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India will become Iran's main buyer of oil in 2009
India will become Iran's main buyer of oil in 2009 - Now let that sink in.
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10 - Iran said on Friday that India would in 2009 become its top Asian buyer of oil, ahead of China and Japan.
“We are negotiating with a few Indian companies to sell crude oil in 2009”, said Ali-Asghar Arshi, a senior official in the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
“Currently the leading customers of Iran's crude oil in Asia are Japan, China and India but next year the top ranking will change to India, China and Japan” said Arshi who is the NIOC's Managing Director for International Affairs.
Arshi said that Tehran does not currently sell crude oil to Latin American countries, but has recently participated in bids to sell crude to Chile and Uruguay.
Iran's top European customers for crude oil are Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, and Spain, according to state media. India will become Iran's main buyer of oil in 2009 - Now let that sink in. ... more -
Canada: "America and India shall remain forever bonded in mutual respect, har...
(Ok.. so the image is just COOL about Canada... couldn't resist. Sorry.) Quote... uh lol but hey THEY said it...
Toronto: Indian National Overseas Congress-Canada expressed its sincere congratulation on the success of the historic Indo-US nuclear agreement.
INOC (Canada) President Jay Banerjei said, "The successful approval of the bilateral agreement between the Republic of India and the United States of America, on civilian nuclear cooperation, is a notable landmark in the warming of U.S.-India relations." The agreement lifts the U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India, provides U.S. assistance to India's civilian nuclear energy program, and expands U.S.-Indian cooperation in energy and satellite technology.
"India's trust, its credibility, the fact that it has promised to create a state-of-the-art facility monitored by the IAEA, and because it has not proliferated the nuclear technology has contributed to the success of this deal. It has brought India closer as an important partner in the nonproliferation regime," added Banerjei.
Banerjei said that "America and India shall remain forever bonded in mutual respect, harmony, peace, and love" while promoting the respective economic and other strengths in all areas of development, progress, and success. (Ok.. so the image is just COOL about Canada... couldn't resist. Sorry.) Quote... uh lol but hey THEY said it... ... more -
Obama anti-JFK refrain offends Americans: Asks what gov. can do for you, not what ...
Before you vote this down.. please read. BTW I didn't put the goofy pict of Obama with the JFK hair up, it went with the story, but hell, that was just tacky.
Praise his charisma, his ability to relate, the supposedly debonair figure he cuts in a suit, but realize Obama emerged Tuesday as the anti-JFK with a refrain that should offend young Americans: ask what your government can do for you, not what you can do for your country.
I’m part of this young vote, an age bracket known for waging daily Wars of Independence. And this dearly-bought trait is exactly what Obama wants to rob me of.
Take his tax plan. As a young voter earning a typical starting salary, (which puts me in the 95 percent Obama has decreed “middle class”), I get a tax cut, but at the expense of 5 percent of my fellow workers, who will pick up the slack in the budget.
It’s appalling that a candidate who has reached out to young Americans with the lifeline of hope and change wants to foster a culture of dependence, and, even worse, selfishness. Every sacrifice of independence Obama asks me to make is an appeal to this cardinal sin of youth – the government owes me health care, the government owes me a share of the fiscal prosperity others have worked so hard to gain.
Yes, Obama has encouraged us to serve through his brainchild -- a massive, government-sponsored volunteer program. But even this call involves a deeper dependence on government. Since when did people need a government program to give them opportunities to serve? Charity starts with your neighbor. It does not start in Washington.
