The recent months have been troubled times, starting with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Tunisia (due to ill-treatment by police and corruption) on the 18th of December 2010. In late December 2010 and January 2011, the troubles spread to Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Bahrain, Djibouti and Mauritania, encouraged by the success of the Tunisian protest marches and riots: the president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on the 14th of January after 23 years in power. Also set off by the events in Tunisia was a wave of self-immolations that caused the death of about 7 and the injury of at least 10 more. So far, the success as well as the number of protesters has varied between the troubled nations:
Algeria: the first protests in Algiers on the 29th of December ended with 3 deaths, 800 wounded and 1100 arrested. A month later (29th of January) 10 000 people marched in Bejaia. It was announced on the 3rd of February that the state of emergency (which has been enforced since 1992) will be lifted.
Egypt: The protests in Egypt have, at the peak, on Friday the 4th of February, involved at least a million people while hundreds of thousands have been seen on other days. In clashes with law enforcement and pro-government people, there have been 297 deaths, 3000 injured and 1000 arrested. The protests continue as the people demand the resignation of the president, Hosni Mubarak.
Jordan: In Jordan, the protests have resulted in the prime minister and his government were canned by King Abdullah. There were no reported casualties and a new government was formed without much trouble.
Yemen: The president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh (in power for 30 years) has announced that he will not run for office in the elections of 2013 in response to the tens of thousands that gathered in Sana'a to demand the resignation of the president. Aside from a number of arrests the marches have been without incident.
Situation:
So far there have been a total of over 500 deaths (including self-immolations), over 4000 wounded, and over 2000 arrested
Friday 11 February 2011
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Tunisie: Le 17 Decembre 2010, un vendeur de rue nommé Mohammed Bouazizi [sic] se suicida devant un bâtiment du gouvernement de Tunisie. Le suicide fût causé par l'humiliation aux mains de la police quand ils confisquèrent ses biens. Cet incident déclencha des manifestations dans la region et puis partout dans le pays; pour la majorité des manifestants, le but était de venger la mort de leur compatriote et protester contre l'chômage, les prix de la nourriture, la corruption, la liberté d'expression et les mauvaises conditions de vie. Après 28 jours de manifestations et émeutes, le 15 janvier 2011, le président du Tunisie, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a fuit le pays et est allé en Arabie Saoudite. Peu de temps après, un nouveau gouvernement fût formé avec le premier ministre, Mohamed Ghannouchi en tête. Mais encore, les émeutes continuèrent parce qu'il y avait encore des membres du parti de l'ancien président (le Rassemblement Constitutionel Démocratique, RCD) dans le gouvernement. Enfin, le 27 Janvier 2011, l'ancien premier ministre enleva tous les membres restant du RCD, apart lui même. Et le 7 Fevrier 2011, le nouveau ministre de l'intérieur arrêta toutes les activités du RCD pour des “raisons de sécurité”. Il y a encore des troubles en Tunisie [07/02/11]. Les pertes civiles sont estimées à plus de 219 morts et 94 blessés. Les troubles en Tunisie déclenchèrent une vague de manifestations et émeutes à travers le monde arabe.
