Bible Geography: Cyrus the Great


When talking Southwest Asia in World Geography, discussion of religion must ensue. When talking religions of Southwest Asia, Judaism must be discussed. When talking Judaism, the influence of the Persians must covered. Got to follow the money trail. As our story opens, the Hebrews are slaves of the Babylonians. The Babylonians are attacked or invaded…

>Geography on TV: Crusoe


>A modern treatment of an old story has made its way to television. Crusoe, a new offering on NBC, depicts the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a man washed up on an isolated, uninhabited island after his ship sinks. Crusoe is based on Robinson Crusoe, a novel written in 1719 by Daniel Dafoe. The island in…

>Israel – Isreal? Who cares, right?


>I care. This is another one of my pet geography peeves, the misspelling of “Israel“. It is not “Is-real”; It is “Isra-el”. And there is a good reason for this. “El” means god. Specifically, “El” is the true God, the God of the Hebrews, and thusly, of Christians and Muslims. Other forms exist as “Elohim”…

>29th in Infant Mortality, #1 in Your Heart


>My tirade continues. Ok, look, just to reiterate, to compare the United States with Poland is like comparing apples and bowling balls. Nothing wrong with Poland; I’m sure the people there are wonderful. I would love to visit sometime. But, Poland is Poland and the United States is, well, like no other country on the…

>29th on Infant Mortality


>I wish I knew the name of the jackass who wrote this article. These editorials are the type of crap I argue against. Read the editorial. The author says that we should hold off on being too proud of ourselves regarding shaving 15/100ths of a point from our Infant Mortality Rate. Who does this person…

>DROC Fighting Continues


>While most of the world has been distracted by events in Iraq and Afghanistan, Africa has been challenged by forces within and without. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest state in southern Africa, is the site of the deadliest conflict in the world, surpassing even the Iraq War and Afghanistan, combined. Since 1998,…

>Movie Review: Charlie Wilson’s War


>Who says one man can’t make a difference? Okay, well, a lot of people say that. What happens when one person tells another that they CAN make a difference, but they have to go to Pakistan first? What you get, at least in this case, is the US proxy war against the Russians, with Afghanistan…

>Movie Review: Stop-Loss


>In Tikrit, you lead your squad after some guys that attacked your checkpoint. Not because you want revenge, but because you are following orders. Three Humvees in pursuit of a little Datsun pickup with three perps inside with AKs. The squad chases them through town, down a narrow alley, where the perps flee their truck…

>Movie Review: Taxi To The Darkside


>Abu Ghraib. Merely thinking about Abu Ghraib makes my skin crawl. Such an honorable example of American culture. But wait, that isn’t right. American military culture under Bush. It doesn’t represent me, my ideals, my concerns, or my beliefs. Anyone with any ethical or moral fibers in their bodies are probably not represented by Abu…