Kim's Thoughts

2011 Goals Review

2011-05-26T11:26:00.002-06:00

Well we are getting close to the year being half over so I decided to see where I am with my goals.

1. Get pregnant!

Will start on this later this summer.

2. Try yoga/find some spirituality. I’m an extreme skeptic but do want my kids to have some spirituality.

Haven’t tried yoga yet but I am finding myself feeling more spiritual. I love Oprah and am sad her show is over. Things she has said on spirituality have really resonated with me. She believes that being spiritual is simply “having an open heart”. I also love a quote she said from Glenda the good witch from The Wizard of Oz, “You always had the power”.

3. Read a book a week. Or at least 52 books by the end of the year.

I’m a few weeks behind but this is what I’ve read so far:

1. The Glass Castle by, Jeannette Walls
2. The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by, Elna Baker
3. The Hobbit by, J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof
5. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by, Anne Fadiman
6. The Prince by, Niccolò Machiavelli
7. Water for Elephants by, Sara Gruen
8. Netherland by, Joseph O'Neill
9. Outliers by, Malcolm Gladwell
10. Freedom by, Jonathan Franzen
11. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by, Eckhart Tolle
12. Sarah's Key by, Tatiana de Rosnay
13. The Happiness Project by, Gretchen Rubin
14. Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House by, Valerie Plame Wilson
15. Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life by, Jillian Michaels
16. Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, #11) by, Charlaine Harris
17. Understanding Iraq: The Whole Sweep of Iraqi History, from Genghis Khan's Mongols to the Ottoman Turks to the British Mandate to the American Occupation by, William R. Polk

Now I should be more blog active and post reviews for what I’ve read. Also if anyone has any good book suggestions let me know!

4. Exercise more. I want to buy a treadmill soon even though I don’t really have room for one.

I bought a manual treadmill because it is smaller. I’ve tried to walk on it 3 days a week and lift weights after. If it ever stops raining I would love to go walk around Sugarhouse park.

5. Volunteer more. Last fall I volunteered as a Youth Mentor for refugee youth. I had so much fun and want to do it again this spring and summer as well as work at some other places.

I’ve done some volunteering with refugee kids doing homework help after school. I should be doing more but life gets busy with work, dinner, dishes, reading, spending time with my husband and cats and watching TV. This summer starts another session of youth group mentoring with the IRC and I plan on doing it. I’m excited because they didn’t do a session in the spring and I’ve really missed all the kids and other mentors.

6. Go camping and hiking more.

Have not done this yet but hopefully when the weather gets better.

Six Confessions

2011-02-18T10:02:00.003-07:00

Some nifty bloggers are writing six confessions about themselves so here are some of mine:

1. I wasn’t really interested in boys or dating until I was in my 20’s. Anxiety!

2. I know I’m weird and social awkward. I can’t blame people for not wanting to be my friend even though I always feel hurt and part of me judges them. Mostly I just pretend to be normal while inside I want to do or say something weird. I can relate to the characters in the TV show Scrubs.

3. I get really uncomfortable talking about weight with people. I feel guilty for being able to eat what I want, never exercise and not gain a pound. However I don’t feel my body is attractive to guys because they like girls with curves.

4. I’ve had the hardest time since college getting into the “work” mode. I HATE it! I hate that Americans “live to work” and that good work ethic is seen as a positive quality. Yes I can see the value of working hard, doing a good job and that you have bills to pay, BUT there is so much more to life! Any day I would rather be going for a hike, reading a good book or even watching the Kardashians on TV than sitting in an office.

5. I know this is personal but it is one of my confessions. I debate daily (sometimes hourly) for the existence of God. Sometimes I think there is someone who loves, helps me and has a plan for my life. But I can’t comprehend how with the horrendous amount of suffering that goes on in the world if someone could stop it why they wouldn’t. It just seems extremely sick and cruel and mostly like we are on our own here.

6. I have a hard time being emotionally “there” for people. I didn’t grow up in a house where we talked about feelings or asked how each other were doing; mostly we just dealt with stuff on our own. Now when I know people are struggling I don’t know what to say or feel like I’ll say the wrong thing. I’m not trying to abandon or neglect people, mostly I just don’t know what you want me to do or say.

What are some of your confessions? They don't have to be so personal. Others of mine would be that I ate my weight in candy yesterday and that I wrote this post while at work. ;D

Favorite Movie: “The Spanish Apartment” or “L’Auberge Espagnole”

2011-02-02T22:14:00.002-07:00

I first heard of this movie in one of my French classes. Several students loved it and we watched some clips in class. It is about a young French man who goes to Spain for Grad school. He finds an apartment to share with an Italian, an English girl, a boy from Denmark, a girl from Belgium, a German and a girl from Spain. The best parts of the movie are seeing how all these Europeans communicate and get along. They shift from French to English to Spanish throughout the film. It is interesting to see how they are trying to create unity, being how they all now are a part of the European Union, however they still want to retain their own culture and country.

There is also a sequel called “Russian Dolls”.

WTF?

2011-02-02T21:28:00.003-07:00

2011 Goals

2010-12-31T10:20:00.002-07:00

Here are some of my goals for 2011:

1. Get pregnant!

2. Try yoga/find some spirituality. I’m an extreme skeptic but do want my kids to have some spirituality.

3. Read a book a week. Or at least 52 books by the end of the year.

4. Exercise more. I want to buy a treadmill soon even though I don’t really have room for one.

5. Volunteer more. Last fall I volunteered as a Youth Mentor for refugee youth. I had so much fun and want to do it again this spring and summer as well as work at some other places.

6. Go camping and hiking more.

Hope everyone has happy, safe New Years and good luck with all your goals.

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-06-25T21:46:00.005-06:00

Waltz With Bashir

I love the way film critic Roger Ebert writes reviews and he describes this movie so well I thought I would just copy what he said:

"'Waltz With Bashir" is a devastating animated film that tries to reconstruct how and why thousands of innocent civilians were massacred because those with the power to stop them took no action. Why they did not act is hard to say. Did they not see? Not realize? Not draw fateful conclusions? In any event, at the film's end, the animation gives way to newsreel footage of the dead, whose death is inescapable.

