Consider It Said

Mother sentenced to jail time for sending her kids to out-of-district school

2011-01-25T19:31:00.005-06:00

Kelly Williams-Bolar, a resident of Akron, Ohio's housing projects, was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 3 years probation. What crime did she commit?

She sent her two children to schools that were not within their designated school district. It is reported that Williams-Bolar made it seem like the kids lived with her father, who resides in neighboring Copley Township.

"The jury deliberated for seven hours and the courtroom was packed as the sentence was handed down. She was convicted on two counts of tampering with court records after registering her two girls as living with Williams Bolar’s father when they actually lived with her."

To make matters worse for this family, the girl's grandfather was essentially charged with stealing tuition:

"Edward L. Williams, was charged with a fourth-degree felony of grand theft, in which he and his daughter are charged with defrauding the school system for two years of educational services for their girls. The court determined that sending their children to the wrong school was worth $30,500 in tuition."

This estimation amounts to $7,652 per year, per child. For public school education.

The case raises quite a few questions:

Was the court trying to make an example out of Williams-Bolar to discourage other parents?

What are school district's in poorer neighborhoods doing to combat violence and bullying, which --like the case of Chicago's Fenger High School student-- can be deadly?

What action is being taken for the public school that is so bad it is driving parents to commit fraud and grand theft to get their children out of there?

And of course - if you come from a family with less resources, what options do you have to move up in America?

How did they verify that the children did not, in fact, live with their grandfather?

They did break the rules - but was this sentence too harsh?

Putting yourself in danger to save your country...

2010-07-28T14:52:00.001-05:00

Can you imagine the courage this man has? Imagine if your boss could order your doctor not to examine you. According to the NY Times he has been fired, arrested and interrogated.

"I can't stand detecting non-existent crimes, imprisoning people who are not guilty. I can't stand it anymore."

Transcript of Blagojevich wire taps

2010-07-08T22:29:00.003-05:00

For anyone interested in the Blagojevich circus, this is a transcript of
one of the phone calls in question during his trial. The tapes were kept
secret and he pushed for them to be published. It is still unclear why he would want the tapes played - if anything they are in bad taste, particularly around page 2, line 29.

DATE: 11/04/2008
TIME: 12:19 P.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 218
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
GREENLEE: Robert Greenlee
* * * * *
1 * * * * *
2 BLAGOJEVICH Anyway, O-, Obama's gonna win a
3 landslide and we'll just operate under
4 that, and I'm on the phone with Doug.
5 He's always fucking fighting against, I
6 can't take the Senate seat. And I can't
7 stand that, his attitude. What's his
8 fucking, angle, what's his motivation?
9 He says, "it's gonna be awful,
10 everybody's gonna resent you for it",
11 you know, and then, he's making it sound
12 like my fellow senators would resent me,
13 which I find ridiculous.
14 GREENLEE Yeah, I, I find it ridiculous that your
15 fellow senators would care.
16 BLAGOJEVICH Yeah.
17 GREENLEE Um, look, you know, I don't think he has
18 a motivation. I'm, I'm sure he's just
19 giving you his opinion.
20 BLAGOJEVICH Oh he's got some, there's some
21 motivation in it on him. There's
22 somethin', he's generally got my, he's
23 got a little motivation, I don't know
24 what it is. He's worried Quinn's gonna
25 in-, institute all kinds of
26 investigations. He'll, he'll order
27 investigations on every contract that we
28 issued...
29 GREENLEE Mm-hmm.

PAGE 2

1 BLAGOJEVICH ...he's saying that. Okay, so let,
2 let's analyze that, war game that. What
3 about that? So what? U.S. Attorney's
4 looking at 'em anyway.
5 GREENLEE Yeah, it's, I mean, look, if you wanna
6 look at the crassest possible
7 motivation, then he has, like, you know,
8 it's harder for him to keep clients.
9 BLAGOJEVICH I mean, yeah, isn't it?
10 GREENLEE Yeah, but...
11 BLAGOJEVICH Isn't that what they're thinking?
12 GREENLEE I re-, I mean, look, I would suspect
13 that's the, you know, that's the
14 crassest motivation. I gotta tell you,
15 I don-, I would expect more from him and
16 I, I guess I'm hesitant to say that
17 that's his motivation. That may just be
18 his opinion.
19 BLAGOJEVICH It's a sub-conscious thing. He's a
20 great guy. He's not, this is not a bad
21 thing on Doug. I, Doug is a good, good
22 person, but sub-consciously, I think
23 he's trying, he, his first reaction is,
24 ooh, I don't want him to leave, I don't
25 want him to, you know, and so now he's
26 trying to, just quickly, his mind is
27 operating, coming up with reasons on why
28 it's bad. You know, and I yelled at
29 him, and I said, "you know...my upward
30 trajectory is fucking stalled if not
31 fucking terminally wounded, you know, by
32 Obama now." Okay?
33 GREENLEE Mm-hmm.
34 BLAGOJEVICH You know? "For the last, better than
35 two decade, uh, you know, decades, I've
36 made decisions at the expense of my
37 family's best interests, for my
38 political career and you, you know, my
39 job as governor." You know?

PAGE 3

1 GREENLEE Yeah.
2 BLAGOJEVICH And, you know, "because I'm, you know,
3 the, this, his election blocks me now
4 from any immediate upward mo-, movement
5 or, you know, maybe never have any
6 upward movement. Then, you know, now is
7 the time for me to put my fucking
8 children and my wife first, for a
9 change."
10 GREENLEE Mm-hmm.
11 BLAGOJEVICH Does that make sense Qui-, Greenlee?
12 GREENLEE Yeah. Look I, that's how I feel
13 strongly.
14 BLAGOJEVICH Yeah. You know...fuck Bill Knapp and
15 fucking Fred, and all these fucking
16 consultants who I listened to at the
17 expense of my fucking family. Okay?
18 And then I, I started venting...you
19 know, part of my vent was, "yeah, and
20 what have I gotten for-? Oh, the people
21 are gonna fucking be mad and the fucking
22 newspapers are gonna rip me for this?"
23 Okay? "I fucking busted my ass and
24 pissed people off and gave your
25 grandmother a free fucking ride on a
26 bus. Okay? I gave your fucking baby a
27 chance to have health care. I fought
28 every one of those assholes including
29 every special interest out there, who
30 can make my life easier and better,
31 because they wanna raise taxes on you
32 and I won't, I, I fight them and keep
33 them from doing it. And what do I get
34 for that? Only thirteen percent of you
35 all out there think I'm doing a good
36 job. So fuck all of you. Not to
37 mention the fact that I'm a fucking,
38 criminal investigations and my family's
39 in jeopardy."
40 GREENLEE Yep.

PAGE 4

1 BLAGOJEVICH "I should worry because, you know, the
2 thirteen percent who approve of me
3 might, I might lose them too?" (Laughs)
4 You know what I'm saying?
5 GREENLEE Mm-hmm. I, look, I gotta tell you...
6 I'm not, I'm not moved by that, I mean I
7 think it means it makes it hard if you
8 were gonna try to run again, for that
9 position. It's ha-, hard, make it
10 harder to hold it, so you have time to
11 regain that. The uh, the only worry you
12 have, and this is maybe where Doug's
13 going is, you have to worry, will they,
14 you gotta make sure they seat you...
15 * * * * *

The funniest way to send a message to BP

2010-06-07T14:56:00.003-05:00

I am going to Florida next week for a journalism conference and we have received email warnings from the organizers about the "tar balls" on the beach. Not very appetizing. Which makes me even more disgusted with BP for causing this unnatural disaster. But funny man Aziz Ansari performed this "song" (if you can call it that) at the MTV Music Awards, and it made me smile about the situation. It sends a message to BP and is still entertaining - thanks Aziz!

Watch the 2010 MTV Movie Awards at MTV.com!

USA Today website outsources travel section to Demand Studios

2010-04-09T23:00:00.002-05:00

USA Today has announced it is outsourcing online travel news to Demand Media, a network of freelance journalists (of which I'm a member). And while I am overjoyed that freelance journalists will have the rare opportunity to work with such a large publication on a topic as desirable as travel, I can't help but think -- Why?

Is it really a positive thing that USAToday.com will not have any travel journalists on staff? That means no health insurance, no benefits, no office to go to and no resources for educated, trained, professional journalists. Are we selling ourselves short for the chance to get published?

The other part of this discussion has centered on the ethics of Demand Media. They are clearly making a profit off of this deal, and they will have a great deal more jobs to fill. But will the journalists who are chosen make more than the pittance they are currently accepting for writing small listings and explanations for obscure hardware and tech websites? Media Bistro says it's doubtful.

It may be sad to say, but as a freelance journalist, I don't care what they're paying. Actually, when I sent in my request to join the travel writing team, I was under the impression that I would be doing it for free. That's fine for me -- I have been traveling internationally since before I could walk, and I happen to be a great writer with an advanced degree in international journalism. But if I was a USAToday.com staff travel writer, I would hate me right now.

So is the freelance me right, or the hypothetical full-time employee journalist me right?

One thing I can say with confidence: this is not the end of this debate. As the recession recedes and companies restructure, "freelancers" in every industry will become more popular and the matching-401Ked, benefitted employee will become more rare. And yet, I am still happy for freelance me.

"How health care could affect you" Office Memo

2010-03-26T15:35:00.003-05:00

My office just sent around a memo outlining what will change with the new health care laws. It is organized into per-year changes, which is really helpful.

Timeline: How health care could affect you

(CNN) -- President Obama signed sweeping health care reform into law Tuesday. The Senate must now pass a package of changes that will reconcile the differences between Senate and House bills. If those changes are worked out, here is how health care reforms could affect you:

Within the first year

• Young adults will be able stay on their parents' insurance until their 27th birthday.

• Seniors will get a $250 rebate to help fill the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug coverage, which falls between the $2,700 initial limit and when catastrophic coverage kicks in at $6,154.

• Insurers will be barred from imposing exclusions on children with pre-existing conditions. Pools will cover those with pre-existing health conditions until health care coverage exchanges are operational.

• Insurers will not be able to rescind policies to avoid paying medical bills when a person becomes ill.

• Lifetime limits on benefits and restrictive annual limits will be prohibited.

• New plans must provide coverage for preventive services without co-pays. All plans must comply by 2018.

• A temporary reinsurance program will help offset costs of coverage for companies that provide early retiree health benefits for those ages 55 to 64.

