breaking the ______circle

My new Harp

2009-12-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Selfish Gene

2009-12-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

We are what we eat

2009-11-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

The Wanting Seed- more of a summary than a review

2009-11-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

The Wanting Seed is a dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess. I spent some of my summer afternoons reading this book while Summer napped. Although the novel addresses many societal issues, the primary subjects being overpopulation, its realtion to culture, religion, government, and history, a healthy portion of the book is a condemnation of war.

Whats the deal with the white light you see before you die?

2009-10-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I had a very close near death experience a few weeks ago- in which I slipped out of consciousness and saw a very bright white light mixed with a lot of memories from my past?/different scenes. When I finally started to come back to consciousness I felt like I was falling down a long dark tunnel and the white light was being sucked away. Next thing I knew I was breathing extremely hard and screaming- my eyes now open and conscious.

Train operator Kelvin DeBourgh Jr. was killed when the AirTrain, which connects Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport, crashed. Before succumbing to his injuries, he told rescue workers: "I can't see you anymore—all I see is a bright light." Whats the deal?

Assuming it's not the Great Beyond, medical science has advanced several theories as to the bright light's physiological roots. Many researchers ascribe the glow to the effects of anoxia, or oxygen deprivation, which can affect the optic nerves. Others suspect that trauma to the right temporal lobe, the area of the brain responsible for perception, can cause the senses to malfunction. Michael A. Persinger, a neuroscientist at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, has replicated the bright-light phenomenon in test subjects by stimulating their right temporal lobes with mild electromagnetic fields.

A third theory holds that the brain releases massive amounts of endorphins, or natural painkillers, when the body is gravely injured. Those endorphins may "override" the optic nerves, causing the victim to see a peaceful glow rather than their own mangled body or teams of desperate paramedics scurrying about. This endorphin-induced serenity can be crucial to warding off lethal shock, thus giving the person better odds of survival.

It has also been suggested that some bright-light glimpsers neither gaze at eternity nor experience unusual neurological activity. Instead, they may simply mistake the high-powered operating room lights as something a tad more mystical.

Bonus Explainer: In Western societies, the bright light is often accompanied by visions of deceased relatives, idyllic gardens, and a convivial bearded man in flowing white robes—all standard images of the Christian heaven. Dying Hindus in India, by contrast, typically picture the afterlife as a Kafkaesque bureaucratic office. Fading Micronesians have been known to describe a bustling, skyscraper-filled metropolis.

Hemp Could Save America

2009-09-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

HEMP FACTS

1) Hemp is among the oldest industries on the planet, going back more than 10,000 years to the beginnings of pottery. The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.

2) Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp. Americans were legally bound to grow hemp during the Colonial Era and Early Republic. The federal government subsidized hemp during the Second World War and US farmers grew about a million acres of hemp as part of that program.

3) Hemp Seed is far more nutritious than even soybean, contains more essential fatty acids than any other source, is second only to soybeans in complete protein (but is more digestible by humans), is high in B-vitamins, and is 35% dietary fiber. Hemp seed is not psychoactive and cannot be used as a drug. See TestPledge.com

4) The bark of the hemp stalk contains bast fibers which are among the Earth's longest natural soft fibers and are also rich in cellulose; the cellulose and hemi-cellulose in its inner woody core are called hurds. Hemp stalk is not psychoactive. Hemp fiber is longer, stronger, more absorbent and more insulative than cotton fiber.

5) According to the Department of Energy, hemp as a biomass fuel producer requires the least specialized growing and processing procedures of all hemp products. The hydrocarbons in hemp can be processed into a wide range of biomass energy sources, from fuel pellets to liquid fuels and gas. Development of biofuels could significantly reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

6) Hemp grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. Almost half of the agricultural chemicals used on US crops are applied to cotton.

7) Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis, and can be used for every quality of paper. Hemp paper manufacturing can reduce wastewater contamination. Hemp's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping, and it's creamy color lends itself to environmentally friendly bleaching instead of harsh chlorine compounds. Less bleaching results in less dioxin and fewer chemical byproducts.

8) Hemp fiber paper resists decomposition, and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used. Hemp paper more than 1,500 years old has been found. It can also be recycled more times.

9) Hemp fiberboard produced by Washington State University was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard.

10) Eco-friendly hemp can replace most toxic petrochemical products. Research is being done to use hemp in manufacturing biodegradable plastic products: plant-based cellophane, recycled plastic mixed with hemp for injection-molded products, and resins made from the oil, to name just a very few examples.

Only a few months now....

2009-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

Inti Wara Yassi’s main aim is to rehabilitate and care for the animals we rescue

The Facts: In Bolivia, there are black markets full of wild animals being sold to hotels, private homes and Circus’s. These animals are usually obtained by hunting down the parents or group leaders and then taking the babies to be sold in the black markets. In many cases the animals are endangered species. The captured animals are usually kept in small cages, with little or no protection from the elements. Many are malnourished and some badly abused.

Inti Wara Yassi’s principle areas of activity are:

running a scheme whereby injured, maltreated, seized or surrendered tropical animals are rehabilitated by Bolivian and international volunteers, with the aim of release in to Parque Machía (organisation headquarters,) Parque Ambue Ari or our newest park Jacj Cuisi;
working with the young people of Bolivia raising awareness of the need to protect the environment;
running a nationwide ecological awareness school;
raising awareness of the cruelty of the tropical pet trade;
building links with the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, with a view to increasing their income to reduce the pressure on their lands and traditions;

Your help can make the difference! Help us to create a better home for some of the least fortunate animals on this planet.

Financial help is critical to our survival, Donate here.

Shopped Liver:The worldwide market in human organs.

2009-08-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you lose your job, you can sell your home. If you lose your home, you can sell your possessions. If you lose your possessions, you can prostitute yourself. And if you lose everything else, you can sell one more thing: your organs.

Twice in the last two weeks, transplant experts from around the world have convened in Europe to discuss the emerging global market in human flesh. Two maps presented at the meetings tell the story. One shows countries from which patients have traveled for organs in the last three years: Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea. The other shows countries from which organs have been sold: China, Pakistan, Colombia, the Philippines.

The numbers on the maps add up to thousands. According to the World Health Organization, the annual tally of international kidney transactions alone is about 6,000. The evidence includes reports from brokers and physicians, accounts from Indian villages, surveys of hospitals in Japan, government records in Singapore, and scars in Egyptian slums. In Pakistan, 40 percent of people in some villages are turning up with only one kidney. Charts presented at the meetings show the number of "donations" from unrelated Pakistanis skyrocketing. Two-thirds of the people getting these organs are foreigners. Data from the Philippines show the same thing.

Findings

2009-07-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Same old stuff...
S

The 13 people who made torture possible (part 3)

2009-05-22T19:50:00.001-07:00

10. Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense (2001-2006)

As secretary of defense, Rumsfeld signed off on interrogation methods used in the military, notably for Abu Ghraib, Bagram Air Force Base and Guantánamo Bay. With this approval, the use of torture would move from the CIA to the military. A recent bipartisan Senate report concluded that "Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's authorization of interrogation techniques at Guantánamo Bay was a direct cause of detainee abuse there." Rumsfeld personally approved techniques including the use of phobias (dogs), forced nudity and stress positions on Dec. 2, 2002, signing a one-page memo prepared for him by Haynes. These techniques were among those deemed torture in the Charles Graner case and the case of "20th hijacker" Mohammed al-Qahtani. Rumsfeld also personally authorized an interrogation plan for Moahmedou Ould Slahi on Aug. 13, 2003; the plan used many of the same techniques as had been used with al-Qahtani, including sensory deprivation and "sleep adjustment." And through it all, Rumsfeld maintained a disdainful view on these techniques, at one point quipping on a memo approving harsh techniques, "I stand for eight to 10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?"

11. John Rizzo, CIA deputy general counsel (2002-2004), acting general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (2001-2002, 2004-present)

As deputy general counsel and then acting general counsel for the CIA, John Rizzo's name appears on all of the known OLC opinions on torture for the CIA. For the Bybee Two memo, Rizzo provided a number of factually contested pieces of information to OLC -- notably, that Abu Zubaydah was uncooperative and physically and mentally fit enough to withstand waterboarding and other enhanced techniques. In addition, Rizzo provided a description of waterboarding using one standard, while the OLC opinion described a more moderate standard. Significantly, the description of waterboarding submitted to OLC came from the Defense Department, even though NSC had excluded DOD from discussions on the memo. Along with the description of waterboarding and other techniques, Rizzo also provided a document that called enhanced methods "torture" and deemed them unreliable -- yet even with this warning, Rizzo still advocated for the CIA to get permission to use those techniques.

12. Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general, OLC (2004), acting assistant attorney general, OLC (2005-2009)

In 2004, the CIA's inspector general wrote a report concluding that the CIA's interrogation program might violate the Convention Against Torture. It fell to Acting Assistant Attorney General Steven Bradbury to write three memos in May 2005 that would dismiss the concerns the IG Report raised -- in effect, to affirm the OLC's 2002 memos legitimizing torture. Bradbury's memos noted the ways in which prior torture had exceeded the Bybee Two memo: the 183 uses of the waterboard for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in one month, the gallon and a half used in waterboarding, the 20 to 30 times a detainee is thrown agains the wall, the 11 days a detainee had been made to stay awake, the extra sessions of waterboarding ordered from CIA headquarters even after local interrogators deemed Abu Zubaydah to be fully compliant. Yet Bradbury does not consider it torture. He notes the CIA's doctors' cautions about the combination of using the waterboard with a physically fatigued detainee, yet in a separate memo approves the use of sleep deprivation and waterboading in tandem. He repeatedly concedes that the CIA's interrogation techniques as actually implemented exceeded the SERE techniques, yet repeatedly points to the connection to SERE to argue the methods must be legal. And as with the Bybee One memo, Bradbury resorts to precisely the kind of appeal to exceptional circumstances -- "used only as necessary to protect against grave threats" -- to distinguish U.S. interrogation techniques from the torture it so closely resembles around the world.

