Peter Bromberg's UnBlog

Many Americans are confused or simply ignorant about the history of Israel and "Palestine".  The following information is offered to provide some historical context, and is derived from several good sources. A common misperception about Israeli sovereignty  is that all the Jews were forced into the Diaspora by the Romans after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E. and then, 1,800 years later, suddenly returned to Palestine demanding their country back. In reality, the Jewish people have maintained ties to their historic homeland for more than 3,700 years. The Jewish people base their claim to the Land of Israel on at least four premises: 1) the Jewish people settled and developed the land; 2) the international community granted political sovereignty in Palestine to the Jewish people; 3) the territory was captured in defensive wars and 4) God promised the land to the patriarch Abraham. Even after the destru...

Endorphins are among the brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which function to transmit electrical signals within the nervous system. At least 20 types of endorphins have been demonstrated in humans. Endorphins can be found in the pituitary gland, in other parts of the brain, or distributed throughout the nervous system. Stress and pain are the two most common factors leading to the release of endorphins. Endorphins interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of pain and act similarly to drugs such as morphine and codeine. In contrast to the opiate drugs, however, activation of the opiate receptors by the body's endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence. In addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria,well-being and the ability to "think" clearly - precisely what software developers need to do!  It's a known fact that chili, jalapeno and similar peppers stimulate the se...

If supply is solid and demand is solid, how can it be that oil prices are skyrocketing? President Obama offered his thought recently, explaining that “we [speculators] think that maybe there's a 20 percent chance that something might happen in the Middle East that might disrupt oil supply, so we're going to bet that oil is going to go up real high. And that spikes up prices significantly."  He even announced a special “commission” to investigate and root out oil speculators. Is Obama right about speculators being the cause of high gas prices, and that supply and demand are balanced (as he also stated)? Let’s take a closer look: The above  two charts from the International Energy Agency’s latest report show quite clearly that world oil demand is currently outstripping world oil supply. And it will get worse over the near term. If countries cannot get oil at good prices, their economies begin to suffer. Prices of everything go up. With Fed Chairman Ben Bernank...

Current wisdom in Washington is that we need to raise taxes (particularly on “the rich”).  Here’s why it won’t work. President Obama’s deficit policy speech today emphasized that if government spending breaches a trigger level, tax increases should be triggered. He has it 100 percent backwards . I’ll explain. We have a current tax policy that taxes higher income people more as a percentage of their income than those in lower income brackets. This is true even if you look at all Federal taxes, not just income taxes.  The following chart, based on data from the liberal-leaning Tax Policy Center , makes this clear: It can be seen that the highest earning group, at $212,666 and up, pays 40.3% of all Federal taxes, while the middle group (from $35,347 to $64,490 income) pays less than one quarter of that, at 10% of all Federal Taxes. These are facts, they don’t lie. But somehow the current Administration seems to think that higher income earners aren’t paying e...

You climb the stairs Looking for a sign That will tell you where to go But you never find it You retrace your steps And realize it's cold and you've left your jacket Somewhere And now you cannot go back Because you don't know where You come into a station People mill about A train comes screeching around an impossible curve the last car is blown open like shrapnel from a bomb You turn away This is not the train And no one gets on You were looking for The art museum Somewhere in your mind you know how to walk there but now you're lost You cannot go forward You cannot go back You stare into someone's face And realize it is an old friend from high school But you ask his name and he says something unintelligible You are dreaming and Awake in the dream familiar subway sounds Welcome to the subway to nowhere

Have you ever seen a newspaper headline, "Psychic Wins Lottery"? Or, "Astrologer Wins Lottery"? In one poll, 31% of Americans expressed a belief in astrology and, according to another study, 39% considered it scientific. The core beliefs of astrology were prevalent in parts of the ancient world and are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim, "as above, so below". Tycho Brahe used a similar phrase to summarize his studies in astrology: suspiciendo despicio , "by looking up I see downward". Although the principle that events in the heavens are mirrored by those on Earth was once generally held in most traditions of astrology around the world, in the West there has historically been a debate among astrologers over the nature of the mechanism behind astrology. In other words, the so-called experts cannot even agree how to practice it! Predictive astrology, in the Western tradition, employs two main methods: astrological transits and astrological progres...

With 2011 rolling in and the economy still hovering around 10% unemployment, it’s more important than ever to economize. Dr.Dotnetsky, our kind denizen of eggheadcafe.com ,  passed on this great economy meal tip and I’m reproducing it here: Ingredients: 1 Package Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup 1 small bunch scallions, chopped 10 Baby Spinach leaves, chopped Dash Toasted Sesame Oil 3 dashes Sushi Rice Seasoning Maruchan Ramen comes in a number of flavors. Each comes with a seasoning packet. They are available for sale at grocery stores nationwide for as low as 6 for $1.00. (Dood – that’s seventeen cents a piece!) Heat up a saucepan with 2 cups water. Throw in the noodles. After the noodles start boiling, throw in the spinach leaves and the scallions. Add the sesame oil and the Sushi Rice seasoning (it’s just flavored vinegar) Add the seasoning packet contents. Turn off the heat after 3 minutes, stir, and pour into a bowl. Enjoy! Dr. Dotnetsy recommends that with the money ...

Tomorrow the FED will, in all its inglorious righteousness, decide whether to print either $500 Billion or $ 1 Trillion in new fiat money to purchase securities. There's already been agricultural and commodity inflation (Think "food") for the better part of 2010. This will now send prices through the roof. These idiots have absolutely NO EARTHLY IDEA what they're doing or what the consequences are. Sooner or later, our FED devalued greenback will filter down to the consumer. Ron Paul, where are you when I need you? You're the only guy with the guts to be willing to abolish the Federal Reserve. There is no such thing as a "free lunch". If you print money the way the Obama Administration has done (in addition to spending it foolishly), somebody is going to have to pay the Piper. We can't get these idiots out of office fast enough. UPDATE: As of Nov 3 2010 the FED has announced a new program where they'll print enough fiat money to purchas...

I posted a new article on Silverlight at eggheadcafe.com . This covers the use of Rene Schulte’s WriteableBitmapEx offering to create Hopalong Fractals.

On September 11, 2001, fanatic Islamist extremists declared war on America. They are still out there . They are determined to kill Americans. The rationale is not important when you are dealing with maniacs. There is only one choice: Eliminate them, so that they can never do it again. ServicePeople: Your service to the United States is deeply appreciated. We owe you a deep debt of gratitude for your selfless dedication to protecting everything we believe in – freedom, liberty, and life. We won’t forget the sacrifices you and your families have made in defense of the American way. DON’T FORGET.