Aidan MaconachyAidan MaconachyA non-partisan blog that discusses a wide variety of topics. These include politics, religion, secular issues, culture, news stories. The blog also features a regular cartoon strip . Articles
Mehdi Kazemi : Human rights abuses in Iran
2008-02-21 03:31:00 The EU has become increasingly concerned at what it describes as the "growing repression" within Iran . The crackdown by the authorities not only extends to the public enforcement of Islamic dress codes, but is also aimed at minorities, journalists and human rights activists.The EU released this statement :'The EU remains deeply concerned at the growing repression against all groups which exercise their right to freely express their opinions, and at the escalation of restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The EU condemns the closure of newspapers, magazines and of the Iranian Labour News Agency, as well as the arrest and persecution of journalists, web bloggers, and human rights defenders for exercising their right to freedom of expression."The persecution of the LGBT community in Iran is an under-reported crime that often flies under the radar. Gays Without Borders is a site that does an excellent job reporting on stories tha... More About: Human , Rights , Human Rights
Obama takes Wisconsin, Hawaii, despite cynical Clinton attacks
2008-02-20 09:42:00 Barack Obama has won 10 states in a row - Wisconsin earlier in the evening, and then Hawaii .It was a stunning victory in Wisconsin. He cut deep into traditional Clinton support, dividing the female vote equally with Hillary. He also did well among white working class voters.Hillary Clinton's attempts to undercut Obama's position by belittling his oratory as "just words", is hurting her more than it hurts her opponent.Obama has managed to do something extraordinary in this campaign. He has seized the imagination of America. He has seized the imagination of Europe also, where he is very popular. This is a candidate who dares to dream - a candidate who dares to follow his heart and his convictions.By contrast Hillary comes across as a calculating strategist, checking the polls and opinion, then tweaking her policy positions to cynically court approval. The one word that describes the tactics of both Clintons throughout this campaign is "cynicism".In South Carolina, comments by the fo... More About: Attacks
Same old, same old
2008-02-20 09:40:00 Tags: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama" title="Atom feed">Site Feed
"Eat, Pray, Love" : Try not to gag
2008-02-20 09:32:00 Elizabeth Gilbert's cloyingly saccharine book - "Eat, Pray , Love ", has generated a bit of a backlash.It's the tale of an affluent white woman on a quest of self-discovery. Predictably exotic locations and a guru figure feature in the book along with self-conscious musings intended to come off as clever and insightful.Gilbert is a poster girl for self-absorbed spiritual narcissists everywhere. The presumption of higher knowledge and casual certitudes along the lines of : “Simply put, I got pulled through the wormhole of the Absolute, and in that rush I suddenly understood the workings of the universe completely" - comes off as naive or possibly idiotic, depending on your point of view.A scathing review of the book that appeared in the New York Post referred to "Western fetishization of Eastern thought and culture". Gilbert is a victim of that particular disease. She informs us that when you say the word "no" backwards it almost becomes "om" - presumably after starting from "a pla...
Pope Benedict : Exorcisms and paranoia
2008-02-18 21:52:00 During the medieval witch burnings, exorcists were in demand. In later periods, exorcism fell out of favor, but it was always available to those who knew how to make the right connections. Pope Benedict is now helping to give new sanction to the Catholic exorcism ritual, that in its classic form hasn't changed much over the centuries.In 1998, the Vatican published De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus Quibusdam (Concerning Exorcisms and Certain Supplications). This reflected the traditional Catholic conviction that Satan is alive and well, always looking for a way to snare new victims - a conviction shared by the present Pope.There are estimated to be as many as 300 Roman Catholic exorcists operating in Italy. Chief among them is an 82 year old cleric named Gabriele Amorth. He is reputed to have conducted some 30,000 exorcisms. Amorth is a man with no discernible personal power or even charisma, who believes that waving a cross around and muttering from the script adds up to an exorc... More About: Paranoia , Pope Benedict
Nice Work Your Holiness
2008-02-18 21:50:00 " title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Work , Nice , Holiness
Fashion apartheid : Are model agencies racist?
