Tag Archives: europe

The Internet in 1969

I actually remember this. I saw it at a drive in… 1970…i think. Probably during a Clint Eastwood marathon: fist full of dollars for a few dollars more the good,the bad, and the ugly…freakin epic movie. added by: onemalefla

Mexico-demanding that our congress pass amnesty for Mexican illegal aliens, McClintock told Calderon to Butt Out of American affairs.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon insulted America by demanding that our congress pass amnesty for Mexican illegal aliens on May 19, 2010. Congressman Tom McClintock told Calderon to Butt Out of American affairs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JDo36xPYgE added by: ejasun

Why Atheism Will Replace Religion

by Nigel Barber, Ph.D. Why atheism grows faster than religion Published on May 18, 2010 Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries, particularly the social democracies of Europe. In underdeveloped countries, there are virtually no atheists. Atheism is thus a peculiarly modern phenomenon. Why do modern conditions produce atheism? First, as to the distribution of atheism in the world, a clear pattern can be discerned. In sub-Saharan Africa there is almost no atheism (Zuckerman, 2007). Belief in God declines in more developed countries and is concentrated in Europe in countries such as Sweden (64% nonbelievers), Denmark (48%), France (44%) and Germany (42%). In contrast, the incidence of atheism in most sub-Saharan countries is below 1%. The question of why economically developed countries turn to atheism has been batted around by anthropologists for about eighty years. Anthropologist James Fraser proposed that scientific prediction and control of nature supplants religion as a means of controlling uncertainty in our lives. This hunch is supported by data showing that the more educated countries have higher levels of non belief and there are strong correlations between atheism and intelligence (see my earlier post on this). Atheists are more likely to be college-educated people who live in cities and they are highly concentrated in the social democracies of Europe. Atheism thus blossoms amid affluence where most people feel economically secure. But why? It seems that people turn to religion as a salve for the difficulties and uncertainties of their lives. In social democracies, there is less fear and uncertainty about the future because social welfare programs provide a safety net and better health care means that fewer people can expect to die young. People who are less vulnerable to the hostile forces of nature feel more in control of their lives and less in need of religion. In addition to being the opium of the people (as Karl Marx contemptuously phrased it), religion may also promote fertility, particularly by promoting marriage, according to copious data reviewed by Sanderson (2008). Large families are preferred in agricultural countries as a source of free labor. In developed “atheist” countries, women have exceptionally small families and do not need religion helping them to raise large families. Even the psychological functions of religion face stiff competition today. In modern societies, when people experience psychological difficulties they turn to their doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. They want a scientific fix and prefer the real psychotropic medicines dished out by physicians to the metaphorical opiates offered by religion. Moreover, sport psychologists find that sports spectatorship provides much the same kind of social, and spiritual, benefits as people obtain from church membership. In a previous post, I made the case that sports is replacing religion. Precisely the same argument can be made for other forms of entertainment with which spectators become deeply involved. Indeed, religion is striking back by trying to compete in popular media, such as televangelism and Christian rock and by hosting live secular entertainment in church. The reasons that churches lose ground in developed countries can be summarized in market terms. First, with better science, and with government safety nets, and smaller families, there is less fear and uncertainty in people's daily lives and hence less of a market for religion. At the same time many alternative products are being offered, such as psychotropic medicines and electronic entertainment that have fewer strings attached and that do not require slavish conformity to unscientific beliefs. References Sanderson, S. K. (2008). Adaptation, evolution, and religion. Religion, 38, 141-156. Zuckerman, P. (2007). Atheism: Contemporary numbers and patterns. In M. Martin (ed.), The Cambridge companion to atheism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This book is not held by any U.S. Library. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201005/why-atheism-will-repl… added by: putdownmypants

Becoming a Reporter: Vanguard’s Mariana van Zeller

Correspondent Mariana van Zeller was first inspired to pursue a career in journalism while watching TV news in her native Portugal. In this exclusive Vanguard extra, she talks about making her way from Europe to New York City's Columbia University, working side-by-side with her husband, producer Darren Foster, and why people continue to underestimate her. “Vanguard,” airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories. added by: MarianaVanZeller

Bintan Triathlon race 2010

Most of the triathletes come from Europe, the United States and Australia, event coordinator named only Yudhiarto said, quoted by the Jakarta Post. “In terms of number, triathletes from Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand will dominate the race,” he said. About 1,500 triathletes from the around the world have confirmed their participation in the 6th Bintan Triathlon race in Riau Islands of Indonesia scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, a local media reported Friday. Indonesian triathelet

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Bintan Triathlon race 2010

Corexit is killing the Gulf

Nick Pozzi, a former oil pipeline engineering and operations project manager is puzzled why BP did not salvage perfectly good crude oil for later sale, and to thereby protect marine and wildlife. What Mr. Pozzi does not know is the oil companies are owned by the world’s only legal counterfeiters – the International Monetary/Banking Cartel – who can “print” all the money they want, so making money on Gulf oil was not important to them. Killing the Gulf of Mexico, apparently, is important to them, for their own cryptic and esoteric reasons. If the Cartel had wanted to save marine life, any oil they had not vacuumed up could have been mulched with any number of non-toxic materials, such as “Oil Sponge,” a name trademarked by Phase III, Inc. Rated as the “best performing” absorbent by the US Army Corp of Engineers, Oil Sponge is 100% organic, and is made from renewable resources. Oil Sponge is built using a microbial and nutrient package, capable of transforming oil hydrocarbons into a safe bi-product of carbon dioxide and water. But, the governmental bureaucrats of the Obama administration, and the Cartel’s oil executives, had no interest in using an environmentally friendly product to clean up what is the greatest man-made environmental disaster of all time … they seemed intent on making this unbelievable cataclysm far, far worse, and one that could never be cleaned up. It cannot yet be proven that the Monetary Cartel purposely blew up their own wellhead, but the crimes they have committed in their so-called “clean-up” efforts are well documented, in spite of no corporate media outrage. Well, of course not, the Cartel that owns the oil companies also own their corporate media. After the Exxon Valdez incident of March 1989, Mycelx of Georgia developed what looks like a paper towel to soak up to 50 times its weight in oil. And while this product is used from the Middle East to Europe to Canada it was of no interest to the parties Obama charged with cleaning up the Gulf of the floating oil those very same parties caused. Then there is the AmeriHaz Petroleum Solidifier that encapsulates environmental contaminants, making crude oil and other oil like substances easy to retrieve, which also proved to be of no interest to the Cartel. Even hair naturally separates oil from water, leaving large tar globs, in which mushrooms can then be seeded. And as the mushrooms grow, they digest the oil, leaving non-toxic organics, which can then be composed into soil, great for growing healthy vegetables. Anyone who has ever had a bad hair day knows how well hair will retain oil. In fact, Lisa Gautier, president of Matter of Fact (website for hair salons) has collected 400,000 pounds of hair, and stuffed it all into nylons to be used as booms near Gulf shores. This idea could have been a shot in the arm of our dying economy, by creating organic compose for the millions of nutrient depleted farm acres in the world. Also there could have been a viable cottage industry of collecting hair from salons. And, hair is certainly a renewable resource, with most of us contributing. But neither Obama or the Cartel has done anything for our dying US and world economy, but ensure it dies, while feebly pretending to resuscitate it. And now that they’ve probably destroyed the tourist, shrimping, and fishing industries along the Gulf Coast, we’ll be hearing about more “stimulus packages” that will make what money we do have even more worthless as it enriches the Cartel’s Wall Street. But in the world of what could have been, there’s hay, sawdust, crushed volcanic rock, sheep’s wool, and even kitty litter that could have mulched with the oil on the surface of the Gulf waters, making for easy pick-up. But, oil industry executives and their confederates in the Obama administration quickly made sure that all spewing oil would either sink well below the surface, or never rise to it, with over half a million gallons of their dispersants. Now the oil that’s been gushing for weeks can never be vacuumed up or safely neutralized. continued. added by: JanforGore

Mario’s Next Album To Include Electro Sounds

‘It’s incredible how house music influences R&B nowadays,’ the R&B singer says of his upcoming album. By Jayson Rodriguez Mario Photo: MTV News First, Ne-Yo found inspiration in the electro blasting throughout clubs overseas, dabbling with the sounds on his last album, Year of the Gentleman. Then Will.I.am, Kelis, and a slew of other R&B acts followed. Consider Mario the latest act hooked by house music. “The new album right now, I’m just focused on the album,” the singer told MTV News backstage at Chris Brown’s “Virginia Stand Up! A Call to Action” benefit concert on Saturday. The Baltimore native explained that the genre’s grooves were just too appealing not to flirt with on his upcoming project. “Stay tuned. I just came back from Europe — it’s crazy out there,” Mario said. “I just did a DJ/ house [music] tour in Europe; I did like 10 days. It was a huge thing, like 15,000-seat venue. It was incredible to see how many people are into house music and R&B music, and how house music influences R&B nowadays. You know, [it has a] real strong presence … over there.” The collection, due this summer, according to Mario, would be his fifth album and the follow-up to last year’s set, D.N.A. That project spawned the hit “Break Up,” featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett. Mario’s yet-untitled album is tentatively slated to include a guest appearance by Chris Brown, though nothing has been confirmed so far. Mario said the two crooners recently spent time together in a Los Angeles studio — though admittedly Brown was working with Keri Hilson and not him — and the pair have high hopes to get something recorded between them soon. “For the ladies,” he said with a smile. Are you excited to hear new music from Mario? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Mario Ne-Yo

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Mario’s Next Album To Include Electro Sounds

Man Stabs Wife 250 times, Eats her Liver and Lungs: Gets 15 Years in jail

Insane? An Abuse Victim? A Muslim Husband? Late last week, Google directed me to a newspaper in Australia (!) where I read about a man who stabbed his wife 250 times; needless to say, he killed her. The report went on to allege that this killer also ate his wife’s liver and lungs while their four year-old daughter watched from the next room. The article also said that this fiend was sentenced to only 15 years to life. It also noted that although this man stabbed his wife 250 times, he hotly denies being a cannibal. That bad he’s not. Even monstrous killers have pride. What the hell is wrong there Down Under, I wondered. And then—I read the most amazing bit of information. This heinous murder had not taken place in Australia but in my own backyard, in Queens, New York, three years ago, in 2007. And, while the crime and 2010 sentencing were viewed as newsworthy in Australia and India, the sentencing was not covered at all in the (hardcopy) liberal mainstream media. Well, it does sound more like a National Enquirer story, doesn’t it? Now, who would commit such a savage murder? Was the murderer a domestic version of Jeffrey Dahmer who raped, murdered, then ate children and young men? But Dahmer and his ilk are not often married to women and do not have children. Well, a serial killer might do this to a girl or woman whom he does not know, someone whom he believes is a prostitute. Again, these psychopaths do not prey upon their wives. And then, of course, I knew, “racist” that I presumably am, that the murder had probably been committed by a Third World immigrant, let’s say, someone from South Asia, for these are all the pseudonyms for…Muslims and for Muslim terrorists. Sure enough, the murderer’s name is Mohammed Solaiman; his victim’s name was Shahida Sultanna. The New York Post and the Daily News covered the sentencing. The New York Times did not. Ironically, the Paper of Record did cover this murder, briefly, in 2007, when it happened—but in an article that also covered another Queens-based murder—as if to say that the borough of “Queens” was the true subject. Needless to say, no reporter dared note the murderer’s ethnicity, culture, or religion. It’s anybody’s guess. Clearly, journalists might not view this information as relevant or they may already know that their editors will simply take it out as “racist” profiling. In court, Solaiman’s lawyer claimed that Solaiman, who was 49 years old at the time of the crime, was an “abused” husband whose 32-year-old wife had verbally and physically “abused” him for six years. While May-December marriages certainly exist in the West, they more closely characterize marriages in the developing and Muslim world. Of course, the other Mo (Hassan), the husband who beheaded his wife in Buffalo, is also claiming that he was an “abused” husband too. Just like Major Nidal Hasan, Buffalo “Mo” is claiming that he’s the victim and/or that he suffers from some diminished capacity or emotional disturbance brought about by “abuse.” This is a consistent strategy. A number of Muslim wife-killers and daughter-killers honestly feel that they are the true victims, that their wives abused them and their daughters “dishonored” them—and that, in turn, these adult men felt “attacked,” and were forced to “defend” themselves. In 1989, Palestina Isa’s father, a St Louis, Missouri-based Abu Nidal terrorist, described how “attacked” he and his family felt by his too-Americanized daughter. Thus, after a lifetime of physical and verbal abuse had failed to tame his daughter, he and his wife stabbed the 16 year-old thirteen times. As I’ve discovered in my most recent study about honor killings, while there are Hindus and Sikhs who perpetrate honor killings, this is primarily a Muslim-on-Muslim crime. And, these deaths are often very torturous. Worldwide, the torture rate that accompanies a female honor killing is 54%; North America has the lowest torture rate (35%); the Muslim world rate is 51%; Europe has the highest torture rate (68%). Ellen Sheeley, the author of a study on honor killings in Jordan, wrote to me privately and congratulated me on the study. However, she said that every single honor killing she’d investigated in Jordan was a torture-killing (read it all) added by: crystalman

