Now the not-quite-so-entertaining research paper. The stuff that I have been reading lately has been some pretty dense material. I just read an article from the Eastern European Quarterly (that one isn't on my normal reading list) and it was interesting and informative, after you read it several times. I needed to use a highlighter extensively, but I feel that this source was very authoritative and informative. It discussed how intra-ethnic competition in nationalist political parties lead to a deviation from the moderate and toward more inter-ethnic conflict. This was the leading problem causing the long held ethnic tensions to rise during the transition from Marshal Tito's Yugoslavian Communism to democracy, which the ethnic conflicts prevented from happening. I feel that my grasp of this topic is much better than just a few days ago, but this is a very complicated political situation that has been developing for twenty years, so I need to focus my research more, so that I don't end up with a twenty page thesis paper.
As for the individual independence movements, Slovenia was peaceful because most are Slovenes in that region. Croatia and Serbia caused the most conflict, each claiming parts of Bosnia and engaging in ethnic warfare over several cities, in which there were sizable populations of both Croats and Serbs, and each group wanted to be part of their respective country. In Kosovo, the Muslims were persecuted by the Serbs, which eventually led to the independence of Kosovo and Montenegro, both provinces of Serbia. Macedonia I do not now so much about. Bosnia-Herzegovina was a separate republic created by international forces since that Croats and Serbs both wanted the territory.
Hey I have way too much information and my next object will be focusing on one specific topic, possibly how the disintegration in the 90s has caused the recent independences of Kosovo and Montenegro.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Wrath of a Russian Zeus
Imagine you are a poor Russian peasant. A shepherd by profession you have few possessions in life. One of your few comforts in life is the traditional bottle of vodka. So one night you drink a little too much of this vodka. That night you feel the call of nature rather strongly and journey a couple dozen meters to your outhouse. You are just relieving yourself in that horrible smelling hole and then WHAM. The ground shakes like a sudden earthquake and you wonder if Zeus just shot a thunderbolt at your porta-potty. Armageddon has come, but somehow you survived in your outhouse, so you open the door to see if the world is still there.
And the world is still there, but so is a ten foot long hunk of metal sitting about 2 feet away from that small outhouse.
Boris Urmatov (now that is a Russian name) has sued the Russian space agency for the above mentioned stressful event. A 3-meter long hunk off a rocket hurtled down and nearly vaporized his outhouse. While falling debris is common is this area, it is usually much smaller and lands in designated areas. Boris's backyard is decidedly not one of these designated areas. He is suing the Russian space agency, who has a launch site not far away, for 1 million rubles, which sounds like a lot, but is only about $50,000, which is still a lot for a shepherd.
And the world is still there, but so is a ten foot long hunk of metal sitting about 2 feet away from that small outhouse.
Boris Urmatov (now that is a Russian name) has sued the Russian space agency for the above mentioned stressful event. A 3-meter long hunk off a rocket hurtled down and nearly vaporized his outhouse. While falling debris is common is this area, it is usually much smaller and lands in designated areas. Boris's backyard is decidedly not one of these designated areas. He is suing the Russian space agency, who has a launch site not far away, for 1 million rubles, which sounds like a lot, but is only about $50,000, which is still a lot for a shepherd.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Going Postal
Ravenden Springs, Arkansas. A small town of around 130 people, one of who obviously has something wrong with him. On March 24, 65-year old Glenn Irvin Sparling drove two cars into a post office.
Yeah try and figure that one out.
I could understand once. He could have been dropping off a package for his granddaughter and forgot to put his car in reverse. You might have heard about the girl last summer who did that exact thing and drove through the plate glass window of the DOT.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.
After his car stopped running, Sparling fled the scene and got a red antique sports car. (Uh-oh) A deputy spotted him on the one street through town (probably) and gave chase. This short chase ended when that disturbed man drove his beautiful sports car through the same little post office, joining the other vehicle.
And that is how you can drive two cars into a post office. (do not attempt)
That poor little post office is probably leveled and all the 129 residents of Ravenden Springs that aren't in jail may not get their mail today. Luckily no low-paid postal workers were working at the time.
Mr. Sparling may have some explaining to do. The police later found out that this almost-elderly man has a history of violence against helpless post offices. My question is, Where is he getting this money to continuously run vehicles into the mail distributing centers of small communities.
