facebook as "big brother"

This week, facebook took a big step in deciding to take down a page that called upon Palestinians to start a third intifada. Should facebook have that kind of power? Are we not encouraged on the site to tell people "what's on your mind"? On the one hand, i feel much more comfortable with the page gone. i cannot believe that someone would even make a page to encourage such an atrocity. the fact that the riots in egypt began due to communication on facebook, the website seems to have turned into a more powerful tool than anyone really thought. in my world, facebook is a place to waste time, catch up with old friends who i will never see and, of course, to look at pictures. but for those looking to make a change, it has become clear that facebook is a valuable tool to mobilize the public. it is therefore even more terrifying that one would make a page attempting to make more violence.

The world jewish congress wrote about what happened:

http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/10108

they are, naturally, in full support of facebook;s actions.

ny times on overload

If you sit on the nytimes homepage, just clicking refresh every five minutes the headlines will change... try it

10,000 Japanese dead

When i heard that people had used facebook in Egpyt as a tool to mobilize the nation, frankly, i found it astonishing. I have this stigma against facebook that if "it" happens on facebook, "it"either gains or loses legitimacy. For example: if someone is in a relationship on facebook= legit. If someone make an event on facebook or a group for a club that they are in= not legit. For some reason it is just not how my head works.
I was not on facebook until 12am (sat night/sunday morning) this weekend. I was amazing by how much poeple were really interacting on the site. They were posting news articles left and right (no pun intended) and having REAL discussions about them. It was not just another wedding album or a crazy yahoo news story that everyone smirks over and moves on. For once facebook, to me, seemed like a more legitimate forum for real, honest and serious conversation. While i certainly do NOT think that facebook can serve as a replacement to human interaction, there was something beautiful about hundreds (or thousands) of people coming together over one issue.
The New York Times apparently wrote an article that did not fully express the brutality and heartlessness of the crimes to the Fogel family in Itamar. After reading the article myself, i really didn't see the huge problem with it. Ok fine, they didn't show the bloody pictures that have now found their way into dozens of youtube videos. Ok, they didn't discuss how bloody the scene was. They still called culprits "killers" and expressed that it was an atrocity. Anyway, the point is not to review the article.

With all that is going on, that has happened over the weekend, i am reminded of agenda setting, a topic we discussed in class a few weeks ago. While i am looking for news relating to israel and this horrible massacre, the rest of the world is looking to hear of the 10,000 who died in the tsunami in Japan. Of the radiation and nuclear material that may have infected hundreds of people. It is so hard to grasp the death of 5 members of a family, how do i begin to relate to 10,000. I think that's the point though. While i am sitting here, listening to the news, reading articles and watching youtube videos about this family, it is possible to connect to them: i was once 12, i have parents and siblings (nevermind the fact that they are Jews and Israelis). It is so hard to go on the nytimes website and be smacked in the face with japan japan japan when all i want to hear about is Israel. I know it is important too, i don't mean to sound negative or like the rest of the world does not matter, but isn't there something to be said about have a connection with someone, with something so important. I can't control if there is going to be an earthquake that will cause a tsunami that will wipe out 10,000 people. I CAN control if i teach my family how to be proper members of society, that it is NOT ok go kill people, that every human life has value.
Why don't you try that next time nytimes?

King of His Castle

Ever heard of Peter King?
He's a replican rep from NY. He has become famous for forcing Muslim Americans to look at extremists within their faith and be realistic about what is actually happening in the world. While the moderate Muslims living in America might not have anything to do with their more radical brothers across the middle east and even in Europe, they are still technically members of the same religion. His case is not that Muslims all over the world have to take responsibility for what their brothers are doing, but rather come to terms with what is happening and to stop denying it.
I was reading this article in the Washington Post written by a Muslim woman in support of King's beliefs. She quotes the Quran saying:
Oh ye who believe!
Stand out firmly
For justice, as witnesses
To God, even if it may be against
Yourselves, or your parents
Or your kin
Proving that even the Quran challenges the Islamic community to be self-critical.
As Jews i think it's an important case to learn about. If there were injustices happening all over the world due to extremists in the Jewish community, we would not sit by and let it happen; getting defensive any time we were blamed for the atrocious events. They have to take responsibility for what is happening to a certain extent and i think that the Muslim world will only bennefit from this proactive stance.

War and Jobs?

This article inspired me to write the following, but i just found the article fascinating. (and yes, it's all about politics b/c it's about the economy which is as political as it gets...)

When a college graduate can't get a job, is it still considered an investment to pay for a college education? A couple of years ago, i heard my teachers advising current high school and college students to stay in school for as long as possible because a new graduate is not likely to get a job. But more recently i've been hearing a more negative sentiment, that there is no hope for jobs, so, boys, better to become a plumber, at least you can fix your own toilet.When America's economy was based on consumerism, what happens when the population no longer consumes? What about if there are enough doctors, lawyers, bankers and computers to keep the system going. It seems like the job market does not need new people. I used to think that this time is good for us college students, that now we'll all get tons of internships so when the economy decides to function properly again, we'll all have nicely padded resumes to send into corporate america. But what if the economy never really turns around. On the other hand, what if it turns around but not enough to support every college graduate? Will college graduates be willing to take the jobs of an unskilled worker just to make ends meet or will pride put me and my peers on the street. The future is supposed to be exciting, so why does it seem so bleak?

*disclaimer: i mean to talk about the american economy, not to sound hopeless for the future- i'm sure we'll all get jobs, especially with our snazzy YU diplomas :-)