Nearing the end of the 2012 Election

The Election is coming to be over in less than 2 weeks. The top Democrats and the top Republicans are competing for votes. Both parties have major problems and the third parties seem to have more comprehensive, better solution than both of the major parties completely. The election now is at a neck to neck race. President Barack Obama is fighting for his political job. The President has supported many centrist policies and Mitt Romney is a blatant, pathological liar. Mitt Romney tries to say almost anything in order for him to try to gain more votes for the 2012 election. This 2012 election is one of the most contentious, hateful, and racist election in recent history. The lives of both the President and Romney have been threatened. I abhor that completely. That is completely wrong. So far, the President has enough electoral votes to win the election. Mitt Romney has made a political comeback in winning some polls in some battleground states. Mitt Romney is a liar, but he is intelligent enough in trying to use slick political calculations as a means to gain political power. Romney is gaining, but he isn't leading the total race. The country is running around and is divided heavily on political issues. The President has the map and the Mitt Romney team has some momentum. The overall arching theme of the election is that the 2 major choices represent imperfection. The President proclaims himself as a progressive, but he passed a centrist private insurance bailout ACA law (not Medicare for all. The ACA is better than the status quo though). He bailed out banks to about 16 trillion dollars. Even during the three Presidential debates, both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney showed more agreement with each other than disagreement. For example, each man agreed with austerity cuts to the social safety net (even disagreements on how much it should be). Both men love the foreign policy of Empire involving the crushing of the Iranian peoples via sanctions, drones, and the civil war in Syria. The Presidential kill list program is blatantly immoral including the Patriot Act. Assassinating human beings without due process is wrong and I don't care which party supports it. I reject isolationism, but we don't need an Empire. We need to end these wars as soon and as reasonable as possible. We should build up international relationships with other nations and continue foreign policies that work (while ending foreign policy actions that are wrong or don't work). The Democrats in recent years have gone rightward to accept similar positions on issues as the Republicans (except on two social issues. We know what these social issues are). So, this is the choice that we have. As Cornell West said, what a choice indeed. Although, we shouldn't be like the reactionaries and slander the President. The President Barack Obama is one of the most intelligent Presidents in American history. He's one of the greatest orating Presidents in history. We should offer respect for the office and still fight for justice and peace in society at the same time. We don't have to slander and be disrespectful toward anybody. Yet, I will mention that the brother President needs to realize that imperial empire policies, unjust surveillance, laws that violate human civil liberties, and other evil policies are wrong. He ought not to follow that course at all. People have the right to be courageous and not only call out Mitt Romney when he's wrong, but legitimately criticize the President's policies even he's wrong too. That's fair and being a real human being. The reality is that the political system is heavily controlled by globalists and pro-banker internationalists. The only thing we have to do is to help our neighbors, show the truth, fight for freedom, and oppose any form of injustice in the world. It is ironic that the corporate Republican/Democratic debates didn't talk about poverty, the evil War on Drugs (we don't send nicotine addicts to jail and we don't send alcohol addicts to jail. So, people addicted to hard drugs who are nonviolent ought to experience rehabilitation not massive, extended periods of incarceration), ending corporate person hood, and increasing the minimum wage. Also, every time when there is a conflict between property rights and human rights; human rights must prevail since property is not man. I do believe in voting. Even if you choose not to vote for whatever reason, you shouldn't restrict people's right to vote. People died and shed blood for that right and we should use every ounce of our being to protect voting rights period.

The Vikings have a long and interesting history even after ca. 1000 A.D. Their ancestors are of course the Indo-European peoples. The Indo-Europeans during the ancient times consisted of nomads, shepherds, worshippers of nature (they love the oak), and those that worshipped numerous pagan gods and goddess. The Indo-Europeans' languages evolved into modern Italian, English, Spanish, French, and other tongues on the European continent (including the tongue of Sanskrit of India). Now, The Indo-Europeans started to heavily migrate out of the regions of the Caspian Sea (or Southern Steppes of Russia) heavily from ca. 4,000 B.C. There was the Bronze Age in Scandinavia by 1500 B.C. The Bronze age in human history was when most humans in a particular age heavily utilized bronze materials for farming, for defense, for construction, for art, and for other various purposes. The Iron Age grew in Scandinavia by 500 B.C. Many in Scandinavia didn't like the Romans at all. Some of them sacrificed people in bogs. Romans like Tacitus writes about the Germanic peoples in his account called "Germania." There were famous Kings of Denmark during the 9th century like King Harald and King Horik Godfredsson. Many of the Danes in the 9th century organized raids in Moorish Spain and the United Kingdom. They wanted resources and more power for their societal composition. They developed long, advanced ships to spread across vast oceans and to unique territories beyond their homeland of Scandinavia. In 1014 A.D., Ard-Righ Brian Boru defeated the Norse in Ireland at the battle of Clontarf. Both Brian and Jarl Singurdhr of Orkney are slain as well. After 1066, Viking culture continued to grow and increased. Vikings weren't all monolithic. Not all of them were a bunch of imperialists. In ca. 1117-1118 A.D., the first Icelandic law code was first written down called Gragas. In 1122 A.D., Ari Thorgilsson wrote Isleningabok. This book is a key part of early Icelandic literature. Islendingabok or Libellus Islandorum refers to the Book of the Icelanders. It describes the history of Iceland. Ari was an Icelandic priest. The book is divided into 10 chapters. It said that Iceland was settled in the days of Harald I of Norway by immigrants from Norway. The first settler named Ingolfur Arnarson arrived in Reykjavik. Some Irish monks came earlier who were called the Papar. They left, because they didn't want to live with the "pagan" Norsemen. The coast to the mountains of Iceland according to the book is heavily forested. The book said that a man named Ulfjotr gave people in Iceland laws from Norway. It described Iceland's religious conversion to Christianity, settlers like Erik the Red coming into Greenland, and many other aspects of Icelandic history. In the 1200's, Icelandic sages or various stories came about.


