tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51861620283450960882024-02-21T09:29:13.335-05:00Barry Shaw Sr.Taskeinc's articles are based on the desire to find truth. Do your own independent research and the accuracy of the blogger's literary compositions will be evident. The authors themes broach unpopular topics, which leads most people to shy away from impartial and constructive debate. "Taskeinc's articles are intimidating, brutally honest, bold, defiant and most are shockingly brilliant."Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-18494275260282637112017-07-27T18:20:00.002-04:002017-07-27T18:20:36.085-04:00House Party<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you were born in the mid-to-late 60's and mid-to-late 70's, you remember the "House Parties." A collection of about 30-50 people all crammed into a 2 or 3-bedroom home when mom and dad were out of town for the weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let's take a trip down memory lane and re-live the days gone by when life was oh so simple. There was no gun violence, if two guys got into a squabble, they settled their differences with a fist-fight and that was it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we'll keep it on the positive tip and just focus on the house parties. None of the fellas wanted to dance with "Jane or John Ugly" (fill in the blank, you know the individual that thought she/he was all that - nice personality, sense of humor, but I can't slow dance with ya... maybe on a fast song).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember the Brother's Johnson? This was a party favorite back in the day. "Gonna stomp all night, gonna party till the morning light!" Party over here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing lit up a HP like Earth, Wind and Fire's, "Let's Groove." You had to get a dance on that one, too much beat, too much rhythm and funk in the song to be sitting down. If you couldn't get a dance on this one, you'd have to go to the bathroom or some other room just to "boogey on down!" By yo damn self!
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And what can you say about the incomparable MJ. Speechless! You could have a 6-hour house party and play nothing but MJ hits and the roof would be on FIRE!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seriously, you choose one.. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ", "Beat It", "Rock With You", "Blame It On the Boogie", "P.Y.T", "Jam" - that one came along later, just shows Mike's extended range into multiple decades, but that's another article for another day.. miss you Mike!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bump all that... one word... CAMEO! "Candy" rocked the house - or "Word Up" - .. "Waive your hands in the air like you don't care." These are the jams you played if you saw the party was slowing down a bit. The jams that the non-dancers really thought they could dance to - remember those jokers? Thought they were grooving to the latest dances and you really wanted to tell them.. "that's not right, that's not the way you do that!" "Why you dragging your left leg like that?" Really? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But you wouldn't dare bust your homie's bubble.. let him get his groove on, especially if that was your ride home and your alibi. If you got in too late, it was Keith or Shaundra's fault.. still might not get you out of that punishment, but you felt better lying on your buddy, because you know he was lying on you too! And the two of you would laugh and lie about it later.. "naw, I didn't get in trouble," when you could still hear your mother's screaming and you were inconspicuously absent from the next party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Johnny Kemp, "Just Got Paid" (Kemp was a one-hit-wonder) was a straight party jam and it fit in perfectly with a Friday night, got your $60 paycheck from your dish-washing job. I actually worked at the bowling alley on weekends, quit my dish-washing job after my first paycheck... bought me some new clothes and went to visit this young lady. I told my boss, guy named George that I was sick and needed to leave. Never mind that the restaurant was packed with people. George told me, "you can't leave, it's too busy." My response, "then, I quit," and walked out. Yes, it was wrong, but I was a horny 16-year-old with money in his pocket, what would you expect?
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Straight-up, those were indeed, "the good ol' days." We're now in our 40's and 50's with kids of our own, doing their own thing. Hopefully we can start respecting one another as we did a couple decades ago. There's always been the "problem of the color line" as W.E.B. DuBois so adroitly pointed out in his classic, "The Souls of Black Folks." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who knows, maybe one day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">PEACE</span>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-7917026353368936692017-05-18T01:42:00.002-04:002017-05-18T02:10:37.883-04:00Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971 - 1996)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The late rapper and actor Tupac Shakur was certainly a work-in-progress, as we all are. Here's a guy who unfortunately, never had the chance to reach his full potential. He was an accomplished rapper and quickly becoming a very good actor.<br /><br />Tupac's immaturity and "tough guy" demeanor is ultimately what cost him his life. He lived as if there was no tomorrow and affirmed his death in his lyrics. He was actually too smart to be a "thug" but he wore the persona just a little too well and it lead directly to his demise.<br /><br />His brilliance behind the mic coupled with his onstage persona made him a popular figure not only in the African American community but his skills were on the verge of widespread crossover appeal.<br /><br />On September 7, 1996 Tupac Shakur (accompanied by Marion "Suge" Knight, who was driving the car) after attending a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was shot several times while sitting on the passenger side of the vehicle. Knight suffered minor wounds and would be released from the hospital later that morning.<br /><br />Friday, September 13, 1996 at 4.03am, at the age of 25, Tupac Shakur succumbed to his wounds and passed away <a href="http://www.donmega.com/tupacs-death.php" target="_blank">(See time-line of events)</a>.<br /><br />Known by his stage names, 2Pac, 'Pac' or 'Makaveli," Shakur was an accomplished rapper and actor. By 2007, his estate had sold over 75 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In the United States alone he sold over 37.5 million records.<br /><br />Regardless of how you may have felt about Tupac he was a lively spirit and a poet who just could not get the rhythm in the short time he spent on this earth. The writer was, and remains, a big fan. This article is not meant to slander or disparage his ephemeral, very successful, tragic life, it's simply the author's tribute to a hip hop legend!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Live by it ... Die by it ... </b><br /><br />The metaphorical expression, "Live by the sword, die by the sword" means that if you live your life in a certain way the lifestyle will ultimately affect your destiny. There is no better example than the life of Tupac Shakur.<br /><br />His passing, along with the death of another popular rapper, Biggie Smalls, served as a wake-up call to the rap and hip-hop communities. Because of this, neither death has been in vain, even though the killers of the two superstar rappers have not been brought to justice. Many believe that both Shakur and Smalls murderers have long since met their fate. However, neither case has been or will ever be solved.<br /><br />At the time of Pac's demise there was an ongoing, absurd, beef between east and west coast rappers. Losing two of the most popular rappers of all time quietly ended the hostility between rival rappers. The two sects were not "buddy-buddy," but at least they had the mental wherewithal to understand how foolish and deadly their actions could become.<br /><br />Next time you hear someone speak of Pac in a negative light, for example, "what a wasted life" or something to that effect. Politely correct them and suggest the fact that he paved the way for the monumental success of rappers turned moguls, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, Ice Cube, Eminem, Snoop, Jay Z, Nelly, and many more. It's almost as if Pac sacrificed his life for the success of the rap industry. Of course he had no idea his life would have such a profound affect, nor was he attempting to leave such a legacy. Or did he?<br /><br />Did Makaveli clearly see his early exit from this life? He surely talked about it in many of his songs. He also spent extra hours in the studio recording myriad songs that were not released while he lived. He recorded the plethora of records that you hear today primarily because he believed he would not be around very long.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tupac Shakur's Last 24 Hours </b><br /><br />The most successful hip-hop artist of all time, Tupac Shakur has just finished shooting his latest video in Los Angeles. The ultimate gangster-rapper, Tupac says he will one day go out in a blaze of glory. In 24 hours, his prophecy will come true.<br /><br />Although reluctant about going to Las Vegas to play a gig, Tupac eventually relents, and enjoys some high stakes gambling before attending a heavyweight prizefight featuring his friend, Mike Tyson. Pumped up by Tyson's victory, Tupac is himself involved in a violent brawl, and heads back to his hotel to freshen up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When he finally arrives at the club for his own performance, a white Cadillac pulls up and a gunman fires a heavy round of bullets at the rapper's car. Mortally wounded with a punctured lung, 25-year-old Tupac Shakur transitions six days later in a Vegas hospital.</span></span>
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TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-8450476021844026812016-12-20T02:39:00.001-05:002017-05-18T01:25:55.239-04:00Obama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first family, always and forever. Eight years of handling his business, of caring for this country and really not getting the just due, the credit that Obama deserves for taking over from a president that really didn't do too well; a president - G. W. Bush - that left this country in shambles.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whether you care to admit it or not, for the hand that the Obama's were dealt, they did a pretty darn good job. About six years ago, I stopped reading all the criticism relating to Barack Obama. The reason: no matter what he did, the under-current of racist America would always attempt to undercut Barack and his family. Regardless, they handled it all with the class and dignity of a King and a Queen.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the one hand, I'm sorely going to miss the "First Family." On the other hand, I'm glad they can get back to a semblance of a normal life. However, we need the Obama's. Malia is headed to Harvard, Sasha is a HS freshman. The future is extremely bright for the Obama's and I'm rooting, meditating and praying for their continued success.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Barack, Ms. Michelle, Malia and Sasha... we love you! Keep doing what you do, you will forever be..... The First Family.