2008-02-16 21:24:00 Why all the leggy white girls on fashion industry catwalks? Is it blatant racism on the part of the agencies?Naomi Campbell has accused the industry of being racist, and claims the reason she has never been featured on the cover of British Vogue is because she is black. Campbell has a reputation for being a hell raiser, and people tend to brush off her criticisms as Naomi-being-Naomi. She's right though about discriminatory practices in the industry. If not outright prejudice, some agencies certainly exhibit a large preference for white models. Campbell puts it this way ... "Women of color are not a trend. That's the bottom line."In the 80's and 90's the industry was more open to ethnic diversity but it has regressed to the point where insiders claim that casting briefs sometimes include the advisory 'no ethnics'. The dated view that black models are only suited for exotic wear or urban clothing seems to still hold true in some circles.Dee Doocey, a Liberal Democrat spokespers... More About: Fashion , Model , Racist , Agencies
Stormfront Models
2008-02-16 21:20:00 Tags: models, agencies, racism, fashion industry" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Models
Edison Chen, Gillian Chung : Sex Scandal Rocks Hong Kong
2008-02-15 13:56:00 When Canadian born actor and singer, Edison Chen , took his Pink MacBook to a Hong Kong repair shop named eLiTe Multimedia, he got a lot more than he bargained for. An employee copied the memory and the contents have turned out to be the equivalent of digital dynamite. The laptop was loaded with sexy photos featuring Edison and some of Asia's top actresses and singers.The images wound up on the net and have triggered a major scandal. The photos show Chen in bed with at least six different women. One of the women is none other than Gillian Chung, a best-selling singer who has a large fan base consisting mainly of young teen girls.The discovery that Chung was a participant has generated criticism in some quarters because around the time she was starring in Edison's bedroom scenes, she had been doing the rounds as an advocate of upstanding morality - making speeches condemning pre-marital sex.The first batch of pictures appeared on the net about two weeks ago. Since then some unknown ... More About: Scandal , Rocks
Creationist Museum founder links Darwinian theory with racism and genocide
2008-02-15 05:08:00 A new book, Darwin's Plantation : Evolution's Racist Roots, attempts to connect Darwinian theory with Nazi racial beliefs and the policies of Josef Stalin. The book was co-authored by Ken Ham, founder of the the Creationist Museum in Kentucky, in partnership with Charles Ware, president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis.The Creation Museum is an intellectual folly, an institution dedicated to ideas that have been discredited by science. It contends that the earth is only a few thousand years old and that dinosaurs co-existed with humans.Ham's views don't instill confidence when it comes to his take on Darwin. His claim that Darwin did more than any other person to "popularize" racism is untrue. In fact Darwin wrote in negative terms about the slavery he encountered during his voyages. His views were egalitarian by the standards of the day. The use of the term "savage" was commonplace during his time, and has to be kept within its cultural context.The attempt to link ma... More About: Founder , Links , Racism , Theory
Creationist Museum founder links Darwinian theory with racism and genocide
2008-02-14 17:09:00 A new book, Darwin's Plantation : Evolution's Racist Roots, attempts to connect Darwinian theory with Nazi racial beliefs and the policies of Josef Stalin. The book was co-authored by Ken Ham, founder of the the Creationist Museum in Kentucky.The Creation Museum is the equivalent of an intellectual folly, an institution dedicated to ideas that have been discredited by science. It is more like a comedic theme park - sort of a Ripley's Believe-It-or-Not operation with a cock-eyed theory of natural history.The museum contends that the earth is only a few thousand years old and that dinosaurs co-existed with modern humans.Ham's views don't instill confidence when it comes to his take on Darwin. His claim that Darwin did more than any other person to "popularize" racism is untrue. In fact Darwin was opposed to slavery and his views were egalitarian by the standards of the day.In an effort to create a fusion between Darwinian theory and racism, Ham makes a leap to the excesses of Sta... More About: Founder , Links , Racism , Theory