To my generation: we can do better. We can -- and should -- set a higher standard for ourselves than Obama is asking. He wants the government to hand us our health care, our education, other people’s money, even our community service. He wants us to be the generation of soup kitchens -- but with the mentality he's fostering in us, we will be the ones standing in line for handouts at the end of his term. Before you vote this down.. please read. BTW I didn't put the goofy pict of Obama with the JFK hair up, it went with the story, ... more -
Three Canadian election candidates have declared bankruptcy
Three federal candidates in B.C. -- one Liberal, one Green and one Conservative -- have declared personal bankruptcy, The Vancouver Sun has learned. Three federal candidates in B.C. -- one Liberal, one Green and one Conservative -- have declared personal bankruptcy, The Vancouver Su... more
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Liberals vandalized in toronto
Bizarre and dangerous acts of violence against Liberal supporters with signs on their lawns spread into the riding of Parkdale-High Park yesterday, leaving police and party officials baffled.
The 12 new acts of vandalism – cutting of brake, phone and cable lines and graffiti defacing homes and garages – come on the heels of 14 similar incidents reported Saturday in St. Paul's riding.
The 26 incidents are likely connected and the work of one person since they are so similar in nature, Liberal party insiders say.
"There is this hatred thing that is so upsetting – hatred of Liberals," said Carolyn Bennett, Liberal incumbent for St. Paul's. "There's no other excuse for this in terms of this kind of intimidation.
"That's what's so upsetting. We don't know who's doing it at all. We just think this is somebody who really is not well."
Much more at link. Bizarre and dangerous acts of violence against Liberal supporters with signs on their lawns spread into the riding of Parkdale-High Pa... more -
Campaign Update 09/29/08
Barack Obama's looking good in the polls, the bailout's looking bad, and John McCain's looking for a way to break through.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdate. Barack Obama's looking good in the polls, the bailout's looking bad, and John McCain's looking for a way to break throu... more -
GTA IV whores: how do you kill yours? Truth: 14-17 yr olds kill them, and is it ...
Grand Theft Auto, has a long history of mom's saying it's too violent and teens saying they are mature enough to handle it, that it's no different from life, etc. Johny next door plays it, and if I don't, I won't be cool. And besides, where else can I get laid and kill ho's?
Check this clip out. I know it takes a couple minutes.
Anyone else think this is a little too violent? Anyone besides myself know of 14-17 year olds playing this? (I can think of 13 of them off the top of my head. Who's parents purchased the game for them, and they play it. My son is one of them, his dad got the game for him, against my wishes. But what I think doesn't count when it comes to being cool.)
My son brought this to my house and was "killin ho's" laughing and having a good time... I told him he wasn't aloud to kill ho's at my house, he'd have to do that with his father (where he lives). I think I am just not exposed to enough violence to take this as lightly as the typical guy does.
Is it because I'm a chick?
I game. I love killing freaky creatures that put my virtual life in danger, before they kill me. Is there blood? No. Usually a bunch of light and stuff or movement... nothing graphic at all. But if they do kill your character, you do go to the grave yard, and that's no picknick. (see World of Warcraft)
But this whore hunting...? It's haunting. Or is it me?
I realize that it is up to parents to actually set limits on what their kids do. Sadly, few do. And the ones who's parents are get shit from the other kids, because they aren't "cool" or whatever.
So where does common decency and responsibility on behalf of a gaming company begin or end and the sole responsibility of the parents and the teen / peer pressure begin?
Thanks for reading. Grand Theft Auto, has a long history of mom's saying it's too violent and teens saying they are mature enough to handle it, ... more -
THE SHIT PEDDLERS
All the myths that are floated as truth, is nauseating beyond the puke bucket. The right-winged, learned ones who perhaps didn't sleep through all of their college courses, whip out the dialogue of mendacity every time they are threatened to be overthrown by THE OTHER PARTY. Oh they keep their fairytale myths alive all through their years of control but election time is when they really roll up their sleeves and get the SHIT shovels lined up to cover us all in blankets of Repulsive Untruths against our common senses and THE OTHER PARTY.
I picked up a newspaper belonging to a red bible belt area where many of the followers or better word SHEEP live and who desperately want to believe the crap their Right-winged commanders spew forth, even if it doesn't quite make sense to them.
