Pondering the 2016 US presidential election, Ben Orlin’s signature stick figures wonder about other, mathematically fairer ways to determine who wins.
via Mathematical Alternatives to the Electoral College: A Webcomic — Discover
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence
Unfortunately, the reality often falls short of the ideal. Today, we see an increasing scope and interference in our lives by our government (specially in Arab World), in the apparent interest of security, both at home and abroad. So what is a freedom minded person to do? Push for reform, complain but do nothing (as many people do), rebel, or move to a new country. I’ve explored all the options and currently lean toward reform and/ or move. We’ll see which one wins out!
Here is a more in-depth look at freedom by blogger and philosopher Konstantin Eriksen. He explores the various attributes of freedom on the political, economic, social and mental levels.
No matter how good or bad the circumstances, we always have choice (which is the ultimate freedom) in how we respond to a situation. Sometimes we can change circumstances, but as brave souls such as Viktor Frankl have demonstrated, happiness and meaning come from within. Our inherent nature is to be free. But we have to choose it, embrace it and live it in order to be free in our minds and hearts.
Do your heart and mind call out for more freedom?
Fear not, it is close at hand
Regardless of your strife and situation
Freedom lurks hidden, but nearby
But few take the time to answer it’s call
For it requires courage, responsibility and choice
Three unpopular characters these days
Be bold, be true to yourself, be free
Answer the call and let freedom ring!
My goal is to look deeper into American Citizens and into the US political system to find the root problems, engage in compassionate dialog and work towards meaningful reform!
I understand that politics is a charged topic and I risk offending people and challenging sacred ideas. When it comes to politics, many of us are stuck in our beliefs and will vehemently fight for them rather than have a meaningful dialogue with an open mind and heart.
Maybe what we most need is to slow down, listen to each other, find our common concerns and values, then explore how we can work together to make the world a better place for all.
Watching the stories on Facebook and the web, I’m amazed at how much media attention and energy we give to fighting over whether Hillary or Donald is better.
Many of my liberal friends are lighting up the internet with stories about Hillary Clinton being good and Donald Trump being bad. First of all, if you are daily promoting stories about Trump (pro or con), then you are actually feeding him, his media glory and his chance of winning. It is more effective to promote what and who you want.
Keep in mind the goal of US current system is to keep people engaged in surface conflicts so they don’t address the core problems like the excess military, corporate influences and oligarchy.
“Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors, U.S. senators and congress members.” ~ Former President Jimmy Carter
In my opinion, US has a broken and corrupt political system that doesn’t allow independent candidates or citizens a voice. All Americans have the illusion of choice in a highly controlled system. If you doubt that statement, please learn more about the two party stranglehold on the elections, funding, media, debates, voter registration, etc. The corrupting influence of big money in politics is overwhelming the influence of the citizens. Until we repeal Citizens United and reform campaign funding, we can’t really have a government by and for the people.
My other concern is the excessive military expenditures in USA. USA has the highest military expenditures in the world, selling 1/3 of the total arms trade to about half the countries in the world. The results are increased terrorism, endless wars, failed diplomacy, growing anti-US sentiment, increased domestic violence and gun deaths. This is not a recipe for world peace and cooperation.
Green Party, political reform
Since Bernie dropped out, American citizens aren’t likely to achieve reform in this election cycle. Maybe later they can if enough people wake up and demand change. I’m disappointed in our country, citizens, leaders, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the system and how many people believe Hillary will be good for our country. Yes, she will be less bad than Trump, but not good.
The Trump Surge article is full of inflammatory language but reveals many of the darker truths of our current system. My goal is to wake people up to the problems and reality of our current political system. Then we can explore how to create real reform.
And yes, I understand that Jill Stein has little chance of being elected and could take votes away from Hillary Clinton. Yet, if the 40% independent voters (who outnumber Republicans or Democrats) believed their vote mattered and voted their conscience (Bernie, Jill, or pick your own), the whole game could change. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the least popular candidates ever. Here are counterpoints on why a vote for Jill Stein is More than a Protest Vote and why voting our values is important.
To all American citizens, Please exercise your right to vote as per your vision, values and conscience!
Let’s create a system that represents the people, and helps build a world of peace, equality, social justice, flourishing, cooperation and care for the planet. Please share your thoughts on how we can create meaningful change.
We need to reclaim the responsibility for creating a better political system.
Peace, love and politics. Nourhane
From the first day in Kuwait University while I was studying my Bachelor degree I decided to be an academic person by studying Master and PhD. I remember very well how excited I was, searching all the time about universities and places.
I REALLY WORKED HARD!
Now I’m writing this article and I’m a master degree holder from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh/UK. Studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland ,UK, was a life changing experience. Every day was a new adventure that was completely different from my life at home. While I was there I studied Master Of Business Administration MBA/Strategic Planning People often ask me what my favorite memory from abroad was, but that is so hard to answer because there are so many! The environment was completely different from anything I had ever experienced, which is why I loved it so much, and because of this I was able to learn so much and get more out of my study aboard experience by being immersed in a such a unique culture. My recommendation for people studying abroad is to go to a country that is completely different from any culture you have experienced before and to stay as long as you can. Studying abroad gave me a new outlook and perception on life and other cultures around me. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to experience a unique education abroad experience, too.
Edinburgh.. the city of love, it is a hub of all the best things to do, see and enjoy in the city. You’ll find great days out and get the inside scoop on the best little-known places waiting to be discovered!
Photo of a Graffiti in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, the epicenter of antigovernment protests that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, depicts members of the former government. From right are Mr. Mubarak; Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces who had acted as head of state until last week and will maintain the title of defense minister; Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister and presidential candidate; and the former general and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik.
By The New York Times:
Egypt’s three-year experiment with democracy has ousted Hosni Mubarak and deposed Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first elected leader.
The New York Times Newspaper explores the key moments of their rule and the aftermath.
2011June. 23, 2014Feb. 11
Here is some facts: 30 days of relentless assaults on Gaza summed up in four infographics, and as it is known:
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
Social media is a phrase being tossed around a lot these days, but it can sometimes be difficult to answer the question of what is social media. If MySpace is a social media site, and Mag.nolia is a social media site, and Wikipedia is a social media site, then just what is social media?Is it social networking?Is it social bookmarking?Is it wiki?
The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication.
In Web 2.0 terms, this would be a website that doesn’t just give you information, but interacts with you while giving you that information. This interaction can be as simple as asking for your comments or letting you vote on an article, or it can be as complex as Flixster recommending movies to you based on the ratings of other people with similar interests.
Think of regular media as a one-way street where you can read a newspaper or listen to a report on television, but you have very limited ability to give your thoughts on the matter,
Social media, on the other hand, is a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate too.
But now the most important question: Is Social Media and Social News The Same Thing?!
I think it is easy to confuse social media with social news because we often refer to members of the news as “the media.” Adding to the confusion is the fact that a social news site is also a social media site because it falls into that broader Category.
But in my point of view, social news is not the same thing as social media anymore than a banana is the same thing as fruit. A banana is a type of fruit, but fruit can also be grapes, strawberries, or lemons. And while social news is social media, social networking and wikis are also social media.
Tears flowed until my body ran dry of them when I received a telephone call on Aug. 3, informing me that my family had been targeted by two F-16 missiles in the city of Rafah. Such was the fate of our family in a war that still continues, with every family in the Gaza Strip receiving its share of sorrow and pain.
My father’s brother, Ismail al-Ghoul, 60, was not a member of Hamas. His wife, Khadra, 62, was not a militant of Hamas. Their sons, Wael, 35, and Mohammed, 32, were not combatants for Hamas. Their daughters, Hanadi, 28, and Asmaa, 22, were not operatives for Hamas, nor were my cousin Wael’s children, Ismail, 11, Malak, 5, and baby Mustafa, only 24 days old, members of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or Fatah. Yet, they all died in the Israeli shelling that targeted their home at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Their house was located in the Yibna neighborhood of the Rafah refugee camp. It was one story with a roof made of thin asbestos that did not require two F-16 missiles to destroy. Would someone please inform Israel that refugee camp houses can be destroyed, and their occupants killed, with only a small bomb, and that it needn’t spend billions to blow them into oblivion?
If it is Hamas that you hate, let me tell you that the people you are killing have nothing to do with Hamas. They are women, children, men and senior citizens whose only concern was for the war to end, so they can return to their lives and daily routines. But let me assure you that you have now created thousands — no, millions — of Hamas loyalists, for we all become Hamas if Hamas, to you, is women, children and innocent families. If Hamas, in your eyes, is ordinary civilians and families, then I am Hamas, they are Hamas and we are all Hamas.
Throughout the war, we thought that the worst had passed, that this was the pivotal moment when matters would improve, that they would stop there. Yet, that real moment of pain, of extreme fear, was always followed by something even worse.
Now I understood why the photographs of corpses were so important, not only for international public opinion, but for us, the families, in search for an opportunity to bid farewell to our loved ones, so treacherously killed. What were they doing in those last moments? What did they look like after their death?
