I am currently rereading James Zemboy’s The Detective Novels of Agatha Christie. It is more expensive than traditional books, but I highly recommend it, because it is well worth the extra price. I won’t mention the price, because it’s different in different formats, but I did pay 30 some dollars for it and I read [...]
I wrote an article about a year ago about my loneliness and insecurity. That article, and this one I am about to write, are both very personal and I feel a bit uncomfortable sharing this information about myself but I figure that I probably am not the only person to feel this way, and if [...]
Doctors have told Angelina Jolie, the movie actress married to Brad Pitt, that she has an 87% chance of becoming afflicted with breast cancer. Her decision, when confronted with this tragic possibility, was to undergo a process where both of her breasts would be surgically removed and she would then get implant reconstruction. Because of [...]
An article I found when I was looking through articles on the John Birch Society webpage states that the government knew about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour before it happened. The reason for this, according to http://www.jbs.org/home/pearl-harbor-hawaii-was-surprised-fdr-was-not, is that the government wanted to incite the public so that it would want America to enter [...]
In September 1991, George H.W. Bush and a group of financial experts involved in the security brokerage industry financed a quarter of a trillion dollar project entitled Project Hammer. This was right after the Cold War ended. The main agenda was to take economic advantage of Russia’s weakened state due to losing the Cold War. [...]
There are many reasons to buy the book entitled The Serpent in the Glass, written by D.M. Andrews. The author clearly loves playing with words, such as miser and miserable, and communicates this pleasure to the reader. Another word about wordplay: The narrative overall has a whimsical, what if? quality to it that is perfect [...]
The answer to this question is a resounding yes! They are both like a breath of fresh air. Because the shows are not on networks, the producers have more freedom to be more adult in their depiction of these fictional characters. Four-letter words are uttered (no, not that one, at least not yet). On One [...]
I recently read that Mormons believe that sexual sin is next only to murder and denying the Holy Ghost in terms of seriousness. I wondered if this could be true because it seems so extreme to me. According to the official Church website (or what I believe is; someone can correct me if I am [...]
Not all Muslims think alike. No group of people contains individuals who all think alike. Terrorists are bound to come from some group or another but the fact that they come from a particular group says nothing about the group; however, it says a lot about the individual (assuming that the Tsarnaev brothers are the [...]
Ali Cross is a self-published author of books that deal with young adults in the genre of the paranormal, with some romance thrown in for good measure! The first in the Desolation series is entitled Become. When I read this book, several things occurred to me. I’m not sure if the author intended all of [...]
Agatha Christie wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott between the years 1930 and 1956 (when they were actually published). One of these, Absent in the Spring, is an excellent character study of a woman who is temporarily stranded in the Middle Eastern desert, and starts analyzing herself to great effect. All her life [...]
Lately, the media has attacked the website Infowars, run by social critic Alex Jones, for encouraging terrorism that results in attacks like the one waged by Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother, Dzhokhar, at the Boston marathon recently. According to the Infowars site, Tamerlan’s ex brother-in-law has stated that Tamerlan became interested in Infowars after he [...]
Source: http://www.ufo-blogger.com/2013/04/boston-ma-false-flag-cnn-caught-red.html In this article, rather than do what I usually do, which is summarize someone else’s article on the subject at hand, I am going to explain some of the concepts associated with crisis actors and false flags for those who don’t know them. I plan to write quite a few [...]
Sources: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/15/with-absolutely-no-evidence-alex-jones-calls-boston-marathon-explosions-a-false-flag-operation-conducted-by-the-govt/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeB89O4hI7g&feature=youtu.be In researching the Boston Marathon bombings, I have come across some interesting issues. Mark Dice talks for example about the 17 terrorist attacks that have been orchestrated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He admits that not every mass shooting is a conspiracy, but he does contend that many are. [...]
Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/04/dzhokhar_tsarnaev_and_miranda_rights_the_public_safety_exception_and_terrorism.html In the United States, it is traditional for criminals to receive what is known as their Miranda rights. This means that they receive a warning from their arresting officers as they are being handcuffed. The warning tells them that they have a right not to say anything without the benefit of [...]
Source: http://21stcenturywire.com/2013/04/19/michael-savage-rips-obama-and-federal-cover-up-of-boston-bombing-and-release-of-saudi-national/ There are some confusing elements surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. One is the existence of Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi. According to the source quoted above, this is possibly someone who is working for the American government. He is a Saudi national, which does not necessarily mean he is a citizen of Saudi Arabia. [...]
Source: http://www.globalresearch.ca/19-year-old-boy-suspect-why-does-boston-celebrate-martial-law-with-chants-of-usa-usa/5332206 This article on the implementation of martial law in Boston is very interesting. The author, Patrick Henningsen, makes the point that the general population was almost begging for martial law to be enforced so that they would feel safe. I thought this was an important point because many conspiracy theorists over the [...]
People have different opinions about classic movies. Many people do not like to watch films that are not in colour, but instead are in black and white. However, sometimes this can considerably lend itself to a great atmosphere. For example, think about film noir. Some classic films in this genre include Double Indemnity and The [...]
Source for first part of article: http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/311478/81/Snopescom-scopes-out-Boston-Marathon-conspiracies The WTSP site has summarized what Snopes.com has written about the Boston Marathon bombings and related conspiracy theories. There are 5 main categories that Snopes outlines in relation to these tragedies. One is early creation Facebook pages. In other words, before a tragedy happens, someone expresses [...]
Source of story: http://illuminatiwatcher.com/?p=6453 In the above picture, a man is atop a building near the site of the Boston Marathon where bombings killed 2 people and injured 23 others. It is incidences like this that cause people to wonder about conspiracy theories. Is there a connection [...]
