"The language beneath the language: This is poetry." -Andrea Pacione
It's that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about ABC's new fall lineup. Who cares about new episodes of "Lost?" And who really watches "Boston Legal?" (womp womp) Nevermind television altogether! Whip out those dusty journals because the Poetry Club is back in session and this year, we're working to become an "official" BC club again.
In order to do so, however, we need your help. Not by giving us a kidney or a million dollar donation, just an hour of your time next Thursday, October 6, from 2:30-3:30pm, in 2315 Boylan. During this time, we will be holding officer elections for the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. So, if you want your resume/curriculum vitae to have an extra glow this year, consider running.
Those who aren't interested in running are just as important. We need you to nominate and vote for the best poets for the jobs. Once we get all the political affairs out of the way, we will get acquainted with old members and hopefully welcome a sizeable group of new members. We also plan on discussing club activities for the semester and much more. Everyone is encouraged to contribute their ideas--every voice counts.
So please join us on Thursday, October 6 (2:30-3:30pm) in 2315 Boylan. The meeting will directly follow the celebratory reading of Allen Ginsberg's "HOWL." Refreshments will be served to those looking for a free lunch. If you have any questions, contact our club advisor, Matthew Burgess (3149B); Roni Natov in the English Counseling Office (3416B), or e-mail me here. We hope to see you there!
-Christine Choi
**NOTE: Creative Writing teachers please pass along this information to interested students in your classes.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Has Bush's Education Law Left States Behind in Funding?
In August 2005 the state of Connecticut sued the federal government over the controversial No Child Left Behind Law. As a top ranking state in academic achievement, Connecticut's pre-existing system of standardized testing has been challenged by the NCLB Law, which was issued during Bush's first term.
For the past two decades, Connecticut public schools have administered standardized tests to students in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, producing positive results. Under NCLB mandates, testing is expected to occur yearly with the intent to close the achievement gap. Connecticut's lawsuit against the federal government aims to either amend the law's mandates, or to fully fund the mandates on a state level. Because of existing state laws, Connecticut may not use state money to pay for a federally issued law in public schools.
Richard Blumenthal, the State Attorney General, points out that with the increase of testing, the federal government did not provide sufficient funds, which are estimated to cost roughly forty million dollars by 2008. However, according to Susan Aspey, U.S. Department of Education spokesperson, the federal government has provided more than sufficient funding for the additional tests. Moreover, the reasons behind the lawsuit are not simply a transparent issue of funding. In an NPR interview, Connecticut's State Education Commissioner, Betty Sternberg, argues the importance of test content and teacher support. "They're actually telling us to, and I hate to use the word, but dumb down our test."
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
For the past two decades, Connecticut public schools have administered standardized tests to students in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, producing positive results. Under NCLB mandates, testing is expected to occur yearly with the intent to close the achievement gap. Connecticut's lawsuit against the federal government aims to either amend the law's mandates, or to fully fund the mandates on a state level. Because of existing state laws, Connecticut may not use state money to pay for a federally issued law in public schools.
Richard Blumenthal, the State Attorney General, points out that with the increase of testing, the federal government did not provide sufficient funds, which are estimated to cost roughly forty million dollars by 2008. However, according to Susan Aspey, U.S. Department of Education spokesperson, the federal government has provided more than sufficient funding for the additional tests. Moreover, the reasons behind the lawsuit are not simply a transparent issue of funding. In an NPR interview, Connecticut's State Education Commissioner, Betty Sternberg, argues the importance of test content and teacher support. "They're actually telling us to, and I hate to use the word, but dumb down our test."
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
At this Moment #2
Welcome to the second installment of At this Moment. This week, Boylan Blog staffer Elina Bloch spoke to several students on campus who were gracious enough to tell us their thoughts.
“My concern is the organization 'Students for Academic Freedom' that operates on our campus. I am very worried that such a group will discourage our professors from expressing their opinions openly for fear of appearing liberal or biased. Such a group is a danger to the democracy in our college.”
-Jon, Writing Tutor
“My biggest fear is that the war in Iraq will continue and that there will be a mandatory draft similar to the one that was administered during the Vietnam War.”
-Edi, Business Major
“The lack of resources, which does not enable us to provide the necessary support for ESL students is what concerns me in our Brooklyn College community. The emotional impact on those students who keep failing English classes is enormous.”
-Mark
“I can’t stand the noise in New York. It seems that there is no place where I can hide and spend a quiet moment.”
-Olga, Graduate Student in Psychology
What concerns you at this moment?
“My concern is the organization 'Students for Academic Freedom' that operates on our campus. I am very worried that such a group will discourage our professors from expressing their opinions openly for fear of appearing liberal or biased. Such a group is a danger to the democracy in our college.”
-Jon, Writing Tutor
“My biggest fear is that the war in Iraq will continue and that there will be a mandatory draft similar to the one that was administered during the Vietnam War.”
-Edi, Business Major
“The lack of resources, which does not enable us to provide the necessary support for ESL students is what concerns me in our Brooklyn College community. The emotional impact on those students who keep failing English classes is enormous.”
-Mark
“I can’t stand the noise in New York. It seems that there is no place where I can hide and spend a quiet moment.”
-Olga, Graduate Student in Psychology
What concerns you at this moment?
Rebel Theatre
Brooklyn College alumnus Winston Batchelor is the managing director of the brand-new Rebel Theatre, a group of artists committed to illuminating truth, cultivating marginalized voices and providing those voices with a platform in realm of American theatre.
The next Rebel Theatre production, Conversation Series, in conjucntion with the Amas Musical Theatre, takes place on October 9th, 16th and 23rd at 4pm at The Players Theatre located at 115 MacDougal Street (between 3rd Street and Bleecker Street at Minetta Lane) in Manhattan. Tickets are $12.
For more information on the Rebel Theatre and its productions, visit http://rebeltheater.org/.
The next Rebel Theatre production, Conversation Series, in conjucntion with the Amas Musical Theatre, takes place on October 9th, 16th and 23rd at 4pm at The Players Theatre located at 115 MacDougal Street (between 3rd Street and Bleecker Street at Minetta Lane) in Manhattan. Tickets are $12.
For more information on the Rebel Theatre and its productions, visit http://rebeltheater.org/.
Make Love, Not War
Join the Brooklyn College Anti-War Group in uniting students, faculty and staff against the war in Iraq. This newly-created group's first meeting will focus on educational forums on the war and efforts to challenge military recruitment on or near campus.
There will also be a screening of the Paper Tiger film short, Military Myths.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, September 29th, 2005 from 1;30-2:30 in room 242 of the Library.
All are welcome!
For more information, contact the English Majors Counseling Office at boylanblog@yahoo.com.
There will also be a screening of the Paper Tiger film short, Military Myths.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, September 29th, 2005 from 1;30-2:30 in room 242 of the Library.
All are welcome!
For more information, contact the English Majors Counseling Office at boylanblog@yahoo.com.
The Boylan Brief #23
Colonialism’s Violent Ripple Continues
A separatist protest in northeast India turned violent on Tuesday last week when police set off explosions and opened fire on a crowd, leaving 5 dead and more than 100 injured. Among those killed were two police officers, who were lynched and reportedly had their eyes gouged out after the attempt to disburse the protesters was unsuccessful.
More than 20,000 members of the Rajbongshi tribe, a large group inhabiting India's West Bengal state as well as parts of neighboring Assam and Bangladesh, took to the streets last week in a rally demanding a separate tribal homeland. Rajbongshi kings ruled over their princely state of Koch Bihar until merging with India following the end of British colonial rule in 1947. A number of troops have been employed to quash the unrest in India, but according to Indian intelligence officials, tension is still high. The government has yet to respond to Rajbongshi demands for an official inquiry into the shootings.
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Starving for Trial
The hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. prison for terror suspects in Cuba, reached a record high last week—131 out of 500 detainees—when eleven more refused food. About 20 have been hospitalized and are being forcibly fed through nasal tubes.
The detainees, al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects imprisoned during the 2001 war in Afghanistan, are using the strike to protest their continued detention, demanding release or immediate trial. Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a prisoner who spent four years in captivity, said, "no law is followed at the U.S. naval detention center at Guantanamo Bay." Furthermore, the detainees pressed for two things: "One, they wanted to be treated under the Geneva Convention—especially stressing implementation of the articles which say…detainees are innocent [until] convicted," and "Two, they demanded an improvement in the situation at the Fifth Camp, where detainees were kept locked in closed cells for 17 months at a stretch.”
Pentagon officials denied the allegations that any of the detainees were beaten. Moreover, Bush administration officials also defended the prison, stating the “U.S Guantanamo policy ‘is the correct one’ and that all detainees are ‘treated with respect and dignity.’”
-Elina Block & Esther Hwang
Link
Palestinian Pride Singes Synagogues
Just moments after General Avi Kochavi closed the gates on 38 years of Israeli occupation, mobs of Palestinian youths began torching and demolishing synagogues across the Gaza strip in an attempt to destroy all reminders of Israeli rule. “The Israelis destroyed our homes and our mosques. Today it is our turn to destroy theirs,” said one man in Netzarim, who was carrying a large hammer.
The barbaric behavior that unfolded posed skepticism for the future of the much-contested Gaza territory. Silvan Shalom, Israel's Foreign Minister, said “The world is looking to Abu Mazen to see if he can control this territory, and the anarchy that we could face today is not encouraging us for the future.” President Mahmoud Abbas, however, refused to be distracted from what he described as “a day of happiness and joy that the Palestinian people have not witnessed for a century.” While “much work still needs to be done,” nothing “can take away from this victory,” he told reporters in Gaza City.
-Randi Vegh
Link
Riverboat Bureaucracy
Residents of Caapiranga, Brazil, located deep in the Amazon jungle, live too far from government offices to receive aid. They live in poverty and isolation. Their political rights and access to benefits as Brazilian citizens have slipped through the cracks in the past years. As a solution, a three-year-old program called Prompt Itinerant Assistance is bringing government aid to the local people via a riverboat. The program brings services such as medical, social security and disability aid.
However, it seems as though the government may be luring the impoverished residents not only with health and dental care, but also with luxuries such as air conditioning and "comfortable chairs," inside the boat's waiting room. In the cool comfort of the waiting room, residents are bombarded with papers issued by police, military, and tax and labor officials. In addition to receiving vaccinations, residents can also register for the military draft. Now, with the government coming to them, residents no longer have excuses to skirt bureaucratic processes.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
The IRA Empties its Arsenal
After a 30-year armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) finally put its weapons to rest. The Times called it a “historic” move “for an organization that once viewed arms disposal as akin to surrender.” However, its impact on Northern Ireland politics will take some time to assess, given the deep mistrust of the IRA among the main pro-British parties.
The overwhelming feeling amongst progressive thinkers is that “a new day has dawned.” Mitchel McLaughlin, a senior figure in the IRA’s political ally Sinn Fein, said “I believe this development will have a liberating impact … the way is now clear for people who wish to see politics replace conflict on our streets to take up their responsibilities.” In the short term, the move could help to defuse tensions in the province after fierce rioting earlier this month by pro-British Protestants, who were worried of being abandoned by the British government.
-Christine Choi
Link
A separatist protest in northeast India turned violent on Tuesday last week when police set off explosions and opened fire on a crowd, leaving 5 dead and more than 100 injured. Among those killed were two police officers, who were lynched and reportedly had their eyes gouged out after the attempt to disburse the protesters was unsuccessful.
More than 20,000 members of the Rajbongshi tribe, a large group inhabiting India's West Bengal state as well as parts of neighboring Assam and Bangladesh, took to the streets last week in a rally demanding a separate tribal homeland. Rajbongshi kings ruled over their princely state of Koch Bihar until merging with India following the end of British colonial rule in 1947. A number of troops have been employed to quash the unrest in India, but according to Indian intelligence officials, tension is still high. The government has yet to respond to Rajbongshi demands for an official inquiry into the shootings.
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Starving for Trial
The hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. prison for terror suspects in Cuba, reached a record high last week—131 out of 500 detainees—when eleven more refused food. About 20 have been hospitalized and are being forcibly fed through nasal tubes.
The detainees, al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects imprisoned during the 2001 war in Afghanistan, are using the strike to protest their continued detention, demanding release or immediate trial. Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a prisoner who spent four years in captivity, said, "no law is followed at the U.S. naval detention center at Guantanamo Bay." Furthermore, the detainees pressed for two things: "One, they wanted to be treated under the Geneva Convention—especially stressing implementation of the articles which say…detainees are innocent [until] convicted," and "Two, they demanded an improvement in the situation at the Fifth Camp, where detainees were kept locked in closed cells for 17 months at a stretch.”
Pentagon officials denied the allegations that any of the detainees were beaten. Moreover, Bush administration officials also defended the prison, stating the “U.S Guantanamo policy ‘is the correct one’ and that all detainees are ‘treated with respect and dignity.’”
-Elina Block & Esther Hwang
Link
Palestinian Pride Singes Synagogues
Just moments after General Avi Kochavi closed the gates on 38 years of Israeli occupation, mobs of Palestinian youths began torching and demolishing synagogues across the Gaza strip in an attempt to destroy all reminders of Israeli rule. “The Israelis destroyed our homes and our mosques. Today it is our turn to destroy theirs,” said one man in Netzarim, who was carrying a large hammer.
The barbaric behavior that unfolded posed skepticism for the future of the much-contested Gaza territory. Silvan Shalom, Israel's Foreign Minister, said “The world is looking to Abu Mazen to see if he can control this territory, and the anarchy that we could face today is not encouraging us for the future.” President Mahmoud Abbas, however, refused to be distracted from what he described as “a day of happiness and joy that the Palestinian people have not witnessed for a century.” While “much work still needs to be done,” nothing “can take away from this victory,” he told reporters in Gaza City.
