TumericaTumericaProgressive politics, personal poetry, food fanatacism, and beauty natterings. Freshly baked, original content. Articles
Obama?Bloomberg Ticket: How Exciting Is That?
2008-03-27 16:28:00 Very exciting. To me, anyway. Clinton's continued participation in the race at this point is just to drive the media story. We've all seen it happen, say, in the build-up to the Olympics. The media finds two opposing characters, develops a story, and milks it for all it's worth to drive ratings. Voila! Excitement. If Clinton's candidacy does drive more apathetic voters to the polls, then that's a positive outcome, so I'm not sweating it. When I hear even people I love drone on about Hillary's latest foible ("I ducked for sniper fire in Bosnia?NOT!"), though, I have to stifle my yawns. Obama 's delegate lead and following is insurmountable and has been for some time.So let's move the discussion to something more productive: who might the next president choose for his running mate? How fun to consider the possibilities. A friend of mine who has friends volunteering for the Obama campaign swears that at one time Kerry was considered (that was the inside scoop). Now, I love John... More About: Bloomberg , Ticket
Let the 2008 Summer Olympics Begin with Protests
2008-03-24 16:37:00 Photo at right: Chinese riot police marching in Tibet's Shangri-la · 99 Tibetan protesters slaughtered (that is, unarmed protesters) by the Chinese government, who has only recently raised its official death toll for the protests to 22 · Pro-Tibet activists arrested in Greece in the flame-lighting ceremony there, where they face criminal prosecution · Chinese government announced U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who met with the Dalai Lama recently, is "habitually bad tempered," and proceeded to try to discredit her · The Chinese government's propaganda newspaper, The People?s Daily (think Fox News for China ) accused, "The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence." If the last accusation is true, then more power to Tibet. Sure, I?d hate a boycott of the Summer Olympics, but to help free the Tibetan people from their five decades of Chinese tyranny? I say, bring it on. Ex... More About: World Politics , Progressive Politics
Iraquagmire: The Endless Juggernaut Five Years Later
2008-03-19 20:37:00 (At Left: Orphans left to starve in Iraq)You know me--I never copy—“all-original content,” and all that. Today, the fifth anniversary of one of the most atrocious, wrong-headed acts in history, the war against Iraq, I simply cannot remain silent. And I could dredge up my on versions of these numbers, but, b'gosh, Give-'Em-Hell-Harry Reid and his staff have put it all together perfectly. Here is the ugly, raw truth. History that is well-understood will not be repeated.—TumericaThe Cost to Our Forces in Iraq 3,990: American troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the war. [icasualties.org, 3/17/08] 29,395: Number of U.S. service members that have been wounded in hostile action since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq. [AP, 3/11/08] 60,000: Number of troops that have been subjected to controversial stop-loss measures--meaning those who have completed service commitments but are forbidden to leave the military until their units return from war. [US News ... More About: Years , Endless
Bear Stearns Bearish, Baring Bare Backside of Unbearable Heaviness of Beari
2008-03-17 17:18:00 Here's what the Federal Reserve had to decide over the weekend: Let the U.S. markets go into a free fall, like the demoed twin towers of the World Trade Center (and WTC7), or lend ginormous sums of money—that it does not possess because of the $225 Million U.S. per day expense of the war against Iraq—to keep Bear Stearns afloat on the ice floe that's melting due to global warming. (Did I include every deadly sin of the current administration in one question? Nah—I left out illegal spying on private citizens and the overall destruction of the U.S. Constitution. Oh, yeah, and failure to rescue the people of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.) So the Fed opts to loan $30 Billion of credit dollars—not available dollars—to JP Morgan so it can acquire Bear Stearns, so it can avoid sinking into the already gurgling slushy waters of the U.S.-led world economy impending disaster.This reminds me of the brave little Dutch tyke who stuck his finger in the dike to prevent a deluge... More About: Bearish , Bare , Backside
U.S. Still Waltzing with Idea of Attacking Iran: Fallon the Next Obstacle C