And as they say, he went postal
Yeah try and figure that one out.
I could understand once. He could have been dropping off a package for his granddaughter and forgot to put his car in reverse. You might have heard about the girl last summer who did that exact thing and drove through the plate glass window of the DOT.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.
After his car stopped running, Sparling fled the scene and got a red antique sports car. (Uh-oh) A deputy spotted him on the one street through town (probably) and gave chase. This short chase ended when that disturbed man drove his beautiful sports car through the same little post office, joining the other vehicle.
And that is how you can drive two cars into a post office. (do not attempt)
That poor little post office is probably leveled and all the 129 residents of Ravenden Springs that aren't in jail may not get their mail today. Luckily no low-paid postal workers were working at the time.
Mr. Sparling may have some explaining to do. The police later found out that this almost-elderly man has a history of violence against helpless post offices. My question is, Where is he getting this money to continuously run vehicles into the mail distributing centers of small communities.
And as they say, he went postal
Monday, March 24, 2008
Swastikas and AngryTibetans
This year we had a February 29, which also means that it is an election year and an Olympic year. This summer the Olympics will be held in Beijing, China, much to the dismay of all those anti-communist Americans. Currently the Olympic trials are being held in each country to determine who will represent their country and possibly win the gold.
When the Olympic logo for the 2012 London games first came out, it could only be described as eccentric. People compared it to a swastika, and it was eventually pulled because it caused seizures. Anyway back to Beijing.
The Olympic torch was lit today and began its 136 day journey, taking it across 5 continents and 85000 miles. The torch will even scale Mount Everest on the way to Beijing (for some reason beijing is extremely hard to type.) I remember reading an article about a month ago about this vertical journey. The scientists were assuring everyone that they had done tests and the Olympic torch would not sputter out in the thin air of Mount Everest.
And after the assent and descent, those torchbearers get to journey through the recent hotbead of Tibet. Recently, the Tibetans have been pushing for an end to Chinese mistreatment and the independence of Tibet. Chinese troops have cracked down on the protests, killing 99 Tibetans. The exiled Dalai Lama and other world leaders are speaking out against this violence and many want the Beijing games to be boycotted, like the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow. French protesters amazing evaded heavy security and disrupted the lighting ceremony today in Athens.
Good night
When the Olympic logo for the 2012 London games first came out, it could only be described as eccentric. People compared it to a swastika, and it was eventually pulled because it caused seizures. Anyway back to Beijing.
The Olympic torch was lit today and began its 136 day journey, taking it across 5 continents and 85000 miles. The torch will even scale Mount Everest on the way to Beijing (for some reason beijing is extremely hard to type.) I remember reading an article about a month ago about this vertical journey. The scientists were assuring everyone that they had done tests and the Olympic torch would not sputter out in the thin air of Mount Everest.
And after the assent and descent, those torchbearers get to journey through the recent hotbead of Tibet. Recently, the Tibetans have been pushing for an end to Chinese mistreatment and the independence of Tibet. Chinese troops have cracked down on the protests, killing 99 Tibetans. The exiled Dalai Lama and other world leaders are speaking out against this violence and many want the Beijing games to be boycotted, like the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow. French protesters amazing evaded heavy security and disrupted the lighting ceremony today in Athens.
Good night
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Reincarnated Unabomber
Let me give you a scenario. Say you are staying at a hotel in a small rural town. Maybe you are there to see some distant relatives or go to the cattle auction or some other random reason to be in a small town. You decided to sleep in a little bit, since you were out partying in a barn last night. You wake up, look at the alarm clock. It is almost 10 AM, and you are barely awake and then BOOM. Now you are awake and wondering if Osama bin Laden is still alive and back for round 2 in a small Arkansas town that has nothing to terrorize. Maybe it was the Unabomber reincarnated or the Russians. Wide awake and full of conspiracy theories, you rush to your motel window praying that there will not be a mushroom cloud in the distance. Your adrenaline fueled body pulls back the curtains and immediately blinds your eyes with the bright light of morning.
