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Working on a book; editor recommended putting in maps but she herself did not know where to find them. Many Google searches later, I am stumped as to where to find/contact for ISAF, U.S. armed forces maps of Afghanistan and permission for commercial re-use. Specifically ones that might show U.S. FOB/COP and Patrol Bases. If anyone knows the right contact with U.S. Armed Forces Media Relations, that too would be mighty helpful.

I am genuinely, impartially, asking: everyone is against the most wealthiest people, and wanting to raise up the bottom of the economic pyramid; what is the logic behind that? There will always be a top, and a bottom, to the economic ladder. There will always be a gap. What is the logic behind this "seemingly" futile effort? So what if there is a gap, so what if a few people are doing better than most of us? Every time I hear about this 1% thing, I can't help but remember "Animal Farm", and it's moral of "We are all equal, but some of us are more equal than others".

That's not the reason, right?

I recently read an article put out by a very democratic non-profit organization that created strong connections in its language and comparisons (similes) between wage disparities and racial disparities, making it seem as if though classism (not discrimination, just the simple existence of it) was as evil as racism.

I should add, that the article made use of a lot of racism to support its point in saying that low-wage earners in America were all minorities (I guess the poor white people in West Virginia and the South do not count).

This article was not online, but rather apart of a regular media e-mail sent out to people on their e-mail list.

Am I wrong in thinking that race is not something that can be changed, and so yes discriminating because of skin color is wrong, but economics is something that a person can change with hard work, training/education, determination, blind luck, and thus is a somewhat fluid state of being?

So why the propoganda article, or is classism become the new racism in our society?

I am an amateur astronomer, and I like to peruse the night skies zooming in on random stars, and try to identify them. However, I have noticed that some stars are listed as being anything from a G-star, to a K-star, to an M-star depending upon the catalog source.

For example, I noticed that 41 Arae (Gliese 666) and Kuiper 79 (Gliese 661) are sometimes labeled as G-stars, commonly as K-stars, and also sometimes as M-stars. Now I know the difference of how a star is classified and such, whether main sequence and such, but why is there such a variance with these stars, and a number of others?

I thought if 41 Arae is a G-star, I might be able to see it in my telescope as they are easier to find (constellation Ara peaks just above my horizon for a few hours for a few nights of the year, making it a fun challenge). If its an M-star or K-star, then horizon haze will be too much for it.

I am hunting for back articles/letters to editors, etc., or any other media, that might pertain to a public prophecy of the very recent Christchurch 7.0 earthquake. I will begin my search with local news sources in the region (small newspapers, local publications, etc). If anyone happens to know the names of such media, please let me know. Or, if anyone reads this and knows more about the specifics of what is occurring (local ministries), then I would greatly appreciated any insight on that, as that is what I am trying to research.

There is a particular plant that I have always loved that only grows at the higher altitudes in the Sangre De Cristo mountains of New Mexico. This plant grows a long stem, about two feet high, flowers, and in the fall produces a bright red bulb, kind of pulpish, looks like a small berry, and is filled with little red seeds. I have heard this plant called Rosenip, and have heard that it contains a great deal of vitamin C.

Does this sound familiar to anyone who is REALLY familiar with New Mexico flora? And would you happen to know how to grow this plant? I gathered some little bulbs and planted them as I noticed the plants in the wild doing so... will that work?

Out of curiosity, how many Christians feel or believe that we are close, undetermined but close, to the final end time spoke of in the Bible?

If you are not Christian, just keep moving along, nothing to see here, keep moving along...

I have a ton of fresh olive seeds taken directly from olive trees (in Morroco and Spain) and I plan to start a small grove in New Mexico. I know that the elevation is much higher than Morroco and Spain, and the temperatures much colder in winter. Will I need to plant them in a greenhouse (which is totatlly possible)? And, how do I go about germinating the seeds?

All I have ever found on the 'net is stuff about the growth cycle of gamble oak. But how, and when, is the best time to plant gamble oak acorns? I am currently following the natural procedure that I have seen in the Sangre De Cristo mountains, but do I need to crack the acorn before planting, or will a freeze do that naturally when in the ground? I am also afraid of those little worms eating the seed before it can germinate if I crack it before hand. Anyone know anything about Gamble Oak?