-Randi Vegh
Link
Riverboat Bureaucracy
Residents of Caapiranga, Brazil, located deep in the Amazon jungle, live too far from government offices to receive aid. They live in poverty and isolation. Their political rights and access to benefits as Brazilian citizens have slipped through the cracks in the past years. As a solution, a three-year-old program called Prompt Itinerant Assistance is bringing government aid to the local people via a riverboat. The program brings services such as medical, social security and disability aid.
However, it seems as though the government may be luring the impoverished residents not only with health and dental care, but also with luxuries such as air conditioning and "comfortable chairs," inside the boat's waiting room. In the cool comfort of the waiting room, residents are bombarded with papers issued by police, military, and tax and labor officials. In addition to receiving vaccinations, residents can also register for the military draft. Now, with the government coming to them, residents no longer have excuses to skirt bureaucratic processes.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
The IRA Empties its Arsenal
After a 30-year armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) finally put its weapons to rest. The Times called it a “historic” move “for an organization that once viewed arms disposal as akin to surrender.” However, its impact on Northern Ireland politics will take some time to assess, given the deep mistrust of the IRA among the main pro-British parties.
The overwhelming feeling amongst progressive thinkers is that “a new day has dawned.” Mitchel McLaughlin, a senior figure in the IRA’s political ally Sinn Fein, said “I believe this development will have a liberating impact … the way is now clear for people who wish to see politics replace conflict on our streets to take up their responsibilities.” In the short term, the move could help to defuse tensions in the province after fierce rioting earlier this month by pro-British Protestants, who were worried of being abandoned by the British government.
-Christine Choi
Link
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Broadway @ Brooklyn College
Why go all the way to Broadway to see a great show when you can see one right here on campus? Don't miss these great (and inexpensive) performances put on by Brooklyn College's Theatre Department:
TBA, Oct. 6-9 (New Workshop Theater)
The Game of Love and Chance, Oct. 20-30 (Gershwin Theater)
Wonder of the World, Nov. 10-13 (New Workshop Theater)
Sight Unseen, Dec. 1-11 (Gershwin Theater)
Burial at Thebes, Dec. 8-11 (New Workshop Theater)
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the New Workshop Theatre (near the basement of Whitman) and at the Gershwin box office. Shows begin at 8pm, but get there a little early to avoid disturbing the other theatre guests.
For more information, visit the Theatre Department in 317A.
TBA, Oct. 6-9 (New Workshop Theater)
The Game of Love and Chance, Oct. 20-30 (Gershwin Theater)
Wonder of the World, Nov. 10-13 (New Workshop Theater)
Sight Unseen, Dec. 1-11 (Gershwin Theater)
Burial at Thebes, Dec. 8-11 (New Workshop Theater)
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the New Workshop Theatre (near the basement of Whitman) and at the Gershwin box office. Shows begin at 8pm, but get there a little early to avoid disturbing the other theatre guests.
For more information, visit the Theatre Department in 317A.
In the Name of Peace
Lend your voice to the causes of peace and justice. Join the March on Washington taking place Saturday, September 24, 2005!
"Hurricane Katrina has shown just how wrong our nation's priorities are. Resources that could have been used to save lives are instead tied up in a war that continues to kill Iraqis and U.S. servicepeople. Our nation is at a crossroads: Will we continue to squander resources and take lives in a war that never should have happened? Or will we commit ourselves instead to addressing the urgent human needs in the Gulf Coast and overcoming the racial and economic divide in this country? Join United for Peace and Justice in Washington D.C. to tell the White House and Congress: Bring the troops home now!"
The march will begin at 10am on the Washington monument grounds and will include the "Operation Ceasefire" concert featuring Cindy Sheehan.
Round-trip bus tickets from New York City are available for $35 ($20 for students and low income individuals). To order, call 212-868-5545 or visit United for Peace.
Tickets are also available from the Coney Island Avenue Project. They are $20 each and include free breakfast and lunch. Children under 10 years old ride free. For more information, please contact Ahsanullah Bobby Khan (Coney Island Avenue Project, 1117 Coney Island Ave., Suite #1R) at (cell) 917-440-9002, (office) 718-859-0238, (e-mail) khanahsanullah@hotmail.com, or Ali Mujahid (Brooklyn College) at (cell) 347-200-9699 or (e-mail) amc_nyc@yahoo.com.
"He who cherishes the values of culture cannot fail to be a pacifist."
-Albert Einstein
"Hurricane Katrina has shown just how wrong our nation's priorities are. Resources that could have been used to save lives are instead tied up in a war that continues to kill Iraqis and U.S. servicepeople. Our nation is at a crossroads: Will we continue to squander resources and take lives in a war that never should have happened? Or will we commit ourselves instead to addressing the urgent human needs in the Gulf Coast and overcoming the racial and economic divide in this country? Join United for Peace and Justice in Washington D.C. to tell the White House and Congress: Bring the troops home now!"
The march will begin at 10am on the Washington monument grounds and will include the "Operation Ceasefire" concert featuring Cindy Sheehan.
Round-trip bus tickets from New York City are available for $35 ($20 for students and low income individuals). To order, call 212-868-5545 or visit United for Peace.
Tickets are also available from the Coney Island Avenue Project. They are $20 each and include free breakfast and lunch. Children under 10 years old ride free. For more information, please contact Ahsanullah Bobby Khan (Coney Island Avenue Project, 1117 Coney Island Ave., Suite #1R) at (cell) 917-440-9002, (office) 718-859-0238, (e-mail) khanahsanullah@hotmail.com, or Ali Mujahid (Brooklyn College) at (cell) 347-200-9699 or (e-mail) amc_nyc@yahoo.com.
"He who cherishes the values of culture cannot fail to be a pacifist."
-Albert Einstein
English 5.1
Are you a Brooklyn College student who wishes to improve your writing skills, but prefers instruction in a classroom setting rather than instruction by a tutor? Perhaps, English 5.1 is the class for you!
This 3-credit course provides intensive study of and practice in the rhetoric and style of expository (non-fiction) prose. It is designed for students who have completed English 1 and 2 (or their equivalents) and who desire to continue to improve the quality of their writing. The class is conducted as a writing workshop in which students read and provide feedback on one another's essays. The instructor points students to appropriate models of good writing, presents helpful writing techniques, trains students in the principles of constructive peer criticism, and provides written feedback on the first and final drafts of each essay. Students choose their own topics to write about, which could be related to their field of study or to other private interests.
This class is credited as an English elective. For English Teaching Majors, it counts toward the composition credit for the concentration in English.
For more information, visit the English Major's Counseling Office at 3416B.
This 3-credit course provides intensive study of and practice in the rhetoric and style of expository (non-fiction) prose. It is designed for students who have completed English 1 and 2 (or their equivalents) and who desire to continue to improve the quality of their writing. The class is conducted as a writing workshop in which students read and provide feedback on one another's essays. The instructor points students to appropriate models of good writing, presents helpful writing techniques, trains students in the principles of constructive peer criticism, and provides written feedback on the first and final drafts of each essay. Students choose their own topics to write about, which could be related to their field of study or to other private interests.
