IED - The new BS bellwether

IED - Improvised Explosive Device.

For me this is the new bellwether of fear and BS.

Listen and look at how it's used in Government releases and Media reports. It's the new butter for the fear-churn. WMD is tainted, IED is fresh and exciting!

IED - "I can't believe it's not WMD".

It seems as though IED is now becoming a useful acronym to wrap with fear, uncertainty and doubt.

What can we do?

• Take note of where IED is used and how it is used.
  
• Point out BS occurences of IED to other people
  

US Airports are completely secure

On the American ABC there was a video called "Airports flunk bomb test".

The video link is: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1736851

The story is concerned primarily with chemicals being taken through security that would allow construction of an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) on the other side of the detectors. The story finishes with responses by DHS (Department of Homeland Security).

According to ABC - "Homeland Security has admitted it is especially worried about explosive devices slipping through...[it] recently cut back on the list of banned items so that screeners could concentrate on looking for bomb-making material".

Once again the fear of dreaded nail clipper has proved to be a waste of time and resources.


What was the response from DHS, considering that they are worried about explosive devices slipping through?

According to ABC - "Homeland Security labelled these these tests as far fetched saying - ' While random items commonly found under a kitchen sink could conceivably be concocted into an IED, there are so many things that could go wrong with this hypothetical scenario that we find it highly implausible.' "

Great, the response is not to worry about it because you're just being worried by spin and fear. It's fortunate for the world that we only get truth from the DHS. Truth such as the following:

According to ABC - "And they added - 'Our layers of Security are very strong and the American public should be confident in the system' "

Phew, I was almost beginning to think that an international organisation of dedicated fighters with millions of dollars at their disposal, time on their side, fanatical devotion to their cause and more reasons every year to attack might actually be able to crack the DHS Security. Now I can sit back in peaceful oblivion here in Australia knowing that our own Homeland Security has yet another great lead to follow.

What can we do?

• Tell other people how ludicrous the security measures are.
  
• When you're at an airport, question the security people when you get a chance. Make them spend time articulating their policies and ask how it actually protects.
  

e-Currencies

I'm thrilled to the back teeth to see e-Currencies strengthen. It's a concept that I've only recently become aware of, and am already starting to get excited about.

In my understanding, in it's purest sense an e-Currency is a currency purportedly without nation or government that allows a non-currency exchange based transaction between entities.

Good old wikipedia has some references and links here:

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=21285508&postID=114172759898792320

As an example of e-Currency, here's some information on a popular one - e-gold.

e-Gold (www.e-gold.com)

e-Gold is explained pretty well in this article (which also takes quotes from e-gold):

http://www.blonnet.com/ew/2002/11/06/stories/2002110600310100.htm

They explain the following:

"e-gold, quite simply, is an electronic currency issued by a company. ... , its currency is backed fully and at all times by gold bullion in allocated storage."

"Thus, e-gold is ideally suited for international transactions. Although e-gold is accounted by weight, the e-gold payment system allows spends to be expressed in terms of the eight major national currencies currently so accepted. For example, it's possible to spend 10 troy oz worth of e-gold or 5.3 grams worth of e-gold or US $100.00 worth of e-gold or CHF 685.88 worth of e-gold. This basically means that a Canadian, say, can pay a German or a Japanese can pay an Australian the correct weight of gold (e-gold) for a good or service as easily as if the price had been quoted in his own national currency."

"The bullion is held in the form of certified good delivery bars"

"...the company modestly identifies itself as a Nevis corporation. ... A Nevis corporation is one that is incorporated in the Island of Nevis ... It is currently a member of the Federation of St Kitts & Nevis, a sovereign, independent nation and a member of both the British Commonwealth and the United Nations. "

I expect that will be the regular assortment of scams by preying individuals and government misinformation (in fact if you read the whole article above which mentions the Reserve Bank of India you'll see some common nervousness).

To me this ushers in a new era where we can control our financial transactions, independent of government interference and busybodying. This personal power and responsibility can only be a good thing.

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this service and way of doing business
• Experiment with it ourselves. Use a tiny bit of money to find out your own reality.
  
• Think for ourselves

V-Chip Insanity

An article in PC Mag reveals a new and improved way to ensure censorship:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1930598,00.asp

Hallelujiah the new V-Chip (v.gis) has arrived! Finally we can get rid of another responsibility. Tuck that cotton wool in mummy-government, I'm getting more comfortable.

This is the new version of the V-Chip that allows a broadcast to be filtered based on it's rating. This new chip is programmable and can be changed to incorporate future rating changes. This begs the questions: who will control future rating changes; how many will be implemented; what say will we have? Those of you who think will know the answers to these three questions:

1) The government

2) As many is necessary to ensure that someone else's will is forced upon us (eg an anti-government rating?)

3) As much say as we have now. ;(

From the article:
"The FCC rules require that if you are selling a digital television receiver product you must include this [open V-chip] capability,"

"must". MUST? - who on earth do these people think they are? What right do they have to tell us what we "must" watch. Unfortunately the response by a lazy majority of people will be "baaaah".