I started reading a column that appears often in this paper by Walter Williams. This educated man pulls out statistics that I swear comes from the same source Rush Limbaugh uses... THEIR BUTTS! So easy to make up figures and so difficult to search out real honest to goodness facts... I know I try and searches do cost you in time. Better to just accept the SHIT thrown your way, because said SHIT is sort of how you want to see it anyway.
But I digress, getting back to this conservative column writer, he wrote an article on how we are so much better off today than say the 1930's or the 50's... WHAT? Mr. Williams doesn't want to use wages and income to show how things compare, he rather use consumption... WHAT, AGAIN in this credit card era?
He claims it takes an average worker today, 2 hours to earn enough for 10 gallons of gas compared to 6 hours in 1935...(who had cars back then, I'll bet it wasn't your average minimum wage earner) Same with food, claiming it takes 1.7 hours today to buy a "BASKET OF FOOD" and 6 hours of work in 1950... (I would like to see what the hell is in Mr. William's "BASKET OF FOOD"!) Most homemakers baked their own bread, biscuits and cakes and meals were from SCRATCH, because they didn't have to work outside the home... Today's busy Mothers have to work a 40 hour week plus shop, cook, clean and take care of their children... Ain't NO Easy Job, I know I held the double shift for years and years. Anyway, read his article at this link: http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams/scaring...
But you might want to get the puke bucket handy.
The below article is what I call "deja vu all over again" a Yogi Berra quote that says it all.
The Real Reagan Legacy http://www.americanpolitics.com/20020319Hersh.html
Debunking Myths About Reagan ... It tells a tale of how the Reagan years almost took our nation down... Almost, but not quite... All the people who voted Reagan in for 2 terms watched this happen but listened to the SHIT the Right-winged ones gushed, so not a lesson was learned. That is why they voted George W Bush in for 2 terms so HE would have the distinguished honor to finish our beloved USA off. Poor McGrumpyPants won't have too much to work with if the SHIT peddlers manage to pull the SHIT over the voters EYES, EARS AND STREET WISDOM once again. thinkingblue.blogspot.com
PS: Sorry I used the word SHIT so often but no other word can describe so clearly what has happened to our Nation. (NOW THAT'S REAL McCLARITY FOR YA! :-? )
PS2: I know, I know there will be some who will accuse me of the very subject I am writing about... One thing I have to say to them... THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING! Who was in charge for the last 8 years... As Barack Obama would say "IT WASN'T ME!" All the myths that are floated as truth, is nauseating beyond the puke bucket. The right-winged, learned ones who perhaps didn't ... more -
Study reveals difference between liberals and conservatives
From the report: Political conservatives operate out of a fear of chaos and absence of order while political liberals operate out of a fear of emptiness, a new Northwestern University study soon to be published in the Journal of Research in Personality finds.
"Social scientists long have assumed that liberals are more rational and less fearful than conservatives, but we find that both groups view the world as a dangerous place," says Dan McAdams, study co-author and professor of human development and psychology at Northwestern University. "It's just that their fears emerge differently."
To better understand the differences between politically conservative Christian Americans and their liberal counterparts, McAdams and Northwestern University co-author Michelle Albaugh asked 128 socially active churchgoers this question: What if there were no God?
"Social scientists -- who are generally liberals -- have for decades done research to figure out what makes conservatives tick," says McAdams. The study, "What if there Were No God? Politically Conservative and Liberal Christians Imagine their Lives without Faith," available online to journal subscribers.
Like the Northwestern study, the preponderance of research finds that conservatives fear unchecked human impulses that challenge the status quo. What McAdams and Northwestern researcher Albaugh also find is an underlying, but different, fear that drives liberals as well.
"Political conservatives envision a world without God in which baser human impulses go unchecked, social institutions (marriage, government, family) fall apart and chaos ensues," says McAdams. Liberals, on the other hand, envision a world without God as barren, lifeless, devoid of color and reasons to live.
