Why Can't We Be Friends?

J. K. Rowling?

No.

Al Gore?

Didn't he already win something this year?

Chinese President Hu Jintao?

Come on, he's got the Olympics for crying out loud.

Out of all the obvious (and some not so obvious ;) )candidates, Time magazine named Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin as its 'Person of the Year.'



According to a Voice of America article, TIME's managing editor, Richard Stengel, said the Russian leader places greater importance on the country's stability than on civil liberties and freedom of speech. (the trivial things of course)

But Stengel said stability is what Russia needed, and Putin's desire to achieve it has inspired the support of the Russian people.


TIME 's Man of the Year openly criticizes the United States for undermining a beautiful "friendship."


What exactly does a 'friendship' between countries look like anyways?


It's like when you are 10 and you get mad at your best friend Suzie and dis-invite her to your 11th birthday party... a year away.


Here's what Putin had to say to TIME: (the whole transcript can be found on the President's Web site)

Russia has demonstrated on numerous occasions in word and in deed over the last 15 years that we want to be not just a partner but also a friend of America. But we sometimes have the impression that America does not need friends. We sometimes have the impression that the United States needs vassals it can command.
We cannot build our relations with other countries on such principles. This situation constantly leads to friction, and this is the reason why people are always looking for problems within the country.
This is the reason why we and all the others are told, “it’s alright to pinch and criticise them a bit because they’re still not quite civilised, they’re still a bit wild, only came down from the trees not long ago, so we have to groom them a bit because they can’t do it for themselves. We have to shave them, clean the grime from them. That’s our civilising mission”.

I guess in this scenario we are Suzie. (Ouch)

But seriously, what is the difference between a country 'partnership' and 'friendship?' (I doubt either holds a more significant bond over time in regards to foreign policy.)

I think everyone's 'friends' until you leave the room, dinner, or UN meeting.

Or at least until you realize the other one looks better in blue satin.

*photo courtesy of DAILY MAIL.com

Woo! Peeps on the Trail

Barack and Hill have been hitting up Iowa lately with some additional accessories.

Obama has Oprah Winfrey in tote, while Hill ... has ... drum roll please ... her daughter.

Both are considered 'special guests' by a Fox News Article.

All I am asking is: since when are members of the fam were considered special guests on the campaign trail?

I'm thinking Hillary needs an Oprah.

Tyra Banks? Tom Cruise?

No wait....

Hello, hello... (Hola)
I'm at a place called Iowa (dónde estás?)
It’s everything I wish I didn’t know
Except you, Hillary give me something...I can feel, feel (from U2's Vertigo)

Bono? Yes.

All in Good Fun

Let's face it some jokes are just not funny.

Example: Prince Harry donning a Hitler costume for a party he was attending. (The media was not laughing.)

More Recent Lesson: Freaking Penn State. A bunch of those "brilliant" intellects decided to dress up as dead Virgina Tech victims (complete with gun shot wounds).

Before you run to the trash can and vomit ... read what one of the little geniuses said,

"The thing is, everybody's making a big stink about Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech was 32 deaths out of the 26 thousand that happen in America everyday," he said. "That's the problem with college students. They all live in an ivory tower of privilege. They don't understand, when it all boils down to it, it's someone wearing a costume." (NYDAILY NEWS)

Wait ... but I thought the problem with college students involved beer can pyramids, one-night stands and an overall apathy for anything not resembling a orgy-riffic rap video.

Thanks for clearing THAT up.

Ex-Wives and Socialism

Just another reason you should be careful before racking up a slue of ex-marital partners: They just might spoil your Socialistic pipe dream.

That's right Hugo, you done messed with wrong woman.

According to an AP Interview, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez caught some serious flack from his second wife Marisabel Rodriguez, who has been publicly against his return the country to socialism. (It's currently Populist.)

Favorite tid bit from the article:

Her advice to the opposition? Be alert, she said, because "he's going to keep trying to cheat us" by attempting to push through radical reforms by other methods.

Asked if she has some good memories of Chavez, she paused for a few seconds and said: "No one is so bad to not have a good side."

Then, speaking more broadly, she added: "But I have to admit he had an extraordinary ability to fool us."

Yikes, there Chavez. This is worse than your referrendum to rule Venezuela FOREVER.

Good thing he's taken the hint and remained single since Rodriguez.

Commenting

Just realized you all couldn't comment unless you were registered with the site. I fixed that now.
Apologies.
- AM I?

The Best Things in Life are.... $1800 More than What You Thought

A small but loud (thanks to some drummers) protest broke out on the University of Texas's West Mall area yesterday. Students stood with packets of Ramen hanging from their mouths as they held up signs that said "Regulate My Tuition" and "I'm 20,000 Dollars in Debt." (UT is trying to raise undergrad tuition over the next two years t0 $1800 more year.)

