Conscience vs Ego

To some people - doing what they want, purely for self-interest or gratification - is the right thing.

Some people have problems differentiating doing what is right as opposed to what they want. Some people might not even see the difference. They go by day by day indulging in what they want. Lazy people, proud/arrogant people, people who refuse to admit they are wrong, etc..

Perhaps they suffer from a lack of self-awareness. Self-awareness being conscious of what it is that you are doing or reacting to. In other words, the ability to stand back - take a good hard and cold look, unclouded with emotion, and try and analyze and understand what is going on - in you - and around you.

4 AM OMG!!! Porsche screws share traders...

Drinking that last two cups of coffee at 7pm wasn't a terribly bright idea it seems. I can't sleep.

Anyways, nice to see that the market is having another bounce up. Anything is better than seeing more red ink in the stock market - which is about as pleasurable to me as seeing a person fall out of a building.

Some traders however get their profits through short selling. (I do it too, on occasion). But the big news recently is that the shorties got killed trying to short VW. Yes, Volkswagen.

Shorting stocks works like this - you sell the stocks in a company, then later buy it back at a cheaper price. If enough people do it - it has a snowball effect - a bit a group of people (not just one) screaming, "FIRE!!!!" in a crowded cinema.

When the Hedge Funds do it... mmm... that's like Goliath and his bad ass army coming to the cinema to scream fire. They've got the power to really manipulate the share price.

In this case involving VW, however, Porsche stunned the market by announcing that they now own 74% of the VW company. With no more free stock available, the shorties have now got to rush around trying to cover their positions. Problem is - there's none to be had except for now increasingly higher prices. Game OVER!!!!

At one stage, someone was trying to sell shares in VW at 10 times the asking price.

"We were joking before about the share price hitting 1,000 euros, and all of a sudden, it was there," said one Frankfurt-based trader. "This is perverse."

No, not perverse. Just market forces at play. The shorties weren't complaining when they were selling and driving the prices down. Cry me another river, mate.

Sleep Loss creates false memory but Coffee prevents this!!

Researchers have found that sleep loss (lack of sleep) screws up the memory recording abilities in people - and so their memory gets corrupted with imaginary but similar stuff. good news - drinking coffee helps to prevent this!

Thanks to futurepundit.

People sometimes claim with high confidence to remember events that in fact never happened, typically due to strong semantic associations with actually encoded events. Sleep is known to provide optimal neurobiological conditions for consolidation of memories for long-term storage, whereas sleep deprivation acutely impairs retrieval of stored memories. Here, focusing on the role of sleep-related memory processes, we tested whether false memories can be created (a) as enduring memory representations due to a consolidation-associated reorganization of new memory representations during post-learning sleep and/or (b) as an acute retrieval-related phenomenon induced by sleep deprivation at memory testing.

According to the Deese, Roediger, McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, subjects learned lists of semantically associated words (e.g., “night”, “dark”, “coal”,…), lacking the strongest common associate or theme word (i.e.: “black”). Subjects either slept or stayed awake immediately after learning, and they were either sleep deprived or not at recognition testing 9, 33, or 44 hours after learning. (And probably later - insisted that they also learnt the word - "black").

Sleep deprivation at retrieval, but not sleep following learning, critically enhanced false memories of theme words. This effect was abolished by caffeine administration prior to retrieval, indicating that adenosinergic mechanisms can contribute to the generation of false memories associated with sleep loss.

4 AM OMG!!! Porsche screws share traders...

Drinking that last two cups of coffee at 7pm wasn't a terribly bright idea it seems. I can't sleep.

Anyways, nice to see that the market is having another bounce up. Anything is better than seeing more red ink in the stock market - which is about as pleasurable to me as seeing a person fall out of a building.

Some traders however get their profits through short selling. (I do it too, on occasion). But the big news recently is that the shorties got killed trying to short VW. Yes, the Volkswagen company.

Shorting stocks works like this - you sell the stocks in a company, then later buy it back at a cheaper price. If enough people do it - it has a snowball effect - a bit a group of people (not just one) screaming, "FIRE!!!!" in a crowded cinema.

When the Hedge Funds do it... mmm... that's like British soccer hooligans coming to burn the house down for real. By their immense size, the funds have the power to really manipulate the share price.

In this case involving VW, however, Porsche stunned the market by announcing that they now own 74% of the VW company. With no more free stock available, the shorties have now got to rush around trying to cover their positions. Problem is - there's none to be had except for now increasingly higher prices. Game OVER!!!!

At one stage, someone was trying to sell shares in VW at 10 times the asking price.

"We were joking before about the share price hitting 1,000 euros, and all of a sudden, it was there," said one Frankfurt-based trader. "This is perverse."

No, not perverse. Just market forces at play. The shorties weren't complaining when they were selling and driving the prices down. Cry me another river, mate.

Suffer the Little Children

Geoff Strong explains why we need to change the way we foster children from wrecked families:

Our experience is of a system driven by an ideology that the solution for all children is to stay with their biological family at just about any cost, and that this will somehow be possible if resources are thrown at the problems.

Foster or permanent care parents are made to feel the least important part of the solution.

Even before we met her, Chloe gave us a clue as to what was really missing in the life of such a child. When told there was a couple willing to bring her up, her first question was: “Can I call them Mum and Dad?”

In the welfare homes where she lived she never had anyone that she could honour with those very ordinary titles. It was only then that I realised such small things could be so important.

But she had a more powerful heart-tearing surprise. About a month after moving in she hit us with a question we had never expected. She asked: “Is it OK if I love you?”

Chloe had ended up as a state ward aged about two after being taken from her birth family along with her older brother and sister after a long history of neglect and abuse.

It took six years before all the attempts at family reunification and appeals against the children’s removal had been exhausted. By then the two older children were considered unsuitable for family placement.

From Andrew Bolt.

4 AM OMG!!! Porsche screws share traders...

Drinking that last two cups of coffee at 7pm wasn't a terribly bright idea it seems. I can't sleep.

Anyways, nice to see that the market is having another bounce up. Anything is better than seeing more red ink in the stock market - which is about as pleasurable to me as seeing a person fall out of a building.

