Welcome to Politically Affiliated - The truth hurts, if you think you can handle it!
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Hol-ly [hol-ee] - noun 1. Perez Hilton of politics.™ 2. Undergrad at UCLA; 3. Lived in the ME for 7 years; 4. Travelled to 14 countries; 5. Proud Kindle owner; 6. Member of the UNA-USA; 7. Miss California USA 2010 Contestant; (Yes, that's me in the pic!)
Listen to what I had to say on the John and Ken Show for KFI AM 640 this past Thursday (November 19th) about the UC Protests, particularly the ones at my school the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). I suggest you listen to the points they bring up, that are quite good ones and how we should handle the UC Regents and their 32% tuition increase.
Listen to the Podcast, here. I begin raising some points at 19 minutes and 53 seconds. Anyone ever heard of Non-violent resistance?
I still have yet to have watched it! I'm Miss Northridge wearing a Purple half-sleeved Sledge USA shirt! At the end (During credits) I'm the one swinging my evening gown around looking like I'm having a good time... I didn't watch it all yet, but Prelims will show more intimate parts of me walking the runway.
Tomorrow morning on November 25th at 7:35 am on PST (Pacific Standard Time), I will have a phone-in interview with none other than Peter Tilden of the Peter Tilden Show, on Talk Radio 790 AM KABC ! We will be talking about my path as a contestant to the Miss California USA Pageant, my blog, and more! You can listen to it stream live, here.
Peter Tilden is an Emmy nominated producer and writer for television and has interviewed numerous celebrities and people make the news including: Tom Hanks, Nancy Reagan, and now me! To learn more information about Peter and his show, check out here. Hope you will be listening, you never know how controversial things will get!
By the way, I promise that tomorrow I will start blogging again and will provide you with all the dish on what went on in the pageant. Thanks for all your love and support, I may have not come home with a crown, but I came home with memories!
For over a week, there has been a media frenzy over the killings at Fort Hood, Texas. A lot of anti-Muslim sentiment has risen as if it was September 11th all over again. For those of you not familiar with the situation, army psychiatrist Major NidalMalikHasan went on a rampage last Thursday and killed 13 of his fellow army officers and left 29 injured; one of the worst incident in decades. He is currently in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds. Hasan is expected to be tried in a military court according to military code. Authorities claim that he had no direction and acted on his own will, though he is apparently yelled Allah Akbar or 'God is Great' in Arabic. Today was the memorial service for those who lost their lives, in which the President and First Lady attended. President Obama said, “No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favour.”
This is not a matter of religion, this is a matter of the Military's treatment of its personnel. The stress, racism, and discrimination that has been apparent for years and years takes a toll on those that join. I'm not defending Hasan, but the truth of the matter is that he was put under a lot of pressure and treated like dirt. There has only been two cases of Muslims going on rampages and killing others around them. There are quite a number of Christian soldiers that have gone on killing sprees, sometimes murdering their own family. Therefore, this is not a matter of religion. Let's not forget the Christians that put a bullet to the head of abortion doctors for what they claim is their religion and/or Jesus. Not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslim. Hasan is not even considered to be a terrorist, as neither was he part of a terrorist cell (Such as Al-Qaeda) and since he acted on his own. As a result of his own actions, it cannot be considered terrorism as the term clearly says that it is for political reasons and he was not acting on behalf of politics or religion, just pure anger.
The American Family Association (A conservative Christian group) published an article on how Muslims should not be allowed to partake in the military, and with a profound explanation. Check out the website, here. Many others are claiming the same thing. A petition is also calling for an end to the immigration of Muslims. The petition states:
There may be plenty of Muslims who reject these basic principles of Islamic doctrine, but we have no way to determine who does and who doesn't. We could ask them on their immigration application, but another Islamic principle allows Muslims to deceive non-Muslims if it helps the spread or dominance of Islam, so we cannot trust their answers.
I am very sorry for those who have lost their lives at Fort Hood and I wish the families all the best. I find it very unfortunate that there are so many ignorant people living in the United States assuming that Muslims are all evil. This Islamophobiais out of control and seems fairly relevant to the Red Scare of the 50s. Those who act on the 'behalf of Islam' are acting on the behalf of Islamic movements, not Islam. The racist ideology Americans are expressing is no better than the ways Germans treated Jews before the war - this has to end. The American Military needs to take a look at the mirror and see what is wrong with itself before pointing fingers. The U.S. Military needs a make-over and needs it quick.
About twenty years ago, I was almost turning four years old when the Berlin Wall fell, unifying East and West Germany. I somewhat remember the news coverage on television (I have a wild memory) and having no idea what was going on - of course - I was practically a baby! Now twenty years later, I know just exactly how important and symbolic November 9, 1989 was to most of the world - especially the Germans. Other than reuniting Germany, the Wall helped redraw the map of Europe and bring the end of Communism as we know it.