And it isn't a mushroom cloud, but still a cloud. Smoke is poring up in a column at the outskirts of the city. What is there is this town that can blow up? you wonder. Although you would have no way of knowing this at the time, the nearby Cargill meat-packing plant explosion. I guess something was wrong with the meat.
The explosion occurred because of an ammonia gas leak that exploded 88000 tons of anhydrous ammonia (the stuff the can be used for fertilizer, making meth, or bombs (so what was the meatpacking plant doing with it?)) Firefighters let the blaze burnout by itself, and many of the extremely small towns residents were evacuated. Nobody wants second-hand meth gas entering their lungs.
And it isn't a mushroom cloud, but still a cloud. Smoke is poring up in a column at the outskirts of the city. What is there is this town that can blow up? you wonder. Although you would have no way of knowing this at the time, the nearby Cargill meat-packing plant explosion. I guess something was wrong with the meat.
The explosion occurred because of an ammonia gas leak that exploded 88000 tons of anhydrous ammonia (the stuff the can be used for fertilizer, making meth, or bombs (so what was the meatpacking plant doing with it?)) Firefighters let the blaze burnout by itself, and many of the extremely small towns residents were evacuated. Nobody wants second-hand meth gas entering their lungs.
Ma Is The Prez
Forget about Barack, Hillary, and John, Ma Ying-jeou is the new president. Of Taiwan that is.
On March 22 the incumbent president of Taiwan was defeated in an unexpected landslide, and the opposition leader is set to assume control over this little, wealthy nation. The communist revolution after World War II forced the nationalist government to flee the mainland and install of government on Taiwan that the Commies still view as a rebel province.
And now as the typical American you say, "Why should I care? I don't even care about who gets the Top Spot in our country, much less some island that sounds like a dish you can buy at the local Hyvee." ANd you should care because all the clothes you are wearing, the shoes on your feet, and half the stuff in your house was made in China. If mainland China would attempt to take over Taiwan, you can bet that the United States won't like that, We usually have an aircraft carrier over there and we might even get into a war with China. That means no more cheap clothes and DVDs and possibly no more Wal-Mart (?!!?)
Anyways you can rest assured, a war is even less likely now that our friend Ma is in control. His party favors a positive relationship with mainland China, not independence and international recognition like the old prez. Ma has even proposed uniting with China sometime in the future, but that might be a ways off. China would love to have this little prosperous island, rich from trade with the United States, as part of their own. They achieved a financial windfall when Hong Kong was returned to them in 1999 and Taiwan would look really pretty with a red flag flying over it. In the mean time WalMart will still be there and you can go and buy your $5 DVDs and lead-poisoned children's toys.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Random Guesses
And it's here. March Madness. That time of year where everyone has their sheets out, and half the TVs in America display some game or other.
Tonight is the first night of the tournament. 16 teams will play, with eight having their season ended. Games are on all day, which causes employers to loose around two billion in productivity. If not huddled around a TV, all those secluded cubicle workers will discreetly watch the games on the internet, with one eye looking out for their boss.
What makes March Madness so interesting is that it gets so many people involved in college basketball that have never watched a game all season. Millions of brackets are filled out, with none of them being perfect. The average bracket-filler-outer will tell you all of the reasons why he picked a certain team, or how he predicted that upset from the start, but its all a joke. Very few people are qualified enough to know how two teams will match up; its just dumb luck. There are so many upsets and different scenarios that all reason is thrown out the door, and your average Joe will base his choices on who has the coolest mascot, whose name sounds cool, who might have won the tournament 30 years ago or maybe they even pay attention to the little numbers next to the name of the college.
In making my decisions, I usually stick with the Big 12, maybe a few Big Ten teams. If any Iowa teams make it, I will choose them to advance, such as Drake this year (My cyclones didn't even have a winning season this year.) Last year I got 15 of the 16 right on the first round, and then it all fell apart after that for me. My dad ended up winning the family competition because he had Ohio State in the championship game, which came true.
