Confederate History

Sejarah Mbah Priok - Can the government of the United States go too far? Is there any way, besides taxation's effect on the economy, to know if and when the federal government of the United States has gone too far in stripping away the individual liberty of its citizens?

Mbah Priok - The rhetorical volleys which have echoed across America about Governor McConnell's proclamation in support of Confederate History month clearly demonstrate the wide differences between Americans on the very broadest range of issues. The republic of Republics, created by our Founding Fathers, is no longer alive. The American Civil War did much more than preserves the Union and end slavery. It started the process by which the Herculean efforts of so many early American patriots to create a land of liberty were erased. Not just the independence of the thirteen independent colonies, but the independence and liberty of the individual citizen.

Alexis d'Tocqueville's observations about the struggle between liberty and equality were both accurate and prophetic. Material equality has risen to paramount importance, and through taxation, regulation, and the destruction of state sovereignty is virtually obliterating the liberties articulated in the Bill of Rights.

This is not the America Washington, Lee, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Madison and Mason intended. The Tenth Amendment, the guide to how America was to deal with questions yet asked, has been set aside. The federal government, through the US Supreme Court has decided what powers it will seize, and which ones it will leave to the states. These latter powers are few and temporary, because in the progressive view of the "living" Constitution, the Court can at any time revisit a question and arbitrarily change the foundational law of the?land, seizing power and expanding the role of government. Even the very foundations of our nation, "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are not immune as is demonstrated by the Court's decision to?forfeit the right to life to the innocent?unborn in Roe v. Wade.

Abortion is the modern day equivalent to the slavery of the past. It is another blemish on the character of the American nation.

America is not the nation we hoped it would be. And, it is as much "mom and pops" fault, as it is the fault of the powerful. Americans have been unable to live up to the responsibility of citizenship. Americans have not guarded their citizenship, but have allowed any transient the right to influence American policy, through the vote, as a lobbyist, as a special interest. We have not cherished the gift given to us by our Creator.

The grand experiment is in serious mortal danger. Our nation has drifted from the Bible, from its originating faith in Christ. Our nation allows our public airwaves to be used by Satan to spread immorality. Our opposition to the creation of a national church has been turned into separation of God from the American people.

When defining right from wrong, there is no other source more appropriate for the United States of America, than the Christian Bible. Yet, when Ethics in the American classroom is discussed, of the many sources quoted, the Bible is not one of them. Right and wrong is created from human experience and "knowledge," not divine inspiration.

And if the discussion of right and wrong in the classroom is absent the Bible, than can we be surprised that Freedom of Speech includes pornography? Can we be surprised that public prayer at high school football games is a crime!

The Culture War in America rages. It is not over. Sarah Palin is our hope. She rises from the masses. She is us. She is not manipulated by the wisdom of the Ivy League. She is the quintessential American, and she scares the heck out of the progressives whose arguments will collapse when placed under the light of reality. Her anchor is in American history and in living life on the frontier. Her successful efforts on behalf of the Alaskan people in negotiations with the oil companies are testimony not only to her intelligence but to her political acumen.

The fight rages on. We can be a better nation and better people. We can reclaim our inheritance as Americans.

Thank you Governor McConnell for recognizing the patriots of old Virginia. Thank you for having the courage to say that, though imperfect, the Confederates of Virginia and the South are worth remembering. No doubt, from their heavenly perch they watch with interest the results of Lincoln's victory.

Poland's President,

Poland President Lech Kaczysnki, his wife and a delegation including Poland's top national security and military officials were killed in a plane crash near the western Russian airport of Smolensk Saturday.

Polish officials said 89 people had been killed in the crash, CNN reported.

The Polish presidential delegation had been traveling to the village of Katyn to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the massacre of some 20,000 Polish officers there during World War II.

The group had flown from Warsaw in a Tupolev-154 and was approaching to land at the airport in Smolensk in heavy fog when the plane was believed to hit trees at the end of the runway. Some reports said the pilot had been advised because of the heavy fog to re-route to another airport.

