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The Middle East

2011-03-01T14:02:00.001-05:00

Take a look at cartoongate, when mass uprisings occurred in various Muslim countries. That`s just one example, there are many others. When something happens in the Middle East word travels fast. People don`t care about the actual idea or whether it`s rational, practical or even moral. They just care about the fact there is something to do i.e., go into the streets, chant, burn effigies and flags.

Traditionally, this protest was towards anybody that said anything anti-Islamic. Of course George Bush was a frequent popular target and the US as a whole.

However, now overnight the Middle East is experiencing a wave of protests, but this time in favour of ousting dictators who have held posts for decades. At first glance, this is great. But nobody knows what will happen.

Muslims inherently, as a people are not accustomed to democracy or its principles. Instead, Muslims like power to be held with one person or body. For hundreds of years before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution Muslims, lived under a Caliphate regime whereby, power was held by one man. This man, claimed to be God`s representative on Earth and power was transferred from him to his sons.

Fast forward, any differences today? Iraq, Syria, Saudia Arabia etc., the list goes on Libya, Egypt, Jordan.

As a result, how will Muslims cope with self-governance? Will this simply be a situation where new individuals, identifying themselves as revolutionaries roll into town, occupy the position of power and again, never let it go?

Or will there be true democracy? There are very few Islamic countries that actually practice true democracy Turkey and Indonesia are probably the best examples of Muslim states.

MOV00017.3gp

2011-01-21T01:03:00.001-05:00

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Today is the most depressing day of the year

2011-01-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

According to an article in the Toronto Star, today is supposed to be one of the most depressing days of the year. The article presents some obvious solutions to the problem. Depression has become a very common illness. It`s also hard to distinguish between when depression is something serious and when is it something that might not be as concerning. Also, when is depression simply and excuse?

Regardless, I attribute these problems to the fact that we as humans need to be with each other, specifically our families. For hundreds of thousands of years as humankind has evolved we stayed together in small communities. We would likely have interacted with our kin on a daily basis, including extended family members. With the emergence of the industrial age, people started to move from their traditional family headquarters for the larger cities etc.

As a result, we only begin to visit with our families on certain occasions. This is very different from how humans must have lived their lives two hundred years ago, five hundred years ago and even one thousand years ago.

This is why days such as today, after the Christmas Holidays and dealing with freezing ice storms causes us to become depressed.

It`s been a while

2011-01-17T11:46:00.001-05:00

I noticed the last time I updated this blog was September 2010, that`s not good. Also, in comparison to previous years it seems like I had very few posts.

Well I am hoping that I can change that for 2011.

Test

2010-09-25T12:58:00.001-04:00

Test
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1 trillion dollars worth of resources found in Afghanistan

2010-06-14T11:51:00.001-04:00

So often I have found that the common man`s conspiracy theories can either translate into reality or fiction. In the Muslim world every café and social gathering is filled with what I refer to as ``uncles who know the truth`` about every major event over the last 500 years.

The uncles claim that 9-11 was an inside job. This is still one of the more far-fetched theories.

However, many argued in the 70s that the Shah of Iran was an American puppet, which was later found to be true. Many uncles claimed during the first gulf war that it was all a scam and that the U.S., was after more. When we look at the evidence regarding the invasion of Iraq we see more truth to their statements. Regarding what the U.S. was after still remains to be seen.

As early as October 2001 immediately after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan many uncles argued that this was not for terrorist reasons. Instead, it was because Afghanistan was rich in natural resources.

Today, that theory seems to be confirmed. Today, the U.S., military announced they have found over a trillion dollars worth of precious minerals in Afghanistan. Reports suggest that the military knew about this way before today. Click here for the story.

This begs the question, was the invasion of Afghanistan more than what we were led to believe?

In fact, the article states that Afghanistan could become a leader in lithium production to the extent that Saudia Arabia is a major player for oil. If the amount of resources is true, this has huge implications for Afghanistan.

Of course, given Afghanistan`s history it is likely that the country will never benefit from this find. First, the Taliban are too stupid to know what to do with the lithium, but might realize it`s potential and attempt to secure the property. Second, the Afghan government might try to lay claim to the property. Of course, the Afghan government should have first claim since they are the government that runs the country. But in Afghanistan there are many issues to overcome. Small feudal warlords control vast portions of land as their own apart from government interference and subjected to their own rule of law.

The third scenario is where nobody benefits but outside multi-national corporations along with some local businessmen control everything.

Of course, the fourth scenario is that the U.S. finds some way to secure the property and identify the property as their own under some bizarre law that they will find.

Whatever, the case local Afghans will probably never benefit from any of this. It`s likely that the Taliban will fuck everything over.

Justice Munir Ahmad Sheikh

2010-05-31T12:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, an Ahmadi mosque was attacked in Lahore, Pakistan leaving many dead. A Judge died in the attacks and I later found out that he was a relative of mine. Justice Munir Ahmad Sheikh is a first cousin to my father.

I never met him, and in all honestly never even knew his name when it was first announced. I did meet his younger brother back in 1993. His younger brother is a special prosecutor in Lahore.

I know little about Justice Sheikh, but I guess he shares a common bond with me by way of his profession aside from the obvious family relationship. Both Justice Sheikh and his brother are members of the a minority religious sect in Pakistan referred to as the Ahmadi`s. In fact, other members of my old and new family are also members of the Ahmadi branch.

I tried to Google Justice Sheik this morning but found nothing on the internet other than his name announced amongst the dead. Therefore, I know little about his life. His younger brother would have perished along with him if it had not been for an unexpected last minute cell phone call.

This is an unfortunate event and the government will probably do nothing. I don`t understand how it is that these religious radicals think this is their ticket to heaven. The dominant group in Pakistan, Sunni Muslims continue to promote violence and discrimination against anybody that does not adhere to their beliefs.

This can only end if the government of Pakistan was to step up and denounce what has happened and move swiftly to apprehend the suspects.

On the day of the attack, Justice Sheik was on his way to Friday prayers when he was killed. Rest in peace Justice Sheik.

Pakistani American Arrested

2010-05-04T13:24:00.001-04:00

I guess it was not surprise that the US have arrested a Pakistani American in connection with the failed Time Square plot. Let`s face it, the whole time I kept hoping it was a home grown white supremacist group but I knew deep in my heart it would be a Muslim with an agenda.

The Americans arrested the individual just as the plane was about to take off, the suspect was on his way to Dubai.

It`s nice to see an end to this whole situation and more importantly its good no one was hurt. However, it's a reminder that the ongoing conflict with radical Islamic militant groups and individuals is far from over. If the car bomb detonated it would have done damage but hopefully not a lot.

Pakistanis continue to repair their already tarnished image. This incident does not help.

Oil Spill

2010-05-03T15:38:00.001-04:00

It`s reported that Exxon was nothing compared to the recent oil spill in Mexico. Despite, all the money he gets I would have hated to be the CEO of BP when he received the call saying a pipe had burst and could not be contained.

The oil has spread to unprecedented levels and continues to gush. Life for all in the region is threatened.

The question of course becomes, when these large corporations develop strategies to drill and find oil what is the back up strategy? In this case, it has been alleged that BP`s backup plan is to essentially plug the contained pipe.

Now that obviously hasn`t worked since the oil continues. Why are there no safety mechanisms to ensure such accidents are dealt with appropriately.

This is a disaster at a time, when our planet is already so destroyed.

UN Report says Pakistan Fucked Up

2010-04-18T09:54:00.002-04:00

A UN report that investigated the death of former PM Bhutto essentially says the government fucked up royally. Blame was placed on former President Musharaff`s administration for essentially doing nothing and stating the attack could have been prevented.

There was a failure on law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter and the failure of Pakistan`s intelligence community is highlighted as well. Here`s the part that I like, in response to the UN report a former aide to Musharaff said, ``it`s a pack of lies``.

Now let`s be honest, many still attribute the assassination to Musharaff himself. However, no clear credible evidence has been furnished to support this theory. Of course, in Pakistan it would be nearly impossible to get access to such information. Second, it`s no surprise that Musharaff`s administration was blamed. In fact, I think any of Pakistan`s administrations would have bungled the investigation and would have probably just started to scapegoat various groups and individuals in order to seem like something was happening.

Commuter Gridlock

2010-03-29T16:29:00.001-04:00

An article from today`s Toronto Star describes the horrible commute that many who work in Toronto face each day. In fact, the article describes how Toronto rates last in comparison to numerous American cities known for their gridlock.

This is no surprise and it`s nice to see that the issue has been made public. For years Toronto has not given a rats ass about how to deal with the growing population and the increased number of commuters.

The cost of living in Toronto is unaffordable. It`s virtually impossible to find a decent home in a good neighbourhood for less than $300,000. The vast majority of homes are $500,000 and up. That doesn't go well for families. If you`re single you can look at spending almost $300,000 to $500,000 for a one bedroom condo, that`s if your lucky enough to get a mortgage. If you can`t afford to buy a place then you will be renting.

If you live anywhere outside the GTA, the prices of homes aren`t as great but they are certainly a tad bit more affordable. Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, Whitby, Ajax, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Barrie and Aurora are some of the major cities that people who work in Toronto commute from each day. It can take almost one hour in traffic each day door to door. That`s if you`re lucky.

The City of Toronto has to do something to fix this problem.

The article can be found here.

Minority Population to Double

2010-03-11T14:59:00.001-05:00

An article in a recent edition of the Toronto Star reported that the visible minority population will nearly double by 2031.

Click here for the article.

No real surprises given the rapid trend of immigration in this country. The doubling of the visible minority population will have very serious ramifications for Canada.

Of course, white people will no longer be the dominant and in fact will themselves be a minority. Second, how will the socio economic and justice system deal with this reversal. What will happen, which already is when the doctors, lawyers, IT professionals, professors, teachers, civil servants, law enforcement personnel will of visible ethnic groups.

Of course the most serious concern is whether Canada will lose any heritage. Will these new groups of people adhere to Canadian values and principles. Or will they simply turn Canada into the same shit as state that they came from.

It`s been a while

2010-03-11T14:51:00.001-05:00

Yes, I can see it`s been quite a long time since I have updated this blog. In fact, it's the longest I have ever gone without updating.

The past few months have been interesting and challenging as I have attempted a new focus in my life.

2010-03-11T14:49:00.001-05:00

Test

2009-11-26T16:14:00.001-05:00

The Road to Guantanamo

2009-10-09T09:59:00.001-04:00

Last year I read, The Guantanamo Files that was an in-depth look at the detainees at America's Guantanamo Bay prison.

Since, the jail opened I have read numerous articles about the subject. But nothing prepared me for an actual documentary about the incident.

The Road to Guantanamo depicts the most vile and horrid acts of the American military and the Northern Alliance armies.

I rented the documentary but it can be watched here.

The Road to Guantanamo tells the tale of four young British men of South Asian background, three being Pakistani and one from Bangladesh who travel to Pakistan because of a wedding. Their trip ends up taking them to the lawless cities of Afghanistan during the first days of the American strikes. The men are captured and eventually detained by Americans. They story is real as it is told by the young men.

They undergo, severe torture and ridicule at the hands of the both the Americans and also the Northern Alliance Afghan armies. It's surprising they even survived.

On watching the movie, I thought about the creation of America itself as a country. The forefathers of American history and government, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and their philosophies and freedoms that gave way to, terms such as, "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and their life long struggle against British tyranny. What would they have thought seeing Americans behave the way the American solders do in the documentary?

This is not justice but the worst type of "legal" torture and punishment. It's unjustified. The young men in the documentary were eventually released after almost four years of hell. Shame on those who allowed such despicable acts all under the blanket of "security" and "terror". Despite, the fact the actual interrogators and solders were permitted to use such tactics, doesn't mean they should. The basic rules of humanity are simple, treat someone else the way you want to be treated.

The Olympics

2009-10-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

It was no surprise that Rio de Janeiro was going to be selected to host the most useless sporting event of all time, the Olympics.

Obama despite his fire power failed to bring the Olympics to the US.

After London was selected as host for 2012 the London bombers struck. Hopefully that won't happpen in
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Caning for drinking beer

2009-09-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

This is absolutely ridiculous. This Muslim woman in Malaysia is going to receive a caning as ordered by a court for drinking beer.

This is appalling for so many reasons.

The article can be found here.

At the United Nations

2009-09-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse after Colonel Gaddafi's speech, along came Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Both men gave long winded and embarrassing speeches. I only caught highlights of Gaddafi's speech. Ahmadinejad's speech was something else. He continuously invoked religious scripture, teachings and figures to illustrate his view.

It's quite unfortunate, because underneath all the crazy rhetoric and bizarre conspiracy theories there was merit to some points.

Both men described their displeasure with the United Nations. They advocated that other countries have permanent seats on the Security Council as opposed to just the major players. They rightly so described how the UN did nothing as the United States waged not one but two wars with illegitimate foundation and lack of common sense. They portrayed the United Nations has having little clout and leverage in a world dominated by one major player, the United States.

Despite, the sender of this message and it's delivery these are not stupid points. Power within the United Nations is concentrated into the hands of a few. Yes, the United Nations still does great work and should be applauded for it. That isn't to say that it could be better.

It's unfortunate that there are so few intelligent Muslim leaders. I can only imagine that people who were watching these morons would change the channel and find Jihadi's chanting on CNN, terrorism suspected being arrested on BBC etc etc.

Kirk Cameron blames Darwin for woes

2009-09-25T09:08:00.002-04:00

Conservative religious Muslims are often challenged for their bizarre views. However, here we have a situation where Kirk Cameron former teenage heartthrob is openly speaking out against Darwin and his book The Origin of Species. He describes it as the Bible of the atheists.

Here's a completely normal guy, intelligent, worldly and successful. Yet he has been brainwashed to believe in non-existent theories and peddle his ridiculous ideas on the world stage.

Cameron alleges his organization has created material to counter Darwins theories that they had hoped to distribute to college kids. He also suggests that Darwinism was the foundation from which Hitler drew his philosophies.

What a moron.

The article is here. I realize it's from People Magazine.

The Passing of the Last Ottoman

2009-09-24T13:49:00.002-04:00

The BBC reported today that the last Ottoman, Ertugrul Osman has passed away. The Ottoman ruled commenced on 1299 and ended on 1922. Their history and culture is fascinating and continues to be studied at length by scholars.

With the passing of Ertugrul (coincidentally the name of the leader of the House of Osman the founding father of the Ottomans) ends the last flame in a family that has shaped history for hundreds of years.

In their heyday the Ottoman's ruled over a vast empire that was mighty in military strength and highly advanced in philosophy, religion, science and technology.

If the modern day Turkey was never created Ertugrul would have been sultan of the empire. The empire is often viewed with pride by Muslims as an achievement to their beliefs.

The greatest achievement of the Ottoman's was the capture of Constantinople by Mehmet the second.

The Ottoman's were also known for their advanced military techniques, the use of gun powder and particularly the establishment of the elite military solider called the Janissaries.

While Ertugrul never made it to Sultan it's odd to think of the last member of such a powerful and long dynasty has passed away. Ertugrul was able to lay claim to hundreds of years dominated by his household and is able to trace his lineage back to 1299. Not entirely sure if he had any children also what type of living accommodations and compensation he lived off during his lifetime.

Getting High

2009-09-23T11:37:00.002-04:00

My boredom and frustration with typical Hollywood movies has forced me to watch more documentaries. Today's documentaries are interesting and fun to watch.

Last night I watched, The Union the business behind getting high. The documentary focuses on British Columbia's ever growing underground marijuana business.

It's a pro marijuana documentary that has the standard interviews with law enforcement, medical specialists, politicians, celebrities and of course local people.

Essentially, the documentary suggests there is nothing dangerous about marijuana use when compared to any other substance. Marijuana is described as an important natural plant that has many useful attributes.

The downside of the documentary is that it does not feature anti-pot views. Therefore, virtually all of the people interviewed suggest or elude that marijuana is fine and should not be outlawed. Correction, the only anti-pot clip they show is of George Bush senior in his public service message outlining his war on drugs.

Interesting to note, that in the past Bush senior, Regan and Nixon were all staunch advocates of anti-pot policies. However, it's more than obvious now that Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama all used or tried marijuana at some point in their lives. For W, it was more than just marijuana.

When Clinton admitted it in the early 90's it became a heated debate during his campaign and was used extensively by the GOP. Clinton wasn't able to go all teh way and stated the now popular line that he didn't inhale. However, attitudes were already changing even then as many didn't seem to care. W was a known substance abuser and his critics brought it up in forums only because he played the moral card but really wasn't all he claimed. When Obama openly stated he had experimented with marijuana use it drew no attention. During the primaries Clinton dared not attack him for his honesty. During the campaign McCain never once brought it up either.

But here it is, three of the last Presidents smoked pot. Ted Turner, owner of CNN apparently needs a hit everyday. Al Gore openly admitted during the 90's that he had tried pot in the army. Steve Jobs founder of Apple is also a pot user.

My view has always been that pot should be legalized, regulated by the government and heavily taxed. The money, especially in these economically hard times would be very useful. Finally, it would certainly take the business out of the hands of private people.

Cool video from Vimeo

2009-09-22T12:19:00.000-04:00

The videos on Vimeo are so cool and in HD.

Another Cloud Reel... from Delrious on Vimeo.

Charging for On-Line content?

2009-09-21T11:51:00.002-04:00

The debate over charging for content on the internet was renewed this summer when billionaire media moghul Rupert Murdoch announced his newspapers would start charging for on-line content.

Murdoch is the owner of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the Australian.

For years now the Wall Street Journal has charged for its on-line news content. Probably why I don't read it.

Murdoch states his empire is losing money.

Maintaining highly functioning newspaper websites is expensive and difficult. I have always wondered how newspapers make money off it. Especially, when I think most readers could care less about the ads. On a yearly basis I might click on a web ad 10 times. That's hardly worth it from an advertisers point of view. That's also not because I am interested in the product.

Even President Obama has made some comments about the matter.

Charging for content can be very difficult. The popular UK paper The Independent started charging for content. However, it does not anymore. The New York Times tinkered with many ideas for charging content. The entire Times site is now free.

The popular Canadian national, The Globe and Mail use to charge for what it described as premium content. It does not anymore.

The lesson, seems like any paper that has gone down this road hasn't survived for long.

Reading on-line has the potential for customers to sometime pick up the print copy. But how often does that happen? I am subscribed to The Guardian Weekly. In the past I have purchased copies of Foreign Affairs and The Economist.

