Bombing of Syria

Bombing of Syria

 

Here we go again, another USA administration bombing a country.  How many countries has the USA bombed in the past quarter century?  A dozen? 

 

I am saddened to see people in Syria suffer, however, bombing is not the answer, and we should know this by now.

 

The Obama administration rightly stayed out of Syria. 

 

The fighting in Syria has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions in Syria since the beginning of the war, which I believe is at the sixth year mark.

 

The direct American involvement that began on April 7, 2017 with over 50 cruise missiles attacking has caused even further destruction in this country.  I believe this military action is a complete error by USA.  The USA constitution does not require that American forces fight in every war around the world; this one should have been sat out.  

 

The immense resources of the United States should be dedicated rather, to one single goal:

Reduce human suffering with humanitarian aid.

 

President Trump should immediately cease all direct attacks on the Syrian regime and instead help the people of this country.

 

Thank you for reading,

Ben

 

 

Public Domain

Public Domain 

Hello Everyone,

I hope you will enjoy this blog.  Please feel free to comment, it is good to have some feedback.  

All images, unless otherwise noted, were taken from the Internet and are assumed to be in the Public Domain.  If there is a problem with copyrighted material, the break of the copyright is unintentional and noncommercial and the material will be removed upon request.

Thank you everyone,

Ben

2004 Soldier

2004 Soldier (Asker - in Turkish)

10 sene olmus...

Hakikatten o kadar olmusmu?

Ben 2004 senesinde 'Parali Askerlik' yaptim Burdur sehrinde.

Askerligimi 28 gun yaptim. 

Ilk gittigim gunun gecesi cok kotu idi, cok iyi hatirlarim, kendime demistim/sormustum 'Ben ne yaptim?'

Koca bir 'Gymnasium' Salonun icinde 50 kisi yatiyorduk, rahat degildi. 

Ve hersey cok degisik idi.  

Kalabalik idi, 

Hava cok sicak idi, 

Kimseyi tanimiyordum,

Cok kotu gorundu hersey, ilkbakista...

Ama son gunun gecesini hatirliyorum, ne cabuk gecti 28 gun diye dusunmustum.   

Cok guzel arkadaslar vardi ve hic bir kotu gunum yok idi diye hatirliyorum simdi geriye baktigimda.   

Tum arkadaslar ile oturup cay iciyorduk o son gece ve askerligi bir cirpida bitirdik diyorduk ve aramizda gulusuyorduk.   

Bence hayat boyle iste, zor gunler olur, iyi ve kotu gunler olur ve bir bakarsin ne cabuk gecti...dersin kendine.  

Bazi seylerden ders almak lazim diye dusunuyorum.  

Simdilik hoscakal,

Ben

So Called Defend the Land

So Called Defend the Land

I read an article in a major American news paper today.  There was a full page advertisement which was a statement that was pro-Israel, listing all the reasons why they have a right to defend themselves.

          Palestine flag and her young future

They are spending a lot of money trying to convince the world that they have a right to defend themselves, which no one is disputing.

Furthermore, a journalist in that newspaper had a whole argument about how people who harshly criticize Israel over humanitarian concern for the Palestinians are closet anti-Semites. 

The magazine 'Economist' has published many articles which are biased in favor of Israel.  So have many other big publications.  

Soldier taking away a young boy

Such biased and one sided reporting of so called facts and interpretations completely discredits the entire news media.  It has become so bad that their is more truth in the advertisements than there is in the actual news.  

Well, just because people are critical of Israel when Israel misbehaves does not make them anti-Semites.

To disagree with a Jew does not make one an anti-Semite.

To label such people like that is dirty, a low blow, and downright despicable.

This type of rhetoric will not win people over to Israel's side, but will anger them and drive them away.

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Eid

Eid

Eid Mubarak to everyone. 

From my family to your, peace. 

Ben

Happy Ramazan

Happy Ramazan

Keep calm and happy Ramazan. 