The Iron Curtain, or the division between the East (Communists) and West (Rest of the world) was best symbolized by the Berlin Wall which started to be built in 1961. The Eastern German Government or German Democratic Republic (GDR) built the wall around all of West Berlin, separating it from Eastern German and even Eastern Berlin. Over the years many died or were killed trying to cross the Wall to the other side, those who were caught were sentenced to hard labor. Many families were divided due to the Wall, and were only to be united after its fall some 20 plus years later. Watch some historical video footage, here.
President Sarkozy of France, 20 Years Ago
Even current President Sarkozy of France witnessed the event 20 years ago and chipped off a piece of the Wall (Check out the photo, above). Many were actually skeptical of his claims until he posted the image up on his Facebook (Iknow, the President of France has FB? Wth?). Not much of the wall exists except for large concrete segments of the Wall, to serve as a reminder and an artistic standpoint of history. In some souvenir shops, you can even buy chips of the Berlin Wall to take home with you.
I have yet to have visited Germany, but I look forward to doing it soon enough. I'm glad that Germany has risen up as a major G8 and its dark history, is well - history! I just hope that the discrimination against Germans would end and that people will not forget the troubles and tribulations communism brought to the world. It is vital that mankind remind itself every so often of its errors so that they do not do it again.
For the first time since her domestic violence case with former boyfriend Chris Brown in January 2009, Rihanna preformed along side of Jay-Z at his concert in Pauley Pavilion (An indoor arena) at the University of California, Los Angeles. The two preformed "Run This Town" without Kanye West, and then Jay-Z let Rihanna preform her second single "Hard" which many had not heard (It was obvious from the movement of the crowd), but seemed to like. You can watch my recording of her performance, below. Her new Album Rated R is said to be dropping November 23, 2009 but so far has received mixed reviews for her first single "Russian Roulette" and some controversy has risen as well. According to some, the lyrics (Written by Ne-Yo) have a secret satanic meaning. However, Ne-Yo himself has said that this is not the case, as he says it might seem dark but is really metaphoric.
This past Friday, Rihanna broke her silence on 20/20 in a interview with Diane Sawyer, and in reference to Brown that, “I fell in love with that person. That’s embarrassing.” She also mentions the media coverage the story gotten and compared it to as waking as Britney Spears.If you missed the interview, you can watch it here.
Regardless of what you think of the interview or what happened, I'm happy to see that she is back. I was ecstatic when she came out on stage singing along side of Jay-Z! But, I think she needs to get rid of the hair style - the color looks alright but the style is horrible (It was not similar to the one in the interview either). I liked the "Russian Roulette" song, but it just seemed too suicidal to me. I can see myself listening to it in my melancholic days. It seemed like it'd be a flop, but "Hard" will put her on the map with its catchy music and lyrics. Anyways, welcome back RiRi! By the way, Jay-Z's concert was off the hook!!!
Who would have ever thought that President Barack Obama had a half-brother that lived all the way in China? Well apparently he does and his name is Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo (Ndesandjo is his mother's surname that she took after remarrying). Mark was born in Nairobi, Kenya where he spent his childhood. He then moved to the United States to attend college and work in marketing and telecomunications. After losing his job in the U.S. about six years ago, he moved to China to start a new life style. Today, Mark spends his time teaching orphans the piano and practicing Chinese calligraphy in the town of Shenzhen with his Chinese wife. He has been dodging the media for some time, until he launched his semi-autobiography 'Nairobi to Shenzhen' on November 4th. The book's character shares a similiar life to his own and focuses on his childhood with his abusive father Barack Obama Senior. Mark uses the book as a means to social awareness to the problem of domestic violence. Mark is expecting some competition from other members of the President's family including another half-brother and half-sister, and one of Michelle's siblings. Watch the interview above to learn more about Mark.
Whoa! Mark has a striking resemblance to his half-brother Barack! It seems like he is somewhat leeching off of his brother's fame as President of the United States, but we may never know. I'm sure he tells a lot of legitamate information about Obama Senior. Will Mark's book hurt Barack? I doubt it, it should shed some light on how Barack Obama Senior really was. I bet the President has his copy and will read it the first chance he has.
What do you make of Mark Obama's autobiography scheme?
"300,000 Child Soldiers Dream of Simply Being Children"
Child Soldiers are children as young as the age of 6 who are often abducted and then recruited as soldiers in armed conflict zones across the globe (Particularly in Africa and South East Asia). These children are often killed or injured during conflict, and if they try to escape are put to death. Girls are usually raped or sexually harassed, sometimes by their own peers. There have been cases of children having no other choice but to enlist, as their live styles are tarnished by poverty, and a result of their social and living conditions. One of the eminent child soldier army's is the LRA or Lord's Resistance Army located in the nation African nation of Uganda. The LRA is a sectarian gorilla group who are fighting against the present Ugandan government for over twenty years (Since 1986) and use armed child soldiers as a means of warfare. The LRA feels that by using children, they can be easily replaced by raiding villages and schools. This goes to show that there is no means in stopping the LRA's human rights violations. The LRA's terror has ceased to stop and has even spread to neighboring nations such as Sudan, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic. Joseph Kony, head of the LRA has abandoned the two-year peace talks and has continued to spread havoc throughout the region. To learn more about child soldiers all over the world, check out here.