"Liberals see their faith as something that fills them up and, without it, they conjure up metaphors of emptiness, depletion and scarcity," McAdams said. "While conservatives worry about societal collapse, liberals worry about a world without deep feelings and intense experiences."
The study findings may shed light on why conservatives prefer more authoritarian leaders while liberals do not, he adds.
"What's clear is that it is their political and not religious orientation that underlies the different psychologies of political conservatives and liberals," says McAdams. After all, all of the adults he and Northwestern researcher Albaugh studied were members of churches, and their data suggested that most were socially involved, altruistic people.
The Northwestern University study sample included 128 highly religious and politically active Americans who attend church regularly. Although nationally conservatives are more likely to attend church than liberals, the Northwestern study was set up to sample equally from religious conservatives and religious liberals.
The researchers also observed gender differences, but said they did not interfere with the relationship between political orientation and narrative themes. The study is part of a larger project that looks at the relationships of faith, politics and life stories in well-functioning American adults. It is funded by the Foley Family Foundation in Milwaukee. From the report: Political conservatives operate out of a fear of chaos and absence of order while political liberals operate out of a... more -
Liberal MP Bennett Says Lack of Public Childcare Makes Children Criminals
Bennett’s comments will not help the party’s anti-family image problem.
“She insulted every single Canadian who chooses to raise families at home,” Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said in the Commons Wednesday. “She insulted every single one of us who was raised at home by implying that parents who want to raise their children at home will be bringing up future criminals. That is what she said.” Bennett’s comments will not help the party’s anti-family image problem. ... more -
The Right-Wing Talk Radio Hate Shows
I could never understand why anyone would want to listen to the hateful shows on right-wing talk radio. Especially, those who proclaim that their religion keeps them on the straight and narrow. Listening to the disgusting rhetoric these Shock Jockeys spew forth creates barbarity in those who refuse to think... When minds are so full of the nonsense from the right-wing creeps, who's only objective is to make money and control the masses, they tend to wreck havoc upon the innocent. (case-in-point, the pathetic nut who went on a shooting rampage at the UU church in TN.) We are all in the same boat. We love and want peace so why look upon each other as though we are just pockets of vermin. Haven't we had enough HATE? I guess there are some who would answer NO, because they live for aversion. Here's a little advice for DITTO-HEADS, you can live in peace, it's really quite simple, just turn your damn radios off and have a nice day. :) You can also view the video here: http://thinkingblue.blogspot.com/2008/09/right-wing-hat... I could never understand why anyone would want to listen to the hateful shows on right-wing talk radio. Especially, those who proclaim... more
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Are you a born conservative (or liberal)?
A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning.
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Die-hard liberals and conservatives aren't made; they're born. It's literally in their DNA.
That's the implication of a study by a group of researchers who wanted to see if there was a biological basis for people's political attitudes.
They found to their surprise that opinions on such contentious subjects as gun control, pacifism and capital punishment are strongly associated with physiological traits that are probably present at birth.
The key is the differing levels of fear that people naturally feel.
"What is revolutionary about this paper is that it shows the path from genes to physiology to behavior," said James H. Fowler, a political science professor at UC San Diego who was not involved in the research.
The researchers, whose findings were published today in the journal Science, looked at 46 people who fell into two camps -- liberals who supported foreign aid, immigration, pacifism and gun control; and conservatives who advocated defense spending, capital punishment, patriotism and the Iraq war.
In an initial experiment, subjects were shown a series of images that included a bloody face, maggots in a wound and a spider on a frightened face. A device measured the electrical conductance of their skin, a physiological reaction that indicates fear.
In a second experiment, researchers measured eye blinks -- another indicator of fear -- as subjects responded to sudden blasts of noise.
People with strongly conservative views were three times more fearful than staunch liberals after the effects of gender, age, income and education were factored out.
Kevin B. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a study author, said conservatives were more vigilant to environmental threats, and he speculated that this innate tendency led them to support policies that protect the social order.
