JH

The Top 20 Albums of All Time

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:45:45 GMT

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish/15499

I found this list on yahoo today. I thought it was interesting in that the author composed the list based on a methodology rather than through his own personal opinion.

The funny thing is is that his ranking is not all that dissimilar to lists formed by musicologists and critics in respected publications like Rolling Stone.

Also noteworthy is that the newest album on the list was released in 1991 (with the oldest having had come out in 1968).

One would think that with a growing population, the best music would keep getting better and better.

Why haven't any critically acclaimed albums of legendary status been released lately?

Religious police issue pet ban, saying men using dogs, cats as chick magnet

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:06:41 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Every single man knows: Walking a dog in the park equals sure babe magnet. Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police, in their zeal to keep the sexes apart, want to make sure the technique doesn't catch on here.

The solution: Ban selling dogs and cats as pets, as well as walking them in public.

The prohibition went into effect on Wednesday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and authorities in the city say they will strictly enforce it

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25952415/

Vatican 'regrets' female bishops decision

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:52:42 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe...f=mpstoryemail

Cliffs-
* Move a rift to apostolic tradition of ordaining only men as bishops, says Vatican
* Some traditionalists threaten to leave Anglican Church for Roman Catholic Church
* First consecration of a female bishop could happen in 2015

Does anyone else think it's incredibly sexist that the Catholic Church is condemning the Anglican Church for it's recent decision to allow women into high ranking positions in the church hierarchy? Geeze, one would think that it's about time for woman to be granted the same rights as men- it's 2008 after all.

Anyways, I thought this news was worth mentioning, as Catholics represent over half of all Christians and one sixth of the world's population. (Incidentally, the Anglican Communion is the third largest, after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches).

I think we all have at least one Catholic or Anglican friend.

What do you think about this?

Sat, 03 May 2008 21:40:38 GMT

Good news! More and more people around the world are beginning to view global warming as a serious threat.

India: Babies Thrown 50ft Off Temple

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:09:35 GMT

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...314661,00.html

kinda bums me out because the babies newly developing brain could get damaged falling from that height.

the tradition has been going on for over 500 years

almost thought the article could be fake, but there is a video to go along with it in the link.

i don't know what to think.

what are your thoughts on this?

Map: US States Renamed For Countries With Similar G D P s

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:57:44 GMT

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/131-us-states-renamed-for-countries-with-similar-gdps/

from:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=113061
That map is misleading. Its based on nominal currency values, and thus does not account for reduced costs of living. Here's a new map that accounts for purchase power parity.

Which map do you think is a more accurate representation?

Either way this is an impressive reminder of how much wealth the United States has compared to other countries around the world. Our states may be big area-wise, but many of them are much more sparsely populated then other inhabited areas of the world. New Hampshire has one one hundredth of Bangladesh's population, yet equal GDP.

Almost all (possibly all) of the states listed contain a number of inhabitants far less than the respective country to which they are compared.

Amazingly, when it comes to GDP

West Virginia > Iraq

Rhode Island > Cuba

Poll: We’re all above average

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:31:53 GMT

Large majorities of adults nationally believe themselves to be smarter, better-looking, more honest, and more commonsensical than most adults- a mathematical impossibility.

Percentage of Americans who say they’re above average in terms of their:

-Honesty/trustworthiness: 94
-Common sense: 89
-Friendliness: 88
-Intelligence: 86
-Physical appearance: 79
-Health: 69

discuss

WTF kids kick woman to death for being a goth

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:55:27 GMT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/13/ukcrime

I just got done reading an article about an 8th grade youth beaten to death by his peers, who suspected he was gay.

Now this.

I thought it was comman sense and common human decency not to inflict harm upon others just because they are different.

Sadly, this is not the case.

Intolerance is major cause of suffering and hardship in the world.

Love and kindness seem to be in short supply these days.

What a shame.

Barack Obama: "Before we get carried away, let's read our bibles."

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:19:17 GMT

Now that the extreme religious nuts have dropped out (Romney and Huckabee), we should examine the religious views of those that remain.

Here's what Obama said last summer at the "Call to Renewal" conference.

...given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles. ...

Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.
...let me give you an example.

We all know the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is ordered by God to offer up his only son, and without argument, he takes Isaac to the mountaintop, binds him to an altar, and raises his knife, prepared to act as God has commanded.