Will people be willing to pay for content? I don't think so. Despite, the low monthly fees being proposed i.e., $3.00 a month I don't think the idea will work. The Wall Street Journal offers a digital subscription for $1.99 a week for signing up for 52 weeks. That's about a $100 bucks a year give or take a few. I am not prepared to spend that considering I read well over 50 different papers any given month. My subscription to all these papers would bankrupt me. If I had to decide and select only one I couldn't.

Tyson

2009-09-18T11:41:00.002-04:00

A few nights ago I watched Tyson a documentary about Mike Tyson. It chronicles Tyson's life in his own words. Now in his early 40's Tyson remains a confused individual with violent characteristics.

Tyson became a household name in the 80's and was unstoppable. His rise to fame was incredibly rapid and it all got to Tyson's head.

He became the youngest boxer to ever hold the title of world champion and the record remains.

However, Tyson's life took a turn for the worse with failed marriages, rape convictions, irrational and violent behaviour and later on drug problems.

Tyson is not stupid, in fact he seems quite intelligent in the movie. However, at times he does appear to contradict himself.

Interesting movie about a man that was on top of the world. Despite, claiming bankruptcy Tyson is still tremendously wealthy.

Carter says people are pissed because Obama is black

2009-09-16T10:08:00.003-04:00

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said the recent American reaction to Obama is racist. What I do know is that under President Bush half this stuff was not happening. The audacity of a Rep to shout out, "you lie" to the President is absurd. Despite, all the real lies, manipulation, deceit and cover-ups nobody would have stood up and said that to President Bush.

Nobody, would dare have had the nerve to show up at an event where Bush was presiding with a gun slung over their shoulder as has happened to Obama. Let's not forget the number of people who are challenging Obama's birth.

Are these simply angry people who can't stand the fact that Obama is President?

Eurrabia

2009-09-14T11:52:00.001-04:00

Okay, it's time to be honest. If I wasn't a Muslim I probably would not have a favourable impression about the religion. Visible minorities tend to be inherently liberal in their thought process, life philosophy and overall socio-cultural outlook. Therefore, liberal minorities might still view Islam and Muslim societies through a sympathetic lens.

But that certainly would not be the case for others. Recently, there has been a wave of xenophobia against Muslims and Islam.

An article in the Guardian Weekly found here describes the situation in Europe. For sometime since 9/11 Europeans have been alarmed by the rise of Muslim immigrants arriving in their country that has caused what seems to be a population increase. The problem became all the more apparent during the Danish cartoon incident when Muslims in Denmark just went bezerk.

It was reported last week that people have been protesting in front of Mosques in the UK and even Germany. It doesn't help that three men from Britain have been charged with trying to blow up planes and are now sentenced to life.

"Eurrabia"is the term coined by the anti-Muslim groups that are of the view that all Muslims should simply be deported. Pretty high handed view.

Sleep apart

2009-09-09T09:37:00.001-04:00

An article from the BBC reports that couples should be sleeping separately in order to have a good night sleep.

Click here for the article.

Ontario Place

2009-09-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

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Long weekend

2009-09-04T16:29:00.000-04:00

Its the start of Labour Day long weekend in Canada. That also means the official end of summer.

Things change in September as they get really hectic.

I don't have any special plans. I do hope to just relax and take it easy.
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Moron on TTC bus

2009-09-04T13:30:00.002-04:00

Engaging Muslims a fundamental commitment: Obama

2009-09-03T10:09:00.002-04:00

FRONT-PAGE

Engaging Muslims a fundamental commitment: Obama

Thursday, 03 Sep, 2009 | 06:47 AM PST |

WASHINGTON, Sept 2: US President Barack Obama has said that engaging Muslims is one of his fundamental commitments and he wants this engagement to be based on mutual interests and mutual respect.

"That is central to the new beginning that I have sought between the United States and Muslims around the world. And that is a commitment that we can renew once more in this holy month," Mr Obama told his guests at an Iftar-dinner at the White House on Tuesday.

"Together, we have a responsibility to foster engagement grounded in mutual interests and mutual respect. That is one of my fundamental commitments as president, both at home and abroad."

Mr Obama said that by hosting an Iftar-dinner at the White House, he was celebrating a great religion, and "its commitment to justice and progress".

Guests at the dinner included the US Congress' first two Muslim members, Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, ambassadors of a number of Muslim countries and many top-ranking US government officials — Attorney General Eric Holder, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, and Senator Richard Lugar, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The US president singled out some of his Muslim guests, including Nashala Hearn, who won a lawsuit against her Oklahoma school district for the right to wear a Hijab, and Elsheba Khan, whose son Kareem joined the military out of high school and was killed in Iraq.

He then acknowledged the boxing champion who is America's most famous convert to Islam. He said: "While Mohammed Ali could not join us tonight, it is worth reflecting upon his remarkable contributions, as he's grown from an unmatched fighter in the ring to a man of quiet dignity and grace who continues to fight for what he believes."—Anwar Iqbal

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/engaging-muslims-a-fundamental-commitment-obama-399

Copyright © 2009 - Dawn Media Group

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At the CNE last night

2009-09-02T10:18:00.001-04:00

As you can see from the picture below I had the pleasure of going to the CNE. It's about a five minute walk from my home so I have no excuse not to attend. I only went for a few hours and expect to return on the weekend.

I was going through this blog and reading my previous posts on the CNE. This year the CNE has continued on into September. Whereas, historically it's always ended in August after the long labour day weekend.

Anyways, if you get a chance head on down. It's lots of fun for kids and adults. I usually go for the snacks. I had a deep fried snickers bar, ice cream waffle sandwich and mini donuts to name but a few.

At the CNE last night

2009-09-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

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Tragedy on Toronto’s Streets

2009-09-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

It's nothing short of a tragedy. Last night a cyclist was killed in an auto accident likely caused by the former Attorney General of Ontario, Michael Bryant.

Today, Canadian papers headlined with a picture of Bryant in the back of a police cruiser. Details continue to be leaked about the unemployed bike courier who was killed.

Yesterday afternoon Bryant, a senior politician, Harvard graduate and former AG of Ontario was probably going about his usual business not knowing that his life would take a dramatic turn in a few short hours.

Two lives have been lost here and it seems to me this is a clear case of nothing other than road rage. In a split second Bryant's life will be changed forever. Even if he faces no jail time his career, reputation and character will never be the same.

Pictures

Google Documents

2009-08-31T18:39:00.000-04:00

So Google amongst all the other things it offers has a service called Google Documents.

You can store, share, import documents of various types. You can also just email the documents to be saved as well.

What an age we live in. Not sure how Google can offer all this disk space for free.
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A tiger for Sharif?

2009-08-31T09:11:00.003-04:00

There seems to be some discrepancy regarding this story. Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, nephew of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has rightly ruffled some feathers. The nephew imported a Siberian tiger from Canada. I didn't know we had Siberian tigers in Canada. I thought they only originated in Siberia.

Anyways, the BBC article and the Dawn article fail to point out that the tiger was actually for the Sharif families private zoo. It was alleged that the tiger was to have a specially constructed air conditioned unit. Let's not forget about what this animal would eat.

The people are right to protest at this jerk ass move. In Pakistan, electricity does not come as easily as it does in the western countries. In fact, on any given day there are blackouts. Water is scarce, air conditioning an extreme luxury. Even if you can afford the unit most people complain they are unable to turn it on.

Therefore, it's despicable that the Sharif family would make such a move.

I would recommend checking out the Guardian's story.

Guardian

BBC

Dawn News

Check out Shariff's home referred to as
Raiwind Palace

The Tudors

2009-08-28T14:23:00.002-04:00

I spent the last two weeks doing something that surprised me. I watched a Canadian made drama. Even more bizarre, I enjoyed it. I watched season one and two of The Tudors series.

The Tudor dynasty ruled over England during the period 1485 until 1603. What probably made for interesting drama then is still fascinating today. The story really revolves around Henry VIII of England, his state, his affairs, his policies etc. I won't get into the whole history here because it's to lengthy.

It's unbelievable to think about it. The private palaces and the luxurious lifestyles all cordoned of protected with the utmost privilege today, can be accessed for a small admission price.

Five hundred years later the story of kings and queens are still appealing. The disgusting executions of lay people and prominent, the discrimination, the religious zeal and bigotry.

The show really focuses on Henry's love affairs and the quest for a male heir. In the process Henry divorced his first wife, separated himself from the papacy in Rome. What Henry was most known for was the executions of his second wife who was Queen, the third wife and countless advisors, religious clergymen, and long time friends all under the guise of treason.

What an awful time to live where one cocky son of a bitch had complete power over all the lands in his domain and alleged that he was God's representative on earth.

The series does an excellent job of illustrating the truly horrific experience of being executed either by beheading or burning. The victims are dragged up to a blood soaked stage as the locals watch, hurl insults or pray for the souls of those about to die. The victims final memory is of all these people as they lay their head on a cold, hard, damp wooden block. The body wriggles for a few minutes as the head is chopped off.

I can't help but think that regardless of society is like. Thank goodness we don't live in those times. The episode where the Queen is executed can be watched here.

Even after all these centuries these stories are still intriguing.

I wonder what Henry would think if he were alive today.

Descent into Chaos

2009-08-27T13:23:00.001-04:00

Notable Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid has wrote extensively on the issue of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is noted for his famous best seller Taliban written prior to 9-11 when they were unknown.

In his recent book Descent into Chaos Rashid lays out very interesting arguments to describe the current problems in both countries. Rashid argues that the United States arrived with no plan for nation building. The US under the Bush administration favoured supporting local warlords to oust the Taliban. This was a grave policy error. What happened was that local warlords profited immensely from US support. Moreover, the local warlords were ruthless in their retaliation. These warlords began to challenge and pose major threats to the Karzai administration.

Rashid estimated that for a nation building exercise the United States would have to contribute approximately 4-5 billion per year for about a decade. But this would cause exponential growth and the sustainment of an active economy with a flourishing government and labour force. Instead, the US governments insistence has been the alternative. The US spends a great deal more each year in military supervision that has done nothing.

Rashid provides detailed accounts based on personal interviews and government sources to lay out his argument. His argument seems more applicable now than ever. A recent article in the New York Times, entitled Accused of Drug Ties, Afghan Official Worries U.S. briefly touches on this subject in light of the Afghan elections.

In the case of Pakistan, Rashid lays a thrashing into the power of Pakistanès ISI. Something he has been suggesting for years that is only become apparent now. He contents that the ISI is yet another reason why Afghanistan will not succeed and why Pakistan will continue to revert back. Members within the ISI who are sympathetic to the Taliban have thrown a real wrench into the mix.

I recommend this book for anybody interested in the subject.

foolish pakistani student, mullah katl ud din, breaks electrical door displaying extreme stupidity

2009-08-26T16:50:00.001-04:00

This is hilarious!

Texting While Driving PSA

2009-08-25T17:51:00.001-04:00

Think again before you text and drive.

Birthplace of Obama

2009-08-24T15:06:00.001-04:00

President Obama's critics are attacking him from every angle concerning his place of birth and citizenship. That's right, the controversy has been dubbed the "birthers row" and is stupid as stupid gets. It's hard to imagine the GOP and other critics attacking any white President for his citizenship. However, that is not the case for Obama. A Republican Congressmen is challenging the President's birth with a lawsuit asking he release his birth records.

This is purely absurd. Where were these Americans when Bush was riding roughshod all across the country, with fake evidence, terrorising CIA officials, banks falling apart. These people have nothing better to do. I am glad the President does not entertain the ideas of these fruitcakes.

President Obama Gives Ramadan Message

2009-08-21T16:03:00.001-04:00

Wow, the first time an American President really wished Muslims a Happy Ramadan.

Libyan freed

2009-08-20T18:08:00.002-04:00

Now this is disturbing. There, has been much controversy on whether or not Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi the Libyan bomber of a Pan AM jet over Lockerbie should have been released on medical grounds.

It is alleged he is in the final stages of terminal cancer and only has a few months left to live. The Scottish government released him today and he was flown to Libya. The United States which suffered heavy losses because of the downed jet was obviously upset.

Col. Gaddafi another asshole who can`t seem to give up power sent a private jet to pick up the bomber. Now here`s what I find disturbing, why these Libyan morons waving flags at the airport. This man killed almost 270 INNOCENT men, women and children. He is not a hero. What makes matters worse is that the bomber was whisked away to see Gaddafi.

Why is a man that destroyed so many lives almost 20 years ago being given the royal treatment. I am still hung on whether or not he should be released. I liked the words of the Scottish Judge who basically said, you`re fucked but we aren`t and we still uphold values thus, releasing him.

Open firearms when the President speaks

2009-08-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

Obama has faced a rash of unnecessary criticism has the GOP and his critics try to attack him for ideologies, presumptions and theories that don't even exist. Why is President Obama facing such criticism and why is so much of this being unchallenged?

Last night I watched in amazement as CNN aired a clip from a moron carrying an AK47 at a rally at which the President attended. Let's flash back to the 8 years of W's disastrous reign of terror. Do you ever think anybody would have been able to carry open firearms to a meeting where President Bush was going to be? I don't think so. With W his men would have arrested you before you even entered the city gates.

W did nothing for health care reform. President Obama has been trying his best to push legislation that might help the American people. Instead, of being grateful he has been called attacked for setting up "death panels" as described by another moron Sarah Palin.

Finally, CNN host Lou Dobbs has been milking the so called "birthers" story where Obama's critics attack him for not being born in the United States. This camp has really gained momentum over the last few weeks. Now if Obama was white with a name like Bob Smith would anybody ever challenge his citizenship?

I hope President Obama fights back against these village idiots.

I ask how many of you would be comfortable speaking at a highly charged event about a very touchy topic if people in the crowd were carrying guns? Would you still speak?

Pakistan's ISI

2009-08-13T09:33:00.002-04:00

Pakistan’s ISI is a much feared agency. Since, its inception it has remained a relatively quiet, clandestine organization cloaked in shadow. However, since 9/11 and particularly over the last three to four years the ISI has come under much scrutiny.

The ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) agency is Pakistan’s version of the CIA and M16. Notable Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid describes the full extent of the ISI’s power and deception in his book Descent into Chaos. He also describes the ISI as a shadow government in a YouTube documentary.

During the Russian/Afghanistan conflict the ISI funnelled supplies and ammunition to the Afghan fighters. It was these same proxy armies that were used to stave off Indian armies. Suddenly, after 9/11 Pakistan was asked to reverse its policy towards such groups. While the government maintained publicly that it was honing in on terrorists and guerrilla fighters. The ISI did anything but that. It continued to assist various militant organizations including the Taliban.

The ISI is known for sheer brute and violence against its own people. During Bush’s, “war on terror” years the ISI was responsible for the detainment and torture of thousands of innocent Pakistani’s. Furthermore, Pakistani officials received handsome rewards and benefits for every alleged suspect they turned over to the American government.

Recently, evidence and controversy has emerged in the UK where it is now being alleged that a number of British intelligence officers were involved directly or indirectly in the torturing of Pakistani’s at the hands of ISI agents. The UK government denies such allegations. However, the facts all seem to make sense.

In this weeks Guardian Weekly edition the front page is devoted to the ISI who for the first time has granted an interview to western media.

There is no doubt in my mind that the inability of American forces to capture Osama Bin Laden is largely due to the ISI’s role.

Click here for article

Clinton gets pissed

2009-08-11T17:38:00.001-04:00

It's been a cold, wet summer and yes I have not updated this blog for sometime. I spent the last two months relaxing and trying to spend some much needed time.

I am back and "refreshed" to say the least.

In today's news, a video has been circulating in which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton becomes increasingly annoyed by a student in Africa. Apparently, the student was asking Ms. Clinton what her husband thought about a current international policy issue. Well Ms. Clinton handled the manner in her traditional manner. Undiplomatic and unprofessional. The African student later stated that he misspoke and really meant to say what President Obama thought. I think he's full of it.

Regardless, Ms. Clinton could have handled the matter with charm as opposed to how she did.

Michael Jackson - She's Out Of My Life

2009-06-28T15:04:00.001-04:00

Great classic

Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T17:55:00.000-04:00

I am not shy about the fact that I like Michael Jackson’s music. However, I did not like him. I don’t feel sorry for him. Yet I do feel sorry for his untimely death and I hope his soul rests in peace. People forget, that Michael Jackson was a narcissist, materialist and a possible pedophile. Sure, maybe in his mind he didn’t seem to think it was wrong to do the things he did with kids. But honestly, when the rest of us know better he could have been a little wiser.

Yes, Michael was physically abused by his father. Seriously? It was the seventies everybody was hitting their kids. At least it can be argued that because of that reason Jackson did perfect his craft. I am not advocating that position just saying that a part of Jacksons success was due to his father and his strict regiment and intolerant ways.

Being a global superstar Jackson could have done so much more rather than hole himself up in Neverland.

Sometimes he looks like the poster child for what happens to abused and really weird kids who become superstars. At other times he just looks weird.

Nonetheless, it was sad to see him go so quick. I always liked his music starting all the way from the seventies up to his final album invisible.

Jon & Kate Plus 8

2009-05-26T11:36:00.001-04:00

'Jon & Kate Plus 8,' if you haven't heard is a show on TLC that features the lives of two parents with their twin daughters and sextuplets. I only started to watch the show a few years back. The show and family shot to instant stardom. Initially, people watched more from a sympathetic view as Jon would take off early in the day and drive for two hours to get some job far away while, his wife Kate was left to deal with the 8 kids in their small little suburban home.

People loved the show but as popularity increased these unknown people became household names. The shows began to consist of ridiculous themes. Gradually, you could notice that Jon wasn't working anymore and Kate seemed to have a lot of free time on their hands.

The reality was they did. The family had an entourage of security, nannies and caregivers and everything the family received was donated.

The family was seen participating in a number of activities and events where they received "VIP" treatment while the rest of us hauled ourselves off to work.

Other shows aired as well, but none garnered as much attention as 'Jon & Kate Plus 8. Of course, then came the money. The family had hit gold with their show, book sales, tours, daily episodes and DVD sales that have probably created a small empire for the family. A recent episode showed them moving out of their little home and into a behemoth of a mansion that includes acreage, a barn and animals.

Of course, the family should profit from their success. However, the overall reason for watching the show is no longer accurate. While Kate might be seen struggling to feed the kids or potty train them it's not true, because back stage is a crew helping out. More recently, the family was plunged onto the front pages of the tabloids. That's the last straw. You see, this family will eventually disappear and many years from now they will be nothing and will make up the series of "where are they now". It will be the kids that will have concerns. Maybe they weren't happy with the arrangements, maybe they weren't paid enough….who knows.

Rumors have been surfacing that the couple is unhappy and that the husband and wife might have been involved in extra martial affairs. How in the world do these people have the time!

I think these people should pack it in and call it a day. Those who loved them and brought them into the spotlight will just as easily bring them back.

