Jacob Zuma zoomed into South Africa

Nelson Mandela represents an extraordinary chapter in the history of South Africa and to a significant extent in the history of world as well. He beat all odds, spent 27 years in jail, hard labour, and survived to rid South Africa of the curse of apartheid. I read his autobiography very carefully and you end up having nothing but great admiration for the man. In a rather explosive situation, he calmed things down through a Truth and Reconciliation Commission inquiry looking into to the excesses of the apartheid regime. All along an icon and example to follow for rest of us fallible human beings.

However, since he retired from the Presidency of South Africa, things have not been the same for the country. Corruption and abuse of power have been rampant. Now more recently South Africans have elected a new President, and in zooms Mr. Zuma. He is a shady character. He admitted to raping a woman and said she was wearing a revealing skirt which he felt was an invitation to have sex with her. Guess what, the court exonerated Zuma and the victim took refuge in Netherlands. Do you blame her because she could have been executed in South Africa. There are also corruption charges against zoom zoom Zuma which were later dropped and probably the justice system was compromised. It is becoming a sad and tragic story.

What were South African thinking, but then politics is politics. Our American friends elected George W. Bush who could not organize a piss on a brewery.

Oh well let us sing a song:
It goes in this way.

Everybody like zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom
They on them dubs like zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom

I'm Zuma Bad Azz and I zoom right by ya

For the lyrics and actual song, click here.

I found the video for the song. Enjoy

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Discovery!

The human brain is a fascinating phenomenon. Even if when we are physically doing nothing, it remains busy – especially when we're doing nothing as it comes up with all kinds of mischief. It remains busy when the rest of the body is inactive or sleeping, as the brain/mind wanders off into what we call dreams. The brain is an extraordinary computer and is it without its inventor or creator? Especially when one considers the countless hours spent by humans to even mimic the human brain have fallen short. We are a long way from coming up with something (ie. a computer) matching the human brain or, for that matter, any living being's brain. If for some reason all living beings are gone, what does the Earth, Sun and Moon mean when there is no one to observe it.

Talking about observing nature. Nature provides us with all kinds of wonders on a daily basis. We discover something new every day. Let me emphasize the word "DISCOVER" because we do not CREATE such a phenomenon, we simply discover it as the phenomena was there from time immemorial waiting to be discovered. Let us look at some of the extraordinary discoveries that we know of:

1. Earth's gravity theorized by Newton. As you know, it was always there. Newton just discovered it, he did not create it. Gravity! What a wonder of nature. In the absence of it we will all be floating around in space... assuming we existed at all.

2. Then there was Galileo Galilei who figured out that the Earth was not flat but round. Unfortunately, he was persecuted for stating this fact. However, he did not create the roundness of the planet. It was always there waiting to be discovered.

3. Of course how can we forget Einstein who informed us about relativity theory, E = mc2, or his work on Nuclear fission and splitting the atom -- something which he might have regretted after how it was used. But the atom was always there and other of nature's phenomena just waiting to be discovered.

4. Or discovering of other planets, space, and trips to moon. They were there from the time immemorial but we are just discovering and learning about them, including about the surface of Moon, Mars and many more planets. Who knows, in future we will meet our cousins on another planet. It probably will not happen in our life time though.

As I stated earlier, we are constantly discovering something new about this nature and universe we are surrounded by, but we did not create it. Who put this nature's phenomena as it exists today. Is it all sheer evolution that happened accidentally over millions and billions of years? Accident? Let us think some more about it. Feel free to give your point of view. I am just a bewildered human being and have no answers myself.

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Weapons of Self-Destruction

George W. Bush went around the world looking for the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). He invaded Iraq on that pretext. Then he called Iraq, Iran, and North Korea an "Axis of Evil." But what about himself and his country? I suppose there the Divine Right of Kings prevails. Tell me more about evolution. We are still at the early stages of evolution – might is right and the fittest shall survive.

The other day I was watching the news on PBS. The anchorman was discussing Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal. Then he gave a list of all the countries that have nuclear warheads and how many. I was alarmed. Here is the list not from PBS but one I found through googling:

China: 100-200 warheads.
France: Approximately 350 strategic warheads.
Russia: 4,237 strategic warheads, approximately 2,000-3,000 operational tactical warheads, and approximately 8,000-10,000 stockpiled strategic and tactical warheads.
United Kingdom: Less than 160 deployed strategic warheads.
United States: 5,914 strategic warheads, approximately 1,000 operational tactical weapons, and approximately 3,000 reserve strategic and tactical warheads.
India: Up to 100 nuclear warheads.
Israel: Between 75 to 200 nuclear warheads.
Pakistan: Up to 60 warheads.

Enough to blow up the whole globe many times over. Rather than WMDs, we should call them Weapons of Self-Destruction. If there ever is a nuclear confrontation, bye bye planet Earth and whatever is alive on it.

I will buy the argument that Iran and North Korea should not have nuclear weapons given the instability of these countries. However, I believe that India, Israel, and Pakistan can be pretty unstable at times too. They must be disarmed of nuclear warheads. How can we do that? By setting examples. The major players, like the US and Russia, must start reducing their stockpiles with the objective of making the globe free of WMDs. Once the US and Russia start such a process, they will then have moral authority to ask other countries to do the same.

It may look like a mission impossible, but if world leaders put their minds to it, it may be achievable someday. After all, we pretty much rid the world of the smallpox pandemic. Once we realize that nuclear arsenals can cause the worse pandemic the world has ever seen or known(or we may never see or know as there may be no one to do that), we may start doing something about it.

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Susan Boyle and Britney Spears

What is the difference between these two ladies? Once is a genuine artist and the other may be an artist but also a very misguided youngster. It took Susan Boyle 47 year, and Britain's Got Talent, before she was even recognised as a singer. On the other hand, Britney Spears at the tender age of 10-11 was already getting recognition as a singer and by now, at the age of 27, she has already sold over 32 million records. Human thy name is Frailty. We do judge a book by its cover whether we like it or not.

Sad part is that this Frailty is not limited to a few but is universal. Yours truly pleads guilty to it.

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The American Presidency and its symbols

George W. Bush and the cowboy gang succeeded to hurt America both nationally and internationally, including its symbols which have been a source of pride for America. He turned eagles into angry seagulls - the ones who bring things down by running into airplane engines.

Internationally, America has earned a bad name under Bush, especially with his gang invading Afghanistan and especially Iraq. He sent the whole Middle East into a tizzy. That state will prevail for sometimes to come. Afghanistan was completely botched and he not only further destabilized Afghanistan, but also Pakistan – Pashtuns turned into Taliban spreading their influence into Pakistan and destabilizing that country as well.

Torturing of detainees has further damaged the reputation of the US..

