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MEAs and non-binding instruments
Multilateral environmental agreements
Although some international environmental treaties date back to early in the 20th century, it was not until the 1960s that concern about environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources led to the kind of binding multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) that we know today. The evolution of environmental agreements and legislation has fallen into two inter-related and overlapping generations. The first was one of single issue, use-oriented, mainly sectoral agreements and legislation, primarily addressing allocation and exploitation of natural resources such as wildlife, air and the marine environment; the second generation of agreements is more trans-sectoral, system-oriented and holistic. The second generation instruments are supplementing rather than replacing the first.
In this chapter, 10 major MEAs (see box below) are dealt with in much more detail than the others, and their current state of ratification is summarized both by region and by sub-region in the sections that follow. The graph below shows how ratification has grown over time.
In the early 1900s, environmental agreements, such as those covering fish or birds, were aimed more at regulating their exploitation and maintaining their economic usefulness than at protection for its own sake. One of the first international environmental agreements was the 1900 Convention for the Preservation of Animals, Birds and Fish in Africa, signed in London by the European colonial powers with the intention of preserving game in East Africa by limiting ivory exports from the region (Ruester and Simma 1975, Brenton 1994).
As knowledge about the environment increased, there was a gradual transition from such utilitarian approaches to a more general protection of endangered species. The prohibition, temporary or permanent, on taking and killing was supplemented by the protection of habitats, allowing the species to feed, rest and reproduce.
Many of the first-generation MEAs were concerned with the marine environment. Examples include the 1954 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL), 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matter, the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which sets out the principles for dealing with threats to the marine environment and the biological resources of the sea. Many MEAs were also adopted for the protection of regional seas. Thirteen regional Action Plans and nine Regional Seas Conventions and their protocols today make up a web of detailed obligations for the majority of coastal states (Kiss and Shelton 1991, Sands 1995).
The UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972 was one of the first attempts to move away from a sectoral towards a more comprehensive approach including all aspects of environmental protection. This was reflected in the Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment and the Action Plan for the Human Environment, which were adopted in Stockholm.
Environmental agreements drawn up in the lead-up to and aftermath of the Stockholm Conference, however, continued to emphasize conservation rather than addressing the totality of society's interaction with the environment. Examples include the 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention), the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the 1979 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) (Johnston 1997, UNEP 1997). These all address biological diversity, and the protection of wild fauna and flora has become one of the most developed areas of international environmental law covered by MEAs. Another sectoral MEA that emerged after Stockholm was the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), adopted by nearly all European States as well as Canada and the United States.
The second generation of multilateral environmental agreements and legislation is based on a holistic approach under which all species should be exploited either sustainably or not exploited at all, and their habitats protected, extended or improved to make this possible. This second generation was centred on the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. With all but six member states of the UN represented, the conference was a landmark in the history of environmental law, confirming the global character of environmental protection and its integration with development. Two new conventions were opened for signature: the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is sectoral in that it deals with climate and the atmosphere but widespread in its effects, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which seeks to bring together agriculture, forestry, fishery, land use and nature conservation in new ways. UNFCCC and CBD demonstrated the difficulty of pursuing agreements that affect multiple sectors. Both agreements were highly politicized with major diplomatic battles taking place during negotiations. Because holistic, multi-sector agreements involve so many different and cross-cutting areas of law, policy and politics, they can engender more conflict and problems than sectoral MEAs.
The Rio Conference also encouraged the development of other global MEAs (Burhenne and Robinson 1996), including those on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (1995), the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD, 1994), the agreement on Prior Informed Consent (PIC) on Hazardous Chemicals (1998, see box on the Rotterdam Convention) and new regional MEAs including the Regional Agreement on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes in Central America (1992), the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River (1994) and the Agreement on Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin (1995).
Special mention must be also be made of a major new convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) which is expected to be opened for signature early in the next century. Two meetings of the Negotiating Committee for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants have been held, and three more are planned before the treaty is opened for signature (POPs 1995).
Most of the global conventions developed since Stockholm are supported by a Conference of the Contracting Parties, a Secretariat and a Scientific Body (see box on page 202).
Non-binding instruments
Non-binding instruments are often forerunners of binding policy instruments and have at times had a more profound effect on environmental policy than binding ones. Non-binding instruments have also helped to bring about changes in attitudes and perceptions at all levels of society. While binding instruments receive the bulk of attention from policy makers and the public alike, non-binding instruments have played and are likely to continue to play a major role in the management of global and regional environmental problems.
Non-binding instruments, rather than creating commitments for action in the form of legally-binding targets and timetables, provide a looser framework. In some cases, the main aim is to set out important issues and priorities, foster discussion and attention, and stimulate new thinking and understanding about the relation of humans to the natural world. In other cases, such as the non-binding Prior Informed Consent (PIC) system for chemicals and pesticides, jointly administered by UNEP and FAO, non-binding instruments provide international procedures and arrangements that contributed to the development of a legally-binding regime (Victor and others 1998).
Examples of non-binding instruments include the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities and the Pan-European Strategy for Biological and Landscape Diversity.
Many non-binding instruments were developed during the run-up to the Rio Conference, some intended for discussion and definition by governments during the Conference. Two important non-binding instruments were adopted during the Conference: the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 (UN 1993).
The Rio Declaration, consisting of 27 principles, reaffirms the Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment and builds upon it. Its central concept is sustainable development but it also includes several established and emerging principles, including common but differentiated responsibilities of states, the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle. Many of the environmental agreements drawn up since the Rio Conference include principles contained in the Rio Declaration which are now becoming part of international law. These include the right of people to an appropriate environment, the right to information, and the right to participate in environmental management. The Rio Declaration has had an important impact on the development of national legislation in all regions, much of which now incorporates some or all of the principles contained in the Declaration, including the right of all people to an appropriate environment and the polluter pays principle.
Agenda 21 is essentially a programme of action covering 40 different sectors and topics. It pays particular attention to national legislation, measures, plans, programmes and standards, and to the use of legal and economic instruments for planning and management. It is probably the most prominent, significant and influential non-binding instrument in the environmental field and has become the guiding document for environmental management in most regions of the world. Its most important impact, through its core concept of sustainable development, has been to extend the environmental debate beyond environmental departments and NGOs. It provides policy makers with a starting point for linking environmental and socio-economic issues. Although there is a long way to go, such linkages have become difficult to ignore. To fulfil the requirements of Agenda 21, most countries have prepared national environmental strategies or action plans and set up institutions for environmental management. Agenda 21 has also had an impact on environmental governance and led to the creation or strengthening of multi-stakeholder organizations in many countries.
Implementation, compliance and effectiveness
While many environmental policy instruments have been put in place in recent years, there is growing concern about their implementation and effectiveness. Implementation, compliance, and effectiveness are separate but linked concepts (see box below). Most policy instruments seek to change the behaviour of target groups - for example, traders of endangered species or emitters of greenhouse gases - leading to an improvement in the state of the environment. Implementation is an activity not only of government - international organizations, trade associations, local governments, NGOs and the general public may all be involved. In practice, society has to deal with a mixture of policy tools: a complex set of legislation that directs command-and-control measures, economic instruments, cleaner production processes, voluntary action by the public and business, etc.
Reporting on the implementation of MEAs generally improves effectiveness by making parties more accountable, diffusing information on successful strategies and methods, helping to direct assistance if needed, and providing information and assessments to guide any future development of the MEAs (Victor and others 1998). States are more likely to comply with the terms of an MEA if they are confident that others are also complying, and transparency provides some deterrence against non-compliance (Chayes and Chayes 1995).
Effective reporting depends on the willingness and capacity of parties to gather and report data accurately and objectively, and well-resourced Secretariats to process this information into accessible formats. The increase in the number of MEAs and non-binding instruments has led to more and more onerous reporting requirements and bureaucratic burdens.
Some of the most highly-developed and effective reporting and review systems are those in MEAs for wildlife conservation The implementation of the Ramsar Convention, for example, is enhanced by a Monitoring Procedure for the specific requirement of maintaining the ecological character of a designated wetland of international importance. A team, generally composed of one Secretariat representative and two international experts, undertakes field visits and office-based discussions with local experts and government representatives. A detailed report, with recommendations for action, is then compiled and submitted to the Government concerned.
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Another year, another horse race -- and this time it looks like Boeing (NYSE:BA) has a fighting chance to finally beat Airbus (NASDAQOTH:EADSY).
Last year, as you may recall, Airbus notched its third straight victory in the race to sell the most planes in a calendar year. Beating Boeing with a thumping 1,139 gross orders booked (versus Boeing's 878), Airbus easily won this race in 2015. But as 2016 kicks off, Boeing is kicking Airbus squarely in the tail fins.
As I noted earlier this month, Boeing sold no fewer than 47 airplanes to its customers in the month of January. Those planes included a 787, six 777s, and forty 737s. How did that compare to Airbus? For reasons the company didn't bother to explain, Airbus held back its own January totals for most of the month of February -- but the numbers finally did come out this week: In the entire month of January, Airbus took in only 16 orders for new aircraft -- barely a third of Boeing's tally.
The rundown
What's really interesting, though, is what kinds of airplanes Airbus has been selling. Boeing, you see, relied mainly on sales of small, relatively cheap, single-aisle 737s to drive its success last month, with the addition of a handful of larger 777 liners and a single 787 to leaven the revenue cake.
Airbus, too, sold a couple of small planes -- two A320ceo aircraft ordered by China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited. But Airbus' big success was the sale of 14 big A330-900 airliners to an "unidentified customer."
What it means to investors
Why is this important to Airbus? In a word: money.
Each of the 14 A330-900s sold last month could bring in as much as $287.7 million in revenue for the European plane maker, based on published list prices. In contrast, the average 737 MAX 8, the most popular Boeing variant of that smaller bird, lists at just $110 million.
Result: Boeing's sales of 40 single-aisle 737s last month could (theoretically) generate as much as $4.4 billion in revenues before discounts. But by selling just one-third as many larger A330s, Airbus will bring in nearly as much cash -- $4 billion. In short, despite selling far fewer planes than its rival, Airbus remains in the race with its rival from a revenue perspective.
And one final note before we part for the day: Each of the A330-900s that Airbus sold last month were of the "neo" variety. That means they are equipped with the "new engine option," such that each sports a pair of shiny new Rolls-Royce (NASDAQOTH:RYCEY) Trent 7000 engines.
Rolls-Royce, as you may recall, has been struggling to sell its engines lately, as rival wares from United Technologies and CFM carve up much of the market between them. Last month's sales success at Airbus, though, helps to throw Rolls-Royce a lifeline. As good as the news of the plane sale was for Airbus last month, it may be even better news for Rolls-Royce.
Rich Smith does not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him on Motley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handle TMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 256 out of more than 75,000 rated members.
The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi everyone. What a Christmas we have had. How was yours? My parents in law kept up their annual tradition of presenting me with the brand new edition of the Writers and Artists Year Book. They have no idea how amazingly grateful I always am for this and I fully intend to utilise it a whole lot more in the New Year. I am already busily planning ahead. I intend to publish My Writer and get back on track with my poetry and pick up The Epic where I left off a few months back. Plus I am still planning on relaunching the Young Writers (the library is being deplorably slow coming up with these forms I have to fill out. I have emailed but tomorrow I will go in and actually see them) - which means coming up with a whole new flyer, re-establishing newspaper contacts to get some publicity and sending out a mail shot to all the previous members to see if they want to come back. But of course I can do none of this till I know when we can actually start. I am getting off on the right foot though because I have two refresher sessions planned with my young protege Michael - the first of which, is this evening. So even though we are not actually into 2014 yet, I am certainly starting off as I mean to go on.
As for 2013 - well, it was not a total washout. The first Young Writers' anthology was published; I had The Article and Several Poems published plus wrote thousands of words in Draft One of The Epic. Plus I got back the Yucketypoo rights so I will be doing something with them before very much longer - as well as writing a whole lot of new stuff. Anyway - better go. Due at Michael's in an hour so no more time till tomorrow. Happy New Writing Year To Each And Every One Of You!


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Sarah Hensley and Andrea Harves presented art awards to some our students today. Their art was displayed at Intego Insurance.
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The lights will no longer illuminate blue at Allianz Arena after Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich cancelled the contract of beleaguered tenants 1860 Munich.
Bayern terminated 1860's contract on Wednesday following the rapid demise of their Munich neighbours – winners of the Bundesliga in 1966.
Former Bundesliga club 1860 lost a relegation play-off against Jahn Regensburg in May, which sent them down to 3. Liga, but failure to make a payment to the German Football League to secure their status in the division meant they dropped down further.
A statement from Bayern read: "The cancellation of the contract means the Allianz Arena is no longer TSV 1860 Munchen's home ground. The agreement precludes 1860 returning to the stadium at a later date."
Stadium contract with TSV 1860 München terminated: https://t.co/qDWsuOissE pic.twitter.com/K4xO2sxk5V
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) July 12, 2017
1860 had called Allianz Arena home since its opening in 2004-05, sharing the stadium with Bayern.
Having previously held an equal share in the stadium, 1860 sold their half to Bayern in 2006 but they continued to host matches at the ground as a tenant.
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Hyundai Veloster Base
Outstanding design defines the 2017 Hyundai Veloster Smooth gearshifts are achieved thanks to the efficient 4 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. Both high fuel economy and flexible performance are assured by the 6 speed automatic transmission. It's equipped with tons of terrific amenities, but it won't break your budget. Such as remote keyless entry, delay-off headlights, 1-touch window functionality, a tachometer, front bucket seats, air conditioning, power door mirrors and heated door mirrors, and much more. Storage solutions are integrated throughout the interior, demonstrating thoughtful attention to detail. Enjoy your favorite music via the stereo system, which includes a CD player with MP3 capability, steering wheel mounted audio controls, and 6 well positioned speakers. In the event of a rollover collision, side curtain airbags provide additional protection for outboard seated passengers. Our sales reps are extremely helpful & knowledgeable. We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please don't hesitate to give us a call.


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"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." ― Mary Oliver
I'm not sure how it happened, but our oldest daughter, Lauren, is suddenly eight-years-old! It is true that the days sometimes pass slowly, but the years fly by.
{Lauren five years ago at Christmas, age three}
We are so lucky to be the parents of this sweet, caring, fun-loving kid. Each year she becomes more herself, and her dad and I stand in wonder at how quickly she is learning things, navigating school and friendships, basically…growing up.
But, if raising kids and watching them blossom is a joy, you know what isn't a joy? Planning and executing their birthday parties! We may be blessed with two sweet daughters, but we are cursed in the sense that we had them in the cold months in Minnesota, meaning we can't have a big party in the backyard or at the park. Instead, nearly every party has been at a location that wasn't our house (if you think I'm letting 10 crazy kids run amok inside my house hopped up on sugary cake and frosting, you haven't been reading my blog!) and has required weeks of planning and sometimes an embarrassing expense considering this is a kid party we're talking about.
This year was different. I had the idea to host the party at Queen of Cakes, a local bakery that has made our kids' birthday cakes the last several years. They started doing cake decorating classes and parties and it sounded perfect for our little baker. The whole party was a huge success! The set up was very easy, all we had to do was book the date, let them know how many kids would come, and then order a pizza as the party was going to be over dinner time. The cost was very reasonable considering they included everything for the two-hour party, we had nine kids there, and each child got to take home their own 4″ cake that they decorated at the party.
{Lauren decorating, and the party-goers receiving a tutorial in icing}
Once at the bakery, Terri, the owner and baker at Queen of Cakes, ran things effortlessly. The room was set up with tables and cake decorating tools, and Terri took charge showing the kids techniques for piping their names onto their cakes. The kids stood completely rapt, watching and listening, eager to try their own hand at it. The kids spent about an hour decorating and were so proud of their creations!
As we sent the last guest off and packed up the donations we'd collected (Lauren chose to collect toys for Toys for Tots rather than receive presents) we were feeling pretty proud of our creation too.
{Our birthday girl's masterpiece – adorned with her initials, hearts and flowers}


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|Canterbury Crusaders iPhone Wallpaper (Photo credit: rob.masefield)
|Record points scorer Dan Carter preparing to kick a conversion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The All Blacks fullback is one of three Test players to be added to the line-up this week with prop Wyatt Crockett and lock Luke Romano also named.
Wing Telusa Veainu has also been called into the Crusaders team. Veainu was a member of the last three winning Canterbury ITM Cup teams and has also been part of the Highlanders wider training squad. He is currently on an interim contract with the Crusaders as cover for the outside backs.
The team will be captained by second five-eighth Ryan Crotty.
Crusaders: Tom Marshall, Adam Whitelock, Israel Dagg, Ryan Crotty (c), Johnny McNicholl, Tom Taylor, Andy Ellis; Jordan Taufua, Shane Christie, Luke Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Luke Romano, Pae'a Fa'anunu, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett.
Reserves: Codie Taylor, Adrian Barone, Joe Moody, Jimmy Tupou, Jeremy Su'a, Willi Heinz, Robbie Fruean, Telusa Veainu, Joel Everson, Mitch Graham, Matt Todd, Tyler Bleyendaal, Kieran Fonotia, George Whitelock, James Schrader.


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Our "Hello, World!" project, ready to mill in Otherplan Public Beta 0.23.3.
Big milestone! We've just released Otherplan Public Beta 0.23.3. This new version has a highly-anticipated feature: support for milling single-sided printed circuit boards. For the first time, Windows users can prototype PCBs quickly and easily using the same simple process that our Mac users have raved about.