I discovered the photos of my dead relatives on social networking sites. The bodies of my cousin’s children were stored in an ice cream freezer. Rafah’s Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital was closed after being shelled by Israeli tanks, and the Kuwaiti Hospital that we visited just a day earlier had become an alternate venue, where this freezer was the only option available.
Al-Najjar’s director, Abdullah Shehadeh, told Al-Monitor, “We decided to move the patients when shells hit the main gate. Some patients, out of fear, ran out, despite the gravity of the security situation. We are now working out of this ill-equipped hospital.”
The Emirati Red Crescent Maternity Hospital, west of Rafah, has been transformed into a large container for corpses, with fruit and vegetable freezers filled with dozens of bodies.
I saw corpses on the floor, some with nametags on their chests, while others remained unknown. We held our noses, for the stench was unbearable, as flies filled the air.
Ibrahim Hamad, 27, removed his five-year-old son’s shroud-wrapped body from a vegetable freezer. Fighting back tears, he told Al-Monitor, “He died as a result of a reconnaissance drone missile attack. His body has been here since yesterday. The dangerous situation prevented me from coming to take him any sooner.”
I thank God that my relatives were quickly buried, and that my cousins Mustafa, Malak and Ismail did not remain long in a freezer, lest their bodies freeze, and their souls now rest in peace, leaving us with nothing but the silence of death and bodies forever trapped in the postures of their passing.
On the fifth day of the war, when I went to write my Rafah report about the shelling of the Ghannam family, I stopped by to visit my cousin’s house. I saw my relatives and we took photographs together. During the war, my cousin Wael’s wife had given birth to twins, Mustafa and Ibrahim, who were like two tiny angels, harbingers of hope and joy.
How could I have known that this would be our last meeting? I wish I had stayed longer and talked to them some more. Hanadi, Asmaa, my uncle and his wife laughed as they joked about the twist of fate that brought us together in the middle of a war, at a time when Israeli occupation forces had not yet begun perpetrating their wanton war crimes against Rafah.
Endings are so strange, as are living moments that suddenly become relegated to the past. We will never see them again, and the pictures that I took of the twins are now so precious, as one of them, Mustafa, was killed, while the other, Ibrahim, remained alive.
I wonder how they could differentiate between them, for they looked so much alike. Who identified them when their father died and their mother lay wounded in intensive care? Who was Mustafa, and who was Ibrahim? It was as if they had merged upon one twin’s death.
In the photos taken after their death, my family looked so peaceful, asleep with their eyes closed. None of them were disfigured or burned, unlike hundreds of dead children and civilians that US-made weapons killed before them. We wondered if they died in pain. What happened when the missile, carrying tons of explosives, impacted their modest house and exploded, creating air pressure so fierce that their internal organs burst? Their suffering was perhaps lessened by the fact that they were sleeping.
I didn’t see them when I went to Rafah on Aug. 2. I wrote about the death of the Ayad Abu Taha family, which was targeted by warplanes, and saw the corpse of Rizk Abu Taha, one year old, when it arrived at the Kuwaiti Hospital.
I observed him at length. He looked alive. One could see that he had been playing when he died, dressed in his pink pants. How could he be at such peace? The bodies of war victims look so different from how they appear on television. They are so real, so substantial, suddenly there before you, without any newscast introductions, music or slogans.
Bodies lay everywhere, and it was if everything in life had been to prepare us for this moment. Suddenly, the dead left their personal lives behind: their cell phones, homes, clothes, perfumes and daily chores. Most importantly, they left the fear of war behind.
Distances in the small Gaza Strip have grown larger, distances and time expanding as a result of the fear and death that shrank the life expectancy of the populace. We were unable to join the family for the funerals. My uncle, Ahmad al-Ghoul, later told me over the phone, “Because of the inherent danger, our goodbyes to them lasted mere seconds. Malak’s eyes laid open, as if to ask, ‘What wrong did I commit?’”
I was born in 1982, in that same house in Rafah’s refugee camp, where the family’s large household expanded. I grew up there, and everything else grew with us: the first intifada, the resistance, my nearby school that I walked to every day. There, I saw my first-ever book library. There, I remember seeing my grandfather fall asleep as he listened to the BBC. And there, I laid eyes on the first Israeli soldier in my life, striking my grandfather to force him to erase the national slogans that adorned the walls of our refugee camp home.
Now, the house and its future memories have been laid to waste, its children taken to early graves. Homes and recollections bombed into oblivion, their inhabitants homeless and lost, just as their camp always had been. Never ask me about peace again.
Nourhan A. AlBayaa 