Ben Affleck: More Influential than the UN!

Actor and producer Ben Affleck traveled to the Congo to talk to children and aid officials in refugee camps in an effort to raise awareness of the conflict that has displaced at least 250,000 people. "I'm not an expert in international affairs or diplomacy, but it doesn't take that to see the tremendous suffering here," he told The Associated Press on Thursday in Goma, the regional
capital. "It's not something that we as human beings can, in good conscience, ignore." You're definitely right Ben, but, unfortunately, we don't all have the money and flexibility to travel to the Congo and offer our services. What is it about celebrities that gives them a God complex? They get paid to be beautiful and memorize a few lines, that's it! And yet so many of them have taken to becoming super heroes and saving the planet. Perhaps someone needs a reality check, you may play a super hero on TV, but don't be delusional and think that you can fight for humanity.

The image of Ben Affleck in the Congo is humorous in itself, I can barely envision this Hollywood boy trailing along refugee camps and poverty. Nonetheless, one has to commend him for bringing attention to the crisis (no matter how ridiculous it looks)! "The primary reason I am here is to urge people to give money to the NGOs and charities doing hard work in eastern Congo on meager funds," he said. "And if people out there have an existing relationship with a charity, to urge that charity to get involved in eastern Congo. To let people know, 'Don't just read the horror stories in the newspapers and turn off.'"

The irony here is that Ben Affleck, as one individual, is probably more effective in drawing attention to the topic than the whole body of the United Nations. At least he's making a difference and physically asking for help as well as donations. In true Hollywood fashion, Affleck will probably make a fad out of caring about Africa and the Congo. It's more than sad that I am able to say that, and that people can become more interested in a topic that is advocated by Ben Affleck than if it were to be advocated by the United Nations.

Source: ABC News

Apparently Pirates are not Disney Characters

Pirate attacks are normally something one would not really rank very high as a list of worries in this day and age. However, if you were working the high seas in huge transport ships, that worry may be at the top of your list. Piracy (not the music kind), is up all around the world. War torn nations with gangs of thugs have learned that taking over these slow moving and unarmed ships, loaded with oil and people allows them to make a fairly good living. By taking over these ships, and calling the owners of the ship, and the family of the crew in order to force ransoms- piracy is a good way to make bank. A Hong Kong tanker recently paid $1.67 million for the release of its chemical tanker, and a Japanese oil tanker was just released for the tidy sum of $2.5 million .

While this is happening, several nations still prohibit transport vessels to carry any weapons, instead encouraging tankers to fight off pirates with fire hoses and “evasive maneuvers”. Right. Lets fight off the pirates headed towards us in high speed ships armed with RPGs and Assault rifles with fire hoses. The vessels are limited in their options. Either deal with it, and hope that pirates don’t come their way, or hire a group of mercenaries like those protecting civilian contractors in Iraq. Hiring mercenaries, however, means that shipping premiums will skyrocket, and the amount of ports available to these vessels will be very limited (some ports restrict boats with any firearms).

What the United States and other nations need to do is arm several tankers to the teeth, and send them on their way. Individuals from these war torn nations only respond to force. If this is the case, give it to them. After a few more failed pirate attacks in which pirates get obliterated, maybe these pirates will back off, and find something else to do. At the same time, work with the port authorities and make arrangement for certain armed vessels to be able to use all ports. I mean, what is this, a Disney movie? Because economic crises, wars, and genocides aren't enough- we now have to fight a bunch of Captain Hooks. What's wrong with the world?

Source:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27820573/

"Mr. President, you have already Broken the Mold"

Reporter Christiane Amanpour response to Obama's policy of diplomacy towards Iraq was: "Mr President, you have already broken the mold," referring to President Bush's intolerance of Iran. Amanpour praises Obama's desire to take a diplomatic approach to Iran by establishing communication lines with the Iranian leadership, criticizing Bush's approach and desire to ignore the enemy, and, therefore, not grant it legitimacy. Experts proclaim that Iran serves as a huge influence in the region and is said to be the focal point of discussion and diplomatic efforts within the Middle East.

