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

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

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

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

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

Fiscal Manifestations

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)

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!

" 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.