Immigration Legislation - Pending

There are three pieces of legislation currently pending that seek to address our currently inadequate immigration policies. A Look at the Three Immigration Reform Bills in Congress Congress is expected to enact the first major overhaul of immigration policy since 1996. On the table are three immigration reform bills that could dramatically reshape the country’s immigration policy on key issues including legalization, guest worker programs, deportation, employer sanctions and police and border enforcement. The bills, proposed by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas); Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.); and Senators John Cornyn (R- Texas) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), present three distinct plans for immigration reform. [...] If you have any interest, and you should, in the reform of immigration laws and policies, border control, privacy, civil liberties, the economy, and American culture, then you should read this last link. It presents a detailed description of the differences between three possibilities, including: • Legalization • Guest Workers • Employer Sanctions • Border Enforcement • Workers’ Rights • Job Training • Family Reunification • Asylum and Refugee Issues • Deportation • State Reimbursement • Diversity Visas • Human Trafficking • State and Local Enforcement Each of these three does not address all of the categories, but it is a good comparison. Rep. Tom Tancredo has also working on legislation, Rewarding Employers that Abide by the Law and Guaranteeing Uniform Enforcement to Stop Terrorism (REAL GUEST) Act of 2005, that directly impacts temporary workers, and their employment. My previous post was about the Bill introduced by Rep. Culberson: Culberson Introduces Border Protection Corps Act of 2005 Today, U.S. Representative John Culberson and 47 original cosponsors introduced H.R. 3622 to create the Border Protection Corps made up of citizen volunteers working as sworn law enforcement officers under the command of the Governors of the border States and working “in cooperation with State and local law enforcement officials…and the United States Border Patrol.” [...] Rep. Culberson's Bill concerns enforcement of existing immigration policies relevant to border control. These are real problems, concerning real people, and we need real solutions. Lets get to work! Technorati : Border Patrol, Borders, Closed Borders, Congress, Guest Workers, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, Mexico, United States, Us House Of Representatives, Us Senate

Border Control

Culberson Introduces Border Protection Corps Act of 2005 Today, U.S. Representative John Culberson and 47 original cosponsors introduced H.R. 3622 to create the Border Protection Corps made up of citizen volunteers working as sworn law enforcement officers under the command of the Governors of the border States and working “in cooperation with State and local law enforcement officials…and the United States Border Patrol.” Border Protection Corps operations and the costs of detaining, housing and transporting foreign nationals taken into custody by the Corps or by state and local law enforcement would be paid for using the $6.8 billion in Homeland Security first responder funds that have been sitting unspent and untouched in the U. S. Treasury for over two years. The Border Protection Corps Act invokes Congress’s power under Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution to “provide for calling forth…organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia… to execute the Laws of the Union,” which H.R. 3622 defines as “patrolling and defending the international border” of the United States “in order to prevent individuals from crossing the international border…at any location other than an authorized port of entry.” Congressman Culberson said, “H.R. 3622 is necessary because federal authorities do not have the manpower or the resources to protect America's international borders, and we now have sworn testimony by top federal law enforcement officials that potential terrorists from countries with known Al Qaeda connections are entering the United States in significant numbers by assuming false Hispanic identities and hiding among the flood of illegal immigrants pouring across our southern border. [...] More, read it. Tagged as United States, Immigration, Illegal Immigration

August 6th?

WASHINGTON – Intelligence gathered from captured al-Qaida documents and interrogations of captured operatives has provided the U.S. with some specific information about Osama bin Laden's favored dates for his decade-long plan for an "American Hiroshima" nuclear terrorist attack – and one of those dates arrives this week. [...] Will it be Saturday? Update: Sunday, 8/7... Guess not. Tagged as United States, Terrorism, Islam, Islamofascist, Muslim, Osama bin Laden, al Qaida

