Fareed Zakaria: Glenn Beck wrong about 10 percent of Muslims being terrorists

Utah Compact Editorial

EDITORIAL

The Utah Compact

Published: December 4, 2010

• RECOMMEND
• TWITTER
• SIGN IN TO E-MAIL
• PRINT
• REPRINTS
• SHARE

Not all the political news this year involves the rise of partisan extremism and government by rage. There has been lots of that. But maybe there is a limit, a point when people of good sense and good will band together to say no. As they have just done in Utah.

Editorial Series

• Immigration

Political, business, law-enforcement and religious leaders there have endorsed what they call the Utah Compact. It is a statement of principles meant to address, with moderation and civility, “the complex challenges associated with a broken national immigration system.” What a welcome contrast it draws with the xenophobic radicalism of places like Arizona.

The signers, who hope to influence the shape of state immigration policy, include the mayors of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, the state attorney general, two Republican former governors, a former United States senator, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Chamber of Commerce and a host of other civic groups and citizens. The prominent and powerful Mormon Church did not sign on but issued a “statement of support” calling the compact “a responsible approach to the urgent challenge of immigration reform.”

A clearer expression of good sense and sanity than Utah’s would be hard to find. It says immigration is an issue between the federal government and other countries — “not Utah and other countries.” It says local police agencies should focus on fighting crime, “not civil violations of federal code.” Because “strong families are the foundation of successful communities,” it opposes policies that unnecessarily separate them. It recognizes immigrants’ value as workers and taxpayers.

It ends by urging a humane approach to the reality of immigration: “Utah should always be a place that welcomes people of good will.”

South of Utah in Arizona, the political establishment, top law-enforcement officers and voters have lined up behind a radical go-it-alone strategy to uproot and terrorize unwanted immigrants. That hard-line fever is spreading, with lawmakers in other states scrambling to pass their versions of the infamous Arizona law that empowers the police to demand people’s papers.

Immigration hard-liners are used to using the harshest words possible for newcomers, and condemning calls for restraint and humane behavior — as the Utah Minutemen already have — as the same old liberal, pro-amnesty mush. But red-state Utah is nobody’s idea of an open-borders fantasyland. The architects of the compact are conservative Republicans who have simply decided not to toe the simplistic party line.

This page has always insisted that reform can be — must be — pro-immigrant, pro-business, pro-family, pro-law-enforcement, all at the same time. These values are complementary. Law enforcement is strengthened by bolstering immigrants’ rights. Assimilation is more American than mass expulsion. It is also cheaper: a new study by the liberal Center for American Progress calculated that Arizona had lost hundreds of millions of dollars in convention and other business, thanks to the notoriety from its immigration crackdown.

from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/opinion/05sun1.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=utah+compact&st=cse

Capable Woman

This is to put the social role of a woman into question.

I like this woman :)

Letter: Capable woman

Mon, 11/16/2009 - 21:49

BYU culture struggles to maintain the outdated and patriarchal views that disguise feminine repression through seemingly selfless acts of self-proclaimed “gentlemen.” While walking through campus, I do not see any damsels in distress.

I see competent, intelligent, professional women that do not need a man to hold the door, pay for a date or even present a shiny ring in the traditional manner.

I have hands, thank you. I do not feel flattered when you awkwardly hold the door open for helpless little me. I also have money.

Women who allow men to pay for them on a date are prostituting their worth not only in the relationship, but also in a capitalistic society that strives to provide equal opportunities.

Our income is worth just as much as any man’s labor could produce. Finally, I am equally capable of finding my own mate. My agency need not be stifled by the whim of a male who finally decides that I am worthy to be by his side. I, too, can take a knee; I too can afford a ring. Do you want a princess cut or a solid band?

My fellow sisters in Zion, do not be fooled into thinking that men wear the pants in the relationship. You can, too. Not only are skirts a safety hazard, preventing you from running away from danger, but they are also a symbol of your submissiveness. So, zip up the pants and assume your position next to the man — not behind him.

Mariana Toledo
Sao Paulo, Brazil -Daily Universe

Civil Unions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq8xhgdLQHQ&feature=player_embedded

This is a link to a short video of Senator Rickey R. Hendon giving a speech about the hypocrites that are defacing the meaning of marriage by cheating on their wives, and then going out and saying that if we give gays civil-union rights, that they will deface the meaning of marriage. It is a pretty interesting spin on things.

SES a predictor of Disaster?

In Psychology we learn that correlation is NOT causation. In our class discussions we have talked about the unfair practices that the white race have imposed on the black race. This has been a great dividing factor for our nation, and has caused many debates.

My post here deals with an issue that has continued to come up throughout the class, but never presented itself for full discussion. With race back on the ballot (so to say) as we have discussed Blacks and the Priesthood I would like to turn to an issue that has been on my mind since I heard another class discussion about race. Being black in a lower socioeconomic status. Hurricane Katrina (now everyone roll your eyes) took place over 5 years ago, more recently disaster struck Haiti. Recently I heard a study that linked lower socioeconomic status to higher likelihoods of experiencing disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquake in Haiti. I was there when Hurricane Katrina hit. I was there to help with evacuees. The majority of deaths took place because people refused to leave their homes, thinking that they would wait out the storm that was not going to hit directly. Did Race and SES have anything to do with the reasons these poor souls had to endure such tragedies? or was another factor at work?

Blacks in the Priesthood

Below is a link to a very inspiring video on LDS.org about Blacks in the Priesthood. It has some very touching testimonials from African Americans who were members before and after the 1978 declaration that all worthy members could have the priesthood.

I feel that it is important that we acknowledge the past policies of the Church and accept that they may not be right according to today's standards. However, I believe it is equally important to look at past policies through the eyes of past cultures. What was right then may not be right now just as what is right now may not have been right then. We must be careful when we judge the past because we cannot fully understand the past. It is very easy to judge knowing what we know now.

http://newsroom.lds.org/topic/race-relations

Walmart Fighting Terrorism?

The link below is to an article about Walmart and it's new efforts to fight terrorism. Is it fair that customers are being watched for suspicious activity like terrorism?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40552073/ns/us_news-security/

DREAM act

I found an interesting article about the DREAM act on CBS news. It's interesting because it's an interview with an undocumented immigrant who is an activist for passing the DREAM act; and she believes in it so much - she's willing to risk deportation.
I thought this was a decent side of the issue to share because it's not just politicians or news casters going off on current events but it is someone who this affects, someone that it applies to more than a lot of other people.
Below is the beginning of the article and then a link to the website that has the rest of the article and the video (sorry I couldn't attach the video - it wasn't working on you tube)
The article is dated December 3, 2010

Undocumented Students Speak Out for DREAM Act

She's 25, has three degrees and teaches music to autistic children.
But Gaby Pacheco is still chasing an elusive dream.
She's undocumented.
Her family immigrated to the United States in 1993, when she was seven.
In 2006, federal immigration agents raided her home, and her family's been fighting deportation ever since.
Pacheco and three other undocumented students just completed a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. to share their stories and urge lawmakers to pass the DREAM Act, or the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20024587-503544.html?tag=mncol;lst;2 

 

Racism in Sports?

Currently only 5% of Coaches in ALL Division I sports teams are black. Needless to say, there is an extreme underrepresentation of African American Coaches. But is this racist? or is there something else going on? I've got my money on racism... what do you think?

This is a quote by San Jose State's Head Coach, Pat Hill, from 2003...

"There's a pattern for how whites and blacks are hired," says San Jose State's Hill. "Black prospects often have the same credentials, or more, as white prospects. But black coaches are left out of the loop when hiring takes place. So, the perception has been that white coaches are qualified and black coaches are not, which is wrong."

For more about this, check out an article titled, "Black men can't coach? While the NCAA considers changing its game plan, many black football head-coaching candidates remain on the bench - Special Report"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_12_33/ai_104211688/

Well, that was in 2003, do you think racism still exists in the NCAA?

Consider Turner Gill, a black man who applied for the head coaching position for Auborn. Gill had more credentials than Gene Chizik, who also ran for the position. Yet, Chizik was picked over Gill. Many thought it was because Gill is African American and has a white wife...

ESPN.com football writer Mark Schlabach told "Outside The Lines" today that two other SEC coaches told him, straight up, that Gill would never get the Auburn job, because he's married to a white woman. Charming.

