I know I already did a post on this, but I keep hearing about it over and over well over four months after the election is over. Barack Obama is – an – American – citizen. He – is – an – American. He – is – natural – born. Period. End of story! Some people just don’t know when to quit. It’s a lost cause, ok?! Obama is President, now get over it. But some of the nation’s leading right-wingers continue to beat the dead horse – which is well on its way to mummified decomposing by now. “Birth certificate this” – “Kenya that” – “naturalization this” – “election fraud that.” I’ve listened to everything that there is to say about this and it does not add up. Look, Obama was born to American parentage, whether or not he was physically in the country at the time. Even John McCain was born outside of the continental United States – so the door happened to swing both ways with this ludicrous argument this election cycle. I have no respect at all for this position – its chasing a hopeless CONSPIRACY THEORY. And the people who are advocating this conspiracy theory are only making things worse for themselves. They’re starting to remind me of those 9/11 Truth whackos and as far as I’m concerned they might as well be. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m Sick of This!
31 03 2009Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: Politics
Categories : Craziness, Obama Administration, Politicians
The Growing Presence of Islamic Banks
30 03 2009In the midst of the worldwide financial crisis, a new sector of the economy has been given an opportunity to shine: Islamic banking. Islamic banks operate similar to conventional banks but differ from them in a number of ways. For instance, Islamic banks do not use interest on loans or savings, as that is prohibited by Shariah law. Instead they compel themselves to rely on a system of shared profits and losses. When the idea of a modern bank that would not use interest as a tool of operation was first initiated back in the 1970s with the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia, among a handful of others, scholars thought that it did not stand a chance of lasting in today’s world. However, the Islamic banking sector has grown exponentially in recent times and it would be very foolish to ignore it. In the past quarter century the total market share has in fact shot up seventyfold. That’s right – seventyfold. The success of the Islamic banks can be attributed to a variety of factors involved.
The Islamic banking industry was able to evade the global credit crisis that was endured by other institutions of similar caliber. (NOTE: maybe it was because they don’t do interest and therefore don’t do issue credit – duh!) The assets of the Islamic banks from various businesses that they dealt with were more liquid than others. Some believe that the banks succeed due to the current benefit of their viewpoint in seeing money as “potential” capital, rather than capital itself. Others believe that the success of these banks has little to nothing to do with the fact that they operate as Islamic banks, but because of the success of the region in general. A study used the example of comparing Islamic and conventional financial sectors in Malaysia. However, Islamic banks have established a presence in Western nations over the past five years (and grown much since then) so the validity of the study is in question. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Economics, Islam, Politics
Categories : Economics, Globalization
Obama Takes Strong Stance on Afghanistan
29 03 2009President Barack Obama stated in a press conference the other day that he intends to take a new policy direction in the War on Terror. He intends to challenge Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He called for a bipartisan spending bill to direct US dollars toward the region which is being co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, a Democrat and a Republican, respectively. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also expressed support for the bill. Obama previously mentioned that he was setting up a time table for deploying troops out of Iraq. Combined with this new development, he appears to be following through on his strategy of shifting emphasis in foreign policy from the conflict in Iraq to the conflict in Afghanistan.
I did not vote for Obama in the last election, but I am happy to hear about this development. After the September 11th attacks in 2001 there was a clear need to punish those who were responsible for inflicting such harm upon our country, these people being Al Qaeda, the perpetrators and the Taliban, their hosts and allies. The initial invasion of Afghanistan was one of the only times in history where pretty much everyone supported the war without reservation – another time being World War II after Pearl Harbor. The Revolutionary war a lot of people were opposed to. The Bush Administration had the unfortunate distinction of shifting from one of the most united times in our history to one of the most divisive times in a handful of months. When Obama talked about uniting the country again, I was very skeptical of that notion. After all, his record was one of the most liberal in Congress. But in this area today he is making progress and I like seeing that. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 7 Comments »
Categories : International Conflicts, News, Obama Administration
Book Review: Why We Suck
28 03 2009
I just got done reading the new book by award-winning actor and comedian Denis Leary. I did not fully know what to expect when I started reading this book – it’s called Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid. I had no intention of buying a random book written by a celebrity, ever, but after seeing that title sitting on the shelf at a book store….well come on how could I not?! And he’s standing there on the cover holding a firecracker and brandishing a smug, “I’m awesome and I know I’m awesome” look on his face. If you turn the book around and look at the back cover, you’ll see the title up top says “why we really, really suck…” and you’ll find the “reasons why” below. Denis makes fun of a few of his fellow celebrities (or just lets them makes fun of themselves, depending how you see it) with a few quotes of their own. They kind of remind me of the typical things you might expect a celebutard to say. I think he might have even used the word celebutard at some point in the book – would not surprise me. I think he did….maybe he didn’t, maybe I’m imagining it…oh well, too lazy to go back and check now. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Book, Denis Leary
Categories : Book Review, Fun
On the Boston Ibogaine Forum
23 03 2009The Boston Ibogaine Forum for 2009 was recently held on President’s Day weekend at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Speakers included Howard Lotsof, a researcher who discovered the benefits of using ibogaine back in 1962 and prominent ibogaine supporter Dana Beal.
So, what is Ibogaine exactly? It is a psychoactive compound that is found in a number of different plants. It is currently classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act right alongside LSD and heroin. In other words – it is illegal. However, research has indicated that ibogaine has substantial use as an anti-addictictive substance. In fact, it has been reported to be able to fully treat an addiction to heroin without any period of withdrawal – immediately! Now, you can argue whether or not we should legalize narcotics for regular recreational use on a separate table, but if this is something that can help treat drug addiction – that seems to be something that anyone from any position on the drug war should be able to support.
