Praying For A Window Seat

Conditions: Smokingly Warm.


Good News On The Market.

Some say that America, if not the world, is in a recession. Well don't tell that to the arms dealers, who've had yet another very, very good year. According to the latest version of the Congressional Research Service's annual arms transfer report, US arms agreements increased from the 2006 levels, reestablishing the U.S at the top of the arms-suppling nations, thwarting Russia who had snatched the crown for a year. Take that you commies!

Global arms sales totaled nearly $60 billion in 2007, an increase of 9.2 percent from 2006 values. The United States was again the world's most dominant arms exporter, making $24.8 billion (41.5 percent) of all global arms agreements. Although Russia maintained its second place position in overall sales, its new arms agreements were valued at $10.4 billion (17.3 percent), a decrease from its $14.3 billion in 2006. The United Kingdom held the third spot for new global arms agreements in 2007, with $9.8 billion, more than doubling its $4.1 billion total in 2006. Together, the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom made up 75.2 percent of global arms agreements.

Global arms deliveries fell in 2007, to $31 billion, down from $33.6 billion. The United States was also the largest deliverer of arms worldwide, responsible for over 41 percent of global arms deliveries with approximately $12.8 billion (41.3 percent). Russia was second with $4.7 billion, and the United Kingdom was third, with 2.6 billion. These three top countries were responsible for over $20 billion in global arms deliveries (64.8 percent).

And where are all these arms going, you may demand?

According to the report, the developing world accounted for 70.5 percent of new arms transfer agreements in 2007. Arms transfer agreements with the developing world totaled over $42 billion, an increase from the 2006 total of $38.1 billion. The United States was the largest arms trading partner with the developing world with new arms agreements in 2007 reaching $12.2 billion (28.8 percent of all agreements with the developing world). The United Kingdom made the second most arms deals with the developing world, with $9.8 billion (23.2 percent) and Russia was third with $9.7 billion (23 percent).

- truthout.org/

So, really, it may have been a year of difficulty, stress and hardship, but at least the hard working men and women, and children, associated with the global arms sales have been keeping themselves and each other busy. It's these kinds of business success stories that can inspire us all, and will help pull us out of our economic problems. Or, grind us out of our economic problems. Onward to victory!



Faith In Advertising.

British comedy writer Ariane Sherine has waged an interesting and successful campaign to get a spiritual message onto the side of London buses. But not the normal kind of spiritual message. See, she was inspired after seeing a message on a bus saying that non Christians were in for an eternity in hell.

Sherine, who was raised a Christian but is now an atheist, found this intensely off-putting: Didn't nearly a quarter of Britons describe themselves as non-believers in the most recent census? Didn't more people regularly attend cricket matches than religious services? Where was the atheists' alternate vision of “Live free, die unbothered”?

So Sherine started a campaign to get the atheist word out – and received such a staggering response that, beginning this week, 800 buses across Britain will be carrying the slogan: “There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

You'd think that would be the end of it, but you'd be ignoring the faithful, who never met a cloud that didn't have a silver lining, and the officials, who have a rule for everything.

Saying God “probably” doesn't exist seems an inexcusable waffling in some quarters. “Probably” doesn't hold a votive candle to soaring Gothic spires, incense, and the promise, however irrational, of paradise undying. Or, as philosopher and God-denier A.C. Grayling, who supports the campaign but dislikes the equivocation, put it: “If one wished to cite a better example of insidiousness, pusillanimity, timidity and absurdity, you'd be hard-pressed.”

So why didn't the atheists hold the power of their un-convictions and just say “There's no God”? It turns out that the word “probably” was required by the regulatory body that looks after Britain's bus advertising, which insisted the slogan needed to acknowledge “a grey area” with regard to the presence of the Almighty. Bring on Monty Python!

- theglobeandmail.com/

So there you go. God might or might not exist, but the same can't be said for advertising on the side of London buses.



Bonus Round: Musings About War In Gaza.

Stirring article here at Truthout.org about the latest invasion of Gaza by the Israeli military.



- Peace out.