Be pro-social
Iraq official presses U.S. for pullout plan – Conflict in Iraq- msnbc.com: “National security adviser says any security deal must contain timetable” Iraqi leaders are publicly demanding a timetable for troop withdrawal. Over the past seven years, when an American, however, has demanded a timetable for withdrawal the Bush administration attacks the timetable as foolish … Read more
It is not a secret that the US government uses aggressive propaganda techniques. Furthermore, even when the US government is not directly manipulating the major news organizations, the media tends to support the official position. If the news organizations and the government are sometimes misleading the public, what can we do? The first step to … Read more
After I donated through PayPal, I received an email stating, “We have no paid staff and 95% of the donations go [to] our telephone bill.” Learn more at Hopeline. Wow.
I often get frustrated when newspapers, news websites, and media organizations (not individuals) make obvious and correctable errors. In an article attempting to answer the reader question, “Can I invest in the stock market without the aid of a stockbroker?“, MSNBC stated the following: (emphasis added) Mutual funds still carry the risk that the investment … Read more
From the Sunday Secrets posted 20 June 2008 at PostSecret: “The woman cop who investigated my rape case told me I wouldn’t win in court because I hadn’t screamed loud enough during the attack.” Dear Made-In-Japan, 1. Never take legal advice from a non-lawyer, especially a non-lawyer who is convinced she/he knows the law2. Get … Read more
In 1998, Malaysia imprisoned the deputy prime minister for homosexual acts. He was released in 2004, and he now leads the opposition party in parliament. The police have accused him of homosexual acts again–it is still a crime in Malaysia. Malaysian opposition leader accused of sodomy – CNN.com Do you believe that he should be … Read more
From McCain's Eight Most Inappropriate Jokes In 1998, McCain was speaking before a GOP fundraiser in Washington, D.C. when he asked, ‘Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father.’ The joke was wrong on so many levels- for it’s offense to the Attorney General, for it’s offense to the president and … Read more
Beijing airport deploys armed guards – Beijing Olympics News – NBCSports.com Reporting often fails to put information into perspective. “Guards with machine guns began patrolling the Beijing airport. . .” (emphasis added) First, the story tries to scare you by using the term “machine guns.” An M-16 is a machine gun. In other words, all … Read more
Some politicians and some newspapers are erroneously arguing that the federal courts will be “flooded” with requests from the 270 detainees in Guantanamo Bay. This is absurd. In 2004, federal courts handled 92,654 criminal cases. In addition to criminal cases, the courts handled at least 98,000 civil cases (the last year reported is 2002). In … Read more
I have seen a couple of American websites reporting that the Chinese are seeking to “resolutely crush” the Tibetan uprising. I have no doubt that the Chinese are using considerable force to stop the uprising. It is also a near certainty that the Chinese tactics are more severe and heavy handed than the tactics that … Read more