Some traders however get their profits through short selling. (I do it too, on occasion). But the big news recently is that the shorties got killed trying to short VW. Yes, Volkswagen.

Shorting stocks works like this - you sell the stocks in a company, then later buy it back at a cheaper price. If enough people do it - it has a snowball effect - a bit a group of people (not just one) screaming, "FIRE!!!!" in a crowded cinema.

When the Hedge Funds do it... mmm... that's like Goliath and his bad ass army coming to the cinema to scream fire. They've got the power to really manipulate the share price.

In this case involving VW, however, Porsche stunned the market by announcing that they now own 74% of the VW company. With no more free stock available, the shorties have now got to rush around trying to cover their positions. Problem is - there's none to be had except for now increasingly higher prices. Game OVER!!!!

At one stage, someone was trying to sell shares in VW at 10 times the asking price.

"We were joking before about the share price hitting 1,000 euros, and all of a sudden, it was there," said one Frankfurt-based trader. "This is perverse."

No, not perverse. Just market forces at play. The shorties weren't complaining when they were selling and driving the prices down. Cry me another river, mate.

Sleep Loss F@#ks up your Memory but Coffee prevents this!!

Researchers have found that sleep loss (lack of sleep) screws up the memory recording abilities in people - and so their memory gets corrupted with imaginary but similar stuff. good news - drinking coffee helps to prevent this!

Thanks to futurepundit.

People sometimes claim with high confidence to remember events that in fact never happened, typically due to strong semantic associations with actually encoded events. Sleep is known to provide optimal neurobiological conditions for consolidation of memories for long-term storage, whereas sleep deprivation acutely impairs retrieval of stored memories. Here, focusing on the role of sleep-related memory processes, we tested whether false memories can be created (a) as enduring memory representations due to a consolidation-associated reorganization of new memory representations during post-learning sleep and/or (b) as an acute retrieval-related phenomenon induced by sleep deprivation at memory testing.

According to the Deese, Roediger, McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, subjects learned lists of semantically associated words (e.g., “night”, “dark”, “coal”,…), lacking the strongest common associate or theme word (i.e.: “black”). Subjects either slept or stayed awake immediately after learning, and they were either sleep deprived or not at recognition testing 9, 33, or 44 hours after learning. (And probably later - insisted that they also learnt the word - "black").

Sleep deprivation at retrieval, but not sleep following learning, critically enhanced false memories of theme words. This effect was abolished by caffeine administration prior to retrieval, indicating that adenosinergic mechanisms can contribute to the generation of false memories associated with sleep loss.

***

Here's a better idea- GET SOME SLEEP FOOL!!!

Sleep Loss creates false memory but Coffee prevents this!!

Researchers have found that sleep loss (lack of sleep) screws up the memory recording abilities in people - and so their memory gets corrupted with imaginary but similar stuff. good news - drinking coffee helps to prevent this!

Thanks to futurepundit.

People sometimes claim with high confidence to remember events that in fact never happened, typically due to strong semantic associations with actually encoded events. Sleep is known to provide optimal neurobiological conditions for consolidation of memories for long-term storage, whereas sleep deprivation acutely impairs retrieval of stored memories. Here, focusing on the role of sleep-related memory processes, we tested whether false memories can be created (a) as enduring memory representations due to a consolidation-associated reorganization of new memory representations during post-learning sleep and/or (b) as an acute retrieval-related phenomenon induced by sleep deprivation at memory testing.

According to the Deese, Roediger, McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, subjects learned lists of semantically associated words (e.g., “night”, “dark”, “coal”,…), lacking the strongest common associate or theme word (i.e.: “black”). Subjects either slept or stayed awake immediately after learning, and they were either sleep deprived or not at recognition testing 9, 33, or 44 hours after learning. (And probably later - insisted that they also learnt the word - "black").

Sleep deprivation at retrieval, but not sleep following learning, critically enhanced false memories of theme words. This effect was abolished by caffeine administration prior to retrieval, indicating that adenosinergic mechanisms can contribute to the generation of false memories associated with sleep loss.

“Is it OK if I love you?”

Geoff Strong explains why we need to change the way we foster children from wrecked families:

Our experience is of a system driven by an ideology that the solution for all children is to stay with their biological family at just about any cost, and that this will somehow be possible if resources are thrown at the problems.
Foster or permanent care parents are made to feel the least important part of the solution.
Even before we met her, Chloe gave us a clue as to what was really missing in the life of such a child. When told there was a couple willing to bring her up, her first question was: “Can I call them Mum and Dad?”
In the welfare homes where she lived she never had anyone that she could honour with those very ordinary titles. It was only then that I realised such small things could be so important.
But she had a more powerful heart-tearing surprise. About a month after moving in she hit us with a question we had never expected. She asked: “Is it OK if I love you?”

Chloe had ended up as a state ward aged about two after being taken from her birth family along with her older brother and sister after a long history of neglect and abuse.

It took six years before all the attempts at family reunification and appeals against the children’s removal had been exhausted. By then the two older children were considered unsuitable for family placement.

From Andrew Bolt.

Suffer the Little Children

Geoff Strong explains why we need to change the way we foster children from wrecked families:

Our experience is of a system driven by an ideology that the solution for all children is to stay with their biological family at just about any cost, and that this will somehow be possible if resources are thrown at the problems.

Foster or permanent care parents are made to feel the least important part of the solution.

Even before we met her, Chloe gave us a clue as to what was really missing in the life of such a child. When told there was a couple willing to bring her up, her first question was: “Can I call them Mum and Dad?”

In the welfare homes where she lived she never had anyone that she could honour with those very ordinary titles. It was only then that I realised such small things could be so important.

But she had a more powerful heart-tearing surprise. About a month after moving in she hit us with a question we had never expected. She asked: “Is it OK if I love you?”

Chloe had ended up as a state ward aged about two after being taken from her birth family along with her older brother and sister after a long history of neglect and abuse.

It took six years before all the attempts at family reunification and appeals against the children’s removal had been exhausted. By then the two older children were considered unsuitable for family placement.

From Andrew Bolt.

John Adams - lawyer, scholar, Christian, patriot, loving husband

I just finished watching the HBO historical drama on John Adams, one of the key leaders in America's Revolutionary fight for Independence.

You can read my review here and watch some clips here.