Bush ignored America as such in search of his glory through plundering other countries. Hence he left the country in dire economic straits. I hope that Obama can turn things around. More recent explosions of torture revelations may help Obama, as the whole nation seems to be embroiled in it and is diverting some attention away from the economic woes. That does not mean the economic woes will go away easily but it gives Obama breathing space to keep working on the issue. Maybe Obama found out how to govern, as with the torture revelation attention has turned away from him personally thus giving him more free hand to tackle the economy. All the good luck to him because we Canadians do depend on a good US economy as it is our biggest trading partner.

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Pakistan and the Taliban

Taliban are coming! Taliban are coming to take over Islamabad and eventually Pakistan! Is it possible that it is a one big scam? Maybe the Pakistani army is trying to scare the dickens out of the government of Asif Ali Zardari and is readying to take over the reigns of power themselves. After all, Pakistan has been under military junta most of its life.

However the Taliban, or in the past Pashtuns whose sizable faction is affiliated with the Taliban now, have been in Pakistani territory since its birth. It is an ethnic group that lives on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Thanks to the botched Bush invasion, some factions of Pashtuns have been radicalized.

It would look that Pashtuns always had a fair amount of influence in Pakistan as they have held influential government positions. In that case, why would they like to take over the Pakistani government militarily. To give you an idea of Pashtun influence, I believe one of the longest serving military Presidents of Pakistan was Ayub Khan and I also understand he was Pashtun. It was an important reason, his being Pashtun, that the capital of Pakistan was moved from Karachi, thousands miles towards north to Islamabad, to his home territory which is not far from the stronghold of the Pashtuns. Islamabad did not exist prior to that, he built a brand new city and declared it the capital of the country. Now he was President in the 1950s and the 1960s. So being such a powerful ethnic group, why would they want to invade Islamabad and take over.

Also it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a few Pashtuns turned Taliban to defeat the Pakistani army. It is one of the biggest, most well-equipped and well-trained armies in the World. Therefore, this Taliban invasion does not sound right. There is something screwy – playing with the nerves of Asif Ali Zardari, who is a weak leader, and with the nerves of gun totting Americans.

In conclusion, I will add that Bush-Cheney, Rumsfeld and other cowboys of the pack did destabilize Pakistan through the botched invasion 0f 2001. It is hoped that Obama will use a more thoughtful strategy to calm things down in Pakistan and bring some sanity and stability to Afghanistan. This cannot be done through military conquest. Winning hearts and minds, and diplomacy, may stand a better chance.

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Intelligence of a Rose

A few years ago I planted this rose bush next to a perennial. For two to three years it struggled as the perennial spread its branches and kind of covered it over. I left it as is to see who prevails. This year, however, the rose bush has smartened up. It sent a shoot kind of parallel to the ground and then up away from the perennial and started growing well. I was fascinated how a small plant will struggle to survive.

The picture above is not of the plant from my garden but from Google. The bush in the garden has not fully bloomed yet.

UPDATE: The moral of the story, don't oppress a fellow creature for too long.

UPDATE II: A further thought, plants learn to co-exist but we humans quite often don't. Are we really the most intelligent creatures on Earth?

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Rush Limbaugh the Windbag

Rush Limbaugh the windbag is at it again. This time he is cursing Obama for releasing torture memos. He says Obama just changed the definition of torture in order make interrogation look like torture, like women changed the definition of abuse by including a man shouting at a woman even if the woman started the shouting.

Read the story and watch two videos. One about the windbag himself and the other about the mini-me windbag Dick Cheney on torture.

Click here to read more.

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Avigdor Lieberman: Minister of Foreign to Peace Affairs

Benjamin Netanyahu is bad enough for the Middle East, but he also chose Avigdor Lieberman as Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is the final nail in the coffin of Middle East Peace. Lieberman is a far-right conservative. Sadly only Harper and Iggy will embrace such leaders but hopefully not the rest of the Western world. Lieberman is plainly so anti-peace that he is like a virus which must be quarantined. Here is a direct quote from his own mouth:

"The fate of the collaborators in the Knesset will be identical to that of those who collaborated with the Nazis. Collaborators, as well as criminals, were executed after the Nuremberg trials at the end of the World War Two. I hope that will be the fate of collaborators in this house."

This is the compliment he paid to Arab members of Knesset. Now under him and Netanyahu, in all likelihood the Arabs would not be allowed to sit in the Knesset. Crazy Lieberman also said:

"Israel should use nuclear weapons against the Gaza Strip, blanket-bomb Palestinian population centres in order to force Palestinians to flee to Jordan..."

Now is there any doubt that if Lieberman can help it, Palestinians will be made extinct. A country like Israel which has 200 nuclear warheads is simply very dangerous under the leaders like Netanyahu and Lieberman. They are dangerous to the Middle East peace and hence world peace. I hope world leaders who care for world peace will put their heads together to defuse this ticking bomb.

After atrocities in Gaza, more recently an Israel army general did the investigation of war crimes which of course exonerated the IDF. Investigation completed and "mission accomplished" for them. It is like asking Dick Cheney to investigate the war crimes and torture during the Bush monarchy.

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Roxana Saberi: The journalist detained in Iran

I feel sad for Saberi and her family. Maybe she is not a spy and Iran is over-reacting. She says she was coerced to confess that she was a spy. Now to coerce her in this manner is wrong and must be condemned, but does the US have moral grounds to do so? Did the US not torture its detainees after 9/11, some of them innocent detainees. How can we say that if the US does it, it's OK but if any allegations exist against Iran then lets condemn them. We cannot do that. All the sages through the ages said lead by example. Did Bush/Cheney set good an example. Of course not. They have endangered the whole planet and its habitants by illegal torturing and by invading sovereign countries.

Now Bush/Cheney and other uncanny kinds may dress up their torture tactics and call it "enhanced interrogation techniques" but it won't work. So fellows back off, admit your blunders and agree to pay for it. Then we may march towards a more peaceful world. Only then.

One standard for US and another for rest of the world is a recipe for disaster.

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Global Warming and Divine Intervention

We take so many things for granted. Our planet, the sun, the moon, and the stars. What if one of these givens starts slowly dimming away and what if that one is our own sun. The result could be an ice age and the end of the earth and all the living creatures on it. It is possible you know.

OK it is not that drastic. Not yet. But some scientists are saying that the old boy sun is losing some of its sparks literally and dimming down. Is it possible that the divine power had enough with human follies and are now taking the matter of global warming into his own hands, thus turning down the light and heat? See, in the universal scheme of things the sun is our light bulb and main heater. If its switches are dialled down, we may have problems at our hands.

Calm down it won't happen so fast and it will not cure the global warming ailment. Over and above heat, look at the other pollutants we have put into our earth's atmosphere. Looks like a self-destruction tendency. If we do not appreciate what nature has given us we may lose it. Sun may say it had it with you and start getting ready for a long rest and turn off its main lamps (or whosoever controls those switches) and the earth may need to take a break from us humans and may shake us off its surface. In other words, we need to take good care of what we got. We do not have control over the sun but we can be kinder and gentler to our own planet. If we will not let our car or house deteriorate then why would we put our mother earth in such a peril. Only fools would take that path.

