Global Nation Organization

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Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
- Emma Lazarus, from the Statue of Liberty

It was forty-eight years ago when my family immigrated to the United States. I was only two, so I do not remember any of it, but my brothers have told a dramatic story of sailing into New York harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty.

My parents knew a little English, my brothers and I none. Wishing to be part of American society we all set out learning the language. For my parents it was a little more difficult with their time being consumed by raising a family and work, but they did learn English quite well. Within a few years we all applied for citizenship. I remember them giving me a booklet with information on American history, the government and the Constitution as a study guide. At seven my mother took me into Manhattan. I sat in a government office, my examiner sat at his desk across from me. He started asking me questions. I was so nervous, but I must have passed because soon after that I received my naturalization certificate.

On September 27, 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officially completed a redesign of the citizenship exam to “create a more standardized, fair, and meaningful naturalization process.” The new exam was designed to better test Civics and American History in the hope it will offer new citizens an opportunity to show they clearly understand American democracy, as well as the “rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”

The citizenship exam questions are drawn from a pool of 100 questions. Below are those questions and their answers. Even if you were born in the U.S., or lived here for dozens of years, this is a good refresher on the basics of American governance, American History and Civics.

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

A: Principles of American Democracy
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
▪ the Constitution
2. What does the Constitution do?
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
▪ We the People
4. What is an amendment?
▪ a change (to the Constitution)
▪ an addition (to the Constitution)
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
▪ the Bill of Rights
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
▪ speech
▪ religion
▪ assembly
▪ press
▪ petition the government
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
▪ twenty-seven (27)
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
▪ announced our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ declared our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? ▪ life
▪ liberty
▪ pursuit of happiness
10. What is freedom of religion?
▪ You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
11. What is the economic system in the United States?* ▪ capitalist economy
▪ market economy
12. What is the “rule of law”?
▪ Everyone must follow the law.
▪ Leaders must obey the law.
▪ Government must obey the law.
▪ No one is above the law.

B: System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.*
▪ Congress
▪ legislative
▪ President
▪ executive
▪ the courts
▪ judicial
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
▪ checks and balances
▪ separation of powers
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
▪ the President
16. Who makes federal laws?
▪ Congress
▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)
▪ (U.S. or national) legislature
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?* ▪ the Senate and House (of Representatives)- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
▪ one hundred (100)
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
▪ six (6)
20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators?*
Answers will vary. [For District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories, the answer is that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.]
21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
▪ four hundred thirty-five (435)
22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
▪ two (2)
23. Name your U.S. Representative.
▪ Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]
24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
▪ all people of the state
25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? ▪ (because of) the state’s population
▪ (because) they have more people
▪ (because) some states have more people
26. We elect a President for how many years? ▪ four (4)
27. In what month do we vote for President?*
▪ November
28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
▪ George W. Bush
▪ George Bush
▪ Bush
29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? ▪ Richard Cheney
▪ Dick Cheney
▪ Cheney
30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
▪ the Vice President
31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
▪ the Speaker of the House
32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
▪ the President- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk. www.uscis.gov
33. Who signs bills to become laws?
▪ the President
34. Who vetoes bills? ▪ the President
35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
▪ advises the President
36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
▪ Secretary of Agriculture
▪ Secretary of Commerce
▪ Secretary of Defense
▪ Secretary of Education
▪ Secretary of Energy
▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services
▪ Secretary of Homeland Security
▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
▪ Secretary of Interior
▪ Secretary of State
▪ Secretary of Transportation
▪ Secretary of Treasury
▪ Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs
▪ Secretary of Labor
▪ Attorney General
37. What does the judicial branch do?
▪ reviews laws
▪ explains laws
▪ resolves disputes (disagreements)
▪ decides if a law goes against the Constitution
38. What is the highest court in the United States?
▪ the Supreme Court
39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court? ▪ nine (9)
40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States?
▪ John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
▪ to print money
▪ to declare war
▪ to create an army
▪ to make treaties- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? ▪ provide schooling and education
▪ provide protection (police)
▪ provide safety (fire departments)
▪ give a driver’s license
▪ approve zoning and land use
43. Who is the Governor of your state?
▪ Answers will vary. [Residents of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories without a Governor should say “we don’t have a Governor.”]
44. What is the capital of your state?*
▪ Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]
45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*
▪ Democratic and Republican
46. What is the political party of the President now? ▪ Republican (Party)
47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
▪ (Nancy) Pelosi