</span></span></span></span></span>taskeinchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06393901234632865039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-83438881764118695412015-08-20T15:12:00.003-04:002017-05-18T01:28:04.419-04:00Vatican: Help Our Children!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church, is the richest organization in the world. If the Pope made one phone call, to utilize a portion of the mass profits he and his partners in crime generate, the problem of world hunger would be no more.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">After looking at a picture of an emaciated Ethiopian, one person stated, "man, that is sad," another stated, "we can help by praying for them."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">We can help by sending MONEY, by sending FOOD. How many times have you been in a serious bind, not of hunger or starvation, but lets say you needed money to pay a utility bill or to pay rent/mortgage. You come across someone who says, "I'll pray for you." That's all well and good, and in the long run, sometimes in the short run, prayer can be effective, but you would have been a lot more content if that individual would have said, "here's $200, go pay that bill."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">The "long run" has already passed for our starving brothers and sisters (and YES, they are our spiritual brothers and sisters) so they need concrete, direct assistance, NOW.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Send a few bucks, even $5 will help a few people. You sit in church, listening to shysters on a weekly basis, then you give him 10% of your earnings. You have no idea what he's doing with your money. Sure, he has a few non-profit organizations (additional tax write-offs and places to launder your money, your tithes), but he's also financing his lavish lifestyle.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sick of people defending their pastors by saying, "he doesn't even collect a salary, he has his own business."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">BALDERDASH!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you think for one moment that your weekly funds are not supporting him, his family, his lifestyle, and his fly-by-night business, you're on some type of acid trip.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Help those who need our help the most! Like it or not, we are our brothers keeper.</span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.aidforafrica.org/donate/" target="_blank">Aid for Africa</a><br />
6909 Ridgewood Ave<br />Chevy Chase, MD 20815<br />Tel: (202) 531-2000<br />Fax: (301) 986-7902<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.fmsc.org/donate" target="_blank">Feed My Starving Children</a><br />
Phone: (763) 951-306<br />
Email: <a href="mailto:registration@fmsc.org">registration@fmsc.org<br />
</a></li>
<li><a href="https://secure2.convio.net/ftc/site/Donation2?df_id=4320&4320.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=djlayo5cj4.app223a" target="_blank">Feed The Children</a><br />
PO Box 36<br />
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101-0036<br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.worldvision.org/" target="_blank">World Vision</a><br />
Phone: (888) 511-6443<br />
P.O. Box 9716<br />
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716<br />
<a href="https://www.fmsc.org/donate" target="_blank"><br />
</a></li>
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</span></b></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018248161679007640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-59387891719845503362015-08-16T10:18:00.001-04:002017-05-18T01:44:27.402-04:00The History of Nagasaki Christianity<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Nagasaki is famous in the history of Japanese Christianity. The city had the largest concentration of Christians in all of Japan. St. Mary’s Cathedral was the mega-church of its time, with 12,000 baptized members.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Nagasaki was the community where the legendary Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier planted a mission church in 1549. The Catholic community at Nagasaki grew and eventually prospered over the next several generations. However it eventually became clear to the Japanese that the Catholic Portuguese and Spanish commercial interests were exploiting Japan. It only took a couple of generations before all Europeans – and their foreign religion – were expelled from the country.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">From 1600 until 1850, being a Christian in Japan was a capital crime. In the early 1600s, Japanese Christians who refused to recant their faith were subject to unspeakable tortures – including crucifixion. But after a mass crucifixion occurred, the reign of terror expired, and it appeared to all observers that Japanese Christianity was extinct.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">However, 250 years later, after the gunboat diplomacy of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry forced open an offshore island for American trade purposes, it was discovered that there were thousands of baptized Christians in Nagasaki, living their faith in secret in a catacomb-like existence, completely unknown to the government.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">With this revelation, the Japanese government started another purge; but because of international pressure, the persecutions were stopped and Nagasaki Christianity came up from the underground. By 1917, with no financial help from the government, the revitalized Christian community had built the massive St. Mary’s Cathedral in the Urakami River district of Nagasaki.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">So it was the height of irony that the massive Cathedral – one of only two Nagasaki landmarks that could be positively identified from 31,000 feet up (the other one was the Mitsubishi armaments factory complex, which had run out of raw materials because of the Allied naval blockade) – became Ground Zero for Fat Man.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">At 11:02 am, during Thursday morning mass, hundreds of Nagasaki Christians were boiled, evaporated, carbonized or otherwise disappeared in a scorching, radioactive fireball that exploded 500 meters above the cathedral. The black rain that soon came down from the mushroom cloud contained the mingled cellular remains of many Nagasaki Shintoists, Buddhists and Christians. The theological implications of Nagasaki’s Black Rain surely should boggle the minds of theologians of all denominations.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Most Nagasaki Christians did not survive the blast. 6,000 of them died instantly, including all who were at confession that morning. Of the 12,000 church members, 8,500 of them eventually died as a result of the bomb. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Many of the others were seriously sickened with a highly lethal entirely new disease: radiation sickness.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Three orders of nuns and a Christian girl’s school nearby disappeared into black smoke or became chunks of charcoal. Tens of thousands of other innocent, non-Christian non-combatants also died instantly, and many more were mortally or incurably wounded. Some of the victim’s progeny are still suffering from the trans-generational malignancies and immune deficiencies caused by the deadly plutonium and other radioactive isotopes produced by the bomb.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><b>And here is one of the most cruelly ironic points: What the Japanese Imperial government could not do in 250 years of persecution (i.e., to destroy Japanese Christianity) American Christians did in mere seconds.</b></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000;">Even after a slow revival of Christianity since World War II, membership in Japanese churches still represents a small fraction of 1 percent of the general population, and the average attendance at Christian worship services across the nation is reported to be only 30 per Sunday. Surely the decimation of Nagasaki at the end of the war crippled what at one time was a vibrant church.</span></span></span>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-45846815682914640292013-04-05T21:10:00.003-04:002017-05-18T10:12:42.676-04:00Pseudo War or Terror<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since World War II, 90% of the casualties of war are unarmed citizens, a third of them children. America's victims have done nothing to us. From Palestine to Afghanistan to Iraq to Somalia, to wherever our next target may be. Their murders are not collateral damage, they are the nature of modern warfare. They don't hate us because of our freedoms, they hate America because every day we are funding and committing crimes against humanity.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The so-called War on Terror is a cover for our military aggression to gain control of the resources of western Asia. We're sending the poor of our country to kill the poor of Muslim countries. We're trading blood for oil and this is genocide. To most of the world, we are the terrorist.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our military is not defending our freedoms, they are laying the foundations for 14 permanent military bases to defend the freedoms of Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum. They are not establishing democracy, they are establishing the bases for an economic occupation to continue after the military occupation has ended. Iraqi society today, thanks to American "help" is defined by house rapes, death squads, check points, detentions, curfews, blood in the streets, and constant violence. We must dare to speak out in support of the Iraqi people, who resist and endure the horrific existence we brought upon them through our blood-thirsty imperial crusade.
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the Industrial Era begin it broke the connection between kinship and trust and it started treating people as commodities. Then we lost sight of our government and we allowed corporations to buy the government. The U.S.A. no longer represents "We the People," but you can change that. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Military Industrial Complex profits from secrecy and war, it does not profit from efficiency and peace. The bottom line is that Central Banking is an evil cancer. These people are selling us credit they don't have so they can take profits they don't deserve, out of our pockets. The United States government is constitutionally charted to print money on the good faith and credit of all of us and not pay interest. If you fight the bankers you get assassinated. Lincoln and Kennedy were both about to print money, and not borrow from the banks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KVQm-fY4qvQ" width="420"></iframe></span></span>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-73189800334835190902013-03-05T17:03:00.001-05:002017-05-18T01:24:25.789-04:00Religious Fundamentalist<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fundamentalism offers people security that it cannot deliver. Fundamentalist take the Christian story literally. Language about God cannot be a literal dialect. A horse could not speak with any intelligence, if a horse could speak, about what it means to be a human being. So why do human beings think they can speak with any degree of intelligence about what it means to be God. We can experience the Divine, and the Holy, but we can't describe it. The biggest misleading conception about all religions, through the ages, is that the church and the bible has acted as if it could define God in such a way that it could persecute or ostracize anyone who disagreed with its definition.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We have had religious wars, religious persecutions, and burned heretics at the stake. When Islamic fundamentalist (with assistance from the American Government) flew planes into the World Trade Center, for the first time, the Christian West had a chance to see what fundamentalism looks like when Americans are the victims.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over the history of Western civilization we have victimized Jews, we have victimized heretics, we have victimized people of color, we have victimized women, we have victimized Gay and Lesbian people, all with quotations derived from a literal source that we call the Bible. Throughout the ages, religion has done much more harm than good. </span></span></div>
TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-64663667016041582772013-01-26T20:29:00.000-05:002013-03-05T16:52:36.911-05:00Our Universal Relationship<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Relation with God" .. "Punishing God" .. "Vengeful and Jealous God," and "Are you Saved?"
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Saved from what? Eternal damnation? "The fiery pit?" "The Lake of Fire?" All biblical stories created by man, and that is what most of you have based your spiritual thought patterns on, regardless of how RIDICULOUS it sounds.
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What about beings from other planets? Certainly if there are 70 million million million (70 sextillion) stars in the universe that are surrounded by planets, just as our star, the Sun, is surrounded by 8 planets that make up our solar system, as vast as the universe is (bear in mind, the 70 sextillion stars only make up the 5% of the observable universe), you would be a fool to think that we are the only intelligent life form.
