Shell Oil's Connection to Nigerian Military

Some large corporations doing business in foreign countries seem to totally forget the safety practices that they must abide by in their own countries. A perfect example is Royal Dutch Shell Oil whose presence in Nigeria is a cause for concern since the massive oil leaks cause harm to the health of Nigerians and the natives also have to contend with the flaring of gas constantly. In addition, there are reports of the company's involvement with the government who intimidates, arrests, tortures, and executes of residents who participate in any protest against Shell Oil. Isn't there a law against foreign companies paying off the Nigerian military to suppress peaceful demonstrations?

"What a Snob"!!

Is it wrong for parents to want their children to achieve the best in life by encouraging the youngsters to go to college? Considering Mr. Santorum is an attorney and has three degrees and his older children are in college, his statement is quite hypocritical. Between him and Romney, it's not clear which one is the lesser of the two evils!

Adele Gives the Finger

Adele sings beautiful songs, and I enjoy listening to her music. But, quite frankly you can take her out of council housing, give her millions of dollar record deal, dress her up in expensive clothing and jewelry, photo shop her for magazine covers, etc., etc., etc., but you can't take the council housing mentality and behavior out of her. So, that behavior is expected not only from Adele, but from so many other so called "celebrities".

Quaran Burning - Not Again!!

The burning of the Quaran Holy book is getting tiring. Troops on the NATO base should have figured out by now that the burning of the Quaran can only incite anger, riots, and violence. Come on now.....this doesn't seem much of an innocent accident as authorities are claiming. My Christian beliefs tell me that the burning of any holy book is wrong.

President Assad's Assault on Syrians

Syria's President Assad's brutal assault on his people has been escalating. Assad and his troops have no concern even for the lives of women or children. Not a sole is immune from being slaughtered! The last report from Marie Colvin, before her death yesterday, clearly shows the blooded, dead bodies of a number of young children. How many more people will Assad be responsible for murdering before any actions will be taken against him and his confederates?

African American, Native American, French

African American, Native American, French!!! Now, come on L'Oreal and Beyonce Knowles........what's up with dat???

Inside Apple Computer's Prison

ABC TV's Nightline tonight included a report by Bill Weir on FoxCon, the factory in China responsible for making the IPad and other Apple products. FoxCon did a great job of covering up their bad treatment of their employees. They even did well in hiding the under-aged children that were previously identified in a PBS report. The spokesperson was somewhat convincing in ultimately blaming the workers' suicides on the workers themselves and, of course, taking no part of the blame. $1.78 per hour, 16 hours per day........what would you call that type of working environment! Seeing that the President of ABC sits on the board of Apple Computer, it is no wonder that all the workers vunrabilities were highlighted in the report instead of discussing FoxCon's slavery practices.

Egypt - Are They Better Off Now Or Before?

It is over a year since the uprising took place in Egypt that resulted in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak. His regime was the embodiment of corruption at which time his family's wealth was estimated to be billions of dollars. But today, the contention continues as Egyptians demonstrate and fight against the military regime which has resulted in the death of many citizens. So, was the country better off under the Mubarak regime or is it a better system now in spite of the contentions with the military rulers? It appears that the fight of the people will continue for a democratic government.

Race Remains A Major Deciding Factor

I watched the premier of the Celebrity Apprentice. Trump asked the manager, Paul Teutul, of the men's team which two members he would take back to the boardroom if his team lost the challenge. At first, he had no response as according to him, "everyone did a great job." However, when he was pressured by Trump, it was no surprise the two celebrities he selected from the nine member team. One of his own team members called him out on the two selections as it was quite ironic that the only two minorities on the team were selected for the boardroom. His selection certainly showed that race continues to be a huge factor in the decision making process even in 2012.

Racist Comment

The racial slur made against Jeremy Lin by ESPN personnel is simply a confirmation of the true feeling of many out there when people of color excel. Although people may try to keep their true feelings to themselves, the tongue will always disclose what is really on a person's mind. It's 2012 and racial insensitivity continues to prevalent!

Where Were You When I Was Alive?

My mom judges a funeral's based on the number of people who show up. But, I look at it differently. Isn't it something that so many people come out to morn a person's death,but where were all these people when the person was alive!!?? Their support was needed more in life than death!

Insensitive Contraception Comment

Foster Friess's insensitive comment on contraception was not a surprise! These men live in a bubble and are simply out of touch with the "real" world! It is so amazing and a fact that women are the ones whose bodies are affected directly by pregnancy, and men do not experience the feelings and other aspects of a pregnancy that occur during the stages. Yet, the American male is the one who is making all the decisions on the right to life issues! Truly amazing! How can a male make such decisions when they have no physical experience of pregnancy!

Honduras Fire Masacre

Nine hundred prisoners locked in a 400 population capacity jail! Hundreds of prisoners lost their lives as it was claimed that the keys could not be found to open the jail doors! Being jailed in the U.S. is paradise to being jailed in a third world country!