I was watching a few of the games tonight, and I would have to say that the most exciting game was when Belmont the 15th seed came thisclose to beating number 2 Duke. They had the lead with ten seconds left but their defense came apart and Duke scored an easy layup. Belmont then missed a shot at the other end and came out with the possession arrow in a jump ball. Duke then stole the inbounds pass and were immediately fouled, but missed the shot. Belmont then had 2 seconds for a last attempt at the win, but the long shot before the buzzer rimmed out. I really wanted to see an awesome upset but it didn't quite happen. A 2-15 upset has only happened four times in history, with one of them coming in 2004 with Iowa State : (
Tonight is the first night of the tournament. 16 teams will play, with eight having their season ended. Games are on all day, which causes employers to loose around two billion in productivity. If not huddled around a TV, all those secluded cubicle workers will discreetly watch the games on the internet, with one eye looking out for their boss.
What makes March Madness so interesting is that it gets so many people involved in college basketball that have never watched a game all season. Millions of brackets are filled out, with none of them being perfect. The average bracket-filler-outer will tell you all of the reasons why he picked a certain team, or how he predicted that upset from the start, but its all a joke. Very few people are qualified enough to know how two teams will match up; its just dumb luck. There are so many upsets and different scenarios that all reason is thrown out the door, and your average Joe will base his choices on who has the coolest mascot, whose name sounds cool, who might have won the tournament 30 years ago or maybe they even pay attention to the little numbers next to the name of the college.
In making my decisions, I usually stick with the Big 12, maybe a few Big Ten teams. If any Iowa teams make it, I will choose them to advance, such as Drake this year (My cyclones didn't even have a winning season this year.) Last year I got 15 of the 16 right on the first round, and then it all fell apart after that for me. My dad ended up winning the family competition because he had Ohio State in the championship game, which came true.
I was watching a few of the games tonight, and I would have to say that the most exciting game was when Belmont the 15th seed came thisclose to beating number 2 Duke. They had the lead with ten seconds left but their defense came apart and Duke scored an easy layup. Belmont then missed a shot at the other end and came out with the possession arrow in a jump ball. Duke then stole the inbounds pass and were immediately fouled, but missed the shot. Belmont then had 2 seconds for a last attempt at the win, but the long shot before the buzzer rimmed out. I really wanted to see an awesome upset but it didn't quite happen. A 2-15 upset has only happened four times in history, with one of them coming in 2004 with Iowa State : (
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Etu Brute?
A blueberry muffin for anyone who can find the small country of East Timor on the map.
Any takers?
The president of this newly formed country was shot by rebel leaders on February, and is just now getting out of a hospital in Australia. The assassination attempt involved an ambush in which a rebel leader attempted to kill the president, but only severely injured him with a shot to the head. (I guess that rebel leader isn't as good as Jason Bourne) And about two seconds later that incompetent rebel leader was dead, a victim of a bodyguard's bullet. They just don't train rebel leaders like they used to.
This topic had caught my eye when the president was first shot, (an attempt on the prime minister was foiled also) so when I saw this follow-up story, I naturally was curious on how the old man pulled through. You don't hear much about assassinations. Maybe the occasional, such as JFK, the attempt on Reagan (way to take the bullet, Brady), John Lennon, MLK Jr (his name is to long to type), Julius Caesar (Etu Brute?), and Franz Ferdinand (thats three blogs in a row when he has come up). At least in real life that is. Just today I watched a movie entitled HITMAN, with some sweet pistols making the T. This guy was all-that, he had his own sweet symbol, moved like Jackie Chan and James Bond combined, and had a bar code on the back of his head (That doesn't look suspicious.) Anyway, this guy took out like tons of people like it was nothing. He assassinated the President of Russia, and then assassinated the double of the president who was pretending to be the president (its even more confusing then it sounds.) It seems like our culture thinks its cool to be an assassin, with movie after movie based on the theme. Ever played the video game Assassin's Creed? Basically, you stab as many people in the back as you can.
Meanwhile, the president of East Timor is fully recovered and will be returning to the remote part of Indonesia that is now East Timor. Six years after their independence, the rebels are still fighting. Hopefully the president can survive and bring peace to this turbulent nation.
(Like that poetic ending that sounds so cliche?)
Any takers?
The president of this newly formed country was shot by rebel leaders on February, and is just now getting out of a hospital in Australia. The assassination attempt involved an ambush in which a rebel leader attempted to kill the president, but only severely injured him with a shot to the head. (I guess that rebel leader isn't as good as Jason Bourne) And about two seconds later that incompetent rebel leader was dead, a victim of a bodyguard's bullet. They just don't train rebel leaders like they used to.
