Would this happen here?
By Matt Trecha, written on Jul. 21, 2008
Post 9/11, practitioners of Islam saw a swell of anti-Muslim sentiment accross the country. Luckily, the religiousity of the country may have saved them from even more wild extremes. Just imagine being denied citizenship because you choose to wear a niqab (a face veil covering the lower part of the face (up to the eyes); often in addition to covering the entire body). It happened in France this past week.
By Kate Truesdell, written on Jul. 12, 2008
Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are announced as the National Green Party of the United States’s Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the U.S. presidency.
Green Party 2008 National Convention coverage 2.0
By Kate Truesdell, written on Jul. 12, 2008
Just got back from a lunch break charging my computer and camera in the bathroom - the location of the only available electrical outlets - following a rousing round of candidate speeches. Here’s a quick summary:
Jesse Johnson, a West Virgina filmaker, kicked off the late morning by asking the audience to join him in a rousing round of song. Johnson stands strongly for demilitarizing the economy and ending mountain top removal.
He was followed by Cynthia McKinney, who this morning announced that Rosa Clemente (previously, also a presidential contender) would be her running-mate. McKinney served 12 years in the U.S. Congress as a Democrat before switching to the Green Party, and has frequently spoken out about the problems she sees plaguing her former affiliates.
Kent Mesplay, who has run for the presidential nomination previously, followed McKinney. Mesplay has one of the most interesting backstories, having been raised in the rainforest with an indigenous community in Paupua New Guinea. Part Blackfoot in heritage, he is a big proponent for indigneous rights and, as an engineer who works as an air quality inspector, he is especially interested in energy.
The final nominee candidate is Kat Swift, who just turned 35 - the minimum age required by the Constitution to serve as president, for all of you who didn’t save your seventh-grade American Politics textbooks - this year. Swift, a former anarchist who says the Green Party gave her a reason to care about politics again, dedicates most of her talk time to issues of human rights and justice. She has spoken out on behalf of women and children, and against domestic violence.
The states are currently caucusing, and the voting will begin shortly, after which I’ll post the results.
On a personal note, I want to say that the media have been treated with great courtesy throughout this event. I was feeling especially flattered that I got my own box on the mezzanine. Then, after lunch, the male equivalent of Kit Kittredge, a strapping young lad of about 10 years, walked in with what I can only imagine is a middle school periodical’s press pass and was also escorted to a private seat. So much for my inflated ego and over-developed sense of self-importance. I guess it just goes to show that the party really means when they talk about “equality for all”.
And now, live from the Green Party 2008 National Convention…drumroll…
By Kate Truesdell, written on Jul. 12, 2008
Yesterday, after spending what seemed like hours circling around the intertwined concrete superstructures that engulf and dissect the Windy City, I finally arrived at the Green Party National Convention. Or at least I thought I had. Walking into the street entrance of the Palmer House Hilton, the first sign I saw was not for the four-day event to select a presidential candidate. Instead, top billing went to another national conference being held – the Pampered Chef Company. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day.
Thirty minutes of gimped-out bumbling later, I eventually found my way to the media credentialing room. After my first credentialing experience seeing the Dalai Lama – which involved some very awkward moments with a drug-sniffing dog - had come prepared, determined to look like an old bro. Before entering Clark Conference Room 9, I made sure I was all set: three forms of photo ID, confirmation email from the media coordinator, and some very heavy technology and photo equipment. I pushed through the big beige double-doors, only to discover some card tables set up, surrounding by chords running haphazardly around the room. I stepped up to receive my identification: a yellow index card with an ink-jet label on which my name and “The Michigan Daily” were printed. I figured I could relax about leaving my social security card and birth certificate at home.
The convention thus far seems a strange juxtaposition of home-grown and highfalutin. Today, the convention is located at the Chicago Symphony Center, a beautiful building with intricate molding and gilt detailing. But the red velvet seats today to not hold deboir dandys or debutants, but rather the shorts-and-jeans delegates of the Green Party.
Here’s a run down of the events thus far today:
9:16 am -The presidential candidate press conference finally starts. Despite high hopes the media committee may have had, less than 25 people attended the morning conference. But what it lacked in attendance, it made up for in flavor; I doubt you’d get to here John or Barack utter the phrase “I am of the hip-hop generation”, as Vice Presidential candidate Rosa Clemente did this morning.
