The Artificial World of Emails

Many of us are on the internet (right now for example), busily engaged in sending emails back and forth about everything and nothing. The speed and efficiency is a wonder in itself. I deeply appreciate the internet in that it is a rather unifying force and a force to be reckoned with. Emails are like ultra speedy letters that can reach a multitude of persons  at the same time, if you wish.
They are however, not a substitute for friendship, or any form of intimate relationship. They are a way of reaching out in order to form a friendship or to have a romantic partner, but they are not the real thing. Call them a means to an end but not an end in itself. How can you have a real friend you have never seen? How can you possibly fall in love with someone whose voice you have not heard, whose face you have not looked, whose presence you have not felt? You cannot, I say. A substitute is not the real thing, it is a replacement, it is a shadow, it has no substance.
Why would people be satisfied with replacements or substitutes? Because an illusion of reality is better than nothing. If you can't have the real thing then settle for the illusion, in the minds of many people; so I allege. They believe it is real and maintain their cyber friendships and romances are true to the core. Are they? Doesn't their belief system fly in the face of what we humans are all about? Are we not about flesh and bone? We're not mechanical entities, a set of fingers flying over a keyboard.
Illusions may be handy for a short while, but in the long run they will dissipate and eventually turn into dust.

Why Live Anywhere but Los Angeles?

That is an exaggeration,  but after returning from a trip to LA, that is more or less how I feel. Sure I've been to the city before and so it is not like I am overwhelmed at a first time experience. It helps that I was visiting my daughter and stayed in the comfort of her apartment, complete with cats and a wonderful view of tall palm trees perched on a hill. I loved being with her.
LA is friendly, cool,  with a sense of humor. It doesn't take itself too seriously. How can it? It is the film capital of the world, meaning that it is all about manufacturing illusions for a public eager to indulge. It has one foot planted in escapism and the other in real work, with people hustling back and forth trying to make a buck to the fast rhythms of the city, all in a beautiful setting. It's  tropical like Rio, but easier to handle, and you don't feel that chaos simmering in the background. I lived in Rio.
LA is also a family town. In the Armenian section you see people of all generations walking together, wheeling baby strollers, sticking to their culture like nobody's business. I felt good seeing that. It reminded me of the Mediterranean.
I found excellent and inexpensive food in Thai restaurants. Actually the prices in LA were not too high at all, with the big exception of the rent.
Film festivals everywhere, people who were quick and engaging, actually all kinds of people walking around, including an elegant  seventy something woman with short pink and purple hair (I loved it.) Be anything you want to be in LA, it's all accepted. Come to think of it, why would you want to live anywhere else? As soon as I rent my house I'm moving out there.

Why Are Extremist White Men So Ugly?

Is it just me or has anyone  noticed how here in the US that extreme right wing white men are just plain ugly. Not only are they ugly but some of them have a eunuch like look about them. Take a look at Mitch McConnell. Or the Koch brothers, or Alan Greenspan or North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple, who is trying to shut down his state's only abortion clinic. It's like ugliness goes together with nastiness, in their cases. Their thinking must go like this, "OK, I'm not good looking, the women won't be chasing me, and so might as well grab as much power as I can and screw everyone over." By everyone I mean people who are not part of the ruling class, and that means most of us. It's as if these guys are out for vengeance for being so damn homely, with a big 0 for sex appeal. Sure they know they're not sexy, they hate it, and to compensate wreak havoc.
Alright, alright, there are exceptions. Yeah, you'll find some halfway decent looking right wingers, although they can't get rid of that stuffy, haughty demeanor which is not too attractive to women, unless she is looking for a guy with deep pockets and these men can be very rich.
Which brings me to another topic.Why are all the beastly looking, right wingers who happen to have a lot of power, married? Who are these women who marry them? Hate to say it but they are probably looking for a comfortable life, they share his views because they have no views of their own, and they manage to gain power through their  husbands. Remember how in old movies when a woman was introduced as "the Colonel's wife" or some such thing. That was a hell of an honor for her. All of these women who are alllies of patriarchy are no friends of feminists. Yeah ally girls line yourselves up on the side of the Mitch McConnells for a paltry place in the sun. You're the ones who have to deal with them in the bedroom.
The extremist right wing patriarchs know that if the playing field were level, they would be among the last to be chosen as mates. That's got to hurt a little or a lot. Look how they seek revenge.

Stop US Drones - Demonstrate on April 13

US drones have killed approximately 5,000 civilians, including about 176 children in Pakistan and Yemen. Were these children enemy terroritsts? This is a crime. The Obama administration has decided to conduct a remote control war, where young men in some war room, look at screens and kill by pressing buttons. Do they realize that the people on ground could be boys and girls, as young as one. Yes, babies have been killed. People living in countries where drones routinely fly by. live in constant fear. They have killing machines above them, making horrible sounds, and that may strike at any moment. These drones are terrorizing people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. The sovereignty of these nations  is being violated, and they are helpless because they are poor. Of course the UN does nothing.
I have read that every Tuesday Obama sits down with a deck of cards that have men's faces printed on them (suspects you might say), and selects people he thinks are terrorists, and then orders them to be killed by drones. Isn't this called extra judicial killing? Some have called it death squads. It is plainly illegal, immoral, and has resulted in an incredible amount of human suffering among the poor of countries being targeted.
On April 13 the Answer Coalition (www.answercoalition.com) along with other groups, will be demonstrating against these drones, all over the country.  A huge demonstration is planned for Washington D.C. People should get out on the streets and say, not in our name will children be killed.

Imam of Local Mosque Speaks Out

I got in on the tail end of a talk given by the Imam of the local mosque here in the Southwest. Actually another activist and I had gone to the mosque to ask him if he would speak at an upcoming anti drone rally sponsored by the Answer Coalition. As we listened to him speak I was struck by how this young black African man was so earnest and engaging. He was seated at a table in front of an audience of mainly women in traditional dress. He leaned forward as he spoke of respect for women, how the husband is supposed to provide everything for the household and the woman does not share in the expenses. Good thing I thought. I believe he actually said women are three times better than men. Wow!
The man is charming no doubt. I didn't get any feeling of sanctimoniousness, holier than thou. He spoke of Islam in a real clear, understandable way. Who would have guessed that I would learn so much. He said he was ready to actively engage with the community on all occasions, to reach out etc. Refreshing.
After the talk we approached him and asked if he could speak at our rally. He readily agreed. He shook my male friend's hand, but not mine. Tradition.
Pizza was served later.The ladies of the mosque, seeing that we were new faces, approached us in a curious and friendly way. Enjoyable. As I was about to take a sip of soda, the Imam passed by and glancing at me said, "I will be there" in an obvious reference to the rally. I wonder if he'll march with us.

Blood on Their Hands

The warmongers and profiteers of the Iraqi invasion caused the deaths of over a million Iraqis, coutless injuries, infants born with malformations never seen before in that country (see previous blog), scores of displaced persons, ruin of infrastructures and more. More than 4,400 American soldiers lost their lives. This was a war based on imperial conquest, oil resources, and corporate profits.
According to the warmongers' thinking, if the Iraqi people had to pay the price, so be it. Acutally I don't even think that these war criminals gave a second thought to the pain and suffering they were about to inflict on a nation, in the runup to that war. An understanding of their way of thinking can only be found if one realizes that to them the Iraqis were expendable, a means to an end. They were considered pawns in the buildup of empire. There was no legitimate reason to invade Iraq, and so Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and the majority of the congress people who supported them,  invented reasons, and the war drums began. The drum beating  ended in the invasion of Baghdad, with the cartoonish and insulting  name  Operation Shock and Awe. Talk about supremacho titles. The only problem was that it wasn't macho at all but cowardly, because the U.S. is vastly superior militarily to Iraq.
All of those against that war did everything we could to stop it. We marched, we signed peititions, we wrote articles, we appealed to the UN, but we all knew that somehow we were fighting a losing battle. The monster of war was out of the bottle, and most Americans supported it.
 A few days before the invasion I felt despondent, knowing that Baghdad would certainly be attacked, and that people would be killed and many would be children. I went out and bought a set of prayer flags and hung them outdoors, as a symbol of compassionate thoughts to those people who were about to be bombed, about to lose children, about to have their homes destroyed, about to lose their lives. It was all I could do. The war criminals had their way. Today they sit pretty, hold their heads up , are interviewed on TV, and live comfortably. They are still arrogant and remorseless. None has been held accountable.

Iraq Invasion left Legacy of Birth Defects

This is the tenth anniversay of the Iraq invasion. Among the many crimes committed against the Iraqi people is the legacy of birth defects and cancers found among children, the real victims of this war. According to Democray Now's interview with Al Jazeera's reporter, Dahr Jamail, this legacy was allegedly caused by the large use of depleted uranium and white phosphorous by the U.S. military. Jamail says, "What this has generated is, from 2004 up to this day, we are seeing a rate of congenital malformations in the city of Fallujah that has surpassed even that in the wake of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that nuclear bombs were dropped on at the end of World War 11."
I saw the interview on Link TV, and became sickened to listen to the details of the malformations and cancers. More than Hiroshima and Nagasaki! This is a inhumane. Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz and other architects of that war should be hauled  before the international court in the Hague for the crimes they committed against these children,  their mothers, their fathers, and the Iraqi population. The reasons given for that war were entirely bogus. And Iraq is worse off now than it was under Saddam Hussein.
Real reparatons, not paltry sums, should be given to every Iraqi citizen. It will do some good, although it will surely not make up for all the suffering they have endured. On this tenth anniversary all people who love peace should vow that they will do everything possible to try to stop another war like this one. Not in my name.

Losing Weight is Big Business

Like everything else, weight loss has become a huge business. Corporations looked around, saw how many overweight people were walking about, realized they weren't going away any time soon, and decided "let's nake a profit." So over the last several years dozens of diets and weight loss programs have sprung into action, with their promises of svelte bodies and quick happiness. I don't know how much money they make, but they sure have enough for tons of advertising. I have my doubts as to how much all their methods really work.
Do all these corporations dealing in fat actually care if people lose weight? Of course they don't care. They would really prefer if folks stayed heavy, in order for them to have a steady influx of customers. The more fat people out there the better. If the US was a nation of slim folks these companies would go out of business. So they make their money off of human discontent with their bodies. Nothing new of course. Capitalism always seeks out new markets.
I have drawn a simple conclusion. If you think you need to lose a few pounds, or many pounds, diet on your own without the aid of some special packaged diet food or drink. And weigh yourself every day so you can see tangible results. Oh yes, do exercise. Don't fall into the trap of the next diet gimmick waiting around the corner.

Favorite Topics of TV News: Weather, Disease, Royalty

If you watch the TV news anchors for any length of time you'll notice how their favorite topics are bad weather, frightening warnings about diseases, and British royalty. Pretty safe topics, right?
Who is going to argue with reports about horrible tornadoes, death and destruction? Most people like hearing about that, as long as they're not in the pathway of mother nature. These reports provide an oppoutunity  to have a momentary collective sympathy for others. The reporters know that viewers like the feeling of having compassion for those in dire distress. Mark Twain once said that Americans were obsessed by the weather. Modern day reporting has taken to whole new level. The good thing is that the weather is always there and so all the reporters have to do is sit around waiting for the next catastrophe, which will not be long in coming, thanks to climate change. Weather reporting, is also so non controversial. Who's going to argue about it?
Nothing excites these reporters more than the latest dreadful disease around the corner. Scaring the viewer is something they revel in because the topic takes up a lot of air time. Who will argue with those dire warnings about watching  what you eat, or what medicine you take, or what vaccine you should get. What about warnings about diseases you cannot do anything about? You have to sit and wait and hope to heaven they don't come your way. Of course the public has the right to know about certain illnesses, and the right to know what medical progress has been made to combat them. But it doesn't have to be bombarded with messages intended to induce dread and  anxiety.  The onslaught of these dire warnings is also a distraction tactic, a distraction from thinking about. oh let's say, how a tiny percentage of Americans owns most of the wealth in this country, and their wealth keeps on increasing. Or, how not one of the bailed out bankers went to jail.
Brian Williams, of ABC, loves reporting on every minute detail of the British royals. Scott Pelley of CBS doesn't do a bad job himself. One would think they were American royalty, or is this perhaps just wishful thinking on the part of those guys. Actually the entirety of the media in this country falls over itself in adulation of Queen Elizabeth's clan. The funny part is that they are a rather dull lot, with little excitement going on. The one exception was Princess Diana, who struck me as being a real person, but look how she was treated. In any case the reporters' obsession with these bluebloods connotes a certain type of homage to Anglo Saxon culture. You don't see them tripping over themselves to cover stories about the Dutch royalty.
The real heart of the matter is that weather, disease and royalty are safe topics. They are a distraction from urgent matters such as the illegal and inhumane drone killings that have resulted in the deaths of approximately 275 children. They are a distraction from any questioning of  a government policy of endless war. For the most part, they merely fill up time.

High Maternal Mortality in the US

The following is a speech I gave at a Stop Violence Against Women rally organized by the Answer Coalition.

                        

Amnesty International says the following, “It’s more dangerous to give birth in the United States than in 49 other countries.” In 2010 The UN placed the US as 50^th in the world for maternal mortality. The risk to African American women is four times greater than it is for Caucasian women.

The rates of maternal deaths in the US have risen dramatically since 1987. This is strange considering that the US spends more money on maternal health than any other hospital care. And yet women die at higher rates than they do in Kuwait, Bulgaria and South Korea.

Half of maternal deaths in the US are preventable. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “every human being has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself (herself) and his (her) family, including medical care and necessary social services.” Ideally this would mean that the US should provide quality health services regardless of income, race or color. We all know this is not the case, because the health care system is engineered by profit. The reality of the situation is that women come across shortages of providers, facilities, bureaucratic problems, language barriers, cultural barriers, lack of health insurance for those who are poor, to name a few. The government has turned a blind eye to making sure that all women receive access to quality health care, including reproductive health services. This is a grave injustice.

For more than 20 years the government has failed to improve maternal health care. The Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2011 failed. It did not have enough support. Surely, if this were some type of legislation involving more weapons it would have passed. Or if all the pregnant women and their infants had filler the coffers of their representatives it would have passed.

All pregnant women and their infants, regardless of their income, color and social standing are entitled to quality maternal health care, because this is a basic human right. It is not a right reserved for the few or for pampered royals.

This is a statement from a 2011 editorial in the Contraception Journal, “It is a human tragedy when a woman dies giving birth; her death forever changes her community and family for all future generations. It is both a tragedy and a human rights failure when a woman dies needlessly of preventable causes in a country that lacks the political will to have prevented her death.”

Sources: Amnesty International and website of the Contraception Journal

 

 

 

 

                      

 

Happy International Women's Day

                            Happy International Women's Day to all the Women
                                                                                      
                                                                                     para todas las Mujeres

                                                                                     per tutte le Donne

                                                                                     para todas as mulheres

                                                                                     pour toutes les femmes.

A Toast to the AIDS Free Baby

A few days ago the mainstream media reported on a baby who had been cured of AIDS. The reporters expressed optimism at this incredible event but then quickly became negative in their comments concerning if  it is too early to tell if the child is really cured, and one should be cautious about the cures for other babies. A Dr. Persaud, who was one of the main researchers and authors of the report one this baby's case, appeared on the screen with non gushy enthusiasm. She is a woman of color who spoke English with an accent. I got the feeling that somehow she was not being taken as seriously as a real Anglo type would have been. It is just a hunch. I have seen the corporate anchors practically jump out of their chairs with excitement when a story about a disabled person is suddenly able to oversome some hurdle. But here we have a baby who, two years after birth is AIDS free. This indeed is a cause for great celebration. The Mississippi mother  did not receive any prenatal care, as a more affluent mother would have received. And yet the baby is now healthy.
These reporters should have been smiling and wishing the baby well. For some reason they chose to be cautious and wary. ABC medical reporter Nancy Sniderman, with her plastic surgery face, seemed to know little about the child in question. Dr. Persaud, a real looking woman who does not have a gig on a glitzy  news program, spoke with clarity, and compassion.
A toast to the baby. May you live a long life.

Stop Violence Against Women Now

Violence against women is global, pervasive and a violation of women's human rights. Women have the right to live in a society free of violence, whether that be in the home, on the streets, in the workplace or on a bus. On March 8 and 9 there will be rallies and marches all over the world in support of the struggle to stop the violence. I will be at a rally here in the Southwest, sponsored by the Answer Coalition.
 March 8 is International Women's Day, a day to honor women. Men, step aside and take a moment to reflect upon the good women in your life, whether they be your mother, a girlfriend, a wife, daughter or sister. Be our allies in our fight for a safer and more humane world.
Misogyny is alive and well because it serves the interests of patriarchy. This is considering the fact  that women do most of the world's labor, bear children, run households, hold jobs outside the home, and often volunteer their services. Patriarchy serves no purpose, other than to empower a group of men, especially older white men. It does not care about children, who are always intimately tied to women. The most important people on this earth are children, and so that tells you a lot about the base instincts of these patriarchs.
Reflect. Join the struggle to put an end to violence against women everywhere.

My Grandparents Passed Through Ellis Island

For the home page I chose these photos of passengers, arriving and  waiting  at Ellis Island, the main port of entry to the United States from about 1880 to 1950. My Italian grandparents went through there, and ultimately settled in Pennsylvania. Ellis Island was the final destination for thousands more. Men, women and children  endured  medical examinations, questions, and sometimes frightening bureaucracy to see if they would be admitted into this country. For me these photos struck a personal note; but in a much larger sense they tell a story of real people, their determination and their dignity. To the people.