A small pebble thrown at Goliath issue of higher education.

There were only a 100 (of the approximately 50,000 students who attend UT) crowded around the groups organizers, who consisted of U-Dems, Young Conservatives of Texas and other similar student interest groups.

Maybe 100 students. And about half of those carried the familiar trinkets of journalists: microphones, cameras, notepads, eager eyes and similar expression of: what the hell is going on?

The University of Texas served as the stomping grounds of thousands of demonstraters in the 60s and 70s. One has to wonder if protesting has become a dead form of democratic expression for students(or something those old hippies used to do).

I went to a speech slienced by an even smaller group of protestors last semester. A founder of a shining brigade of defenders, the Minutemen, -cough, cough-, found himself fighting a group of angry students to just be introduced. Five of the demonstrators escorted out of the room by police. (Unshamefully plugging an article I wrote on the event: HERE)

UT policy outlines procedures to facilitate free speech. Usually, this includes two mikes, several policemen and faculty moderators. Except on the West Mall, the "Free Speech Zone" of the University, where basically anything goes (as long as you have permission).

Anyways, to the point of all this babbling.... UT students brought some interesting short commings of Wednesday's facilitation of free speech and input into the tuition issue:

- Why were the forums held during finals?
- Why are there only two with such a large university?
- Why was the room for the first meeting so small when the university has so many students?
- Where were the Regent members who make tuition decisions? Not one was at the meeting.
- Why was a university email not sent out to the entire student body announcing the meetings?

The student portion of the Tuition Policy AdvisoryCommittee did their best to feild these questions with the help of administrators seated in the auditorium's front row.

“It’s up to us and we need to get our voices heard,” said Ansel Herz, a student who addressed the panel. “And this is not enough.”
....“You are not giving us the response time that you should.”

UT President Bill Powers said the timeline allowed him to could get the new plan to the Board of Regents so that they could implement the new changes.
“To get that done, they have to have time,” Powers said.

The event contained no arrests ..... or tasers.

And President Powers agreed to notify the entire University of the second meeting today and changed its location.

4 - 5 pm
Hogg Auditorium

Score some points for the dead form of democratic expression.

Above and Beyond

I consider myself pretty open to trying new things, but seriously this San Fran journalist (with Wired ) takes the cake.

She literally allowed scientists to scramble her brain for a memory experiment!

I feel like the hoodlum Alex in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange: My head is held steady by a chin strap, while two technicians grease my scalp with conductive gel and slip on a cap bristling with electrodes.
I'm about to have my brain scrambled -- electrically -- in the name of medical science. Scientists are going to knock out regions of my brain while I perform a memory test.
"We're ready to do some zapping!" one of the technicians says excitedly.

Yikes.

Bush was Stressed

OK so talk about awkward... today Bush and Gore had a little ceremony commemorating Gore's recent acquisition of the Nobel Prize for his global warming spokesmanship.

Nothing like congratulating an ex-rival when your administration has been wallowing in the crapper.

Please look at pics (and articles) from the momentous occasion: NYTimes, Politico (scroll through... they just get better)

There's no hiding that level of uncomfortable.

Gun Control

Thanks to an incredible amount of televised presidential debates from both parties, Americans should either be more informed or more confused (you decide) when they hit the polls a year from now. Amidst the political cacophony entering American living rooms everywhere, candidates have discussed their views on health care, immigration and, of course, the war in Iraq.

Soon, however, another issue my begin to take precedent on the campaign trails: Gun Control.

The Supreme court has decided to hear a Washington D.C. case addressing the city's restrictions on guns in private residences. D.C.'s laws currently bans hand guns and requires all other guns in homes to be disassembled. According to the NYTimes, the case's plaintiffs argue that this presents the "functional" possession of guns and therefore violates the second amendment.

Watch those candidates! Giuliani has had some very public run-ins with this issue in regards to NY. It should be interesting to see how the rest of them react.

Some descriptions of the candidates' positions can be found at On the Issues.org.

Addictions: Drugs, Alcohol and the Internet

I saw a commercial on TV the other day with little cute 4 year-olds teetering around a den with Mom handing out little gadgets (like most ads that come out this time of year). Only these gifts weren't unrealistically proportioned dolls or steriod pumped actioned figures, they were what every child under seven needs: a working digital camera. (Don't worry protective cases are provided.)

I mean I am not ignorant of the impact of technology on society. I've seen the 9 year-old with the Blackberry at the mall, grocery store and movie theatre.