What I find fascinating is how God (or if you like fate) placed a group of unique, complex, well qualified men (and young! Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old) - who were also very flawed-  to lead this insurrection - and to bring it to its successful conclusion: a stable republican democracy underpinned by great humanitarian text such as America's Declaration of Independence.

Consider all the other modern revolutions - the French Revolution - ended with Napoleon the Corsican Emperor - the Russian, Chinese and all the other communist revolutions which ended disastrously for most of their populations. They all failed dreadfully, everyone of them, to bring about genuine material and social happiness for the people.

But yet the American Revolution succeeded remarkably well. Why?

That is one immense obstacle traditional non-Christian societies face. How do you overcome tribalism and nepotism without resorting to brutal central government  - Authoritarianism?

How? in a society with citizens who think clearly and can overlook ethnic, religious and racial differences - and cooperate and work together. (Unfortunately, most nations cannot do this.)

In Christianity lies inherent the concept of fair play, social justice, pragmatism, and a belief in a moral world governed by a higher supernatural power that compels you to behave in a manner that contradicts selfish design and personal vanity. That was why John Adams stepped aside to let Thomas Jefferson pen "America's Declaration". That was why he also helped forge a peace with France despite knowing that war was a popular option. Christianity - with its emphasis on forgiveness, atonement, mercy even to enemies -  is also the agent which brings former foes to peace.

It succeeded because it was led by good honest decent God fearing people like John Adams and his wife Abigail - who based on their Christian beliefs followed their conscience and did their utmost to do what was right and just. They refused to buy slaves to keep their farms - Abigail made a point to hire freed Africans as workers. They sought to do the best for their country's interest; Adams spent 3 often frustrating years abroad negotiating with the worldly Europeans.

There's something peculiar about Christianity. When Jesus said: he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Gospel of Luke 16)

The things good people do when acted in good faith, love in accordance with Christian principles - may seem unnaturally cruel to one's own family. But a Christian conscience will do such things when in some other cultures - this is impossible.

(Note: To be sure: John Adams was imperfect - and his administration was tarnished by his notorious Aliens and Sedition Act.)

The Power of God

The power of God is made manifest in the weakness of man.

When we are strong, healthy, rich, secure - we have very little need for prayer, fasting, God.

But when we are desperate, hungry, then we seek God.

That is not to say we should seek bad times, or wish for bad things to happen to us.

But when we run out of ideas, when we have our backs to the Red Sea, and the enemy is pressing against us - then is there an opportunity for God to respond with a miracle.

Or not.

There are countless number of Christian martyrs not to mention the vast number of people who suffered and did not receive help in this lifetime.

It is this fear that troubles me.That there will be a trial so painful that it leads to death and suffering. And that is why people continue to put their faith and trust in cash, property, a steady job, gold. Things we can feel and touch and can save us in this real world.

Steal Away to Jesus

Traditional Negro Spiritual

Listening to the American Negro Spiritual music - you can really sense the power and grace of God. How in the world did a people who were being oppressed - make such heavenly music? Through the Grace of God! You can listen to a recording here. 

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending,
Poor sinners stand a-trembling;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Bullying, Depression, Suicide - getting out

Sometimes people can be very cruel. And for some idiots - being cruel to someone else can become like a sport. Usually it happens to people who are generally affable and good natured - because they are the ones less likely to react and give the bullies the beating they deserve.

Sometimes you just can't win. The people who aren't affected don't know the personal hell you are going through - and come up with cliches - "turn the other cheek.", "don't worry this will pass", "laugh it off" etc...

But the daily strain of being bullied - ridiculed in public - constantly - is mental abuse. You can't see the scars, bruises, no legs are broken, but you are dehumanized and the spirit is crushed. And what is a human being if his spirit is broken?

I hate people who got out of their way to make life unpleasant for others. People who delight in calling people names - demeaning them. May God reserve a special place in hell for such bullies, an eternity in torment.

I bring to you the story of Christine Hodder, 38, a beautiful woman, married mother who had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

What I find terribly sad - is that she should have quit from the place of employment. Experiencing a day of this bullshit is bad enough. Having to endure it for over 8 years from her colleagues is just unbelievable. Having been in that sort of position - I can understand why she endured it for so long. She probably felt trapped. She thought if she left - it would an admission of defeat. She may have even thought that eventually the bullying would cease. Or that her good works would cause her workplace bullies to eventually respect her.

In that respect, she was wrong to believe in that humanitarian lie. Humans are not naturally good and civil. They are generally selfish. And too many behave worse than animals. Doing good often brings about ridicule - especially in an immoral society.

She was probably not in a sound frame of mind when she committed suicide. But I do pray that somehow God is in his wisdom would find her a better place in eternity. (I don't support the Catholic idea of suicide=hell) Well, who knows?

Click here for more details on Christine.

CHRISTINE HODDER, 38, was a much-loved woman with a husband and a three-year-old daughter, and had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

Ms Hodder, after enduring years of bullying by male colleagues at Cowra ambulance station, where she was the first and only female officer, hanged herself on her child's swing in April, 2005, a parliamentary inquiry into the NSW Ambulance Service has heard.

She could not even leave her car at work because the tyres were let down, her toilet at work was urinated "all over" and she was constantly ridiculed by fellow officers in front of patients, her mother-in-law, Carolynn Hodder, has told the inquiry in a written submission. She believed her death was the culmination of

sustained victimisation by colleagues since she started at Cowra in 1999. She said the bullying went up the line to management and was ignored.

Christine Hodder had lodged two formal complaints, one in 2001 and another a few months before she died, about bullying and harassment by several officers and had twice been on stress leave.

Steal Away to Jesus

Listening to the American Negro Spiritual music - you can really sense the power and grace of God. How in the world did a people who were being oppressed - make such heavenly music? Through the Grace of God!

Slavery is a great sin. Yet God has the power to transform bad to good; rotten to clean. Did He not die on the cross - an instrument of torture - and now its regarded as a symbol of mercy?

Through slavery, many African Americans came to become Christians. And through their experience in slavery - they came to regard their life here on earth for what it is -temporal - what faith! What amazing grace!

