Stupidity - Just for Laughs

How do you define stupidity? This video examines that very question!

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-5524186889927580412&q=documentary+duration%3Along]

Sex, Sex, Sex Again

Seems as if we humans just can't get enough sex, even if it means getting in trouble for it. Here are a few examples:

• Ten Years in Prison for 17-Year-Old Who Had Consensual Oral Sex with 15-Year-Old:

This was an especially tough sentence for the 17 year old. It was upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court. The irony here too is that if it were genital sex, he would only have received one year in prison. The Georgia Legislature amended this statue (Oral Sex) and it is now a misdemeanor with a 1 year penalty. But this does not help the 17 year old because he committed his crime before the statute was amended.

• Sex Worker Stabs Client in Condom Fight

Apparently her client refused to wear a condom. She took his money. He ran after her. She stabs him. End of story.

• Teacher in Crack Over Butt Art

Stephen Murmer, an art teacher, engaged in some extra-curricular activities that earned him a suspension. Outside of class and under an alter ego, the self-proclaimed "butt-printing artist" creates floral and abstract art by plastering his posterior and genitals with paint and pressing them against canvas. His cheeky creations sell for hundreds of dollars.

Speaking of Sex....did you ever wonder which positions were the most popular? Gershon Legman, an American who wrote about sex, calculated that there are more than 4 million possible ways for men and women to have sexual intercourse with each other. Well, there is not enough space here to list all of them, so here are the 6 most popular positions, just in case you were wondering.

Did you know that more than 9 out of 10 Americans have had premarital sex? "This is reality-check research," said the study's author, Lawrence Finer. "Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades."
Read the article here.

Religious and Racial Intolerance in Congress

Congressman Virgil Goode (R-Va) sent a letter to his constituents recently. In this letter he made his anti-Muslim and anti-Immigration position very clear. What he also made very clear to a lot of people is that he is a bigot and a racist. He was apparently upset by the fact that a Muslim, elected to the House, wanted to be sworn in using the Koran instead of the Bible.

"When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country."

The Muslim Representative that Goode referred to in this letter is Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN). The first and only elected Muslim in Congress. Goode also tries to link being a Muslim with being an illegal immigrant and by association un-American. Keith Ellison was born in Detroit, Michigan and converted to Islam when he was 19. He is both a lawyer and a politician. He is also the first Black elected to the House from Minnesota.

The letter was made public by John Cruickshank, the chairman of the Piedmont group of the Sierra Club in central Virginia, who had received it after writing to Goode about environmental issues. Duncan said that Goode's office had sent the letter to Cruickshank by mistake. The reaction to the letter was swift. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., wrote to Goode on Wednesday saying that he was "greatly disappointed and in fact startled" by Goode's letter.

"I take your remarks as personally offensive to the large community of Muslim-Americans I represent in the Eighth District of New Jersey," Pascrell wrote.

Goode's views should not come as a surprise to his fellow Members of Congress:

Goode’s bigoted views are no secret, and he uses them to justify more than his hardline immigration policy. Earlier this year, he announced that he opposed increasing the minimum wage because it would “be a magnet for illegal aliens to come to this country. We do not need a strong magnet to lure illegals here.”

Condemnation also came from The Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"Representative Goode's Islamophobic remarks send a message of intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to public office," CAIR's national legislative director, Corey Saylor, said Tuesday night. "There can be no reasonable defense for such bigotry."

Congressman Goode was however defiant and steadfast. He refused to apologise for his remarks:

Goode spokesman Linwood Duncan said Wednesday that no apology was forthcoming. "The only statement the congressman has is that he stands by the letter," Duncan said.

What amazes me personally, is that such a person like Virgil Goode, could get elected to Congress in the first place. He is supposed to represent all the people in his district. I am sure that Virginia has more than just a few Muslim citizens. Goode has managed to offend all American Muslims, all people of Middle-Eastern descent, all people of Color and Everyone else who has a sense of justice, decency and tolerance. How can a bigot and a racist represent the American people?

