I came in from the Hot Tub and blogging on my laptop out there on the redwood deck and backyard to find my wife and two daughters (18 and 25) watching "Mortified Nation" likely at Netflix or Amazon prime through our Roku puck on our 60 inch flatscreen. I wanted to make sure I shared it with all of you thinking it might save your life just like writing helped me stay alive between ages 10 and 15 (1958 to 1963) when I had childhood epilepsy and seriously considered suicide because I was so terrified from what I was experiencing then. Or when I was suicidal from breaking up with two girlfriends (one in 1966 in December and then another one in 1969. (both girls I loved enough to marry). So, when I lost both of them to circumstances beyond my control in addition to being asked to leave my childhood church because I was too progressive and 1960s for them it was too much for me. So, hopefully you will choose to stay alive too and laugh with the people at Mortified Nation as they reveal their most personal thoughts (usually about 20 years or more before right now) from their diaries.
In some ways what I'm doing at this site is to encourage people to share more of their problems (but not their addresses or full names or jobs or kids names) at their own Blog sites around the world. Doing this helps everyone find a way to stay alive by writing about their problems.
Even if you don't have a therapist or counselor or anyone to talk to right now, writing about what is bothering you might just keep you alive by learning to understand yourself better. Because in the end who knows you better than you except maybe God? And then when you read stuff you wrote 10, 20, 30 years later you might say, "Oh my God! Is that what I thought then?" or you might laugh and be grateful you survived all that.
Also, sometimes I will write a rant about one thing or another and realize within a minute to 24 hours that many people will misunderstand it so I delete it in order to create more positive results in their lives. However, just writing what I write sometimes really heals me even if I write it and delete it immediately or leave it up for 24 hours or so. So, this site is not just good therapy for me it is also good therapy for you as well.
So, here's some stuff on Mortified Nation to either entertain you or heal you and likely both.
Mortified: Upcoming Events
www.getmortified.com/live/Mortified Nation - film banner ... Date, Time, Where, What. Fri., July 11, 2014, 7:30 PM, San Francisco, CA ...Mortified Nation (2013) - IMDb
www.imdb.com/title/tt2281365/
Internet Movie DatabaseRating: 7.4/10 - 309 votesAdults share their most embarrassing teenage writings and art in front of total strangers at Mortified stage shows across the country, as the filmmakers explore... Mortified Nation: Documentary Trailer - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3DmdV9XByYSep 27, 2013 - Uploaded by MortifiedMediaOfficial trailer for Mortified Nation film: http://mortifiednation.com. Now available on iTunes, Amazon ...Mortified Nation - Huffington Post
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../mortified-nation_n_52...May 15, 2014 - "Mortified Nation" is a documentary that follows a live show in which adults "share the shame" and read writings of their former selves to an ...
The Huffington PostMortified Nation - Rotten Tomatoes
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortified_nation/'Mortified Nation' is genuinely entertaining, but also subversively profound and surprisingly moving. April 3, 2014 ... Discuss Mortified Nation on our Movie forum!
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Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Mortified Nation: An Alternative to Suicide?
China: a great power we can't trust
China: a great power we can't trust
As pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong gain strength, Beijing must honour its commitment to their liberty
Email
Protesters carry a
replica of the goddess of democracy as they march for greater democracy
from China during an annual protest in Hong Kong on 1 July 2014.
Photograph: Kin Cheung/AP
Pieces of paper have a poor reputation among political realists,
and history is littered with the torn-up fragments of solemn treaties.
Seventeen years after a tearful Chris Patten, the last colonial governor
of Hong Kong, sailed away on the royal yacht Britannia in July 1997,
two pieces of paper are in contention, and they're sparking an
increasingly bitter confrontation over the right of Hong Kong's people
to choose their own government.
More than 700,000 people voted for that right last week in an unofficial referendum organised by Occupy Central, a pro-democracy movement founded in 2013. And on 1 July tens of thousands took to the streets in Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy rally in more than a decade. The referendum was denounced as an "illegal farce" by mainland newspaper Global Times; ballot boxes and papers intended for use in the referendum were seized; the online poll came under repeated cyber attack; and every mention of the referendum, and of Occupy Central, has been scrubbed from the Chinese internet.
Occupy, though, is determined to secure a voting system that meets international standards, and says it will bring traffic to a standstill in the central business district if asking nicely does not work. It is supported in its aims, if not always in its tactics, by a broad range of democratic interests in Hong Kong, many of whom point out that they are asking for no more than what the Chinese government has promised but failed to deliver.
At the heart of the confrontation is the joint declaration, the 1985 agreement between the UK and China, and a white paper published by the Chinese government last month. China and Britain registered the declaration at the United Nations as a legally binding treaty. Along with the mutually agreed basic law, which came into effect in 1997, it pledged to guarantee Hong Kong's continuing liberties, rights and way of life for 50 years, during which time Hong Kong would run its own affairs under Deng Xiaoping's formula of "one country, two systems".
As a British colony, Hong Kong never enjoyed universal suffrage, but this was subsequently promised in elections for both the chief executive and the legislature – half of whose members are elected by elite special interest groups that include bankers and lawyers. Beijing has repeatedly delayed the introduction of a fully democratic system and, critics say, steadily expanded its influence in Hong Kong's affairs. This creeping control has provoked increasingly frequent confrontations on the streets. The issue has come to a head over the conditions for the next legislative elections in 2016, and elections for chief executive in 2017. Beijing wants to allow only approved candidates who "love China" to stand.
The white paper seems to reinterpret Xiaoping's guarantee of freedoms and to propose, among other things, that Hong Kong's judges, as well as its political candidates, should be selected on political criteria. The paper has provoked such outrage that the text has been publicly burned on Hong Kong streets. For the veteran politician Anson Chan, Hong Kong's governability is as stake, as well as its freedoms. If its political leaders have no credibility, she argues, confrontations can only escalate.
