1-28-2008 (Mon) Fin. & Econ. Activity

Sales of new single-family homes fell 4.7 percent in December to the lowest rate in nearly 13 years while the median sales price dropped sharply, according to a government report Monday that delivered more grim news for the housing sector – NYT

The U.S. economy may already be in recession; other countries might not be far behind. Japan, Britain, Spain and Singapore, which together represent about 12 percent of the world economy, are vulnerable as fallout from the U.S. worsens their economic weakness. Even emerging markets, including China, are likely to suffer as exports to the U.S. wane – Bloomberg

SocGen ‘alerted in November’ to rogue trades – Times On Line

Scandal stings not just bank, but French pride, too – International Herald Tribune, Nelson D. Schwartz and Jad Mouawad

A bank-sponsored bailout of the troubled bond insurance sector seems more like wishful thinking than market savior – The Street, Mark DeCambre

For expanded coverage visit Comments for the Net

1-27-2008 (Sun) Fin. & Econ. Activity

Headed for your real estate closing? No matter which side of the table you’ll be on, have a Plan B. That’s because a new study of real estate agents found that one-third of home-purchase transactions in September, October and November were postponed or went south. The study said 13 percent failed for mortgage-related reasons, a number described as “hefty” by Inside Mortgage Finance, the trade journal that sponsored the survey. The 2,400 agents surveyed attributed the jump in mortgage-related problems to tighter underwriting standards and the elimination of many once-popular mortgages. The biggest problem, the agents said, was that their clients’ credit scores were too low to qualify for loans – Chicago Tribune, Mary Umberger

Societe Generale detailed Sunday how a young trader evaded all its controls to bet some $73 billion — more than the French bank’s market worth — on European markets, saying he hacked computers and used other “fraudulent methods” to cover his tracks, causing billions in losses. The bank says the trader, Jerome Kerviel, did not appear to have profited personally from the transactions and seemingly worked alone – USA Today (AP)

Another U.S. interest rate cut this week would help worthy borrowers secure cheaper home mortgages or business loans, and perhaps begin to stanch the bleeding at global banks. It won’t avert a slowdown in the United States that threatens to tip its economy into recession, nor will it herald a return to the easy-money heyday that drove the housing market and corporate profits to unsustainable peaks in recent years – International Herald Tribune (Reuters)

For expanded coverage visit Comments for the Net

Drug-resistant staph found to be passed in gay sex

From Reuters:

A drug-resistant strain of potentially deadly bacteria has moved beyond the borders of U.S. hospitals and is being transmitted among gay men during sex, researchers said on Monday.

They said methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is beginning to appear outside hospitals in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

Sexually active gay men in San Francisco are 13 times more likely to be infected than their heterosexual neighbors, the researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Once this reaches the general population, it will be truly unstoppable,” said Binh Diep, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco who led the study. “That’s why we’re trying to spread the message of prevention.”

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Hollywood’s End is Near (Thankfully)

I have written in many posts that Hollywood is one of the worst things that could happen to a society.  Here is the view of a Hollywood insider for Variety:

Longtime Hollywood publicist Julian Myers will turn 90 soon. And he worries the end may be near … for Hollywood.

Myers frets that the WGA stalemate — with all of its acrimony, vitriol and job losses — is a harbinger of ill things for the industry.

“The strike impasse is speeding the end of Hollywood filmmaking and television production,” says Myers, who has been working in the biz since 1939 and is still an IATSE member. “There are more union contracts coming up for renewal, and already unionists are crossing union lines. IATSE is urging its members to go right on through. Insults are being exchanged, faces will be bashed and fatalities are a possibility.”

Julian,  please don’t worry about it.  America will survive and become a much better country without it.  Getting rid of Hollywood would truly be a blessing of great magnitude.

A Trip to Wal-Mart

Wednesday is my day to purchase groceries and today the checkout lines were long.  I got in line behind a very nice looking young man about 25 I would guess, who was using his cell phone to text message.  Text messaging always interests me because I have never done it and I have wondered why people did it.  We had a very nice conversation about cell phone providers, text messaging, and related topics.

A very interesting point he made was that he used his text messaging to talk to other Huckabee supporters.  Huck is very popular with young Texas Republicans, I understand, and Huck is getting more popular all the time.  This young man had convinced his father to become a Huck fan also.

He also made the point that he thought the Republican party needed to change and he thought Huck was the person to do it.  He thought that Huck was genuine and honest.  I have to agree with him about the necessity of remolding the Republican party and about the qualities of Huck.  I think the Reagan, Limbaugh days are numbered.  There is a new breed of Republicans coming into power and the party will move more to the center I think.  I know some of you will disagree and hope that I am wrong, but we will just have to wait and see.