C: Rights and Responsibilities
48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote).
49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote
50. What are two rights only for United States citizens?
▪ apply for a federal job
▪ vote
▪ run for office
▪ carry a U.S. passport
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
▪ freedom of expression
▪ freedom of speech
▪ freedom of assembly
▪ freedom to petition the government
▪ freedom of worship
▪ the right to bear arms- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? ▪ the United States
▪ the flag
53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
▪ give up loyalty to other countries
▪ defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
▪ obey the laws of the United States
▪ serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
▪ serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
▪ be loyal to the United States
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*
▪ eighteen (18) and older
55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? ▪ vote
▪ join a political party
▪ help with a campaign
▪ join a civic group
▪ join a community group
▪ give an elected official your opinion on an issue
▪ call Senators and Representatives
▪ publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
▪ run for office
▪ write to a newspaper
56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?* ▪ April 15
57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
▪ at age eighteen (18)
▪ between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

AMERICAN HISTORY

A: Colonial Period and Independence
58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
▪ freedom
▪ political liberty
▪ religious freedom
▪ economic opportunity
▪ practice their religion
▪ escape persecution- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
▪ Native Americans
▪ American Indians
60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
▪ Africans
▪ people from Africa
61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
▪ because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
▪ because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
▪ because they didn’t have self-government
62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
▪ (Thomas) Jefferson
63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
▪ July 4, 1776
64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Massachusetts
▪ Rhode Island
▪ Connecticut
▪ New York
▪ New Jersey
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Delaware
▪ Maryland
▪ Virginia
▪ North Carolina
▪ South Carolina
▪ Georgia
65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
▪ The Constitution was written.
▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
66. When was the Constitution written?
▪ 1787
67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
▪ (James) Madison
▪ (Alexander) Hamilton
▪ (John) Jay
▪ Publius- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
▪ U.S. diplomat
▪ oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
▪ first Postmaster General of the United States
▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
▪ started the first free libraries
69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
▪ (George) Washington
70. Who was the first President?*
▪ (George) Washington
B: 1800s
71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
▪ the Louisiana Territory
▪ Louisiana
72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
▪ War of 1812
▪ Mexican-American War
▪ Civil War
▪ Spanish-American War
73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
▪ the Civil War
▪ the War between the States
74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
▪ slavery
▪ economic reasons
▪ states’ rights
75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
▪ freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
▪ saved (or preserved) the Union
▪ led the United States during the Civil War
76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
▪ freed the slaves
▪ freed slaves in the Confederacy
▪ freed slaves in the Confederate states
▪ freed slaves in most Southern states
77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
▪ fought for women’s rights
▪ fought for civil rights- - * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
▪ World War I
▪ World War II
▪ Korean War
▪ Vietnam War
▪ (Persian) Gulf War
79. Who was President during World War I?
▪ (Woodrow) Wilson
80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
▪ (Franklin) Roosevelt
81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
▪ World War II
83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
▪ Communism
84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
▪ civil rights (movement)
85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
▪ fought for civil rights
▪ worked for equality for all Americans
86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
▪ Terrorists attacked the United States.
87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
[Adjudicators will be supplied with a complete list.]
▪ Cherokee
▪ Navajo
▪ Sioux
▪ Chippewa
▪ Choctaw
▪ Pueblo
▪ Apache
▪ Iroquois
▪ Creek
▪ Blackfeet
▪ Seminole
▪ Cheyenne
▪ Arawak
▪ Shawnee
▪ Mohegan
▪ Huron-0-
▪ Oneida
▪ Lakota
▪ Crow
▪ Teton
▪ Hopi
▪ Inuit

