Telthorst.net

I’m a college student, which means I don’t have a full time job, I don’t have any money, and I have some sizable student loans.  However, all that is going to change, at least the part about not having any money.  Sure, I’ve heard people say, “if something is too good to be true, it probably is,” but that was before the interwebs.  I’ve recently gotten two great e-mails that I know are going to set me up for life!

Last month, I got this e-mail from Mr. Vincent Cheng, the Chairmain of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.  He sent me a confidential brief, which I’ve included below:

I followed up with Mr. Cheng, and apparently I just needed to help with a legal bank transfer of 30.5 million dollars and would get to keep 60% of the funds!  I told him I was extremely interested in helping, and would do whatever he wanted.  I also told him that I didn’t need 60% of 30.5 million, I only wanted $30,000, and to be considered for an entry level postion at the Hong Kong and Shangahi Banking Corporation Limited.  But for some reason after I e-mailed him with that request, he never got back to me.  I can’t figure out why, I guess because I didn’t want 60% of the money and he was insulted?  I was disappointed at first, until I got another e-mail, and this one is even better!  A copy of it can be found below:

More than $1.7 billion is a lot more than 60% of 30.5 million!  I just need to apply before the 27th of October and I’ll be set.  I’m going to take whatever they offer me this time, because I learned from last time, that people who are going to give you millions of dollars don’t want to work for them, or have you take less than they offer, they just want you to keep the money.  I’ll let you know how it goes, and if I have time, I’ll have the butler I’m going to hire take a picture of the yacht I’m going to buy!

*This is a satirical post.*

I don’t actually think that these offers will make me rich.  I did e-mail “Mr. Cheng” to see what would happen.

The deadline for nominations of the Nobel Peace Prize was February 1, just two weeks after President Obama was inaugurated as President of the United States.¹  However, he managed to impress people enough in just two weeks to be nominated for the prize, as well as convince the five committee members elected by the Norwegian Parliament who determine the prize recipient, that he deserved the prize.  According to the prize founder, Alfred Nobel, the the Peace Prize should be awarded to the person who:

“during the preceding year [...] shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”  ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize))

It is unclear what Obama did to merit the prize.  It is also interesting why he was awarded the prize, while individuals such as Mohandas Ghandi (who led the India independence movement through non-violent opposition), Pope John-Paul II (who, inter alia, was instrumental in the fall of communism in eastern Europe), Irena Sendler (who saved 2,500 Jews during World War II), and Liu Xiabo (a human rights champion in China, who is currently in prison), were not awarded the prize for their efforts.

It seems likely based on the statement issues by the Nobel Comittee², as well as the known political persuasion of the Nobel Committee, that this prize was given to ensure that Obama did not back out on his promises, and he follows through with his agenda.  Thus, instead of awarding the prize for accomplishments, it is instead used as a political tool to influence Obama’s policies.

Not everyone in Norway agrees with the controversial decision.  Siv Jensen, leader of Norway’s Progress Party, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal:

“It is just too soon.  It is wrong to give him the peace prize for his ambition. You should receive it for results.”  She said that the decision to bestow the award on the president was the most controversial she could remember and was one of a number that had moved the prize further away from the ideals of Alfred Nobel.³

Former Polish President Lech Walesa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 was also quoted as stating,  ”So soon?  Too early.  He has no contribution so far,” ”He is still at an early stage.”  Bestowing this honor upon President Obama so early in his presidency is a disservice to the former Chicago Senator as well.  Awarding the prize so early, without providing the former Chicago Senator with an opportunity  to prove the impact he can make on the world, diminishes the prize to a “call to action.”  Nobel Peace Prize recipients have been controversial in the past, and the current decision affirms that the prize is not an award for accomplishment, but instead, a political tool.

1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125509603349176083.html [↩]
2. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html [↩]
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125509603349176083.html [↩]