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Organisers of the UK & European Insurance and Financial Services Conference & Exhibition have announced details of its two day conference.
The IFSTྟ conference to be held on September 29 and 30 will be at the Business Design Centre in Islington London.
Among the subjects to be discussed are the future market place, maintaining and enhancing your customer base and regulation and compliance.
The price for delegates is £55 although discounts are available for block bookings.


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Too Provocative? Mexico's 1st Lady Slammed for "Sexy" Magazine Cover
Angelica is on the cover of the July 2014 issue of fashion magazine – Marie Claire Mexico, with her daughter – who shares a striking resemblance with actress Mila Kunis.
We all know sex sells, and the world is constantly presented with alluring women on magazine covers, selling products on billboards and on the TV.
Angelica smoulders on the cover rocking a ruffled white shirt, a tuxedo jacket and black leggings. Inside the issue, she flashes her long legs for the cameras in a strapless evening gown and trench coat.
It may be appealing to the world but critics are not amused, stating that the first lady should be "regal, maternal and business-like" and not "sexy".
The fashion is clearly striking in "Girl Power" edition, but it is her poses that are being labelled provocative.


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EIS® is an original and unique music course that was created by Mr. Murphy, for students and professional musicians who wish to advance in Arranging/Composing/and Orchestration.
In other words, this system can be used to organize the sounds of any historical period of music while also providing a basis for finding new and unique sounds from the simplest to the farthest relationships possible with 12 equal intervals. All of it accomplished with only half a dozen rules.
Horizontal Composition refers to the creation of individual lines that hang together in a way that could only be seen through a vertical (harmonic) dimension previously. This allows for greater flexibility and melodic interest in each individual voice with no doubling of parts.


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Do you enjoy a hobby? Are you a gardener, knitter or chef? Perhaps you like to work on cars or build model robots. No matter what your hobby is, the tips below may help you have more fun with it. Read on to discover their secrets.
Be sure to charge a fair price when you make the decision to offer the products of your hobby for sale. Try to make a profit from it. Tally up your cost of materials, add in a fair amount for labor and include a percentage for profit.
If you're anxious after a day's work, doing a hobby that's enjoyable can help relieve some anxiety. Hobbies don't necessarily need to have anything to do with choosing a career, so this can be something you do just for fun.
Do you want to turn your hobby into a money making venture? The name you make for your company is the beginning of your new brand. This name should be very unique, but at the same time, easy to remember. In addition, this name should have some relation to your business line.
Fishing is a good hobby to pursue. Fishing doesn't really get old. People have always enjoyed fishing, and they always will. It takes patience but it can be a lot of excitement when you catch the big one! You don't have to eat the caught fish unless you want to, you can always throw it back.
Many people love to play games online as a hobby. Online gaming is a great way to get out of reality for a while and enter the realm of fantasy. Gaming is a good hobby if you are just looking for a way to pass a significant amount of time.
If you want to spend more time outdoors, think about horse riding as a new hobby. You can enjoy trails, deal with animals and be outside. Horseback riding also allows you to become friends with your horse, which will provide you with a further connection to nature.
Hobbies should never cause guilt, provided that you still tend to your everyday obligations too. Hobbies make you well-rounded, and give you a balance between enjoyment and responsibility. Both components are valuable in life, so fully engage in the hobby when you find free time.
Garage sales and estate sales can be an addicting hobby. You can find so many neat things! Some household items hold a lot of value. You just never know what you're going to find, and that is part of the fun.
Avoid selecting a hobby that is too expensive on your budget. For instance, golf is a great sport to take up but unfortunately it can be rather costly to do on a daily basis. This is also true about hobbies such as exotic fishing or car collecting. These cost a lot of money. Know what you can spend and make your choices accordingly.
Turn your travels into a collection. You could collect magnets, jars of sand or local confections. You can set up a display area for your collection in your home and enjoy the memories every time you look at them.
If you are an avid reader but hate dealing with book clutter, maybe selling part of your collection would be wise. This will give you back some space and give you a credit for books you haven't read yet. Reading is something that can relax you and anyone can enjoy reading once they've found good books they enjoy.
If you enjoy reading but have too many books at home, think about taking a few to your local bookstore. This will help you to empty out the bookshelf and receive some money to use toward new books, too. This hobby is great for relaxing, and something that anyone can enjoy doing.
Always take safety precautions when pursuing a hobby. When you're having a good time, you might forget about the rules. Follow all safety regulations in place.
Always be sure you remain safe when pursuing your hobbies. When having fun at your hobby, it can be distracting and safety sometimes is the last thing you are thinking about. Stay safe and enjoy your hobby.
Research a hobby before beginning a new one. All hobbies are different. Some are more creative or strenuous than others. Be sure that you know about your hobby so that you can find out if you have the time and can assume any risks.
Try finding co-workers or friends who like the same hobby you do. Then, you can participate with them for added enjoyment. Even if you only do it once or twice every month, that will make you do your hobby. You'll build a bond and have fun together.
Think about following a particular sports team, whether in hockey, baseball, basketball, football, or soccer. First, you need to understand the basics of your sport choice and the team that you like. Of course, you have to like sitting down to watch the sports game. Not only will watching your favorite sport occupy a lot of your time, it is also a good way to meet others with similar interests.
Most activities are safer and more enjoyable if you avoid alcohol while participating in them. Drinking alcohol significantly impairs your cognitive functions, which can cause you to make terrible decisions and possibly put you or others in danger. You will have more fun with your hobby if you are sober.
Look into all that interests you when you are considering new hobbies. When trying to find a hobby, think of things you already enjoy doing. For example, if you know you watch movies, you can start making your own, or maybe begin a movie club.
Keep a garbage can nearby when working on crafts. If you keep your area organized, you'll get more done. Additionally, your work area will be safer if it is clean. If you have potentially dangerous equipment mixed in with a bunch of clutter, you could easily be injured.
A wonderful hobby that can turn into a great business is making jewelry. This is a hobby for both women and men. Some of the biggest names in jewelry are men. Websites, such as Etsy, as well as arts and craft shows are great places to sell the jewelry that you create. This particular hobby is not just fun but also a money maker.
Always think about safety when you are trying out a new hobby. Check the instructions before you do anything. Keep your work area neat, cleaning up when each session comes to an end. If you can, try to take lessons from an experienced person. Your hobby is going to be enjoyable for a lot of years if you're safe when you do it.
Begin a blog. There are many people who utilize blogs for different reasons. You could use it to share your passion for a certain topic, promote a business or just to document your life and feelings. This tool allows you to unwind and can even attract readers. You can make new friends or make a bit of side money.
Before you embark on a new hobby venture, do your homework. All hobbies are different. Some focus on creativity, which others are more action-oriented. Be sure that you know about your hobby so that you can find out if you have the time and can assume any risks.
Research any organizations or groups that are based on the hobby you love. You will be able to meet others that enjoy the same hobby as you, and also keep up with news. This is also a great way for you to stay informed.
There are many reasons why people choose woodworking as a hobby. This pastime is a lot of fun. You also end up with a tangible product that can be used for gifts or to enhance your home. Apply woodworking skills, and you can realize true savings on furniture for your home.
Your hobby can be used to create a new social group in your area. Your favorite hobby can be a way to bring many people in your community together. Talk to others about joining in, even if they are new at it. Not only can you get tips this way, but it can strengthen the bond in your community.
Make sure you have all the necessary supplies for your hobby. If you don't have what you need, your projects may not get done, things can go wrong, or you could compromise your safety. Figure out what you need and get the right supplies.
Hobbies are a great way to enjoy your time. If you have a hard time figuring out what's good for you, search forums that talk about different activities. Speak with others to learn more about the hobby.
Try baking as a family hobby. You could choose to bake only cookies or cakes, or you could work on mastering all types of things that can be baked. The items you end up baking can be your meal, which of course can help out with the daily doings as well as your nutrition.
Create your own quilt. The entire family can get involved in crafting this. Family members can each choose their favorite fabric scraps. These old scraps can come from old clothes, fabric store swatches, etc. Make a quilt by having family members gather to stitch the scraps onto a new blanket.
Cake Decorating
Are you interested in decorating cakes? Cake decorating will allow you to be incredibly artistic and to share this talent with friends. Cake decorating classes are offered through local colleges, but if you don't want to do that, you might try visiting a local hobby store to purchase some cake decorating items. Also, use instructional videos that will guide you through the process of decorating a cake.
Cake decorating is an excellent hobby. You can make wonderfully-appearing cakes for relatives, friends and coworkers when you know how to decorate cakes. Search for cake decorating classes at local colleges, or visit a hobby store and buy a cake decorating kit with videos about how to decorate cakes.
Take a trip to the library to find new ideas for hobbies. You are sure to come across books on lots of hobbies in addition to classes that can instruct you on many different pastimes. Best of all, it's typically free, so this is a really smart resource to use.
Even if you love your hobby, don't overspend. It's not hard to get carried away when you love to do something. Give yourself some kind of a budget for your hobby so you're not spending too much. Enjoy your time, but be sure you can pay your bills, too.
Photography is an enjoyable and useful hobby to pursue. All you need is some knowledge, equipment and subjects for your photos. This is a good way to make extra money.
Boating is a great hobby. You can fish, enjoy the water or swim. You can rent a boat or buy one, if you would like to try it.
A hobby could benefit the world or community. If you're benevolent, try using free time spent in hobbies geared towards helping others. That could be tutoring, starting an organic garden for the neighborhood, or knitting for those who are worse off.
Look online to learn more about your hobby. The are many great websites that give information on hobbies. You will also find forums to talk with others who have the same hobby you choose. These are usually free, so you can look at a lot of things before deciding on one thing.
Before you turn your hobby into a business, do a little market research. You want to be certain that people will buy what you are selling. You also need to be aware of what you can expect to reasonably charge as well as what your profit margins are likely to be.
Hiking and nature walking offers you a way to enjoy the great outdoors while exercising. Take your camera with you so that you can snap pictures of what you find along the trail. This is an inexpensive hobby that can be enjoyed with others or alone. Many areas have safe, well-traveled trails you can walk on.
Turn exercise into a hobby. You might join a health club, or you might get some home equipment. Exercising can significantly improve your health and happiness. It is also a great way to feel better about how you look.
A hobby could be the thing you were missing when you have tons of free time. It might be more difficult to get the most out of your hobbies. This article has hopefully given you some advice on how to make the most of your hobbies.
Do you like space? Make astronomy your hobby! There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from observing the sky. In addition, this allows you the opportunity to really see the world differently. This is a great hobby for sharing with kids.


