Wangari Maathai was born in 1940 in kenya. She is a very smart and educated person holding several degrees including a PhD. She was the department chair of a major african university with a specialization in veterinary medicine. In 2004 she became the first african woman to win a nobel prize for her work at imporving the environment.
What i found to be most interesting about her was her modesty. She began the greenbelt movement but had no intention of it becoming so large. Initially she just wanted to plant trees locally but as it caught on over 30 million trees had been planted. As of today over 1 Billion trees have been planted and cared for in a spectaculr global effort.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
All the Presidents Men
This movie shows how just one or two people doing good investigative journalism can change the course of history. When Woodward and his partner were told to change stories or that they didn’t have the sources to continue they kept on pushing. They got their sources through multiple methods including personal interviews, phones interviews and good old fashion document research. What this showed is that if you never give up on your goal you will prevail. Had they listened to the skeptics perhaps the Washington post would never have published their story and nobody would know what Watergate was.
Magazine Ad
Magazine advertising has been and is becoming increasingly more inappropriate. Most ad’s are using sex as a way of selling a product. Often times the sex symbols used have nothing at all to do with the products being sold. The way these ad’s are used is extremely demeaning to woman and puts up a double standard for men. Besides creating unrealistic expectations these ads are resulting in physical problems for woman of all ages- these include bulimia and anorexia. People are people and should be seen as such, not as objects with impossible expectations
NY Times editorial - Torture
America needs a way to get information from those captured enemy combatants. However, in doing such it should not be violating national and international laws. America desperately needs to amend destroyed and damaged relations with countries the world over and violating the Geneva convention is not going to repair any relations.
The fact that these torture techniques were approved of, and in fact constructed by those higher-ups in the white house should be disturbing to all Americans. Civil liberties are being walked all over and no one in America seems to care. How far does it have to go before Americans unite to begin repairing the damage we’ve done?
The fact that these torture techniques were approved of, and in fact constructed by those higher-ups in the white house should be disturbing to all Americans. Civil liberties are being walked all over and no one in America seems to care. How far does it have to go before Americans unite to begin repairing the damage we’ve done?
The Pope Visits America!
The pope came to the United States from April 15 through April 20th. This was his first visit to the United States. Massive security has been set up in the two cities he will be visiting; New York and Washington D.C. He held public meetings included a Roman Catholic mass at Yankee stadium, which included tens of thousands in attendance. The pope also dealt with more private matters included a visit to a papacy in which talked to victims of clergy sex abuse.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Week 4 - Radio
In Pennsylvania voters votes and campaigns spin
- Clinton says it is a must win for her
- Obama says anything less than a complete Clinton blowout is a victory for him
Last minutes attack ads unleashed in Pennsylvanian
- third party companies are making the negative ads
- “The American Leadership Project” is running an ad against Obama especially critical of his health care plan
Loss in Pennsylvania wont hurt his chances
- Obama is confident a loss to Clinton will not hurt his election campaign
- Obama is not predicting victory but says with a loss he can still beat McCain
Candidates are chosen
- Clinton is asking the public why Obama cant close the gap when he has such a financial lead
- Both candidates are doing last minute PR campaigns
Bill Clinton on Obama, he “played the race card”
- former president bill Clinton accused Obama of using the race card
- says memo’s clearly show Obama intended to
Fundraising
- Obama is fundraising much more than Clinton
- Clinton is spending money much faster than it is coming in
- Obama has an estimated 4x more money than Clinton
Pennsylvania: the Catholic Vote
- Both candidates are campaigning for the ‘Catholic vote’
- In the discussion the question was proposed, “Is there such thing as a catholic vote?”
The black vote in Philadelphia
- Deeply divided between the two candidates
- The election is showing the, “changing priorities within the cities black power structure.”
McCain
- Campaigning on an “its time for action” tour
- Says many communities are suffering from “sins of indifference and injustice”
Obama Muslin?
