A recent review of saved documents on my computer has given me a few forgotten gems. The following article I wrote just after Barack Obama took office. It’s an interesting piece that has since been proven right. I have not altered it and is a straight copy from my computer.
I am a supporter of most of Barack Obama’s policies and believe that he was the best choice of all who wanted to be US President dating back to the primaries. However a number of issues relating to his policies have irked me into a response. Obama’s careful play of words have led some media outlets and people to have a misconstrued belief in Obama’s aims.
The first issue is related to his military policies. Obama has been portrayed as peaceful, non-militaristic idealist and has even been called a left wing communist by some media outlets. These claims though are slightly askew of the truth. Obama is not against the military, in fact to the contrary he hopes to expand it. In his campaign promises stated that he wants to increase the size of the UA army, marine corps and special forces. He is also going to change tact with Iran which is quite aggressive. Like Bushes statement you are either with us or with the terrorists Obama has stated that he will talk with Iran and offer them some incentives not to continue their nuclear programme or face political isolation and economic restrictions. Which will escalate as time goes by.
Another big issue that Obama has been praised for is his expected closure of Guantanamo Bay detention centre, a promise he is fulfilling as I write this because a draft proposal has been written up. Obama is closing Guantanamo Bay but Guantanamo is a lot better compared to other detention centres the US operate. One in particular is Bagram Theatre Internment Facility which has nearly double the detainees of Guantanamo. Not only this but the conditions the detainees suffer are far worse than those suffered in Cuba. Captives are called ‘unlawful enemy combatants’ not ‘prisoners of war‘ hence the detainees do not have the same rights as POWs. Many former detainees have stated that the conditions in Bagram are far worse than that suffered in Guantanamo.
I must stress that I am a supporter of Obama and that this piece is not against Obama but its purpose is to highlight some facts that I have found to have been overlooked by many people.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Thesis with a bite
At every opportunity in the last four years my political essays have skimmed the subject of the petrodollar and US-OPEC relations. I’ve been waiting patiently for the chance to jump in head first and take a real crack at it. Now is the time, with my thesis proposal approved (to a degree), my opportunity has come, I hope it is a good one.
Petrodollar????? Conspiracy or not:
Firstly it is not a “conspiracy theory” like the ones about Project Serpo or even the more grounded (as in more to this earth rather than possibly true) ones such as New World Order. No this a theory like all other theories that exist and can therefore be proved with some good research as all the information needed is available.
To start with: What is the petrodollar? Briefly, it is the currency, US dollar, that all oil trade is conducted in. Meaning if you are France and want to buy oil you need to pay in US dollars. This makes the US dollar the reserve currency of the world.
Now OPEC, well this organisation is run by the leading Nations of exporting oil such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait etc. There are 12 of these countries in OPEC and they work with each other in the oil market. Until recently the US had hegemonic status which of course meant they were in control of the oil market. However this has recently changed as now the US are dependant on oil and are reliant on OPEC. Leading to a different relationship between the two, that is what I want to find out.
Lastly, what if OPEC members want to trade in a different currency instead of the US dollar? This would make sense as the US dollar is no longer as powerful or worth as much as it used to be. Well just ask Iraq what happens, in 2000 Iraq changed its trade to Euro. They were swiftly invaded by the US three years later because of “WMD’s” and links to Al Qaeda. Both reasons have since been proved wrong and inaccurate. Oh and what was one of the first acts the new Iraqi interim government introduced after Saddam’s departure? You guessed it, they reversed back to using US dollar instead of the Euro and at a time when the Euro was worth more. I suppose this was a thank you for ridding them of the evil Saddam.
So I guess OPEC members learnt their lesson now? No. Iran in February 2008 changed its oil bourse to Euro. Now they have nuclear weapons and are going to kill us all, apparently. Venezuela, another OPEC member, also has decided to change to Euro. How many attempts has there been at overthrowing or discrediting Chavez? Interesting stuff but of course I’m not suggesting a link between the petrodollar and Iran and Venezuela. I believe it is called coincidence.
This is just a little bit of background information, bit of fun. My thesis of course will be a lot more objective and empirical.
Petrodollar????? Conspiracy or not:
Firstly it is not a “conspiracy theory” like the ones about Project Serpo or even the more grounded (as in more to this earth rather than possibly true) ones such as New World Order. No this a theory like all other theories that exist and can therefore be proved with some good research as all the information needed is available.
To start with: What is the petrodollar? Briefly, it is the currency, US dollar, that all oil trade is conducted in. Meaning if you are France and want to buy oil you need to pay in US dollars. This makes the US dollar the reserve currency of the world.
Now OPEC, well this organisation is run by the leading Nations of exporting oil such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait etc. There are 12 of these countries in OPEC and they work with each other in the oil market. Until recently the US had hegemonic status which of course meant they were in control of the oil market. However this has recently changed as now the US are dependant on oil and are reliant on OPEC. Leading to a different relationship between the two, that is what I want to find out.
Lastly, what if OPEC members want to trade in a different currency instead of the US dollar? This would make sense as the US dollar is no longer as powerful or worth as much as it used to be. Well just ask Iraq what happens, in 2000 Iraq changed its trade to Euro. They were swiftly invaded by the US three years later because of “WMD’s” and links to Al Qaeda. Both reasons have since been proved wrong and inaccurate. Oh and what was one of the first acts the new Iraqi interim government introduced after Saddam’s departure? You guessed it, they reversed back to using US dollar instead of the Euro and at a time when the Euro was worth more. I suppose this was a thank you for ridding them of the evil Saddam.
So I guess OPEC members learnt their lesson now? No. Iran in February 2008 changed its oil bourse to Euro. Now they have nuclear weapons and are going to kill us all, apparently. Venezuela, another OPEC member, also has decided to change to Euro. How many attempts has there been at overthrowing or discrediting Chavez? Interesting stuff but of course I’m not suggesting a link between the petrodollar and Iran and Venezuela. I believe it is called coincidence.
This is just a little bit of background information, bit of fun. My thesis of course will be a lot more objective and empirical.
Suicide in Brief
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Before one can look at ways to prevent suicide, one must look at the factors which are involved that lead to suicidal attempts. If these signs are identified then there is an increase in probability that a suicidal attempt can be thwarted. There is usually more than one factor involved in a suicide attempt. The different factors can be broken into three sections; long term, short term and social demographic.
The main long term factor is previous suicide attempt as 10-15% of those who have attempted one before will die from another attempt later in their life.2 It is clear that one who attempts suicide before has a problem that must be fixed otherwise the likelihood will be they will try again. People who have substance abuse problems are also at a higher risk especially those who abuse alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and increases the chances of acting on suicidal thoughts (Rich et al 1986). Physical illness where the patient is in constant pain or is immobilised to the extent of social withdrawal also increases suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Short term factors that are coupled with long term factors greatly increase suicide attempts. Factors such as work problems, being rejected, loss and relationship quarrels are the leading scenarios that are associated with suicide. These factors on their own may have a high risk factor but it is where one or more of these factors are associated with a long term factor is where the increase occurs. It is due to the increased stress from these events that lead to the suicidal attempts.
The social demographic shows the groups which are at higher risk then others; these include age, sex, marital status and occupation. It is known that males are at higher risk of suicide than females. This might be due to less the fact less males seek help than females or females self harm rather attempt suicide. The age factor shows that from 15 - 30 suicide deaths are a lot higher compared to other ages. People whose occupation is stressful are also at higher risk. Therefore a person who is male, aged between 15 -30 has alcohol problems, attempted suicide before, is single and recently suffered a loss in the family has a very high risk of a suicidal attempt. With these factors been known one can now try to prevent a suicidal attempt but people who have suicidal thoughts may want anonymous help. This where suicide organisations are
important but do they help in the long term?
some different links, not related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQx4qU10TDc
http://www.myspace.com/ageofgodsandmortals
http://mkaku.org/home/
Before one can look at ways to prevent suicide, one must look at the factors which are involved that lead to suicidal attempts. If these signs are identified then there is an increase in probability that a suicidal attempt can be thwarted. There is usually more than one factor involved in a suicide attempt. The different factors can be broken into three sections; long term, short term and social demographic.
