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About Me
- MC Santana
- I am a positive person with a lot of energy. I like to meet different people and enjoy learning about other communities and places. I love to travel. I usually travel abroad once or twice a year.
For this article review, I chose to write about the Israeli attack on the humanitarian aid convoy Freedom Flotilla. The convoy consisting of six ships, 10,000 tons of aid, and 700 activists, was forty miles off of the coast of Gaza in international waters. The goal of the Freedom Flotilla was to break the “three-year-long siege of the Gaza Strip.” The Israeli military laid siege to the convoy by “firing from helicopters over the flotilla”, and eventually boarded the largest boat, the Turkish Mavi Marmara. “It has been reported that at least ten and as many as nineteen civilians were killed in the attack.” The Israeli military then seized the Mavi Marmara and the five other ships, and currently have them detained in the port of Ashdod.
ReplyDeleteAll of the activists are currently detained, and are to be deported within the next 48 hours. The Israeli military claims it was attacked with “knives, clubs, and other weapons, and opened fire in self-defense.” However, people on the boats have stated that no such weapons existed, and the activists only used a few wooden batons to defend themselves. The raid has caused an outcry from organizations around the world, including the United Nations. At least four of those killed were Turkish citizens, and “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the assault was a "bloody massacre" and must be punished. He said Israel should not test Turkey's patience.” Further condemnation of raid came from UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon who stated, “Had Israelis heeded to my call and to the call of the international community by lifting the blockade of Gaza, this tragic incident would not have happened.”
One of the reasons I selected this article, was because it showed the danger activists sometimes face. As in this incident, it was extreme, but even we people try to do good and/or fight for human rights, they can still be met with both danger and hostility.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/1/global_condemnation_of_israeli_armed_attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10208027.stm
Radical News - Due 06/02/2010
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/02/ted-haggard-starts-new-church-allegedly-open-to-gays-but-not-gay-marraige/
While I can't say I'm entirely disappointed, because it seems that Ted Haggard is at least becoming accepting of the homosexual population, while coming to terms with being openly gay, I can't help but shake my head at this article. Ted, who after being caught in a scandal involving himself and another man while still protesting gay marriage, is starting a church that is open to homosexuals.
The good side of this is of course that now Ted can live his life the way he wants to, without having to hide behind his staunch anti-homosexual facade. The down side is that of course, he is still promoting an anto-gay marriage campaign. So while he has become 'more-accepting' of homosexuals, he's still got some room for growth.
Though, this only goes further to show the effects that religion can have one its believers. Even though this man is now able to accept himself and other homosexuals, he still feels as though marriage is something exclusive to a man and woman. I can only believe that if not for his beliefs, he would have no qualm with gay marriage.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/31/indonesia.smoking.baby/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis is the link to my article, it is from CNN.com and the title is "Mom of toddler smoker in Indonesia seeks help for him". The article actually expands to explain that childhood smoking is an issue for the entire country, and a prominent one as well. It is a result of aggressive marketing from tobacco companies and a lack of health warning enforcement from the government.
While this is a pressing and hazardous condition for Indonesia, a country in which smoking is so throughly accepted that this specific two year old's heavy addiction to smoking (40 cigarettes a day) is seen as amusing, the family and the people of the country are victims of their environment.
Interestingly, and what I choose to focus my analysis on, is the comment section of the online article.
Commenters post such reactions as "I would never let my 2 year old smoke, what a terrible mother!!!!!" and "The courts in Indonesia should fine and, if necessary, jail his mother for endangering the life of a child. If she refuses, she should definitely go to jail and the child placed in suitable protective custody."
It is obvious to me that the authors of such comments cannot comprehend the intricacies of culture and government outside of the United States. The ethnocentric mentality is dominant in the comments, and is popular. To assume such traditional models of family and government also speaks to the assumptions made by the citizens of the United States when voting and decision-making.
It is frustrating to see the strong hegemonic bias taken by the commentors when discussing the story. All blame is placed on the mother of the child, and the strong environmental factors are written off as an excuse.
I didn't know where to post my first news article analysis for you so I'm posting it here. I hope that's ok. Here it is:
ReplyDeleteFor my first article analysis I chose an article entitled "A Few Good Men" in the April/May 2010 issue of Bust Magazine. This article tells of the projects that five different men have done for the women's rights movement around the world. These five men in the article are Nicholas D. Kristof, Leroy Carhart, Honore Bisimwa, Paul Greengard, and Muhammad Yunus. Nicholas D. Kristof has spent his life as a journalist reporting on the issues that women around the world face every day from the countless murders of baby girls in China to the brutal treatments of women in refugee camps in Darfur. Leroy Carhart has helped women with late-term abortions after the murder of his colleague George Tiller. Carhart performs these late-term abortions on women who are carrying unwanted infants with genetic defects and health complications. Honore Bisimwa has been working to end rape in the Congo by talking to the soldiers that rape the women there. Paul Greengard has used his Nobel Prize to help women scientist earn the recognition they deserve for their contributions to science. Muhammad Yunus has worked to provide economic opportunities to women in Bangladesh.
This article shows that the feminist movement is not just a movement for women. Men are also taking an active role in changing women's lives for the better. It's refreshing to be reminded that women aren't alone in wanting equal rights for all.
Work Cited
DeJesus, Erin. "A Few Good Men." Bust Apr.-May 2010: 62-65. Print.
The states are not free, under the guise of protecting maternal health or potential life, to intimidate women into continuing pregnancies. ~Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Roe v. Wade, 22 January 1973
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a very religious home filled with family values and all that good stuff. I was introduced to very black and white ideas about abortion. There were no shades of gray allowed, you were either for it or against it, which in turn also meant you were with us or going to hell. Being indoctrinated from a very early age with these ideas I took a very pro-life approach. In 12th grade during our English class debate I chose the topic of abortion. I remember being with my group and putting all the information together, there was a lot of judgment and pity and did I mention judgment? At the end of the class the class voted for the winning team, we won. I wish we hadn’t.
When I read this article I couldn’t help but jump back to that place in my life when I would have championed for this legislation.I now can recognize the shades of gray, I can also see the blues and yellows, reds and browns. The stories of the women who make the choice to terminate their pregnancies are individual and colorful and complex.
The thing to remember is that the new laws being enacted to restrict abortions aren't being put into place at the federal level, it is coming from the state level. It is our state legislatures, the people in our backyards. This is why I think it is so important to vote and stay involved in statewide politics. We put them into power and we can take our power back. The wonderful thing about laws, especially at the state level is that they can be changed. Just like people can change, just like I changed so can laws. And just like I did, it can be for the better.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/health/policy/03abortion.html?hpw
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/weekinreview/06bai.html?hp
ReplyDelete“The disconnect was on vivid display during Mr. Obama’s news conference late last month, when, despite professing full responsibility for his administration’s response to the leak, he referred several times to what the “federal government” was doing, as if he himself were merely a disappointed spectator like the rest of us.”
This article concerning President Obama and the disconnect between his role as a community organizer and leader really summed up the sentiments I had been feeling and searching for. During election time I bought into his effective campaigning and slogans of “Yes We Can.” He made the American public feel as though radical changes were to be made within the federal government. The Obama Administration has been hit with several “catastrophic events” including the BP Oil Spill, but I was really hoping President Obama was going to step up to the plate and use more authority and tact in smoothing over this BP situation. While Obama has the unique ability to play both the role of concerned spectator and President, he has a duty and obligation to be responsive and tactful in the decisions he makes on our behalf.
Within his popularity ratings he does have more time to win back the citizens whose opinions of him have dwindled or diminished. I am still a true believer in the Obama Administration but I would like to see him regain his confidence and charisma in which he used in wooing our votes. Obama carries two perspectives as “The Community Activist/Organizer” and “the President” and he needs to find a happy balance/medium in channeling those two perspectives into assessing a problematic situation which arise within his administration and during national catastrophic events. I still wholeheartedly believe in him and the tremendous things he can and will achieve, I just hope he is able to gain more assertiveness within his administration and within his public figure head role while still maintaining that activist feel.
This news article speaks about how human trafficking is a growing problem in Ireland. I Felt that this was significant because I have never thought about a human trafficking as being a problem in that country. Within the article it explains how the girls and women were made to believe that they were going to Ireland for education and job opportunities and upon arrival where forced to work in brothels.
ReplyDeleteThe article made me think about how many Americans think of human trafficking as something that only occurs in third-world nations. Also how many Americans view human trafficking as something that does not happen in here in the U.S., the
citizens of Ireland also have a similar view in not believing that human trafficking is happening in their country or that it is a problem. There is still denial even after there were court cases dealing with the issue and a movie made title trafficking that told the story of two women that were involved in human trafficking.
I was interested in the article because it shed light on a problem which needs to be addressed. From an activist standpoint it shows the actions that are being taken in order to spread awareness about the problem, it shows different approaches that are being taken by others due to this problem.
Source:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/ireland/100521/African-women-sex-slaves-human-trafficking
I found two articles both reporting that President Obama ordered that executive branch employees who have a partner of the same sex receive equal benefits as those with partners of the opposite sex. The first article was from CNN and was titled “Obama orders more benefits for same-sex partners of federal workers” the second article was from Fox News and was titled “Obama Gives Benefits to Workers’ Same-Sex Partner” which sounds about the same but the content of these articles was quite different.
ReplyDeleteThe CNN article came across in a more positive manor and noted that President Obama has been working hard for gay rights during his presidency. It includes that President Obama has asked for the repeal of the military policy Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in 2009. The article also points out that many activists have been impatient with the president, congress, and the senate for not doing more for the gay community and this is why they are pushing ahead with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I found this to be worded oddly because it made it sound that our government leaders are only fighting for these rights because activists are unhappy with the lack of progress. I guess most people are more concerned with the action rather than the motivation behind it.
The Fox News article was completely different compared to the one from CNN. Fox News only discussed that this order will extend benefits like extended medical leave and child care. It made me wonder if they are purposefully representing this as more benefits equate to more taxes or it might be my own bias looking for criticisms. The article also mentions the health care bill which many Fox News followers are not in favor of when it states that revisions would have to be added to the bill if same sex partners were going to receive full health coverage.
The differences between these two articles are very noticeably in my opinion. This is important when talking with people outside of our progressive minded group because they might be hearing a different story even though we are all getting the same headlines.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/06/02/obama.gay.benefits/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/02/obama-gives-benefits-workers-sex-partners/