Let us work with the nature and not against it. That is the only way humankind can survive. Mother earth has looked after our forefathers and it will look after our children, grandchildren, and many generations to come. In return it deserves that we all become its spokespersons. Let us not allow a few greedy ones to hurt mother earth.

Click here to read the story

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Dick Cheney: The Terminator?

What's with Dick? He is all over the neo-con media, especially Faux News (or “F” word News) saying that Obama cannot defend the US and that Obama will go easy on terrorists. Moreover, he says that torture helped protect the US. Oh yes! Really? Then why were Japanese prosecuted and some given life imprisonment and some hung because they carried out water-boarding and other torture techniques against US POWs. Is it ok if the US commits such crimes and bad and punishable if another nation does the same to US citizens. There should be one international standard which must apply uniformly without exception.

Using torture, Bush/Cheney has created a lot of anger against the US. I believe Obama is right and the only way things can be calmed is to stop torture and punish those who committed such crime.

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George W. Bush and Bill Clinton: The Odd Couple

George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are going to team up and share a forum in Toronto refereed by none other than Frank McKenna – the former Premier of New Brunswick and also former Canadian Ambassador to the United States.

Now I can understand McKenna's participation. He was never a liberal and his views are conservative. I can also understand Bill Clinton and Senior Bush teaming up. Senior Bush does have some brains but Dubya and Bill beat all the odds and become the new Odd Couple of the comedy world.

Click here to read the story.

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Adam Lambert: Talented Singer

Adam Lambert may just be the next pop/rock star. He brought Paula Abdul to tears and Simon Cowell, who usually is mean on American Idol, was at a loss for words because he only has a mean dictionary that he studied to learn the English language.

However, Cowell was very mean towards Anoop Desai who I think is another good singer. American Idol once in a while does discover good talents.

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Queen Elizabeth: The vagaries of time

What time can do to you:

First Picture: When the Queen actually looked like a Queen.

Second Picture: She looks like any old lady with a funny hat.

Third Picture: Trudeau always had fun with Queen Liz. Remember a little dance he did behind her. I thought that was very funny.

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Pigeon: the smuggler

Out with the new and in with the old, welcome back nature's brilliant technology. In Brazil, some tertiary professionals (criminals) figured out how to send cell phones to their buddies in jail by using pigeons. If you're a pigeon, do not despair, despite the downturn in the economy there are jobs for you. Plenty of birdseeds provided for your personal indulgence and the indulgence of friends and families. This technology of nature has been around from time immemorial.

Now if my readers will allow me a little diversion from the topic, I want to talk a bit about nature in general. Nature can be complex but it is also an open book. It seems to nudge, nudge, and give us a hint, hint about its capabilities. You know when I see an apple tree and an apple falling all I think of is whether the apple is ripe or not and if can I eat it. But long ago there was a man named Newton and when he saw an apple falling he came up with the theory of gravity which is taken for granted today.

You know these nature watchers (scientists) and prophets see things that we in general are either not capable of seeing or don't care to see. Before you dismiss them, think about it.

Click here to read the story about the pigeons.

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United States of America: Spreading Democracy or Hypocrisy?

The United States, especially George W. Bush, and his neo-cons have the mantra that they are spreading democracy. That is how dreadful wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were justified. Now are they really spreading democracy, or it is all one big smoke screen to perpetuate hypocrisy for the self-interest of the leaders? Let us look at some allies of the US.

Egypt: Is Egypt a democracy? Hosni Mubarak has been president of Egypt for 28 years now. How many free and open elections did he hold to make Egypt a democracy?

Israel: The most recent face of Israel was Ehud Olmert. What is his claim to fame? Ordering the slaughter of countless innocent women and children in Lebanon and later Gaza. Does that make him a great democratic figure? While Israel is democratic for Israelis, for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, it is anything but a democracy.

Saudi Arabia: Now is King Abdullah a champion of democracy? The guy whom Bush courted repeatedly, held hands, and kissed profusely on the cheeks. Far from it. Abdullah is a monarch. There is a lot of criticism (justified criticism) of the Taliban in the West, about how badly they treat women. But, at least you could see Afghani women on streets although in veils. Have you ever seen King Abdullah's wives? They remain strictly behind four walls of houses that their husbands or fathers provide.

I will tell you a story. I was in London, England and a good friend of mine was giving me a tour of the city. On that tour he took me on a street where I saw a lot of Mercedes and Rolls Royces. I asked what that was about. He told me the vehicles belonged to Saudi sheikhs. I asked what they were doing there. He said they own condos and apartments and then he made a shocking addition, "they come to London in search of escorts (prostitutes) sometimes."

I said "Why? They have multiple wives, do they not have escorts in Saudi Arabia?"

He said "No," and added, "they have made prostitution in Saudi Arabia illegal and if someone is caught prostituting, the person will be executed swiftly." Some democracy and just society.

Venezuela: Barack Obama shook hands with Hugo Chavez. Hell has broken loose. All the neo-cons are up in arms, including Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, and many of their ilk. They say that it is un-American to shake hands with a "dictator" like Hugo Chavez who insulted the US. Now let us see. Chavez did call Bush an idiot. Hey Hugo, join the club of millions and millions of others in the world who have called him an idiot too, including the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush. Some even call Bush a war criminal (Obama is finding it increasingly hard to ignore the demands of those who want Bush administration officials tried for war crimes, especially with recent revelations about the extent and depth torture under the Bush administration).

And of course, whatever Chavez's faults, he is democratically elected.

Okay, Chavez had in the past called Obama ignorant, but if Obama would have refused to shake hands with him for that reason, would he not have looked silly and childish? I think Obama showed a lot of class there.

So my American friends come off this nonsense of "spreading democracy" and do something about hypocrisy.

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Another one bites the dust

NDP candidate Ray Lam stepped down from race after posting racy photos on his Facebook. What was he thinking when he posted these pictures? Surely he will come up with some lame excuses now. What do you expect from a guy from False Creek? Now he is all screwed up the creek.

Click here to read the story.

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Barack Obama shakes hands with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela

Strange questions were asked by reporters of Barack Obama after he shook hands with Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. He was asked what the political fall-out will be that he actually shook hands with Chavez. What... is that about? I am sure neocons and blabbermouths like Rush Limbaugh will criticize him. The same Limbaugh who praised Obama one day for ordering navy seals to shoot and kill the pirates to rescue captain Richard Phillips and the second day Rush babbled that only a black president named Barack Hussein Obama could order the shooting of Somali teenage Muslims and get away with it. He added that hell would have broken lose if the same was done by a white President. Hey Rushy, Bush ordered the killing of Muslim Iraqi teenagers, children, and woman by the ten of thousands.

