History
Posted on April 26, 2012 by skeptik@l
Is there a correlation between an individual’s alcohol tolerance level and his leadership abilities? If the level of alcohol intake really does affect your ability to lead, well then we all know what to look for in a leader now wouldn’t we?
Mitt Romney, a Republican candidate for the United States Presidential election revealed to the press that he is a teetotaller because of his Mormon faith. Amusingly, Timothy Egan from the New York Times found some sort of correlation between American presidents who consumed alcohol and those who didn’t.
Egan enlightened his readers when informing them that in the history of presidency in the United States, the best presidents were perceived to be flexible, open-minded and were “generally open to a drink.” However, the presidents who refrained from drinking were the ones who were encapsulated as terrible presidents. For instance, the last president to refrain from drinking was none… Continue reading →
Posted in Fascinating Characters, Food, Government, Great Leaders, History, Modern Living, Politics, Society |
Tagged Alcohol, Mitt Romney, Presidents
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Posted on April 23, 2012 by skeptik@l
I guess its time for you to take out your party hats and start celebrating if you’re a male because guess what? You can! Good news for you if you’re male because current research tells us that if you keep up similar standards of daily life, you get to live just as long as your female counterparts!
For some time now, it has been said that during the 1970s the difference between the life expectancy of a female as compared to a male exists as long as six years! If you’re a female, imagine having to go through life for another six years without your life partner by your side. That wouldn’t be a very nice last six years to look forward to now would it?
However so, the adviser for the Office for National Statistics now indicate that the difference between female and male life expectancy is getting smaller… Continue reading →
Posted in Environment, History, Modern Living, Science, Society |
Tagged Life Expectancy, Male
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Posted on April 10, 2012 by skeptik@l
2011 was the year of protest and revolution. It was the year of change. Many believed it to be a precursor for something bigger. For that, people like us expect a lot from this year, the year 2012. Sadly, it seems as though the revolution from last year is lost somewhere and it can’t be found.
Where did the revolution go? Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon tries to address that question in the article she wrote for Al-Jazeera. According Gonzalez-Bailon, social media sites like twitter and facebook generally help to spread the message and cause of a revolution but the impact is short-lived. The basis of this idea is that online platforms help the spread of controversial politics because online platforms are generally flexible. The process of re-tweeting on Twitter, sharing a link on Facebook or sending out online messages to social media contacts make the information being shared and spread have… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, History, Media, Modern Living, Social Commentary, Society, World Affairs |
Tagged Revolution, Social Media
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Posted on April 9, 2012 by skeptik@l
As of recent, the nation of Israel has declared a new enemy. The German Nobel Prize winning author, Gunter Grass is apparently Israel’s new enemy. Last Wednesday, a particular poem written by Grass called “What Must Be Said” was published. It carefully pokes on sensitive issues about the current situation between Israel and Iran.
According to Guardian,
“The occasion for Günter Grass’s What Must Be Said is the sale to Israel by Germany of a submarine with the potential to carry nuclear weapons(With his last drop of ink, Grass’s poem infuriates Israel, 6 April). It is a real issue amid many arms sales from the west and the east to Middle Eastern powers. What is less real, however, is the hyperbole Grass deploys when he writes of Israel’s launching of “a pre-emptive strike which could wipe out the Iranian people”. From where does this genocidal idea come? As far as I know, it… Continue reading →
Posted in Art, History, Media, Modern Living, Politics, Religion, Society |
Tagged Gunter Grass, Iran, Israel
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Posted on April 7, 2012 by skeptik@l
Good Friday is the day the Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The holiday is known to be a part of Holy Week during the Paschal Triduum, the Friday before Easter Sunday. This holiday has been religiously celebrated by Christians for a very long time. Often, the meaning and purpose of a tradition that is passed down from generation to generation gets lost in time. We do it because our fathers and ancestors do it, we do it because it’s tradition. Well, this isn’t the case anymore, for conspiracy theorists at least.
Did Jesus Christ really exist? This seemed to be the topic of conversation for conspiracy theorists at the light of the religious holiday. The Washington Post even covered a section about it and according to Bart D. Ehrman in the Washington Post,
“Because of the outspoken and surprisingly influential conspiracy theorists among us, I have recently written… Continue reading →
Posted in Conspiracy Theory, History, Religion |
Tagged Christianity, Good Friday, Jesus
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Posted on April 5, 2012 by skeptik@l
Whenever someone mentions Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), the first thing that pops into my head is his famous speeches. They were inspiring and thought provoking. He was a role-model to many. He was a big instigator of fairness, equality and hoped for the end of racial discrimination. That was his dream. And in his famous 17 minute “I Have a Dream” speech, many of his beliefs were reflected. Sadly, he was assassinated and though the death of an individual may seem to be an end, it is really heartening to see that MLK’s legacy was not forgotten.
