(www.energytribune.com)
   I finally watched "An Inconvenient Truth" the other night. Yes, I realize this movie came out over four years now... I have never been much of an Al Gore fan and I honestly am skeptical of Global Warming. Did the movie sway me? Perhaps. What the movie did show me was a man with a passion and what appeared to be credible data to back it up. And really, he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, humans are wasteful and it hurts the planet. Whether Global Warming is real or not, we should still recycle and cut back on energy. We should still push for emission laws and pollution standards. We should still take care of our one home. No matter where you're from or what you believe in, one thing still remains the same, we have one planet. I understand that it can be difficult, and a lot of solutions cost money upfront (although save money in the long run). I myself am hardly perfect. And Al Gore "flies" all over the country to give speeches about not wasting. But we can push for improvement. Perhaps in the future a hybrid or electric car regulation could be passed for car companies, like that of the catalytic converter. This way people wouldn't be forced to immediately invest in something, but eventually anything out of standard would be weeded out. Or we could start with mileage code. Just an idea. Maybe all of the money from The Giving Pledge could go to turning the United States green, instead of random or useless causes. So whether Global Warming is just another apocalyptic hysteria or poetic justice, why not try to improve the quality of our planet? We could learn to coexist with our habitat instead of being a parasite.

   I would recommend watching "An Inconvenient Truth" if you get a chance.

www.climatecrisis.net

(image from CNNmoney.com)
   Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, along with his wife Melinda, are in the process of organizing the largest charitable cause in the history of the world. Organized on thegivingpledge.com by Melinda Gates, the two richest men in the world (okay so Mexico is richer than us now... or at least Carlos Slim Helú is ranked number one on the Forbes 400 this year) have been slowly formulating a pledge among the world's billionaires to give away a minimum of half their fortune in their lifetime or in their will.
   Although where the money goes is yet to be declared, this would be a tremendous amount of turn around. Forbes 400 net worth for 2009 was estimated at $1.2trillion dollars. If they were to give half of that away it would equal $600million dollars, double what the United States, the most charitable country in the world, gives away annually. To put this into perspective, according to Fortune Magazine, in 2007 the 18,394 taxpayers who had a ten-million dollar or more adjusted gross income claimed a total of $32.8 billion in charitable causes, a total of 5.84% of their $562 billion income. A 50% pledge would be an increase in donations close to eighty-six times more.
   Through numerous dinners, Buffet and Gates have acquired forty pledges. Only ninety percent more to go from the Forbes 400. The Gates have yet to give a percentage of their pledge, but Warren Buffet has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth by the time he dies or upon death. Other pledges include Mayor Bloomberg, David Rockefeller, Ted Turner and George Lucas. To see a full list of the current pledges check out thegivingpledge.com. The billionaires hope to eventually receive pledges from the rich worldwide.

References: The $600 billion challenge, Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man

(image from cnho.wordpress.com)
  I watched the movie UFO-The Greatest Story Ever Denied by Jose Escamilla with my wife the other night. I found the movie entertaining and interesting with plausible evidence to the existence of Aliens on Earth. However, the thing that caught my eye immediately were these things called "Rods," "Air Rods," or "Roswell Rods." Scientists are unsure exactly what they are and one has never been caught. But along with other possible UFOs or creatures, they have been caught numerous times on video and in stills. Now the rod, as pictured above, appears to be a shaft with fin/wing type appendages coming off of it and it gyrates through the air at remarkable speeds. These objects are also somewhat transparent and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Skeptics have unsuccessfully attempted to debunk these creatures, like so many other "spottings."
  No one is quite sure what these objects are. Some believe that they're alien probes, others believe they're some sort of unexplainable electromagnetic malfunction with equipment (oddly enough paranormal teams are accustomed to electromagnetic disturbances during supposed hauntings). Jose Escamilla believes them to be living creatures that we have yet to identify, along with numerous moving circular or amoeba like creatures that have been caught on NASA footage. Little else is declared about these Rods and Escamilla doesn't like to speculate too much about what he really does not know. In the video the first one I saw had what looked like three sets of "wings" and it flew across the screen, spun and darted off into the distance. The first word that popped into my head was "Seraphim," which is a title for a certain rank of angel in different mythologies. The main account that I'm aware of, the Seraphim are believe to have six wings, two that cover their face, two that cover their feet, and two I guess for flying. So the Rod doesn't exactly look like that, but is it possible that ancient civilizations where aware of these creatures and made up a mystical story about them like they have so many other things?
   The movie itself is far from new, but it is enjoyable as I had earlier stated and I'd recommend you all to see it. The director, Jose Escamilla, made the movie for free in an attempt to inform the public. He is also working on his next movie specifically on these Rods called Roswell Rods. I can't wait! Escamilla is also taking donations for the movie at his site roswellrods.com to help cover the expenses of filming. If you're as intrigued by this as I am, please check out his site.

References: roswellrods.com, The Cryptid Zoo

This Saturday, June 26th the Capricorn moon will undergo a partial eclipse beginning at 4:55am EST and ending 10:22am EST. This eclipse will be visible in the Pacific and parts of Australia, but those of us in the United States would be lucky to catch a glimpse as the moon goes down (get more details at http://www.astrologycom.com/partialeclipseJun26.pdf) . However, you can still make use of the energy of the lunar eclipse.

Throughout history, lunar eclipses have foretold change. This is an excellent time to perform a spell for change, or to do some divination. This eclipse combines the energy of the full moon in Capricorn and the sun in Cancer with the Earth's constant energy suggests that this is a good time to focus your magical energy on bringing about positive change related to the family, especially male family members or matters relating to the family business or any business proposition that will benefit the family unit. I will personally be working to help my husband find a better job, with better hours that will allow him to spend more time with the family (and more time jamming with our son!).

Just how does a lunar eclipse affect your magical workings? First, understand that lunar eclipses always take place during a full moon, so you are working with strong full moon energy. The lunar eclipse mimics a lunar cycle, what usually takes nearly a few months in just a few hours. This increases the power of your work by magnifying the energy of the full moon by the energy of the rest of a lunar cycle and can speed up the manifestations of your desires.

  I'm not going to lie, I rarely follow other state's politics, and for those of you who are from South Carolina or do follow it's politics, you might be asking who is Alvin Greene? Don't feel bad, you're not the only one. Alvin Greene flipped the world of politics upside down when he beat all other candidates for the primary Democratic candidate for US Senate. Alvin Greene in the political sense, is a nobody. Greene is an unemployed Army veteran who lives with his father. During Greene's campaign, he spent no money on adds, signs, commercials and led no debates. He did not speak once to the public, which has left everyone confused as to how this man won 60% of the votes. Michael Sigman, writer for The Huffington Post, posed the idea that voters thought they were voting for a different Al Greene (there is a famous singer known as Al Greene). However others, such as John Stewart, have found that people voted for Greene because his name appeared alphabetically first. Despite accusations that Greene was a plant by the Republicans, inquiries about his mental health, and a pending felony for showing pornography to a college student, Greene claims he is the people's choice and has no intent in backing out. Could Alvin Greene be the next US Senator? I have heard some lead the debate that all politicians are idiots so how could it hurt to have Greene in office... honestly, how bad could it get? Well, I leave you with this; how bad did it get when we elected an idiot to be president?

References: Fox News, The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor