City Number Two: New Orleans

Mardi Gras

This weekend I was watching Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and I fell in love with New Orleans. I probably fell in love with the New Orleans façade or stereotype, but c’est la vie; I have added the city to my bucket list.  I want to get the full effect of Mardi Gras: the parades, the balls, the costumes, the infamous beads, and the drunken splendor. Mostly the costumes though. Everyone dresses up for Mardi Gras, so I’m sure it would be a humorous night. Of course, there are other things I’d want to experience while in New Orleans, but Mardi Gras would be my highlight.

New Orleans is also known as the birthplace of jazz; New Orleans is its home if you will. This means that there are lots of chances to hear some good ol’ American jazz, and each chance should be taken! It’s not every day that one gets to hear music that is actually skillfully played; and who knows, you might be listening to the next Louis Armstrong. The French Quarter seems to be the place to explore for nightlife, with music filling every restaurant and bar. There is also the dancing: a sultry salsa or tango.

In addition, New Orleans has a rich history, and it has over 45 museums to prove it. A must-see is the National World War II museum or the Louisiana’s Civil War museum, but there are other museums with more of a historical influence on the just the city itself.

Mansions

The architecture of the things that survived the flood and the “Great Fire” is stunning and varies in styles, from Creole to the Double Gallery House. The Shotgun house is the most prominent, and the colors of the houses are so very bright! St. Charles Avenue is also a must see; it the street of some of the greatest mansions in America.  New Orleans just keeps surprising me the more and more I look into it, and it is a happy addition to this bucket list of mine. Maybe should hold off on this city until I’m 21 though.

Sincerely Sydney

Haters be Hatin

It always surprises me when I hear about killings or bombings. It is hard to imagine someone with that much hate in his heart; someone who can take the life of another person. That is why when I read about the bombings in Iraq, I was shocked that a world that is so developed can still allow these atrocities to happen. There are actually two events that I will be talking about, since they are related.

                The first event happened on September 12^th. A bus-full of Shiite pilgrims were heading to a holy shrine in Syria, when the bus was taken over by Sunni insurgents, posing as a checkpoint stop. At gunpoint, the insurgents had the women and children get off the bus, drove the bus a couple miles off, and ordered the men off. At this point, the men were lined up and shot to death, all 22 of them.

                The pilgrims from the bus killing were from Karbala, a Shiite holy city, where the second story takes place on September 25^th. Karbala experienced a multitude of bombings near a government building that gives out I.D.s. These bombings made houses collapse in on people, and also almost damaged an important shrine, injuring at least 95 people and killing 10.

                Both of these attacks are from Sunni insurgents, who are trying to reignite sectarian aggression between the two groups. There has been controversy over whether the situation should be considered a civil war, which I thoroughly believe, but there is fear that the “civil war” will continue to worsen as the United States pulls its troops out.

                Throughout history, people have tried to resolve conflicts through violence. It can be rationalized, saying it is like a medication with bad side effects; it is solving the situation, even with the negative ramifications. I will not try to make the argument that violence is never necessary, as I’m not sure if I believe that to be true. However, religious killing is unnecessary. Religious belief is a personal choice. No matter how fervent you are that your religion is “true”, you cannot prove it. It is a belief. Therefore, you cannot disprove other people’s beliefs; no religion is true or false. Fighting over beliefs that cannot be proven is a waste of time; neither side is going to bow its head if there are no cold, hard facts as to why they must. As I’m sure my educated readers know, Shiite and Sunni Muslims are divided, essentially, over religion, though it has evolved into a rift of much more.

It is hard to see an end to the violence between the two groups, as there is such a history that seems to call for revenge.  As I said before, it is no longer just a dispute over religion; pride calls for loved ones to be avenged, and people want to be on the “winning” side of the argument. It is a big snowball effect. It is really just… well. Sad. I’m sorry for my lack of a better word, but I don’t know of one general enough to incorporate the feelings associated with this situation. Innocent people are dying, just because of their personal religious beliefs. The fear that must be felt everyday by the people of the region is enormous. The unknown is probably the scariest thing in this world, and having safety/security as an unknown is devastating.

I pray that people will find acceptance and forgiveness in their hearts, and even if it is too late for this generation, maybe the next will be capable of finding a way to live peacefully among each other.

Sincerely Sydney

Freed at Last!

This week it was very easy to find good news, which revived my faith in humanity a tad, since last week I could find nothing awe-inspiring. The good news revolves around the Free the Hikers story I posted about last weekend. Remember my angst at the politics of the situation? Well, the politics was over-ruled (mostly) today, as the hikers finally came home! Officially released on the 21^st from Evin Prison in Iran, Fattal and Bauer were flown to Muscrat, Oman where they were greeted by family and Sarah Shourd, the other hiker and Bauer’s fiancé. The hikers showed great appreciation and the entire situation was finally turned right. Sure, the bail had to be paid, a whopping $1 million, but honestly, no situation of foreign affairs between the United States and Iran will ever be cheap in this lifetime.

                There are some people who are bit pissed about the bail situation. The biggest question is: where did this money to bail the hikers out of jail come from? Oman seems to be a big contributor, or at least the bill was paid through them, but how much of this gigantic sum came from the U.S. taxpayers’ wallet.  It is a bit stupid to go hiking through Iraq on the Iran border, honestly, especially if the border isn’t clearly defined. Not that their stupidity justifies the prison sentence, which when described sounds horrid. I am just saying that $1.5 million for the three hikers is a lot of money to give to a country we aren’t particularly friends with.  Nevertheless, I am glad the hikers could come home and see their families. The wedding between Shourd and Bauer is sure to be emotional and fantastic, so I will be sure to cover that later.

Sincerely Sydney

City Number One: Rome

Rome, Italy. Such a beautiful city that is definitely number one on my bucket list of places to go.  Historically, it is a place of great grandeur and great scandal. Home to the papacy and a hostess of the Italian Renaissance, the city of Rome has seen influential men and women, and its great architecture and art shows that. If you go to Rome, and I highly suggest you do, there are a few things you absolutely must see. I’ll do my best to be concise and not gush. Well at least not the entire time.  

 1.  Colosseum/Flavian Amphitheater  

http://www.cis-ss.msu.edu/Rome/Images/Colosseum4.jpg

Built in the time of the Romans, the Colosseum was used for public spectacles and the Gladiator matches. Later, it was used for housing and religious events. It is slightly damaged, from earthquakes and stone robberies; however it is arguably the biggest tourist attraction in Italy. A must see for sure. 

http://www.picable.com/Architecture/Interior/Interior-View-of-the-Colosseum-Rome.708565

2.  Fontana di Trevi (the Trevy Fountain)

The Trevy Fountain is a gorgeous Baroque fountain, the largest in the city. The sculptures are spectacular. I wouldn’t mind ogling at this for a while. Don’t forget to throw a coin in over your left shoulder; it will ensure a return to Rome.

http://www.freefoto.com/images/14/26/14_26_4---Trevi-Fountain--Rome--Italy_web.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeE7W1F0GX_l2_DM6EKs_Velq9r9ctJbNFi0zSobG5Z4ATl_483SvwVqqsJFu9QTx1sBhQBZpUIvTmGUhyphenhyphen6zcWubr5RfaY30J865iGIgEnyK8WArd6K63y9a7eqlWSTp2Vdphhha1Y8ng/s1600/Trevi_fountain_Wallpaper_7p4ms.jpg

http://wallpapers.free-review.net/wallpapers/63/Piazza_Navona.jpg

3.  Piazza Navona

Finally, a place to eat! This square, which was built on the Stadium of Domitian, has amazing sculptures and architecture, but also has a bunch of traditional food places for all of those with an appetite.

http://holidaytraveldiary.com/holidaytravel/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Piazza-Navona.jpg  

4.  Roman Forum

A concentrated area of architecture that is from the Roman time era, the Roman Forum is the place to a lot a day for exploration. This area includes: Forum Main Square, Arch of Constantine, Temple of Vespasian and Titus, Arch of Septimius Severus, Curia, Rostra Augusti, Arch of Titus, Temple of Saturn, Basilica Aemilia, Basilica Iulia, Temple of Caesar, Regia, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Vesta, and Mamertine Prison.

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/garyyetter/files/2006/10/roman%20forum.JPG

 http://monograms.com/common/images/destinations/roman-forum.jpg

The Buffett Rule

You would not believe how hard it was to find some good news today. I kept reading. And reading. And reading. And reading. Nothing. I don’t mean to be innocent. I want to know the workings of the world, both good and bad, but there seems to be a lot more bad things as of late. Honestly, do we always just have to report on atrocities and not happiness? I read some happy things today, a relief walk here and there, but the articles were pitiful. They just brushed the surface of the event. Maybe I am looking in the wrong place. Next week I hope to have better luck.

However, this week I was happy with Washington. Obama has done something which I think he can be proud of. It is called the Buffett Rule, in reference to Warren Buffet who influenced its creation by complaining that rich people (including himself) "have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress”.  The Buffett Rule raises taxes for the rich, but in a way that is fair to everyone and will help solve our enormous deficit. It goes like this: the percentage of income the average middle class person pays to taxes is higher than the average millionaire’s. The tax increase will make the wealthy pay the same amount of their income to taxes as the middle class.  .3% of our taxpaying population will be affected by this new rule, and honestly, these people have money to spare.

Yes. These people may have worked very hard for their money. They may deserve their money. They may oppose this new rule. They may accuse it of punishing them for being rich. However, this rule is just fixing a system that calls on the middle class to bolster their economy. Now it is time for the rich to give just as much, help just as much, to get us out of this economic slump. Paying the same percentage of income as someone with a standard middle class life will not hurt them in the least; they will still be the rich of America. However, they may not be able to buy their hundredth coach purse or another private plane. Darn.
 The Article which Inspired

Sincerely Sydney

Free the Hikers. Maybe.

Hello readers! As my first post, I was hoping to start off with a happy news story, something that would make you all believe that the good in the world is still dominating over the bad. So, I did some research on the Free the Hikers story. Most of you probably know of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, but if you have been living under a rock or don't have time for humanitarian news stories, here is a quick summary of what happened:

                       Three Americans (named above) decided to go hiking in a safe area in Iraq Kurdistan, but accidentally wandered off the path into Iran on July 31, 2009. There, they were detained and accused of illegal entry and espionage. Sarah Shourd was released September 14, 2010 "on humanitarian grounds", but the United States had to pay a 500,000 dollar bail. The two men are still in custody and were given a trial, which just last month sentenced them to eight years in prison each.

Then the story starts to really heat up. Their lawyer made an appeal, and the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other foreign leaders/support groups have been trying to convince the judiciaries to allow an early release with the payment of a one million dollar bail for the two hikers. Then, good news is heard at last! Ahmadinejad announces that the men will be released within days on the 13th of this month. Hurrah! Humanitarian issues trump the politics of it all! 

But. You had to know there was a but. It is now the 19th. They haven't been released. The hiker's families and friends are all wondering what the holdup is. And it all has to do with politics. In Iran, there is a struggle between the ruling clerics and the president, and major new sources have been inferring that the trial's miscommunication could show this power struggle. The clerics may be merely showing their own power by drawing out this trial, just because they know that Ahmadinejad is trying to expedite this process. Ahmadinajad wanted to have the hikers coming home by the time he himself traveled to the United States, later in the week.

The trial also may be drawn out because of the foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi’s own agenda. Mentioning Iranian people in our own custody, he suggested that we as Americans show “good will” and release those that the Iranians believe are being held arbitrarily and illegally. The United States seems to be non-responsive to this suggestion, to my knowledge. Communication and negotiation has been stunted between The United States and Iran since April 7, 1980, when they broke diplomatic relations over the 1979 hostage crisis. The hiker incident causes even more stress on the Iran-United States relation.

These inferences are overshadowing thoughts; the trial is currently being delayed by a judiciary who went on vacation when the bail papers needed to be signed. He is expected to be back in town this Tuesday, but there is speculation that the decision to allow the bail is not finalized. The best the public officials can tell us is that the hikers will hopefully be released in the “near future”.  The lack of definite answers is not very comforting, and is putting the family of the hikers on an emotional roller-coaster. This is a humanitarian issue. It should be dealt with as such. These hikers did nothing illegal, and it is not fair to imprison them for so long without a trial, and then after the trial, to prolong the bail arrangements. The trial is obviously being influenced in multiple ways by political forces, in ways that it shouldn’t. My love and prayers go out to the families of the hikers and to the hikers themselves. I'm sorry that my happy story has resulted into a low of the news world this week. 

For more information, go to www.freethehikers.org.   

Sincerely Sydney