The massacre, well documented, took place during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The victims were in Palestinian refugee camps. They were killed by a Christian militia. Israelis were in nominal control of the militia, but did not stop the massacre. Blame has never been clearly assigned. Certainly the Christians pulling the triggers were guilty. Were the Israelis enablers?

In war, they say, no one sees the big picture, the men at the top least of all. "Waltz With Bashir" opens with a recurring nightmare had by a friend of Ari Folman, who wrote and directed the film. It is described to Folman in the course of his attempt to reconstruct what actually happened during days when he was present; he has the confused impression that the truth of those days was just outside his grasp. He sets out to interview Israeli army friends who were also there, and his film resembles "Rashomon" in the way truth depends not on facts but on who witnessed them, and why.[...]

Folman gradually fits together a puzzle with the massacre at the center and his witnesses in concentric rinds at various distances. Who knew what was happening? Which Israeli commanders were in a position to stop it? After it was over, it became simply a thing that had happened, seemingly without decision or choice. Had anyone in fact ordered the Christian militia to shoot, or had they spontaneously agreed to kill?

It is impossible to pin down the answers. My impression is that some knew, some could have stopped it, but the connections between the two are uncertain. That is almost always the case with genocide. At this moment, for example, the world fully knows that ethnic slaughter is taking place in the Congo. The world stands aside. Eventually we will regret not having acted, as we regret Rwanda, Bosnia, Somalia, indeed the Holocaust. Those pulling the triggers are the immediate murderers. Those in charge of them are morally guilty. Those who could stop them, even more so. That means us.

The debate still continues about the inaction of the Allies in not bombing the rail lines leading to the death camps, although there were bombs to spare for bombing German civilians. Now "Waltz With Bashir" argues that Israel itself is not guiltless in acts of passive genocide, an argument underlined by the disproportionate Israeli response to the provocations of Hamas. We may be confronted here with a fundamental flaw in human nature. When he said "The buck stops here," Harry Truman was dreaming. The buck never stops."

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090121/REVIEWS/901219995

Chris Matthews Interview

2010-04-23T11:42:00.002-06:00

I love a good Charlie Rose interview and this is one even though it is about a year old. I love what Chris Matthews says about America, Obama, the Clinton's, the Peace Corps and movies. I am a fan and wish I had cable so I could watch his show, Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

I couldn't embed the whole interview but here is a clip:

Watch the whole interview here.

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-04-22T15:50:00.001-06:00

Volver

I enjoy Pedro Almodovar's films and this one is my favorite so far. I love that he always focuses on women and all the struggles they deal with. It also shows a lot of the culture in Spain which I find interesting and would love to see first hand. Penelope Cruz does such a great amazing job in this film as always, you can see how dedicated of an actress she is.

Fill In the Blank Friday

2010-04-19T15:30:00.001-06:00

Better late then never…

1. The first thing I do in the morning is…open the blinds so my cat can watch the birds.

2. Every night before bed I…brush my teeth, wash my face and put on lotion.

3. My favorite thing to do when I’m having a bad day is…eat candy and then either take a nap or watch TV.

4. Something that makes me cringe is when…people blow their nose. I can’t stand the sound and grossness of it.

5. Social situations are…fun if you are with “cool” people. And by “cool” I mean are fun, have a good sense of humor and are not too rude, judgmental, close minded, or afterwards going to go make fun of everything you said, wore, ate, and did.

6. I like to collect…my favorite TV shows on DVD’s.

7. Weekends are for…relaxing, having fun, reading, and taking baths.

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-04-15T21:29:00.002-06:00

Lost In Translation

This movie makes me want to go to Tokyo! This is a great movie to watch if you can't sleep and are feeling lost.

Fill In the Blank Friday

2010-04-09T16:00:00.002-06:00

My good friend Nicole did this and I thought it would be fun.

1. The strangest thing I’ve ever eaten was…probably escargot; it’s too weird to see the bugs eyes and antenna.

2. My best friend is…my husband who I love so much and puts up with my weird, awkward self.

3. If I could live in a different era it would be…I wouldn’t, I think woman are finally getting the rights and respect we deserve. However I do love the clothes in Mad Men.

4. I like…waking up to bright, sunny days.

5. If you know one thing about me it should be…hmm don’t know. That I’m a dork and love to laugh. Also that I'm incredibly insecure even though I try to hide it.

6. My favorite book of all time is…that changes all the time. Right now I’d have to say The Poisonwood Bible.

7. The one beauty product I couldn’t live without is…definitely eyeliner and mascara, oops that’s two.

8. Blogging is…fun. I love being able to connect with friends and total strangers around the world. You get to see a much more creative and personal side of a person you probably wouldn't see by just hanging out with them. I love to see how similar people are no matter where they were born or how they were raised.

9. If I could star in any movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with…Johnny Depp. He seems like such an interesting person who would be so fun to get to know. Also Natalie Portman, I think she is so smart and cool.

10. One of the best feelings in the world is…Friday after work when you have fun plans for the weekend. :D

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-04-08T21:37:00.004-06:00

Who doesn't love Garden State?

I heart Zack Braff, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard!

"Family is a group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

We Sold Our Souls Again!

2010-04-07T15:47:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago I saw an episode of P.O.V. on KUED. It was on the North Korea dilemma. It’s crazy how bad the situation is. They were saying how an average seven year old North Korean is something like five inches shorter than an average South Korean because of malnutrition. I’ve heard about how bad things are there but it didn’t realize how bad they are for refugees trying to escape into China. It is illegal to leave the country, so if you get caught and brought back you will face imprisonment, forced labor or death. They said if a pregnant woman is returned she often faces brutal forced abortion. If they do mange to stay in China most become victims of human trafficking.

There is hope and help from some NGO’s. One called Underground Railroad helps North Korean refugees get from China into South Korea. They do incredible work; one man has been called the Oskar Schindler for North Koreans because of all the people he has saved. Despite all their help there is so many that still need aide. The Korean Underground Railroad’s website state that today, there are an estimated 250,000 North Korean refugees living underground in China. With such a huge number of refugees you would think that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) would set up camps at the border. However because of China’s influence in the U.N. this is not being done. China says that they are economic refugees and not political refugees; therefore they don’t need UNHCR help or refugee status.

The thing that kills me is that we Americans now owe China $700 billion dollars and therefore can’t push them on this and so many other human rights issues.

Here’s a video giving an overview of the situation:

Here’s a clip of the show I watched. It is about a more publicized incident of a family trying to run into I think it was the Japanese consulate. The mother and three year old daughter were caught and thrown out. It’s is disturbing to see the authorities treating a woman and child this way however the public outrage of this video got the family into South Korea legitimately.

Another Song I Love

2010-03-24T20:58:00.001-06:00

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-03-12T15:40:00.004-07:00

Before Sunrise & Before Sunset

Before Sunrise is about a man and woman who first meet on a train in Vienna. They have such a great conversation they decide to spend the day together talking and wandering around the city. It stars French actress Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. At the end of the movie instead of exchanging addresses and phone numbers they decide to meet again in the same place in six months. It ends with you wondering what happens to the couple…

Nine years later Before Sunset, written by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, was made. You see the couple again, this time in a book store in Paris. You see what has happened to them over the last nine years and…spoiler alert…that they never got together the six months after they first met. They have another amazing conversation, which is basically the whole movie, one long great conversation. It ends again with you wondering if they’ll stay together even though things are much more complicated again. I hope in another nine years they’ll come out with another movie.

Before Sunrise

Before Sunset

I Heart Freaks and Geeks!

2010-02-28T21:30:00.001-07:00

I recently discovered this show and loved it so much I had to buy it. It is hilarious! It reminds me of all those awful, awkward grade school years. Here are a couple funny clips. I love these geeks!

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-02-25T15:26:00.002-07:00

Atonement

This movie is so beautiful and devastating. It furthered my love for Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.

Travel as Political Act

2010-02-07T22:27:00.002-07:00

Occasionally I’ve watched and enjoyed the Rick Steves’ European travel show. My friend Brooke (who happens to be living in Israel, lucky!) recently posted a blog on a series of lectures he did called “Travel as Political Act”. He did a show in Iran that is great. I’ve always wanted to go to Iran to see the great architecture and meet the people, who I hear are the most hospitable on earth. I totally agree with Brooke when she wrote, “At the core of everything he [Rick Steves] does lies the conviction that learning about other people and cultures breaks down negative and useless boundaries and builds bridges within our universal humanity -that ignorance and fear is best combated by knowledge travel.”

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-02-05T15:57:00.003-07:00

Syriana was written and directed by Stephen Gaghan. It is hard to explain the movie so here’s how Amazon.com does:

"Syriana is an oil-based soap opera set against the world of global oil cartels. It is a sprawling attempt to portray the vast political, business, social, and personal implications of a societal addiction, in this case, oil. A major merger between two of the world’s largest oil companies reveals ethical dilemmas for the lawyer charged with making the deal (Jeffrey Wright), and major global implications beyond the obvious; a CIA operative (George Clooney) discovers the truth about his work, and the people he works for; a young oil broker (Matt Damon) encounters personal tragedy, then partners with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig) attempting to build a new economy for his people, only to find he’s opposed by powers far beyond his control. Meanwhile, disenfranchised Pakistani youths are lured into terrorism by a radical Islamic cleric. And that’s just the start. As in Traffic, in one way or another all of the characters’ fates are tied to each other, whether they realize it or not, though the connections are sometimes tenuous. While Syriana is basically a good film with timely resonance, it can’t quite seem to measure up to Gaghan’s ambitious vision and it very nearly collapses under the weight of its many storylines. Fortunately they are resolved skillfully enough to keep the film from going under in the end. To some viewers, Syriana will seem like an unfocused and over-loaded film that goes, all at once, everywhere and nowhere. Others will find it to be an important work earnestly exploring major issues. In either case, it’s a film that deserves to be taken seriously, and it’s likely to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come."

The thing I really like about it is that all the stories are roughly based on true events described in Robert Baer's book "See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War Against Terrorism".

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-01-28T21:17:00.002-07:00

I saw An Education with my sister a few weeks ago and just loved it. It's about a teenage girl who has an affair with an older man, thus getting an education. The lead girl, Jenny, is played by Carey Mulligan (who was Kitty in Pride and Prejudice). She does such a great job with this character and shows what a great actress she is.

The story is based on the memoirs of British journalist Lynn Barber. However this movie takes place in England in 1961. The time before the Beatles and women's liberation. It shows the frustration teens had during that time, especially girls when trying to decide what to do with their lives.

I loved the music and all the scenes of Jenny running around Paris. I can't wait to buy this when it comes out on DVD.

I love this song!

2010-01-19T12:46:00.002-07:00

Favorite Movie Thursday

2010-01-14T13:31:00.002-07:00

So to keep me blogging I thought I’d write about something I love, good movies! I’ve seen a few blogs where people choose a movie a week to write about and it sounds like a good idea. I’ll start with probably my favorite movie of all time Gosford Park. It is a Robert Altman film that has so many good people in it including Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Clive Owen. It takes place in England in 1932 and is kind of an old fashioned “who done it” murder mystery but it is so much more. It really shows the relationship between the servant and upper classes. You see just how different their lives are and how hard it is for “lower” classes, especially women. The thing I like most is how the story is told. There isn’t really one protagonist that the story follows along with, instead the camera just slowly moves around everybody and you just kind of listen in on their conversations. There are so many characters in this movie and they are all so complex and three dimensional. Every time I watch this I see something new.

Here’s a really campy trailer:

2010 Goals

2010-01-07T18:36:00.004-07:00

So I haven’t blogged in a while… Basically I’ve been looking for a job and it sucks! I hate being unemployed, you face so much rejection while going more and more into debt. In October I got on as a temp at the U of U and am currently working in the Neurology department. I really hope to get on permanent so that I don’t have to worry about money and work anymore. And I actually do like the job and the people there. Derek has about 2 ½ more years of school at UVU and then hopefully we’ll have some kids. For now my cat is my baby. We love her so much!

