tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63263172024-02-07T21:36:44.320-04:00arcana imperii<center><em>these pages reveal the secrets or mysteries of a state of mind. thoughts, news, rants, raves, observations, analysis, poetry, lyrics and fun from a free-thinker's perspective.<br>«marching to the beat of a different conundrum.»</em></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-29772383114694276932023-04-26T12:04:00.002-03:002023-04-26T12:07:48.071-03:00Quotation of the Day<center>«He has achieved success who has worked well, laughed often, and loved much.»<br />
<i>~Ernest Hubbard</i></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-44212069039350190272019-12-14T19:24:00.000-04:002019-12-14T19:24:03.218-04:00«Impeach Trump. Save America.»<center>«It is the only thing to do if our country’s democracy is to survive.»<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/opinion/trump-impeachment.html">Opinion piece</a> by Thomas L Friedman.</center><br />
<blockquote>Impeaching a president is the most consequential thing our Congress can do — other than declaring war. So, after great consideration, I say: President Trump not only should be impeached, he must be impeached if America’s democracy is to remain intact.<br />
<br />
Why? Because the facts here are not in doubt — indeed Trump’s allies in the media and Congress have largely given up disputing them: Trump held up congressionally directed taxpayer funding to strengthen Ukraine’s military against Russia until the new Ukrainian president agreed to do what Trump called a “favor” — announce that Ukraine was investigating Trump’s most likely opponent in the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden, and his son, who was involved with a Ukrainian gas company. Trump apparently thought that just the announcement of such an investigation would kill Biden’s campaign in its crib.<br />
<br />
Generally speaking, I believe presidents should be elected and removed by the voters at the polls. But when I hear Trump defenders scream, “Impeachment subverts the will of the people,” I say: “Really? What the hell do you think Trump was doing in Ukraine?” He was subverting the will of the people by scheming to use our tax dollars to knock out his most feared opponent in the coming election — rather than trusting voters to do that.<br />
<br />
The only reason the plot was aborted was that a whistle-blower from the intelligence community drew attention to the president’s plan, forcing him to release the money to Ukraine — moments before his shakedown exploded into public view. Trump was like a bank robber with a gun to a teller’s head, who suddenly heard the police sirens approaching and ran off before he could stash the money in his bag.<br />
<br />
So while the founders wanted to reserve removal of a president for elections by the people, they understood that there could be situations when removing a president might be necessary to protect and preserve our very framework for holding free and fair elections. That framework is the Constitution and the rule of law — and this is one of those situations.<br />
<br />
If we say, as Republicans do, that what Trump did is not an impeachable offense, we are telling ourselves and every future president that — in direct contradiction of what the founders wrote in the Constitution — it is O.K. to enlist a foreign power to tilt the election your way. Can you imagine how much money candidates could raise from Saudi Arabia or China to tilt a future election their way, or how many cyberwarriors they could enlist from Russia or Iran to create fake news, suppress voting or spur outrage?<br />
<br />
The integrity of our elections would be shattered, and we would never again have a legitimate president — a president, who, whether or not you liked him or her, was at least seen as legitimately elected. That would be a prescription for permanent political chaos, as no future presidents’ authority would be respected if they were elected on the basis of foreign interference.<br />
<br />
But that is what Republicans are courting by blindly defending Trump’s indefensible enlistment of Ukraine’s help to take down Biden and by echoing Trump’s conspiracy theory — originated by Russian agents — that it was Ukraine that hacked the Democratic National Committee’s emails in 2016, not Russia. They also argue that the D.N.C.’s server was shipped off to Ukraine before the F.B.I. could look at it.<br />