Ben

🤓

Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke

Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke 

I would like to explain what 'Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke' pray means.  First, I will write the Arabic version below, with Latin words. 

(Arapca / Arabic)

'Rabbena atina min ledunke rahmeten ve heyyi lena min emrina raseda rabbis rahli sadri ve yessirli emir'. 

Now, I will translate this Pray to Turkish, and afterwards to English. 

(Bu Dua'nin turkce aciklamasi soyledir)

Ey Rabbimiz! Bize kendi katından bir rahmet ver.  Ve bu isimizde bize dogruluk ver bizim için muvaffakiyet hazırla.  Rabbim gonlumu ac ve isimi kolaylastır. 

(English meaning now)

O God! Give us a favor to your elevated standard.  This favor should be righteous and good for me.  O God, help me open my heart and make my work easy. 

Recite this pray / dua if you are starting a new task.  It will hopefully open your mind/heart to accept this task, and finally will help you to succeed. 

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Soma Mine Explosion

Soma Mine Explosion

There was a Coal Mine Explosion on May 13, 2014, in the city of Soma, located in the province of Manisa, Turkey, that left 200 Miners dead; plus over 300 people are injured.  Also, hundreds are still trapped inside the Mine.  

         Injured miner

There had been 787 people inside the Coal Mine, when an electrical fault triggered the blast.

Rescuers and any person that can help out, are working hard to reach the hundreds of Miners still trapped underground.

Emergency crew helping an injured miner

Worried relatives and friends of the Miners have gathered outside the privately owned mine; all this is occurring about 450 kilometres west of the capital city of Ankara.

       Manisa is located in western Turkey

The nation is mourning the death of these individuals. 

My sincere condolences to everyone.  

Thank you for visiting,

Ben

The Fire of Hope

The Fire of Hope 

'The fire of hope never dies'. --- Ben Oak

Our Only The Brave Emblem

Our 'Only The Brave' Emblem

Final version of our emblem. 

The mission of  'Only the Brave' are:

- Help disadvantaged youth with social inequality',

- Provide support and help to youth in and around the city of Edmonton, Alberta,

- Relief of poverty, in underprivileged families with children/youth, &

- Contribute to the sustainable development of less advantage areas and people around Mesopotamia (Eastern Turkey, Northern Syria/Irak) (Tigris & Euphrates River System Area).

Thank you for visiting, 

Ben 

Only The Brave YEA

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

     Second Attempt at the Logo

     Help our children

Sincerely, 

Ben

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

I read the below article, and wanted to share with everyone.  

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/world/middleeast/syrian-refugees-one-million.html?_r=0&referrer=

It is devastating to read that the number of registered Syrian Refugees who have entered into Lebanon, has exceeded one million; this number is given by the United Nations. 

There is a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon as this small country is overwhelmed and severely taxed with this many people, now living there.  

Lebanon now has the highest concentration of refugees as a percentage of population in the world, with about one Syrian for every three Lebanese. 

These are staggering figures and the World needs to join together to conclude this conflict and end the suffering.  

As a World Citizen, I am appalled at the nonchalant attitude and non-action by our Leaders. 

Thank you for reading, 

Ben here 

Importance of Water

Importance of Water

I would like to bring attention to the following statistics regarding 'Clean Drinking Water'. 

          Banff Alberta 

- 70-75% of the Earth's surface is covered with water,

- 97.5% of the Earth's water is salt water,

- 2.8 billion people live in areas of high water scarcity,

- 2.2 million people die every year, from unsafe water and poor sanitation reasons,

- 2 elements make up water: hydrogen & oxygen,

- 96% of a cucumber is made up of water, 

- 65% of an adult human's body is made up of water,

- The same water that existed on the Earth millions of years ago, is still present today,

Water is the life of all living things, every living creature depends on water to survive.  

Last statistic:

- Of all the water on Earth, humans can only use about 1% of it.  Usable water is only found in groundwater aquifers, rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Please be cognizant of the importance of this liquid, and use it wisely.  