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The ingredients in the universe that make up a star, star dust, the planets that surround a star, and a human being are: Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, Carbon, and Nitrogen. Carbon is a naturally abundant nonmetallic element which forms the basis of most living organisms. It is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, and plays a crucial role in the health and stability of the planet through the carbon cycle (the same carbon atoms in your body today have been used in countless other molecules since time began). So not only do we exist in this universe, the universe itself exist in us. Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson states, "just because we don't know how life is created certainly doesn't mean the universe has a problem creating life." Since carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, you can bet your life on the fact that intelligent life is abundant throughout this infinite universe.
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So what of their relationship with God? Did Jesus miraculously appear on other planets to die for their sins too? Or did he only come to planet earth? A planet that is less than a speck of dust when compared to just the Local Group of 30 Galaxies. The two largest spiral galaxies in the Local Group are the Milky Way and Andromeda (M31). There are billions of galaxies throughout the universe.
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On a clear night, you can actually get a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy, if you have a telescope or powerful binoculars you would actually see the spiral of the galaxy. If you see it, you are looking 2,538,000 light years into space. A light year is not time, it is distance. One light year is equivalent to 6 trillion miles, so multiply 2,538,000 x 6,000,000,000,000 and that is how far you are looking into space. We can see them as tiny dots in space because they are so bright and so humongous in size. The Andromeda Galaxy or M31 has been estimated to be 220,000 light years across. Our Galaxy, The Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years across or 600 trillion miles across. This is what is known as the "observable universe" or the 5% that scientist, astronomers, and astrophysicist, have been able to study.
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We are not alone in the universe. Therefore, when you look at the big picture, doesn't this make all the religious stories you've heard, and the bible itself, appear to be rather insignificant?</div>
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TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-27850659355088422082013-01-26T09:38:00.003-05:002013-03-07T12:36:09.563-05:00God's Ability<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We say that God is omnipresent, that God is everywhere, and that God is available to either answer our prayers or point us in the right direction. We say all of this primarily because it's what we've heard all our lives, and most of us have not investigated the issue of God or Divine Intelligence for ourselves. And I don't care how many times you've read the bible, for one, it's not the word of God, and two, the bible does not give a concise explanation of who or what God is. Most of us know this, Christian or not, but people are too scared, too well trained/conditioned, to speak on this because of the fear of "sinning against God," or, "taking the Lord's name in vain," or any of the other archaic, scriptural platitudes.<br>
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God is always depicted as more human than as a universal spirit. That's why you hear such nonsense as a "jealous God," "a vengeful God," "slow to anger," etc. etc. These are all human characteristics, and have nothing to do with the loving, divine presence in the universe, that we so ignorantly refer to as God.
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Prayers are nothing more than affirmations that are released into the universe as positive energy. Energy flows where attention goes. What does this mean? Positive energy, leads to positive results because your energy flows in a positive direction, thereby giving you a positive outcome or result. Negative energy flows toward a negative outcome. We've all heard the maxim, "you get out of life what you put into it." The things that we affirm consistently, can have a powerful impact on our lives.
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Ultimately, as we are all a part of Divine Intelligence, we answer our own prayers based on the words we speak (which have power), and how we live our lives. From my own personal experiences in life, I know this to be a fact. Here are a few examples:
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Being awarded full custody of my then 3-year-old-daughter, and 4-year-old son, against all odds. Their mother was not "unfit", and she did fight for custody, and I had several lawyers telling me before hand, that I had no shot at winning custody. The main affirmation, started 2 years before my marriage ended was, "I WILL RAISE MY CHILDREN."
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After my divorce and custody, me an my kids lived in an apartment and my credit was not so good. The main affirmation, "We will be homeowners in the very near future." Within one year of starting that affirmation, not only did I purchase a home, but I only paid $900 of the $10,000 down payment. My real estate agent did some (and these were his words to me from the very beginning) "creative financing." Most of the $10k down-payment were funds deposited into my bank account from a firm in Texas, 10 minutes before we closed on the house. It was not my money at all. The house has a full-finished basement, total square feet, 3600. I live in Atlanta, GA, those of you who are familiar with the ATL, know that there are very nice, affordable houses here.. all over the place... Stone Mountain, Marietta, Alpharetta, Conyers, Chamblee, Decatur, and so on, and so on...
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I could go on and on about challenges I've faced and have been able to overcome via affirmations.. <a href="http://workhomeunion.com/affirmations.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a list of affirmations that I've used for the past 20 years. They will definitely help you.
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There is no Christian God (and I say Christian God because regardless of your religion, the biblical God comes from the Christian depiction of a Divine ruler, and is what the majority view as God) sitting atop the clouds watching everything we do. It's the energy you create that will ultimately determine your fate in this life and beyond.
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Most of us, when our physical body meets its demise, your energy will gravitate toward your attention during your life and what you're focused on at death. This is why billions are caught up in this earthly matrix because your energy keeps pulling you back.
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This all sounds or reads very weird, I'm sure, to most people. However, if you consider the fact that we are <a href="http://workhomeunion.com/duped-universe.htm" target="_blank">DEFINITELY not alone in the universe</a> .. there are more stars (like our Sun is a star) in the universe than there are grains of sand on every beach or dessert in the world, and most of these stars have planets orbiting them (like our 8 planets that orbit our sun in our solar system - Milky Way Galaxy). I'm ready to leave this particular matrix, I feel my energy, as it flows where my attention goes, will take me to a more calmer, a more peaceful, a more loving planet. </div>
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TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-4862708620104309722012-09-28T09:11:00.002-04:002015-08-20T15:11:25.718-04:00Vatican: Help Our Children<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church, is the richest organization in the world. If the Pope made one phone call, to utilize a portion of the mass profits he and his partners in crime, generate, the problem of world hunger would be no more.<br /><br />After looking at a picture of an emaciated Ethiopian, one person stated, "man, that is sad," another stated, "we can help by praying for them."<br /><br />We can help by sending MONEY, by sending FOOD. How many times have you been in a serious bind, not of hunger or starvation, but lets say you needed money to pay a utility bill or to pay rent/mortgage. You come across someone who says, "I'll pray for you." That's all well and good, and in the long run, sometimes in the short run, prayer can be effective, but you would have been a lot more content if that individual would have said, "here's $500, go pay that bill."<br /><br />The "long run" has already passed for our starving brothers and sisters (and YES, they are our spiritual brothers and sisters) so they need concrete, direct assistance, NOW.<br /><br />Send a few bucks, even $5 will help a few people. You sit in church, listening to shysters on a weekly basis, then you give him 10% of your earnings. You have no idea what he's doing with your money. Sure, he has a few non-profit organizations (that are additional tax write-offs and places to launder your money, your tithes), but he's also financing his lavish lifestyle.<br /><br />
I'm sick of people defending their pastors by saying, "he doesn't even collect a salary, he has his own business."<br /><br />BALDERDASH!<br /><br />If you think for one moment that your weekly funds are not supporting him, his family, his lifestyle, and his fly-by-night business, you're on some type of acid trip.<br /><br />Help those who need our help the most! Like it or not, we are our brothers keeper.</div>
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<b><font color="#FFFFFF"><ul><li><a href="http://www.aidforafrica.org/donate/" target="_blank">Aid for Africa</a><br>
6909 Ridgewood Ave<br>
Chevy Chase, MD 20815<br>
Tel: (202) 531-2000<br>
Fax: (301) 986-7902<br>
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.fmsc.org/donate" target="_blank">Feed My Starving Children</a><br>
Phone: (763) 951-306<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:registration@fmsc.org">registration@fmsc.org<br>
</a></li>
<li><a href="https://secure2.convio.net/ftc/site/Donation2?df_id=4320&4320.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=djlayo5cj4.app223a" target="_blank">Feed The Children</a><br>
PO Box 36<br>
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101-0036<br>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.worldvision.org/" target="_blank">World Vision</a><br>
Phone: (888) 511-6443<br>
P.O. Box 9716<br>
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716<br>
<a href="https://www.fmsc.org/donate" target="_blank"><br>
</a></li></ul>