A Sure Money-Making Investment

Everyone has the tip to make a buck but this is a positive money maker.  I have noticed that there are more and more boom cars on the road.  I sincerely wonder how their ear drums stand it.  In a few years the hearing aid companies will be doing a thriving business; I guarantee it.  Invest now for much future gain.

Some are also saying that the low frequency vibrations will adversely affect the coccyx and cause depression at some point.  I don’t know where you  would invest to take advantage of this.  Give it some thought.

Did you feel the peace on Christmas?

I don’t know if you noticed it but Christmas day is always very peaceful and calm due to the lack of the commercial vibrations. Almost all the stores are closed and peoples’ desires are somewhat subdued because of this on this one day only. On Christmas Eve day and the day after Christmas when the stores are open, the desires are running rampant and the vibrations reflect this. The presence  of these vibrations or lack of them can be felt if one internalizes their consciousness.

On Christmas Day with the subduing of the desires, the populace is more likely to concentrate on family togetherness and enjoying the fellowship of church services. This is the true value of Christmas. Somehow we have gone astray by over-commercializing Christmas.

I remember vividly my childhood with all the presents, Christmas tree and decorations, and the general anticipation of the whole event. When it was over I asked myself: “Is this all there is?” The commercialization of Christmas has decreased its value to me. There were a few years that I had in the late 70s where there was little materiality in Christmas; it was truly a spiritual event and most enjoyable. Presently the whole world is more concentrated on I, me, mine and what can I get. Try as I may, I cannot avoid absorbing some of these vibrations. We are forgetting Spirit and this is to our detriment.

Karma always wins!

Many persons perform an action that they know is wrong. Something inside tells them they are doing wrong but they disregard the message and proceed anyway. The voice within is conscience and is the voice of God. If you continue to disregard the voice it will leave until you determine that you will to reinstate it’s importance.

Don’t think for a minute that you will escape the consequences of your wrong actions. It may not affect you in this lifetime but at some point, maybe in the next lifetime or perhaps several lifetimes down the road, the consequences will affect you. You must pay the price for your actions; there is no escaping it!

How many times in this lifetime has something strange affected you and you then wonder, “Why did that happen?” It was caused by something you have done at some point in your past in this lifetime or a previous lifetime. There is no such thing as fate. Everything that affects you has been generated by you, yourself.

Good actions will produce good karma and likewise bad actions will produce bad karma. The seeds of your actions remain in your consciousness until they are all sprouted and served their purpose. The only way to escape your karma is by deep devotion to God and extremely few souls have evolved to this level. Therefore you must pay the price.

Don’t fool yourself in thinking that you can avoid the consequences. Karma always wins.

Struggle ceases in acceptance

Struggle ceases in acceptance. If you cheerfully accept everything that happens to you, then success and failure, honor and dishonor, praise and blame, gain and loss are the same to you. You know that everything happens by the Divine Will and life then becomes easy, flowing, and painless.

We are constantly dissatisfied with what we have; we want something different. We have a good car or a good wife/husband or a good job and yet we want another. This unrest in our mental attitude is responsible for tension, divorce, high blood pressure, and a wealth of other undesirables. But yet we cannot be satisfied with what we have. Uncontrolled desires destroy us.

Yet all it takes is a change in our mental attitude. How simple! Yet we don’t have effective control of our mind where we can change our mental attitude. Happiness, then, is more a result of control of our mental attitude than it is of possessions. A desire for a possession of any type is nothing but a source for tension and unhappiness.

Our mind is a tool that has been given to us to use for good purposes. We must learn to control it.

There is much pleasure in being satisfied with what we already have.  Don’t seek more than we have been given.

Huck is my man!

When I first heard of HIV and AIDS way back when, my first thought was, “Aren’t they going to quarantine these people?” They quarantined other communicable diseases like TB and smallpox. It seem ridiculous to me that they would let them walk free and spread the disease. In another post I have mentioned that I think homosexual behavior is wrong and sinful and I don’t need to mention that drug activity is also.

Now news sources say that Mike Huckabee advocated quarantine back when he was running for Congress. He stated that homosexuality is sinful. We need that kind of moral strength as President. He has my vote.

Quick solution for the writer’s strike

It’s very simple: just shut down TV and movies permanently. They are destroying our morals and culture. We would be better off without them.

Does the U.S. need a recession?

In Market Watch from Dow Jones, Paul B. Farrell writes a brilliant piece:

17 reasons America needs a recession
Think positive, this ‘slow motion train wreck’ is good for the U.S.

Paul says a recession would affect:

1. Purge the excesses of the housing boom

2. U.S. dollar wake-up call

3. Write-offs

4. Budgeting

5. Overconfidence

6. Ratings

7. China

8. Oil

9. Inflation

10. Moral hazard

11. War costs

12. CEO pay

13. Privatization

14. Entitlements

15. Consumers

16. Regulation

17. Sacrifice

Have any of these aroused your curiosity? I hope so. I don’t want to steal any of Paul’s thunder so I urge you to go HERE and read the entire article. You’ll be glad you did.