Among those killed in the crash, Kaczynski, 60, his wife Maria Kaczysnka, Aleksander Szczyglo, the head of the National Security Office; Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the deputy parliament speaker; Andrzej Kremer, the deputy foreign minister; and Gen. Franciszek Gagor, the army chief of staff, according to the party, according to CNN.

Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komowrowski has become acting president and declared a day of national mourning. Russia also declared a day of national mourning.

Kaczynski had been president since 2005. Elections must now be held within 60 days, CNN cited former Polish Foreign Minister Dariusz Rosati.

Countries around the world have sent condolences. President Barack Obama called Polish Prime Minister Tusk to express his condolences to the people of Poland.

"Today’s loss is devastating to Poland, to the United States, and to the world," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "President Kaczynski was a distinguished statesman who played a key role in the Solidarity movement, and he was widely admired in the United States as a leader dedicated to advancing freedom and human dignity. With him were many of Poland’s most distinguished civilian and military leaders who have helped to shape Poland’s inspiring democratic transformation. We join all the people of Poland in mourning their passing."

"I join President Obama in offering my deepest condolences to the people of Poland, to the Kaczynski family, and to the families of all those killed in this tragedy," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, calling Kaczynski one of America's most valued and trusted allies, and "champion for democracy against an opressive regime."

"Lost alongside President Kaczynski and his wife were Polish leaders from across the political spectrum, men and women who shaped and sped Poland's post-1989 democratic transformation and were leading Poland into its promising future," she said.

"The United States stands with the Polish people in this difficult hour," she said, saying her thoughts and prayers are with the people of Poland today.

Kaczynski was very pro-American and a major promoter of former President George W. Bush's missile defense plan in Poland, which was opposed by Russia, former Bush administration National Security Council official Jamie Fly said. Conspiracy theories are swirling in Poland, but it seemed the weather/fog was very bad.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that the accident would be jointly investigated by the Russians and the Poles.

Contoh Teks Pidato - The remake of fantasy epic Clash of the Titans has made its debut at number one in the UK and Ireland and box office. The film, which was made using 3D technology, took £5.6m and beat 3D animation How To Train Your Dragon with takings of $4.8m into second place.

Teks Pidato - Superhero movie Kick-Ass rounded out a brand new top three over the Easter weekend with returns of $3.8m.

British romantic drama Remember Me, starring Twilight heart-throb Robert Pattinson, was a new entry at seven.

The film narrowly failed to make the £1m mark in its opening weekend of release.

Family favourites Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang and Alice in Wonderland lost their places at the top of the box office chart.

UK BOX OFFICE TOP FIVE
1 Clash of the Titans - £5.6m
2 How To Train Your Dragon - £4.8m
3 Kick-Ass - £3.8m
4 Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang - £2.6m
5 Alice in Wonderland - £1.2m
Source: Screen International

James Cameron's fantasy blockbuster Avatar finally lost its mooring inside the top 10, falling four places to 14.

The movie, which is the highest-grossing cinematic release of all time, has spent 16 weeks in the UK chart to date and taken a total of £91.3m.

Other films which slipped down the chart included The Blind Side, starring Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, sliding from three to six in its second week.

Shutter Island and The Bounty Hunter were also among the movies which fared less well this weekend.

Megawati Tetap Ketua Umum PDIP

Bung Karno - Anggota Fraksi Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDIP) di DPR, Maruarar Sirait, yakin Megawati Soekarnoputri akan kembali memimpin partai berlambang kepala banteng moncong putih tersebut. "Sistem kami itu yang punya suara adalah pengurus partai di tingkat kecamatan, dan 99% dari mereka memilih Ibu Mega," kata Maruarar usai pertemuan antara Tim 9 dalam Panitia Khusus Angket kasus Bank Century di DPR dengan bekas Wakil Presiden Jusuf Kalla di kediaman Kalla, Jakarta Selatan, Minggu (4/4).

Biografi Bung Karno - Menurut Maruarar, Megawati memang sosok yang tepat sebagai ketua umum karena keteguhannya pada prinsip. Ibu Mega, menurut dia, tidak bisa diiming-imingi, tidak bisa ditekan.

"Kalau ada kader PDIP yang bersalah secara hukum, silahkan diproses saja. Kami tidak akan melindungi koruptor," kata Maruarar.