Egypte: En Egypte, les troubles commencèrent le 25 Janvier 2011 au Caire et dans plusieurs autres villes, le Jour National de la Police en Egypte. Ces manifestations sont les plus grandes depuis les émeutes du pain en 1977. Les manifestants demandent primairement la démission du président Hosni Moubarak qui est au pouvoir depuis 1981 mais la résolution d'autres problèmes (i.e. la violence policière, le manque d'élections et de la liberté d'expression, la corruption, le chômage, le prix de la nourriture, l'insuffisance du salaire minimum). Le 29 Janvier, il y avait déjà 105 morts et 2 250 blessés (dont 750 agents de police), le couvre-feu déclaré par le président fut ignoré par la population et les forces de l'ordre et Le Caire fut décrit comme une zône de guerre. En réponse, le président Moubarak dissolut son gouvernment et demanda à Ahmed Shafik, ministre de l'aviation, d'organiser un gouvernement. Malgré que les manifestants exigaient la démission du président le 4 Février, ce dernier déclara qu'il resterait au pouvoir jusqu'aux élections en Septembre auquel, dit-il, il ne se re-présenterait pas en tant que candidat. Le vendredi, Al Jazeera compta 1 000 000 de manifestants sur la pleine Tahrir au Caire; 1 000 000 autres personnes étaient assemblées à Alexandrie et se disaient prêt à prendre la route pour le Caire si les forces de l'ordre deviendraient violent envers les manifestants. Les jours suivants, l'armée essaya de renvoyer les manifestants chez eux pour “retourner à leur vie normale”; d'autre part l'armée refusa de disperser les manifestants ou de prendre un parti, tout court. Les émeutes et manifestations continuent à ce jour, pour la plupart sous la direction de Mohamed ElBaradei, lauréat du prix Nobel de la paix 2005. A ce jour, les pertes sont estimées à 300 morts (dont 135 manifestants, 12 agents de police, 12 prisoniers évadés et 1 directeur de prison) et plus de 3 000 blessés.
Algerie: Tandis que les mouvements populaires contre le gouvernment d'Algerie sont fréquents, depuis le 29 Décembre 2010 il y a une forte augmentation en quantité et distribution. Commencées à Algers, les émeutes se propagent dans le reste du pays à partir du 3 Janvier 2011, déclenchées par la grande quantité de manifestations en Tunisie, voisin d'Algérie, et en protestation au chômage, problèmes du logement, le prix de la nourriture, corruption et manque de la liberté d'expression. Le 10 Janvier, les manifestations étaient limitées à quelques villes et toute tentative le 11 Janvier fut réprimée par la police. Ces émeutes, d'une taille comparable aux émeutes du temps des élections de 1991, firent trois morts, 800 blessés et au moins 1100 arrestations. Entre le 12 et le 19 Janvier il y a quelques manifestations isolées; fin Janvier quelques manifestations de plus grande taille sont organisées. Les émeutes continuèrent encore le 3 Février, le jour où le président de l'Algérie, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, dit que l'état d'urgence qui est en force depuis 1992 sera levé. Malgré ça et l'appel de ce dernier à ses ministres de créer plus d'emplois, Al Jazeera reporta qu’il y avait encore des manifestations prévues.
Jordanie: Encouragés par le succès des manifestations en Egypte et Tunisie et les Frères Musulmans, les Jordaniens se mettent à protester (pour la plupart contre le prix de la nourriture et les salaires) et demandent la démission du premier ministre.
Autres Pays: L'Arabie Saoudite, la Mauretanie, le Maroc, le Yemen, le Soudan, l'Iraq, l'Oman, le Libye et la Syrie virent aussi des émeutes ou manifestations, mais dans ces pays (apart le Yemen) sont les manifestations moin nombreuses et moins violentes
Auto-immolation: déclenchée par l'auto-immolation du Tunisien Mohammed Bouazizi, il y a une vague d'auto-immolations à travers le monde arabe qui progresse en parallèle aux manifestations. Après le succès en Tunisie en partie grace à Bouazizi, beaucoup d'autres suivent son exemple. En Mauretanie, Algerie, Tunisie, l'Arabie Saoudite, et en Egypte