</b></FONT>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-78827702464502721152012-09-26T11:23:00.000-04:002012-09-28T09:08:53.033-04:00Where was God on 9/11?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOfXNsOf9JFxhaLHDtA7CrG9z5E04k1Q2qHPW5k2iVOQX3FmxjHDXlK1q5l4UCa-zEBluLkc2gHzvz8qOt3KNe6-kyowtZEFJ4KKt52VmkdqhhOJkjifjjFQNQznlKJSvJbo8RUxuCA5P/s1600/God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOfXNsOf9JFxhaLHDtA7CrG9z5E04k1Q2qHPW5k2iVOQX3FmxjHDXlK1q5l4UCa-zEBluLkc2gHzvz8qOt3KNe6-kyowtZEFJ4KKt52VmkdqhhOJkjifjjFQNQznlKJSvJbo8RUxuCA5P/s200/God.jpg" width="200" /></a><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.faithology.com">Faithology Forum</a>, the question was asked, "where was God on 9/11?<br /><br />Here's my response:<br /><br />Take a good look at the image to the right. This is an artist depiction of God. Notice the somewhat darker hue than the historical picture of God, possibly done so to reflect the diversity in our world.<br /><br />Of course we know that's not God, right? We know God is not a man, right? God is not a woman, right?<br /><br />You were given this universe to make of it what you will, not to do what God or the Universe wants you to do. The only meaning to life is the meaning you give to life. The only meaning to any God you believe in is the meaning you give to that particular God.<br /><br />God had nothing to do with 9/11. What occurred on Sept 11, 2001 was all man's doing, just like with Hiroshima, The Slave Trade, The Holocaust, all created by man. 9/11 was just another form of mass manipulation. Create a terrorist threat (by taking down the towers), defeat the enemy; the big bad terrorist. However, if you research 9/11 and stop going by the "official story," you will clearly see that it was just a ploy to get a foothold in Iraq; in the oil-rich Middle East. What other reason do you have for the fact that we're still there, 11 years after the fact?<br /><br />Manipulation is something that all of nature does; flowers do it, trees do it, bugs do it, most creatures on earth utilize manipulation in some form or fashion, except the human being uses it for the purposes of greed and control. But another fact of nature and the universe is, "evil carries the seed of its own destruction."<br /><br />We really need to get away from this archaic, simplistic belief that God is a bearded white man who sits at the top of the universe watching citizens of the world make utter fools of themselves.<br /><br />God, or the Divine Light, is the sum total of all of us, and everything that's ever been. It's not an individual who waits to punish or reward us after physical death. When you analyze and review your past life on earth, it's your higher self that will be the most critical of you, but even then, there's no punishment involved, because it's all about growth and evolution.<br /><br />The majority of us are following and adhering to the stories we've been told since childhood. These are the stories your mom and dad were told, great-grandmom, great-great, and great-great-great relatives were told the same stories.<br /><br />As a human species we have evolved in the field of science, biology, sociology, technology, geography, geology, physiology, space, the universe, the cosmos, and in various other areas.<br /><br />Why can't we evolve with our religious and spiritual beliefs? Why are we clinging to the same concepts that were believed 2000 years ago?<br /><br />Would you allow a physician to operate on you if he were using the same methods that were used 2000 years ago?<br /><br />Would you want an educator to teach your daughter that the world is flat and if she travels too far she could fall off?<br /><br />I think you get my point.<br /><br />Why the hell are we still hanging on to ridiculous, extremely outdated myths regarding religion and God, when we have evolved in so many other areas?<br /><br />Here's the coup de gras: we pay billions annually to churches, across the globe, to keep telling us about "God" and these absolutely ludicrous, antiquated, Roman stories about Jesus, Allah, Virgin Mary, Joseph, Revelations, talking donkeys (Numbers 22-28), walking on water, and so much more ersatz balderdash. </div>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-19374919727382706482012-07-27T21:31:00.000-04:002012-07-27T21:31:28.280-04:00Why We Have Created God<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
No matter how intelligent humankind becomes we can never
actually "create God" because we're all a part of God. Just as a cup
dipped into the ocean has the same ingredients of the sea, but doesn't
have the force or power as it would if it were a collective part, such
is our relationship to a Divine Being.<br />
<br />
The mass confusion, hysteria, hatred, greed, and corruption comes into
play because we have created a God to fit our human nature. We have
given this Loving Being of Light a gender: He; we have given this
Compassionate Force emotions: a jealous God, vengeful God, slow to
anger, plays favorites, chosen people, etc. Consequently, we've created
"God in the image of Man." We have co-authored a book, called "the Word
of God" by many, that justifies our anthropomorphizing of God.<br />
<br />
The Creator is neither male nor female and would not be considered
"human" as we would refer to a human being. God is the Source of all
creation, and we are a part of that Source. Collectively, each and every
one of us makes up the Source and collectively we are God. <br />
<br />
God is an all-encompassing, Loving Being of Light, that is not a
judgmental MAN or a spiteful WOMAN. This Compassionate Being is not our
"leader," as the President of a country is the leader of a particular
nation. This Intelligent Positive Energy would be more akin to the force
that allows millions of Snow Geese to migrate thousands of miles
annually; with no designated leader; they don't take a vote before they
start their journey, they simply do it together, as a team; as one large
force. You can imagine what would happen if Snow Geese did vote on a
leader; if the ego were to take charge as it has in Man, they would have
wars, jealousy, acrimony, and kill one another, just as humankind does.<br />
<br />
A combined loving force is what makes up God. We get a taste of its
power when we are kind to one another. There are very few examples in
the history of mankind that can be used to illustrate my point because,
for the most part, we've been so evil toward one another. The closest we
have come to a combined or collective showing of love and respect for
one another was in the days following the 9/11 calamity. If you went to
the grocery store or any public facility where there were lots of
people, you could feel the love, you could feel the connection we had
with one another. This rather euphoric feeling only lasted a day or so,
and it came in spurts, because as soon as an individual showed up who
looked as if he or she may be of middle eastern descent, the hatred
crept back into our psyche, immediately disconnecting us from the
Source.<br />
<br />
If you were paying attention, you got a miniscule glimpse of how
positive and powerful we could be if we were able to consistently
express love in our dealings with one another. This is why LOVE is such a
powerful and positive force and why HATRED is such a destructive and
negative force.</div>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-42120860314808903862012-05-05T14:57:00.001-04:002012-05-05T15:07:23.375-04:00Religious Demographics as of 2011<ul style="color: white;">
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Christianity: 2.2 billion</b></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Islam: 1.65 billion</b></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>No Religion: 1.1 billion</b></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Hinduism: 800 million to 1 billion</b></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Buddhism: 400-500 million</b></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The primary reason Christianity and Islam are ranked 1 and 2 is because of the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens (Saracen was the word used to describe a Muslim during the time of the Crusades).<br /><br />These "Holy Wars" (very similar to the "Jihad's" of today's Muslims) were blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church. The Pope granted all that volunteered to fight for the Christians, "plenary indulgence," which basically meant they would not be punished and would receive what amounts to a "pass from God" (akin to "Martyrdom in Jihad").<br /><br />Plenary Indulgence would be an early example of how the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, and Christian authority in general, made up rules on-the-fly. These edicts were established to appease their extremely gullible followers, and to garner mental, spiritual, financial, and geographical supremacy. If the bible needed changing to make it the "word of God," they did that too (see Council of Nicea, 325ad).<br /><br />The goal of the Crusades was to restore Christian access to the "holy places" in and near Jerusalem. There were 9 total Crusades that pitted Christians against Muslims. For a period of two hundred years, starting in 1095, Europe and Asia were engaged in almost constant warfare.<br /><br />Consequently, the largest religions in the world are those that used their military prowess to exploit, extort and terrorize weaker nations of the world. To a great extent, that still goes on today in a more clandestine fashion. The 'success' and growth of Christianity and Islam has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ or Muhammad. Dare I say that both may very well be two of the most revered, fought over, controversial, allegorical characters in the history of humankind.</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfJLtBD-rE2Hu87HhGbOsXrgANLj677ZDlg1ZsOHixAz47wwdBT5QhejBAt9_4BSnf0wbnp1oXhMq24qUS-dH0vSNrnDlVtocayQTbKsVZeAqZkjT_o7MpPhLn5TOuJjvziQXv6-PQ-Qh/s1600/holy_war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfJLtBD-rE2Hu87HhGbOsXrgANLj677ZDlg1ZsOHixAz47wwdBT5QhejBAt9_4BSnf0wbnp1oXhMq24qUS-dH0vSNrnDlVtocayQTbKsVZeAqZkjT_o7MpPhLn5TOuJjvziQXv6-PQ-Qh/s400/holy_war.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-2333397864949391482012-05-03T22:22:00.000-04:002012-05-04T08:40:48.735-04:00War Paint and Weaves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAav4RB4uZiYlyoX_Ip9LU4SMUAGxwOmbwaBEmFbKn_Y3LCUDhr6_pIndQByk628UKVOLjq2v2jjIDu2PCJe67PyO1cjMa1HgQ6NnWWUUCPP0z8Cln13cT9Hn-q6JWOBdsT5Ne0lSiXjLp/s1600/worst-celebrity-makeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAav4RB4uZiYlyoX_Ip9LU4SMUAGxwOmbwaBEmFbKn_Y3LCUDhr6_pIndQByk628UKVOLjq2v2jjIDu2PCJe67PyO1cjMa1HgQ6NnWWUUCPP0z8Cln13cT9Hn-q6JWOBdsT5Ne0lSiXjLp/s200/worst-celebrity-makeup.jpg" width="134" /></a><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's time women realize that many of you are just wearing too much damn makeup. It's like you're putting on war paint.</span> Enough is enough! And what is the purpose of all the makeup? Are you trying to impress a guy? Are you doing it to improve your self image? Does it make you feel better? These are not rhetorical questions, I'd really like to know. </div>
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Let me be honest, a woman with too much makeup on, in my eyes (and I'm sure I speak for other guys as well), looks absolutely ridiculous. You look like a clown.
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Pardon me if I'm coming off as rude because that is not my intention. It's time to let you know what the real deal is, and that is, very few men like all that makeup. Most women who wear tons of makeup, and happen to read this article, really don't care. They don't care because their response will be, "to hell with you, and any other guy, I'm doing this for me."