Adam Lambert Predicts Crystal Bowersox Will Win ‘American Idol’

‘I like her anti-establishment rebelliousness,’ the ‘American Idol’ runner-up says of MamaSox. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Matt Elias Adam Lambert Photo: MTV News Back in April, after a mentoring gig on “American Idol” had people buzzing that he should replace Simon Cowell behind the judges’ table next season, Adam Lambert revealed to MTV News which contestants he thought the most promising: Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, Lee DeWyze and Michael Lynche. [T]hose four really stand out as authentic, pure, amazing vocals,” Lambert said at the time. A month later, with Big Mike now out of the picture and Bowersox, James and DeWyze comprising this season’s top three, Lambert has come out in support of Bowersox to win the competition. “If I had to pick one out of those three, I’d probably lean more toward Crystal at this point,” he told us. “I like her anti-establishment rebelliousness.” In that choice, he’s echoing the consensus opinion that this season is Bowersox’s to lose. But, in fact, Lambert hasn’t had a chance to see what’s been going down on “Idol” in recent weeks. After a short, Icelandic volcano-induced delay in his travel plans, the season eight runner-up jetted off to Europe, where he performed in England, Holland and Finland. “I’ve been gone,” he said. “I haven’t been able to watch it.” Though he singled out MamaSox for special recognition, Lambert made sure to pay respects to all the remaining contestants, who face off again on Tuesday night (May 18), after enjoying hometown visits late last week. “All three of them are excellent singers,” he said. “They’re all really organic and kind of authentic in what they do. They’re all likeable. They were all really nice when I met them on set.” Who’s your favorite to win “Idol”? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos Crystal Bowersox’s ‘American Idol’ Experience ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

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Adam Lambert Predicts Crystal Bowersox Will Win ‘American Idol’

Huge Silk Chinese Painting “Achensee” Price Hits Record High of $15 Million Dollars

Last Monday, a huge silk Chinese painting by Zhang Daqian, one of the best-known Chinese artists of the 20th century, went for nearly 15 million U.S. dollars. According to Guo Tong, general manager of Guardian’s modern and contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy department, the painting “Achensee” — auctioned at the China Guardian 2010 Spring Auctions Monday night — was sold for 100.8 million yuan (about 14.7 million U.S. dollars), Guo Tong added that this was the first time that a modern contemporary Chinese painting had gone for over 100 million Yuan. The Sild Chinese Painting “Achensee” measured 264.2 centimeters long and 76.2 centimeters wide. This was painted in 1968 by Zhang Dagian, inspired by his visit to Lake Aachensee in Europe, and has been exhibited in New York, Boston and Chicago. The landscape painting is widely recognized as a masterpiece. Further information from Guo Tong, this is the first time the painting “Achensee” has gone on the market and the price revealed collectors’ enthusiasm. Huge Silk Chinese Painting “Achensee” Price Hits Record High of $15 Million Dollars is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading