Politics
Posted on March 25, 2013 by Nanco John
What if in the next four years President Obama achieves the impossible? If the economy rebounded massively with new jobs and real impactful growth, a resurgent health care system bloomed, a near non-existent terror threat became the reality, and a lasting Israeli – Palestinian peace came to fruition?
Forget it. The world has moved on from the times of real political achievements into an era dominated by the impact of technology and social trends. These are the times where the impact of say, 3D printing, will have more direct influence in everyday life than collective intent and inputs of politicians in the next four years, and even beyond because of the irreversible progression of humanity. More starkly now, a politician and a leader are extremely distinguishable. Both can define visions and plans, and may be excellent at grandiose speeches, but it is the leader that drives and defines the… Continue reading →
Posted in Government, Great Leaders, Nations, Politics |
Tagged barack obama, congress, leaders, Obama, Politicians
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Posted on December 19, 2012 by Nanco John
“President Obama, ban those guns now!” screams Franklin D. Roosevelt. With a respectful sag of the shoulders, a demurely recalcitrant Obama replies, “…Ahh …Sir, you know that is impossible…for the American people…rights and liberty and freedom to defend their rights and liberty is…umm…non-negotiable…yet you can be sure we ‘ll do our best, we will.” In the aftermath of this recent and senseless shooting in Connecticut, expect a few playwrights to mine into some telling pieces, should the raging debate over gun control gathers enough
momentum to threaten firearms legal status quo in America. Equally, for both carefree optimists and die-hard pessimists, there is still no major shift to cheer and most definitely won’t be, until technological evolution probably replaces guns as primary weapons of exercising the Second Amendment.
So on the face of it, reality will remain that the next unprovoked mass shooting is akin to a wager no one will… Continue reading →
Posted in Modern Living, Politics, Social Commentary, Society, Uncategorized |
Tagged America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, gun control, National Rifle Association, NRA, Obama
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Posted on November 20, 2012 by Nanco John
So Steve Jobs was wholly and humanly wrong again, when he declared to President Obama, “ You ‘re headed for a one term presidency.” Between a choice that perhaps would have been more ‘business-minded” and an incumbent whose economic successes have somewhat lagged behind his promises, US voters decided President Obama owned their hopes for the next four years. In a world dogged by rampant
economic woes it cannot be tougher to expect miracles from the White House whoever may be its occupant, but leadership is nonetheless a duty to perform regardless of the odds.
Without a doubt the grip of US on the world’s economy by the year 2016, whether it has tightened or weakened relative to challengers like China, would be the most telling factor in judging the leadership of President Barack Obama. So suppose America slips to an irreversible, incontestable second in global economic relevance, it… Continue reading →
Posted in Economics, Nations, Politics, Social Commentary, Uncategorized, World Affairs |
Tagged barack obama, economic recovery, Mitt Romney, Steve Jobs, Stimulus Package, U.S
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Posted on September 25, 2012 by Nanco John
The rage and uproar against the movie trailer known as ‘Innocence of Muslim,’ will inevitably abate. In its wake however, will gape widening valleys of dissent against all things democracy and more specifically American, across the Muslim world. Slain United States Ambassador, John Christopher Stevens and three fellow citizens fell victim to the intolerance
which they were committed to eradicating by the opportunities the Arab Spring presented.
The disgruntled supporters of erstwhile dictators and their regimes, that thrived on double-facing such religious intolerance in order to perpetuate their relevance to the West, are gleefully whipping up sentiments and misinformation against the values of freedom and tolerance that this unfortunate ‘trailer’ represents
It is ironic that values of freedom and democracy inherently abhors offensive depictions or characterisations which this unfortunate video clip portrays. Yet even the heavy price of human lives and best efforts of diplomacy on the part of… Continue reading →
Posted in Politics, Propaganda, Religion |
Tagged extremists, Google, Innocence of Muslims, intolerance, J. C stevens
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Posted on September 15, 2012 by skeptik@l
Everyone’s been talking about the Federal Reserve’s decision to impose policies for monetary easing in the US. In fact, the topic has been so connected to the upcoming Presidential elections, one might even say that it could make or break both candidates. What does that even mean? Beats me.
The funny thing is that while most people would look to this as a positive reaction to the atrocious labour unemployment problem in the United States, Mitt Romney and his republican cronies seem to think otherwise. Funny enough, Romney and his gang seem to think that the quantitative easing meditated by the Fed serve as a form of ‘bailout’ for the American economy under President Obama
This made Romney’s republican cronies wonder if Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve was really doing it under influence of the Obama administration or out of interest of the American economy, like he claimed… Continue reading →
Posted in Economics, Federal Reserve, Government, Politics, Society |
Tagged Federal Reserve, Obama, Romney
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Posted on August 24, 2012 by skeptik@l
Fictional portrayals of women in politics are such rare commodities today. Of course, this can only be justified by alluding to the typical portrayals of women on screen; women as helpless damsels attacked or murdered by mad men, women in trouble for partaking in illegal activities, women in the porn industry and women in domestic service. Even though the existence of fictional political figures is scarce in existence, the existing stories depicting this phenomenon seem to embody a similar message: most female politicians are portrayed as unattractive, compulsive and corrupted.
