" about 4 or 5 years ago and remember when it happened and how it was in some ways a new beginning. Having the doctor confirm it didn't sink in immediately. At first it was no big deal, I mean I knew it when it happened. Still, there is something about having it confirmed that is on my mind. It is not the idea that I could have died that is interesting to me, I mean we do all die and that should not surprise any of us. What I think is truly interesting is that I didn't die.
So, recently I came across this article. Zen Haven - How Near-Death Experiences Transform People. We all know that a number of people have had Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and I am just one of hundreds of thousands of others. What intrigued me about this article was the statistics of what leads up to them, I had never considered it before.
Here is a quote from the article. "Before such an episode occurs there are stressors, conditions in the experiencer’s life, that point to either unrest or inattention. And these are present universally. What caught my eye with near-death and near-death-like states were episodes that occurred under these conditions". The author then lists a series of "stressors" that are common among people who do have an NDE and going through major life changes is listed. Well, I was in the middle of my divorce and my life was full of stress in every area of my life.
So, untold numbers of people have had NDEs. Many were in a physicians care when they had them and were being monitored. After they had their experience many came back and completely changed their lives. Many report similar things, being above their body, going through a tunnel of light, meeting family and friends who have passed away previously, sensing a higher being... Many, if not most, then report knowing that they had to return to this life and not wanting to. They are very personal experiences and it has always fascinated me that there are those who wish to trivialize them.
Every now and then someone who has had an NDE will come forth and write a book or go on television and discuss their experience. Recently, a doctor named Dr. Eben Alexander wrote a book about his experience. Esquire magazine then published an article attempting to "debunk" his book. The author questioned whether or not Dr. Eben could have been making up a story and what his medical condition was. Pretty sloppy work, either the man was in a medically induced coma or he was not. Either the man had a serious medical condition or he did not. It seems highly unlikely that he intentionally wanted to be in a coma and almost die.
Therein is the problem for debunkers. If we assume that all people reporting NDEs are liars then why do some people who almost die feel a need to lie about it? While I had been told that I was a fantastic candidate for a heart attack, it certainly was not something I sought out just so I could have a good story to tell at parties. In fact, I do not go into detail about my experience online and have really only discussed it with close friends and family when it happened. In response to the Esquire article, another writer corrected the article. Esquire article on Eben Alexander distorts the facts.
Here is what I am attempting to examine. Why should anyone be bothered by the Dr's NDE. Look at it this way, the people who have NDEs are already at extreme stress levels, suddenly have serious physical challenges and come back saying that they had a mental experience while it was all going on. What is there to question? Why not just chalk it up to a heightened dream state? I have often said that an NDE is of value only to the person having it, it is not proof of anything for anyone else. Up until 2 weeks ago, I could not "prove" that I had had a heart attack because I refused to see the doctor after it happened. I told a few people at the time; but, that is circumstantial evidence at best for anyone other than me. So why do so many people feel a need to attack the Dr for telling his story?
In my opinion what many fear is that people who had NDEs are telling the truth. It is easier to believe they are liars or delusional than to accept the possibility that there is more to the human experience than the physical world that we see. Whether one is a believer or not, once they have an NDE, the question of whether or not there is more to the human experience than this present physical existence is no longer an issue in their life. From a control standpoint that is a very scary thing.
This world is managed using a carrot and a stick. Our fears and fetishes are used to control us. People are trained to chase treasures be they physical (money, sex, objects) or mental (ego). All the things used to control us rely upon our believing that you only go around once, that you only have this one existence. Esquire magazine is about the "sophisticated" up and comers. It is a magazine written for young stock brokers and presents them with all the things that they are to seek out, fancy cars, pretty women with class, the newest watch, the place to vacation, the house to own. It is a continual reminder of what their god should be, success in the material world.
One of the things that happens in an NDE is that you recognize you are dying. There is a moment when you know that you have passed some point and accept that you are not coming back, there is a moment of acceptance to the situation. I have almost died more than once; but, only have had one NDE and it was the one time that I knew I had passed that point. It is one thing to know in the abstract that you will die one day and quite another to face that moment whether it be real or imagined. When I was a young teenager another kid attacked me and I ended up choking him. As I regularly tore telephone books in half and was a gymnast, the last thing you wanted was my hands on your neck. As he was passing out and had been denied air for more than a minute, a look passed over his face. I could see the moment he knew there was nothing he could do and that I was not going to stop. We never talked about it after; but, I saw that moment of acceptance in his eyes and he changed after that.
Where am I going with all this. From what I see people fear an afterlife more than death itself. Heck, the fear of death is what is used to motivate us to benefit the economic system in ways that don't make sense for us or society. The people that have cheated the financial system are afraid of death; but, believe in it. They are even more afraid of there being an afterlife so they deny it. What they really fear is that there are consequences for what you do in this life, what they really fear is that the hierarchy in the afterlife doesn't give them an insiders advantage. While most of us hope for an afterlife, these sad people hope there is not.
