FeelingElephants’s Weblog

27 January, 2009

My Photo is on the Front Page of the Tartan!

Filed under: CMU news, Inauguration, Presidential Campaign, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 12:00 am

I am so excited! One of my photos was used as the front cover image for The Tartan. See screen-shot above. The Tartan has been CMU’s primary newspaper since 1906. They kindly let me use one of their beautiful cameras when I told them I was going to the inauguration. Another one of my photos (shown in A Plethora of Flags) was used the illustrate the second part of the story. They also offered me a place on the photo staff, which sounds like so much fun!

Inspirational Quote:

Nelson Mandela is, for me, the single statesman in the world. The single statesman, in that literal sense, who is not solving all his problems with guns. It’s truly unbelievable. Toni Morrison

5 November, 2008

Our Generation

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 9:53 pm

Today I had a Professor ask me whether my generation understands that we took control of our country yesterday. He is wrong. We, as a generation, did not take control. We, as a generation, made a commitment.

We have taken responsibility for America.

As soon as I thought that I felt burdened but also empowered. Burdened by the weight of our national and global challenges. Empowered by an electoral mandate to shape my country.

This election was a mandate not just for President-Elect Obama, but for also my generation.

This, I believe.

Inspirational Quote:

Milton Berle – “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

Global Impact of US Presidential Election

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights, politics-tech — Webmonarch @ 12:34 am

Here in the US we make a common mistake of assuming that our races, our issues, and our concerns are of global concern and import. Tonight they are.
I found that the US Presidential Race between Barack Obama and John McCain was front Page News on 50 international news websites.

Inspirational Quote:

“Yes We Can.”

Barack Obama

4 November, 2008

Jessica’s liberal and conservative electoral map predictions (UPDATE: How Obama Won)

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 9:16 pm

These are my predictions–just my thoughts based on how things have been trending lately. I am currently glued to the TV watching CNN and eating chips.

If you haven’t, go out and vote *now*! Don’t know where? Go to the League of Women Voter’s sponsored Polling Place Location Finder.

Current Electoral Map

Current Electoral Map

Inspirational Quote:

Emo Philips – “My computer beat me at checkers, but I sure beat it at kickboxing.”

23 October, 2008

Obama and Terrorism Paired on New RNC Mailer

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 2:58 pm

More scary news:

I am pretty unhappy about this turn of events.

“Not Who You Think He Is” implies what, exactly? Barak Obama supports terrorism? Barak Obama is a terrorist? Brak Obama “pal[s] around with terrorists“?

When spoken aloud, all of these statements should seem absurd of any elected official (yes, even the last one, uttered by Governor Palin).

Now, if body language means anything, in the video above John McCain is not happy with the RNC mailer. I would hope so. I did not (and still do not) think of him as a bad person, or even a bad politician. I disagree with some of his policies and do not believe him the right man for the presidency, but that does not mean he has not done good for our country.

But this mailer is bad news, as is the rising tide of potential violence seen at Palin’s McCain rallies.

John McCain, these mailers are bad news.

I am ashamed of you.

Inspirational Quote:

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.
- Martin Luther King Jr.

22 October, 2008

Aljazeera English reports on McCain-Palin supporters

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 7:43 pm

Every time I re-discover Algazeera English I am fascinated. For someone who is versed in Western media, seeing another view is fascinating. Watching their videos is always educational.

On the content, these people are scary. I am sure there are such ill-informed Obama supporters if you look for them. But that just proves all fringe groups are scary.

Inspirational Quote:

Douglas MacArthur – “You are remembered for the rules you break.”

John McCain wants special treatment; YouTube declines

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights, politics-tech — Webmonarch @ 7:19 pm

John McCain doesn’t like DMCA enforcement–maybe he should have thought of that before he voted for it.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (much loathed by the likes of EFF and free speech nuts like myself) requires action by content providers when asked to take down content by someone who claims said content is an unauthorized use of their copyrighted material. (For the fair use nuts in the crowd, did we catch that the accusation is for “unauthorized” rather than “violative” use?). Specifically, YouTube has a policy of taking down videos when they receive what are called “DMCA Takedown Notices”. Apparently, John McCain’s campaign ads have been hit with so many of these notices (presumably by netizens offended by his vote for the DMCA) that he went to YouTube to ask for political content exception to the DMCA copyright rules.

Fabulously, YouTube responded by saying no, and adding:

YouTube would like Senator McCain to beef up the old fair use doctrine, “so that intermediaries like us can rely on this important doctrine with a measure of business certainty”

(the quote is by Zahavah Levine, YouTube’s General Council. She is quoted in The Register’s article on this news).

Yeah, John McCain. Tough Noogies.

Inspirational Quote:

Thomas A. Edison – “What you are will show in what you do.”

13 October, 2008

Race and the Presidential Election

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 6:57 pm

When is paying attention to race racism?

How can you predict the effect of race (their own, a candidate’s, a pollster’s?) poll?

Will there come a time when one candidate will be so desperate they will encourage racial fears to win votes? Will they have the character to choose to loose rather than doing so?

The three articles linked to above deal with the sad issue of Barak Obama’s race. Sad, because in an ideal society the Senator’s race would not be an issue in this presidential election. But there is good news–according to the second article the “Bradley effect” (the 3-6 point exaggerated lead a black candidate enjoys until they lose by it because of hidden voter racism) no longer exists. Good to know. The other two articles give snapshots of the campaign in the last week.