While it is a cliche now, it is also the undeniable and practical truth - "If you don't want to watch it, turn it off!"

When will we start paying taxes for government officials to come round and wipe our bums? (the answer obviously is after a government sub-committee on Adult Hygeine has spent 3 years doing a feasability study with our money followed by trial runs in a small town receiving a grant to shut up about the skewed statistics that will be released to support what the do-gooders want done in the first place).

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this issue
• Contact manufacturers and ask for them to make it easily disabled.
  
• Write to your local and federal politicians and ask for it to be optional.
  
• Write into local and national newspapers and express your disgust.
  
• Call in to radio and tv stations
  
• Think for ourselves

The Messiah Complex

I wonder if each of us has a desire or a subconscious need within ourselves to be a Messiah? What I think of as "The Messiah Complex" seems to manifest itself as a desire to help people.

When this help is rejected it sets up an almost negative reaction and is treated as a bit of a slap in the face, even though we may realise that we were trying to help without being asked.

Correspondingly, when our help is accepted there can be satisfaction and sometimes even a feeling of joy within.

The desire to help may be the same start that has sparked figures throughout history to exceed and excel and become accepted as a Messiah.

Lying Politicians

Here's a link to another story about a politician lying (in this case US pollie Cheney):

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1567014.htm

US Vice-President Dick Cheney directed his aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby to use classified material to discredit a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq war effort, the National Journal has reported...

...Libby, Mr Cheney's former chief of staff, faces perjury and other charges in the leak of the identity of Wilson's wife Valerie Plame, a move that effectively ended her career at the CIA.

There is no way that I can say that I have not lied, I have. Knowing that I am flawed means I must temper my disgust with politicians lying. What I find hard to accept is that their lies kill people and take my freedom. It is also an "accepted" part of the political "game" and the sheeple do nothing about it.

How often do you have conversations with people about politicions lying and getting a snort and a shrug?

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this issue
• Write to your local and federal politicians
• Write into local and national newspapers
• Call in to radio and tv stations
  
• Think for ourselves

Delicious Coat of Arms recipe

The roo and emu turned out to be a delicious way to celebrate Australia Day.
I seared the roo fillet in some ghee in a pan and then rubbed in a premixed selection of Australian and Thai spices. I deglazed the pan with a Barossa shiraz and strained it as a sauce.

For the emu I put it in a casserole dish and rubbed it with some honey, wattle seed, lemon myrtle and bush pepperberries. The juice after the baking was then also strained and used as a sauce.

I served it with a selection of cubed and roasted pumpkin, potato, sweet potato and carrot. I also warmed some slices of mango with finely cut shallots.

What did I learn?

• The coat of arms is a tastly dish
• Cook the roo and the emu only to medium rare (medium makes them tougher)
• Use a very small amount of pepperberries (1/10th of regular pepper)
  

Australian Coat of Arms - Delicious!

Australia Day - Eat the Coat of Arms

I live in a country that has the most delicious Coat of Arms in the world - a Kangaroo and an Emu.
Both of these animals are delicious meat, low in fat and low in cholesterol. They also do less damage to the environment than cattle or sheep.
On Australia Day I like to enjoy a portion of Kangaroo and Emu and feel lucky that I live where I do.
The more of us that eat Kangaroo and Emu, the greater the demand and the bigger the industry.
Restaurants could hold Australia Day competitons.
We could have a national competition to create the definitive Coat of Arms dish.

Ultimately I believe that we can help Australia by eating the Coat of Arms.

By the way, the Kangaroo and Emu were picked because neither of them can walk backwards.

Life is good

National ID card for Australia

The National ID card is another victory for terrorists. Be they radical muslims, christians, jews or athiests the people who wish to terrorise our way of life must be laughing at our self-inflicted restrictions.

I don't know if I'm more disgusted with the lies from our fellow citizens in Government or with the sheep-like aquiesence of the rest of society.

Just how many rights are people prepared to lose in this mythical search for safety?

The Australian Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, assured us last year that a National ID card was not going to be an option :

(http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Govt-rules-out-national-ID-card-scheme/2005/07/12/1120934230285.html)
"Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told a national security conference in Canberra on Tuesday the government was trawling through databases, including Medicare and the Australian Tax Office, to cross reference Australian identities.
He said properly identifying Australians was the first step towards creating a national identity card but promised the government had no plans to do so."

It now transpires that the National ID card been placed firmly on the agenda in the form of an inquiry (http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1548013.htm). We have let the Government lie to us once again. In addition to a number we are also allowing these "rights parasites" to entertain the following disgusting possibilities for the card:

(http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17877336%255E2702,00.html)
"Human Services is consulting closely with the Attorney-General's Department on the services card's numbering system and on what biometric details - such as fingerprints or photographs - should be on it."

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this issue
• Write to your local and federal politicians
• Think for ourselves
  

Ardeet's Soapbox - The Beginning

Welcome to my soapbox.

What concerns me will be addressed.
What doesn't concern me will be ignored.

Feel free to interact and feel free to ignore.

Regards,
Ardeet