I occasionally consult NPR to get a quick shot of news on way to class each morning. I recently heard on morning edition an interesting story about the future plan for Chrysler to join Fiat. The U.S government has forced Chrysler to pair up with the Italian car maker Fiat. By next year, all Chrysler models will be a blend of the two makes. If you think that this is the first time this happened, think again. Chrysler is currently paired up with a German manufacturer: Daimler. I thought it sounded familiar. If you have ever been to Europe, you have probably seen a Fiat driving around. These cars are very compact and cramped. Its hard to imagine what kind of cars are going to be produced.
On the bright side, it might be a savior to Chrysler. A sporty and well designed Chrysler with some Italian engineering sounds exciting. The Italian Fiat can help lead the way to better gas mileage and quality. I agree NPR is a great resource for news. The station does a thorough job presenting the news and also providing analysis and background information. It seems the station is doing quite well with 13 million listeners some of whom are outside the United States.
Monday, May 4, 2009
New Threat :Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons
In recent international news, the Pakistani government was displaying signs of weakness as it struggled to maintain control. Their biggest concern: Al Quaeda and Taliban militants crossing into their country. Today, the New York Times published an article on the deteriorating situation. The country's government has responded with military action but have enjoyed limited success. If the government fails to maintain order and expel the insurgents, the world can be facing a deadly situation. The United States is no exception to the threat. Part of the reason they are failing is their military structure. The Pakistani military has everything it needs for a conventional war with a rival like India. However, the war they are fighting against the insurgents involves guerrilla tactics. This was not something they prepared for. To make matters worse, the Pakistani government refuses to cooperate with the U.S to help avoid disaster. They will not provide critical information like the amounts and locations of their nuclear arsenal. Their defense for that is fear of them being destroyed by the U.S if we deem they are vulnerable.
I feel the situation at hand is a very delicate one. If the internationally community does not join the United States in a coalition and stabilize this government, millions of lives could be risked. It is never a pleasure for a foreign government to acknowledge it has lost control of its own country. It would be in the best interest of many to act before this gets out of hand.
I feel the situation at hand is a very delicate one. If the internationally community does not join the United States in a coalition and stabilize this government, millions of lives could be risked. It is never a pleasure for a foreign government to acknowledge it has lost control of its own country. It would be in the best interest of many to act before this gets out of hand.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Daily Show v. Network News .. What a Surprise
I am putting together this post to compare the 6:30 network news and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I have recently become a fan of Jon Stewart to the point where I must watch it a few times a week. If you are reading this post, you probably know Jon Stewart is a comedian. His show airs on Comedy Central with other shows like Jackass and South Park. I give Stewart credit for being hilarious and at the same time maintaining high standards. Politics are the backbone of Stewart's comedy. Being a political science major, I consider myself well informed when it comes to politics. A good number of the jokes he tells require prior knowledge of the person or event he is referring to in order to understand the joke. So you have to do your homework if you want a nice laugh. The Daily Show is merely entertainment; if you think Jon Stewart is reporting the news, you are very wrong. But for many people who do not want to be bothered with the network news, Jon Stewart is the cure. Because of his jokes, these people will be somewhat more tuned into politics than they would be without him.
The previous night, I had watched Fox News. The overlap was pretty obvious. Stewart had used several topics that Fox News had reported. Even the dry stuff we already know and don't really see as funny was transformed by Stewart. Then there are stories like the Domino's video that are already funny. I do recall his joke about the swine flu that Chris mentions in his post. Dana Perino even admitted to using one of his jokes as her own. These jokes are quality jokes !!! Keep it coming Jon!
The previous night, I had watched Fox News. The overlap was pretty obvious. Stewart had used several topics that Fox News had reported. Even the dry stuff we already know and don't really see as funny was transformed by Stewart. Then there are stories like the Domino's video that are already funny. I do recall his joke about the swine flu that Chris mentions in his post. Dana Perino even admitted to using one of his jokes as her own. These jokes are quality jokes !!! Keep it coming Jon!
"Good Night and Good Luck"
So what exactly is this movie "Good Night and Good Luck" all about? Do not let the black and white turn you away! I was fortunate enough to view the movie in my media politics class. While this film is infested with so called communists and the struggle to expose them, it also raises a very up to date point. What do we Americans want from the media? Do we wish to be entertained with garbage like "Girls Next Door" or do we want more information on what is happening in the world we live in? This is exactly what Edward Murrow was debating. The only difference for him was his career depended on it. If you watch the film or read this post, Edward Murrow ends up putting the brakes on Senator McCarthy. McCarthy's only cover throughout the plot was accusing anyone who disagreed with him of being a communist. The choice is ours: Do we want to hear about things that make us uncomfortable and force us to think, or do we want to stick to Girls Next Door?