So this year I’ve been trying to think of some goals and this is what I came up with:

1. Blog more, haha. I knew I’d have a hard time getting into blogging, also my life is pretty boring, but I really enjoy reading other peoples blogs and want to make more of an effort. I think I might try different things to blog about so I stay motivated.

2. Try and make my apartment cuter. My place has so much of Derek’s stuff/crap all over and it’s not very cute. I’m hoping so save up and make some trips to IKEA. :D Also I need to get more pictures up.

3. Spend more time with friends and family. With school finally being over I have more time on my hands and hope to do some fun stuff.

4. Along with having free time, I’ve started reading the classics and hope to continue. I’ve been collecting these beauties and plan to read them all.

They are Penguin's clothbound classics and are designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. You can see better pictures of them here. Also I’ve finally gotten into Harry Potter. I’ve read the first three and really enjoy them. It’s nice that now I don’t have to wait for them to be written, just for the last three movies. :D

So there you go. Hopefully it will be a good year for everyone.

Meditations in an Emergency

2009-12-31T22:14:00.002-07:00

Here's a poem I like, it was read during an episode of Mad Men.

"Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

The country is grey and
brown and white in trees,
snows and skies of laughter
always diminishing, less funny
not just darker, not just grey.

It may be the coldest day of
the year, what does he think of
that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,
perhaps I am myself again."

- Excerpt from Frank O'Hara's poem Mayakovsky.

Disneyland May 2009

2009-05-25T20:26:00.010-06:00

After graduation Derek and I made our yearly journey to Disneyland. It was fun as always. I was really glad that I talked him into finally riding Tower of Terror. He loved it so much he made me ride it 4 more times and I got sick and had to take a break from rides.

Also we did the Davy Crockett Canoes for the 1st time. They were fun but your arms get sore.

It is always fun to take a break from life and spend the time with Derek. I love him so much!

Graduation!

2009-05-25T20:12:00.004-06:00

When walking to class I always looked forward to the day I'd be in my cap and gown walking to Commencement. It was a weird feeling when that day finally came. It was a relief but I still have to pass my classes in France, so when they mail me my actual diploma I will be even more happy and relieved. I was excited that author David McCullough spoke. He did a great job. He talked about how important it is to learn history, that you should always read and that everyone should walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. My Mom was really excited that he spoke. After graduation my Mom treated me to Olive Garden. It was very yummy and fun to spend the time with her.

Tagged

2009-04-25T20:44:00.001-06:00

Nicole tagged me so I’ll give it a try.

List 6 unimportant things that make you happy:

1. Chocolate-yummy, I crave it every day!
2. Waking up to a bright sunny day, especially if I don’t have any work, school or homework.
3. Laughing and making other people laugh, especially my sister Kelley.
4. The sound of my nieces’ voice.
5. Facebook and reading blogs.
6. Watching America’s Funniest Home Video’s.

Important Message from Nicole Richie

2009-04-16T21:21:00.004-06:00

This video talks about an important problem I've heard about for some time going on in the D.R. Congo. It is crazy that we find new resources to exploit people for. Luckily we live in this day and age where notice of these horrible exploitations can quickly be spread so hopefully it will stop soon. For info on how you can help go here: http://nicolerichie.celebuzz.com/2009/04/important-message-please-watch/

A Bed for the Night

2009-03-29T20:44:00.003-06:00

This book by David Rieff is current look at the state of relief work and humanitarian agencies. I didn’t think it was the best book in the world because it was a little long winded but I found most of it really interesting. It was good to get some insiders info at certain NGO’s such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross. He writes about how governments use humanitarian aid as excuses for not doing more to stop conflict by either saying they are doing something to help, or that if they send military action it will hurt the victims and NGO’s. He also writes about how NGO’s have had to change over the years in order to keep getting big donors. Also that they’ve moved from their founding principles of political neutrality which can both help and endanger the people their helping. He says that after Bosnia and Rwanda the aid world changed forever. I think that is true and that it will continue to change over time. I also agree with him that much more drastic changes need to happen to stop the unnecessary suffering of so many people. Here is a interesting poem by Bertolt Brecht that the title of the book is based on:

A Bed for the Night

I hear that in New York

At the corner of 26th Street and Broadway

A man stands every evening during the winter months

And gets beds for the homeless there

By appealing to passers-by.

It won’t change the world

It won’t improve relations among men

It will not shorten the age of exploitation

But a few men have a bed for the night

For a night the wind is kept from them

The snow meant for them falls on the roadway.

Don’t put down the book on reading this, man.

A few people have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them

The snow meant for them fall on the roadway

But it won’t change the world

It won’t improve relations among men

It will not shorten the age of exploitation.

2008 Oscars

2009-02-23T12:18:00.005-07:00

I didn’t get this posted before the show but I still wanted to post my picks and thoughts on the show. I love the Oscars! Watching the movies, seeing the dresses, speeches, and funny awkward moments are all great. The last couple years my sister and I have printed the nomination lists and we choose who we think will win and who we want to win. Then we add up how many we got right. This year I did pretty well. Here are my main picks*:

Best Film: “Milk”

I thought that “Slumdog Millionaire” would win and I’m glad it did, it was a great movie I just loved Milk. I think it was the only movie done last year that made me cry.

Best Actor: Sean Penn

I was so glad he won because I thought Mickey Rourke might and hello he’s no Sean Penn.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet

It was definitely her time to win. She is an amazing actress and although I thought her performance was better in “Revolutionary Road” she was really good in “The Reader”. Side note-I was surprised and confused that “Revolutionary Road” wasn’t nominated more, especially Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger-obviously

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz

I was also surprised and thrilled that she won. She was really good in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

I thought the ceremony was really good and Hugh Jackman did good job hosting. I liked that they had 5 past winners talk about the nominees instead of just reading their names. The funniest moments were Tina Fey and Steve Martin presenting and Tina made a joke about Scientology saying, “Oh no one wants to hear us talk about our religion”. Also Ben Stiller looking like weird, scary Joaquin Phoenix and the comedy segment with Seth Rogan and James Franco were hilarious. The most touching moments were Dustin Lance Black’s speech when he won for originally screenplay for “Milk”, seeing Heath Ledger’s family accept for him, Jerry Lewis getting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Queen Latifah singing “I’ll Be Seeing You” while the “In Memoriam” segment played.