This class is credited as an English elective. For English Teaching Majors, it counts toward the composition credit for the concentration in English.
For more information, visit the English Major's Counseling Office at 3416B.
The Howl-ing
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the first reading of the astonshing poem Howl by the undaunted poet Allen Ginsberg, the English Department, in conjunction with the English Major's Counseling Office and the Poetry Club, will be hosting a reading of the poem on Thursday, October 6, 2005 at 1:30pm in the Barker Room located at 2315B.
Join us as we pay tribute to a work of genius that forever changed the face of poetry. You are even invited to participate by readng selected lines from this great work. Refreshments will be served and all are welcomed!
For further information, please e-mail us at boylanblog@yahoo.com or visit us at the English Major's Counseling Office in room 3416B.
Join us as we pay tribute to a work of genius that forever changed the face of poetry. You are even invited to participate by readng selected lines from this great work. Refreshments will be served and all are welcomed!
For further information, please e-mail us at boylanblog@yahoo.com or visit us at the English Major's Counseling Office in room 3416B.
At this Moment #1
Welcome to the new Boylan Blog feature, At this Moment.
Each week we will briefly visit with students, faculty and staff to discuss issues that they'd like to share with the Boylan Blog community--whether those issues are academic or familial; political, apolitical, personal, universal. Occasionally, we will venture beyond the Brooklyn College campus in order to connect with kindred spirits in our global community. This week, Boylan Blog staff member Robert Jones, Jr. did just that.
He sat with three distinguished individuals who were more than happy to share their thoughts and feelings. We’d like to invite you to share your thoughts as well! Feel free to comment here on the Blog or visit us at the English Majors’ Counseling Office located at 3416 Boylan. We’re eager to speak with you about what concerns you…at this moment.
Sherise L. Bright is founder and CEO of BrightKarma Productions, a Public Relations firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. She’s worked with a range business partners and artists, including Janet Jackson, Me’Shell N’degeocello and A Race of Angels. She is currently looking to expand her “network of positive energy” to New York City. You can learn more about Sherise's unique venture by visiting BrightKarma.
"In this moment, as I look out of my window at an unusually dreary day, my concerns run deeper than ever. I am thinking of all of the predictions that were made by prophets and sages of the past. All of them seemed to think that this existence as we know it would come to an end. Are we at that point?
"In the midst of the tragedy that has taken place in New Orleans, I am concerned about the leadership that chose to ignore the cries of those in need strictly based on race and class. I am reminded of the accounts of captured slaves who recounted their experiences on slave ships, forced to lay in squalor and feces next to dead brothers and sisters and I ask myself how the situation in New Orleans was any different.
"While most of my thoughts are solemn, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's like when I would cry when I was younger. I'd allow myself to cry and cry until I couldn't anymore, and suddenly, I felt better. I'd take short, convulsive breaths until I was on track again--calm and peaceful...and most importantly okay.
"My strong faith allows me to know for certain that no matter what, we’ll be okay. After what we perceive to be "bad" comes something better. We are constantly unfolding. Therefore, in this moment, I now feel hope. I am touched by those who are working to make a difference: Oprah Winfrey with her Angel Network, Ammachi with her hugs and countless others who bring the light. For, 'where there is light, darkness cannot exist.' -Paramahansa Yogananda
Max Gordon is a social critic, an essayist and a contributing writer to Sapience magazine. In the tradition of James Baldwin, his works examine the shortcomings and pitfalls of a society steeped in bias based on gender, race and sexual identity. He is also the author of an upcoming collection of essays. His latest writings can be viewed at Max Gordon.
"In this moment, I am concerned about the United States of America, about myself as an American - a black American, a gay American. I was discussing the response to Katrina with a white male acquaintance of mine and he said, "If I am this angry about what has happened as a white person, I don't understand how you aren't burning buildings down right now." I told him the truth: That I exist in America's psychological basement, that I can't fall any further or experience another political or social heartbreak. I saw the shattered look on his face--the I-knew-it-was-bad-in-America-but-I-didn't-know-it-was-this-bad stare that right now some white people have as they watch the news - and I was reminded of a James Baldwin quotation: "The thing that most white people imagine they can salvage from the storm of life is really, in sum, their innocence. It was this commodity precisely which I had to get rid of at once, literally on pain of death."
"For me, Katrina is just another riff on what happened to the black vote in Florida in 2000, on what's been happening to the black community since this administration began, and as we continue to die in the war in Iraq. The only difference is that now, post-Katrina, the Bush genocidal plan for people of color is confirmed, fully exposed for what it is. The Bush administration is the worst thing to happen to black people since Jim Crow, the Dred Scott decision and the Fugitive Slave Laws. I hesitated to write about Katrina at first because I prefer not to write about anything unless I can bring a fresh perspective. It all seems so hackneyed and predictable: the late response to the crisis by the administration, the press-conferences and photo-ops in lieu of real help, the broken promises, Barbara Bush's silver-lining statement that for people seeking refuge in Texas- people who were "underprivileged" anyway - things were "working out well," Laura Bush's lament that she knows her husband better than anyone else and that charges of racism are "disgusting," Condoleezza Rice, yet again, on television defending her boss and saying that people's dying has absolutely nothing to do with their being black, Colin Powell, although critical of the federal response, maintaining that race had nothing to do with the tragedy, but "economics," Cheney coming out of hiding "to help the rescue effort," Rove's attempt to spin the media coverage, and Bush's refusal to play the "blame game" while assuring there will be "an investigation." This is 9/11 remixed for 2005, and as a New Yorker I'm appalled only at myself, because I'm not appalled by anything in this country anymore.
"I wonder what it will take to wake Americans up from our political somnambulism. I'm thinking about the term "mystification" - the political mind-process by which people are kept enslaved, not by force, but by acquiescence; where the oppressive aspects of a society are disguised and kept hidden until we are manipulated and finally convinced of our own powerlessness. The Bush administration is beyond politics now - it's like some Old Testament test that we need to pass, like Job or Jacob, proffered by God for our spiritual maturity, for us to continue as a nation at all. From where I stand, it looks as though we've flunked it.
Phil Jimenez is a renowned artist and writer for DC Comics and its imprint, Vertigo Comics. He’s best known for his work on the TEMPEST, JLA/TITANS, WONDER WOMAN and THE NEW X-MEN. He’s currently writing and illustrating the Vertigo maxi-series OTHERWORLD and will be the artist for DC Comics’ upcoming mini-series, INFINITE CRISIS. To learn more about Phil and his work, visit Phil Jimenez.
"What concerns me most this moment: without a doubt, this administration--which continues, in its naked lust for wealth and sociopolitical power, to do untold damage to this country and others. What concerns me at this moment: that, ballot tampering or no, untold millions upon millions of Americans voted for a man and an administration that was so clearly inept, so obviously disdainful of the very citizens who voted them in.