Barak Obama for President

Barak Obama has had a lot of press coverage lately, most of which has been positive. Wherever he goes he draws large crowds and is a very charismatic speaker. He has helped many Democratic candidates win election. He is a Senator, an Author and possible Presidential Candidate......but will he run? and can he win? Is America ready for a Black President? Here are some video clips that explore the Obama factor.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=jdwkkl4hC4g"]

Barak seems to be enjoying his celebrity status. He knows that many people want him to announce that he is running for President. He had a lot of fun in this clip. It also shows that he definitely has a good mastery of suspense and a keen sense of humor.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=tfGCH0QutJY"]

He knows how to appeal to the common people and annunciate his values in a way that is very compelling.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZMFjCW3hrOQ"]

Nevertheless Obama, if he runs, faces a very formidable Hilliary Clinton, who is the current front runner.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=w13_LrCAulk"]

But he has a lot of Democrats, who are potential candidates, wondering if they have a chance if Obama does decide to run. He has demonstrated his ability to draw huge crowds to his events and his book, The Audicty of Hope, is already a bestseller.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ijwh4dDUYVc"]

Even when he is campaigning for other candidates he draws a lot of attention to himself.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=PUr9UZaDg6w"]

However there are some negatives that create doubt about a successful candidacy. His name is not a typical American name. In fact it sounds almost Middle Eastern and could be confused with some of America's mortal enemies. CNN explores this possibility.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=iIXMKXHKSzI"]

CNN also commented on his style of clothing, comparing him to Mahmoud Ahmajinedad of Iran.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=qvHU1GrsXdY"]

Don Imus also took a stab at the race factor.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=yxkRYb13GHY"]

Jon Stewart of the Daily Show also had something to say. This unique perspective will make you laugh.
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ssp4_gFGTbw"]

So will he run? I guess time will tell.

Jews in Iran

It may be surprising to learn that Iran is home to more Jews than any other Middle Eastern country outside Israel. There are an estimated 25,000 Jews living there. It may also be surprising that Jews are a "Protected Religious Minority", a status bestowed by Iran's revolutionary leader Imam Khomeini. Jews have lived in this country for more than 3,000 years. There are synagogues "dotted" all over Iran where Jews are able to practise their religion:

"Because of our long history here we are tolerated," says Jewish community leader Unees Hammami.

He says the father of Iran's revolution, Imam Khomeini, recognised Jews as a religious minority that should be protected.

As a result Jews have one representative in the Iranian parliament.

"Imam Khomeini made a distinction between Jews and Zionists and he supported us," says Mr Hammami.

This does not mean that Jews are not persecuted in Iran but many Iranian Jews are willing to remain because they are just as proud of their Iranian culture as they are proud of their Jewish roots. Here is a clip that gives some insight to the lives of Iranian Jews: Jews in Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been very vocal against the state of Israel and has often called for its destruction. He does, however, seem to make a distinction between the state of Israel (Zionists) and other Jews. At a recent conference which questioned the Holocaust, he welcomed a Jewish ultra-orthodox sect called Neturei Karta.

The Jewish representative in the Iranian Parliament is Maurice Motamed. He has often criticised the President about his views:

"It's very regrettable to see a horrible tragedy so far reaching as the Holocaust being denied ... it was a very big insult to Jews all around the world," says Mr Mohtamed, who has also strongly condemned the exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust organised by an Iranian newspaper owned by the Tehran municipality.

Even though there is currently much hostility between the Israelis and the Iranians, much of it prompted by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they also have a long history of cooperation. There are more than 200,000 Iranian Jews living in Israel, including a deputy prime minister, military chief and a Farsi-speaking President of Israel, Iranian-born, Moshe Katsav.

As Benjamin Disraeli famously observed, "nations have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, only permanent interests." Though hard to imagine today, the permanent interests between Persian Iran and Jewish Israel will, in time, make these enemies friends again.