Life is Good

888 Reasons Why - by Amy Hall
That is the title to a small, yet enlightening book that gives us 888 reasons for why we should enjoy life. I noticed this book stuck in between a best selling novel and a textbook on the bookshelf in the basement of my house, where my sister keeps all of her books. As soon as I flipped through the pages and picked out certain tidbits, I immediately smiled and remembered why life is so wonderful, despite any pitfalls. I asked my sister to please let me borrow it and have it had at school with me ever since. This book is a reminder for us all to smile at the little things in life, even when much bigger problems have burdened us. I am going to share with you a few reasons included in the book, so you can remember these little joys when life seems overwhelming.

Reason 3: No line at the grocery store when your cart is full
Reason 55: Deliberating what cloud shapes look like
Reason 108: The wonderful surprise of receiving a funny card from a friend
Reason 175: The perfect cotton-soft inside of a new sweatshirt
Reason 206: Letting snowflakes fall on your tongue
Reason 252: Evening walks
Reason 272: The fireplace that warms your back
Reason 317: Swimming at nighttime in the darkness and admiring the stars while floating in the water
Reason 392: Soft-serve chocolate ice cream in crunchy cones
Reason 437: The smell of fresh pine needles
Reason 460: The freedom to express yourself
Reason 483: The giraffe- you just gotta laugh when you really look at one
Reason 530: Boys and girls in those tennis shoes that showcase blinky red lights when they run
Reason 591: Bazooka gum cartoons
Reason 642: Succumbing to the temptation of a crunchy funnel cake at the amusement park
Reason 678: The way your muscles tingle and burn after a really good workout with weights
Reason 724: How groups of people do the universal moves of the "YMCA" dance together
Reason 773: The pleasant tone of the doorbell when you're expecting a friend
Reason 789: The neighborhood smoothie shop
Reason 848: The funny souls who cover their cars with bumper stickers
Reason 883: Shadow-puppet theater on bedroom walls

Enjoy life. Smile :)

Stop Loss & VA, The War in Iraq

Stop Loss & The VA System
I saw the movie Stop-Loss last night and despite the plot of the movie, I was concerned mostly about the issues. The idea behind the movie, stop-loss orders issued by the government, intrigues me quite a bit. This intrigues me because it gives the military the right to order back into duty a member of the military who has already served active time. Yes, this may be necessary since we do not have a draft and casualties are climbing, requiring more manpower, but lets look at the overall picture. By doing this, the government is "backdoor drafting" these fine young men and women, who have already been through the rings of hell in Iraq. As I said previously, they are being placed back into the line of duty because of existing situations that require a certain number of soldiers active over in Iraq. The ability for the government to do this not only disturbing in itself, but so are the repercussions that have followed. We cannot use and abuse our voluntary system of military with these orders, and then not give proper treatment to the men and women upon their return home from war, often injured mentally and/or physically. I wrote last month about the VA (Veterans Affairs organization) and how they improperly handled my Grandfather's situation when he was gravely ill earlier this year. He was elderly, but he did serve in the biggest battles during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Normandy. He was wounded while on duty, and came back to endure difficult post-war years burdened by alcoholism and other family issues. Can you blame any veteran for suffering from such ill-fated problems after they are shipped back from war? I have not been there so I cannot explain or fathom the extent to which they hear, see, or feel pain. But I have read, watched movies, and talked to veterans, and through their words I have empathized with them. I have empathized with the bravery they devoted to our country while at war, only to return home in worse condition than they were beforehand, and no one gives a damn except their families and friends. If we are going to continue to stop-loss our soldiers, then we better have the best care given to these men and women upon their return home to our land of the free and the brave. And we better make sure that we are giving them the same opportunities to live post-war, as they have been giving us through the various wars they have fought in to protect and preserve our freedom.

Glory

Glory is the best film I have seen about the Civil War thus far, and undoubtedly a new personal favorite of mine. This movie prides itself as an instant classic that captures a much unknown aspect of our very own Civil War, which our history classes often fail to inform us about.

The movie is based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw (Matthew Broderick), an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War. He volunteers to lead the 54th all African-American Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Faced with much opposition in letting his army actually fight on the battlefield, Colonel Shaw does everything he can to prepare his men for battle and make sure they can proudly show their honor of being part of the army. Their training and fighting eventually leads up to the final assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Their heroic actions take them as the 1st regiment into the Fort, presuming they will face the toughest fighting. This not only brought recognition to African-American soldiers at the time, but it helped turned the tide of the war. The 54th regiment wasn't any ordinary regiment, it was full of men with dignity and the willingness to go to great lengths to fight for what they believed in. And that is just what they did.

