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Month: July 2008
Politics of Appeasement
It is interesting that George Bush mentioned appeasement the other week in the context of what is going on in the Middle East.
The British tried to appease Hitler, and got completely overwhelmed-it gave Hitler that much more time to build up his technical superiority and then wage his phoney ‘defensive war.’
The British government knew of concentration camps as early as 1936, and did nothing. We KNOW this because British novelists at the time were writing about it and protesting it, and their books were suppressed and are only now coming back into print through women’s presses like Virago.
The American government was still trading with Nazis until 1943.
In fact, George Bush’s grandfather laundered money for Hitler’s chief finance minister. So forgive me if I don’t listen to his opinion about ‘appeasement’ when the word in this instance is ‘collaboration’.
These are all historical facts, not opinions.
So let’s look at the facts now.
We KNOW this administration has lied time and time again to justify the present war. We have had independent confirmation that there is NO nuclear weapons program in Iran. Therefore, there is nothing to appease.
The Iranian people themselves despise their leader and protest against him regularly. Iran is not the problem. Instability and scaremongering in an election year is the problem.
We cannot appease, but nor can we be hypocrites and violate the sovereign rights of other nations.
All the fighting in this war, and clearly throughout human history, rarely produces benefit. But this is a phony war–we were LIED to.
And no one dared speak out against it because they were afraid of their careers being shredded if they did, since anyone who dared was labelled ‘unpatriotic’ at the time.
Obama was not even in office then-it was all very well for him to claim he would not have voted in favor of the war, but he has funded it ever since.
And are politicians meant to represent their own views, or those of their constituents? Clearly WE are at fault if we are not sending a clear message to our leaders as to what should happen.
The fact that Obama is now doing an about-face on his 16 month timetable shows a-he was just saying what people wanted to hear; b-he is na’¯ve and inexperienced; C-he is a hypocrite; D-all of the above.
Do we really want him to be president?
After the initial media honeymoon was over, he has managed to stumble and look like a boob at every turn. He has contradicted himself so often, McCain doesn’t even have to attack him, he can just watch him self-destruct.
His reversal on his supposed Iraq policy is just one in a long line of about faces, or is it just that he is two-faced.
One thing is for sure, you might not have like the Clintons, but what you saw and what they stood for was what you got. She has fought for education, health care, equal opportunities, for three DECADES, not three years. She deserved to be the candidate, and she is now the only thing standing between Obama and defeat in November.
Ever since he ‘won’ the nomination (by which read that they refused to give her all the delegates she won in Michigan and Florida, so that he seemingly went over the required total first) have all the party swarmed around him? NO.
Have huge donations poured in? NO.
Great press coverage?
Meaningful debates with McCain?
A real drive for the White House with a powerful majority behind him?
NO. NO. NO.
He wil go down in history as the greatest president that never was if he does not get his act together.
And by the way, Mr. Media Darling,, since you STILL don’t seem to have learned your lesson yet, just remember, the higher up you climb, the further you fall.
And watching you land on your butt all the time sure makes for great headlines, doesn’t it?
Book Review: Call Home The Heart by Shannon Farrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic Times Review
Widowed by a shooting accident on her honeymoon, Muireann Caldwell discovers that her wastrel husband has left her penniless, and almost homeless. She now faces returning to a smothering family or charting her own course with the crumbling Caldwell estate.
Deciding to tackle Barnakilla and its mountain of debt, Muireann turns to the handsome, capable Lochlainn Roche, her late husband’s estate manager, for support.
Lochlainn worries that with Augustine dead, his lifelong home will be forfeited, especially if the young widow decides to run home to Scotland. But he’s surprised by the strength Muireann displays and grows to admire her courage and determination. She grows to love Barnakilla as much as he does. Dare he hope she returns the love he has found for her?
Ms. Farrell weaves a wonderful tale of survival and love that defeats seemingly insurmountable odds. It is refreshing to see a heroine with such strength and common sense, and a strong hero who actually believes she can have it! CALL HOME THE HEART is a story you won’t want to put down.
How to Find a Good Asset Management Program
Setting out to find someone who can help you invest your money can oftentimes be nerve-wracking. After all, this person will be handling your finances and in a way will be holding your life in his hands. This is especially true with people who are about to retire and have no other means of income but the money that they have saved over the years. But no matter how frightening it can be, the fact is, you need asset management in your life if you want to remain problem-free for your entire life.
You see, the money kept in the bank is not enough to finance a comfortable retirement. With such a measly interest, all it can give you is small change that can perhaps last you 3 months when you donít have other income. Inflation rates and the rising cost of living are enough to knock down the value of your money in the future.
But finding a good asset management program and personnel is not always the trial that people say it is. When done right, you can actually get yourself a good deal with a trustworthy manager who will help you triple or quadruple your assets. Here are some tips that can help you.
1. Shop for it
Do not just settle for the first one that you see. Look around and compare notes. Get as many as you can and then choose from the line up. That way, you will not be pressured to take one program or hire one person even if you donít really trust it or believe in it.
Looking for a good asset management program is like shopping for a doctor when you have a terminal illness. Think that you are looking for someone who can save your life. And when you come and think about it, finding a good one is actually kind of like saving one’s life. After all, your entire future will depend on the performance of this one person and the effectiveness of the program.
2. Ask around
One way to find a good asset management program is to ask people about it. Believe it or not, it is that simple. You see people who have also gone through the same motions will know where to look and will even have tips on how to look.
You can also ask for recommendations. Have them give you the number of the asset management manager that they hired. Start with your friends and families. They will surely know people who they can refer to you. If you know successful people in business or those whose financial portfolio you admire, go right ahead and ask them for referrals. Their asset manager should be really good.
Once you get their contact numbers, call them. Ask about the personís accomplishments and track record as well as the number of years that he or she is working for your acquaintance. Set up and appointment and get to know the guy (or gal) in person. That way, you can see for yourself what his personality and attitude is in business. Do the same thing with other referrals and then choose the best.
3. Never trust completely
Never put your trust in one person even if he comes with great recommendations. Even if you have hired him or her already, still take an active part in the management of your assets. It is good that you also know what is going on with your money.
4. A basic idea
No investor can afford to lose any amount of their principle. ROI (return On Investment) can vary and should never be zero but any investment that puts your principle at risk is a bad one for “The little guy (or gal).” “The big guys” can afford to do the “High Risk, High Gain (or Bigtime Loss)” type of investing (gambling) because they have the wealth to do so. If you are a “little guy”, stay away from that game.
5. General guideline
In looking for asset management, you might be able to find an individual manager who is a genius, completely honest, is devoid of self interest and is extremely lucky. The odds on this are about the same as those for pigs acquiring flight ability. So a general rule is, the bigger the company you have managing your assets, the safer they will be. The smaller, the more risk you will incur.
An actual case in point was a small brokerage firm that had invested their own money in an international monetary fund. They had their account managers call their clients and recommend they get into this fund. For every dollar a client put in, they could take one of their own out. When the fund crashed, investors lost a good percentage of their principle but the brokerage firm had already gotten themselves out at the high point.
Book Review: Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor
4.0 out of 5 stars Creaks a bit, but still afloat
The start of the novel was splendid, but his obsession with Lord Kingscourt’s sex life definitely detracts from the book. At the center of the story are also love stories, loves which are thwarted, perverted, destroyed by the Kingscourt men. Unfortunately, they all therefore lack depth in a novel of this scope. The famine aspect is covered in blistering detail, then forgotten.
Kingscourt’s character is by far the most compelling in the novel, yet we learn little about him apart from the surface material until very near the end, by which time it is nearly too late. Mary is a cipher for the most part, as is Laura, his wife. Pius Mulvey becomes increasingly monstrous as the book goes on, to the point of him not even being human any more.
His willingness to do anything to survive which is commented upon by the author in the context of Kingscourt and the doctor Mangan’s conversation in the latter half of the book, does not excuse what he’s done. He blights the woman he claims to love his whole life and still expects her to come back to him.
The book becomes so Dickensian it loses its humanity and appeal. Even the name Pius is used with heavy handed irony.
Still, for its descriptions of Connemara, and the Famine, almost all accurate and very well researched, it is well worth reading. (even if it has been done better elsewhere). For some great books on Ireland and the famine, read Shannon Farrell’s historical romance novels of the period.
Obama is the KING of flip-flop
I have to say that this article on Obama already getting ready to reverse his Iraq policy (such as it ever was!) with which he conned the American people
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_el_pr/obama_iraq
has really made me see red.
In The New Republic’s article earlier than the yahoo one, “The Flip-Flop Fallacy”
http://www.tnr.com/booksarts/story.html?id=19697b01-fe09-413f-b0e8-7d4c8cf0d098
it talks about how McCain has a good chance of winning because Obama is flopping around like a landed fish gasping for air.
Obama is the King of flip-flop on ‘policy’ and he isn’t even anywhere near getting to be president.
And perhaps is NOT cynical manipulation, as many of us suspect from this most smug and self-righteous of politicians.
But it most certainly IS evidence of his total inexperience, and his pronouncement onIraqa total betrayal of the people who believed him when he said he was for change and ending the war.
It makes it all the more reprehensible that he attacked Hillary for ever voting for the war (remember that we were ALL lied to at the time), AND it just shows that Bill Clinton was right–he WAS selling people a fairytale!!!
B. Clinton was painted the bad buy for doing no more than calling the guy’s bluff! What he was saying was nonsense, and now he is admitting it.
Obama then distracted everyone when he claimed that B. Clinton was racist, that he was saying an African-American could ever be president was a fairytale, and then he was on a roll in the primaries and seemed almost unstoppable.
Except that those of us who were paying attention and did not believe the rhetoric-he knew he was lying, and those of us savvy enough KNEW he knew he was lying!
About ALL of it.
It is just a pity that we are stuck with this media darling, made of smoke and mirrors, because he is a terrible Democratic candidate who undermines himself every time he opens his mouth and tries to talk about the issues, which he knows so little about.
Every public pronouncement reveals his hypocrisy, and ignorance. Don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors, and hey, anyone who thinks he does not NEED Hillary for VP is drinking the same Koolaid as the ones who helped him steal the nomination from Hillary (she should have been given ALL the delegates inFloridaandMichigan, in which case she would be the candidate!)
Look at the whole Pastor Wright fiasco-he told people that to disavow him was like expecting him to disown his WHITE grandmother–why not just say Grandmother and have done with it–who is the racist here?
By all means vote Democrat to end the current disasterous policies, but never be naive enough to think this guy will ever make good, or be able to make good, on his promises. And let’s look forward to the next Democratic primary season in 2011-12!! And get it RIGHT next time.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is temporary, recurrent breathing interruptions during sleep.
Often characterized as “snoring,” we now know that it can be much more serious than simply an annoying noise.
It has been linked to many serious health disorders.
Learn more about sleep apnea from Johns Hopkins here:
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts_index/lung_disorders/1082-1.html
and then see if you should go to a sleep specialist who will assess you for sleep apnea and suggest appropriate treatment.