Here's the video:

Mosque near Ground Zero

Although the subject has somewhat died down, there are stil many people who are beginning to speak out against Islam and their plans to build a mosque only 600 feet away from tower one. After browsing a few articles and videos on the subject, i stumbled on the one below and felt that it was a fair explanation of what is going on. Andy McCarthy makes the argument that there is religious freedom and that the United States should uphold the constitution. However, he does say that this is not an appropriate decision for Islam to make. There have been arguments that in fact, it is not a mosque that will be built, but a community center. Either way, I do not agree at all that any such structure should be built within a fair radius of the towers. In the video, a commenter makes the point that we don't know where the money is coming from to fund this project, nor can we hope to know who is actually in charge of the idea behind it. To be fair, I understand that religious freedom is just as important to me as it is to Islam. However, if ever my religion was the cause to such an atrocity, I would hope that we would be respectful enough to stray away from disturbing that area anymore.

To see the video, click the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odyOUjCwVoY

Dr. Cornel West : Social Justice

Dr. Cornel West spoke at the American Public Health Association in Denver a few weeks ago. This is just a segment of his speech, the rest is on youtube. He brings up some good points about disparities and social justice in the United States, and some interesting points. I think it's clear that there are disparities in health among minority populations, and they should be focused on. Something has to be done—it won’t just resolve itself. But I don't think his ideas for achieving this justice are necessarily the best.

TSA Full Body Screening

Are full body pat downs and full body scanners the best way to enforce our security in the airports or is it just an invasion of privacy? Do these new and improved high tech scanners really help or is it just creating privacy issues? According to Tel Aviv airport officials, there might be more efficient ways to ensure a safe flight.

Check out this link concerning this controversial topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-LIOMnehBE

What is next... everyone is required to fly naked? Where should the line be drawn??

Another Post on Homosexuality in the Armed Forces

I stumbled upon this article this afternoon:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2010/1203/Don-t-ask-don-t-tell-Can-military-handle-a-repeal-of-gay-ban

It touches on the previously mentioned issue of homosexuality among members of the armed forces, then a little on segregation in the military.

The Gullibility Factor Test

In response to Landon's post a couple weeks ago I found this test online that I found not only humorous but interesting. It's amazing how gullible people can be and I have indeed wondered how gullible I am. I was pleasantly surprised with my results. And, in return, shocked with the answers to the questions that I got wrong. The only issue I have with this quiz is how do I know it's accuracy...maybe it's actually a lie and since it said I'm in the top 5% maybe that's of being gullible. Will I ever know? Dun dun dun........

http://www.naturalnews.com/gullibility.html

Response to today's town meeting: A policy of bilingualism or English-only

I just wanted to take this moment to share some of my thoughts that I didn't share in class on our discussion today. Most of you probably don't know that all of these discussions that we've been having about immigration concern me since I am an immigrant myself. Today I went for the English-only side because I believe that if you want to learn English, you have to place yourself in an English environment. I think that the more contact that you have with the foreign language, the faster you are going to learn it. Nevertheless, I think we should look at everybody's circumstances before we decide, because in my case for example, when I first came to this country, I barely knew how to say the word "HI". If I was put in an only-English speaking school when I first came, I wouldn't be here at BYU right now because I would have done terribly not understanding what was going on. Instead, I was placed on a bilingual school where translation was provided if needed. I didn't take any other foreign language classes because English was my foreign language. This way I was able to learn English while learning about math, history, and science. So, this is one of the benefits that bilingual schools provide. I am not saying that all schools should become bilingual because I believe that if we make the decision to come to this country, or any other country, we should become a part of that country, even if we still hold our traditions and our culture. :)

CNN: 14th Amendment rewarding immigrants?

I thought this was interesting since we discussed this topic in class. There are problems on both sides of the issue when it comes to making decisions about what to do when illegal immigrants have their children in the U.S.

Do Tell: Top Brass Says Gays Should Serve Openly

This was a very interesting video about gays serving in the military. Studies have shown that overturning the law of "don't ask, don't tell" will cause some disruption at first but it won't create any lasting problems.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=40441934&#40441934

WITNESS TO VIOLENCE CIUDAD JUAREZ

Another video about the violence in Juarez.

PLATA Ó PLOMO? CIUDAD JUAREZ VIOLENCE DRUG WAR

A short clip from a report by BBC. Do you think this is enough of a push factor out of Mexico? Many times these illegal immigrants are coming for a good reason - to escape violence and have a better life. The others who are coming are bringing drugs to feed America's addiction.