The growing protests will not only test China's willingness to allow Hong Kong's people to vote freely for the candidates they choose, they will also affect China's international standing. Treaties may be made of paper, but a sovereign state's binding commitments are more than just words on a page – they influence whether it can be trusted and respected in a world that seeks to be governed by rules rather than force. If China wants to be seen as a "new kind of great power" and a benign force in the world, honouring solemn promises written on paper is essential.
end quote from:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/01/china-promise-hong-kong-liberties-power
More than 700,000 people voted for that right last week in an unofficial referendum organised by Occupy Central, a pro-democracy movement founded in 2013. And on 1 July tens of thousands took to the streets in Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy rally in more than a decade. The referendum was denounced as an "illegal farce" by mainland newspaper Global Times; ballot boxes and papers intended for use in the referendum were seized; the online poll came under repeated cyber attack; and every mention of the referendum, and of Occupy Central, has been scrubbed from the Chinese internet.
Occupy, though, is determined to secure a voting system that meets international standards, and says it will bring traffic to a standstill in the central business district if asking nicely does not work. It is supported in its aims, if not always in its tactics, by a broad range of democratic interests in Hong Kong, many of whom point out that they are asking for no more than what the Chinese government has promised but failed to deliver.
At the heart of the confrontation is the joint declaration, the 1985 agreement between the UK and China, and a white paper published by the Chinese government last month. China and Britain registered the declaration at the United Nations as a legally binding treaty. Along with the mutually agreed basic law, which came into effect in 1997, it pledged to guarantee Hong Kong's continuing liberties, rights and way of life for 50 years, during which time Hong Kong would run its own affairs under Deng Xiaoping's formula of "one country, two systems".
As a British colony, Hong Kong never enjoyed universal suffrage, but this was subsequently promised in elections for both the chief executive and the legislature – half of whose members are elected by elite special interest groups that include bankers and lawyers. Beijing has repeatedly delayed the introduction of a fully democratic system and, critics say, steadily expanded its influence in Hong Kong's affairs. This creeping control has provoked increasingly frequent confrontations on the streets. The issue has come to a head over the conditions for the next legislative elections in 2016, and elections for chief executive in 2017. Beijing wants to allow only approved candidates who "love China" to stand.
The white paper seems to reinterpret Xiaoping's guarantee of freedoms and to propose, among other things, that Hong Kong's judges, as well as its political candidates, should be selected on political criteria. The paper has provoked such outrage that the text has been publicly burned on Hong Kong streets. For the veteran politician Anson Chan, Hong Kong's governability is as stake, as well as its freedoms. If its political leaders have no credibility, she argues, confrontations can only escalate.
The growing protests will not only test China's willingness to allow Hong Kong's people to vote freely for the candidates they choose, they will also affect China's international standing. Treaties may be made of paper, but a sovereign state's binding commitments are more than just words on a page – they influence whether it can be trusted and respected in a world that seeks to be governed by rules rather than force. If China wants to be seen as a "new kind of great power" and a benign force in the world, honouring solemn promises written on paper is essential.
end quote from:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/01/china-promise-hong-kong-liberties-power
My Hope for the Middle East
My hope is that some kind of sustainable future can be found for Sunnis and Shias and Christians and Jews (and everyone else) in the middle east.
Lately, I have been sort of cynical as an intuitive. Even though the things I have predicted likely will all happen still I have been thinking that looking at the future as it will occur isn't always the most psychologically healthy way to look at things. Often people need to feel hope because without hope the people perish.
I have always found being an intuitive paradoxical in this way. God has given me the ability to see the future just like many other people on earth for thousands of years.
And just like everyone else with this ability, it isn't 100% of the future it is at most about 10% of what likely is going to happen. So, in some ways that is very frustrating and confusing. Why would God give some people 10% of the future because knowing these things is always sort of paradoxical.
First of all, who is going to believe you when you predict the future? Your family might and friends might who have seen you be so right so many many times before. But, that isn't the average person is it?
So, if you can only save your own family, your own tribe of people and friends how useful really is that? For the family and friends of your specific tribe of people and friends that is really really big because those people might survive all sorts of things other groups of people can't or won't.
But, another way to look at this is the people that survived all sorts of calamities usually had one or more among them that saw part or all of what was coming.
So, my hope for the Middle East is a future that everyone on earth can live with. That would be the best.
Lately, I have been sort of cynical as an intuitive. Even though the things I have predicted likely will all happen still I have been thinking that looking at the future as it will occur isn't always the most psychologically healthy way to look at things. Often people need to feel hope because without hope the people perish.
I have always found being an intuitive paradoxical in this way. God has given me the ability to see the future just like many other people on earth for thousands of years.
And just like everyone else with this ability, it isn't 100% of the future it is at most about 10% of what likely is going to happen. So, in some ways that is very frustrating and confusing. Why would God give some people 10% of the future because knowing these things is always sort of paradoxical.
First of all, who is going to believe you when you predict the future? Your family might and friends might who have seen you be so right so many many times before. But, that isn't the average person is it?
So, if you can only save your own family, your own tribe of people and friends how useful really is that? For the family and friends of your specific tribe of people and friends that is really really big because those people might survive all sorts of things other groups of people can't or won't.
But, another way to look at this is the people that survived all sorts of calamities usually had one or more among them that saw part or all of what was coming.
So, my hope for the Middle East is a future that everyone on earth can live with. That would be the best.
Do you have enough controlled anger to survive the really difficult things in Life?
When I was little often my father and grandfather scared me with their intensity and intelligence. They were big and strong and no one messed with them ever because they were not only physically 6 foot 2 1/2 inches each they were also very intelligent and not fools in any way. So, I grew up sort of being respectful, afraid, but also idolizing my father and my grandfather as the larger than life characters they both were.
However, when I grew up I encountered many difficulties in my life too, and only my controlled anger "and a lot of prayer" actually got me through these things.
It's not enough to just go off into anger and rage and kill yourself or someone else. That is just going to end your life and other people's lives too. Because whether you kill someone else or yourself either way in a sense you are dead. (wars are different than this because it becomes a completely different thing at that point). But, if it is just you versus the world this is what I'm referring to.