Egypte: En Egypte, les troubles commencèrent le 25 Janvier 2011 au Caire et dans plusieurs autres villes, le Jour National de la Police en Egypte. Ces manifestations sont les plus grandes depuis les émeutes du pain en 1977. Les manifestants demandent primairement la démission du président Hosni Moubarak qui est au pouvoir depuis 1981 mais la résolution d'autres problèmes (i.e. la violence policière, le manque d'élections et de la liberté d'expression, la corruption, le chômage, le prix de la nourriture, l'insuffisance du salaire minimum). Le 29 Janvier, il y avait déjà 105 morts et 2 250 blessés (dont 750 agents de police), le couvre-feu déclaré par le président fut ignoré par la population et les forces de l'ordre et Le Caire fut décrit comme une zône de guerre. En réponse, le président Moubarak dissolut son gouvernment et demanda à Ahmed Shafik, ministre de l'aviation, d'organiser un gouvernement. Malgré que les manifestants exigaient la démission du président le 4 Février, ce dernier déclara qu'il resterait au pouvoir jusqu'aux élections en Septembre auquel, dit-il, il ne se re-présenterait pas en tant que candidat. Le vendredi, Al Jazeera compta 1 000 000 de manifestants sur la pleine Tahrir au Caire; 1 000 000 autres personnes étaient assemblées à Alexandrie et se disaient prêt à prendre la route pour le Caire si les forces de l'ordre deviendraient violent envers les manifestants. Les jours suivants, l'armée essaya de renvoyer les manifestants chez eux pour “retourner à leur vie normale”; d'autre part l'armée refusa de disperser les manifestants ou de prendre un parti, tout court. Les émeutes et manifestations continuent à ce jour, pour la plupart sous la direction de Mohamed ElBaradei, lauréat du prix Nobel de la paix 2005. A ce jour, les pertes sont estimées à 300 morts (dont 135 manifestants, 12 agents de police, 12 prisoniers évadés et 1 directeur de prison) et plus de 3 000 blessés.
Algerie: Tandis que les mouvements populaires contre le gouvernment d'Algerie sont fréquents, depuis le 29 Décembre 2010 il y a une forte augmentation en quantité et distribution. Commencées à Algers, les émeutes se propagent dans le reste du pays à partir du 3 Janvier 2011, déclenchées par la grande quantité de manifestations en Tunisie, voisin d'Algérie, et en protestation au chômage, problèmes du logement, le prix de la nourriture, corruption et manque de la liberté d'expression. Le 10 Janvier, les manifestations étaient limitées à quelques villes et toute tentative le 11 Janvier fut réprimée par la police. Ces émeutes, d'une taille comparable aux émeutes du temps des élections de 1991, firent trois morts, 800 blessés et au moins 1100 arrestations. Entre le 12 et le 19 Janvier il y a quelques manifestations isolées; fin Janvier quelques manifestations de plus grande taille sont organisées. Les émeutes continuèrent encore le 3 Février, le jour où le président de l'Algérie, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, dit que l'état d'urgence qui est en force depuis 1992 sera levé. Malgré ça et l'appel de ce dernier à ses ministres de créer plus d'emplois, Al Jazeera reporta qu’il y avait encore des manifestations prévues.
Jordanie: Encouragés par le succès des manifestations en Egypte et Tunisie et les Frères Musulmans, les Jordaniens se mettent à protester (pour la plupart contre le prix de la nourriture et les salaires) et demandent la démission du premier ministre.
Autres Pays: L'Arabie Saoudite, la Mauretanie, le Maroc, le Yemen, le Soudan, l'Iraq, l'Oman, le Libye et la Syrie virent aussi des émeutes ou manifestations, mais dans ces pays (apart le Yemen) sont les manifestations moin nombreuses et moins violentes
Auto-immolation: déclenchée par l'auto-immolation du Tunisien Mohammed Bouazizi, il y a une vague d'auto-immolations à travers le monde arabe qui progresse en parallèle aux manifestations. Après le succès en Tunisie en partie grace à Bouazizi, beaucoup d'autres suivent son exemple. En Mauretanie, Algerie, Tunisie, l'Arabie Saoudite, et en Egypte
Monday 25 October 2010
Gossip
Although gossip, which (according to evolutionary biologists) is the replacement of social grooming, is natural and necessary for bonding between members of a group, there must be a line drawn between a very common definition of gossip (the sharing of dirt and misinformation, often for the detriment of the subject(s) of the gossip) and the more general, and correct definition: the sharing of (unproven) facts or views, often pertaining to other members of the group. In the second definition, this sharing is not always malign and the purpose is often just to show the person with whom you are talking that you are part of the group.