This movie is going to be added to my list of movies of profound impact because it is a true story in a time of war. As long as you can get past the 1989 quality of the movie, it is a very enchanting historical account of African-American men who will do anything to fight for their freedom, show their courage, and prove themselves to be just as good of soldiers as the Whites. It reminds us that there is so much for us to learn out there about our history as a human race that is not readily available to us. Although it was during a time of brother fighting against brother, it does show that it is possible for individuals, despite race or background, to rise up and unify together to reach a common goal. We can learn from these displays of unification, and adapt them into our current thinking to ensure we aren't blinded by the boundaries that often divide us.

To make matters even better, Matthew Broderick isn't the only wonderful and immensely fascinating performance seen in the movie. Two other well-known and award-winning actors play prominent roles in this movie, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. In conclusion, I recommend Glory with the utmost anticipation that every movie-watcher and/or history buff will thoroughly enjoy it.

Beijing 2008 - Where Sport and Political Arenas Collide

There have been recent reports stating that China announced 19 people died in riots in the Tibetan capital last week and there is much worry about the unrest spreading into other regions. With China’s handling of the unrest in Tibet in recent weeks, it has received much international attention. A major concern revolving around China is the much anticipated 2008 Olympic Games, which will take place in the capital of Beijing in August. The Olympic Games that represent global unity through sporting events between numerous countries, won’t be able to mask the behind the scenes reality that places China in the hot seat. While any Nation who has the capability of helping Darfur, and the will to do so, should step in, China has a special and significant obligation to Sudan. Unfortunately, after five years of constant conflict, they have not done much to show for it. The country has a responsibility to aid in the crisis of Darfur, as it is the country of Sudan’s closest economic, military, and diplomatic ally. So if the country of Sudan cannot pull itself out of this mess, who should be next in line to step in? China.

Lately, several people and organizations have reported their willingness to protest the Olympics games in Beijing this summer because they believe that attempts to relieve Darfur must take place before the Olympic Games can go on. To some, this attempt for political reconciliation seems extreme, but for others, they see it as the only way to force China into action. China has the ability to bring peace, security, and hopefully some stability to the people of Darfur. The Save Darfur organization is a huge advocate for speaking against China, as the Olympic Games grow nearer and their efforts to aid in the crisis have not succumbed to much of anything. The Organization, as quoted by their website, has stated that: must take place before the Olympic Games can go on.

“Wherever China tries to sanitize its international image, we will protest and remind the world that China is enabling genocide. And we will not stop until China has brought the Olympic dream to Darfur. Please help us press China by participating in the numerous events and actions leading up the games in August and make sure to check back often for new actions!”

With China having the most probability socially, economically, and politically, to be able to pressure the country to end the genocide in Darfur, China needs to show us that as a rising global power, they will use their position to maintain peace when possible. With the Olympics approaching, which represent global peace and unity, China has an obligation to not only host these games, but to host a movement of peace that will bring an end to the violence in Darfur. As said by UN Members, and agreed by many, China needs to be consistent in its images within both sports and political arenas as host of the world’s sporting games.

Don't Forget About Darfur

And the genocide continues. Prior to 2003, much was unknown to us about Darfur. After the current crisis broke out that year, we became aware of the region, comparable to the size of Texas, lying in the country of Sudan, which borders Chad, Libya, and the Central African Republic. But what news gave us this familiarity of the region was sadly news of rape, violence, terror, starvation, and even death. And now we are here, five years later, with mass murder still occurring, and Darfur has lost its place in the spotlight of world problems.

The current crisis began after decades of small-scale conflict between rebel groups and the Central government that brewed into something much larger. Now the effects of the conflicts in Darfur have mounted to alarming statistics. Taken from the Save Darfur Organization webpage, the statement below is devastating: “This scorched-earth campaign by the Sudanese government against Darfuri civilians has, through direct violence, disease, and starvation, already claimed as many as 400,000 lives. It has spilled over into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic. In all, about 2.3 million Darfuris have fled their homes and communities and now reside in a network of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Darfur, with over 200,000 more living in refugee camps in Chad. These refugees and IDPs are almost entirely dependent on the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations for their basic needs – food, water, shelter, and health care.”

Luckily, a great deal has been done thanks to the efforts of governments and organizations in making progress toward relief and peace in the region. However, this genocide is far from over. Awareness still needs to be spread and action still must be taken. Check out the website http://www.SaveDarfur.org to learn more of the history behind Darfur and the current situation. Also, check out the United Nations website for any updates. You might just be one person, but your awareness and your word can empower others, and this could have a ripple effect leading to the end of violence for the victims of Darfur, and a step closer to a peaceful world. Check back soon for an update on a recent issue that has placed China in the hot seat for its controversial diplomatic handling of the crisis.