So, once again do you have enough "Controlled anger" to get you through what you are going to face in your life.
Many people are going to say to you, "Just calm down and everything will be fine." However, often that is a parent who would be perfectly happy for you to live with them until you are 40 or more.
So, if you ever want to have a life it starts with anger (not towards hurting anyone) but in using your anger to figure out a better life for you to live.
Let me give you an example of what I'm saying: My wife was going to have full knee replacement surgery last Wednesday and she did. I was worried that I was going to snap many times verbally and emotionally at her because I'm not naturally a nurse type of person. I'm more an idea man and problem solver. But, I have never seen myself as a long term nurse. So, I knew that even though I could do this that I was going to get angry periodically and I told my wife I was worried about coming through for her.
She said, "You're going to do just fine, Fred. If you didn't have that anger in you you wouldn't be able to do it right. You need your anger to fight for your own rights too in addition to mine through all this."
So then, I sort of started to have a little more confidence in how this whole thing was going to work. I drove my wife to the hospital where this operation was going to take place. She was a little scared. But, the sight of blood doesn't usually bother me and I have personally witness the births of all three of my children and with my first child there was no doctor at all just my wife and I 40 years ago now.
But, this was a different kind of thing. My wife was going to get a robot knee made of metal. They were going to cut the tips off her bones that meet at the knee and install metal pieces by cutting and then drilling holes for the pieces to fit into and then doweling the pieces with glue into place and then glueing the cut skin and stuff back into place. So, this was going to be very traumatic for her leg and it likely would stay swollen for about a year during recovery, even though she should be able to drive a car within about 3 weeks time if all went well.
A week has passed now. I felt sort of helpless while she was in the hospital and only being there as a support person. Then I had to drive her home about 48 hours after her surgery and this then became much more difficult for both of us. She got scared and cried a lot because of Percoset which is a very strong pain medicine often used in association with surgeries and C-sections during birthing which stitches heal up from surgery. Usually people aren't on it more than a week or two because it can be addictive after that.
Then there was the versed
However, when I grew up I encountered many difficulties in my life too, and only my controlled anger "and a lot of prayer" actually got me through these things.
It's not enough to just go off into anger and rage and kill yourself or someone else. That is just going to end your life and other people's lives too. Because whether you kill someone else or yourself either way in a sense you are dead. (wars are different than this because it becomes a completely different thing at that point). But, if it is just you versus the world this is what I'm referring to.
So, once again do you have enough "Controlled anger" to get you through what you are going to face in your life.
Many people are going to say to you, "Just calm down and everything will be fine." However, often that is a parent who would be perfectly happy for you to live with them until you are 40 or more.
So, if you ever want to have a life it starts with anger (not towards hurting anyone) but in using your anger to figure out a better life for you to live.
Let me give you an example of what I'm saying: My wife was going to have full knee replacement surgery last Wednesday and she did. I was worried that I was going to snap many times verbally and emotionally at her because I'm not naturally a nurse type of person. I'm more an idea man and problem solver. But, I have never seen myself as a long term nurse. So, I knew that even though I could do this that I was going to get angry periodically and I told my wife I was worried about coming through for her.
She said, "You're going to do just fine, Fred. If you didn't have that anger in you you wouldn't be able to do it right. You need your anger to fight for your own rights too in addition to mine through all this."
So then, I sort of started to have a little more confidence in how this whole thing was going to work. I drove my wife to the hospital where this operation was going to take place. She was a little scared. But, the sight of blood doesn't usually bother me and I have personally witness the births of all three of my children and with my first child there was no doctor at all just my wife and I 40 years ago now.
But, this was a different kind of thing. My wife was going to get a robot knee made of metal. They were going to cut the tips off her bones that meet at the knee and install metal pieces by cutting and then drilling holes for the pieces to fit into and then doweling the pieces with glue into place and then glueing the cut skin and stuff back into place. So, this was going to be very traumatic for her leg and it likely would stay swollen for about a year during recovery, even though she should be able to drive a car within about 3 weeks time if all went well.
A week has passed now. I felt sort of helpless while she was in the hospital and only being there as a support person. Then I had to drive her home about 48 hours after her surgery and this then became much more difficult for both of us. She got scared and cried a lot because of Percoset which is a very strong pain medicine often used in association with surgeries and C-sections during birthing which stitches heal up from surgery. Usually people aren't on it more than a week or two because it can be addictive after that.
Then there was the versed
Versed (midazolam) dosing, indications, interactions ...
reference.medscape.com/drug/versed-midazolam-342907
Medscape - Indication-specific dosing for Versed (midazolam), frequency-based adverse effects, comprehensive interactions, contraindications, pregnancy ...
Medscape
It is a amnesiac used when doctors want to be able to communicate with their patients during a surgery for better results but the patient does not want to remember what is happening and all the blood and guts later. This is what my wife wanted. I likely would have made a choice not to have a part of my memory erased. However, they did something like this too to me when I had electrical heart stimulation to see if they could repair my heart before they found out I had a heart virus instead.
I guess what I'm saying here is "Life isn't for sissies." Unless you are very brave in life something likely is going to drive you insane or kill you. You really have to be one tough son of a bitch to survive into old age male or female (whatever gender you prefer to be). Only the toughest and angriest (without hurting or injuring others) are going to make it.
So, controlled anger where you don't physically injure anyone is actually your best friend to live to old age along with a kind disposition in general.
My financial success always came through a whole lot of anger channeled into intelligent actions. However, my kind disposition is my reward for knowing when to be angry for short periods of time to make my life much more efficient for myself and my family and my friends ongoing.
Without the ability to be both kind and usefully angry I never could have raised so many children to adulthood since 1974 or have had a good a life as I have had by God's Grace!