Illegal Immigrants Obtaining Work Permits

this article is about how illegal immigrants would have to receive a state-issued permit to live and work in Utah without the fear of getting deported. it's super interesting and the most recent news on the subject.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700087048/Utah-proposal-calls-for-illegal-immigrants-to-obtain-work-permits-undergo-criminal-background-checks.html

American Miss-information

Following Wednesday's class period on crime statistics, I thought this would lighten the mood about political miss-information! And there is some truth to this...

The Mis-Informant: Part 2 with Jack Black as Nathan Spewman from Jack Black

Immigration!

Check this out! Finally, a good perspective on Immigration! Attorney Kuck presents good points and makes a good argument... ENJOY!!

Thanksgiving

A cute but incredibly, historically accurate portrayal of the first Thanksgiving.

http://www.babelgum.com/4012129?action=share&utm_content=nid_&utm_medium=FS&ref=nf

Human smuggling- deaf slave group

During my mission in New York I met 15 to 20 deaf Mexican's who had been slaves. Deaf Mexican's in the U.S. traveled back to Mexico and rounded up several other Deaf Mexicans. They promised good jobs and a better life, brought them to the U.S. then made them slaves. In Queens they had two houses where they kept several of the slaves locked up. They were forced to go on the trains and sell trinkets to people. If they didn't meet their quotas they were beat, tasered, and the woman were raped. One woman, Elvira, told me about walking up and down train cars barefoot in the middle of New York's cold winter. Her task master was always watching them to be sure they didn't tell about their situation. I just thought this might add an interesting perspective to the crime and immigration debate.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/21/news/mn-24502
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/nyregion/23about.html

Local News Station Uncovers Proof Terrorists Crossed Mexican Border

Student told to take U.S. flag off bike

DENAIR, Calif., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Officials in a California school district said a middle school student was told to take a U.S. flag off his bike to avoid "racial tension."
Denair Unified School District Superintendent Edward Parraz said Cody Alicea, 13, was told not to fly the U.S. flag from his bike while at Denair Middle School after complaints from other students, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, Calif., reported.
"(The) First Amendment is important," Parraz said. "We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsibility."
Parraz said racial tensions boiled over at the school this year around the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
"Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they'll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don't really want," Parraz said. "We want them to appreciate the cultures."
Alicea's parents said he flies the flag from his bike as a tribute to veterans in his family.
"He's got that flag on his bike because he's proud of where he comes from," Alicea's father, Robert Kisner, said.
Alicea folds up the flag and keeps it in his backpack while attend class, the TV station said.

Straight British couple seeks 'gay' partnership

LONDON — Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle are in love and want to tie the knot — but they don't want to get married.

The 26-year-old Londoners think they should be allowed to have a civil partnership, a form of legal union available in Britain only to same-sex couples. Gay rights activists are backing the couple's bid in an attempt to legalize gaymarriage.

"We want to secure official status for our relationship in a way that supports the call for complete equality and is free of the negative, sexist connotations of marriage," Freeman said according to Britain's Guardian newspaper.

"We are taking this stand against discrimination and in support of legal equality for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation," he said.

Doyle and Freeman were refused a permit Tuesday from their local town hall, setting up a likely appeal.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who accompanied Doyle and Freeman at the Islington registry office, said "denying heterosexual couples the right to have a civil partnership is heterophobic."

Marriage and civil partnership are virtually identical in law, and activists think both should be open to all couples.

from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40085439/ns/world_news-europe/?GT1=43001

Governor Debate in New York

This is Jimmy McMillan trying to run for the position of governor in the state of New York. He obviously did not win. He was very passionate in his approach to proving his point. I personally think that his humor was a breath of fresh air for this debate. His point becomes very clear throughout the debate. He pretty much stole the show because his platform was something that sticks in your mind. As students at BYU I think that we could agree with his point with regards to on campus housing and off campus housing. There was also a former madam (a woman who runs a brothel) whose argument and platform was that New York should legalize prostitution. People come to these debates with their own agendas, but I think that this debate was an extreme example of that. How far would we go to prove a point that we are passionate about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY4cYsoNCxo&feature=related

Beating the Immigration System

The following link is for an article about a young Asian man who wore a disguise and fooled airport authorities, claiming refugee protection when he was caught.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131140737

From NPR, Growing Up With A Schizophrenic Mom

November 5, 2010

One of Showaye Selassie's earliest memories of her mother involves a puppet and Chef Boyardee.