<br />
This is right out of “The Twilight Zone.”<br />
<br />
Folks, can you imagine what Russia’s President Putin is saying to himself today? “I can’t believe my luck! I not only got Trump to parrot my conspiracy theories, I got his whole party to do it! And for free! Who ever thought Americans would so easily sell out their own Constitution for one man? My God, I have Russian lawmakers in my own Parliament who’d quit before doing that. But it proves my point: America is no different from Russia, so spare me the lectures.”<br />
<br />
If Congress were to do what Republicans demand — forgo impeaching this president for enlisting a foreign power to get him elected, after he refused to hand over any of the documents that Congress had requested and blocked all of his key aides who knew what happened from testifying — we would be saying that a president is henceforth above the law.<br />
<br />
We would be saying that we no longer have three coequal branches of government. We would be saying that we no longer have a separation of powers.<br />
<br />
We would be saying that our president is now a king.<br />
<br />
If we do that, the America you studied in history class, the America you grew up knowing and loving, and the America that the rest of the world has so long admired as a beacon of democracy and justice will be no more. Oh, how we will miss it when it’s gone.<br />
<br />
At a time when virtually every Republican lawmaker and Fox News have chosen to prostitute themselves for Trump, I do see one glimmer of hope hiding in plain sight.<br />
<br />
As The Times reported last Saturday, incumbent presidents almost always benefit from a strong economy, and right now job growth is robust and average hourly earnings are up — but Trump’s poll numbers are not: “Instead of enjoying anything close to overwhelming popularity because of the economy, Mr. Trump’s national approval rating has remained low, dropping about two percentage points to 41 percent since the Ukraine story broke.’’<br />
<br />
“Stock Markets Up Record Numbers,” Trump tweeted on Friday, adding, “It’s the economy, stupid.”<br />
<br />
Yes, it’s the economy, stupid — when you have a president who is not violating his oath to preserve and protect the Constitution. But if you read today’s poll numbers alongside the economy numbers, it turns out that more than a few Americans are saying, “It’s the Constitution, stupid — and unlike you, Mr. Trump, we value some things more than money.”<br />
<br />
We care about having a president who does not lie 20 times a day. We care about having a president who does not demean his opponents and mock their physical appearance. We care about having a president who does not take the word of Russia’s president over that of his own intelligence services. We care about having a president who is not caught up in conspiracy theories, which he then makes everyone around him chase. We care about having a president who values our nonpartisan public servants. We care about having a president who wants to be the president of the whole country, not just his base.<br />
<br />
And most of all, we care about having a president who takes seriously his oath to preserve and protect our Constitution. Without that, we will end up one day morally and financially bankrupt. How many Americans will still feel that way on Election Day remains to be seen and will also depend on the Democrats’ alternative. But for now, it’s good to know that it’s a significant number — that despite three years of Donald Trump’s presidency, the country still has a civic pulse.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-57990739866614259632019-04-12T17:51:00.000-03:002019-04-12T17:51:34.178-03:00Musical MarvelsSubway Symphonies: In 2003, London's transport authority piped classical music into some stations in a bid to reduce crime. within 18 months, robberies had fallen by a and assaults on staff by a quarter.<br />
<br />
Tuning Up: Listening to uplifting dance music may help you get over a cold. A 2008 study by researchers in Germany said 50 minutes of the music cut the level of the stress hormone cortisol of volunteers and boosted antibodies.<br />
<br />