Inspirational Quote:

Amelia Earhart – “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

7 October, 2008

Cool Web 2.0 Election 2008 Resources

Filed under: Presidential Campaign, politics-human rights, politics-tech — Webmonarch @ 9:48 pm

Here are my top 5 favorite web 2.0 resources for learning about this election.

  1. 270towin-This website has current poll data, and allows you to play around with which ways key swing states go, and see how it effects the election. Bonus: you can look at this kind of map for every preidential election in the country’s history. Personal favorite: 1796–Thomas Jefferson looses the Presidency
  2. Well-webbed newspaper articles–New York Times is particularly good at this, but the rise of Wikipedia-style hyperlinking is one of my favorite election resources. Not sure who Bill Ayers or Antoin Rezko is? Check the nyt hyperlink and find out.
  3. Presidential fan videos–utilizing the fabulous connective powers of YouTube to spread a creative approach to political support. Here’s an example:
  4. Embarrassing political slips/clips–anyone hear about how badly Palin did when interviewed by Katie Couric? Didn’t catch it? Search the YouTube.
  5. YouTube-based campaigns–this is one of the cutest I have seen. They often feature celebrities. Check these three out
    Celebs say “Don’t vote!”

    Sarah Silverman and The Great Schlep
    (Be warned, Sarah Silverman is a comedienne who makes her living being offensive–expect this video to offend.)

    Yes We Can–will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas

Inspirational Quote:

“For people in the poor world, as for people everywhere, the most reliable method yet invented to ensure that governments provide people with social and economic necessities is called politics.”
“Human rights, Stand up for your rights”, March 22nd 2007, From The Economist print edition

PS: Want a nice chart on John McCain’s wealth compares to Obama’s? Check this image out. It’s a list of the cars, aircraft and houses of the candidates. Give you a quick visual idea of comarative richness–very well designed.

28 March, 2008

What’s wrong with Abstinence Only/Plus/Until Marriage education (Or, the victims of the Bush Administration’s Sex Ed Policy)

Filed under: CMU news, Presidential Campaign, news, politics-human rights — Webmonarch @ 2:04 pm

This post was inspired by an online petition on comprehensive sexual education I was asked to sign by Planned Parenthood of Western PA on behalf of some Pittsburgh Parents who are fighting the Abstinence Only/Plus/Until Marriage curriculum in their children’s schools. It bothers me that there is many times a lack of accurate information given to people my age in public schools. Censorship in all its slippery-slope forms bothers me. In this case information is censored because of the misconception that without information on how to safely have sex, adults (for that is what most teens become) will simply not have sex.

  • It is my understanding that Abstinence only/plus/until marriage textbooks tell students the right thing to do before having sex is to get married.
    • That the right thing to do, if you can’t get married now, or never want to get married, is to never have sex.
    • Since when was it the job of a Sex-Ed textbook to tell students what the right thing to do is?

Here are some other ways to reduce teen pregnancies and unintended pregnancies in general:

  • Telling the truth about condoms, the pill, how a woman gets pregnant, how STIs can be contracted, etc (see below for statistics on the effect of comprehensive sex ed for teens).
  • Not hiding safer ways of having sex.

And never, never, never through guilt.

The textbook used by the Pittsburgh Public Schools (Totally Awesome Health) tells teens:

“being sexually active can affect [your] mental health. Stress can result from guilt that is associated with being sexually active,”

And it never defines what “sexually active means”.

Now there are a lot of issues mixed into the “abstinence only/plus/until marriage” message:

  • There is sexism, because the ability to choose when, if ever, to become pregnant is one of the biggest empowering changes of the past century for women. Access to accurate sexual education, family planning, contraception, and abortion allow women and men to treat each other as partners, equals. To my eyes, we do not yet live in a society where men and women are equally effected by unintended pregnancies. I hope they are someday–that would be another great way to lower the number of teen pregnancies.
  • And homophobia is mixed into this: only heterosexual couples are even mentioned it leaves millions of teens ignored; their parents defined as other; their orientations termed abnormal.
  • And a weird bias towards anglo-saxon nuclear families is mixed into this, because there is no room for single parent families; no room for being raise in a non-traditional family; no room for children raised by grandparents, aunts and uncles, friend parents. No room for anyone other than couples whose bedroom and family lives are pre-approved by the textbook writers.

Americans have had a president who pushes hard for abstinence only/plus/until marriage for 8 years. And what’s our track record? Here’s some quotes on the effect of the abstinence only/plus/until marriage policy pushed by the Bush Administration:

  • A study from the University of Washington showing: “Students who receive comprehensive sex education are half as likely to become teen parents as those who get none or abstinence-only sex education,” (University of Washington)
  • A study from the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection (STI),” (Editorials Across the Country Echo Planned Parenthood’s Call for Comprehensive Sex Ed)
  • “[I]n Pennsylvania the rate of unintended pregnancies has increased for teens for the first time in more than a decade” (Planned Parenthood email on this petition)
  • “[T]eens who had comprehensive education, which typically discusses condoms and birth-control methods as well as abstinence, were no more likely to engage in intercourse than peers who were taught just to say no to sex before marriage,” (University of Washington)

There have been casualties of the pro-abstinence anti-education group. Every teen mother and teen father, every parent who suddenly find themselves a grandparent, every child who grows up with parents who know why their lives were limited are victims of Abstinence Only/Plus/Until Marriage miseducation. They suffer the of censorship in the classroom.

PS: Here is my followup post with a good Sex Ed resource called Scarleteen.

Inspirational Quote:

  • Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”
  • McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”
  • Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”
  • McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

(Reporter and John McCain talking about Sex Ed in the US)

Next Page »

Blog at WordPress.com.