Blogs about: Politics

Oh, wowsers: What’s more complicated and controversial than politics? Since the dawn of (relatively) civilized society, we humans have been trying to control each other, either for the common good or personal gain. We’re still working on getting it right, meaning there’s no shortage of hot-button political issues going in the world today, from local city council meetings to debates at the United Nations. The internet, thankfully, has helped level the playing field. It’s now possible to keep tabs on serious issues like government atrocities, the influence of money on politicians, and that all-important topic known as political humor.

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Why I Don’t Think My Kids Should Have to Ask my Permission to get Tested for STDs
The Greatful Mom

If you asked me what I hope to accomplish as a mother, the list would be as long as a scroll. There is so much that I want for my children. So much I want them to experience,  learn, understand, and become. Even in light of all these hopes and dreams, there is one thing of which I have been acutely aware since my firstborn lived inside me: I am connected to my children, but I do not own them. I can place limits around their behaviour, but, especially as they get older, the training wheels are going to have to come off and they are going to be who they are going to be. At the end of the day, I am living my life, and they are living theirs. The last thing that I want is for them to spend their only life trying to please me. Is this sentiment unpopular? There seems to be a significant portion of parents who do not share my thoughts on this subject. Parents who believe that they should have a say in any decision their child (regardless of that child’s age) is making. Parents who beli

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The Trouble with Activism
Can We Talk?!!

It was a double bill.  An Israeli singer and an Iranian who I had heard perform on numerous occasions before that day at this new venue. My ticket named a famous celebrity as the presenter – a producer to the stars, practically the Godfather of the recording industry and the patron saint of who’s who on the A-list.   So I figured it must be a marketing plug.  Probably Mr. Big Shot sat on some board and had graciously lent his name to one among many events on the season’s calendar.  After all, the entire cultural scene in this town runs on philanthropy and celebrity horse trading rather than Uncle Sam’s love for the arts who, judging by those head shots pasted all over the country jabbing his finger in my face and yours, is probably more interested in fine arsenal rather than fine jazz – much less in obscure world music from the rural Middle East.  So you can imagine my surprise when I saw the celebrity producer, in the flesh, a little older and a little heavier than his TV persona, wal

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Adam Adli, arrested…
weehingthong

_________________________________________________ Planned: 1,000,000 People Street Rally in KL: Pakatan is NOT involved! ——– Student activist Adam Adli has been arrested in Bangsar today and will be investigated under section 4 of the Sedition Act. ——– JR ‏@JrKop 19 May @AdamAdli disuapkan makanan oleh rakan dengan keadaan tangan bergari. http://on.fb.me/15YvigB  #GE13 #Black505 @n_izzah pic.twitter.com/LT1k5idsnY   Hasbee Abu Bakar ‏@hasbeemasputra 18 May We are all @AdamAdli pic.twitter.com/TQt0AHdc9z Retweeted by Edmund Bon Hasbee Abu Bakar ‏@hasbeemasputra 18 May Candlelight vigil for @AdamAdli in the Jinjang lockup for alleged sedition. About 30 people still here. pic.twitter.com/vG0j4PEF3O Retweeted by Edmund Bon — Candlelight vigil for arrested student activist Saturday, 18 May 2013 Super Admin Stephanie Sta Maria, fz.com An overnight candlelight vigil will be held tonight in front of the Jinjang police remand centre, in protest against t

Disturbing revelations about my profession, but, not an indictment of ALL psychiatrists!
Can't Medicate Life

Sometimes you write something you regret, and then sometimes you write something you initially regret and then realize it needed written at the end of the day. Earlier this week a colleague wrote at his blog a post, and I wrote a comment that I knew was a bit provocative, but thought would evoke different replies.  My mistake: http://1boringoldman.com/index.php/2013/05/16/shame-5/ My comment was this, as I interpreted the conference of KOLs and their bosses, Big Pharma and Medical Tech businesses, as a joke validation of poor behaviors that had consequences on the public as a perverse Nuremberg-type environment that was validating the behaviors and not condemning them: “Gee, were these cloaked Nuremberg trials, just not to incarcerate but to exonerate?” Well, not well received, although I am not surprised by comments that involve Nazi behaviors as the antipsychiatry crowd leap on this like flies onto, you know. An infrequent commenter here, who goes by alias “DIscover