Canine Chorus: Reggae and soft rock music both help reduce stress levels in dogs, per a 2017 study from the University of Glasgow. When those genres were played, dogs had lower heart rates and spent more time lying down.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-75720660502018609822019-01-21T23:03:00.001-04:002019-01-21T23:03:34.136-04:00Missing Link Found <p dir="ltr">The USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/21/study-south-african-fossils-missing-link-human-evolution/2636837002/">reports</a> that a study has found that fossils discovered in South Africa are the <i>missing link</i> in human evolution. </p>
<p dir="ltr">«Scientists writing in the journal PaleoAnthropology found that the species is the bridge between the 3-million-year-old "Lucy" or <i>Australopithecus afarensis</i> and the "handy man" <i>Homo habilis</i>, which used tools between 1.5 and 2.1 million years ago.» </p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-26792974780082091292019-01-20T12:44:00.002-04:002019-01-20T12:44:42.227-04:00A Better Seat Assignment, Please <p dir="ltr">I had to drive at 05:58 yesterday morning from the Inter Continental Hotel Cleveland to the John Glenn Columbus International Airport to catch a flight to DC. Because I had to get to DC to hear extraordinary German baritone, <a href="http://benjaminappl.com/">Benjamin Appl</a>'s <a href="https://www.phillipscollection.org/events/2019-01-20-sunday-concerts-appl">last US Debut Tour Recital at the a Philips Collection's Music Room</a>, Sunday, 20 January 2019 at 16:00. Accompanied by none other than brilliant pianist, <a href="https://james-baillieu.com/">James Baillieu</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">At the gate I met an incredible young woman to whom I found myself telling stories about Benjamin and James, about the recent and untimely passing of my beloved Mother and about <i>the Christians</i> with whom I had spent part of my visit to Israel in the Autumn of 2018. We were laughing within minutes and also establishing a quick bond between us. It's really amazing when this happens and her telling me that she was heading to Charlotte didn't faze me at all.</p><p dir="ltr">As soon as I noticed the check-in desk open I requested a better seat assignment from the agent and my wish was granted.</p><p dir="ltr">This new friend and I marched down a ramp and into our aeroplane to in time find out that someone else had been assigned to my seat. I checked my boarding pass and it had <i><b>her name</b></i> on it! And I was already upset enough because soon after I had accommodated myself in my seat a man rushed in complaining about purses and backpacks being inside overhead compartments and not under the seat. I invited him to check his bloody luggage in the hold, asked him to stop complaining and told him that my backpack is a bsckback and not an oversize purse and that my winter coat was not going to travel under my seat, space which was already occupied by the Intercontinental's Continental Breakfast which I intended to eat on the plane.</p><p dir="ltr">A steward thought about the boarding passes for a moment, checked them and realised that I had boarded a flight to Charlotte! Yes, in North Carolina! So the luggage, coat and food grabbing started along with the running which got me into an aeroplane bound for DC, but in bloody seat 19D.</p><p dir="ltr">This all happened because I had to meet Charmaine. Praise be! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-78678559527512372112019-01-20T12:11:00.001-04:002019-01-20T12:11:11.912-04:00Spirit Airline Ranks Higher? <p dir="ltr">A cording to Forbes, «Spirit» <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/grantmartin/2019/01/19/spirit-pulls-ahead-of-american-and-united-in-new-airline-rankings">pulls ahead</a> of American and United in new airline rankings. Not that this would get me to fly them. First, there's the issue of the cost of hand or hold on luggage and checked luggage and other fees and whether I'd fly and not accumulate additional mileage on my favourite airline loyalty programme for a less expensive option.</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-12529998813591171642018-07-18T20:10:00.000-03:002018-07-18T20:19:20.662-03:00Today's Google Doodle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKhn3cd6kGixdeFqugx6AJz_oN6nP0RzUcSXYISMOAz4pW5i5jdC8VTHvFgckKDBCcgKFLcJzZM9CNxCIOwiozxwNO7aaT6So0uS4Vuj4z2kmTliychsPoC9IAYkW1hYST2e5/s1600/kurt-masurs-91st-birthday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKhn3cd6kGixdeFqugx6AJz_oN6nP0RzUcSXYISMOAz4pW5i5jdC8VTHvFgckKDBCcgKFLcJzZM9CNxCIOwiozxwNO7aaT6So0uS4Vuj4z2kmTliychsPoC9IAYkW1hYST2e5/s400/kurt-masurs-91st-birthday.png" width="400" height="221" data-original-width="399" data-original-height="220" /></a></div><br />