It was Selassie's fifth birthday, and her mom had made a can of ravioli — Selassie's favorite meal.

"I went to stick my finger in to get the little gooey bits of ravioli from the inside of the can, and I cut myself," Selassie says.

Her mom went into the kitchen to get a rag to clean the cut, but instead of bringing back the rag, her mom reached around the kitchen wall with a yellow bunny rabbit puppet.

Selassie was laughing so hard she forgot she had cut herself. "I loved it," she says.

Selassie, now 28, tells her friend, Susan Greenfield, that her mother is one of the most interesting people she will ever meet.

"She was a paranoid schizophrenic," Selassie says. "She thought that people were trying to poison us, kidnap us."

She says that when her mom dropped her off at school, her mom would often wait outside.

"So I was able to look out the window and see my mother," Selassie says. "The kids would kind of make fun of me."

And eventually her mom got worse, Selassie says. "She ended up locking me in my room."

But Greenfield notes that those events have not hindered Selassie. "You're not the kind of person who someone meets and goes, 'Oh my God, what a life she had,'" Greenfield tells her friend.

Selassie is still anxious when she meets new people, though. "Because I'm always wondering ... are they wondering if something's wrong."

Selassie says she's read a lot of articles on mental illness because she is worried that it is something that could happen to her at any time. That it could just "fall out of the sky," she says.

But her life could have been much worse, she says. "I could have had a parent that didn't care about me."

Produced for Morning Edition by Nadia Reiman. The Senior Producer for StoryCorps is Michael Garofalo.

from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131063265&sc=fb&cc=fp

gender blogged

There is some mild langauge in this article:

http://nerdyapplebottom.com/2010/11/02/my-son-is-gay/

Why do we continue to respond to males dressing up as girls so strongly?

Health Reform Hits Main Street

Confused about how the new health reform law really works? This short, animated movie -- featuring the "YouToons" -- explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014.

Morning or Mourning?

This was sent to me in an e-mail:

2 Videos. 26 years apart. One is from 1984, the other produced as a homage to that ad with a twist of today's lack of optimism.

You can make up your mind whether you think the second ad is fair...

Transgender Athlete keeps playing Women's hoops

What do you think of this?

From http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Transgender-athlete-keeps-playing-womens-basketball-110210?GT1=39002

Updated Nov 2, 2010 11:04 PM ET

Kye Allums is several things all at once: a student at George Washington University, a women’s basketball player and a transgender person who has decided to identify as a man.

Allums is going to continue to be all of those and has been more than pleased by the reaction since the news broke this week at Outsports.com.

Kye Allums, once known as Kay-Kay Allums, is the first Division I basketball player to publicly acknowledge transgender status.

Mitchell Layton

"I've had numerous Facebook messages, text messages, people calling me, people I don't even know, telling me how they're proud of me and how I'm a really brave person, and it's been really positive," Allums told TheWashington Post.

Allums, who has changed his name from Kay-Kay to Kye, apparently is the first Division I basketball player to publicly acknowledge transgender status. Though he has identified as a man, because Allums is postponing surgery and hormone treatments, he is allowed to continue playing women’s basketball by the NCAA, the university says.

Robert Chernak, GW’s senior vice provost and senior vice president for student academic and support services, said in a statement: "The university consulted the NCAA regarding his competitive status. Kye will continue to be a member of the women's basketball team," The Postreported.

Allums, a junior guard who averaged 7.4 points last season, plans to put off any medical treatment until after he has used up his college eligibility.

"I didn't choose to be born in this body and feel the way I do,” Allums told The Post. “I decided to transition, that is change my name and pronouns because it bothered me to hide who I am, and I am trying to help myself and others to be who they are. I told my teammates first, and they, including my coaches, have supported me. My teammates have embraced me as the big brother of the team. They have been my family, and I love them all."

Clint McCance Talks With Anderson Cooper

This is an amazing interview with the school board official who attacked gays on his Facebook account.





What do you think?

ABC What Would You Do? - Who Defends Gay Parents 19-05-10

This is clip from the show What Would You Do? The set up is a gay or lesbian couple who take their children out to eat and the waiter is verbally abusive to them. The show captures people's reactions to the waiter and whether or not they choose to do something about it.
I think it's important to ask ourselves, what would we would do in a similar situation? Are we willing to stand up for people, even if we may not agree with their choice of lifestyle? Or are we more likely to be bystanders to the situation unfolding before us? I think it's also interesting to see which people choose to speak up and which ones to not.