2008-03-12 01:43:00 Sure, Bush has been jonesing to attack Iran , since about the time he got away with the illegal war against Iraq without any dire consequences (to himself, that is--$275 Million U.S. per day to fund the illegal war is dire enough; more than 80,000 Iraqi casualties is dire enough; almost 4,000 American casualties is dire enough too). Bush got away with it. He got away with 9/11, whatever his role in that was, and certainly, he put up with the planning of it, at the very least. Drunk on this string of successes, his own hubris ("I talk to God" and the downfall of the "It's just another goddamned piece of paper" U.S. Constitution), and his then ample poll numbers, buoyed by support or lack of spine on the part of Congress, well, his wildest Neo-Con dreams could come true. "Total hegemony in the Middle East?!? Golly Gee, Laura, we might could pull that one off too!"So attack Iran? Well, it ain't Iraq. Iran has 425,000 armed forces, 125,000 Islamic guards, and up to 11 million homegrown... More About: Idea
Misogyny by Any Other Name: No, Charlotte Allen, Women Aren't Dim, It's Rea
2008-03-07 20:38:00 Charlotte Allen , pictured at left, a contributing writer to such well-read publications as the Washington Post, the Dallas News, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, finds herself in the middle of a conflagration caused by her own writing. The topic? Her analysis of female Obamaniacs and how the seeming mental dimness of groupie behavior leads her to conclude women, ?. . . could shriek and swoon and gossip and read chick lit to our hearts' content and not mind the fact that way down deep, we are . . . kind of dim.? (From the Washington Post article published Sunday, Mar. 3, entitled, ?We Scream, We Swoon. How Dumb Can We Get??)Allen has published articles defending the sexist comments of the previous Harvard University President, Lawrence Summers, when he referred to what he presumed to be mathematical deficiencies in the minds of the female sex by way of explaining why so few women choose academia in the sciences. Summers later stepped down over his views. Allen, however, continu... More About: Women , Feminism , Charlotte
Do You Know the Ricin Man? The Ricin Man, the Ricin Man . . .
2008-03-04 20:02:00 . . . Do you know the Ricin man,Who lives in a Utah hospital now?Here's what we know about the Ricin Man?and it's admittedly not much:Name: Roger Von BergendorffHometown: Riverton, Utah, but moved to Las Vegas one year agoPersonality: Described by a neighbor as a ?Loner, socially regressive?Found among Ricin Man?s belongings: Several vials (I almost wrote "viles") of ricin?a chemical so deadly, a dot of it the size of the head of a pin is enough to kill a normal-sized human. The amount Ricin Man carried was enough to kill a small town. Also found were "firearms and a book on anarchy, tabbed to a page on ricin." How the Ricin Man Got Outed: His cousin and friend, Thomas Tholen, turned over the offending substance after discovering it when he went to clear away Ricin Man?s things (after being hospitalized for exposure). Mr. Tholen has been forthcoming in reporting what he knows about Ricin man. Why Ricin Rings a Bell: Not to be confused with sarin, the toxic substance that... More About: Terrorism
Mini-Tuesday: Clinton Takes Texas; Obama Overpowers Ohio
2008-03-04 18:50:00 Predictions, anyone? Hillary takes Texas (Annie, get yo' gun, girl!) and Barack takes Ohio back from the Repugs. Thus leaving the contest oh-so-much-more complicated. [sigh]My friend Lemming Herder reports that, sadly, there is still some active racism in Texas. I told him I am grateful to live in a state where racism has to keep its ugly head hidden. State-wide in California, we are 1/3 Latino, but the percentage is much higher here in Southern California--and we like it that way. We also have a huge chunk of Asian and German--of all ethnicities, so the mix makes it fun and flavorful for all--at least that's the way I see it. If you are gonna be racist here, you are gonna get your block knocked off and be ostracized to boot. Social humiliation is the best normalizer--works great in Japan, I noticed.Still, it's hard to believe that someone--anyone--would choose either Barack or Hillary based solely on their ethnicity or sex (or not choose them for same). I'd like to pretend rac... More About: Obama , Mini , Clinton
Tumerica Dishes on Oscar Dresses, 2008
2008-02-25 22:23:00 Best Dressed and Worst: the Good, the Bad, and the UglyLike those Americans who watch the Superbowl in order to check out the extravagant or whacked out commercials (you know who I'm talking about), I admit to watching the Academy Awards either partly or wholly to check out the fashions--or lack thereof (honestly, the only movie I've seen was Ratatouille--which I adored). I get a naughty thrill when someone like George Clooney?s girlfriend wears a particularly dreadful dress (which she did), or when Anne Hathaway takes home the Tumerica Prize for Best Dress and Best Overall Look--which she did. This is all in fun and does my heart good to avoid facing the cosmic chaos of impending doom in the Middle East and in the environment for a while. So what did you think about these looks?Most DeliciousAnne HathawaySpectacular dress, regal and breath-taking. Loved everything about her look. The fabulous Harry Winston bling, the porcelain goddess skin. Fabulous. Could there be a more beauti... More About: Dresses , Oscar , Dishes , 2008