In fact, Obama's approach has spurred a response from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, congratulating President-elect Obama and saying that "the Great Nation of Iran welcomes basic and fair changes in U.S. policies and conducts, especially in the region." Iranians found it especially appealing when Obama referred to Ahmadinejad as President, instead of, like Bush, dismissing the title. Have we not learned anything from our current involvement in the Middle East? Diplomacy does not work, it does not speak or break through to countries in the Middle East and it never will. Take Israel for example, for years it has tried to use a diplomatic approach with its Arab neighbors, offering land to the Palestinians, withdrawing from Gaza, and discussing peace processes. Nothing has worked, and nothing short of a war will ever work.

Its sweet that Obama actually considers diplomacy as an option, but, nonetheless, a bit naive. Is it really moral to negotiate and speak to a country with a leader that denies the Holocaust, wants to erase Israel off the map, and has declared that Jews were "dirty" more than once. Bush took these things into consideration. And although he is criticized for ignoring those who disagree with U.S policies, I must say that he saw Ahmadinejad for what he truly was, a leader of terror and violence. In my opinion, the United States should not be caught talking to countries like Iran until they consider replacing their leadership.

The alternative view of the situation is that Obama is a genius. He's taking the diplomatic route first to prove to the American people and the rest of the world that he tried the calm peaceful way of dealing with Iran. And when it fails, which it will, he will have that attempt at diplomacy to back him up when he decides to use a more militaristic approach towards Iran.

Cafeteria Catholic

An interview with Maria Shriver published in the Washington Post a few days ago highlights the importance of religion. In it, Shriver describes that she lives her life according to "cafeteria Catholicism", picking and choosing the aspects of religion that she chooses to follow as opposed to taking religion literally and blindly while following all of its teachings. So are you a true Catholic if you pick and choose?

YES. Religious people need to understand that the values and belief system of religion are based on a different era completley, values are meant to be modernized and renewed. Women do not wear long heavy dresses, men don't pay for a wife, and little girls can now enjoy the benefits of education. Societies are not static, they grow and develop with time. So why do some people think that it is still ok to tell a woman what to do with her pregnancy, prevent two people from marrying, and proclaim that their daughters must stay pure and protected until their prince charming comes to collect them. Wake up! Things have changed, and religion is archaic.

Conflict and pain arise because of the fact that some people (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish alike) refuse to see that religion is peaceful and spiritual, teaching us how to be better human beings and how extract positivity out of life. Fundamentalism seems to be the "source of all evil" nowadays and that's because it is old-fashioned and outdated, it simply does not fit our world today. Globalization of cultures and values has allowed a beautiful blend of cultures to live by each other and interact. No longer are countries individual units who are able to exercise religion without affecting others, we live in a cohesive world, where religion and cultures spill over to neighboring countries. And for now much of religion is causing pain and sufferig by not being tolerable of other traditions.

Source: Washington Post

The Positive Side of Recession

As our economy faces a deep recession, farmers, factories, and businesses are trying to control spending in every area possible. With budget cuts and bankrupcy looming over many businesses in the United States, cuts are being made everyewhere. This also includes cuts in office supplies, use of electricity, and the consumption of water and gas. At least this crisis has one positive aspect- America is going Green!

Years of trying to get Americans to save on energy consumption made almost no difference, but apparently a bad economy makes all the difference. Bike shops are suddenly swamped with people who suddenly want to use pedal power for commuting. Hybrid car producers cannot seem to produce cars fast enough to satisfy consumer demands. The new iphone computes a vehicle's real-time fuel consumption, helping a driver adapt his or her style to become more economical and more eco-friendly. Offices are going green by using their email for notification instead of paper. And farmers use the most water efficient technologies for their crops. Even celebrities went green, just look at Cameron Diaz and Leo Dicaprio in their awkward looking hybrid Toyota Prius.

Hollywood began the trend of going green, inspiring clothing shops, make-up lines, and car producers to come up with environment-friendly campaigns to feed into the growing trend of living an environmentally-friendly life. And now the economic situation is enticing ordinary people to consume less. No money equals no money for electricity bills, gas, and water! So if the bailout plan fails, our economy drowns in debt, and unempolyment rises, at least we'll be saving our planet in the process!