Economy in Turmoil

As we are on the brink of the Federal Reserve meeting tomorrow, many people are worrying about the country falling into a recession. There is speculation that yet again, the Federal Reserve board will cut interest rates at their meeting tomorrow in attempts to prevent a recession. But what some people are starting to ponder now is the idea of the Fed accepting the fact that a recession is going to happen and should embrace it instead. According to CNN, several economists disagree with the Fed in using more rate cuts to spur economic growth, and instead believe that a recession might be the “best medicine” for the economy in the long term. The reasoning behind this is that they don’t believe Fed cuts can fix what already is ailing the economy, because it is dealing with a problem of confidence. Since this is a minority view thus far, I will discuss it further below for readers to gain a better understanding of this opposition. The view of the majority coincide with the Fed’s movements and believe that rate cuts help give the market more liquidity and say that such a move is necessary for the weakening economy.

Rate Cuts – The Opposition

There is increasing speculation among economists that the country is already dipping into a recession and future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve Board won’t be able to prevent this from happening further. According to CNN, "The problems the markets are facing are not due to interest rates being too high. It's a lack of confidence," said Barry Ritholtz, the CEO and director of equity research for Fusion IQ. They say that rate cuts are causing a sharp decline in the dollar, which in turn are causing record prices for commodities such as oil, which we have seen dipping into consumers’ pockets as gas prices soar across the country. Even food, beverage, and transportation prices are going up, putting a squeeze on the disposable income of consumers. Although prices in these items have risen minimally over recent years, decreasing home prices and tighter credit has put a crunch on consumers’ pockets. Further rate cuts are speculated to just add “fuel to the fire” and won’t help the real problem that is ailing this economy, which is a lack of confidence in lending, with significant distrust among lenders.

According to CNN, one of the critics of Fed cuts is even on the Federal Open Market Committee that meets to decide interest rate moves. Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, who was the only one to vote against the rate cut in January, has continued to talk loudly about inflation fears recently. He thinks the Fed shouldn’t be as worried about a recession as it has been., and is expected to vote against another rate cut. He says the Fed’s obligation should be to prevent inflation from happening in order to sustain long-term employment growth. Fisher also hinted around at the problem of the weakening currency in our country by saying that "In today's world, where investors can move their funds instantly from one currency to another to avoid depreciation, the price central bankers pay for high inflation is much higher than in the past.”

My Proposal

The Fed Reserve Board has already made significant cuts in rates and I think this has done enough to try to pump liquidity in the market and increase consumer spending, but not enough to fix the problem. I do believe too much is too much, and that further rate cuts will harm the economy of our country. I am taking the view of the minority and saying that we are facing a problem of confidence within our economy, and that can only be fixed in the short-run by lowering rates. So what happens if we don't lower rates further? Yes, we might have to endure short-term pain in our country in order to have long-term growth and gain after all. I think this is a natural cycle of any free-market economy. Going back to 2001, when the Federal Reserve faced a major decision following the burst of the dot.com "bubble," and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Alan Greenspan had to face a similar dreadful problem. He made a decision to lower interest rates and sustain them at a low level. Now, the after-math of his decision has been passed to Ben Bernanke, as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Currently, Mr. Bernanke has already been masking the problem by lowering these rates again and again, and tomorrow he has to decide whether to continue to do so, or let nature run its course. If he decides to give our economy another dose of a "quick-fix" like Greenspan did following the events of 2001, our economy will possibly be helped in the short-run, but might just mask a problem that will inevitably have to be faced sometime in the future, and be much worse. On the contrary, if he decides to let the market run its natural course, it will hopefully revive itself from all the short-term "quick-fixes of the past," and will turn around to give us a positive, long-term economic outlook. I think this view is hard to fathom and looked down upon because of the fear of the near future and the pain that consumers will have to face. However, I believe it is a sacrifice we must make to prevent a worse crisis in later years due to continually masking this problem by lowering rates. Then confidence will just naturally find its way back into the markets.

Hope for the Economy

We are only a day away from the Fed meeting that will make the decision of whether to cut rates or not. Only time will tell if their actions will prove or disprove these notable economists’ and will either help or hinder our weakening economy. Follow the news to see what action they decide to take, and continue to follow the markets as it has been predicted to be an economical roller-coaster for the next couple of years. Hopefully, Ben Bernanke and his counterparts will push our country in the proper direction, and will balance the least amount of financial burden on consumers’ wallets during this time of turmoil. What stance do YOU take on the economy?