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Uganda I am planning a week long mission trip to Uganda. I have contacts there-Ugandan soldiers that I served with during the war. Please pray for me as I prepare from this journey.
"Christ's Language: Spiritual Insight from the Aramaic Language" This is the title of a book I am writing to publish on Nook. I hope to have in done before the end of October.
The Death of Muammar Khadaffi Qadaffi deserved to die for his crimes against humanity, especially in the Lockerby bombing in which 200 people were killed. However it was disturbing to watch a frenzied crowd drag an old man out of a sewage pipe and beat an old man to death while shouting "Allahu Akhbar!" Now we see the Al Qaida takeover of Libya unfold. Obama spent one billion dollars of our money to bring Al Qaida into power in Libya in an undeclared war. However, his death may serve as a warning to others. Perhaps, Mr. Assad, the dictator of Syria, is considering the possibility that he, like Qhadafi, may find himself, crying out "my sons, please to not kill me!" Then being beaten to death and strapped to the hood of the car and then paraded around the city. And somewhere in the chaos someone shot him in the head, to make sure he was dead. In the video I saw it looked to me that he was beaten to death by a mob.
The President of Afghanistan threatens war against the United States ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday. "God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan," he said in the interview to Geo television. "If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan's help, Afghanistan will be there with you."
Islamic Sharia Law Declared Source of Libyan Legislation (AP October 23) The transitional government leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil set out a vision for the post-Gadhafi future with an Islamist tint, saying that Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation in the country and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified. In a gesture that showed his own piety, he urged Libyans not to express their joy by firing in the air, but rather to chant "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great. He then stepped aside and knelt to offer a brief prayer of thanks. "This revolution was looked after by God to achieve victory," he told the crowd at the declaration ceremony in the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising against Gadhafi began.
"Moderate" Sharia Law I heard Rush Limbaugh on the radio say that our worthless liberal media was now describing Sharia law as "moderate." I thought he was exaggerating as he often does. That evening I was reading the news and made the unpleasant discovery that was Mr. Limbaugh was saying was unfortunately true. There is nothing moderate about Sharia law. The liberals media annoyed me until they started actually started to actively use their broadcasts to campaign for Obama back in 2008. Since then, I have viewed them as evil and extremely dangerous-and unfortunately powerful-they managed to get their man in the White House.
"All Troops out of Iraq by the end of the Year" or "Is Obama an Iranian Agent?"
Obama stood by and watched as the Iranians were slaughtered when they struggled to establish freedom. He made sure there that the pro-democracy movement there failed. (But he supported the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt and the Marxist "Occupy Wall Street" uprising.) Obama allowed the radical Islamist "Al Sadr" to return to Iran. Now, we are giving Iraq to Iran. This means that the territory of Iraq is going to double and Iran will control all of Iraq's oil wealth. This is what the American people wanted when they voted for Obama. I think it is very curious how that Obama's policies benefit the Mullah's in Iran.
The Baptist Tradition Recently, the Southern Baptist Convention put it up for a vote to change the name of the denomination. Both "Southern" and "Baptist" are to go-if the supporters of this resolution can pull it off-which I find doubtful. Now the man who introduced the resolution stated that he is a proud Southerner but feels that there are aspects of this title that we should move away from. I think he is very wrong. The fundamental problem is historical revisionism, which is anti-Christian polemics, and it is false. But Christians believe the anti-Christian propaganda. Let me give you an example about how we are being lied to. When I was a little boy, I lived in Tennessee. The "Trail of Tears" ran through the Nashville area in which I lived. The trail of tears is the path the Cherokees took when they were exiled to Oklahoma by President Andrew Jackson. Now, I agree that this was a wrong thing to do. But the historical narrative was that the Cherokees were victims. Just recently, the Cherokee Nation became embroiled in a controversy. "Black Cherokees" descendants of African Slaves owned by the Cherokee Nation were banished from the tribe. The US Government condemned this action. I don't agree with it-but I feel that the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation should be respected-they have the right to determine who belongs to the tribe and who doesn't. I never heard of Cherokee owning slaves. I talked to a Cherokee and he said that the Cherokee treated their slaves very well. Yeah, right. That is what pro-slavery forces said before the Civil War. And I am sure it was true. First, slaves were property and an investment. Beating them and torturing them probably didn't occur often and when it did, it was sensationalized by abolitionist forces. (I can imagine pro-Slavery forces argued that slaves only took the jobs Americans were unwilling to do.) Abolitionists sometimes admitted that slaves were treated well (many were probably better off than many impoverished Anglos-slaves were provided with food, shelter and clothing that many poor whites had to struggle for). Abolitionists would argue-OK, many slaves are treated well-but that doesn't matter because they are human beings and a human being should never be considered property of another person. And that is true. So, we see the historical record has been tweaked to serve and agenda of the left. Cherokees are victims and blacks are victims, so we are going to white-wash their history. Baptists have a proud history-and we shouldn't give into political correctness but celebrate our heritage and our message-the Good New of Jesus Christ that God loves and Christ died for everyone, including Cherokees, Anglos and African Americans.
The Jewish Roots of the Early Church Fathers Part One
I started reading a book on the history of Western Civilization. In the preface, written by a different author, (the book had several authors), it stated that history doesn't repeat itself. (I was arguing with a pro-Muslim professing Christians. I said that Muslims invaded Europe several times and that we should learn from history. He argued that history doesn't repeat itself. If it was true that history doesn't repeat itself, Islam is an exception because it is a living political entity that has survived 1400 years-and its goals and agenda of global domination, hasn't changed.) Interestingly, the first chapter, speaking of Sumer, mentioned a barbarian invasion and said that we would see the same pattern of events during the decline of the Roman Empire. So, in a sense the author was arguing (a different author than the writer of the preface) that history in a sense, repeats itself. Another thing that the author of the preface said which wasn't entirely true was that the Jews were blamed for the Black Death. I had been reading another book that claimed that priests preached that God had sent the Plague to punish Europe for its sins. I also read that some people thought that cats were spreading the plague so they exterminated them-which worsened the problem, since the true culprits were the rats and mice, and the cats were keeping their population down. The Black Plague extended over one hundred years and spread over a large area. Now I am sure that over that time and throughout that area that some people somewhere suspected the Jews were the cause, but I think that the blanket statement "Jews were blamed for the Black Plague" is simplistic and misleading. What we have here is Jewish anti-Christian polemics. Some Jews passionately hate Christianity and their attack and vilify it. What this is is propaganda. Michael Brown is a Messianic Jew. He wrote a book chronicling Christian anti-Semitism and entitled it "Our Hands are Stained with Blood." Well, the same amount of anti-Semitism can be found throughout Islamic history. But there are very few books on that issue for reasons described above.
But, what needs to be remembered as well is Jewish and Christian cooperation. The first printed Hebrew Bible was a joint effort of Christians and Jews. The Jewish people probably would not have been able to have done it without Christian benefactors. Why the stress on the negative relations and total ignorance about what Christians and Jews have accomplished together. People also need to realize that a lot of Jewish literature has been preserved by Christians. Such as the Book of Maccabees. The Jewish version, an Aramaic tractate called Megollith Antioches, is obviously derived from the Book of Maccabees and is full of historical errors. So, important Jewish literature was preserved by Christians and not Jews. The Ethiopic Orthodox Church preserved the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. There are many other examples.
Another important thing that Christians have done is to preserve the text of the Old Testament of Scripture. There are some mistakes in the traditional Hebrew Masoretic texts. But, we can arrive at the original reading by ancient Christian translations of the "Hebrew Scriptures." This includes the Greek Septuagent (actually translated by Jews but preserved by Christians), the Latin Vulgate, translated by Jerome with assistance by rabbis, and the Syriac Aramaic Peshitta, translated from the Hebrew by Messianic Jews but preserved by Aramaic Christians. These versions of the Old Testament preserved by Christians are an invaluable witness to the original text.
Foolishness of General Petreaus by "F. Rosenzwieg Lives"
"If you watch the cable news networks, you will see mechanics galore blowing hot air about this or that foreign policy issue or crisis of the day. Most come from a military, academic or diplomatic background. Sadly, the vast majority of this ilk of talking heads have shockingly little knowledge of the cultural, social, religious and historical contexts pertaining to their opinions on a given topic. A perfect example of a master mechanic is Gen. Patreaus, who has no real understanding of the thoroughgoing anti-Western mindset and supremacist worldview of Islamism, but is nonetheless lionized by the neocons as an American hero, when his vaunted tactics (cointerinsurgency doctrine instead of anti-terrorism) are ineffectual and likely have aided America's arch enemy in the greater Middle East, Iran." Amen
Sharia Law for Non-Muslims By Dr. Bill Warner Islam is a political system with its own body of laws called Sharia. Sharia law is based on entirely different principles than our laws. Many of these laws concern the non-Muslim. What does Sharia law mean for the citizens of this state? How will this affect us? What are the long-term effects of granting Muslims the right to be ruled by Sharia, instead of our laws? Each and every demand that Muslims make is based on the idea of implementing Sharia law in America. Should we allow any Sharia at all? Why? Why not? How can any political or legal authority make decisions about Sharia law if they do not know what it is? Is this moral? The answers to all of these questions are found in this book. About the Author: Bill Warner holds a PhD in physics and math. He has been a university professor businessman, and applied physicist. Dr. Warner s training in scientific theory and mathematics shaped how he analyzed Islamic doctrine. The first step was realizing that the Islamic texts had been made deliberately difficult to read and comprehend. A program, the Trilogy Project, was created to strip away the confusion in the texts. It became clear that Islam is not constructed on the same civilizational principles as the rest of the world. Simple statistical methods revealed that dualism and submission were the foundational principles of Islamic doctrine. Dr. Warner founded the Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI) and is its director. He has produced a dozen books, including a Koran, a biography of Mohammed and a summary of the political traditions of Mohammed. He also developed the first self-study course on Political Islam.
How Civilization Die (and why Islam is dying too) by David Goldman Thanks to collapsing birthrates, much of Europe is on a path of willed self-extinction. The untold story is that birthrates in Muslim nations are declining faster than anywhere else—at a rate never before documented. Europe, even in its decline, may have the resources to support an aging population, if at a terrible economic and cultural cost. But in the impoverished Islamic world, an aging population means a civilization on the brink of total collapse— something Islamic terrorists know and fear. Muslim decline poses new threats to America, challenges we cannot even understand, much less face effectively, without a wholly new kind of political analysis that explains how desperate peoples and nations behave. In How Civilizations Die, David P. Goldman—author of the celebrated "Spengler" column read by intelligence organizations worldwide—reveals how, almost unnoticed, massive shifts in global power are remaking our future. Goldman reveals: How extinctions of peoples, cultures, and civilizations are not unthinkable—but certain, How for the first time in world history, the birthrate in the West has fallen below replacement level, Why birthrates in the Muslim world are falling even faster, Why the "Arab Spring" is the precursor of much more violent change in the Islamic world, Why looming demographic collapse may encourage Islamic terrorists to "go for broke", How the United States can survive the coming world turmoil. The title of Goldman's book is How Civilizations Die, but the addendum, And Why Islam is Dying Too, may be more important. For there is almost no awareness that the Muslim world is following in the footsteps of western civilization. Indeed, a popular narrative among those who seek to revive Europe has it that Muslims will soon rule the continent. But while European Christianity eventually lost the fight with modernity, Islam has fared worse. Iran proves illustrative. "An educated twenty-five year old Iranian woman today probably grew up in a family of six or seven children, but will bear only one child." As of 2010, Iran's fertility rate stands at 1.7 children per woman. Decadence has enveloped the nation; drug use is rampant, and a sizable portion of the women work willingly as prostitutes. Paradoxically, this makes the Islamic world more dangerous, at least in the short term: "For in their despair, radical Muslims who can already taste the ruin of their culture believe that they have nothing to lose."
I have noticed in my travels that there is a decline in birthrates in certain Arab countries. Still, Egypt (or perhaps Cairo) is over-populated. Also, there is the Arab world and the Islamic world-they aren't the same thing. Also, you have the Middle East (which includes non-Arab Persia and large Kurdish minorities) and the rest of the Islamic world.(In Syria, it seems that the population of Kurds is exploding while the number of Arabs declines.) I see the eruption of Islamic violence spilling out of the Middle East and encompassing the world in what will be a major global war-the Last Jihad-which, I hope and I expect the Muslims to loose, but at great cost to the entire world in death and devastation.
Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? by Patrick J. Buchanan America is disintegrating. The "one Nation under God, indivisible" of the Pledge of Allegiance is passing away. In a few decades, that America will be gone forever. In its place will arise a country unrecognizable to our parents. This is the thrust of Pat Buchanan's Suicide of a Superpower. The author traces the disintegration to three historic changes: America's loss of her cradle faith, Christianity; the moral, social, and cultural collapse that have followed from that loss; and the slow death of the people who created and ruled the nation. America was born a Western Christian republic, writes Buchanan, but is being transformed into a multiracial, multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic stew of a nation that has no successful precedent in the history of the world. Where once we celebrated the unity, the melting pot and shared experience, that the Depression and World War gave us, our elites today proclaim, "Our diversity is our greatest strength!"—even as racial, religious, and ethnic diversity are tearing nations to pieces. Rejecting the commitment to a God-given equality of rights for all as inadequate, our government is engaged in the manic pursuit of equality of rewards, as it seeks to erect an egalitarian utopia that has never before existed. Less and less do we Americans have in common. More and more do we fight over religion, morality, politics, history, and heroes. And as our nation disintegrates, our government is failing in its fundamental duties, unable to defend our borders, balance our budgets, or win our wars. Review by Father Charles Erlandson: Pat begins in his Introduction with a warning from Soviet Russia: that America is no longer truly a nation, which he defines as "a people of a common ancestry, culture, and language who worship the same God, revere the same heroes, cherish the same history, celebrate the same holidays, [and] share the same music, poetry, art, literature." Pat's thesis is clear throughout the book: America is disintegrating before our eyes. "What happened to the country we grew up in?" It's a question that I, as someone born in 1960 and someone who shares Pat's Christian beliefs, can identify with. Pat begins his argument in Chapter 1 with an economic argument. I heartily agree with his assessment that our debt is a huge problem and that we have, unfortunately, become a "food stamp nation." I also share his misgivings about the role of The Fed in leading to a weakening of the American economy. The most important statement Pat makes in Chapter 1 is that "the failure of our system is rooted in a societal failure." Pat turns to "The Death of Christian America" in Chapter 2. Like it or not, this is the root of all of the momentous changes in America in the past several decades. Whether you hate or love the loss of the Christian identity of America, this transformation is the cause of all the others: to a large degree religion creates culture. It's clear from what Pat writes here and what others have written elsewhere that America saw herself as a distinctly Christian nation until recent decades. In Chapter 2, Pat gives but some of the many measures of how we are now much less a Christian nation, from the prayers at Obama's inauguration to the relative collapse of evangelical Christianity to the disintegration of The Episcopal Church. Pat then gives some measure of how the "death of God has blown up our decent and civil society." The loss of a Christian American identity has not only created many social ills but has also precipitated what have been called the "culture wars." I teach a class on Worldviews, in which I try to help my students see precisely the kinds of connections Pat makes for us. Most Americans only deal with individual issues about which they have feelings and are unable to articulate the theology and philosophy that are the foundations of their beliefs. Once again, Pat leaves us with a powerful and succinct summary of the point he's making: "the cycle is inescapable: when the faith dies, the culture dies, the civilization dies, and the people die."Chapter 3 gives us a close up of the Crisis in Catholicism, as one particular measure of the increasing impotence of Christianity in America. This includes not only the disbelief of American Catholics and the decline in the numbers of priests, nuns, etc. but also the cultural bias so many have against Catholics. My sense is that this is because Roman Catholics are the biggest, most prominent church - and because abortion is such a high-order issue for many atheists and nominal Christians. In Chapter 4, Pat deals with The End of White America. He presents some attention-getting statistics from the New York Times: "whites would become a minority in 2042 and would fall to 46 percent of the population by 2050, comprising only 38 percent of U.S. population under 18." I can see the growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. as a potentially positive thing. After all, as Philip Jenkins points out in "The Next Christendom," Hispanics are often devout Roman Catholics. But some of the facts that Pat presents has made me have to reconsider what the growth of illegitimacy, the allegiance of many Hispanics to Mexico, and other factors means for America's future. Chapters 5-10 are necessary ingredients for understanding why Pat Buchanan and others fear the ultimate disintegration of America as we've known it. The push for equality of outcome, the cult of diversity, a nation that doesn't replenish its population and other disintegrating forces all lend strong support to Pat's overall thesis. Pat's final note is a weak one. I agree with him that we should reclaim a Christian culture and traditional religion and morality. However, Pat offers no real advice on how we can do this! If he's right (and I think he is) that culture follows religion, then he should have offered more advice on precisely this point. In spite of a number of limitations I've mentioned, "Suicide of a Superpower" is a provocative, important, and well-written prophesy of where America seems to be headed.
The way we are headed I don't believe America will survive to 2020! I hated Phillip Jenkins book "The Lost History of Christianity" in which he defended Muslim genocide of Christians. It was shocking and disgusting. I have no use for Phillip Jenkins. Pat Buchanan is an anti-Semite and pro-Muslim, so I don't agree with everything he says-he also opposes the troops and the war against radical Islamic terror. I think that by voting for Obama, America voted for its own demise and set events in motion from which there is no turning back. I think that Mark Steyn in his book "After America: Prepare for Armageddon" is correct. These changes and crises are being felt now-not in the 2040s and 2050s!
Islam's Global War on Christianity by Patrick Poole in American Thinker July 5, 2007 From Nigeria to Indonesia, Christians are under siege in virtually every single country in the Muslim world, the victims of countless acts of discrimination, depredation, brutality, and murder that are so widespread and systematic that it can rightfully be called the new Holocaust. This time, however, the perpetrators of this Holocaust aren't wearing swastikas, but kufi skull caps and hijabs. Some of the oldest Christian communities in the world are subject to relentless attack and teeter on the brink of extinction at the hands of the "Religion of Peace": Palestinian Christians in Gaza and the West Bank; Assyrian, Syriac and Chaldean Christians in Iraq; Coptic Christians in Egypt; Evangelical and Orthodox Christians in Eastern Ethiopia and Eritrea; Armenian Orthodox Christians in Turkey; and Maronite Christians in Lebanon. Several of these communities date back to the beginning decades of Christianity and all have weathered wave after wave of Islamic persecution for centuries and more, but in the very near future some will simply cease to exist. In our lifetime, the only trace of their past existence will be in footnotes in history books (and probably only Western history books at that). Meanwhile, we in the West hear much from radical Islam's apologists how the US is engaged in a war against Islam citing of our military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are lectured on the inviolability of the Muslim ummah and justifications of defensive jihad. But an extensive search this past weekend of the websites of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, the Muslim American Society, the Muslim Student Association, the Fiqh Council of North America, and the Muslim Public Affairs Committee - the most visible institutional representatives of Islam in America - found not a single mention or reference of the religious persecution of Christians by their Islamic co-religionists, thereby making them tacit co-conspirators in the Final Solution to the Christian problem in the Muslim world. The global war on Christianity by Islam is so massive in size and scope that it is virtually impossible to describe without trivializing it. Inspired by Muslim Brotherhood ideology and fueled by billions of Wahhabi petrodollars, the religious cleansing of Christians from the Muslim world is continuing at a break-neck pace, as the following recent examples demonstrate. (See the blog…)
On the cover is a picture of the Aramaic/Chinese "Nestorian" monument.
Stephen Missick PO Box 882, Shepherd, TX 77371 www.aramaicherald.blogspot.com
Iraq: In the current issue of the American Spectator, Doug Bandow observes that centuries of dhimmitude have left Christians in the war-torn country without any means of self-defense. Washington policymakers have refused to lend assistance for fear of showing partiality, despite the murder of hundreds of Iraqi Christians, the kidnapping and torture of Christian clerics, the repeated bombings of Christian churches, the torching of Christian businesses, and the flight of close to half of the entire Iraqi Christian population since April 2003. Those who remain have been subject to the imposition of shari'a by the Shi'ite Mahdi Army and Sunni militias (al-Qaeda doesn't bother with such niceties, preferring to murder them immediately instead), including the recent published threat in Mosul of killing one member of every Christian family in that city for Christian women not wearing the hijab and continuing to attend school. (Be sure to remember that the next time an Islamist apologist claims that the hijab is a symbol of women's liberation.)
Egypt: Journalist Magdi Khalil chronicles in a new report ("Another Black Friday for the Coptic Christians of Egypt") the campaign of violence directed against Christian Copts almost weekly immediately following Friday afternoon Muslim prayers. Inspired by Islamist imams preaching religious hatred in mosques all over the country and protected by government officials willing to look the other way, rampaging mobs of Muslims set upon Christians churches, businesses and individuals, from Alexandria to cities all the way up the Nile. Coptic holy days are also favorite times for Muslim violence, which the Egyptian media likes to describe as "sectarian strife" - as if it were actually a two-sided affair.
Gaza: Ethel Fenig recently noted here at American Thinker ("More Gaza Multiculturalism") the systematic destruction of churches and desecration of Christian religious objects by Jihadia Salafiya following the HAMAS takeover of the Gaza Strip from their Fatah rivals and the imposition of Islamic rule. The head of Jihadia Salafiya told reporter Aaron Klein that any suspected Christian missionary activity in the area will be "dealt with harshly". (Ynet News)
Saudi Arabia: According to the Arab News, a Sri Lankan Christian man barely escaped with his life in late May when he was found working in the city of Mecca, Islam's holiest city, which is officially barred to non-Muslims. In December, an Indian man had been sentenced to death for accidentally entering the city, but was spared after the Indian embassy made an urgent appeal to the Saudi Supreme Court.
Pakistan: In Islamabad, Younis Masih was sentenced last month to death under the country's frequently invoked blasphemy laws, which were also used against six Christian women suspended from a nursing school after they were accused of desecrating a Quran. And as protests against Salman Rushdie's knighthood raged, a Muslim mob armed with guns, axes and sticks attacked Christians worshipping in a Salvation Army church in Bismillahlpur Kanthan. (Associated Press; United Press International; Mission News Network)
Bangladesh: Almost a dozen Christian converts in the Nilphamari district were beaten last week by Muslim villagers wielding bricks and clubs, and threatened with death if they did not leave town immediately. Local hospitals subsequently refused them treatment. Christians in the area have also been prevented from using the only potable water well in the area after a pronouncement by religious authorities at the mosque in Durbachari. This came after 42 former Muslims were baptized as Christians in the local river on June 12. (Compass News Direct)
Malaysia: Government authorities demolished a church building on June 4th in Orang Asli settlement in Gua Musang in Ulu Kelantan, despite prior government approval of the project. The church was built on donated property after the entire village had converted to Christianity just a few months ago. Also in late May, the Malaysian high court ruled that Muslims who convert to Christianity must appeal to the religious shari'a courts to officially be deregistered as Muslims and reregistered as a Christians. (Journal Chretien; Associated Press)
Indonesia: Agence France Presse
reported last month on an attack by the Islamic Anti-Apostate Movement, who stormed a church service in a Protestant church in the West Java town of Soreang. The AFP report notes that more than 30 churches have been forced to close in West Java and dozens more throughout the country in recent years due to Muslim violence, churches which were among the few spared during the outbreak of hostilities during 1997-1998, where hundreds of Christian churches were burned to the ground and never rebuilt.
Turkey: The Christian community is still reeling from the torture and ritual slaughter of three Protestants at a Christian publishing house in Malatya in April by an armed Islamist gang, which was preceded by the murder last year of Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in Trabzon and the assassination of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul in January. An additional six men allegedly associated with the same Muslim gang were arrested on May 30th for plotting an attack on a Christian pastor in Diyarbakir. (Lebanon Daily Star; ADKNI)
Cyprus: The Cyprus Mail
reports that during a meeting last month in Rome the Archbishop of the Cypriot Greek Orthodox Church pleaded with the Vatican Secretary of State for the Pope's assistance to pressure Turkish authorities in restoring and repairing Christian sites and churches in areas occupied since the invasion of the island nation by Turkey in July 1974 and the ethnic cleansing of 160,000 Greek Christian Cypriots.
Lebanon: More than 60,000 Christians have left the country since last summer's war between Hezbollah and Israel, fearing the rise of both Sunni and Shi'ite extremism and terrorist activity. The Sunday Telegraph recently revealed the results of a poll finding that at least half of Lebanon's Maronite community were considering leaving the country. More than 100,000 have already submitted visa applications at foreign embassies.
Algeria: In what is considered one of the more "moderate" Muslim regimes, Al-Quds Al-Arabi announced that the Algerian government has just issued regulations requiring advance permission for non-Muslim public events, following a 2006 law aimed at limiting Christian evangelism in the Kabylia region and the Sahara. (MEMRI )
Morocco: In the country that The Economist magazine in 2005 anointed "the best Arab democracy", all Moroccans are considered Muslims at birth and face three years in prison if they attempt to convert. They are also prohibited from entering any of the few churches permitted to operate for the foreign inhabitants of the country. Moroccan Christians must operate covertly for fear of imprisonment by the government and attacks by Islamists. They cannot bury their dead in Christian cemeteries, and they must be married by Islamic authorities or face charges of adultery. Late last year, a 64 year-old German tourist, Sadek Noshi Yassa, was sentenced to six months in jail and fined for missionary activity. (Journal Chretien)
Nigeria: Police in Gombe arrested sixteen suspects after a Muslim mob stoned, stripped, beat, and finally stabbed to death a Christian teacher, Christiana Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin, after she caught a student cheating on an exam in March. Her body was then burned beyond recognition by the mob who falsely accused her of desecrating a Quran. The suspects were released last month without any charges being filed, prompting Christian leaders to accuse government authorities of a cover-up and raising concerns about additional attacks. (Christian Today)
Eritrea: Just a few weeks ago, the Islamic government installed a new Orthodox Patriarch after they removed the previous Patriarch and placed him under house arrest for no stated reason. Compass News Direct reported in February the death of Magos Solomon Semere, a Christian who had been imprisoned in a military jail for four and a half years for illegal Christian worship, the third Christian to die in government custody since October. Authorities have also cracked down on unapproved churches, jailing at least two thousand Protestants and members of the Medhane Alem Orthodox renewal movement since the beginning of the year and publicly burning confiscated Bibles. (Christian Post; Compass News Direct ; Journal Chretien)
It is not an exaggeration to say that I could extend this brief list ad infinitum with additional Islamic countries and news items from just the past few weeks' worth of incidents of violence, discrimination, intimidation and murder targeting Christians in the Muslim world. In many instances, the government and religious authorities in these Muslim countries work hand-in-hand in their campaign of religious persecution.
A scene in the Academy Award-winning movie Schindler's List gives us some insight into what is happening all across the Muslim world with respect to Christianity. As the SS Commandant Amon Göth and his Nazi Stormtroopers prepare to liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Krakow, Poland, Göth (played in the movie by Ralph Fiennes) gives his men a peptalk:
For six centuries there has been a Jewish Krakow. Think about that. By this evening, those six centuries are a rumor. They never happened. Today is history.
This scene is being repeated in the Friday sermons in mosques and on Islamic satellite TV all over the world, only this time it is the Christians in addition to the Jews who are targets. Great efforts are being made to make the two-thousand year history of Christianity in North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia a blasphemous rumor. Soon students in Turkey will be taught that the Hagia Sophia, the greatest architectural structure in the Muslim world, wasn't built by the Christian Emperor Justinian in the Sixth Century, but by the Sultan Mehmed II a thousand years later after the Ottomans seized the Byzantine capital. That Christians lived at all in the Muslim world, let alone that much of the territory occupied by Muslims used to be Christian lands before the Islamic Wars of Conquest, will be nothing but a rumor by the end of this century punishable according to the precepts of shari'a.
President Bush announced last week that he will be sending a special envoy to the 57-member Organization of Islamic Countries. Hopefully, the systematic persecution of Christians and other religious minorities will be the first and primary item in the new envoy's portfolio, with the 2007 annual report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, which name virtually every single country in the OIC for its human rights abuses and religious cleansing, as evidence for our country's concern.
The fact remains that not a single Christian or Jew lives in peace in the Muslim world, and if it is truly our nation's foreign policy to spread democracy around the world, this issue is the perfect topic for us to press. Back at home, raising Islam's global war on Christianity should be the immediate response to the seemingly endless media grievance machine of radical Islam's Western apologists. Until they begin to address the new Holocaust perpetrated in the name of Islam, their complaints and denials are nothing but bald hypocrisy.