Syria-Iraq 'caliph' incites Muslims to holy war
Syria-Iraq 'caliph' incites Muslims to holy war
By
Yara Bayoumy DUBAI (Reuters) - The leader of the al Qaeda offshoot now
calling itself the Islamic State has called on Muslims worldwide to take
up arms and flock to the "caliphate" it has declared on captured Syrian
and Iraqi soil. Proclaiming a "new era" in which Muslims will
ultimately…
Reuters
Syria-Iraq 'caliph' incites Muslims to holy war
3 hours ago
By Yara Bayoumy
"Terrify the enemies of Allah and seek death in the places where you expect to find it," he said. "Your brothers, on every piece of this earth, are waiting for you to rescue them."
The audio message, titled "A Message to the Mujahideen and the Muslim Ummah in the Month of Ramadan," was posted online through the group's media arm. Another account affiliated to the group posted translations in English, Russian, French, German and Albanian.
"By Allah, we will take revenge, by Allah we will take revenge, even if after a while," Baghdadi said.
While ISIL's power grab may appeal to many militants, there have already been signs of dissent. Some Islamist groups fighting in Syria have rejected the announcement of the caliphate, saying its terms had not "been realised at present", and urged Muslims to avoid siding with the Islamic State.Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars, which was formed to represent minority Sunnis, said in a statement: "Any group that announces a state or an Islamic emirate... under these conditions is not in the interest of Iraq and its unity."
"THUNDERING STATEMENT"
The audio message's authenticity could not be immediately verified, but it was carried by SITE, an authoritative U.S.-based organisation that monitors jihadist statements.
Fighters should "embrace the chance and champion Allah's religion through jihad", Baghdadi said.
He called on Muslims to immigrate to the self-styled caliphate, saying it was their duty. In a direct, confident message, he urged them to "listen, realise and stand and free yourself from the shackles of weakness, and stand in the face of tyranny".
"VANGUARD OF NEW ISLAMIC AWAKENING"
The declaration of the caliphate followed a three-week drive for territory by ISIL militants and their allies among Iraqi's Sunni Muslim minority.
"It's a bold, all-in strategy wherein he is trying to present himself as the vanguard of this new Islamic awakening."
DUBAI
(Reuters) - The leader of the al Qaeda offshoot now calling itself the
Islamic State has called on Muslims worldwide to take up arms and flock
to the "caliphate" it has declared on captured Syrian and Iraqi soil.
Proclaiming a "new era" in which Muslims will ultimately triumph, Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi issued the call to jihad - holy war - in an audio
message lasting nearly 20 minutes that was posted online on Tuesday.
It was his first purported message since the group - previously known
as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - proclaimed the
caliphate on Sunday and declared him its leader, in an audacious bid to
sweep away state borders and redraw the map of the Middle East.
Baghdadi, who has assumed the mediaeval title of caliph, used the
message to seek to assert authority over Muslims everywhere. He called
on them to rise up and avenge the alleged wrongs committed against their
religion, from Central African Republic to Myanmar (Burma)."Terrify the enemies of Allah and seek death in the places where you expect to find it," he said. "Your brothers, on every piece of this earth, are waiting for you to rescue them."
The audio message, titled "A Message to the Mujahideen and the Muslim Ummah in the Month of Ramadan," was posted online through the group's media arm. Another account affiliated to the group posted translations in English, Russian, French, German and Albanian.
"By Allah, we will take revenge, by Allah we will take revenge, even if after a while," Baghdadi said.
While ISIL's power grab may appeal to many militants, there have already been signs of dissent. Some Islamist groups fighting in Syria have rejected the announcement of the caliphate, saying its terms had not "been realised at present", and urged Muslims to avoid siding with the Islamic State.Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars, which was formed to represent minority Sunnis, said in a statement: "Any group that announces a state or an Islamic emirate... under these conditions is not in the interest of Iraq and its unity."
"THUNDERING STATEMENT"
The audio message's authenticity could not be immediately verified, but it was carried by SITE, an authoritative U.S.-based organisation that monitors jihadist statements.
Fighters should "embrace the chance and champion Allah's religion through jihad", Baghdadi said.
He called on Muslims to immigrate to the self-styled caliphate, saying it was their duty. In a direct, confident message, he urged them to "listen, realise and stand and free yourself from the shackles of weakness, and stand in the face of tyranny".
"Let the world know that we are living today in a new era. Whoever was
heedless must now be alert. Whoever was sleeping must now awaken.
Whoever was shocked and amazed must comprehend. The Muslims today have a
loud, thundering statement, and possess heavy boots," said Baghdadi,
according to the posted translation.
"They have a statement that
will cause the world to hear and understand the meaning of terrorism,
and boots that will trample the idol of nationalism, destroy the idol of
democracy and uncover its deviant nature." "VANGUARD OF NEW ISLAMIC AWAKENING"
The declaration of the caliphate followed a three-week drive for territory by ISIL militants and their allies among Iraqi's Sunni Muslim minority.
Dominating
swathes of territory in an arc from Aleppo in Syria to near the western
edge of Baghdad, the caliphate aims to erase colonial-era borders and
defy the U.S.- and Iranian-backed government of Iraq's Shi'ite prime
minister, Nuri al-Maliki.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shi'ites failed to name a prime minister to replace
Maliki at the first meeting of a new parliament session, dashing hopes
that a unity government would be swiftly built to save Iraq from
collapse. ISIL also poses a direct challenge to the global leadership of
al Qaeda, which has disowned it, and to conservative Gulf Arab Sunni
rulers, who already view the group as a security threat.
Julian Barnes-Dacey, a senior policy fellow with the European Council
on Foreign Relations, said Baghdadi had made a "bold call in proclaiming
this caliphate and speaking out so vigorously now".
"He perceives this as his moment, having been able to seize this unprecedented amount of territory," he said."It's a bold, all-in strategy wherein he is trying to present himself as the vanguard of this new Islamic awakening."
(Additional reporting by Ali Abdelaty in Cairo, Amena Bakr in Doha and
Dominic Evans in Beirut; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Mark
Trevelyan)
Has Putin reached his limit on his willingness to intervene in Ukraine?
Has Putin reached his limit on his willingness to intervene in Ukraine?
