Originally posted by LightsOut
Ventura as President is a pretty scary thing to think about....
I like a lot of what he says though, especially changing the political system so its not limited to a two party race. I've always found it a little odd that a country that considers themselves 'champions of democracy' only has two real political options for the people. Feels kinda like Bell/Rogers 10 years ago, if you don't like either, you're pretty much screwed.
why is this strange? America ever since its independence had only two main parties for most part. Canada only two for the longest time, same with Britain. Other western democracies have systems that foster small political parties, and those systems always rely on a system of coalitions that makes things slow as hell. Imagine a system in Canada where no govt ever gets a majority. Try to pass a bill would take forever.
LightsOut
I know Canada and Britain both had two parties for a long period of time, but our political system has evolved though at least. Depending on where you live in Canada now, you in theory have 4 parties you could be voting for, 5 if you're in Quebec. Britain is similar, you always have at least 3 main parties and a handful of smaller, local interest groups to choose from. Germany has 6 major parties, plus a few smaller ones as well.
It just seems like the democratic process is a little limited in America. You have two choices. If you don't like either, you're pretty much screwed. It's next to impossible to even run as an independent, let alone win. If your a politician and want to run, your only chance is to embrace either Democrat or Republican doctrine, or you simply won't get the nomination. They've got an oligopoly on the entire political process. I think Washington was the only American President to win as an independent?
Cyrus King
quote:
Originally posted by hardcore trancer
Meanwhile happening in the Persian Gulf:
It is as if they are really really trying to provoke Iran to fire the first shot before they start going at it.
The reality is that the most powerful nations in the world are western nations. If they dont like something, they usually team up and force others to obey. They have that power.
This would not be happening if eastern powers were the ones with influence like these countries.
Cyrus King
IN OTHER WOOOOONDERFUL NEWS
TWO PERSIAN CHICKS GOING TO SCHOOL BEAT UP A MULLAH IN IRAN FOR TELLING THEM TO COVER THEMSELVES UP.
They should have stabbed this towel head in his eyes with their pens.
hardcore trancer
quote:
Originally posted by Cyrus King
The reality is that the most powerful nations in the world are western nations. If they dont like something, they usually team up and force others to obey. They have that power.
Thats what I find somewhat wrong with the Western's way of getting things done in the ME. Their answer to all the problems is by wars and more wars. At some point they will realize that you cant fight fire with more fire.
Shaya007
quote:
Originally posted by Cyrus King
IN OTHER WOOOOONDERFUL NEWS
TWO PERSIAN CHICKS GOING TO SCHOOL BEAT UP A MULLAH IN IRAN FOR TELLING THEM TO COVER THEMSELVES UP.
"We are on a road that leads straight to the World War 3, but in order to see that and to fully understand what is at stake you have to look at the big picture and connect the dots. This video examines the history of the dollar, its relation to oil, and the real motives behind the wars of the past two decades." - The Road To WW3
GGM
^^ Some good points in that video and many people definitely don't realize how much all this involves oil but it theorizes a bit far. Ultimately if US touches China or Russia we're all ed. The wealthy and the poor, the east and the west, nukes and radiation don't discriminate.
MSZ
There is a lot of intelligent information to take from conspiracy theorists.(at times)
Magnetonium
Good reasons for severing relations just keep popping up in the news occasionally. If Iran didn't have the increasing oil money flowing in (due to rising prices), they would be forced to reform. One must not forget that Soviet economy died partly because of dropping oil prices in the late 80's - resulting in less money to continue abusing its people.
Iranian university bans on women causes consternation
With the start of the new Iranian academic year, a raft of restrictions on courses open to female students has been introduced, raising questions about the rights of women to education in Iran - and the long-term impact such exclusions might have.
More than 30 universities have introduced new rules banning female students from almost 80 different degree courses.
These include a bewildering variety of subjects from engineering, nuclear physics and computer science, to English literature, archaeology and business.
No official reason has been given for the move, but campaigners, including Nobel Prize winning lawyer Shirin Ebadi, allege it is part of a deliberate policy by the authorities to exclude women from education.