13. George W. Bush, president (2001-2009)

While President Bush maintained some distance from the torture for years -- Cheney describes him "basically" authorizing it -- he served as the chief propagandist about its efficacy and necessity. Most notably, on Sept. 6, 2006, when Bush first confessed to the program, Bush repeated the claims made to support the Bybee Two memo: that Abu Zubaydah wouldn't talk except by using torture. And in 2006, after the CIA's own inspector general had raised problems with the program, after Steven Bradbury had admitted all the ways that the torture program exceeded guidelines, Bush still claimed it was legal.

"[They] were designed to be safe, to comply with our laws, our Constitution and our treaty obligations. The Department of Justice reviewed the authorized methods extensively, and determined them to be lawful."

With this statement, the deceptions and bureaucratic games all came full circle. After all, it was Bush who, on Feb. 7, 2002, had declared the Geneva Conventions wouldn't apply (a view the Supreme Court ultimately rejected).

Bush's inaction in torture is as important as his actions. Bush failed to fulfill legal obligations to notify Congress of the torture program. A Senate Intelligence timeline on the torture program makes clear that Congress was not briefed on the techniques used in the torture program until after Abu Zubaydah had already been waterboarded. And in a 2003 letter, then House Intelligence ranking member Jane Harman shows that she had not yet seen evidence that Bush had signed off on this policy. This suggests President Bush did not provide the legally required notice to Congress, violating National Security Decisions Directive-286. What Bush did not say is as legally important as what he did say.

Yet, ultimately, Bush and whatever approval he gave the program is at the center of the administration's embrace of torture. Condoleezza Rice recently said, "By definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations in the Convention Against Torture." While Rice has tried to reframe her statement, it uses the same logic used by John Yoo and David Addington to justify the program, the shocking claim that international and domestic laws cannot bind the president in times of war. Bush's close allies still insist if he authorized it, it couldn't be torture.

The 13 people who made torture possible (part 2)

2009-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

5. George Tenet, director of Central Intelligence (1997-2004)

As director of the CIA during the early years of the war against al-Qaida, Tenet had ultimate management responsibility for the CIA's program of capturing, detaining and interrogating suspected al-Qaida members and briefed top Cabinet members on those techniques. Published reports say Tenet approved every detail of the interrogation plans: "Any change in the plan -- even if an extra day of a certain treatment was added -- was signed off on by the Director." It was under Tenet's leadership that Mitchell and Jessen's SERE techniques were applied to the administration's first allegedly high-value al-Qaida prisoner, Abu Zubaydah. After approval of the harsh techniques, CIA headquarters ordered Abu Zubaydah to be waterboarded even though onsite interrogators believed Zubaydah was "compliant." Since the Bybee Two memo authorizing torture required that interrogators believe the detainee had further information that could only be gained by using torture, this additional use of the waterboard was clearly illegal according to the memo.

6. Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor (2001-2005), secretary of state (2005-2008)

As national security advisor to President Bush, Rice coordinated much of the administration's internal debate over interrogation policies. She approved (she now says she "conveyed the authorization") for the first known officially sanctioned use of torture -- the CIA's interrogation of Abu Zubaydah -- on July 17, 2002. This approval was given after the torture of Zubaydah had begun, and before receiving a legal OK from the OLC. The approval from the OLC was given orally in late July and in written form on Aug. 1, 2002. Rice's approval or "convey[ance] of authorization" led directly to the intensified torture of Zubaydah.

7. John Yoo, deputy assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)

As deputy assistant attorney general of OLC focusing on national security for the first year and a half after 9/11, Yoo drafted many of the memos that would establish the torture regime, starting with the opinion claiming virtually unlimited power for the president in times of war. In the early months of 2002, he started working with Addington and others to draft two key memos authorizing torture: Bybee One (providing legal cover for torture) and Bybee Two (describing the techniques that could be used), both dated Aug. 1, 2002. He also helped draft a similar memo approving harsh techniques for the military completed on March 14, 2003, and even a memo eviscerating Fourth Amendment protections in the United States. The Bybee One and DOD memos argue that "necessity" or "self-defense" might be used as defenses against prosecution, even though the United Nations Convention Against Torture explicitly states that "no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war … may be invoked as a justification of torture." Bybee Two, listing the techniques the CIA could use in interrogation, was premised on hotly debated assumptions. For example, the memo presumed that Abu Zubaydah was uncooperative, and had actionable intelligence that could only be gotten through harsh techniques. Yet Zubaydah had already cooperated with the FBI. The memo claimed Zubaydah was mentally and physically fit to be waterboarded, even though Zubaydah had had head and recent gunshot injuries. As Jack Goldsmith described Yoo's opinions, they "could be interpreted as if they were designed to confer immunity for bad acts." In all of his torture memos, Yoo ignored key precedents relating both specifically to waterboarding and to separation of powers.

8. Jay Bybee, assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)

As head of the OLC when the first torture memos were approved, Bybee signed the memos named after him that John Yoo drafted. At the time, the White House knew that Bybee wanted an appointment as a Circuit Court judge; after signing his name to memos supporting torture, he received such an appointment. Of particular concern is the timing of Bybee's approval of the torture techniques. He first approved some techniques on July 24, 2002. The next day, Jim Haynes, the Defense Department's general counsel, ordered the SERE unit of DOD to collect information including details on waterboarding. While the record is contradictory on whether Haynes or CIA General Counsel John Rizzo gave that information to OLC, on the day they did so, OLC approved waterboarding. One of the documents in that packet identified these actions as torture, and stated that torture often produced unreliable results.

9. William "Jim" Haynes, Defense Department general counsel (2001-2008)

As general counsel of the Defense Department, Jim Haynes oversaw the legal analysis of interrogation techniques to be used with military detainees. Very early on, he worked as a broker between SERE professionals and the CIA. His office first asked for information on "exploiting" detainees in December 2001, which is when James Mitchell is first known to have worked on interrogation plans. And later, in July 2002, when CIA was already using torture with Abu Zubaydah but needed scientific cover before OLC would approve waterboarding, Haynes ordered the SERE team to produce such information immediately.

Later Haynes played a key role in making sure some of the techniques were adopted, with little review, by the military. He was thus crucial to the migration of torture to Guantánamo and then Iraq. In September 2002, Haynes participated in a key visit to Guantánamo (along with Addington and other lawyers) that coincided with requests from DOD interrogators there for some of the same techniques used by the CIA.

Haynes ignored repeated warnings from within the armed services about the techniques, including statements that the techniques "may violate torture statute" and "cross the line of 'humane' treatment." In October 2002, when the legal counsel for the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff attempted to conduct a thorough legal review of the techniques, Haynes ordered her to stop, because "people were going to see" the objections that some in the military had raised. On Nov. 27, 2002, Haynes recommended that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld authorize many of the requested techniques, including stress positions, hooding, the removal of clothing, and the use of dogs -- the same techniques that showed up later in the abuse at Abu Ghraib.

The 13 people who made torture possible (part 1)

2009-05-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

The Bush administration's Torture 13. They authorized it, they decided how to implement it, and they crafted the legal fig leaf to justify it.
(from salon.com)

1. Dick Cheney, vice president (2001-2009)

On the morning of 9/11, after the evacuation of the White House, Dick Cheney summoned his legal counsel, David Addington, to return to work. The two had worked together for years. In the 1980s, when Cheney was a congressman from Wyoming and Addington a staff attorney to another congressman, Cheney and Addington argued that in Iran-Contra, the president could ignore congressional guidance on foreign policy matters. Between 1989 and 1992, when Dick Cheney was the elder George Bush's secretary of defense, Addington served as his counsel. He and Cheney saved the only known copies of abusive interrogation technique manuals taught at the School of the Americas. Now, on the morning of 9/11, they worked together to plot an expansive grab of executive power that they claimed was the correct response to the terrorist threat. Within two weeks, they had gotten a memo asserting almost unlimited power for the president as "the sole organ of the Nation in its foreign relations," to respond to the terrorist attacks. As part of that expansive view of executive power, Cheney and Addington would argue that domestic and international laws prohibiting torture and abuse could not prevent the president from authorizing harsh treatment of detainees in the war against terror.

But Cheney and Addington also fought bureaucratically to construct this torture program. Cheney led the way by controlling who got access to President Bush -- and making sure his own views preempted others'. Each time the torture program got into trouble as it spread around the globe, Cheney intervened to ward off legal threats and limits, by badgering the CIA's inspector general when he reported many problems with the interrogation program, and by lobbying Congress to legally protect those who had tortured.

Most shockingly, Cheney is reported to have ordered torture himself, even after interrogators believed detainees were cooperative. Since the 2002 OLC memo known as "Bybee Two" that authorizes torture premises its authorization for torture on the assertion that "the interrogation team is certain that" the detainee "has additional information he refuses to divulge," Cheney appears to have ordered torture that was illegal even under the spurious guidelines of the memo.

2. David Addington, counsel to the vice president (2001-2005), chief of staff to the vice president (2005-2009)

David Addington championed the fight to argue that the president -- in his role as commander in chief -- could not be bound by any law, including those prohibiting torture. He did so in two ways. He advised the lawyers drawing up the legal opinions that justified torture. In particular, he ran a "War Council" with Jim Haynes, John Yoo, John Rizzo and Alberto Gonzales (see all four below) and other trusted lawyers, which crafted and executed many of the legal approaches to the war on terror together.

In addition, Addington and Cheney wielded bureaucratic carrots and sticks -- notably by giving or withholding promotions for lawyers who supported these illegal policies. When Jack Goldsmith withdrew a number of OLC memos because of the legal problems in them, Addington was the sole administration lawyer who defended them. Addington's close bureaucratic control over the legal analysis process shows he was unwilling to let the lawyers give the administration a "good faith" assessment of the laws prohibiting torture.