10:45 am- I walk into the main room, where the party is discussing the national platform. There is heated debate over the wording of the section regarding guest worker programs.
11:02 am - The party finally votes on the platform, which doesn’t pass. Oklahoma, despite checking in, has mysteriously disappeared. Michigan, with 24 votes, is a big player in this, dividing 5 in favor, 13 opposed and 5 abstaining. Undoubtedly, though, the decision rests on the shoulders of the monolith, California, whose 54 no votes quickly and easily override the 24 they have in favor.
The thing that’s unique about this convention is that there is the general feeling that what is happening here actually matters - there’s no pre-set script, and it’s not a big party to celebrate a pre-selected candidate.
There are a few other things that set this convention apart. To help you paint a mental picture, dear reader, I’ve included a handy count, which will be updated periodically.
Seen to date:
Mullets - 1
Dreadlocks - 5, including presidential nominee candidate Kat Swift
Babies on the delegate floor - 1
For more information about the convention, check out the Green Party’s website.
Food from the streets
By Matt Trecha, written on Jul. 11, 2008
There’s more than the usual heat and humidity making Michigan summers unbearable for those who can’t get to the water. Rising food prices coupled with the highest gas prices ever is making life stateside resemble that of its neighbors accross the pond who pay anywhere from $5.56 (France) to $6.25 (Netherlands) for a gallon of gas. Yet Detroit has found a way to beat the heat brought on by the rising food prices and, at the same time, improve the city (if only slightly).
Founded in 2005 by Taja Sevelle, Urban Farming has begun to make a difference in a town that’s lost over a million residents since the 1950’s. The principal is to take vacant plots and turn them into community gardens, where the neighborhood can work and plant and, at the same time, collect the fruits and veggies they produce. A local sheriff liaison, according to the BBC article Urban farming takes root in Detroit, even stated that crime rates have dropped wherever a garden was created. Sevelle’s program has begun to spread to other cities as well, with gardens in Newark, Los Angeles, and even Jamaica. With the city continually suffering from a lack of economic activity, cheap garden produce may be just the thing to make life a little better even if a new Detroit is decades away.
The Improbable President?
By Emily Michels, written on Jul. 10, 2008
I’m a sucker for biopics, especially those that reflect the romance and excitement of another time, like The Aviator, or those that tell about an amazing human, like Raging Bull or Malcolm X…I even enjoyed Factory Girl. That’s how much I like biopics. But I think it is a bit too soon to be making a movie about the W himself. Yes, they are making a movie about George W. Bush, his life and his presidency.
I admit it would be interesting to see that once he dies or is 90 years old or something. But making a film set to premier in October, before his term is up, is way too soon; our wounds are still raw from the war, the failing economy, broken health care, the shambled public education system and his general absurdity. There are also many, many other problems with this film, other than its ridiculously timed conception. The actors to play George and Laura, Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Banks, are both way too good looking to be playing the First Couple. I predict a lot of make-up and post-production work to make the stars look homely and stupid simple minded. Also, the tag line, “The Improbable President,” should be used if and when they make Al Gore’s biopic. Since, you know, Gore was actually elected president but, because of Georgie’s family connections in Florida, was stripped of the title.
One thing good about this movie, other than the fact that Oliver Stone is directing: the Wikipedia-style synopsis.
“When an army experiment goes horribly wrong a genetically engineered chimp called george escapes his laboratory prison. This film explores how george was able to shave most of his body hair and pass as a human male, although barely. Then when the world wasnt paying attention and probably for a laugh they elected george president of America. We see first hand the hilarious consequences of putting a being with the i.q lower than a banana in charge of the most powerful nation on Earth, thankfully this is just a drama and nothing even remotely like this could happen in real life.”
I’d see that movie.
Let’s Slow Down a Little!
By Patrick Zabawa, written on Jul. 5, 2008
Both our state and federal governments recently came up with the same idea to reduce gas prices, one day after the other. The idea: lower speed limits. Senator John Warner, R-Va. suggested reestablishing a national speed limit one day after Governor Jennifer Granholm suggested lowering Michigan’s maximum speed limit. The idea is that drivers get better gas mileage when they travel at lower speeds. And with every driver getting better gas mileage, there’d be less demand for gas. The economic law of supply and demand says that if demand for gas goes down, so does its price.