Is this the Healthcare System you want?

Granted, the Veterans Administration is just a small part of the federal government and other portions work differently, I’m sure. But it has been 50 years since I was in the service and after that long a period you forget what it was like.

I arose at 4:30 a.m. to go the VA Hospital for my lab work in preparation for my visit to the doctor next week. I had been there before so I knew that you had better get there an hour before your appointment to get a parking place. They have a huge, huge parking lot but the hospital must run through at least 5,000 people per day. You have never seen such volume if you are familiar with hospitals.

The time I was supposed to be there was 8 a.m. The doors to the lab open at around 7 or 7:30 a.m. depending on when the help gets there. I have been there when the blood collecting started at 7:30 a.m. but not this morning. There was only one person behind the desk signing people in and there were about 200 waiting when I arrived. This is a light day. Other times I have seen probably 400-500 waiting in various rooms.

And we waited and we waited. Eventually one lady came out and said that only 2 medics had shown up so far this morning and would we please be patient. And we waited some more. Nobody seemed to be getting serviced. I think they must have sent out an SOS because around 9 a.m. quite a few more medics appeared. The lady that seems to run the process didn’t show until around 9 a.m. She is an organizer but since everything is so far behind by now all the other medics are trying to run the place also.

All the medics were minority and since most of the people waiting were not minority there were a lot of hateful moments. I don’t like to go to the VA Hospital because everyone there has an attitude. Just like in the military, I guess, but you think that since you aren’t military now things would be different. Not true!

The people waiting seemed to be of two groups. There were those who were upset and vocal and there was another group, I was part of this group, that was just having fun with it. We were joking about how well their system was working and proposing new systems that might help. Sort of helped us remember what it was like to be in the military. For those of you that have never experienced the military, maybe this will help enlighten you. There is a saying in the military: “Hurry up and wait.”

Now let’s apply this to the rest of the government. Nobody here knew really what was happening or cared. Nobody knew who was in charge so everyone thought they were in charge. People were going around in circles getting little done. Do you get the idea now? I’m sure Washington is a mirror image.  Do you want your civilian healthcare system to look like this?  If so, let the bureaucrats handle it.

Terrorism has a purpose

This will be difficult for many to accept and understand. Try to read it with an open mind and even though you may be skeptical, you will have something to think about. Much of it can’t be documented so you’ll just have to rely on your conscience and intuition to verify it. Let’s look at an historical event. Contrary to common thought, events in this world don’t just happen; they are caused by past actions of individuals and groups in some cases, and by Divine Guidance in other cases. Two thousand years ago, a people that God favored were going astray and He determined that He needed to do something to awaken them. He had told them in numerous ways but they refused to listen. So He sent an entirely liberated soul back onto earth, Jesus Christ, to bring His message of enlightenment. Jesus did not get their attention either, so a more drastic action, the crucifixion and resurrection, was necessary. If the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus had not happened, would the world have progressed as it has? Definitely not! For the crucifixion to proceed, it was necessary for someone to enact the deed that Judas performed. Judas was a very advanced being to have been selected as a disciple of Jesus in the first place, but someone had to play that part in order for the crucifixion to occur. Judas’ deed was grave, but still it was necessary to achieve the effect God desired.

Now let’s apply this to the current situation. You will have to agree that America is a great nation and is very much favored by God because of the good things she has performed. But you will also have to agree that there is a great deal of moral degeneration occurring in America now ― circumstances that God is not happy with. I have enumerated some of these shortcomings in other essays.

Osama bin Laden and many of his associates were greatly influenced by the writings of Sayyid Qutb who visited America as a middle aged virgin and was astounded with the openness of the sexual behavior and other actions he witnessed, and when he returned to his homeland he vowed to make a correction in this behavior. They were also influenced by the rapid material wealth acquired in Saudi Arabia after the oil discovery in the 1950’s. Because of what they witnessed, they believed that Israel and America were the Satan because they were the foundation of material wealth. This materiality would pollute their world and their religion. They felt that Islam was the path the world must take. Many had become political prisoners and were hardened by the treatment they had received so they adopted the terror tactics we are now familiar with to achieve their goal of purifying the world. They believed that fear would bring people to Islam and hold them there.

Now let’s apply the foregoing message about Jesus to this current situation. God is not presently happy with the way his people in America and other parts of the free world are behaving. He has sent many messages for us to reform but they have not been heeded. He said to Himself: “I must do something very drastic to awaken My people to their erring ways.” Enter now Osama bin Laden and his henchmen.

