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Monday, 26 October 2009

Saturday, 17 October 2009

  • Operation Magic Penny: Please Donate to a Very Good Cause

    Visit the Web page for this information and to donate:

    Please share this information with your friends.

    Palestinian children living in Gaza and other areas of the occupied territories of Palestine live under conditions that most adults cannot comprehend. With the instability of the political climate, as well as the challenges faced by families whose homes have been demolished and are forced to move into refugee camps, often living him homes contructed of plywood walls and tin roofs, luxuries we take for granted every day are luxuries these families can only dream about. Despite the difficulty and hardship faced, these families carry on the best way that they know how.

    It is unfortunate that sometimes the real victims in the political games of adults are the children, having tools like an education or proper medical care taken away from them way before they have a chance to change the world themselves. In some areas of Palestine, children do not have school supplies or books to build their education and to learn from the mistakes of our pasts and work hard for a better future. Pencil. Paper. Books. Chances are that we have thrown these items out without giving it a second thought, meanwhile, their education is halted without these essentials. Some children will not go to school and will take to the streets shining shoes or selling blessings to make money to help their families survive. Other children may be tempted to get involved in activities that are counter-productive to their safety. Who knows what these children could have accomplished had they been awarded the right tools and have instilled in them feelings of worth and love.

    Operation Magic Penny aims to provide school supplies for children who cannot afford supplies or have had supplies blockaded by the Israeli government. We hope to provide a day of arts, crafts, and laughter for children in repressed areas by creating a heritage day, free to the children, where they can hear stories, listen to music, participate in art and writing therapy to process what they have witnessed and instill in them principles of non-violence. We hope to provide this to these children and so much more, a feeling of solidarity, without politics getting in the way, knowing that there are people out there in the world that truly believe in everything they can accomplish, and to prove so, we provide school supplies so they can get educations and move on to be the future voice and perhaps the ones that bring peace to this conflicted area.

    We cannot do this on our own, so we ask for your help in raising funds. For a donation of $20.00, you can provide school supplies needed for one year. For a donation of $10.00, you can provide books for these children to learn from. For a donation of $100.00, you can sponsor a whole classroom.

    We believe that real change comes from real people – every day people – and we call on real people to help make a change in these children’s lives and a change in our world. Help us realize our goal of raising $3000.00 by Christmas.

    Please Donate Today:

Saturday, 25 April 2009

  • The Case of Roxana Saberi

    Hilary Clinton is talking about it. President Obama is talking about it. Even Jesse Jackson is talking about it. It has been a headline on the scroll bar for CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. It has been one of the top headlines on homepages of Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL. Unless you have been purposely avoiding it, I am sure you know who Roxana Saberi is. In case you don't, she is an Iranian-American journalist, living in Iran, that was recently arrested and tried on charges of spying and sentenced to prison for eight years. This has sent waves of outrage through the United States about unfair treatment, unfair trial, and sympathy for Ms. Saberi.

    I'm sorry, but I am of a different point-of-view.

    Ms. Saberi had a career in newspaper and television before she decided that she was going to go Iran to study and work on a book about the Iranian people and culture. Since her father was born in Iran, she has Iranian citizenship. While in Iran, she became a freelance reporter for such agencies as NPR and BBC. In 2006, her press credentials were stripped from her, however she continued to report for those agencies. She was finishing up her work on her book there and planned to return to the United States later this year when she was arrested. Initially, she told her father that she was arrested for purchasing wine, something illegal in Islamic countries. The news came out, however, that she was arrested for reporting without government press credentials. And then when she was charged, it was because of spying. She was charged to eight years, unprecedented for an Iranian journalist. She has now begun a hunger strike until she is released.

    As a journalist, there are many things with this story that don't sit well with me, based on facts that I know to be true about the job, particularly when reporting from a foreign country. As someone that can hold dual citizenship with another country, there are things that don't sit well with me. Again, things that I know be true. Finally, as someone who has actually traveled in the Middle East and has been to Islamic countries, there are even more things that don't sit well for me.