3. Alberto Gonzales, White House counsel (2001-2005), and attorney general (2005-2008)

As White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales was nominally in charge of representing the president's views on legal issues, including national security issues. In that role, Gonzales wrote and reviewed a number of the legal opinions that attempted to immunize torture. Most important, in a Jan. 25, 2002, opinion reportedly written with David Addington, Gonzales paved the way for exempting al-Qaida detainees from the Geneva Conventions. His memo claimed the "new kind of war" represented by the war against al-Qaida "renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners." In a signal that Gonzales and Addington adopted that position to immunize torture, Gonzales argued that one advantage of not applying the Geneva Convention to al-Qaida would "substantially reduce the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act." The memo even specifically foresaw the possibility of independent counsels' prosecuting acts against detainees.

4. James Mitchell, consultant

Even while Addington, Gonzales and the lawyers were beginning to build the legal framework for torture, a couple of military psychologists were laying out the techniques the military would use. James Mitchell, a retired military psychologist, had been a leading expert in the military's SERE program. In December 2001, with his partner, Bruce Jessen, Mitchell reverse-engineered SERE techniques to be used to interrogate detainees. Then, in the spring of 2002, before OLC gave official legal approval to torture, Mitchell oversaw Abu Zubaydah's interrogation. An FBI agent on the scene describes Mitchell overseeing the use of "borderline torture." And after OLC approved waterboarding, Mitchell oversaw its use in ways that exceeded the guidelines in the OLC memo. Under Mitchell's guidance, interrogators used the waterboard with "far greater frequency than initially indicated" -- a total of 183 times in a month for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 83 times in a month for Abu Zubaydah.

Adventure Day has its own blog!

2009-05-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Adventure day now has its own page and has been moved to: Adventure Day

The Bible says fetuses don't count as people

2009-05-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

I thought this was interesting. I usually advise against using Bible stories like that of Tamar as indications of the morality the Bible teaches, however I dont really believe in the bible anyways, and dont care what is says about fetuses- seeing as how I think abortion issues have nothing to do with religion, and are about government and state control.

This week's adventure had to be postponed due to sickness however in its place a wonderful MAGIC project was created- which will be posted probably by the end of the month.

Wednesday is Adventure Day

2009-04-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

So every Wednesday my boyfriend and I have adventure day. It doesnt need to be anything big- its just a day for us to get dirty and spend some time together exploring something we've never done before. Last Wednesday we decided to venture to Venice Beach because we had never been there together. Venice turned into the Getty, which turned into UCLA, which turned into Brentwood. One thing we stumbled upon was a protest....

Over the last few years, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have received death threats, had their cars firebombed and had their homes vandalized by activists who want to stop animal testing. Wednesday turned out to be a square off between UCLA researchers and animal rights activists.

Turkey fuzz

2009-04-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

it turns out that some dinosaurs may also have been fuzzy. Not like real fuzz though, but like the little bits of leftover feather you find on a turkey (and get really grossed out by.)

My races last week

2009-04-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Varsity 8:

UCSB 7:29.85

UCI Ltws 7:53.8

Chapman 8:06.7

Novice Lt 4:
	UCI 9:16.19
	UCSB 9:27.0

San Diego Crew Classic

2009-04-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Womens Open
A
Carley Copley Cup

Saturday Heat 1 (Qualifying)
USC
7:12.9
UCI
7:35.37
LARC 7:44.15
UCSD 8:10.50
SCU Alumni 8:22.12
UCD Alum B 8:26.19

Sunday Finals
USC 7:25.47
USC Alumni 7:42.70
UCI 7:51.56
UCSB 7:56.54
OCC 7:58.23
Lake Union 8:22.84

Third over 17 teams!

Overdraft charges

2009-03-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

so im thinking of taking my bank to small claims court

Update

2009-03-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

So really fast- I wanted to write something because I have really been active for awhile. So in the news:
Obama's popularity decreases
playboy shuts down new york offices
Obama urges nations to work together ahead of Group of 20 meeting
Obama's op-ed piece runs in 31 newspapers worldwide
President set to hold prime-time news conference Tuesday night
Obama: U.S. economy's success is "inextricably linked to the global economy"
South Africa refused the Dalai Lama a visa to attend the event
Spokesman: Not in South Africa's interest for him to attend
Grandson of Nelson Mandela said it was a sad day for country's democracy
Vermont poised to pass legislation to legalize same-sex marriage
It would be the first time a state took the action without being forced by courts
Vermont's governor opposes the bill and has called the measure a 'distraction'

ummm... cant think of anything else
in my news:
double days
big race on Saturday in newport- berg cup
going back to Panama this summer for free! this time for two months
about to go get frozen yogurt!
oh, and im really happy

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

2009-03-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

I decided today would be a good day to tackle one that I’ve been avoiding since I started, and not just because it’s hard to spell Ahmadinejad.

At the age of 49, in 2005, Ahmadinejad was elected President of Iran. He rose from relative obscurity, although he served as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and as the mayor of Tehran for four years. He campaigned as a strong conservative, and built a platform on fighting corruption. He was voted into office by an overwhelming majority of voters, most of whom were younger and had their political values informed by the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s. (Although it is worth noting that some discredit the legitimacy of the election.)

Criticism of Amadinejad is strong. He has fought hard for Iran’s freedom to enrich uranium and pursue a nuclear program. His argument is that he believes Iran should have the freedom to use nuclear power and that they have no hostile intentions, but past-disingenuity on the part of Iran makes this claim suspect. He also has made harsh statements concerning Israel. Shortly after his election he said publicly that Israel should be moved to Alaska* or somewhere in Europe. He is also one of those jerks who claims that the Holocaust did not occur.

It is pretty hard to find any acclaim of his policies, but he has allowed women to attend sporting events for the first time since 1979.

In more recent news, his supporters have become scarcer. Iran’s economy (like so many others) is really hurt right now, primarily because of the decrease of gas prices and the rate of inflation. In January, Obama invited Ahmadinejad to join him in direct talks to ease tensions between our countries, and in February, Ahmadinejad accepted. It will be interesting to see how that works out, because it is a clear difference from the last eight years of foreign policy. That said, Amadinejad’s term is up in June, and it’s not clear who will win the next election.

Most useful for this post were The New York Times and GlobalSecurity.org, but I also referenced BBC (of course) and Time (and a little bit this article.)

*Actually he said Israel should move to “Europe, Canada, the United States, or Alaska.” Hm… geography lesson, anyone?

Madagascar doesnt have penguins

2009-03-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Mike (from Panama) is currently working on a research project in Madagascar with his Grad School friend Krista. They are looking at mouse lemurs. There was a lot of talk about me going down there is and assisting as a student researcher over spring break/early summer. It seems that all of our plans may change though-The US ambassador is warning that Madagascar is on the verge of civil war. This obviously means that travel to Madagascar to not encouraged, and worse yet, that my friend may have to evacuate. This is never good for research.

At least 100 army officers have shown support for Madagascar's self-proclaimed president, Marc Ravalomanana, amid growing signs of division within the military. As many as 200 officers pledged allegiance to Mr Ravalomanana on last Thursday. In an effort to resolve the crisis, a delegation from the Organization of African Unity African has held talks with Madagascar's two rival rulers.

Mr Ravalomanana declared himself president last month, saying he beat the incumbent, Didier Ratsiraka, outright in December's election - a claim denied by Mr Ratsiraka who says there should be a run-off. The political crisis is threatening to split the island state, where five provincial governors have said they recognize an alternative capital to the opposition-controlled Antananarivo. According to two generals who have sworn allegiance to the new administration, 90% of the country's soldiers now support Mr Ravalomanana.

The entire gendarmerie, a police branch of the military, is thought to back him.

Crisis timeline

16 Dec - Presidential election held

7 Jan - Opposition claim rigging, begin daily protests

24 Jan- Opposition protests begin
25 Jan - Result announced, run-off ordered

28 Jan - Opposition strike begins
31 Jan- Rajoelina says he is in charge of the country

22 Feb - Ravalomanana declares himself president, PM announces state of emergency
26 Jan- Two protesters shot dead

3 Feb- Rajoelina sacked as the capital's mayor

7 Feb- Security forces shoot dead at least 20 protesters

27 Feb - First violent clashes in capital; At least 20 bodies found in burnt shop

28 Feb - President imposes martial law in capital

8 Mar- Section of the army joins opposition

9 Mar-Rajoelina under UN protection

10 Mar- Defense minster ousted

11 Mar- Army chief of staff forced out

Slumdog

2009-03-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Because I saw Slumdog Millionaire again today...

From the 1800s, India was ruled by Great Britain. In 1947, they gained independence as the Republic of India. At this time, the sub-continent was divided into Hindu India and and Muslim Pakistan. And, as situations like this always breed discontent (cough-Israel-Palestine-cough), war broke out between the two separate countries, largely focused on the territory of Kashmir (cough-Gaza-cough.) It’s been a roller-coaster of tension between the two countries since. Most recently they were involved in some peaceful talks, but at the end of 2009, India called a pause in the peace process.

One thing that makes the hostility between India and Pakistan so important is that they are both nuclear states. In 2006, George W Bush made an agreement with India to share US nuclear technology in exchange for India’s cooperation in allowing their nuclear program to be more closely monitored. Bush also approved a law allowing India to buy nuclear reactors and fuel for the first time in over thirty years.

India’s economy, in contrast to much of the world, is doing really well right now. This is in large part due to the fact that their huge population 1.2 billion (spread over 1.2 million square miles) allows them to outsource workers internationally (which you probably know if you ever had to call someone about a computer problem.) The Bollywood Industry also serves to bolster the economy. But despite the country’s overall well-being, there is still widespread poverty throughout the rural areas, primarily because of the caste system that keeps people from rising socially or amassing wealth.

Okay, that’s really just scratching the surface, but I’m calling it a good start.

UC Irvine vs. UCSD, CSULB, USD, UCSB, Chapman, Mills

2009-03-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

WN8:
UCI	7:42.4
UCSB	7:49.4
CSULB	8:00
UCSD	8:19.2
Mills	9:39.8

This was a pretty big race for us- and let me tell you, it feels good to win!