Other Countries Know What We Know: 9/11 an Inside Job
2008-02-25 17:27:00 JapanAt the National Diet of Japan on January 10, 2008, Councilor Yukihisa Fujita of Democratic Party of Japan questioned 9/11. This is a BIG NEWS yet Japanese MSM--and naturally the U.S. media as well--absolutely ignored it. PLEASE make sure to watch it to the VERY END of it. This clip is where Fjita points out innacuracies and impossibilities in the MSM story as related to the WTC Building 7's collapse.ItalyIn April 2007, Italian TV broadcasted a definite proof that Building 7 was demolished by explosives. For the rest of the series, go to luogocomune.net. This is a BIG NEWS yet the U.S. media, once again, absolutely ignored it. PLEASE make sure to watch it to the VERY END of it. This clip is where Fjita points out innacuracies and impossibilities in the MSM story as related to the WTC Building 7's collapse. More About: Countries , Inside , Inside Job
How to Teach Preschool Kids Where Babies Come from
2008-02-22 19:31:00 At some point, your preschooler is going to ask how animals or people make babies. This is a normal expression of curiosity. You have to say something. You want your information to be accurate, but no reason to give too much detail, right? What is appropriate for a preschooler to know? What language should you use? How do you handle your emotions during this tricky discussion? First of all, most children are interested in "reproduction," as opposed to "sex." How do creatures make more babies? This is the level on which to keep the topic. Reproduction. "The talk" can wait until later in their lives. But for now, where do babies come from? Read on to learn how to teach preschool children where babies come from.Wrap Your Mind around the IdeaFirst, to put this in perspective, imagine if you were completely new to a topic and knew nothing. You'd want some basic information about it?an overview. You wouldn't have any preconceived ideas or emotions tied up in a topic about which you knew... More About: Kids , Babies
87-year-old WWII Vet Hospitalized: My Dad the Bombardier
2008-02-18 23:18:00 A sad thing happened in my family over the weekend. My 87-year-old father was checked in to the hospital on Saturday. Turns out he has congestive heart failure, apparently in the early stages. He is in one of the state-of-the-art VA hospitals, luckily, in western North Carolina. Anyway, Dad is quite out of it. When I spoke to him a little while ago, we laughed and joked about Jaclyn, his grand daughter, but when I asked him how he did sleeping in the hospital, we was all, "What hospital?" He's disoriented and confused. He doesn't understand that he has a serious illness and keeps trying to go home. I would not want to be his nurse! Tomorrow he'll get an echocardiogram to check his heart to see how it is and to know what medications to give. If all goes well, he'll get to go home soon. If not, well, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, say a little prayer or send out good thoughts for him.He was a hero in WWII and was a bomber pilot (a bombardier) in the South Pacific. He continued ... More About: Personal , Year
Parade's Top Ten World's Worst Dictators: Where's Bush?
2008-02-18 17:21:00 Here's the list of Parade Magazine's Top Ten World's Worst Dictators : Kim Jong-ilCountry: North Korea Omar Al-BashirCountry: Sudan Sayyid Ali KhameneiCountry: Iran Than ShweCountry: Burma (Myanmar) King AbdullahCountry: Saudi Arabia Hu JintaoCountry: China Robert MugabeCountry: Zimbabwe Pervez MusharrafCountry: Pakistan Islam KarimovCountry: Uzbekistan Isayas AfewerkiCountry: Eritrea But where, may I ask, is George W. Bush ? Why do I think he's one of the world's worst dictators?First, what is a dictator?Dictator, noun, A person granted absolute emergency power, one holding complete autocratic control, or, one ruling absolutely and often oppressivelyAbsolute emergency power: National Security Presidential Directive NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive HSPD-20 give the President the powers to declare martial law in the event of an emergency, the definition of which is, naturally, completely up to the President, or whomever else might be in charge at th... More About: World Politics , Anti-War , Progressive Politics
Flu Shots: Illness Inhibitor or Shameless Scam?