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Fair enough, you wear the clown makeup to make yourself look good, to feel good about yourself, to express yourself. OK, I get that, but if that is the case, why do you take it off when you get home, and you put it on before you leave the house?
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Don't get me wrong, some makeup is OK, but when you ladies put that foundation on your face, then blush over the foundation, then eye-liner and eye-shadow, thick, shiny lipstick, usually in some bright ass color, you look like Bozo the Clown. All you need are the big shoes and the clown nose and you're set.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NvhUf8mt2yvUnkTY7kYBqAO5381M8h2Awg-Vv9EMrYDo224XGGXMxHo7BPianvTxnxySJbl-vlSuEQuL4sZEiLM2yU_xDr7TBl05QpsGlV8M61lLND_soWlawU4yNXyUcXaUZkrEkI1z/s1600/bozo-the-clown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NvhUf8mt2yvUnkTY7kYBqAO5381M8h2Awg-Vv9EMrYDo224XGGXMxHo7BPianvTxnxySJbl-vlSuEQuL4sZEiLM2yU_xDr7TBl05QpsGlV8M61lLND_soWlawU4yNXyUcXaUZkrEkI1z/s1600/bozo-the-clown.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Again, I apologize if I appear to be rude or crass but this had to be said.
We do not like all that makeup; for one, it gets all on your shirt if you just accidentally brush up against a woman. Second, there's nothing more beautiful than a woman who wears just a little makeup but retains her natural beauty. Third, if we meet a woman who wears tons of makeup, and over the next few weeks, few months, whatever the case may be, you spend the night, you barely recognize her the next morning. <br /><br />Why would a woman wear so much makeup that it camouflages who she really is? Why? It makes no sense to me.
And what the hell is this with the eyebrows? Why do some women shave off their eyebrows then paint on fake, penciled in eyebrows? Why? What's the point? Do you actually think you're fooling us? We know that's not hair! We may be slow, but we're not that slow to where we can't distinguish penciled eyebrows from real eyebrows.
<br /><br />Please, I am begging my sisters (Black, White, Hispanic - my spiritual sisters), stop the madness. Put Clairol, Fashion Fair, and some of the other cosmetic companies out of business, cause you're not impressing most guys with all that goop on ya face.<br /><br />And don't get me started on all this fake hair. I will say this, if it at least looks real, I'm OK with that, but if it looks like you have a mop sitting on your head you may want to come up with a different strategy. As ridiculous as a guy looks with a toupee, that's just how absurd some of these weaves look. I recently saw a woman at the gym, looked to be in her mid-to-late 50's with a long flowing blond weave, that didn't even come close to looking real.
<br><br>
Don't shoot the messenger, just call it tough love. Beweave it or not, oops, believe it or not, there are still lots of guys who appreciate the natural look!</span></div>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-88680911263680563902012-04-15T19:38:00.034-04:002012-04-15T22:40:29.100-04:00Stop Sweating the Afterlife<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most people harbor a tremendous fear of death because they fear the unknown. They dread the potential of a protracted, painful death, a tortuous death, and specifically, what will happen when transitioning from this life to somewhere, or some place.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2c4nBqknx3TelE0zwxsepmaeit3TaNWE8TuVOBUy8w2Rzd81tNs7TfVA-FgZb1buRlcKBslPLVT9pDh9EbNf3wU_5Qs3HTKaJWcrIQipnRgQxwT463YfEihoOKaXzr2hjVMjb04_kwlWq/s1600/beautiful-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2c4nBqknx3TelE0zwxsepmaeit3TaNWE8TuVOBUy8w2Rzd81tNs7TfVA-FgZb1buRlcKBslPLVT9pDh9EbNf3wU_5Qs3HTKaJWcrIQipnRgQxwT463YfEihoOKaXzr2hjVMjb04_kwlWq/s200/beautiful-flowers.jpg" width="200" /></a><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Religious dogma is at the forefront of all the intimidation and has been the main protagonist going back a couple of millenia. Certainly, no one wants to burn eternally, or be habitually bitten by scorpions, or the dreaded, "gnashing of teeth."</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allow me to elaborate on the aforementioned religious bromide. What the hell (pardon the pun) is "gnashing of teeth?" So I looked it up:</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The biblical phrase, there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" has engendered fear into generations of "believers." It's associated with being "cast into outer darkness" and rejection or separation from God. It's a favorite of "hell-fire and brimstone" ministers, often quoted as a fear tactic that is bellowed right before the collection plate is passed around.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Greek word that is translated as “gnashing” is from a word that means “to bite” and describes the snarling of a wild animal as it attacks. In all of the passages where the Greek terms for gnash or gnashing are used in the New or Old Testament, it's always used in regards to anger, rage, pain or anguish.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So whatever occurs that causes "gnashing" you can bet it has everything to do with severe pain and discomfort.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK, now that I've prompted a few readers to seriously consider going to church next Sunday, let me get back to the theme of this article.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What are the two concepts that most religions agree on?</span></div><br />
<ol style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">That we are Eternal Beings.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">We are made in the image of God</span></li>
</ol><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can I get an Amen? OK, sorry, I'll leave out the sarcasm. We are Eternal Beings, which means we live eternally. Therefore, your immortality would not have begun on your date of birth nor will it end on your date of transition. Immortality is the ability to live forever, or put another way, it is an immunity from death. *<br />
<br />
The disagreement lies in, where will we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell? "Made in the image of God" certainly doesn't pertain to a physical likeness, it would be a spiritual image based on energy.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you ask a quantum physicist, "What created the World?", she is likely to tell you "Energy." Ask the quantum physicist to describe energy and she'll say something to this effect:</span></div><br />
<ul style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Energy can never be created or destroyed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Energy always was and always has been.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Energy is always moving into form, through form and out of form.</span></li>
</ul><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, if you ask a theologian, "What created the Universe?," he is likely to tell you "God". Ask him to describe God and he will probably say:</span></div><br />
<ul style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">God can never be created or destroyed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">God always was and always has been.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">God is always moving into form, through form and out of form.</span></li>
</ul><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The descriptions are identical. The difference would be the definition of God would include a reference to love, compassion, and forgiveness. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO2xDRkJAG8xag3OgbRIcD036SYEaVdwxDbtfIFK35tAydfYESAnNtVIHbuoyAz0wwgFdlWFkWOo-HkEbaDrfl_4t9jIraWQw8C8R9x83GiAQDfSk3fWR_zPGfJHSp726ONxL0l4Kqb-H/s1600/Nun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO2xDRkJAG8xag3OgbRIcD036SYEaVdwxDbtfIFK35tAydfYESAnNtVIHbuoyAz0wwgFdlWFkWOo-HkEbaDrfl_4t9jIraWQw8C8R9x83GiAQDfSk3fWR_zPGfJHSp726ONxL0l4Kqb-H/s200/Nun.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The human definition, from a fundamentalist viewpoint, is that yes, God is Love, but he's also "vengeful," "punishing," "judgmental," and "jealous." The bible also depicts God as a "sacrificial killer," and a "facilitator of infanticide." The latter accusation comes from the biblical "Passover" allegory. It goes something like this:</span><br />
<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God's command. God sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from livestock to crops. The last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn, while sparing the children of Israel, "passing over" their homes. This is the essence of what Passover is about, and the basis for the Jewish holiday referred to as "Passover."</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This biblical story also plays a major role in the "fear of God" and the fear of death, or "God's wrath." </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, regardless of your religious affiliation, there's only one Creator. If you're an Atheist, then you're more inclined to lean toward Darwin's theory of evolution or the "Big Bang" theory. If this is the case, then you probably would not harbor such a tremendous fear of death because your thoughts are, you came from nothing and nothing shall you return.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Therefore, the focus is back on the fear of your earthly demise, and why it is so unnecessary. Look around you; look at the 6 o'clock news; look at all the stress, crime, pestilence, wars for profit, foreclosures, homelessness, racial hatred, homophobia, the list of maladies goes on and on. The tragic elements that make up this world is definitely something to fear. However, the risk of life and sanity on this planet is not designed to cause us further pain after death.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Think about this for a moment: the feeling you get when you hear a beautiful song, or you're in the presence of a loved one that you have not seen for a while. You get goosebumps. The technical term for goosebumps is "pilomotor reflex." The muscle fiber connected to a hair follicle tightens, the skin surrounding the follicle puckers into a goose bump, pulling the connected hair straight up. When this occurs in animals, especially smaller ones, it's used as a defense mechanism. The animal's battle-ready stance is related to our own pilomotor reflex. In the animal's case, the muscles are responding to perceived threats by making it appear larger.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since only man, not animals, are made in his Creator's image (energy), we are not ready for battle when we experience goosebumps, we experience a rather indescribable, fleeting feeling of euphoria. This is a brief, direct encounter with God's love and our eternal connection to Spirit. That's why it feels so good and only occurs through moments of joy. You never get goosebumps when you are in an argument, or doing anything that would be considered, "taking the low road."</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">God, the Universe, the Creator, whatever you care to label this most powerful entity, is not a punisher, plain and simple. Our actions, reactions, and ultimate consequences are based on the law of cause and effect (an action or event will produce a certain response to the action in the form of another event). Spiritually, this is referred to as "reaping what one sows." </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This universal law is seen every day and it's all around us. Plant a seed, nurture it, give it the proper fertilizer, water, and it grows into a beautiful plant. Plant a seed and ignore it, it will often sprout and grow, but it won't flourish, and more often than not, will not grow into a healthy, beautiful flower, or it will be a sour tasting vegetable or fruit, not fit to consume. Provide love, food, water and shelter for a puppy, and he will mature into a loving, loyal creature, that is often considered a member of the family. Mistreat him, let him go hungry, and you'll more than likely have a vicious, unpredictable animal on your hands. His viciousness is not the consequence of being mean, his actions are based on fear and his need to survive.