America controls nearly 20 percent of the world’s wealth. There are around six billion people in the world, and there are roughly three hundred million people in the US. That makes America less than 5 percent of the world’s population. And this 5 percent owns a fifth of the world’s wealth.
One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water, while the average American uses four hundred to six hundred litres of water a day.
Every seven seconds, somewhere in the world a child under the age of five dies of hunger, while Americans throw away 14 percent of the food they purchase.
Nearly one billion people in the world live on less than one American dollar a day.
Another 2.5 billion people in the world live on less than two American dollars a day.
More than half of the world lives on less than two dollars a day, while the average American teenager spends nearly $150 a week.
Forty percent of people in the world lack basic sanitation, while forty-nine million diapers are used and thrown away in America every day.
One point six billion people in the world have no electricity.
Nearly one billion people in the world cannot read or sign their name.
Nearly one hundred million children are denied basic education.
By far, most of the people in the world do not own a car.
One-third of American families own three cars.
One in seven children worldwide (158 million) have to go to work every day just to survive.
Four out of five American adults are high school graduates.
Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half of the world does on all goods.
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Human history has never witnessed the abundance that we consider normal. America is the wealthiest nation in the history of humanity. We have more resources than anyone group of people anywhere at any time has ever had. Ever.
God bless America?
God has.
Kind of puts things into perspective a little doesn’t it?
We claim we have no money.
Yet we can go on our yearly tours around the world. Visiting countries because we are young and we can. Giving to the poor, to World Vision, Oxfarm, Unicef off our profits not out of love. We give as little as we can to offset our guilt.
We rob the poor countries of their natural resources, send their children to sweat shops to make shoes for us. Then give to World Vision to set them free. It is just wrong. And sick.
How about God bless the East. God bless the poor. The real poor. The real needy. And may God teach us how to be better citizens of the world, removing our guilt and opening our eyes to our selfish ways.
Last night C4 ran a top 10 countdown of political songs.
One of the songs was French Letter 1982 by Herbs. When I saw this I immediately phoned a friend and said watch it now. French Letter is one of the most powerful and well known songs in NZ History. One of those songs that defines us.
French Letter is about the French Nucelar Testing in the Pacific at Moruroa Attol.
For me the testing in 1995 was a major issue. And thinking back it was probably my first involvement in Political Activism. At the time I was a seven year old in primary school and one of my friends was Ruby the daugther of Henk Haazen who served on the Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed in Auckland in 1985.
Something that I have never understood is why the French tested in the pacific. On one hand they claimed it was completely safe and on the other they stuck it on the other side of the world and not in their backyard.
Now I didn’t expect this person to know the intimate details of these events. They didn’t spend their early childhood in NZ. But what did scare me is the statement why should I care, how does this apply to me?
This statement is as dangerous as the one made in 1995 by the then National Party leader, Don Brash, who stated that if elected the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone would be “Gone by lunchtime.”
At the time this caused an outrage. But I wonder if it would do the same now. Only three years down the track.
So why should we care?
Knowing your history is vital to any citizen or resident of a country. We learn from our personal mistakes and victories as does each and every country.
When we go forward we must remember our past, knowing where we came from, what defines us and what makes us us!
Look around Auckland and NZ there are a few things that you will see that clearly define us. The most obvious is War Memorials and RSA’s. Another would be the local pub. But the third would be our political activism. There are signs of it all around the place you just have to know where to look. Probably one of the most famous pieces is a series of paintings on KRoad done in the mid 1980s. If ever there was a clear demonstration of what NZ stood for and what it was about it is these sets of images:
Internationally, around the world, New Zealand is known for its stance on Human Rights and Environmental Protection. But it seems at home our young generation don’t know about the very things that define us. And that is sad.
National Party drops 7% to 40.5% to be just ahead of Labour (37.5%)
In early October 2008 the New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows National Party support at 40.5% (down 7%), a tight lead over the Labour Party 37.5% (up 1%). If the Election were this weekend there would be a hung Parliament in New Zealand with either major party capable of forming a governing coalition.
Support for the Greens 9% (up 2.5%) has jumped to its highest level since April, while support for NZ First is 4% (down 1%), ACT NZ 3.5% (up 2%), the Maori Party 2% (up 0.5%), Progressive Alliance 1% (up 1%), United Future 1% (up 0.5%) and Others and Independents 1.5% (up 0.5%).
I saw Jars of Clay play in Auckland a few weeks back.
Their song Oh My God off their latest album is just amazing, here is a bootlegged live video and below is a user made video with lyrics, both are worth a watch.
Note: I am a Barack Obama supporter and believe that he represents a new era in America and awakening and a liberalising of the States.
Since it was mentioned to me a few weeks ago after church I have been following the net hysteria which is the Obama Anti-Christ Roadshow.
If you do a search for Obama Antichrist you will get hundreds of pages of conspiracy about Barack Obama being the Anti-Christ. In my opinion it is all a lot of nonsense from people out their trying to disrupt democracy instead of encouraging it. You should be campaigning for a candidate and for or against and issue NOT directly against a person.
This morning I came across a video on YouTube about Obama being the Anti-Christ. Watch it below. My comments on the video are below as well.
Mabus? I’m sure if I put other words together I will randomly create other words as well. For instance I can prove that Grandma is the Anti-Christ and that she is using her cookie business to promote global domination. e.g. Grandma Business = grandMABUSiness see the MABUS by running the two words together? Do you think I am nuts and silly? Well running Obama and Bush together is nuts as well. Two other points that I note about this is that if Obama is going to succeed Bush then shouldn’t the words be run together the other way around so it becomes bushobama. Wow I can see HOB in there I guess that means 5 possible things a) (folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings b) (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous c) A hard steel edge tool used to cut gears d) A shelf beside an open fire where something can be kept warm e) [Brit] The top of a cooker with hotplates or burners. I love the last one. Yes Obama and Bush together are a hotplate! My second point is this. The Anti-Christ is a christian notion from the Bible. Nostradamus was never a christian so how come we are using non-christian “prophecies” to try and relate them to christian ones?
2012. The world is going to end in 2012 because a calendar ends in 2012? That is the same logic of the Y2K bug. Because we invented this measure of time somehow the world has to obey it. Well the world didn’t end because of the Y2K issue. And it will not end because some Calendar ends.
Pro-abortion. The anti-christ would be Pro-abortion. Do we know this of is the maker of this video assuming? Give me facts, give me truths not assumptions or opinions.
World leader? If Obama does not become the next President someone else will. They will be a world leader. What makes Obama so special from the rest. Nothing!
Peace? I sure hope whoever the next President of the US is wants peace. If not we are all doomed anyway.
Most powerful man on earth? Again regardless of who is elected they will be the most powerful. So how is Obama any different from the rest?
Satan, and Violence? Again opinion, crazy opinion. Where is the evidence? Where are the facts? Where is the true? Whatever happened to innocence until proven guilty? But why do we even need to go that far there is not even a shread of possible factual evidence to even bring these scare mongering claims. I guess some people still use the logic of the Salem Witch Trials. Have we gone nowhere in the last 300+ years?
Not putting your hand on your heart? Gosh if that makes you the anti-christ then you better burn me at the stake now.
The ending. I find the ending of this video the funnest thing of all. I am sure that my bible says that you should bless your enemy and pray for them NOT against them.
I am a firm believer in freedom of speech but hate speech, and untruefull speech is extremely bad because it spreads mistruths and does not allow people to make an informed and honest decision.