Us about to take UCSB

Totally walking on them

Look how nice we all look (im in the bow)

FROM STERN to BOW: C-MarieSarah, Julia, Katie, Rachel, Erica, Lauren, Lilli, Vivian, Gwen

Taking Long Beach

You can see almost all the teams we were racing in this one- we are the yellow boat in the very front

After every good rce we have to begin the process of going back to the boathouse... sometimes there is a wait

And the actual docking part is always tricky...

Its brutal out on the water!

Then we have to spray the boat down and clean up

Me, Lauren, Katie, Julia, Rachel and Erica- finally able to eat after a long morning

Gupta

2009-03-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

A little tidbit that almost sneaked (snuck?) past me in the news today:

Sanjay Gupta (you know, from CNN), who has been Obama’s main choice for surgeon general just withdrew his name from consideration. It’s not a hot seat for policy making, but with Obama’s big health care plans, it would be a great place for America to see a trusted face.

Gupta turned down the job, claiming he wanted to spend more time focusing on medicine and his family.

More on that from NPR if you are interested

Also, as it turns out, sneaked or snuck is just fine.

To Nationalize or Not to Nationalize...

2009-03-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Obama knows that temporary nationalization of the insolvent banks is a must if the problem is to be fixed. And by banks, I don’t mean the little ones; they are already being nationalized. The big banks that have major problems need temporary nationalization and revitalization! Sure, it won’t be politically easy to sell, no pun intended. Nationalization of the big, bad banks would require wiping out their stockholders. Wall Street and the Dow Jones seem to scream at just the mention of nationalization. But Obama has to realize that if the problem isnt fixed and we get our own Japanese-style “Lost Decade,” then it’ll be pretty hard for the Democrats and Obama to push their progressive agenda, much less stay in power.

Africa and the Obama Administration

2009-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

UCI Faculty Working Group for Middle East and African Studies, Program in African American Studies, Darfur Action Committee and Association of Concerned Africa Scholars Present:

“From AFRICOM to oil and Darfur to Zimbabwe: Will Africa become a priority for the OBAMA Administration?”

A discussion with activist and educator

Prexy Nesbitt
Columbia College

Wednesday March 11, 2009
5pm, Room HH 100
Faculty, students, and community members welcome!

For more information, please visit:
http://darfuractioncommittee.org OR concernedafricascholars.org

Obama to lift ban on Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-03-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Monday, President Obama is planning to sign an executive order undoing 8 years of Bush restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

Obamanomics

2009-03-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Obama’s new proposed budget is a decisive turn away from the conservative model of Reaganomics: Government is bad — give money to the rich and watch it trickle down. Every president since Ronald Reagan has toed that line, more or less. While former president Bill Clinton was a Democrat, he remained a centrist at heart. Clinton never clearly broke away from the Reagan-stigmatizing tradition of “government is the problem,” even though he ran the government better than any of the Reaganites.

The new budget proposal has a different view of government. Instead of the government being inherently bad, the government should foster growth. And foster it does, with $3.6 trillion requested for the 2010 fiscal year. In addition, money for alternative energy research, health care and education are being laid out in big sums. Health care in particular is getting a $634 billion down payment in preparation for when Obama reforms the health care system. Progressive ideas are finally being funded. Wait, the Democrats took back Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008; I can finally say “liberal” ideas are being funded.

There is, however, one issue where Obama does need to turn more to the left and not just because it’s the cool thing to do, but because it’s the right thing to do — that is, nationalizing insolvent banks. President Obama’s current plan (if there really is one) is to keep bailing out banks. This is eerily similar to the Japanese crisis of the 1990s. They tried fiscal stimuli, along with cash infusions and low interest rates. Does this sound familiar? None of those remedies worked. The banks remained troubled because of their bad assets. It wasn't until 2003, when the nationalization of the banks took place, that the credit crisis in Japan started to turn around.

So why not nationalize, like Sweden, or japan?

Clampdown on Tibetans

2009-03-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Next week, March 10 marks the 50th anniversary of a failed revolt against Chinese rule that led to the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile in India.

Chinese leaders have prepared for the worst, ordering the largest troop deployment since the Sichuan earthquake last spring. Tibetan regions have become militarized zones.

The broad security measures undercut assertions by the Chinese government that serious ethnic tensions do not exist and that Tibetan nationalism is not widespread. They also show that Tibet remains one of the most sensitive political and security issues for China, though one that remains invisible in the developed cities along the country’s east coast.

Last March, the largest Tibetan uprising against Communist rule in decades erupted after Chinese security forces suppressed a protest by monks in Lhasa. At least 19 people were killed. In the ensuing crackdown, 220 Tibetans were killed, nearly 1,300 were injured and nearly 7,000 were detained or imprisoned, according to the Tibetan government in exile, which is based in Dharamsala, India.

The Chinese government accused the Dalai Lama, of fomenting the violence. The Dalai Lama advocates Tibetan autonomy under Chinese rule, but disavows violence and says he does not favor secession.

There are no signs of protests now, residents say, because the town is completely locked down. Recent photographs taken in Xiahe show riot police officers marching in the streets.

“The security forces are everywhere, on every corner, day and night,” said a Tibetan woman reached by telephone. “Don’t come here.” (New York Times)

LOL Cats

2009-03-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today in class, "text language" was brought up- specifically, the bible text version. This got me to think about computer languages. How could we have ever forgotten the phenomenon of the LOL Cats? LOL Cats have given cute little kitties everywhere an unique voice in the virtual world- and I think it is only appropriate that they are mentioned in this class.

For those not-in-the-know, A lolcat is an image combining a photograph, most frequently of a cat, with a funny and idiosyncratic caption in (often) broken English—a dialect which is known as “lolspeak,” ”kitteh,” or “kitty pidgin”. LOL Cats really took off- for some people- you can check some out here

A bit of trivia:

LOL Cat history goes as far back as the 1860s, when a photographer named Henry Pointer began publishing a carte-de-visite (small photos) series of cats. Later, in the early 20th century, Harry Whittier Frees published novelty postcards and children's books with images of animals dressed in human clothing.

The first recorded use of the term "lolcat" is from the anonymous imageboard 4chan sometime around 2005.

The word "lolcat" is attested as early as June 2006, and the domain name "lolcats.com" was registered on June 14, 2006.

----
Thanks,
Gwen
48129661

Credit Crisis

2009-03-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

So I promised that I would explore the financial crisis... and while doing that I realized I needed to understand securitization, risk, and derivatives. In order to understand those things I needed to understand investment banking. In order to understand investment banking, I need to understand the history of credit. All this made possible through Bill Maurer and the Anthropology of Money.

So in order to do this right, I need to set it up. So bare with me-
First:

Neoliberal

1973-1974, 1980
Free Market, flexible exchange, market as government- market dominance

Keynesianism

1930s
Before Neoliberalism
Market revolution, FDR, Free markets

Liberalism

1888s-
Before Keynesianism
Dog eat dog
Market rule

Glass Steagall Act- 1933
ok, so this is important. This act said that you couldn't have commercial banking, investment banking, and insurance, under one roof.
So what are these things?

Commercial Banking

this is where the FDIC is involved
these are for people to money in
key is INDIVIDUAL depositors (not big business)
bank makes money by LENDING with interest to individuals (mortgages, etc)

Investment Banking

investing in businesses
don't LEND- buy SHARE in biz, then receive dividends
not a LOAN
bank then OWNS a share
this is where SECURITIZATION comes in (related to SHARES)

Securitization is a share- you take any object, chop it up and sell it- then it gets rebundled, chopped up again, and resold.

Start with object (could be a mortgage)
then split it up to sell

(Picture) then someone buys a piece

this person/s buy a lot of other pieces from different business also

they take their new pieces and split them up again, to sell to someone else

someone buys a piece... and this continues

This is all pretty vanilla-easy and simple. As it goes on it gets much more complicated- but really this is just a way to hedge ones investment. You are SECURING yourself by having a lot of pieces from different areas- some more stable than others.

Insurance

risk management
by pooling assets
also dealing with time (cause its for something that happens in the future)

Enter:

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act- 1999
AKA the Financial Services Modernization Act (FSMA). This replaced the Glass Steagal Act (depression, separation). The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act got rid of the separation between commercial banking, investment banking, and insurance. Important: allowed for derivatives to be traded "off the balance sheet"

If that was vanilla, then Derivatives are rocket science...
Derivatives are "off the balance sheet" investments, found in OTC markets. Their value is derived from the value of something else, known as the underlying. Derivatives can be used to reduce the risk of economic loss arising from changes in the value of the underlying. This activity is known as hedging. Alternatively, derivatives can be used by investors to increase the profit arising if the value of the underlying moves in the direction they expect. This activity is known as speculation.

You take the rebundled object from before:

and create a whole new thing:

D=this is the chance that the price of X will go up (or down).

problem? where are derivatives listed? where is value derived from? they aren't listed on the stock market...
they are in over-the-counter (OTC) markets
and these are operating "off the balance sheet"

Derivatives allow risk about the value of the underlying asset to be transferred from one party to another. Derivatives can be used to acquire risk, rather than to insure or hedge against risk also. Some individuals and institutions will enter into a derivative contract to speculate on the value of the underlying asset, betting that the party seeking insurance will be wrong about the future value of the underlying asset.

We are now living in the explosion of the Gramm Act- the removal of separation of walls between institutions has created numerous problems for us- and now we are kinda having to rebuild those walls.

Why are anthropologists interested in this?
Anthropologists are interested in the interfaces between these financial practices. They are also fascinated by how the dynamics play out.

Is this the end of Neoliberalism?

So now hopefully with that background- this short clip my professor showed me will make more sense, although its pretty clear.

Girls Only!

2009-03-02T16:02:00.001-08:00

Short egg donation survey!

please participate!

Parker Cup- Season Opener

2009-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

SDSU A	7:11.8
UCI	7:19.6
SDSU B	7:26.7

Playing Archaeologist

2009-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

I'm finally going to wrap up last summers Panama experience. I think pictures will do better than words though- and probably more entertaining, so here goes...

This is that big pit that we started during our first week. Basically Archaeologists like to put back everything when they are done with it if it isn't important. On our day off (while on our way to the beach) we were suckered into finishing the back fill on the 3X3:

Me and some island dogs, while taking a break from back filling:

Me and the island dog Dingo/Edwin (nicest dog ever) chillin in a hammock:

KT, Alex, Emma, and Me busy excavating the skeleton we found in Tomb 4:

Shot of me about to enter in one of the Mimbi Timbi caves:

Native Kinkajou (honey bear- rain forest mammal) being fed by Tom and Me. He really likes to eat things:

Emma, Sara, and I checking out the coral slab situation:

Mike and me doing some extensive tool detail work near tomb 4:

Best palm tree rope swing ever:

Me, KT, Emma, MJ, and Sara on our way to starfish cove to do some spear fishing and snorkeling- yes that is a spear I'm holding (all those kids behind us were rich HS kids on some bio summer camp- stopping by to see how cool archaeologist are):

KT: Notre Dame, Mike and I: UC Irvine. The Anteaters beat the Fighting Irish this time! This was at our end of class party:

Drawing the skeleton after excavation was complete. The tomb was very disturbed and the skull was missing completely:

Me, Sara, Mike, KT, and Alex after Sara and KT threw Alex in the mud for splashing them at the screening table:

Before the we arrived Handy-man, Mike hacked this path to the beach from our house. I'm heading down for a swim:

A well pedestaled coral slab tomb; Me, Sara, and Emma next to a skeleton we couldn't see yet:

Our backyard and my reason for loving Panama:

Mike showing off some of the local fauna on our walk to starfish cove:

Group shot after finishing a surveying job in the Teak Forest:

5-meter systematic survey in the teak forest; me and alex are closest:

Emma taking a break from excavation:

Charlene drawing a completed unit:

Alex and Sara at the screening table; wet screening is fun:

Tom and a local parrot snake- I don't think the snake is happy:

Some evenings are just perfect. Beyond those trees is Costa Rica:

Mike's first lecture! We learned about GPS- very exciting:

Tom's Daughter, Summer, and cutest little 3-year old ever! She likes the rhinoceros beetles:

View in front of Tom's house:

Alex learning to pedestal a coral slab tomb (we told him not to do this!). Underneath his left hand is where we found the feet of the skeleton a few days after this photo:

Me and KT; excavation in the rain forest means excavation in the rain (including severe tropical storms):

Jesus Christ Lizard, or Basilisk. They are called that because they can run on the surface of water:

This one needs a setup... Earlier on this morning KT told us that she thought she might have malaria. When we asked why, she showed us a bruise on the inside of her upper arm. For those of you who don't know, malaria is a parasitic infection which causes severe flu-like symptoms! Mike tried not to laugh when he told her she was ok, but he couldn't resist telling Tom and Chrissy to have a look at KT's plasmodium later in the day. Tom and Chrissy were not able to keep from laughing:

Charlene, Sara, and KT excavating side-by-side units in a 2x2:

Me, Emma, and KT showing off the new Drago Field School summer line of work clothes:

Here are Mike and Tomas leading the survey through the teak forest:

Beginning excavation of the 3x3 which they started in '07 (mike buildings us protection out of bamboo, tarp, and string):

Little corner where we ate everyday:

Emma, Me, MJ, Tess getting ready for a day of excavation:

Mike and Alex getting ready for Tom's party:

Chrissy and Tom supervise Breane, KT, and Katie excavating the 3x3:

Another view in front of Tom's place:

This pic is from Mike's visit to Panama City after the end of the trip. Some of our favorite Panamanian pottery:

Field school is fun:

Alex, KT, and Sara- after mud wrestling... Field school is fun:

Mike's big catch of the day! Besides this Hammerhead he also pulled out a cobia:

Lab work in the evenings:

More lab work:

This is our buddy Giliberto. He is a Ngobe indian and lives in a very small hamlet of about 5 houses. It is about a 30 minute walk through the forest to get there. He met Mike last year when he was on this trail. Like most 6 year olds he likes cookies and baseball:

Our house:

Mike built this for us so we could wet screen at the site. There is nothing he can't do:

Movies under the house after lab (when we had electricity):

Toward the end of the trip everyone started to get really sad about leaving. The work kept us pretty busy though. The sheer volume of artifact material is still astounding to me and it has to be analyzed daily or we would never keep up. Nothing like this every happens in California archaeology! Nearly every scrape of the trowel turns up more pottery, bones, shells, and stone; all of which was brought to the area by somebody (no native stone on island).

One great thing that has happened is that Tom finally got out of his cast and walking without crutches. Having him be more mobile really helped out with the work load, although there always seems to be something else to fix or build. I think Tom wants to keep mike working for him as a handyman. Toward the end of the trip we lost our generator (unfixable) but we were able to find a replacement. The replacement needs constant maintenance and mike and the rest of us had to spend a couple of evenings with a headlamp on being a diesel mechanic and electrician.

I still can´t say enough about all of the students. The group made everything seem easy. Despite being 10 women and one young Englishman (plus Mike) there weren´t any serious personality clashes and they all prefered to hang out together over dispersing. Every Saturday night we roamed en masse around Bocas town to the best happy hours (50 cent beers and 1.50 cuba libres!) and then danced the rest of the night at Barco Hundido. In the field we were all intrepid adventurers. We handled several snakes, a caiman, bats, spiders, and lizards, not to mention belly crawling through muddy caves and swimming in pitch black caverns. We really enjoyed bringing specimens back to Tom for his bone collection.

Panama Day 1

2009-02-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Panama City on July 5th with a few other undergraduate students. From Panama city we made our way over to a smaller airport near the Panama canal, Old Albrook, and hesitantly boarded a small aircraft. In Bocas Del Toro we were met by project assistant (and my friend), Mike Davis, and Chrissy Campbell, a primatologist and wife of Tom. We took the local taxis to the other side of the island to our project site and new home, Drago. The drive took about an hour, winding through the rain forest. It kinda reminded me of what the Philippines would look like. You can get a bird’s-eye view if you go to Google Earth and type in Boca del Drago — fly right in. Tom stays at the house right at the point, and we stay in a large house down the road to the east, right on the beach. Drago only has a few residents, we were pretty much isolated.

It took some time to adjust to the warm, humid tropical climate — drinking plenty of water. One of the first things we did Sunday afternoon was a jungle tour, which was hot and sticky. After the exploring the jungle we went swimming in the ocean and did a bit of snorkeling. We ate all of our meals at Restaurante Yarisnori, right on the beach. Yarisnori is owned by a local women who cooks out of a little kitchen, covered by a wooden patio on the sand. She mostly cators to the few tourists that venture to that side of the island and a few of the local residents. The food was great- all organic, all fresh- lots of fish.

Chrissy and Tom gave the us an orientation pep talk, including cautions regarding snakes, killer bees, stingrays, fire coral, jellyfish and pirates. Tom was forced to add that when having a beach fire on the Fourth of July and entertaining 3, 5, 6, and 11-year-old kids and various adults with not-so-safe fireworks, it is important to watch where you step, even if you can’t see the ground very well due to the glare- Tom stepped in a deep hole and broke his foot.

Due to Tom's accident we got a little break before excavation. We spent this time on the beach mostly, but after day-two they had us start the process of removing backfill- which took almost three days.

Intro to Panama: Drago Archaeological Project

2009-02-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

I've been wanting to talk about this for awhile- but just a quick intro now (I'm super tired)
Last summer I enjoyed a little tropical island living on Isla Colón on the Caribbean shore. Sitio Drago is a large archaeological site on this Panamanian island, which is covered with exotic plants and animals. UCLA archaeologist Thomas Wake discovered the remains of an Indian village here five years ago, centuries after it was apparently swallowed by the jungle. Previous digs have discovered ceramics, carved stone, and tools for processing plants into food.

Over the summer I participated on a research dig in Drago. During the project we excavated a tomb, surveyed the jungle for new sites, and analyzed the thousands of bits of pottery uncovered from the site in recent years. We also toured the surrounding environment to observe the food and raw materials that would have been available to the village, and learned about prehistoric social organization.

Quick facts on Panama

1. The United States opened the Panama Canal in 1914 and administered it until 1977 when it was returned to Panama under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.

2. More than half the population of Panama lives in the Panama City metropolitan area.

3. The pollera, a large, colorful gathered skirt, is the national dress of Panama. One such skirt can cost thousands of dollars and take years to create.

4. The carimañola is a breakfast specialty made of fried yucca.

5. Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific Ocean and set on the Atlantic Ocean.

View Larger Map

The Matrix?

2009-02-21T12:32:00.001-08:00

Seriously though, here’s what I am trying to learn today: How is technology not the same as magic? I had a (far-too-long-to-be-considered-cool) conversation about it the other day, and I simply can’t explain from a theoretical standpoint how technology differs from magic. I defy you to do it.

Yes, defy.

Legalizing Marijuana

2009-02-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

Two recent polls show that legalizing marijuana, which is not treated as a mainstream position by either the political or media establishment, to be more popular than numerous other positions that are considered mainstream. First, here are the polls:

"Do you think that the use of marijuana should be made legal or not?" (CBS)
					.
		Legal	Not Legal	Unsure	.
		%	%	%	.
	1/11-15/09	41	52	7	.
	7/79	27	69	4

Should Marijuana be legalized? (RASMUSSEN)
Yes	40%
No	46%
Not sure	14%

It should also be noted that, at 40-41% support, legalizing marijuana is more popular than all of the following:

--Opposing stricter gun control laws (40%)
--Congress (26-40%)
--The war in Iraq (39%)
--Decreasing immigration levels (39%)
--Privatizing Social Security (36%)
--Opposing investigating the Bush administration (34%)
--Opposing national, government run health insurance (32%)
--Vetoing stem cell research (31%)
--The Republican Party (31%)
--Dick Cheney (30%)
--George W. Bush (24-34%)
--Decreasing business regulations (28%)
--Rush Limbaugh (28%)
--Mitch McConnell (22%)
--Preventing the openly gay from serving in the military (17%)
--John Boehner (17%)

In short, legalizing marijuana is more popular than the Republican Party, most leading Republicans, and virtually the entire Republican platform.

