Home?

Can someone please FedEx my heart to Jacksonville? I think I left it in DC.

Home is a funny concept. Supposedly it is where your heart is. Right now, I still feel like I'm just visiting Jacksonville, and any day now, I'll be flying back to Washington. Yes, Jacksonville is where my family is, it's where my friends are, it's where my home church is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be in Jacksonville. Back to familiar roads, familiar people and familiar activities. I get to drive my car and the beach is just a 20-minute drive from my front door.



But as I write this blog in my room, I am reminded of how much I miss being among the hustle and bustle of the journalist's life. I find myself checking National Journal's Daybook and checking the press conferences and committee hearings for tomorrow.

Home is standing in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office for a pen-and-pad session. It's running to the third floor of the Capitol Building to the Senate Studio for Sen. Mitch McConnell's news conference. It's running to the second floor of the Dirksen Senate Office building to be at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as the Attorney General's office is put to trial. It's bypassing the tourist lines with my press badge. It's going back to the studio at 229 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue and cutting sound bytes and writing up talking points.

Then it's also being back in my Arlington apartment, with an awesome roommate, friends just down the hall or just two floors down, the Chinese takeout place just across the street, the mall just two blocks away, and the rest of the city a $2 train ride from the Ballston metro station.

Perhaps the only thing I don't miss is riding the metro.



So back to the concept of home, I feel that Jacksonville is a temporary stop. I've always felt that I was meant to do something outside this city, something bigger. I don't know where that is yet, but I'll get there.

Jacksonville maybe my hometown, but it's not where I have to stay.

DCA to ATL to JAX

Flight from Reagan to Hartsfield.
I made it home to Jax. Yay.
More about that tomorrow.


I need to readjust.

Charleston, baby!

So I'm back in Washington from an 8-hour ride from Charleston for the debate. And I have to say that the highlight of the entire trip wasn't getting to see the Presidential Candidates again, nor going back to the Spin Room and actually knowing what I'm doing.

It's the after party.

After spending much time in the spin room and being able to take some pictures with Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean and Obama girl, we went to the post-debate party at a former bus terminal near the city's visitor center. There were lots of food, free drinks, pool tables and lots of press people to talk to.

I was telling my fellow interns how disappointed I was that I went all that way to watch one of my journalist heroes, Anderson Cooper, moderate the debate in one building, while the rest of the media camped out in the media filing center across the Citadel campus. As we rode the bus to the party, I thought, there was no way that Anderson Cooper would be in the party, because he would be swamped all night.

Well, I never said I predicted the future.

I was hovering over the dessert table when my friend and fellow intern, Candace looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Sheena, just breathe." She didn't have to say another word. She knew how much I wanted to meet Anderson Cooper, we've been talking about him all summer. All I could say was, "Shut up, shut up!" Oh, how articulate.

I handed her my drink so it wouldn't spill because my knees buckled. Of course, she couldn't hold the drink either because she was shaking as well. We weaved through the crowd until I saw that familiar head of silver and eyes of blue. I thought, "Oh crap, no way," as my mouth said, "Shut up."

My other fellow intern, Heather, spoke to him first and told him that I wanted to meet him. He looked to the girl standing next to me and said, "Hi Sheena, it's nice to meet you." Heather then told him that I was Sheena and he shook my hand. I told him how I admired his reporting and I read his book and loved it. And then, we took this picture:

Oh, happiness. That made an eight-hour ride worth all the while.

Tourists : a city's necessary evil

I love to travel. One of these days, I'd like to be a foreign correspondent and just travel everywhere. Or, just take Samantha Brown's job on the Travel Channel and get paid to go from one amazing city to another.

Whenever I go, I consider myself a traveler. The word "tourist" just irks me. It brings to mind those unfortunate souls with cameras hanging from their necks and fanny packs around their waists. Shudder.

It's tourist season in Washington and there are a lot of groups in their bright shirts, traveling in packs of 458, and being herded from one picture spot to another. Yes, they're the ones who forget to turn their flashes off when taking a picture of a Monet in the Art Gallery, the ones whose "Marco" wait for a "Polo" response on the steps of a memorial for one of our greatest Presidents, and, (I saved the best for last) the ones who stand on the left side of the escalator.

I was a tourist here once. And I still don't consider myself a local.

But I think that tourist destinations should conduct a "Welcome to (insert city name here) Tourist Information Session." An orientation. Make this tourist a traveler.

Before I arrived here in DC, I thought living in the middle of downtown Washington would be the best thing ever! You know, sit on the steps of the National Art Gallery and do work with my laptop, see the Washington Monument from my bedroom window all lit up for the night, walk from my apartment to any Smithsonian museum. So when I first found out that I was living in Arlington, VA, about 4 stops in the Metro out of the district, I was kinda disappointed.