You can listen to a recording here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending,
Poor sinners stand a-trembling;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal Away to Jesus

Traditional Negro Spiritual

Listening to the American Negro Spiritual music - you can really sense the power and grace of God. How in the world did a people who were being oppressed - make such heavenly music? Through the Grace of God! You can listen to a recording here. 

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending,
Poor sinners stand a-trembling;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain't got long to stay here.

Bullying, Depression, Suicide - getting out

Sometimes people can be very cruel. And for some idiots - being cruel to someone else can become like a sport. Usually it happens to people who are generally affable and good natured - because they are the ones less likely to react and give the bullies the beating they deserve.

Sometimes you just can't win. The people who aren't affected don't know the personal hell you are going through - and come up with cliches - "turn the other cheek.", "don't worry this will pass", "laugh it off" etc...

But the daily strain of being bullied - ridiculed in public - constantly - is mental abuse. You can't see the scars, bruises, no legs are broken, but you are dehumanized and the spirit is crushed. And what is a human being if his spirit is broken?

I hate people who got out of their way to make life unpleasant for others. People who delight in calling people names - demeaning them. May God reserve a special place in hell for such bullies, an eternity in torment.

I bring to you the story of Christine Hodder, 38, a beautiful woman, married mother who had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

What I find terribly sad - is that she should have quit from the place of employment. Experiencing a day of this bullshit is bad enough. Having to endure it for over 8 years from her colleagues is just unbelievable. Having been in that sort of position - I can understand why she endured it for so long. She probably felt trapped. She thought if she left - it would an admission of defeat. She may have even thought that eventually the bullying would cease. Or that her good works would cause her workplace bullies to eventually respect her.

In that respect, she was wrong to believe in that humanitarian lie. Humans are not naturally good and civil. They are generally selfish. And too many behave worse than animals. Doing good often brings about ridicule - especially in an immoral society.

Sometimes you just need to bail. Get out of the place if you can. Quit the job. Quit the region. Runaway from the threat. Noone will condemn a child if he runs away from a tiger, a lion, a wolf, a rabid dog. So what should people feel bad if they are in a job position which is untenable? They are many instances of people fleeing from persecution - who in the end made good somewhere else - ie the early Christians who fled from Roman persecution and spread the Gospel worldwide, the Puritan Christians who ran away from Europe to settle in America... the Chinese in the 18th - 19th century who fled their precious country to live overseas - and some prospered greatly.

While there may be glory in fighting to the last, sometimes its better to escape and live to fight another day. Lose the Battle - win the War.

We have to remember that we are humans - made of destructible flesh and bone. Dust. Prone to failure.

Christine was probably not in a sound frame of mind when she committed suicide. I wish I had known her - and could have counseled her to get out of that sick work environment. Break contact. She needed sometime apart so that she could recuperate, relax, and gain clarity of thought and mind.

I do pray that somehow God is in his wisdom would find her a better place in eternity. (I don't support the Catholic idea of suicide=hell) Well, who knows?

Whilst you may not be a victim of bullying - I think its worthwhile to pause and think about the number of times you, we kept silent (or even smiled) when someone else got ridiculed unfairly or was bullied. By not supporting the victim, and opposing the bullies - aren't we also partly to blame?

Click here for more details on Christine.

CHRISTINE HODDER, 38, was a much-loved woman with a husband and a three-year-old daughter, and had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

Ms Hodder, after enduring years of bullying by male colleagues at Cowra ambulance station, where she was the first and only female officer, hanged herself on her child's swing in April, 2005, a parliamentary inquiry into the NSW Ambulance Service has heard.

She could not even leave her car at work because the tyres were let down, her toilet at work was urinated "all over" and she was constantly ridiculed by fellow officers in front of patients, her mother-in-law, Carolynn Hodder, has told the inquiry in a written submission. She believed her death was the culmination of

sustained victimisation by colleagues since she started at Cowra in 1999. She said the bullying went up the line to management and was ignored.

Christine Hodder had lodged two formal complaints, one in 2001 and another a few months before she died, about bullying and harassment by several officers and had twice been on stress leave.

***

On other news: The Suicide Index: Putting my Father's Death in Order

Joan Wickersham: When you kill yourself, you kill every memory everyone has of you

Bullying, Depression, Suicide - getting out

Sometimes people can be very cruel. And for some idiots - being cruel to someone else can become like a sport. Usually it happens to people who are generally affable and good natured - because they are the ones less likely to react and give the bullies the beating they deserve.

Sometimes you just can't win. The people who aren't affected don't know the personal hell you are going through - and come up with cliches - "turn the other cheek.", "don't worry this will pass", "laugh it off" etc...

But the daily strain of being bullied - ridiculed in public - constantly - is mental abuse. You can't see the scars, bruises, no legs are broken, but you are dehumanized and the spirit is crushed. And what is a human being if his spirit is broken?

I hate people who got out of their way to make life unpleasant for others. People who delight in calling people names - demeaning them. May God reserve a special place in hell for such bullies, an eternity in torment.

I bring to you the story of Christine Hodder, 38, a beautiful woman, married mother who had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

What I find terribly sad - is that she should have quit from the place of employment. Experiencing a day of this bullshit is bad enough. Having to endure it for over 8 years from her colleagues is just unbelievable. Having been in that sort of position - I can understand why she endured it for so long. She probably felt trapped. She thought if she left - it would an admission of defeat. She may have even thought that eventually the bullying would cease. Or that her good works would cause her workplace bullies to eventually respect her.

In that respect, she was wrong to believe in that humanitarian lie. Humans are not naturally good and civil. They are generally selfish. And too many behave worse than animals. Doing good often brings about ridicule - especially in an immoral society.

She was probably not in a sound frame of mind when she committed suicide. But I do pray that somehow God is in his wisdom would find her a better place in eternity. (I don't support the Catholic idea of suicide=hell) Well, who knows?

Click here for more details on Christine.

CHRISTINE HODDER, 38, was a much-loved woman with a husband and a three-year-old daughter, and had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

Ms Hodder, after enduring years of bullying by male colleagues at Cowra ambulance station, where she was the first and only female officer, hanged herself on her child's swing in April, 2005, a parliamentary inquiry into the NSW Ambulance Service has heard.