Secretary of Commerce

2009-02-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

Republican Senator Judd Gregg from New Hampshire withdrew his name for consideration for the post of Secretary of Commerce last week, which is why there is no one in that position yet. Here’s the official White House Statement:

“Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart”.

According to the Associated Press, Obama claimed it was “something of a surpise.”

Political analysts on WTOP today speculated that while Obama is reaching across the aisle and engaging in meaningful conversations with Republicans, he is still taking actions according to only his own ideals. (You can read that as criticism or praise.)

Gregg is the fourth of Obama’s nominees to withdraw his name from consideration of a cabinet post.

So that made me wonder: hey, who really is in charge of our economy right now? Obama, Bernanke, Geithner… and then I decided to think about that one for tomorrow.

Meet the Cabinet

2009-02-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

I started playing this game called with my friends called, “How Many [Something Important] vs. [Something Dumb] Can You Name?” For example: Can you name more U.S. Presidents or professional golfers? If you can name more dumb things, you lose. Anyway, it turns out that I can name more flavors of Ben and Jerry’s than Obama’s cabinet members. So, to remedy that…

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments. There are also six other positions that have an equal rank with the cabinet positions.

First, the Cabinet:

Vice President: Joe Biden
Department of State: Hillary Clinton
Department of the Treasury: Tim Geithner
Department of Defense: Robert Gates
Department of Justice: Eric Holder
Department of the Interior: Ken Salazar
Department of Agriculture: Thomas Vilsack

Department of Commerce: no one yet

Department of Labor: Hilda Sollis

Department of Health and Human Services: no one yet

Department of Housing and Urban Dev.: Shaun Donovan
Department of Transportation: Raymond LaHood
Department of Energy: Steven Chu
Department of Education: Arne Duncan
Department of Veteran Affairs: Eric Shinseki
Department of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

And the other six (who I cant bother to post pics of):

Council of Economic Advisers: Christina Romer

Environmental Protection Agency: Lisa Jackson

Office of Management & Budget: Peter Orszag

United States Trade Representative: Ronald Kirk

United States Ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice

White House Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel

Now if I were awesome, I would learn about all of these people over the course of the next three weeks, but I think I would get pretty bored with that, so no promises.

If you want to learn more yourself, you can check them out at the White House site, CBS (which is user friendly and recommended by me), or the Huffington Post.

In all fairness though, I think there are more flavors of Ben and Jerry’s.

The Stimulus Bill!

2009-02-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

First of all I’d like to say that it’s unbelievably hard to find a useful summary of the 600+ page economic stimulus bill. So here goes:

$275 billion in tax cuts
$32 on energy efficiency
Building science facilities
Constructing and repairing roads
Technology in schools (especially Title I)
Lowering health care costs
And more

(That link is a little old, so if you check it out, you should also look at what got cut)

The goal is to save/create 3-4 million American jobs and jump-start the economy with consumer spending.

As I feel Obama really explained the need for prompt action in his press conference last week, I thought I’d include a section of criticism, but I guess we’re beyond the point where that matters. So instead I’d like to mention this NY Times article which says, essentially, that in an economy that is so globally intertwined, solving our domestic economic issues is just the beginning. The banking economy and world trade issues need to be worked out, or none of this will matter.

As a final note, to put some perspective on the numbers, CNN put together this user-friendly video about how much a trillion is.

Crew Lingo

2009-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Bow - the front of the shell where the little white ball is located (bow ball). When sitting in the shell, it is behind you. You get to see where you've been!
bow (seat) - the person sitting in the front of the shell furthest from the cox'n
two (seat) - the person sitting in front of the bow person
three (seat) - the person sitting in front of the two seat
four (seat) - the person sitting front of the three seat, and so forth to the.....
stroke (seat) - the person sitting in front of the seven seat. The stroke is the person that everyone behind (seven through bow) needs to follow. The stroke sets the timing at the direction of the coxswain.
Some more...
bow pair - bow, and two
stern pair - stroke and seven
bow four - bow, two, three and four
stern four - five, six, seven, and stroke

Bow ball -An essential small, soft ball no smaller than 4 cm diameter securely attached to the bow. Primarily intended for safety but also useful in deciding which boat crossed the finish line first in very close races.

Catch - Point of the stroke where the blade enters the water

Cox-Box - Electronic amplifier for the coxswains voice that plugs into a speaker system in the boat, so that each rower can hear the instructions given. This device can also measure time and strokes per minute.

Coxswain -The oar-less crew-member, who is responsible for steering and race strategy. The coxswain usually sits in the stern of the boat.

Crab -When an oar blade enters the water at an angle, instead of perpendicularly, it can get caught under the surface. The oar handle drives into the stomach and has the potential to throw a rower out of the boat entirely! Even if not that disastrous, "catching a crab" will certainly drastically interrupt the flow of the boat through the water

Engine room -The middle rowers in the boat. In an 8-person shell, these are generally seats 5, 6, and 3 and 4 to a lesser degree. They are generally the biggest and strongest rowers.

Footplate -The piece of the boat to which the rower's feet are attached, either by tying their actual shoes (sneakers) in, or (more often) by putting their feet into a permanently-attached pair of sneakers. (also Foot stretcher and footchock)

Foot Stretcher - Not a torturing device. This is the fiberglass plate where the rowers put there feet. There are a pair of shoes mounted to each stretcher.

Gimp Seat -Seat 3 in an 8-person boat, often regarded as having the least responsibility.

Gunwales - (pronounced: gunnels) The top rail of the shell

Heavyweight -A rower who weighs more than the restrictions for lightweight rowing. Often referred to as Open weight.

Level hands - this is the term used to describe the horizontal plane the hands are on during the drive and the recovery. During the drive the hands are slightly higher relative to the gunnel of the boat (which allows the oar blade to be just barely buried in the water, but not too deep); during the recovery the hands are slightly lower relative to the gunnel of the boat (which allows the oar to skim along the top of the water in the feathered position).

Lightweight -A rower whose weight allows him or her to be eligible to compete in lightweight rowing events.

Oar - A slender pole which is attached to a boat at the Oarlock. One end of the pole, called the "handle," is gripped by the rower, the other end has a "blade," which is placed in the water during the propulsive phase of the stroke. The blade portion of the oar is similar to a razor blade or a piece of paper: Essentially two-dimensional, the third dimension is very thin, although it should be noted that there is a very important element to the third dimension of the blade, namely that it is curved into a sort of hydrofoil, which helps provide much of the thrust.

Oarlock -The rectangular lock at the end of the rigger which physically attaches the oar to the boat. The oarlock also allows the rower to rotate the oar blade between the "square" and "feather" positions.

Port - the side of the shell that is on your right hand side while sitting in the shell

Recovery - The only moments of rest. Happens after the finish, as the rower moves back up the slide for another stroke. The progression should be arms, body, legs.

Rigger - A "Rigger" is the rowing slang name for an Outrigger the metal structure protruding from each side of the shell usually alternating from port side to starboard side.

Roller -The wheels upon which the seat slide travels along its track.

Rudder -Adjacent to the skeg and used by the coxswain (or in some coxless boats, by a rower using a "toe") to steer the boat via attached cables. Extra-large rudders are used on narrower and/or bendier rivers.

Roll-up - the process of turning the inside hand to bring the oar from the feathered position to the squared position. This occurs after the finish and during the recovery. It is usually completed by the time the hands pass over the shins. Some rowers like to time it with the wheels on the seat. As the wheels begin to turn the inside hand begins to turn the oar to the squared position.

Seat - the place where you put your seat! It rolls on four little wheels on the seat tracks.!

Set - The balance and feel of the boat. this is the term used to describe balance of the shell. There are several different factors, which contribute to the balance of the shell.

Starboard - the side of the shell that is on your left hand side while sitting in the shell.

Stern - the back of the shell which is in front of you while sitting in the shell.

Toe - In some boats without a coxswain, a rower may be able to control the rudder and steer the boat by changing the direction his foot points. This is called "toeing a boat." And the mechanism is called a "toe."

Commands:

"(#) Add in" - These commands tell the rower(s) either to stop rowing or to start rowing with everyone else. (#) indicates the number of rower(s) who should start or stop – e.g. “Bow pair fall-out, stern pair fall-in in two..”

"Back it"- To have the rowers place their blades at the release position, squared, and push the oar handle towards the stern of the boat. This motion causes the shell to move backwards.

"Count Down" (or "number off") -Tells the crew to call out their seat number, starting at the bow, when ready to row.

"Easy oars" -To stop.

"Even pressure”- This command tells the rowers to pull with even pressure on both sides. This is the complement to ease-up.

"Hold Water" -Emergency stop, also used after the command way enough. It instructs the rowers to square their blades in the water to stop the boat.

"In 2..." -Most water commands are appended prior to the command to take place after two strokes. For example "In 2, Power 10" or "In 2, Weigh-enough."

"Paddle" - Tells a crew to row with just enough pressure to move the boat. The paddle command is also used to bring a crew down from full pressure at the end of a workout piece or race.

“Set the boat” - this is the command that the cox'n may often say during the learning stages of rowing. The cox'n is calling for the rowers to be aware of the balance of the shell.

"On the square" - To row without feathering the blades on the recovery. Blades are upright in the air- instead of slicing through air

"Weigh enough" ("Way enough)-The command to stop what ever the rower is doing, whether it be walking with the boat overhead or rowing.

Things that happen:

Air stroke-To take a stroke without the blade having been placed in the water, resulting in a complete lack of power.

Backsplash - This term is in reference to the water thrown back toward the bow direction by the blade as it enters the water. Less is best. This indicates that the blade has been properly planted before the rower initiates the drive (good).

Bury the blade - Submerge the blade totally in the water.

Feather -To turn the oar so that its blade is parallel with the water (opposite of square).

Hanging at the catch -The blade is hesitating at the catch point, before entering the water (bad).

Hot seating - When two crews share the same shell, during a regatta, sometimes it is necessary for the crews to switch at the finish line without taking the boat from the water.

Shooting your slide -Term used for when an oarsman’s seat moves toward the bow faster than his shoulders (bad).