Personally, I rarely broach topics pertaining to other people's lives (excluding when it is a question of sharing useful knowledge, but then the people I talk about generally tend to be dead, or politicians or writers). So, it is very rare that I talk about people that I know. For me, this lack of participation can be simply explained by the fact that I have Asperger Syndrome.
I can understand when other people gossip, for them it's natural, I am fine with it.... to a certain point: as long as no one is likely to be hurt by this information. Take the example of a certain friend of mine who some months ago, felt the full effects of what harm gossip can cause (I have changed the names, dates, personal details and locations so as to avoid further harm to all parties involved, in case, but this is a long shot, anyone I know should happen to read this blog):
He was at a certain activity along with some friends and Katyusha (whom he had not yet met). As it happened, my friend, Joep, got along really well with Katyusha (they had a number of common interests). Now, being an Aspie xD, I wouldn't know, from what little Joep told me, if Katyusha also got along well with Joep. I think so. Anyway, the activity lasted all day, and they were often together, along with their common friends, TJ, Melvin and others. A few days later, Joep happened to meet Katyusha in town (Gent, if I remember correctly), they talked for a while before going their separate ways, they also accidentally met a few days later (they did go to the same secondary school, different classes). That following weekend, Joep was on facebook when a close friend of Katyusha, Arokana, said hi. It turned out that TJ and/or Melvin had been talking with Arokana and had falsely given the impression that Joep was "interested" in Katyusha. Whether Joep was, I don't know, but I doubt that he would have gone much further than he already had, especially after he had broken up with his former girlfriend a few months earlier. I'm guessing he was still sore from that. Arokana then went on to say that she was trying to protect her friend, Katyusha, from boys and that Joep should keep his distance from Katyusha. For Joep this meant a number of things: 1. that Arokana thought was a potential danger for Katyusha, untrustworthy in other words (Which he was not, I am 100% sure, he was one of the calmest and friendliest boys I have ever known) and 2. He was "interested" in Katyusha, as in more than just a friend. She also went on to add that Katyusha had her eyes on another boy, and it was only a while after that I realised that this might not be entirely true. For Joep, I think the worst was being told that he was one of the boys that Katyusha needed protecting from and that he needed to keep away from her. As I put it, there are many more fish in the sea, but that insult had really lowered his already low self-esteem. I personally cannot believe that she said that, I mean, she seems nice enough, although I don't know her personally. I'm afraid that this might be one disappoint too many for Joep, I do not know what would happen if something else, no matter how big, came up.
This just goes to show how damaging gossip can be. Although Joep is still alive and kicking (albeit in a very depressed and unstable way), there have been other cases where gossip has caused young people to pull the plug on the very existence. Now, I doubt that Joep will purposefully go that far, but he still might do something reckless in a moment of extreme despair. If harmful gossip does occur, both parties should keep it between them. If you hear potentially harmful gossip about a friend or acquaintance, do not go telling to other people or that person. In other words: "mind your P's and Q's"!!!
Personally, I rarely broach topics pertaining to other people's lives (excluding when it is a question of sharing useful knowledge, but then the people I talk about generally tend to be dead, or politicians or writers). So, it is very rare that I talk about people that I know. For me, this lack of participation can be simply explained by the fact that I have Asperger Syndrome.