MICHELLE MY BUTT EXTENDS FOOD CONTROL INTO ZOOS AND MUSEUMS
Burst Updates

CNS: “Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative is now calling for museums, zoos, gardens, science and technology centers to “join the call to action,” to decrease obesity among children. The first lady is recruiting these institutions to join the “Let’s Move! Museums and Gardens” project because of their power to “influence real and sustained behavior change” on the eating habits of kids. … So far, 624 institutions across the country have signed up.” Remember Sections 420x… of HR 3590 in ObamaCare? What about the $5 Billion added to the Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010? Even so Michelle My Butt was caught in Colorado pigging out on fatty greasy ribs the following weekend. We all know how much Sasha and Malia love Grimaldi’s pizza. My Butt: “You all know better than anyone that childhood obesity is already affecting your communities. It’s already weighing down your budgets. It’s already hampering economic growth. So make no mistake about it: When we talk about childhood

The Tricks of the Scammer
Did Jesus have a Facebook Page?
Der Bogenschütze am Dresdner Elbufer, part 2
Eire + Alba
Idaho: Muslim refugee from Uzbekistan charged in terror plot
WindsorCOAct!forAmerica
Book Review: Defining Moments by Dr Marius Barnard
Whispers of a Barefoot Medical Student
A Marathon For Peace!!!!!!!
Blow Your mind Away
Know Nothings
Indyfromaz's Blog: The Thoughts of An Independent Arizonan
MASK OR MIRROR
Jamie Lee's Crystal Connection

In our transition,  and for our own acceptance, the anger, sadness and intensity, can at times be overwhelming ! In my case, sometimes to the point of insanity. The individual who wrote this, has been a Dear friend of mine, for approximately 20 years. THESE WORDS MAKE ME CRY! These words reflect me, and probably a lot of us, struggling in our Community, to be free, to be accepted and to be heard. To my Dear friend who wrote this, and submitted it for my blog, I say to you, THANK YOU. THIS POST IS IN HONOR OF YOU Jamie Lee Not long ago, a couple of months now, it was time to don a mask for “fat Tuesday” and celebrate Mardi Gras.  There are other times when we put on a mask, like Halloween, New Year’s eve parties or any masquerade ball.  There are times when we try to deceive others as to who might be behind the mask.  There are those in our society, unfortunately, who will wear a mask to hide their identity for illicit purposes.  Sometimes we wear a mask to hide and be

Venezuela to import fluffy white kittens to solve toilet paper shortage; Toiletpapergate
DCMontreal

Since the original Watergate scandal hit the US in the early 1970s the -gate term has joined the lexicon to refer to any scandal. From Billy-gate during President Carter’s time to Robo-gate, the 2011 investigation into voter fraud in Canada, we’ve had no end of gated scandals. Now the newly elected government of Venezuela would have us believe there is a Papergate, or more precisely a ToiletPaperGate. It seems the country is suffering a severe shortage of bathroom tissue. As The Guardian put it “Venezuela hopes to wipe out toilet paper shortage by importing 50m rolls”. What’s more interesting is the Maduro government’s allegation that this shortage is caused not by mismanagement, but by ’excessive demand caused by media campaign generated to disrupt the country” Governments and the media have often clashed, but to accuse the media of causing a toilet paper shortage to undermine the society is either ludicrous or ingenious, I’m not s

An Evening with Germaine Greer
My life thus far

Last week the school of Art History sponsored a lecture by author and feminist, Germaine Greer, where she discussed Aboriginal Art and the Art Market. So why would a feminist author be invited to talk about art? Greer is actually a rather interesting art historian in her own right. Her book The Obstacle Race is a compelling look at the way in which women artists have been overlooked throughout the centuries, while their, equally talented, male counterparts have thrived in history. As I was raised in a household that encouraged feminism (my mom has all of her degrees in Women’s History), I was excited for this talk. It was interesting talk but it was also a little hard to follow at times. You can tell that her main focus these days is on the political tensions between the Aboriginal peoples and the Australian government, not as much on the art itself. Although she did have some wonderful examples of Aboriginal artists from different decades, I wished she had discussed the developm

