Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 44

Page 9

Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Profit Policy  |  Join the Association  |  List of Members  |  Contact us  |  Index  |  Links  

Merchandise    |    Print this page

Allan George's Gems.

Back     Go to page:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20     Forward

The Myth that Religion is the #1 Cause of War.

An Alternative view.

Atheists and secular humanists consistently make the claim that throughout the history of mankind, religion is the number 1 cause of violence and war. One of this particular breed’s chief cheerleaders, Sam Harris, says in his book “The End of Faith” that faith and religion are “the most prolific source of violence in our history.”

While there’s no denying that campaigns such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years’ War foundationally rested on religious ideology, it is simply incorrect to assert that religion has been the primary cause of war. Moreover, although there’s also no disagreement that radical Islam was the spirit behind 9/11, it is a fallacy to say that all faiths contribute equally where religiously-motivated violence and warfare are concerned.

An interesting source of truth on the matter is Philip and Axelrod’s three-volume “Encyclopedia of Wars”, which chronicles some 1,763 wars that have been waged over the course of human history. Of those wars, the authors categorize 123 as being religious in nature, which is an astonishingly low 6.98% of all wars. However, when one subtracts out those waged in the name of Islam (66), the percentage is cut by more than half to 3.23%.

That means that all faiths combined, minus Islam, have caused less than 4% of all of humanity’s wars and violent conflicts. Further, they played no motivating role in the major wars that have resulted in the most loss of life.

The truth is, non-religious motivations and naturalistic philosophies bear the blame for nearly all of humankind’s wars.

Lives lost during religious conflict pales in comparison to those experienced during the regimes who wanted nothing to do with the idea of God – something showcased in R. J. Rummel’s work Lethal Politics and Death by Government:

Non-Religious Dictator Lives Lost.

·       Joseph Stalin        -                 42,672,000

·       Mao Zedong         -                 37,828,000

·       Adolf Hitler           -                 20,946,000

·       Chiang Kai-shek   -                 10,214,000

·       Vladimir Lenin       -                   4,017,000

·       Hideki Tojo           -                   3,990,000

·       Pol Pot                 -                  2,397,000

Rummel says: “Almost 170 million men, women and children have been shot, beaten, tortured, knifed, burned, starved, frozen, crushed or worked to death; buried alive, drowned, hung, bombed or killed in any other of a myriad of ways governments have inflicted death on unarmed, helpless citizens and foreigners. The dead could conceivably be nearly 360 million people. It is though our species has been devastated by a modern Black Plague. And indeed it has, but a plague of Power, not germs.”

The historical evidence is quite clear: Religion is not the #1 cause of war.

If religion can’t be blamed for most wars and violence, then what is the primary cause? The same thing that triggers all crime, cruelty, loss of life, and other such things – jealousy and envy and sometimes stupidity.

Definitely not religion!

There’s more info HERE

How to test a battery.

We've tested this and it seems to work, interesting!!   See HERE.

AVIATION BUFFS.

If you’re into aeroplanes and all things aviation, these sites are definitely for you. If you’re looking for an aircraft type or aviation event and you can’t find it here, then it probably didn’t happen.

Someone put a lot of effort into this.

What a Drone can see from 17,500 feet.

This is cutting edge, and then some, photography. The size of the area being covered, and the high quality of the imagery are, beyond incredible! What a breakthrough!!!! This imagery is being taken from 17,500 feet up. That is roughly equal to 5.6 kilometres.

Anyone, particularly those with experience in SERIOUS photography, and especially those having a military photographic background, will be suitably impressed.

And to think people are worried about having their car’s number plates photographed and stored by the police!!

See HERE

An Interesting piece of History from 1752.

Here is an interesting historical fact that you probably didn't know. Just have a look at the calendar for the month of September 1752.

In case you haven't noticed, 11 days are simply missing from the month.