Schedule I drugs are classified as such because it is deemed that:
(A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
According to research on the substance, requirement B for Schedule I classification is in fact, null and void as far as ibogaine goes. Dealing with opiod withdrawal is actually the most common reason that individuals take ibogaine. Over 3,000 individuals have been reported to have ingested ibogaine and over half of those were for the primary purpose of opiod withdrawal. The compound hails from Africa and should offer strong hope for the future.
Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: Drug War, Drugs, Ibogaine
Categories : Boston, Common Sense, War on Drugs
In The News:
21 03 2009Troop Withdrawal
Obama has announced the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, promising to remove all combat troops by August 31, 2010. This is three months later than his promise on the campaign trail and there is a good chance that it might be extended again before we hear the end of it. A lot can change in a year and a half and there is still a significant question about what kind of country we will leave behind when we finally pull out. The War in Iraq has been quite controversial since we first invaded in 2003 with the intention of deposing then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and getting rid of the weapons of mass destruction – WMDs. They were never found but it is rumored that Saddam transferred them over to Syria before the Americans could get to them. And that they have remained in Syria since then and might possibly be in some warehouse in Damascus. All of this is unconfirmed, however.
I Was Right! Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 2 Comments »
Categories : Abortion, Boston, International Conflicts, Internet, Israel-Palestine Conflict, Knicks, Life, News
Why the Pope is Right and Arianna Huffington is Wrong
20 03 2009I was taking a glance at the Metro while taking the T through downtown Boston the other day and I noticed that they were featuring Arianna Huffington as a guest commentator offering her take on all the stories of the day. This is, of course, the same Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post, a notoriously biased online news site with a streak that makes a lot of the mainstream media bias look like nothing. And the same Arianna Huffington who made an embarrassingly unsuccessful run for the governorship in California during the 2003 Recall Election against Arnold Schwarzenegger. I wondered to myself what she might have to say about goings on up here in Boston.
I saw a story on the Pope Benedict XVI’s take on the AIDs situation over in Africa. The Pope was visiting Yaounde, Cameroon at the time. He said basically, in plain words, that redistributing condoms throughout Africa will not solve the problem of AIDs. Africa is a continent massively-effected by AIDs. Whether or not you use condoms yourself, I believe this is a pretty sound conclusion. In fact, they’ve been distributing condoms over there how long? And the AIDs epidemic in Africa has gotten how much better because of it? Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: AIDs, Condoms, Huffington, Pope
Categories : Common Sense, Politicians, Population, Religion
Understanding Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho
18 03 2009A Brazilian Archbishop recently sparked controversial headlines with an excommunication decision within his jurisdiction. A nine-year old girl was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins. The girl’s mother forced her to undergo an abortion procedure and Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho made a statement by excommunicating the mother and the doctors who were involved in the procedure. Sobrinho has become very unpopular due to his conviction in this situation but his stance has remained firm and consistent throughout the ordeal. His side of the story has gone for the most part underreported and truth be told most people have decided they find it much easier not to take into consideration his side of the story.
According to reports, the girl was four months into her pregnancy, which is one month into the second trimester. At this point the twin babies in the womb could hear, breathe, squint and frown. Their heartbeats could also be heard without a stethoscope.
It is also important to take into account the motivations of the doctors who were excommunicated by the archbishop. These doctors certainly did not do the medical procedure out of any sort of feeling of benevolence toward the young girl or her family. Abortions are one of the most expensive procedures of its caliber and being an abortionist is thus a very lucrative career. The doctors wanted the money for the procedure – and they got it. The doctors were undoubtedly thrilled at the opportunity to abort the twins the young mother was carrying at the time and when they were excommunicated by the archbishop, they tried to use the publicity to their advantage (where they might be able to make more money by performing more abortions.) A highly-biased CNN report idolizing the doctors was released that gave them an opportunity to advertise to the public. With the help of their media friends, they cited high quantities of abortions and deaths from abortions in Brazil. What is important to note, however, is that any problems with deaths from medical procedures has very little to do with the laws in Brazil that prevent the doctors from doing abortions more often, but is the result of a lower GDP per capita and less concise medical technology than most first-world nations. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: Abortion, Archbishop, Brazil, Excommunicate, Politics
Categories : Abortion, Personal Responsibility, Religion
Shhhh! Michael Steele is Pro-Life
14 03 2009
There has been a great deal of confusion lately over where Michael Steele, the recently-elected Republican National Committee Chairman, stands on the pivotal battleground issue of abortion. He has promised many times in the past that he maintains a strong pro-life belief system. But his rhetoric often did not make this clear and even suggested the opposite to many people. He talked about deprioritizing the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a legitimate goal, which scared many people. He had said that he was pro-life but wanted to focus more on preventing abortions than effecting court decisions. There was a question of whether this meant that he was still pro-life but wanted to focus efforts on the issue elsewhere for the time being or if he called himself pro-life but did not believe there should be any court switches or changes to the law at all. If this was the case then his “pro-life” position would be a fallacy, making him really pro-choice. Many of us were waiting for clarification about what his true stance on the issue was. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 10 Comments »
Tags: Abortion, Michael, Michael Steele, Politics, Steele
Categories : Abortion, Common Sense, Politicians
Cows in International Economics
13 03 2009
My dad just sent me an email yesterday containing comical simplifications of different political and economic outlooks – all in terms of cows. One of his friends sent it to him before he sent it to me. You start with two cows in pretty much all of them and where you go from there reflects what the topic is all about. My dad obviously knew of my interest in global affairs and thought I could use a laugh for the day so he shared it with me. Now I share it with you:
SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.
COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.
FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.
NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Cows, Economics, Humor, Politics
Categories : Fads, Fun, Internet
