Did Ahmadinejad actually say that???

Lately, America has been concerned with Iran. There has been speculation that Iran has created nuclear weapons and will use them against opposing countries. Now, America did not just assume that Iran might attack another country. This belief was contrived because the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, supposedly said that "Israel must be wiped off the map." I have been researching this situation and have found different opinions on whether or not Ahmadinejad actually said that. Arash Norouzi, an Iranian journalist, claims that Ahmadinejad said, "The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time." Then, Norouzi goes on to explain that "This is the passage that has been isolated, twisted and distorted so famously." This Iranian journalist believes that Ahmadinejad does not want Israel to be destroyed by war, but rather have a complete regime change. In Norouzi's article, he directly translated what Ahmadinejad said in Farsi to English.

An article released from the BBC News Channel claims that Ahmadinejad said, "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map." Then the BBC article goes onto say that "a Muslim state that developed a nuclear weapon might use it to destroy Israel." The BBC has a convincing argument that Amadinejad might use his nuclear weapons, if obtained, to destroy Israel.

Which argument do you believe is true? If Ahmadinejad did say he wanted Israel "wiped of the map," would he use nuclear weapons to do so?

The "Domino Theory"

In class, we have been discussing the Cold War and how the United States wanted to prevent the spread of Communism. Mr. Lawler wanted to know who first thought of the "Domino Theory." Always looking for an opportunity to write blog post, I decided to investigate this subject. I found that Dwight D. Eisenhower introduced this theory in an interview in 1954. The "Domino Theory" was brought up when the interviewer asked Eisenhower about "the strategic importance of Indochina." Eisenhower addressed the the point of how Indochina has many raw materials and then goes on to talk about the "falling domino theory." Eisenhower said, "Asia, after all, has already lost some 450 million of its peoples to the Communist dictatorship, and we simply can not afford greater losses." he wanted to prevent Communism from spreading into Indochina because then then other countries would fall to Communism like dominoes. This is the first time this theory was introduced to the public and this has was a part of American ideology for many years.

U.S.A. Reaching Out to Cuba?

In class, we have been looking at cartoons and the message that they send. I looked at a few cartoons that were drawn in the early 1900s that dealt with the foreign affairs of the United States. In 2009, the cartoons could be about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, China, North Korea, and as in this political cartoon, Cuba. America and Cuba have not had the best relationship, but Obama is hoping to change that. Although Obama is open to talk with Cuba and help their relationship progress, Cuba is hesitant. In a recent Chicago tribune article, it claims that "many say it will be hard for Cuba to ignore decades of mistrust." America has not been honest to Cuba through out their whole relationship, but Obama wants to reach out and make America's relationship with Cuba a friendly one. In this political cartoon, we see the hand of Uncle Sam reaching out to shake the hand of Cuba's. You could interpret this photo in two ways. Initially, I thought that America wanted to heal the wounded relationship, but Cuba is hesitant and that is why their hand is in shackles. The chain is holding Cuba from shaking Uncle Sam's hand, which means Cuba is not ready to compromise with America. But, when I began to think about it further, this could also be interpreted as America reaching out to Cuba to grab the American political prisoners that Cuba has taken captive. I came to that conclusion because the hand is in shackles and the clothing looks dirty as if it were a prisoner. Regardless of interpretation, this political cartoon illustrates an opinion and argument without words. Do you feel that a political cartoon "speaks" more to you than a newspaper article?

Just to fill you in, the Tribune believes that "both nations are now trading their warmest words since Washington broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961." America is on the right path by trying to mend the broken relationship with Cuba.

The Power of a Picture

Today, i was reading through Everything Is an Argument and how an image can say more than words and can pull the emotional stings of our hearts. The one image that I kept seeing in my mind was an extreme juxtapose of a mound of bodies and skulls scattered through a lit church. I had seen this image when a good family friend of mine, Clemantine Wamariya, presented at my grade school about her experience and story of her escape from the Rwanda Genocide. The Rwanda Genocide was a massacre of 6 million people because the Hutus (an ethnic group of Rwanda) wanted to get rid of every Tutsi (another ethnic group of Rwanda). The genocide was gruesome in that people used guerrilla war tactics and rape. Clemantine was one of the few who escaped the genocide and came to America after years of waiting in refugee camps. Her story was amazing, but what made it impactful was the powerful images she showed. The image that has been forever etched in my mind is the juxtapose of a cross in the middle of hundreds of corpses. The cross has always been to me a symbol of hope and life, while the corpses and skulls scattered on the ground symbolize death and horror. Also, this picture was in the middle of a church. A church to me represents a refuge and a place of safety, but during the Genocide it was a slaughterhouse. The image had a strong emotional appeal and only made Clemantine's story more compelling. This image gives you a sense of the destruction and horror that went on during this awful genocide. I will never forget this image, and I will never forget the compelling story of perseverance by Clemantine Wamariya.