I can understand when other people gossip, for them it's natural, I am fine with it.... to a certain point: as long as no one is likely to be hurt by this information. Take the example of a certain friend of mine who some months ago, felt the full effects of what harm gossip can cause (I have changed the names, dates, personal details and locations so as to avoid further harm to all parties involved, in case, but this is a long shot, anyone I know should happen to read this blog):
He was at a certain activity along with some friends and Katyusha (whom he had not yet met). As it happened, my friend, Joep, got along really well with Katyusha (they had a number of common interests). Now, being an Aspie xD, I wouldn't know, from what little Joep told me, if Katyusha also got along well with Joep. I think so. Anyway, the activity lasted all day, and they were often together, along with their common friends, TJ, Melvin and others. A few days later, Joep happened to meet Katyusha in town (Gent, if I remember correctly), they talked for a while before going their separate ways, they also accidentally met a few days later (they did go to the same secondary school, different classes). That following weekend, Joep was on facebook when a close friend of Katyusha, Arokana, said hi. It turned out that TJ and/or Melvin had been talking with Arokana and had falsely given the impression that Joep was "interested" in Katyusha. Whether Joep was, I don't know, but I doubt that he would have gone much further than he already had, especially after he had broken up with his former girlfriend a few months earlier. I'm guessing he was still sore from that. Arokana then went on to say that she was trying to protect her friend, Katyusha, from boys and that Joep should keep his distance from Katyusha. For Joep this meant a number of things: 1. that Arokana thought was a potential danger for Katyusha, untrustworthy in other words (Which he was not, I am 100% sure, he was one of the calmest and friendliest boys I have ever known) and 2. He was "interested" in Katyusha, as in more than just a friend. She also went on to add that Katyusha had her eyes on another boy, and it was only a while after that I realised that this might not be entirely true. For Joep, I think the worst was being told that he was one of the boys that Katyusha needed protecting from and that he needed to keep away from her. As I put it, there are many more fish in the sea, but that insult had really lowered his already low self-esteem. I personally cannot believe that she said that, I mean, she seems nice enough, although I don't know her personally. I'm afraid that this might be one disappoint too many for Joep, I do not know what would happen if something else, no matter how big, came up.
This just goes to show how damaging gossip can be. Although Joep is still alive and kicking (albeit in a very depressed and unstable way), there have been other cases where gossip has caused young people to pull the plug on the very existence. Now, I doubt that Joep will purposefully go that far, but he still might do something reckless in a moment of extreme despair. If harmful gossip does occur, both parties should keep it between them. If you hear potentially harmful gossip about a friend or acquaintance, do not go telling to other people or that person. In other words: "mind your P's and Q's"!!!
Monday 3 August 2009
Imperial Europe
What if Europe was ruled by an Emperor (or a ruler with as much power)? They would be able to do what they wanted with Europe. Would they be able to rule as an Augustus, a Victoria, a Hapshepsut or a Thomas Jefferson? or would they be more like a Napoleon or a Julius Caesar? or worse would they be a Hitler, a Stalin, a Nero or a Bush? Would they be, like the first category, an intelligent, prosperous and maybe even loved ruler? Would they be, like the second category, a ruler just as intelligent but martial and maybe short lived? or would they be, like the last category, a cruel, barabarian, military (or not) ruler, hated by his subjects and shunned by the rest of the world? Would even be possible to become emperor of Europe. If people stop caring about politics, yes. If there is a serious crisis (economical, political or social) and Europe needs to be united, yes. If the European Union becomes the United States of Europe and its president is weak and incompetent, yes. If Europe continues to become more and more like the U.S.A. then it will certainly possible to seize power as Europe becomes more and more united. It may not be possible at this very moment, but in a few generations, maybe. Europe could take its place as world power, place that it lost as England, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, place that it could retake as Europe, as the Empire of Europe!