According to the NYTimes in Korea, kids are actually being treated for Internet addiction.

“It is most important to provide them experience of a lifestyle without the Internet,” said Lee Yun-hee, a counselor. “Young Koreans don’t know what this is like.”

What about the playhouse car you peddled frantically with your feet to move up and down the driveway? What about the fire boxes my dad played with as a kid? Okay, maybe its good the latter is not longer sold... but seriously.... boot camps to break kids of internet addiction... what the heck is going on?

Makeshift Medical Tents for US Citizens

Most people think of underdeveloped countries when the mention of the need for thourough philathropic medical care. Think again.

With a nurse for a mother, I could hardly escape the knowledge of the many short comings of the U.S. health care system. I worked as a clerk for her last summer at a home health agency in my small town. Hearing the battles for needed medical equipment and patient billing Medicare wouldn't cover, brought more harsh truth to my understanding of the major discrepancies of the industry.

Some of the agencies patients lived in dilapidated housing crawling with cockroaches and replete with fleas.

In the New York Times today there is an article about an Appalachian community that receives free medical care from a philanthropic organization called Remote Area Medical.

One of its photo captions reads:
Scott Syverud, an emergency-room doctor at the University of Virginia hospital in Charlottesville who has volunteered at the expedition for four years, says, ‘‘If you spend a day here, you see there’s something wrong with health care in this country.’’

While I totally think universal health care is a crock, it is clear that there needs to be significant reform in this country. Just something to consider when you hit up the poles this November.

A Buddhist Experience

Photos provided by Amy Simon


The night before the birthday celebration of Buddhist leader Sakyong Mipham, the Austin Shambahla Meditation Center opened its doors for meditation and discussion Wednesday night.

Fifteen people gathered in the center’s entry room exchanging introductions. They chatted about prolonged home renovation projects and long weeks at their various jobs.

Andres, a Chilean visitor to the center, announced he would be returning to Chile to celebrate Christmas with his family. Wednesday would be his last night.

Those in the group who knew him expressed their appreciation for his presence at the center before a resounding bong-g-g signaled meditation to begin.

One by one each person passed through two glass doors into a large meditation room and stood next to red, square cushions.

Louise, a woman guiding the night’s activities, lit incense and candles in front of images of the Buddha before the group sat down for a 20 minute meditation.

After one methodic chant, there was complete silence. The grumbling of stomachs and an occasional straggler offered the only disruptions to the quiet the room provided.

A smaller bong-g-g served to segue into announcements and discussion of a book on the center’s particular lineage of Buddhism, Shambhala.

Accompanied by his father, Sakyong Mipham brought Shambahla Buddhism to the United States in the 1970s. The practice emphasizes warrior meditation and principles.

“It can be described as a war against inner aggression,” said Billy Boyar, who volunteers at the center.

Boyar led mediation instruction as well as the discussion of a book written by Mipham. His book describes the animal representations of Shambhala: the lion, tiger, beruda and dragon.

“The dragon descends duality,” Boyar read. “We no longer define the world as ‘this and that’ or ‘I want and don’t want.”

In response, listeners offered their personal and intellectual introspective to the readings and shared life applications of the Buddhist principles discussed by Mipham.

A bow concluded the discussion. A series of chants to rhythms set by Boyar on a drum ended the evening.

Although no one is certain of Mipham’s birthday – not even Mipham - the group will come together again tonight for refreshments and organized meditation in honor of their founder.

Just in the Neighborhood

Me and my roommate love to watch Chris Hansen catch bad guys in a stunning suit on NBC's "To Catch a Predator." Every time I watch, I think who are these people?

Sometimes there are perverts who actually manage to appear on more than one episode. They actually get caught twice. ON NATIONAL TELEVISION! What is that?

And take this guy in LA who drove past the news conference being held for his alleged involvement in a rape at occurring at an apartment complex earlier that day (article in LATimes.)

I mean geez, the sheriff wrote down the guy's license plate number before the press finished asking questions!

Special thanks to every police officer's best friend: criminal stupidity.

Marital Monitoring

As a kid, I had this diary with brightly colored cats on the cover. All my hopes and dreams spilled out onto the small lined pages. A small, 'iron clad' lock kept my 10-year-old rantings about my fourth grade teacher and the mean boy in PE hidden from unwanted eyes.

I even hid the thing in various places throughout my room to ensure complete privacy. Eventually I lost it and bought another one.

Thanks to technology little gaudy diaries like mine are losing their appeal.

And anyways, kids rarely keep things secret now thanks to the pioneering efforts of networking sites and personal journals.