I think it will be great to have better relations between the United States and Latin American countries, including Venezuela. And overtures which the Obama administration is making towards Cuba are encouraging too. Over half a century of sanctions against Cuba did not work and Castro was always successful and with impunity thumbed nose at successive US Presidents. Give diplomacy a chance.

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The Rush Limbaughs of this World

Look at the pictures of these two people. What is wrong? This lady works very hard. Helps her fellow human beings and earns a little over $45,000 annually. Now look at the goofball. He just yaps and yaps and yaps, nonsense and hyperbole, and earns $38,000,000 million a year for that. $38 millions annually! Now you call it "Just Society"?!?

No wonder this overweight hideous man wants no change. Do you blame him? However he is a predator in the true sense. Tell me more about evolution and democracy. The law of the jungle prevails.

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Michael Ignatieff: Reality dose

Michael Ignatieff mused that taxes need to be raised in order to reduce the deficit. Sounds pretty logical. Oh well! He got his first dose of reality. Real life, you know.

When will this man learn to understand Canada. One can only wish.

His positions on other issues have been anything but liberal and are frankly quite alarming. Ignatieff has said that the tar sands are an asset for Canada. Yeah and he will be issuing masks to be able to breath. Iraq invasion was great idea says Mr. Imperialist, and so is the Afghanistan war. Moreover, Israel needs to punish those Palestinians in Gaza. Killing of woman and children does not bother king Iggy after all, he is Mr. Imperialist. He is more into Bushisms than even Harper.

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To my readers, critics and friends

Everyone is welcome on my blog. However, if you come here to change my fundamental political beliefs, then you're wasting your time. I consider myself a good listener, however there are certain principles in life that I feel one must never compromise.

For instance, when it comes to politicians and bureaucrats, I firmly believe that they are public servants (they are there to serve the public, not the other way around). I have been part of that world and have some understanding about the role of a public servant.

For political leaders, serving the public MUST come first, it should not be about their egos or self-glory. They should not act like Egyptian Pharaohs. The problem with our current leaders in Canada is that they are infatuated with their own egos and self-glory. The well-being of Canadians has taken a backstage. And that kind of leadership is source of a great anguish.

Who are these self-aggrandizing leaders? I am talking of course about Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff.

I am not a regular listener of Frank Sinatra, but the other day I heard his song "I Did It My Way." (I do have to note that where it says a "man" in his song it should also say a "woman" but what do you expect, it was sung by the "Chairman of the Board.") Nonetheless, the following lyrics did catch my attention:

For what is a man , what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

I think there is a valuable lesson in this song. Now sit back, relax, turn up the volume and listen to the "Chairman of the Board" sing. Cheers.

Editorial Note: After posting, I edited this post for grammar only, the content is the same.

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Susan Boyle and Barbara Streisand

Since I first heard Susan Boyle, I kept thinking that I have heard a similar singer before. Then I remembered. It was 1975 and I was a university student. At that time, I did not have the slightest doubt that I shall conquer the world. Reality and I had not crossed paths yet.

One morning I was getting late for my class, the university was a fair distance from the residence so I decided to take my car. I got in car, turned on the radio, and there was this resonant and touching voice. It was Barbara Streisand singing "The way we were." The singing was amazing. After the class, I went to the nearest shopping mall and bought myself that record. More recently I have bought the CD. I used to listen to that song and other Streisand songs very often. So often that a professor of mine used to tease me that I had a crush on her. He told me that I must go to New York to meet her. No, I did not do that.

When I heard Susan Boyle after some thinking I realized that there are some similarities in their voices. However, the similarities end there because Streisand was already a Hollywood star and she had all the backing of the music and movie industries. As well, she was considered a very beautiful woman (including by our own Pierre Trudeau) and she was highly sought after. Susan Boyle did not have the backing of the music industry when she sang on Britain's Got Talent; she looks homely and I do not think she will take up an acting career.

Here is a Streisand song which may have similarities to Susan Boyle, but listening to music is very subjective. Listen and judge for yourself.

And here is the Way We Were

EDITORIAL NOTE: After posting, I edited this post for grammar. The content is the same.

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Stephen Harper has U.S agents

Say what? Harper has agents in the US to help him get interviews with US News Networks. Who does he think he is? Brad Pitt? Taxpayers should not, and must not, pay for such agents.

We have an Embassy in Washington D.C and Canadian Consulates in many major US cities. These people are very bright and understand both Canadian and US society. Do you think Ari Fleischer and Michael McCurry understand Canadian society? I doubt it.

I'll give you a personal story. I was attending a conference in Augusta, Maine a few years ago. I ran into this gentleman who asked me if I was Canadian. I told him yes. He asked if I would consider having lunch with him and his friends. I was nervous because, despite the gentleman being very polite, I had the feeling that he was a high profile person. Anyway, I did join them for lunch. It turned out that he was Consulate General of Canada in Boston and his friends were businesspersons and diplomats. I kept to myself but he put me at ease through his mannerism and in no time I was yapping away. He was exceptionally knowledgeable on the American trade situation and indeed he was well-versed with Canada. Needless to say, I was impressed. So, why are these people not good enough for Harper?

Is it possible that Harper's former boss/overlord George W. Bush approached him and said that Ari, his former Press Secretary, was having difficulty finding a good job in the US and that Harper can give him a good start in Canada. And then suggested to hire Michael McCurry too as it would be good for PR purposes that it is not a Bush crony alone. Just guessing but looks like it. Why our Prime Minister needs an ex-spokesperson of Bush beats me.

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Norm Coleman: A tear in his eye

This drama has been unfolding in Minnesota for almost 6 months. Initially I believe Coleman (A Repuglican) had few more votes but then, after numerous recounts, his opponent Al Franken took the lead by some 200 votes. Since then, Coleman's world has gone upside down. He went before the courts and failed to overturn the election outcome. Now he is contemplating to go before the Supreme Court of Minnesota. All this time the State does not have full representation. Now Coleman is a perfect example of someone for whom himself, his glory, and ego comes first and the people of Minnesota can wait. This is not much of democracy.

His opponent Al Franken ran for the first time and won and that must be bugging Coleman – for him, it is a "this toy is mine" kind of thing. Grow up Coleman and admit the defeat and don't so blatantly violate the rights of Minnesotans for fair representation. Granted that Franken's claim to fame is as a comedian and as a legislator he is unknown. But last I checked Minnesota was still part of the US and it still claimed to have democracy. So the election outcome must count. Grow up Mr. Coleman, stop being a cry-baby.

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Keith Olbermann - Special Comment on Torture

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Keith Olbermann wants operatives from the Bush administration to be prosecuted. He has a point, but Obama has been put in a difficult situation, he is almost facing a revolt. First the despicable tea-bagging demonstrations which seem to have the backing of white supremacists, and now the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, threatening to take his state out of the union. Obvious expressions of hatred towards a black President and also intimidation.

