Apparently I need to go through some kind of therapy or become a politician. I am getting more and more annoyed by the culture I live in. I am so proud of it sometimes and so fricking pissed off by it other times. How is it that we are so enamored by the death of a celebrity yet so lackadaisical regarding world events? I know I rambled on in my last post about the lack of news coverage regarding Iran, but seriously how is it that we care about Jackson and Fawcett more than the suffering of MILLIONS of people around the world.
I see top headlines on Google about a man that died, a woman that died and crap about a guy who cheated on his wife in South Carolina. Is that really more important that the daily deadly blasts in Iraq, the attacks in Nigeria, the terriable human rights violations in Palestine, China and Egypt and the horrific things happening to the people in Iran? Is this what we have become? A people more connected with our celebrities than the rest of the world? Ask anyone on the street who Heidi and Spencer are and I bet 95% know. Now ask them who Jalal Talabani is and I will guarantee only 5% know who he is.
I saw a tweet from @bandcandy that said it perfectly for me: "This whole 'CNN relies on Twitter for news' thing is all Iran's fault. They're quoting MC Hammer's tweets right now."
Don't get me wrong I am sad for the families of the deceased, and the family of the Gov. Sanford. I just don't believe that the troubles of a few should outweigh the cries of so many.
I would really like to know... How many of you who read this had to click the links to find out who Heidi and Spencer are and how many of you had to click the link to find out who Jalal Talabani is. Please be honest even if you need to post anonymously to tell me. I am really interested.
There is almost no coverage of what's happening to Iran right now... Other than Twitter, Aljazeera and BBC I cannot find ANYTHING! How do you not report on a country that has rioted the way they are, with citizens terrified to leave their houses, with a government that cut out all mobile and internet networks within the country, that is blocking television channels? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY?!?!?
Imagine what you felt during the 2000 elections... except this time the nation knows George Bush circa 2008 and he is running against Obama. Now imagine you believe the Bush rigged the election and they put Obama on house arrest, cut your cell phones off, cut your internet service, shutdown satalite news stations and just ran a goverment sponsered news channel on your TV. Now you go to the streets to protest, just for being outside you will be shot by rubber bullets and beaten by police. HOW THE WOULD YOU FEEL IF THE REST OF THE WORLD IGNORED IT?
I am so pissed off right now that these so-called 24 hour news companies are failing so badly. This election affects the entire world not just Iran. This affects our relations with the Middle East and it affects the entire stability of the Middle East.
So what happens when someone starts winning the race for freedom? You knock 'em down with bs and scare tactics. Sadly for them, since no real actors are giant douchebags, they had to use these bottom of the barrel actors.
LOOK AT THOSE SCARY CLOUDS! THE GAYS ARE COMING! THE GAYS ARE COMING!
"What you're really missing out on is the South Side Irish Parade in Chicago, which I think is one of the great events in America," bragged President Obama to the Irish prime minister.
When the real Mayor Daley moved the Southtown Parade downtown, the Wee Folks of Washtenaw and Talman began what we know now by walking around the block with banners. This year's parade brought 300,000 people to the Beverly, Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood communities. Instead of looking at it as a strain it should be viewed as an opportunity for business and economic growth. Look at the hotels, bars, restaurants and shops in the area and tell me that for that weekend they didn't make more than most make in 6 months.
31 years of tradition are going down the drain. 31 years of childhood memories, friends, family and even wedding proposals just cut off. My children will never get to experience the greatness of the real Irish parade in Chicago and that makes me truly sad.
This is a huge loss for the South Side. The downtown parade is a sad excuse for a parade, just like all the rest of Chicago's "parades." I nothing else comes from this tragity, I hope the downtown parade hires on the South Side Parade planners and they can turn their crap into a real parade.
I loathe Dr. Phil, mainly because he's an inconsiderate man hating jerk but also because he is sometimes right. Even though we all wish we could choke out our partner from time to time, we have to make compromises and back down every now and then. Which by the way neither V nor I ever back down. Fighting is like an art between us, a glue that holds us together.
V and I have crazy fights. The kind where your guests get up and tell you they need to get up early and it's 4pm on a Saturday. The funny thing is they only last about 5-10 minutes and then it's over but usually not resolved. Most of them are about nothing at all so resolution is not always needed and we end up better than before after it's over.
I need to make sure that my life insurance policy stays low otherwise I fear the same fate as the guy in the picture.
The work face is a mask we all have to wear sometimes. We all know that while in the work face we can't do anything that would disrupt normal business, even if it's something we commonly do after hours. For me that would be politics, and last night my mask didn't fit so well.
I was having a normal conversation with some engineers about the daily events at the hotel when one asked if I knew anything about what President Obama said to A-Rabs. Now right away my first instinct was to say no, but I hate ignorance more than anything, and maybe some knowledge would help breed some tolerance, so I explained. I told them what he had said and that it was mainly about Middle Eastern peace and separating the relationship between the Muslim Faith from the terrorist organizations.
This is where everything went downhill. The guys know that I know quite a bit about whats going on, so they ask "What would you do?" This is the part where you tighten the strings on the work face and move on before things get worse, well I took it off completely. I started with what seems now as a rehearsed speech about economic reform rather than military tactics, assisting rather then dictating and looking from their perspective of the past and present not just ours. Somehow we got onto the Palestine-Israel conflict and I stated my feelings about the Israelis being the biggest problem in the region. Then one of them says "The Jews are God's chosen people, it's their land, just blow up the other guys." At this point I lost my lid an flew a little off the handle, to a point where I'm sure HR would have taken issue. Of course acting like that will never change his mind so I calmed down and we all went our separate ways.
So I printed out the information from Wikipedia on the conflict, and hopefully that will let him understand it more. This way he can make an more informed decision and I don't have to want to take off the work face to kick someone's ass.
I'm disgusted with a world that allows so many to be persecuted, killed, starved and destroyed like their lives mean less than another's. The monstrosities in Gaza, Darfur, Pakistan, Sudan, the Congo and so many other parts of the world have been made to seem as if they are of no importance. We can send tens of thousands of troops to Iraq but do nothing while the Israeli Government commits genocide.
This is a great article I found on CAIR-Chicago's (Council on American-Islamic Relations, Chicago Chapter) website of how everyday people can help the US Government in the right direction. The origional article can be found here: CAIR-Chicago.
10 STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PALESTINE
January 11, 2009
CAIR has outlined 10 positive, pro-active steps concerned Americans can take to help end Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, restore the cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid and promote a more balanced U.S. policy in the Middle East.
1) Take part in local marches and protests. Help organize peace rallies that condemn the massacre of innocent civilians.
2. Visit your elected representatives during the upcoming “Day on the Hill” in Washington, D.C., sponsored by a coalition of major Islamic organizations. Contact 202-384-8857 for advice on meeting with legislators.
3. Visit the local offices of your elected representatives to talk with them about the need for a more balanced Mideast policy. Use CAIR’s “Legislative Fact Sheet” on the Gaza crisis.
You can also learn how to arrange to meet elected officials and best practices for meeting with your representatives on CAIR's website.
4. Write or call President Bush and members of Congress. Talking points:
* Israeli attacks block efforts to bring peace with justice to the Middle East, harm our nation’s image and interests worldwide and strengthen voices of extremism in the region. * The Palestinian people must be given some hope of freedom from Israeli occupation and domination. * Israel’s immoral and illegal collective punishment of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip must end. * America must support a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes into account the rights and responsibilities of all parties. * American taxpayer dollars should not be used to for weapons that kill Palestinian civilians.
Ask your elected officials to adopt an even-handed Middle East policy that is in our nation’s - not Israel’s - interest.
