Month: November 2013

Old Age?

We are a society ate up with old age….we blame them for the mess of the “entitlement” programs and we seem to not care about the process of aging……that is because we believe we will live forever….HA….HA….

Dogs live an average 10 years or more…..land turtles live to be 80 years maybe longer….but what is the oldest of the animals?

(Newser) – The oldest animal ever known lived from 1499 until the day researchers cracked its shell open, killing it in the process. Ming, an ocean quahog from the species Arctica islandica, was initially thought to be a record-setting 402 years old. But the scientists who found it on a seabed near Iceland in 2006 now say further analysis has revealed that it was an incredible 507 years old, reports CBS. The researchers, who didn’t realize how old Ming was when they first found it, opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside its hinge ligaments. That’s because the rings are “better protected” there, scientist Paul Butler tells ScienceNordic, which notes that Ming was named for the Chinese dynasty that ruled when it was born.

But the rings were so close together that scientists ended up having to count the rings on the outside to be accurate, leading CBS to point out that Ming could have lived on, had scientists just started there. “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit [hasty] publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now,” says Butler. The old, dead, mollusk still has a huge amount to offer science, reports the Herald-Sun. Scientists believe it will provide valuable data on changing sea temperatures over the last half-millennium—and maybe even some clues to longevity.

Now there is a nut……they killed the clam to determine its age…..where is the logic there?

Let’s Hear For The Kurds

College of Political Knowledge

Professor’s Classroom

One last update for you hard core news junkies (my kind of people)…..

The Kurds?  I read an article about the Kurds in Syria are trying to go it alone especially with all the chaos in the country…..they are taking a page from the Kurds in Iraq in 2004……

But what about Kurdistan?

Insert a little history here…….

File:Kurdish-inhabited area by CIA (1992).jpg

The map illustrates the area in which the Kurds live….as you can see looking at the map….these people could be a major problem for any country that has a sizable Kurdish population.

The Kurds have been fighting just about every country in which they live lead by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK)……it was placed on the terrorist list…….most Americans will know the name Kurd from the attacks by Saddam and used as an excuse to execute him after his capture.

As soon as the US invaded they set up a self-rule in their region…basically with the hope that the world would get behind a free and independent Kurdistan…….their plan fizzled and all they got was a autonomous region (for now)……

Fast forward to today……Syria…we all know about the humanitarian problem (a previous post)…..with all the fighting between government and rebel, and rebel and rebel……gues what……the Syrian Kurds are trying to follow the lead of their Iraqi counterparts……

Beirut/London, Asharq Al-Awsat—In a statement published on the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) website on Tuesday, the PYD announced the establishment of a transitional administration to run the affairs of the northeastern region of Syria.

The announcement came following a meeting in the town of Qamishli, in northeastern Syria, which was attended by “all people of the region—Kurdish, Arab, Christian and Chechen—and resulted in the announcement of the establishment of a transitional administration for the Western Kurdistan Region in Syria.”

The statement said the region would be divided into three areas: Al-Jazira, Koubani and Afrin, and that each area would form its own local council that would then send representatives in the general council. It also said the task of the transitional administration was to prepare local election laws and prepare for general elections, as well as enacting laws and deal with the economic, security and political issues in the area and in Syria a whole.

The problem is there are several independent Kurdish groups in Syria and not all have signed on to the attempt to set up self-rule for the Kurds……

Let’s say all involved sign onto the deal….will they then try to unite with Iraqi Kurds in an attempt to set up a country, a homeland, for the Kurdish population?

Other nations are dealing with the Kurds in their own way….Turkey and Iran………

A few months back I used the linchpin theory to try and spot where the next major world conflict would be……I pointed to the area around Armenia, Southern Georgia and the area that includes most of the Kurd population…..this needs to be watched and studied……there is a problem brewing that will run rampant like a wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds…..

France Flexes

I guess I will take this opportunity to update my reraders on what is happening in the world (probably NO one cares a crap…but what the Hell….I do and that is what matters the most)……..

With all the manure being spread in DC and by the MSM….lots of news has been missed….I mean the rest of the world does not give two shakes about the ACA website or for that matter whatever antic the Congress has up its sleeve for the next week or two……but while Americans were busy condemning and consoling each other over the news of the day……much has been going on that seems to always take a back seat to the crap of the day……..

For instance, France………..for years it had this seemingly isolationist attitude to foreign policy……then a dude named Hollande burst onto the scene….a socialist ta boot……but all the timidness of the past has been broken…recently the West African country of Mali had a small insignificant civil war…the French were quick to come to the aid of their former colony by sending in French troops in support of the government….and NO one noticed.

There is an African country that use to be called Central African Empire, but today it is called the Central African republic…..anyway this was a former French colony….and today it is embroiled in a insignificant civil war that has been brewing for a couple of years…….why do I point to this situation?

(AP) – France will send 1,000 troops to the Central African Republic to keep growing chaos at bay, the defense minister says, announcing his country’s second military foray into a troubled former colony this year. The announcement came a day after a top UN official warned of mass atrocities and possible civil war in one of the world’s poorest countries, which has been in turmoil since rebel groups joined forces in March and overthrew the president. The rebels have been accused by rights groups of committing scores of atrocities including killings, rapes, and conscription of child soldiers.

“It’s in collapse and we cannot have a country fall apart like that. There is the violence, massacres, and humanitarian chaos that follow a collapse,” the minister said. “It will be a short mission to allow calm and stability to return.” He rejected comparisons to the operation against al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Mali, where France still has 2,800 troops. “In Mali there was an attack of jihadists, terrorists who wanted to transform Mali into a terrorist state. This is a collapse of a country with a potential for religious clashes,” he said. France will accompany an African force of troops from neighboring countries in a mission expected to last about six months.

Once again France is trying to shake the timidness in foreign policy from the past…….it seems that the government in Paris is trying to assert itself heavily into the internal affairs of other countries…..and the involvement does not stop there……

It hasn’t been all that long since the last of US troops left Iraq and already another nation, France, is showing some designs on their own presence in Baghdad.

French Ambassador Denys Gauer raised the issue today in a speech, suggesting his nation was prepared to provide “equipment, training and intelligence” to Iraq’s military in quelling the growing sectarian unrest in their nation. Gauer went on to add that this “of course” included sales of weapons to the Maliki government.

“This is an additional area in which we are totally open to cooperate with the Iraqi authorities, and to meet their needs.” Details of the offer were unclear, though training operations could well involve a French military presence.

It’s quite a shift from 2003, when French officials opposed the invasion of Iraq. Yet the Hollande government is far afield of the Chirac government, and has shown itself eager to engage in military entanglements the world over. Involvement in Iraq would be in keeping with their recent, aggressive foreign policy.

France is working overtime to re-establish itself as a world player and a willing protectorer….where will they go next and who will they assist…….any ideas?

Charity Begins At Home

The day after…..are you sick of leftovers yet?

Today’s rant will be the use of the term charity.  Charity?  Yep it is that time of the year when people think about donating…..I wish I could say that most do it out of the kindness in their heart but…..let’s be realistic….it is the end of the year and tax time approaches.  While there are many organizations that do good work there are just as many that are nothing but a scam…..please do not misunderstand I do NOT hate all charities….while I do see them necessary…..my problem is……..why?  Why are they necessary?

Like the numerous charities that claim to help our returning vets especially those that are in need of rehab and such…..my problem is that they should NOT be in existence.  Why?  The repair of the returning vets is a debt owed them by the government that since them to their doom and maiming…..there should be NO need for these charities to feed on the guilt of the Americans that did not participate.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

I also do not appreciate those animal rights groups that ask and ask for donations and 80% of the cash goes for administration fees….not to preserve the animals and their habitat…..

Charities can become a scam when they appeal to the guilt that people may have for whatever reason for whatever cause…….

(Newser) – This month, the man behind a $100 million “charity” scam was finally convicted on 23 felony counts. But “the most outrageous aspect of the case is that much of what [John Donald] Cody did was probably legal, or at least not specifically illegal,” writes Ken Stern in the New York Times. Cody’s US Navy Veterans Association purported to help needy Navy vets, but much of the millions raised over eight years stayed with the for-profit telemarketers who brought it in from unsuspecting donors. The rest went to Cody and various lawmakers, and the whole thing unraveled only because two reporters started investigating.

Yet, outrageous though it may seem, “the alleged fraud was not that very, very little money ever went to Navy veterans,” Stern writes. Rather, it stemmed from things like Cody filing registration documents with false information. “The irony is that he could have accomplished virtually his entire enrichment scheme without ever violating the law—and others have figured that out.” The IRS simply doesn’t have enough staff to adequately regulate the charitable sector, and neither do state and local authorities. (Indeed, the IRS actually audited the Navy Veterans charity in 2008 and found nothing amiss.) That’s why donors need to do their homework before giving, by first checking sources like GiveWell to find worthy organizations. Click for Stern’s full column.

There is NOT a penalty stiff enough to hit these con artist with……the problem is they have money and an army of lawyers……and that prevents these parasites from paying dearly for their transgressions….

Please, if you must donate at least check them out and donate to the ones that actually do the work that they promise they would do with your cash…..

Happy Thanksgiving

Today will be a short day for posts….that is unless all Hell breaks lose and I need to write……let’s hope it is an uneventful day, as far as the news goes…….

I want to take advantage of this day to wish all my readers and followers a very happy Thanksgiving…..enjoy fun, food, football and family….I will return Friday to my normal ranting and raving…like the opinionated SOB that I am……..

Enjoy the day, my friends.

on the menu:

Roast turkey/duck and ham

Scratch Dressing (my special recipe)

Mashed garlic potatoes

Green peas

Candied yams

Gravy

Cranberry sauce

Homemade bread

Desert–apple crisp

Now Is The Perfect Time!

Inkwell Institute

Subject: Middle East

Continuing my thoughts on the Middle East……..

We have a tentative deal with the Iranians on the possibility for a nuke deal that would make everyone happy….with the exception of Israel and we all saw that one conning….the Saudis are not real happy either but being the cowards they are they will go along to make all nice with its neighbors and that includes Israel…..

And now why it would be the perfect time….and for what…..

The Palestinians are calling for a third intifada…….. (a previous post of the day)…..a good idea as long as they hold to the conditions of the first and not the second…..now would be a good time for the Palestinians to push back on the violence against Israel….let the kids and civilians confront the IDF but the militants should just offer up protection and NOT go on the offense…..

Israel has been thumping its chest like a sex crazed primate over the deal the Iranians have almost agreed to with the rest of the world…..they, Israel, have even gone so far as to say they will attack Iran even if they must do it alone…..big words….and a play on the sympathies of the world for the deeds done to them in the past…..sorry, but that debt is paid and in full…they need to realize that and start acting like a civilized member of the world…..

If the Palestinians play their cards right and Israel keeps acting like the bully they claim everyone else is….then the possibility of a real and lasting intifada could swing most of the world to the plight of the Palestinians….the worsen plight at the hands of Israel and its unquenchable desire for more and more land, mainly for the construction of more and more settlements…..

If there is ever going to be a chance for a Palestinian state, an independent state, then the situation developing around the Iranian deal may provide fodder for the cause……

Palestinians need to assess the situation and if a third intifada is coming use it to the advantage of the Palestinian people, not the militants they will stop any progress made in its tracks…..and with their interdiction into the intifada will destroy any goodwill and sympathy that may have been formed because of the “peaceful” disobedience of the Palestinians…..

In my humble opinion….this could be the BEST chance the Palestinians have for a state of their own….yes, there are many factors that have to come together….but they are NOT impossible!

Remember The “Intifada”?

Inkwell Institute

Subject:  Palestinians/Israelis

It is a nap away from T/giving Day….and I know most everyone is thinking food and shopping and 4 days off to do damage to one’s accounts……but life goes on and Chuq will not be silenced for purely commercial reasons……

First a personal note…..I spent too many hours studying Middle East…history, politics, economics, and such and too many days working in the area not to insert my thoughts on the region….I do not trust so-called think tanks….why?  They are given a premise and the dialog is built around that thought….this applies to ALL think tanks…they drive the conclusion that they are given…..

Now to the meat of the post.

Do you remember the “intifada”?  Of course not!  Americans could give a crap what goes on in the Middle East unless it is used in some lame election as a talking point……but unfortunately the US is tied to everything that happens in the Middle East…..for one major reason….Israel.  The US will do whatever it takes to protect Israel and most of the world would do the same……I guess we will NEVER have paid them back for the occurrences of the past.

Let’s talk about the Palestinians for awhile……since the 6 day war the Palestinians have been trying to get their land back…….there is always a two sate solution…….the problem is Israel will do whatever it takes to prevent that from ever coming into being……just as the Palestinians will do whatever they can to get their country…….one of those tactics is the INTIFADA…..basically a program of civil disobedience……..the 1st Intifada was about to begin…..

In response to general strikes, boycotts of Israeli civil administration institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, civil disobedience in the face of army orders, and an economic boycott consisting of refusal to work in Israeli settlements on Israeli products, refusal to pay taxes, refusal to drive Palestinian cars with Israeli licences, graffiti, barricading……..civilians started throwing rocks and an occasional molotov and in response the army would shoot students and women with non-lethal rubber bullets which killed many, btw…..(thanx to wiki for the synopsis)……..

The 1st Intifada began on December 1987 to about May of 1993……..the world saw pics of kids confronting armed soldiers and tanks and a ground swell of sympathy was generated for the plight of the Palestinian people…….

All was quiet for a few years as the two parties started negotiations…….but as par for the course in the Middle East the talks went to Hell and in 2000 the 2nd Intifada began…..it started as a continuation of the 1st…..students/civilians confronting the Israeli army with rocks/bottles……then all went to crap……armed militants starting participating attacking Israeli civilians, some 1,000 Israeli civilians lost their lives in the 2nd……and where the 1st gave the Palestinian their legitimacy they had wanted for decades, the 2nd once it deteriorated into terrorism instead of civil disobedience made the name Palestine a no-no…they lost the edge that the 1st gave them.  And now we are still trying to get around groups like Hamas…

The Palestinians deserve better than the PR that these terrorist groups have forced upon the civilian population……they try to fight the Israelis in a civilized way but the destruction of homes, farms and civilians makes their plight almost hopeless.

But now there is a call for a 3rd Intifada…….

The results of the survey were released on November 6 and showed that 60 percent of the interviewees predict a fresh wave of anti-Israeli uprising.

The Arab World for Research & Development (AWARD)’s poll surveyed 1,200 Palestinian adults from October 20 to 22.

The survey also found that 54 percent of the respondents were pessimistic about the US-brokered peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and the Zionist regime of Israel.

On November 7, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned of a third intifada and international isolation of Israel.
“The alternative to getting back to the talks is the potential of chaos,” Kerry was quoted as saying. “Does Israel want a third intifada?”

Personally, I think a 3rd Intifada is a good idea….but along the lines of the 1st and not the 2nd……the Palestinians need to show the world that groups like Hamas do NOT represent them………..much can be gained by world sympathy and with that will come the willingness to listen to their grievances………I say go for it…..