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A few random highlights
Jan. 24th, 2008 01:06 pmAlthough I’ve been trying to keep my mood up, I’ve been not so pleased lately. It’s the usual combination of I hate my job, what am I doing with my life, the world is melting, the world is spiraling further into chaos, my country is no longer recognizable to me, all my painfully-earned savings are shrinking, people suck and so on.
My reaction to Heath Ledger’s death is case in point of my grumpiness. It was shocking, he was young and had a promising career, I feel bad for his family, but . . . why is this so front in center in the news and in people’s minds? I realize this is the unfortunate way that the new news cycle has come to work and that there are much, much less worthy things that the press has focused on (hi Brittany!), but I’m actually just annoyed at this point. Can we bother with the actual news just for the sake of novelty? It’s not like there are a shortage of conflict-oriented stories out there for the media to cover.
I’ve pretty much not talked about current events or politics here in ages—and I’m not going to go into any kind of long rant—but I’m feeling compelled to point to a few things today, just because. If one follows the non-celebrity oriented news, no real surprises, I should think. Some might say don’t read if you don’t want to be depressed, but, despite my current state of mind, I’ve never bought that idea.
A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials made over 900 false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Enron investors appeal.
The West should strike first, and with nuclear weapons, if necessary. So says a new, 150-page "manifesto" penned by five retired senior NATO officers and military strategists and distributed over the last 10 days to Pentagon officials and NATO Secretary General.
If you were watching the news, you may have heard about the confrontation between the U.S. navy and Iranian speedboats in the strait of Hormuz. What didn’t get as much coverage (no surprise) is that the incident was basically manufactured out of a routine event. (Also see Jon Stewart poking fun at this--I have to include this clip because of the huge love for Aasif Mandvi’s “I’m from Tampa, Jon.”) Yeah, since the war mongering has been going so poorly, CNN felt it necessary to step in and do all that it could do for its country.
“A new mortality report from the International Rescue Committee says that as many as 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes in the Congo since 1998. A staggering 45,000 people continue to die each month, both from the conflict and the related humanitarian crisis. Amidst the deadliest conflict since World War II, hundreds of international corporations have reaped enormous profits from extracting and processing Congolese minerals.” See here.
Congress fails to override SCHIP veto. And some Republicans call this attempt to extend the healthcare of uninsured children a political stunt.
This summer brings unnerving shrinking of polar ice. “Astonished by the summer’s changes, scientists are studying the forces that exposed one million square miles of open water — six Californias — beyond the average since satellites started measurements in 1979.”
Surviving a CIA black site. Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah spent over two and half years imprisoned before being released without any charges being filed against him. He describes: “They wanted me to confess to having some connections to some individuals of al-Qaida. They tried several times to get me to confess, and every time I said no, I would get either a kick, a slap or a curse. Then they said that if I did not confess, they will bring my wife and rape her in front of me. And out of fear for what would happen to my family, I screamed and I fainted. After I came to, I told them that ‘please, don’t do anything to my family. I would cooperate with you in any way you want.’”
Prison break in Gaza “But for Palestinians, life has grown more unbearable since Bush decided to get "engaged". Since Annapolis, the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israelis has soared 100%. The ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed last year was the most unbalanced ever, at 40:1, up from 30:1 in 2006 and 4:1 from 2000-2005. The total death toll for 2007 stands at 322 Palestinians and eight Israelis. Of the eight, five were soldiers who died while carrying out military operations inside the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The pretext for these endless killings is the Qassam rockets. But the truth is that the daily incursions, assassinations, and embargo, have proceeded without fail before and after the rockets. The excuses change all the time, but the reality of occupation remains the same.”
I could go on, and on. But I’ll stop here since I'm now slightly more angry than depressed. So on a lighter note, just for fun:
Bill Clinton: Screw it, I’m running for President. “While the announcement has come as a surprise to many, Beltway observers said it was not completely unexpected, citing footage from a recent Democratic debate that showed Clinton fidgeting in his seat, gripping the arms of his chair, and repeatedly glancing at all the television cameras while rapidly tapping his right foot. Analysts also noted one debate in which Clinton mouthed responses to all the moderator's questions while making hand gestures to himself.”