"The Iranian government is using various initiatives… to restrict women's access to education, to stop them being active in society, and to return them to the home," she told the BBC.
Higher Education Minister Kamran Daneshjoo has sought to play down the situation, stressing Iran's strong track record in getting young people into higher education and saying that despite the changes, 90% of university courses are still open to both men and women.
Men outnumbered
Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to allow women to study at university and since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 it has made big efforts to encourage more girls to enrol in higher education.
The gap between the numbers of male and female students has gradually narrowed. In 2001 women outnumbered men for the first time and they now make up more than 60% of the overall student body.
Year-on-year more Iranian women than men are applying for university places, motivated some say by the chance to live a more independent life, to have a career and to escape the pressure from parents to stay at home and to get married.
Women are well-represented across a wide range of professions and there are many female engineers, scientists and doctors.
But many in Iran fear that the new restrictions could now undermine this achievement.
"I wanted to study architecture and civil engineering," says Leila, a young woman from the south of Iran. "But access for girls has been cut by fifty per cent, and there's a chance I won't get into university at all this year."
In the early days after the Islamic revolution, universities were one of the few places where young Iranian men and women could mix relatively freely.
Over the years this gradually changed, with universities introducing stricter measures like separate entrances, lecture halls and even canteens for men and women.
Since the unrest after the 2009 presidential election this process has accelerated as conservative politicians have tightened their grip on the country.
Women played a key role in those protests - from the traditionally veiled but surprisingly outspoken wives of the two main opposition candidates, to the glamorous green-scarved demonstrators out on the streets of Tehran and other cities.
Some Iranians say it was the sight of so many young Iranian women at the forefront of the protests in 2009 that unnerved the country's conservative leaders and prompted them into action.
"The women's movement has been challenging Iran's male-dominated establishment for several years," says Saeed Moidfar, a retired sociology professor from Tehran.
"Traditional politicians now see educated and powerful women as a threat."
'Islamisation'
In a speech after the 2009 protests, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the "Islamisation" of universities and criticised subjects like sociology, which he said were too western-influenced and had no place in the Iranian Islamic curriculum.
Since then, there have been many changes at universities, with courses cut and long-serving academic staff replaced with conservative loyalists.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
From age 16 I knew I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, I really worked hard for it ... But although I got high marks in the entrance exam, I've ended up with a place to study art and design instead”
Noushin A student from Esfahan
Many see the new restrictions on female students as a continuation of this process.
In August 2012 Ayatollah Khamenei made another widely-discussed speech calling for Iranians to return to traditional values and to have more children.
It was an affront to many in a country which pioneered family planning and has won praise from around the world for its emphasis on the importance of providing families with access to contraception.
"People are more educated now and they are more concerned about the size of their families," says Saeed Moidfar. "I doubt that the government plans will change anything."
However, since the speech there have been reports of cutbacks in family planning programmes, and in sex education classes at universities.
It is not yet clear exactly how many women students have been affected by the new rules on university entrance. But as the new academic year begins, at least some have had to completely rethink their career plans.
"From the age of 16 I knew I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, and I really worked hard for it," says Noushin from Esfahan. "But although I got high marks in the National University entrance exam, I've ended up with a place to study art and design instead."
Over the coming months campaigners will be watching closely to track the effects of the policy and to try to gauge the longer-term implications.
Cyrus King
quote:
Originally posted by Magnetonium
Good reasons for severing relations just keep popping up in the news occasionally. If Iran didn't have the increasing oil money flowing in (due to rising prices), they would be forced to reform. One must not forget that Soviet economy died partly because of dropping oil prices in the late 80's - resulting in less money to continue abusing its people.
I can't wait till these rag heads get bombed. They are ting their pants as the western powers slowly approach the gulf
Xavier Moriarty
"Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'til their judgement day comes
Yeah!
Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!"
they attack Iran we're all ed, mark my words. maybe not right away but 5 years down the road. if Israel gets this, it will unify every single Muslim against a common enemy