A Call to Subversion

Baron Bodissey posted the following at the Gates of Vienna. I am re-posting it here in it's entirety, as I feel that this is a MUST READ for all Americans! * * * * * Start * * * * * A Call to Subversion This blog has repeatedly asserted that the critical front in the Great Islamic Jihad is the struggle within the soul of the West. It is a bitter but non-violent civil war between those who would surrender to the deconstruction of Western culture and those who would resist it. The fortunes of this war vary from country to country in the West. The reports by Fjordman and Rune suggest the inevitable conclusion that Scandinavia has all but lost the war. The combination of state-enforced political correctness and mass Muslim immigration is a lethal one, leaving Swedish civil society on the verge of collapse. Britain threatens to tolerate itself out of existence, as chronicled repeatedly by Norman Geras. An Islamic radical like Sheikh Omar Bakri continues to preach violent jihad against the infidels, while he and his disciples enjoy the generous benefits of Britain’s welfare state. In Australia, pastors are jailed for defaming Islam when they quote the Koran. The primary religious text of Islam is “defamatory” by its very nature, but it is apparently unwise for Australian citizens to point this fact out. Oriana Fallaci has to stay out of her native Italy or risk jail time for printing her opinion of Islam. The Netherlands… Germany… France… Canada… Each is a front in the Great Jihad, and each is succumbing in its own way to the enemy tide. Here in the USA we are not as badly off — in some cases the First Amendment still manages to protect the right to voice an opinion — but the forces of Multiculturalism and Political Correctness still tighten the screws on most sensible discourse. The situation is so severe that major national media do not dare to call this war what it is: the Third Wave of the Great Islamic Jihad. How did we get to this sorry pass? What happened? You can chalk it up to the victory of Soviet communism. Communism was defeated empirically, in the real world, by democratic capitalism. But in the marketplace of ideas — in the media and academia, among the mandarins of pop culture, and in the permanent federal bureaucracy — the Soviets won. Capitalism has to be tolerated, since the engine of modernity will not run without it, but it will never be respectable, and its associated virtues — hard work, thrift, religious values, and civic culture — have been permanently discredited. Thank the KGB for its tireless work infiltrating and financing student radicals, black activists, labor unions, and any organization that sought to undermine traditional Western values. Thank the innumerable fellow travelers, the Marxist theoreticians and deconstructionists, who gladly drilled and dynamited and demolished until our common culture was a field of rubble. Thank the forces of leftist subversion who ate their way through the body politic like termites through an old stump. The socialist left may be a spent force on the political scene, but its legacy is still with us. Each of us labors under a great burden of unexamined premises that inhibits honest discussion. To make a profit, to judge an idea on its merits, to observe real differences among people and groups — each of these actions carries the risk of elite disapproval. Each of us has witnessed the telltale glance over the shoulder and lowered voice whenever an un-PC thought is uttered. This suppression of meaningful discussion has allowed the Great Jihad to enjoy success within our midst. Because dissent on such issues is not allowed, taxpayers in Britain have to fund Islamic education in the schools, and Swedish police are not allowed to release rape statistics based on the ethnicity of the perpetrators. Islam is a Religion of Peace, and scrutinizing its tenets and practices is — horror of horrors! — racism. Our toxic tolerance looks the other way while Muslim women are suppressed, straitjacketed, abused, and even killed, all in the name of the most noble of ideals. So what can be done to hinder this suicidal juggernaut? Since subversion brought on the current crisis, the time has come for counter-subversion. The duty of a warblogger, as I have said before, is to storm and occupy the national conversation. We have to subvert the dominant paradigm. We will have to it with no help from the mainstream media, committed as they are to the PC worldview. And we will have to do it despite the Bush administration and our elected politicians, who seem constitutionally incapable of taking action without the approval of the New York Times and the network news. It will truly be a task for “the distributed intelligence of the Internet”. We can begin by asking questions, dangerous, politically incorrect questions. We must ask them forcefully and repeatedly until they become part of the collective dialogue. Here are some examples, and you can add your own: Is Islam inherently dangerous, or just its most radical forms? Are journalists aiding and abetting our enemies in the way they cover stories and utilize terrorist sources? Is the UN part of the problem rather than part of the solution? Does the destruction of common values by a degraded popular culture play right into the hands of the Great Jihad? Why are we so reluctant to tackle the Saudi and Iranian problems? To jump-start this conversation we have to be willing to ignore the nagging inner voice that tells us, You can’t say that! We have to inure ourselves to the label “racist”. We have to expect that we will be called “tools of the neocons”. We have to learn to brush away the insults. If we want to succeed in this fight, we have to be subversive. And subversion is a thankless task. It’s time to take back the culture. * * * * End * * * * * * Visit Gates of Vienna and read the comments, also. If you have comments to post, please post them there to keep all together. The Baron and Dymphna do a great job there exposing the Islamic culture, and the discussion is usually thoughtful and reasoned. Tagged as Islam, Muslim, Islamofascist, Jihad, Global War on Terror, GWoT, War for Survival, United States, USA, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Scandinavia, Multiculturalism, Diversity, Political Correctness