Arkansas officials condemn anti-gay comments made by School District Vice President

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/27/arkansas.anti.gay.bullying/index.html?hpt=C1

I thought this was an interesting story that deals with what we have talked about in class about gay-rights and intolerance.

The Arkansas Department of Education has condemned anti-gay comments made by a local school board member and posted on a social networking site.

Midland School District Vice President Clint McCance wrote on his personal Facebook page that he wanted gay people to commit suicide, according to The Advocate, a newspaper focusing on gay news. McCance used the terms "queer" and "fag" repeatedly, promised to disown his own children if they were gay, and stated that he enjoys "the fact that [gay people] often give each other AIDS and die."

A strongly worded statement signed by Dean Stanley, superintendent of the Midland School District, disavowed the remarks. "The district strives to foster an environment that discourages all forms of bullying," the statement read, "and an environment that encourages a safe and productive educational climate of all of our students. The district is very diligent in pursuing and addressing bullying of any variety on our campuses."

A separate statement sent to CNN by Julie Thompson, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Education, said the department is "dismayed to see that a school board official would post something of this insensitive nature on a public forum like Facebook."

Because McCance is an elected official, the department cannot deal with him directly, according to the statement. But staff will be monitoring schools to provide a quick response in case students are bullied because of McCance's comments, it said.

The posts were made, according to The Advocate, in response to a bullying awareness campaign sponsored by GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The "Spirit Day" campaign aimed to foster recognition of bullying directed at gays and the effects it can have on young people through a series of events held on October 20.

One aspect of the campaign encouraged people to wear purple to honor young people who had committed suicide because of anti-gay bullying, and to show solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth who face the same pressures.

According to the screen grab at The Advocate, McCance wrote the following about the event: "Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed therselves because of their sin." (sic)

There is now a page on Facebook encouraging the Midland School District to fire McCance.

On Tuesday, the federal government warned that bullying and harassment in schools often includes violations of federally protected civil rights. Officials warned that school administrators who fail to properly deal with harassment risk being cited for civil rights violations. In extreme cases, such violations could lead to cuts in federal funding.

An 18-year-old Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide in September, after a secretly taped sexual encounter between him and another man was posted on the internet. It was the most recent in a string of suicides by gay youths that have received increased media scrutiny in the context of an anti-bullying push by advocacy groups.

Swedish police hunt serial shooter

As the topic of discussion in class is beginning to shift towards immigration, I felt it appropriate to post the following article. It disturbed me to know that immigrants are the specific targets of a series of shootings in Sweden. And with our country's immigration issues, I hope Americans are not resorting, and will never resort, to such extremes.

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- A suspected serial shooter is keeping a city in southern Sweden on edge.

Police say as many as 15 shootings in Malmo over the last year may be linked to a single perpetrator who is targeting immigrants living in the city. Investigators have no suspects.

The shootings have all been well planned, under the protection of darkness and at places familiar to the shooter, according to CNN's Swedish affiliate TV4, citing police.

Several of the shootings have occurred in recent weeks, police say.

On Thursday evening, two immigrant women were wounded when shot through their apartment window.

"I'm almost afraid of turning on the light in my apartment at night now," Shukrije Berisha, who lives in the same building, told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.

In similar incidents, two men of an "ethnic minority background" were recently shot while waiting at bus stops, according to police.

One of them "was lucky to be alive after being shot in the torso," Malmo police superintendent Hans Nilsson told CNN.

"The shooter was most likely waiting in the bushes before firing his weapon," Nilsson said.

Victim Basi Hassan told TV4, "I was standing here at the bus stop when I suddenly heard a shot. I don't know where it came from. Then I saw my own blood and I started feeling dizzy."

The latest report of a shooting came late Friday evening, when a male immigrant reported he was shot at while riding his bicycle.

The Swedish National Murder Commission and the Swedish National Criminal Police have launched a major operation together with local police to find the gunman.

A group of psychologists is trying to profile the shooter's behavior before, during and after the attacks.

Police have also increased the number of officers and K-9 units patrolling the city.