My support is behind Murrow. He undoubtedly made the right decision to expose the Senator. This man had his entire career to lose and very few to gain but his sense of duty gave him the courage to go through with his plan. Reporters today should aspire to do the same;however, their superiors direct them to do otherwise. Reporters are pressured to produce stories that sell not stories that they see important. Part of the problem is that people are more interested in America's Next Top Model than HIV in Africa. Nowadays, the majority of news hardly contains anything informative for this reason. I hope our generation demands quality information from the media.
My support is behind Murrow. He undoubtedly made the right decision to expose the Senator. This man had his entire career to lose and very few to gain but his sense of duty gave him the courage to go through with his plan. Reporters today should aspire to do the same;however, their superiors direct them to do otherwise. Reporters are pressured to produce stories that sell not stories that they see important. Part of the problem is that people are more interested in America's Next Top Model than HIV in Africa. Nowadays, the majority of news hardly contains anything informative for this reason. I hope our generation demands quality information from the media.
Blog Review : Air Force One Over NYC
I read Andy’s blog post regarding the Air Force one flyover incident that took place a week ago. The media sources have responded to the event by calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars. But, as Andy discusses in his post, the unannounced flyover caused panic and disruption for Manhattan and down town Jersey City citizens. For some unknown reason, the Air Force thought it needed some cool shots of the aircraft with New York City in the background. The 747 was said to be one of a small fleet of planes that are used as Air Force one for the president’s transport. The panic and fear were a result of the low altitude of the flight and the two f-16s that were accompanying the plane. Concerned citizens flooded operators with calls fearing an attack. Things would have much different if the public had knowledge of the flight before it took place. Apparently, the pentagon wanted to keep it a secret for safety reasons but never imagined it could cause an unsafe situation. Only the New Jersey State Police and NYPD were informed.
The flyover can fairly be called a waste of tax dollars. The money spent on fuel and the pilots could be spent getting something we need done. Do we really need those photos that bad? In addition to that, many citizens who worked in high rise buildings spent a good portion of their morning outside as they evacuated. On the bright side, things improved once people knew they were safe. As Andy mentioned, the stocks for the day had been declining until the fear was cleared up. Then they recovered. It just seems like bad joke to play on people who still remember what happened to their city about 8 years ago.
The flyover can fairly be called a waste of tax dollars. The money spent on fuel and the pilots could be spent getting something we need done. Do we really need those photos that bad? In addition to that, many citizens who worked in high rise buildings spent a good portion of their morning outside as they evacuated. On the bright side, things improved once people knew they were safe. As Andy mentioned, the stocks for the day had been declining until the fear was cleared up. Then they recovered. It just seems like bad joke to play on people who still remember what happened to their city about 8 years ago.
The Girls Next Door > Be Warned !!
Before I put together this post, I had the displeasure of watching an episode of the so called reality show “The Girls Next Door”. The show stars Hugh Hefner and his playboy playmate girlfriends. There is close to nothing real about this reality show. The show is produced as the cameraman follows the girls and around as they do all these cool things. In real life, not many average people have the time or money to put up any competition to the action packed lifestyle these girls lead. It is wrong for viewers to think they are second class human beings because they cannot afford to lead a life like theirs. But who really cares to watch these girls who know absolutely nothing about anything make fools of themselves all around the world. In the episode I watched (and will never bother with again), Hugh took them out to a ski resort and provided them with just about every piece of luxury you can think of on a vacation. Everything from the limousine ride to the fancy dinner by the fireplace was provided for them. Their only assignment in exchange for this: produce as much drama as possible and make an idiot of yourself.
The messages viewers are left with after watching this show are all scary to imagine. It is especially important for teenage girls and anyone else who watches the show to understand the show is all fake. Not every girl will be handed the opportunity to have a hideously old man as a boyfriend and live in the lap of luxury in exchange. Even if it is offered to a girl, would she really want to live that way? The idea of the perfect body image is also contributed to in a negative sense by this show. Parents should explain to teenagers there is nothing wrong them if they look different from these girls. The broadcasting company produces the show, E!, would probably not think twice about the show’s informative content (0) as long as the profits keep coming in. Finally, I think watching the show to laugh at its stupidity is alright, but expecting anything else is absurd.