The main long term factor is previous suicide attempt as 10-15% of those who have attempted one before will die from another attempt later in their life.2 It is clear that one who attempts suicide before has a problem that must be fixed otherwise the likelihood will be they will try again. People who have substance abuse problems are also at a higher risk especially those who abuse alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and increases the chances of acting on suicidal thoughts (Rich et al 1986). Physical illness where the patient is in constant pain or is immobilised to the extent of social withdrawal also increases suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Short term factors that are coupled with long term factors greatly increase suicide attempts. Factors such as work problems, being rejected, loss and relationship quarrels are the leading scenarios that are associated with suicide. These factors on their own may have a high risk factor but it is where one or more of these factors are associated with a long term factor is where the increase occurs. It is due to the increased stress from these events that lead to the suicidal attempts.
The social demographic shows the groups which are at higher risk then others; these include age, sex, marital status and occupation. It is known that males are at higher risk of suicide than females. This might be due to less the fact less males seek help than females or females self harm rather attempt suicide. The age factor shows that from 15 - 30 suicide deaths are a lot higher compared to other ages. People whose occupation is stressful are also at higher risk. Therefore a person who is male, aged between 15 -30 has alcohol problems, attempted suicide before, is single and recently suffered a loss in the family has a very high risk of a suicidal attempt. With these factors been known one can now try to prevent a suicidal attempt but people who have suicidal thoughts may want anonymous help. This where suicide organisations are
important but do they help in the long term?
some different links, not related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQx4qU10TDc
http://www.myspace.com/ageofgodsandmortals
http://mkaku.org/home/
Monday, September 28, 2009
HEX
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Abstract and Abstruse: The Incoherent Thoughts of a Sane Man put together in a Coherent Manner 2
Abstract: Part 1
The Theory of Wasted Time
What is the purpose of life? Is it to go to school, work, marry, children, get old and die? That is essentially it or what society would deem it to be. I disagree with this view completely and propose that the purpose is to enjoy oneself. To do what one thinks is fun, as long as it does not cause harm to anyone else.
With this in mind comes the Pro Evo example. If one likes to play pro evo and spends excessive amount of time at it. Is this a waste of ones time or is it a fulfillment of ones pleasures? The person is doing what they enjoy, it fulfills their needs and they are achieving what they want. It may not be ideal for everyone but for that individual it is.
This individualism is however flawed as a collective. If everyone did as they wanted and cared just for themselves then a society would not function. This is where a seperation between the public and private sphere is created. In the public sphere the collective of the group is at the forefront, one may have to give up their guilty pleasures for the greater good. However in the private sphere one is free to do as they will. To be continued............................
The Theory of Wasted Time
What is the purpose of life? Is it to go to school, work, marry, children, get old and die? That is essentially it or what society would deem it to be. I disagree with this view completely and propose that the purpose is to enjoy oneself. To do what one thinks is fun, as long as it does not cause harm to anyone else.
With this in mind comes the Pro Evo example. If one likes to play pro evo and spends excessive amount of time at it. Is this a waste of ones time or is it a fulfillment of ones pleasures? The person is doing what they enjoy, it fulfills their needs and they are achieving what they want. It may not be ideal for everyone but for that individual it is.
This individualism is however flawed as a collective. If everyone did as they wanted and cared just for themselves then a society would not function. This is where a seperation between the public and private sphere is created. In the public sphere the collective of the group is at the forefront, one may have to give up their guilty pleasures for the greater good. However in the private sphere one is free to do as they will. To be continued............................