Skying -Term used to describe a blade that is too high off the surface of the water during the recovery. The rower’s hands are too low causing an upset to the balance of the boat (bad).

Split time (split) -Amount of time it takes to row 500 meters. Displayed on all ergs and on coxboxes installed on boats with speed coaches

Square - To turn the oar so that its blade is perpendicular to the water (opposite of feather).

Stroke rate -The number of strokes executed per minute by a crew. (also rating)

Betting shirts- In collegiate competition, men's teams sometimes "bet" their shirts on the race. Because women's crew is governed by the NCAA, which forbids betting on athletic events, shirt betting is usually only done by men's crews.

Scratch Crew - A crew which has not rowed with each other before.

Seat race -A method to compare two rowers in fours or eights. Two boats race against each other once. One rower from each boat switch positions, and the two boats race again. Relative performance in the two races is used to compare the abilities of the two rowers.

The deal with Guantanamo?

2009-02-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

In 2007, Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp if elected. On his second day in office, he followed through on that promise, and according to this Gallup Poll, it was (with only 44% of Americans’ support) not a vastly popular choice. I’m trying to make a pros and cons list, but admittedly, I’ll probably leave out some stuff–obvious or not–so feel free to weigh in.

Benefits of closing down:

Obama told NBC that his decision was intended to balance what will keep America safe, and ensure Constitutional rights for the prisoners.
The torture thing. Or physical coercion during interrogation–that was a problem for people.
The US has spent $780 million since 2002 on Gitmo.
There is suspicion that many people there have been unfairly imprisoned. (Source for the above: The ACLU’s Close Gitmo page)

Why people don’t support the decision:

There are "terrorists" there. And they are well-contained. And moving them may prove difficult and dangerous. There are a lot of places where they may be sent, but nothing is completely certain right now. Mostly, people in the continental US don’t want them any closer.
If prisoners are sent to European countries, the US will give financial support to those countries (as opposed to American troops and contractors.)
John McCain has said that the decision is overall wise, but not well-thought-out. What about people whose countries won’t take them back? What about people we know will pose a threat, but we don’t have sufficient evidence to convict?

So there are about fifty weeks left to get this all done, and there are only two weeks left to assure locations for the prisoners. Probably it’s going to be a rough fifty weeks.

Obama throws snowballs

2009-02-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Attack on Modern Public Space and its Consequences

2009-02-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

With graduation near I've lately been thinking about different types of living environments and where I might end up in the next few months. Cities, Rural areas, tribal regions... I've been thinking about aspects of each. As an Anthropologist Ive been thinking about the type of culture that happens and is created in these places, and what type of benefit they give to the resident. Anthropologists think about these types of things by doing ethnography and field work- so that's kind of what I've been doing.

Living in Irvine gives me a superb playground on which to view the suburban environment- and this had led me to think about gated communities. The more I think about it the more I'm starting to view them as socially homogeneous environments for the middle and upper class. And really, an attack on modern public space- and this has consequences. Let me explain.

Living in a gated community represents a new version of the middle-class American dream. Architectural symbols such as gates and walls represent keeping a community safe from criminals/outsiders- its harder for them to get in, therefore living in a gated community is justified- ergo, media fears of violence and terrorism are reinforced. Gated communities, intensify the idea that people need to be protected from the people outside the gates. Everyone outside the gate becomes a threat!

Gated communities also restrict access not just to residents' homes but also to the use of public spaces and services- roads, parks, facilitates, and open space- contained within the enclosure. They are different from other exclusive suburban developments like, condominiums, cooperatives, and doorman apts buildings- the walls and gates are visible barriers that have social and psychological- as well as physical- effects. In practical terms, they restrict access to streets that would otherwise be available for public as well as private transportation. In some cases, gated communities limit access to open space and park land donated by the developer to the town. This land is designated as public domain, but is available only to those who live within the gates.

There is a lot of debate over why gated communities have become so popular. I think the gated community is really a response to transformations in the political economy of late-twentieth-century urban America though. The political shift to the right during the Reagan years intensified an ideological focus on free market capitalism. Globalization and economic restructuring weakened existing social relations and contributed to breakdowns of the traditional ways of maintaining order. Police and schools were no longer effective and so the gated community became a socially viable option. The creation of gated communities is an integral part of the "Fortress City" ideal (As talked about by Mike Davis). You see, America likes to do this thing where they regulate the urban poor. Gating is only one example of this new form of social ordering that regulates people. It works like this- the "protected group"- usually the wealthy, are shielded from "outsiders"- non wealthy. A safe environment excludes all those who are considered dangerous. As we all know Racism is a huge contributor to social segregation and exclusion in the US. Residents of middle and upper class neighborhoods often brand themselves off by class by building fences, or moving out in response to conflict- or "the neighborhood going down the drain". This brings me to the very creation of the suburb in general... historically the suburb was an enclave for the middle and upper class who were searching for a new place that reinforced race and class separation!

Consequences
- Urban fear and inequality keeps groups apart ( a new sociability against the ideals of the modern public and demographic freedoms)
-Democracy= people acknowledge those from different social groups as co-citizens
-Cities are segregated by gates and walls
-Cities foster inequality- different groups belong to different universes.

The powerful Ben Bernanke

2009-02-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

I think I’m ready to really understand the economic stimulus package, but it’s kind of overwhelming task right now, so I’ll start (sort of?) small with Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve who succeeded Alan Greenspan

He was appointed in 2006, and his term will run until 2010, at which point Barack Obama will have the option to reappoint him or replace him. There is some speculation that Obama is grooming Larry Summers for the job.

Bernanke taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business from 1979 until 1985, was a visiting professor at New York University and went on to become a tenured professor at Princeton University in the Department of Economics. He chaired that department from 1996 until September 2002, when he went on public service leave. As chairman, it’s that history that has brought him criticism–he is decried for being too academic and slow to respond to the changing economic climate. He’s also been criticized for drastic rate cuts over the course of the past 18 months in response to the housing crisis.

Frankly, he’s done quite a bit of stuff that has earned him mixed reviews (though you can’t really win with everyone when you’re doing his job) which you can read about in The New York Times. My one quarter of Econ Anthro is enough to ensure that I can understand what I’m reading, but I’ll butcher it if I try to reword it for this blog. (Sorry for wasting your tuition money, taxpayers.)

So anyway, in case you need me to tell you, he’s kind of a hot ticket item right now. And if you don’t believe me, you’ll probably be convinced when Newsweek calls him the fourth most powerful man in the world.

The Crew!

2009-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

This year I started rowing for the UCI women's crew team. It has pretty much taken over my life. Practices are early and everyday. We've rowed on the most beautiful mornings, with water as smooth as glass, and we've rowed in the rain. We've seen fish, seals, and all kinds of birds. It makes waking up before the sun comes up worth it.
The problem? I can usually only talk about rowing with other rowers. No one else really gets it. When I made top 8. Today when the Novice 8 beat the 2 Varsity 4s. My hands being torn up. When the wind is strong and the coxswain hits things. Crushing my fingers in the gunnel. Lactic acid build up...
So I thought I would post something about rowing.

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water. In the United States, high school and collegaite rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.
While rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards (towards the stern- where the coxswain sits), and uses the oars which are held in place by the oarlocks on riggers to propel the boat forward (towards the bow). It's a demanding sport requiring strong core balance as well as physical strength and cardiovascular endurance!

The coxswain is the member of a crew who sits in the stern facing the bow. They steer the boat, motivate the rowers, and coordinate the power and rhythm of the rowers. During a competitive rowing/crew racing the coxswain is responsible not only for the steering, motivation, and coordination of the rowers, but for notifying the rowers about the position throughout the race. They also are required to keep
the straightest, most direct course to ensure fastest speed and accuracy is utilized. The coxswain usually communicates with the crew through a microphone, the most common form being a Cox Box.

There are two forms of rowing:

In sweep or sweep-oar rowing, each rower has one oar, held with both hands. This can be done in pairs, fours and eights. Each rower in a sweep boat is referred to either as "port" or "starboard", depending on which side of the boat the rower's oar extends to. Usually the port side is referred to as stroke side, and the starboard side as bow side; this applies even if the stroke oarsman is rowing on bow side and/or the bow oarsman on stroke side.
In sculling each rower has two oars (or sculls), one in each hand. Sculling is usually done without a coxswain, in quads, doubles or singles. The oar in the sculler's right hand extends to port (stroke side), and the oar in the left hand extends to starboard (bow side).

* A womens 4 with a coxswain in the stern

The two fundamental reference points in the rowing stroke are the catch where the oar blade is placed in the water, and the finish, where the oar blade is removed from the water. The part where pressure is applied is called the drive phase of the stroke, which occurs after the blade is vertically placed in the water. Once the rower extracts the oar from the water, the recovery phase begins, setting up the body for the next stroke
(Below: rower at the Catch)

Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum. They usually have a fin towards the rear, to help prevent roll and yaw and to increase the effectiveness of the rudder. Racing shells stored in a boathouse. Originally made from wood, shells are now almost always made from a composite material (usually carbon-fibre reinforced plastic) for strength and weight advantages.

-Inside of boat with riggers on the sides.

(Below 1: Boathouse. Below 2: Erg machine for indoor rowing)

Humanitarian Aid

2009-02-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

The more I've been researching and keeping up with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the more I wonder about humanitarian relief efforts. Since December, Gaza has been allowing aid to come in-sorta. Some groups have suspended aids because of attacks on their personnel. More than half of Gaza’s 1.5 million residents rely on food aid, and water, power, medical supplies, and cooking gas are in short supply. It wasn't until last week that the United Nations appealed to both Israeli and Palestinian authorities to allow its multi-million dollar humanitarian operation in Gaza to proceed without political interference. The United Nations met with donor countries in Geneva to present details of its $613 million appeal to provide emergency assistance to Palestinian victims of the Israeli military operation.

How else has aid been reaching those in need?

Jan 22nd- Israel allows aid into Gaza

Jan 29th- The Obama administration will announce an additional $20 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza

Feb 1-Argentina sends aid to Gaza

Feb 3- A convoy of emergency aid from Britain will be sent to Gaza as part of efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the strip.