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When I first started the Superhero Alphabet cross-stitch, I didn't have a specific person or project in mind. I just thought it was super cute and that something would eventually come up. A month later, we found out that a new baby boy would be joining our family in September - and the bonus is that the dad was really into comic books as a kid. Sometimes all the stars line up just right and you get the perfect project for just the right person!
It's a pretty big pillow - 20" square - and it had its bumps along the way (eagle eyed readers can see how I fixed it...not majorly happy with it, but it was better than an unsightly color void that was unfixable any other way), but the pattern is just so adorable and the Robert Kaufman Illustration Ink fabrics are the perfect accompaniment!
I sashed the cross stitch in the two tone black dot and backed it in a portion of the superhero panel that I also used to make the cuddle blanket. And I still have some of that panel left over that I have in mind for another project for work!
This was also the first time that I tried an invisible zipper closure instead of an envelope for the pillow back. I followed the tutorial from Jacquie Gering's Quilting Modern book. It was really simple to follow and I love the clean look it gives the whole pillow!
If I had to pick some of my favorite supers on here, I'd go for two that I would have never expected:
The Hulk - not my favorite character, but I kept cracking myself up as I was embroidering the details for the nipples and rippling abs. Who would have guessed such a thing existed in the cross stitch world?
So now the package is in the mail and off to decorate a super little nursery. I hope that the pillow and blanket are loved as much as this new little baby will be!
Linking up:


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Fedora 11 is now available. Many friends of mine have tested it and the first impression are very good. The trend now is to install x64 version in which more packages are available.
To download the new version of fedora, go to this adress :
And have fun
dimanche 14 juin 2009
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Michael Carroll will testify today at 1:00 before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet on the topic "Moral Rights, Termination Rights, Resale Royalty, and Copyright Term." The full witness list for the hearing is available here. The full text of Michael Carroll's prepared statement (PDF) follows:
Chairman Coble, Ranking Member Nadler, Chairman Goodlatte, Ranking Member Conyers, and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Michael Carroll, and I am a member of the faculty at American University Washington College of Law, where I direct the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and serve as the Public Lead for Creative Commons USA. Creative Commons USA is the United States' project that works under the terms of an agreement with Creative Commons, Inc., a global non-profit corporation headquartered in California. Creative Commons has agreements with projects in more than 70 countries through which the local project is authorized to represent Creative Commons at the national level. Creative Commons and Creative Commons USA have some experiences and legal tools that are relevant to the topics of today's hearing.


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Mountain Green Ski & Golf Resort 2-F4 Across the Street from the Lifts
Mountain Green Ski & Golf Resort 2-F4 Across the Street from the Lifts
This comfortable two bedroom is located in building 2 at Mountain Green with prime skiing right across the road. The condo has an open floor plan with a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, stove/oven, microwave, refrigerator. Dining area with table with seating for 6, living room with wood burning fireplace, queen sofa sleeper, flat screen TV, cable, Wi-Fi and slider doors that lead out to a deck with views of the woods. In the bedroom, there is a queen bed, flat screen TV with cable. Bedroom two has (2) twin beds, Two Bathroom, (1) Full bath with a combo tub/shower.
Download our "Killington Vacation Guide" app to help plan your vacation in Killington. Complimentary membership to the Resort Spa on-site amenities which includes a 54-foot heated indoor swimming pool, 2 hot tubs one of them new, sauna, eucalyptus steam room, full gym w/ weight room and cardio machines, racquetball court, locker/changing room w/ showers, towel service, and available massage. There is a restaurant/Bar, a grocery/deli market, the Black Dog Ski Shop with equipment and rentals at reasonable prices and a Gift Shop. All of these amenities are located on the resort premises. Outdoor heated pool open during the summer! Walk or take the free 2-minute Shuttle Bus to the lifts that will stop every 15 minutes on weekends and every 30 minutes on the weekdays directly from right outside our front door. During the winter season, there is also a free shuttle service for after hour dining and entertainment/night life. Free secure parking - 24 hour Security/Maintenance, parking garage, this beautiful resort has it all. If skiing is not your thing Killington offers snow tubing ( the river in the summer), snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice skating, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, antiquing, shopping, spas, tennis, golf (Killington Golf Course adjacent), and the Killington Adventure Center. (Disclaimer - Resort spa, restaurant, grocery/deli, ski shop and gift shop open during ski season only)(Disclaimer - Pets are not allowed in condos as per Mountain Green condo association agreement)