All in all it was a great show and I can’t wait for next year!

*I am biased because I haven’t seen all of the movies, just most of them. I don’t think I’ll see The Wrestler because I really don’t like sports films and I don’t really have a desire to see The Changeling, sorry Angelina, seeing you scream “that is not my son” just doesn’t look that entertaining to me.

25 Things About Me

2009-02-06T20:11:00.002-07:00

1. My favorite movies are dramas and foreign films.
2. The best movie I’ve seen recently was Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
3. My favorite place in the world is Disneyland. My husband and I go there every year.
4. I love working with refugees and helping them resettle.
5. I’m getting bachelors in International Studies and Political Science, a minor in French and a certificate in International Relations.
6. It has taken me 6 years to finish school.
7. I love world news and politics even though it can be very depressing.
8. I had social anxiety/lack of confidence when I was younger and so I avoided social situations in Junior High and High School.
9. Like everyone I wished I had the money to travel more.
10. My favorite season is spring, if it isn’t raining too much.
11. I really hate my job and can’t wait till I’m done with school so I can leave it. Although I’m glad I have met some awesome friends there.
12. I love my husband so much. He makes me laugh every day.
13. I’ve been rear ended 4 times and none of them were my fault. Pay attention idiots!!!
14. I am a nerd. I love watching PBS’s Nova, Nova Science Now, Frontline and some British comedies.
15. I want to have 2 little girls.
16. Believe it or not I tried out to be a cheerleader twice in Junior High and failed miserably both times.
17. I have 3 sisters and no brothers. We would watch Little Woman over and over and say “Ah that is us.”
18. I really love Roger Ebert, I think he is hilarious and the best film critic out there.
19. I love watching Charlie Rose interviews online.
20. I hate getting up in the morning.
21. I pretend to not be a picky eater but then pick everything off what I’m eating.
22. My favorite thing to do is to watch a good movie in my pajamas with my husband, although sometimes it is hard to agree on what to watch because he likes raunchy comedies and horror films, the two most annoying film genera’s to me.
23. I really hate it when girls “dumb down” or just completely degrade themselves to get attention from men.
24. I grew up by the amusement park Lagoon and would spend fun summers there.
25. I do not think the world is going to end any time soon.

First week of school/American Pride

2009-01-19T11:10:00.008-07:00

So last week was the first week of my last semester at the U of U, yay! I was not looking forward to going back but was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that I did not need to take a French class because if I do 8 credits on the study abroad this summer I can still graduate with a French minor. I am so thrilled because I was really not up for another hard, enormous amount of homework French class. Another nice thing was when I showed up to my Comparative Politics: Middle East class the professor was sick and so we didn’t have that class last week. It was nice to get a longer break from it but I am nervous because I have yet to see the syllabus or what books are required. My 3rd class is a senior seminar for Political Science majors; it is called Public Policy and the American Dream. I am thrilled that it is the easiest seminar class and the professor seems easy going and the topic is pretty interesting.

My 4th class is that I’m doing an internship at the International Rescue Committee. Ever since I found out what they were I have wanted to work for them and so I was thrilled to find that they have an office in Salt Lake City. They are a nonprofit, non governmental aid organization that helps people in distress all over the world. I really admire that they go to the worst places where people need help the most. They also help resettle refugees in the U.S. and that is what the Salt Lake office does. I’m really excited that my internship works with the PORTAL unit. They give extra help to refugees to help them feel more comfortable and connected to their new home here. We do things like ride the bus with them for the first time so they understand the system, take them to the library and help them get library cards, go to museums, show them around the schools, etc. Last week they took a group of Nepalese refugees to the Hindu temple. One person I work with was saying what a great experience it was because he said one man said, with tears in his eyes, that he had no idea there were Hindi temples in Utah and that they thought they were giving that up when they came to the U.S.

I love that we are a nation of immigrants and that people are free to worship and believe what they want without the fear of horrible persecution. Also I think that it is really amazing that we will take in refugees and help them adjust to life here. One guy I was working with was telling me about this ethnic group that Stalin had kicked out of Russia years ago and that they were just being pushed around to different countries being harassed and persecuted until the U.S. said they would take them all in. This is amazing to me and sort of the whole point of America. I hope that we will always be willing to help people out.

"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-Emma Lazarus

New Year Resolutions 2009

2009-01-05T22:45:00.002-07:00

Here are some of my goals for the year, in no particular order. They aren’t really big because I don’t like to make goals I know I won’t accomplish.

1. Graduate school
2. Spend more time with my lovely husband
3. Possibly blog more…
4. Watch less TV
5. Spend less money, especially on food
6. Get a job I will enjoy
7. Apprendre plus français
8. Do a study abroad in France this summer
9. Write in my journal more
10. Find different things to make for dinners
11. Leave my Library job!
12. Drive less and walk more
13. Go to Disneyland at least once
14. Spend more time volunteering
15. Spend more money on great charities

Hmm that’s all I can think now but I’m sure there are others.

Positive Things In Africa

2008-12-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to take an International Relations Africa class because it gave me a lot of insight into that continent (yes it is a continent and NOT a country as some believe and say…Pres. Bush). You always here about all of the bad things that have been going on, which we should, but it paints a picture that all of Africa is like that. Don’t get me wrong there are major problems in Somalia, the D.R. Congo and Great Lakes region, Zimbabwe, and Sudan but not all of the continent is that bad. One thing I learned was just how large Africa is. It is the size of the U.S., China, India, Argentina and Western Europe combined!

There are so many diverse countries with different backgrounds, cultures, languages and landscapes. One thing they all have in common is dealing with the scars of colonialism and the Cold War. They caused so much damage and have left so, so, SO many challenges towards building a functioning government. However many countries are overcoming the challenges and moving in a good direction. I just wanted to share the Top 10 Positive Development that AfricaNews.com just reported. http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/22235

1. Peaceful elections in Ghana. This just happened 2 weeks ago, yay!
2. Continued growth in many African economies (Mozambique, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Angola, etc.)
3. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of war torn Liberia keeps her country stable. She is Africa’s first elected female head of state and is pretty cool!
4. Peaceful elections in Angola.
5. Cheap broadband internet seriously on its way (Seacom, Intelsat, O3B).
6. Mobile banking in Kenya.
7. Haile Gebrselassie breaks world record marathon.
8. University Mogadishu lauds its first 20 doctors in 20 years.
9. President Mutharika greatly improves food security in Malawi.
10. Zimbabwe’s Eric Moyo wins Idols Africa.

11. President Obama elected president of the USA. They put that in not me, but I totally agree! :D

Another great thing is that the man who instigated the Rwandan genocide in 1994 has been sentenced to life in prison by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania. Theoneste Bagosora and three former senior military officers all conspired to work out a plan to exterminate the Tutsi population and members of the opposition. He was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. This is the first time the Rwandan Tribunal has convicted anyone of conspiring the killing. It is amazing to see justice being served! http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/22243

2 Great Days!

2008-11-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

November 4, 2008

My cute little Nephew was born. He was six weeks early so I was really surprised that my sister had gone into labor but it was a relatively easy delivery and he’s healthy and doing well. He is such a cute tiny thing. I really love being an Aunt!
Cameron Williams
5lbs 1oz 19” long

It was awesome to be in the hospital room when Elise met her new brother. She kept saying “Baby” over and over again.

November 5, 2008

Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. I was expecting him to win but you never know, with how close other elections were I didn’t want to think for sure he’d get it. When they announced he had Ohio I really knew he would be the next President. I’m so happy and excited. He is an amazing man and we are soo ready for change. I also think it is amazing that we have an African American President. It was so touching to hear how excited everyone was and see the tears of joy for many people. I think that we are a great example to other countries, particularly Europeans, of seeing people of a minority as equal and able to do the same important jobs majority people do. I can’t believe how amazing of a country we have that we just elected a son of a Kenyan villager as the next President because he is an incredible man.

I Heart Angelina Jolie

2008-10-26T15:31:00.000-06:00

"They have suffered so much, and yet the Afghan people remain, gracious, open. They have a quiet dignity"
-Angelina Jolie

NO on Proposition 8!

2008-10-24T19:32:00.000-06:00

I, as well as many people I know, am so annoyed by California’s Proposition 8 and all the millions of dollars that are being wasted on it. I really can not see how people of the same gender marring each other have an affect people of opposite genders marriage. I know that some people feel it is against their religion but why should laws be based on certain religious beliefs? This is a country made up of many different people with many different beliefs. We should love and respect each other and not try to punish or make life less equal for others.

Here are some great words from Ellen DeGeneres:

"Hey everybody. There’re only a couple weeks left before we vote. In California there’s a proposition that’s trying to take away my right to be married. And if it passes, my marriage will probably no longer be valid.

The supporters of Proposition 8 have raised more than $25 million just to discriminate against same-sex couples who want to get married. That’s a lot of money.

I can think of 25 million other uses for all that money:
- How about paying teachers more?
- What about helping those people who just lost their homes in the recent fires?
- How about buying a pony for every child in California? How much fun would that be?!

Don’t let them convince you that discrimination is okay just because they can pay for a commercial. It’s wrong. Please vote NO ON PROPOSITION 8! I’m begging you. If you vote no on Prop 8, I’ll buy you a pony."

Infidel

2008-10-15T12:09:00.000-06:00

This book is an autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She is a Dutch feminist, writer, politician and a prominent critic of Islam. She was born in Somalia but because of political conflicts her family moved to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and eventually settled in Kenya. To escape an arranged marriage she sought and obtained political asylum in the Netherlands in 1992. Her screenplay for Theo Van Gogh's movie Submission led to Van Gogh's murder by a Muslim in 2004 and Ayaan now has to live in seclusion with armed body guards.

I really enjoyed her book and I couldn’t put it down. It fascinated me to learn about life in the countries she lived in and everything she went through. When she was five years old she underwent excision, she was tied down and her clitoris and inner labia were cut out with scissors and her outer labia was sown together with string. Female genital mutilation is done to thousands of girls all over the world but mainly in the Horn of Africa. There are different methods of this circumcision, some not as extreme as Ayaan’s but some worse where the entire outer genitals are removed leaving only two small holes for urination and menstruation. They believe that if a woman doesn’t have this done she is impure.

Ayaan is truly an amazing strong, smart woman who really wants to help stop the suffering of other women. I find it so courageous how she speaks out against her religion to stand up for what is morally right. More women and men should be strong like her and speak out against oppression.

Here is the short film Submission and some interviews from Ayaan. Submission is about four types of suffering that many Muslim women endure. Passages straight from the Qur’an that promote the abuse are read and written on the bodies of the women.

Darfur Now

2008-10-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

This is a great documentary that explains the situation in Darfur, Sudan and talks about six amazing people fighting to stop the genocide and ease the suffering.

Ellen and Portia's Wedding Day

2008-09-10T22:19:00.000-06:00

This is so beautiful! I'm so glad they shared this. How does this "undermine the family"? I strongly feel that gay marriage should be legal in ALL U.S. states. We are a beacon for freedom and that should include sexual freedom. Our laws shouldn't be based on religious viewpoint.

They don't need to be "prayed away".

Babar the Elephant

2008-09-10T18:10:00.000-06:00

I have always loved one of the Babar the Elephant movies as a kid. I would watch it over and over again but I never noticed how deliberate propaganda it is until we discussed it in my French Pop Culture class. It is very pro-colonization how the “elephant” goes to France, puts on a suit and tie and is educated. Then he goes back to Africa where he builds Celesteville. The evil rhinoceros (looking more indigenous) fight back and are taken down. Where the rhinoceros are representing the Africans that resisted colonization my professor said they also represented the Germans invading France.

This clip shows the bureaucracy and stupidity of Monarchies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pn06TG98gY&feature=related

Weird this seems like what is going on in Darfur but in cartoon version (burning down villages, dragging people out and putting their kids in the wells; funny I think peoples long journey walking back have less musical songs and cute happy animals). We could actually learn from watching this movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y22Lkc25zY&feature=related

Hilarious French Stereotypes!