You can't talk about Australia without talking about the Aboriginal peoples. As a black man, I understand where the Aboriginals come from when they talk about their oppression. Still, there are issues of discrimination in Australia like there are in the United States of America. The good news is that people of every color exist today that want equality and justice for all people. The Aboriginals thousands of years ago had a great culture like today. Back in those days, they organized themselves into clans or tribes. They ate foods, developed art, and instituted an environmentally friendly existence. They were hunter gatherers, because back thousands of years ago, there were no domesticated animals or crop cultivations. Therefore, the Aboriginals were very nomadic human beings. Their existence in Australia came be found in the Mungo Man remains as far back as 40,000 years ago. In the early 1600's, Dutch sailors by the names of William Janszoon and Drik Hartog contacted Aboriginals in the 1600's. Captain James Cook from Britain went into the more fertile eastern coast of Australia by 1770. The Brits later decided to create the policy of making Australia a penal colony. The Brits came to the east coast of Australia in 1788. This was the first UK major settlement of the island, which according to some was an invasion of the island. In many cases, the English wanted private property rights and massive cultivation of the land. Yet, the Aboriginals (like the Native Americans) didn't have a concept of land ownership, because to the Aboriginals,tthe land belonged to the whole human race collectively. Soon, the Aboriginals suffered many massacres. Some suffered diseases like smallpox. Some starved to death. It's a common history of seeing how people of color being murdered by terrrorists basically. Their population dramatically decreased. The white elites tried to assimilate Aboriginals into their culture, which is sick, because a person of color has the God-given right to preserve their own culture without cultural destruction. It's like the great burden situation where some people believed that the Aboriginals needed to be educated in order to integrated into white society. This was called the Aboriginal stolen generation where biracial children were forcibly removed from their parents. They were educated to be trained in domestics, tradesman, farm workers, etc. The children couldn't travel without permission, they couldn't vote or own property unless they renounced their culture and cut family ties. This is blatantly criminal and immoral. The crazy thing about it is that very few people on Earth knows about this history. In America, we Americans made the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. We fought for our rights. People from across the Earth help us in the American civil rights movement too. Their actions will not be forgotten. Also, the Aboriginals back then and today fought for their rights too. The Aboriginals created their own Civil Rights Movement as well. During the 1960's, the Aboriginals received the right to vote and the right to human citizenship. This was achieved by many people in Australia. Many Aborginalls and students from the University of Sydney protested against racial discrimination in February of 1965. The Freedom Rides included visits to Walgett, Gulargambone, Kempsey, Bowravielle, and Moree (where violence ensued. Many student Freedom riders were spat at by the racists in Moree. The students opposed segregation in a pool). Albert Namatjira was an Aboriginal who fought for his citizenship rights too in the late 1950's. Aboriginals also fought for equal wages and economic rights as well. We can't forget the Aboriginal heroes that fought for human rights. Their names include Faith Bandler, Harriet Ellis, Lupna Giari, Gary Foley, Vincent Lingiari, Jean Jimmy, Pincer Manguari, and so many other brave souls. Many white people wanted freedom for Aboriginals like Doris Blackburn, Shirley Andrews, Robert Anderson, Mary Bennett, Marjorie Broadbent, and others. Yet, the movement for Aboriginal rights were headed by Aboriginal peoples period. They headed their own movement for justice and human dignity. A referendum in 1967 for equal rights received a 90 percent yes vote. This caused a benefit to the Aboriginals along with the Aboriginal flag coming about. As the decades passed, Australia became more multicultural and multi ethnic. By the 1990's, large tracts of land were being returned to the descendants of the original Aboriginal inhabitants. The Aboriginals and all other Australians for that matter still aren't free. Aboriginals still suffer alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, and other issues. The good news is that Aboriginals and non-Aboriginal Australians day in and day out are fighting for the same equality, justice, and freedom in Australia. Their efforts today ought to be respected.