Well, not anymore. I love the feel of my little Ballston neighborhood. I didn't even go anywhere near the Mall for Memorial Day weekend, much more the Fourth of July. I didn't want to deal with the tourists who have come to invade ... they're everywhere!!!

So far, my best defense has been my Capitol Press Badge. There was a long line to go through security from the Cannon House Building to the U.S. Capitol, and I was running to a press conference. I proceeded to the front of the line. The security person then said to the other security person, "Let her go. She's press" and motioned for me to go through. Oh the privilege a little piece of plastic can give...

But I guess tourists are important to the city's economy - they are necessary. A necessary evil.

So how about that orientation that I suggested earlier?

Just a little senseless rant. I feel much better now.

To Charleston for Anderson

So today I found out I'm going to Charleston, SC to help cover the Democratic Presidential Debates.

Yay!

It's moderated by CNN this time and they're partnering with YouTube.

Yay!

Same candidates that I've seen over and over again around Capitol Hill as the last debate at Howard University. Also, I'll probably hear about the same issues and the same promises they all have said before. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Richardson, Dodd, Biden, Gravel and Kucinich.

Yay.

By the way, Anderson Cooper is the host.

OH YEAH!!!
I HEART ANDERSON COOPER!

I love my job!

Today I got to go to an event in the Capitol that has happened only 139 times in the country's 231-year history. Pretty impressive, huh?



Okay, in the center, that's Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Norman Borlaug, President Bush and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Dr. Borlaug was being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for being the Father of the Green Revolution. He was credited to feeding 1 billion people. The Medal is the highest honor that Congress can bestow on anybody. The first person to receive the medal was George Washington in 1776.

And yes, I got to cover it this morning. Woo-hoo!

A different challenge

I think it's safe to say that television journalism is my first love.

It all started when a 9th grader was asked to read the morning announcements LIVE on closed-circuit TV for Mandarin High's Mustang News. The studio lights went on, the director counted down, the cameras rolled ... and she was head over heels in love.

That was almost eight years ago (hmmm...now I feel old). But this time, I know it takes a whole lot more than reading school events that were submitted in the announcement folder in the front office. It takes instinct to look for stories. It takes guts to go up to strangers and ask tough questions. It takes confidence to get in front of the camera and speak like you're an expert. It requires hard work, talent, dedication. And yes, it requires that you go into the field out of love for what you do, or the people your work will affect, because fame is not enough of an incentive and money is not an incentive at all.

So when people ask me why I'm currently doing a radio journalism internship as if I'm wasting my time, I give one of the following answers: I'm not in it for the pay, and it's a different challenge, it's good experience.

Here are the links to the packages that I have edited so far:
Live Earth
Clinton's Club 44

Some of my favorite quotes of the summer

The friendships that I have made over the summer are definitely to keep. TWC interns are some of the most fun and diverse people that I have ever met and I will miss them all when we finally leave this city. But the memories will go with me ... lots of really good memories ... and these are just some of my favorite quotes. No explanations necessary.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. About the Nationals mascot during a game...
Sanchelle: Look at that chicken.
Me: I think it's a bald eagle.
Sanchelle: That's the frumpiest eagle I've ever seen.

2. A Georgetown pick-up line for a med student with his shirt unbuttoned ...
Tiffany: I'm from Kentucky and girls from the South likes to unbutton shirts. So I'm gonna go ahead and button this up for you so I can unbutton it later.
Med Student (who will remain unnamed): I'm intrigued.

3.On weird names...
Jana: Prince became The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
Sarah: So what's his name?
Jana: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
Sarah: That's weird. Shouldn't it have some sort of a name in the beginning, like, John, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

4. On Mexican food...
Candace: I want some fajitas (pronounced fah-jay-tahs)

5. On being tired at work:
Me: Anything can sound dirty when you're tired. Like "Download Attachment" for example...

6. On answering the phone...
Jana: It's so hard for me to be nice to people.

7. On yourself and friends...
Sanchelle: I'm so sexy. I told you my friends are sexy.

Haha...I'm sure there are more to come...

My best political blog yet...

Today I attended a press conference with four Senate Democrats who are speaking to respond to President Bush's remarks on the newly released Iraq Report Card. While the President is using to justify the need to keep the troops in Iraq, the Democrats are using it to make the point that troops need to be redeployed out of Iraq. I watched the President's speech on CNN before I left for the press conference in the Senate Studio at the Capitol.

But I think this is the most detailed and by far the best I've written so far...
Click here to see it as a blog posted on our bureau Web site.