• New plans will be required to implement an appeals process for coverage determinations and claims.

• Adoption tax credit and assistance exclusion will increase by $1,000. The bill makes the credit refundable and extends it through 2011.

• A 10 percent tax will be imposed on amounts paid for indoor tanning services on or after July 1.

• Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will get tax credits covering 35 percent of their health care premiums, increasing to 50 percent by 2014.

2011

• Medicare will provide free annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans. New plans will be required to cover preventive services with no co-pay.

• States can offer home- and community-based services to the disabled through Medicaid rather than institutional care beginning October 1.

• A 50 percent discount will be provided on brand-name drugs for Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage enrollees. Additional discounts on brand-name and generic drugs will be phased in to completely close the "doughnut hole" by 2020.

• Additional tax for health savings account withdrawals before age 65 for nonqualified medical expenses will increase from 10 percent to 20 percent. Additional tax for Archer medical savings account withdrawals not used for qualified medical expenses will increase from 15 percent to 20 percent.

• A plan to provide a vehicle for small businesses to offer tax-free benefits will be created. This would ease the small employer's administrative burden of sponsoring a cafeteria plan.

• The Medicare payroll tax will increase from 1.45 percent to 2.35 percent for individuals earning more than $200,000 and married filing jointly above $250,000.

2013

• Health plans must implement uniform standards for electronic exchange of health information to reduce paperwork and administrative costs.

• Contributions to flexible savings accounts will be limited to $2,500 per year, indexed by the Consumer Price Index in subsequent years.

• The Employer Medicare Part D subsidy deduction will be eliminated. Employers will lose the tax deduction for subsidizing prescription drug plans for Medicare Part D-eligible retirees.

• There will be increases to the income threshold from 7.5 percent to 10 percent of adjusted gross income. Those older than 65 can claim the 7.5 percent deduction through 2016.

• The hospital insurance tax will increase 0.9 percentage points for those earning more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married filing jointly), and it includes net investment income.

• A 2.9 percent excise tax on the first sale of medical devices will be established. Excepted are eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids or other items for individual use.

2014

• Citizens will be required to have acceptable coverage or pay a penalty of $95 in 2014, $325 in 2015, $695 (or up to 2.5 percent of income) in 2016. Families will pay half the amount for children, up to a cap of $2,250 per family. After 2016, penalties are indexed to Consumer Price Index.

• Workers who are exempt from individual responsibility for coverage but don't qualify for tax credits can take their employer contribution and join an exchange plan.

• Companies with 50 or more employees must offer coverage to employees or pay a $2,000 penalty per employee after their first 30 if at least one of their employees receives a tax credit. Waiting periods before insurance takes effect is limited to 90 days. Employers who offer coverage but whose employees receive tax credits will pay $3,000 for each worker receiving a tax credit.

• Insurers can no longer refuse to sell or renew policies because of an individual's health status. Health plans can no longer exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. Insurers can't charge higher rates because of heath status, gender or other factors.

• Health plans will be prohibited from imposing annual limits on coverage.

• Health insurance exchanges will open in each state to individuals and small employers to comparison shop for standardized health packages.

• Credits will be available through exchanges for those whose income is above Medicaid eligibility and below 400 percent of poverty level who are not eligible for or offered other acceptable coverage.

• Medicaid eligibility will increase to 133 percent of poverty for all nonelderly individuals to ensure that people obtain affordable health care in the most efficient and appropriate manner. States will receive increased federal funding to cover these new populations.

• An annual health insurance provider fee will be imposed across the health insurance sector according to insurers' market share to companies whose total premiums exceed $25 million.

2018

• 2018 Taxing "Cadillac" plans: An excise tax will be imposed on high-cost, employer-provided health plans beyond $27,500 for family coverage and $10,200 for single coverage; it will increase to $30,950 for families and $11,850 for individuals, retirees and employees in high-risk professions.

Sources: House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor committees; Kaiser Family Foundation

Health care bill signed into law - "This is a big f---ing deal!"

2010-03-23T11:03:00.005-05:00

At 11am CST on March 23rd, healthcare for everyone became the law in America.

Signed with a different pen for every signature, President Obama once again made history by providing healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.

When Joe Biden introduced the president, Obama's mic picked up Biden saying "This is a big f---ing deal," you can see it below. Listen while he's shaking the president's hand. Well said, Mr. Vice President :)

An amazing day for all Americans!

A day of history - Healthcare!

2010-03-21T22:45:00.003-05:00

Today has seen a few major events unfold, the biggest and most significant of which is the passing of health care reform legislation. Needing 216 votes to pass, the bill got 219 votes, without a single vote from a Republican.

It is clearly a partisan vote, and Republicans are threatening to repeal the bill if they get into office. It is about every person who has opened their [healthcare] bill and is shocked at how much prices shot up, said President Obama, when he addressed the nation late Sunday night.

He noted this day does not end the work we need to do for our country, but he did say "This day represents another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American dream. We have answered the call of history."

Just about every major Western country in the world has universal healthcare. This bill does not take us to that level, but it is a step in the right direction. We can only build from here.

Also today, Christiane Amanpour has officially announced she will be leaving CNN for ABC's This Week. She is an amazing journalist and I look forward to seeing how she does on a non-cable network.

Ethics in Politics: An Evening with Fallen Governor Rod Blagojevich

2010-03-03T12:57:00.007-06:00

I spent last night at Northwestern's Evanston campus, representing the Huffington Post at an event called Ethics in Politics: an Evening with Former Governor Rod Blagojevich. It was far, far more entertaining than anyone anticipated. The 1000+ people there were mostly students and media, and it was quite a rambunctious crowd. The full article is on the Huffington Post main page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/03/rod-blagojevich-at-northw_n_483939.html

I will try to post the full audio file too. In this video clip panelist Don Gordon, an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University, jumped in to make sure Blago knew he wasn't buying everything the former governor was saying. Then, Journalism Professor Donna Leff asks a question from the audience - what advice on ethics would you give new politicians. His answer is "bleeping golden!"

Sorry it's so shaky, I was writing with one hand and filming with the other.

The World is Watching as the Dutch Decide Whether to Remain in Afghanistan

2010-02-21T19:17:00.006-06:00

There was a huge upset in the Netherlands this past week, as the Dutch coalition government announced they will be holding early elections because they are unable to come to a unanimous decision on whether to keep 1,600 Dutch troops in Afghanistan past the Autumn 2010 pull-out schedule. Apparently, the Christian Democratic Party and the Christian Unity party are willing to agree with NATO that an extension of troops is needed because they are not convinced that the region will remain stable, and feel it is too early to pull out. However, the Labour Party does not see any importance in maintaining a Dutch presence in the region past the schedule agreed upon three years ago.

The Netherlands is still reeling from the unexpected, very quick downfall of the government over this issue. "What's shameful is that the government unity was unilaterally broken last week," said Jack de Vries, Christian Democratic Deputy Defense Minister. Without using so many words, he is blaming the Labour Party for refusing to compromise on the issue, and come to an agreement with his party. Public opinion on the Afghanistan issue is yet to be seen, but there is clearly a division about where the Dutch will stand. Local council elections are set to begin in two weeks.

Oprah Keeping Harpo in Chicago with Nate Berkus Show?

2010-02-15T14:23:00.004-06:00

The buzz on some internet blogs is that Oprah may be working to keep Harpo in Chicago, by giving her friend and consistent guest on her show, designer Nate Berkus, his own talk show. Although, it looks like she will be giving the show to NBC instead of her native ABC network.

The reason for the commotion is that Harpo Studios has posted a whole bunch of help-wanted ads online at indeed.com for...basically...all the positions needed to launch a new show: senior producer, producer, associate producer, travel booker, etc, all listed under Harpo Studios, on The Nate Berkus Show (working title). Clearly, something is brewing! Does Nate have the star power to be the next Oprah?

Acupuncture

2010-02-14T15:40:00.008-06:00

Sticking needles into "pressure points" would not be my idea of relaxation. And yet, I was up early Saturday morning to go to a spa that offers the service, just so I could see if it would work - as they say, you don't know what you're missing until you try.

I had lots of questions - Would it hurt? Where do the little needles go? How long does it take? What does it feel like?

There were no special instructions given when I made the appointment so I had no idea what to expect. But I wasn't nervous. The spa smelled like aromatherapy and incense. The receptionist spoke softly and slowly, reminding me of some hippies I met in Iowa a while ago, offering us tea and organic snacks. The acupuncturist took me into her office, a small room with a desk, a dim lamp and a doctor's table covered with a soft cloth, she asked me a few questions about how I feel about my health and life in general, what I do for a living, etc. Then she gave me a gown to change into and left.

When she came back, she told me to hold out my arms straight, then she moved the fingertips of one of my hands to different places (my head, my stomach, my heart) and she pressed down on my other outstretched arm, saying "resist me". She moved my fingertips to a few different places and explained that my energy around the area where my one hand was would affect my ability to resist the pressure she was putting on my other arm. Her results happened to be very similar to the areas I mentioned during the Q&A. Then she noted a few things she was going to focus on like stress and focus, and told me to lay down. It was at this point that I got really nervous.

She would feel out a point like the top of my head, then tell me what it represented, then tap in the tip of the needle. After a few she asked if the effects were "too much," which made me think there would be some massive influx or outflux (?) of energy that would bombard me. That never happened. Sometimes I couldn't even feel her putting in the needles, sometimes it felt like I was getting a shot at the doctor's office. She put one on the bottom of my inside elbow. Which made it impossible to put my arm down without shoving it in further, but there was no where to put my arms, so they just hung there. That part was uncomfortable. I felt the ones she put in my hands, they hurt, as did the ones in my feet. But the rest I didn't really feel.

Then she left me there and asked if I wanted the lights off. Hell no. I don't want to sit in the dark covered in needles I can't see. I asked her where my mind was meant to go and she replied that I should envision a world where there was no money, and I was free to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted - what would that life look like?

So I did. And did some more. And more. After what felt like forever (40 mins) she came back and started to pluck out the needles. There seemed to be more coming out than went in. She asked if she had forgotten any. I was really hoping she was joking. She wasn't. So I had to feel around to make sure I wasn't going to stab myself with a stray needle. Then she noticed one of the points had started to bleed, which freaked me out because these are supposed to be very superficial pricks. She said some acupuncturists (some - i.e. not her) say that happens when more energy needs to be released from a specific area. Maybe it was because she put it in too far. Just saying.

But I did feel a bit light-headed and much calmer when I left. As far as the stress issue went, it was definitely relaxing, but that might be because I spent 40 mins dreaming about my mansion in Ireland. As far as everything else, I think it was a bit hocus-pocusy. I could just get a massage next time. Although I really enjoyed the adventure of trying something new, and finding a new way to enjoy the spa.

The Madigan Shenanigan

2010-02-12T16:04:00.006-06:00

Illinois politics is clearly some of the most corrupt in the nation. We are well aware. In a recent side-by-side comparison with New York state, New York Times columnist Gail Collins concluded that Illinois had the "most awful political culture."

But that doesn't surprise anyone who has had the good fortune of watching the evening news in the Windy City.

The latest debacle (aside from the Scott Lee Cohen disaster (really? withdrawing from the Lieutenant Governor race in a tavern??) and the Betty Lauren-Maltese round-the-clock coverage) was Michael Madigan pulling his political weight to suggest that the Lieutenant Governor position be scrapped all together. At first glance, this suggestion seems almost logical from a man who has not been so logical of late (front page allegations that clients of his law firm benefit from legislation he advocates and pushes through the House of Congress as Dem speaker) but when you dig a bit deeper, (and I mean just a bit, because it's glaringly obvious) you find his motives may be tainted by something other than pure undying love of servitude to the state. If the LG job was done away with then who would be next in line should the Governor be indicted (as has happened twice now), die in office (also twice) or otherwise unable to perform his/her duties? The Attorney General. And who might the Illinois Attorney General be? Lisa Madigan, Michael Madigan's daughter.

Ah. There it is, the corruption we have become so used to that we actively search for it.

Google Buzz

2010-02-11T12:13:00.003-06:00

Google is trying to keep up with the current societal demand for social networking. We all need to be connected all the time. Buzz is actually pretty interesting. It takes the best part of Facebook (status updates and picture sharing) and puts it right in your inbox. So you can click on the Buzz button and be INSIDE of your social networking site instantaneously. No new sign-in required. From there, you can see what everyone is talking about/linking to.

Gripes: I don't like that you are automatically following people when you first sign in. I didn't choose to follow my old boss from 5 yrs ago, but clearly omnipotent Google thought I should.

Also don't like: you are not notified when people start following you. It is obviously very important you know who's listening before you say you hate your job or something sensitive.

Also: This is just ANOTHER place to keep track of who you're talking to. It is starting to look like every website is going to include some form of interactive networking. Is cyber-socializing the mandatory new feature of next generation websites?

Sarah Palin, "hands" a $100,000 speech to the Tea Party

2010-02-09T13:14:00.006-06:00

Sarah Palin wrote her $100,000 speech notes ON HER HAND. Then she criticized President Obama for using a teleprompter. Keep 'em coming Sarah!

I propose a new word- Palinized: Having inexplicable notions of grandeur; defending hypocrisy with lots of incomprehensible words

Scott Lee Cohen is Out

2010-02-08T14:39:00.004-06:00

The Illinois Democratic Lieutenant Governor nominee who has been hounded by scandal since the day after he won the Democratic primaries last week, has stepped down, tearfully.

The next step is for the Democratic Party’s State Central Committee to elect a replacement. The process is, apparently, quite complex. Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) has a blog that sums up the process pretty well, noting that some things we just do not know yet.

My HuffPo article: Jeff Haas and Bill Ayers discuss new book

2010-02-08T10:02:00.003-06:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/jeff-haas-bill-ayers-disc_n_453332.html

"Back [in the 60's] segregation was normalized so it's easy to say 'If I would have been alive I would have been right there.' But would we have been?" Bill Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, posed the question Thursday night to a standing room only audience in the back room at Barbara's Bookstore on South Halsted.

Ayers, ironically, was himself a left wing radical and founding member of the controversial group Weather Underground during the Vietnam War. He recently returned to the spotlight as questions arose over his connection to then-presidential-hopeful Barack Obama, nearly costing Obama the election.

Ayers joined a panel of activists at different levels of career revolutionism, to discuss the legacy of Fred Hampton and to promote Jeff Haas' book "The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Killed a Black Panther." The panel was hosted by Barbara's Bookstore in honor of Black History Month.

Haas' book recounts his personal story of growing up a privileged white man in Atlanta, then coming to Chicago after graduating from law school. He learned of the Black Panther movement as a young lawyer working to get Hampton released from prison. He succeeded, only to have Hampton assassinated on December 4th, 1969, in what he worked for years to prove was the work of Chicago police and the FBI, tracing all the way up to its director, J. Edgar Hoover. Haas co-founded The People's Law Office and worked to uncover the covert and often illegal government program to obtain secret evidence on activists, COINTELPRO.

Ayers was moderator of the panel that included Haas, headliner of the evening; LaDonna Redmond, Chicago community activist and co-founder of Graffiti and Grub; Dr. David Stovall, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor in Educational Policy Studies; and honorary guest Bill Hampton, Fred Hampton's brother.

In his southern drawl, Haas began the discussion by giving a substantial recap of the events leading up to the incident that shocked Americans and enraged civil rights activists over 40 years ago. He read an excerpt of the book describing his visit to a church on Chicago's West side to hear Hampton speak, quoting him:

"If you ever think about me and you ain't gonna do no revolutionary act, forget about me. I don't want myself on your mind if you're not going to work for the people. If you're asked to make a commitment at the age of twenty, and you say I don't want to make a commitment at the age of twenty, only because of the reason that I'm too young to die, I want to live a little longer, then you're dead already."

The panelists discussed the legacy of Fred Hampton, hoping to encourage people to get involved in defending civil rights.

"We are all living in a living history," Redmond said. "If we want peace, don't ask what Obama did, ask what you did."

Afterward, Haas signed copies of his book and signed mine:

"Tell truth for power. Keep the struggle for justice alive."

State of the Union: Everything rolled into one

2010-01-28T08:25:00.005-06:00

Or as the Twitter-sphere calls it: SOTU (saves space). President Obama addressed the nation last night in his first State of the Union. I had to watch it on MSNBC online after it aired because I was at an event when it came on, so I didn't have the typical feeling I get of watching "with the whole nation," but I was pretty impressed that he addressed so many things in such a short amount of time. He spent more than 25 mins (from my personal estimations) talking about jobs and the economy. Mostly empathizing with people, with a few plans sprinkled in). Then he diversified his topic portfolio by smoothly transitioning in education, limiting federal spending (plus a 3-yr freeze...we will get to that later), climate change efforts, health care (I waited for it and waited for it and he did get there, albeit,with a pretty quick mention), the wars, repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the military (which was huge, I thought it should have been talked about more by the media. But I guess since Sam Stein on HuffPo broke the news, people were just expecting it. I was still impressed) and he even criticized the Supreme Court decision to deregulate corporate campaign donations - the justices were sitting right there! It was ballsy. Justice Alito was about to stand up and say something, the news sites reported he was saying "that's not true" to Obamas claims that corporations were going to steamroll the needs of the people. My point is that he addressed a lot of issues, but had to do it in a short sentence or two because he spent so long talking about jobs and the economy.

I would mention too, though, that he did not address the Guantanamo Bay closure (or lack thereof), which was a big issue in his inauguration speech and other speeches. But that is likely because he did not want to bring up the fact that he failed to do what he said. He was not afraid to say he added a trillion to the deficit (after talking about how Bush took us from a budget surplus to a huge deficit (artfully, without mentioning Bush's name at all - the camera panned to McCain mumbling to himself), so I think he could have addressed his failure at Gitmo. But he didn't. He never said he would, so it's cool. But I noticed.

And after promising to address the Middle East conflict, he did not bring up the fact that he (more accurately, Hillary Clinton) failed completely at halting Israeli settlement building. Which is a foreign policy issue so I guess it is not relevant compared to the domestic issues he talked about...but if we are throwing out issues to talk about, I think it deserved a passing mention. But again, not a huge surprise or let down, just something I noticed.

Also absent in talking about domestic issues we are facing as Americans: Oprah is leaving! He didn't even mention the talk show maven's last year. Poor Oprah! ...just kidding.

Doubling our Efforts in Afghanistan

2009-12-02T13:52:00.005-06:00

Last night President Obama addressed an auditorium full of servicemen and women , as well as the rest of the nation, to inform us of his plans in Afghanistan, to justify his actions, and to layout a timeline.

His policy on Afghanistan was always that we would beef up our efforts there, which people seem to have forgotten. He wanted to pull out of Iraq and focus on Afghanistan, which he is doing. People have been flustered recently with his failures to uphold other campaign promises, which may be causing some confusion. The Afghanistan issue is not to be confused with his promises on Guantanamo Bay, which he said would be closed in 18 months (FAIL). Or his stance on freezing illegal settlement building in Israel (EPIC FAIL).

But in many ways people are starting to view Afghanistan as another Vietnam, which the president addressed in his speech. He noted that Afghanistan was different from Vietnam in one very big way - the terrorists who (allegedly) attacked the U.S. live there. Now, I know it sounds conspiracy-theoretical, but there has been no proof or trial to say that the exact masterminds of the 9/11 attacks are living in territorial Afghanistan as opposed to anywhere else in the world. I seem to remember in 2001 when the attacks happened that everyone said the enemy was among us, living in the U.S.. Afterall, all of the hijacked flights were domestic flights. But Former President Bush grabbed his shotgun and threw on his britches and ran after the ambiguous enemy in Afghanistan almost immediately after the attacks, basing his decision on secret intelligence. 8 years later, that secret intelligence has never been tested, but we are doubling our efforts in the region.

Now, I am definitely interested in making sure Americans are safe and, if there is a threat in Afghanistan, neutralizing it. We started the job, we got 2 sides formed, we have Afghanis fighting against Afghanis and policemen being attacked and a corrupt leader in the region. Now is definitely NOT the time to throw our hands up and say we tried. By this point, we have gotten in too deep to back out.

One thing I noticed: the most poignant point in the president's address was at the very end when he went down to shake hands with the servicemen and women who were in the front rows of the auditorium; our brave soldiers clamored for attention, eagerly sticking out their hands, hoping to shake the hand of the man who has just torn them from their families and sent them to the front lines of guerrilla warfare. How ironic. Either they believe in his message wholeheartedly, or he just has that much star power.