Megawati, menurut Maruarar, juga adalah figur pemersatu karena faktor ideologis. "Yang dihormati di dalam dan di luar (partai) pasti Ibu Mega," lanjutnya.

Menurut Maruarar, terkait dengan isu koalisi oposisi, mayoritas grass root PDIP menginginkan PDIP tetap konsisten berada di luar pemerintah "Sebagai partai penyeimbang dan pengontrol pemerintah," kata Maruarar.

Maruarar menegaskan, posisi PDIP sebagai partai oposisi tetaplah dibutuhkan. "Kalau tidak, siapa lagi yang mau melakukan check and balances," kata dia.

New Skin for Android Phones

Sony Ericsson Vivaz - Sony Ericsson’s new Android-based phone interface, like those from other cellphone manufacturers, integrates Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and other social networking services into one unified portal on your portable. The difference is that Sony Ericsson’s interface — UXP, formerly known as Rachael — actually looks useful.

Harga Sony Ericsson Vivaz - The company plans to launch a slew of new Android-based phones this year. Top of the list is the Xperia X10 — which confusingly carries the same codename that UXP used to have: Rachael. It’s a device with a 4-inch touchscreen, a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor and 8.1 megapixel camera that will be available this quarter. The company will also introduce the Mini, a compact phone with a 2.6-inch display that will be available in a touchscreen-only version as well as one with a slide-out keyboard.

But it’s UXP that forms the heart of these phones’ experience. Sony Ericsson has been working on the UXP interface for more than two years, the company says.

“We have done extensive skinning of the Android platform. because we really wanted to make it a bespoke experience,” says George Arriola, head of user experience for Sony Ericcson.

Sony’s UXP interface attempts to do the same thing as rivals like Motorola’s MotoBLUR: namely, aggregate social networking feeds such as Facebook and Twitter into one stream, integrate that data with your phone address book and contacts, and personalize the multimedia experience.

“We took a very sophisticated PlayStation middleware and shrunk it to fit the Android OS,” says Arriola.

Palm was the first of the smartphone makers to kick off the trend of integrating social media updates and contacts with the launch of the Palm Pre, though the Pre was based on Palm’s own operating system webOS, not Android. But the Android phones launched since then have tried to follow the path blazed by Palm.

Motorola has the MotoBlur interface that’s now a part of most of its phones, including the Cliq, Backflip and Devour. HTC has introduced Sense, its custom UI that’s available on phones such as the HTC Hero and upcoming phones including Legend and Desire.

But Sony’s UXP interface is the most visually attractive implementation that I have seen so far.

At the heart of Sony’s experience is a widget called Timescape. Timescape collects social networking feeds and presents them in a card-like view. A bar at the bottom of the screen has little icons that lets users filter the information stream by network such as Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

The phone also updates the address book with a contact’s latest social networking update. That means if you click on a name in your address book, you can see their last social-feed post and use it as a reference point while making the call.

What makes this experience slick is the way the cards rain down on the screen, offering an almost 3-D–like effect as they scroll past. Clicking on one of the cards pulls up the contact and their status update.

Rather than contribute to info clutter, Sony’s attempt to jazz it up by using better visual effects actually does make it easier to handle the information stream.

The UXP interface also introduces a concept called “infinite pivot” — an infinity-shaped icon that helps you drill deeper and pull up related views.

Sony is also trying to offer a better experience for music, video and photos. The widget that controls this is called Mediascape. Click on the Mediscape icon and you get three options: My Music, My Videos and My Photos.

Music and videos are divided into recently played, recently added and favorites. There’s also access to PlayNow, Sony Ericsson’s music-downloads service.

A recommendation engine can suggest other artists or songs based on the music preferences of a user. Clicking on the infinite-pivot icon next to an artist’s name in music and videos offers suggestions and even searches the web.

And in a bid to keep the custom look throughout the phone, Sony redesigned the interface to services such as the phone dialer, calendar and alarm, says Arriola.