Online Sex Auction : Pregnant Woman Demands Customers' Real ID's
2008-02-13 19:14:00 Pimping yourself out online is one way to capitalize on your assets. There are web sites that cater to women with those aspirations. One such site recently landed itself in legal difficulties.A German woman made use of the site to auction herself off to six men, each of whom bid to have sex with her. Between April and May of 2007, she had sex with the six men in encounters that news reports describe as 'anonymous'.Anonymous sex is an odd concept. In the case of the German woman, there is no mention of any type of masking, so we are left to assume that they were full frontal encounters with guys she knew only by their screen names.After the encounters, the woman discovered she was pregnant and now wants disclosure of the men's identities. A Stuttgart court has upheld her demand, claiming that she has the right to know the identity of the father-to-be. The court ruled that the web site must release the personal information of each of the men who slept with the woman.When the men to... More About: Demands , Auction , Pregnant , Customers , Online
Conrad Black : Judge Refuses to Extend Bail
2008-02-12 23:11:00 Conrad Black who was sentenced to 6 1/2 years for fraud and obstruction, has been trying to obtain a bail extension.Many common criminals go directly to the clink. Black, being an "uncommon" criminal, is able to employ teams of lawyers capable of turning heel-dragging into a virtual art form.Judge Amy St Eve refused the request by Black and two co-defendants to remain on the loose until June 15. They are required to report to prison on the previously arranged date of March 3.True-to-form, Black is going to appeal.I've no idea what he and his team hope to achieve by appealing, because the evidence speaks for itself. The sentence was actually pretty lenient when you consider the obstruction end of it.Black, who isn't famous for manual labor, hauled 13 boxes out of 10 Toronto Street. He pulled off the 'heist' in direct contravention of orders that forbade removal of any boxes 'soever, and he did it while under investigation by the SEC. Video footage of Black and associates scannin... More About: Conrad , Conrad Black
Private Elba
2008-02-12 23:10:00 Tags: Conrad Black, Colemen Correctional Complex" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Private , Elba
Conrad Black : Bail Extension Denied
2008-02-12 13:54:00 Conrad Black who was sentenced to 6 1/2 years for fraud and obstruction, has been attempting to obstruct efforts to get him into lock-up by March 3.Many common criminals go directly to the clink. Black, being uncommon, is able to employ a team of lawyers capable of turning heel-dragging into a virtual art.Didn't help this time around. Judge Amy St Eve refused the request by Black and two co-defendants to remain on the loose until June 15, rather than report to prison on the previously arranged date of March 3.True-to-form, Black is going to appeal.I've no idea what he and his team hope to achieve, because the evidence speaks for itself. The sentence was actually pretty lenient when you consider the obstruction end of it.Black, who isn't famous for manual labor, was videotaped hauling 13 boxes out of his offices at 10 Toronto Street. He pulled off the 'heist' in direct contravention of orders that forbade removal of any boxes 'soever, and he did it while under investigation by ... More About: Extension , Conrad , Conrad Black
Barack Obama : Breaking on Through
2008-02-12 07:15:00 The latest polls have Obama out front with roughly a 20% lead over Clinton in Maryland and Virginia respectively.Looks as though Hillary's gender edge is eroding badly in both states. Females are favoring Obama by a solid margin. In Maryland, Obama leads Clinton among women 54% to 40% and in Virginia he's out in front 53% to 40%.Obama's clean sweep of the weekend's caucuses and primaries, was passed off by Clinton as evidence that the caucus system favors "activists". She put the win in Louisiana down to an energized African-American vote.She's definitely in trouble. The recent losses won't exactly fire up her supporters in Texas and it might have the effect of tightening the purse strings. Who wants to put out cash on what is increasingly looking like a campaign in the early stages of a downhill slide.Guess she's going to have to take the man she patronized as "inexperienced" and a mere community activist more seriously now, because he's right on her patrician tail.Feminis... More About: Barack Obama , Barack , Breaking
Superstar Steve and the Ottawa Harperettes