Monday 3 November 2008
HOME-EDUCATION part 2
Home-education in France. The French school system is regulated by the Education Nationale (national education), who sometimes makes it very difficult to home-educate, although it is legal to do so. Most inspectors from the Education Nationale say that the child has to be tested based on what a child of the same age in school would know. That is not what it says in the french law. The child can only be tested based on what her or his level was on the last time he or she was inspected. The only test should be at the age of 16 or 18 when the inspector should give him or her a test to see if the person has the skills required by French law. Personally I was tested twice in five years (we were visited by the inspector three times), both times were before we knew the law. If you home-educate you are supposed to send a letter to the Education Nationale and the town hall every September to state that you are going to home-educate your child. Normally the inspector comes to your house every year (not always the case) and somebody from the town hall is supposed to come every two years to see if the children's environment is propice to learning. If you have a more unschool approach then the town hall's visit is not usually what you have to be worried about, it is the inspectors visit that you should prepare for. But if you have a school at home approach, then you needn't worry about either visit (although the test is still illegal).
2008 U.S.A. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION part 2
Tomorrow the next U.S. president will be decided. Who is going to be elected? Well, if we look at the polls, Obama is going to win. But, according to some people (especially my mother) in the last two elections there was cheating and the republican candidate was falsely elected. Which means that, although the democrat candidate has a higher "score", there is still a chance that McCain wins. But I doubt it since barely anyone in America likes Bush enough to want another Republican in the White House. But I'm still suspicious. There is also the chance that Obama is either working for the people who installed Bush or will be controlled (as Bush probably was seeing his level of intelligence) by them as a puppet ruler. Personally I hope that Obama wins fair and square and that he rules as he sees best (which ever way that may be), and I hope that he sees better than Bush. Don't forget to vote on who you think will win and don't forget to post your comments.
Sunday 2 November 2008
HOME-EDUCATION part 1
Home-education is possible from birth. It is legal to home-educate in a number of countries: United Kingdom, Austria, France, Ireland, Slovenia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. For a map of the legality of home-education in the world click here (look further down the page)
There are nearly as many different methods as there are home-educated people, the methods range from complete unschoolers (complete freedom is given to the child), through more moderate methods, all the way to extreme home schooling (or school at home) where the child is taught exactly what children in school are taught, using school textbooks.
There are many examples where home-education is successful: Abraham Lincoln (16th president of the U.S. Taught himself mathematics, writing and reading), Leonardo Da Vinci (scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer), Felix Mendelssohn (composer, pianist and conductor), George S. Patton (U.S. Army officer), Robert E. Lee (U.S. Army officer, engineer and general), Alexander Graham Bell (scientist, inventor and innovator), Che Guevara (left-wing guerilla leader in Cuba, Africa and Bolivia; prison commandant and national bank president in Cuba; he was taught by his mother until age 13), Thomas Edison (inventor and businessman; he spent three months in school; he was taught reading, writing and arithmetic by his mother; the rest of his education he received by reading books), Woodrow Wilson (28th president of the U.S. Was home-educated by his father because of the Civil War; at 19 he entered Princeton University), others included: John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, John Tyler, George Washington, Moses, Joan of Arc, John the Baptist, William Cary, Jonathan Edwards, Brigham Young, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Bret Harte, C.S. Lewis, Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Charles Chaplin, Florence Nightingale, Leo Tolstoy, and myself.
A big reason for parents wanting to home-educate their child is because they think that they can provide a better education than the school. Which I think is very possible these days, what with the level of education being lowered in most countries. Another big reason for home-education poor learning environment at school. According to the U.S. DOE's "Homeschooling in the United States: 2003", "the social environments of other forms of schooling" (including safety, drugs, bullying and negative peer-pressure) is cited by 85% of parents as an important reason why they homeschool.
There are nearly as many different methods as there are home-educated people, the methods range from complete unschoolers (complete freedom is given to the child), through more moderate methods, all the way to extreme home schooling (or school at home) where the child is taught exactly what children in school are taught, using school textbooks.