Kate's sister has her own blog, where she just rips into her sister:

http://gosselinswithoutpity.blogspot.com/

The Washington Post did a really good article on the show as well:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052402680.html

Hanging

2009-05-24T16:29:00.000-04:00

Hanging out at China town in Toronto
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Eating Thai on Queen East

2009-05-23T19:02:00.000-04:00

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After court

2009-05-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

After a long morning in court I decided to go and eat my sandwich at the fountain at the Eaton Centre.
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Slum Dog

2009-05-20T13:32:00.000-04:00

The child actors from the hit movie Slum Dog Millionare have been in the news a lot. The child actors both live in a real slum in India. Last week reports came in that the boys home was demolished. Today it was reported that the girls home was demolished.

Both children lived in neighbourhoods that were destroyed by cops and government officials. This happens everyday and the only reason why anybody knows about this is because of the celebrity status of the child stars.

The film made about 326 million and the filmmakers said they have estabished a fund that the child actors can only access when they turn 18.

What are these kids supposed to do until then? More importantly what about all the other kids?

This incident sheds much light on the masses who live in flith and poverty in India.
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Allies for Armageddon

2009-05-20T09:28:00.001-04:00

It's time for another book review. The book I have selected is Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism by Victoria Clark a reporter for The Observer. This book is awesome and I discovered it after reading a review by the distinguished magazine Foreign Affairs.

Allies for Armageddon explores the mulit-million dollar business of and ideology by right wing, bible thumping Christian Zionists who reside in good ol, hick town, U.S.A. The author traces the history of Christian Zionism to its present day form.

Essentially, right wing Christians believe that it is their duty to preserve and promote the state of Israel by any means necessary. Originally, during the British era Christian Zionists worked to create a homeland for Jews. Of course that changed after the creation of Israel.

The rationale is based on biblical scripture where right wing Christians believe that the end of times, the rapture and the final battle with the anti-Christ will take place at a specific place in Israel. According to these apocalyptic obsessed Christians a number of Jews will "realize the true way" and convert to Christianity at the last moment. Therefore, for right wing Christians, the Jewish people are merely pawns in their sick end of times games. Of course, the Muslims are the evil devils who must be destroyed according to many of the leaders interviewed by the author.

Christian Zionists control and own major portions of wealth in the United States and during the Bush presidency a number of leading Christian Zionists had private access to Bush. They command the attention of millions of followers who hang on their every word. This group has provided major support to people such as, Bush and they deplore the thought of a Democrat in the White House. In fact, this group is highly coveted by politicians because they can seriously make or break you in many American states.

The book does an excellent job of exploring the lunacy that comprises right wing Christians. The book starts off with the author on a tour in Israel where the tour group leader a major Christian Zionist figure talks religious trash. The author is further alarmed by the ridiculous comments and stories by people on the trip.

I highly recommend this book to all. It's very insightful and at times funny. Especially, when the author pokes fun at the religious establishment.

Five Minutes with: Richard Dawkins

2009-05-16T23:32:00.001-04:00

Bias against Indian Muslims

2009-05-12T09:24:00.001-04:00

The Washington Post reported, India's Muslims See Bias in Housing, since the recent Mumbai attacks. Discrimination against India's Muslims is nothing new and has been going on for sometime. The Post article is interesting though as it reports on some Muslim Bollywood employees. The Post also reported that despite the fact that Indian Muslims account for 14% of the population they only occupy approximately 5% of government seats and only make up 4% of students at elite Indian Universities.

So much for the largest democracy in the world.

Sure, immediately after 9/11 there were wide spread reports of racial discrimination against Muslims, Mosques and even Sikhs since they were mistaken as Muslims. The Post also reported that Indian Muslims are an important electorate that often seem to be the deciding factor for political parties in India.

If India wants to continue to assert their dominance on the world stage they must tackle head on the issue of India's Muslims. These people are born Indian and have lived in the country for generations. Their allegiance to their country cannot be challenged. If they didn't want to be Indian they were free to move to Pakistan.

Tamil protest

2009-05-11T08:56:00.000-04:00

In case you didn’t know weeks of protesting on behalf of Tamils living in Toronto resulted in chaos last night. The protestors ended up blocking the Gardiner Expressway one of the most busy and frequently travelled routes in and out of downtown Toronto. Thankfully, it wasn’t a weekday.

A few weeks back as I travelled in a cab I noticed the protestors who continued to stand despite heavy rain in front of the American consulate on University Avenue. The street was eventually closed. The cab driver looked on and we discussed how you had to be really committed to continue to protest in cold rain. The police continued to stand as well with horses and backup.
The City of Toronto is pretty peeved at the closure of the Gardiner. Many were concerned that if the closured continued until Monday morning’s rush hour it would cause havoc. The few remaining protestors have now gone up to Queen’s Park with many having left.

Last night the news reported that most of the protestors were under the age of 20. That makes me wonder whether they are engaging in this to simply goof off or they are truly committed. The Canadian Sri Lankan Consulate released a statement last night commending the actions and stating they did not condone the behavior.

Politicians have a fine line to travel. The Liberals want more votes, if they are seen as the government that offered a hand of friendship or goodwill to a group numbering around 200,000 that could mean big votes. However, that could mean lost votes as well by disgruntled and frustrated Canadians who are suggesting that the voice of the Tamils not be heard.
The cops are at the mercy of the politicians.

Whatever the case, last night’s demonstrations might have left a bitter taste in the mouth of Torontonians. Check out the comments page on the Toronto Star. I think there is one person who supported the Tamils.

Ex US solider guilty

2009-05-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

You often hear stories like this from Africa where a rival "liberation army" or "freedom fighters" commit such acts. However this was by American soliders which leaves one to wonder how many more cases like this are out there and unreported.

Ex-U.S. soldier found guilty in Iraqi rape, deaths

By Steve Robrahn Steve Robrahn 1 hr 47 mins ago

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) A former U.S. soldier was convicted on Thursday of raping an Iraqi girl and killing her and her family near Baghdad in 2006 and now faces a possible death sentence.

The federal court jury that delivered guilty verdicts on all 16 counts against former Private 1st Class Steven Green will decide his fate in the trials death penalty phase beginning on Monday.

Green, 24, was tried in federal court as a civilian on murder, rape and obstruction of justice charges since his arrest came after he was discharged from the U.S. Army later in 2006 for a "personality disorder."

The trial, which lasted eight days before 1 1/2 days of jury deliberations, featured prosecution testimony by Greens former comrades in which they detailed the brutal assault, one of several incidents involving American soldiers that enraged Iraqis and strained U.S. relations.

Green, 19 at the time of the crime, was described as the trigger-man in the group of five men, who donned black "ninja" outfits and raped Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, 14, and shot to death her and her father, mother and 6-year-old sister.

The incident unfolded after the soldiers drank whiskey, played cards, and plotted the attack in Mahmudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad.

Green, from Midland, Texas, was described by prosecutors as predisposed to killing Iraqis. Defense attorneys acknowledged he participated in the killings but argued he was suffering combat stress after the death of close colleagues and did not know friend from foe.

Three of the other soldiers pleaded guilty in the attack and the fourth was convicted, all in military courts-martial. They received sentences ranging from five to 100 years, although they could be paroled much sooner.

According to testimony, Green shot the girls family in a bedroom while two soldiers raped her. Green then took his turn raping the girl, covered her head with a pillow and shot her three times. The soldiers then set fire to her body to try to cover up the crime.

Green later bragged about the assault, saying what he had done was "awesome."

The trial was held in Paducah, Kentucky, because the soldiers were assigned out of Fort Campbell in that state.

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No where to go

2009-05-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

I have often stated what has been obvious to me, that a large part of Pakistan’s problems can be linked to the lack of decent jobs and education. Frustrated families living in absolute poverty face little options and no assistance from the local or federal governments. These are large families with the fathers and mothers having little to no education themselves. These are the breeding grounds for the next generation of “freedom fighters” or as the West refers to them as “terrorists”. In my opinion they are neither instead, they are underprivileged, ignorant masses who have no opportunities. I am certain that many of these families would love for their children to take up academic studies at a real institution versus a religious madrassa. However, they can’t. The Mullah’s then come in as the heros.

The New York Times ran an interesting article today about the issue of young minds being crippled by religious bigotry.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/05/04/world/20090504SCHOOLS_13.html

Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen (trailer 2 2009)

2009-05-01T23:21:00.001-04:00

YouTube helps man deliver baby

2009-05-01T18:09:00.000-04:00

YouTube helps man deliver baby

Marc Stephens watches an internet video to help deliver his wife's baby

An engineer in Cornwall delivered his baby son after watching a instructional video on YouTube.

Marc Stephens watched the videos as a precaution when his wife Jo started to feel some discomfort.

Four hours later, his wife went into labour and started giving birth before an ambulance could arrive at their home in Redruth.

"I Googled how to deliver a baby, watched a few videos and basically swotted up," Mr Stephens told the BBC.

Jo Stephens said they had planned a home birth, but not quite in this manner.

"I woke up and realised I was having contractions every five minutes," Mrs Stephens said.

"I woke Marc up and we phoned the midwife, but they were all so busy they couldn't come round to our house and told us to call an ambulance. But before it arrived, it all started."

Preparation

A few hours earlier, Mr Stephens has been reading up on home births and how to cope with anything unexpected.

"The videos gave me peace of mind. I think I would have coped, but watching videos made things much easier."

