Information On Your Desk

There is more information in your computer than there is in the Harvard Library. Students today have obtained the greatest teaching tool in all of history, the computer. In the span between World War II and now there have been huge developments in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. A giant leap forward in easily accessible knowledge. All over the world peoples are benefiting. Does this not beg the question: "Why then are there so many problems in the world"? Certainly the number of scientists and scholars has increased exponentially. Yet, children die for the lack of fresh water, food and shelter. Men continue to shoot at other men. The homeless die in the night. In simple "numbers", more people die every day. Not less. Surely you say, it's because more people arrive every day, and of course, you are correct. But does that not mean that our ability to improve the life experience is not keeping up? With all of the information available to an ever increasing number of scholars, shouldn't the overall academic goal be to improve and extend the lives of everyone?

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Why Blackwater Mercenaries

Over some years the name Blackwater shows up in the news. It is, by their own estimation, the largest mercenary group in the world. I think I first noticed it when reports from Iraq mentioned they were employed (by whom?) to escort and protect members of the Iraqi government from place to place. Then I became aware that they had joined several of the firefights between our marines and Iraqi enemies. I wondered just how these mercenaries (that supposedly came from the United States) were hired by someone (who?) to fight? That led to the question of just who would be responsible if a situation involved the accidental killing of an innocent bystander? It might be a little sticky for an unauthorised mercenary contracted by the United States but not a member of our military forces. Or suppose a Blackwater type killed a military Iraqi combatant and was then captured by the enemy. Would he be treated as a spy, or as a American combatant, or whatelse...

Gloves Off

. OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS BETRAYED OUR TRUST AGAIN. Whether we are Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, makes no difference at all. Our legislators voted according to "what's best for them". It was clear that the people want to reduce the costs and improve access to our overall health care system. It was also VERY CLEAR that they did not want the 2000 page legislative monstrosity that was produced by a small number of far left liberal Democrats, who worked behind closed doors to fashion a pork filled blunderbuss that virtually no one has been able to read, or discuss, or debate, or offer alternatives to specific unreasoned clauses. It is (now) a BAD BILL , passed by BAD POLITICIANS, that compose a BAD MINORITY segment of America's out-of-control government. AND WE HAVE NO LOGICAL WAY TO PAY FOR IT EITHER. The far left liberals like to point at SOCIAL SECURITY as a text book success. They are wrong and will not admit it despi...

Peter Arnett Visits The Geezers

PETER ARNETT 7-22-2010 Yesterday our guest at the Geezer's Book Club meeting was the intrepid journalist, Peter Arnett. Ray Herndon, one of our regular members, has known Peter Arnett for over 40 years. They were friendly competitive reporters during the war in Viet Nam, and the friendship has survived several wars since. Peter began speaking with an overview of his time in Viet Nam, and then briefly related a few highlights of the first 1st and 2nd war in Iraq. After taking a deep breath, Peter focused on the intended subject of the day, China and the Chinese people. CHINA Peter is now teaching journalism at a college about 400 miles north of Hong Kong, near the Chinese coast. Peter is 76 years old, in good health, full of energy and enjoys his job as an educator. In that capacity he is able to travel unhindered (not everyone can) throughout China. He has personally observ...

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