I’ve been battling writer’s block for weeks. It’s been a good month or so since my last post and even that seemed to just suck the creativity out of me like a malnourished vampire (or something like that). But, despite the discouraging nature of things, I’m seeing a breakthrough and a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll be getting more material out in the coming days.
Every now and then, I like to look around me and see what’s going on. Oftentimes, I get so caught up in what I’m going to eat for dinner or a reason as to why the sidewalks in Rexburg are so choppy and I lose my grip on world events.
So, in an effort to increase mine (and your) knowledge of the world around us, I have decided to start a new featurette called: Call ‘Em As I See ‘Em
Paris Hilton- Prison changed her. Yeah. Good one, Paris. Three weeks prior to her happy little trip to jail, the monetary monarch was seen toting a copy of the Good Book and some inspirational literature. Like flies to…well, you know…the press was on it, delivering the “shocking” photos to all of us gossip-hungry Americans. The only thing that was shocking to me was the realization that hit me after reading the news: “Wait, Paris can read?!”
The Monster of Gaza- There’s no question that the Gaza strip has become little more than a 140 square-mile battlefield. It’s a hotbed of for radical Islamist activity. Despite our best efforts (which are minimal, at best) the problem grows bigger and more ugly every day.
But why does it matter? Why should it be important to us? After all, isn’t Egypt thousands of miles from America? Well, there’s the Washington answer: elections, oil, the birth of more and more democratic nations for the betterment of society. But what about the human answer? What about individuals?
The easy thing to do would be to just leave Gaza alone; it’s an idea that many on Capitol Hill have been tossing around. But look a bit closer, think a little more rationally and you’ll see that the idea is less then logical, in our battered, post 9/11 world. “Simply walling off Gaza and more than a million Palestinians will bring the region no closer to peace,” said Michael Hirsh in his article in Newsweek.
So whose shoulders will the cleaning up of this bloody monstrosity fall on? Since we kind of helped start it, my guess is that the U.S. is at least somewhat responsible and should help to finish it. We did train the now radical, suicide bombing Hamas party, which now controls much of the Strip.
But, the way I see it, this is a global war on terrorism and its supporters. This means that all able nations have a moral obligation to help curb the problem. I wish war were not the answer but we are past the point of negotiations and peace talks. We live in a day where fire must be fought with fire. As stupid as that may sound, it’s true. In a world where things are constantly changing, only one thing is certain: we are a long way from peace.
And, finally, a head-nod has to go out to Vanity Fair and their July 2007 issue: Africa.
It was edited by singer, songwriter and activist Bono. It also feature contributions from Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Bill and Melinda Gates, Barrack Obama, Brad Pitt, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other influential figures. The issue was printed with 20 different covers with photographs of aforementioned contributors, taken by Annie Leibovitz.
VF’s new issue is all about Africa: its people, its problems and the heroes who are helping to shape its future. It caught my eye on the stand at Sky Harbor International airport before my flight to Salt Lake on Sunday. And I am glad that it did because I found it very informative and inspiring.It’s a challenge to review an entire issue of a magazine but I think I can sum up the idea of the July VF: HOPE FOR AFRICA.
Every now and then, I like to look around me and see what’s going on. Oftentimes, I get so caught up in what I’m going to eat for dinner or a reason as to why the sidewalks in Rexburg are so choppy and I lose my grip on world events.
So, in an effort to increase mine (and your) knowledge of the world around us, I have decided to start a new featurette called: Call ‘Em As I See ‘Em
Paris Hilton- Prison changed her. Yeah. Good one, Paris. Three weeks prior to her happy little trip to jail, the monetary monarch was seen toting a copy of the Good Book and some inspirational literature. Like flies to…well, you know…the press was on it, delivering the “shocking” photos to all of us gossip-hungry Americans. The only thing that was shocking to me was the realization that hit me after reading the news: “Wait, Paris can read?!”
The Monster of Gaza- There’s no question that the Gaza strip has become little more than a 140 square-mile battlefield. It’s a hotbed of for radical Islamist activity. Despite our best efforts (which are minimal, at best) the problem grows bigger and more ugly every day.
But why does it matter? Why should it be important to us? After all, isn’t Egypt thousands of miles from America? Well, there’s the Washington answer: elections, oil, the birth of more and more democratic nations for the betterment of society. But what about the human answer? What about individuals?
The easy thing to do would be to just leave Gaza alone; it’s an idea that many on Capitol Hill have been tossing around. But look a bit closer, think a little more rationally and you’ll see that the idea is less then logical, in our battered, post 9/11 world. “Simply walling off Gaza and more than a million Palestinians will bring the region no closer to peace,” said Michael Hirsh in his article in Newsweek.
So whose shoulders will the cleaning up of this bloody monstrosity fall on? Since we kind of helped start it, my guess is that the U.S. is at least somewhat responsible and should help to finish it. We did train the now radical, suicide bombing Hamas party, which now controls much of the Strip.
But, the way I see it, this is a global war on terrorism and its supporters. This means that all able nations have a moral obligation to help curb the problem. I wish war were not the answer but we are past the point of negotiations and peace talks. We live in a day where fire must be fought with fire. As stupid as that may sound, it’s true. In a world where things are constantly changing, only one thing is certain: we are a long way from peace.
And, finally, a head-nod has to go out to Vanity Fair and their July 2007 issue: Africa.
It was edited by singer, songwriter and activist Bono. It also feature contributions from Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Bill and Melinda Gates, Barrack Obama, Brad Pitt, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other influential figures. The issue was printed with 20 different covers with photographs of aforementioned contributors, taken by Annie Leibovitz.VF’s new issue is all about Africa: its people, its problems and the heroes who are helping to shape its future. It caught my eye on the stand at Sky Harbor International airport before my flight to Salt Lake on Sunday. And I am glad that it did because I found it very informative and inspiring.It’s a challenge to review an entire issue of a magazine but I think I can sum up the idea of the July VF: HOPE FOR AFRICA.
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