Fowler said the study added to the growing research suggesting that over millions of years, humans have developed two cognitive styles -- conservative and liberal. Cautious conservatives prevented societies from taking undue risks, while more flexible liberals fostered cooperation.
"For the species to survive, you need both," he said.
But Jon Krosnick, a political science professor at Stanford University, said it was impossible to draw any conclusions from a study with so few people, all from a small Midwestern town. What's more, he said, it's just too squishy interpreting people's reactions.
"I don't believe any of this," he said. "The people who are most scared are less in favor of gun control. Why wouldn't they be more in favor? Because they need guns to fight the bad guys? You can make up a story in either direction."
The study is the latest to challenge the long-standing dogma that upbringing and environmental factors determine political attitudes. Recent studies have found that identical twins -- who share the same genetic inheritance -- think alike on political issues more often than other siblings.
Last year, researchers reported that the brains of conservatives and liberals process information differently.
None of this, however, suggests that people are slaves to their biology, researchers agree.
The latest study "does not mean that people can't sit down and think about the issues and come to some logical compromise," Smith said. "What it does mean is that it is going to be hard work." A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning. ------------------ ... more -
The real difference between liberals and conservatives.
Jonathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives | Video on TED.com
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CNN Demolishes Every McCain Campaign Lie
This is by far the most thorough debunking I’ve seen to date on the myriad of lies coming from Team McCain.
Obama wants to teach sex to kindergarteners? Lie.
Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere? Lie.
Palin hasn’t taken earmarks as Governor? Lie.
Alaska produces 20% of America’s energy? Lie.
Palin visited Iraq and Ireland? Lie.
HT Jed, who adds:
As the campaign moves towards a focus on the economy, it’s worth keeping in mind that McCain’s lies are relevant because the demonstrate the fundamental emptiness of his campaign. He is devoid of ideas and solutions; lies are the only thing McCain has left. This is by far the most thorough debunking I’ve seen to date on the myriad of lies coming from Team McCain. ... more -
There's no arguing with conservatives ... No, seriously, scientific studies p...
A new study out of Yale University confirms what argumentative liberals have long-known: Offering reality-based rebuttals to conservative lies only makes conservatives cling to those lies even harder. In essence, schooling conservatives makes them more stupid. From the Washington Post article on the study, which came out yesterday:
Political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler provided two groups of volunteers with the Bush administration's prewar claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. One group was given a refutation -- the comprehensive 2004 Duelfer report that concluded that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded in 2003. Thirty-four percent of conservatives told only about the Bush administration's claims thought Iraq had hidden or destroyed its weapons before the U.S. invasion, but 64 percent of conservatives who heard both claim and refutation thought that Iraq really did have the weapons. The refutation, in other words, made the misinformation worse.
A similar "backfire effect" also influenced conservatives told about Bush administration assertions that tax cuts increase federal revenue. One group was offered a refutation by prominent economists that included current and former Bush administration officials. About 35 percent of conservatives told about the Bush claim believed it; 67 percent of those provided with both assertion and refutation believed that tax cuts increase revenue.
In a paper approaching publication, Nyhan, a PhD student at Duke University, and Reifler, at Georgia State University, suggest that Republicans might be especially prone to the backfire effect because conservatives may have more rigid views than liberals: Upon hearing a refutation, conservatives might "argue back" against the refutation in their minds, thereby strengthening their belief in the misinformation. Nyhan and Reifler did not see the same "backfire effect" when liberals were given misinformation and a refutation about the Bush administration's stance on stem cell research.
If you've ever gotten in an argument with your conservative friends (assuming you haven't offered each other a mutual Carville-Matalin-style political ceasefire to preserve the friendship), you've probably seen this "backfire effect" in action. The more you try to tell people that Sarah Palin is lying when she says she was against the Bridge to Nowhere, the more they believe she was telling the truth. The more you try to explain how similar McCain's policies are to Bush's, the more they maintain he's "the original maverick."
