Category Archive for ‘International’

The Woman – Margaret Thatcher – Rest In Peace

Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Baroness Thatcher, passed today at the age of 87. She lead her party to three election wins and served twelve years as Prime Minister before handing the reigns over to her successor.

She was fierce.

A principled and intelligent Lady, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister. Her extraordinary leadership skill set, not whom she married, made her the best person for this position. As Prime Minister, she spearheaded necessary and fair changes to spearhead a revival of Britain, while breaking political glass ceilings for women worldwide.

Her keen intelligence rocked the macho status quo in Parliament; she rose to the occasion, but always remained a Lady.

This woman was no #Julia. She was the real deal – a strong, intelligent, capable, heroic woman – a role model for empowered feminists like myself.

I never had the fortune to meet Margaret Thatcher. My good blogging buddy, Mike Miller, created an extraordinary post remembering Margaret Thatcher entitled Iron Lady for the Ages. He shares his memories of time when adults occupied positions of power.

Rest in peace, Margaret Thatcher. You will be missed.

Posted on April 08, 2013 :: Categories: Inspirational, International, Memorial, Politicians :: Tags: Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Memorial
1,438 views :: 6 Comments

Meet the New Pope – Francis 1

Source: independent.co.uk via Tania on Pinterest

First pope from the Americas and first Jesuit to become Pope. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now called Pope Francis 1 hails from Argentina and is no friend of Christina Kirchner and those of her ilk. This should make for some interesting conversations in the near future.

Also, the new Pope Tweets!

Source: latimes.com via Tania on Pinterest

Posted on March 13, 2013 :: Categories: Hot Headlines, International :: Tags: Catholic, Pope, Rome
1,514 views :: 1 Comment

Let The Conclave Begin!

Vatican City, Rome – On Tuesday, 115 Cardinal ‘Electors’ will begin the process of choosing among their peers the successor to St Peter, otherwise known as The Pope. The process is steeped in centuries old tradition and draped in secrecy with far more human influence than Divine. God has always come across to me as a deity who is very direct in communicating with mere mortals via burning bush and all that. Although I’m not a biblical scholar, I don’t recall God organizing a secret vote to select Peter as the first leader of the Church. While researching the history of the Conclave, I happened upon a great quote summary on Catholic.com regarding the origins of Peter as Pope. The post give great insight on how the leading thinkers of the early Church were cementing the role of Peter as the rock of the Church. For those wondering, the article is Nihil Obstat.

In brief, the Cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel and vote twice a day until they come up with a name that has garnered more than two-thirds of the vote. Once the elected Cardinal has accepted the promotion, the world will know when they see white smoke from a Sistine Chapel chimney. This process may take a few days or perhaps months as it has happened once or twice over the centuries. Either way, wake me when it is over.

I hold little hope for an American Cardinal to be selected as Pope. Who do you think will be elected to become the next Pope?

Posted on March 12, 2013 :: Categories: International :: Tags: Pope, Rome, Vatican City
2,231 views :: 1 Comment

Rather Alarming News

Post inspired by a photo of the Sigma Telephoto 200-500mm F2/8 lens.

The British Royal birthday suit scandal has been in the news of late. The latest news has the German/Danish gossip magazine Seg og Hor playing a game of will they or won’t they publish bottomless photos of the Duchess as she sunbathed with her husband, Prince William.

What Kate and William are going through is not new news. In the late nineties, Aftonbladet – a Swedish gossip magazine printed photos of the Danish Crown Jewels during a summer holiday at a private chateau in the south of France. I don’t believe it was the same chateau featured in the Will and Kate photo session.

I really don’t care why royalty feel the need to get their kit off during a summer holiday at a private chateau in the south of France and I don’t need to see photo evidence of this activity. Who cares. They share the same anatomical features as the rest of humanity.

Two things alarm me with the Birthday Suit scandal:

1. The photos were taken from at least a half mile away in a underpopulated area. It’s one thing to see the paparazzi snapping photos while you sunbath, quite another when they are so far away from sight. What if that was a high powered rifle, instead of a camera lens? This is a real security concern for any public figure. The royal family is in the process of suing publishers who print the photos, but to what end? Sending such a message in the age of digital photography is almost a moot point.