One of the videos was called 'How to deliver a baby in a car'

Mr Stephens said his wife was on all fours when he saw the head starting to come out.

"This is our fourth child now and while for our first I spent most of the time at my wife's head, now I'm not afraid to go down to the business end.

"I was still on the phone to the midwife and told her that 'this is it'," he said.

Mr Stephens said he felt no panic, putting his ability to stay calm down to his Royal Navy training.

After delivering the 5lbs 5oz boy, Gabriel, the Stephens went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, where both mother and baby got a clean bill of health.

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8667

2009-04-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

Eating lunch at Sobey's.
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Splat!

2009-04-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

I had the perfect ending to a hectic and stressful day. On my way to the cash register at the grocery store I accidentally dropped a container with yoghurt and nuts in it.

Naturally it splattered all over the floor. Thank God I didn't get any of it on my new suit or better yet on someone else. I am not really sure what I would have done if it did get on someone else.

I am on the streetcar on my way home. At least its fairly empty. That's the bonus of leaving at this time the rush has usually died down.

I rented Quantum of Solace. I bet its gonna suck ass like the previous Bond movies. Nobody did it better than Roger Moore. Then again I was just a kid then.
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Stop Funding My Failing State by Fatima Bhutto

2009-04-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

Stop Funding My Failing State, Ms. Bhutto criticizes the current Zardari administration for basically being a bunch of idiots.

The issue of Pakistan is now increasingly posing a grave dilemma for the Obama administration and the world in general. The government itself is crippled by so many problems that it probably doesn’t even know where to start. It still boggles my mind that Pakistani’s elected a President who has no experience in governance or any intellectual capacity in regards to anything.

8667

2009-04-25T17:02:00.000-04:00

A big storm is coming. So much for the sunny Saturday afternoon.
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8667

2009-04-25T16:22:00.000-04:00

Hanging out
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8667

2009-04-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

A beautiful Saturday morning in Toronto at Strachen and King.
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Friday

2009-04-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

It's a beautiful Friday evening and I decided to walk home. However, I got tempted by Hero Burgers.
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420 celebrations

2009-04-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

Many enjoy parliamentary puff to celebrate 4/20
The Canadian Press Ottawa 2009-04-20 19:22

Ottawa - They came, they smoked - they got the munchies.

More than 1,000 people gathered on Parliament Hill today to mark 4/20 - a counter-culture celebration of marijuana and a protest against pot laws. It's one of many such gatherings held across Canada and around the world each April 20.

Despite a Conservative government bent on punishing illegal drug use, many people openly puffed on the front lawn of Parliament as Mounties watched from a distance.

Francis Pham, a student from Winnipeg, urged Canada's politicians to embrace marijuana use as a social norm rather than denouncing it as a harmful substance.
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Torture memos

2009-04-21T19:16:00.000-04:00

President Obama should be applauded for releasing the recent torture memos. Transparency was a major theme of his campaign.

Under the Bush administration egregious torture techniques were recommended and applied. Remember this is only what we know of imagine what we don't know.

Big surprise that Dick Cheney or as I like to call him Mr. Asshole is pissed at the Presidents decision.

The Obama administration has made it clear that it will not prosecute CIA officials who were simply following duties. This seems fair despite the CIA's despicable acts. However, the administration has not ruled out whether or not senior officials who drafted the policies will be immune.

The decision according to the President will rest with the Attorney General. It doesn't seem like the administration would prosecute senior officials but if they did it would be one hell of a show.

Under international law the techniques recommended were clearly torture and America should stand against this type of inhumane treatment.

As for Dick Cheney he can eat a fat one.
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House of Saddam

2009-04-21T09:02:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to catch up on my movies lately. Last week I watched the HBO special called House of Saddam. I got it on DVD and watched the whole series in one sitting.

It consists of four parts that are probably about one hour long.

The House of Saddam is commissioned by the BBC so there has to be some authenticity to it.

The movie starts in 1979 when Saddam takes power and ends with his hanging.

The point of the movie is not to debate the Iraq war but to simply describe the life of Saddam and his most closest family members.

Saddam is depicted as a brutal dictator who is bent on power and paranoia from traitors. Despite all the family ties ie in his government etc. In the end to Saddam family meant nothing. He killed at will and the only family he cared about was his equally ruthless sons. It seems Saddam also cared about or at least for his wife.

Saddam was no Islamist, his wife and daughters were shown as modern women. Saddam allowed his wife's criticism, however he just didn't care what she had to say.

Saddam's rise and power was built on violence and brute force. His end his humiliating and almost Shakespearean..

I highly recommend this series whether you are into the whole Iraq thing or not. Also, if you like the Sopranos you will like this series.
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Hugo Chavez

2009-04-19T20:57:00.000-04:00

Today Hugo Chavez was seen walking up to President Obama and shaking his hand and handing him a book.

It was Hugo who despised everything American and loathed George W Bush openly calling him names. This gesture of incredible good faith is all for Obama and was exactly what Obamas supporters had envisioned would happen with his election.

Whether or not policy and ties will actually change is unknown. However, it certainly indicates the possibility of better times ahead.

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Twitter

2009-04-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

I gave in and finally signed up for Twitter. I told myself I wouldn't but then like so many other decisons in my life this was also sparked out of boredom.

I honestly don't know what the difference between Twitter and keeping your own blog is. Other than the fact Twitter only let's you express yourself in 140 characters. Also you can follow people.

I prefer Blogging.
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One crazy story

2009-04-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

This is one crazy story:

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer Jay Reeves, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 5 mins ago

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A Mississippi woman who was shot in the head not only survived but made herself tea and offered an astonished deputy something to drink, authorities said Friday. Tammy Sexton, 47, remained hospitalized three days after being wounded by her husband, who killed himself after he shot his wife. A bullet struck her squarely in the forehead, passed through her skull and exited through the back of her head, authorities said. She is expected to fully recover.

"There's no way she should be alive other than a miracle from God," said Sheriff Mike Byrd of Jackson County, Miss.

Byrd said deputies were looking for Sexton's husband, Donald Ray Sexton, earlier in the week to give him a document ordering him to stay away from his wife. Court records show he was put on probation for six months on April 9 for domestic violence.

He showed up at their home in rural Jackson County in Southeast Mississippi about 12:10 a.m. Tuesday and confronted his wife as a relative ran next door to call police, the sheriff said.

"She was at her bed, and he shot her right in the head," Byrd said. "Then he went out on the back porch and shot himself."

A deputy was greeted by the woman when he arrived minutes after she was shot with the slug from a .380-caliber handgun.

"When the officer got there she said, `What's going on?' She was holding a rag on her head and talking. She was conscious, but she was confused about what had happened," he said. "She had made herself some tea and offered the officer something to drink."

Byrd said the bullet apparently passed through the lobes of the woman's brain without causing major damage. She was rushed to a Mobile hospital by a helicopter.

While such cases may be rare, a neurosurgeon who wasn't involved in Sexton's case said such an outcome is possible. Medical journals also confirm people have been shot in the head with little or no lasting injury.

"There is a space in the brain where a missile could pass without doing any major damage. Is it possible? Yes. It would be rare," said Dr. Patrick Pritchard, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

The sheriff called the case bizarre.

"You just don't hear of something like this. Somebody gets shot in the head and they're dead," Byrd said.

___

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Pirates off Somalia

2009-04-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

The ongoing hostage crises off the coast of Somalia involving an American freighter is nothing new. Over the past few years pirates from Somalia have gotten away with almost $30 million dollars. That’s a lot of money for a bunch of guys who started off as rag tagged fishermen.

What’s distressing is the fact that only a few media sources have given a broader picture of the current problem. Last night the CTV reiterated a theory that was also discussed in The Guardian Weekly a few months back. The theory, is that at first these pirates were angry frustrated Somalian fishermen. These men whose entire livelihood was dependent on fishing found foreign trawlers invading on their fishing territory. Worse, was the waste and garbage dumped by the mass freighters transporting various forms of cargo. In fact, the CTV broadcast even showed some of this waste washed up on the shores. In one area, the locals became very ill from the dumping of “toxic waste” as described by the documentary. However, the locals were unable to link it directly to the waste and the UN’s three day inspection was hardly thorough enough to reveal anything.

The story according to both The Guardian Weekly and the CTV broadcast was that these fishermen took up arms and started to raid the local freighters. However, their success, which was tremendous caused other more nefarious groups to participate as well. The local fishermen that were making next to nothing suddenly found themselves as instant millionaires and the work was easy. More importantly, when you have a country that has no real government and you live in poverty what have your really got to lose?

It’s unfortunate, that the mainstream media is not disclosing the full picture. I am not suggesting we feel pity for these pirates. What I am suggesting is that everybody is entitled to the full picture.

The Flogging

2009-04-06T11:58:00.001-04:00

I have said it before and I will say it again part of the problem with Pakistan is the lack of public opposition and outrage to many of the Taliban’s violent acts such as the recent flogging incident.

However, the Dawn, one of Pakistan’s leading English newspapers reported today that a great deal of public outrage has occurred with respect to the flogging incident. The Chief Justice of Pakistan has recently opened an inquiring into the matter and various human rights and women’s rights groups are speaking out.

If Pakistanis can cause chaos and street protests regarding emergency rule and their preference of a particular politician. Then certainly, they can stand up and protest against the radicalization of their country by the Taliban.