2008-02-15 20:08:00 How many times have you been asked, "Have you gotten your flu shot yet?" Did you start to feel left out or even stupidly out of touch for not wanting to get a flu shot? Maybe you hate needles, or have been concerned about what goes into the shots. Maybe you have even questioned whether the whole flu shot thing is necessary. After all, annual flu shots are mostly U.S.-centric (with some distribution in the UK) and a product of the last 10 years or so (flu shots have been available for decades, but only recently become so readily available and so, well, promoted). Are the shots really necessary? And what's up with all the scare tactics and hype? I naturally get suspicious when I hear hype (except for coming attractions?I expect movies to be hyped?remember "Snakes on a Plane"?). So in an effort to learn more about the history and workings behind the flu shot phenomenon, here is a short course on what I found out. Part I. What's In a Flu Shot? Nothing that sounds even remotely good,... More About: Health , Medical , Shots , Scam , Illness
Both Late and Sorry: Australia Apolgizes to Her Native Peoples
2008-02-13 01:51:00 The Christian Science Monitor announced,Australia to apologize to Aborigines for injustice: how helpful?The "how helpful?" part makes me crazy. In the early 20th century, Based on the premise that "full-blood" Aborigines were a race headed for extinction, up to 100,000 mixed-race children were taken from their parents between 1910 and 1970. The children, some of them babies, were often snatched from sobbing mothers by policemen or government officials. Homes were torn apart. Children were wrenched from their families and put into foster care by strangers. Short of actually committing genocide, the cruelty the aboriginal families suffered is hard to imagine. And the writer of the article above questions whether a public apology would be helpful. Well, if you mean, as in fixing the cruelty, increasing the life expectancy of the native population, improving their poverty and living conditions, then, no, an apology would not be helpful like that directly.But indirectly, an apology is ... More About: Women , Issues , World Cultures , Late
Sneer?meister Cheney Defends Waterboarding Torture: Let's Torture Him Inste
2008-02-08 00:34:00 Sure, it's Illegal to perform waterboarding on a victim in the USA, but okay if you are part of the CIA Anti-terrorism program. Seasoned professionals only, we are assured, are allowed to administer the simulated drowning torture. (Now just how did those professionals get their training? On monkeys? On each other?)Sneer-meister Cheney defends the treatment, admittedly used against the "mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks," Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Cheney? Hello? We know YOU masterminded the attacks and we all know that you were not subjected to this torture that you refuse to even name, instead referring to it as "?a tougher program, for tougher customers.? Ewww.Now back to Khalid, who confessed to masterminding 9/11 "from soup to nuts," to paraphrase, was probably in bed with Cheney and the Neo-cons with the whole operation. He placed the explosives that brought down the towers. He helped the Bin Laden family escape, etc. Not in the way most of us would imagine m... More About: Torture , Waterboarding
Who's Your Daddy?or Mama? Super-Tuesday Prognostications
2008-02-05 18:43:00 California?Obama [Note: Tumerica was wrong. Hillary whooped up in our fine, sunny state.] (Sorry! I predict only for my team. Repugs will have to name their own. Probably McCain taking them all, but who cares?) Hillary will win in some regions, but overall, ObamaIllinois?Obama [Tumerica was right.] (Big surprise that Obama would capture his own state)New York?Hillary [Tumerica was right.] (Ditto for Hillary. I know, she's from Arkansas. Where you are a senator counts.)Arizona?Hillary [Tumerica was right.] (Not sure about this, actually. Arizona is hard to predict.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Con gratulation to Hillary for a fine showing on the breakthrough states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California. Obama won more quantity of states but Hillary won more quality states, e.g., highly populated, significant states. In any event, with the delegate score at 540 for Clinton and 539 for Obama, this sporting event is fun to watch. More About: Daddy , Super , Mama , Tuesday , Super Tuesday
U.S. Presidential Election 2008: Name Your Dynamic Duo for the Democratic T
2008-02-01 00:42:00 Match-up What Ifs . . .Clinton?Edwards (Good, right, works for me. Two super-smart Southerners.)Clinton?Obama (Don't think this is gonna happen, no-how?a Scorpio and a Leo serving together? Sheesh! One stings; the other bites.)Clinton?Kerry (Don't mind if I do. Always was fond of Kerry.)Clinton?Bloomberg (Actually, I could see this happening and it might be just what the doctor ordered. New York, New York . . .)Obama?Kerry (I hear it through the grapevine that this is actually under consideration. I like it.)Obama?Edwards (Obama would do well to pick Edwards)Obama?Bloomberg (Don't think so, but ambition can make strange bedfellows) And as a surprise, how about Al "Nobel Peace Prize" Gore in the mix? Hard to imagine, but weirder things have happened. I picture Gore as being more as head of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Secretary of the Interior, although, truth be told, he?d do better for the world to be on an international rat... More About: Presidential , Democratic , Presidential Election 2008 , Election , Progressive Politics
935 Baldfaced Lies Led the U.S. to an Iraqattack and Iraquagmire
2008-01-23 17:11:00 No one is surprised, least of all me, but why is this announcement not a huge, whopping call to impeachment? ?President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.? More About: Lies , Atta
How about a Clinton?Edwards Ticket?