"What concerns me most this moment: The lack of willingness to sacrifice comfort or money among those who have it to prevent the suffering of those who don't (a trend I'm fully entrenched in). What concerns me at this moment: the lack of regard for the beauty of craft; for the mesmerizing gift of imagination--the number of people who choose not to dream because it's not "practical" or inexpensive. The new World Trade Center, for example, could be the most fantastic, most inspiring site on the planet, if only people would allow their imaginations to soar--and refrain from letting their greed and their often ugly politics do the designing and rebuilding.
Each week we will briefly visit with students, faculty and staff to discuss issues that they'd like to share with the Boylan Blog community--whether those issues are academic or familial; political, apolitical, personal, universal. Occasionally, we will venture beyond the Brooklyn College campus in order to connect with kindred spirits in our global community. This week, Boylan Blog staff member Robert Jones, Jr. did just that.
He sat with three distinguished individuals who were more than happy to share their thoughts and feelings. We’d like to invite you to share your thoughts as well! Feel free to comment here on the Blog or visit us at the English Majors’ Counseling Office located at 3416 Boylan. We’re eager to speak with you about what concerns you…at this moment.
Sherise L. Bright is founder and CEO of BrightKarma Productions, a Public Relations firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. She’s worked with a range business partners and artists, including Janet Jackson, Me’Shell N’degeocello and A Race of Angels. She is currently looking to expand her “network of positive energy” to New York City. You can learn more about Sherise's unique venture by visiting BrightKarma.
"In this moment, as I look out of my window at an unusually dreary day, my concerns run deeper than ever. I am thinking of all of the predictions that were made by prophets and sages of the past. All of them seemed to think that this existence as we know it would come to an end. Are we at that point?
"In the midst of the tragedy that has taken place in New Orleans, I am concerned about the leadership that chose to ignore the cries of those in need strictly based on race and class. I am reminded of the accounts of captured slaves who recounted their experiences on slave ships, forced to lay in squalor and feces next to dead brothers and sisters and I ask myself how the situation in New Orleans was any different.
"While most of my thoughts are solemn, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's like when I would cry when I was younger. I'd allow myself to cry and cry until I couldn't anymore, and suddenly, I felt better. I'd take short, convulsive breaths until I was on track again--calm and peaceful...and most importantly okay.
"My strong faith allows me to know for certain that no matter what, we’ll be okay. After what we perceive to be "bad" comes something better. We are constantly unfolding. Therefore, in this moment, I now feel hope. I am touched by those who are working to make a difference: Oprah Winfrey with her Angel Network, Ammachi with her hugs and countless others who bring the light. For, 'where there is light, darkness cannot exist.' -Paramahansa Yogananda
Max Gordon is a social critic, an essayist and a contributing writer to Sapience magazine. In the tradition of James Baldwin, his works examine the shortcomings and pitfalls of a society steeped in bias based on gender, race and sexual identity. He is also the author of an upcoming collection of essays. His latest writings can be viewed at Max Gordon.
"In this moment, I am concerned about the United States of America, about myself as an American - a black American, a gay American. I was discussing the response to Katrina with a white male acquaintance of mine and he said, "If I am this angry about what has happened as a white person, I don't understand how you aren't burning buildings down right now." I told him the truth: That I exist in America's psychological basement, that I can't fall any further or experience another political or social heartbreak. I saw the shattered look on his face--the I-knew-it-was-bad-in-America-but-I-didn't-know-it-was-this-bad stare that right now some white people have as they watch the news - and I was reminded of a James Baldwin quotation: "The thing that most white people imagine they can salvage from the storm of life is really, in sum, their innocence. It was this commodity precisely which I had to get rid of at once, literally on pain of death."
"For me, Katrina is just another riff on what happened to the black vote in Florida in 2000, on what's been happening to the black community since this administration began, and as we continue to die in the war in Iraq. The only difference is that now, post-Katrina, the Bush genocidal plan for people of color is confirmed, fully exposed for what it is. The Bush administration is the worst thing to happen to black people since Jim Crow, the Dred Scott decision and the Fugitive Slave Laws. I hesitated to write about Katrina at first because I prefer not to write about anything unless I can bring a fresh perspective. It all seems so hackneyed and predictable: the late response to the crisis by the administration, the press-conferences and photo-ops in lieu of real help, the broken promises, Barbara Bush's silver-lining statement that for people seeking refuge in Texas- people who were "underprivileged" anyway - things were "working out well," Laura Bush's lament that she knows her husband better than anyone else and that charges of racism are "disgusting," Condoleezza Rice, yet again, on television defending her boss and saying that people's dying has absolutely nothing to do with their being black, Colin Powell, although critical of the federal response, maintaining that race had nothing to do with the tragedy, but "economics," Cheney coming out of hiding "to help the rescue effort," Rove's attempt to spin the media coverage, and Bush's refusal to play the "blame game" while assuring there will be "an investigation." This is 9/11 remixed for 2005, and as a New Yorker I'm appalled only at myself, because I'm not appalled by anything in this country anymore.
"I wonder what it will take to wake Americans up from our political somnambulism. I'm thinking about the term "mystification" - the political mind-process by which people are kept enslaved, not by force, but by acquiescence; where the oppressive aspects of a society are disguised and kept hidden until we are manipulated and finally convinced of our own powerlessness. The Bush administration is beyond politics now - it's like some Old Testament test that we need to pass, like Job or Jacob, proffered by God for our spiritual maturity, for us to continue as a nation at all. From where I stand, it looks as though we've flunked it.
Phil Jimenez is a renowned artist and writer for DC Comics and its imprint, Vertigo Comics. He’s best known for his work on the TEMPEST, JLA/TITANS, WONDER WOMAN and THE NEW X-MEN. He’s currently writing and illustrating the Vertigo maxi-series OTHERWORLD and will be the artist for DC Comics’ upcoming mini-series, INFINITE CRISIS. To learn more about Phil and his work, visit Phil Jimenez.
"What concerns me most this moment: without a doubt, this administration--which continues, in its naked lust for wealth and sociopolitical power, to do untold damage to this country and others. What concerns me at this moment: that, ballot tampering or no, untold millions upon millions of Americans voted for a man and an administration that was so clearly inept, so obviously disdainful of the very citizens who voted them in.
"What concerns me most this moment: The lack of willingness to sacrifice comfort or money among those who have it to prevent the suffering of those who don't (a trend I'm fully entrenched in). What concerns me at this moment: the lack of regard for the beauty of craft; for the mesmerizing gift of imagination--the number of people who choose not to dream because it's not "practical" or inexpensive. The new World Trade Center, for example, could be the most fantastic, most inspiring site on the planet, if only people would allow their imaginations to soar--and refrain from letting their greed and their often ugly politics do the designing and rebuilding.
Monday, September 19, 2005
The Boylan Brief #22
Religious Tribunals Rebuked in Canada
Women's rights activists scored a major victory in Canadian courts when the head of the province of Ontario rejected a proposal to allow Muslims the use of Sharia law in family disputes. Following protests in Canadian cities, as well as Paris, London and Vienna, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty ruled against the bid, telling the BBC that there should be "one law for all Ontarians."