-The second batch of humanitarian aid from Chile arrived Tuesday in Jordan and will be sent to Gaza soon

Gaza update

2009-02-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

It’s been about two weeks since I updated my Gaza timeline, and a lot has happened since then.

(RECAP)

January 8: Lebanon responds to Israel with force. And not for the last time. Also, the UN calls for a cease-fire, and the US says its really up to Egypt to broker that. The following day Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejects the cease-fire citing continued force from Palestinians.

January 11: Israelis penetrate deeper into the more-populated areas of Gaza drawing more civilians and reservists into the fighting.

January 14: The US again calls for a cease-fire. Hamas holds tentative talks with Egypt but is not ready to commit to the terms set forth.

January 15: Israelis move even deeper into Gaza city.

January 17: Israel claims victory and declares a cease-fire beginning at midnight. Hamas rejects it, an continues to fire after it is supposed to go into effect, but eventually agrees to a limited truce. The set duration of the cease-fire is one week.

January 18 - Hamas announces a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. There is shooting from both sides after the declarations, but the ceasefire appears to gain strength and Israeli troops begin pulling out of Gaza.

January 19: Israel begins to pull out of Gaza. The death toll stands at over 1300 Palestinians (including Hamas’ security chief and hundreds of children) and 13 Israelis (including 3 civilians.) EU prime ministers intend to hold 2-day meetings in Brussels to ensure the cease-fire continues. The Wall Street Journal claims that the past three weeks of fighting have helped build Palestinian support of Hamas.

January 20 - Ban Ki-moon visits the Gaza Strip and calls the Israeli attack on a UNRWA compound outrageous and demands an investigation. Two children playing with unexploded ordnance are killed when it detonates, Hamas officials say.

January 29- The UN launcha an appeal for $613m to help people affected by Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

January 31- Gaza rocket hits southern Israel near Ashkelon. No casualties were reported.

February 1- Israel hits Hamas security target and tunnels used by military, in Gaza City. No casualties

February 2- Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas is due to meet Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo as aprt of efforts to bring about a long term ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt has been mediating between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, during the conflict in the coastal enclave.
- Israeli air strike on a car in the southern Gaza Strip kills a Palestinian and wounds at least three others

February 3- Israeli planes hit Gaza tunnels on Gaza's border with Egypt. The raid came after a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised a sustained effort to create a Palestinian state.

Chinese New Year

2009-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

It was the Chinese New Year last week. Happy Year of the Ox ! It’s supposed to be a more tranquil year than the last. Fingers crossed?

Another Reason to Like Bryson

2009-02-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

I started writing this article with the understanding that Stephen Katz–lovably obnoxious hiking companion to Bill Bryson in A Walk in the Woods–was a total work of fiction. I got really mad about it too.

But, it turns out the whole thing remains pretty much true, except Stephen Katz is a pseudonym for Matt Angerer. He lives in Des Moines, and while he’s not crazy about his portrayal in A Walk in the Woods, he admits it’s pretty accurate.

Inauguration 2009

2009-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

So with all the hype I kinda decided to make a trip to DC for the inauguration happen. I looked into tickets and even got this awesome discount. I asked my professors if missing a class would be fine and everything seemed to work out- I even had a close friend in DC that I could hopefully stay with if other things didn't work out.

Turns out my friends place is too full for me and everything else is taken. I'm not going to pretend i'm not bummed- but with no other contacts, and all hostels/hotels being packed beyond capacity- my trip to the most awesome inauguration in history doesn't look like its going to happen. So if anyone has a couch in DC... i'm little and don't take up a lot of room

Effects on US?

2009-01-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

January 16: US prepares deal to end Gaza assault- reassure Israeli government that Hamas will not have a chance to rearm once the fighting stops.

January 17: Israel announces ceasefire in Gaza

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is bound to be an international crisis President-elect Obama has to face when he takes office. It will also pose a direct test for him to display his capability and wisdom in managing international crises.

The Israeli army's choice of timing for the offensive shows its worries for Obama's election as the US president: First, Barack Obama has not been so pro-Israel as his predecessor President George W. Bush. Since he was elected the president, Jewish Israel and American Jews all fear that Obama could possibly tilt his policy in favor of Arab countries.

Second, Israel has a lot of doubts in mind about the Middle-East policies of the new US government. In view of Obama's open speeches or statements, the Israeli side deems the new US administration could possibly adjust its policies toward Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas with a fear that such adjustments will disfavor Israel or be disadvantageous to it.

Thirdly, Obama's endeavor to adjust the U.S. foreign affairs policy and security policy would even misplace Israel's interests. Obama has announced his troop exit plan from Iraq, proposing that the Middle East would no longer be the central battleground in the war on terrorism. Obama said he would withdraw combat forces from Iraq and instead switch his focus to Afghanistan and Pakistan. This indicates U.S. would possibly lower its attention to Israeli security.

To date, President-elect Barack Obama has declined to comment on Israel's ground offensive into Gaza, and media has therefore used the wording "deafening silence" to describe his apathy to the bloody conflict. The maintenance of silence, nevertheless, may give him "some leeway" before his inauguration in a week to come. But once he comes on the stage, he will be confronted with an "encounter" battle, which is hard for him to avert. So, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be the first major international crisis Obama has to face squarely when he enters the oval office, and it will be a direct test for him to show to the full his diplomatic wisdom and his capability in coping with crises.

When Israel started firing missiles on December 27, the price of gas was $35 a barrel.

But as fears of a limited oil supply increased, so did the price per barrel. This week it was marked at nearly $49, and seems to have somewhat steadied.

Other factors contributing to the rise are Obama’s proposed plans for the economy and the dispute between Russia and the Ukraine over natural gas.

Israeli-Palestine Conflict?

2009-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure I really have the context to form an opinion. So today: what’s up in Gaza? Where is Gaza?

So, time line style, and virtually plagiarized… and trying to find a neutral source

The story starts in the early 1900s. The land in question, all Palestine at the time, was ruled by Turkey’s Ottoman Empire. Turkey was defeated during WWI and Palestine was mandated, or assigned, to Great Britain and (depending who you ask) declared a Jewish National Homeland.

Some Zionists (a branch of Judaism devoted to making present-day Israel that aforementioned homeland) were already living in the area, but during WWII many more Jews fled there, especially from Eastern Europe. As the population grew, tensions rose between the Arab Palestinians and the Jews. Inevitably conflict broke out, and smaller-scale battles and terrorism began on both sides.

In 1947 the UN stepped in with a partition plan. 55% of the land was granted to the Jewish population. Frustrated, the Jews declared themselves the independent state of Israel, and almost immediately, Arab nations declared war against them. This lasted a year and a half, and involved many bloody massacres, and finally led to an exodus of more than half of the indigenous Palestinians. At the end of the war, the Jewish state of Israel expanded to a little more than 77% of Palestine.

So things went on like that for over a decade, but two big things happened in the ’60s. First, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed in 1964. And in 1967, Israel launched surprise attacks on neighboring territories during the Six Days’ War. Israel occupied the remaining territories (Gaza Strip and the West Bank) and a second exodus of Palestinians occurred.

Of course this didn’t bring about any lasting peace, and small-scale battles continued. Then in 1987, enter Hamas. Hamas is an acronym for “Islamic Resistance Movement” (translation deleted.) Quick facts on Hamas:

* Hamas does not recognize the state of Israel
* They have carried out multiple terrorist attacks against Israeli through suicide bombing and short-range missiles
* They lead humanitarian efforts within Palestinian territory building schools and hospitals and attempting to aid the community socially and religiously
* Their goals include making Palestine a wholly Islamist state and completely removing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
* They have an estimated budget of about $70-mil a year (funded in large part by Iran, but also through some Muslim charitable organizations around the world)
* Hamas has over a thousand active members, and several times that in supporters and sympathizers
* “According to Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki, in late 2006 Hamas still enjoyed public backing, though most Palestinians also wanted to see a negotiated settlement with Israel”

Things couldn’t go on (can’t go on, I hope) like this forever, so in 1993, political representatives of Israel and Palestine (presided by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat) met and formed the Oslo Accords. This was meant to accomplish two things essentially: to create a Palestinian Authority and put under its rule the territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas was strongly opposed to the outcome and stepped up their suicide bombing campaign in Israel. Obviously this complicated things.

In 2005, Israelis finally withdrew completely from Gaza but maintained strict control of the borders. Palestinians claimed that Gaza would not be self-sufficient under such conditions.

Time passes. Hamas continues to grow in influence and power. Bloody conflicts continue. Which brings us up to a time line of the most recent events.

June 19, 2008: Israel and Hamas agree to a truce, a mutual cease-fire to last for six months, arranged by Egypt.

November 14: The truce is violated. Both sides claims the other broke it first.

December 14: Hamas says they will not renew the truce with Israel, citing Israel’s violation.

December 19: They act on that.

December 24: Bombs start flying from Palestinian militants toward Israel. (Merry Christmas?)

December 27: Israel hits Gaza back. Hard. Lots of people die. This is the day that everyone is counting from when you see “Day x of Israel’s attack on Gaza”

December 31: UN Security Counsel meets and adjourns without action or decision.

January 3, 2009: After massive air strikes, Israel launches a ground attack in Gaza.

January 9: UN calls for immediate ceasefire. Both Israelis and Hamas ignore it.

January 10: the death toll in Gaza is above 800, with over 3300 injured. Including civilians, families, children.

January 14: death toll in Gaza over 1,000

January 15: UN Headquarters in Gaza hit by Israeli artillery fire- white phosphorus shells

One girls attempt to become an educated citizen

2009-01-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

And the saying goes: you learn something new every day.

But you probably don’t.

So I decided to- Trying to figure out more about international politics and geography and break free from the ignorant chains which I grew up in and educate myself! Hopefully I'll learn something. In the meantime, here are my attempts to make sense of the world around me and figure this shit out!

Q: What do I not know?
A: A lot

Q: Where do I start?
A: How about with what's going on right now?

Q: Whats going on right now?
A: A lot