It is rather unfortunate that President Obama is now being viewed as the reason we are sending in more troops. He is not. He is simply managing the mess and doing the only thing we can do - finish what we started. It will definitely be a reminder of the Vietnam war and if we win, people will always say "Ahhhh that's what would have happened! We should have stayed in Vietnam." But if we lose, be prepared for people to say "We should have shot Obama like we shot Kennedy." As ancient military strategist Sun Tzu once said "Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."

Fox News tries to pass off Glenn Beck rally footage as anti-healthcare rally

2009-11-12T10:20:00.002-06:00

The flagging peace process: Is Israel too strong for Barack Obama? | The Economist

2009-11-10T14:44:00.002-06:00

The flagging peace process: Is Israel too strong for Barack Obama? | The Economist

Nov 5th 2009 | CAIRO AND JERUSALEM
From The Economist print edition
As America drops its demand for a total freeze on the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, angry Palestinians say there is no scope for resuming talks

Illustration by Peter Schrank

FIVE months after Barack Obama went to Cairo and persuaded most of the Arab world, in a ringing declaration of even-handedness, that he would face down Israel in his quest for a Palestinian state, American policy seems to have run into the sand. The American president’s mediating hand is weaker, his charisma damagingly faded. From the Palestinian and Arab point of view, his administration—after grandly setting out to force the Jewish state to stop the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land as an early token of good faith, intended to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiation—has meekly capitulated to Israel.

The upshot is that hopes for an early resumption of talks between the main protagonists seem to have been dashed. Indeed, no one seems to know how they can be restarted. The mood among moderates on both sides is as glum as ever.

Mr Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, made matters worse by actually praising Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, for promising merely to “restrain” Israel’s building rather than stop it altogether, as he was first asked to do. Previously Mrs Clinton had insisted that stop meant stop. There should be no “organic growth” of existing settlements and no exceptions for projects under way. Nor did she specifically exempt East Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as their future capital but which many Israelis see as theirs alone. And she had earlier castigated Israel for demolishing Palestinian houses in the city’s eastern part. Now, in Israel on October 31st, she changed her tune, seeming to acquiesce in Mr Netanyahu’s refusal to meet those earlier American demands and congratulating the prime minister on his “unprecedented” offer to build at a slower rate than before.

Mr Netanyahu’s case is that being “prepared to adopt a policy of restraint on the existing settlements” is indeed a concession. No new settlements would be started, no extra Palestinian land appropriated for expansion. But some 3,000 housing units already commissioned must, he said, be completed. Building must go on in East Jerusalem, he has repeatedly said, as it cannot be part of a Palestinian state.

Mrs Clinton later awkwardly backpedalled, assuring the Palestinians that she still considered all settlements “illegitimate”, while pleading with them to resume talks. That seems unlikely. A storm of abuse raged in the Palestinian and Arab press. Mr Obama, it was widely deduced, had caved in after his own ratings in Israel had slumped, according to some Israeli polls, to as low as 4%. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Fatah party who presides over the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, expressed extreme disappointment—and continued to insist that talks could not resume until there was a full building freeze.

Among Palestinians at large, Mr Abbas has been derided for putting his faith in the new American administration. Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, the smaller of the two main parts of a future Palestinian state, mocked him for ever thinking that Mr Obama could change American policy towards the Middle East.

Last month he called a general and presidential election for January 24th. But with opinion polls showing his popularity diving, on November 5th he said he would not stand for re-election. Hamas, in any event, said it would refuse to take part in the polls. Mr Abbas, it seems, has been forced to acknowledge that his authority—and his ability to grapple with the Israelis in negotiations if they had resumed—has been eviscerated.

Besides, even if talks did start again, no agreement would stick without the acquiescence of Hamas, which won the last Palestinian election, in 2006, and is still strong enough to kibosh any deal done without it. Yet discussions between the two rival groups, under the aegis of the Egyptians, have been stuttering along for more than a year without getting anywhere.

Mr Netanyahu, on the other hand, was cock-a-hoop. The right-wing and religious ministers who make up the bulk of his coalition government can scarcely believe his luck. The prime minister is riding high in the Israeli people’s esteem. Building work is proceeding apace in many of the settlements. He looks as if he has emerged unscathed from a brush with a hostile American president.

Mr Obama is being criticised, even by Israelis and Americans on the left, for making demands of Mr Netanyahu that he should have known would never be met. Some say the president should himself fly to Israel to address the Israeli people directly with a game-changing plan of his own. But no one, least of all in Washington, seems to know what that might be.

Iranian Women's Rugby

2009-11-09T19:08:00.003-06:00

Rugby is a fierce sport - these ladies must be tough enough not only to withstand the physical challenges but also to stand up against cultural misconceptions about women.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up for Alice in Wonderland 2010

2009-11-03T23:26:00.003-06:00

How exciting! The even darker and more twisted side of Alice in Wonderland, a children's story that has been marked by allegations of similarity to a drug trip. An already somewhat confusing and at times, frightening, story is taken over by a characteristically dark and sinister Tim Burton, and Johnny Depp, who has made a name in dark comedy. March 2010 is the proposed release.

Al Jazeera English - Americas - US House rejects Goldstone report

2009-11-03T22:27:00.002-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Americas - US House rejects Goldstone report

RT 11/3/09 AlJazeera

The US House of Representatives has rejected as "irredeemably biased" the findings of a UN-sponsored report which says Israel committed war crimes during its military assault on the Gaza Strip.

The house on Tuesday voted 344 to 36 in favour of a non-binding resolution calling on Barack Obama, the US president, to maintain his opposition to the report, which was written by a panel led by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge.

The report accused Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group, which has de facto control of Gaza, of war crimes during the 22-day conflict in December and January.

But most of its criticism was directed towards Israel's conduct during the offensive, in which human rights organisations say about 1,400 Palestinians - many of them women and children - were killed.

Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, were also killed over the course of the war, Israel has said.

Steny Hoyer, the Democrat House majority leader, said it was important to adopt an official resolution against the Goldstone report as it "paints a distorted picture".

It "epitomizes the practice of singling Israel out from all other nations for condemnation," he said on Tuesday.

UN assembly pressure

The US house vote came a day before the United Nations General Assembly is expected to debate its own resolution endorsing the findings of the Goldstone report.

Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey, reporting from the UN in New York, said that while the majority of the assembly's member nations were expected to vote in favour of the resolution, the US vote on Tuesday, although non-binding, was likely to dampen its impact.

"Remember - the key recommendation of Goldstone is to get a credible investigation into the alleged war crimes that the Goldstone commission found evidence of in Gaza, and the UN Security Council is the only body that can move forward and demand an investigation," she said.

"The general assembly just does not have that power. Of course, on the security council, the United States is a veto-wielding member and, as the congressional vote underscores, the US is not going to be interested in moving forward in the security council to call for an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), or anyone else for that matter."

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has previously criticised the report, calling its recommendations "unprecedented for any country, not just Israel".

The United Nations Human Rights Council, which sponsored the Goldstone commission, has already voted to endorse the report.

Bias claims

Steven Rothman, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, told Al Jazeera that the report was biased against Israel, even after the Goldstone commission's mandate was expanded so that it could investigate war crimes alleged to have been committed by Hamas.

"The report was not written to talk about 12,000 rockets intentionally sent by Hamas to slaughter Israeli men, women and children, versus the Israelis trying in many respects to minimise the damage to Palestinian civilians," he told Al Jazeera.
"So there have been completely different standards applied."
But when asked if he had read the Goldstone report in full, Rothman said he had read only the report's executive summary.

"I did not read the 400 or 500 pages, but I read the executive summary designed for members of congress and other world leaders to read, and I found it terribly, terribly biased and one-sided," he said.

Keith Ellison, a Democrat congressman for Minnesota, criticised his colleagues for rushing to judgement on the issue.

"I urge members to oppose this resolution because it will undermine President Obama's belief that all countries, including our own, should be held accountable for their own actions," he said during the debate.

Goldstone clarifications

Goldstone last week sent a letter to the US House of Representatives saying that the text of the US resolution had "factual inaccuracies and instances where information and statements are taken grossly out of context".

He offered several rejections and clarifications of the ideas expressed in the resolution.

In response to Goldstone's criticism, three parts of the resolution were amended on Tuesday to clarify that Goldstone had sought an expansion to the commission's mandate so that his team could investigate claims that Hamas had violated international law during the Gaza war.

The Goldstone report, which accused Israel of using "disproportionate force" and of deliberately targeting civilians, called for independent investigations to be held into Israel's and Hamas's conduct during the war.

The report called for the cases to be referred to the ICC in The Hague if Israel and Hamas do not investigate the war crimes allegations against them within six months.

Hamas has agreed to hold such an investigation, but Israel has not.

Marwa El-Sherbini - stabbed 18 times in a German courtroom

2009-10-12T12:41:00.002-05:00

Just 2 weeks after the media frenzy over Neda, the Iranian woman who was killed during the political protests, Marwa El-Sharbini was stabbed 18 times in a German courtroom by the man she was suing for racism, and her husband was shot by the security guard when he tried to save her.

Weird that it was all over Arab news, but never broadcast in the U.S. aside from a short mention by CNN and BBC. Read more from The Guardian at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/07/german-trial-hijab-murder-egypt

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T11:50:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to a great man on unifying the world during an economic crisis and taking over the collosal mess left behind by the previous administration. He has written 2 books, is a professor at the University of Chicago, an intellectual as well as a politican. His achievements should not be put aside because he is the president or because people think he is only getting the award as a result of his eloquence and fame.

Chicago 2016 Olympic bid

2009-10-02T09:14:00.003-05:00

Chicago's Daley Plaza is buzzing today with people flowing in from all sides to see what's going on. The water fountain has been dyed orange and bands are playing, they are giving away T-shirts and mugs and there are 2 big screen TVs.

Chicago, Rio de Janiero, Tokyo and Madrid are vying to host the 2016 Olympics, which will be the next Olympics after London hosts in 2012.

After living in London for the past few years, I have seen the steps the city is taking to update neighborhoods, increase open transportation, reduce pollution and generally spiff up the city. I know people have complained about the money, but the lasting effects should not be downplayed.

Chicago has already built Millennium Park and updated Grant Park, built additions on the blue line to include the pink line and have begun restructuring and rebuilding the Bronzveville neighborhood. Those are great things for Chicago.

But Chicago also had a big budget shortfall recently and had to sell our parking meters to a private company that messed everything up royally. It was a blemish for Mayor Daley, but nothing Chicagoans aren't used to. So if we are already in the negative and are selling things off to make ends meet, then would we want to take on the added gamble of the Olympics - which are touted to make millions of dollars, but have left most cities in debt - ? So can we take this risk? Every Chicagoan I have talked to says No. But PaddyPower and William Tell, betmakers in London are putting 16-to-1 odds on Chicago winning the bid.

