Tuesday, November 10, 2009

“Wes Studi speaking at Fort Riley - Native American Times” plus 4 more

“Wes Studi speaking at Fort Riley - Native American Times” plus 4 more

Wes Studi speaking at Fort Riley - Native American Times

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 09:34 AM PST

FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) – Actor and Vietnam veteran Wes Studi is traveling to Fort Riley later this month to be a keynote speaker at the Army post's American Indian heritage observance.

Studi is known for his roles in "Dances with Wolves" and "The Last of the Mohicans." He is scheduled to speak Nov. 19. The theme for the Fort Riley observance is "Understanding Native American Heritage, Now and Then."

The Haskell Intertribal Cultural Club from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence will perform during the event.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Vegas officials hold neon sign lighting ceremony - Riverside Press Enterprise

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 11:08 AM PST

Three neon signs will be lit as the sun goes down along a downtown stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard recently designated as a National Scenic Byway.

A ceremony featuring the Silver Slipper, Binion's Horseshoe and Bow & Arrow Motel neon signs was set Monday evening at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center parking lot on Las Vegas Boulevard north of U.S. 95.

The downtown stretch of boulevard from Washington Avenue to Sahara Avenue was designated a scenic route in October.

The city started in 2000 to push for designation, and Nevada made the route a state scenic byway in 2001.

Plans call for protecting existing neon signs and restoration and installation of vintage neon signs as part of a $1.1 million streetscape improvement that started in May.

Published: Monday, November 9, 2009 11:09 PST

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Utah girl's pierced nose stirs culture clash - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 01:49 AM PST


To 12-year-old Suzannah Pabla, piercing her nose was a way to connect with her roots in India. To Suzannah's school, it was a dress-code violation worthy of a suspension.

To other Indians, the incident was emblematic of how it can still be difficult for the American melting pot to absorb certain aspects of their cultural and religious traditions.

Suzannah was briefly suspended last month from her public school in Bountiful, Utah, for violating a body-piercing ban. School officials — who noted that nose piercing is an Indian cultural choice, not a religious requirement — compromised and said she could wear a clear, unobtrusive stud in her nose, and Suzannah returned to her seventh-grade class.

"I wanted to feel more closer to my family in India because I really love my family," said Suzannah, who was born in Bountiful. Her father was born in India as a member of the Sikh religion.

"I just thought it would be OK to let her embrace her heritage and her culture," said Suzannah's mother, Shirley Pabla, a Mormon born in nearby Salt Lake City. "I didn't know it would be such a big deal."

It shouldn't have been, said Amardeep Singh, a Sikh who was raised in the United States and works as an English professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

"It's true that the nose ring is mainly a cultural thing for most Indians," Singh said. "Even if it is just culture, culture matters. And her right to express or explore it seems to me at least as important as her right to express her religious identity."

Singh said people frequently ask him why he wears a turban. "Sometimes it can be a burden to explain that," he said.

"Most people presume I'm an immigrant, a foreigner," he continued. "As a child of immigrants, you often don't feel fully American. The presumption is that you are somehow foreign to a core American identity. You always feel a little bit of an outsider, even in your own country."

About 2.6 million people of Indian ancestry live in the United States, including immigrants and natives, according to a 2007 U.S. Census estimate. The Indian population increased rapidly after a 1965 change to immigration law, which ended preferences given to specific European nations.

Sandhya Nankani, who moved to the United States from India at age 12, said religion and culture in India are tightly intertwined, but their expression varies widely in different regions of that country, "so you can't make a blanket statement about what Indian culture is, or religion or tradition."

Each morning, after Nankani bathes her 2-month-old daughter, she makes a small ash mark called the "vibhuti" on the baby's forehead, which for her signifies the "third eye" in her Hindu religion.

"Sometimes people ask what is on her forehead," said Nankani, a writer and editor who lives in Manhattan. "I will probably not send her with the vibuthi to the playground soon. I don't want her to be the center of attention in a way that makes her feel like she doesn't belong."

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

About Travel - MediaChannel.org

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 09:08 PM PST

Pacific Northwest Travel Advice – Camano Island, Washington

In these tough economic times, who wants to waste their time lodging in expensive hotel accommodations where you're confined to a small room with little privacy and independence of your own. That's why vacation rentals by owner make so much sense. When you travel, you want to experience a place as it was meant to be. You want to live like you belong there. You want to feel like you're in control of your own surroundings. Why not stay in a house with a yard, a barbecue, access to the beach, a sports court, your own private hot tub? With a vacation rental by owner you can have essentially everything you could ever want, right in one place, at half the cost.

If you're looking for a vacation rental by owner, you may not have given much consideration towards a Northwest Puget Sound vacation by the sea. The Seattle area is filled with culture, unique experiences, and you'll find good people there who have a great appreciation for the environment with good reason; why would anyone ever want to spoil beauty this great? The activities and entertainment possibilities are endless. I highly recommend renting a place by the ocean on Camano Island. It's only 45 minutes north of Seattle, yet it seems like a world away. It truly is island life at its finest; Washington style. With glistening waters, green surroundings, majestic mountains, and incredible wildlife, you'd be crazy not to see it for yourself. If you really want to convene with nature and invigorate your connection with the great outdoors than Camano Island is for you! Camano Island sits in the rain shadow produced by the Olympic mountain range. It enjoys a drier climate with less rain fall and more sunshine. Driving onto the island coming from Seattle is an experience in itself. One minute you're driving along in overcast weather surrounded by Evergreen tress, then the next minute the skies clear up and there're Madronas hanging out over gorgeous seaside cliffs. Scenic overviews of the Puget Sound with the mountains in the distance surround you from all angles. Even the air seems to change; a deep breath in and you're senses are engulfed with the fresh aroma of the seaside ocean wrapping around you from every direction.

The best way to experience Camano Island is to do a vacation rental by owner. The place I stayed provided all the fixings for a truly great vacation. It sits high above an ocean bay looking out over the water with the Cascade Mountain Range in the distance. Eagles frequently fly through the air and perch in the tops of the trees right before your eyes. I never thought I'd ever end up so close to eagles as they glide with outstretched wings. The way that this wonderful seaside cabin sits, you get some of the most spectacular views on the planet. There is no doubt it'll leave you breathless.

This particular vacation rental by owner had wonderful charm and character. You'll find that to be the truth with most vacation rentals by owner, but always be selective in your accommodations in order to find the best places – where you stay makes a big difference. It was decorated with everything you'd expect from a northwest coastal home. From the wood burning stove in the corner, to gorgeous paintings, and wooden interiors; it's a feeling no lodge or hotel could ever replicate. There's tons of space as the cabin is deceptively large. There were three stories with a main floor, a loft, and a downstairs with yet two more bedrooms and a games room. All of which have incredible views looking out over the ocean with large expansive windows allowing you to sit for hours on end just taking it in.

With a vacation rental by owner, you have the whole place to yourself too. The freedom and joy you experience being able to unwind uninterruptedly really allows you to get back in touch with yourself. After being far too engulfed in the daily grind that too often consumes us, this is the type of vacation that makes you feel complete again after leaving. I've traveled half way across the world, have been to multiple countries, and I've stayed in numerous accommodations, yet I've never felt quite as connected to my surroundings as I did in this place.

As someone who loves to travel and experience things for myself, I think I'll always look into vacation rentals by owner. Camano Island in Washington State is probably one of the most overlooked vacation destinations I can think of. I highly suggest you discover it for yourself. You will not be disappointed!

Copyright (c) 2009 Matt Moore

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Israel-bashing at UCLA – by Eric Golub - Front Page

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 08:04 PM PST

anti-israel1

Last week, the Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) co-sponsored a seminar with the ungainly title, "Invasion Is a Structure, Not an Event: Settler Colonialism Past and Present." It was billed as a "two-day event organized by Gabriel Piterberg," a notoriously anti-Israel UCLA history professor. True to form, the seminar featured some of the most politicized and biased academics in the field of Middle East studies.

The audience of around 30 included perhaps 15 professors and a cadre of the aging hippie revolutionaries (not mutually exclusive groups) one grows accustomed to seeing at anti-Israel events.

Having covered earlier this year a "Gaza and Human Rights" symposium at UCLA that was widely criticized for devolving into Israel-bashing and anti-Semitism, I attended this event with a watchful eye.

UCLA professors, perhaps aware that they are now being monitored, have become somewhat wary. The panel included Jewish and Israeli speakers in an attempt at "diversity," but as is typical in academe, it was intellectually homogeneous. The "Jewish perspective" was represented by the far left of the political spectrum and differed little from the so-called pro-Palestinian perspective. To the extent any true debate existed, the seminar was an exercise in the indefensible vs. the incomprehensible.

New York University Middle Eastern studies and history professor Zachary Lockman introduced the indefensible by labeling Israel the "Zionist entity" and the "Zionist project," while referring to Palestinians as the "indigenous people." He claimed that "Israel can be compared to South Africa" because it "uses coercion" and concluded that "colonialism is Zionism."

University of California, San Diego sociology professor Gershon Shafir provided the incomprehensible as his "rebuttal." His defense of Israel was as weak as his communication and organizational skills.

Shafir began by quipping, "I didn't expect such a large crowd. I only brought five handouts." In looking at his own notes, he said, "I can't read this."

He was self-deprecating and generous in his praise of his opponent Lockman, who was neither. As he put it, "I'm not from New York. I can't speak as quickly."

Shafir's academic jargon rendered syntax worthy of a mathematics class:

Antecedent conditions lead to a critical juncture which leads to structural persistence which leads to a reactive sequence which leads to an outcome.

At one point, he almost managed to offer a pro-Israel sentiment, but then backed away:

I have all kinds of things to say about [Palestinian] violence, but I would get some ugly looks if I do.

He then looked at the other professors, who motioned for him to sit down. So much for intellectual diversity.

Patrick Wolfe, a history professor at La Trobe University in Australia, spoke next. He said he had no stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which led me to wonder, "Then why are you here?"

It turns out he was there to offer the Marxist position, including the following:

Black labor and red people's land has been used for white people's benefit.

The primary goal is not the exploitation of labor. It is the seizure of land.

Half of the Jews are Arabs, so the Jewish/Arab conflict makes no sense.

As to the latter, it makes plenty of sense. Arabs are murdering Jews, and Jews are against this.

Making less sense was Stanford University history professor Joel Beinin, who chaired the next panel. He began by praising Lockman and then claimed, against all evidence, "It is extraordinary to have such a rich discussion of the issues."

Sticking to his usual biases, Beinin juxtaposed current Israeli leadership with Israel's founders, to the detriment of the former: "The young Turks are militarizing the conflict to advance themselves."

At this point Piterberg opined that, "Increased settler movement is meant to spread Judeo supremacy at all costs."

And Lockman chimed in:

In 1948 Jews succeeded in getting rid of many indigenous Palestinians, but they can't kill them all. This is the logic and contradiction of the Zionist project.

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities history professor Patricia Lorcin spoke about sexuality in colonial Algeria. She managed to unite Lockman and Shafir, both of whom desperately wanted her presentation to end: It was a distraction from bashing Israel.

Piterberg, who was slated to discuss leftwing Israeli writer Amos Oz, offered bizarre and at times, tactless thoughts instead. Here is a sampling:

Israeli settlers are running around like R2D2. [I guess that would make C3PO a colonizer, since he was British.]

Israel looted Palestinian land after 1948. It was colonial sexual excitement.

Like an adulterous woman, the nomads moved forward.

Picture an Oriental Jewish woman fantasizing about a man with a mustache.

Likud policies are about exerting sexual power.

And perhaps most outrageously:

A proper white woman must become a Moroccan slut to experience true physical pleasure.

Beinin emoted that:

Amos Oz is the Israeli author I most love to hate. We need an extra five minutes to expose his racism and misogyny.

While Lorcin noted helpfully:

Sexual anxiety creates a fear of Arabs and Muslims.

UCLA anthropology professor and chair of CNES's Faculty Advisory Committee Sondra Hale, trying to reign in the discussion, asked, "How does that relate to settlers?"

Without missing a beat, Lorcin replied, "Demographic promiscuity."

Rounding out the panel's apparent preoccupation with sex, Lorcin added:

Sexual anxiety leads to the politics of this moment. Periods of calm mean that there is no need for "Frenchness."

I'm not sure if this was intended as praise or an insult, but it was at least consistent with everything else she said.

Having had his fill of sex talk, Beinin moved on to implicitly accusing Israel of committing genocide:

The logic of settler colonialism is "eliminationist." [That is not an actual word, but why let that stand in the way of making a good point?]

As "proof," he cited the work of Columbia University Arab studies professor Rashid Khalidi:

In 1884, violence occurred two years after Zionists arrived in Palestine.

Beinin followed Khalidi's incorrect assertions with his own:

The Nakba [or catastrophe, used by radicals to describe Israel's founding] occurred in July, 1948. Yitzchak Rabin expelled 50,000 Palestinians.

Then he added, "I am not here making a pacifist solution," which drew loud laughter from the professors, some of whom have a history of justifying violence against Israelis while decrying Israeli self-defense.

When somebody asked about problems with Palestinian leadership, Beinin replied, to more laughter, "Some things I don't discuss in black and white." Apparently, Beinin only applies this approach to discussions of Israel.

The conclusion of this bizarre conference was stunningly and unintentionally honest.

Piterberg stated:

We all write about the settlers, but none of us write about the indigenous population. This could be for a variety of reasons.

To which Hale replied:

We are only interested in the settlers because we are careerists. That is unkind, but true. There is plenty of material on the indigenous people; we just ignore it.

The question of which peoples can be declared "indigenous" aside, she is absolutely right in admitting that criticizing Israel on campuses is good for business, not to mention much easier than rigorous, objective research.

The lowest moment of the conference occurred during a break, when Sondra Hale conversed with two women in the audience. Speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, Hale, showing her true colors, made the following outlandish statements:

Stand With Us [a pro-Israel organization] are the White Citizen's Council without the sheets. They are McCarthyists.

The ZOA [Zionist Organization of America] are Nazis.

Moreover, she agreed with the other two when they said that "Zionists are more despicable than Baathists. If we could just use the courts, we could make the Zionists feel the financial sting."

Some portions of the seminar were less harmful than silly. For instance, a couple people were simply outraged that the coffee cups they were using were not biodegradable.

Yet beyond the oddball assortment of environmentalists, Marxists, and supporters of Algerian eroticism, the bulk of the seminar hewed tightly to its clear and harmful purpose: demonizing and delegitimizing Israel. It's a further sign of the continued politicization of Middle East studies.

Eric Golub is the publisher of the Tygrrrr Express blog. He wrote this article for Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)