Obama is being put in a very difficult situation which amounts to torture of the President. What the Governor is saying is that you might have managed to get elected, but we will not let you govern. It does not look good, and Obama has to move very carefully.

I sincerely hope that the United States will not end up like the USSR in the early-1990s. The United States sure does not need rightwing nuts like Rick Perry. I never thought I would say this, but "God help America" and save it from characters like Rick Perry and associates such as Tom Delay.

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Susan Boyle - Embedded Video

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
by dwarthy

Enjoy!

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Susan Boyle, discovery of a singer

I just read a story on Ms. Boyle, who sang on ITV's Britain's Got Talent, that she is 47 years old, unemployed, and has never been kissed in her life. Last I saw, over 8 million people visited her video. How events can change in one's life. Now music producers will be kissing up to her in order to get her to make records for them. She has become an overnight sensation. Maybe she will become rich and famous like J. K. Rowling who wrote the Harry Potter novels. It may become a rag to riches story overnight. All the best wishes for her.

To read more, click here.

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The “Top Dog” arrives at the Whitehouse

Tuesday, April 14th, I turned my TV on to CNN around 5 PM to see what was going on in the world. There it was, the introduction of the Dog "Bo" all over the south lawn dragging around Obama girls first, then Mom took over and finally Barack Obama himself had to step in. I could not believe it. It looked like inauguration all over again – the media, the people, and all the pomp and show.

Believe it or not, Wolf Blitzer of CNN even had a special guest to discuss the mental health of the dog. The special guest stated that the dog's mental health was very important. Too much activity will have adverse effect on Bo's mental health. He may feel depressed. Obama must look after the needs of Bo otherwise it will be one unhappy puppy. My God, give him dog-Prozac and he should be happy – my neighbour did it.

Obama was asked where Bo would sleep and he said, "not in my bed." Then he went on to say that waterdogs (Bo is a waterdog) love tomatoes and that Michelle’s garden was in trouble. Okay pets are important but this was simply too much. Woof, woof. I changed to a Canadian channel to watch local news.

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Donald Trump: The Egotower

I watched Apprentice and now Celebrity Apprentice, the NBC reality show. Although on Celebrity Apprentice there is quite a clash of egos, Trump remains one of the biggest egos in the world. He is interesting when he says "you are fired" but that gives the guy the biggest kick. When he comes into that board room, his head gets bigger and bigger. How the poor body of his copes with his big head, I don't know. He must have lot of backaches and soar and stiff necks.

Yes he built himself a few Trump Towers and a Casino in Las Vegas called Taj Mahal. However, the biggest tower is his own head. The original Taj Mahal was built by an Indian king for the love of his life – his wife. Trump’s Taj Mahal is for love of HIS life – money, money, money. While the original Taj Mahal is visited by people around the world to witness the glory of love. In Trump's Taj Mahal you go to empty you pockets of any money you have.

I will say take it easy Trump. You may have a few towers and gambling casinos but you are still a human being like rest of us. You eat and stink up the bathroom like all the rest. Some day you're going to croak like anyone else. Yes you may build a mausoleum over your remains and the rest of us may have a small tombstone or simple unidentified mound of dirt (grave). Your flesh will rot and be eaten by earthworms like rest of us and all these towers will do you no good.

He may learn a lot from Bill Gates of Microsoft. Gates is 40 times richer, however Gates does not take himself so seriously and he is devoting his life to help the less fortunate around the world. I also heard that he is the best employer as he looks after his employees very well. Moreover he has revolutionized the world. People in remote villages of China, India, and many other countries have access to laptops and can communicate with the world. Now that is some achievement. So come on Donald, ease up.

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Keith Olbermann on Tea-bagging

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Words to look for: Dick Armey's dick army. Demonstrations held in places such as Bangers and Bent, apparantely the protestors liked Bill Clinton, he tea-bagged next to the Oval office ;)

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Congressman David Vitter: The Expert Tea-bagger

Repugs are protesting against Obama over taxes and the role of government (even though most of them didn't oppose Bush's interventionist measures on the bailouts in the dying days of his Presidency, and with Obama's tax increase - which only affects those with higher incomes - the highest income tax rate will still be well below what it was under Reagan).

So guess who is the expert in tea-bagging? None other than David Vitter. Remember the Louisiana Senator who was a good customer of a Washington DC Madam... that is, until he got caught. Have Repugs bothered to Google tea-bagging and what it means.

Another supporter is Rush Limbaugh, an overweight fool who makes millions for being a big mouth. What is society coming to?

Another stanch supporter of the tea-bagging protest is Faux News (aka. False News, aka. "F" word News) which includes Glenn Beck who has to be clinically insane given the way he acts on his show.

All this is totally disgusting. The sad part is that it is taking dangerous turn and it may play into the hands of violent fascist types whose roots are in racism and bigotry. They are capable of creating chaos in society with dangerous consequences. I hope this evil will be nipped in the bud.

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Breaking News: New Brunswick Legislature invaded by Vampire Bats

Mike Murphy, New Brunswick Minister of Health, was attacked by the bat in the Legislature. That explains Murphy's behaviour in recent days and weeks... and in general.

Update: Oops sorry! I was misinformed. It was Benjamin Shingler, a reporter with the Telegraph Journal (a New Brunswick newspaper) who was bitten by the bat. The reporter is okay and receiving proper injections and antibiotics. It has come to my attention that the bat was actually an old politician. He was mad that when he was alive and an MLA, he was not treated well by this reporter (or so he felt). So he got his revenge in the after-life as a bat ;)

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A Day in China

Stockwell Day has no problem visiting China now. Not long ago, he and his boss Harper were harping about the poor human rights record in China. Now, suddenly, it looks that the violation of rights slate has been wiped clean in order to increase trade with China. After all, China has over 1.5 billion population and is the largest country in the world by population. Also, it is a fast growing economy. For Harper and Day, now that there are hard economic times, it is time to set aside the human rights facade.

Who are they kidding? Does anyone believe that Harper and his underlings believe in human rights and that they are champions of human rights? It was some ego problem Harper had when he first ran into the Chinese leader. Yeah they are "spreading human rights in Afganistan" and if you believe that I will sell you the CN Tower. Sorry Flaherty is already selling that, so I will sell you Confederation Bridge which links New Brunswick and PEI.

Then of course when Harper was Right/Wrong Honourable leader of the opposition, he full-heartedly supported the Iraq war. That must be a record breaking human rights promotion, over 100,000 Iraqis killed and the mayhem has not ended yet. Then more recently Harper backed Israel to carry on murder and mayhem in Gaza. If they are champions of human rights, then who needs humanity. I suppose if the Tar Sands continue to develop at the current speed then Harper, and now Iggy, have contributed towards ending humanity. Yeah human rights in abundance – talking about charades.

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Susan Boyle, singer extraordinaire

Embedding is disabled by request, but you can click here for the video. This is from Britain's Got Talent. One feels teary eyed after listening to her. Simon Cowell's head simply got bigger as he praised himself as usual.