So while slowing down traffic may reduce gas prices, it would reduce individual choice as well. In fact, many people have chosen not to slow down to save gas. The Michigan State Police have noticed Michigan citizens’ choice of speeds: fast. They’ve been prompting the state to raise speed limits over the past three years because drivers have been driving so fast. They’ve wanted to raise speed limits to encourage uniform traffic flow so that freeways are safer. Can you blame them?
Michigan citizens have decided that they’d rather get places sooner than save money. They’re working longer hours in our state’s stagnant economy, so the state shouldn’t be asking them to spend more hours on the road as well. It’s great if people want to save money on gas, but they shouldn’t be made to waste their time against their will. For many, time is a very valuable commodity. No one should be forced to make any more sacrifices, espeically in economically-ravaged Michigan.
Renewable, But Not Feasible
By Patrick Zabawa, written on Jun. 2, 2008
While the state is attempting to encourage renewable energy production in the state, the city of Lansing is moving in the opposite direction. The state legislature added a stipulation to this year’s yet-unapproved energy bill that 10% of the state’s power must come from renewable sources by 2015. The benefits of renewable energy production in Michigan to the state’s economy have been sited by many, including Governor Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Daily itself.
So with the state legislature, governor and others all preaching the benefits of renewable energy, it would be assumed that Lansing’s new plant would run on renewable energy. But that assumption would be incorrect. On May 28, the Lansing Board of Water and proposed building a coal-based power plant as its new plant. While a third of the plant’s power would come from renewable biomass, the rest would still come from coal, one of the dirtiest and most polluting fossil fuels available.
Interestingly, the Lansing Board of Water and Light is a fully public entity; there are no private interests involved in building the new coal plant. It’s ironic that one area of government, the state legislature, can be affirming the benefits of renewable energy while another area, the Lansing Board of Water and Light, can be building a coal power plant.
It seems that the economics which so many politicians and papers spoke about are not yet set up. This plant is not the only proposed coal power plant in Michigan; there are four more on the table. If not even public entities believe it’s worth it to build renewable energy power plants, then they cannot be expected to be built. And mandating by law that they be built would result in skyrocketing electricity prices for consumers. Perhaps the state’s leaders should take a new look at the feasibility of renewable energy in Michigan.
Another problem with Detroit
By Matt Trecha, written on May. 27, 2008
There are very few things that make me happy, angry or excited enough to write a blog about. This however, falls into the middle category.
The Michigan Flyer is a shuttle service with stops in East Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor and the Detroit Metro Airport. With a ticket cost of only $15 to any of those stops from AA, free wireless internet and the bonus of resembling mass transit both economically and environmentally - something that the state has yet to get down - it would seem the Michigan Flyer is onto something.
But of course, Detroit (Metro) steps in again to ruin a good thing. Checker Sedan and Metro Airport Taxi are the only two carriers currently signed up with the airport, paying thousands of dollars for the privilege. Other limo and taxi carriers even had to go to court after being turned away by the airport while their passengers were waiting. While airports around the country (e.g. Los Angeles, “allows bus providers to pick up passengers in front of each terminal under the sign, ‘FlyAway, Buses & Long Distance Vans.’” Buses are then charged a trip fee) seem to get along fine with the idea of competition, Metro is staunchly pro Checker, a cab service that charges $56 for Ann Arbor to Airport services.
Admittedly, the Michigan Flyer isn’t following all of the rules of the Metro Airport, but it shouldn’t have to. Currently, those rules are overly draconian and stifle any chance at competition - especially the kind that helps consumers and cash-strapped college kids. Checker is in on the game as well, having refused to take me to the Ann Arbor stop to catch the Michigan Flyer - albeit back to East Lansing for the weekend.
Get Off My Porch
By Robby Soave, written on May. 24, 2008
What a sad day for porch owners. The Michigan Court of Appeals just ruled that drug detecting dogs can hang out around the front door of a house without a search warrant.
I guess that the court thinks that a person’s porch isn’t actually his or her property, because then the police would definitely need a search warrant… wouldn’t they? Maybe we are just moving beyond the age of pesky search warrants - they only get in the way of justice!
Sarcasm aside, I hope this ruling gets overturned one way or another. It is ridiculous to think that the police could just stand on your porch all day if that’s what they felt like doing. Well, maybe they need to have a dog with them for the court to okay it.