At the end of the day we are all at the mercy of what the media reports and we never have the complete picture. While I doubt the flogging video is fabricated to obstruct the peace process as stated by a Taliban spokesmen everything should always be approached with reasonable doubt and caution in regards to authenticity before we jump the gun.

At this critical juncture in Pakistani history, only Pakistanis can change their destiny. They made a stupid decision when they decided to elect Zardari the former crook of Pakistan. However, they still have the power to stop the madness. If Pakistanis united and voiced their anger and frustration at the acts of the Taliban in Pakistan their would be little sympathy for the agenda of the Islamists.

Fuck the Taliban

2009-04-03T11:22:00.001-04:00

I am assuming the following video posted at the BBC is real. As a result, it’s despicable and outrageous. I think Pakistanis have often had reason to be embarrassed. However, this is just unbelievable. What makes it worse is that this type of behaviour is probably happening all the time but, it’s just never caught.

Since 9/11 there has been no positive progress on the issue of women’s rights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7980877.stm

Bombing in Pakistan

2009-03-27T17:51:00.000-04:00

This has to be the worst act of violence ever. To attack a place of worship is a new low even for Islamic militants.

Reports suggest that the mosque was frequented by Pakistani officials who might have worked at Nato checkpoints.

I can't believe that the Islamic militants actually had the nerve to bomb a mosque on Friday of all days being the holy day. There is no excuse for such brutal actions.

Moreover what little sympathy the Islamic hardliners had from local populations is gone.

Its time for the Pakistani people to stand up and oppose this violence and the hardliners.

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The Chief Justice is back

2009-03-24T11:05:00.001-04:00

The reinstatement of the former Chief Justice who was sacked by Mush is a positive note. However, this gesture was predominately a forced one, wherein American authorities strong-armed the weak Zardari government to bow to public pressure.

An interesting point is how the Pakistani legal community banded together to accomplish this task. Since, 9/11 Pakistan has utilized its chaos/mass demonstration & burn the effigy and American flag policy for numerous reasons. However, this time the demonstration was effective and for a valid cause.

With little blood shed and violence, the government reinstalled the Chief Justice and illustrated to the world that the rule of law is pivotal. Especially, in a state as battered as Pakistan.

Pakistan has to start learning that you can’t rid your government by forced military coup or your judicial and state authorities simply be kicking them out. A democratic process must be observed and respected.

On an unfortunate note though, is the fact that the northern Pakistan region has been turned over to Pakistani Taliban.

2009-03-20T17:48:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that this would happen in Canada. However the BBC reported the following.

MP Galloway is banned from Canada

Mr Galloway's comments on Iraq led to his expulsion from the Labour Party

George Galloway, a British member of Parliament, has been banned from Canada on security grounds, the country's immigration service has confirmed.

Mr Galloway, a Respect Party MP, said the ban was "idiotic" and he would look at legal action to try to overturn it.

British media reported the decision was due to his views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there.

The anti-war MP was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 because of his outspoken comments on the Iraq war.

Mr Galloway said he was not prepared to accept what he described as an "inexplicable decision" and indicated he would challenge it with all means at his disposal.

"This has further vindicated the anti-war movement's contention that unjust wars abroad will end up consuming the very liberties that make us who we are," he said.

"All right-thinking Canadians, whether they agree with me or not, will oppose this outrageous decision."

'Mock trial'

A spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed the MP would not be allowed into the country on national security grounds.

He said the decision had been taken by border security officials "based on a number of factors" in accordance with the country's immigration act.

Mr Galloway had been due to speak at a public forum, Resisting War from Gaza to Kandahar, in Toronto on 30 March.

In 2006 he was detained "on grounds of national security" at Cairo airport after heading to Egypt to attend a "mock trial" of then PM Tony Blair and then US President George Bush.

Mr Galloway became the figurehead for the anti-war Respect party after being expelled from Labour.

His expulsion followed comments on the Iraq war which Labour chairman Ian McCartney said "incited foreign forces to rise up against British troops".

The party acted following a number of TV interviews, including one in which Mr Galloway accused Tony Blair and President Bush of acting "like wolves" in invading Iraq.

Mr Galloway said it had been a "politically motivated kangaroo court".

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The Question of Palestine by Edward Said

2009-03-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

It’s time for another book review. In January I finished The Question of Palestine by notable academic Edward Said. Said, has been known for producing great essays and publications on various topics. His book Orientalism is required reading in many disciplines at universities across the world.

The Question of Palestine is an incredible book for many reasons. First, Said acknowledges his inherent bias as being a Christian, Arab who identifies himself as Palestinian. Second, the book is still very popular even though Said wrote it in the seventies and the Preface in 1992 after the first Gulf War.

Essentially, Said discusses issues in the seventies that were largely ignored and only recently acknowledged. For example, the sheer weight and influence of the Israeli lobby and the vast amounts of financial assistance that America provides and the inherent bias towards Palestinians.

Most importantly, is Said’s argument regarding Zionism and it’s evolution stemming from European colonialism. Said argues that the Zionist occupation is no different from the European occupations of various countries at the height of British power. Said, pours through various sources as support for his argument.

Said also raises another important issue the fact that Palestinians were never consulted about any of the plans and that they were ignored by the media and the United Nations. He applies the work from his Orientialism to state that knowledge about Palestinian history and culture were all produced by non-Palestinians and European powers who decided to omit and silence the Palestinian voice. This procedure used by the Europeans permitted easy expansion of British military might…it also provided for the formation and expansion of Zionism.

The book discusses how the mainstream American media chose to disregard the Palestinian plight as irrelevant and labeled them as savage terrorists hell bent on destroying the state of Israel. Said, uses Op-Ed pieces from the New York Times in the seventies to support this argument. Interestingly, if we look at the Middle East today the arguments resemble Said’s position. That Hamas is a terrorist organization and therefore, neither America or anybody else should negotiate with it. This is the same ideology espoused in the seventies but it was against the PLO.

This is a must read for anybody interested in the topic of the middle east. It is difficult to convey Said’s argument without actually reading the book.

Asteroid

2009-03-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

This was reported yesterday:

PASADENA, Calif. An asteroid about the size of one that blasted Siberia a century ago just buzzed the Earth. The asteroid named 2009 DD45 was about 48,800 miles from Earth when it zipped past early Monday, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported.

My question is that why weren't we alerted about this before? This has been making headlines since yesterday.
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Bored

2009-03-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

Probably can't make much of the picture but I was bored so I took a picture of Toronto at night that's supposed to be the skyline.
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Cricket attack

2009-03-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

What happened in Lahore is the worst thing imaginable. Gun man attacked and killed members of a visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.

There does not seem to be any rationale or logic for such an attack. Pakistan already faces great difficulties due to the recent Mumbai attacks.

Why in the world would militant Islamic groups be engaged in something as dumb as this?

Pakistan must grapple with this issue immediately. A new American president has stressed that Pakistan will not be able to continue to enjoy the free ride that it has to date.

Over the last decade Pakistan has seen a great deal of blood that has even taken the life of a former Prime Minister.

Attacking a visiting sports team is just stupid.

I hope the government will do something now to finally address the issue.
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W

2009-02-25T09:05:00.001-05:00

Last week I finally had an opportunity to watch W the George W. Bush movie. This movie could have been a lot better and Oliver Stone didn't do a good enough job of trashing Bush. As much as I hate to admit it for a small brief second you might actually feel sorry for Bush. That of course passes.

The movie goes back and forth between the lead up to the Iraq war and Bush's life from his early drunken frat days. When one watches the early days of Bush's life it's hard to imagine that this idiot would one day become the President.

Many of the rumors heard on the internet over the last few years about Bush are referenced in the movie i.e, the fact that Bush might have gotten a girl pregnant and who later had an abortion, how Bush senior helped W get into Harvard, how Bush senior helped out Bush in the 2000 elections. However, the references are not explored.

Key elements of Bush's presidency are left out. For example, 9/11 which set Bush's policies is only mentioned. It would have been nice to show what Bush was going through on 9/11, where he was, his thoughts and immediate actions. The infamous and much contested 2000 American election where it is alleged that Bush stole the Presidency is not shown. Bush is shown prior to his inauguration as Texas Governor but nothing more.

This movie should have really been made after Bush was out of office and the last scene should have really been his helicopter lifting off the ground with people booing at him.

I am not sure if this was intentional but the movie shows short one second screen shots in various areas throughout the movie of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and John McCain. However, Obama is not shown or mentioned anywhere.

Colin Powel plays a pivotal role in questioning and criticizing the administrations rationale for going to war against Iraq. Condi is really a yes woman to Bush and nothing more.

Weekend

2009-02-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

The weekend is finally here. I am on my way home and I am wiped. Its been a rough couple of weeks at work. I think I am gonna have to come in on Sunday. Bluck! I know it sucks ass.
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Virus 360

2009-02-17T15:39:00.001-05:00

I am embarrassed to admit it but this weekend I was the victim of a computer virus. On Saturday I had pop windows that informed me that I had a virus on the computer. The program that was informing was called Virus 360 and looked like the Microsoft Window's shield and was named after Norton's 360 program. I remembered that my virus software had expired about two months ago. The program told me that in order to remove the threats I had to upgrade.

So I did.

That's where things became worse. The pop up windows wouldn't start my computer was out of warning having only purchased it a year before.

I contacted Norton who by the way are complete idiots. They connected me to their Indian office where I spend hours waiting for a technician. He then took over my computer and I thought took care of the problem.

He didn't.