Lazaro Arbos was voted off American Idol last Thursday night. He was the last guy standing. I am honestly a lot less invested in the remainder of the season now that he’s gone. He had a screen presence and it didn’t hurt that he is gorgeous. However, he had the bad luck of being an [...]
The Illuminati from what I understand is a secret society. It is pursuing a New World Order where national or state boundaries become extinct. They want globalization on a grand scale. I have read that the movement began in the 18th century in Bavaria. I am just learning about this society myself, but have picked [...]
There’s a trend that’s happened in the past couple of years where people are uncomfortable if a person is negative. But sometimes it’s good to be negative when you’re trying to make a point. I have a sincere belief that most (definitely not all) people are incredibly self-absorbed and selfish. Is this negative, or just [...]
I think it’s a shame that so many people are making jokes about the new Pope. Whether someone is a member of the Catholic church or not, the Pope is a symbol of God. Yes, individuals in the Catholic church, including high-ranking ones, have done very bad things. Is there a church or religious organization, or human being [...]
Moustaches in the Middle East are a fascinating topic. The above picture is of a young Persian man. Notice the perfection of his beard. He looks well-groomed, and trimmed with the facial hair offsetting the perfect complexion of his skin. I know several Arabs and Persians who have similarly impressive goatees and beards, so the [...]
I have already written on the subject of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia, and I came across another interesting article on homosexuality in Kuwait, so I thought I would write about that. This article was written in 2007 (http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=1478) and is authored by Sumayyah Meehan. The author states that in the Middle East, punishment of [...]
Yesterday while waiting for the bus, a homeless guy asked me if I could give him a bus ticket or pass or cash because he had lost his ticket. He said when you’re homeless it’s hard to keep track of stuff. I didn’t have the right change for the bus, so I didn’t help him, [...]
Today when I was in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, I noticed people carrying signs. From where I was sitting in the restaurant I was in, I couldn’t make out all of the words, but I did see ‘rapists’, ‘bodies,’ and ‘women’s rights.’ It seems like a write a fair number of blogs about women’s rights. It’s [...]
Laura is back on General Hospital! Today was the first show I’ve seen in a while. I came back because I saw Genie Francis on a cover of one of the soap news magazines. I haven’t watched the show on a daily basis for years—in fact, I think that the last time I watched regularly [...]
In Canada, the relationship of Quebec to other provinces is that they are different but equal. In other words, both are respected, but they are not the same. One is primarily French in its culture, and one is primarily English. But both are worthy. There is an analogy between how Canadians think of the [...]
People in the West often have a very stereotypical view of women’s rights in Iran, and other countries in the Middle East. However, the reality is far more complex than that. Women’s issues are becoming a strong force in Iranian politics. Although the constitutions of Iran in 1906 and 1979 denied women’s rights, female activists [...]
Agatha Miller was born in 1890 in Torquay, England. She was married in 1914 to Archibald (Archie) Christie, at the beginning of the First World War. She wrote her first book in 1916; it was called The Mysterious Affair at Styles. She had her only child in 1919. She wrote several more books between the [...]
The 1950s saw the end of the old movie studio system where the moguls like Jack Warner and Louis B Mayer had shepherded an enormous number of stars through the film process to the American public. I use the word ‘shepherded’ for a specific reason. The stars under contract in the old studio system were [...]
Joan Rivers is a very funny woman. But some of her comments cross the line, in my opinion. I know she is trying to portray herself, as all comedians do, as saying things that no one else dares to say. But in that race to the bottom, Joan is becoming an Olympic athlete. On [...]
The above picture shows just how much Neil Heslin has aged in the short space of time between when the picture with his little boy was taken, and how he appears now. This is evidence, circumstantial though it is, that there was not a conspiracy concerning Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary School. People can [...]
The answer is Katharine Hepburn. She won for 1933′s Morning Glory, 1967′s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1968′s The Lion in Winter, and 1980′s On Golden Pond. She won 4 times in total as Best Lead Actress. She was also nominated 8 other times, for a total of 12 nominations. Her nominations were for 1935′s [...]
Kris Kardashian Jenner is a very famous woman these days. But is she a good parent? It depends on your perspective. If providing substantially for your children’s financial welfare counts, then she has been a very good mother indeed. I remember in an episode of one of her shows that the reason why she works [...]
In my opinion, although the current Dallas is great, nothing can replace the classic show. However, last night’s episode was stellar in one important way. Originally, I thought that the picture JR sent Bobby, or rather, the video, was something cute, a throwaway scene that made limited but cute use of an ailing Larry Hagman. [...]
In 1946, Joan Crawford received the Academy Award for Lead Actress for her role in the previous year’s Mildred Pierce. This was an example of a film noir movie. What is film noir? It’s where the atmosphere, plot and general feel of a movie is dark. A classic example is Double Indemnity, starring Barbara Stanwyck. [...]
I do not think Shakespeare was racist, and here are a couple of important reasons why. When Shakespeare created his hero Othello, he made him a warrior, a career of dignity. A Moor, seen in contemporary terms, was someone who was little more than an animal. Shakespeare sensitively portrayed Othello to be a mixture [...]
Eskimos live in a culture that is very different from others. The term Eskimos is not how they identify themselves, but how others refer to the people who populate Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland (where, by the way, it’s icy, and in Iceland, it’s green!), northeast Siberia in Asiatic Russia. Eskimo culture includes the following: [...]
Karen Carpenter was part of a group called the Carpenters, made up of her brother and Karen herself. She played the drums originally, and was one of the best, according to some. However, her singing is what was unique, and set her apart from her peers. Interestingly, it was the transition of her being behind [...]
A knowledge of international culture can help us in a variety of ways, but I would like to discuss three that are especially important to me on a personal level. The first is that life is a mystery. There are so many questions that people have, which are universal. If we know more about [...]
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author in the world. There are many good things to say, obviously, about why she is so popular worldwide. She created characters that were memorable for the most part, even if sometimes they were stereotypical. She had a wonderful sense of humour, which was subtle. Her solutions to her murder [...]
The words Shah Mat in Farsi refer to the death of the King. This is the origin of the term ‘checkmate’ in English. It is the final move in a game of chess. The person who checkmates the other player wins the game. In 1979, the Iranian Revolution resulted in the death of the Shah. [...]
A lot of people do not like to watch movies from the 1930s because they are turned off by the fact that the movies are shown in black and white. They are missing out on a lot, though. One of the most interesting things about 1930s films is that there are two types of [...]
Recently, Alex Jones went on Piers Morgan and mentioned that Morgan should be deported for his stance that there should be a ban on assault weapons. Jones interpreted this to mean that Morgan was violating the 2nd Amendment, in principle. One response to this interview was very interesting, and that is Barack Obama’s. After the [...]
Recently, I came across a link that made me think, for the first time, about the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory as possibly having some legitimacy to it. I’m not sure if this is the same woman in both pictures, but the similarity is strong enough that I am definitely willing to entertain the idea. And [...]
This is the book cover for my new book, He Talks To Me, Too. This is a story that draws upon the literature of bildungsroman, a journey about the character and moral development of a young person. It also is based in sentimental literature, where the heroine is tested, like Job was in the [...]
Manti Te’o is a member of the Notre Dame football team. A hoax has been perpetrated by Ronalah Tulasosopo, who tricked Te’o into thinking that there was a woman named Lennay Kekua, but this woman actually never existed. Public sympathy was aroused for Te’o when his fans discovered that not only did his grandmother die, [...]
Last night on American Idol we saw an edited-down version of the fight between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. They were arguing over whether or not a singer should know which genre they want to sing in, as early as the auditions. Or at least that was the implication of the argument. I’m on [...]
There are 3 recurrent themes that are often discussed when we refer to school shootings in the United States. One is the existence of multiple shooters. One is SWAT teams rushing to rescue (or not). One is armed guards. All three of these are routinely mentioned when these shootings are discussed. Let’s look first at [...]
The word ‘Mormons’ refers to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Obviously the term ‘Mormons’ erases any reference to Jesus Christ, so this nickname for this group of people does them a disservice from the perspective of trying to evaluate if they are Christian or not. My [...]
On the cockroachalley website, the site runners show a video of Gene Rosen as he tearfully describes his involvement in the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy which happened in December, 2012. The title of the video refers to this being an audition for the grandfather. They are implying that he is a crisis actor. It seems [...]
Aaron Swartz was the co-founder of Reddit and RSS. This latter service especially, provided the technology necessary for things like blogs, podcasts, and other marvels of the 21st century. When I read the following article on Swartz and his death, I was reminded of the story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood stole from the [...]
Recently, a newspaper was irresponsible enough to publish the names of gun owners in the New York area. This paper is the Journal News. However, not only did this paper publish people’s names, they also published their addresses. Not only this, but it gets worse. They made an interactive map to make it easier for [...]
According to a writer at http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2012/12/18/robbie-parker-and-his-critics/, Robbie Parker is clean-cut in appearance, has several children, and refers to God as Heavenly Father. These are all signs that he is Mormon, or a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I agree that these are clues, and although I noticed only the last [...]
Anderson Cooper has decided to talk about the conspiracy theories about the mass shooting that recently occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. One of the most interesting parts of the discussion occurred for me when Cooper quoted Robbie Parker as saying that people need to focus on what is important, and not be derailed from that. This [...]
Michael Muhney is an actor, who currently stars on The Young and the Restless. He is one of the show’s best assets, not only because he has definite charisma, but also dramatic talent, as well as some comic skills. He is also interesting off screen. He has a strong Twitter presence, and engages intensely [...]
Jodie Foster received a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille award, at the Golden Globes last night. She is a two-time Academy Award-winning actress, and has been acting since the age of 3. She is now 50, which means that she has 47 years of experience in show business. For years, it has [...]
Inside the Saudi kingdom, there are 13 provinces. Hail is one of the more conservative provinces, and represents the agricultural centre of the nation. Women are not encouraged to speak on camera, according to the local culture. Other provinces include Jouf, Tabuk, Qasim, Madinah (the sacred site where the Prophet Muhammad received his revelation which [...]
30 women have been appointed to the Shura council, which has been staffed traditionally by men. These women will be part of the group that advises the monarch on government policy. There are 150 Shura council members in total, so this number of women represents a significant 20 percent of the body. Incidentally, this is [...]
These cards were released in 1995. People who believe in the Illuminati point to these cards of proof of the existence of this secret society, because several of the card depict images that have later turned out to be reality. What do you think? The secret master card refers to the Illuminati. There is [...]
Ry Dawson in a YouTube video, found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssxEvQNa16E&feature=youtu.be, criticizes the famous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on a variety of issues. As the video begins, Jones is explaining that the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. According to Dawson, this is not so. Ahmadinejad has instead threatened [...]
Piers Morgan conducted an interview with Alex Jones a few nights ago, and it has ignited a considerable amount of controversy. According to Jones, the 2nd Amendment does not refer to duck hunting; it refers to the right American citizens have to defend themselves against the tyranny of the government. He points out that the [...]
The Waltons is a family-oriented show that ran in the 1970s and early 1980s. It is a classic. The Waltons were a Baptist (Christian) family. Although the television show was filmed in the 1970s, it was based on Earl Hamner’s real life as experienced during the Great Depression. The Depression began in 1929 when the [...]
In Newtown, Connecticut, almost 30 children died in a tragedy that makes no sense. Whether you think Robbie Parker was an actor or a genuinely grieving father, the tragedy itself definitely occurred (for the sake of clarity, I think he is a genuinely grieving father). As sad as this tragedy was, far more children have [...]
What do the Mormons think about this issue? The Book of Mormon is considered scripture for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to this Christian church, Smith received divine revelation and was told directly by God what to write (in the same way that Muslims believe Muhammad received divine revelation [...]
There is a song, commonly sung at Christmas time in the Christian world entitled “Good King Wenceslas.” King Wenceslas, according to the hymn, was surveying his land when he noticed someone gathering up wood. This so moved the monarch that he arranged to have the man fed royally. This is the basis of the tradition [...]
There is not a lot of information in the Bible about when Jesus was born. There are some clues, however, ambiguous though they are. In Luke 2:8, it talks about how the shepherds are tending to their flocks when the news of His birth comes. This suggests a spring date, rather than the traditional one [...]
Sources: http://biblos.com/songs/5-16.htm http://www.answering-islam.org/BibleCom/songs5-16.html In the Song of Solomon Chapter 5, a woman is describing a man, a man who has not yet been born. In other words, a prophecy is being uttered. In verse 16 of Chapter 5, it says, “His mouth is sweetness itself; he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved, and [...]
The above picture is being circulated around the Internet. There are three main issues that the picture brings up for conspiracy theorists. I am not sure who the original author is of the conspiracy, or who did the collage in the first place, but I will be glad to give you credit if you notify [...]
People have been waiting for a week to hear what the National Rifle Association (NRA) think about the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the company, finally broke his silence. He stated that the solution to the problem of mass shootings is to arm good people with guns so [...]
King Solomon was a very wise man. In the King James version of the Bible, specifically in the 3rd book of 1 Kings, a story is told where he was supposed to judge between two mothers of children. Both mothers said the child belonged to them. In his wisdom, Solomon suggested cutting the child in [...]
Piers Morgan, the CNN talk host, has strong opinions about what America should do about gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. He went on Twitter the day the tragedy occurred, and posted several tweets about what gun control policy should be in the United States. He says that no [...]
Robbie Parker is a remarkable man. He lost his daughter, Emilie, in the recent Newtown, Connecticut shooting. When I heard him talking on television, I thought, “He sounds like a Mormon.” When I mentioned this on Facebook, one of my friends told me that her husband had read on the Internet that Parker is, in [...]
Liza Long wrote an article at http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/, which created a firestorm of controversy. In it, she described herself as being in the same situation as Adam Lanza’s mother. Long, too, has a son with mental health issues. She describes her interactions with him, which are becoming more belligerent over time, and she basically is pleading [...]
Mark Dice has released a video on YouTube where he discusses the mass shooting that recently happened in Newtown, Connecticut. He calls out Alex Jones, whom he refers to as a conspiracy con man. Dice mocks Jones for saying that the police are scrubbing the reports about there being multiple shooters. Dice does not [...]
Steve Jackson invented a card game which laid out specific plans of the Illuminati. The card game was released in 1995. The website from which I am drawing this information has more content than I am summarizing here. I decided for the sake of space to focus on the gun control card, given the interest [...]
The tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut, is one more piece of evidence that guns that are capable of killing many people in a matter of seconds should be banned. Yes, I know that many people believe that the Illuminati-controlled government staging a future coup, and the general population needs to be [...]
Source: http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/crazy-world/bizarre-this-woman-grows-nails-on-her-head-face-2012-08-16-1.471760 Shanyna Isom, a law student in Memphis, suffered an asthma attack a few years ago. As a result, she was prescribed steroids, which had a terrible consequence for her. She immediately started itching all over her body. She began to grow scabs, especially on her legs, which quickly spread to the [...]
I think that men do. There is a myth that men are not as sensitive as women. They just show it differently, meaning that they do not show it as openly because society still frowns on men who are too emotional, which has devastating consequences. Men do not fall in love as easily as [...]
Unfortunately, there has been another mass shooting in the United States. This time, it took place in a mall in Portland, Oregon. According to a Time article, which can be found at http://nation.time.com/2012/12/11/two-shot-at-mall-near-portland-ore/, the perpretator wore a mask, body armour, and camouflage so that he could not be identified. After killing two victims, the gunman [...]
Days of our Lives is a mixture of good and bad right now. I am liking the Will/Gabi/Chad/Sonny/Nick storyline. It is nice to have guys gossiping about each other, rather than the usual women! Gabi is a great heroine. She has done really awful things but is still somewhat sympathetic. If I were related to [...]
When I was at Ricks College, I experienced something new. It was called Morp, which is Prom backwards. The reason they spell it backwards is because of the fact that for this one time, girls ask guys to the dance, rather than the other way around. Is this a good idea? I think it’s fun [...]
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Vlw_IunCY&feature=related Denise Dresser recently a talk on what is wrong with Mexico. Everyday life in Mexico is extremely dangerous. Parents never know if the phone is going to ring, and if they are going to be told that one of their children has been caught in the fire of a drug cartel. Perhaps [...]
There are a number of herbs and other natural remedies that a person can use to improve their chances of beating diabetes. For herbs, two that are particularly effective, according to reports, are sage and milberry. If you do not want to take too many pills, even natural, non-chemical ones, you can always steep these [...]
Diabetes is an epidemic. Soon more people on the planet will have diabetes than don’t have it. There is tons of misinformation out there. I suffer from diabetes and my doctor is concerned because my blood sugar was 16 when I recently had it tested. Ideal is 5.5. I’m really reading and researching a lot [...]
The chemistry between Khloe Kardashian and Simon Cowell is adorable. He needs to button his shirt, and Mario Lopez can start wearing his the way Simon does now. But Khloe doesn’t need to change anything, except perhaps it would be good to convince Mario to not hate her. Because I think he does. And he’s [...]
I’m very interested in soap operas and I’m also captivated by examples of racism. I’m not captivated because I enjoy racism, but I do find it interesting that in this day and age, racism still exists. My love for soaps and my interest in the subjects of race and culture led me to picking up [...]
Many people’s answer to this question is “the one that you’re not keeping.” But I disagree with this. I think it’s too simple of an answer. There is, as far as I know, no one on earth who is committing only one sin, or breaking one single commandment. Most of us commit a dozen sins [...]
The problem that a lot of us have is that we judge wrongly. There is a time to judge and there is a time not to. When is it appropriate? When we are judging something in the hope of making a better society. Sometimes we need to judge for the purposes of self-protection. For instance, [...]
Social media is the rage of the day. But which one is best? It depends on what you’re looking for. I like sharing ideas with people and engaging as many as possible. So for me, the clear choice is Facebook. It exactly suits my needs. If we could set it up so that Facebook accepted [...]
Last night something interesting happened on the X Factor. It’s a reality show competition like America Idol. One of the singers will be given a 5 million dollar contract to make a CD when they win. So the stakes are very high. The judges for the show are Simon Cowell (originally on American Idol), Britney [...]
Men and women sometimes have very good intentions, but often they do not understand each other because they literally do not know what the other person is saying. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is they assume that because the way they handle a situation is the way that someone of the opposite [...]
If you want to date someone, are there tricks you can use to help them along the path of being attracted to you? If you are familiar with psychology, then you might be able to manipulate people into wanting to spend more time with you. Is this ethical? I think it is fine, but you [...]
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/reel-bad-arabs/ Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People In Hollywood movies, ominous music accompanies Arabs on screen. The desert is shown as something to fear. This goes back to silent movies in Hollywood, with stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. In Disney’s Aladdin, the film degraded Arabs by saying “they came from a land in a [...]
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/wake-up-call-new-world-order/ One cause of the American Revolution was that King George III stopped allowing the colonists to print their own currency. Therefore, they had to borrow the money they needed to run their colonies from the Bank of England, (which had been created in 1694). They also had to pay interest on the money [...]
Summary of http://www.globalreport2010.com/globalwatchspecialreport.pdf Why was President John F. Kennedy assassinated? According to this website, it is because he signed Executive Order 11110, the substance of which is that the Federal Reserve would soon no longer be able to lend money at interest. In other words, the central banks who own the Federal Reserve would stand [...]
For some of my blogs, I will be summarizing documentaries that make us think in a new way about politics: You won’t learn this stuff in university! This summary is Money Masters. You can find the full video on YouTube and if you want to buy it (which I encourage!), you can obtain the ordering [...]
The prison warden couldn’t believe his luck. With his personal charm (which was invisible to many, but widely reported), he had managed to secure a job in this tough economy as a prison warden with little relevant experience. There had been an election, and he had won. Even better, he had slowly built a strong [...]
In Egypt, there were congratulations but not as much enthusiasm as there has been in the past. When Obama won in 2008, he gave a speech which outlined various plans for a strong relationship between Cairo and Washington. However, his future policies did not reflect that in the eyes of many Egyptians. A leader [...]
There are many reasons. One of the most important is that I know His sacrifice is beyond my comprehension. Parents would rather suffer themselves than see their children suffer. However, God sent His Son to die for us because He knew that without this divine intervention, we would not be able to return to live [...]
Jian Feng filed a lawsuit against his wife once she delivered a baby he considered to be ugly. When the baby was first born, he could not believe his eyes. He accused his wife of having an affair because he did not think it possible that two such good-looking people would have such an unattractive [...]
You suspect you might have a health problem. So you make an appointment with your family doctor. You are happy with that particular doctor because they know a lot. You can tell this from what they say, and the questions they ask. You wish you had that much knowledge. Then you wouldn’t need to wait [...]
Source for photograph: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=290297 I would be criticizing any President, be they Democrat or Republican, for the situation that’s going on along the Eastern Seaboard. It is absolutely unacceptable what’s going on, or more accurately, what’s not going on. President Obama should be ensuring that the generators for the marathon are redirected to those [...]
Here are some tricks for math that will help you save time. If you want to multiply two numbers by two numbers, there are several things you can do to make it a less daunting task. If you multiply a number by 11, all you have to do is add the 2 digits of [...]
It is true that there is a lot of danger and violence in Mexico because of the ever-present drug cartels. However, there are also a lot of great reasons to visit Mexico as I plan to do in April/2013. One of the neat things I’ve learned about Mexico is that the sense of family [...]
A fifth of ‘Israel”s population is of Arab descent. Therefore, they are in the minority in that country. I put quotation around the word ‘Israel’ to show that I think it should be called Palestine. Ann Coulter has recently made the point that racism is no longer systemic in America. This means that while [...]
Donald Trump, one of the greatest businessmen in the United States, offered President Obama last week 5 million dollars to whichever charity Obama named if he would release his records to the American public. It is hard to believe that Trump gets criticism while Obama largely gets off scot free. Talk about focusing on [...]
We hear a lot about how advanced the United States is when it comes to race because they have a black President. However, what is usually not mentioned is the fact that he is half black, half white. It is like America is dipping its toe into the pool of a post-racial society, but is [...]
Colourism has been defined as the belief that people with dark skin are inherently inferior to light-skinned people. It is more specific than racism. Racism applies to any race feeling that they are superior to another race, or any individual within that race. Colourism specifically has to do with discrimination against those with dark skin. [...]
I know a lot of people make fun of Donald Trump because of his hair and his desire for publicity, but I think he is wonderful. He is the perfect combination of real estate mogul/businessman and entertainer. Yes, he courts publicity, but he deserves it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t get it. Tons of people [...]
If you have to write a paper, there are a couple of tricks I know about (and have often used myself) that will help make the process much easier for yourself. When you have to write a summary, take each paragraph separately. Don’t read the whole article and then start writing. Have a Word [...]
Did you know that when Shakespeare’s Juliet asks Romeo, “Wherefore art thou?”, she is not asking ‘Where are you?’ But ‘Why are you?’ In other words, she is not wondering where he is, but instead she is lamenting the fact that he is a Montague, rather than a Capulet, as she is. Their families are [...]
The article, which can be found at http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/05/the-kingdom-in-the-closet/305774/ offers a frank discussion of homosexuality in the country where Islam is practiced most faithfully. But I’m wondering how accurate it is because a couple of people I know who are from there have told me that it is incorrect in a number of areas. Here [...]
On October 17, 2012, I published on my website an article entitled Society’s enemies: Condoms and birth control, found at http://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/10/17/societys-enemies-condoms-and-birth-control/. I also sent it to a Facebook group, Saint Mary’s University Philosophy Society shortly afterward. A response to my article can be found if you join that group. Here is my response to that [...]
According to a Guardian online article, found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/29/saudi-women-living-contradiction, there are contradictions that make up an inherent part of Saudi culture. One contradiction is that women are not allowed to drive for the purpose of not interacting with men; however, they hire male drivers who are strangers to transport them from place to place. [...]
In Jay Z’s new song Monster by Kanye West, the rapper talks about raping children and women in the context of pillaging villages. Let’s remember that Barack Obama has included Jay Z in public campaign ads. He counts the rapper as one of his friends. Of course, that is probably because Jay Z raised a [...]
Khloe Kardashian is going to be hosting the X Factor (US) once the live shows start soon. I’m excited, because I think she has a lot of personality. And it will be nice to see her in a different environment. I watch the Kardashian reality shows for some reason but I don’t actually enjoy them. [...]
There are several tricks that can help you study for a midterm. For example, the index at the back of the book is your best friend. If you are writing a midterm online, and you have access to the book, make sure that you use the index as much as possible. Let’s say that the [...]
Mitt Romney recently gave a speech at the annual Alfred E. Smith dinner where politicians poke fun at each other. Here are some of his best jokes: A political campaign can involve a lot of wardrobe changes. You can wear blue jeans in the morning, but a suit at a lunch fundraiser. Then again, [...]
Tuesday’s night debate was interesting for a number of reasons. From the beginning, Governor Romney was aggressive with President Obama. Some say he was rude; others say he got the job done by asking the President tough questions. What do you think? One part where President Obama owned Governor Romney was when Romney tried [...]
Last night while I was watching the 2012 Presidential election debates, Mitt Romney made a comment about how the government should not control a woman’s right to contraceptives. And it got me thinking about something I’ve thought before. People use condoms for a variety of reasons. Last night I posted the following on Facebook: [...]
Why are people so surprised that Barack Obama might have cooked the books concerning the job numbers that were released where the numbers dipped below 8%? That kind of thing has been done in Canada. Think of the scholarship scandal. Both situations involve the government inappropriately involving itself in the administrative aspect of government. And [...]
The next book I am going to write is going to be on a Middle Eastern student who is torn between a Chinese girl and Canadian girl. He goes to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to go to Saint Mary’s University where he is going to major in Commerce so that he can work for his father [...]
The false Christ sees only with one eyes, his left eye, not both eyes. The Quran teaches that our hearts can see and hear; it is not just our eyes that can perform these tasks. If we have faith, we could be blind but we could still see. We could be deaf, and we could [...]
I would say that Israel is the bigger threat because the power of the Zionists is such that they control the media, and the media does not report the terrorist acts of the Zionists. This lulls the world into a false sense of security with regard to Israel, when there is supposedly evidence that strongly [...]
There are several good things about Chinese culture. This article will basically discuss 3 of them; the strong work ethic, the respect for elders, and the fact that they concentrate more on the group than the individual. Although of course the culture is not perfect (which one is?), I prefer to focus in this blog [...]
She is actually saying a lot of really interesting stuff! Here is an overview but I’m going to be discussing her latest book a lot more because it is on an important subject: racism. And she is one of my very favourite authors. One of the important points she begins with; in fact, [...]
We all know that politicians lie on a regular basis. Usually, it is for political gain, either direct or indirect. One theory has it that the death of Osama bin Laden was faked so that Barack Obama could distract people from the controversy surrounding his birth certificate. I have never thought that the ‘birthers,’ [...]
Here are some romantic songs that are really beautiful in the genre of pop music. Please note that I have no control over the advertisements that come up before the actual video song begins. Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh, uploaded by aquariussky on Youtube at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLgmlWRxhwk Again by [...]
Sometimes it is hard to remember what is going on in other parts of the world when we are in calm, beautiful Nova Scotia. That is why sites like YouTube are so helpful because they remind us of the atrocities that are occurring in countries like Syria as people there fight to live a life [...]
Although these are all just theories, and I have no way to prove them, I do think there are several reasons for why many Middle Eastern guys want to date Canadian girls. Of course, there are exceptions. Some guys from a culture that is different from the Canadian one don’t think much of the [...]