Since 1991, Ontario has allowed Christian and Jewish-based tribunals to solve intra-family disputes on a voluntary basis. McGuinty plans to introduce legislation to ban all faith-based arbitration in the province. Critics of the Sharia law in Canada believe that the use of Islamic law could lead to discrimination against women. Homa Ar-Jomand, an activist and rally-organizer, told the BBC “[the voice of the protesters was] heard loud and clear, I thank the government for coming out with no faith-based arbitrations."
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Flat Tax: Flat-Lined?
The flat tax, a radical reform in which everyone pays the same rate, with no “loopholes” or excuses, lost its once vaunted momentum in Germany this week when polls showed a dramatic plunge in voter support of its proponents.
Angela Merkel, the conservative candidate, and her Christian Democratic Union were favoured to win national elections on Sunday, until a 25 percent flat tax was mentioned last week as part of Merkels’ economic-reform proposals. For the first time, recent polls showed Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his left-wing allies “in a dead heat with [Merkel’s] conservative coalition.”
While more governments have been open to adopting the flat tax, its future very much depends on whether or not Merkel wins this Sunday’s vote. “A negative vote will probably prevent any other wealthy nation from bringing up the idea any time in the foreseeable future.”
-Esther Hwang
Link
One Potato, Two Potato
After three years of failed negotiations, the U.S. and North Korea have finally reached a provisional agreement regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, “promised to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons and re-admit international inspectors to its nuclear facilities” in exchange for “aid, diplomatic assurances and security guarantees” and consideration of its demands for a light-water nuclear reactor.
Many issues during the talks, however, were side-stepped, the most pointed one being the production of a light-water reactor (by the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, and Korea) that North Korea would use to produce electricity. Officials were evasive when it came to this “hot-potato issue,” stating the light-water reactor would come “at the appropriate time.” According to a senior American official, that meant only after North Korea rejoined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and re-admitted nuclear inspectors—goals it would not be able to achieve until first dismantling its nuclear program. Meanwhile, the possibility remains that North Korea will continue to insist on receiving the light-water reactor concession before pulling the plug on nuclear weapons production.
Despite the glaring inconsistencies of the agreement, Christopher Hill, the chief American negotiator, called the signing a “turning point.” He added, “We have to take the momentum of this agreement and see that it is implemented.”
-Christine Choi
Link
Living and Dying at the Mercy of the UN
The United Nations plans to cut general food aid in Niger, which could lead to the ruin of already the world’s poorest country. The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international humanitarian aid organization, argues that ending aid in the next few weeks would leave almost a million without food. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) is attempting the cut based on the fact that the food harvest begins one month from now. This reduction in aid, according to the WFP, would allow food distribution to be redirected and concentrated on the most needy areas. Food will not be withheld from the hungry. In addition, the WFP predicts the redirection would enable the high prices of food to drop.
However, critics believe that cutting the wide-scale distribution too soon could endanger the welfare of many, and that it would be more logical not to disrupt the market. The logistical problem with the WFP’s reorganization of the food market is that food must travel great distances and already a million have been without food for weeks. According to a recent survey conducted by the MSF, more than 40 people are dying each day because of food not reaching feeding centers.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
Women's rights activists scored a major victory in Canadian courts when the head of the province of Ontario rejected a proposal to allow Muslims the use of Sharia law in family disputes. Following protests in Canadian cities, as well as Paris, London and Vienna, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty ruled against the bid, telling the BBC that there should be "one law for all Ontarians."
Since 1991, Ontario has allowed Christian and Jewish-based tribunals to solve intra-family disputes on a voluntary basis. McGuinty plans to introduce legislation to ban all faith-based arbitration in the province. Critics of the Sharia law in Canada believe that the use of Islamic law could lead to discrimination against women. Homa Ar-Jomand, an activist and rally-organizer, told the BBC “[the voice of the protesters was] heard loud and clear, I thank the government for coming out with no faith-based arbitrations."
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Flat Tax: Flat-Lined?
The flat tax, a radical reform in which everyone pays the same rate, with no “loopholes” or excuses, lost its once vaunted momentum in Germany this week when polls showed a dramatic plunge in voter support of its proponents.
Angela Merkel, the conservative candidate, and her Christian Democratic Union were favoured to win national elections on Sunday, until a 25 percent flat tax was mentioned last week as part of Merkels’ economic-reform proposals. For the first time, recent polls showed Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his left-wing allies “in a dead heat with [Merkel’s] conservative coalition.”
While more governments have been open to adopting the flat tax, its future very much depends on whether or not Merkel wins this Sunday’s vote. “A negative vote will probably prevent any other wealthy nation from bringing up the idea any time in the foreseeable future.”
-Esther Hwang
Link
One Potato, Two Potato
After three years of failed negotiations, the U.S. and North Korea have finally reached a provisional agreement regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, “promised to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons and re-admit international inspectors to its nuclear facilities” in exchange for “aid, diplomatic assurances and security guarantees” and consideration of its demands for a light-water nuclear reactor.
Many issues during the talks, however, were side-stepped, the most pointed one being the production of a light-water reactor (by the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, and Korea) that North Korea would use to produce electricity. Officials were evasive when it came to this “hot-potato issue,” stating the light-water reactor would come “at the appropriate time.” According to a senior American official, that meant only after North Korea rejoined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and re-admitted nuclear inspectors—goals it would not be able to achieve until first dismantling its nuclear program. Meanwhile, the possibility remains that North Korea will continue to insist on receiving the light-water reactor concession before pulling the plug on nuclear weapons production.
Despite the glaring inconsistencies of the agreement, Christopher Hill, the chief American negotiator, called the signing a “turning point.” He added, “We have to take the momentum of this agreement and see that it is implemented.”
-Christine Choi
Link
Living and Dying at the Mercy of the UN
The United Nations plans to cut general food aid in Niger, which could lead to the ruin of already the world’s poorest country. The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international humanitarian aid organization, argues that ending aid in the next few weeks would leave almost a million without food. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) is attempting the cut based on the fact that the food harvest begins one month from now. This reduction in aid, according to the WFP, would allow food distribution to be redirected and concentrated on the most needy areas. Food will not be withheld from the hungry. In addition, the WFP predicts the redirection would enable the high prices of food to drop.
However, critics believe that cutting the wide-scale distribution too soon could endanger the welfare of many, and that it would be more logical not to disrupt the market. The logistical problem with the WFP’s reorganization of the food market is that food must travel great distances and already a million have been without food for weeks. According to a recent survey conducted by the MSF, more than 40 people are dying each day because of food not reaching feeding centers.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The Boylan Brief #21
Medical Schools Seek Dark Profits
American academic medical institutions have been addressing global health disparities by researching infectious diseases and public health issues to benefit developing countries. Although some schools have contributed greatly to students who want to do clinical work or research abroad, there are many others who’ve displayed a less sincere "cash-driven compassion," according to Dr. Jessica Evert, a volunteer in Kenya.
On one occasion, when Dr. Evert suggested a medical school administration provide a class about healthcare in developing countries and relationships with clinics abroad, the administration puckered its brow to the idea. Instead, it promoted lucrative "consulting" between the school and counterparts abroad, naming Johns Hopkins International and Harvard Medical International (HMI) as its models. HMI claims to be a nonprofit company, but grossed more that $13 million in 2004. The revenues far exceeded the investments on parallel non-revenue-generating projects.
While medical schools in America have lessons to offer counterparts in developing nations, they need to examine whether they are alleviating or exacerbating the stress on these nations before they move to swindle the resources from the have-nots to the haves.
-Esther Hwang
Evert, Jessica. "Dark Profits?" The New Physician September 2005: 45-48.
Israel and Pakistan Shake Hands
It was a “historic” occasion for the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan last Thursday when the two met publicly for the first time—a symbolic gesture of the newfound diplomacy between their countries. The meeting came as a result of the Israeli pullout from the occupied Gaza Strip, which Israel had controlled since conquering it in 1967. The Gaza pullout “made a strong impression in the Arab world,” according to Mark Regev, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
An ecstatic Silvan Shalom, the Israeli foreign minister, called the meeting “a huge breakthrough,” while a more realistic Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, the Pakistani foreign minister, made it clear that full diplomatic relations with Israel could not be achieved until a peace settlement was reached in the Middle East and Palestine was acknowledged as an independent state. Still, Mr. Shalom expressed the hope that the relationship between Pakistan and Israel would continue to develop and influence other Muslim and Arab nations to also open ties to Israel.
-Christine Choi
Link
Madrid is Burning…
As of June 2005, Spain became the third country to legalize gay marriages, following the Netherlands and Belgium. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero noted the unifying qualities of such a law, calling it an increased chance at happiness for "our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives." The Congress of Deputies, with a vote of 187 to 147, approved the measure, granting homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to adoption.
Both the conservative Popular Party and the Catholic Church vehemently continue to oppose the bill. The Church showed support for a rally on June 18th, during which hundreds of thousands marched through Madrid in resistance. Some members of the Popular Party fear that Spain has been divided on this issue. Since Zapatero took office, the gay marriage bill has been the most divisive issue he has pushed. However, he has also made divorce laws more lenient, and plans to make further leftist reforms in the areas of stem cell research and abortion.
Gay activist and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar points out that families of the twenty-first century don't necessarily have to adhere to a traditional Catholic model. Beatriz Gimeno, one of Spain's leaders in the Gay Rights Movement, anticipates an uphill battle from this point forward, recognizing the need for a change in society's mentality. Whether gay couples choose to adhere to the label and institution of marriage is insignificant. The important thing is that they acknowledge and share the right to engage in marriage.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
Prisoners Released in Prelude to India-Pakistan Talks
As a hopeful prelude to peace talks between India and Pakistan, the two nuclear powers swapped nearly 600 prisoners just two days before leaders plan to meet in New York. India and Pakistan have waged three wars since winning their independence from Britain in 1947, but have been conducting what the New York Times calls "sluggish" peace talks since January, 2004. The freed prisoners join the more than 500 Indian fishermen who were released in March who had been held as prisoners in Pakistan. Both countries routinely arrest and detain nationals, most of whom are civilian farmers and fishermen, who wander across land and sea borders or violate visas. The detainees are commonly accused of working for the intelligence agencies of their respective countries.
Despite the goodwill gestures, the arrests continued as 24 Indian fishermen were arrested one day before the prisoner swap for entering Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea. Peace talks between Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take place alongside the meeting of the UN General Assembly.
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Egypt: Democracy or Sham?
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, for the first time in Egypt’s history, a multiparty presidential election was held. Previously, President Hosni Mubarak, who has occupied the post for nearly 25 years, has been the only presidential candidate. The “concession” made by Mr. Mubarak to allow opponents to run is said to have resulted from American pressure. First Lady Laura Bush praised the move by Mubarak as “a bold step” that puts the Egyptian nation on the path to democracy.
However, some were not as optimistic as Mrs. Bush. George Ishaq, one of the founders of the Egyptian Movement for Change, considered the election a farce. “Among Mr. Mubarak’s eight challengers,” he observed, were “one man who . . . called for all Egyptians to wear traditional hats known as fez; another who want[ed] to turn jails into child-care centers; and one who favor[ed] investing heavily in fisheries despite Egypt’s limited resources.” In addition, shortly before the elections, Mubarak pushed a law that restricted candidates who didn’t belong to political parties previously approved by the Mubarak regime from running for presidency. For these reasons, Ishaq believes Egypt still has a long way to go until its elections can truly be called democratic.
-Elina Bloch
Link
Where Are the Gaza Evictees Now?
This summer, Ariel Sharon executed his plan to evict 8,500 Israelis from their homes in Gaza, leaving thousands of families stranded in the wilderness. Arik Harpaz, one of the many forced to leave his home, has set up a makeshift living arrangement on a roadside just a few feet away from a major highway, now called “Elei Sinai Refugee Camp.”
While the government has offered compensation to those families that have been uprooted, supplying them with 600 vacant dwellings in city apartments, kibbutz houses, and “luxury mobile homes,” it is considered a poor compensation for the Israeli hand-built homes that have stood for 22 years in the Gaza Strip. Many settlers are still uncertain where they will go. “We just want what we used to have: our community together, in an area similar to the area in which we lived, and to allow our young people to live and grow and [be] together with us,” said Harpaz.
-Randi Vegh
Link
American academic medical institutions have been addressing global health disparities by researching infectious diseases and public health issues to benefit developing countries. Although some schools have contributed greatly to students who want to do clinical work or research abroad, there are many others who’ve displayed a less sincere "cash-driven compassion," according to Dr. Jessica Evert, a volunteer in Kenya.
On one occasion, when Dr. Evert suggested a medical school administration provide a class about healthcare in developing countries and relationships with clinics abroad, the administration puckered its brow to the idea. Instead, it promoted lucrative "consulting" between the school and counterparts abroad, naming Johns Hopkins International and Harvard Medical International (HMI) as its models. HMI claims to be a nonprofit company, but grossed more that $13 million in 2004. The revenues far exceeded the investments on parallel non-revenue-generating projects.
While medical schools in America have lessons to offer counterparts in developing nations, they need to examine whether they are alleviating or exacerbating the stress on these nations before they move to swindle the resources from the have-nots to the haves.
-Esther Hwang
Evert, Jessica. "Dark Profits?" The New Physician September 2005: 45-48.
Israel and Pakistan Shake Hands
It was a “historic” occasion for the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan last Thursday when the two met publicly for the first time—a symbolic gesture of the newfound diplomacy between their countries. The meeting came as a result of the Israeli pullout from the occupied Gaza Strip, which Israel had controlled since conquering it in 1967. The Gaza pullout “made a strong impression in the Arab world,” according to Mark Regev, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
An ecstatic Silvan Shalom, the Israeli foreign minister, called the meeting “a huge breakthrough,” while a more realistic Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, the Pakistani foreign minister, made it clear that full diplomatic relations with Israel could not be achieved until a peace settlement was reached in the Middle East and Palestine was acknowledged as an independent state. Still, Mr. Shalom expressed the hope that the relationship between Pakistan and Israel would continue to develop and influence other Muslim and Arab nations to also open ties to Israel.