Why We All Need Pornography

Gimme prOn! Well, not really. This article from New Scientist ($ subscription req.), which may be read at EurekAlert also, examines the process where the distribution of pornography drives technology to protect privacy. Interesting read. Is the ability to mask your physical location and IP address a good thing? You maintain privacy, may be able to avoid spammers, and leave no trail. On the other hand, how will this affect law enforcement or terrorism issues? Regardless of your position on those questions, the desire to maintain anonyminity while surfing is a driving factor in these delevopments. Tagged as Pornography, Porn, Privacy, Internet

Justice?

Drudge is reporting that the New York Times has assigned an investigative reporter, Glen Justice, to look into the adoption records of Supreme Court nominee Robert's children. Thanks to Free Republic for original link Tagged as News, Current Events, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, New York Times, Adoption, Judge Roberts, John G. Roberts

The Final Frontier

Las Vegas Space Conference attendees explore lunar manifest destiny Will people be living on the moon in our lifetime? Better yet, can Americans do what they do best -- exploit a resource for all its money-making potential -- on the moon? If those at last week's Las Vegas Space Conference have their way, the answers to those questions is a resounding yes. [...] Bring it on! [...] Many at the conference said the government's purely science-driven missions to the moon has led to antiquated shuttle technology and delays in capitalizing on lunar possibilities. "If the purpose of going to the moon is just science, it doesn't necessarily justify the government expenditure," [Jeff] Feige said. [...] Many will (choose one: point out / complain / warn / gloat) that government involvment is purely scientific only because of potential military usage. The theme of this conference was, however, commercial. [Charles E.] Miller's company [Constellation Services International, Inc] focuses on moving cargo between the earth and the space station, with the long-term goal of moving freight between earth and moon. "Tourism is the biggest industry in the world. Just orbiting the earth can be a big tourist industry. You could justify that alone," Miller said, adding that optimistically space tourism could take off in as little as 10 years using existing technology. Some people are excited about the WHAT to do once in space, and others are concentrating on the HOW. What is going to replace the shuttle? That is still up in the air. NASA is looking at a new system based on the current shuttle system. NASA has decided that its next launch vehicle for getting humans into space will be based on the space shuttle system, including its main engines, solid rocket boosters and external tank. There will be one big difference, though, instead of riding along the side of the new rocket, astronauts in the future will be riding on top on top of their next launcher -- above any debris that might fall off. Although the shuttle system has proven its capabilities, each launch is still very expensive. Private companies are exploring different means to boost payloads into orbits that may prove to be less expensive. For instance, this press release from Virgin Galactic: 27th July 2005 Today at the EAA Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin, Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan announced their signing of an agreement to form The Spaceship Company — jointly owned by Virgin and Scaled. This new aerospace production company will manufacture launch aircraft, spaceships and support equipment and market them to spaceline operators, including the launch customer, Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic has placed orders for five spaceships and two launch aircraft with options on further systems, thus securing the exclusive use of the systems for the initial 18 months of commercial passenger operations. The Spaceship Company plan to make spaceflight affordable for the masses and to demonstrate the commercial viability of manned space exploration. Burt Rutan commented “I am very excited to have agreed terms on which we can now move forward to develop the world’s first commercial, passenger-carrying spaceships. Richard and I share a vision that commercially-viable and safe space tourism will provide the foundation for the human colonisation of space. I’m looking forward to working together with Richard on this next exciting phase.” Sir Richard added “I couldn’t be more delighted to announce the formation of this joint venture at the biggest private aviation event in the world. I never dreamed that one day I would form with Burt, the company which will build the world’s first commercial passenger spacecraft.” Back to the Las Vegas Space Conference: Conference participants brought their ideas with them, too. At one point a wide-eyed [Jeff} Feige ran up to [William] McGuire and said, "Get this: Space spring break! Can you imagine?" Yes, I can imagine. Can you? * * * * * * * * * * * * UPDATE: (12:08 PM CDT) The New York Times has an article on NASA's redesign of the shuttle, which I will call Shuttle II. For its next generation of space vehicles, NASA has decided to abandon the design principles that went into the aging space shuttle, agency officials and private experts say. Instead, they say, the new vehicles will rearrange the shuttle's components into a safer, more powerful family of traditional rockets. They have an impressive graphic displaying the relative sizes of the current and redesigned shuttle in launch configuration. Check it out. Tagged as Space, Exploration, Moon, Lunar, Solar System, Exploration, Colonization, Manifest Destiny, Space Shuttle, NASA, Las Vegas Space Conference, Virgin Galactic, New York Times, Shuttle II