===========================================================

Senate Democrats called for a press conference in response to President Bush's speech on the progress and benchmark assessments in Iraq. They expressed their concern on the report that Al-Qaeda may have regained the strength it had in 2001. They also called on their Republican colleagues to join them in voting for a change in the course in Iraq.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) criticized the Bush Administration's claims that "good progress is being made" in the war in Iraq. He said that the American public has heard that statement repeatedly and that the time to change the course is now. He accused some Republicans of protecting the President over protecting the troops and, along with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), called on their conservative counterparts to vote on the legislation to redirect the course of the war.

The legislation is the Levin-Reid Amendment, which will be voted on by members of the Senate next week. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that this legislation, unlike many that have been proposed before, has more than just an advisory and goal-setting agenda. He said that it will require a change of course in Iraq, take the troops away from fighting the ongoing civil war and will refocus the country on the war that it should be fighting in the first place - the war on terror, as opposed to the war in Iraq. Reid also added that it is time to "take the training wheels off" of Iraq and give the Iraqi people the responsibility over their own freedoms. In addition, Reid said that although the amendment does not completely remove all troops from Iraq, their numbers will not be equal to what it is now and they will not be in combat.

This legislation is being put forward despite of the President's earlier statement during his news conference that running a war through resolution is a recipe for failure. The President also said that Congress should not be running the war, but funding it instead. In response, Durbin said that the President is "out of touch" with both the war and the American public, and that the released benchmark assessment reports give him "little hope" for victory in the war.

Schumer continued to criticize the Bush Administration's war policies when he compared the President's remarks on the report of the renewed strength of Al-Qaeda to the President's now infamous claim of "weapons of mass destruction." Schumer said that the President and his supporters "ignore the facts" when the facts differ from their views and that the report is a reflection of "how wrong this war in Iraq is." Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said that the Democrats are united in a desire to change the course in Iraq and bring the troops home. But as for the Republicans who are vocal about increasingly isolating themselves from the President's Iraq war policies, Schumer called on them to support the Levin-Reid Amendment, challenging them to "put their money where their mouth is."

What happened to the Pinay in weeks two through five???

Hmmm...I thought I was going to be able to keep up with a blog during this whole time, but, yet again, I was proved wrong.

So much to do in so little time. Yes, I have ten weeks, but DC is way too amazing a place to live and work in to actually be able to experience everything in two and a half months.

But to say the least, what an amazing five weeks it has been, and I'm looking forward to the last five :)

I have been able to do so many things that so many other journalists around the country can't say they have done before their 22nd birthday, much more before they even started their careers.

News conferences with influential people: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on climate changes. Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Mel Martinez on immigration reform. Sen. John Kerry on alternative fuel sources.

Senate Committee Hearings on Capitol Hill: Sen. Barack Obama on voter intimidation. Sen. Patrick Leahy on the firing of U.S. Attorneys. Sen. Bill Nelson on terrorist ideology.

Other events in politics: Sen. Hillary Clinton's launch of her Club 44 campaign. Take Back America Conference on progressive reform. The Democratic Presidential Debate at Howard and the Spin Room afterwards. The first open forum between the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee and the Russian Duma Foreign Relations Committee. The Iraqi ambassador on What America needs to know about Iraq. Roll call at the Senate Floor on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed about comprehensive immigration reform.

All this and more with what is right now one of my cherished possessions: U.S. Capitol Press Badge.

I never really found politics interesting before I started this internship. I mean, I was a registered voter (not affiliated, and I'll keep it that way...at least for now), but politics was a topic that bored me to tears. Now I'm loving each and every time I am able to listen in on committee hearings and listen to what each senator/representative has to say, and then listen to what their plans are to change it. Contrary to popular belief, there are really many politicians who are genuinely trying to make a difference. Really!

And also, (can't believe this perception has changed in five weeks) I used to be a total stickler on what I consider to be news. Straightforward, objective, hellfire and brimstone. In light of the events of an heiress, her time behind bars and the attention that the media gave, I was honestly ready to pull my hair out. CNN, MSNBC and Fox all had the same story on the air when, on the same day, the fate of the immigration reform had yet to be determined, a Kansas girl was still missing, and the race for the Presidency was in full swing. (In other news, Sheena is officially a news junkie.)

But my professor (yes, I also have to take a class) cleared it out for me. One, that's news. If people aren't interested, there wouldn't be news. People happen to be interested in the life of a spoiled heiress, which make it news. But, aside from the celebrity, it also has something to say about our judicial system and the privileges it may give to people with money/power/fame. Two, news can never be truly objective because journalists are people. We have convictions and opinions and it will show through in the way we write. If journalists are truly here to affect change, then yes, we will write about subjects we are passionate about. In the tradition of the muckrakers, it's a journalists' job to question the status quo and you can't really do that if everything is as objective as a robot. Objectivity and fairness does not mean the same thing, because fair is what a journalist should really be.

