Apparently there's some hot girl from high school that's desperate to get in touch with me. I'm so excited. I'm going to buy her a plane ticket as soon as that money comes in from Nigeria. I've even been taking lots of those pill that are supposed to make me, uh, bigger in anticipation.

^
I don't mean to downplay the humanity of it. Of course the stakes in medicine are higher. Who cares what happens to a particle in an accelerator? Putting a life in harm's way is a whole different matter. Any parent understands the misgivings another parent might have about possible links. However, the larger public health hazard of kids not being immunized puts other kids at risk. So, as a parent, that concerns me. Polio was on the verge of joining small pox as a laboratory curiosity. Conspiracy theories in Nigeria (fearing that immunizations were a western plot to sterilize Muslims), allowed another outbreak. All evidence supports the fact that the collective public health benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of the vaccine, (which is not, and never will be zero).

But what really pisses me off about this type of reporting is the conspiracy/cover-up aspect. By association, it makes all doctors conspirators. We know more about the science of these things than anyone. The Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization are knowingly putting kids at risk? Give me a break. Every physician taking care of kids should feel personally insulted and defamed by such claims of deliberate medical malfeasance by neglect.

Hey! My Mommy loves me and approves of me! Of course, I keep her very far away from the intervents, or they would be naming streets in Nigeria after her...


In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
If your mom is lurking, then you better act like you don't know me. She'll ground you if she finds out what kind of crowd you're running around with. Especially critttter. If your mum is old-fashioned she'll STRONGLY disapprove of your friendship with a dog.

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
I always watch my language. My mom knows I'm Schmawy on Videosift! Hi Mom!

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
I just wanted you to know that both my son and I LOVE your new avatar. We think it's hysterical! Jim, my son, has already come by my computer three times and has asked me each time to see it. LOL LOL LOL!

So watch your language.

>> ^chilaxe:
>> ^jwray:
[...] 2. He insists that his interracial rags-to-riches story could not have happened in any other country. This is blatantly false. America is neither the least racist country nor the most socialy mobile country. Similar things could happen in most countries. [...]
People of African descent from countries like France come to the U.S. and say they see African Americans having an influence on the culture in a way that they don't see in their home countries.
The point is mainly just that the U.S. has had much more diversity (and ethnic tensions) for a longer time than most countries, so there is a stronger and wider trend of members of minority groups rising to influential positions.


Let's counter this claim with some specifics:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Al_Amoudi

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Lee-Chin


3. Norway seems to be much less racist than the USA:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1161853.stm
The same thing happens more frequently, with less protest, in the USA.
Also, nearly 50% of Norway's parliament is female, and half of Norway's population growth is from immigration.

6. In Indonesia, three races coexist, each with at least 30% of the population. There isn't much racial strife there (though there is religious strife)

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliko_Dangote (Nigeria is extremely diverse. There is no majority ethnic group, only a plurality) See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nigeria_Benin_Cameroon_languages.png http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Nigeria#Ethnic_groups

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masayoshi_Son

WTF?! Is Alaska like the Nigeria of North America or something?

He rambles on and on, not getting to the point. Trying to get everyone's attention with few jokes here and there, I can understand. But I feel he's not focusing on any particular 'topic' besides everything that has to do with Nigeria.

hmmm...

one thing to mention, which burhan alluded to, is that Islam has all the many societal factions and separations that distinguish christians from one another in the western world. you could almost say that a large reason why Iraq is tearing itself apart is because of disagreement about how to properly honor Allah.

in other words, it may not be any more fair to generalize one guy talking about Islam in Syria as 'Islam's stance on a subject' than it is to listen to one Christian in, I don't know, Texas, or Nigeria, or Panama talking about 'Christianity's stance on a subject', and saying God-knows-what... maybe quoting some crazy old testament thing about women being subservient, or about bringing a stick to your kids.

What you are talking about is Sharia Law, this is not Islam, from Wiki I quote.

"Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, and social issues. Some Islamic scholars accept Sharia as the body of precedent and legal theory established before the 19th century, while other scholars view Sharia as a changing body, and include Islamic legal theory from the contemporary period.

There is not a strictly codified uniform set of laws pertaining to Sharia. It is more like a system of devising laws, based on the Qur'an, Hadith and centuries of debate, interpretation and precedent.

There is tremendous variance in the interpretation and implementation of Islamic law in Muslim societies today. Liberal movements within Islam have questioned the relevance and applicability of sharia from a variety of perspectives. Several of the countries with the largest Muslim populations, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have largely secular constitutions and laws, with only a few Islamic provisions in family law. Turkey has a constitution that is officially strongly secular. India is the only country in the world which has separate Muslim civil laws, framed by Muslim Personal Law board, and wholly based on Sharia. However, the criminal laws are uniform. Some controversial sharia laws favor Muslim men, including rejection of alimony and polygamy. Most countries of the Middle East and North Africa maintain a dual system of secular courts and religious courts, in which the religious courts mainly regulate marriage and inheritance.