There is also the issue of crime and bad neighborhoods and whether tourists would be able to get around. And be safe. This is where I think Chicago should host. We already pay the highest taxes on goods and services in the United States. Bring in a few million people and we will be rolling in dough. The city, according to the Chicago Tribune, has insurance totaling a billion dollars to cover any shortfall of money, and Obama has already given Chicago a ton of money for rebuilding and renovating the city. It can only be a good thing for the modernization of Chicago and putting us on the map for tourism. The last huge international event here was the World Fair in 1933!

I think that most people in Chicago do not realize what a huge, huge step this would be for us. It would bring us into the homes of millions of people around the world. We would be in people's minds for the next 7 years until we host. The athletes would be renting out rooms and houses from Chicagoans ----

Oh. The news just broke. Chicago was the first city to be eliminated. I guess this discussion has ended... lol :)

Tiananmen Square

2009-09-02T14:16:00.001-05:00

I wish I was the Tank Man. I really, really want to know what happened to him.

Fiscal Manifestations

2009-09-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

As I sit in Starbucks reading back issues of The Economist (from November 29th to December 5th 2008) I am surprised. As I read about the financial catastrophy from my seat, 9 months into the future, I am very surprised. In September of last year I traveled to Iceland on a whim, to soak in the soothing, ethereal waters of the Blue Lagoon and watch geysers explode. We did not know the Icelandic Krona was only weeks, even days away from complete collapse. In June, my sister planned a trip to London from the U.S. and I thought about moving back to the U.S. at the end of the year. In the passage of my daily life, there were hints that the world economy was unwell. The collapse of Northern Rock in the summer, the drop in retails sales...But I did not think this would have led to the catastrophic headlines of hundreds and hundreds of bankers losing their jobs, of New Labour slashing interest rates by 1.5%, of the bankruptcy of Iceland.

Apparently, other people did.

When Northern Rock was having so much trouble at the beginning of 2008, the British government subsidized them so they wouldn't go under, dragging other banks with them. I didn't understand this back when it happened. So one bank mismanaged their money - what does that have to do with other banks? Now I see. It was about confidence. People see a bank going under and they think their money is unsafe. But why didn't anyone take that as a red flag? Why didn't all these stimulus plans begin around that time, before the worth of the inflated pound plummeted and chaos descended on the world? It doesn't make sense that all this drama was foreshadowed so early last year, and no one did anything and I didn't see it.

If I would have waited a month, even a few weeks to go to Iceland I would have saved tons. If I had moved from the UK to the US 3 months earlier, my savings would be worth hundreds more. I did not have the insight to see the handwriting on the wall. Did anyone else?

If articles about the economic stimulus plans of the US, the UK, the EU, France and Germany are in The Economist as early as November, then someone must have had a heads-up before September. While it is my ego-centric nature to ask why no one warned me against my ill-fated decisions, a more important question I feel I need to ask is why didn't anyone do anything?? Northern Rock was taken over by the state in February of 2008, the economic collapse happened in September and it was SCARY. The headlines, for days, were like being hit in the stomach with a bag of bricks - bankers killing themselves, thousands losing their jobs, companies tanking. Was there enough advanced notice from the U.S. sub-prime mortgages to have saved the public from all the ulcers and headaches?

This brings up even more questions about big business execs and the government role in protecting them. The fiscal year ends in July, right? Is that when they hand themselves bonuses? A healthy three months later, they are all bankrupt. Am I missing something?

Michael Jackson, King of Pop has Passed (1958-2009)

2009-06-27T00:11:00.003-05:00

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, the most controversial megastar from the 80s, the international music icon, died on June 25th. It was a shocking and unexpected moment.

Michael was set to begin his absolute final tour in London on July 13th and many thought this was going to turn out to be just a stunt to postpone the tour. Perez Hilton posted a picture of MJ with the caption: "Heart Attack or Cold Feet?" But alas, it seems Michael has been taken to the rank of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis and so many other music stars who have passed from drug issues. MJ had a problem with prescription drugs, but no one expected him to die from it. It is particularly tragic because his father and all his older siblings outlived him.

And though it is, of course, heartbreaking for his immediate family and his die-hard fans, I think the news of his death had 2 even larger repercussions. First, it really demonstrated the globally instantaneous nature of information. Within minutes, MINUTES of his passing in LA, Twitter was shutting down with the number of people tweeting about it. Facebook was overloaded too. But before I even got to any of those sites (which is pretty quick because I am always on), I got a text message from a friend in London:

"They took my Michael away! My king! Michael Jackson has passed away"

It was as shocking to hear the sad news as it was to realize that someone in London ( a 6 hour time difference and thousands of miles away) heard the news before I did.

So I guess in the famous words, "It's a small world after all."

But to me, the biggest thing I noticed was the response from people. It is as though our whole generation has stepped up one rung on the ladder of time. We didn't know Elvis or Jimi Hendrix, we may have heard of Kurt Cobain but that was ages ago and had a small following, we hadn't really experienced the loss of someone we really really bonded with. Britney survived against all odds, JayZ, Diddy, Rihanna, Madonna, Backstreet, N'Sync, and even Paris and Lindsay (who we all assume abuse a substance or two) they are the pop stars of our generation, household names, and they are all going strong.

It is hard to accept, but I think we have all changed for this experience. We are more grounded now, yanked into reality by proof of our own mortality (during harsh economic times that rival with the Great Depression at that).

My nephew is 1 year old. He will not follow the dramatic tales of Michael Jackson, he will not live in an America that can be surprised by the election of a black president, he begins a new generation where pop icons are practically immortal and you still believe that talent should extend your lifespan. Where everybody is somebody and everyone remembers the Great Depression of 2009. He will not live in a world that struggled to remember not to write "199-" as a year, reminding ourselves that it is a new millennium.

These subtle changes switched almost instantaneously when we lost The King of Pop. Now we are more aware of our loss of innocence. It had been building in the backs of our minds, and now, with the digestion of one too many prescription pills and a doctor who failed to save a life, we have realized it. We are becoming the next older generation.

Power to the Tweeple!

2009-06-22T02:08:00.003-05:00

" wipoolplayer RT @zaibatsu: This site is used to find protesters. Someone with ability please shut it down. #iranelection http://bit.ly/aareA PLZ rt less than 20 seconds ago "

It may look like jibberish to some, but this "tweet-speak" is an indicator of the power of virtual protesters around the world. They may not be marching in Tehran, but they are joining the efforts of pro-Mosavi protesters in ways that were impossible this time last year.

Is Torture Ever Ok?

2009-05-23T19:01:00.005-05:00

Everyone has been talking about it. The Obama administration published the debated torture methods authorized during the Bush Administration. Waterboarding, Stress positions and Confinement are the main categories and were supposedly not designed to inflict severe bodily injury. If you look at the pictures and analyze the methods from a third-party point of view, then it would seem like these methods are pretty safe. I wonder if you were being put in these positions if you would feel the same. What if you have arthritis? What if you had sores and cuts? How do you decide which method to use on each prisoner - or do you use them all?

The Obama administration has stated that the U.S. does not torture. Period. But he has been rubbing conservative Christians in the U.S. the wrong way. They have vehemently protested his policies on abortion and stem cell research (which can only lead you to believe they preferred the Bush Administration which would in turn, lead many to question their credibility) and could it be that they are also finding fault in his torture policies because they simply are unhappy with his other policies? I would have thought that conservative Christians would believe in humane treatment for all of God's creations, and yet they are happy to have bodily pain inflicted on anyone who the government feels may have information - in an era when the government created new laws that take away civil liberties and allow anyone to be detained without cause.

CNN published a story about Ken Cordier, a devout Christian who was a Vietnam POW, tortured for 6 years. He believes that torture is wrong in all circumstances. I guess when you are on the outside, looking in, torture seems like a good idea to "protect" our country, but when you have lived it then your view might be slightly different. It is interesting, though, that Cordier did not consider the "enhanced interrogation" techniques introduced by the Bush Administration to be torture.

The story also mentions Rev. Ronald Kuykendall, an evangelical pastor in Gainesville, Florida. Kuykendall is all for torture, citing the New Testament (Romans 13:1-7) "everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." Oh. Well doesn't that apply to Muslim countries too then?

It is a complicated issue, but I know one thing for sure, we agreed to follow the Geneva Convention, which says no country can torture prisoners of war, whether that be physical or mental torture. We throw a fit when other countries don't follow the rules, but we seem to hold ourselves to a different standard.

South Africa Votes

2009-04-22T19:49:00.005-05:00

This election will define the future of South Africa. The country has struggled to get out of the shadow of the apartheid for the past 14 years. But with the aging of the godfather of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, it seems like the country may be heading the way of most other African nations - corruption, political strong-handing, puppet democracy and eventual instability.

Thabo Mbeki was a respectable leader for South Africa who was elected by the people. While he was president (and leader of the ANC) Jacob Zuma was being tried for corruption. Somehow Zuma got the charges against him dropped. Then a young girl announced Zuma raped her. Many people began to question his morals and the rape trial made international headlines. Miraculously, Zuma managed to get those charges dropped too. The straw on the camel's back came when Thabo Mbeki brought new charges of corruption against Zuma.

In my opinion, Mbeki was doing South Africa a favor by trying to show that trials cannot be bought or influenced based on a person's status. I think he brought the charges to make an example of Zuma and restore faith in South Africa but it backfired on him. Zuma claimed Mbeki brought the charges for political reasons because Zuma was going to run against him for head of the ANC. And the day South Africans bought that line was the day that will foretell South Africa following Zimbabwe into political corruption.

Mbeki knew he had been elected fairly by the people and was not willing to soil his reputation and have people think he brought the charges in order to keep his position. So he stepped down. Without a fight, without a scene, he quickly resigned and walked away with dignity. He will be remembered as a great leader who really loved his country.

Zuma, on the other hand, is a crook. If his abilities to make cases against him "go away" is any indication of his presidency, South Africa is in for a downward spiral that they will not even see until it is way too late.

The elections are today and, while it seems unfathomable, the people are faced with having to leave behind Mandela's mangled party in order to preserve everything he fought for.

Murder via Craigslist

2009-02-19T19:25:00.003-06:00

Craiglist was a relatively unfamiliar concept to many people until a few years ago. How can we tell that the phenomenon has been integrated into mainstream American society? It has been exploited for murder and robbery.