The soap opera Young and the Restless is pretty good but is far more interesting behind the scenes. This coming week will see the work of the new executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and the new headwriter Josh Griffin. As always when there is a new regime in daytime, heads roll. It has already [...]
Persia, present-day Iran, is one of the world’s great civilizations and easily the largest empire of all time. Cyrus the Great was a master engineer who helped design some of the greatest marvels of engineering and architecture the world has ever known, such as palaces, and an incredible infrastructure of bridges, highways, etc. It [...]
Haruka Herrera is a Japanese-Mexican Middle School student in Laredo Texas. She is 11 and wants to be a writer of children´s books. She enjoys drawing, reading and surfing the internet. What follows is a sample of her writing. It’s hard to believe she already writes so well at the tender age of 11! Emily [...]
Dr. Jerald F. Dirks, a Christian scholar who graduated from Harvard Divinity School, says that Christianity did not exist at the time Jesus Christ lived. Jesus was a Muslim because the word ‘Muslim’ means someone who submits or surrenders to God. Jesus submitted to God; therefore, He was a Muslim, according to Dr. Dirks. A [...]
What does the media lie about specifically? Media is supposed to be a bridge between the people and those in power. However, they stand to gain from perpetuating the status quo so they tend to side with those in power, at the expense of the average citizens for whom they are supposed to be the [...]
The United States was founded on Christian ideas and principles. Most of the Founding Fathers were self-professed Christians, and one of the issues they were most concerned about is a very Christian principle: that of freedom from tyranny. They did not want to be tyrannized by Britain and unfair tax laws. They wanted to be [...]
There are a lot more similarities in how women are viewed in the Bible and the Quran than people might think at first. A lot of people in Canada, mainly because of the media, think of Arab men as obsessed with sex, very controlling of women, and far behind in the area of women’s and [...]
Ron Paul says that we should negotiate with terrorists and use diplomacy. I agree with him. What is the Secretary of State for if not to negotiate? As always, I like to relate foreign policy issues to a family unit to see what my opinion is. In this case, imagine if someone breaks into your [...]
I think this is very true and I began to try to apply it to several groups that are often mistreated in today’s press. Men: Men often get a bad reputation in our media but consider some of the things they put up with: Women who don’t let men say what they [...]
MSBNC is a propaganda machine disguised as a news channel. Of course, you could say that probably about other channels as well. But MSNBC is particlarly awful in its obsession with race and simultaneous racism. They are past masters at seeing racial prejudice where none exists, but at the same time engaging in racist [...]
Judge sentencing rulings: Mohammed, five years in the state penitentiary. Jermaine, twenty years. Frank, 20 hours of community service. I’m sorry but the guidelines force me to do something. Are you ok? A lot of people are aware of the fact that depending on your ethnic origin, the sentence you receive at a criminal [...]
Her name is Samantha Lethwaite. She has been referred to as one of the most frightening female terrorists of all time. She was married to Jermaine Lindsay, the 7/7 bomber. Her name is associated with high-ranking Al Qaeda members. Nothing is known for certain about her, and this is all alleged; however, it is clear [...]
Is the 9/11 conspiracy theory becoming more accepted? According to one article, it is. Jesse Ventura was a guest on Piers Morgan Tonight recently, and talk turned to the 9/11 tragedy. Morgan referred to Ventura’s conspiracy theory about the event as a crackpot theory. Ventura then proceeded to ask the audience how many people agreed [...]
According to a Political Action Committee (PAC) ad, Obama is indeed racist against white people, as his some of his administration, such as Eric Holder. The ad points out that it is racist to accuse white people of being racist just because they do not like Obama or criticize him for his policies. The ad [...]
Many people confuse between supporting the Palestinians’ right to Palestine with being anti-Semitic or anti-Jew. For me, this is not true. I am anti-Zionism, the movement founded by Theodor Herzl, not anti-Jew. I am not racist, and do not appreciate racism in others. The average Jewish person is the same as the average Canadian, the [...]
How can we love our homeless neighbour? We can look directly at them and smile when we pass them on a crowded city street. That doesn’t cost anything. How can we love our Muslim neighbour? We can read the Quran and try to understand their religion better. How can we love our black [...]
Osama bin Laden is a reviled figure now in the Western world but it was not always this way. In a 1993 article written in the Independent,bin Laden is referred to as a “Saudi businessman,” one who did much good in Sudan. Specifically, he connected Port Sudan with Khartoum by constructing a road, one that [...]
I don’t know who is going to win the 2012 American election, but it is a guarantee that the American people are going to lose. I agree with a lot of classic Republican ideology but Mitt Romney does not impress me. It’s not just that he likes being in secret rooms where he can talk [...]
When OJ Simpson was arrested for the murder of his wife, Time very controversially ran a picture on their cover of the legendary football player with a darkened face. They received a lot of flak for this because people drew racist connotations from it. The implication was that Simpson was obeying the darker instincts of [...]
The Kardashians are quite a crew. Or should I say krew? It’s sad how Bruce Jenner gets no love. His daughters, Kylie and Kendall, did not even want to attend the tribute he received for winning the decathalon in 1976. He won a gold medal, girls! Pay some respect! They seem to be more worried [...]
My second book, He Talks To Me Too, found at http://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/my-writing/canadiannorth-american-culture/, has just been started, but it is going to be a look at organized religion. The metaphor of an island is going to be used to suggest a church that has a lot of rules and regulations. A young girl, Catherine, joins a community of [...]
Many celebrities have strong opinions about politics. Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Barbra Streisand, Melisande de Saulnier…wait, who is that? She’s the fictional celebrity I created for my book, Melisande’s Lingerie Closet. The book is a political satire about stars who think they know everything about politics. But they end up just making fools of themselves. [...]