As
eastern Ukraine descended into all-out war on Tuesday – including what
Russian media describe as a "tank battle" near the village of Karlivka –
following the lifting of a ten-day ceasefire, Vladimir Putin warned
that he would hold Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko personally
accountable for…
Christian Science Monitor
As eastern Ukraine descended into all-out war on Tuesday – including what Russian media describe as a "tank battle" near the village of Karlivka – following the lifting of a ten-day ceasefire, Vladimir Putin warned that he would hold Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko personally accountable for the consequences.
"Regrettably, President Poroshenko took a decision to resume combat operations, and we – I mean myself and my colleagues in Europe
– have failed to persuade him that a path to lasting, sustainable peace
cannot be through war. Until now, [Poroshenko] had nothing to do with
orders to begin military actions, but now he has taken full
responsibility upon himself – not only military but also political
responsibility, which by far is more important," President Putin told a meeting of Russia's top diplomats in Moscow Tuesday.
Putin said that he had reached agreement on the need to extend the ceasefire and press forward with peace talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande in a late night telephone conversation that also included Mr. Poroshenko.
Recommended: Sochi, Soviets, and tsars: How much do you know about Russia?
"We need some kind of insurance net around all of Europe so that the Iraqi, Libyan, Syrian – and unfortunately we have to mention the Ukrainian – scenarios do not become a contagious disease," he added.
SPLIT OPINIONS
Putin has not always been on the same page with his European colleagues about Ukraine, and it's only been a few days since the official Russian media was seething furiously over Kiev's decision to sign an economic association agreement with the European Union.
But the Kremlin has made conciliatory gestures, especially over the past week, that suggest it might be interested in a negotiating process that could lead to peace. A week ago Putin had the Russian parliament cancel a resolution granting him special powers to use military force in Ukraine, and he did give Moscow's backing to Poroshenko's ceasefire and tentative talks between Kiev and the rebels.
While Kiev, backed by Washington, has maintained that Russian interference is the main cause of east Ukraine's rebellion, Russia has insisted that it has nothing to do with it. Neither narrative can be completely true.
A Gallup poll released in early June illustrates how deeply Ukrainians remain divided, with majorities in the east expressing distrust of the US, opposition to integrating economically with the EU and unwillingness to make sacrifices for the sake of economic reform. Earlier polls showed that large majorities in east Ukraine regard the interim government in Kiev as "illegitimate."
"In the last eight, nine years when we collect data in Ukraine, we see it all the time on most of the aspects of life actually. Any political situation we ask of the country, even economics in the country, the split between different regions and between different ethnic groups existed for years, and the government didn’t pay attention to it," Gallup pollster Neli Esipova told Voice of America.
"Everybody wonders why Putin isn't using troops [to back the rebels]," says Sergei Markov, director of the pro-Kremlin Institute of Political Studies and a frequent Kremlin adviser. "But Putin does understand how hard the war is, and wants to do what he can to preserve peace."
Alexei Makarkin, director of the independent Center for Political Technologies, says that Putin's recent shift toward a negotiated solution suggests that he recognizes that Ukraine has slipped out of Russia's sphere of influence forever, and that he must try to salvage what he can of Moscow's badly shredded relationship with the West.
Putin told the meeting of diplomats that Russia will not "wind down" its ties with the US, though he admitted that they have been "spoiled" by the Ukraine crisis.
"Putin's attitude toward the West is hardly positive, but he understands that Russia lacks reserves" to stand up to Western pressures, says Mr. Makarkin. "Basically, Putin is treading a very fine line. He has to find ways to defend Russian interests without landing in a full-scale confrontation with the West."
Has Putin reached his limit on his willingness to intervene in Ukraine?
Putin said that he would hold Poroshenko responsible for new bloodshed in the east, but he appears disinclined to become more involved in Ukraine's conflict.
By Fred Weir
5 hours ago
Putin said that he had reached agreement on the need to extend the ceasefire and press forward with peace talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande in a late night telephone conversation that also included Mr. Poroshenko.
Recommended: Sochi, Soviets, and tsars: How much do you know about Russia?
"We need some kind of insurance net around all of Europe so that the Iraqi, Libyan, Syrian – and unfortunately we have to mention the Ukrainian – scenarios do not become a contagious disease," he added.
SPLIT OPINIONS
Putin has not always been on the same page with his European colleagues about Ukraine, and it's only been a few days since the official Russian media was seething furiously over Kiev's decision to sign an economic association agreement with the European Union.
But the Kremlin has made conciliatory gestures, especially over the past week, that suggest it might be interested in a negotiating process that could lead to peace. A week ago Putin had the Russian parliament cancel a resolution granting him special powers to use military force in Ukraine, and he did give Moscow's backing to Poroshenko's ceasefire and tentative talks between Kiev and the rebels.
While Kiev, backed by Washington, has maintained that Russian interference is the main cause of east Ukraine's rebellion, Russia has insisted that it has nothing to do with it. Neither narrative can be completely true.
A Gallup poll released in early June illustrates how deeply Ukrainians remain divided, with majorities in the east expressing distrust of the US, opposition to integrating economically with the EU and unwillingness to make sacrifices for the sake of economic reform. Earlier polls showed that large majorities in east Ukraine regard the interim government in Kiev as "illegitimate."
"In the last eight, nine years when we collect data in Ukraine, we see it all the time on most of the aspects of life actually. Any political situation we ask of the country, even economics in the country, the split between different regions and between different ethnic groups existed for years, and the government didn’t pay attention to it," Gallup pollster Neli Esipova told Voice of America.
On the other hand, Kremlin
denials that Russia has been stirring the pot in east Ukraine ring
hollow. Ukrainian rebel leaders have held regular consultations in
Moscow, and Russia does not deny sending "aid" to strife-torn Donetsk and Luhansk. Other evidence suggests that Moscow has permitted a steady stream of "volunteers" as well as military equipment to reach the rebels across the Russo-Ukrainian border.
A MIDDLE ROAD FOR PUTIN?