It was just yesterday, 44 years ago that MLK was assassinated and although this may seem like a long time ago, a death of a significant person was still commemorated. According to Washington Post,
“As sunlight receded from the stone of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, dozens of people held candles… Continue reading →
Posted in Great Leaders, History |
Tagged Martin Luther King Jr.
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Posted on March 19, 2012 by skeptik@l
The 35th president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated on the 22nd of November 1963. The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, more commonly known as JFK came as a crude shock to Americans and the rest of the world. While travelling with his wife as well as the governor of Texas, Governor John Conally and his wife in the presidential limousine, JFK was fatally shot. Similar to three of his predecessors, JFK was the fourth and most recent presidents to have been assassinated. Prior to his assassination, JFK had acquired presence in the international sphere for having led the USA against Fidel Castro’s ascension to power in Cuba during the infamous Bay of Pigs Invasion.
For many years, historians and scholars have tried to demystify this national tragedy. This included pondering about the people involved in the plot to murder JFK. It would thus be interesting to… Continue reading →
Posted in Conspiracy Theory, Cover-up, Great Leaders, History |
Tagged Fidel Castro, JFK
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Posted on March 16, 2012 by skeptik@l
For the many criticisms faced by the United Nations with regards to International Justice, the decision to open a war crimes court from ten years ago proved to exist with honourable intentions. On the 14th of March, the first ever verdict was decided by the International Criminal Court. The decision, albeit a long, gruelling one which took a long time to progress, was regarding the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the Congolese warlord.
For his outrages crimes against humanity as well as genocide, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was detained about six years ago. According to Reuters,
“The world’s first permanent war crimes court opened nearly a decade ago, promising accountability for brutal tyrants, justice for victims and swift trials for perpetrators.
On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court will hand down its first ever verdict, a ruling in the case of Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who was detained six years ago… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, History, Society |
Tagged War Crimes Court
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Posted on March 15, 2012 by skeptik@l
Nothing but a good mystery tickles our imagination silly. I mean if you think about it, having to figure out something you’re clueless about invokes the part of the brain which comes up with mindless and yet possible scenarios for what could possible take place. When people don’t understand or don’t know what took place, they’ll find every opportunity to try and find answers to the questions they don’t know.
We see such an example in Austria a few days ago. A farmer who was out looking for his cat came across a flawless round hole which led to a metallic contraption underground. People around the area, as well as archaeologists and UFO experts have been volunteering their opinions ever since the discovery.
Austrian Times report,
“Hundreds of people are flocking to a field at Neuhofen im Innkreis in Austria after a mysterious perfectly round hole appeared overnight, leading… Continue reading →
Posted in History, Modern Living, Society, UFO |
Tagged Farmer, Hole
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Posted on March 12, 2012 by skeptik@l
The general consensus dictates that nomads or nomadic people are those who ‘roam around for pasture’. The term itself is derived from Greek origins. The ancient Greeks were also the ones responsible for the definitive description of these people. The nomads were anything but modern as they were frequently seen as rather primitive in stature. Conversely, recent discovery made by archaeologists now exist to challenge the common understanding and perceptions of nomadic people in the past.
The stereotype idea is that nomadic people were wanderers but it seems as though the nomadic societies were far more complex than expected. The New York Times quoted Jennifer Y. Chi, the chief curator of the Institute for the Study of Ancient World at New York University, in saying that the artefacts discovered from recent digs depicts a “world of nomadic groups that, far from being underdeveloped, fused distinct patterns of mobility with apparently… Continue reading →
Posted in History, Society |
Tagged Nomads
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Is there a correlation between an individual’s alcohol tolerance level and his leadership abilities? If the level of alcohol intake really does affect your ability to lead, well then we all know what to look for in a leader now wouldn’t we?
Revolution Lost
Posted on April 10, 2012 by skeptik@l
2011 was the year of protest and revolution. It was the year of change. Many believed it to be a precursor for something bigger. For that, people like us expect a lot from this year, the year 2012. Sadly, it seems as though the revolution from last year is lost somewhere and it can’t be found.
Where did the revolution go? Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon tries to address that question in the article she wrote for Al-Jazeera. According Gonzalez-Bailon, social media sites like twitter and facebook generally help to spread the message and cause of a revolution but the impact is short-lived. The basis of this idea is that online platforms help the spread of controversial politics because online platforms are generally flexible. The process of re-tweeting on Twitter, sharing a link on Facebook or sending out online messages to social media contacts make the information being shared and spread have… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, History, Media, Modern Living, Social Commentary, Society, World Affairs | Tagged Revolution, Social Media | Leave a comment