This topic had caught my eye when the president was first shot, (an attempt on the prime minister was foiled also) so when I saw this follow-up story, I naturally was curious on how the old man pulled through. You don't hear much about assassinations. Maybe the occasional, such as JFK, the attempt on Reagan (way to take the bullet, Brady), John Lennon, MLK Jr (his name is to long to type), Julius Caesar (Etu Brute?), and Franz Ferdinand (thats three blogs in a row when he has come up). At least in real life that is. Just today I watched a movie entitled HITMAN, with some sweet pistols making the T. This guy was all-that, he had his own sweet symbol, moved like Jackie Chan and James Bond combined, and had a bar code on the back of his head (That doesn't look suspicious.) Anyway, this guy took out like tons of people like it was nothing. He assassinated the President of Russia, and then assassinated the double of the president who was pretending to be the president (its even more confusing then it sounds.) It seems like our culture thinks its cool to be an assassin, with movie after movie based on the theme. Ever played the video game Assassin's Creed? Basically, you stab as many people in the back as you can.
Meanwhile, the president of East Timor is fully recovered and will be returning to the remote part of Indonesia that is now East Timor. Six years after their independence, the rebels are still fighting. Hopefully the president can survive and bring peace to this turbulent nation.
(Like that poetic ending that sounds so cliche?)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Balkanization
For my research topic, I am planning on focusing on the slew of countries that have been created from Yugoslavia over the last forty years, the most recent, Montenegro and Kosovo coming only a year and two weeks ago, respectively. The Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe is a region that was all lumped into one country, Yugoslavia after World War I. This region actually was the cause of WWI, because a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
This region has long been known for its many conflicting ethnic groups. The region has steadily been divided into smaller and smaller countries as each minority wants to rule themselves. The long list now includes: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
I found my basic information on GlobalSecurity.org which helped me develop and decide to pursue this topic
For my research I will focus on the ethnicities and the conflict between them that resulted in the continued political breakdowns. I need to find more information about the specific ethnicities in each country. I need to find more information on the ethnic cleansing of the 90s. I have a feeling that this will be too broad, and I will have to refine my research as it goes along.
This region has long been known for its many conflicting ethnic groups. The region has steadily been divided into smaller and smaller countries as each minority wants to rule themselves. The long list now includes: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
I found my basic information on GlobalSecurity.org which helped me develop and decide to pursue this topic
For my research I will focus on the ethnicities and the conflict between them that resulted in the continued political breakdowns. I need to find more information about the specific ethnicities in each country. I need to find more information on the ethnic cleansing of the 90s. I have a feeling that this will be too broad, and I will have to refine my research as it goes along.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
a mInor event Down South
We almost had a war in South America this week.
What?
Yeah, a war. Although most of us never heard anything about it.
On March 1st, Colombian troops attacked a rebel force called the FARC and killed one of their commanders. The only problem was that this rebel force was in neighboring Ecuador, which regarded the raid as a violation of their sovereignty. Colombia reacted by accusing Ecuador of aiding the FARC, which has been trafficking drugs and kidnapping people for forty years. Venezuela backed Ecuador and soon their was a big mess.
Colombia is a right-wing, pro-United States country that has few friends in South America. Neighboring Venezuela and Ecuador are left-wing, almost to the point of being Communist. I am sure you have heard of Hugo Chavez, a dictator that has been compared to Castro, and has a very good relationship with the former ruler of Cuba.
Once this conflagration began, it only got worse. Ecuador and Venezuela ended diplomatic relations with Colombia, and began to move troops to the border. Colombia responding the same, by moving troops to their border. We were thisclose to having South America War I, and with the United States on Colombia's side, who knows how far it could have spread. We all know that wars have started for much less, such as the bullet in Franz Ferdinand's head or Helen of Troy.
Wait, but there isn't a war. Is there?
no. The leaders of the three countries agreed to meet in a summit in the Dominican Republic. The tensions were high, and accusations flew, but eventually they came to a compromise, Colombia agreeing to never again violate another's sovereignty, and the others agreed to take action against "irregular or criminal groups." Now everybody is happy, for a little while.