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Animals in the wild and plants in the Rain Forest are not contaminated or housed by Man, therefore, they have everything they need to not only survive, but to flourish, grow, and multiply abundantly, or as needed. This is a direct result of the unfettered genius and compassion of a Creator and Creation that is predicated on love and thrives on togetherness rather than division.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is nothing more divisive than religion. Plain and simple, the religions of this world are not competing for Souls, they are competing for your dollars, and your common sense, or lack thereof. That's why each and every one of them have their own descriptions of "their God," "their Heaven," and their own place, or form of "eternal damnation."</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's only one Source that we all originate from and all will return to. Sure, if you participate in harming, killing, or abusing another human being, there certainly is retribution for that, but it's not in an eternal lake of fire. Our place on this earth is based on learning and spiritual growth. What would a Spiritual Being learn from eternal torment? And how exactly is that everlasting punishment meted out if our bodies are only used as vessels in an earthly dimension? Regardless of how you lived your life, when you make the transition, you go from flesh back to your originating state - Energy. Remember .. Energy can never be destroyed, moves into form (birth), through form (life), and out of form (death). When there is more to learn and karmic lessons that are needed, the Soul repeats the cycle. Energy does not burn. There is no "gnashing of teeth" where Energy is concerned.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's another tidbit that the majority of people, regardless of their hereditary religious beliefs, that have survived a "<a href="http://squidoo.com/near_death" target="_blank"><u>Near Death Experience</u></a>" have in common. More than 90% do not want to return to this life. They literally plead with the "<b>Loving Being of Light</b>" to stay. The love they feel is so overwhelming, all encompassing, and unconditional, there are no earthly words to describe it. It is a 4th and 5th dimensional love that is constant and eternal. From my research, experience of living half a century on this earth, prayer and meditation, I would equate it to a continual state of the pilomotor reflex multiplied about a thousand times.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stop sweating the Afterlife.</span></div><br />
<i>B. Shaw</i><br />
<br />
<i>* Definition of Immortality from Wikipedia</i>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-684622185021848412012-04-13T18:23:00.007-04:002012-04-13T20:54:13.593-04:00From Love Advice Forum<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;">Wife Not Being Honest and She Is Thinking About Leaving - In a Dilemma</span><span style="color: red;">!</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br />
<i style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span></i></span><i style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beattle <span style="font-size: x-small;">posted to Love Advice Forum</span></span></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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I just found out on the weekend through friends that my common law spouse was planning on moving out of our house. She was away for the weekend with her sister at the time, and I guess one of our friends phoned her and she then texted me that she was in fact planning to move out. We have been together for about 13 years, and have lived in a house that we purchased while together for about 7 years. At the time of the house purchase, I could not qualify for a mortgage because I was self employed, and did not have a lot of credit history. The house is therefore in her and her brother's names.<br />
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I put close to $20K in cash into the house purchase, and she contributed about the same amount. I have made most of the mortgage payments out of my income for the past 7 years.<br />
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Since the weekend, we have had a long talk, and agreed to give things a couple of months to see if we can put our relationship back together. In her opinion, we have grown apart, and that is partially true.<br />
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She told me about 6 weeks ago that she was re-mortgaging the house to take advantage of the new low interest rates, and to pay off a couple of her small personal bills so that her pension would provide enough funds that she no longer needs to work.<br />
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I have now discovered, only by finding the new mortgage statement laying on the dining room table, that she has in fact increased the mortgage by over $40K, and I assume put most of the money into her savings account.<br />
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I am in a dilemma! I don't really want to throw the relationship away, but I don't want to cause a huge argument by calling her on the $40K increase in the mortgage. I am quite sure that I could secure my position on the house through legal channels, but do I want to go there at this point?<br />
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Has anyone got any suggestions.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">______________________</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: white;">Beattle ... gotta keep it real with my response because I have been in a similar situation, about 12-13 years ago. First of all, as the song goes, "When a Woman's fed up, it ain't nothing you can do about it." You're in a situation where your wife believes that "the grass is greener on the other side."</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">I sat down and had a heart to heart conversation with my ex-wife 13 years ago, about how financially devastating a divorce would be for us. It would break up our family (3 kids, 2 together - who were 2 and 3 yrs of age at the time, and 1 from her previous marriage), and we were having serious financial issues. She actually agreed with me and gave me the impression that she would not file for divorce. Turns out, she had already filed as I was served with divorce papers about a week after our conversation.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">When a woman makes up her mind to leave, unless you win the lotto, she will not stay in the relationship. Do not go for the smoke-screens because they are just a ruse to keep you off guard.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">Here's the deal, she's playing hard ball and you're playing T-ball. Use all the legal means necessary to get what you feel is your "fair share" out of the home, because if she is moving out, sounds like she's either going to try to sell the house, or quick-deed it over to her brother. Regardless, if you are sitting there trying to salvage the relationship you are making a HUGE mistake. You would be doing so because you're trying to play by the rules (from what you wrote) and she has no rule book.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">Bottom line, if she still loved you, she would not be doing these things behind your back. The two of you would have open and honest discussions about something that is vitally important and you would not have to hear about it via the grapevine. Protect yourself, protect your interest and find the best way for you to get out of the relationship. If you don't, I guarantee you, you will be sorry.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">As soon as I got my divorce papers I immediately "lawyered up," stopped paying the mortgage, rented a townhome (because my attorney told me that when I go to court to fight for custody I would need to have a residence in my name because courts tend to look at the marital home as if it belongs to the mother), and slowly but surely started moving items from the home into either storage, or I took them to my new place. I did this because of the rule of, "possession is 9/10th's of the law." My attorney instructed me not to take any vital things like the fridge or stove and also to NOT move out because it would be looked at as "abandonment." Plus, I was not going anywhere without my beloved children. And of course, as a man/father, we cannot take the children and leave, as women/mothers can, because a man would be charged with kidnapping.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">Along with hiring a good attorney, I also hired a Guardian ad Litem (an attorney by trade who acts as an attorney for children in a custody case.. the Guardian does a complete investigation of both mom and dad and makes a recommendation to the judge as to who she thinks should be the custodial parent) .. Long story short, six months later I was awarded full custody of my children.. they were 3 & 4 when the divorce/custody issue was final, they are now 16 & 17 ...</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">I do not mention these things to piss women off, to get on your bad side, or to belittle the many respectable and loving moms/wives out there. I only mention this to help "Beattle" with his dilemma. If you sit back and try to salvage what appears to be an irreparable relationship you will find yourself in a terrible predicament a few months down the road.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">Whatever you do, stay on the "high-road." Follow the rules, don't break the law, don't make disparaging remarks about your soon-to-be-ex-wife but you must DO WORK! What will at some point come to light is, as you sow, so shall you reap. Being sneaky and under-handed with someone that you are supposed to love and care for is like drinking poison and waiting for someone else to die.</span><br style="color: white;" /><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;">But again, you cannot be a sitting duck.</span></span><br />
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<div style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">B. Shaw </span></i></div><br><br />
<a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3238442-10500511" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-3238442-10500511" width="164" height="46" alt="" border="0"/></a>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-62383114085184120062012-03-24T16:40:00.012-04:002012-03-24T18:08:22.472-04:00Guys Don't Play Games<div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Allow me to break it down for you ladies. Men do not play games. We're not trying to play games with your heart. Most men simply want SEX. What is misconstrued as game-playing is actually the plethora of lies a guy will tell to try to get into your panties.</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaLh8Z16OjtNUMcZhS0GHtcqcwbBahUx9_jYAD6M8q1w-a8lnRRndvf4HtpBgzcMFg5MbZNz3oV64KcffLVJmdQyJxEaelT2KXSF_1bwtQofCrRCTY6XefF7pShYcgWhbDhlwQ7g57gs2/s1600/man_cheating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaLh8Z16OjtNUMcZhS0GHtcqcwbBahUx9_jYAD6M8q1w-a8lnRRndvf4HtpBgzcMFg5MbZNz3oV64KcffLVJmdQyJxEaelT2KXSF_1bwtQofCrRCTY6XefF7pShYcgWhbDhlwQ7g57gs2/s200/man_cheating.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I suppose the "game-playing" tag applies because women feel guys are "playing" with their emotions. But, as much as I hate to tell you, guys do not see this as a game. A more suitable analogy might be that he sees it as more of a "Hunt" or "Seek and Conquer" type of mission. Most non-committal guys are not trying to "conquer" you in the traditional sense of the word, he really just wants to tap that azz.</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The late-great comedian Richard Pryor joked years ago about a conversation he had with his penis. His tool states, "Hey, Rich, we going out on patrol today?" Although he was joking, there is certainly some truth to that. Men are online and offline, patrolling for the pu$$y. Plain and simple. Married men, men in relationships, DL men, the whole nine.</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What makes a man so callous in his pursuit of sex? It's the whore-monger spirit that lurks within most guys. The spirit of lust. That does not excuse what he does, of course, but it does offer somewhat of an explanation. </div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Guys see a woman, online or offline, and if she is physically what he is looking for, his first thought is sex, and how can he approach or position himself to get it from her asap. That is the primary focus of about 80% of guys. </div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I feel it is my duty to come clean with women, to let you all know where the majority of guys are coming from. A single guy will size a woman up, or peep her from a distance, and in his analysis, he will immediately place her in one of four categories. <br />
