What's On My Mind?

Well, thanks for asking... here goes...

1. I don't watch the Sopranos, but if you read Adam Cohen's article in the NYT, you too may wonder if Anton Scalia's real name is Tony Soprano. The guy appears to have taken a dive into the deep end.
2. Is Britney Spears really preggers... again? She is looking "pleasantly plump" in her latest pictures, but PEOPLE.com still hasn't reported anything. And one has to ask themselves, would she be dumb enough to get it on with KFed again? Well...
3. So all we ever talk about in BSchool is "shareholder value". But is there a limit to what shareholders deserve? I mean when is enough enough? Do they really deserve the millions of dollars in returns they are getting from the likes of Exxon, Chevron, etc. that they are getting the expense of the average American. I think not! (But admittedly, I am kicking myself for not buying XOM 4 years ago... sigh.)
4. Yesterday, I went to a lecture (talk? it really felt like a lecture though... a long, stream of consciousness, hard to follow kind of lecture) by Noam Chomsky. I am inclined to think I disagree with him. But he was interesting. Other than the rabid hate he inspires and his security detail, I was struck by Chomsky's belief that the US government is violently opposed to secular nationalism is (oil-rich) developing countries and in favor of extremist dictators. He pointed to the US's distaste for Sukarno in Indonesia (and it's support for Suharto arguably one of the worst despots in Asia behind Pol Pot) , pan-Arab nationalism under Nasser, etc. I wonder if perhaps one could add Cuba under Castro and the Congo (where the US supported Kabila) to the list. If so, I argue that the US is not opposed to secular nationalism but rather the communist/socialist bent of secular nationalism, which was particularly popular among the masses post-colonial independence. Given the time period 1950's-60's and the prevalence of the 'Domino Theory', in trying to destabilize popular secular national regimes, whether rightly or wrongly (and I am inclined to think wrongly), the US was trying to stop the spread of Communism (and perhaps, I will concede to Chomsky, in certain cases ensure a friendly dictator who would allow them access to oil and other natural resources). -- Wow that was longer than anticipated. I highly recommend reading The Poisonwood Bible, which is set during the Congo's struggle for independence.