She could not even leave her car at work because the tyres were let down, her toilet at work was urinated "all over" and she was constantly ridiculed by fellow officers in front of patients, her mother-in-law, Carolynn Hodder, has told the inquiry in a written submission. She believed her death was the culmination of

sustained victimisation by colleagues since she started at Cowra in 1999. She said the bullying went up the line to management and was ignored.

Christine Hodder had lodged two formal complaints, one in 2001 and another a few months before she died, about bullying and harassment by several officers and had twice been on stress leave.

Watch out boys. Its going to be a bumpy road ahead

From Yahoo's news service.

To get a sense of how wild and dramatic the swings on Wall Street have been this week, think about this: It was just one week ago that Warren Buffett said "buy stocks."

Buffett, known as the "Oracle of Omaha," was very specific about not calling a short-term bottom, which is fortunate considering the Dow fell 5.4% this week, while the S&P lost 6.8%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 9.3%.

Wild Swings, But No Crash

While the overall trend was certainly down, the market didn't move in a straight line. Amid reports of forced selling by hedge funds, the wild swings created nerve-wracking and gut-wrenching action - for pros and retail investors alike.

Seemingly anything can and did happen this week, although fears of an outright crash on Friday proved misplaced. The Dow fell more than 300 points but that felt relatively tame, which tells you something about how dramatic the recent weeks have been.

We Have Not Hit Bottom

Although many industry observers are waiting for a bottoming out of the markets, there’s no way to know what’s next. Many traders believe the market will go back to its lows of 2002 – around Dow 7400 – before this decline ends.

Another way to tell a bottom is near: When people stop asking "what should I buy?" and start wondering "what should I sell?" - or just tune out the market altogether.

So although it’s stressful to watch your 401(k) bob up and down, patience remains the order of the day for those who are truly in it for the long haul.

"Watch and wait for a more constructive market," is the advice from one trader. "We continue to do little [trading]. Anything can happen here. There's no blueprint [and] everybody's guessing."

Week In Review

Here's a recap:

• Monday: Buffett's public display of optimism, and similar comments from other market seers, helped produce big gains. The Dow jumped 413 points as stress in the credit markets eased and talk of more government stimulus encouraged buyers. But Monday's rally proved to be the exception in yet another week where the sellers ruled.
• Tuesday: The Dow gave back about half of Monday's gains as traders focused on corporate earnings in the "weaker than expected" column from a number of players, including Caterpillar, Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, Freeport-McMoRan.
• Wednesday: Tuesday's slide proved to be a mere warm-up as the Dow lost 514 points, the S&P tumbled 6.1% and the Nasdaq shed 4.8%. The across-the-board decline was triggered by general concern about a global recession and specific worries about emerging markets like Argentina and Pakistan. Such macro concerns overshadowed earnings and guidance from, among others, Apple and Yahoo!
• Thursday: was in some the week's most dramatic, and confusing, session: The Dow traded in a 550-point range and swung wildly before closing up 2%. The S&P also rallied but the Nasdaq fell even as Amazon.com overcame a big early decline to close higher, despite its very cautious guidance.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Congressional hearings on the crisis provided background music to this week's market gyrations. Wednesday brought a focus on the failure of rating agencies while Thursday's session with former regulators featured an extremely rare event: Alan Greenspan admitted mistakes were made.

While the dog and pony show played on in Congress, current government regulators here and abroad continued to take action to try and stem the decline, including:

• A $540 billion pledge by the Fed to bolster money market funds.
• $7.7 billion of government support, via the Treasury's TARP plan, for PNC's acquisition of National City.
• Reports Treasury may take stakes in insurance companies, much as it did last week with the nation's biggest banks. (Insurers like MetLife and Hartford Financial were big winners Friday on the news.)
• The IMF is preparing financial aid for Iceland, Hungary and the Ukraine.
• Korea's government pledged $130 billion to shore up its banks.

"More [government] action right now is akin to trying to stitch a throat wound with razor blades," is how one trader summed up the government's response.

A grim image for sure, but somehow appropriate for a market that keeps getting bloodier.

What to Watch For Next Week

The Fed is scheduled to meet Oct. 29 and rumors of a half-point rate cut are currently making headlines. Recent history has shown the government's preference to take action over the weekend, so investors and analysts will be watching closely even before U.S. markets open on Monday.

Today's Bible Study... Commitment - committing

Commit: to pledge, to follow, to do things a specific way.

Today's Bible study was good. Thanks Elton! (if you're reading this) What I benefited from this was a timely warning or question:

What are you committed to?

Some people are committed to following the sensual desires of their heart. As the saying goes - "Whatever feels good - do it".

Some people are committed to their own personal ambition. Conquer the world. Become rich. etc..

But as Christians - we are committed to be holy. "Be Holy as God is holy." Clearly an impossible task. But with God - nothing is impossible. Matthew 5:48

The only way to do is - is to die to oneself - to become a living sacrifice. Having said that I believe that Salvation is a once only event - you say the prayer - the Spirit of God enters your life and you get that "ticket" to Heaven... but the process of finding out whether you're saved - working out your salvation - is an ongoing one. Genuine believers want to repent of their sins, they want to change. They may fail but they get up and keep on reforming themselves. They produce the fruits of God's Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness... Its a personal spiritual journey, not a 50m sprint.

Its a tough task. But Jesus himself said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made manifest in weakness." (2 Cor12:7) When we are rich, healthy, everything is going fine... its easy to forget God, or to treat his blessings lightly. But when things start going wrong... we need God's help. And we seek Him (probably more fervently :).

John Adams - lawyer, scholar, Christian, patriot

I just finished watching the HBO historical drama on John Adams, one of the key leaders in America's Revolutionary fight for Independence.

You can read my review here and watch some clips here.

What I find fascinating is how God (or if you like fate) placed a group of unique, complex, well qualified men (and young! Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old) - who were also very flawed- to lead this insurrection - and to bring it to its successful conclusion: a stable republican democracy underpinned by great humanitarian text such as America's Declaration of Independence.

Consider all the other modern revolutions - the French Revolution - ended with Napoleon the Corsican Emperor - the Russian, Chinese and all the other communist revolutions which ended disastrously for most of their populations. They all failed dreadfully, everyone of them, to bring about genuine material and social happiness for the people.