INTEGRATED CIVICS

A: Geography
88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
▪ Missouri (River)
▪ Mississippi (River)
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
▪ Pacific (Ocean)
90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
▪ Atlantic (Ocean)
91. Name one U.S. territory.
▪ Puerto Rico
▪ U.S. Virgin Islands
▪ American Samoa
▪ Northern Mariana Islands
▪ Guam
92. Name one state that borders Canada.
▪ Maine
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Vermont
▪ New York
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Ohio
▪ Michigan
▪ Minnesota
▪ North Dakota
▪ Montana
▪ Idaho
▪ Washington
▪ Alaska
93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
▪ California
▪ Arizona
▪ New Mexico
▪ Texas

* If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk. www.uscis.gov

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This article is about electronic dating, but even more so about the meaning of identity. What has this got to do with Frankenstein, Stalin, the Internet and the search for the ideal partner?

Wikipedia. Org writes, quote: “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is an 1818 novel written by Mary Shelley at the age of 19, first published anonymously in London, but more often known by the revised third edition of 1831 under her own name. It is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. The title refers to a scientist who learns how to reanimate flesh and creates a being in the likeness of man out of body parts taken from the dead. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to Frankenstein’s monster as “Frankenstein” (especially in films since 1930). It was also a warning against the “over-reaching” of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel’s subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. Unquote”
Well stated. Human beings seem to have the inherent tendency to shape the world according to their wishes, and, more often, desires. And there remains the question, what identity is about, in the first place. As always, there is a field of different opinions.
One of the most radical ideas expressed about identity is the one by Russia’s dictator Stalin. He came, some eighty years ago, to the conclusion that the individuum is the spot, “where certain qualities and influences come together.” It meant that human beings could be generated and molded at will – to create the ideal communist cross-bread. Great stuff. Accordingly, he had military vehicles built for the standard, average soldiers. There was no button to shift the seat. One year, there was a shortage of food in the country. It motivated the dictator to kill the (excess) folks, who couldn’t be fed. Wikipedio. Org writes, quote:
“ Confiscations of grain and other food by the Soviet authorities under his orders contributed to a famine between 1932 and 1934, especially in the key agricultural regions of the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and North Caucasus that resulted in millions of deaths. Many peasants resisted collectivization and grain confiscations, but were repressed, most notably well-off peasants deemed “kulaks“.” unquote.
The other extreme is the ideal of the loner, fully in control of him- or herself, a integrated cosmos of mind, wishes, beliefs, only resonsible to himself, and far away from the rest. Some kind of egomaniac Howard Hughes, I presume.
I believe there are at least three levels of identity:
1.     The so-called physical identity, documented by passport, identity card, fingerprint, driving license, eye color, body parameters;
2.     An emotional identity – the outer world one is connected to – families, clans, husbands, wives, pets, parishes, political parties, sokker clubs etc. It could be compared to a ring of mushrooms – sticking out off the ground alone, but connected by rootlets in the topsoil.
3.     A spiritual level. Affinities here are difficult to define, and may transcend our current notion of time and space.
Not surprisingly, human beings have come up with different concepts of happiness. On one hand lies the happiness of the loner, who’s in control of everything.  The other extreme exemplifies the happiness of giving up and becoming member of a larger entity, which saves precious mental brainpower, and lets emotions run wild.
Others again give up the physical realm and dwell in spiritual spheres.
Assuming we don’t get spiritually ballistic or indulge in perfect loneliness, one wishes to have a partner. But how to find the right one? Electronic dating suggests to tie up with a large database, and combine the elements of desire according to one’s past experiences of happiness. This means assembling elements and aspects of long-gone temporary happiness into something new and hopefully rewarding – kind of a Hollywood remake. It’s a looking-backwards approach, that blocks possibilities of a genuine new experience, and what life really has got to offer. It also means carving out “the ideal” partner personality from reality – by ignoring such vital elements as family, and emotional identity.
In brief, electronic dating is a mix of Stalin, Frankenstein, Howard Hughes and other approaches. Congratulations! Push the orange button and you’re going to meet your Ms. or Mr.  Frankenstein.
© 2007 by Franz L Kessler
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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The World Health Organization reports that between 100 and 140 million women have suffered some degree of genital mutilation, with each year another 2 million girls fall into risk of being mutilated. That is an enormous number of girls and women. To put it in perspective: there are in total 150 million females in the United States. Personally, I would like to mutilate all the men that think it is okay to deprive a woman of her womanhood, unfortunately that isn’t possible (yet). So instead I will feel outraged, but maybe not entirely powerless.

I ask, what type of culture would allow millions of women to be denied their innate sexual pleasure? Mind you, this is a cultural phenomenon and not strictly guided by religious practice. How awful for the mothers who were forced to suffer life without pleasure only to then watch their own daughters undergo the same indignity. After all, regardless of how bad one’s life is, at the very least we can be assured the sublime pleasure of orgasm. Of course if you are a girl living in a patriarchal society where women are regarded as nothing more than inconvenient baggage, you may have been denied that inalienable right.

Thankfully there is some hope. In this weeks The Economist magazine, there is an article on a surgical procedure that helps restore some sensation to the millions of women who have been denied the pleasure within their bodies. The following is a reprint of that article:

Female genital mutilation

A cut less cruel
Sep 13th 2007 | OUAGADOUGOU
From The Economist print edition

An attempt to restore sexual sensation to women whose genitals have been cut

A QUARTER of a century after the start of campaigns to stop communities from maiming their young women, the practice still goes on. Female genital mutilation, to give it its proper name, ranges from a straightforward nick to the complete excision of the clitoris and labia with the remaining genitals sewn up, leaving only a small opening. It is done for cultural reasons in many African countries but also in Asia and the Middle East. The World Health Organisation estimates that some 3m girls are subjected to the procedure each year and that, in total, between 100m and 140m women have undergone it. But now surgeons are working to repair some of the damage.

Surgery to reopen the vagina and mitigate the medical complications of genital cutting has long been available. But in Burkina Faso, where as many as 75% of women are thought to have had their clitorises cut, a relatively new procedure is being offered. Clitoris-reconstruction surgery aims to restore sexual sensation to women who have been mutilated. A year after it was introduced, more than 100 women have elected to have it performed, according to Michel Akotionga of the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou. Unlike surgery to reopen the vagina, which is free in Burkina Faso, clitoris reconstruction costs about $150 in a public hospital and up to $400 in a private clinic.

The technique is possible because most of the clitoris resides inside the female body. In cases where the entire external part has been severed, some 2cm is removed but a further 8-10cm remains embedded internally. Surgeons pull it out and stitch it to the skin. Nerve endings in the new protrusion help to create the secretion and engorgement in the genitals that prepare a woman for sex. Unfortunately the technique used by the Burkinabe doctors does not restore sexual sensation completely, because the pressure-sensitive tip of the clitoris is lost.

Pierre Foldes, who started pioneering the reconstruction method some 25 years ago, has now trained 15 surgeons to use the technique in France. Although he supports efforts to restore sexual sensation, he worries that improperly trained surgeons may cause more damage in attempting to repair mutilated women.

Other health workers fear that families unsure of whether to subject their young women to genital mutilation might go ahead on the grounds that a wrong decision can always be corrected later. While a partial cure is better than nothing, prevention would be best of all.

Of course, I also give you a relevant video which is not on women’s rights, but the right to be a free woman.

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To all the people who have advised me I am getting overwrought –sorry, but I am not backing down. I will not apologize for being emotional right now. I will not apologize for reliving the pain of 9/11 again. I am not sorry for feeling – I am not sorry for being enraged.

Yes, every year thousands of people are murdered around the world, without the horrors of religious fanaticism. But, every time I really focus on 9/11 it fills me with so much hate that I must express it. I think anyone who does not acknowledge the impact of having 19 Muslim men fly four jets into the WTC, the Pentagon and an empty field with pure rage - is hiding behind their fear of not God, but of what greater evil can man bring. As if they are saying to themselves, don’t look back, lest evil walks your way. I tell you, if you don’t look, time and time again – evil will visit you again – and in an even bigger way than you ever imagined.

For what it’s worth, in my opinion all TV and all media should be focused on one topic only right now; the events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. For some reason, that is not happening. I did mange to find a couple of shows that serve to remind us what the people who flew in the planes, and worked in and around the crashed buildings lived through.

The Discovery Times channel is airing tonight two programs that should be watched.

