TWEET OF THE WEEK
From @ebertchicago: [Glenn] Beck University drops reading requirement. I'm not sure which is more surprising... the phrase Beck University reading requirement or the phrase Beck University.
'KARMA SUCKS' OF THE WEEK
Uruguay reached the last four of the soccer World Cup thanks to Luiz Suarez. Their young spiker, I mean striker, punched away a goal-bound ball volleyball style, preventing what would have been the last second quarterfinal winner for Ghana. So I could only laugh apoplectically when, late their semifinal content against Holland, the Uruguayans were whining hysterically about an alleged... handball in penalty area.
THAT'S A RELIEF
Uruguay's elimination was welcome also because no one will miss the whining, diving and time wasting that they were almost as good at as volleyball. But their dismissal ensures that this World Cup will be won by a positive attacking team: either the Netherlands, Germany or Spain. This is a welcome development in a tournament that, early on, threatened to shatter the mark for the lowest scoring World Cup ever. Instead, the five goals scored in the Uruguay-Netherlands match was the most scored in regular time of a World Cup semifinal since 1962.
CHEATING BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD STINK AS BAD
Even though I'm American (and thus unfortunately part of the English soccer sphere of dominance), there's a hypocrisy which I've never quite gotten: why diving alone is heinous crime worthy of tarring and feathering, but jersey grabbing, elbowing and rugby tackling is 'savvy' defending. I guess I'm not sophisticated enough to distinguish between these different forms of cheating, the latter being far more prevelant and ruinous than the former.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
A few weeks, ago, I tweeted a link to his blog entry on human rights abuses in Angola . It was automatically re-tweeted (amplified) by a Twitter feed set up by the PR arm of the Angolan government. Thanks for your cooperation, stupid propagandists!
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Authentic patriotism
VPR's Vermont Edition has a great interview with Stephen Kiernan, author of the book Authentic Patriotism: Restoring America's Founding Ideals Through Selfless Action.
On this Independence Day, it's a timely reminder that patriotism is more than superficial, shallow gestures like waving a flag or wearing a lapel pin or mouthing words. Patriotism means love of country. And true love doesn't mean just saying things, it means doing things.
We Americans have a tendency to think patriotism can only be expressed by joining the armed forces or revering those who do. In fact, any one who acts, in ways big or small, to make their country and community better is a patriot.
On this Independence Day, it's a timely reminder that patriotism is more than superficial, shallow gestures like waving a flag or wearing a lapel pin or mouthing words. Patriotism means love of country. And true love doesn't mean just saying things, it means doing things.
We Americans have a tendency to think patriotism can only be expressed by joining the armed forces or revering those who do. In fact, any one who acts, in ways big or small, to make their country and community better is a patriot.
Friday, July 02, 2010
MobiTV sucks and honesty doesn't pay
Apparently I can watch the World Cup more reliably on one of those free pirated online sites than "legally" via the garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving MobiTV 'service' which stole my $10 and crashes every few minutes. So much for honesty. And they wonder why people are so reluctant to pay for stuff online.
Not coincidentally, MobiTV's website offers no way to contact them via email or online. You can indirectly Tweet them but they ignore you. Given their garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving 'service,' I can see why.
Not coincidentally, MobiTV's website offers no way to contact them via email or online. You can indirectly Tweet them but they ignore you. Given their garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving 'service,' I can see why.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Try acting like a human for a change
I listened to a great segment on the NPR show Fresh Air with Jeffrey Gettlemen, East Africa bureau chief of The New York Times. Gettleman talked about ideology-free "un-wars" that plague places like Somalia and the DR Congo and the massive human devastation they cause. Last month, he published a piece about how the US- and UN-funded Somalia transitional government was conscripting child soldiers to fight against Islamist extermists.
So naturally, the first comment left on the page was:
Tragic shame about the situation in Somalia; but there's a solution: Just deploy Oliver Stone to do a documentary on how it's really a paradise on earth and any negative images are simply the fabrication of the imperialist/capitalist U.S. media. It seem to work in other chaotic hell-bound locations. Send Michael Moore as well, to really put a shine on the situation.
After listening to the piece on the radio, my reaction was one of sadness and disgust at the carnage. Yet, this person's first reaction was to be snide. It was to take a shot not at the disgusting murderers like Joseph Kony or al-Shabab but at left-wing film makers.
Sadly, this is emblematic of our society has devolved. An exploration of tragic human suffering is met not with anger or empathy toward the suffering of other homo sapiens, but only with a shallow political temper tantrum.
When did we Americans become ideologues first, rather than human beings? And is any ideology worth having if it's completely divorced from humanity?
So naturally, the first comment left on the page was:
Tragic shame about the situation in Somalia; but there's a solution: Just deploy Oliver Stone to do a documentary on how it's really a paradise on earth and any negative images are simply the fabrication of the imperialist/capitalist U.S. media. It seem to work in other chaotic hell-bound locations. Send Michael Moore as well, to really put a shine on the situation.
After listening to the piece on the radio, my reaction was one of sadness and disgust at the carnage. Yet, this person's first reaction was to be snide. It was to take a shot not at the disgusting murderers like Joseph Kony or al-Shabab but at left-wing film makers.
Sadly, this is emblematic of our society has devolved. An exploration of tragic human suffering is met not with anger or empathy toward the suffering of other homo sapiens, but only with a shallow political temper tantrum.
When did we Americans become ideologues first, rather than human beings? And is any ideology worth having if it's completely divorced from humanity?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A curfew on common sense
Letting the conclusion drive the facts invariably leads to poor public policy decisions, as eight years of the Bush-Cheney regime amply illustrated. Apparently, the city of Glens Falls never got that memo.
The Post-Star ran a good editorial (it does happen occasionally) casting skepticism on the city's attempts to impose a youth curfew.
The push to implement a curfew came following a costly vandalism spree that resulted in significant damage to the playground at Big Cross Elementary School, on the city's southwest side. Since they didn't catch who was involved, no one has any idea the age of the perpetrators, but that fact hasn't stopped the scapegoating of young people.
This isn't surprising since actual facts don't seem particularly germane to this debate. As this article pointed out:
A subcommittee was formed to research Glens Falls Police Department calls for service to see how many calls involved youths and were made within the parameters of a curfew, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The study looked at the months of Jan. 1 through March 10 of this year and July through August 2009.
[...]
The low number of calls involving youths during curfew hours was hardly enough to provide "compelling" evidence for creating a new law. But the committee refused to give up and called for another study, this time compiling calls for service data for the past five years. [emphasis mine]
In short, the sub-committee didn't find facts to back up its pre-ordained conclusion so it was going to look at further data until it could cherry pick what was required to fabricate the 'need.'
If the city really wanted to lower crime and the use of police resources, they'd put a curfew on drunks, not kids. I'm sure they wouldn't have to look at much data for that one.
The Post-Star ran a good editorial (it does happen occasionally) casting skepticism on the city's attempts to impose a youth curfew.
The push to implement a curfew came following a costly vandalism spree that resulted in significant damage to the playground at Big Cross Elementary School, on the city's southwest side. Since they didn't catch who was involved, no one has any idea the age of the perpetrators, but that fact hasn't stopped the scapegoating of young people.
This isn't surprising since actual facts don't seem particularly germane to this debate. As this article pointed out:
A subcommittee was formed to research Glens Falls Police Department calls for service to see how many calls involved youths and were made within the parameters of a curfew, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The study looked at the months of Jan. 1 through March 10 of this year and July through August 2009.
[...]
The low number of calls involving youths during curfew hours was hardly enough to provide "compelling" evidence for creating a new law. But the committee refused to give up and called for another study, this time compiling calls for service data for the past five years. [emphasis mine]
In short, the sub-committee didn't find facts to back up its pre-ordained conclusion so it was going to look at further data until it could cherry pick what was required to fabricate the 'need.'
If the city really wanted to lower crime and the use of police resources, they'd put a curfew on drunks, not kids. I'm sure they wouldn't have to look at much data for that one.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The worthlessness that is MobiTV
If you want to waste $9.99 a month on a "service" that's going to crap out on you at the moments you most want it, then MobiTV is for you!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Bits and pieces
"When I give food to the poor, I'm called a saint. When I ask why they are poor, I'm called a communist." -Archbishop Dom Helder Camara.
-ABC News takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a documentary on the NGO Doctors Without Borders and the truly heroic work they do.
-The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, which focuses on isses relating to rural America, published a report exploring the particularly high rates of young child poverty in the southern US. Carsey also released an interesting report on Challenges in Serving Rural American Children through the Summer Food Service Program.
-A piece on Alternet 6 shocking ways conservatives have caused the economic destruction of America... or more specifically, the conservative ideology.
-Speaking of harm caused by the Supreme Court-sanctioned corporate takeover of government... I noticed an AP piece highlighting how many judges in the Gulf Coast (where lawsuits related to the BP oil catastrophe will be heard) have close ties to Big Oil... 37 of 64 federal judges in the region, to be exact. (And this doesn't even take into account state judges, many of whom are elected and thus raise money) Then, I caught an item about how one of those federal judges struck down the Obama administration's temporary ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Please move along... nothing to see here.
(Also see: MoveToAmend.org - a project of the Campaign to Legalize Democracy)
-Sadly, this area has seen the death of not one but two local soldiers this week in Afghanistan, the latter 19 years old. The deaths of these young men occured the same week that a report by Congressional investigators issued a 'shocking' (not sure I'd use the adjective) report that the US is funding Afghan warlords.