Strange...

More random link-hopping tonight, ran across an interesting little exercise here: Answer the following questions as fast as you can: -2+2 -4+4 [...] There's more. I don't want to spoil it, so go there and try this little exercise. Follow the directions. Turned out I am NOT in the minority, and I'd be interested in where you placed. Unfortunately, the rest of the post is over my head. Tagged as Miscellaneous, Science, TASS, The Autonomous Set of Systems

Not 'No', But...

Update: (8/3/05 6:05 PM CDT) Thank you, Senator Coleman, Sir! Washington, D.C.-Senator Norm Coleman today submitted a statement into the Congressional Record denouncing a final report issued by the United Nations' Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) suggesting that the U.N. assume global governance of the Internet. (via Drudge) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BRUSSELS, Belgium - A U.N. panel created to recommend how the Internet should be run in the future has failed to reach consensus but did agree that no single country should dominate. [...] Oh, they did, did they? So, Kofi 'Want some candy, little girl?' Annan now wants some control of the Internet. The U.N. panel report offers us four choices, with the first, and as far as I'm concerned, the ONLY acceptable, one being leave the control as it is. [...] Some countries were satisfied with the current arrangement, while others, particularly developing ones, wanted to wrest control from ICANN and place it with an intergovernmental group, possibly under the United Nations. [...] Sez who? Why, The United Nations, of course. Let it be known to all employees and elected officials of the United States government, that my desire is to deliver an answer to ANY attempt at U.N. control of the Internet to be, not simply 'No', but 'HELL NO!' Tagged as United States,U.S., United Nations, UN, U.N. Working Group on Internet Governance, ICANN, Internet, Current Events posted by Greg at 11:28 PM July 16, 2005

Speaking Truth To Power

Alpha Patriot pointed me to this item on Yahoo News. The book sounds interesting, in a trivial sort of way. The article passage highlighted by Alpha Patriot, and echoed here, is: [...] And why do men have nipples? While only females have mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo, the authors explain. The embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in. Men, however, have already developed nipples. But then Alpha Patriot adds this stinger: But that's OK, with the testosterone kicking in we go on to develop brains. Ouch! I hope the women in my household don't see this post! Tagged as Miscellaneous, Humor

Move Over, Tiger

For your edification, without comment: ...a feat unmatched in the annals of professional golf by shooting 11 holes-in-one on the first round he ever played. [...] Tagged as Miscellaneous

