Odracirys

I am of the opinion that "enlightened absolutism" is the best form of government.  The only problem is that most people think they're enlightened when they're not.  (I'm one of the few who actually is enlightened, though!) Because absolutism will tend to not be enlightened, democracy is the next best way...yet it's a very distant second, as democracy means the people decide things (or in most "democracies", they at least THINK they decide things while corporations actually do).  But I digress. I love information, and that includes polls, but when I see the results of polls, a part of my hope for democracy dies.  I don't have much left... Many Americans Can't Name Obama's Religion: http://www.gallup.com/poll/155315/Many-Americans-Cant-Name-Obamas-Religion.aspx

Numbers 15:32-36 To me, this is the most powerful video ever from NonStampCollector.

*"Beauty of the Beasts" - by UppruniTegundanna* Music: "Kissed by a Kisser", by Xploding Plastix About the most mesmerizing music video dedicated to nature that you'll ever see.

Earth 2100 - an ABC Special This is a great TV special about what could happen over the next 88 years (that is, from now until the year 2100).  It's quite long, and split into 9 parts.  The first part is shown here.  Please check the link right below this sentence for the playlist so you can go through all of the parts whenever you want. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBFEEF3E8C438125A&feature=plcp

People of Color Call me racist, but I hate the phrase "people of color". I just do. It's stupid. But I can list a few reasons, too. Firstly, everyone has a color. White people range from light pinkish to beige to tan. And East Asian people are often as white, as far as skin pigmentation, as white people. But OK, the term "white person" has been used for a long time and is generally understood. But guess what...scientifically speaking, white is a combination of every color, while black is the absence of color. So, everyone but black people should be known as "people of color" if you want to be more scientific about it. But there's more. "People of color" refers to all non-whites, who have absolutely nothing in common besides the fact that they're not white. Michio Kaku, Queen Latifah, King Ashoka, and Kim Jong-Un are all people of color. Please tell me the traits they all share, which none of them share with white people.

Please don't back my brain up. To all of those sci-fi lovers who wish we could back ourselves up so that some semblance of our consciousness could continue to live, this is a must-watch.  It might just change your perspective. Also, one thing to remember is that you can copy files and copies of those.  Each copy is not an original, but a copy, just like a clone of you would be a twin, not you. Finally, I think this shows what a Christian or Islamic heaven would be like.  After all, people act "perfectly" up there and have no sinful urges (like wearing mixed fabrics and such).

The life of an well-liked introvert. Are you a well-liked introvert?  That's better than being a despised introvert, for sure, but it has its own challenges of its own.  For example, when there's a party coming up, and you have to hide from people so that they won't ask if you're coming to the party.  When they do find you and ask you, you have to give a non-committal answer, which hints at you going or at least wanting to go.  The best way to respond is to pretend that you didn't know about it. "Oh, there's a party after work tonight?  Oh...  Hmm...  I'll see if I can make it!" Then, at the end of work, you have to quickly slink out without saying goodbye on that day, so nobody notices you.  If they ask at that point, you're caught.  You either have to be the party-pooper, or suck it up and go.  If you can escape unnoticed, you can claim victory. Anyone else have this kind of experience, or is it just me?

This is a video worth checking out about how women are able to be treated according to the Qur'an and Hadiths, and many imams preaching right now. The best quote is from Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajid: "He knows what this need is, and this is why he ordered the wife to consent to the husband, even if she is by the stove.  Even if she is baking, she must consent to him." Video by YouTube User: ZOMgitsCriss

Proof that haters gonna hate. To those who hate the United States (and/or the West), I'd just like you to think for a second exactly what the U.S. could do to make you like it.  Sure, I've been angry at the United States (that is, the majority of the federal government's decision-makers) many times in the past.  But when they do something right (or don't do something wrong), I feel that you need to give them some credit.  Many don't. This is one more reason why the United States should impose "regime change" on Syria.  Many of the rebels, as has become the norm, are America-haters through and through.  They are incensed that the United States is NOT imposing its will in the Middle East through military invasion.   Of course, any time we come, we're the crusaders.  It's a lose-lose proposition.  But not doing anything is better than the alternative. I was actually for some kind of intervention in Libya, but after seeing the brutality with which the

Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants a 1,360 Acre Forest http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/man-single-handedly-plants-entire-forest.html This is the kind of compassion towards non-humans that has existed in the far background of humanity for millennia, but rarely gets noticed.  If only even 10% of people had this kind of ethical system, the world would be so much better than it is now.  If everyone thought this way, the earth would be a true paradise. Jadav "Molai" Payeng started planted trees on a sand bar more than 3 decades ago after witnessing the upsetting sight of snakes dying from lack of tree cover and plant growth on that hot sand bar. The article states: "It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life. 'The snakes died in the heat, without

Humans are most decidedly animals.  This is true based on genetic and fossil evidence, and much more besides that. There is very little that is exclusive to humans.  Perhaps the complexity of our utterings and the range of movement of our arms and hands are the biggest differentiators, but these are different in degree, not kind. Of course, other animals also possess morality.  There are many examples I can list, and I have in fact listed one before. Even "depravity" can be found in various animals.  This fascinating article is about a study of penguins which was conducted 100 years ago and unpublished since that time.  These are some quotes from George Levick's previously unpublished pamphlet (some translated from Greek, because he didn't want most people to read them): "There seems to be no crime too low for these penguins."  "This afternoon I saw a most extraordinary site [sic]. A Penguin was actually engaged in sodomy upon the body of a

Was the prosecution of Hosni Mubarak a good idea? This is a real question, as I'm not dead-set on what I believe the answer is.  This man was a dictator for 30 years, and committed some human rights abuses, but no more than most other regimes in the region, and far less than some such as Saddam Hussein (whom I feel certain liberal people even felt sorry for - so-called rape rooms and all).  In general, Mubarak was a middle-of-the-road dictator, no worse than many people we regularly do business with TODAY. During the overthrow, people were killed...but nowhere near the number of people killed in Syria or Libya or elsewhere.  He sent horsemen in to beat people, but there didn't seem to be a well-determined plan to kill off the protesters. I was firmly on the side of the uprising a year ago, and I tuned in to see the progress.  At the time, it seemed like Mubarak would never leave.  But in the end, he did leave without a civil war...although the military twisted his arm. With