Of course, in the end God sends down an angel to intercede at the very last minute, and Abraham passes God's test of devotion.

But it's fair to say that if any of us leaving this church saw Abraham on a roof of a building raising his knife, we would, at the very least, call the police and expect the Department of Children and Family Services to take Isaac away from Abraham. We would do so because we do not hear what Abraham hears, do not see what Abraham sees, true as those experiences may be. So the best we can do is act in accordance with those things that we all see, and that we all hear, be it common laws or basic reason.

Source:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/194/story_19473_1.html#

North Korea

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:51:40 GMT

The following link is a travel log of an American who visited North Korea. Fascinating stuff- I read the whole thing in one sitting.

http://axisofeviltour.com/nk-trip1.htm

Valentine’s Day- Illegal in Saudi Arabia

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:17:30 GMT

Celebrating Valentine’s Day is officially not allowed in Saudi Arabia. It has been this way for at least the past four years now. Police raid shops to confiscate objects of the color red or any other items thought to symbolize love.

A black market for these gifts has developed, and red roses are being sold for more than quadruple their previous price.

This scenario reminds me of the illicit drug trade. Supply has gone down due to confiscation and willingness to deliver the goods has gone down also, stemming from fear of arrest. As a result the prices have gone way up.

Those willing to take the big risk stand to make a big profit.

Could you imagine sneaking around with roses and teddy bears and heart shaped boxes of candy, looking over your shoulder to make sure there are no police following you?

(PS- This just in: human rights officials are petitioning King Abdullah to pardon a woman sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft. This is so ridiculous! Saudi Arabia is a country that in many respects is still living in the Dark Ages).

Saudi's enforce Valentine's Day ban

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The virtue police in Saudi Arabia have ordered shops to remove roses and other items that are red to prevent the celebration of Valentine's Day on Feb.14.

Shop workers in Riyadh said that the agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice visited flower and gift shops during the weekend to issue warnings-the Saudi Gazette reported on Monday.

Each year on the eve of Valentine's Day, commission agents conduct raids and confiscate any red items they find.

Islamic scholars preach celebrating Valentine's Day and other non-Islamic holidays is a sin, especially Valentine's Day.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women," Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari said.

Please watch the upcoming National Geographic program on global warming

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:54:57 GMT

A new documentary titled “Six Degrees Could Change the World” will be airing on the National Geographic Channel on Sunday 10 February at 8pm ET.

Climate model projections summarized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate that average global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the 21st century.

4 Degrees Warmer: Great Cities Wash Away
If the world warms by four degrees oceans will rise and glaciers will disappear, cutting off fresh water to billions.

5 Degrees Warmer: Civilization Collapses
If the world warms by five degrees the planet reaches a nightmare vision of life on Earth as traditional social systems break down.

6 Degrees Warmer: Mass Extinction?
If the world warms by six degrees, oceans will turn into marine wastelands and natural disasters become common events.

What Can You Do?
Explore some things that everybody can do in their normal lives to help prevent climate change.

Montel Fired For Speaking About Dying Troops In Iraq?

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:43:42 GMT

Montel turns the tables on a Fox Morning Television show

Three days later it is announced that:

Syndicated talk show host Montel Williams is being replaced by a younger version of himself. CBS Television Distribution announced Wednesday that "The Montel Williams Show" will cease production after this television season, his 17th on the air.

Fox News excludes Ron Paul from televised forum

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:07:44 GMT

Why was Ron Paul not invited to Fox News’ nationally televised forum just days before the New Hampshire primary? Polls had shown his popularity among New Hampshire voters in 4th place, ahead of both Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. Yet Giuliani and Thompson were given camera time, while Paul was given none (He was completely ignored- treated as though he didn’t exist).

When questioned, the explanation of Fox News pundits for Paul’s exclusion was that there wasn’t enough time to speak to everyone, with an added implication that he isn’t really a legitimate candidate anyway.

What a shame. As long as a candidate is willing to spend huge amounts of time and money to stay in a race, their voice should be allowed to be heard.

Do you know who holds the record for most money raised by a candidate in a single day? That’s right- Dr. Ron Paul. Out of any candidate. Ever.

Many supporters are giving up their time and money in an effort to promote a message of Libertarianism.