So, that's the work part of my stay in Washington so far. Well, calling it "work" would be untrue, because it's way too much fun.

But, as always, all work and no play...well, you know the rest. But that's for another time.

Pinay in the City - Week One

A bientot, Jacksonville! Bonjour Washington!

Ten weeks in the nation's capital. Pretty amazing.
I've only been to DC once before and, quite honestly, it didn't really count. My family and I were driving home to Jacksonville from Newark after visiting family and we just kinda drove through downtown Washington. Just enough to take a peek and a pic of each of the monuments, then we were back driving down I-95 South.

About 7 years later, here I am, given an amazing opportunity to work and live in one of the most powerful decision-making cities in the free world. Not just to sit idly in some huge corporate office, but to actually be a part of what I believe helps to keep the United States a democratic nation - the free press.

Talk about a dream come true. Well, one in the making, at least.

So I've been here for a week, sitting in a great apartment in Arlington, just a couple of blocks from the Ballston-MU metro station and my gateway to the rest of the city. My roommate and I get along very well, and just when we are starting to get used to having the apartment to ourselves, we've got two other roommates coming in sometime today or tomorrow. I think we'll all get along just fine.

I work for a radio news service that provides Washington news to affiliates across the country. This week has been fairly quiet because Congress was in recess, but it gave me time to familiarize myself with the equipment and procedures in the office. So far I have been able to get an insider's tour of Capitol Hill, got my first ever press badge Thursday to go to the National Spelling Bee, and, the thing that I am most excited about so far, the first press conference that I was able to go to was held yesterday inside Capitol Hill by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi! She talked about her trip to Greenland and global warming. I was starting to nod off in the middle of the almost hour-long press conference and I thought to myself, What are you doing? That's the first woman to ever be the Speaker of the House! This is your first official press conference! Wake up! Yeah, as if my body actually listens to my head.

As far as tourism goes, I haven't really done much, considering how busy I've been. But I have been able to go see the typical things like the White House and the National Monument, the Treasury, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. I was also able to go to the National Zoo for a little bit, and got to see the pandas. Then there's the Museum of Natural History's awesome gem collection, which holds the gorgeous blue Hope Diamond and this diamond crown that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to Marie Louise.

Oh, and I got to do a little bit of shopping.

But of course, as with everything, there are some things that you just have to learn as you go along:
- When I first got a metro pass, I stuck a $10 bill into the machine and decided I only wanted $5 put into the card. Expecting I was getting a $5 bill back, the machine proceeded to dispense $5 worth of quarters.
- Never stand in the left side of the elevator if you just plan on riding the whole thing out. You get run over.
- Fruit is really heavy. So if you ever go to a lunch buffet where they charge by the pound and you decide to be healthy and get nothing but fruit, it will be expensive.
- Always have money wherever you go. Always have your metro pass wherever you go. Always have money in your metro pass wherever you go. If you don't, you'd better have your cell phone.
- Ramen and leftovers are amazing!

As much as I miss my family and friends in Jacksonville, and the fact that the beach is less than 30 minutes away (the closest beach from DC is about 3 hours away), I'm slowly warming up to the idea of living in a big city in my own apartment, taking the metro everyday and just enjoying everything it has to offer. I've met some great people who live in the same building as I do, at work, in class and in the program, and I've got so much to look forward to for the rest of my stay here.

I could get so used to this.

A matter of choice

Virginia Tech. How tragic.

Thirty-three lives lost. A nation in mourning.

But I think that's only half the tragedy. I'm not trying to undermine the deaths of those whose lives were brutally taken by about three gunshots each. There is much more to the story than that fatally dark Monday morning.

It was premeditated. Years of anger that turned to months of planning to hours of relentless shooting.

My question is this: how did it get so far that a guy would think that there is nothing to turn to? That no one really cared? That the world was out to get him? That he had to take action in behalf of the downtrodden? That he had to kill to get his point across?

It's the same thing with the Columbine High School massacre eight years ago. Two guys who felt invisible. Ignored. Isolated. Ridiculed.

We get so comfortable in our little groups, our little circles, our little cliques that we sometimes forget to reach out to others. Or maybe sometimes we get so caught up with fitting in that we try so hard even if it's at the expense of others. Even asking people, "How are you?" has become so much a part of small talk that asking so is simply an exercise in politeness - would we really sincerely care to stop and listen for a different answer than, "Oh, I'm good, thanks" ?

Here's an excerpt from a song called "Hero" by one of my favorite bands, Superchic[k]:

Little Mikey D was the one in class
Who every day got brutally harassed
This went on for years until he decided
That never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door
Grabbed the .44 out of his father's dresser drawer
And said, "I can't take life no more!"
And like that, life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinkin', "It's not my responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me."
This is our problem
This is just one of them daily scenarios
In which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice
To be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged?
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walking by, not wanting to intervene
'Cause you just wanna exist and never be seen
So let's wake up,
Change the world,
Our time is now...

As much as I want to put 100 percent of the blame on the suspect after what he did, I don't think that it was entirely his fault.
Yes, he schemed. Yes, he bought the guns. Yes, he pulled the trigger.
But behind the who, what, when, where and why that the news is telling us, there was a person who was hurting. Who thought that no one cared enough to take notice. Who thought that life was not worth living. Who planned to take as much people down with him.

Heroes are made when you make a choice...

A choice to reach out. A choice to speak out. A choice to intervene. A choice to include. A choice to notice. A choice to listen. A choice to be responsible. A choice to be accountable. A choice to be kind. A choice to reciprocate kindness. A choice to offer help. A choice to offer kind words. A choice to smile even when it's not returned. A choice not to expect anything in return. A choice to keep our eyes open. A choice to keep our arms open. A choice to keep our hearts open.

Hindsight is 20/20 and yes, he did choose to kill.
But the other half of the tragedy is that he felt no one chose to care.

This Saturday, a letter

Bells are ringing
But they don't toll for me
As they will for you
In three days time.
A red-letter Saturday.
She'll walk down the aisle
And take your hand
And promise a forever
That I couldn't provide.
Not yet.
Not you.
You and your
Matching tattoos,
Matching lifestyles.
It's been almost two years.
I thought I finally convinced myself
That God was only guarding my heart
And yours, too.
Now He's gently mending mine
As He's graciously filling yours.
I'm sure she'll make an excellent
Wife.
As I leave to pursue
Lifelong dreams somewhere,
You stay to lead the
Life that I knew you wanted -
A quiet life of riding concrete and water;
A safe life within Duval walls and shores;
A normal life I don't wish for myself.
I know you're happy
And you'll make her happy
And I'll be just fine.
I'm not jealous.
I'm not angry.
I'm not wishing things would have gone differently.
So tell me why
As Saturday approaches
My throat hurts
From holding back tears
But I horribly fail.
I won't pretend to understand.
But I hold to the truth
That God has a greater plan for me
And that my Saturday will come
Just waiting for true love to awaken, so
This is where I say
I wish you a lifetime of happiness,
This is where I say
Good luck on your life together,
This is where I say
Goodbye.

Some thoughts and things I truly believe

Low fat Oreo cookies and low fat rocky road ice cream don't make any sense.
If the shoe fits, get that and another pair in a different color.
Flipflops are meant to be worn year round.
Wearing heels is so worth the pain.
Every woman's closet should contain a little black dress.
There is no life away from the coast.
Everyone should visit Paris at least once.
Rock music is not the devil's heartbeat.
All princes start as frogs.
Imperfection is stress-free.
Duct tape can't fix everything.
Summer needs to last longer.
Sweet tea should be served anywhere in the world.
Cereal is only edible when it turns the milk into chocolate.
Laughing at yourself is an acceptable defense mechanism.
One can choose to keep the glass half full.
There's no shame in clipping coupons.
I can single-handedly keep Starbucks in business.
There's no point for hiring models at Abercrombie & Fitch.
Chivalry is not dead, it's merely indisposed.
Cream of chicken and wild rice soup should be served everyday at Panera's.
Downtown Jacksonville won't attract residents without a Publix.
Napoleon Dynamite is only funny when you watch it with other people.
The fall of man wasn't entirely Eve's fault.
Being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Party politics only serves parties, not people.
The media is supposedly the watchdog of the government, not its lapdog.
The government has no role in people's personal lives.
Celebrity lives are not newsworthy.
There is no reason for world hunger.
Life is more than just a succession of days that I happen to exist in.
Nothing is coincidental.
Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship.
Love is more than just a chemical reaction in the brain.
Man was purposefully created with love, not randomly formed by a big bang.
Success is not measured in owning material wealth, but finding your life's purpose.
Strength is not measured by the burdens I carry, but by the grace that sustains.
Only two things are eternal: God's Word and man's soul.

Dispatches from the Edge

"Sometimes the places that are most dangerous don't feel that bad at all..."

"Even in an armored car, we have to wear Kevlar vests. If we got ambushed, insurgents might be able to disable our car, then we'd have to take our chances outside. That's when the vest could come in handy. The guards radio our location constantly to CNN's office so that if we're kidnapped, CNN will at least know where it happened."

That's Anderson Cooper in his new book, "Dispatches from the Edge," talking about his coverage of the 2005 elections in Iraq, driving on "Route Irish", which he said is the most dangerous stretch of road in the world.

What am I getting myself into?

So this is the kind of job I want to have someday. I was kind of reluctant to pick up the book, because it could seriously talk me out of even thinking of wanting to be a reporter, let alone a foreign correspondent. Yes, it can be an exciting life, but risking your life for the sake of a 2-minute story? a 30-second sound bite? for a cable news network?

"Nurses with face masks scrub the mottled floor with stiff brushes and brooms. Until a few days ago, the room was filled with bodies lying side by side on the floor. They've now been buried in a mass grave on the outskirts of town. It's the third time nurses are trying to disinfect the floor, but the rot and puss have seeped into the cement. There are flies everywhere. Phil puts his camera down for a moment to change his batteries. 'Dont put that on the floor,' the head nurse warns him, worried it might pick up bacteria. Hard as they've tried, they can't get the smell out. The stench of bodies is still there, buried under layers of bleach."

And this was his story while covering the aftermath of the Asian tsunami in 2004.

I am just in awe of the stories that he talked about in the book, about the people that he have met, about the destruction that he had seen. How can he not be affected by this? There you are in the middle of chaos, of disaster, of suffering, of grief... but the main focus is getting the story and getting it done by the 6 pm news. Professionalism is key, you have to put up some sort of a wall between you and your subject to maintain objectivity, however embedded you are.

So is it really that worth it?

I think so. So I'm still an idealist when it comes to the media. That its primary reason of existence is to serve the public and the keep the government in check. That it's not all about the money, the stockholders, the conglomerates, the parent company, the advertisers.

Having the power to affect change.

It's an incredible responsibility. Putting into the forefront the issues and events that would otherwise be ignored or overlooked. Allowing this great country to go beyond its comfort bubble and reach out to the world community.

Ok, so maybe I'm giving the news media a little bit too much credit, but despite the critical jabs that it has taken, with unethical reporters giving journalism a bad name, I think that it does more good than bad.

I'm all for it. If given the opportunity, I'd take it in a heartbeat. Kevlar vests and all.

An open letter to the president of Harvard

Ok, so maybe this is a bit late...but I just really had to say something...

Dr. Lawrence Summers,

What do you have against women? Who would have thought that someone as educated and refined as you would make such an outrageous claim? Okay, here's the given: men and women have different cognitive abilities. One of the few differences is that men have better spatial reasoning. But that definitely does not mean that women cannot excel in the fields of science and engineering! Women can crunch numbers with the best of them. Newsflash, buddy...this is 2005. Women don't just belong in the kitchen anymore like one of those print ads in the 50's. I'm sure you've seen many such ads in your lifetime - a woman wearing an apron, a fresh-baked pie in one hand and the laundry basket in the other. Yet, for some strange reason, she still smiles and still has enough time to make her hair look perfect! Women nowadays juggle a whole lot more, yet you still find a way to undermine our accomplishments. I do have much respect and admiration for stay-at-home moms who pretty much put their lives and careers on hold to care for their families, but society needs to shake off the mental picture of the traditional woman. And to think that I actually wanted to go to Harvard...

Of course, you wouldn't admit that all this has nothing to do with the fact that during your presidency, the jobs offered to women in your beloved university dropped from 36% to 13%. Not to mention that only 4 out of 32 tenured job openings were offered to women. It's not that we can't, it's because you won't let us! It is the preconceived gender roles that limits what we can truly do.

You can apologize all you want. But the beauty and the beast of the spoken word is that you can never take it back.

More info:

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/18/421599f7efe11

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/01/20/MNG9RAT84I1.DTL

Novocain

On my my way to work today, I was listening to a song by one of my favorite bands, Olivia, called Novocain:

2 hours later and the movie it's over
Painted pictures of murder and slaughter
But no tear falls from my eye
No pain deep down inside
Feels like novocain is running through my veins
Why do I feel nothing?
Why can't I cry?
Bleeding victims I watch die
Filtered through my eyes
Blood turns white.

Desensitization. That's what happens when we see enough of something that it doesn't bother us anymore. Here's a statistic that really got my attention: The average child has seen 8,000 murders on TV by the time he/she has finished elementary school. What's even more discouraging is that these acts of violence are dramatized and glamorized in Hollywood. We have become so used to seeing people being shot, stabbed, blown up...guts and blood everywhere...that it doesn't trouble us anymore.

So where does that take us? To the point that whenever we hear a traffic report on the radio about a deadly accident on the highway, our first thought is: I need to take a different route to avoid the traffic. To the point where a soldier's death is just another passing news. To the point where stories of war are romanticized into made-for-TV movies.