On a side note, Colombia delivered another blow to the FARC, when a member of the rebel group killed his commander and brought his severed hand to the authorities. With the death of two top members in less than a week the FARC is reeling from its losses.
What?
Yeah, a war. Although most of us never heard anything about it.
On March 1st, Colombian troops attacked a rebel force called the FARC and killed one of their commanders. The only problem was that this rebel force was in neighboring Ecuador, which regarded the raid as a violation of their sovereignty. Colombia reacted by accusing Ecuador of aiding the FARC, which has been trafficking drugs and kidnapping people for forty years. Venezuela backed Ecuador and soon their was a big mess.
Colombia is a right-wing, pro-United States country that has few friends in South America. Neighboring Venezuela and Ecuador are left-wing, almost to the point of being Communist. I am sure you have heard of Hugo Chavez, a dictator that has been compared to Castro, and has a very good relationship with the former ruler of Cuba.
Once this conflagration began, it only got worse. Ecuador and Venezuela ended diplomatic relations with Colombia, and began to move troops to the border. Colombia responding the same, by moving troops to their border. We were thisclose to having South America War I, and with the United States on Colombia's side, who knows how far it could have spread. We all know that wars have started for much less, such as the bullet in Franz Ferdinand's head or Helen of Troy.
Wait, but there isn't a war. Is there?
no. The leaders of the three countries agreed to meet in a summit in the Dominican Republic. The tensions were high, and accusations flew, but eventually they came to a compromise, Colombia agreeing to never again violate another's sovereignty, and the others agreed to take action against "irregular or criminal groups." Now everybody is happy, for a little while.
On a side note, Colombia delivered another blow to the FARC, when a member of the rebel group killed his commander and brought his severed hand to the authorities. With the death of two top members in less than a week the FARC is reeling from its losses.
Research topic
I was thinking that I could research the effect of gang violence on some areas, such as Detroit or Chicago. Some other ideas I am considering would be the border changes and disputes going on in the Balkan states, such as the new countries of Kosovo and Montenegro. My final topic I am considering would be the unstable situation and poverty in Haiti.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Stop Eating Your Dinner
...And in today's news a Palestinian gunmen kills eight in a Jewish seminary.
Wow, that's horrible. Now go back to eating your dinner.
If you have ever seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, you will remember the scene where the character portrayed by Don Cheadle gets upset with one of the UN cameramen. Cheadle's character thinks that because of the horrible footage of people being hacked to death with machetes, the Western powers will be forced to act. One of the UN people then explains to Cheadle that Americans watching the TV back at home will say its horrible—its intolerable—but they will go right back to eating their dinner and will not do anything about it. This attitude is shown again in the movie Blood Diamond. "TIA." DiCaprio says. "This Is Africa. No one cares about Africa." As the saying goes, 'Out of sight, out of mind.' We feel distant from these faraway conflict zones such as Sierra Leone and Rwanda, and do not feel compelled to do anything—it isn't our problem.
The same applies to the Middle East, where suicide bombers and terrorist organizations cause violence every day. The Middle East is half a world away and it will never affect us, so who cares?
In this seminary in Jerusalem, a Palestinian student walked into the library with an assault rifle and a pistol, both of which were soon spraying bullets into a group of students ready to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. The gunmen killed eight and wounded nine before nearby Israeli soldiers shot him dead. Once the word got out, Palestinians everywhere went into the streets to celebrate this strike on the hated Jews. Meanwhile, Jewish crowds were shouting 'Death to Arabs.'
Can you imagine to public backlash if a violent act of that magnitude would happen in the United States. Well, it has, with Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois. Since these events have literally been on our doorstep, we have cared and taken action against it happening in the future. But those Jews and Muslims over there in the Middle East? Who cares. They are not our problem. Until we overcome this selfish attitude and began to care about our fellow humans, the violence will continue. Tomorrow there might be a revenge attack, with a few more innocents dead. Who Knows?
Wow, that's horrible. Now go back to eating your dinner.