In June 2007 Christian Morton responded to an ad for a car in Dallas, TX. The "sellers" Kendrick Demus and George Carter had posted the ad and planned to rob responders to get the $2000 asking price. In Morton's case, after the thieves demanded money, he was shot and killed.

In a more publicized"craigslist" murder, Katherine Ann Olson replied to an ad for a babysitting job. Police later found her bound and shot to death in the trunk of a car a few blocks from the home of Michael John Anderson, who posted the ad.

So does this foretell the beginning of the end of what started out as a positive website with so much potential?

The sad part is craiglist has a European equivalent that is even more widespread - most popular in London - called Gumtree. Gumtree.com is exactly like Craigslist in that it has parallel sites for different cities, has posting areas for jobs, items for sale, personal ads, etc. But Gumtree, even though it used in London - one of the most diverse cities in the world, and a city with a high crime rate - was never exploited the way craiglist has been exploited by Americans.

Sadly, craiglist may never enjoy the success that gumtree has in Europe. The reason is simply that Americans cannot be trusted to not kill each other.

Sexting: A Teen Felony?

2009-02-17T12:30:00.000-06:00

Sexting: Sending a text message that contains a naked picture of yourself.

Sooooo many questions! If you sext someone, can you still wear your chastity/purity ring? If you send it to someone besides your boyfriend is it cheating? What if he sends it to someone else - is that a threesome? I jest. But not really.

In fact, what has surfaced as the pertinent question in this situation is "Is it child pornography?"

According to Slate.com:

"Last month, three girls (ages 14 or 15) in Greensburg, Pa., were charged with disseminating child pornography for sexting their boyfriends. The boys who received the images were charged with possession. A teenager in Indiana faces felony obscenity charges for sending a picture of his genitals to female classmates. A 15-year-old girl in Ohio and a 14-year-old girl in Michigan were charged with felonies for sending along nude images of themselves to classmates. Some of these teens have pleaded guilty to lesser charges; others have not. If convicted, these young people may have to register as sex offenders, in some cases for a decade or two. Similar charges have been filed in cases in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin."

WOW.

So this is in no way considered an innocent mistake - these kids have literally turned their lives upside down and they will pay for the consequences of their teenage stupidity for years.

Now in a case where these images are abused (shown against the sender's consent; used for bullying, etc) then it is understandeable that the offending party should be have repercussions. But police officers are saying the kids who choose to send the pictures of themselves should be prosecuted to show them the severity of distributing what, to many, is considered distributing child pornography.

Some say this is a new trend in child pornography. Others see it as teen folly, to be cringed at one day in a retirement home cafeteria. But at the end of the day, who is hurt in all this? Who suffers? The kids. No one yet knows how difficult it will be for them to find a job while registered on the sex offender's list. They certainly can never work in a school or a daycare. And they will be charged with child porn felonies, so for the rest of their lives they will have to tick that box on job applications. In an effort to protect kids from predators, the law has somehow turned on them and caused severe repercussions to 14- and 15-year olds whose biggest concern in life is getting asked to prom.

The debate amounts to two questions: Can you be the child and the predator? And if you can, if you prosecute the predator, are you still protecting the child?

My question is since when did freedom of speech only apply when you turn 18? These children are American and allowed, by law, to express themselves. That alone should rule out their prosecution on felony charges. That said, there SHOULD be consequences. They should be put in counseling, suspended from school and have their phones confiscated and thier parents called to comply with this rule. They most likely did not know they were being child pornographers. EDUCATE THEM. The whole world is still dealing with massive changes in the way we live our lives with the introduction of popular new technology. These issues didn't exist when school policy was written - they didn't exist until camera phones were created about 4 years ago.

Anya Hindmarch for Target

2009-02-02T18:12:00.000-06:00

I love Anya Hindmarch and have been searching for a bag from her for months. I almost bought a white hobo bag (reminiscent of the indescribably gorgeous Gucci Indy bag) and in my search for her Summer line, I came across "Anya Hindmarch for Target" What what??

It turns out she has designed a few handbags for giant (lower-end but lovable) US retail store, Target. After looking into it, I found out Target has a little-known "label" called GO International. Ladies who love designer names are probably familiar with the line. Every season they have a few pieces by high-end designers at Target prices. An AH bag usually costs about $395; at Target one of her bags is selling for $49.99. Fundamental difference: Anya Hindmarch bags have "Anya Hindmarch" stamped in the buckle or front design; on the Target bags, "AH for Target" or "Anya Hindmarch for Target" is stamped.

I was awestruck, but obviously skeptical. The bags follow Anya Hindmarch's design ideas, but use lower quality materials. I will go check them out in-store but am not getting my hopes up. After all, the best parts about designer bags are the thick, soft leather and the solid detailed trinkets.

BUT the deflated economy will probably see a lot of people joining me in the line at Target for lower-end high-end items. GO International, started in 2007, is probably just realizing the potential of their label.

Frost/Nixon - A Must-See for Every Journalist

2009-02-01T21:28:00.000-06:00

Frost/Nixon is an excellent movie whose story is not lost on anyone who has ever done an interview for broadcast. It follows the dream of a journalist who was hungry for recognition and ratings, who put his career and personal prosperity in jeopardy to score an interview with Nixon after he resigned. And not just any interview, a no-holds-barred interview costing Frost $2m. The twist is that the $2m came out of his own pocket, not backed by any network and Frost was a British journalist with experience in Australia, nothing related to American politics. No one believed he would be able to get a decent soundbite from a political figure as versed in semantics and as slippery as Nixon.

Of course, if you know anything about history or journalism then you know how the story ends. It is an amazing triumph for a man who no one believed in, and to be fair, at one point I almost wasn't sure how the story would end :).

One thing to note is that the movie does dramatize the situation Frost was in by a lot. It portrayed him as a big-time talk show host with little-time experience, when, in fact, he had done numerous hard-hitting interviews. I have to wonder how Frost, who now has his own show on Al-Jazeera English: Frost Over the World, feels about it.

But as the movie is made, it is still inspiring to any journalist. It makes us proud to do the research, put in the time, study the techniques, and eventually emerge triumphant with the golden soundbite. The "I may have made mistakes" statements that mean so much. I recommend all my journalist friends go see it (among others) and I, myself, would like to see it again. But I don't want to give away too much here...

SUPERBOWL SPOILER ALERT: The Steelers won the Superbowl today!!!!!!!!!!! It was a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat-then-crawling-toward-the-TV game that went down to the last 5 seconds. They won their 6th Lombardi trophy, and their coach is the youngest to ever make it to the Superbowl, let alone win it. It was such a great game and there were moments when I thought they were going to lose it. ALTHOUGH, part of me can't help but notice that President Obama predicted the Steelers would win...and he seems to have an eerily magical touch...

Blagojevich aka Nixon

2009-01-30T23:33:00.000-06:00

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was impeached and found guilty of trying to sell the senatorial seat vacated by Barack Obama. I'm sure you've heard about it - he made SURE of it. In fact, he skipped the first day of his trial to go on a media blitz in New York, starting with the ladies on The View!! *Best Moment*: when Joy asked him to do a Nixon impression and say "I am NOT A CROOK!" and he totally refused. Smart man! That sound bite would have been played over and over and over right now. The similarities between Nixon and Blago can't be denied. The speech in this clip could almost be used word-for-word by Blago...

He made a great effort to avoid the impeachment trial, raising hell over the fact that he was not given his 6th amendment rights and he couldn't bring witnesses to testify to his innocence and it was all a conspiracy because real corrupt politicians in Illinois didn't like all the "wonderful" work he was doing for the people. Right. BUT at the end of the day, if you read the 6th amendment, it says "In all criminal cases" which means NOT in impeachment trials. His was a case of the legislature deciding whether he was still the best person to take care of Illinois, not whether he was going to jail - so the 6th amendment doesn't apply here.

He was given an undetermined amount of time to defend himself and NOT ONCE did he deny the charges of corruption or deny that he was trying to gain financially from the available senate seat. He did not provide affidavits from the supposed witnesses he wanted to call. Instead he spent almost AN HOUR talking about his immigrant parents, his children thinking he was corrupt, the great work he has done, detailing EVERYTHING HE HAS DONE (aka his JOB). I wish I knew how to play the violin so I could play along to the tune...

He will go down in history and when corrupt politicians have no defense but insist on their innocence, it will forever be known as Pulling a Blagojevich. So now Illinois is Governor-less (to my knowledge) and if his eventual appointee, Roland Burris (who I met and questioned on his policies toward Arabs, and who I consequently dislike immensely) is not honored as senator, Illinois is also Senator-less (aside from Durbin). I can't wait to be back in Chicago next week!

Fab Five: Texas Cheerleading Scandal

2009-01-30T00:03:00.000-06:00

The trademark phrase of American optimism is "Only in America!" Well this is well and truly an example of American elitism. 5 "Mean Girls"-type cheerleaders in Texas, near Dallas ran McKinney North High School. It helped that one of the girls was the principal's daughter. They told teachers to shut up, used offensive language and hand gestures, they skipped school and were subject only to their own rules while other students were forced to follow school policy.

Why? Because they were cheerleaders and because Linda Theret, the principal who was in charge of a whole school of kids could not even handle her own kid. They say everything is bigger in Texas - like egos and hypocrisy?

The girls went through 5 cheerleading coaches in 3 years. No one wanted to deal with their "Untouchable" personas and massive, unchecked egos. Then the girls took it one step too far with one of their new coaches, Michaela Ward. They ignored her attempts to teach them, they stole her phone and sent explicit messages to her husband and a fellow coach at the school. Mrs. Ward resigned then went straight to the media to inform the public about the school. An investigation was made into the principals conduct allowing the girls to run rampant in the school and giving them preferential treatment.

It was during the resulting school district investigation that pictures came out of the girls on MySpace, all minors, in a store holding explicitly shaped candles and one of them in a compromising position with the candle. There was also a photo of the girls drinking under age. All of them were given 15-day suspensions from school. Now here is where it is interesting.

Even though it was understood that the girls were bullies and were running the school, they were allowed to stay. Principal Theret was offered a deal to resign: $75,000 and a glowing recommendation. Now, really, does that seem fair? Would you want this woman in charge of your school? She can't control one 16-yr old girl, let alone a whole school. And how are those hiring at other schools supposed to know about her past failure when she has a letter saying she did a great job???? She should not be allowed to work in the school system and she should have DCFS monitoring her daughter and her other children. Way to go Texas...