Sincerely, 

Ben here ehh,

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter has been blocked in Turkey since March 20th, though many found ways around the ban even thereafter. Turkey initially placed the ban as protests rose and a corruption scandal began to embroil the government ahead of an election.  Blocking Twitter has only brought it more negative attention though: the block was the subject of further acts of protest and was condemned by the United States and United Nations Human Rights office, among others.  Given Turkey's 30 day period to unblock Twitter, it's possible that service won't be restored.  I have researched on-line and found 3 ways for citizens in this country to work-around the block.  Below are the 3 ways users can get around the ban:

1. SMS

In what is likely the simplest way to get around the restrictions, users can send tweets via SMS; though this solution is limited to sending outgoing tweets.  Twitter provided both English and Turkish instructions for doing this.

2. Change Your DNS

Many users are reporting they are able to bypass the block by changing their DNS settings.  Non tech-savvy users will need to exercise caution when changing these numbers, but solutions like OpenDNS or Google DNS are reliable.  Wikileaks posted step-by-step instructions in Turkish. 

3. Use a VPN or Tor

Another solution is to use a VPN connection.  Setting up a VPN usually requires paying at least some cash up-front, though there are free versions. But as one user pointed out, people should be cautious when using free VPNs.  They can be unreliable, or in some cases, malicious software.  Users can also get around the restrictions by using Tor, which makes you anonymous in the Internet connection.

Thank you for reading,

Ben

World Water Day

World Water Day

World Water Day is celebrated on March 22, of every year.  

The day is used to promote clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats.  

      this is life 

After all, 'water is life' since, all living things on this Earth, depend on water to survive.  

Get this:

Of all the water on Earth, humans can only use about 1% of it.  Usable water is only found in groundwater aquifers, rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Please be cognizant of the importance of this liquid, and use it wisely.  

Sincerely, 

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

I am in the process of opening a charity to help our children and youth.  I will solicit companies, individuals and religious institutes to donate to this charity. 

All donations will be used for the cause and purpose of the charity.  

Finally, every year, starting the summer of 2015, I will personally bring gifts of shoes, books, clothing and personal hygiene items, purchased by 'donations' made by you, to Mesopotamia area; particularly in the year 2015, we will help the youth and children in the 'Refugee Camps' located within the borders of Turkey, in the province of Hatay.  

          The first attempt at the drawing of our emblem 

The purpose of  'Only the Brave" will be:

- Help disadvantaged youth with social inequality',

- Contribute to the sustainable development of less advantage areas and people around Mesopotamia (Eastern Turkey, Northern Syria/Irak) (Tigris & Euphrates River System Area),

- Provide support and help to youth in and around the city of Edmonton,

- Relief of poverty, in underprivileged families with children/youth,

Wish us good luck !!

Thank you, 

Ben

Please, Strive for Peace

Please, Strive for Peace

From the bombarded city of Homs in Syria, 'a peace sign' from a beautiful little girl.  The leaders of Syria and the world, stop the violence and war, 'Please, strive for Peace'. 

Thank you, 

Ben

Mankind Put an End to War

Mankind Put an End to War

'Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind' --- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

          Mr President 

I'd like to ask a few questions, and answer them.  

Let me know please, if I am on the 'right track'. 

Question 1:

What is war?

Answer: 

War is a conflict situation, where nations or opposing parties carry on a 'force of arms', to resolve a bitter situation. 

Q2:

Can a 'situation' be resolved without war?

A2:

Absolutely, the opposing nations need to think about the consequences to their own people and truelly and willingly resolve the conflict by discussion. 

Q3:

Why are our leaders 'justifying' a right to go to war still?

A3:

I have included a paragraph from the book 'War is a Racket', written by General Smedley Butler, 

'War is a racket.  It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.  It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives'. 

Q4:

Is it time that we put an to 'war' and resolve a 'conflict' by discussion.