Flight 175: As the World Watched
It was the plane that made us understand our world had changed forever. As millions watched in horror, Flight 175 became the second plane to hit the World Trade Center- and Americans suddenly knew that they were at war.

Falling Man
The story of the most unforgettable image from 9/11 - the photograph of a falling man, frozen in midair, perfectly parallel with the lines of the two towers of the World Trade Center.

To all the families who lost a loved one on that day, know there are so many of us who will never forget and most of all — will never forgive.

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WARNING :: WARNING :: WARNING

The video shown below contains graphic images from aftermath of violence

Someone asked me today why I check my log files. The reason is: every day people come to this blog looking for gruesome war pictures. WELL HERE YOU GO — If you are not crying and shaking in your seat after watching this then you are seriously a sociopath.

This is what Islam does to its own children! This is what Islam wants to do to you! In Osama bin Laden’s recent video release he offered to suspend his wave of violence if everyone on the planet would just convert to Islam. That was a preemptive warning. Convert or be killed. Don’t convert, then according to Islam, he has the right to kill us all.

AND this is what death will look like. It isn’t terrorism; it is Muslim’s carrying out their sick desire for Islamic tyranny — IT IS ISLAM: THE DEATH MACHINE!

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Nice remix on Pink Floyd’s “Proper Education”. Hope my good friend in Zurich enjoys it.

Anyway, even though the music has a great beat, the sentiments expressed in Pink Floyd’s lyrics are all wrong: A future paved in ignorance, by dropping out, is a future born into slavery. One can only be free by attaining knowledge.

Today’s technological revolution of fast and open communications over the Internet, gives anyone with access, the ability to study any subject they wish. However, not all websites are created equally. A lot of content is pure junk. Listed below are some worthwhile websites that provide excellent scholarly information — FOR FREE!

MIT Open Courseware:
Sharing “free lecture notes, exams and other resources from more than 1700 courses spanning MIT’s entire curriculum.”

Connexions: “is a place to view and share educational material made of small knowledge chunks called modules that can be organized as courses, books, reports, etc. Anyone may view or contribute.”

Project Gutenberg:
“Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks.”

eScholarship Editions: “The eScholarship Editions collection includes almost 2000 books from academic presses on a range of topics, including art, science, history, music, religion, and fiction.

Access to the electronic books is open to all University of California faculty, staff, and students, while select books are available to the public. Print versions of many of the electronic books can be purchased directly from the publishers.”

Online Economics Textbooks: Self explanatory.

Online Science and Math Textbooks: Self explanatory.

Six Sigma:
I hope people will spend a little time on this site. While Six Sigma is generally considered a business management tool, I think it can be equally applied to the management of any government operation. So please when reading through this site, try to think outside the box. Look for ways to apply learning into other areas of your life.

English as a Second Language Online Textbooks: I realize, if you are reading this, you already understand English, but still this is a good link to share with others.

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As we approach the sixth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack on the United States of America, I want to write very briefly about all the 9/11 conspiracy websites, blogs and protesters, that claim Muslim terrorists did not plan and execute the plane hijackings into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. What the conspiracy theorists want people to believe instead is that 9/11 was an inside job, created and carried out by the US government and even our president. I want to especially call attention to how groups like the various ‘truth’ movements claim 9/11 was created by our president as a pretext to war in Iraq. I am going to show you in one simple step how wrong you all are.

I won’t waste time debunking all the 9/11 myths, Popular Mechanics has done a terrific job proving none of you are engineers, but are fairly good disseminating propaganda. Anyway, I am digressing so let me get to it.

The US government, especially George Bush and Dick Cheney, did not conspire to fly two commercial airliners into the World Trade Center, a third into the Pentagon and fourth one that failed to crash at its intended target, flying instead into an empty field in Pennsylvania. The reason I can say this so conclusively, even without reading a single debunk article (even though I have read them) is this: How can the US so perfectly pull off a job like 9/11 yet fail to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

If 9/11 were a pretext to a war in Iraq, then surely George Bush and company could have figured out a way to plant nuclear weapons around Iraq.

‘Nuff said!

Madonna — Get Together