The effective use of power matters more in international relations than sheer wealth of a nation. Despite the cliche that money makes the world go around, the promise of wealth (or the withholding thereof) cannot influence hearts and minds as successfully as power can. Both can be helpful, but power can be used more effectively than wealth when it comes to international relations. In considering which is more effective in diplomatic circles, there is a lot to be said for wealth. The pro...
My good friend Lisa-Marie is British but she's moved to the US after marrying an American. She's currently getting her citizenship the right way, through spending the money and the time rather than just hunkering down and waiting for a political amnesty decision. So she's one of these legal immigrants that I am okay with. In fact, I'm all in favor of her sopecifically since she is a friend. Now hear her dismay in a recent email as to how the system works. Or doesn't work, as the case m...
Lynn Spears, mother to Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears, is writing a new book about how to do some good ol', downhome Christian parenting. That book has been shelved by her publisher -- the release date has been pushed back indefinitely due to the unexpected pregnancy of her younger star daughter, Jamie Lynn. Turns out the 16-year-old star of Zoey 101 announced to OK! Magazine that she is pregnant by her long-time co-star boyfriend Casey Aldridge, who was 18 at the time. From ...
I just started working in a new building. I'm quickly approaching the end of my third week here. Someone who uses the same men's room as I has been inserting suppositories daily in one of the toilet stalls. Know how I know? He leaves behind the suppository wrapper on the ledge over the toilet paper. Every day, same stall, there's a wrapper. If it wasn't absolutely disgusting to pick up, I'm seriously thinking of taping it to an index card, attaching it to the bathroom mirror w...
Orenthal James Simpson, a man who we're used to seeing in a jumpsuit and handcuffs, had his bail set at $125,000. A judge set bail at $125,000 and read 11 charges Wednesday against O.J. Simpson stemming from an alleged robbery last week in a Las Vegas hotel. Judge Joe Bonaventure also ordered Simpson to turn over his passport to his attorneys. Clark County District Attorney David Rogers agreed to the bail, which defense attorney Yale Galanter said Simpson would pay immediately afte...
I have an observation: If everybody's so convinced that global warming is real and the sea level is going to rise, why are oceanfront property values so high? These vast swaths of prime oceanfront real estate should be the first to go when the Gore followers get their doomsday. If we really deep down believed that global warming was so darn imminent, why don't we see people moving to Denver or North Dakota... leaving behind their oceanfront property at pennies on the dollar? Just ...
Last Sunday the New England Patriots shellacked the New York Jets 38-14 in a very lopsided victory. The Pats handed the Jets a solid loss. Turns out the reason the Patriots did so darn well against the Jets is that a Patriots official was playing cameraman with several Jets coaches, filming the Jets' play calling and relaying that information to the Patriots coaching staff. Thus the Pats had advance, inside knowledge of what the Jets were going to do that play. And it's cheating. And...
Recently Department of Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff toyed with the idea of cutting off federal security funding to cities that have declared themselves "sanctuary cities" for illegal immigrants. From the Washington Times : Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff [on Sept 5th] told a House panel that his agency will not tolerate interference by so-called "sanctuary cities" when it comes to hiring illegal aliens. Mr. Chertoff said his agency will enforce the Basic ...
The city of Herndon, Virginia, has a problem that they thought they'd solved. Two years ago, the residents of this northern Virginia town complained about the influx of day laborers on their streetcorners and in their yards. The complaints ranged from loitering to public defecation and urination in people's yards. These laborers, mostly poor illegal immigrants, were especially thick around a particular 7-Eleven parking lot, where they would wait for employers to solicit them for work. (...
As a campaign adviser to one candidate seeking nomination for the 2008 Presidential election, you have been asked to write a brief position paper on the question of whether the United States should redouble its efforts to negotiate a consensus definition of terrorism. What should the US position be and why? In creating a comprehensive, workable look forward for the United States’ (US) counterterrorism effort, it is vital that the US take the lead. It is in America’s best interest to help...
The development dilemma addresses the compulsion for the so-called Second and Third Worlds to grow and prosper only through sustainable development. Sustainable development is defined as improving living standards without sacrificing environmental integrity, thus allowing nations to grow with minimal impact on the environment. This is in complete contrast with the development of those countries that have already gone through their growth phases. The nations of the First World became indust...
In the history of humanity, neither human rights nor the environment have seen such attention. Over the past fifty years, human rights on an international level have been acknowledged at unprecedented levels. The purpose of international human rights law is to protect persons and groups in the face of cruel or abusive treatment at the hands of nations, businesses, or militaries. The institutional abuse that had been a characteristic of past decades has seen a marked withdrawal in modern ti...
You! Yes, you. I'm talking to you. Did you get in on the low, low interest rates a couple of years ago by taking out a home loan? Are you the one who borrowed far more than your credit or your income would allow? This is your signature I see on those contracts and mortgage forms. You did sign those the papers of your own free will and choice, didn't you? Did you spend that money speculating in the South Florida, Washington DC, Las Vegas, and San Francisco markets, buying up...
It's incredible that there are doomsayers in the world and in the ranks of JoeUser. Because according to US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, "This is far and away the strongest global economy I've seen in my business lifetime." The global economy is humming along with unprecedented speed and power. The BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are financially healthy and strong -- global companies like GE and Microsoft expect international growth to outpace domestic by almost 2 to 1:...
In recent days (and months... and years...) there has been a lot of speculation and judgment regarding accountability for 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other events which were either fueled by or were a result of "faulty" intelligence. "9/11 happened because the President ignored valuable intelligence!" "Colin Powell and George Bush lied to the American people about WMD in Iraq!" "Why haven't we gotten Osama?" The constant speculation as to "What did you know and when did you know it?"...