Their intent is spiritual and honorable in their eyes ― to awaken the world to its wrongful ways through the use of fear and destruction. Their method is what is difficult to accept for those of us who have adopted Christian values. Osama bin Laden and his followers will be punished, of course, for their brutal actions, but they are playing a part that is necessary for the evolution of the world, just as Judas played a part twenty centuries ago.

Now another difficult development is that godless nations and godless groups in the United States are aligning with the terrorists, making the solutions much more difficult. The world is constantly evolving upward and will continue the upward movement for many centuries. I am not condoning the dastardly actions of these men in any way, but in the final analysis, they are just playing their part in that upward evolution.

The important point is that America must awaken to its erring ways and make appropriate corrections. If these corrections are not made, America may disintegrate like most other nations in history.

Is the U.S. Imperialistic?

The answer to this question depends on what definition you use. The dictionary definition reads: “The policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations.”

A conservative will understand imperialism as the “territorial acquisition” that Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal executed several centuries ago and indeed by this definition the U.S. is not imperialistic and never has been. We likely never will be.

Many liberals understand imperialism to be “economic and political hegemony.” By this definition I believe they may have a valid point. The U.S. since World War II has been determined that the entire world share our democratic style of government. President Bush has been very determined that Iraq be a democracy. Today, Monday, November 5, 2007 Bush urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to hold elections and relinquish his army post as soon as possible.

We in America know that democracy is the best form of government but not all countries and peoples are ready for democracy. Please see my post in this blog entitled “Everyone is not ready for democracy.” If a country has not evolved to the point where they can participate in freedom then it should not be used. Or there may be conditions where some other form of government would be recommended. Musharraf is in a position to see more closely what the threats are to his county.

I consider myself to be very conservative but I have always wondered what right America had to push freedom and democracy on other nations. I am not saying that we should ignore others plight; we should in fact offer any help they may request in forming a democratic government. But by pushing our form of government on others I believe we are being imperialistic.

Everyone is Not Ready for Democracy

Believing that all societies are ready for freedom and democracy shows a lack of understanding of the progress of civilization. Only after a great many centuries of dictatorships was civilization progressed sufficiently enough to establish America a little over 200 years ago. Those groups in Europe that had developed a structure of morals and ethics strong enough to understand, appreciate, and support a democracy were suddenly presented with a new world to establish this type of government. The Christian principles these groups possessed gave the evolution, knowledge, and strength necessary. They had evolved to the point where they could manage freedom.

All souls are created equal but souls are not born equal. Through a series of lifetimes, a soul evolves upward (hopefully), back toward its starting point, God. Some souls make more progress than others and are therefore more capable of managing their minds and bodies. Ones that haven’t progressed as far are more consumed with gross animalistic indulgences and will revert to these desires if allowed. Only those souls that can govern their minds, bodies, appetites, and desires to a reasonable degree are ready for freedom and democracy. For freedom and democracy to succeed, its citizens must be able to govern themselves. Giving freedom to a group that is not capable of managing their minds and therefore their outward performance would be disaster. Therefore, freedom and democracy is not for everyone. Only those that are capable of handling themselves in freedom and democracy should be given it.

In today’s world there are many groups that are not ready for freedom and democracy. A primitive tribe in a remote part of the world is a good example. If it were given to them, just imagine the result. In many cases then, a strong dictator is required until the souls in that group evolve to the point where they can benefit from freedom and democracy. The dictator may not be rational, may not even be civilized. Many groups in the Middle East have not progressed to the point where they are ready for democracy. We have erred to ask them to accept it.

In the opening paragraph, Christian values were mentioned. These values or similar ones are the foundation of democracy and freedom. Without these values, mankind reverts back to a primitive society. Those in America that are trying to dispose of these Christian values are asking for the end of freedom, the end of democracy. Already one can see the results of their influence. Those that want to continue in freedom and democracy must stand up and make their voices heard against this growing, atheistic influence. The values that govern a free and successful society are not made by man, they are made by God.

Our Government in Action

Every action has a purpose; what value that purpose?

 

The Difference Between Heaven and Hell

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I don’t understand.”

It is simple,” said the Lord. “It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”

Hollywood Continues Attacks on Christian Values

I have written in several posts and pages about the negative influence Hollywood has on the morals of the American society and the world society. Movieguide has a site that rates the movies according to their content wholesomeness. In this article “Hollywood Continues Attacks on Christian Values” published in NewsMax, the Founder and Publisher of Movieguide, Dr. Baehr,  along with its Editor, Dr. Snyder, document with specifics that the public does not want such trash.

Some provocative thoughts on capitalism

Some lessons in capitalism?

Michael Lewis writing commentary for Bloomberg:

“…it’s a mistake to lend money to poor people.