There is a great documentary about the subject matter entitled: Invisible Children and was filmed by a group of college boys from San Diego, California to bring the issue of child soldiers to light (Watch the documentary Invisible Children, here). Since its first screening in 2004, the boys have started a foundation for people across the United States to help raise money for the children and to bring awareness to the issue. Now Invisible Children and GUESS by Marciano have joined forces to bring further awareness to the Child Soldiers of the LRA. According to the website, there is two ways to help. Either by purchasing a T-Shirt online or in the store (Which comes with a DVD and a handmade bracelet) or by donating money between November 1 - 14. To learn more about this great cause, click here. By the way, Bono of U2 designed the shirts!
Sex has been a taboo subject for centuries in the Middle East, but now it is becoming the talk of the town thanks to a gadget being sold in Egypt known as an "artificial hymen kit" to help promote the idea of "purity". Before Hymenoplasty, or repairing the hymen was the popular thing to do. What the kit does is basically allow a non-virgin to fake being a virgin on her wedding night, and a lot of people (Mostly men) are not happy with it. The pouch is inserted inside the woman's vagina and during sex it ruptures, to give the effect of a hymen being torn. Check out the product at the website, here. According to the product's distributor Gigimo:
"No more worry about losing your virginity. With this product, you can have your first night back anytime. Insert this artificial hymen into your vagina carefully. It will expand a little and make you feel tight. When your lover penetrate, it will ooze out a liquid that look like blood not too much but just the right amount. Add in a few moans and groans, you will pass through undetectable. Its easy to use, clinically proven non-toxic to human and has no side effects, no pain to use and no allergic reaction."
As a news article said, "It's a wink of ingenuity to soothe a man's ego and keep the dowry intact." Not quite. Many conservative Egyptian men find the device as something sinful and preposterous. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and a lawyer said that, "Egyptian girls are normally afraid to lose their virginity before marriage. A product like that can make it easier and tempting for girls who don't have strong wills to commit such a sin. It will be a crying shame and a blot on the government if they allow the selling of this product in our markets." As a news article said, "It's a wink of ingenuity to soothe a man's ego and keep the dowry intact." Not quite. Many conservative Egyptian men find the device as something sinful and preposterous. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and a lawyer said that, "Egyptian girls are normally afraid to lose their virginity before marriage. A product like that can make it easier and tempting for girls who don't have strong wills to commit such a sin. It will be a crying shame and a blot on the government if they allow the selling of this product in our markets."
As a woman, I don't know if I should be offended by the product or happy that it exists. Coming from a Middle Eastern background, I know what a major issue virginity is in traditional marriages. But does it really matter? I respect both men and women who are abstinent, but I see it as unfair and hypocritical that men go about sleeping with various women and expect to marry virgins. This is what I do not agree with in the Middle Eastern culture, and I can see why women are having hymen surgery on a continuous basis or searching for alternatives to please their husbands. In a way, it saves the marriage trouble - as once they find out the girl is not a virgin, things get out of hand. Sometimes leading to divorce, disrespect in a family, or crazy things like death. I think honesty in a relationship is the best policy, but in these cases unfortunately it does not work. I do not think that a device will cause more girls to be promiscuous, as it all comes down to if girls want to have sex or not - not how they can hide that they do.
The Los Angeles Police Department have launched a new campaign called iWATCH for people to keep a watch out for suspicious activity (Terrorism actually). According to their website:
REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY –A simple observation, a single phone call or report, can lead to actions that can stop a terrorist attack. Think about the power of that, the power of iWATCH.
IWATCH, IREPORT, I KEEP US SAFE (iWATCH) is a Terrorism Public Awareness and Reporting Program for the City of Los Angeles developed by the Los Angeles Police Department.
If you see suspicious behavior or activity that may indicate terrorist activity, report it. If it is an emergency, call 911. If not an emergency, but a report of something you witnessed, report it online by clicking the report icon or call 1-877-A-THREAT (1-877-284-7328).
The new video campaign has been creeping people out in a sort of "Big Brother" sense (Watch above). However, according to the LAPD, since the launch of iWATCH over 1,500 reports have sprung up since.
I think iWATCH is a great idea, and that the Orwellian ideology will never fade away especially with the technology we have going on in today's world (i.e. Internet). Police departments in certain counties across the country have hidden cameras on streets to monitor drug deals and similar. In England, I think the "Big Brother" thought exists much more profoundly though. There's no point in worrying, when there is nothing that can be done. Just know, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU! By the way, the big eyes thing is creepy! Maybe they should change their ad!
owner; 6. Member of the UNA-USA; 7. Miss California USA 2010 Contestant; (Yes, that's me in the pic!)
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