I noticed later on that my computer was not connecting to the network and spent the remainder of the next day speaking with Norton. They kept blaming my ISP provider who in turn blamed the router. I spend two hours on the phone with the wireless router company who said they didn't know what the problem was and said I should contact HP.

It's absolutely absurd that these companies can't take any responsibility. What is the point of having anti-virus software when it does nothing. I have an anti-virus package through my ISP provider and it still didn't catch the virus.

Computers are expensive. It's no joke to have to purchase a new one for at least at minimum $1000 with the final installation of software and taxes.

The Indian technicians were idiots and it just proves that outsourcing doesn't solve the problem. In total for two days I must have been on hold for 4-5 hours. My computer is now in the shop and I have no idea what to expect i.e, whether everything will have to be wiped clean and how much fixing the problem will cost.

Virus 360

2009-02-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

So I did.

That's where things became worse. The pop up windows wouldn't start my computer was out of warning having only purchased it a year before.

He didn't.

Computers are expensive. It's no joke to have to purchase a new one for at least at minimum $1000 with the final installation of software and taxes.

2009-02-15T11:50:00.001-05:00

This is a cool pic of President Obama getting on his plane

Family Day

2009-02-15T11:32:00.001-05:00

Thank God, tomorrow is a stat holiday in Ontario. The holiday is new and came into effect last year it's called Family Day.

It's a well deserved holiday as this time of year is a hectic, cold and stressful period.

Vista

2009-02-14T19:09:00.001-05:00

I have learned something new. If you have Vista it gives you the option of publishing your blog straight from Word. Both Blogger and Wordpress work with the system It's super convenient and fast. So much easier than typing in Word and then having to paste in the Blogger template box.

Slum Dog Millionaire

2009-02-14T08:18:00.001-05:00

If you haven't already heard Slum Dog Millionaire has been nominated for an Oscar on top of the achievements it's already won. Slum Dog is certainly worth seeing. I think the concept of the movie was great. Slum Dog should be seen by North Americans who are so set in their woe is me life, with their giant SUV's, big screen televisions and desk jockey jobs where they surf the next fifty percent of the day.

While the story is innovative I did not like the characters. The lead is unable to play off the role of a poor ghetto Indian boy. Rather, he looks like he should be sipping tea in the UK somewhere. Anil Kapoor who plays the host of the game show probably played his most difficult role yet, a somewhat smart and distinguished man. That differs from his usual role of prancing around and acting like a jackass in the traditional Bollywood movies.

What's most interesting is that out of the probably hundreds of thousands of Bollywood movies made none has achieved the type of success that Slum Dog has. Therefore, all these so called Bollywood stars who suck ass when it comes to acting have never come close to winning an Oscar. Not to say that the Oscars is the end all, I mean it is just a North American mouth piece for the cinema. Even if there is one or two who cares what does that mean? What I am trying to say is that Bollywood absolutely blows big time. I can't believe this dumb fuck Amitabh is still acting I mean really, buddy give it up.

People in India have been upset about Slum Dog gee, I wonder why. Is it because it sheds light on the grotesque lives of the poverty stricken masses? Is it because it doesn't cloak everything under the guise of a pretty mansion, song and dance and a foreigner from America coming to fall in love?

Anyways, like I have said before Bollywood can eatafatone and while Slum Dog wasn't amazing in my view the story itself was very good and definitely worth watching.

Beheadings in India

2009-02-12T12:55:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Star reported a horrific story from India. After a couple eloped the family of the girl’s wealthy family invited the family of the boy over and killed and beheaded his family and threw them into the river. The Star report indicates that fifteen members of the girls family have been charged.

As if the couple didn’t have enough to deal with imagine how they must feel now. More importantly, imagine the impact this will have on the relationship. Will the boy decide to stay with his new wife? India must punish these people to the fullest extent of the law.

So long Blackwater

2009-01-29T16:25:00.001-05:00

Splinter Cell, Rainbow 6 and Ghost Recon are just some of the popular video games that have been on the market with sequels and prequels for the last few years. All these games focus on one element, an elite, covert American team assembled to battle the evils of the world.

In Splinter Cell you play Sam Fisher who is part of the NSA. Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six are special forces teams such as the Green Berets and Navy Seals. Missions include taking out ambassadors and Presidents of countries hostile to the US. For example, in Rainbow Six you are to take out President Hugo Chavez. In other missions terrorists are holding Americans hostages.

Does any of this ring a bell? Think about what happens to young, ignorant uninformed people who play these games and then turn on their television sets. The point is that today, Iraq refused to renew Blackwaters contract. Blackwater is an independent small military force that is contracted and hired by the American government.

In the past Blackwater has committed many illegal acts and in 2007 a number of Blackwater members got into trouble for illegal killings.

Today, Iraq indicated that Blackwater was no longer welcome in Iraq. Under the new legal structure the Iraqi government now has authority over who can operate within its borders.

This is a huge blow to Blackwater, a bunch of red neck dumb fucks who have watched way to many Rambo movies.

A bold move

2009-01-27T10:14:00.001-05:00

Obama has made an intrepid move by stating that America is not the Muslims world’s enemy. This is a crucial statement and a very sincere gesture and an olive branch.

This sends a strong message that while priority number one is protecting Americans, the new US administration is open to new ideas i.e, talking to Muslim leaders.

President Obama indicated in the interview given on an Arabic television network that he plans to give a speech from a Muslim capital sometime within his first 100 days. This is incredible news and it’s certainly positive.

At this time the Muslim world must accept President Obama’s hand of friendship. He is already favoured heavily in many moderate and not so moderate Muslim nations.

See ya later Bush

2009-01-21T17:45:00.001-05:00

With back to back, Regan administrations followed by Bush Senior, Clinton was the first Democratic president to come along in 12 years. Bush Senior left the Whitehouse with a recession. During the Clinton years the internet economy exploded sending the economy skyrocketing. Clinton presided over a strong economy and a very powerful America.

He was an admired President and when he left office many were saddened. They wondered what he would do with his life and how the US would survive. Worse of course was the fact that George W. Bush had stolen the election.

Therefore, inauguration day for Bush was very different as many were angry at his “election” and saddened by Clinton’s departure.

I wonder how Bush felt yesterday has nobody gave a rats ass about him other than some hicks in Texas on his return. Yesterday, the feeling was of peace and happiness and people rejoiced when the words were uttered that George W. Bush was no longer President of the United States.

Congratulations President Obama!

2009-01-20T15:09:00.000-05:00

The Whitehouse website has already changed to reflect the new President. As of 12 Noon, officially George W. Bush was no longer president, crowds cheered when the announcement was made and booed at his name. Thus, Bush’s presidency dubbed as one of the worst and corrupt is over.

When we think back to September 11, 2001 it was unimaginable to conceive that only eight years later Americans would elect a black man, with a Muslim background as President.

All the hatred that so many have had for America over the last 8 years has suddenly dissolved.

However, the election of President Obama means more.

Since the evolution of humanity power was transferred on the basis of dynastic rule. Monarchies ensured their royal lineage was preserved by selecting a successor from their family that was usually the first born male. Power, was wielded by a few. The masses of the poor and hungry villagers that gazed at the luxuries hilltop palaces of their kings and queens knew their place and that they would never be one of them. They lived and died as nothing more than servants.

Sure, every now and then a group of guys got together and started a rebel group that evolved into a full blown movement. That group typically overthrew the present leadership and the leader of the coup was made king. A few generations later, that leaders successors ended up becoming exactly that which was hated and so a new rebellion began.

Today, the President of the US enjoys more power and prestige than any other leader ever, more than the Egyptians, the Romans, the Ottoman Sultanates, India’s Moghuls and the British.

Today, everything changed as one of the villagers became king.

Congratulations to you President Barack Hussein Obama.

Thank you for running and being elected and thank you for being sworn in using your middle name.

Clinton Sympathizes With Palestinians In Confirmation Hearing

2009-01-13T13:07:00.002-05:00

The Huffington Post reported today, Clinton Sympathizes With Palestinians In Confirmation Hearing. The words used by Clinton were obviously very carefully selected. Obama was elected on the basis that many policies adopted and pursued by previous American administrations namely, the Bush administration were wrong and contrary to what America stood for.

Obama has a lot of people to please and he won’t always achieve nirvana. However, it seems that Obama being the kind of person he is likely sympathizes with the Palestinian cause. Of course, he doesn’t believe in violence and of course he believes in Israel’s right to defend itself.

During the primaries it became quite obvious that although Clinton was not a good pick for President her view on policies largely was similar to Obama’s with the exception of Iran.

The Clintons are overall, lefties and whether it was possible to practice lefty politics in the Whitehouse was something else. However, as Secretary of State Clinton is in an excellent position to reshape America’s tarnished image.

America needs to be an honest broker for the Middle East tensions and not be influenced by external or internal pressure to cave in. Only, America is in a position to cultivate productive dialogue between the two groups. As the only supporter of Israeli and the largest financial backer it can yield significant dominance over Israeli politics. As a major super power it can instill confidence in the Palestinians that it is no longer here to dick around.

High racking, academics and politicians with view points from both groups should be integrated into any dialogue between the warring factions.

The Daily Show

2009-01-13T09:27:00.002-05:00

Leave to John Stewart to deliver an excellent message cloaked under the guise of humour. This is the best commentary yet, on the current Middle East problem. Copy the link into your browser and forward it to 3:20 when he starts speaking about the current tensions.

http://watch.ctv.ca/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/episodes/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart---january-5-2008/#clip126937