Articles written by Charles Q Blair

Where Knowledge Rules

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About me - Charles Q Blair

I am currently travelling Australia and wishing to write about all I see and think.

I do keep a blog but here it is less personal, just a collection of random topics that tickle my fancy.

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Politics, News & Issues > US News Reflections: Virginia Tech school shooting: 3 of 106
On Tuesday I awoke here in Australia to the radio and the story that a gunman had killed 32 people in a University in Virginia. I felt my head start to spin and legs go numb, not again. Beslan, Columbine and Dunblane all flashed through my reeling mind as I wished I could offer whatever help I could to those in need. It is n... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Soldiers & Veterans Should protesters be permitted to picket military recruiting offices in the US?: 5 of 46
Simply put, yes. Americans, are they not, in the middle of a strange attempt to bring their version of democracy to the world - whether they wish it or not - and is part of this democracy not the right to protest? Or is the version of democracy that they wish to spread a partial democracy where the right to protest is fine, ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Book reviews: God Is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens: 1 of 8
Before we begin, let us note that the correct title of the book is "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything". I have just read the 3 other entries in this thread and have been moved to pen an article as one entrant states he has not read the book and I can only assume that the other 2 did not - otherwise they would... More..
Entertainment > TV Show Reviews TV show reviews: Doctor Who: 2 of 15
I have been a fan of Doctor Who from as early as I can recall indeed when I was 5 I knocked back a chance to go to London as the BBC had played a few Doctor Who's on Saturdays including the film where the Daleks came down in their space ship and destroyed the place. We all have our favourite Doctor and as everyone knows it w... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Should former members of Congress be able to work as lobbyists after leaving Congress?: 2 of 12
Let us look at the big picture - as the people who think it is OK seem to be missing some obvious points. First off even in my industry - insurance - when any of us leave or jobs we are, in the main, not allowed to work for competitors in the same field, if we do then we have to sign a waiver to ensure that we do not try and... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Investigating Bush's involvement in 9/11: 6 of 32
It is strange, is it not, that people claim it is Incredulous or High Fantasy to claim that Bush was involved in 9/11 - however, they offer no reason for this. Furthermore, they claim that this somehow is derogatory to the memories of those who died or their families, one would believe that seeking the truth honours the memo... More..
Sciences > Anthropology (Other) How the evolution of man changed planet Earth: 2 of 8
The footprints showing how man has changed the planet through our evolution have been in the news lately. The impact has been so massive that scientists have applied to the International Commission of Stratigraphy to now consider this a new epoch in the history of Earth. Our Epoch is known as the Anthropocene Era. The Holoce... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Moral fiber: 1 of 4
I think that Moral Fibre is a very open term with a meaning that is fluidic through time and across borders. What would be considered the norm in San Francisco would differ greatly in Tehran - the moral fibre of the ordinary citizens would differ immensely. As it would through even our recent histories - a villager slashing ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Climate Change Is global warming a hoax?: 15 of 48

The subject of Global Warming, or Climate Change is our generations hot topic, as it were and one that we cannot afford to get it wrong on. The first thing I have noted on reading both sides of the argument on here, as you find elsewhere, is the niggling people do with semantics. The repetition of the word hoax' for example,... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Death Penalty Is the death penalty an effective crime deterrent?: 41 of 119

Simply put, No. The proof, if ever it was needed, on an empirical basis is simply that in countries like America where they do have the death penalty, they still have high crime rates. Indeed higher per capita than several countries, like the UK, that don't! This may be, in some eyes, an over simplification but I am sure tha... More..