Overall, Sony Ericsson’s UXP skin for Android is not as confusing as the MotoBlur interface and more polished than the HTC Sense UI. Instead, UXP is a snappy, sophisticated treat. It works, though, only if you buy into the premise that instead of checking your Facebook and Twitter when you want to (as in the iPhone), you would like these services streamed and updated constantly to your phone.

Now if only they could get U.S. wireless carriers to offer Sony Ericsson phones on contract — and at prices slim enough to match the hardware.

Gadgets Today

Nexian - Sometimes, the things and gadgets that you think are the least useful will prove you wrong in the end. And in a potentially dangerous sport like hunting, having all the right hunting gadgets that technology brings you can be a matter of life and death. Let’s take a solar powered torchlight as an example. Don’t think it’d be of any use to you? Well, imagine the kind of convenience and security measure it would provide you if you had it and you run out of battery supplies. Furthermore, the solar powered torchlight doesn’t need batteries and they can operate for over long periods at night even when there’s no sunlight because they have the capability of storing energy in their internal batteries.

Nexian She NX-G788 - And yes, of course, hunting is a skill-game. The only way to get really good at hunting is not by way of having as many hunting gadgets in your backpack as possible. The only way to get good at hunting is by practicing, practicing and practicing. You can have a 500-yard hunting rifle, laser rangefinders and whatever-else-you-can-find-on-and-off-the-internet and yet, without the right skills, you will do not much better than without the hunting gadgets.

But imagine, if you’re OK in the hunting game and you have some cool and funky hunting gadgets with you, it WILL make a difference. With some skill, hunting gadgets like the precision hunting rifle and motion detectors will come in really handy!

One of the most amazing hunting gadgets to have handy is the Rangefinders (I personally love the Simmons Rangefinder) which gives you the confidence of shooting with unparalleled accuracy. Because with each shot, the Rangefinder will recalibrate, you get more and more accurate with each shot. Therefore, even an amateur hunting enthusiast can be quite successful during the hunting trips. The right Rangefinder should be resistant to weather elements like rain and extreme heat. And the Rangefinder’s performance should not be affected AT ALL with rain and close-by objects like leaves, branches and leaves. The best Rangefinders in the market should be as silent as your footsteps whenever you’re hunting. Other factors you should check out before you buy a new Rangefinder is the weight of the hunting gadget, the complexity of setup, ease of use, size of the hunting gadget and how fast does the battery run out. If the Rangefinder has a speed gun function…all the better but an expert in hunting can probably live without it. The hunting gadget should be accurate to within a foot off the target. Anything less than that, forget it.

Opick Gelar Film Perdana 'Di Bawah Langit'

Film Indonesia Terbaru - Penyanyi religi Opick akan menggelar premier film perdana karyanya berjudul Dibawah Langit di Djakarta Teater, malam ini. Pria kelahiran 1974 ini mengaku kalau film perdananya tersebut merupakan impiannya terbesar sejak dulu sebelum dirinya terkenal sebagai penyanyi religi.

Film Terbaru “Ini luar biasa, mimpi saya dalam membuat film berawal dari sebuah album kemudian berkembang menjadi cerita, lalu berkembang lagi menjadi sebuah novel dan kemudian menjadi sebuah film. Tanpa pertolongan dari Allah, saya enggak akan membuat sebuah film,” ujar Opick saat ditemui di Plaza Semanggi, belum lama ini.

Baginya, film perdananya ini dibuat dengan biaya sendiri sehingga memakan waktu yang lama sekitar 6 bulan.

“Film ini merupakan kebahagiaan saya, meskipun uang yang digunakan untuk membuat sebuah film harus keluar dari tabungan saya serta menggunakan apa yang saya punya,” katanya.

Pemilik nama lengkap Ainur Rofiq Lil Firdaus ini mengungkapkan kalau dirinya dalam membuat sebuah film tidak pernah mengemban ilmu di perfilman, semuanya dilakukan dengan otodidak.

“Bagi saya film ini unik, saya tidak pernah sekolah film, tetapi saya bisa buat film dan bagi saya ini rezeki. Jadi saya tidak takut untuk membuat film meskipun di tren film zaman sekarang sedang banyaknya film setan-setanan dan cinta-cintaan,” tukasnya.