The Chinese Murder of Akhmal Shaik

The Chinese State called it a "death penalty" but it was actually a state-sponsored murder. Akmal Shaikh, a Briton, was executed in China on charges of drug smuggling. You have to wonder -- What right does a state have to take away the life of one of the denizens of the world for a crime, any crime? According to BBC:

• China executed 1,718 people in 2008, according to Amnesty International
• Last year 72% of the world's total executions took place in China, the charity estimates
• It applies to 60 offences, including non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlement
• Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections.
  

That a country, like China, with such Draconian and barbaric laws, is allowed to sit on top of the world economic order, is lamentable. Almost every home in the world today is populated with products from China made by their citizens. Yet, the country has such little regard for the human life and the human condition. And our insatiable thirst for cheaper goods fuels this kind of state-sponsored murders that the Chinese government perpetrates with such impunity.

China is fending off criticism of its death penalties by warning the rest of the world not to interfere in its judicial system. But the world is paying attention to these abuses of human rights. We must impose economic sanctions on a nation with such appalling laws relating to human rights. Trade embargos might be another way to send a message to the tyrants that rule China with antiquated and inhuman laws.

If you are in the U.S., and you're at your local store where you have an option between a "Made in USA" and a "Made in China" product, maybe, you should consider spending a few extra bucks to buy American. This is not about American jingoism...it is about sending a strong message to one of our biggest trading partners to "shape up or ship out."

Are we forgetting Saudi Arabia -- a nation with an alarming degree of human-rights abuse? Well, maybe, the renewable-energy revolution will bankrupt the monarchy that rules Saudi Arabia and the people of that nation will finally overthrow those fat-cats and establish a democracy in the desert. It's simplistic and naive but it's worth imagining -- Ali Baba would have spring for it.

Runner's Heights: Fairy Tales Grabbing Headlines

Cumulative mileage: 300 miles
If you have always bought shoes at chain stores like Footlocker, Sports Chalet, Dick's Sporting Goods, etc. you might have considered yourself lucky if the salesperson you were dealing with knew a lot about the right shoe for you. On a recommendation from a fellow runner, I recently had a chance to stop by the store for runners, Top to Top, in Marina del Rey. The manager, Chris Barry, asked me take off my shoes and walk up and down the aisles.

After determining that I overpronate, he asked me if I had brand preference (I said, "no") and then brought out four different brands of shoes -- Nike Nucleus, Saucony Pro Grid Stabil, Asics Gel Foundation, and Brooks Adrenaline. He briefed me on the features of each and then advised me to run up and down the street adjoining the store. I settled on the Saucony Pro Grid Stabil and it has made an incredible difference to my running. Did I say, "running"? It feels more like I am cruising. The shoes were expensive -- around $115 -- but every stride in my run makes it all worth it.


It is an interesting commentary on the religious sociology of the U.S. when two myths -- more akin to fairy tales -- are the attention-grabbing headlines in the media. The rituals around Passover and Easter are based on myths and legends that, by most scientific accounts, cannot be verified as fact. And yet again, in another evidence of irrationality, the contents of the Bible are able to dodge factual evidence, even when the incidents involve fantasies like parting of an entire sea and the resurrection of a dead individual, the stuff of fairy tales.

We all know that faith can be personal and therefore, we have laws to protect the rights of the faithful in a democratic society. The legal protection of faith is the last harbour of an individual's right to believe in the irrational and infantile. But in a secular nation, such as the U.S., why does the observance of a single faith trounce every other? Why are the only two religious holidays -- Easter and Christmas -- centered around Christianity? Why not celebrate the birth and resurrection of other prophets of other religions? That would create more holidays for all of us and provide more time for secular humanists to formulate plans to mitigate the undesirable incursion of faith-based religion into our daily lives.

"The legal protection of faith is the last harbour of an individual's right to believe in the irrational and infantile."

A quote from Voltaire:

'If we believe in absurdities, we shall commit atrocities'

Voltaire