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/green/

Palin then Stevens, does Alaska make its Politicians Stupid?

I know Alaska is a secluded place, its cold, its dark half the time, and there's ice everywhere- but what's with Palin and Stevens? Being far away from humanity is not an excuse for the people that Alaska seems to generate. First it gave us Sarah Six Pack Palin and now there's Ted The Criminal Stevens. Did the cold get so bad that it messed with your brain Alaska? How do people like this get to become politicians in your state? Ohhh I haven't even graduated college and I'm only 21, can I be your mayor???

"Ted Stevens, who turned 85 on Tuesday, was convicted in October of filing false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Prosecutors said Stevens hid hundreds of thousands of dollars in freebies from an oil-field services company in his home state." The surprising thing about this whole issue is that he was actually considered by Alaskans, who, in fact, put him in the lead for a big portion of the race. By Friday, when vote counting was stopped for the weekend, Begich had 47.37 percent of votes counted; Stevens had 47.02 percent. The two were separated by 1,022 votes out of more than 290,000 cast, according to the Alaska Division of Elections Web site. The man was in prison AND he is 85-years-old. Are Alaskans stupid or just really nice?

Perhaps distance from the "mainland" also means distance from vanity, greediness, and grudges. Although Alaskans are as American as the rest of us, they live a completely different way of life, experience a completely different culture, and maybe even different values. If Ted Stevens were to be running in New York, he'd probably get shot down in a matter of days- people are jaded, they don't have patience for odd balls, let along for 85-year-old criminals. Life is cut throat here, competition and money turning our heads in a million different directions. Maybe Alaskans, being so removed from our fast paced and stress-oriented lives, have different values. Maybe they're just nicer and more forgiving!

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/17/senate.election/index.html?iref=newssearch

Big 3, You're going at it all wrong!

Politico.com presents its readers with an important question (that perhaps the big 3 should in fact ask themselves): "How should the big 3 automakers retool their Capitol Hill strategy in order to insure a bailout?" Let's start with the basics. First of all, it is always bad form to come begging for a bailout in your private G4 jet where the cost for the round-trip from Detroit is more than the average salary of many Americans.

So what should the automakers do? Well...Begin with firing your PR company and consultants, who are apparently useless, or else they would throw themselves in front of your private jet. To really prove their point they should get rid of the various luxuries that these CEOs so nicely enjoy while most of their workers are now living in poverty. Private jets, yachts, and mansions need to go out the door if they are to show a serious need for assistance from Congress. Why should taxpayers pay for your mistakes while you enjoy lavish vacations in France.

Show Americans that they must look beyond the crappy environment-damaging SUVs, the fact that you fly private jets and live in multi-million dollar mansions, while the rest of us can barely afford groceries. Give Americans a different view of your company and what changes you will make: employer benefits, fuel efficient cars, maybe even go green if that's what it takes. Show the American people your workers so we can see with our own eyes the people and the projects you want us to fund.

Source: Politico.com

MSM! Its time for you to follow blogs...

"As America’s newspapers shrink and shed staff, and broadcast news outlets sink in the ratings, a new kind of Web-based news operation has arisen in several cities, forcing the papers to follow the stories they uncover."

The Internet is no longer just home for blogs posted by citizen journalists, gossip, and opinion based commentary. It is now officially the home of hard investigative journalism, leading a revolution that has caused the mainstream media newspapers to follow in THEIR footsteps. Traditionally, the blogs served a very specific type of audience and media, using the mainstream media as their real source of news, which is really the only real reason that newspapers are still alive today. This new development is now putting newspapers in an all time danger!

The VoiceofSanDiego.org is one of the first websites to offer original investigative journalism, running a series of stories that have uncovered important officials in the San Diego area. The difference is: they do it at a much lower cost than traditional newspapers. With a staff of 11 and a shabby office, this nonprofit organization is supported by its fans and some rich contributors-nothing more. Newspapers have become a business that is far too expensive and old fashioned to compete with organizations like this one.

