This is transparency?

Chrissy’s Site Bites @ http://news.webshots.com/photo/2300753750056011884xJfIqS

Click on graphic to embiggen.

If you like this, you might also enjoy @ https://polination.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/obama-the-opaque/

H/t Pete for source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/cell-phone-ban-keeps-obama-fundraisers-secret

The first dictator of Turkmenistan

I learn the most interesting things by accident!

I was googling to work up some graphics based on the gags in http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/15/top-10-obama-ties-to-history/ and read some real eye-popping stuff about the first “President for Life” (read: Dictator) of Turkmenistan following its independence from the Soviet Union.

He “served” (read: imposed his personal eccentricities on) the Turkmen people from 1990 until his death in 2006. I’m thinking the list of this guy’s whackadoodle “accomplishments” makes Barry O seethe with envy.

1992: Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov was elected the country’s first president. He ran unopposed.

1993: Niazov changed his title to Leader of all Turkmen.

1997: Forced by a heart ailment to give up smoking himself, he banned it in all public places and ordered all government employees to quit.

1998: He built a $12 million, 39-ft tall tripod topped with a gold-plated statue of himself that rotated so it always faced the sun. Located in the center of the capital and taller than anything nearby, it dominates the skyline. The panoramic viewing platform became a popular visitors’ attraction. (The statue was removed after Niyazov’s death.)

1999: All candidates for Parliament were hand-picked by Niyazov. Following elections, the new Parliament declared him President for Life.

2000: He revoked all Internet licenses except for the state-owned Turkmen Telecom.

2001: He shut down all Internet cafés and outlawed the circus, opera and ballet.

2002: After an alleged assassination attempt, he arrested thousands of suspected conspirators and members of their families. (Critics claim the government staged the attempt in order to crack down on mounting domestic and foreign political opposition.)

2004: He banned long hair and beards on men and fired 15,000 public health workers, including nurses, midwives, school health visitors and orderlies.

2005: He banned the use of lip syncing at public concerts and required live music (not recorded) at all celebrations, including state holidays and cultural events, t.v. broadcasts, even weddings. He also closed all libraries and hospitals outside the capital and replaced the physicians’ Hippocratic oath with one of allegiance to him personally.

2006: He discontinued pension payments to one-third of the country’s elderly and demanded all pensions paid during the prior two years be paid back to the state.

He also:

declared that the dates of all professional holidays would be specified by his decree only and renamed various months and days of the week after Turkmen heroes, poets, historical events, family members, himself and even his book;

banished dogs from the capital because he didn’t like their smell, added a chorus to the national anthem about himself, and banned news reporters and anchors from wearing make-up on television;

outlawed gold teeth and told the populace to chew on bones to strengthen their teeth so they wouldn’t fall out:  “I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw to strengthen their teeth. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not chew on bones. This is my advice.”

Most of the stuff he did was abolished by his successor; his invention of “Melon Day” (a new August harvest festival) survived.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saparmurat_Niyazov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrality_Arch

More of Obama’s ties to history!

Click on graphics to embiggen.

Chrissy’s Site Bites @ http://news.webshots.com/photo/2510179050056011884GzGBIf

Chrissy’s Site Bites @ http://news.webshots.com/photo/2043047620056011884KtDazw

Chrissy’s Site Bites @ http://news.webshots.com/photo/2477932330056011884MteGRi

H/t to Pete for source:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/15/top-10-obama-ties-to-history/

Newsweek’s Gaylo Cover

Click on graphics to embiggen.

Is it my imagination, or are the assaults on Judaeo-Christian faith actually getting more blatant, more frequent, and more obnoxious?

Another SAHM who doesn’t DO anything all day!

I usually can’t post any pics with the Double Army Brat Mama Buzz watches while her Mom and Dad protect and serve; I don’t have permission from her folks. But in this one, she conveniently kept her face out of the image! I had 3 in car seats once upon a time, too. It makes my back ache just looking at this picture!

A book I don’t plan to read

Casey Luskin calls The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True:

Richard Dawkins’s Latest Attempt to Produce Young, Angry, New Atheist Clones.

[The following is cribbed from Luskin’s review, URL below.]

The stated purpose of The Magic of Reality is to help kids understand both the content and nature of scientific knowledge.

The real purpose is to get them to disbelieve in anything supernatural and to associate traditional religious beliefs with wacky superstitions that few have even heard of.

Oh yes, you’re also supposed to learn to mock those who disagree with you as “dishonest” and “lying.”

Dawkins freely associates the “tribal god YHWH” with the sun god Helios of Greek mythology with the nature deities of primitive tribes.

Apparently, he’s never heard of the simple fact that, just because there are a whole lot of wrong answers to a question does not mean there is not one right answer.

The last chapter is dedicated to teaching kids to disbelieve in miracles. In his signature fashion, Dawkins knocks down a few wacky straw man examples that real believers laugh at, then leaps to the conclusion that people who say they have evidence of a miracle must be lying and that people who listen to them are lazy or stupid.

He ends up sounding more like the superstitious religionists he so despises.

Source:
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/12/the_magic_of_re054111.html

Seeking the limits of Darwinism

I’m reading Michael Behe’s new book. He’s famous for annoying the hell out of Darwinists with Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (1998).

The new one, The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism (2007) is fascinating me. I don’t usually read non-fiction at bed time, because I’m too tired. But Behe has such a charming style (especially for a scientist LOL) that I am glued to the pages.

He cooks up these everyday examples, which he describes very vividly, then uses them to illustrate what the science is about. He has the hard science stuff for those who want it, but he marks it off for the people like me who prefer to (okay, need to! LOL) skip it.

His subjects in this book are:

clarifying the definition of Darwinism, particularly by separating “natural selection by random mutation” from “common descent” which are very different issues;

clarifying the definition of Intelligent Design (and IMHO bending over backwards to NOT offend the legions of English speaking reading who imbibed “Darwin is true” with their mother’s milk); and

using really recent scientific breakthroughs in genetics to try to find the limits of where Darwin was right and where he was wrong.

 

Last Ounce of Courage

Coming to theaters in wide release September 21, 2012!
http://www.lastouncethemovie.com/

DVD release date TBA.

Film Synopsis:

This holiday movie tells the heartwarming story of a local war hero whose son goes off to war. His new wife brings Christian, his first son in to the world while the young hero is away at war earning medals for valor. However, the tragedy that ensues on a cruel battlefield will change everyone’s life forever as Tom Revere is laid to rest giving his ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Fourteen years passes and the young baby grows to be a teenager (Christian Revere) and with his mother, (Carrie Revere) comes back to the small town of Mount Columbus nestled in the Rocky Mountains during the holiday season to be with his family.

Christian disconnects with his grandfather (Bob Revere) as they both are going through the pain of losing a Dad and the loss of a son by Bob. In this beautiful story of love and forgiveness, they discover a way to unite and to make a difference in their community by claiming their freedom of expression. The grandfather is the pharmacist and mayor of the town who realizes that freedoms are being taken away and the first battle is to restore the Christmas holiday in his home town where he is mayor. For this “battle” he will lose in many ways, but his gain is for a higher price.

Concluding the film is one of the most dramatic orations given in any movie where Bob challenges the town to “Wake Up” and begin to take back the freedoms that are being lost, one by one. This movie is set at the Christmas season and is sure to inspire a spark of holiday joy in your heart.

The cast includes Marshall Teague (Roadhouse), Jennifer O’Neill (Summer of ‘42), Fred Williamson (Black Ceasar) and Jenna Boyd (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants).

THE WEDNESDAY GRUDGE

Posted by Pistol Pete

Missed posting yesterday.Had a full day between my foray to the Social Security Office and trading my Saturn with the bad front end and needing 4 new tires for an older 4WD Blazer.The way news breaks if I miss a day it seems like there’s so much to catch up on.Undaunted,I’ll give it my best shot.