<center>Google‘s new Doodle celebratrates Maestro Kurt Masur, the legendary German conductor and humanitarian on what would be his 91st birthday.<br />
Read more at <a href="http://time.com/5341539/google-doodle-maestro-kurt-masur/" title="Time Magazine">TIME</a>.</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-35734058967611980462018-07-17T19:19:00.002-03:002018-07-17T19:32:42.252-03:00Quotation of the Week<center><i>We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious <br />
is the first duty of intelligent men.» <br />
~George Orwell</i></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-71650756903423417602015-12-01T17:29:00.000-04:002015-12-01T17:31:01.645-04:00Sam Harris: The ‘Salon’ InterviewThe last thing Sam Harris was ever likely to do was to grant an interview to Salon.com. Mr Harris has made an exception and the <a href="http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/sam-harris-the-salon-interview" title="Sam Harris: The ‘Salon’ Interview">FULL TEXT</a> of the conversation is now a must-read article on his <a href="http://www.samharris.org/blog" title="Sam Harris's Blog">blog</a>. It's vital that you read the article there since Salon.com edited out the deservedly derogatory comments he made about the website's content. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-3923840757570661182015-12-01T17:10:00.000-04:002015-12-01T17:10:25.840-04:00Quotation of the Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLca2JUmcWkpUr12N-rmcCAgXVIbFU-TVE-JWhO2dYASHy0WXAEV-uCdLqKjA4hqPafP3gPVhsGTNuibv2JvJgNmud48CYkb6hyphenhyphenQ4suWDRbyGCgX8JF5aSlQhIL1hkuf7gYNh/s1600/XMAS+-+Conspiracy+of+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLca2JUmcWkpUr12N-rmcCAgXVIbFU-TVE-JWhO2dYASHy0WXAEV-uCdLqKjA4hqPafP3gPVhsGTNuibv2JvJgNmud48CYkb6hyphenhyphenQ4suWDRbyGCgX8JF5aSlQhIL1hkuf7gYNh/s400/XMAS+-+Conspiracy+of+Love.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-70469197967134815162014-02-08T18:32:00.000-04:002014-02-08T18:33:05.964-04:00Quotation of the Week<p align="center"><em>«Denken ist schwer, darum urteilen die meisten.»</em><br />
~Carl Gustav Jung</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-6909063926870618882014-01-06T18:27:00.000-04:002014-01-06T18:27:17.830-04:00¡Feliz Día de Reyes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zksVSEUWt0SlRxNGtuQaMmSbhTQRrYno0wgyi70jqcsV-onyfJqYVbtikzLVtV3a7ooFcbMU1ggEQgg4AnPFEApHXcQmT2a3zYWC9P3XNS-ROtdKdJNf7nLEYQ_NdR1Kiarc/s1600/Feliz+D%C3%ADa+de+Reyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zksVSEUWt0SlRxNGtuQaMmSbhTQRrYno0wgyi70jqcsV-onyfJqYVbtikzLVtV3a7ooFcbMU1ggEQgg4AnPFEApHXcQmT2a3zYWC9P3XNS-ROtdKdJNf7nLEYQ_NdR1Kiarc/s400/Feliz+D%C3%ADa+de+Reyes.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-21963520081019822962013-01-28T17:10:00.004-04:002013-01-28T17:12:07.201-04:00Quotation of the Week<p align="center"><em>«Truth exists; only lies are invented.»</em><br />
~Georges Braque</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-21785733888899309142012-12-25T19:41:00.000-04:002012-12-31T19:41:46.497-04:00bon nadal i feliç any nou!<br />
god jul och gott nytt år!<br />
god jul og godt nytt år!<br />
glædelig jul og godt nytår!<br />
gleðileg jól og farsælt komandi ár!<br />
hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!<br />
maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon!<br />
nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr!<br />
nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda!<br />
nollaig shona agus blian nua fe mhaise!<br />
fröhliche weihnachten und ein gutes neues jahr!<br />
joyeux noël et bonne nouvelle année!<br />
¡feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo!<br />
noeliniz ve yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun!<br />
buon natale e felice anno nuovo!<br />
prettige kerstdagen en een voorpoedig nieuwjaar!<br />
kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket és boldog új évet!<br />
feliz natal e bom ano novo!<br />
mele kalikimaka me ka hauoli makahiki hou!<br />
koa kirihimete a kia hari te tau hou!<br />
<br />
«idah saidan wa sanah jadidah»<br />
«de christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de mubarak sha»<br />
«meri kurisumasu soshite akemashite omedeto!»<br />
«christmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad va sâle-no mobârak»<br />
«chag molad sameach veshanah tovah»<br />
«shub naya baras»<br />
<br />
καλά χριστούγεννα και καλή χρoνιά πολλά!<br />
C Pождеством Хpистовым и Лучший Новый Год!<br />
<br />
natale hilare et annum faustum!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-1618748793965370712012-12-13T17:55:00.000-04:002012-12-13T17:56:10.767-04:00Quotation of the Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSM34n7bE9Ao3noHz97FqkJ2s39G2_fjV7XMhoEMFtOsCE29FT0S90ZqqrVwWnVMxkcImv77lGrLXmOoPYGkTJS4NTDE3EncS0CHWiwy57vO41Q_sH4z7b4OQGjPOsFixuYo6/s1600/Bukowsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="400" title="Bukowski quotation" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSM34n7bE9Ao3noHz97FqkJ2s39G2_fjV7XMhoEMFtOsCE29FT0S90ZqqrVwWnVMxkcImv77lGrLXmOoPYGkTJS4NTDE3EncS0CHWiwy57vO41Q_sH4z7b4OQGjPOsFixuYo6/s400/Bukowsky.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-8855894356300854862012-09-20T01:12:00.000-03:002012-09-20T01:17:51.077-03:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA94c5szCeCq5G66WvM4ZfFS7-b9WoHis7_2hsM4yOBWwWu2C5lqb-OsADlZXSw6d5ax5IvX7IU3RpfFWDTl25zt45XOAKZ1yB4EseqPs8fbPdtvMNFuG9C3JFXvElVXR7YfN6/s1600/Zapiro_Miners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em" ><img border="0" height="280" width="400" title="Zapiro's cartoon regarding the shooting of striking miners on 16 August 2012." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA94c5szCeCq5G66WvM4ZfFS7-b9WoHis7_2hsM4yOBWwWu2C5lqb-OsADlZXSw6d5ax5IvX7IU3RpfFWDTl25zt45XOAKZ1yB4EseqPs8fbPdtvMNFuG9C3JFXvElVXR7YfN6/s400/Zapiro_Miners.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<center>It is not yet clear to me exactly how the evens unfolded on 16 August when thirty-four people were killed after police opened fire on striking miners at a South African mine. The demonstrators may have not only seemed menacing (I understand they were armed) but also on the verge of attack. The incident definitely brings back memories of a time when fatal shootings by government forces was a rather too common instrument of oppression in South Africa. So I post this insightful cartoon by the great <a href="http://www.zapiro.com/">Zapiro</a> reserving judgement on whether this was a massacre or a necessity of sorts.<br />
<br />
Nyabonga, SW</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-38608992707582767442012-09-18T01:25:00.000-03:002012-09-18T01:25:49.876-03:00Quotation of the Week<p align="center"><em>«Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.»</em><br />
(I will either find a way or make one.)<br />
~Hannibal</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-49290337207032212982012-09-18T01:20:00.000-03:002013-01-28T17:07:02.640-04:00Behold the Hand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCHaMt4r7H94WedhIu9OE7TLsapeq_C42olbgOGCVrkHNmDzSOCIRiBfkoiMCYtizm79EMO6nmUuyHfWHqmmIXyV4Mu1Q5SoM_37SW0R0C7oGRpm98-LxBjWwy0s7y7L__KM9/s1600/Maurizio+Cattelan%252C+L.O.V.E.%252C+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCHaMt4r7H94WedhIu9OE7TLsapeq_C42olbgOGCVrkHNmDzSOCIRiBfkoiMCYtizm79EMO6nmUuyHfWHqmmIXyV4Mu1Q5SoM_37SW0R0C7oGRpm98-LxBjWwy0s7y7L__KM9/s400/Maurizio+Cattelan%252C+L.O.V.E.%252C+2010.jpg" title="L.O.V.E. Sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan" /></a></div><br />
<center>Maurizio Cattelan, "L.O.V.E.," 2010 </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-26070430299574950802012-09-08T18:30:00.000-03:002012-09-08T18:35:17.060-03:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF6ZYk_XtgI-B_BleOZUp4UNqW09AvCwWrqgTgf1tv9BULg0XZS2zQXFQIaXuE36DMQO58JLeiyGJF55teEdAv118GSToy0LJbFFrhvQAI-Cq9mPe6uetoBddm9muRBuK-xQf/s1600/Congressmen+who+don%2527t+get+science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="284" title="Statements made by US Congressmen who don't get science." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF6ZYk_XtgI-B_BleOZUp4UNqW09AvCwWrqgTgf1tv9BULg0XZS2zQXFQIaXuE36DMQO58JLeiyGJF55teEdAv118GSToy0LJbFFrhvQAI-Cq9mPe6uetoBddm9muRBuK-xQf/s400/Congressmen+who+don%2527t+get+science.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<center>This is just an example of the unbelievably stupid statements Republican politicians have made recently in the United States. The sad fact is that most get away with it. The media hardly ever takes them to task on these subjects as enormous segments of the American public are understood to be as ignorant as the people who govern.