A4:

Yes, it is time our leaders used this strategy. 

Sincerely, 

Ben

Red $50 Bank Note

Red $50 Bank Note

The $50 bank note is red in colour, and introduced into circulation on March 26, 2012.  

The note is printed on polymer paper, which means the note is more plastic than paper.  This means that the note is more durable than the cotton-based paper it has replaced.  

The main reason by the Federal Government in implementing the new Canadian bank note is the 'Security' features.  A few of the security features are:

- the same clear windows and metallic images that are seen on the front are seen on the reverse,

- design incorporates a special tactile feature, similar to Braille Dots, for the blind, indicating the denomination of the bank note.  

          Canadian $50

The front of the note:

The front of the note features a handsome portrait of Mr William Lyon Mackenzie King, who was the Prime Minister from 1921 - 1948. 

The reserve of the note:

The reverse of the note shows the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, named 'Amundsen', which is a Research Icebreaker Ship. 

          The back

I was finally able to get my hands on a new/old $50 Canadian Bank Note, at the same time, and took the below two pictures: 

Also, I have written about $5, $10, $20 and $100 Canadian Bank Notes, please look for these blogs below:

$5 Canadian Note

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/5-canadian-note.html

New Purple $10 Canadian Note

http://goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/new-purple-10-canadian-note.html

$20 Canadian Currency

http://goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/20-canadian-currency.html

Big Brown $100 Bill

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/big-brown-100-bill-if-you-are-following.html

I have finally been able to complete my 'series' of trying to picture each of the new/old notes together. 

I will now try to get my hands on a $1,000 Bank Note.  I hear they are in circulation, however to this date, I have never been able to find one.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Denarius Currency

Denarius Currency

Has anyone ever wondered what currency the 'Roman empire' used?

I researched this topic while completing couple of other blogs of mine titled:

'Fiat Money in Circulation'.  

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/fiat-money-in-circulation.html

&

'Bitcoin in the Future'

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/bitcoin-in-future.html

I have attached a link of the blogs for you to read, if the link does not work, please copy/paste to the address bar.  

Now, back to today's topic. 

It is important to understand the similarities of our monetary system in use today, with that of the 'mighty' Empire, and the failures associated with this system when in use by the Roman Empire and not learning from the past errors.  

The Roman Empire did not utilize a 'paper' currency.  

The currency in use was actual 'silver' commodity, stamped with the Emperors bust, and shaped into the size of our current 1 dollar coinage.  

The Empire within all of its vast territories used one of the first examples of 'true' debasement of a currency.  

This currency was called 'Denarius'. 

The Denarius, when first utilized was essentially 100% pure silver.  What this means is that, the citizens would carry around with them 'silver coins' to use as 'barter' and/or money in exchange of purchasing an item from another individual.  

The pure silver coinage called Denarius began circulating at the beginning of the first century A.D. 

This changed for the worst soon after this date.  

By the year 54 A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero ordered that the Denarius not be a full silver coinage.  The Denarius was now approximately 94% silver and the remainder made-up of other material.  

By around the year 100 A.D., the Denarius coinages silver content was down to 85%.

All other Emperors after Nero, bought the idea of 'devaluing their currency' in order to pay the bills of the Empire, keep the silver for their own usage and increase their own wealth.  

By the year 218, the Denarius coinages silver content was down to 43%. 

By the year 244, the Denarius coinages silver content was taken down to .05, by the Emperor Philip.  

The monetary system of the 'Once Mighty' Empire, directly correlates to the collapse of the city of Rome and and the Roman Empire.  The Denarius coinages silver content was only 0.02%, at the collapse date of the year 410, which was also the date of 'Sacking of the city of Rome'.  After this date, no person accepted the Denarius, as it did not store a value.  

The phrase 'All things must come to an end' comes to my mind, however I hope the 'Central Banks' of each country, particularly 'the once mighty' USA studies the 'devaluation of a currency' and the consequences attached to this.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben