Where do we go from here?

The entire Middle East remains in chaos. U.S. Marines are deploying to Libya, Syria is detaining a man believed of spying, and Bahrain and other countries are still  trying to cope with the protests. Reading has always been an escape and an inspiration for me. I had been on goodreads.com, I am a reader and I like to share with others the books that I have read and find books that appeal to me, and I discovered a guy named Latif Yahia. Mr. Yahia's book was only available in limited quantities and, supposedly, not sold in Ireland or the U.S.

Mr. Yahia was a body double for Uday Hussein and was being courted by intelligence agencies from around the world but he only wanted to live a normal life and decided against being employed by the agencies. I had never heard of him, but he seemed interesting.

I also found it interesting that the return of former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide went uncovered by the major media outlets. Amy Goodman, from Democracynow.org, covered it while he and his family were on the plane from South Africa. I still do not understand how he was removed legally by George W. Bush.



I guess that I am too logical. I also need justifiable reasons why Walmart is permitted to pay women less and not advance them while employed at the company. I think the operative phrase would be, "in theory". . .

From here, hopefully, things get better.      

Capitalize Me!

Child labor laws do not apply in certain circumstances: youtube/blog profits and street performers. There is a street performer who appears very young that croons to the many visitors that the travel industry attracts. I have seen this girl out at very early hours in the morning--the same hours that the drunk and disorderly are roaming the streets and the prostitutes, who everybody, including the cops, knows are prostitutes, are looking for customers. The young street performer's income must be very lucrative in order for her parents to have her in such an environment. 

The Youtube generation uses social networking and other media sites innocuously but are being criticized by the national media. It seems that the latest distraction is named Rebecca Black and she has a song titled, "Friday" that everyone is commenting on. I adhere to the old adage: accentuate the positive. . .and therefore, I will not critique the song. I think that those who make negative statements must remember that Rebecca is a child. She is probably not unlike other children who have fun being silly on Youtube. The thing that bothers me is that this, once again, is the bread and circus. Entertainment diverts our attention to the salient issues that the news should be broadcasting.

Corporate news is biased. I prefer Democracy Now over CNN, Fox, MSNBC and every other major news source. Democracy Now does not have the viral videos and other distractions that are used in the "news". Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez are exceptional journalists. They have maintained the journalistic integrity that other broadcasters: Fox News, has never had and will probably never know.  

Good news: At&t and Verizon have allowed calls and texts to Japan to be free until March 31st.

Click on the link for more information.

AT&T, Sprint & Verizon Offer Free Calls & Texts to Japan From U.S. [UPDATED]

The Unemployment Files

I have started to think that people are saving jobs for each other. I do not have a criminal record, I have a (worthless) bachelor's degree; I have many competencies, I have excellent phone etiquette, a very high social intelligence quotient, yet, I have no employment offers and no return calls. The irony of it is that celebrities are allowed to have criminal records and, in some cases, have been offered employment as soon as their time is served. If there is one segment of society where criminals are forgiven and loved unconditionally, it is in the entertainment industry. The stars--placed so high above the layman--can elicit sympathy with drug addiction, eating disorders, allegations of sexual assault and other criminal acts that would deem the average offender a pariah or one who cannot be rehabilitated. How easily forgiven is Lindsay Lohan? She was unable to serve her full jail sentence due to "overcrowding", she was entered into a Rehab facility where she supposedly violated the rules, she was on probation and violated that, too, but she was offered million dollar interviews from the media. I would almost volunteer to go to jail for the same amount of time and with the same amount of star privileges as Ms. Lohan if when I got out I could receive million dollar interviews, employment offers and expensive cars gifted to me. However, I have integrity. I am proud to say that I am unwilling to receive anything as a reward for bad behavior. Even though good deeds often go overlooked, I remain optimistic that one day they, too, will receive compensation. 

Protests

I do not wish to downplay the protests that have arisen in The Middle East. I lived in a very liberal Middle Eastern country and their politics and cultures are complex. However, I do want to demonstrate how hypocritical the media is when framing such news stories. During the George W. Bush years: 2000-2008, the news media would be strategically placed so that protesters would not be visible to the cameras. The protesters were often confined to an area where their numbers could not be approximated and their signs and effigies could not be seen. The aforementioned description doesn't fit a democratic society. The media will edit certain stories to its advantage. The corporate media is particularly of concern because it has the potential to enter new markets. I do not believe that the media is inherently evil. I think that some people go beyond what is normal when demonizing corporate news conglomerates, but one must question why it is not allowable in the society with the most freedoms and why the protests have managed to be extremely successful in the society that has a stronger handle on their society?