    • 1. She was reporting without proper press credentials in a government not known for fairness. When you are in a foreign country reporting,  you respect their rules and regulations. If they tell you to give them the tape, you give them the tape. If they tell you that you cannot report from a certain location, you do not report from that location. If they take your press credentials away, despite who you may be freelancing for, you become an every day citizen and not a member of the press.
    • 2. Because both of my parents are immigrants, I can hold dual citizenship in two other countries: Ireland and England. In my research on holding dual citizenship, which includes speaking with government officials of these countries and exchanges with others who also hold dual citizenship, one thing I know to be true is if I go to that country, I am a citizen of that country. My ignorance to their laws and their regulations is not excused because I am an American. Ireland and England are not nearly as oppressive as Iran, I know this, however the same holds true. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
    • 3. The year after 9/11, I traveled to the Mid East with a research group studying the affects that living in an Islamic country had on women's perception of themselves. It was one of the most enlightening experiences of my lifetime and one that I am forever grateful for. You see, as Americans, we often think our way is the only way, but being around other cultures and religions, it made me see that as much as we think our way is the only way, others think the same thing. While there, I knew what the risks were. Besides knowing what the risks were, I also knew what rules I needed to follow because I was in their country. They are very strict on dress code, on recreational activity, and on the woman's role in those areas. I was there for a few weeks. Ms. Saberi has been living there for several years. She knew that buying wine was illegal. She knew that reporting without press credentials was illegal. She showed disregard for their laws.

    As an American, I would expect an Iranian visitor to be held to our laws. I would expect a Mexican visitor to be held to our laws. I would expect a Canadian  visitor to be held to our laws. You all would, too. They are our laws and in place for a reason. I would expect even more from someone who is a citizen of this country, and unfortunately, in this country, when you don't follow that laws, you get sent to jail or prison. In some jails, like Orleans Parish Prison, people die there. Guards beat the inmates. In Guantanimo Bay, prisoners were waterboarded. That's also all over the news. The arguments about her being an American mean nothing to me, because she is also an Iranian. The arguments about her simply buying wine mean nothing to me, as it is illegal in Islamic countries. The arguments about her reporting mean nothing to me, because she was reporting illegally. The arguments about what may happen to her in prison over there mean nothing to me, because our own prisons contain much of the same thing and we have treated inmates from other countries nearly as bad.

    I would also like to point out that she confessed to charges of espionage. Some say she was tricked into it. Some say she only told the Iranians what they wanted to hear so she would be released. Understand that most journalists that have been arrested there have been held a few days and then released without formal charges being placed upon them. This case is very different than the other ones.

    In some countries, when you report on the government without having their permission to do so, that is considered spying. And if that is the definition that Iran uses, then she is indeed guilty of the crime she is being charged with.

    The bottom line is that actions of a very foolish girl put her in the position that she is in. Her professor spoke to her about the dangers of going to a country like Iran before she left and she understand and accepted them. She told her father on many occasions that she knew she was being watched and listened to, yet she continued to report without credentials and then purchased wine, giving them a reason to arrest her. While under their care, she lied about her involvement to be released. The fact that Iran is treating this so much differently than other journalist leads me to believe that where there is smoke, there is fire. One could argue that they are trying to push President Obama to see exactly how far he will go, however, why has this not happened with the change of every president since our problems with Iran have started?

    The other side of the story, and you can put as much worth into this as you want, deals with the book she was writing. There are many in the journalistic world that believe that she was arrested for buying wine purposefully to include information about the Iranian prison system in her book. Some say she was a highly intelligent woman that knew she was being watched, and since journalist haven't even been brought to trial in that country before, perhaps she thought a few days would give her insight and make a rather sensational platform for her book, not only on content but also on sales. Us media types are douche bags and have been known to do far crazier things than that for a story.

    Ultimately, though, I do not think that the United States should be getting as involved in this as they are. This deals with international law and it deals with citizenship. The US Constitution doesn't fold up and sit nicely in your passport. Especially when you are considered a citizen of another country and intentionally break their rules.