2008-01-22 20:15:00 Don't know how you feel, but the Obama and Clinton slugfest has left me cold. And with a tinny taste in my mouth for a candidate I formerly respected. As Obama fights meaner, my heart closes tighter against him. Making fun of Hillary in front of a live audience? Poor form and amateurish.And yeah, I've been known to spout off a word or two about why Hillary has resoundingly kept silent on the Iraq occupation, which still pisses me off, but when the vote went down on whether to attack Iraq back in 2003, Obama was nowhere to be seen (not even a state senator at that point). When Obama taunts Hillary because she voted for the Iraqattack, he comes across as a hypocrite. At least Edwards had the courageous conviction to say, "Yes, I voted for it, I was wrong, and I am sorry."Now word on the streets is that Hillary and Edwards met in private for 20 minutes just after the debates last night. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is a Clinton?Edwards ticket. This speculation makes ... More About: Progressive Politics , Election 2008 , Ticket
As of Today, Jan. 21, 2008?One Year Left of the Monster-in-Chief
2008-01-21 17:50:00 Only 365 days left of the Evil Empire! Whoo-hoo! No more orchestrated synthetic terror events (9/11 and anthrax attacks). No more excuses for the illegal war against Iraq (the successor will have to suck it up and do something about the Iraquagmire). No more hideously mangled English. No more monster puppet-master Darth Vader Cheney. Hurray! More About: Chief , Today , Progressive Politics , Left , Monster
Looks Like Hillary Clinton Captured Michigan Vote
2008-01-16 04:52:00 Hillary has taken New Hampshire, and now Michigan , so will a momentum build up that could carry her through? (Oops?she was the only Dem on the ballot?the logic of which escapes me.) Will Obama pull it off? I predict he'll carry California anyway, which seems to forge ahead with the new flava however it may taste. Could Edwards pull out ahead? Who knows at this point. Just give me a Democrat, any one will do. I'll probably vote for Hillary but I'm not sure?I've got the paper ballot now, awaiting my vote (permanent absentee status is the only way to go!). I like all three of the top Democratic candidates. Sure is more fun than following Republican scandals and the abysmal state of the Earth right now?plagues and rumors of plagues. Just a brief bit of hope is all I ask. More About: Hillary Clinton , Vote , Progressive Politics , Clinton
Bush as Sacrificial Goat to Greater Neo-con Push in Middle East?
2008-01-09 18:38:00 What if, just entertain a what if . . . Bush 's weeklong trip to the Middle East , is not actually a "peace-keeping mission," but a sacrificial mission? If Bush happened to be assassinated during this trip--the sudden violent demise of an American icon would serve much the same purpose as the demolition of the World Trade Center towers. With the rallying cries of "slay the evildoers," and "more power to the U.S. government," a full-on police state and martial law might be enforced with nary a whimper. With National Security Presidential Directive / NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive / HSPD-20, in place since May 9, 2007, the acting president, who would then be Cheney, would [deep shudder] take over all powers and assume a dictatorship mantle. This in response to the “national catastrophe” the assassination would represent. (NSPD 51 gives sweeping powers to the Executive Branch in the event of a national catastrophe, powers overwhelmingly beyond the scope of the... More About: Push
Bhutto Falls by the Pat Tillman Effect: You'll Wonder Where Your Hero Went
2008-01-01 17:19:00 Pakistan?s Pervez Musharraf had plans to fix the upcoming election. Bhutto was scheduled to reveal this choice morsel of evil truth when she got assassinated. Bhutto had been due to meet U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., to hand over a report charging that the military Inter-Services Intelligence agency was planning to fix the polls in the favor of President Pervez Musharraf. The same thing happened to Pat Tillman : he planned to meet with anti-war activist and brilliant mind, Noam Chomsky, to reveal the real dirty insider's scoop on the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. Then, Tillman was assassinated. This "Pat Tillman Effect " happens in places like, oh, Russia, all the time. Remember the death-by-polonium spy poisoning? Probably only made the news because it was a novel way of accomplishing the task.Makes me wonder, what John F. Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe were fixin' to do when they were removed from the realm of the living? I don't like the wa... More About: Hero , Falls
Top 25 Media Neglected Stories of 2007: Project Censored Lays It out Straig