Some
experts say Putin faces internal opposition from pro-war forces who
think he should be more assertive in supporting east Ukraine's
beleaguered rebels."Everybody wonders why Putin isn't using troops [to back the rebels]," says Sergei Markov, director of the pro-Kremlin Institute of Political Studies and a frequent Kremlin adviser. "But Putin does understand how hard the war is, and wants to do what he can to preserve peace."
Alexei Makarkin, director of the independent Center for Political Technologies, says that Putin's recent shift toward a negotiated solution suggests that he recognizes that Ukraine has slipped out of Russia's sphere of influence forever, and that he must try to salvage what he can of Moscow's badly shredded relationship with the West.
Putin told the meeting of diplomats that Russia will not "wind down" its ties with the US, though he admitted that they have been "spoiled" by the Ukraine crisis.
"Putin's attitude toward the West is hardly positive, but he understands that Russia lacks reserves" to stand up to Western pressures, says Mr. Makarkin. "Basically, Putin is treading a very fine line. He has to find ways to defend Russian interests without landing in a full-scale confrontation with the West."
Related stories
It’s a mystery: Where has 99% of the ocean’s trash gone?
It’s a mystery: Where has 99% of the ocean’s trash gone?
July 1, 2014, 11:18 AM ET
- Shutterstock
The Great Pacific garbage patch, aka the Pacific trash vortex, has commonly been assumed to grow twice as big every decade. But researchers from the University of Cadiz in Spain have discovered that the huge piles of plastic debris they’d expect to find just aren’t there.
According to their report, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science on Monday, there’s simply 99% less plastic waste in the world’s oceans that previously thought.
In the 1970s, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences estimated that about 45,000 tons of plastic ended up in the ocean each year. Since then, global plastic production has since then gone up fivefold, the researchers wrote.
Against that backdrop, there should have been millions of tons of garbage in the oceans by now. However, the Cadiz scientists found — after looking at more than 3,000 water samples — that there’s “only” an estimated 7,000 to 35,000 tons of garbage in the oceans.
Now, that’s strange. Larger pieces of plastic usual break into tiny pieces of debris, but the majority of the small plastic fragments were missing, according to the study. That leaves four main possibilities as to what’s happening to the debris.
Fish may be eating it. If that’s the case, the tiny plastic particles are entering the “global ocean food web”, as noted by Science Magazine. Humans are a part of that food web, too.
The Spanish researcher also suggest the debris is being broken into even tinier pieces — “nanofragments” — that are impossible to detect and may have an unknown impact on the ocean environment. Or perhaps it’s being washed up and deposited on shore — though it’s “unlikely” that this would happen just to these tiny pieces, the academics say.
Best-case scenario? The garbage could simply just be sinking into the deep ocean, which means less wildlife comes into contact with the plastic pieces.
– Sara Sjolin
end quote from:
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/07/01/its-a-mystery-where-has-99-of-the-oceans-trash-gone/
I think some of it sank, some of it was eaten by birds and fish and some of it went into really small particles into the air and water. So, if any humans eat the birds or fish they will be eating some plastic too in the flesh of what they eat.
Also, the carcinogenic properties of many plastics will concentrate in the flesh of fish which will then be eaten by Tuna and larger fish and concentrate those carcinogens even more. So, they will be even more dangerous to humans if they consume predator fish like Tuna and others like sharks.
Eisenhower built U.S. Superhighways in case of Nuclear War
I was watching a Modern Marvels presentation called "Superhighways" and learned that Eisenhower's and Nixon's real motive in building incredible superhighways form 1956 until 2007 was to prevent whole cities of people dying because they couldn't evacuate fast enough. So, Superhighways were built across America so people would have the means to get away from large cities and military installations if they were struck by nuclear weapons. Amazing to think that now!
However, one of the main reasons we are so successful as a nation is our superhighways and trucks and cars and because we have oil here in the U.S. that has mainly kept our costs (except for labor) lower than other nations which has made us very efficient and competitive worldwide since the 1950s as a result of our superhighways.
However, now many bridges are collapsing one by one because it is now almost 60 years since then or will be in 2016 so many of these superhighways need repairs as well as the bridges that cross them. However, because we spent so much money (trillions of dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan) we no longer have the funds to enhance our infrastructure like we did in the 1950s. So, this is a problem now in keeping these superhighways repaired and keeping bridges from collapsing under the weight of many cars or large trucks.
However, one of the main reasons we are so successful as a nation is our superhighways and trucks and cars and because we have oil here in the U.S. that has mainly kept our costs (except for labor) lower than other nations which has made us very efficient and competitive worldwide since the 1950s as a result of our superhighways.
However, now many bridges are collapsing one by one because it is now almost 60 years since then or will be in 2016 so many of these superhighways need repairs as well as the bridges that cross them. However, because we spent so much money (trillions of dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan) we no longer have the funds to enhance our infrastructure like we did in the 1950s. So, this is a problem now in keeping these superhighways repaired and keeping bridges from collapsing under the weight of many cars or large trucks.
Under the dome 2014 return yesterday
Last
summer (2013) my wife and I started watching "Under the Dome" when the
TV schedule seemed kind of sparse for the summer. We soon got addicted
to this shows twists and turns which are quite extraordinary with
Stephen King's help. In the first new show of 2014 look for a restaurant
cameo of Stephen King by the way. It began on CBS at 10 pm where I live
on the west coast on Monday June 30th 2014 . Have a great day!
begin quotes:
CBS Announces Premiere Dates for 'Under the Dome ...
tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/...dates...under-the...
by Amanda Kondolojy - March 11th, 2014 ... “Under the Dome” Returns Monday, June 30 at 10:00 PM, With the Premiere Episode Written by Stephen King ... CBS Summer Schedule:.
TV by the Numbers
- Washington Post - 1 day agoContinuing its European tour, “The Bachelorette” (ABC at 8 p.m.) is in Brussels, where one bachelor reveals his past, another attends a concert ...