Now, what images have been so powerful that you never forget them? If you have any, comment on this post and put your picture in the comment and explain why it is so powerful.

G.M. Wants to Give Back?

Recently, our class has been discussing Michael Moore's film "Roger and Me." The film shows how there were eleven General Motors plants in Flint, Michigan, and how they were torn down because they could get cheaper labor in Mexico. Michael Moore filmed the opinions of the laborers who lost their jobs and they were extremely upset, upset at Roger Smith, the president of General Motors. "Roger and Me" was filmed in the 1980's, but even today, there is still complaints being sent to General Motors. Our economy right now is in poor shape and many of the car companies are on the verge of bankruptcy. General Motors is one of those companies, and they have been receiving aid from the government to prevent filing bankruptcy. Fritz Henderson, new Chief Executive for G.M., said, "But the day we took money from the taxpayer was one of the, one of the most difficult days of certainly my career and of the history of General Motors. … And one of the, one of the happiest days of my future career is going to be the day we pay the loans back.” When I read that, I thought that other Americans would would seem happy because he cares about the taxpayers and sincerely wants to pay them back. When I look on the comments I found many angry responses. Many Americans are upset about the whole economic situation so they will get mad at anything that seems unfair. For example, Brian Sussman from New Rochelle, New York, said, " If Mr. Henderson was 'earning' $200,000, that would be more than sufficient. If he has any sense of honor, He should immediately reduce his salary by an additional $1.1 million, and consider that his patriotic duty; or if he is too greedy for that, he should immediately resign his position without accepting any severance pay or other benefits." This man is extremely upset that Henderson is making 1.3 million even though his company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Americans are speaking out against the executives who are making more than enough money even after they are receiving government aid. Sussman's comment reminded me of the angry laborers who sent letters to F.DR.. In this hard economic time, people are becoming angry at any unfair thing and want the government to stop throwing away money to companies who handle it foolishly.

Blogging to Help the Homeless???

"How much responsibility should individuals have for addressing poverty?"

As I was surfing the New York Times, I came across an article titled, "A Home on the Internet Shelters Beijing's Homeless." When I first saw that, I was intrigued and soon began reading the article. A man named Zhang Shihe, "a 55-year-old blogger, is a marketing expert by day, good Samaritan by night." What exactly is a man from Beijing doing that gives him the title of a "good Samaritan?" This man has been blogging about the injustices in China and "for the last year and a half, he has used the Internet to raise awareness of the plight of the neighborhood's homeless." Mr. Zhang is now "soliciting donations on his blog" for the homeless people he witnesses living in horrible conditions. For example, he saw "32 squatters" living in "knee-high sleeping compartments, assembled from the rubble" of a demolished hotel. By showing the horrible living conditions of these men and women, Mr. Zhang has received many donations which help home the homeless. After reading this article, I realized why he is given the title "good Samaritan."

The amazing thing is, this man lives on "$600-a-month salary" and he still able to help the homeless. My family has a much higher income and we do not help the homeless anywhere near how much Mr. Zhang does. If this man can help poverty stricken people this much, think how much someone who is much more privileged could help. I feel that people who are privileged should help those in poverty. These people are living in ruble, while we are living in a comfortable bed and home. Do you feel called to help those in poverty?

Most Needed:The Consumer or Stimulus Bill?

Last night, Barack Obama gave a more optimistic speech concerning the economic crisis in our country. Obama said, "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than ever." The Chicago Tribune this morning said that "consumers were the most important audience" because "[Obama's] policies won't be effective unless confidence is restored." Obama 's optimism was meant to encourage consumers to be more confident in the economy and more willing to consume. The 787 billion dollar stimulus package will help, but the consumer needs to contribute as well. The more people begin to buy, the faster the economy of our country will recover. The consumer needs to take responsibility to help America out of this recession.

In class we talked about the trade-offs of capitalism. In our country, many people are losing their jobs or having their salaries lowered. Because of this, people are beginning to save more and spend less. But there is a problem with this. The consumer needs to be active so the stimulus bill will be more effective and can help our country out of a deep economic rut. If consumers do not begin to buy, more companies will suffer and the stimulus bill will have minimal effect. Obama made his speech particularly optimistic hoping America would feel more comfortable spending money, which should help our country move towards economic recovery.