Well, at this point, I really can't suggest anything that we can do to fix it. We've gone so far into this entertainment blunder that there is no turning back. How hopeless did that just sound? This is so depressing.

On media and diamond rings.

Why are we letting the media dictate how we live our lives???

For example, deodorant and shaving your legs is an American thing. Why? Because companies sell deodorants and razors...someone's gotta buy them. I mean, I can sit here and argue that those are really good things, but then I have been conditioned by our society, mostly through the media, to think this way. Conditioned. That's a scary word to describe us. Reminds me of Pavlov's dog experiment. Ok, totally getting off topic...

Anyway, advertisers and large corporations are constantly trying to find something wrong with us so that they can sell us a product to "fix" us. Or they try to appeal to our "wants" by turning them into "needs." Another example: one of the most interesting things that I have learned this week is that diamond engagement rings are nothing but an advertising ploy. The rings that guys used to give their beloved women are usually family heirlooms because they mean a whole lot more. But DeBeers, a diamond mining company based in South Africa, wanted to sell more diamonds. So, they hired an advertising firm to come up with a brilliant advertising strategy. Enter the phrase, "A Diamond is Forever." You know, like people's love should be. So, in order to show your girl that your love for her is "forever" give her a diamond! Now, this was back in the 1910s, I believe. And now, it has become a major tradition in our society...an advertising strategy!

The media sets the standards on how we are supposed to conduct our lives. And we sit here like mindless zombies and simply smile and nod our heads at their command. Fight the system! Watch commercials or look at ads with a critical eye. Ask yourself who is presenting the message and what their primary intentions are. Hint: it's the money they care the most about, not the people.

The Chernobyl Reminder

I'm not usually a big fan of the the Fox show "24," but this season's topic is very interesting. It is about terrorism and the nuclear plants. The show's primary character, Jack Bauer, played by Keifer Sutherland, is an FBI agent (I think) who is on the hunt for the terrorist who was planning to override the controls to a nuclear power plant. The whole incident happens within a 24-hour period, hence the show's title. Perhaps the biggest reason as to why I'm even a slight bit interested is because of a documentary that I saw not too long ago about the ongoing effects that the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl still has after almost 20 years. The documentary is called "Chernobyl hearts" and is about the people who are physically and mentally affected by the disaster.

Nuclear energy is one of the most powerful resources that the world has. It is a good source of inexpensive, clean power that may be a practical energy alternative to the use of fossil fuels (Grolier 1995). However, the radioactive material that is used to make it is hazardous to both humans and the environment. The Chernobyl disaster continues to be a devastating reminder that when tampering with a power of this magnitude, it should be carefully done.

The world’s worst nuclear disaster took place on April 26, 1986. A reactor in the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded and sent 190 tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere (Grolier 1995). Thirty-one people died immediately and many of the 600,000 people who were involved with the cleanup, called “liquidators,” are either sick or dead (World Book 2001). Wind and rain carried about 70% of the radiation to neighboring country, Belarus, in which it presently remains. According to Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI), Belarusians have been exposed to radioactivity ninety times greater than that released by the Hiroshima bomb – the highest known exposure to radiation in the history of the atomic age” (2004). The incident has long-term effects that continue to plague the Belarusian people. CCPI also goes on to report that doctors identified large increases of health problems in their country, including a 250% increase in congenital birth deformities, 100% increase in the incidence of cancer, and 1000% increase in suicide in the contaminated zones (CCPI, 2004). Many children, who were born with physical deformities or mental illnesses, are abandoned by their parents who do not want to pay for medical treatment. The food and water supply are continuously contaminated as rain and forest fires move radioactive dust (CCPI, 2004). Thousands of towns and villages were bulldozed and most of the country’s farmlands are now toxic wastelands. On the economic level, Belarus spends 25% of their annual budget on the Chernobyl relief (CCPI, 2004). Suffice to say, all of Belarus is still on the slow road to recovery from a disaster that happened eighteen years ago.

The United States has the world’s largest nuclear energy program in the world (Grolier 1995). It is home to more than a hundred nuclear reactors that are spread throughout thirty-one states. After the September 11th attacks, many wondered what would have happened if the terrorists targeted the New York nuclear reactors instead and caused the same devastation as that of Chernobyl. There is a reason to think about that possibility because according to President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address, “We have found diagrams of American nuclear power plants” in the possession of the terrorists (River keeper 2004). I think that American nuclear power plants should be secured and protected. There is just so much at stake. I think that the terrorists do know the power that these plants enclose within and the devastation that it could cause if that power is disrupted. I also found it interesting that Disney parks and the Super Bowl are claimed as no-fly zones and nuclear power plants are not (King, n.d.). If we have learned anything from the Chernobyl accident, it is that nuclear energy is dangerous and millions are still suffering from its effects. The government should take action upon this matter, because regret only comes in the end.