“The glitch is this old-fashioned idea of one man, one vote. That might have worked back when the interests of really successful people (i.e., Henry, Steve, even the guys at Fortress) were roughly the same as those of the lunch-pail crowd. But America has created a new class of rich people who really deserve to be on top — and a lot of angry people bent on pulling them down.

“In a properly functioning economy these rich people should have a lot more political power than ordinary people. It’s crazy that they have only the same measly vote as, say, one of the workers they might have to lay off in a restructuring. Giving workers this sort of equal time is counterproductive, especially for financial markets.

“The working rich are already way too heavily taxed.

“The truest arguments are often the ones that are hardest to make ordinary people understand, and this is the truest of them all. Rich people know how to invest extra money. Poor people just squander it on necessities. That’s why capitalism works so well: it keeps money out of the hands of people who don’t know how to use it and directs it to people who know how to make it grow.

“IF YOU’RE HOPING FOR SOME RICH GUY TO GIVE YOU HIS MONEY, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS OFF THE SIDEWALK AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE EVEN MORE THAN HIM.

“Last year I took home $50 million in carried interest, give or take. I paid 15 percent in taxes. I was so upset that I went out this year and made $70 million. You do the math: you take away 7 1/2 I just go make 20 more.

“Tax us all you want. You’ll never catch up.”

I guess if you’re into materialism, he may have some good points.

Milkmen are killers!

My family owned a dairy farm when I was growing up and every morning the milkman would barrel up the driveway with his huge truck to pick up our milk and then barrel back down the drive again. When he ran over one of my 72 cats I knew at that time that milkmen were killers. When I read about the milkman in Pennsylvania several years ago who collected all the little girls in the schoolhouse and mercilessly killed them, I said to myself: “Ah-hah, if we had rid the country of milkmen many years ago, this would have never happened.” This is pretty ridiculous thinking, isn’t it? It’s just as ridiculous to think that people that own guns are killers. Time and time again it’s been observed that an increase in guns results in a decrease in crime. It is not the milk truck or the gun that kills. If we removed all guns and milk trucks from society, there would still be killings. Could it be the finger that pulls the trigger of the gun? The finger is operated by the mind, so the mind must be the culprit. What affects the mind?

A major factor affecting the mind is environment. The development of the mind is directly affected by those elements of environment: family, school, friends, what we see and hear. What goes into our mind as it is developing comes from these sources. The largest influence on mind in the last 50 years has been TV and movies. The weirdest people in the whole country write these productions, produce and direct these productions and act in these productions. Then we watch them and it affects our consciousness. Their weirdness becomes our weirdness. Our consciousness then affects others’ consciousness and there is a mass, accumulative effect on all of society. Strong willed individuals are not affected as greatly as weak willed individuals. The weak willed person will absorb the negative vibrations of their environment where a strong willed person will reject them. But if we were to remove all TV and movies from society, there would still be killings.

The solution is being able to determine when a mind is in trouble, whether it is our own mind or someone elses’ mind and then being able to help that mind. Some day we will have electronic devices that will be able to determine when an event like the Pennsylvania killings is imminent and what is the proper remedy. But the best and only long-term solution is to remove ourselves from the influence of these negative factors and increase our willpower so that any negativeness that comes into our consciousness ― our realm of existence ― will be minimized or eliminated.

A sad part of the Pennsylvania affair is that this group had withdrawn from the world to avoid this type of tragedy. This reminds me of another page: Assimilate or Suffer. We are meant to live in the world and to blend with others to produce a homogenous society, not to withdraw and try to remain separate as many groups have. Those that persist in withdrawal will have difficulties in life because this is not what is intended.

When is sex acceptable?

Acceptable to whom? If we are talking about being acceptable to you, most likely you would say: “Anytime.” Modern society has downgraded the sex act until it is common place and many don’t give a second thought about whether they should engage in sex.  It feels good so they do it.  Is this what was meant for sex?

Originally, mankind was given the ability to reproduce by mental fiat. God said that man and woman could enjoy the fruits of the garden (body), but to not devour the apple (sex) in the center of the garden. Man and woman could produce the offspring they desired. But they were overcome by temptation and were forced to produce offspring painfully and they must accept whatever comes.

Sex is meant for the production of children to keep the human species going. It was not given as an enjoyment — something to satisfy the senses. Since it was intended for the production of children, it is acceptable only between a man and a woman that are married and for the expression of divine love between a married man and woman. If sex is used as a gratification of lustful desires, even if those desires are between a married man and woman, it is adultery and is prohibited by the Ten Commandments.  Many persons that feel they are in love are merely lustful.  If you fall asleep immediately after sex or want to left alone, this is a sure indication that your feeling is lust rather than love.

Of course, sex between unmarried persons, persons of the same sex, and masturbation is grossly wrong. Single persons should be observing abstinence.  Even dwelling on the thought of sex in any circumstance is wrong as it is a lustful desire. The temptation to participate in sex is great at times but sex, wine, and gold are illusions that Satan uses to keep us from the spiritual path.  Have you succumbed to that temptation?  Sex and desire for sex can be as addictive as alcohol and drugs.  Not an easy row to hoe is it?

AIDS has been a needed restraint on indiscriminate sex. I shudder to think what the world would be like today if AIDS hadn’t come along. (As a side note, there is a new study that says that AIDS started in Central Africa in the 1930s and came to the U.S. in 1969 carried by a Haitian immigrant that had caught it from a person from Africa. You may read the article HERE.)

At this point you are probably thinking thoughts of disgust for this author. But think awhile on this and let your conscience speak to you. Perhaps someday you will agree.

Few are living the life Jesus prescribed

I recently wrote a post titled Jews are leading the way to disaster. In this post, one of the points I made was that Jews had been reluctant for centuries to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and live the life that Christ prescribed for all to live. Jews are not alone in this respect; there are many others that are not living that life also. Practically all Christians will tell you how they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior but they are not living the Christlike life.

I remember when I was a small boy and my parents required me to go to Sunday School and church. For seven years I never missed a Sunday. But I kept asking inside: “Why aren’t they living his teachings if those teachings are so important; when do we get the techniques? There has to be more to it than this!” Later I knew persons that were not even religious that were living a more Christlike life than these ones that professed to be Christian.

Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists generally take their spiritual teachings much more seriously than Christians. I wonder sometimes whether their teachings are true but at least they are trying harder to live what they believe to be the spiritual life. They feel that their teachings still apply today as strongly as when they were founded. Many Christians believe that the teachings of Christ do no apply today; they are outdated. Few Christians have actually read the Old and New Testaments, apparently because of this.

For instance he taught: Seek ye first the kingdom of God; sell that thou hast and give to the poor and follow me; take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on; who is my mother or my brethren save whosoever shall do the will of God; follow me and let the dead bury the dead; whosoever that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. But most have ignored these admonitions and lived the life that they wanted not the life that God wants. Jesus taught renunciation but who today will renounce all to be his true disciple?

I know that Jesus’ teachings are almost identical to Krishna’s teachings; they both taught renunciation. Moses, Mohammad, and Buddha had similar teachings. So Christ’s teachings are universal and are as authoritative today as two thousand years ago.

The modern concentration in Christian nations has changed to materiality. Our society has become so prosperous and we have become so accustomed to the modern conveniences provided by technology that we have drifted away from Christ’s teachings. Elements of society such as movies and TV teach that this is acceptable. Somehow we will be forced to revert to Christ’s teachings. His visit was not in vain. Just as AIDS was presented to make us aware that indiscriminate sex and drug use is wrong, some other device will present itself to awaken us. Will it be a severe recession or perhaps depression? We will have to return to basics somehow. Karma always wins!

In millions of Windows, the perfect Storm is gathering

From Guardian Unlimited:

“Storm has been spreading steadily since last January, gradually constructing a huge botnet. It affects only computers running Microsoft Windows, but that means that more than 90 per cent of the world’s PCs are vulnerable. Nobody knows how big the Storm botnet has become, but reputable security professionals cite estimates of between one million and 50 million computers worldwide. To date, the botnet has been used only intermittently, which is disquieting: what it means is that someone, somewhere, is quietly building a doomsday machine that can be rented out to the highest bidder, or used for purposes that we cannot yet predict.”

Read the entire article HERE. This is very scary.

Is Your Religion the Only Way?

On October 14, 2007 I wrote a post entitled “Jews are leading the way to disaster.”  In the ensuing days I received several comments from Dan and I returned my thoughts as comments.  A site named Virtual Jerusalem Forums picked up the thread and it was mentioned on one of their threads HERE.  Roy comments on my post at the Virtual Jerusalem Forum:

Always difficult to be really civil to people who have a very different understanding of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

I agonize about my relationships with Christians, we like each other but the difference between “Jew” and “Christian” are not just the label but the simple fact that ‘Jew’ is a race and ‘Christian’ is a religion. For me anyway.

I assume converting to Christian removes the sentence of death to a Jew for ‘killing Christ’, whereas if a Christian is born a Christian he’s Clean Gene. No, I guess it’s because of the ‘original sin’ that Rome discovered in the fourth century, got them some mileage. It was okay at first and had to be enforced when the fear wore off. Nothing lasts forever. No, wrong again, Jesus paid for that, gets more confusing as the story gets more complicated.

Anyway, I believe religions except Judaism are all make-believe. Just my opinion.

I ‘believe’ that Jews are tasked to preserve the Torah. It isn’t that I have ‘faith’, it’s that I trust God because so many things I have experienced and learned about the universe I live in and the things I’ve learned about the Torah as taught by the rabbis I’ve listened to on the teevee – only talked to one in person, Devo – not to become a learned Jew but to understand what God created us for.

If I were to make comments like this about Jews I would be accused of being anti-Semite.  But Roy’s comments brings to mind an even larger problem, one that has existed since the beginning of time, I am sad to say, but one that must be resolved and eliminated before this world will reach it full evolvement.  That is assimilation. 

Roy believes that all religions except Judaism are make-believe.  Back on July 11, 2007, the Pope declared that Protestants cannot have churches.  Each Protestant group feels that their method of worshipping God is the only way a person can reach heaven.  The Muslims feel that all religions other than Islam must be destroyed; Islam is the only way.  The Buddhists and Hindus are the only groups that hold out any hope for the rest of the world.

God, or whatever you wish to call Him, is the only entity that exists.  Everything is a part of Him as He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  Nothing exists but God.  If each person or each group, no matter how well intentioned, believes that they are the only possessors of knowledge and that they are separate from God, we will never arrive at the goal that we are destined for: reunion with Him, realization that He and we are One.  I know that for centuries over many generations the teachings of each of these groups have persisted.  At times the differences are greater, sometimes evolving into hatred and war.  But we just can’t continue this way.  We are too advanced now; we are too intelligent (most anyway).

I look back at the period when all the Europeans came to the United States.  There were different nationalities, different races, different religions, etc., but over a period of decades and centuries most of us have come together and most have forgotten our differences.  Those groups that are not able to assimilate will continue to have problems and more importantly, cause problems for the world. 

Bobby Jindal’s Victory in Louisiana

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal easily defeated 11 opponents and became the state’s first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction, decades after his parents moved to the state from India to pursue the American dream.

“They can either go quietly or they can go loudly, but either way, they will go.” — Governor-elect Bobby Jindal (R), on Louisiana’s corrupt establishment

Our Leader, Townhall.com, Patrick Ruffini

Jindal- At long last, our day has come! – Redstate

Indian immigrants’ son new La. governor – Yahoo

Jindal cements GOP hold on La. – The Politico

Clarence Thomas Interview

On Friday, October 19, 2007, Hugh Hewitt of Townhall.com had a two hour radio interview with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The interview revolved around Justice Thomas’ new book: My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir.  This is a great interview and I highly recommend it!

Part One

Part Two

Evolution: Equality and Democracy

Of Equality

Yesterday one of the world’s most eminent scientists, James Watson, stated that Africans are not as intelligent as Westerners. Other scientists immediately denounced him and accused him of speaking in areas that he knew nothing about. The 79 year old Watson is a Nobel Prize recipient in medicine for his work on DNA. The Science Museum where he was to speak has cancelled his presentation. Dr. Watson is considerably ahead of his time in advocating this inequality and too few really understand how this can be, especially considering our efforts to be politically correct.

The major scriptures of the world proclaim that all souls are created equal. However, everyone at some point has questioned this, wondering how the poverty stricken AIDS victim in Africa could be equal to some wealthy individual in the U.S. Do we disregard the scriptures saying they are old and outdated? Or were they wrong to begin with? Or perhaps we never understood what they really meant in the first place!

The scriptures specifically use the word “created.” At what point, then, is “created.” Is it at the point of conception or perhaps at the point of birth? Souls were “created” at the time the cosmos was created. Each soul at that point was equal in all respects. Each soul took on a physical body and progressed through a lifetime learning various lessons. Some souls learned more in that first lifetime than others. At the time of death, the soul waited a certain period and took on another physical body to learn more lessons. This has gone on lifetime after lifetime for each soul with each soul learning at his or her individual rate. During each lifetime the soul learns different lessons. Each soul evolves at a different rate until it is united again with the starting point, God.

During this evolution, physical desires sidetrack many. Many become trapped in the lower desires for sexual gratification. Most have a tremendous battle with the ego, thinking the body and mind are more important than their journey back to God. There is an infinite progression of souls upward. The journey takes a long time, is generally painful, and requires a great amount of effort.

Those of a similar level like to associate with others of that level, hence the different characteristics of different nations and areas of the world. A group of souls living in one location, although when “created” were equal, at this point in time may be less evolved or more evolved than a group living in another area.

The important thing to remember is that all souls came from the same place and are therefore related, are headed to the same place and therefore need to assist each other and all of them will ultimately arrive at the same place: back with God. Some will take longer because of side trips they have made along the way, but God is still loving them and waiting for their return.

Of Democracy

We in America know that democracy is the ideal form of government. Recently there have been efforts to democratize other nations, however every nation is not ready for democracy. Believing that all societies are ready for freedom and democracy shows a lack of understanding of the progress of civilization. A group of individuals must have evolved to a level where democracy will work. Only after many centuries of dictatorships had civilization progressed sufficiently enough to establish a free society in America a little over 200 years ago. Those groups in Europe that had developed a structure of morals and ethics strong enough to understand, appreciate, and support a democracy were suddenly presented with a new world to establish this type of government. The Christian principles these groups possessed gave the evolution, knowledge, and strength necessary. They had evolved to the point where they could manage freedom.

Only those souls that can govern their minds, bodies, appetites, and desires to a reasonable degree are ready for freedom and democracy. For freedom and democracy to succeed, its citizens must be able to govern themselves. Giving freedom to a group that is not capable of managing their minds and therefore their outward bodily performance would be disaster. Therefore, freedom and democracy are not for everyone. Only those that are capable of handling themselves in freedom and democracy should be given it.

In today’s world there are many groups that are not ready for freedom and democracy. A primitive tribe in a remote part of the world is a good example. If it were given to them, just imagine the result. In many cases, a strong dictator is required until the souls in that group evolve to the point where they can benefit from freedom and democracy. The dictator may not be rational, may not even be civilized. Many groups in the Middle East have not progressed to the point where they are ready for democracy. We have erred to ask them to accept it.

Christian values or similar values are the foundation of democracy and freedom. Without these values, mankind reverts back to a primitive society. Those in America that are trying to dispose of these Christian values and establish secular values are asking for the end of freedom, the end of democracy. Man does not make the values that govern a free and successful society, they are made by God.

Could we have another Black Monday?

Nouriel Roubini is Professor of Economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He writes an excellent piece for Foreign Policy Magazine about the possibility of having another stock market crash similar to that in 1987.

“All these factors mean that there’s an even greater risk today than in 1987 that things will get out of hand and trigger a financial free fall. Today you have the following: trade protectionism and asset protectionism (the increasing restrictions to foreign direct investments in the United States); hedgy and trigger-happy investors and rising geopolitical risks; the risk of a disorderly fall in the U.S. dollar that is now sharply weakening; a slush of financial and credit derivatives that are a black box of opaque financial innovation that no one truly understands; increasingly risky investment strategies based on growing levels of leverage (i.e. the ability to multiply risk bets by borrowing a lot to finance such bets); frothy markets where years of easy money created bubbles galore-the latest in housing-that have now started to burst; greater opacity and lack of transparency as there is no supervision or regulation of the activities of many highly leveraged and opaque financial institutions; risk management techniques in financial institutions that fail to truly test the risk of large losses in extremely rare events (such as a major market meltdown like in 1987 or in 1998 at the time of the near collapse of Long-Term Capital Management, then the biggest U.S. hedge fund); risk-hedging strategies that-like in 1987-can hedge nothing once everyone is rushing to the doors and dumping assets at the same time (with this summer’s liquidity crunch a perfect example of the vulnerabilities associated with the poor management of liquidity risk); a housing market whose rout has already triggered systemic effects through the subprime carnage; and the fact that subprime mortgages had been pooled in mortgage-backed securities and that these in turn were repackaged in other risky, complex, and illiquid securities (the various tranches of collateralized debt obligations) that were then given a misleadingly high rating by the rating agencies.”

Fred is dead; Can’t people see that?

I read on Rasmussen that Fred Thompson’s ratings improved after the last debate.  There was a time when I was excited about Fred, thinking that perhaps he would be the person for 2008.  I soon realized that the man has no ambition, no initiative, no energy.  His executive experience is lacking.  A person’s eyes tell the whole story.  By looking in the eyes, you can see a spark or lack thereof.  Fred’s spark is totally extinguished.

A President of the United States must have some experience as an executive.  Being in Congress for a few year does not give the experience to make a good President.  Look back over history and few people without executive experience have been elected President.  Being a Senator or Representative does not give one the experience to lead the greatest nation on earth.

During the debate Rasmussen mentions, Fred stuttered and stammered through his answers.  I read that his presence on the campaign trail is non-existent. Numerous sources, both left and right, say that when he addresses a group he is not there; there in no response from the audience. You may say that speaking ability does not necessarily indicate intelligence or leadership abilities.  This may be true but look at how Fred’s campaign has been run so far.  How many people have left already?  Does this indicate leadership?

Others with much more political understanding than I have come to the same conclusion.  My question is why haven’t the American electorate noticed this?  I could ask the same question about all the Democrat candidates but that is not the subject of this post.  I am reminded of a saying I heard many years ago: If the populace of a country is all idiots, they will elect an idiot for president.  Most of the voters of this country have no idea what is happening in politics, what is happening in Washington or Wall Street, or who would be the best President for our country.  If you doubt that statement, just look who they elected President in 1992 and again in 1996!