But yet the American Revolution succeeded remarkably well. Why?

That is one immense obstacle traditional non-Christian societies face. How do you overcome tribalism and nepotism without resorting to brutal central government - Authoritarianism?

How? in a society with citizens who think clearly and can overlook ethnic, religious and racial differences - and cooperate and work together. (Unfortunately, most nations cannot do this.)

In Christianity lies inherent the concept of fair play, social justice, pragmatism, and a belief in a moral world governed by a higher supernatural power that compels you to behave in a manner that contradicts selfish design and personal vanity. That was why John Adams stepped aside to let Thomas Jefferson pen "America's Declaration". That was why he also helped forge a peace with France despite knowing that war was a popular option. Christianity - with its emphasis on forgiveness, atonement, mercy even to enemies - is also the agent which brings former foes to peace.

It succeeded because it was led by good honest decent God fearing people like John Adams and his wife Abigail - who based on their Christian beliefs followed their conscience and did their utmost to do what was right and just. They refused to buy slaves to keep their farms - Abigail made a point to hire freed Africans as workers. They sought to do the best for their country's interest; Adams spent 3 often frustrating years abroad negotiating with the worldly Europeans.

There's something peculiar about Christianity. When Jesus said: he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Gospel of Luke 16)

The things good people do when acted in good faith, love in accordance with Christian principles - may seem unnaturally cruel to one's own family. But a Christian conscience will do such things when in some other cultures - this is impossible.

(Note: To be sure: John Adams was imperfect - and his administration was tarnished by his notorious Aliens and Sedition Act.)

Watch out boys. Its going to be a bumpy road ahead

From Yahoo's news service.

To get a sense of how wild and dramatic the swings on Wall Street have been this week, think about this: It was just one week ago that Warren Buffett said "buy stocks."

Buffett, known as the "Oracle of Omaha," was very specific about not calling a short-term bottom, which is fortunate considering the Dow fell 5.4% this week, while the S&P lost 6.8%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 9.3%.

Wild Swings, But No Crash

While the overall trend was certainly down, the market didn't move in a straight line. Amid reports of forced selling by hedge funds, the wild swings created nerve-wracking and gut-wrenching action - for pros and retail investors alike.

Seemingly anything can and did happen this week, although fears of an outright crash on Friday proved misplaced. The Dow fell more than 300 points but that felt relatively tame, which tells you something about how dramatic the recent weeks have been.  

We Have Not Hit Bottom

Although many industry observers are waiting for a bottoming out of the markets, there’s no way to know what’s next. Many traders believe the market will go back to its lows of 2002 – around Dow 7400 – before this decline ends.

Another way to tell a bottom is near: When people stop asking "what should I buy?" and start wondering "what should I sell?" - or just tune out the market altogether.

So although it’s stressful to watch your 401(k) bob up and down, patience remains the order of the day for those who are truly in it for the long haul.

"Watch and wait for a more constructive market," is the advice from one trader. "We continue to do little [trading]. Anything can happen here. There's no blueprint [and] everybody's guessing."

Week In Review

Here's a recap:

• Monday: Buffett's public display of optimism, and similar comments from other market seers, helped produce big gains. The Dow jumped 413 points as stress in the credit markets eased and talk of more government stimulus encouraged buyers. But Monday's rally proved to be the exception in yet another week where the sellers ruled.
• Tuesday: The Dow gave back about half of Monday's gains as traders focused on corporate earnings in the "weaker than expected" column from a number of players, including Caterpillar, Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, Freeport-McMoRan.
• Wednesday: Tuesday's slide proved to be a mere warm-up as the Dow lost 514 points, the S&P tumbled 6.1% and the Nasdaq shed 4.8%. The across-the-board decline was triggered by general concern about a global recession and specific worries about emerging markets like Argentina and Pakistan. Such macro concerns overshadowed earnings and guidance from, among others, Apple and Yahoo!
• Thursday: was in some the week's most dramatic, and confusing, session: The Dow traded in a 550-point range and swung wildly before closing up 2%. The S&P also rallied but the Nasdaq fell even as Amazon.com overcame a big early decline to close higher, despite its very cautious guidance.

Your Tax Dollars At Work 

Congressional hearings on the crisis provided background music to this week's market gyrations. Wednesday brought a focus on the failure of rating agencies while Thursday's session with former regulators featured an extremely rare event: Alan Greenspan admitted mistakes were made.

While the dog and pony show played on in Congress, current government regulators here and abroad continued to take action to try and stem the decline, including:

• A $540 billion pledge by the Fed to bolster money market funds.
• $7.7 billion of government support, via the Treasury's TARP plan, for PNC's acquisition of National City.
• Reports Treasury may take stakes in insurance companies, much as it did last week with the nation's biggest banks. (Insurers like MetLife and Hartford Financial were big winners Friday on the news.)
• The IMF is preparing financial aid for Iceland, Hungary and the Ukraine.
• Korea's government pledged $130 billion to shore up its banks.

"More [government] action right now is akin to trying to stitch a throat wound with razor blades," is how one trader summed up the government's response.

A grim image for sure, but somehow appropriate for a market that keeps getting bloodier.

What to Watch For Next Week

The Fed is scheduled to meet Oct. 29 and rumors of a half-point rate cut are currently making headlines. Recent history has shown the government's preference to take action over the weekend, so investors and analysts will be watching closely even before U.S. markets open on Monday.

Watch out boys. Its going to be a bumpy road ahead

From Yahoo's news service.

To get a sense of how wild and dramatic the swings on Wall Street have been this week, think about this: It was just one week ago that Warren Buffett said "buy stocks."

Buffett, known as the "Oracle of Omaha," was very specific about not calling a short-term bottom, which is fortunate considering the Dow fell 5.4% this week, while the S&P lost 6.8%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 9.3%.

Wild Swings, But No Crash

While the overall trend was certainly down, the market didn't move in a straight line. Amid reports of forced selling by hedge funds, the wild swings created nerve-wracking and gut-wrenching action - for pros and retail investors alike.

Seemingly anything can and did happen this week, although fears of an outright crash on Friday proved misplaced. The Dow fell more than 300 points but that felt relatively tame, which tells you something about how dramatic the recent weeks have been.