One scientist named Dr. Shinya Yamanaka received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the discoverer of the iPS cells or the induced pluripotent stem cells. iPs cells is a part of ethical medical technology. In 2007, the researcher Yamanaka at Kyoto University published a paper in the journals Nature and Stem Cell. The paper announced that his team had created embryo like stem cells from the skin cells of mice. The program was using 4 genes to re-program the cells. People globally believe that this action is a possible solution to the unethical use of living human embryos to get stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells can be induced to become any type of tissue in the body. Before this discovery, many scientists believed that adult stem cells were limited and only embryonic stem cells could be malleable enough to produce the many different tissue types needed to medical applications. I don't agree with the HEK 293 cell line used in such research, because they were cultured from the kidney cells of a child abortion back in 1971. Yet, Yamanaka's work is very cutting edge. The pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells by reprogramming doesn't involve bring them into existence, or involved destroying human embryos. The iPSC research is not morally unproblematic. Dr. David Prentice is a former professor of Life Sciences at Indiana State University. He supported Yamanaks' research and said that the gold standard is adult stem cells research because adult stem cells have already been successfully in many treatments. IPSCs themselves are not inherently immoral. Others in the scientific community praised Dr. Yamanaka's work. Dr. Ian Wilmut is the cloning expert who created Dolly or the world's first cloned sleep. He told the British media in 2007 that the discovery can end attempts to create cloned embryos to obtain stem cells. Dr. Wilmut said that he would give up cloning experiments and follow up on Dr. Yamanaka's work. iPSCs are in the beginning stage and we have to see the future results of this results. The good news is that alternatives exist today. Professor Yamanaka said in 2006 that it was the ethical question that most motivated him to discover the secret to creating pluripotent stem cells from a differentiated cell coming from a patient, a technique that also resolved the immune response problem. His achievement was hailed this month by Julian Savulescu, director of Oxford University’s Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and a utilitarian bio ethicist who has vehemently supported the use of living human embryos for research. Savulescu told National Public Radio in the US, “Yamanaka has taken people’s ethical concerns seriously about embryo research and modified the trajectory of research into a path that is acceptable for all.”  “He deserves not only a Nobel Prize for Medicine, but a Nobel Prize for Ethics.” This is one decision that the Nobel Peace Prize has gotten correct.

Diabetes can be controlled with proper nutrition. Real nutrients can help anyone especially those people who experience diabetes. Now, diabetes kills more people in America than breast cancer and AIDS combined. That's real. The WHO believe that by 2030, that over 360 million people will have diabetes. Nutrient support is needed for prevent people to have diabetes and to allow people with diabetes to deal reasonably with the disease. B Vitamin Complex is important. B Vitamins can help people with diabetes. A daily intake of vitamin B6 can reduce the need for insulin. Dr. John Ellis, M.D. found that normal blood sugar was regained when 100 mg of B6 was taken daily. Biotin is another vitamin in the complex. It can work with insulin in helping the body utilize glucose. Biotin is instrumental in preventing or reversing peripheral neuropathy in diabetics. Biotin is found in turkey, dark meat chicken, beef, chicken livers, mushrooms, oats, avocados, etc. Infections are coming for those who experience diabetes. Vitamin C is great in this regard. Vitamin C has antioxidant powers, which can fight against infections. Vitamin C can hep the body to form collagen, which is necessary for vascular delaying or preventing vascular complications. Deficiencies in the body can led into a decreased production of insulin producing cells in the pancreas. You can find Vitamin C in numerous foods. Vitamin C is found in asparagus, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, mangoes, etc. Diabetics sometimes suffer damage to their eyes and kidneys. Vitamin E is a great ingredient in preventing this damage. The reason is that it is a potent anticoagulant, which reduces stress to the vascular regions of these vital organs/organelles. Spinach, almonds, peanuts, broccoli, mangoes, kiwi fruit, and tomatoes have Vitamin E. Glucose intolerance exists when the body is deficient in magnesium and potassium. Organ and nerve damage comes when glucose intolerance comes about. Magnesium is a supporter and protector of the cardiovascular system. It helped to widen blood vessels and reduces the circulating cholesterol in the bloodstream. Potassium deficiencies can occur form the insulin support given to diabetes. Lowered potassium levels lead into poor insulin sensitivity, responsiveness and secretion which can exacerbate diabetic complication. Magnesium is readily found in nuts, seeds, whole unrefined grains, and green vegetables like spinach. Potassium is found in bananas, apricots, dates, chicken, fish, turkey, etc. Chromium and Alpha-Lipoic acid are very good nutrients that people can use to help with their diabetes. Chromium works in the body irrespective if glucose or insulin enters the bloodstream. The lack of chromium means that the body can't replenish what is lost during the ordinary course of business. Refined sugars can strip the body of chromium adverse health conditions like diabetes. Beef liver, whole wheat or rye bread, chicken, potatoes, and eggs are found in chromium. Alpha lipoic acid can increase the use of glucose by cells and lower insulin resistance. It can be effective for diabetes treatment that it has been prescribed by German doctors for the last 30 years. Other nutrients that can help people with diabetes are vanadium, zinc, co-enzyme Q10, and essential fatty acids. A real, trusted health care provider can help form a plan that can optimize a person's health via proper nutrient intake.

By Timothy