Privacy Declared Obsolete

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Just because you think you're being watched, that doesn't mean you're paranoid. Not these days. Or at least, not if you use the internet.

Internet browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer; Firefox; Chrome) need to be revamped to allow us a modicum of privacy and to allow what's done in the seclusion of our own homes and on our own computers, to stay in our own homes and on our own computers. Not to be collected as part of a monumental database to be used for whatever nefarious purposes the government/business/hacker has in its convoluted mind.

Or is personal privacy a concept belonging to a bygone era? Go to the website mentioned below and you'll have an inkling of what I'm talking about. . . and make sure to click on About, and then on some of the items in the column on the left. 

We already know that the American government is working at making it ever easier to spy on whatever citizen it may even suspect of terrorist tendencies. If such techniques as these (but much more advanced, of course!) provide it with incomplete and misleading results, or if it decides to alter the actual results to support its unfounded suspicions, Heaven help the innocents. And that could be you or me. 

Now put that sort of spy technology also into the hands of the best and brightest intellects who are employed by big corporations, or who are going solo in pursuit of power and monstrous bank accounts, and we have a vastly greater number of eyes upon us. Not to mention the occasional insane extremist out there.

Oh, but I forgot! We have more pressing problems to worry about, right? The economy, health care, insurance, etc. . . They are of the utmost importance, yes. Yet without freedom, and privacy, we have nothing.

Let's hope that privacy isn't truly obsolete, and that it isn't too late.

(See: What the Internet Knows About YOU.)

Self: Only the Slender Are Worthy‏

Self Magazine recently incensed a great many of its female readers when it chose singer Kelly Clarkson of American Idol fame to grace its cover -- and then apparently chose to Photoshop her picture to make her appear considerably thinner. Self features "fitness, nutrition, health, and beauty advice," and this August issue touts on its cover, "Total Body Confidence," with Kelly saying, "Stay true to you. . ."

Yet given this admittedly Photoshopped (i.e., digitally enhanced or modified) cover, Self is saying that Clarkson wasn't good enough as she appeared in real life, and the editor's blog post on their website, try as it might, did not convince me otherwise. Why didn't the magazine just choose another of the cookie-cutter beauties we usually see on covers emphasizing flawless looks, sex appeal, and youth? (Although I understand even these models are Photoshopped as well, to make them seem perfect.)

I suppose the aim was to celebrate Clarkson for her talent, drive, and confidence, not to mention making a profit off her ardent fans. At any rate, Self has severely undercut its credibility, if it ever had any, by claiming to preach to girls and women, Be the best that you can be, and now revealing its credo as, Only the slender are worthy.

Men may snicker, along with those lucky females who stay forever thin without trying, but an endless deluge of this dogma in its myriad forms is very effective brainwashing. And it does not serve to convert us into dainty eaters with petite figures, but instead drums into us the damaging lesson that we will be judged and found wanting, because extra weight makes us inferior human beings.

Don't Say That! (On Talk Radio)

I listen to "talk radio" (no, not Dr. Laura and not Rush Limbaugh!), and after years of simply rolling my eyes, grimacing, and shaking my head at the opening words of the average caller, I now present examples of What Not to Say:

Hello, thank you for taking my call! Long time listener, first time caller! Oh, I need to turn my radio off? Hold on for just a minute then; sorry! I'm back now. You don't want me on speakerphone? Okay; there. Can you hear me? Hello, how are you? Beautiful weather here; yesterday it was spitting rain and grey, and my weatherman Carl on Channel 4 says tomorrow it will be 90 degrees and humid -- it's not the heat, it's the humidity! I was telling the girl who answers your phone -- she's really very sweet, you should pay her more! -- how much I love your show! You are my favorite host since Merv Griffin! Remember that show you did two and a half years ago on another subject? By the way, are you related to the Smithtown Joneses by any chance? Well, my mother said to say hi and that she just loves you! I know I'm supposed to make this brief, so I just have three quick questions, and then after that I'll have a little followup. I forget your guest's name -- what was her name again? No, that other lady! How do you spell that? Is that a Russian name? Small world, my neighbors down the block came from Russia! Anyway, first I have to give you a bit of background information. Back in 1982 -- or was it '83? I know it was the year of the awful flood in the dinky town to the south. . . What? You have to move on? But I didn't get to ask my questions!

Bear in mind that on radio talk shows you may be allowed only a few seconds to voice your question or comment. But at least that means less time for all this inanity!

Burqas Not Welcome in France

President Sarkozy of France addressed Parliament on June 22nd and spoke out boldly in favor of banning the burqa there. The black or blue, tent-like garment is frequently worn by Muslim women in Islamic countries to maintain modesty and prevent triggering sexual desire in men.

The burqa covers the wearer so completely that surely she is unrecognizable. With the most extreme forms of this attire only the woman's eyes and the bridge of her nose may be visible, as well as her hands and shoes. Such a covering can be hazardous when crossing a busy street because it restricts the field of vision. All individuality is forfeited, and the women so dressed put me in mind of the unfortunate "Elephant Man," the Englishman Joseph Merrick, who sometimes resorted to covering his face in public to avoid frightening or offending others during the latter 1800s.

I agree with Sarkozy that the burqa is not religious expression, it is the subjugation of women who should be liberated from this ugly imposition that can't help but erode their spirits and sense of worth.

Here are some of President Sarkozy's words --

It is a question of freedom and of women’s dignity.

We cannot accept in our country women imprisoned behind bars, cut off from social life, deprived of identity.

The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement -- I want to say it solemnly. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic.

Chicago Radio Host Waterboarded

Americans are still arguing over whether "waterboarding" is torture. We have been using this technique to obtain information from our captive terrorist suspects -- anything to obtain a confession, it seems. And it seems, understandably, that the victims of this and other brutalities we have inflicted will say anything to make the torture stop. So what is the information worth that we have acquired in this way?

"Waterboarding" doesn't seem to be a fitting term. "Forced drowning" is more accurate.

The outrageous radio show host, Erich "Mancow" Muller of WLS in Chicago, a right-winger, volunteered to be waterboarded, after having expressed his opinion that it was not torture. Take a look at how that went!



More on the topic here.

Atheist Dawkins' Five Minute Interview

Richard Dawkins, author of the bestselling book on atheism called The God Delusion, is an acclaimed British evolutionary biologist. Last year I received in the mail an ad for the magazine Free Inquiry, published by the Council for Secular Humanism. Included was a note from Richard Dawkins encouraging me to subscribe. His opening paragraph:

If you live in America, the chances are good that your next door neighbours believe the following: the Inventor of the laws of physics and Programmer of the DNA code decided to enter the uterus of a Jewish virgin, got himself born, then deliberately had himself tortured and executed because he couldn't think of a better way to forgive the theft of an apple, committed at the instigation of a talking snake. As Creator of the majestically expanding universe, he not only understands relativistic gravity and quantum mechanics but actually designed them. Yet what he really cares about is "sin," abortion, how often you go to church, and whether gay people should marry. Statistically, the chances are that your neighbours believe all that -- and they can vote.

I think that sums up Christianity rather nicely!

Below is a quickie interview of Dawkins from BBC News online:

Celebrities and news-makers get grilled in exactly five minutes by Matthew Stadlen in a series for the BBC News website.

RichardDawkins.net is "The Official Richard Dawkins Website."

A Skeptical Look at Passover

Since I'm not religious, I had to look this up. Jews observe Passover this year beginning yesterday, Wednesday the 8th, at sunset. According to Wikipedia:

Passover. . . is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating God sparing the Hebrews when he killed the first born of Egypt, and is the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread (it lasts eight days in the diaspora) commemorating the Exodus from Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery.

My knowledge of Passover comes almost entirely from the classic 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses. I view religion of any stripe as being on a par with ancient Greek and Roman mythology. In the video below, comic and political pundit Marc Maron of the internet show Break Room Live gives us his thoughts on our present version of "The Ten Plagues" of the Old Testament:



Also see the article posted on the e-zine Slate which is called, A Skeptic's Guide to Passover: Scientific explanations for the parting of the Red Sea, the 10 plagues, and the burning bush. It's worth a read.

Depressant Drug for the Annoyingly Cheerful

A news video about a prescription drug just approved by the FDA, from The Onion. Because we're all imperfect, and we all need Big Pharma to make us into better people, right?

I'm as Mad as Hell!

A timely and relevant rant from the satirical 1976 movie, Network. The senior news anchor Howard Beale vents his outrage on live TV in this now classic speech, hitting a nerve with the people, while his cynical network can only see ratings and dollar signs --

I don't have to tell you things are bad; everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work, or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth, banks are going bust, shop-keepers keep a gun under the counter, punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.

We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!

We know things are bad, worse than bad -- they're crazy.

It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone." Well, I'm not going to leave you alone.

I want you to get mad!

I don't want you to protest, I don't want you to riot, I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first, you've got to get mad. You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, god damn it! My life has value!"

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now, and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Songs for a Broken Heart, Part 2

(In no particular order, with links to YouTube videos -- I'm not necessarily recommending the videos, just the songs. Also, although I found all these songs on YouTube, many may soon be pulled down due to copyright infringement. If that happens, you may only find this statement, or something similar: "This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.")

1. Nobody Knows, The Tony Rich Project
2. The End of the World, The Carpenters
3. Baby Grand, Billy Joel & Ray Charles
4. Just When I Needed You Most, Randy VanWarmer
5. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, Michael Bolton
6. How Do I Live, Trisha Yearwood
7. Alone Again, Gilbert O'Sullivan
8. Without You, Mariah Carey
9. Since I Don't Have You, The Skyliners
10. Love Has No Pride, Linda Ronstadt
11. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Willie Nelson
12. Since I Fell for You, Dusty Springfield
13. Am I That Easy to Forget, Jim Reeves
14. Long Long Time, Linda Ronstadt
15. Are You Lonesome Tonight, Elvis Presley
16. My Strongest Weakness, Wynonna Judd
17. I Can't Stop Loving You, Jim Reeves
18. Stand Tall, Burton Cummings
19. Only the Lonely, Roy Orbison
20. All Out of Love, Air Supply
21. Nights in White Satin, The Moody Blues
22. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
23. Against All Odds, Phil Collins
24. Send in the Clowns, Judy Collins
25. (In the Arms of the) Angel, Sarah McLachlan

Songs for a Broken Heart, Part 1

(In no particular order, with links to YouTube videos -- I'm not necessarily recommending the videos, just the songs. Also, although I found all these songs on YouTube, many may soon be pulled down due to copyright infringement. If that happens, you may only find this statement, or something similar: "This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.")

1. Can't Cry Hard Enough, The Williams Brothers
2. It's a Heartache, Bonnie Tyler
3. Unbreak My Heart, Toni Braxton
4. What's Forever For, Michael Martin Murphy
5. At This Moment, Billy Vera & the Beaters
6. Crying, Roy Orbison & k.d. lang
7. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Hank Williams
8. All By Myself, Eric Carmen
9. Nothing Compares to You, Sinead O'Connor
10. Water From the Moon, Celine Dion
11. Yesterday, The Beatles
12. Broken Hearted Me, Anne Murray
13. Only Women Bleed, Alice Cooper
14. Love Hurts, Nazareth
15. Insensitive, Jann Arden
16. You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
17. Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, Eric Carmen
18. I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Tom Jones
19. I've Done Enough Dyin' Today, Larry Gatlin
20. Starry Starry Night, Don McLean
21. How Much I Feel, Ambrosia
22. I Go Crazy, Paul Davis
23. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Bee Gees
24. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt
25. MacArthur Park, Richard Harris
    

Ranking Two Presidents Named George

The 22nd of February was George Washington's birthday. C-SPAN's Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, the results of which were just released, ranked him at number two, second only to Lincoln. According to C-SPAN, "a cross-section of 65 presidential historians ranked the 42 former occupants of the White House on ten attributes of leadership." Rounding out the top five were Franklin and then Theodore Roosevelt, and Truman.

And how did George W. Bush rank? He came in at 36th. (I'd say that was quite generous.) No doubt he will just shake this off and say he was misunderestimated, and that the history books in a century or two will be wise enough to appreciate what he accomplished during his terms in office. "History takes a long time for us to reach," he once remarked.

George Mason University, VA, conducted a History News Network Poll last March about then-President Bush, which got responses from 109 historians. "98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success." And, "more than 61 percent of the historians concluded that the [Bush] presidency is the worst in the nation's history."


Here are some further excerpts from the April 1st HNN article written by Robert S. McElvaine about their poll:

. . .Among those who responded are several of the nation's most respected historians, including Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize winners.


"No individual president can compare to the second Bush," wrote one. "Glib, contemptuous, ignorant, incurious, a dupe of anyone who humors his deluded belief in his heroic self, he has bankrupted the country with his disastrous war and his tax breaks for the rich, trampled on the Bill of Rights, appointed foxes in every henhouse, compounded the terrorist threat, turned a blind eye to torture and corruption and a looming ecological disaster, and squandered the rest of the world's goodwill. In short, no other president's faults have had so deleterious an effect on not only the country but the world at large."

"Bush does only two things well,” said one of the most distinguished historians. “He knows how to make the very rich very much richer, and he has an amazing talent for f**king up everything else he even approaches. His administration has been the most reckless, dangerous, irresponsible, mendacious, arrogant, self-righteous, incompetent, and deeply corrupt one in all of American history.”

. . .another remarked that Bush's "denial of any personal responsibility can only be described as silly."

Mr. Bush, George Washington would surely agree, if he were alive today at age 277, that you belong at the bottom of the heap, and that posterity will revile your name.

Obama Reads Bush's Letter

In accordance with tradition, outgoing President Bush left a letter in the Oval Office for his successor. Performer Jordan Peele and writer Owen Burke now reveal the contents of that very private letter.

Obama Reads Bush's Letter - watch more funny videos

Beware of Zombies!

A clever prankster changed the message on this Texas road sign. I love it!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

President Obama's Inaugural Address

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West -- know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Photos of Palestinian Life & Death

Photos from Palestinian Mothers, who can only pray that their families survive another day, in a land of exploding bombs and desperate food shortages.

Israel, how many deaths are enough?

(These photos were posted by Nahida, of Jerusalem, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, on the website Palestinian Mothers.)

Singing Horses Game

A silly cartoon with nice a cappella voices that you make sing or silence by clicking on the horses! Just a pleasant diversion.