My reaction to Heath Ledger’s death is case in point of my grumpiness. It was shocking, he was young and had a promising career, I feel bad for his family, but . . . why is this so front in center in the news and in people’s minds? I realize this is the unfortunate way that the new news cycle has come to work and that there are much, much less worthy things that the press has focused on (hi Brittany!), but I’m actually just annoyed at this point. Can we bother with the actual news just for the sake of novelty? It’s not like there are a shortage of conflict-oriented stories out there for the media to cover.
I’ve pretty much not talked about current events or politics here in ages—and I’m not going to go into any kind of long rant—but I’m feeling compelled to point to a few things today, just because. If one follows the non-celebrity oriented news, no real surprises, I should think. Some might say don’t read if you don’t want to be depressed, but, despite my current state of mind, I’ve never bought that idea.
A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials made over 900 false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Enron investors appeal.
The West should strike first, and with nuclear weapons, if necessary. So says a new, 150-page "manifesto" penned by five retired senior NATO officers and military strategists and distributed over the last 10 days to Pentagon officials and NATO Secretary General.
If you were watching the news, you may have heard about the confrontation between the U.S. navy and Iranian speedboats in the strait of Hormuz. What didn’t get as much coverage (no surprise) is that the incident was basically manufactured out of a routine event. (Also see Jon Stewart poking fun at this--I have to include this clip because of the huge love for Aasif Mandvi’s “I’m from Tampa, Jon.”) Yeah, since the war mongering has been going so poorly, CNN felt it necessary to step in and do all that it could do for its country.
“A new mortality report from the International Rescue Committee says that as many as 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes in the Congo since 1998. A staggering 45,000 people continue to die each month, both from the conflict and the related humanitarian crisis. Amidst the deadliest conflict since World War II, hundreds of international corporations have reaped enormous profits from extracting and processing Congolese minerals.” See here.
Congress fails to override SCHIP veto. And some Republicans call this attempt to extend the healthcare of uninsured children a political stunt.
This summer brings unnerving shrinking of polar ice. “Astonished by the summer’s changes, scientists are studying the forces that exposed one million square miles of open water — six Californias — beyond the average since satellites started measurements in 1979.”
Surviving a CIA black site. Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah spent over two and half years imprisoned before being released without any charges being filed against him. He describes: “They wanted me to confess to having some connections to some individuals of al-Qaida. They tried several times to get me to confess, and every time I said no, I would get either a kick, a slap or a curse. Then they said that if I did not confess, they will bring my wife and rape her in front of me. And out of fear for what would happen to my family, I screamed and I fainted. After I came to, I told them that ‘please, don’t do anything to my family. I would cooperate with you in any way you want.’”
Prison break in Gaza “But for Palestinians, life has grown more unbearable since Bush decided to get "engaged". Since Annapolis, the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israelis has soared 100%. The ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed last year was the most unbalanced ever, at 40:1, up from 30:1 in 2006 and 4:1 from 2000-2005. The total death toll for 2007 stands at 322 Palestinians and eight Israelis. Of the eight, five were soldiers who died while carrying out military operations inside the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The pretext for these endless killings is the Qassam rockets. But the truth is that the daily incursions, assassinations, and embargo, have proceeded without fail before and after the rockets. The excuses change all the time, but the reality of occupation remains the same.”
I could go on, and on. But I’ll stop here since I'm now slightly more angry than depressed. So on a lighter note, just for fun:
Bill Clinton: Screw it, I’m running for President. “While the announcement has come as a surprise to many, Beltway observers said it was not completely unexpected, citing footage from a recent Democratic debate that showed Clinton fidgeting in his seat, gripping the arms of his chair, and repeatedly glancing at all the television cameras while rapidly tapping his right foot. Analysts also noted one debate in which Clinton mouthed responses to all the moderator's questions while making hand gestures to himself.”