5. Contact President-Elect Obama to ask that he speak out now in favor of a more balanced and pro-American policy in the Middle East that takes the rights of all parties to the conflict into consideration.
Contact the Obama administration transition team here.
6. Sign CAIR’s online petition urging our nation's leaders to speak "in favor of peace and justice for all parties in the current humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip." When completed, the petition will be sent to elected officials nationwide and will be given to members of the current and incoming administrations.
7. Use Friday prayers to educate members of the Muslim community about the plight of the civilian population in Gaza and the need for a balanced Mideast policy, a cease-fire and the resumption of humanitarian relief. Urge community members to take the actions outlined in this alert.
8. Monitor local media coverage of the Gaza crisis. Contact those media outlets to either praise balanced coverage or to criticize biased coverage. Call in to radio talk shows and write letters to the editor to express your views. To find local and national media contact information, click here.
Post comments on media websites and blogs that discuss the crisis. Begin your own blog and link to other sites that support a balanced American policy in the region. Start a free blog at: http://www.blogger.com.
Use social media tools such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, to make your views known and to share your views with like-minded individuals and groups.
9. Organize meetings between Muslim and interfaith community leaders and members of your local newspaper’s editorial board.
To meet with a newspaper editorial board:
* If possible, gather evidence of any media bias in the newspaper. (Also look for examples of positive, balanced coverage.) Save one-sided news articles or video clips. Record talk shows. Follow a newspaper’s editorial position. * Build a coalition of local leaders. * Plan for the meeting. * Get together for a strategizing session and assign duties. * Present your case. Be clear about goals. Stick to your points. * Conclude with specific a request for more balanced coverage and input from those who support peace with justice in the region. * Follow-up. Send a letter outlining agreements reached.
Contact CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper for more information on coordinating a meeting with an editorial board or contacting media outlets. Call 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com
10. Contact the State Department to call for action in defense of Gaza's civilian population. Call 202-647-4000 and ask for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs or click here.
It takes a lot for me to truly hate something. These are the things that anger me enough to waste all that energy on hate. I'll have a list of love next, to keep things even.
1.Fanatics
People that put all their energy in loving something so much that they turn into total douchbags and hurt the human race. 2. Intolerance This doesn't need an explanation.
3. Unwillingness To Accept Change Times change, people change... everything changes! Get used to it! 4. People Who Hurt Children This doesn't need an explanation either.
5. PETA They had a great concept. Then they screwed it up and became a sore on humanity and the animals they sought to help. 6.Lack of Elevator Etiquette Out BEFORE in. Stop eating and talking on your cell. If you have to sneeze of cough COVER YOUR FACE!
7. Blocked Caller ID This is more annoying than anything. If you don't want me to see who you are, you don't want me to answer. Enjoy my voicemail.
8. Not Saying Thank You Seriously, I'm just gonna start hitting people. 9. Celebrity News Overshadowing Real News Do you really think that what Britney did this time is more important than say the 2 wars that the US is involved in? If you answered yes you need to stab yourself in the eye.
10. Fox News, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity This totally biased and totally useless news channel needs to be shut down. Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity's fathers should have run them off by hand.
I am a huge Chicago Bears fan. My moods change with the course of the season and this last loss has broken my spirits. We start the game with what looked like the best we have played all season and then like Keyser Soze *poof* it was all gone. I'm sorry if you don't like football but I can't express what I'm feeling right now, it's like an animal is inside me and wants out. I'm a little dramatic I know.
On a good note, I am heading over to Indiana to spend some time with the kitties over at Great Cats. One of my best friends volunteers there and I'd like to go and help out. It's an awesome place, they take care of lions, tigers, bears and other exotic animals that have been displaced due to neglect, abandonment, abuse or legal matters. http://www.greatcatsofindiana.org/
CAIR has outlined 10 positive, pro-active steps concerned Americans can take to help end Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, restore the cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid and promote a more balanced U.S. policy in the Middle East.
