Posts Tagged ‘commentary’
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – For American Civil War Enthusiasts
Written by Owen Jones on June 15, 2010 – 8:30 am -If you are at all interested in either Pennsylvania or American history, you will certainly have heard of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the historic activities that took place there during the American Civil War. The three day long battle that took place there in July 1863 was cruel and bloody, but was claimed as a victory for the Unionist North.
Even so, one quick look in the Union Army burial ground in the Gettysburg National Cemetery on Cemetery Hill will convince you that the victory came at a very high price. The cost in human life and human suffering was enormous on both sides. Later on in the same year, Abraham Lincoln gave a discourse which was to become renowned throughout the world as the Gettysburg Address.
These days, the Gettysburg National Military Park is a tranquil place, but it acts as a moving reminder of the battle that was fought, the strategies employed, the heroism of the combatants and the readiness of military leaders to sacrifice the common soldier for political objectives.
Posted in Travel | No Comments »
The U.S. Government’s Irresponsible Spending Has To Stop
Written by Jason Stlotnik on March 13, 2010 – 10:56 am -It has been one whole year since the 2009 stimulus bill was passed and it is still in the news almost every day. Many people still don’t fully understand that that bill was meant to give money to businesses as well as state and local governments and not individual people.
The only way to have benefited from that legislation is to have gotten a newly created job that came about because of the stimulus bill. You might also have gotten some better terms for your mortgage but there was nothing where you were going to get cash from the government. If people thought they could qualify for a government grant they could have applied to one, but those grants weren’t any bigger or easier to get than they always were.
People are still trying to find ways to make money, get jobs, and make ends meet in 2010. The stimulus bill did nothing to lower the unemployment rate and people are still having the hardest time of their lives finding work. What did we really get, if anything, for the 787 billion dollars the government is handing out?
Posted in Finance | No Comments »
Chinese Lunar Calendar
Written by Owen Jones on February 26, 2010 – 1:04 pm -Before their implementation of the Western solar calendar system, the Chinese almost exclusively followed their own lunar calendar for determining the times of planting and harvesting and festival days. Although people in China today use the Western calendar for almost all business, governmental and practical matters of daily life, the old method still serves as the basis for working out numerous recurring holidays. This coexistence of two calendar schemes has long been accepted by the people of China.
However, this does not only happen in China, it also happens in most other Eastern countries, like Thailand, and most Arabic countries.
A lunar month is determined by measuring the period of time needed for the moon to complete its full cycle of 29 and a half days, a standard that makes the lunar year a whole eleven days shorter than its solar counterpart. This difference is made up every 19 years by the addition of seven lunar months.
The 12 lunar months are further divided into 24 solar divisions distinguished by the four seasons and times of heat and cold, all of which bear a close relationship to the annual cycle of agricultural work.
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Can You Get Money From The Government?
Written by Jess Jackson on December 9, 2009 – 5:43 am -Why do people think that they can make money with government grants? Barack Obama is now the President and it seems like people voted for him because they though he was going to give them money. This is silly if you think about it although Democrats do have a habit of giving out a lot of our taxpayer’s money. The stimulus bill is giving away lots of money to corporations and trying to keep them afloat but he is not giving out money via the grant system. People are desperate right now and they are hoping to get money any way they can.
The amount of the stimulus bill is staggering and we have all hear reports of the numbers on television and radio. This has undoubtedly led people to think that they can get some of it and they are keen to find out how. They might not care that all that money is coming directly from our taxes and the taxes of future generations. It will be our kids and grandkids that have to pay for much of the trouble that we have gotten ourselves into.
Posted in Finance | No Comments »