-ABC News takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a documentary on the NGO Doctors Without Borders and the truly heroic work they do.
-The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, which focuses on isses relating to rural America, published a report exploring the particularly high rates of young child poverty in the southern US. Carsey also released an interesting report on Challenges in Serving Rural American Children through the Summer Food Service Program.
-A piece on Alternet 6 shocking ways conservatives have caused the economic destruction of America... or more specifically, the conservative ideology.
-Speaking of harm caused by the Supreme Court-sanctioned corporate takeover of government... I noticed an AP piece highlighting how many judges in the Gulf Coast (where lawsuits related to the BP oil catastrophe will be heard) have close ties to Big Oil... 37 of 64 federal judges in the region, to be exact. (And this doesn't even take into account state judges, many of whom are elected and thus raise money) Then, I caught an item about how one of those federal judges struck down the Obama administration's temporary ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Please move along... nothing to see here.
(Also see: MoveToAmend.org - a project of the Campaign to Legalize Democracy)
-Sadly, this area has seen the death of not one but two local soldiers this week in Afghanistan, the latter 19 years old. The deaths of these young men occured the same week that a report by Congressional investigators issued a 'shocking' (not sure I'd use the adjective) report that the US is funding Afghan warlords.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Less than a week until historic elections in Guinea... and you can help!
This essay is part of an occasional feature on this blog that presents compelling stories from elsewhere in the world, particularly Africa, that are little reported in the American media. It's part of my campaign to get people to realize there is a lot going on in the world outside the US, IsraelStine and the Trumped Up Enemy of the Month. A list of all pieces in this series can be found found here..
Republished with permission from Friends of Guinea blog.
Campaigning and preparations in Guinea are well underway for the June 27 poll, expected to be the first ever free and democratic elections in the country's history. Some 24 candidates are contesting the presidential election, none soldiers.
The US NGO the Carter Center has sent a delegation to monitor the vote and has described the campaign as 'positive.' The African Union has also praised preparations.
The Economist had a profile of the head of state Gen. Sekouba Konate and his efforts to ensure that both the elections and the future civilian administration remain free of military meddling. Additionally, the army chief of staff Col. Nouhou Thiam warned that there would be no immunity for soldiers involved in the Sept. 28, 2009 massacre.
However, Foreign Policy warns that challenges remain beyond the formal election. It published an article on 'Guinea's economic junta' which noted that the army's domination of lucrative mineral contracts won't end with the ascension of a democratic head of state.
**
Also from FOG blog:
Our colleagues at Alliance Guinea have launched a 'high-tech election monitoring system' in support of this Sunday's presidential election in the country.
The system, GV10 Witness (or GV10 Temoin, in French), will allow Guineans on the ground to report violence, threats of violence, fraud and other serious incidents via SMS, email and Twitter.
The messages will then be posted to the website www.GV10Temoin.org on a map of Guinea, organized by incident location and type of incident or report. People monitoring the elections – whether election administrators and observers, international media, civil society organizations or the general public – will then be able to follow developments on the site or through email updates.
This effort will require volunteers to process the information. If you'd like to help, please click here for more information.
Republished with permission from Friends of Guinea blog.
Campaigning and preparations in Guinea are well underway for the June 27 poll, expected to be the first ever free and democratic elections in the country's history. Some 24 candidates are contesting the presidential election, none soldiers.
The US NGO the Carter Center has sent a delegation to monitor the vote and has described the campaign as 'positive.' The African Union has also praised preparations.
The Economist had a profile of the head of state Gen. Sekouba Konate and his efforts to ensure that both the elections and the future civilian administration remain free of military meddling. Additionally, the army chief of staff Col. Nouhou Thiam warned that there would be no immunity for soldiers involved in the Sept. 28, 2009 massacre.
However, Foreign Policy warns that challenges remain beyond the formal election. It published an article on 'Guinea's economic junta' which noted that the army's domination of lucrative mineral contracts won't end with the ascension of a democratic head of state.
**
Also from FOG blog:
Our colleagues at Alliance Guinea have launched a 'high-tech election monitoring system' in support of this Sunday's presidential election in the country.
The system, GV10 Witness (or GV10 Temoin, in French), will allow Guineans on the ground to report violence, threats of violence, fraud and other serious incidents via SMS, email and Twitter.
The messages will then be posted to the website www.GV10Temoin.org on a map of Guinea, organized by incident location and type of incident or report. People monitoring the elections – whether election administrators and observers, international media, civil society organizations or the general public – will then be able to follow developments on the site or through email updates.
This effort will require volunteers to process the information. If you'd like to help, please click here for more information.
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