-Christine Choi
Link
Madrid is Burning…
As of June 2005, Spain became the third country to legalize gay marriages, following the Netherlands and Belgium. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero noted the unifying qualities of such a law, calling it an increased chance at happiness for "our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives." The Congress of Deputies, with a vote of 187 to 147, approved the measure, granting homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to adoption.
Both the conservative Popular Party and the Catholic Church vehemently continue to oppose the bill. The Church showed support for a rally on June 18th, during which hundreds of thousands marched through Madrid in resistance. Some members of the Popular Party fear that Spain has been divided on this issue. Since Zapatero took office, the gay marriage bill has been the most divisive issue he has pushed. However, he has also made divorce laws more lenient, and plans to make further leftist reforms in the areas of stem cell research and abortion.
Gay activist and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar points out that families of the twenty-first century don't necessarily have to adhere to a traditional Catholic model. Beatriz Gimeno, one of Spain's leaders in the Gay Rights Movement, anticipates an uphill battle from this point forward, recognizing the need for a change in society's mentality. Whether gay couples choose to adhere to the label and institution of marriage is insignificant. The important thing is that they acknowledge and share the right to engage in marriage.
-Alyssa Gargiulo
Link
Prisoners Released in Prelude to India-Pakistan Talks
As a hopeful prelude to peace talks between India and Pakistan, the two nuclear powers swapped nearly 600 prisoners just two days before leaders plan to meet in New York. India and Pakistan have waged three wars since winning their independence from Britain in 1947, but have been conducting what the New York Times calls "sluggish" peace talks since January, 2004. The freed prisoners join the more than 500 Indian fishermen who were released in March who had been held as prisoners in Pakistan. Both countries routinely arrest and detain nationals, most of whom are civilian farmers and fishermen, who wander across land and sea borders or violate visas. The detainees are commonly accused of working for the intelligence agencies of their respective countries.
Despite the goodwill gestures, the arrests continued as 24 Indian fishermen were arrested one day before the prisoner swap for entering Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea. Peace talks between Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take place alongside the meeting of the UN General Assembly.
-Keith Zackowitz
Link
Egypt: Democracy or Sham?
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, for the first time in Egypt’s history, a multiparty presidential election was held. Previously, President Hosni Mubarak, who has occupied the post for nearly 25 years, has been the only presidential candidate. The “concession” made by Mr. Mubarak to allow opponents to run is said to have resulted from American pressure. First Lady Laura Bush praised the move by Mubarak as “a bold step” that puts the Egyptian nation on the path to democracy.
However, some were not as optimistic as Mrs. Bush. George Ishaq, one of the founders of the Egyptian Movement for Change, considered the election a farce. “Among Mr. Mubarak’s eight challengers,” he observed, were “one man who . . . called for all Egyptians to wear traditional hats known as fez; another who want[ed] to turn jails into child-care centers; and one who favor[ed] investing heavily in fisheries despite Egypt’s limited resources.” In addition, shortly before the elections, Mubarak pushed a law that restricted candidates who didn’t belong to political parties previously approved by the Mubarak regime from running for presidency. For these reasons, Ishaq believes Egypt still has a long way to go until its elections can truly be called democratic.
-Elina Bloch
Link
Where Are the Gaza Evictees Now?
This summer, Ariel Sharon executed his plan to evict 8,500 Israelis from their homes in Gaza, leaving thousands of families stranded in the wilderness. Arik Harpaz, one of the many forced to leave his home, has set up a makeshift living arrangement on a roadside just a few feet away from a major highway, now called “Elei Sinai Refugee Camp.”
While the government has offered compensation to those families that have been uprooted, supplying them with 600 vacant dwellings in city apartments, kibbutz houses, and “luxury mobile homes,” it is considered a poor compensation for the Israeli hand-built homes that have stood for 22 years in the Gaza Strip. Many settlers are still uncertain where they will go. “We just want what we used to have: our community together, in an area similar to the area in which we lived, and to allow our young people to live and grow and [be] together with us,” said Harpaz.
-Randi Vegh
Link
Monday, September 12, 2005
Welcome to the Fall 2005 Edition of the Boylan Blog!
Hello Boylan Bloggers!
We hope that your summer was as refreshing as ours! We at the Boylan Blog would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Brooklyn College. This semester promises to be a great one for us as there are so many things we're anxious to share with you.
First, we'd like to welcome back two members of our staff: Christine and Robert. We would also like to bid a fond farewell to the members of our staff who have moved on. Emma, Jane, Kristin and Pavel: We appreciate all of your hard work and wish you the best in all of your future endeavors. We'd also like to take a moment to welcome aboard the new members of our staff: Alyssa, Elina, Esther, Keith and Randi. We'reexcited to have you on board!
In case you're new to the site, the Boylan Blog was created to provide students with the information they might not receive through ordinary channels. Here, students have access to current news transpiring in the local, national and international communities; the latest information on campus activites, events, contests, scholarships and awards as they relate to English majors; and a place to respectfully voice their opinions and to dialogue with an online community in a safe progressive space.
We're anxious to get started! As you read this, we are already hard at work on this semester's Open Mic event and this week's Boylan Brief, and we are laying the foundation for next semester's Zine. We'll have updates on how you may take part in these activities very soon.
We'd also like to know what interests you. Tell us what you'd like to see on the Boylan Blog, or if there is a news story or student-related event that you'd like to share, please feel free to e-mail us at: BoylanBlog@yahoo.com.
Thanks for visiting with us!
The Boylan Blog Staff
We hope that your summer was as refreshing as ours! We at the Boylan Blog would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Brooklyn College. This semester promises to be a great one for us as there are so many things we're anxious to share with you.
First, we'd like to welcome back two members of our staff: Christine and Robert. We would also like to bid a fond farewell to the members of our staff who have moved on. Emma, Jane, Kristin and Pavel: We appreciate all of your hard work and wish you the best in all of your future endeavors. We'd also like to take a moment to welcome aboard the new members of our staff: Alyssa, Elina, Esther, Keith and Randi. We'reexcited to have you on board!
In case you're new to the site, the Boylan Blog was created to provide students with the information they might not receive through ordinary channels. Here, students have access to current news transpiring in the local, national and international communities; the latest information on campus activites, events, contests, scholarships and awards as they relate to English majors; and a place to respectfully voice their opinions and to dialogue with an online community in a safe progressive space.
We're anxious to get started! As you read this, we are already hard at work on this semester's Open Mic event and this week's Boylan Brief, and we are laying the foundation for next semester's Zine. We'll have updates on how you may take part in these activities very soon.
We'd also like to know what interests you. Tell us what you'd like to see on the Boylan Blog, or if there is a news story or student-related event that you'd like to share, please feel free to e-mail us at: BoylanBlog@yahoo.com.
Thanks for visiting with us!
The Boylan Blog Staff
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