• Top Troop Request Exceeds 60,000
• Is the U.S. Preparing to Bomb Iran? - This provoked a thought for me.  If our government thinks that war will get us out of the recession (actually depression) like we are all taught that WWII got us out of the Great Depression.  Then it seems more likely the government might start a war in Iran with this logic no matter how flawed I might think it is.  A country that hasn’t attacked anyone in centuries, who are following all the international laws (that I can tell), and spends around $6 billion on their military every year.  It is of my opinion we should be talking to them and not threating them.  I would encourage you to Google Robert Higgs for great papers about the Great Depression.

Dollar Stuff:

• The Demise of the Dollar – Glenn Beck
• Gerald Celente: The Death of the Dollar

• Picture from Titan’s moon – I remember when this was released and saw it again today and made me forget about things for a bit.

• CAUTION: Stock Market Crash /Collapse Dead Ahead Say Faber, Rogers, Dent and Celente
• China and Japan begin talks on building alliance
• Vegas Casinos Fold on Expansion Plans

Political Stuff:

• 10 Things You Should Know About Iran
• ElBaradei says nuclear Israel number one threat to Mideast - definitely something you won’t read in the media here in the States.

Awesome Stuff:

This picture is just awesome.  Taken from the Cassini space craft that is orbiting Saturn.  It was taken when Saturn was eclipsing the sun.  Via The Big Picture

At least Justice Scalia understands that we have way too many laws in America even if he doesn’t say it directly.

Scalia: ‘We Are Devoting Too Many of Our Best Minds to’ Lawyering

I mean there’d be a, you know, a defense or public defender from Podunk, you know, and this woman is really brilliant, you know. Why isn’t she out inventing the automobile or, you know, doing something productive for this society?

I mean lawyers, after all, don’t produce anything. They enable other people to produce and to go on with their lives efficiently and in an atmosphere of freedom. That’s important, but it doesn’t put food on the table and there have to be other people who are doing that. And I worry that we are devoting too many of our very best minds to this enterprise.

Come to find out it is a non-profit that makes it easy for you to donate to any cause that you would like to donate to.  You tell them how much you can donate a month and then you can choose what organizations get your donation.  You can split up the money between all of them.  They keep track of your total donations and who you have donated to.  

They use Paypal for their transactions so make sure you have an account there.  It looks to be a great way to contribute to the organizations that you feel strongly about.  I would highly encourage you to check it out!

From their site:

Givv.org is a new way to think about making your impact. Make one monthly donation. To as many nonprofits as you like. Automatic, one-click giving. You stay anonymous and stay in control!

External Links:

• Givv.org – FAQ
• Givv.org

I found this one via Google Reader.  It’s good funny stuff for sure!  Click through to the blog that posted it to see more interesting comparisons.

Drinking just as good as yoga

Savasana - Position of total relaxation.

Political Stuff:

The folks that are making Freedom Watch are trying to get the show on FOX News. As a result they aren’t putting it on youtube any longer in order to get the view count up. That means no more play lists.  One thing I would like to note about the guests on the show today.  The economist Walter Williams is a guest today.  I found an old 80s video from mises.org about the minimum wage and the consequences.  Very smart man Walter is!

Guests:

• Jim Babka
• Dr. Edwin Vieira
• Walter E. Williams

I was introduced to TED talks a few years ago.  Every now and again I remember to go and check them out as they are truly awesome talks that are very interesting and sometimes very inspiring. 

I came across the talk below yesterday and had never heard of Juan Enriquez.  I started to watch this video and was enthralled in just a few seconds of watching.  One thing I have read and heard about restring an economy after a bust is there needs to be a wave of innovation.  Juan thinks that wave is in the biotech industry.  I don’t disagree with him in the slightest, especially after seeing his case for it.  What I am worried about is after the bust of the biotech industry what is going to be the next wave of innovation to get us out of an economic disaster?

I think one of the major things that Juan misses here is discussing the root cause of economic cycles.  If he would only take a look at the Federal Reserve and talk about money creation and monetary policy it would go a long way in his presentation.  The fact that he completely omits it is disappointing.  He doesn’t leave his audience any smarter than when they came in, just more informed about the next bing innovation wave and opportunity for the Fed to create an environment to have malinvestments in ideas that shouldn’t be invested in due to cheap money.

At any rate, Fed monetary policy and the effects it has on investment and innovation is a whole other topic.  If you’d like a starting point I would suggest reading about the late 90’s dot com boom and bust.

Enjoy the video!

Food Stuff:

While browsing I came across this tidbit.  I guess I could be called a “foodie.”  Although, probably not as much as a foodie as others, but this next article would be a nice thing to see.  I don’t know how it would really pay for itself, considering how inexpensive stickers and label makers are.  Would still love to see it so I don’t have to pick off stickers or create stickers while at the super market.

Laser Labeling Coming Soon to Fruits, Vegetables

New laser labels. Photo: ARS/USDA.

Political Stuff:

This past weekend was the huge rally in Washington D.C. by the “Tea Party Express.”  The World Net Daily has a decent article about it.  The main thing I was looking for was a rough estimate of how many people where there.  It looks like there really is no “rough” estimate, thanks to our wonderful media outlets.

Though crowd estimates vary from as low as 60,000 to 70,000 according to ABC News to a high of 2 million by London Daily Mail, photographs and videos of the march and rally demonstrate its enormity. (WND)

It’s a good thing that Obama was fully aware of the rally taking place or was he?

The White House said Friday it was unaware of the rally. President Obama has traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., to promote his health-care plans at a rally there. (WND)

At any rate, below is a picture of the attendance.  You decide if you think it was a success or not.  Looks to me it was pretty successful and rivals some of the largest protests in our nation’s history.

Awesome Stuff:

This one needs no explanation.  It’s just awesome!

The Hurt Feelings Report – a.k.a. The Cry Me a River Whine Report

External Links:

• Juan Enriquez shares mindboggling science
• Laser Labeling Coming Soon to Fruits, Vegetables
• A million or more rock Washington
• The Hurt Feelings Report – a.k.a. The Cry Me a River Whine Report

For those of you that would like to purchase the bumper sticker you can visit Zazzle.com.  A preview of the product is below.

Awesome Stuff:
I love the show MythBusters. In fact I don’t get to watch it as much as I would like. However, thanks to the genius of the internet and Digg, where I found this gem, I can see some of the most awesome things that they do. Check out the below video. They take a million match heads and set them off. Talk about awesomeness!

Techie Stuff:
Check your unread Gmail from the command line
For all you techies out there this is for you!

Understanding Stuff:
Why It’s Called Pi
I’m very grateful that someone finally took the time to have a visual representation of how PIE got it’s name. Makes things so much easier to understand!

Art Stuff:
Crazy Contortionist Art: Bodies in Urban Spaces
I love this kind of “out of the box” thinking when creating “art” don’t you?

Ginormous Handknit Pink Bunny in the Alps
This is just so messed up I can see it sparking a new rage around the world!