What's worse is that these aren't even enough for some. I know several people who have figured out passwords to ex-boyfriend or girlfriend accounts.

And its not limited to the under 30 crowd either, in the Austin-American Statesman today there is an article about a man who installed spying software on his wife's computerto have access to her internet history.

"Austin police considered Macleod's actions tantamount to illegal wiretapping and charged him with unlawful interception of electronic communication, a second-degree felony that can carry a 20-year sentence. Macleod pleaded guilty in May."

Take that Patriot Act.

That's even better than the plastic lock on my cat diary.

Don't Feed the Birds

Julie Andrews literally tossed her money away when she fed the birds "tuppence" in Mary Poppins. As a kid, that scene really didn't bother me. Wishing wells were a valid investment in my seven-year-old brain. For all I knew, birds could've held the same ability as the stone bowls full of water in which I tossed my pennies.

However, thanks to a NYC councilman I may think twice about proving Mary's theory. (only in New York at least...)

Today, Simcha Felder proposed a firm solution to threats flying over the Big Apple. Furry threats.

Felder proposed a ban with a hefty 1,000 dollar fine for feeding pigeons.

"We have pigeons doing whatever they do all over the city without anyone trying to stop it," Felder said in the article on FoxNews.com. "If people like pigeons, take them into their homes, feed pigeons in your house and let them crap all over the place in your living rooms."


According to Felder, the ban will prevent the erosion of infrastructure caused by the build up of pigeon poo. It would also include eliminating open trash cans, according to Fox.

Don't you just love city government? Some of my favorite Austin action has included: a proposal to ban plastic bags, an ordinance against dog chaining and a ban on smoking in public places.

I can only wonder how the NYC ban, if passed, will affect old ladies feeding Central Park pigeons or kids dropping gold fish. I can see it now, kids busting piggy banks all across NYC.

I mean really, how inforcable is this? More importantly what would Mary say?

Newsflash: IT'S A GIRL!

This morning I tuned into a podcast only to find Hillary Clinton's femininity the topic of the political discussion. That's right skirts vs. suits at 8 a.m. while I sip on my morning brew made perfect with HEB Gingerbread creamer. (mmmm ... love fall!)

Guess what everyone: Hillary Clinton is a woman. And her campaign team (if not her explicitly) is going to use this fact to her advantage.

Clearly THIS is breaking news.

Other news outlets filled with similar Buzz shortly after Clinton's use of a "gender card" during a televised Democratic debate in which the Senator referred to her co-debaters as being part of a "boys club."

Let's not kid ourselves, politicians of all kinds utilize any angle possible to grab votes. Jesus has been an undeniable "homeboy" for most of those blazing the presidential trail. Thank goodness we have Pat Robertson to show us who is for real.....

Here's my point: are we (the media) playing right into Hillary's manicured fingers? More buzz = more votes.

I hear more about Clinton on issues like this than on the woman's actual policy. Perhaps this is because she fails to distinguish herself from her ex-pres of a husband and has an apparent failure to take firm stands on immigration issues such as driver license policies in New York. (yikes that was awkward, Hillary)

But don't worry: WOMANHOOD is the ultimate distraction for any Clinton policy concerns.

In the media, we need to be careful. I think Americans (for the most part) are smart enough to recognize blatant political fishing like Hillary's for the woman vote, Robertson endorsements for Guilliani and McCain's new found Baptist beliefs.

Point it out (because on some level it reflects the candidates character) and then move on to I dunno.... education, immigration, Social Security, international relations ....

I think in terms of election coverage: less can be more. But that is just my opinion.

Blogging and All that Jazz

amateur
Most commonly an amateur is understood to be someone who does something without pay or formal training. Conversely, a professional is someone who has received training in a particular area and who also makes a living from it. The word comes from French, and can be translated as "lover of", reflecting the amateur's motivation to work as a result of a love or passion for a particular activity. source Dictionary.com


So I read this definition and thought yes. This is where I am at: a young reporter wondering what the hell is going on. A lover of the idea of the role of Journalism and yet still undeniably undefined in terms of the profession.

In the midst of doomsayers and their hopeful counterparts in Journalism, I must admit I find myself relatively confused as to what I should or shouldn't be doing to help refine and define myself for my future profession. As my graduation date nears, I find the aspect of being dropped into a field surrounded in such confusion nauseating. However, thanks to several recent panels and lectures, I think am starting to get it ... maybe.

Anyways, on the advice of Texas Monthly Multimedia Editor Eileen Smith, I am starting a blog. (She started a Texas government political blog, In the Pink, before she was at the Monthly.)

Who knows what exactly is going to be posted here, but it will be interesting at any rate. So enjoy ... or don't. Just read it.