Facts Management.

Some thirty years ago, on the big screen, we watched Darth Vader kill with sheer force of will. It was pure science fiction. Or was it? "The Men Who Stare At Goats" is a soon-to-be-released major motion picture starring George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, and Ewan McGregor. It is a lighthearted look at how the U.S. Army explored paranormal powers, parapsychology, and psychic functioning in the late 1970s and early 80s. The film portrays all of this in a whimsical and comical tone, but there is a real story behind this humorous tale, and that story is deadly serious. Three years in the making, Jon Ronson's Crazy Rulers of the World explores the apparent madness at the heart of U.S. Military, Intelligence, and Government communities.  With first-hand access to the leading players in the story, Jon Ronson examines the extraordinary -- and plain bizarre -- national secrets at the core of George W Bush's war on terror.    Interviewee: "We had a master sergeant th...

Brief History of the Maya Civilization. The Mayan civilization arose in Mesoamerica around 250 AD , influenced by the culture and religion of the Olmecs. The Mayan urban culture flourished until about 900 AD but thrived in various places until the Spanish conquest. During this first 650 years, which scholars call the Classic Period , the Mayan civilization comprised more than 40 sizeable cities spread across modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize. Cortez At its peak, the total population may have reached 2 million people, most of whom lived in modern-day Guatemala. The cities have been mainly ceremonial centers, with most of the Maya living a rural, agricultural life around the towns. Sometime after 900 AD, the Mayan culture declined dramatically, and most cities were abandoned. The latest scholarship attributes this decline to the loss of trade routes due to war. The tremendous southern cities became depopulated, but the cities of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico (such ...

 I have posted these photos and essays to illustrate  my previous posts.  Often "a picture will say it all." By clicking on the link: slide show...   you will be redirected to the Foreign Policy web page. Thank you. Children at Work While many children are now enjoying summer holidays from school, others are toiling away in sweatshops. Amid the Great Recession, more parents may pull their children out of school and put them to work to supplement the family income. Slides Show: Children at Work   The Battle over Israel's Settlements  As Washington gears up for a showdown over Israel's settlements, settlers are taking matters into their own hands.   Slide Show: The Battle over Israel's Settlements   The Land of No Smile R enowned documentary photographer Tomas van Houtryve entered North Korea by posing as a businessman looking to open a chocolate factory. Despite 24-hour surveillance by North Korean minders,...

"In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death, he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery all the slaughter of plague, pestilence, and famine." George Bernard Shaw " Rachel Corrie, American killed by an Israeli army bulldozer, Tom Handel; British shot to the head by an Israeli sniper, James Miller; British shot by the Israeli army. If foreigners are dying like this in Gaza, what happens to the one million Palestinians who live there."  This is how the documentary "Investigation" by Journeyman begins. This documentary is filmed by a British crew for over 40 days. They lived and filmed daily events you will not see in leading stream media. Palestinian civil casualty is a fact deliberately omitted from the U.S. news. The Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are under siege by the Israeli Army. The Jewish People were victimized during WWII by the Nazi Germans, and since 1948, Israel has been crush...

  The European Union's hopes of more significant global clout centered on Ireland on Friday as voting started in a referendum to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. A year ago, Irish voters rejected the treaty, a watered-down version of the constitution that French and Dutch voters vetoed in 2005. The treaty gives the bloc more decisive leadership, effective foreign policy, and a fairer decision-making system. Follow the link for a clear map of the E.U.   http://www.ezilon.com/european_maps.htm 27 Countries Here are some of the main points of the 250-page treaty. * INSTITUTIONS : E.U. leaders will choose a president of the European Council for a renewable 2-1/2 year term to strengthen the system of rotating presidencies. -- A powerful new foreign policy chief, at the head of an E.U. foreign service, will give the bloc a more significant say on the world stage. The High Representative will answer to E.U. governments, vice-president of the European Commission, and man...

 Civilization is the encouragement of differences. Civilization thus becomes a synonym of democracy. Force, violence, pressure, or compulsion with a view to conformity is both uncivilized and undemocratic." Mohandas Gandhi "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is brought under totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?" Mohandas Gandhi These are our brothers and sisters. Who gave their lives? Unselfishly Not for fame and glory but because they were told. "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mohandas Gandhi "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." Mohandas Gandhi     This was made up in Texas, announced in January to the Republican leadership that war would take place and be good politically. There was no imminent t...

My War, My Story ( after viewing the movie, please take a minute and leave a comment.) This documentary is a candid highlight of Iraq's war.  Vets from across the country talk about their position on the war. Most of these vets remain loyal yet question the U.S. involvement in Iraq. This documentary is not a statement from the political left– many of these vets have a conservative background. The outrage shown by some vets about how corporations have made billions at their expense comes mainly from the working class. The documentary highlights the difficulties of resuming their life: patriotism made them go, and greed made them expendable. You will also hear of civilians killed at checkpoints. Eric, from Chicago, describes the accidental slaughter of three generations of a family. Jimmy from North Carolina ordered his Marines to open fire on a speeding car full of civilians. What effects do incidents like these have in the long run on returning vets? The film...