2008-02-11 12:47:00 Has power gone to Stephen Harper's head - or perhaps "hairdo" might be the better term? Pictures in the papers lately make the PM appear kind of smug. At times he appears to be gloating. The nearest analogy might be the Cheshire cat.His look never changes. The squarehead hairdo is still his defining feature. You wonder if maybe his stylist has been trying for a sort of neo-Prussian look. With the addition of a little hard gel, I've no doubt the Harper 'helmet' could have deflected WW1 machine gun fire.The Toronto Star had an interesting article on Saturday of this week titled "The Cult of Harper" by Susan Delacourt. It's well worth the read. Ms Delacourt writes that Harper is known to be "scripted, aloof and unknowable". This sounds almost guru-like, and indeed Harper seems to be affecting strange airs that suggest he has acquired a wire about himself. Perhaps this is what gives the impression of self-inflation. I think "puffed up" is the colloquial term - or "full of it" as my... More About: Steve , Superstar , Ottawa
Meet Me in the Dungeon
2008-02-11 11:40:00 Tags: Stephen Harper, Canada, Tories, Canadian government" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Meet
Superstar Stevie and the Ottawa Harperettes
2008-02-11 04:34:00 Has power gone to Stephen Harper's head - or perhaps "hairdo" might be the better term? Pictures in the papers lately make the PM appear kind of smug. At times he appears to be gloating. The nearest analogy might be the Cheshire cat.His look never changes. The squarehead hairdo is still his defining feature. You wonder if maybe his stylist has been trying for a sort of neo-Prussian look. With the addition of a little hard gel, I've no doubt the Harper 'helmet' could have deflected WW1 machine gun fire.The Toronto Star had an interesting article on Saturday of this week titled "The Cult of Harper" by Susan Delacourt. It's well worth the read. Ms Delacourt writes that Harper is known to be "scripted, aloof and unknowable". This sounds almost guru-like, and indeed Harper seems to be affecting strange airs that suggest he has acquired a wire about himself. Perhaps this is what gives the impression of self-inflation. I think "puffed up" is the colloquial term - or "full of it" as my... More About: Superstar , Ottawa
Archbishop Rowan Williams Backs Sharia Law in the UK
2008-02-09 09:19:00 Rowan Williams , the Archbishop of Canterbury, has come out in support of the introduction of sharia law in the UK. He claims that adopting aspects of sharia appears "unavoidable".Williams contends that since some Muslims don't relate to the British legal system, giving recognition to sharia would help to achieve 'social cohesion'.This shouldn't be a surprise coming from Williams. If any Archbishop of Canterbury of recent years fits the Monty Python mold it is Rowan Williams. He comes across as an eccentric and intellectually detached individual, who bends over backwards to be accommodating if he decides it's the 'Christian thing to do'.In this case it is absolutely the wrong thing to do.When Muslims made the decision to emigrate to the UK, they were fully aware that they were going to be making a new life in a Western nation where law, developed through parliament and the courts, reflects the secular and progressive tendencies of the society at large. When they become citizen... More About: Sharia , Rowan Williams , Rowan , Sharia Law
Scientology and the Occult : Fact from Fiction
2008-02-07 08:24:00 People who don't take the trouble to become informed about Scientology , easily buy into the negative caricature being put out by its detractors. Accusations that Scientology is "evil" and "Nazi-like" have been appearing a lot lately on the net. Characterization along these lines is often the fate of those who promote a path that is non-traditional, especially if there is any connection with that overworked tabloid term - "the occult".The recent unauthorized biography of Tom Cruise by British writer, Andrew Morton, is an example of what happens when reality blurs into fantasy as a result of incomplete knowledge and a shortage of facts.Back in the Middle Ages, witches and others affiliated with the 'old religion' were targeted by the superstitious. The accusers abandoned rationality in a headlong descent into fear and malicious invention. A similar type of hysteria is being whipped up today on the internet by some of the enemies of Scientology.The detractors are employing a mode o... More About: Fiction , Fact , Occult
The Danger of Viral Superstitions
2008-02-07 08:20:00 " title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Viral , Danger , Superstitions
An Alpha Male Jesus
2008-02-06 11:58:00 (Revised and updated )Guns aren't evil in and of themselves. Most of our neighbors in this neck-of- the-woods are gun owners. Great guys. The world being the way it is these days any nation that wants to play in the big leagues needs the big guns. Unfortunate though it may be, sometimes confrontation is unavoidable.What gets to me though is the way Christians, especially of the evangelical persuasion, bring Jesus into their war plans as a sort of heavenly Commander-in-Chief. Why do they imagine Jesus would want to have anything to do with waging war?I'm not a believer, but from what I know of the historical Jesus (assuming there was one) - he wasn't the type of guy who gave high fives and waved the flag in order to hype any type of crusade.The crusaders marched under a red cross that became a symbol of power to their enemies. That cross wasn't the Golgotha cross, it was the cross of Christian triumphalism. Jesus wasn't into triumphing over his enemies. He was into turning the o... More About: Alpha , Male , Alpha Male
Pope Benedict : Playing Politics in Spain
2008-02-05 02:38:00 Pope Benedict continues to show a willingness to become embroiled in the political affairs of European nations through the agency of his emissaries. Of late, the Vatican has shown little reservation about becoming directly involved in the Spanish electoral process.At the recent Spanish Bishop's Conference, a statement was released that is a clear attempt to influence the electorate - "not all programs are equally compatible with the faith and Christian demands in life".Many in Spain interpret this as coded instructions-from-on-high not to vote for parties that support gay marriage or that negotiate with Basque terrorists.Spain's ambassador to the Vatican, Francisco Vazquez, expressed "perplexity and surprise" at the statement issued by the Bishop's Conference, and made his objections known in a meeting with Vatican officials.A large part of this clerical activism is a response to the pro-gay marriage vote. In 2005 the Zapatero government introduced full gay marriage rights, much ... More About: Politics , Pope , Pope Benedict
The Vatican Empire
2008-02-05 02:30:00 " title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Vatican , Empire , The Vatican
Barrack Obama Closing in on Clinton
2008-02-03 13:57:00 Barack Obama is closing the gap on Hillary Clinton . Last week polls gave Clinton an 11 point lead. Now only 4 points divide them according to the latest polling.Obama, who recently received the backing of Ted Kennedy, was endorsed this week by MoveOn-Org - the public policy advocacy group that has pretty much become the focal point for anti-war activists across the country. California's service union with some 600,000 members has also thrown its support behind Obama.Despite the importance of foreign policy issues, in particular the war, domestic concerns are increasingly important to Americans - especially in the light of the recent uncertainties on the economic front.Health coverage is a major issue for many. The Obama campaign recently sent out 2 million mailers that provide detailed information about his plan to introduce universal health care.The tone between the Clinton and Obama camps has become more civil. This will help Clinton more than it will Obama, because frankly Clint... More About: Barrack Obama , Linton
Is "Canadian" the New "N" Word?
More articles from this author:2008-02-02 09:49:00 Racists can't use the "N" word as freely as they used to without attracting negative attention. It seems that they now have a new code word for the infamous "N" word ... and that word would be "Canadian ".In some parts of the States, Canada is viewed as a sort of socialist twilight zone where weed, hockey and beer form the chief pastimes. Canada is a place where it always snows and where the residents live in iglooesque houses when not driving dog sleds through the tundra, bellowing "Land of the Silver Birch" and quaffing a Labatt Blue.Canadians are associated with beavers of various sorts, government handouts, and oh yeah ... we also say "eh" compulsively for no particular reason. Needless to say, we all have at least one lumberjack or Mountie in the family.The detractors mock Canadian money as 'Monopoly-like' and generally believe all things Canadian are worthy of contempt.News that the word "Canadian" is being used in place of the "N" word, is based on more than just anecdotal ... More About: Word 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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