For instance, Charles Herman-Wurmfeld’s Legally Blond II depicts Congresswoman Victoria Rudd (played by Sally Field) presumably as one of the most influential woman in the White House
Unlike Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon), the demure, overtly polite “capital Barbie”, Rudd is painted as headstrong, curt, sturdy and hard-nosed. As expected, Woods’ later finds out that Rudd has been furtively… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Feminism, Media, Modern Living, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Commentary, Society |
Tagged Female, Feminism, politics
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Posted on August 17, 2012 by skeptik@l
Imagine chancing upon a society made up entirely of women; an idea proposed by Charlotte Perkins Gilman when she wrote her feminist utopian novel Herland. The idea of the existence of a society just like the one in Herland is not entirely impossible; in fact, it has been around for centuries. Feminists like Gilman believe that the result of such a society could equate to an ideal social order, free of war, conflict and domination. It sounds completely whacked but believe it or not, something of that sort could possibly happen in the near future.
Posted in Feminism, History, Politics, Religion, Society |
Tagged Saudi Arabia, Women
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Posted on August 13, 2012 by skeptik@l
Juan Cole, a historian and professor of history at the University of Michigan recently published a compelling list of information regarding the difference between a white terrorist and non-white terrorists. He writes for his weblog, Informed Comment , mostly about his opinions on religion, history and the Middle East. Cole is after all, an intellectual of the modern Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Regarding Cole’s post on the differences between white terrorists and other terrorists, Cole points out a few things:
Posted in Activism, Fascinating Characters, History, Modern Living, Philosophy, Politics |
Tagged Juan Cole, White terrorists
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Posted on August 5, 2012 by Nanco John
What is it about the human condition that compels it to resist change in futility? Mind-boggling contradiction rears its head when in a breath of appreciation, the strides and advancement in science and social living are measured against any backward length of time. Yet a view of sheer recoil is presented by man in his present behaviour and posturing which exhibits crudeness that predates even old cultures. Take politics, for instance, the bitterness and rivalry of the its present players far exceeds the shows(by relativity) put up by its notable protagonists in times gone by. Granted, that as societies evolved, freedom and liberties greatly expanded the latitudes of
acceptabilities and norms. Yet for even a mere second, it cannot be taken for granted that each successive generation of politicians are less trust-worthy than the previous
Indeed it is a reality that defines our world today, because even in… Continue reading →
Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Social Commentary, Society, Uncategorized |
Tagged change, China, politician, politics
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Posted on July 29, 2012 by Nanco John
More often than not, political change at the polls is an expression of sentiments rather than an affirmation for necessary change. In November, U.S citizens will take yet another opportunity to midwife change, which will either signify a second four year stint for President Barack Obama inside the Oval Office or trundle in Former Massachussetts Governor, Mitt Romney, to steer America into supposed prosperity. For both candidates, it is a given that campaigning efforts must adequately massage veins of sentiments for the
ballot scales to weigh in their favour.
In times of hardship, as the U.S economy thrashes like a bleeding shark, politicians tend to overplay the disadvantages of being an incumbent and wildly hoping that the discontent is in itself a major factor to sway voters to their camp. The flip side is the fact that determined incumbents tend to dig very deep and are meticulous in harnessing… Continue reading →
Posted in Government, History, Politics, Society, World Affairs |
Tagged elections, Mitt Romney, Obama, politics
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Gun Control: America’s Case For Sincerity
Posted on December 19, 2012 by Nanco John
“President Obama, ban those guns now!” screams Franklin D. Roosevelt. With a respectful sag of the shoulders, a demurely recalcitrant Obama replies, “…Ahh …Sir, you know that is impossible…for the American people…rights and liberty and freedom to defend their rights and liberty is…umm…non-negotiable…yet you can be sure we ‘ll do our best, we will.” In the aftermath of this recent and senseless shooting in Connecticut, expect a few playwrights to mine into some telling pieces, should the raging debate over gun control gathers enough
momentum to threaten firearms legal status quo in America. Equally, for both carefree optimists and die-hard pessimists, there is still no major shift to cheer and most definitely won’t be, until technological evolution probably replaces guns as primary weapons of exercising the Second Amendment.
So on the face of it, reality will remain that the next unprovoked mass shooting is akin to a wager no one will… Continue reading →
Posted in Modern Living, Politics, Social Commentary, Society, Uncategorized | Tagged America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, gun control, National Rifle Association, NRA, Obama | Leave a comment