2008-09-04T15:07:00.000-06:00

First Week of Fall Semester

2008-08-29T15:21:00.000-06:00

As many know school has started again. It is weird how after the summer break you think you are ready to get going again and want a challenge but then when you get the syllabi for all your classes you long to go back to summer break. Oh well, it is my last year finally after 5 years so I’m really excited and see the end of the tunnel. Also I have my general’s done so all my classes are ones I’ve chosen to take and are fun. I swear the first week of school is the longest one all semester. I hate finding the buildings and figuring out what parking lots to park in (I’m glad I was only late to 3 classes because of this). One stupid building took me about 10 minutes to figure out just how to get in the doors because of all the construction, dah. Oh well here is my schedule for this semester:

Foundations of Political Thought: Ancient Greece to Hebrew
International Relations Africa
French Pop Culture
Intense French Grammar
French Conversation

It is going to be a lot of reading, studying, and writing but I’m up to the challenge. I hope. I really like all my professors and am starting to get to know some of the students I’ve had in other classes that have the same majors as I do so it is good. One major thing that is going to help is that I’ve gone part time at my job. I could never have taken this many upper division classes without cutting back work. It is wonderful to not have to work so many hours at a job I’m so sick of and really don’t care about. It is nice but I will be poor and as you can see if you’ve read my guilty pleasure, I really like take out food. I haven’t been able to break out the PB and J as of yet but this will have to come soon. Ugh, oh well it will be all good. I am incredibly grateful that I get this experience to go to college; so many people around the world don’t get the opportunity so I must cherish and try to take in as much as I can.

My Favorite Rides!

2008-08-21T13:47:00.000-06:00

Every few months, no weeks, I get an uncontrollable yearning, longing, desire to go to Disneyland. The only way to keep me from driving straight to the airport is to watch Youtube videos of the rides over and over and over again… so bear with me while I get through this weeks craving.

California Adventure Updates

2008-08-21T10:37:00.000-06:00

I think the changes will be cool but I will miss the California letters out front. The Little Mermaid ride, Cars land and colorful night show sound really awesome!

“A Problem from Hell”

2008-08-17T21:34:00.000-06:00

I knew things were really bad in the Congo but I didn’t know just how awful it was until I saw CNN's Anderson Cooper’s report on it on 60 Minutes. He explains the situation:

“Right now there's a war taking place in the heart of Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, more people have died there than in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Darfur combined.” He also says “it's the deadliest conflict since World War II. Within the last ten years, more than five million people have died and the numbers keep rising.”

Five million wow. And to make it worse the weapon of war they are using now is rape. Cooper explains “In the last ten years in Congo, hundreds of thousands of women have been raped, most of them gang raped.”

Here are some more highlights from the report:

"Sifa was pregnant, but that didn't stop her rapists. Armed with a machete, they cut at her genitals."

"Panzi Hospital is full of them [raped women] "You know, they're in deep pain. But it's not just physical pain. It's psychological pain that you can see. Here at the hospital, we've seen women who've stopped living," Dr. Mukwege explains."

"When a woman is raped, it's not just her that's raped. It's the entire community that's destroyed," says Judithe Registre, who is with an organization called "Women for Women." They run support groups for survivors of rape. "When they take a woman to rape her, they'll line up the family, they'll line up other members of the communities to actually witness that," Registre says. "They make them watch. And so, what that means for that particular woman when it's all over, is that total shame, personally, to have been witnessed by so many people as she's being violated."

“Many of the women in Dr. Mukwege’s hospital are not only blamed for what happened to them, they are shunned because of fears they’ve contracted HIV and shunned because their rapes were so violent they can no longer control their bodily functions.”

“Dr. Mukwege says, "The most difficult thing is when there is nothing I can do. When I see a 16-year-old, a pretty 16-year-old who's had everything destroyed, and I tell her that I have to give her a colostomy bag…that is difficult."

Although it seems hopeless there are groups trying to help. “There may be no justice in Congo, but there are organizations trying to help rape survivors get back on their feet.” Women For Women" teaches survivors how to make soap, how to cook - skills they can use to earn money. They also learn how to read and write. It is the first time many of these women have ever been in a classroom - it is their chance for a whole new life.”

I don’t know anything that could be worse in this life then what they are going through. You would lose all desire to live or would have to just completely shut down all emotions in order to function. Despite everything many still cling to life. One woman who got pregnant from a rapist said "I named her [the baby] Luck because I went through many hardships," she explains. "I could have been killed in the forest. But I got my life back. I have hope." She is getting help from Women For Women and hopes to start her own business one day.“

Hope is not something you’d expect Congo’s rape survivors to still cling to. But they do. Each morning in Panzi hospital they gather to raise their voices, singing at a religious service. Our sufferings on earth, they sing, will be relieved in heaven.”

I know this is a depressing blog but by not paying attention to problems like these doesn’t make them go away. It is my personal view that it is by chance where you are born, therefore if you are born into a stable, rich nation you should do what you can to help the people in the poor, war torn nations, especially women and children. You could easily have been born there and would be eternally grateful for the people at the Panzi hospital and groups like Women For Women, Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee.

For more info on the conflict and organizations that are helping here are a few links and the whole 60 Minutes report:

http://www.womenforwomen.org/congo.htm
http://www.panzihospitalbukavu.org/
http://www.theirc.org/special-report/congo-forgotten-crisis.html

Blame It On Fidel

2008-08-07T15:11:00.000-06:00

I recently came across this movie last weekend and thought it was really good. Here is a summary and the trailer:

Caught up in the political revolution sweeping France in the early 1970s, Fernando (Stefano Accorsi) and Marie (Julie Depardieu) reject the comforts of their bourgeois life and dedicate themselves full time to radical activism. This comes as a shock to their precocious nine year-old daughter, Anna (Nina Kervel), who struggles to understand her parents' newfound ideals. Brilliantly told from Anna's perspective, this critically-acclaimed film by Julie Gavras captures the coming-of-age moment when children realize the contradictions of adulthood and have to make their own choices.