They deserve acknowledgment and discussion of their ideas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul_presidential_campaign%2C_2008#January_6.2C_2008:__Milford.2C_New_Hampshire

Guess who's going into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:59:29 GMT

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/12/13/hall-fame.html

Presidential Campaign Ads

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:47:17 GMT

Here's the first round of Republican TV spots. It's interesting to think about how one conceives and determines the most effective pitches for votes.

Mitt Romney

Tom Tancredo

Fred Thompson

Rudy Giuliani

Ron Paul

Mike Huckabee

Duncan Hunter

John McCain

CNN: Price of Iraq war 10 times pre-war predictions

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:07:15 GMT

When President Bush's emergency supplemental funding request is granted by Congress in the coming weeks, the cost of the Iraq War will reach ten times its original projected cost of $50-60 billion, CNN reports.

At what will soon be a total tab of $576 billion, the Iraq war is second in cost only to World War II. According to CNN's report, every minute troops are deployed in Iraq, the American public pays $200,000 to keep them there. Since the money is not allocated by Congress as part of the regular budget, there is little oversight of how it is spent and billions of dollars remain unaccounted for in Iraq as the costs continue to mount.

"There's even funding that the Congressional Research Service and the Congressional Budget Office identify that they don't have any idea where the funding went," Says Travis Sharp of the Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Center. "They don't know if it went for weapons systems, they don't know if it was operating costs in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Additionally, the current conflict is the first in American history not to be paid for in real time. President Roosevelt raised funds for the Second World War by selling war bonds and Americans paid higher taxes throughout the Vietnam era. The Bush administration, however, is well known for its propensity to cut taxes and increase spending.

"Americans have not paid higher taxes to pay for this war, in fact we've had a tax cut, nor have we seen a reduction in domestic spending" Says Robert Hormats of Goldman Sachs, author of The Price of Liberty, a new book examining the history of American military funding. "We've in effected shifted the cost of this war to future generations."

Though 65% of the American public now opposes United States involvement in Iraq according to CNN's poll, Congress still shows no signs of significantly reducing its military or domestic spending and President Bush has stated time and again his opposition to raising taxes.

And the winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize is...

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:11:13 GMT

Amazing guitarists you've probably never heard of

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:45:30 GMT

Hannes Coetzee (plays leads with a teaspoon in his mouth, making it sound like two guitars are playing at once)

Jimmy Rosenberg (seven year old gypsy)

Django Reinhardt (all but two fingers on his fretting hand are paralyzed)

Doc Watson (blind)

Mark Goffeney (no arms)

AC/DC

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:03:25 GMT

I was tossing a Frisbee around with a couple friends.

I was explaining what kind of guitar I have.

“the kind angus young uses…not that I like ac/dc though”

“what?! You don’t like ac/dc?”

When I got home I decided I should give ac/dc another chance.

I read went online to read about them and to listen to their music.

Did you know that ac/dc has sold over 150 million albums? ‘Back in Black’ is the second highest selling album of all time.

(They are widely admired, but are not my cup of tea. I just couldn’t get into them. I am a huge metal fan, BTW, and they are the most famous and well liked heavy metal band ever. I just don’t dig their music as much as others, but to each their own).

Speaking of AC/DC, I’m reminded of a past church youth group meeting on the subject of "The presence of Satan in mainstream rock music”, part of “The Devil’s infiltration into popular culture” series, a follow up to “Dungeons & Dragons: a stepping stone to Satan worship”.

This is when I was 12 years old in 6th grade.

We were given handouts (I wish I still had them!) on heavy metal bands which could draw you into the Satanic lifestyle.

Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osborne…uh oh, there were a lot of big name groups on the list.

Page 2 got even more terrifying.

A list of popular bands with explanations of what their names really meant:

AC/DC = Anti-Christ/Devil’s Children
KISS = Knights in Satan’s Service
WASP = We Are Satan’s People
SLAYER = Satan Laughs As You Eternally Rot (not exactly the most enticing selling point for seduction into the occult, but I digress).

It turns out the Slayer backronym was thought up by a fan; the others were made up by Christian conspiracy theorists. (Of course, at the time we didn’t know this).

More recently I was hanging out with friends, sitting in a circle, smoking, and telling stories about our lives. I was reminiscing about the time a gruff stranger approached me with a proselytizing Jack Chick tract warning of the dangers of rock music.