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Those categories are:</div><br />
<ol style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li>I would 'do her' but don't want her as my lady.</li>
<li>She's OK, has potential to be my girl, need to see how the conversation goes.</li>
<li>Not at all interested, but if she keeps pursuing me, and she's not butt-ugly, or too big, then I might tap that if I have enough to drink. And if I'm totally inebriated then size and looks are less important.</li>
<li>She is special, has all the qualities I have been looking for, I want to get to know her better and see where it goes. Even in that scenario, he still won't be faithful to the possibility of making her his one and only lady. Because, if the opportunity presents itself, he will have sex with another woman while he's actually pursuing the girl of his dreams. If some pu$$y comes along, his rationale is, what she doesn't know, won't hurt her. </li>
</ol><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sounds harsh, but that is the true reality of the situation. There are ways to avoid this type of Playa, and that is to get to know him, while keeping your panties on in the process. <br />
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Get to know as much as you can about his past. As time goes on, he will slowly but surely reveal his true self to you. As you get to know what he's really about, follow your heart, follow your emotions. This strategy of getting to know a guy will be ineffective if you have dropped your draws, because at that point your emotions will be misleading. And please do not consider for one moment that you can change him. Go with your first mind and get the hell out of that situation. If he wants to know why you disappeared, simply tell him, <br />
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"I choose to GROW ON without you." <br />
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<i>~ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060976454/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=worhomuni-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0060976454&adid=16CTH4YPY1YZ2P9DDBCM&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Frcm.amazon.com%2Fe%2Fcm%3Flt1%3D_blank%26bc1%3D000000%26IS2%3D1%26bg1%3DFFFFFF%26fc1%3D000000%26lc1%3D0000FF%26t%3Dworhomuni-20%26o%3D1%26p%3D8%26l%3Das4%26m%3Damazon%26f%3Difr%26ref%3Dss_til%26asins%3D0060976454" target="_blank">Quote from "In The Spirit" by Susan Taylor</a> ~</i></div>TASKEINChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15237302253833391912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-12366769809099464072012-01-30T21:33:00.002-05:002012-02-01T18:45:08.764-05:00The Way to a Man's Heart<font color="#FFFFFF">How many times have you heard the aphorism, "the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" In other words, if you're a good cook, this enhances your chances of finding a man. Another fallacy is to find a man who is "God-fearing," "church-going," or "equally yoked." Equally yoked entails more than a religious connotation, and should not be used as such. Doing so, leads to the indictment of one's character, when you know very little about the individual. The idiom is actually biblical; it's used religiously and taken literally, because of the bible passage below.<br />
<ul><li>2 Corinthians 6:14, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"</li>
</ul>What is critical in two people coming together and staying together, is that they are on the same page; they are both financially responsible; can handle pressure situations without resorting to scapegoating, and the quality of each others character coupled with spiritual maturity. Religious beliefs are more hereditary than anything else and often serves as a clandestine smoke screen that can do irreparable damage to a relationship.<br />
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<i><a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/the-way-mans-heart-10903213.html" target="_blank">Continued on Yahoo Contributor Network</a></i> </font>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-80051637390698880332012-01-27T14:36:00.013-05:002012-01-28T17:12:31.112-05:00Relationships: Too Far Gone<br><font color="#FFFFFF">I took a course, about 20 years ago, called, "The Psychological Issues in Black, Male/Female Relationships." The class was very interesting but most of the semester we argued back and forth and the instructor was more of a facilitator or referee. At the end of the day (end of the course) we really didn't learn very much because most of our debates were confrontational, as most debates regarding black, male/female relationships are today. Until we all get to a level where we are beyond scapegoating, beyond religious differences, beyond the inner conflict that exist between black folks, we will always disagree. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItpeeiV8lHKNf5AS2pOXpONPSdeMbTmHXvcS3vaoM-ZbSpX3NHYP094fjhNvTqe1dfImWm6SQS9QfvASWFn4KITx-91EuiLFsi36J-f4ycZ6qYJAB88g1x4e_XHUOVr1MTQK6fZMIOMTt/s1600/Too-Far-Gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="103" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItpeeiV8lHKNf5AS2pOXpONPSdeMbTmHXvcS3vaoM-ZbSpX3NHYP094fjhNvTqe1dfImWm6SQS9QfvASWFn4KITx-91EuiLFsi36J-f4ycZ6qYJAB88g1x4e_XHUOVr1MTQK6fZMIOMTt/s400/Too-Far-Gone.jpg" /></a>I have written quite a few articles about relationships. This does not make me an expert on the subject. However, through years of research, being in a few relationships, and the quiet reflection that comes with spending time alone, affords me the opportunity to shed some serious light on the issue of why we can't get along. <br />
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It never really matters whether the reader agrees or disagrees. What matters is, did he or she get the intended point of the article? <br />
<br />
The point is always the same, and it's an old Indian proverb that states, "We're branches of the same tree, how foolish for those branches to fight amongst themselves." This is what we continue to do, not only within the black race, but throughout the human race. <br />
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I'm at the point now where I truly don't believe we will see much of a positive difference in our lifetime, maybe in our children's lifetime, but not in ours. <br />
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We are too far gone to turn it around now. Collectively, as a human race we are more inclined to move toward absurd, uneducated decisions based on greed and jealousy, rather than come together and support a logical decision based on mutual admiration, respect, research, study, and love. <br />
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We talk a good game, when we're sitting in church, when we're faced with adversity, but the norm is indifference, arrogance, and disdain for one another. To our misfortune and detriment, there is no immediate end in sight to our spiritual confusion and moral ignorance.</font><br />
<br />
<i>B. E. Shaw Sr.</i><br />
<br />
<iframe width="400" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9Py17CMSRQc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-48731153446940473312011-10-03T09:05:00.006-04:002012-01-28T00:01:53.083-05:00Misconception abt Stripper Pole<font color="#FFFFFF">An email conversation between myself and a female acquaintance, went something like this:<br />
<br />
<b>Barry</b>: If she likes to hang with her girlfriends every so often, I would not have a problem with that, as long as she's faithful to me, she could even go to a male-strip-club if she wanted, with her friends, because that would only get her fired up, and when she gets home, I'd be waiting to "scratch that itch" for her.<br />
<br />
<b>Jeannie</b>: I couldn't help but chuckle at your strip club comment. My ex would've never in a million years said yes! But then of course he had major insecurity issues. I wouldn't have a problem with the person I'm with hitting "hot spots" occasionally with friends either as long as respect is never forgotten. Shoot, I just might be motivated enough to buy my own stripper pole...lol!<br />
<br />
<b>Allow me to school women on the whole "stripper issue." And your comments are encouraged.</b><br />
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First of all, I don't go to strip clubs. I used to, years ago, but even then it was infrequent. I never made strip clubs a habit for two reasons: (1) strips clubs are very expensive, and (2) you really get nothing for the money you're spending except an erection. Unless you're paying major bucks to sit in the VIP section you can't lay a finger on the strippers. If you do, you are immediately kicked out of the club - it happened to a friend of mine and it was extremely hilarious because he's like, "let's go guys," and we're like, "you better go sit your ass in the car, we're not being escorted out - you are." Furthermore, if a woman has a man that likes to hang out at strip clubs she has an entirely different set of problems.<br />
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I understand it's different with the women strip clubs, I'm told women can touch the guys. <br />
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I wouldn't mind my woman going every now and then because I know that it wouldn't do anything but TURN HER OWN, and when she comes home I'm going to WAX that AZZ good! (sorry to be so blunt, just making a point). <br />
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Now, about the "stripper pole." There was an episode of "King of Queens" that said it all. If you're not familiar, or have never seen the sitcom or this particular episode, then you don't know what I'm talking about (view the clip in the video below this blog post). The bottom line, every woman doesn't do well with the stripper pole, and really, instead of turning your man on, it is really more of a turn-off. Most women don't quite comprehend a man's mentality behind the pole. I believe women have the false impression that because it has become rather popular, and there are stripper-pole-classes, that most men automatically like it. What the wife or girlfriend doesn't grasp is that when we see women on the stripper pole these women have bodies/figures like Angela Bassett; asses like J-Lo; look like fashion models, and are in the age range of 20-25. To top it off, these are women that we cannot have which only adds to the allure and lust of the situation. However, when we see our significant other on that stripper pole, and in many cases she has no idea what she's doing, it sheds a whole new light on the pole. And we can't really say what's on our mind at that particular time because it would come off as offensive, she gets mad, won't give you any, you're left high and dry, then you have to go out and buy flowers just to smooth the situation over. <br />
