The Old Testament tells us that Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt. The 10 plagues were a demonstration of the Hebrew God’s power and displeasure designed to persuade Pharaoh to "let my people go," in the words of the spiritual “Go Down Moses.”
The ten plagues in the Bible
1. River water turns to blood 2. Frogs multiply 3. Gnats torment people and animals 4. Flies spread disease 5. Death of Egyptian livestock through disease 6. Boils on people and animals 7. Hail destroys crops 8. Locusts devour all crops 9. Darkness for three days over land occupied by Egyptians 10. Death of the firstborn of Egyptian families
Video. Marc Maron ( http://www.airamerica.com) has identified ten new plagues that are currently enveloping our world that might be even worse than the ones mentioned in the Old Testament.
Ten modern plagues:
1. Drinking water pollution 2. Falling value of homes and 401k's 3. Spam, etc. 4. Killer chimps 5. Salmonella in nuts 6. Botox, plastic surgery, etc. 7. Hail of gunfire 8. Media 9. Global warming 10.Obesity in children
QUESTION: What do you think ? Are our plagues worse than the ones mentioned in the Old Testament?
It has been said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, chiefly because a small amount of knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they really are. Almost 300 years ago, Alexander Pope first used the expression in "An Essay on Criticism":
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."
Which brings up the question of which is more dangerous to society and to the individual: a little bit of learning or a whole lot of ignorance about any given topic? What do you think?
Video. Who should America invade next? Tagline- The ignorance is dangerous.
Video. TV Mind Control For Dummies. TV Mind Control For Dummies. Everything you need to know and seven minutes more! Switch off the box, or blow it up.
(Today, as I am working on my income tax forms, I am reminded of this post that I wrote three years ago while doing the same thing.)
Since it is time once again to prepare my federal and state income taxes, I am more aware of the national debt that has been accumulating. Through a little research at various sites, this is what I found out by using the internet:
The national debt on December 31, 1981: $1,028,729,000,000.00 (a little over 1 trillion dollars--and the taxpayers were up in arms!) The national debt on September 30, 1999: $5,656,270,901,615.43 The national debt on March 14, 2006: $8,270,260,017,805.93 The national debt on March 16, 2006: $9,000,000,000,000.00 (9 trillion dollars)
With close to 300 million people in the United States at present, that sum adds about $30,000 to the debt of every man, woman, and child in the nation. In one of the worst case scenarios, a man with a $100,000 college loan who marries a woman with a $100,000 college loan will find that the extra $30,000 debt for each of them will give them a total debt of $260,000 as they enter the state of holy matrimony.
In the 1940s, corporations paid 43% of federal taxes and individuals paid 33%. In the 1990s, corporations paid 15% of federal taxes and individuals 73%. More than 60% of American corporations paid no federal income tax for 1996-2000 because of offshore shelters. The taxes collected from corporations continued their decline from $207 billion in 2000 to $132 billion in 2003. Many corporations that evade taxes through offshore shelters are still awarded federal contracts.
Percentage of households with incomes of 75k-100k who paid Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in 2000: Between 2-3%. Percentage of households with incomes of 75k-100k who paid AMT in 2005: Around 15%. By 2010, an estimated 35.6 million U.S. families will have to pay the AMT--including an incredible 97.2 percent of families with two children and who make between $75,000 and $100,000 a year, which is what some two-income working-class families make annually. By 2010, just 5 percent of AMT revenue will come from taxpayers making more than $1 million a year.
The present federal income tax system lets the rich off the hook -- at the expense of working people. The system is rigged so that the wealth of U.S. society "trickles up," not down -- from the poor and working class into the pockets of the rich. There’s no other conclusion to draw from the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States.
Between 1970 to 2001, the U.S. economy more than doubled in size. But working people didn’t see any of the benefits of this huge increase in wealth. Over the three decades leading up to 2000, the 90 percent of U.S. households on the bottom end of the income ladder saw no increase at all in income on average, after adjusting for inflation. The top 10%, on the other hand, nearly doubled their income on average over the 30 years. By 2000, the wealthiest 0.01 percent of taxpayers -- just 13,400 households -- had an average annual income of $24 million, 560 times the average household income.
How have the rich grown so unimaginably wealthy? There are many factors involved -- above all, Corporate America’s attack on working-class living standards by squeezing workers’ wages and benefits. But one little-noticed reason has to do with the tax system. Over the past 30 years, Washington politicians have deliberately shifted the tax burden off the rich and corporations, and onto workers and the poor.
During President Bush’s first term in office, at least one major tax-cut measure was enacted each year. This legislation cut individual income tax rates, repealed the estate tax, and reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends. Between fiscal years 2001 and 2006, these measures will have deprived the Treasury of more than $1 trillion.
While the rich are paying far less in taxes, to make up the difference, both Democrats and Republicans have systematically shifted the tax burden onto the shoulders of everyone on the lower rungs of the income ladder. One of the biggest tax shifts comes in the form of Social Security payroll taxes.
Well, it’s time for me to return to the preparation of my federal and state income tax forms. But now I know that the only sure things in our lives are debt and taxes.
QUESTIONS: Have you filed your income tax yet? Owing more or getting a refund?
Video. Ballad of Timothy Geithner. "They're writing laws on income tax, but not for me." A musical salute to Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, who for five years avoided paying a significant part of his income tax."
Spoofing a cultural icon, symbol, public figure, and celebrity has a long history. Creating a parody imitating a serious piece of literature, music or art work for a humorous or satirical effect is a popular method used by authors, entertainers and advertisers to communicate a particular point of view.
Many parodies of famous art works are available on YouTube. One of the most famous of the parodies is of Whistler's famed black-and-gray portrait of his mother, which has been spoofed many times by various internet artists. Some other famous parodies on YouTube deal with the art works of Vincent Van Gogh and the famous Vermeer painting of the "Girl with a Pearl Earring".
About two weeks ago, an art gallery in San Diego created quite a brouhaha when it displayed a painting spoofing Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The name of the painting was changed to “The Gathering.” It depicted Bugs Bunny as Jesus and used Looney Tunes and other cartoon characters such as Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Pepe Le Pew, the Road Runner and other characters for the twelve disciples. It was painted by Glen TarnowskI, an artist residing in Dallas.
Although some people who viewed the painting merely smiled or frowned, the gallery soon received some telephone calls demanding its immediate removal. That reminded me of the controversy created in the Islamic world in 1988 with the publication of Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses,” which had some passages perceived as an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. A few months later, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at that time, called the book “blasphemous against Islam” and issued a fatwa calling for the execution of Rushdie. In so far as I know, no one has suggested that TarnowskI be killed for his parody of “The Last Supper.”
At this point, let’s view a YouTube video with a serious treatment of “The Last Supper.”
Video. The Restoration of the The Last Supper. The Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan in Northern Italy is known the world over for one painting. The Last Supper is a masterpiece. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago. My wife and I viewed this painting in 1979, before the restoration had begun.
Now for the spoof of “The Last Supper.”
Video. Art Spoofs: Da Vinci's "Last Supper." Great works of art attract and fascinate us. So it comes as no surprise that some of the more recognizable pieces of art get spoofed mercilessly by artists and wags everywhere.
QUESTIONS:
What is your reaction to the spoofs? Are you smiling, frowning, or calling for the heads of the artists? Do you consider the spoofs to be clever and funny or simply exercises in bad taste?