Hollie: “Ha ha ha, I’ve read that tract. It’s my favorite one ever. I like how at the end it says Burn anything you have associated with rock music.”

Ashley: “I did that once.”

Hollie: “WHAT!?”

Ashley: “Yeah, my church had a bonfire ceremony for us to give up all the stuff that was holding us back from God. I threw in all my non-Christian music.”

Hollie: “Why didn’t you just sell your CDs instead? You know how much money you could have gotten?”

Me: “…money which you could have put in the collection plate.”

Ashley: “But I didn’t want the music to be around to be a corrupting influence on anyone else. That’s why I didn’t sell or donate it anywhere.”

Me: “OK, sounds reasonable enough…given your thoughts at the time.”

Ashley: “But now I regret it. A lot of that music I really miss.”

It’s interesting when unexpected details of a friend’s life surface in everyday convos. And it’s interesting to hear about burnings of things considered profane like Harry Potter books or secular music in our area (Meadville, Northeast) I thought stuff like that was an infrequent occurrence almost exclusive to the deep south. Now I know that it happens around here too. What a bummer.

Guys and Dolls

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:37:33 GMT

This was simultaneously creepy, gripping, and heartbreaking, on a level of intensity that I haven’t experienced for quite some time. A part of me figured I shouldn’t be watching this, but I was unable to turn away. As I lay in bed, trying to sleep, I felt a profound sadness for humanity and wondered what sort of nightmares I would have that night.

Real or fake? More shadiness from the Far East?

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:21:59 GMT

Have you read this earlier report?
Cardboard Main Ingredient in Chinese Neighborhood's Steamed Buns
BEIJING — Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said.

Now I’m reading follow up articles in well respected publications like the Chicago Tribune with headlines like “Cardboard buns story was a hoax”.
It’s unfair, however, to assume the earlier investigation to have been bogus.
Just because the Chinese government declares something to be true, doesn’t make it so.
Sure they jailed the reporter and fined and fired seven more people for allowing the “fake report” for being aired, but it very well could have been a sham to deflect more unwanted attention towards an already badly tarnished reputation.
Here’s what we do know to be true:
-Pet food, toothpaste, and other Chinese goods have recently come under intense international scrutiny, following several deaths and illnesses. (Embarrassed by the bad publicity, China executed their former food and drug safety chief).
-Piracy and counterfeiting runs rampant in China. Many, many brand name goods for sale on the streets are cheap copy rip-offs.
-Parade Magazine has consistently named China as one of the worst dictatorships on earth.
-As noted in an earlier post, the internet in China is heavily censored, serving as a model of control for other regimes.
Answer me this:
Is it scientifically possible to cheaply alter ground cardboard into tasting good? If it is, then this story is most likely true. Think about all the patent medicine and other shady scams that have gone on during the course of human history. Such a report couldn’t have come at a worse time for a country preparing for an economy boosting hosting of the 2008 Olympics. I bet they’re just trying to cover up scandal via scapegoating.

Harry Pottter mania

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:54:40 GMT

The hype surrounding the final Harry Potter book was quite interesting.

Time Magazine had an article about security precautions taken to avoid a leak of information about the book before the official release date.

-Locations of the publishing plants were kept secret

-The printers labored under dim lighting to prevent them from reading the material as they were making the books. They were also not allowed to bring a packed lunch from home, for fear they could sneak a page into their lunch pail to smuggle out of the plant.

-Warehouses were protected by men with guard dogs.

-Trucks moving the book were tracked by GPS.

-Bookstore owners were required to sign a lengthy legal agreement in which they pledged to keep the boxes sealed until 12:01 am July 21st.

Fears of an early leak were not unfounded.

On June 18 a hacker calling himself "Gabriel" announced on a website that he had done exactly what the Harry Potter brain trust most feared: stolen the text of Deathly Hallows. Explaining that he had gained access to a Bloomsbury employee's computer using an e-mail-borne Trojan-horse program, he posted what he claimed were key plot points from the book (which won't be repeated here). He framed his actions as a Christian counterattack against a work that promoted the "Neo-Paganism faith." Quoth Gabriel: "We make this spoiler to make reading of the upcoming book useless and boring."