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At first blush, it might seem like the clock is ticking on Fernando Bezerra's days as a Brazilian Cabinet minister. Yet it appears that Bezerra, who has denied any wrongdoing, and most other ministers under a cloud of suspicion are going to keep their jobs. President Dilma Rousseff is backing off her plans for a major Cabinet reshuffle early this year, having decided that she needs their parties' support to pass key economic legislation (Reuters).
But the government announced that Aloizio Mercadante, current Science and Technology Minister, will take over the Education Ministry, a move that is expected to usher in other cabinet changes. Fernando Haddad (pictured), until now the Education Minister, is leaving to run for mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, in local elections in October. Marco Antonio Raupp, current head of Brazil's Space Agency, will be named as the new science and technology minister (Xinhua).
A federal court in northeastern Brazil has sentenced a former politician to 103 years in prison for killing a member of Congress so he could take her place in 1998 (The New York Times).
The Brazilian federal government paid oil royalties of R$12.99 billion in 2011, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) announced last week. This represents an increase of 31 percent from the previous year. The largest chunk, R$8.28 billion, went to states and municipalities with Rio de Janeiro as the state receiving the most at R$2.46 billion, up from R$2.03 billion in 2010 (The Rio Times).
Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff, has quickly stepped out of the shadow of her charismatic predecessor Lula. After one year in office, she is more popular than any former president was at this stage. She has surrounded herself with powerful women, who are now calling the shots in Brasília (Der Spiegel).
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The UK is launching its strongest diplomatic offensive in Latin America for two centuries, the foreign secretary has said as he visits Brazil. William Hague is the first UK foreign secretary to visit for six years. He said the UK welcomed Brazil's "growing impact on the economic and political landscape of the world" (BBC).
Rising tension over a dispute between Britain and Argentina on the Falkland Islands overshadowed the first official visit by British Foreign Secretary William Hague to Brazil. Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said all Latin American nations "back Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas and back the UN resolutions calling on the Argentine and British governments to hold talks on the issue" (AFP).
The Brazilian government is looking to change the way its immigration policy is oriented towards highly-skilled foreign professionals wanting to work in the country. Some commentators say that Brazil wants to lure skilled workers from Europe made unemployed in the economic downturn, at the same time as a crackdown against illegal workers has also been announced (The Rio Times).
Industry and Foreign Trade minister Fernando Pimentel expressed the Brazilian government's deep disappointment with the latest Argentine legislation to be implemented on trade saying that Argentina is "a permanent problem" (MercoPress).
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica and former leader Lula da Silva, under treatment for larynx cancer, said in Sao Paulo that they would like to have a group of Latin American intellectuals involved in the discussion and promotion of regional integration as a doctrine (MercoPress).
Brazil is the new – and fairly unknown – kid on the block in Africa, but its activities are arousing a growing interest around the world. Considering that Brazil does not need to import energy nor food (important motivating factors for both China and India), what are Brazil's interests in Africa? (Oliver Stuenkel in Postwesternworld)
Brazil remains open to offering assistance to ailing economies through the International Monetary Fund, though it is seeking a political commitment to reforming the institution as part of the discussions, a government official familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires.
Embraer expects to sell its Super Tucano light attack aircraft to more NATO nations after clinching an order from the United States that lifted the company into the upper echelons of global defense contractors, a top executive told Reuters.
The Brazilian Navy took delivery of its first 7.6 m LAR-E (Lancha de Ação Rápida – Especial) protected light fast attack boat from the Base Naval de Val-de-Cães (BNVC) shipyard in Belém on 2 January. The LAR-E programme could see the construction of more than 300 units for the navy (Marinha do Brasil/MB), army and federal police (Janes).
Brazil is modernizing its navy with new acquisitions to continue expansion of the naval forces' responsibilities in regular patrolling of lakes and rivers, a role normally played by the coast guard and other security arms of national defense (UPI).
Brazil and Colombia will enter into a bilateral border agreement to combat organized crime. The measure was discussed last Tuesday (Jan. 17) in Brasilia between the Colombian Minister of Defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón Bueno, and his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim. The Colombian delegation is on an official visit to Brazil with the objective of strengthening military cooperation between the two countries (Portal Brasil).
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Despite the considerable growth and social progress registered in the past years, inequality remains high in Brazil, a study said. Brazil has made significant efforts and achievements in poverty reduction in the past two decades, a study released by Oxfam said. "Brazil's growth averaged 2.5 percent a year from 1990 to 2009 and was accompanied by falling inequality," the study said. "Over this period, the proportion of Brazilians living in poverty was cut in half" (Xinhua).
Brazilian families' economic vulnerability indicator fell 14 percent in six years, indicating significant advances in several aspects, a study said. According to the Brazilian Families' Vulnerability study released by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea), the country's vulnerability indicator dropped from 27 percent in 2003 to 23.1 percent in 2009 (Xinhua).
Facebook has passed Google's Orkut as the most visited social network in Brazil, new figures suggest. Research from analytics firm Comscore suggests Facebook attracted 36.1 million unique visitors in December, against Orkut's 34.4 million visitors (BBC).
Problems in the Brazilian public health system (doctors on strike, equipment and material shortfalls and, once in a while, someone dying in line waiting to see a doctor) could be resolved if corruption was eliminated. At least that is what 82% of the people interviewed in a public opinion poll said (Agencia Brasil).


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Travellers on safari go to considerable effort to see animals in their natural habitat but one honeymooning couple found they were the ones under observation when a curious cheetah pounced on the roof of their car to look at them through an open sunroof.
From Washington DC, newlyweds Edgar and Stacie Cobos were on a safari game drive in the Serengeti when the predator leapt onto their vehicle. Spread over 14 per cent of Tanzania, the Serengeti is a protected reserve that houses an exceptionally varied collection of wildlife. Among the natural phenomena that can be witnessed there is the great migration, when almost two million wildebeest move through the region en masse. Visitors who want to see big cats in the wild might encounter lions and leopards in addition to cheetahs, and the Serengeti is also home to rhinos, buffalos and elephants.
Mr and Mrs Cobos were exploring the area while staying at the Serengeti Safari Camp. A luxury mobile camp positioned in northern Tanzania, it features just six tents and is repositioned throughout the year so guests remain in close proximity to the passing migration and can observe the abundance of wildlife that follow it. Residents at the camp have use of a library and bar and dine together at a communal table each evening.
As for the cheetah that took such a keen interest in the couple, it remained in place long enough for the unnerved passengers below to cautiously photograph the event before losing interest and moving on.
Tourists who want to see cheetahs in the Serengeti are most likely to make sightings in February, when the grass is short. The number of big cats in Africa has dropped by 95 per cent in 50 years and there are now just 8,000 cheetahs roaming in the wild.
On their safari columnists also had a remarkable encounter with cheetahs in the Serengeti, where one of the big cats jumped on the bonnet of their 4x4.


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Well, I went and saw this movie in a larger area - and the theater was packed. We had to sit in the front portion of the theater, which I am not a huge fan of. But, despite being so close and not having the greatest view of the screen, the movie itself went off without a hitch. Until, the theater received a power surge and we lost sound for a key part of the movie. But, I got over it - then the movie shut off completely. Finally, they restarted it (not completely but about 10 minutes before the sound went out) - I used this opportunity to use the rest room, then finished the movie. To my surprise - as we departed we got free movie tickets - not bad for a few minutes of problems.
Now onto the actual movie.
So, seven years later, we get yet another reboot.
After the success of the Marvel films and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy it was only logical for DC to get its favorite (possibly second) hero back onto the big screen - and we got him in the form of Henry Cavill.
I have to admit, I have only seen the original Superman film starring Reeve, and it wasn't until a few years ago. Honestly, I wasn't that big of a fan. So, the reboot is pretty much my first real look into Superman.
Krypton is about to explode because of years of depleting natural resources. For years, the only children born on Krypton have been manufactured - except the brand new baby of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara (Antje Traue). In order to maintain the race - and save their son - they infuse his cells with a codex of the entire Kryptonian race and ship him off to planet Earth.
General Zod (Michael Shannon), though, was banished from the planet along with those who worked with him and was able to survive the destruction of the planet. And, he promises to remake Krypton and track down Kal-El.
Kal-El, renamed Clark Kent, is raised as a regular child by Martha (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner). Because of the sun, Clark becomes extremely powerful and needs to learn to control those powers in order to blend in.
But, after his Earth father was killed and Zod has located him on the planet, it is up to him to protect his adopted planet before it gets destroyed.
This movie was far from perfect, but it was pretty darn entertaining - and the absolute best Superman film I have ever seen. It is also a great starting out point - I can definitely see how this film sets up so many more great films in the future.
It was a pretty good origin story, but that is the problem with new movies, the origin story - most people already know how Superman came about, but it still must be told to reboot the franchise. And, it was done well - and as much as I enjoyed it and was entertained, I do think the next set of films will be even better. Including the much anticipated Justice League film.
I actually thought the acting in the film was pretty great. Crowe and Costner stand out, and Shannon was great as Zod. Cavill is pretty new to me - but I thought he looked the part of Superman and balanced his strengths with his struggles. Even the secondary characters were great - with Christopher Meloni, Harry Lennix, Laurence Fishburne and Richard Schiff all being great actors.
I have really come to like Amy Adams, and I feel she will be a great Lois Lane, but I felt in this movie she just wasn't given that much to do. And, honestly, the romance between her and Superman felt sort of forced.
Tons of action. I mean tons. Which in a Superman film about an almost unstoppable alien race fighting on Earth, that should happen. And it was great.


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