- Recent poll shows 10% of American think he is
- Obama calls it a “name game” and says it is hurtful to Muslim communities
- Clinton says it is a must win for her
- Obama says anything less than a complete Clinton blowout is a victory for him
Last minutes attack ads unleashed in Pennsylvanian
- third party companies are making the negative ads
- “The American Leadership Project” is running an ad against Obama especially critical of his health care plan
Loss in Pennsylvania wont hurt his chances
- Obama is confident a loss to Clinton will not hurt his election campaign
- Obama is not predicting victory but says with a loss he can still beat McCain
Candidates are chosen
- Clinton is asking the public why Obama cant close the gap when he has such a financial lead
- Both candidates are doing last minute PR campaigns
Bill Clinton on Obama, he “played the race card”
- former president bill Clinton accused Obama of using the race card
- says memo’s clearly show Obama intended to
Fundraising
- Obama is fundraising much more than Clinton
- Clinton is spending money much faster than it is coming in
- Obama has an estimated 4x more money than Clinton
Pennsylvania: the Catholic Vote
- Both candidates are campaigning for the ‘Catholic vote’
- In the discussion the question was proposed, “Is there such thing as a catholic vote?”
The black vote in Philadelphia
- Deeply divided between the two candidates
- The election is showing the, “changing priorities within the cities black power structure.”
McCain
- Campaigning on an “its time for action” tour
- Says many communities are suffering from “sins of indifference and injustice”
Obama Muslin?
- Recent poll shows 10% of American think he is
- Obama calls it a “name game” and says it is hurtful to Muslim communities
Week 3 - Television
Petraeus, Crocker Continue Testimony on Iraq
- Freeze in troop reduction
- Iran accused of creating instability
Petraeus Hearing a Campaign Stop for Candidates
- McCain, Clinton and Obama all question the general on capitol hill
- They are criticized as making it a campaign stop
Bush announces Shorter deployments
- Shortened from 15 months to 12 months
- Withdrawal of US troops will be suspended this summer
Clintons Income
- After 2000 the Clintons income increased drastically
- Taxes indicate they made 109 million dollars since Bill left office
McCain seeks unifying running mate
- Visiting places that will remind him of his “roots”
- Looking for a running mate that will unite America
Bills post presidential perks
- Spent over 8 million in perks
- He has a full pension and salaried staff
Petraeus testifies
- Obama and Clinton are linking his speech to Pennsylvania
- Obama is trying to gain ground on Clinton before the April 22 vote
Pope Visits US
- This is his first visit to the United States
- He is here form the 15th to the 20th
Popes visit and the election
- Obama and Clinton are both talking religion now that the pope is in the US
- They were speaking on a nationally televised “compassion forum”
Civil rights leader backs Clinton
- Former Atlanta Mayor gave his support to Clinton
- He is a democrat and feels his prior experiences with civil rights movements have lead him to support Clinton
- Freeze in troop reduction
- Iran accused of creating instability
Petraeus Hearing a Campaign Stop for Candidates
- McCain, Clinton and Obama all question the general on capitol hill
- They are criticized as making it a campaign stop
Bush announces Shorter deployments
- Shortened from 15 months to 12 months
- Withdrawal of US troops will be suspended this summer
Clintons Income
- After 2000 the Clintons income increased drastically
- Taxes indicate they made 109 million dollars since Bill left office
McCain seeks unifying running mate
- Visiting places that will remind him of his “roots”
- Looking for a running mate that will unite America
Bills post presidential perks
- Spent over 8 million in perks
- He has a full pension and salaried staff
Petraeus testifies
- Obama and Clinton are linking his speech to Pennsylvania
- Obama is trying to gain ground on Clinton before the April 22 vote
Pope Visits US
- This is his first visit to the United States
- He is here form the 15th to the 20th
Popes visit and the election
- Obama and Clinton are both talking religion now that the pope is in the US
- They were speaking on a nationally televised “compassion forum”
Civil rights leader backs Clinton
- Former Atlanta Mayor gave his support to Clinton
- He is a democrat and feels his prior experiences with civil rights movements have lead him to support Clinton
Friday, April 11, 2008
New York Times Article
My article from the New York Times dealt with the Columbia free trade agreement. Bush was trying to gain support for it before it comes to a vote- he was highly in favor of it saying it would strengthen our economy as well as increase national security. The Article was written by David Stout a regular reporter for the New York Times. It had all the credibility needed to present a story in a factual manor. He explained what happened and kept himself out of the story.
Reflective Questions - April 7
Prime rate – This is the interest rate that banks use to give out loans. It is important because it changes depending on the health of the economy. Recently banks in the united states have been in financial trouble from people not paying off loans. It has been in the news because the feds are lowing it to try and increase spending to improve the worsening economy.
Tibet – This is a section of china that has different beliefs from the government. They are being persecuted by the Chinese officials and are not allowed to practice their faith in freedom and with safety. It has been in the news recently because of a larger than normal amount of unrest as well as the upcoming olympic games.
Columbia Trade Agreement – removed tariffs on goods going to Columbia. It was recently voted against by the democratic majority and the agreement is not in place.
Iraq – The green zone is a protected area of Baghdad in which Iraqi government operations take place. It is guarded by US troops as well as Iraqi army soldiers. The gren zone is suppose to be the most secure part of iraq but has come under enemy fire by car boombs and rocket attacks leaving questions about how well the war is actually going.
Benedict XVI – Is a very conservative pope of the Roman Catholic church. He is coming to the United States for the first time betwen April 15-20. He will be visinting Washington DC and New York.
Tibet – This is a section of china that has different beliefs from the government. They are being persecuted by the Chinese officials and are not allowed to practice their faith in freedom and with safety. It has been in the news recently because of a larger than normal amount of unrest as well as the upcoming olympic games.
Columbia Trade Agreement – removed tariffs on goods going to Columbia. It was recently voted against by the democratic majority and the agreement is not in place.
Iraq – The green zone is a protected area of Baghdad in which Iraqi government operations take place. It is guarded by US troops as well as Iraqi army soldiers. The gren zone is suppose to be the most secure part of iraq but has come under enemy fire by car boombs and rocket attacks leaving questions about how well the war is actually going.
Benedict XVI – Is a very conservative pope of the Roman Catholic church. He is coming to the United States for the first time betwen April 15-20. He will be visinting Washington DC and New York.
Project 1 - Newspaper Stories (Week 2)
McCain confident of Iraq success (Al Jazeera)
- McCain supported the surge and says that it worked
- He said it is “a failure of leadership” to withdraw troops
Cheney OK'd CIA's harsh interrogation tactics, says ex-official (Seattle Times)
- Justice department signs off on using water-boarding (simulated drowning) tactic on suspected terrorists
- ACLU is calling on congress to investigate
Decision on more troop cuts is up to Petraeus, Bush says (Seattle Times)
- the “surge” troops will be withdrawn by July
- Gen. David Petraeus will have as much time as he needs to withdraw the rest of the troops
Fire destroys Clinton's campaign office in Ind. (USA Today)
- two Clinton employees escaped unharmed
- no evidence of arson
Obama loses 10-point edge over McCain (USA Today)
- Democrats are saying that if their candidate does not win the nomination they will vote for McCain
- McCain is essentially tied with the other candidates
Rooting for McCain, From a Distance (NY Times)
- Bush is supporting McCain
- They are keeping distance from one another as it may not be in McCain’s best interest to be associated with bush
Obama Wants Reforms in Campaign Financing (NY TIMES)
- the system is outdated and hasn’t changed since its creating in 1976
- It does not allow for contributions over the internet from millions of Americans
Obama rips McCain in Gary (Chicago Sun Times)
- criticized McCain’s war position and plan to fix the foreclosure problem
- Obama claimed to have the ability to fix Indianans economy
Clinton proposes 100,000 new police officers on streets (Los Angelas Times)
- proposed a 4 billion/year anti-crime plan
- mayor of philidephia introduced clinton saying americans are more worried "about al Gangster than al Qaeda."