2007-12-31 01:25:00 From Project Censored, which annually documents the top 25 censored or underreported news stories, and sponsors a Media Accountability Conference each year at Sonoma State University, comes this new list of censored stories for 2007 (titled, Censored 2008).Which one pisses you off the most?No Habeas Corpus for ?Any Person?Bush Moves Toward Martial LawAFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa?s ResourcesFrenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in IraqOperation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) RaidsBehind Blackwater Inc.KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of IndiaPrivatization of America?s InfrastructureVulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations? Debt Relief The Scam of ?Reconstruction? in AfghanistanAnother Massacre in Haiti by UN TroopsImmigrant Roundups to Gain Cheap Labor for US Corporate GiantsImpunity for US War CriminalsToxic Exposure Can Be Transmitted to Future Generations on a ?Second Genetic Code?No Hard Evidence Connecting ... More About: Stories , Lays
Benazir Bhutto: We Loved You and Will Miss You
2007-12-27 17:23:00 When I read the headline, I shouted "No, no, no" at the computer. Why of all people? Why my beloved Benazir Bhutto ? Why? What an unusual, and brave, and lovely woman. How strong. How determined. It's just wrong and I am angry and sad.Benazir Bhutto , apparently killed today in a suicide bombing attack. More About: Miss , Miss You
C'mom, Car-makers, Make Me Want an Alternative Energy Car
2007-12-19 16:06:00 One way to make alternative energy automobiles is the hard way?from the ground up. Pay for the bold exploration of uncharted energy territory, the research, the extreme engineering, the crash-testing, the production. Whew. And if you have a few bucks left, after all those millions of dollars (and all those years along the way)?before even selling a single car?spend it on marketing said car. Hey, it's alternative energy?lots of folks will want your car anyway, right?Or, here's another idea. Take a regular, gasoline-powered car that's already designed, approved, beloved by many, and on the streets. Remove the engine from that car and?because you specialize in battery power?insert your state-of-the-art electric-propulsion engine into that car's shell. Voila! You have an instant hybrid Mini Cooper, Chrysler Crossfire, PT Cruiser, Smart Car?or what-have-you?that's ready to roll, for little money per mile and little wasted expense on the research. This is exactly what Hybrid Technolo... More About: Energy , Alternative , Alternative Energy , Make , Makers
Mall Rampage Killer Leaves eight Dead, Another Kills Four in Colorado Churc
2007-12-06 19:17:00 Why isn't the sudden rampage killing of eight innocent people and one guilty gunman in Nebraska a bigger deal? Or what about the four murdered by a gunman in Colorado over the weekend? Why aren't more questions asked, more resources devoted to the study of domestic terrorism by the criminally insane? Are U.S citizens not admitting to the partial responsibility for these incidents? I'm still thinking about the Cho Seung-Hui shooting incidents that happened only this past April (April 16?my best friend's birthday?how can I forget?) at Virginia Tech. Columbine, and other such rampage killings come to mind. The Virginia Tech shootings left me so baffled and disturbed, I had to write about them and study the phenomenon of random, premeditated murders. Who does them? Is it mostly Americans or does it happen as often elsewhere? I know I can never begin to understand why, but here's an enlightening chart I put together about who/what/where . . .Mass murders perpetrated by rampage kill... More About: Killer , Dead , Mall , Rampage
Middle Eastern Countries: Barbaric or Civilized?
More articles from this author:2007-11-29 18:13:00 My dear girlfriend wrote me, angry about a woman in Saudi Arabia who has been sentenced to an extreme punishment after having been gang-raped. Yes?the victim of a horrible crime was herself punished for the ?crime? of being alone with a man just prior to the gang-rape (the case is currently under review). Hello?!? Of course it's these sorts of insane outcomes (such as ?honor killings?) that give Middle Eastern countries a barbaric reputation in the West.But first of all, there are many countries that make up the Middle East, each with different styles of government, with different levels of women's rights, and with varying flavors of secularity versus religiosity in control. Is it fair for well-educated, even well-meaning Westerners to lump these 19 countries (subject to debate?is Turkey a Middle Eastern country? Egypt? Algeria?) together.Ever since September 11, 2001, I've been exposing myself to more information about Middle Eastern cultures and governments?bit by bit, because... More About: Women , Issues , World Politics , World Cultures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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