    Sorry, Roxana, but I am under the belief that you did break Iranian law, that you are guilty, and that any hunger strike you may be on is futile.



Tuesday, 21 April 2009

  • Converting, Reading, and Misc. Going-Ons

    Converting

    For quite some time, I have been exploring different religions and trying to figure out what I believe and what makes sense to me.  I've read, I've researched, and I have talked to people of various religious backgrounds - both lay persons and those working in the church. I meditated on it. I wrote my thoughts down again. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to convert and become a member of the Catholic Church.

    Why the Catholic church? It is the only thing that really makes sense to me from a historical point-of-view, an analytical point-of-view, and most importantly a spiritual point-of-view. Having grown up rather irreligious, during my journey and my quest to find what I believe in and what makes sense to me, the only time I have really felt close to God is during my inquiry of the Catholic church - sitting in Mass, talking to others.

    My father is Catholic. Irish Catholic. From Ireland. He came to this country when he was a small child. He married my mother who was Church of England and that resulted in a home free of religion. I was baptized Catholic, but that is where my Catholic upbringing ended, except my dad's various comments throughout my life. I spoke with my father about it. One of his biggest regrets is leaving his faith behind. It was one of the most honest conversations I have had with my father. I liked that.


    Reading

    Right now I am reading The Poisonwood  Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It is about a Reformed Baptist minister and his family going to the Congo to be missionaries in the very early 1960's.  I am about a quarter into it and it is a very, very compelling book. I highly recommend it. The very interesting thing about the book is that it is written in the perspective of the minister's wife and his four daughters, each with a distinct voice, but never interupting the flow of the story. Very well written.

    I just finished reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I highly recommend that book, too. The story is written from a woman's point-of-view so well that I had to make sure it was actually a man writing it. Very, very god.

    Misc. Going-Ons

    We have adjusted well to our new home and our new community. I love it here.

    I am incredibly sad about the increased violence in New Orleans. It breaks my heart to see that happen to such a wonderful city.

    Have been doing the Wii Fit at least once a day, no matter how much pain I am in.

    That's about it :)


Monday, 06 April 2009

  • Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

    One of the things that I actually do like about moving is being able to take an inventory of things that you have, things that you need, and things that you just plain want. For me, being the ever-exciting person that I am, that means getting new cookware. While packing and unpacking, I noticed that my kitchen was missing a very important staple for any meat-loving carnivore - the cast iron skillet. Since I was a child up in Wisconsin, the cast iron skillet meant fresh venison, steak, or pork. It mean good food with unique flavors. It mean generations of my family sharing, as my mother's cast iron skillet was passed from my grandmother, who purchased it when she first arrived in the United States and fed my father's family with it.

    Did you know, though, that when you buy a new cast iron skillet or dutch oven, you should season it? Why? Seasoning prevents the iron from interacting with food, prevents rusting, and creates a natural non-stick surface to cook on. Cast iron pots and pans will last a lifetime if properly taken care of and seasoning the skillet or dutch oven is just one way to make sure you get all the use out of it that you can.

    To season cast iron, first wash and try the pan well. Place the pan over low heat to insure that all of the moisture has been released from the porous surface. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. After the dutch over or pan is completely dry, coat the pan with vegetable oil. DO NOT use butter or shortening as they are saturated fats and can create a nasty stench during storage. After the whole skillet or dutch oven - inside and out - is coated in vegetable oil, place upside down on the cookie sheet and in the oven for 1 hour. After that hour, turn off the heat and let it sit in the oven with the door closed until the oven and the skillet or dutch oven completely cool. This can take a few hours. After all is completely cooled, remove and wipe with a paper towel and your iron skillet has been seasoned!

    If you begin to notice a metallic taste when cooking, it is possible that your cast iron is rusting. This happens when pans are not properly seasoned, dried, or are allowed to sit in water and soak. If you find this happening, a good washing and seasoning should clear the problem up.

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