Saudi Arabia and Iran maintain religious courts for all aspects of jurisprudence, and religious police assert social compliance. Laws derived from sharia are also applied in Afghanistan, Libya and Sudan. Some states in northern Nigeria have reintroduced Sharia courts."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia#Contemporary_practice_of_Sharia_law

yeah, i'm almost leaning towards agreement with Theo, but i'm very biased due to having a friend from South Africa, another friend who visits his family in Nigeria a lot, and a friend who spent a few months in Ghana recently.

it is true that we hear a lot about all the terrible and serious problems in Africa (AIDS, famine, war, genocide). Does that mean the average non-African entrepreneur thinks of the whole continent as being a dump with ruthless politicians and an uneducated workforce? I don't know.

*comedy because it is...

double Speak

The story from the troops has always been that the condition is bad due to mismanagement from above, it's getting worse as troops are being replaced by ungoverned PMC outfits such as Blackwater and Executive Outcomes. They suggestion has been that will they would continue the objective if need be, it's best if if they extradite from Iraq as soon as possible. One of the chief ways they have done is the hearts and minds program combined with a training of the Iraqi Police and National Guard.

Both military organizations coalition forces just disbanded following the end of hostilities, which lead to the mass looting and chaos seen previously. The hearts and minds program is responsible for the 98% of children who are vaccinated.

This was a positive effect, something that would have happened back in 1991 if policies with Iraq were more stringent following the conclusion of the first Gulf war. Arguably the UN was at fault due to restrictions via the oil for food program. The economy simply opened up because the oil for food program was gone, the embargo forced by a no fly zone and trade restrictions was gone. So all those goods and services.

What they are throwing at you are simply the statistics of damage control that was run to fix the shit hole the administration took you, wheres the mention of the smoking gun? The mass wave of propaganda and power point slide shows of chemical tankers and mobile launchers? Wheres the Al Qaeda link? The mention of the fiasco when claiming that Iraq attempted purchase of yellow cake of Nigeria? Which then lead to the outing of Valeria Palme? What about our troops fighting short handed supported by dubious PMCs? Fighting with little to no armour in their vehicles. Like the amount of questions about the actions of this administration is ridiculous. At no point do you feel Bush to be humane because he never says or even alludes that his wrong, alot of republican nuts say its a sign of strength? I don't know what kind of MC Esher sketchbook you came from but that's just ignorant...

Won't have a choice. (referring to swampgirl's post)

The rate at which the limited reserves are being used up increases every month. As long as India and China economies continue to explode, their thirst for oil increases too. I did a paper in college (about 12 years ago) on the amount of oil left in the world and about how long it would last at the current rates of consumption. Back then, the estimates ranged from 65-100 years or so. Unfortunately, the rate of consumption has not remained constant and the latest estimates I've read about range from 30-50 years. We pretty much know where all the oil is (most of the major fields, anyway). The bad thing is that we have already recovered most of the "easy" oil. The rate at which we discover new reserves hasn't been keeping up with the rate at which we deplete the known reserves for years now. On top of that, the new discoveries tend to be of the more-difficult-to-get-at variety. It's going to get way worse, IMHO, and may never get better, at least until we make a HUGE shift to another (or several different) energy source(s). Also, don't believe the "We have enough coal to last a thousand years" bullshit either.

BTW, as far as the price of oil nowadays... I read "somewhere" that about 30% of the price of a barrel of oil is "fear". When you consider the record profits oil companies are reaping nowadays, (and I don't begrudge them profits; merely noting it to make a point), and the speed at which gas prices rise when the wind blows too hard in Nigeria or a "terrorist plot" is uncovered in Saudi Arabia, it's easy to see that (for me, anyway). Hell, ask most people what percentage of oil comes from Saudi Arabia, and most give rediculously high answers. In fact, most of the oil we import comes from Canada (~16%), then Mexico (~13%), THEN Saudi Arabia at around 12%. Twelve percent. That is not an insignificant number, but it just seems to me that events in the Middle East should not have such a huge, and instant, effect on the price we pay at the pump.

Ok, got rambling there. Just wanted to say what I believe differentiates the price of oil the price of gas here in the US. Oil prices are determined largely by world demand, and production is barely keeping up with that demand, so prices go up. Gas prices also follow demand here, but we are also being gouged with a huge "fear" premium, and oil companies here are reaping the benefits of that.

Ok, just reread what I wrote and I'm confused, so sorry if you read this far.

Time for bed...

couple linkies...

http://api-ec.api.org/statistics/upload/June_2006_imports.xls

http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501041025-725174,00.html

What do you mean it's a gag? I just paid $4,000 for one of these on Ebay! The guy that I bought it from promised to ship it right away! Airmail from Nigeria cost me an extra $500, but he told me that it would be totally worth it.

HAHA LOl watch at the end the nigerain person goin mental and excited over shootin he is like "fire fire WOWOHHOWO" and the brit is like "dont fire" in real posh acent lol. Nigeria is class been there as a babby and lived close for 2 years.

oh and people that fall for these scams are pritty dence realy. id rather the cash go to some nigeran than say all the milions of pounds taken from people in gambaling going to fat cats.