Abstract and Abstruse: The Incoherent Thoughts of a Sane Man put together in a Coherent Manner
Abstract: Part 2
The Diary of a Lonely Heart
Banana, always the banana, never the apple. What is wrong with chestnut hair? Thirsty, I’m dying of the thirst; to the left and right of me are tall lockers. Young again in school, the only break in the long hall of lockers is a water fountain. I walk towards the fountain, dry. No water flows for me; it’s empty, broken maybe, no, just not working for me. In the distance I see a man fixing a light bulb, he sweats profusely. The sweat drips from his armpit like the heavens pouring light upon us mere mortals. I kneel under the flow, the sweat flows into my mouth. It is not salty as one would expect but pure fresh, water, it quenches my thirst exquisitely. Refreshed, I smile and turn back and run towards the light. As I run smiling a naked child appears in my way. He just stands there and looks at me, malnourished, starving and most of all thirsty. The reek of death comes from him; the blackness of his skin doesn’t mean he deserves this as some would make you believe. I crouch and reach out to him but he turns to dust and blows away into the air.
I sit here alone in the gloom of a bedroom filled with memories of happy of times, none of which are mine. In the silence I can almost hear the laughter of the ghosts; the jokes shared, the orgasms pleasured and the constant smile of perfect ness, pure beauty. My dreams offer relief from the pain of loneliness, if there is any.
The Diary of a Lonely Heart
Banana, always the banana, never the apple. What is wrong with chestnut hair? Thirsty, I’m dying of the thirst; to the left and right of me are tall lockers. Young again in school, the only break in the long hall of lockers is a water fountain. I walk towards the fountain, dry. No water flows for me; it’s empty, broken maybe, no, just not working for me. In the distance I see a man fixing a light bulb, he sweats profusely. The sweat drips from his armpit like the heavens pouring light upon us mere mortals. I kneel under the flow, the sweat flows into my mouth. It is not salty as one would expect but pure fresh, water, it quenches my thirst exquisitely. Refreshed, I smile and turn back and run towards the light. As I run smiling a naked child appears in my way. He just stands there and looks at me, malnourished, starving and most of all thirsty. The reek of death comes from him; the blackness of his skin doesn’t mean he deserves this as some would make you believe. I crouch and reach out to him but he turns to dust and blows away into the air.
I sit here alone in the gloom of a bedroom filled with memories of happy of times, none of which are mine. In the silence I can almost hear the laughter of the ghosts; the jokes shared, the orgasms pleasured and the constant smile of perfect ness, pure beauty. My dreams offer relief from the pain of loneliness, if there is any.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
How the British started World War II
Explanation available next April, maybe.
If you’re reading this then you took time out to interact with the blog. Just thought I’d
(There are no empty spaces only white obscuring the truth.)
try something new. It may have annoyed you but ah well. Michio Kaku is a great
Time goes by so slowly, that’s a lie it goes quite fast actually. This is just another lie from the one people call Madonna, I call her doesn’t exist or whore bag if you insist. Time has gone so fast I missed my monthly blog update and the post arrives 5 days behind schedule. Not a good start but I can only set it straight next time.
scientist and if you get a chance check him out, parallel worlds rule. I Like the Like
What’s up??????????????????????? I hear you say.
2.0. Pity
Firstly, Muse album released, YAY but with a NAY. My awesome deluxe edition pre-order has gone missing in the post. No time isn’t going slowly Madonna, it will be October 1st soon and then my album will be on its way again. So a sort of anti-climax in the end but the tension builds as the albums arrival is inevitable.
I’ve new found respect for Peter Doherty after I saw him play an acoustic set.
Secondly, shot down with a throat infection only a week in. Full recovery is being made; this Madonna is going by slowly.
Whatever people say about him doesn’t matter, he’s a very good musician and
Lastly, is where my time is gone? That is easily answered: Dissertation proposals. Two 1,000 word proposals, not fun but the British could have done more.
entertainer. Until next time, my friends.
Soon the world trip will begin, maybe I’ll be joined by a companion or maybe I’ll be on my lonesome. Excitement bellows in the most mundane of things. That is also utter crap. The Madonna plugs are a direct response to seeing Tesco give Madonna album of the week, despite Muse being number 1 in the
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