The messages viewers are left with after watching this show are all scary to imagine. It is especially important for teenage girls and anyone else who watches the show to understand the show is all fake. Not every girl will be handed the opportunity to have a hideously old man as a boyfriend and live in the lap of luxury in exchange. Even if it is offered to a girl, would she really want to live that way? The idea of the perfect body image is also contributed to in a negative sense by this show. Parents should explain to teenagers there is nothing wrong them if they look different from these girls. The broadcasting company produces the show, E!, would probably not think twice about the show’s informative content (0) as long as the profits keep coming in. Finally, I think watching the show to laugh at its stupidity is alright, but expecting anything else is absurd.
Friday, May 1, 2009
New Administration = More Freedom for Women ?
The title of this feminist blog is “ Reproductive Freedom 100 days into the Obama Administration.” We all know by now that Obama has been in office for over 100 days now and counting. The author of this blog clearly attributes many new freedoms given to women to the Obama administration. I feel that is somewhat unfair to the Bush administration. The author’s evaluation concludes that more reproductive freedoms have been given to women by the new administration so far than from all eight years of the previous administration. So what exactly are these reproductive freedoms she is talking about?
In his first week in office, President Obama voided the Global Gag Rule. As a result, U.S funding will be provided to international organizations that promote safe and legal means of abortion for women. These women will now have access to contraceptives and become more informed about things like family planning. Obama has provided more adequate funding for the United Nations Population Fund which will help educate more people worldwide on family planning. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is also raising awareness abroad.The "freedoms" the author cites also include many domestic victories. About a month ago, President Obama signed the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. Assuming all provisions are enacted, an affordable means of birth control will now be available to the less fortunate. In addition, women can not be denied access to birth control pills or information by anyone or any institution. More recently, a pro choice Secretary of Health and Human Services was confirmed to the Senate.
There is even a more surprising court ruling that I recently found out about that the author does not mention. Just last week, a federal judge has ordered the FDA to make the sale of the morning after pill to 17-year old girls legal. No parental notification or consent is required. I personally think this last "freedom" has the potential to cause greater harm than good. There will most likely be many angry parents as a result.
I feel there is some unfair misrepresentation going on here by attributing all these "freedoms" to the current administration and criticizing the past one. Any other Republican president in the place of George Bush with similar ideologies would have adopted similar policies towards women. At the same time, if another Democratic candidate had been elected to office 100 days ago, hardly anything would be different today in terms of this type of legislation Nevertheless ,I feel the evidence presented by the author is concrete enough to make her point clear. Women in the United States and abroad in developing countries have made substantial gains. The legislation also provides a morale boost here in the United States and sets the stage for future gains in womens' rights.
In his first week in office, President Obama voided the Global Gag Rule. As a result, U.S funding will be provided to international organizations that promote safe and legal means of abortion for women. These women will now have access to contraceptives and become more informed about things like family planning. Obama has provided more adequate funding for the United Nations Population Fund which will help educate more people worldwide on family planning. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is also raising awareness abroad.The "freedoms" the author cites also include many domestic victories. About a month ago, President Obama signed the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. Assuming all provisions are enacted, an affordable means of birth control will now be available to the less fortunate. In addition, women can not be denied access to birth control pills or information by anyone or any institution. More recently, a pro choice Secretary of Health and Human Services was confirmed to the Senate.
There is even a more surprising court ruling that I recently found out about that the author does not mention. Just last week, a federal judge has ordered the FDA to make the sale of the morning after pill to 17-year old girls legal. No parental notification or consent is required. I personally think this last "freedom" has the potential to cause greater harm than good. There will most likely be many angry parents as a result.
I feel there is some unfair misrepresentation going on here by attributing all these "freedoms" to the current administration and criticizing the past one. Any other Republican president in the place of George Bush with similar ideologies would have adopted similar policies towards women. At the same time, if another Democratic candidate had been elected to office 100 days ago, hardly anything would be different today in terms of this type of legislation Nevertheless ,I feel the evidence presented by the author is concrete enough to make her point clear. Women in the United States and abroad in developing countries have made substantial gains. The legislation also provides a morale boost here in the United States and sets the stage for future gains in womens' rights.
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