Here's the explanation: This was the month during which England shifted from the Roman Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. A Julian year was 11 days longer than a Gregorian year, so, the King of England, George II, signed an order that removed 11 days off the face of that particular month.

There is a popular myth that goes like this: 

“In the Roman Julian Calendar, April used to be the first month of the year; but the Gregorian Calendar observed January as the first month. Even after shifting to the Gregorian Calendar, many people refused to give up old traditions and continued celebrating 1st April as the New Year's Day. When simple orders didn't work, the King finally issued a royal dictum; which stated that those who celebrated 1st April as the new year's day would be labelled as fools.

From then on, the 1st of April became April Fools Day.”

however, there is no factual proof that this is the origin and in fact there is evidence that “April Fool’s Day” has existed in different forms in different countries for hundreds of years prior to 1752.

When 35 Sqn was in Vietnam, the RAAF used the services of the the USAF to repair most of its 'black boxes' and other aircraft parts and this required the completion of the USAF paper work.  The USAF used a modified Julian date system for the paper work, the date consisted of a 4 digit number made up of the the last digit of the year followed by the numerical count for the day of the year, for example the 1st Jan 2013 would be 3001 and the last day of 2013 would be 3365.  This system, while very efficient in data, only gave a ten year date range after which the date would repeat. 

How to husk corn.

Most people like corn, especially when it’s hot and you smear it with butter or margarine. But peeling the corn from the cob can be a pain and you’ve got all that stringy silky stuff to contend with, but there is an easy way.

First thing to do is place the corn in the sink and cover with cold water, let sit in the water for a good 10 mins. Remove and while wet, chop off the bottom of the cob as in the pic (right). Don’t dry the corn, it goes into the microwave oven wet, the oven turns the water to steam and this cooks the corn in the husk.

Place a paper towel on the microwave platter, put the wet corn on the paper and cook on high as per the table below. (You might have to vary these times, depending on the power of your oven)

When the time’s up, let the corn rest for approximately 3 minutes. It continues to cook and will be cooler and easier to handle.

Pick the corn up by the top end and gently squeeze and shake the corn. It will just slide right out! No silky strings to muddle with. No husks to peel. Just pure goodness.

RAAF service records

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has maintained service records on all who saw service with the RAAF, including the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force (WAAAF) and the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF). Most RAAF service records contain:

Enrolment application

This contains personal information including name, date and place of birth, address, religion etc, and a sworn oath or affirmation.

Attestation paper

This form was filled in by the member on enlistment. Personal details include full name, nationality, place of birth, age on enlistment, training or civil occupation, previous military service, and a physical description.

Record of service form

This form documents the member's period of service. Details include personal information (including next of kin), qualifications, engagements, decorations and medals awarded, mustering, postings, promotions, and casualties.

Service conduct sheet

This lists any offences and punishment, or records a 'Certified no entry' for each posting.

Other documents

Also found on many dossiers are Record of Leave cards, technical assessments (eg flying returns, reports on ability and suitability for promotion by Commanding Officer), correspondence with or about the member, and the text of any citations. Most files also include a photograph of the subject.

Obtaining access to a RAAF service record

RAAF service records dating from 1921 (when the RAAF was created) to 1948 are held by the National Archives in series A9300 (officers) and A9301 (non-commissioned officers and other ranks) and are listed on our collection database, RecordSearch.

You will need to know details of the member you are researching, including full name, service number and date of birth.

Personnel files for service from 1949 are held in series A12372. These Records are held by RAAF Personnel Records at the Queanbeyan Annex.

To access details, complete our general inquiry form or send inquiries with the details of the member you are researching (ie full name, service number, date of birth, and enlistment and/or discharge dates) to:

National Reference Service

National Archives of Australia

PO Box 7425

Canberra Business Centre  ACT  2610

Former serving members wishing to access their own record of service should contact RAAF Personnel Records.

No comment – see HERE.

Velly Intelesting – but stupid!!!!

Back     Go to page:  1  2  3   4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20     Forward

Back to top