E Pluribus Unum

Reading Arthur Chrenkoff's posting today, I can agree wholeheartedly... almost. He says (emphasis mine): American conservatives often bemoan the failings of multiculturalism and many problems associated with the way the United States absorbs and deals with migrants. Not being a resident, I can't comment from personal experience and observation how much there is to the conservative critique (and I use this term broadly, seeing that perhaps the two most prominent recent book-length treatments of the topic come from life-long Democrats, Victor Davis Hanson and Samuel Huntington), but whatever the failings of the American model, it's being increasingly held up as an example of a more successful strategy vis-a-vis minorities than that pursued throughout Europe. [...] Yes, The American model, the melting pot, was effective. He then points to this Guardian column by Jonathon Freedland: [...] The best explanation might be the one provided by Aatish Taseer, who recently interviewed a series of second-generation Pakistanis in the north of England for Prospect magazine. He found people who took little pride in their Pakistani background, but who struggled to make any connection with their Britishness. When they grew up, "Britons themselves were having a hard time believing in Britishness", he writes. "If you denigrate your own culture you face the risk of newer arrivals looking for one elsewhere." In this case, says Taseer, an Islamic identity, a sense of kinship not with Britain or Pakistan but with the global brotherhood of Muslims, the Ummah. Is he right? The experience of one country suggests he might be. The United States has not - yet - had a brush with home-grown Islamist terrorism; 9/11 was the work of Egyptian and Saudi outsiders. Why might that be? Islamist radicals certainly find it harder to enter the US. It's also true that American Muslims tend not to live in the segregated urban enclaves that exist in Britain. It might even be relevant that, in contrast with Britain and France, the US has no former colonial populations - no equivalent of French Algerians or British Pakistanis. But surely the chief reason is the way America approaches newcomers. It does not allow a vacuum where national identity should be, but fills the void with Americanness. Loyalty is instilled constantly - not only at one-off ceremonies - whether it be saluting the flag at school or singing the national anthem at a ballgame. [...] Surely the way immigrants were assimilated into American society was effective... 50 years ago. I am afraid that that is no longer the case. The United States has been trending more towards the British model for decades now, and our society will suffer for it. Arthur again: [...] That's why I think America's motto, Et Pluribus Unum, from many one, is exactly on the money rather than the jingle, which translated into Latin would go, Et Unum Pluribus (since I don't speak Latin, apologies if I murdered it, but you get the point). [...] If you are not familiar with this subject, shame on you. Cultural assimilation is an essential requirement to the survival of the United States. Maybe we should all be required to take up smoking! The stench of sweat fills my sinuses as I open the back door leading into the "Jock Hall." Walking through as quickly as possible, the blur of faces I see are either black (lingering by the pop machine) or Caucasian (seemingly glued to the benches). Sprinkled in between are some olive complexioned Oriental and brown skinned East Indian athletes. The groups do not mingle. Once I reach the foyer, I look around. It is impossible not to notice the blacks "chillin" outside of the Student Council office. Before, after and during school, you will find them there. On the mission to find some nutrition, I step into the school's café. The West Indians are "limin" (hanging out) at the table to the immediate right, competing against each another in Dominoes, the popular game of the islands. The Asians are lined up at tables near the back of the room challenging each other to their favorite game of cards, President. These groups do not mingle either. I trudge through the school seeking fresh air. I remember I need to stop by my locker to pick up a book. I walk by the group of Indian boys standing in front of the library doors. They are communicating to each other in their native tongue. I know from experience that within this tightly spun web of friends a student of a different ethnic background is never seen. Walking through the Science Hall and up the backstairs, I cringe as the smell of cigarette smoke reaches my nose. It has seeped through the doors from outside and has stained the inside of the school walls. Ironically, the "Butt Lounge" is the only place in the school where students from different ethnic backgrounds are united. It's a multicultural party as I glance around. Students of all races and cultures join together to deteriorate their health. Sadly, the undying craving for a smoke between classes is the only visual evidence that students of different races have something in common. [...] Arnold Kling points out in this TSC column that this phenomenon is not restricted to racial, national or ethnic groups, but is also highly visible in politics. [...] Pundits have coined many names for this cultural segregation. Coverage of the 2000 election gave us Red America vs. Blue America. George Lakoff would describe it as Strict-father America vs. Nurturant-parent America. Michael Barone writes of Hard America vs. Soft America, a divide that Walter Russell Mead would probably label as Jacksonian America vs. Jeffersonian America. In a political context, Democrats and Republicans are more gridlocked and mutually antagonistic than at any time in memory. The two sides talk past one another. Each side wishes the other would just get out of the way. But somehow, we need to find a way to live with one another. [...] And religion. By promoting, enabling and encouraging multiculturalism and diversity at the expense of common American societal values, we have sown the seeds of our own destruction. We must stop watering those seeds. Tagged as United States, Britain, Immigration, Assimilation

PC Has Gone To The Dogs

From the Gallatin, Tennessee News Examiner comes this report of the August 1st meeting of the Sumner County, Tennessee Vicious Dog Ad Hoc Committee. Pet owners who have dogs that behave in a threatening manner may soon be cited into court for a dangerous dog violations. The Sumner County Commission’s vicious dog committee has recommended expanding the county’s vicious dog law to target dangerous dogs. [...] This article raised so many questions in my mind that I almost don't know where to begin. Let's start with the proposed expansion - from vicious dog laws to target dangerous dogs. Shouldn't dangerous dogs already be a target of a vicious dog law? It would seem to me that a vicious dog would be a dangerous dog. Am I introducing too much logic into this? But the part that really gets to me is reference to a dog's threatening manner. Barking? Growling? Are they running up to you because they're glad to see you, or to bite you? Who decides? In addition, the committee has defined proposed consequences for pet owners whose dogs have been deemed vicious by the county’s animal control department or the courts and or deemed dangerous by the courts. OK, at least the determination is not left in the hands of just anyone. ... the committee has been productive in its goal to address an animal’s behavior before an attack or a bite. [...] So now we are concerned about an animals behavior rather than their actions. If your dog behaves in a manner judged not Politically Correct, you will suffer some consequences. [...] Some of these consequences involve making vicious dogs wear easily recognizable tags; secure confinement of vicious and dangerous dogs and spaying and neutering of vicious dogs. [...] Brand a big letter 'B' (for Biter) on their foreheads? Hang a sign on their neck that says "I'll bite yer ass"? (I see a niche market here!) Two examples of recent dog attack incidents were given, both involving the dreaded Pit Bull. Nothing about annoyingly vicious, ankle-biting Chihuahuas. Go figure. Not only are we going PC, but now it's Racial Profiling for Dogs! All in all, I am not impressed, and don't feel one bit safer. Also note that the full County Commission must vote on this... right now it's still in committee. Sorry that there are no links other than the newspaper article. I attempted to find the info at the Sumner County website, but was only able to come up with an announcement of the committee meeting. Tagged as News, Current Events, Gallatin, TN, Sumner County, TN, Animal Control, Pit Bull, Chihuahua, Politically Correct, Racial Profiling

Considering Our Loss

Reported by the New York Times, Tigerhawk, Instapundit, and more, Steven Vincent was kidnapped and murdered in Basra, Iraq. His translator was also injured, and according to the Times is in serious condition in a Basra hospital (Ward al-Khal in the Times, Nour Weidi elsewhere, Steven referred to her as Layla). Steven blogged about his experiences at In The Red Zone (and was the author of a book of the same name), in the form of letters home starting with Dear Lisa... My thoughts and prayers go out to Steven's family, and my wishes for a speedy recovery to Layla. Tagged as Iraq, Steven Vincent

Ignorance? Or Dishonesty?

Liberty Call U.S. asks: Ignorance? Or Dishonesty? President Bush has used his recess appointment authority to appoint John Bolton as US Ambassador to the UN. Reading the reactions of Liberal Senators released today makes me wonder – Are some of these Liberal Senators ignorant of the Constitution? Or do they think they can lie to the American people with impunity? [...] This is from the Aug. 1 posting. He also asks other questions, and is well worth a read. This question is the only one I will address, though. The answer is dishonesty. Do they think they can lie to the American people with impunity? In a word - Yes. Why? Because they have been lying to the American people for years, too many years. Working under the adage that 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', what reason do they have to change at this stage of the game? None. (Thanks to Free Republic for the original link) Tagged as Politics

