Obama isn't perfect

I disagree with the argument that Obama shouldn't win the Nobel Peace Prize because he hasn't done anything. He doesn't deserve that prize because his international policies, specifically when it comes to Afghanistan and Pakistan, are no more peaceful than the Bush administration.

Are we still following Obama so blindly that we can't see we're going into another war just like Iraq? Can we please stop arguing about how much Republicans suck when it comes to healthcare reform and focus on the fact that the death toll in Afghanistan is only rising now that the United States has stepped in?

And, by the way, the burka is not a sign of liberation or oppression. Let's not continue to use it as a litmus test for "Democratic victory" among Muslim states.

What's better than Stephen Colbert, Tom Hanks, and a puppy?

Not a whole lot.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Stephen Colbert in Iraq

Slumdog Millions

This bothers me. Doesn't the Indian government see the superficiality of their actions? Isn't the press going to question what will happen to the rest of the slum where these children were found? 

These children were cast because they were cute. They got really lucky and there is no doubt that their families need financial and medical help. But don't the thousands of others living in these slums have similar stories? 

Am I missing something here?

Dhavari Slum in Mumbai

National Geographic

Abomination? Obama Nation!

Expressing themselves in the way that No on Prop 8 supporters do it best. In musical form.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Well said, Hollywood. Well said.

Number 44

It has been about 24 hours since Barack Obama was declared the 44th President of the United States and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed that I heard the news, not from some hardcore station like CNN or MSNBC, but from Indecision 2008 with John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. But really, where else can you hear a rant about the struggles of Hawaiian children making poi and selling tiki torches as a prelude to the announcement that Obama had won?

The thing is, all I've been hearing today is the phrase "first black President" over and over again. By no means am I saying that this isn't an incredible milestone for African-Americans, or anyone who isn't white, or Democrats for that matter. What I'm saying is that Obama won this election by having a good campaign and pushing a platform for change that many Americans believe in.

First of all, Obama is just as much white as he is black. His mother was a white American from Kansas, and his father was from Kenya. And that's another thing; his father is African - not African-American. He's not coming from the same background as many African-Americans whose families have been in the United States for centuries. It makes absolutely no difference either way, but I think it's important not to oversimplify things. He has just as much "African blood" in his veins as Tiger Woods has "Asian blood" pumping through his.

So let's not pin him down with labels and push him into categories just because the color of his skin is darker than that of any president before him. I feel that there is a great danger in doing so. We shouldn't expect him to pander to our African-American population more than any other group, nor should we negate him if he does. He is a man. He is going to be our next president. And, at the very least, he's going to do a hell of a lot better than the last one.

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Mr. Obama, on Sarah Palin's Republican Vice President nomination!

Seems like McCain's pulverizing himself.

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Mr. Obama, on your presidential nomination!


Now for the love of god, please pulverize McCain.

Shame on you, Spain

By now the actions of the Spanish basketball team are quite well known. In case you missed it, they posed for an advertisement in La Marca, a Spanish newspaper, by intentionally slanting their eyes. This "Asian eyes" was used as an offensive gesture so long ago I can't believe people actually still use it.


But what is worse than their foolish ignorance, is the lack of remorse that they show in the aftermath. Despite international outcry, Jose Manuel Calderon, a player on the team, insists they thought it was, "...something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as somewhat loving." After getting booed by the Chinese audience while they played and a great deal of attention focused on what they did, all they need to do is apologize. It's that easy.

And now a new photo of the Spanish women's tennis team has surfaced showing them doing exactly the same thing. On the official website of the Spanish Tennis Federation this picture had a caption that translated "We are prepared for China" (“Estamos preparados para China”). Great.


It would be wonderful if the Olympics were kept free from politics. If the event was simply a celebration of mankind's physical brilliance. Then something like this happens and you are brought back to the pettiness and the stupidity that human beings are capable of.

I wish I was going down under...

If the United States, all of Europe, and Australia are in a race to see which country is the biggest global douchebag, it seems that the U.S. is well on its way to getting the gold.

I'll admit, Europe did have a good lead during the colonial period in Africa and Southeast Asia. But I think our treatment of American Indians when we first "discovered" America, and our continual treatment of them, kept us ahead for quite some time.

However, things changed. Europe seemed to stop caring about being d-bags and started caring about things like Universal Healthcare and something called Education. Whatever.

The United States used to be neck and neck with Australia. We both refused to sign that Kyoto Protocol. (Fresh air is SO overrated.) We both treated our indigenous peoples like they were second class people...if we treated them like people at all. And we basically mistrusted anyone who immigrated to our fine land and contaminated it with their different cultures and menial labor.

But this Kevin Rudd guy. He's a sneaky one. First the Kyoto Protocol. Then the Aborigines. Now this?! Honestly, who does he think he is? Gandhi?

Anyone see a resemblance?

Newsbite

After the cyclone hit Burma on Saturday, the death toll has reached over 22,000 and the government is still making it difficult for aid to reach their citizens. Not that one would expect much from a government that has denied democracy for decades and continues to control its' population with a Big Brother-like fist.

It is absolutely shameful that Myanmar is making it difficult for aid groups like the UN to provide help while more and more people are dying everyday from famine, dehydration, and disease.

Condoleezza Rice is quoted to have said, "What remains is for the Burmese government to allow the international community to help its people. It should be a simple matter. It is not a matter of politics." Let he who is without sin cast the first stone...

Does anyone remember when the United States government denied aid offered by the Cuban and Venezuelan government when Hurricane Katrina hit our country? And almost two and a half years later people are still picking up the pieces. Excuse me, some people are still picking up the pieces. Those who can barely afford it are picking up the pieces. Let's hope the Burmese government can take care of their citizens.

Photos courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk

Fine. I'll vote for Barack.

Yesterday in class the conversation turned to politics. It started with three girls announcing they were Republicans and ended with this...

"In my opinion, the reason why gas prices are so high is because we need to start giving more money to the gas companies like Exxon-Mobil and BP so that they can afford to turn to alternative forms of energy in the future. Obviously it will take a lot of money to change our dependence on oil and they don't want to lay off any workers, so they're hiking up the prices to plan for the future... I have a feeling the government knows what they're doing. And it's not important to me to know everything that's going on. I say, 'Do whatever you guys need to do, just make sure you keep the crazy people from blowing up my plane.' "

Fine. You win, America. I will do anything to make sure my vote will cancel the girl who said that.

Who I'm voting for

Who I wish I was voting for

If McCain is voted president I will have to leave the country. But where on earth could I go where the dirty hands of this country can't reach?

Me in Cuba

Me in North Korea

This Month's Resolution

No plastic packaging.

Recently I was sent an e-mail by a wonderful friend about the work of photographer Chris Jordan. I am absolutely blown away. Mr. Jordan focuses a majority of his work on American society and consumerism. One of his latest projects is titled Running the Numbers where the intention is “…to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.”

Prison Uniforms, 2007
Depicts 2.3 million folded prison uniforms, equal to the number of Americans incarcerated in 2005.


Plastic Bottles, 2007
Depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes.

That is why my resolution of the month is to not buy any products that use plastic packaging. I have a feeling my avoidance of said products will not even create a dent in any sales or waste production, but perhaps this resolution will be a lesson. It will be interesting to see how difficult or easy this resolution will be to follow. Care to try it with me?