McCain urges Bush to consider boycotting Olympic opening ceremonies (Los Angelas Times)
- McCain joined Clinton and Obama in condeming china for human rights violations
- McCain wants the Chinese government to let the people of Tibet practice their beliefs without persecution
- McCain supported the surge and says that it worked
- He said it is “a failure of leadership” to withdraw troops
Cheney OK'd CIA's harsh interrogation tactics, says ex-official (Seattle Times)
- Justice department signs off on using water-boarding (simulated drowning) tactic on suspected terrorists
- ACLU is calling on congress to investigate
Decision on more troop cuts is up to Petraeus, Bush says (Seattle Times)
- the “surge” troops will be withdrawn by July
- Gen. David Petraeus will have as much time as he needs to withdraw the rest of the troops
Fire destroys Clinton's campaign office in Ind. (USA Today)
- two Clinton employees escaped unharmed
- no evidence of arson
Obama loses 10-point edge over McCain (USA Today)
- Democrats are saying that if their candidate does not win the nomination they will vote for McCain
- McCain is essentially tied with the other candidates
Rooting for McCain, From a Distance (NY Times)
- Bush is supporting McCain
- They are keeping distance from one another as it may not be in McCain’s best interest to be associated with bush
Obama Wants Reforms in Campaign Financing (NY TIMES)
- the system is outdated and hasn’t changed since its creating in 1976
- It does not allow for contributions over the internet from millions of Americans
Obama rips McCain in Gary (Chicago Sun Times)
- criticized McCain’s war position and plan to fix the foreclosure problem
- Obama claimed to have the ability to fix Indianans economy
Clinton proposes 100,000 new police officers on streets (Los Angelas Times)
- proposed a 4 billion/year anti-crime plan
- mayor of philidephia introduced clinton saying americans are more worried "about al Gangster than al Qaeda."
McCain urges Bush to consider boycotting Olympic opening ceremonies (Los Angelas Times)
- McCain joined Clinton and Obama in condeming china for human rights violations
- McCain wants the Chinese government to let the people of Tibet practice their beliefs without persecution
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Diversity Wheel
Obviously, as is indicated by the wheel, what makes me me is my past experiences. Previous experiences help to define and shape who you are and who you will become. Learning from your past helps you make future decisions.
Moving further from the center I feel that age is the next most important section. Your age affects how others look at you and ultimately results in how you are initially treated by others. Age can open and close metaphorical doors for an individual; it can give you opportunities or take them away from you.
On the outside of the wheel education and religion are the two biggest sections in my mind. Education has helped make me who I am. Its taught me how to make informed choices that will better my life. I don’t consider myself very religious but certainly will not tell others what to believe. My biggest argument is with those who do indeed try to change others beliefs.
My education has helped define myself as more liberal thinker than conservative, but my intellect lets me make open minded decisions regardless of political affiliations.
Moving further from the center I feel that age is the next most important section. Your age affects how others look at you and ultimately results in how you are initially treated by others. Age can open and close metaphorical doors for an individual; it can give you opportunities or take them away from you.
On the outside of the wheel education and religion are the two biggest sections in my mind. Education has helped make me who I am. Its taught me how to make informed choices that will better my life. I don’t consider myself very religious but certainly will not tell others what to believe. My biggest argument is with those who do indeed try to change others beliefs.
My education has helped define myself as more liberal thinker than conservative, but my intellect lets me make open minded decisions regardless of political affiliations.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Project 1 - Magazines and Books
Time Magazine, March 31, 2008
Campaign Insider (22)
- Gene Spirling is Clintons economic advisor
- He was Bill Clintons economic advisor from 1992 to 2000
- Balanced the budget with bill Clinton
Obama’s Challenge – and ours (31)
- Obama’s speech on race was a modern triumph
- He spoke honestly and openly about race issues other candidates wont even mention
A voters Guide to the Economy (36)
- Clinton is calling for 30 billion dollar emergency fund to mitigate the increasing foreclosure crisis
- Obama wants to give lenders more incentives and extend repayment periods on mortgages
- McCain wants to end the alternative minimum tax which he says, “the middle class was never intended to pay.”
Why Obama has a Pastor Problem (38-41)
- Obama withdrew his invitation to Wright to deliver his invocation announcement in 2007
- Obama knew his religious affiliations would be a problem
U.S. News, March 24-31, 2008
A prolonged Democratic Tug of War (23)
- The democrat’s ad’s are getting more negative.
- 10 nominating contests are left, neither will get the 2025 delegates needed
- Democrats are worrying McCain is benefiting most from this
Battle of the Talking Points (34)
- The race is very close and super delegates may have to vote for the democratic nominee
- Obama has 130 more delegates than Clinton so he should be the winner of a vote
Newsweek, March 24, 2008
The Deep Blue Divide (49)
- Democratic supporters are moving closer to the candidate of their choice
- Democratic supports are moving further from the old idea of ‘anybody but bush’ and are beginning to have more infighting
- Obama and Clinton had a short, private three minutes talk on the senate floor on the issue
Trying times for Trinity (50-51)
- Wrights sermons were not considered controversial but now they are because it’s Obama’s faith
- Obama has to still support his attendance at the church because he cannot afford to lose any votes
The Economist
Obama Keeps Cash Lead over Clinton
- Obama Raised 30 million dollars in the month of march insuring he will have prime TV ad’s in the final 8 states
- Clinton raised 20 million; borrowed 5 million from herself and has a 9 million dollar debt
- Clintons lack of money may mean she cant compete head to head with Obama
A Conversation about what’s Worth the Fight
- McCain is a US military veteran
- War would be a last resort
- He has no plans to widen the Iraq war to include Iran
Campaign Insider (22)
- Gene Spirling is Clintons economic advisor
- He was Bill Clintons economic advisor from 1992 to 2000
- Balanced the budget with bill Clinton
Obama’s Challenge – and ours (31)
- Obama’s speech on race was a modern triumph
- He spoke honestly and openly about race issues other candidates wont even mention
A voters Guide to the Economy (36)
- Clinton is calling for 30 billion dollar emergency fund to mitigate the increasing foreclosure crisis
- Obama wants to give lenders more incentives and extend repayment periods on mortgages
- McCain wants to end the alternative minimum tax which he says, “the middle class was never intended to pay.”
Why Obama has a Pastor Problem (38-41)
- Obama withdrew his invitation to Wright to deliver his invocation announcement in 2007
- Obama knew his religious affiliations would be a problem
U.S. News, March 24-31, 2008
A prolonged Democratic Tug of War (23)
- The democrat’s ad’s are getting more negative.
- 10 nominating contests are left, neither will get the 2025 delegates needed
- Democrats are worrying McCain is benefiting most from this
Battle of the Talking Points (34)
- The race is very close and super delegates may have to vote for the democratic nominee
- Obama has 130 more delegates than Clinton so he should be the winner of a vote
Newsweek, March 24, 2008
The Deep Blue Divide (49)
- Democratic supporters are moving closer to the candidate of their choice
- Democratic supports are moving further from the old idea of ‘anybody but bush’ and are beginning to have more infighting
- Obama and Clinton had a short, private three minutes talk on the senate floor on the issue
Trying times for Trinity (50-51)
- Wrights sermons were not considered controversial but now they are because it’s Obama’s faith
- Obama has to still support his attendance at the church because he cannot afford to lose any votes
The Economist
Obama Keeps Cash Lead over Clinton
- Obama Raised 30 million dollars in the month of march insuring he will have prime TV ad’s in the final 8 states
- Clinton raised 20 million; borrowed 5 million from herself and has a 9 million dollar debt
- Clintons lack of money may mean she cant compete head to head with Obama
A Conversation about what’s Worth the Fight
- McCain is a US military veteran
- War would be a last resort
- He has no plans to widen the Iraq war to include Iran
What is Culture?
Culture is a moral code that guides the daily actions of individuals within a society. Every choice one makes is directly related to his/her culture. Culture encompasses everything about a society from religious faith to traditional customs. At first glance I expected this to be an easy assignment, but the more thought I put into it the harder it became to define culture. And in so trying have come to the conclusion that no one definition is accurate. The text describes a high and low culture using a skyscraper as a guide. I strongly disagree with this approach as what one person thinks should be high culture could be low culture to another individual with different values but still sharing the same culture. Culture is not static; it is always evolving and has its roots deep within a society’s values and beliefs.
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