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Another Canadian soldier killed

When will this atrocity end? Trooper Karine Blais was only 21 years old. What are our achievement in Afghanistan other than that Harper tried to please his boss Bush (who is now history)?

I do not think Harper or Iggy will do any thing about it. Canada needs new leaders.

Click here to read more.

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Michael Ignatieff the Count

Count Dracula to be exact. This guy scares the hell out of me. You never know what his positions are on different issues or positions he is going to take. It all depends on who was last with him. This man is out of touch with reality, Canada, and Canadians, as is Stephen Harper. Their heroes are U.S neo-cons. Maybe Iggy should take his talent somewhere else and he and his chums should release the hostage called the Liberal Party.

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Captain Richard Phillips – Somali Piracy

Captain Richard Phillip – Somalia Piracy

It was a sigh of relief for many that Captain Phillips was rescued especially great sigh of relief for his family. It must be very hard on the family members.

If by some unfortunate circumstances Phillips would have been harmed or killed it would have been a tragedy as he was the innocent party in this. Moreover we would have heard from here to eternity from the rightwing nutjobs that Obama’s leadership was anaemic.

The actions of pirates cannot be condoned in any shape and form and it is sad that three of the four pirates were killed.

However, I have since heard that God has heard the prayers to help save Captain Phillips. May be but could the God be so partisan that he will listen to one party in this conflict and not to the other. Is it possible that these pirates were victims too – victims of circumstance. If that is the case then why God will abandon them.

Now let us further look at that issue. Around 1991 Somali was a failed state. Its shores were unguarded. Other nations including Russia and Japan took advantage of that and took their fishing trawlers their and cleaned the Somali shores of any fish. Moreover then certain western nations dumped nuclear waste in that area Somali shore waters so no good fish could survive or thrive. Suddenly all the fishermen, navy guards and other security people of Somali had no where to go. Now why God did not protect them against such injustices. I am not sure that invocation of God for help one side and not other is appropriate.

Now why the Somalis at the frontline of piracy are victims themselves because first they have no other source of livelihood, second all the proceeds coming from such piracies do not go to these sailors but only a very small portion. Those who run the operations and have come to control major ships in those waters plus the main hoodlums in Somalia take the lion’s share without ever risking their own lives. Some of these dons of crime I heard live in London and operate from there.

In other words it is a very tragic situation for these so-called pirates and their families, as they have no other source of income. Thus the solution lies on ground in Somalia. Western nations, especially US, can help bring more effective government in Somalia who in turn can improve the economy and provide jobs. Moreover all the heads of these crime cartels should be arrested and put away in jail.

In conclusion if we want to put an end to this current piracy then we need to revive the Somali society. Yes by killing few pirates we may solve the problem temporarily but not in durable way unless we get the root cause of these crimes. Moreover help should be provided to clean up the waters off of Somalia. We must seek humane and durable solutions.

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Captain Richard Phillips: How he was rescued

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I will be writing more on this. In the meantime enjoy inner peace.

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Prosthetic Arm and the Mysteries of Life

Source of picture: CBS 60 Minutes.

1. In the first picture the subject is shown wearing all that material on his back and shoulders.

2. In this picture the subject opens the door by turning doorknob with his prosthetic hand.

As you can see in the picture, it is a quit a breakthrough. War amputees and other amputees will greatly benefit. However it got me thinking how extraordinary nature is and how spectacular and complex the human body is. $100 million in research money was spent to come up with this prosthetic arm mimicking the human arm and hand. It was quite a story on CBS's 60 minutes. We take our bodies for granted but every cell in our body is a universe in itself. Despite a $100 million dollar cost and 50 years of research, we can only mimic and yet even to mimic through a prosthetic arm, a human brain is still needed.

Now if the gentleman wearing that arm sits near a fire, and he is looking the other way, it is possible that he will never know until much damage is done to the prosthetic hand by fire. On the other hand, if I sit near the fireplace (as I do during the winter) and by mistake take my fingers closer to the fire instant impulses are sent to the brain which in turn commands the finger/fingers to pull back. All this is done faster than a blink of the eye. Every cell in our body is a universe in itself and has its own intelligence. We take our arms and legs for granted until they are lost through some unfortunate circumstances.

The human machine starts with a small (not visible to the human eye) sperm which fertilizes the human egg and is extraordinarily programmed to develop into an embryo and later fetus and then a baby who in turns after birth grows into a full fledged human being – all programmed in that small cell of sperm and egg. Also nature made sure that we enjoy and crave for such recreational process.

By now you must be wondering why am I writing all this. The reason, because I have been always wonder struck by the complexity of nature which led me to believe in the existence of some super intelligence you may call God.

Look at Einstein who was wonder struck by an atom and its capability. Although I understand he was not a happy man when that atomic technology was used to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima. However, he did believe in God. Likewise it may come as a surprise to many, but so did Darwin. He only denied the Creationist theory but never denied the existence of the supernatural and I understand he was a very religious man. If these two great minds believed in the existence of super being then who I am to question it.

You see there are three kinds of people when it comes to religion.

Very religious
Agnostic, and
Atheist.

Those who are religious sometimes go overboard and turn people off. Also some of these religious people are known to say one thing and do something else hence losing credibility. On the other hand, Atheists go the other extreme. They may not be unethical but their lives look empty. I park myself at Agnostic. I really do not know if there is a God or if there isn't.

Life was always an extraordinary mystery for me from as far back as I can remember. It will remain that way until the day I die. Everyday I learn something new yet I know absolutely so little.

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A Dog Name "Bo"

The Obamas finally have a dog. It has been named Bo by Obama's daughters.

Now that is a "dog's life" that many will like to live. Given the hard economic times many would like to speak to Bo's employment consultant. All the best to "Bo" and its owner.

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Arizona State University and Barack Obama

As the global drama unfolds in the major theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan, piracy and nuclear tests, another theatre is opening up. This one is at home in the U.S - the blight of racism. I feel very sad when I write this.

First it was Notre Dame University where a Catholic Bishop and many of his followers are protesting that Obama must not give a commencement address there because he is pro-choice. Now Obama has killed no one. Is it possible that it has something to do with the colour of the skin of the President? George W. Bush caused the killing of tens of thousands, and maybe hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and Afghanis. Notre Dame had no problem giving Bush such an address. Many around the world, including many in Canada, consider George W. Bush a war criminal and a murderer. I suppose these Catholics endorse such killings by allowing Bush to speak (at least that's what Notre Dame seems to think).

Now Arizona State University does not object to the speaking of President Obama at the university, but university officials say he does not deserve an honourary degree because he does not have enough "body of knowledge." Now let us see whom else the university gave an honourary degree to. One is our own Kim Campbell, who was Prime Minister from June 1993 to October 1993 and lost her own seat in the October 1993 general election. It was so bad that only two Progressive Conservative MPs were elected. Now did she have enough body of knowledge when she became Prime Minister, for a short few fleeting months, that she warranted receiving an honourary degree from Arizona State University?