- Entertainment Weekly (blog) - 4 hours ago
- Forbes - 1 day ago
Understanding Reincarnation
I'm not 100% convinced that Everyone reincarnates. However, my experience of Reincarnation is a lot different than it once was when I was young.
Maybe the best way is to take you through my experience through my life to see why I experience what I do now.
First of all, my parents believed in reincarnation. However, as a child I grew up believing that people all reincarnated sequentially through time. For example, I believed if you experienced being alive at the time of Jesus that your next incarnation would occur sometime after that and not before or on another planet or dimension.
However, as I have experienced and learned more I have found that isn't necessarily true.
A soul is sort of like a kid at 18 going off to college. That child becoming an adult might go to college in the same town he or she grew up in or in another state in the U.S. or even in another country.
In this example, a child being born through reincarnation in another state would represent being born in the past, present or future and being born in another country would represent another planet or dimension.
However, in between planetary births one usually has a rest of 4 years to 100s of years depending upon how stressful that lifetime was so one can be born "Rested" as a soul for more learning about oneself and the universe.
The primary thing being learned by all souls is "Whatever goes around comes around". In other words "Whatever you do to any other being you do to yourself". And on top of this "If you harm yourself you are also harming God" because God is also you in addition to everyone else and everything else and ever being else too.
So all these are lessons a being learns through reincarnation. In addition to this reincarnation just like going to college is sort of a combination of an entertainment and a deep learning experience simultaneously if one makes it that. Reincarnation is whatever you make it. You can make yourself be a victim, you can make yourself be a conqueror, you can make yourself be anything you want to. However, then what are you going to do?
In the end you are never a victim or a conqueror you are a part of all life in the universe and all parts of life are equally important.
This is also part of the lesson of life through reincarnation.
Another complete layer of understanding regarding reincarnation was that most if not all souls on earth come from the creators of the Galaxy. (Creators of the Galaxy?) Yes.
After I soul traveled into the core of the galaxy in my early 20s because I believed I needed to go there and to meet God and to ask for help to keep earth from being nuked out of existence through human confusion I met instead the race of being who created this galaxy who live millions and billions of years potentially.
The leader of the Galaxy which I call, "The Galactic Sentience" called me, "Grandfather" because he said I was one of the many sparks of the Creator of the Galaxy. By speaking with me he said he could once again talk to his grandfather who was asleep and only alive still through incarnations like myself.
He explained to me that Creators (Creators of the Galaxy and All Galaxies) do this when they get very old so they don't die of boredom from aging.
So, he explained that sparks of the old Creators seeking renewal incarnate as beings like humans on thousands to millions of planets in our galaxy as a way to regenerate interest in staying alive longer.
For me to explain who these beings are the most useful explanation would be to say it is sort of like the Greek and Norse pantheon of Gods which are very similar.
In Greece we have Zeus and Hera and Hercules. In Norse we have Odin and Thor etc.
But, now imagine these beings are not in human form but in a non physical state (at least non physical to an earth being).
The reason for this is where they originally came from time and space and matter (at least as we know it now) did not exist. They come from dark matter which is more primordial than Galaxies.
I describe galaxies as like waterfalls in space in that they are transitional states. In this transitional state matter can exist which is the polar opposite to anti-matter which is what is on the other side of the black hole in the center of the galaxy. The natural state of the universe is rivers and oceans of "Dark matter" whereas Galaxies are artificially created by Creators which come from dark matter.
By separating dark matter into Matter and Anti-matter they create "Farms" where they can have many many children which they could not do in Dark matter. So, by creating farms rather than being hunter gatherers in dark matter their species has created all galaxies in the physical universe as their farms.
So, this is why we call them our Gods. Because they created Time and Space and Matter and are the rulers of time, space and matter and of us. And they also are us in that we are sparks of the retired creators of galaxies trying to stay alive and not die of boredom.
This is my present understanding of reincarnation as it relates to humans.
Hopefully, some of you can further develop this scientific analysis of who and what we are as souls.
Understanding what souls are is as scientific as trying to understand other branches of physics.
I think we are at a time when religions will start to fade as science in regard to souls replaces a lot of superstition during the next several thousand years on earth. However, science replacing religion is also both bad as well as good so we will all have to watch out for that as well for many many reasons.
The problem with both science and religion is that both can kill people.
So then, the task of each of us is not to let religion or science kill us. You might ask "How do we do that?" I would say we do that by being vigilant in all our decisions throughout our lives. If something doesn't seem or sound right we need to ask more questions until we are satisfied with the answers we get.
Just because a scientist or a theologian says, "Jump off this cliff!" doesn't mean that we should.
Maybe the best way is to take you through my experience through my life to see why I experience what I do now.
First of all, my parents believed in reincarnation. However, as a child I grew up believing that people all reincarnated sequentially through time. For example, I believed if you experienced being alive at the time of Jesus that your next incarnation would occur sometime after that and not before or on another planet or dimension.
However, as I have experienced and learned more I have found that isn't necessarily true.
A soul is sort of like a kid at 18 going off to college. That child becoming an adult might go to college in the same town he or she grew up in or in another state in the U.S. or even in another country.
In this example, a child being born through reincarnation in another state would represent being born in the past, present or future and being born in another country would represent another planet or dimension.
However, in between planetary births one usually has a rest of 4 years to 100s of years depending upon how stressful that lifetime was so one can be born "Rested" as a soul for more learning about oneself and the universe.
The primary thing being learned by all souls is "Whatever goes around comes around". In other words "Whatever you do to any other being you do to yourself". And on top of this "If you harm yourself you are also harming God" because God is also you in addition to everyone else and everything else and ever being else too.
So all these are lessons a being learns through reincarnation. In addition to this reincarnation just like going to college is sort of a combination of an entertainment and a deep learning experience simultaneously if one makes it that. Reincarnation is whatever you make it. You can make yourself be a victim, you can make yourself be a conqueror, you can make yourself be anything you want to. However, then what are you going to do?
In the end you are never a victim or a conqueror you are a part of all life in the universe and all parts of life are equally important.