Russian Sex

I was following random links tonight (if you have read me before, you know I like to do that - lots of interesting stuff out there you'd never think to look for), beginning with this item from Baldilocks. OK, that's not really about sex... yet! It may be in the future, as I posted here. And may become virtual as I posted here. But it still doesn't qualify, as it's not Russian. Anyway, moving right along, from Baldilocks I went to Electric Venom. Interesting blog, and I hope she gets her teeth! The link to Butt Art was also interesting. I was checking out... What? When am I going to get to Russian Sex? OK, OK, here we go. Item from Electric Venom: 2. News flash: sex makes you feel good. Duh Uhhh, yeah. Duh. So I followed the link (Who wouldn't?) And I find an article from Pravda. Sex makes people healthy, cheerful, strong, beautiful and sleepy Sounds good so far. It continues: It is much easier for a woman to learn how to love herself, if she has a man, who desires and worships her It is generally believed that human beings have sex either for pleasure or reproduction. However, the number of people driven with these motivations has been reducing steadily during the recent years. The majority of humans use sex as the most pleasant and available remedy for a whole bouquet of problems. It is an open secret that a person gets into a cheerful mood during an act of love. In addition to purely psychological satisfaction, the human body produces endorphin - the hormone in charge of elevated spirits and positive perception of the environment. Researchers say that such inspiration comes from the activity of certain brain centers, which change the hormonal status of the body. Good quality sex produces a spiritually elevating effect on the chemical level, which does not require any additional efforts. Prior to the culminating moment of an act of love, orgasm, the brain emits a dose of oxytocin - the hormone of the posterior lobe of pituitary. Oxytocin results in the production of sedative endorphins - natural analogues of morphine. Sex spurs the production of estrogen with women - the substance, which eases premenstrual pains. Therefore, sex is the best painkiller. [...] (photo credit: Pravda article) Fine! There's your Russian Sex. What? You want more? (sigh) OK. At the bottom of that article are some links to more. One examines the effects of tight pants and belts on reproductive functions. Excerpt: The USA celebrated a rather original holiday titled No Pants Day a month ago, in the beginning of May. The holiday is not only a day of fun, it gives a good reason to lead a healthy lifestyle, when people bid farewell to a very bad habit of theirs (at least for one day) - wearing pants. WHAT? Why didn't anyone tell me? I missed a whole day that I could have run around sans pants! This next one was more interesting to me, titled Men physically unable to repulse potential lovers, psychologists say Russian well-known psychologist Igor Kon came to rather curious conclusions in his research. A 20-year-old man depends on a woman. On the other hand, young women of the same age already try to exercise their rights: women think that they can judge, choose and estimate men. Young men are usually infantile: they always want to hear good words and appraisals from their parents and girlfriends. This desire lasts for about ten years. It will therefore be very easy for a young wife to manipulate and guide her young husband. However, the situation changes for the opposite, when a man reaches the mysterious age of 33 years. When a man gains life experience, he realizes that he does not need his wife's appraisal; a man becomes tired of his wife's dominating position in the house. As a rule, a man realizes his own importance in the family in his thirties. On the other hand, a woman is already used to being the first in everything: she definitely starts acting adequately in an attempt to preserve her family leadership. It is easy to imagine, what happens in a once friendly and happy family afterwards. The vast majority of divorces is registered with 30 or 40-year-old people. As a point of marital harmony (mine!) I will have no comment on this last one. All in all, a good evening of link-hopping. Tagged as Sex, Russian Sex, Russia, Pravda, Humor

Satire, Or Is It?

If you haven't visited The Nose On Your Face blog, where you are given News so fake you'll swear it came from the mainstream media, you should. Biggest laugh of the day for me (so far) came from this passage: [...] In a related story Sandra "Beth" Geisel (no relation to Theodore), the Albany area teacher charged with raping one of her underage students, became unusually excited while watching news coverage of Bush's appointment. However, her enthusiasm quickly waned when the term "recess appointment" was explained fully to her. The actual news stories are all over the cable news channels today, plus many internet sites (search). Tagged as News, Current Events, Satire, Teacher, Sex, Recess Appointment, Humor, Sandra Geisel

Oh, But It Is

Been a lot of talk since Tom Tancredo dropped this bomb during an interview a couple of weeks ago... [...] Talk show host Pat Campbell [WFLA-AM, Orlando, Florida] asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons. "Well, what if you said something like -- if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered. "You're talking about bombing Mecca," Campbell said. "Yeah," Tancredo responded. [...] OK, this has been hashed over, dissected, analysed, criticized, defended, and explained ever since. Rep. Tancredo isn't going to apologize. Critics aren't going to drop it. No matter. However, I feel I must make a comment on this criticism from Arab American Institute President Dr. James Zogby's weekly policy column Washington Watch. I have no problem with his characterizing Rep. Tancredo as stupid, brazen, uncivilized and a buffoon. He is welcome to his opinion, and may express it freely. More opinion: [...] That is why I write. To make it clear that Tancredo’s brand of “America” is not, at all, American. [...] Oh, but it is! Nuke multiple U.S. cities? And expect a thoughtful and measured response? I don't think so. Rather it would be more akin to 'Kill 'em all, and let God sort 'em out'. THAT is the American way. Just my opinion, of course. But I would volunteer to push the button, if it came to that. (Thanks to Free Republic for the original pointer.) Tagged as United States, Rep. Tom Tancredo, James Zogby, Nuke, Nuclear, Terrorism, Islam, Islamofascist, Muslim

To Tree, Or Not To Tree

Here is an interesting conundrum for environmentalists: Is it better to plant trees, or cut them down? According to the NewScientist.com news service, the UK Department for International Development's Forestry Research Programme has released a report indicating that forest planting may increase deserts. Planting trees can create deserts, lower water tables and drain rivers, rather than filling them, claims a new report supported by the UK government. On the other hand, data indicate that forests lock up carbon through sequestration, lessening the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Tagged as Current Events, Environment, Global Warming

Soylent Yellow

A sensible solution, sensivities notwithstanding. from Wired The Big Gulp, subtitled: NASA pisses away millions hauling H2O into orbit. But there's a better way - recycle astronaut urine. Just one question: How does it taste? According to this author, it's not bad. I wonder how NASA is going to provide solid food? Soylent Green? The solution hopefully will not evoke comments like... 'This steak tastes like crap!' Tagged as United States, NASA, Space, Space Exploration, Recycling, Soylent Green

What Goes Around...

When gotcha reporting comes back to bite you in the ass... From Drudge Report via Free Republic comes this rant from Helen Thomas: [...] But Thomas said yesterday at the White House that her comments to Eisele were for his ears only. "I'll never talk to a reporter again!" Thomas was overheard saying. "We were just talking -- I was ranting -- and he wrote about it. That isn't right. We all say stuff we don't want printed," Thomas said. [...] Tagged as News, Current Events, White House, Helen Thomas, Mainstream Media, MSM

What If... What If Indeed!

Thanks to The Daily Demarche for the pointer to this article: To their credit, Americans have—so far—resisted the winds unleashed on that Tuesday morning four years ago, winds that could have blown us to defeat and despair. But what if they had not? What if Americans had allowed bin Laden and his followers to write the story of our time? What if, indeed. This is a thought provoking alternate-history look at 9/11 and subsequent events. A must read! Tagged as United States, 9/11, Global War on Terror, GWoT, War for Survival, Terrorism, Alternate History

Words Of Truth... And Inspiration

If you have not read Michael Yon's Online Magazine, where he reports from Iraq, you should. Right now, before you read further! He even has a sign-up for a mailing list, so that you can be notified via email when he has new material up. His latest filing concerns non-Americans serving in the U.S. Military, and their drive for American citizenship. Very inspiring reading, and to me in particular, this: It's been true since the U.S. was founded that some of the best Americans were not born in America. And we can use all the good people we can get. That's something to remember. Yes, let's remember that! And to echo Michael... Welcome aboard! My only regret is that I cannot say this in person. Tagged as United States, Iraq, Citizenship, Military Service