We Have Not Hit Bottom

Although many industry observers are waiting for a bottoming out of the markets, there’s no way to know what’s next. Many traders believe the market will go back to its lows of 2002 – around Dow 7400 – before this decline ends.

Another way to tell a bottom is near: When people stop asking "what should I buy?" and start wondering "what should I sell?" - or just tune out the market altogether.

So although it’s stressful to watch your 401(k) bob up and down, patience remains the order of the day for those who are truly in it for the long haul.

"Watch and wait for a more constructive market," is the advice from one trader. "We continue to do little [trading]. Anything can happen here. There's no blueprint [and] everybody's guessing."

Week In Review

Here's a recap:

• Monday: Buffett's public display of optimism, and similar comments from other market seers, helped produce big gains. The Dow jumped 413 points as stress in the credit markets eased and talk of more government stimulus encouraged buyers. But Monday's rally proved to be the exception in yet another week where the sellers ruled.
• Tuesday: The Dow gave back about half of Monday's gains as traders focused on corporate earnings in the "weaker than expected" column from a number of players, including Caterpillar, Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, Freeport-McMoRan.
• Wednesday: Tuesday's slide proved to be a mere warm-up as the Dow lost 514 points, the S&P tumbled 6.1% and the Nasdaq shed 4.8%. The across-the-board decline was triggered by general concern about a global recession and specific worries about emerging markets like Argentina and Pakistan. Such macro concerns overshadowed earnings and guidance from, among others, Apple and Yahoo!
• Thursday: was in some the week's most dramatic, and confusing, session: The Dow traded in a 550-point range and swung wildly before closing up 2%. The S&P also rallied but the Nasdaq fell even as Amazon.com overcame a big early decline to close higher, despite its very cautious guidance.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Congressional hearings on the crisis provided background music to this week's market gyrations. Wednesday brought a focus on the failure of rating agencies while Thursday's session with former regulators featured an extremely rare event: Alan Greenspan admitted mistakes were made.

While the dog and pony show played on in Congress, current government regulators here and abroad continued to take action to try and stem the decline, including:

• A $540 billion pledge by the Fed to bolster money market funds.
• $7.7 billion of government support, via the Treasury's TARP plan, for PNC's acquisition of National City.
• Reports Treasury may take stakes in insurance companies, much as it did last week with the nation's biggest banks. (Insurers like MetLife and Hartford Financial were big winners Friday on the news.)
• The IMF is preparing financial aid for Iceland, Hungary and the Ukraine.
• Korea's government pledged $130 billion to shore up its banks.

"More [government] action right now is akin to trying to stitch a throat wound with razor blades," is how one trader summed up the government's response.

A grim image for sure, but somehow appropriate for a market that keeps getting bloodier.

What to Watch For Next Week

The Fed is scheduled to meet Oct. 29 and rumors of a half-point rate cut are currently making headlines. Recent history has shown the government's preference to take action over the weekend, so investors and analysts will be watching closely even before U.S. markets open on Monday.

Today's Bible Study... Commitment to Sexual Purity

Commit: to pledge, to follow, to do things a specific way.

Today's Bible study was good. Thanks Elton! (if you're reading this) What I benefited from this was a timely warning or question:

What are you committed to?

Some people are committed to following the sensual desires of their heart. As the saying goes - "Whatever feels good - do it".

Some people are committed to their own personal ambition. Conquer the world. Become rich. Get Sex. Plenty of it. Enjoy.

But as Christians - we are committed to be holy. "Be Holy as God is holy." Clearly an impossible task. But with God - nothing is impossible. Matthew 5:48

The only way to do is - is to die to oneself - to become a living sacrifice. Having said that I believe that Salvation is a once only event - you say the prayer - the Spirit of God enters your life and you get that "ticket" to Heaven... but the process of finding out whether you're saved - working out your salvation - is an ongoing one. Genuine believers want to repent of their sins, they want to change. They may fail but they get up and keep on reforming themselves. They produce the fruits of God's Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness... Its a personal spiritual journey, not a 50m sprint.

Its a tough task. But Jesus himself said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made manifest in weakness." (2 Cor12:7) When we are rich, healthy, everything is going fine... its easy to forget God, or to treat his blessings lightly. But when things start going wrong... we need God's help. And we seek Him (probably more fervently :).

NINJAs caused the financial disaster!!!!

I learnt something new today. NINJAS - yeah those black evil bastards - caused the subprime meltdown disaster.

These Ninjas however don't come from the House of Tokugawa or the Sashimi School. They come from the

No Income No Jobs Assets School.

Planting Seeds of Disaster
ACORN, Barack Obama, and the Democratic party.

By Stanley Kurtz

‘You’ve got only a couple thousand bucks in the bank. Your job pays you dog-food wages. Your credit history has been bent, stapled, and mutilated. You declared bankruptcy in 1989. Don’t despair: You can still buy a house.” So began an April 1995 article in the Chicago Sun-Times that went on to direct prospective home-buyers fitting this profile to a group of far-left “community organizers” called ACORN, for assistance. In retrospect, of course, encouraging customers like this to buy homes seems little short of madness.

Using provisions of a 1977 law called the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Chicago ACORN was able to delay and halt the efforts of banks to merge or expand until they had agreed to lower their credit standards — and to fill ACORN’s coffers to finance “counseling” operations like the one touted in that Sun-Times article. This much we’ve known. Yet these local, CRA-based pressure-campaigns fit into a broader, more disturbing, and still under-appreciated national picture. Far more than we’ve recognized, ACORN’s local, CRA-enabled pressure tactics served to entangle the financial system as a whole in the subprime mess. ACORN was no side-show. On the contrary, using CRA and ties to sympathetic congressional Democrats, ACORN succeeded in drawing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the very policies that led to the current disaster.

Read the rest of the article by clicking onto the quotes.

Today's Bible Study... Commitment - committing

Commit: to pledge, to follow, to do things a specific way.

Today's Bible study was good. Thanks Elton! (if you're reading this) What I benefited from this was a timely warning or question:

What are you committed to?

Some people are committed to following the sensual desires of their heart. As the saying goes - "Whatever feels good - do it".

Some people are committed to their own personal ambition. Conquer the world. Become rich. etc..