</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-34713194704011241702012-07-31T15:35:00.001-03:002012-07-31T15:35:28.845-03:00Quotation of the Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xwy1JRo9LV5RHL72bGkoQlkWBSLCeo98TgUDEQKaSr4V8sTyj6io5Hdcx3E8CHWfRwUt-y_-bggngnICkiGuuNZEFM9QfWktg-mSez-dJ-yf2u7N7iUp3_nKwvHCifP8qRbE/s1600/What+you+read_What+you%2527ll+be.jpg" imageanchor="1" title="Quote by Oscar Wilde" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xwy1JRo9LV5RHL72bGkoQlkWBSLCeo98TgUDEQKaSr4V8sTyj6io5Hdcx3E8CHWfRwUt-y_-bggngnICkiGuuNZEFM9QfWktg-mSez-dJ-yf2u7N7iUp3_nKwvHCifP8qRbE/s400/What+you+read_What+you%2527ll+be.jpg" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-36374057898169542492012-07-04T14:58:00.000-03:002012-07-04T17:25:16.084-03:00Happy Birthday America 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekf4SEJ-pioJsWGK7B7aHWd3xfLyUXadLALqA7quz6xnJSD3IX9reMyM76dxTN7aLg41s9FYpPLhkANhzwdJPtP7Fgt1qz5WLerVXykei2wb8S3FowYlmrCLi9VE-dikVAmGf/s1600/independence_day_short_by_tohokari_steel-d561x5q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="248" width="300" title="The Stars and Stripes and the Statue of Liberty" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekf4SEJ-pioJsWGK7B7aHWd3xfLyUXadLALqA7quz6xnJSD3IX9reMyM76dxTN7aLg41s9FYpPLhkANhzwdJPtP7Fgt1qz5WLerVXykei2wb8S3FowYlmrCLi9VE-dikVAmGf/s400/independence_day_short_by_tohokari_steel-d561x5q.jpg title="The Stars and Stripes and the Statue of Liberty" /></a></div>" <center>«I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. I think moderate imperfections had better be borne with; because, when once known, we accommodate ourselves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects. But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the same coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilised society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.» <br />
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~Thomas Jefferson's to Samuel Kercheval, 12 July 1810</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-1398104913686551842012-07-03T17:21:00.000-03:002012-07-04T17:24:46.420-03:00Who Really Matters in Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSe-K65Ct1oEVpssUQ58DdwSnyp6g7o2i1oEpFETt5aFA20puBiZQ7q0hbSaT3KrZiBCRhe5o9qI584Ko-pgIT7WJYJT2nNI-A7mAD1qsFhqHsZ41Ol4dmcJU1nNFLyOfU1TA/s1600/Who+really+matters.jpg" imageanchor="1" title="Who Really Matters in Life" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSe-K65Ct1oEVpssUQ58DdwSnyp6g7o2i1oEpFETt5aFA20puBiZQ7q0hbSaT3KrZiBCRhe5o9qI584Ko-pgIT7WJYJT2nNI-A7mAD1qsFhqHsZ41Ol4dmcJU1nNFLyOfU1TA/s400/Who+really+matters.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<center>Do you matter to me?</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-30519008647673485052012-06-28T13:18:00.001-03:002012-07-04T15:04:10.543-03:00A Great Day for America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumuDaTj7BibKHfpuT264WmAr6uMYJYSLBn_SIjPOxgYNAp2Jv3HzVYJOfvdozqMKc1L0cWuLqZaTXxM_gCRvjNwIwIeIT5ytHg-4XHqZ2Lk6kEpOdGn_Ce0SDHZ89EiZxV7jg/s1600/OBAMACARE+CARTOON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="308" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumuDaTj7BibKHfpuT264WmAr6uMYJYSLBn_SIjPOxgYNAp2Jv3HzVYJOfvdozqMKc1L0cWuLqZaTXxM_gCRvjNwIwIeIT5ytHg-4XHqZ2Lk6kEpOdGn_Ce0SDHZ89EiZxV7jg/s400/OBAMACARE+CARTOON.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-46052501507468214682012-06-23T14:08:00.000-03:002012-07-04T17:25:44.449-03:00Know Your Meme<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaJJhsqjouEzG-B-qaVxD4JFt5KLCL80poxSSdS06Co2NDXex_u9nn4bKxzbWgQQUHFKhJHFpSKWRibVxYg13d4FiHjYpKfNcVKkev0m-DIDPv6Mxh6EESxpHtJwGLD1OQg6Y/s1600/Come+at+me+bro_The+Wanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" title="Come at me Bro" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaJJhsqjouEzG-B-qaVxD4JFt5KLCL80poxSSdS06Co2NDXex_u9nn4bKxzbWgQQUHFKhJHFpSKWRibVxYg13d4FiHjYpKfNcVKkev0m-DIDPv6Mxh6EESxpHtJwGLD1OQg6Y/s400/Come+at+me+bro_The+Wanted.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<center>© 2012 Roman M France</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326317.post-66612489218080113032012-06-10T14:16:00.002-03:002012-07-04T15:07:14.361-03:00Quotation of the Week<p align="center"><em>«Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.»</em>
~Edmund Burke</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com