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-29T23:41:00.001-06:00

Slumdog Millionaire

I watched this movie today in theaters. At points it is sickening and it makes you want to turn your face away. The things people have to do for the "privilege" to live when so many of us take this as a given is shocking. It did portray India as a third-world country with intense human rights violations, like many Indian critics complained - although there was one scene that showed the development of the slum area the boys grew up in to be a newly built business center. Rife with corruption and a complete lack of value for human life, it will undoubtedly wedge a seed of mistrust in Americans regarding the region. Americans will think of the slums whenever they see or hear about India.

I have to say, it is a heart-warming story that makes you smile and really think for days afterward. I am glad I watched it in the theater in America because I knew just about everyone in there was on the same page. When the last question was revealed, the whole theater simultaneously gasped out loud! It was a great moment. But immediately after watching the movie, in the rush for the ladies room, I overheard numerous people say the movie put them off visiting the region. Where people once saw an area of meditation and calm spirituality, they now saw politics, corruption and injustice. It is not fair to say this was an inaccurate portrayal of India because it is not by any means a lie. But it did not delve into the business and commerce side of India. Since it is not a tourism ad, I don't see why it would.

It was shocking and disturbing to many Americans to see the movie and in the beginning a few people got up and left because it was very heavy. Americans do not like to see people struggling with basic life and the horrible, inhuman things these kids had to go through. It still makes my heart ache. And while we all like to think "I should do something about this, I would like to see this change" sadly I think the only change will be a drop in Indian tourism revenue.

But, on the bright side, the movie won 5 Critic's Choice Awards and 4 Golden Globes. Don't let it be said that America did nothing...

2008-05-20T18:22:00.000-05:00

Old friends feel like old jeans, you forget how fabulous they are until you put them on and feel the comfortable old curves and hugs in all the right places. London is a city of comers and goers where people constantly move on to greener pastures once they "get over it." It leaves those of us still searching kinda lonely. But they always come back. Summer time in London draws back all the people who went a bit nuts in the insane winter season and moved away.

London brings together people who are drifters and dreamers, so naturally, we are always coming and going.

The Virginia Tech Killings

2007-04-17T19:02:00.002-05:00

The killings in Virginia have really affected me. I don't really understand why, but as an American looking into the country from the outside, I am saddened by the random insanity that is consistently displayed by my fellow countrymen. In trying to understand the senseless deaths, one question keeps floating through my mind. Why do these types of killings ONLY happen in America?

There are a couple plausible answers:

1. gun control.

In England, guns are completely illegal. Not even police officers are allowed to have guns. This has been the case since a school shooting in 1997 because Thomas Hamilton opened fire at a primary school leaving 16 children and their teacher dead. However, it is said that the ban did not actually decrease gun crime. See the 2001 BBC article.

2. a fundamental issue with society.

This is where it becomes very worrisome. What about our country keeps making people go crazy? Why do we think it is ok to just shoot each other? I know the killer in the VT killings was not even born in America - but his action was American in nature, according to history. I think it has something to do with the superficiality of life in the US. It's about money and pretty things. Life is not difficult in America, even people who think they have it difficult really do not have much to worry about. Job security, personal welfare, family life...we always ways of getting by. A spouse can take over the "bread-winner" job or if there is no spouse, we can get help from welfare and government aid. We have the best medicine that science offers, doctors are readily available and have to treat you in emergencies and our family life is not threatened by wars, persecution or extreme hardship. Living in London has really showed me how superficial American life really is. Which is a possible reason that people have less regard for life. Postal workers killing people, students killing people, cops killing people, our government killing people. So many people are dying and there are so few good reasons. It's upsetting to be an American looking from the outside in. It's not exactly a pretty picture.

www.interviewmag.co.uk

2007-03-02T10:28:00.000-06:00

Our news site launched today. We have the week's top stories with basic, need-to-know info, features, social commentary and opinion pieces. check it out! www.interviewmag.co.uk

A World Without America

2007-03-02T05:08:00.001-06:00

I found this video, dramatizing news headlines that *could have been* if America did not exist. It's kind of a load of crap.

This was sponsored by a British company to basically sell the US. While I am American and I love America, this video is superbly one-sided. What about the introduction of nuclear power? What about pollution and global warming? The video is so biased that is almost becomes comical.

Muhammed Salah - Innocent of terrorism charges

2007-02-01T19:13:00.001-06:00

From a bulletin sent by the Council on American Islamic Relations:

THE MUHAMMAD SALAH BOTTOMLINE
(Chicago, IL 2/01/07) - For many years now, Mr. Muhammad Salah lived life in the infamy of being labeled as the only designated US terrorist. He suffered the repercussions of this judgment, long before he could face an open and fair trial in a US Court of law. His assets were frozen, and his life shattered. His family carried the burden of this label to their schools, workplaces, and to the local supermarket.

Today at the completion of an emotionally tolling trial on Mr. Salah and his family, the final verdict is out.

Though, he was found guilty of obstructing justice, he was found not guilty of racketeering – the major charge. The third charge of providing material support to a terrorist organization had been dropped mid-trial.

And so, here's the final word: Mr. Muhammad Salah is neither a terrorist nor a criminal for having supplied charitable aid to the most vulnerable factions of his occupied and war-ravaged country of origin, Palestine; a jury of his peers understand that to be true.

Our justice system has affirmed what many in his family have long claimed, that Muhammad Salah, a conscientious and upright family man and community member was only guilty of being a bold Palestinian activist. His fate is one that befalls many of his kind. It is to my personal relief, that our justice system is where the buck stops on the political persecution of the embattled Palestinian people.

My sense of pride in our court system, however, comes with reservation. Justice as we know it in America involves more than just an endpoint, it invovles the process of how to get there. And while the verdict vindicates Salah and his name, the process, the trial, raises questions for those of us who are concerned about the rule of law, and the sanctity of our constitutional rights.

As a civil rights organization, our aspiration is to see every American granted his or her full rights under any and all circumstances.

Muhammad Salah's right to a fair trial was forgone when the court decided to accept statements he made under torture. It is a cause for concern to the American people when a U.S. court endorses foreign interrogation methods and detention practices that would be considered illegal under U.S. law.

Mr. Salah was systematically tortured by the Israeli Secret Service and interrogated for 80 days. In some countries, such brutality is typically used to break down the psychological condition of a suspect. Because the manner in which the confession was extracted would be inadmissible in the United States, it is repugnant to the public policy of American courts.

Muhammad Salah's 6th Amendment right to a public trial was also violated when the court ruled that portions of the suppression hearings and trial would be closed to the public.

Also, Muhammad Salah's due process rights were violated when his assets were frozen before he could have the opportunity to defend himself in a public trial.

We hope that the suffering of the Salah family is over. We also hope that the "terrorism" label be reserved in the future for those found guilty of that charge in an open and fair trail administered in a respected court of law.

Most Depressing Day of the Year

2007-01-22T07:02:00.002-06:00

Apparently, psychologists (well, one psychologist - Cliff Arnall from the University of Cardiff in Wales) have developed a scientific equation to determine the most depressing day of the year. And according to the equation, today would be the day to stay in bed a little longer. Or maybe all day.

The "formula" looks like this: [W + (D-d)] x TQM x NA.
The letters each stand for something:
W: How bad the weather is at this time of year.
D: Amount of debt accumulated over the holidays minus how much is paid off.
T: The time since the holidays.
Q: Amount of time passed since New Year’s resolutions have gone south.
M: Our general motivation levels.
NA: The need to take action.

Now the equation may well work, but there are definitely limitations. Mainly, it only applies to people who celebrate Christmas. A large part of the equation depends on holiday debt and length of time since the holidays. So if Christmas was just another day - you didnt spend any money, you didnt make plans to see family, etc, the holidays are actually insignificant. So this theory applies to less than half of the world. Just to put it in perspective. But it makes quite an interesting read. Check it out the article: A Good Day to Stay in Bed

Danish cartoon editor

2007-01-16T05:23:00.001-06:00

It has been reported in Saudi newspapers that the editor of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten died in a fire a couple weeks ago. It's odd, some shariah lawmakers ruled, in a private case against him, that he should be given the death sentence. Also, he (and the 12 cartoonists) received numerous death threats for their animated ridicule of Islam's holiest figure, Prophet Muhammed.

The problem here: no major news outlets have covered the story. So the question then becomes "did it really happen?" Bloggers (well, one blogger) has posted on it, which is how I found it. Most of the people who told me about it received an email about it, saying the cartoonist died (which, incidentally, is wrong because as it was reported, the editor died, not the cartoonists). But nothing on the BBC, CNN, ABC or New York Times even hints at the event.

I have heard some rationale about the reason for this: Muslims may get rowdy all over again, it is disrespectful, it simply isn't news, etc. But at the end of the day - isn't it newsworthy? Noting that a story that made headlines for weeks has taken a new turn is worthy at least of an honorable mention...

first post of the new year

2007-01-07T13:13:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

I have said that so many times to so many people (most of whom I didn't know) in the past weeks. I have never said it so much. But it's pretty much over now. I'm settling into the aftermath of the craziest new years on record (we finallllllly made it to edinburgh after missing our flight in barcelona and sleeping in the airport...after losing a ton of money on our hostel in edinburgh and having to call home for cash...after edinburgh's hogmanay (new yrs celebration) was cancelled due to high winds and rain). Now I find myself in Morocco, having a long-awaited day of chill at my sisters house. She made me thanksgiving dinner (better late than never). Morocco is a crazy country, I think it has an identity crisis. It is European in the north (it's right next to spain and was once colonized by france), arab in the middle and african in the south. they speak arabic, french, berber and sometimes english. They have mountains covered with snow, flat grassy lands and the sahara desert. It's got a little bit of everything.

We went to the markets of marrakech a few days ago and returned yesterday. it reminds me of aladdin. of all the places I have traveled I cannot compare it to anything. I guess its closest to spain with a strong dash of arabia. though I have been told that morocco's closest political ally is the UAE, which makes a lot of sense. Anyway, we have done marrakech and are going to agadir tomorrow. my sister and her husband have been very gracious hosts.

I had three pairs of jeans hemmed here and it cost me only 30 dirhams...about $4. That's like 2pounds. What a wonderful country!

Happy New Year! oh wait, I already said that.