This is also part of the lesson of life through reincarnation.
Another complete layer of understanding regarding reincarnation was that most if not all souls on earth come from the creators of the Galaxy. (Creators of the Galaxy?) Yes.
After I soul traveled into the core of the galaxy in my early 20s because I believed I needed to go there and to meet God and to ask for help to keep earth from being nuked out of existence through human confusion I met instead the race of being who created this galaxy who live millions and billions of years potentially.
The leader of the Galaxy which I call, "The Galactic Sentience" called me, "Grandfather" because he said I was one of the many sparks of the Creator of the Galaxy. By speaking with me he said he could once again talk to his grandfather who was asleep and only alive still through incarnations like myself.
He explained to me that Creators (Creators of the Galaxy and All Galaxies) do this when they get very old so they don't die of boredom from aging.
So, he explained that sparks of the old Creators seeking renewal incarnate as beings like humans on thousands to millions of planets in our galaxy as a way to regenerate interest in staying alive longer.
For me to explain who these beings are the most useful explanation would be to say it is sort of like the Greek and Norse pantheon of Gods which are very similar.
In Greece we have Zeus and Hera and Hercules. In Norse we have Odin and Thor etc.
But, now imagine these beings are not in human form but in a non physical state (at least non physical to an earth being).
The reason for this is where they originally came from time and space and matter (at least as we know it now) did not exist. They come from dark matter which is more primordial than Galaxies.
I describe galaxies as like waterfalls in space in that they are transitional states. In this transitional state matter can exist which is the polar opposite to anti-matter which is what is on the other side of the black hole in the center of the galaxy. The natural state of the universe is rivers and oceans of "Dark matter" whereas Galaxies are artificially created by Creators which come from dark matter.
By separating dark matter into Matter and Anti-matter they create "Farms" where they can have many many children which they could not do in Dark matter. So, by creating farms rather than being hunter gatherers in dark matter their species has created all galaxies in the physical universe as their farms.
So, this is why we call them our Gods. Because they created Time and Space and Matter and are the rulers of time, space and matter and of us. And they also are us in that we are sparks of the retired creators of galaxies trying to stay alive and not die of boredom.
This is my present understanding of reincarnation as it relates to humans.
Hopefully, some of you can further develop this scientific analysis of who and what we are as souls.
Understanding what souls are is as scientific as trying to understand other branches of physics.
I think we are at a time when religions will start to fade as science in regard to souls replaces a lot of superstition during the next several thousand years on earth. However, science replacing religion is also both bad as well as good so we will all have to watch out for that as well for many many reasons.
The problem with both science and religion is that both can kill people.
So then, the task of each of us is not to let religion or science kill us. You might ask "How do we do that?" I would say we do that by being vigilant in all our decisions throughout our lives. If something doesn't seem or sound right we need to ask more questions until we are satisfied with the answers we get.
Just because a scientist or a theologian says, "Jump off this cliff!" doesn't mean that we should.
Different Electrical Technologies than the ones we presently use here on earth
Nicola Tesla developed Alternating Current, Fluorescent Lighting and Tesla Coils. He also did something else during the 1900s, he electrified Boulder, Colorado in a test to see if electricity could be free to all. It could. However, likely he was murdered before he could see FDR to give it to the world.
So, there are other ways (Free Ways) to have electricity. In other words people don't really need to pay for electricity. However, there are people who want to profit from it so this is what we have done so far here on earth.
The magnetic field of earth and the Magnetosphere are electricity. The sun could also be thought of as a generator of a plasma form of electricity which reaches the earth through Solar Storms and in 1989 knocked out power in Quebec by shorting out a power generating station there. The Carrington event:
So, there are other ways (Free Ways) to have electricity. In other words people don't really need to pay for electricity. However, there are people who want to profit from it so this is what we have done so far here on earth.
The magnetic field of earth and the Magnetosphere are electricity. The sun could also be thought of as a generator of a plasma form of electricity which reaches the earth through Solar Storms and in 1989 knocked out power in Quebec by shorting out a power generating station there. The Carrington event:
Solar storm of 1859 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859
The solar storm of 1859, also known as the Carrington Event, was a powerful geomagnetic solar storm in 1859 during solar cycle 10. A solar flare or coronal ...
Wikipedia
Experts Warn The Next Carrington Event Will Plunge Us ...
www.infowars.com/after-several-near-misses-experts-warn-the...
Mar 21, 2014 - The most famous one happened in 1859, and was known as the Carrington Event. But other than the telegraph, humanity had very little ...
Alex Jones
is another example of the plasma electrical discharges from the sun as they affect the magnetosphere and earth.
The Ark of the Covenant is another example of the use of the electricity of earth directly from the magnetic fields of Earth.
And another example of directly using the magnetic fields of earth and built upon the same principles as the "Ark of the Covenant" is UFO travel with right angle turns at 3000 to 5000 miles per hour.
The basis of this technology runs directly off the magnetic fields and magnetosphere of earth. (So, does all electricity generated) but our government doesn't want you to know this for a variety of reason. The main reason is using up as much electricity as we do on earth depletes our magnetosphere and since our magnetosphere prevents Cosmic rays from mutating our DNA we now are having more problems protecting ourselves here on earth from genetic mutation, especially in the Arctic Circle where cracks have developed since the early 2000s in our magnetosphere.
I personally associate the technology of the Ark of the Covenant with the Time Space travel of many UFOs that visit earth from other times and spaces and places.
When a conflict occurs between this other type of technology and the one we use here the one we use here fails which is why when some UFOs are here cars won't work in that area and electricity stops working as if there has been a temporary Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). Then when the UFO goes out of range the secondary use of electricity where we charge for power usually comes back on.
The technology like this that most people know about is the Ark of the Covenant which was a weapon (an electrical particle beam generator) and a communication device (likely a way to contact beings in space) (our Gods) of ancient times. So, likely who Moses was communicating with was other humanoids more technologically and culturally advanced than ourselves at that time.
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