Here is what the spokesperson for ASU, Sharon Keeler, had to say:

"It's our practice to recognize an individual for his body of work, somebody who's been in their position for a long time."

Arizona State University President Michael Crow crowed Saturday in an e-mail to faculty and students that he was hesitant to award President Obama an honorary degree because of potential political consequences to the state-supported school. I wonder what those political consequences will be? Maybe the white folks of Arizona will be offended.

It is indeed sad state of affairs. Many Americans are unable to cope with the fact that world has changed and colour of skin does not matter. It should have never mattered but then we humans are known to commit such blunders and justify it through the dark cloak of religion.

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More on Easter

This bunny has just laid an Igg.

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Notre Dame University: Obama Address

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Religion has played a crucial role in human life over the centuries, thus it cannot be discounted. I respect all religions as long as they are practiced in their spirit. Unfortunately, more often than not, religions are hijacked by a few fanatics and extremists. This kind of hijacking is not specific to any particular religion, they all have such miscreants. That brings me to Catholicism and its miscreants. I do not understand those misguided people from the University of Notre Dame who do not want Obama to speak there because he is pro-choice. I've always had difficulty with such people who are self-righteous know-it-alls. Now these kinds of pro-lifers do not seem to mind child-abuse, as some Catholic clergy is guilty of that, they do not mind if the mother's life is in danger and a number of other factors where a woman has to make the difficult decision of whether or not to abort a pregnancy.

Obama, according to these malefactors, should not deliver the commencement address at Notre Dame because he respects the right of a woman to choose. He is not promoting that every baby ever conceived must be aborted. This tells you how religious followers go rogue. It is OK to bomb an abortion clinic, kill people by the dozens, and let the mother die but never dare to save her life or save her from other extenuating circumstances such as pregnancy as a result of rape. I understand that such abortions are performed very early on after conception.

Notre Dame is a respectable university but through this current fiasco of protest against Obama's speech it is getting a bad name which reveals that some Catholics still live in an unenlightened era.

Quite a motto the university has:

Vita, Dulcedo, Spes

In English: Life, Sweetness, Hope.

I suppose this motto is meant for men only and does not include the well-being of women.

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Happy Easter

This Igg has not hatched yet!

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Burglers caught on video-cam

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I thought this was very funny.

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Stephen Harper: “I do not accept candies from strangers”?

Harper is playing an interesting game of banishing Brian Mulroney from the Conservative Party, as he is afraid of the Mulroney/Schreiber case outcome. Mulroney is the face of conservatives and how Harper can disown his own face in a way. Mulroney is a kind of iconic figure for Conservatives as he had two back to back majorities as being the only Conservative Prime Minister since Robert Borden in 1917 (who actually led a coalition government) to do so.

Whatever Mulroney's personal failings may be, he was a much better Prime Minister than Stephen Harper. Mulroney was the architect of free trade, which Harper chimes praises of. Mulroney also stood for Human Rights and multiculturalism. On South Africa, Mulroney stood steadfastly against apartheid when his fellow international leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher wanted to relax sanctions on the apartheid regime. One of Harper's caucus member, Rob Anders, called Nelson Mandela "a communist and terrorist" and asked that he be banned from entering Canada in June of 2001. Also, Mulroney probably would not have banned George Galloway, British MP. So why is Harper throwing Mulroney under the bus? It is apparent that Stephen Harper only cares for Stephen Harper.

If Harper can do this to Mulroney, a fellow Conservative, then does he really care for Canada and its interests? All that matters to him is his own personal glory.

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Afghanistan War: The victims

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I felt very sad when I saw the video on MSNBC. A 12 year old suicide bomber. This goes to tell you that if people have nothing to live for then they will easily volunteer to die. The Afghanistan war and I believe the Iraq war created such victims. Before we rush to judge Iraqi or Afghani culture and the faith, we must understand what we (the West) have done to them. For a while I thought that the Afghanistan war was justified because of 9/11 but now I have serious doubts as none of the hijackers were from Afghanistan. Neither were they from Iraq. The Afghanistan war was for some natural gas pipeline and now we know that the Iraq war was for oil. When will we learn from history? I suppose history also tells us that every empire ultimately falls. Last few decades the US has behaved in a manner that it has sown very fertile seeds for its demise.

UPDATE: It appears that the video is no longer on MSNBC's website. If I can find it again, I will post it.

UDPATE II: I found the video. Also a small correction, the boy is 11 years old, not 12.

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American Idol=Simon Cowell= Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper has a big ego too. Is it possible that Simon Cowell is actually Stephen Harper wearing mask? If not, then at least twins separated at birth?

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American Idol: Simon Cowell

I once in a while watch American Idol because I like music and it is nice to see those fledgling stars. However, the Simon Cowell character gets to you after a while. Yes he plays a role but sometimes he overdoes it and puts down the contestants. The guy has too huge an ego. If there was an Oscar for a big ego, Simon Cowell will be hard to beat.

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Adam Leon: The Airplane Thief

I am very impressed by the US air force that they did not shoot down this airplane thief. After all, he violated their airspace and a small airplane is surely more dangerous than a stapler. US pilots used good judgment and restraint. Also, the Missouri police did the same. As a matter fact, the policeman bought some food for Leon before arresting him because the guy was hungry and probably had no money. Our friends to the south often get accused of being trigger happy but this time they proved us wrong – especially the air force and police in this case. A good lesson for our RCMP to use carefully their new taser guns and that a stapler is lot less dangerous than a flying airplane.

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Stephen Harper Resuscitating the Economy

Remember during last year's election Harper kept repeating that the fundamentals of our economy were strong. Then after the election he and his Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told the Parliament that there was no need for incentives or stimulus for the Canadian economy. Instead they wanted to finish all the vital signs of the opposition by cutting their public funding. Then the Harper government had a near death experience (the dreaded coalition) and Parliament was prorogued.

Early this year Harper started talking about stimulus to get back his vital signs and also following the lead of Barack Obama for stimulus. Although Bush is gone, Harper still needs ideas from Washington. This 'bright economist' has no ideas of his own. The Obama government offered warranties for new cars in order to give a jolt to restart the auto industry. Now Harper has again slavishly followed that lead and is offering the same in Canada.

Does this man know what is he doing? Is our economy going to be resuscitated or is it doomed to die, and maybe will have rebirth under a different administration?

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Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff: Marriage made in Heaven

After Iggy was anointed by the Liberal caucus as leader, he met with Stephen Harper. It was love at first sight. The rest, you all know how it evolved from there...

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Yusuf Islam’s (Cat Stevens) new song on Gaza

Is this the slaughter of women and children that Harper and Iggy support? The injustices continue. Palestinians in Gaza have been compared to a concentration camp, including by Dr. Falk of the U.S. The UN is doing investigations into war crimes by Israel.