2. Of all the royalty, Will and Kate should have the most highly tuned radar for PDA (public displays of affection). Diana’s famous battles with intrusive press and Kate’s lawsuits against the press while she was dating William should have forged between them a strong working strategy against intrusive photos. The take home message for both of them – nowhere outside is secluded and private. An exception might be Germany in the near future.

In other alarming news, thousands of Germans demonstrate for a permanent wealth tax on people’s wealth. Imagine how quickly ‘wealthy’ people in Germany will relocate elsewhere. This mass migration could open up great swaths of land for young royals to holiday and sunbath in the nude with no intrusive photos.

What are your thoughts on the age of digital photography and privacy?

Posted on September 30, 2012 :: Categories: International :: Tags: Photography, Royalty
1,520 views :: 2 Comments

Tonight on the Snark Factor!

Listen live to the Snark Factor every Wednesday night at 1opm EST on FTR Radio where I will be joining Fingers Malloy, Irish Duke to bring news bites at the top of the hour followed by sparkling chats with invited guests. If you are a fan of my blog, you’ll know that I have an eclectic taste in news of the day.

On tap tonight:

Oh My God…Sec of State Hilary Clinton must resign. Murdered American Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens knew he was named on an al-queda hit list. Cairo was a distraction, the Libyan Ambassador was the target. The success of this premeditated attack spurred on the other Islamic countries. This wave of murder and violence had nothing to do with a YouTube video and everything to do with a ‘kill list’ target – Ambassador Stevens.

Even worse – an ex-Gitmo detainee was involved in the Consulate attack.

In other news…

The 2012 Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon was a great success!

Oh, this is just creepy. I have to agree with the comments on this article

Posted on September 19, 2012 :: Categories: Bloggers, Entertainment, International :: Tags: The Snark Factor
2,640 views :: 2 Comments

Are You Ready For the London Olympic Games?

London 2012 is set to open the Games!

Just checked the schedule and the women’s Triathlon is set for August 4th – My first SheROX Sprint Triathlon is scheduled on August 5th. It is almost serendipitous how close these event are to one another.

I’m so excited to watch the opening ceremony – I’ll be checking my Twitter feed all day on Friday. What event or events are you looking forward to viewing during the Olympic Games?

Posted on July 26, 2012 :: Categories: International :: Tags: Olympic Games, Sprint Triathlon, Triathlon
1,373 views :: Leave a Comment

Ted Talks – Andrew Mwenda Takes A New Look at Africa

I’m a huge fan of Ted Talks and was clued into this video from Duane Lester at All American Blogger.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Andrew Mwenda takes a critical look at the impact of foreign aid to Africa. It is heartbreaking to learn how the greatest resource of Africa, its people, are being enslaved by the golden shackles of foreign aid.

It is disheartening to hear of the corruption funded by aid meant to help the the inhabitants of this continent. However, there is hope that aid can be used to empower the citizens to improve their chances for a better life and make their governments accountable to its citizens. Economic freedom is truly a marvel.

Posted on July 25, 2012 :: Categories: Inspirational, International
1,154 views :: Leave a Comment

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – One Year On

Still going strong

So, how many of you woke early to watch the wedding?

Posted on April 29, 2012 :: Categories: International :: Tags: Royalty
852 views :: Leave a Comment

Ding Dong, Gadhafi is Dead!

Senator Rubio remarks:

“Well first of all, today’s not a day to be pointing fingers. I’m glad it’s all working out. Ultimately it’s about the freedom and liberty of the Libyan people. But let’s give credit where credit’s due, it’s the French and the British that led on this fight and probably even led on the strike that led to his capture or to his death,”

The only bad thing about this event, is that the world is scheduled to end Friday, according to the leading expert on global demise, Harold Camping. Sadly, we won’t know the identity of the next tyrant to fill the void of Gadhafi.

Posted on October 20, 2011 :: Categories: 2012 Presidential Election, International, Republican
703 views :: Leave a Comment

Norway Memorial Service for Attack Victims

King Harald’s speech drew a heartfelt applause:

King Harald’s own voice cracked, and he seemed about to break into tears himself, when he told the survivors and mourners that “as a father, grandfather and spouse, I can only imagine some of your pain. As the country’s king, I feel with every single one of you.”