Angry White Kid

Cool Art and New Site

So I'm not so much of an art person. (Interestingly enough, my partner is an artist.) But even I, one of the lumpen, can appreciate cool, anti-capitalist sculptures displayed around NYC. My favorites are "Big, Big Penny" and "Miser." The others aren't as political, but still very good. And I have no idea if Tom Otterness would reference his own work as anti-capitalist, but I'm going to go ahead and do it for him.

Jumping out of the art world, back to where I feel more comfortable, we find ourselves in Nablus, Palestine, at An-Najah University. The Zajel Youth Exchange Program has launched its website: www.zajel.org In their own words,

[Zajel] seeks to give a voice to those usually overlooked by a media obsessed with conflict. This is the Palestine behind the news stories. The mission is to open the door to Palestine to all those who are interested in her past, present and future. Zajel seeks to be a resource for those with a first-hand perspective on Palestine.

By launching this site, Zajel tries to clear the image of the Palestinian people and pass the message about the current situation in the occupied territories to the international community, besides removing the stereotypes about Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom and independence.

Check out the site and support these folks. I know a professor and a couple people who study at An-Najah. If you think school is rough in the US, keep in mind you don't have roadblocks, checkpoints, closures, curfews, etc. Not to mention F-16s, Apaches, tanks, and the fourth most powerful army in the world in your way. All of it, of course, courtesy of $15 million a day to Israel from the US. Just ask British MP Dr. Ian Gibson, who was held at a checkpoint for 90 minutes yesterday, trying to get to a hospital after suffering a stroke.

View from Iraq on "Fahrenheit 9/11"

I'm going to try to update this blog once a day. Sometimes that won't happen. Like yesterday. And today, except I'm on my friend's computer. So, in the mean time, read this.

It's an entry from "Baghdad Burning," a blog by a woman in Iraq's capital. Puts a whole new face on the film "Fahrenheit 9/11."

For another face on Moore's movie, check out this TomPaine.com column, "Blind, or a Coward?"

Things will be more developed and get more interesting soon.

Cat Stevens - national security threat?

Yesterday, a London to Washington United Airlines flight was diverted to Bangor, ME. The reason? A man on board named Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, was deemed a "national security threat." What sort of threat was not divulged. This morning he was deported.

The story here.

Yet there was more airline tomfoolery. A Midwest Airline flight was cancelled after a passenger discovered "Arabic style writing" in an in-flight magazine. That's marvelous. Maybe it's not such a surprise then that we still can't get voting right.

Kerry: Attack Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia

If anyone can read this and then say we have a choice on Nov. 2, I will be...well, very surprised. We can vote for Bush and bomb the Middle East, or we can vote for Kerry and bomb the Middle East. Yes, yes, I'm aware that's an oversimplification.

As the saying goes, "If you think democracy is standing in a booth for 10 minutes every four years, then that's about all the democracy you're going to get."

An Unwavering Commitment To Reforming the Middle East

By John Kerry

Across the Middle East, the United States and Israel are facing a range of crucial security challenges. We are not secure while Saudi donors fund terror, while Iran pursues a nuclear weapons programs and while Syria sponsors terrorist operations. We are not secure while Iraq is at risk of becoming a haven for terrorists. And we are not secure while Israel, the one true democracy in the region, remains the victim of an unrelenting campaign of terror. If we continue without a more effective strategy, we are not supporting our ally as best we can.

To read the rest of Kerry's "the War on Terror is great, I'd just do it differently" saber rattling, go here

PS- And no, I'm not saying vote for Nader.

Grand Opening

I just started this site at 11:26 PM on Sunday, September 19, 2004. Bear with me. Stuff will be up soon.