The recent fiasco of banning George Galloway, a British MP, has not helped the matter. It has raised more awareness about Israeli atrocities in Gaza. He spoke extensively via video to the Canadian audience.

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Michael Ignatieff: The Mirror Lies

Has Michael Ignatieff looked at himself in the mirror lately? Of course he will not believe what he sees that he looks exactly like Harper. He may pretend to not be Harper and convince the voting public that he is different but facts reveal a converse picture.

Let us look at the environment issue first. He is trying to outdo even Ed Stelmach and Ralph Klein. Like Richard Nixon who discovered the existence of China, Iggy has recently discovered Alberta. He tells us that Alberta's fossil fuels are the backbone of the Canadian economy including the Tar Sands projects which are an environmental nightmare. Even a former Premier of Alberta, Mr. Peter Logheed, thinks that it is a disgrace. Logheed recently flew over the Tar Sands and said it is a disaster and not a pretty picture what he saw. So Iggy is in tune with Ed Stelmach and maybe a step ahead of him in praising some of these environmental disasters as great assets. Even the energy hungry U.S has strongly indicated to Canada to clean up this mess or they will not buy such dirty oil. Good for you Iggy. What happened to the green shift of the Liberal Party? I suppose it has shifted.

As far as foreign policy is concerned, Iggy is to the right of Harper and wants to outdo George W. Bush. Pro-Iraq war and pro-Afghanistan war. Yes he has made another shift on Iraq and tried to reverse his stand, but who is going to forget his shifts on Alberta and the Green Shift.

Just like Harper, he is hot to trot against the forced sex by husband law in Afghanistan and maybe he will declare victory on that. I agree that such a law was reprehensible but it will not change anything in Afghanistan. You do not need a law for that, the local culture has enough support to carry on such action of forced sex whether there is a law or not. There is a need to change the value system. However in the same breath Iggy fully endorsed Israel's recent invasion of Gaza and his endorsement was stronger than that of Harper. The whole world condemned Israeli slaughter of women and children in Gaza including our European allies and even Barack Obama of the U.S did not give unconditional support to the Gaza slaughter and asked for the ceasefire before his inauguration. The U.S gave close to one billion dollars for the reconstruction of Gaza. Both Iggy and Harper are lonely on this in the world.

The Karzai law indeed is abhorrent but is the killing of innocent women and children any less abhorrent. Is it ok because Harper and Iggy consider Israel an ally therefore their actions are justified? Where are all those rightwing self-righteous do gooders and others? Why there is such hypocrisy when it comes to Gaza.

The similarities between Iggy and Harper are extensive and no make up on Iggy will hide it. Good luck Canada.

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George W. Bush: 1 and 2 shoes 4ever

Picture quality is not that good but it makes the point. If I coud find a better picture I will animate them and post.

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War Criminal: Welcomed by Harper government; Human Rights activist: Banned

Source of picture CBC.

What has happened to our democracy in Canada? Where is the Harper government taking us? Bush, who many Canadians consider a war criminal, is welcomed by the Harper government but a British MP, George Galloway, who fights against war crimes is banned by the same government. What is more ironic is that Mr. Galloway was free to go anywhere in the U.S when, if Bush goes to Vermont, he would probably be arrested (as the towns of Brattleboro and Marlboro in Vermont passed resolutions calling for the arrest of Bush and Cheney).

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Countdown MSNBC: clips from late night shows on O'Reilly, Beck and Limbaugh

I found these clips all funny, especially the one on Limbaugh by Jon Stewart is hilarious.

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Stephen Harper is a realistic leader

He promises to Canadians that he will never miss another group photo. He is going to take all the precautions necessary.

Harper says, "I'm no Maxime Bernier, my briefs are fully secured". You can click here for the original post on Bernier's briefs.

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Obama Girl and now Michelle Man

Move over Obama girl, here comes Michelle man. Jack Cafferty of CNN has declared himself a Michelle Man and he says he has a crush on Michelle Obama. He added that "she is hot." Cafferty further repeated, "Wolf did you know?" and Wolf Blitzer, surprised, asked "what?" Cafferty emphasized "she is hot."

That is when he was declared Michelle Man.

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Hamid Karzai and Rape Law

I have been hearing about Karzai's new law where a husband can demand sex or rape his wife. Oh really! Is that the major failing of the Karzai government or this is some kind of cruel joke for Canadians and Afghan people. The Harper government will push Karzai and he will back off from enacting the law. Wow, is that not a great achievement of the Harper government. It will bring revolution in Afghanistan. "Mission accomplished". Is it possible that all this was cooked up to raise the profile of Harper? Don't get upset, I will explain.

I believe there are laws on the books in Afghanistan against rape. The real problem is that these laws are not being enforced. Forget about husband/wife relations, just think of rape. If a woman in Afghanistan gets raped what happens? You would know if you have been following the news. The woman, the victim, will get all the blame. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time and then may be beheaded. So what is the big deal about the husband demanding sex if the culture allows even more serious abuse? And by our standards, crime.

Let us look at the husband forcing his wife for sex. I believe that under the current customs, based on my research, she is doomed. All the husband has to do is tell her parents and brothers. Parents and brothers will quickly label her a tramp and beat the hell out of her or kill her because she is married to the man and she insulted her parents' family for being a tramp. Given the current customs, you really do not need any laws to allow such rape.

What needs to be done is extensive awareness and education so that the general public understands individual rights and respects them and accepts laws which protect violation of rights. Now that cannot be done through bullets or killing people, it only can be done through a long education process. Laws are important but changing values are even more important which takes a long time and patience. So please Harper and company, stop feeding us crap that you have changed Afghanistan by killing a few so-called Taliban. Many of our own soldiers are losing their lives in the process. Not so. That approach was wrong from day one.

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Harper @ G-20 more news

I turned on my T.V. yesterday, April 2, 2009, to CBC World News to see what our fierce leader Harper was doing in London at the G-20. All I saw was a one hour press conference on CBC by Obama. Maybe Harper was on a washroom break (or "loo break" as they say in England). But do you blame the guy? He was lost without his mentors and masters like George W. Bush, John Howard of Australia, and Tony Blair of Britain.

George Galloway summed it up about the nature of Harper government when he said in his speech yesterday to an Ottawa audience:

"Far, far more people across Canada and indeed across the world have paid attention to this tour than otherwise would have done if the flat-footed, blundering, dead-end, has-been, George Bush-bootlicking government in Ottawa had not taken these measures (of banning)," emphasis added.

Poor Harper was totally lost without his masters and wandered away from the conference. He was last seen wandering on Piccadilly Street where he was picked by security and brought back to conference hall for a group photo ;)

However, on the evening National News, CBC did show his press conference. When Obama was there the whole hall was full with reporters from all over the world. In Harper's case, there were a few loyal Canadian reporters and Jim Flaherty sitting behind Harper snoozing.

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