In the world of efficiency, technology, and capitalism, the Voice of San Diego and organizations like it, fit in perfectly. They have found ways to report like newspapers, act like newspapers, but in a far more technologically-inclined and cheap way. So chances are, they are going to grow and develop into the long-time coming replacements of the MSM. But will they really be able to provide their readers with the same resources that a newspaper like the New York Times does? No! They cannot possibly compete with the reputation and resources of an established newspaper that has existed for years. A staff of eleven can't compete with a staff of a few hundred, editors, fact-checkers, and interns. So for now it seems like newspapers will survive for at least a few more years.

The change in media sources symbolizes a change in what our society seems to value. We can even see it in the presidential elections. McCain was the MSM, old fashioned but with years of experience under his belt, Obama was the young, excited, and technological candidate who symbolized a different way of doing things. The country chose Obama over McCain, and when the time come it will choose the Voice of San Diego over the New York Times.

“Information is now a public service as much as it’s a commodity, it should be thought of the same way as education, health care. It’s one of the things you need to operate a civil society, and the market isn’t doing it very well.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/business/media/18voice.html?pagewanted=2&em

Broken Promises, Already?

"I am running to tell the lobbyists in Washington that their days of setting the agenda are over. They have not funded my campaign. They won't work in my White House."
-Barack Obama, 2007

What now? According to the L.A. times, President Elect Obama has just broken his first promise to the American people. Obama said he would NOT hire lobbyists in his administration, but a list of names published shows otherwise. While a good lobbyist is always good to have on your side, Obama promised the American people he would put an end to lobbyist control in Washington. These lobbyists, along with the possibility of John McCain and Hillary Clinton working within the administration for Barack Obama, leads me to see two possibilities.

The first is that the great ideas Obama had are a bit harder to implement in reality. Because of this, he needs to pad his administration with the woman he barely beat in the primaries, and the best man the Republicans have to offer. This way he can surround himself with people who possibly could do a better job than him, to help bolster his image. As for the Lobbyists, he is starting to realize he can’t get away from them, and has to deal.
Or…

The alternative, which I hope is the case. By putting people past opponents like Hilary Clinton, and John McCain in high positions around him with limited power, Obama can have the support of Clinton and McCain supporters. While these supporters would rather have their man/woman sitting in the oval office, they won’t drop all support. If Clinton or McCain parrot what Obama has to say, they will listen, and Obama has their support. And with the Lobbyists, Obama has also learned that as long as decisions are made in Washington, people with a smile, firm handshake, and deep pockets will be will also be in Washington. However, while he doesn’t exactly need their deep pockets, their smile and firm handshake could be working for him.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/17/campbel

Orange County: Economic Crisis, What?

Orange County houses rise in prices! It is an almost humorous statement, but nonetheless true. When the whole country and the rest of California is experiencing an economic crisis, rich orange countyneers are flourishing more than ever. O.C. home buying runs up 59.6% vs. a year ago’s credit-crunched slow selling. Leading the way is a 99% boost in single-family houses. Its amazing that even during a crisis resembling the Great Depression, the rich are getting richer. Partially responsible for this phenomenon is Bush, with his "benefit the rich" tax policies. Capitalism makes it so that the Rich don't hurt as much. They can afford to drive a fancy BMW because its under company expenses, they have an iPhone because its tax deductible, they have an extra room in their which they transform into a tax deductible home office, and their beach-front homes do not depreciate like the rest of ours. Many economic benefits did not make their way to ordinary workers under the Bush administration. The positive thing about Obama (among others of course) is that policies like Bush's do not fly. If he keeps his promises, Obama will work hard for the average man, for the middle class, and for those who are most suffering from the economic downfall. It is time for the situation to be reversed, because it just does not make sense that those who have the most money get the most economic relief. So beware OCers, although you represented the one red dot on a map of blue, Obama won. Your wealth was not influential this time... And hopefully he will be able to balance out an imbalance that has been growing for the past eight years with the oil-rich Bush administration. I mean when your President makes most of his money from corrupt oil companies, what can one really expect? Source: OcRegister.com