The typical mantra of the left is that we don't need to sink to the Republicans' level because we have the truth on our side. But if the other side is utterly immune to the truth -- and indeed, the truth only makes them dig deeper into their fantasy world in which the economy is fundamentally strong and the War in Iraq is a staggering success -- what's a leftie to do?
I ain't got the answers, ace, except to say this: When arguing with conservatives in front of on-the-fence independents, remember that you're not trying to convince the conservative to actually buy into silly notions like facts and reason. You're highlighting the differences between left and right for the outside observer. If the other guy insists on political views that belong only in Disney World's Fantasyland, other folks will realize what's happening.
But if there is no third party, do yourself a favor and save your breath. As the study demonstrates, you're only making matters worse. Consider that aforementioned ceasefire. It is football season, after all. There's plenty of other things to argue about. Go Mizzou! A new study out of Yale University confirms what argumentative liberals have long-known: Offering reality-based rebuttals to conservat... more -
Lipstick on a pig
Uses a clip from a Noam Chomsky interview to ask whether the whole "lipstick on a pig" debate a distraction from the real issues that need to be discussed? And if so, whose fault is it - the candidates for saying it, the media for spreading it, or the electorate for not demanding better? Uses a clip from a Noam Chomsky interview to ask whether the whole "lipstick on a pig" debate a distraction from the real is... more
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Obama inspires a meditation on Red and Blue America
This holds the idea of "red states" and "blue states" in a new light.
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2 presidents from Texas justify their wars
Interesting similarities between a "liberal" from Texas and a "conservative" from Texas in their justifications for war. Interesting similarities between a "liberal" from Texas and a "conservative" from Texas in their justifications fo... more
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Tower Hamlets Council force councillors to keep Ramadan
Later this month it's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, so I'd be obliged, please, if you'd all stay at home, turn off the TV and refrain from your usual activities. Ten days after that it's Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when Jews fast and spend the day in synagogue. So I've also asked my Times colleagues not to work then. And I will be mightily offended if I learn afterwards that any of them have been eating.
You might not think I am being serious. But if I was Head of Democratic Services at Tower Hamlets Council in East London, I would be. Last week John Williams e-mailed each of the borough's 51 councillors with a similar instruction.
For the duration of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, they are, he told them - every one of them, Muslim, Catholic, Jew or atheist - to behave during council meetings as strict Muslims. They are not to eat or drink; they are to break for Muslim prayers; they are to do as they are ordered by the Muslim religion.
Strict Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise or sunset during Ramadan. Because sunset will fall during the meetings, there will be 45-minute adjournments so that councillors can break their fast and pray. And to make things easier, there will only be seven council meetings during the month.
This is, let me remind you, happening not on Karachi borough council but in Tower Hamlets in London. As far as I am aware, the United Kingdom has not yet been absorbed into the Caliphate. The last time I checked, we allow citizens to practise all religions and none. If I wish to stuff my face with chocolate during the fasting hours of Ramadan, I will. And if you wish to go out for a slap-up lunch on Yom Kippur, you can feel free.
Yet Mr Williams - he's the man with the “democratic services” label, a title so Orwellian that his existence simply had to involve promoting the opposite of democracy and service - appears to have concluded that Islamic practices must take precedence over any other practices. Instead of individual councillors being allowed to decide for themselves how they wish to behave during Ramadan, he is deciding for them.
It should come as no surprise that it is not the borough's Muslim councillors who are demanding that their non-Muslim colleagues obey Islam. As almost always, it is a caricature liberal-left non-Muslim idiot who thinks he is being racially aware who does the real harm to race relations. Respect for religious practice can only be given voluntarily. Mr Williams's prescription leads only to anger. Later this month it's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, so I'd b... more -
THE ACCEPTABLE SIN on Youtube - Obesity and Religion
We love this new little 5 minute short film! Why can't anyone see the direct link between Obesity and Religion?
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