Nuclear energy can be both beneficial and destructive. The radiation that emitted from the reactor on that unfortunate April night is still affecting millions of people, not just in Belarus, but in Ukraine and Russia as well. In the crazy world we live in, we could never be too careful as to make sure we do not have the same end.



Sources:

Chernobyl Children’s Project – International (2003). Chernobyl: The Facts. Retrieved September 24, 2004 from the CCPI website: <http://www.ccp-intl.org/facts.html>

Grolier Incorporated (1995). The Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. USA: Grolier
Incorporated.

King, Rita J. (2004). Danger of nuclear plants portrayed in films. Retrieved September 26, 2004 from the North County News website: <http://www.northcountynews.com/archives_2004/9-8-04/news3.htm>

River Keeper (n.d.) Indian Point: The Facts. Retrieved September 26, 2004 from the River Keeper website: <http://riverkeeper.org/campaign.php/indian_point/the_facts/21>

World Book Inc. (2001). World Book 2001 Standard Edition. USA: World Book Inc.

A Commentary about "Control Room"

The power of the media has always fascinated me. As a broadcasting major, I am starting to learn about and acknowledge the role that the media plays in the shaping of the present society. "Control Room" is a documentary by Jahane Noujaim that gives viewers a chance to see the Iraqi war from the Al-Jazeera network perspective. Al-Jazeera is the most watched network of the Arab world, and therefore have much power over what the Arabs know (and don't know) about the war. When I watched it, I thought that there were several truths conveyed and that the Al-Jazeera network, in its effort to remain objective in bringing the news, is seen as a major player in influencing the public opinion on the war and the parties that are involved.

I found it interesting how both sides (the American and Iraqi) claimed that Al-Jazeera is biased toward the opposition. Americans see the network as a medium of Iraqi war propaganda – the images of the brutal, occupying U.S. soldiers killing the innocent Iraqi children. The Iraqis, however, think that Al-Jazeera gets their information from the U.S. military and use the war propaganda in favor of the United States. So, where does that leave Al-Jazeera? Right in the middle of the conflict. As Samir Khader said, “You cannot wage a war without rumors, without media, without propaganda.” That’s Al-Jazeera’s purpose: to be the medium upon which the war is fought, using words and images as weapons.The other thing that jumped out to me while watching this documentary is when then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed Al-Jazeera as being biased towards the Iraqis. I have a one-word reply for that: “Duh!” As a resource for information to around 40 million Arabs, Al-Jazeera has to appeal to their target audience. If they have any intention whatsoever of keeping their network afloat, they need viewers. In order to keep those viewers, they need to share their viewers’ perspective and report from their point of view. Although Al-Jazeera claims that their reporters are capable of being objective even with their position of the war, their opinion will affect the way they deliver the news in one way or another. As Joanne Tucker, manager of AlJazeera.net said, “Objectivity is almost a mirage.” Of course, there would be a sense of nationalism on their part, because those are their fellow Arabs. They feel a sense of kinship with these people and I, for one, don’t blame them for it.

On this note, perhaps the biggest idea that struck me from this movie isn’t in the movie at all. It was left in the cutting room floor, only to be seen as a “deleted scene.” In the clip, Lt. Josh Rushing was talking about how Arab nationalism means almost the same as anti-Americanism. However, American patriotism isn’t seen as anti-Arabism. He said that, in part, it’s because of American ambivalence. I thought about that statement and I can’t help but think that it’s true. I’m definitely not saying that American nationalism should mean anti-Arabism. I’m just saying that we just stopped caring about other people because we are so self-absorbed. It’s almost as if we are desensitized from everything that is going on. We live in our little comfort bubble, enjoying our position as the most powerful nation in the world. Even some of the soldiers that are there admit that they don’t know what they are doing there – they are simply “following orders.” Here in the home front, we see a death of a soldier as passing news. We watch the destruction of cities on television while eating our fast food dinner. What we don’t see are the piles of dead bodies rotting on the streets and the suffering that takes place, not just of the Iraqis, but of our troops as well. It is as if we are in a whole other world. This is actually what makes Al-Jazeera a controversial network. They are not afraid to show the unromantic notion of war. It is sad that we can bear to see fictional gory images in the latest Hollywood flick, but we cannot force ourselves to see that these scenes have become a part of our reality. However, these images have no place in American network television, as censors would argue. And that’s why we have eye-opening documentaries as the “Control Room” that screams, “Wake up!’