In Malmo, where nearly a third of the residents are immigrants, many now fear for their safety. One 17-year-old girl, identified only as Fatima, told TV4 that she refuses to go to school by bicycle or bus and will only travel by car now.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I just couldn't stop thinking about it," she said.

The shootings also bring back memories of Sweden's "Laser-man," a shooter who was targeting immigrants in Stockholm in the 1990s with a laser-aimed rifle.

"We haven't had anything this big here in Sweden since the Laser-man was around," Nilsson said.

The recent slew of shootings has also prompted a mobile phone text message that has circulated among Malmo's youth. According to Nilsson, the text states: "A killer is loose in Malmo so stay indoors."

"We are very clear that we are not behind this text message, but we can also understand that people are worried," he said.

Malmo Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh says she is angered by the shootings.

"It is awful that people should have to be worried and feel fear for walking our streets," she said.

Advances in medical science have 

allowed geneticists to map out the 

ever finer details of the mysterious 

Y chromosome. Geneticists the world

over have been astir over the recent

discoveries of the following gene loci,

which had previously been observed for 

centuries but, up to now, never been 

associated directly with genetic or 

environmental factors in the male Homo

Sapien species:

- - - - ____

   11.32 /____\ --- Testis Determining Factor (TDF)

         |____|

   11.31 |    | --- Three Stooges Appreciation

         |    |         (Curly Stimulation Factor, CSF)

 p       |    | --- Gadgetry (MAC-locus)

   11.2  |    | -\

         |    |   ] Channel Flipping (FLP)

         |    | -/

         |----| --- Catching and Throwing (BLZ-1)

   11.1  |    | --- Self-confidence (BLZ-2) (unlinked to ability)

  _ _ _ _ \--/

          /--\

   11.1  |    |     Ability to remember and tell jokes (GOT-1)

         |----| --/

         |    | --- Sports Page (BUD-E)

   11.21 |    ||--- Addiction to death and destruction movies (T-2)

         |    | \-- Air Guitar (RIF)

   11.22 |____|  \- Ability to identify aircraft (DC-10)

         |____|

 q       |    ||--- Preadolescent fascination with Arachnida/Reptilia

         |    |                                                 (MOM-4U)

   11.23 |    ||--- Spitting (P2E)

         |    | \-- Sitting on toilet reading (linked to Sports Page)

         |    |

         |____||--- Inability to express affection over the phone (ME-2)

         |    |  \- Selective hearing loss (HUH?)

         |    |   \

   12.0  |    |     Total lack of recall for dates (OOPS)

         |    |

         |    |

         |    |

  - - - - \--/

 Gender stereotyping at it's finest... 
 This was forwarded to me.
Is this how men really are? Are these 
characteristics really genetically 
linked? Are these factors related to
Nature vs. Nurture? Or are these just
culturally imposed stereotypes? 
 Although this is a comical 
description of male behavior, the 
stereotypes that it represents are 
not funny. These stereotypes negatively
effect both men and women. The effects 
of these generalized stereotypes are far
reaching indeed.

Westboro Baptist Church

I came across this website because this organization is picketing at a funeral of a young man from my hometown. This young man was a soldier who died in Afghanistan while protecting another soldier. The Westboro Baptist Church is of the opinion that every soldier who dies is a way of God showing his wrath because America won't ban homosexual activity. I was shocked when I saw the announcement of the picketing (especially when a family is mourning a death!) and even more shocked when I investigated the website.



Website: http://www.godhatesfags.com/index.html

And a documentary on them: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-most-hated-family-in-america/

American Indians Then and Now

http://www.facebook.com/ashleyjeanette?v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=333552560701 I have a bit of Cherokee ancestry and the Native Americans have always held a special place in my heart. The readings and discussion on the Indians last week have really stuck with me and in lots of ways bugged me as well. The above video is a project I did for my Dance History class a couple of semesters ago. These natives were once a beautiful simple-life people who knew how to live, etc.... I just randomly searched on youtube "native american" and this next video was one of the first to come up. I'll warn you that the language is very dirty but you don't have to watch the whole thing to get the point..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teq8-3Xitxc Is this what the once beautiful culture of American Indians have come to? Is this what we "Americans" think of them? Is it really necessary? I don't understand making fun of them in this way when we "Americans" were the ones who did this to them. I don't believe their history to be understood well enough to make comments like those..... Thoughts......?