If you have ever seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, you will remember the scene where the character portrayed by Don Cheadle gets upset with one of the UN cameramen. Cheadle's character thinks that because of the horrible footage of people being hacked to death with machetes, the Western powers will be forced to act. One of the UN people then explains to Cheadle that Americans watching the TV back at home will say its horrible—its intolerable—but they will go right back to eating their dinner and will not do anything about it. This attitude is shown again in the movie Blood Diamond. "TIA." DiCaprio says. "This Is Africa. No one cares about Africa." As the saying goes, 'Out of sight, out of mind.' We feel distant from these faraway conflict zones such as Sierra Leone and Rwanda, and do not feel compelled to do anything—it isn't our problem.
The same applies to the Middle East, where suicide bombers and terrorist organizations cause violence every day. The Middle East is half a world away and it will never affect us, so who cares?
In this seminary in Jerusalem, a Palestinian student walked into the library with an assault rifle and a pistol, both of which were soon spraying bullets into a group of students ready to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. The gunmen killed eight and wounded nine before nearby Israeli soldiers shot him dead. Once the word got out, Palestinians everywhere went into the streets to celebrate this strike on the hated Jews. Meanwhile, Jewish crowds were shouting 'Death to Arabs.'
Can you imagine to public backlash if a violent act of that magnitude would happen in the United States. Well, it has, with Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois. Since these events have literally been on our doorstep, we have cared and taken action against it happening in the future. But those Jews and Muslims over there in the Middle East? Who cares. They are not our problem. Until we overcome this selfish attitude and began to care about our fellow humans, the violence will continue. Tomorrow there might be a revenge attack, with a few more innocents dead. Who Knows?
Monday, March 3, 2008
Super Tuesday: The Sequel
As I am sure everyone in America knows, tomorrow is another one of those primary things that will decide who can run for president. John McCain has basically secured the nomination, but these two primaries are particularly important to the democrats. Polls show Obama and Clinton dead tied in Texas and Clinton with a small lead in Ohio.
Often though it seems that these polls, conducted by sophisticated agencies are often not very accurate predictions. I mean, polls are easy when it poses a question such as "What is your favorite color?" but the lines are blurred when those pollsters delve into deep topics such as politics and if you are truly happy. The polls have been shown to be wrong in many cases, recently in New Hampshire, where Obama was predicted to have an easy victory but didn't. There are two many factors to accurately predict the public's opinion, one of them being that the public often changes its opinion. Also, sample populations commonly are not truly representative. This can be even more true in political polls, with so many undecided and whimsical voters. In Texas, many Republicans are even expected to vote against Hillary, because their nomination isn't fun any more—McCain already has it locked in.
Anyway back to tomorrow. The dead heat in Texas is shown through polls that have Obama and Hillary both at 47%, but what is less known is that these polls have a margin of error of 4%, basically making them useless tools. Obama could win by as much as 51% to Clinton's 43% and the polls would still be technically right.
On March 4th hopefully the polls will be wrong, Obama will win with enough delegates to make Hillary drop out in despair and this lengthy nomination will be over. Ideally, this would happen, but Super Tuesday only made the race closer and we might have to endure another few months of political nomination talk, which will stop in time for the next round—McCain vs TBD. I don't know about you, but I need a little break before the next round.
Often though it seems that these polls, conducted by sophisticated agencies are often not very accurate predictions. I mean, polls are easy when it poses a question such as "What is your favorite color?" but the lines are blurred when those pollsters delve into deep topics such as politics and if you are truly happy. The polls have been shown to be wrong in many cases, recently in New Hampshire, where Obama was predicted to have an easy victory but didn't. There are two many factors to accurately predict the public's opinion, one of them being that the public often changes its opinion. Also, sample populations commonly are not truly representative. This can be even more true in political polls, with so many undecided and whimsical voters. In Texas, many Republicans are even expected to vote against Hillary, because their nomination isn't fun any more—McCain already has it locked in.
Anyway back to tomorrow. The dead heat in Texas is shown through polls that have Obama and Hillary both at 47%, but what is less known is that these polls have a margin of error of 4%, basically making them useless tools. Obama could win by as much as 51% to Clinton's 43% and the polls would still be technically right.
On March 4th hopefully the polls will be wrong, Obama will win with enough delegates to make Hillary drop out in despair and this lengthy nomination will be over. Ideally, this would happen, but Super Tuesday only made the race closer and we might have to endure another few months of political nomination talk, which will stop in time for the next round—McCain vs TBD. I don't know about you, but I need a little break before the next round.
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