But as Christians - we are committed to be holy. "Be Holy as God is holy." Clearly an impossible task. But with God - nothing is impossible. Matthew 5:48

The only way to do is - is to die to oneself - to become a living sacrifice. Having said that I believe that Salvation is a once only event - you say the prayer - the Spirit of God enters your life and you get that "ticket" to Heaven... but the process of finding out whether you're saved - working out your salvation - is an ongoing one. Genuine believers want to repent of their sins, they want to change. They may fail but they get up and keep on reforming themselves. They produce the fruits of God's Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness... Its a personal spiritual journey, not a 50m sprint.

Its a tough task. But Jesus himself said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made manifest in weakness." (2 Cor12:7) When we are rich, healthy, everything is going fine... its easy to forget God, or to treat his blessings lightly. But when things start going wrong... we need God's help. And we seek Him (probably more fervently :).

John Adams - lawyer, scholar, Christian, patriot

I just finished watching the HBO historical drama on John Adams, one of the key leaders in America's Revolutionary fight for Independence.

You can read my review here and watch some clips here.

What I find fascinating is how God (or if you like fate) placed a group of unique, complex, well qualified men (and young! Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old) - who were also very flawed- to lead this insurrection - and to bring it to its successful conclusion: a stable republican democracy underpinned by great humanitarian text such as America's Declaration of Independence.

Consider all the other modern revolutions - the French Revolution - ended with Napoleon the Corsican Emperor - the Russian, Chinese and all the other communist revolutions which ended disastrously for most of their populations. They all failed dreadfully, everyone of them, to bring about genuine material and social happiness for the people.

But yet the American Revolution succeeded remarkably well. Why?

That is one immense obstacle traditional non-Christian societies face. How do you overcome tribalism and nepotism without resorting to brutal central government - Authoritarianism?

How? in a society with citizens who think clearly and can overlook ethnic, religious and racial differences - and cooperate and work together. (Unfortunately, most nations cannot do this.)

In Christianity lies inherent the concept of fair play, social justice, pragmatism, and a belief in a moral world governed by a higher supernatural power that compels you to behave in a manner that contradicts selfish design and personal vanity. That was why John Adams stepped aside to let Thomas Jefferson pen "America's Declaration". That was why he also helped forge a peace with France despite knowing that war was a popular option. Christianity - with its emphasis on forgiveness, atonement, mercy even to enemies - is also the agent which brings former foes to peace.

It succeeded because it was led by good honest decent God fearing people like John Adams and his wife Abigail - who based on their Christian beliefs followed their conscience and did their utmost to do what was right and just. They refused to buy slaves to keep their farms - Abigail made a point to hire freed Africans as workers. They sought to do the best for their country's interest; Adams spent 3 often frustrating years abroad negotiating with the worldly Europeans.

There's something peculiar about Christianity. When Jesus said: he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Gospel of Luke 16)

The things good people do when acted in good faith, love in accordance with Christian principles - may seem unnaturally cruel to one's own family. But a Christian conscience will do such things when in some other cultures - this is impossible.

(Note: To be sure: John Adams was imperfect - and his administration was tarnished by his notorious Aliens and Sedition Act.)

NINJAs caused the financial disaster!!!!

I learnt something new today. NINJAS - yeah those black evil assasins - caused the subprime meltdown disaster.

These Ninjas however don't come from the House of Tokugawa or the Sashimi School. They come from the

No Income No Jobs Assets School.

Planting Seeds of Disaster
ACORN, Barack Obama, and the Democratic party.

By Stanley Kurtz

‘You’ve got only a couple thousand bucks in the bank. Your job pays you dog-food wages. Your credit history has been bent, stapled, and mutilated. You declared bankruptcy in 1989. Don’t despair: You can still buy a house.” So began an April 1995 article in the Chicago Sun-Times that went on to direct prospective home-buyers fitting this profile to a group of far-left “community organizers” called ACORN, for assistance. In retrospect, of course, encouraging customers like this to buy homes seems little short of madness.

Using provisions of a 1977 law called the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Chicago ACORN was able to delay and halt the efforts of banks to merge or expand until they had agreed to lower their credit standards — and to fill ACORN’s coffers to finance “counseling” operations like the one touted in that Sun-Times article. This much we’ve known. Yet these local, CRA-based pressure-campaigns fit into a broader, more disturbing, and still under-appreciated national picture. Far more than we’ve recognized, ACORN’s local, CRA-enabled pressure tactics served to entangle the financial system as a whole in the subprime mess. ACORN was no side-show. On the contrary, using CRA and ties to sympathetic congressional Democrats, ACORN succeeded in drawing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the very policies that led to the current disaster.

Read the rest of the article by clicking onto the quotes.

NINJAs caused the financial disaster!!!!

I learnt something new today. NINJAS - yeah those black evil bastards - caused the subprime meltdown disaster.

These Ninjas however don't come from the House of Tokugawa or the Sashimi School. They come from the

No Income No Jobs Assets School.

Planting Seeds of Disaster
ACORN, Barack Obama, and the Democratic party.

By Stanley Kurtz

‘You’ve got only a couple thousand bucks in the bank. Your job pays you dog-food wages. Your credit history has been bent, stapled, and mutilated. You declared bankruptcy in 1989. Don’t despair: You can still buy a house.” So began an April 1995 article in the Chicago Sun-Times that went on to direct prospective home-buyers fitting this profile to a group of far-left “community organizers” called ACORN, for assistance. In retrospect, of course, encouraging customers like this to buy homes seems little short of madness.

Using provisions of a 1977 law called the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Chicago ACORN was able to delay and halt the efforts of banks to merge or expand until they had agreed to lower their credit standards — and to fill ACORN’s coffers to finance “counseling” operations like the one touted in that Sun-Times article. This much we’ve known. Yet these local, CRA-based pressure-campaigns fit into a broader, more disturbing, and still under-appreciated national picture. Far more than we’ve recognized, ACORN’s local, CRA-enabled pressure tactics served to entangle the financial system as a whole in the subprime mess. ACORN was no side-show. On the contrary, using CRA and ties to sympathetic congressional Democrats, ACORN succeeded in drawing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the very policies that led to the current disaster.

Read the rest of the article by clicking onto the quotes.