Pen Pals: Ahmedinejad and Bush

2006-11-30T06:42:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad wrote a letter to Americans. I thought that was so thoughtful of him. No seriously. Other people around the world just dislike us behind our backs and do nothing about it. This guy wrote an 18-page letter to president Bush, incidentally the first correspondence between the 2 countries since Iran-Contra. But what does our president do? He ignored it. NOT COOL. This is a PR move by Ahmedinejad and the US doesn't know what to do with a Muslim country that actually knows how to play the game. Now don't get me wrong, Iran is in no way NEAR the PR-wonderland that IS the United States. But his letters are quite polite...with a dash of Willy Wonka (the 2005 version). Here's a bit:

"Were the American people not God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking, while the US administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any objective portrayal of current realities;

And if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity;

Then, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you.

While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together."

Now that's just plain sweet as apple pie. But I'm confused about exactly why he wrote this letter. The people of America have done their part to get our country out of Iraq. I'm so proud of us for getting Democrats into the government and for making Republicans (especially Rumsfeld) regret their foolhardy insistence on a 'pre-emptive' war. Everyone involved in the war has agreed that a pull-out is necessary and the plan is that they will leave as soon as they can, about 18 months. I'm satisified with that. I don't think it makes any sense that EVERY American in Iraq should get on a plane tomorrow and leave the country broken and in chaos. I don't think Ahmedinejad realizes that they CAN'T just go. And this is probably because Iran hasn't sent any troops to help rebuild Iraq. Everyone agrees that it's good that Saddam is gone. But if America ousted him 'for the public good' as they claimed then they have no future interest in the area.

The same for Iran. if Ahmedinejad lays a hand on Iraq everyone in the world should cry foul. Because not only did he NOT help fight the Saddam regime, but he has been the biggest advocate of Iraqi freedom.

I see why he doesn't want America occupying the country directly next to his - because the whole world KNOWS that Iran was Americas next step. Then on to Syria. I have learned not to rule anything out so it may still happen. But the point is, the Americans did not send thousands of soldiers to Iraq to fight and die so that another country can take over after all the dirty work is done. Not that America should take over either. No one should. A government should be established and Iraq should be an independant nation.

Now if Bush would take his head out of his ass and actally respond to Ahmedinejad, they may be able to come to some sort of agreement where Iran sends troops to Iraq to help them rebuild and start a government, while America overlooks and helps financially. That way Iraqis see a friendly neighbor instead of invading Anglo-Saxons waving American flags with pictures of naked prisoners in their pockets. At the end of the day I'm just a diplomat (reference: October post)

Celebrity?

2006-11-23T19:19:00.001-06:00

Went to a discussion panel at Frontline Club in London the other day. Its quite famous as far as 'country clubs for frontline war correspondents' go. A stimulating evening you could say. The discussion was about the affects of new technology on journalism, a very heated debate in the journalism field right now.

The panel was hosted by Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Bosnia correspondent during the Bosnia war. She did a great job presenting as did all the presenters (journalists usually are cuz they tend to like the sound of their own voices). After the discussion I walked up and asked her about how to get started as a resporeter in Bosnia, something I have always been interested in since my mother thinks I will marry a Bosnian :). I had my notebook and pen ready to take down any contacts she provided. She gave me some poignant advice, which I may use.

But then she just took my notebook.

I stared at her for a moment, bewildered. Then she took my pen. I was like 'oh, ok...' And she asked: 'did you want me to sign this?'

Being the ill-mannered ass that I am, I said, rather surprised: "Umm - NO..."

Even worse, I didn't even realize my mistake until days later when my mom yelled at me. And she had a point, as she said: "even if you didn't approach her specifically to get an autograph, it would have been so much more polite to say yes and thank her graciously. She probably gets it all the time. And why WOULDN'T you want her autograph?"

The Prince-iple

2006-11-20T19:14:00.001-06:00

Tahir Mirza, the Leeds man who was in prison in Pakistan for killing a taxi driver (he claims in self defense), was released a few days ago to come back to the UK. Prince Charles, Tony Blair and Mirza's family had appealed to President Musharraf to release him. And after 18 yrs on death row, they finally did.

I am very happy for the man and his family. Its wonderful that they are happily reunited. However.

If the courts found him guilty of murder, a crime they saw worthy of death, and stood by their decision for 18 yrs, why would they just release him back to the world now? Not only does that seem illogical but also unsafe. But the point is : Prince Charles requested it. England would have been very disapointed to be ignored.

While the man was from Leeds and possibly held a British passport (I'm not sure), he WAS Pakistani by birth. So why was this case even brought up by the Prince? I just cannot wrap my mind around the reasoning for his release. Because his family would have been sad if he died?

What about the family of the man who was killed? But then - they aren't British, they are just Pakistani. So we cannot make British ppl sad, then?

I really dont mean to sound cold-hearted. I don't know if it was self defense or murder and I don't claim to. But if a court decided that he was guilty, shouldn't there be some faith in the system? This really doesn't inspire confidence in the Pakistani justice system.

What do you call the act? The Aristocrats

2006-11-13T18:46:00.002-06:00

Anyone familiar with the "pushing the envelope of inappropriateness and shock value", ever-changing, can-you-top-this, longest-running joke knows the deepest, darkest level of human humor. We, as humans, are trained to find some things completely despicable and unacceptable. This joke takes this natural human reaction and uses it to play off of and manipulate in a way that somehow makes us laugh. And we do.

The joke is huge among comedians and even sometimes journalists. As a journalist I have seen the film version of the joke many times in different contexts and I have to say - while a part of me wants to cry for the loss of my innocence, the rest of me, wide-eyed and caught completely unprepared, fights the urge to laugh. But the only thing you can do is laugh. Well, one of the things you can do is laugh. The other is simply cringe. And the average, well-raised, ethical human being will turn off the TV or walk away from the offending joke-teller. But people who have been in offending situations or been treated offensively or been through circumstances that denigrate their human emotions or happiness somehow find that they cannot turn a deaf ear to this joke.

It is somehow a form of therapy in what seems to be an offensive and inappropriate world. Its says to us "Yes you are forced to show up to a job you hate every morning of your life. Yes priests have raped young boys and Muslims have blown themselves up and Jews continue to commit war crimes in the Middle East. Yes we are paying millions for homes that once costed somewhere in the lower thousands. Life pretty much sucks and we are all going to die anyway. But hey, here's something even more disturbing."

A good telling of this joke is considered an art. What have we become, as humans, when we have gone from great word-artists like Kahlil Gibran to Gilbert Gotffried? Words are such tools of emotions. They can support and build us, they can rip us down and limit us, they can disgust us, make us cry, make us ache and make us laugh - sometimes all at the same time. There are so many ways that we use words and "The Aristocrats" joke is just one example of the extreme.

Writers of the joke have said many times that the joke must be revised to meet the level of depravity of the society. What was found vile and taboo in the 90's isn't even cringed at today in some circles. So the joke is taken to higher and higher levels.

Will there come a point, in the 21st century, when someone yells "inappropriate" and we can walk away completely happy knowing we've reached the highest level of 'offensiveness' nirvana?

A Great Day for America

2006-11-09T15:34:00.001-06:00

The democrats have reclaimed control of the Congress for the first time in 12 years. They have also reignited a new faith in American politics. Americans have been consistently losing respect from the rest of the world because we have sat back and watched the country be run into the ground with a federal deficit, a never-ending war and corporate scandal. The only questions left to bear are :

1. why has it taken us so long, and
2. since donald rumsfeld has finally stepped down, who is next?

which brings us to the rumsfeld situation. Donald Rumsfeld, the best professional politician of the 21st century and conniving mastermind of the war in Iraq and the fabricated WMDs, is no longer the Defense Secretary. Now I would like to know exactly what happened. The obvious answer is that the Republican party realized that Rumsfeld comes off as a pompous ass and the nation pretty much hates him. They requested he resign in order to save the party from losing power and restore faith in Republican image and judgement.

The second scenario and the one I am inclined to believe based on Rumsfeld's overall persona - they asked him to step down and he said 'kiss my ass'. the party didnt want to fire him and cause a scandal so they left it alone. rumsfeld, seeing the demise of the party and still remaining defiant, he made the decision to rebuff the party for asking him to resign by resigning only after the democrats took a majority. this explains bush's speech saying he would keep his officers until the end of his term just before rumsfeld resigned. it also explains the timing. just imagine. everyone sitting around in the white house, swearing under their breaths about the democrats, drinking brandy and smoking cigars with deep frowns. rumsfeld stand up and says - fuck this, i quit.

thats how i prefer to see it. it seems so unoriginal that he would be put out by the party.

on another election note: hello nancy pelosi. I think the country is really going to enjoy having such a vocal and surprisingly spicy (and female!) speaker of the house. I dont think Dennis Hastert had much a presence beyond blending in with the old, white, rich overwieght male politician persona. He never really did much, never said much and most people didnt really know him. But pelosi is coming in with a bang. Plus she's a democrat, not inclined to be mousey or even agreeable with a republican administration. i am interested to see how long she stays in the position and also what she does with the new post - as a democrat and also as the first woman.

And as for 2008, I am conflicted. Do I want Hillary, the NY democrat to be the first female president, or Obama, the IL (my hometown) democrat to be the first black president? I will have to do more research before 2008. I better get cracking.

We started the TV module in class yesterday and I have to say it is exaclty what I was hoping it would be. Our lecturer, David is amazing and very potent in terms of getting us into the 'journalist/correspondent' mindset. I think I'm really gonna enjoy it.

At the end of the day I am only a diplomat

2006-10-21T08:04:00.001-05:00

Questions and rage may be flung haphazardly
while people are compelled to feign understanding & content

The timeless enemy pairs: good & evil, right & wrong, peace & war
may continue the struggle for domination

The world may continue its descent into unmitigated disillusion
and all knowns reversed into unknowns-

But at the end of the day I am only a diplomat. One who tries
to draw lines & divide the world's happiness into 2 neat piles
- one designated to each side.

Though insanity erupts amond men and corruption becomes
a widely held and widely defended character;

Though good people may do bad & beautiful people may act repulsive;
Though a small piece of myself is always reserved for self-doubt

At the end of the day I am only a diplomat. Embarking on
a journey to bring an evasive peace to the hands of angry citizens

At the end of the day I am only a diplomat - too naive
to accept the diligence of belligerence

Too tenacious to forfeit even the slightest victory
and too diplomatic to admit that diplomacy is only a game

played by people who value the image of pluralistic content
and general agreeability.