From Monet to Picasso

2008-08-06T10:11:00.000-06:00

Currently there is a fantastic art exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts called From Monet to Picasso. A few weeks ago my sister and I went. It was fantastic. I couldn’t believe that I was actually looking at painting from Dali, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and many other great artists. It is amazing to see their brush strokes, it really puts you in the place and time that they were painted and you start to feel what the artists must have felt. I recommend everyone go see it before it leaves in September.

Also it was nice that they had something you could listen to that talked about some of the paintings. One mentioned how women were not allowed into the great school of art. What a shame I think this is. I wonder how many more masterpieces we would have if women would have been allowed to study art.

The Right To Blog

2008-07-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

Since it is patriotism month I’d thought I’d express some things I am grateful for: Blogging and no Internet filters (at least not that many that I know of, I hear some Islamic fundamental stuff is banded).

I’ve been reading some blogs from Iranians and many of them express their frustration when websites like wikipedia.com, blogspot.com and blogger.com are filtered. Some of them go weeks between posts because they can’t get to the websites. I have read that there is anti-filter software that they can get to go around government filters but it is probably risky and a huge pain.

I just want to say that it is such a great thing to live in a country where you don’t have to worry about this and you can express yourself without fear.

Guilty Pleasures

2008-07-18T10:30:00.000-06:00

A while ago my sister asked for people’s guilty pleasures so here are some of mine. (You will notice most of them involve watching TV.)

1. Watching the Tyra Banks Show on my lunch break. She can be fun to watch and more fun to mock. Once in a while I bust out an “Aw yah girlfriend!”

2. On the same page watching America’s Next Top Model. Quite a few times my husband and I have had a heated discussion/fight on who we thought should and shouldn’t have been eliminated. (Anya you should have won last time!)

3. Watching the whole series of Sex and the City again. I love that show but when you start to hear Sarah Jessica Parkers voice inside your head instead of you own it’s time to give it a break.

4. Watching The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, King of the Hill, and Seinfeld. I love just sitting on couch after work and laughing at these shows. The problem is that I should be doing homework or just something more productive since I’ve seen like every episode of all these shows probably several times.

5. Recently watching Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show, why is it so funny to watch people injure/humiliate themselves?

6. Now on from TV, going to Perezhilton.com. Funny celebrity gossip.

7. Getting restaurant take out. I should be cooking more but I just love Olive Garden’s eggplant parmigiana. Also Chili’s quesadillas, they are good but the Styrofoam container it comes in fills my whole garbage can, sad.

8. Taking long baths.

9. Getting Starbucks, its way to expensive for what you get.

10. Getting a box of éclairs just for myself, yummy.

11. And finally..........stalking people on Facebook!

Countering Terrorism with Torture?

2008-07-16T11:44:00.000-06:00

The 1967 film “Battle of Algiers” is about the violent struggle in the late 1950s for Algerian independence from France. It shows how France used torture to counter terrorism. They used the torture techniques the Nazi’s used on them and turned around and used them on Algerians. It is hard to believe that again today we (the U.S.A.) have been using torture techniques on suspected terrorists for some time. It is also hard to believe that because it is not allowed in the U.S. they are taking the prisoners to “secret prisons” in other countries to do it.

In Augusts’ issue of Vanity Fair reporter Christopher Hitchens was asked to undergo the “water boarding” procedure to see his thoughts on it. (This is what started me on this rant.) You can watch his experience here:

It is funny that people are debating whether or not “water boarding” is torture when he said he had to sign a document before the procedure that said this:
“Water boarding” is a potentially dangerous activity in which the participant can receive serious and permanent (physical, emotional and psychological) injuries and even death, including injuries and death due to the respiratory and neurological systems of the body.

Does this not sound like torture? I like how he put it “if waterboarding does not constitute torture, then there is no such thing as torture.” He was going off Abraham Lincoln’s quote “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”

He does mention that as far as torture is concerned “water boarding” is not the worst. He says “a man who has been waterboarded may well emerge from the experience a bit shaky, but he is in a mood to surrender the relevant information and is unmarked and undamaged and indeed ready for another bout in quite a short time. When contrasted to actual torture, waterboarding is more like foreplay. No thumbscrew, no pincers, no electrodes, no rack.”

But how reliable is the info they are giving? He talks about the role of false memory and delusion. When in a state of trauma you could give info about stuff you think happened when in fact it really didn’t. Also many people have said that people that are guilty like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gave info that was “not all of it reliable.”

Hitchens gives some interesting quotes from Mr. Malcolm Nance; he is an author of The Terrorists of Iraq and has been involved with the sere program* since 1997. He says “If we allow it and justify it, we cannot complain if it is employed in the future by other regimes on captive U.S. citizens. It is a method of putting American prisoners in harm’s way.” Also “It opens a door that cannot be closed. Once you have posed the notorious “ticking bomb” question, and once you assume that you are in the right, what will you not do? Waterboarding not getting results fast enough? The terrorist’s clock still ticking? Well, then, bring on the thumbscrews and the pincers and the electrodes and the rack.”

I think these are very valid thoughts on matter. If we are using certain torture techniques we can’t say that other countries can’t use them. I applaud Israel’s decision not to use torture, whether or not they are actually sticking to is probably debatable but at least they are striving to stop it.

In closing I quote again Mr. Nance:
“Torture advocates hide behind the argument that an open discussion about specific American interrogation techniques will aid the enemy. Yet, convicted Al Qaeda members and innocent captives who were released to their host nations have already debriefed the world through hundreds of interviews, movies and documentaries on exactly what methods they were subjected to and how they endured. Our own missteps have created a cadre of highly experienced lecturers for Al Qaeda’s own virtual sere school for terrorists.”

*Members of the Special Forces who underwent the advanced form of training known as sere (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) where water boarding was first used on Americans to prepare for torture they may experience in other countries.

My First Blog

2008-07-16T11:41:00.000-06:00

For some time now I’ve considered starting my own blog but have been to shy or lazy to do it. Personally I hate writing papers and have felt like blogging was like writing papers you don’t get credit for. Although after reading many others blogs I have gotten a desire to put my own thoughts about stuff out there so here goes. Please feel free to comment on any of my blogs.