You are going to be free whether you like it or not! This seems to be the United States’ foreign policy in some cases. The intentions might be good, but what is the reality? There are several reasons why America wants there to be as many democracies as possible in the world. Democracies do not [...]
There are different theories about what attracts someone to someone else. One possibility that I have heard about from a friend is that when we are very young children, the first person who treats us with exceptional kindness is a physical model for whom we will be attracted to in the future. Let’s say [...]
In tutoring students, many of whom are from the Middle East, I have noticed some cultural differences between Middle Easterners and Canadians. I do not think I would ever have learned this from newspaper or magazine articles, or from a book. This is the kind of thing that just comes up in conversation with people, [...]
One of the most interesting things about politics is international relations. The reason I find it so interesting is because I think we can use families as an analogy for the relations that occur between states. In fact, the political satire I wrote, Melisande’s Lingerie Closet, found at http://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/my-writing/melisandes-lingerie-closet/, uses the analogy of a family [...]
Michael Jackson died in the summer of 2009. Whitney Houston died in 2012. They were both immensely popular pop singers, especially Michael. He was known worldwide. I remember the day that he died, I was tutoring a student from Yemen and he knew exactly who it was when the television announcer told everyone about Michael’s [...]
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given as human beings. We can ask God for anything we need but more importantly we can thank Him for blessings we have already obtained. Many people aren’t sure of what to pray about. Are there some issues that are too trivial to pray [...]
The word ‘racism’ is thrown around so much these days that we have kind of forgotten what the word actually means. It refers to the belief that one race is superior to another. People are accused of being racist when they are clearly not. President Bush was accused of being racist because his government did [...]
Many people have strong opinions about the 43th President of the United States, George W. Bush. I think he is underestimated (not misunderestimated, as he mistakenly referred to the word one time) because people have knee-jerk reactions to any Republicans sometimes. This article will show 3 ways that Bush did a great job while he [...]
Many people, including Americans, refer to the United States of America as a democracy. However, this is not technically true, although of course the ideals of the Founding Fathers are democratic. An example of America’s commitment to democracy is George W. Bush’s implementation of the Freedom Agenda, a platform dedicated to the spreading of democracy [...]
On Keeping up with the Kardashians this past week, the family had a group therapy session. It all got very dramatic when Rob Kardashian burst into tears and had a bit of a breakdown on camera. Since this is a reality show, we always have to remember that it could be manufactured drama. However, if [...]
I believe very deeply in God even though my actions do not often correspond with my beliefs. I have strong beliefs in what His character is like. I might be wrong, but here are some of the characteristics I believe He possesses. I believe He is very practical. He knows we are not perfect. [...]
I moved from Halifax to Hantsport, Nova Scotia on August 22, 2012. It was an extremely frustrating day but thanks to God, it all worked out in the end. Moving is one of those situations in life that tests the character of the people we know, although they would never admit it. Sometimes stuff happens [...]
Since Ramadan is ending over the following weekend, I thought I would take this chance to talk about fasting, and its spiritual implications. When I was Mormon, I used to fast once a month and I gave my testimony of my belief in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So I know [...]
The character of Phyllis is very polarizing on the daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. You either love her or hate her. The actress, Michelle Stafford, plays her very well; full of energy, and bravado. She is like the Bette Davis of daytime. Her new dark hairstyle makes her look even younger than [...]
In the eighteenth century in France, the city was a hotbed of literary and political activity. People were very excited about the changes that were taking place. Many French citizens were unhappy with the lifestyle of the monarchy, particularly Marie Antoinette, the young Queen. Many revolutionary ideas were expressed and these ideas were constantly disseminated [...]
Donald Trump is going to do something yooge (Donald Trump’s version of huge) at this year’s Republican convention. It is expected that Mitt Romney will get the nomination because he has the required number of delegates. Could Trump announce that he is going to run? He no longer is disqualified because of the airing of [...]
This blog is going to reveal probably more about myself than I am comfortable with but if it helps someone, anyone, know that they are not alone in experiencing feelings of loneliness and insecurity, then it will have been worthwhile. The other day, something happened to upset me and I still haven’t forgotten it [...]
There are a lot of zombies on Spring Garden Road today in Halifax. Maybe there’s a convention for people who like Barack Obama? In any case, they are painted up, without a lot of clothes on, and are contorting their bodies in an extremely odd fashion. No, I’m not talking about Kim Kardashian’s sex tape. [...]
I have tutored many students over the past eight years, and the vast majority of them have been from the Middle East. Because of my familiarity with so many students, especially from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Dubai, I know many of the challenges that these young students battle while they study here [...]
A lot of times, guys who are nicer than average unfortunately feel as though they are nicer than they actually are. They are misled by the fact that they are not total dogs. But what makes a nice guy, according to girls? I think there is general agreement on this issue. One of the things [...]
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States promises free speech, which means that a person cannot be punished by the Government or a representative of the Government for expressing their opinion. One might suppose that the Fairness Doctrine, because it includes the word ‘fairness’, is a good thing, when such is not [...]
Gabby Douglas is a remarkable young woman. She is a multi-gold winning medalist in the field of gymnastics. She is known for her trademark giggles and smiles, which have endeared her to a wide public. In the 1970s, the Mary Tyler Moore was a classic television show that followed the life of Mary Richards [...]
There are a lot of Middle Eastern students in Halifax. In that culture, they do not date for the most part like Canadians do. However, there are some young men who would like to have a Canadian girlfriend. Canadian girls often like Canadian guys, probably because there is no language barrier. And let’s admit it, [...]