So, recently I came across this article. Zen Haven - How Near-Death Experiences Transform People. We all know that a number of people have had Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and I am just one of hundreds of thousands of others. What intrigued me about this article was the statistics of what leads up to them, I had never considered it before.
Here is a quote from the article. "Before such an episode occurs there are stressors, conditions in the experiencer’s life, that point to either unrest or inattention. And these are present universally. What caught my eye with near-death and near-death-like states were episodes that occurred under these conditions". The author then lists a series of "stressors" that are common among people who do have an NDE and going through major life changes is listed. Well, I was in the middle of my divorce and my life was full of stress in every area of my life.
So, untold numbers of people have had NDEs. Many were in a physicians care when they had them and were being monitored. After they had their experience many came back and completely changed their lives. Many report similar things, being above their body, going through a tunnel of light, meeting family and friends who have passed away previously, sensing a higher being... Many, if not most, then report knowing that they had to return to this life and not wanting to. They are very personal experiences and it has always fascinated me that there are those who wish to trivialize them.
Every now and then someone who has had an NDE will come forth and write a book or go on television and discuss their experience. Recently, a doctor named Dr. Eben Alexander wrote a book about his experience. Esquire magazine then published an article attempting to "debunk" his book. The author questioned whether or not Dr. Eben could have been making up a story and what his medical condition was. Pretty sloppy work, either the man was in a medically induced coma or he was not. Either the man had a serious medical condition or he did not. It seems highly unlikely that he intentionally wanted to be in a coma and almost die.
Therein is the problem for debunkers. If we assume that all people reporting NDEs are liars then why do some people who almost die feel a need to lie about it? While I had been told that I was a fantastic candidate for a heart attack, it certainly was not something I sought out just so I could have a good story to tell at parties. In fact, I do not go into detail about my experience online and have really only discussed it with close friends and family when it happened. In response to the Esquire article, another writer corrected the article. Esquire article on Eben Alexander distorts the facts.
Here is what I am attempting to examine. Why should anyone be bothered by the Dr's NDE. Look at it this way, the people who have NDEs are already at extreme stress levels, suddenly have serious physical challenges and come back saying that they had a mental experience while it was all going on. What is there to question? Why not just chalk it up to a heightened dream state? I have often said that an NDE is of value only to the person having it, it is not proof of anything for anyone else. Up until 2 weeks ago, I could not "prove" that I had had a heart attack because I refused to see the doctor after it happened. I told a few people at the time; but, that is circumstantial evidence at best for anyone other than me. So why do so many people feel a need to attack the Dr for telling his story?
In my opinion what many fear is that people who had NDEs are telling the truth. It is easier to believe they are liars or delusional than to accept the possibility that there is more to the human experience than the physical world that we see. Whether one is a believer or not, once they have an NDE, the question of whether or not there is more to the human experience than this present physical existence is no longer an issue in their life. From a control standpoint that is a very scary thing.
This world is managed using a carrot and a stick. Our fears and fetishes are used to control us. People are trained to chase treasures be they physical (money, sex, objects) or mental (ego). All the things used to control us rely upon our believing that you only go around once, that you only have this one existence. Esquire magazine is about the "sophisticated" up and comers. It is a magazine written for young stock brokers and presents them with all the things that they are to seek out, fancy cars, pretty women with class, the newest watch, the place to vacation, the house to own. It is a continual reminder of what their god should be, success in the material world.
One of the things that happens in an NDE is that you recognize you are dying. There is a moment when you know that you have passed some point and accept that you are not coming back, there is a moment of acceptance to the situation. I have almost died more than once; but, only have had one NDE and it was the one time that I knew I had passed that point. It is one thing to know in the abstract that you will die one day and quite another to face that moment whether it be real or imagined. When I was a young teenager another kid attacked me and I ended up choking him. As I regularly tore telephone books in half and was a gymnast, the last thing you wanted was my hands on your neck. As he was passing out and had been denied air for more than a minute, a look passed over his face. I could see the moment he knew there was nothing he could do and that I was not going to stop. We never talked about it after; but, I saw that moment of acceptance in his eyes and he changed after that.
Where am I going with all this. From what I see people fear an afterlife more than death itself. Heck, the fear of death is what is used to motivate us to benefit the economic system in ways that don't make sense for us or society. The people that have cheated the financial system are afraid of death; but, believe in it. They are even more afraid of there being an afterlife so they deny it. What they really fear is that there are consequences for what you do in this life, what they really fear is that the hierarchy in the afterlife doesn't give them an insiders advantage. While most of us hope for an afterlife, these sad people hope there is not.
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