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We see you all the time! We see you when you're not looking your best (we still love you of course) and we see you when you're looking absolutely stunning. We walk in the bathroom right after you've come out (and vice versa). I'm saying all of this to say that the "stripper pole" is a bit overrated and not for every couple.</FONT><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/SkxXUMm4MG8" target="_blank">View Pole Dancing Episode of King of Queens - Part 1</a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/ejtZu3_TNgU" target="_blank">View Pole Dancing Episode of King of Queens - Part 2</a>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-11918576900423631742010-05-19T22:44:00.003-04:002012-01-27T18:12:01.694-05:00Pyramid Scheme or Multi-Level-Marketing<font color="#FFFFFF">A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business that involves the exchange of money, usually in the form of a sign-up fee, and usually has no product or service. They are illegal. The only people that are able to make money on a pyramid scheme are the people at the top of the pyramid.<br />
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Pyramid schemes promise very high returns in a short period of time for doing nothing other than handing over your money and getting others to do the same. The fraudsters behind a pyramid scheme may go to great lengths to make the program look like a legitimate multi-level marketing program. But despite their claims to have legitimate products or services to sell, these fraudsters simply use money coming in from new recruits to pay off early stage investors.<br />
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<b><u>Difference between Pyramid and Multi-Level</b></u><br />
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One difference is that members at any level of a multi-level marketing model can make income through the company’s products and/or services without signing up any new members. The second difference is that multi-level marketing companies are LEGAL!<br />
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<b><u>Examples of Multi-Level Marketing Companies</b></u><br />
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* Avon Products;<br />
* Tupperware;<br />
* Herbalife;<br />
* World Financial Group;<br />
* Nu Skin/Pharmanex/Big Planet;<br />
* Xango</font>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-5495600870814688672009-10-27T17:34:00.002-04:002012-01-27T18:10:07.167-05:00Nobel Peace Prize<font color="#FFFFFF"><b>My congratulations to President Obama for receiving the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. This is a great and unexpected honor and well deserved. <img src="http://barryshaw.com/images/Nobel-Peace.gif" align="left">I think the U.S. media will downplay this accomplishment because half the nation appears to be against President Obama (for whatever reason, because no mortal can clean up the mess Bush left in less than a year, not even two years). We have to realize as Americans, Black, White, Red, or Brown, we are all in this together; we are all banches of the same tree. Here's a portion of the CNN story:<br />
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(CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Friday that he was humbled by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award him the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.<br />
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"I am both surprised and deeply humbled," Obama said at the White House. "I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. ... I will accept this award as a call to action."<br />
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For those of you who are upset about the fact that President Obama received such a prestigious award watch the video below of Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland as he explains why.</b></font><br />
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<center><script src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/world/2009/10/09/bpr.obama.nobel.prize.jagland.cnn" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript>Embedded video from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video">CNN Video</a></noscript></center><br />
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<font color="#FFFFFF"><b>If you decide not to watch/listen to the video, at the end, Chairman Thorbjorn says it was a unanamous decision, out of the 5 people on the committee who voted. The only people who have a problem with President Obama being name Nobel recipient appear to be some Americans. Not only do they have a problem with it, but they use words such as appaling, and undeserving. Many are even going so far as to now call the Nobel Prize a sham. I wonder why?<br />
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As an American, you should be proud of the fact that your president has received this award. He has also stated that the 1.4 million prize money that goes with the award will be donated to charity. Let's face it, no matter what Obama does, he could "walk on water," and he'd still have major critics. What's a bit ironic, is the guy who is interviewing Thorbjorn says, as he makes his argument for the committee possibly making the wrong choice, "he's been president for less than one year." However, his short time in office doesn't seem to matter when he is being criticized on other fronts. Get an award, recognized across the Globe, now all of a sudden his short tenure matters. As usual, this is another situation that shows the true colors of America, and that is the color of RACISM.<br />
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We're all <u>BRANCHES OF THE SAME TREE</u> people. We're either going to live together in PEACE or we will PERISH together in TURMOIL, and no matter what, it appears that we have chosen the latter.<br />
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Read my comment on <a href="http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/news-take-that-2016-olympics-obama-wins-2009-nobel-peace-prize" target="_blank"><i>Opposing Views</i></a></font></b>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-80849646587766646942009-09-07T15:22:00.001-04:002012-01-27T18:15:06.929-05:00Tribute to the King of Pop<font color="FFFFFF"><img border="1" src="http://workhomeunion.com/MJ/mike-hat.gif" align="left"><b>Like most African American men in their 40's (and toward the tail end of 40 I might add), I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. When I heard of his passing on June 25th, it hit me like I had lost a very close friend. It hit me like someone passed who I grew up with, because I did grow up with Mike. I didn't know him personally as most did not, but I have always been, along with millions of others, his number one fan.<br />
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Therefore, when the media would say harsh things about him, or criticize his fleshly and human foibles, as we all have, I took it personal. It's just like a close family member. That family member may have his/her ups and downs, and have to deal with the myriad vissicitudes of this life, but we never turn our back on them, especially if they have a kind heart. And a kind heart was certainly the epitome of Michael Joseph Jackson.<br />
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So MJ fans, go to my <a href="http://tribute-to-mike.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Tribute to Mike Blog</a> and leave your comments. This blog is about uplifting and sharing positive thoughts about the King of Pop. Any negative comments are deleted and not debated in any way, shape, or form, and the perpetrators IP address is blocked. I owe that much to my friend Michael.</b></font>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-38547008724247987312009-09-07T10:05:00.000-04:002009-10-09T12:39:25.188-04:00Michael Jordan # 23<br><img src="http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/uploadedImages/Shared/Sports/National_stories/Michael_Jordan.jpg" width="199" height="157" align="left"><b>They keep asking, "the next Jordan," who will be the next Jordan? Is it LeBron, Kobe? Kobe has won championships, LeBron has not, at least not yet. He will get one or two championships before his career is over. The problem with trying to crown the next "Jordan" is the fact that MJ was so far ahead of the game and ahead of his time on the basketball court. Watch some of the videos of Jordan and you will clearly see how much quicker he was than anyone else on the court. As his quickness began to lessen he used his overall ability and winning attitude to continue to dominate the game. He was like Mike Tyson in his prime where Tyson intimidated and won the match before the first punch. So to was Jordan, pretty much his entire career, he won before the first shot.<br /><br />Furthermore, today there are at least four players in the league that have similar, dominating, game-changing abilities and those players are: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dewayne Wade, and Dwight Howard. These players will offset each other in their quest for championships. Therefore, just because of their competition they won't be able to match the hardware Jordan has. Kobe might get to six rings but Shaq would have contributed to three of those rings. Jordan had his peers as well, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, and Hakeem Olajuwon (Larry and Magic were toward the end of their careers when Jordan burst upon the scene).<br /><br />No offense to Clyde, Charles, Dominique, and Hakeem, but Jordan still stood head and shoulders above them. Olajuwon got his two rings when Jordan decided to try baseball. Once his-Airness returned, so did his championships.<br /><br />I had the priviledge to watch Jordan his entire career. Now that he is being enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame, I salute MJ for a brilliant and exciting career. Also, I'd like to thank MJ for the MySpace comment a couple years ago. I'll never delete it.</b>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186162028345096088.post-2572123562049809622009-09-06T09:12:00.001-04:002012-01-28T01:05:53.654-05:00Back-in-the-day<font color="#FFFFFF"><img src="http://workhomeunion.com/images/old-school-2.gif" align="left" width="200" height="225"><b>I'm going back-in-the-day, going old-school with these pictures. The fella in the white pants to the left, and killer shoes is my late brother, and this photo was taken around 1972. You could not tell him that he was not cool. I saw this picture in an old photo album. It was taken by me, in a bedroom he and I shared as kids. My brother, Kent, was about 13 or 14 in this picture. <br />
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Kent completed his mission on this earth in 1992, so I figured, what the heck, I gotta put this on my blog. Because if he were here, he'd certainly be against my posting this picture. Sorry bro, but when I looked at the picture it evoked one of those LMAO, specifically the SHOES. I couldn't laugh too hard though, because I had my own pair of what would be considered today, as outrageous boots. If you had a sense of style back in the 70's and early 80's, then you had a pair too. I could never get down with the platform shoes though. I was way too skinny for platforms. But I had some boots, in 80-81, that are, to this day, my favorite boots of all time. These were killer boots; they were burgundy, with tan suede on the sides; a full boot. I would sport these boots to the club and really used to get some nice compliments. I have a picture that I will post in the next day or so.<br />
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<img src="http://workhomeunion.com/images/old-school-1.gif" align="left" width="200" height="260">The picture to the left is of me and an ex-girlfriend. She was really cool, grew up in Dallas, TX, and I'd like to give a shout-out to Katina, a class-act with a great sense of humor. If she's married now, no disrespect to hubby.<br />
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The shorts WERE in style and I am not gay! If a guy wore short-shorts like that today, in public, that would more than likely indicate that he is not heterosexual. No offense to my Gay brothers and sisters out there.</b></font>Barry Shaw Sr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09334897330900420980noreply@blogger.com0