Then at least five days before the scheduled release date a spoiler which could most certainly agreed to be authentic began circulating the web. Digital photographs of each page had been taken and then uploaded to a file sharing site. (Why someone would spend all the time to do this is beyond me).

I occasionally scan Youtube’s “most viewed videos of the day” listing as a way to keep up with what’s going on in pop culture.

Several of the “most viewed” and “highest rated” clips were of “Harry potter spoilers” – guys ruining the ending for fans by shouting out what happens to those waiting in line to get the book.

What jerks- it's pathetic to see something that hurts little kids as funny.

I’m so disgusted by the people who think this kind of behavior is cool.

Studies have shown that reading of books among the young has dropped sharply in recent years. The Harry Potter series has helped buck this trend, by getting kids excited about reading. For this reason I like Harry Potter.

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 02:12:17 GMT

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Top notch writing from the journal of xpfishx. His philosophical views caused me to me think deeply about becoming a more positive person.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I've come to realize that there are three things that we as humans must know in order to be truely alive. These three things are:

1.)Realize life is fleeting and that you will not live forever

2.)Understand you are already complete, worthy, and whole

3.) See that you are your own refuge, your own sanctuary, and your own salvation

"Each of you be a light unto yourself; Betake yourself to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth. Look not for refuge to anyone beside yourself."-Buddha

With that said, I feel obliged to make the best of any hand that I am dealt. In doing so, I try to not be consumed by the negative aspects of life. If you allow the negative to consume you, happiness will always avoid you.

Life is meant to be lived. You are meant to have meaningful interactions with other individuals. This can even occur among two perfect strangers meeting for the first time. Never hold back from saying hello or doing something nice for someone you do not know. Also make it a habit of letting those around you know how much you care for them.

As long as you have breath in your lungs, you have an opportunity to change something you do not like about your life. Each waking moment is a chance to start again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I wonder if I'd be eligible...

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:33:46 GMT

Man gets sick benefits for heavy metal addiction

A Swedish heavy metal fan has had his musical preferences officially classified as a disability. The results of a psychological analysis enable the metal lover to supplement his income with state benefits.

Roger Tullgren, 42, from Hässleholm in southern Sweden has just started working part time as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.

Because heavy metal dominates so many aspects of his life, the Employment Service has agreed to pay part of Tullgren's salary. His new boss meanwhile has given him a special dispensation to play loud music at work.

"I have been trying for ten years to get this classified as a handicap," Tullgren told The Local.

"I spoke to three psychologists and they finally agreed that I needed this to avoid being discriminated against."

Roger Tullgren first developed an interest in heavy metal when his older brother came home with a Black Sabbath album in 1971.

Since then little else has mattered for the 42-year-old, who has long black hair, a collection of tattoos and wears skull and crossbones jewelry.

The ageing rocker claims to have attended almost three hundred shows last year, often skipping work in the process.

Eventually his last employer tired of his absences and Tullgren was left jobless and reliant on welfare handouts.

But his sessions with the occupational psychologists led to a solution of sorts: Tullgren signed a piece of paper on which his heavy metal lifestyle was classified as a disability, an assessment that entitles him to a wage supplement from the job centre.

"I signed a form saying: 'Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labour market. Therefore he needs extra financial help'. So now I can turn up at a job interview dressed in my normal clothes and just hand the interviewers this piece of paper," he said.

The manager at his new workplace allows him to go to concerts as long as he makes up for lost time at a later point. He is also allowed to dress as he likes and listen to heavy metal while washing up.

"But not too loud when there are guests," he said.

The Local spoke to an occupational psychologist in Stockolm, who admitted to being baffled by the decision.

"I think it's extremely strange. Unless there is an underlying diagnosis it is absolutely unbelievable that the job centre would pay pay out.

"If somebody has a gambling addiction, we don't send them down to the racetrack. We try to cure the addiction, not encourage it," he said.

Henrietta Stein, deputy employment director for the Skåne region, is also puzzled by the move; "an interest in music" is not usually sufficient to qualify for wage benefits.

"Certain cases are confidential but in general there is always a medical reason that is well-documented," she said.

Tullgren currently plays bass and guitar in two rock bands and says that he tends to get a lot of positive reactions for daring to be himself.

"Some might say that I should grow up and learn to listen to other types of music but I can't. Heavy metal is my lifestyle," he said.