There are many examples where home-education is successful: Abraham Lincoln (16th president of the U.S. Taught himself mathematics, writing and reading), Leonardo Da Vinci (scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer), Felix Mendelssohn (composer, pianist and conductor), George S. Patton (U.S. Army officer), Robert E. Lee (U.S. Army officer, engineer and general), Alexander Graham Bell (scientist, inventor and innovator), Che Guevara (left-wing guerilla leader in Cuba, Africa and Bolivia; prison commandant and national bank president in Cuba; he was taught by his mother until age 13), Thomas Edison (inventor and businessman; he spent three months in school; he was taught reading, writing and arithmetic by his mother; the rest of his education he received by reading books), Woodrow Wilson (28th president of the U.S. Was home-educated by his father because of the Civil War; at 19 he entered Princeton University), others included: John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, John Tyler, George Washington, Moses, Joan of Arc, John the Baptist, William Cary, Jonathan Edwards, Brigham Young, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Bret Harte, C.S. Lewis, Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Charles Chaplin, Florence Nightingale, Leo Tolstoy, and myself.
A big reason for parents wanting to home-educate their child is because they think that they can provide a better education than the school. Which I think is very possible these days, what with the level of education being lowered in most countries. Another big reason for home-education poor learning environment at school. According to the U.S. DOE's "Homeschooling in the United States: 2003", "the social environments of other forms of schooling" (including safety, drugs, bullying and negative peer-pressure) is cited by 85% of parents as an important reason why they homeschool.
2008 U.S.A. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION part 1
This year's election opposes two very different candidates: for the democrats we have Barack Obama, who is currently in the lead, (born in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. His father was a Kenyan, his mother a Kansan. He went to Harvard Law School and Columbia University. He served as Illinois State Senator (1997 - 2004), and is currently serving as United States Senator (Class 3) from Illinois. He was officially nominated as presidential candidate on August 27, 2008), his running mate is Joe Biden (born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He went to the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law. He is serving as United States Senator (Class 2) from Delaware. He was chosen by Barack Obama to be his running mate on August 27, 2008).
For the republicans we have John McCain (He was born at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station, Panama Canal Zone, Panama. He went to United States Naval Academy. He served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st congressional district (1983 - 1987) and is serving as United States senator (Class 3) from Arizona. He was officially nominated as presidential candidate on September 3, 2008), his running mate is Sarah Palin (She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A. She went to Hawaii Pacific College (for one semester), North Idaho community college (two semesters), Idaho University (two semesters), Matanaka Susitna community college (one term) and back to Idaho University (three semesters; she graduated there with a bachelor of science in communications-journalism). She served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and she is serving as Governor of Alaska. John McCain chose her as his running mate on August 29, 2008).
On one side we have two law school graduates (Biden and Obama) and on the other we have an ex-soldier and a graduate in communications-journalism (McCain and Palin). Who would you think is more capable of running the U.S. government? According to a Pew Research Center poll, Biden had a 60% favorability rating, compared to Palin's rating of 44%. Currently (2/11/08) the projected electoral votes are 333 for Obama and 181 for McCain. (on Yahoo!). And poll averages are 50.4 for Obama and 43.6 for McCain.
For the republicans we have John McCain (He was born at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station, Panama Canal Zone, Panama. He went to United States Naval Academy. He served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st congressional district (1983 - 1987) and is serving as United States senator (Class 3) from Arizona. He was officially nominated as presidential candidate on September 3, 2008), his running mate is Sarah Palin (She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A. She went to Hawaii Pacific College (for one semester), North Idaho community college (two semesters), Idaho University (two semesters), Matanaka Susitna community college (one term) and back to Idaho University (three semesters; she graduated there with a bachelor of science in communications-journalism). She served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and she is serving as Governor of Alaska. John McCain chose her as his running mate on August 29, 2008).
On one side we have two law school graduates (Biden and Obama) and on the other we have an ex-soldier and a graduate in communications-journalism (McCain and Palin). Who would you think is more capable of running the U.S. government? According to a Pew Research Center poll, Biden had a 60% favorability rating, compared to Palin's rating of 44%. Currently (2/11/08) the projected electoral votes are 333 for Obama and 181 for McCain. (on Yahoo!). And poll averages are 50.4 for Obama and 43.6 for McCain.
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