Harper’s chief of staff resigns following Duffy repayment controversy
Global News

TORONTO – Nigel Wright has resigned from his position as Stephen Harper’s chief of staff after it was revealed he helped former Conservative senator Mike Duffy pay back $90,000 in improper housing claim expenses. According to a statement released to the media Sunday morning, Nigel Wright said that Harper has accepted his resignation. He said the Prime Minister had no knowledge he cut Duffy a check for $90,000. That cheque is now under scrutiny by the ethics commissioner. “I regret the impact of this matter on the Government, our Caucus, and all of my colleagues, for whom I have the highest regard.  I came to Ottawa to do my part in providing good government for Canada, and that is all that I ever wanted and worked for in this role,” said Wright in his statement. The Prime Minister’s press office issued the following statement on behalf of Harper shortly after: “It is with great regret that I have accepted the resignation of Nigel Wright as my Chief of Staf

Religion, Politics and You
Welcome Travelers...

Once again, the news today is full of death and destruction resulting from “sectarian” and “ethnic” conflicts. Sectarian and ethnic cooperation is not news. In studying history, I have often been struck by the similarity of political movements to religions. An excellent and appropriately passionate summary of these similarities can be found in the book Fire in the Minds of Men. Revolutionaries, including those espousing atheism, are strikingly similar in operation to the religions they reject. It is very much like one religion fighting another for dominance. What is religion, then? For a quick example, the French Revolution was partly a rejection of the vast political power of the Catholic Church. The Catholic leaders were, quite literally, king-makers. They owned vast tracts of land and wielded tremendous influence with brutal efficiency. Revolutionaries had justification for their backlash against the greed, repression and CIA-style political intrigues by Catholic elites, such as Pop

IF GOZO TWEETED: Tweet #0097
(($; -)}™

 19 May 2013  __________ WHITEWATER: What did Obama know and when did he know it? Republicans vow to reopen investigation. Scandalous, non-scandal list continues. __________ Regards, (($; -)} Gozo! @GozoTweets

“You Want a Christian Nation? You Can’t Handle a Christian Nation!”
Class Warfare Blog

I rarely reblog pieces but Robert Nielsen from Ireland has painted a portrait of what having a Christian religion mixed into a nation’s politics brings. Please read this. Legacy of the Catholic Church 

Happy 70th Birthday, Michael
NAMA Wine Lake

For two of the past 3.5 years on the NAMA wine lake blog, the ingenious talent that is Japlandic has very kindly offered their services with interpreting what have been historic events as well as everyday commentary such as on political pay and perks. Today, Japlandic produced the following image for what was intended to be a review of Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan’s contribution to Irish public life, particularly over the past two years in the current administration. Minister Noonan celebrates his 70th birthday on Tuesday. Unfortunately the full blogpost itself is not to be, but Japlandic has encapsulated its overall assessment and their work shouldn’t be wasted. So, for the last time, graphic below from Japlandic.com, contact here.

What happened in the Mufumbwe by-election!
NEWS AND ISSUES

By Hyde Haguta Mufumbwe is one Zambia’s ancient districts in the North western province of Zambia. Since Zambia’s independence, the district has never had an area member of parliament from the opposition political party – all but one, who happens to the incumbet is the district’s first ever opposition people’s reppresentative in the area. The election of Elliot Kamondo from the United Party for National Development (UPND) follow the death of fromer Home Affairs Minister and area MP Misheck Bonshe who died in Nigeria where he went to seek sacriligious healing from one Bishop of that country. For many Zambians and the international online readership indeed, at hand is an interesting veuyalistic exploration of political menengitis burgeoning in the country. The violence witnessed was unprecedented and unmatched this far in any of Zambia’s recent by-election in the last score that the Movement for Multi party Democracy (MMD) has been in Government. Nuanc