Renouncing U.S. Citizenship

Having dual citizenship in some Caribbean countries such as Jamaica is causing quite a stir for the past five years. It appears that four years ago when the opposition party, JLP, was voted back as the ruling party, some of the members of their sworn in members of Parliament held dual citizenship with Jamaica and the U.S. I guess after 18 years of serving as the opposition party, these dual citizenship holders had not expected to return to political office. Anyway, there was much to do with the fact that the dual citizenship holders of the JLP political party could not be sworn members of the Parliament since the Jamaican constitution forbade it. Well, the politicians renounced their U.S. citizenship in order to become members of Parliament. Well, last December, another election was held. Prior to this election other persons who were considered for top government posts in Parliament with the ruling JLP party decided not only to give up their highly paid political jobs, but to renounce their U.S. citizenship. However, it so happens that the ruling party lost the elections! So these people lost on both sides, their high paid political jobs and their U.S. citizenship! Now getting U.S. citizenship is not an easy task and it is quite expensive. But, I guess those issues are not considered when it comes comes to holding political power!

Poor Judgemnent!

How can a straight thinking person make a decision to proceed with a Pre-Grammy party when his "highly regarded" friend's dead body is laying floors above in the same building!! What a "friend"!

The Power of the Lobbyist

Heard on Bill Moyer program that there are 24 corporate lobbyist for every single politician in Congress. That means the lobbyists are actually controlling Congress as they greatly influence the politicians' decisions and vote. No wonder large companies, e.g. Sallie Mae, has its way in having laws maintained so that student loans are not considered in any bankruptcy filings.

SuperPac Millions $ Contributors

Foster Friess, Harold Simmmons, Sheldon Adelson and the Karl Rove backed American Crossroads are contributing millions to the GOP campaigns. More than likely this money is tax free. Wonder if these people are as generous about helping the poor and are sincere about doing so without the thought of doing so simple for tax benefits.

The Fall of European Countries

I look at these European countries experiencing financial crisis, high unemployment, high cost of living, continuous protests, etc.,etc., etc. and all I can say is, Wow! These century old countries such as England were always considered the "developed, first world" countries. Many of these countries made a fortune off slavery by occupying Caribbean islands and forcing the natives to undergo hardships and a cruel life while the "mother land" got rich. Yet today, many of these islands and its natives are thriving in every aspects as the countries celebrate 50years (more or less for some islands) of independence from these so called developed countries. So, many former colonies are doing much better than their "mother lands". How times have changed!!

Good versus Evil Doers

There is good in this world and there is evil. Josh Powell is the perfect example of the evil that is present on this earth. His picture is not worth showing on this site. The picture shown instead is a fitting memorial to Susan and her children. May their souls rest in peace.

$25-Billion Foreclosure Deal

A settlement has finally been reached on the fraudulent foreclosure practices of the financial institutions. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes as a result of the unethical abuses of these institutions. This never should have occurred! $2,000 appears to be the maximum that a former homeowner will receive. The amount is surely not sufficient since it will not help the trials, tribulations and humiliations that these people went through as they were illegally evicted from their homes. The bank personnel had no conscience, sympathy or regards for families being thrown out their homes onto the streets. So, hopefully many will not settle for this paltry settlement amount!

Congress Getting Richer!

While millions of people living in the United States are going through hard times, our beloved politicians in Congress are getting richer. A report on CBS 4 news - Miami informed that 40% of Congress are considered multi-millionaires or millionaires. Their income continue to rise steadily from stock insider trading which appears to be legal, sweetheart deals on real estate, and other schemes. I guess it pays to be a politician!

The Dark Side of JFK

Mimi Alford's account of her experiences with JFK during the 1960s is pretty interesting and graphic!! Hmmmm! I guess what is done in the dark must come to light EVENTUALLY!! Wow! This was a common problem even in the 1960s! While some politicians in D.C. and elsewhere are held to high standards, they are living a Dr. Jeckle/Mr. Hyde double life. But, their sleezy behavior will eventually become public some how....some where......some time!

Are You Kidding Me!

In an interview on PBS, John Boehner stated, "The President and I get along very well." Are you kidding me! What a hyprocrite!

I've Heard It All!

I've heard it all! A telephone conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard to discuss hacking was intercepted by hackers!! How absurd!

I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor

"I'm not concerned about the very poor, they have safety net"
"The tongue has no mind of its own........ It has a power the owner may not always be aware of....... The intent of the mind creates a force for the tongue....." "Acts of Faith" by Iyanla Vanzant

Basically, you cannot hide what is on your mind and true feelings. Some how, the tongue will eventually disclose how people really feel!!!

Susan G. Komen Does An About Face

There have been so many different excuses provided by spokespersons from Susan G. Komen that the real reasons are unknown as to why the organization decided to end funding to Planned Parenthood. In December, Lifeway Christian Resources, a division of the Southern Bapist Convention decided to recall the pink bibles they sold since Susan G. Komen was funding Planned Parenthood. The funds have helped thousands of women over the years to obtain breast screening. So it is a shame that politics has placed a negative light on Susan G. Komen's decisions.

Since this post, Susan Komen reversed their decisions. I guess they didn't realize the backlash that they would have experienced from making that initial decision. The pressure was too intense!

Illiteracy Among College Signing Day Recruits

Today is National Signing Day aka Christmas Day for the high school football players who sign to attend their selected university to play football. I am happy for these youngsters since many of them will now be embarking in attending some of the top universities. But then again, as an educator, I have to wonder what percentage of them have done well academically in high school. Too often many of these recruits have reading and other learning difficulties which will be overlooked when they attend these higher education institutions. The bottom line of most of these institutions is winning since millions of dollars are invested in college football. But, who has the best interest of these young players who probably will pass through some of these institutions without addressing their learning problems?